Torah Reading
Torah Reading: Vayishlach (Genesis 32:
Today in Jewish History:
4 (3) Ya‘akov sent messengers ahead of him to ‘Esav his brother toward the land of Se‘ir, the country of Edom, 5 (4) with these instructions: “Here is what you are to say to my lord ‘Esav: ‘Your servant Ya‘akov says, “I have been living with Lavan and have stayed until now. 6 (5) I have cattle, donkeys and flocks, and male and female servants. I am sending to tell this news to my lord, in order to win your favor.” ’” 7 (6) The messengers returned to Ya‘akov saying, “We went to your brother ‘Esav, and he is coming to meet you; with him are four hundred men.”
8 (7) Ya‘akov became greatly afraid and distressed. He divided the people, flocks, cattle and camels with him into two camps, 9 (8) saying, “If ‘Esav comes to the one camp and attacks it, at least the camp that is left will escape.” 10 (9) Then Ya‘akov said, “God of my father Avraham and God of my father Yitz’chak, Adonai, who told me, ‘Return to your country and your kinsmen, and I will do you good’: 11 (10) I’m not worthy of all the love and faithfulness you have shown your servant, since I crossed the Yarden with only my staff. But now I have become two camps. 12 (11) Please! Rescue me from my brother ‘Esav! I’m afraid of him, afraid he’ll come and attack me, without regard for mothers or children. 13 (12) You said, ‘I will certainly do you good and make your descendants as numerous as the grains of sand by the sea, which are so many they can’t be counted.’”
)• Reuben Born (1568 BCE)
Reuben, the eldest son of Jacob and Leah, was born in Charan (Mesopotamia) on the 14th of Kislev of the year 2193 from creation (1568 BCE). As Jacob's firstborn, he was initially entitled to the leadership of Israel and to a double portion in the Holy Land, but these privileges were taken from him (and given respectively to Judah and Joseph) because he sinned by "violating the bed of his father." Reuben unsuccessfully tried to prevent the persecution of Joseph by his brothers in 2216 (1545 BCE) and subsequently berated them for selling him into slavery (Genesis 37:21; 42:22). In 2238 he relocated to Egypt together with his father, brothers and their children, where he died on his 125th birthday in 2318 (1443 BCE).
Link: Reuben and Judah
Link: More on Reuben
• Rebbe's Marriage (1928)
On the 14th of Kislev, 1928, the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, married Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka Schneersohn (1901-1988), the middle daughter of Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn (1880-1950), the sixth Rebbe of Chabad-Lubavitch. The wedding was held in Warsaw, Poland, at the Lubavitcher Yeshivah, Tomchei Temimim.
Upon Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak's passing in 1950, Rabbi Menachem Mendel succeeded his father-in-law as the Rebbe of Chabad-Lubavitch. On the 14th of Kislev of 1953, at a farbrengen(Chassidic gathering) marking his 25th wedding anniversary, the Rebbe said to his Chassidim: "This is the day that bound me to you, and you to me."
Links: Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka Schneersohn; The Rebbe's Marriage; Marriage: an Anthology
Daily Quote:
Everything is by Divine Providence. If a leaf is turned over by a breeze, it is only because this has been specifically ordained by G-d to serve a particular function within the purpose of creation.[Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov]
Daily Study:
Chitas and Rambam for today:
Chumash: Vayishlach, 5th Portion Genesis 34:1-35:11 with Rashi
• English / Hebrew Linear Translation | Video Class• Genesis Chapter 34
1Dinah, the daughter of Leah, whom she had borne to Jacob, went out to look about among the daughters of the land. אוַתֵּצֵ֤א דִינָה֙ בַּת־לֵאָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר יָֽלְדָ֖ה לְיַֽעֲקֹ֑ב לִרְא֖וֹת בִּבְנ֥וֹת הָאָֽרֶץ:
the daughter of Leah: And not the daughter of Jacob? However, because of her going out she was called the daughter of Leah, since she (Leah) too was in the habit of going out, as it is said: “and Leah came forth toward him” (above 30:16). [from Tanchuma Vayishlach 7] (And concerning her, they devise the proverb: Like mother like daughter.) - [Gen. Rabbah 80:1] בת לאה: ולא בת יעקב, אלא על שם יציאתה נקראת בת לאה, שאף היא יצאנית היתה, שנאמר (ל טז) ותצא לאה לקראתו (ועליה משלו המשל (יחזקאל טז מד) כאמה כבתה):
2And Shechem the son of Hamor, the Hivvite, the prince of the land, saw her, and he took her, lay with her, and violated her. בוַיַּ֨רְא אֹתָ֜הּ שְׁכֶ֧ם בֶּן־חֲמ֛וֹר הַֽחִוִּ֖י נְשִׂ֣יא הָאָ֑רֶץ וַיִּקַּ֥ח אֹתָ֛הּ וַיִּשְׁכַּ֥ב אֹתָ֖הּ וַיְעַנֶּֽהָ:
lay with her: in a natural way. — [from Gen. Rabbah 80:5] וישכב אתה: כדרכה:
and violated her: Heb. וַיְעַנֶהָ, lit., and afflicted her. [I.e. he was intimate with her] in an unnatural way. — [from Gen. Rabbah 80: 5] ויענה: שלא כדרכה:
3And his soul cleaved to Dinah the daughter of Jacob; he loved the girl and spoke to the girl's heart. גוַתִּדְבַּ֣ק נַפְשׁ֔וֹ בְּדִינָ֖ה בַּת־יַֽעֲקֹ֑ב וַיֶּֽאֱהַב֙ אֶת־הַנַּֽעֲרָה֔(כתיב הנער) וַיְדַבֵּ֖ר עַל־לֵ֥ב הַנַּֽעֲרָֽה (כתיב הנער) :
and spoke to the girl’s heart: [I.e. he spoke] seductive words,“Look how much money your father squandered for a small parcel of land. I will marry you, and you will acquire the city and all its fields.” - [from Gen. Rabbah 80:7] על לב הנערה: דברים המתיישבין על הלב, ראי אביך בחלקת שדה קטנה כמה ממון בזבז, אני אשיאך ותקנה העיר וכל שדותיה:
4And Shechem spoke to his father Hamor saying, "Take this girl for me as a wife." דוַיֹּ֣אמֶר שְׁכֶ֔ם אֶל־חֲמ֥וֹר אָבִ֖יו לֵאמֹ֑ר קַח־לִ֛י אֶת־הַיַּלְדָּ֥ה הַזֹּ֖את לְאִשָּֽׁה:
5Jacob had heard that he had defiled his daughter Dinah, but his sons were with his livestock in the field, and Jacob kept silent until they came [home]. הוְיַֽעֲקֹ֣ב שָׁמַ֗ע כִּ֤י טִמֵּא֙ אֶת־דִּינָ֣ה בִתּ֔וֹ וּבָנָ֛יו הָי֥וּ אֶת־מִקְנֵ֖הוּ בַּשָּׂדֶ֑ה וְהֶֽחֱרִ֥שׁ יַֽעֲקֹ֖ב עַד־בֹּאָֽם:
6And Hamor, the father of Shechem, went out to Jacob to speak with him. ווַיֵּצֵ֛א חֲמ֥וֹר אֲבִֽי־שְׁכֶ֖ם אֶל־יַֽעֲקֹ֑ב לְדַבֵּ֖ר אִתּֽוֹ:
7And Jacob's sons had come from the field when they heard, and the men were grieved, and they burned fiercely, because he had committed a scandalous act in Israel, to lie with a daughter of Jacob, and such ought not to be done. זוּבְנֵ֣י יַֽעֲקֹ֗ב בָּ֤אוּ מִן־הַשָּׂדֶה֙ כְּשָׁמְעָ֔ם וַיִּתְעַצְּבוּ֙ הָֽאֲנָשִׁ֔ים וַיִּ֥חַר לָהֶ֖ם מְאֹ֑ד כִּ֣י נְבָלָ֞ה עָשָׂ֣ה בְיִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל לִשְׁכַּב֙ אֶת־בַּת־יַֽעֲקֹ֔ב וְכֵ֖ן לֹ֥א יֵֽעָשֶֽׂה:
and such ought not to be done-: to violate virgins, for the nations (the general population) had refrained from illicit relationships because of the Flood. — [from Gen. Rabbah 80:7] וכן לא יעשה: לענות את הבתולות, שהאומות גדרו עצמן מן העריות על ידי המבול:
8And Hamor spoke with them, saying, "My son Shechem his soul has a liking for your daughter. Please give her to him for a wife. חוַיְדַבֵּ֥ר חֲמ֖וֹר אִתָּ֣ם לֵאמֹ֑ר שְׁכֶ֣ם בְּנִ֗י חָֽשְׁקָ֤ה נַפְשׁוֹ֙ בְּבִתְּכֶ֔ם תְּנ֨וּ נָ֥א אֹתָ֛הּ ל֖וֹ לְאִשָּֽׁה:
has a liking: He desires. חשקה: חפצה:
9And intermarry with us; you shall give us your daughters, and you shall take our daughters for yourselves. טוְהִתְחַתְּנ֖וּ אֹתָ֑נוּ בְּנֹֽתֵיכֶם֙ תִּתְּנוּ־לָ֔נוּ וְאֶת־בְּנֹתֵ֖ינוּ תִּקְח֥וּ לָכֶֽם:
10And you shall dwell with us, and the land shall be before you; remain, do business there and settle there." יוְאִתָּ֖נוּ תֵּשֵׁ֑בוּ וְהָאָ֨רֶץ֙ תִּֽהְיֶ֣ה לִפְנֵיכֶ֔ם שְׁבוּ֙ וּסְחָר֔וּהָ וְהֵאָֽחֲז֖וּ בָּֽהּ:
11And Shechem said to her father and to her brothers, "May I find favor in your eyes. Whatever you tell me I will give. יאוַיֹּ֤אמֶר שְׁכֶם֙ אֶל־אָבִ֣יהָ וְאֶל־אַחֶ֔יהָ אֶמְצָא־חֵ֖ן בְּעֵֽינֵיכֶ֑ם וַֽאֲשֶׁ֧ר תֹּאמְר֛וּ אֵלַ֖י אֶתֵּֽן:
12Impose upon me a large marriage settlement and gifts, and I will give as [much as] you ask of me, but give me the girl for a wife." יבהַרְבּ֨וּ עָלַ֤י מְאֹד֙ מֹ֣הַר וּמַתָּ֔ן וְאֶ֨תְּנָ֔ה כַּֽאֲשֶׁ֥ר תֹּֽאמְר֖וּ אֵלָ֑י וּתְנוּ־לִ֥י אֶת־הַנַּֽעֲרָ֖ (כתיב הנער)לְאִשָּֽׁה:
marriage settlement: Kethubah- [from Mechilta Mishpatim, Nezikin 17] מהר: כתובה:
13Thereupon, Jacob's sons answered Shechem and his father Hamor with cunning, and they spoke, because [after all] he had defiled their sister Dinah. יגוַיַּֽעֲנ֨וּ בְנֵי־יַֽעֲקֹ֜ב אֶת־שְׁכֶ֨ם וְאֶת־חֲמ֥וֹר אָבִ֛יו בְּמִרְמָ֖ה וַיְדַבֵּ֑רוּ אֲשֶׁ֣ר טִמֵּ֔א אֵ֖ת דִּינָ֥ה אֲחֹתָֽם:
with cunning: Heb. בְּמִרְמָה, with cunning. — [from Targum Onkelos] במרמה: בחכמה:
because [after all] he had defiled: Scripture states that this was not trickery because [after all] he had defiled their sister Dinah. — [from Gen. Rabbah 80:8] אשר טמא: הכתוב אומר שלא היתה רמיה, שהרי טמא את דינה אחותם:
14And they said to them, "We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to a man who has a foreskin, for that is a disgrace to us. ידוַיֹּֽאמְר֣וּ אֲלֵיהֶ֗ם לֹ֤א נוּכַל֙ לַֽעֲשׂוֹת֙ הַדָּבָ֣ר הַזֶּ֔ה לָתֵת֙ אֶת־אֲחֹתֵ֔נוּ לְאִ֖ישׁ אֲשֶׁר־ל֣וֹ עָרְלָ֑ה כִּֽי־חֶרְפָּ֥ה הִ֖וא לָֽנוּ:
for that is a disgrace to us: To us, it is a defect. If someone wishes to insult another person, he says, “You are uncircumcised,” or“[You are] the son of an uncircumcised person.” Wherever חֶרְפָּה is mentioned, it is an [expression of] insult. חרפה הוא: שמץ פסול הוא אצלנו, הבא לחרף חבירו הוא אומר לו ערל אתה, או בן ערל. חרפה בכל מקום גדוף:
15But with this, however, we will consent to you, if you will be like us, that every male will be circumcised. טואַךְ־בְּזֹ֖את נֵא֣וֹת לָכֶ֑ם אִ֚ם תִּֽהְי֣וּ כָמֹ֔נוּ לְהִמֹּ֥ל לָכֶ֖ם כָּל־זָכָֽר:
we will consent to you: Heb. נֵאוֹת. We will consent to you, an expression like (וַיֵאֹתוּ הַכֹּהִנִים) ,“And (the priests) consented,” (in connection with Jehoiada) (II Kings 12:9). נאות לכם: נתרצה לכם, לשון (מ"ב יב ט) ויאותו:
will be circumcised: Heb. לְהִמֹל, lit., to be circumcised. This is not in the active voice but in the passive. להמול: להיות נמול, אינו לשון לפעול אלא לשון להפעל:
16Then we will give you our daughters, and we will take your daughters for ourselves, and we will dwell with you and become one people. טזוְנָתַ֤נּוּ אֶת־בְּנֹתֵ֨ינוּ֙ לָכֶ֔ם וְאֶת־בְּנֹֽתֵיכֶ֖ם נִקַּח־לָ֑נוּ וְיָשַׁ֣בְנוּ אִתְּכֶ֔ם וְהָיִ֖ינוּ לְעַ֥ם אֶחָֽד:
Then we will give: Heb. וְנָתַנוּ. The second “nun” is punctuated with a “dagesh,” because it serves instead of two“nuns,” [like] וְנָתַנְנוּ. ונתנו: נו"ן שניה מודגשת, לפי שהיא משמשת במקום שתי נוני"ן ונתננו:
and we will take your daughters for ourselves: You find in the stipulation that Hamor suggested to Jacob, and in the reply of Jacob’s sons to Hamor, that they [Hamor and Shechem] attached importance to Jacob’s sons, [allowing them] to take whomever of the daughters of Shechem they would choose for themselves, and their daughters they would give to them [the people of Shechem], as they (the sons of Jacob) wished, for it is written: “Then we will give you our daughters,” as we wish, “and we will take your daughters for ourselves,” however we wish. But, when Hamor and his son Shechem spoke to their townsmen, they reversed the matter, [and said (verse 21),]“We will take their daughters for ourselves as wives, and our daughters we will give them,” in order to appease them (the townsmen), that they would consent to be circumcised. ואת בנותיכם נקח לנו: אתה מוצא בתנאי שאמר חמור ליעקב ובתשובת בני יעקב לחמור שתלו החשיבות בבני יעקב, ליקח בנות שכם את שיבחרו להם ובנותיהם יתנו להם לפי דעתם, דכתיב ונתנו את בנותינו, לפי דעתינו, ואת בנותיכם נקח לנו, ככל אשר נחפוץ. וכשדברו חמור ושכם בנו אל יושבי עירם הפכו הדברים (פסוק כא) את בנותם נקח לנו לנשים ואת בנותינו נתן להם, כדי לרצותם שיאותו להמול:
17But if you do not listen to us to be circumcised, we will take our daughter and go." יזוְאִם־לֹ֧א תִשְׁמְע֛וּ אֵלֵ֖ינוּ לְהִמּ֑וֹל וְלָקַ֥חְנוּ אֶת־בִּתֵּ֖נוּ וְהָלָֽכְנוּ:
18Their words pleased Hamor and Shechem, the son of Hamor. יחוַיִּֽיטְב֥וּ דִבְרֵיהֶ֖ם בְּעֵינֵ֣י חֲמ֑וֹר וּבְעֵינֵ֖י שְׁכֶ֥ם בֶּן־חֲמֽוֹר:
19And the young man did not delay to do the thing because he desired Jacob's daughter, and he was the most honored in all his father's household. יטוְלֹֽא־אֵחַ֤ר הַנַּ֨עַר֙ לַעֲשׂ֣וֹת הַדָּבָ֔ר כִּ֥י חָפֵ֖ץ בְּבַת־יַֽעֲקֹ֑ב וְה֣וּא נִכְבָּ֔ד מִכֹּ֖ל בֵּ֥ית אָבִֽיו:
20And Hamor and his son Shechem came to the gate of their city, and they spoke to the people of their city, saying, כוַיָּבֹ֥א חֲמ֛וֹר וּשְׁכֶ֥ם בְּנ֖וֹ אֶל־שַׁ֣עַר עִירָ֑ם וַיְדַבְּר֛וּ אֶל־אַנְשֵׁ֥י עִירָ֖ם לֵאמֹֽר:
21"These men are peaceful with us, and they will dwell in the land and do business there, and the land behold it is spacious enough for them. We will take their daughters for ourselves as wives, and we will give them our daughters. כאהָֽאֲנָשִׁ֨ים הָאֵ֜לֶּה שְׁלֵמִ֧ים הֵ֣ם אִתָּ֗נוּ וְיֵֽשְׁב֤וּ בָאָ֨רֶץ֙ וְיִסְחֲר֣וּ אֹתָ֔הּ וְהָאָ֛רֶץ הִנֵּ֥ה רַֽחֲבַת־יָדַ֖יִם לִפְנֵיהֶ֑ם אֶת־בְּנֹתָם֙ נִקַּח־לָ֣נוּ לְנָשִׁ֔ים וְאֶת־בְּנֹתֵ֖ינוּ נִתֵּ֥ן לָהֶֽם:
These men are peaceful with us: Heb. שְׁלֵמִים. With peace and sincerity. שלמים: בשלום ובלב שלם:
and the land-behold it is spacious enough: [The metaphor is that of] a person whose hand is wide and generous. That is to say: You will not lose anything [if they trade here]. Plenty of merchandise comes here, and there is no one to purchase it. והארץ הנה רחבת ידים: כאדם שידו רחבה וותרנית, כלומר לא תפסידו כלום, פרקמטיא הרבה באה לכאן ואין לה קונים:
22However, [only] with this [condition] will the men consent to dwell with us, to become one people, by every male among us being circumcised, just as they are circumcised. כבאַךְ־בְּ֠זֹ֠את יֵאֹ֨תוּ לָ֤נוּ הָֽאֲנָשִׁים֙ לָשֶׁ֣בֶת אִתָּ֔נוּ לִֽהְי֖וֹת לְעַ֣ם אֶחָ֑ד בְּהִמּ֥וֹל לָ֨נוּ֙ כָּל־זָכָ֔ר כַּֽאֲשֶׁ֖ר הֵ֥ם נִמֹּלִֽים:
by…being circumcised: Heb. בְּהִמוֹל, by being circumcised. בהמול: בהיות נמול:
23Then shall not their cattle, their property, and all their beasts be ours? But let us consent to them, and they will dwell with us." כגמִקְנֵהֶ֤ם וְקִנְיָנָם֙ וְכָל־בְּהֶמְתָּ֔ם הֲל֥וֹא לָ֖נוּ הֵ֑ם אַ֚ךְ נֵא֣וֹתָה לָהֶ֔ם וְיֵֽשְׁב֖וּ אִתָּֽנוּ:
But let us consent to them: regarding this matter, and thereby, they will dwell with us. אך נאותה להם: לדבר זה, ועל ידי כן ישבו אתנו:
24And all those coming out of the gate of his city listened to Hamor and his son Shechem, and every male, all who went out of the gate of his city, became circumcised. כדוַיִּשְׁמְע֤וּ אֶל־חֲמוֹר֙ וְאֶל־שְׁכֶ֣ם בְּנ֔וֹ כָּל־יֹֽצְאֵ֖י שַׁ֣עַר עִיר֑וֹ וַיִּמֹּ֨לוּ֙ כָּל־זָכָ֔ר כָּל־יֹֽצְאֵ֖י שַׁ֥עַר עִירֽוֹ:
25Now it came to pass on the third day, when they were in pain, that Jacob's two sons, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brothers, each took his sword, and they came upon the city with confidence, and they slew every male. כהוַיְהִי֩ בַיּ֨וֹם הַשְּׁלִישִׁ֜י בִּֽהְיוֹתָ֣ם כֹּֽאֲבִ֗ים וַיִּקְח֣וּ שְׁנֵֽי־בְנֵֽי־יַֽ֠עֲקֹ֠ב שִׁמְע֨וֹן וְלֵוִ֜י אֲחֵ֤י דִינָה֙ אִ֣ישׁ חַרְבּ֔וֹ וַיָּבֹ֥אוּ עַל־הָעִ֖יר בֶּ֑טַח וַיַּֽהַרְג֖וּ כָּל־זָכָֽר:
Jacob’s two sons: They were his sons, but nevertheless, Simeon and Levi conducted themselves like other people, who were not his sons, for they did not take counsel with him. — [from Gen. Rabbah 80:10] שני בני יעקב: בניו היו, ואף על פי כן נהגו עצמן שמעון ולוי, כשאר אנשים שאינם בניו, שלא נטלו עצה הימנו:
Dinah’s brothers: Since they risked their lives for her, they were called her brothers. — [from Gen. Rabbah 80:10] אחי דינה: לפי שמסרו עצמן עליה נקראו אחיה:
with confidence: Because they (the townsmen) were in pain. The Aggadah (Gen. Rabbah 80:10) says: They were confident in the strength of the elder (Jacob). בטח: שהיו כואבים. ומדרש אגדה בטוחים היו על כחו של זקן:
26And Hamor and his son Shechem they slew with the edge of the sword, and they took Dinah out of Shechem's house and left. כווְאֶת־חֲמוֹר֙ וְאֶת־שְׁכֶ֣ם בְּנ֔וֹ הָֽרְג֖וּ לְפִי־חָ֑רֶב וַיִּקְח֧וּ אֶת־דִּינָ֛ה מִבֵּ֥ית שְׁכֶ֖ם וַיֵּצֵֽאוּ:
27Jacob's sons came upon the slain and plundered the city that had defiled their sister. כזבְּנֵ֣י יַֽעֲקֹ֗ב בָּ֚אוּ עַל־הַ֣חֲלָלִ֔ים וַיָּבֹ֖זּוּ הָעִ֑יר אֲשֶׁ֥ר טִמְּא֖וּ אֲחוֹתָֽם:
upon the slain: to strip the slain. [from Targum Onkelos] על החללים: לפשט את החללים:
28Their flocks and their cattle and their donkeys, and whatever was in the city and whatever was in the field they took. כחאֶת־צֹאנָ֥ם וְאֶת־בְּקָרָ֖ם וְאֶת־חֲמֹֽרֵיהֶ֑ם וְאֵ֧ת אֲשֶׁר־בָּעִ֛יר וְאֶת־אֲשֶׁ֥ר בַּשָּׂדֶ֖ה לָקָֽחוּ:
29And all their wealth and all their infants and their wives they captured and plundered, and all that was in the house. כטוְאֶת־כָּל־חֵילָ֤ם וְאֶת־כָּל־טַפָּם֙ וְאֶת־נְשֵׁיהֶ֔ם שָׁב֖וּ וַיָּבֹ֑זּוּ וְאֵ֖ת כָּל־אֲשֶׁ֥ר בַּבָּֽיִת:
And all their wealth: Heb. חֵילָם, their money, and similarly;“amassed this wealth (הַחַיִל) for me” (Deut. 8:17);“and Israel amasses wealth (חָיִל)” (Num. 24: 18);“and leave over their possessions (חֵילָם) to others” (Ps. 49:11). חילם: ממונם וכן (דברים ח יז) עשה לי את החיל הזה, (במדבר כד יח) וישראל עושה חיל, (תהלים מט יא) ועזבו לאחרים חילם:
they captured: Heb. שָׁבוּ, a term denoting captivity. Therefore, the accent is on the latter syllable. — [from Targum Onkelos] שבו: לשון שביה [לפיכך טעמו מלרע]:
30Thereupon, Jacob said to Simeon and to Levi, "You have troubled me, to discredit me among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and among the Perizzites, and I am few in number, and they will gather against me, and I and my household will be destroyed." לוַיֹּ֨אמֶר יַֽעֲקֹ֜ב אֶל־שִׁמְע֣וֹן וְאֶל־לֵוִי֘ עֲכַרְתֶּ֣ם אֹתִי֒ לְהַבְאִישֵׁ֨נִי֙ בְּישֵׁ֣ב הָאָ֔רֶץ בַּכְּנַֽעֲנִ֖י וּבַפְּרִזִּ֑י וַֽאֲנִי֙ מְתֵ֣י מִסְפָּ֔ר וְנֶֽאֶסְפ֤וּ עָלַי֙ וְהִכּ֔וּנִי וְנִשְׁמַדְתִּ֖י אֲנִ֥י וּבֵיתִֽי:
You have troubled me: Heb. עִכַרְתֶּם, an expression denoting murky water [meaning that] now my mind is not clear [without worry]. The Aggadah (Gen. Rabbah 80: 12) [explains]: The barrel was clear, but you have made it murky. (I.e., I saw our way clear to co-exist with the Canaanites, but now you have spoiled the possibility to do so.) The Canaanites had a tradition that they would fall into the hands of Jacob’s sons, but they said [that this would only happen],“Until you are fruitful and inherit the land” (Exod. 23:30). Therefore, they have been silent. עכרתם: לשון מים עכורים, אין דעתי צלולה עכשיו. ואגדה צלולה היתה החבית ועכרתם אותה, מסורת היתה ביד כנענים שיפלו ביד בני יעקב, אלא שהיו אומרים (שמות כג ל) עד אשר תפרה ונחלת את הארץ, לפיכך היו שותקין:
few in number: few men. מתי מספר: אנשים מועטים:
31And they said, "Shall he make our sister like a harlot?" לאוַֽיֹּאמְר֑וּ הַֽכְזוֹנָ֕ה יַֽעֲשֶׂ֖ה אֶת־אֲחוֹתֵֽנוּ:
like a harlot: Abandoned- [from Gen. Rabbah 80:12] הכזונה: הפקר:
our sister: [Onkelos renders] יָת לַאֲחָתָנָא, our sister. את אחותנו: ית אחתנא:
Genesis Chapter 35
1And God said to Jacob, "Arise and go up to Beth el and abide there, and make there an altar to the God Who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau." אוַיֹּ֤אמֶר אֱלֹהִים֙ אֶל־יַֽעֲקֹ֔ב ק֛וּם עֲלֵ֥ה בֵֽית־אֵ֖ל וְשֶׁב־שָׁ֑ם וַֽעֲשֵׂה־שָׁ֣ם מִזְבֵּ֔חַ לָאֵל֙ הַנִּרְאֶ֣ה אֵלֶ֔יךָ בְּבָ֨רְחֲךָ֔ מִפְּנֵ֖י עֵשָׂ֥ו אָחִֽיךָ:
Arise and go up: (Tanchuma Vayishlach 8) Since you tarried on the way, you were punished, and this trouble with your daughter has befallen you. קום עלה: לפי שאחרת בדרך נענשת ובא לך זאת מבתך:
2Thereupon Jacob said to his household and to all those who were with him, "Remove the deities of the foreign nations, which are in your midst, purify yourselves and change your clothes. בוַיֹּ֤אמֶר יַֽעֲקֹב֙ אֶל־בֵּית֔וֹ וְאֶ֖ל כָּל־אֲשֶׁ֣ר עִמּ֑וֹ הָסִ֜רוּ אֶת־אֱלֹהֵ֤י הַנֵּכָר֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר בְּתֹֽכְכֶ֔ם וְהִטַּֽהֲר֔וּ וְהַֽחֲלִ֖יפוּ שִׂמְלֹֽתֵיכֶֽם:
the foreign nations: That you have in your possession from the spoils of Shechem. — from Zohar, vol. 1, 173a] הנכר: שיש בידכם משלל של שכם:
purify yourselves: from idolatry. והטהרו: מעבודה זרה:
and change your clothes: Perhaps you have the clothing of idols in your possession. — [from Gen. Rabbah 81:3] והחליפו שמלותיכם: שמא יש בידכם כסות של עבודה זרה:
3And we will arise and go up to Beth el, and I will make an altar to the God Who answered me on the day of my distress, and was with me on the way that I went." גוְנָק֥וּמָה וְנַֽעֲלֶ֖ה בֵּֽית־אֵ֑ל וְאֶֽעֱשֶׂה־שָּׁ֣ם מִזְבֵּ֗חַ לָאֵ֞ל הָֽעֹנֶ֤ה אֹתִי֙ בְּי֣וֹם צָֽרָתִ֔י וַֽיְהִי֙ עִמָּדִ֔י בַּדֶּ֖רֶךְ אֲשֶׁ֥ר הָלָֽכְתִּי:
4And they gave Jacob all the deities of the nations that were in their possession and the earrings that were in their ears, and Jacob hid them under the terebinth that was near Shechem. דוַיִּתְּנ֣וּ אֶל־יַֽעֲקֹ֗ב אֵ֣ת כָּל־אֱלֹהֵ֤י הַנֵּכָר֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר בְּיָדָ֔ם וְאֶת־הַנְּזָמִ֖ים אֲשֶׁ֣ר בְּאָזְנֵיהֶ֑ם וַיִּטְמֹ֤ן אֹתָם֙ יַֽעֲקֹ֔ב תַּ֥חַת הָֽאֵלָ֖ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר עִם־שְׁכֶֽם:
under the terebinth: Heb. אֵלָה, a species of tree that bears no fruit. האלה: מין אילן סרק:
near Shechem: Heb. עִם-שְׁכֶם, lit., with Shechem, [meaning] next to Shechem. — [from Targum Jonathan ben Uzziel] עם שכם: אצל שכם:
5Then they traveled, and the fear of God was upon the cities that were around them, so that they did not pursue Jacob's sons. הוַיִּסָּ֑עוּ וַיְהִ֣י | חִתַּ֣ת אֱלֹהִ֗ים עַל־הֶֽעָרִים֙ אֲשֶׁר֙ סְבִיב֣וֹתֵיהֶ֔ם וְלֹ֣א רָֽדְפ֔וּ אַֽחֲרֵ֖י בְּנֵ֥י יַֽעֲקֹֽב:
and the fear: terror. חתת: פחד:
6And Jacob came to Luz, which is in the land of Canaan that is Beth el he and all the people who were with him. ווַיָּבֹ֨א יַֽעֲקֹ֜ב ל֗וּזָה אֲשֶׁר֙ בְּאֶ֣רֶץ כְּנַ֔עַן הִ֖וא בֵּֽית־אֵ֑ל ה֖וּא וְכָל־הָעָ֥ם אֲשֶׁר־עִמּֽוֹ:
7He built there an altar, and he called the place El Beth el, for there God had been revealed to him when he fled from before his brother Esau. זוַיִּ֤בֶן שָׁם֙ מִזְבֵּ֔חַ וַיִּקְרָא֙ לַמָּק֔וֹם אֵ֖ל בֵּֽית־אֵ֑ל כִּ֣י שָׁ֗ם נִגְל֤וּ אֵלָיו֙ הָֽאֱלֹהִ֔ים בְּבָרְח֖וֹ מִפְּנֵ֥י אָחִֽיו:
El Beth-el: Heb. בֵּית-אֵל אֵל, The Holy One, blessed be He, is in Beth-el (בְּבֵית-אֵל) the manifestation of His presence is in Beth-el. Some words lack the prefix “beth,” [meaning “in,”] like“Behold, he is in the house of (בֵּית) Machir, the son of Ammiel” (II Sam. 9:4), [Which is equivalent to] מָכִיר בְּבֵית [Also,]“in your father’s house (בֵּית אָבִי),” [equivalent to] בְּבֵית אָבִי [from Targum Jonathan ben Uzziel] אל בית אל: הקב"ה בבית אל גילוי שכינתו בבית אל. יש תיבה חסרה בי"ת המשמשת בראשה, כמו (ש"ב ט ד) הנה הוא בית מכיר בן עמיאל, כמו בבית מכיר, (להלן לח יא) בית אביך כמו בבית אביך:
had been revealed to him: Heb. נִגְלוּ, the plural form. In many places, the noun referring to godliness or mastership appears in the plural form, like“Joseph’s master (אִדוֹנֵי יוֹסֵף)” (Gen. 39:20),“if its owner (בְּעָלָיו) is with him” (Exod. 22:14), and it does not say בַּעִלוֹ. Likewise, אֱלָהוּת (godliness), an expression of judgment and lordship, is mentioned in the plural form, but none of the other names [of the Deity] are found in the plural form. — [from Sanh. 38b] נגלו אליו הא-להים: במקומות הרבה יש שם אלהות ואדנות בלשון רבים, כמו (להלן לט כ) א-דני יוסף, (שמות כב יד) אם בעליו עמו, ולא נאמר בעלו, וכן אלהות שהוא לשון שופט ומרות נזכר בלשון רבים, אבל אחד מכל שאר השמות לא תמצא בלשון רבים:
8And Deborah, Rebecca's nurse, died, and she was buried beneath Beth el, beneath the plain; so he named it Allon Bachuth. חוַתָּ֤מָת דְּבֹרָה֙ מֵינֶ֣קֶת רִבְקָ֔ה וַתִּקָּבֵ֛ר מִתַּ֥חַת לְבֵֽית־אֵ֖ל תַּ֣חַת הָֽאַלּ֑וֹן וַיִּקְרָ֥א שְׁמ֖וֹ אַלּ֥וֹן בָּכֽוּת:
And Deborah…died: What connection does Deborah have with Jacob’s household? However, since Rebecca said to Jacob, “and I will send and take you from there” (above 27:45), [it was] Deborah [whom] she sent to him, to Padan-aram [to instruct him] to leave from there, and she died on the way. I learned this from the words of Rabbi Moshe Hadarshan. — [from Bereishith Rabbathi, p. 113] ותמת דבורה: מה ענין דבורה בבית יעקב, אלא לפי שאמרה רבקה ליעקב (כז מה) ושלחתי ולקחתיך משם, שלחה דבורה אצלו לפדן ארם לצאת משם, ומתה בדרך. מדברי רבי משה הדרשן למדתיה:
beneath Beth-el: The city was situated on a mountain, and she was buried at the foot of the mountain. מתחת לבית אל: העיר יושבת בהר ונקברה ברגלי ההר:
beneath the plain: [Onkelos renders:] at the bottom of the plain, for there was a plain above, on the incline of the mountain, and the grave was below, and the plain of Beth-el was called Allon. The Aggadah [tells us that] he was informed there of another mourning, for he was told about his mother, who died (Gen. Rabbah 81:5), and Allon in Greek means“another.” For the following reason, the day of her death was concealed, viz. so that people should not curse the womb whence Esau had emerged. Therefore, neither did Scripture publicize it. תחת האלון: בשפולי מישרא, שהיה מישור מלמעלה בשפוע ההר והקבורה מלמטה, ומישור של בית אל היו קורין לו אלון. ואגדה נתבשר שם באבל שני, שהוגד לו על אמו שמתה. ואלון בלשון יוני אחר. ולפי שהעלימו את יום מותה, שלא יקללו הבריות הכרס שיצא ממנו עשו, אף הכתוב לא פרסמו:
9And God appeared again to Jacob when he came from Padan aram, and He blessed him. טוַיֵּרָ֨א אֱלֹהִ֤ים אֶל־יַֽעֲקֹב֙ ע֔וֹד בְּבֹא֖וֹ מִפַּדַּ֣ן אֲרָ֑ם וַיְבָ֖רֶךְ אֹתֽוֹ:
again: The second time in this place: once when he went away and once when he returned. עוד: פעם שני במקום הזה, אחד בלכתו ואחד בשובו:
and He blessed him: [with] the blessing of [the consolation bestowed upon] mourners. — [from Gen. Rabbah 82:3] ויברך אתו: ברכת אבלים:
10God said to him, "Your name is Jacob. Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name." And He named him Israel. יוַיֹּֽאמֶר־ל֥וֹ אֱלֹהִ֖ים שִׁמְךָ֣ יַֽעֲקֹ֑ב לֹֽא־יִקָּרֵא֩ שִׁמְךָ֨ ע֜וֹד יַֽעֲקֹ֗ב כִּ֤י אִם־יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ יִֽהְיֶ֣ה שְׁמֶ֔ךָ וַיִּקְרָ֥א אֶת־שְׁמ֖וֹ יִשְׂרָאֵֽל:
Your name shall no longer be called Jacob: Heb. יַעִקֹב, an expression of a man who comes with stealth and guile (עָקְבָה), but [יִשְׂרָאֵל], a term denoting a prince (שַׂר) and a chief. — [from Zohar vol. 1, 1712, vol. 3, 45a, and Chullin 92a] לא יקרא שמך עוד יעקב: לשון אדם הבא במארב ועקבה אלא לשון שר ונגיד:
11And God said to him, "I am the Almighty God; be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a multitude of nations shall come into existence from you, and kings shall come forth from your loins. יאוַיֹּ֩אמֶר֩ ל֨וֹ אֱלֹהִ֜ים אֲנִ֨י אֵ֤ל שַׁדַּי֙ פְּרֵ֣ה וּרְבֵ֔ה גּ֛וֹי וּקְהַ֥ל גּוֹיִ֖ם יִֽהְיֶ֣ה מִמֶּ֑ךָּ וּמְלָכִ֖ים מֵֽחֲלָצֶ֥יךָ יֵצֵֽאוּ:
I am the Almighty God: Heb. שַׁדַּי. For I have the power (כְּדַי) to bless, because the blessings are Mine. אני אל שדי: שאני כדאי לברך, שהברכות שלי:
be fruitful and multiply: [God bestowed this blessing upon Jacob] because Benjamin was not yet born, although (Rachel) was already pregnant with him. פרה ורבה: על שם שעדיין לא נולד בנימין ואף על פי שכבר נתעברה ממנו:
a nation-: Benjamin. — [from Gen. Rabbah 82:4] גוי: בנימין:
nations: Manasseh and Ephraim, who were destined to emanate from Joseph, and [were counted] in the number of the tribes. — [from Gen. Rabbah loc. cit.] גוים: מנשה ואפרים שעתידים לצאת מיוסף, והם במנין השבטים:
and kings: Saul and Ishbosheth, who were of the tribe of Benjamin, who had not yet been born. (Abner interpreted this verse [in this sense] when he crowned Ishbosheth, and the tribes too interpreted it [in this sense] and became friendly again with Benjamin, as it is written: “No man from us shall give his daughter to Benjamin for a wife” (Jud. 21:1)-they retracted this and said,“Were he (Benjamin) not to be counted among the tribes, the Holy One, blessed be He, would not have said to Jacob, ‘and kings shall come forth from your loins.’”) [Old Rashi manuscript from Tanchuma Buber Vayishlach 29] ומלכים: שאול ואיש בשת שהיו משבט בנימין, שעדיין לא נולד. (ופסוק זה דרשו אבנר כשהמליך איש בושת, ואף השבטים דרשוהו וקרבו בנימין, דכתיב (שופטים כא א) איש ממנו לא יתן את בתו לבנימין לאשה, וחזרו ואמרו אלמלא היה עולה מן השבטים לא היה הקב"ה אומר ליעקב ומלכים מחלציך יצאו:
a nation and a multitude of nations: This means that his children are destined to be like [the foreign] nations, according to the number of the nations, who are the seventy nations. Likewise, the entire Sanhedrin is [composed of] seventy [members. When Jacob and his household migrated to Egypt, they numbered seventy, as it is stated in Gen. 46:27]. Another explanation: This means that his sons are destined to offer up sacrifices at the time of the prohibition of the high places, just as the gentile nations [did] in the days of Elijah. — [Old Rashi manuscript from Gen. Rabbah 82:5] גוי וקהל גוים: שגוים עתידים בניו להעשות כמנין הגוים שהם שבעים אומות, וכן כל הסנהדרין שבעים. דבר אחר שעתידים בניו להקריב איסור במות כגוים בימי אליהו):
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Daily Tehillim: Chapters 72 - 76
• Hebrew text• English text• Chapter 72
David composed this psalm for Solomon, praying that he be granted the wisdom to provide justice for the poor.
