Rosh Hashanah Day 1
Today's Laws & Customs:
• "GOOD YEAR"
On the first night of Rosh Hashanah, we extend to one another greetings of Leshana Tovah Tekatev Vitechatem, "May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year."
• APPLE & HONEY
In the evening meal, we eat apple dipped in honey, the head of a fish, pomogranates , tzimmes (sweet carrots) and other foods signifying a sweet and successful year
• SHOFAR
In the course of the morning and musaf service, the shofar (ram's horn) is sounded one hundred times, in various combinations of tekiah (a long blast), shevarim (a trio of broken sobs) and teruah (a staccato of short notes), in fulfillment of the primary mitzvah of Rosh Hashanah. The shofar serves to trumpet our coronation of G-d as King of the Universe, as a call to repentance, and to evoke the memory of the Binding ofIsaac.
Link: The Cry of the Shofar: Two Parables
• TASHLICH
In the afternoon, the Tashlich prayer service, in which we ask G-d to "cast away our sins in the depths of the sea", is recited at a body of water (sea, river, lake, pond, etc.) containing fish.
• TORAH READING
Bereshis/Genesis 21:1 And Hashem visited Sarah as He had said, and Hashem did unto Sarah just as He had spoken.
2 For Sarah conceived, and bore Avraham ben in his old age, at the mo’ed (set time) of which Elohim had given promise unto him.
3 And Avraham called the shem of bno that was born unto him, whom Sarah bore to him, Yitzchak.
4 And Avraham circumcised bno Yitzchak at age shemonat yamim, as Elohim had commanded him.
5 And Avraham was a hundred years old, when bno Yitzchak was born unto him.
6 And she said, Elohim hath brought me tzechok (laughter), so that all that hear yitzchak (will laugh) with me.
7 And she said, Who would have said unto Avraham, that Sarah should nurse banim? for I have borne him ben in his old age.
8 And the yeled grew, and was weaned; and Avraham made a mishteh gadol the same day that Yitzchak was weaned.
9 And Sarah saw the ben of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had borne unto Avraham, metzachek (mocking, scoffing).
10 Therefore she said unto Avraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her ben: for the ben of this bondwoman shall not be heir with beni (my son), even with Yitzchak.
11 And the thing was very grievous in the eyes of Avraham because of bno.
12 And Elohim said unto Avraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the na’ar, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, shema (pay heed) unto her voice; for in Yitzchak shall thy zera be called.
13 And also of the ben haamah will I make a nation, because he is thy zera.
14 And Avraham rose up early in the boker, and took lechem, and a skin of mayim, and gave it unto Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and the yeled, and sent her away; and she departed, and wandered in the midbar of Beer-Sheva.
15 And the mayim in the skin was done, and she cast the yeled under one of the bushes.
16 And she went off, and sat down about a bowshot away: for she thought, Let me not see the mot hayeled. And she sat there nearby, and lifted up her voice, and wept.
17 And Elohim heard the voice of the na’ar; and the Malach Elohim called to Hagar out of Shomayim, and said unto her, Mah lach, Hagar? fear not; for Elohim hath heard the voice of the na’ar where he is.
18 Arise, lift up the na’ar, and hold him in thine yad; for I will make him a goy gadol.
19 And Elohim opened her eyes, and she saw a be’er of mayim; and she went, and filled the skin with mayim, and gave the na’ar drink.
20 And Elohim was with the na’ar; and he grew, and dwelt in the midbar, and became a roveh keshet (an archer).
21 And he dwelt in the midbar of Paran: and his em got him an isha out of Eretz Mitzrayim.
22 And it came to pass at that time, that Avimelech and Phichol the sar tz’va of his spoke unto Avraham, saying, Elohim is with thee in all that thou doest:
23 Now therefore swear unto me here before Elohim that thou wilt not deal falsely with me, nor with my child, nor with my descendant: but according to the chesed that I have showed thee, thou shalt do unto me, and to the eretz wherein thou hast sojourned.
24 And Avraham said, I will swear.
25 And Avraham reproved Avimelech because of a be’er hamayim, which Avimelech’s avadim had violently seized.
26 And Avimelech said, I know not who hath done this thing; neither didst thou tell me, neither yet heard I of it, but today.
27 And Avraham took tzon and oxen, and gave them unto Avimelech; and both of them made a brit.
28 And Avraham set apart seven ewe lambs of the tzon by themselves.
29 And Avimelech said unto Avraham, What mean these seven ewe lambs which thou hast set apart by themselves?
30 And he said, For these sheva ewe lambs shalt thou accept of my hand, that they may be a witness unto me, that I have dug this well.
31 Therefore he called that place Beer-Sheva; because there they swore an oath both of them.
32 Thus they made a brit at Beer-Sheva: then Avimelech rose up, and Phichol the sar tzeva of his, and they returned into eretz Pelishtim.
33 And Avraham planted an eshel (tamarisk tree) in Beer-Sheva, and called there on the Shem of Hashem El Olam.
34 And Avraham sojourned in eretz Pelishtim yamim rabbim.
22:1 And it came to pass after these things, that G-d did test Avraham, and said unto him, Avraham: and he said, Hineini (Behold, here I am).
2 And He said, Take now thy son, thine ben yachid (only son) Yitzchak, whom thou lovest, and get thee into eretz Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.
3 And Avraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his donkey, and took two of his servants with him, and Yitzchak his son, and cut the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which G-d had told him.
4 Then on Yom HaShlishi Avraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off. [1C 15:3]
5 And Avraham said unto his servants, Abide ye here with the donkey; and I and the young man will go over there and nishtachaveh (we will worship) and we will come back again to you.
6 And Avraham took atzei haolah (the wood of the burnt offering), and laid it upon Yitzchak his son; and he took the eish (fire) in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together.
7 And Yitzchak spoke unto Avraham his father, and said, Avi (My father): and he said, Hineini, beni (Here am I, my son). And he said, Hinei, the eish (fire) and the wood: but where is the seh (lamb) for a burnt offering? [YESHAYAH 53:7]
8 And Avraham said, My son, G-d will provide Himself a seh (lamb) for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.
9 And they came to the place which G-d had told him of; and Avraham built a mizbe’ach there, and laid the wood in order, and made the akedah (binding) of Yitzchak his son, and laid him on the mizbe’ach upon the wood.
10 And Avraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.
11 And the Malach Hashem called unto him out of Shomayim, and said, Avraham, Avraham: and he said, Hineini.
12 And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the young man, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest G-d, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine ben yachid from Me.
13 And Avraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and hinei behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Avraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering TAKHAT (instead of ) his son. [YESHAYAH 53:8]
14 And Avraham called the name of that place Hashem Yireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of Hashem it shall be provided.
15 And the Malach Hashem called unto Avraham out of Shomayim the second time,
16 And said, By Myself have I sworn, saith Hashem, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine ben yachid:
17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy zera as the stars of the skies, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy zera shall possess the gate of his enemies;
18 And in thy zera shall kol goyei ha’aretz be blessed; because thou hast obeyed My voice.
19 So Avraham returned unto his servants, and they rose up and went together to Beer Sheva; and Avraham dwelt at Beer Sheva.
20 And it came to pass after these things, that it was told Avraham, saying, Hinei, Milcah, she hath also born children unto thy brother Nachor;
21 Utz his bechor (firstborn), and Buz his brother, and Kemuel the father of Aram,
22 And Kesed, and Hazo, and Pildash, and Yidlaph, and Betuel.
23 And Betuel fathered Rivkah: these eight Milcah did bear to Nachor, Avraham’s brother.
24 And his pilegesh, whose name was Reumah, she bare also Tevach, and Gacham, and Tachash, and Maachah.
• LINKS
More on Rosh Hashanah
• TEN DAYS OF REPENTANCE
The 10-day period beginning on Rosh Hashahnah and ending on Yom Kippur is known as the "Ten Days of Repentance"; this is the period, say the sages, of which the prophet speaks when he proclaims (Isaiah 55:6) "Seek G-d when He is to be found; call on Him when He is near." Psalm 130, Avinu Malkeinu and other special inserts and additions are included in our daily prayers during these days.
The Baal Shem Tov instituted the custom of reciting three additional chapters of Psalms each day, from the 1st of Elul until Yom Kippur (on Yom Kippur the remaining 36 chapters are recited, thereby completing the entire book of Psalms). Click below for today's three Psalms.
Chapter 88 Chapter 89 Chapter 90
Links: About the Ten Days of teshuvah; Voicemail; more on teshuvah
Today in Jewish History:
On the first night of Rosh Hashanah, we extend to one another greetings of Leshana Tovah Tekatev Vitechatem, "May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year."
• APPLE & HONEY
In the evening meal, we eat apple dipped in honey, the head of a fish, pomogranates , tzimmes (sweet carrots) and other foods signifying a sweet and successful year
• SHOFAR
In the course of the morning and musaf service, the shofar (ram's horn) is sounded one hundred times, in various combinations of tekiah (a long blast), shevarim (a trio of broken sobs) and teruah (a staccato of short notes), in fulfillment of the primary mitzvah of Rosh Hashanah. The shofar serves to trumpet our coronation of G-d as King of the Universe, as a call to repentance, and to evoke the memory of the Binding ofIsaac.
Link: The Cry of the Shofar: Two Parables
• TASHLICH
In the afternoon, the Tashlich prayer service, in which we ask G-d to "cast away our sins in the depths of the sea", is recited at a body of water (sea, river, lake, pond, etc.) containing fish.
• TORAH READING
Bereshis/Genesis 21:1 And Hashem visited Sarah as He had said, and Hashem did unto Sarah just as He had spoken.
2 For Sarah conceived, and bore Avraham ben in his old age, at the mo’ed (set time) of which Elohim had given promise unto him.
3 And Avraham called the shem of bno that was born unto him, whom Sarah bore to him, Yitzchak.
4 And Avraham circumcised bno Yitzchak at age shemonat yamim, as Elohim had commanded him.
5 And Avraham was a hundred years old, when bno Yitzchak was born unto him.
6 And she said, Elohim hath brought me tzechok (laughter), so that all that hear yitzchak (will laugh) with me.
7 And she said, Who would have said unto Avraham, that Sarah should nurse banim? for I have borne him ben in his old age.
8 And the yeled grew, and was weaned; and Avraham made a mishteh gadol the same day that Yitzchak was weaned.
9 And Sarah saw the ben of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had borne unto Avraham, metzachek (mocking, scoffing).
10 Therefore she said unto Avraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her ben: for the ben of this bondwoman shall not be heir with beni (my son), even with Yitzchak.
11 And the thing was very grievous in the eyes of Avraham because of bno.
12 And Elohim said unto Avraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the na’ar, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, shema (pay heed) unto her voice; for in Yitzchak shall thy zera be called.
13 And also of the ben haamah will I make a nation, because he is thy zera.
14 And Avraham rose up early in the boker, and took lechem, and a skin of mayim, and gave it unto Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and the yeled, and sent her away; and she departed, and wandered in the midbar of Beer-Sheva.
15 And the mayim in the skin was done, and she cast the yeled under one of the bushes.
16 And she went off, and sat down about a bowshot away: for she thought, Let me not see the mot hayeled. And she sat there nearby, and lifted up her voice, and wept.
17 And Elohim heard the voice of the na’ar; and the Malach Elohim called to Hagar out of Shomayim, and said unto her, Mah lach, Hagar? fear not; for Elohim hath heard the voice of the na’ar where he is.
18 Arise, lift up the na’ar, and hold him in thine yad; for I will make him a goy gadol.
19 And Elohim opened her eyes, and she saw a be’er of mayim; and she went, and filled the skin with mayim, and gave the na’ar drink.
20 And Elohim was with the na’ar; and he grew, and dwelt in the midbar, and became a roveh keshet (an archer).
21 And he dwelt in the midbar of Paran: and his em got him an isha out of Eretz Mitzrayim.
22 And it came to pass at that time, that Avimelech and Phichol the sar tz’va of his spoke unto Avraham, saying, Elohim is with thee in all that thou doest:
23 Now therefore swear unto me here before Elohim that thou wilt not deal falsely with me, nor with my child, nor with my descendant: but according to the chesed that I have showed thee, thou shalt do unto me, and to the eretz wherein thou hast sojourned.
24 And Avraham said, I will swear.
25 And Avraham reproved Avimelech because of a be’er hamayim, which Avimelech’s avadim had violently seized.
26 And Avimelech said, I know not who hath done this thing; neither didst thou tell me, neither yet heard I of it, but today.
27 And Avraham took tzon and oxen, and gave them unto Avimelech; and both of them made a brit.
28 And Avraham set apart seven ewe lambs of the tzon by themselves.
29 And Avimelech said unto Avraham, What mean these seven ewe lambs which thou hast set apart by themselves?
30 And he said, For these sheva ewe lambs shalt thou accept of my hand, that they may be a witness unto me, that I have dug this well.
31 Therefore he called that place Beer-Sheva; because there they swore an oath both of them.
32 Thus they made a brit at Beer-Sheva: then Avimelech rose up, and Phichol the sar tzeva of his, and they returned into eretz Pelishtim.
33 And Avraham planted an eshel (tamarisk tree) in Beer-Sheva, and called there on the Shem of Hashem El Olam.
34 And Avraham sojourned in eretz Pelishtim yamim rabbim.
22:1 And it came to pass after these things, that G-d did test Avraham, and said unto him, Avraham: and he said, Hineini (Behold, here I am).
2 And He said, Take now thy son, thine ben yachid (only son) Yitzchak, whom thou lovest, and get thee into eretz Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.
3 And Avraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his donkey, and took two of his servants with him, and Yitzchak his son, and cut the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which G-d had told him.
