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Daily Quote:"See, I give you today a blessing and a curse" (Deuteronomy 11:26). Moses is giving the Children of Israel the power of sight: to perceive that the true nature of evil is nothing more than a transmutation and distortion of the Divine good. When evil is thus seen, it can be transformed into the good that it essentially is.[The Lubavitcher Rebbe]
Daily Study:
Chitas and Rambam for today:
Chumash: Vayigash, 6th Portion Genesis 46:28-47:10 with Rashi
• English / Hebrew Linear Translation | Video Class• Genesis Chapter 46
28He sent Judah ahead of him to Joseph, to direct him to Goshen, and they came to the land of Goshen. כחוְאֶת־יְהוּדָ֞ה שָׁלַ֤ח לְפָנָיו֙ אֶל־יוֹסֵ֔ף לְהוֹרֹ֥ת לְפָנָ֖יו גּ֑שְׁנָה וַיָּבֹ֖אוּ אַ֥רְצָה גּֽשֶׁן:
to direct him: Heb. לְהוֹרֹת לְפָנָיו, as the Targum renders (לְפַנָאָה קֳדָמוֹהִי), to clear a place for him and to show him how to settle in it. להורות לפניו: כתרגומו, לפנות לו מקום ולהורות האיך יתיישב בה:
him: [Lit., ahead of him.] Before he would arrive there. The Aggadic interpretation of [לְהוֹרֹת] is [that there should be teaching]: to establish for him a house of study, from which teaching would emanate. [From Tanchuma Vayigash 11] לפניו: קודם שיגיע לשם. ומדרש אגדה להורות לפניו לתקן לו בית תלמוד שמשם תצא הוראה:
29And Joseph harnessed his chariot, and he went up to meet Israel his father, to Goshen, and he appeared to him, and he fell on his neck, and he wept on his neck for a long time. כטוַיֶּאְסֹ֤ר יוֹסֵף֙ מֶרְכַּבְתּ֔וֹ וַיַּ֛עַל לִקְרַאת־יִשְׂרָאֵ֥ל אָבִ֖יו גּ֑שְׁנָה וַיֵּרָ֣א אֵלָ֗יו וַיִּפֹּל֙ עַל־צַוָּארָ֔יו וַיֵּ֥בְךְּ עַל־צַוָּארָ֖יו עֽוֹד:
And Joseph harnessed his chariot: He personally harnessed the horses to the chariot to hasten to honor his father. [From Mechilta, Beshallach section 1] ויאסור יוסף מרכבתו: הוא עצמו אסר את הסוסים למרכבה להזדרז לכבוד אביו:
and he appeared to him: Joseph presented himself to his father. וירא אליו: יוסף נראה אל אביו:
and he wept on his neck for a long time: Heb. עוֹד וַיֵבְ, an expression of profuse weeping, and likewise, “For He will not place additional [guilt] on a man” (Job 34:23), an expression of profusion. He (God) does not place upon him additional accusations over [and above] his sins. Here too he wept greatly and continuously, more than was usual. Jacob, however, neither fell on Joseph’s neck nor kissed him. Our Sages said that he was reciting the Shema. [From Derech Eretz Zuta 1:10, ed. Hager, p. 62; quoted in Bereishith Zuta ; Yichusei Tannaim va’Amoraim , p. 180, Teshuvoth Hageonim, ch. 45] ויבך על צואריו עוד: לשון הרבות בכיה וכן (איוב לד כג) כי לא על איש ישים עוד, לשון רבוי הוא, אינו שם עליו עלילות נוספות על חטאיו, אף כאן הרבה והוסיף בבכי יותר על הרגיל אבל יעקב לא נפל על צוארי יוסף ולא נשקו, ואמרו רבותינו שהיה קורא את שמע:
30And Israel said to Joseph, "I will die this time, since I have seen your face, that you are still alive." לוַיֹּ֧אמֶר יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל אֶל־יוֹסֵ֖ף אָמ֣וּתָה הַפָּ֑עַם אַֽחֲרֵי֙ רְאוֹתִ֣י אֶת־פָּנֶ֔יךָ כִּ֥י עֽוֹדְךָ֖ חָֽי:
I will die this time: Its simple meaning is as the Targum renders. [If I should die this time, I would be consoled.] Its midrashic interpretation is, however: I thought that I would die two deaths, in this world and in the next world, because the Shechinah had left me, and I thought that the Holy One, blessed be He, would hold me responsible for your death. Now that you are still alive, I will die but once. [From Tanchuma Vayigash 9] אמותה הפעם: פשוטו כתרגומו, ומדרשו סבור הייתי למות שתי מיתות בעולם הזה ובעולם הבא, שנסתלקה שכינה ממני, והייתי אומר שיתבעני הקב"ה מיתתך, עכשיו שעודך חי לא אמות אלא פעם אחת:
31Joseph said to his brothers and to his father's household, "I will go up and tell Pharaoh, and I will say to him, 'My brothers and my father's household who were in the land of Canaan have come to me. לאוַיֹּ֨אמֶר יוֹסֵ֤ף אֶל־אֶחָיו֙ וְאֶל־בֵּ֣ית אָבִ֔יו אֶֽעֱלֶ֖ה וְאַגִּ֣ידָה לְפַרְעֹ֑ה וְאֹֽמְרָ֣ה אֵלָ֔יו אַחַ֧י וּבֵֽית־אָבִ֛י אֲשֶׁ֥ר בְּאֶֽרֶץ־כְּנַ֖עַן בָּ֥אוּ אֵלָֽי:
and I will say to him: , ‘My brothers, etc.’-and I will further say to him, ‘The men are shepherds, etc.’ ואמרה אליו אחי וגו': ועוד אומר לו (פסוק לב) והאנשים רועי צאן וגו': (לד)
32The men are shepherds, for they were [always] owners of livestock, and their flocks and their cattle and all they have they have brought.' לבוְהָֽאֲנָשִׁים֙ רֹ֣עֵי צֹ֔אן כִּֽי־אַנְשֵׁ֥י מִקְנֶ֖ה הָי֑וּ וְצֹאנָ֧ם וּבְקָרָ֛ם וְכָל־אֲשֶׁ֥ר לָהֶ֖ם הֵבִֽיאוּ:
33And if it comes to pass that Pharaoh calls you and asks, 'What is your occupation?' לגוְהָיָ֕ה כִּֽי־יִקְרָ֥א לָכֶ֖ם פַּרְעֹ֑ה וְאָמַ֖ר מַה־מַּֽעֲשֵׂיכֶֽם:
34You shall say, 'Your servants have been owners of livestock from our youth until now, both we and our ancestors,' so that you may dwell in the land of Goshen, because all shepherds are abhorrent to the Egyptians." לדוַֽאֲמַרְתֶּ֗ם אַנְשֵׁ֨י מִקְנֶ֜ה הָי֤וּ עֲבָדֶ֨יךָ֙ מִנְּעוּרֵ֣ינוּ וְעַד־עַ֔תָּה גַּם־אֲנַ֖חְנוּ גַּם־אֲבֹתֵ֑ינוּ בַּֽעֲב֗וּר תֵּֽשְׁבוּ֙ בְּאֶ֣רֶץ גּ֔שֶׁן כִּי־תֽוֹעֲבַ֥ת מִצְרַ֖יִם כָּל־רֹ֥עֵה צֹֽאן:
so that you may dwell in the land of Goshen: which you need, for it is a land of pasture, and when you tell him that you are not skilled at any other work, he will send you away from him and settle you there. בעבור תשבו בארץ גשן: והיא צריכה לכם שהיא ארץ מרעה, וכשתאמרו לו שאין אתם בקיאין במלאכה אחרת ירחיקכם מעליו ויושיבכם שם:
are abhorrent to the Egyptians: Because they (the sheep) are their gods. כי תועבת מצרים כל רעה צאן: לפי שהם להם אלהות:
Genesis Chapter 47
1Joseph came and told Pharaoh, and he said, "My father and my brothers and their flocks and their cattle and all that is theirs, have come from the land of Canaan, and behold, they are in the land of Goshen." אוַיָּבֹ֣א יוֹסֵף֘ וַיַּגֵּ֣ד לְפַרְעֹה֒ וַיֹּ֗אמֶר אָבִ֨י וְאַחַ֜י וְצֹאנָ֤ם וּבְקָרָם֙ וְכָל־אֲשֶׁ֣ר לָהֶ֔ם בָּ֖אוּ מֵאֶ֣רֶץ כְּנָ֑עַן וְהִנָּ֖ם בְּאֶ֥רֶץ גּֽשֶׁן:
2And from among his brothers he took five men, and he presented them before Pharaoh. בוּמִקְצֵ֣ה אֶחָ֔יו לָקַ֖ח חֲמִשָּׁ֣ה אֲנָשִׁ֑ים וַיַּצִּגֵ֖ם לִפְנֵ֥י פַרְעֹֽה:
And from among his brothers: From the most inferior of them in regards to physical strength, [i.e., those] who did not appear strong, for if he [Pharaoh] recognized them as being strong, he would make them his warriors. They are the following: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Issachar, and Benjamin, those whose names Moses did not double when he blessed them (Deut. 33), but the names of the strong ones he doubled, [as follows:] “And this is for Judah…Hear, O Lord, the voice of Judah” (Deut. 33:7). “And regarding Gad he said, ‘Blessed be He Who granted space to Gad’ ” (ibid. 20). “And regarding Naphtali he said, ‘Naphtali’s wishes shall be well satisfied’ ” (ibid. 23). “And regarding Dan, he said, ‘Dan is a young lion’ ” (ibid. 22). And so on for Zebulun (ibid. 18), and for Asher (ibid. 24). This is a quotation from Genesis Rabbah (95:4), which is the Aggadah of Eretz Israel. In our Babylonian Talmud, however, we find that those whose names Moses doubled were the weak ones, and it was they whom he brought before Pharaoh. As for Judah (the sixth one), whose name was doubled, however, it was not doubled because of weakness, but there is a[nother] reason for it, as is stated in Baba Kamma (92a). In the Baraitha of Sifrei , in “Vezoth Haberachah” (354) we learn as in our Talmud. [I.e., the Sifrei identifies the five brothers as does the Talmud, namely that the five brothers were Gad, Naphtali, Dan, Zebulun, and Asher.] ומקצה אחיו: מן הפחותים שבהם לגבורה שאין נראים גבורים, שאם יראה אותם גבורים יעשה אותם אנשי מלחמתו. ואלה הם ראובן שמעון לוי יששכר ובנימין, אותם שלא כפל משה שמותם כשברכם, אבל שמות הגבורים כפל (דברים לג ז) וזאת ליהודה שמע ה' קול יהודה, (דברים לג כ) ולגד אמר ברוך מרחיב גד, (שם כג) ולנפתלי אמר נפתלי, (שם כב) ולדן אמר דן, (שם יח) וכן לזבולן, (שם כד) וכן לאשר. זהו לשון בראשית רבה (צה ד) שהיא אגדת ארץ ישראל. אבל בתלמוד בבלית שלנו מצינו שאותם שכפל משה שמותם הם החלשים ואותן הביא לפני פרעה, ויהודה שהוכפל שמו לא הוכפל משום חלשות, אלא טעם יש בדבר כדאיתא בבבא קמא (צב א), ובברייתא דספרי שנינו בה בוזאת הברכה (ספרי שנד) כמו תלמוד שלנו:
3And Pharaoh said to his brothers, "What is your occupation?" And they said to Pharaoh, "Your servants are shepherds, both we and our forefathers." גוַיֹּ֧אמֶר פַּרְעֹ֛ה אֶל־אֶחָ֖יו מַה־מַּֽעֲשֵׂיכֶ֑ם וַיֹּֽאמְר֣וּ אֶל־פַּרְעֹ֗ה רֹעֵ֥ה צֹאן֙ עֲבָדֶ֔יךָ גַּם־אֲנַ֖חְנוּ גַּם־אֲבוֹתֵֽינוּ:
4And they said to Pharaoh, "We have come to sojourn in the land, for your servants' flocks have no pasture, for the famine is severe in the land of Canaan. Now, please let your servants dwell in the land of Goshen." דוַיֹּֽאמְר֣וּ אֶל־פַּרְעֹ֗ה לָג֣וּר בָּאָ֘רֶץ֘ בָּ֒אנוּ֒ כִּי־אֵ֣ין מִרְעֶ֗ה לַצֹּאן֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר לַֽעֲבָדֶ֔יךָ כִּֽי־כָבֵ֥ד הָֽרָעָ֖ב בְּאֶ֣רֶץ כְּנָ֑עַן וְעַתָּ֛ה יֵֽשְׁבוּ־נָ֥א עֲבָדֶ֖יךָ בְּאֶ֥רֶץ גּֽשֶׁן:
5And Pharaoh spoke to Joseph, saying, "Your father and your brothers have come to you. הוַיֹּ֣אמֶר פַּרְעֹ֔ה אֶל־יוֹסֵ֖ף לֵאמֹ֑ר אָבִ֥יךָ וְאַחֶ֖יךָ בָּ֥אוּ אֵלֶֽיךָ:
6The land of Egypt is [open] before you; in the best of the land settle your father and your brothers. Let them dwell in the land of Goshen, and if you know that there are capable men among them, make them livestock officers over what is mine." ואֶ֤רֶץ מִצְרַ֨יִם֙ לְפָנֶ֣יךָ הִ֔וא בְּמֵיטַ֣ב הָאָ֔רֶץ הוֹשֵׁ֥ב אֶת־אָבִ֖יךָ וְאֶת־אַחֶ֑יךָ יֵֽשְׁבוּ֙ בְּאֶ֣רֶץ גּ֔שֶׁן וְאִם־יָדַ֗עְתָּ וְיֶשׁ־בָּם֙ אַנְשֵׁי־חַ֔יִל וְשַׂמְתָּ֛ם שָׂרֵ֥י מִקְנֶ֖ה עַל־אֲשֶׁר־לִֽי:
capable men: Skillful in their occupation of pasturing sheep. אנשי חיל: בקיאין באומנותן לרעות צאן:
over what is mine: Over my flocks. על אשר לי: על צאן שלי:
7So Joseph brought his father Jacob and stood him before Pharaoh, and Jacob greeted Pharaoh. זוַיָּבֵ֤א יוֹסֵף֙ אֶת־יַֽעֲקֹ֣ב אָבִ֔יו וַיַּֽעֲמִדֵ֖הוּ לִפְנֵ֣י פַרְעֹ֑ה וַיְבָ֥רֶךְ יַֽעֲקֹ֖ב אֶת־פַּרְעֹֽה:
and Jacob greeted: Heb. וַיְבָרֶ. This is a greeting, as is customary for all who occasionally present themselves before monarchs, saluder in Old French. [From Tanchuma Nasso 26] ויברך יעקב: היא שאילת שלום כדרך כל הנראים לפני המלכים לפרקים, שלודי"ר בלע"ז [לשאול לשלום]:
8And Pharaoh said to Jacob, "How many are the days of the years of your life?" חוַיֹּ֥אמֶר פַּרְעֹ֖ה אֶל־יַֽעֲקֹ֑ב כַּמָּ֕ה יְמֵ֖י שְׁנֵ֥י חַיֶּיֽךָ:
9And Jacob said to Pharaoh, "The days of the years of my sojournings are one hundred thirty years. The days of the years of my life have been few and miserable, and they have not reached the days of the years of the lives of my forefathers in the days of their sojournings." טוַיֹּ֤אמֶר יַֽעֲקֹב֙ אֶל־פַּרְעֹ֔ה יְמֵי֙ שְׁנֵ֣י מְגוּרַ֔י שְׁלשִׁ֥ים וּמְאַ֖ת שָׁנָ֑ה מְעַ֣ט וְרָעִ֗ים הָיוּ֙ יְמֵי֙ שְׁנֵ֣י חַיַּ֔י וְלֹ֣א הִשִּׂ֗יגוּ אֶת־יְמֵי֙ שְׁנֵי֙ חַיֵּי֣ אֲבֹתַ֔י בִּימֵ֖י מְגֽוּרֵיהֶֽם:
the years of my sojournings: The days of my being a stranger. All my days, I have been a stranger in the land. שני מגורי: ימי גרותי, כל ימי הייתי גר בארץ אחרים:
and they have not reached: in goodness. ולא השיגו: בטובה:
10So Jacob blessed Pharaoh and left Pharaoh's presence. יוַיְבָ֥רֶךְ יַֽעֲקֹ֖ב אֶת־פַּרְעֹ֑ה וַיֵּצֵ֖א מִלִּפְנֵ֥י פַרְעֹֽה:
So Jacob blessed: According to the custom of all those who leave the presence of princes, that they bless them and take their leave. Now what blessing did he bless him? That the Nile should rise at his approach, because Egypt does not drink rain water, but the Nile rises and waters it, and since Jacob’s blessing, Pharaoh would come to the Nile, and it would rise to greet him and water the land. [From Tanchuma, Nasso 26] ויברך יעקב: כדרך כל הנפטרים מלפני שרים, מברכים אותם ונוטלים רשות. ומה ברכה ברכו, שיעלה נילוס לרגליו, לפי שאין ארץ מצרים שותה מי גשמים אלא נילוס עולה ומשקה, ומברכתו של יעקב ואילך היה פרעה בא [עומד] על נילוס והוא עולה לקראתו ומשקה את הארץ:
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Daily Tehillim: Chapters 35 - 38
• Hebrew text
• English text• Chapter 35
Daily Tehillim: Chapters 35 - 38
• Hebrew text
• English text• Chapter 35
This psalm is an awe-inspiring and wondrous prayer about David's enemies-that they be as chaff before the wind, chased by the angel of God. It also declares that everything comes about through God's help.
