Chabad - Today in Judaism - TODAY IS: Shabbat, 22 Cheshvan 5775 • 15 November 2014

Chabad - Today in Judaism - TODAY IS: Shabbat, 22 Cheshvan 5775 • 15 November 2014
Torah Reading

Chayei Sarah (Genesis/Bereshis 23:1 And Sarah was an hundred and seven and twenty shanah old: these were the shnei chayyai Sarah.
2 And Sarah died in Kiryat- Arba; the same is Chevron in eretz Kena’an: and Avraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her.
3 And Avraham stood up from before his dead, and spoke unto the bnei Chet, saying,
4 I am a ger and a sojourner with you: give me an achuzzah (possession) of a kever with you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.
5 And the bnei Chet answered Avraham, saying unto him,
6 Hear us, adoni: thou art a nasi Elohim among us; in the choice of kevareinu bury thy dead; none of us shall withhold from thee his kever, that thou mayest bury thy dead.
7 And Avraham stood up, and bowed himself to the am ha’aretz, even to the bnei Chet.
8 And he spoke to them, saying, If it be your nefesh (will) that I should bury my dead out of my sight; hear me, and intercede for me to Ephron ben Tzochar,
9 That he may give me the cave of Machpelah, which he hath, which is in the end of his sadeh; for the kesef maleh (full price) he shall give it me for an achuzzah (possession) of a kever amongst you.
10 And Ephron dwelt among the bnei Chet: and Ephron the Chitti answered Avraham in the hearing of the bnei Chet, even of all that went in at the sha’ar of his city, saying,
11 Lo, adoni, hear me; the sadeh give I thee, and the cave that is therein, I give it thee; in the presence of the bnei ammi give I it thee; bury thy dead.
12 And Avraham bowed down himself before the am ha’aretz.
13 And he spoke unto Ephron in the hearing of the am ha’aretz, saying, But if thou wilt give it, now, hear me; I will give thee kesef for the sadeh; accept it from me, and I will bury my dead there.
14 And Ephron answered Avraham, saying unto him,
15 Pay heed, adoni, unto me; the land is worth four hundred shekels of kesef; what is that between me and thee? bury therefore thy dead.
16 And Avraham paid heed unto Ephron; and Avraham weighed to Ephron the kesef, which he had named in the hearing of the bnei Chet four hundred shekels of kesef, according to current merchant value.
17 And the sadeh of Ephron which was in Machpelah, which was near Mamre, the sadeh, and the cave which was therein, and all the trees that were in the sadeh, that were in all the borders round about, were deeded
18 Unto Avraham for a property in the presence of the bnei Chet, before all that went in at the sha’ar of his city.
19 And after this, Avraham buried Sarah his isha in the cave of the sadeh of Machpelah near Mamre; the same is Chevron in the eretz Kena’an.
20 And the sadeh, and the cave that is therein, were deeded unto Avraham for an achuzzah of a kever by the bnei Chet.
24:1 And Avraham was zaken (old), and well stricken in age; and Hashem berach (had blessed) Avraham in all things.
2 And Avraham said unto his eved zekan of his bais, hamoshel (that ruled) over all that he had, Put, now, thy yad under my thigh;
3 And I will make thee swear by Hashem Elohei HaShomayim and Elohei Ha’Aretz, that thou shalt not take an isha unto beni of the Banot HaKena’ani, among whom I dwell:
4 But thou shalt go unto my eretz, and to my moledet, and take an isha unto beni Yitzchak.
5 And the eved said unto him, What if the isha will not be willing to follow me unto HaAretz Hazot: must I needs bring binecha back unto ha’aretz from where thou camest?
6 And Avraham said unto him, Beware thou that thou bring not beni to there!
7 Hashem Elohei HaShomayim, which took me from bais avi,and from the eretz of my moledet, and which spoke unto me, and that swore unto me, saying, Unto thy zera will I give HaAretz Hazot; He shall send His Malach before thee, and thou shalt take an isha unto beni from there.
8 But if the isha will not be willing to follow thee, then thou shalt be released from this my shevu’ah (oath): only do not bring back beni there.
9 And the eved put his yad under yerech Avraham adonav, and swore to him concerning this matter.
10 And the eved took asarah gemalim of the gemalei adonav, and departed; for all the goods of adonav were in his yad: and he arose, and went to Aram Naharayim, [Mesopotamia] unto the Ir Nachor.
11 And he made his gemalim to kneel down outside the Ir near a be’er hamayim at the time of erev, at the time that women go out to draw mayim.
12 And he said Hashem Elohei adoni Avraham, now, send me success this yom, and show chesed unto adoni Avraham.
13 Hinei, I stand here by the ayin hamayim; and the banot anshei haIr come out to draw mayim;
14 And let it come to pass, that the na’arah to whom I shall say, Let down thy jug, now, that I may drink; and she shall say, Drink, and I will give thy gemalim drink also; let the same be she that Thou hast appointed for Thy eved Yitzchak; and thereby shall I know that Thou hast showed chesed unto adoni.
15 And it came to pass, before he had done speaking, that, hinei, Rivkah came out, who was born to Beituel Ben Milcah, eshet Nachor, achi Avraham, with her jug upon her shoulder.
16 And the na’arah was tovat mareh me’od, a betulah, neither had any ish known her: and she went down to haayenah (the spring), and filled her jug, and came up.
17 And the eved hurried to meet her, and said, Let me, now, drink a little mayim of thy jug.
18 And she said,Drink, adoni: and she hasted, and let down her jug upon her yad, and gave him drink
19 And when she had done giving him drink, she said, I will draw for thy gemalim also, until they have done drinking.
20 And she hasted, and emptied her jug into the trough, and ran back unto the be’er to draw, and drew for all his gemalim.
21 And the ish gazed at her and held his peace, so as to have da’as whether Hashem had made his derech prosperous or not.
22 And it came to pass, just as the gemalim had done drinking, that the ish took a nezem zahav (gold ring) by weight a beka, and two tzemidim (bracelets) by weight ten [shekels of] gold for her wrists;
23 And said, Whose bat art thou? Tell me, now: is there makom in the bais of thy av for us to spend the night?
24 And she said unto him, I am Bat Beituel Ben Milcah, the ben which she bore unto Nachor.
25 She said moreover unto him, We have both teven (straw) and mispo (fodder) enough, and makom (room) to spend the night.
26 And the ish bowed his head, worshiped Hashem.
27 And he said, Baruch Hashem Elohei adoni Avraham, who hath not left destitute of His chesed and His emes; I being on the derech, Hashem led me to the bais achei adoni.
28 And the na’arah ran, and told them of her bais em these things.
29 And Rivkah had an ach, shmo Lavan; Lavan ran out unto the ish, unto the ayin.
30 And it came to pass, when he saw the nezem and tzemidim upon the wrists of his achot, and when he heard the words of Rivkah his achot, saying, Thus spoke the ish unto me; that he came unto the ish; and, hinei, he stood by the gemalim at the ayin.
31 And he said, Come in, Baruch Hashem; why standest thou outside? for I have prepared the bais, and makom for the gemalim.
32 And the ish came into the bais; and he unloaded his gemalim, and gave teven (straw) and mispo (fodder) for the camels, and mayim to wash his raglayim, and the raglei haanashim that were with him.
33 And there was set ochel before him to eat; but he said, I will not eat, until I have stated my business. And he said, Speak on.
34 And he said, I am eved Avraham.
35 And Hashem hath blessed adoni me’od; and he is become prospered: and He hath given him tzon, and bakar, and kesef, and zahav, and avadim, and shefachot, and gemalim, and chamorim.
36 And Sarah eshet adoni bore ben to adoni when she was old: and unto him hath he given all that he hath.
37 And adoni made me swear, saying, Thou shalt not take an isha for beni of the Banot HaKena’ani, in whose land I dwell;
38 But thou shalt go unto bais avi, to my mishpokhot, and take an isha unto beni.
39 And I said unto adoni, What if the isha will not follow me.
40 And he said unto me, Hashem, before Whom I walk, will send His Malach with thee, and prosper thy derech; and thou shalt take an isha for beni of my mishpokhot, and of my bais avi;
41 Then shalt thou be released from this my oath, when thou comest to my mishpokhot; and if they give not thee one, thou shalt be released from my oath.
