Torah Reading
Behaalotecha: Numbers 8:1 Adonai said to Moshe, 2 “Tell Aharon, ‘When you set up the lamps, the seven lamps are to cast their light forward, in front of the menorah.’” 3 Aharon did this: he lit its lamps so as to give light in front of the menorah, as Adonai had ordered Moshe. 4 Here is how the menorah was made: it was hammered gold from its base to its flowers, hammered work, following the pattern Adonai had shown Moshe. This is how he made the menorah.
5 Adonai said to Moshe, 6 “Take the L’vi’im from among the people of Isra’el and cleanse them. 7 Here is how you are to cleanse them: sprinkle the purification water on them, have them shave their whole body with a razor, and have them wash their clothes and cleanse themselves. 8 Then they are to take a young bull with its grain offering, which is to be fine flour mixed with olive oil; while you take another bull for a sin offering. 9 You are to present the L’vi’im in front of the tent of meeting, and assemble the entire community of the people of Isra’el. 10 You will present the L’vi’im before Adonai, the people of Isra’el will lay their hands on the L’vi’im, 11 and Aharon will offer the L’vi’im before Adonai as a wave offering from the people of Isra’el, so that they may do Adonai’s service. 12 The L’vi’im will lay their hands on the heads of the bulls; the one you will offer as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering to Adonai to make atonement for the L’vi’im. 13 You are to place the L’vi’im before Aharon and his sons, and offer them as a wave offering to Adonai. 14 In this way you will separate the L’vi’im from the people of Isra’el, and the L’vi’im will belong to me.
(ii) 15 “After that, the L’vi’im will enter and do the service of the tent of meeting. You will cleanse them and offer them as a wave offering, 16 because they are entirely given to me from among the people of Isra’el; I have taken them for myself in place of all those who come first out of the womb, that is, the firstborn males of the people of Isra’el. 17 For all the firstborn among the people of Isra’el are mine, both humans and animals; on the day I struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I set them apart for myself. 18 But I have taken the L’vi’im in place of all the firstborn among the people of Isra’el, 19 and I have given the L’vi’im to Aharon and his sons from among the people of Isra’el to do the service of the people of Isra’el in the tent of meeting and to make atonement for the people of Isra’el, so that no plague will fall on the people of Isra’el in consequence of their coming too close to the sanctuary.”
20 This is what Moshe, Aharon and all the community of the people of Isra’el did to the L’vi’im. The people of Isra’el acted in accordance with everything that Adonai had ordered Moshe in regard to the L’vi’im. 21 The L’vi’im purified themselves and washed their clothes. Then Aharon offered them as a holy gift before Adonai and made atonement for them in order to cleanse them. 22 After that, the L’vi’im came to do their service in the tent of meeting in front of Aharon and his sons; they acted in accordance with Adonai’s orders to Moshe in regard to the L’vi’im.
23 Adonai said to Moshe, 24 “Here are instructions concerning the L’vi’im: when they reach the age of twenty-five, they are to begin performing their duties serving in the tent of meeting; 25 and when they reach the age of fifty, they are to stop performing this work and not serve any longer. 26 They will assist their brothers who are performing their duties in the tent of meeting, but they themselves will not do any of the work. This is what you are to do with the L’vi’im in regard to their duties.”
9:1 (iii) Adonai spoke to Moshe in the Sinai Desert in the first month of the second year after they had left the land of Egypt; he said, 2 “Let the people of Isra’el observe Pesach at its designated time. 3 On the fourteenth day of this month, at dusk, you are to observe it — at its designated time. You are to observe it according to all its regulations and rules.” 4 Moshe told the people of Isra’el to observe Pesach. 5 So they observed Pesach at dusk on the fourteenth day of the month in the Sinai Desert; the people of Isra’el acted in accordance with all that Adonai had ordered Moshe.
6 But there were certain people who had become unclean because of someone’s corpse, so that they could not observe Pesach on that day. So they came before Moshe and Aharon that day 7 and said to him, “We are unclean because of someone’s corpse; but why must we be kept from bringing the offering for Adonai at the time designated for the people of Isra’el?” 8 Moshe answered them, “Wait, so that I can hear what Adonai will order concerning you.” 9 Adonai said to Moshe, 10 “Tell the people of Isra’el, ‘If any of you now or in future generations is unclean because of a corpse, or if he is on a trip abroad, nevertheless he is to observe Pesach. 11 But he will observe it in the second month on the fourteenth day at dusk. They are to eat it with matzah and maror, 12 they are to leave none of it until morning, and they are not to break any of its bones — they are to observe it according to all the regulations of Pesach. 13 But the person who is clean and not on a trip who fails to observe Pesach will be cut off from his people; because he did not bring the offering for Adonai at its designated time, that person will bear the consequences of his sin. 14 If a foreigner is staying with you and wants to observe Pesach for Adonai, he is to do it according to the regulations and rules of Pesach — you are to have the same law for the foreigner as for the citizen of the land.’”
(iv) 15 On the day the tabernacle was put up, the cloud covered the tabernacle, that is, the tent of the testimony; and in the evening, over the tabernacle was what appeared to be fire, which remained until morning. 16 So the cloud always covered it, and it looked like fire at night. 17 Whenever the cloud was taken up from above the tent, the people of Isra’el continued their travels; and they camped wherever the cloud stopped. 18 At the order of Adonai, the people of Isra’el traveled; at the order of Adonai, they camped; and as long as the cloud stayed over the tabernacle, they stayed in camp. 19 Even when the cloud remained on the tabernacle for a long time, the people of Isra’el did what Adonai had charged them to do and did not travel. 20 Sometimes the cloud was a few days over the tabernacle; according to Adonai’s order, they remained in camp; and according to Adonai’s order, they traveled. 21 Sometimes the cloud was there only from evening until morning; so that when the cloud was taken up in the morning, they traveled. Or even if it continued up both day and night, when the cloud was up, they traveled. 22 Whether it was two days, a month or a year that the cloud remained over the tabernacle, staying on it, the people of Isra’el remained in camp and did not travel; but as soon as it was taken up, they traveled. 23 At Adonai’s order, they camped; and at Adonai’s order, they traveled — they did what Adonai had charged them to do through Moshe.
10:1 Adonai said to Moshe, 2 “Make two trumpets; make them of hammered silver. Use them for summoning the community and for sounding the call to break camp and move on. 3 When they are sounded, the entire community is to assemble before you at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 4 If only one is sounded, then just the leaders, the heads of the clans of Isra’el, are to assemble before you.
5 “When you sound an alarm, the camps to the east will commence traveling. 6 When you sound a second alarm, the camps to the south will set out; they will sound alarms to announce when to travel. 7 However, when the community is to be assembled, you are to sound; but don’t sound an alarm. 8 It will be the sons of Aharon, the cohanim, who are to sound the trumpets; this will be a permanent regulation for you through all your generations.
9 “When you go to war in your land against an adversary who is oppressing you, you are to sound an alarm with the trumpets; then you will be remembered before Adonai your God, and you will be saved from your enemies.
10 “Also on your days of rejoicing, at your designated times and on Rosh-Hodesh, you are to sound the trumpets over your burnt offerings and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings; these will be your reminder before your God. I am Adonai your God.”
(v) 11 On the twentieth day of the second month of the second year, the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle of the testimony; 12 and the people of Isra’el moved out in stages from the Sinai Desert. The cloud stopped in the Pa’ran Desert.
13 So they set out on their first journey, in keeping with Adonai’s order through Moshe. 14 In the lead was the banner of the camp of the descendants of Y’hudah, whose companies moved forward; over his company was Nachshon the son of ‘Amminadav. 15 Over the company of the tribe of the descendants of Yissakhar was N’tan’el the son of Tzu‘ar. 16 Over the company of the descendants of Z’vulun was Eli’av the son of Helon.
17 Then the tabernacle was taken down; and the descendants of Gershon and the descendants of M’rari set out, carrying the tabernacle.
18 Next, the banner of the camp of Re’uven moved forward by companies; over his company was Elitzur the son of Sh’de’ur. 19 Over the company of the tribe of the descendants of Shim‘on was Shlumi’el the son of Tzurishaddai. 20 Over the company of the descendants of Gad was Elyasaf the son of De‘u’el.
21 Then the descendants of K’hat set out, carrying the sanctuary, so that [at the next camp] the tabernacle could be set up before they arrived.
22 The banner of the camp of the descendants of Efrayim moved forward by companies; over his company was Elishama the son of ‘Ammihud. 23 Over the company of the tribe of the descendants of M’nasheh was Gamli’el the son of P’dahtzur. 24 Over the company of the descendants of Binyamin was Avidan the son of Gid‘oni.
25 The banner of the camp of the descendants of Dan, forming the rearguard for all the camps, moved forward by companies; over his company was Achi‘ezer the son of ‘Ammishaddai. 26 Over the company of the tribe of the descendants of Asher was Pag‘i’el the son of ‘Okhran. 27 Over the company of the descendants of Naftali was Achira the son of ‘Enan.
28 This is how the people of Isra’el traveled by companies; thus they moved forward.
(S: vi) 29 Moshe said to Hovav the son of Re‘u’el the Midyani, Moshe’s father-in-law, “We are traveling to the place about which Adonai said, ‘I will give it to you.’ Come with us, and we will treat you well, because Adonai has promised good things to Isra’el.” 30 But he replied, “I will not go; I would rather go back to my own country and my own kinsmen.” 31 Moshe continued, “Please don’t leave us, because you know that we have to camp in the desert, and you can serve as our eyes. 32 If you do go with us, then whatever good Adonai does for us, we will do the same for you.”
33 So they set out from Adonai’s mountain and traveled for three days. Ahead of them on this three-day journey went the ark of Adonai’s covenant, searching for a new place to stop. 34 The cloud of Adonai was over them during the day as they set out from the camp. (A: vi) 35 When the ark moved forward, Moshe said,
“Arise, Adonai! May your enemies be scattered!
Let those who hate you flee before you!”
36 When it stopped, he said,
“Return, Adonai of the many, many
thousands of Isra’el!”
11:1 But the people began complaining about their hardships to Adonai. When Adonai heard it, his anger flared up, so that fire from Adonai broke out against them and consumed the outskirts of the camp. 2 Then the people cried to Moshe, Moshe prayed to Adonai, and the fire abated. 3 That place was called Tav‘erah [burning] because Adonai’s fire broke out against them.
4 Next, the mixed crowd that was with them grew greedy for an easier life; while the people of Isra’el, for their part, also renewed their weeping and said, “If only we had meat to eat! 5 We remember the fish we used to eat in Egypt — it cost us nothing! — and the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, the garlic! 6 But now we’re withering away, we have nothing to look at but this man.”
7 The man, by the way, was like coriander seed and white like gum resin. 8 The people would go around gathering it and would grind it up in mills or pound it to paste with mortar and pestle. Then they would cook it in pots and make it into loaves that tasted like cakes baked with olive oil. 9 When the dew settled on the camp during the night, the man came with it.
10 Moshe heard the people crying, family after family, each person at the entrance to his tent; the anger of Adonai flared up violently; and Moshe too was displeased. 11 Moshe asked Adonai, “Why are you treating your servant so badly? Why haven’t I found favor in your sight, so that you put the burden of this entire people on me? 12 Did I conceive this people? Was I their father, so that you tell me, ‘Carry them in your arms, like a nurse carrying a baby, to the land you swore to their ancestors?’ 13 Where am I going to get meat to give to this entire people? — because they keep bothering me with their crying and saying, ‘Give us meat to eat!’ 14 I can’t carry this entire people by myself alone — it’s too much for me! 15 If you are going to treat me this way, then just kill me outright! — please, if you have any mercy toward me! — and don’t let me go on being this miserable!”