1. For Solomon. O God, impart Your justice to the king, and Your righteousness to the son of the king.
2. May he judge Your people with righteousness, Your poor with justice.
3. May the mountains bear peace to the nation, also the hills, in [reward for their] righteousness.
4. May he judge the nation's poor, save the children of the destitute, and crush the oppressor,
5. so that they will fear You as long as the sun [shines] and the moon endures, generation after generation.
6. May [his words] descend like rain upon cut grass, like raindrops that water the earth.
7. In his days may the righteous flourish, with much peace until the moon is no more.
8. And may he rule from sea to sea, and from the river until the ends of the earth.
9. May nobles kneel before him, and may his enemies lick the dust.
10. The kings of Tarshish and the islands will return tribute, the kings of Sheba and Seba will offer gifts.
11. All kings will bow to him, all nations will serve him;
12. for he rescues the needy one who cries out, the poor one who has no one to help him.
13. He pities the impoverished and needy, and saves the souls of the destitute.
14. He redeems their soul from deception and violence, and their blood is precious in his eyes.
15. He revives [the poor], and gives him of the gold of Sheba; and so [the poor] pray for him always, and bless him all day.
16. May there be abundant grain in the land, upon the mountaintops; may its fruit rustle like the [cedars of] Lebanon, and may [people] blossom from the city like the grass of the earth.
17. May his name endure forever; may his name be magnified as long as the sun [shines]. And all nations will bless themselves by him, they will praise him.
18. Blessed is the Lord God, the God of Israel, Who alone performs wonders.
19. Blessed is His glorious Name forever, and may the whole earth be filled with His glory, Amen and Amen.
20. The prayers of David, son of Jesse, are concluded
1
FOOTNOTES
1. David composed this psalm at the end of his lifetime.
Chapter 73
This psalm addresses the question of why the righteous suffer while the wicked prosper, and prays for an end to our long exile. Read, and you will find repose for your soul.
1. A psalm by Asaph. Truly God is good to Israel, to the pure of heart.
2. But as for me, my feet nearly strayed; in an instant my steps would have been swept aside.
3. For I envied the revelers when I saw the tranquility of the wicked.
4. For there are no bonds1 to their death, and their health is sound.
5. They have no part in the toil of men, nor are they afflicted like other mortals;
6. therefore they wear pride as a necklace; their bodies are enwrapped in violence.
7. Their eyes bulge from fat; they surpassed the fantasies of their heart.
8. They consume [others], and talk wickedly of oppression-from on high do they speak.
9. They set their mouths against Heaven, while their tongues walk upon the earth.
10. Therefore His people return here,2 and suck the full [cup of bitter] waters.
11. And they say, "How can it be that God knows? Is there knowledge in the Most High?”
12. Behold these are the wicked, and they are ever tranquil, they have gained much wealth.
13. Surely in vain have I purified my heart, and washed my hands in cleanliness;
14. for I was afflicted all day, and my rebuke came each morning.
15. Were I to say, "I shall tell it like it is," behold I would turn the generation of Your children to rebels.
16. And when I pondered to understand this, it was unjust in my eyes;
17. until I came to the sanctuaries of God, and perceived their end.
18. Only on slippery places do You set them, You cast them into darkness.
19. How they have become desolate in an instant! They came to an end, they were consumed by terrors,
20. like a dream upon awakening. O my Lord, disgrace their image in the city.
21. When my heart was in ferment, and my mind was sharpened,
22. I was a boor and did not understand, like an animal was I with You.
23. Yet I was always with You; You held my right hand.
24. Guide me with Your counsel, and afterward, receive me with honor.
25. Whom do I have in heaven [besides You]? And when I am with You I desire nothing on earth.
26. My flesh and my heart yearn; God is the rock of my heart and my portion forever.
27. For behold, all those who are far from You perish, You cut down all who stray from You.
28. But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have put my trust in my Lord, God, that I may recount all Your works.
FOOTNOTES
1. Their death is not protracted by illness and misery(Radak).
2. To the way of the wicked (Rashi).
Chapter 74
The psalmist mourns and weeps over all the synagogues and study halls that have been burned: the Philistines destroyed the Tabernacle of Shiloh; Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the first Temple. We have been in exile for so long, without seeing any signs of redemption! When will the redemption come? Read, and you will find lamentation and consolation.
1. A maskil1 by Asaph. Why, O God, have You abandoned us forever, does Your wrath fume against the sheep of Your pasture?
2. Remember Your congregation which You acquired long ago, the tribe of Your inheritance whom You redeemed [and brought to] Mount Zion, where You rested Your Presence.
3. Lift Your steps to inflict eternal ruin, because of all the evil done by the enemy in the Sanctuary.
4. Your foes roared in the midst of Your meeting place; they considered their omens to be [genuine] signs.
5. The axes in the thicket of trees2 were reckoned as bringing [an offering] to the Above.
6. And now, all her ornaments together are smashed by hammer and hatchet.
7. They set Your Sanctuary on fire; they desecrated the Abode of Your Name to the ground.
8. Their rulers thought together in their hearts; they burned all the meeting places of God in the land.
9. We have not seen our signs; there is no longer a prophet, and there is none among us who knows how long.
10. How long, O God, will the adversary disgrace, will the enemy blaspheme Your Name forever!
11. Why do You withdraw Your hand, even Your right hand? Cast it out from within Your bosom!
12. For God is my King from long ago, working salvations in the midst of the earth.
13. In Your might, You divided the sea; You shattered the heads of the sea-monsters on the waters.
14. You crushed the heads of the Leviathan,3 leaving him as food for the nation [wandering in] the wilderness.
15. You split [the rock, bringing forth] fountain and brook; You dried up mighty streams.
16. Yours is the day, the night is also Yours; You established the moon and the sun.
17. You set all the boundaries of the earth; summer and winter-You created them.
18. Remember this, how the enemy reviled the Lord, and the vile nation blasphemed Your Name.
19. Do not give the soul of Your turtledove to the wild beast; do not forget the life of Your poor forever.
20. Look to the covenant, for the dark places of the earth are filled with dens of violence.
21. Do not turn back the oppressed in disgrace; [then] the poor and needy will praise Your Name.
22. Arise, O God, champion Your cause; remember Your insults from the perverse all day long.
23. Forget not the voice of Your adversaries; the tumult of Your opponents ascends always.
FOOTNOTES
1. A psalm intended to enlighten and impart knowledge(Metzudot).
2. Chopping wood for the construction of the Temple (Metzudot).
3. Pharaoh and his chieftains
Chapter 75
How great is Israel! During their holidays they do not engage in frivolity, but in song and praise, and the study of the holiday's laws. Also, when they proclaimed (at the giving of the Torah), "We will do and we will hear!" they allowed the world to remain in existence. This psalm also admonishes those who indulge in worldly pleasures and attribute their prosperity to their own efforts.
1. For the Conductor, a plea not to be destroyed. A psalm by Asaph, a song.
2. We gave thanks to You, O God, we gave thanks; and Your Name was near [when] they1 told of Your wonders.
3. When I choose the appointed time, I will judge with fairness.
4. When the earth and all its inhabitants were melting, I established its pillars forever.
5. I said to the perverse, "Do not pervert [Israel]," and to the wicked, "Do not raise your pride.”
6. Do not raise your pride heavenward, nor speak with an arrogant neck
7. For not from the east or the west, nor from the desert does greatness come.
8. For God is Judge; He humbles one, and elevates the other.
9. For there is a cup [of punishment] in the hand of the Lord, with strong wine of full mixture; He pours from this, and all the wicked of the earth will drink, draining even its dregs.
10. But as for me, I will tell of it forever; I will sing to the God of Jacob.
11. I will cut off all glory of the wicked, but the glory of the righteous will be raised up.
FOOTNOTES
1. Our ancestors.
Chapter 76
This psalm contains the prophecy of when the vast army of Sennacherib was seized with a deep slumber that rendered the hands of the soldiers powerless to raise their weapons; thus did they all fall in battle.
1. For the Conductor, with instrumental music, a psalm by Asaph, a song.
2. God is known in Judah, His Name is great in Israel.
3. His Tabernacle was in Shalem,1 and His dwelling place in Zion.
4. There He broke the flying arrows of the bow, the shield, the sword and battle-forever.
5. You are illumination, mightier than the mountains of prey.
6. The stout-hearted were without sense, they slept their sleep, and all the warriors were unable to find their strength.
7. At Your rebuke, O God of Jacob, chariot and horse were stunned.
8. You, awesome are You! Who can stand before You once You are enraged.
9. From heaven You let the verdict be heard; the earth feared and was still,
10. when God rose to pass judgement, to save all the humble of the earth forever.
11. The anger of man will cause us to thank You;2 You will restrain the residue of wrath.
12. Make vows to the Lord your God and fulfill them; all who surround Him will bring tribute to the Awesome One.
13. He cuts down the spirit of nobles; He is awesome to the kings of the earth.
FOOTNOTES
1. Jerusalem.
2. When the wicked are punished for being angry with Israel, Israel acknowledges God (Metzudot)
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Tanya: Kuntres Acharon, beginning of Essay 6
• Lessons in Tanya
Tanya: Kuntres Acharon, beginning of Essay 6
• Lessons in Tanya
• English Text
• Hebrew Text
• Audio Class: Listen | Download
• Video Class• Thursday, Kislev 14, 5776 · November 26, 2015
• Hebrew Text
• Audio Class: Listen | Download
• Video Class• Thursday, Kislev 14, 5776 · November 26, 2015
Today's Tanya Lesson
Kuntres Acharon, beginning of Essay 6
The last two Essays explained how the observance of the commandments seeks out the exiled sparks hidden in this world and thereby suffuses it with G‑dliness. They also pointed out that the same is true of the study of their laws. The present Essay goes one step further, and explains that the laws of the Torah transcend the world beyond any possible comparison.
When David triumphantly brought back the Ark from its captivity in the hands of the Philistines,1 it was placed on a wagon. David had momentarily forgotten the stipulation of the Torah,2 “On the shoulder shall they carry it.” Commenting on this episode, our Sages3 teach that David’s forgetfulness came as a punishment for his having referred to the laws of the Torah as “songs”:4 “Your statutes were songs for me in my place of terror.”
Why should this expression be regarded as an offense? And in what way is it related to its punishment?
These are among the questions discussed in the Essay before us, and at greater length in Likkutei Torah and Or HaTorah,and in Derech Mitzvotecha, Mitzvat Masa HaAron BaKatef.
דוד, זמירות קרית להו כו׳
“David! You call them songs?!”5
Because he had referred to the laws of the Torah as “songs”, David was punished by being made to6 “stumble in a matter that even schoolchildren know” — that the Ark is to be carried on the shoulders.
הנה בזהר: שבחא דאורייתא ורננה כו׳
In the Zohar7 we find the expression, “the praise of Torah and its song” — the Torah is a hymn and a song to G‑d.
ולהבין מהו השבח להקב״ה, כשזה אסור או מותר
Let us understand, what is the praise of G‑d when a particular object is forbidden or permitted.8
הנה הוא על דרך: מה גדלו מעשיך ה׳, מאד עמקו מחשבותיך
A similar concept is implicit [in the verse],9 “How great are Your works, O G‑d, Your thoughts are very deep.”
Why does the verse make the deed precede the thought? The Alter Rebbe will soon explain that from an appreciation of G‑d’s great works one begins to understand the depth of His thoughts.
כי הנה נודע שכל העולמות, עליונים ותחתונים, תלוים בדקדוק מצוה אחת
As is known, all the worlds, the exalted and the lowly, are dependent on the meticulous performance of a single mitzvah.
דרך משל: אם הקרבן כשר, נעשה יחוד עליון, ועולים כל העולמות לקבל חיותם ושפעם
For example, if an altar offering is valid then a Supernal Union in the Sefirot is effected, and all the worlds are elevated to receive their life-force and spiritual sustenance.10
ואם שינה, שקיבל הדם בשמאלו, דרך משל, או שלא בכלי שרת כשר, או שהיתה חציצה
However, if [the celebrant] altered the precise requirements of the law — if, for example, he received the blood of the offering with his left hand, or in an invalid vessel, or11 if there was a separation12 —
אזי נתבטלה עליות העולמות, וחיותם ושפעם מחיי החיים, אין סוף ברוך הוא
then all the elevations of the worlds that would have been accomplished are nullified, as is the life-force and sustenance that they would have received from the Source of Life, the Ein Sof, blessed be He.
וכן בתפילין כשרות, מתגלים מוחין עליונים דזו״נ, שהם מקור החיים לכל העולמות
So, too, through the use of valid tefillin there is revealed the Supernal Intellect of Zu”n, Za and Malchut ofAtzilut, the source of life for all the worlds.
ובדקדוק אחד נפסלין, ומסתלקין המוחין
Yet through [the omission of] one required detail they are invalidated, and the Intellect departs.
וכהאי גוונא בדקדוקי מצות לא תעשה
The same applies to the detailed requirements of the prohibitory commandments — a single detail affects all the worlds.
והלכך המתבונן מה גדלו מעשי ה׳ שבריבוי העולמות וכל צבאם
Let one therefore ponder how great are the works of G‑d in the multiplicity of worlds and all their hosts,
ואיך כולם בטלים במציאות, לגבי דקדוק אחד מדקדוקי התורה
and how all of these are literally null, relative to any one of the specific requirements of the Torah,
שהוא עומק מחשבה העליונה וחכמתו יתברך
for it is the profundity of the Supreme thought and the Divine wisdom.
אשר בדקדוק קל, עולים כל העולמות ומקבלים חיותם ושפעם, או להיפך, חס ושלום
For through [the observance of] one minor specification, all the worlds ascend and receive their life-force and spiritual sustenance — or the reverse, G‑d forbid.
In the case of a detailed requirement of a prohibitory commandment, transgression brings about (G‑d forbid) a descent in all the worlds.
ומזה נתבונן גדולת עומק מחשבתו יתברך, שהוא בבחינת בלי גבול ותכלית
From this we may ponder the prodigious profundity of G‑d’s thought, which is boundless and endless,
ומעלתה לאין קץ ותכלית על מעלות חיות כל העולמות
and which infinitely transcends the vitality of all the worlds.
שכל חיותם שופע מדקדוק אחד ממנה
For their entire vivifying power issues from a minor requirement of [G‑d’s thought],
שהוא נמשך ממקורו, הוא עומק מחשבתו יתברך
[this requirement being] drawn from its source, namely the depth of G‑d’s thought that specified it.