42 And I came this day unto the ayin, and said, Hashem Elohei adoni Avraham, if now Thou do prosper my derech which I go;
43 Hinei, I stand by the ayin hamayim; and it shall come to pass, that when haAlmah [haAlmah used here as synonym for na’arahbetulah, Genesis 24:16; see Isaiah 7:14, p.vii-xii] cometh forth to draw mayim, and I say to her, Give me, now, a little mayim of thy jar to drink;
44 And she say to me, Both drink thou, and I will also draw for thy gemalim; let the same be the isha whom Hashem hath appointed for ben adoni.
45 And before I had done davening in mine lev, hinei, Rivkah came forth with her jar on her shoulder; and she went down unto ha’ayenah, and drew: and I said unto her, Let me drink, now.
46 And she made haste, and let down her jar from her shoulder, and said, Drink, and I will give thy gemalim drink also: so I drank, and she made the gemalim drink also.
47 And I asked her, and said, Whose bat art thou? And she said, Bat Beituel Ben Nachor, the ben whom Milcah bore unto him: and I put the nezem upon her face, and the tzemidim upon her wrists.
48 And I bowed down my head, and worshiped Hashem, and I said a brocha to Hashem Elohei adoni Avraham, which had led me on the derech emes to take bat achi adoni for bno.
49 And now if ye will do chesed and emes to adoni, tell me; and if not, tell me; that I may turn to yamin, or to smol.
50 Then Lavan and Beituel answered and said, The thing proceedeth from Hashem; we cannot speak unto thee rah or tov.
51 Hinei, Rivkah is before thee, take her, and go, and let her be isha for ben adonecha, just as Hashem hath spoken.
52 And it came to pass, that, when eved Avraham heard their words, he worshiped Hashem, bowing himself to the ground.
53 And the eved brought forth kelei kesef, and kelei zahav, and begadim, and gave them to Rivkah; he gave also to her ach and to her em migdanot (costly gifts).
54 And they did eat and drink, he and the anashim that were with him, and tarried all night; and they rose up in the boker, and he said, Send me away unto adoni.
55 And her ach and her em said, Let the na’arah abide with us ten days or so; after that she shall go.
56 And he said unto them, Hinder me not, seeing Hashem hath prospered my derech; send me away that I may go to adoni.
57 And they said, We will call the na’arah, and inquire at her mouth.
58 And they called Rivkah, and said unto her, Wilt thou go with this ish? And she said, I will go.
59 And they sent away Rivkah their achot, and her nurse, and eved Avraham, and his anashim.
60 And they said a brocha over Rivkah, and said unto her, Thou art achoteinu, may thou be increased to thousands upon thousands and may thy zera possess the sha’ar of those which hate them.
61 And Rivkah arose, and her na’arot, and they rode upon the gemalim, and followed the ish: and the eved took Rivkah, and went his way.
62 And Yitzchak had come from Be’er Lachi Roi; for he dwelt in the eretz hanegev.
63 And Yitzchak went out to meditate in the sadeh at erev: and he lifted up his eyes, and saw, and, hinei, the gemalim (camels) were coming.
64 And Rivkah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Yitzchak, she got down from the gamal.
65 For she had said unto the eved, Who is that ish that walketh in the sadeh to meet us? And the eved had said, He is adoni: therefore she took a veil, and covered herself.
66 And the eved told Yitzchak all things that he had done.
67 And Yitzchak brought her into the ohel of Sarah immo, and took Rivkah, and she became his isha; and he loved her: and Yitzchak was comforted after the [mot] immo.
25:1 Then again Avraham took an isha, and her shem was Keturah.
2 And she bore him Zimran, and Yokshan, and Medan, and Midyan, and Yishbak, and Shuach.
3 And Yokshan fathered Sheva, and Dedan. And the bnei Dedan were Asshurim, and Letushim, and Leummim.
4 And the bnei Midyan; Ephah, and Epher, and Chanoch, and Avida, and Eldaah. All these were the bnei Keturah.
5 And Avraham gave all that he had unto Yitzchak.
6 But unto the bnei hapilageshim (sons of the concubines), which Avraham had, Avraham gave mattanot, and sent them away from Yitzchak bno, while he yet lived, eastward, unto eretz kedem.
7 And these are the days of the years of Avraham’s life which he lived, a hundred threescore and fifteen shanim.
8 Then Avraham breathed his last, and died in a good old age, a zaken, full of years; and was gathered to his people.
9 And his banim Yitzchak and Yishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the sadeh of Ephron ben Tzochar the Chitti, which is near Mamre;
10 The sadeh which Avraham purchased of the bnei Chet, there was Avraham buried, and Sarah his wife.
11 And it came to pass after the mot Avraham, that Elohim blessed Yitzchak bno; and Yitzchak dwelt near Be’er Lachai Roi.
12 Now these are the toldot Yishmael ben Avraham, whom Hagar the Egyptian, shifchat Sarah, bore unto Avraham:
13 And these are the shemot bnei Yishmael, by their shemot, according to their toldot: the bechor of Yishmael, Nevayot; and Kedar, and Adbe’el, and Mivsam,
14 And Mishma, and Dumah, and Massa,
15 Chadad, and Tema, Yetur, Naphish, and Kedmah:
16 These are the bnei Yishmael, and these are their shemot, by their settlement, and by their camps; twelve nasiim (princes, rulers) according to their tribes.
17 And these are the years of the life of Yishmael, an hundred and thirty and seven shanah; and he breathed his last and died; and was gathered unto his people.
18 And they dwelt from Chavilah unto Shur, that is near Mitzrayim, as thou goest toward Assyria; they took their place east of their brethren.)
Today's Laws & Customs:

Today in Jewish History:
Lisbon Earthquake (1755)

A great earthquake struck Lisbon, Portugal, destroying much of the city including the courthouse of the Inquisition.
DAILY QUOTE:

DAILY STUDY:
CHITAS AND RAMBAM FOR TODAY:
Chumash: Parshat Chayei Sarah, 7th Portion (Genesis 25:12-25:18 with Rashi
• Chapter 25
12. Now these are the generations of Ishmael the son of Abraham, whom Hagar the Egyptian, the maidservant of Sarah, bore to Abraham. יב. וְאֵלֶּה תֹּלְדֹת יִשְׁמָעֵאל בֶּן אַבְרָהָם אֲשֶׁר יָלְדָה הָגָר הַמִּצְרִית שִׁפְחַת שָׂרָה לְאַבְרָהָם:
13. And these are the names of the sons of Ishmael by their names, according to their births: the firstborn of Ishmael was Nebaioth, and Kedar and Adbe'el and Mibsam, יג. וְאֵלֶּה שְׁמוֹת בְּנֵי יִשְׁמָעֵאל בִּשְׁמֹתָם לְתוֹלְדֹתָם בְּכֹר יִשְׁמָעֵאל נְבָיֹת וְקֵדָר וְאַדְבְּאֵל וּמִבְשָׂם:
by their names, according to their births: in the order of their birth, one after the other.
בשמותם לתולדותם: סדר לידתן זה אחר זה:  
14. And Mishma and Dumah and Massa, יד. וּמִשְׁמָע וְדוּמָה וּמַשָּׂא:
15. Hadad and Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedmah. טו. חֲדַד וְתֵימָא יְטוּר נָפִישׁ וָקֵדְמָה:
16. These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names in their open cities and in their walled cities, twelve princes to their nations. טז. אֵלֶּה הֵם בְּנֵי יִשְׁמָעֵאל וְאֵלֶּה שְׁמֹתָם בְּחַצְרֵיהֶם וּבְטִירֹתָם שְׁנֵים עָשָׂר נְשִׂיאִם לְאֻמֹּתָם:
in their open cities: [These are] unwalled cities, and the Targum renders: בְּפַצְחֵיהוֹן, for they are מְפֻצָחִים meaning open, as in (Ps. 98:4):“Open [your mouths] (פִּצְחוּ) and sing praises.”