16 Adonai said to Moshe, “Bring me seventy of the leaders of Isra’el, people you recognize as leaders of the people and officers of theirs. Bring them to the tent of meeting, and have them stand there with you. 17 I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take some of the Spirit which rests on you and put it on them. Then they will carry the burden of the people along with you, so that you won’t carry it yourself alone.
18 “Tell the people, ‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, and you will eat meat; because you cried in the ears of Adonai, “If only we had meat to eat! We had the good life in Egypt!” All right, Adonai is going to give you meat, and you will eat it. 19 You won’t eat it just one day, or two days, or five, or ten, or twenty days, 20 but a whole month! — until it comes out of your nose and you hate it! — because you have rejected Adonai, who is here with you, and distressed him with your crying and asking, “Why did we ever leave Egypt?”’”
21 But Moshe said, “Here I am with six hundred thousand men on foot, and yet you say, ‘I will give them meat to eat for a whole month!’ 22 If whole flocks and herds were slaughtered for them, would it be enough? If all the fish in the sea were collected for them, would even that be enough?” 23 Adonai answered Moshe, “Has Adonai’s arm grown short? Now you will see whether what I said will happen or not!”
24 Moshe went out and told the people what Adonai had said. Then he collected seventy of the leaders of the people and placed them all around the tent. 25 Adonai came down in the cloud, spoke to him, took some of the Spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy leaders. When the Spirit came to rest on them, they prophesied — then but not afterwards.
26 There were two men who stayed in the camp, one named Eldad and the other Medad, and the Spirit came to rest on them. They were among those listed to go out to the tent, but they hadn’t done so, and they prophesied in the camp. 27 A young man ran and told Moshe, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp!” 28 Y’hoshua, the son of Nun, who from his youth up had been Moshe’s assistant, answered, “My lord, Moshe, stop them!” 29 But Moshe replied, “Are you so zealous to protect me? I wish all of Adonai’s people were prophets! I wish Adonai would put his Spirit on all of them!”
(vii) 30 Moshe and the leaders of Isra’el went back into the camp; 31 and Adonai sent out a wind which brought quails from across the sea and let them fall near the camp, about a day’s trip away on each side of the camp and all around it, covering the ground to a depth of three feet. 32 The people stayed up all that day, all night and all the next day gathering the quails — the person gathering the least collected ten heaps; then they spread them out for themselves all around the camp. 33 But while the meat was still in their mouth, before they had chewed it up, the anger of Adonai flared up against the people, and Adonai struck the people with a terrible plague. 34 Therefore that place was named Kivrot-HaTa’avah [graves of greed], because there they buried the people who were so greedy.
35 From Kivrot-HaTa’avah the people traveled to Hatzerot, and they stayed at Hatzerot.
12:1 Miryam and Aharon began criticizing Moshe on account of the Ethiopian woman he had married, for he had in fact married an Ethiopian woman. 2 They said, “Is it true that Adonai has spoken only with Moshe? Hasn’t he spoken with us too?” Adonai heard them. 3 Now this man Moshe was very humble, more so than anyone on earth. 4 Suddenly Adonai told Moshe, Aharon and Miryam, “Come out, you three, to the tent of meeting.” The three of them went out.
5 Adonai came down in a column of cloud and stood at the entrance to the tent. He summoned Aharon and Miryam, and they both went forward. 6 He said, “Listen to what I say: when there is a prophet among you, I, Adonai, make myself known to him in a vision, I speak with him in a dream. 7 But it isn’t that way with my servant Moshe. He is the only one who is faithful in my entire household. 8 With him I speak face to face and clearly, not in riddles; he sees the image of Adonai. So why weren’t you afraid to criticize my servant Moshe?” 9 The anger of Adonai flared up against them, and he left.
10 But when the cloud was removed from above the tent, Miryam had tzara‘at, as white as snow. Aharon looked at Miryam, and she was as white as snow. 11 Aharon said to Moshe, “Oh, my lord, please don’t punish us for this sin we committed so foolishly. 12 Please don’t let her be like a stillborn baby, with its body half eaten away when it comes out of its mother’s womb!” 13 Moshe cried to Adonai, “Oh God, I beg you, please, heal her!” (Maftir) 14 Adonai answered Moshe, “If her father had merely spit in her face, wouldn’t she hide herself in shame for seven days? So let her be shut out of the camp for seven days; after that, she can be brought back in.” 15 Miryam was shut out of the camp seven days, and the people did not travel until she was brought back in. 16 Afterwards, the people went on from Hatzerot and camped in the Pa’ran Desert.
Zachariah 2:14 (10) “Sing, daughter of Tziyon; rejoice! For, here, I am coming; and I will live among you,” says Adonai. 15 (11) When that time comes, many nations will join themselves to Adonai. “They will be my people, and I will live among you.” Then you will know that it was Adonai-Tzva’ot who sent me to you. 16 (12) Adonai will take possession of Y’hudah as his portion in the holy land, and he will again make Yerushalayim his choice. 17 (13) Be silent, all humanity, before Adonai; for he has been roused from his holy dwelling.’”
3:1 He showed me Y’hoshua the cohen hagadol standing before the angel of Adonai, with the Accuser [Zechariah 3:1 Hebrew: Satan] standing at his right to accuse him. 2 Adonai said to the Accuser, “May Adonai rebuke you, Accuser! Indeed, may Adonai, who has made Yerushalayim his choice, rebuke you! Isn’t this man a burning stick snatched from the fire?” 3 Y’hoshua was clothed in garments covered with dung; and he was standing before the angel, 4 who said to those standing in front of him, “Take those filthy garments off of him.” Then to him he said, “See, I am taking your guilt away. I will clothe you in fine robes.” 5 I said, “They should put a clean turban on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head and gave him fine robes to wear, while the angel of Adonai stood by. 6 Then the angel of Adonai gave Y’hoshua this warning: 7 “Adonai-Tzva’ot says this: ‘If you will walk in my ways, obey my commission, judge my house and guard my courtyards; then I will give you free access among these who are standing here. 8 Listen, cohen gadol Y’hoshua, both you and your colleagues seated here before you, because these men are a sign that I am going to bring my servant Tzemach [Sprout]. 9 For look at the stone I have put in front of Y’hoshua: on one stone are seven eyes; I will engrave what is to be written on it,’ says Adonai-Tzva’ot; ‘and I will remove the guilt of this land in one day. 10 When that time comes,’ says Adonai-Tzva’ot, ‘you will all invite each other to join you under your vines and fig trees.’”
4:1 Then the angel that had been speaking with me returned and roused me, as if he were waking someone up from being asleep, 2 and asked me, “What do you see?” I answered, “I’ve been looking at a menorah; it’s all of gold, with a bowl at its top, seven lamps on it, and seven tubes leading to the lamps at its top. 3 Next to it are two olive trees, one on the right side of the bowl and the other on its left.” 4 I then asked the angel speaking with me, “What are these, my Lord?” The angel speaking with me said, 5 “Don’t you know what these are?” I said, “No, my Lord.” 6 Then he answered me, “This is the word of Adonai to Z’rubavel: ‘Not by force, and not by power, but by my Spirit,’ says Adonai-Tzva’ot. 7 ‘What are you, you big mountain? Before Z’rubavel you will become a plain; and he will put the capstone in place, as everyone shouts, “It’s beautiful! Beautiful!”’
Today's Laws and Customs:
Ethics: Chapter 2
During the summer months, from the Shabbat after Passover until the Shabbat before Rosh Hashahah, we study a weekly chapter of the Talmud's Ethics of the Fathers ("Avot") each Shabbat afternoon; this week we study Chapter Two.
Link: Ethics of the Fathers, Chapter 2
Daily Quote:
But when will I do something for my own self?[Genesis 30:30]Daily Study:
Chitas and Rambam for today:
Chumash: Behaalotecha, 6th Portion Numbers 10:35-11:29 with Rashi
• English / Hebrew Linear Translation | Video Class• Numbers Chapter 11
30Then Moses entered the camp; he and the elders of Israel. לוַיֵּֽאָסֵ֥ף משֶׁ֖ה אֶל־הַמַּֽחֲנֶ֑ה ה֖וּא וְזִקְנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל:
Moses entered: From the entrance of the Tent of Meeting.
ויאסף משה: מפתח אהל מועד:
the camp: Each one to his tent.
אל המחנה: נכנסו איש לאהלו:
entered: Heb. וַיֵאָסֵף, an expression denoting entering a house, as in,“You shall gather it (וַאֲסַפְתּוֹ) into your house” (Deut. 22:2). The origin for all these terms is,“he amasses, but knows not who will gather them in (אֹסְפָם)” (Ps. 39:7). This teaches that He [God] did not bring punishment upon them before the righteous men had retired to their tents. — [Sifrei Beha’alothecha 1:42:30]
ויאסף: לשון כניסה אל הבית, כמו (דברים כב, ב) ואספתו אל תוך ביתך, ואב לכולם (תהלים לט, ז) יצבור ולא ידע מי אוספם, מלמד שלא הביא עליהם פורענות עד שנכנסו הצדיקים איש לאהלו:
31A wind went forth from the Lord and swept quails from the sea and spread them over the camp about one day's journey this way and one day's journey that way, around the camp, about two cubits above the ground. לאוְר֜וּחַ נָסַ֣ע | מֵאֵ֣ת יְהֹוָ֗ה וַיָּ֣גָז שַׂלְוִים֘ מִן־הַיָּם֒ וַיִּטּ֨שׁ עַל־הַמַּֽחֲנֶ֜ה כְּדֶ֧רֶךְ י֣וֹם כֹּ֗ה וּכְדֶ֤רֶךְ יוֹם֙ כֹּ֔ה סְבִיב֖וֹת הַמַּֽחֲנֶ֑ה וּכְאַמָּתַ֖יִם עַל־פְּנֵ֥י הָאָֽרֶץ:
and swept: Heb. וַיָּגָז, caused to fly; similarly, “for it passes (גָז) quickly” (Ps. 90:10), “and likewise, they have crossed (נָגוֹזוּ) and passed away” (Nah. 1:12).
ויגז: ויפריח, וכן (תהלים צ, י) כי גז חיש, וכן (נחום א, יב) נגוזו ועבר:
and spread them: Heb. וַיִּטֹּשׁ, and strew them, as in, “Behold, they were spread out (נְטֻשִׁים) over the face of the land” (I Sam. 30:16); “I will spread you out (וּנְטַשְׁתִּיךָ) in the desert” (Ezek. 29:5).