כמו שער האדם הנמשך ממוחו, על דרך משל
Analogously, man’s hair issues from his brain,
וכנודע מהתיקונים והאידרא רבה
as is known from Tikkunei Zohar and Idra Rabbah.
וזאת היתה שמחת דוד המלך, עליו השלום, שהיה מזמר ומרנן לשמח לבו בעסק התורה בעת צרתו
This was the delight of King David, may he rest in peace, as he sang to gladden his heart in his Torah study during his time of anguish.
He was overjoyed when he contemplated how the entire world is of no account, relative to one minor specific detail of the Torah.
| FOOTNOTES | |
| 1. | II Shmuel 6; I Divrei HaYamim 13. |
| 2. | Bamidbar 7:9. |
| 3. | Sotah 35a. |
| 4. | Tehillim 119:54. |
| 5. | Sotah 35a. |
| 6. | Sotah 35a. |
| 7. | II, 8b. |
| 8. | Note of the Rebbe: “As is explicit in many sources, including Tanya, there are in fact six specific categories — mutar[‘permitted’], kasher [‘fit for use’], tahor [‘pure’], (and also, as in Tanya, end of ch. 52, patur [‘exempt’]?), and their respective opposites. It seems to me that the Alter Rebbe chose just these two categories [‘forbidden’ and ‘permitted’] because they embody a principle common to them all: assur [lit., ‘bound’] implies that something is held in the clutches of the sitra achra [and hence cannot be elevated to G‑d], while mutar [lit., ‘unbound’] is so called (as in Tanya [ch. 7; see also ch. 8]) because a permitted thing is free to be elevated.” |
| 9. | Tehillim 92:10. |
| 10. | Note of the Rebbe: “Cf. the end of Iggeret HaTeshuvah.” |
| 11. | The Rebbe notes that the first example is a change that relates to the person; the second is a change that relates to the vessel; while with regard to “there was a separation” the Rebbe notes that “both of the preceding stages were done without any change.” |
| 12. | “Separation” (chatzitzah) can denote (e.g.) the intervention of a foreign body between the Kohen and (i) the vessel(Zevachim 24a, in the mishnah) or (ii) the floor (the Gemara there, 15b) or (iii) his vestments (ibid., 19a). |
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Rambam:
• Sefer Hamitzvos:• English Text | Hebrew Text |
Audio: Listen | Download | Video Class
Rambam:
• Sefer Hamitzvos:• English Text | Hebrew Text |
Audio: Listen | Download | Video Class
• Thursday, Kislev 14, 5776 · November 26, 2015
Today's Mitzvah
A daily digest of Maimonides’ classic work
Negative Commandment 64
Testing G‑d
"Do not test the L-rd, your G‑d"—Deuteronomy 6:16.
Once a prophet has been established as a true prophet – either through accurately forecasting the future on several occasions, or through the testimony of another established prophet – it is forbidden to further test or doubt his words.
Full text of this Mitzvah »
Positive Commandment 8
Emulating G‑d
"And walk in His ways"—Deuteronomy 28:9.
We are commanded to emulate G‑d's ways. As the Midrash explains, "Just as G‑d is merciful, you should be merciful; just as G‑d is gracious, you should be gracious; G‑d is righteous, you too should be righteous; G‑d is pious, you too should be pious."
Full text of this Mitzvah »
Positive Commandment 6
Clinging to the Sages
"And cleave to Him"—Deuteronomy 11:22.
We are instructed to mingle with the sages and interact with then whenever possible: join in their meals, do business with them, etc. This way we will learn from their ways and come to adopt their true beliefs.
The verse tells us to "cleave" to G‑d—but is it possible to cleave to G‑d who is likened to a consuming fire? Rather this means that we must cleave to Torah scholars.
Full text of this Mitzvah »
Positive Commandment 206
Loving Our Fellow
"Love your fellow as yourself"—Leviticus 19:18.
We are commanded to love and care for our fellow Jew as we love and care for ourselves. We should treasure our fellow and his possessions as we treasure our own. Whatever I wish for myself, I wish also for my fellow; and whatever I dislike for myself, I should also not want to befall him.
Full text of this Mitzvah »
Today's Mitzvah
A daily digest of Maimonides’ classic work
Negative Commandment 64
Testing G‑d
"Do not test the L-rd, your G‑d"—Deuteronomy 6:16.
Once a prophet has been established as a true prophet – either through accurately forecasting the future on several occasions, or through the testimony of another established prophet – it is forbidden to further test or doubt his words.
Full text of this Mitzvah »
Testing G‑d
Negative Commandment 64
Translated by Berel Bell
The 64th prohibition is that we are forbidden from testing His promises and warnings (exalted be He), that He has promised or warned us through His prophets. This would be done by doubting his words once we know that the one who has spoken to us is truly a prophet.1
The source of this commandment is G‑d's statement,2 "Do not test G‑d your Lord as you tested Him in Massah."
FOOTNOTES
1.
See Hilchos Yesodei HaTorah Ch. 7-10 regarding how to recognize a true prophet.
2.
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Deut. 6:16.
Positive Commandment 8
Emulating G‑d
"And walk in His ways"—Deuteronomy 28:9.
We are commanded to emulate G‑d's ways. As the Midrash explains, "Just as G‑d is merciful, you should be merciful; just as G‑d is gracious, you should be gracious; G‑d is righteous, you too should be righteous; G‑d is pious, you too should be pious."
Full text of this Mitzvah »
Emulating G‑d
Positive Commandment 8
Translated by Berel Bell
The 8th mitzvah is that we are commanded to emulate G‑d, blessed be He, to the best of our ability.
The source of this commandment is G‑d's statement (exalted be He),1 "And you shall walk in His paths."
This commandment is repeated in the verse,2 "To walk in all his ways." This is explained in the words of the Sifri3: "Just as G‑d is called merciful, so too, you must be merciful. Just as G‑d is called kind, so too, you must be kind. Just as G‑d is called righteous, so too, you must be righteous. Just as G‑d is called pious, so too, you must be pious."
This commandment is also repeated in the verse,4 "Walk after G‑d your Lord." This too is explained5 as emulating the good deeds and fine attributes which are used to allegorically describe G‑d (exalted be He), Who is immeasurably exalted over everything.
FOOTNOTES
1.
Deut. 28:9.
2.
Deut. 11:22.
3.
Parshat Eikev.
4.
Deut. 13:5.
5.
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Sotah 14a: "Just as G‑d clothes the naked, ... so too, you must clothe the naked. Just as G‑d visits the sick, ... so too, you must visit the sick. Just as G‑d comforts mourners, ... so too, you must comfort mourners."
Positive Commandment 6
Clinging to the Sages
"And cleave to Him"—Deuteronomy 11:22.
We are instructed to mingle with the sages and interact with then whenever possible: join in their meals, do business with them, etc. This way we will learn from their ways and come to adopt their true beliefs.
The verse tells us to "cleave" to G‑d—but is it possible to cleave to G‑d who is likened to a consuming fire? Rather this means that we must cleave to Torah scholars.
Full text of this Mitzvah »
Clinging to the Sages
Positive Commandment 6
Translated by Berel Bell
The 6th mitzvah is that we are commanded to be close to the wise and to associate with them. We should constantly be close to them and to be with them in all possible ways of friendship, such as eating, drinking and doing business, in order to thereby succeed in emulating their actions and knowing from their words the true way of looking at things.
The source of this commandment is G‑d's statement (exalted be He),1 "And cling to Him." This commandment is repeated,2 "To Him you shall cling," and is explained in the words of the Sifri: "Cleave to the Sages and their students."
Our Sages also derived from the verse, "To Him you shall cling," that one must marry the daughter of a talmid chacham, marry one's daughter to a talmid chacham, give benefits to talmidei chachamim and to do business with them. Our Sages say3 "Is it possible for a person to cling to the Divine Presence, when the verse says,4 'G‑d your Lord is [like] a consuming fire'?! Rather, whoever marries the daughter of a talmid chacham [is considered to have cleaved to the Divine Presence]."
FOOTNOTES
1.
Deut. 11:22.
2.
Deut. 10:20.
3.
Ketubot 111b.
4.
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Deut. 4:22.
Positive Commandment 206
Loving Our Fellow
"Love your fellow as yourself"—Leviticus 19:18.
We are commanded to love and care for our fellow Jew as we love and care for ourselves. We should treasure our fellow and his possessions as we treasure our own. Whatever I wish for myself, I wish also for my fellow; and whatever I dislike for myself, I should also not want to befall him.
Full text of this Mitzvah »
Loving Our Fellow
Positive Commandment 206
Translated by Berel Bell
The 206th mitzvah is that we are commanded to love each other as we love ourselves. I should have mercy for and love my brother as faithfully as I love and have mercy for myself. This applies to his financial and physical state, and whatever he has or desires. What I want for myself I should want for him, and whatever I don't want for myself or my friends, I shouldn't want for him.
The source of this commandment is G‑d's statement,1 "You must love your neighbor as [you love] yourself."
FOOTNOTES
1.Lev.19:18.
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• 1 Chapter: Nezirut Nezirut - Chapter 10 • English Text | Hebrew Text | Audio: Listen | Download | Video Class
• 1 Chapter: Nezirut Nezirut - Chapter 10 • English Text | Hebrew Text |
Audio: Listen | Download | Video Class
• Nezirut - Chapter 10
Halacha 1
A person cannot perform one shaving [that will fulfill the requirements for] his nazirite vow and [for the emergence from the state of ritual impurity associated with] tzara'at.1
When it is questionable whether a person was afflicted with tzara'at [and thus became a metzora], the shaving [associated with emerging from] tzara'at does not supercede his nazirite vow. 2 Therefore [the following rules apply] if a person took a nazirite vow for a year and throughout this year, there was a question whether he had been afflicted with tzara'at and a question whether he had contracted ritual impurity through contact with a human corpse3 or there was a question whether he had been afflicted with tzara'at and at the end of the year, a question arose whether he had contracted ritual impurity. He should count seven days, have [the ashes of the Red Heifer] sprinkled [upon him] on the third and seventh days,4 but he should not shave [his hair] on the seventh day. He may not drink wine or become impure due to contact with a human corpse until four years have passed.5 He may partake of consecrated food after two years have passed.6 [The rationale is] that he is required [because of the doubts concerning his status,] to shave [his head] four times: a) the shaving [required when he completes his nazirite vow in a state of] purity,7 b) the shaving [required for a nazirite to emerge from a state of] impurity, [for which he is obligated because of the doubt], and the two shavings required of a metzora, for there is a doubt whether he is a metzora.
Halacha 2
The first shaving should be performed after the conclusion of the first year.8He shaves his head, his beard,9 and his eyebrows and undergoes the purification process involving a cedar tree, a hyssop, and two wild birds10 like othermetzoraim.11 If he was not impure due to contact with a corpse, nor a metzora, this is the shaving performed upon completion of his nazirite vow in purity. If he was indeed a metzora during the first year, this is the first shaving required of the metzora.
He then waits another year as is the span of his nazirite vow, and then performs the second shaving required of metzora. He may not shave after seven days like other metzoraim, for perhaps he was not a metzora, but instead had been impure because of contact with a corpse. [In that instance,] during this second year, he was a nazirite, who was forbidden to shave.12 [Nevertheless,] after he performed these two shavings, he has completed the purification process required after tzara'at13 and he is permitted to partake of consecrated foods.
He then waits another year and afterwards, performs a third shaving, lest he had been definitely a metzora during the first year and not impure because of contact with a corpse. [The observance] of the first year was not of consequence for him because these were days when his status [as a metzora] was defined.14 [The observance] of the second year was not of consequence for him because these were the days when he was counting [as part of the purification process of a] metzora between the first shaving and the second shaving.15 Therefore he must wait a third year, [observing his] nazirite vow. [Afterwards,] he performs a third shaving for his nazirite vow. This shaving [is required to emerge from] purity.16 [Nevertheless,] perhaps he was definitely impure because of contact with a corpse and he was also definitely a metzoraand one shaving cannot serve the purpose of his nazirite vow and [purification from] tzara'at. Thus the first and second shavings were [for purification] fromtzara'at. The third shaving was [for the sake of purification from] ritual impurity. None of these three years count because the third shaving was to purify him from ritual impurity.17 Therefore he must wait a fourth year, [observing] his nazirite vow and perform a fourth shaving. After each of the times that he shaves because of the doubt,18 it is forbidden to benefit from his hair because of the doubt involved, because it is permitted to benefit from the hair of a nazirite who became afflicted with tzara'at.19
Halacha 3
Similar [rules apply if a person] took a nazirite vow for ten years and, in the midst, there arose a question whether he was a metzora and there also arose a question whether he contracted ritual impurity [through contact with a corpse] at the conclusion of this period. He may not drink wine for forty years and must perform four shavings, one at the conclusion of each decade. The first shaving comes because of the doubt concerning the days he must observe because oftzara'at. The second shaving [comes] because of the days a metzora [must count between his two shavings]. The third shaving is because of the doubt concerning his ritual impurity. And the fourth shaving is [the one required when completing a nazirite vow in] purity.20
Halacha 4
How should such a person bring the sacrifices required of him?21 If he was rich, he should sign over all of his property to another person.22 [The rationale is that] a wealthy metzora who brought a sacrifice befitting a poor one does not fulfill his obligation.23 Afterwards, he brings a fowl as a sin offering and an animal as a burnt offering for the first, second, and third shavings.24 No one should partake of any of the fowl brought as sin offerings, because of the doubt involved.25 For the fourth shaving, he brings the sacrifices required of a nazirite [who completes his vow in] purity, as we explained.26
Halacha 5
He brings three fowl as sin offerings for the following reasons: the first27is because of the doubt whether he is ritually impure,28the second because of the doubt whether he is afflicted by tzara'at, for a metzora brings a sacrifice only after his second shaving,29 the third because of the possibility that he was ritually impure. [The rationale is that] one shaving cannot fulfill the obligation for both one's nazirite vow and [purification from] tzara'at and perhaps he was definitely both a metzora and impure because of contact with a corpse. [In that instance,] the first and second shavings were to become purified from tzara'at, as explained.30 The third shaving is the shaving [required to emerge from] ritual impurity. Therefore he must bring the sacrifices [required when emerging from] impurity at that time.
Halacha 6
[The following principles apply with regard to] the three animals31[brought] as burnt offerings that accompany [the sin offerings]. He brings them conditionally. [When bringing] the first, he stipulates: "If I was pure, this is for my obligation."32If I was impure, this is a freewill offering."33 He should make a similar stipulation for the second and third [shaving] as well.34
Halacha 7
For the fourth shaving, he brings the sacrifices [required when completing a nazirite vow in] purity35 and stipulates: "If I was impure, the first burnt offering was a freewill offering36 and this is my obligatory offering.37
"If I was definitely [afflicted with tzara'at], the first [burnt offering] was the one that I was obligated to bring as a metzora.38 This is the one that I was obligated to bring for my nazirite vow. And the two [brought] in between are freewill offerings.39
"If I was pure with regard to contact with a corpse, but I had been afflicted withtzara'at, the first and second [burnt offerings] were obligatory, the one for the obligation of a metzora40 and the one for the obligation of a nazirite. The third and the fourth are freewill offerings. The remainder [of the sacrifices] are the sacrifices [required when completing a nazirite vow in] purity.41
Halacha 8
The guilt offering and the burnt offering are not absolute requirements,44neither for the shaving [required for a nazirite to emerge from] ritual impurity, nor for [the purification afflicted with] tzara'at. 45 Thus if he had definitely been ametzora, but had not become impure because of contact with a corpse, he became pure when bringing the wild birds. The fowl brought as a sin offering serves as his sin offering.46 It should not be eaten because it was brought because of a doubt.47 And the [lamb] brought with it as a burnt offering is part of the requirement for shaving [after completing a nazirite vow in] purity, so that the shaving will be associated [with the sacrifice of] an animal.48 If he was ritually impure because of contact with a corpse, the [lamb] brought as a burnt offering is a freewill offering.49
If he had not been afflicted by tzara'at, but had been impure due to contact with a corpse, the fowl brought as a sin offering is the offering [required of] a nazirite who became impure and the [lamb] brought as an animal is a freewill offering. And ultimately,50 he will bring the sacrifices [required when a nazirite vow is completed in] purity.
If he was neither impure due to contact with a corpse nor a metzora, the [lamb] brought as a burnt offering for the first shaving is that required when shaving.51The fowl brought as a sin offering is brought because of the doubt and it is not eaten.
Halacha 9
When do the above statements that a nazirite performs four shavings apply? When speaking of a minor52 or a woman.53 An adult male should not perform a shaving because of a doubt,54 neither a shaving because of ritual impurity or one because of tzara'at lest he have been ritually pure and thus he will be cutting off the corners of his hair when there is no mitzvah involved.55Therefore, [in such a situation,] an adult male should perform only the shaving [required when completing the nazirite vow in] purity. For these four shavings are not absolute requirements,56 they are only [the more complete way of performing] the mitzvah.
Halacha 10
How should a nazirite conduct himself if he is certain that he contracted tzara'atand is uncertain whether he contracted ritual impurity. After he is purified from his tzara'at,57 he should have [the ashes of the Red Heifer] sprinkled upon him on the third and seventh days.58 He performs the shaving [required when emerging from] ritual impurity59 and then begins to count the days of his nazirite vow in their entirety. For, due to the doubt that he became ritually impure, [the observance of] the first days is nullified. [After completing that vow,] he brings the sacrifices [required when completing a nazirite vow in] purity and [is permitted to] drink wine. After he brings the sacrifices [required after being purified from] tzara'at, he may partake of sacrificial food.
Halacha 11
[The following rules apply if] it is certain that he became impure [from contact with a corpse] and there is a question whether he was a metzora. After he is healed from his questionable status as a metzora, he should count the full amount of the days of his nazirite vow60 and afterwards61 perform the shaving [required for tzara'at]. [The rationale is that] shaving [because of tzara'at] that is questionable does not supercede his nazirite vow. Afterwards, he counts the seven days between the first shaving of a metzora and the second and performs that shaving. He should bring his sacrifices and may partake of sacrificial foods if he had [the ashes of the Red Heifer] sprinkled upon him on the third and seventh days.62 Afterwards, he counts seven more days [because of] the impurity associated with a corpse and performs the shaving [required to emerge from] ritual impurity. Afterwards, he counts the full term of his nazirite vow.
