Chabad - Today in Judaism - TODAY IS: Shabbat, TAMMUZ 28, 5774 • JULY 26, 2014

Chabad - Today in Judaism - TODAY IS: Shabbat, TAMMUZ 28, 5774 • JULY 26, 2014
Torah Reading

Massei (Numbers 33:1 These are the journeys of the Bnei Yisroel, which went forth out of Eretz Mitzrayim by their tzveos under yad Moshe and Aharon.
2 And Moshe recorded their goings out according to their journeys by the commandment of Hashem; and these are their journeys according to their goings forth.
3 And they departed from Rameses in the first month, on the fifteenth day of the first month; on the day after the Pesach the Bnei Yisroel went out with a yad ramah (upraised hand, i.e., confidently) l’einei kol Mitzrayim.
4 For the Mitzrayim buried all their bechor, which Hashem had struck down among them; upon their elohim also Hashem executed shefatim.
5 And the Bnei Yisroel set out from Rameses, and encamped in Sukkot.
6 And they set out from Sukkot, and encamped in Etam, which is on the edge of the midbar.
7 And they set out from Etam, and turned back unto Pi HaChirot, which is before Ba’al Tzephon; and they encamped before Migdol.
8 And they set out from before HaChirot, and passed through the midst of the yam into the midbar, and went derech shloshet yamim (a three days’ journey) in the midbar of Etam, and encamped in Marah.
9 And they set out from Marah, and came unto Elim; and in Elim were twelve einot mayim (springs of water), and threescore and ten temarim (palm trees); and they encamped there.
10 And they set out from Elim, and encamped by the Yam Suf.
11 And they set out from the Yam Suf, encamping in the Midbar Sin.
12 And they set out from the Midbar Sin, and encamped in Dophkah.
13 And they set out from Dophkah, and encamped in Alush.
14 And they set out from Alush, and encamped at Rephidim, where was no mayim for HaAm to drink.
15 And they set out from Rephidim, and encamped in the Midbar Sinai.
16 And they set out from the Midbar Sinai, and encamped at Kivrot Hata’avah.
17 And they set out from Kivrot Hata’avah, and encamped at Chatzerot.
18 And they set out from Chatzerot, and encamped in Ritmah.
19 And they set out from Ritmah, and encamped at Rimmon Peretz.
20 And they set out from Rimmon Peretz, and encamped in Livnah.
21 And they set out from Livnah, and encamped at Rissah.
22 And they set out from Rissah, and encamped in Kehelatah.
23 And they set out from Kehelatah, and encamped in Har Shepher.
24 And they set out from Har Shepher, and encamped in Charadah.
25 And they set out from Charadah, and encamped in Mak’helot.
26 And they set out from Mak’helot, and encamped at Tachat.
27 And they set out from Tachat, and encamped at Tarach.
28 And they set out from Tarach, and encamped in Mitcah.
29 And they set out from Mitcah, and encamped in Chashmonah.
30 And they set out from Chashmonah, and encamped at Moserot.
31 And they set out from Moserot, and encamped in Bnei Ya’akan.
32 And they set out from Bnei Ya’akan, and encamped at Chor Haggidgad.
33 And they set out from Chor Haggidgad, and encamped in Yotvatah.
34 And they set out from Yotvatah, and encamped at Avronah.
35 And they set out from Avronah, and encamped at Etzyon Gever.
36 And they set out from Etzyon-Gever, and encamped in the Midbar Tzin, which is Kadesh.
37 And they set out from Kadesh and encamped at Mt Hor, at the border of Eretz Edom.
38 And Aharon HaKohen went up into Mt Hor at the command of Hashem, and died there, in the 40th year after the Bnei Yisroel were come out of Eretz Mitzrayim, in the first yom of the fifth month.
39 And Aharon was a hundred and twenty and three years old when he died on Mt Hor.
40 And Melech Arad the Kena’anite, which dwelt in the Negev in Eretz Kena’an, heard of the coming of the Bnei Yisroel.
41 And they set out from Mt Hor, and encamped in Tzalmonah.
42 And they set out from Tzalmonah, and encamped in Punon.
43 And they set out from Punon, and encamped in Ovot.
44 And they set out from Ovot, and encamped in Iyei HaAvarim at border of Moav.
45 And they set out from Iyim, and encamped in Divon Gad.
46 And they set out from Divon Gad, and encamped in Almon Divlatayim.
47 And they set out from Almon Divlatayim, and encamped in the mountains of Avarim, before Nevo.
48 And they set out from the mountains of Avarim, and encamped in the plains of Moav by Yarden near Yericho.
49 And they set out by Yarden, from Beit HaYeshimot even unto Abel Sheetim in the plains of Moav.
50 And Hashem spoke unto Moshe in the plains of Moav by Yarden near Yericho, saying,
51 Speak unto the Bnei Yisroel, and say unto them, When ye are crossing over Yarden into Eretz Kena’an,
52 Then ye shall drive out all the inhabitants of HaAretz from before you, and destroy all their maskiyyot (stone carved statues), and destroy all their tzalmei massekhot and demolish all their [idolatrous] high places;
53 And ye shall take possession of HaAretz, and dwell therein; for I have given you HaAretz to possess it.
54 And ye shall distribute HaAretz by goral for an inheritance among your mishpekhot; and to the more numerous ye shall give the larger nachalah, and to the fewer in number ye shall give the smaller nachalah; every man’s nachalah shall be in the place where his goral falleth; according to the mattot (tribes of) Avoteichem ye shall inherit.
55 But if ye will not drive out the yoshvei HaAretz from before you; then it shall come to pass, that those which ye let remain of them shall be barbs in your eyes, and thorns in your sides, and shall harrass you in HaAretz wherein ye dwell.
56 Moreover it shall come to pass, that I shall do unto you, as I meant to do unto them.
34:1 And Hashem spoke unto Moshe, saying,
2 Command the Bnei Yisroel, and say unto them, When ye come into Eretz Kena’an (this is HaAretz that shall fall unto you for a nachalah, even Eretz Kena’an with the borders thereof),
3 Then your southern side shall be from the Midbar Tzin along by the border of Edom, and your southern border shall be from the edge of the Yam HaMelach (Salt Sea, Dead Sea) to the east;
4 And your border shall turn from the south of Ma’aleh Akrabbim, and pass on to Tzin; and the going forth thereof shall be from the south of Kadesh Barnea, and shall go on to Chatzar Addar, and pass on to Atzmon;
5 And the border shall go around from Atzmon unto the Wadi of Mitzrayim, and the goings out of it shall be toward the [Mediterranean] Sea.
6 And as for the western border, ye shall even have the Yam HaGadol for a border; this shall be your west border.
7 And this shall be your northern border: from the Yam HaGadol ye shall run to Mt Hor;
8 From Mt Hor ye shall run your border unto the approach to Chamat; and the goings forth of the border shall be toward Tzedad;
9 And the border shall go on to Ziphron, and the goings out of it shall be Chatzar Einan; this shall be your northern border.
10 And ye shall draw a line for you for an eastern border from Chatzar Einan to Shepham;
11 And the border shall go down from Shepham to Rivlah, on the east side of Ain; the border shall descend, and shall reach unto the bank of the Yam Kinneret to the east;
12 And the border shall go down to the Yarden, and the goings out of it shall be at the Yam HaMelach; this shall be your land with the borders thereof all around.
13 And Moshe commanded the Bnei Yisroel, saying, This is the land which ye shall inherit by goral, which Hashem commanded to give unto the nine mattot (tribes), and to the half tribe;
14 For the tribe of the Bnei Reuven according to the bais avotam, and the tribe of the Bnei Gad according to the bais avotam and the half tribe of Menasheh have received their nachalah;
15 The two tribes and the half tribe have received their nachalah on the east side of the Yarden near Yericho toward the sunrise.