ויטש: ויפשוט, כמו (שמואל א' ל טז) והנם נטושים על פני כל הארץ, (יחזקאל כט, ה) ונטשתיך המדברה:
about two cubits: They flew at a height that they reached a person’s heart, so that it would not be difficult for them to gather them, so that they need neither rise up nor bend down. — [Sifrei Beha’alothecha 1:42:31]
וכאמתים: פורחות בגובה עד שהן כנגד לבו של אדם, כדי שלא יהא טורח באסיפתן לא להגביה ולא לשחות:
32The people rose up all that day and all night and the next day and gathered the quails. [Even] the one who gathered the least collected ten heaps. They spread them around the camp in piles. לבוַיָּ֣קָם הָעָ֡ם כָּל־הַיּוֹם֩ הַה֨וּא וְכָל־הַלַּ֜יְלָה וְכֹ֣ל | י֣וֹם הַמָּֽחֳרָ֗ת וַיַּֽאַסְפוּ֙ אֶת־הַשְּׂלָ֔יו (כתיב השלו) הַמַּמְעִ֕יט אָסַ֖ף עֲשָׂרָ֣ה חֳמָרִ֑ים וַיִּשְׁטְח֤וּ לָהֶם֙ שָׁט֔וֹחַ סְבִיב֖וֹת הַמַּֽחֲנֶֽה:
[Even] the one who gathered the least: The one who gathered the least of all, the lazy and the disabled, gathered ten heaps. — [Sifrei Beha’alothecha 1:42:32]
הממעיט: מי שאוסף פחות מכולם, העצלים והחגרים, אסף עשרה חמרים:
they spread them: They spread them out in numerous heaps. — [Sifrei Beha’alothecha 1:42:32]
וישטחו: עשו אותן משטיחין משטיחין:
33The meat was still between their teeth; it was not yet finished, and the anger of the Lord flared against the people, and the Lord struck the people with a very mighty blow. לגהַבָּשָׂ֗ר עוֹדֶ֨נּוּ֙ בֵּ֣ין שִׁנֵּיהֶ֔ם טֶ֖רֶם יִכָּרֵ֑ת וְאַ֤ף יְהֹוָה֙ חָרָ֣ה בָעָ֔ם וַיַּ֤ךְ יְהֹוָה֙ בָּעָ֔ם מַכָּ֖ה רַבָּ֥ה מְאֹֽד:
it was not yet finished: טֶרֶם יִכָּרֵת. As the Targum renders: it was not yet finished. [I.e., the quails had not yet finished coming (Be’er Basadeh). They had not yet finished eating (Gur Aryeh). All the quails had not yet been removed from the field (Be’er Mayim Chayim).] Another interpretation: He did not have the chance to chew it [lit., cut it] with his teeth before his soul departed. — [Sifrei Beha’alothecha 1:42:33]
טרם יכרת: כתרגומו עד לא פסק. דבר אחר אינו מספיק לפסקו בשניו עד שנשמתו יוצאה:
34He named that place Kivroth Hata'avah [Graves of Craving], for there they buried the people who craved. לדוַיִּקְרָ֛א אֶת־שֵֽׁם־הַמָּק֥וֹם הַה֖וּא קִבְר֣וֹת הַתַּֽאֲוָ֑ה כִּי־שָׁם֙ קָֽבְר֔וּ אֶת־הָעָ֖ם הַמִּתְאַוִּֽים:
35From Kivroth Hata'avah the people traveled to Hazeroth, and they stayed in Hazeroth. להמִקִּבְר֧וֹת הַתַּֽאֲוָ֛ה נָֽסְע֥וּ הָעָ֖ם חֲצֵר֑וֹת וַיִּֽהְי֖וּ בַּֽחֲצֵרֽוֹת:
Numbers Chapter 12
1Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses regarding the Cushite woman he had married, for he had married a Cushite woman. אוַתְּדַבֵּ֨ר מִרְיָ֤ם וְאַֽהֲרֹן֙ בְּמשֶׁ֔ה עַל־אֹד֛וֹת הָֽאִשָּׁ֥ה הַכֻּשִׁ֖ית אֲשֶׁ֣ר לָקָ֑ח כִּֽי־אִשָּׁ֥ה כֻשִׁ֖ית לָקָֽח:
[Miriam and Aaron] spoke: [The term] דִּבּוּר always connotes harsh talk, as it says,“The man, the lord of the land, spoke (דִּבֶּר) harshly with us” (Gen. 42:30). But wherever [the term] אֲמִירָה is found, it connotes supplication, as it says,“He said (וַיֹּאמֶר), 'my brethren, please do not do evil’” (Gen. 19:7);“He said (וַיֹּאמֶר), 'Please listen to My words’” (Num. 12:6). [The term] נָא always denotes a request. — [Tanchuma Tzav 13]
ותדבר: אין דבור בכל מקום אלא לשון קשה, וכן הוא אומר (בראשית מב, ל) דבר האיש אדוני הארץ אתנו קשות, ואין אמירה בכל מקום אלא לשון תחנונים, וכן הוא אומר (בראשית יט, ז) ויאמר אל נא אחי תרעו, (במדבר יב, ו) ויאמר שמעו נא דברי, כל נא לשון בקשה:
Miriam and Aaron spoke: She spoke first. Therefore, Scripture mentions her first. How did she know that Moses had separated from his wife? [See below] R. Nathan says: Miriam was beside Zipporah when Moses was told that Eldad and Medad were prophesying in the camp. When Zipporah heard this, she said,“Woe to their wives if they are required to prophesy, for they will separate from their wives just my husband separated from me.” From this, Miriam knew [about it] and told Aaron. Now if Miriam, who did not intend to disparage him [Moses] was punished, all the more so someone who [intentionally] disparages his fellow. — [Tanchuma Tzav 13]
ותדבר מרים ואהרן: היא פתחה בדבור תחילה, לפיכך הקדימה הכתוב תחלה, ומנין היתה יודעת מרים שפרש משה מן האשה, רבי נתן אומר, מרים היתה בצד צפורה בשעה שנאמר למשה אלדד ומידד מתנבאים במחנה, כיון ששמעה צפורה, אמרה אוי לנשותיהן של אלו אם הם נזקקים לנבואה שיהיו פורשין מנשותיהן כדרך שפרש בעלי ממני, ומשם ידעה מרים והגידה לאהרן. ומה מרים שלא נתכוונה לגנותו, כך נענשה, קל וחומר למספר בגנותו של חבירו:
the Cushite woman: [Moses’ wife was a Midianite, not a Cushite, but] Scripture teaches that everyone acknowledged her beauty just as everyone acknowledges a Cushite’s blackness. — [Tanchuma Tzav 13]
האשה הכשית: מגיד שהכל מודים ביפיה, כשם שהכל מודים בשחרותו של כושי:
Cushite: כֻּשִׁית. Its numerical value is equal to יְפַת מַרְאֶה, beautiful in appearance. — [Tanchuma Tzav 13] כ = 20, ו = 6, ש = 300 , י = 10, ת = 400, total 736; י = 10, פ = 80, ת = 400, מ = 40, ר = 200, א = 1, ה = 5, total 736.
כושית: בגימטריא יפת מראה:
regarding the… woman: Concerning her divorce. — [Tanchuma Tzav 13]
על אדות האשה: על אודות גירושיה:
for he had married a Cushite woman: What does this [apparently superfluous clause] mean to say? You find a woman who is beautiful in appearance, but unpleasant in deed; [or a woman who is pleasant] in deed, but not of beautiful appearance. This one, however, was pleasant in every respect. [Therefore, she was called Cushite, as above.] - [Tanchuma Tzav 13]
כי אשה כשית לקח: מה תלמוד לומר, אלא יש לך אשה נאה ביפיה ואינה נאה במעשיה, במעשיה ולא ביפיה, אבל זאת נאה בכל:
Cushite woman: She was called “the Cushite” [the Ethiopian] on account of her beauty, as a man would call his handsome son “Cushite” to negate the power of the evil eye. — [Tanchuma Tzav 13]
האשה הכשית: על שם נויה נקראת כושית כאדם הקורא את בנו נאה כושי, כדי שלא תשלוט בו עין רעה:
for he had married a Cushite woman: And had now divorced her. - [Tanchuma Tzav 13]
כי אשה כשית לקח: ועתה גרשה:
2They said, "Has the Lord spoken only to Moses? Hasn't He spoken to us too?" And the Lord heard. בוַיֹּֽאמְר֗וּ הֲרַ֤ק אַךְ־בְּמשֶׁה֙ דִּבֶּ֣ר יְהֹוָ֔ה הֲלֹ֖א גַּם־בָּ֣נוּ דִבֵּ֑ר וַיִּשְׁמַ֖ע יְהֹוָֽה:
Has… only: with Him alone?- [Tanchuma Tzav 13]
הרק אך: עמו לבדו דבר ה':
Hasn’t He spoken to us too?: Yet we have not abstained from marital relations. — [Tanchuma Tzav 13]
הלא גם בנו דבר: ולא פרשנו מדרך ארץ:
3Now this man Moses was exceedingly humble, more so than any person on the face of the earth. גוְהָאִ֥ישׁ משֶׁ֖ה עָנָ֣יו (כתיב ענו) מְאֹ֑ד מִכֹּל֙ הָאָדָ֔ם אֲשֶׁ֖ר עַל־פְּנֵ֥י הָֽאֲדָמָֽה:
humble: Modest and patient. — [Tanchuma Tzav 13]
ענו: שפל וסבלן:
4The Lord suddenly said to Moses, Aaron and Miriam, "Go out, all three of you, to the Tent of Meeting!" And all three went out. דוַיֹּ֨אמֶר יְהֹוָ֜ה פִּתְאֹ֗ם אֶל־משֶׁ֤ה וְאֶל־אַֽהֲרֹן֙ וְאֶל־מִרְיָ֔ם צְא֥וּ שְׁלָשְׁתְּכֶ֖ם אֶל־אֹ֣הֶל מוֹעֵ֑ד וַיֵּֽצְא֖וּ שְׁלָשְׁתָּֽם:
suddenly: He revealed Himself to them suddenly, when they were ritually unclean following marital relations, and they cried, “Water, water!” [They needed water to purify themselves.] He thus showed them that Moses had done right in separating from his wife, since the Divine Presence revealed itself to him frequently, and there was no set time for Divine Communication. — [Tanchuma Tzav 13]
פתאום: נגלה עליהם פתאום, והם טמאים בדרך ארץ, והיו צועקים מים מים, להודיעם שיפה עשה משה שפרש מן האשה, מאחר שנגלית עליו שכינה תדיר ואין עת קבועה לדבור:
Go out, all three of you: This teaches us that all three were summoned with a single word, something impossible for the [human] mouth to utter and the ear to grasp. — [Sifrei Beha’alothecha 1:42:4]
צאו שלשתכם: מגיד ששלשתן נקראו בדבור אחד, מה שאי אפשר לפה לומר ולאזן לשמוע:
5The Lord descended in a pillar of cloud and stood at the entrance of the Tent. He called to Aaron and Miriam, and they both went out. הוַיֵּ֤רֶד יְהֹוָה֙ בְּעַמּ֣וּד עָנָ֔ן וַיַּֽעֲמֹ֖ד פֶּ֣תַח הָאֹ֑הֶל וַיִּקְרָא֙ אַֽהֲרֹ֣ן וּמִרְיָ֔ם וַיֵּֽצְא֖וּ שְׁנֵיהֶֽם:
in a pillar of cloud: Unlike a mortal, He went alone. For when a mortal king goes out to war, he departs accompanied by a large retinue, but when he travels in times of peace, he leaves with a small escort. But the custom of the Holy One, blessed is He, is that He goes out to battle alone, as it says, “[The Lord is] a man of war” (Exod. 15:3), but He goes in peace with a large retinue, as it says, “The chariot of God is twice ten thousand times, thousands of angels” (Ps. 68:18). - [Sifrei Beha’alothecha 1:42:5]
בעמוד ענן: יצא יחידי, שלא כמדת בשר ודם. מלך בשר ודם כשיוצא למלחמה יוצא באוכלוסין, וכשיוצא לשלום יוצא במועטים, ומדת הקב"ה יוצא למלחמה יחידי, שנאמר (שמות טו, ג) ה' איש מלחמה, ויוצא לשלום באוכלוסין, שנאמר (תהלים סח, יח) רכב א-להים רבותים אלפי שנאן:
He called to Aaron and Miriam: So that they should proceed to leave the courtyard, [drawn] towards the Divine word. — [Sifrei Beha’alothecha 1:42:5]
ויקרא אהרן ומרים: שיהיו נמשכין ויוצאין מן החצר לקראת הדבור:
and they both went out: Why did He draw them away to isolate them from Moses? Because we relate only some of a person’s good qualities in his presence and all of them in his absence. Similarly, we find in the case of Noah, that in his absence, Scripture says [of him], “a righteous man, perfect” (Gen. 6:9). But in his presence it was said [by God],“for it is you that I have seen as a righteous man before Me” (Gen. 7:1) [but God makes no mention of his perfection]. Another interpretation: [God isolated them from Moses] so that he [Moses] should not hear the reprimanding of Aaron [by God]. - [Sifrei Beha’alothecha 1:42:5]
ויצאו שניהם: ומפני מה משכן והפרידן ממשה, לפי שאומרים מקצת שבחו של אדם בפניו וכולו שלא בפניו, וכן מצינו בנח, שלא בפניו נאמר (בראשית ו, ט) איש צדיק תמים, ובפניו נאמר (בראשית ז, א) כי אותך ראיתי צדיק לפני. דבר אחר שלא ישמע בנזיפתו של אהרן:
6He said, "Please listen to My words. If there be prophets among you, [I] the Lord will make Myself known to him in a vision; I will speak to him in a dream. ווַיֹּ֖אמֶר שִׁמְעוּ־נָ֣א דְבָרָ֑י אִם־יִֽהְיֶה֙ נְבִ֣יאֲכֶ֔ם יְהֹוָ֗ה בַּמַּרְאָה֙ אֵלָ֣יו אֶתְוַדָּ֔ע בַּֽחֲל֖וֹם אֲדַבֶּר־בּֽוֹ:
Please listen to My words: [The term] נָא always denotes a request. - [Sifrei Beha’alothecha 1:42:6]
שמעו נא דברי: אין נא אלא לשון בקשה:
If there be prophets among you: If you have prophets…. — [Targum Onkelos]
אם יהיה נביאכם: אם יהיו לכם נביאים:
[I] the Lord will make Myself known to him in a vision: The Divine Presence of My Name is not revealed to him with distinct clarity, but in a dream or a vision. - [Tanchuma Tzav 13]
ה' במראה אליו אתודע: שכינת שמי אין נגלית עליו באספקלריא המאירה אלא בחלום וחזיון:
7Not so is My servant Moses; he is faithful throughout My house. זלֹא־כֵ֖ן עַבְדִּ֣י משֶׁ֑ה בְּכָל־בֵּיתִ֖י נֶֽאֱמָ֥ן הֽוּא:
8With him I speak mouth to mouth; in a vision and not in riddles, and he beholds the image of the Lord. So why were you not afraid to speak against My servant Moses ? חפֶּ֣ה אֶל־פֶּ֞ה אֲדַבֶּר־בּ֗וֹ וּמַרְאֶה֙ וְלֹ֣א בְחִידֹ֔ת וּתְמֻנַ֥ת יְהֹוָ֖ה יַבִּ֑יט וּמַדּ֨וּעַ֙ לֹ֣א יְרֵאתֶ֔ם לְדַבֵּ֖ר בְּעַבְדִּ֥י בְמשֶֽׁה:
Mouth to mouth: I told him to separate from his wife (Sifrei Beha’alothecha 1:42:8, Tanchuma Tzav 13). Where did I tell him this? At Sinai; “Go and tell them, ‘Return to your tents,’ but you, remain here with Me” (Deut. 5:27). - [See Shab. 87a]
פה אל פה: אמרתי לו לפרוש מן האשה. והיכן אמרתי לו, בסיני (דברים ה, כז) לך אמור להם שובו לכם לאהליכם, ואתה פה עמוד עמדי:
in a vision but not in riddles: “A vision” refers to the vision of speech, for I express My communication to Him with absolute clarity, and I do not obscure it with riddles in the way it was said to Ezekiel, “Present a riddle” (Ezek. 17:2). I might think that it refers to the vision of the Divine Presence [itself]! Scripture therefore teaches, “You are not able to see My face” (Exod. 33:23). - [Sifrei Beha’alothecha 1:42:8, Tanchuma Tzav 13]
ומראה ולא בחידות: מראה זה מראה דבור, שאני מפרש לו דבורי במראת פנים שבו ואיני סותמו לו בחידות, כענין שנאמר ליחזקאל (יחזקאל יז, ב) חוד חידה וגו', יכול מראה שכינה, תלמוד לומר (שמות לג, כ) לא תוכל לראות את פני:
and He beholds the image of the Lord: This refers to a vision of the “back,” as it says,“and you will see My back” (Exod. 33:23). - [Sifrei Beha’alothecha 1:42:8, Tanchuma Tzav 13]
ותמנת ה' יביט: זה מראה אחורים, כענין שנאמר (שמות לג, כג) וראית את אחורי:
against my servant Moses: Heb. בְּעַבְדִי בְמשֶׁה, lit., against My servant, against Moses. Scripture does not say בְּעַבְדִי משֶׁה, against My servant Moses, but בְּעַבְדִי בְמשֶׁה, against My servant, against Moses . [The meaning is thus:] against My servant even if he were not Moses, and against Moses, even if he were not My servant, you should certainly have feared him, and all the more so since he is My servant, and the servant of the king is a king himself! You should have said, “The King does not love him for nothing.” If you claim that I am unaware of his actions, this [statement] is worse than your previous one. — [Sifrei Beha’alothecha 1:42:8, Tanchuma Tzav 13]
בעבדי במשה: אינו אומר בעבדי משה, אלא בעבדי במשה, בעבדי אף על פי שאינו משה, במשה אפילו אינו עבדי, כדאי הייתם לירא מפניו, וכל שכן שהוא עבדי ועבד מלך מלך, היה לכם לומר אין המלך אוהבו חנם. ואם תאמרו איני מכיר במעשיו, זו קשה מן הראשונה:
9The wrath of the Lord flared against them and He left. טוַיִּֽחַר־אַ֧ף יְהֹוָ֛ה בָּ֖ם וַיֵּלַֽךְ:
The wrath of the Lord flared against them and He left: After He had informed them of their transgression, He issued a decree of excommunication against them. All the more so, should a mortal not become angry with his friend before he informs him of his offense. — [Sifrei Beha’alothecha 1:42:9, Tanchuma Tzav 13]
ויחר אף ה' בם וילך: מאחר שהודיעם סרחונם גזר עליהם נדוי, קל וחומר לבשר ודם שלא יכעוס על חבירו עד שיודיענו סרחונו:
10The cloud departed from above the Tent, and behold, Miriam was afflicted with tzara'ath, [as white] as snow. Then Aaron turned to Miriam and behold, she was afflicted with tzara'ath. יוְהֶֽעָנָ֗ן סָ֚ר מֵעַ֣ל הָאֹ֔הֶל וְהִנֵּ֥ה מִרְיָ֖ם מְצֹרַ֣עַת כַּשָּׁ֑לֶג וַיִּ֧פֶן אַֽהֲרֹ֛ן אֶל־מִרְיָ֖ם וְהִנֵּ֥ה מְצֹרָֽעַת:
The cloud departed: and afterwards, “behold Miriam was afflicted with tzara’ath, [as white] as snow.” This is comparable to a king who said to a tutor,“Punish my son, but do not punish him until I leave you, for I feel pity for him.” - [Sifrei Beha’alothecha 1:42:10, Tanchuma Tzav 13]
והענן סר: ואחר כך והנה מרים מצורעת כשלג, משל למלך שאמר לפדגוג, רדה את בני, אבל לא תרדנו עד שאלך מאצלך, שרחמי עליו:
11Aaron said to Moses, "Please, master, do not put sin upon us for acting foolishly and for sinning. יאוַיֹּ֥אמֶר אַֽהֲרֹ֖ן אֶל־משֶׁ֑ה בִּ֣י אֲדֹנִ֔י אַל־נָ֨א תָשֵׁ֤ת עָלֵ֨ינוּ֙ חַטָּ֔את אֲשֶׁ֥ר נוֹאַ֖לְנוּ וַֽאֲשֶׁ֥ר חָטָֽאנוּ:
for acting foolishly: Heb. נוֹאַלְנוּ, as the Targum [Onkelos] renders, [דִי אִטַפְּשְׁנָא, that we acted foolishly] from the term, אֱוִיל, “fool.”
נואלנו: כתרגומו לשון אויל:
12Let her not be like the dead, which comes out of his mother's womb with half his flesh consumed!" יבאַל־נָ֥א תְהִ֖י כַּמֵּ֑ת אֲשֶׁ֤ר בְּצֵאתוֹ֙ מֵרֶ֣חֶם אִמּ֔וֹ וַיֵּֽאָכֵ֖ל חֲצִ֥י בְשָׂרֽוֹ:
Do not let her be: This sister of ours.
אל נא תהי: אחותנו זו:
like the dead: For the one afflicted with tzara’ath is considered like dead. Just as a corpse defiles through entry [if one enters the room where it lies], so does one afflicted with tzara’ath defile through entry. — [Sifrei Beha’alothecha 1:42:12, Tanchuma Tzav 13]
כמת: שהמצורע חשוב כמת, מה מת מטמא בביאה, אף מצורע מטמא בביאה:
which comes out of his mother’s womb: It should have said, “our mother”? But Scripture euphemizes. Similarly, [it says,] “half his flesh.” It should have said, “half our flesh”? But [here too,] Scripture euphemizes. [The meaning here is:] For since she came out of our mother’s womb, it is to us as if half our flesh has been eaten away. This is similar to saying, “for he is our brother, our very flesh” (Gen. 37:27). Even according to the literal meaning of the text, it appears so. It is not proper for a brother to allow his sister to remain as if dead.