Halacha 12
Similarly, [the following rules apply if] he was certainly both ritually impure and ametzora. After he becomes healed from his tzara'at, he performs the first shaving [required to be purified from] tzara'at, has [the ashes of the Red Heifer] sprinkled upon him on the third and seventh [days],63and has his head and beard shaved on the seventh day. This is the second shaving [required to be purified from] tzara'at. He brings the sacrifices [associated with that purification] on the eighth day and may partake of sacrificial foods. He then counts seven days64 and performs the shaving [required to emerge from] ritual impurity. Afterwards, he counts the full term of his nazirite vow. He then brings the sacrifices [required when completing a nazirite vow in] ritual purity and [may then] drink wine.
Halacha 13
Why is it necessary for him to count seven [days before bringing the sacrifices required after emerging from ritual impurity]?65 [Because] the seven days of ritual impurity [associated with contact with a human corpse] are not counted during the seven days between the two shavings of a metzora.
Halacha 14
When a person says: "I will be a nazirite if I do this and this" or "...if I do not do [this or this]," he is a wicked man and a nazirite vow of this type is one of the nazirite vows taken by the wicked. If, however, a person takes a nazirite vow to God in a holy manner, this is delightful and praiseworthy66 and concerning this, [Numbers 6:7-8] states: "The diadem67 of his God is upon his head... He is holy unto God." And Scripture equates him with a prophet, as [Amos 2:11] states: "And from your sons, I will raise [some] as prophets, and from your youths, [some] as nazirites."
| FOOTNOTES | |
| 1. |
As stated in Hilchot Tumat Tzara'at 11:1-3, after the signs of tzara'at have disappeared from a person's flesh, he must undergo a twofold purification process that involves shaving his hair on the first and seventh days. Neither of these shavings can be considered as the same shaving as the one performed by a nazirite. The rationale is that the first shaving of the purification fromtzara'at is for a different purpose than the shaving performed by a nazirite. For the intent of the shaving of a nazirite is to remove hair, while the intent of the first shaving performed by a person afflicted with tzara'at is to allow hair to grow (Nazir 60b, Radbaz). Similarly, the second shaving associated with tzara'at is not analogous to the shaving associated with the nazirite vow, for the shaving of a metzora is performed before the sprinkling of the blood and the shaving of a nazirite afterwards.
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| 2. |
Which involves a prohibition against shaving. As stated in Chapter 7, Halachah 15, ordinarily, "When a nazirite contracts tzara'at and becomes healed in the midst of the days of his nazirite vow, he should shave all of his hair. The rationale is that] by shaving, he fulfills a positive commandment. [And] when there is [a conflict between] a positive commandment and a negative commandment... the positive commandment supercedes the negative commandment." There is also a positive commandment for a nazirite to grow his hair long and a negative commandment does not override a negative commandment and a positive commandment. Nevertheless, when a nazirite contracts tzara'at, that there is no positive commandment involved in growing his hair. Since it is possible that this is not the situation prevailing in this instance, he should not shave (Radbaz).
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| 3. |
In this instance, it is questionable whether he is required to shave to perform a shaving to emerge from ritual impurity (as explained at the beginning of Chapter 6) or not.
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| 4. |
A person who seeks to emerge from the impurity associated from the state of ritual impurity associated with contact with a human corpse must have the ashes of a Red Heifer sprinkled upon him on the third and seventh days after he became ritually impure. He must also immerse himself in a mikveh (Hilchot Parah Adumah 11:1).
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| 5. |
For only then will he complete all the shavings required because of the doubts and complete his nazirite vow.
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| 6. |
For then he will have performed both of the shavings required of a person who contracted tzara'atand will have had the ashes of the Red Heifer sprinkled upon him to purify him from the impurity associated with contact with a human corpse.
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| 7. |
The Rambam mentions this shaving first, because this is the only definite obligation.
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| 8. |
For until then he is forbidden to shave because perhaps he is not impure and his nazirite vow must be observed. The details regarding the sacrifices that must be offered when shaving his hair are explained in Halachot 4-5.
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| 9. |
As stated in Halachah 9, this applies only to a minor or a woman who took nazirite vows. If the nazirite is an adult male, he may not shave his head, because of the doubt.
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| 10. |
According to certain commentaries, this refers to a kosher species of sparrows, according to others to a jay. See the notes of the Living Torah to Leviticus 14:4.
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| 11. |
See Hilchot Tumat Tzara'at, Chapter 11, where this purification process is described in detail.
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| 12. |
The Ra'avad writes that the Rambam's statements are correct if he became ritually impure more than seven days before the end of his first year of nazirite observance. If, however, there is less than seven days left before the conclusion of the year, different rules apply, for he will have not fulfilled the seven days required before shaving to emerge from impurity. The Kessef Mishnehtakes issue with the Ra'avad's statements.
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| 13. |
Were he to have indeed been a metzora.
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| 14. |
And as stated in Chapter 7, Halachah 9, the days when a person's status is defined as a metzoraare not included as part of the fulfillment of his nazirite vow.
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| 15. |
He could not wait only seven days, because it is possible he was not a metzora in which instance, he would not be permitted to shave his hair within the time of his nazirite vow.
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| 16. |
Our translation follows the understanding of the Radbaz and is supported by Halachah 5. The standard published text follows a slightly different version.
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| 17. |
And until he is ritually pure, the days he observes for his nazirite vow are not of consequence. He may not, however, perform these shavings earlier, because he is not definitely impure or ametzora.
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| 18. |
I.e., the first three shavings.
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| 19. |
Ordinarily, it is forbidden to benefit from the hair of a nazirite (Chapter 8, Halachah 2), even if he became impure (Chapter 6, Halachah 14). Nevertheless, as the Rambam states in Chapter 7, Halachah 15, when a nazirite becomes afflicted with tzara'at, the holiness associated with his hair is nullified. Even with regard to the last shaving, his hair is not definitely forbidden, because it is possible that he already fulfilled his obligations with the first shavings (Radbaz).
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| 20. |
This all follows the pattern explained in the notes to the previous halachah.
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| 21. |
The full order of sacrifices that such a person would be required to bring were he in fact to have contracted ritual impurity and have been afflicted by tzara'at is the following:
a) because of tzara'at: on the eighth day of the purification process, he must bring a guilt offering, a sin offering, and a burnt offering;
b) because he became impure, he must bring a sin offering, a guilt offering, and a burnt offering; and
c) upon completion of his nazirite vow in purity, he brings a burnt offering, a peace offering, and a sin offering.
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| 22. |
Because, as will be explained, it is possible to bring a fowl as a sacrifice when there is a doubt involved, but not an animal.
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| 23. |
See Hilchot Mechusrai Kapparah 5:10; Hilchot Shegagot 10:13.
A wealthy metzora must bring a ewe as a sin offering, while a poor one may bring two sets of doves or turtledoves. If the rich man retains possession of his property, he will not be able to bring a sin offering, because an animal can never be brought as a sin offering because of doubt (Radbaz).
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| 24. |
For all of these are brought because of the doubt involved.
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| 25. |
See Hilchot Pesulei HaMukdashim 19:10.
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| 26. |
Chapter 8, Halachah 1. The Rambam does not mention the wild birds that must be brought as part of the purification process for a metzora, for they were not sacrifices brought within the Temple.
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| 27. |
I.e., the sin offering brought after the first shaving.
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| 28. |
Because of contact with a corpse alone and not afflicted with tzara'at.
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| 29. |
The wild birds brought after the first shaving are not considered sacrifices, because they are not brought within the Temple.
According to this possibility, it was not necessary for him to have brought the sin offering at the time of the first shaving. That first shaving cannot, however, serve two purposes as the Rambam explains.
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| 30. |
See Halachah 2.
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| 31. |
I.e., the lambs.
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| 32. |
As required of a nazirite who completes his nazirite vow in purity.
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| 33. |
For the burnt offering required when a nazirite completes his vow in purity is a lamb and that required from a nazirite emerging from ritual impurity is a dove or turtle dove.
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| 34. |
I.e., for the second shaving, he should make the following stipulation: "If I was only ritually impure because of contact with a corpse, then the first sin offering was to emerge from ritual impurity and this is the sin offering required at the conclusion of the nazirite vow. If I had contracted tza'arat, this is for the sake of purification from that affliction. And if I was neither ritually impure nor had contracted tzara'at, this is a freewill offering."
For the third shaving, he should stipulate: "If I was both ritually impure and afflicted by tzara'at, the second sacrifice was to be purified from tzara'at and this is to emerge from the ritual impurity stemming from a corpse. If I had been afflicted by tzara'at, but not ritually impure, this is to complete the obligation of my nazirite vow. If I had not been afflicted by tzara'at, this is a freewill offering."
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| 35. |
I.e., a burnt offering, a sin offering, and a peace offering.
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| 36. |
For a nazirite who became impure should not bring a lamb as a burnt offering.
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| 37. |
We do not say that the burnt offering brought after the second or third shaving was the required offering, because perhaps he had been afflicted with tzara'at in which instance, those shavings were necessary to purify him (Kessef Mishneh).
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| 38. |
With regard to a sin offering, the Rambam wrote in Halachah 5 that a metzora should not bring his sacrifice until after the second shaving. For this reason, the Ra'avad protests the Rambam's statements. Nevertheless, as stated with regard to a related issue in Hilchot Ma'aseh HaKorbanot18:9, a distinction can be made between a burnt offering and a sin offering, for the sin offering is the fundamental catalyst for atonement and the burnt offering is merely a present (Kessef Mishneh; Lechem Mishneh).
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| 39. |
One of these burnt offerings was obviously a freewill offering, because only one burnt offering is required for the two shavings required to be purified from tzara'at. The other burnt offering is also a freewill offering, because the shaving is required lest he was also impure because of contact with a corpse. Nevertheless, the burnt offering required for such a shaving is not a lamb, but rather a dove or a turtle dove.
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| 40. |
As explained above.
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| 41. |
The fact that they are being brought much later than the burnt offering is not significant.
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| 42. |
As explained above.
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| 43. |
One of these burnt offerings was obviously a freewill offering, because only one burnt offering is required for the two shavings required to be purified from tzara'at. The other burnt offering is also a freewill offering, because the shaving is required lest he was also impure because of contact with a corpse. Nevertheless, the burnt offering required for such a shaving is not a lamb, but rather a dove or a turtle dove.
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| 44. |
Hence they are not required in this complex situation.
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| 45. |
See Chapter 6, Halachah 12, with regard to a nazirite and Hilchot Mechusrei Kapparah 1:5 with regard to a metzora. The Ra'avad differs with the Rambam and maintains that the guilt offering is also an absolute requirement for the purification of a nazirite. The Radbaz and the Kessef Mishnehsupport the Rambam's ruling.
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| 46. |
The commentaries raise a difficulty with the Rambam's statement, noting that as explained in Halachah 5, the sin offering for a metzora is brought in association with the second shaving, not the first. The Merkevet HaMishneh states the intent is that the sacrifice is brought because of the question of impurity stemming from contact with a human corpse.
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| 47. |
For it is not known whether he was a metzora or not.
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| 48. |
For if he does not bring an animal as a sacrifice, the shaving is not acceptable and in violation of his nazirite vow.
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| 49. |
One of these burnt offerings was obviously a freewill offering, because only one burnt offering is required for the two shavings required to be purified from tzara'at. The other burnt offering is also a freewill offering, because the shaving is required lest he was also impure because of contact with a corpse. Nevertheless, the burnt offering required for such a shaving is not a lamb, but rather a dove or a turtle dove.
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| 50. |
After the fourth shaving.
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| 51. |
The fact that the remainder of the sacrifices are not brought until a significantly later time, i.e., after the fourth shaving, is not significant.
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| 52. |
As mentioned in Chapter 2, Halachah 13, a nazirite vow taken by a minor can be binding according to Scriptural Law.
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| 53. |
For the prohibition against shaving the corners of the hair and the beard is not incumbent upon them (Hilchot Avodat Kochavim 12:5).
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| 54. |
I.e., the first three shavings described above.
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| 55. |
As explained above, when a mitzvah is involved in the shaving, we follow the principle: The performance of a positive commandment supercedes the observance of a prohibition. This applies, however, only when we are certain that the observance of a positive commandment is indeed involved.
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| 56. |
See Hilchot Tumat Tzara'at 11:4.
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| 57. |
Shaving and bringing the appropriate sacrifices. The sequence when the shavings are performed and sacrifices are brought is not explicitly mentioned by the Rambam. However, as reflected in the gloss of the Lechem Mishneh, seemingly he may perform the shaving immediately. Since he is definitely afflicted with tzara'at, there is no prohibition against his shaving during the term of his nazirite vow.
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| 58. |
This purifies him from the impurity associated with a human corpse. Unless he performs this act of purification, no sacrifices may be offered on his behalf (Hilchot Bi'at HaMikdash 2:12). The fact that he is still ritually impure because of tzara'at does not prevent him from purifying himself from the impurity associated with contact with a corpse (Hilchot Parah Adumah 11:3).
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| 59. |
After the completion of all the days of his nazirite vow. He is required to wait this amount of time, because perhaps he never became impure. Thus were he to perform the shaving earlier, he might be shaving in the midst of his nazirite vow.
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| 60. |
Any observance of his vow before then is disqualified. Nor can he bring the sacrifices required when emerging from ritual impurity until he first purifies himself from the possibility of having been afflicted with tzara'at.
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| 61. |
Since it is not certain that he has tzara'at, the shaving does not supercede his nazirite vow and thus he must wait until the observance of his nazirite vow is concluded.
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| 62. |
For otherwise, he is ritually impure and may not partake of sacrifices. Our translation reflects an emendation of the standard published text of the Mishneh Torah based on authoritative manuscripts.
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| 63. |
To be purified from the ritual impurity stemming from contact with a human corpse, so that sacrifices may be offered on his behalf, as explained above.
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| 64. |
For the reason explained in the following halachah.
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| 65. |
I.e., he is required to wait this amount of time as explained in Chapter 6, Halachah 7, but seemingly, he has already waited these days, in the process of his purification from tzara'at.
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| 66. |
See ch. 13 of Hilchot Nedarim. Halachot 24 and 25 of that chapter focus on the negative dimension of taking vows that involve prohibitions, but Halachah 23 explains that there are situations, i.e., when one feels challenged by his material desires, when taking such vows are praiseworthy. See the incident from Nedarim 9b quoted in the notes to that halachah.
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| 67. |
This Hebrew term shares the same letters as the root of the word nazirite.
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Halacha 1
Any prophet who arises and tells us that God has sent him does not have to [prove himself by] performing wonders like those performed by Moses, our teacher, or like the wonders of Elijah or Elisha, which altered the natural order.
Rather, the sign of [the truth of his prophecy] will be the fulfillment of his prediction of future events, as [implied by Deuteronomy 18:21]: "How shall we recognize that a prophecy was not spoken by God?..."
Therefore, if a person whose [progress] in the service of God makes him worthy of prophecy arises [and claims to be a prophet] - if he does not intend to add [to] or diminish [the Torah], but rather to serve God through the mitzvot of the Torah - we do not tell him: "Split the sea for us, revive the dead, or the like, and then we will believe in you." Instead, we tell him, "If you are a prophet, tell us what will happen in the future." He makes his statements, and we wait to see whether [his "prophecy"] comes to fruition or not.
Should even a minute particular of his "prophecy" not materialize, he is surely a false prophet. If his entire prophecy materializes, we should consider him a true [prophet].
Halacha 2
We should test him many times. If all of his statements prove true, he should be considered to be a true prophet, as [I Samuel 3:20] states concerning Samuel, "And all of Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, knew that Samuel had been proven to be a prophet unto God."
Halacha 3
Behold, the diviners and sorcerers also predict the future. What differentiates between them and a prophet?
[Though] some of the prophecies made by diviners, sorcerers, and the like materialize, some do not [as implied by Isaiah 47:13]: "Let the stargazers, the astrologers, and the diviners of what will happen in the months, come and save you from what will come upon you." [Our Sages note that the verse states] "from what" rather than "from all that."
Also, it is possible that none of their predictions will come true and they will err completely, as [Isaiah 44:25] states: "He frustrates the omens of imposters and drives diviners mad."
In contrast, all the words of a prophet come true, as [II Kings 10:10] states: "God's word will not fall to the ground." Similarly, [Jeremiah 23:28] states: "'The prophet who has a dream may relate his dream, but he who [receives] My word shall speak words of truth. What is the chaff to the grain?' declares God." This implies that the words of sorcerers and dreamers are like chaff that has been mixed with some grain, while the word of God is like grain without any chaff at all.
Concerning this, the Torah promises that a prophet will relate the truth about those matters for which the soothsayers and diviners give false- predictions to the gentiles, so that [the Jews] will not need a sorcerer, a diviner, or the like, as [Deuteronomy 18:10, 14-15] states: "Among you, there shall not be found anyone who passes his son through fire, [a sorcerer, a diviner...] For these nations... [listen to diviners and sorcerers, God has not given you this lot. God will] set up a prophet from your midst."
We see from this that a prophet will arise for the sole purpose of telling us the future events which will transpire in the world, whether there will be plenty or famine, war or peace, and the like. He even will inform a particular individual regarding his needs. Hence, when Saul lost an object, he went to the prophet to discover where it was. These are the types of things that a prophet will say. He will not come to found a new faith or add or withdraw a mitzvah.
Halacha 4
[The above principles do not apply to] prophecies of retribution which a prophet will utter - e.g., "So and so will die," "This or that year will be a year of famine or a year of war," and the like. If his words do not come true, this does not nullify the validity of his prophecy, nor do we say [in condemnation of him]: "Behold, he spoke and his words were not fulfilled."
[This is because] the Holy One, Blessed be He, is slow to anger, abundant in kindness, and forgiving of evil. Thus, it is possible that they will repent and [their sin] will be forgiven, as in the case of the people of Nineveh, or that [retribution] will be held in abeyance, as in the case of Hezekiah.
