R. Avital Hochstein on Parashat Re'eih: The Dangers of Incitement

In Parashat Re’eih, the Torah warns against a uniquely insidious threat: the mesit or inciter.  In Hebrew, this act of enticing or manipulating another person toward harm is known as hasatah, “incitement.”  The discourse of incitement is one of the most central and sensitive topics in social and political interaction in Israel.  The term hasatah is used by the Israeli public both as a formal legal definition (a prohibited call for violence, racism, or terrorism) and as a popular political tool designed to invalidate the other side's position and label it as dangerous.  The Torah approaches hasatah as well, indicating that incitement is dangerous because it is confusing, powerful—and primarily because it works.