4 Then on Yom HaShlishi Avraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off. [1C 15:3]
5 And Avraham said unto his servants, Abide ye here with the donkey; and I and the young man will go over there and nishtachaveh (we will worship) and we will come back again to you.
6 And Avraham took atzei haolah (the wood of the burnt offering), and laid it upon Yitzchak his son; and he took the eish (fire) in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together.
7 And Yitzchak spoke unto Avraham his father, and said, Avi (My father): and he said, Hineini, beni (Here am I, my son). And he said, Hinei, the eish (fire) and the wood: but where is the seh (lamb) for a burnt offering? [YESHAYAH 53:7]
8 And Avraham said, My son, G-d will provide Himself a seh (lamb) for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.
9 And they came to the place which G-d had told him of; and Avraham built a mizbe’ach there, and laid the wood in order, and made the akedah (binding) of Yitzchak his son, and laid him on the mizbe’ach upon the wood.
10 And Avraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.
11 And the Malach Hashem called unto him out of Shomayim, and said, Avraham, Avraham: and he said, Hineini.
12 And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the young man, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest G-d, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine ben yachid from Me.
13 And Avraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and hinei behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Avraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering TAKHAT (instead of ) his son. [YESHAYAH 53:8]
14 And Avraham called the name of that place Hashem Yireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of Hashem it shall be provided.
15 And the Malach Hashem called unto Avraham out of Shomayim the second time,
16 And said, By Myself have I sworn, saith Hashem, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine ben yachid:
17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy zera as the stars of the skies, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy zera shall possess the gate of his enemies;
18 And in thy zera shall kol goyei ha’aretz be blessed; because thou hast obeyed My voice.
19 So Avraham returned unto his servants, and they rose up and went together to Beer Sheva; and Avraham dwelt at Beer Sheva.
20 And it came to pass after these things, that it was told Avraham, saying, Hinei, Milcah, she hath also born children unto thy brother Nachor;
21 Utz his bechor (firstborn), and Buz his brother, and Kemuel the father of Aram,
22 And Kesed, and Hazo, and Pildash, and Yidlaph, and Betuel.
23 And Betuel fathered Rivkah: these eight Milcah did bear to Nachor, Avraham’s brother.
24 And his pilegesh, whose name was Reumah, she bare also Tevach, and Gacham, and Tachash, and Maachah.
• LINKS
More on Rosh Hashanah
• TEN DAYS OF REPENTANCE
The 10-day period beginning on Rosh Hashahnah and ending on Yom Kippur is known as the "Ten Days of Repentance"; this is the period, say the sages, of which the prophet speaks when he proclaims (Isaiah 55:6) "Seek G-d when He is to be found; call on Him when He is near." Psalm 130, Avinu Malkeinu and other special inserts and additions are included in our daily prayers during these days.
The Baal Shem Tov instituted the custom of reciting three additional chapters of Psalms each day, from the 1st of Elul until Yom Kippur (on Yom Kippur the remaining 36 chapters are recited, thereby completing the entire book of Psalms). Click below for today's three Psalms.
Chapter 88 Chapter 89 Chapter 90
Links: About the Ten Days of teshuvah; Voicemail; more on teshuvah
Today in Jewish History:
• ADAM & EVE CREATED (3760 BCE)
On Tishrei 1 -- the sixth day of creation -- "G-d said: 'Let us make Man in Our image, after Our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth...'" (Genesis 1:26). "G-d formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul" (ibid., 2:7). "And G-d took the man and placed him in the Garden of Eden, to work it and to keep it" (2:15). "And G-d said: 'It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helpmeet opposite him' ... G-d caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; and He took one of his sides, and closed up the flesh in its place. And G-d built the side which He had taken from the man into a woman, and brought her to the man. And the man said: 'This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.' Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother, and cleaves to his wife; and they become one flesh" (2:18-24).
Links: The Man In Man; Man & Woman; Parshah Bereishit (Genesis 1:1-6:8) with commentary
• FIRST SIN & REPENTANCE (3760 BCE)
On the very day he was created, man committed the first sin of history, transgressing the divine commandment not to eat from the "Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil." Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden, and mankind became subject to death, labor and moral confusion. But on that day the first man and woman also repented their sin, introducing the concept and opportunities of teshuvah ("return") into the human experience.
Links: The Discovery of Darkness; G-d's Business
• DOVE'S 3RD MISSION (2105 BCE)
On the 1st of Tishrei, on the 307th day of the Great Flood, Noach dispatched a dove from the ark, for the third time (see "On This Date" for Elul 17 and Elul 23). When the dove did not return, Noah knew that the Flood's waters had completely drained from the earth. On that day, Noach removed the roof of the ark; but Noah and his family, and all the animals, remained in the ark for another 57 days -- until the 27th of Cheshvan -- when the suface of the earth was completely dry and G-d commanded them to leave the ark and resettle and reppopulate the earth.
Links: The Window; Life in a Box
• BINDING OF ISAAC; SARAH'S PASSING (1677 BCE)
Abraham's supreme test of faith -- his binding of Isaac in preparation to sacrifice him as per G-d's command -- occurred on the 1st of Tishrei of the year 2084 from creation (1677 BCE), and is recalled each Rosh Hashanah with the sounding of the shofar (ram's horn -- a ram was sacrificed in Isaac's stead when an angel revealed that the command to sacrifice Isaac was but a divine test); the Torah's account of the event is publicly read in the synagogue on the 2nd day of Rosh Hashanah. On the day of Isaac's binding, his mother, Sarah, passed away at age 127, and was subsequently buried in the Machpelah Cave in Hebron.
Link: The Binding of Isaac
• BAAL SHEM TOV'S VISION OF MOSHIACH (1746)
In a letter to his brother-in-law, Rabbi Gershon Kitover, the Baal Shem Tov relates: "On Rosh Hashanah of the year 5507 [from creation] I made an 'ascent of soul' in the manner known to you... I ascended level after level until I reached the chamber of Moshiach... And I asked Moshiach: "When will the Master come?" And he replied: "When your teachings will be disseminated and revealed in the world, and your wellsprings will spread to the outside..." (Keter Shem Tov 1:1).
Links: About the Baal Shem Tov; about Chassidism
• DAF YOMI (1923)
The "Daf Yomi" daily regimen of Talmud study (in which the participant studies one folio a day to complete the entire Talmud in seven years) initiated by Rabbi Meir Shapiro of Lublin, was launched on Rosh Hashanah of 1923.
DAILY QUOTE:
DAILY STUDY:On Tishrei 1 -- the sixth day of creation -- "G-d said: 'Let us make Man in Our image, after Our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth...'" (Genesis 1:26). "G-d formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul" (ibid., 2:7). "And G-d took the man and placed him in the Garden of Eden, to work it and to keep it" (2:15). "And G-d said: 'It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helpmeet opposite him' ... G-d caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; and He took one of his sides, and closed up the flesh in its place. And G-d built the side which He had taken from the man into a woman, and brought her to the man. And the man said: 'This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.' Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother, and cleaves to his wife; and they become one flesh" (2:18-24).
Links: The Man In Man; Man & Woman; Parshah Bereishit (Genesis 1:1-6:8) with commentary
• FIRST SIN & REPENTANCE (3760 BCE)
On the very day he was created, man committed the first sin of history, transgressing the divine commandment not to eat from the "Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil." Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden, and mankind became subject to death, labor and moral confusion. But on that day the first man and woman also repented their sin, introducing the concept and opportunities of teshuvah ("return") into the human experience.
Links: The Discovery of Darkness; G-d's Business
• DOVE'S 3RD MISSION (2105 BCE)
On the 1st of Tishrei, on the 307th day of the Great Flood, Noach dispatched a dove from the ark, for the third time (see "On This Date" for Elul 17 and Elul 23). When the dove did not return, Noah knew that the Flood's waters had completely drained from the earth. On that day, Noach removed the roof of the ark; but Noah and his family, and all the animals, remained in the ark for another 57 days -- until the 27th of Cheshvan -- when the suface of the earth was completely dry and G-d commanded them to leave the ark and resettle and reppopulate the earth.
Links: The Window; Life in a Box
• BINDING OF ISAAC; SARAH'S PASSING (1677 BCE)
Abraham's supreme test of faith -- his binding of Isaac in preparation to sacrifice him as per G-d's command -- occurred on the 1st of Tishrei of the year 2084 from creation (1677 BCE), and is recalled each Rosh Hashanah with the sounding of the shofar (ram's horn -- a ram was sacrificed in Isaac's stead when an angel revealed that the command to sacrifice Isaac was but a divine test); the Torah's account of the event is publicly read in the synagogue on the 2nd day of Rosh Hashanah. On the day of Isaac's binding, his mother, Sarah, passed away at age 127, and was subsequently buried in the Machpelah Cave in Hebron.
Link: The Binding of Isaac
• BAAL SHEM TOV'S VISION OF MOSHIACH (1746)
In a letter to his brother-in-law, Rabbi Gershon Kitover, the Baal Shem Tov relates: "On Rosh Hashanah of the year 5507 [from creation] I made an 'ascent of soul' in the manner known to you... I ascended level after level until I reached the chamber of Moshiach... And I asked Moshiach: "When will the Master come?" And he replied: "When your teachings will be disseminated and revealed in the world, and your wellsprings will spread to the outside..." (Keter Shem Tov 1:1).
Links: About the Baal Shem Tov; about Chassidism
• DAF YOMI (1923)
The "Daf Yomi" daily regimen of Talmud study (in which the participant studies one folio a day to complete the entire Talmud in seven years) initiated by Rabbi Meir Shapiro of Lublin, was launched on Rosh Hashanah of 1923.
DAILY QUOTE:
CHITAS AND RAMBAM FOR TODAY:
Chumash: Ha'Azinu, 5th Portion Deuteronomy 32:29-32:39 with Rashi
• Chapter 32
29. If they were wise, they would understand this; they would reflect upon their fate. כט. לוּ חָכְמוּ יַשְׂכִּילוּ זֹאת יָבִינוּ לְאַחֲרִיתָם:
they would reflect upon their fate: They would turn their attention towards thinking carefully about the end of Israel’s troubles [that the whole cause is God’s punishing Israel, rather than attributing Israel’s defeat to their own power].
יבינו לאחריתם: יתנו לב להתבונן לסוף פורענותם של ישראל:
30. How can one [person] pursue a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, unless their [Mighty] Rock has sold them out, and the Lord has given them over? ל. אֵיכָה יִרְדֹּף אֶחָד אֶלֶף וּשְׁנַיִם יָנִיסוּ רְבָבָה אִם לֹא כִּי צוּרָם מְכָרָם וַיהֹוָה הִסְגִּירָם:
How could one [person]: of us pursue a thousand of Israel?!
איכה ירדף אחד: ממנו אלף מישראל:
unless their [Mighty] Rock has sold them out, and the Lord has given them over: i.e., has sold them out, and given them over into our hands, delivrer in Old French [like the English: to deliver].
אם לא כי צורם מכרם וה' הסגירם: מכרם ומסרם בידנו. דילבר"ר בלע"ז [להסגיר]:
31. For their rock is not like our [Mighty] Rock. Nevertheless, our enemies sit in judgment. לא. כִּי לֹא כְצוּרֵנוּ צוּרָם וְאֹיְבֵינוּ פְּלִילִים:
For their rock is not like our [Mighty] Rock: The enemies should have understood all the above, that the Lord gave Israel over [to them], and that victory must not be attributed to them or to their deities. For until now, their deities have achieved nothing against our Rock. Because their rock is not like our Rock. The word צוּר in Scripture is always an expression meaning סֶלַע, rock .
כי לא כצורנו צורם: כל זה היה להם לאויבים להבין שהשם הסגירם ולא להם ולאלהיהם הנצחון, שהרי עד הנה לא יכלו כלום אלהיהם כנגד צורנו, כי לא כסלענו סלעם. כל צור שבמקרא לשון סלע:
nevertheless, our enemies sit in judgment: Nevertheless, now our enemies are judging us. It must be then, that our Rock has given us over to them.
ואיבינו פלילים: ועכשיו אויבינו שופטים אותנו, הרי שצורנו מכרנו להם:
32. For their vine is of the vine of Sodom, and of the field of Gomorrah; their grapes are grapes of rosh, and they have bitter clusters. לב. כִּי מִגֶּפֶן סְדֹם גַּפְנָם וּמִשַּׁדְמֹת עֲמֹרָה עֲנָבֵמוֹ עִנְּבֵי רוֹשׁ אַשְׁכְּלֹת מְרֹרֹת לָמוֹ:
For their vine is the vine of Sodom: [This verse is] connected to the above [verse 26. The continuity of these verses thus reads as follows:]“I said to Myself that I would make an end of them, eradicate their remembrance from mankind-because their deeds are those of Sodom and Amorah…”.
כי מגפן סדום גפנם: מוסב למעלה. אמרתי בלבי אפאיהם ואשבית זכרם, לפי שמעשיהם מעשה סדום ועמורה:
and the field of: Heb. וּמִשַּׁדְמוֹת, grain field. It is similar to the verse,“and the field (וּשְׁדֵמוֹת) will yield no food” (Hab. 3:17); and,“in the field (בְּשַׁדְמוֹת) of Kidron” (II Kings 23:4).
שדמות: שדה תבואה, כמו (חבקוק ג, יז) ושדמות לא עשה אוכל, (מלכים ב' כג, ד) בשדמות קדרון:
grapes of rosh: [The word רוֹשׁ] means: A bitter herb. [This has been variantly translated as the cultured poppy, from which opium is extracted, colocynth, and hemlock. See Nature & Man in the Bible , by Yehuda Feliks.]