בחצריהם: כרכים שאין להם חומה, ותרגומו בפצחיהון, שהם מפוצחים לשון פתיחה, כמו (תהלים צח ד) פצחו ורננו:
17. And these are the years of the life of Ishmael: one hundred years and thirty years and seven years; and he expired and died and was gathered to his people. יז. וְאֵלֶּה שְׁנֵי חַיֵּי יִשְׁמָעֵאל מְאַת שָׁנָה וּשְׁלשִׁים שָׁנָה וְשֶׁבַע שָׁנִים וַיִּגְוַע וַיָּמָת וַיֵּאָסֶף אֶל עַמָּיו:
And these are the years of the life of Ishmael, etc.: Said Rabbi Chiyya bar Abba: Why were Ishmael’s years counted? In order to trace through them the years of Jacob. From the years of Ishmael we learn that Jacob studied in the academy of Eber for fourteen years after he left his father before arriving to Laban, for when Jacob left his father, Ishmael died, as it is said (below 28:9): “And Esau went to Ishmael, etc.” , as is delineated at the end of [the chapter entitled]“The Megillah is read” (Meg. 16b, 17a).
ואלה שני חיי ישמעאל וגו': אמר רבי חייא בר אבא למה נמנו שנותיו של ישמעאל, כדי לייחס בהם שנותיו של יעקב. מן שנותיו של ישמעאל למדנו ששמש יעקב בבית עבר ארבע עשרה שנה כשפירש מאביו קודם שבא אצל לבן, שהרי כשפירש יעקב מאביו מת ישמעאל, שנאמר (להלן כח ט) וילך עשו אל ישמעאל וגו', כמו שמפורש בסוף מגילה נקראת (מגילה יז א):
and he expired: Heb. וַיִגְוַע. [The term] גְוִיעָה is mentioned only regarding the righteous. — [B.B. 16b]
ויגוע: לא נאמרה גויעה אלא בצדיקים:
18. And they dwelt from Havilah to Shur, which borders on Egypt, going towards Asshur; before all his brothers he dwelt. יח. וַיִּשְׁכְּנוּ מֵחֲוִילָה עַד שׁוּר אֲשֶׁר עַל פְּנֵי מִצְרַיִם בֹּאֲכָה אַשּׁוּרָה עַל פְּנֵי כָל אֶחָיו נָפָל:
he dwelt: [נָפָל means] “he dwelt” as in (Jud. 7: 12):“Now the Midianites and the Amalekites and all those of the East dwelt (נֹפְלִים) in the valley.” Here Scripture uses the term נְפִילָה, (falling), whereas there (above 16:12) it states:“And before all his brothers he will dwell (יִשְׁכֹּן) .” Before Abraham died, “he dwelt” ; after Abraham died,“he fell.” - [Gen. Rabbah 62:5]
נפל: שכן, כמו (שופטים ז יב) מדין ועמלק וכל בני קדם נופלים בעמק. כאן הוא אומר לשון נפילה, ולהלן הוא אומר על פני כל אחיו ישכון (לעיל טז יב), עד שלא מת אברהם ישכון, משמת אברהם נפל:
___________________________
Daily Tehillim: Psalms Chapters 106-107
• Chapter 106
The psalmist continues the theme of the previous psalm, praising God for performing other miracles not mentioned previously, for "who can recount the mighty acts of God?" Were we to try, we could not mention them all!
1. Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord for He is good, for His kindness is everlasting.
2. Who can recount the mighty acts of the Lord, or proclaim all His praises?
3. Fortunate are those who preserve justice, who perform deeds of righteousness all the time.
4. Remember me, Lord, when You find favor with Your people; be mindful of me with Your deliverance;
5. to behold the prosperity of Your chosen, to rejoice in the joy of Your nation, to glory with Your inheritance.
6. We have sinned as did our fathers, we have acted perversely and wickedly.
7. Our fathers in Egypt did not contemplate Your wonders, they did not remember Your abundant kindnesses, and they rebelled by the sea, at the Sea of Reeds.
8. Yet He delivered them for the sake of His Name, to make His strength known.
9. He roared at the Sea of Reeds and it dried up; He led them through the depths, as through a desert.
10. He saved them from the hand of the enemy, and redeemed them from the hand of the foe.
11. The waters engulfed their adversaries; not one of them remained.
12. Then they believed in His words, they sang His praise.
13. They quickly forgot His deeds, they did not wait for His counsel;
14. and they lusted a craving in the desert, they tested God in the wilderness.
15. And He gave them their request, but sent emaciation into their souls.
16. They angered Moses in the camp, and Aaron, the Lord's holy one.
17. The earth opened and swallowed Dathan, and engulfed the company of Abiram;
18. and a fire burned in their assembly, a flame set the wicked ablaze.
19. They made a calf in Horeb, and bowed down to a molten image.
20. They exchanged their Glory for the likeness of a grass-eating ox.
21. They forgot God, their savior, Who had performed great deeds in Egypt,
22. wonders in the land of Ham, awesome things at the Sea of Reeds.
23. He said that He would destroy them-had not Moses His chosen one stood in the breach before Him, to turn away His wrath from destroying.
24. They despised the desirable land, they did not believe His word.
25. And they murmured in their tents, they did not heed the voice of the Lord.
26. So He raised His hand [in oath] against them, to cast them down in the wilderness,
27. to throw down their progeny among the nations, and to scatter them among the lands.
28. They joined themselves to [the idol] Baal Peor, and ate of the sacrifices to the dead;
29. they provoked Him with their doings, and a plague broke out in their midst.
30. Then Phineas arose and executed judgement, and the plague was stayed;
31. it was accounted for him as a righteous deed, through all generations, forever.
32. They angered Him at the waters of Merivah, and Moses suffered on their account;
33. for they defied His spirit, and He pronounced [an oath] with His lips.
34. They did not destroy the nations as the Lord had instructed them;
35. rather, they mingled with the nations and learned their deeds.
36. They worshipped their idols, and they became a snare for them.
37. They sacrificed their sons and daughters to demons.
38. They spilled innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan; and the land became guilty with blood.
39. They were defiled by their deeds, and went astray by their actions.
40. And the Lord's wrath blazed against His people, and He abhorred His inheritance;
41. so He delivered them into the hands of nations, and their enemies ruled them.
42. Their enemies oppressed them, and they were subdued under their hand.
43. Many times did He save them, yet they were rebellious in their counsel and were impoverished by their sins.
44. But He saw their distress, when He heard their prayer;
45. and He remembered for them His covenant and He relented, in keeping with His abounding kindness,
46. and He caused them to be treated mercifully by all their captors.
47. Deliver us, Lord our God; gather us from among the nations, that we may give thanks to Your Holy Name and glory in Your praise.
48. Blessed is the Lord, the God of Israel, forever and ever. And let all the people say, "Amen! Praise the Lord!"
Chapter 107
This psalm speaks of those who are saved from four specific perilous situations(imprisonment, sickness, desert travel, and sea travel) and must thank God, for their sins caused their troubles, and only by the kindness of God were they saved. It is therefore appropriate that they praise God and tell of their salvation to all.
1. Give thanks to the Lord for He is good, for His kindness is everlasting.
2. So shall say those redeemed by the Lord, those whom He redeemed from the hand of the oppressor.
3. He gathered them from the lands-from east and from west, from north and from the sea.
4. They lost their way in the wilderness, in the wasteland; they found no inhabited city.
5. Both hungry and thirsty, their soul languished within them.
6. They cried out to the Lord in their distress; He delivered them from their afflictions.
7. He guided them in the right path to reach an inhabited city.
8. Let them give thanks to the Lord, and [proclaim] His wonders to the children of man,
9. for He has satiated a thirsting soul, and filled a hungry soul with goodness.