1. By David. Fight my antagonists, O Lord, battle those who battle against me.
2. Take hold of shield and armor and arise to help me.
3. Draw a spear, and bar the way before my pursuers; say to my soul, "I am your deliverance.”
4. Let those who seek my life be shamed and disgraced; let those who devise my harm retreat and be humiliated.
5. Let them be as chaff before the wind; let the angel of the Lord thrust them away.
6. Let their path be dark and slippery; let them be chased by the angel of the Lord.
7. For without cause have they laid their nets in the pit for me; without cause have they dug [pits] for my soul.
8. Let darkness come upon him unawares; let the very snare that he hid trap him, in darkness he will fall in it.
9. And my soul shall exult in the Lord, rejoice in His deliverance.
10. My entire being shall declare: Lord, who is like You? Who saves the poor from one stronger than he, the poor and the destitute from one who would rob him.
11. Corrupt witnesses rise up [against me], they demand of me things of which I do not know.
12. They repay me evil for good, death for my soul.
13. But I wore sackcloth when they were ill; I afflicted my soul with fasting. Let my prayer return upon my own bosom.
14. As if it were my friend, my brother, I went about; like a mother in mourning, I was bent over in gloom.
15. But when I limped, they rejoiced and gathered; the lowly gathered against me-even those whom I do not know; they laugh and cannot be quiet.
16. With flattery and scorn, for the sake of a meal,1 they gnash their teeth at me.
17. My Lord, how long will You look on? Restore my life from their darkness; from young lions, my soul.
18. I will thank You in a great congregation, amidst a mighty nation I will praise You.
19. Let not those who hate me without cause rejoice over me; [let not] those who despise me without reason wink their eye.
20. For they speak not of peace, rather they scheme deceitful matters against the broken of the land.
21. They opened their mouths wide against me, they said, "Aha! Aha! Our eyes have seen [his misfortune].”
22. You saw, Lord, be not silent; my Lord, be not distant from me.
23. Rouse and awaken Yourself to my judgement, to my cause, my God and my Lord.
24. Judge me according to your righteousness, Lord my God; let them not rejoice over me.
25. Let them not say in their hearts, "Aha! We have our desire!" Let them not say, "We have swallowed him!”
26. Let them be shamed and disgraced together, those who rejoice at my trouble; let them be clothed in shame and humiliation, those who raise themselves arrogantly over me.
27. Let those who desire my vindication sing joyously and be glad; let them say always, "Let the Lord be exalted, Who desires the peace of His servant.”
28. My tongue will speak of Your righteousness, Your praise, all day long.
FOOTNOTES
1.These men flatter Saul in order to obtain free meals (Rashi).
Chapter 36
This psalm is a message to those who follow their evil inclination, that tells them, "Do not place the fear of God before you," and brings them to sin by beautifying evil deeds in their eyes. For so is his way: "He descends (to earth) and corrupts, then goes up (to the Heavenly Court) and prosecutes."
1. For the Conductor, by the servant of the Lord, by David.
2. [I think] in my heart: Sin says to the wicked, "There is none [who need place] the fear of God before his eyes.”
3. For Sin makes itself appealing to him, until his iniquity be found and he is hated.
4. The speech of his mouth is evil and deceit; he fails to reason, to improve.
5. On his bed he contemplates evil, he stands in a path that is not good; he does not despise evil.
6. O Lord, Your kindness is in the heavens; Your faithfulness is till the skies.
7. Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, Your judgements extend to the great deep; man and beast You deliver, O Lord.
8. How precious is Your kindness, O God; man takes shelter in the shadow of Your wings.
9. They will be filled by the abundance of Your house; from the stream of Your Eden, You will give them to drink.
10. For the source of life is with You; in Your Light do we see light.
11. Extend Your kindness to those who know You, and Your righteousness to the upright of heart.
12. Let not the foot of the arrogant overtake me; let not the hand of the wicked drive me away.
13. There1 the doers of evil fell, thrust down, unable to rise.
FOOTNOTES
1. In the very place they intended to persecute me (Metzudot).
Chapter 37
King David exhorts his generation not to be jealous of the prosperity of the wicked, for it may lead to falling into their ways. Rather, put your trust in God, conduct yourselves with integrity, and God will take care of everything.
1. By David. Do not compete with the wicked; do not envy doers of injustice.
2. For like grass they will be swiftly cut down; like green vegetation they will wither.
3. Trust in the Lord and do good; then will you abide in the land and be nourished by faith.
4. Delight in the Lord, and He will grant you the desires of your heart.
5. Cast your needs upon the Lord; rely on Him, and He will take care.
6. He will reveal your righteousness like the light, your justness like the high noon.
7. Depend on the Lord and hope in Him. Compete not with the prosperous, with the man who invents evil schemes.
8. Let go of anger, abandon rage; do not compete with [one who intends] only to harm.
9. For the evildoers will be cut down; but those who hope in the Lord, they will inherit the earth.
10. For soon the wicked one will not be; you will gaze at his place and he will be gone.
11. But the humble shall inherit the earth, and delight in abundant peace.
12. The wicked one plots against the righteous, and gnashes his teeth at him.
13. My Lord laughs at him, for He sees that his day will come.
14. The wicked have drawn a sword and bent their bow to fell the poor and destitute, to slaughter those of upright ways.
15. But their sword shall enter their own hearts, and their bows shall break.
16. Better the little of the righteous, than the abundant wealth of the wicked.
17. For the strength of the wicked will be broken, but the Lord supports the righteous.
18. The Lord appreciates the days of the innocent; their inheritance will last forever.
19. They will not be shamed in times of calamity, and in days of famine they will be satisfied.
20. For the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the Lord are as fattened sheep: consumed, consumed in smoke.
21. The wicked man borrows and does not repay; but the righteous man is gracious and gives.
22. For those blessed by Him will inherit the earth, and those cursed by Him will be cut off.
23. The steps of man are directed by God; He desires his way.
24. When he totters he shall not be thrown down, for the Lord supports his hand.
25. I have been a youth, I have also aged; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his offspring begging bread.
26. All day he is kind and lends; his offspring are a blessing.
27. Turn away from evil and do good, and you will dwell [in peace] forever.
28. For the Lord loves justice, he will not abandon his pious ones-they are protected forever; but the offspring of the wicked are cut off.
29. The righteous shall inherit the earth and dwell upon it forever.
30. The mouth of the righteous one utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks justice.
31. The Torah of his God is in his heart; his steps shall not falter.
32. The wicked one watches for the righteous man, and seeks to kill him.
33. But the Lord will not abandon him in his hand, nor condemn him when he is judged.
34. Hope in the Lord and keep His way; then He will raise you high to inherit the earth. When the wicked are cut off, you shall see it.
35. I saw a powerful wicked man, well-rooted like a vibrant, native tree.
36. Yet he vanished, behold he was gone; I searched for him, but he could not be found.
37. Watch the innocent, and observe the upright, for the future of such a man is peace.
38. But sinners shall be destroyed together; the future of the wicked is cut off.
39. The deliverance of the righteous is from the Lord; He is their strength in time of distress.
40. The Lord helps them and delivers them; He delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they have put their trust in Him.
Chapter 38
A prayer for every individual, bewailing the length of the exile. One who is in distress should recite this psalm, hence its introduction, "A psalm... to remind" (to remind us to recite it in times of distress). One can also derive many lessons from it.
1. A psalm by David, to remind.
2. O Lord, do not rebuke me in Your anger, nor chastise me in Your wrath.
3. For Your arrows have landed in me, Your hand descended upon me.
4. There is no soundness in my flesh because of Your rage, no peace in my bones because of my sin.
5. For my iniquities have flooded over my head; like a heavy load, they are too heavy for me.
6. My wounds are rotted; they reek because of my foolishness.
7. I am bent and extremely bowed; all day I go about in gloom.
8. My sides are inflamed; there is no soundness in my flesh.
9. I am weakened and extremely depressed; I howl from the moaning of my heart.
10. My Lord, all that I desire is before You; my sighing is not hidden from You.
11. My heart is engulfed, my strength has left me; the light of my eyes they, too, are not with me.
12. My friends and companions stand aloof from my affliction; my intimates stand afar.
13. The seekers of my life have laid traps; those who seek my harm speak destructiveness; they utter deceits all day long.
14. But I am like a deaf man, I do not hear; like a mute that does not open his mouth.
15. I was like a man that does not perceive, and in whose mouth there are no rebuttals.
16. Because for You, O Lord, I wait; You will answer, my Lord, my God.
17. For I said, "Lest they rejoice over me; when my foot falters they will gloat over me.”
18. For I am accustomed to limping, and my pain is constantly before me.
19. For I admit my iniquity; I worry because of my sin.
20. But my enemies abound with life; those who hate me without cause flourish.
21. Those who repay evil for good resent me for my pursuit of good.
22. Do not forsake me, O Lord; do not be distant from me, my God.
23. Hurry to my aid, O my Lord, my Salvation.
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Tanya: Likutei Amarim, middle of Chapter 6
• Lessons in Tanya
Tanya: Likutei Amarim, middle of Chapter 6
• Lessons in Tanya
• English Text
• Hebrew Text
• Audio Class: Listen | Download
• Video Class• Friday, Tevet 6, 5776 · December 18, 2015
• Hebrew Text
• Audio Class: Listen | Download
• Video Class• Friday, Tevet 6, 5776 · December 18, 2015
Today's Tanya Lesson
Likutei Amarim, middle of Chapter 6
וכן כל הדבורים וכל המחשבות אשר לא לה׳ המה ולרצונו ולעבודתו
Similarly, all words and all thoughts that are not directed to G‑d and to His Will and His service are all garments for the animal soul.
שזהו פירוש לשון סיטרא אחרא פירוש: צד אחר, שאינו צד הקדושה
For this is the meaning of the term sitra achra — literally “the other side,” i.e., not the side of holiness.
Thus, whatever does not belong to the realm of holiness is sitra achra. But what, in fact, does the realm of holiness encompass?
וצד הקדושה אינו אלא השראה והמשכה מקדושתו של הקדוש ברוך הוא
The side of holiness is nothing but the indwelling and extension of G‑d’s holiness.
ואין הקדוש ברוך הוא שורה אלא על דבר שבטל אצלו יתברך, בין בפועל ממש, כמלאכים עליונים
Now, G‑d dwells only on that which is surrendered to Him, whether [the surrender is an] actual [one](and visible even in that surrendered being’s external aspects) as is the case with the supernal angels whose entire being is constantly and openly surrendered to G‑d
ובין בכח, ככל איש ישראל למטה, שבכחו להיות בטל ממש לגבי הקדוש ברוך הוא במסירת נפשו על קדושת ה׳
or whether [it is a] potential [surrender], as in the case of every Jew here below in this physical world, who has the capacity for surrendering himself completely before G‑d, through martyrdom for the sanctification of G‑d’s Name.
As explained further in the Tanya, every Jew has the capacity for such self-sacrifice; in the face of an attempt to coerce him to forsake Judaism he will willingly suffer martyrdom. Thus, every Jew possesses internally within his soul the potential for surrender to G‑d, whatever his external state; this potential, however, may reveal itself only in the act of martyrdom. Because he is surrendered to G‑d, G‑d’s holiness rests upon him.
ולכן אמרו רבותינו ז״ל שאפילו אחד שיושב ועוסק בתורה שכינה שרויה כו׳
That is why our Sages1 have said that “if even one individual sits and engages in Torah study, the Divine Presence rests upon him.”
For when one engages in Torah study his surrender to G‑dliness emerges, to affect him on a revealed, external level, since such study entails setting aside one’s own notions and presumptions in order to understand and accept G‑d’s wisdom and Will as expressed in Torah. It is this surrender to G‑dliness that causes the Divine Presence to rest upon the Torah student.
וכל בי עשרה שכינתא שריא לעולם
Also,2 “On each gathering of ten Jews the Divine Presence rests” always; together, ten Jews form a “congregation of Israel,” which is a fit abode for the Divine Presence.
אבל כל מה שאינו בטל אצלו יתברך, אלא הוא דבר נפרד בפני עצמו, אינו מקבל חיות מקדושתו של הקדוש ברוך הוא
Anything, however, that does not surrender itself to G‑d, but [considers itself as if it] is a thing separate unto itself, does not receive its life from the holiness of G‑d —
But where else would it receive its vitality? G‑dliness and holiness is the source of vitality for every existing being, as it is written, “You give life to them all” (Nechemiah 9:6). The Alter Rebbe goes on to qualify his previous remark, stating that those beings who do not surrender themselves to G‑d receive their vitality only from a superficial, external level of G‑dliness; and from this level, too, only when it descends degree by degree through numerous “contractions” of the life-force.
מבחינת פנימית הקדושה ומהותה ועצמותה בכבודה ובעצמה, אלא מבחינת אחוריים
To return to the Alter Rebbe’s words: The self-styled separate being does not receive its vitality from the pnimiyut, the inner aspect of holiness, from its every essence and core, but from its achorayim, its “hind-part”, so to speak.
To bestow from one’s “pnimiyut” (literally, one’s “face”) means, as explained in ch. 22, to give with a pleasurable will and desire; “achorayim” (literally, “behind one’s back”) means to bestow without desire or pleasure, out of some extenuating factor. The giver’s attitude will be apparent, in either case, in his manner of giving. If one gives something to his enemy, for example, he will avert his face from him, for one’s face represents his inner feelings; since the giver’s heart is not in his gift, he turns his face away, presenting his enemy with his rear. Thus, pnimiyut and achorayim in the sense of internal and external aspects (of one’s will) are related to their literal meanings of “face” and “rear”.
In our context, everything in the realm of holiness, whose existence and life G‑d desires, receives its life from the pnimiyutof G‑dliness; while the kelipot, in which G‑d has no desire (since He created them only for the reasons given in the paragraphs introducing this chapter), receive their life from the achorayim of G‑dliness.
שיורדים ממדרגה למדרגה רבבות מדרגות בהשתלשלות העולמות, דרך עלה ועלול
This limited form of life-force reaches the kelipot by descending degree by degree through myriads of levels, in the chain-like descent of the worlds, in the manner of cause and effect.
