Chabad - Today in Judaism - Today is: Thursday, 26 Tammuz, 5774 - 24 July 2014

Chabad - Today in Judaism - Today is: Thursday, 26 Tammuz, 5774 - 24 July 2014
Today's Laws and Customs:
"The Three Weeks"
During the Three Weeks, from 17th of Tamuz to the 9th of Av, we commemorate the conquest of Jerusalem, the destruction of the Holy Temple and the dispersion of the Jewish people.
Weddings and other joyful events are not held during this period; like mourners, we do not cut our hair, and various pleasurable activities are limited or proscribed. (The particular mourning customs vary from community to community, so consult a competent halachic authority for details.)
Citing the verse (Isaiah 1:27) "Zion shall be redeemed with mishpat [Torah] and its returnees with tzedakah," the Rebbe urged that we increase in Torah study (particularly the study of the laws of the Holy Temple) and charity during this period.
Links:
The Three Weeks
Today in Jewish History:
Passing of Rabbi Shlomo Ganzfried (1886)
Rabbi Shlomo Ganzfried (1804-1886) was born in Uzhhorod (Ungvar) in the Carpathian region of the Habsburg Empire (now Ukraine). When he was eight years old, Shlomo's father, Rabbi Yosef, passed way, and Ungvar's chief rabbi, Rabbi Tzvi Hirsh Heller, assumed legal guardianship of Shlomo. In 1830, he abandoned his work as a wine merchant and accepted the position of Rabbi of Brezovica (Brezevitz). In 1849, he returned to Ungvar to serve as a rabbinical judge. Realizing that the average Jew required a basic knowledge of practical halachah, Rabbi Ganzfried compiled the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch, an abbreviated digest of Jewish law. To this day, the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch remains a classic halachic work, and it has been translated into many languages.
In addition to the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch, he authored many works including Kesset HaSofer, a halachic primer for scribes, and Pnei Shlomo, a commentary on the Talmud.
DAILY QUOTE:
He who fulfills one mitzvah, acquires for himself one angel-advocate; he who commits one transgression, acquires against himself one angel-accuser(Ethics of the Fathers 4:11)
DAILY STUDY:
CHITAS AND RAMBAM FOR TODAY:
Chumash with Rashi
Parshat Massei, 5th Portion (Numbers 35:1-35:8)
Chapter 35
1. The Lord spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab, by the Jordan at Jericho saying: א. וַיְדַבֵּר יְהֹוָה אֶל משֶׁה בְּעַרְבֹת מוֹאָב עַל יַרְדֵּן יְרֵחוֹ לֵאמֹר:
2. Command the children of Israel that they shall give to the Levites from their hereditary possession cities in which to dwell, and you shall give the Levites open spaces around the cities. ב. צַו אֶת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְנָתְנוּ לַלְוִיִּם מִנַּחֲלַת אֲחֻזָּתָם עָרִים לָשָׁבֶת וּמִגְרָשׁ לֶעָרִים סְבִיבֹתֵיהֶם תִּתְּנוּ לַלְוִיִּם:
open spaces: Empty belts of land surrounding each city, so as to beautify the city. It was forbidden to build a house, plant a vineyard or sow seed there. — [Arachin 33b]
ומגרש: ריוח מקום חלק חוץ לעיר סביב להיות לנוי לעיר, ואין רשאין לבנות שם בית ולא לנטוע כרם ולא לזרוע זריעה:
3. These cities shall be theirs for dwelling, and their open spaces shall be for their cattle, their property, and for all their needs. ג. וְהָיוּ הֶעָרִים לָהֶם לָשָׁבֶת וּמִגְרְשֵׁיהֶם יִהְיוּ לִבְהֶמְתָּם וְלִרְכֻשָׁם וּלְכֹל חַיָּתָם:
and for all their needs: Heb. חַיָּתָם, for their personal necessities. — [Ned. 81a]
ולכל חיתם: ולכל צרכיהם:
4. The areas of open space for the cities which you shall give to the Levites shall extend from the wall of the city outward, one thousand cubits all around. ד. וּמִגְרְשֵׁי הֶעָרִים אֲשֶׁר תִּתְּנוּ לַלְוִיִּם מִקִּיר הָעִיר וָחוּצָה אֶלֶף אַמָּה סָבִיב:
one thousand cubits all around: Yet following this it says,“two thousand cubits”? How can this be? However, He assigned two thousand for them around the city, of which the inner thousand was for open area and the outer [thousand] for fields and vineyards. — [Sotah 27b]
אלף אמה סביב: ואחריו הוא אומר אלפים באמה, הא כיצד אלפים, הוא נותן להם סביב, ומהם אלף הפנימים למגרש והחיצונים לשדות וכרמים:
5. You shall measure from outside the city, two thousand cubits on the eastern side, two thousand cubits on the southern side, two thousand cubits on the western side, and two thousand cubits on the northern side, with the city in the middle; this shall be your cities' open spaces. ה. וּמַדֹּתֶם מִחוּץ לָעִיר אֶת פְּאַת קֵדְמָה אַלְפַּיִם בָּאַמָּה וְאֶת פְּאַת נֶגֶב אַלְפַּיִם בָּאַמָּה וְאֶת פְּאַת יָם | אַלְפַּיִם בָּאַמָּה וְאֵת פְּאַת צָפוֹן אַלְפַּיִם בָּאַמָּה וְהָעִיר בַּתָּוֶךְ זֶה יִהְיֶה לָהֶם מִגְרְשֵׁי הֶעָרִים:
