Torah Reading
Behar-Bechukotai (Leviticus 25:1 Adonai spoke to Moshe on Mount Sinai; he said, 2 “Tell the people of Isra’el, ‘When you enter the land I am giving you, the land itself is to observe a Shabbat rest for Adonai. 3 Six years you will sow your field; six years you will prune your grapevines and gather their produce. 4 But in the seventh year is to be a Shabbat of complete rest for the land, a Shabbat for Adonai; you will neither sow your field nor prune your grapevines. 5 You are not to harvest what grows by itself from the seeds left by your previous harvest, and you are not to gather the grapes of your untended vine; it is to be a year of complete rest for the land. 6 But what the land produces during the year of Shabbat will be food for all of you — you, your servant, your maid, your employee, anyone living near you, 7 your livestock and the wild animals on your land; everything the land produces may be used for food.
Today's Laws & Customs:
8 “‘You are to count seven Shabbats of years, seven times seven years, that is, forty-nine years. 9 Then, on the tenth day of the seventh month, on Yom-Kippur, you are to sound a blast on the shofar; you are to sound the shofar all through your land; 10 and you are to consecrate the fiftieth year, proclaiming freedom throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It will be a yovel for you; you will return everyone to the land he owns, and everyone is to return to his family. 11 That fiftieth year will be a yovel for you; in that year you are not to sow, harvest what grows by itself or gather the grapes of untended vines; 12 because it is a yovel. It will be holy for you; whatever the fields produce will be food for all of you. 13 In this year of yovel, every one of you is to return to the land he owns.
(LY: ii) 14 “‘If you sell anything to your neighbor or buy anything from him, neither of you is to exploit the other. 15 Rather, you are to take into account the number of years after the yovel when you buy land from your neighbor, and he is to sell to you according to the number of years crops will be raised. 16 If the number of years remaining is large, you will raise the price; if few years remain, you will lower it; because what he is really selling you is the number of crops to be produced. 17 Thus you are not to take advantage of each other, but you are to fear your God; for I am Adonai your God.
18 “‘Rather, you are to keep my regulations and rulings and act accordingly. If you do, you will live securely in the land. (RY: ii, LY: iii) 19 The land will yield its produce, you will eat until you have enough, and you will live there securely.
20 “‘If you ask, “If we aren’t allowed to sow seed or harvest what our land produces, what are we going to eat the seventh year?” 21 then I will order my blessing on you during the sixth year, so that the land brings forth enough produce for all three years. 22 The eighth year you will sow seed but eat the the old, stored produce until the ninth year; that is, until the produce of the eighth year comes in, you will eat the old, stored food.
23 “‘The land is not to be sold in perpetuity, because the land belongs to me — you are only foreigners and temporary residents with me. 24 Therefore, when you sell your property, you must include the right of redemption. (LY: iv) 25 That is, if one of you becomes poor and sells some of his property, his next-of-kin can come and buy back what his relative sold. 26 If the seller has no one to redeem it but becomes rich enough to redeem it himself, 27 he will calculate the number of years the land was sold for, refund the excess to its buyer, and return to his property. 28 If he hasn’t sufficient means to get it back himself, then what he sold will remain in the hands of the buyer until the year of yovel; in the yovel the buyer will vacate it and the seller return to his property.
(RY: iii, LY: v) 29 “‘If someone sells a dwelling in a walled city, he has one year after the date of sale in which to redeem it. For a full year he will have the right of redemption; 30 but if he has not redeemed the dwelling in the walled city within the year, then title in perpetuity passes to the buyer through all his generations; it will not revert in the yovel. 31 However, houses in villages not surrounded by walls are to be dealt with like the fields in the countryside — they may be redeemed [before the yovel], and they revert in the yovel.
32 “‘Concerning the cities of the L’vi’im and the houses in the cities they possess, the L’vi’im are to have a permanent right of redemption. 33 If someone purchases a house from one of the L’vi’im, then the house he sold in the city where he owns property will still revert to him in the yovel; because the houses in the cities of the L’vi’im are their tribe’s possession among the people of Isra’el. 34 The fields in the open land around their cities may not be sold, because that is their permanent possession.
35 “‘If a member of your people has become poor, so that he can’t support himself among you, you are to assist him as you would a foreigner or a temporary resident, so that he can continue living with you. 36 Do not charge him interest or otherwise profit from him, but fear your God, so that your brother can continue living with you. 37 Do not take interest when you loan him money or take a profit when you sell him food. 38 I am Adonai your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt in order to give you the land of Kena‘an and be your God.
(RY: iv, LY: vi) 39 “‘If a member of your people has become poor among you and sells himself to you, do not make him do the work of a slave. 40 Rather, you are to treat him like an employee or a tenant; he will work for you until the year of yovel. 41 Then he will leave you, he and his children with him, and return to his own family and regain possession of his ancestral land. 42 For they are my slaves, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt; therefore they are not to be sold as slaves. 43 Do not treat him harshly, but fear your God.
44 “‘Concerning the men and women you may have as slaves: you are to buy men- and women-slaves from the nations surrounding you. 45 You may also buy the children of foreigners living with you and members of their families born in your land; you may own these. 46 You may also bequeath them to your children to own; from these groups you may take your slaves forever. But as far as your brothers the people of Isra’el are concerned, you are not to treat each other harshly.
(LY: vii) 47 “‘If a foreigner living with you has grown rich, and a member of your people has become poor and sells himself to this foreigner living with you or to a member of the foreigner’s family, 48 he may be redeemed after he has been sold. One of his brothers may redeem him; 49 or his uncle or his uncle’s son may redeem him; or any near relative of his may redeem him; or, if he becomes rich, he may redeem himself. 50 He will calculate with the person who bought him the time from the year he sold himself to him to the year of yovel; and the amount to be paid will be according to the number of years and his time at an employee’s wage. 51 If many years remain, according to them will he refund the amount for his redemption from the amount he was bought for. 52 If there remain only a few years until the year of yovel, then he will calculate with him; according to his years will he refund the amount for his redemption. 53 He will be like a worker hired year by year. You will see to it that he is not treated harshly.
54 “‘If he has not been redeemed by any of these procedures, nevertheless he will go free in the year of yovel — he and his children with him. (LY: Maftir) 55 For to me the people of Isra’el are slaves; they are my slaves whom I brought out of the land of Egypt; I am Adonai your God.
26:1 “‘You are not to make yourselves any idols, erect a carved statue or a standing-stone, or place any carved stone anywhere in your land in order to bow down to it. I am Adonai your God.
3 “‘If you live by my regulations, observe my mitzvot and obey them; 4 then I will provide the rain you need in its season, the land will yield its produce, and the trees in the field will yield their fruit. 5 Your threshing time will extend until the grape harvest, and your grape harvesting will extend until the time for sowing seed. You will eat as much food as you want and live securely in your land.
(LY: ii) 6 “‘I will give shalom in the land — you will lie down to sleep unafraid of anyone. I will rid the land of wild animals. The sword will not go through your land. 7 You will pursue your enemies, and they will fall before your sword. 8 Five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand — your enemies will fall before your sword.
9 “‘I will turn toward you, make you productive, increase your numbers and uphold my covenant with you. (RY: v, LY: iii) 10 You will eat all you want from last year’s harvest and throw out what remains of the old to make room for the new. 11 I will put my tabernacle among you, and I will not reject you, 12 but I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people. 13 I am Adonai your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, so that you would not be their slaves. I have broken the bars of your yoke, so that you can walk upright.
14 “‘But if you will not listen to me and obey all these mitzvot, 15 if you loathe my regulations and reject my rulings, in order not to obey all my mitzvot but cancel my covenant; 16 then I, for my part, will do this to you: I will bring terror upon you — wasting disease and chronic fever to dim your sight and sap your strength. You will sow your seed for nothing, because your enemies will eat the crops. 17 I will set my face against you — your enemies will defeat you, those who hate you will hound you, and you will flee when no one is pursuing you.
18 If these things don’t make you listen to me, then I will discipline you seven times over for your sins. 19 I will break the pride you have in your own power. I will make your sky like iron, your soil like bronze — 20 you will spend your strength in vain, because the land will not yield its produce or the trees in the field their fruit.
21 “‘Yes, if you go against me and don’t listen to me, I will increase your calamities sevenfold, according to your sins. 22 I will send wild animals among you; they will rob you of your children, destroy your livestock and reduce your numbers, until your roads are deserted.
23 “‘If, in spite of all this, you refuse my correction and still go against me; 24 then I too will go against you; and I, yes I, will strike you seven times over for your sins. 25 I will bring a sword against you which will execute the vengeance of the covenant. You will be huddled inside your cities, I will send sickness among you, and you will be handed over to the power of the enemy. 26 I will cut off your supply of bread, so that ten women will bake your bread in one oven and dole out your bread by weight, and you will eat but not be satisfied.
27 “‘And if, for all this, you still will not listen to me, but go against me; 28 then I will go against you furiously, and I also will chastise you yet seven times more for your sins. 29 You will eat the flesh of your own sons, you will eat the flesh of your own daughters. 30 I will destroy your high places, cut down your pillars for sun-worship, and throw your carcasses on the carcasses of your idols; and I will detest you. 31 I will lay waste to your cities and make your sanctuaries desolate, so as not to smell your fragrant aromas. 32 I will desolate the land, so that your enemies living in it will be astounded by it. 33 You I will disperse among the nations, and I will draw out the sword in pursuit after you; your land will be a desolation and your cities a wasteland. 34 Then, at last, the land will be paid its Shabbats. As long as it lies desolate and you are in the lands of your enemies, the land will rest and be repaid its Shabbats. 35 Yes, as long as it lies desolate it will have rest, the rest it did not have during your Shabbats, when you lived there. 36 As for those of you who are left, I will fill their hearts with anxiety in the lands of their enemies. The sound of a driven leaf will frighten them, so that they will flee as one flees from the sword and fall when no one is pursuing. 37 Yes, with no one pursuing they will stumble over each other as if fleeing the sword — you will have no power to stand before your enemies. 38 And among the nations you will perish; the land of your enemies will devour you.
39 Those of you who remain will pine away in the lands of your enemies from guilt over your misdeeds and those of your ancestors. 40 Then they will confess their misdeeds and those of their ancestors which they committed against me in their rebellion; they will admit that they went against me. 41 At that time I will be going against them, bringing them into the lands of their enemies. But if their uncircumcised hearts will grow humble, and they are paid the punishment for their misdeeds; 42 then I will remember my covenant with Ya‘akov, also my covenant with Yitz’chak and my covenant with Avraham; and I will remember the land. 43 For the land will lie abandoned without them, and it will be paid its Shabbats while it lies desolate without them; and they will be paid the punishment for their misdeeds, because they rejected my rulings and loathed my regulations. 44 Yet, in spite of all that, I will not reject them when they are in the lands of their enemies, nor will I loathe them to the point of utterly destroying them and thus break my covenant with them, because I am Adonai their God. 45 Rather, for their sakes, I will remember the covenant of their ancestors whom I brought out of the land of Egypt — with the nations watching — so that I might be their God; I am Adonai.’”
46 These are the laws, rulings and teachings that Adonai himself gave to the people of Isra’el on Mount Sinai through Moshe.
27:1 (RY: vi; LY: iv) Adonai said to Moshe, 2 “Tell the people of Isra’el, ‘If someone makes a clearly defined vow to Adonai to give him an amount equal to the value of a human being, 3 the value you are to assign to a man between the ages of twenty and sixty years is to be fifty shekels of silver [one-and-a-quarter pounds], with the sanctuary shekel being the standard, 4 if a woman, thirty shekels. 5 If it is a child five to twenty years old, assign a value of twenty shekels for a boy and ten for a girl; 6 if a baby one month to five years of age, five shekels for a boy and three for a girl; 7 if a person past sixty, fifteen shekels for a man and ten for a woman. 8 If the person is too poor to be evaluated, set him before the cohen, who will assign him a value in keeping with the means of the person who made the vow.
9 “‘If the vow is for the value of an animal of the kind used when people bring an offering to Adonai, all that a person gives of such animals to Adonai will be holy. 10 He is not to exchange or replace it by substituting a good animal for a bad one or vice versa; if he does make such a substitution, both the original animal and the one replacing it will be holy. 11 If the animal is an unclean one, such as may not be used in an offering to Adonai, he must set it before the cohen; 12 and the cohen is to set a value on it in relation to its good and bad points; the value set by you the cohen will stand. 13 But if the person making the vow wishes to redeem the animal, he must add one-fifth to your valuation.
14 “‘When a person consecrates his house to be holy for Adonai, the cohen is to set a value on it in relation to its good and bad points; the value set by the cohen will stand. 15 If the consecrator wishes to redeem his house, he must add one-fifth to the value you have set on it; and it will revert to him.
(RY: vii, LY: v) 16 “‘If a person consecrates to Adonai part of a field belonging to his tribe’s possession, you are to value it according to its production, with five bushels of barley being valued at fifty shekels of silver [one-and-a-quarter pounds]. 17 If he consecrates his field during the year of yovel, this valuation will stand. 18 But if he consecrates his field after the yovel, then the cohen is to calculate the price according to the years remaining till the next yovel, with a corresponding reduction from your valuation. 19 If the one consecrating the field wishes to redeem it, he must add one-fifth to your valuation, and the field will be set aside to revert to him. 20 If the seller does not wish to redeem the field, or if [the treasurer for the cohanim] has already sold the field to someone else, it can no longer be redeemed. 21 But when the purchaser has to vacate the field in the yovel, it will become holy to Adonai, like a field unconditionally consecrated; it will belong to the cohanim.
(LY: vi) 22 “‘If he consecrates to Adonai a field which he has bought, a field which is not part of his tribe’s possession, 23 then the cohen is to calculate its value according to the years remaining until the year of yovel; and the man will on that same day pay this amount; since it is holy to Adonai. 24 In the year of yovel the field will revert to the person from whom it was bought, that is, to the person to whose tribal possession it belongs.
25 “‘All your valuations are to be according to the sanctuary shekel [two-fifths of an ounce], twenty gerahs to the shekel.
26 “‘However, the firstborn among animals, since it is already born as a firstborn for Adonai, no one can consecrate — neither ox nor sheep — since it belongs to Adonai already. 27 But if it is an unclean animal, he may redeem it at the price at which you value it and add one-fifth; or if he does not redeem it, it is to be sold at the price at which you value it. 28 However, nothing consecrated unconditionally which a person may consecrate to Adonai out of all he owns — person, animal or field he possesses — is to be sold or redeemed; because everything consecrated unconditionally is especially holy to Adonai. (LY: vii) 29 No person who has been sentenced to die, and thus unconditionally consecrated, can be redeemed; he must be put to death.
30 “‘All the tenth given from the land, whether from planted seed or fruit from trees, belongs to Adonai; it is holy to Adonai. 31 If someone wants to redeem any of his tenth, he must add to it one-fifth.
(Maftir) 32 “‘All the tenth from the herd or the flock, whatever passes under the shepherd’s crook, the tenth one will be holy to Adonai. 33 The owner is not to inquire whether the animal is good or bad, and he cannot exchange it; if he does exchange it, both it and the one he substituted for it will be holy; it cannot be redeemed.’”
34 These are the mitzvot which Adonai gave to Moshe for the people of Isra’el on Mount Sinai.)
• Ethics of the Fathers: Chapter 5
In preparation for the festival of Shavuot, we study one of the six chapters of the Talmud's Ethics of the Fathers ("Avot") on the afternoon of each of the six Shabbatot between Passover and Shavuot; this week we study Chapter Five. (In many communities -- and such is the Chabad custom -- the study cycle is repeated through the summer, until the Shabbat before Rosh Hashanah.)
Link: Ethics of the Fathers, Chapter 5
• Count "Forty-Three Days to the Omer" Tonight
Tomorrow is the forty-third day of the Omer Count. Since, on the Jewish calendar, the day begins at nightfall of the previous evening, we count the omer fortomorrow's date tonight, after nightfall: "Today is forty-three days, which are six weeks and one day, to the Omer." (If you miss the count tonight, you can count the omer all day tomorrow, but without the preceding blessing).
The 49-day "Counting of the Omer" retraces our ancestors' seven-week spiritual journey from the Exodus to Sinai. Each evening we recite a special blessing and count the days and weeks that have passed since the Omer; the 50th day isShavuot, the festival celebrating the Giving of the Torah at Sinai.
Tonight's Sefirah: Chessed sheb'Malchut -- "Kindness in Receptiveness"
The teachings of Kabbalah explain that there are seven "Divine Attributes" --Sefirot -- that G-d assumes through which to relate to our existence: Chessed,Gevurah, Tifferet, Netzach, Hod, Yesod and Malchut ("Love", "Strength", "Beauty", "Victory", "Splendor", "Foundation" and "Sovereignty"). In the human being, created in the "image of G-d," the seven sefirot are mirrored in the seven "emotional attributes" of the human soul: Kindness, Restraint, Harmony, Ambition, Humility, Connection and Receptiveness. Each of the seven attributes contain elements of all seven--i.e., "Kindness in Kindness", "Restraint in Kindness", "Harmony in Kindness", etc.--making for a total of forty-nine traits. The 49-day Omer Count is thus a 49-step process of self-refinement, with each day devoted to the "rectification" and perfection of one the forty-nine "sefirot."
Links:
How to count the Omer
The deeper significance of the Omer Count
Today in Jewish History:
• Eichmann Executed (1962)
Adolf Eichmann was hanged at Ramleh Prison in Israel following his trial and conviction for his crimes against against the Jewish people, crimes against humanity and war crimes during World War II.
Eichmann was a key party in implementing of Hitler's infamous "final solution." The height of his "career" was reached in Hungary in 1944, when he managed to transport 400,000 Jews to the gas chambers in less than five weeks.