The higher level is the “cause” for the lower level which emerges from it. However, in a descent which is a sequence of cause and effect, the effect, although lower, is always comparable to the cause. Such descents, no matter how numerous, would be insufficient to produce the low level of vitality bestowed upon kelipot. This can be produced only by the descent of the vitality through tzimtzum, as the Alter Rebbe now continues:
וצמצומים רבים
The vitality descends also through many tzimtzumim, or contractions — and this process diminishes the vitality to the point where it is incomparably lower than in its original state.
עד שנתמעט כל כך האור והחיות, מיעוט אחר מיעוט, עד שיכול להתצמצם ולהתלבש בבחינת גלות
So greatly diminished does the light and life-force become, diminution after diminution, until it is able to become contracted and clothed in a manner of exile, meaning that instead of being surrendered to the Divine life-force, the object in which the vitality is clothed masters it; as, for example, a captive in exile is mastered by his captors.
תוך אותו דבר הנפרד, להחיותו ולקיימו מאין ליש
The vitality is thus in a state of exile within that object which is (i.e., which considers itself) separate from holiness, giving it vitality and existence, causing that object to pass from non-existence to existence,
שלא יחזור להיות אין ואפס כבתחלה מקודם שנברא
so that is does not return to its original state of non-existence, as it was before it was created by the vitality clothed in it.
In brief: All that is not surrendered to G‑d, but considers itself separate from Him, receives its vitality from the achorayimof G‑dliness by way of numerous descents and various contraction. The Divine life-force is concealed within it in a state of exile; thus it belongs to the realm of kelipah. It is now clear why any thought, word or action not directed toward [serving] G‑d — hence, not surrendered to G‑dliness — is a garment of the animal soul that derives from kelipah, even if that thought, word or deed is not actually evil.
| FOOTNOTES | |
| 1. | Avot 3:6. |
| 2. | Sanhedrin 39a. |
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Rambam:
• Sefer Hamitzvos:• English Text | Hebrew Text |
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Rambam:
• Sefer Hamitzvos:• English Text | Hebrew Text |
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• Friday, Tevet 6, 5776 · December 18, 2015
Today's Mitzvah
A daily digest of Maimonides’ classic work "Sefer Hamitzvot"
Positive Commandment 14
Tzitzit
"And they shall make for themselves tzitzit"—Numbers 15:38.
All males are required to attach tzitzit (fringes) to the corners of their four-cornered garments. One of the fringes on each corner is to be dyed with techelet (a special blue dye).
Full text of this Mitzvah »
Today's Mitzvah
A daily digest of Maimonides’ classic work "Sefer Hamitzvot"
Positive Commandment 14
Tzitzit
"And they shall make for themselves tzitzit"—Numbers 15:38.
All males are required to attach tzitzit (fringes) to the corners of their four-cornered garments. One of the fringes on each corner is to be dyed with techelet (a special blue dye).
Full text of this Mitzvah »
Tzitzit
Positive Commandment 14
Translated by Berel Bell
The 14th mitzvah is that we are commanded in the actions1 involving tzitzis.
The source of this commandment is G‑d's statement (exalted be He), "And it shall be to you as tzitzis…And they shall attach a thread of blue on the fringe of each corner."2
Although we have a basic principle,3 "The lack of blue thread does not prevent one from fulfilling the mitzvah of white thread, and the lack of white thread does not prevent one from fulfilling the mitzvah of blue thread," [and, as explained in the 11th Principle,4 this would be sufficient indication that they are independent and count as two separate mitzvos,] nevertheless, they are not counted as two mitzvos.
This is stated explicitly in the Sifri:5 "One might think that there are two mitzvos: the mitzvah of blue thread and the mitzvah of white thread. However, the Torah says, 'And it shall be to you as tzitzis. 6' This shows that it is only one mitzvah, not two."7
Women are exempt from this mitzvah, as explained in the beginning of tractate Kiddushin.8
All the details of this mitzvah have been explained in tractate Menachos.9
FOOTNOTES
1.As mentioned above in P12 and P13, all aspects of the mitzvah are included; in this case, the actual spinning of the strands, tying them to the garment, and wearing the garment. See Kapach, 5731, note 65.
2.Num. 15:38.
3.Menachos 38a.
4.That elements of a single mitzvah (such as the four species — lulav, esrog, etc.) are counted as one mitzvah. When one element can be fulfilled separately, however, such as here, this Principle indicates that they should count separately.
5.Parshas Shelach.
6.Num. 15:39.
7.Therefore, since our Sages say explicitly that it is one mitzvah, we cannot count it as two (unlike, tefillin, which the Sages call two mitzvos; see P13). See Megillas Esther, end of Principle. 9.
The reason the Sages called it one mitzvah, according to this line of reasoning, is because the verse refers to the tzitzis in singular form — "it." See Kinas Sofrim, Principle 11.
8.33b. Since the mitzvah is not in effect at night, it is considered a "time-bound mitzvah," from which women are exempt.
9.38a ff.
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• 1 Chapter: Matnot Aniyim Matnot Aniyim - Chapter 4 • English Text | Hebrew Text | Audio: Listen | Download | Video Class
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• Matnot Aniyim - Chapter 4
Halacha 1
What is meant by leket? Produce that fall from the sickle when one is reaping or falls from his hand when he gathers the stalks [of grain]1 and harvests. [The above applies] provided only one or two stalks fell. If, however, three fell at the same time, the three belong to the owner of the field.2 If grain fell from behind the sickle or behind one's hand,3 it is not leket even if only one stalk fell.
Halacha 2
When he was harvesting by hand without a sickle, the stalks that fall from his hand are not leket.4 When, however, one pulls out crops that are usually pulled out by hand, those which fall from his hand are leket.5 If he was harvesting [with a sickle] or pulling out crops that are usually pulled out and after he harvested an armful [of produce] or after he pulled out a handful, [the produce] fell from his hand because he was struck by a thorn, [the produce] belongs to the owner.6
Halacha 3
[The following laws apply if a person] was harvesting and left a stalk of grain standing without harvesting it, although he harvested all the grain around it. If its tip could reach the standing grain at its side and it could be harvested with that grain, it belongs to the owner of the field.7 If not, it belongs to the poor.
Halacha 4
[The following laws apply if] there were two stalks next to each other, the inner stalk could be harvested with [the remainder of] the standing grain8 and the outer could be harvested together with the inner stalk, but not with the standing grain. The inner stalk is retrieved9 and it retrieves the outer stalk.10For it is considered as falling from the sickle, even though it was not harvested yet.11
Stalks that are among the straw belong to the owner of the field.12
Halacha 5
[The following laws apply when] the wind scattered sheaves [of grain] and the harvest belonging to the owner becomes mixed with the leket. We estimate how much leket the field would produce and that amount is given to the poor. [A greater amount is not required]13 because this comes about due to forces beyond one's control. How much is this measure? Four kabbin for an area in which a kor of wheat would grow.14
Halacha 6
What should the owner of a field do if leket fell to the ground, it was not collected by the poor and he made a grainheap of his harvest on this earth?15He should move his grain pile to another place, [but] all the stalks that are touching the ground belong to the poor. [The rationale is that] we do not know which of them was leket and whenever there is a doubt concerning [whether produce] is from the presents for the poor, [it is given] to the poor.16 [This is implied by the term (Leviticus 23:22):] "Leave," i.e., leave from your produce for them.
Halacha 7
Why don't we make an estimation and give the poor [the amount that would be left as leket?17 Because [the owner] transgressed and made his grainheap onleket, he was penalized, even if he did so inadvertently. Even if the leket was barley and he made a grainheap of wheat upon it,18 even if he called for the poor [to collect the leket] and they did not come, and even if others made the grainheap without his knowledge, all of the produce touching the ground belongs to the poor.
Halacha 8
[The following laws apply when a person] must fertilize his field before the poor collect the leket in it. If his loss will be greater than the loss to the poor, he is permitted to fertilize it. If the loss to the poor will be greater than his loss, it is forbidden for him to fertilize. If he collects all the leket and places it on the fence until a poor person comes and collects it, that is an expression of the quality of piety.
Halacha 9
When kernels of grain are found in ant holes, if the holes were located in the midst of the standing grain, [the kernels] belong to the owner of the field, for the poor people do not have a right to anything in the standing grain. If they were located in the place which was harvested,19 they belong to the poor, because perhaps they were taken from the leket. Even if the kernel [in the hole] is black,20 we do not say that it was from the previous year, because whenever there is a doubt concerning [whether produce] is leket,21 we consider it as leket.
Halacha 10
When a stalk of leket becomes intermingled with the grain heap, the owner must separate two stalks. On the first, he says: "If this is leket, it belongs to the poor. If it is not leket, may the tithes for which I am obligated from this stalk22 be fixed on the other stalk."23 He then goes back and makes this same stipulation on the second stalk. He then gives one of the stalks to the poor and the other one will be [part of] the tithes.
Halacha 11
A person should not hire a worker24 with the intent that his son collect theleket after him.25 Sharecroppers, tenant farmers, and a person who purchased standing grain from a colleague to harvest, by contrast, may have their sons collect after them.26 A worker may bring his wife and his children to collect leket after him.27 [This applies] even if he hired him with the intent that he receive half of the harvest, one third, or one fourth as his wage.28
Halacha 12
A person who does not allow the poor to collect the leket, allows one but does not allow another, or helps one of them, [giving him an advantage] over his colleagues is considered as stealing from the poor.29
Halacha 13
It is forbidden for a person to have a lion or the like rest in his field so that the poor will fear and flee.30 When there are those among the poor who are not entitled to collect leket,31 if the owner can rebuke them, he should. If not, he should allow them [to collect it as an expression of] the ways of peace.
Halacha 14
Halacha 15
What is meant by peret?35 One grape or two grapes that separate from the cluster in the midst of the harvest. If three grapes fall at the same time, they are not peret.
Halacha 16
When a person was reaping [his grape harvest] and cut off a cluster, [that cluster] became entangled with its leaves and it fell to the ground and became divided into individual grapes, it is not peret. If, however, [the reaper] was harvesting and throwing the clusters to the earth, [more stringent rules apply]. Even if half the cluster is discovered [broken into individual grapes], it is peret. Similarly, [even] if an entire cluster was broken up into individual grapes, they are peret.36 When a person places a basket below the vine at the time he is harvesting,37 he is stealing from the poor.
Halacha 17
What is an olelet?38 This is a small cluster which is not thick like ordinary clusters and does not have a kataf, nor are its grapes notfot39 one on top of the other, but rather scattered. If it has a kataf, but not a nataf or a nataf, but not a kataf, it belongs to the owner of the vineyard. If there is a doubt, it should be given to the poor.
Halacha 18
What is kataf? Small clusters connected to the central stem40 [of the larger cluster], one on top of the other. [What is] nataf? Grapes connected to the center stem and hanging down. [The above applies] provided all of the individual grapes in the ollelot can touch the palm of his hand.41
Why is such [an underdeveloped cluster] called an ollel?42 Because it is comparable to a developed cluster in the same way an infant is comparable to an adult.
Halacha 19
The owner of the vineyard is not obligated to harvest the underdeveloped clusters and give them to the poor.43 Instead, [he should leave them for the poor] to harvest themselves. An individual grape is considered as an ollelet.
Halacha 20
[The following laws apply when] there was a cluster on a branch of a vine and an underdeveloped cluster on an offshoot of the branch. If [the offshoot] can be harvested with the cluster, it belongs to the owner of the vineyard.44 If not, it belongs to the poor.
Halacha 21
When a vineyard is comprised entirely of underdeveloped clusters, it belongs to the poor. [This is derived from Leviticus 19:10:] "Do not collect underdeveloped clusters in your vineyard," i.e., even if it comprises the entire vineyard. [The laws of] peret and ollelot apply only in a vineyard.45
Halacha 22
The poor do not have the right to take peret and ollelot until the owner of the vineyard begins harvesting his vineyard, as [Deuteronomy 24:21] states: "When you harvest your vineyard, do not collect underdeveloped clusters."46How much must [the owner] harvest for [the poor] to receive this right? Three clusters that will produce a revi'it [of wine].
Halacha 23
When a person consecrates his vineyard before he becomes aware of the underdeveloped clusters, the underdeveloped clusters do not belong to the poor.47 If he has become aware of the underdeveloped clusters, the underdeveloped clusters belong to the poor.48 They must pay a fee wages for their [increase in value] while they grew49 to the Temple treasury.50
Halacha 24
When one prunes a vine after he became aware of ollelot, he may prune according to his ordinary pattern. Just as he cuts off [fully-formed] clusters, he cuts off underdeveloped clusters.51
Halacha 25
When a gentile sells his vineyard to a Jew to harvest, the Jew is obligated to leave the underdeveloped clusters.52 When a Jew and a gentile are partners in a vineyard, there is an obligation [to leave] ollelot in the portion belonging to the Jew. That belonging to the gentile is exempt.
Halacha 26
Halacha 27
[The following laws apply when a person] has five vines, harvests them, and [brings the grapes] into his home. If his intent is to eat them while they are grapes, he is not obligated [to leave] peret, shichichah,57 and [neta] revai'i,58but is obligated [to leave] the ollelot [for the poor].59If he reaped them to make wine, he is obligated in all of the above unless he left a portion [unharvested].60
| FOOTNOTES | |
| 1. |
I.e., he was gathering several stalks of grain together in his hand in order to cut them with a sickle. In the process, some fell from his hand. In his Commentary to the Mishnah (Pe'ah 4:10), the Rambam summarizes the principle as follows: "[Crops] encompassed by the hand or by the sickle that fall are leket."
|
| 2. |
For three is a significant quantity that the owner would not be willing to abandon willfully.
|
| 3. |
I.e., that fell when he moved the sickle or his hand back.
|
| 4. |
The Jerusalem Talmud (Pe'ah 4:5) derives this from exegesis of the phrase (Leviticus 23:22): "You shall not gather the gleanings of your harvest." "Your harvest" implies crops cut with a sickle.
|
| 5. |
This does not contradict the concept stated in the previous note. Since this is the usual way these crops are harvested, the laws of leket apply when produce falls from one's hands.
|
| 6. |
Since it did not fall from his hand as a by-product of the harvesting process.
|
| 7. |
The Sifri derives this law from the exegesis of the phrase (Deuteronomy 24:19): "Do not return to take it." As long as the stalk of grain can be harvested together with the standing grain, one is not "going back" to harvest it. A question, however, arises: Why does the Rambam (and his source,Pe'ah 5:2) mention this law in the context of the laws of leket and not together with those governing shichichah (the subject of the verse cited)? This question is resolved in Halachah 4.
|
| 8. |
And thus meets the criteria mentioned in the previous halachah.
|
| 9. |
I.e., it is considered as the owner's.
|
| 10. |
Since it can be harvested together with the inner stalk, it is governed by the laws that apply to it.
|
| 11. |
This refers to the previous halachah and serves as an explanation why these stalks are considered as leket (Radbaz, Kessef Mishneh).
|
| 12. |
Because, generally, the laws of leket do not apply to grain that was not harvested.
|
| 13. |
As in the following halachot, where the owner is penalized for mixing his harvest with the leket.
|
| 14. |
This area is 75000 sq. cubits. Shiurei Torah 3:31 states that according to the Rambam, a kav is equivalent to 1626 grams.
|
| 15. |
Thus mixing his harvest with the leket.
|
| 16. |
The Radbaz writes that, as stated in the following halachah, this measure is a penalty imposed upon the owner. Hence, even when there is no doubt involved, as exemplified there, we give the poor all the stalks that are touching the ground. Hence, the Rambam's words must be interpreted as meaning: Since we penalized the owner, the produce is taken from him in the case of a doubt.
|
| 17. |
As in Halachah 5.
|
| 18. |
And thus there is no doubt which is leket and which is ordinary produce.
|
| 19. |
In his Commentary to the Mishnah (Pe'ah 4:11), the Rambam speaks of the grain "behind the reapers."
|
| 20. |
And thus appears to have been there for a long time.
|
| 21. |
For it is possible that the black kernel is from the present year, but from inferior grain.
|
| 22. |
There is no obligation to separate tithes from leket. The stipulation is necessary because tithes must be separated while the produce is still in one's possession, before the stalk is given to the poor.
|
| 23. |
We have translated the Rambam's words directly, although there is an obvious difficulty with them. If we say, as implied by his Commentary to the Mishnah (Pe'ah 5:2), that one of the stalks will be designated for the tithes, then since the identity of that stalk is not known and one of the stalks will be given to the poor, it is possible that the poor will be given the stalk that contains the tithes. Furthermore, leket cannot be used for tithes.
