Daily Study:
Chumash Parshat Ki Tisa, 5th Portion (Exodus 34:1-34:9)
Chapter 34
1. And the Lord said to Moses: "Hew for yourself two stone tablets like the first ones. And I will inscribe upon the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke. א. וַיֹּאמֶר יְהֹוָה אֶל משֶׁה פְּסָל לְךָ שְׁנֵי לֻחֹת אֲבָנִים כָּרִאשֹׁנִים וְכָתַבְתִּי עַל הַלֻּחֹת אֶת הַדְּבָרִים אֲשֶׁר הָיוּ עַל הַלֻּחֹת הָרִאשֹׁנִים אֲשֶׁר שִׁבַּרְתָּ:
Hew for yourself: Heb. פְּסָל לְ. He [God] showed him [Moses] a sapphire mine from within his tent, and He said to him, “The [sapphire] chips shall be yours,” and from there Moses became very wealthy. -[from Tanchuma 29, Lev. Rabbah 32:2]
פסל לך: הראהו מחצב סנפירינון מתוך אהלו, ואמר לו הפסולת יהיה שלך, ומשם נתעשר משה הרבה:
Hew for yourself: You broke the first ones. You hew others for yourself. This can be compared to a king who went abroad and left his betrothed with the maidservants. Because of the immoral behavior of the maidservants, she acquired a bad reputation. Her bridesman [the person appointed to defend the bride should any problems arise] arose and tore up her marriage contract. He said, “If the king decides to kill her, I will say to him, ‘She is not yet your wife.’” The king investigated and discovered that only the maidservants were guilty of immoral behavior. He [therefore] became appeased to her. So her bridesman said to him, “Write her another marriage contract because the first one was torn up.” The king replied to him, “You tore it up. You buy yourself another [sheet of] paper, and I will write to her with my [personal] hand [writing].” Likewise, the king represents the Holy One, blessed is He. The maidservants represent the mixed multitude. The bridesman is Moses, and the betrothed of the Holy One, blessed is He, is Israel. That is why it says: “Hew for yourself.” -[from Tanchuma 30]
פסל לך: אתה שברת הראשונות, אתה פסל לך אחרות. משל למלך שהלך למדינת הים והניח ארוסתו עם השפחות, מתוך קלקול השפחות יצא עליה שם רע, עמד שושבינה וקרע כתובתה, אמר אם יאמר המלך להורגה אומר לו עדיין אינה אשתך. בדק המלך ומצא, שלא היה הקלקול אלא מן השפחות, נתרצה לה. אמר לו שושבינה כתוב לה כתובה אחרת, שנקרעה הראשונה. אמר לו המלך אתה קרעת אותה, אתה קנה לך נייר אחר, ואני אכתוב לה בכתב ידי, כן המלך זה הקדוש ברוך הוא, השפחות אלו ערב רב, והשושבין זה משה, ארוסתו של הקדוש ברוך הוא אלו ישראל, לכך נאמר פסל לך:
2. Be prepared for the morning, and in the morning you shall ascend Mount Sinai and stand before Me there on the top of the mountain. ב. וֶהְיֵה נָכוֹן לַבֹּקֶר וְעָלִיתָ בַבֹּקֶר אֶל הַר סִינַי וְנִצַּבְתָּ לִי שָׁם עַל רֹאשׁ הָהָר:
prepared: Heb. נָכוֹן, ready.
נכון: מזומן:
3. No one shall ascend with you, neither shall anyone be seen anywhere on the mountain, neither shall the sheep and the cattle graze facing that mountain." ג. וְאִישׁ לֹא יַעֲלֶה עִמָּךְ וְגַם אִישׁ אַל יֵרָא בְּכָל הָהָר גַּם הַצֹּאן וְהַבָּקָר אַל יִרְעוּ אֶל מוּל הָהָר הַהוּא:
No one shall ascend with you: Since the first ones [i.e., tablets] were accompanied by loud noises, sounds, and with a multitude, the evil eye affected them. [Our conclusion is that] there is nothing better than modesty. -[from Tanchuma 30]
ואיש לא יעלה עמך: הראשונות על ידי שהיו בתשואות וקולות וקהלה, שלטה בהן עין רעה, אין לך מדה יפה מן הצניעות:
4. So he [Moses] hewed two stone tablets like the first ones, and Moses arose early in the morning and ascended Mount Sinai as the Lord had commanded him, and he took two stone tablets in his hand. ד. וַיִּפְסֹל שְׁנֵי לֻחֹת אֲבָנִים כָּרִאשֹׁנִים וַיַּשְׁכֵּם משֶׁה בַבֹּקֶר וַיַּעַל אֶל הַר סִינַי כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוָּה יְהֹוָה אֹתוֹ וַיִּקַּח בְּיָדוֹ שְׁנֵי לֻחֹת אֲבָנִים:
5. And the Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and He called out in the name of the Lord. ה. וַיֵּרֶד יְהֹוָה בֶּעָנָן וַיִּתְיַצֵּב עִמּוֹ שָׁם וַיִּקְרָא בְשֵׁם יְהֹוָה:
and He called out in the name of the Lord: We render: וּקְרָא בִשְׁמָא דַיְיָ, and he called out in the name of the Lord. [from Onkelos]
ויקרא בשם ה': מתרגמינן וקרא בשמא דה':
6. And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed: Lord, Lord, benevolent God, Who is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abundant in loving kindness and truth, ו. וַיַּעֲבֹר יְהֹוָה | עַל פָּנָיו וַיִּקְרָא יְהֹוָה | יְהֹוָה אֵל רַחוּם וְחַנּוּן אֶרֶךְ אַפַּיִם וְרַב חֶסֶד וֶאֱמֶת:
Lord, Lord: This is God's Attribute of Compassion. [It is repeated,] once for before the person sins, and once for after he sins and repents.
ה' ה': מדת הרחמים היא, אחת קודם שיחטא, ואחת אחר שיחטא וישוב:
God: Heb. אֵל. This too is an attribute of compassion [for God], and so he [the Psalmist] says: “My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?” (Ps. 22:2). One cannot say to the Divine attribute of justice, “Why have You forsaken me?” I found this in the Mechilta (Exod. 15:2).
אל: אף זו מדת רחמים, וכן הוא אומר (תהלים כב ב) אלי אלי למה עזבתני, ואין לומר למדת הדין למה עזבני כך מצאתי במכילתא:
slow to anger: He puts off His anger and does not hasten to exact retribution, [hoping that] perhaps he [the sinner] will repent.
ארך אפים: מאריך אפו ואינו ממהר ליפרע, שמא יעשה תשובה:
and abundant in loving-kindness: for those who need loving-kindness because they lack sufficient merits. -[from R.H. 17a]
ורב חסד: לצריכים חסד, שאין להם זכיות כל כך:
and truth: to pay a good reward to those who do His will.
ואמת: לשלם שכר טוב לעושי רצונו:
7. preserving loving kindness for thousands, forgiving iniquity and rebellion and sin; yet He does not completely clear [of sin] He visits the iniquity of parents on children and children's children, to the third and fourth generations." ז. נצֵר חֶסֶד לָאֲלָפִים נֹשֵׂא עָוֹן וָפֶשַׁע וְחַטָּאָה וְנַקֵּה לֹא יְנַקֶּה פֹּקֵד | עֲוֹן אָבוֹת עַל בָּנִים וְעַל בְּנֵי בָנִים עַל שִׁלֵּשִׁים וְעַל רִבֵּעִים:
preserving loving-kindness: that a person does before Him.
נצר חסד: שהאדם עושה לפניו:
for thousands: For two thousand generations.
לאלפים: לשני אלפים דורות:
[iniquity and rebellion]: Iniquities (עִוֹנוֹת) are intentional sins. פְּשָׁעִים are sins committed out of rebellion, which a person commits [in order] to anger [God]. -[from Yoma 36b]
עון ופשע: עונות אלו הזדונות. פשעים אלו המרדים, שאדם עושה להכעיס:
yet He does not completely clear [of sin]: Heb. וְנַקֵּה לֹא יְנַקֶּה. According to its simple interpretation, it means that He does not completely overlook the iniquity but exacts retribution for it little by little. Our Rabbis, however, interpreted [this expression to mean]: He clears those who repent, but does not clear those who do not repent (from Yoma 86a, targumim).
ונקה לא ינקה: לפי פשוטו משמע, שאינו מוותר על העון לגמרי, אלא נפרע ממנו מעט מעט. ורבותינו דרשו מנקה הוא לשבים ולא ינקה לשאינן שבים:
He visits the iniquity of parents on the children: when they hold onto the deeds of their parents in their hands [i.e., emulate their ways], for He already explained this in another verse, [that it means only] “of those who hate Me” (Exod. 20:5). -[from Ber. 7a]
פקד עון אבות על בנים: כשאוחזים מעשה אבותיהם בידיהם, שכבר פירש במקרא אחר (שמות כ ד) לשונאי:
and fourth generations: Heb. וְעַל רִבֵּעִים, the fourth generation. Thus, the [i.e., God’s] attribute of goodness exceeds the attribute of retribution by a ratio of one to five hundred. Concerning the attribute of goodness, He says: “preserving loving-kindness for thousands.” -[from Tosefta, Sotah 4:1]
ועל רבעים: דור רביעי, נמצאת מדה טובה מרובה על מדת פורענות אחת לחמש מאות, שבמדה טובה הוא אומר נוצר חסד לאלפים:
8. And Moses hastened, bowed his head to the ground and prostrated himself, ח. וַיְמַהֵר משֶׁה וַיִּקֹּד אַרְצָה וַיִּשְׁתָּחוּ:
And Moses hastened: When Moses saw the Shechinah passing [in front of him] and he heard the voice calling, he immediately prostrated himself.
וימהר משה: כשראה משה שכינה עוברת ושמע קול הקריאה, מיד וישתחו:
9. and said: "If I have now found favor in Your eyes, O Lord, let the Lord go now in our midst [even] if they are a stiff necked people, and You shall forgive our iniquity and our sin and thus secure us as Your possession." ט. וַיֹּאמֶר אִם נָא מָצָאתִי חֵן בְּעֵינֶיךָ אֲדֹנָי יֵלֶךְ נָא אֲדֹנָי בְּקִרְבֵּנוּ כִּי עַם קְשֵׁה עֹרֶף הוּא וְסָלַחְתָּ לַעֲוֹנֵנוּ וּלְחַטָּאתֵנוּ וּנְחַלְתָּנוּ:
let the Lord go now in our midst: As You promised us, since You forgive iniquity. [Which means:] and if they are a stiff-necked people, and they rebelled against You, and You have said concerning this, “Lest I destroy you on the way” (Exod. 33:3), You [still] will forgive our iniquity, etc. There are [other instances where] כִּי [is used] instead of אִם if.
ילך נא ה' בקרבנו: כמו שהבטחת, מאחר שאתה נושא עון, ואם עם קשה עורף הוא וימרו בך, ואמרת על זאת פן אכלך בדרך, אתה תסלח לעונינו. ויש כי במקום אם:
and thus secure us as Your possession: And You shall give us to Yourself as a special possession. (Other editions read: and You shall give us a special possession.) That is the [same] request of: “Then I and Your people will be distinguished” (Exod. 33:16), [meaning] that the Shechinah should not rest upon the pagan nations.
ונחלתנו: ותתננו לך לנחלה מיוחדת, זו היא בקשת ונפלינו אני ועמך, שלא תשרה שכינתך על האומות
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Tehillim - Psalms Chapters 69-71
Chapter 69
1. For the Conductor, on the shoshanim,1 by David.
2. Deliver me, O God, for the waters have reached until my soul!
3. I have sunk in muddy depths without foothold; I have come into deep waters, and the current sweeps me away.
4. I am wearied by my crying, my throat is parched; my eyes pined while waiting for my God.
5. More numerous than the hairs on my head are those who hate me without reason. Mighty are those who would cut me off, those who are my enemies without cause. What I have not stolen, I will then have to return.
6. O God, You know my folly, and my wrongs are not hidden from You.
7. Let not those who hope in You be shamed through me, O my Lord, God of Hosts; let not those who seek You be disgraced through me, O God of Israel,
8. because for Your sake I have borne humiliation, disgrace covers my face.
9. I have become a stranger to my brothers, an alien to my mother's sons,
10. for the envy of Your House has consumed me, and the humiliations of those who scorn You have fallen upon me.
11. And I wept while my soul fasted, and it was a humiliation to me.
12. I made sackcloth my garment, and became a byword for them.
13. Those who sit by the gate speak of me, and [of me] are the songs of drunkards.
14. May my prayer to You, Lord, be at a gracious time; God, in Your abounding kindness, answer me with Your true deliverance.
15. Rescue me from the mire, so that I not sink; let me be saved from my enemies and from deep waters.
16. Let not the current of water sweep me away, nor the deep swallow me; and let not the pit close its mouth over me.
17. Answer me, Lord, for Your kindness is good; according to Your abundant mercies, turn to me.
18. Do not hide Your face from Your servant, for I am in distress-hurry to answer me.
19. Draw near to my soul and liberate it; redeem me, so that my enemies [not feel triumphant].
20. You know my humiliation, my shame, and my disgrace; all my tormentors are before You.
21. Humiliation has broken my heart, and I have become ill. I longed for comfort, but there was none; for consolers, but I did not find.
22. They put gall into my food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.
23. Let their table become a trap before them, and [their] serenity, a snare.
24. Let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see, and let their loins continually falter.
25. Pour Your wrath upon them, and let the fierceness of Your anger overtake them.
26. Let their palace be desolate, let there be no dweller in their tents,
27. for they persecute the one whom You struck, and tell of the pain of Your wounded ones.
28. Add iniquity to their iniquity, and let them not enter into Your righteousness.
29. May they be erased from the Book of Life, and let them not be inscribed with the righteous.
30. But I am poor and in pain; let Your deliverance, O God, streng-then me.
31. I will praise the Name of God with song, I will extol Him with thanksgiving!
32. And it will please the Lord more than [the sacrifice of] a mature bull with horns and hooves.
33. The humble will see it and rejoice; you seekers of God, [see] and your hearts will come alive.
34. For the Lord listens to the needy, and He does not despise His prisoners.
35. Let heaven and earth praise Him, the seas and all that moves within them,
36. for God will deliver Zion and build the cities of Judah, and they will settle there and possess it;
37. and the seed of His servants will inherit it, and those who love His Name will dwell in it.
Chapter 70
David prays that his enemies be shamed and humiliated for their shaming him and reveling in his troubles. Then the righteous will rejoice, and chant songs and praises always.
1. For the Conductor, by David, to remind.
2. O God, [come] to rescue me; O Lord, hurry to my aid.
3. Let those who seek my life be shamed and disgraced; let those who wish me harm retreat and be humiliated.
4. Let those who say, "Aha! Aha!" be turned back in return for their shaming [me].
5. Let all who seek You rejoice and delight in You, and let those who love Your deliverance say always, "May God be exalted!”
6. But I am poor and needy; hurry to me, O God! You are my help and deliverer; O God, do not delay!
Chapter 71
In this awe-inspiring prayer, David speaks of his enemies' desire to kill him, declaring him deserving of death.
1. I have taken refuge in You, O Lord; I will never be shamed.
2. Rescue me and deliver me in Your righteousness; incline Your ear to me and save me.
3. Be for me a sheltering rock, to enter always. You have ordered my salvation, for You are my rock and my fortress.
4. O my God, rescue me from the hand of the wicked, from the palm of the scheming and violent.
5. For You are my hope, O my Lord, God, my security since my youth.
6. I have relied on You from the womb; You drew me from my mother's innards; my praise is of You always.
7. I became an example to the masses, yet You were my mighty refuge.
8. Let my mouth be filled with Your praise, all day long with Your glory.
9. Do not cast me aside in old age; do not forsake me when my strength fails;
10. for my enemies say of me, and those who watch my soul conspire together,
11. saying, "God has forsaken him. Give chase and catch him, for there is no rescuer.”
12. O God, do not distance Yourself from me; my God, hurry to my aid.
13. Let the adversaries of my soul be shamed and consumed; let those who seek my harm be enwrapped in disgrace and humiliation.
14. But as for me, I will always hope; I will add to all Your praises.
15. My mouth will tell of Your righteousness, all day long of Your deliverance, for I do not know their number.
16. I come with the strength of my Lord, God; I mention Your righteousness, Yours alone.
17. O God, You have taught me since my youth, and to this day I tell of Your wonders.
18. Even into old age and hoariness, O God, do not abandon me, until I tell of Your might to the generations, and of Your strength to all who are to come.
19. Your righteousness, O God, reaches the high heavens, for You do great things; O God, who is like You!
20. You, Who has shown me many and grievous troubles, You will revive me again; You will lift me again from the depths of the earth.
21. You will increase my greatness; You will turn and console me.
22. I too1 will thank You on the lyre for Your faithfulness, My God; I will sing to You on the harp, O Holy One of Israel.
23. My lips will rejoice when I sing to you, as well as my soul which You have redeemed.
24. My tongue will also utter Your righteousness all day, for those who seek my harm are shamed and disgraced.
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Tanya Likutei Amarim, middle of Chapter 29
Lessons in Tanya
Thursday, 13 Adar I 5774 / February 13, 2014
Today in Tanya
Likutei Amarim, middle of Chapter 29
ובפרט כשיזכור טומאת נפשו בחטאת נעורים, והפגם שעשה בעליונים, ושם הוא למעלה מהזמן, וכאלו פגם ונטמא היום, חס ושלום, ממש
Especially so, if he calls to mind the contamination of his soul with the sin of youth, and the blemish he has wrought thereby in the supernal worlds —the source of his soul. The fact that they were sins of “youth”, belonging to a time and to a spiritual level from which he may presently be far removed, is irrelevant in these supernal worlds — where everything is timeless, and it is as if he had caused the blemish and defiled himself this very day, G‑d forbid.
ואף שכבר עשה תשובה נכונה, הרי עיקר התשובה בלב, והלב יש בו בחינות ומדרגות רבות, והכל לפי מה שהוא אדם, ולפי הזמן והמקום, כידוע ליודעים
True, he may already have repented sincerely and thereby removed the blemish and cleansed himself. But the essence of repentance is in the heart, and in the heart there are many distinctions and levels. Moreover, everything depends on what kind of a man he is (— the greater his stature, the higher the level of repentance required of him), and on the time and place in which he now stands, as is known to the knowing.
Whenever and wherever one is less tempted by a particular sin, a deeper and loftier level of repentance is expected of him for having committed that sin, than at a time when he is more strongly tempted, and must fight more insistently to resist that temptation. Similarly time and place create other differences with respect to repentance. Therefore, judging by one’s present situation, his earlier repentance may be inadequate in erasing his past sins. Perhaps, then, the absence of a higher form of repentance required of him now causes his sins to interpose between himself and G‑d, preventing the light of his soul from penetrating his heart — as the Alter Rebbe continues:
ולכן עכשיו בשעה זו, שרואה בעצמו דלא סליק ביה נהורא דנשמתא, מכלל שהיום לא נתקבלה תשובתו, ועונותיו מבדילים, או שרוצים להעלותו לתשובה עילאה יותר, מעומקא דלבא יותר
Consequently, now, at this time, when observing himself he sees that “the light of the soul does not penetrate into him,” it is evident that either, (a) his repentance has not been accepted, and his sins still separate him from G‑dliness; or (b) it is desired that he be raised to a more sublime level of repentance, coming from a point yet deeper in his heart than his earlier repentance.
Far from indicating Divine displeasure, the rejection of his repentance in this latter case points to Divine favor: a desire to raise this person to yet greater heights of repentance. Hence the difficulties in his divine service and the timtum halev — so that he will call forth greater resources from within himself, and repent more deeply.
ולכן אמר דוד: וחטאתי נגדי תמיד
For this reason, King David said, despite the fact that he was a tzaddik, who was also able to say of himself: 1 “My heart is a void within me,” which means (as Rashi comments, 2 “The evil impulse is as if dead within me,” — despite this he would still say:) 3 “My sin is constantly before me.”
Why was it necessary for a man of David’s caliber to constantly bear in mind his past sins? Surely he had repented for them adequately! Obviously, then, the memory is necessary in order to spur one on to greater heights within the ranks of holiness, to deeper levels of repentance, as said earlier. 4
FOOTNOTES
1. Tehillim 109:22.
2. Berachot 61b.
3. Tehillim 51:5.
4. Based on a comment by the Rebbe. The Rebbe adds: The Alter Rebbe finds it necessary to cite Scriptural proof to support his seemingly strange contention - that the soul's light might be prevented from irradiating one's body (even where no sins interpose between himself and G-d) merely as a divine device for elevating him to a higher level of teshuvah.
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Rambam Daily Mitzvah - Sefer Hamitzvot
P215. Mishneh Torah, End of Sefer Ahavah: From “Order of prayers for the whole year. The people are accustomed” to “He shall reign over us, etc.”
Positive Commandment 215 (Digest)
Circumcision
"Every male child among you shall be circumcised"—Genesis 17:10.
We are commanded to circumcise all our male children. This obligation rests upon the child's father, not his mother.
The 215th mitzvah is that we are commanded to perform circumcision.
The source of this commandment is G‑d's statement1 (exalted be He) to Avraham, "You must circumcise every male."
The Torah clearly states that the punishment for one who does not fulfill this mitzvah is kares.2 The source for this is G‑d's statement3 (exalted be He), "The uncircumcised male whose foreskin has not been circumcised, shall be punished by kares."
The details of this mitzvah are explained in the 19th chapter of Shabbos4 and the 4th chapter of Yevamos.5
A woman is not obligated regarding her son's circumcision as a father is so obligated, as explained in Kiddushin.6
Rabbi Berel Bell is a well-known educator, author and lecturer. He and his family reside in Montreal, Canada.
From "Sefer Hamitzvot in English," published by Sichos in English.
FOOTNOTES
1. Gen. 17:10.
2. This applies only when the individual's father has not circumcised him, and his entire life has passed without him circumcising himself.
See Principle 14, where the Rambam defines kores as losing one's portion in the World to Come (unless the person does teshuvah before death). See also Hilchos Teshuvah, Chapter 8, Halachah. 1.
3. Gen. 17:14.
4. 130a.
5. 47b.
6. 29a.
Nusach HaTefila (Digest)
Nusach Hatefilah
The study continues with Maimonides' "Order of Prayer." (The Daily Mitzvah schedule runs parallel to the daily study of three chapters of Maimonides' 14-volume code. This is what is being studied today according to the three-chapter-a-day-schedule.)
We have not translated this order into English, because the point of it is not to provide a translation of the prayers (in fact, the Hebrew text often skips out passages not relevant to the structure), but to lay out the way Maimonides structured his prayer book.
As such, we present you today with the first part of the original Hebrew "Order of Prayer." This section contains the daily morning prayers and blessings, up until the amidah.
Part 1
סדר תפלות חלק ראשון
א. סדר תפלות כל השנה:
נהגו העם לקרות בכל יום בשחר אחר שקורין פרשת צו וברכת כהנים קורין משנה זו אלו דברים שאין להם שיעור הפאה והבכורים והראיון וגמילות חסדים ותלמוד תורה אלו דברים שאדם אוכל פירותיהן בעולם הזה והקרן קיימת לו לעולם הבא כיבוד אב ואם וגמילות חסדים ועיון תפלה וביקור חולים והשכמת בית המדרש והכנסת אורחים והבאת שלום בין אדם לחבירו ותלמוד תורה כנגד כולן אמר רבי זירא בנות ישראל הן החמירו על עצמן שאפילו רואות טיפת דם כחרדל יושבות עליה שבעה נקיים תנא דבי אליהו כל השונה הלכות בכל יום מובטח לו שהוא בן העולם הבא שנאמר הליכות עולם לו אל תקרי הליכות אלא הלכות אמר רבי אלעזר אמר רבי חנינא תלמידי חכמים מרבים שלום בעולם שנאמר וכל בניך למודי יי' וכו' מזמור לדוד יי' מי יגור באהלך מי ישכון בהר קדשך הולך תמים ופועל צדק לעולם יהא אדם ירא שמים בסתר ומודה על האמת ודובר אמת בלבבו וישכם ויאמר רבון העולמים לא על צדקותינו אנחנו מפילים תחנונינו לפניך כי על רחמיך הרבים מה אנו מה חיינו מה חסדנו מה צדקתנו מה כחנו ומה גבורתנו מה נאמר לפניך יי' אלהינו הלא כל הגבורים כאין לפניך ואנשי השם כלא היו וחכמים כבלי מדע ונבונים כבלי השכל כי כל מעשינו תהו ובהו וימי חיינו הבל לפניך כמו שכתוב בדברי קדשך ומותר האדם וגו' אבל אנחנו עמך בני בריתך בני אברהם אוהבך שנשבעת לו בהר המוריה זרע יצחק יחידך שנעקד על גבי מזבחך עדת יעקב בנך בכורך שמאהבתך שאהבת אותו ומשמחתך ששמחת בו קראת אותו ישראל וישורון:
לפיכך אנו חייבין להודות לך ולשבחך ולפארך וליתן שבח והודאה לשמך וחייבין אנו לומר לפניך בכל יום ערב ובוקר שמע ישראל יי' אלהינו יי' אחד אשרנו מה טוב חלקנו מה נעים גורלנו מה יפה ירושתנו אשרנו שאנו משכימין ומעריבין בכל יום תמיד ערב ובוקר ואומרים שמע ישראל יי' אלהינו יי' אחד אתה הוא קודם שנברא העולם אתה הוא אחר שנברא העולם אתה הוא בעולם הזה ואתה הוא לעולם הבא אתה הוא ראשון ואתה הוא אחרון קדש שמך הגדול והקדוש בעולמך ובישועתך תרום ותגביה קרננו ברוך המקדש שמו ברבים אתה הוא יי' אלהינו בשמים ממעל ועל הארץ מתחת ובשמי השמים העליונים אתה הוא ראשון ואתה הוא אחרון ומבלעדיך אין אלהים קבץ קויך מארבע כנפות הארץ יכירו וידעו כל באי עולם כי אתה הוא האלהים לבדך לכל ממלכות הארץ אתה עשית את השמים ואת הארץ ומי בכל מעשה ידיך בעליונים או בתחתונים מי שיאמר לך מה תעשה אבינו שבשמים עשה עמנו כמו שהבטחתנו על ידי חוזך בעת ההיא אביא אתכם ובעת קבצי אתכם כי אתן אתכם לשם ולתהלה בכל עמי הארץ בשובי את שבותיכם לעיניכם אמר יי ונאמר אתה הוא יי' לבדך אתה עשית את השמים שמי השמים וכל צבאם הארץ וכל אשר עליה הימים וכל אשר בהם ואתה מחיה את כולם וצבא השמים לך משתחוים אתה הוא יי' האלהים אשר בחרת באברם והוצאתו מאור כשדים ושמת שמו אברהם אתה הוא ושנותיך לא יתמו יי' מלך יי מלך יי' ימלוך לעולם ועד יי' מלך כו' עד ברוך יי' לעולם אמן ואמן:
ברכה ראשונה שמברכין לפני פסוקי הזמירות זהו נוסחה:
ברוך שאמר והיה העולם ברוך הוא ברוך אומר ועושה ברוך גוזר ומקיים ברוך מרחם על הארץ ברוך מרחם על הבריות ברוך מעביר אפלה ומביא אורה ברוך משלם שכר טוב ליראיו ברוך שאין לפניך לא עולה לא שכחה ולא כזב ולא מרמה לא משוא פנים ולא מקח שחד ברוך אל חי לעד וקיים לנצח ברוך אתה יי' אלהינו מלך העולם האל המהולל בפי עמו משובח ומפואר בלשון כל חסידיו ועבדיו ובשירי דוד עבדך משיחך נהללך יי' אלהינו בשבחות ובזמירות נודך ונשבחך ונפארך ונזכיר שמך מלכנו אלהינו יחיד חי העולמים משובח ומפואר עדי עד שמו ברוך אתה יי' מלך מהולל בתושבחות וקורין פסוקין אלו יהי כבוד יי' לעולם ישמח יי' במעשיו כו' אשרי כו' עד סוף תילים ואחר כך קורא פסוקים אלו ברוך יי' לעולם אמן ואמן ימלוך יי' לעולם אמן ואמן ויברך דויד את יי לעיני כל הקהל ויאמר דויד ברוך אתה יי' אלהי ישראל וכו':
ברכה אחרונה של אחר פסוקי הזמירות זהו נוסחה:
ישתבח שמך לעד מלכנו האל המלך הגדול והקדוש בשמים ובארץ כי לך נאה יי' אלהינו ואלהי אבותינו וכו' וקורא השירה עד סופה כמנהג המקום בשבת נהגו כל העם להוסיף לפני ברכה זו נוסח זה נשמת כל חי תברך את שמך יי' אלהינו ורוח כל בשר תפאר ותרומם זכרך מלכנו תמיד לדור ודור ומעולם ועד עולם אתה אל ומבלעדך אין אלהים ואין לנו מלך גואל ומושיע פודה ומציל בכל עת צרה וצוקה אלא אתה מפרנס ומרחם אלוה כל בריות אדון התולדות המהולל בתושבחות המנהג עולמו בחסד ובריותיו ברחמים רבים אלהים אמת לא ינום ולא יישן המעורר ישנים והמקיץ נרדמים סומך נופלים ורופא חולים ומתיר אסורים ולך אנחנו מודים ואילו פינו מלא שירה כים ולשונינו רנה כהמון גליו ושפתותינו שבח כמרחבי רקיע ועינינו מאירות כשמש וכירח וידינו פרושות כנשרי שמים ורגלינו קלות כאילות אין אנו מספיקין להודות לך יי' אלהינו ואלהי אבותינו ולברך את שמך על אחת מאלף אלפי אלפים ורוב רובי רבבות פעמים הטובות נסים וגבורות שעשית עמנו ועם אבותינו מלפנים ממצרים גאלתנו יי' אלהינו מבית עבדים פדיתנו ברעב זנתנו ובשובע כלכלתנו מחרב הצלתנו ומדבר מלטתנו ומחלאים רעים רבים דליתנו ועד הנה עזרונו רחמיך יי' אלהינו ולא עזבונו חסדיך על כן איברים שפלגת בנו ורוח ונשמה שנפחת באפינו ולשון אשר שמת בפינו הן הם יודו ויברכו את שמך יי' אלהינו וכו' ישתבח וכו' וכן נהגו לקרות כל מזמור שיר ליום השבת קודם שיתחילו פסוקי הזמירות ביום השבת וביום הכפורים ויש מקומות שנהגו לקרות הלל הגדול בשבתות קודם פסוקי הזמירות ויש מקומות שנהגו לקרות שיר המעלות הכל כמנהגם:
ברכה ראשונה שלפני קריאת שמע זו היא נוסחה:
ברוך אתה יי' אלהינו מלך העולם יוצר אור ובורא חשך כו' עד יוצר המאורות ברכה שנייה אהבת עולם אהבתנו יי' אלהינו חמלה גדולה ויתירה חמלת עלינו אבינו מלכנו כו' עד בעמו ישראל באהבה:
ברכה אחרונה שלאחר קריאת שמע זו היא נוסחה:
אמת ויציב וכו' עד ברוך אתה יי' גאל ישראל ובערבית ברכה ראשונה ברוך אתה יי' אלהינו מלך העולם אשר בדברו מעריב ערבים עד ברוך אתה יי' המעריב ערבים ברכה שנייה אהבת עולם בית ישראל עמך אהבת וכו' עד ברוך אתה יי' אוהב עמו ישראל ברכה ראשונה שלאחר קריאת שמע של ערבית זו היא נוסחה:
אמת ואמונה כל זאת קיים עלינו כו' עד ברוך אתה יי' גאל ישראל ברכה אחרונה זו היא נוסחה:
השכיבנו יי אלהינו לשלום וכו' עד ברוך שומר עמו ישראל לעד ברוך יי' לעולם אמן ואמן כו' עד פדיתה אותי יי' אל אמת יראו עינינו וישמח לבנו כו' עד יי' מלך יי' מלך יי' ימלך לעולם ועד:
ונהגו מקצת העם לברך פסוקים באמצע ברכה וקוראין בנוסח זה:
וירא כל העם ויפלו על פניהם ויאמרו יי' הוא האלהים יי' הוא האלהים הושיענו אלהי ישענו וקבצנו והצילנו מן הגוים להודות לשם קדשך להשתבח בתהלתך כי לא יטוש יי' את עמו בעבור שמו הגדול כי הואיל יי' לעשות אתכם לו לעם ועלו מושיעים בהר ציון לשפוט את הר עשו והיתה ליי' המלוכה והיה יי' למלך על כל הארץ ביום ההוא יהיה יי' אחד ושמו אחד אלהינו שבשמים יחד שמך הקרוי עלינו קיים את שמך ומלכותך עלינו תמיד בידך נפשות החיים והמתים אשר בידו נפש כל חי ורוח כל בשר איש בידך אפקיד רוחי פדיתה אותי יי' אל אמת ואנחנו עמך וצאן מרעיתך נודה לך לעולם לדור ודור נספר תהלתך יי' הצילה נפשי משפת שקר מלשון רמיה ישראל נושע ביי' תשועת עולמים לא תבושו ולא תכלמו עד עולמי עד יהי יי' אלהינו עמנו כאשר היה עם אבותינו אל יעזבנו ואל יטשנו להטות לבבנו אליו ללכת בכל דרכיו לשמור מצותיו וחקיו ומשפטיו אשר צוה את אבותינו כל הנשמה תהלל יה הללויה ברוך יי' ביום ברוך יי' בלילה ברוך יי' בשכבנו ברוך יי' בקומנו תמיד נהללך סלה ונשיח בחוקיך ובאמונתך ברוך אתה יי' המולך בכבודו חי וקיים תמיד ימלוך עלינו וכו':
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Rambam - 1 Chapter a Day
Kelim Chapter 28
Chapter 28
Halacha 1
Whenever the external surface of a k'li that has a receptacle contracts impurity from liquids, its inner side does not contract impurity vis-à-vis terumah. Nor does the outer side of the k'li's neck, its handles, or the fingerhold on the rim of the k'li contract impurity. If the inner portion of the k'li contracts impurity, all of the above components also contract impurity.
If impure liquids fall on the bases of keilim, their rims, their projections, or handles of keilim with receptacles, one should dry them and the receptacle is pure. Even the entire outer surface does not become impure.
Halacha 2
The following law applies to keilim made from goats hair, e.g., sacks and carrying bags, leather keilim, e.g., pillows and bolsters, and wooden keilim, even baskets and dispensers. If their external surface contracts impurity from liquids, their inner portion does not contract impurity.
Halacha 3
Flat keilim that can be purified by immersion, that are not fit to sit or lie upon, e.g., a table or countertop that does not have a side are not susceptible to impurity according to Scriptural Law. Accordingly, if the external surface of such a k'li contracts impurity from liquids, its inner surface does not contract impurity. If, however, flat keilim that can be purified by immersion are fit to sit or lie upon, e.g., a bed, a hide on which one sleeps, a chair or the like, the distinction between an inner surface and an outer surface does not apply. Instead, whether impure liquids touch their inner surface or their outer surface, the entire k'li contracts impurity.
Similarly, the distinction between an inner surface and an outer surface does not apply with regard to measures for wine and oil, a two-sided cooking k'li, a filter for mustard, and a filter for wine. If impure liquids fell on a portion of the k'li, the entire k'li contracts impurity, as is the law with regard to garments.
Halacha 4
A concept paralleling an external surface and an inner surface apply with regard to a plow.
What is implied? If impure liquids fall on the lance, only seven handbreadths of the beam adjacent to the lance become impure and the remainder of the beam is pure. Similarly, if impure liquids fall on the metal peg, only the four handbreadths of the beam that is adjacent to the metal peg become impure. If the liquids fell beyond the seven handbreadths and the four handbreadths, the situation resembles a receptacle whose outer surface was touched by impure liquids, in which instance, only the place where the liquids touched and the outer surface contract impurity.
Halacha 5
When there is a pouch with an inner pocket and one of the two contracted impurity due to contact with impure liquids, the other does not contract impurity.
When does the above apply? When their rims are on the same level. If, however, the external one overlaps the inner one, and the inner one contracts impurity, the external one also contracts impurity. If the external one contracts impurity, the inner one does not contract impurity. If the impurity stems from the carcass of a crawling animal, in all instances, if one contracted impurity, the others also did.
Halacha 6
When one carves out a measure of a revi'it and half a revi'it into one piece of wood and one of them contracted impurity from impure liquids, the other does not contract impurity even though they are on the same piece of wood.
What is implied? If impure liquids touched the inner surface of the revi'it measure, that measure and its outer side are impure, the half-revi'it measure and its outer side are pure. If the liquids touched the inner surface of the half-revi'it measure, that measure and its outer side are impure, the revi'it measure and its outer side are pure.
When one immerses this piece of wood in a mikveh, it should be immersed in its entirety all at one time. If the outer surface of the revi'it measure or of the half-revi'it measure contracted impurity from liquids, the entire outer surface of the piece of wood contracts impurity, because an outer surface is not divided.
Halacha 7
When the outer surface of a kettle was impure and it was boiling, we do not suspect that maybe liquids flowed out from it, touched its outer surface, and then receded back inside it. Instead, the liquids that are inside it are pure with regard to terumah.
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Rambam - 3 Chapters a Day
Milah Chapter Two, Milah Chapter Three, Order of Prayers The Order of Prayer for the Entire Year
Chapter Two
Halacha 1
Circumcision may be performed by anyone. Even a person who is himself not circumcised, a slave, a woman, or a minor may perform the circumcision, if an adult male is not present. A gentile, however, should not be allowed to perform the circumcision at all. Nevertheless, if he does so, there is no need for a second circumcision.
Any utensil may be used for circumcision, even a flint, glass, or any article that cuts. One should not circumcise with the sharpened side of a reed, because of the danger involved. The optimum manner of performing the mitzvah is to use an iron utensil - either scissors or a knife. Throughout the Jewish community, it has become customary to use a knife.
Halacha 2
How is the circumcision performed? The foreskin that covers the crown of the penis is cut off until the entire crown is revealed. [This step is referred to as milah.]
Afterwards, the soft membrane that is beneath the skin should be split along the mid-line with one's nails and peeled back to either side until the flesh of the crown is revealed. [This step is referred to as pri'ah.]
Afterwards, one should suck the place of the circumcision until all the blood in the further reaches is extracted, lest a dangerous situation arise. [This step is referred to as metzitzah.] Any [mohel] who does not perform metzitzah should be removed from his position. After one has performed metzitzah, one should apply a bandage, a compress, or the like.
Halacha 3
There are strands of flesh that disqualify a circumcision [if they are not removed], and strands of flesh that do not disqualify a circumcision.
What is implied? If, [after circumcision,] a portion of the foreskin is left that covers the majority of the crown of the penis' height,1 the child is considered to be uncircumcised, and this flesh is considered a tzitz that disqualifies the circumcision.2If only a small portion of flesh remains which does not cover the majority of the crown of the penis' height, it is considered to be a tzitz that does not disqualify the circumcision.3
Halacha 4
While the person performing the circumcision is involved in the operation, he should go back and remove both the tzitzim that disqualify the circumcision and the tzitzim that do not disqualify the circumcision.4 Once he has interrupted his activity, he must return and remove any tzitzim that disqualify the circumcision,5 but he does not return to remove anytzitzim that do not disqualify the circumcision.6
When one performs a circumcision without performing pri'ah, it is considered as if the circumcision was not performed.7
Halacha 5
[The following ruling is given when] a child's flesh is soft and hangs loosely, or if he is very fat and, therefore, it appears that he is not circumcised. We should observe him when he has an erection: if he appears circumcised at that time, it is unnecessary to do anything more. One must, however, correct the flesh on the sides, because of the appearance it creates.
If, however, he does not appear to be circumcised when he has an erection, the loose hanging flesh on the sides should be cut off until the crown of the penis is revealed while it is erect.
This was ordained by the Rabbis. According to the Torah itself, even though he [appears] uncircumcised, since he was circumcised once, there is no obligation to circumcise him again.
Halacha 6
Anything that is necessary for the circumcision [itself] may be performed on the Sabbath. We may perform milah, pri'ah, and metzitzah, return and remove the tzitzim that disqualify the circumcision even though one has interrupted one's activity, return and remove the tzitzim that do not disqualify the circumcision if one has not interrupted one's activity, and bandage the circumcision afterwards. The preparation of articles that are necessary for the circumcision does not supersede the prohibitions against labor on the Sabbath.
What is implied? If we are unable to find a knife, a knife may not be made on the Sabbath, nor may we bring it from place to place. It is even forbidden to bring it from one courtyard to another courtyard in an alleyway if there is no eruv. Although the [mitzvah of] eruv is only Rabbinic in origin, it is not superseded by [the necessity] to bring a knife, since it was possible to bring the knife on Friday.
Halacha 7
Herbs may not be ground to [use for the compress], nor may water be heated [to wash the child], nor may a compress be prepared,8 nor may wine and oil be mixed [on the Sabbath itself].9
If cumin was not ground on Friday, one may chew it on the Sabbath10 and apply it [to the wound]. If one did not mix wine and oil together, they may each be applied individually. This is the general rule: Whatever can be performed on Friday does not supersede [the prohibitions against labor on] the Sabbath. Should one forget and not prepare the accessories necessary for the circumcision, the circumcision should be performed on the ninth day.
Halacha 8
If a child was circumcised on the Sabbath and, afterwards, the hot water was spilled or the herbs [for the compress] were scattered, one may do anything that is necessary for him on the Sabbath, because of the danger involved.
In a place where it is customary to wash a child, he may be washed on the Sabbath on the day of his circumcision, both before the circumcision and after the circumcision, and on the third day of his circumcision. The child's entire body may be washed as well as the place of the circumcision itself. [On the third day,] he may be washed with water that was heated on Friday or with water that was heated on the Sabbath itself, because the situation involves danger.
Halacha 9
If a knife was forgotten and not brought [to the place of the circumcision] on Friday, one may instruct a gentile to bring it on the Sabbath, provided he does not bring it through the public domain.
The general principle governing this matter is: It is permissible to tell a gentile to perform any activity that we are forbidden to perform as a sh'vut,11 so that we may perform a mitzvah at its appropriate time.12 When, however, an activity is prohibited because a forbidden labor is involved, we may not instruct a gentile to do it [for us] on the Sabbath.13
Halacha 10
[The preparation of] the accessories for circumcision - even when the circumcision is being performed at the appropriate time14 - does not supersede [the prohibitions against labor on] the holidays, because it is possible to complete them before the commencement of the holiday.15
[This ruling can be derived through the following] process of inference: If [the preparation of] the accessories for circumcision is not significant enough to supersede the Rabbinic prohibitions of sh'vut, why should they supersede a negative commandment of the Torah?16 [Nevertheless, there are certain greater leniencies on festivals:] One may grind herbs for [the compress], since these herbs are fit to be used in food.17 Similarly, oil and wine may be mixed together.18
Commentary Halacha 1
Circumcision may be performed by anyone. - Although a father is commanded to circumcise his son, if he is not present or cannot perform the mitzvah, it may be performed by another person.
Even a person who is himself not circumcised - This refers to a Jew who is not circumcised. The Kessef Mishneh explains that it refers to a person who was not circumcised because his brothers died because of circumcision. A Jew who intentionally fails to circumcise himself, however, should not be allowed to circumcise others. Rav Yosef Karo also quotes this ruling in the Shulchan Aruch (Yoreh De'ah 264:1).
Note also the Ramah (ibid.), who states that an apostate should not be allowed to circumcise others.
a slave - Although a slave is not a full-fledged member of the Jewish community, he is obligated to perform certain mitzvot and is himself circumcised.
a woman - Avodah Zarah 27a allows a woman to perform a circumcision, because "a woman is considered as if she is circumcised." The matter is, however, one of debate, and other Sages do not allow a woman to perform a circumcision. Tosafot follow this view and their opinion is quoted by the Ramah (ibid.).
or a minor - This is allowed because a minor will ultimately be obligated to perform all the mitzvot and is circumcised himself.
may perform the circumcision, if an adult male is not present - i.e., if possible, an adult male should be charged with the fulfillment of this mitzvah.
A gentile, however, should not be allowed to perform the circumcision at all. - The Chatam Sofer (Yoreh De'ah, Responsum 132) explains that when a gentile performs a circumcision, the mitzvah is not performed at all...