Daily Study:
Chitas and Rambam for today:
Chumash: Behar-Bechukotai, 7th Portion Leviticus 27:16-27:34 with Rashi
• Chapter 27
16And if a man consecrates some of the field of his inherited property to the Lord, the valuation shall be according to its sowing: an area which requires a chomer of barley seeds at fifty silver shekels. טז וְאִם | מִשְּׂדֵה אֲחֻזָּתוֹ יַקְדִּישׁ אִישׁ לַיהֹוָה וְהָיָה עֶרְכְּךָ לְפִי זַרְעוֹ זֶרַע חֹמֶר שְׂעֹרִים בַּחֲמִשִּׁים שֶׁקֶל כָּסֶף:
the valuation shall be according to its sowing: And not according to its value, whether it is a field of good quality or a field of bad quality, their redemption from consecration is equal, [namely]: The area requiring a kor (a chomer in Scripture) of barley seeds [must be redeemed] for fifty [silver] shekels. This is Scripture’s decree. — [Torath Kohanim 27:90] Now, this applies to one who comes to redeem it at the beginning of the Jubilee cycle [namely, in its first year]. However, if he comes to redeem it in the middle [of the Jubilee cycle, i.e., after the first year has elapsed], he must pay according to the calculation of one sela (i.e., a shekel) and a pundyon (one forty-eighth of a shekel) per year [depending on how many years until the next Jubilee (see Rashi on verse 18 below)]. — [Arachin 25a] [And why so?] Because property is consecrated only according to the years of the Jubilee cycle-if it is redeemed [within the Jubilee cycle], very good, [i.e., it reverts to its original owners and is no longer Temple property]; but if not, the [Temple] treasurer sells it to someone else at the aforementioned rate, and it remains in the purchaser’s possession until the next Jubilee, just like any other fields which are sold. Then, when it leaves the possession of this purchaser [in the Jubilee], it reverts to the kohanim of that watch, namely, [namely, the shift officiating] when [Yom Kippur of that] Jubilee occurs, and is apportioned among them. — [Arachin 28b] [The kohanim are divided into 24 family watches, or shifts, each in rotation for two or three one-week periods every year.] This is the law stated regarding one who consecrates a field. I will now explain it according to the order of the verses. והיה ערכך לפי זרעו: ולא כפי שוויה. אחת שדה טובה ואחת שדה רעה, פדיון הקדשן שוה, בית כור שעורים בחמשים שקלים, כך גזירת הכתוב. והוא שבא לגאלה בתחלת היובל, ואם בא לגאלה באמצעו, נותן לפי החשבון סלע ופונדיון לשנה, לפי שאינה הקדש אלא למנין שני היובל, שאם נגאלה הרי טוב, ואם לאו הגזבר מוכרה בדמים הללו לאחר ועומדת ביד הלוקח עד היובל כשאר כל השדות המכורות, וכשהיא יוצאה מידו חוזרת לכהנים של אותו משמר שהיובל פוגע בו ומתחלקת ביניהם, זהו המשפט האמור במקדיש שדה. ועכשיו אפרשנו על סדר המקראות:
17Now, if he consecrates his field from [when] the Jubilee year [has ended], it shall remain at [its full] valuation. יזאִם מִשְּׁנַת הַיֹּבֵל יַקְדִּישׁ שָׂדֵהוּ כְּעֶרְכְּךָ יָקוּם:
Now, if he consecrates his field from [when] the Jubilee year [has ended]: If, as soon as the Jubilee year has ended, he immediately consecrates [his property i.e., within that first year of the next Shemittah and Jubilee cycle], and then he comes to redeem it immediately [i.e., before that first year has ended]. אם משנת היבל יקדיש וגו': אם משעברה שנת היובל מיד הקדישה ובא לגאלה מיד:
it shall remain at [its full] valuation: i.e., like this aforementioned (in verse 16) valuation, it shall be, [namely,] he must give fifty silver shekels [for the size of field stated]. — [see Arachin 24b] כערכך יקום: כערך הזה האמור יהיה, חמשים כסף יתן:
18But if he consecrates his field after the Jubilee, the kohen shall calculate the money for him, according to the remaining years until the [next] Jubilee year, and it shall be deducted from the valuation. יחוְאִם אַחַר הַיֹּבֵל יַקְדִּישׁ שָׂדֵהוּ וְחִשַּׁב לוֹ הַכֹּהֵן אֶת הַכֶּסֶף עַל פִּי הַשָּׁנִים הַנּוֹתָרֹת עַד שְׁנַת הַיֹּבֵל וְנִגְרַע מֵעֶרְכֶּךָ:
But if he consecrates his field after the Jubilee, [the kohen should calculate the money for him….: [And not only in this case, but] likewise, if [the original owner] had consecrated the property immediately after the Jubilee ended, and it remained in the possession of the treasurer, and this one comes to redeem it after [this first year following] the Jubilee - ואם אחר היבל יקדיש: וכן אם הקדישה משנת היובל ונשתהה ביד גזבר ובא זה לגאלה אחר היובל:
the kohen shall calculate the money for him, according to the remaining years [until the (next) Jubilee year]: according to the rate. How? [Scripture] has stated the fixed value [of redemption for a field whose size is that stated in our verse,] for forty-nine years as fifty [silver] shekels, i.e., one shekel for each of the [49] years and an extra shekel [paid over] all the [49] years. Now, a shekel is equivalent to 48 pundyons . Thus, one sela [i.e., a shekel] and one pundyon for each year, except that one pundyon is missing for all of them [i.e., if we figure fifty shekels, we have only 49 shekels and 48 pundyons , which is less than a sela and a pundyon per year, but the redeemer is required to pay one extra pundyon per a 49-year period, for] our Rabbis taught (Bech. 50a) that, the [extra] pundyon is a surcharge for [currency exchange of] small coins [i.e., if someone comes to purchase a silver shekel with pundyons , he will be charged 49 of them, the extra pundyon being a surcharge for attaining the more significant single shekel coin rather than many small coins. This surcharge, then, is passed on to the one who wishes to redeem the field. Hence, at an annual rate of one shekel and one pundyon, the redeemer is actually paying one forty-ninth of a pundyon currency exchange surcharge every year]. And therefore, someone who comes to redeem [a field], must pay one sela [i.e., a shekel] and one pundyon for every year left until the next Jubilee year. וחשב לו הכהן את הכסף על פי השנים הנותרת: כפי חשבון. כיצד, הרי קצב דמיה של ארבעים ותשע שנים חמשים שקל, הרי שקל לכל שנה, ושקל יתר בין כולן, והשקל ארבעים ושמנה פודיונין, הרי סלע ופונדיון לשנה אלא שחסר פונדיון אחד לכולן, ואמרו רבותינו שאותו פונדיון קלבון לפרוטרוט, והבא לגאול יתן סלע ופונדיון לכל שנה לשנים הנותרות עד שנת היובל:
thereby deducting from the [full] valuation [amount]: the number of years from the [preceding] Jubilee year until the redemption year. ונגרע מערכך: מנין השנים שמשנת היובל עד שנת הפדיון:
19If the one who consecrated it redeems the field, he shall add to it a fifth of the valuation money, and it shall be his. יטוְאִם גָּאֹל יִגְאַל אֶת הַשָּׂדֶה הַמַּקְדִּישׁ אֹתוֹ וְיָסַף חֲמִשִׁית כֶּסֶף עֶרְכְּךָ עָלָיו וְקָם לוֹ:
If the [one who consecrated it] redeems the field: The person who consecrated it must add a fifth to this set amount. — [see Rashi on preceding verse; Mizrachi] ואם גאל יגאל: המקדיש אותו, יוסיף חומש על הקצבה הזאת:
20But if he does not redeem the field, and if he has sold the field to someone else it may no longer be redeemed. כוְאִם לֹא יִגְאַל אֶת הַשָּׂדֶה וְאִם מָכַר אֶת הַשָּׂדֶה לְאִישׁ אַחֵר לֹא יִגָּאֵל עוֹד:
But if he does not redeem the field: [i.e., if] the one who consecrated [the field does not redeem it]. ואם לא יגאל את השדה: המקדיש:
and if… has sold: [i.e., if] the treasurer (Arachin 25b) has sold ואם מכר: הגזבר:
the field to someone else-it may no longer be redeemed: to revert to the possession of the one who consecrated it [i.e., the original owner, come Jubilee]. — [Sifthei Chachamim] את השדה לאיש אחר לא יגאל עוד: לשוב ליד המקדיש:
21But, when the field leaves in the Jubilee, it shall be holy to the Lord like a field devoted; his inherited property shall belong to the kohen. כאוְהָיָה הַשָּׂדֶה בְּצֵאתוֹ בַיֹּבֵל קֹדֶשׁ לַיהֹוָה כִּשְׂדֵה הַחֵרֶם לַכֹּהֵן תִּהְיֶה אֲחֻזָּתוֹ:
But, when the field leaves in the Jubilee: the possession of the one who had purchased it from the treasurer, just like all fields that leave the possession of their purchasers, come Jubilee. והיה השדה בצאתו ביבל: מיד הלוקחו מן הגזבר, כדרך שאר שדות היוצאות מיד לוקחיהם ביובל:
holy to the Lord: This does not mean that it reverts to the treasurer as sacred property designated for maintenance of the Holy Temple. Rather, it is “like a field devoted” which is given to the kohanim, as it is said, “Anything devoted in Israel shall belong to you” (Num. 18:14). This too shall be divided in Jubilee among the kohanim of the watch at that time, namely, when Yom Kippur of that Jubilee occurs. — [Arachin 28b] קדש לה': לא שישוב להקדש בדק הבית ליד הגזבר אלא כשדה החרם הנתון לכהנים, שנאמר (במדבר יח יד) כל חרם בישראל לך יהיה, אף זו תתחלק ביובל לכהנים של אותו משמר, שיום הכפורים של יובל פוגע בו:
22And if he consecrates to the Lord a field that he had acquired, that is not part of his inherited property, כבוְאִם אֶת שְׂדֵה מִקְנָתוֹ אֲשֶׁר לֹא מִשְּׂדֵה אֲחֻזָּתוֹ יַקְדִּישׁ לַיהֹוָה:
And if [he consecrates…] a field that he had acquired…: There is a difference between an acquired field (שְׂדֵה מִקְנֶה) and a field that is part of inherited property (שְׂדֵה אֲחֻזָּה), namely, that the acquired field is not apportioned among the kohanim in the Jubilee because [the acquirer] can consecrate the field only until Jubilee, for in the Jubilee, the field is destined to leave his possession and revert to the original owner [from whom he acquired it]. Therefore, if he [the original owner (Panim Yafoth; Malbim)] comes to redeem [his property,] he must redeem it with that same fixed rate of valuation for a field that was part of an inherited property. [Should the one who consecrated it redeem it, according to the Sages, he redeems it according to its market value.] But if he does not redeem it, and the treasurer sells it to someone else, or if he does redeem it [according to Tos., Arachin 26b, the reading in Rashi is: If no one redeemed it, and it remained in the possession of the treasurer] in the Jubilee year the field reverts to the one from whom the one who consecrated it bought it, [i.e., the original owner of the field]. Now, lest you say that [the expression] לַאֲשֶׁר קָנֵהוּ מֵאִתּוֹ (in verse 24 below) [refers to] the one from whom this acquirer most recently acquired the field, namely, the treasurer [and that our verse is thus stating here that come Jubilee, the field “reverts” to the treasurer]. Therefore, it was necessary to state (verse 24),“namely, the one whose inherited land it was,” i.e., inherited from his ancestors-referring, therefore, to the original owner who had sold [the field] to the one who consecrated it. — [Arachin 26b] ואם את שדה מקנתו וגו': חלוק יש בין שדה מקנה לשדה אחוזה, ששדה מקנה לא תתחלק לכהנים ביובל, לפי שאינו יכול להקדישה אלא עד היובל, שהרי ביובל היתה עתידה לצאת מידו ולשוב לבעלים, לפיכך אם בא לגאלה, יגאל בדמים הללו הקצובים לשדה אחוזה. ואם לא יגאל וימכרנה גזבר לאחר, או אם לא יגאל הוא, בשנת היובל ישוב השדה לאשר קנהו מאתו, אותו שהקדישה. ופן תאמר לאשר קנהו הלוקח הזה האחרון מאתו, וזהו הגזבר, לכך הוצרך לומר לאשר לו אחוזת הארץ (פסוק כד), מירושת אבות, וזהו בעלים הראשונים שמכרוה למקדיש:
23the kohen shall calculate for him the amount of the valuation until the Jubilee year, and he shall give the valuation on that day, holy to the Lord. כגוְחִשַּׁב לוֹ הַכֹּהֵן אֵת מִכְסַת הָעֶרְכְּךָ עַד שְׁנַת הַיֹּבֵל וְנָתַן אֶת הָעֶרְכְּךָ בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא קֹדֶשׁ לַיהֹוָה:
24In the Jubilee year, the field shall return to the one from whom he bought it namely, the one whose inherited land it was. כדבִּשְׁנַת הַיּוֹבֵל יָשׁוּב הַשָּׂדֶה לַאֲשֶׁר קָנָהוּ מֵאִתּוֹ לַאֲשֶׁר לוֹ אֲחֻזַּת הָאָרֶץ:
25Every valuation shall be made according to the holy shekel, whereby one shekel is the equivalent of twenty gerahs. כהוְכָל עֶרְכְּךָ יִהְיֶה בְּשֶׁקֶל הַקֹּדֶשׁ עֶשְׂרִים גֵּרָה יִהְיֶה הַשָּׁקֶל:
Every valuation shall be made according to the holy shekel: i.e., every valuation regarding which shekels are written, will be made according to the holy shekel. וכל ערכך יהיה בשקל הקדש: כל ערכך שכתוב בו שקלים יהיה בשקל הקדש:
one shekel is the equivalent of twenty gerahs: Twenty ma’ahs. This was how it was originally. However, in later times, they “added a sixth” [i.e., instead of a dinar being worth five ma’ahs (or gerahs), it became worth six ma’ahs (or gerahs)]. And indeed, our Rabbis taught: “A dinar is comprised of six ma’ahs of silver, and [since a shekel is worth four dinars,] there are twenty-four ma’ahs to one sela (i.e., shekel)” [as opposed to twenty ma’ahs in the shekel of the Torah]. — [Bech. 50a] עשרים גרה: עשרים מעות כך היו מתחילה ולאחר מכאן הוסיפו שתות. ואמרו רבותינו שש מעה כסף דינר, עשרים וארבע מעות לסלע:
26However, a firstborn animal that must be [sacrificed as] a firstborn to the Lord no man may consecrate it; whether it be an ox or sheep, it belongs to the Lord. כואַךְ בְּכוֹר אֲשֶׁר יְבֻכַּר לַיהֹוָה בִּבְהֵמָה לֹא יַקְדִּישׁ אִישׁ אֹתוֹ אִם שׁוֹר אִם שֶׂה לַיהֹוָה הוּא:
no man may consecrate it: for the purpose of any other sacrifice, because it does not belong to him [but from its birth, a firstborn animal is designated as holy, to be given to the kohanim]. — [Torath Kohanim 27:107] לא יקדיש איש אתו: לשם קרבן אחר, לפי שאינו שלו:
27Now, if [someone consecrates] an unclean animal, he may redeem [it] by [paying] the valuation, and he shall add its fifth to it, and if it is not redeemed, it shall be sold for the valuation [price]. כזוְאִם בַּבְּהֵמָה הַטְּמֵאָה וּפָדָה בְעֶרְכֶּךָ וְיָסַף חֲמִשִׁתוֹ עָלָיו וְאִם לֹא יִגָּאֵל וְנִמְכַּר בְּעֶרְכֶּךָ:
Now, if [someone consecrates] an unclean animal: [lit., “And if it is with an unclean animal….”] This verse does not refer back to firstborn animals [discussed in the preceding verse], for it cannot state of a firstborn unclean animal that “he may redeem [it] by [paying] the valuation” [for the only unclean animal to which the law of the firstborn applies is a donkey (see Exod. 13: 12-13)]; and this [verse] cannot refer to a donkey, because the firstborn of a donkey can be redeemed only with a lamb (see Exod. 13:13), which becomes a gift to the kohen and is not given to the Sanctuary [as does the valuation money in our verse]. Rather, our verse here is referring back to consecration [of one’s possessions to the Temple], for Scripture above (verses 11-13) was speaking about the redemption of a clean animal that had been [consecrated and subsequently] blemished (see Rashi there), and here, our verse is speaking about one who consecrates an unclean animal for maintenance of the Temple. — [Men. 101a] ואם בבהמה הטמאה וגו': אין המקרא הזה מוסב על הבכור, שאין לומר בבכור בהמה טמאה ופדה בערכך. וחמור אין זה, שהרי אין פדיון פטר חמור אלא טלה, והוא מתנה לכהן ואינו להקדש, אלא הכתוב מוסב על ההקדש. שהכתוב שלמעלה (פסוק יא) דבר בפדיון בהמה טהורה שהוממה, וכאן דבר במקדיש בהמה טמאה לבדק הבית:
he may redeem [it] by [paying] the valuation: According to how much the kohen will assess its value. ופדה בערכך: כפי מה שיעריכנה הכהן:
and if it is not redeemed: By the owner, ואם לא יגאל: ע"י בעלים:
it shall be sold for the valuation [price]: to others. — [Torath Kohanim 27: 108] ונמכר בערכך: לאחרים:
28However, anything that a man devotes to the Lord from any of his property whether a person, an animal, or part of his inherited field shall not be sold, nor shall it be redeemed, [for] all devoted things are holy of holies to the Lord. כחאַךְ כָּל חֵרֶם אֲשֶׁר יַחֲרִם אִישׁ לַיהֹוָה מִכָּל אֲשֶׁר לוֹ מֵאָדָם וּבְהֵמָה וּמִשְּׂדֵה אֲחֻזָּתוֹ לֹא יִמָּכֵר וְלֹא יִגָּאֵל כָּל חֵרֶם קֹדֶשׁ קָדָשִׁים הוּא לַיהֹוָה:
However, anything that a man devotes…: Our Rabbis are in dispute regarding this matter [of devoted property]: Some say that unqualified vows of devoted property [i.e., he says, “This is hereby devoted (חֵרֶם),” and does not specify,] go [automatically] to Sanctuary moneys [designated for maintenance of the Temple. Now, according to this ruling,] what then is the meaning of, “Anything devoted in Israel shall belong to you”? (Num. 18:14). This refers to vows of devoted property specifically designated to the kohanim, whereby someone says explicitly: “This is (חֵרֶם) devoted for the kohen .” But some [Rabbis] say that unqualified vows of devoted property go [automatically] to the kohanim . — [Arachin 28b] אך כל חרם וגו': נחלקו רבותינו בדבר יש אומרים סתם חרמים להקדש, ומה אני מקיים (במדבר יח יד) כל חרם בישראל לך יהיה, בחרמי כהנים שפירש ואמר הרי זה חרם לכהן, ויש שאמרו סתם חרמים לכהנים:
shall not be sold, nor shall it be redeemed: But, it must be given to the kohen . [For] according to those who rule that unqualified vows of devoted property go [automatically] to the kohanim (see preceding Rashi), they explain this verse as referring to unqualified vows of devoted property, while those who rule that unqualified vows of devoted property go [automatically] to [Sanctuary moneys designated for] maintenance of the Temple, explain this verse as referring to vows of devoted property specifically designated to the kohanim. For all agree that devoted property specifically designated to kohanim does not have any redemption, until it falls into the possession of the kohen [and the property then becomes completely non-consecrated and can even be sold by the kohen (Sifthei Chachamim)]. Devoted property to the One on High [i.e., specifically designated to the maintenance of the Holy Temple, on the other hand], may be redeemed [at its market value even before it reaches the Temple treasury, and its redemption moneys go for maintenance of the Holy Temple, and the property itself then becomes non-consecrated]. — [Sifthei Chachamim ; Arachin 29a] לא ימכר ולא יגאל: אלא ינתן לכהן. לדברי האומר סתם חרמים לכהנים, מפרש מקרא זה בסתם חרמים. והאומר סתם חרמים לבדק הבית, מפרש מקרא זה בחרמי כהנים, שהכל מודים שחרמי כהנים אין להם פדיון עד שיבואו ליד כהן, וחרמי גבוה נפדים:
all devoted things are holy of holies: Those who rule that unqualified vows of devoted property go for maintenance of the Holy Temple, bring this verse as proof [to their position]. However, those who rule that unqualified vows of devoted property go to the kohanim, explain the phrase here, “all devoted things are holy of holies (קֹדֶשׁ קָדָשִׁים),” to mean that the act of devoting items to the kohanim can take effect upon [animal sacrifices with the degree of] “holy of holies” [indicated by the use of the double expression here, קֹדֶשׁ קָדָשִׁים] and [moreover, even the single expression itself here, קֹדֶשׁ, indicates that this act can take effect upon sacrifices with a degree] of lesser holiness. Thus, [if someone undertakes to bring a sacrifice, allocates which animal he is to sacrifice and then subsequently devotes that animal to the kohanim,] he must give [the relevant money (see below)] to the kohen [and then sacrifices the animal for the offering he had undertaken], just as we have learnt in Tractate Arachin (28b): If [he made] a vow (נֶדֶר) [to bring a sacrifice, i.e., he said, “I take upon myself (to bring an animal as such-and-such a sacrifice)” (see Rashi on Lev. 22: 18)-in this case, if an animal he had then allocated becomes lost or blemished, he must fulfill his vow with a replacement animal, for his vow was to bring a sacrifice and was not limited to that particular animal. Therefore, in the case of a devoted vow (נֶדֶר),] he must give [to the kohen, money worth] the full value [of the animal, for it is still considered fully his when he devoted it to the kohen]. And if [he committed himself in the form of] a donation (נְדָבָה) [saying, “This particular animal is to be brought as such-and-such a sacrifice” (see Rashi on Lev. 22:18)-in this case, if the animal he had allocated becomes lost or blemished, he need not replace it, for his undertaking was limited only to that particular animal, and therefore the animal is no longer considered his. Therefore, in the case of a devoted donation (נְדָבָה) ,] he need give only [the monetary value of] the “benefit” for the [animal which means: Since in case the animal is lost or dies, he would not be required to bring another one in replacement, then once he has set the animal aside for the purpose of that particular sacrifice, he is considered to have already fulfilled his duty, and so, his actual sacrificing it becomes simply a gift to God, as it were. Enjoying this gesture of presenting a gift to God is the “benefit” he has from that animal and which is also the extent of his monetary ownership. This “benefit” is valued as follows: Someone else, who was not obligated to bring this sacrifice, is asked how much he would pay to have this animal sacrificed in his name as a gift to God. The amount that this person states is the amount that the one devoting must give to the kohen , and then he must bring the animal as a sacrifice, as per his undertaking to bring a donation]. — [Mishnah Arachin 8:6-7 and see Rashi on Talmud Arachin 28b] כל חרם קדש קדשים הוא: האומר סתם חרמים לבדק הבית מביא ראיה מכאן, והאומר סתם חרמים לכהנים מפרש כל חרם קדש קדשים הוא לה', ללמד שחרמי כהנים חלים על קדשי קדשים ועל קדשים קלים, ונותן לכהן, כמו ששנינו במסכת ערכין (כח ב) אם נדר נותן דמיהם, ואם נדבה נותן את טובתה:
[Anything that a man devotes… from any of his property -] whether it be a person: For example, if he devotes his non-Jewish male or female servants [for they are considered his property]. — [Arachin 28a] מאדם: כגון שהחרים עבדיו ושפחותיו הכנענים:
29Any devoting of a person who has been devoted, need not be redeemed [for] he is to be put to death. כטכָּל חֵרֶם אֲשֶׁר יָחֳרַם מִן הָאָדָם לֹא יִפָּדֶה מוֹת יוּמָת:
Any devoting… who has been devoted: [This verse refers to] someone who [has been sentenced to death, and, as he] is going out to be executed, another person declares, “I hereby make a personal commitment [to pay] his valuation!” his words have no validity. — [Arachin 6b] כל חרם אשר יחרם וגו': היוצא ליהרג ואמר אחד ערכו עלי, לא אמר כלום:
[And why not? Because] he is to be put to death: i.e., he is on his way to be executed, and therefore, he “cannot be redeemed”-he has no market value [as a slave] or any valuation. מות יומת: הרי הולך למות, לפיכך לא יפדה אין לו לא דמים ולא ערך:
30Any tithe of the Land, whether it be from the seed of the land or the fruit of the tree it is the Lord's. It is holy to the Lord. לוְכָל מַעְשַׂר הָאָרֶץ מִזֶּרַע הָאָרֶץ מִפְּרִי הָעֵץ לַיהֹוָה הוּא קֹדֶשׁ לַיהֹוָה:
Any tithe of the Land: Scripture is speaking about the Second Tithe. — [Torath Kohanim 27:112] וכל מעשר הארץ: במעשר שני הכתוב מדבר:
the seed of the land: [Regarding the Second Tithe, Scripture says, “the tithes of your grain, of your wine and of your oil” (Deut. 14:23 and see Rashi there). Thus, here, “the seed of the land” refers to] grain [and] מזרע הארץ: דגן:
the fruit of the tree: [refers to] wine and oil. מפרי העץ: תירוש ויצהר:
It is the Lord’s: [The Second Tithe does not belong to God in the sense that one is forbidden to have benefit from it, for indeed it is eaten in Jerusalem by the one who brings it (Sifthei Chachamim) Rather,] God has acquired this [Second Tithe], and it is from His very Table, as it were, that He invites you to come up and eat it in Jerusalem, as it is said, “And you shall eat before the Lord, your God, [in the place which He will choose to establish His Name therein;] the tithes of your grain, of your wine and of your oil…” (Deut. 14: 23). - [Kid. 53a] לה' הוא: קנאו השם ומשולחנו צוה לך לעלות ולאכלו בירושלים, כמו שנאמר (דברים יד כג) ואכלת לפני ה' אלהיך מעשר דגנך תירושך וגו':
31And if a man redeems some of his tithe, he shall add its fifth to it. לאוְאִם גָּאֹל יִגְאַל אִישׁ מִמַּעַשְׂרוֹ חֲמִשִׁיתוֹ יֹסֵף עָלָיו:
[redeem] some of his tithe [… he shall add its fifth]: ] [“of his tithe,”] but not, of someone else’s tithe. Thus, one who redeems his friend’s tithe, does not add a fifth [to its value]. — [Kid. 24a] And what is [the purpose of] its redemption? In order to permit its being eaten anywhere [outside Jerusalem]. And [instead] he must bring the money [of its redemption] up to Jerusalem and eat [food there, bought with that money], as it is stated, “[And if… the place is too distant from you…] Then you will turn it into money [… and… go to the place which… God will choose. And you will turn that money into whatever your soul desires… and you will eat there before… God]” (Deut. 14:24-26). ממעשרו: ולא ממעשר חברו, הפודה מעשר של חברו אין מוסיף חומש. ומה היא גאולתו, כדי להתירו באכילה בכל מקום. והמעות יעלה ויאכל בירושלים, כמו שנאמר (דברים יד כד) ונתת בכסף וגו':
32Any tithe of cattle or flock of all that pass under the rod, the tenth shall be holy to the Lord. לבוְכָל מַעְשַׂר בָּקָר וָצֹאן כֹּל אֲשֶׁר יַעֲבֹר תַּחַת הַשָּׁבֶט הָעֲשִׂירִי יִהְיֶה קֹּדֶשׁ לַיהֹוָה:
of all that pass under the rod: When one comes to tithe them, he lets them out [of the pen] through the gate, one by one, and he strikes [every] tenth animal with a rod that has been painted with vermillion (red dye), so that it is identifiable as the tithe. So he must do with every year’s lambs and calves, [but with no other animals, as Scripture states, “Any tithe of cattle or flock”]. — [Bech. 58b] תחת השבט: כשבא לעשרן מוציאן בפתח זה אחר זה, והעשירי מכה בשבט צבוע בסיקרא להיות ניכר שהוא מעשר, כן עושה [לגדיים] לטלאים ולעגלים של כל שנה ושנה:
[the tenth] shall be holy: that its blood and sacrificial portions be offered upon the altar, while its meat is eaten by the owner [with nothing given to the kohanim], because it is not enumerated with other [items categorized as] “gifts to the kehunah,” nor do we find that its meat must be given to kohanim. יהיה קדש: ליקרב למזבח דמו ואמוריו, והבשר נאכל לבעלים, שהרי לא נמנה עם שאר מתנות כהונה, ולא מצינו שיהא ניתן לכהנים:
33He shall not inspect [a tithed animal] for a good or a bad one, nor shall he offer a substitute for it. And if he does replace it, then [both] that one and its replacement are holy; it cannot be redeemed. לגלֹא יְבַקֵּר בֵּין טוֹב לָרַע וְלֹא יְמִירֶנּוּ וְאִם הָמֵר יְמִירֶנּוּ וְהָיָה הוּא וּתְמוּרָתוֹ יִהְיֶה קֹּדֶשׁ לֹא יִגָּאֵל:
He shall not inspect [a tithed animal]…: Since [Scripture] says, “[there will you bring…] the choice of your vows [which you will vow to the Lord]” (Deut. 12:11), one might think that he should select and take out the best [animal for the tithe]. Scripture, therefore, says, “He shall not inspect [a tithed animal] for a good or a bad one”-i.e., whether [the tenth animal] is unblemished or blemished, [since it is the tenth,] holiness has come upon it [exclusively]. This does not mean that a blemished animal can be sacrificed, but that he should eat it according to the law of tithes and that it must not be shorn or used for labor. — [Bech. 14b, 31b] לא יבקר וגו': לפי שנאמר (שם יב יא) וכל מבחר נדריכם, יכול יהא בורר ומוציא את היפה, תלמוד לומר לא יבקר בין טוב לרע, בין תם בין בעל מום חלה עליו קדושה, ולא שיקרב בעל מום, אלא יאכל בתורת מעשר ואסור ליגזז וליעבד:
34These are the commandments that the Lord commanded Moses to [tell] the children of Israel on Mount Sinai.
לדאֵלֶּה הַמִּצְוֹת אֲשֶׁר צִוָּה יְהֹוָה אֶת משֶׁה אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּהַר סִינָי:Daily Tehillim: Psalms Chapters 120 - 134
• Chapter 120
This psalm rebukes slanderers, describing how the deadly effect of slander reaches even further than weapons.
1. A song of ascents. I have called out to the Lord in my distress, and He answered me.2. O Lord, rescue my soul from the lips of falsehood, from a deceitful tongue.3. What can He give you, and what [further restraint] can He add to you, O deceitful tongue?4. [You resemble] the sharp arrows of a mighty one, and the coals of broom-wood.15. Woe unto me that I sojourned among Meshech, that I dwelt beside the tents of Kedar.6. Too long has my soul dwelt among those who hate peace.7. I am for peace, but when I speak, they are for war.
Chapter 121
This psalm alludes to the Lower Paradise, from which one ascends to the Higher Paradise. It also speaks of how God watches over us.
Chapter 122
The psalmist sings the praises of Jerusalem and tells of the miracles that happened there.
1. A song of ascents by David. I rejoiced when they said to me, "Let us go to the House of the Lord.”2. Our feet were standing within your gates, O Jerusalem;3. Jerusalem that is built like a city in which [all Israel] is united together.4. For there the tribes went up, the tribes of God-as enjoined upon Israel-to offer praise to the Name of the Lord.5. For there stood the seats of justice, the thrones of the house of David.6. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem; may those who love you have peace.7. May there be peace within your walls, serenity within your mansions.8. For the sake of my brethren and friends, I ask that there be peace within you.9. For the sake of the House of the Lord our God, I seek your well-being.
Chapter 123
The psalmist laments the length of time we have already suffered in exile.
1. A song of ascents. To You have I lifted my eyes, You Who are enthroned in heaven.2. Indeed, as the eyes of servants are turned to the hand of their masters, as the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress, so are our eyes turned to the Lord our God, until He will be gracious to us.3. Be gracious to us, Lord, be gracious to us, for we have been surfeited with humiliation.4. Our soul has been overfilled with the derision of the complacent, with the scorn of the arrogant.
Chapter 124
1. A song of ascents by David. Were it not for the Lord Who was with us-let Israel declare-2. were it not for the Lord Who was with us when men rose up against us,3. then they would have swallowed us alive in their burning rage against us.4. Then the waters would have inundated us, the torrent would have swept over our soul;5. then the raging waters would have surged over our soul.6. Blessed is the Lord, Who did not permit us to be prey for their teeth.7. Our soul is like a bird which has escaped from the fowler's snare; the snare broke and we escaped.8. Our help is in the Name of the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.
Chapter 125
1. A song of ascents. Those who trust in the Lord are as Mount Zion which never falters, but abides forever.2. Mountains surround Jerusalem, and the Lord surrounds His people from this time and forever.3. For the rod of wickedness will never come to rest upon the lot of the righteous; therefore the righteous need not stretch their hand to iniquity.4. Be beneficent, O Lord, to the good and to those who are upright in their hearts.5. But as for those that turn to their perverseness, may the Lord lead them with the workers of iniquity. Peace be upon Israel.
Chapter 126
The psalmist speaks of the future, comparing our Divine service in exile to one who sows arid land, then cries and begs God to send rain upon it so that the seed not be wasted. When he merits to reap the crop, he offers thanks to God.
1. A song of ascents. When the Lord will return the exiles of Zion, we will have been like dreamers.2. Then our mouth will be filled with laughter, and our tongue with songs of joy; then will they say among the nations, "The Lord has done great things for these.”3. The Lord has done great things for us; we were joyful.4. Lord, return our exiles as streams to arid soil.5. Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy.6. He goes along weeping, carrying the bag of seed; he will surely return with songs of joy, carrying his sheaves.
Chapter 127
King David instructs his generation, and especially his son Solomon, to be sure that all one's actions be for the sake of Heaven. He also criticizes those who toil day and night in pursuit of a livelihood.
1. A song of ascents for Solomon. If the Lord does not build a house, then its builders labor upon it in vain. If the Lord will not guard a city, the vigilance of its watchman is in vain.2. It is in vain for you, you who rise early, who sit up late, and who eat the bread of tension, for in fact He gives His loved ones sleep.3. Behold, the heritage of the Lord is children; the fruit of the womb is a reward.4. As arrows in the hand of a mighty man, so are the children of youth.5. Fortunate is the man who has his quiver full of them; they will not find themselves shamed when they speak with enemies in public places.
Chapter 128
This psalm extols one who enjoys the fruits of his own labor, avoiding theft and deception, even refusing gifts. It also describes behavior appropriate to the God-fearing.
1. A song of ascents. Fortunate is every man who fears the Lord, who walks in His ways.2. When you eat of the labor of your hands, you will be happy, and you will have goodness.3. Your wife will be like a fruitful vine in the inner chambers of your house; your children will be like olive saplings around your table.4. Behold, so will be blessed the man who fears the Lord.5. May the Lord bless you out of Zion, and may you see the goodness of Jerusalem all the days of your life.6. And may you see children [born] to your children; peace upon Israel.
Chapter 129
The psalmist laments the troubles of Israel.
1. A song of ascents. Much have they persecuted me from my youth on. Let Israel declare it now-2. "Much have they persecuted me from my youth on, [but] they have not prevailed against me.”3. The plowmen plowed upon my back; they wished to make their furrow long.4. But the Lord is just; He cut the cords of the lawless.5. They will be humiliated and will be turned back, all the haters of Zion.6. They will be as grass upon the rooftops that withers before one plucks it,7. wherewith the reaper has never filled his hand, nor the sheaf-binder his arm;8. and of which the passers-by never have said: "The blessing of the Lord be upon you; we bless you in the name of the Lord."
Chapter 130
The psalmist prays for an end to this long exile.
1. A song of ascents. Out of the depths I call to You, O Lord.2. My Lord, hearken to my voice; let Your ears be attentive to the sound of my pleas.3. God, if You were to preserve iniquities, my Lord, who could survive?4. But forgiveness is with You, that You may be held in awe.5. I hope in the Lord; my soul hopes, and I long for His word.6. My soul yearns for the Lord more than those awaiting the morning wait for the morning.7. Israel, put your hope in the Lord, for with the Lord there is kindness; with Him there is abounding deliverance.8. And He will redeem Israel from all its iniquities.
