TODAY'S LAWS & CUSTOMS:
• ROSH CHODESH OBSERVANCES
Today is the first of the two days of Rosh Chodesh (“Head of the Month”) for the month of Elul (when a month has 30 days, both the last day of the month and the first day of the following month serve as the following month’s Rosh Chodesh).
Special portions are added to the daily prayers: Hallel (Psalms 113-118) is recited—in its “partial” form—following the Shacharit morning prayer, and the Yaaleh Veyavo prayer is added to the Amidah and to Grace After Meals; the additional Musaf prayer is said (when Rosh Chodesh is Shabbat, special additions are made to the Shabbat Musaf). Tachanun (confession of sins) and similar prayers are omitted.
Many have the custom to mark Rosh Chodesh with a festive meal and reduced work activity. The latter custom is prevalent amongst women, who have a special affinity with Rosh Chodesh—the month being the feminine aspect of the Jewish calendar.
Links: The 29th Day; The Lunar Files
• PRACTICE SHOFAR BLOWING; L'DAVID HASHEM ORI
Some of the special Elul practices (see entries and links for tomorrow, Elul 1) begin today. The psalm L'David Hashem Ori (Psalm 27) is recited at the end of the morning and afternoon prayers; this special addition is recited throughout the month of Elul and the High Holiday season, until Hoshanah Rabbah (Tishrei 21) -- a total of 50 days. And although the daily shofar sounding of Elul officially begins on the 2nd Rosh Chodesh, it is customary to practice sounding the shofar (ram's horn) on the 1st Rosh Chodesh, introducing the Elul atmosphere of soul-searching and repentance.
Links: About the shofar; Psalm 27, The High Holiday Anthem
Today in Jewish History:
• SECOND TABLETS HEWN (1313 BCE) On the last day of Av of the year 2448 from creation (1313 BCE), Moses carved, by G-d's command, two stone tablets -- each a cube measuring 6x6x6 tefachim (a tefach, "handbreadth", is approximately 3.2 inches) -- to replace the two divinely-made tablets, on which G-d had inscribed the Ten Commandments, which Moses had smashed 42 days earlier upon witnessing Israel's worship of the Golden Calf.
Links: The 120-Day Version of the Human Story
DAILY QUOTE:
Sefirah (the Hebrew word for "counting") also means to illuminate and to rarify. The 49-day process of sefirat ha-omer, the counting of the days from Passover to Shavuot, is also the process of refining the 49 traits of one's heart so that they shine with the soul's G-dly light(Rabbi DovBer, the Maggid of Mezeritch)
DAILY STUDY:
CHITAS AND RAMBAM FOR TODAY:
Chumash: Shoftim, 3rd Portion Deuteronomy 18:1-18:5 with Rashi
• Chapter 18
1. The Levitic kohanim, the entire tribe of Levi, shall have no portion or inheritance with Israel; the Lord's fire offerings and His inheritance they shall eat. א. לֹא יִהְיֶה לַכֹּהֲנִים הַלְוִיִּם כָּל שֵׁבֶט לֵוִי חֵלֶק וְנַחֲלָה עִם יִשְׂרָאֵל אִשֵּׁי יְהֹוָה וְנַחֲלָתוֹ יֹאכֵלוּן:
the entire tribe of Levi: whether whole-bodied or blemished. — [Sifrei]
כל שבט לוי: בין תמימין בין בעלי מומין:
no portion: i.e., in the spoils.
חלק: בביזה:
or inheritance: in the land. — [Sifrei]
ונחלה: בארץ:
the Lord’s fire-offerings: The holy sacrifices of the Temple. (Other editions: The holiest sacrifices.)
אשי ה': קדשי המקדש [קדשי קדשים]:
and His portion: These are the holy things of the boundaries, [i.e. those eaten throughout the entire land, namely,] the terumoth and the tithes, but he shall have no absolute inheritance among his brothers. In Sifrei [18:41], our Rabbis expound as follows:
ונחלתו: אלו קדשי הגבול תרומות ומעשרות. אבל נחלה גמורה לא יהיה לו בקרב אחיו. ובספרי דרשו,
2. But he shall have no inheritance among his brothers; the Lord is his inheritance, as He spoke to him. ב. וְנַחֲלָה לֹא יִהְיֶה לּוֹ בְּקֶרֶב אֶחָיו יְהֹוָה הוּא נַחֲלָתוֹ כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר לוֹ:
But he shall have no inheritance: This refers to the “inheritance of the remainder.”
ונחלה לא יהיה לו : זו נחלת שאר:
among his brothers: this refers to the “inheritance of the five.” I do not know what this means. It appears to me, however, that across the Jordan and onwards is called “the land of the five nations,” and that of Sihon and Og is called “the land of the two nations,” namely, the Amorites and the Canaanites. Now the expression, “inheritance of the remainder,” is meant to include the [remaining three nations of the ten whose land God promised to Abraham, namely] the Kenites, the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites (Gen. 15:19). The Sifrei in the section dealing with the [priestly] gifts specified for Aaron expounds this in a similar fashion, on the verse (Deut. 10:9), “Therefore, Levi has no portion or inheritance,” to admonish [the Levite to take no portion in] the inheritance of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites. It has since been found in the words of Rabbi Kalonymus that the proper version of this passage in Sifrei reads as follows:
בקרב אחיו: זו נחלת חמשה. ואיני יודע מה היא. ונראה לי שארץ כנען שמעבר הירדן ואילך נקראת ארץ חמשה עממין, ושל סיחון ועוג, שני עממין אמורי וכנעני. ונחלת שאר לרבות קיני וקנזי וקדמוני. וכן דורש בפרשת מתנות שנאמרו לאהרן על כן לא היה ללוי וגו' (דברים י, ט) להזהיר על קיני וקנזי וקדמוני. שוב נמצא בדברי רבי קלונימוס הכי גרסינן בספרי
And he will have no inheritance: This refers to the “inheritance of the five.”
ונחלה לא יהיה לו: אלו נחלת חמשה
among his brothers: This refers to the “inheritance of the seven.” [Rashi now explains this version of the Sifrei:] [The first reference is to] the inheritance of five [of the twelve] tribes [of Israel]. [The second, is to] the inheritance of [the remaining] seven tribes [of Israel]. Now Moses and Joshua apportioned inheritance only to five tribes: Moses, to Reuben, Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh; Joshua, to Judah, Ephraim, and [the other] half of the tribe of Manasseh. The remaining seven tribes took their inheritance by themselves after Joshua’s demise. Thus, because of this [distinction between these five former tribes and the seven latter ones], the Sifrei mentions five and seven separately.