Nevertheless, if he does so, there is no need for a second circumcision - because the deed has already been completed. (See also Sha'agat Aryeh, Responsum 54.)
This ruling revolves around the conception that there are two dimensions to circumcision:
a) the mitzvah of actually cutting off the foreskin;
b) the effect of that cutting, that the person is circumcised.
There are, however, other explanations of the Rambam's ruling. The Kessef Mishneh explains that the decision revolves upon whether or not circumcision must be carried out lishmah, for the sake of the fulfillment of the mitzvah.
The Ramah (Yoreh De'ah 264:1) rules that although a second circumcision is not required, blood should be extracted. This is the accepted practice today. Some authorities maintain that even the Rambam requires such a step.
Any utensil may be used for circumcision, even a flint - See Exodus 4:25, which relates that Tziporah (Moses' wife) performed a circumcision with such a utensil.
glass, or any article that cuts. One should not circumcise with the sharpened side of a reed, because of the danger involved. -Chulin16b explains that we are afraid that a splinter from the reed may damage the penis.
The optimum manner of performing the mitzvah is to use an iron utensil - The Targum Yonatan interprets Joshua 5:2 as an indication that iron was used for circumcision even at that early age. The Prishah (Yoreh De'ah 284:7) relates that this custom was instituted after Goliath's iron helmet split open before David's stone. God promised iron that, in recognition of its act on behalf of the Jews, they would use it for a positive purpose in future generations. The Mishnah (Shabbat 19:1) refers to the use of iron utensils for circumcision as an accepted custom.
either scissors or a knife. Throughout the Jewish community, it has become customary to use a knife. - See the Jerusalem Talmud, Shabbat 19:6.
Commentary Halacha 2
How is the circumcision performed? The foreskin that covers the crown of the penis is cut off until the entire crown is revealed. - i.e., all the tissue of the foreskin until its ridge must be removed.
[This step is referred to as milah.]
Afterwards - The pri'ah should be carried out after the circumcision itself. Today, there are some mohalim who insert a utensil and lift up the membrane before the circumcision, and then cut off the foreskin and the membrane together. Many contemporary authorities have criticized this approach.
the soft membrane that is beneath the skin should be split along the midline with one's nails - The Yalkut Shimoni, Vol. II, Note 723, states that nails were created for this purpose.
and peeled back to either side until the flesh of the crown is revealed. - Preferably, no portion of the foreskin or the membrane should remain. See Chatam Sofer (Yoreh De'ah, Responsum13 248).
[This step is referred to as pri'ah.]
Afterwards, one should suck - Traditionally, the mohel sucks out the blood with his mouth. Nevertheless, in previous generations, the Rabbis did grant license to use a pipette because of the possibility that germs in the mohel's mouth might infect the child. Today, there are authorities who suggest the use of a pipette because of the danger that the mohel could contract AIDS.
the place of the circumcision until all the blood in the further reaches is extracted, lest a dangerous situation arise. - The Tiferet Yisrael (Shabbat 19:2) relates that internal bleeding caused by the circumcision could cause the penis to swell, and applying suction to remove the blood averts that danger. The Tiferet Yisrael also writes that a danger exists that applying too strong a suction will rupture the blood vessels and cause excessive bleeding. Therefore, he recommends that one should apply gentle suction.
[This step is referred to as metzitzah.]
Any [mohel] who does not perform metzitzah should be removed from his position - because of the danger to which he exposes the children.
After one has performed metzitzah, one should apply a bandage, a compress, or the like - to stop the bleeding and assist the healing of the wound.
Commentary Halacha 5
[The following ruling is given when] - a circumcision was performed properly, but
a child's flesh is soft and hangs loosely, or if he is very fat and - there is flesh protruding over the crown of the penis and
therefore, it appears that he is not circumcised. - Were this condition to result from an improper circumcision, a second circumcision would be required. Since the circumcision was performed correctly, such measures are not necessary. Nevertheless,
We should observe him when he has an erection - when the penis is extended and its flesh taut
if he appears circumcised at that time - There is no need for the entire crown to be revealed; as long as one third of it is not covered by the flesh, it is acceptable (Terumat HaDeshen 264).
it is unnecessary to do anything more. One must, however, correct the flesh on the sides, because of the appearance it creates. - The flesh should be held back with bandages to prevent it from covering the crown. There is, however, no necessity for an additional operation even if these measures are not successful (Terumat HaDeshen, ibid.).
If, however, he does not appear to be circumcised when he has an erection - if more than two-thirds of the crown is covered
the loose hanging flesh on the sides should be cut off until the crown of the penis is revealed while it is erect. - The Ramah (Yoreh De'ah 264:6) explains that, in this instance - in contrast to the original circumcision - it is not necessary to reveal the entire crown; it is necessary only to reveal a minimal portion.
This - second operation
was ordained by the Rabbis. According to the Torah itself, even though he [appears] uncircumcised, since he was circumcised once - properly and all the flesh removed from the crown of the penis
there is no obligation to circumcise him again.
Commentary Halacha 6
Anything that is necessary for the circumcision [itself] may be performed on the Sabbath. - As mentioned in Chapter 1, Halachah 9, when a circumcision is carried out on the eighth day of a child's life, it may be performed on the Sabbath, with the exception of several unique instances.
We may perform milah, pri'ah, and metzitzah - the three phases of the circumcision mentioned in Halachah 2.
return and remove the tzitzim that disqualify the circumcision even though one has interrupted one's activity - This is permitted because, until these strands of flesh are removed, the obligation to circumcise the child on the eighth day has not been fulfilled. (See Halachah 3 and commentary.) Hence, just as we are allowed to carry out the operation on the Sabbath at the outset, we are allowed to complete its performance by removing these strands of flesh.
return and remove the tzitzim that do not disqualify the circumcision if one has not interrupted one's activity - Even according to the opinion that allows one to return and remove these strands of flesh during the week, it is forbidden to do so on the Sabbath because the circumcision is acceptable. Hence, no further cutting is permitted because of the Sabbath laws.
and bandage the circumcision afterwards. - In general, medication may be applied on the Sabbath only when a danger to life is involved. The Sages considered circumcision to be in this category.
The preparation of articles that are necessary for the circumcision does not supersede the prohibitions against labor on the Sabbath. - The license the Torah grants for circumcision to be performed on the Sabbath applies only to the deed of circumcision, which is itself a mitzvah. All the preparatory stages that make circumcision possible must be performed beforehand, for they are not elements of the actual performance of the mitzvah (Kiryat Sefer).
What is implied? If we are unable to find a knife, a knife may not be made on the Sabbath, nor may we bring it from place to place. - i.e., from a public domain to a private domain
It is even forbidden to bring it from one courtyard to another courtyard in an alleyway if there is no eruv. - Here, there is no Torah prohibition involved. Nevertheless,
Although the [mitzvah of] eruv is only Rabbinic in origin, it is not superseded by [the necessity] to bring a knife -Pesachim 92a cites this as an example of the power of Rabbinic law. Although karet (the punishment for not fulfilling the mitzvah of circumcision) is involved, the Sages enforced their decree against carrying in such places and forbade bringing the knife.
since it was possible to bring the knife on Friday.
FOOTNOTES
1. Rashi, Shabbat 137b, states that surely if the foreskin is left on the majority of the circumference of the penis' crown, it is unacceptable. When quoting this law, the Shulchan Aruch (Yoreh De'ah 264:5) states that if the majority of the height of the crown is left covered in any one place, the circumcision is not acceptable. Thus, even a thin strand of skin that covers either the majority of the height or the majority of the circumference of the crown can disqualify the circumcision.
2. A second circumcision is required in such an instance, and a blessing is recited when performing it.
3. See the following halachah.
4. As mentioned in Halachah 6, this ruling applies even when the circumcision is being carried out on the Sabbath.
5. Since, as explained in the previous halachah, unless this flesh is removed, a second circumcision is necessary.
6. The Rambam's phraseology is somewhat problematic. The Beit Yosef (Yoreh De'ah 264) explains that the Rambam's intent is that we are not required to remove this flesh. In contrast, the Sha'agat Aryeh (Responsum 50) interprets the Rambam as stating that, once the mohel has interrupted his activity, he is forbidden to return and cut off the remaining flesh. (The Sha'agat Aryeh himself questions the Rambam's decision. The Merkevet HaMishneh explains that since the circumcision is acceptable, it is forbidden to expose the child to further pain.)
The Ramah (Yoreh De'ah 264:5) rules that if the circumcision is performed during the week, one should remove this flesh. This ruling is followed throughout the Jewish community today.
7. The Babylonian Talmud relates that although pri'ah is not mentioned in the Torah, nor was Abraham commanded to carry out this activity, it is part of the oral tradition (halachah leMoshe miSinai), which may not be ignored (Shabbat 137b, Yevamot 71b). The Jerusalem Talmud (Yevamot 8:1) differs, and uses the principles of Biblical exegesis to derive the obligation of removing the membrane.
8. A compress that is prepared before the Sabbath may be applied on the Sabbath. It is, however, forbidden to prepare the compress on the Sabbath (see Hilchot Shabbat 23:11).
9. The mixture of wine and oil was applied to the wound to heal it.
10. According to Torah law, a labor is forbidden on the Sabbath only when it is performed in its usual fashion. In most cases, however, such activities are forbidden by the Rabbis. Nevertheless, in this instance, since the herbs are being prepared for a remedy and they are not being prepared in the normal manner, the Sages did not forbid their preparation (see Hilchot Shabbat 21:26).
11. In Hilchot Shabbat 21:1, the Rambam defines a sh'vut as follows:
[With regard to the Sabbath,] the Torah has told us, "You shall rest." This implies that we are obligated to rest from the performance of [certain] activities even though they are not included among the forbidden labors.
In Chapters 21 and 22 of those halachot, the Rambam explains the concept of sh'vut in detail.
12. In Hilchot Shabbat 6:9, the Rambam mentions this leniency with regard to bringing a shofar on Rosh HaShanah [i.e., in Jerusalem to be sounded in the Temple]. Although Tosafot (Gittin 8b) maintain that the leniency should not be extended beyond the scope of the mitzvah of circumcision, the Rambam's ruling is accepted by the Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chayim 307:5).
13. For this reason, a gentile may not be instructed to make a knife or boil water for the circumcision. (See Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayim 331:6.)
14. I.e., on the eighth day of a child's life.
15. Thus, making a knife is forbidden on a festival. Nevertheless, carrying a knife through the public domain and heating water are permitted on a festival.
16. There are certain leniencies regarding the performance of labor on festivals when compared to the performance of labor on the Sabbath. Nevertheless, the performance of labor on festivals is also considered a Torah prohibition. (See Hilchot Sh'vitat Yom Tov 1:1.)
17. On festivals, we are allowed to perform any labor that is connected with the preparation of food. Since these herbs could be used for food, we are allowed to prepare them for the circumcision as well.
18. In this instance, only a Rabbinic prohibition is involved, and it is waived because of the importance of circumcision (Ma'aseh Rokeach).
Chapter Three
Halacha 1
Before the circumcision, the person who performs the circumcision recites the blessing, "[Blessed are You...] who sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us concerning the circumcision." [This applies] when circumcising the son of another person.1 When circumcising one's own son, one should recite the blessing "... to circumcise a son."2
[At the circumcision,]3 the father of the child recites another blessing:
Blessed are You, God, our Lord, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to have our children enter the covenant of Abraham, our Patriarch.4
[This blessing was instituted because] it is a greater mitzvah for a father to circumcise his son than for the Jewish people as a whole to circumcise the uncircumcised among them. Therefore, if a child's father is not present, this blessing should not be recited. There are those who have ruled that the court or one of the people [in attendance should recite this blessing in the father's absence]. [Nevertheless, this ruling] should not be followed.5
Halacha 2
If others are present,6 they say: "Just as you have brought him into the covenant,7 so, too, may you bring him to Torah, marriage, and good deeds."8
Halacha 3
Afterwards, the father of the child, the person who performed the circumcision, or one of the people in attendance should recite the [following] blessing:
Blessed are You, God, our Lord, King of the universe, who has sanctified the cherished from the womb, affixed his covenant in his flesh, and sealed his descendants with the sign of the holy covenant. Therefore, as a reward for this [circumcision], living God, our Portion, our Rock, has ordained that the beloved of our flesh be saved from the abyss for the sake of His covenant that He has set in our flesh. Blessed are You, God, who establishes the covenant.
The father of the son recites the blessing shehecheyanu.
Halacha 4
When circumcising converts, one should recite the blessing:9
Blessed are You, God, our Lord, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to circumcise converts and to extract from them the blood of the covenant,10 for were it not for the blood of the covenant the existence of the heavens and the earth could not be maintained, as [Jeremiah 33:25] states: "Were it not for My covenant, day and night, I would not have established the laws of heaven and earth."
Halacha 5
One who circumcises his slave11 recites the blessing:12
[Blessed are You...] who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to circumcise slaves and to extract from them the blood of the covenant, for were it not for the blood of the covenant the existence of the heavens and the earth could not be maintained...."
If one circumcises a slave belonging to someone else, one should [alter the text of] the blessing and say, "[and commanded us] concerning the circumcision of slaves [and...]13
When circumcising an adult male, one must cover his sexual organ until after the blessing is recited.14 Afterwards, one reveals it and performs the circumcision.
Halacha 6
When the blood of circumcision is extracted from a convert who had been circumcised before conversion, or from a child who was born without a foreskin, there is no necessity to recite a blessing.15 Similarly, a blessing is not recited over the circumcision of an androgynous, because he is not definitely categorized as a male.16
Halacha 7
It is forbidden for a Jew to circumcise a gentile who is forced to remove his foreskin because of a wound or because of a tumor, since we are instructed neither to save the gentiles from death, nor to cause them to die.17 Although a mitzvah is accomplished in the process of administering this medical treatment, the gentile did not intend to fulfill the mitzvah. If, however, the gentile intends to fulfill the mitzvah of circumcision, it is a mitzvah to circumcise him.18
Halacha 8
How disgusting is the foreskin that is used as a term of deprecation with regard to the gentiles, as [Jeremiah 9:25] states: "For all the gentiles are uncircumcised!" How great is the circumcision! Behold, our Patriarch Abraham was not called "perfect" until he was circumcised, as [Genesis 17:1-2] states: "Proceed before Me and become perfect. And I will place My covenant between Me and you."19
Anyone who breaks the covenant of Abraham our Patriarch and leaves his foreskin uncircumcised, or [although he was circumcised,]20
causes it to appear extended, does not have a portion in the world to come,21 despite the fact that he has studied Torah and performed good deeds.
Halacha 9
Come and see how severe a matter circumcision is. Moses, our teacher, was not granted even a temporary respite from [fulfilling this mitzvah].22
The Torah mentions only three covenants regarding all its mitzvot, as [Deuteronomy 28:69] states: "These are the words of the covenant that God commanded... in addition to the covenant that He established with you in Chorev." And [Deuteronomy 29:9-11] states: "You are all standing today... to enter into a covenant with God, your Lord." Thus, there are three covenants.
In contrast, thirteen covenants were established with Abraham, our Patriarch, with regard to circumcision:23
"I will place My covenant between Me and you" [Genesis 17:2],
"And I, behold, My covenant is with you" [ibid.:4],
"I will establish My covenant between Me and you" [ibid.:7],
"For an eternal covenant" [ibid.],
"And you shall observe My covenant" [ibid.:9],
"This is My covenant which you shall observe" [ibid.:10],
"It will be a sign of the covenant" [ibid.:11],
"My covenant will be in your flesh" [ibid.:13],
"For an eternal covenant" [ibid.],
"He will have nullified My covenant" [ibid.:14],
"And I will establish My covenant with Him" [ibid.:19],
"For an eternal covenant" [ibid.],
"And I will establish My covenant with Isaac" [ibid.:21].
Blessed be God who grants assistance.
This concludes the second volume with the help of the Almighty. There are a total of 46 chapters in this volume.
Hilchot Kri'at Shema - 4 chapters
Hilchot Tefillah UVirkat Kohanim - 15 chapters
Hilchot Tefillin UMezuzah V'Sefer Torah - 10 chapters
Hilchot Tzitzit - 3 chapters
Hilchot Berachot - 11 chapters
Hilchot Milah - 3 chapters
FOOTNOTES
1. The Rambam's ruling depends on his statement (Hilchot Berachot 11:13) that if someone performs a blessing on behalf of another person, he should use the form "who has sanctified us with Your commandments and commanded us concerning...."
2. In Hilchot Berachot 11:12, the Rambam states that when one fulfills a mitzvah on one's own behalf, one should use the form "who has sanctified us with Your commandments and commanded us to..."
Although the Shulchan Aruch (Yoreh De'ah 365:2) mentions the Rambam's opinion, the Ramah states that it is customary to recite the blessing "... concerning the circumcision," at all times.
It is possible to explain that the Ramah does not accept the Rambam's general principle and prefers a universal form for a blessing to be recited every time a particular mitzvah is fulfilled. It is, however, also possible to interpret their difference of opinion as relating to the definition of the mitzvah of circumcision itself. The Rambam's text of the blessing, which uses the form "... to...," indicates that the nature of the mitzvah of circumcision focuses on the act of circumcision. In contrast, the Ramah's text for the blessing can be interpreted to imply that the nature of the mitzvah is to bring a person to the state that he is no longer uncircumcised. Therefore, the form "... concerning..." is more appropriate (Kinat Eliyahu).
3. The time when this blessing is recited is a matter of question. In two of his responsa, the Rambam writes that it makes no difference whether this blessing is recited before the circumcision or afterwards. Nevertheless, Rav Avraham, his son, and Rav Yitzchak, his grandson, state that it was the Rambam's custom to recite this blessing before the mitzvah.
The Shulchan Aruch (Yoreh De'ah 265:1) quotes the opinion of Rabbenu Asher, who states that this blessing should be recited between the milah and the pri'ah.
4. Tosafot, Pesachim 7a, explain that this blessing is not one of the blessings connected with the performance of a mitzvah, but a blessing that expresses our thanks and appreciation to God for granting us this mitzvah.
5. The Ra'avad objects to the Rambam's decision and rules that, in the absence of the father, the sandak (the person who holds the baby during the circumcision) should recite this blessing. The Ramah (Yoreh De'ah 265:1) quotes this decision.
6. The literal translation of the Rambam's phraseology is "If others are standing there." The commentaries explain that his intent is also to emphasize that it is necessary to stand while attending a brit. (See the Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh De'ah 265:6, which states that, if possible, it is preferable to perform a circumcision with at least ten adult males in attendance.)
7. The Rambam's version of this statement is found also in the Jerusalem Talmud (Berachot 9:3) and is quoted by the Shulchan Aruch (Yoreh De'ah 265:1). At present, however, it is customary to follow Rabbenu Asher's opinion and say, "Just as he has entered the covenant, so may he enter..." without mentioning the father's role. Significantly, this version is found in our texts of Shabbat 137b where this custom is mentioned.
8. We wish that the merit of the circumcision will lead to a life full of genuine Jewish conduct.
9. It appears that the Rambam considers this the only blessing recited in connection with the circumcision of converts, and would have this blessing recited before the circumcision. In contrast, the Tur and the Shulchan Aruch (Yoreh De'ah 268:5) explain that two blessings should be recited in connection with the circumcision of a convert:
a) one blessing before the circumcision, "... who has sanctified us... and commanded us to circumcise converts,"
b) one blessing after the circumcision, the blessing quoted by the Rambam with the conclusion, "Blessed are You, God, who establishes a covenant."
According to the Shulchan Aruch's perspective, like the blessing mentioned in the previous halachah, this blessing is not a blessing connected with the performance of the mitzvah, but an expression of praise for God for granting us the opportunity to perform such a unique mitzvah.
According to the Rambam's view, it is somewhat difficult to understand: Why is this blessing so lengthy? In this context, theSefer HaMaor explains that this blessing was instituted to reassure converts and strengthen their resolve before they fulfill a mitzvah that is associated with pain and suffering.
10. The Kessef Mishneh explains that this is a reference to the extraction of blood from converts who were circumcised previously. Other commentaries object to this interpretation, noting that in Halachah 6, the Rambam does not require a blessing in such an instance.
11. I.e., when the master performs the circumcision himself.
12. In this instance as well, the Tur and the Shulchan Aruch (Yoreh De'ah 267:12) rule that two blessings should be recited. See Note 9.
13. The reason for the change of text depends on the Rambam's statements (Hilchot Berachot 11:11) that a person who performs a blessing on his own behalf should use the form, "who has sanctified us... and commanded us to..." In contrast, one who performs a blessing on behalf of others should use the form, "...and commanded us concerning...."
14. This is because, as explained in Hilchot Kri'at Shema 3:16, it is forbidden to recite holy words in the presence of an exposed sexual organ.
There is somewhat of a problem, however, with the Rambam's statements. Here, it appears that one need not cover the penis of a baby before reciting the blessing, yet in Hilchot Kri'at Shema (ibid.), the Rambam writes that the Shema may not be recited in the presence of a minor whose sexual organ is exposed.
In one of his responsa, the Rambam resolves this difficulty, explaining that the prohibition begins when the child - either male or female - possesses some sexual potency. (See also Siftei Cohen 265:18.)
15. In both cases, there is a doubt whether or not it is necessary to perform this circumcision. (See Chapter 1, Halachah 7.) Therefore, the circumcision is performed, but a blessing is not recited, lest there be no obligation to perform this activity, and thus, the blessing would be recited in vain. (See Hilchot Berachot 11:16.)
16. The Ra'avad contests this point, noting that when there is a doubt whether a certain activity fulfills a mitzvah or not, one should recite a blessing, and cites the recitation of blessings on the second day of festivals in the diaspora as an example of this principle.
Rav Kapach explains that the difference between the Rambam and the Ra'avad depends on their conception of the status of an androgynous. The Ra'avad maintains that an androgynous is considered a male whose status is in doubt. Therefore, since a mitzvah from the Torah is involved, a blessing should be recited. The Rambam maintains that an androgynous is in a category of his own, and the question is whether the obligation to circumcise falls on people in this category. Hence, no blessing is recited. See also their difference of opinion in Hilchot Shofar 2:2.
17. In Hilchot Avodat Kochavim 10:1-2, the Rambam writes:
If we see an idolater being swept away or drowning in the river, we should not help him. If we see that his life is in danger, we should not save him. It is, however, forbidden to cause one of them to sink or to push him into a pit or the like, since he is not waging war against us....
From the above, we can infer that it is forbidden to offer medical treatment to an idolater even when offered a wage. If, however, one is afraid of the consequences or fears that ill feeling will be aroused, one may treat them for a wage, but to treat them for free is forbidden.
[Regarding] a ger toshav, since we are commanded to secure his well-being, he may be given medical treatment at no cost.
Many authorities maintain that the laws applying to a ger toshav can be applied to all gentiles who are not idolaters. Furthermore, since at present, a doctor would have much difficulty if he refused to treat gentiles, leniency should be shown in this regard.
From the above, it would appear that a doctor who operates a medical practice today is allowed to treat gentile patients. Indeed, throughout the ages, many great Rabbinic authorities, including the Rambam himself, served as doctors to gentiles.
18. In Hilchot Melachim 10:10, the Rambam writes that a gentile who desires to fulfill any mitzvah should be given the opportunity.
There are other authorities who differ with the Rambam on this matter. They explain that circumcision is a sign given to the Jewish people that establishes their uniqueness and it is improper that gentiles should be given the opportunity of possessing this property.
19. See the Guide to the Perplexed, Vol. III, Chapter 49, where the Rambam criticizes a hedonistic approach to life and explains that circumcision comes "to complete the perfection of our emotions... to reduce a person's lust and wild cravings."
20. In the Hellenistic era, there were some Greek sympathizers among the Jewish people who would cause their foreskin to appear extended, so that they would not be distinguished from gentile athletes. The Sages were extremely critical of these individuals.
21. See Avot 3:14 and Hilchot Teshuvah 3:6.
22. As Exodus 4:24-26 relates, when Moses returned to Egypt, he took his newborn son, Eliezer, with him. He did not circumcise him immediately and, therefore, an angel came in the form of a snake and swallowed him. Tziporah his wife realized the source of the problem and circumcised her son. After this, the angel retracted. (See Nedarim 32a.)
23. In the Guide to the Perplexed, Vol. III, Chapter 49, the Rambam writes that the brit is a sign of the covenant of the oneness of God. "When a person is circumcised he enters into the covenant of Abraham which obligates him to know [God's] unity." This covenant of unity defines the nature of the Jewish people. It is natural that when people share a common sign, love and mutual assistance among them grow.
The Order of Prayer for the Entire Year
In his introduction to the Mishneh Torah, the Rambam communicated his desire that his text serve as a guide for the practical application of Torah law. Rather than be forced to swim through the "sea of the Talmud," a person would have a direct, straightforward guide to Jewish observance.
To facilitate this goal, in addition to composing Hilchot Tefilah – "The Laws of Prayer" - he included the following section, Seder Tefilot Kol HaShanah, "The Order of Prayers for the Entire Year," a complete guide to the siddur, at the conclusion of Sefer Ahavah. Since English translations of the siddur are available, we have not translated those portions of the text. We have, however, included the instructions in this section to remain true to the Rambam's text of the Mishneh Torah and to afford a reader the opportunity of comparing the Rambam's order of prayer with that we use today.
נהגו העם לקרות בכל יום בשחר אחר שקורין פרשת צו וברכת כהנים קורין משנה זו
Every day in morning, it is customary for the people to read the following mishnah1 after reading the passage Tzav2 and the Priestly Blessing:
אלו דברים שאין להם שיעור הפאה והבכורים והראיון וגמילות חסדים ותלמוד תורה אלו דברים שאדם אוכל פירותיהן בעולם הזה והקרן קיימת לו לעולם הבא כיבוד אב ואם וגמילות חסדים ועיון תפלה וביקור חולים והשכמת בית המדרש והכנסת אורחים והבאת שלום בין אדם לחבירו ותלמוד תורה כנגד כולן3.
[They then continue, as follows:]
אמר רבי זירא בנות ישראל הן החמירו על עצמן שאפילו רואות טיפת דם כחרדל יושבות עליה שבעה נקיים.4
תנא דבי אליהו כל השונה הלכות בכל יום מובטח לו שהוא בן העולם הבא שנאמר5 הליכות עולם לו אל תקרי הליכות אלא הלכות.6
אמר רבי אלעזר אמר רבי חנינא תלמידי חכמים מרבים שלום בעולם שנאמר7 וכל בניך למודי יי' וכו'8
מזמור לדוד יי' מי יגור באהלך מי ישכון בהר קדשך הולך תמים ופועל צדק9
לעולם יהא אדם ירא שמים בסתר ומודה על האמת ודובר אמת בלבבו וישכם ויאמר רבון העולמים לא על צדקותינו אנחנו מפילים תחנונינו לפניך כי על רחמיך הרבים מה אנו מה חיינו מה חסדנו מה צדקתנו מה כחנו ומה גבורתנו מה נאמר לפניך יי' אלהינו הלא כל הגבורים כאין לפניך ואנשי השם כלא היו וחכמים כבלי מדע ונבונים כבלי השכל כי כל מעשינו תהו ובהו וימי חיינו הבל לפניך כמו שכתוב בדברי קדשך ומותר האדם וגו' אבל אנחנו עמך בני בריתך בני אברהם אוהבך שנשבעת לו בהר המוריה זרע יצחק יחידך שנעקד על גבי מזבחך עדת יעקב בנך בכורך שמאהבתך שאהבת אותו ומשמחתך ששמחת בו קראת אותו ישראל וישורון לפיכך אנו חייבין להודות לך ולשבחך ולפארך וליתן שבח והודאה לשמך וחייבין אנו לומר לפניך בכל יום ערב ובוקר שמע ישראל יי' אלהינו יי' אחד אשרנו מה טוב חלקנו מה נעים גורלנו מה יפה ירושתנו אשרנו שאנו משכימין ומעריבין בכל יום תמיד ערב ובוקר ואומרים שמע ישראל יי' אלהינו יי' אחד10
אתה הוא קודם שנברא העולם אתה הוא אחר שנברא העולם אתה הוא בעולם הזה ואתה הוא לעולם הבא אתה הוא ראשון ואתה הוא אחרון קדש שמך הגדול והקדוש בעולמך ובישועתך תרום ותגביה קרננו ברוך המקדש שמו ברבים
אתה הוא יי' אלהינו בשמים ממעל ועל הארץ מתחת ובשמי השמים העליונים אתה הוא ראשון ואתה הוא אחרון ומבלעדיך אין אלהים קבץ קויך מארבע כנפות הארץ יכירו וידעו כל באי עולם כי אתה הוא האלהים לבדך לכל ממלכות הארץ אתה עשית את השמים ואת הארץ ומי בכל מעשה ידיך בעליונים או בתחתונים מי שיאמר לך מה תעשה אבינו שבשמים עשה עמנו כמו שהבטחתנו על ידי חוזך בעת ההיא אביא אתכם ובעת קבצי אתכם כי אתן אתכם לשם ולתהלה בכל עמי הארץ בשובי את שבותיכם לעיניכם אמר יי.11
ונאמר אתה הוא יי' לבדך אתה עשית את השמים שמי השמים וכל צבאם הארץ וכל אשר עליה הימים וכל אשר בהם ואתה מחיה את כולם וצבא השמים לך משתחוים אתה הוא יי' האלהים אשר בחרת באברם והוצאתו מאור כשדים ושמת שמו אברהם.12
אתה הוא ושנותיך לא יתמו13 יי' מלך יי' מלך יי' ימלוך לעולם ועד14 יי' מלך כו' עד ברוך יי' לעולם אמן ואמן.15
ברכה ראשונה שמברכין לפני פסוקי הזמירות זהו נוסחה
This is the text of the opening blessing recited before Pesukei D'Zimra:
ברוך שאמר והיה העולם ברוך הוא ברוך אומר ועושה ברוך גוזר ומקיים ברוך מרחם על הארץ ברוך מרחם על הבריות ברוך מעביר אפלה ומביא אורה ברוך משלם שכר טוב ליראיו ברוך שאין לפניך לא עולה לא שכחה ולא כזב ולא מרמה לא משוא פנים ולא מקח שחד ברוך אל חי לעד וקיים לנצח ברוך אתה יי' אלהינו מלך העולם האל המהולל בפי עמו משובח ומפואר בלשון כל חסידיו ועבדיו ובשירי דוד עבדך משיחך נהללך יי' אלהינו בשבחות ובזמירות נודך ונשבחך ונפארך ונזכיר שמך מלכנו אלהינו יחיד חי העולמים משובח ומפואר עדי עד שמו ברוך אתה יי' מלך מהולל בתושבחות
וקורין פסוקין אלו
These verses are recited:
יהי כבוד יי' לעולם ישמח יי' במעשיו כו'16 אשרי כו'17
עד סוף תילים ואחר כך קורא פסוקים אלו
[One continues] until the conclusion of the Book of Psalms. One then reads the following verses:
ברוך יי' לעולם אמן ואמן18 ימלוך יי' לעולם אמן ואמן19 ויברך דויד את יי לעיני כל הקהל ויאמר דויד ברוך אתה יי' אלהי ישראל וכו'20
ברכה אחרונה של אחר פסוקי הזמירות זהו נוסחה
The text of the concluding blessing [recited] after Pesukei D'Zimra:
ישתבח שמך לעד מלכנו האל המלך הגדול והקדוש בשמים ובארץ כי לך נאה יי' אלהינו ואלהי אבותינו וכו'
וקורא השירה עד סופה כמנהג המקום
One then reads the Song [of the Crossing of the Sea] according to local custom.21
בשבת נהגו כל העם להוסיף לפני ברכה זו נוסח זה
On the Sabbath, the entire people have adopted the custom of adding the following passages before this blessing:
נשמת כל חי תברך את שמך יי' אלהינו ורוח כל בשר תפאר ותרומם זכרך מלכנו תמיד לדור ודור ומעולם ועד עולם אתה אל ומבלעדך אין אלהים ואין לנו מלך גואל ומושיע פודה ומציל בכל עת צרה וצוקה אלא אתה מפרנס ומרחם אלוה כל בריות אדון התולדות המהולל בתושבחות המנהג עולמו בחסד ובריותיו ברחמים רבים אלהים אמת לא ינום ולא יישן המעורר ישנים והמקיץ נרדמים סומך נופלים ורופא חולים ומתיר אסורים ולך אנחנו מודים ואילו פינו מלא שירה כים ולשונינו רנה כהמון גליו ושפתותינו שבח כמרחבי רקיע ועינינו מאירות כשמש וכירח וידינו פרושות כנשרי שמים ורגלינו קלות כאילות אין אנו מספיקין להודות לך יי' אלהינו ואלהי אבותינו ולברך את שמך על אחת מאלף אלפי אלפים ורוב רובי רבבות פעמים הטובות נסים וגבורות שעשית עמנו ועם אבותינו מלפנים ממצרים גאלתנו יי' אלהינו מבית עבדים פדיתנו ברעב זנתנו ובשובע כלכלתנו מחרב הצלתנו ומדבר מלטתנו ומחלאים רעים רבים דליתנו ועד הנה עזרונו רחמיך יי' אלהינו ולא עזבונו חסדיך על כן איברים שפלגת בנו ורוח ונשמה שנפחת באפינו ולשון אשר שמת בפינו הן הם יודו ויברכו את שמך יי' אלהינו וכו' ישתבח וכו'
וכן נהגו לקרות כל מזמור שיר ליום השבת קודם שיתחילו פסוקי הזמירות ביום השבת וביום הכפורים ויש מקומות שנהגו לקרות הלל הגדול בשבתות קודם פסוקי הזמירות ויש מקומות שנהגו לקרות שיר המעלות הכל כמנהגם
Similarly, they adopted the custom of reading the entire "Song of the Sabbath day"22 before beginning Pesukei D'Zimra on the Sabbath and on Yom Kippur.23 There are communities that follow the custom of reading "the Great Hallel,"24 before Pesukei D'Zimra on the Sabbath. And there are other communities that follow the custom of reading Shir HaMaalot.25 Every community should follow its custom.
ברכה ראשונה שלפני קריאת שמע זו היא נוסחה
The text of the first blessing that precedes the recitation of the Shema
ברוך אתה יי' אלהינו מלך העולם יוצר אור ובורא חשך כו' עד יוצר המאורות
ברכה שניה The Second Blessing–
אהבת עולם אהבתנו יי' אלהינו חמלה גדולה ויתירה חמלת עלינו אבינו מלכנו כו' עד בעמו ישראל באהבה
ברכה אחרונה שלאחר קריאת שמע זו היא נוסחה
The text of the concluding blessing that follows the recitation of the Shema
אמת ויציב וכו' עד ברוך אתה יי' גאל ישראל
ובערבית ברכה ראשונה – The first blessing that precedes the recitation of the Shema in the Evening
ברוך אתה יי' אלהינו מלך העולם אשר בדברו מעריב ערבים עד ברוך אתה יי' המעריב ערבים
ברכה שניה The Second Blessing–
אהבת עולם בית ישראל עמך אהבת וכו' עד ברוך אתה יי' אוהב עמו ישראל
ברכה ראשונה שלאחר קריאת שמע של ערבית זו היא נוסחה
The text of the first blessing that follows the recitation of the Shema in the Evening
אמת ואמונה כל זאת קיים עלינו כו' עד ברוך אתה יי' גאל ישראל
ברכה אחרונה זו היא נוסחה - The text of the concluding blessing
השכיבנו יי' אלהינו לשלום וכו' עד ברוך שומר עמו ישראל לעד
ברוך יי' לעולם אמן ואמן כו'26 עד פדיתה אותי יי' אל אמת27 יראו עינינו וישמח לבנו כו' עד יי' מלך יי' מלך יי' ימלך לעולם ועד.28
ונהגו מקצת העם לברך פסוקים באמצע ברכה וקוראין בנוסח זה
Some people follow the custom of reciting verses in the middle of this blessing. They recite this text:
וירא כל העם ויפלו על פניהם ויאמרו יי' הוא האלהים יי' הוא האלהים29 הושיענו אלהי ישענו וקבצנו והצילנו מן הגוים להודות לשם קדשך להשתבח בתהלתך30 כי לא יטוש יי' את עמו בעבור שמו הגדול כי הואיל יי' לעשות אתכם לו לעם31 ועלו מושיעים בהר ציון לשפוט את הר עשו והיתה ליי' המלוכה32 והיה יי' למלך על כל הארץ ביום ההוא יהיה יי' אחד ושמו אחד33
אלהינו שבשמים יחד שמך הקרוי עלינו קיים את שמך ומלכותך עלינו תמיד בידך נפשות החיים והמתים אשר בידו נפש כל חי ורוח כל בשר איש34 בידך אפקיד רוחי פדיתה אותי יי' אל אמת35 ואנחנו עמך וצאן מרעיתך נודה לך לעולם לדור ודור נספר תהלתך36 יי' הצילה נפשי משפת שקר מלשון רמיה37 ישראל נושע ביי' תשועת עולמים לא תבושו ולא תכלמו עד עולמי עד38 יהי יי' אלהינו עמנו כאשר היה עם אבותינו אל יעזבנו ואל יטשנו להטות לבבנו אליו ללכת בכל דרכיו לשמור מצותיו וחקיו ומשפטיו אשר צוה את אבותינו39 כל הנשמה תהלל יה הללויה40 ברוך יי' ביום ברוך יי' בלילה ברוך יי' בשכבנו ברוך יי' בקומנו תמיד נהללך סלה ונשיח בחוקיך ובאמונתך ברוך אתה יי' המולך בכבודו חי וקיים תמיד ימלוך עלינו וכו'41
FOOTNOTES
1. Peah 1:1.
2. The intent appears to be the passage, Numbers 28:1-8 which describes the offering of the daily sacrifice. See Hilchot Tefilah 7:11.
3. See Shabbat 127a.
4. Berachot 31a; Niddah 66a.
5. Chabbakuk 3:6.
6. Tanna D'bei Eliyahu Zuta, ch.2; Megillah 26b.
7. Isaiah 54:3.
8. Berachot 64a. These passages are recited in connection with the recitation of the blessings for Torah study. At present, in most communities, all that is recited is the passages from Peah and Shabbat.
9. Psalms, ch. 15.
10. Devarim 6:4.
11. Tzephania 3:20.
12. Nechemiah 9:6-7. In most communities today, it is customary to recite these verses in the midst of Pesukei D'Zimra.
13. Psalms102:28.
14. This "verse" is a composite of Psalms 10:16, 93:1, and Exodus 15:18.
15. Psalms 89:53. Apparently, there were a series of verses customarily recited at this point in prayer.
16. Psalms 104:35. This verse introduces a series of verses that are recited.
17. Ibid. 84:5. One continues reading from Psalm 145 until the end of Psalms.
18. Ibid. 89:53.
19. There is no such verse in the Tanach, Perhaps there is a scribal error and the intent was to read Exodus 15:18 and Psalms 72:19.
20. I Chronicles 29:10-13.
21. See Hilchot Tefilah 7:13.
22. Psalm 92.
23. Today, it is universal custom to read this psalm in this place in the prayer service on festivals as well.
24. I.e., Psalm 136.
25. "A song of Ascents." Psalms 120-134 are referred to in that manner, because they begin with those words. This custom is not followed in the Ashkenazic community at present. According to Sephardic and Chassidic custom, Psalms 121 to 124 are recited.
26. Psalms 89:53. The Rambam is implying that this verse introduces a known series of verses.
27. Ibid. 31:6.
28. This "verse" is a composite of Psalms 10:16, 93:1, and Exodus 15:18.
29. I Kings 18:39.
30. I Chronicles 16:35.
31. I Samuel 12:22.
32. Ovadiah 1:21.
33. Zechariah 14:9.
34. Job 12:10.
35. Psalms 31:6.
36. Ibid. 79:13.
37. Ibid. 120:2.
38. Isaiah 45:17.
39. I Kings 8:57.
40. Psalms 150:6.
41. Originally, when the Evening Service was optional, the recitation of a blessing including 18 verses, many of which are mentioned here was ordained to take the place of the Shemoneh Esreh, as it were. Even after the recitation of the Evening Service was accepted as obligatory, many communities continued the practice of reciting this blessing (Tur, Orach Chayim 236). In Eretz Yisrael and in communities who accept the rulings of the Ari zal, this blessing is not recited
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Hayom Yom Today's Hayom Yom
Thursday, 13 Adar I 5703 - 13 February 2014
Torah lessons: Chumash: Tetzaveh, Chamishi with Rashi.
Tehillim: 69-71.
Tanya: Especially so, (p. 127)...ever before me. (p. 127).
Tachanun is not said at Mincha.
My father said: I am certain that when a chassid is in the beit hamidrash1 teaching or reciting a maamar of Chassidus to others, my forebears are filled with joy; and their joy is adequate to provide that Chassid, and his children and children's children, with an abundance of blessing, materially and spiritually.
Compiled and arranged by the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, of righteous memory, in 5703 (1943) from the talks and letters of the sixth Chabad Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, of righteous memory.
FOOTNOTES
1. Synagogue, lit. "study-hall."
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Daily Thought:One Last Adjustment
Our deeds are but catalysts to ignite a process by which the world may find its true self. That is why their size and visible impact are not what really matters. They need only make a small opening, and the rest will heal itself.
In everything you do, consider that there is but one last fine adjustment the world needs before it may transform. Who knows—perhaps it is this one now.
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Today in Judaism: Today is Friday, 14 Adar I, 5774 - 14 February 2014
Purim Katan
Today in Jewish History:
Moses' Brit (1393 BCE)
According to the opinions that Moses was born on the 7th of Adar I, today was the 8th day of his life and the day on which he was circumcised in accordance with the Divine command to Abraham.
Today's Laws and Customs:
Purim Minor
In regular years, the 14th of Adar is Purim, the festival that celebrates the salvation of the Jewish people from Haman's evil decree in the year 3405 from creation (356 BCE). In a leap year -- which has two Adars -- Purim is celebrated in Adar II, and the 14th of Adar I is designated as Purim Kattan, the "Little Purim." There are no special observances, however, associated with Purim Kattan, other than the omission of Tachnun ("supplications") from the daily prayers and a prohibition against fasting or holding eulogies on this day. The Code of Jewish Law cites an opinion that one should increase in festivity and joy, but rules that there is no obligation to do so; "Nevertheless,a person should increase somewhat in festivity... for 'One who is of good heart is festive always' " (Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 697:1).
Link: Always Happy
Daily Study:
Chumash Parshat Ki Tisa, 6th Portion (Exodus 34:10-34:26)
Chapter 34
10. And He said: "Behold! I will form a covenant; in the presence of all your people, I will make distinctions such as have not been created upon all the earth and among all the nations, and all the people in whose midst you are shall see the work of the Lord how awe inspiring it is that which I will perform with you. י. וַיֹּאמֶר הִנֵּה אָנֹכִי כֹּרֵת בְּרִית נֶגֶד כָּל עַמְּךָ אֶעֱשֶׂה נִפְלָאֹת אֲשֶׁר לֹא נִבְרְאוּ בְכָל הָאָרֶץ וּבְכָל הַגּוֹיִם וְרָאָה כָל הָעָם אֲשֶׁר אַתָּה בְקִרְבּוֹ אֶת מַעֲשֵׂה יְהֹוָה כִּי נוֹרָא הוּא אֲשֶׁר אֲנִי עֹשֶׂה עִמָּךְ:
[I will] form a covenant: Concerning this.
כורת ברית: על זאת:
in the presence of all your people, I will make distinctions: Heb. נִפְלָאֹתאֶעֱשִֶׂה, an expression related to וְנִפְלִינוּ, “and [we] shall be distinguished” (Exod. 33:16), [meaning] that you shall be separated from all the pagan nations, that My Shechinah shall not rest upon them [these other nations].
אעשה נפלאות: לשון ונפלינו שתהיו מובדלים בזו מכל האומות, שלא תשרה שכינתי עליהם:
11. Keep carefully what I am commanding you today: Lo! I will drive out from before you the Amorites and the Canaanites, the Hittites and the Perizzites, the Hivvites and the Jebusites. יא. שׁמָר לְךָ אֵת אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְצַוְּךָ הַיּוֹם הִנְנִי גֹרֵשׁ מִפָּנֶיךָ אֶת הָאֱמֹרִי וְהַכְּנַעֲנִי וְהַחִתִּי וְהַפְּרִזִּי וְהַחִוִּי וְהַיְבוּסִי:
the Amorites…: Six nations are [enumerated] here [not the proverbial seven], because the Girgashites [i.e., the seventh nation] got up and emigrated because of them [the Israelites]. -[from Lev. Rabbah 17:6, Yerushalmi Shevi ith 6:1.]