16 And Hashem spoke unto Moshe, saying,
17 These are the shmot of the anashim which shall apportion HaAretz unto you; Eleazar HaKohen, and Yehoshua Ben Nun.
18 And ye shall take one nasi of every matteh to possess HaAretz.
19 And the shmot of the anashim are these: Of the tribe of Yehudah, Kalev Ben Yephunneh;
20 And of the tribe of the Bnei Shim’on, Shemuel Ben Ammihud;
21 Of the tribe of Binyamin, Elidad Ben Kislon;
22 And the nasi of the tribe of the Bnei Dan, Bukki Ben Yogli;
23 The nasi of the Bnei Yosef, for the tribe of the Bnei Menasheh, Channi’el Ben Ephod;
24 And the nasi of the tribe of the Bnei Ephrayim, Kemuel Ben Shiphtan;
25 And the nasi of the tribe of the Bnei Zevulun, Elitzaphan Ben Parnach;
26 And the nasi of the tribe of the Bnei Yissakhar, Paltiel Ben Azzan;
27 And the nasi of the tribe of the Bnei Asher, Achihud Ben Shelomi;
28 And the nasi of the tribe of the Bnei Naphtali, Pedahel Ben Ammihud;
29 These are they whom Hashem commanded to apportion the inheritance unto the Bnei Yisroel in Eretz Kena’an.
35:1 And Hashem spoke unto Moshe in the plains of Moav by Yarden near Yericho, saying,
2 Command the Bnei Yisroel, that they give unto the Levi’im from the nachalah of their achuzzah towns to dwell in; and ye shall give also unto the Levi’im open pasturelands around the towns.
3 And the towns shall they have to dwell in; and the open pasturelands of them shall be for their behemah, and for their livestock, and for all their animals.
4 And the open pasturelands of the towns, which ye shall give unto the Levi’im, shall reach from the wall of the Ir and outward a thousand cubits all around.
5 And ye shall measure from outside the Ir on the east side 2000 cubits, and on the south side 2000 cubits, and on the west side 2000 cubits, and on the north side 2000 cubits; and the Ir shall be in the midst; this shall be to them the open pasturelands of the towns.
6 And among the towns which ye shall give unto the Levi’im there shall be six cities for refuge, which ye shall appoint for the rotze’ach, that he may flee to there; and to them ye shall add 42 ir.
7 So all the arim (towns) which ye shall give to the Levi’im shall be 48 ir: them shall ye give with their migrashim (open pasturelands).
8 And the arim (towns) which ye shall give shall be of the achuzzat Bnei Yisroel; from them that have many ye shall give more; but from them that have few ye shall give less; every one shall give of his arim unto the Levi’im according to his nachalah which he inheriteth.
9 And Hashem spoke unto Moshe, saying,
10 Speak unto the Bnei Yisroel, and say unto them, When ye be come over the Yarden into Eretz Kena’an,
11 Then ye shall appoint you arim to be arei miklat (cities of refuge) for you; that the rotze’ach may flee to there, which killeth any nefesh bishegagah (unintentionally, accidently).
12 And they shall be unto you arei miklat (cities of refuge) from the Go’el; that the rotze’ach die not, until he stand before the Edah in mishpat.
13 And of these arim which ye shall give there shall be shesh arei miklat.
14 Ye shall give shlosh he’arim on this side of the Yarden, and shlosh he’arim shall ye give in Eretz Kena’an, which shall be arei miklat.
15 These shesh he’arim shall be for miklat (refuge), both for the Bnei Yisroel, and for the ger, and for the toshav (sojourner) among them; that every one that killeth any nefesh bishegagah (unintentionally, accidently) may flee there.
16 And if he strike him with keli barzel, so that he die, he is a rotze’ach; the rotze’ach shall surely be put to death.
17 And if he strike him with an even (stone) in his yad that could kill, and he die, he is a rotze’ach; the rotze’ach shall surely be put to death.
18 Or if he strike him with a keli in his hand that could kill, and he die, he is a rotze’ach; the rotze’ach shall surely be put to death.
19 The Go’el HaDahm himself shall slay the rotze’ach; when he meeteth him, he shall slay him.
20 And if he push him out of sin’ah (hatred), or hurl upon him bitzediyyah (with intention, by laying in wait) that he die;
21 Or in eivah (enmity) strike him with his yad, that he die; he that struck him shall surely be put to death; for he is a rotze’ach; the Go’el HaDahm shall slay the rotze’ach, when he meeteth him.
22 But if he push him suddenly without eivah (enmity), or have thrown upon him any keli with no tzediyyah (intention, laying in wait),
23 Or with any even (stone), that could kill, seeing him not, and cast it upon him, that he die, and was not his oyev, neither sought his ra’ah,
24 Then the Edah shall judge between the striker and the Go’el HaDahm according to these mishpatim;
25 And the Edah shall deliver the rotze’ach out of the yad Goel HaDahm, and the Edah shall restore him to his ir miklat, to which he fled; and he shall abide in it unto the mot HaKohen HaGadol which was mashach (anointed) with the shemen hakodesh [T.N. Notice there is freedom at the death of the High Priest just as there is peace at the death of the Moshiach Kohen; cf Isa 53:5-9; Ps 110:4).
26 But if the rotze’ach shall at any time come outside the border of the ir miklat to which he fled;
27 And the Go’el HaDahm find him outside the geval (borders, city limit) of his ir miklat, and the Go’el HaDahm kill the rotze’ach, he shall not be guilty of dahm,
28 Because he should have remained in his ir miklat until the mot HaKohen HaGadol; but after the mot HaKohen HaGadol the rotze’ach shall return into his eretz achuzzat.
29 So these things shall be for a chukkat mishpat unto you throughout your dorot in all your dwellings.
30 Whosoever killeth any nefesh, the rotze’ach shall be put to death by the mouth of edim (witnesses); but ed echad (one witness) shall not testify against any nefesh to cause him to die.
31 Moreover ye shall take no kofer (ransom payment, satisfaction) for the nefesh of a rotze’ach, which is guilty of death; but he shall be surely put to death.
32 And ye shall take no kofer for him that is fled to his ir miklat that he should come again to dwell in HaAretz until the mot HaKohen.
33 So ye shall not pollute HaAretz wherein ye are; for dahm pollutes HaAretz; and kapporah cannot be made for HaAretz for the shefach dahm therein, except by the dahm of him that committed shefach dahm (shedding of blood).
34 Therefore, make not tameh HaAretz which ye shall inhabit, wherein I dwell; for I Hashem dwell among the Bnei Yisroel.
36:1 And the Rashei HaAvot of the Mishpekhot of the Bnei Gil`ad Ben Machir Ben Menasheh, of the Mishpekhot of the Bnei Yosef, came near, and spoke before Moshe, and before the Nasiim Rashei Avot of the Bnei Yisroel,
2 And they said, When Hashem commanded adoni to give HaAretz for a nachalah by goral to the Bnei Yisroel, adoni was commanded by Hashem to give the nachalat Tzelophechad achinu unto his banot.
3 Now suppose they become married to any of the Bnei Shivtei Bnei Yisroel, and their nachalah be taken from the nachalah of Avoteinu, and be added to the nachalah of the matteh whereunto they marry into; so shall it be taken from the goral of our nachalah.
4 And when the Yovel of the Bnei Yisroel shall be, then shall their nachalah be added unto the nachalah of the matteh whereunto they marry into; so shall their nachalah be taken away from the nachalah of the matteh of Avoteinu. [See Leviticus 25:8-55; 27:16-25.]
5 And Moshe commanded the Bnei Yisroel according to the command of Hashem, saying, The matteh of the Bnei Yosef hath said well.
6 This is the thing which Hashem doth command concerning the Banot Tzelophechad, saying, Let them marry to whom they think best; only within the Mishpakhat Matteh Avihem shall they marry.