Chapter 131
In this prayer, David declares that never in the course of his life was he haughty, nor did he pursue greatness or worldly pleasures.
1. A song of ascents, by David. O Lord, my heart was not proud, nor were my eyes haughty; I did not seek matters that were too great and too wondrous for me.2. Surely I put my soul at peace and soothed it like a weaned child with his mother; my soul was like a weaned child.3. Let Israel hope in the Lord from this time forth and forever.
Chapter 132
David composed this psalm while he and the elders of Israel wore sackcloth, in mourning over the plague that had descended upon the land, and their being distant from the Holy Temple. David therefore offers intense prayers, entreating God to remember the hardship and sacrifice he endured for the sake of the Temple.
1. A song of ascents. O Lord, remember unto David all his suffering,2. how he swore to the Lord, and vowed to the Mighty Power of Jacob:3. "I will not enter into the tent of my house; I will not go up into the bed that is spread for me;4. I will not give sleep to my eyes, nor slumber to my eyelids;5. until I will have found a place for the Lord, a resting place for the Mighty Power of Jacob.”6. Lo, we heard of it in Ephrath; we found it in the field of the forest.7. We will come to His resting places; we will prostrate ourselves at His footstool.8. Ascend, O Lord, to Your resting place, You and the Ark of Your might.9. May Your priests clothe themselves in righteousness, and may Your pious ones sing joyous songs.10. For the sake of David Your servant, turn not away the face of Your anointed.11. For the Lord has sworn to David a truth from which He will never retreat: "From the fruit of your womb will I set for you upon the throne.12. If your sons will keep My covenant and this testimony of mine which I will teach them, then their sons, too, will sit on the throne for you until the end of time.13. For the Lord has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His habitation.14. This is My resting place to the end of time. Here will I dwell, for I have desired it.15. I will abundantly bless her sustenance; I will satisfy her needy with bread.16. I will clothe her priests with salvation, and her pious ones will sing joyous songs.17. There I will cause David's power to flourish; there I have prepared a lamp for My anointed.18. His enemies will I clothe with shame, but upon him, his crown will blossom."
Chapter 133
1. A song of ascents, by David. Behold, how good and how pleasant it is when brothers dwell together.2. Like the precious oil [placed] upon the head, flowing [in abundance] down the beard, the beard of Aaron which rests upon his garments.3. Like the dew of Hermon which comes down upon the mountains of Zion, for there the Lord has commanded blessing, life unto eternity.
Chapter 134
The psalmist exhorts the scholarly and pious to rise from their beds at night, and go to the House of God.
1. A song of ascents. Behold: Bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord who stand in the House of the Lord in the nights.2. Lift up your hands in holiness and bless the Lord.3. May the Lord, Who makes heaven and earth, bless you from Zion.
Tanya: Likutei Amarim, middle of Chapter 52
• Lessons in Tanya
• Shabbat, Iyar 27, 5775 · May 16, 2015
Today's Tanya Lesson
Likutei Amarim, middle of Chapter 52
אבל השכינה עצמה, שהיא ראשית הגילוי ועיקרו, מה שאין סוף ברוך הוא מאיר לעולמות בבחינת גילוי, והיא מקור כל המשכות החיות שבכל העולמות
But as for the Shechinah itself, namely, the origin and core of the manifestation whereby the blessed Ein Sof illumines the Worlds in a revealed form and which is the source of all streams of vitality in the Worlds,
שכל החיות שבהם אינו רק אור המתפשט ממנה כאור המתפשט מהשמש
(1their entire vitality being no more than the light which is diffused from it like the light radiated from the sun), —
אי אפשר לעולמות לסבול ולקבל אור שכינתה, שתשכון ותתלבש בתוכם ממש, בלא לבוש המעלים ומסתיר אורה מהם
concerning the Shechinah itself, the source of all vitality for the worlds: the worlds cannot endure or receive the light of this Shechinah, that it might actually dwell and enclothe itself in them, without a “garment” to screen and conceal its light from them,
שלא יתבטלו במציאות לגמרי במקורם, כביטול אור השמש במקורו בגוף השמש, שאין נראה שם אור זה, רק עצם גוף השמש בלבד
so that they may not become entirely nullified and lose their identity within their source, just as the light of the sun is nullified in its source, namely, in the sun itself — where this light cannot be seen, but only the integral mass of the sun itself.
So, too, since the Shechinah is the source of vitality of the whole of creation, all of which receives but a ray of the Shechinah, then if the Shechinah itself — the actual source — would be manifest, all created beings would be nullified in that source. Their situation would be exactly similar to the sun’s rays as they are found within the orb of the sun, where they are completely nullified.
In order for the Shechinah to dwell within the Worlds and their creatures, there must therefore be a “garment” which serves to conceal its light. Only then can creation receive theShechinah and not be nullified out of existence.
But what manner of “garment” can possibly conceal the Shechinah and yet itself not be affected by it, so that it, too, will not become nullified? Since the Shechinah is the source of allcreation, it is of course the source of the concealing “garment” too.
In other words: If the Shechinah is manifest in the “garment”, i.e., if the garment is enveloped by its source, then it follows that it should be nullified out of existence, just as the sun’s rays cease to exist within the body of the sun. In effect, this would make the “garment” cease serving as a “garment” to conceal the Shechinah.
The Alter Rebbe anticipates this question by stating that the “garment” is G‑d’s Will and wisdom, which are enclothed in Torah and the mitzvot. Since this “garment” belongs to a plane even higher than (the source of the world’s vitality known as) the Shechinah, it is not nullified by it.
However, asks the Rebbe, according to this explanation the question becomes even stronger: If creation cannot receive the light of the Shechinah, then surely it cannot receive the light of the “garment” which is even higher than the Shechinah.
This, the Rebbe says, is answered by the Alter Rebbe when he says, “only that it has descended by means of obscuring gradations.” This means to say: Since G‑d’s Will and wisdom as found in Torah and the mitzvot “descended” in the gradations of the Worlds, being able to clothe themselves even in material things, they therefore can serve as a “garment” to conceal the light of the Shechinah.
We now understand why the “garment” itself is not nullified by the light of the Shechinah,as well as how created beings can receive this “garment” within themselves, for it is none other than G‑d’s Will and wisdom which He enclothed in Torah and the mitzvot — as shall presently be explained.
ומהו הלבוש שיוכל להסתירה ולהלבישה ולא יתבטל במציאות באורה, הוא רצונו יתברך וחכמתו וכו׳ המלובשים בתורה ומצותיה, הנגלית לנו ולבנינו
But what is this “garment” which is able to conceal and clothe it (the Shechinah)yet will not itself be completely nullified within its light? — This is His blessed Will and wisdom, and so forth (“and so forth” referring to the levels of Binah and Daatwhich are part of “intelligence” Above, as mentioned earlier), which are clothed in the Torah and its mitzvot that are revealed to us and our children,
Why are G‑d’s Will and wisdom and so forth able to act as a concealing “garment” for the light of the Shechinah without themselves being nullified by it?
דאורייתא מחכמה נפקת, היא חכמה עילאה, דלעילא לעילא מעלמא דאתגליא
for “the Torah issues from wisdom,” namely Chochmah Ila‘ah (“Supernal Wisdom,” which is the level of Chochmah of Atzilut), that is immeasurably higher than the world of manifestation (which is the Shechinah),
As mentioned earlier, Shechinah refers to the initial stage of revelation, for which reason it is called the “world of manifestation.” Since Chochmah Ila‘ah is entirely beyond the pale of revelation it is therefore immeasurably higher than the Shechinah.
דאיהו חכים ולא בחכמה ידיעה וכו׳
for “He is wise,” with the wisdom of Chochmah of Atzilut, “but not with a knowable wisdom,” and so forth.
וכמו שנתבאר לעיל, שאור אין סוף ברוך הוא מלובש ומיוחד בחכמה עילאה, והוא יתברך וחכמתו אחד
And as has previously been explained, the [infinite] light of the blessed Ein Sofis clothed in and united with the Supernal Wisdom — and He and His wisdom are One.
Thus, Chochmah as well as the other levels of Divine “intelligence” (such as Binah andDaat) are far superior to the level of the light of the Shechinah. They are therefore able to serve as a “garment” concealing the Shechinah, without being nullified by its light. But how can Divine “intelligence” serve as a “garment”, and how can created beings accept this garment when it is in fact loftier than the Shechinah itself? The Alter Rebbe now answers this question.
רק שירדה בסתר המדרגות ממדריגה למדריגה בהשתלשלות העולמות, עד שנתלבשה בדברים גשמיים, שהן תרי״ג מצות התורה
— Only this is because it (Supernal Wisdom and the Torah2) has descended by means of obscuring gradations, from a higher grade to a lower grade, with the descent of the Worlds, until it (the Torah) has clothed itself in material things, namely, the 613 commandments of the Torah.
| FOOTNOTES | |
| 1. | Parentheses are in the original text. |
| 2. | The Rebbe notes: “Possibly this alludes only to Torah. See above, ch. 4, where exactly the same expression is used. See also beginning of ch. 53: ‘The Supernal Wisdom of Atzilut, which is the totality of the Torah.’ — This matter requires further investigation.” |
• Sefer Hamitzvos:Shabbat, Iyar 27, 5775 · May 16, 2015
Today's Mitzvah
A daily digest of Maimonides’ classic work "Sefer Hamitzvot"
Positive Commandment 33
The Priestly Garments
"And you shall make holy clothes for Aaron your brother, for honor and for beauty"—Exodus 28:2.
The kohanim (priests) are commanded to don special priestly vestments – four special garments for the regular priest, eight for the high priest – before serving in the Holy Temple.
Though these clothing were stunningly beautiful, inlaid with gold and precious gems, the priest is enjoined not to take personal pleasure from them. Rather he should wear then solely because this is G‑d's command.
The Priestly Garments
Positive Commandment 33
Translated by Berel Bell
The 33rd mitzvah is that the kohanim are commanded to don special garments for dignity and beauty, and only thereafter to serve in the Temple.
The sources of this commandment are G‑d's statements1 (exalted be He), "Make sacred garments for dignity and beauty for your brother Aaron"; "Bring forth his [i.e. Aaron's] sons and dress them with the tunics."
The priestly garments referred to are the eight worn by the kohen gadol and the four worn by a regular kohen. The kohen's service in the Temple is invalid in any case where he did so wearing either fewer or more than the garments designated for him2 for that service.
The kohen who performs the service lacking the proper garments3 receives misah bidei Shamayim (a Heavenly death sentence). Accordingly, we see him listed in the end of tractate Sanhedrin4 among those who receive this punishment.
Scripture does not state this explicitly, but states,5 "You shall dress them with belts [and with hats]...and with this they shall be kohanim." Our Sages explain6 that "As long as the kohanim wear their garments, their priesthood is intact, but when they are not wearing their garments, it is as if they are not kohanim." As we will explain later,7 a non-kohen who serves in the Temple receives a [Divine] death sentence.8
The Sifra says regarding the verse,9 "And he placed upon him the breastplate": "This passage teaches us the law for that time and for all subsequent generations; for the daily service and for Yom Kippur. For the daily service he wears the garments that contain gold, and for the service of Yom Kippur he wears the white [linen] garments."
We can see from the wording of [another passage of] the Sifra that the wearing of these garments is counted as a positive commandment. It states,10 "Which verse teaches us that Aaron should not wear these garments for his own glory, but rather as one who fulfills the king's decree? The verse,11 'And he did exactly as G‑d commanded Moshe.' " This means that although these garments are exquisitely beautiful — made of gold, emeralds, rubies, and other precious stones — his intention should not be to adorn himself, but solely to fulfill the commandment given by G‑d to Moshe, i.e. to constantly wear these garments in the Temple.
The details of this mitzvah are explained in the 2nd chapter of tractate Zevachim,12 and a number of passages in tractates Yoma13 and Sukkah.14
FOOTNOTES
1.Ex. 28:2; 29:8.
2.See Kapach, 5731, footnote 79, that this refers to the linen garments worn by the kohen gadol. The Rav Kook version omitted the Hebrew word, lo, and Chavel therefore translated, "appointed for that particular service."
3.Or who wears extra garments; see Hilchos Klei HaMikdash 10:5.
4.83b.
5.Ex. 29:9.
6.Sanhedrin, ibid.
7.N74.
8.Therefore a kohen who lacks the proper garments is considered like a non-kohen, and is punishable by death.
9.Lev. 8:8.
10.Sifra on Lev. 8:10.
11.Lev. 16:34.
12.18a.
13.71b.
14.5a.
Negative Commandment 88
Tearing the Edge of the High Priest's Robe
"It shall have [an opening] like the opening of a coat of armor; it shall not be torn"—Exodus 28:32.
It is forbidden to tear the opening at the top (i.e., the collar) of the high priest's robe. For this reason also this opening was hemmed [so that the threads shouldn't unravel].
Tearing the Edge of the High Priest's Robe
Negative Commandment 88
Translated by Berel Bell
The 88th prohibition is that we are forbidden from cutting the head-opening of the kohen gadol's robe. It must remain woven to serve as a border.
The source of this prohibition is G‑d's statement1 (exalted be He), "[It shall have an opening for the head in the middle, and this opening shall have a woven border all around it] like there is around the head opening of a coat of mail. Do not cut it."
One who cuts it with scissors, etc.2 is punished by lashes.
FOOTNOTES
1.Ex. 28:32.
2.See Hilchos Klei HaMikdash 9:3. Kesef Mishneh, ibid. Sefer Hadres Panim Zakein.
Negative Commandment 87
Detaching the High Priest's Breastplate from the Apron
"That the breast plate be not loosed from the apron"—Exodus 28:28.
It is forbidden to detach the high priest's breastplate from his ephod (the inverted apron he wore that covered his back).
Detaching the High Priest's Breastplate from the Apron
Negative Commandment 87
Translated by Berel Bell
The 87th prohibition is that we are forbidden from separating the breastplate [of the kohen gadol] from the ephod.
The source of this prohibition is G‑d's statement1 (exalted be He), "Do not separate the breastplate from the ephod" — instead, leave it attached.
In the end of tractate Makkos,2 when listing those who are punished by lashes, our Sages also said, "But there is also one who separates the breastplate, as prohibited by the verse, 'Do not separate the breastplate'!" This proves that one who does separate [the breastplate from the ephod in a destructive manner3] is punished by lashes.
FOOTNOTES
1.Ex. 28:28.
2.22a.
3.See Hilchos Klei HaMikdash 9:10.
Negative Commandment 73
Serving While Inebriated
"Do not drink wine or strong drink...when you enter the Tent of Meeting...and when you teach the children of Israel"—Leviticus 10:8-11.
It is forbidden to enter the Holy Temple or to issue a halachic ruling while inebriated—whether from wine or any other intoxicating beverage.
Serving While Inebriated
Serving While Inebriated
Negative Commandment 73
Translated by Berel Bell
The 73rd prohibition is that we are forbidden from either entering the Temple grounds or giving a legal decision in any law of the Torah when intoxicated.
The source of this prohibition is G‑d's statement1 (exalted be He), "You [and your descendants] may not drink wine or any other intoxicant when you enter the ohel moed ...or when you render legal decisions for the Jewish people...." In the words of the Talmud,2 "If he drank a revi'is,3 he may not render a decision."
The punishment for violating this commandment varies according to the circumstances. One who drank wine may not enter the area between the entrance hall (ulam) and the altar or into the sanctuary itself (heichal); if he did so, the punishment is lashes. If he performed the Temple service when intoxicated, he receives misah bidei Shamayim (a Heavenly death sentence). If he drank something intoxicating other than wine4 and performed Temple service, his punishment is lashes rather than death. One who offers a legal decision when intoxicated also violates this prohibition, whether he is a kohen or non-kohen; whether intoxicated from wine or some other intoxicant.
The Sifra [states this distinction in punishments]: "From the words 'You may not drink wine' I know only that wine is forbidden. What is the source for prohibiting other intoxicants? It is the word v'sheichar ['or any other intoxicant']. If so, why is wine mentioned separately? [To indicate that it has a different punishment —] for wine one is punished by death, and for other intoxicants it is only a prohibition [punished by lashes]."
There [in the Sifra] our Sages also say, "What is the source for the law that one is punished [by death] only when performing the Temple service? It is the verse,5 'You and your descendants [may not drink wine or any other intoxicant] when you enter the ohel moed [— otherwise you will die.]' "6
There [in the Sifra] our Sages also say, "You might think that non-kohanim are punished by death for rendering legal decisions [when intoxicated] — therefore the verse says that 'You and your descendants...otherwise you will die.' You and your descendants [i.e. kohanim] are punished by death [for performing service], but non-kohanim are not punished by death for rendering legal decisions [while intoxicated]."
The details of this mitzvah are explained in the 4th chapter of tractate Kerisus.7
FOOTNOTES
1.Lev. 10:9-11.
2.Nazir 78a.
3.Approximately 86 milliliters.
4.See Hilchos Bi'as HaMikdash 1:2.
5.Lev. 10:9.
6.The Sifra adds that this verse shares the phrase, "enter the ohel moed," with the verse regarding a kohen serving in the Temple without washing his hands and feet (Exodus. 30:20). Since that verse states specifically, "when he serves," the Sifra derives that here too it is referring to when he performs the Temple service. See P24.
7.13b. In our versions, the 3rd chapter.
Negative Commandment 163
Priests Entering the Holy Temple with Unkempt Hair
"Do not let the hair of your heads grow long"—Leviticus 10:6.
The kohanim (priests) are enjoined not to enter the Holy Temple while disheveled with unkempt hair, as is the custom of mourners who don't comb and arrange their locks.
According to an alternate version in the Midrash, this prohibition bans a priest from growing [inordinately] long hair.
The high priest is always bound by this prohibition, even when not in the Holy Temple.
Priests Entering the Holy Temple with Unkempt Hair
Priests Entering the Holy Temple with Unkempt Hair
Negative Commandment 163
Translated by Berel Bell
The 163rd prohibition is that kohanim are forbidden from entering the Temple grounds with disheveled [long] hair like those in mourning, who do not set or arrange their hair.