ענבי רוש: עשב מר:
and they have bitter clusters: A bitter drink, which is appropriate for them; their punishment corresponds to their deeds. Onkelos also renders this phrase likewise:“And the punishment of their deeds is like their bitterness.”
אשכלת מררת למו: משקה מר ראוי להם, לפי מעשיהם פורענותם. וכן תרגם אונקלוס ותושלמת עובדיהון כמררותהון:
33. Their wine is the bitterness of serpents, and the bitterness of the ruthless cobras. לג. חֲמַת תַּנִּינִם יֵינָם וְרֹאשׁ פְּתָנִים אַכְזָר:
Their wine is the bitterness of serpents: [Understand this] as the Targum renders it: הָא כְמָרַת תַּנִּינַיָא כָּס פּוּרְעֲנוּתְהוֹן, which means, “Indeed the cup of their drink of punishment is like the bitterness of serpents.”
חמת תנינים יינם: כתרגומו הא כמרת תניניא כס פורענותהון, הנה כמרירות נחשים כוס משתה פורענותם:
and the bitterness of [ruthless] cobras: is their cup. [The cobra] is ruthless when it bites; [thus, this verse is referring to] a ruthless enemy, who will come and seek out their retribution.
וראש פתנים: כוסם, שהוא אכזר לנשוך. אויב אכזרי יבא ויפרע מהם:
34. Is it not stored up with Me, sealed up in My treasuries? לד. הֲלֹא הוּא כָּמֻס עִמָּדִי חָתוּם בְּאוֹצְרֹתָי:
Is it not stored up with Me: As the Targum renders it,“They think that I have forgotten their [evil] deeds, but these deeds are all locked away and preserved before Me.”
הלא הוא כמוס עמדי: כתרגומו כסבורים הם ששכחתי מעשיהם, כולם גנוזים ושמורים לפני:
Is it not [stored]: The fruit of their [bitter] vine and the [bitter] produce of their field are stored up with Me.
הלא הוא: פרי גפנם ותבואת שדמותם כמוס עמדי:
35. Vengeance is poised with Me, and it will pay at the time their foot stumbles. For the appointed day of their reckoning is near, and what is destined for them hastens. לה. לִי נָקָם וְשִׁלֵּם לְעֵת תָּמוּט רַגְלָם כִּי קָרוֹב יוֹם אֵידָם וְחָשׁ עֲתִדֹת לָמוֹ:
Vengeance is poised with Me, and it will pay: Heb. וְשִׁלֵּם. The retribution of vengeance is with Me, prepared and held in readiness, and it will pay out punishment to them, according to their deeds. [That is to say,] Vengeance will pay the punishment they deserve. [Thus, the word וְשִׁלֵּם is to be understood as a verb.] However, some explain the word וְשִׁלֵּם as a noun, equivalent to וְשִׁלּוּם, and recompense , the same grammatical form as [the noun in the phrase],“And the [prophetic] word (וְהַדִּבֵּר) is not in them,” (Jer. 5:13) where the word is equivalent to וְהַדִּבּוּר [i.e., a noun]. And when will I pay them [their punishment]?
לי נקם ושלם: עמי נכון ומזומן פורענות נקם וישלם להם כמעשיהם הנקם ישלם להם גמולם. ויש מפרשים ושלם שם דבר, כמו ושלום, והיא מגזרת והדבר אין בהם (ירמיה ה, יג), כמו והדבור. ואימתי אשלם להם:
at the time their foot stumbles: namely, when the merit of their forefathers expires, the merit upon which they are relying.
לעת תמוט רגלם: כשתתום זכות אבותם שהן סמוכין עליו:
For the appointed day [of their reckoning] is near: As soon as I desire to bring the day of their disaster upon them, this day is near and in readiness before Me, to be brought about by many agents.
כי קרוב יום אידם: משארצה להביא עליהם יום אידם קרוב ומזומן לפני להביא על ידי שלוחים הרבה:
and what is destined for them hastens: And the things that are destined to come hasten [in coming].
וחש עתדות למו: ומהר יבואו העתידות להם:
hastens: Heb. וְחָשׁ, as in the verse,“Let him hurry, hasten (יְחִישָׁה) ” (Isa. 5:19). Until here, Moses testified against them with words of reproof, that this Song should be a witness for Israel’s reproof, i.e., when punishment would come upon Israel, they would know that I told them about this from the very beginning. From here onwards, he testifies to Israel with words of comfort, about things that would come upon them at the conclusion of the retribution, like everything he stated earlier: “And it will be, when all these words happen to you-the blessing and the curse… then, the Lord, your God, will bring back your exiles…” (Deut. 30:1-3).
וחש: כמו (ישעיה ה, יט) ימהר יחישה. עד כאן העיד עליהם משה דברי תוכחה להיות השירה הזאת לעד כשתבא עליהם הפורענות. ידעו שאני הודעתים מראש. מכאן ואילך העיד עליהם דברי תנחומין שיבואו עליהם ככלות הפורענות ככל אשר אמר למעלה (לעיל ל, א - ג) והיה כי יבואו עליך וגו' כל הדברים האלה הברכה והקללה וגו' ושב ה' אלהיך את שבותך וגו':
36. When the Lord will judge His people, and will reconsider His servants, when He sees that the power is increasing, and none is controlled or strengthened. לו. כִּי יָדִין יְהֹוָה עַמּוֹ וְעַל עֲבָדָיו יִתְנֶחָם כִּי יִרְאֶה כִּי אָזְלַת יָד וְאֶפֶס עָצוּר וְעָזוּב:
When the Lord will judge His people: i. e., When God will exact judgment upon Israel by bringing upon them these aforementioned sufferings. Similar to this is the verse,“For through these He judges (יָדִין) peoples” (Job 36:31), i.e., He chastises peoples. The word כִּי here does not mean “because,” giving the reason for the preceding statements, but rather, it introduces a new passage [i.e., it means “when”], as in the verse,“When (כִּי) you come to the land” (Lev. 25:2). [The meaning of our verse is:] When these judgments will come upon them, and the Holy One, Blessed is He, will reconsider concerning His servants to return [to them] and to have mercy upon them….
כי ידין ה' עמו: כשישפוט אותן ביסורין הללו האמורים עליהם, כמו (איוב לו, לא) כי בם ידין יוסר עמים. כי זה אינו משמש בלשון דהא, לתת טעם לדברים של מעלה, אלא לשון תחלת דבור, כמו (ויקרא כה, ב) כי תבואו אל הארץ, כשיבואו עליהם משפטים הללו ויתנחם הקב"ה על עבדיו לשוב ולרחם עליהם:
will reconsider: Heb. יִתְנֶחָם. [This word] denotes changing one’s mind, whether for good or for evil.
יתנחם: לשון הפך המחשבה להיטיב או להרע:
when He will see that the power is growing: i.e., when God sees that the enemy’s power is becoming stronger and stronger against Israel, and none among them is controlled or strengthened.
כי יראה כי אזלת יד: כשיראה כי יד האויב הולכת וחוזקת מאד עליהם ואפס בהם עצור ועזוב:
controlled: Heb. עָצוּר. One who is rescued by an officer (עוֹצֵר) or a ruler who would confine (יַעִצוֹר) the people.
עצור: נושע על ידי עוצר ומושל שיעצור בהם:
or strengthened: Heb. עָזוּב, [One saved] by an עוֹזֵב, one who gives strength [to someone else]. An עוֹצֵר is a ruler who confines his people [within certain boundaries], so that they will not go out in scattered groups when they go to war against the enemy, mentenedor in Old French [like the English, maintain. Consequently:] עָצוּר [the passive noun from the root עצר] means: One saved through the confinement (מַעִצוֹר) of a ruler. עָזוּב Strengthened, like“and they fortified (וַיַּעַזְבוֹ) Jerusalem until the… wall” (Neh. 3:8); and,“How is the city of praise not fortified (עֻזְּבָה)” (Jer. 49:25). עָצוּר is mentenude in Old French, and עָזוּב is enforze , fortified.
עזוב: על ידי עוזב. עוצר הוא המושל העוצר בעם שלא ילכו מפוזרים בצאתם לצבא על האויב. בלשון בלע"ז מיינטינדו"ר [שליט]. עצור הוא הנושע במעצור המושל. עזוב מחוזק, כמו (נחמיה ג, ח) ויעזבו את ירושלים עד החומה, (ירמיה מט, כה) איך לא עזבה עיר תהלה. עצור מיינטינו"ד [נשלט]. עזוב אינפורצדו"ר [מבוצר]:
37. Then He will say, "Where is their deity, the rock in which they trusted, לז. וְאָמַר אֵי אֱלֹהֵימוֹ צוּר חָסָיוּ בוֹ:
Then He will say: The Holy One, Blessed is He, will say about them [Israel]:
ואמר: הקב"ה עליהם:
Where is their deity: The idols which they worshipped. [Where are they now?]
אי אלהימו: עבודה זרה שעבדו:
the rock in which they trusted: [The word צוּר] means: The rock. [This figuratively means: The rock under which] they used to shelter themselves from the sun and the cold. That is to say, [the deity] in which they had placed their trust to protect them against any harm.
צור חסיו בו: הסלע שהיו מתכסין בו מפני החמה והצנה, כלומר שהיו בטוחין בו להגן עליהם מן הרעה:
38. who ate the fat of their sacrifices and drank the wine of their libations? Let them arise and help you! Let them be your shelter! לח. אֲשֶׁר חֵלֶב זְבָחֵימוֹ יֹאכֵלוּ יִשְׁתּוּ יֵין נְסִיכָם יָקוּמוּ וְיַעְזְרֻכֶם יְהִי עֲלֵיכֶם סִתְרָה:
who ate the fat of their sacrifices: i.e., these deities would eat up [the fat] and would drink up the wine of their libations when they offered the sacrifices before them.
אשר חלב זבחימו: היו אותן אלהות אוכלים שהיו מקריבין לפניהם ושותין יין נסיכם:
Let them be your shelter!: Let that same rock [you worshipped] be a refuge and shelter (מִסְתּוֹר) for you.
יהי עליכם סתרה: אותו הצור יהי לכם מחסה ומסתור:
39. See now that it is I! I am the One, and there is no god like Me! I cause death and grant life. I strike, but I heal, and no one can rescue from My Hand! לט. רְאוּ | עַתָּה כִּי אֲנִי אֲנִי הוּא וְאֵין אֱלֹהִים עִמָּדִי אֲנִי אָמִית וַאֲחַיֶּה מָחַצְתִּי וַאֲנִי אֶרְפָּא וְאֵין מִיָּדִי מַצִּיל:
See now: Understand from the punishment that I brought upon you, from which no one can rescue you, and from the salvation with which I will save you, and that there is no one to stop Me, that
ראו עתה: הבינו מן הפורענות שהבאתי עליכם ואין לכם מושיע ומן התשועה שאושיעכם ואין מוחה בידי:
It is I! I am the One: “It is I” Who can bring someone down, and “I am the One” Who can lift someone up.
אני אני הוא: אני להשפיל ואני להרים:
and there is no god with Me!: [There is no deity] which can stand up against Me, to stop Me.
ואין אלהים עמדי: עומד כנגדי למחות:
with Me: resembling Me, like Me.
עמדי: דוגמתי וכמוני:
and no one can save from My Hand: those who sin against Me.
ואין מידי מציל: הפושעים בי:
___________________________
Daily Tehillim: Psalms Chapters 1 - 9
• Special Custom for the Month of Elul and High Holidays
The Baal Shem Tov instituted a custom of reciting three additional chapters of Psalms each day, from the 1st of Elul until Yom Kippur (on Yom Kippur the remaining 36 chapters are recited, thereby completing the entire book of Psalms).
See below for today's additional chapters.
Chapter 1
This psalm inspires man to study Torah and avoid sin. One who follows this path is assured of success in all his deeds, whereas the plight of the wicked is the reverse.
1. Fortunate is the man that has not walked in the counsel of the wicked, nor stood in the path of sinners, nor sat in the company of scoffers.
2. Rather, his desire is in the Torah of the Lord, and in His Torah he meditates day and night.
3. He shall be like a tree planted by streams of water, that yields its fruit in its season, and whose leaf does not wither; and all that he does shall prosper.
4. Not so the wicked; rather, they are like the chaff that the wind drives away.
5. Therefore the wicked will not endure in judgement, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
6. For the Lord minds the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.
Chapter 2
This psalm warns against trying to outwit the ways of God. It also instructs one who has reason to rejoice, to tremble—lest his sins cause his joy to be overturned.
1. Why do nations gather, and peoples speak futility?
2. The kings of the earth rise up, and rulers conspire together, against the Lord and against His anointed:
3. “Let us sever their cords, and cast their ropes from upon us!”
4. He Who sits in heaven laughs, my Master mocks them.
5. Then He speaks to them in His anger, and terrifies them in His wrath:
6. “It is I Who have anointed My king, upon Zion, My holy mountain.”
7. I am obliged to declare: The Lord said to me, “You are my son, I have this day begotten you.
1
8. Ask of Me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, and the ends of the earth your possession.
9. Smash them with a rod of iron, shatter them like a potter’s vessel.”
10. Now be wise, you kings; be disciplined, you rulers of the earth.
11. Serve the Lord with awe, and rejoice with trembling.
12. Yearn for purity—lest He become angry and your path be doomed, if his anger flares for even a moment. Fortunate are all who put their trust in Him
Chapter 3
When punishment befalls man, let him not be upset by his chastisement, for perhaps--considering his sins—he is deserving of worse, and God is in fact dealing kindly with him.