10. Those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, bound in misery and chains of iron,
11. for they defied the words of God and spurned the counsel of the Most High-
12. He humbled their heart through suffering; they stumbled and there was none to help.
13. They cried out to the Lord in their distress; He saved them from their afflictions.
14. He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and sundered their bonds.
15. Let them give thanks to the Lord for His kindness, and [proclaim] His wonders to the children of man,
16. for He broke the brass gates and smashed the iron bars.
17. Foolish sinners are afflicted because of their sinful ways and their wrongdoings.
18. Their soul loathes all food, and they reach the gates of death.
19. They cried out to the Lord in their distress; He saved them from their afflictions.
20. He sent forth His command and healed them; He delivered them from their graves.
21. Let them give thanks to the Lord for His kindness, and [proclaim] His wonders to the children of man.
22. Let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving, and joyfully recount His deeds.
23. Those who go down to the sea in ships, who perform tasks in mighty waters;
24. they saw the works of the Lord and His wonders in the deep.
25. He spoke and caused the stormy wind to rise, and it lifted up the waves.
26. They rise to the sky, plunge to the depths; their soul melts in distress.
27. They reel and stagger like a drunkard, all their skill is to no avail.
28. They cried out to the Lord in their distress, and He brought them out from their calamity.
29. He transformed the storm into stillness, and the waves were quieted.
30. They rejoiced when they were silenced, and He led them to their destination.
31. Let them give thanks to the Lord for His kindness, and [proclaim] His wonders to the children of man.
32. Let them exalt Him in the congregation of the people, and praise Him in the assembly of the elders.
33. He turns rivers into desert, springs of water into parched land,
34. a fruitful land into a salt-marsh, because of the wickedness of those who inhabit it.
35. He turns a desert into a lake, and parched land into springs of water.
36. He settles the hungry there, and they establish a city of habitation.
37. They sow fields and plant vineyards which yield fruit and wheat.
38. He blesses them and they multiply greatly, and He does not decrease their cattle.
39. [If they sin,] they are diminished and cast down through oppression, misery, and sorrow.
40. He pours contempt upon distinguished men, and causes them to stray in a pathless wilderness.
41. He raises the needy from distress, and makes their families [as numerous] as flocks.
42. The upright observe this and rejoice, and all the wicked close their mouth.
43. Let him who is wise bear these in mind, and then the benevolent acts of the Lord will be understood.
____________________________
Tanya: Iggeret HaKodesh, end of Epistle 29
• Lessons in Tanya
• Today's Tanya Lesson
Shabbat, 22 Cheshvan 5775 • 15 November 2014
Iggeret HaKodesh, end of Epistle 29
The Alter Rebbe now focuses on the distinctive quality inherent in the halachot of the Oral Torah. It is these halachot that reveal the Supernal Will, by defining what it actually requires of us in the performance of the mitzvot, in order thereby to draw down this lofty level of Divinity.
והנה מודעת זאת כי הנה רצון העליון ב"ה המלובש בתרי"ג מצות שבתורה שבכתב הוא מופלא ומכוסה טמיר ונעלם ואינו מתגלה אלא בתורה שבע"פ
Now, as is known, the Supernal Will as vested in the 613 commandments of the Written Torah, is hidden and covered, secreted and concealed. It is manifest only in the Oral Torah.1
כמו מצות תפילין עד"מ שנאמר בתושב"כ וקשרתם לאות על ידך והיו לטוטפות בין עיניך
For example, the precept of tefillin: In the Written Torah it is stated,2 "And you shall bind them for a sign on your hand, and they shall be for frontlets between your eyes."
והוא מאמר סתום ונעלם שלא פירש הכתוב איך ומה לקשור ומהו טוטפות והיכן הוא בין עיניך ועל ידך
This is an indistinct and obscure statement, for Scripture did not explain how and what to bind, nor what frontlets are, nor where is "between your eyes" or "on your hand,"
עד שפירשה תורה שבע"פ שצריך לקשור בית אחד על היד וד' בתים על הראש ובתוכם ד' פרשיות
until the Oral Torah explicates3 that one needs to bind a single box on the hand, and four boxes on the head, containing four Scriptural passages.
והבתים יהיו מעור מעובד ומרובעים דוקא ומקושרים ברצועות של עור שחורות דוקא
Moreover, the boxes are to be made of prepared leather, and necessarily square, and to be tied by means of leather straps which need to be black,4
וכל שאר פרטי הלכות עשיית התפילין שנאמרו בע"פ
with all the other detailed rulings governing the making of tefillin, that were stated orally, i.e., that are found in the Oral Torah.
ועל ידך היא הזרוע דוקא ולא כף היד ובין עיניך זה קדקוד ולא המצח
Also, "on your hand" refers only to the arm, and not to the palm of the hand;5 and "between your eyes" refers to the scalp, and not to the forehead.6
It is thus only the detailed halachot of the Oral Torah that enable us to perform this mitzvah in keeping with the Supernal Will.
וכן כל מצות שבתורה בין מ"ע בין מצות ל"ת אינן גלויות וידועות ומפורשות אלא ע"י תורה שבע"פ
Likewise all the commandments of the Torah, whether they be positive precepts or prohibitory precepts, are not revealed and known and made explicit except through the Oral Torah.
כמצות ל"ת שנאמר בשבת לא תעשה מלאכה ולא פי' מה היא מלאכה
For instance, the prohibitory precept that has been stated with respect to the Sabbath, "You shall do no work":7[the Written Torah] does not specify what constitutes work.
ובתורה שבע"פ נתפרש שהן ל"ט מלאכות הידועות ולא טלטול אבנים וקורות כבידות
In the Oral Torah, however, it is explicated8 to refer to the well-known 39 forms of work, and not (only) to the carrying of stones or heavy beams, which is only Rabbinically prohibited.9
Though carrying rocks and beams is more tiring than some of the39 prohibited forms of work, it does not fall into any of the categories of work that the Torah prohibits on Shabbat.
According to the alternative reading of our text ("and not only to the carrying of stones or heavy beams"), this work is prohibited by the Torah. Thus the Ramban on Parshat Emor10 states that the term Shabbaton ("a day of rest") that is used with regard to Yom Tov- and the same applies with regard to the commandment tishbot ("you shall rest") of Shabbat - refers also to those activities that do not formally fall within the 39 defined categories of prohibited work, but are nevertheless prohibited by the Torah since they rob a person of his rest and tranquillity.
In the first of his comments on this subject, the Maggid Mishneh argues that the Rambam11 also holds that "you shall rest "forbids even strenuous work that does not fall within any of the39 categories governed by the prohibition, "Do not do any work." (Though the Lechem Mishneh refutes this argument, this remains the view of the Maggid Mishneh.)
Others hold12 that both readings are valid. Each corresponds to one side of a debate in the Yerushalmi13 as to whether or not the Torah prohibits certain forms of work during the Sabbatical year (and by extension, during Shabbat as well) because it is a time of rest, even when there is no additional specific prohibition.
וכיוצא בהן הן כל המצות בין מ"ע בין מל"ת הן סתומות ולא מפורשות וגלויות וידועות אלא ע"י תורה שבע"פ
And as it is with these - [with the above examples of tefillin and Shabbat] - so it is with all the commandments, whether they be positive precepts or prohibitory precepts: they are indistinct, and are explicated and revealed and known only through the Oral Torah.
ומשום הכי כתיב על תושבע"פ אל תטוש תורת אמך כמ"ש בזהר
This is why Scripture says14 of the Oral Torah, "And you shall not cast off the teaching of your mother," as stated in theZohar.15
משום שעד"מ כמו שכל אברי הולד כלולים בטיפת האב בהעלם גדול והאם מוציאתו לידי גילוי בלידתה ולד שלם ברמ"ח אברים ושס"ה גידים
Metaphorically speaking, just as all the organs of a child are comprised, very latently, in the sperm of the father, and the mother brings this out into a state of manifestation when giving birth to a child complete with 248 organs and 365 sinews,
This is an instance of the16 "superior measure of Binah that was granted to woman," the power to make latent gifts manifest and corporeal].