6. Among the cities you shall give to the Levites, shall be six cities of refuge, which you shall provide [as places] to which a murderer can flee. In addition to them, you shall provide forty two cities. ו. וְאֵת הֶעָרִים אֲשֶׁר תִּתְּנוּ לַלְוִיִּם אֵת שֵׁשׁ עָרֵי הַמִּקְלָט אֲשֶׁר תִּתְּנוּ לָנֻס שָׁמָּה הָרֹצֵחַ וַעֲלֵיהֶם תִּתְּנוּ אַרְבָּעִים וּשְׁתַּיִם עִיר:
7. All the cities you shall give to the Levites shall number forty eight cities, them with their open spaces. ז. כָּל הֶעָרִים אֲשֶׁר תִּתְּנוּ לַלְוִיִּם אַרְבָּעִים וּשְׁמֹנֶה עִיר אֶתְהֶן וְאֶת מִגְרְשֵׁיהֶן:

8. And as for the cities that you shall give from the possession of the children of Israel, you shall take more from a larger [holding] and you shall take less from a smaller one. Each one, according to the inheritance allotted to him, shall give of his cities to the Levites. ח. וְהֶעָרִים אֲשֶׁר תִּתְּנוּ מֵאֲחֻזַּת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל מֵאֵת הָרַב תַּרְבּוּ וּמֵאֵת הַמְעַט תַּמְעִיטוּ אִישׁ כְּפִי נַחֲלָתוֹ אֲשֶׁר יִנְחָלוּ יִתֵּן מֵעָרָיו לַלְוִיִּם:
-------
Daily Tehillim - Psalms Chapter 119, Verses 97-176
Verses 97-176
97. O how I love Your Torah! All day it is my discussion.
98. Your commandments make me wiser than my enemies, for they are ever with me.
99. From all my teachers I have gained wisdom, for Your testimonies are my discussion.
100. I will be more perceptive than elders, because I have guarded Your precepts.
101. I have restrained my feet from every evil path, that I might keep Your word.
102. I have not turned away from Your judgments, for You have instructed me.
103. How sweet are Your words to my palate, [sweeter] than honey to my mouth!
104. From Your precepts I gain understanding, therefore I hate every path of falsehood.
105. Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
106. I have sworn-and I will fulfill it-to keep Your righteous judgments.
107. I am afflicted to the extreme; grant me life, O Lord, according to Your promise.
108. Accept with favor, O Lord, the offerings of my lips, and teach me Your laws.
109. My soul is in danger always, yet I have not forgotten Your Torah.
110. The wicked laid a snare for me, yet I have not strayed from Your precepts.
111. I have taken Your testimonies as an eternal heritage, for they are the joy of my heart.
112. I have inclined my heart to perform Your statutes, forever, to the last.
113. I despise vain thoughts, but I love Your Torah.
114. You are my refuge and my shield; I place hope in Your promise.
115. Turn away from me, you evildoers, and I will keep the commandments of my God.
116. Support me according to Your promise, and I will live; let me not be shamed because of my hope.
117. Sustain me, and I will be saved, and I will be engrossed in Your statutes always.
118. You trample all who stray from Your statutes, for their ploy is a lie.
119. You have purged all the wicked of the earth like dross, therefore I love Your testimonies.
120. My flesh bristles from fear of You, and I am in awe of Your judgments.
121. I practiced justice and righteousness; leave me not to my oppressors.
122. Guarantee Your servant goodness; let not the wicked exploit me.
123. My eyes long for Your salvation, and for the word of Your righteousness.
124. Treat Your servant according to Your kindness, and teach me Your statutes.
125. I am Your servant; grant me understanding, that I may know Your testimonies.
126. It is time to act for the Lord; they have abrogated Your Torah.
127. Therefore I love Your commandments more than gold, even fine gold.
128. Therefore I affirmed all Your precepts; I have hated every path of falsehood.
129. Your testimonies are wondrous, therefore does my soul guard them.
130. Your opening words illuminate, enlightening the simple.
131. I opened my mouth and swallowed, because I craved Your commandments.
132. Turn to me and favor me, as is [Your] law for those who love Your Name.
133. Set my steps in Your word, and let no iniquity rule over me.
134. Deliver me from the oppression of man, and I will keep Your precepts.
135. Let Your face shine upon Your servant, and teach me Your statutes.
136. My eyes shed streams of water, because they do not keep Your Torah.
137. Righteous are you, O Lord, and Your judgments are upright.
138. You commanded Your testimonies in righteousness and great faithfulness.
139. My zeal consumes me, because my enemies have forgotten Your words.
140. Your word is very pure, and Your servant cherishes it.
141. I am young and despised, yet I do not forget Your precepts.
142. Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and Your Torah is truth.