בקרב אחיו: אלו נחלת שבעה. נחלת חמשה שבטים ונחלת שבעה שבטים. ומתוך שמשה ויהושע לא חלקו נחלה אלא לחמשה שבטים בלבד, שכן משה הנחיל לראובן וגד וחצי שבט מנשה, ויהושע הנחיל ליהודה ואפרים ולחצי שבט מנשה, ושבעה האחרים נטלו מאליהן אחרי מות יהושע, מתוך כך הזכיר חמשה לבד ושבעה לבד:
as He spoke to him: i.e., to Aaron [saying],“You shall not inherit in their land… I am your portion [and your inheritance, among the children of Israel].”- [Num. 18:20]
כאשר דבר לו: [לאהרן] בארצם לא תנחל וגו' אני חלקך (במדבר יח כ):
3. And this shall be the kohanim's due from the people, from those who perform a slaughter, be it an ox or a sheep, he shall give the kohen the foreleg, the jaws, and the maw. ג. וְזֶה יִהְיֶה מִשְׁפַּט הַכֹּהֲנִים מֵאֵת הָעָם מֵאֵת זֹבְחֵי הַזֶּבַח אִם שׁוֹר אִם שֶׂה וְנָתַן לַכֹּהֵן הַזְּרֹעַ וְהַלְּחָיַיִם וְהַקֵּבָה:
from the people: But not from the kohanim [i.e., a kohen is exempt from these dues]. — [Sifrei , Chul. 132b]
מאת העם: ולא מאת הכהנים:
be it an ox or a sheep: But not [from the category of] beast (חַיָּה) .
אם שור אם שה: פרט לחיה:
the foreleg: from the carpus to the shoulder blade, called espaldun, espalde, or espaleron in Old French. — [Chul. 134b]
הזרוע: מן הפרק של ארכובה עד כף של יד שקורין אשפלדו"ן [עצם השכם]:
the jaws: together with the tongue. Those who interpret the symbolism of Biblical verses say, the זְרוֹעַ [which is, in effect, the “hand” of the animal, became the due of the kohanim , as a reward] for the “hand” [which Phinehas, the kohen , raised against the sinners], as it is said, “and he took a spear in his hand” (Num. 25:7); the jaws [as a reward] for the prayer [he offered], as it is said,“Then Phinehas stood and prayed” (Ps. 106:30); and the maw (הַקֵּבָה) , as a reward [for his action against the sinning woman], as it said,“[And he stabbed both of them, the man of Israel] and the woman in her stomach (קֵבָתָהּ)” (Num. 25:8). - [Chul. 134b].
הלחיים: עם הלשון. דורשי רשומות היו אומרים, זרוע, תחת יד, שנאמר ויקח רומח בידו (במדבר כה ז). לחיים, תחת תפלה, שנאמר ויעמוד פינחס ויפלל (תהלים קו ל). והקבה, תחת האשה אל קבתה (במדבר כה ח):
4. The first of your grain, your wine, and your oil, and the first of the fleece of your sheep, you shall give him. ד. רֵאשִׁית דְּגָנְךָ תִּירשְׁךָ וְיִצְהָרֶךָ וְרֵאשִׁית גֵּז צֹאנְךָ תִּתֶּן לוֹ:
The first of your grain: This refers to terumah ; and although the verse does not state a required amount, our Rabbis set an amount for it [ranging from a sixtieth to a fortieth of the total produce as follows]: A generous [person] gives one fortieth of the crop, a miserly [person] one sixtieth, and [a person of] average generosity one fiftieth. They base [this ruling] that one should not give less than one sixtieth on what is said, “[This is the offering that you shall set apart: a sixth of an ephah from a homer of wheat,] and you shall separate a sixth of an ephah from a homer of barley” (Ezek. 45:13). [Since an ephah is equivalent to three se’ah ,] a sixth of an ephah is equivalent to half a se’ah . [Now the “homer” mentioned in the verse is the same as a kor .] When you give [one sixth of an ephah from a homer , which we now know to be] one half of a se’ah for a kor , this amounts to one sixtieth because a kor is thirty se’ah . — [Yerushalmi , Terumoth 4:3]
ראשית דגנך: זו תרומה, ולא פירש בה שיעור, אבל רבותינו נתנו בה שיעור, עין יפה אחד מארבעים, עין רעה אחד מששים, בינונית אחד מחמשים. וסמכו על המקרא שלא לפחות מאחד מששים, שנאמר וששיתם האיפה מחומר השעורים (יחזקאל מה יג) ששית האיפה, חצי סאה. כשאתה נותן חצי סאה לכור, הרי אחד מששים, שהכור שלשים סאין:
and the first of the fleece of your sheep: When you shear your sheep each year, give the first of it [the wool] to the kohen . And [although the verse] does not mention a required amount, our Rabbis set an amount, namely, one sixtieth. And how many sheep [are the minimum to] be liable to the law of “the first of the fleece?” At least five sheep, as it is said, “[Then Abigail… took…] and five prepared (עֲשׂוּיוֹת) sheep” (I Sam. 25:18). [The עֲשׂוּיוֹת here, is interpreted as meaning that five sheep compel their owner and say to you, as it were,“Get up and fulfill the commandment of 'the first of the fleece.’”] Rabbi Akiva says: [that the minimum number of sheep liable to this commandment is derived from our verse here]: The phrase רֵאשִׁית גֵז denotes two sheep; צֹאנְךָ [an additional two, making] four, and תִּתֶּן-לוֹ denotes one more, which is a total of five sheep. - [Chul. 135a, 137a; Sifrei]
וראשית גז צאנך: כשאתה גוזז צאנך בכל שנה תן ממנה ראשית לכהן. ולא פירש בה שיעור. ורבותינו נתנו בה שיעור אחד מששים. וכמה צאן חייבות בראשית הגז, חמש רחלות, שנאמר וחמש צאן עשויות (שמואל א' כה, יח). רבי עקיבא אומר ראשית גז שתים, גז צאנך ארבע, תתן לו הרי חמש:
5. For the Lord, your God, has chosen him out of all your tribes, to stand and serve in the name of the Lord, he and his sons, all the days. ה. כִּי בוֹ בָּחַר יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ מִכָּל שְׁבָטֶיךָ לַעֲמֹד לְשָׁרֵת בְּשֵׁם יְהֹוָה הוּא וּבָנָיו כָּל הַיָּמִים:
to stand and serve: From here we learn that [the Temple] service is performed only when standing. — [Sifrei , Sotah 38a]
לעמוד לשרת: מכאן שאין שירות אלא מעומד:
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Daily Tehillim: Psalms Chapters 145 - 150
• Chapter 145
One who recites this psalm three times daily with absolute concentration is guaranteed a portion in the World to Come. Because of its prominence, this psalm was composed in alphabetical sequence.
1. A psalm of praise by David: I will exalt You, my God the King, and bless Your Name forever.
2. Every day I will bless You, and extol Your Name forever.
3. The Lord is great and exceedingly exalted; there is no limit to His greatness.
4. One generation to another will laud Your works, and tell of Your mighty acts.
5. I will speak of the splendor of Your glorious majesty and of Your wondrous deeds.
6. They will proclaim the might of Your awesome acts, and I will recount Your greatness.
7. They will express the remembrance of Your abounding goodness, and sing of Your righteousness.
8. The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and of great kindness.
9. The Lord is good to all, and His mercies extend over all His works.
10. Lord, all Your works will give thanks to You, and Your pious ones will bless You.
11. They will declare the glory of Your kingdom, and tell of Your strength,
12. to make known to men His mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of His kingdom.