אשר בצאתו מרחם אמו: אמנו היה לו לומר, אלא שכינה הכתוב. וכן חצי בשרו, חצי בשרנו היה לו לומר, אלא שכינה הכתוב. מאחר שיצאה מרחם אמנו היא לנו כאילו נאכל חצי בשרנו, כענין שנאמר (בראשית לז, כז) כי אחינו בשרנו הוא. ולפי משמעו אף הוא נראה כן, אין ראוי לאח להניח את אחותו להיות כמת:
which comes out: Since he [the dead one] came out of the womb of the mother of the one who has the power to help him but does not, it is as if half his [the latter’s] flesh is eaten away, since his brother is his own flesh. Another interpretation: Let her not be like the dead-If You do not heal her through prayer, who will confine her? Who will cleanse her? I myself may not examine her, since I am related, and a relative many not examine plague marks [symptomatic of tzara’ath], and there is no other kohen in the world. This is the meaning of, “since he has come out of his mother’s womb.” [Sifrei Beha’alothecha 1:42:12, Tanchuma Tzav 13]
אשר בצאתו: מאחר שיצא זה מרחם אמו של זה שיש כח בידו לעזור ואינו עוזרו, הרי נאכל חצי בשרו, שאחיו בשרו הוא. דבר אחר אל נא תהי כמת, אם אינך רופאה בתפלה, מי מסגירה ומי מטהרה, אני אי אפשר לראותה, שאני קרוב ואין קרוב רואה את הנגעים, וכהן אחר אין בעולם, וזהו אשר בצאתו מרחם אמו:
13Moses cried out to the Lord, saying, "I beseech you, God, please heal her." יגוַיִּצְעַ֣ק משֶׁ֔ה אֶל־יְהֹוָ֖ה לֵאמֹ֑ר אֵ֕ל נָ֛א רְפָ֥א נָ֖א לָֽהּ:
I beseech you, God, please heal her: Scripture teaches you proper conduct, that if one asks his friend for a favor, he should precede [his request] with two or three words of supplication, and only then should he make his requests. — [Sifrei Beha’alothecha 1:42:13, Tanchuma Tzav 13]
אל נא רפא נא לה: בא הכתוב ללמדך דרך ארץ, שהשואל דבר מחבירו צריך לומר שנים או שלשה דברי תחנונים ואחר כן יבקש שאלותיו:
saying: What does this [word] teach us? He [Moses] said to Him, Answer me as to whether You will heal her or not. Eventually, He replied,“If her father were to spit….” R. Eleazar ben Azariah says: In four places Moses asked the Holy One, blessed is He, to answer him if He would accede to his requests or not [and in all four he used the word, לֵאמֹר, to say , i.e., to answer]. Similarly, “Moses spoke before the Lord saying…” (Exod. 6:12). What does the word “saying” teach? Answer me as to whether You will redeem them or not. Eventually, He replied, “Now you will see…” (Exod. 7:1). Similarly, “Moses spoke to the Lord, saying, Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh appoint…” (Num. 27:15-16). He answered, “Take for yourself…” (verse 18). Similarly, “I pleaded to the Lord, at that time, saying” (Deut. 3:23). He answered him, “It is enough for you!” (verse 26). - [Sifrei Beha’alothecha 1:42:13]
לאמר: מה תלמוד לומר, אמר לו השיבני אם אתה מרפא אותה אם לאו, עד שהשיבו ואביה ירק ירק וגו'. רבי אלעזר בן עזריה אומר בארבעה מקומות בקש משה מלפני הקב"ה להשיבו אם יעשה שאלותיו אם לאו, כיוצא בו (שמות ו, יב) וידבר משה לפני ה' לאמר וגו', מה תלמוד לומר לאמר, השיבני אם גואלם אתה אם לאו, עד שהשיבו עתה תראה וגו'. כיוצא בו (במדבר כז טו - טז) וידבר משה אל ה' לאמר יפקד ה' אלהי הרוחות לכל בשר, השיבו קח לך (במד' כז יח). כיוצא בו (דברים ג, כג) ואתחנן אל ה' בעת ההיא לאמר, השיבו רב לך:
please heal her: Why did Moses not pray at length? So that the Israelites should not say, “His sister is in distress, yet he stands and prolongs his prayer.” [Sifrei Beha’alothecha 1:42:13, Tanchuma Tzav 13] (Another interpretation: So that Israel should not say, “ For his sister he prays at length, but for our sake he does not pray at length.”) - [Midrash Aggadah, Yalkut Shim’oni, Midrash Lekach Tov]
רפא נא לה: מפני מה לא האריך משה בתפלה, שלא יהיו ישראל אומרים אחותו נתונה בצרה והוא עומד ומרבה בתפלה [דבר אחר שלא יאמרו ישראל בשביל אחותו הוא מאריך בתפלה, אבל בשבילנו אינו מאריך בתפלה]:
14The Lord replied to Moses, "If her father were to spit in her face, would she not be humiliated for seven days? She shall be confined for seven days outside the camp, and afterwards she may enter. ידוַיֹּ֨אמֶר יְהֹוָ֜ה אֶל־משֶׁ֗ה וְאָבִ֨יהָ֙ יָרֹ֤ק יָרַק֙ בְּפָנֶ֔יהָ הֲלֹ֥א תִכָּלֵ֖ם שִׁבְעַ֣ת יָמִ֑ים תִּסָּגֵ֞ר שִׁבְעַ֤ת יָמִים֙ מִח֣וּץ לַמַּֽחֲנֶ֔ה וְאַחַ֖ר תֵּֽאָסֵֽף:
If her father were to spit in her face: If her father had turned to her with an angry face, would she not be humiliated for seven days? All the more so in the case of the Divine Presence [she should be humiliated for] fourteen days! But [there is a rule that] it is sufficient that a law derived from an ? fortiori conclusion to be only as stringent as the law from which it is derived. Thus, even as a consequence of My reprimand, she should be confined [only] seven days. — [Sifrei Beha’alothecha 1:42:14, B.K. 25a]
ואביה ירק ירק בפניה: ואם אביה הראה לה פנים זועפות הלא תכלם שבעת ימים, קל וחומר לשכינה י"ד יום, אלא דיו לבא מן הדין להיות כנדון, לפיכך אף בנזיפתי תסגר שבעת ימים:
and afterwards she may enter: I believe that when a derivative of the word אסף is used in reference to one afflicted with tzara’ath, it is related to his being expelled from the camp, and when he is healed, he is brought back (נֶאֶסָף) to the camp. That is why the term אָסִיפָה is used; it connotes bringing back in. — [See Rashi above on 11:30.]
ואחר תאסף: אומר אני כל האסיפות האמורות במצורעים על שם שהוא משולח מחוץ למחנה, וכשהוא נרפא נאסף אל המחנה לכך כתוב בו אסיפה לשון הכנסה:
15So Miriam was confined outside the camp for seven days, and the people did not travel until Miriam had entered. טווַתִּסָּגֵ֥ר מִרְיָ֛ם מִח֥וּץ לַמַּֽחֲנֶ֖ה שִׁבְעַ֣ת יָמִ֑ים וְהָעָם֙ לֹ֣א נָסַ֔ע עַד־הֵֽאָסֵ֖ף מִרְיָֽם:
the people did not travel: This honor was accorded her by the Omnipresent because of the time she remained with Moses when he was cast into the river, as it says,“His sister stood by from afar to know what would be done to him” (Exod. 2:4). - [Sotah 9b]
והעם לא נסע: זה הכבוד חלק לה המקום בשביל שעה אחת שנתעכבה למשה כשהושלך ליאור, שנאמר (שמות ב, ד) ותתצב אחותו מרחוק וגו':
16Then the people departed from Hazeroth, and they camped in the desert of Paran. טזוְאַחַ֛ר נָֽסְע֥וּ הָעָ֖ם מֵֽחֲצֵר֑וֹת וַיַּֽחֲנ֖וּ בְּמִדְבַּ֥ר פָּארָֽן:
Daily Tehillim: Chapters 88 - 89• Hebrew text• English text• Chapter 90
David found this prayer in its present form-receiving a tradition attributing it to MosesThe Midrash attributes the next eleven psalms to Moses (Rashi).-and incorporated it into the Tehillim. It speaks of the brevity of human life, and inspires man to repent and avoid pride in this world.
1. A prayer by Moses, the man of God. My Lord, You have been a shelter for us in every generation.
2. Before the mountains came into being, before You created the earth and the world-for ever and ever You are Almighty God.
3. You diminish man until he is crushed, and You say, "Return, you children of man.”
4. Indeed, a thousand years are in Your eyes like yesterday that has passed, like a watch of the night.
5. The stream of their life is as but a slumber; in the morning they are like grass that sprouts anew.
6. In the morning it thrives and sprouts anew; in the evening it withers and dries.
7. For we are consumed by Your anger, and destroyed by Your wrath.
8. You have set our wrongdoings before You, our hidden sins before the light of Your countenance.
9. For all our days have vanished in Your wrath; we cause our years to pass like a fleeting sound.
10. The days of our lives number seventy years, and if in great vigor, eighty years; most of them are but travail and futility, passing quickly and flying away.
11. Who can know the intensity of Your anger? Your wrath is commensurate with one's fear of You.
12. Teach us, then, to reckon our days, that we may acquire a wise heart.
13. Relent, O Lord; how long [will Your anger last]? Have compassion upon Your servants.
14. Satiate us in the morning with Your kindness, then we shall sing and rejoice throughout our days.
15. Give us joy corresponding to the days You afflicted us, the years we have seen adversity.
16. Let Your work be revealed to Your servants, and Your splendor be upon their children.
17. May the pleasantness of the Lord our God be upon us; establish for us the work of our hands; establish the work of our hands.
Chapter 91
This psalm inspires the hearts of the people to seek shelter under the wings of the Divine Presence. It also speaks of the four seasons of the year, and their respective ministering powers, instructing those who safeguard their souls to avoid them.
1. You who dwells in the shelter of the Most High, who abides in the shadow of the Omnipotent:
2. I say of the Lord who is my refuge and my stronghold, my God in whom I trust,
3. that He will save you from the ensnaring trap, from the destructive pestilence.
4. He will cover you with His pinions and you will find refuge under His wings; His truth is a shield and an armor.
5. You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day;
6. the pestilence that prowls in the darkness, nor the destruction that ravages at noon.
7. A thousand may fall at your [left] side, and ten thousand at your right, but it shall not reach you.
8. You need only look with your eyes, and you will see the retribution of the wicked.
9. Because you [have said,] "The Lord is my shelter," and you have made the Most High your haven,
10. no evil will befall you, no plague will come near your tent.
11. For He will instruct His angels in your behalf, to guard you in all your ways.
12. They will carry you in their hands, lest you injure your foot upon a rock.
13. You will tread upon the lion and the viper; you will trample upon the young lion and the serpent.
14. Because he desires Me, I will deliver him; I will fortify him, for he knows My Name.
15. When he calls on Me, I will answer him; I am with him in distress. I will deliver him and honor him.
16. I will satiate him with long life, and show him My deliverance.
Chapter 92
Sung every Shabbat by the Levites in the Holy Temple, this psalm speaks of the World to Come, and comforts the hearts of those crushed by suffering.
1. A psalm, a song for the Shabbat day.
2. It is good to praise the Lord, and to sing to Your Name, O Most High;
3. to proclaim Your kindness in the morning, and Your faithfulness in the nights,
4. with a ten-stringed instrument and lyre, to the melody of a harp.
5. For You, Lord, have gladdened me with Your deeds; I sing for joy at the works of Your hand.
6. How great are Your works, O Lord; how very profound Your thoughts!
7. A brutish man cannot know, a fool cannot comprehend this:
8. When the wicked thrive like grass, and all evildoers flourish-it is in order that they may be destroyed forever.
9. But You, Lord, are exalted forever.
10. Indeed, Your enemies, O Lord, indeed Your enemies shall perish; all evildoers shall be scattered.
11. But You have increased my might like that of a wild ox; I am anointed with fresh oil.
12. My eyes have seen [the downfall of] my watchful enemies; my ears have heard [the doom of] the wicked who rise against me.
13. The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, grow tall like a cedar in Lebanon.
14. Planted in the House of the Lord, they shall blossom in the courtyards of our God.
15. They shall be fruitful even in old age; they shall be full of sap and freshness-
16. to declare that the Lord is just; He is my Strength, and there is no injustice in Him.
Chapter 93
This psalm speaks of the Messianic era, when God will don grandeur-allowing no room for man to boast before Him as did Nebuchadnezzar, Pharaoh, and Sennacherib.
1. The Lord is King; He has garbed Himself with grandeur; the Lord has robed Himself, He has girded Himself with strength; He has also established the world firmly that it shall not falter.
2. Your throne stands firm from of old; You have existed forever.
3. The rivers have raised, O Lord, the rivers have raised their voice; the rivers raise their raging waves.
4. More than the sound of many waters, than the mighty breakers of the sea, is the Lord mighty on High.
5. Your testimonies are most trustworthy; Your House will be resplendent in holiness, O Lord, forever.
Chapter 94
An awe-inspiring and wondrous prayer with which every individual can pray for the redemption. It is also an important moral teaching.