7 So shall not the nachalah of the Bnei Yisroel remove from matteh to matteh; for every ish of the Bnei Yisroel shall keep himself to the nachalat matteh of his Avot.
8 And every bat, that possesseth a nachalah in mattot Bnei Yisroel, shall be isha unto one of the mishpakhat matteh of her av, that the Bnei Yisroel may possess every ish the nachalat of his avot.
9 Neither shall the nachalah remove from one matteh (tribe) to another matteh (tribe); for the mattot (tribes) of the Bnei Yisroel shall make deveykus every ish to his own nachalah.
10 Even as Hashem commanded Moshe, so did the Banot Tzelophechad;
11 For Machlah, Tirtzah, and Choglah, and Milcah, and Noah, the Banot Tzelophechad, became nashim unto bnai dodeihen (sons of their uncles, i.e., cousins);
12 And they became nashim into the mishpekhot Bnei Menasheh Ben Yosef, and their nachalah remained in the matteh (tribe) of the mishpakhat of their av.
13 These are the mitzvot and the mishpatim, which Hashem commanded by the yad Moshe unto the Bnei Yisroel in the plains of Moav by Yarden near Yericho.)
TODAY'S LAWS & CUSTOMS:
Bless New Month
This Shabbat is Shabbat Mevarchim ("the Shabbat that blesses" the new month): a special prayer is recited blessing the Rosh Chodesh ("Head of the Month") of upcoming month of Av (also called "Menachem Av") which falls on Monday of next week.
Prior to the blessing, we announce the precise time of the molad, the "birth" of the new moon. Click here for molad times.
It is a Chabad custom to recite the entire book of Psalms before morning prayers, and to conduct farbrengens (chassidic gatherings) in the course of the Shabbat.
Links:
On the Significance of Shabbat Mevarchim
Tehillim (the Book of Psalms)
The Farbrengen
Ethics: Chapter 2
During the summer months, from the Shabbat after Passover until the Shabbat before Rosh Hashahah, we study a weekly chapter of the Talmud's Ethics of the Fathers ("Avot") each Shabbat afternoon; this week we study Chapter Two.
Link: Ethics of the Fathers, Chapter 2
"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 "Yismach Moshe" (1841)
Tammuz 28 is the yahrzeit of Rabbi Moshe Teitelbaum (1759-1841) of Uhely, Hungary, author of Yismach Moshe and patriarch of the Hungarian Chassidic dynasties.
DAILY STUDY:
CHITAS AND RAMBAM FOR TODAY:
Chumash:  with Rashi
• Chapter 36
1. The paternal heads of the family of the sons of Gilead the son of Machir the son of Manasseh of the families of the sons of Joseph approached and spoke before Moses and before the chieftains, the paternal heads of the children of Israel. א. וַיִּקְרְבוּ רָאשֵׁי הָאָבוֹת לְמִשְׁפַּחַת בְּנֵי גִלְעָד בֶּן מָכִיר בֶּן מְנַשֶּׁה מִמִּשְׁפְּחֹת בְּנֵי יוֹסֵף וַיְדַבְּרוּ לִפְנֵי משֶׁה וְלִפְנֵי הַנְּשִׂאִים רָאשֵׁי אָבוֹת לִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל:
2. They said, "The Lord commanded my master to give the Land as an inheritance through lot to the children of Israel, and our master was commanded by the Lord to give the inheritance of Zelophehad our brother to his daughters. ב. וַיֹּאמְרוּ אֶת אֲדֹנִי צִוָּה יְהֹוָה לָתֵת אֶת הָאָרֶץ בְּנַחֲלָה בְּגוֹרָל לִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וַאדֹנִי צֻוָּה בַיהֹוָה לָתֵת אֶת נַחֲלַת צְלָפְחָד אָחִינוּ לִבְנֹתָיו:
3. Now, if they marry a member of another tribe of the children of Israel, their inheritance will be diminished from the inheritance of our father, and it will be added to the inheritance of the tribe into which they marry, and thus, it will be diminished from the lot of our inheritance. ג. וְהָיוּ לְאֶחָד מִבְּנֵי שִׁבְטֵי בְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לְנָשִׁים וְנִגְרְעָה נַחֲלָתָן מִנַּחֲלַת אֲבֹתֵינוּ וְנוֹסַף עַל נַחֲלַת הַמַּטֶּה אֲשֶׁר תִּהְיֶינָה לָהֶם וּמִגֹּרַל נַחֲלָתֵנוּ יִגָּרֵעַ:
and it will be added to the inheritance of the tribe: For her son inherits her, and the son’s pedigree follows his father’s tribe.
ונוסף על נחלת המטה: שהרי בנה יורשה והבן מתיחס על שבט אביו:
4. Even if the children of Israel will have a Jubilee, their inheritance will be added to the inheritance of the tribe into which they marry, and their inheritance will be diminished from the inheritance of our father's tribe." ד. וְאִם יִהְיֶה הַיֹּבֵל לִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְנוֹסְפָה נַחֲלָתָן עַל נַחֲלַת הַמַּטֶּה אֲשֶׁר תִּהְיֶינָה לָהֶם וּמִנַּחֲלַת מַטֵּה אֲבֹתֵינוּ יִגָּרַע נַחֲלָתָן:
Even if the children of Israel will have a Jubilee: From here R. Judah said: The Jubilee is destined to cease. — [Torath Kohanim 13:1]
ואם יהיה היובל: מכאן היה רבי יהודה אומר עתיד היובל שיפסוק:
will have a Jubilee: That is to say, this is not a form of sale, which returns [to the original owner] in the Jubilee [year], for inheritance does not return at the Jubilee. Even if the Jubilee occurs, the inheritance will not return to its tribe; hence, it is “added to the inheritance of the tribe into which they marry.”
ואם יהיה היובל: כלומר אין זו מכירה שחוזרת ביובל, שהירושה אינה חוזרת, ואפילו אם יהיה היובל לא תחזור הנחלה לשבטו, ונמצא שנוספה על נחלת המטה אשר תהיינה להם:
5. Moses commanded the children of Israel according to the word of the Lord, saying, "The tribe of Joseph's descendants speak justly. ה. וַיְצַו משֶׁה אֶת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל עַל פִּי יְהֹוָה לֵאמֹר כֵּן מַטֵּה בְנֵי יוֹסֵף דֹּבְרִים:
6. This is the word that the Lord has commanded regarding Zelophehad's daughters. Let them marry whomever they please, but they shall marry only to the family of their father's tribe. ו. זֶה הַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר צִוָּה יְהֹוָה לִבְנוֹת צְלָפְחָד לֵאמֹר לַטּוֹב בְּעֵינֵיהֶם תִּהְיֶינָה לְנָשִׁים אַךְ לְמִשְׁפַּחַת מַטֵּה אֲבִיהֶם תִּהְיֶינָה לְנָשִׁים:
7. Thus, the inheritance of the children of Israel will not be transferred from tribe to tribe, for each person from the children of Israel will remain attached to the inheritance of his father's tribe. ז. וְלֹא תִסֹּב נַחֲלָה לִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל מִמַּטֶּה אֶל מַטֶּה כִּי אִישׁ בְּנַחֲלַת מַטֵּה אֲבֹתָיו יִדְבְּקוּ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל:
8. Every daughter from the tribes of the children of Israel who inherits property, shall marry a member of her father's tribe, so each one of the children of Israel shall inherit the property of his forefathers. ח. וְכָל בַּת יֹרֶשֶׁת נַחֲלָה מִמַּטּוֹת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לְאֶחָד מִמִּשְׁפַּחַת מַטֵּה אָבִיהָ תִּהְיֶה לְאִשָּׁה לְמַעַן יִירְשׁוּ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אִישׁ נַחֲלַת אֲבֹתָיו:
Every daughter…who inherits property: Because her father had no son.