13. Your kingship is a kingship over all worlds, and Your dominion is throughout all generations.
14. The Lord supports all who fall, and straightens all who are bent.
15. The eyes of all look expectantly to You, and You give them their food at the proper time.
16. You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing.
17. The Lord is righteous in all His ways, and benevolent in all His deeds.
18. The Lord is close to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth.
19. He fulfills the desire of those who fear Him, hears their cry and delivers them.
20. The Lord watches over all who love Him, and will destroy all the wicked.
21. My mouth will utter the praise of the Lord, and let all flesh bless His holy Name forever.
Chapter 146
This psalm inspires man to repent and perform good deeds while still alive. Let him not rely on mortals who are unable to help themselves, and who may suddenly pass on. Rather, one should put his trust in God, Who is capable of carrying out all He desires.
1. Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul.
2. I will sing to the Lord with my soul; I will chant praises to my God while I yet exist.
3. Do not place your trust in nobles, nor in mortal man who has not the ability to bring deliverance.
4. When his spirit departs, he returns to his earth; on that very day, his plans come to naught.
5. Fortunate is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope rests upon the Lord his God.
6. He makes the heavens, the earth, the sea, and all that is in them; He keeps His promise faithfully forever.
7. He renders justice to the oppressed; He gives food to the hungry; the Lord releases those who are bound.
8. The Lord opens the eyes of the blind; the Lord straightens those who are bowed; the Lord loves the righteous.
9. The Lord watches over the strangers; He gives strength to orphan and widow; He thwarts the way of the wicked.
10. The Lord shall reign forever, your God, O Zion, throughout all generations. Praise the Lord!
Chapter 147
This psalm recounts God's greatness, and His kindness and goodness to His creations.
1. Praise the Lord! Sing to our God for He is good; praise befits Him for He is pleasant.
2. The Lord is the rebuilder of Jerusalem; He will gather the banished of Israel.
3. He heals the broken-hearted, and bandages their wounds.
4. He counts the number of the stars; He gives a name to each of them.
5. Great is our Master and abounding in might; His understanding is beyond reckoning.
6. The Lord strengthens the humble; He casts the wicked to the ground.
7. Lift your voices to the Lord in gratitude; sing to our God with the harp.
8. He covers the heaven with clouds; He prepares rain for the earth, and makes grass grow upon the mountains.
9. He gives the animal its food, to the young ravens which cry to Him.
10. He does not desire [those who place their trust in] the strength of the horse, nor does He want those who rely upon the thighs [swiftness] of man.
11. He desires those who fear Him, those who long for His kindness.
12. Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem; Zion, extol your God.
13. For He has strengthened the bolts of your gates; He has blessed your children in your midst.
14. He has made peace within your borders; He satiates you with the finest of wheat.
15. He issues His command to the earth; swiftly does His word run.
16. He dispenses snow like fleece; He scatters frost like ashes.
17. He hurls His ice like morsels; who can withstand His cold?
18. He sends forth His word and melts them; He causes His wind to blow, and the waters flow.
19. He tells His words [Torah] to Jacob, His statutes and ordinances to Israel.
20. He has not done so for other nations, and they do not know [His] ordinances. Praise the Lord!
Chapter 148
The psalmist inspires one to praise God for His creations-above and below-all of which exist by God's might alone.
1. Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise Him in the celestial heights.
2. Praise Him, all His angels; praise Him, all His hosts.
3. Praise Him, sun and moon; praise Him, all the shining stars.
4. Praise Him, hea-ven of heavens, and the waters that are above the heavens.
5. Let them praise the Name of the Lord, for He comman-ded and they were created.
6. He has established them forever, for all time; He issued a decree, and it shall not be transgressed.
7. Praise the Lord from the earth, sea-monsters and all [that dwell in] the depths;
8. fire and hail, snow and vapor, stormy wind carrying out His command;
9. the mountains and all hills, fruit-bearing trees and all cedars;
10. the beasts and all cattle, creeping things and winged fowl;
11. kings of the earth and all nations, rulers and all judges of the land;
12. young men as well as maidens, elders with young lads.
13. Let them praise the Name of the Lord, for His Name is sublime, to Himself; its radiance [alone] is upon earth and heaven.
14. He shall raise the glory of His people, [increase] the praise of all His pious ones, the Children of Israel, the people close to Him. Praise the Lord!
Chapter 149
1. Praise the Lord! Sing to the Lord a new song, [recount] His praise in the assembly of the pious.
2. Israel will rejoice in its Maker; the children of Zion will delight in their King.
3. They will praise His Name with dancing; they will sing to Him with the drum and harp.
4. For the Lord desires His people; He will adorn the humble with salvation.
5. The pious will exult in glory; they will sing upon their beds.
6. The exaltation of God is in their throat, and a double-edged sword in their hand,
7. to bring retribution upon the nations, punishment upon the peoples;
8. to bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with iron fetters;
9. to execute upon them the prescribed judgment; it shall be a glory for all His pious ones. Praise the Lord!
Chapter 150
This psalm contains thirteen praises, alluding to the Thirteen Attributes (of Mercy) with which God conducts the world.
1. Praise the Lord! Praise God in His holiness; praise Him in the firmament of His strength.
2. Praise Him for His mighty acts; praise Him according to His abundant greatness.
3. Praise Him with the call of the shofar; praise Him with harp and lyre.
4. Praise Him with timbrel and dance; praise Him with stringed instruments and flute.
5. Praise Him with resounding cymbals; praise Him with clanging cymbals.
6. Let every soul praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
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Tanya: Iggeret HaKodesh, beginning of Epistle 10
• Lessons in Tanya
• Today's Tanya Lesson
Tuesday, Menachem Av 30, 5774 • August 26, 2014
Iggeret HaKodesh, beginning of Epistle 10
אחרי דרישת חיים ושלום
After greetings of life and peace,
פתח דברי יעיר אזן שומעת תוכחת חיים
1may my opening words rouse2 “the ear that hears the life-giving admonition”
אשר הוכיח ה׳ חיים על ידי נביאו, ואמר
that the Living G d admonished through His prophet,3 saying:4
חסדי ה׳ כי לא תמנו וגו׳
“The kindnesses of G d have surely not ended....”
Surprisingly, the Hebrew verb used here is tamnu (in the first person plural), which would make the phrase mean, “we have not been brought to an end.” If the verse sought to say that (a) the kindnesses “have not ended,” rather than (b) “because of G d’s kindnesses we have not been brought to an end,” it should surely have used the verb tamu (in the third person plural), as the Alter Rebbe goes on to point out.
והוה ליה למימר: כי לא תמו
Now, it should really have said ki lo tamu,
כמו שכתוב: כי לא תמו חסדיך וכו׳
as in the phrase,5 “For your kindnesses have not ended....”
The Alter Rebbe answers that our verse indeed implies two ideas: (a) the kindnesses have not ended; (b) we stand in need of חסדי ה׳ (G d’s kindnesses), כי לא תמנו — because we are not “perfect” or “complete”. (In the second interpretation, tamnu means “we are not tamim,” as shall soon be explained.)
