5764. 'And you will be innocent' means that each of the rest will be his own master since they are not involved in the blame. This is clear from the meaning of' him who is innocent', when compared to a slave, as one who is his own master since, it follows, he is not involved in the blame. Among gentiles in former times it was customary, when one person sinned, to consider his companions too to be blameworthy; indeed it was customary to punish an entire household for a crime committed by an individual member. But such a law is derived from hell, for in that place all companions band together, intent on evil. Indeed the communities there have been established in such a way that they act as a united whole against what is good; thus they are held in association with one another even though each individual harbours deadly hatred against another. Their unity and friendship are those of thieves. As a consequence, since companions in hell band together intent on evil, when they do perform evil all of them are punished. But to mete out that kind of punishment in the world as well is utterly contrary to Divine order, for in the world good people live in association with evil ones since one person does not know what another is like interiorly, and for most of the time is. not concerned to know. The Divine law for people in the world therefore is that each should pay for his own iniquity, referred to in Moses as follows,