וכל בת ירשת נחלה: שלא היה בן לאביה:
9. And no inheritance will be transferred from one tribe to another tribe, for each person of the tribes of the children of Israel shall remain attached to his own inheritance." ט. וְלֹא תִסֹּב נַחֲלָה מִמַּטֶּה לְמַטֵּה אַחֵר כִּי אִישׁ בְּנַחֲלָתוֹ יִדְבְּקוּ מַטּוֹת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל:
10. As the Lord had commanded Moses, so did Zelophehad's daughters do. י. כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוָּה יְהֹוָה אֶת משֶׁה כֵּן עָשׂוּ בְּנוֹת צְלָפְחָד:
11. Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Noah married their cousins. יא. וַתִּהְיֶינָה מַחְלָה תִרְצָה וְחָגְלָה וּמִלְכָּה וְנֹעָה בְּנוֹת צְלָפְחָד לִבְנֵי דֹדֵיהֶן לְנָשִׁים:
Mahlah, Tirzah…: Here it enumerates them according to seniority over each other in age, and they were married in the order they were born. But throughout Scripture (26:33, 17:1, Josh. 17:3), it lists them in order of their intelligence and informs us that they were all equal. — [B.B. 120a]
מחלה תרצה וגו': כאן מנאן לפי גדולתן זו מזו בשנים ונשאו כסדר תולדותן, ובכל המקרא מנאן לפי חכמתן ומגיד ששקולות זו כזו:
12. They married into the families of the sons of Manasseh the son of Joseph, and their inheritance remained with the tribe of their father's family. יב. מִמִּשְׁפְּחֹת בְּנֵי מְנַשֶּׁה בֶן יוֹסֵף הָיוּ לְנָשִׁים וַתְּהִי נַחֲלָתָן עַל מַטֵּה מִשְׁפַּחַת אֲבִיהֶן:
13. These are the commandments and the ordinances that the Lord commanded the children of Israel through Moses in the plains of Moab, by the Jordan at Jericho. יג. אֵלֶּה הַמִּצְו‍ֹת וְהַמִּשְׁפָּטִים אֲשֶׁר צִוָּה יְהֹוָה בְּיַד משֶׁה אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּעַרְבֹת מוֹאָב עַל יַרְדֵּן יְרֵחוֹ:
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Daily Tehillim: Psalms Chapters 
• Chapter 135
1. Praise the Lord! Praise the Name of the Lord; offer praise, you servants of the Lord-
2. who stand in the House of the Lord, in the courtyards of the House of our God.
3. Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good; sing to His Name, for He is pleasant.
4. For God has chosen Jacob for Himself, Israel as His beloved treasure.
5. For I know that the Lord is great, our Master is greater than all supernal beings.
6. All that the Lord desired He has done, in the heavens and on earth, in the seas and the depths.
7. He causes mists to rise from the ends of the earth; He makes lightning for the rain; He brings forth the wind from His vaults.
8. It was He who struck down the firstborn of Egypt, of man and beast.
9. He sent signs and wonders into the midst of Egypt, on Pharaoh and on all his servants.
10. It was He who struck down many nations, and slew mighty kings:
11. Sichon, king of the Amorites; Og, king of Bashan; and all the kingdoms of Canaan.
12. And He gave their lands as a heritage, a heritage to His people Israel.
13. Lord, Your Name is forever; Lord, Your remembrance is throughout all generations.
14. Indeed, the Lord will judge on behalf of His people, and have compassion on His servants.
15. The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the product of human hands.
16. They have a mouth, but cannot speak; they have eyes, but cannot see;
17. they have ears, but cannot hear; nor is there breath in their mouth.
18. Like them will their makers become-all who trust in them.
19. House of Israel, bless the Lord; House of Aaron, bless the Lord;
20. House of Levi, bless the Lord; you who fear the Lord, bless the Lord.
21. Blessed is the Lord from Zion, who dwells in Jerusalem. Praise the Lord!
Chapter 136
This psalm contains twenty-six verses, corresponding to the twenty-six generations between the creation of the world and the giving of the Torah.
1. Praise the Lord for He is good, for His kindness is forever.
2. Praise the God of the supernal beings, for His kindness is forever.
3. Praise the Master of the heavenly hosts, for His kindness is forever.
4. Who alone performs great wonders, for His kindness is forever.
5. Who makes the heavens with understanding, for His kindness is forever.
6. Who spreads forth the earth above the waters, for His kindness is forever.
7. Who makes the great lights, for His kindness is forever.
8. The sun to rule by day, for His kindness is forever.
9. The moon and stars to rule by night, for His kindness is forever.
10. Who struck Egypt through its firstborn, for His kindness is forever.
11. And brought Israel out of their midst, for His kindness is forever.
12. With a strong hand and with an outstretched arm, for His kindness is forever.
13. Who split the Sea of Reeds into sections, for His kindness is forever.
14. And brought Israel across it, for His kindness is forever.
15. And cast Pharaoh and his army into the Sea of Reeds, for His kindness is forever.
16. Who led His people through the desert, for His kindness is forever;
17. Who struck down great kings, for His kindness is forever.
18. And slew mighty kings, for His kindness is forever.
19. Sichon, king of the Amorites, for His kindness is forever.
20. And Og, king of Bashan, for His kindness is forever.
21. And gave their land as a heritage, for His kindness is forever.
22. A heritage to Israel His servant, for His kindness is forever.
23. Who remembered us in our humiliation, for His kindness is forever.
24. And redeemed us from our oppressors, for His kindness is forever.
25. Who gives food to all flesh, for His kindness is forever.
26. Praise the God of heaven, for His kindness is forever.
Chapter 137
Referring to the time of the destruction of the Temple, this psalm tells of when Nebuchadnezzar would ask the Levites to sing in captivity as they had in the Temple, to which they would reply, "How can we sing the song of God upon alien soil?" They were then comforted by Divine inspiration.
1. By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat and wept as we remembered Zion.
2. There, upon the willows, we hung our harps.
3. For there our captors demanded of us songs, and those who scorned us-rejoicing, [saying,] "Sing to us of the songs of Zion.”
4. How can we sing the song of the Lord on alien soil?
5. If I forget you, Jerusalem, let my right hand forget [its dexterity].
6. Let my tongue cleave to my palate if I will not remember you, if I will not bring to mind Jerusalem during my greatest joy!
7. Remember, O Lord, against the Edomites the day of [the destruction of] Jerusalem, when they said, "Raze it, raze it to its very foundation!”
8. O Babylon, who is destined to be laid waste, happy is he who will repay you in retribution for what you have inflicted on us.
9. Happy is he who will seize and crush your infants against the rock!
Chapter 138
David offers awesome praises to God for His kindness to him, and for fulfilling His promise to grant him kingship.
1. By David. I will thank You with all my heart, in the presence of princes I shall praise You.
2. I will bow toward Your Holy Sanctuary, and praise Your Name for Your kindness and for Your truth; for You have exalted Your word above all Your Names.
3. On the day that I called out You answered me, You emboldened me, [You put] strength in my soul.
4. Lord, all the kings of the land will give thanks to You when they hear the words of Your mouth.
5. And they will sing of the Lord's ways, for the glory of the Lord is great.
6. For though the Lord is exalted, He sees the lowly; the High One castigates from afar.
7. If I walk in the midst of distress, keep me alive; against the wrath of my enemies stretch out Your hand, and let Your right hand deliver me.
8. Lord, complete [Your kindness] on my behalf. Lord, Your kindness is forever, do not forsake the work of Your hands.
Chapter 139
A most prominent psalm that guides man in the ways of God as no other in all of the five books of Tehillim. Fortunate is he who recites it daily.
