Reproof in CD 9:2–8 and 1QS 5:24–6:1: A Note on a Curious Omission

The Damascus Document (CD 9:2–8) and the Serekh (1QS 5:24–6:1) amplify Leviticus 19:17–18 and carefully spell out the legal procedure for open reproof. In doing so, however, they both omit the key phrase of Leviticus 19:18b (ואהבת לרעך כמוך). This short note suggests that the omission is deliberate and results from a specific sectarian reading of Leviticus 19:17–18. The sectarians are construing this scriptural mandate as a legal command in contrast to the more mainstream reading as exhortation in the Second Temple period.