The source of this prohibition is G‑d's statement1 (exalted be He) [to Aaron and his sons,] "Your heads al tif'rau." The Targum translates, "Do not grow your hair." In Ezekiel,2 this is further explained — "Do not allow your hair to grow long."
So too, G‑d's statement3 (exalted be He), regarding the leper, "His head shall be farua," is explained in Sifra, "he must grow his hair."4
The Sifra [explains our mitzvah in the same way], "The phrase, 'Your heads al tif'rau,' refers to not growing it long."
This prohibition is repeated regarding the kohen gadol in the verse,5 "He may not allow his hair to grow long." The reason for this repetition is so one would not think that the commandment to Elazar and Isamar,6 "Do not grow your hair long" ("Your heads al tif'rau") was only because of the death [of their brothers Nadav and Avihu, and that growing their hair was prohibited because otherwise people would think they were mourning]; but if one did so without mourning, then it is allowed. Therefore it explains regarding the kohen gadol that his hair must be cut for the Temple service [even when he is not mourning].
One who transgresses this prohibition and performs the service with long hair is punished by a [Divine] death sentence. Those [who perform the service] with long hair are listed7 among, "these are punished by death," the source being the verse,8 "otherwise you will die."
If, however, one enters the Temple grounds with long hair without performing any service, he transgresses this prohibition but is not punished by death.
FOOTNOTES
1.Lev. 10:6.
2.44:20.
3.Lev. 13:45.
4.Although there the mitzvah is the opposite, i.e. to grow the hair, we nevertheless can learn the meaning of the word, farua.
5.Lev. 21:10.
6.Ibid., 10:6.
7.See Tosefta, Kerisus, Ch.1 and Zevachim Ch.12; Sanhedrin 83a.
8.Lev. 10:6.
Negative Commandment 164
Priests Entering the Holy Temple Clad in Torn Clothes
"Neither rend your clothes, and you shall not die"—Leviticus 10:6.
The kohanim (priests) are enjoined not to the Holy Temple with torn garments [as is the custom of mourners].
The high priest is always bound by this prohibition, even when not in the Holy Temple.
Priests Entering the Holy Temple Clad in Torn Clothes
Priests Entering the Holy Temple Clad in Torn Clothes
Negative Commandment 164
Translated by Berel Bell
The 164th prohibition is that kohanim are forbidden from entering the Temple grounds when their garments are torn.
The source of this prohibition is G‑d's statement,1 "Your garments lo sifromu; otherwise you will die." The Sifra explains, "The phrase, 'Your garments lo sifromu,' means 'Do not tear your garments.' "
This commandment is also repeated regarding the kohen gadol in the verse,2 "He may not tear his garments."
You should be aware that the kohen gadol may not tear his clothing in mourning [as others do] even when not performing the Temple service. This is the reason for the repetition. The Sifra says,3 "If his relative dies, 'he may not grow his hair long and he may not tear his garments,' i.e. in the same way that others grow their hair and tear their clothing when one of their relatives dies. How [is the tearing done]? The kohen gadol tears from the bottom [of the garment] and a regular kohen from the top [as is regularly done]."One who performs the Temple service with torn garments is punished by a [Divine] death sentence, since the same law applies to both long hair and torn garments. [Therefore,] if one enters the Temple grounds in this condition, he [merely] transgresses a prohibition [but is not punished by death].
Only the kohen gadol is forbidden from growing his hair long and tearing his garments at all times, even without entering the Temple grounds. In this law, this is the difference between him and a regular kohen.
FOOTNOTES
1.Ibid.
2.Ibid., 21:10.
3.Emor 2:3.
Shevitat Yom Tov - Chapter Four
Halacha 1
We may not ignite a flame from wood, from stone, or from metal - i.e., by rubbing these surfaces against each other or striking them against each other until a spark is created. Similarly, we may not shake combustible gas which resembles water and can be ignited by shaking it. [Similarly, we may not take] a clear but firm utensil or a glass filled with water and position it in the rays of the sun so that it will radiate light on flax or the like and ignite it. All these and [any] similar activities are forbidden on a holiday.
[Our Sages] permitted kindling a flame only from an existing flame. To ignite a fire is forbidden, because it is possible to ignite the fire before the holiday.1
Halacha 2
Although kindling a flame on a holiday is permitted even when there is no necessity,2 it is forbidden to extinguish a fire. [This applies] even to a fire that is necessary to be kindled for the sake of the preparation of food. For extinguishing [a flame] is a [forbidden] labor, and it is not at all necessary for the preparation of food.3
Just as one may not extinguish a fire, one may not extinguish a candle.4 A person who extinguishes [on a holiday] should be [punished by] lashes just like one who weaves or builds.
Halacha 3
It is forbidden to lift the opening of a lamp upward so that it will be extinguished, nor may one remove oil from it, nor may one cut off the top of the wick with a utensil.5 One may, however, flick the top of the wick with one's hand [to remove the charred portion].6
When a bundle of wood has been lit in a fire, it is permitted to remove any piece of wood that did not catch fire.7 This does not resemble removing oil from a lamp.
Halacha 4
It is forbidden to extinguish a fire to save one's money on a holiday, just as extinguishing it on the Sabbath is forbidden. Instead, one should abandon [the burning possessions].8
We may not extinguish a candle [so that it will be permitted to engage in] sexual relations.9 Instead, one should cover it with a utensil,10 erect a partition,11 or carry it to another room. If none of these alternatives is feasible, it is forbidden to extinguish the candle and it is forbidden to engage in relations until the candle burns out.12
Halacha 5
One may carry a candle while it is burning. [Our Sages] did not impose a decree against this lest it become extinguished. It is forbidden to place a candle on a palm tree or the like on a holiday,13 lest one come to make use of an object that is still [growing in the ground] on a holiday.
Halacha 6
We may not burn incense on a holiday, for by doing so one extinguishes.14[This restriction applies even] when one desires to smell [its fragrance]. Surely this is true when one's intent is to impart a fragrance to one's house or one's clothes.
It is permitted to smoke produce so that it will be fit to eat, just as it is permitted to roast meat over a fire. One may sweeten mustard using a glowing piece of metal, but one may not use a piece of charred wood for that purpose, because in the process one extinguishes.15
It is forbidden to extinguish a fire so that one's food or one's house will not become smoky.16
Halacha 7
We may not blow [on a fire] with a bellows on a holiday, so that we do not follow a craftsman's practice.17 One may, however, blow with a tube.
We may not make charcoal. Nor may we braid wicks, singe them, or cut them in two with a utensil. One may, however, squeeze [a wick until it becomes firmer] by hand. [Similarly, one may] soak it in oil,18 and one may place it between two lamps [with one end in each], and light it in the middle, thus causing the wick to be divided for each of the lamps.
Halacha 8
It is forbidden to break an earthenware shard or cut a piece of papyrus over which to roast [fish].19 One may not break a reed to use as a spit with which to roast salted [meat or fish]. When a spit has become bent, fixing it is forbidden, even when one can straighten it with one's hands.20
When two utensils have been attached from the time they were originally fashioned - e.g., two lamps or two cups21 - it is forbidden to break them into two, since by doing so one makes a utensil fit for use.
Halacha 9
We may not sharpen a knife with a sharpener.22 One may, however, whet it on wood, on a shard, or on a stone. This law should not be publicized, lest [the indiscriminate] come to sharpen it using a sharpener.23
When does the above apply? When one is able to [use the knife to] cut with difficulty, or if it was nicked. If, however, one is unable to use it to cut at all, one may not even whet it on wood, lest one come to sharpen it using a sharpener.
For this reason, it is forbidden to give a knife to a sage to inspect on a holiday, lest he detect a nick and therefore forbid the use of the knife for slaughtering, and as a result the person will sharpen the knife with a sharpener. If a sage has inspected his own knife, he may lend it to an unlearned person.24
Halacha 10
We may not chop trees on a holiday using an axe, a sickle, or a saw. [One may use] only a butcher's mace,25 employing its sharp side. One may not employ its wider side, because that is like an axe.
Why did the Sages forbid using an axe and the like? So that one will not follow one's weekday practice, for it is possible for a person to chop wood on the day prior to the holiday.
Why didn't the Sages forbid chopping wood entirely? Because it is possible that a person will find a particularly thick log that will not catch fire,26 and therefore he will be prevented from cooking. Therefore, they permitted him to chop the wood in an atypical manner. In all similar instances, it was for such reasons that [the Sages] permitted whatever they permitted and forbade whatever they forbade.
Halacha 11
A woman should not walk among piles of wood to look for a branch [appropriate to use as a spit] for roasting.27 One may not support a pot or a door with a block of wood, for carrying wood on a holiday was permitted solely for the purpose of kindling.
Halacha 12
Halacha 13
Utensils made of detachable parts - e.g., candelabra made up of several pieces or a chair or table made up of pieces - may be constructed on a holiday provided one does not firmly attach the pieces.32 [This is permissible] because the forbidden labor of building does not apply to utensils.
It is permitted to stack stones to use as a toilet. [Stacking them creates] only a temporary structure, and because of respect for human dignity [the Sages] did not institute any restrictions [regarding this matter].
Halacha 14
When a person who makes a fire on a holiday sets up the wood, he should not place one log on top of the other in an orderly fashion, for this looks like building. Although this is merely a temporary structure, it is forbidden.33 Instead, he should either unload all the logs in disarray, or arrange them in order using an irregular manner.
What is implied? One should place a log on top and then place another below it, and then another even lower, until one reaches the ground.
Halacha 15
Similarly, with regard to a pot, one should hold [the pot] and place the stones [to be used as a tripod] beneath it. One may not place the pot on the stones. Similarly, when erecting a bed one should hold the boards above, and place the legs under them. Even when stacking eggs, one should not stack one row above another row until one has erected a tower. Instead, one should depart from one's regular pattern and build from the top downward. Similarly, all other comparable situations require a departure from the norm.34
Halacha 16
We are permitted to remove fleas that attach themselves to the skin of an animal, although this causes a wound.35 We may not, however, deliver an animal on a holiday,36 but we may help [the mother] give birth.
What is implied? We may hold the calf so that it will not fall on the ground, blow into its nostrils,37 and place [its mother's] teat in its mouth. If it is a kosher animal and its mother has rejected it, we may pour her afterbirth over it and place a block of salt in her womb,38 so that she will respond mercifully to it. It is forbidden to do this for a non-kosher animal [that has rejected the animal which it has borne], for the activity is of no avail.39
Halacha 17
When a utensil becomes impure on the day prior to the holiday, it is forbidden to immerse it on the holiday, lest [this leniency cause him] to leave it in a state of impurity [until the holiday].40 If, however, it is necessary for the person to immerse the water in [an impure] vessel, he may immerse the vessel together with its water, without any qualms.41
It is permitted to immerse a utensil that was ritually pure with regard to terumah, so that one could use it for sacrificial foods. The same applies with regard to other immersions, which are required to ascend to a higher level of ritual purity.42
Halacha 18
When a utensil becomes impure on a holiday, it may be immersed on the holiday.43 When a utensil becomes impure as a result of contact with liquids that are a secondary source of impurity, the utensil may be immersed on the holiday, because according to Scriptural law it is ritually pure, as will be explained in the appropriate place.44
We may draw water [from a well] with a bucket that is ritually impure, although it becomes ritually pure in the process.45
A woman who is impure because of menstrual bleeding and who has no pure clothes [into which] to change [after her immersion] may act with guile and immerse herself in her clothes.46
Halacha 19
Our Sages forbade many activities on a holiday as a decree, [instituted] lest people become involved in commercial activity.47
What is implied? At the outset, one should not set a price for an animal on a holiday. Instead, one should bring two animals of equal value, and slaughter one of them and divide the meat among [the interested parties]. On the following day, the price should be established by [evaluating] the second animal. Each of the parties should pay according to the portion they took.
When these parties divide [the meat] among themselves, they should not say, "I will take a sela's worth. Take two selaim worth yourselves," for it is forbidden to mention money at all. Instead, one should take a third of the animal, another a fourth, [dividing it in fractional portions].48
Halacha 20
When they divide [the meat], they should not weigh it on a scale, for a scale should not be used at all [on a holiday].49 Indeed, when a scale is hanging, it is forbidden to place meat on it to protect [the meat] from [being taken by] mice, because it appears as if one were weighing meat on a scale.
An experienced butcher may not weigh meat by hand.50 Nor may one weigh [meat] using a container filled with water.51
We may not cast lots for portions [of meat]. We may, however, cast lots for sacrificial meat on a holiday in order to encourage endearment for the mitzvot.52
Halacha 21
A person should not tell a butcher, "Give me a dinar's worth of meat." Instead, he should say, "Give me a portion" or "...half a portion." On the following day, they should reckon its worth.
Similarly, a person should not take a [specific] measure or weight [of goods] from a storekeeper. What should he do instead? He should tell the storekeeper, "Fill this container for me," and on the following day he should pay him for its value. Even if it is a container that is used for measuring, he may fill it, provided he does not mention any [specific] measure.53
Halacha 22
A chef54 may measure spices and add them to a dish so that the food will not spoil. A housewife, by contrast, should not measure55 [the quantity of] flour [to use] for dough,56 nor should a man measure the barley groats he places before his animal. Instead, he should approximate [the appropriate amount], and give that to it.
Halacha 23
It is permitted to take a specific number of eggs and nuts from a storekeeper.57The same is true for other similar products, provided one does not mention money or the sum of his account.
What is meant by "the sum of his account"? When a person owes [a storekeeper] for ten pomegranates or ten nuts, he should not tell him on a holiday, "Give me ten more so that I will owe you for twenty." Instead, he should take the [second ten] without any comment and make a reckoning on the following day.
Halacha 24
Halacha 25
We may sue [for the payment of] a loan60 granted on a holiday in a court of law. For if no suit could be brought, no one would ever give [a borrower] anything, and he would be prevented from celebrating on the holiday.
Halacha 26
Although it is forbidden to separate terumah or the tithes on a holiday,61 if a person has terumah or tithes that he had separated on the previous day, he is permitted to bring them to a priest on the holiday. Needless to say, [it is permitted] to bring challah, and the foreleg, the jaw, and the maw [of an animal that is slaughtered]62 to a priest on a holiday.63
Collectors for a charitable fund may collect [food] from courtyards on holidays. They should not, however, announce [their presence] as they do during the week. Instead, they should make their appeal in a modest manner, [the donations] should be given them, and then they should distribute them to every neighborhood separately.
| FOOTNOTES | |
| 1. |
See Chapter 1, Halachah 5. The Ra'avad differs with the rationale quoted by the Rambam. He states that a flame ignited on a holiday is forbidden because of the prohibitions of nolad, for there is no way that one could have designated it for use before the holiday.
Although the wording of Beitzah 33b appears to support the Ra'avad, the Maggid Mishneh defends the Rambam's view. He also mentions a practical difference. According to the Rambam, if one erred and ignited a flame on a holiday, it would be permissible to make use of it, while according to the Ra'avad this would be forbidden. Shulchan Aruch HaRav 502:1 and the Mishnah Berurah502:4 permit the use of a flame that was ignited on a holiday.
|
| 2. |
Chapter 1, Halachah 4.
|
| 3. |
The Ramah follows the opinion of Rabbenu Asher and others, who state that when extinguishing a fire is necessary to provide one with food for the holidays - e.g., one's food has caught on fire - it is permitted. Although the Rambam's wording does not appear to allow for this leniency, the leniency is accepted by the later Ashkenazic authorities.
|
| 4. |
Although one may desire to extinguish a candle to sleep or for the reasons mentioned in Halachah 4, and doing so would thus contribute to one's holiday pleasure, it is nevertheless forbidden.
|
| 5. |
All these activities appear to be considered as commissions of the forbidden labor itself, and not merely Rabbinic safeguards.
|
| 6. |
The Ra'avad and others note that Beitzah 32b appears to indicate that it is permitted to remove the charred portion of the wick with a utensil as well. The wording of the Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chayim 514:10) leaves room for doubt with regard to which view is accepted. In practice, it is customary not to remove the charred portion of any wick - neither by hand nor with a utensil (Mishnah Berurah 514:47).
|
| 7. |
If, however, a piece of wood has already caught fire, it is forbidden to move it if one's intent is to extinguish it (Ramah, Orach Chayim 502:2).
|
| 8. |
The Ramah (Orach Chayim 514:1) allows a leniency: If a person has no other home, and sees his house being consumed by flames, he may put out the fire so that he will have a place to eat his festive meals. As mentioned in the notes on Hilchot Shabbat 12:3, it is customary at present to extinguish raging fires, because there is surely the possibility of a threat to life if they are left unchecked.
|
| 9. |
For it is forbidden to engage in sexual relations by the light of a candle (Hilchot Issurei Bi'ah21:10).
|
| 10. |
The intent is a utensil that will allow the candle to continue burning. It is forbidden to cover the candle with a utensil that will snuff it out.
|
| 11. |
This refers to an extension of a temporary partition. In such an instance, the prohibition is merely Rabbinic in origin. When the partition was opened at least a handbreadth before the commencement of the festival, there is no restriction at all (see Hilchot Shabbat 22:27).
|
| 12. |
Note the Chatam Sofer (Orach Chayim, Responsum 145), who questions the Rambam's intent in adding the last phrase.
|
| 13. |
For it is forbidden to use a tree on the Sabbath or festivals. See Hilchot Shabbat 21:6-8. From the wording of the Maggid Mishneh, it appears that, for this same reason, it is forbidden to leave a candle on a date palm before the commencement of the holiday, so that it will burn there on the holiday. The Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chayim 514:6) cites this law with that emphasis.
|
| 14. |
Beitzah 22b states that the incense first extinguishes some of the fire onto which it was placed, and then it catches fire itself and begins to burn. One might think that this would be permitted, because it brings pleasure to people. Nevertheless, our Sages ruled that it is only pleasure that is appreciated by all people - e.g., food - for which one is permitted to perform labor on a holiday, but not pleasure appreciated by only a minority, like fragrance.
|
| 15. |
This restriction was instituted because it was possible - and indeed, it was usual - to do this before the holiday. Concerning other produce, one may use charred wood to sweeten it, although one temporarily extinguishes the charred wood in the process (Mishnah Berurah 511:25).
|
| 16. |
The Ramah (Orach Chayim 514:1) allows one to extinguish the fire if there is no other alternative to saving one's food or the place in which one desires to eat one's festive meals.
|
| 17. |
This is one of the restrictions instituted so that one would not follow one's ordinary weekday practice.
|
| 18. |
Provided the oil is not in a lamp that is lit at that time (Ramah, Orach Chayim 514:9). If this were the case, one would be removing the lamp's fuel, and that is considered to be extinguishing.
|
| 19. |
In Talmudic times, it was common to soak a shard or papyrus in oil and then put it under the fish as a makeshift roasting pan, to prevent the fish from becoming charred (Rambam's Commentary on the Mishnah, Beitzah 4:5).
|
| 20. |
The Maggid Mishneh explains the Rambam's ruling as follows: There is a difference of opinion (Beitzah 28b) between the Sages and Rabbi Yehudah whether one is allowed to perform a forbidden labor to prepare articles that are auxiliaries to cooking on a holiday. When it is possible to prepare these auxiliaries before the holiday, all opinions agree that it is forbidden to do so on the holiday. When, as in the instance of the spit that became askew on the holiday itself, and it is only on the holiday that the auxiliary can be made fit for use, the Sages forbid doing so; Rabbi Yehudah maintains that this is permitted.