ככה ממש כל רמ"ח מ"ע ושס"ה מל"ת באים מההעלם אל הגילוי בתושבע"פ
exactly so, do the 248 positive precepts and the 365 prohibitory precepts emerge from obscurity to manifestation through the Oral Torah, which is therefore called the "teachings of your mother."
ורישי' דקרא שמע בני מוסר אביך קאי אתורה שבכתב דנפקא מחכמה עילאה הנק' בשם אב
Whereas the beginning of the verse, "Heed, my son, the admonitions of your father," alludes to the Written Torah, which derives from the Supernal Chochmah which is called "father".
וז"ש אשת חיל עטרת בעלה כי התורה שבע"פ הנק' אשת חיל המולידה ומעמדת חיילות הרבה
This, then, is the meaning of the verse [quoted at the outsetof the present Epistle], "A woman of valor is the crown of her husband." For the Oral Torah is termed a "woman of valor" who gives birth to, and raises many legions.
כמ"ש ועלמות אין מספר אל תקרי עלמות אלא עולמות אלו הלכות דלית לון חושבנא כמ"ש בתיקונים
As it is written,17 "and alamot ('maidens') without number": Do not read alamot but olamot ('worlds'),"18 [these innumerable worlds] alluding to the halachot that are without number, as stated in the Tikkunim.19
וכולן הן בחי' גילוי רצון העליון ב"ה הנעלם בתושב"כ
All of these [halachot] are manifestations of the Supernal Will which is hidden in the Written Torah.
The Oral Torah is thus called a "woman of valor," for it givesbirth to multitudinous legions of laws.
The Alter Rebbe will now answer one of his opening questions: Why is it that specifically halachot are referred to as the "crown of the Torah"? Also, why is the individual who studies specifically halachot every day assured of a share in the World to Come?
ורצון העליון ב"ה הוא למעלה מעלה ממעלת חכמה עילאה וכמו כתר ועטרה שעל המוחין שבראש
The Supernal Will which belongs to the Sefirah of Keter, lit., "crown" is exceedingly more sublime than the level of the Supernal Chochmah, just as a crown or wreath is higher than the brains in the head.
לכן נקראו ההלכות בשם תגא וכתרה של תורה
This is why the halachot are referred to as a "crown" and the "crown of the Torah," for they reveal the Supernal Will, which is at the level of Keter.
והשונה הלכות מובטח לו שהוא בן עוה"ב
Likewise, "Whoever studies [specifically] halachot is assured ofa share in the World to Come,"
ע"י התלבשות נר"נ שלו ברצון העליון ב"ה
by investing his Nefesh, Ruach and Neshamah in the Supernal Will,
כנ"ל
as stated above - that the garments for the soul in the World to Come are the mitzvot; these embody the Supernal Will, which is clarified and delineated by the halachot.
FOOTNOTES
1. In an intricate Kabbalistic analysis (in the Glosses on the Tanya published in Likkutei Levi Yitzchak), R. Levi Yitzchak Schneerson, father of the Rebbe, relates the above four expressions ("hidden and covered, secreted and concealed") to the correspondence between the 613 mitzvot of the Written Torah and the four letters of the Divine Name Havayah. In summary: The Name Havayah is merely written, but not given manifest articulation; it finds expression only through its variant pronunciation of Ad-nai, which, however, contracts it and conceals its Essence. In the Written Torah, the Supreme Will underlying the mitzvot is likewise hidden; it becomes revealed ("pronounced") only insofar as it is contracted in the Oral Torah, which corresponds to the Name Ad-nai.
2. Devarim 6:8.
3. See Menachot 34b ff., et al.
4. Note of the Rebbe: "See Rambam, Hilchot Tefillin 3:14, as well as other codifiers."
5. Note of the Rebbe: "...as it means in other places."
6. Note of the Rebbe: "...as was [the position of] the headband [of the High Priest]."
7. Text emended according to Shmot 20:10 and Devarim 16:8
8. See Shabbat 73a, et al
9. Rambam, Hilchot Shabbat 24:12
10. Shmot 23:24
11. Hilchot Shabbat 21:1
12. Likkutei Haggahot LeSefer HaTanya on this Epistle, p. 84
13. Sanhedrin 7:5
14. Mishlei 1:8
15. In the Hashmatot to Zohar II, 276b, the phrase "your mother" is related to the Oral Torah, whereas in Kanfei Yonah 1:4 the Written Torah is called the "admonitions of your father" and the Oral Torah is called the "teachings of your mother."
16. Niddah 45b
17. Shir HaShirim 6:8
18. See Shir HaShirim Rabbah 6:12; Avodah Zarah 35b

19. P. 14b (in the Introduction which begins Patach Eliyahu)
____________________________

Rambam: 
Daily Mitzvah P248 Sefer Hamitzvot
Today's Mitzvah
Shabbat, 22 Cheshvan 5775 • 15 November 2014
Important Message Regarding This Lesson
The Daily Mitzvah schedule runs parallel to the daily study of 3 chapters of Maimonides' 14-volume code. There are instances when the Mitzvah is repeated a few days consecutively while the exploration of the same Mitzvah continues in the in-depth track.
Positive Commandment 248 (Digest)
Laws of Inheritance
"If a man dies and he has no son..."—Numbers 27:8.
We are commanded regarding the laws of inheritance [to follow the inheritance laws detailed in the Torah]. Included in this mitzvah is that the firstborn receives a double portion from his father's estate.
The 248th mitzvah is that we are commanded regarding the laws of inheritance.
The source of this commandment is G‑d's statement1 (exalted be He), "If a man dies and has no son..."
This mitzvah undoubtedly includes the law that the firstborn son inherits a double portion,2 since this is part of the laws of inheritance.
The details of this mitzvah are explained in the 8th and 9th chapters of tractate Bava Basra.
Rabbi Berel Bell is a well-known educator, author and lecturer. He and his family reside in Montreal, Canada.
From "Sefer Hamitzvot in English," published by Sichos in English.
FOOTNOTES
1.Num. 27:8.
2.Deut. 21:17.
Translation of (the unabridged text of) Sefer Hamitzvot by Rabbi Berel Bell, member of the Rabbinical Court of Montreal and director of Teacher Training for the Jewish Learning Institute.
________________________________________

Rambam:

• 1 Chapter a Day: Mamrim - Chapter 4
Mamrim - Chapter 4
Halacha 1
A rebellious elder who differed with the Supreme Sanhedrin concerning a matter whose willful violation is punishable by kerait and whose inadvertent violation requires a sin offering is liable for execution. This applies whether the court forbids the matter and he permits it or the court permits the matter and he forbids it. Even if he bases his statements on the received tradition, saying: "This is the tradition I received from my masters," and they say: "This is what appears to us as appropriate on the basis of logical analysis," since he differs with their ruling and performs a deed or directs others to do so, he is liable. Needless to say, this applies if they also rule on the basis of their having received teachings through the Oral Tradition.
Similarly, he is liable for execution if he differs with them with regard to a decree that they issued to safeguard a prohibition whose willful violation is punishable by kerait and whose inadvertent violation requires a sin offering is liable for execution. For example, if he permits the consumption of leaven on the fourteenth of Nissan during the sixth hour or forbids deriving benefit from it in the fifth hour, he is worthy of execution. Similar laws apply in all analogous situations.
Halacha 2
The above applies whether the rebellious elder disputes a matter whose willful violation is punishable by kerait and whose inadvertent violation requires a sin offering or he disputes a matter which leads to a situation involving a prohibition whose willful violation is punishable by kerait and whose inadvertent violation requires a sin offering.
What is implied? If they disputed whether relations with a woman are adulterous or incestuous, if a shade of blood would render a woman ritually impure or not, if a woman is impure because of birth or not, if a woman is a zavah or not, if this fat is forbidden or permitted and the like, their difference of opinion involves a prohibition whose willful violation is punishable by kerait and whose inadvertent violation requires a sin offering.