1. For the Conductor, by David, a psalm. O Lord, You have probed me, and You know.
2. You know my sitting down and my standing up; You perceive my thought from afar.
3. You encircle my going about and my lying down; You are familiar with all my paths.
4. For there was not yet a word on my tongue-and behold, Lord, You knew it all.
5. You have besieged me front and back, You have laid Your hand upon me.
6. Knowledge [to escape You] is beyond me; it is exalted, I cannot know it.
7. Where can I go [to escape] Your spirit? And where can I flee from Your presence?
8. If I ascend to the heavens, You are there; if I make my bed in the grave, behold, You are there.
9. Were I to take up wings as the dawn and dwell in the furthest part of the sea,
10. there, too, Your hand would guide me; Your right hand would hold me.
11. Were I to say, "Surely the darkness will shadow me," then the night would be as light around me.
12. Even the darkness obscures nothing from You; and the night shines like the day-the darkness is as light.
13. For You created my mind; You covered me in my mother's womb.
14. I will thank You, for I was formed in an awesome and wondrous way; unfathomable are Your works, though my soul perceives much.
15. My essence was not hidden from You even while I was born in concealment, formed in the depths of the earth.
16. Your eyes beheld my raw form; all [happenings] are inscribed in Your book, even those to be formed in future days-to Him they are the same.
17. How precious are Your thoughts to me, O God! How overwhelming, [even] their beginnings!
18. Were I to count them, they would outnumber the sand, even if I were to remain awake and always with You.
19. O that You would slay the wicked, O God, and men of blood [to whom I say], "Depart from me!”
20. They exalt You for wicked schemes, Your enemies raise [You] for falsehood.
21. Indeed, I hate those who hate You, Lord; I contend with those who rise up against You.
22. I hate them with the utmost hatred; I regard them as my own enemies.
23. Search me, Lord, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts.
24. See if there is a vexing way in me, then lead me in the way of the world.
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Tanya: Igeret HaTeshuva , Chapter 8
• Lessons in Tanya
• Shabbat, TAMMUZ 28, 5774 • JULY 26, 2014
• Today's Tanya
• Igeret HaTeshuva , Chapter 8
Two basic elements, as the Alter Rebbe made clear in the previous chapter, enable the lower level of repentance to be true and direct: (a) considering how one's soul and its Source, the Shechinah, are to be pitied, and arousing Supreme compassion upon them; (b) making a thoughtful, soulful and accurate accounting of the extent to which one's own sins have brought about the “exile of the Shechinah.” This will make one's heart humble and contrite, which in turn will crush the spirit of the kelipot and sitra achra.
והנה אחרי העמקת הדעת בכל הנ"ל
After deeply considering all this,
יוכל לבקש באמת מעומקא דלבא כרוב רחמיך מחה פשעי וגו'
one can truly plead, from his inmost heart,1 “In accordance with Your abounding compassion, erase my transgressions….”
This verse is recited during Tikkun Chatzot as well as during the bedside reading of Keriat Shema - propitious times for spiritual stocktaking, which will enable him to recite it wholeheartedly.
כי אזי תקבע בלבו באמת גודל הרחמנות על בחי' אלקות שבנפשו ושלמעלה כנ"ל
For by then his heart will be thoroughly impressed with the pathetic state of the spark of Divinity within his soul, and [in his soul's Source] Above, as noted earlier.
ובזה יעורר רחמים העליונים מי"ג מדה"ר הנמשכות מרצון העליון ברוך הוא
He will thereby arouse Supreme mercy, from the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy which derive from the Supreme Will,
הנרמז בקוצו של יו"ד
alluded to by the “thorn” atop the yud,
שלמעלה מעלה מבחינת ההשפעה הנשפעת מאותיות שם הוי'
which by far transcends the flow issuing from the letters of the Tetragrammaton.
Sins cause a blemish in the individual letters of the Tetragrammaton, as explained above. This causes the flow emanating from there, and from which a Jew derives his life-force, to descend into the kelipot and sitra achra and provide them with additional nurture.
When one arouses the Supreme mercies of the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy, which emanate from the level of the Supreme Will that transcends the letters of the Tetragrammaton, he is then able to rectify the letters and redirect their flow into his soul.
ולכן הי"ג מדות הרחמים מנקים כל הפגמים
Therefore, on account of their lofty origin, these Thirteen Attributes of Mercy correct all defects,
וכמו שכתוב נושא עון ופשע ונקה
as it is written,2 “He bears sin and transgression…, and cleanses.”
With this awakening of mercies following the contrition,
ושוב אין יניקה להחיצונים והסטרא אחרא מהשפעת ה"א תתאה כנ"ל
there is no further nurture for the evil (lit., “extraneous”) forces and for the sitra achra from the life-force emanating from the lower hei, as noted.
(ובזה תשוב ה"א תתאה למקומה להתייחד ביה"ו וד"ל)
(3The latter hei thereupon returns to its proper place, reunited with [the preceding three letters of the Tetragrammaton,] yud-hei-vav. This will suffice for the understanding.)
This, then, is the meaning of the statement quoted in chapter 4, that the lower level of teshuvah consists of the “return of the lower hei.”
וכן ממש למטה בנפש האלקית שבאדם
Just as there is a restoration of the hei Above, exactly so below in the Divine soul within man,
שוב אין עונותיכם מבדילים
no more do4 “your sins separate [you from G-d].”
וכמו שכתוב ונקה מנקה הוא לשבים
Thus it is written, naming one of the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy,5 “He cleanses,” on which our Sages comment,6 “He cleanses those who return to Him in penitence,”
לרחוץ ולנקות נפשם מלבושים הצואים הם החיצונים והסטרא אחרא
to lave and cleanse their souls of the soiled garments, which are the evil (lit., “extraneous”) forces, i.e., the kelipot and sitra achra,
כמו שכתוב בגמרא מלפפתו וכו'
that the Talmud describes 7 as [a garment born of a man's sin that] “envelops him….”
ומאחר שרוח עברה ותטהרם
After the8 “wind [of forgiveness] passes over [the souls of sinners] and purifies them,”
אזי תוכל נפשם לשוב עד הוי' ברוך הוא ממש
then their souls are enabled to return literally unto G‑d Himself,
ולעלות מעלה מעלה למקורה ולדבקה בו יתברך ביחוד נפלא
to ascend the greatest heights, to their very Source, and cleave to Him with a remarkable unity,
כמו שהיתה מיוחדת בו יתברך בתכלית היחוד בטרם שנפחה ברוח פיו ית'
in ultimate union with Him, just as before the soul was blown forth by the breath of His mouth
לירד למטה ולהתלבש בגוף האדם
to descend and be incorporated within the body of man.
(וכמו על דרך משל באדם הנופח ברוח פיו בטרם שיוצא הרוח מפיו הוא מיוחד בנפשו)‏
(9To illustrate this unity: Before one exhales, the breath is one with the person, inseparably.)
Likewise, just as the soul was utterly united with G‑d before it was “blown” or “breathed” into the body, so too, does it now unite with Him after repentance.
וזו היא תשובה שלימה
This is perfect return - Teshuvah.
והנה בחינת יחוד זה ותשובה זו היא בחינת תשובה עילאה, שלאחר תשובה תתאה
This state of unity and this return are called teshuvah ila'ah, the higher level of repentance, that follows teshuvah tata'ah, the lower level of repentence.
וכמו שכתוב בזוהר הקדוש ברעיא מהימנא פרשת נשא דתשובה עילאה היא דיתעסק באורייתא בדחילו ורחימו דקודשא בריך הוא וכו'
The Zohar, in Ra'aya Mehemna (Parshat Nasso),10 explains that Teshuvah ila'ah means engaging in the study of the Torah, in awe and love of the Holy One, Blessed be He….