1. A psalm by David, when he fled from Absalom his son.
2. Lord, how numerous are my oppressors; many rise up against me!
3. Many say of my soul, “There is no salvation for him from God—ever!”
4. But You, Lord, are a shield for me, my glory, the One Who raises my head.
5. With my voice I call to the Lord, and He answers me from His holy mountain, Selah.
6. I lie down and sleep; I awake, for the Lord sustains me.
7. I do not fear the myriads of people that have aligned themselves all around me.
8. Arise, O Lord, deliver me, my God. For You struck all my enemies on the cheek, You smashed the teeth of the wicked.
9. Deliverance is the Lord’s; may Your blessing be upon Your people forever
Chapter 4
This psalm exhorts man not to shame his fellow, and to neither speak nor listen to gossip and slander. Envy not the prosperity of the wicked in this world, rather rejoice and say: “If it is so for those who anger Him . . . [how much better it will be for those who serve Him!”]
1. For the Conductor, with instrumental music, a psalm by David.
2. Answer me when I call, O God [Who knows] my righteousness. You have relieved me in my distress; be gracious to me and hear my prayer.
3. Sons of men, how long will you turn my honor to shame, will you love vanity, and endlessly seek falsehood?
4. Know that the Lord has set apart His devout one; the Lord will hear when I call to Him.
5. Tremble and do not sin; reflect in your hearts upon your beds, and be silent forever.
6. Offer sacrifices in righteousness, and trust in the Lord.
7. Many say: “Who will show us good?” Raise the light of Your countenance upon us, O Lord.
8. You put joy in my heart, greater than [their joy] when their grain and wine abound.
9. In peace and harmony I will lie down and sleep, for You, Lord, will make me dwell alone, in security.
Chapter 5
A prayer for every individual, requesting that the wicked perish for their deeds, and the righteous rejoice for their good deeds.
1. For the Conductor, on the nechilot,1 a psalm by David.
2. Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my thoughts.
3. Listen to the voice of my cry, my King and my God, for to You I pray.
4. Lord, hear my voice in the morning; in the morning I set [my prayers] before you and hope.
5. For You are not a God Who desires wickedness; evil does not abide with You.
6. The boastful cannot stand before Your eyes; You hate all evildoers.
7. You destroy the speakers of falsehood; the Lord despises the man of blood and deceit.
8. And I, through Your abundant kindness, come into Your house; I bow toward Your holy Sanctuary, in awe of You.
9. Lead me, O Lord, in Your righteousness, because of my watchful enemies; straighten Your path before me.
10. For there is no sincerity in their mouths, their heart is treacherous; their throat is an open grave, [though] their tongue flatters.
11. Find them guilty, O God, let them fall by their schemes; banish them for their many sins, for they have rebelled against You.
12. But all who trust in You will rejoice, they will sing joyously forever; You will shelter them, and those who love Your Name will exult in You.
13. For You, Lord, will bless the righteous one; You will envelop him with favor as with a shield.
Chapter 6
This is an awe-inspiring prayer for one who is ill, to pray that God heal him, body and soul. An ailing person who offers this prayer devoutly and with a broken heart is assured that God will accept his prayer.
1. For the Conductor, with instrumental music for the eight-stringed harp, a psalm by David.
2. Lord, do not punish me in Your anger, nor chastise me in Your wrath.
3. Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I languish away; heal me, O Lord, for my bones tremble in fear.
4. My soul is panic-stricken; and You, O Lord, how long [before You help]?
5. Relent, O Lord, deliver my soul; save me for the sake of Your kindness.
6. For there is no remembrance of You in death; who will praise You in the grave?
7. I am weary from sighing; each night I drench my bed, I melt my couch with my tears.
8. My eye has grown dim from vexation, worn out by all my oppressors.
9. Depart from me, all you evildoers, for the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping.
10. The Lord has heard my supplication; the Lord accepts my prayer.
11. All my enemies will be shamed and utterly terrified; they will then repent and be shamed for a moment.
Chapter 7
Do not rejoice if God causes your enemy to suffer—just as the suffering of the righteous is not pleasant. David, therefore, defends himself intensely before God, maintaining that he did not actively harm Saul. In fact, Saul precipitated his own harm, while David’s intentions were only for the good.
1. A shigayon 1 by David, which he sang to the Lord concerning Kush the Benjaminite.
2. I put my trust in You, Lord, my God; deliver me from all my pursuers and save me.
3. Lest he tear my soul like a lion, crushing me with none to rescue.
4. Lord, my God, if I have done this, if there is wrongdoing in my hands;
5. if I have rewarded my friends with evil or oppressed those who hate me without reason—
6. then let the enemy pursue and overtake my soul, let him trample my life to the ground, and lay my glory in the dust forever.
7. Arise, O Lord, in Your anger, lift Yourself up in fury against my foes. Stir me [to mete out] the retribution which You commanded.
8. When the assembly of nations surrounds You, remove Yourself from it and return to the heavens.
9. The Lord will mete out retribution upon the nations; judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness and my integrity.
10. Let the evil of the wicked come to an end, but establish the righteous—O righteous God, Searcher of hearts and minds.
11. [I rely] on God to be my shield, He Who saves the upright of heart.
12. God is the righteous judge, and the Almighty is angered every day.
13. Because he does not repent, He sharpens His sword, bends His bow and makes it ready.
14. He has prepared instruments of death for him; His arrows will be used on the pursuers.
15. Indeed, he conceives iniquity, is pregnant with evil schemes, and gives birth to falsehood.
16. He digs a pit, digs it deep, only to fall into the trap he laid.
17. His mischief will return upon his own head, his violence will come down upon his own skull.
18. I will praise the Lord according to His righteousness, and sing to the Name of the Lord Most High
Chapter 8
This psalm is a glorious praise to God for His kindness to the lowly and mortal human in giving the Torah to the inhabitants of the lower worlds, arousing the envy of the celestial angels. This idea is expressed in the Yom Kippur prayer, “Though Your mighty strength is in the angels above, You desire praise from those formed of lowly matter.”
1. For the Conductor, on the gittit,1 a psalm by David.
2. Lord, our Master, how mighty is Your Name throughout the earth, You Who has set Your majesty upon the heavens!
3. Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings You have established might, to counter Your enemies, to silence foe and avenger.2
4. When I behold Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars which You have set in place—
5. what is man that You should remember him, son of man that You should be mindful of him?
6. Yet, You have made him but a little less than the angels, and crowned him with honor and glory.
7. You made him ruler over Your handiwork, You placed everything under his feet.
8. Sheep and cattle—all of them, also the beasts of the field;
9. the birds of the sky and the fish of the sea; all that traverses the paths of the seas.
10. Lord, our Master, how mighty is Your Name throughout the earth.
Chapter 9
One should praise God for saving him from the hand of the enemy who stands over and agonizes him, and for His judging each person according to his deeds: the righteous according to their righteousness, and the wicked according to their wickedness.
1. For the Conductor, upon the death of Labben, a psalm by David.
2. I will thank the Lord with all my heart; I will recount all Your wonders.
3. I will rejoice and exult in You; I will sing to Your Name, O Most High.
4. When my enemies retreat, they will stumble and perish from before You.
5. You have rendered my judgement and [defended] my cause; You sat on the throne, O righteous Judge.
6. You destroyed nations, doomed the wicked, erased their name for all eternity.
7. O enemy, your ruins are gone forever, and the cities you have uprooted—their very remembrance is lost.
8. But the Lord is enthroned forever, He established His throne for judgement.
9. And He will judge the world with justice, He will render judgement to the nations with righteousness.
10. The Lord will be a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.
11. Those who know Your Name put their trust in You, for You, Lord, have not abandoned those who seek You.
12. Sing to the Lord Who dwells in Zion, recount His deeds among the nations.
13. For the Avenger of bloodshed is mindful of them; He does not forget the cry of the downtrodden.
14. Be gracious to me, O Lord; behold my affliction at the hands of my enemies, You Who raises me from the gates of death,
15. so that I may relate all Your praises in the gates of the daughter of Zion, that I may exult in Your deliverance.
16. The nations sank into the pit that they made; in the net they concealed their foot was caught.
17. The Lord became known through the judgement He executed; the wicked one is snared in the work of his own hands; reflect on this always.
18. The wicked will return to the grave, all the nations that forget God.
19. For not for eternity will the needy be forgotten, nor will the hope of the poor perish forever.
20. Arise, O Lord, let not man prevail; let the nations be judged in Your presence.
21. Set Your mastery over them, O Lord; let the nations know that they are but frail men, Selah.
Additional Three Chapters
The Baal Shem Tov instituted a custom of reciting three additional chapters of Psalms each day, from the 1st of Elul until Yom Kippur (on Yom Kippur the remaining 36 chapters are recited, thereby completing the entire book of Psalms).
Today's Chapters are 88, 89 and 90.
Chapter 88
The psalmist weeps and laments bitterly over the maladies and suffering Israel endures in exile, which he describes in detail.
1. A song, a psalm by the sons of Korach, for the Conductor, upon the machalat le'anot; 1 a maskil2 for Heiman the Ezrachite.
2. O Lord, God of my deliverance, by day I cried out [to You], by night I [offer my prayer] before You.
3. Let my prayer come before You; turn Your ear to my supplication.
4. For my soul is sated with affliction, and my life has reached the grave.
5. I was reckoned with those who go down to the pit, I was like a man without strength.
6. [I am regarded] among the dead who are free, like corpses lying in the grave, of whom You are not yet mindful, who are yet cut off by Your hand.
7. You have put me into the lowest pit, into the darkest places, into the depths.
8. Your wrath has weighed heavily upon me, and all the waves [of Your fury] have constantly afflicted me.
9. You have estranged my friends from me, You have made me abhorrent to them; I am imprisoned and unable to leave.
10. My eye is afflicted because of distress; I call to You, O Lord, every day; I have stretched out my hands [in prayer] to You.
11. Do You perform wonders for the deceased? Do the dead stand to offer You praise? Selah.
12. Is Your kindness recounted in the grave, your faithfulness in the place of perdition?
13. Are Your wondrous deeds known in the darkness [of the grave], or Your righteousness in the land of oblivion?
14. But, I, to You, O Lord, I cry; each morning my prayer comes before You.
15. Why, O Lord, do You forsake my soul? Why do You conceal Your countenance from Me?
16. From my youth I have been afflicted and approaching death, yet I have borne the fear of You which is firmly established within me.
17. Your furies have passed over me; Your terrors have cut me down.
18. They have engulfed me like water all day long, they all together surrounded me.
19. You have estranged from me beloved and friend; I have been rejected by my intimates.
Chapter 89
This psalm speaks of the kingship of the House of David, the psalmist lamenting its fall from power for many years, and God's abandonment and spurning of us.
1. A maskil1 by Eitan the Ezrachite.
2. I will sing of the Lord's kindness forever; to all generations I will make known Your faithfulness with my mouth.
3. For I have said, "The world is built with kindness; there in the heavens You establish Your faithfulness.”
4. I have made a covenant with My chosen one; I have sworn to David, My servant:
5. "I will establish Your descendants forever; I will build your throne for all generations," Selah.
6. Then the heavens will extol Your wonders, O Lord; Your faithfulness, too, in the congregation of the holy ones.
7. Indeed, who in heaven can be compared to the Lord, who among the supernal beings can be likened to the Lord!
8. The Almighty is revered in the great assembly of the holy ones, awe-inspiring to all who surround Him.
9. O Lord, God of Hosts, who is mighty like You, O God! Your faithfulness surrounds You.
10. You rule the vastness of the sea; when its waves surge, You still them.
11. You crushed Rahav (Egypt) like a corpse; with Your powerful arm You scattered Your enemies.
12. Yours are the heavens, the earth is also Yours; the world and all therein-You established them.
13. The north and the south-You created them; Tabor and Hermon sing of [the greatness] of Your Name.
14. Yours is the arm which has the might; strengthen Your hand, raise high Your right hand.
15. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; kindness and truth go before Your countenance.
16. Fortunate is the people who know the sound of the shofar; Lord, they walk in the light of Your countenance.
17. They rejoice in Your Name all day, and they are exalted through Your righteousness.
18. Indeed, You are the splendor of their might, and in Your goodwill our glory is exalted.
19. For our protectors turn to the Lord, and our king to the Holy One of Israel.
20. Then You spoke in a vision to Your pious ones and said: "I have granted aid to [David] the mighty one; I have exalted the one chosen from among the people.
21. I have found David, My servant; I have anointed him with My holy oil.
22. It is he whom My hand shall be prepared [to assist]; My arm, too, shall strengthen him.
23. The enemy shall not prevail over him, nor shall the iniquitous person afflict him.
24. And I will crush his adversaries before him, and will strike down those who hate him.
25. Indeed, My faithfulness and My kindness shall be with him, and through My Name his glory shall be exalted.
26. I will set his hand upon the sea, his right hand upon the rivers.
27. He will call out to Me, 'You are my Father, my God, the strength of my deliverance.’
28. I will also make him [My] firstborn, supreme over the kings of the earth.
29. I will maintain My kindness for him forever; My covenant shall remain true to him.
30. And I will bestow [kingship] upon his seed forever, and his throne will endure as long as the heavens last.
31. If his children forsake My Torah and do not walk in My ordinances;
32. if they profane My statutes and do not observe My commandments,
33. then I will punish their transgression with the rod and their misdeeds with plagues.