The Maggid Mishneh maintains that the Rambam rules according to the Sages' position. Others maintain that he accepts Rabbi Yehudah's view, but rules stringently because the Talmud states that one should not publicize the fact that the halachah follows Rabbi Yehudah.
The Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chayim 509:1) quotes the Rambam's ruling verbatim. The Ramah states that if it is impossible to use the spit at all while it is crooked, it may be straightened. He states, however, that this ruling should not publicized.
|
| 21. |
Potters would usually fashion cups and lamps in pairs and then break them in half before using them (Rambam's Commentary on the Mishnah, loc. cit.:4).
|
| 22. |
In his Commentary on the Mishnah (Beitzah 3:7), the Rambam defines a sharpener as a grinding stone.
|
| 23. |
Beitzah 28a associates this law with the difference of opinion between Rabbi Yehudah and the Sages mentioned in the notes on the previous halachah. There is, however, a difference of interpretation among the commentaries regarding the definition of these respective positions.
The Maggid Mishneh, who maintains that the Rambam does not accept Rabbi Yehudah's position at all, explains that this ruling follows the Sages' view. The Kessef Mishneh clarifies that according to this position, whetting the knife on wood or a shard is not considered grinding at all, and it is therefore permitted.
Others, however, explain that the Rambam is quoting the Talmud's view that accepts Rabbi Yehudah's position, but that the Rambam does not desire that the ruling be publicized. According to this view, even Rabbi Yehudah would not allow a knife to be sharpened using a sharpener, because this is a mundane activity, or for other similar reasons. The Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chayim 509:2) quotes the Rambam's ruling verbatim.
|
| 24. |
Needless to say, he himself may use it to slaughter. In Talmudic times, it was customary for a slaughterer to have a sage inspect his knife before using it. At present, the practice is that every slaughterer inspects his own knife. The inspection should be carried out before the holiday. If, however, this was not done, a slaughterer may inspect his knife on a holiday (Ramah, Orach Chayim 498:1).
|
| 25. |
Our translation is based on the Rambam's Commentary on the Mishnah (Beitzah 4:3). TheShulchan Aruch (Orach Chayim 501:1) states that at present, we are not certain what is meant by a butcher's mace. Hence, it is forbidden to chop wood with anything other than a knife.
|
| 26. |
The Maggid Mishneh states that one might infer from the Rambam's wording that it is forbidden to chop any wood that would burn without being chopped. This law is quoted by the Shulchan Aruch(loc. cit.:2).
|
| 27. |
Since it was not designated for that purpose on the previous day, its use is forbidden on the holiday (Maggid Mishneh, quoting the Rashba). Although our Sages allowed wood to be carried for the purpose of kindling without being designated before the holiday, this leniency was applied for that reason alone. When one desires to use wood for another purpose, one must designate it before the commencement of the holiday (Rabbenu Nissim, Shulchan Aruch HaRav 502:8).
|
| 28. |
This addition is made according to the interpretation of the Rashba (Beitzah 11b). Rashi interprets the term to be referring to the shutters of storefronts. Even according to his interpretation, this does not refer to a building attached to the ground.
|
| 29. |
Even though returning the shutter to its place is not for the sake of festive joy, our Sages permitted this, because otherwise the storekeepers would not desire to open their shops and run the risk of their wares being stolen (Beitzah 11b).
|
| 30. |
This would make one liable for building (Hilchot Shabbat 10:13). Most commentaries explain that the hinges cannot fit tightly. Rav Kapach, noting the Arabic wording used by the Rambam in his Commentary on the Mishnah (Beitzah 1:5), interprets this as referring to nailing the two entities together permanently.
|
| 31. |
See Hilchot Shabbat 22:25, which states that the doors of cabinets, chests, and the like, which are on hinges, may be removed on the Sabbath but may not be put back in place.
|
| 32. |
On the Sabbath, our Sages imposed a decree on this activity (ibid.:26), but not on the holidays.
|
| 33. |
Lest one come to erect a permanent structure on a holiday.
|
| 34. |
The Maggid Mishneh permits placing a board over the legs of the table. Although Rav Yosef Karo takes issue regarding this matter in the Kessef Mishneh, in the Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chayim315:3) he permits erecting a table in this manner on the Sabbath.
|
| 35. |
Since the person has no intention of causing a wound (his intent is merely to remove the fleas), this is not prohibited [Beitzah 23a; Rambam's Commentary on the Mishnah (Beitzah 2:7)]. It is, however, forbidden to comb an animal with an iron comb, for this will surely remove its hair, and is hence forbidden (Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayim 523:2).
|
| 36. |
In his Commentary on the Mishnah (Shabbat 18:3), the Rambam explains that this refers to pulling the calf out from the mother, for this involves extra effort.
|
| 37. |
To remove the fluids clogging them.
|
| 38. |
Shabbat 128b states that the pain that the mother will suffer will cause her to react mercifully to her young.
|
| 39. |
Once a non-kosher animal has rejected her young, she will never accept it again (ibid.).
|
| 40. |
It is possible that a person will be very involved with festive preparations before the holiday, and desire to leave the immersion of the vessel for the holiday, when he will be less pressured.
This reason is mentioned by Rav Bibi (Beitzah 18a). Significantly, another rationale for this prohibition is given there - that of Ravva, who explains the reason is that one appears to be making a utensil fit for use on the holiday. The commentaries note that in Hilchot Shabbat 23:8, the Rambam quotes Ravva's view and question why he offers a different rationale here.
Among the resolutions offered is that on the holidays there is no prohibition against preparing a utensil for use if it is necessary for the preparation of food. On the Sabbath, by contrast, this is forbidden.
|
| 41. |
Although this immersion also purifies the vessel in which the water is contained, there is no difficulty.
|
| 42. |
See Hilchot Sha'ar Avot HaTum'ah 13:2, which explains that although a person immersed himself with the intent of partaking of terumah, he is considered impure and is required to immerse himself again if he desires to partake of meat from the sacrificial offerings. In particular, there are five levels of purity: a person who desires to partake of unconsecrated articles in a state of ritual purity, a person who desires to partake of ma'aser sheni, a person who desires to partake ofterumah, a person who desires to partake of sacrificial foods, and one who desires to take part in the burning of the red heifer.
|
| 43. |
For there was no opportunity to immerse it before the holiday.
|
| 44. |
As explained in Hilchot Sha'ar Avot Hatum'ah 7:1-2, when a liquid comes in contact with a primary source of impurity, it becomes impure. According to Scriptural law, contact with this impure liquid does not cause an object to contract ritual impurity. Nevertheless, our Sages decreed that foods and utensils that come in contact with this impure liquid should be considered impure.
The Rambam explains that since the impurity is Rabbinic in origin, our Sages did not forbid immersing this utensil on a holiday so that it could be used in a state of purity. Rabbi Mordechai HaCohen and the Rashba note that Beitzah, loc. cit., offers a different rationale, and they question why the Rambam deviates from the source. The later commentaries, however, justify the Rambam's position.
|
| 45. |
When the bucket is immersed in the well, the bucket becomes ritually pure. This is permitted, because it is not obvious to an observer that the person is immersing the utensil.
|
| 46. |
To emerge from the state of impurity, the woman must immerse herself; this is permitted on a holiday. She is, however, forbidden to immerse her clothes. Nevertheless, if she has no other pure clothes to wear, our Sages offered her an alternative. She can immerse herself while wearing her clothes, thus causing them to become ritually pure.
For her immersion to be acceptable, her clothes must be loose fitting, so that they will not prevent the water from penetrating to her skin.
|
| 47. |
As the Rambam explains (Hilchot Shabbat 23:12), the Sages forbade commercial activity on the Sabbath lest one write. The rulings regarding the holidays are somewhat more lenient than on the Sabbath, in order to allow one to purchase food for the holiday, but as a whole the prohibition remains in force.
|
| 48. |
The Ramah (Orach Chayim 500:1) states that it is permitted to enter into such a partnership agreement on a holiday only with a Jew, but not with a gentile.
|
| 49. |
The Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chayim 500:2) states that it is forbidden to weigh meat even to know how much to use when cooking.
|
| 50. |
I.e., an experienced butcher is able to approximate the weight of a portion of meat by holding it in his hands.
|
| 51. |
By measuring the amount of water the piece of meat displaces, one will be able to determine its weight.
|
| 52. |
Shabbat 149b, the source for this halachah, states that one should not cast lots "for portions of חול." Rashi, the Ra'avad, and others interpret this to refer to portions of sacrificial meat that were offered during the week. The Rambam, by contrast, interprets this to refer to non-sacrificial meat.
|
| 53. |
This represents a reversal of the Rambam's ruling in his Commentary on the Mishnah (Beitzah3:8). This change in thinking appears to result from the Rambam's understanding of Rav Yitzchak Alfasi's rulings with regard to Beitzah 29a, the Talmudic passage on which this halachah is based (Rav Kapach). (See also the gloss of the Kessef Mishneh.)
|
| 54. |
The Maggid Mishneh states that this does not apply only to a chef, but to anyone. Why doesBeitzah 29a, the source for this halachah, mention a chef? Because "the Sages spoke about commonplace events."
Why is a person granted this leniency? Because if he does not use the proper amount of spices, he will spoil the flavor of the food he is preparing. In the other instances mentioned in this halachah, the person will not suffer a loss from making an approximation.
Rav David Arameah differs, and explains that this law applies only to a chef, for his professional reputation depends on even a slight deviation from the desired flavor. An ordinary person, by contrast, will not be inordinately upset if the flavor is affected slightly, because he uses a slightly larger or smaller amount of spices.
Although the Tur follows Rav David Arameah's view, when quoting this law the Shulchan Aruch(Orach Chayim 504:4) mentions "a person," rather than a chef.
|
| 55. |
The reason for this and the following prohibition is that it appears that the person is measuring the flour or the barley for the purpose of selling it.
|
| 56. |
For the dough will not spoil if one errs in his approximation of the proper amount to use.
|
| 57. |
This is permitted because even at home a person will ask for a specific number of eggs or nuts, so that he will not have more or fewer than he requires.
|
| 58. |
Although these laws would also apply to a storekeeper, many suggest that this word should be omitted from the text, because it is not found in Beitzah 29b, the source for this halachah. Authoritative manuscripts and early printings of the Mishneh Torah do not contain this word.
|
| 59. |
The Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chayim 517:1) states that this applies only when the storekeeper is Jewish. If he is non-Jewish, we may not take anything that might have been harvested or snared on the holiday.
|
| 60. |
We are not speaking about a loan of money, but rather food that was given in lieu of payment.
|
| 61. |
See Hilchot Shabbat 23:15.
|
| 62. |
These portions must be given to a priest whenever an animal is slaughtered. (See Deuteronomy 18:3; Hilchot Bikkurim 9:1.)
|
| 63. |
Indeed, there is no prohibition against separating these portions on a festival itself, since they are not forbidden to common people, nor is it necessary to immerse oneself before partaking of them (Maggid Mishneh). (See also Chapter 3, Halachah 8 and notes.)
|
Kli Hamikdash - Chapter 9
Halacha 1
How is the forehead plate made? We make a plate of gold two fingerbreadths1wide that extends [over the forehead of the High Priest] from one ear to the other. Upon it is written, קדש לה'ה2 in two lines, קדש on the lower line and לה'ה on the upper line.3 If [the words] were written on one line it was valid. There were times when they were written on one line.4
Halacha 2
The letters would project outward. How was this done? [A craftsman] would engrave the letters on the back of the plate5 while it was pressed to beeswax6until they project.
It had holes on each of its ends. There was a strand of sky-blue wool below it that ran from hole to hole so that it could be tied with this strand at the nape [of the neck].7
Halacha 3
The cloak was made entirely of sky-blue colored wool.8 Its strands were twelve-fold. Its opening was woven, and that is where its weave began.9 It did not have an opening for his arms.10 Instead, it was divided into two flaps from below the throat and downward like all cloaks.11 It is joined only directly below the throat.
One who tears the border of the opening of the cloak is liable for lashes, as [Exodus 28:32] states: "It shall not be torn."12 This applies to all the priestly garments. One who tears them with a destructive intent is liable for lashes.13
Halacha 4
He should then bring sky-blue wool, red wool, and scarlet wool, the strands of each of these spun eight-fold. [This is necessary,] because [Exodus 39:24] states that [the pomegrantes on the cloak's] hem [should be made from strands that are] "twisted."14Thus there are twenty four threads used for the hem of the cloak.15 They should be fashioned into shapes resembling pomegranates whose mouths are not open16and hung from the cloak. He brings 72 cups with 72 clappers that are made entirely of gold and suspends them from the hems, 36 from the hem of one flap and 36 from the hem of the other flap.17 The cup with the clapper hanging in it are together called a bell. From the hems on both sides of [the flaps of the cloak are suspended series of] bells and pomegranates, bells and pomegranates.
Halacha 5
The gold that is woven in the ephod and the breastplate which is mentioned in the Torah18 was made in the following manner. A strand of pure gold was taken and placed together with six strands of sky-blue wool and [then] the seven strands were spun as one. He would do the same with one strand of gold and six of red wool, with one strand [of gold] with six of scarlet wool, and with one strand of gold with six of linen. Thus there would be four strands of gold and there would be a total of 28 strands.19
[This is reflected by Exodus 39:3]: "And they hammered out thin sheets of gold [and cut strands] to fashion into the sky-blue wool, into the red wool, into the scarlet wool, and into the linen." This teaches that there was a strand of gold woven in them.
Halacha 6
How was the breastplate made? He would weave a garment that was a work of craft20 from gold, sky-blue wool, red wool, scarlet, linen, with 28 strands, as we explained.21 It is a cubit long and zeret22 wide and it should be folded into two.23 Thus it was a square a zeret long and a zeret wide.24In it should be affixed four rows of stones as described by the Torah.25 Each stone should be square and set in a setting of gold that encompasses it from below and from the four directions.26
Halacha 7
He should engrave on the stones the names of the tribes according to their order of birth. Thus on the ruby, the name Reuben is engraved and on the jasper,27 Benjamin is engraved. At the outset, above Reuben,28 he should write [the names] Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and below Benjamin,29 he should write, שבטי יה30 so that all the letters are found there.
Halacha 8
Halacha 9
The width of the ephod is the width of a person's back from shoulder to shoulder. Its length extend from one's elbows to his feet. It has two bands extending from it on either side34 with which it is fastened. They are called the belt of the ephod. The entire garment is woven with gold, sky-blue wool, red wool, scarlet wool, and linen with 28 threads as described with regard to the breastplate.35He should sew36 to it two shoulder straps so that it will extend to [High] Priest's shoulder. He should affix to each shoulder a square37 sardonyx stone38 set in a setting of gold. The names of the tribes should be engraved on the two stones, six on one stone and six on the other39 according to the order of their birth.40 Joseph's name would be written as יהוסף.41 Thus there would be 25 letters on one stone and 25 letters on the other stone. They would be written in this manner.42
The stone on which Reuven's name was written was placed on his right shoulder and the stone on which Shimon's name was written was placed on his left shoulder. On each shoulder, he should make two rings: one above, one the top of the shoulder and one below the shoulder above the belt. The two golden cords should be placed in the the two upper rings, they are called chains.43 This is the form of the ephod.44
Halacha 10
Afterwards, he places the ends of the cords of the breastplate in the upper rings that are on the shoulders of the ephod and he should place the two strands of sky-blue wool that are on the hem of the breastplate45 into the rings that are above the belt of the ephod. The chains that are in the rings on the shoulders of the ephod should descend until they reach the upper rings of the breastplate so that they will cleave to each other and thus the breastplate will not be separate from the ephod.46Anyone who separates the breastplate from the ephod and disrupts their connection47with a destructive intent48 is worthy of lashes.49
Halacha 11
Thus when he wears the ephod together with the breastplate, the breastplate will be flat over his heart and the ephod will be behind him. The belt of theephod is tied over his heart50 below the breastplate. The two shoulders of theephod lie on his two shoulders. The two cords of gold extend down from his shoulders on either side from the shoulders of ephod to the rings of the breastplate. The two strands of sky-blue wool are tied below his elbows from the two lower rings of the breastplate to the two lower rings of the shoulders of the ephod which are above the belt.
| FOOTNOTES | |
| 1. |
A fingerbreadth is about 2 cm according to Shiurei Torah. There is no measure according to Scriptural Law. The Rabbis chose a measure of two fingerbreadths, because this is the ordinary width of a High Priest's forehead.
|
| 2. |
"Sanctified unto God."
|
| 3. |
The standard published text of Sukkah 5a states that God's name should be on the upper line and קדש on the lower line. Apparently, the Rambam's text of the Gemara followed a different version. Alternatively, the Rambam favored the Jerusalem Talmud (Yoma 4:1) which follows the version stated. There it is explained that although the wording is opposite that of the verse, it is like a king (God's name) sitting on his throne (the word "sanctified").
|
| 4. |
Shabbat 63b and Sukkah 5a quote Rabbi Eliezar bar Yossi as saying: "I saw it in Rome (where it had been taken after the Temple's destruction) and the words קדש לה'ה were written in one line."