The Zohar goes on to say that doing so makes one worthy of the revelation of the letter vav of the Tetragrammaton,
דאיהו בן י"ה בינה וכו'
for this [letter vav] is the child of yud-hei, or Binah….
Binah is the level of Teshuvah ila'ah, the return of the higher letter hei of the Tetragrammaton. The word itself is a composite of the words “ben yud-hei.” This alludes to the spiritual emotions of love and fear (represented by the letter vav) that are born of the intellective levels of the Tetragrammaton, the yud of Chochmah and the hei of Binah.
(ומעלת בעלי תשובה על צדיקים גמורים בזה היא
(11Herein lies the superiority of penitents over the perfectly saintly.
Seemingly, the study of Torah permeated with love and fear of G‑d, is not the unique prerogative of penitence; the perfectly saintly do this as well. Wherein lies the superiority of baalei teshuvah?
כמו שכתוב בזוהר הקדוש פרשת חיי שרה: דאינון משכי עלייהו ברעותא דלבא יתיר ובחילא סגי, לאתקרבא למלכא וכו')
As the Zohar states in Parshat Chayei Sarah12 “They draw upon themselves with a more intense longing of the heart, and with great forcefulness, to approach the King….”)
FOOTNOTES
1. Tehillim 51:3.
2. Bamidbar 14:18.
3. Parenthesis are in the original text.
4. Cf. Yeshayahu 59:2.
5. Bamidbar 14:18.
6. Yoma 86a.
7. Sotah 3b.
8. Note of the Rebbe: “Iyov 37:21. The meaning of the verse is that the wind clears the heavens of clouds. So too in analogue, the breath of repentance spirits away the dense cloud of sin.”
9. Parenthesis are in the original text.
10. Zohar III, 123a.
11. Parenthesis are in the original text.
12. Zohar I, 129b.
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Rambam:
• Daily Mitzvah P107 - Sefer Hamitzvos:
Shabbat, TAMMUZ 28, 5774 • JULY 26, 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.
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Rambam:
• 1 Chapter:  She'elah uFikkadon - Chapter 2
She'elah uFikkadon - Chapter 2
Halacha 1
When a person borrows an article while the owner is working with him, he is not liable, even if the article that he borrowed is stolen or lost through negligence, as Exodus 22:14 states: 'If the owner is with him, he need not make restitution.' This applies, provided he asked the owner to work with him at the time he borrowed the article, as we have explained.
This leniency applies whether the borrower asked the owner to work for him as a favor or hired him, and whether he asked him to perform the same work as he performs with the article, he asked him or hired him to perform another task, or he had him perform any task in the world. Even if he told a colleague, 'Give me a drink of water,' and the person asking for the water asked to borrow his colleague's animal, if the owner gives him a drink and lends him the animal, it is considered as if he lent him the animal while 'with the owner,' and he is not liable.
If the borrower performed meshichah with the animal first, and afterwards the owner gave him to drink, this is not considered to be borrowing an article while the owner is working with the borrower. The same principles apply in all analogous situations.
Halacha 2
When a person lent or rented out his animal to carry a burden and went out to help the borrower or the renter to help him load his burden on it, this is considered to be borrowing an article while the owner is working with the borrower. If he goes out with him to inspect the burden and to see that he was not overloaded, it is not considered borrowing an article while the owner is working with the borrower.
Halacha 3
The following rules apply with regard to a teacher of young children, a person who plants trees for a city, a bloodletter for the city and their scribe. On the day any one of these individuals - or a person in a similar position - sits to perform the work of the city's inhabitants, if he lends or rents out an article to any of the people whose work he is performing, it is considered as if the owner is working with the borrower. Even if the watchman was negligent, he is not liable. If, however, one of these individuals borrowed or rented an article from one of the inhabitants of the city, he is liable in the event of damages. For they do not perform work for him.
Halacha 4
When a teacher reads to his students at will, at the time he desires, whichever tractate he desires, they are obligated to come to him at all times, and even if he has already started studying one tractate with them, he has the license to switch from tractate to tractate, they are considered to be at his command, and he is not at their command. On the day of public study, when everyone comes to hear about the matters that concern the festival, he is considered to be at their command, and they are not at his command.
Halacha 5
When a person tells his agent: 'Go out and work together with my cow,' it is not considered as if the owner is working with the borrower. This is intimated by Exodus 22:14: 'If the owners are with him, he need not make restitution.' The wording implies that verse refers to the owners themselves, and not their agents.
If by contrast a person tells his Canaanite servant: 'Go out and work together with my cow,' it is considered as if the owner is working with the borrower. The rationale is that a Canaanite servant is considered an extension of the physical person of his master.
If the servant goes to work for the borrower without his master's consent, it is not considered as if the owner is working with the borrower.
Halacha 6
When a person borrows an article from a woman, and her husband is performing a task for the borrower, it is not considered as if the owner is working with the borrower. The rationale is that the right to benefit from property is not equivalent to ownership of the property itself. And a woman's husband is entitled only to benefit from her property. He is not the owner.
Halacha 7
When a husband borrows property from his wife or when partners borrow property from each other, it is considered as if the owner is working with the borrower. If one partner says to the other, 'Lend me property today, and I will lend you tomorrow,' it is not considered as if the owner is working with the borrower.
Halacha 8
When a person borrows property from a partnership and also asks one of the partners to work for him, or if partners borrow property and one of the partners asks the owner to work for him, there is an unresolved doubt whether it is considered as if the owner is working with the borrower or not. Therefore, if the animal dies, the borrower is not required to make restitution. If, however, the owner seizes the value of the article from property belonging to the borrower, it should not be expropriated from his possession. If the borrower was negligent, he is required to make restitution.
Halacha 9
There is an unresolved doubt whether a person who borrows an animal to sodomize it, or to create an impression, or to perform work that is worth less than a p'rutah, or borrowed two cows to do work that is worth one p'rutah while the owner is working with him is considered as an instance when an object is borrowed while the owner is working with the borrower or not.
Halacha 10
If a person borrowed an animal while the owner was working for him, and before he returned it, rented it for an additional period while the owner was not working for him, he is not liable if the animal is not returned. The rental is dependent on - and considered as an extension of - the borrowing.
There is, by contrast, an unresolved doubt with regard to all of the following situations:
The person rented the animal while the owner was working for him, and before he returned it, borrowed it for an additional period while the owner was not working for him.
He borrowed an animal while the owner was working for him, and before he returned it, rented it for an additional period while the owner was not working for him and then borrowed it again while the owner was not working for him.
Or he rented an animal while the owner was working for him, and before he returned it, borrowed it for an additional period while the owner was not working for him, and then rented it again while the owner was not working for him.
Halacha 11
When a woman borrows an article from one person and then marries another man, her husband is considered a purchaser - not a paid watchman nor a borrower. Accordingly, if the borrowed article was an animal that died, the husband is not liable even though he used it throughout the time that it was borrowed.This ruling applies even if he was negligent. The rationale is that he is considered as a purchaser.
When the woman receives money, she is obligated to make restitution. If she notified her husband that the article is borrowed, he undertakes her responsibility.
In all the situations that we have defined as borrowing while the owner is working for the borrower, if a renter or a paid watchman were involved, it would be considered as a rental while the owner is working for the renter, and he would not be held liable. Conversely, in all the situations that are not defined as borrowing while the owner is working for the borrower, if a renter or a paid watchman were involved, it would not be considered a rental while the owner is working for the renter. And with regard to all the situations for which there are unresolved doubts whether it is considered to be borrowing while the owner is working for the borrower; so, too, there are unresolved doubts with regard to rentals.