34. Yet I shall not take away My kindness from him, nor betray My faithfulness.
35. I will not abrogate My covenant, nor change that which has issued from My lips.
36. One thing I have sworn by My holiness-I will not cause disappointment to David.
37. His seed will endure forever and his throne will be [resplendent] as the sun before Me.
38. Like the moon, it shall be established forever; [the moon] is a faithful witness in the sky for all time.”
39. Yet You have forsaken and abhorred; You became enraged at Your anointed.
40. You annulled the covenant with Your servant; You have profaned his crown [by casting it] to the ground.
41. You shattered all his fences; You turned all his strongholds into ruin.
42. All wayfarers despoiled him; he has become a disgrace to his neighbors.
43. You have uplifted the right hand of his adversaries; You have made all his enemies rejoice.
44. You also turned back the blade of his sword, and did not sustain him in battle.
45. You put an end to his splendor, and toppled his throne to the ground.
46. You have cut short the days of his youth; You have enclothed him with long-lasting shame.
47. How long, O Lord, will You conceal Yourself-forever? [How long] will Your fury blaze like fire?
48. O remember how short is my life span! Why have You created all children of man for naught?
49. What man can live and not see death, can save his soul forever from the grave?
50. Where are Your former deeds of kindness, my Lord, which You swore to David in Your faithfulness?
51. Remember, my Lord, the disgrace of Your servants, that I bear in my bosom from all the many nations;
52. that Your enemies have disgraced, O Lord, that they have disgraced the footsteps of Your anointed.
53. Blessed is the Lord forever, Amen and Amen.
Chapter 90
David found this prayer in its present form-receiving a tradition attributing it to MosesThe Midrash attributes the next eleven psalms to Moses (Rashi).-and incorporated it into the Tehillim. It speaks of the brevity of human life, and inspires man to repent and avoid pride in this world.
1. A prayer by Moses, the man of God. My Lord, You have been a shelter for us in every generation.
2. Before the mountains came into being, before You created the earth and the world-for ever and ever You are Almighty God.
3. You diminish man until he is crushed, and You say, "Return, you children of man.”
4. Indeed, a thousand years are in Your eyes like yesterday that has passed, like a watch of the night.
5. The stream of their life is as but a slumber; in the morning they are like grass that sprouts anew.
6. In the morning it thrives and sprouts anew; in the evening it withers and dries.
7. For we are consumed by Your anger, and destroyed by Your wrath.
8. You have set our wrongdoings before You, our hidden sins before the light of Your countenance.
9. For all our days have vanished in Your wrath; we cause our years to pass like a fleeting sound.
10. The days of our lives number seventy years, and if in great vigor, eighty years; most of them are but travail and futility, passing quickly and flying away.
11. Who can know the intensity of Your anger? Your wrath is commensurate with one's fear of You.
12. Teach us, then, to reckon our days, that we may acquire a wise heart.
13. Relent, O Lord; how long [will Your anger last]? Have compassion upon Your servants.
14. Satiate us in the morning with Your kindness, then we shall sing and rejoice throughout our days.
15. Give us joy corresponding to the days You afflicted us, the years we have seen adversity.
16. Let Your work be revealed to Your servants, and Your splendor be upon their children.
17. May the pleasantness of the Lord our God be upon us; establish for us the work of our hands; establish the work of our hands.
____________________________
Tanya: Iggeret HaKodesh, beginning of Epistle 20
• Lessons in Tanya
• Today's Tanya Lesson
Thursday, 1 Tishrei 5775 • 25 September 2014
Iggeret HaKodesh, beginning of Epistle 20
The present Epistle deals with a subject that has not been touched upon in the Tanya until now. Though it is one of the most profound and abstract principles of Chassidut, it has a practical application.
It will be recalled that the introduction to Epistle 18 pointed out the benefits of ascertaining the practical lessons in divine service — through the performance of mitzvot in general and the mitzvah of tzedakah in particular — that are to be found in each of these pastoral letters. For, as the Alter Rebbe’s sons state in their Approbation to the Tanya, the purpose of the letters is to “teach the people of G d the way by which they should walk and the deed which they should do.” And this letter is especially significant, for the Alter Rebbe wrote it (as the Tzemach Tzedek testifies1) “several days before his demise in the village of Piena.”
What the profundity of this letter ultimately conveys is a renewed and deepened appreciation of the performance of “physical” mitzvot in general (i.e., those involving material things, such as wool for tzitzit and parchment for tefillin) and the mitzvah of tzedakah in particular.
At the core of this letter is the principle that the creation of the physical derives from the Essence of G d Himself; it completely transcends the luminous and revelatory levels of G dliness from which all spiritual entities and worlds are created. For, as the Alter Rebbe writes, “Only G d Himself — Whose Being is of His Essence, and Who is not, Heaven forfend, caused by some other cause preceding Himself — has the ability to create something out of absolute nothingness,” to create a being that seems (to the corporeal eye) to be a wholly independent entity “without any other cause preceding it.”
Everything else that exists is possible and non-essential existence, and consequently is totally dependent upon G d as the cause for its existence. By contrast, only G d Himself — Whose existence is an imperative and Whose being derives from His own Self, and as such needs nothing to bring about His existence — has the ability to create a being so corporeal that it is entirely unaware that its existence depends on a Creator; indeed, it is satisfied with the delusion that it is responsible for its own creation.
Apart from this grossly physical world, everything created has an apparent causal link with a source of existence. Light, for example, visibly owes its existence to its source — a luminary; speech, being an alul (“effect”), clearly owes its existence to the faculty of thought, which is its ilah (“cause”). When viewing material matter, however, one does not perceive that it derives from and is nullified to something higher than itself; it seems to exist as a wholly autonomous being.
A being such as this, which is infinitely distant from its spiritual source — its source being Divine while the being itself is physical, and hence has to be created ex nihilo (“from nothing”) — can be created only by G d Himself, Who is truly without limitation and as such transcends the physical and the spiritual equally. Thus, it is specifically the physical things that were created by G d Himself, Who is, of course, infinitely higher than all the illuminations and radiations of G dliness that were responsible for the creation of all spiritual beings and entities.
This principle leads us to a newfound respect for the performance of commandments involving physical things — for their creation comes about from G d Himself.
This principle is indeed new. It supplements the explanation in Tanya, Part I (ch. 35ff) of the distinctive quality of practical performance alluded to in the phrase quoted on its title page: “that you may do it.” That explanation highlights the superiority of the mitzvot performed in the realm of action over those performed with thought and speech.
This superiority is explained there only in the light of G d’s ultimate intent: G d desires a dwelling place, i.e., that His Presence be revealed in the nethermost level, in this spiritually dark, physical world, which seemingly does its best to conceal G dliness. And this dwelling place is best built through the mitzvot involving action, for through them G dliness is drawn down into those aspects of this physical world that are lower than thought and speech.
The same is true with regard to the refinement and elevation of the animal soul and its transformation into goodness and holiness (for which reason the Divine soul first descended into the body): the optimal refinement and elevation of the animal soul is achieved specifically through the performance of these mitzvot — donning tefillin, wearing tzitzit, etc. — for they engage the power of the animal soul to a greater degree than do the commandments that are performed only in thought or in speech.
All this merely expresses the special quality of “action” as it relates to G d’s desire and intent; it does not, however, express the superiority of the physical object with which a practical commandment is performed. Seemingly, a commandment performed with one’s loftier soul-powers — such as the knowledge of G d-liness, a mitzvah that engages one’s mind, or the love of G d, a mitzvah that engages the spiritual emotions of one’s heart — should be inherently superior to a commandment that merely engages one’s hands or feet.
For as far as the Divine Will is concerned, since this is fulfilled both by the practical mitzvot and by those observed in thought and in speech, the spiritual result — being united with G d — would seem to be the same in both types of mitzvot. With regard to the object with which G d’s Will is being fulfilled, the commandments that are performed with one’s more spiritual qualities — comprehending G d with one’s mind and loving Him with one’s heart — would seem to be superior to the commandments that merely engage one’s physicality.
However, considering (as in the letter below) the unique standing of physical mitzvot inasmuch as the physical derives from G d Himself, it follows that the practical commandments are superior to those performed in thought or in speech by virtue of the physical objects they involve, for these objects harbor energy that is released when they are utilized in fulfilling the Divine intent.
The previous Lubavitcher Rebbe, the Rebbe Rayatz, of blessed memory, once related2 that when “those few heavenly soul-words” that appear in the text below were first revealed, pointing out that it is from the infinite Essence of the Ein Sof Himself that physical objects first come into being, the chassidim of the time found that their performance of the practical mitzvot was invigorated by fresh wellsprings of vitality.
איהו וחיוהי חד
“He3 and His life-giving emanations (chayohi) are one;
I.e., the “lights” (orot) of the Sefirot, which (like souls) animate the “vessels” (kelim) of the Sefirot, are not merely connected to G d: they are actually one with Him.
איהו וגרמוהי חד בהון
He and His causations (garmohi; lit., “organs”) are one in them,”
I.e., the “vessels” (kelim) which emanate from G d, and which (like bodies to souls4) serve as receptors to the “lights” (orot) of the Sefirot, are one with Him — in them, i.e., in the Sefirot,
(פירוש: עשר ספירות דאצילות
(5 that is,6 in the Ten Sefirot of Atzilut.
חיוהי: הן האורות
“His life-giving emanations” — these are the lights, the orot of the Sefirot,
וגרמוהי: הן הכלים
and “His causations” — these are the vessels, the kelim of the Sefirot;
שכולן אלקות
they are all (one with the [infinite] Ein Sof-light, for they are) Divinity.
מה שאין כן בבריאה יצירה עשיה כו׳
This is not the case in the Worlds of Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah, and so on.)
In these lower worlds, the kelim of the Sefirot as well as a distinct measure of the orot are not Divinity, but created beings.
וצריך להבין היטב איך האין סוף חד עם גרמוהי, הן הכלים
Now it needs to be clearly understood how the Ein Sof is One with His causations, i.e., with the kelim of the Sefirot.
הרי הכלים הן בבחינת גבול ותכלית, כמו שכתוב בעץ חיים
For the kelim are limited and finite, as is stated in Etz Chayim.7
Each of the Sefirot is not only a distinct entity (Chochmah having a separate identity from Binah, and Chesed from Gevurah, etc.), but in addition each Sefirah is inherently finite. How then can they be One with the Ein Sof, Who transcends any such particular identity (such as Chochmah or Chesed) and is moreover infinite?
The Tzemach Tzedek explains in Or HaTorah8 that the limitation that characterizes the kelim of Atzilut is their function as the Ko’ach HaGvul of the Ein Sof, the Power of Limitation whereby there can emanate from the [infinite] Ein Sof something limited and finite.
For it is stated in Avodat HaKodesh9 that “Ein Sof is the most perfect being of all; just as He possesses infinite powers so too does He possess finite powers, for if you were to say that He can only express Himself in an infinite manner and not in a finite manner, then you are diminishing His perfection.”
This means that in truth “infinity” is also “finite”, if it is limited to infinitude and barred from expressing itself finitely. A power that is only “infinite” and not “finite” lacks the capabilities of finitude. Since the Ein Sof is “the most perfect being of all,” hence possessing all qualities, He must possess a power of limitation and finitude just as He possesses infinite powers.
Avodat HaKodesh concludes that the Infinite One’s first expression of self-limitation is the emanation of the Sefirot — more specifically, the kelim of the Sefirot — which possess Ko’ach HaGvul, the Power of Limitation. As a result, the created beings that result from the enclothement of the “lights” in the “vessels” are limited in nature, even though the creative light that flows from the orot is infinite.
To return now to our query, as expressed above: Since the kelim are limited and finite, how can they be One with the Ein Sof, Who utterly transcends all bounds of identity and finitude?
אמנם הכוונה היא לומר, שהן אלקות לברוא יש מאין
However, the intention of the statement that the Ein Sof is One with His kelim is to say that they are Divinity with regard to creating something out of nothing, just as the Ein Sof is capable of doing,10
Creating something out of nothing is a capability hidden only “in the bosom of the Creator.”11 As our Sages, of blessed memory, expressed it,12 “If all the world’s inhabitants were to assemble, they would be unable to create the wing of a gnat and place within it a soul.”
It is with respect to this that the Ein Sof is One with the kelim of the Ten Sefirot of Atzilut: through them something is created out of nothing; in this respect the kelim are Divinity.
ולא בבחינת השתלשלות עילה ועלול לבד
and not merely by way of an evolution from ilah (“cause”) to alul (“effect”), as links in a causal progression wherein a being — the alul, or “effect” — evolves of itself from its ilah, or “cause”.
ומה שכתב הרמ״ק ענין השתלשלות עילה ועלול, וכן הוא בזוהר הקדוש, פרשת בראשית
As for the statement of R. Moses Cordovero13 that creative development in the Sefirot takes place by way of ilah and alul, and so too is it stated in the sacred Zohar, Parshat Bereishit,14
היינו בהשתלשלות הספירות בספירות עצמן
this refers to the evolution of the Sefirot within the Sefirot themselves, whereby one Sefirah evolves from another, e.g., Binah from Chochmah,
(בבחינת הכלים) שנקראות בלי מה, בספר יצירה
(15with respect to the kelim), which are termed beli mah (“without anything”) in Sefer Yetzirah16 (the “Book of Formation”17),
(The text there reads, “Ten Sefirot without anything: their measure is ten....”)
שאינן בבחינת יש ומהות מושג
because they are not in the category of a substance (yesh)18 nor of a nature that is apprehensible to created beings,
וכמו האין סוף, דלית מחשבה תפיסא ביה כלל
like the Ein Sof,19 “Whom thought cannot grasp at all”; so too are the kelim of the Sefirot called beli mah, “without anything” tangible and comprehensible by created beings,
Since the Sefirot are not of an apprehensible substance (they are “without anything”), they evolve from one another as ilah and alul, rather than being created as something from nothing.