Therefore, the commentaries (Radbaz, Kessef Mishneh, et al) suggest that we are speaking about a third stalk which would also be used for the tithes of the entire field. The stipulations are made separately on the two stalks and then one is given to the poor and the other to the owner. And the third stalk is used for the tithes of the field.
|
| 24. |
I.e., a poor man who is entitled to collect leket.
|
| 25. |
I.e., this would be like a tip for the worker. In addition to his wages, he would receive the leket his son would collect. This is, however, considered as stealing from the poor, because the worker is likely to hire himself out for a lower wage in return for this consideration. As indicated by the continuation of the halachah, there is no difficulty with the worker's family collecting the leket. Since he - and/or they - are poor, they have that privilege. The difficulty is with stipulating it in his contract.
|
| 26. |
Since they are not being paid a wage, but instead receive the produce and give a major share back to the owner, there is no difficulty in having the son collect the leket from the field, for they will not reduce their share for the license to have their son collect the leket. The other poor do not feel that the share-cropper is infringing upon their rights, because they expect that - were they to have the opportunity - their sons would be given the same privilege.
|
| 27. |
As stated above, since the worker is poor, both his wife and his children are given this privilege.
|
| 28. |
The Tzaphnat Paneach differentiates between this instance and that of the share-cropper mentioned in the previous clause, noting that here the worker's wife is mentioned and there she is not. He states that the wife of the sharecropper or the like is not entitled to collect the leket. Since he owns the produce, he is not entitled to collect a share. And since he is not entitled to collect a share, his wife may not do so either. His son may, however, because he is an independent person. The rationale is that the share-cropper is the owner of the harvest and he pays a share to the owner of the land. In this instance, by contrast, the harvest belongs to the owner and he pays a share to the worker. Hence, the worker is poor and his wife has the right to collect the leket.
|
| 29. |
For unlike terumah and other agricultural obligations, the owner has no right to control who will be the recipient of leket.
|
| 30. |
And thus abandon the leket.
|
| 31. |
See Chapter 9, Halachah 13.
|
| 32. |
I.e., instead of leaving it to be the property of the poor, he desires to declare it ownerless so that it can be acquired by the rich as well as the poor.
|
| 33. |
I.e., once the majority has fallen, the status of the entire quantity is defined (Radbaz).
|
| 34. |
But instead, it belongs to the poor (see Temurah 25a).
|
| 35. |
Individual grapes that fall that must be left for the poor, as stated in Leviticus 19:10.
|
| 36. |
This law follows the same logic which motivates Halachot 6-7 which states that an owner who makes a grainheap on the place where leket has fallen must give all the stalks touching the ground to the poor. In this instance as well, since his grapes become mixed with those which fell as peret, we penalize him and preventing him from taking any of the individual grapes.
The Jerusalem Talmud (Pe'ah 6:4) mentions two opinions: one which states that this stringency applies only to half a cluster and one that it applies even to the entire cluster. The Rambam follows the latter view.
|
| 37. |
So that all the individual grapes will fall into it.
|
| 38. |
An underdeveloped grape cluster which should be left for the poor, as stated in Leviticus, loc. cit..
|
| 39. |
These two Hebrew terms are defined in the following halachah.
|
| 40. |
The Hebrew term used by the Rambam literally means "backbone."
|
| 41. |
I.e., the small clusters are not large enough to prevent all the individual grapes from touching his palm.
The Ra'avad offers a different interpretation of this phrase which is taken from the Jerusalem Talmud (Pe'ah 7:4). The Radbaz and the Kessef Mishneh support the Rambam's interpretation.
|
| 42. |
Which means "infant" in Hebrew.
|
| 43. |
As stated above with regard to pe'ah (Chapter 2, Halachah 15). Here too, the command for the mitzvah uses the term "leave," implying that the mitzvah is not to give the underdeveloped clusters to the poor, but to allow them to collect them.
The Radbaz writes that if a vine is elevated to a high trestle and it would be dangerous for the poor to climb up and collect the underdeveloped clusters, the owner should harvest them for the poor. Note the parallel in Chapter 2, Halachah 16.
|
| 44. |
Thus this ruling parallels the ruling in Chapter 4, Halachah 3, with regard to leket.
|
| 45. |
I.e., and not to any other type of fruit.
|
| 46. |
I.e., the obligation to observe these mitzvot begins "When you harvest..." and not before.
|
| 47. |
Instead, they are included in his consecration.
|
| 48. |
Once he becomes aware of the underdeveloped clusters, they become the property of the poor and the owner cannot consecrate them, because a person cannot consecrate property that does not belong to him (the Rambam's Commentary to the Mishnah, Pe'ah 7:8, based on the Jerusalem Talmud and Arachin 28a).
Tosafot Yom Tov asks: Since, as stated in the previous halachah, the poor are not entitled to the produce until the owner begins his harvest, seemingly, it remains the property of the owner and he has the right to consecrate it. He explains that although the poor do not have the right to collect it until the harvest begins, these clusters belong to them and not the owner and he does not have the right to consecrate them.
|
| 49. |
I.e., for their increase in value from the time they were consecrated until they became ripe (ibid.).
|
| 50. |
Because the grapes from the clusters belonging to the poor are deriving benefit from land and vine consecrated to the Temple treasury.
|
| 51. |
I.e., just as he shows no concern for the clusters that will ultimately be his, he may ignore those that will ultimately belong to the poor. For until the harvest, there is no prohibition against cutting them off. See the Rambam's Commentary to the Mishnah, Pe'ah 7:5.
|
| 52. |
For the obligation to leave ollelot takes effect only at the time of the harvest and the person performing the harvest is Jewish.
The Radbaz and the Kessef Mishneh note that the Rambam's source, the Tosefta (Pe'ah, the conclusion of ch. 3) also states the converse: that if a Jew sells his field to a gentile, the obligation to leave ollelot no longer applies and they question why the Rambam's omits this point.
|
| 53. |
Produce from which terumah has not been separated.
|
| 54. |
They belong to the poor and tithes need not be separated from them.
|
| 55. |
The tenth which the Levites must separate from the tithes that they receive and give to the priests.
|
| 56. |
I.e., as stated in Halachah 20, they are the Levite's private property and he can do with them as he sees fit. The Ra'avad objects to the Rambam's ruling, but the Radbaz and the Kessef Mishnehexplain the Rambam's position.
|
| 57. |
The Ra'avad adds that he is also not obligated to leave pe'ah. The Kessef Mishneh states that, as indicated by Chapter 2, Halachah 67, the Rambam would also accept this ruling.
|
| 58. |
Neta Revai'i refers to the produce of the fourth year of a tree's growth which must be brought to Jerusalem and eaten in a state of ritual purity or exchanged for money that is brought to Jerusalem and used to purchase food that must be eaten in a state of ritual purity (see Hilchot Ma'aser Sheni, chs. 9-10).
The owner is not considered as having harvested the grapes, but rather as having picked them for immediate use, e.g., as a snack. Hence he is freed from these obligations. Rambam LeAmaccepts this explanation with regard to peret and shichichah, but not neta revai'i. With regard to the first two, the obligations are dependent on harvesting and he is not considered to have harvested his grapes, but neta revai'i is not connected with harvesting, but rather is an obligation incumbent on the crops themselves.
|
| 59. |
For the ollelot belong to the poor and are not dependent on whether one harvests the grapes to use as wine or as fruit.
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| 60. |
In which instance, he is not obligated for those he picked first, since he is not harvesting but taking the grapes for immediate use. The Ra'avad differs with this point and requires that the pe'ah for the entire crop be separated from the produce that remains and to leave peret and shichichah. The Radbaz and the Kessef Mishneh explain the Rambam's position.
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• 3 Chapters: Tzitzit Tzitzit - Chapter One, Tzitzit Tzitzit - Chapter Two, Tzitzit Tzitzit - Chapter Three • English Text | Hebrew Text | Audio: Listen | Download• Tzitzit - Chapter One
• 3 Chapters: Tzitzit Tzitzit - Chapter One, Tzitzit Tzitzit - Chapter Two, Tzitzit Tzitzit - Chapter Three • English Text | Hebrew Text |
Audio: Listen | Download• Tzitzit - Chapter One
HILCHOT TZITZIT - THE LAWS OF TZITZIT
They contain one mitzvah to make tzitzit on the corners of a garment.
This mitzvah is explained in the following chapters.
Halacha 1
The tassel that is made on the fringes of a garment from the same fabric as the garment is called tzitzit, because it resembles the locks of the head, as [Ezekiel 8:3] relates, "And he took me by the locks of my head."
This tassel is called the white [strands], because we are not commanded to dye it. The Torah did not establish a fixed number of strands for this tassel.
Halacha 2
Then we take a strand of wool that is dyed a sky-like color and wind it around this tassel. This strand is called techelet. The Torah did not establish a fixed requirement for the number of times that this strand should be wound [around the tassel].
Halacha 3
Thus, this mitzvah contains two commandments: to make a tassel on the fringe [of a garment], and to wind a strand of techelet around the tassel. [Both these dimensions are indicated by Numbers 15:38, which] states: "And you shall make tassels... and you shall place on the tassels of the corner a strand of techelet."
Halacha 4
The [absence of] techelet does not prevent [the mitzvah from being fulfilled with] the white strands, nor does the [absence of] the white strands prevent [the mitzvah from being fulfilled with] techelet.
What is implied? A person who does not have techelet should make [tzitzit] from white strands alone. Similarly, if [tzitzit] were made from both white strands and techelet, and afterwards, the white strands snapped and were reduced until [they did not extend beyond] the corner [of the garment], and thus only the techelet remained, it is acceptable.
Halacha 5
Although the [absence of] one does not prevent [the mitzvah from being fulfilled with] the other, they are not considered as two mitzvot. Instead, they are a single mitzvah. Whether [the tzitzit] a person wears on his garment are white, techelet, or a combination of the two colors, he fulfills a single mitzvah.
The Sages of the early generations related: [Numbers 15:39 states:] "And they shall be tzitzit for you." This teaches that they are both one mitzvah.
The [presence of each of the] four tzitzit is necessary [for the mitzvah to be fulfilled], because all four are [elements] of a single mitzvah.
Halacha 6
How are the tzitzit made? One begins from the corner of a garment - i.e., the end of its woven portion. One ascends upward no more than three fingerbreadths from the edge, but no less than the distance from the knuckle of the thumb to its end.
[A hole is made] and four strands inserted, [causing them] to be folded in half. Thus, there will be eight strands hanging down from the corner. These eight strands must be at least four fingerbreadths long. If they are longer - even if they are a cubit or two long - it is acceptable. The term "fingerbreadth" refers to a thumbbreadth.
One of the eight strands should be techelet; the other seven should be white.
Halacha 7
Afterwards, one should take one of the white strands and wind it once around the other strands close to the edge of the garment and let it go. Then one takes the strand that was dyed techelet and winds it twice [around the other strands], next to the coil made by the white strand, and then ties the strands in a knot. These three coils are called a segment.
Afterwards, one should leave a slight space, and then make a second segment using only the strand that was dyed techelet. Again, one should leave a slight space, and then make a third segment [using only the strand that was dyed techelet for this segment as well]. One should continue in this manner until the final segment, which is made of two coils of techelet and a final coil using a white strand.1 Since one began with a white strand, one concludes with it, because one should always ascend to a higher level of holiness, but never descend.2
Why should one begin using a white strand? So that [the coil that is] next to the corner of the garment should be similar to [the garment itself].
The same pattern is followed regarding all four corners.
Halacha 8
How many segments should be made at every corner? No fewer than seven and no more than thirteen.3
[The above] represents the most preferable way of performing the mitzvah. If, however, one wound only one segment around the strands, it is acceptable.4Should one wind the techelet around the majority of the [length of the] tzitzit, it is acceptable. For the techelet to be attractive, [however,] all the segments should be in the upper third of the strands, and the [remaining] two thirds should hang loose.5
One must separate the strands like the locks of one's hair.6
Halacha 9
A person who makes [tzitzit using only] white threads without using techelet7should take one of the eight strands and wind it around the others, covering one third of [the length of] the strands and leaving two thirds hanging loose.
When winding [this strand around the others], one may create segments as one does when winding the techelet, if one desires. This is our custom. If, however, one desires to wind [the strand around the others] without creating segments, one may.8
The general principle is that one should intend that one third of the tzitzit be bound, and two thirds hang loose.9 There are those, however, who are not precise about this matter when [making tzitzit] with white threads [alone].
Should one wind a white thread around the majority [of the length] of the strands or should one make only a single segment,10 [the tzitzit] are acceptable.
Halacha 10
Both the white strands and those dyed techelet may be made out of entwined strands.11 Even a strand that is made from eight threads entwined into a single strand is considered as only a single strand in this context.
Halacha 11
Both the white strands of the tzitzit and those dyedtechelet must be spun for the sake of being used for [the mitzvah of] tzitzit.
[Tzitzit] may not be made from wool which becomes attached to thorns when sheep graze among them, nor from hairs which are pulled off the animal, and not from the leftover strands of the woof which the weaver leaves over when he completes a garment. Rather, they must be made from shorn wool or from flax.
[Tzitzit] may not be made from wool which was stolen, which came from an ir hanidachat, or which came from a consecrated animal. If such wool was used, it is unacceptable. If a person bows down to an animal, its wool is not acceptable for use for tzitzit. If, however, one bows down to flax which is planted, it is acceptable, because it has been changed.
Halacha 12
Tzitzit that were made by a gentile are not acceptable, as [implied byNumbers 15:38, which] states: "Speak to the children of Israel... and you shall make tzitzit for yourselves." If, however, a Jew made tzitzit without the intention [that they be used for the mitzvah], they are acceptable.
Tzitzit that are made from those already existing are not acceptable.
Halacha 13
What is implied? Should a person bring the corner of a garment which has tzitzit attached to it and sew it onto another garment, it is not acceptable. [This applies] even if that corner of the garment is a square cubit in size.
[This concept is derived from Numbers 15:38, which] states: "And you shall make tzitzit for yourselves" - i.e., [you should make them] and not [use those] which were made previously,since this would be as if [the mitzvah] came about on its own accord.
It is permissible to remove strands [of tzitzit] - whether white or techelet - from one garment and tie them on another.
Halacha 14
Should one suspend the strands between two corners of the garment and tie [tzitzit on] each of the corners in the proper manner, and then separate them from each other,12 it is unacceptable.
[The rationale is] that, at the time they were tied, they were unacceptable, since the two corners were connected with each other through the strands. When the strands were cut, two tzitzit were made. This is considered as making tzitzit from those which already exist.13
Halacha 15
[The following rules apply when] a person ties tzitzit over existing tzitzit: Should [he tie the second set] with the intention of nullifying the first set, if he unties or cuts off the first set,14 the tzitzit are acceptable.15
Should, however, [he have tied the second set] with the intention of adding [a second tzitzit, the tzitzit] are not acceptable even though he cuts one of them off.16 When he added the second tzitzit, he disqualified both sets17, and when he unties or cuts off the additional one, the remaining one is [disqualified because it involves] making [tzitzit] from those which are already existing, since the manner in which it existed previously was not acceptable.