Likutei Sichot, Vol. 26, p. 200ff., explains that the fact that despite Rabbi Eliezar's testimony, the halachah is that the words should be written in two lines indicates that our Sages had received orally the tradition that this was the acceptable way of preparing the forehead plate. Accordingly, we must say that the reason the second view is accepted is not because of Rabbi Eliezar's testimony, but because there was an oral tradition that it was acceptable.
|
| 5. |
Exodus 39:30 states: "They engraved on it writing, [like that of] a signet ring." Now the letters of a signet ring project outward and so it was required that the letters of the forehead plate project outward. On the other hand, since the verse mentions writing, the letters could not be made using a mold (Kessef Mishneh; this rebuts the Ra'avad's objection). See Gittin 20a.
|
| 6. |
Beeswax was used so that it would be firm enough to support the gold and prevent it from being pierced, but flexible enough to allow it to be shaped.
|
| 7. |
The Ra'avad (following the line of thinking found in Rashi's commentary to the Torah) states that there was a third hole in the center of the forehead plate and a strand extending from it over the High Priest's head. This would prevent the plate from slipping down. The Rambam (and his view is supported by the Ramban in his commentary to the Torah) maintains that only two holes were made. Apparently, the plate was held in place by the pressure generated by tying it tightly.
|
| 8. |
As stated in Exodus 39:22.
|
| 9. |
As ibid. 28:32 states: "Its opening for the head shall be folded over within it. Its opening shall have a border of weaver's work."
|
| 10. |
The Ra'avad questions the Rambam's source for this statement. In his commentary to the Torah, the Ramban also questions the Rambam's view. The Radbaz explains that were it to have had an opening for the High Priest's arms, there would have been no difference between it and the tunic.
|
| 11. |
It did not surround the High Priest on all sides, but instead hung down over the front and back of his body, with openings on either side. Here also, the Ra'avad objects to the Rambam's understanding and the Ramban supports it.
According to the Rambam's conception, the cloak bore somewhat of a resemblance to the garments worn today as a tallit kattan (except that it was much longer than those garment). Indeed, for that reason, the Radbaz questions why there was no obligation to attach tzitzit to it. He explains that since the neck portion of the garment did not extend over the High Priests' shoulders, it is not considered as a four-cornered garment.
|
| 12. |
Sefer HaMitzvot (negative commandment 88) and Sefer HaChinuch (mitzvah 101) includes this prohibition among the 613 mitzvot of the Torah.
|
| 13. |
If, however, he tears them with an intent to mend the article, no prohibition is involved (Radbaz).
|
| 14. |
And as stated in Chapter 8, Halachah 14, that term implies a strand made up of eight threads.
|
| 15. |
Eight threads from each type of fabric.
|
| 16. |
Pomegranates have a crown-like bud on their top and these spheres would not.
|
| 17. |
See Exodus 28:33-34.
|
| 18. |
Ibid.:5, 15; 39:2, 8.
|
| 19. |
I.e., four times seven.
|
| 20. |
The design embroidered on it could be seen from both sides.
|
| 21. |
In the previous halachah.
|
| 22. |
Half a cubit.
|
| 23. |
Note the comments of the Radbaz who infers that according to the Rambam, the breastplate would be woven while elongated and then folded. Others maintain that it should be sewn folded at the outset.
Between the folds of the breastplate were placed the Urim and Tumim. See Chapter 10, Halachah 10, for a description of them.
|
| 24. |
As stated in ibid. 28:15-16.
|
| 25. |
Ibid. 28:17-20: 39:10-13.
|
| 26. |
As will be explained in the notes to Chapter 10, halachah 10, according to the Rambam, the stones of the breastplate were called the Urim and Tumim and, in the First Temple era, served as oracles.
|
| 27. |
Our translation is based on R. Aryeh Kaplan's Living Torah. There are some other renditions of this term.
|
| 28. |
On the ruby itself (Shmot Rabbah, the conclusion of sec. 38). Rav Avraham, the Rambam's son writes that these inscriptions were made with smaller letters so that all the names would fit on the stone. The Radbaz suggests that they were embroidered into the breastplate.
|
| 29. |
On the jasper itself (ibid.).
|
| 30. |
"The tribes of God." According to Yoma 73b and other sources, the inscription was "the tribes of Jeshuron." The Jerusalem Talmud states that the inscription was "the tribes of Israel."
|
| 31. |
See Exodus 28:22-24. These golden cords extend from the ephod and secure the breastplate from above as explained in the following halachot.
|
| 32. |
For the breastplate is placed above the heart (ibid.:30).
|
| 33. |
To secure the breastplate to the ephod from below, as stated in Halachah 11.
|
| 34. |
As Exodus 25:8 states, the belt was made in the same manner as the ephod itself.
|
| 35. |
See Halachah 5.
|
| 36. |
In contrast to the other priestly garments which are woven, these shoulder straps are sewn to theephod.
|
| 37. |
Kiryat Sefer suggests that the stones were rectangular rather than square, for otherwise it would be difficult to fit six lines on a square stone.
|
| 38. |
A crypto-crystalline quartz, related to agate with alternating red and white bands. Here also, our translation is based on R. Aryeh Kaplan's Living Torah. There are some other renditions of this term.
|
| 39. |
In this way, he can fulfill the charge (Exodus 28:12): "Aaron shall carry their names on his shoulders before God as a remembrance."
|
| 40. |
The order the Rambam chooses - as reflected in the accompanying drawing [which is also included in his commentary to the Mishnah (Yoma 7:5)] - has attracted the attention of the commentaries. Although it follows the simple meaning of the verse, there is a difference of opinion concerning this matter in Sotah 36a-b and the Rambam's view does not follow either of the opinions mentioned there. The Kessef Mishneh, however, offers a resolution that enables the Rambam's understanding to conform to the Talmud's text.
|
| 41. |
Psalms 81:1 writes Joseph's name in this manner. The Radbaz states that the extra letter was added to Joseph's name, because he was a king, and it was appropriate to include the first three letters of God's name in his name.
|
| 42. |
The accompanying drawing is a copy of one included in the Mishneh Torah by the Rambam himself.
|
| 43. |
These are the same chains described in Halachah 8.
|
| 44. |
The accompanying drawing was copied from drawings by the Rambam that were included in the original manuscripts of the Mishneh Torah.
|
| 45. |
See Halachah 8.
|
| 46. |
Since the breastplate is tied firmly from above and from below, it will not be separated from theephod.
|
| 47. |
The Radbaz implies from this wording that even if the two are not separated entirely, as long as they are moved slightly, the prohibition applies.
|
| 48. |
If, however, his intent is to readjust their connection, there is no prohibition against separating them.
|
| 49. |
Sefer HaMitzvot (negative commandment 87) and Sefer HaChinuch (mitzvah 100) include the prohibition against separating the breastplate from the ephod among the 613 mitzvot of the Torah.
|
| 50. |
The Ra'avad differs with the Rambam and maintains that the belt of the ephod was tied below the High Priest's waist. The Radbaz explains that the belt is to be positioned below the breastplate on the same level as its top. The breastplate should lie on the High Priest's heart. Nevertheless, he also explains that the Rambam's wording has to be clarified, because as stated in the following chapter (Halachot 1-2), the sash is tied over the High Priest's heart. The Radbaz therefore suggests that the sash was tied over the upper portion of the heart and the belt of the ephodslightly lower.
|
Kli Hamikdash - Chapter 10
Halacha 1
What is the order in which the priestly garments should be put on? [The priest] should put on the leggings first,1 tying them above his navel, over his loins. Afterwards, he puts on the tunic and then puts on the sash at elbow height. He should wind it fold after fold2 until it ends and then tie it.
Halacha 2
With regard to the sash, [where it should be placed can be understood from] the received tradition. [Ezekiel 44:18] states: "They shall not gird themselvesbayeza, [interpreted3 to mean] "in a place where one perspires."4 Yonason, the son of Uziel,5 received the same tradition from the prophets6 and translated the phrase: "They will gird themselves over the heart."7
Afterwards, he should arrange the headpiece as a hat.8
Halacha 3
After the High Priest girds himself with the sash,9 he puts on the cloak, and on the cloak, the ephod and the breastplate. He girds himself with the belt of theephod over the cloak, below the breastplate. Therefore [the cloak] is called "the cloak of the ephod,"10 the cloak that is girded closed with the ephod.
Halacha 4
It is a positive commandment to make these garments and for the priests to serve in them,13 as [Exodus 28:2] states: "And you shall make holy garments,"14 and [ibid. 29:8] states: "And drew near his sons and dress them in tunics."15
When a High Priest serves with less than these eight garments or an ordinary priest serves with less than these four garments, he is called lacking garments. His service is invalid and he is liable for death at the hand of Heaven, like a non-priest who serves. [This is indicated by ibid.:9 which states:] "And you shall gird them with a sash... and their priesthood shall be for them...." [Implied is that] when their garments are upon them, their priesthood is upon them. [Conversely,] if their garments are not upon them, they are like non-priests, concerning whom [Numbers 1:51] states: "A non-priest who draws close [to the service of the Sanctuary] shall die."16
Halacha 5
Just like a priest who is lacking garments is liable to die and invalidates the service he performs, so too, one who wears extra garments17 - e.g., he wears two tunics, two sashes, or an ordinary priest who wears the garments of the High Priest and performs service - profanes his service and is liable for death at the hand of Heaven.18
Halacha 6
It is said with regard to the priestly garments:19 "on his flesh and he shall wear them." [Implied is that] nothing should intervene between his flesh and the garments. Even if there is one thread, earth, or a dead louse between his flesh and the [priestly] garment, it is considered an intervening substance and his service is invalid. Therefore a priest cannot serve [in the Temple wearing] his arm tefillin, because they intervene. The head tefillin, by contrast, do not intervene20 and if he desires to wear them at the time of his Temple service, he may.21
Halacha 7
[A priest] must be careful at the time that he puts on [the priestly garments] that there be no dust, nor a louse - even if it is alive - between his flesh and the garment. Nor should air enter between his flesh and his garment during the time of service so that the garment will become distant from his flesh. He should not place his hand in his bosom under his tunic. He should not remove his hair from the garment, nor should there be a strand hanging loose from the garment. [Although] one these factors occurs, his service is acceptable.22
Halacha 8
[The following rules apply if a priest] wrapped a cloth on his flesh in a place [untouched by the priestly] garments, e.g., he wrapped it on his finger or on his heel. If it is three fingerbreadths by three fingerbreadths,23 it is considered as an intervening substance and it invalidates [the service]. If it is smaller than that, it is not considered as an intervening substance.24
A small belt, since it is considered as an independent garment, invalidates [one's service] even if it is not three fingerbreadths by three fingerbreadths in area.
Halacha 9
When the finger of a priest is wounded, he is permitted to tie a reed or a cloth that is not three fingerbreadths by three fingerbreadths around it on the Sabbath and perform his service.25 If he intends to release blood, it is forbidden.26 [Leniency is granted,] provided the reed or the cloth does not intervene between his flesh and a sacred utensil27 at the time of service.28
Halacha 10
In the Second Temple,29 they made the Urim and the Tumim30 to complete the eight garments [of the High Priest]31 even though inquiry was not made of them. Why was inquiry not made of them? Because the Holy Spirit32 was not vested there.33 And whenever a priest does not speak with the Holy Spirit and the Divine Presence does not rest there, inquiry is not made.
Halacha 11
How was inquiry made?34 The [High] priest would stand facing the Ark. The person making inquiry was behind him, facing the [High] Priest's back. The inquirer would ask: "Should I go up [to war] or not?" He would not ask in a loud voice, nor would he merely think about the matter in his heart. Instead, [he would speak] in a low voice, like someone praying to himself.35 Immediately, the Holy Spirit will enclothe the [High] Priest. He will look at the breastplate and with the spirit of prophecy see "Go up" or "Do not go up" written in letters emerging from the breastplate toward his face. The [High] Priest would then answer [the inquirer], telling him: "Go up" or "Do not go up."
Halacha 12
Two matters should not be asked about at once. If they are, one replies only to the first. Inquiry should not be made [of the Urim and Tumim] by an ordinary person, only by a king, the court, or one who the community at large requires. [This is derived from Numbers 27:21:] "Before Elazar the priest shall he stand... [he and all the children of Israel with him, and the entire congregation]." "He" refers to the king;36 "all the children of Israel" to the priest anointed to lead the people in war,37 or someone whom the people need to make inquiry for them; and "all the congregation" refers to the High Court.
Halacha 13
The statements found in the words of the prophets38 that the priests would wear an ephod of linen does not mean that they were High Priests. For the High Priest's ephod was not of linen [alone].39 For the Levites would also wear such a garment, for the prophet Samuel was a Levite, and [I Samuel 2:18] describes him as "a youth, girded with a linen ephod." Instead, this ephod was worn by the students of the prophets40 and those who were fit to have the Holy Spirit rest upon them to make it known that such a person reached a rung equivalent to that of the High Priest who speaks with the Holy Spirit via the medium of theephod and the breastplate.
Blessed be the Merciful One Who grants assistance.
| FOOTNOTES | |
| 1. |
From Leviticus 6:2, one might presume that the tunic is put on first, because it states: "And the priest shall put his fitted [tunic] and he shall put on linen leggings." Nevertheless, through the process of Biblical exegesis, Yoma 23b derives that nothing should be put on before the leggings.
|
| 2. |
The sash was 32 cubits long, so that it will obviously be wound around him several times.
|
| 3. |
By Zevachim 18b.
|
| 4. |
I.e., a place like the armpits or loins where flesh covers flesh leading to perspiration.
|
| 5. |
A renowned student of the Sage Hillel, who translated the Tanach into Aramaic.
|
| 6. |
See Megilah 3a which ascribes this translation to the prophets Chaggai, Zechariah, and Malachi who accompanied the Jews back from the Babylonian exile to Jerusalem.
|
| 7. |
At elbow height.
|
| 8. |
See Chapter 8, Halachah 2. The order in which the ordinary priests put on the priestly garments is taken from Leviticus 8:13.
|
| 9. |
I.e., he puts on the first three garments in the same manner as an ordinary priest does.
|
| 10. | |
| 11. |
The bracketed inclusion is necessary, because in front of his head, the turban was above the forehead plate, as the Rambam proceeds to state. The order in which the High Priest put on his priestly garments is taken from Leviticus 8:7-9.
|
| 12. |
See Halachah 6.
|
| 13. |
Sefer HaMitzvot (positive commandment 33) and Sefer HaChinuch (mitzvah 99) includes this commandment among the 613 mitzvot of the Torah. The wording in Sefer Hamitzvot implies that the fundamental mitzvah is for the priests to wear these garments for their Temple service. Making the garments is merely a preparatory phase that enables that mitzvah to be fulfilled.
|
| 14. |
This refers to the garments of the High Priest.
|
| 15. |
This refers to the clothes of an ordinary priest.
|
| 16. |
See Hilchot Bi'at HaMikdash 9:1.
|
| 17. |
From the Rambam's Commentary to the Mishnah (Zevachim 2:1), it appears that wearing any extra garment, not only an extra priestly garment, causes one to be liable.
|
| 18. |
We see this concept in several other contexts. When there is an extra entity, it is as if it and the entity that is required to be present is lacking. See Hilchot Shechitah 6:2.
|
| 19. |
The Rambam is not quoting a verse exactly. Similar phrase exist in Leviticus 6:3 and 16:4.
|
| 20. |
See Halachah 3.
|
| 21. |
One can infer that he is not obligated to wear tefillin. We apply the principle: One who is occupied in the observance of a mitzvah - the priestly service - is exempt from another mitzvah, wearingtefillin.
The tefillin are not considered as an extra garment, because tefillin are not considered a garment (Kessef Mishneh).
|
| 22. |
Zevachim 19a questions whether these situations are acceptable and does not arrive at a conclusion. Accordingly, the Rambam rules that as an initial preference, one should be concerned with these matters, but the difficulty is not great enough to disqualify the service. For unless the Torah or our Sages explicitly ruled that a sacrifice is unacceptable, one cannot bring another one in its place for it is possible that one will be committing the transgression of slaughtering an ordinary animal in the Temple Courtyard (see Hilchot Shechitah 2:3). The slaughter of the animal might be placed in that category, because one is bringing it as a sacrifice under the conception that he is obligated to do so, when in fact that might not be so.