What is meant by a matter that will lead to a prohibition whose willful violation is punishable by kerait and whose inadvertent violation requires a sin offering. For example, the Sages differed concerning the declaration of a leap year, if the leap year must be declared before Purim or may be declared throughout Adar, he is liable. For this leads to partaking of chametz on Pesach. Similarly, if they differed with regard to a matter of financial law or with regard to the number of judges able to adjudicate matters of financial law, he is liable. For according to the opinion which maintains that the defendant is liable to the plaintiff, everything which he expropriated from him was expropriated according to law and according to the decisions of the court. But according to the opposing view, whatever he expropriated is stolen property. If he uses it to consecrate a woman, she is not consecrated. And yet according to the opinion that the person expropriated his own property, the consecration is valid. If another person engages in relations with her willfully, he is liable for kerait and if he engages in relations with her inadvertently, he is liable to bring a sin offering. Thus their difference of opinion led to a matter whose willful violation is punishable by kerait and whose inadvertent violation requires a sin offering.
Similarly, if their difference of opinion concerned lashes, if one person was liable to receive lashes or not, or they differed with regard to the number of judges in whose presence lashes must be administered, he is liable. For according to the opinion who says that he should not be lashed, the court is injuring him and the judges are liable to make financial restitution. Anything expropriated from them is taken according to law. But according to the opinion which says that he is liable for lashes, everything he expropriates from them is stolen property. If he uses it to consecrate a woman, she is not consecrated.
Similarly, if they differed with regard to whether or not a person is obligated to pay after making an endowment evaluations or interdicted property, he is liable. For according to the opinion that says that he is not liable to pay, if it is taken from him, it is stolen property and if it is used to consecrate a woman, the consecration is not valid.
Similarly, he is liable if he differed with the majority concerning the redemption of consecrated property, had they been redeemed or not. For according to the opinion that the redemption is invalid, if he used that article to consecrate a woman, the consecration is not valid.
Similarly, if they differed with regard to bringing an eglah arufah, whether a city is obligated to bring or not, he is liable. For according to those who say that city is obligated to bring the calf, it is forbidden to derive benefit from it and if he uses it to consecrate a woman, the consecration is not valid. Similar concepts apply if they differed with regard to orlah. And similar concepts apply with regard to leket, shichechah, and pe'ah, if they differ whether it belongs to the poor or to the owner, he is liable. For according to the opinion which says that it belongs to the owner, it is stolen property in the hands of the poor and if one consecrates a woman with it, she is not consecrated.
Similarly, if the rebellious elder differs with the court with regard to a category of factors that impart ritual impurity, e.g., blemishes on the skin, blemishes on homes, or blemishes on garments, he is liable. For according to the opinion that the person is pure, he is permitted to enter the Temple and partake of consecrated foods, but according to the opinion that he is impure, if he enters the Temple or partakes of consecrated food willfully, he is punishable by kerait, and if he does so inadvertently, he is liable for a sin offering. Similar concepts apply if they differed with regard to the purification of a person afflicted by tzara'at, if he can be purified or not.
Similarly, he is liable if they differ with regard to the obligation to make a sotah drink the water which conveys the curse: Is a woman required to drink the water or is she not required? For according to the person who says that she must drink, if her husband dies before she drinks, she is forbidden to her yevam, while according to the person who says that she is not required to drink, she may perform the rite of yibbum. Similar laws apply in all analogous situations.
It is necessary to investigate and examine whether a difference of opinion will lead to these consequences. If it will lead to another consequence - which after a series of even 100 consequences - that will bring about a situation involving a prohibition whose willful violation is punishable by kerait and whose inadvertent violation requires a sin offering, the rebellious elder is liable. This applies regardless of whether he ruled leniently and the others ruled stringently or he ruled stringently and they ruled leniently.
Halacha 3
If the difference of opinion between the rebellious elder and the court will not lead to such a situation, the rebellious elder is not liable for execution unless the difference of opinion concerns tefillin.
What is implied? If the rebellious elder gave a directive to add a fifth compartment to tefillin or he himself made tefillin with five compartment, he is liable. This applies provided he first made four compartments as required by law and then made a fifth compartment and attached it to the outer compartment. For when an outer compartment is not exposed to the open space at all times, it is unacceptable.
The obligation of a rebellious elder in such a matter is a law transmitted by the Oral Tradition. If, however, they differed with regard to other mitzvot, e.g., he disputed one of the laws concerning a lulav, tzitzit, or a shofar, one claiming that it is unacceptable and the other claiming that it is acceptable, one claiming that the person fulfilled his obligation and the other claiming he did not fulfill his obligation, or one says: "He is pure," and the other says: "He is impure two degrees removed," the elder is not liable for execution. Similar laws apply in all analogous situations.
____________________________
Rambam:
• 3 Chapters a Day: Nehalot - Chapter 3, Nehalot - Chapter 4, Nehalot - Chapter 5
Nehalot - Chapter 3
Halacha 1
A firstborn does not receive a double portion of property that will later accrue to his father's estate, only of that property that was in his father's possession and had already entered his domain at the time of his death. This is derived from Deuteronomy 21:17 which states: "of everything that he possesses."
What is implied? If one of the people whose estate the father would inherit dies after he did, the firstborn and an ordinary son receive equal shares. Similarly, if the father was owed a debt or he owned a ship at sea, all sons share the inheritance equally.
Halacha 2
If the father left his sons a cow that was rented out, hired out, or that was pasturing in open territory and it gave birth, the firstborn receives a double share of it and its offspring.
Halacha 3
If one of the colleagues of a person's father slaughtered an animal and then the father died, the son is entitled to a double portion of the presents from that animal.
Halacha 4
A firstborn does not receive a double portion of an increase to the value of the estate that accrued after his father's death. Instead, he should have the value of that increase assessed, and he should give the financial equivalent of the difference to the ordinary sons.
The above applies provided the property undergoes a change, e.g., budding grain became ears, or budding dates became dates. If, however, the value of the land improved as a matter of course, without undergoing a change - e.g., a small tree grew taller and thicker ,or sediment was washed up onto land, the firstborn receives a double portion of the increase in value. If the property increased in value because of investment, he does not receive a double portion.
Halacha 5
A firstborn does not receive a double share of a debt owed to his father. This applies even though the debt was supported by a promissory note and land was expropriated to pay the debt.
If the father was owed a debt by the firstborn, there is an unresolved doubt concerning the matter. It might be said that he should receive a double portion, because the money was in his possession. It could, however, be argued that he should not receive the extra amount, since he is inheriting it because of his father, and it did not enter his father's possession before his death. Therefore, he should take half of the firstborn's portion from it.
Halacha 6
When a firstborn sells his extra share of the inheritance before the estate is divided, the sale is binding. For the firstborn's extra share is distinct, even before the estate is divided. Therefore, if initially, the firstborn divides a portion of the estate, either landed property or movable property, and accepts the same portion as an ordinary son, he is considered to have waived his right to an extra portion with regard to the entire estate. He receives only an ordinary son's share of the remainder.
When does the above apply? When he did not protest. If, however, he protested against his brothers and said in the presence of two witnesses: "Although I am dividing these grapes equally with my brothers, I have not waived my right to the firstborn's share," his protest is significant and he is not considered to have waived his right to the other property.
Even if he protested with regard to the division of grapes while they were still attached to the earth, and yet agreed to divide them equally after the harvest, he is not considered to have waived his right to the other property. If, however, the grapes were pressed, and he divided the wine equally with them and did not issue a protest when the wine was made, he is considered to have waived his right to the other property. To what can the matter be compared? To a person who issued a protest when grapes were divided but then divided olives equally, in which instance he is considered to have waived his rights to an extra portion of the entire estate.