Halacha 16
Similarly, all the tzitzit of a garment are unacceptable18
[in the following instance]: A person placed tzitzit on a garment that had three corners.19 afterwards, he made the garment a fourth corner and placed tzitzit on it. [This is also excluded by the commandment, Deuteronomy 22:12:]20"Make braids," [which implies that one may not use those] which were made previously.
Halacha 17
Halacha 18
[The following rules apply] if the corner [of the garment] to which the tzitzit were attached is torn off the garment: If more than three fingerbreadths were torn, it may be sewed back in its place.23
If less than three fingerbreadths were torn off, it should not be sewn back.24
If the portion of the garment is between [the hole through which] the tzitzit [are attached] and the end of the garment, it is acceptable, even though only the smallest portion of the fabric remains.25
Commentary Halacha
The tassel that is made on the fringes of a garment - The word anaf, translated as "tassel," literally means "branch." Just as a branch is an extension of the tree, the tzitzit are extensions of the fringes.
from the same fabric as the garment - See Chapter 3, Halachah 5.
is called tzitzit - in Numbers 15:38-39. Deuteronomy 22:12 refers to these tassels as g'dilim (braids).
because it resembles the locks of the head, as [Ezekiel 8:3] relates, "And he took me by the locks of my head." - Note Halachah 8, which derives a halachic ruling from this comparison of terms.
This tassel is called the white [strands], because we are not commanded to dye it. - According to the Torah alone (מדאורייתא), we are obligated to place tzitzit only on fabrics of linen and wool (Chapter 3, Halachah 1). Both fabrics are white and need not be dyed.
The Torah did not establish a fixed number of strands for this tassel. - Though the Rabbis established a fixed practice, as explained in Halachah 6, according to the Torah alone (מדאורייתא) there is no fixed number of strands. Though there are some sources that appear to indicate that the Torah also fixed the number of strands required,Sanhedrin 88b concludes that the essence of the mitzvah of tzitzit is a Torah obligation; its explanation, however, is Rabbinic in origin.
Significantly, the Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chayim 11:12) rules that if one includes more than eight strands in tzitzit, they are unacceptable.Shulchan Aruch HaRav 11:1 goes further and states that by doing so, one violates the prohibition forbidding adding to a Torah commandment. Note the Mishnah Berurah 11:60, which quotes other opinions that differ.
Commentary Halacha
Then we take a strand of wool that is dyed a sky-like color - i.e., sky-blue. Menachot 43b relates that this color is also reminiscent of God's throne.
and wind it around this tassel. This strand is called techelet. - The Rambam discusses the nature of this dye and its preparation in Chapter 2.
The Torah did not establish a fixed requirement for the number of times that this strand should be wound [around the tassel]. -Menachot 39a requires that the strand of techelet be wound at least seven times around the tassel, as explained in Halachah 8. This is a Rabbinic ordinance.
Commentary Halacha
The [absence of] techelet does not prevent [the mitzvah from being fulfilled with] the white strands, nor does the [absence of] the white strands prevent [the mitzvah from being fulfilled with] techelet. - In this aspect, they resemble the arm tefillin and the head tefillin. (SeeHilchot Tefillin 4:4.) As explained in the following halachah, however, unlike tefillin, they are counted as one mitzvah and not two.
What is implied? A person who does not have techelet should make [tzitzit] from white strands alone. - This is the practice in the present age, when we do not know how to obtain techelet. Even in Talmudic times, when techelet was available, it was very expensive, and many of the common people made their tzitzit without it.
Similarly, if [tzitzit] were made from both white strands and techelet, and afterwards, the white strands snapped and were reduced until [they did not extend beyond] the corner [of the garment] - The explanation of the Rambam's statements has been debated by the commentaries. Our translation is based on the Rambam's Commentary on the Mishnah, Menachot 4:1.
and thus only the techelet remained, it is acceptable. - The Kessef Mishneh emphasizes that the Rambam does not accept tzitzit that were made from techelet without any white strands. Since the verse states, "and you shall place on the tassels of the corner a strand of techelet," there must be tassels of white strands around which to wind the techelet. Once this has been done, however, if the white strands are severed, one can still fulfill the mitzvah with the techelet alone.
Commentary Halacha
Although the [absence of] one does not prevent [the mitzvah from being fulfilled with] the other, they are not considered as two mitzvot. - In General Principle 11 of Sefer HaMitzvot, the Rambam writes:
One might think that since neither is dependent on the other, they would be counted as two mitzvot.... [Nevertheless,] they are a single mitzvah... because they have a single objective, "that you remember all the mitzvot...." All the elements that bring about this remembrance are counted as a single mitzvah.
Instead, they are a single mitzvah. - See Sefer HaMitzvot (Positive Commandment 14) and Sefer HaChinuch (Mitzvah 386).
Whether [the tzitzit] a person wears on his garment are white, techelet, or a combination of the two colors, he fulfills a single mitzvah.
The Sages of the early generations - Sifre Zuta, Mechilta D'Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai
related: [Numbers 15:39 states:] "And they shall be tzitzit for you." This - the use of the singular form of the verb והיה
teaches that they are both one mitzvah.
The [presence of each of the] four tzitzit is necessary [for the mitzvah to be fulfilled] - i.e., although a garment has several tzitzit, the mitzvah is not fulfilled unless it has all four.
because all four are [elements] of a single mitzvah.
Commentary Halacha
How are the tzitzit made? One begins from the corner of a garment - i.e., the end of its woven portion. - The tzitzit must be placed at the "corners" or the "fringes" of the garment.
One ascends upward no more than three fingerbreadths from the edge - Any further distance upward would be considered part of the garment itself and not its "corner" or "fringe" (Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayim 11:9).
but no less than the distance from the knuckle of the thumb to its end. - This is approximately two fingerbreadths. Any lower would be considered as "below the fringe" and not "on the fringe" (Shulchan Aruch HaRav 11:16).
Other opinions mention that these distances should also be applied in regard to the space between the hole and the side of the garment. It is customary to follow this view (Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayim 11:10).
[A hole is made] and four strands inserted, [causing them] to be folded in half. Thus, there will be eight strands hanging down from the corner. - As mentioned in Halachah 1, the Torah does not explicitly mention the number of strands in the tzitzit. Although Menachot 39b derives this concept from the exegesis of Deuteronomy 22:12, the Rambam considers this process of derivation to be Rabbinic in origin (מדברי סופרים).
These eight strands must be at least four fingerbreadths long. - This decision is based on the Rambam's interpretation ofMenachot 39a and 41b. Based on the same sources, Rabbenu Tam requires that the strands be at least twelve fingerbreadths long. His opinion is accepted as halachah by the Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chayim 11:4) and the later authorities.
If they are longer - even if they are a cubit or two long - it is acceptable. - It is common to make the strands slightly longer than twelve fingerbreadths, so that, even if they tear, they will still retain the desired length (Shulchan Aruch HaRav 11:9; Mishnah Berurah 11:21).
The term "fingerbreadth" refers to a thumbbreadth. - See Hilchot Sefer Torah 9:9. In contemporary measure, a thumbbreadth is approximately 2 centimeters according to Shiurei Torah, and 2.4 centimeters according to Chazon Ish.
One of the eight strands should be techelet - Though the eight strands come from folding four larger strands, only half of one of these strands should be dyed. The other half should retain its natural color, white.
The Ra'avad disagrees with this point and maintains that one of the larger strands should be dyed in its entirety, thus producing two smaller strands that are dyed techelet. The Tur (Orach Chayim 10) and other Ashkenazic authorities maintain that two of the four strands were techelet and two were white.
The Kessef Mishneh supports the Rambam's position, noting thatNumbers 15:39 states, "And you shall place on the tassels of the corner a strand (singular) of techelet." Note also the commentary of the Or Sameach.
Significantly, archaeological excavations have uncovered tzitzit belonging to bar Kochba's soldiers. Only one of the eight strands was dyed techelet.
the other seven should be white. - The dyed strand should be slightly longer than the others, so that, even after it has been wound around them, it will be the same length as the others.
Commentary Halacha
Both the white strands of the tzitzit and those dyed techelet must be spun for the sake of being used for [the mitzvah of] tzitzit. - i.e., before one begins spinning the strands, one must state that he is doing so for the sake of use for tzitzit.
As explained in Hilchot Tefillin 1:11, any time when an activity must be carried out lishmah, it cannot be performed by a gentile. Therefore, the strands may not be spun by a gentile alone (Ramah, Orach Chayim11:1).
[Tzitzit] may not be made from wool which becomes attached to thorns when sheep graze among them, nor from hairs which are pulled off the animal, and not from the leftover strands of the woof which the weaver leaves over when he completes a garment. - Tzitzit must be made from the same fabric as that which was used for the garment to which they are attached. Since these three sorts of wool are of an inferior quality and are not suitable for use in a garment itself, they may not be used for tzitzit either (Sefer HaMaor, Sukkah).
Rather, they must be made from shorn wool or from flax.
[Tzitzit] may not be made from wool which was stolen - Numbers 15:38 states: "And you shall make tzitzit for yourselves." The latter term implies that the tzitzit must belong to their owner and may not be stolen.
One of the principles of Jewish law is that if the form of a stolen article is altered and its original owner gives up hope of its return, it is acquired by the thief, and he is required merely to return its worth, but not the article itself. Note Shulchan Aruch HaRav 11:12 and the Mishnah Berurah11:30, which discuss the implications of this principle on the use of stolen wool for tzitzit.
which came from an ir hanidachat - An ir hanidachat is a city condemned to be destroyed because the majority of its inhabitants worshiped idols. All property contained within the city is condemned to be burned and is considered as if it does not exist. (See Hilchot Avodat Kochavim, Chapter 4.)
or which came from a consecrated animal - an animal designated to be offered as a sacrifice. Tzitzit can be made only from wool that belongs "to you." Once an animal is designated for sacrificial purposes, it is no longer considered as belonging to a private individual (Sefer HaKovetz).
If such wool was used, it is unacceptable.
If a person bows down to an animal, its wool is not acceptable for use for tzitzit. - In contrast to other objects worshiped as false deities, an animal does not become condemned and may be used for other purposes (Hilchot Avodat Kochavim 8:1). Nevertheless, wool of this nature is unfit to use for a ritual purpose. (See Hilchot Issurei HaMizbe'ach 3:6.)
If, however, one bows down to flax which is planted, it is acceptable - for use as tzitzit
because it has been changed - and no longer resembles the object which was worshiped. (See Hilchot Issurei Hamizbe'ach 3:14.)
Commentary Halacha
Tzitzit that were made - i.e., attached to the garment and tied
by a gentile are not acceptable, as [implied by Numbers 15:38, which] states: "Speak to the children of Israel... and you shall make tzitzit for yourselves." - Menachot 42a relates that this verse serves as the source for the ruling that only a Jew may tie tzitzit.
The Hagahot Maimoniot state that since the phrase ישראל בני literally means "sons of Israel," tzitzit should not be made by women. TheShulchan Aruch (Orach Chayim 14:1) does not accept this opinion. The Ramah, however, states that it is preferable for women not to tie tzitzit.
If, however, a Jew made tzitzit without the intention [that they be used for the mitzvah], they are acceptable. - This principle can be derived from the above concept. Were it necessary for the tzitzit to be tied with the intent that they be used for the mitzvah, there would be no need for a special verse from the Torah to teach that those made by a gentile are unacceptable. The concept would be self-explanatory. Whenever a deed must be performed with a specific intention, a gentile's acts are not acceptable (Kessef Mishneh).
The Ashkenazic authorities do not accept this premise and maintain that, at the very least, the strands must be attached to the garment with the intent that they be used for the mitzvah. (See Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayim 14:2.)
Tzitzit that are made from those already existing are not acceptable. - This principle is explained and illustrated in detail in the following four halachot.
| FOOTNOTES | |
| 1. |
The pattern of winding the techelet mentioned by the Rambam is based on his interpretation ofMenachot 39a. As the Rambam mentions in Halachah 9, it must be followed only when the tzitzit include a strand of techelet. If they do not, as in the case of our tzitzit, different principles apply.
The Ra'avad differs with the Rambam's approach and suggests a different manner of winding the coils of the tzitzit, which resembles the pattern we use today. The Rambam was aware of this approach and, in one of his responsa, explains that the method he mentioned has its source in the Talmud (Menachot, ibid.), while the other approach is of later origin.
|
| 2. |
Rashi, Menachot, ibid., states that since the white strand was used first, not ending with it would appear to detract from its importance.
The principle, "one should always ascend to a higher level of holiness, but never descend," is applied in many other contexts within Torah law - e.g., Hilchot Tefillin 3:17.
|
| 3. |
Menachot 39a explains that the techelet reminds one of the heavens. There are seven heavens and six spaces between them, thus resulting in a total of thirteen.
|
| 4. |
This law also applies at present, as mentioned in the following halachah.
|
| 5. |
Note the Zohar, Vol. III, p. 228b, which explains the mystical significance of the division of the tzitzit into three portions.
|
| 6. |
The Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chayim 8:7) obligates one to separate the strands of the tzitzit before putting on one's garment. Note the Mishnah Berurah 8:18, which quotes the Ari zal as stating that the word ציצת is an acronym for the Hebrew words meaning, "A righteous person constantly separates his tzitzit."
|
| 7. |
As mentioned in Halachot 4-5, the absence of techelet does not prevent one from fulfilling the mitzvah of tzitzit. Indeed, this is the manner in which most people fulfill the mitzvah at present.
|
| 8. |
Significantly, besides the knot with which the tzitzit are attached to the garment (Halachah 7), the Rambam does not mention tying knots in the tzitzit at all. The Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chayim11:14) mentions the common practice in which five knots are tied on the strands, leaving four spaces, which are filled with coils in between them. There are certain authorities who combine the two opinions, tying the knots as mentioned in the Shulchan Aruch, but dividing the coils into segments as the Rambam mentions (Shulchan Aruch HaRav 11:27-28,31).
|
| 9. |
If the tzitzit lack entirely strands which hang loose, they are unacceptable (Kessef Mishneh).
|
| 10. |
This principle is also accepted by the opinions that do not require that the coils be divided into segments of three. Even so, for tzitzit to be acceptable, they must possess at least three coils (Mishnah Berurah 11:63,66).
|
| 11. |
The Rambam leaves the use of entwined strands up to a person's choice. The Ra'avad objects, quoting a passage from the Sifre that requires that the strands of the tzitzit be made by entwining different threads together. Numbers 15:38 uses the expression, p'til techelet. The word p'til implies "twisted threads." See the Targum Yonaton to this verse. The Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chayim11:2) follows the Ra'avad's view and obligates the use of entwined strands. From Chapter 2, Halachah 7, it appears that the Rambam also considered this as the common practice.
11. The Rambam leaves the use of entwined strands up to a person's choice. The Ra'avad objects, quoting a passage from the Sifre that requires that the strands of the tzitzit be made by entwining different threads together. Numbers 15:38 uses the expression, p'til techelet. The wordp'til implies "twisted threads." See the Targum Yonaton to this verse.
The Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chayim 11:2) follows the Ra'avad's view and obligates the use of entwined strands. From Chapter 2, Halachah 7, it appears that the Rambam also considered this as the common practice.
|
| 12. |
The Rambam is speaking about the following instance: The person used long strands and placed one end of them through each of the two holes. Afterwards, using the strands from each corner that was not passed through the hole, he tied both tzitzit, and then separated them from each other.
|
| 13. |
This law is based on the Rambam's interpretation of Sukkah 11a-b. Others (see Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayim 11:13) interpret that passage as speaking about the tzitzit of a single corner. If one inserts a single long strand in the hole several times, thus producing eight strands, ties the tzitzit, and then separates the strands from each other, the tzitzit are not acceptable. This is also considered as making tzitzit from those which are already existing.
|
| 14. |
See Shulchan Aruch HaRav 11:24, which describes the manner in which tzitzit should be removed from a garment.
|
| 15. |
Since he intended to remove the initial tzitzit, there is nothing wrong with attaching the second one (Menachot 40b).
|
| 16. |
According to the Rambam, it does not matter which tzitzit he removes. For the tzitzit to be acceptable, both sets have to be removed, and then a single set retied.
|
| 17. |
By adding the second set, he transgresses the prohibition against adding to the mitzvot of the Torah. Therefore, both sets of tzitzit are disqualified. The Ra'avad and the Ashkenazic authorities do not accept the Rambam's decision. They maintain that while both sets of tzitzit are hanging from the garment, their existence is not considered at all significant. It is as if they do not exist at all. Therefore, by removing the extra set, one is not making tzitzit from ones which previously exist. On the contrary, one is bringing an acceptable set of tzitzit into existence.
The Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chayim 10:6) accepts the Rambam's view. The Ramah, however, follows the other opinions.
|
| 18. |
The Rambam's statements have raised questions. Though all commentaries agree that the three tzitzit made when the garment had only three corners are unacceptable, the question revolves around the fourth corner. Why is the tzitzit made upon it disqualified? When it was made, the garment already had four corners. On this basis, the Magen Avraham (10:6) rules that, indeed, the fourth tzitzit is not disqualified and may remain.
|
| 19. |
Tzitzit are required only on a garment with four corners, as stated in the proof-text quoted from Deuteronomy and mentioned in Chapter 3, Halachah 1.
|
| 20. |
There is a slight difficulty with the Rambam's statements: In this halachah he cites the verse from Deuteronomy as a proof-text, while in Halachah 13 he cited a verse from Numbers.
|
| 21. |
Although in its present state, the garment has four corners, unless it is sewn it is possible that the folds will open and the position of the corners will change (Menachot 41a). Note the Ramah (Orach Chayim 10:6), who quotes a difference of opinion where the tzitzit should be placed during the time the garment is folded. Because of this difference of opinion, Shulchan Aruch HaRav 10:13 suggests not wearing such a garment unless it is sewn closed.
|
| 22. |
Our translation follows the explanation of the Beit Yosef (Orach Chayim 10). Note, however, the explanation of the Be'ur Halachah 10.
|
| 23. |
When the torn portion is three fingerbreadths long, it is considered as the "corner" of the garment. Therefore, the tzitzit are considered to be attached to a significant portion of the garment and need not be untied before the corner can be sewn back on the garment (Nimukei Yosef, Menachot40b). The commentaries note the apparent contradiction between this law and Halachah 13, which forbids one to sew a piece of a garment to which tzitzit are attached to another garment. The commentaries differentiate between these two laws, explaining that there is a difference between a piece of fabric from another garment (Halachah 13) and a portion of the original garment which was detached (the present halachah). The Turei Zahav 15:3 does not accept this distinction, and maintains that even attaching a piece of the original garment is unacceptable. The later authorities suggest following this stringency.
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| 24. |
A portion of a garment less than three fingerbreadths long is not considered significant. Therefore, the tzitzit are no longer considered to be attached to part of the garment. Accordingly, when this fragment is sewn back to the garment, the tzitzit attached to it will be disqualified, based on the principle that one must make tzitzit and not use those existing previously. If, however, one untied the tzitzit, one may sew the detached corner back onto the garment, and then attach new tzitzit to it (Rav David Arameah).
The Kessef Mishneh quotes Rav Amram Gaon as stating that, if such a small portion was detached from the garment, tzitzit may never be attached to the garment again. The Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chayim 15:4) suggests following this more stringent view if possible.
|
| 25. |
Although initially the tzitzit had to be positioned a certain distance above the end of the garment, as mentioned in Halachah 6, after they were attached to the garment in the proper manner, there is greater leniency (Menachot 42a). The Ramah (Orach Chayim 11:10) suggests sewing a border around the hole through which the strands are placed so that it will not tear.
|
| 26. |
For example, they became torn. Based on Menachot 38b, the Rabbis have offered two interpretations of "enough to tie a loop":
a) enough to tie a loop around all the strands of the tzitzit;
b) enough to tie a loop around the strand itself. The grammatical construction of the Rambam's statements indicates - albeit not definitely - that he favors the latter view.
(Note the Be'ur Halachah 12, which states that the measure "to tie a loop" surely does not exceed four centimeters.)
The Rambam maintains that even if the majority of all the strands of the tzitzit were cut off, as long as "enough to tie a loop remains," the tzitzit are acceptable. If, however, both ends of one long strand are cut off entirely, the tzitzit are not acceptable. Rabbenu Tam does not accept this decision and requires that at least two entire strands remain their full length. (See Shulchan Aruch,Orach Chayim 12:1.) The later authorities, particularly in the Ashkenazi community, suggest following Rabbenu Tam's view.
|
| 27. |
See Turei Zahav 12:3.
|
Tzitzit - Chapter Two
Halacha 1
The term techelet mentioned throughout the Torah refers to wool dyed light blue - i.e., the color of the sky which appears opposite the sun when there is a clear sky.
The term techelet when used regarding tzitzit refers to a specific dye that remains beautiful without changing. [If the techelet] is not dyed with this dye, it is unfit to be used as tzitzit even though it is sky blue in color. For example, using isatis, black dye, or other dark dyes, is unacceptable for tzitzit.
The wool of a ewe that a goat gave birth to is unacceptable for use as tzitzit.
Halacha 2
How is the techelet of tzitzit dyed? Wool is taken and soaked in lime. Afterwards, it is taken and washed until it is clean and then boiled with bleach and the like, as is the dyers' practice, to prepare it to accept the dye. A chilazon is a fish whose color is like the color of the sea and whose blood is black like ink.1 It is found in the Mediterranean Sea.2
The blood is placed in a pot together with herbs - e.g., chamomile - as is the dyers' practice. It is boiled and then the wool is inserted. [It is left there] until it becomes sky-blue. This is the manner in which the techelet of tzitzit [is made].
The blood is placed in a pot together with herbs - e.g., chamomile - as is the dyers' practice. It is boiled and then the wool is inserted. [It is left there] until it becomes sky-blue. This is the manner in which the techelet of tzitzit [is made].
Halacha 3
One must dye tzitzit techelet with the intention that it be used for the mitzvah. If one did not have such an intention, it is unacceptable.
When one places some wool in the pot in which the dye was placed, to check whether the dye is good or not, the entire pot may no longer be used [for tzitzit].3 [If so,] how should one check [the dye]? He should take some dye from the pot in a small container and place the wool he uses to check in it. Afterwards, he should burn the wool used to check - for it was dyed for the purpose of checking4 - and pour out the dye used to check it, since using it for an experiment disqualified it. Afterwards, he should dye [the wool] techeletwith the remainder of the dye which was not used.
Halacha 4
Techelet should only be purchased from a recognized dealer because we are concerned that perhaps it was not dyed with the intention that it be used for the mitzvah. Even though it was purchased from a recognized dealer, if it was checked,5 and it was discovered that it was dyed with another dark dye which is not of a permanent nature, it is not acceptable.6
Halacha 5
How can techelet be checked to see whether it has been dyed properly or not? One takes straw, the secretion of a snail, and urine that had been left standing for forty days and leaves thetechelet in this mixture for an entire day. If the color of thetechelet remained unchanged, without becoming weaker, it is acceptable.
If it became weaker, we place the techelet which changed color inside a dough of barley meal that was left to sour for fish brine. The dough is baked in an oven, and then the techelet is removed. If it became even weaker than it was previously, it is unacceptable. If this strengthened the color and it became darker than it was before being baked, it is acceptable.7
Halacha 6
One may purchase techelet from an outlet which has established a reputation for authenticity without question. It need not be checked. One may continue to rely [on its reputation] until a reason for suspicion arises.
Should one entrust techelet to a gentile for safekeeping, it is no longer fit for use, [because] we fear that he exchanged it. If it was in a container and closed with two seals, one seal inside the other,8 it is acceptable. If, however, it had only a single seal, it may not be used.
Halacha 7
If a person found techelet in the marketplace - even strands which were cut - it is not fit for use.9If they were twisted together, however, they are acceptable.10
[The following rules apply when] a person purchases a garment to which tzitzit are attached in the marketplace. When he purchases it from a Jew, he may presume [that it is acceptable]. If he purchases it from a gentile merchant, it is [presumed to be] acceptable;11
from a non-Jew who is a private person, it is not acceptable.
from a non-Jew who is a private person, it is not acceptable.
Halacha 8
When a garment is entirely red, green, or any other color [besides white], its white strands should be made from the same color as the garment itself. If it is green, they should be green. If it is red, they should be red.12
Should the garment itself be techelet, its white strands should be made from any color other than black,13
for it resembles techelet. He should wind one strand of techelet around all the strands, as one does with other tzitzit that are not colored.
for it resembles techelet. He should wind one strand of techelet around all the strands, as one does with other tzitzit that are not colored.
Halacha 9
The punishment given someone who does not wear [tzitzit of white strands] is more severe than that given one who does not wear techelet, because the white strands are easily accessible while techelet is not available in every time and in every era, because of the [unique] dye mentioned above.14
| FOOTNOTES | |
| 1. |
The identity of the chilazon is a matter of question. Menachot 44a states that it would be visible only once in seventy years. From Bechorot 6:2, one can infer that it was a long snakelike fish. From other sources, it appears to be a snaillike animal. In his Commentary on the Mishnah (Menachot 4:1), the Rambam writes that techelet is no longer available. Similarly, Rabbenu Yitzchak Alfasi (who lived two generations before the Rambam) writes that "we do not havetechelet."
Approximately one hundred years ago, Rabbi Gershon Henoch Leiner attempted to reintroduce a dye which he determined to betechelet. Similarly, Rabbi Herzog, the first Chief Rabbi of Israel, attempted to locate the chilazon. Although, from a theoretical perspective, the Torah community appreciated the value of their research, in practice, their decisions were not accepted by the majority of Torah scholars.
|
| 2. |
Though ים המלח generally refers to the Dead Sea, there are times when the Rambam uses this term to refer to the Mediterranean. See the conclusion of his Commentary on the Mishnah.
|
| 3. |
Menachot 42b interprets the phrase, "totally techelet" (Exodus 28:31), to mean that the entire dye must be intended for a ritual purpose.
|
| 4. |
Thus, it is unfit to be used for tzitzit. This wool should be burned lest it be discovered by someone else and unknowingly used for tzitzit.
|
| 5. | Since it was purchased from a recognized dealer, there is no obligation to check it. Nevertheless, if it was checked, it can be disqualified. See Halachah 6. |
| 6. |
The Rambam's statements appear to imply that the blood of the chilazon must be used for tzitzit, not because of a Torah decree, but because it was the only lasting dye they had (Kinat Eliyahu).
|
| 7. |
These processes are mentioned in Menachot 42b-43a.
|
| 8. |
The concept of two seals is explained in the laws of kashrut. See Hilchot Ma'achalot Asurot 13:8.
|
| 9. |
Even if it proves to be techelet, we assume that it was not dyed for the purpose of being used for tzitzit.
|
| 10. |
We assume that twisted strands of techelet were made to be used for tzitzit. It is unlikely that someone would go to the trouble of twisting strands of techelet for any other purpose. (See the Ra'avad.)
Our text follows the standard published versions of the Mishneh Torah, which is supported by a responsum purported to have been written by the Rambam. The original printings and many authoritative editions of the Mishneh Torah state that even twisted strands of techelet are not acceptable when found in the marketplace. This version appears to be supported by the Rambam's ruling, Hilchot Shabbat 19:24, which is based on the same Talmudic passage, Eruvin96b.
|
| 11. |
We assume that a merchant will not risk tarnishing his reputation by misrepresenting an article.
|
| 12. |
The rationale for this decision is that tzitzit must be "of the same type of fabric as the fringe of the garment." This also implies that they should share the same color as the fringe (Rashi, Menachot43b).
This decision is not shared by Tosafot, Menachot 41b, which rules that white strands are appropriate even when the garment itself is of another color. The Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chayim9:5) mentions that those who are precise in their performance of mitzvot follow the Rambam's view. The Ramah, however, maintains that one should use white tzitziot for all garments.
|
| 13. |
The Kessef Mishneh notes that the Rambam's statements are not an exact quote from his source, Menachot, ibid., which substitutes the word kelah ilan instead of black. Kelah ilan is a dye which looks almost exactly the same as techelet except that it is not made from the blood of the chilazon. The Kessef Mishneh suggests that the Rambam meant that any dark color is unacceptable although lighter colors would be acceptable. It is necessary that there be a contrast between the color of the strands of tzitzit, just as there is a contrast between white and techelet.
|
| 14. |
Even in Talmudic times, techelet was very expensive and difficult to obtain. As mentioned in the commentary on Halachah 1, according to most authorities, techelet is not available in the present era, nor has it been available for at least 1000 years.
144 |
Tzitzit - Chapter Three
Halacha 1
A garment to which the Torah obligates a person to attach tzitzit [must meet the following requirements]:
a) it must have four - or more than four - corners;
b) it must be large enough to cover both the head and the majority of the body of a child who is able to walk on his own in the marketplace without having someone else accompany him and watch him;
c) it must be made of either wool or linen alone.
a) it must have four - or more than four - corners;
b) it must be large enough to cover both the head and the majority of the body of a child who is able to walk on his own in the marketplace without having someone else accompany him and watch him;
c) it must be made of either wool or linen alone.
Halacha 2
In contrast, a garment made of other fabrics - for example, clothes of silk, cotton, camels' wool, hares' wool, goats' wool, and the like - are required to have tzitzit only because of Rabbinic decree, in order to show regard for the mitzvah of tzitzit.
[These garments require tzitzit only] when they are four-cornered - or have more than four corners - and are of the measure mentioned above.
[The motivating principle for this law] is that all the garments mentioned in the Torah without any further explanation refer to those made of either wool or linen alone.
Halacha 3
"On the four corners of your garments" (Deuteronomy 22:12): This applies to a garment which possesses four corners, but not to one which possesses only three. Perhaps, [it comes to include] a four-cornered garment and [to exclude] a five-cornered garment? The Torah continues: "with which you cover yourself." This includes even a five- (or more) cornered garment.
Why do I obligate a garment of five corners and exempt a garment of three corners? Neither has four corners [as required by the above verse]. Because a five-cornered garment has four corners.
Accordingly, when one attaches tzitzit to a garment with five or six corners, one should attach the tzitzit only to the four corners which are farthest apart from each other from among these five or six corners, as [implied by the phrase,] "On the four corners of your garments."
Halacha 4
If a garment is made of cloth and its corners of leather, it requires tzitzit. If the garment is of leather and its corners are of cloth, it does not require tzitzit. The determining factor is the makeup of the garment itself.
A garment belonging to two partners requires [tzitzit], as [implied by Numbers 15:38]: "On the corners of their garments." The term "your garments" [(Deuteronomy 22:12), which is interpreted as an exclusion,] excludes only a borrowed garment, since a borrowed garment does not require tzitzit for thirty days. Afterwards, it does require them.
Halacha 5
For a garment of wool, the white strands should be made of wool. For a garment of linen, the white strands should be made of linen. For garments of other [fabrics], the white strands should be made from the same fabric as the garment itself. For example, silk strands should be used for a silk garment, strands of goats' wool should be used for garments of goats' wool.
If one desired to make white strands of wool or linen for [garments of] any type [of fabric], one may, because [strands of] wool and linen can fulfill the obligation [of tzitzit] for garments made of their own fabric or for garments made of other fabrics. In contrast, [strands made] from other fabrics can fulfill the obligation [of tzitzit] only for garments made of their own fabric.
Halacha 6
What is the ruling regarding making woolen strands for a garment of linen or linen strands for a garment of wool - even though we are speaking only of the white strands without techelet?