143. Trouble and anguish have taken hold of me, yet Your commandments are my delight.
144. Your testimonies are righteous forever; give me understanding, that I may live.
145. I call out with all my heart; answer me, O Lord; I will keep Your statutes.
146. I call out to You; save me, and I will observe Your testimonies.
147. I rose before dawn and cried out; my hope is in Your word.
148. My eyes preceded the night watches, that I may discuss Your word.
149. Hear my voice in keeping with Your kindness; O Lord, grant me life as is Your practice.
150. Those who pursue mischief draw near; they are far from Your Torah.
151. You are near, O Lord, and all Your commandments are truth.
152. From the beginning I discerned from Your testimonies that You had established them forever.
153. Behold my affliction and deliver me, for I have not forgotten Your Torah.
154. Wage my battle and redeem me; grant me life for the sake of Your word.
155. Salvation is far from the wicked, for they seek not Your statutes.
156. Your mercies are great, O Lord; grant me life as is Your practice.
157. My pursuers and my enemies are many, yet I did not turn away from Your testimonies.
158. I saw traitors and I quarreled with them, because they do not keep Your words.
159. Behold how I love Your precepts; grant me life, O Lord, according to Your kindness.
160. The beginning of Your word is truth, and forever are all Your righteous judgements.
161. Princes have pursued me without cause, but it is Your word my heart fears.
162. I rejoice at Your word, like one who finds abundant spoil.
163. I hate falsehood and abhor it, but Your Torah I love.
164. Seven times a day I praise You, because of Your righteous judgments.
165. There is abundant peace for those who love Your Torah, and there is no stumbling for them.
166. I hoped for Your salvation, O Lord, and I performed Your commandments.
167. My soul has kept Your testimonies, and I love them intensely.
168. I have kept Your precepts and Your testimonies, for all my ways are before You
169. Let my prayer approach Your presence, O Lord; grant me understanding according to Your word.
170. Let my supplication come before You; save me according to Your promise.
171. My lips will utter praise, for You have taught me Your statutes.
172. My tongue will echo Your word, for all Your commandments are just.
173. Let Your hand be ready to help me, for I have chosen Your precepts.
174. I long for Your salvation, O Lord, and Your Torah is my delight.
175. Let my soul live, and it will praise You, and let Your judgment help me.

176. I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek out Your servant, for I have not forgotten Your commandments.
-------
Tanya Igeret HaTeshuva , middle of Chapter 7
Lessons in Tanya:
Thursday, 26 Tammuz 5774 - July 24, 2014
Today's Tanya
Igeret HaTeshuva , middle of Chapter 7
והאיך נשבר הלב ונדכה
And how is the heart to be broken and humbled?
הנה מעט מזעיר הוא על ידי סיגופים ותעניות
Only a very minor part of this can be accomplished through mortification and fasts
בדורותינו אלה, שאין לנו כח להתענות הרבה כדוד המלך
in these generations of ours, when we have not the strength to fast as much as did King David;
כמאמר רז״ל על פסוק: ולבי חלל בקרבי, שהרגו בתענית
as our Sages comment1 on the verse uttered by him,2 “And my heart is slain within me” — “ for he had destroyed [his Evil Inclination] by fasting.”
אך עיקר הכנעת הלב, להיות נשבר ונדכה
But the true humbling of the heart, so that it be broken and crushed,
והעברת רוח הטומאה והסטרא אחרא
and so that the spirit of impurity and sitra achra will be removed,
הוא להיות ממארי דחושבנא בעומק הדעת
is achieved through being a “master of accounting” with all the profundity of one’s mind.
One’s personal stocktaking should be as scrupulous as the accounting made by the master or owner of a business, to whom every detail is critical.