The Alter Rebbe will now show that the kelim of the Sefirot are not of an apprehensible nature:
וכמו שכתוב: ופני לא יראו
as it is written,20 “And My face (G d’s pnimiyut and inner self) shall not be seen.”
The aspect of Divinity termed “My face,” referring as it does also to the pnimiyut of the kelim, remained hidden even from Moshe Rabbeinu, transcending even his vision and comprehension.
ונבואת משה רבינו עליו השלום והשגתו, היתה מפרק עליון דנצח דז״א
The prophecy and apprehension of Moshe Rabbeinu, peace to him, related to the upper rank of Netzach of Z’eir Anpin.
As mentioned in the previous letter (Epistle XIX), the Sefirot of Netzach, Hod and Yesod are merely the conduits by which the flow of life-giving light reaches the recipient; i.e., they are merely the externality of the Sefirot rather than the internal level called panim.
ובהשתלשלות העלול הוא מוקף מהעילה
And in the evolution, the alul (before it emerges as a distinct entity) is encompassed by its ilah,
ובטל במציאות אצלו, כזיו השמש בשמש
and is in a state of utter self-nullification in relation to it, just as a ray of the sun loses any independent identity and is essentially non-existent when it is within the sun,
This is true even after the alul evolves from the ilah and is revealed as a distinct entity: even then it is essentially non-existent in relation to its ilah. And the same holds true with regard to the manner in which one Sefirah evolves from another: that which is drawn down and revealed is totally nullified to the ilah from which it evolves.
כמו שכתוב בפרדס מהרמ״ק
as stated in Pardes21 by R. Moses Cordovero.22
It would thus be impossible to create a substantive being, a yesh, that has a sense of existence independent of its source, through the process of ilah and alul.23
ואף גם צמצומים רבים מאד לא יועילו להיות גשם עב כעפר, מהשתלשלות הרוחניות משכלים נבדלים, אפילו של המלאכים
Thus even numerous contractions, even enough to make the screened light utterly dissimilar to the original light, will not avail to bring about matter dense as earth, by way of an evolution from the spirituality of abstract intelligences, not even [by way of an evolution from the spirituality] [Insertion by the Rebbe: “of the abstract intelligences”] of the angels.
Angels, too, are composed of matter and form. However, since even their matter is composed of spiritual elements, coarse matter such as earth will not result, even after a multitude of contractions, for in the evolving and descending chainlike progression called Hishtalshelut, the lowest link remains connected — i.e., retains some qualitative relationship — to the highest link.
אלא להיות רוח הבהמה מפני שור
There will only come into being — as a result of this gradated evolvement — the spirit of an animal, that derives from the “Face of the Ox” of the Celestial Chariot,
Although the spirit that animates the body of an animal can in no way be compared to its spiritual source in the “Face of the Ox” of the Chariot, by means of Hishtalshelut the “soul” of an animal can eventually evolve from there, since this “soul” too is spiritual in nature. Hishtalshelut, however, cannot result in the innovative creation of a physical entity from something spiritual,
כמו שכתוב במקום אחר, ועיין שם היטב
as explained elsewhere; examine it well.
The Rebbe notes that this may be referring, for example, to the discourse entitled Yaviu Levush Malchut24 in Torah Or.
The Alter Rebbe explains there that in a certain sense even the Supernal Chochmah of Atzilut is an entity, inasmuch as it is designated as Chochmah, as opposed to ayin, the state of “nothingness”. Therefore, it too cannot come into being by means of evolvement from the Ein Sof; it too must come about through the process of “something from nothing.” Indeed, as the verse states,25 “Chochmah derives from ayin” — Chochmah emerges from its source in a manner of “something from nothing.”
Here, however, we are not speaking of creation as it comes about from the Ein Sof, but rather as it results from spirituality in general, even from a spiritual level such as that of the abstract intelligences, i.e., the angels. It is with regard to this that we say that Hishtalshelut can only result in the soul of an animal deriving from the “Face of the Ox” of the Celestial Chariot; it cannot bring into being the physical body of an animal.
ויש מאין נקרא בריאה בלשון הקדש
The coming about of substantiality ex nihilo (yesh me’ayin) is in the Holy Tongue called beriah (“creation”).
As the Ramban points out in his commentary to the Torah,26 beriah is the only term in the Holy Tongue for absolutely innovative creation, creation ex nihilo.
In any progression from ilah (“cause”) to alul (“effect”), the alul existed previously as well, albeit in a distinctly different state. The term “creation”, by contrast, describes the coming into existence of something that until now did not exist, for, as mentioned earlier, it is impossible for yesh (“created substantiality”) to be found within ayin (“nothingness”). Were it to be otherwise, the ayin itself would cease to be ayin and would itself become yesh.
The Alter Rebbe now goes on to anticipate a query. In point of fact, created substance is also truly nullified to the G dliness that creates it, for “All is before Him as naught.” Why, then, do we say that creation ex nihilo cannot result from ilah and alul because the effect — the created substance — would be nullified to its source, when in truth even as the substance exists as a yesh, created ex nihilo, it is in any event nullified to the Divine source that is responsible for its creation and that continuously vests itself within it to constantly create it anew?
The Alter Rebbe goes on to explain that while the above is indeed true, nevertheless, this is so only “before Him,” i.e., as it exists in G d’s knowledge (for G d, of course, views things as they truly are, so that created beings are “before Him as naught”: they are “like the non-existence of the sun’s rays while they are still found within the orb of the sun”).
A created being itself, however, regards its own existence in an entirely different light: it “knows” and “feels” beyond any shadow of doubt that it enjoys true and independent existence. This (entirely fallacious) view can only come about when it is created ex nihilo as a yesh. Were it instead to be created by a process of ilah and alul, it would be impossible for it not to be fully cognizant of its Creator; in its own view as well, it would exist in a state of bittul bimetziut, a state of utter self-nullification.
FOOTNOTES
1. Derech Mitzvotecha, p. 170a.
2. Acharon shel Pesach, 5694.
3. Note of the Rebbe: “Etz Chayim, Shaar 47, ch. 12, et al.”
4. Tikkunei Zohar, Introduction II (beginning Patach Eliyahu).
5. Parentheses are in the original text.
6. Note of the Rebbe: “Chayohi and garmohi can also be interpreted otherwise.”
7. Shaar II, ch. 3 et passim.
8. Vayeitzei, p. 182b.
9. Part I, beginning of ch. 8.
10. Note of the Rebbe: “This is not to say that the Ein Sof is one with the kelim of the Sefirot; rather, that they unite in an action that can only come about through the Ein Sof or through uniting with the Ein Sof, with the action coming about by the Ein Sof and through the kelim.”
11. Note of the Rebbe: “And for the reason provided below, on p. קל, ע״ב [i.e., p. 260 of the standard Hebrew text].”
12. See Yerushalmi, Sanhedrin 7:13; Bereishit Rabbah 39:14; Vayikra Rabbah 19:2; et al.
13. Pardes Rimonim, Shaar VI, ch. 6, et al.
14. I, 19b ff.
15. Parentheses are in the original text.
16. 1:2, et passim.
17. Note of the Rebbe: “Including the formation (Yetzirah) of the Sefirot.”
18. Note of the Rebbe: “Not even of the yesh of Beriah, the proof of this being — and to the extent that — they are not [even of an apprehensible nature to created beings].”
19. Cf. Introduction to Tikkunei Zohar, p. 17a.
20. Shmot 33:23.
21. Pardes Rimonim, Shaar VI, ch. 6, et al.
22. Note of the Rebbe: “This is why even the creation of the kelim of the Ten Sefirot of Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah — which are not One, but separate entities — cannot come about through the process of ilah and alul.”
23. Note of the Rebbe: “So, too, regarding the yesh of Asiyah.”
24. P. 90b.
25. Iyov 28:12.
26. On Bereishit 1:1.
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Rambam:
Daily Mitzvah P225, N295, N292 Sefer Hamitzvot
Today's Mitzvah
Thursday, 1 Tishrei 5775 • 25 September 2014
Daily Mitzvah P225, N295, N292 Sefer Hamitzvot
Today's Mitzvah
Thursday, 1 Tishrei 5775 • 25 September 2014
A daily digest of Maimonides’ classic work "Sefer Hamitzvot"
Positive Commandment 225
Exiling an Inadvertent Murderer to a City of Refuge
"And he shall live there until the death of the high priest"—Numbers 35:25.
The courts are commanded to exile a person guilty of manslaughter to a city of refuge. The killer must remain there [until the death of the serving high priest]: "There he must dwell, there he shall die, there he shall be buried."
Exiling an Inadvertent Murderer to a City of Refuge
Positive Commandment 225
Translated by Berel Bell
The 225th mitzvah is that we are commanded to exile a person who has killed another unintentionally from his city to one of the refuge cities.
The source of this commandment is G‑d's statement1 (exalted be He), "[The killer] must live there until the death of the kohen gadol."
In the words of the Sifri, "In the phrase '[The killer] must live there,' the word 'there' means he may never leave there. There he shall live, there he shall die, and there he shall be buried."
The details of this mitzvah are explained in tractate Makkos.2
FOOTNOTES
1.Ibid., 35:25.
2.7a ff.
Accepting a Ransom from an Intentional Murderer
"You shall take no ransom for the life of a murderer who is guilty of death"—Numbers 35:31.
It is forbidden to take a monetary payment from a person guilty of murder to exempt him from capital punishment.
Accepting a Ransom from an Intentional Murderer
Negative Commandment 295
Translated by Berel Bell
The 295th prohibition is that we are forbidden from taking ransom money [to spare] someone who has committed murder intentionally. Rather, he must be executed.
The source of this prohibition is G‑d's statement1 (exalted be He), "Do not take ransom for the life of a murderer who is under the death penalty."
The details of this mitzvah are explained in tractate Makkos.
FOOTNOTES
1.Num. 35:31.
Executing a Criminal before he Stands Trial
"The murderer shall not die until he stands before the congregation in judgment"—Numbers 35:12.
It is forbidden to execute a criminal guilty of committing a capital crime before he receives due process before a rabbinical court. (This prohibition applies after the crime was committed. With regards to a criminal in the process of executing a crime, see Negative Commandment 293.)
Even if the members of the High Court witness the execution of a capital offense, they must serve as witnesses (before another panel of judges) who will adjudicate the case.
Executing a Criminal before he Stands Trial
Negative Commandment 292
Translated by Berel Bell
The 292nd prohibition is that we are forbidden from killing someone who has already done1 something punishable by death before he is brought to High Court. Rather, we must bring him to High Court and present the evidence against him. We must be only witnesses [not judges], and they will determine his guilt.
The source of this prohibition is G‑d's statement2 (exalted be He), "The murderer shall not die until he stands before the court in judgment."
In the words of the Mechilta,3 "One might think that [the witnesses] may kill the person after he has committed murder or adultery. The Torah therefore says, 'The murderer shall not die until he stands ...' " Even if the Great Sanhedrin saw him commit the murder, they may only be witnesses and testify before another court [rather than themselves act as judges]; and that court will execute him.
The Mechilta also says, "In a case where a court saw a person commit murder, you might think that they may execute him even before he is judged. The Torah therefore says, 'The murderer shall not die until he stands before the court in judgment.' "
FOOTNOTES
1.If he has not yet done the crime, N293 applies.
2.Num. 35:12.
3.See Sifri Zuta. Kapach, 5731, footnote 34.
Positive Commandment 225
Exiling an Inadvertent Murderer to a City of Refuge
"And he shall live there until the death of the high priest"—Numbers 35:25.
The courts are commanded to exile a person guilty of manslaughter to a city of refuge. The killer must remain there [until the death of the serving high priest]: "There he must dwell, there he shall die, there he shall be buried."
Exiling an Inadvertent Murderer to a City of Refuge
Positive Commandment 225
Translated by Berel Bell
The 225th mitzvah is that we are commanded to exile a person who has killed another unintentionally from his city to one of the refuge cities.
The source of this commandment is G‑d's statement1 (exalted be He), "[The killer] must live there until the death of the kohen gadol."
In the words of the Sifri, "In the phrase '[The killer] must live there,' the word 'there' means he may never leave there. There he shall live, there he shall die, and there he shall be buried."
The details of this mitzvah are explained in tractate Makkos.2
FOOTNOTES
1.Ibid., 35:25.
2.7a ff.
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Negative Commandment 295Accepting a Ransom from an Intentional Murderer
"You shall take no ransom for the life of a murderer who is guilty of death"—Numbers 35:31.
It is forbidden to take a monetary payment from a person guilty of murder to exempt him from capital punishment.
Accepting a Ransom from an Intentional Murderer
Negative Commandment 295
Translated by Berel Bell
The 295th prohibition is that we are forbidden from taking ransom money [to spare] someone who has committed murder intentionally. Rather, he must be executed.
The source of this prohibition is G‑d's statement1 (exalted be He), "Do not take ransom for the life of a murderer who is under the death penalty."
The details of this mitzvah are explained in tractate Makkos.
FOOTNOTES
1.Num. 35:31.
________________________________________
Negative Commandment 292Executing a Criminal before he Stands Trial
"The murderer shall not die until he stands before the congregation in judgment"—Numbers 35:12.
It is forbidden to execute a criminal guilty of committing a capital crime before he receives due process before a rabbinical court. (This prohibition applies after the crime was committed. With regards to a criminal in the process of executing a crime, see Negative Commandment 293.)
Even if the members of the High Court witness the execution of a capital offense, they must serve as witnesses (before another panel of judges) who will adjudicate the case.