1. The Lord is a God of retribution; O God of retribution, reveal Yourself!
2. Judge of the earth, arise; render to the arrogant their recompense.
3. How long shall the wicked, O Lord, how long shall the wicked exult?
4. They continuously speak insolently; all the evildoers act arrogantly.
5. They crush Your people, O Lord, and oppress Your heritage.
6. They kill the widow and the stranger, and murder the orphans.
7. And they say, "The Lord does not see, the God of Jacob does not perceive.”
8. Understand, you senseless among the people; you fools, when will you become wise?
9. Shall He who implants the ear not hear? Shall He who forms the eye not see?
10. Shall He who chastises nations not punish? Shall He who imparts knowledge to man [not know]?
11. The Lord knows the thoughts of man, that they are naught.
12. Fortunate is the man whom You chastise, O Lord, and instruct him in Your Torah,
13. bestowing upon him tranquillity in times of adversity, until the pit is dug for the wicked.
14. For the Lord will not abandon His people, nor forsake His heritage.
15. For judgment shall again be consonant with justice, and all the upright in heart will pursue it.
16. Who would rise up for me against the wicked ones; who would stand up for me against the evildoers?
17. Had the Lord not been a help to me, my soul would have soon dwelt in the silence [of the grave].
18. When I thought that my foot was slipping, Your kindness, O Lord, supported me.
19. When my [worrisome] thoughts multiply within me, Your consolation delights my soul.
20. Can one in the seat of evil, one who makes iniquity into law, consort with You?
21. They band together against the life of the righteous, and condemn innocent blood.
22. The Lord has been my stronghold; my God, the strength of my refuge.
23. He will turn their violence against them and destroy them through their own wickedness; the Lord, our God, will destroy them.
Chapter 95
This psalm speaks of the future, when man will say to his fellow, "Come, let us sing and offer praise to God for the miracles He has performed for us!"
1. Come, let us sing to the Lord; let us raise our voices in jubilation to the Rock of our deliverance.
2. Let us approach Him with thanksgiving; let us raise our voices to Him in song.
3. For the Lord is a great God, and a great King over all supernal beings;
4. in His hands are the depths of the earth, and the heights of the mountains are His.
5. Indeed, the sea is His, for He made it; His hands formed the dry land.
6. Come, let us prostrate ourselves and bow down; let us bend the knee before the Lord, our Maker.
7. For He is our God, and we are the people that He tends, the flock under His [guiding] hand-even this very day, if you would but hearken to His voice!
8. Do not harden your heart as at Merivah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness,
9. where your fathers tested Me; they tried Me, though they had seen My deeds.
10. For forty years I quarreled with that generation; and I said, "They are a people of erring hearts, they do not know My ways.”
11. So I vowed in My anger that they would not enter My resting place.
Chapter 96
The time will yet come when man will say to his fellow: "Come, let us sing to God!"
1. Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth.
2. Sing to the Lord, bless His Name; proclaim His deliverance from day to day.
3. Recount His glory among the nations, His wonders among all the peoples.
4. For the Lord is great and highly praised; He is awesome above all gods.
5. For all the gods of the nations are naught, but the Lord made the heavens.
6. Majesty and splendor are before Him, might and beauty in His Sanctuary.
7. Render to the Lord, O families of nations, render to the Lord honor and might.
8. Render to the Lord honor due to His Name; bring an offering and come to His courtyards.
9. Bow down to the Lord in resplendent holiness; tremble before Him, all the earth.
10. Proclaim among the nations, "The Lord reigns"; indeed, the world is firmly established that it shall not falter; He will judge the peoples with righteousness.
11. The heavens will rejoice, the earth will exult; the sea and its fullness will roar.
12. The fields and everything therein will jubilate; then all the trees of the forest will sing.
13. Before the Lord [they shall rejoice], for He has come, for He has come to judge the earth; He will judge the world with justice, and the nations with His truth.
Tanya: Shaar Hayichud Vehaemunah, middle of Chapter 6• Lessons in Tanya• English Text
• Hebrew Text
• Audio Class: Listen | Download
• Video Class• Today's Tanya Lesson
• Audio Class: Listen | Download
• Video Class• Today's Tanya Lesson
• Shabbat, Sivan 19, 5776 - June 25, 2016
• Shaar Hayichud Vehaemunah, middle of Chapter 6
• ולכן הוצרך הכתוב להזהיר: וידעת היום והשבות אל לבבך וגו׳
Rambam:
• Sefer Hamitzvos:• English Text | Hebrew Text |
Audio: Listen | Download | Video Class• Shabbat, Sivan 19, 5776 - June 25, 2016
This is why it was necessary for the Torah to warn, “Know this day and take it unto your heart” [that “in the heavens above and upon the earth below there is none other],”
שלא תעלה על דעתך שהשמים וכל צבאם והארץ ומלואה הם דבר נפרד בפני עצמו
so that it should not enter your mind that the heavens and all their host, and the earth and all it contains, are separate entities in themselves, i.e., distinct and apart from their Creator and the Provider of their life,
והקדוש ברוך הוא ממלא כל העולם כהתלבשות הנשמה בגוף
and that the Holy One, blessed be He, fills the whole world in the same way as the soul is invested in the body,
ומשפיע כח הצומח בארץ
and that He causes the flow of the “vegetative force” into the earth, this being the life-force revealed within the earth,
וכח התנועה בגלגלים, ומניעם ומנהיגם כרצונו
and the power of motion into the celestial spheres, and moves them and directs them according to His Will,
כמו שהנשמה מניעה את הגוף ומנהיגתו כרצונה
just as the soul moves the body and directs it according to its will.
Though the body is a totally separate and different entity from the soul, the soul is nevertheless able to direct it according to its will, because it provides it with life. One might mistakenly believe that G‑d animates and conducts the world in a similar manner, and conceive of the world as being separate from Him, just as the body is separate from the soul. Anticipating this, the verse therefore points out that the relation between the soul and the body is entirely unlike the relation between G‑d, and His creation and vivification of created beings.
אך באמת אין המשל דומה לנמשל כלל
In truth, however, the analogy of soul and body bears no similarity whatsoever to the object of comparison — G‑dliness and the world,
כי הנשמה והגוף הם באמת נפרדים זה מזה בשרשם
since the soul and the body are actually separate from each other at their sources.
כי אין התהוות שורש הגוף ועצמותו מנשמתו, אלא מטפות אביו ואמו
The source of the body and its essence comes into being not from the soul,1 but from the seed of one’s father and mother;
וגם אחרי כן, אין גידולו מנשמתו לבדה, אלא על ידי אכילת ושתיית אמו כל תשעה חדשים
and even afterwards — after its creation — its growth is not from the soul alone, but through the mother’s eating and drinking throughout the nine months [of gestation],
ואחר כך, על ידי אכילתו ושתייתו בעצמו
and subsequently, through his own eating and drinking.
The body is thus a truly separate entity from the soul, inasmuch as the soul only provides it with life.
מה שאין כן השמים והארץ, שכל עצמותם ומהותם נתהוה מאין ואפס המוחלט
This is not so, however, in the case of heaven and earth, for their very being and essence was brought into existence from naught and absolute nothingness,
Before creation there was no space at all (as it were) for the existence of created beings, by virtue of the Divine Ayin which is ultimately responsible for creation.
רק בדבר ה׳ ורוח פיו
solely through the “word of G‑d” and the “breath of His mouth.”
וגם עדיין נצב דבר ה׳ לעולם, ושופע בהם תמיד בכל רגע
And now, too, the word of G‑d still stands forever in all created things, and flows into them continuously at every instant,
ומהוה אותם תמיד מאין ליש, כהתהוות האור מהשמש תוך גוף כדור השמש עצמו, דרך משל
constantly creating them anew from nothing, just as for example, the coming into existence of the light from the sun within the very globe of the sun.
It has already been explained that the light of the sun as it is found within the sun-globe does not possess true existence, for it is completely nullified within the sun. Only after it leaves the sun-globe can it be said to possess independent existence. Created beings likewise are always wholly nullified in relation to their source, since they are constantly found within it, i.e., within the Divine life-force that creates them.
ואם כן הם בטלים באמת במציאות לגמרי לגבי דבר ה׳ ורוח פיו יתברך, המיוחדים במהותו ועצמותו יתברך
Hence, in reality they — created beings — are completely nullified out of existence in relation to the “word of G‑d” and the “breath of His mouth,” which are unified with His Essence and Being,
כמו שיתבאר לקמן
as this union will be explained later,
Thus, created beings are completely nullified to the “word of G‑d” and the “breath of His mouth,” as well as to G‑d Himself,
כביטול אור השמש בשמש
just as the light of the sun is nullified in the sun.
Why, then, are created beings unaware of this, considering themselves instead as possessing independent and true existence? The Alter Rebbe answers this by saying:
רק שהן הן גבורותיו, במדת הגבורה והצמצום, להסתיר ולהעלים החיות השופע בהם
Yet these are His restraining powers, to hide and conceal, through the attribute of Gevurah and tzimtzum,the life-force that flows into them,
שיהיו נראים השמים והארץ וכל צבאם כאילו הם דבר בפני עצמו
so that heaven and earth and all their host should appear as if they were independently existing entities.
The effect of tzimtzum is to conceal from created beings the source of existence continuously found within them. This is why they are able to think of themselves as possessing independent existence.
אך אין הצמצום וההסתר אלא לתחתונים
However, the tzimtzum and concealment is only for the lower [worlds],
אבל לגבי הקב״ה, כולא קמיה כלא ממש חשיבי, כאור השמש בשמש
but in relation to the Holy One, blessed be He,2 “Everything before Him is considered as actually naught,” like the light of the sun within the sun.
ואין מדת הגבורה מסתרת חס ושלום לפניו יתברך
The attribute of Gevurah does not, heaven forfend, conceal for Him,
כי איננה דבר בפני עצמו, אלא ה׳ הוא האלקים
for it is not an independent entity; rather, Havayah is Elokim.
The concealment resulting from the Divine Name Elokim and the attribute of Gevurah are one with the Divine NameHavayah, the attribute of Chesed and revelation. Thus, from the Divine perspective there is no concealment, for “an entity cannot conceal its own self.”
| FOOTNOTES | |
| 1. | The following question was asked of the Rebbe: What does the Alter Rebbe add by saying that [“the soul and the body are actually separate from each other at their sources” inasmuch as] “the source of the body and its essence comes into being not from the soul, but from the seed of one’s father and mother,” after having already stated that the soul merely animates the body but does not bring it into existence? The Rebbe replied: As stated explicitly in the beginning of ch. 3, here, too, the intent of the Alter Rebbe is to demonstrate that the created being is naught and absolute nothingness in comparison to the “breath of His mouth” which is found within it. This is because the “breath of His mouth” derives from the Divine Name Havayah, while the concealment of the created being derives from the Name Elokim. Since Havayah and Elokim are truly One, the concealment is not a true concealment:Elokim does not conceal Havayah. However, it has just been stated here that the life of the body — the soul — derives from the Name Havayah, and the body itself derives from the Name Elokim. This being so, why is the body considered to be secondary and subordinate to the soul; why is it not considered to be totally nullified in relation to it (since the soul — the life of the body — derives from the Name Havayah)? The answer to this lies in the fact that the body and soul are separate from each other not only in their manifest existence, but also in their sources. For the creation of the body’s source and the essence of its being — the level of the Name Elokimwithin the body — does not derive from the soul (and the level of Havayah of his soul), but from the seed of the father and mother. These particularized levels of Havayah and Elokim (as found in soul and body) are indeed not truly one (although the general aspects of Havayah and Elokim are one), except in a “secondary” and “subordinate” manner, as it were. The same applies to the sun’s shield, or sheath, each part of it being subordinate to the entire sun. However, the shield actually obscures only those rays that shine through each individual portion of it, and likewise, only with those particular rays is it unified. |
| 2. | Zohar I, 134a. |
• Sefer Hamitzvos:• English Text | Hebrew Text |
Audio: Listen | Download | Video Class• Shabbat, Sivan 19, 5776 - June 25, 2016
• Today's Mitzvah
A daily digest of Maimonides’ classic work "Sefer Hamitzvot"
Important Message Regarding This Lesson
The Daily Mitzvah schedule runs parallel to the daily study of 3 chapters of Maimonides' 14-volume code. There are instances when the Mitzvah is repeated a few days consecutively while the exploration of the same Mitzvah continues in the in-depth track.