להעמיק דעתו ובינתו שעה אחת בכל יום או לילה לפני תיקון חצות
One should concentrate his intellect and understanding deeply for a period3 every day, or at night before Tikkun Chatzot,
להתבונן במה שפעל ועשה בחטאיו, בחינת גלות השכינה כנ״ל
to contemplate how through his sins he has brought about the exile of the Divine Presence, as noted above,
וגרם לעקור נשמתו ונפשו האלקית מחיי החיים ברוך הוא
and caused his spirit and Divine soul to be uprooted from the Divine Source of all Life,
והורידה למקום הטומאה והמות, הן היכלות הסטרא אחרא
and demeaned it to a place of defilement and death, namely, the chambers of the sitra achra,
ונעשית בבחינת מרכבה אליהם
[his soul] becoming a vehicle for them,
Just as a vehicle has no will of its own and is completely subservient to the desires of its driver, so, too, is his soul subservient to the impure chambers of the sitra achra from whence it derives nurture.
לקבל מהם שפע וחיות להשפיע לגופו, כנ״ל
receiving from them vitality to endow his body, as noted above — that the nurture and life-force of the sinner emanate from the kelipot and sitra achra.
Meditation along these lines will bring a man to a state of contrition — itself a fit offering to the Divine Name Elokim.
וזהו שאמרו רז״ל: רשעים בחייהם קרויים מתים
Thus our Sages declared4 that “the wicked while alive (lit., ”in their life“) are called ‘dead’.”
כלומר, שחייהם נמשכים ממקום המות והטומאה
This means to say, that their life is derived from the site of death and impurity — from the chambers of the kelipot and sitra achra, as opposed to holiness, which is true life.
וכן מה שכתוב: לא המתים יהללו וגו׳, אינו כלועג לרש, חס ושלום
(5Accordingly, the verse6 that says that “the dead will not praise...” is no “mockery of the impoverished,” G‑d forbid,7 for it does not refer to those who are physically dead.
אלא הכוונה על הרשעים, שבחייהם קרויים מתים
Rather, the reference is to the wicked who, while alive, are called dead, and being spiritually dead are unable to praise G‑d,
שמבלבלים אותם במחשבות זרות בעודם ברשעם, ואינם חפיצים בתשובה, כנודע
for they are confused with alien thoughts while yet in their wickedness, and do not desire repentance, as is known.)
While in such a state, the evil person will find it well nigh impossible to praise G‑d fittingly, because of the confusing alien thoughts which are thrust upon him.
Thus, an individual will become contrite of heart when he contemplates how his soul has been uprooted from its Source because of a sin incurring excision or death by divine agency.
The Alter Rebbe now goes on to say that even sins which do not carry so harsh a penalty may still have the same effect.
FOOTNOTES
1. Note of the Rebbe: “Conclusion of Yerushalmi, Berachot; quoted as well in [Tanya,] Part I, ch. 1.”
2. Tehillim 109:22.
3. Note of the Rebbe: “At a pinch this phrase could be said to mean an actual hour, like the preparatory period before prayer.”
4. Berachot 18b.
5. Parentheses are in the original text.
6. Tehillim 115:17.

7. Note of the Rebbe: “For this is so utterly forbidden that our Sages have said, ‘One should not go...’ (Berachot 18a).”
-------
Rambam:
Daily Mitzvah P107 - Sefer Hamitzvot
Thursday, 26 Tammuz 5774 - July 24, 2014
Important Message Regarding This Lesson
The Daily Mitzvah schedule runs parallel to the daily study of 3 chapters of Maimonides' 14-volume code. There are instances when the Mitzvah is repeated a few days consecutively while the exploration of the same Mitzvah continues in the in-depth track.
Positive Commandment 107 (Digest)
Ritual Impurity Contracted through Contact with a Corpse
We are commanded regarding the ritual impurity contracted through contact with a human corpse. [I.e., if contracted, one must follow all the laws associated with this impurity.]
The 107th mitzvah1 is that we are commanded regarding the tumah conveyed by a dead body.2 This mitzvah includes all the laws relating to tumas meis.3
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.In the order given here, following the order of Mishneh Torah, P107 is the first of the commandments dealing with tumah and taharah (ritual purity and impurity). In the order of Sefer HaMitzvos, however, P96 is the first of these mitzvos, and there the Rambam gives a general introduction to all these mitzvos.
2.Num. 19:11ff.
3.Such as which parts of the body convey tumah, how it is conveyed, etc. See Hilchos Tumas Meis.
_____________________
Rambam:
1 Chapter - Sechirut - Chapter 13
Sechirut - Chapter 13
Halacha 1
An animal should be given the opportunity to eat whenever it works with produce, whether the produce is still attached to the ground or has been harvested. Similarly, it may partake of produce from the burden it is carrying until it has been unloaded, provided that the person caring for the animal does not take the produce in his hand and feed it.
Halacha 2
Whoever prevents an animal from eating while it is working should be punished by lashes, as Deuteronomy 25:4 states: "Do not muzzle an ox while threshing."
The prohibition applies to an ox and to all other species of animals and beasts, whether a kosher animal or a non-kosher animal. Similarly, it applies with regard to threshing and all other types of work with produce. The Torah speaks about an ox threshing only to mention the most common instance.