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Rambam:
• 3 Chapters:  Tum'at Met - Chapter 12, Tum'at Met - Chapter 13, Tum'at Met - Chapter 14
Tum'at Met - Chapter 12
Halacha 1
A covering that is a square, a handbreadth by a handbreadth and a handbreadth high brings ritual impurity and intervenes between ritual impurity according to Scriptural Law. For an ohel is given that distinction only when it is a handbreadth by a handbreadth and a handbreadth high or more.
What is implied? There was an olive-sized portion of a corpse lying with open space above it and implements (keilim), e.g., needles and spits, were at its side, without touching it. If one covered the portion of the corpse and the implements with an ohel that was a handbreadth by a handbreadth and was more than a handbreadth above the ground, the covering conveys impurity to the implements and renders them impure.
If there were other implements on top of this ohel that was a handbreadth by a handbreadth, they are pure, because the ohel intervenes between them and the impurity. Thus we have learnt that just as an ohel imparts impurity to everything that is under it, it preserves the purity of anything outside it, and intervenes between the impurity and the implements that are on top of it. Similarly, if the impurity was above the ohel and the implements were below it, the implements are pure, because the ohel intervenes in the face of impurity.
If the ohel was less than a handbreadth high or less than a handbreadth by a handbreadth, even if it was several handbreadths high, the implements that are next to the impurity are pure. Any of the implements that are above this ohel and are directly above the impurity are impure. The rationale is that they were positioned over the impurity and there was no ohel intervening in the face of the impurity. Similarly, if there was impurity above this ohel and implements beneath it, any implements that are directly beneath the impurity are impure, for the impurity was hanging over them and there is no ohel intervening in the face of the impurity. The rationale is that whenever there is less than a handbreadth of open space, it is considered as touching and the impurity under it is considered as "flush," as we explained.
When does the above apply? When the ohel was not a person or an implement. If, however, a person or an implement serves as an ohel over the impurity, whether they were the covering itself or the support for the covering, even if the implements were such that themselves do not contract impurity, they convey impurity and do not intervene in the face of impurity.
What is implied? If there was a board placed upon four men or on four implements, even stone implements or the like that do not contract impurity or, needless to say, if they were placed on four spits or four reeds that were a handbreadth high, and there was impurity and other implements beneath it, those implements are impure. If the implements were on top of the board, even if they were not directly above the impurity, they are impure. If there was impurity above the board and implements below it, all of the implements below the board are impure. If, however, the board was placed on four stones or on an animal or a beast and there was impurity under it, the implements on top of it are pure.
Halacha 2
If there was impurity on top of a board, all of the implements under it are pure, because the ohel intervenes in the face of the impurity. Implements made from animal turds, stone implements, or implements made from earth that are oversized are considered as ohalim and not as implements. Therefore, they intervene in the face of impurity.
Halacha 3
The following laws apply when a board was placed on top of a new oven and it protrudes beyond the oven on either side for more than a handbreadth. If there was impurity below the board, implements that are on top of it are pure. If there was impurity on top of it, the implements below it are pure. The rationale is that a new oven is not considered as a k'li in this context. If the oven was old, everything is impure.
Halacha 4
When a board was placed over two ovens, even if they are old, and it protrudes beyond each oven and there is impurity below it, between the two ovens, only the space between them is impure. Keilim that are beneath the two ends that are beyond the ovens are pure, for the area beneath the ends and that beneath the ovens are considered as two tents, one next to the other.
Similarly, if a board was placed over an oven, even an old one, and it protruded a handbreadth at both ends, but not from the sides, should there be impurity under one end, keilim under the other end are not considered as impure.
Halacha 5
The following laws apply when a person carries a k'li, e.g., a plow or the like, and one side of the k'li hung over impurity. If the circumference of the k'li was a handbreadth, even though its width was only a finger breadth and a third, it imparts impurity to the person carrying it. Impurity is conveyed to him according to Rabbinic Law, for our Sages decreed impurity for a k'li whose circumference is a handbreadth as a safeguard lest one be lenient when there is one whose width is a handbreadth. It does not, however, convey impurity to keilim that are below it or other people over which it hangs unless its width is a handbreadth.
Halacha 6
Wooden coffins in which a corpse is placed are not considered as graves. Instead, if there is a handbreadth of empty space between the covering of the coffin and corpse, the cover is considered as an intervening substance and one who stands on the cover is considered as pure according to Scriptural Law. Nevertheless, although most coffins have an empty space of a handbreadth, since there are some which do not have such space, our Sages degreed that no coffin would be considered as an intervening substance. Thus one who walks on a coffin is considered as if he touched a corpse or a grave.
Halacha 7
The following laws apply when a beam extended from one wall to another wall and there was impurity under it. If it was a handbreadth wide, it conveys impurity to everything under its entire span. Any keilim or persons under it are impure. This applies even if its width is not the same along the entire span and some portions are less than a handbreadth wide. The rationale is that these portions are considered as part of an ohel. If it is not a handbreadth wide, the impurity pierces through and ascends and pierces through and descends, as we explained.
How much must the circumference be for the board to have a width of a handbreadth? If it is round, three handbreadths. If it is square, four handbreadths.
Halacha 8
When a barrel a se'ah in size was on its side in an open area, it does not convey impurity to everything under its entire expanse unless it is approximately four and half handbreadths in circumference. In this way, its upper portion will be a handbreadth and a half above the ground and there will be a portion of it, a handbreadth by a handbreadth a handbreadth above the ground. Accordingly, if it was suspended half a handbreadth above the ground and its circumference was three handbreadths, it conveys impurity.
Similarly, if there is a round pillar lying in an open space and resting on the earth, it does not convey impurity under its side unless it is 24 handbreadths in circumference. If it is not 24 handbreadths in circumference, the impurity pierces through and ascends and pierces through and descends. The reason that 24 handbreadths are required is that whenever there is a circumference of three, there is a width of one. Whenever there is a square, a handbreadth by a handbreadth, its diagonal will be a handbreadth and two fifths. Therefore if the pillar's circumference was 24 handbreadths, there is a little bit more than a handbreadth by a handbreadth that is a handbreadth high under its entire side. All of these calculations are approximations. This is its form.
Tum'at Met - Chapter 13
Halacha 1
Whenever there is a covering that is a handbreadth by a handbreadth that is a handbreadth high, it is considered an ohel, as we explained. It intervenes in the face of ritual impurity and conveys ritual impurity whether it was made as a shelter or came into being as a matter of course. Even if it was brought into being without human activity, it conveys ritual impurity and intervenes in the face of it.
What is implied? If there was a cavern that was hollowed out by water or crawling animals or even if the earth itself cratered or one gathered stone and beams and created a covered space of a handbreadth, it is considered as an ohel and it conveys ritual impurity and intervenes in the face of it.
Halacha 2
When does the above apply? When the ohel was strong and sturdy. A unstable ohel, by contrast, does not convey ritual impurity, nor does it intervene in the face of ritual impurity according to Scriptural Law. According to Rabbinic Law, by contrast, it conveys ritual impurity, but does not intervene in the face of it.
What is implied? When branches of trees that hang over the earth which are called sichachot and stones which project outward from a wall that hang over the earth and are called peraot are sturdy enough to carry an average ceiling and remain standing, they convey impurity and intervene in the face of it according to Scriptural Law. If they are not sturdy enough to carry an average ceiling and would fall, they convey impurity according to Rabbinic decree and do not intervene in the face of it. Similar laws apply in all analogous situations.
Halacha 3
These substances convey ritual impurity and intervene in the face of it: oversized wooden vessels, keilim made from stone, animal turds, or earth that are oversized, simple leather keilim, a curtain, a sheet, or a reed mat that are made like tents, animals or beasts, whether kosher or non-kosher, provided the head of one is placed between the legs of another and they are flush against each other, a bird that rests, one who digs out a place for a child in a grainheap to save him from the sun, and food that was not made ready to be susceptible to ritual impurity so that it would not become impure.
