Making a Mockery

“If you lay siege on a city for many days to wage war on it to capture it, do not destroy its trees…” (Devarim, 20:19)

From this prohibition, Chazal derive the laws of bal tashchis, not to wastefully destroy anything of value. This mitzvah is not just a practical tip. It’s the fundamental point that defines who is a tzaddik and who a rasha.

This belief is also what spurs the behavior of a leitz, a scoffer. The word leitz doesn’t refer to one who is occasionally flippant, but to someone who deliberately belittles precious values.

Rabbein Yonah in Shaarei Teshuvah says a leitz mocks words and actions to distance himself from them. Since he’s dismissing these values as worthless, his sin shares a core similarity with bal tashchis. (Rav Wallach, Maayan Hashavuah)

My eighth-grade students were hosting an out-of-town school for Shabbos, and I was scheduled to give the second workshop during the Friday night oneg. I lounged in a chair, idly reviewing my topic. Truth was, I didn’t need to practice. Tonight’s topic was one I’d used and enjoyed before, so I was looking forward to it. Then Aviva finished her workshop. I was up next.