An employer is not liable if he muzzles a worker. He is, however, liable for muzzling an animal. This applies whether he muzzles the animal while he is working with it or muzzles it beforehand and works with it while muzzled. He is liable even if he "muzzles it" with his mouth.
When a person rents an animal, muzzles it and then threshes with it, he receives lashes and must pay the owners the value of four kabbin of grain for a cow, and three kabbin for a donkey. Although generally a person does not receive both lashes and a financial penalty for the same transgression, an exception is made in this instance, because the renter was obligated to provide the animal with its sustenance from the time he pulled it after him, and he is not liable for lashes until he threshes with the animal while muzzled.
Halacha 3
When a Jew threshes with a cow belonging to a gentile, he is subject to violating the prohibition against muzzling. When, by contrast, a gentile threshes with an ox belonging to Jew, he is not subject to violating this prohibition.
If a Jew tells a gentile: "Muzzle my ox and thresh with it," a thorn becomes lodged in the ox's mouth and he threshes with it so it does not eat, he places a lion outside the threshing floor, he places the animal's son outside the threshing floor, he does not provide the animal with drink when it is thirsty, or spreads a hide over the grain so that it will not eat - all of these and similar acts are forbidden, but the person does not receive lashes.
When the produce with which the animal is working is bad for its digestion and will damage the animal's health or when the animal is sick and eating will cause it to become diarrheic, it is permitted to prevent the animal from eating. The rationale is that the Torah enacted this prohibition so that the animal would benefit, and in such an instance it does not benefit.
Halacha 4
When a priest is threshing grain that is terumah or grain that is definitely terumat ma'aser with a cow that belongs to an Israelite, he is not subject to violating the prohibition against muzzling them.
This law also applies when cows thresh grain that is ma'aser sheni and when cows veer from the path. Nevertheless, because of the impression that might be created, when the cows are threshing grain that is terumah or ma'aser sheni the worker should bring that type of grain and place it in the food sack hanging below their mouths.
Halacha 5
When a person muzzles a cow that is threshing produce that is ma'aser sheni which is demai terumat ma'aser which is demai or produce that grew from terumah he violates the prohibition against muzzling the animal.
Halacha 6
The owner of an ox is permitted to make his animal hungry and aggrieve it so that it will eat a large quantity of the grain that it is threshing. Conversely, the renter of the ox may feed it hay so that it will not eat a large quantity of the grain that it is threshing.
Similarly, an employer may provide his workers with wine so that they will not eat many grapes. Conversely, the workers may dip their bread in brine so they will eat many grapes.
A worker may not, however, perform work at night and then hire himself out during the day, or work with his ox in the evening and then rent it out in the morning. Similarly, he should not starve and aggrieve himself and give his food to his sons, because this leads to stealing from the work due his employer, for his energy will be sapped and his thinking unclear, and he will not be able to perform his work robustly.
Halacha 7
Just as the employer is warned not to steal the wage of the poor person or to withhold it from him, the poor person is forewarned not to steal from the work due his employer and neglect his work slightly here and there, spending the entire day in deceit.
Instead, he is obligated to be precise with regard to his time. The importance of such preciseness is indicated by our Sages' ruling that workers should not recite the fourth blessing of grace, so as not to neglect their work.
Similarly, a worker is obligated to work with all his strength, for Jacob the righteous man said Genesis 31:7: "I served your father with all my strength." Therefore, he will be granted a reward even in this world, as indicated by ibid. 30:43: "And the man became prodigiously wealthy."
Blessed be God who grants assistance.
-------
Rambam:
3 Chapters - Tum'at Met - Chapter 6, Tum'at Met - Chapter 7, Tum'at Met - Chapter 8
Tum'at Met - Chapter 6
Halacha 1
When one makes keilim out of the bones of a fish or its skin, they are not susceptible to ritual impurity, neither according to Scriptural Law, nor according to Rabbinic Law. Similar concepts apply with regard to the green moss that appears at the surface of the water and the like. For all entities that come from the sea are pure, as will be explained in Hilchot Keilim. Accordingly, when one makes a tent from the skin of a fish or from moss growing in the sea, the tent itself is not susceptible to impurity although it conveys impurity to everything under it like other tents.
Halacha 2
Keilim made from animal turds, stone implements, or implements made from earth, are not susceptible to ritual impurity, neither according to Scriptural Law, nor according to Rabbinic Law. This applies to the impurity stemming from a human corpse and to other types of impurity.
Similarly, containers that are made to be left in place semi-permanently, e.g., a chest, a cabinet, a container shaped like a beehive which can contain 40 se'ah of a liquid and have a base are not susceptible to ritual impurity, neither according to Scriptural Law, nor according to Rabbinic Law. They are called: oversized wooden containers.