[This does not apply regarding prophecies for the good.] If [a prophet] promised that good would come and such and such will occur, and the good about which he prophesied did not materialize, he is surely a false prophet. Any good which God decrees - even if [the decree] is provisional - will never be nullified. {We find [God] nullifying a positive prophecy only during the destruction of the first Temple. He had promised the righteous that they would not die together with the wicked; however, He nullified this prophecy, as explained in the tractate of Shabbat.}
We can conclude from this that a prophet should be tested on the basis of his positive prophecies. This was what Jeremiah meant by his reply to Chananiah ben Azur, when he was prophesying doom and Chananiah was promising a [glorious future]. He told Chananiah: "If my words are not fulfilled, this will not lead to the conclusion that I am a false prophet. If your promises are not fulfilled, however, it will be proven that you are a false prophet," as implied by [Jeremiah 28:7,9]: "Hear, now, this word... As for the prophet who prophesies for peace, when the word of the prophet shall come to pass, it will be known that God has truly sent this prophet."
Halacha 5
When a prophet proclaims that another individual is [also] a prophet, we accept the latter as a prophet without requiring [any further] investigation. Thus, after Moses, our teacher, proclaimed that Joshua [was a prophet], all the Jews believed in him before he performed any wonders. The same holds true for subsequent generations.
Once a prophet has made known his prophecy, and his words have proven true time after time, or another prophet has proclaimed him a prophet, if he continues in the path of prophecy, it is forbidden to doubt him or to question the truth of his prophecy.
[When establishing the authenticity of a prophet,] it is forbidden to test him more than necessary. We may not continue to test him forever, as [Deuteronomy 6:15] states: "Do not test God, your Lord, as you tested him in Marah," when [the Jews] said [Exodus 17:7]: "Is God in our midst or not?" Rather, once an individual is established as a prophet, we should believe in him and know that God is in our midst. We should not doubt or question him, as implied by [Ezekiel 2:5]: "They shall know that a prophet was in their midst."
De'ot - Chapter One
Hilchot De'ot
The Laws of Personal Development
They contain eleven mitzvot:
Five positive commandments and six negative commandments.
They are:
1. To emulate His ways
2. To cling to those who know Him
3. To love one's fellow Jews
4. To love the converts
5. Not to hate one's [Jewish] brethren
6. To rebuke
7. Not to embarrass
8. Not to oppress the unfortunate
9. Not to gossip
10. Not to take vengeance
11. Not to bear a grudge.
Halacha 1
Each and every man possesses many character traits. Each trait is very different and distant from the others.
One type of man is wrathful; he is constantly angry. [In contrast,] there is the calm individual who is never moved to anger, or, if at all, he will be slightly angry, [perhaps once] during a period of several years.
There is the prideful man and the one who is exceptionally humble. There is the man ruled by his appetites - he will never be satisfied from pursuing his desires, and [conversely,] the very pure of heart, who does not desire even the little that the body needs.
There is the greedy man, who cannot be satisfied with all the money in the world, as [Ecclesiastes 5:9] states: "A lover of money never has his fill of money." [In contrast,] there is the man who puts a check on himself; he is satisfied with even a little, which is not enough for his needs, and he does not bother to pursue and attain what he lacks.
There is [the miser,] who torments himself with hunger, gathering [his possessions] close to himself. Whenever he spends a penny of his own, he does so with great pain. [Conversely,] there is [the spendthrift,] who consciously wastes his entire fortune.
All other traits follow the same pattern [of contrast]. For example: the overly elated and the depressed; the stingy and the freehanded; the cruel and the softhearted; the coward and the rash. and the like.
Halacha 2
Between each trait and the [contrasting] trait at the other extreme, there are intermediate points, each distant from the other.
With regard to all the traits: a man has some from the beginning of his conception, in accordance with his bodily nature. Some are appropriate to a person's nature and will [therefore] be acquired more easily than other traits. Some traits he does not have from birth. He may have learned them from others, or turned to them on his own. This may have come as a result of his own thoughts, or because he heard that this was a proper trait for him, which he ought to attain. [Therefore,] he accustomed himself to it until it became a part of himself.
Halacha 3
The two extremes of each trait, which are at a distance from one another, do not reflect a proper path. It is not fitting that a man should behave in accordance with these extremes or teach them to himself.
If he finds that his nature leans towards one of the extremes or adapts itself easily to it, or, if he has learned one of the extremes and acts accordingly, he should bring himself back to what is proper and walk in the path of the good [men]. This is the straight path.
Halacha 4
The straight path: This [involves discovering] the midpoint temperament of each and every trait that man possesses [within his personality.] This refers to the trait which is equidistant from either of the extremes, without being close to either of them.
Therefore, the early Sages instructed a man to evaluate his traits, to calculate them and to direct them along the middle path, so that he will be sound {of body}.
For example: he should not be wrathful, easily angered; nor be like the dead, without feeling, rather he should [adopt] an intermediate course; i.e., he should display anger only when the matter is serious enough to warrant it, in order to prevent the matter from recurring. Similarly, he should not desire anything other than that which the body needs and cannot exist without, as [Proverbs 13:25] states: "The righteous man eats to satisfy his soul."
Also, he shall not labor in his business except to gain what he needs for immediate use, as [Psalms 37:16] states: "A little is good for the righteous man."
He should not be overly stingy nor spread his money about, but he should give charity according to his capacity and lend to the needy as is fitting. He should not be overly elated and laugh [excessively], nor be sad and depressed in spirit. Rather, he should be quietly happy at all times, with a friendly countenance. The same applies with regard to his other traits.
This path is the path of the wise. Every man whose traits are intermediate and equally balanced can be called a "wise man."
Halacha 5
A person who carefully [examines] his [behavior], and therefore deviates slightly from the mean to either side is called pious.
What is implied? One who shuns pride and turns to the other extreme and carries himself lowly is called pious. This is the quality of piety. However, if he separates himself [from pride] only to the extent that he reaches the mean and displays humility, he is called wise. This is the quality of wisdom. The same applies with regard to other character traits.
The pious of the early generations would bend their temperaments from the intermediate path towards [either of] the two extremes. For some traits they would veer towards the final extreme, for others, towards the first extreme. This is referred to as [behavior] beyond the measure of the law.
We are commanded to walk in these intermediate paths - and they are good and straight paths - as [Deuteronomy 28:9] states: "And you shall walk in His ways."
Halacha 6
[Our Sages] taught [the following] explanation of this mitzvah:
Just as He is called "Gracious," you shall be gracious;
Just as He is called "Merciful," you shall be merciful;
Just as He is called "Holy," you shall be holy;
Just as He is called "Gracious," you shall be gracious;
Just as He is called "Merciful," you shall be merciful;
Just as He is called "Holy," you shall be holy;
In a similar manner, the prophets called God by other titles: "Slow to anger," "Abundant in kindness," "Righteous," "Just," "Perfect," "Almighty," "Powerful," and the like. [They did so] to inform us that these are good and just paths. A person is obligated to accustom himself to these paths and [to try to] resemble Him to the extent of his ability.
Halacha 7
How can one train himself to follow these temperaments to the extent that they become a permanent fixture of his [personality]?
He should perform - repeat - and perform a third time - the acts which conform to the standards of the middle road temperaments. He should do this constantly, until these acts are easy for him and do not present any difficulty. Then, these temperaments will become a fixed part of his personality.
Since the Creator is called by these terms and they make up the middle path which we are obligated to follow, this path is called "the path of God." This is [the heritage] which our Patriarch Abraham taught his descendants, as [Genesis 18:19] states: "for I have known Him so that he will command his descendants...to keep the path of God."
One who follows this path brings benefit and blessing to himself, as [the above verse continues]: "so that God will bring about for Abraham all that He promised."
Commentary Halacha
Each and every man possesses many character traits. Each trait is very different and distant from the others. - Many commentaries assume that the Rambam is stating simply that there are many personality types, which he proceeds to describe: e.g., the angry man, the calm man, etc. They quote various sources in support of this viewpoint, among themBerachot 58a: "Whoever sees a multitude of Jews recites the blessing: 'Blessed is...the wise who knows the hidden secrets,' because just as their natures are not similar, neither are their faces."
However, by stating that the many character traits are possessed by "each and every man," it is possible that Rambam is implying more than that there are people with different traits. Though in Moreh Nevuchim (The Guide to the Perplexed) 2:40 the Rambam himself elaborates upon that idea, it can be said that here his intent is different. He is emphasizing the degree to which each individual's personality is a combination of different traits, which may be unrelated and even distant from each other. Anger, generosity, and modesty, for example, can be found together in the same person, much in the same way that tenants of all sorts - unrelated to each other - can be housed in a common building.
To illustrate these traits, the Rambam employs concrete examples of extreme personalities, so that the contrasts can be appreciated more easily.
One type of man is wrathful; he is constantly angry. [In contrast,] there is the calm individual who is never moved to anger - Obviously, anger or passivity are not these individuals' only traits. Surely, they share the full spectrum of human emotions. However, in these individuals, these traits are most prominent.
See Halachah 2:3 for a further discussion of anger.
or, if at all, he will be slightly angry, [perhaps once] during a period of several years.
There is the prideful man and the one who is exceptionally humble. -Chapter 2, Halachah 3, also deals at length with the contrasts between pride and humility.
There is the man ruled by his appetites, who will never be satisfied from pursuing his desires - Kohelet Rabbah 1:34 states: "No person will die having accomplished [even] half of what he desires." This statement is difficult to comprehend since there appear to be many successful individuals who achieve their desires. Nevertheless, their accomplishments do not necessitate that their desires will be satisfied. As the Midrash continues: "A person who possesses 100 silver pieces desires 200. One who possesses 200 desires 400."
Desire itself is never satisfied. Instead, it puts the person on a constantly moving treadmill, with ever-increasing aims. As soon as one reaches one goal, he instinctively begins the pursuit of another.
and [conversely,] the very pure of heart, who does not desire even the little that the body needs. - This pair of contrasting personality types deal with a person's appetites which can be satisfied by sensual experience. For example, gluttony is stimulated and satisfied by taste. In contrast, the traits mentioned below - the desire for money or the lack of desire for it - do not involve the senses.
There is the greedy man, who cannot be satisfied - Literally, "whose soul is not satisfied." Perhaps the Rambam uses "soul," both here and with regard to the man ruled by his sensual appetites, because it is the desire that characterizes the man, not the performance of an action as such. A man may never indulge his passion for food, or actually amass money and yet, be gluttonous or greedy. Though, in practice, his ability to gratify his ambitions may be limited by external factors, the desires of his soul are, nonetheless, unlimited.
with all the money in the world, as [Ecclesiastes 5:9] states: "A lover of money never has his fill of money." - Here, the Rambam describes an example where the desire for money becomes a goal in itself. In contrast, a man who gathers money so that he can buy things or achieve power is not interested in money per se. Although he may be faulted for different reasons, he is not greedy for money. On the other hand, for the "lover of money," money itself becomes his raison d'etre.
[In contrast,] there is the man who puts a check on himself; - literally, he "cuts himself short." II Kings 19:26 employs a similar usage of the rootketzar: "And the inhabitants are broken, with shortened (i.e., weakened or useless) arms."
he is satisfied with even a little, which is not enough for his needs, and he does not bother to pursue and attain what he lacks. - This refers to a lazy person, who will not bestir himself even for that which is necessary. In Chapter 2, Halachah 7, this type is described clearly as: "lazy and an idler." This is the description, too, in the Rambam's Introduction toAvot - Shemonah Perakim, Chapter 4.
There is [the miser,] - In contrast to the "lover of money" mentioned above, the miser is not as bent on acquiring new wealth as much as hoarding the money and possessions he has.
who torments himself with hunger, gathering [his possessions] close to himself. - The terminology the Rambam uses emphasizes the miser's need to be close to his money and possessions. Similar, but not exactly correspondent, expressions are found in the Bible (Proverbs 13:11) and the Talmud (Bava Kama 80a).
Whenever he spends a penny of his own, he does so with great pain. [Conversely,] there is [the spendthrift,] who consciously wastes his entire fortune. - Chullin 84b gives examples of such behavior: wearing linen clothing, using glass utensils, and hiring workers without supervising them.
All other traits follow the same pattern [of contrast]. For example: the overly elated and the depressed; - The Rambam is not referring to an average optimist and a pessimist. Rather, he describes personalities who do not have a grip on reality. onain is the term used for the bereaved who has not yet buried his dead. mehulal, the other extreme, is used byJeremiah 51:7 to refer to a state of intoxication and delirious drunkenness.
the stingy and the freehanded - Our translation of shua is clearly evident from Hilchot Matnot Ani'im 7:11. It follows that chili represents the opposite extreme. (See also Ibn Ezra, Isaiah 32:5.)
The difference between this pair of traits and the miser-spendthrift pair mentioned above is that the latter refers to a person's conduct toward himself, while the former refers to his conduct with regard to others. The stingy man, unlike the miser, may spend money for his own needs, but is tightfisted when others are concerned. By the same token, a freehanded man need not necessarily indulge himself, though he is generous when giving charity. Though this may sound praiseworthy, when taken to extremes it can also prove dangerous, because a person may hurt himself in the process of giving excessively to another. (See Lechem Mishneh.)
the cruel and the softhearted; the coward and the rash and the like. -We find a longer treatment of personal characteristics in the Rambam'sShemonah Perakim, Chapter 4.
Commentary Halacha
Between each trait and the [contrasting] trait at the other extreme, there are intermediate points, each distant from the other. - TheLechem Mishneh understands this as follows: Let us imagine a line drawn from one extreme to another - between the stingy and the freehanded, for example. All who are neither stingy nor freehanded stand between them. They are all intermediate, whether they tend towards stinginess or freehandedness. Each point along this imaginary line stands apart - "is distant" - from the others on that line. In a diagram, this idea might be depicted as follows:
X-----*-------*------*-------*----------*---------*X
Stingy intermediate points freehanded.
X-----*-------*------*-------*----------*---------*X
Stingy intermediate points freehanded.
However, it is highly unlikely that all the Rambam wishes to teach us is that there are many intermediate points of temperament between the extremes. After all, that is self-evident. Furthermore, in each set of associated temperaments - for example, stinginess and freehandedness - only three points on the line are of importance to the Rambam in clarifying his view of personality development: the two extremes and the midpoint. Why should he mention all the other intermediate possibilities?
Thus, it appears that the Rambam is telling us that there is a midpoint temperament between each pair of contrasting extremes. Given the entire range of human temperaments, there are a number of midpoints which are not necessarily related to each other. For example, the midpoint for generosity may be very different from the midpoint for humility. Thus, in Halachah 1, the Rambam stated that our personality traits are "different and distant;" in this halachah, he makes a parallel statement about the midpoints.
With regard to all the traits: a man has some from the beginning of his conception - i.e., the Rambam distinguishes between genetic traits and those that are acquired.
in accordance with his bodily nature. - Here, we see an interrelation between body and soul. Certain temperaments are produced by or relate to particular physical characteristics.
[In Shemonah Perakim, Chapter 4, the Rambam states: "From the outset of a person's [life], he has neither virtues nor vices...." However, there is not necessarily a contradiction between Shemoneh Perakim and this halachah. The possession of certain character traits does not determine whether one will use them for a vice or a virtue.]
Some are appropriate to a person's nature and [therefore,] will be acquired more easily than other traits. - i.e., these traits are not transferred genetically. However, a person is born with a tendency towards them.
In Shemonah Perakim, Chapter 4, the Rambam elaborates on this issue at length. He explains that some people are born with a brain whose internal chemistry is prone to intellectual achievement. However, if this person does not develop this tendency, he will not automatically become a thinker.
Similarly, others have leanings towards courage or cowardice. Nevertheless, these are merely tendencies, and they will not manifest themselves unless consciously developed. Also, these tendencies are, at all times, subject to man's control. We are granted free will, and choose our course of behavior.
Some traits he does not have from birth. He may have learned them from others - In Shemonah Perakim, Chapter 4, the Rambam writes: "From his youth, one becomes accustomed to acting in accordance with the accepted behavior of one's family and locale." In these few words, the Rambam includes all the people who might influence a person's character development: his parents, siblings, teachers, peers, and others. Also, note Chapter 6, Halachah 1.
or turned to them on his own. - There are two ways of acquiring such traits
a) This may have come as a result of his own thoughts - i.e., an intuitive realization of the correctness of a certain course of behavior stemming from one's own creative thought.
b) or because he heard that this was a proper trait for him, which he ought to attain. - i.e., through study a person understands the value of a certain character trait and sets out to acquire it.
[Therefore,] he accustomed himself to it until it became a part of himself. - Unlike the inborn or easily acquired traits, these qualities must first be accepted intellectually. Then, through habitual actions, they become part of the personality. (See Halachah 7 for a detailed explanation of such a process of behavioral modification.)
Commentary Halacha
The two extremes of each trait, which are at a distance from one another, do not reflect a proper path - i.e., the path described in this and the following halachot.
It is not fitting - except in certain cases, as explained in Chapter 2, Halachah 3.
that a man should behave in accordance with these extremes - if that his nature
or teach them to himself - and modify his behavior in this direction.
In Shemonah Perakim, Chapter 4, the Rambam elaborates on this concept, contrasting hedonism with asceticism, and pointing out how neither represents a healthy and mature approach to life.
If he finds that his nature leans towards one of the extremes - i.e., a genetic trait, as mentioned in the previous halachah
or adapts itself easily to it - a trait which is easily acquired because of the individual's natural tendencies, as mentioned in the previous halachah.
or, if he has learned one of the extremes - the third type of trait mentioned in the previous halachah.
and acts accordingly, he should bring himself back to what is proper - See Chapter 2, Halachah 2, for an extensive description of the process of correcting one's excesses of temperament.
and walk in the path of the good [men]. - i.e., the path that good men follow. This translation is based on the fact that the word "path" is in the singular, while the modifier "good" is in the plural.
That is the straight path. - Perhaps the Rambam is borrowing a biblical phrase here: "That you walk in the path of the good, and guard the way of the righteous" (Proverbs 2:20).
The nature of "the straight path" is explained in detail in the following halachah.
Commentary Halacha
The straight path - This expression is also used in Avot 2:1. In his commentary on that Mishnah, the Rambam cites his explanation of the middle path in the fourth chapter of Shemonah Perakim.
This [involves discovering] the midpoint temperament of each and every trait that man possesses [within his personality.] - i.e., a path develops out of a series of midpoints.
This refers to the trait which is equidistant from either of the extremes, without being close to either of them. - These statements echo the opening remarks of the fourth chapter of Shemonah Perakim:
The good acts are those balanced ones midway between two extremes. Both of the extremes are bad - one reflects excess and the other, want. The virtues [good traits] are temperaments and habits which are midway between these two bad tendencies.
These actions [good actions] are produced as a result of these [the good] traits.