Halacha 7
The brother who performs the rite of yibbum, marrying his brother's childless widow, inherits all of the property in his estate at the time of his brother's death. With regard to any property that is fit to enter the deceased's estate afterwards, he receives the same share as the others. This concept is derived from the fact that the verse refers to him as a "firstborn," as Deuteronomy 25:6 states: "And the firstborn that she will bear will take the place of the brother who died, and thus his name will not be wiped out among Israel."
Just as the brother who performs the rite of yibbum does not acquire property that is fit to be acquired by the estate, in contrast to property that is within the estate; so, too, he does not acquire the increase in the estate's value. 5
To what does the latter phrase refer? To the increase in his deceased brother's share in his father's estate, which increased in value in the time between his father's death and the division of that estate among his brothers. Even if the property increased in value after he married his brother's widow, but before it was divided, he receives the same share of the increase as the other brothers. This applies despite the fact that he receives two shares of this property, his own share and the share of his brother whose widow he married. For the father died while they were all alive.
Halacha 8
We already explained in Hilchot Shechenim that the firstborn is given his two portions of a field together. This does not apply with regard to a person who marries his brother's childless widow. He receives his portion and his brother's portion by lot. If it happens that he is allotted portions in two different places, these are the portions he receives.
Halacha 9
The following laws apply when a childless widow who was waiting to be married by her deceased husband's brother dies. They apply even when one of the brothers designated her for marriage. Her family from her father's household inherit her nichsei m'log and half of her nichsei tzon barzel, and her husband's heirs inherit the money due her by virtue of her ketubah and the other half of her nichsei tzon barzel.
Since they inherit the money due her by virtue of her ketubah, her husband's heirs are obligated to bury her, as we have explained in the appropriate place.
Nehalot - Chapter 4
Halacha 1
When a person says: "This is my son," "This is my brother," "This is my uncle," or identifies a person as any of his other heirs, his word is accepted and that person inherits his estate. This applies even when he makes this acknowledgment concerning people who are not recognized to be his relatives. And it applies whether he made such a statement when he was healthy or when he is on his deathbed. Even if he lost his power of speech and identified a person as his heir in writing, his word is accepted, provided we test his powers of understanding as we test a man with regard to divorce.
Halacha 2
When one person is recognized to be another person's brother or cousin, and the latter says: "He is not my brother," or "He is not my cousin," his word is not accepted. His word is accepted, however, with regard to a person who is recognized to be his son. If he says he is not his son, he does not inherit his estate.
It appears to me that even if the son already fathered children - although at that point, the father's word is no longer acceptable with regard to the determination of his lineage, and we do not consider him a mamzer because of his father's statement - his father's word is, nevertheless, accepted with regard to the concept of inheritance. He should not inherit his father's estate.
Halacha 3
When a person states: "This is my son," and afterwards, says: "He is my servant," his latter statement is not accepted.
If he states: "He is my servant," and afterwards, says: "He is my son," his latter statement is accepted. This applies even though the "son" serves himlike a servant. We interpret his statement that he is his servant to mean that he relies on him like a servant. Nevertheless, if people would call this individual "A slave worth 100 zwz" or the like - i.e., expressions that are appropriate only for servants - the deceased's retraction is not accepted.
Halacha 4
If a person had to pass through customs and identified an individual as his son, but afterwards identified him as a servant, his later statement is accepted. We assume that he identified him as his son only to avoid paying customs duty. If, however, in customs, he identified a person as his servant, and afterwards identified him as his son, his word is not accepted.
Halacha 5
A person should not call a servant Papa Joe or a maidservant Mama Sarah lest this lead to an undesirable outcome and a blemish be placed on his lineage. Therefore, if there were servants or maidservants who were very distinguished personages, their reputations are well known, and everyone in the community recognizes them and the children and servants of their master - e.g., the servants of the nasi - it is permitted for the children of that household to refer to the servants in the above manner.
Halacha 6
The following rules apply when a person had a maidservant and fathered a son with her, and he would treat the son as one treats a son or said: "He is my son and his mother was freed." If the person involved is a Torah scholar or an honorable person whose conduct has been scrutinized and he is found to be precise in the observance of the details of the mitzvot, the "son" may share in the inheritance of his estate. Nevertheless, this "son" may not marry a Jewish woman until he brings proof that his mother was freed before she gave birth. The rationale for this stringency is that it has been established for us that the woman is a maidservant. If the person is one of the ordinary people - and needless to say, if he is one of those who act loosely in this manner - the "son" is presumed to be a servant with regard to all matters. His paternal brothers may sell him. If his father does not have any children other than him, the father's wife must undergo the rite of yibbum.
This is the law as it appears to me, for it follows the fundamental principles of the received tradition. There are, however, authorities who do not make a distinction between honorable people and people at large, except with regard to the ruling that his brothers may not sell him. ' And there are others who rule that this "son" may even inherit his father's estate, so that a distinction is not made with regard to Jews. It is not appropriate to rely on this ruling.
Halacha 7
All the heirs may inherit on the basis of the prevailing presumption that they are the deceased relatives. What is implied? When witnesses testify that the prevailing presumption is that a person is an individual's son or his brother, the former may inherit the latter's estate on the basis of this testimony, even though the witnesses do not testify concerning the person's lineage, nor do they possess indubitable knowledge concerning his lineage.
Halacha 8
A person's statements regarding his relatives affect his share of an inheritance, but not that of his brothers. To illustrate by example: Jacob died and left two sons: Reuven and Shimon. The prevailing presumption was that he did not have any sons other than these two.
Reuven took Levi from among people at large and said: "He is also our brother." Shimon replied: "I don't know." Shimon is granted half the estate. Reuven is given a third, for he acknowledged that they are three brothers, and Levi is given a sixth.
If Levi dies, that sixth is returned to Reuven. If other property had been acquired by Levi, it should be divided between Reuven and Shimon, for Reuven acknowledges Shimon's claim to a portion of the estate, because Levi is their brother.
Different rules apply if the sixth that Levi was given increased in value on its own accord and then Levi died. If the increase were crops that were almost ready to be reaped - e.g., grapes that are ready to be harvested - they are considered to be property acquired from others and should be divided among the two brothers. If they are not ready to be reaped, they belong to Reuven alone.
If Shimon said explicitly: "Levi is not my brother," and Levi received part of Reuven's share, as explained above, and then died, Shimon should not inherit any part of his estate. Instead, Reuven should inherit both the sixth from his share and any other property that Levi left. These principles apply with regard to any other heirs when a portion of them acknowledge the existence of other heirs that the remaining portion do not acknowledge.
Nehalot - Chapter 5
Halacha 1
The following principles apply with regard to questions concerning the right of inheritance: Whenever there are two prospective heirs, one who is definitely an heir and one whose right to inherit is a matter of question, the person whose right is in doubt does not receive anything. If there are two claimants whose rights are a matter of question, perhaps this one is an heir or perhaps the other is an heir, they divide the estate equally.
Accordingly, if a person died and left a son and a tumtuni or an androgynous? the son inherits the entire estate. For the status of the tumtum or the androgynous is a matter of question. If he left daughters and a tumtum or an androgynous, they share equally in the inheritance. The tumtum or androgynous is considered as one of the daughters.
Halacha 2
In Hilchot Ishut, we explained the laws pertaining to the portions of an estate given to daughters from the sons' share to provide for the daughters' sustenance? and for their livelihood. There' we explained that the sustenance of the daughters is one of the provisions of the ketubah.
When the estate is ample," the daughters receive only their sustenance. The sons inherit everything, and they should give dowries to the daughters of a tenth of the estate each so that men will desire to marry them as husbands. When the estate is limited, the sons do not receive anything. Instead, everything is set aside for the daughters' sustenance.
Accordingly, the following rules apply when a person died and left sons, daughters and a tumtum or an androgynous. If the estate is ample, the sons inherit the estate and compel the tumtum to be treated as one of the daughters. He is given only his sustenance as they are. If the estate is limited, the daughters compel the tumtum to be treated as one of the sons. They tell him: "You are a male and hence you are not entitled to receive your sustenance as we are."