When vegetables continue to grow in the summer and the winter, they are considered like trees and convey ritual impurity and intervene in the face of it. Among those in this category are: mint, bindweed, wild gourd, and Greek squash. Similarly, all of the following - branches of trees that hang over the earth, stones which project outward from a wall, projections, balconies, dovecotes, the clefts of stones, stones that stick out of a wall, the arches of a wall, and stony precipices - convey ritual impurity and intervene in the face of it.
Halacha 4
The following convey ritual impurity, but do not intervene in the face of it: a human being, wooden vessels that are not oversized, because they are like all other keilim and convey ritual impurity, simple leather keilim, a curtain, a sheet, or a reed mat that are not made like tents, but merely extended outward, without being on a slant or having walls, an animal or a beast that died, and impure foods or foods that were made susceptible to ritual impurity, for an impure substance does not intervene in the face of ritual impurity, and a hand mill, because it is in the category of stone keilim. All of these convey ritual impurity, but do not intervene in the face of it.
Halacha 5
The following articles neither convey ritual impurity, nor do they intervene in the face of it: seeds, vegetables that are still connected to the ground with the exception of the four vegetables mentioned, a mound of hail, snow, sleet, ice, or salt, one who skips from place to place, one who runs from place to place, a bird that flies freely, a garment flying in the wind, or a ship that floats on the water. All these neither convey ritual impurity, nor do they intervene in the face of it. Although they create a covering, the covering is not lasting.
Halacha 6
If one tied a ship to something that could anchor it or covered the corner of a garment with a stone, it conveys ritual impurity.
Halacha 7
When there is a board floating in the water and there is impurity under one of its sides, the keilim under its other side are pure. The rationale is that, as we already explained, a ship that is floating does not convey impurity.
Halacha 8
The following entities intervene in the face of ritual impurity, but do not convey impurity]: the threads of the woof on a weaver's loom, the cords of a bed, a net on which fertilizer is held, and lattice shades for windows.
How do they intervene in the face of impurity? If there was a window between two houses, impurity was found in one house, and one of these entities is extended over this window and covers it, it serves as an intervening substance and prevents impurity from entering the second house. This applies even if there is open space within the intervening article, provided there is not a square handbreadth of empty space in this lattice work, net, or cords. If there is a square handbreadth of empty space, impurity will enter as will be explained.
Tum'at Met - Chapter 14
Halacha 1
Impurity does not enter a shelter, nor does it depart from it if there is an opening less than a handbreadth by a handbreadth.
What is implied? When there is a window between one house and another or between a house and a loft, if it is a square handbreadth by a handbreadth and there was impurity in one of the structures, the other structure is also impure. If the window does not comprise a handbreadth by a handbreadth, impurity does not depart from it, nor does it enter the second structure.
When does the above apply? With regard to a window made by a person for functional purposes. When, by contrast, a window was made by man for illumination, that light should enter, its measure is the size of pundiyon. Then ritual impurity departs through it.
What is implied? There was impurity in a house. A person came and stood on the outside, near this window for light or placed an k'li there, or there was a covering on the other side of the wall, the person, the k'li, and everything under the covering to which the impurity passes through becomes impure. A window made for light is one that is not covered by a roof, but instead, is open to the sun.
Halacha 2
When an aperture was not made through intentional human activity, e.g., it was hollowed out by water or crawling animals, the earth itself cratered, a window had been shuttered close and the shutter was removed, or it had been covered by glass and the glass broke, the minimum measure is the full span of a shingle which is the size of the head of an ordinary man.
The above applies provided that the owner did not think of using that aperture for functional purposes. If, however, he thought of using it, the minimum measure is an opening of a handbreadth by a handbreadth. If he thought to use it for light, its measure is the size of a pundiyon. The rationale is that, in these instances, thought is considered equivalent to deed.
Halacha 3
The following rules apply when a person began closing a window opened for light and did not complete the task because he did not have sufficient cement or a colleague called him, night fell initiating the Sabbath, and there remained a small amount open. If a portion the height of two fingerbreadths and the width of a thumbbreadth remain, it conveys ritual impurity. If it is less than that, it is as if it was closed.
Halacha 4
The following rules apply when there was a large window made for light covered by a lattice or the like. If there was one place where there is a hole as large as a pundiyon, it conveys ritual impurity and allows ritual impurity to depart. If the holes of the lattice are small and not one of them is the size of a pundiyon, it is considered as closed. Similarly, when there was a large window made for functional purposes and it was covered by thatchwork coverings or shades, if there was empty space a handbreadth by a handbreadth square, it conveys ritual impurity and allows ritual impurity to depart. Otherwise, it is considered as closed.
Halacha 5
When a window is exposed to the open air, its minimum measure is the size of a pundiyon, because it is made solely for the purpose of light, as we explained. If one builds a house outside this window and thus the window is now under a roof, it is considered as if it is between two structures and its measure is a handbreadth by a handbreadth of empty space. If the roof was built in the middle of the window, the measure for the lower portion that is below the roof is a handbreadth by a handbreadth of empty space. The measure of the upper portion that is above the roof is the size of a pundiyon, because it is exposed to the open air.
Halacha 6
The following rules apply in the situations to be described: There is a hole in a door, a carpenter left an empty place above or below or hung two swinging doors and did not complete adjusting them and thus there was empty space between the two doors, or he closed the door and it was blown open by the wind. In all these situations, if the opening was the size of a shingle, the impurity leaves through this opening and enters through it. If the opening is less than the size of a shingle, it is considered as closed.
Halacha 7
When a person makes a hole in a wall in order to place a rod or a large nail there, to see those who pass by, or to speak to his colleague, it is considered as a window made for functional purposes and its minimum measure is a space a handbreadth by a handbreadth.
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Hayom Yom:
Shabbat, TAMMUZ 28, 5774 • JULY 26, 2014
Today's Hayom Yom
• Shabbat, Tamuz 28, 5703
Bless Rosh Chodesh Menachem-Av. Say all the Tehillim in the early morning. Day of farbrengen.
Haftora: Shimu until elokecha Yehuda; then, Im tashuv until uvo yit'halalu.
Torah lessons: Chumash: Matot-Massai, Shevi'i with Rashi.
Tehillim: 135-139.
Tanya: Ch. 8. After deeply (p. 373) ...the King..." (p. 375).
Each of the Rebbe'im had maamarim designated especially for the purpose of purifying the atmosphere. Every two or three years they would review and recite them publicly. One of (these special) maamarim of the Alter Rebbe was Hechaltzu printed in Likutei Torah (without the glosses). One of the Mitteler Rebbe's was Yafa sha'a achat; (its subject was the first ten chapters of the maamar Hinei kol echad v'echad in Derech Hachayim). One of the Tzemach Tzedek's was Ma tovu, printed in Likutei Torah. One of my grandfather's (the Rebbe Maharash) was Mi chamocha. One of my father's was V'yadata hayom, Moscow - 5657.
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.
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Daily Thought:
The Lost Ark
In Solomon’s Temple, there were two places reserved for the Holy Ark: One in the Chamber of the Holy of Holies, and one hidden deep beneath that chamber.
There are two places to find G‑d’s Presence in all its glory.
One is in the most holy of chambers, beyond the place of light and heavenly incense. There G‑d Himself could be found by the most perfect of mortals on the most sublime day of the year.
Today, we cannot enter that place. But there is another place, a place always accessible, beyond catacombs and convoluted mazes, deep within the earth’s bowels.
There, those whose faces are charred with the ashes of failure, their hands bloody from scraping through dirt and stone, their clothes torn from falling again and again, and their hearts ripped by bitter tears—there, in that subterranean darkness, they are blinded by the light of the hidden things of G‑d . . .
. . . until that Presence will shine for all of us, forever.
(Likkutei Sichot, volume 26, pp. 156ff.)
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