These actions [good actions] are produced as a result of these [the good] traits.
Despite the similarity between the Rambam's statements here and those quoted, there is a slight difference. Here, the Rambam focuses on good traits, while in Shemonah Perakim, he emphasizes good actions.
Therefore, the early Sages instructed a man to evaluate his traits -The Rambam appears to be referring to Sotah 5b: "Whoever evaluates his paths in this world will merit and witness God's salvation."
to calculate them and to direct them along the middle path - At the conclusion of Chapter 4 of Shemonah Perakim, the Rambam writes:
When a man weighs his actions constantly and directs them towards their midpoints, he will be on the most elevated human plane possible. He will thereby approach God and grasp His will. This is the most perfect path in the service of God.
Constant introspection is a necessary element in any program of personal and spiritual growth. Even when a person has the highest goals, unless he frequently looks himself squarely in the mirror and examines his behavior, he may make gross errors.
so that he will be sound {of body}. - We have enclosed the words "of body" with brackets because they are not found in authoritative manuscripts of the Mishneh Torah and are problematic. Though a properly balanced temperament may also lead to physical health, this does not appear to be the Rambam's intent.
If the Hebrew bigufo is omitted as suggested, the meaning of shaleimwould be altered from "sound" to "complete" or "perfect."
For example: he should not be wrathful, easily angered; nor be like the dead, without feeling, rather he should [adopt] an intermediate course; i.e., he should display anger - Our translation is based on Chapter 2, Halachah 3. (Note also the commentary of the Knesset HaGedolah.)
only when the matter is serious enough to warrant it - The Rambam appears to be referring to matters which evoke personal feelings. Nevertheless, the Misrat Moshe interprets this passage as referring to an instance in which Torah law would require a display of anger - e.g., a colleague's transgression of Torah law.
in order to prevent the matter from recurring.
Similarly, he should not desire - This refers to physical desire.
anything other than that which the body needs and cannot exist without, as [Proverbs 13:25] states - The Rambam quotes supporting verses for only two of the "intermediate traits;" perhaps, because his description of the middle-of-the-road position for these traits might appear to veer toward one extreme. We might expect the intermediate point between gluttony and its opposite extreme to be eating to one's satisfaction. However, here we are told that we should desire only what is sufficient in order to exist.
However, the Rambam is not telling us to deny ourselves satisfaction.Deuteronomy 8:10 teaches: "You shall eat and be satisfied, and bless God, your Lord." Based on that verse, Berachot 48b explains that we are obligated to recite grace only when we feel physically satisfied. (The Rambam quotes this concept in Hilchot Berachot 1:1.) In Chapter 3, Halachah 1, and in Shemonah Perakim, Chapter 4, he elaborates on the negative aspects of asceticism.
Thus, his intent cannot be that we deny our desires, but rather that we school ourselves to desire and feel satisfied with what we need, without excess. This is a dominant theme in the sections on diet in Chapter 4, and those describing the conduct of a Torah sage in Chapter 5.
"The righteous man eats to satisfy his soul." - The verse continues: "But the belly of the wicked will want." The commentaries note that the contrast between the two does not center on the quantity of food they eat, but on the attitude with which they eat it. Because the righteous are not given over to pursuit of gratification, they can be satisfied. Conversely, it is the gluttony of the wicked which actually causes their want.
Note also the Midrashic interpretations of this verse:
"The righteous..." This refers to Eliezer, who said to Rebecca: "Let me sip a little water" (Genesis 24:17) - a single sip.
"And the belly of the wicked will want." This refers to Esau, who said to Jacob: "Stuff me..." (Genesis 25:30). Rabbi Yitzchak ben Zeira said: he opened his mouth agape like a camel and said: "I will open my mouth and you put it in" (Tanchumah; Pinchas 13; BaMidbar Rabbah 21:18).
"And the belly of the wicked will want." This refers to Esau, who said to Jacob: "Stuff me..." (Genesis 25:30). Rabbi Yitzchak ben Zeira said: he opened his mouth agape like a camel and said: "I will open my mouth and you put it in" (Tanchumah; Pinchas 13; BaMidbar Rabbah 21:18).
Also, he shall not labor in his business except to gain what he needs for immediate use, as [Psalms 37:16] states: - Here again, the Rambam quotes a Biblical verse, because his definition of an intermediate path may seem extreme. The verse also clarifies that the Rambam is not denigrating the idea of work, but excessive preoccupation with one's profession as a means of acquiring possessions.
It is highly unlikely that the Rambam would criticize work per se. NoteProverbs 6:6: "Sluggard, go to the ant, see its ways and become wise;" and Berachot 8a:
He who enjoys the toil of his hands is greater than one who fears God..., as it is stated: "If you eat of the work of you hands, you are fortunate and will possess the good" (Psalms 128:2).
"You are fortunate" - in this life, and "will possess the good" - in the world to come.
"You are fortunate" - in this life, and "will possess the good" - in the world to come.
The Rambam, himself, quotes the latter passage in Hilchot Talmud Torah3:11. Thus, the Rambam is not criticizing a person for working hard, but rather teaching us that work and its profits should not be our greatest priorities.
"A little is good for the righteous man." - The verse in its entirety expresses a contrast: "A little is better for the righteous man than the great wealth that many [of the] wicked possess." Note the commentary of ibn Ezra: "The righteous man will be happier with his small lot than the wicked with their great wealth."
He should not be overly stingy - The printed editions of the Mishneh Torah have yikfotz (close his hand). However, most manuscripts use the term: yikabetz (gather).
Yikfotz recalls Deuteronomy 15:7: "Do not close your hand from your needy brother." Thus, the contrasting extreme would be freehandedness.Yikabetz, like vikubatz in Halachah 1, reflects miserly behavior, the opposite of which is being a spendthrift. The variant texts might reflect a difference of opinion as to which opposing extremes the Rambam had in mind.
nor spread his money about, but he should give charity according to his capacity - See Hilchot Arachin 8:12-13, which places restrictions on the extent of one's generosity.
and lend to the needy as is fitting - Lending is also a form of charity. InHilchot Matnot Ani'im 10:7, the Rambam lists eight degrees of charity. The highest is the support of a fellow Jew who has become poor by giving him loans or the like.
He should not be overly elated and laugh [excessively] - Such expressive "happiness" is often a sign of inner discontent and suffering.
nor be sad and depressed in spirit. Rather, he should be quietly happy at all times - his joy should be a composed sense of satisfaction.
[In this context, see the Ramah's conclusion of his notes to Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayim (697:1) in which he quotes Proverbs 15:15: "A good-hearted person is always celebrating."]
with a friendly countenance. - In his commentary on Avot 1:14, the Rambam defines "a friendly countenance" as "a spirit of will and gentility."
The same applies with regard to his other traits. - In Shemonah Perakim, Chapter 4, the Rambam mentions many other "intermediate traits." Among them:
Courage is the midpoint between arrogance and fear. Humility is the intermediate between pride and meekness. Earnestness is the intermediate between boasting and lowliness....Patience is the intermediate between rashness and insensitivity...
This path is the path of the wise. - i.e., those whose behavior is controlled by their intellect
Every man whose traits are intermediate and equally balanced can be called a "wise man." - Note the contrast to the "pious" of the following halachah. Though the published editions of the Mishneh Torah include this line as the final concept in our halachah, many of the authoritative manuscripts place it as the beginning of Halachah 5.
Commentary Halacha
A person who carefully [examines] his [behavior] - in an effort to achieve the desired intermediate path
and therefore, deviates slightly from the mean - to compensate for a possible error in calculating that mean.
to either side is called pious. - In Shemonah Perakim, Chapter 4, the Rambam explains that one can refine and correct his behavior by balancing a tendency for excess in one direction by intentionally forcing oneself to adopt the opposite extreme. (See Chapter 2, Halachah 2.) He continues:
Therefore, the pious did not allow themselves to fix their traits at the midpoint, but would bend slightly to the side of excess or want as a hedge and a guard.
He goes on to explain that, even for the pious, these extremes are not ends in themselves, but means to help them overcome natural tendencies. Thus, both the pious and a person of underdeveloped character may act in an extreme manner. However, the difference between them is that the behavior of the pious is carefully calculated with the intent of refining his personality, while the underdeveloped person does so without thought, as a natural response to his whims and fancies.
What is implied? - i.e., how is this concept exemplified?
One who shuns pride - At first glance, the choice of pride as an example is rather problematic, because in Chapter 2, Halachah 3, the Rambam states:
There are traits for which it is forbidden for a person to follow an intermediate path.... Such a trait is pride...
The proper path is not that a person should merely be humble, but rather hold himself very lowly...
Therefore, our Sages commanded: "Be very, very humble of spirit."
The proper path is not that a person should merely be humble, but rather hold himself very lowly...
Therefore, our Sages commanded: "Be very, very humble of spirit."
It is possible to explain that because of the negative aspects of the quality of pride, the middle path that one should follow in regard to it does not resemble the middle paths of the other traits and may appear as an extreme. Pride represents one extreme, its converse being absolute lack of concern for self to the extent that one walks around in rags. Between these extremes are a number of intermediate points: modesty - which might normally be considered as the intermediate level; humility - which the Rambam considers as the true middle path; and extreme humility - which is pious behavior (Lechem Mishneh). See also the commentary on the halachah cited above.
Possibly, it is the exaggerated contrasts in this set of traits that make it the most fitting example to demonstrate the principle of the middle path that the Rambam espouses. These gross differences allow for the possibility of clear distinctions.
and turns to the other extreme - The Lechem Mishneh emphasizes that one need not actually adopt the other extreme, but rather, he should tend his behavior in that direction.
and carries himself lowly is called pious. This is the quality of piety -which represents a deviation from the mean.
However, if he separates himself [from pride] only to the extent that he reaches the mean and displays humility, he is called wise. This is the quality of wisdom. - In his commentary on Avot 5:6, the Rambam contrasts the wise and the pious:
A boor is one who lacks both intellectual and ethical development...
A wise man possesses both these qualities in a complete way, as is fitting.
A pious man is a wise man who increases his piety - i.e., his emotional development - until he tends toward one extreme, as explained in Chapter 4 [of Shemonah Perakim], and his deeds exceed his wisdom.
A wise man possesses both these qualities in a complete way, as is fitting.
A pious man is a wise man who increases his piety - i.e., his emotional development - until he tends toward one extreme, as explained in Chapter 4 [of Shemonah Perakim], and his deeds exceed his wisdom.
Thus, the wise man is one whose ethical behavior has been developed to the point at which it reflects his intellectual sophistication. He is able to appreciate the mean of each trait and express it within the context of his daily life. The pious man also possesses this quality, but due to his desire for ultimate self-refinement, he is willing to sacrifice himself and tend slightly to the extreme in certain instances.
Although in this halachah, the Rambam differentiates between the middle path - the path of the wise - and "beyond the measure of the law" - the path of the pious, in Hilchot Yesodei HaTorah 5:11 he describes how, "according to the greatness of the Sage, should be the care he takes to go beyond the measure of the law." Thus, it appears that a truly wise man will ultimately seek pious ways.
The same applies with regard to other character traits. - i.e., there is a mean which is the path of wisdom, and a deviation from that course with a positive intent, which is the path of piety.
The pious of the early generations - This expression is borrowed - out of context - from the Mishnah, Berachot 5:1.
would bend their temperaments from the intermediate path towards [either of] the two extremes. For some traits, they would veer towards the final extreme - excess (Shemonah Perakim, Chapter 4)
for others, towards the first extreme - lack (ibid.). Depending on the circumstances involved, deviation to either extreme can produce positive results.
This is referred to - by our Sages...
as [behavior] beyond the measure of the law. - We find this expression used in a number of Talmudic passages. For example, Bava Metzia 30b relates that Rabbi Yishmael, Rabbi Yossi's son, was on a journey. A porter traveling the same road asked him to help lift a load of wood. Rabbi Yishmael was a distinguished scholar, and, therefore, this base task would have been demeaning for him. Nevertheless, rather than refuse the porter entirely, Rabbi Yishmael purchased his entire load from him. This was considered as behavior beyond the measure of the law.
See also Berachot 7a and 45b, Bava Kama 100a, Bava Metzia 24b. However, in these and other Talmudic passages where the term is used, the emphasis appears to be on the ethical or legal imperative involved, without stressing the aspect of character development. [Note Hilchot Aveidah 11:7, the Shulchan Aruch, Choshen Mishpat 259:3 and 263:3, andSefer Mitzvot Katan (Positive Commandment 49), which mention our obligation to go beyond the measure of the law.]
Thus, the Rambam appears merely to be borrowing the term used by the Sages without referring to any specific instance. The path of behavior prescribed by one's intellect corresponds to law, and an intentional deviation from that course for the sake of piety is "beyond the measure of the law."
We are commanded - The Sifre (on Deuteronomy 13:5) states: 'You shall walk after God, your Lord' - this is a positive commandment." The Zohar(Ki Tetze, p. 270) also makes a similar statement. However, neither source elaborates.
Among the Geonim, the Ba'al Halachot Gedolot does list it as a commandment. Rav Sa'adiah Gaon does not include it as a specific commandment.
Sefer HaMitzvot (positive mitzvah 8) and Sefer HaChinuch (mitzvah 610) include this as one of the Torah's 613 mitzvot. However, the Rambam's inclusion of this commandment as one of the 613 mitzvot is somewhat problematic. In Shoresh 4 of his introduction to Sefer HaMitzvot, he states that he does not include any "general mitzvah" which does not involve a specific activity in his reckoning of the 613 mitzvot. For this reason, "Observe My statutes" (Leviticus 19:19) or "Be holy" (Leviticus 19:2) are not included in the 613 mitzvot. On the surface, the command the Rambam mentions here also seems to be an all encompassing charge to develop ourselves spiritually without any specific activity.
Rav Avraham, the Rambam's son, was asked this question, and he explained that here the specific activity implied by this commandment is the development of our emotions and character traits. A somewhat deeper perspective can be gained from the Rambam's own description of the mitzvah. When listing the mitzvot at the beginning of these halachot, he states that the mitzvah is "to imitate God's ways" and in Sefer HaMitzvot, he defines the mitzvah as "to imitate Him, blessed be He, according to our potential."
The implication of these statements is that man has a constant obligation to carry out all of his deeds and guide the progress of his emotional development with the intent of imitating God. (See Likkutei Sichot, Tavo5748, and note the commentary on the following halachah.)
to walk in these intermediate paths - Despite the Rambam's praise of piety, his very description of it as "beyond the measure of the law" implies that, though it is desirable, it cannot be considered as obligatory.
and they are good and straight paths - as [Deuteronomy 28:9] states: "And you shall walk in His ways." - The Rambam describes this mitzvah in the following halachah. Indeed, the authoritative manuscripts of theMishneh Torah include the paragraph we have just explained as the beginning of Halachah 6.
Commentary Halacha
As emphasized in the introduction to this text, the Rambam has structured the Mishneh Torah with the intent of "revealing all the laws to the great and to the small with regard to each and every mitzvah." He does not mention philosophical and ethical concepts unless they are halachot - i.e., practical directives for our behavior.
In this context, we can understand the structure of this chapter. The Rambam set out to describe the mitzvah of following God's ways. As stated in this halachah, he perceives this to mean developing our personalities by emulating the qualities which the Creator reveals. As he states in the following halachah, those qualities are identical with the middle path of human behavior. Therefore, in the initial halachot of this chapter, the Rambam sets out to describe the nature of human personality and the ideal temperaments - the middle path - that man should seek to achieve. Having laid down this foundation, he is able to define that mitzvah in this halachah and begin offering directives for its fulfillment in Halachah 7.
[Our Sages] taught [the following] explanation of this mitzvah -The Rambam appears to be referring to the Sifre, Ekev 11:22, which he quotes in Sefer HaMitzvot (ibid.). That explanation is also paralleled in the Mechiltah (Exodus 14:2) and Shabbat 133b.
It must be noted that other Talmudic and Midrashic sources interpret the commandment to imitate God in a different light. Note Sotah 14a:
[Deuteronomy 13:5 states]: "You shall walk after God, your Lord." Is it possible for man to walk after the Divine Presence? Has it not been stated: "Behold, God, your Lord, is a consuming fire" (Deuteronomy 4:24)?
Rather, [it means] one should follow the qualities of God.
Just as He dresses the naked..., you, too, should dress the naked;
God visited the sick...; you, too, should visit the sick;
God comforted the bereaved...;you, too, should comfort the bereaved;
God buried the dead...; you, too, should bury the dead.
Rather, [it means] one should follow the qualities of God.
Just as He dresses the naked..., you, too, should dress the naked;
God visited the sick...; you, too, should visit the sick;
God comforted the bereaved...;you, too, should comfort the bereaved;
God buried the dead...; you, too, should bury the dead.
In Sefer HaMitzvot, the Rambam mentions emulating both God's deeds and His qualities. Similarly, Sefer HaChinuch, in its description of this mitzvah, and the Kiryat Sefer in his commentary - both here inHilchot De'ot and also in Hilchot Eivel - mention both deeds and qualities.
There is not necessarily a contradiction between these two emphases. As mentioned above, our actions reflect our personalities. Therefore, it follows that developing our characters in the manner outlined by the Rambam in this halachah will ultimately produce the good deeds mentioned by our Sages in the passage from Sotah.
Nevertheless, deed is often not a reflection of character. A person with many severe character faults may still do good deeds. Hence, for the "resemblance of God" to be complete, it is not sufficient merely to perform positive deeds. Rather, a person must undergo internal change by developing his character. Therefore, the Rambam focuses more on this aspect of the commandment.
Just as He is called "Gracious," you shall be gracious; Just as He is called "Merciful," you shall be merciful; Just as He is called "Holy," you shall be holy; - Neither the Sifre nor the other sources quoted above mention the trait of holiness. Rather, the third trait mentioned is "piety." Perhaps, since the Rambam gave a specific definition for piety in the previous halachah within his conception of personality development, he does not mention it in the present context to prevent any possible confusion.
In a similar manner, the prophets - The Rambam's choice of words is somewhat surprising since many of these expressions are also found in the Torah as well as in the prophetic works. However, in the Torah these titles are mentioned by Moses or the other prophets. Perhaps this is the Rambam's intent.
called God by other titles: "Slow to anger," "Abundant in kindness," "Righteous," "Just," "Perfect," "Almighty," "Powerful," and the like. - In Hilchot Yesodei HaTorah 1:11-12 and in detail in Moreh Nevuchim (Guide to the Perplexed), Vol. I, Chapters 53 and 54, the Rambam explains that these names are not descriptions of God, who cannot be defined by any specific quality. To do so would limit Him and detract from His infinite and transcendent state of being.