את האמרי וגו': שש אומות יש כאן, כי הגרגשי עמד ופנה מפניהם:
12. Beware lest you form a covenant with the inhabitant[s] of the land into which you are coming, lest it become a snare in your midst. יב. הִשָּׁמֶר לְךָ פֶּן תִּכְרֹת בְּרִית לְיוֹשֵׁב הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר אַתָּה בָּא עָלֶיהָ פֶּן יִהְיֶה לְמוֹקֵשׁ בְּקִרְבֶּךָ:
13. But you shall demolish their altars, shatter their monuments, and cut down their sacred trees. יג. כִּי אֶת מִזְבְּחֹתָם תִּתֹּצוּן וְאֶת מַצֵּבֹתָם תְּשַׁבֵּרוּן וְאֶת אֲשֵׁרָיו תִּכְרֹתוּן:
their sacred trees: This is a tree they worship.
אשריו: הוא אילן שעובדים אותו:
14. For you shall not prostrate yourself before another god, because the Lord, Whose Name is "Jealous One," is a jealous God. יד. כִּי לֹא תִשְׁתַּחֲוֶה לְאֵל אַחֵר כִּי יְהֹוָה קַנָּא שְׁמוֹ אֵל קַנָּא הוּא:
Whose Name is “Jealous One”: He is zealous to mete out retribution, and He is not indulgent. That is [the meaning of] every expression of jealousy (קִנְאָה) [when used in connection with God]. [It] means that He is steadfast in His superiority [over other deities] and exacts retribution upon those who forsake Him.
קנא שמו: מקנא להפרע ואינו מוותר, וזהו כל לשון קנאה, אוחז נצחונו ופורע מעוזביו:
15. Lest you form a covenant with the inhabitant[s] of the land, and they [the gentiles] go astray after their gods, and they offer sacrifices to their gods, and they invite you, and you eat of their slaughtering, טו. פֶּן תִּכְרֹת בְּרִית לְיוֹשֵׁב הָאָרֶץ וְזָנוּ | אַחֲרֵי אֱלֹהֵיהֶם וְזָבְחוּ לֵאלֹהֵיהֶם וְקָרָא לְךָ וְאָכַלְתָּ מִזִּבְחוֹ:
and you eat of their slaughtering: You [may] think that there is no punishment for eating it, but [when you eat it] I consider it for you as if you endorsed its worship, for through this [eating of the sacrifice] you will come to take from their daughters for your sons.
ואכלת מזבחו: כסבור אתה שאין עונש באכילתו, ואני מעלה עליך כמודה בעבודתם, שמתוך כך אתה בא ולוקח מבנותיו לבניך:
16. and you take of their daughters for your sons; then their daughters will go astray after their gods and lead your sons astray after their gods. טז. וְלָקַחְתָּ מִבְּנֹתָיו לְבָנֶיךָ וְזָנוּ בְנֹתָיו אַחֲרֵי אֱלֹהֵיהֶן וְהִזְנוּ אֶת בָּנֶיךָ אַחֲרֵי אֱלֹהֵיהֶן:
17. You shall not make molten gods for yourself. יז. אֱלֹהֵי מַסֵּכָה לֹא תַעֲשֶׂה לָּךְ:
18. The Festival of Unleavened Cakes you shall keep; seven days you shall eat unleavened cakes which I have commanded you, at the appointed meeting time of the month of spring, for in the month of spring you went out of Egypt. יח. אֶת חַג הַמַּצּוֹת תִּשְׁמֹר שִׁבְעַת יָמִים תֹּאכַל מַצּוֹת אֲשֶׁר צִוִּיתִךָ לְמוֹעֵד חֹדֶשׁ הָאָבִיב כִּי בְּחֹדֶשׁ הָאָבִיב יָצָאתָ מִמִּצְרָיִם:
the month of spring: The month of early ripening, when the grain first ripens.
חדש האביב: חדש הביכור, שהתבואה מבכרת בבישולה:
19. All that opens the womb is Mine, and all your livestock [that] bears a male, [by] the emergence of ox or lamb. יט. כָּל פֶּטֶר רֶחֶם לִי וְכָל מִקְנְךָ תִּזָּכָר פֶּטֶר שׁוֹר וָשֶׂה:
All that opens the womb is Mine: Among humans.
כל פטר רחם לי: באדם:
and all your livestock [that] bears a male…: Heb. ךְתִּזָּכָר. And all your livestock that bears a [firstborn] male by the emergence of an ox or lamb [from the womb], meaning that a male will open its womb [i.e., its firstborn is a male].
וכל מקנך תזכר וגו': וכל מקנך אשר תזכר בפטר שור ושה, אשר יפטור זכר את רחמה:
emergence: Heb. פֶּטֶר, a word that means opening. Similarly, “The beginning of strife is like letting out (פּוֹטֵר) water” (Prov. 17:14). The “tav” of ךְתִּזָּכָר is an expression of the feminine, referring to the [animal] that gives birth.
פטר: לשון פתיחה, וכן (משלי יז יד) פוטר מים ראשית מדון. תי"ו של תזכר לשון נקבה היא, מוסב על היולדת:
20. And a firstborn donkey you shall redeem with a lamb; if you do not redeem it, you shall decapitate it; every firstborn of your sons you shall redeem, and they shall not appear before Me empty handed. כ. וּפֶטֶר חֲמוֹר תִּפְדֶּה בְשֶׂה וְאִם לֹא תִפְדֶּה וַעֲרַפְתּוֹ כֹּל בְּכוֹר בָּנֶיךָ תִּפְדֶּה וְלֹא יֵרָאוּ פָנַי רֵיקָם:
And a firstborn donkey: But not [the firstborn of] other unclean animals. -[from Bech. 5b]
ופטר חמור: ולא שאר בהמה טמאה:
you shall redeem with a lamb: [The owner] gives a lamb to the kohen, and it [becomes] the ordinary [unconsecrated] property of the kohen, and the firstborn donkey may be put to work by its owner. -[from Bech. 9b]
תפדה בשה: נותן שה לכהן, והוא חולין ביד כהן, ופטר חמור מותר בעבודה לבעלים:
you shall decapitate it: He decapitates it with a cleaver. [The rationale is:] He caused the kohen to lose his money [by neglecting to give him the redemption lamb]. Therefore, he must lose his own money [by decapitating his donkey]. -[from Bech. 10b, Mechilta on Exod. 13:13]
וערפתו: עורפו בקופיץ, הוא הפסיד ממון כהן, לפיכך יופסד ממונו:
every firstborn of your sons you shall redeem: His redemption is established as five selas, as it is said: “And his redemption you shall perform from the age of one month [by the evaluation of five shekels, etc.]” (Num. 18:16).
כל בכור בניך תפדה: חמישה סלעים פדיונו קצוב, שנאמר (במדבר יח טז) ופדויו מבן חדש תפדה:
and they shall not appear before Me empty-handed: According to the simple meaning of the verse, this is a separate matter [from the rest of this verse] and is unrelated to the firstborn, because there is no obligation to appear [in the Temple] in the commandment dealing with the firstborn. Instead this is another warning, [meaning] and when you ascend [to the Temple] on the festivals, you shall not appear before Me empty-handed, [but] it is incumbent upon you to bring burnt offerings (Chag. 7a) whenever appearing before God. According to the way it is interpreted by a Baraitha, this is a superfluous verse [for this was already stated in Exod. 23:15], and it is free [i.e., has no additional reason for being here other than] to be used for a גְּזֵרָה שָׁוָה, [i.e.,] an instance of similar wording, to teach [us] about the provisions given a Hebrew slave [when he is freed]-that it is five selas from each kind [i.e., of sheep, grain, and wine], as much as the redemption of a firstborn. [This is elaborated upon] in tractate Kiddushin (17a).
ולא יראו פני ריקם: לפי פשוטו של מקרא דבר בפני עצמו הוא, ואינו מוסב על הבכור, שאין במצות בכור ראיית בפנים, אלא אזהרה אחרת היא וכשתעלו לרגל לראות לא יראו פני ריקם, מצוה עליכם להביא עולת ראיית פנים, ולפי מדרש ברייתא מקרא יתר הוא, ומופנה לגזרה שוה, ללמד על הענקתו של עבד עברי שהיא חמשה סלעים מכל מין ומין, כפידיון בכור, במסכת קדושין (דף יז א):
21. Six days you may work, and on the seventh day you shall rest; in plowing and in harvest you shall rest. כא. שֵׁשֶׁת יָמִים תַּעֲבֹד וּבַיּוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי תִּשְׁבֹּת בֶּחָרִישׁ וּבַקָּצִיר תִּשְׁבֹּת:
in plowing and in harvest you shall rest: [If this refers to the Sabbath,] why are plowing and harvest mentioned [in particular, and not other kinds of work]? Some of our Rabbis say that this [verse prohibits] plowing before the seventh year [i.e., the sixth year] which enters the seventh year [i.e., plowing that benefits crops that grow in the seventh year], and the harvest of the seventh year that grows after the seventh year [i.e., crops that have at least one third of their growth during the seventh year must be treated with the sanctity of the seventh year]. This is to teach you that we must add from the unholy [the year preceding the seventh year] to the holy [the seventh year]. Accordingly, this is its meaning: “Six days you may work, and on the seventh day you shall rest” -and [concerning] the work of the six days, which I have permitted you, there is a year in which plowing and harvest are prohibited. The plowing and harvest of the seventh year need not be stated, because it already says: “Your field you shall not sow…” (Lev. 25:4). [Consequently, we deduce that this verse means the plowing before the seventh year and the harvest after the seventh year.] Others [of the Rabbis] say that [the verse] speaks only about the [weekly] Sabbath, and the plowing and harvest mentioned in its context are to inform you that just as [the prohibited] plowing is optional [plowing], so is harvest [referred to here] optional [harvesting]. The harvest of the omer [however] is excluded [from this prohibition] because it is mandatory, and [consequently] it supersedes the Sabbath. -[from R.H. 9a]
בחריש ובקציר תשבות: למה נזכר חריש וקציר, יש מרבותינו אומרים על חריש של ערב שביעית הנכנס לשביעית, וקציר של שביעית היוצא למוצאי שביעית, ללמדך שמוסיפין מחול על הקדש. וכך משמעו, ששת ימים תעבוד וביום השביעי תשבות ועבודת ששת הימים שהתרתי לך יש שנה שהחריש והקציר אסור, ואין צריך לומר חריש וקציר של שביעית, שהרי כבר נאמר (ויקרא כה ד) שדך לא תזרע וגו' ויש מהם אומרים, שאינו מדבר אלא בשבת, וחריש וקציר שהוזכר בו, לומר לך מה חריש רשות אף קציר רשות, יצא קציר העומר, שהוא מצוה ודוחה את השבת:
22. And you shall make for yourself a Festival of Weeks, the first of the wheat harvest, and the festival of the ingathering, at the turn of the year. כב. וְחַג שָׁבֻעֹת תַּעֲשֶׂה לְךָ בִּכּוּרֵי קְצִיר חִטִּים וְחַג הָאָסִיף תְּקוּפַת הַשָּׁנָה:
the first of the wheat harvest: [This is the festival] on which you bring the two breads made from the wheat [as in Lev. 23:17].
בכורי קציר חטים: שאתה מביא בו שתי הלחם מן החטים:
the first: For it is the first meal offering brought to Temple from the new wheat crop, because the meal offering of the omer on Passover is brought from the barley. -[from Men. 84a]
בכורי: שהיא מנחה ראשונה הבאה מן החדש של חטים למקדש, כי מנחת העומר הבאה בפסח מן השעורים היא:
and the festival of the ingathering: Heb. וְחַג הָאָָסִיף, [which occurs] at the time you gather your grain from the field into the house. This gathering (אִסִיפָה) is a term denoting bringing into the house, like “you shall take it (וַאִסַפְךְתּוֹ) into your house” (Deut. 22:2).
וחג האסיף: בזמן שאתה אוסף תבואתך מן השדה לבית. אסיפה זו לשון הכנסה לבית, כמו (דברים כב ב) ואספתו אל תוך ביתך:
at the turn of the year: which is at the return of the year, at the beginning of the coming year. [I.e., it is in the month of Tishri, which is the first month of the year, counting from Creation.]
תקופת השנה: שהיא בחזרת השנה, בתחלת השנה הבאה:
at the turn of: Heb. ךְתְּקוּפַת, a term denoting going around and encompassing (הַקָּפָה) [i.e., going in a circle].
תקופת: לשון מסיבה והקפה:
23. Three times during the year shall all your male[s] appear directly before the Master, the Lord, the God of Israel. כג. שָׁלשׁ פְּעָמִים בַּשָּׁנָה יֵרָאֶה כָּל זְכוּרְךָ אֶת פְּנֵי הָאָדֹן | יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל:
all your male[s]: Heb. כָּל זְכוּרְ, all the males among you. [This is repeated elsewhere as are] many commandments in the Torah, [which] are stated and repeated, many of them three or four times, in order to cause liability and mete out punishment according to the number of the negative commandments they contain and the number of positive commandments they contain.
כל זכורך: כל הזכרים שבך. הרבה מצות בתורה נאמרו ונכפלו, ויש מהם שלש פעמים וארבע, לחייב ולענוש על מנין לאוין שבהם ועל מנין עשה שבהם:
24. When I drive out nations from before you and I widen your border, no one will covet your land when you go up, to appear before the Lord, your God, three times each year. כד. כִּי אוֹרִישׁ גּוֹיִם מִפָּנֶיךָ וְהִרְחַבְתִּי אֶת גְּבֻלֶךָ וְלֹא יַחְמֹד אִישׁ אֶת אַרְצְךָ בַּעֲלֹתְךָ לֵרָאוֹת אֶת פְּנֵי יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ שָׁלשׁ פְּעָמִים בַּשָּׁנָה:
I drive out: Heb. אוֹרִישׁ as the Targum renders: אִתָרֵ, I will drive out, and so is “begin to drive out (רָשׁ) ” (Deut. 2:31), and so is “and he drove out (וַיוֹרֶשׁ) the Amorites” (Num. 21:32), an expression of driving out.
אוריש: כתרגומו אתרך, וכן (דברים ב לא) החל רש, וכן (במדבר כא לב) ויורש את האמורי, לשון גרושין:
and I widen your border: And [this way] you will be far from the Temple, and [so] you cannot constantly appear before Me. Therefore, I am setting these three pilgrimage festivals for you.
והרחבתי את גבלך: ואתה רחוק מבית הבחירה ואינך יכול לראות לפני תמיד, לכך אני קובע לך שלש רגלים הללו:
25. You shall not slaughter [or sprinkle] the blood of My sacrifice with leaven, and the offering of the Passover feast shall not remain overnight until the morning. כה. לֹא תִשְׁחַט עַל חָמֵץ דַּם זִבְחִי וְלֹא יָלִין לַבֹּקֶר זֶבַח חַג הַפָּסַח:
You shall not slaughter…: You shall not slaughter the Passover sacrifice as long as leaven still exists. This is a [specific] warning to the slaughterer, to the one who sprinkles the blood, or to one of the members of the group [bringing this sacrifice]. -[from Pes. 63b]
לא תשחט וגו': לא תשחט את הפסח ועדיין חמץ קיים, אזהרה לשוחט או לזורק או לאחד מבני החבורה:
shall not remain overnight until the morning: As the Targum [Onkelos] paraphrases: [it shall not remain overnight until the morning away from the altar]. Remaining overnight on top of the altar has no effect [i.e., does not disqualify the sacrifice] (Mechilta, Exodus 23:18), and [the prohibition of] staying overnight is only completed at the break of dawn (Zev. 87a).
ולא ילין: כתרגומו. אין לינה מועלת בראש המזבח, ואין לינה אלא בעמוד השחר:
and the offering of the Passover feast: [This refers to] its sacrificial parts. From here you learn [to apply this rule to all instances of] burning the fats or the limbs [of sacrifices, namely that it may not be performed after the break of dawn if the sacrificial parts stayed off the altar all night until the break of dawn].
זבח חג הפסח: אימוריו, ומכאן אתה למד לכל הקטר חלבים ואברים:
26. The choicest of the first of your soil you shall bring to the house of the Lord, your God. You shall not cook a kid in its mother's milk." כו. רֵאשִׁית בִּכּוּרֵי אַדְמָתְךָ תָּבִיא בֵּית יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ לֹא תְבַשֵּׁל גְּדִי בַּחֲלֵב אִמּוֹ:
The choicest of the first of your soil: [This refers to the fruits] of the seven species delineated as the praise of your land, “A land of wheat and barley, vines, [figs, and pomegranates, a land of oil-producing olives,] and honey” (Deut. 8:8). That is the honey of dates. -[from Bikkurim 3:1]
ראשית בכורי אדמתך: משבעת המינין האמורים בשבח ארצך (דברים ח ח) ארץ חטה ושעורה וגפן ותאנה ורמון, ארץ זית שמן ודבש, הוא דבש תמרים:
You shall not cook a kid: This is the warning against [cooking] meat and milk [together]. This commandment is written in the Torah three times (Exod. 23:19, Deut. 14:21), one for eating, one for deriving benefit, and one for the prohibition of cooking. -[from Chul. 115b]
לא תבשל גדי: אזהרה לבשר בחלב, ושלוש פעמים כתוב בתורה אחד לאכילה, ואחד להנאה, ואחד לאיסור בישול:
a kid: Heb. גְּדִי. Any young offspring is meant, even a calf or a lamb. Since [the Torah] had to specify in many places גְּדִי עִזִּים [when a young goat is meant], you learn that [mention of] גְּדִי unqualified means all sucklings. -[from Chul. 113b]
גדי: כל ולד רך במשמע ואף עגל וכבש. ממה שהוצרך לפרש בכמה מקומות (בראשית לח יז) גדי עזים, למדת שגדי סתם כל יונקים במשמע:
in its mother’s milk: This excludes fowl, which has no milk, which is not prohibited by the Torah but by the decree of the Scribes [the Sages]. -[from Chul. 113a]
בחלב אמו: פרט לעוף שאין לו חלב אם, שאין איסורו מן התורה אלא מדברי סופרים:
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Psalms Chapters 72-76
Chapter 72
David composed this psalm for Solomon, praying that he be granted the wisdom to provide justice for the poor.
1. For Solomon. O God, impart Your justice to the king, and Your righteousness to the son of the king.
2. May he judge Your people with righteousness, Your poor with justice.
3. May the mountains bear peace to the nation, also the hills, in [reward for their] righteousness.
4. May he judge the nation's poor, save the children of the destitute, and crush the oppressor,
5. so that they will fear You as long as the sun [shines] and the moon endures, generation after generation.
6. May [his words] descend like rain upon cut grass, like raindrops that water the earth.
7. In his days may the righteous flourish, with much peace until the moon is no more.
8. And may he rule from sea to sea, and from the river until the ends of the earth.
9. May nobles kneel before him, and may his enemies lick the dust.
10. The kings of Tarshish and the islands will return tribute, the kings of Sheba and Seba will offer gifts.
11. All kings will bow to him, all nations will serve him;
12. for he rescues the needy one who cries out, the poor one who has no one to help him.
13. He pities the impoverished and needy, and saves the souls of the destitute.
14. He redeems their soul from deception and violence, and their blood is precious in his eyes.
15. He revives [the poor], and gives him of the gold of Sheba; and so [the poor] pray for him always, and bless him all day.
16. May there be abundant grain in the land, upon the mountaintops; may its fruit rustle like the [cedars of] Lebanon, and may [people] blossom from the city like the grass of the earth.
17. May his name endure forever; may his name be magnified as long as the sun [shines]. And all nations will bless themselves by him, they will praise him.
18. Blessed is the Lord God, the God of Israel, Who alone performs wonders.
19. Blessed is His glorious Name forever, and may the whole earth be filled with His glory, Amen and Amen.
20. The prayers of David, son of Jesse, are concluded
Chapter 73
This psalm addresses the question of why the righteous suffer while the wicked prosper, and prays for an end to our long exile. Read, and you will find repose for your soul.
1. A psalm by Asaph. Truly God is good to Israel, to the pure of heart.
2. But as for me, my feet nearly strayed; in an instant my steps would have been swept aside.
3. For I envied the revelers when I saw the tranquility of the wicked.
4. For there are no bonds1 to their death, and their health is sound.
5. They have no part in the toil of men, nor are they afflicted like other mortals;
6. therefore they wear pride as a necklace; their bodies are enwrapped in violence.
7. Their eyes bulge from fat; they surpassed the fantasies of their heart.
8. They consume [others], and talk wickedly of oppression-from on high do they speak.
9. They set their mouths against Heaven, while their tongues walk upon the earth.
10. Therefore His people return here,2 and suck the full [cup of bitter] waters.
11. And they say, "How can it be that God knows? Is there knowledge in the Most High?”
12. Behold these are the wicked, and they are ever tranquil, they have gained much wealth.
13. Surely in vain have I purified my heart, and washed my hands in cleanliness;
14. for I was afflicted all day, and my rebuke came each morning.
15. Were I to say, "I shall tell it like it is," behold I would turn the generation of Your children to rebels.
16. And when I pondered to understand this, it was unjust in my eyes;
17. until I came to the sanctuaries of God, and perceived their end.
18. Only on slippery places do You set them, You cast them into darkness.
19. How they have become desolate in an instant! They came to an end, they were consumed by terrors,
20. like a dream upon awakening. O my Lord, disgrace their image in the city.
21. When my heart was in ferment, and my mind was sharpened,
22. I was a boor and did not understand, like an animal was I with You.
23. Yet I was always with You; You held my right hand.
24. Guide me with Your counsel, and afterward, receive me with honor.
25. Whom do I have in heaven [besides You]? And when I am with You I desire nothing on earth.
26. My flesh and my heart yearn; God is the rock of my heart and my portion forever.
27. For behold, all those who are far from You perish, You cut down all who stray from You.
28. But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have put my trust in my Lord, God, that I may recount all Your works.
Chapter 74
The psalmist mourns and weeps over all the synagogues and study halls that have been burned: the Philistines destroyed the Tabernacle of Shiloh; Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the first Temple. We have been in exile for so long, without seeing any signs of redemption! When will the redemption come? Read, and you will find lamentation and consolation.
1. A maskil1 by Asaph. Why, O God, have You abandoned us forever, does Your wrath fume against the sheep of Your pasture?
2. Remember Your congregation which You acquired long ago, the tribe of Your inheritance whom You redeemed [and brought to] Mount Zion, where You rested Your Presence.
3. Lift Your steps to inflict eternal ruin, because of all the evil done by the enemy in the Sanctuary.
4. Your foes roared in the midst of Your meeting place; they considered their omens to be [genuine] signs.
5. The axes in the thicket of trees2 were reckoned as bringing [an offering] to the Above.
6. And now, all her ornaments together are smashed by hammer and hatchet.
7. They set Your Sanctuary on fire; they desecrated the Abode of Your Name to the ground.
8. Their rulers thought together in their hearts; they burned all the meeting places of God in the land.
9. We have not seen our signs; there is no longer a prophet, and there is none among us who knows how long.
10. How long, O God, will the adversary disgrace, will the enemy blaspheme Your Name forever!
11. Why do You withdraw Your hand, even Your right hand? Cast it out from within Your bosom!
12. For God is my King from long ago, working salvations in the midst of the earth.
13. In Your might, You divided the sea; You shattered the heads of the sea-monsters on the waters.
14. You crushed the heads of the Leviathan,3 leaving him as food for the nation [wandering in] the wilderness.
15. You split [the rock, bringing forth] fountain and brook; You dried up mighty streams.
16. Yours is the day, the night is also Yours; You established the moon and the sun.
17. You set all the boundaries of the earth; summer and winter-You created them.
18. Remember this, how the enemy reviled the Lord, and the vile nation blasphemed Your Name.
19. Do not give the soul of Your turtledove to the wild beast; do not forget the life of Your poor forever.
20. Look to the covenant, for the dark places of the earth are filled with dens of violence.
21. Do not turn back the oppressed in disgrace; [then] the poor and needy will praise Your Name.
22. Arise, O God, champion Your cause; remember Your insults from the perverse all day long.
23. Forget not the voice of Your adversaries; the tumult of Your opponents ascends always.
Chapter 75
How great is Israel! During their holidays they do not engage in frivolity, but in song and praise, and the study of the holiday's laws. Also, when they proclaimed (at the giving of the Torah), "We will do and we will hear!" they allowed the world to remain in existence. This psalm also admonishes those who indulge in worldly pleasures and attribute their prosperity to their own efforts.
1. For the Conductor, a plea not to be destroyed. A psalm by Asaph, a song.
2. We gave thanks to You, O God, we gave thanks; and Your Name was near [when] they1 told of Your wonders.
3. When I choose the appointed time, I will judge with fairness.
4. When the earth and all its inhabitants were melting, I established its pillars forever.
5. I said to the perverse, "Do not pervert [Israel]," and to the wicked, "Do not raise your pride.”
6. Do not raise your pride heavenward, nor speak with an arrogant neck
7. For not from the east or the west, nor from the desert does greatness come.
8. For God is Judge; He humbles one, and elevates the other.
9. For there is a cup [of punishment] in the hand of the Lord, with strong wine of full mixture; He pours from this, and all the wicked of the earth will drink, draining even its dregs.
10. But as for me, I will tell of it forever; I will sing to the God of Jacob.
11. I will cut off all glory of the wicked, but the glory of the righteous will be raised up.
Chapter 76
This psalm contains the prophecy of when the vast army of Sennacherib was seized with a deep slumber that rendered the hands of the soldiers powerless to raise their weapons; thus did they all fall in battle.
1. For the Conductor, with instrumental music, a psalm by Asaph, a song.
2. God is known in Judah, His Name is great in Israel.
3. His Tabernacle was in Shalem,1 and His dwelling place in Zion.
4. There He broke the flying arrows of the bow, the shield, the sword and battle-forever.
5. You are illumination, mightier than the mountains of prey.
6. The stout-hearted were without sense, they slept their sleep, and all the warriors were unable to find their strength.
7. At Your rebuke, O God of Jacob, chariot and horse were stunned.
8. You, awesome are You! Who can stand before You once You are enraged.
9. From heaven You let the verdict be heard; the earth feared and was still,
10. when God rose to pass judgement, to save all the humble of the earth forever.
11. The anger of man will cause us to thank You;2 You will restrain the residue of wrath.
12. Make vows to the Lord your God and fulfill them; all who surround Him will bring tribute to the Awesome One.
13. He cuts down the spirit of nobles; He is awesome to the kings of the earth.
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Tanya Likutei Amarim, middle of Chapter 29
Lessons in Tanya
Friday, 14 Adar I 5774 / February 14, 2014
Today's Tanya
Likutei Amarim, middle of Chapter 29
וגם מי שהוא נקי מחטאות נעורים החמורים ישים אל לבו לקיים מאמר זהר הקדש: להיות ממארי דחושבנא
Even he who is innocent of the grievous sins of youth, but yet wants to attain a broken spirit, should set his heart to fulfill the counsel of the holy Zohar1 — to be “a master of accounts.”
This means that he should do the spiritual accounting described below as a “master”, a proprietor, to whom each set of figures represents either a profit or a loss that directly affects him — rather than as a “servant”, a hired accountant, who can view whatever bottom line eventuates with academic detachment.
דהיינו לעשות חשבון עם נפשו מכל המחשבות והדיבורים והמעשים שחלפו ועברו מיום היותו עד היום הזה, אם היו כולם מצד הקדושה, או מצד הטומאה, רחמנא לצלן, דהיינו כל המחשבות והדיבורים והמעשים אשר לא לה׳ המה, ולרצונו ולעבודתו, שזהו פירוש לשון סטרא אחרא כנ״ל פרק ו׳
This means that he should take stock with his soul of all his thoughts, utterances and actions that have come and gone since the day he came into being and until the present day. Were they all of the realm of holiness, or of the realm of impurity (G‑d forbid)? This latter realm includes also any thought, utterance or action not directed toward G‑d, His Will and His service even when they are not actually sinful, since this is the meaning of the term sitra achra: not necessarily “evil”, but simply “the other side” — the “side” (realm) that is not holy; thus anything that does not contain holiness belongs to the realm of impurity, as explained earlier, in ch. 6.
ומודעת זאת כי כל עת שהאדם מחשב מחשבות קדושות נעשה מרכבה בעת זו להיכלות הקדושה, שמהן מושפעות מחשבות הללו
Now, it is known that whenever a person thinks holy thoughts he becomes, during that time, a “chariot” for the “chambers” (heichalot) of holiness whence these thoughts originate, or, more precisely, whence their vitality originates.
Becoming a “chariot” means that he becomes completely subservient to these heichalot, to the same degree that a vehicle, having no will of its own, is completely subservient to its driver’s will. 2 When he meditates on the love of G‑d, for example, he becomes a “vehicle” for the supernal “chamber of love,” and so on.
וכן להפך, נעשה מרכבה טמאה בעת זו להיכלות הטומאה שמהן מושפעות כל מחשבות רעות, וכן בדבור ומעשה
Conversely, when he thinks impure thoughts he becomes an unclean “vehicle” for the heichalot of impurity, whence all impure thoughts originate. So, too, with speech and action.
Thus, even one who cannot call to mind any past sins can humble his spirit by contemplating how often he has become a vehicle for impurity through his thoughts, words and actions which, though not sinful, were still of the realm of the sitra achra — since they were not directed toward G‑dliness.
FOOTNOTES
1. See Zohar III, 178a.
2. See ch. 23.
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Rambam Daily Mitzvah Sefer Hamitzvot
Mishneh Torah, End of Sefer Ahavah: From “Text of Blessings of the Amidah and their Arrangement. Blessed are You” to “He who makes peace, etc.” [end of Text of Viddui].
Nusach HaTefila (Digest)
Nusach HaTefila
Today we continue with Maimonides' "Order of Prayer." (The Daily Mitzvah schedule runs parallel to the daily study of three chapters of Maimonides' 14-volume code. This is what is being studied today according to the three-chapter-a-day-schedule.)
We have not translated this order into English, because the point of it is not to provide a translation of the prayers (in fact, the Hebrew text often skips out passages not relevant to the structure), but to lay out the way Maimonides structured his prayer book.
As such, we present you today with parts 2-4 of the original Hebrew "Order of Prayer." These sections Contain the text of the Amidah , inserts in the Amidah for Various special dates, the text of the kedushah Recited During the prayer leader's repetition of the Amidah , the text of the Kaddish , the texts of the prayers Recited (During the morning prayer ) after the Amidah , the text of holiday, Rosh Chodesh , and High Holiday Amidahs , as well as the Yom Kippur confession of sins.
Part 2
Prayers Part Two
A. Greetings Version desalination and order:
(A) Blessed are You, Yi, our God and God of our fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob great God mighty and awesome, etc.:
(B) You are mighty lord never dead to life you long for salvation (dew) (reply Wind and Rain Maker) sustains living dead to life by the grace of mercy fall many trusts, etc.:
(C) You are holy, holy, holy name any day shall praise thee Sala Blessed Yi Holy God:
(D) you grant man knowledge and teaches human intelligence and understanding gives me an opinion of wisdom and understanding and common Blessed Yi gracious mind:
(E) Nearer our father and we stuck Bmtzotich your teachings and his sacrifice our king and put them in your work before you repent for Blessed Yi wants an answer:
(F) our Father forgive us for we have sinned we dance our King you that good and forgiving you Blessed Yi geek who often forgive:
(G) See now, his case and jam and ended with Don hamper and faster to redeem us that a strong Saviour King You Blessed are You Yi 'Saviour of Israel:
(H) for healing Yi, our God, and healed deliver us and that is saved and raised Thltno you complete all Thloaino medicine that a doctor and merciful You Blessed are You Yi patients with Israeli doctor:
(I) We said Yi our God in all that we congratulate our girls and let (dew and rain for) a blessing to all the earth, and seven of the world Mbrkotich and spirit of the planet Blessed Yi greets years:
(J) He blew a big miracle to our freedom Sa Galiotino group all four corners of each country to our country Blessed Yi cluster dispersed of His people Israel:
(K) Return our judges as at first and our consultants as before and remove him sigh and Loch us You alone grace and mercy and justice Blessed Yi King loves righteousness and justice:
(L) Do not be informers hope all Haficorosin all currently lost and evil queens will neutralize and break down quickly nowadays Blessed Yi breaks and defeats evil schemers:
(M) and the righteous followers and Gary justice and the rest of the people Israel Ihmo mercy Yi our God give good wages to all the confident in your name really etc:
(N) dwell in Jerusalem Your city, as you have said and rebuild it speedily World Building Blessed Yi Builder example:
(O) the boiler plant soon shall bring forth radiant Donate Your salvation Blessed Yi Growth Fund salvation:
(P) Hear Our Voices Yee our God, and have mercy and pity and a desire to get the Tfltino our King rejected to Tshiveno that you can hear, etc.:
(Q) wanted Yi our God your people Israel and desalination hour and thought work Dvir home and Ashi Israel and desalination etc. Blessed Yi returns His presence to mark:
(R) We thank you that you are the J, our God and God of our fathers Contact our lives and protects lesanu you generation to generation face you and tell Thltc our lives, etc.:
(S) Note peace and blessing grace and mercy upon us and upon thy people Israel, and welcomed all the Maori welcome you gave us Jay, our God, Torah and living love, etc. during the hot says welcome sec long rescue dew sustains life by grace, etc., and welcome greeting ninth wording Bless Yi our God in all that we congratulate the dewy gave satisfactory benevolence and blessings as good years Blessed Yi greets years Saturday night and Yom Kippur evening and night festivals fourth blessing this version:
You grant man knowledge and teaches humanity between you differentiating between Kadesh occur between light and darkness between Israel and the nations the seventh day six days of as differentiating between Kadesh apply also Fdno and save us from all kinds of destruction and all sorts of calamity that occurs in the next world, and we kept the total and understanding gives me etc:
New and dancing in my head of time adds Wishing XVII Arabic and Shacharit and Mincha and welcomes it in this style:
Wanted Yi, our God, etc. to work in Israel with thee our God and God of our fathers will and import etc. and we shall watch etc. sands of time means the day a holy convocation that on the date of Unleavened Bread that or on the date of Pentecost this or on the date of Sukkot that day Lenten welcomes only Blessing YV wording:
Hear Our Voices Yi, our God, have mercy on us and obtain mercy, and willingly for the prayers thee our King rejected to Tshiveno Aneinu patriarch Aneinu on fasting Tanitno that the big trouble we to contradict your face away and disappear into your ear from hearing our request was close Lsoano not yet been called and you answer the talk and you hear anything that was said and was yet to call and I will answer as they talk and I hear that you hear the prayer of every mouth Blessed Yi hears superstition and cantor says the wording is a blessing in itself another blessing Seventh say Aneinu etc. that to answer a pinch redeems and saves any time adversity Blessed Jay-season adversity:
Tisha B'Av recite fourteen wording:
Uterus Yi us about your people Israel and Jerusalem Your city, the grieved ruined desolate under the hand strangers sitting and head she bowed like a childless woman who gave birth and Ibloh legions and Iirsoh employees idols and give the carcass of thy servants the fowls of heaven, and beast of the earth Yes Score Marar cry and example give voice my heart for the soldiers killed Intestine Intestine on casualties see Yi and looked and saw a deserted and Nachman that the fire ignition and fire you're going to build it as written and I will be her Nam Yi firewall around and honor be inside Blessed Yi builds Jerusalem Purim recite eighteen wording:
We thank you that you are the J our God for our lives devoted to hand over our souls commands you about Prince every day and wonders that whenever Z miracles and mighty deeds and salvation etc. and everyone Yi, our God, we thank you best not mind etc:
Hanukkah blessing this wording:
We thank you Z up and wonders that whenever dinner and breakfast and lunch on the miracles Z until then did come thy etc:
Cantor Greeting third world welcomes this version:
Nkdisc and Nmlichc and Nsls you holy triple as stated by your prophet and called each other and said, Holy, holy, holy Yi hosts full of His glory Honor and increased fills the universe and His servants ask Aya Place dignity admire contrast applaud and say, Blessed be the glory Yi up where you are our king appears and Tmloc us that wait we have when Tmloc stating our lives and our time dwell Ttgdl and Ttkds in Jerusalem Your city generation to generation forever and our eyes shall see the kingdom of Ozc as stated in the words of your holy by David anointed righteousness will reign Yi never thy score generation to generation Hallelujah generation to generation Governor size about forever and ever Grace dedicate and palate our God evacuation exercise that to a great king and a saint You Blessed are You, Yi-god holy when public mission say this blessing, calling each other all the people interested in holy, holy, holy, etc. and when he says Aya place to honor all the people interested in praise and say Baruch Z and when he says our lives and our days All people interested in an artist, and when he Aumra"idod Christ righteousness will reign all the people say Yi, the world and all those things that the public is interested in reading with them and taller voice when they tortured him and only one and one cantor ten days until Yom Kippur Rosh Hashanah greeting says at the end of this stated and will charge YY armies law and God the Holy sanctify charity Blessed YY Holy King prayer leader says Kaddish Never before all superstition and every chapel and then says the agenda at any time to tell Agenda beg a little and said Kaddish and Cshislim happen Torah, anytime would beg Barbarian pleas When finished saying Kaddish pleas:
Devoted Version:
Magnified and sanctified be His skies Rabba mere Dbera bad and Imlich Laws and grow vent and he brought Messianism and unload Amaya Bheichon and Biomichon and Bhiyahun talking at Beth Israel shortly and time sacrificed Amen shall skies great welcome for ever and stay as is forever Almaya blessed etc. When you say a prayer leader Magnified and sanctified be His skies great all the people tortured artist, when he said first and said master all the people interested in artist shall skies great welcome for ever and stay as is forever Almaya and commandment of the first smartphones to meet the artist will be Mia Rava welcomes all his strength of a man and when he says blessed all the people tortured artist, when he says Brich is all the people interested in an artist, and when he finally says Amen to all the people Interested artist interested in that order every Kaddish and Kaddish Kaddish Kaddish Batra any other public envoy says desalination is eating does not mean anything, but after all the people Shumaen it and Nftrin people would eventually add to this formula:
Accepted Tzlothun and Ttabd Bothun and Tzlothun and Bothun talking at Beth Israel Pre Abohun Dbshmia be great and siyatta Salma and Forkna Mshmia Alichon and Alna and Kalhun Disraeli Amen makes peace in His high places is mercy make peace for us and for all Israel Artist:
Kaddish every ten rabbinic Israel or the rest occupy themselves in Torah study on here and even seminaries or Haggadot when one of them Msiimin says Kaddish wording:
Magnified and sanctified be His skies great Datid Lhdta Alma and Lahiia Mtiia and knuckles Hiya and structure Karta Diroshlm and Lsclla will imprison the burial and Lmiakr cultist Nocrah from Ar'ah and Latba cultist's help its sites Zivit and unique and Imlich Queen, etc. up and Nhmta Damirn mere Amen to the Rabbis and Tlmidyahun and perpetual Tlmidyahun Daskin into the Torah enough to alert law Woody everywhere will be equity and sight Hina and Bethesda and uterine and siyatta and Rooha promotes Abohun Dbshmia Amen be Salma etc. This is called Kaddish Derabanan:
Our custom to plead falling through words and verses are times in all of them and Times Some of them therefore I kneel and bow down and beg you master of the world, God of God, and overlords that the Tzdkotino we drop Thnonino a note that the great mercies Yi heard Yi forgiven Yi listened and made to be late what was said before you name what we talk and what Nztdk sinned hostile VIHIRSHANU Giordano and Sereno Mmtzotich and Mmsftich You Yi charity and we dishonor blackened faces from our sins and flexed we stand against our allegations do not have to reply and brow lift prime God was ashamed and embarrassed to lift the God over you because our sins multiply up over the head, and our guilt has grown to the heavens have no acts done our charity for the name and Savior as our promise by your prophet for my name I live my nose and I started Ahtm you become Hcritc not for you I do Beth Israel but to the Holy which Hlltm nations that you are there not for us Yi is not us that your name Give respect for the blessings of the handmaid what they say nations Aya please their God Please Yi to TEFEN to the hardworking people of this and convictions and his sin, please forgive the iniquity of this people, the size of your mercy and when I carried this people, from Egypt until now forgiven Partly that is great Yi heard Yi forgiven Yi 'listened and did do not be late for you God that your name is called on Your city and your people:
People used to beg after the fall of his face when he lifts off the ground in these verses:
And we do not know what made that need us remember mercy Yi and many blessings that had crowded to remember that we meet the first fast Ikdmono mercy that Delon very Floor help us Fdno for kindness Let your mercy Yi us when Ihlno you if seasons preserve Ye Yi, who will that Your pardon for Shtawrah Yi has saved the king answered him day we read that He knew we created dirt Remember that we are relying on God helped honor thing and spare us your name and town on our sins for your name:
And then used to beg people begging agenda these:
Yi 'God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel our fathers kept it ever produce thoughts of heart with thee, and prepare their heart to you and is merciful atone for iniquity etc. that you Yi well and forgive with grace to all readers righteousness justice to the world and your Torah truth who do like theme iniquity and passes over Crime City Irhmno will conquer our iniquities etc. Welcome Yi daily Iams us God our salvation Sala Yi hosts us Misgav us the God of Jacob Sala Yi hosts Blessed is the man trusting you, Blessed Lord Blessed Creator blessed we have created in his honor and separated us from the misguided and gave us the theory of Amta"imsh Rebbe and eternal life planted within us the Merciful open our hearts to the Talmud Torah and give our hearts love and awe and teachings to His will and works perfect heart and a willing soul for not touch Rick and Ronald panic so be satisfactory and pity thee Yi, our God, we will live to keep statutes in this world and the days of the messiah to we will and inherit good afterlife for Izmrc honor and silent Yi 'God will never Odcha desire Tell mouth and the meditation of my heart before You Yi-Zuri and redeemers:
Would some people call every other day pleading These Ode were Levites say in the temple that day and Corinne David you Yi mind will carry all Chant and Corinne said Rabbi Elazar said Rabbi Hanina scholars increase peace etc. There our God, no Lord no our King does not have as our Savior who is our God Who is our Lord who is our King who is our Savior face our God face to our Lord face our King face our Savior You are our God, You are the Lord You are our King You are the Savior you wilt arise noting that when Hanana that same date, but the righteous will confess your name sat upright welcome you and trust you know? Name that left Dorsich Yi all the peoples walk each one in the name of his god, and we will walk in the name of Yi our God for ever and ever has been said in this book that on Saturdays and Holidays man prays every superstition Sheva Brachot three starters and three Recent and blessing in the middle of a sort today and Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur of the Jubilee praying middle three Greetings and desalination are added only two days praying supplement these nine blessings and supplement new head and supplement The sands of time praying seven three starters and three Recent and blessing in the middle:
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Part 3
Prayers Part III
A. And this is the text of all the blessings via:
Greeting middle of the night Saturday you justify the seventh day your name purpose made heaven and earth and the blessing of all days and I devoted all times stated that God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, etc. "our God and God of our ancestors wanted to please Bmnohtno etc. Greeting middle of the creator will be happy Moshe gift part that servant You read it entirely glory of his head gave standing before you on Mount Sinai took his hand two stone tablets and says that keeping the Sabbath and is written in Your Torah and kept the children of Israel, etc. will be happy your kingdom Sabbath observant readers pleasure with temples seventh of our God and God of our ancestors wanted to please Bmnohtno Z to Welcome You Yi Temple Shabbat Greeting middle of the weekend supplement Moses commanded at Sinai commandment of Shabbat save and remember where Tzoitno Yi our God to sacrifice you sacrifice added properly Let us Yi our God will increase in our country, etc. and added a day late this done and sacrifice Z to by Moses your servant and flew into our King Peoples countries and not the preserve our king idolaters even at rest will not be harbored Gentiles to Israel flew into seed Yeshurun that in them you have chosen desire of days that you have read our God and God of our ancestors wanted to please Bmnohtno Z to Welcome You Yi Temple Shabbat Greeting middle of the damper Saturday're one and Name One who is like Your people Israel One nation in the crown of kudos and a crown of salvation to your people gave Abraham Yagel Isaac sing Jacob and his sons will rest in the off complete you want it to recognize your sons and knew that thee is rest Tnhilno our father and became narrower and grief on our peace of mind of our God and God of our fathers, etc.:
Greeting middle of Rosh Chodesh added new leaders your people gave time atonement for all the families of being sacrificed sacrifices ahead and municipalities will sin atone Memory them all their lives salvation will soon hate the new altar of burnt-offering grade and prepare new head locked him in your city sounds songs David said before your altar love of the world will bring them and the Soviet fathers and sons remember our God and God of our ancestors because of our sins we were exiled and distanced from our land Let us Yi our God will increase in our country and the added day prime this new Z Ada"imsh servant Let us Yi, our God and God of our ancestors resume us the head of this new better and blessed grace and favor and mercy to life and peace at the head of this new end and the end of all our sins and our problems first and the head of redeemed souls that your people Israel from all nations have chosen and new heads they gave Blessed Yi Temple Israel and the heads of New Greeting middle added a new head falls on Shabbat you have created your world promotes instrumental your work on the seventh day you have chosen us from all peoples and wanted us all tongues and Kdstno Bmtzotich and closeness malkeinu your work and your name great and holy us you have read and let us Yi our God Sabbath rest and the day the new head of this village for us that we have sinned before you, and because of our sins, etc. up and added tailor-made and supplements a day late that day Prime This new do and sacrifice the victims of our duties Temidin proper order according to the command you want as you wrote us Your Torah by Moses your servant Let us Yi, our God and God of our ancestors resume, etc. to redeem our souls wanted to please Bmnohtno and sanctified Bmtzotich Z up and rest in them all Israel lovers name Blessed Yi "Temple Israel Shabbat and new leaders:
Greeting middle of the Yom Tov of Pesach Arabic Shacharit and Mincha You have chosen us from all peoples love us and wanted us all tongues and Kdstno Bmtzotich and closeness malkeinu your work and your name great and holy us you have read and let us Yi our God FESTIVALS Holidays Sasson good day a holy convocation that day Feast of Unleavened Bread This time our freedom with love to remember the exodus from Egypt our God and God of our fathers will and brought Z and culminating Yi, our God, the blessing Moadich life and peace when you said you wanted to greet us also were blessed Sala give our share in Your Torah and happy souls with Your salvation, etc. Blessed Yi Temple Israel and times:
Greeting middle added Paschal You have chosen us from all the nations Z to remember the Exodus from Egypt, and because of our sins we were exiled and distanced from our land and, we can not go to show and bow before you in your choice Neve how great and holy House called your name on it before hand cantilevered Bmkdsc Let us Yi, our God, you return and have mercy him and us in your great mercy and not group gather our from among the nations and Nfotzotino conference from the back country and brought us to mark your city Borne and Jerusalem House Your holy joy of the world and there made a note of the victims of our duties Temidin as planned and additional offerings tailor-made and added a good day a holy convocation that day Feast of Unleavened Bread that is done and sacrifice before thee according to the command you want as you wrote us Btortca"imsh servant king merciful mercy on us, etc. and culminating etc. Blessed Yi Temple Israel and times, and in this version is the praying Shavuot and Sukkot without omission and without rest, but on Shavuot is saying good day a holy convocation that the day of Pentecost this time providing Torah lovingly remember the Exodus from Egypt and the supplement is said and added a good day a holy convocation that day of Pentecost this and Sukkot is saying good day a holy convocation that day Sukkot this happy festival of love, etc., and eighth rally say good day a holy convocation that the holiday Shemini Atzeret this happy festival Z and the Supplement said and added a good day a holy convocation this eighth day of Christmas Z:
If there has been a good day to be on Saturday says God chose us Z up and give us Yi our God Sabbath rest FESTIVALS Holidays for joy the day this late and a good day a holy convocation that the day someone Z and the Supplement to say and supplements a day late that Z and Through this he mentions the Sabbath Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur if there be on Saturday the rest of the prayers from the supplement and seal all the prayers of the Three Festivals Temple Saturday, Israel, and the times and on Rosh Hashanah Seal King over all the earth temple Sabbath and Israel and Memorial Day and the Day of Atonement king over all the earth temple Sabbath and Israel and Yom Kippur Rosh Hashanah used most of the people ahead of the year until Yom Kippur to add any superstition ten days first blessing Add remembered for life Z Welcome You Yi Magen Avraham and Mosifin welcomed a second who like Merciful Father remembers His creatures with mercy Blessed Yi raises the dead and Mosifin blessing of the "The Remember your mercy etc. recently welcomed Mosifin and the book of life, etc., and desalination lock Ash Wednesday says welcome we remembered life we signed all those extras custom places and places who do not add up:
Simple custom greeting bless this third version in two days of Rosh Hashanah Prayer and Prayer every four prayers and bless it used some of the same text in all superstition and superstition five prayers of Yom Kippur and this is the formula:
You holy name holy and sacred every day praise you Sala Well let your fear Yi our God for all your deeds and trepidation everything you created and Iirauc all the acts and bowed down before thee all creatures and make them all one to do your bidding whole-Z Well Respect your people kudos Liriaich and good hope Ldorsich and a voice Here Lmihlim you joy of your country Sasson your city and the growth fund for David thy servant, and making white candle applicable Mshihc speedily Then the righteous will see and be happy and honest Va'yalouz and followers Z written words of your holy reign Yi never thy score generation to generation Hallelujah and write and collect Yi etc. Blessed Yi King Holy Greeting middle of Rosh Hashanah Arabic Shacharit and Mincha You have chosen us from all the nations Z and let us Yi, our God, the good day a holy convocation that memory fanfare love to remember the exodus from Egypt our God and God of our fathers will and Import Z our God and God of our fathers Rule over the whole world respectfully and carried on Each country Bikrc appear with the splendid genius Ozc all inhabitants of Your earth and knew all the actions that you were active and understand every creature that you have created and May every mood and soul inside Yi etc. sanctified Z Welcome You Yi King over all the earth Temple Israel and Memorial Day:
First blessing triples Greetings immediacy of added New Year you chose us and because of our sins Z and supplements Z as it says we should praise the Lord all give great writer of Genesis did not smoke phonetic countries etc. Aohilo God awesome face ask him eloquent who the audience with sing-blown utter Renanot for his Works Z Welcome You Yi 'Teach me thy statutes So we hope you Jay, our God, to see quickly the glory Ozc etc. our God and God of our fathers Loch Z Welcome You Yi King over all the earth Temple Israel and Memorial Day today momentous world today will provide law all create a world If sons if slaves if sons Rahman against their father to the children if the slaves of us you depend, etc. Greeting second you remember made the world and commands all creatures Pre Z that remembers the forgotten you he has no forgetfulness before the throne of glory and the sacrifice of Isaac descendants remember etc. Today momentous World Every day trial shall create a world if sons if slaves if Rahman sons against their father the sons Z Third blessing you revealed your glory cloud on with your holy talk to them from the sky Have you heard your voice Z that you hear Z Welcome You Yi hears a momentous day fanfare World Z write-up:
Greeting middle of Yom Kippur Arabic and morning and afternoon and closing you chose us Z and let us Yi, our God, the Yom Kippur this and the day of holy convocation that forgiveness etc. our God and God of our fathers rise up and will come to see and want to hear and command and remembered ahead of our recollection memory of our ancestors Memory V'liyerushalayim and Memory Messiah etc. our God and God of our fathers Dance Laonotino etc. our God and God of our fathers Loch Z sanctified Z and thy truth, and there is Z Welcome You Yi King over all the earth king forgiving etc. Greeting middle of the supplement you have chosen us and because of our sins and supplements Day holy assembly that is done and sacrifice ahead according to the command you want to Z of our God and God of our fathers Dance Laonotino on fasting Atonement that protested remove our transgressions Z up and Mbladich we have no king forgiving etc. our God and God of our fathers Rule over the whole world respectfully and carried over all the earth Bikrc appear with the splendid Genius Ozc etc. up and reign in all its own sanctified Bmtzotich give our share in Your Torah and we had enough so kind and we were happy with Your salvation Purify our hearts to serve truth and thy Z to Welcome You Yi Temple Israel and Yom Kippur used to people all prayers Hmosfin when he says like you wrote us Your Torah by Moses your servant reminds victims same day as they are written in the Torah and read them verses if not mentioned because he said like you wrote us mention it again does not have:
The text on this page contains sacred literature. Please do not deface or discard.