ויובן על פי מה שכתוב בזוהר הקדוש: אית חסד ואית חסד
This [anomaly] will be understood in the light of a statement in the sacred Zohar:6 “There are [two] different types of Chesed:
אית חסד עולם כו׳
there is Chesed olam..., literally, “a worldlike Chesed,” a degree of kindness which is limited by temporal bounds,
ואית חסד עילאה, דהוא רב חסד כו׳
and there is a superior form of kindness, i.e., rav Chesed (“boundless kindness”)....
Since it is man’s spiritual service that draws down Divine beneficence, the Alter Rebbe now goes on to explain what manner of service elicits a downflow of the “Chesed of the world,” and what manner of service draws down the boundless degree of rav Chesed.
כי הנה מודעת זאת, התורה נקראת עוז
Now, it is well known that the Torah is called oz (“strength”),
Thus on the verse,7 “G d grants strength to His people,” the Gemara in Tractate Zevachim8 comments, “‘Strength’ alludes to the Torah.”
שהוא לשון גבורה
which is an expression of Gevurah.
Literally, Gevurah means “might”, but more specifically, as the name of one of the Sefirot, it signifies (in contradistinction to Chesed) the withholding of beneficence, as regulated by the Divine attribute of stern justice.
וכמו שאמרו חז״ל: תרי״ג מצות נאמרו למשה מסיני מפי הגבורה
As our Sages, of blessed memory, taught:9 “The 613 commandments were declared unto Moses at Sinai from the Mouth of the Gevurah.”
I.e., the 613 commandments were uttered by G d as He manifested Himself in the attribute of Gevurah, for which reason He Himself is here referred to by the name of this attribute.
וכדכתיב: מימינו אש דת למו
It is likewise written:10 “From His right Hand a Torah of fire [was given] unto them”; i.e., it was written in fire, which is an expression of the attribute of Gevurah.
פירוש
This means:
The Alter Rebbe here introduces an explanation which anticipates the following question: Since the Torah of G d was given “from His right Hand,” which always connotes kindness and benevolence (and indeed, the Torah has been called11 Torat Chesed — “a Torah of kindness”), how then can the above-quoted verse proceed to say that the Torah is an expression of fire and Gevurah?
שהתורה מקורה ושרשה הוא רק חסדי ה׳, המכונים בשם ימין
The source and root of the Torah is solely “G d’s kindnesses,” that are referred to12 as “the right side.”
דהיינו: המשכת בחינת אלקותו יתברך והארה מאור אין סוף ברוך הוא
That is: The elicitation of His Divinity, and of a radiation from the [infinite] Ein Sof-light,
אל העולמות עליונים ותחתונים
to the upper and lower worlds,
על ידי האדם הממשיך האור על עצמו
[is effected] by man who draws down the light upon himself
בקיום רמ״ח מצות עשה
by the fulfillment of the 248 positive commandments,
שהו רמ״ח אברים דמלכא
which are13 “the 248 organs of the King”;
פירוש: רמ״ח כלים ולבושים לההארה מאור אין סוף ברוך הוא המלובש בהן
i.e., they are the 248 vessels and garments for the radiation from the [infinite] Ein Sof-light that is vested in them.
Each of the commandments serves as a receptor or vehicle for the particular Divine illumination that vests itself within it, just as each organ of the body is a vehicle or receptor for a particular faculty of the soul — the eye for the power of sight, the ear for the power of hearing, and so on.
ומאור זה יומשך לו דחילו ורחימו בכל מצוה, כנודע
(14And, as is known, from this light awe and love are drawn down upon [a person as he performs] each command.)
The Torah and its commandments are thus a downflow of G dliness, springing from His attribute of kindness.
רק שהמשכה זו נתלבשה תחלה במדת גבורתו של הקב״ה, המכונה בשם אש
However, this downflow was first vested in G d’s attribute of Gevurah, which is referred to as “fire”,
שהיא בחינת צמצום האור והחיות הנמשכות מאור אין סוף ברוך הוא
and which reflects a contraction (tzimtzum) of the light and life-force that issue from the [infinite] Ein Sof-light,
כדי שתוכל להתלבש במעשה המצות
thus enabling it to become vested in the performance of the commandments,
שרובן ככולן הם בדברים חומריים
practically all of which involve material things,
כציצית ותפילין וקרבנות וצדקה
such as tzitzit (which are made of wool), tefillin (made of leather and parchment), sacrifices (offered from animals, plants and minerals) and charity (that involves money or other material objects).
ואף מצות שהן ברוחניות האדם, כמו יראה ואהבה
Even commandments that involve a man’s spirit, such as awe and love [of G d],
אף על פי כן הן בבחינת גבול ומדה, ולא בבחינת אין סוף כלל
are also of limited measure,15 and by no means of infinite extent.
כי אהבה רבה לה׳, בלי קץ וגבול ומדה, אין האדם יכול לסובלה בלבו ולהיות קיים בגופו אפילו רגע
For not even for a moment could man sustain in his heart so intense a love of G d as is without end and limitation, and still remain in existence in his body.
Indeed, so intense a love would surely cause the soul to take flight.
וכמאמר רז״ל, שבשעת מתן תורה, שהיתה התגלות אלקותו יתברך ואור אין סוף ברוך הוא בבחינת דיבור והתגלות, פרחה נשמתן כו׳
So it was taught by our Sages, of blessed memory,16 that at the time of the Giving of the Torah, when G d’s Divinity, and the [infinite] Ein Sof-light, were manifested [to the Jews at Sinai] at the [direct] level of revealed speech, “their souls took flight” from their bodies.
At that time G d restored their souls with the dew that He will use to revive the dead in the time to come. We see, however, that the illumination in itself was so intense that their souls could not remain within their bodies for even one moment.
Since the love presently experienced by a soul within a body does not cause it to flee, it follows that this love is inherently limited. This also applies to the awe and love which are experienced as a result of the Divinity that is revealed in the mitzvot, as mentioned earlier. This is the case because the flow of G dliness which descends through the Torah and its finite commandments is restrained by the attribute of Gevurah.
We can now understand the two stages implied in the above-quoted verse: Initially, the Torah indeed proceeds “from His right Hand,” from the boundless kindness of the attribute of Chesed — but it is then communicated to us “from the Mouth of the Gevurah” as “a Torah of fire,” as a law which is delimited and restricted through the Divine attribute of Gevurah, so that it will be able to find expression in the finitude of the mitzvot.
FOOTNOTES
1. Cf. Tehillim 119:130.
2. Cf. Mishlei 15:31.
3. Note of the Rebbe: “At the conclusion as well [of this Epistle] the Alter Rebbe stresses that ‘This is what the prophet says,’ in order to add certainty to the following statement.”
4. Eichah 3:22.
5. Liturgy, concluding blessings of Shemoneh Esreh (Siddur Tehillat HaShem, p. 58).
6. III, 133b.
7. Tehillim 29:11.
8. 116a.