One might think that it should be permitted, because sha'atnez is permitted to be used for tzitzit, as evident from the fact that techelet is made using woolen strands, and yet it should be placed on a linen garment. Nevertheless, this is not done.
Why? Because it is possible to make the white strands from the same fabric as [the garment]. Whenever [a conflict exists] between the observance of a positive commandment and the adherence to a negative commandment, [the following rules apply]: If it is possible to observe both of them, one should. If not, the observance of the positive commandment supersedes the negative commandment. In the present instance, however, it is possible to observe both of them.
Halacha 7
Techelet should not be attached to a linen garment. Rather, one should [make the tzitzit] from white threads of linen alone. This is not because [the prohibition against] sha'atnez supersedes [the mitzvah of] tzitzit, but rather it is a Rabbinical decree [imposed] lest one wear the garment at night, when one is not required to wear tzitzit, and thus violate a negative commandment when the performance of a positive commandment is not involved.
[This is because] the obligation to wear tzitzit applies during the day, but not at night [as can be inferred from Numbers 15:39]: "And you shall see them." [The mitzvah applies only] during a time when one can see. [Nevertheless,] a blind man is obligated to wear tzitzit. Even though he does not see them, others see him [wearing them].
Halacha 8
A person is permitted to wear tzitzit at night, both during the weekdays and on the Sabbath, even though this is not the time when the mitzvah should be fulfilled, provided he does not recite a blessing.
When should the blessing over tzitzit be recited in the morning? When [the sun has risen so] that one can differentiate between the strands of techeletand those which are white.
Which blessing should be recited upon it? "Blessed are you, God, our Lord, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to wrap ourselves with tzitzit." Whenever a person wraps himself in tzitzit during the day, he should recite the blessing before doing so.
No blessing should be recited on the tzitzit when making them, because the ultimate purpose of the mitzvah is that one should wrap oneself in [a tallit].
Halacha 9
It is permissible to enter a lavatory or a bathhouse [wearing] tzitzit. If one of the strands of white or techelet becomes torn, it may be discarded in a garbage dump, because tzitzit is a mitzvah which does not confer sanctity on the article itself.
It is forbidden to sell a garment with tzitzit to a gentile until he removes the tzitzit, not because the garment possesses a measure of holiness, but because we are concerned that he will dress in it, and [unknowingly,] a Jew will accompany him, thinking that he is a fellow Jew, and the gentile may kill him.
Women, servants, and minors are not required by the Torah to wear tzitzit. It is, however, a Rabbinical obligation for every child who knows how to dress himself to wear tzitzit in order to educate him to fulfill mitzvot.
Women and servants who wish to wrap themselves in tzitzit may do so without reciting a blessing. Similarly, regarding the other positive commandments which women are not required to fulfill, if they desire to fulfill them without reciting a blessing, they should not be prevented from doing so.
A tumtum and an androgynous are obligated in all positive commandments because of the doubt [about their status]. Therefore, they fulfill [all these positive commandments] without reciting a blessing.
Halacha 10
What is the nature of the obligation of the commandment of tzitzit? Every person who is obligated to fulfill this mitzvah, if he wears a garment requiring tzitzit, should attach tzitzit to it and then wear it. If he wears it without attaching tzitzit to it, he has negated [this] positive commandment.
There is, however, no obligation to attach tzitzit to a garment which requires tzitzit, as long as it remains folded in its place, without a person wearing it. It is not that a garment requires [tzitzit]. Rather, the requirement is incumbent on the person [wearing] the garment.
Halacha 11
Even though a person is not obligated to purchase a tallit and wrap himself in it so that he must attach tzitzit to it, it is not proper for a person to release himself from this commandment. Instead, he should always try to be wrapped in a garment which requires tzitzit so that he will fulfill this mitzvah.
In particular, care should be taken regarding this matter during prayer. It is very shameful for a Torah scholar to pray without being wrapped [in a tallit].
Halacha 12
A person should always be careful regarding the mitzvah of tzitzit, because the Torah considered it equal to all the mitzvot and considered them all as dependent on it, as [implied by Numbers 15:39]: "And you shall see them and remember all the mitzvot of God."
Commentary Halacha
A garment to which the Torah obligates a person to attach tzitzit -With this expression, the Rambam could be alluding to the concept that a person is not obligated to wear tzitzit. Should a person desire to wear a garment of the type that requires tzitzit, then he has the opportunity to fulfill the mitzvah. See Halachot 10-11.
[must meet the following requirements]: a) it must have four -Deuteronomy 22:12 states: "Make braids on the four corners of your garments." As explained in Halachah 3, this excludes a garment with fewer than four corners.
or more than four - corners; - See Halachah 3.
b) it must be large enough to cover both the head and the majority of the body of a child - Menachot 41a adds that the garment must be large enough for an adult to use it occasionally.
This requirement is particularly significant regarding a tallit katan. Note the Mishnah Berurah 16:4, which requires that a tallit katan be at least 0.75 of a cubit long and 0.75 of a cubit wide on each side, without including the area of the hole where one's head is inserted. Preferably, the tallit katan should be a cubit by a cubit on each side.
who is able to walk on his own in the marketplace without having someone else accompany him and watch him; - The Tur (Orach Chayim 16) defines this as referring to a child who is at least nine years old.
c) it must be made of either wool or linen alone. - as explained in the following halachah.
Commentary Halacha
In contrast, a garment made of other fabrics - for example, clothes of silk, cotton, camels' wool, hares' wool, goats' wool, - The term "wool" when used without any modifier refers to wool from sheep or rams alone.
and the like - are required to have tzitzit only because of Rabbinic decree - The Rambam's opinion is quoted as halachah by the Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chayim 9:1). The Ashkenazic authorities, however (see the Ramah), disagree and maintain that all four-cornered garments require tzitzit regardless of the fabric they are made of. This difference of opinion results from the interpretation of a debate between Amoraim (Menachot 39b).
Because of this difference of opinion, the Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chayim9:6) suggests that everyone wear a tallit of wool, so that he will fulfill the mitzvah as required by the Torah according to all opinions. Shulchan Aruch HaRav 9:4 and the Mishnah Berurah 9:5 suggest that a God-fearing person should have both his tallit gadol and his tallit katan made of wool. See also the commentary on Halachah 5.
in order to show regard for the mitzvah of tzitzit. - Were tzitzit not required to be attached to these garments, people might not attach them to the garments which do require them.
[These garments require tzitzit only] when they are four-cornered - or have more than four corners - and are of the measure mentioned above. - Even when extending the scope of the mitzvah, the Rabbis maintained these criteria, which are explained in the previous halachah.
[The motivating principle for this law] - as explained in Menachot, ibid.
is that all the garments mentioned in the Torah without any further explanation - This includes the garments to which tzitzit are attached, asNumbers 15:38 states: "On the corners of their garments."
refer to those made of either wool or linen alone. - Since, regarding the prohibition against mixing fabrics (sha'atnez, Hilchot Kilayim 10:1) and the laws of tzara'at (leprosy, Hilchot Tumat Tzara'at 13:1), the Torah mentions garments of wool and linen, we can assume that any place in the Torah which mentions the word "garment" is referring to one made from wool or linen unless another fabric is explicitly mentioned.
Commentary Halacha
"On the four corners of your garments" (Deuteronomy 22:12): - In this halachah, the Rambam departs from his usual pattern of stating a law tersely without explanation, and quotes the entire passage (Menachot43b), from which these laws are derived.
This - The Torah's command to attach tzitzit
applies to a garment which possesses four corners, but not to one which possesses only three - since the mention of a specific number of corners obviously is intended to exclude garments which do not meet this requirement.
Perhaps, [it - this phrase
comes to include] a four-cornered garment and [to exclude] a five-cornered garment? - i.e., why restrict the scope of the exclusion?
The Torah continues: "with which you cover yourself." This - extra phrase, which has no apparent purpose was added to
includes even a five- (or more) cornered garment. - One also "covers himself" with such garments.
The Talmud continues, asking
Why do I obligate a garment of five corners and exempt a garment of three corners? - Why is the inclusion applied to a five-cornered garment and the exclusion to a three-cornered garment? Perhaps they should be reversed, after all,
Neither - a three- or five-cornered garment
has four corners [as required by the above verse]. - The Talmud answers:
Because a five-cornered garment has four corners. - Therefore, it is logical to assume that the inclusion applies to it. This concludes the quotation from the Talmud.
Accordingly, - Since the reason tzitzit are placed on a five-cornered garment is that it possesses four corners
when one attaches tzitzit to a garment with five or six corners, one should attach the tzitzit only to the four corners - Indeed, if one attaches tzitzit to more than four corners of the garment, one transgresses the prohibition against adding to a Torah commandment (Magen Avraham 10:2).
which are farthest apart from each other - for, in this way, the tzitzit will be more noticeable (Shulchan Aruch HaRav 10:3).
from among these five or six corners, as [implied by the phrase,] "On the four corners of your garments." - There are other opinions, which maintain that a garment with more than four corners does not require tzitzit. In consideration of these opinions, it is preferable not to wear such garments at all (Magen Avraham 10:1).
Commentary Halacha
13A garment made of leather does not require tzitzit. Deuteronomy 15:38states that tzitzit must be attached to בגדיהם, "their garments." The word בגד implies a woven garment and not one of leather (Levush, Orach Chayim 10:4). Thus, a leather garment does not require tzitzit.
If a garment is made of cloth - any cloth, not only wool or linen
and its corners of leather, it requires tzitzit. - The same law applies when not only the corners, but also a portion of the garment itself, is leather. As long as the majority of the garment is cloth, it requires tzitzit (Shulchan Aruch HaRav 10:8; Mishnah Berurah 10:10).
If the garment is of leather and its corners are of cloth - In this case as well, as long as the majority of the garment is leather
it does not require tzitzit. The determining factor is the makeup of the garment itself. - This is derived from the conclusion of the verse from Deuteronomy, "with which you cover yourself." A person covers himself with the major portion of the garment (Rabbenu Manoach).
A garment belonging to two partners requires [tzitzit], as [implied by Numbers 15:38]: "On the corners of their garments." - Here, the usage of a plural term implies an inclusion of garments which belong to many owners.
In contrast,
The term "your garments" - In this verse, the singular form of the word "your" is used.
[(Deuteronomy 22:12), which is interpreted as an exclusion], excludes only a borrowed garment, since a borrowed garment does not require tzitzit for thirty days. - Nevertheless, one is allowed to attach tzitzit to the garment if one chooses. Furthermore, one is allowed to borrow a colleague's tallit and recite a blessing over it - even without his knowledge (Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayim 14:3-4).
Afterwards, it does require them. - Note the Hagahot Maimoniot, which explain that, even after thirty days, the Torah does not require a person to attach tzitzit to a garment which is not his own. The Sages, however, imposed this obligation because the garment appears to be his.
Commentary Halacha
For a garment of wool, the white strands should be made of wool -alone.
For a garment of linen, the white strands should be made of linen -alone. Note the explanation in the following halachah.
For garments of other [fabrics] - As mentioned in the commentary on Halachah 2, there is a difference of opinion among the Rabbis whether garments made from fabrics other than wool or linen require tzitzit or not. According to the opinions which maintain that they do, the concepts that follow are derived from the exegesis of a Biblical verse. (See Menachot39b.) According to the Rambam, who maintains that the requirement of tzitzit on these garments is Rabbinic in origin, we must assume that these concepts were part of the Rabbinic ordinance requiring tzitzit for these garments (Kessef Mishneh).
the white strands should be made from the same fabric as the garment itself. - The authorities who consider the obligation to attach tzitzit to such garments as stemming from the Torah explain that, in the commandment to attach tzitzit, the Torah mentions the word "corner" an extra time, to teach that the tzitzit should be made of the same fabric as the corners.
For example, silk strands should be used for a silk garment, strands of goats' wool should be used for garments of goats' wool. - If one chooses to make tzitzit from these fabrics, one should use them for all four tzitzit. It is questionable whether it is acceptable to make some of the tzitzit of a specific garment from wool and others from the fabric of which the garment is made (Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayim 9:4).
If one desired to make white strands of wool or of linen - The Ramah (Orach Chayim 9:2) states that at present it is customary not to make linen tzitzit at all.
for [garments of] any type [of fabric], one may - Menachot, ibid., derives this concept from the fact that Deuteronomy 22:12 mentions the mitzvah to attach tzitzit to our garments directly after the mention of the prohibition of making garments of wool and linen. Our Sages explain, that although mixtures of wool and linen are forbidden in general, such a mixture is required in tzitzit. (See the following two halachot.) Therefore, whenever tzitzit are made, either of these two fabrics may be used.
because [strands of] wool and linen can fulfill the obligation [of tzitzit] for garments made of their own fabric or for garments made of other fabrics. - Rabbi Meir of Rothenberg maintains, however, that wool and linen strands alone are not sufficient, and only a combination of wool and linen including strands of techelet can be used to fulfill the obligation of tzitzit for garments made from other fabrics. Shulchan Aruch HaRav 9:4 suggests considering this opinion.
In contrast, [strands made] from other fabrics can fulfill the obligation [of tzitzit] only for garments made of their own fabric. -Note Shulchan Aruch HaRav 9:5 and the Mishnah Berurah 9:10,13 which discuss a situation where the garment is woven from both wool and another fabric.
Commentary Halacha
What is the ruling regarding making woolen strands for a garment of linen or linen strands for a garment of wool - even though we are speaking only of the white strands without techelet? - It appears that the Rambam is asking about attaching tzitzit that have only white strands, without attaching techelet. Thus, one can conclude that when attaching tzitzit to a linen garment, it is forbidden to make the white strands of wool even though one includes a woolen strand oftechelet. Though the prohibition against sha'atnez is lifted for this garment, it is lifted only when there is no alternative but to do so (Kessef Mishneh).
One might think that it should be permitted, because sha'atnez - a mixture of wool and linen which is forbidden. (See Deuteronomy 22:11and Hilchot Kilayim, Chapter 10.)
is permitted to be used for tzitzit, as evident from the fact that techelet is made using woolen strands - Chapter 2, Halachot 1- 2.
and yet it should be placed on a linen garment - according to Torah law. See, however, the following halachah.
Neverthless, this - Using linen strands for a woolen garment or vice versa
is not done.Why? Because it is possible to make the white strands from the same fabric as [the garment]. - Woolen strands for a woolen garment, linen strands for a linen garment, and thus skirt the prohibition entirely.
Whenever [a conflict exists] between the observance of a positive commandment and the adherence to a negative commandment, [the following rules apply:] - The following are general rules which apply, not only regarding tzitzit, but in other circumstances as well: for example,Hilchot Milah 1:9.
If it is possible to observe both of them - by fulfilling the positive commandment without breaking the prohibition
one should. If not, the observance of the positive commandment supersedes the negative commandment. - Rav Nissim Gaon explains that although the violation of a negative commandment receives a more severe punishment than the failure to observe a positive commandment, when God originally gave the negative commandments, He prescribed that they do not apply when adherence to them causes the performance of a positive commandment to be nullified.
The Tanya (Iggeret HaTeshuvah, Chapter 1) explains the rationale for this principle. Man's purpose in this world is to spread Godly light through the observance of mitzvot. Accordingly, the observance of these mitzvot is always given preference when there is such a conflict.
It must be emphasized that one must fulfill the mitzvah at the time one is violating the transgression. It is forbidden, however, in order to break a commandment to later perform a mitzvah.
In the present instance, however, it is possible to observe both of them - as explained above.
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Commentary Halacha
Techelet should not be attached to a linen garment. - This decree was imposed even when techelet was available.
Rather, one should [make the tzitzit] from white threads of linen alone - even though by doing so, one does not fulfill the mitzvah of tzitzit to the fullest degree.
This is not because [the prohibition against] sha'atnez supersedes [the mitzvah of] tzitzit, but rather it is a Rabbinical decree - The Rabbis have the power to ordain that a person bypass the performance of a Torah commandment. Surely this applies in the present instance, when the mitzvah of tzitzit is not nullified entirely.