Part 4
Prayers Part Four
Version confession:
Our God and God of our ancestors she came in front of you for the prayers and ignore shall have that we are bold-faced and stiff-necked been said before you righteous we not sinned but we and our ancestors guilty betrayed we stole We spoke impeccable hostile VIHIRSHANU Zdno predatory Z that I really did and we VIHIRSHANU what was said before you Jay, our God sitting Merom and what counted in front of you lies rocketed non-secret and revealed you know you know the mysteries of the secrets of all the lives you off All rooms abdomen and examines kidneys There is nothing gone from you and nothing is hidden from Your eyes Well Let us Yi, our God and God of our fathers Stmhol us all our sins and redeem us all Aonotino and forgive us all our transgressions:
For the sin we have sinned before you rape and expense of unknowing expense SL SL SL openly and on account of fraudulent expense opinion and thinking to retract and expense to retract confession here on account of SL willfully and expense SL SL heavy hand account of impurity lips and expense on account of the evil inclination SL SL SL consciously and unconsciously AH AH, `that lying and deceit and I." The SL SL defamation on account of the appearance and expense SL usury and most expense SL discourse our lips and eyes on account of SL SL expense levels and expense of a voice that "the footsteps account of SL quantum hand account of SHL Telemedicine will and public expense Shakhal accidental and expense Shakhal astonishment of heart for the sins that we are obligated them to sin on account Shach"a costs (by "The Shach"a victim) on account Shach"a guilty must account of Shach"a guilty depending on account Shach"a victim of rising and falling on account Shach"a paid by Shach"a do not disconnect for do by "The Shach"a death by God on account of Shach"a made on account Shach"a Shach"a four lashes on account of capital punishment by stoning fire killing and choking the Hgloim us and we Hgloim not Gloim We already Amrnom ahead Yi our God and who are Gloim us all our sins You know all hidden as it is written hidden Leigh our God and revealed in us and to our children forever, etc. that you indulgent to Israel from the world and Mohln tribes of Yeshurun and Mbladich we have no king forgiving God until I came to I should, and now there was such not created dirt I life let alone her death I am ahead Yi 'God is ashamed and shame Let us not sin more and what have sinned protested but Laa"iisorin great mercies will desire Tell mouth and the meditation of my heart before You Yi-Zuri and redeemers:
This order method Arabic morning and added and guides the individual the messenger of the public but only one saying this confession then his prayer else is eating Sim Shalom before Shifsia three steps and a prayer leader says as a greeting immediate first to say our God and God of our fathers Dance Laonotino method confession that order and then says dance Laonotino Fasting on Yom Kippur:
Locking method in this order:
What. Said to You Z that Aonotino mentor appointing Z what we what our lives what our favor What were right what did what was said before you Jay, our God, are not all the mighty men, nothing in front of you and celebrities disappeared and smart cables science and intelligent without the mind that we do have wondered and Days of Our Lives Abel a note written and allowed man from the animals do not all is vanity but you differentiating human advance and Tcirhu stand before You that those who tell you what to do if can say regarding what will give you and give us Yi, our God, the Yom Kippur this end forgiveness for all our sins, for we stop exploiting us and we will return to make laws wish wholeheartedly as stated demanded Yi invention called him when he was close to leaving the evil way, and one-on thoughts and return to Yi and Irhmhu and our God that multiply to forgive and you God pardons good and goodness gracious, slow to anger with grace often benefit want our reply of the wicked, and do not you wish Bmittn written I live, saith Yi 'If I want the sinner that if they are again wicked of his way and live his return to return your ways bad and why die Beth Israel Nearer and received and dance for us and forgive the size of kindness will be reluctant to tell mouth and the meditation of my heart before You Yi Z peacemaker, etc.:
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Rambam - 1 Chapter a Day
Mikvot Chapter 1
Chapter 1
HILCHOT MIKVEOT
The Laws of Mikveot
Included in this text is one positive commandment: that all impure individuals should immerse themselves in a mikveh and then regain purity.
This mitzvah is explained in the ensuing chapters.
Halacha 1
All impure entities - whether humans or keilim, whether they contracted a severe impurity of Scriptural origin or whether they contracted Rabbinic impurity - regain purity only through immersion in water that is collected in a pool in the ground.
Halacha 2
Whenever the Torah mentions washing one's flesh or laundering one's garments from impurity, the intent is solely the immersion of the entire body or article in a mikveh. The phrase, Leviticus 15:11: "And he did not wash his hands in water," also refers to the immersion of the entire body. This also applies to other impure people. If one immersed himself entirely with the exception of the tip of his little finger, he is still ritually impure.
Although all of these matters have their source in the Oral Tradition, Leviticus 11:32 does state: "He shall enter water; he remains impure until the evening and then he becomes pure." This rule is then applied with regard to all those impure: They must enter water.
Halacha 3
All keilim that contract impurity can be purified through immersion in a mikveh with the exception of an earthenware container, a glass k'li, and a reed mat.
With regard to an earthenware container, Leviticus 11:33 states: "You shall break it," implying that its purification comes only through breaking it. Even if it was joined to the earth, even affixed to it with a nail, and even if it was filled with lime or gypsum, it retains its impurity until it is broken. Our Sages considered glass keilim like earthenware containers in this respect.
Halacha 4
A reed mat is not included among the keilim that are susceptible to other types of impurity. Since it does not have a receptacle, it is not in the category of the wooden keilim mentioned by the Torah. Nevertheless, since it is fit to lie upon, it was included among the keilim susceptible to midras impurity according to Scriptural Law. Now since there is no explicit mention of its association with purity and impurity in the Torah and yet, it was included among the articles that contract impurity, it was not included with regard to purification through immersion in a mikveh. For only keilim mentioned in the Torah can be purified in a mikveh. A reed mat can be purified only by being torn to the extent that there remain less than six handbreadths by six handbreadths.
Halacha 5
A zav can be purified only through immersion in a stream, for Leviticus 15:13 states that he must immerse "in living water." A zavah and other persons and keilim that are impure may immerse or be immersed in a mikveh.
Halacha 6
All those obligated to immerse may immerse during the day with the exception of a nidah and a woman after childbirth. They must immerse at night, as we explained with regard to the laws of nidah. One who has a seminal emission may immerse throughout the entire day from the beginning of the night. This is derived from Deuteronomy 23:12 which states: "And it shall be that toward evening, he shall immerse in water." This teaches that he may immerse and continue in his state from the beginning of the night until the night falls the following day.
Halacha 7
All those who immerse should immerse their entire bodies while naked at one time. If the person has hair, all of his hair must be immersed; it is considered as part of his body according to Scriptural Law.
Whenever impure individuals immersed while wearing clothes, the immersion is acceptable, because the water passes through the clothes and they do not intervene. Similarly, if a nidah immerses in her clothes, she is permitted to resume relations with her husband.
Halacha 8
All those who immerse must have the intent to purify themselves through immersion. If one did not have such an intent, the immersion is acceptable with regard to ordinary foods. Even a nidah who immerses without intent, e.g., she fell into water or descended into water to cool off, is permitted to her husband. Nevertheless, with regard to terumah and sacrificial food, she is not considered pure until she immerses with the proper intent.
Halacha 9
When a person ties his hands and feet and is seated in an irrigation canal, if the water covers his body entirely, he is pure.
When a person jumps into a mikveh, it is reprehensible. When one immerses in a mikveh twice, it is reprehensible. When one tells a friend: "Place your hand upon me in the mikveh," it is reprehensible.
Halacha 10
Water from the mikveh need not seep into the non-visible portions or the creases of a person's body, as implied by the verse: "And he did not wash his hands in water." It can be inferred that it is necessary only that visible portions of the body be in contact with the water. Nevertheless, the non-visible portions must be fit for water to reach them without there being any intervening substances upon them. Therefore, our Sages instructed: At home, a person should always teach that a woman should rinse between the folds of her body and then immerse.
A woman should immerse as she stands normally when weaving or when nursing her child.
Halacha 11
A woman should not immerse in a harbor, because she will be embarrassed because of the inhabitants of the city and will not immerse properly. If mats were erected as a screen for the purpose of modesty, she may immerse in a harbor. A woman should not immerse while standing on an earthenware container, on a basket, or the like, because she will be afraid of falling and the immersion will not be acceptable.
Halacha 12
When either a human or a k'li is immersed, there should not be any intervening substance between them and the water. If there is an any intervening substance between them and the water - for example, there was dough or mud clinging to the flesh of a person or the substance of a k'li - the person or the k'li is impure as it was originally and the immersion is invaild.
According to Scriptural Law, if there is an intervening substance covering the larger portion of the person's body or the larger portion of the k'li, the immersion is invalid, provided he objects to the intervening substance and would like to remove it. If, however, he does not object to it and does not pay attention whether it would be removed or not, it is not considered an intervening substance, even if it covers the major portion of the person or the k'li. Similarly, if it covers less than half a person's body, it is not considered as an intervening substance even if he objects to it. According to Rabbinic decree, any intervening substance that one objects to invalidates an immersion even if it covers only the lesser portion of the person's body. This is a decree, lest such a substance cover the greater portion of the person's body. And any intervening substance that covers the larger portion of the person's body disqualifies the immersion even if he does not object to it. This is a decree, lest a substance that one objects to cover the greater portion of his body.
Thus if even a drop the size of a mustard seed of an intervening substance, e.g., dough, tar, or the like, was on a person's flesh or on the substance of a k'li, and he objects to it, his immersion is disqualified. If he does not object to it, the immersion is acceptable unless the intervening substance covers the major portion of the k'li or the person, as explained.
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Rambam - 3 Chapters a Day
Order of Prayers The Text of the Blessings of Shemoneh Esreh and Their Order, Order of Prayers The Text of All the Intermediate Blessings, Order of Prayers The Text of the Confession
The Text of the Blessings of Shemoneh Esreh and Their Order
(A) Blessed are You, Yi, our God and God of our fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob great God mighty and awesome, etc.
(B) You are mighty lord never dead to life you long for salvation (dew) (reply Wind and Rain Maker) 1 sustains living dead to life by the grace of mercy fall many trusts etc.
(C) You are holy, holy, holy name any day shall praise thee Sala Blessed Yi Holy God
(D) you grant man knowledge and teaches human intelligence and understanding gives me an opinion of wisdom and understanding and common Blessed Yi gracious mind
(E) Nearer our father and we stuck Bmtzotich your teachings and his sacrifice our king and put them in your work before you repent for Blessed Yi want answers
(F) our Father forgive us for we have sinned we dance our King you that good and forgiving you Blessed Yi geek who often forgive
(G) See now, his case and jam and ended with Don hamper and faster to redeem us that a strong Saviour King You Blessed are You Yi 'Saviour of Israel
(H) for healing Yi, our God, and healed deliver us and that is saved and raised Thltno you complete all Thloaino medicine that a doctor and merciful You Blessed are You Yi, a doctor patients with Israel
(I) We said Yi our God in all that we congratulate our girls and let (dew and rain) for two blessing to all the earth, and seven of the world Mbrkotich and spirit of the planet Blessed Yi greets years
(J) He blew a big miracle to our freedom Sa Galiotino group all four corners of each country to our country Blessed Yi deferred cluster with Israel
(K) Return our judges as at first and our consultants as before and remove him sigh and Loch us You alone grace and mercy and justice Blessed Yi King loves righteousness and justice
(L) Do not be informers hope all Haficorosin all currently lost and evil queens will neutralize and break down quickly nowadays Blessed Yi breaks and defeats evil schemers
(M) and the righteous followers and Gary justice and the rest of the people Israel Ihmo mercy Yi, our God, let all the confident good wages really your name etc.
(N) dwell in Jerusalem Your city, as you have said and rebuild it speedily World Building Blessed Yi builds Jerusalem
(O) the boiler plant soon shall bring forth radiant Donate Your salvation Blessed Yi Growth Fund Salvation
(P) Hear Our Voices Yee our God, and have mercy and pity and a desire to get the Tfltino our King rejected to Tshiveno that you can hear, etc.
(Q) wanted Yi our God your people Israel and desalination hour and thought work Dvir home and Ashi Israel and desalination etc. Blessed Yi returns His presence to mark
(R) We thank you that you are the J, our God and God of our fathers Contactour lives and protects lesanu you generation to generation face you and tell Thltc our lives, etc.
(S) Note peace and blessing grace and mercy upon us and upon thy people Israel, and welcomed all the Maori face Jay gave us our God Torah and love of life, etc.
Says warm welcome during the Second-In the summer, in the second blessing, one should recite the following
Long dew save grace sustains life etc.
And ninth blessing of this sort - say And in the ninth blessing, one should
Bless Yee our God in all that we congratulate the dewy gave satisfactory benevolence and blessings as good years Blessed Yi greets years
Saturday night and Yom Kippur evening and night festivals fourth blessing this style
On Saturday night, on the night following Yom Kippur, and on the night following festivals, one should recite the fourth blessing with this text:
You grant man knowledge and teaches humanity between you differentiating between Kadesh occur between light and darkness between Israel and the nations the seventh day six days of as differentiating between Kadesh apply also Fdno and save us from all kinds of destruction and all sorts of calamity that occurs in the next world, and we kept the total and understanding gives me etc.
New and dancing in my head of time adds Wishing XVII Arabic and Shacharit and Mincha and welcomes it in this style
On Rashei Chadashim and on the intermediate days of festival, During the Morning, Afternoon, and Evening Services, one should Recite the seventeenth blessing with this text:
Jay wanted our God, etc. to work in Israel with thee our God and God of our fathers will and Import etc. and we shall watch etc.
Sands of time say on this holy assembly on the date of Unleavened Bread that 3 or on the date of this Sukkot
On Lent the only blessing YV welcomes this style
On a fast day, one should recite the sixteenth blessing with this text:
Hear Our Voices Yi, our God, have mercy on us and obtain mercy, and willingly for the prayers thee our King rejected to Tshiveno Aneinu patriarch Aneinu on fasting Tanitno that the big trouble we to contradict your face away and disappear into your ear from hearing our request was close Lsoano not yet been called and you answer the talk and you hear anything that was said and was yet to call and I will answer as they talk and I hear that you hear the prayer of every mouth Blessed Yi hears Prayer
And cantor Version says it's a blessing in itself another blessing Seventh say
The Chazan recites this text as an independent blessing after the seventh blessing, saying:
Aneinu etc. that to answer a pinch redeems and saves any time adversity Blessed Yi-season adversity
Tisha B'Av recite fourteen wording
On Tishah B'Av, one should recite the fourteenth blessing with this text:
Uterus Yi us about your people Israel and Jerusalem Your city, the grieved ruined desolate under the hand strangers sitting and head she bowed like a childless woman who gave birth and Ibloh legions and Iirsoh employees idols and give the carcass of thy servants the fowls of heaven, and beast of the earth Yes Score Marar Mr cry and example give voice My heart on soldiers killed in the bowel Bowel see Yi casualties and looked and saw a deserted and Nachman that fire ignition and fire you're going to build it as written and I will be her nam Yi firewall around and be honored within Blessed Yi builds Jerusalem
Purim recite eighteen wording
On Purim, one should recite the eighteenth blessing with this text:
We thank you that you are the J our God for our lives devoted to hand over our souls Prince commands you every day and wonders that whenever Z miracles and mighty deeds and salvation etc. and everyone Yi, our God, we thank you best not mind etc.
Hanukkah blessing this wording
On Chanukah, one should recite this blessing with this text:
We thank you Z up and wonders that whenever dinner and breakfast and lunch on the miracles Z until then did come thy etc.
Cantor Greeting third world welcomes this style
The Chazan always recites the third blessing with this text: 4
Nkdisc and Nmlichc and Nsls you triple sacred as stated by your prophet and called each other and said,
Holy, holy, holy Yi hosts full of His glory 5
Dignity and full grown world servants ask Aya Place dignity admire and praise the other hand say
Blessed be the glory Yi up 6
From where our King appears and Tmloc us that waiting we you when Tmloc stating our lives and nowadays dwell Ttgdl and Ttkds in Jerusalem Your city generation to generation forever and our eyes shall see the kingdom of Ozc as stated in the words of your holy by David anointed righteousness will reign Yi never thy score generation to generation Hallelujah 7
Governor generation to generation and forever size about Grace and palate dedicate our God shall not depart from our mouths that to a great king and a saint You Blessed are You, Yi Holy God
When public mission say this blessing and called each other all the people interested in holy, holy, holy, etc.
In this blessing, When the Chazan says V'kara zah el zeh, all of the people should respond Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh ...,
And when he says Aya place honor all the people interested in praise and say Baruch Z
When he says Ayei Makom K'vodo, all of the people should respond Baruch ....
And when he says in our lives and in our day all people interested in artist
When he says B'chayeinu U'veyameinu, all of the people should respond Amen.
And when he says by David anointed righteousness will reign all the people say Jay-world
When he says Al yedei David Mashiach Tzidkecha, all of the people should respond Yimloch Adonai Leolam ....
And all those things that the public is interested in reading with them and taller voice when they tortured him
The Chazan joins the Congregation in all These Responses. He should not raise his voice while they are responding with him.
And only one and one cantor ten days in advance of the year until the end of Yom Kippur says this blessing
During the ten days Between Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur, at the Conclusion of this blessing, Both an individual and the Chazan should Recite the in the following at the Conclusion of this blessing:
As stated 8 and will charge Yi hosts law and sanctify God's holy righteousness Blessed Yi King St.
Prayer leader says Kaddish Prayer first world and chapel and every other means at any time agenda agenda begged him to say little and said Kaddish and Cshislim happen anytime in turn would beg words of supplication when finished saying Kaddish pleas:
The Chazan should always Recite Kaddish Every prayer service before and after Every prayer service and Also after he recites the repetition and translation of the Kedushah, 9 ie, whenever he recites the repetition and translation of the Kedushah, he should Recite some prayers and Then Supplicatory Recite the Kaddish. Similarly, one Concludes When reading the Torah and any time one recites Supplicatory prayers, after Concluding Those prayers, he should Recite Kaddish.
Devoted Version The Text of the Kaddish -
Magnified and sanctified be His great skies mere Dbera bad and Imlich Laws and grow vent and he brought Messianism and unload Amaya Bheichon and Biomichon and Bhiyahun talking at Beth Israel shortly and time sacrificed Amen skies will be great welcome for ever and stay as is forever blessed Almaya etc.
When you say a prayer leader Magnified and sanctified be His great skies all the people interested in artist
When the Chazan says: Yisgadal Viyiskadash Shmei Rabba, the Entire Congregation should respond Amen.
And when he said first and said master all the people interested
When the Chazan says VeImru Amen at the Outset, the Entire Congregation should respond:
Artist will be great skies for ever bless and stay as is forever Almaya
And the commandment of the first smartphones to meet great artist skies will greet all his strength of human
It is a mitzvah of the early Sages 10 for a person to respond Amen: Yehei Shmei Rabba Mevorach ... with all His strength.
When he says blessed all the people interested in an artist, and when he says Brich is all the people interested in an artist, and when he finally says Amen to all the people interested in that order artist interested in all Kaddish and Kaddish
When the Chazan says Yisbareich, all of the people should answer Amen. When he says, B'rich hu, all the people should answer Amen. And at the end, When he says Veimru Amen, all the people should answer Amen. This pattern of Responses should be Followed whenever Kaddish is Recited.
Kaddish Batra The concluding Kaddish -
All Kaddish prayer leader says another prayer can kill him does not mean anything, but all the people Shumaen it and Nftrin people used this formula to add the end
Whenever the Chazan recites Kaddish in the following the Recitation of a Shemoneh Esreh after Which nothing else is Recited, But rather, the people listen and depart, They have a custom of Adding the in the following Conclusion:
Accepted Tzlothun and Ttabd Bothun and Tzlothun and Bothun talking at Beth Israel Pre Abohun Dbshmia be great and siyatta Salma and Forkna Mshmia Alichon and Alna and Kalhun Disraeli Amen
He makes peace in His high places make peace mercy on us and on all Israel Artist
Kaddish rabbinic The Kaddish of the Sages-
All ten of Israel or the rest occupy themselves in Torah study on here and even seminaries or Haggadot they Msiimin says one of them Kaddish wording
Whenever ten or more Jews who are Involved in the study of the Oral Law - even the Midrashic or Aggadic portions - Conclude Their study, They Recite a Kaddish Using the in the following text: 11
Magnified and sanctified be His skies great Datid Lhdta Alma and Lahiia Mtiia and knuckles Hiya and structure Karta Diroshlm and Lsclla will imprison the burial and Lmiakr cultist Nocrah from Ar'ah and Latba cultist's help its sites Zivit and unique and Imlich Queen, etc. up and Nhmta Damirn mere Amen to the Rabbis and Tlmidyahun and perpetual Tlmidyahun Daskin into the Torah enough to alert law Woody everywhere will be equity and sight Hina and Bethesda and uterine and siyatta and Rooha promotes Abohun Dbshmia Amen be Salma etc.
And this is called Kaddish rabbinic
This is called the Kaddish of the Sages.
Our custom to plead falling through things and these verses and often times all of them Some of them
It is our custom to supplicate while prostrated, reciting at times, all - and at times, selections from - these words and verses:
Therefore I kneel and bow down and beg you Master of the Universe, the God of God, and overlords that the Tzdkotino we drop Thnonino a note that the great mercies Yi heard Yi forgiven Yi listened and made to be late 12 what was said before you name what we talk and what Nztdk sinned hostile VIHIRSHANU Giordano and Sereno Mmtzotich and Mmsftich 13 You Yi charity and we dishonor 14 blackened faces and flexed from our sins, we stand against our allegations do not have to reply and brow lift head of the God I was ashamed and embarrassed to lift over to you God that our transgressions from head teacher and our guilt has grown up to heaven 15
We have not made our acts of charity for the name and Savior as our promise by your prophet 16 for my name I live my nose and I started Ahtm you become Hcritc. Not for your sake do I do that if the House of Israel to the Holy which Hlltm nations that you are there not for us to Yi, 17
Not to us that your name Respect the blessings of the handmaid what they say nations Aya please their God 18 Please Yi to TEFEN to the hardworking people of this and convictions and his sin 19 Please forgive the iniquity of this people, the size of your mercy and when I carried this nation from Egypt until now 20 and forgiven Partly because long is 21 Yi Yi heard, forgave Yi listened and did do not be late for you God that your name is called on Your city and Your people 22
People used to beg after the fall of his face when he lifts off the ground in these verses
After supplicating while prostrated, the people accepted the custom of supplicating with these verses after lifting their heads from the ground:
And we do not know what made that you need us 23 Male mercy Yi and many blessings that never crowded 24 to remember we meet first fast Ikdmono mercy that Delon very 25th Floor help us Fdno for the Grace of 26 May the blessings of Yi us when Ihlno you 27 if the list will be saved ya Yi, who will that thy forgiveness for Shtawrah 28 Yi has saved the king answered him on the day we called 29 because he knew we created dirt Remember that we're 30 , we helped the God of relying on that honor and name and save us for our sins, for the village name. 31st
And then used to beg people begging these agenda
Similarly, after the repetition and translation of the Kedushah, the people follow the custom of reciting These supplications.
Yi 'God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel our fathers kept it ever produce thoughts of heart with thee, and prepare their heart to you 32 and is compassionate atone iniquity etc. 33 that you Yi well and forgive with grace to all readers 34 Thy righteousness justice to the world and your teachings real 35 who do like theme iniquity and passes over Crime City Irhmno will conquer our iniquities, etc. " 36 Blessed Yi daily Iams us God's salvation Sala 37 Jay hosts us Misgav us the God of Jacob Sala 38 Jay hosts Blessed is the man trusts you 39 Blessed Lord Blessed Creator blessed we have created in his honor and separated us from the misguided and gave us the Torah of truth by Moses and eternal life planted within us the merciful will open our hearts to the Talmud Torah and give our hearts love and awe and teachings to His will and works perfect heart and a willing soul for not touch Rick and Ronald panic so be satisfactory and pity thee Yi, our God, we will live to keep statutes in this world and the days of the messiah to we will and inherit good afterlife for Izmrc honor and silent Yi God never Odcha 40 will desire Tell mouth and the meditation of my heart before You Yi-Zuri and my redeemer. 41st
Some people used to call any other day, these pleas were Levites Ode to say in the temple that day and you Corinne David J. 'mind will carry all Chant and Corinne
Some people follow the custom of reading the song That Would Recite the Levites in the Temple on That day of the week 42nd after Supplicatory These prayers. The Entire psalm 43 beginning LeDavid Elechah Adonai ... is Recited. And then the following is recited:
Rabbi Elazar said Rabbi Hanina scholars increase peace etc. 44
Lord our God, no no no no our King who is our God, who is our Savior Lord who is our King who is our Savior face to our Lord our God face face face our Savior our King is you Lord our God, You are our king you is you is our Savior you wilt arise noting that when Hanana the same time 45 but the righteous will admit your name your face sat straight 46 and knowing your name will trust in you that you did not leave Dorsich J- 47 that all the peoples walk each one in the name of his god, and we will walk in the name of Yi, our God forever and ever. 48th
We have said this book 49 that on Saturdays and Holidays man prays every superstition Sheva Brachot first three and last three and a kind of blessing in the middle of the day. And Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur of the Jubilee praying middle three blessings and desalination added only, and are praying for two days supplement these nine blessings. And supplement new head and supplement The sands of time praying seven three starters and three Recent and blessing in the middle:
We have already said in this book that on the Sabbath and on festivals, in each of the prayer services, a person should recite seven blessings: the three opening blessings, the three concluding blessings, and one intermediate blessing that reflects the theme of that day . On Rosh HaShanah and on Yom Kippur in the Jubilee year, one recites three blessings intermediate During the Musaf Service. Thus on These two days, 50 nine blessings are Recited in the Musaf Service. In the Musaf service of Rosh Chodesh and Chol HaMoed, one recites seven blessings: the opening three blessings, the three Concluding blessings, and one intermediate blessing.
FOOTNOTES
One. The first parenthetical phrase is recited in the summer, the second in the winter.
Two. The parenthetical addition is made in the winter.
Three. Some texts of the Mishneh Torah Also Mention an Addition for Shavuos, But That Appears to be a printing error, since there is no Chol HaMoed for That holiday.
Four. This Represents the Kedushah. Significantly, the Rambam Appears to be saying That the version of the blessing Customarily Recited only in the Morning Service on Sabbaths and festivals in most Communities should be Recited at all times.
Five. Isaiah 6:3 .
Six. Ezekiel 3:12 .
Seven. Psalms 146:10 .
Eight. Isaiah 5:16 .
Nine. The passage beginning Uva LeTziyon. See Hilchot Tefilah 9:6.
10. See Shabbos 119b.
11th. At present, it is Customary to Recite These Additions only When the Kaddish is Recited upon the Burial of a corpse and When Concluding the study of a Talmudic Tractate. There is, However, an Additional passage added When reciting Kaddish D'Rabbanan: Al Yisrael v'al Rabbanan ....
12th. Daniel 9:18 .
13th. Ibid. : 5.
14th. Ibid.: 7.
15th. Ezra 9:6 .
16th. Isaiah 48:9 .
17th. Ezekiel 36:22 .
18th. Psalms 115:1 -2.
19th. Deuteronomy 9:27 .
20th. Numbers 14:19 .
21. Cf. Psalms 25:11 .
22. Daniel 9:19 .
23. II Chronicles 20:12 .
24th. Psalms 25:6 .
25th. Ibid. 79:8.
26th. Ibid. 44:27.
27th. Ibid. 33:22.
28th. Ibid. 130:3-4.
29th. Ibid. 20:10.
30th. Ibid. 103:14.
31. Ibid. 79:9,
32. II Chronicles 29:18 .
33. Psalms 78:38 .
34th. Ibid. 86:5.
35th. Ibid. 119:142.
36th. Michah 7:18-19.
37th. Psalms 68:20 .
38th. Ibid. 46:8.
39th. Ibid. 84:13.
40th. Ibid. 30:13.
41. Ibid. 19:15.
42. See Tamid 7:4 where the Psalms Recited are detailed.
43. Psalm 25.
44th. Berachot 64a, et al. Communities In most today, it is common to Recite this passage after Ein K'Eloheinu, not before.
45th. Psalms 102:14 .
46th. Ibid. 140:14.
47th. Ibid. 9:11.
48th. Michah4: 5.
49th. Hilchot Tefilah 2:8.
50th. Two days, ie, Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur, are mentioned, because according to Scriptural Law, Rosh HaShanah is observed for only one day.
The Text of All the Intermediate Blessings
Greeting middle of the night Saturday The Intermediate Blessing Recited Friday Night -
You sanctifies the seventh day your name purpose made heaven and earth and the blessing of all days and I devoted all times stated one God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, etc. "our God and God of our ancestors wanted to please Bmnohtno etc.
Direct blessing of the Creator The Intermediate Blessing Recited Shabbat Morning -
Be happy Moshe gift part that servant called him completely glories in his head gave standing before you on Mount Sinai took his hand two tables of stone, and write them observing Shabbat and written in Your Torah 2 children of Israel kept etc will be glad your kingdom Sabbath observant readers pleasure with temples seventh of our God and God of our ancestors wanted please Bmnohtno Z to Welcome You Yi Temple Saturday
Greeting middle of the Saturday Supplement The Intermediate Blessing Recited for Musaf on Shabbat -
Moses commanded at Sinai commandment of Shabbat save and remember where Tzoitno Yi our God to sacrifice you sacrifice added properly Let us Yi our God will increase in our country, etc. and added a day late this done and sacrifice Z to by Moses your servant and flew into our King Peoples countries and not the preserve Our king idolaters also not be harbored at rest uncircumcised to Israel Yeshurun sperm flew into Bam chose him for the goodly days of our God and God of our ancestors wanted to please Bmnohtno Z to Welcome You Yi Temple Saturday
Greeting middle of the damper Saturday The Intermediate Blessing Recited Shabbat Afternoon -
You are one and the name of who is like Your people Israel One nation in the crown of kudos and a crown of salvation to your people gave Abraham Yagel Isaac sing Jacob and his sons will rest in the off complete you want it to recognize your sons and knew that thee is rest Tnhilno our father and became narrower and grief on our peace of mind of our God and God of our fathers, etc.
Middle of the added blessing Rosh Chodesh The Intermediate Blessing Recited for Musaf on Rosh Chod esh -
Home New to your people gave time atonement for all the families of being sacrificed in front of you sacrifices will and hairy sin atone for them Zichron everyone will be salvation for their lives immediately hate new altar in Zion prepare and Olat new head locked him songs David sound in your city said before your altar love of the world will bring them and the Soviet fathers and sons remember our God and the God our ancestors because of our sins we were exiled and distanced from our land Let us Yi our God will increase in our country and the added day prime this new Z up by Moses your servant Let us Yi, our God and God of our ancestors resume us the new head of this good and blessed grace and favor and mercy to life and peace And it was this new head end and the end of all our sins and our problems first and head to redeem our souls that your people Israel from all nations and chose new leaders they gave Blessed Yi Temple Israel and New Home
Direct blessing added a new head falls on Shabbat
The Intermediate Blessing Recited for Musaf When Rosh Chod esh Falls on Shabbat
You created your world promotes instrumental your work on the seventh day you have chosen us from all peoples and wanted us all tongues and Kdstno Bmtzotich and closeness malkeinu your work and your name great and holy us you have read and let us Yi our God Sabbath rest and the day the new head of this village for us that we have sinned before you, and because of our sins, etc. up and added tailor-made and supplements Day late that day the new head of this done and sacrifice the victims of our duties Temidin proper order according to the command you want as you wrote us Your Torah by Moses your servant Let us Yi, our God and God of ur ancestors resume, etc. to redeem our souls wanted to please Bmnohtno and sanctified Bmtzotich Z up and rest in them all of Israel Lovers Name Blessed Yi Temple Israel Shabbat and new leaders
Greeting middle of the Yom Tov of Pesach Arabic Shacharit and Mincha
The Intermediate Blessing Recited on Pesachin the Evening, Morning, and Afternoon Service
You have chosen us from all peoples love us and wanted us all tongues and Kdstno Bmtzotich our king and our closeness to your work and great and holy name we must have you read and let Yi, our God FESTIVALS Holidays
Sasson good day a holy convocation that the feast day of Unleavened Bread that time our freedom with love to remember the exodus from Egypt our God and God of our fathers will and brought Z and culminating Yi, our God, the blessing Moadich life and peace when you said you wanted to greet us also were blessed Sala give our share in Your Torah and happy souls with Your salvation, etc. Welcome You Yi Temple Israel and times
Passover Greeting direct added The Intermediate Blessing Recited for Musaf on Pesach -
You have chosen us from all the nations Z to remember the Exodus from Egypt, and because of our sins we were exiled and distanced from our land and, we can not go to show and bow before you in your choice Neve way in great and holy called your name on it before hand cantilevered Bmkdsc Let us Yi our God encourage you to take pity on him and us in your great mercy and not group gather our from among the nations and Nfotzotino conference from the back country and brought us to mark your city Borne and Jerusalem House Your holy joy of the world and there made a note of the victims of our duties Temidin as planned and additional offerings tailor-made and added a good day a holy convocation that day Feast of Unleavened Bread that is done and sacrifice before thee according to the command you want as you wrote us Your Torah by Moses Your servant king Rahman mercy on us, etc. and culminating etc. Blessed Yi Temple Israel and times
And in this version is the praying Shavuot and Sukkot without omission and without rest, but he says that on Shavuot
One follows this order when praying on the holidays of Shavuos and Sukkos without subtracting or adding anything, except that on Shavuos, one says:
Good Day this holy convocation the day of Pentecost this time giving of the Torah lovingly remember the Exodus from Egypt
And supplement he says-And in Musaf, he says:
And added a good day that day a holy convocation this Pentecost
And Sukkot he says - Similarly, on Sukkos, one says:
Good Day this holy convocation day of Sukkot love this happy festival, etc.
And eighth rally says - And on Shemini Atzeres, one says:
Good Day this holy convocation day Shemini Atzeret this happy festival Z
And the Supplement to say - And in Musaf, he says:
And added a good day a holy convocation this eighth day of Christmas Z
If there has been a good day to be on Saturday said - If a festival falls on the Sabbath, one says:
You chose us Z up and give us Yi our God Sabbath rest FESTIVALS Holidays for joy this late day and a good day a holy convocation this particular day Z
And the Supplement says: - Similarly, in Musaf, he says
And supplements this late day Z
And in this way he reminds Shabbat Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, if there be on Saturday the rest of the prayers from the supplement and seal all the prayers of three times
In a Similar Manner, he mentions Rosh HaShanah TheSabbathon and Yom Kippur if They fall on the Sabbath, Whether in the Other prayer services or in Musaf. Such a situation In, in all the services of the three festivals, he Concludes:
Temple Israel Shabbat and times
And Rosh Hashanah Seal - On Rosh HaShanah, one concludes:
King over all the earth Temple Israel Shabbat and Memorial Day
And on Yom Kippur - On Yom Kippur, one concludes:
King over all the earth Temple Israel Shabbat and Yom Kippur
Most people used the year prior to Yom Kippur add any superstition ten days, first add welcome
Most people follow the custom of making the in the following Additions in all the prayer services During the Ten Days Between Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur. 3 In the first blessing, this Addition is made:
We remember life Z Welcome You Yi Magen Avraham
And Mosifin welcome sec - In the second blessing, this addition is made:
Who is like you remember creatures of mercy mercy Blessed Yi raises the dead
And Mosifin blessing xviii - In the eighteenth blessing, one adds:
Remember your mercy, etc.
Last kindly Mosifin - In the last blessing, one adds:
And the book of life, etc.
And desalination lock Ash Wednesday says welcome we remembered life we signed. These custom additions and all places and places who do not add up
In the Neilah service of the fast [of Yom Kippur], in the first blessing, Instead of Zochreinu, one should say Chasmeinu. All of These Additions are dependent on local custom. In some places, no additions are made.