9. Makkot 23b.
10. Devarim 33:2.
11. Mishlei 31:26.
12. Tikkunei Zohar, Introduction II (Patach Eliyahu).
13. Tikkunei Zohar, Tikkun 30 (p. 74b).
14. The parentheses are in the original text.
15. This being a characteristic of the attribute of Gevurah.
16. Shabbat 88b.
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Rambam:
• Daily Mitzvah P98 - Sefer Hamitzvos:
Tuesday, Menachem Av 30, 5774 • August 26, 2014
Today's Mitzvah
A daily digest of Maimonides’ classic work "Sefer Hamitzvot"
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 98
Ritual Impurity of Food and Drink
We are commanded regarding food and drink that have contracted ritual impurity. [I.e., one must follow all the laws associated with this impurity.]
Ritual Impurity of Food and Drink
Positive Commandment 98
Translated by Berel Bell
The 98th mitzvah is that we are commanded to rule according to the appropriate laws regarding the tumah of food and drink.1 This mitzvah includes all the laws of tumas ochlin u'mashkin.2
FOOTNOTES
1.Lev. 11:34.
2.See Hilchos Ochlin 1:1-4.
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Rambam:
• 1 Chapter a Day: Malveh veLoveh Malveh veLoveh - Chapter 25Malveh veLoveh - Chapter 25
Halacha 1
The following law applies when a person gives a loan to a colleague and afterwards, a third party says: "I will act as a guarantor," the lender sues the borrower and a third party says: "Let him go. I will act as a guarantor, or the lender was strangling the borrower in the market place and a third party says: "Let him go. I will act as a guarantor." The guarantor is not obligated at all. Even if the prospective guarantor says in the presence of a court: "I will guarantee the money," he is not liable.
If, however, he formalizes his commitment to guarantee the money with a kinyan, he becomes obligated in all the above situations. This applies whether the kinyan was made in the presence of the court, or together with the lender alone.
Halacha 2
If, however, the guarantor told the lender when the money was being given: "Lend him, and I will be the guarantor," he becomes responsible. In such a situation, a kinyan is not necessary.
Similarly, if a court appointed him a guarantor, he becomes liable even though he did not affirm his commitment with a kinyan. For example, the court desired to expropriate property from the borrower, and this person told them: "Let him be. I will guarantee the debt for you." Since he receives satisfaction from being trusted by the court, he accepts a binding commitment upon himself.
Halacha 3
When a person lends money to a colleague because of the commitment of a guarantor, although though the guarantor becomes responsible to the lender, the lender should not demand payment from the guarantor first. Instead, he should demand payment from the borrower first. If he does not pay him, he should return to the guarantor and collect payment from him. When does the above apply? When the borrower does not own property. If, however, the borrower does own property. He should not collect the debt from the guarantor at all. Instead, he should collect from the borrower."
If, however, the borrower is a man of force, and the court cannot expropriate money from him, or he refuses to come to the court, the lender may collect payment from the guarantor first. Afterwards, the guarantor will make a reckoning with the borrower. If the guarantor can extract payment from him, he should. If that is not possible, the court should place the borrower under a ban of ostracism until he repays the guarantor.
Halacha 4
Although the lender makes a stipulation with the guarantor and tells him: "I am giving the loan on the condition that I can collect the debt from whomever I desire," if the borrower possesses property, he should not collect the debt from the guarantor.
If he stipulated, "I am giving the loan on the condition that I can collect the debt from whomever I desire first," or the guarantor was a kablan, the lender may demand payment from this guarantor or this kablan first. He may collect payment from them although the borrower possesses property.
Halacha 5
Who is considered to be an ordinary guarantor and who is considered to be a kablan] If a person says: "Give him the loan and I will give you," he is considered to be a kablan. The lender has the option of seeking repayment from him, even though he did not explicitly stipulate: "On the condition that I can collect the debt from whomever I desire first."
If, however, he tells him: "Lend him and I will act as a guarantor," "Lend him and I will pay," "Lend him and I am obligated," "Lend him and I will give," "Lend him and I will act as a kablan" "Give him and I will act as a kablan" "Give him and I will pay," "Give him and I am obligated," or "Give him and I will serve as a guarantor" - all of these are statements that cause him to be considered a guarantor. The lender may not demand payment from him first. Nor may he collect payment from him in a situation where the lender possesses property unless he stipulates: "On the condition that I can collect... from whomever I desire first"
Halacha 6
When a person guarantees a woman's ketubah he is not obligated to pay, even if he affirmed his commitment with a kinyan. The rationale is that he performed a mitzvah and did not cause her a financial loss. If a father guarantees his son's ketubah and affirms his commitment with a kinyan, the obligation is established. A person who becomes a kablan for a ketubah is liable.
Halacha 7
The following rules apply when Reuven sells Shimon a field and Levi accepts financial responsibility for it. Levi is not considered responsible, for this is an asmachta. If he affirmed with a kinyan his commitment to pay the money involved in this sale whenever demanded to do so by Shimon, he is obligated to do so. My masters ruled in this manner.
Halacha 8
Similarly, if a guarantor or a kablan make a conditional commitment, they do not become obligated even if the commitment is affirmed by a kinyan. The rationale is that this is an asmachta.
What is implied? For example, the guarantor told him: "Give him the loan and I will give you if this-and-this will take place," or "... if it will not take place." The rationale is that whenever a person undertakes an obligation for which he is personally not liable and makes it dependent on a condition: "if this takes place," or "if this does not take place," he never makes a wholehearted commitment or kinyan. Therefore, he does not become liable.
Halacha 9
When two people take out loans from the same person and record their debts in the same promissory note or together purchase a single article, they are considered as having guaranteed the other person's commitment even though they do not explicitly agree to do so. The same law applies when one of a group of partners undertakes a loan or makes a purchase for the partnership.
Halacha 10
When two people both commit themselves to guarantee a debt taken on by one person, when the lender comes to collect payment from the guarantor, he may collect from either one of them, as he desires. If, however, one of them does not possess the entire amount of the debt, the lender may demand payment of the remainder from the other guarantor.
Halacha 11
If one person guarantees the debts of two different individuals, when a lender comes to collect payment he should tell the guarantor which of the two debts he is paying so that the guarantor will be able to seek reimbursement from the debtor.
Halacha 12
When a person tells a colleague: "Guarantee a debt for so-and-so for this-and-this amount and I will guarantee the sum to you," it is as if he tells him: "Lendhim the money and I will guarantee the debt." Just as the guarantor becomes obligated to the lender, the second guarantor becomes obligated to the first guarantor. The same laws that govern the relationship between the guarantor and the lender govern the relationship between the first guarantor and the second guarantor.
Halacha 13
The following opinions were stated with regard to a person who did not limit the extent of the commitment he made to serve as a guarantor. For example, he told the lender: "Give him whatever you give him, I will guarantee it," "Sell to him, and I will guarantee it," or "Lend him, and I will guarantee it."