Positive Commandment 97
Ritual Impurity of Sheratzim
We are commanded regarding the ritual impurity [contained in and emitted by] certain creeping animals, known as sheratzim,listed in the Torah. [I.e., when contracted, one must follow all the laws associated with this impurity.]
Full text of this Mitzvah »
A daily digest of Maimonides’ classic work "Sefer Hamitzvot"
Important Message Regarding This Lesson
The Daily Mitzvah schedule runs parallel to the daily study of 3 chapters of Maimonides' 14-volume code. There are instances when the Mitzvah is repeated a few days consecutively while the exploration of the same Mitzvah continues in the in-depth track.
Positive Commandment 97
Ritual Impurity of Sheratzim
We are commanded regarding the ritual impurity [contained in and emitted by] certain creeping animals, known as sheratzim,listed in the Torah. [I.e., when contracted, one must follow all the laws associated with this impurity.]
Full text of this Mitzvah »
• Ritual Impurity of Sheratzim
Positive Commandment 97
Translated by Berel Bell
The 97th mitzvah is that we are commanded regarding the tumah of the eight types of sheratzim.1 This mitzvah includes tumas sheretz and all its laws.2
FOOTNOTES
1.See Lev. 11:29-38. Kaplan (The Living Torah, 1981) translates them as the weasel, mouse, ferret, hedgehog, chameleon, lizard, snail, and mole.
2.See Hilchos Shaar Avos HaTuma'os, Chapter 4.
• 1 Chapter: Shegagot Shegagot - Perek 2 • English Text | Hebrew Text | Audio: Listen | Download | Video Class
Audio: Listen | Download | Video Class
• Shegagot - Perek 3
1
When witnesses testify that a person violated a transgression that is punishable by a fixed sin-offering, but they did not warn him, instead, they told him: "We saw that you performed forbidden labor on the Sabbath" or "...that your partook of forbidden fat" and he replied: "I know that I did not perform that act," he is not liable for a sin-offering. The rationale is that since he would be exempt from bringing the sacrifice if he said: "I acted intentionally," when he says: "I did not eat" or "I did not perform," it is as if he said: "I did not eat inadvertently, but rather intentionally," in which instance, he is exempt from bringing the sacrifice and did not contradict the witnesses.
א
מי שהעידו עליו עדים שחטא חטא שחייבין עליו חטאת קבועה ולא התרו בו אלא אמרו ראינוך שעשית מלאכה בשבת או שאכלת חלב והוא אומר אני יודע בודאי שלא עשיתי דבר זה אינו חייב חטאת הואיל ואם יאמר מזיד הייתי יפטר מן הקרבן כשאמר להן לא אכלתי ולא עשיתי נעשה כאומר לא אכלתי בשגגה אלא בזדון שהוא פטור מן הקרבן ולא הכחיש את העדים:
2
If the alleged transgressor remained silent and did not contradict the witnesses - indeed, even if a woman told him: "You partook of forbidden fat" or "...performed forbidden labor on the Sabbath" and he remained silent - he is liable to bring a sin-offering. If one witness told him: "This is forbidden fat" and he remained silentand then he partook of it inadvertently, he must bring a sin-offering. If he warned him, he is liable for lashes, even though the essence of the testimony depends on one witness.
ב
שתק ולא הפליג את העדים (אלא) אפילו אמרה לו אשה אכלת חלב או עשית מלאכה בשבת ושתק חייב להביא חטאת אמר לו עד אחד חלב הוא זה ושתק וחזר ואכלו בשגגה מביא חטאת ואם התרו בו לוקה עליו אף על פי שעיקר העדות בעד אחד:
3
We already explained in Hilchot Pesulei HaMukdashim that a person who set aside a sin-offering for eating forbidden fat should not bring it for the desecration of the Sabbath or for partaking of blood, as implied by Leviticus 4:28 which states: "And he shall bring his sacrifice, a she-goat... for the transgression that he committed." The sacrifice must be for the sake of the particular sin; one should not offer one designated for one sin for another. If he offered it, he disqualifies it.
In addition, our Sages said that if one set aside a sin-offering for forbidden fat that he ate on the previous day, he should not bring it for fat that he eats on the present day. Nevertheless, if he brings it for that purpose, he finds atonement. Needless to say, if a father sets aside a sin-offering and dies and the son was liable for that same transgression, the son should not bring his father's sacrifice for his transgression, as explained there.
ג
כבר ביארנו בהלכות פסולי המוקדשין שהמפריש חטאתו על החלב שאכל לא יביאנה על השבת שחלל או על הדם שאכל שנאמר והביא קרבנו שעירת עזים וגו' על חטאתו אשר חטא עד שיהיה קרבנו לשם חטאו לא שיקריבנה מחטא על חטא ואם הקריב פסלה יתר על זה אמרו הפריש חטאתו על חלב שאכל אמש לא יביאנה על חלב שאכל היום ואם הביא כפר ואין צריך לומר שאם הפרישה אביו ומת והיה הבן מחוייב באותו החטא שלא יביאנה הבן על חטאו כמו שנתבאר שם:
4
When a person brings an animal as a sin-offering for two transgressions, it should be left to pasture until it contracts a disqualifying blemish and be sold. Half of the proceeds should be used to bring a sin-offering for one transgression and half for a sin-offering for the second transgression.
Similarly, if two people bring one animal as a sin-offering for two transgressions, it should be left to pasture until it contracts a disqualifying blemish and be sold. One should bring his sin-offering with half of the proceeds and the other should bring his sin-offering with the other half.
ד
המביא חטאת על שני חטאים תרעה עד שיפול בה מום ותמכר ויביא בדמי חצייה לחטא זה ובדמי חצייה לחטא השני וכן שנים שהביאו חטאת אחת על שני חטאיהם תרעה עד שיפול בה מום ותמכר ויביא זה חטאתו בדמי חצייה ויביא זה חטאתו בדמי חצייה:
5
If one brings two animals as sin-offerings for one transgression, he should sacrifice whichever one he desires. The second should be left to pasture until it contracts a disqualifying blemish and be sold. A freewill offering should be brought with the proceeds.
ה
הביא שתי חטאות על חטא אחד יקריב אי זו שירצה והשניה תרעה עד שיפול בה מום ויפלו דמיה לנדבה:
6
If, however, a person brings two animals for sin-offerings for two transgressions without specifying the transgression for which each sacrifice is being brought, he should make that determination and slaughter one for one transgression and the other for the second.
ו
הביא שתי חטאות על שני חטאים זו תשחט לשם חטא האחד והשניה לשם החטא השני:
7
We already explained in Hilchot Ma'aseh HaKorbanot, that no sacrifices at all are accepted from an apostate who worships idols or desecrates the Sabbath in public. When a person is an apostate with regard to a particular sin, we do not accept a sin-offering for him for that sin.
What is implied? If a person was an apostate with regard to partaking of forbidden fat and then he inadvertently partook of fat and brought a sin-offering for this transgression, it is not accepted until he repents.
Even if he was an apostate with regard to partaking of forbidden fat to fulfill his desires and once he accidentally partook of forbidden fat instead of permitted fat and he brought a sacrifice in atonement, it is not accepted from him. Since he partook of the forbidden fat willfully, whether to purposefully anger God or merely to fulfill his desires, he is considered as an apostate with regard to that transgression.
If a person was an apostate with regard to partaking of forbidden fat and then he inadvertently partook of blood, we accept a sin-offering he brings for partaking of blood, as we explained.
ז
כבר ביארנו בהלכות מעשה הקרבנות שהמומר לעבודה זרה או לחלל שבתות בפרהסיא אין מקבלין ממנו קרבן כלל והמומר לעבירה משאר עבירות אין מקבלין ממנו חטאת על אותו החטא כיצד מומר לאכול חלב שאכל חלב בשגגה והביא חטאתו אין מקבלין ממנו עד שיחזור בתשובה אפילו היה מומר לאכול חלב לתיאבון ונתחלף לו חלב בשומן ואכלו והביא קרבן אין מקבלין ממנו שמשאכל בזדון בין להכעיס בין לתיאבון הרי הוא מומר היה מומר לאכול חלב ושגג ואכל דם מקבלין ממנו כמו שביארנו:
8
When a person committed a transgression punishable by karetinadvertently and set aside an animal as a sin-offering, and afterwards, became an apostate and then repented or he lost control of his intellectual or emotional faculties and then regained control, that animal may be brought as a sacrifice even though there was a time when it was not to be offered. The rationale is that living animals are not deemed unacceptable forever, as we explained in Hilchot Pesulei HaMukdashim. Therefore that animal itself should be sacrificed. Just like if it contracted a temporary blemish and was healed, it returns to an acceptable state, so too, if the owners became disqualified and then became acceptable, it should be sacrificed.
ח
מי ששגג והפריש חטאתו ואח"כ נעשה מומר וחזר בתשובה או נשתטה וחזר ונשתפה אע"פ שנדחה הקרבן בינתים הרי זה חזר ונראה שאין בעלי חיים נדחין כמו שביארנו בהלכות פסולי המוקדשין לפיכך יקריבנה עצמה וכשם שאם נולד בו מום עובר ונתרפא יחזור לכשרותו כך אם נדחו הבעלים וחזרו ונראו יקרב:
9
Those liable for sin-offerings and definitive guilt-offerings remain obligated to bring those offerings even after Yom Kippur passed. Those liable for tentative guilt-offerings, by contrast, are exempt after Yom Kippur passes, as indicated by Leviticus 16:30: "From all of your sins before God will you be purified." According to the Oral Tradition, it was taught: Any sin that only God recognizes will be granted atonement. Therefore if a person enters a situation where he is in doubt of whether he transgressed on Yom Kippur, even at nightfall, he is exempt from the obligation to bring a tentative guilt-offering, for the entire day of Yom Kippur generates atonement.
Thus we learn that a conditional guilt-offering is not brought for a situation concerning which one does not know which occurred on Yom Kippur, unless Yom Kippur will not generate atonement for that person, as will be explained.