Simple custom greeting bless this third version in two days of Rosh Hashanah Prayer and Prayer every four prayers and bless it used some of the same text in all superstition and superstition five prayers of Yom Kippur and this formula
It is common custom to recite the third blessing following this text on the two days of Rosh HaShanah in all the four services of the day. Similarly, some follow the custom of reciting this text in each of the five services of Yom Kippur. This is the text:
You holy name holy and sacred every day praise you Sala Well let your fear Yi our God for all your deeds and trepidation everything you created and Iirauc all the acts and bowed down before thee all creatures and make them all one to do your bidding whole-Z Well Respect your people kudos Liriaich and good hope Ldorsich and a voice Here Lmihlim you joy of your country Sasson your city and the growth fund for David thy servant, and making white candle applicable Mshihc speedily Then the righteous will see and be happy and honest Va'yalouz and followers Z written words of your holy reign Yi never thy score generation to generation Hallelujah and write and collect Yi etc. Blessed Yi King St.
Greeting middle of Rosh Hashanah Shacharit and Mincha Arabic
The Intermediate Blessing Recited on Rosh HaShanahin the Evening, Morning, and Afternoon Service
You have chosen us from all the nations Z and let us Yi, our God, the good day a holy convocation that memory fanfare love to remember the exodus from Egypt our God and God of our fathers will and Import Z our God and God of our fathers Rule over the whole world respectfully and carried over all the earth Bikrc appear with the splendid genius Ozc all dwellers of Your earth and knew all the actions that you understand operation and every creature that you have created and May every spirit and soul inside Yi etc. sanctified Z Welcome You Yi King over all the earth and Temple Israel Memorial Day
First blessing triples added softly immediacy of the New Year
The First of the Three Intermediate Blessings Recited in Musaf on Rosh HaShanah 4
You have chosen us and because of our sins Z and supplements Z as it says we should praise the Lord all give great writer of Genesis did not smoke phonetic countries etc. Aohilo God awesome face ask him eloquent who the audience with sing-blown utter Renanot for his Works Z Welcome You Yi scholarly own laws So we hope you Jay, our God, to see quickly the glory Ozc etc. our God and God of our fathers Loch Z Welcome You Yi King over all the earth Temple Israel and Memorial Day today momentous world today will provide law all create a world if sons if slaves if sons Rahman against their father Boys if you depend on us as slaves etc.
The second blessing Second Blessing -
Do you remember the act of world orders beings Pre Z that remembers the forgotten you He has no forgetfulness before the throne of glory and the sacrifice of Isaac descendants remember etc. Today momentous world today will provide law all create a world if sons if slaves if sons Rahman against their father the sons Z
The third blessing Third Blessing -
You revealed your glory cloud on with your holy talk to them from the sky Have you heard your voice Z that you hear Z Welcome You Yi hears a momentous day fanfare World Z write-up
Greeting middle of Yom Kippur Arabic and morning and afternoon and closing
The Intermediate Blessing Recited on the Fast of Yom Kippur in the Evening, Morning, Afternoon, and Neilah Service
You chose us Z and let us Yi, our God, the Day of Atonement that and the day of holy convocation that forgiveness etc. our God and God of our fathers rise up and will come to see and want to hear and command and remembered ahead of our recollection memory of our ancestors Memory V'liyerushalayim and Memory Messiah etc. our God and God of our fathers Dance Laonotino etc. our God and God of our fathers Loch Z sanctified Z and thy truth, and there is Z Welcome You Yi King over all the earth king forgiving etc.
Greeting middle of Supplement The Intermediate Blessing Recited for Musaf [on Yom Kippur] -
You have chosen us and because of our sins and supplements a day a holy convocation this done and sacrifice before thee according to the command you want to Z of our God and God of our fathers Dance Laonotino on Yom Kippur that protested remove our transgressions Z up and Mbladich we have no king forgiving etc. our God and God of our fathers Rule over the whole world respectfully and carrier over all the earth Bikrc appear with the splendid genius Ozc etc. and reign until all its own sanctified Bmtzotich give our share in Your Torah and kindly and we were glad we had enough Your salvation Purify our hearts to serve truth and thy Z to Welcome You Yi Temple Israel and Yom Kippur
People used to all prayers Hmosfin when he says like you wrote us Your Torah by Moses your servant reminds victims of that day as they are written in the Torah and read them verses if not mentioned because he said like you wrote us mention it again does not have:
People have Adopted the custom That, in all of the Musaf Prayers, When saying: "As You prescribed for us in Your Torah, through Moses Your servant," the sacrifices Offered on That day are Mentioned, as They are Written in the Torah, reciting the said verses. If one does not recite them, as long as he says: "" As You prescribed for us in Your Torah, "nothing more is required.
FOOTNOTES
One. Genesis 2:3 .
Two. Exodus 31:16 .
Three. With regarding, to the in the following, see Hilchot Tefilah 2:19.
Four. See ibid.: 8.
The Text of the Confession
Our God and God of our ancestors she came in front of you for the prayers do not overlook that we shall have the bold-faced and stiff-necked been said before you righteous we not sinned but we and our ancestors guilty betrayed a hostile we stole We spoke impeccable VIHIRSHANU Zdno predatory Z that I really did and we VIHIRSHANU
What was said before you Jay, our God, sitting height and what is counted in front of you lies rocketed non-secret and revealed you know you know the mysteries of the secrets of all the lives you off All rooms abdomen and examines kidneys There is nothing gone from you and nothing is hidden from Your eyes Well Let us Yi our God and the God of our fathers Stmhol us all our sins and redeem us all Aonotino and forgive us all our transgressions
For the sin we have sinned before you rape and expense of unknowing expense SL SL SL openly and on account of fraudulent expense opinion and thinking to retract and expense to retract confession here on account of SL willfully and expense SL SL heavy hand account of impurity lips and expense on account of the evil inclination SL SL SL consciously and unconsciously AH AH, `that lying and deceit and I." The SL SL defamation on account of the appearance and expense SL usury and most expense SL discourse our lips and eyes on account of SL SL expense levels and expense of a voice that "the footsteps account of SL quantum hand account of SHL Telemedicine will and public expense Shakhal accidental and expense Shakhal astonishment of heart for the sins that we are obligated them to sin on account Shach"a costs (by "The Shach"a victim) on account Shach"a guilty must account of Shach"a guilty depending on account Shach"a victim of rising and falling on account Shach"a paid by Shach"a do not disconnect for do by "The Shach"a death by God on account of Shach"a made on account Shach"a Shach"a four lashes on account of capital punishment by stoning fire killing and choking
The Hgloim us and not Gloim us Hgloim have been Amrnom ahead Yi our God and who are Gloim us all our sins You know all hidden as it is written hidden Leigh our God and revealed in us and to our children forever, etc. that you indulgent to Israel from the world and Mohln tribes of Yeshurun and Mbladich we have no king applied and forgiving God until I came to I should, and now there was no such made of earth in my life and certainly her death I am ahead Yi 'God is ashamed and shame Let us not sin more and what have sinned wiped your great mercy but by pangs will desire words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart ahead Yi Zuri and redeemers of 1
This order method Arabic morning and added and guides the individual the messenger of the public but only one saying this confession then his prayer else is eating Sim Shalom before Shifsia three steps and a prayer leader says as a greeting immediate first to say our God and God of our fathers Dance Laonotino method confession that order and then says dance Laonotino On Fast of Atonement
This is the Manner in Which Both an individual and the Chazan should Recite the Confessional prayers in the Evening, Morning, Musaf , and Afternoon Services. An individual recites this confession after the Shemoneh Esreh , after Completing the blessing Sim Shalom before he steps back three steps. The Chazan recites it in the middle of the intermediate blessing, before he says Eloheinu ... l'Avonoseinu, he recites this confession. Afterwards, he says: M'chol l'Avonoseinu Biyom Tzom Hakippurim ....
Locking method that order
During Neilah, one should Recite the Confessional prayers as follows:
What can we say to You Z that Aonotino mentor appointing Z what we what our lives what our favor What were right what we did what we were told ahead Yi, our God, are not all the mighty men, nothing in front of you and celebrities disappeared and smart cables science and intelligent without the mind that we do have wondered and Days of Our Lives steam ahead as written two and allowed no man from animals that all is vanity
But you differentiating human advance and Tcirhu stand before You that those who tell you what to do if can say regarding what will give you and give us Yi, our God, the Day of Atonement that end forgiveness for all our sins, for we stop exploiting us and we will return to the laws of your wish wholeheartedly as was said three demanded Yi invention called him Being close to leave the evil way, and one-on thoughts and return to Yi and Irhmhu and our God that multiply to forgive and you God pardons good and goodness gracious, slow to anger with grace often benefit want our reply of the wicked, and do not you wish Bmittn it is written, As I live, saith the Yi 'If I want the sinner that to get back the wicked of his way and live his return to return your ways bad and why die Beth Israel Nearer and received and dance for us and forgive the size of your mercy will the desire Tell mouth and the meditation of my heart before You Yi Z peacemaker etc..
FOOTNOTES
One. Psalms 19:15 .
Two. Ecclesiastes 3:19 .
Three. Isaiah 55:6 .
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Hayom Yom Today's Hayom Yom
Friday, 14 Adar I, Purim Katan 5703 - 14 February 2014
Tachanun is not said.
Torah lessons: Chumash: Tetzaveh, Shishi with Rashi.
Tehillim: 72-76.
Tanya: And even he (p. 127)...speech and action. (p. 129).
My grandfather told my father: "My father (the Tzemach Tzedek) selected the maamarim printed in Likutei Torah from among 2,000 maamarim.
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Daily Thought:
Nothing Lost, Everything Gained
There are some who are afraid of a new age.
They wonder: What will happen to my career? My whole lifestyle will have to change! What about all the acquaintances and connections I’ve spent a lifetime building? And what about all my worldly possessions, my retirement plan, my investments? Will they take my car away?
The era that is coming is not something separate from our times. It is pieced together from everything we do now, and all that we know of shall remain. Only the negativity will vanish, and the G‑dliness within each thing will be obvious for us to see.
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Today in Judaism: Today is Shabbat, 15 Adar I, 5774 - 15 February 2014
Shushan Purim Katan
Torah Reading
Ki Tisa (Shemot 30:11 [KI TISSA]
And Hashem spoke unto Moshe, saying,
12 When thou takest the census of the Bnei Yisroel after their number, then shall they give every man a kofer nafsho (life price, atoning payment for his nefesh or soul) unto Hashem, when thou numberest them; that there be no negef (plague) among them, when thou numberest them.
13 This they shall give, every one that passeth among them that are pekudim (numbered, counted), half a shekel after the shekel of HaKodesh. (A shekel is twenty gerahs.) A half shekel shall be the terumah (offering) unto Hashem.
14 Every one that passeth among them that are numbered, from twenty years old and above, shall give a terumah (offering) unto Hashem.
15 The oisher (rich man) shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel, when they give a terumah (offering) unto Hashem, to make kapporah for your nefashot.
16 And thou shalt take the kesef hakippurim of the Bnei Yisroel, and shalt appoint it for the Avodat Ohel Mo’ed (Work, Service of the Tent of Appointed Meeting); that it may be a zikaron unto the Bnei Yisroel before Hashem, to make kapporah for your nefashot [see Psalm 49; 1K 1:18-19 OJBC].
17 And Hashem spoke unto Moshe, saying,
18 Thou shalt also make a Kiyor of nechoshet, and its Stand also of nechoshet, to wash withal; and thou shalt place it between the Ohel Mo’ed and the Mizbe’ach, and thou shalt put mayim therein.
19 For Aharon and his banim shall wash their hands and their feet thereat;
20 When they go into the Ohel Mo’ed, they shall wash with mayim, that they die not; or when they come near to the Mizbe’ach to minister, to present offering made by eish unto Hashem;
21 So they shall wash their hands and their feet, that they die not; and it shall be a chok olam to them, even to him and to his zera throughout their dorot.
22 Moreover Hashem spoke unto Moshe, saying,
23 Take thou also unto thee choice spices, of pure myrrh five hundred shekel-weights, and of fragrant cinnamon half so much, even two hundred and fifty, and of fragrant cane spice two hundred and fifty,
24 And of cassia five hundred shekel-weights, after the shekel of HaKodesh, and of shemen zayit (oil olive) a hin:
25 And thou shalt make it a shemen mishchah kodesh, an ointment of blended compound, the art of the perfumer; it shall be a shemen mishchah kodesh.
26 And thou shalt anoint the Ohel Mo’ed therewith, and the Aron HaEdut,
27 And the Shulchan and all its utensils, the Menorah and its utensils, and the Mizbe’ach HaKetoret,
28 And the Mizbe’ach HaOlah with all its utensils, and the Kiyor and its Stand.
29 And thou shalt set them apart as kodesh, that they may be kodesh kodashim; whatsoever toucheth them shall be kodesh.
30 And thou shalt anoint Aharon and his banim, and set them apart as kodesh, that they may minister unto Me in the kohen’s office.
31 And thou shalt speak unto the Bnei Yisroel, saying, This shall be a shemen mishchat kodesh unto Me throughout your dorot.
32 Upon the basar adam shall it not be poured, neither shall ye make any other like it, after the formulation of it; it is kodesh, and it shall be kodesh unto you.
33 Whosoever compoundeth any like it, or whosoever putteth any of it upon a zar, shall even be cut off from his people.
34 And Hashem said unto Moshe, Take unto thee spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum; these spices with pure frankincense; of each shall there be an equal weight;
35 And thou shalt make it a compound of spice, the art of a perfumer, mixed thoroughly together, tahor and kodesh;
36 And thou shalt beat some of it very small, and place it in front of HaEdut in the Ohel Mo’ed, where I will set a meeting with thee; it shall be unto you kodesh kodashim.
37 And as for the ketoret which thou shalt make, ye shall not make to yourselves according to the formulation thereof; it shall be unto thee kodesh for Hashem.
38 Whosoever shall make its like, to smell it, shall even be cut off from his people.
31: And Hashem spoke unto Moshe, saying,
2 See, I have called by shem Bezalel ben Uri, ben Chur, of the tribe of Yehudah;
3 And I have filled him with the Ruach Elohim (see Ac 2:4), in chochmah, and in tevunah, and in da’as, and in kol melachah (all workmanship),
4 To devise machashavot (artistic designs), to work in zahav, and in kesef, and in nechoshet,
5 And in engraving gemstones, to set them, and in wood-carving, to work in kol melachah (all manner of workmanship).
6 And I, hinei, I have given with him Oholiav ben Achisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and in the hearts of all chacham lev I have put chochmah, that they may make all that I have commanded thee:
7 The Ohel Mo’ed, and the Aron HaEdut, and the Kapporet that is thereupon, and all the utensils of the Ohel,
8 And the Shulchan and its utensils, and the Menorah Hatehorah with all its utensils, and the Mizbe’ach HaKetoret,
9 And the Mizbe’ach HaOlah with all its utensils, and the Kiyor and its Stand,
10 And the Bigdei Haserad (Knit Garments), and the Bigdei HaKodesh for Aharon the kohen, and the garments of his banim, to minister in the kohen’s office,
11 And the Shemen Hamishchah, and Ketoret spices for HaKodesh; according to all that I have commanded thee shall they do.
12 And Hashem spoke unto Moshe, saying,
13 Speak thou also unto the Bnei Yisroel, saying, Verily My Shabbatot ye shall be shomer over; for it is an ot (sign) between Me and you throughout your dorot; that ye may have da’as that I am Hashem Who doth set thee apart as kodesh.
14 Ye shall be shomer Shabbos therefore; for it is kodesh unto you; every one that is chillul Shabbos (desecrates Shabbos) shall surely be put to death; for whosoever doeth any work therein, that nefesh shall be cut off from among his people.
15 Sheshet yamim may work be done; but in the Yom HaShevi’i is Shabbos HaShabbaton, kodesh to Hashem; whosoever doeth any work in the Yom HaShabbos, he shall surely be put to death.
16 Wherefore the Bnei Yisroel shall be shomer Shabbos, to observe Shabbos throughout their dorot, for a brit olam.
17 It is an ot between Me and the Bnei Yisroel l’olam; for in sheshet yamim Hashem made Shomayim and HaAretz, and on Yom HaShevi’i He rested (shavat, ceased working), and was refreshed.
18 And He gave unto Moshe, when He had made an end of speaking with him upon Mt. Sinai, two Luchot HaEdut (Tablets of the Testimony), Luchot Even (Tablets of Stone), written with the Etzba Elohim (Finger of G-d).
32: And when HaAm saw that Moshe delayed to come down from HaHar, HaAm gathered themselves together unto Aharon, and said unto him, Up, make us elohim (g-ds), which shall go before us; for as for this Moshe, the ish that brought us up out of Eretz Mitzrayim, we know not what is become of him.
2 And Aharon said unto them, Take off the rings of zahav in the ears of your nashim, of your banim, and of your banot, and bring them unto me.
3 And kol HaAm removed the rings of zahav which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aharon.
4 And he received them at their yad, and fashioned it with a cheret, after he had made it an Egel Masekhah (Molten Calf); and they said, These be thy elohim, O Yisroel, which brought thee up out of Eretz Mitzrayim.
5 And when Aharon saw it, he built a Mizbe’ach before it; and Aharon made proclamation, and said, Tomorrow is a chag (feast) to Hashem.
6 And they rose up early the next day, and offered olot, and brought shelamim; and HaAm sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up letzachek (to revel).
7 And Hashem said unto Moshe, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of Eretz Mitzrayim, have corrupted themselves;
8 They have turned aside quickly from HaDerech which I commanded them; they have made them an Egel Masekhah, and have bowed down to it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These be thy elohim, O Yisroel, which have brought thee up out of the Eretz Mitzrayim.
9 And Hashem said unto Moshe, I have seen this people, and, hinei, it is an Am Kesheh Oref (stiffnecked, obstinate people);
10 Now therefore let Me alone, that My wrath may burn hot against them, and that I may consume them; I will make of thee a Goy Gadol.
11 And Moshe besought Hashem Elohav, and said, Hashem, why doth Thy wrath burn hot against Thy people, which Thou hast brought forth out of Eretz Mitzrayim with ko’ach gadol, and with a yad chazakah?
12 Why should the Egyptians speak, and say, For ra’ah (evil intent) did He bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of ha’adamah? Turn from Thy fierce wrath, and relent of the ra’ah against Thy people.
13 Remember Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yisroel, Thy avadim, to whom Thou swore by Thine own Self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your zera as the kokhavim of Shomayim, and kol haaretz hazot that I have spoken of will I give unto your zera, and they shall inherit it l’olam.
14 And Hashem relented of the ra’ah which He thought to do unto His people.
15 And Moshe turned, and went down from HaHar, and the two Luchot HaEdut were in his yad; the Luchot were written on both their sides; on the one side and on the other were they written.
16 And the Luchot were the ma’aseh Elohim, the writing was the Mikhtav Elohim, engraved upon the Luchot.
17 And when Yehoshua heard the kol HaAm as they shouted, he said unto Moshe, There is a noise of milchamah in the machaneh.
18 And he said, It is not the voice of them that shout for gevurah, neither is it the voice of them that cry of chalushah; but the noise of them that sing that I hear.
19 And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the machaneh, that he saw the Egel, and the mecholot (dancing); and the anger of Moshe burned hot, and he threw the Luchot out of his hands, and broke them at the foot of HaHar.
20 And he took the Egel which they had made, and burned it in the eish, and ground it to powder, and scattered it upon the mayim, and made the Bnei Yisroel drink of it.
21 And Moshe said unto Aharon, What did this people unto thee, that thou hast brought so chata’ah gedolah upon them?
22 And Aharon said, Let not the anger of adoni burn hot; thou knowest HaAm, that they are prone to rah (evil).
23 For they said unto me, Make for us elohim, which shall go before us; for as for this Moshe, the ish that brought us up out of Eretz Mitzrayim, we know not what is become of him.
24 And I said unto them, Whosoever hath any zahav, let them remove it. So they gave it me; then I cast it into the eish, and there came out this Egel.
25 And when Moshe saw that HaAm were exposed; (for Aharon had exposed them to derision among their enemies;)
26 Then Moshe stood in the sha’ar of the machaneh, and said, Who is on Hashem’s side? Let him rally unto me. And all the Bnei Levi gathered themselves together unto him.
27 And he said unto them, Thus saith Hashem Elohei Yisroel, Put every man his cherev by his side, and go in and out from sha’ar to sha’ar throughout the machaneh, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbor.
28 And the Bnei Levi did according to the word of Moshe; and there fell of HaAm that day about three thousand men.
29 For Moshe had said, Consecrate yourselves today to Hashem, even every man against his ben, and against his brother; that He may bestow upon you a brocha this day.
30 And it came to pass on the next day, that Moshe said unto HaAm, Ye have sinned a chata’ah gedolah; and now I will go up unto Hashem; perhaps I can make kapporah for your chattat.
31 And Moshe returned unto Hashem, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a chata’ah gedolah, and have made for themselves elohei zahav.
32 Yet now, if Thou wilt forgive their chattat but if not, blot me, now, out of Thy Sefer which Thou hast written.
33 And Hashem said unto Moshe, Whosoever hath sinned against Me, him will I blot out of My Sefer.
34 Therefore now go, lead HaAm unto the place of which I have spoken unto thee; hinei, Malachi shall go before thee; nevertheless in the yom when I visit I will visit their sin upon them.
35 And Hashem plagued HaAm, because they made the Egel, which Aharon made.
33: And Hashem said unto Moshe, Depart, and go from here, thou and HaAm which thou hast brought up out of Eretz Mitzrayim, unto HaAretz which I swore unto Avraham, to Yitzchak, and to Ya’akov, saying, Unto thy zera will I give it;
2 And I will send a Malach before thee; and I will drive out the Kena’ani, the Emori, the Chitti, the Perizzi, the Chivi, and the Yevusi;
3 Unto an Eretz zavat cholov and devash; for I will not go up in the midst of thee; for thou art an Am Kesheh Oref (stiffnecked, obstinate people); lest I consume thee in HaDerech.
4 And when HaAm heard these evil tidings, they mourned; and no ish did put on him his ornamental attire.
5 For Hashem had said unto Moshe, Say unto the Bnei Yisroel, Ye are an Am Kesheh Oref; I will come up into the midst of thee in a moment, and consume thee; therefore now put off thy ornamental attire from thee, that I may decide what to do unto thee.
6 And the Bnei Yisroel stripped themselves of their ornamental attire by Mt. Chorev.
7 And Moshe would take the Ohel, and pitch it outside the machaneh, afar off from the machaneh, and called it the Ohel Mo’ed. And it came to pass, that every one which sought Hashem went out unto the Ohel Mo’ed, which was outside the machaneh.
8 And it came to pass, when Moshe went out unto the Ohel, that kol HaAm rose up, and stood every man at his petach ohel, and watched after Moshe, until he was gone into the Ohel.
9 And it came to pass, as Moshe entered into the Ohel, the Ammud of the Anan descended, and stood at the petach Ohel, and Hashem would speak with Moshe.
10 And kol HaAm saw the Ammud of the Anan stand at the petach Ohel; and kol HaAm rose up and worshiped, every man in his petach ohel.
11 And Hashem spoke unto Moshe face to face, as an ish speaketh unto his re’a. And he returned into the machaneh; but his mesharet Yehoshua ben Nun, a na’ar, departed not out of the Ohel.
12 And Moshe said unto Hashem, See, Thou sayest unto me, Bring this people onward; and Thou hast not let me know whom Thou wilt send with me. Yet Thou hast said, I know thee by shem, and thou hast also found chen (grace, unmerited favor) in My sight.
13 Therefore, now, if I have found chen in Thy sight, show me now Thy Derech, that I may have da’as of Thee, that I may find chen in Thy sight; and consider that this nation is Thy people.
14 And He said, My Presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.
15 And he said unto Him, If Thy Presence go not with me, bring us not up from here [Sinai].
16 For how then shall it be known that I and Thy people have found chen in Thy sight? Is it not in that Thou goest with us? So shall we be made distinct as separate, I and Thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of ha’adamah.
17 And Hashem said unto Moshe, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken; for thou hast found chen in My sight, and I know thee by shem.
18 And he said, show me now Thy kavod.
19 And He said, I will make kol tuvi (all My goodness) pass in front of thee, and I will call out with the Shem of Hashem before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show rachamim on whom I will show rachamim.
20 And He said, Thou canst not see My face; for there shall no adam see Me, and live.
21 And Hashem said, Hinei, there is a place near Me, and thou shalt stand upon the tzur;
22 And it shall come to pass, while My kavod passeth by, that I will put thee in a cleft of the tzur, and will cover thee with My yad until I pass by;
23 And I will take away Mine yad, and thou shalt see My back; but My face shall not be seen.
34: And Hashem said unto Moshe, Chisel thee two Luchot Avanim like the first ones; and I will write upon these Luchot the divarim that were on the Luchot HaRishonim, which thou broke.
2 And be ready in the boker, and come up in the boker unto Mt.Sinai, and present thyself there to Me on the rosh HaHar.
3 And no ish shall come up with thee, neither let any ish be seen throughout kol HaHar; neither let the tzon nor herd graze in front of that Har.
4 And he chiseled two Luchot Avanim like the first ones; and Moshe rose up early in the boker, and went up unto Mt.Sinai, as Hashem had commanded him, and took in his yad the two Luchot Avanim.
5 And Hashem descended in the anan, and stood with him there, and called out the Shem of Hashem.
6 And Hashem passed by before him, and proclaimed, Hashem, Hashem El Rachum v’Channun, slow to anger, and abundant in chesed and emes,
7 Preserving chesed for thousands, forgiving avon and pesha and chatta’ah, and by no means leaving the guilty unpunished; visiting the avon of the avot upon the banim, and upon the bnei banim, unto the third and to the fourth generation.
8 And Moshe made haste, and bowed his head toward the ground, and worshiped.
9 And he said, If now I have found chen in Thy sight, Adonoi, let Adonoi, now, go among us; although it is an Am Kesheh Oref; and forgive avoneinu and chattateinu, and take us for Thine nachalah.
10 And He said, Hinei, I cut a brit; before all thy people I will do nifla’ot, such as have not been done in kol ha’aretz, nor in kol HaGoyim; and kol HaAm among which thou art shall see the ma’aseh Hashem; for it is a norah that I will do with thee.
11 Be thou shomer over that which I command thee this day; hinei, I drive out before thee the Emori, and the Kena’ani, and the Chitti, and the Perizzi, and the Chivi, and the Yevusi.
12 Be shomer over thyself, lest thou make a brit with the inhabitants of HaAretz whither thou goest, lest it be for a mokesh (snare) in the midst of thee;
13 But ye shall destroy their mizbechot, break their matzebot, and cut down their asherah (sacred trees, poles);
14 For thou shalt worship no el acher; for Hashem, Whose Shem is Jealous, is El Kanah;
15 Lest thou make a brit with the inhabitants of HaAretz, and they go awhoring after eloheihem, and do sacrifice unto eloheihem, and one invite thee, and thou eat of his zevach (sacrifice, i.e., participate in his pagan worship);
16 And thou take of their banot unto thy banim, and their banot go a-whoring after their elohim, and make thy banim go a-whoring after their elohim.
17 Thou shalt make thee no elohei massekhah.
18 The Chag Hamatzot shalt thou be shomer over. Shivat yamim thou shalt eat matzot, as I commanded thee, in the mo’ed of the month Aviv; for in the month Aviv thou camest out from Mitzrayim.
19 All that openeth the rechem (womb) is Mine; and every firstling among thy cattle, whether ox or seh, that is zachar.
20 But the firstling of a donkey thou shalt redeem with a seh; and if thou redeem him not, then shalt thou break his neck. Kol bechor of thy banim thou shalt redeem. And none shall appear before Me empty.
21 Sheshet yamim thou shalt work, but on the yom hashevi’i thou shalt rest; in plowing and in harvest thou shalt rest.
22 And thou shalt observe Chag Shavu’os [Ac chp 2], with the firstfruits the ketzir chittim (wheat harvest), and the Chag HaAsif (Festival of Ingathering, Harvesttime [Yn chp 7]) shall be at the tekufat hashanah (changing, turning of the year).
23 Shalosh in the year shall all your men children appear before HaAdon Hashem Elohei Yisroel.
24 For I will drive out the Goyim before thee, and enlarge thy borders; neither shall any man covet thy land, when thou shalt go up to appear before Hashem Eloheicha shalosh in the shanah.
25 Thou shalt not offer the dahm of My zevach with chametz; neither shall the zevach of the Chag HaPesach be left overnight unto the boker.
26 The reshit bikkurim of thy land thou shalt bring unto the Beis Hashem Eloheicha. Thou shalt not cook a kid in cholov immo.
27 And Hashem said unto Moshe, Write thou these devarim; for according to these devarim I have cut a brit with thee and with Yisroel.
28 And he was there with Hashem arba’im yom and arba’im lailah; he did neither eat lechem, nor drink mayim. And he wrote upon the Luchot the Divrei HaBrit (Words of the Covenant), the Aseres Hadevarim (Ten Commandments).
29 And it came to pass, when Moshe came down from Mt. Sinai with the two Luchot HaEdut in the yad Moshe, when he came down from HaHar, that Moshe had no da’as that the ohr (skin) of his face had become radiant when he had spoken with Him.
30 And when Aharon and kol Bnei Yisroel saw Moshe, hinei, the ohr (skin) of his face was radiant; and they were afraid to come near him.
31 And Moshe called unto them; and Aharon and kol HaNesi’im of the Edah returned unto him; and Moshe spoke with them.
32 And afterward kol Bnei Yisroel came near; and he gave them in commandment all that Hashem had spoken with him in Mt Sinai.
33 When Moshe had finished speaking with them, he put a masveh (veil, mask) on his face.
34 But when Moshe went in before Hashem to speak with Him, he took the masveh off, until he came out. And he came out, and spoke unto the Bnei Yisroel that which he was commanded.
35 And the Bnei Yisroel saw the face of Moshe, that the ohr of the face of Moshe was radiant; and Moshe put the masveh upon his face again, until he went in to speak with Him.)
Today's Laws and Customs:
The "Minor" Shushan Purim
In regular years, the 15th of Adar is Shushan Purim, the festival that celebrates -- in Jerusalem and other ancient walled cities -- the salvation of the Jewish people from Haman's evil decree in the year 3405 from creation (356 BCE). In a leap year -- which has two Adars -- Shushan Purim is observed in Adar II, and the 15th of Adar I is designated as Shushan Purim Kattan, the "Minor Shushan Purim."
There are no special observances associated with Shushan Purim Kattan, other than the omission of Tachnun ("supplications") from the daily prayers and a prohibition against fasting or holding eulogies on this day. The Code of Jewish Law cites an opinion that one should increase in festivity and joy, but rules that there is no obligation to do so; "Nevertheless,a person should increase somewhat in festivity... for 'One who is of good heart is festive always' " (Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 697:1).
Link: Always Happy
All about Purim
Daily Study
Chumash Parshat Ki Tisa, 7th Portion (Exodus 34:27-34:35)
Chapter 34
27. The Lord said to Moses: "Inscribe these words for yourself, for according to these words I have formed a covenant with you and with Israel." כז. וַיֹּאמֶר יְהֹוָה אֶל משֶׁה כְּתָב לְךָ אֶת הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה כִּי עַל פִּי | הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה כָּרַתִּי אִתְּךָ בְּרִית וְאֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל:
these words: But you are not permitted to write down the Oral Torah. -[from Gittin 60b]
את הדברים האלה: ולא אתה רשאי לכתוב תורה שבעל פה:
28. He was there with the Lord for forty days and forty nights; he ate no bread and drank no water, and He inscribed upon the tablets the words of the Covenant, the Ten Commandments. כח. וַיְהִי שָׁם עִם יְהֹוָה אַרְבָּעִים יוֹם וְאַרְבָּעִים לַיְלָה לֶחֶם לֹא אָכַל וּמַיִם לֹא שָׁתָה וַיִּכְתֹּב עַל הַלֻּחֹת אֵת דִּבְרֵי הַבְּרִית עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדְּבָרִים:
29. And it came to pass when Moses descended from Mount Sinai, and the two tablets of the testimony were in Moses' hand when he descended from the mountain and Moses did not know that the skin of his face had become radiant while He had spoken with him כט. וַיְהִי בְּרֶדֶת משֶׁה מֵהַר סִינַי וּשְׁנֵי לֻחֹת הָעֵדֻת בְּיַד משֶׁה בְּרִדְתּוֹ מִן הָהָר וּמשֶׁה לֹא יָדַע כִּי קָרַן עוֹר פָּנָיו בְּדַבְּרוֹ אִתּוֹ:
And it came to pass when Moses descended: when he brought the latter [second] tablets on Yom Kippur.
ויהי ברדת משה: כשהביא לוחות אחרונות ביום הכפורים:
that… had become radiant: Heb. קָרַן, an expression meaning horns (קַרְנַיִם) because light radiates and protrudes like a type of horn. From where did Moses [now] merit these rays of splendor [which he did not have when he descended with the first tablets (Gur Aryeh)]? Our Rabbis said: [Moses received it] from the cave, when the Holy One, blessed is He, placed His hand on his face, as it is said: “and I will cover you with My hand” (Exod. 33:22). -[from Midrash Tanchuma 37]
כי קרן: לשון קרנים, שהאור מבהיק ובולט כמין קרן. ומהיכן זכה משה לקרני ההוד, רבותינו אמרו מן המערה, שנתן הקב"ה ידו על פניו, שנאמר (שמות לג כב) ושכותי כפי:
30. that Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses and behold! the skin of his face had become radiant, and they were afraid to come near him. ל. וַיַּרְא אַהֲרֹן וְכָל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת משֶׁה וְהִנֵּה קָרַן עוֹר פָּנָיו וַיִּירְאוּ מִגֶּשֶׁת אֵלָיו:
and they were afraid to come near him: Come and see how great the power of sin is! Because when they had not yet stretched out their hands to sin [with the golden calf], what does He say? “And the appearance of the glory of the Lord was like a consuming fire atop the mountain, before the eyes of the children of Israel” (Exod. 24:17), and they were neither frightened nor quaking. But since they had made the calf, even from Moses’ rays of splendor they recoiled and quaked. [from Sifrei Nasso 11, Pesikta d’Rav Kahana, p. 45]
וייראו מגשת אליו: בא וראה, כמה גדולה כחה של עבירה, שעד שלא פשטו ידיהם בעבירה, מהו אומר (שמות כד יז) ומראה כבוד ה' כאש אוכלת בראש ההר לעיני בני ישראל, ולא יראים ולא מזדעזעים; ומשעשו את העגל, אף מקרני הודו של משה היו מרתיעים ומזדעזעים:
31. But Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the princes of the community returned to him, and Moses would speak to them. לא. וַיִּקְרָא אֲלֵהֶם משֶׁה וַיָּשֻׁבוּ אֵלָיו אַהֲרֹן וְכָל הַנְּשִׂאִים בָּעֵדָה וַיְדַבֵּר משֶׁה אֲלֵהֶם:
the princes of the community: Heb. הַנְשִׂאִים בָּעֵדָה lit., the princes in the community, like נְשִׂיאֵי הָעֵדָה, the princes of the community.
הנשאים בעדה: כמו נשיאי העדה:
and Moses would speak to them: [sharing] the Omnipresent’s message, and this entire passage is in the present tense.
וידבר משה אליהם: שליחותו של מקום, ולשון הווה הוא כל הענין הזה:
32. Afterwards all the children of Israel would draw near, and he would command them everything that the Lord had spoken with him on Mount Sinai. לב. וְאַחֲרֵי כֵן נִגְּשׁוּ כָּל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיְצַוֵּם אֵת כָּל אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר יְהֹוָה אִתּוֹ בְּהַר סִינָי:
Afterwards… would draw near: After he taught the elders, he would repeat and teach the chapter or the halachah to the Israelites. The Rabbis taught: What was the order of teaching? Moses would learn from the mouth of Almighty. Aaron would enter, and Moses would teach him his chapter. Aaron would move away and sit at Moses’ left. His [Aaron’s] sons would enter, and Moses would teach them their chapter. They would move away, and Eleazar would sit at Moses’ right and Ithamar would sit at Aaron’s left. [Then] the elders would enter, and Moses would teach them their chapter. The elders would move away and sit down on the sides. [Then] the entire nation would enter, and Moses would teach them their chapter. Thus, the entire nation possessed one [lesson from Moses], the elders possessed two, Aaron’s sons possessed three, Aaron possessed four, etc., as is stated in Eruvin (54b).
ואחרי כן נגשו: אחר שלמד לזקנים, חוזר ומלמד הפרשה או ההלכה לישראל. תנו רבנן כיצד סדר המשנה, משה היה לומד מפי הגבורה, נכנס אהרן, שנה לו משה פרקו, נסתלק אהרן וישב לו לשמאל משה, נכנסו בניו, שנה להם משה פרקם, נסתלקו הם, ישב אלעזר לימין משה ואיתמר לשמאל אהרן, נכנסו זקנים, שנה להם משה פרקם, נסתלקו זקנים ישבו לצדדין, נכנסו כל העם שנה להם משה פרקם, נמצא ביד כל העם אחד, ביד הזקנים שנים, ביד בני אהרן שלשה, ביד אהרן ארבעה וכו' כדאיתא בעירובין (נד ב):
33. When Moses had finished speaking with them, he placed a covering over his face. לג. וַיְכַל משֶׁה מִדַּבֵּר אִתָּם וַיִּתֵּן עַל פָּנָיו מַסְוֶה:
he placed a covering over his face: Heb. מַסְוֶה, as the Targum [Onkelos] renders: בֵּיתאַפֵּי. [מַסְוֶה] is an Aramaic expression. In the Talmud (Keth. 62b) [we read]: לִבָּהּ סָוֵי, her heart saw, and also in [tractate] Kethuboth (60a): יְהַוָה קָא מַסְוֶה לְאַפָּה an expression meaning “looking.” He [the nursing infant] was looking at her [his mother]. Here too, מַסְוֶה is a garment placed in front of the face and a covering over the eyes. In honor of the rays of splendor, so that no one would derive pleasure from them, he [Moses] would place the covering in front of them [his eyes] and remove it when he spoke with the Israelites, and when the Omnipresent spoke to him until he left. When he would leave, he would leave without the covering.
ויתן על פניו מסוה: כתרגומו בית אפי, לשון ארמי הוא בתלמוד סוי לבא ועוד בכתובות (ס א) הוה קא מסוה לאפה, לשון הבטה, היה מסתכל בה, אף כאן מסוה בגד הניתן כנגד הפרצוף ובית העינים, ולכבוד קרני ההוד שלא יזונו הכל מהם היה נותן המסוה כנגדן ונוטלו בשעה שהיה מדבר עם ישראל, ובשעה שהמקום נדבר עמו עד צאתו, ובצאתו יצא בלא מסוה:
34. When Moses would come before the Lord to speak with Him, he would remove the covering until he left; then he would leave and speak to the children of Israel what he would be commanded. לד. וּבְבֹא משֶׁה לִפְנֵי יְהֹוָה לְדַבֵּר אִתּוֹ יָסִיר אֶת הַמַּסְוֶה עַד צֵאתוֹ וְיָצָא וְדִבֶּר אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֵת אֲשֶׁר יְצֻוֶּה:
and speak to the children of Israel: And they would see the rays of splendor on his face, and when he would leave them.
ודבר אל בני ישראל: וראו קרני ההוד בפניו. וכשהוא מסתלק מהם:
35. Then the children of Israel would see Moses' face, that the skin of Moses' face had become radiant, and [then] Moses would replace the covering over his face until he would come [again] to speak with Him. לה. וְרָאוּ בְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת פְּנֵי משֶׁה כִּי קָרַן עוֹר פְּנֵי משֶׁה וְהֵשִׁיב משֶׁה אֶת הַמַּסְוֶה עַל פָּנָיו עַד בֹּאוֹ לְדַבֵּר אִתּוֹ:
Moses would replace the covering over his face until he would come [again] to speak with Him.: And when he came to speak with Him, he would remove it from his face.
והשיב משה את המסוה על פניו עד באו לדבר אתו: וכשבא לדבר אתו נוטלו מעל פניו:
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Psalms Chapters 77-78
Chapter 77
1. For the Conductor, on the yedutun,1 by Asaph, a psalm.
2. [I raise] my voice to God and cry out; [I raise] my voice to God and He will listen to me.
3. On the day of my distress I sought my Lord. My wound oozes at night and does not abate; my soul refuses to be consoled.
4. I remember God and I moan; I speak and my spirit faints, Selah.
5. You grasped my eyelids; I am broken, I cannot speak.
6. I think of olden days, of ancient years.
7. During the night I recall my music, I meditate with my heart, and my spirit searches:
8. Is it for eternity that my Lord forsakes [me], nevermore to be appeased?
9. Has His kindness ceased forever? Has He sealed the decree for all generations?
10. Has God forgotten mercy? Has He in anger restrained His compassion forever?
11. I said, "It is to ter- rify me that the right hand of the Most High changes.”
12. I remember the deeds of Yah, when I remember Your wonders of long ago.
13. I meditate on all Your works, and speak of Your deeds.
14. O God, Your way is in sanctity; what god is as great as God?
15. You are the God Who works wonders; You make Your might known among the nations.
16. You redeemed Your people with a mighty arm, the children of Jacob and Joseph, Selah.
17. The waters2 saw You, O God, the waters saw You and trembled; even the deep shuddered.
18. The clouds streamed water, the heavens sounded forth, even Your arrows flew about.
19. The sound of Your thunder was in the rolling wind; lightning lit up the world; the earth trembled and quaked.
20. Your way was through the sea, Your path through the mighty waters; and Your footsteps were not known.3
21. You led Your people like a flock, by the hand of Moses and Aaron
Chapter 78
This psalm recounts all the miracles that God wrought for Israel, from the exodus of Egypt to David's becoming king over Israel.
1. A maskil1 by Asaph. Listen, my people, to my teaching; incline your ear to the words of my mouth.
2. I will open my mouth with a parable, I will utter riddles of long ago;
3. that which we have heard and know [to be true], and that our fathers have told us.
4. We will not withhold from their children, telling the final generation the praises of the Lord, and His might, and the wonders He has performed.
5. He established a testimony in Jacob, and set down the Torah in Israel, which He commanded our fathers to make known to their children,
6. so that the last generation shall know; children yet to be born will rise and tell their children,
7. and they shall put their hope in God, and not forget the works of the Almighty; and they shall guard His commandments.
8. And they shall not be like their fathers, a wayward and rebellious generation, a generation that did not set its heart straight, and whose spirit was not faithful to God.
9. The children of Ephraim, armed archers, retreated on the day of battle.2
10. They did not keep the covenant of God, and refused to follow His Torah.
11. They forgot His deeds and His wonders that He had shown them.
12. He performed wonders before their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.3
13. He split the sea and brought them across; He erected the waters like a wall.
14. He led them with a cloud by day, and all night long with the light of fire.
15. He split rocks in the wilderness, and gave them to drink as if from the abundant depths.
16. And He brought forth flowing waters from the rock, and caused waters to descend like rivers.
17. Yet they again continued to sin against Him, to provoke the Most High in the parched land.
18. And they tested God in their hearts, by requesting food for their craving.
19. They spoke against God; they said, "Can God set a table in the wilderness?
20. True, He hit the rock and waters flowed, streams gushed forth; but can He also give bread? Will He prepare meat for His people?”
21. And so the Lord heard and was enraged; a fire was kindled against Jacob; wrath, too, flared against Israel.
22. For they did not believe in God and did not trust in His salvation,
23. [though] He had commanded the skies above, and opened the doors of heaven.
24. He had rained upon them manna to eat, and given them grain of heaven.
25. Man ate the bread of angels; He sent them [enough] provisions to satiate.
26. He drove the east wind through the heaven, and led the south wind with His might.
27. He rained meat upon them like dust, winged birds like the sand of seas;
28. and He dropped them inside His camp, around His dwellings.
29. And they ate and were very satiated, for He brought them their desire.
30. They were not yet estranged from their craving, their food was still in their mouths,
31. when the wrath of God rose against them and slew their mighty ones, and brought down the chosen of Israel.
32. Despite this, they sinned again, and did not believe in His wonders;
33. so He ended their days in futility, and their years in terror.
34. When He slew them they would seek Him, they would return and pray to God.
35. They remembered that God is their rock, God the Most High, their redeemer.
36. But they beguiled Him with their mouth, and deceived Him with their tongue.
37. Their heart was not steadfast with Him; they were not faithful to His covenant.
38. Yet He is compassionate, pardons iniquity, and does not destroy; time and again He turns away His anger, and does not arouse all His wrath.