There are Geonim who rule that even if the other person sells 10,000 zuz worth of merchandise or lends 100,000 zuz to the person named, the guarantor becomes responsible for the entire amount. It appears to me, by contrast, that the guarantor is not liable at all. Since he does not know for what he undertook the liability, he did not make a serious commitment and did not obligate himself. These are words of reason that a person of understanding will appreciate.
Halacha 14
When a person tells a colleague: "Lend him. I will guarantee the borrower's physical person," he did not make a commitment with regard to the money itself. What he meant was: Whenever you want, I will bring him to you.
Similar principles apply when, after the lender makes the loan and demands payment, a person says: "Let him go. Whenever you lodge a claim against him, I will bring him to you." If he affirms his commitment with a kinyan, there are Geonim who rule that if the guarantor does not bring the borrower to the court, the guarantor is obligated to pay. There are, however, others who rule that even if he made a stipulation saying: "If I do not bring him, or if he dies or he flees, I will be obligated to pay," the guarantor does not become liable, for this is an asmachta. I favor this understanding.
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Rambam:
• 3 Chapters a Day: Tum'at Okhalin Tum'at Okhalin - Chapter 16, Kelim Kelim - Chapter 1, Kelim Kelim - Chapter 2
Tum'at Okhalin - Chapter 16
Halacha 1
All bundles of vegetables in the marketplaces and all the flour and fine flour in the marketplaces can be assumed to have been made susceptible to ritual impurity: the bundles of vegetables, because it is common practice to continually sprinkle water upon them and flour and fine flour, because the kernels of grain are washed and afterwards, they are ground. Similarly, when kernels of wheat are crushed in a mill into two or three pieces in order to be cooked as groats or the like, it can be assumed that they were made susceptible to ritual impurity in all places, whether they are from the marketplaces or from private homes, because they are washed to remove their shells.
Halacha 2
All of the above that are assumed to have become susceptible to ritual impurity are also assumed to have contracted impurity, because everyone touches them and they have already become susceptible to impurity. In all such situations, the word of an unlearned person is accepted if he says: "They were not made susceptible to impurity." Needless to say, with regard to other foods about which such assumptions are not made, the word of an unlearned person is accepted if he says: "They were not made susceptible to impurity."
Halacha 3
It is assumed that all fish have been made susceptible to ritual impurity. In this instance, if an unlearned person says that they were not made susceptible to impurity, his word is not accepted. For this reason, fish are always assumed to be impure.
Whether fish are caught in a large net, a small net, or a snare, if it was not turned over upon them, they do not become susceptible to impurity. If it is turned over upon them, they do become susceptible to impurity. The word of an unlearned person is not accepted if he says: "I did not turn the snare over upon them." It is assumed that they are impure unless one had the intent to catch them in a state of purity.
Halacha 4
It is assumed that all fish brine has been made susceptible to ritual impurity. When even the slightest amount of water falls into pure fish brine, the entire mixture is considered as a liquid. It makes substances susceptible to ritual impurity and it itself can contract the impurity that affects liquids. Therefore it is assumed to be impure.
If wine, honey, or milk fall into fish brine, the ruling is determined by the majority of the mixture. Similarly, if fruit juices become mixed with liquids that are susceptible to impurity aside from water, the ruling is determined by the majority of the mixture. If the fruit juice becomes mixed with even the slightest amount of water, the entire mixture is considered as a liquid that imparts impurity and it is susceptible to contracting impurity as liquids do and it makes other foods susceptible to impurity.
Brine from unkosher locusts does not make foods susceptible to impurity, but it does contract the impurity associated with liquids.
Halacha 5
When a person purchases fish brine from an unlearned person, he can make it pure by connecting it to the water of a mikveh. The rationale is as follows: If the majority of the brine is water, the water regains purity because of the mikveh. If the majority is fish brine, it is not susceptible to impurity and the water within the mixture is considered as negligible because of the small amount that is present.
When does the above apply? When one seeks to dip bread in the mixture. If, however, one seeks to cook it in a pot containing water, one type finds its fellow and it becomes significant. Thus the majority of the water is impure, since the minimal amount that was in the brine was not purified in a mikveh.
Halacha 6
Produce is always considered as pure, even if the seller is a gentile unless it is known that they became susceptible to impurity through contact with water or are from the types of produce that we can assume became susceptible to impurity.
Halacha 7
In all places, sumach berries can be assumed to be impure. Similarly, all zucchini, squash, and other vegetables that are hung by reeds at the entrance to stores can be assumed to have been susceptible to impurity and to have contracted impurity.
Halacha 8
All that is written in the Torah and the words of Scripture concerning the laws of ritual purity and impurity apply only with regard to the Sanctuary, sacrifices consecrated for it, terumah, and the second tithe. For individuals who are ritually impure were warned against entering the Sanctuary or partaking of sacrificial foods, terumah, or the second tithe while impure. There is no prohibition at all against partaking of ordinary foods while impure. Instead, it is permitted to eat ordinary foods that are impure and partake of ordinary beverages that are impure. Behold, it is written in the Torah Leviticus 7:19: "The meat that will come in contact with any impurity should not be eaten." It can be inferred that that it is permissible to partake of ordinary foods while impure, because the verse is speaking only about sacrificial foods.
If so, what is the intent of the statement: Ordinary food that is a primary derivative of impurity is impure and that which is a secondary derivative is disqualified?. The intent is not that the food itself is forbidden to be eaten, instead, its status is important only when counting levels with regard to terumah and sacrificial foods. For if ordinary food that is a secondary derivative of impurity touches terumah, it disqualifies it and causes it to be considered as a tertiary derivative. Similarly, if it touches sacrificial food, it imparts impurity to it and causes it to be considered as a tertiary derivative, as we explained. Similarly, if a person who ate ordinary food that was a secondary derivative of impurity touches terumah, he disqualifies it.
Halacha 9
Just as it is permitted to eat impure ordinary food and drink impure ordinary beverages, so too, it is permitted to impart impurity to ordinary food in Eretz Yisrael. Even as an initial preference, one may impart impurity to food from which terumah and the tithes were separated.
Similarly, it is permissible for a person to touch all sources of impurity and contract impurity from them. This is evident from the fact that the Torah warned a priest and a nazirite from becoming impure through contact with a human corpse. One can infer from this that all other members of the people are permitted. Moreover, even priests and nazirites are permitted to contract impurity from all other sources of impurity with the exception of a human corpse.
Halacha 10
All Israelites are warned to be pure on every pilgrimage festival, because at that time, they are ready to enter the Sanctuary and partake of consecrated foods. The Torah's statement Leviticus 11:8: "You shall not touch their carcasses," applies only on the festivals. Moreover, if a person does contract impurity, he is not liable for lashes. During the remainder of the year, one is not prohibited at all.
Halacha 11
"The impure and the pure may partake of it" [Deuteronomy 12:22. According to the Oral Tradition, it was taught: an impure person and a pure person may eat from the same plate. Nevertheless, a husband may not eat from the same plate as his wife when she is in the nidah state, nor may he drink with her, nor may he pour her a cup of beverage for her, as we explained. Similarly, a zav should not eat with a zavah because familiarity may lead to sin, for perhaps they will engage in intimate relations.