Rather, the use of these titles must be understood as follows: God brings about activities, which, had they been carried out by man, would have been motivated by these emotional states. For example, instead of utterly destroying the Jews after the sin of the Golden Calf, God allowed our people to continue. Were such a deed to have been performed by a human ruler, we would describe him as "slow to anger." Though that term cannot serve as a description for God - for He cannot be described - the Torah and the prophets referred to Him by such terms with the following intent.
[They did so] to inform us that these are good and just paths. -i.e., God acted in ways which we identify with these qualities - and the Torah and the prophets mention these actions - because these are attributes which man should strive to achieve.
A person is obligated to accustom himself to these paths and [to try to] resemble Him - Likkutei Sichot (ibid.) states that with the latter phrase, the Rambam is adding a new thought. As explained above, God cannot be described by any particular quality. If He manifests a quality, it is for a specific intent.
In Moreh Nevuchim (ibid., Chapter 54), the Rambam mentions that the leader of a country should act in a similar manner.
Sometimes he will be merciful and generous to some people - not because of his feelings and natural compassion, but because they are deserving of such treatment.
Sometimes he will bear a grudge, seek revenge, and rage against certain people - not out of feelings of anger... - but in order to produce positive results....
The ultimate ideal man can achieve is to imitate God according to his potential... i.e., to have our deeds resemble His deeds.
Sometimes he will bear a grudge, seek revenge, and rage against certain people - not out of feelings of anger... - but in order to produce positive results....
The ultimate ideal man can achieve is to imitate God according to his potential... i.e., to have our deeds resemble His deeds.
For this reason, human behavior should not be motivated by the spontaneous expression of emotion. Rather, man's emotions should arise as the result of a deliberate process of thought.
This reflects themes brought out in the previous halachot of this chapter: that a person must constantly evaluate and review his emotions (Halachah 4); that it is a wise man who is able to appreciate the middle path (Halachah 5).
This is what is meant by the imitation of God: that a person not be controlled by the unchecked expression of his emotions. Rather, he should control his feelings and, motivated by his desire to resemble God, search to find the correct and proper quality, the middle path, appropriate to the situation at hand.
to the extent of his ability. - for man is ultimately finite in nature, and no true resemblance to God is possible.
Commentary Halacha
How can one train himself to follow these temperaments to the extent that they become a permanent fixture of his [personality]? - Having established personality development as a mitzvah in the previous halachah, the Rambam begins his explanation of how this mitzvah is fulfilled.
He should perform - repeat - and perform a third time - Thus, a person's deeds will shape his character traits.
In this process of personal change, the stress is on the repetition of an act, and not on its quantity or intensity. In his Commentary on the Mishnah, Avot 3:15, the Rambam writes that giving a thousand coins to one person at one time is not as effective in stimulating feelings of generosity as giving a single coin one thousand times.
As mentioned in Halachah 4, though the Rambam's explanations in this chapter parallel those of the fourth chapter of Shemonah Perakim, the texts differ in stressing actions (as the opening lines of that chapter imply), or on character development, which is the theme of our text.
For this reason, the two texts also perceive the process of causation differently. In Shemoneh Perakim, the Rambam states: "These actions [good actions] are produced as a result of these [the good] traits," while here he sees the traits being produced by the actions.
Nevertheless, the two texts do not actually contradict each other. Both statements are true. Our deeds reflect our personalities, and they also help shape those personalities. Generally, this means that a person's behavior will reinforce and strengthen the character traits that motivated those very deeds. However, this chapter - and more particularly, this halachah - deals with a person who has made a commitment to change and refine his character. Therefore - based on his intellect and the directives of the Torah, rather than his spontaneous feelings - he chooses to perform deeds that will bring about this process of inner change.
which conform to - reflect and are motivated by...
the standards of the middle road temperaments - described in Halachot 4 and 5.
He should do this constantly, until these acts are easy for him and do not present any difficulty. - A trait possessed by a person produces activities naturally and spontaneously. However, if one has not acquired a trait as yet, certain actions will be foreign to his nature, and one must trouble himself to perform them.
For example, a liberal man gives charity naturally; the miser must force himself to give. The action for each is the same, but not the inner feelings.
Then, these temperaments will become a fixed part of his personality. - If the miser continues to give frequently, he will find that he no longer feels like a miser, but has become liberal in heart as well as in hand.
Since the Creator - The Rambam uses the term yotzer - literally "the One who forms" - (which appears only one other time in the Mishneh Torah: Hilchot Yesodei HaTorah 1:7).
The Rambam describes God as the Creator with reference to the Divine qualities he describes in these halachot. Before the existence of the world and man, there would be no purpose for God to reveal these qualities, for until man's creation, no one could learn from or emulate them.
[The word yotzer may also be used because of its connection to the word yeitzer, meaning drive or inclination. (See Rashi, Genesis 2:7.)]
is called by these terms and they make up the middle path which we are obligated to follow, this path is called "the path of God." - As stated in the commentary on the previous halachah, "the path of God" involves controlling our emotions by using our intellect, so that our behavior is, to the extent that is possible for man, an objective response to a situation. In this manner, our behavior bears a resemblance to God's transcendence of worldly matters.
This is [the heritage] which our Patriarch Abraham taught his descendants - See the Midrash Tanchumah, Shofetim 15:
And what are the ways of God? Righteousness and justice, as it is stated: "And they will keep the path of God to do righteousness and justice" (Genesis 18:19).
as [Genesis 18:19] states: "for I have known Him so that he will command his descendants...to keep the path of God." - Since the path of God is mentioned in the context of Abraham's service, it appears that walking in those ways is not synonymous with the performance of the 613 commandments - for they had not been given in Abraham's time. Rather, it must refer to ethics, qualities like righteousness and justice, which are mentioned in that verse.
One who follows this path brings benefit and blessing to himself, as [the above verse continues]: "so that God will bring about for Abraham all that He promised." - The Rambam concludes his description of the obligation to develop our characters with the assurance that, ultimately, this course of behavior will bring us benefit and blessing.
De'ot - Chapter Two
Halacha 1
To those who are physically sick, the bitter tastes sweet and the sweet bitter. Some of the sick even desire and crave that which is not fit to eat, such as earth and charcoal, and hate healthful foods, such as bread and meat - all depending on how serious the sickness is.
Similarly, those who are morally ill desire and love bad traits, hate the good path, and are lazy to follow it. Depending on how sick they are, they find it exceedingly burdensome.
Isaiah 5:20 speaks of such people in a like manner: "Woe to those who call the bad good, and the good bad, who take darkness to be light and light to be darkness, who take bitter to be sweet and sweet to be bitter." Concerning them,Proverbs 2:13 states: "Those who leave the upright paths to walk in the ways of darkness."
What is the remedy for the morally ill? They should go to the wise, for they are the healers of souls. They will heal them by teaching them how to acquire proper traits, until they return them to the good path.
Concerning those who recognize their bad traits and do not go to the wise to heal them, Solomon Proverbs 1:7 said: "Fools scorned wisdom and correction."
Halacha 2
How are they to be healed? We tell the wrathful man to train himself to feel no reaction even if he is beaten or cursed. He should follow this course of behavior for a long time, until the anger is uprooted from his heart.
The man who is full of pride should cause himself to experience much disgrace. He should sit in the lowliest of places, dress in tattered rags which shame the wearer, and the like, until the arrogance is uprooted from his heart and he returns to the middle path, which is the proper path. When he returns to this middle path, he should walk in it the rest of his life.
One should take a similar course with each of the other traits. A person who swayed in the direction of one of the extremes should move in the direction of the opposite extreme, and accustom himself to that for a long time, until he has returned to the proper path, which is the midpoint for each and every temperament.
Halacha 3
There are temperaments with regard to which a man is forbidden to follow the middle path. He should move away from one extreme and adopt the other.
Among these is arrogance. If a man is only humble, he is not following a good path. Rather, he must hold himself lowly and his spirit very unassuming. That is why Numbers 12:3 describes our teacher Moses as "very humble" and not simply "humble". Therefore, our Sages directed: "Hold oneself very, very lowly." Also, they declared: "Whoever is arrogant is as if he denied God's presence, as implied by Deuteronomy 8:14: 'And your heart will be haughty and you will forget God, your Lord.' Furthermore, they said: "Whoever is arrogant should be placed under a ban of ostracism. This applies even if he is only somewhat arrogant."
Anger is also an exceptionally bad quality. It is fitting and proper that one move away from it and adopt the opposite extreme. He should school himself not to become angry even when it is fitting to be angry. If he should wish to arouse fear in his children and household - or within the community, if he is a communal leader - and wishes to be angry at them to motivate them to return to the proper path, he should present an angry front to them to punish them, but he should be inwardly calm. He should be like one who acts out the part of an angry man in his wrath, but is not himself angry.
The early Sages said: Anyone who becomes angry is like one who worships idols. They also said: Whenever one becomes angry, if he is a wise man, his wisdom leaves him; if he is a prophet, his prophecy leaves him. The life of the irate is not true life.
Therefore, they have directed that one distance himself from anger and accustom himself not to feel any reaction, even to things which provoke anger. This is the good path.
This is the way of the righteous: They accept humiliation, but do not humiliate others; they listen when they are shamed, but they do not answer; they do this with love and are joyous in their sufferings. Of them, Judges 5:31 states: "And those who love Him are like the sun when it comes out in its strength."
Halacha 4
One should always cultivate silence and refrain from speaking, except with regard to matters of knowledge or things that are necessary for his physical welfare. It was said that Rav, the disciple of our saintly teacher, Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi, never uttered an idle word in all his days - which is what the conversation of most people consists of.
One should not speak at length even about matters involving one's physical needs. On this point, our Sages commanded us and said: "Whoever speaks at length brings on sin." They also said: "I have found nothing better for one's person than silence."
Similarly, when speaking about matters of Torah or knowledge, one's words should be brief, but rich in content. This is what the Sages commanded with their statement: "One should always teach his students with brevity." In contrast, if one's words are many and the content scant, that is foolishness, of which Ecclesiastes 5:2 states: "The dream comes with a multitude of subjects, and the voice of the fool with a multitude of words."
Halacha 5
Silence is a safeguard for wisdom.
Therefore, one should not hasten to answer, nor speak at length. He should teach his students in calm and tranquility without shouting or wordiness. This is what Solomon stated: "The words of the wise are heard in tranquility" (Ecclesiastes 9:17).
Halacha 6
A person is forbidden to act in a smooth-tongued and luring manner. He should not speak one thing outwardly and think otherwise in his heart. Rather, his inner self should be like the self which he shows to the world. What he feels in his heart should be the same as the words on his lips.
It is forbidden to deceive people, even a non-Jew. For example, one should not sell a gentile the meat of an animal which has not been ritually slaughtered as if it were ritually slaughtered meat, nor a shoe made from the hide of an animal which has died of natural causes as if it were made of the hide of a slaughtered animal. One should not press his colleague to share a meal with him when he knows that his colleague will not accept the invitation, nor should he press presents upon him when he knows that his colleague will not accept them. He should not open casks supposedly for his colleague which he must open for sale, in order to deceive him into thinking that they have been opened in his honor. The same applies with all matters of this sort.
It is forbidden to utter a single word of deception or fraud. Rather. one should have only truthful speech, a proper spirit and a heart pure from all deceit and trickery.
Halacha 7
One should neither be constantly laughing and a jester, nor sad and depressed, but happy. Our Sages declared: "Jesting and lightheadedness accustom one to lewdness." They also directed that a man should not laugh without control, nor be sad and mournful, but receive everyone in a friendly manner.
Similarly, he should not be greedy, rushing for wealth and possessions, nor lazy and an idler from work. Rather, he should be of a goodly eye and limit his business endeavors so that he may occupy himself with Torah study. He should be happy with the little which is his lot.
He should not be quarrelsome, of envious temperament, full of desires, nor pursue honor. Our Sages have said: "Envy, desire and honor remove a man from life in this world."
The general principle is that one should follow the midpoint quality of each temperament until all his traits are aligned at the midpoint. This is what is implied by Solomon's statement: "Make even the turning of your foot and make all your ways firm" (Proverbs 4:26).
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Hayom Yom:
• English Text | Video Class• Thursday, Kislev 14, 5776 · 26 November 2015
"Today's Day"
Shabbat Kislev 14* 5704
Torah lessons: Chumash: Vayishlach, Shevi'i with Rashi.
Tehillim: 72-76.
Tanya: "David! Do you call (p. 621)...his time of trouble. (p. 623).
Birkat hamazon (pp. 88-94) is said over a cup of wine even without ten (people having dined together). The cup is held in the palm of the hand, the fingers extending upward. Hold the cup from Rabossai mir velen benchen1 until after the thirdb'racha,2 when it is placed on the table.
In one of my father's sichot, he explained a subject, of which this is the core:
There are tzadik, yashar, tamim and chassid. Tzadik3 is so called regarding his fulfillment of the positive mitzvot, thereby eliciting revelations inherent in the creative order.4
Yashar5 is so called regarding his fulfillment of the negative mitzvot - which draws forth revelations beyond the creative order.Tamim, (man of) earnestness6 elicits revelations (from a level of G-dliness at which) "the taste of the tree and its fruit is the same" - the co-joining of the Encompassing (soveiv)7 and Permeating (memalei)8 modes of Divine influence.
Highest of all is Chassid, and here there are three levels: (a) Worldly affairs do not disturb or distract him. Every individual can, and every individual must, attain this level. (b) All his affairs "are G-dliness."9 Though this level "is not distant from you etc.,"10it is still not within everyone's reach. (c) The level described in Tikunei Zohar, "Who is a chassid? He who conducts himself with benevolence towards his Creator - towards His nest"11 - which means that he seeks to unite the Holy One blessed be He, and His Shechina12 within those who dwell in the lower worlds - not merely to quench the thirst of his own soul; as explained in Tanya.13
FOOTNOTES
*. This day marks the marriage, in 5689 (1928) of the Rebbe of righteous memory with the Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka of blessed memory, daughter of the Previous Rebbe of blessed memory.
1. "Gentlemen, let us say the Blessings."
2. I.e. after the words "...who in His mercy rebuilds Jerusalem. Amen." (p. 91).
3. Lit. "saintly person."
4. Seder hishtalsh'lut, "The Order of Downward Progression."
5. Lit. "upright person."
6. Cf. Tishrei 4, p. 93.
7. A mode of G-d's creative force transcending the creative order.
8. Divine Immanence, enclothing itself within the creative order. See Translator's Notes (p. 120 in the printed version).
9. See Supplementary Footnotes, (p. 130 in the printed version).
10. Devarim 30:11.
11. Introduction to Tikunei Zohar 1b.
12. See Supplementary Footnotes, p. 130.
13. See Supplementary Footnotes, p. 130.
Hayom Yom:
• English Text | Video Class• Thursday, Kislev 14, 5776 · 26 November 2015
"Today's Day"
Shabbat Kislev 14* 5704
Torah lessons: Chumash: Vayishlach, Shevi'i with Rashi.
Tehillim: 72-76.
Tanya: "David! Do you call (p. 621)...his time of trouble. (p. 623).
Birkat hamazon (pp. 88-94) is said over a cup of wine even without ten (people having dined together). The cup is held in the palm of the hand, the fingers extending upward. Hold the cup from Rabossai mir velen benchen1 until after the thirdb'racha,2 when it is placed on the table.
In one of my father's sichot, he explained a subject, of which this is the core:
There are tzadik, yashar, tamim and chassid. Tzadik3 is so called regarding his fulfillment of the positive mitzvot, thereby eliciting revelations inherent in the creative order.4
Yashar5 is so called regarding his fulfillment of the negative mitzvot - which draws forth revelations beyond the creative order.Tamim, (man of) earnestness6 elicits revelations (from a level of G-dliness at which) "the taste of the tree and its fruit is the same" - the co-joining of the Encompassing (soveiv)7 and Permeating (memalei)8 modes of Divine influence.
Highest of all is Chassid, and here there are three levels: (a) Worldly affairs do not disturb or distract him. Every individual can, and every individual must, attain this level. (b) All his affairs "are G-dliness."9 Though this level "is not distant from you etc.,"10it is still not within everyone's reach. (c) The level described in Tikunei Zohar, "Who is a chassid? He who conducts himself with benevolence towards his Creator - towards His nest"11 - which means that he seeks to unite the Holy One blessed be He, and His Shechina12 within those who dwell in the lower worlds - not merely to quench the thirst of his own soul; as explained in Tanya.13
FOOTNOTES
*. This day marks the marriage, in 5689 (1928) of the Rebbe of righteous memory with the Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka of blessed memory, daughter of the Previous Rebbe of blessed memory.
1. "Gentlemen, let us say the Blessings."
2. I.e. after the words "...who in His mercy rebuilds Jerusalem. Amen." (p. 91).
3. Lit. "saintly person."
4. Seder hishtalsh'lut, "The Order of Downward Progression."
5. Lit. "upright person."
6. Cf. Tishrei 4, p. 93.
7. A mode of G-d's creative force transcending the creative order.
8. Divine Immanence, enclothing itself within the creative order. See Translator's Notes (p. 120 in the printed version).
9. See Supplementary Footnotes, (p. 130 in the printed version).
10. Devarim 30:11.
11. Introduction to Tikunei Zohar 1b.
12. See Supplementary Footnotes, p. 130.
13. See Supplementary Footnotes, p. 130.
---------------------• Daily Thought:
Fortitude
Maybe you feel you just can’t hack it. You know there is nothing to fear, but you are afraid. Your mind affirms that there are no obstacles that cannot be overcome, but your heart is unable to overcome even its very own pangs.
It’s true; there are people who do not run from anything, who know no fear of beast or man, of life or of death. Even as they enter this world, they remain above and beyond. Their feet barely touch the earth.
They are the tzaddikim, those who never enter the monster’s lair. But if they never enter that place, how could they ever slay the dragon?
You, on the other hand, you face that awesome, internal monster called fear on its own ground.
So make a partnership. The tzaddik will lend you his power, and with it you will wrestle the dark monster to the dust.
For all of us are a single soul.
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