39. He remembered that they were but flesh, a spirit that leaves and does not return.
40. How often they provoked Him in the desert, and grieved Him in the wasteland!
41. Again and again they tested God, and sought a sign from the Holy One of Israel.
42. They did not remember His hand, the day He redeemed them from the oppressor;
43. that He set His signs in Egypt, and His wonders in the field of Zoan.
44. He turned their rivers to blood, and made their flowing waters undrinkable.
45. He sent against them a mixture of beasts which devoured them, and frogs that destroyed them.
46. He gave their produce to the grasshopper, and their toil to the locust.
47. He killed their vines with hail, and their sycamores with biting frost.
48. He delivered their animals to the hail, and their livestock to fiery bolts.
49. He sent against them His fierce anger, fury, rage, and affliction; a delegation of messengers of evil.
50. He leveled a path for His anger, and did not spare their soul from death; He delivered their animals to pestilence.
51. He struck every firstborn in Egypt, the first fruit of their strength in the tents of Ham.4
52. He drove His nation like sheep, and guided them like a flock in the desert.
53. He led them in security and they did not fear, for the sea covered their enemies.
54. And He brought them to the boundary of His holy place, this mountain which His right hand acquired.
55. He drove out nations before them, and allotted them an inheritance [measured] by the cord; He settled the tribes of Israel in their tents.
56. Yet they tested and defied God, the Most High, and did not keep His testimonies.
57. They regressed and rebelled like their fathers; they turned around like a deceptive bow.
58. They angered Him with their high altars, and provoked Him with their idols.
59. God heard and was enraged, and He was utterly disgusted with Israel;
60. And He abandoned the Tabernacle of Shilo, the Tent where He had dwelled among men.
61. He put His might into captivity, and His glory into the hand of the oppressor.
62. He delivered His nation to the sword, and was enraged with His inheritance.
63. Fire consumed His young men, and His maidens had no marriage song.
64. His priests fell by the sword, and their widows did not weep.5
65. And the Lord awoke like one who had been asleep, like a warrior shouting [to sober himself] from wine.
66. He beat His enemies into retreat, and dealt them eternal disgrace.
67. He was disgusted with the tent of Joseph, and did not choose the tribe of Ephraim.
68. He chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion which He loves.
69. And He built His Sanctuary [permanent as] the heavens; like the earth, He established it forever.
70. And He chose David His servant, and took him from the sheep corrals.
71. From following the nursing ewes, He brought Him to shepherd His nation Jacob, Israel His inheritance.
72. And he tended them with the integrity of his heart, and led them with the skill of his hands.
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Tanya Likutei Amarim, end of Chapter 29
Lessons in Tanya
Shabbat, 15 Adar I 5774 / February 15, 2014
Today's Tanya
Likutei Amarim, end of Chapter 29
עוד ישים אל לבו רוב חלומותיו שהם הבל ורעות רוח, משום שאין נפשו עולה למעלה, וכמו שכתוב: מי יעלה בהר ה׳...נקי כפים וגו׳
Let him further consider his dreams in order to humble his spirit; for one may learn more about himself from his dreams than from his waking, conscious thoughts. For the most part, they are “vanity, and an affliction of the spirit,” 1 for his soul does not ascend heavenward during his sleep; since it is written: 2 “Who shall ascend the mountain of the Lord?” — meaning, in our context, “Whose soul shall rise heavenward while he sleeps, to see and absorb matters of Torah and holiness, which will in turn be reflected in his dreams?” And the next verse gives the answer: “He that has clean hands and a pure heart” — implying that the soul of one whose hands and heart are not pure, does not ascend, and that is why his dreams are a patchwork of vanity and foolishness.
ואינון סטרין בישין אתיין ומתדבקן ביה, ומודעין ליה בחלמא מילין דעלמא וכו׳, ולזמנין דחייכן ביה ואחזיאו ליה מילי שקר, וצערין ליה בחלמיה כו׳, כמו שכתוב בזהר ויקרא דף כ״ה עמוד א׳ ועמוד ב׳ , עיין שם באריכות
Furthermore, “those originating from the ’evil side‘ come and attach themselves to him and inform him in his dreams of mundane affairs... and sometimes mock him and show him false things and torment him in his dreams,” and so on, as stated in the Zohar on Vayikra (p. 25a,b). See it there discussed at length.
We thus see from the Zohar that one may evaluate himself by studying the content of his dreams. Thereby, he can humble his spirit even if he finds himself free of sin, and in this way he may crush the sitra achra within him, as explained above.
והנה כל מה שיאריך בעניינים אלו במחשבתו, וגם בעיונו בספרים, להיות לבו נשבר בקרבו, ונבזה בעיניו נמאס ככתוב, בתכלית המיאוס, ולמאס חייו ממש, הרי בזה ממאס ומבזה הסטרא אחרא ומשפילה לעפר ומורידה מגדולתה וגסות רוחה וגבהותה, שמגביה את עצמה על אור קדושת נפש האלקית להחשיך אורה
The longer he reflects on these matters, both in his own thoughts and by delving deeply into books which speak of these matters, in order to break down his heart within him and render himself shamed and despised in his own eyes, as is written in the Scriptures, so utterly despised that he despises his very life, — the more he despises and degrades thereby the sitra achra, casting it down to the ground and humbling it from its haughtiness and pride and self-exaltation, wherewith it exalts itself over the light of the divine soul’s holiness, obscuring its radiance.
Up to now, the Alter Rebbe has proposed means of crushing the sitra achra within one’s animal soul by humbling his own spirit through intellectual contemplation. He now turns to another method, that of “raging” against one’s evil impulse, without entering into an analysis of his spiritual level.
וגם ירעים עליה בקול רעש ורוגז להשפילה, כמאמר רז״ל: לעולם ירגיז אדם יצר טוב על יצר הרע, שנאמר: רגזו וגו׳
He should also thunder against it (the sitra achra) with a strong and raging voice in order to humble it, as our Sages state, 3 “A person should always rouse the good impulse against the evil impulse, as it is written, 4 ‘Rage, and sin not.’”
דהיינו לרגוז על נפש הבהמית, שהיא יצרו הרע, בקול רעש ורוגז במחשבתו, לומר לו: אתה רע ורשע ומשוקץ ומתועב ומנוול וכו׳, ככל השמות שקראו לו חכמינו ז״ל, באמת
This means that one should rage — in his mind — against the animal soul, which is his evil impulse, with a voice of stormy indignation, saying to it: “Indeed, you are truly evil and wicked, abominable, loathsome and disgraceful,” and so forth, using all the epithets by which our Sages have called it. 5
עד מתי תסתיר לפני אור אין סוף ברוך הוא הממלא כל עלמין, היה הוה ויהיה בשוה, גם במקום זה שאני עליו כמו שהיה אור אין סוף ברוך הוא לבדו קודם שנברא העולם, בלי שום שינוי
“How long will you obscure the light of the blessed Ein Sof, which pervades all the worlds; which was, is, and will be the same, even in the very place where I stand, just as the light of the blessed Ein Sof was alone before the world was created — utterly unchanged;
כמו שכתוב: אני ה׳ לא שניתי, כי הוא למעלה מהזמן וכו׳
as it is written: 6 ’I, the L-rd, have not changed,‘ i.e., the fact of creation has wrought no change in Him, for He transcends time, and so on? And therefore, the fact that it is now ’after‘ creation, cannot affect Him.
ואתה מנוול וכו׳ מכחיש האמת הנראה לעינים, דכולא קמיה כלא ממש באמת, בבחינת ראייה חושיית
But you, repulsive one (and so forth) deny the truth which is so plainly visible — that all is truly as nothing in His presence — a truth which is so apparent as to be ’visible to the eye‘!”
והנה על ידי זה יועיל לנפשו האלקית להאיר עיניה באמת יחוד אור אין סוף בראייה חושיית, ולא בחינת שמיעה והבנה לבדה
In this way he will help his divine soul, enlightening its eyes to perceive the truth of the unity of the infinite light of Ein Sof as though with physical sight, and not merely through the lesser perception of “hearing” and understanding.
כמו שכתוב במקום אחר, שזהו שרש כל העבודה
For, as explained elsewhere, this is the core of the whole [divine] service.
Intellectual comprehension — i.e., the “hearing” — of G‑dliness can lead only to a desire and longing for G‑d; the level of perception described as “sight” leads far higher — to one’s self-nullification before Him.
והטעם: לפי שבאמת אין שום ממשות כלל בסטרא אחרא, שלכן נמשלה לחשך שאין בו שום ממשות כלל, וממילא נדחה מפני האור
The reason that humbling the spirit of the sitra achra is effective in crushing it is that in truth there is no substance whatever in the sitra achra. That is why it is compared to darkness, which has no substance whatsoever, and is automatically banished by the presence of light.
וכך הסטרא אחרא, אף שיש בה חיות הרבה, להחיות כל בעלי חיים הטמאים, ונפשות אומות העולם, וגם נפש הבהמית שבישראל, כנ״ל, מכל מקום הרי כל חיותה אינה מצד עצמה, חס ושלום, אלא מצד הקדושה, כנ״ל, ולכן היא בטלה לגמרי מפני הקדושה, כביטול החשך מפני האור הגשמי, רק שלגבי קדושת נפש האלקית שבאדם, נתן לה הקב״ה רשות ויכולת להגביה עצמה כנגדה, כדי שהאדם יתעורר להתגבר עליה להשפילה על ידי שפלות ונמיכת רוחו, ונבזה בעיניו נמאס
Similarly with the sitra achra. Indeed, it possesses abundant vitality with which to animate all the impure animals and the souls of the nations of the world, and also the animal soul of the Jew, as has been explained. 7 Yet this vitality is not its own, G‑d forbid, but stems from the realm of holiness, for the realm of holiness is the source of all life, including even the life-force of the sitra achra, as has been explained above. 8 Therefore it is completely nullified in the presence of holiness, as darkness is nullified in the presence of physical light. Its power lies only in the fact that in regard to the holiness of man’s divine soul, G‑d has given it (— the sitra achra) permission and ability to raise itself against it (— the divine soul), in order that man should be roused to overpower it and to humble it by means of the humility and submission of his spirit, and by being abhorrent and despised in his own eyes — for through this he humbles the sitra achra and abhors it.
ובאתערותא דלתתא: אתערותא דלעילא, לקיים מה שכתוב: משם אורידך, נאם ה׳
The arousal of man below to crush the sitra achra causes an arousal above, to fulfill what is written: 9 “From there will I bring you down, says G‑d” to the sitra achra, which seeks to rise against G‑dliness and to obscure it.
דהיינו שמסירה מממשלתה ויכלתה, ומסלק ממנה הכח ורשות שנתן לה להגביה עצמה נגד אור קדושת נפש האלקית
This means that He deprives it of its dominion and power, and withdraws from it the strength and authority which had been given it to rise up against the light of the holiness of the divine soul.
ואזי ממילא בטילה ונדחית, כביטול החשך מפני אור הגשמי
Thereupon it automatically becomes nullified and is banished, just as darkness is nullified before physical light.
וכמו שמצינו דבר זה מפורש בתורה גבי מרגלים, שמתחלה אמרו: כי חזק הוא ממנו, אל תקרי ממנו כו׳, שלא האמינו ביכולת ה׳, ואחר כך חזרו ואמרו: הננו ועלינו וגו׳
Indeed, we find this explicitly stated in the Torah in connection with the Spies sent by Moses to scout out the Holy Land. At the outset they declared: 10 “For he (the enemy) is stronger than we,” and, interpreting the word ממנו , the Sages say: 11
“Read not 'than we,' but 'than He,'” meaning that they had no faith in G‑d’s ability to lead them into the Holy Land. But afterwards they reversed themselves and announced: 12 “We will readily go up [to conquer the Land].”
ומאין חזרה ובאה אליהם האמונה ביכולת ה׳, הרי לא הראה להם משה רבנו עליו השלום שום אות ומופת על זה בנתיים, רק שאמר להם איך שקצף ה׳ עליהם ונשבע שלא להביאם אל הארץ
Whence did their faith in G‑d’s ability return to them? Our teacher Moses, peace unto him, had not shown them in the interim any sign or miracle concerning this, which would restore their faith. He had merely told them that G‑d was angry with them and had sworn not to allow them to enter the Land. 13
ומה הועיל זה להם אם לא היו מאמינים ביכולת ה׳, חס ושלום, לכבוש ל״א מלכים, ומפני זה לא רצו כלל ליכנס לארץ
What value did this Divine anger and oath have to them, if in any case they did not believe in G‑d’s ability to subdue the thirty-one kings14 who reigned in the Land at that time, for which reason they had had no desire whatever to enter the Land?
אלא ודאי מפני שישראל עצמן הם מאמינים בני מאמינים, רק שהסטרא אחרא המלובשת בגופם הגביה עצמה על אור קדושת נפשם האלקית, בגסות רוחה וגבהותה בחוצפה בלי טעם ודעת
Surely, then, the explanation is as follows: Israelites themselves are15 “believers, [being] the descendants of believers.” Even while they stated, “The enemy is stronger than He,” their divine soul still believed in G‑d. They professed a lack of faith in His ability only because the sitra achra clothed in their body in the person of their animal soul had risen against the light of the holiness of the divine soul, with its characteristic impudent arrogance and haughtiness, without sense or reason.
ולכן מיד שקצף ה׳ עליהם והרעים בקול רעש ורוגז: עד מתי לעדה הרעה הזאת וגו׳ במדבר הזה יפלו פגריכם וגו׳ אני ה׳ דברתי אם לא זאת אעשה לכל העדה הרעה הזאת וגו׳, וכששמעו דברים קשים אלו, נכנע ונשבר לבם בקרבם, כדכתיב: ויתאבלו העם מאד, וממילא נפלה הסטרא אחרא מממשלתה וגבהותה וגסות רוחה
Therefore as soon as G‑d became angry with them, and thundered angrily: 16 “How long shall I bear with this evil congregation…,Your carcasses shall fall in this wilderness…I, G‑d, have spoken: I will surely do it unto all this evil congregation...,” — their heart was humbled and broken within them when they heard these stern words, as it is written, 17 “And the people mourned greatly.” Consequently, the sitra achra toppled from its dominion, from its haughtiness and arrogance.
וישראל עצמן הם מאמינים
But the Israelites themselves i.e., as far as their divine soul was concerned had believed in G‑d all along.
Therefore, as soon as they were released from the dominion of the sitra achra, they proclaimed, “We will readily go up...” There was no need of a miracle to convince them of G‑d’s ability. All that was necessary was to divest the sitra achra of its arrogance, and this was accomplished by G‑d’s “raging” at them.
Similarly with every Jew: When the light of his soul does not penetrate his heart, it is merely due to the arrogance of the sitra achra, which will vanish as soon as he rages at it.
ומזה יכול ללמוד כל אדם שנופלים לו במחשבתו ספיקות על אמונה כי הם דברי רוח הסטרא אחרא לבדה, המגביה עצמה על נפשו, אבל ישראל עצמן הם מאמינים כו׳
Every person in whose mind there occur doubts concerning faith in G‑d can deduce from this episode of the Spies that these doubts are nothing but the empty words of the sitra achra which raises itself against his divine soul. But Israelites themselves are believers...
וגם הסטרא אחרא עצמה אין לה ספיקות כלל באמונה, רק שניתן לה רשות לבלבל האדם בדברי שקר ומרמה להרבות שכרו
Furthermore, the sitra achra itself entertains no doubts at all concerning faith. As explained in ch. 22, the kelipah in its spiritual state (i.e., when not clothed in the human body) does not deny G‑d’s sovereignty. It has merely been granted permission to confuse man with false and deceitful words, in order that he may be more richly rewarded for mastering it.
כפיתויי הזונה לבן המלך בשקר ומרמה ברשות המלך, כמו שכתוב בזהר הקדוש
In this it is similar to the harlot who attempts to seduce the king’s son through falsehood and deceit, with the king’s approval, as in the parable narrated in the holy Zohar.18
The parable: A king hires a harlot to seduce his son, so that the prince will reveal his wisdom in resisting her wiles. The harlot herself, knowing the king’s intention, does not want the prince to submit to temptation. Similarly with the sitra achra: it is merely fulfilling its G‑d-given task in attempting to lure man away from G‑d, but actually desires that man resist it, thereby earning a greater reward.
However, this is true only of the spiritual kelipah which is the source of the animal soul. The animal soul and evil impulse as clothed within man, on the other hand, are truly evil, and their unequivocal aim is to entice man to do evil.
In the context of the parable, this may be described as follows: The harlot originally commissioned by the king subcontracts a second harlot, and the second a third, and so on. As the actual executor of the mission becomes successively further removed from the king, the original intention is lost, and finally the prince is approached by a harlot who has her own intentions in mind, not those of the king, as she attempts to seduce the prince.
In any event, we see that any doubts one may have concerning faith in G‑d, are merely the empty words of the sitra achra. The soul within every Jew, however, believes in G‑d with a perfect faith.
FOOTNOTES
1. See ch. 6.
2. Tehillim 24:3,4.
3. Berachot 5a.
4. Tehillim 4:5.
5. Sukkah 52a.
6. Malachi 3:6.
7. Chs. 6, 7.
8. Chs. 6, 22.
9. Ovadiah 1:4.
10. Bamidbar 13:31.
11. Sotah 35a; Menachot 53b.
12. Bamidbar 14:40.
13. Ibid., v. 39.
14. Enumerated in Yehoshua 12.
15. Bamidbar Rabbah 7:5.
16. Bamidbar 14:27, 29, 35.
17. Ibid., v. 39.
18. II, 163a. See above, end of ch. 9
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Sefer HaMitzvot: Daily MitzvahMishneh Torah End of Sefer Ahavah: From “Text of Blessing After a Meal. Blessed are You” to “I will greatly rejoice in the L-rd.” P154
Nusach HaTefila
Today we continue with Maimonides' "Order of Prayer." (The Daily Mitzvah schedule runs parallel to the daily study of three chapters of Maimonides' 14-volume code. This is what is being studied today according to the three-chapter-a-day-schedule.)
We have not translated this order into English, because the point of it is not to provide a translation of the prayers (in fact, the Hebrew text often skips out passages not relevant to the structure), but to lay out the way Maimonides structured his prayer book.
As such, we present you today with part 5 of the original Hebrew "Order of Prayer." This section contains the Grace after Meals and the blessings recited before and after the reading of the haftorah (Prophets) on Shabbat and holidays. Maimonides also identifies the various passages of the Prophets to be read for the haftorah every Shabbat of the year and on holidays.
Part 5
נוסח ברכת המזון:
ברוך אתה יי' אלהינו מלך העולם הזן את העולם כולו בטובו בחן ובחסד וברחמים ומפרנס לכל כאמור פותח את ידך ומשביע לכל חי רצון ומכין מזון לכל בריותיו אשר ברא ברוך אתה יי' הזן את הכל נודה לך יי' אלהינו ונברכך מלכנו כי הנחלת את אבותינו ארץ חמדה טובה ורחבה ברית ותורה על שהוצאתנו מארץ מצרים ופדיתנו מבית עבדים על תורתך שלמדתנו על חוקי רצונך שהודעתנו על כולם יי' אלהינו אנו מודים לך ומברכים את שמך כאמור ואכלת ושבעת וברכת את יי' אלהיך על הארץ הטובה אשר נתן לך ברוך אתה יי' על הארץ ועל המזון רחם יי' אלהינו על ישראל עמך ועל ירושלים עירך ועל ציון משכן כבודך ועל הבית הגדול והקדוש שנקרא שמך עליו ומלכות דוד משיחך תחזיר למקומה בימינו ובנה ירושלים בקרוב כאשר דברת ברוך אתה יי' בונה ברחמיו את ירושלים ברוך אתה יי' אלהינו מלך העולם האל אבינו מלכנו אדירנו בוראנו גואלנו קדושנו קדוש יעקב המלך הטוב והמטיב שבכל יום ויום גומלנו חן וחסד ורחמים וכל טוב הרחמן ישתבח לדור דורים הרחמן יתפאר לנצח נצחים הרחמן יזכנו לימות המשיח ולבנין בית המקדש ולחיי העולם הבא מגדול ישועות מלכו וגו' כפירים רשו ורעבו וגו' הודו ליי' כי טוב כי לעולם חסדו:
המפטיר בנביא מברך לפניה:
ברוך אתה יי' אלהינו מלך העולם אשר בחר בנביאים טובים ורצה בדבריהם הנאמרים באמת ברוך אתה יי' הבוחר בתורה ובמשה עבדו ובישראל עמו ובנביאי האמת והצדק ומברך לאחריה:
ברוך אתה יי' אלהינו מלך העולם צור כל העולמים צדיק בכל הדורות האל הנאמן האומר ועושה מדבר ומקיים אשר כל דבריו אמת וצדק נאמן אתה הוא יי' אלהינו ונאמנים דבריך ודבר אחד מדבריך אחור לא ישוב ריקם כי אל נאמן אתה ברוך אתה יי' האל הנאמן בכל דבריו רחם על ציון כי היא בית חיינו ולעגומת נפש (תושיע) מהרה בימינו ותבנה מהרה ברוך אתה יי' בונה ירושלים את צמח דוד עבדך מהרה תצמיח וקרנו תרום בישועתך ברוך אתה יי' מגן דוד על התורה ועל העבודה ועל הנביאים ועל יום המנוח הזה שנתת לנו יי' אלהינו לקדושה לכבוד ולתפארת על הכל אנו מברכין שמך ברוך אתה יי' מקדש השבת וביום טוב הוא אומר ועל יום טוב מקרא קדש הזה שנתת לנו לששון ולשמחה ברוך אתה יי' מקדש ישראל והזמנים ואם היה שבת ויום טוב כולל שניהם וחותם מקדש השבת וישראל והזמנים כנוסח שהוא חותם בתפלה בברכה אמצעית באותו היום כך הוא חותם בברכה אחרונה זו:
(העניינות שנהגו רוב העם לקרות מן הנביאים בכל שבת ושבת ומפטירין בהן ואלו הן:
) בראשית הן עבדי אתמך בו עד אלה הדברים עשיתים ולא עזבתים בישעיה תולדות נח רני עקרה לא ילדה עד הטו אזנכם ולכו אלי בישעיה לך לך ואל מי תדמיוני ואשוה עד כי אני יי' אענם אלהי ישראל בישעיה וירא אליו ואשה אחת מנשי בני הנביאים עד ותשא את בנה ותצא במלכים ויהיו חיי שרה תחלת הספר עד יחי אדוני המלך לעולם במלכים תולדות יצחק משא דבר יי' אל ישראל ביד מלאכי עד וערבה ליי' מנחת וגו' בתרי עשר ויצא יעקב ועמי תלואים למשובתי עד ובנביא העלה בתרי עשר וישלח יעקב חזון עובדיה עד סוף ספרו בתרי עשר וישב יעקב על שלשה פשעי ישראל עד אריה שאג מי לא יירא בתרי עשר ויהי מקץ וייקץ שלמה והנה חלום עד ויהי המלך שלמה מלך במלכים ויגש אליו ואתה בן אדם קח לך עץ אחד עד וידעו הגוים כי אני יי' ביחזקאל ויחי יעקב ויקרבו ימי דוד למות עד ושלמה ישב על כסא דוד אביו במלכים ואלה שמות בן אדם הודע את ירושלים עד ויצא לך שם ביחזקאל וארא (ולא יהיה עוד לבית) ישראל עד ביום ההוא אצמיח קרן לבית ישראל ביחזקאל בא אל פרעה משא מצרים עד אשר ברכו ה' צבאות בישעיה ויהי בשלח שירת דבורה מן ויכנע אלהים עד ותשקוט הארץ ארבעים שנה בשופטים וישמע יתרו בשנת מות המלך עוזיהו עד למרבה המשרה בישעיה ואלה המשפטים הדבר אשר היה אל ירמיהו עד לא יכרת איש ליונדב בן רכב בירמיה:
ויקחו לי ויי' נתן חכמה לשלמה עד ושכנתי בתוך בני ישראל במלכים ואתה תצוה הגד את בני ישראל את הבית עד ורציתי אתכם ביחזקאל כי תשא ודבר יי' היתה אל אליהו עד וירכב אחאב וילך במלכים ויקהל וישלח המלך שלמה ויקח את חירם מצר עד ותתם מלאכת במלכים ואלה פקודי ויעש חירם עד והפתות לדלתות הבית ויקרא עם זו יצרתי לי עד כה אמר יי' מלך ישראל בישעיה צו את אהרן עולותיכם ספו על זבחיכם עד באלה חפצתי נאם יי' בירמיהו ויהי ביום השמיני ויוסף עוד דוד את כל בחור בישראל עד כל אשר בלבבך במלכים אשה כי תזריע ואיש בא מבעל שלישה עד וילך אתו כברת ארץ במלכים זאת תהיה וארבעה אנשים (ומדלג) עד ולא השליכם מעל פניו במלכים אחרי מות התשפוט התשפוט עד ונחלת בך לעיני הגוים ביחזקאל קדושים תהיו באו אנשים מזקני ישראל עד צבי היא לכל הארצות ביחזקאל אמר אל הכהנים והכהנים הלוים בני צדוק עד כל נבלה וטרפה ביחזקאל בהר סיני יי' עוזי ומעזי עד רפאני יי' וארפא בירמיה אם בחוקתי הנבא על רועי ישראל עד והצלתים מיד העובדים בהם ביחזקאל:
במדבר סיני והיה מספר בני ישראל עד וארשתיך לי באמונה בתרי עשר נשא ויהי איש אחד מצרעה עד ויגדל הנער ויברכהו יי' בשופטים בהעלותך רני ושמחי בת ציון עד ידי זרובבל יסדו הבית בתרי עשר שלח לך וישלח יהושע בן נון עד וגם נמוגו כל יושבי וגו' ביהושע ויקח קרח ויאמר שמואל אל העם עד כי לא יטוש יי' את עמו בשמואל זאת חקת התורה ויפתח הגלעדי עד מימים ימימה בשופטים וירא בלק והיה שארית יעקב עד והצנע לכת עם אלהיך בתרי עשר פנחס ויד יי היתה אל אליהו עד ויקם וילך אחרי אליהו במלכים ראשי המטות ויתן משה למטה בני ראובן עד מחלק את הארץ ביהושע אלה מסעי אלו הנחלות עד ויתנו בני ישראל ללוים ביהושע:
אלה הדברים אשר דבר יי' אל ישראל עד והייתם לי לעם בירמיה ואתחנן ואתפלל אל יי' אחרי תת את ספר המקנה עד שדות בכסף יקנו בירמיה והיה עקב הלוך וקראת באזני ירושלים עד והתברכו בו כל גוים ובו יתהללו בירמיה ראה אנכי הנה ימים באים נאם יי' והקימותי עד אם יסתר איש במסתרים בירמיה שופטים ויהי כאשר זקן שמואל עד ויאמר שמואל אל אנשי ישראל לכו בשמואל כי תצא ויאספו פלשתים את מחניהם עד ויי' יהיה עמך בשמואל והיה כי תבא אז יבנה יהושע מזבח עד ולא היה כיום ההוא ביהושע אתם נצבים ויאסף יהושע את כל שבטי ישראל עד כרמים וזיתים אשר לא נטעתם ביהושע האזינו ולקחתי אני מצמרת הארז עד והשיבו וחיו ביחזקאל וזאת הברכה ויהי אחרי מות משה עבד יי' ומדלג עד ויהי יי' את יהושע ביהושע כל שבת שקורין בה שתי פרשיות מפטירין בה מענין פרשה אחרונה וזו המנהג ברוב המקומות וכן נהגו רוב העם להיות מפטירין בנחמות ישעיהו מאחר תשעה באב עד ראש השנה בשבת שאחר תשעה באב נחמו נחמו עמי בשניה ותאמר ציון בשלישית עניה סערה ברביעית אנכי אנכי הוא מנחמכם בחמישית קומי אורי בששית רני עקרה בשביעית שוש אשיש ביי':
The text on this page contains sacred literature. Please do not deface or discard.
Positive Commandment 154 (Digest)
Resting on Shabbat
"And on the seventh day you shall rest"—Exodus 23:12.
We are commanded to rest on the Shabbat. This commandment, which is repeated numerous times in the Torah, also applies to our livestock and slaves.
The 154th mitzvah is that we are commanded to rest on Shabbos.
The source of this commandment is G‑d's statement1, "And on the seventh day you shall rest."
This commandment is repeated many2 times in the Torah.
G‑d (exalted be He) has clearly stated that this cessation from melachah3 applies to us, our animals, and our servants.4
The details of this mitzvah are explained in tractate Shabbos and also in tractate Yom Tov.5
Rabbi Berel Bell is a well-known educator, author and lecturer. He and his family reside in Montreal, Canada.
From "Sefer Hamitzvot in English," published by Sichos in English.
FOOTNOTES
1. Ex. 23:12.
2. In Introductory Principle Nine, the Rambam says that there all 12 such verses. See Kapach, 5731, note 66.
3. See N320 (Lessons 39, 40).
4. Ex. 20:10.
5. Also known as Beitzah.
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Rambam - 1 Chapter a Day
Mikvot Chapter 2
Chapter 2
Halacha 1
These are the substances that intervene for a person: the secretion outside the eye, the fluid outside a wound that crusts, dried blood over a wound, a bandage over a wound, crusts of filth on one's flesh, dough or mud under one's nails, particles of mud or dough that collect on one's flesh, thick mud, potters' clay, and mud that is found in the thoroughfares at all times, even in the summer. All of these substances intervene. Other mud does not intervene when wet, because it will dissolve in the water. When it is dry, it is considered as an intervening substance.
Halacha 2
When the following: honey, ink, milk, blood, and the sap of berry bushes, fig trees, wild fig trees, and carob trees are dry, they are considered intervening substances. When they are moist, they are not. The sap of other fruits are considered as intervening substances whether moist or dry.
Blood that sticks to the flesh, even if it is moist, is considered an intervening substance. A loosely hanging limb or flesh is considered an intervening substance.
Halacha 3
A woman's hidden area is considered to have intervening substances present unless she washes before her immersion, because that portion of the body is always sweaty and dust collects there and intervenes.
To whom does the above apply? To a married woman. Different rules apply for an unmarried woman. Since she is not concerned about the cleanliness of that area, it is not considered to have intervening substances present.
Halacha 4
The following rules apply to bandages on a wound, metal plates on a broken bone, necklaces, noserings, choker necklaces, and rings. When they are firm and cling to the flesh, they are considered as intervening substances. If they are loose, they are not considered as intervening substances.
Halacha 5
Strands of wool, strands of flax, and straps that women tie to their heads as adornments are intervening substances, because they separate between the body and the water. Strands of hair are not considered intervening substances, because water penetrates through them, even when they are not loose.
Halacha 6
Strands tied around one's neck, even of flax, are not considered as intervening substances, because a woman does not strangle herself with them. Tight necklaces, e.g., choker necklaces and necklets, are intervening substances, because a woman chokes herself with them to look fat.
Halacha 7
Hair over the heart that became tangled and matted and similarly, matted hairs of the beard are intervening substances.
Halacha 8
When an arrow is stuck in a person's flesh, if it is visible, it is considered an intervening substance. If it is not visible, he may immerse in a mikveh and partake of terumah in the evening even though the arrow itself is impure. Similarly, if a person swallowed an impure ring and immersed, he is pure. If he vomited it out after immersing, he contracts impurity, because of contact with it. For, as we explained, any entities swallowed within the body of a living being, do not impart impurity or contract impurity.
If pebbles or splinters enter the cracks on the soles of a person's feet, they are considered as intervening substances.
Halacha 9
When there is a bandage, a compress, or a dressing over the hidden parts of a person's body, they are considered as intervening substances. The rationale is that even though water need not enter these parts, they must be fit for water to enter them and not have any intervening substances upon them, as we explained.
If there was one or two hairs that were outside the wound, but their tips were stuck to the wound, there were two hairs with mud or filth stuck to their tips, or there were two hairs from one's upper eyelashes that were perforated and hairs from one's lower eyelashes were threaded through them, they are considered an intervening substance.
Halacha 10
A person should not immerse with dust on his feet. If, however, he did, the dust is not an intervening substance.
Halacha 11
When one holds another person or an implement and immerses them, they remain impure. This applies even if he loosens his hand and allows water to reach the person or the article being immersed. This is a decree, lest he not loosen his hand. If he rinses his hand in water first, the immersion is acceptable.
Halacha 12
When a woman slings her infant son over her back and immerses, the immersion is not acceptable, for perhaps there was mud on the infant's feet or hands and it became attached to his mother at the time of her immersion and intervened between her body and the water, but it fell off after she emerged.
Halacha 13
When a woman who was a nidah put her hair in her mouth, clenched her fists, pursed her lips, or a bone was discovered between her teeth, it is as if she did not immerse. This applies to other impure individuals as well.
If she placed coins in her mouth and descended and immersed, she is purified from nidah impurity, but she is impure because of her spittle. Thus she is a primary derivative of impurity, like one who touched the spittle of a nidah. The same laws apply with regard to a zav.
Halacha 14
These are the substances that do not intervene for a human: the matted hair of the head, the arm pits, and the hidden parts of a man, the secretions of the eye, the scab above a wound, moist drops of filth on his skin, filth that is under a nail, a loose-hanging nail, and the thin hair that is on the skin of a child. All of these substances are not considered as intervening.
Halacha 15
When two or more hairs are knotted in one knot, they are not considered as an intervening substance, because the water can penetrate through them. If one hair is knotted, it is considered an intervening substance, provided the person is particular about it. If, however, he is not particular about it, his immersion is acceptable unless the larger portion of his hair is tied individually hair by hair. This is the ruling of the Geonim.
It appears to me that a person's hair is considered like his body with regard to immersion and is not a separate entity to the extent that it is inappropriate to speak of "the larger portion of his hair." Instead, even though all of a person's hair is tied hair by hair, if the person is not particular about the matter, his immersion is acceptable unless the hairs are combined with another intervening substance on his body and thus there are intervening substances covering the larger portion of his body, as we explained. The laws mentioned here apply equally to a woman in the nidah state and to other impure people who have hair on their heads.
Halacha 16
Ezra ordained that a woman should comb out her hair and then immerse. If it is possible for her to comb out her hair at night and immerse immediately thereafter, it is praiseworthy. In a pressing situation or when there is a question of sickness, she may comb out her hair - say - on Friday and immerse Saturday night.
Halacha 17
The following rules apply when a woman immersed and then an intervening substance was found upon her that disqualified her immersion. If she immersed on the same day that she prepared herself, she does not have to prepare herself again. Instead, she may remove the intervening substance and immerse again immediately. If not, she must prepare herself a second time and then immerse.
Halacha 18
A woman should not comb out her hair with natron, because it causes the hairs to snap, nor with oak sap, because it snarls the hair. Instead, she should use hot water, even water heated in the sun, because it hardens the hair and enables it to be combed out. Cold water, by contrast, tangles the hair and causes it to contract and thus become intertwined.
Halacha 19
When a nidah gave cooked food to her son and then immersed, the immersion is invalid because of the fatty substances on her hand.
Halacha 20
The following laws apply if a woman scratched her skin to the extent that it bled and then immersed. If the immersion was within three days of the bleeding, the place of the scratches is not considered as intervening. After three days, it is considered as intervening because the blood coagulates there, like a scab on the wound.
Similar concepts apply with regard to secretion in the eye. If it is dry and has begun to change color, it is considered as an intervening substance for a nidah.
Halacha 21
Blue ointment in the eye is not considered as an intervening substance. If it is outside the eye, it is considered as an intervening substance. If her eyes open and close frequently, even the ointment outside the eye, it is not considered as an intervening substance.
Halacha 22
If, while immersing, a woman opened her eyes to a great extent or closed them very firmly, the immersion is not acceptable.
With regard to what does the above apply? With regard to immersion to partake or touch pure foods. With regard to permitting intimacy with her husband, by contrast, she is permitted even if she gave cooked food to her son, she had an old scratch, there was blue ointment above her eye, or she opened her eyes very widely or closed them tightly. The rationale is that all of these matters and other similar ones are considered as intervening only according to Rabbinic Law and the Sages ordained their decree with regard to pure foods, but not with regard to intimacy.
Whenever a substance is considered as intervening for a nidah with regard to pure foods, it is considered as intervening for other impure people with regard to pure foods and as intervening for a convert when immersing during conversion.
Halacha 23
When a person immersed and after he ascended an intervening substance was found upon his body, even though he was involved with that substance for the entire day after the immersion, he is considered as impure unless he says: "I know with certainty that this substance was not upon me before the immersion." The rationale is that since he was categorized as impure, he is presumed to remain in that state until it is known for certain that he regained purity.
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Rambam - 3 Chapters a Day
Order of Prayers The Text of the Grace After Meals, Shabbos Chapter One, Shabbos Chapter Two
The Text of the Grace After Meals
ברוך אתה יי' אלהינו מלך העולם הזן את העולם כולו בטובו בחן ובחסד וברחמים ומפרנס לכל כאמור פותח את ידך ומשביע לכל חי רצון1 ומכין מזון לכל בריותיו אשר ברא ברוך אתה יי' הזן את הכל
נודה לך יי' אלהינו ונברכך מלכנו כי הנחלת את אבותינו ארץ חמדה טובה ורחבה ברית ותורה על שהוצאתנו מארץ מצרים ופדיתנו מבית עבדים על תורתך שלמדתנו על חוקי רצונך שהודעתנו על כולם יי' אלהינו אנו מודים לך ומברכים את שמך כאמור2 ואכלת ושבעת וברכת את יי' אלהיך על הארץ הטובה אשר נתן לך ברוך אתה יי' על הארץ ועל המזון
רחם יי' אלהינו על ישראל עמך ועל ירושלים עירך ועל ציון משכן כבודך ועל הבית הגדול והקדוש שנקרא שמך עליו ומלכות דוד משיחך תחזיר למקומה בימינו ובנה ירושלים בקרוב כאשר דברת ברוך אתה יי' בונה ברחמיו את ירושלים
ברוך אתה יי' אלהינו מלך העולם האל אבינו מלכנו אדירנו בוראנו גואלנו קדושנו קדוש יעקב המלך הטוב והמטיב שבכל יום ויום גומלנו חן וחסד ורחמים וכל טוב הרחמן ישתבח לדור דורים הרחמן יתפאר לנצח נצחים הרחמן יזכנו לימות המשיח ולבנין בית המקדש ולחיי העולם הבא מגדול ישועות מלכו וגו'3 כפירים רשו ורעבו וגו'4 הודו ליי' כי טוב כי לעולם חסדו:5
המפטיר בנביא מברך לפניה – One who reads the Haftorah from the works of the Prophets should recite the following blessing before the reading:
ברוך אתה יי' אלהינו מלך העולם אשר בחר בנביאים טובים ורצה בדבריהם הנאמרים באמת ברוך אתה יי' הבוחר בתורה ובמשה עבדו ובישראל עמו ובנביאי האמת והצדק
ומברך לאחריה - After the reading, he should recite the following blessings:
ברוך אתה יי' אלהינו מלך העולם צור כל העולמים צדיק בכל הדורות האל הנאמן האומר ועושה מדבר ומקיים אשר כל דבריו אמת וצדק נאמן אתה הוא יי' אלהינו ונאמנים דבריך ודבר אחד מדבריך אחור לא ישוב ריקם כי אל נאמן אתה ברוך אתה יי' האל הנאמן בכל דבריו
רחם על ציון כי היא בית חיינו ולעגומת נפש תושיע מהרה בימינו ותבנה מהרה ברוך אתה יי' בונה ירושלים
את צמח דוד עבדך מהרה תצמיח וקרנו תרום בישועתך ברוך אתה יי' מגן דוד
על התורה ועל העבודה ועל הנביאים ועל יום המנוח הזה שנתת לנו יי' אלהינו לקדושה לכבוד ולתפארת על הכל אנו מברכין שמך ברוך אתה יי' מקדש השבת
וביום טוב הוא אומר- On a Festival, One Says
ועל יום טוב מקרא קדש הזה שנתת לנו לששון ולשמחה ברוך אתה יי' מקדש ישראל והזמנים
ואם היה שבת ויום טוב כולל שניהם וחותם
If the day is both the Sabbath and a festival, one should combine the two and conclude the blessing:
מקדש השבת וישראל והזמנים
כנוסח שהוא חותם בתפלה בברכה אמצעית באותו היום כך הוא חותם בברכה אחרונה זו
He concludes this last blessing in the same manner as he concludes the intermediate blessing of the Shemoneh Esreh that day.
הענינות שנהגו רוב העם לקרות מן הנביאים בכל שבת ושבת ומפטירין בהן ואלו הן:
The Passages from the Prophets that Most of the People are Accustomed to Read Each Sabbath as the Haftorah:
בראשית הן עבדי אתמך בו עד אלה הדברים עשיתים ולא עזבתים בישעיה6
תולדות נח רני עקרה לא ילדה עד הטו אזנכם ולכו אלי בישעיה7
לך לך ואל מי תדמיוני ואשוה עד כי אני יי' אענם אלהי ישראל בישעיה8
וירא אליו ואשה אחת מנשי בני הנביאים עד ותשא את בנה ותצא במלכים9
ויהיו חיי שרה תחלת הספר עד יחי אדוני המלך לעולם במלכים10
תולדות יצחק משא דבר יי' אל ישראל ביד מלאכי עד וערבה ליי' מנחת וגו' בתרי עשר11
ויצא יעקב ועמי תלואים למשובתי עד ובנביא העלה בתרי עשר12
וישלח יעקב חזון עובדיה עד סוף ספרו בתרי עשר13
וישב יעקב על שלשה פשעי ישראל עד אריה שאג מי לא יירא בתרי עשר14
ויהי מקץ וייקץ שלמה והנה חלום עד ויהי המלך שלמה מלך במלכים15
ויגש אליו ואתה בן אדם קח לך עץ אחד עד וידעו הגוים כי אני יי' ביחזקאל16
ויחי יעקב ויקרבו ימי דוד למות עד ושלמה ישב על כסא דוד אביו במלכים17
ואלה שמות בן אדם הודע את ירושלים עד ויצא לך שם ביחזקאל18
וארא ולא יהיה עוד לבית ישראל עד ביום ההוא אצמיח קרן לבית ישראל ביחזקאל19
בא אל פרעה משא מצרים עד אשר ברכו ה' צבאות בישעיה20
ויהי בשלח שירת דבורה מן ויכנע אלהים עד ותשקוט הארץ ארבעים שנה בשופטים21
וישמע יתרו בשנת מות המלך עוזיהו עד למרבה המשרה בישעיה22
ואלה המשפטים הדבר אשר היה אל ירמיהו עד לא יכרת איש ליונדב בן רכב בירמיה23
ויקחו לי ויי' נתן חכמה לשלמה עד ושכנתי בתוך בני ישראל במלכים24
ואתה תצוה הגד את בני ישראל את הבית עד ורציתי אתכם ביחזקאל25
כי תשא ודבר יי' היתה אל אליהו עד וירכב אחאב וילך במלכים26
ויקהל וישלח המלך שלמה ויקח את חירם מצר עד ותתם מלאכת במלכים27
ואלה פקודי ויעש חירם עד והפתות לדלתות הבית (במלכים)28
ויקרא עם זו יצרתי לי עד כה אמר יי' מלך ישראל בישעיה29
צו את אהרן עולותיכם ספו על זבחיכם עד באלה חפצתי נאם יי' בירמיהו30
ויהי ביום השמיני ויוסף עוד דוד את כל בחור בישראל עד כל אשר בלבבך בשמואל31
אשה כי תזריע ואיש בא מבעל שלישה עד וילך אתו כברת ארץ במלכים32
זאת תהיה וארבעה אנשים ומדלג עד ולא השליכם מעל פניו במלכים33
אחרי מות התשפוט התשפוט עד ונחלת בך לעיני הגוים ביחזקאל34
קדושים תהיו באו אנשים מזקני ישראל עד צבי היא לכל הארצות ביחזקאל 35
אמר אל הכהנים והכהנים הלוים בני צדוק עד כל נבלה וטרפה ביחזקאל36
בהר סיני יי' עוזי ומעזי עד רפאני יי' וארפא בירמיה37
אם בחוקתי הנבא על רועי ישראל עד והצלתים מיד העובדים בהם ביחזקאל38
במדבר סיני והיה מספר בני ישראל עד וארשתיך לי באמונה בתרי עשר39
נשא ויהי איש אחד מצרעה עד ויגדל הנער ויברכהו יי' בשופטים40
בהעלותך רני ושמחי בת ציון עד ידי זרובבל יסדו הבית בתרי עשר41
שלח לך וישלח יהושע בן נון עד וגם נמוגו כל יושבי וגו' ביהושע42
ויקח קרח ויאמר שמואל אל העם עד כי לא יטוש יי' את עמו בשמואל43
זאת חקת התורה ויפתח הגלעדי עד מימים ימימה בשופטים44
וירא בלק והיה שארית יעקב עד והצנע לכת עם אלהיך בתרי עשר45
פנחס ויד יי' היתה אל אליהו עד ויקם וילך אחרי אליהו במלכים46
ראשי המטות ויתן משה למטה בני ראובן עד מחלק את הארץ ביהושע47
אלה מסעי אלו הנחלות עד ויתנו בני ישראל ללוים ביהושע48
אלה הדברים אשר דבר יי' אל ישראל עד והייתם לי לעם בירמיה49
ואתחנן ואתפלל אל יי' אחרי תת את ספר המקנה עד שדות בכסף יקנו בירמיה50
והיה עקב הלוך וקראת באזני ירושלים עד והתברכו בו כל גוים ובו יתהללו בירמיה 51
ראה אנכי הנה ימים באים נאם יי' והקימותי עד אם יסתר איש במסתרים בירמיה52
שופטים ויהי כאשר זקן שמואל עד ויאמר שמואל אל אנשי ישראל לכו בשמואל53
כי תצא ויאספו פלשתים את מחניהם עד ויי' יהיה עמך בשמואל54
והיה כי תבא אז יבנה יהושע מזבח עד ולא היה כיום ההוא ביהושע55
אתם נצבים ויאסף יהושע את כל שבטי ישראל עד כרמים וזיתים אשר לא נטעתם ביהושע56
האזינו ולקחתי אני מצמרת הארז עד והשיבו וחיו ביחזקאל57
וזאת הברכה ויהי אחרי מות משה עבד יי' ומדלג עד ויהי יי' את יהושע ביהושע58
כל שבת שקורין בה שתי פרשיות מפטירין בה מענין פרשה אחרונה וזו המנהג ברוב המקומות וכן נהגו רוב העם להיות מפטירין בנחמות ישעיהו מאחר תשעה באב עד ראש השנה
On every Sabbath, that two parshiyot are read, the Haftorah follows the theme of the last parshah. This is the custom in most places. Similarly, the majority of the people follow the custom of reading Haftorot from the comforting prophecies of Isaiah from after Tishah B'Av until Rosh HaShanah.