Halacha 12
Even though it is permitted to eat impure foods and drink impure beverages, the pious men of the early generations would partake of their ordinary food in a state of ritual purity and would avoid all of the sources of impurity throughout their lives. They are called perushim.
This is an extra measure of holiness and a path to piety: to be separate from people at large, to hold oneself apart from them, not to touch them, nor eat and drink with them. For setting oneself apart leads to the purification of the body from wicked actions. Purifying one's body leads to sanctifying one's soul from wicked character traits. And the holiness of the soul causes one to resemble the Divine presence, as Leviticus 11:44 states: "And you shall make yourselves holy; and you shall be holy, because I, God, Who makes you holy, am holy."
Blessed be the Merciful One Who offers assistance.
Kelim - Chapter 1
HILCHOT KEILIM
The Laws Pertaining to Keilim
The purpose of this collection of laws is to know which keilim are susceptible to any of these types of impurity, those keilim which are not susceptible to impurity, and how keilim contract and impart impurity.
This concept is explained in the ensuing chapters.
Halacha 1
There are seven types of keilim that are susceptible to impurity according to Scriptural Law. They are: clothes, keilim from sackcloth, leather keilim, keilim made from bone, metal keilim, wooden keilim, and earthenware keilim. For Leviticus 11:32 states: "From all wooden implements, garments, leather articles, or sackcloth." And with regard to metal utensils, Numbers 31:22 states: "But the gold and the silver...." And with regard to earthenware utensils, Leviticus 11:33 states: "And every earthenware container into whose inner space one of them will fall, everything inside of it will contract impurity and the container should be broken."
Halacha 2
According to the Oral Tradition, it was taught that the Torah's statement Numbers 31:20: "And anything made from goats" includes keilim made from the horns, hooves, and bones of goats. The same applies to keilim made from the body parts of other domesticated and undomesticated animals. keilim made from the bones of fowl, by contrast, are not susceptible to impurity with the sole exception of keilim made from the wings of an osprey and an ostrich egg that was coated. Since they resemble bones, they are susceptible to ritual impurity as a bone implement is. It nigh appears to me that their impurity is of Rabbinic origin.
Halacha 3
keilim that are fashioned from the bones or the hide of sea-animals are pure. Everything from the sea is pure and is not susceptible to any form of impurity, including the impurity stemming from articles that contracted impurity from a zav. Even if one weaves a garment with "wool" growing in the sea, it is not susceptible to impurity.
This is implied by the phrase: "garments or leather articles." According to the Oral Tradition, it was taught "Just as it is only a garment that comes from plants that grow on the earth that is susceptible to ritual impurity, so too, only leather keilim that come from plants that grow on the earth are susceptible to ritual impurity.
The following law applies if one connected fabric from plants that grow in the sea with fabric from plants that grow on the earth, even if only by a thread or a fringe. If they were connected in a way that they are considered a single entity with regard to ritual impurity, i.e., if one became impure, the other became impure, the entire entity becomes susceptible to impurity.
Halacha 4
It appears to me that utensils made from the skin of a fowl are not susceptible to impurity like its bones. One might object, saying: Such skin is acceptable to have tefillin written upon it like the hide of a domesticated or undomesticated animal. That objection can be refuted as follows:[ The skin of a fish is not susceptible to ritual impurity. [Nevertheless, were it not for its filth which never ceases, it would be acceptable to be used for tefillin. Thus it is derived that even an entity that is not susceptible to ritual impurity is acceptable to be used for tefillin if it is not characterized by filth.
Halacha 5
Glass keilim are not susceptible to ritual impurity according to Scriptural Law. Our Sages decreed that they would be susceptible to impurity. The rationale is that since, at the outset, they are made from sand like earthenware utensils, they are considered as earthenware utensils. Since their inside can be seen like their outside, the Sages did not decree that they would contract impurity from their inner space. Instead, the impurity must touch them, whether on the inside or the outside, as is true with regard to metal utensils. They did not establish this decree with regard to flat glass keilim, only those that serve as containers. Once such containers contract impurity, they cannot be purified in a mikveh. Terumah and sacrificial food is not burnt after contact with them, for it was decreed only that their state would be held in abeyance.
Halacha 6
Utensils made from animal turds, stone, or earth are always pure. They are not susceptible to any form of impurity, nor to the impurity that stems from articles that contracted impurity from a zav, neither according to Scriptural Law, nor according to Rabbinic Law, neither flat keilim, nor containers.
Halacha 7
When an elephant swallows thin branches and then excretes them as feces, if one fashions utensils from them, their status is unresolved. It was not determined whether they are considered as utensils made from feces or utensils made from wood as they would have been had they not been swallowed. When, however, a basket that had contracted impurity was swallowed by an elephant and was excreted as feces, it remains impure.
Halacha 8
Flat earthenware utensils, e.g., a lamp, a chair, a table, or the like made of earthenware are not susceptible to any of the types of impurity, nor to the impurity that stems from articles that contracted impurity from a zav, neither according to Scriptural Law, nor according to Rabbinic Law, as implied by the phrase, Leviticus 11:33: "Into whose inner space one of them will fall." One can infer that any earthenware utensil that has a receptacle is susceptible to impurity. If it does not have a receptacle, it is pure.
Halacha 9
Metal keilim, whether flat, like knives or scissors, or containers like pots or kettles, are all susceptible to ritual impurity, as implied by Numbers 31:23: "Any entity that will pass through fire," i.e., whether a container or a flat implement. Even a chest or a drawer, or the like that are made from metal and which contain 40 se'ah of liquid measure or more are susceptible to ritual impurity, as implied by the phrase: "Any entity that will pass through fire."
Halacha 10
Containers made from wood, leather, or bone, e.g., a kneading trough, a drinking pouch, or the like, are susceptible to ritual impurity according to Scriptural Law. Keilim made from wood, leather, or bone that are flat, e.g., tablets, a chair, a leather mat on which one eats, and the like, by contrast, are susceptible to ritual impurity only according to Rabbinic Law, as implied by the phrase: "From all wooden keilim... or sackcloth." According to the Oral Tradition, it was taught: "Just as the sackcloth which is susceptible to ritual impurity has a receptacle, so too, keilim made from all the other substances mentioned must have a receptacle. keilim made from bone are governed by the same laws as those made from wood in all matters.
When does the statement that flat utensils made from these substances are susceptible to impurity only according to Rabbinic Law apply? With regard to all impurities other than the impurity contracted from a support that contracted impurity from a zav. With regard to the impurity resulting from a support that contracted impurity from a zav or others like him, they contract impurity according to Scriptural Law, as implied by Leviticus 15:4: "Any surface on which one lies upon which a zav will lie." This includes everything made to lie upon or ride upon, as we explained. Similarly, glass keilim made to lie upon contract impurity according to Rabbinic Law.
Halacha 11
Any article that is woven, whether from wool, from linen, hemp, silk, or other fabrics that grow on land, is called a garment with regard to impurity. Felt is like a garment with regard to all matters.