The Kessef Mishneh states that one may not bring a sacrifice and make a conditional stipulation: "If the previous sacrifice was unacceptable, may this be considered as my obligation and if the previous sacrifice was acceptable, this is a freewill offering." There are some sacrifices - e.g., sin offerings, guilt offerings, and communal offerings - where such a stipulation cannot be made. Hence, our Sages enforced uniformity and prevented conditional offerings in these instances.
|
| 23. |
The minimum size of a garment (see Hilchot Keilim 22:12; 23:7; et al).
|
| 24. |
It is too small to be considered as entity of consequence.
|
| 25. |
Since he is not tying a permanent not, there is no prohibition against tying. Nor is there a prohibition against performing an act of healing on the Sabbath (as is prohibited in certain instances), because such prohibitions were not applied in the Temple.
|
| 26. |
For this is a transgression of the Sabbath laws and it does not aid the Temple service (Rashi,Eruvin 103b).
|
| 27. |
See Hilchot Bi'at HaMikdash 5:17.
|
| 28. |
For in this instance, even if the article is not significant, an interposition invalidates the service. The Ra'avad objects to the Rambam's ruling, claiming that it is a contradiction to his ruling in the previous halachah. The Kessef Mishneh justifies the Rambam's position, explaining that in the previous halachah, the garment was not considered a garment because of its size. Nevertheless, that does not mean that it is not considered an interposition. As long as it intervenes, it disqualifies service regardless of its size.
|
| 29. |
Kiddushin 31a relates that the Sages sought to purchase the stones for the High Priest's breastplate in the era of the Second Temple.
|
| 30. |
As mentioned in the notes to Hilchot Beit HaBechirah 4:1, the Kessef Mishneh explains that the Rambam considers the term Urim and Tumim as referring to the stones of the High Priest's breastplate. See also the Rambam's Commentary to the Mishnah (Sotah 9:20. The Ra'avad and others differ and interpret it as referring to the script of mystic names of God that were placed in the folds of breastplate.
|
| 31. |
For the stones were an integral part of the structure of the breastplate.
|
| 32. |
The spirit of prophecy.
|
| 33. |
Yoma 21b explains that this is one of the five differences between the holiness of the First Temple and that of the Second Temple.
|
| 34. |
I.e., in the era of the First Temple.
|
| 35. |
As in the classic example of Chanah's prayer (I Samuel 1:13), which is accepted as the paradigm for our Shemoneh Esreh prayers.
|
| 36. |
For the verse is referring to Joshua whose position was that of a king.
|
| 37. |
I.e., a person upon whom the future of the entire Jewish people depended.
|
| 38. |
See I Samuel 22:18.
|
| 39. |
Instead, it also contained sky-blue wool, scarlet wool, red wool, as related in Chapter 9, Halachah 9.
|
| 40. |
See Hilchot Yesodei HaTorah 7:4-5 with regard to the preparations a person would make for the spirit of prophecy to rest upon him.
|
Biat Hamikdash - Chapter 1
Halacha 1
Whenever a priest who is fit to perform Temple service1 drinks wine, he is forbidden2 to enter the area of the Altar or [proceeds] beyond there.3 If he entered [that area]4 and performed service,5 his service is invalid and he is liable for death at the hand of heaven, as [Leviticus 10:9] states: "[Do not drink intoxicating wine...] so that you do not die."6
The above applies provided one drinks a revi'it7 of undiluted wine at one time, provided the wine is over 40 days old.8 If, however, one drank less than a revi'itof wine, one drank a revi'it intermittently,9 one mixed it with water,10 or one drank even more than a revi'it of wine from the vat, i.e., within 40 days of its being brought into being,11 he is exempt and his service is not profaned. If he drank more than a revi'it of wine, even though it was diluted and even though he drank it intermittently, he is liable for death and his service is invalidated.12
Halacha 2
If a person is intoxicated from beverages other than wine, he is forbidden to enter the Temple.13 If he enters and performs service while intoxicated from other beverages - even if he is intoxicated from milk or figs - he is liable for lashes, but his service is valid, for one is liable for death only when drinking wine at the time of service and one does not invalidate service unless he is intoxicated from wine.
Halacha 3
Just as a priest is forbidden to enter the Temple while intoxicated, so too, it is forbidden for any person, whether priest or Israelite, to render a halachic ruling when he is intoxicated.14 Even if he ate dates or drank milk and his mind became somewhat confused, he should not issue a ruling, as [the above passage (ibid.:11)] continues: "And to give instruction to the children of Israel." If he gave a ruling concerning a matter that is explicitly stated in the Torah to the extent that it is known by the Sadducees, he is permitted. For example, he ruled that a sheretz15 is impure and a frog is pure; [he ruled that] blood is forbidden, or the like.
Halacha 4
Halacha 5
When a person drank precisely a revi'it and it was diluted with the slightest amount of water, he slept a bit, or he walked a mil,18 the effects of the wine will have worn off and he is permitted to serve [in the Temple]. If, however, he drank more than a revi'it even if it was diluted, sleeping slightly or journeying adds to his drunkenness. Depending on how intoxicated he was, he must wait until there is no trace of his drunkenness whatsoever.
Halacha 6
The men of the priestly watch19 are permitted to drink wine at night, but not during the day during the week [they serve in the Temple]. Even the members of the other clans20 who were not scheduled to work on a particular day [are forbidden], lest the Temple service overburden the members of the clan who serve that day and they require other members of the watch to help them.
The members of the clan of a particular day are forbidden to drink both during the day and night of that day, lest they drink at night and arise to their service in the morning without the effects of the wine having worn off.21
Halacha 7
Whenever a priest knows the watch from which he descends and the clan from which he descends, and he knows the day on which the members of his clan were scheduled to serve [in the Temple], he is forbidden to drink wine that entire day.22 If one knows from which watch he is descended, but does not know his clan, he is forbidden to drink wine the entire week during which his clan worked.
If [a priest] does not know [the identity of] his watch or his clan, the law would dictate that he should never be allowed to drink wine.23 Nevertheless, his difficulty24 leads to his solution and he is permitted to drink wine at all times, for he is not allowed to serve [in the Temple] until his clan and watch are established.
Halacha 8
A priest who lets his hair grow long25 is forbidden to enter the area of the Altar or [proceeds] beyond there.26 If he enters this area and performs service,27 he is liable for death at the hand of Heaven like an intoxicated [priest] who serves,28 as [indicated by Ezekiel 44:20-21]: "None of the priests shall drink wine. They shall not shave their heads, nor allow their hair to grow long."29 Just as [priests who serve] intoxicated from wine are liable to die, so too, those who allow their hair to grow long are liable to die.
Halacha 9
[Priests who] let their hair grow long do not disqualify their service. Even though they are obligated to die, their service is valid.30
Halacha 10
Just as the priests are not warned against drinking wine except at the time they enter the Temple, so too, they are forbidden to grow their hair long only at the time they enter the Temple.31
To whom does the above apply? To an ordinary priest. A High Priest, by contrast, is forbidden to let his hair grow long and rend his garments forever,32for he should be in the Temple at all times.33 Therefore with regard to him, [Leviticus 21:10] states: "He should not let [the hair of] his head grow long, nor should he rend his garments."
Halacha 11
What is meant by growing one's hair long? [Leaving it uncut for] 30 days like a Nazirite, concerning whom [Numbers 6:5] states: "He shall let the mane of the hair of his head grow long" and a nazirite vow is not less than 30 days.34Therefore an ordinary priest who serves [in the Temple] must cut his hair every 30 days.35
Halacha 12
Halacha 13
Halacha 14
The laws [applying to a priest who enters the Temple with] torn garments are the same as those [applying to one with] long hair, as [Leviticus 10:6] states: "Do not let [the hair on] your heads grow long or rend your garments lest you die."40 Thus if [a priest] served with torn garments, he is liable for death at the hand of Heaven although his service is valid and was not profaned.41
Halacha 15
It appears to me42 that any priest who is fit to serve who enters the area of the altar or [proceeds] beyond there43 while intoxicated due to wine, drunk due to other alcoholic beverages, with long hair, or with torn garments as one tears because of a person's death, he is liable for lashes, even if he did not perform service. [The rationale is that] he is fit for service and entered [the Temple] at the time of service in such an unkept manner although he was warned not to enter.
Halacha 16
The laws that apply to someone who enters beyond the altar and the laws that apply to ones who depart from there are the same. What is implied? One drank44 a revi'it of wine between the Ulam and the altar or tore his garments there and departed, he is liable for lashes.45 Similarly, if he performed service as he departed, he is liable for death.
Halacha 17
Similarly, it is forbidden for any person, whether a priest or an Israelite, to enter the entire Temple area, from the Courtyard of the Israelites and onward46 when he is intoxicated from wine, drunk [from other beverages], with unkept long hair or with torn garments. Although there is no explicit warning [against this in the Torah], it is not a sign of honor or reverence47 to the great and holy house to enter it unkept. If, however, an Israelite48 lets his hair grow until it is formed into a weave and it was not unkept, he is permitted to enter the Courtyard of the Israelites.49
| FOOTNOTES | |
| 1. |
This excludes a challal, a son born to a priest from a forbidden relationship, and a priest who has a disqualifying physical blemish. They are not liable for this severe punishment.
|
| 2. |
Sefer HaMitzvot (negative commandment 73) and Sefer HaChinuch (mitzvah 152) include this commandment among the 613 mitzvot of the Torah. Note also the parallels in Hilchot Nesiat Kapayim 15:4.
|
| 3. |
I.e., ascends the steps to the Temple building or enters that structure. See also Halachah 15 and notes.
|
| 4. |
If he entered this area while intoxicated, but did not perform service, he is only liable for lashes, as stated in Halachah 15. Similar concepts apply if he drank intoxicating beverages while in this area (Halachah 16).
|
| 5. |
The services for which he is liable are described in Chapter 9, Halachah 2.
|
| 6. |
He may, however, be punished by a mortal court with lashes and thus freed from the more severe spiritual punishment. See Hilchot Sanhedrin 19:2.
|
| 7. |
A liquid measure equal to 86 cc. according to Shiurei Torah and 150 cc. according to Chazon Ish. [It is reputed that the wines of the Talmudic era were very strong and drinking even this small amount could cause intoxication.]
|
| 8. |
And thus has had time to ferment and reach an alcoholic content sufficient enough to cause intoxication.
|
| 9. |
Since he paused while drinking it, its intoxicating effect will be less.
|
| 10. |
Even if one drank the entire quantity, since it was diluted, it will have a lesser effect.
|
| 11. |
Since its alcoholic content will not be that high, one is not liable. There is, nevertheless, a prohibition against serving in the Temple even when having drunk such wine (Kessef Mishneh).
|
| 12. |
The Ra'avad objects to the Rambam's ruling, maintaining that although serving in the Temple in such a condition is forbidden, the priest is not liable for such severe punishment, nor is his service disqualified. The Radbaz and the Kessef Mishneh offer interpretations of Keritot 13b that substantiate the Rambam's position.
|
| 13. |
One of the opinions in Keritot 13b derives this concept from the literal meaning of Leviticus 10:9, translated above as: "Do not drink intoxicating wine," i.e., it interprets the term veseicheraccording to its simple meaning, i.e., an alcoholic beverage other than wine. There is another opinion in that source that interprets veseicher as an adjective (which we have translated as "intoxicating") describing the manner in which one drinks wine. Apparently, the Rambam does not see the two interpretations as mutually exclusive. See Kessef Mishneh. See also Halachah 15.
|
| 14. |
See Sefer HaMitzvot, loc. cit., where the Rambam links the two prohibitions in the same negative commandment. One is not, however, liable for death for delivering a ruling while intoxicated. Note the discussion of this matter by the Ramban and Megilat Esther in their glosses to Sefer HaMitzvot.
|
| 15. |
One of the eight forbidden teeming animals mentioned in Leviticus 11:29-30. A frog is not one of those animals.
|
| 16. |
I.e., a directive for actual practice.
|
| 17. |
Note the Shulchan Aruch (Choshen Mishpat 7:5) which quotes an opinion stating that it is permitted to rule in cases involving financial law when slightly intoxicated.
|
| 18. |
A Talmudic measure equivalent to a kilometer. If he rode rather than walked, he must ride threemil (Eruvin 64b).
|
| 19. |
Who serve in the Temple that week. See Hilchot K'lei HaMikdash 4:3, 11.
|
| 20. |
As stated in that source, on each particular day, there was a clan whose members would perform the Temple service for that day.
|
| 21. |
The Ra'avad differs with the Rambam and maintains that the intent of Ta'anit 17a (the Rambam's source) is not the night before the priests serve in the Temple, but the night afterwards. They are forbidden because it is possible that they will have to continue offering the limbs and fat-tails of the animals at night if they were not able to offer them during the day. The Kessef Mishneh supports the Rambam's interpretation, explaining that there is no need to prohibit the priests from drinking wine the entire night for this reason. It is sufficient that they be restrained until these limbs have been offered.
|
| 22. |
Were it not for the reason mentioned at the conclusion of the halachah, this law would apply even in the present era. This is a decree, enacted lest the Temple be rebuilt and the priests be required to serve at their appointed time.
|
| 23. |
Lest he be drinking on a day forbidden for him.
|
| 24. |
I.e., his lack of knowledge of his watch and clan.
The Ra'avad differs with the Rambam with regard to the reason why there is no decree against the priests drinking wine in the present age. He rejects the Rambam's view, because with Mashiach's coming, the lineage of the priests will be established according to the spirit of prophecy (see Hilchot Melachim 12:3) and the priests will immediately be called upon to begin their service in the Temple. Instead, the rationale is that because of the length of the exile, we do not expect that the Temple will be built instantaneously. [This is also the view of Rashi (Ta'anit 17a)]. The Kessef Mishneh supports the Rambam's view, noting that according to the Rambam, we may offer sacrifices even if the Temple is not rebuilt (Hilchot Beit HaBechirah 6:15) and furthermore, the establishment of the priest's lineage even through the spirit of prophecy will not take only one day.
|
| 25. |
See Halachah 11 for a definition of this term.
|
| 26. |
Sefer HaMitzvot (negative commandment 163) and Sefer HaChinuch (mitzvah 149) includes this commandment among the 613 mitzvot of the Torah. Note the objections of the Ramban to the inclusion of this charge as one of the mitzvot and the resolutions offered by Megilat Esther in their glosses to Sefer HaMitzvot.
|
| 27. |
The law that applies if he does not perform service is explained in Halachah 15.
|
| 28. |
As stated in Halachah 1.
|
| 29. |
The prooftext for this prohibition from the Torah (Leviticus 10:6), "Do not let [the hair of] your heads grow long," is not sufficient, because that could be interpreted as merely granting license for Aaron's sons to conduct themselves in this manner. Other mourners must rend their garments and let their hair grow and they were not required to. The verse from Ezekiel teaches that the charge applies at all times and is not specific to that situation (Kessef Mishneh; Sefer HaMitzvot, loc. cit.).
|
| 30. |
I.e., the equation of their service to that of intoxicated priests is not complete.
The Rambam's view is not accepted by all authorities. There are some who maintain that such a priest's service is also disqualified. See the Ramban's gloss to Sefer HaMitzvot.
|
| 31. |
The Ra'avad differs and from the verse in Ezekiel cited above understands that all priests are prohibited against growing their hair long and must take haircuts once in 30 days. The Kessef Mishneh supports the Rambam's position. See the following halachah and notes.
|
| 32. |
See Hilchot K'lei HaMikdash 5:6 where the Rambam explains the restrictions incumbent on the High Priest in greater detail. As he states there, these prohibitions apply to a High Priest even outside of the Temple and even when he is not in mourning.
|
| 33. |
See ibid. 5:7.
|
| 34. |
Hilchot Nizirut 3:2. Thus we can assume that growing one's hair long encompasses a 30 day period.
|
| 35. |
Implied is that if a priest does not desire to serve, he is not required to cut his hair (Kessef Mishneh).
|
| 36. |
This does not refer to the priestly garments, for the priestly garments are not washed (Hilchot K'lei HaMikdash 8:5). Instead, the intent is the priest's personal garments. As a mark of respect, he should ascend to the Temple in freshly laundered clothes (Yeri'ot Shlomo).
|
| 37. |
Note a parallel decree in Hilchot Shivitat Yom Tov 7:19. See also Hilchot K'lei HaMikdash 6:11.
|
| 38. |
Although doing so is usually forbidden, as stated in Hilchot Shivitat Yom Tov, loc. cit. Here leniency was granted, because he is considered to have been held back from cutting his hair before the festival by forces beyond his
|
| 39. |
And not during the festival.
|
| 40. |
Sefer HaMitzvot (negative commandment 164) and Sefer HaChinuch (mitzvah 150) includes this commandment among the 613 mitzvot of the Torah. In this instance as well, the Ramban objects to the inclusion of this charge as one of the 613 mitzvot.
|
| 41. |
This ruling appears in direct contradiction to Hilchot K'lei HaMikdash 8:4 where the Rambam writes: "If [the priestly garments] were muddy, torn, longer than his appropriate measure... and a priest performed service while wearing them, his service is invalid." Among the resolutions offered is that in Hilchot K'lei HaMikdash, the Rambam is speaking about clothes that remain torn (therefore, even after the fact, the service is invalid), while here he was speaking about torn garments that were mended. As the Radbaz explains, here the Rambam is speaking about a tear like the tear made when one rends his garments in mourning (which can be mended) as indicated in the following halachah, and there, he is speaking about a garment that was torn in many places.
|
| 42. |
This expression indicates a conclusion which the Rambam reached through the process of deduction and not derived from any specific source.
|
| 43. |
The Ra'avad agrees that this law applies to a priest that ascends the altar in these unkept states, but differs with regard to a priest who proceeds further and ascend the steps of the Temple. He maintains that entering that area in these unkept states is forbidden only according to Rabbinic Law. The Kessef Mishneh offers an explanation that justifies the Rambam's ruling.
|
| 44. |
I.e., as a conscious transgression.
|
| 45. |
The Ra'avad offers a different interpretation of the Rambam's source, the Sifra to Parshat Shemini. The Kessef Mishneh and others offer support for the Rambam's interpretation.
|
| 46. |
As explained in Hilchot Beit HaBechirah, ch. 7, the other areas of the Temple Mount have a lesser degree of holiness.
|
| 47. |
See Hilchot Beit HaBechirah, loc. cit., which speaks of the command to fear the Temple.
|
| 48. |
Or a Levite as will be explained.
|
| 49. |
Rambam LeAm gives the example of the prophet Samuel who was a Nazirite and hence, allowed his hair to grow long. Nevertheless, he combed it until it was attractive and hence, he was allowed to remain in the Sanctuary of Shiloh.
|
• Shabbat, Iyar 27, 5775 · 16 May 2015
Iyar 27, 42nd day of the omer
Torah lessons: Chumash: Bamidbar, Shlishi with Rashi.
Tehillim: 120-134.
Tanya: These garments, (p. 269)...the blessed En Sof.(p. 271).
My father1 related that he heard from his father2 quoting his father (the Tzemach Tzedek), who heard the Alter Rebbe refer to himself as the son of the Maggid (his Rebbe), and as the grandson of the Baal Shem Tov.
FOOTNOTES
1. R. Shalom Dovber.
2. R. Shmuel.
Daily Thought:
Sharing the Workload
In every venture, divide the workload between yourself and your Partner Above. The dividing line depends on the sort of venture.
In material matters, it is that point at which you become emotionally obsessed. Up until there, do your job as best you know how. Anything necessary past that line is best left in His trust.
In spiritual matters, take whatever He gives you and charge it with all you've got.
____________________________
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