[imposed] lest one wear the garment at night - Significantly, the Rambam does not quote his apparent source (Menachot 40b) exactly. The Talmud states "lest one wear a garment of the night." The Rambam's change of phraseology teaches two concepts. First, that not only a garment which is generally worn at night, but even one which is worn primarily during the day, should not have techelet attached to it, lest one wear it during the night.
This also sheds light on a more involved issue. There is a difference of opinion among the Rabbis if the exclusion of wearing tzitzit at night applies to all tzitzit, or if it applies only to garments which are worn primarily at night. According to the latter opinion, garments worn primarily at night do not require tzitzit, even when worn during the day. In contrast, a garment which is worn primarily during the day requires tzitzit, even during the night and one does not transgress the prohibition againstsha'atnez when wearing it at that time.
By altering the terminology used by the Talmud, the Rambam indicates his acceptance of the first perspective. Rabbenu Asher is the primary exponent of the second position. The Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chayim18:1) mentions both views without reaching a conclusion.
when one is not required to wear tzitzit, and thus violate a negative commandment when the performance of a positive commandment is not involved. - See Hilchot Kilayim 10:32, which mentions a similar concept regarding the priestly garments. The sash worn by the priests was made from sha'atnez. Therefore, the priests were allowed to wear it only when they were actually involved in the Temple service. Wearing it at other times constitutes a transgression, and not a mitzvah.
Significantly, Rabbenu Tam differs with the Rambam and allows the sash and tzitzit to be worn even during the times when doing so does not fulfill a mitzvah.
[This is because] the obligation to wear tzitzit applies during the day, but not at night [as can be inferred from Numbers 15:39]: "And you shall see them." - Note the Magen Avraham 8:13, which states that this verse also implies that one should wear tzitzit in a manner in which the strands can be seen.
[The mitzvah applies only] during a time when one can see. - i.e., the daytime hours. Note the Chatam Sofer and Rabbi Akiva Eiger (Orach Chayim 18), who mention opinions that maintain that the mitzvah is not limited by the times of day and night, but rather by situations when one can see the tzitzit. During a daytime eclipse, one would not be obligated.
[Nevertheless,] a blind man is obligated to wear tzitzit. Even though he does not see them, others see him [wearing them]. - There is no question concerning a blind man's obligation. He is required to wear tzitzit and may recite a blessing beforehand (Mishnah Berurah 17:1).
Commentary Halacha
A person is permitted to wear tzitzit at night - i.e., doing so is not a transgression of the prohibition against adding to the performance of a mitzvah.
The Mishnah Berurah 21:15 quotes the Ari zal, as advising one to sleep in a tallit katan at night.
both during the weekdays - Rabbi Yitzchak Abuhav maintains that this law applies even to tzitzit containing techelet. Based on the previous halachah, however, most authorities do not accept this opinion.
and on the Sabbath - On the Sabbath, it is forbidden to carry in the public domain. Therefore, one might think that it is forbidden to wear a garment with tzitzit at night, for it would be considered as if one is carrying them. The Rambam is teaching us that the tzitzit are not considered to be a burden, but rather an adornment of the garment to which they are attached (Hilchot Shabbat 19:20).
even though this is not the time when the mitzvah should be fulfilled, provided he does not recite a blessing. - Therefore, when atallit is put on during the night - e.g., before the Selichot prayers - a blessing should not be recited (Ramah, Orach Chayim 18:3).
When should the blessing over tzitzit be recited in the morning? -According to the Rambam, this question applies whether one wears histallit at night or not. Nevertheless, because of Rabbenu Asher's opinion mentioned in the previous halachah, if someone slept in his tallit katan, he should not recite a blessing upon it in the morning. Instead, it is preferable that he recite the blessing over his tallit gadol with the intention of including the tallit katan (Mishneh Berurah 8:24).
When [the sun has risen so] that one can differentiate between the strands of techelet and those which are white. - This time is slightly more than midway between dawn (עלות השחר) and sunrise (הנץ החמה).
Note the Ramah (Orach Chayim 18:3), who allows the blessing to be recited from dawn onwards.
Which blessing should be recited upon it? "Blessed are you, God, our Lord, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to wrap ourselves with tzitzit." - This is the blessing recited over the tallit gadol. For a tallit katan, most authorities suggest concluding al mitzvat tzitzit, "concerning the mitzvah of tzitzit."
Whenever a person wraps himself in tzitzit during the day, he should recite the blessing before doing so. - Note the difference of opinion between the Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chayim 8:14) and the Ramah, whether a person who removes his tallit with the intention of putting it on again in the near future is obligated to recite a blessing or not.
No blessing should be recited on the tzitzit when making them -Note Hilchot Berachot 11:9, which states that one should recite the blessing, shehecheyanu, when one acquires or makes tzitzit. (SeeShulchan Aruch, Orach Chayim 22:1.)
because - making the tzitzit or even attaching them to the garment is only a preparatory act
the ultimate purpose of the mitzvah is that one should wrap oneself in [a tallit]. - See Hilchot Mezuzah 5:7; Hilchot Berachot 11:8.
Commentary Halacha
In contrast to tefillin (see Hilchot Tefillin 4:17-20) and a Torah scroll (seeHilchot Sefer Torah 10:6), which are themselves sacred articles,
It is permissible to enter a lavatory or a bathhouse [wearing] tzitzit -since the tzitzit themselves are not considered sacred articles. Shulchan Aruch HaRav 21:3 and the Mishnah Berurah 21:14 state that it is improper to enter a lavatory wearing a tallit gadol. Since this garment is worn exclusively at the times of prayer, it is not fitting to wear it in a lavatory.
If one of the strands of white or techelet becomes torn, it may be discarded in a garbage dump - in contrast to sacred articles that have become worn, which must be entombed. (See Hilchot Sefer Torah 10:3-4.)
The Ramah (Orach Chayim 21:1) differs and maintains that even after tzitzit have been removed from a garment, they should not be treated with disrespect.
because tzitzit is a mitzvah which does not confer sanctity on the article itself. - Though the tzitzit are used to perform a mitzvah, they, themselves, do not become sacred.
It is forbidden to sell a garment with tzitzit to a gentile until he removes the tzitzit, not because the garment possesses a measure of holiness - and we are afraid that he will deface it. (See Hilchot Mezuzah 5:11.)
but because we are concerned that he will dress in it, and [unknowingly,] a Jew will accompany him, thinking that he is a fellow Jew, and the gentile may kill him. - Note Hilchot Rotzeach UShemirat HaNefesh 12:7, which forbids traveling together with a gentile.
Women - Women are not required to fulfill any mitzvot whose observance is linked to a specific time. (See Hilchot Avodat Kochavim12:3.) Since tzitzit are worn only during the day, women are not obligated to wear them.
servants - i.e., gentile servants, who are required to fulfill only the mitzvot for which women are obligated. (See Hilchot Tefilah 1:2 and Hilchot Issurei Bi'ah 12:11, 14:9.) A Jew sold as a slave is required to fulfill all the mitzvot.
and minors are not required by the Torah to wear tzitzit. - The Torah does not place any obligations on minors.
It is, however, a Rabbinical obligation for every child -Likkutei Sichot(Vol. 17) notes that the Rambam's choice of phraseology appears to indicate that the requirement to become trained in the performance of mitzvot obligates the child himself. Generally, it is understood that the obligation is on the child's parents, who are required to train him in Torah observance.
The contention that the obligation is on the child himself is supported byHilchot Berachot 5:15-16, which states that an adult who has eaten only a small meal can fulfill his obligation to recite the grace by answering "Amen" to the blessings recited by a child who has reached the age of education. This ruling is based on the rationale that both the child and the adult share the same degree of obligation, a Rabbinical decree. This appears to indicate that the Sages placed the obligation to recite grace on the child himself.
who knows how to dress himself - The Ramah (Orach Chayim 17:3) interprets this to mean, "knows how to wrap himself in tzitzit in the ritual manner."
to wear tzitzit in order to educate him to fulfill mitzvot. - In many communities, it is customary to begin training a child to wear a tallit katanfrom the time he is toilet trained. In other communities, a child begins to wear tzitzit from the age of 6.
Women and servants who wish to wrap themselves in tzitzit may do so - The Ramah (Orach Chayim 17:1), however, advises against women wearing tzitzit, explaining that doing so would be a sign of conceit.
without reciting a blessing. Similarly, regarding the other positive commandments which women are not required to fulfill, if they desire to fulfill them without reciting a blessing, they should not be prevented from doing so. - Since they are not obligated to fulfill these commandments, it is improper for them to say the blessing which praises God "who has commanded us" to perform the mitzvot.
This perspective is not accepted by Ashkenazic authorities. TheMagen Avraham 17:1 explains that the fact that, as our Sages relate, women are given some measure of reward for the fulfillment of these commandments indicates that the commandment applies - albeit not completely - to them as well.
A tumtum - The word tumtum has its roots in the word atum, which means "a solid block." It refers to a person whose genitalia are covered by skin, so that it is impossible to determine whether he is male or female. (See also Hilchot Avodat Kochavim 12:4, Hilchot Ishut 2:25.)
Should a tumtum undergo an operation and it be revealed that he is either male or female, he is bound by the laws which apply to that gender.
and an androgynous - Androgynous is a combination of the Greek words meaning "man" and "woman." It refers to a person who possesses the sexual organs of both genders. (See also Hilchot Ishut 2:24.)
are obligated in all positive commandments because of the doubt [about their status]. - i.e., it is doubtful whether they are governed by the laws applying to a man or those applying to a woman. The doubts are, however, different in nature. With regard to a tumtum, we are uncertain what is his true gender. With regard to an androgynous, however, the question revolves around the Sages' failure to define his status.
Therefore, they fulfill [all these positive commandments] - lest they be considered men.
without reciting a blessing. - lest they be considered women. Needless to say, according to Ashkenazic practice, they would be required to recite blessings as well.
Commentary Halacha
What is the nature of the obligation of the commandment of tzitzit? Every person who is obligated to fulfill this mitzvah - i.e., adult males, as explained in the previous halachah
if he wears a garment requiring tzitzit - See Halachot 1-4.
should attach tzitzit to it and then wear it - if he desires to do so.
If he wears it without attaching tzitzit to it, he has negated [this] positive commandment.
There is, however, no obligation to attach tzitzit to a garment which requires tzitzit, as long as it remains folded in its place, without a person wearing it. - 13The Rambam wants to emphasize that
It is not that a garment requires [tzitzit]. - The Rambam's statements in this halachah revolve around a difference of opinion of our Sages,Menachot 42b. There are Sages who maintain that tzitzit is an obligation that depends on the garment - i.e., the mitzvah is completed by placing tzitzit on every garment which requires them. The other opinion states that tzitzit are an obligation incumbent on a person, that a person is required to attach tzitzit to his garments. The Rambam rephrases the latter opinion as follows:
Rather, the requirement is incumbent on the person [wearing] the garment. - With this choice of phraseology, he desires to indicate that - in contrast to other mitzvot (e.g., tefillin) - there is no obligation from the Torah to wear tzitzit every day. Only when a person desires to wear a garment that requires tzitzit is he obligated to fulfill the mitzvah.
This conception represents a change of position for the Rambam. Rav Yitzchak Alfasi, whose decisions the Rambam frequently followed, maintains that each person is obligated to wear tzitzit, apparently indicating that tzitzit, like tefillin, are an obligation which a person is required to fulfill.
The Rambam apparently held this view himself at one time. Therefore, inSefer HaMitzvot, at the conclusion of the listing of the positive commandments, he lists tzitzit (together with tefillin) as one of the positive commandments whose observance we must pursue. Here, his choice of phraseology indicates that, although the mitzvah is incumbent on the person, it does relate to the garment. Only when a person wears a garment which requires tzitzit is he obligated to fulfill the mitzvah.
Commentary Halacha
Even though a person is not obligated to purchase a tallit and wrap himself in it so that he must attach tzitzit to it - as explained in the previous halachah.
it is not proper for a person to release himself from this commandment. Instead, he should always try to be wrapped in a garment which requires tzitzit so that he will fulfill this mitzvah -because of the importance of this mitzvah, as mentioned in the following halachah.
The Rambam mentions being "wrapped in a garment requiring tzitzit," an expression which appears to refer to a tallit gadol, a garment of the size and cut appropriate for "wrapping oneself." Significantly, throughout these halachot, he has used that term and never makes any reference to a tallit katan, the smaller garment which is colloquially called "tzitzit" today.
In Talmudic times, draping oneself with a garment that resembled ourtallitot gedolot was common, but in different lands and different eras, the style of dress changed and, except for sages who would spend their day involved in study, it was rare that a person would wear a tallit gadolthroughout the day. Accordingly, the people took to wearing the smallertallit katan, which could be accommodated to other styles of dress more easily.
There is no explicit mention of a tallit katan in the Talmud, although a story related in Menachot 44a appears to indicate that such garments were worn in that era as well. The writings of the early Ashkenazic and later Sephardic rabbis of the Middle Ages mention the wearing of a tallit katan as an accepted practice.
In particular, care should be taken regarding this matter during prayer. - The Rambam does not specify the morning service. Perhaps he refers to the afternoon service as well.
It is very shameful for a Torah scholar to pray without being wrapped [in a tallit]. - See Rosh HaShanah 17b, which relates that when God revealed the thirteen qualities of mercy to Moses, "He wrapped Himself [in a tallit] like a leader of prayer and taught him the order of prayer."
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Hayom Yom:
• English Text | Video Class• Friday, Tevet 6, 5776 · 18 December 2015
"Today's Day"
Monday Tevet 6 5703
Torah lessons: Chumash: Vayigash, Sheini with Rashi.
Tehillim: 35-38.
Tanya: So, too, are all (p. 23)...before it was created (p. 23).
"Know the G-d of your fathers and serve Him with a whole heart."1 Every sort of Torah knowledge and comprehension, even the most profound, must be expressed in avoda.2 I.e. the intellectual attainment must bring about an actual refinement and improvement of character traits, and must be translated into a deep-rooted inward attachment (to G-d) - all of which is what the Chassidic lexicon calls"avoda".
FOOTNOTES
1. Divrei Hayamim I, 28:9.
2. "Serve Him" in the quotation uses the Hebrew word avoda.
Hayom Yom:
• English Text | Video Class• Friday, Tevet 6, 5776 · 18 December 2015
"Today's Day"
Monday Tevet 6 5703
Torah lessons: Chumash: Vayigash, Sheini with Rashi.
Tehillim: 35-38.
Tanya: So, too, are all (p. 23)...before it was created (p. 23).
"Know the G-d of your fathers and serve Him with a whole heart."1 Every sort of Torah knowledge and comprehension, even the most profound, must be expressed in avoda.2 I.e. the intellectual attainment must bring about an actual refinement and improvement of character traits, and must be translated into a deep-rooted inward attachment (to G-d) - all of which is what the Chassidic lexicon calls"avoda".
FOOTNOTES
1. Divrei Hayamim I, 28:9.
2. "Serve Him" in the quotation uses the Hebrew word avoda.
---------------------• Daily Thought:
Mind Over Heart
True, our hearts are not in our hands. But our minds are: We can think about whatever we decide to think about. And therein lies our power.
The mind rules over the heart—not just as a rider rules over his horse, but in a much more intimate sense. For the mind is the father and the mother, the seed and the womb from which the attitudes of a person are born and then nurtured. The heart does no more than reflect the state of the mind—its turmoil, its resolution, its shallowness or its depth, its coarseness or its maturity.
This then must be the focus of the person who wishes to leave this world with more than he arrived: To engage his mind with all its intensity in thoughts that elevate and inspire, and push away with equal force any thought that drags down and holds back.
And to allow all that labor to pass through the channel from the mind to the heart and give birth to actual deeds.
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