Halacha 3
When implements are made from wood, those which are flat are pure, while those that can serve as a container are susceptible to impurity. Similarly, with regard to earthenware implements: those which are flat are pure, while those that can serve as a container are susceptible to impurity. The latter are susceptible to impurity only from their inner space or when moved by a zav. Even when a corpse touches the outer surface of an earthenware container, the container does not contract impurity. If any of the sources of impurity enter the inner space of such a container, they impart impurity even though they do not touch the container.
If an earthenware container was in the same tent as a corpse, it contracts impurity, because the impurity enters its inner space. If it had a cover fastened to it, it and everything in it is pure, as stated in the Torah, for impurity enters it only through its opening and when it is moved by a zav. In the latter instance, it is impure, because he is considered to have touched it in its entirety.
Halacha 4
When one makes a gollel from an object that is not susceptible to impurity, e.g., he placed a stone, a vessel made from earth, an oversized wooden container, an earthenware container that was fastened closed, or a fish skin or its bone, on a grave, one who touches these articles contracts the impurity that lasts seven days, because he has touched a gollel. If they ceased serving as a gollel, or the corpse was removed from beneath them, they are pure,
Similarly, when an animal is tied down and made a gollel, anyone who touches it contracts the impurity that lasts seven days as long as it serves as a gollel. If the animal is released, it is pure, like all other animals. Similarly, if a barrel filled with liquids that was fastened closed was made into a gollel for a corpse, one who touches it contracts the impurity that lasts seven days. The barrel and the liquids are pure.
Halacha 5
When a beam is used as a gollel for a grave, whether it is standing upright or lying on its side, only the portion that is above the opening of the grave becomes impure. One who touches the end of it which is lying outside the grave is pure.
If one made its head a gollel for a grave and it is standing over the grave like a tree, anyone who touches it within the four handbreadths that are immediately above the grave is impure because of the laws of gollel. If he touches it above four handbreadths, he is pure.
When does the above apply? When he will cut off the upper portions of the beam in the future. If he is not planning to cut them off, the beam is considered as a gollel in its entirety.
Halacha 6
If two large stones, four handbreadths by four handbreadths, were used as a gollel, when one stands over either of them, he is impure. If one of them was removed, one who stands over the other is pure. The rationale is that the impurity has a path through which to depart.
Halacha 7
When one uses a mound of small stones as a gollel for a grave, only the inner layer which covers the grave per se imparts impurity. One who touches the remainder of the stones is pure.
Halacha 8
When a burial vault was hewed out of a large stone, the corpse was placed inside and then one covered it with a gollel, one who touches any portion of the stone is pure. One who touches the gollel is impure. To what can this be compared? To a large pit filled with corpses with a large stone covering its opening. Only the portion above the open space imparts impurity. If one builds a structure over it, it is considered as a closed grave which imparts impurity from all sides.
If a burial vault hewn into the stone was wide at its bottom and narrow at its top, and a corpse was placed within, one who touches it from below is pure, but one who touches it from above is impure. The rationale is that the side portions above are resting over the corpse and are considered like a gollel.
If a burial vault hewn into the stone was wide at its top and narrow at its bottom, one who touches any place on it is impure. If its sides are straight, one who touches it from the handbreadth next to the bottom of the grave and upwards, is impure. If he touches from that handbreadth and lower, he is pure. If one hollowed out a burial vault in a stone and inserted the corpse in it like a nail, one who touches anywhere on the stone's surface is pure, except for the opening through which the corpse was inserted.
Halacha 9
The following laws apply to a cave in which a grave is located and to the courtyard in front of the cave. When the courtyard is open, one standing in it is pure as long as he does not touch the lintel of the cave. Different laws apply when the courtyard is covered. If there is an area four handbreadths by four handbreadths or more that is open at the side of the cave, anyone who enters the courtyard is pure. If the open space was less than four handbreadths by four handbreadths, one who enters the courtyard is impure, even though he did not touch the entrance to the cave.
Tum'at Met - Chapter 7
Halacha 1
When a corpse is located in a closed structure or in one which had an opening, but its doorframe was destroyed and it was closed up, it imparts impurity to all its surroundings. Anyone who touches the back or the roof of the structure contracts the impurity that lasts seven days, because it is like a closed grave.
If an entrance had been opened in it, even if it was closed up, as long as the doorframe was not destroyed, one who touches the back of the structure or its roof, is pure. Only the area in front of the door is impure.
How large is the measure of a doorway? If an entire corpse is in the building, the entrance must be four handbreadths. If there is only an olive-sized portion of a corpse, the entrance must be a handbreadth. Any portion larger than an olive-sized portion is considered as an entire corpse and requires an entrance of four handbreadths
Halacha 2
The following rules apply when there is a corpse in a building that has many entrances. When they are all closed, they all impart ritual impurity. One who sits near any of the entrances under the roof that protrudes over the entrance becomes impure.
