The Wickedness of Raising One's Hand: Defining Rasha Beyond Sin

This shiur delves into a fundamental question arising from Shemos 2:13, where Moshe confronts two Jews fighting and the Torah (תורה) refers to one as "rasha" simply for raising his hand. The class grapples with what appears to be a novel definition of wickedness: the Midrash and Rambam (רמב"ם) (Hilchos Chovel U'Mazik, Perek 5) derive that one who merely lifts a hand against another is called a rasha, even if no blow is struck. Rabbi Zweig asks: what is the chiddush here? Is this a unique category of rasha, or does it teach something deeper about the nature of evil? The discussion explores several possibilities. Perhaps the rasha designation stems from the act of making another person cower or feel threatened—what English law calls "assault" as distinct from battery. The Hebrew term "merim yad" (raising the hand) might focus not on the intention to strike but on the act of asserting dominance, reducing another person, or causing them to feel subjugated. This reading is reinforced by the language "mi samcha l'ish sar v'shofet" (who made you a prince and judge)—the accusation thrown back at Moshe—which emphasizes dominion and authority over others. The shiur suggests that the evil of merim yad lies in the relational dynamic: one person trying to place himself above another, to dominate rather than merely harm.