Executing a Criminal before he Stands Trial
Negative Commandment 292
Translated by Berel Bell
The 292nd prohibition is that we are forbidden from killing someone who has already done1 something punishable by death before he is brought to High Court. Rather, we must bring him to High Court and present the evidence against him. We must be only witnesses [not judges], and they will determine his guilt.
The source of this prohibition is G‑d's statement2 (exalted be He), "The murderer shall not die until he stands before the court in judgment."
In the words of the Mechilta,3 "One might think that [the witnesses] may kill the person after he has committed murder or adultery. The Torah therefore says, 'The murderer shall not die until he stands ...' " Even if the Great Sanhedrin saw him commit the murder, they may only be witnesses and testify before another court [rather than themselves act as judges]; and that court will execute him.
The Mechilta also says, "In a case where a court saw a person commit murder, you might think that they may execute him even before he is judged. The Torah therefore says, 'The murderer shall not die until he stands before the court in judgment.' "
FOOTNOTES
1.If he has not yet done the crime, N293 applies.
2.Num. 35:12.
3.See Sifri Zuta. Kapach, 5731, footnote 34.
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Rambam:
• 1 Chapter a Day: Sanhedrin veha`Onashin haMesurin lahem Sanhedrin veha`Onashin haMesurin lahem - Chapter 1Sanhedrin veha`Onashin haMesurin lahem - Chapter 1
"Open your mouth, judge righteously, and render justice for the poor and indigent" Proverbs 31:9
The fourteenth book,
Sefer Shoftim
The Book of Judges
It contains five halachot. They are: Hilchot Sanhedrin V'HaOnshin Hamesurim Lahem - The laws of the courts and the penalties placed under their jurisdiction
Hilchot Edut - The laws of witnesses
Hilchot Mamrim - The laws of the rebellious ones
Hilchot Evel - The laws of mourning
Hilchot Melachim UMilchamotehem - The laws of kings and their wars
Halacha 1
It is a positive Scriptural commandment to appoint judges and enforcement officers in every city and in every region, as Deuteronomy 16:18 states: "Appoint judges and enforcement officers in all your gates."
"Judges" refers to magistrates whose attendance is fixed in court, before whom the litigants appear. "Enforcement officers" refers to those equipped with a billet and a lash who stand before the judges and patrol the market places and the streets to inspect the stores and to regulate the prices and the measures. They inflict corporal punishment on all offenders. Their deeds are controlled entirely by the judges.
Whenever a person is seen perpetrating injustice, they should bring his to the court, where he will be judged according to his wickedness.
Halacha 2
We are obligated to appoint courts in every region and in every city only in Eretz Yisrael. In the diaspora, by contrast, we are not obligated to appoint courts in every region. This is derived from the continuation of the above verse: "Appoint...in all your gates which God your Lord is giving you for your tribes."
Halacha 3
How many established courts should there be among the Jewish people and how many judges should there be in each court?
First, a supreme court is established in the Temple. This is called the Great Sanhedrin. It was composed of 71 judges. This is derived from Numbers 11:16 which states: "Gather for Me seventy men from the elders of Israel." And Moses presided over them, as the verse continues: "And they shall stand there with you." Thus there are 71.
The one who is of greatest knowledge is placed as the head over them. He acts as the Rosh Yeshivah. And he is called the nasi by the Sages in all sources. He assumes the position of Moses our teacher.
The greatest among the remaining 70 is appointed as an assistant to the head. He sits at his right and is called av beit din. The remaining judges from the 70 sit before them and are seated according to their age and according to their stature. Whoever possesses greater wisdom than his colleague is seated closer than his colleagues to the nasi on his left. The members of the Sanhedrin sit in a semi-circle so that the nasi and the av beit din can see all of them.
In addition, two courts of 23 judges each are appointed. One holds sessions at the entrance to the Temple courtyard. and the other at the entrance to the Temple Mount.
In addition, in every city in Israel in which their are 120 or more adult males, we appoint a minor Sanhedrin. They hold court at the entrance to the city, as implied by Amos 5:15: "And you shall present judgment in your gates." How many judges should be in such a court? 23. The one who possesses the greatest wisdom is the chief justice and the remainder sit in a semi-circle so that the chief justice can see all of them.
Halacha 4
When there are less than 120 adult males in a city, we appoint a court of three judges. For a court should never be less than three. In that way, there will be a majority and a minority if there is a difference of opinion in any particular judgment.
Halacha 5
When a city does not possess two sages of great knowledge - 0ne fit to teach and issue rulings with regard to the entire Torah and one who knows how to listen diligently and knows how to raise questions and arrive at solutions - a court should not be appointed for it even though thousands of Jews live there.
Halacha 6
When a court has two judges of this caliber: one capable of listening with regard to the entire Torah, and one capable of expounding, it is a valid court. If there are three, it is of intermediate esteem. If the court possess four judges who can expound upon the entire Torah, it is a wise court.
Halacha 7
We sit three rows of Torah scholars before every minor Sanhedrin. In each row, there are 23 men. The first row is seated next to the Sanhedrin, the second row below it, and the third row below it. In each row, the scholars are seated in the order of their level of wisdom.
Halacha 8
If there is a difference of opinion among the judges and it is necessary to grant semichah to one student to add to the number, the scholar of the greatest stature from the first row is granted semichah. The first scholar in the second row advances and sits in the first row to make up for the lack, and the first scholar in the third row advances and sits in the second row to make up for the lack. One of the remaining people is chosen and is seated in the third row. Similarly, if they must grant semichah to a second or third judge, they follow this pattern.
Halacha 9
Whenever a Sanhedrin functions, two legal scribes should stand before them: one at the right and one at the left. One writes the arguments of those who seek to hold the defendant liable, and one writes the arguments of those who seek to exonerate him.
Halacha 10
Why is a Sanhedrin appointed only in a city with a population of 120? So that there will be a Sanhedrin of 23 judges, three rows of 23 students each, ten sitters in the synagogue, two scribes, two court officers, two litigants, two witnesses, two witnesses who seek to invalidate the testimony of the witnesses, two witnesses who seek to invalidate the testimony of the second pair of witnesses and restore the validity of the first, two charity collectors, and a third to distribute these collections, a doctor who is a bloodletter, a scribe, and a teacher for young children. This reaches a total of 120.
____________________________
Rambam:
• 3 Chapters a Day: Rotseah uShmirat Nefesh Rotseah uShmirat Nefesh - Chapter Two, Rotseah uShmirat Nefesh Rotseah uShmirat Nefesh - Chapter Three, Rotseah uShmirat Nefesh Rotseah uShmirat Nefesh - Chapter Four
Rotseah uShmirat Nefesh - Chapter Two
Halacha 1
Whenever a person kills a colleague with his hands - e.g., he strikes him with a sword or with a stone that can cause death, strangles him until he dies or burns him in fire - he should be executed by the court, for he himself has killed him.
Halacha 2
But a person who hires a murderer to kill a colleague, one who sends his servants and they kill him, one who binds a colleague and leaves him before a lion or the like and the beast kills him, and a person who commits suicide are all considered to be shedders of blood; the sin of bloodshed is upon their hands, and they are liable for death at the hands of God. They are not, however, liable for execution by the court.
Halacha 3
Which source indicates that this is the law? Genesis 9:6 states: "When a person sheds the blood of a man, by a man his blood shall be shed." This refers to a person who kills a colleague by himself, without employing an agent.
The verse continues: "Of the blood of your own lives I will demand an account." This refers to a person who commits suicide.6
"From the hand of every wild beast will I demand an account" Ibid. 9:5 This refers to a person who places a person before a wild beast so that he will devour him.
"From the hand of a man, from the hand of one's brother, will I demand an account for the soul of a man" ibid.. This refers to a person who hires others to kill a colleague. In all of the three last instances, the verse uses the expression "will I demand an account," indicating that their judgment is in heaven's hands.
Halacha 4
When a Jewish king desires to slay any of these murderers and the like - who are not liable for execution by the court - by virtue of his regal authority, in order to perfect society, he has the license.
Similarly, if the court desires to execute them as a result of a immediate fiat, because this was required at the time, they have the license to do as they see fit.
Halacha 5
If the king did not execute them, nor did the court deem the time as such to require strengthening the strictures against murder, it should nevertheless have the murderer beaten with severe blows - so that he is on the verge of death - and imprisoned, deprived and afflicted with all types of discomfort in order to strike fear and awe into the hearts of other wicked men, so that this death should not be a stumbling block and a snag for them, causing them to say: "Let me arrange to have my enemies killed the way so-and-so did, and I will not suffer the consequences."
Halacha 6
Whether a person kills an adult or an infant that is one day old, a male or a female, he should be executed if he killed him intentionally, or exiled if he killed him unintentionally.
With regard to an infant, the above applies provided it was born after a full term pregnancy. If, however, it was born before nine months passed, it is considered to be an inviable birth until it lives for 30 days. If it is killed within those 30 days, the killer should not be executed.
Halacha 7
Whether a person kills a healthy person, a sick person who is on the verge of dying, or even a person in his actual death throes, the killer should be executed. If, however, one kills a person in his death throes because of wounds inflicted upon him by others - i.e., he was stricken until he was on the verge of death, and he is in his death throes, the killer should not be executed by the court.
Halacha 8
When, by contrast, a person is considered trefah,even though he eats, drinks and walks in the market place, one is not held liable by an earthly court for killing him.
Every person is presumed to be physically sound, and a person who kills him should be executed unless it is certainly known that he is a trefah, and the physicians say that his infirmity does not have any remedy for humans and it will surely cause his death, if no other factor does first.
Halacha 9
When a person who is a trefah kills another man, he should be killed, as reflected by Deuteronomy 19:19, which states: "And you shall destroy the evil from among your midst."
When does this apply? When he committed the murder in the presence of a court. If, however, he committed the murder in the presence of witnesses, he is not liable. The rationale is that the witnesses may be disqualified through hazamah. And if they are disqualified through hazamah, they will not be punished by execution, for they intended merely to have a person who was trefah executed. And whenever the laws of hazamah cannot be applied to testimony, it is not considered to be valid testimony in capital cases.
Halacha 10
If a person kills either a Jew or a Canaanite servant, he should be executed. If he kills inadvertently, he should be exiled.
Halacha 11
At first, a person who killed a resident alienshould not be executed by the court, as implied by Exodus 21:14, which introduces the laws regarding the punishment for murder, by stating: "When a man acts intentionally against his colleague, killing him...." Needless to say, this ruling applies with regard to a gentile.
Whether a person kills his own Canaanite servant or a servant belonging to someone else, he should be executed. For a servant has accepted the yoke of mitzvot and has been added to "the heritage of God."
Halacha 12
What is the difference between killing one's own Canaanite servant and a servant belonging to someone else? With regard to one's own servant, one has the right to strike him. Thus, if one strikes him with a blow that is sufficient to cause death, and he is on the verge of dying, but survives for 24 hours and dies afterwards, the owner should not be executed, although the servant died because of the blow, as Exodus 21:21 states: "But if he survives for a day or two, he shall not be avenged, for he is his property."
What is the intent of the phrase "for a day or two"? A day that is like two days - i.e., a full 24-hour cycle.
Halacha 13
Different rules apply when, by contrast, one strikes a Canaanite servant who belongs to another person. If one strikes him with a blow sufficient to kill, one may be executed for killing him, as one would be executed for killing any free Jew, even if he does not die because of the blow until several days have passed.
Halacha 14
It appears to me that when a person strikes his servant with a knife, a sword, a stone, a fist or the like, and it was assessed that he would die, and he did die, the leniency granted if the servant survives more than 24 hours does not apply. Instead, even if the servant dies a year later, the owner should be executed because of the servant's death.
To underscore this point, Exodus 21:20 mentions striking the servant "with a rod." For the Torah has granted the owner permission to beat his servant only with a rod, a staff, a strap or the like, and he may not strike him with murderous blows.
Halacha 15
The following rules apply when a person sells his servant and stipulates that the servant must continue to serve him for 30 days - and in those 30 days, either the seller or the purchaser strikes the servant - the leniency granted if the servant survives more than 24 hours does not apply, neither to the seller nor to the purchaser, and the killer should be executed.
The rationale is that the servant no longer is the personal "property" of the seller, nor has he entered the domain of the purchaser.
Halacha 16
Similarly, if a person is half servant and half free,or there is a servant belonging to two partners, and the owner or one of the owners strikes and kills the servant, the leniency granted if the servant survives more than 24 hours does not apply. For in these cases, there is not an owner who owns the servant as his personal "property." Therefore, the owner should be executed, as would any other person.
Rotseah uShmirat Nefesh - Chapter Three
Halacha 1
The following rule applies when a person strikes a colleague intentionally with a stone or a piece of wood and causes his death. We assess the object with which he was struck, and the place where he was struck, and determine whether or not it is likely that such an article would cause death when used to give a blow in such a place.
This is implied by Numbers 35:17-18, which states: "If he struck him with a fist-sized stone that could cause death... or if he struck him with a fist-sized wooden article that could cause death." "That could cause death" teaches that the murder weapon must be such that would likely cause him to die.
Striking a person on his heart cannot be compared to striking him on his thigh.
Halacha 2
Since the verse states "That could cause death," this phrase also implies that we assess the place where the victim was struck.
Just as we assess the object with which he was struck, and the place where he was struck, we also assess the force of the blow. This is implied by the phrase (Ibid.): "a fist-sized stone," from which we infer that we evaluate the force of the hand. For one cannot compare a person who throws a stone at his colleague from a distance of two cubits to one who throws a stone from a distance of ten cubits. At ten cubits, the stone will have more force. Nor can one compare a person who throws a stone at his colleague from a distance of ten cubits to one who throws a stone from a distance of 100 cubits. For over an extended distance, the force of the blow will be diminished.