Halacha 3
The following rules apply when a woman did not wait three months after parting from her husband, but instead, married within that time and gave birth to a son. We do not know if the son was born after nine months and is her first husband's child or was born after seven months and was her second husband's son.
This son does not inherit the estate of either father, because his claim is doubtful. If this son dies, both of them inherit his estate, sharing it equally, because both of their claims are doubtful. Maybe this one is his father? Or maybe the other one?
Halacha 4
The following laws apply when a childless widow did not wait three months after her first husband's death, married her husband's brother and bore a son. We do not know if the son was born after nine months and is her first husband's child, or was born after seven months and was her second husband's son.
With regard to the inheritance of the estate of the woman's first husband, the son whose parentage is doubtful says: "Perhaps I am the son of the deceased, in which instance I would inherit my father's entire estate. You would not be fit to marry my mother, for she would not be required to perform the rite of yibbumP
The brother who married her says: "Perhaps you are my son and thus your mother was required to perform the rite of yibbwn. You have no right to my brother's estate."
Since not only the status of the "son," but also that of the brother who married the widow is doubtful, they share the estate equally. The same laws apply when this "son" whose status is doubtful and the other sons of the brother who married the widow come to divide the estate of the brother whose widow was married. They divide the estate equally. The "son" whose status is doubtful receives half, and the other sons of the brother who married the widow receive half.
If the brother who married the widow died after dividing the estate of his deceased brother with the son whose status is doubtful, the sons of that brother who are fit to inherit his estate are granted it. The son whose status is doubtful may feel entitled to claim: "If I am your brother, give me a share in this estate. And if I am not your brother, return to me the half of my father's estate that your father took." This claim is not accepted. Instead, the son whose status is doubtful is not given any share in the estate of the brother who married the widow; he does not expropriate property from them.
Halacha 5
The following rules apply when the son whose status is doubtful and the brother who married the widow come to divide the estate of the father of the family. The brother who married the widow is definitely an heir. In this instance as well, there is a question concerning the rights of the son whose status is doubtful. If he is the son of the deceased brother, he receives half; if he is the son of the brother who married the widow, he does not receive anything. Therefore, the estate should be given to the brother and the son whose status is doubtful should be overlooked.
The following principles apply with regard to the inheritance of the grandfather's estate if the brother who married the widow left two sons whose lineage is definite and died. The son whose status is doubtful claims: "I am the son of the deceased brother. Hence, I should receive half and you two should receive half."
The two sons say: "You are our brother and the son of the brother who married the widow. Hence, you deserve only one third of the estate of our grandfather." ?
The two sons receive the half that the son whose status is doubtful acknowledges as belonging to them. The third that they acknowledge as belonging to him is given to him, and the remaining sixth is divided equally: he receives half of it and they receive half of it. ?
If the son whose status is doubtful dies, the brother who married the widow may claim: "Perhaps he is my son and I have the right to inherit his estate." His father may say: "Perhaps he is the son of my deceased son and I have the right to inherit his estate." In such a situation, they should divide the estate equally.
(If the son who married the widow died, the son whose status is doubtful may claim: "He is my father and I have the right to inherit his estate." His father may say: "Perhaps you are the son of my other son and this is your father's brother. Thus, I have the right to inherit his estate." In such a situation, they should divide the estate equally.)
Halacha 6
The following rules apply when a house fell on a person and his wife and they both died. It is not known if the woman died first, in which instance the heirs of her husband inherit her entire estate, or the husband died first, and the woman's heirs inherit her estate.
How is the issue resolved? We consider the nichsei m'log to be in the possession of the woman's heirs. The money due her by virtue of her ketubah - both the essential obligation and the additional amount - are considered to be in the possession of her husband's heirs. Her nichsei tzon barzel are divided, half are given to the woman's heirs and half to the husband's heirs.
If a house fell on a person and his mother, the estate of the mother may be retained by her heirs from her father's household, for they are definitely heirs. The status of the heirs of the son, by contrast, is doubtful. For if the son died first, his paternal brothers do not have a share in the inheritance of his mother, as we have explained.
Halacha 7
The following rules apply if a house fell on a person and his daughter's son. If the father died first, his daughter's son would inherit his estate, and thus the estate would be given to the son's heirs. If his daughter's son died first, the son does not inherit his mother's estate after his death as we have explained. Thus, the estate would be given to the father's heirs. Since we do not know who died first, the father's heirs should divide his estate with the heirs of his daughter's son.
Similar rules apply if the father was taken captive and died while in captivity, and his daughter's son died in his city, or conversely, the son was taken captive and died while in captivity and his mother's father died in his city. Since we do not know who died first, the father's heirs should divide his estate with the heirs of his daughter's son.
Halacha 8
The following rules apply if a house fell on a person and his father or on other person whose estates he would acquire, and the son was responsible for the money due his wife by virtue of her ketubah and other debts. The father's heirs claim that the son died first without leaving an estate. Hence, the debts will remain unpaid. The creditors maintain that the father died first, and thus the son acquired the inheritance. Hence, they have a source from which they can collect the debts owed them. The estate is considered to be in the possession of the heirs. The son's wife or the creditors must prove that the father died first, or they must depart without receiving anything.
Halacha 9

The same laws apply to people who die in a landslide, were drowned at sea, fell into a fire, or died on the same day in different countries. For in all these and other analogous situations, we do not know who died first.
____________________________
Hayom Yom:
Shabbat, 22 Cheshvan 5775 • 15 November 2014

"Today's Day"
Shabbat, Cheshvan 22, 5704
Torah Lesson: Chumash: Chayei Sara, Shevi'i with Rashi.
Tehillim: 106-107.
Tanya: Now, it is (p. 583) ...as stated above. (p. 585).
One of the teachings of the Maggid of Mezritch, heard by the Alter Rebbe when he was in Mezritch for the first time, from late summer 5524 (1764) until after Pesach 5525 (1765):
"I (Anochi) have made the earth, and upon it created man."1 Anochi, He who is the true "I",2 unknown to and concealed from even the loftiest emanations, clothed His blessed Essence through numerous condensations to give rise to the emanations and creatures, 3 to Serafim, Chayot, Ofanim,4 angels and "worlds" beyond number. Through countless condensations, "I made this (physical) world and upon it created (barati) man." Man is the end-purpose of Creation, and barati is the end-purpose of man. (Barati, "I created," has the numerical equivalent of 613, the number of scriptural commandments). 5
As (the book of) Pardes quotes Sefer Habahir: "Said the attribute of Chessed (kindness) before the Holy One Blessed-be-He, Master of the Universe, since the days Avram has been on earth, I have not had to perform my task, because Avram stands and serves in my stead." Because Avraham - a soul clothed in a body, occupying himself with hospitality to strangers as a means of disseminating the idea of G-d in this lowly world - is actually on a higher plane and level than the attribute of kindness of Atzilut.
The complaint ("Said the attribute of Chessed before the Holy One etc.") is an expression of envy of Avraham's service by the attribute of kindness of Atzilut.
Compiled and arranged by the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, of righteous memory, in 5703 (1943) from the talks and letters of the sixth Chabad Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, of righteous memory.
FOOTNOTES
1. Yeshayahu 45:12.
2. Lit.: "I, Whoever I Am."
3. The phrase defies accurate translation; in Hebrew the verb-form corresponding to "emanations," le'haatzil, is used to describe the coming-into-being of the ne'etzalim ("emanations"), and the verb livra for the nivra'im ("creations"). Awkward, but perhaps slightly more accurate, would be "...to separate off (or ("emanate") the emanations and to create the creatures."
4. Three forms of angels.

5. I.e. the end-purpose of Man is (that he perform) Mitzvot.
____________________________
Daily Thought:
Leading Forward
You do not need to attain perfection in order to lead.
You need only to discover which way is forward and begin moving in that direction.[6 Tishrei 5738:31; Noso 5738:21; Rosh Chodesh Iyar 5741:16.]
____________________________