בשבת שאחר תשעה באב – נחמו נחמו עמי59 – On the Sabbath follow Tishah B'Av
בשניה ותאמר ציון60 – On the second Sabbath
בשלישית עניה סערה61 - On the third
ברביעית אנכי אנכי הוא מנחמכם62 - On the fourth
בחמישית רני עקרה63 - On the fifth
בששית קומי אורי64 - On the sixth
בשביעית שוש אשיש ביי'65
– On the seventh
בריך רחמנא דסייען
נגמר ספר שני ומנין פרקיו ששה וארבעים
הלכות ק"ש – 4 פרקים
הלכות תפלה וברכת כהנים – 15 פרקים
הלכות תפילין ומזוזה וספר תורה – 10 פרקים
הלכות ציצית – 3 פרקים
הלכות ברכות – 11 פרקים
הלכות מילה – 3 פרקים
Blessed be the Merciful One Who grants assistance.
This concludes the second volume with the help of the Almighty. There are a total of 46 chapters in this volume.
Hilchot Kri'at Shema - 4 chapters
Hilchot Tefillah UVirkat Kohanim - 15 chapters
Hilchot Tefillin UMezuzah V'Sefer Torah - 10 chapters
Hilchot Tzitzit - 3 chapters
Hilchot Berachot - 11 chapters
Hilchot Milah - 3 chapters
FOOTNOTES
1. Psalms 145:16.
2. Deuteronomy 8:10.
3. II Samuel 22:51. It is common custom to recite this verse only on the Sabbath and festivals and during the week to recite a similar verse, Psalms 18:51. The latter verse implies a progression towards redemption and is thus appropriate during the week when the challenges of exile are acutely felt. The verse cited by the Rambam looks forward to the time when the redemption will be an established fact and, hence, is fitting for these days of spiritual content.
4. Psalms 34:11.
5. Ibid. 136:1.
6. Isaiah 42:1-16. At present, the custom is to read from 42:5-43:10.
7. Ibid. 54:1-55:3. At present, Sephardic custom is to conclude with 54:10 and Ashkenazic custom to conclude with 55:5.
8. Ibid. 40:25-41:17. At present, the custom is to read from 40:27-41:16.
9. II Kings 4:1-37. Sephardic custom is to conclude with verse 23.
10. I Kings 1:1-31.
11. Malachi 1:1-3:4. At present, the custom is to conclude with 2:7.
12. Hoshea 11:7-12:14. At present, in many communities, Sephardic custom is to conclude with 12:12. Ashkenazic custom is to begin with 12:13 and to conclude with 13:10.
13. Ovadiah 1:1-21. This represents the custom in Sephardic and some Ashkenazic communities. Other Ashkenazic communities read Hoshea 11:7-12:14.
14. Amos 2:6-3:8.
15. I Kings 3:15-4:1.
16. Ezekiel 37:15-28.
17. I Kings 2:1-12
18. Ezekiel 16:1-14. At present, Sephardic custom is to read from Jeremiah 1:1-2:3. Ashkenazic custom is to read from Isaiah 27:6-28:13, 29:22-23.
19. Ezekiel 28:25-29:21.
20. Isaiah 19:1-25. At present, the custom is to read from Jeremiah 46:13-28.
21. Judges 4:23-5:31. At present, Sephardic custom is to begin from 5:1. Ashkenazic custom is to begin from 4:4.
22. Isaiah 6:1-7:6, 9:5-6. This represents the contemporary Ashekenazic custom. Sephardic custom is to conclude with 6:13.
23. Jeremiah 35:1-19. At present, the custom is to read from Jeremiah 34:8-22, 33:25-26.
24. I Kings 5:26-6:13.
25. Ezekiel 43:10-27.
26. I Kings 18:1-46. At present, the Ashkenazic custom is to conclude at verse 39. Sephardic custom is to conclude at that verse, but to begin at verse 20.
27. I Kings 7:13-22. At present, the Sephardic custom is to conclude at verse 26. Ashkenazic custom is to read verses 40-50.
28. I Kings 40:50. This represents the contemporary Sephardic custom. Ashekenazic custom is to read Ibid. 7:51-8:21.
29. Isaiah 43:21-44:6. At present, the custom is to continue to 44:23.
30. Jeremiah 7:21-9:23. At present, the custom is to read until 8:3 and conclude with 9:22-23.
31. II Samuel 6:1-7:3. At present, the Sephardic custom is to conclude at verse 6:19. Ashkenazic custom is to read until 7:17.
32. II Kings 4:42-5:19.
33. II Kings 7:3-20, 13:23.
34. Ezekiel 22:1-16. This represents the contemporary Sephardic custom. Ashekenazic custom is to read Amos 9:7-15.
35. Ezekiel 20:1-15. At present, Sephardic custom is to begin from 20:1 and conclude at 20:20. Ashkenazic custom is to read Ezekiel 22:1-16.
36. Ibid. 44:15-31.
37. Jeremiah 16:19-17:14. At present, the custom is to read from Jeremiah 32:6-27.
38. Ezekiel 34:1-27. At present, the custom is to read from Jeremiah 16:19-17:14.
39. Hoshea 2:1-22.
40. Judges 13:2-24. At present, the custom is to read until 13:25.
41. Zechariah 2:14-4:9. At present, the custom is to conclude at 4:7.
42. Joshua 2:1-24.
43. I Samuel 11:14-12:22.
44. Judges 11:1-40. Contemporary custom is to conclude at verse 33.
45. Michah 5:6-6:8.
46. I Kings 18:46-19:21. At present, the custom is to read this passage only when Shabbos Parshas Pinchas does not fall in the Three Weeks of Mourning.
47. Joshua 13:15-14:5. As stated in Hilchot Tefilah 13:19, at present, the custom on this and the other two Sabbaths before the fast of Tishah B'Av is to read Haftorot warning of the destruction of Jerusalem. On the Sabbaths after Tishah B'Av until Rosh HaShanah, the custom is to read Haftoros of consolation as the Rambam states.
48. Ibid. 19:51-21:3.
49. Jeremiah 30:4-22.
50. Ibid. 32:16-44.
51. Ibid. 2:1-4:2.
52. Ibid. 23:5-24.
53. I Samuel 8:1-22.
54. Ibid. 17:1-37.
55. Joshua 8:30-10:14.
56. Ibid. 24:13. Significantly, the Rambam does not mention a Haftorah for Parshas VaYeilech. That omission can possibly be explained on the basis of the words of Rav Saadia Gaon in his Siddur that at times Parshas Nitzavim is divided, while in other instances, he speaks of combining two parshiyot. Thus there is only one Haftorah for Nitzavim-Vayeilech (Likkutei Sichos, Vol. 19). In practice, when VaYeilech is read separately, it falls on Shabbat Shuvah and the Haftorah highlights the theme of that Sabbath including the following readings: Hoshea 14:2-10. Joel 2:11-27, Michah 7:18-20.
57. At present, the custom is to read the song of David, II Samuel 22:1-41.
58. Joshua 1:1-18, 6:27.
59. Isaiah 40:1-26.
60. Ibid. 49:14-51:3.
61. Ibid. 54:11-55:5.
62. Ibid. 51:12-52:2.
63. Ibid. 54:1-10. This follows the authoritative manuscripts of the Mishneh Torah. The standard printed text reverses the order of this and the following Sabbath.
64. Ibid. 60:1-22.
65. Ibid. 61:10-63:9.
Chapter One
Halacha 1
Resting from labor on the seventh day fulfills a positive commandment, as [Exodus 23:12] states, "And you shall rest on the seventh day." Anyone who performs a labor on this day negates the observance of a positive commandment and also transgresses a negative commandment, for [ibid. 20:10] states, "Do not perform any labor [on it]."
What are the liabilities incurred by a person who performs labor [on this day]? If he does so willingly, as a conscious act of defiance, he is liable for karet; if witnesses who administer a warning are present, he should be stoned [to death]. If he performs [labor] without being conscious of the transgression, he is liable to bring a sin offering of a fixed nature.
Commentary Halacha
Resting from labor - Within the context of the Sabbath laws, labor does not refer to strenuous work, but rather to the performance of one of the thirty nine labors that were necessary for the construction of the Temple or a labor which is analogous to them. (See Chapter 7, Halachah 1.)
The Rambam's choice of wording in this halachah is significant. Our Rabbis have offered two definitions of the mitzvah of resting on the Sabbath: In his commentary on Yevamot 6a, the Rashba states that the mitzvah is negative in nature: one refrains from performing prohibited labors. In contrast, in his commentary on Leviticus 23:24, the Ramban explains that the mitzvah possesses a positive dimension: to spend the day in a restful frame of mind, abstaining from all activities - even those that are not forbidden labors - which would disrupt this tranquility.
From the Rambam's choice of wording in this halachah, it would appear that he follows the first view. From his statements in Chapter 21, Halachah 1, however, it would appear that he accepts the second perspective. (See also Tzafenat Paneach.)
on the seventh day fulfills a positive commandment - Sefer HaMitzvot (Positive Commandment 154) and Sefer HaChinuch (Mitzvah 85) consider this to be one of the 613 mitzvot of the Torah.
as [Exodus 23:12] states, "And you shall rest on the seventh day." - In Sefer HaMitzvot (General Principle 9), the Rambam mentions that the commandment to rest on the Sabbath is mentioned 12 times in the Torah. Sefer HaKovetz and others question why the Rambam cites this proof-text in particular.
Anyone who performs labor on this day negates the observance of a positive commandment and also transgresses a negative commandment, - Many of the mitzvot involve a positive and a negative commandment which share a single objective.
for [ibid. 20:10] states, "Do not perform any labor on it." - Sefer HaMitzvot (Negative Commandment 320) and Sefer HaChinuch (Mitzvah 32) consider this to be one of the 613 mitzvot of the Torah.
What are the liabilities incurred by a person who performs labor [on this day]? If he does so willingly - i.e., without being forced by others
as a conscious act of defiance - and not inadvertently.
The Radbaz (Vol. V, Responsum 1510) notes that the Rambam uses the expression "willingly, as a conscious act of defiance" with regard to the transgressions of idolatry (Hilchot Avodat Kochavim 3:1), the Sabbath laws, and the laws of Yom Kippur (Hilchot Sh'vitat Asor 1:1). With regard to all other transgressions punishable by כרת, the Rambam merely states "as a conscious act of defiance."
The Radbaz explains that it is possible that the Rambam mentioned the concept of "willingly" with regard to these three transgressions because they are the first cases of כרת mentioned in the Mishneh Torah. After mentioning the concept on these three occasions, he does not think further repetition is necessary.
he is liable for karet - כרת means "cut off." Mo'ed Katan 28a relates that a person liable for כרת would die prematurely, before reaching the age of fifty. The Rambam (Hilchot Teshuvah 8:1) emphasizes that being "cut off in this world" is not the sum total of Divine retribution for such a transgression. In addition, the person's soul is also cut off and prevented from reaching the world to come.
if witnesses who administer a warning are present - As explained in Hilchot Sanhedrin 12:1-2, punishment is not administered for the violation of a transgression unless the transgressor is made aware of the punishment he could receive for his deed.
he should be stoned [to death]. - See Numbers 15:35. This is the most severe form of execution.
If he performs [labor] without being conscious of the transgression - accidentally, performing a forbidden labor or doing so without awareness of the transgression involved
he is liable to bring a sin offering of a fixed nature. - The Rambam uses this term to differentiate the sin offering required from a קרבן עולה ויורד - a guilt offering - which differs depending on the financial status of the person bringing it. See Hilchot Shegagot 1:4.
Halacha 2
Whenever the expression, "one who performs this is liable" is used within the context of the Sabbath laws, the intent is that he is liable for karet, and if witnesses are present and administer a warning, he is liable to be stoned to death. If he performs such an activity without being aware of the transgression, he is liable for a sin offering.1
Halacha 3
Whenever the expression, "one who performs this is not liable" is used, the intent is that he is not liable for karet, for [execution by] stoning, or for bringing a [sin] offering. It is, however, forbidden to perform this act on the Sabbath.2
In such an instance, the prohibition is Rabbinic3 in origin and was instituted as a safeguard against [the performance of] labor. A person who performs such an act is given "stripes for defiance."4Similarly, whenever the expressions "this should not be performed..." or "it is forbidden to do this on the Sabbath" are used, a person who performs such an act as a conscious act of rebellion5 is given "stripes for defiance."
Halacha 4
Whenever the expression, "it is permissible to do this" is used, the intent is that, at the outset, one may perform this act.6 Similarly, whenever the expressions, "one is under no obligation" or "one is not liable at all" are used, one does not receive any punishment at all [for performing such an act.]7
Halacha 5
It is permissible to perform an act that is permitted on the Sabbath, despite the fact that it is possible - but it is not an absolute certainty8 - that, [as a result of one's actions], a forbidden labor9 will be performed, provided one does not have the intent to perform that labor.10
What is implied? A person may drag a bed, a chair, a bench11 and the like [on the ground] on the Sabbath, provided he does not intend to gouge out a groove in the earth while dragging them. Therefore, even if he did gouge out [a groove] in the ground [while dragging them], it is of no consequence, for he did not have this intent in mind.12
Similarly, a person may tread on grass on the Sabbath, as long as his intent is not to uproot it. Thus, should it be uprooted, that is of no consequence. Also, a person may rub powdered herbs and the like over his hands, provided he does not intend to remove his hair.13 Therefore, if the hair is removed, it is of no consequence. Based on the same rationale, one may enter a narrow opening on the Sabbath even though, [while doing so,] one causes pieces of the wall to fall. Similarly, it is permissible to perform any act with similar repercussions, provided that one does not have the intent of doing so.
Halacha 6
[In contrast,] when one performs a deed that results in the performance of a forbidden labor, and it is a certainty that this deed will cause [that labor] to be performed, one is liable14 even though one did not intend [to perform the forbidden labor].
What is implied? A person needs a fowl's head to serve as a toy for a child, and therefore cuts off the [fowl's] head on the Sabbath; although his ultimate purpose is not merely to slaughter the chicken,15 he is liable. It is obvious that it is impossible for the head of a living being to be cut off and for that being to survive. Instead, the [fowl's] death came about because of [this activity]. [Therefore, he is liable.] The same applies in other similar situations.
Halacha 7
Anyone who performs a [forbidden] labor - even if he has no need for the actual labor he performed - is liable for his deed.16
What is implied? A person extinguished a lamp because he needed [to save] the oil or the wick from being destroyed or from burning or so that the earthenware reservoir of the lamp [that holds the oil] would not break. Since he had the intent of extinguishing the lamp, even though he did not do so for the [usual] purpose of extinguishing,17 but merely for the sake of the oil, the wick or the earthenware, he is liable.
Similarly, a person who moves a thorn four cubits in the public domain or extinguishes a coal so that many people will not be injured by it, is liable. Although the [usual] purpose [served] by extinguishing [the coal] or moving [the thorn] is not important to him,18 and his intent was merely to prevent injury, he is liable. The same applies in other similar situations.
Halacha 8
Whenever a person intends to perform a forbidden labor, but instead [through his actions] causes the performance of another forbidden labor for which he had no intent, he is not liable, because his intent was not carried out.19
What is implied? A person threw a stone or shot an arrow at a colleague or at an animal with the intent of slaying them. Should [the object that he propelled] uproot a tree in its progress and not kill [the intended victim], he is free of liability.
How much more so does this principle apply if one had the intent of performing a lesser transgression and one performed a more serious one. For example, a person intended to throw [a stone] into a carmelit,20 and instead, the stone passed into the public domain.21 He is not held liable. The same applies in other similar circumstances.
Should a person have the intent of performing a permitted act and instead perform another act [which is forbidden], he is not held liable.22 For example, should he intend to cut produce that was not attached to the ground, and instead cut produce attached to the ground,23 he is not held liable. The same applies in other similar situations.
Halacha 9
Should a person intend24 to pick black figs and pick white figs instead25 - or should he intend first to pick figs and then to pick grapes, but instead picked grapes and then figs - he is not liable.26 He in fact picked everything that he desired, but because he did not pick them in the order that he intended, he is not held liable, since he did not act according to his intent. It is "purposeful labor" that the Torah forbade.
Halacha 10
When a person had two candles before him and both of them were either burning or extinguished, and he desired to kindle or extinguish one, but instead he kindled or extinguished the other, he is liable,27 for he performed the [forbidden] labor that he intended to perform.28
To what can the matter be compared? To a person who intended to pick one fig and picked another instead, or to a person who desired to kill one [living being]29 and killed another instead. [He is liable,] because the [forbidden] labor which he intended to do was performed.
Halacha 11
One is, however, freed of liability [in the following instance: There were two candles before a person, one lit and one extinguished.30] The person intended to kindle the [one that was extinguished] first and to extinguish the second candle afterwards. Nevertheless, the order [of his actions] became reversed, and instead, he extinguished the candle first and kindled the second candle afterwards.31
If he extinguished one and kindled the other in a single breath, he is liable. Although he did not kindle the first candle before [extinguishing the other], he did not delay [its lighting], and performed both activities simultaneously. Therefore, he is liable.32 The same applies in other similar circumstances.
Whenever a person performs a [forbidden] labor casually, without specific intention, he is not liable.33
Halacha 12
Whenever a person intended to perform a forbidden labor and performed it more effectively than he had originally intended, he is liable.34 If [he performs it] less effectively than he had originally intended, he is not liable.35
What is implied? A person intended to carry a burden suspended behind him and instead, it swung in front of him. He is liable, for he intended to protect it in a less effective manner, and it was ultimately protected in a more effective manner. If, however, he intended to carry a burden suspended before him, and instead it swung behind him, he is not liable, for he intended to protect it in a more effective manner and, it was ultimately protected in a less effective manner.
Halacha 13
[A person who transfers an article from one domain to another is held liable in the following situation]: He was wearing a belt36 and he placed a burden that is commonly transferred in this manner between his body and his garment. Whether the burden hung in front of him or it had shifted behind him [at the time he transferred it], he is held liable, since it is likely to shift position.37
Halacha 14
Whenever a person desired to perform a [forbidden] labor on the Sabbath, began the performance of that labor, and performed an amount of work sufficient to incur liability,38 he is held liable, even if he did not complete the task he desired to perform.39
For example, a person desired to write a note or a contract on the Sabbath. We do not say that he is not liable until he completes his desire and writes the entire note or contract. Instead, as soon as he writes two letters, he is liable.40
Similarly, a person who desires to weave an entire garment is held liable after weaving two strands.41 Although he intended to complete [the entire garment], he is held liable because he intentionally performed the amount of work sufficient to incur liability. The same applies in all similar situations.
Halacha 15
Whenever two people share in the performance of a [forbidden] labor that one of them could have performed by himself,42 they are [both] free of liability.43
This applies whether one performed part of the [forbidden] labor and the other performed the remainder - e.g., one removed an article from one domain and the other placed it down in the other domain - or they both performed the [forbidden] labor together from the beginning to the end. For example, they both held a pen and wrote, or they both held a loaf of bread and transferred it from one domain to another.
Halacha 16
When, however, a single individual cannot perform [the forbidden labor] alone and must be joined by others, [all the individuals involved are held liable].44 For example, two people held a beam and transferred it to the public domain. Since neither one of them had the strength to perform this task alone,45 and they performed it together from the beginning to the end, they are both held liable. The minimum amount of work for which they are held liable is the same as for a single individual who performs such a task.
[The following decision applies when] one of them has sufficient strength to transfer the beam alone, but the other is unable to transfer it alone. If they join together and transfer the beam, the one who is capable [of moving it himself] is held liable. The second one is considered [merely] as offering assistance, and a person who offers assistance [in this fashion] is not liable at all.46 The same applies in other similar situations.
Halacha 17
Whenever [a forbidden labor is performed] in a destructive manner, one is not held liable.47 What is implied? A person who injures a colleague or an animal with a destructive intent,48 one who rips or burns garments, or one who breaks utensils with a destructive intent is not held liable.
A person who dug a pit solely because he needed the earth inside it is considered as having performed a [forbidden] labor with a destructive intent, and is therefore free of liability.49 Although he performed a [forbidden] labor, he is not held liable because he had a destructive intent.
Halacha 18
Whenever a person carries out a destructive activity for the sake of ultimately performing a constructive activity, he is liable.50 For example, a person who demolishes [a structure] in order to build [another] in its place,51 one who erased for the sake of writing [something else] in the place of the erasure, or one who dug a pit in order to place the foundations of a structure within. The same applies in other similar situations.
The minimum measure of the destructive activity for which he is held liable is equal to that of the correspondent positive activity.52
Halacha 19
Whenever a person performs a [forbidden] labor on the Sabbath, partially with intent and partially unintentionally,53 he is not liable. [This law applies] regardless of whether one began the performance of the [forbidden] labor intentionally and completed it unintentionally, or one began the [forbidden] labor unintentionally and completed it intentionally.
One is liable for karet only when one performs the entire minimum measure of a [forbidden] labor intentionally from the beginning to the end. [In such a circumstance,] were witnesses who administered a warning to be present, one would be liable for execution by stoning.54 Conversely, one is liable to bring a sin offering of a fixed nature55 when one performs the entire minimum measure of a [forbidden] labor unintentionally from the beginning to the end.
FOOTNOTES
1. The Rambam is explaining that by performing a forbidden act on the Sabbath, a person incurs liability. The nature of this liability depends on his intent and on whether witnesses are present. These factors are common, however, to all the laws of the Sabbath. Therefore, in the future, all that is necessary to say is that "the person is liable," and based on the principles stated here, we can determine what his liability is.
2. Shabbat 3a makes a similar statement of principle, but states that there are three exceptions to this rule. When discussing these exceptions, the Rambam deviates from the terminology used in the Talmud and states that these three acts are "permitted."
3. Our translation reflects the usual interpretation of the Hebrew expression מדברי סופרים. There are commentaries (e.g., the gloss of the Kessef Mishneh to Hilchot Ishut 2:1) who cite the Rambam's statements in Sefer HaMitzvot (General Principle 2) and explain that this expression can refer to a prohibition of the Torah which is derived through the accepted traditions of Biblical exegesis. In this instance, however, the Rambam's intent is clear; the term refers to prohibitions that the Rabbis instituted on their own initiative as safeguards.
4. The Rambam discusses this punishment in Hilchot Edut 18:6, explaining that the person is flogged to the extent of the court's discretion (in contrast to the number of lashes received for the violation of a Torah command, which is fixed at 39). Other authorities offer different interpretations.
5. Shoshanat Ha'amakim states that this expression implies that a person must be given a warning before such a punishment is administered.
6. I.e., there is no prohibition whatsoever for performing the act in question.
7. This expression implies that, at the outset, it is improper to perform such an act. Nevertheless, doing so does not warrant punishment (Maggid Mishneh, Kessef Mishneh).
8. If, however, it is certain that the forbidden labor will be performed, it is prohibited to perform the permitted act, as explained in the following halachah.
9. Rabbenu Avraham, the Rambam's son (Birkat Avraham 9), explains that by using the term "forbidden labor" in this and the following halachah, the Rambam implies that there is a difficulty only if a prohibition from the Torah is involved. If merely a Rabbinic prohibition is concerned, it is permitted without question. This question is also discussed by the Mishneh L'Melech.
10. The Rambam's decision is the subject of a difference of opinion between Rabbi Yehudah and Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. (See Beitzah 23b and other sources.) Rabbi Shimon maintains that although a forbidden labor results from a person's activity, since he did not desire that this labor be performed, he is not held liable. Rabbi Yehudah, in contrast, holds the person liable, for his actions brought about the performance of a forbidden labor.
The commentaries explain Rabbi Shimon's opinion based on the principle (Chaggigah 10b) that "The Torah prohibited purposeful labor [on the Sabbath]." A deed is forbidden only when it is associated with a purposeful intent. (See also the notes on Halachah 7.)
The concept discussed in this halachah, אינו מתכוין, differs from an ordinary example of a labor performed unintentionally. When we speak of a labor performed unintentionally (בשוגג), the person had no thought whatsoever of performing a forbidden activity. In the case of אינו מתכוין, by contrast, the person performs an act consciously with the knowledge that there is a possibility that it may lead to a forbidden act. Nevertheless, since there is no certainty that the transgression will be committed, he is not held liable.
Although this principle is applicable to the Sabbath laws in particular, the difference of opinion between these two sages on this issue is relevant, not only to the Sabbath laws, but to all other prohibitions in the Torah as well.
Based on Pesachim 25b-26b, it appears that one is allowed to perform an activity that may result in the incidental performance of a forbidden labor even when one has an alternative manner of accomplishing one's objective, which does not involve any risk of a forbidden labor being performed. See Hilchot Kilayim 10:16.
11. Our text follows the standard published text of the Mishneh Torah, which quotes the text of Shabbat 22b. The original manuscripts of the Mishneh Torah substitute מגדל, "cabinet," instead of ספסל, "bench."
12. Digging a groove is forbidden because it is included in the category of forbidden labor, plowing. Nevertheless, since one did not intend to perform this labor, the fact that it was performed is of no consequence. Similarly, all the subsequent activities mentioned by the Rambam involve the performance of a forbidden labor without the intent to do so.
13. See Chapter 22, Halachah 13.
14. As mentioned in Halachah 2, the use of this term implies that the prohibition has its source in the Torah itself (the Rambam's son, Rabbenu Avraham). Although some authorities have explained that since the person had no intent for the labor itself, the prohibition is only Rabbinic in nature, from the Rambam's perspective it appears that since he knows that the labor will be performed, it is considered as if he performed it intentionally.
15. The addition of the word "merely" implies that the person has a desire to slaughter the fowl. Albeit, his desire may not be to kill the fowl for food, but even for use as a toy it is preferable that the fowl be dead than alive.
This leads to another concept. The Aruch states that a person is not held liable when he performs an act that will inevitably bring about the commission of a forbidden labor, if he is displeased with the fact that the labor was committed (פסיק רישא דלא ניחא ליה). In his notes on Chapter 10, Halachah 17, Rabbenu Chayim Soloveitchik states that the Rambam also subscribes to this opinion.
The Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chayim 320:18) gives an example of this situation: The plug of a barrel of wine was closed with flax. Although some wine will inevitably be squeezed out when the barrel is unplugged - and squeezing is a forbidden labor - since the wine that is squeezed out will be lost, there is no prohibition.
This opinion is not, however, accepted by all authorities. Tosafot and Rabbenu Asher in their glosses on Shabbat 103a differ and maintain that, since it is inevitable that a forbidden labor will be performed, such an act is forbidden by Rabbinic decree. From the wording of the Shulchan Aruch's statements, it would appear that it is preferable to follow the more stringent view, but that the more lenient perspective has become popularly accepted.
16. This also represents a difference of opinion between Rabbi Yehudah and Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, as evident from Shabbat 29b-30a, 73b, and other sources.
As in the laws mentioned in Halachah 7, the source of their difference of opinion is Rabbi Shimon's principle, "the Torah prohibited purposeful labor [on the Sabbath]." To explain: The prohibition against labor on the Sabbath is derived from the labors performed to construct the Sanctuary (see the commentary on Chapter 7, Law 1), and with regard to the construction of the Sanctuary, the Torah uses the expression, מלאכת מחשבת, "contemplative work." Accordingly, Rabbi Shimon maintains that the Torah's prohibition against labor is related to thought. Only when one's actions are purposeful can they be forbidden.
For this reason, Rabbi Shimon maintains - as explained in Halachah 5 - that when a person performs a forbidden labor without the intention to do so (אינו מתכוין), he is not liable. Although a forbidden activity results from his conduct, since his thought was not involved in the matter, his work does not resemble the labor that was necessary to construct the Sanctuary. Hence, one is not held liable for such labor on the Sabbath.
In the situation at hand, a מלאכה שאינה צריכה לגופה, the person performing the forbidden labor is doing so intentionally. Nevertheless, since his intent is not the same as that ordinarily associated - or according to some authorities, associated at the time of the construction of the Sanctuary - with this labor, he is not held liable. (See the comments of Rabbenu Avraham, the Rambam's son, quoted by the Kessef Mishneh.)
Rabbi Yehudah differs on both issues, maintaining that since the performance of a forbidden labor results from this person's conscious activity, he is held liable. The Rambam (following the opinion of Shemuel, Zevachim 92a) accepts Rabbi Shimon's view with regard to אינו מתכוין, but follows Rabbi Yehudah's view with regard to a מלאכה שאינה צריכה לגופה.
The difference between these opinions can be explained based on the interpretation of the command תשבות, "rest," on which basis we observe the Sabbath laws. We find another difference of opinion between Rabbi Yehudah and the other Sages (Pesachim 27a) concerning a word with a similar root. With regard to the command (Exodus 12:15), תשביתו שאור, "destroy leaven," Rabbi Yehudah maintains that leaven must be burned. The other Sages (including Rabbi Shimon) maintain that leaven may be destroyed be other means.
What is the difference between them? Rabbi Yehudah maintains that the destruction of leaven must be utter and complete as possible, while the Sages maintain that all that is necessary is to negate its usefulness (potential for purposeful use). Similarly, in the present instance, Rabbi Yehudah explains that all semblances of labor are forbidden on the Sabbath. In contrast, Rabbi Shimon maintains that only purposeful labor is forbidden; only when both the activity and the intent for which it is performed are analogous to the activities performed to construct the Sanctuary is a transgression committed. (See Likkutei Sichot, Vol. 7, p. 190-191.)
Shemuel and the Rambam take an intermediate position. They agree with Rabbi Shimon that an activity must be coupled with a purposeful intent, but maintain that since a מלאכה שאינה צריכה לגופה is an intentional act, it is forbidden as such a combination.
It must be noted that the Rambam's view is not accepted by all authorities. The Ra'avad, Tosafot (Zevachim, ibid.) and subsequent Ashkenazic authorities state that Rabbi Shimon's opinion is accepted in both these instances. The Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chayim 278:1, 334:12) accepts Tosafot's decision. Nevertheless, even the authorities who accept Rabbi Shimon's view maintain that, if there is no danger to the community involved, a מלאכה שאינה צריכה לגופה is forbidden according to Rabbinic decree.
17. I.e., his intent in extinguishing the lamp was not to produce coals to use for kindling an even flame, the purpose for which extinguishing was performed in constructing the Sanctuary.
18. I.e., when constructing the Sanctuary, articles were transported because they were desired, and coals were extinguished to use for kindling an even flame.
19. Although the instance stated by the Rambam is not found in the Talmud, it is a logical extension of the principle stated in Keritot 19b and Shabbat 97b (and expressed in the following halachah), "The Torah prohibited purposeful labor [on the Sabbath]." Since the labor ultimately performed was not the one originally intended, this is not considered to be "purposeful work."
20. As explained in Chapter 14, Halachah 4, a carmelit is a domain in which the Sages applied the prohibitions against transporting and throwing articles which apply in the public domain by virtue of Torah law. Thus, the person had the intent of violating merely a Rabbinic law.
21. The Maggid Mishneh draws attention to Chapter 13, Halachah 21, which states that even when a person intended to throw an object four cubits in the public domain and instead the object traveled eight cubits, he is not held liable, because he did not accomplish his intent. Hence, he explains that the intent is not that the public domain is beyond the carmelit and the object did not rest in the carmelit as intended, but rather continued to the public domain.
Instead, the Rambam is referring to an instance where a person is standing in a private domain with both a public domain and a carmelit before him. Although he intended to throw the object into the carmelit, it traveled into the public domain.
22. See Hilchot Shegagot 7:11. This halachah represents a progressive sequence. In the first instance mentioned, the forbidden activity the person intended to perform was not performed at all. In the second instance, he intended to perform the forbidden activity - removing an object from his property - but his intent was not to transgress a Torah prohibition. In this third instance, the person had the intent of performing the activity that he performed for the sake of the result that activity produced. Nevertheless, since he desired to perform this activity with a permitted entity and that aspect of the desire was not fulfilled, he is not held liable (Rav Kapach).
23. The Maggid Mishneh offers two different interpretations of the Rambam's words: one that the person cut a different plant from the one he intended to cut, and one that he thought the plant he intended to cut had been detached from the earth, and discovered that it was attached. Although, both interpretations are halachically acceptable, the Maggid Mishneh favors the second one. The Kovetz and other authorities, however, favor the first.
24. This halachah develops the theme stated in the previous halachah, giving a further example of a case where a person is not held liable for a forbidden activity he performed, because of the principle, "The Torah prohibited purposeful labor [on the Sabbath]."
25. The difference in the color of the figs causes them to be regarded as two different types of fruit. This is significant, as is obvious from the contrast to the following halachah.
26. The Ra'avad takes issue with this point, arguing that since the person picking the fruit accomplished his objective, he should be held liable. It is insignificant that the order in which he picked them differed from that which he originally intended.
It can be explained, based on Keritot 19b, that the Rambam's understanding is that for a person to be held liable, not only must he accomplish his ultimate intent, but also, while he is performing the labor, his actions must be controlled by his thoughts.
Commenting on the difference of opinion between the Rambam and the Ra'avad, the Maggid Mishneh notes that there is no difference regarding practical halachah at present. The only difference will be in the Era of the Redemption, at which time there will be a question whether it is necessary for such a person to bring a sin offering or not, and in that era, "the righteous instructor (Mashiach) will come" and render a decision.
27. This is the text of Keritot 20a according to the Rambam and others. Our text of Keritot differs and frees a person of liability in such an instance. On this basis, the Ra'avad and others challenge the Rambam's position.
28. In contrast to the previous halachah, this is speaking about an instance where the person does not derive any advantage from kindling or extinguishing either candle; he merely wants to kindle or distinguish a candle. The same effect results from kindling or extinguishing one as the other. Hence he is liable, for he performed a forbidden labor, and he is considered to have performed it willfully. Were there to be an advantage to kindling or extinguishing one of the two candles, the situation would resemble that described in Halachah 11.
29. The intent does not appear to be that he desired to kill a person, for it is highly unlikely that there would be no difference killing one person or the other. Rather, the Rambam appears to be referring to the killing of an insect or an animal, an act that is also forbidden on the Sabbath.
30. The bracketed additions are made on the basis of Keritot 20a.
31. As in Halachah 9, the fact that the person did not perform the tasks in the order in which he originally intended indicates that, at the time he performed them, he was not in control of his deeds. Hence, this is not considered to be "purposeful work." In this instance as well, the Ra'avad differs and holds the person liable.
The new concept this halachah teaches is that even when the tasks which the person intended to perform involve two separate labors (as opposed to Halachah 9 when only a single forbidden labor is involved), he is held liable only when he performs the tasks in the order he originally intended.
32. Since the order in which the person desired to perform the activity was not reversed, his actions are "purposeful work."
33. Rashi, Keritot 19b, differentiates between this type of behavior, referred to as מתעסק, and an inadvertent transgression of a commandment (שוגג) as follows: When a person transgresses בשוגג, he willfully performs the forbidden activity, but is unaware of the prohibition involved. In all the situations described as מתעסק, the person may be aware of the prohibition, but is not consciously controlling his behavior.
34. Although he accepts the Rambam's premise, the Ra'avad objects to the wording the Rambam chose, explaining that there is an instance - a person who desired to write the name שמעון and instead, wrote the name שם - where a person does not fulfill his intention and is still liable.
The Maggid Mishneh explains that in that instance, the person also had the intent to write the letters of the name שם and is therefore held liable, as implied by Halachah 14. By putting the focus on intent, the Rambam emphasizes that the leniency stated in this halachah is also an outgrowth of the principle that "The Torah prohibited purposeful work."
35. As mentioned at the beginning of the chapter, the expression "he is not liable," means that a person should not be punished - nor is he liable to bring a sin offering - for his deed. Nevertheless, performing such a deed constitutes the violation of a Rabbinic prohibition. As mentioned, this concept is applicable throughout this chapter, and indeed throughout the Mishneh Torah as a whole.
36. Our translation is based on the Rambam's Commentary on the Mishnah, Shabbat 10:4. Rashi and others offer alternate definitions of the term.
37. The intent here is that since it is usual for the article to shift position in such an instance, this is considered to be part of the person's original intent.
Although this law is more specific than most mentioned in this chapter, it is still worthy of mention, because it illustrates how a person's intention can be general in nature and include several different possible ways in which a forbidden labor could be performed.
38. Here the Rambam introduces a new concept, שיעור, the amount of work sufficient to incur liability. When the Torah forbade the performance of labor on the Sabbath, it also specified that a person is not held liable unless his activities are sufficient to bring about a significant result. Thus, a particular שיעור was established for every specific labor.
A similar concept applies with regard to other prohibitions. For example, with regard to most forbidden foods one is not held liable unless one eats an amount equivalent to the size of an olive.
[Yoma 74 discusses whether a person who performs a forbidden activity, but does so involving less than a שיעור, is considered to have violated a prohibition from the Torah (although he is not liable for punishment or a sin offering) or whether he is considered to have violated merely a Rabbinic commandment.]
39. One might think that since the person did not complete his intended objective, his activity is not considered "purposeful labor." The Rambam explains, however, that since the work the person did complete was performed "purposefully," and since he completed a significant amount of work (a שיעור), he is held liable.
40. See Chapter 11, Halachah 9.
41. See Chapter 9, Halachah 18.
42. A situation in which a forbidden labor requires the efforts of more than one individual is discussed in the following halachah.
43. Shabbat 3a derives this from the exegesis of Leviticus 4:27, explaining that that verse teaches that one is liable only "when one performs the entire labor and not a portion of it; when one person performs the labor and not two."
See also Rashi, Shabbat 93a and Shulchan Aruch HaRav 316:7 explain that a person is not liable for performing a labor in this manner, because this is not the ordinary manner in which the labor is performed.
44. Rabbi Akiva Eiger writes that the same applies when a forbidden labor is performed by three or more individuals and the performance of the forbidden labor requires the efforts of all the individuals involved. Nevertheless, if three individuals perform a forbidden labor and it requires only the efforts of two, none of the individuals is held liable, for no one is capable of performing the task alone.
45. Tosafot, Shabbat 93a emphasizes that the matter is not dependent on strength alone. Even when a person has sufficient strength to carry an object alone, but requires a second person's assistance because of the object's bulk, neither is liable. In practice, the transfer of the object requires both their efforts.
46. This principle is also applied in other contexts aside from the laws of the Sabbath. (See Hilchot Tum'at Mishkav UMoshav 7:6 and Hilchot Bi'at HaMikdash 5:18. See also the commentary to the Moznaim edition of Hilchot Tefillin 1:11.)
47. As mentioned previously, the prohibition against labor on the Sabbath was derived from a comparison to the labors performed in the construction of the Sanctuary. In that instance, all the labors had a positive intent.
(The Rambam's statements imply that performing a forbidden labor with a destructive intent is not forbidden by the Torah at all, but is merely a Rabbinic prohibition. There are opinions which differ, and maintain that although the Torah did not hold one liable in such an instance, the act is forbidden by the Torah itself.)
48. However, see Chapter 8, Halachah 8, which states that if a person injures another person as an expression of anger, he is liable, for in his own mind his activity is constructive; he is releasing pent up emotion.
49. The Maggid Mishneh and others note that this activity is only destructive when the pit is dug within a home. Digging a pit for the sake of its earth in a field, by contrast, is not considered a destructive act. It is, however, a מלאכה שאינה צריכה לגופה (see Halachah 7), for the digger has no desire for the pit, the object of the work. As mentioned, other authorities free a person in such an instance; the Rambam, however, would normally hold one liable.
50. Indeed, several of the 39 categories of labor forbidden on the Sabbath - e.g., tearing, erasing, and demolishing - involve activities that are essentially destructive in nature. Nevertheless, when one performs these activities for an ultimate constructive intent, one is held liable.
51. The commentaries note the contrast between the Rambam's wording in this halachah and in Chapter 10, Halachah 15, where he omits the expression, "in its place." Accordingly, the commentaries question whether one is liable for demolishing a building for the sake of building another, when the other building will not be built in the place of the first. (See the gloss of the Or Sameach on Chapter 10, Halachah 12.)
52. For example, the minimum measure (שיעור) for which one is liable for the constructive act of writing is two letters. Therefore, one is liable for erasing two letters. Moreover, as stated in Chapter 11, Halachah 9, a person is liable when he erases one letter which is large enough for two to be written in its place.
53. The definition of "unintentionally" (בשוגג) is that one is unaware that the activity is forbidden, or one is unaware that the day is the Sabbath. Thus, the situation described by the Rambam would involve, for example, writing one letter knowing that it is the Sabbath and that it is forbidden to do so, and writing a second letter having forgotten either of these factors.
54. See Halachah 1.
55. See Halachah 1.
Chapter Two
Halacha 1
The [laws of] the Sabbath are suspended1 in the face of a danger to life,2 as are [the obligations of] the other mitzvot. Therefore, we may perform - according to the directives of a professional physician3 of that locale4 - everything that is necessary for the benefit of a sick person whose life is in danger.
When there is a doubt whether or not the Sabbath laws must be violated on a person's behalf, one should violate the Sabbath laws on his behalf, for the Sabbath laws are suspended even when there is merely a question of danger to a person's life. [The same principles apply] when one physician says the Sabbath laws should be violated on a person's behalf and another physician states that this is not necessary.5
Halacha 2
[The following laws apply when physicians] determine on the Sabbath that a person needs [a treatment to be administered] for eight days. We do not say that we should wait until the evening so that it will not be necessary to violate two Sabbaths on his behalf.6 Instead, the treatment is begun immediately, on the Sabbath, and even one hundred Sabbaths may be violated on his behalf.
As long as a person is dangerously [ill] - or even if there is a question whether or not he is dangerously [ill] - and requires treatment, [the Sabbath] should be violated [on his behalf]. A lamp may be lit on his behalf and extinguished on his behalf.7 [Animals] may be slaughtered on his behalf, [food] baked and cooked on his behalf, and water heated for him, whether to drink or to use for bathing.