If one of them was opened or one intended to remove the corpse through one of them even though he had this thought after the person died and even if he intended to remove it through a window that is four handbreadths by four handbreadths, this saves all the other entrances. Only the entrance that is open or about which he thought imparts impurity. The others are pure, because they are closed and the building is not considered as a closed grave. Similarly, if one began hollowing out an opening through which to remove the corpse, when he has hollowed out an area four handbreadths by four handbreadths, this saves all the other entrances.
If there was a closed entrance and he intended to remove the corpse through it and began to open it, once he opens it, it saves all the other entrances. If the building had many windows, but they were all closed, they are all pure. If they are open, they all impart impurity, but they do not save the entrances.
When there is a small entrance inside a large entrance, anything that covers either of them imparts impurity. If one intended to remove the corpse through the smaller entrance, the smaller entrance purifies the larger one. If they are both of equal size, anything that covers either of them imparts impurity. If one intended to remove the corpse through either of them, it purifies the other.
If the building had one entrance in the north and one entrance in the south and one intended to remove the corpse through the northern entrance, that entrance imparts impurity. If, afterwards, the brother or the relatives of the deceased came and said: "We will remove it only from the southern entrance," the southern entrance replaces and purifies the northern entrance provided one does not say so as a ruse. If he says so as a ruse, they both impart impurity.
Halacha 3
The following rules apply when several houses open to an exedra and a corpse is located in one of the houses. If the usual practice was to remove the corpse through the exedra, the gateway and the houses become impure. If not, the gateway is impure and the houses are pure.
If there is a closed room in a house and a corpse was brought into the room through an open window, the outer portion of the house is pure. The rationale is that the impurity goes back and departs through the same window that it entered.
Halacha 4
A grave does not impart impurity to the area around it unless there is empty space a handbreadth long, a handbreadth wide and a handbreadth high above the corpse. Should that condition be met, even if one built a structure over the space of one cubic handbreadth until the heavens, it imparts impurity in its entirety, because the entire structure is considered as a grave.
If the impurity was flush against the covering and there was not an empty space of a cubic handbreadth, the impurity pierces through and ascends and pierces through and descends. The only ones who are impure are those who touch the space above the impurity, stand over it from above, touch the space below it, or stand below it. If, however, one touches the side of the building, he is pure.
Halacha 5
This is a great general principle with regard to the impurity stemming from a corpse: If the impurity is flush with its covering, the impurity pierces through and ascends until the heavens and pierces through and descends until the depths, but does not impart impurity to those on the sides.
What is implied? There is a heap of grain or a pile of stones with an olive-sized portion of a corpse in its midst. There are keilim next to the source of impurity, but they are not touching it. Those keilim are pure, but any k'li in the pile that is directly above or below the impurity is impure, because the impurity pierces through and ascends and pierces through and descends. If there was empty space, a handbreadth long, a handbreadth wide and a handbreadth high above the corpse, it is considered as a closed grave and it imparts impurity from all sides.
Halacha 6
When a building was filled with earth or pebbles, it is as if the house no longer exists. It is like a pile of earth or pebbles. If there was a source of impurity in the midst of the earth, the impurity pierces through and ascends and pierces through and descends, but the keilim in the earth at its sides are pure.
Halacha 7
When impurity that was flush against its covering was in a wall and one rested a sukkah against the wall, the sukkah is impure. The rationale is that the wall became one of the sides of a structure containing a corpse. Although the sides of the structure would be pure when touched by a person if it did not have a roof, once a roof was placed over them, everything in the structure is impure, because the impurity is contained in the structure.
Tum'at Met - Chapter 8
Halacha 1
When a grave became lost in a field, its earth imparts ritual impurity when one touches or carries it like the earth of a beit hap'ras, for perhaps the grave that was there was crushed and there are bones the size of a barley-corn in its earth. Similarly, one who stands over any portion of the field contracts ritual impurity. If one builds a structure there, everything inside the structure contracts impurity, for perhaps the structure he constructed in that field is constructed over the grave.
Halacha 2
The following laws apply when a person built a house and a loft on top of it in such a field. If the entrance to the loft was directly above the entrance to the house, the loft is pure. Even if the grave was under the lintel of the house, the loft is pure, for there is one structure on top of another structure, as will be explained. If they were not directly above each other, the loft is also impure, for perhaps the entrance to the loft is above the grave and thus the loft is projecting over the grave.
Halacha 3
It is permitted to sow any type of seeds in this field, because the roots of the plants growing from the seeds do not reach the grave. One should not, however, plant any fruit trees inside of it, because their roots will reach the corpse.
We operate under the presumption that low hills that are close to a town and near to a cemetery or to the road leading to the cemetery, whether ancient or new, are impure, because women bury fetuses that they miscarry there and lepers bury their limbs there. Different rules apply to those hills which are distant from a town. The new ones are pure, but the ancient ones are impure. The rationale is that perhaps they were close to a town that was destroyed or a road that was lost.
