Shemirat HaLashon שמירת הלשון

We learned (Bava Bathra 78b): R. Shmuel b. Nachmani said in the name of R. Yonathan (Bamidbar 21:27): "Therefore, the rulers say: 'Let us come to Cheshbon, etc.': 'the rulers' — these are the rulers over their yetzer. 'Let us come to Cheshbon' — Let us come and make the world's accounting ['cheshbon' = account], the loss [entailed by the performance] of a mitzvah against its reward; and the reward of a transgression against its loss." The plain meaning is well known: this [the reward of a mitzvah] is forever, and this [the "loss" of a mitzvah] is temporal. Also, this [the "reward" of a transgression] is a negligible pleasure, and this [the reward of a mitzvah] is awesome. For "one moment of pleasure in the world to come is greater than all the pleasures of this world," and the opposite for transgression.

It also seems to me that one should imagine that the two bases of a balance scale are standing before him. On one is written the loss that he will suffer by the performance of a mitzvah, and on the other, the reward. He will see that the reward far outweighs the loss, so that the loss can hardly be seen, and, thereby [i.e., by this visual aid] the yetzer will be smitten. Likewise, with transgressions. Let him imagine that on one side he will see the "reward" of the transgression, and on the other side, the destructive agents, plotting his tortures with sore, bitter afflictions.

(Bamidbar, Ibid.): 'You will be built up and established' — [If you do thus,] you will be built up in this world and established for the world to come." Now when we reflect upon this [we ask]: Why did R. Shmuel b. Nachmani juxtapose this mussar with this verse? How are they related? This would seem to be resolved by what Chazal say (Chagigah 15a): "The tzaddik takes his portion and the portion of his neighbor [the rasha] in Gan Eden; the rasha takes his portion and the portion of his neighbor [the tzaddik] in Gehinnom." Ostensibly, this is difficult. Is He not a G-d of truth and a righteous Judge? Also, to which tzaddik is this portion given? It would seem that the explanation is as follows: The two are living in one city. The rasha always mocks the conduct of the tzaddik, his Torah and his avodah [Divine service], and slanders him to the populace. And the tzaddik strengthens himself and bears his shame and does not enter into a quarrel with him, and continues walking in the way of the L-rd, in His Torah and in His avodah. When they come for judgment in the world to come, the rasha loses his portion of merit. For aside from nor desiring to serve the L-rd, he mocked one who did, and thereby also "cooled off" Divine service in the eyes of men. To whom, then, do all his merits revert? To his neighbor, the tzaddik, whom he mocked and whom he caused shame and humiliation, and who was constantly constrained to strengthen himself so as not to slacken in his service. [This is the purport of: "He (the tzaddik) takes his portion and the portion of his neighbor (the rasha) in Gan Eden."]

As to: "The rasha takes his portion and the portion of his neighbor [the tzaddik] in Gehinnom," this may be understood as follows: By his constant mockery and ridicule of the tzaddik he causes defects in his [the tzaddik's] Divine service, for which the rasha, being the cause of these defects, must take the punishment upon himself.

And now we return to the verse. It is known that in the beginning, the cities belonged to Moav. And the governors say to Sichon and his soldiers: "Let us come to the city of Cheshbon and it will be regarded now as the city of Sichon." And the [mussar] analogue in our instance: The aspects of tikkun [amendment] wrought in Gan Eden by the acts of the reshaim will revert to the tzaddikim, who governed their yetzer and served the L-rd and paid no regard to the reshaim, who shamed them and their service.

They also expounded "the city of Sichon" in a different fashion, viz. (Ibid. 28): "For a fire has gone forth from Cheshbon, a flame from the city of Sichon. It has consumed Ar of Moav, the possessors of Arnon" — If a man makes himself like a young ass [ayir - similar to ir, "city"], which docilely follows the cajoling talk [(sicha, intimated by "Sichon") of its driver], in this case, the yetzer, "A fire will go forth from Cheshbon" — from those who reckon the account of the world, "a flame from the city of Sichon" — the tzaddikim, who are referred to as "sprouts" [sichin, intimated by "Sichon"], and it shall consume those who make no reckoning of their end." The explanation (in my humble opinion) is, according to the other phenomenon of which Chazal apprise us, that the rasha takes his portion and the portion of his neighbor [the tzaddik] in Gehinnom. This is the intent of "for a fire has gone forth from Cheshbon" — that is, the fire of Gehinnom, created by the sins of the tzaddikim will go forth from them, i.e., it will not prevail over them. And over whom will it prevail? Over the reshaim, who make no reckoning of their end. And thus, the conclusion of the verse: "It has consumed Ar of Moav" — intimating that it will consume the lusters, (viz. [Ibid. 25:1): "And the people began to lust after the daughters of Moav"). (Ibid. 21:28): 'the possessors of the heights of Arnon' — the haughty of spirit."