The general principle for a person who is dangerously ill is that the Sabbath should be considered as a weekday regarding all his needs.8
Halacha 3
When such treatment is administered, it should not be administered by gentiles,9 by children,10 by servants, or by women,11 so that they will not view the Sabbath flippantly.12 Instead, the treatment should be administered by the leaders of Israel13 and the wise.
It is forbidden to hesitate before transgressing the Sabbath [laws] on behalf of a person who is dangerously ill,14 as [reflected in the interpretation in the phrase of Leviticus 18:5,] "which a person shall perform to live through them," as "['to live through them'] and not to die through them."
This teaches that the judgments of the Torah do not [bring] vengeance to the world, but rather bring mercy, kindness, and peace to the world. Concerning those non-believers who say that [administering such treatment] constitutes a violation of the Sabbath and is forbidden,15 one may apply the verse [Ezekiel 20:25]: "[As punishment,] I gave them harmful laws and judgments through which they cannot live."16
Halacha 4
When a person's eyes are ailing - i.e., when he has a secretion from either one or both of them, when tears flow from them due to great pain, when blood flows from them, or when they are affected by fever,17 or by other afflictions of this like - he is considered among those individuals who are dangerously ill.18 The Sabbath may be violated on his behalf, and anything necessary for his treatment may be performed for him.19
Halacha 5
Similarly, a person who has a wound20 in his body cavity - from his lips inward,21 whether in his mouth, his digestive organs, his liver or spleen, or any of the other organs in his body cavity - is considered to be dangerously ill and does not require [a physician's] assessment [of his condition]. His ailment is serious, and we should violate the Sabbath laws on his behalf immediately without [waiting for] an assessment.22
A wound on the back of the hand or on the back of the foot is considered equivalent to a wound in the body cavity. It does not require [a physician's] assessment [of his condition] for us to violate the Sabbath laws on his behalf. A fever that causes the flesh to wince23 is considered equivalent to a wound in the body cavity, and we should violate the Sabbath laws on this person's behalf.
Similarly, we should violate the Sabbath laws whenever a physician24 assesses an ailment as dangerous, even when it affects only the exterior of a person's skin.
Halacha 6
When a person swallows a leech, water may be heated for him on the Sabbath, and any medical treatment that is necessary may be administered, since his life is in danger. Similarly, when a person is bitten by a rabid dog25 or a poisonous snake or other reptile, any medical treatment that is necessary to save him may be administered. [The same laws apply] even when there is merely a question of whether or not [the bite] can cause death.
Halacha 7
When physicians assessed that a sick person required a fig, and ten people ran and brought26 him ten figs at once,27 they are all absolved of liability entirely.28
[The same decision applies] if the ten people brought the figs one after another, even when he recuperated after the first fig, for all of them had license to bring them.
Halacha 8
If a sick person required two figs, and two figs could be found only on two separate stems - while three figs were found on another stem - we should remove the stem that has three figs, even though only two are required.29 [It is preferable] to cut only one stem and not two stems, so as not to increase [the performance of the forbidden labor of] gleaning.30 The same applies in all similar situations.
Halacha 9
When food is cooked for a sick person on the Sabbath and the sick person leaves some over after eating, a healthy person is forbidden to eat from the remainder, lest [this cause] more food to be added for him.31
When, however, an animal is slaughtered for a sick person on the Sabbath, it is permissible for a healthy person to partake of uncooked meat32 [from that animal].33 A decree was not enacted, because there is no possibility of an additional [activity] being performed [for a healthy person].34 The same applies in all similar situations.
Halacha 10
When a sick person is not dangerously ill,35 all his needs should be cared for by a gentile. What is implied? We may tell a gentile to perform [forbidden labors]36 on his behalf and he performs them. [This includes] cooking, baking, bringing medicine from one domain to another and the like. Similarly, one may have one's eyes treated37 by a gentile on the Sabbath even though there is no danger involved.
Furthermore, if [the sick] require treatment that does not involve the performance of [forbidden] labors,38 they may be treated even by Jews. For this reason, it is permitted to perform [physical activities for the benefit of the sick]; for example, one may lift [the tendons of] the ears, lift up cartilage around the heart,39 restore broken bones to their places, or perform other activities of this like.
Halacha 11
When a woman in the process of childbirth squats to give birth,40 her life is considered in danger and the Sabbath laws may be violated on her behalf. A midwife may be called from a distant place41 and the umbilical cord may be cut and tied.
If she requires a light when she cries out because of labor pains, a candle may be lit for her. [This leniency is granted] even if she is blind, because light has a calming influence42 even if she does not see.
If she needs oil or the like, it may be brought for her. If possible, the items that are brought should be brought in an uncharacteristic manner; for example, a friend should bring a utensil tied in her hair.43 If this not possible, it may be brought in the ordinary manner.44
Halacha 12
We should not help an idolatress45 give birth on the Sabbath, even if payment is offered. We do not worry about the possibility of ill-feelings being aroused.46 [This applies even when] there is no violation [of the Sabbath laws] involved.
[In contrast,] one may offer assistance to a daughter of a ger toshav who gives birth, since we are commanded to secure his well-being.47 We may not, however, violate the Sabbath laws on her behalf.
Halacha 13
From the time a woman in childbirth has a flow of blood48 until the birth - [and indeed,] after birth for three days49 - the Sabbath laws may be violated on her behalf, and all her needs should be met.50 [This applies] regardless of whether she says she requires such treatment or she maintains that she does not require such treatment.
Between the third and the seventh day [after childbirth], if she maintains that she does not require treatment, the Sabbath laws should not be violated on her behalf. If she remains silent,51 and certainly if she maintains that she requires treatment,52 the Sabbath laws should be violated on her behalf. Between the seventh and the thirtieth day, her status is analogous to that of a sick person who is not dangerously ill. Even if she maintains that she requires treatment, [forbidden] labors should be performed on her behalf only by a gentile.53
Halacha 14
A fire may be kindled54 for a woman after she has given birth55 even in the summer, since cold is very difficult for a woman to bear after childbirth in the cold regions. In contrast, a fire should not be kindled for other sick people to warm themselves.56 Nevertheless, if a person let blood and became chilled, a fire may be kindled for him even in the summer.
After cutting his umbilical cord,57 we may wash a new born baby on the day he is born, even when this requires heating the water on the Sabbath.58 Herbal powder59 can be applied to his skin and his limbs can be tied,60 for it is dangerous not to perform these activities for him.
Similarly, a baby may be washed before circumcision, after circumcision,61 and on the third day after circumcision62 with water that is heated on the Sabbath,63 because of the danger [to him].
Halacha 15
When a woman dies while in labor on the Sabbath, a knife should be brought - even if it must be carried through the public domain - and the woman's womb cut open and the fetus removed, for it is possible that it will still be alive.64
[The rationale for this ruling is] that the Sabbath laws are violated even when there is only a possibility of saving a life,65 and even in such instances, where there is no chazakah on which to base our presumption that the fetus is alive.66
Halacha 16
[All] activities necessary to save a life should be performed on the Sabbath; there is no necessity to receive license from the court. The more zealous one is [in this regard], the more praiseworthy.
What is implied?67 If one sees that a child has fallen into the sea, one may spread out a net and hoist him up, although one catches fish together with him. If a person hears that a child fell into the sea and spreads out a net to hoist him up, but raises up only fish, he is absolutely free of liability.68
If he intended to raise up fish and [in fact] lifted up both fish and a child, he is not held liable.69 Since he lifted up a child together with the fish, he is not held liable even when he did not hear that the child had fallen into the water.70
Halacha 17
If71 a child fell into a pit, a person may dislodge a clod of earth, and lift [the child] up, even though he creates a step when he dislodges it. If a door was locked with a child inside, a person may break the door down and take the child out, even though he chops it into pieces of wood which are appropriate to use for work,72 lest the child become frightened and die.
If a fire broke out and a person is inside the building and we fear that he may be consumed by the flames,73 a person may extinguish the fire to save him, although he prepares a pathway while extinguishing the fire. Whoever acts first to save him is praiseworthy. One does not need to ask permission from the court in all instances when there is a danger to a person's life.
Halacha 18
When an avalanche has fallen, and there is a doubt whether or not74 it has fallen over a person,75 it may be cleared. If the person was discovered to be alive, but was crushed [by the fallen debris] to the extent that it is impossible that he will recover, [the debris] may be cleared and the person taken out to enable him to live [however] long he does.76
Halacha 19
If [in the process of clearing the debris,] they [reached] his nose and saw that he was not breathing, he should be left there,77 for he has died already.78
Although it is discovered that people on the upper level of a landslide have died, one should not assume that those on the lower levels have died. Instead, [the debris] should be cleared away from all of the people, for in a landslide it is possible that those on the upper level will die, while those on the lower level will remain alive.
Halacha 20
When an avalanche fell on a courtyard in which were located both gentiles and Jews - even if there were a thousand gentiles and only one Jew, we should remove all [the debris] for the sake of the Jew.79 Should one80 of the individuals leave and enter another courtyard and that courtyard collapse upon him, we should remove [the debris]. Perhaps the person who departed was a Jew, and [all] those who remain were gentiles.81
Halacha 21
When they all left this courtyard to go to another courtyard, and as they were proceeding, one of them whose identity is unknown departed and entered a third courtyard and was covered by an avalanche, [the debris] should not be removed from him.82
Since they left their original place, [the presence of] a Jew is not accepted as an established fact. Hence, we assume that anyone who separated from this group as it was proceeding was part of the majority. Accordingly, if the majority were Jewish,83 even a person separated from them [who entered] another courtyard after they left their original place - should he be covered by an avalanche, we should remove [the debris] from him.
Halacha 22
A person who is traveling in the desert and does not know which day is the Sabbath should count84 six days and consider the seventh day as holy. He should recite the blessing of the day [Kiddush] and recite Havdalah at the conclusion of this "Sabbath" day.85
Every day, even on the day on which he recites Kiddush and after which he recites Havdalah, he is allowed86 to earn87 only enough for his livelihood, so that he will not die. It is forbidden for him to earn more than his livelihood, for there is a possibility that every day is the Sabbath.
If the person knows that the day is the eighth day or the fifteenth day after his departure, he is allowed to work on that day, for it is certain that he did not depart on the Sabbath.88 On the other days, he is allowed to earn merely his livelihood.
Halacha 23
[The following rules apply] when gentiles lay siege to Jewish cities:89 If their intent was financial gain, the Sabbath laws should not be violated because of them, nor are we allowed to wage war against them.90 If a city is located near the border, however, we should march against them with weapons and wage war against them even when they are demanding hay or straw.91
In any location, if the gentiles' intent was Jewish lives, or if they engaged in battle with a city or laid siege to it without stating a specific intention,92 we must wage war against them, and the Sabbath laws should be violated because of them. It is a mitzvah93 for every member of the Jewish people who can come [to their assistance] to go out and aid their brethren who are under siege and save them from the gentiles [although it is the] Sabbath. It is forbidden to wait until Saturday night.
After they have saved their brethren, they may return home with their weapons on the Sabbath, so that a dangerous situation will not be created in the future.94
Halacha 24
Similarly, if a ship is sinking at sea95 or a city is surrounded by a [flooding] river, it is a mitzvah to go out on the Sabbath and use every possible means to save them.
Even when a single individual is being pursued by gentiles, by a snake, or by a bear with the intent to kill him, it is a mitzvah to save him, even when it is necessary to perform several forbidden labors on the Sabbath. It is even permitted to forge weapons to save him. Similarly, we should cry out [to God] on their behalf, make supplications,96 and sound the trumpets97 to summon help for them.98
We should not cry out [to God] or make supplications because of plague99 on the Sabbath.
Halacha 25
We should lay siege to gentile cities [at least] three days before the Sabbath.100 We may wage war with them on any day, even on the Sabbath, until we conquer [the city], even if the war is voluntary in nature.101 The oral tradition,102 interprets [Deuteronomy 20:20] "until you have subjugated it," as teaching that [one should wage war] even on the Sabbath.
Surely, the above applies103 with regard to a war that we are obligated to wage. Indeed, it was on the Sabbath that Joshua conquered Jericho.104
144
FOOTNOTES
1. The Rambam uses the expression דחויה, which, as evident from Pesachim 77a and Hilchot Bi'at HaMikdash 4:15, implies that although a prohibition is not enforced, it has not been lifted entirely. In contrast, the term הותרה would imply that no trace of the prohibition remains.
The Kessef Mishneh and other authorities question the implications and the appropriateness of the Rambam's choice of terms. [In a responsum (Vol. 1, 689), the Rashba illustrates the difference between these terms. A person was in need of meat on the Sabbath and there was non-kosher meat available. If the Sabbath laws are דחויה, it would be proper to eat the non-kosher meat. If the Sabbath laws are הותרה, it would be preferable to slaughter a kosher animal on the sick person's behalf. The Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chayim 328:14) states that, in such a situation, one should slaughter a kosher animal, implying that the laws are הותרה. (Note, however, the Shulchan Aruch HaRav 328:16 and the Mishnah Berurah 328:39.)]
See the Avnei Nezer, Orach Chayim, Responsa 455, which explains the concept of הותרה as meaning that, with regard to this person, it is as if the laws of the Sabbath were never commanded. (See also Chiddushim UVeurim BaShas, Vol. 3, which explains that although the Rambam stated that a threat to Jewish life overrides the observance of all the mitzvot of the Torah in Hilchot Yesodei Torah, Chapter 5, he emphasizes this concept with regard to the Sabbath laws for the following reason. The other prohibitions are דחויה in the face of a threat to life, while the Sabbath laws are הותרה.
2. Yoma 85b uses the expression, "Violate one Sabbath on his behalf, so that he will be able to observe many Sabbaths [in the future]." This expression, however, is not halachically exact. Even when one knows that the person will not live to observe many other Sabbaths, as long as he is alive we are obligated to violate the Sabbath laws on his behalf. See Halachah 18.
3. Note the Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chayim 328:10), which cites an opinion that states that we may rely on the evaluation of experienced God-fearing individuals, even if they are not physicians.
4. Rav Kapach explains that, with this expression, the Rambam implies that we may rely on a local physician and need not seek the advice of a greater expert who lives further away.
5. See Hilchot Sh'vitat Asor 2:8, which gives further details regarding a difference of opinion between physicians.
6. Shulchan Aruch HaRav 328:13 states that this applies even if there is no danger that the person will die immediately. Since there is a danger that he may die later if the treatment is not administered at this time, the Sabbath laws may be violated.
7. Note that the Rambam's Commentary on the Mishnah, Shabbat 2:5, specifies that the leniency to extinguish a lamp is granted only when it is impossible to move it - or, alternatively, the sick person - to another place or veil the lamp's light.
8. There is a question among the Rabbis if this statement is to be interpreted literally or not. As mentioned in the commentary on the previous halachah, there is a difference of opinion if the Sabbath laws are דחויה or הותרה in the face of a danger to life. According to the opinion that they are merely דחויה, an attempt should be made to minimize the violation of the Sabbath laws if doing so does not constitute a threat to the person's life. (See Tzafenat Paneach, Shulchan Aruch HaRav, ibid. and the Mishnah Berurah 328:14.)
9. Gentiles are not obligated to observe the Sabbath, and thus having them administer the treatment would not involve the violation of a Torah commandment. Nevertheless, they should not be entrusted with the care of the sick for the reason stated by the Rambam.
10. Since they are below the age of Bar or Bat Mitzvah, according to the Torah itself the observance of the mitzvot is not incumbent upon them, and only a Rabbinic prohibition is involved.
11. Although women and servants are obligated to observe the Sabbath laws, since in many areas of Torah and mitzvot, their obligations are less than men, having them violate the Sabbath laws in this instance could cause the Sabbath to be regarded flippantly, as explained in the next note.
12. The Rambam's choice of wording, based on Yoma 84b, has raised several questions among the commentaries. The most literal interpretation is given by the Merkevat HaMishneh, who explains that when people see that the Sabbath laws are violated by the gentiles for Jews or by women or children, they may get the impression that the observance of these laws is not very crucial, and leniencies may be taken on other occasions - even when there is no valid reason. If, however, it is Torah Sages who violate the laws, the common people will realize that it is only the seriousness of the situation that allowed for this leniency.
Among the other interpretations given why the laws should not be violated by women and children, is that this might cause them to violate the Sabbath laws in the future (Kessef Mishneh).
Significantly, the Ramah (Orach Chayim 328:12) explains that the reason the treatment should not be administered by gentiles is the possibility for delay. Accordingly, if there is no delay involved and one can be sure that the same quality of treatment will be given, it is preferable that the treatment be administered by gentiles.
The commentaries explain that the difference between his opinion and that of the Rambam (quoted by the Shulchan Aruch, loc. cit.) depends on the question discussed above: Are the Sabbath laws הותרה or merely דחויה in the face of a danger to life.
[See also Chiddushim UVeurim BaShas, Vol. 3, which states that the Rambam's wording here indicates that he sees the violation of the Sabbath laws in such situations as an expression of reverence and regard for the Sabbath.]
13. This also is based on the Rambam's interpretation of Yoma, ibid. Others (see Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayim 328:12) understand the phrase גדולי ישראל in that passage as meaning simply "adult males."
14. The Jerusalem Talmud (Yoma 8:5) states, "A person who [administers treatment] quickly is praiseworthy, and one who raises questions is considered as if he shed blood.
15. The Rambam is referring to the Sadducees, the Karaites, and others who do not accept the oral tradition.
16. The Rambam seems to be interpreting the verse as meaning that since these individuals purposefully misinterpret the Torah, God causes their misinterpretations to be cruel and harsh so that they will not live and spread such an approach.
17. Significantly, the Yemenite manuscripts of the Mishneh Torah state קדח, "piercing pain" (the commentary of Rabbenu Chanan'el on Avodah Zarah 28b), rather than קדחת, "fever."
18. Avodah Zarah, loc. cit., explains that there is a connection between the eyes and the heart, and such a person is therefore considered to be dangerously ill.
19. From the wording of the Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chayim 328:9), it appears that once an eye ailment is nearly healed, we may not violate the Sabbath laws to treat it. See also Hilchot Milah 16.
20. The Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chayim 328:3) states that this can also apply to an infection. Disquiet and pain are not, however, considered sufficient cause to violate the Sabbath laws.
21. When quoting this law, the Shulchan Aruch (loc. cit.) substitutes "teeth" for "lips," and explains that a toothache can also be considered cause to violate the Sabbath laws. The Ramah and subsequent commentaries, however, qualify this statement, explaining which types of toothaches can be treated by Jews and which can be treated only by gentiles. (See Shulchan Aruch HaRav 328:3 and Mishneh Berurah 328:8.)
22. The Maggid Mishneh cites the Ramban as explaining that this applies only when we are unsure if the wound is dangerous or not. In such a situation, we are not required to wait for a physician's assessment and may treat the wound immediately. If, however, we know - or a physician says - that a wound is not dangerous, a Jew may not violate the Sabbath laws to treat it. It may, however, be treated by a gentile. This ruling is also quoted in the Shulchan Aruch (ibid.:4).
23. This phrase is based on the Rambam's interpretation of Avodah Zarah 28a and refers to an extremely high fever. The Shulchan Aruch (ibid.:7) appears to interpret it as referring to a type of malaria that causes fever and chills simultaneously.
24. From the statements of the Shulchan Aruch (ibid.:5), it would appear that if the sick person himself says that the Sabbath laws should be violated on his behalf, his word should be heeded.
25. See Yoma 10:4 and the Rambam's commentary on that mishnah.
26. Either they brought the figs from the public domain or picked them from the tree. Both of these activities involve the performance of labors forbidden on the Sabbath.
27. This situation refers to an instance where none of the ten know of the others' activities. Alternatively, each one thought that he would be able to bring the fig before the other person (Mishnah Berurah 328:42).
28. I.e., they need not bring a sin offering, nor do their actions cause them any spiritual blemishes. Indeed, to quote the Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chayim 328:15), "all of them receive a bountiful reward from God" for their actions. 29. If, however, there are two figs on a single stem, it would be preferable to pick them so as not to bring any additional figs (Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayim 328:16). (See also Halachah 9.)
29.
30. The Ramah (Orach Chayim, loc. cit.) emphasizes that if there is any danger of delay or difficulty, the threat to a Jew's life overrides all these considerations.
31. On Saturday night, however, a healthy person may eat from the remainder. Moreover, there is no need for him to wait the amount of time necessary to cook the food [(כדי שיעשו) Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayim, 318:2, and commentaries].
32. The meat need not be salted to remove the blood. Although this is generally done as a preparation for the cooking process, it is necessary only because blood will move from place to place within the meat during cooking. There is no prohibition against eating raw meat even though it has not been salted (Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh De'ah 67:1-2).
The Kiryat Melech Rav notes that this explanation is appropriate according to the interpretation of the Tosafot (Chulin 14a). The Rambam (Hilchot Ma'achalot Asurot 6:12), however, requires even uncooked meat to be salted before one partakes of it. Several different explanations are offered for this difficulty. See Chapter 11, Halachah 5.
33. For this leniency to be granted, the Ra'avad requires that the sick person have been ill before the commencement of the Sabbath, and his attendants to have thought of slaughtering the animal for him at that time. Otherwise, the animal is considered muktzeh. Although the latter prohibition is waived on behalf of the sick person, it is still enforced as regards the healthy individual.
The Maggid Mishneh and the Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chayim 318:2 and Shulchan Aruch Harav ibid 318:5) explain that in this instance, the prohibition of muktzeh does not apply at all.
34. Slaughtering an animal is a single activity which will provide enough meat for both the sick person and the healthy individual. Allowing the healthy person to eat from the meat will not cause any increase in the violation of the Sabbath laws.
35. This refers to ailments which, although not threatening to a person's life, are after all serious, and cause him to be confined to bed (Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayim 328:17) or which cause him to feel weakness throughout his entire body (Ramah, loc. cit.). In contrast, if the person merely feels ill or has a minor ailment in a particular limb, there is a Rabbinic prohibition against taking medication even when the performance of forbidden labors is not involved. (See Chapter 21, Halachah 31.)
36. As is explained in Chapter 6, the Rabbis forbade a Jew to tell a gentile to perform work on his behalf on the Sabbath. This prohibition is, however, relaxed because of the sick person's condition.
37. The Hebrew word כוחל refers to the application of powder or eye-paint to the area around the eyes. Although certain Talmudic passages appear to indicate that this was merely a cosmetic practice, in certain instances it had medical value. The leniency to treat the eyes is granted, because, as explained in the notes on Halachah 4, there is a connection between the eyes and the heart.
38. There is a question regarding activities in which a Rabbinic prohibition must be transgressed. Although asking a gentile to perform a forbidden labor is also prohibited by the Rabbis, some commentaries make a distinction between such a prohibition and a prohibition that involves the performance of an activity.
The wording chosen by the Rambam in this halachah and in Chapter 21, Halachah 31, has left room for speculation concerning his ruling on this question. The Maggid Mishneh explains that the Rambam allows the performance of any activity even when there is a Rabbinic prohibition involved. The Kessef Mishneh differs, and explains that according to the Rambam, any activity forbidden by the Rabbis may not be performed despite the fact that a person is bedridden by illness.
The Shulchan Aruch (ibid.) does not follow either of the interpretations of the Rambam's view, but instead suggests following the opinion of the Ramban, who permits the performance of any activity forbidden by the Rabbis, provided that it is performed in an abnormal manner. Furthermore, if there is a danger to a specific limb, the Rabbinic prohibitions are waived, and such activities may be performed in the normal manner. Shulchan Aruch HaRav 328:19 is even more lenient and allows one to perform activities that are forbidden by the Torah itself, provided one performs them in an uncharacteristic manner.
39. There are times when the cartilage around the heart becomes compressed against the body and it must be lifted up in order to facilitate breathing (Avodah Zarah 29a).
40. Our translation is based on the description of the techniques of midwifery used in Talmudic and post-Talmudic times. Others translate the term as a woman being bent over with labor pains. Compare to Halachah 13, which mentions the possibility of performing forbidden labors on a woman's behalf from the time "when there is a show of blood." See Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chayim 330:3), which mentions both these terms and also refers to the condition when a woman is overcome by labor pains to the point where she must be carried by her friends. Any one of these three conditions constitutes a danger to life for which the Sabbath laws may be broken.
41. The Rambam's Commentary on the Mishnah (Shabbat 18:3) states that this leniency applies even when she lives beyond the Sabbath limits (see Chapter 27). Note Shulchan Aruch HaRav 330:3 and the Mishnah Berurah 330:9, which state that a mid-wife may be called in the preliminary stages of labor.
42. She feels more secure knowing that she will be cared for properly in the light than if she were cared for in the dark (Tosafot, Shabbat 128b).
43. These rulings are based on Shabbat, ibid. In his commentary on that text, the Ramban explains that this principle applies regarding all instances when the Sabbath laws are violated because of a danger to life. If it is possible to reduce the extent to which they are violated, one should do so.
The Maggid Mishneh postulates that the Rambam would not require such stringencies at all times. Were that the case, the Rambam would have stated this principle earlier. Instead, this is a specific ruling applicable with regard to a woman in childbirth. Greater stringency is applied in this instance, because although there is a threat to the woman's life, the probability of a woman's actually dying is very low. (It can be explained that the difference of opinion between the Ramban and the Maggid Mishneh revolves around the question whether the Sabbath laws are דחויה or הותרה in the face of a danger to life, as explained in the notes on Halachot 1 and 2.)
44. Note Sefer HaChasidim, which states that it is preferable that a woman prepare everything necessary for childbirth from the ninth month onward, so that if she gives birth on the Sabbath, only a minimal amount of forbidden labor will have to be performed.
45. The term "idolatress" is used here to refer to a gentile who actually worships idols. In contrast, the term ger toshav refers to a gentile who accepts the seven universal laws commanded to Noah and his descendants. (See Hilchot Melachim 9:1-2 and Hilchot Avodat Kochavim 10:6.)
In Hilchot Avodat Kochavim 10:2, the Rambam writes that it is forbidden to offer medical treatment to an idolater even for a fee. Accordingly, this halachah extends that principle to include a woman in childbirth. The question is raised, however, concerning the majority of the gentiles in the present age. Although the Rambam considers Christianity as idol worship, many authorities do not. According to the latter opinions, although these gentiles are not idolaters, they have not gone through the formal process of acceptance of the seven laws commanded to Noach and cannot therefore be considered as gerim toshavim.
Many authorities (see the commentary on the Moznaim edition of Hilchot Avodat Kochavim) maintain that it is permitted to treat such people during the week. On the Sabbath, however, one may not perform forbidden labors on their behalf. (See the Mishnah Berurah 330:8, which speaks very critically about physicians who violate the Sabbath laws on behalf of gentiles.) According to these authorities, one would be allowed to treat these gentiles on the Sabbath provided that there was not any forbidden labor involved. Note, however, Rav Kapach, who quotes Yemenite manuscripts of the Mishneh Torah that state "gentile" instead of "idolatress."
46. According to the generally accepted interpretation of Avodah Zarah 26b, the intent is that the non-Jews will understand that the Sabbath is a sacred day for the Jews. Even when they see that the Sabbath laws are violated for the sake of saving a Jew's life, they will accept the rationalization that the Sabbath laws may be violated only on behalf of an individual who observes the Sabbath.
Shulchan Aruch HaRav 330:2 and the Mishnah Berurah 330:8 mention that if a physician fears that ill-feeling will be generated by his refusal to care for gentiles, he may deliver their babies, provided that he does not perform labors that are forbidden by the Torah itself.
47. Based on Leviticus 25:35, Avodah Zarah 65a states that the Jews are required to maintain the well-being of such gentiles and, if necessary, the Jews should support the gentiles from their charitable funds.
48. The Rambam chooses the more lenient of the opinions mentioned in Shabbat 129a, for a woman can begin bleeding well before she gives birth.
49. Although the Lechem Mishneh states that the counting of the three days should begin from the time the uterus opens, the consensus of halachic opinion is that the three days start from birth. (See the Be'ur Halachah 330.)
50. Shulchan Aruch HaRav 330:4 and the Mishnah Berurah 330:12 explain that this refers to activities that a woman's friends will customarily perform on her behalf after she gives birth. A doctor need not be consulted about these matters. Nevertheless, if a doctor says that these activities are unnecessary, they should not be performed.
51. From the Rambam's wording (and indeed, this is the ruling of Shulchan Aruch HaRav 330:5 and the Mishnah Berurah 330:14), it appears that the woman is still considered to be dangerously ill. Hence, unless she protests to the contrary, it is assumed that this treatment is necessary.
52. Shulchan Aruch HaRav and the Mishnah Berurah, loc. cit., state that the woman's word is accepted even against the opinions of many doctors.
53. According to the halachic authorities (Shulchan Aruch HaRav 330:5 and the Mishnah Berurah 330:21), there is one exception. A fire may be kindled for a woman within thirty days after she has given birth. See the notes on the following halachah.
54. Preferably, the fire should be kindled by a gentile. If, however, there is no gentile available, the fire may be kindled by a Jew (Mishnah Berurah 330:21).
55. The Maggid Mishneh states that it appears to him that the Rambam (and Shabbat 129b, upon which this halachah is based) is speaking about a woman who gave birth less than a week previously. Although weight is given to this view (see Be'ur Halachah 330), the Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chayim 330:6) states that it refers to a woman within a month of childbirth.
56. The commentaries question whether this refers to a person who is dangerously ill or to a person who is merely seriously ill, but in no danger of dying. According to the latter view, a fire may be kindled on behalf of someone who is dangerously ill.
57. Sefer HaKovetz states that cutting the umbilical cord involves the violation of a forbidden labor and is permitted only because of the danger involved. Most authorities, however, maintain that only a Rabbinic prohibition is involved.
58. As mentioned above, most authorities maintain that only a Rabbinic prohibition may be waived on behalf of a new-born. Thus, this is interpreted as referring to water that was heated on the Sabbath by a gentile.
59. מלח is usually rendered as "salt." Our translation is based on the Rambam's Commentary on the Mishnah, Shabbat 18:3. (See also Mishnah Berurah 330:24.)
60. This is useful in straightening the child's limbs.
61. See Hilchot Milah 2:8. The Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chayim 331:9) writes that although in Talmudic times, washing a baby at this time was considered as a matter of vital importance, it is no longer common practice. The Ramah (loc. cit.) explains that it is customary to wash the baby before the circumcision with water that was heated on Friday, and to wash him after the circumcision on Saturday night.
62. There is greater discomfort on the third day after the circumcision, as explained by the commentaries on Genesis 18:1 and 34:25.
63. At present, the Ramah (loc. cit.) states that if it appears necessary, the baby may be washed with water that was heated before the Sabbath. Needless to say, in all situations, should a doctor state that such a washing is necessary, his advice should be followed.
64. The Ramah (Orach Chayim 330:5) states that it is no longer customary to follow this practice even during the week. We wait a considerable time after the woman loses consciousness, because we are afraid that she did not die, but merely fainted. Hence, by the time we are certain that she has died, we can assume that the fetus is also no longer alive.
Needless to say, at present, when our improved technology makes it possible to monitor the physical functioning of both the mother and the fetus, the physicians should decide on the basis of the information before them. Regardless of the practical application of this ruling today, the principles on which it is based are significant and should be applied in other circumstances.
65. Note Shulchan Aruch HaRav 330:7, which adds that this ruling is granted despite the fact that the fetus will normally die in such a situation. Although probability (רוב in Hebrew) is a significant factor in halachah, the possibility of saving a life overweighs it.
66. Generally, a living person can be assumed to continue to live (chezkat chayim) until we are certain that he has died. Although such a presumption cannot be made with regard to this fetus, permission is, nevertheless, granted for the Sabbath laws to be violated on its behalf.
67. The Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chayim 328:13) rephrases the concepts stated in this halachah slightly, connecting the praise given a person for being zealous in saving a life with the situation concerning catching fish described afterwards. According to the Shulchan Aruch, this situation teaches us that a person is considered praiseworthy for saving a life on the Sabbath even if he accrues personal benefit through his actions - for example, in the case at hand, in addition to saving a life, the person also receives a catch of fish.
68. The Rambam adds the term "absolutely" to indicate that it is desirable to spread out and raise one's nets to try to save the child (Lechem Mishneh). Significantly, the Jerusalem Talmud, Shabbat 13:6, states that the person is not held liable even if he intended to catch the fish together with the child.
69. The Or Sameach writes that he is given "stripes for rebelliousness" (the punishment usually given for the violation of a Rabbinic ordinance), since he intended to perform a forbidden activity. See a parallel ruling, Hilchot Nedarim 12:18.
Significantly, when mentioning this instance in Hilchot Shegagot 2:15, the Rambam states that the person acted בשוגג when catching the fish - i.e., he was unaware that it was the Sabbath or was unaware that it is forbidden to fish on the Sabbath.
70. This reflects the Rambam's decision regarding a difference of opinion between the Sages in Menachot 64a. One opinion holds the person liable for it considers his intent of primary importance, while the other frees him of liability for it views his actions as most significant.
71. These instances are cited by Yoma 84b as a continuation of the development of the concept mentioned in the previous halachah, that one may perform an activity to save someone else's life, although in the process of doing so, one derives benefit. The Talmud explains why it is necessary to mention all these different instances.
72. The Lechem Mishneh notes that the Rambam alters the text of the Talmud slightly to imply that the person breaking down the door did not do so with the intent of using the wood. Rav Kapach differs, noting that, as mentioned in the commentary on the previous halachah, the Rambam absolves the person of liability even when he has an intent to benefit from his actions. (See also the notes of Rabbi Akiva Eiger.)
73. Yoma, ibid., explains that this leniency is granted even when the fire breaks out in a courtyard other than that in which the person was located. If the fire appears to pose a danger to his life, it may be extinguished.
74. I.e., a person was seen in the vicinity of the avalanche and we are unsure whether or not he was able to escape or not.
75. The Maggid Mishneh mentions that this leniency is granted even when there are several doubts involved: Perhaps the person was not trapped under the avalanche. Even if he was trapped, perhaps he is no longer alive and the performance of the labor of clearing will be to no avail.
76. This communicates a fundamental concept in Torah law: Even a fleeting moment of a Jew's life is precious enough for all possible efforts to be performed to save him even if it is necessary to violate Torah law.
77. Although we are commanded to show respect for a corpse and not to leave it exposed, we are not allowed to violate the Sabbath laws for such a purpose. (See the Rambam's Commentary on the Mishnah, Yoma 8:5.)
78. Based on Genesis 7:22, "all that has the breath of the spirit of life," Yoma 88b states that whether a person is breathing or not is the determining factor of whether he is considered alive or not. Significantly, Shulchan Aruch HaRav 329:3 and the Mishnah Berurah 329:11 rule that even if we see that his heart is not beating, he is not considered dead until we are certain that he is not breathing.
The conception of breath as the determinant of life is significant in the present age, when it is possible that a person will continue to breathe despite brain death. The question of whether such a person is considered alive has been raised today within the context of many contemporary medical issues. Rav Moshe Feinstein (Igros Moshe, Yoreh De'ah, Vol. II, Responsum 174) and other authorities of the present age have ruled that breath is still the fundamental determinant whether or not a person is alive.
79. This halachah is based on the following principles:
a) As mentioned in Halachah 12, we may not violate the Sabbath laws to save a gentile's life.
b) כל קבוע כמחצה על מחצה - "Whenever there is a doubt concerning the identity of objects in a fixed position, we consider the probability as 50%." Since there is at least one Jew in this courtyard, until his body is located, it is considered as if there is a 50% probability that every body found is the Jew. (See also Hilchot Ma'achalot Asurot 8:11.)
80. Even if several people departed, the same rule would apply, as long as the entire group did not leave its original place. See the following halachah.
81. The Rambam's decision depends on Rabbenu Yitzchak Alfasi's text of Yoma 84b. There the Talmud explains that although in general we follow the principle, כל דפריש מרובא פריש - "Whenever an entity separates itself from a group, we assume that it was part of the majority" - in this instance, since the matter involves a possible threat to a Jewish life, this principle is given a slightly different interpretation. Since the group remains in its place, its fixed nature (קביעות) is not disrupted.
It must be emphasized that the Ra'avad, Rashi, and the Ramban have a different approach to the passage in Yoma. The Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chayim 329:2) follows the opinion quoted by the Rambam.
82. Again this ruling depends on Rav Yitzchak Alfasi's interpretation of Yoma 84b. Other authorities differ, as mentioned above.
83. This implies that if a person of unknown origin is found buried under a landslide in a place whose population is primarily gentile, we are not allowed to remove the debris from him. (See Hilchot Issurei Bi'ah 15:26.) This is a matter of question on which there is a responsum attributed to the Rambam (although its origins are disputed). (See also Shulchan Aruch, Even HaEzer 4:34, which quotes the Rambam's opinion, and the Ramah, loc. cit., who allows the debris to be removed.)
84. He should start counting the six days immediately on the day on which he realizes that he has lost touch with the weekly calendar.
85. Similarly, in his daily prayers, he should recite the prayers of the Sabbath on that day. The recitation of these prayers was instituted so that the person should not lose consciousness of the observance of the Sabbath entirely.
86. The Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chayim 344:1) states that as long as the person has means, he is not allowed to work at all. Permission to work is granted only when it is a life and death matter. This explains why this halachah is included in this chapter.
87. The Maggid Mishneh and the Shulchan Aruch (loc. cit.) emphasize that although there is a prohibition against walking beyond the Sabbath limits, it is not as serious as the prohibition against forbidden labors. Hence, it is waived in order to allow this person the opportunity to reach a settled area and observe the Sabbath in a proper manner.
88. If he earns enough on that day to support himself for several days, he must cease work until his means are exhausted (Mishnah Berurah 344:11).
89. Although these laws surely apply to Jewish communities in Eretz Yisrael, these same laws are also relevant to Jewish communities in the diaspora.
90. Since their intent is only financial, the Sabbath laws may not be violated for this reason. Note, however, Shulchan Aruch HaRav 329:7 and the Mishnah Berurah 329:17, which state that at present, even when gentiles initially come only for pillage and plunder, since they have no compunctions about killing Jews, particularly if one will defend his property, any gentile raid on a Jewish community is considered a question of life and death warranting the violation of the Sabbath laws.
91. The rationale is that if a border city is conquered, the enemies will have a vantage point from which to conquer the entire land. This concept has relevance beyond the Sabbath laws. For example, the Lubavitcher Rebbe Shelita has explained that these principles are relevant to the territorial disputes between Jews and gentiles in Eretz Yisrael today. Returning any territory to the Arabs would jeopardize the safety of the entire land.
92. War must be waged against them because it is possible that their intent is to kill. Hence, we follow the principle that the Sabbath laws may be violated even where there is merely a question of a threat to life.
93. I.e., an obligation. See Hilchot Rotzeach UShemirat HaNefesh 1:14, which describes the mitzvah (Leviticus 19:16): "Do not stand by idly while your neighbor's life is in danger."
It is told that in the Maccabean revolt, the Greeks once attacked the Jews on the Sabbath. The people, unaware of this law, refused to take up arms in defense and thousands died. Afterwards, the Rabbis publicized this ruling.
94. Eruvin 45a relates that originally it was forbidden for the people to return with their weapons, and they would leave them in a home within the city's wall. Once the enemy forces saw that the Jews were returning unarmed and attacked them. More Jews were killed in the confused scramble for their weapons than by the enemy attack. After this event, the Sages allowed those who come to assist a besieged city to return with their weapons.
95. Rabbi Akiva Eiger states that this applies only when one knows that there are Jews on the ship. If we do not have such information, it would appear that we should assume that the passengers of the ship are gentiles and should not endeavor to save their lives.
96. Hilchot Ta'aniot 1:1 states that it is a mitzvah to cry out to God for assistance in the event of any distressing situation that affects a Jewish community. On the Sabbath, however, it is only proper to make such requests when there is an immediate threat to human life. Just as such requests are made on behalf of a community, they should also be made on behalf of a single individual whose life is threatened (Hilchot Ta'aniot 1:6, Hilchot Shabbat 30:12).
97. Hilchot Ta'aniot 1:1 states that, as part of the mitzvah of entreating God's mercy, trumpets should be sounded. Nevertheless, trumpets should be not be sounded for this purpose on the Sabbath, since sounding the trumpets violates a Rabbinic prohibition (Hilchot Shofar 2:7). Here, however, the intent in sounding the trumpets is to alert the Jews in the surrounding area and to summon them. The prohibition is waived for this purpose. (See Hilchot Ta'aniot 1:6.)
98. Just as one may violate the Sabbath laws to save a Jew's life, one may violate the Sabbath laws to save a Jew who is being forced to adopt a gentile way of life (Shulchan Aruch HaRav 306:29 and the Mishnah Berurah 306:57).
99. See Ta'anit 22b.
100. In Chapter 30, Halachah 13, the Rambam states that this requirement was instituted "so that the soldiers' minds will be settled and they will not be overly preoccupied on the Sabbath." Although the war will require violation of the Sabbath laws, efforts should be made to minimize the tension and anxiety experienced by the soldiers to the greatest degree possible.
See Hilchot Melachim 6:11 which states that we can lay siege to gentile cities "on the Sabbath." The Kessef Mishneh notes the contradiction and suggests amending the text of Hilchot Melachim in light of our halachah. The Lechem Mishneh, however, explains that this clause of our halachah speaks of a milchemet reshut, a war which we are not obligated to wage, while Hilchot Melachim speaks of a milchemet mitzvah, a war which we are obligated to wage.
101. Hilchot Melachim describes a voluntary war, a milchemet reshut, as a war fought "to expand the borders of Israel or magnify [the king's] greatness and reputation." In contrast, a war that is obligatory in nature, a milchemet mitzvah, refers to "the war against the seven nations [who occupied Eretz Yisrael], the war against Amalek, and [a war] fought to assist Israel against an enemy which attacks her."
102. Sifre on Deuteronomy (loc. cit.), Shabbat 19a.
103. According to the Kessef Mishneh's (Hilchot Melachim 6:11), this refers to the leniency of waging war on the Sabbath. The restriction of laying siege to a city three days before the Sabbath, in contrast, applies only with regard to voluntary wars. In an obligatory war, we may lay siege to a city even on the Sabbath itself.
104. Rav Kapach notes that the citation of a historical event as proof of a law is extremely out of character for the Rambam in the Mishneh Torah. He explains that the Rambam's statements are directed against statements of Rav Sa'adiah Gaon, who writes that Jericho did not fall on the Sabbath.
It is possible to explain the Rambam's statements from another perspective. Joshua was instructed concerning the conquest of Jericho by Divine command. Indeed, according to human reason, there was no reason why Jericho should have been conquered on the Sabbath. Hence, the fact that God delivered such a command is a clear directive that one may begin a milchemet mitzvah on the Sabbath.
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Hayom Yom Today's Hayom Yom
Shabbat 15 Adar I, Shushan Purim Katan 5703 - 15 February 2014
Av Harachamim (p. 191) and Tzidkat'cha (p. 209) are not said.
Torah lessons: Chumash: Tetzaveh, Shevi'i with Rashi.
Tehillim: 77-78.
Tanya: In addition (p. 129)...in the holy Zohar (p. 133).
Before pronouncing the b'racha hamotzi, a scratch is made on the bread with the knife, but we are careful not to cut into it.
Even when saying kiddush over bread, we still say savri maranan (p. 141).
It is said of the Time To Come:1 "A stone in the wall will cry out and a beam from the tree will respond." At present, inert creations are mute; though trodden upon, they remain silent. But there will come a time when the revelation of the Future becomes a reality, that the inert will begin to speak, relate and demand: "If a man was walking along without thinking or speaking words of Torah, why did he trample upon me?"
The earth trodden upon has been waiting for millenia, ever since the Six Days of Creation. All kinds of living creatures have been treading upon it all this time, but it is waiting for a Jew (or two Jews) to walk on it while discussing Torah. But if they do not say words of Torah, the earth will protest: "You too are just like an animal!"
Compiled and arranged by the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, of righteous memory, in 5703 (1943) from the talks and letters of the sixth Chabad Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, of righteous memory.
FOOTNOTES
1. Chabakuk 2:11.
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Daily Thought:Nothing Lost, Everything Gained
There are some who are afraid of a new age.
They wonder: What will happen to my career? My whole lifestyle will have to change! What about all the acquaintances and connections I’ve spent a lifetime building? And what about all my worldly possessions, my retirement plan, my investments? Will they take my car away?
The era that is coming is not something separate from our times. It is pieced together from everything we do now, and all that we know of shall remain. Only the negativity will vanish, and the G‑dliness within each thing will be obvious for us to see.
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