What is meant by a hill close to a town? Any hill that does not have another one closer than it. What is meant by an ancient one? One that no one remembers whether there was a cemetery there or not.
Halacha 4
The following laws apply to a field for weeping, i.e., a place near a cemetery where women sit and weep over the departed: Even though its earth is pure, because it has not been established that a corpse is buried there, trees should not be planted there, nor should crops be sown there, so as not to have people frequent it, for perhaps a corpse was buried there. Our Sages had this suspicion, because its owner will have despaired of its use, because it is close to the cemetery. Therefore it is possible that a person will come and bury a corpse there.
One may use the earth of such a place to make ovens to cook sacrificial meat, because it has not been established that impurity was there.
Halacha 5
When a grave is discovered on one's property, it is permitted to disinter the corpse and rebury it elsewhere. If it was reburied, the place around the first grave is impure and it is forbidden to benefit from it until it is checked, as will be explained. When it is known that a grave is located in a field, it is forbidden to disinter the corpse and rebury it elsewhere. If it was reburied, the place around the first grave is pure and it is permitted to benefit from it.
Halacha 6
When a grave causes harm to people at large, the corpse should be disinterred. Its place is impure and it is forbidden to benefit from it.
Halacha 7
The following laws apply when a person encounter a meit mitzvah. If he finds it within the city's Sabbath limits, he should bring it to the cemetery. If he found it outside the Sabbath limits, even in a field of saffron, it acquires its place and should be buried where it is found.
If he found it in the public thoroughfare, he should move it to the side. If an uncultivated field was on one side and a plowed field was on the other side, he should bury it in the uncultivated field. If there was a plowed field on one side and a field that had been sown on the other side, he should bury it in the plowed field. If a field that had been sown was on one side and a vineyard on the other side, it should be buried in the field that had been sown. If there was an orchard on one side and a vineyard on the other, he should bury it in the vineyard, because of the impurity of ohel. If both fields were of equal value, he may bury it wherever he chooses.
Halacha 8
When a grave is discovered, it imparts impurity retroactively. If someone comes and says: "it is definitely clear to me that there was not a grave here," even if he is speaking about a period twenty years earlier, the grave does not impart impurity except from the time of its discovery onward.
Halacha 9
Whenever a person discovers a grave, a corpse, or a portion of a corpse that would impart impurity through ohel, he should designate it, so that it will not create an obstacle for others.
During Chol HaMoed, agents of the court go out to designate the graves. A designation is not made over a portion of a corpse that is exactly the size of an olive, because ultimately, its size will be reduced in the earth.
With what is the designation made? With lime. It should be mixed and poured over the place of the impurity. The designation should not be placed on the exact perimeters of the impurity, but instead, should extend somewhat on either side so as not to ruin pure articles. The designation should not be extended much beyond the place of the impurity so as not to spoil Eretz Yisrael. A designation is not made on places that are definitely known to be used for burial, for their identity is universally known, only on the places that are doubtful, e.g., a field in which a grave was lost, the low-hanging branches of trees, or rocks jutting out from a wall.
Halacha 10
When a person discovers a field that has been designated and does not know what the nature of the problem is, he should follow these guidelines. If it does not have trees, he should assume that a grave was lost in it. If it has trees in it, he should assume that a grave was plowed over in it, as will be explained.
Halacha 11
When a person finds a stone that is designated, the area under it is impure. Should there be two such stones, if there is lime between them, the area between them is impure. If there is no lime between them, only on top of them, the following laws apply: If there is a shard between them, they are pure, because they are the remnants of a building. If there is no shard between them, and a light layer of lime was smoothed out over their heads on either side, we assume that this is a designation and they are impure.
If one boundary line of a field is designated, it is impure and the remainder of the field is pure. This applies also if a second or a third boundary line is designated. If all four boundary lines are designated, they are pure and the entire field is impure, for the sign should not be placed far from the place of the impurity.
-------
Hayom Yom
Thursday, 26 Tammuz 5774 - July 24, 2014
Today's Hayom Yom
Thursday, Tamuz 26, 5703
Torah lessons: Chumash: Matot-Massai, Chamishi with Rashi.
Tehillim: 119, 97 to end.
Tanya: How is the (p. 369) ...as is known.) (p. 371).
In Torah-study the person is devoted to the subject that he wishes to understand and comes to understand. In davening the devotion is directed to what surpasses understanding.
In learning Torah the Jew feels like a pupil with his master; in davening - like a child with his father.
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.
-------
Daily Thought:
Leave Nothing Behind
If it is not evil, we must use it for good.
If it can be raised higher, we cannot leave it below.
Everything He made, He made with purpose.
Torat Menachem 5713, Matot-Massei 4–5, and countless other instances.
-------