Halacha 3
Similarly, the blow itself and the power of the killer and the victim should be assessed: Is he large or small? Is he strong or weak? Is he healthy or sickly? These and all similar questions should be investigated. This is all implied by the phrase: "That could cause death." It teaches that all the factors involved in the person's death should be assessed.
Halacha 4
The Torah did not mention a minimum size with regard to an iron object, as Numbers 35:16 states: "If he struck him with an iron utensil and he dies, he is a murderer." This applies even to a needle, provided the object is pointed like a needle, a spit, a knife or the like.
If, however, a person strikes a colleague with a hunk of metal or the like, we evaluate the blow as we would evaluate it if it had been dealt with a piece of wood or a stone.
Halacha 5
When a person strikes a colleague without an object and kills him - e.g., he strikes him with his hand or foot or butts him with his head and kills him - we should assess the force of the blow, the strength of the victim and the place where the blow was given. One cannot compare a person poking at a colleague with his finger to one who kicks his colleague with all his strength. Nor can one compare a blow given on the heart to a blow given in the groin. Nor can one compare a weak person who strikes a healthy, strong person to a healthy, strong person who strikes a weak or sickly person.
Halacha 6
What is the source that teaches that an assessment must be made in such an instance? Numbers 35:21 states: "Or if he maliciously strikes him with his hand and he dies, the one who strikes him shall certainly die." Although it mentions "with his hand," the verse also states that the blow must be given "maliciously." Implied is that we assess the force of the blow.
Halacha 7
Similarly, when a person pushes a colleague from a rooftop, causing him to fall and die, we assess the height of the place from which he pushed him and the strength of the person who was pushed. For an infant who fell cannot be compared to an adult who fell.
What is the source that teaches that we must assess the height from which the victim fell? Numbers 35:20 states: "If he pushes him down with hatred."
It appears to me that any place that is not more than ten handbreadths high is not considered of sufficient height to kill, as explained with regard to an animal that fell into a cistern.
Halacha 8
The same laws apply if a person strikes a colleague with a stone, a block of wood, a clod of earth, a block of salt or sulfur, or a basket full of dust or pebbles, or even if he strikes him with a cake of dried figs. This is implied by the phrase "That could cause death" - i.e., anything that may cause death. And it is the weight of the object that makes it fit to cause death.
Halacha 9
When a person pushes a colleague into water or into a fire, an assessment should be made. If the person could ascend, the one who pushed him is not liable for execution. If he could not ascend, the one who pushed him is liable.
Similarly, if one held a colleague in water or in fire until he did not have any strength to ascend, and the colleague died, the one who held him is liable, even if he did not push him there at the outset.
Similarly, a person is liable for execution in all of the following instances: he held his hand over a colleague's mouth and nose until he left him in his death throes, unable to live; he bound a colleague and left him in the sun or the cold until he died; he built an airtight construction over him that prevented air from coming in; he placed a colleague in a house or a cave and filled it with smoke until he died; or he placed a colleague in an airtight marble building and lit a candle, causing the colleague to die because of the lack of air. In all of these instances, the person who caused the victim's death is executed; it is as if he had strangled him by hand.
Halacha 10
Different rules apply, however, in the following instances: A person binds a colleague and leaves him to starve to death; he binds him and leaves him in a place that will ultimately cause him to be subjected to cold or heat, and these influences indeed come and kill the victim; he covers him with a barrel; he uncovers the roof of the building where he was staying; or he causes a snake to bite him. Needless to say, a distinction is made if a colleague dispatches a dog or a snake at a colleague. In all the above instances, the person is not executed. He is, nevertheless, considered to be a murderer, and "the One who seeks vengeance for bloodshed" will seek vengeance for the blood he shed.
Halacha 11
Similarly execution is not required in the following instances. A person pushed his colleague into a cistern and there was a ladder that he could have used to climb out, or he shot an arrow at him, but he was holding a shield with which he could protect himself - and another person came and took away the ladder or the shield. Neither of the two is executed by the court.
Moreover, even if the person who pushed the victim is himself the one who takes away the ladder, he is not liable for execution. God will, however, seek him out and avenge the bloodshed.
Halacha 12
When a person throws a stone against a wall, and the stone rebounds and kills a person, the thrower of the stone is liable for execution by the court. For it was propelled by the power of the person who threw it.
A similar principle applies with regard to a person playing with a ball, who was given a warning and caused death by throwing it. If the victim was within four cubits of the wall, he is not liable. If the victim was beyond four cubits away, even if he was standing at the end of a distance of 100 cubits, the thrower is liable, provided the ball is of sufficient weight to kill, as explained.
Halacha 13
If a person threw a stone upward and it went to the side and caused death, the one who threw it is liable.
If a person binds a colleague and puts him in a place where he cannot flee, and then turns a current of water on him, causing him to die, the killer should be executed. This law applies provided the victim dies from the first burst of water that flows because of his deeds.
Rotseah uShmirat Nefesh - Chapter Four
Halacha 1
A person who intended to kill one person and instead killed another is not liable - neither for execution by the court, nor for financial liability, nor for exile.
He is not liable for exile because the cities of refuge will not serve as protection for him, as will be explained.
Therefore, a person who throws a stone into a group of Jews without the intent of killing any specific person is not liable for execution by the court, even though he in fact kills a person.
Halacha 2
Similarly, a killer is not held liable for execution in the following instances. He intended to strike a colleague on his loins, and the utensil was not sufficient to kill if it struck a person on his loins, but it instead struck him on his heart and he died. Or a person intended to strike a colleague on his heart, and the blow was sufficient to kill had it struck him on the heart, but instead it struck the victim on his loins and it was not sufficient to kill an ordinary person if it struck him on his loins, but this person died. In these instances, the killer is not liable for execution by the court, nor is he exiled, because a person who kills intentionally is never exiled.
If, however, he intended to strike him on his loins, and the blow was sufficient to kill him if it struck him on his loins, but it struck him on his heart, killing him, the killer should be executed. Similar principles apply in all analogous instances.
Halacha 3
When a person strikes a colleague with a stone or a fist in a manner that could cause his death, but he does not die immediately, an assessment should be made.
If the judges assess that the victim would live, the person who struck the blow is liable only to pay the five damages awarded to a person who is injured, and he is released. Even if the victim falls ill, and his situation becomes more serious and ultimately he dies, the person who struck the blow is not held liable.
If the judges assess that the victim would die, they should imprison the person who struck the blow immediately and wait to see the outcome. If the victim does die, the person who struck the blow should be executed. If, however, the victim's condition improves, and he becomes healed entirely to the extent that he walks in the marketplace on his feet like other healthy people, the person who struck the blow should pay the damages and should be released.
Halacha 4
The Torah's expression על משענתו does not mean that he should walk while supported by a staff or by another person. For even a person who is on the verge of dying can walk leaning on a support. Instead, the intent in this verse is that he walk supported by his own power, without relying on any other factor for support.
Halacha 5
If it was assessed that the victim would die, and afterwards his condition improved, but then deteriorated, and ultimately he died, the killer should be executed. We do not make a second assessment after the victim's condition improves, for there is a basis for the assumption that he died because of the original blow.
Halacha 6
If ten people strike a person with ten different sticks and he dies, they are all not held liable for execution by the court.This law applies regardless of whether they struck him one after the other or they struck him at the same time.
These concepts are derived from Leviticus 24:17: "If he strikes any person mortally he should be put to death." כל translated as "any" also means "all." Implied is that death is not required unless one person alone is entirely accountable for the person's death.
The same law applies if two people push a colleague into water or hold him there, or several people are sitting together and an arrow emerges from their company and kills; none is held liable for execution.
Halacha 7
A different ruling is rendered in the following instance. Ten people threw stones at a person one after the other, and none of the stones was of sufficient weight to cause death. Afterwards, another person cast a stone that was of sufficient weight to cause death and the victim died. The last person who threw the stone should be executed.
If a murderer who was sentenced to execution becomes intermingled with other people, they are all absolved. Similarly, when a murderer who was not convicted becomes intermingled with other murderers who were sentenced to execution, none should be executed. The rationale is that judgment can be passed on a person only in his presence. All the killers should, however, be imprisoned.
Halacha 8
The following laws apply when a person kills people, but the witnesses did not observe his act together - instead one saw him after the other did: a person killed in the presence of witnesses, but a warning was not given; or the witnesses to a murder contradicted each other with regard to the fine points of the testimony, but not with regard to the fundamental questions.
All those murderers should be forced to enter a kipah.There they are fed parched bread and small amounts of water until their digestive tract contracts. Then they are fed barley until their bellies burst because of the extent of the sickness and they die.
Halacha 9
This measure is not taken with regard to other crimes punishable by execution by the court. If a defendant is liable for execution, he should be executed. If he is not liable for execution, he should be released.
Although there are other sins that are more serious than murder, they do not present as serious a danger to society as murder does. Even idol worship - and needless to say, incest or the violation of the Sabbath - are not considered as severe as murder. For these sins involve man's relationship with God, while murder also involves man's relationship with his fellow man.
Whoever commits this sin is an utterly wicked person. All the mitzvot that he performs throughout his lifetime cannot outweigh this sin and save him from judgment. Thus, Proverbs 28:17 states: "A man weighed down with life's blood will flee to the pit."
Come and learn from the example of Ach'av King of Israel. He was an idolater so debased in his paganism that I Kings 21:25 says: "There was none like Ach'av who gave himself over to the performance of wickedness in the eyes of God." And yet when his merits and sins were weighed in the presence of the Lord of spirits, there was no sin that warranted his destruction and was not counterbalanced by a positive quality, except the blood of Navot.
Thus, it is written Ibid. 22:21, in the description of the prophecy of Ach'av's death in battle: "And the spirit came and stood before God." Our Sages commented:: "This is the spirit of Navot." And God told the spirit (Ibid.:2): "You will persuade him and prevail."
Now this wicked man Ach'av did not actually kill his victim with his own hands; he merely brought about his death. How much more so this condemnation should apply when a person kills another with his own hands.
Halacha 10
It is a mitzvah to kill minim and apikorsim.
The term minim refers to Jewish idolaters or those who perform transgressions for the sake of angering God, even if one eats non-kosher meat for the sake of angering God or wears sha'atnez for the sake of angering God.
The term apikorsim refers to Jews who deny the Torah and the concept of prophecy.
If there is the possibility, one should kill them with a sword in public view. If that is not possible, one should develop a plan so that one can cause their deaths.
What is implied? If one sees such a person descend to a cistern, and there is a ladder in the cistern, one should take the ladder, and excuse oneself, saying: "I must hurry to take my son down from the roof. I shall return the ladder to you soon." Similarly, one should devise other analogous plans to cause the death of such people.
Halacha 11
With regard to a gentile idolater with whom we are not at war, a Jewish shepherd of small livestock, and the like, by contrast, we should not try to cause their deaths. It is, however, forbidden to save their lives if their lives are threatened. For example, if such a person fell into the sea, one should not rescue him. Leviticus 19:16] states: "Do not stand idly by while your brother's blood is at stake." This does not apply with regard to such individuals, because they are not "your brothers."
Halacha 12
When does the above apply? With regard to a Jew who sins and perseveres in his wickedness, continually repeating it - e.g., shepherds of small livestock who show no consideration for the prohibition against robbery and continue in their perversity.
When, by contrast, a Jew commits transgressions, but does not maintain his wickedness continually, merely occasionally sinning for his own personal satisfaction - e.g., one who eats non-kosher food for pleasure - it is a mitzvah to save his life, and it is forbidden to stand idly by when his life is threatened.
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Hayom Yom:
Thursday, 1 Tishrei 1st day of Rosh Hashana, 5775 • 25 September 2014
"Today's Day"
Thursday, Tishrei 1, 1st day of Rosh Hashana, 5775
Torah lessons: Chumash: Ha'azinu, Chamishi with Rashi.
Tehillim: 1-9. Also 88-90.
Tanya: XX. "He and His (p. 497) ...(creation). (p. 499).
In the b'racha of Candle-lighting: ...shel yom hazikaron (p.127). Shehecheyanu. L'Eila is said only once in kadish, except at Ne'ila. L'david...ha-aretz um'loa... (p. 276) before Aleinu. Daytime kidush: Tiku, ki chok (p. 269); do not say Eileh mo'adei or askinu. At Tashlich (p. 295) shake out corners of the tallit katan.
Say Yehi ratzon (p. 277) for the apple after the b'racha, before tasting. Lamb's head is eaten, but Yehi ratzon is said only for the apple.
Words and WorldThursday, Tishrei 1, 1st day of Rosh Hashana, 5775
Torah lessons: Chumash: Ha'azinu, Chamishi with Rashi.
Tehillim: 1-9. Also 88-90.
Tanya: XX. "He and His (p. 497) ...(creation). (p. 499).
In the b'racha of Candle-lighting: ...shel yom hazikaron (p.127). Shehecheyanu. L'Eila is said only once in kadish, except at Ne'ila. L'david...ha-aretz um'loa... (p. 276) before Aleinu. Daytime kidush: Tiku, ki chok (p. 269); do not say Eileh mo'adei or askinu. At Tashlich (p. 295) shake out corners of the tallit katan.
Say Yehi ratzon (p. 277) for the apple after the b'racha, before tasting. Lamb's head is eaten, but Yehi ratzon is said only for the apple.
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Daily Thought:In the beginning, G‑d spoke and the world came into being.
On Rosh Hashanah, every year, we speak praises and prayers, petitions and pleas. We speak of ourselves and we speak of others.
On Rosh Hashanah, every word we speak counts. Because according to what we speak, and how we speak, so G‑d speaks. And our world comes into being.
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