Halacha 12
Sackcloth refers to threads of hair that are braided like a chain or woven like garments, whether they are made from goats' hair, camels' wool, the hairs of a tail of a horse or cow or the like. This applies whether they are woven like sacks or braided like a band for donkeys or the like. Ropes or strands, whether they are spun from goats' hair or from wool or linen are not susceptible to ritual impurity on their own accord.
Halacha 13
All utensils that are fashioned from reeds, from willow-branches, from bulrushes, from date branches, from leaves and branches, the bark of the tree, and grasses, e.g., small baskets, large baskets, rugs, or mats are all considered as wooden utensils, for anything that grows from the earth is considered as wood.
The same laws that govern earthenware utensils govern sandstone utensils. Any utensil that is made from earth or sand and is then burnt in a kiln is considered as an earthenware utensil. An oven, a range, a stove or the like, i.e., structures in which food is baked or cooked, all are susceptible to ritual impurity according to Scriptural Law. The laws governing their impurity are the same as those governing that of an earthenware utensil.
Kelim - Chapter 2
Halacha 1
Whenever a person makes a receptacle, it is susceptible to impurity according to Scriptural Law regardless of its size. There is no minimum measure for a receptacle, provided it is made from a lasting substance that will be maintained.
What is implied? When a person makes a utensil from a hide that was not processed at all, from paper, even though the paper itself is not susceptible to impurity, or from the shells of pomegranates, nuts, or acorns, even if children hollowed out the shells to measure earth or they were prepared to be used for scales, the utensils are susceptible to ritual impurity. The rationale is that the deeds of a child, a deafmute, a mentally or emotionally compromised person and a minor are halachically significant, although their intent is not halachically significant.
If, however, one makes a utensil from a dried turnip, esrog, or squash, hollowing them out to measure with them or the like, they are pure, for it is impossible that they will last longer than a short while.
Halacha 2
All of the following - the horizontal rod of a scale and a leveling rod that have a receptacle where metal can be place, a peddler's pole that has a receptacle where coins can be stored, a wooden pole that has a place where water is stored, a staff that has a receptacle for a mezuzah or a place for a pearl, a wooden sharpener that has a receptacle for oil, a wooden writing tablet that has a receptacle for wax - are susceptible to ritual impurity according to Scriptural Law, because they have a receptacle, even though it may be of the smallest size.
According to Scriptural Law, it is only the receptacle that these keilim contain and the part of the k'li that serves the receptacle and that the receptacle requires that is susceptible to impurity. The remainder of a flat k'li that is not necessary for the receptacle, is pure according to Scriptural Law. It is susceptible to impurity according to Rabbinic Law, as we explained.
Halacha 3
When a receptacle is intended to be filled, it is not considered as a receptacle. What is implied? When a receptacle is hollowed out from a block of wood and then a metal anvil is inserted into it, if it is a blacksmith's, it is not susceptible to ritual impurity. Although it has a receptacle, it was made to be filled. Similar laws apply in all analogous situations.
If the anvil was for jewelers, the k'li is susceptible to ritual impurity, because whenever they desire, they lift up the iron and collect the filings of gold and silver that collect there, under the anvil. Thus the hollow is meant to serve as a receptacle. Similar laws apply in all analogous situations.
Halacha 4
When a cup is carved below the legs of beds, chests, and the like, even though it is a receptacle, it is pure. It is considered as if it does not have a receptacle, because it is not intended to collect anything, but rather to support furniture.
A hollow piece of straw is susceptible to impurity like any wooden k'li that is susceptible to impurity even if it can only take in one drop. A hollow reed is not susceptible to impurity until all the white sap in it is removed. If it was not cut for the sake of taking in other substances, it is considered like other flat wooden keilim. The hollow stems of gall and the like are not considered as keilim, but rather as foods.
Halacha 5
When one cuts a straw, inserted a mezuzah inside of it, and then placed it inside a wall, it is susceptible to impurity even if he placed it in the wall with its open part pointed downward. If he affixed it to the wall, affixing it with its open part pointed upward, it is susceptible to impurity. If the open part is pointed downward, it is pure.
Should one place the straw in the wall and then insert the mezuzah inside, if the open part was pointing upward, it is susceptible to impurity. If the open part is pointing downward, it is pure. If he affixed it to the wall, even if its open part is pointing upward, it is pure.
Halacha 6
The following laws apply to a k'li that is made by weaving pieces of wood or sh'am for the purpose of spreading clothes over it while incense is burned below it so that they become fragrant. If it was made like a beehive that has no base, it is pure. if it has an opening where a covering can be placed, it is susceptible to impurity.
Halacha 7
A metal foot-covering for an animal is impure. If it is made from sh'am, it is pure, because that is not considered as a receptacle.
Halacha 8
When a person bundles a pearl in a hide and, after he removes it, a hollow is left, it is susceptible to impurity until it is smoothed out. For any container is considered a receptacle if it can hold even the slightest amount and, in the above instance, something resembling a small pocket is left. If, however, one bundles coins in a hide, it is not susceptible to impurity, because such a bundle does not have the form of container at all.
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Hayom Yom:
• Tuesday, Menachem Av 30, 5774 • 26 August 2014
"Today's Day"
Tuesday, Menachem Av 30, 5774 • 26 August 2014
"Today's Day"
Tuesday, Menachem Av 30, Rosh Chodesh, 5703
Begin saying L'david ori (p. 81). The custom in the Rebbe's home1 is to practice sounding the shofar during this day. On the second day of Rosh Chodesh begin sounding the shofar after davening.
Torah lessons: Chumash: Shoftim, Shlishi with Rashi.
Tehillim: 145-150.
Tanya: X. After greetings (p. 439) ...souls took flight..." (p. 441).
The Alter Rebbe at first used to say brief maamarim. For example, the maamar Zecher rav tuvcha and its amplification, published in the Siddur,2 was said in six sequential sections, at somewhat greater length than in its printed version.
FOOTNOTES
1.And the general Chabad custom.
2.The reference is to the Siddur with chassidic discourses.
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Daily Thought:"Today's Day"
Tuesday, Menachem Av 30, Rosh Chodesh, 5703
Begin saying L'david ori (p. 81). The custom in the Rebbe's home1 is to practice sounding the shofar during this day. On the second day of Rosh Chodesh begin sounding the shofar after davening.
Torah lessons: Chumash: Shoftim, Shlishi with Rashi.
Tehillim: 145-150.
Tanya: X. After greetings (p. 439) ...souls took flight..." (p. 441).
The Alter Rebbe at first used to say brief maamarim. For example, the maamar Zecher rav tuvcha and its amplification, published in the Siddur,2 was said in six sequential sections, at somewhat greater length than in its printed version.
FOOTNOTES
1.And the general Chabad custom.
2.The reference is to the Siddur with chassidic discourses.
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Dissatisfied on Purpose
So you are not happy with the way things are in your world, your community, your house, your own self.
Who says things were designed to make you happy? G‑d Himself is dissatisfied with all of it. He made such a world and put you here within it to do your part in fixing it.
Be strong and take on a load, and rejoice that soon will be a world which you had a hand in building.
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