ט
חייבי חטאות ואשמות ודאים שעבר עליהן יום כפורים חייבין להביא לאחר יום הכפורים וחייבי אשמות תלויין פטורין שנאמר מכל חטאתיכם לפני ה' תטהרו כך למדו מפי השמועה שכל חטא שאין מכיר בו אלא ה' נתכפר לו לפיכך מי שבא על ידו ספק עבירה ביוה"כ אפילו עם חשיכה פטור מאשם תלוי שכל היום מכפר נמצאת למד שאין מביאין על לא הודע של יום הכפורים אשם תלוי אלא אם לא כפר לו יוה"כ כמו שיתבאר:
10
Yom Kippur, sin-offerings and guilt-offerings do not generate atonement unless one repents and believes in the atonement they grant. If, however, one rebels against them, they do not generate atonement for him.
What is implied? A person was in a state of rebellion, but brought a sin-offering or a guilt-offering, saying or thinking in his heart that these will not generate atonement. Accordingly, even though they were offered as commanded, they do not generate atonement for him. When he repents from his rebellion, he must bring another sin-offering and/or guilt-offering.
Similarly, when one is in a state of rebellion on Yom Kippur, Yom Kippur does not atone for him. Therefore if he was obligated to bring a tentative guilt-offering and Yom Kippur passed while he was in a state of rebellion, Yom Kippur does not generate atonement for him. When he repents after Yom Kippur, he is obligated to bring all the tentative guilt-offerings for which he is liable.
י
אין יום הכפורים ולא החטאת ולא האשם מכפרין אלא על השבים המאמינים בכפרתן אבל המבעט בהן אינן מכפרין בו כיצד היה מבעט והביא חטאתו או אשמו והוא אומר או מחשב בלבו שאין אלו מכפרין אף על פי שקרבו כמצותן לא נתכפר לו וכשיחזור בתשובה מבעיטתו צריך להביא חטאתו ואשמו וכן המבעט ביוה"כ אין יום הכפורים מכפר עליו לפיכך אם נתחייב באשם תלוי ועבר עליו יום הכפורים והוא מבעט בו הרי זה לא נתכפר לו וכשיחזור בתשובה אחר יוה"כ חייב להביא כל אשם תלוי שהיה חייב בו:
11
All of the guilt-offerings required by the Torah hold back atonementwith the exception of the guilt-offering of a nazirite. A person who is in doubt whether he or she is required to bring a nazirite offering or an offering brought by one lacking atonement and a sotah who bring an offering because of doubt must bring their offerings after Yom Kippur.
יא
כל אשמות שבתורה מעכבין את הכפרה חוץ מאשם נזיר ספק נזיר וספק מחוסרי כפרה וספק סוטה כולם מביאין קרבנותיהן אחר יום הכפורים:
12
The following laws apply when a person is obligated to bring a sin-offering or a guilt-offering and he is being taken out of the court to be executed. If the animal to be offered had already been slaughtered, we let him tarry until the blood is cast on the altar and then he is executed. If, however, the animal to be offered has not been slaughtered, we do not let him tarry until it is offered on his behalf.
יב
מי שהוא מחוייב חטאת או אשם והרי הוא יוצא מבית דין ליהרג אם היה זבחו זבוח משהין אותו עד שיזרק הדם ואח"כ יהרג ואם עדיין לא נשחט הזבח אין משהין אותו עד שיקריבו עליו:
• 3 Chapters: She'ar Avot haTum'ah She'ar Avot haTum'ah - Chapter 6, She'ar Avot haTum'ah She'ar Avot haTum'ah - Chapter 7, She'ar Avot haTum'ah She'ar Avot haTum'ah - Chapter 8 • English Text | Hebrew Text |
• She'ar Avot haTum'ah - Chapter 9
1
When a person immerses his head and the majority of his body in drawn water or three lugim of drawn water fall on his head and the majority of his body, he is a secondary derivative of impurity until he immerses himself in a mikveh. If he touches foods, he causes them to be considered as a tertiary derivative. If he touches liquids, he imparts impurity to them, causing them to be considered as a primary derivative and they impart impurity to other foods and liquids. They do not, however, impart impurity to keilim.
Why did the Sages decree that such a person should be impure? Because people would immerse in caves where the water was foul and then they would wash with fresh drawn water for the sake of cleanliness. This became such a widespread practice that the majority of people got the impression that the drawn water in which the people would ultimately wash was the agent that conveyed ritual purity and not the immersion in the waters of the mikveh. Therefore, they would immerse themselves carelessly, without attention to details. Accordingly, our Sages decreed that when a person immerses his head and the majority of his body in drawn water or three lugim of drawn water fall on his head and the majority of his body, he becomes a secondary derivative of impurity. Even when three lugim of drawn water falls on the head and the majority of the body of a person who was pure or he immerses his head and the majority of his body in drawn water, he becomes a secondary derivative of impurity until he immerses himself.
After a person who contracted impurity in such a manner immerses himself, he need not wait until nightfall to regain purity, for the impurity contracted by this person is fundamentally a Rabbinic decree. Similarly, a person who contracted impurity because he ate impure foods or drank impure liquids and then immersed himself need not wait until nightfall to regain purity. Similarly, when keilim become impure due to contact with impure liquids, once they were immersed, they become pure. There is no need to wait until nightfall, because these impurities are fundamentally Rabbinic decrees.
א
הבא ראשו ורובו במים שאובין או שנפלו על ראשו ועל רובו שלשה לוגין מים שאובין הרי הוא כשני לטומאה עד שיטבול ואם נגע באוכלין עשאן שלישי ואם נגע במשקין טמאים עשאן תחילה לטמא אוכלים ומשקין אחרים אבל לא לטמא כלים ומפני מה גזרו טומאה על אדם זה מפני שהיו טבולי יום טובלין במערות שמימיהן רעים ואח"כ היו רוחצין במים שאובים יפים דרך נקיות ופשט המנהג כך עד שהיו רוב העם מדמים שמים שאובים שרוחצין בהן באחרונה הן שמטהרין לא הטבילה שבמי מקוה והיו טובלין בזלזול בלא כוונה ולפיכך גזרו שכל שבא ראשו ורובו במים שאובים או שנפלו על ראשו ורובו נטמא ונעשה כשני לטומאה אפילו טהור שאינו טבול יום אם נפלו על ראשו ורובו שלשת לוגין מים שאובין או שבא ראשו ורובו במים שאובין ה"ז כשני לטומאה עד שיטבול טבל אינו צריך הערב שמש מפני שעיקר טומאה זו מדבריהן וכן האוכל אוכלין טמאים והשותה משקין טמאין וטבל אינו צריך הערב שמש וכן כלים שנטמאו במשקין כיון שמטבילן טהרו ואין צריכין הערב שמש מפני שטומאות אלו עיקרן מדבריהן:
2
The following laws apply when three lugim of drawn water fall on a person from two or three different containers. If water began to flow from the second before it concluded flowing from the first, they can be combined to reach the sum of three lugim. If water falls from four containers, it is not combined. Even if one began to flow before the other ceased flowing, the person is pure.
If the water fell on his head, but not on the majority of his body or fell on the majority of his body, but not on his head, or fell on his head from above and on the majority of his body from the side or from below, he is pure. To impart impurity, the water must fall on his head and the majority of his body that is close to his head in an ordinary manner. Similarly, if his head entered drawn water, but not his body or his body entered, but not his head, or his head was inserted in drawn water and then other drawn water engulfed his body from the side or from below, he is pure. To contract impurity, his head and the majority of his body close to his head must enter the water in an ordinary manner.
ב
מי שנפלו עליו ג' לוגין מים שאובין משני כלים או משלשה אם התחיל השני עד שלא פסק הראשון מצטרפין ואם לאו אין מצטרפין נפלו מארבעה כלים אין מצטרפים ואף על פי שהתחיל זה עד שלא פסק זה ה"ז טהור נפלו על ראשו אבל לא על רובו או שנפלו על רובו ולא על ראשו או שנפלו על ראשו בלבד מלמעלה ועל רובו נפלו מן הצד או מלמטה ה"ז טהור עד שיפלו על ראשו ועל רובו הסמוך לראשו כדרכו וכן אם בא ראשו במים שאובין ולא בא רובו או בא רובו ולא בא ראשו או שבא ראשו בלבד ובא משאר גופו ורובו במים שאובין מלמטה או מן הצד ה"ז טהור ער שיבא ראשו ורובו הסמוך לראשו כדרכו:
3
When a portion of a person's head and half the majority of his body were inserted in drawn water and drawn water falls on the other half of his head and the majority of his body, since water fell on half and half was inserted in water, he is pure.
ג
הבא מראשו ורובו החצי במים שאובין ונפלו על החצי האחר מים שאובין הואיל וחציו בנפילה וחציו בביאה טהור:
4
When the three lugim of water which fell upon a person or into which he inserted his head and body were a combination of drawn water and natural water or they were mixed with wine, honey, or milk, he is pure. The three lugim must be entirely drawn water.
The status of these three lugim of water which fell on a pure person or in which he inserted his head and body and from which he contracted impurity also changes. Since the person became a secondary derivative of impurity, the water is also impure for it touched a secondary derivative. It is as if the water tells the pure person: "I made you impure and you made me impure."
ד
היו שלשת הלוגין שנפלו עליו או שבא בהן מקצתן שאובין ומקצתן אינן שאובין או שנתערב בהן יין דבש וחלב ה"ז טהור עד שיהיו השלשה כולן מים שאובין שלשת לוגין אלו שנפלו על הטהור או שבא בהן וטמאוהו כיון שנעשה כשני לטומאה הרי המים האלו טמאין שהרי נגעו בשני והרי אלו המים אומרין לזה הטהור טמאנו אותו וטימאנו:
5
Initially, they would place loaves of terumah next to sacred scrolls, saying: "These are holy and these are holy." Mice would come and tear the sacred scrolls. Therefore, the Sages decreed that any terumah that touches the Holy Scriptures would become impure. It is considered as a tertiary derivate of impurity, as if it touched a secondary derivative. Thus all the Holy Scriptures disqualify terumahlike a secondary derivative.
Moreover, when anyone whose hands were pure touched one of the Holy Scriptures, his hands become secondary derivatives of impurity and impart impurity to terumah and to liquids. Although generally, hands only contract impurity from a primary derivative of impurity, as we explained, they contract impurity from a scroll.
ה
בראשונה היו מניחין ככרות של תרומה בצד הספרים ואומרים זה קודש וזה קודש ובאין העכברים וקורעין את הספרים לפיכך גזרו שכל תרומה שתגע באחד מכתבי הקדש נטמאת והרי היא כשלישי לטומאה כאלו נגעו בשני ונמצאו כל כתבי הקדש פוסלין את התרומה כשני ולא עוד אלא מי שהיו ידיו טהורות ונגע באחד מכתבי הקדש נעשו ידיו שניות ומטמאין את התרומה ואת המשקין ואע"פ שאין הידים מתטמאות אלא מראשון לטומאה כמו שביארנו הן מתטמאות מן הספר:
6
Tefillin straps when connected to the tefillin, the blank parchment of the margins above or below the scroll and at its beginning or end when connected to the scroll, a scroll that was erased, but at least 85 letters remained, and a scroll on which at least 85 letters from the Torah are written, as in the passage Numbers 10:35-36: "And when the ark set forth...," all impart impurity to hands. Not only the words of the Torah, but the words of all the Holy Scriptures, including the Song of Songs and Ecclesiastes which are words of wisdom, impart impurity to hands.
ו
רצועות תפילין עם התפילין וגיליון שבספר שלמעלה ושלמטה שבתחלה ושבסוף כשהן מחוברין לספר וספר שנמחק ונשתייר בו שמנים וחמש אותיות ומגילה שכתוב בה מן התורה שמנים וחמש אותיות כפרשת ויהי בנסוע הארון הרי אלו מטמאין את הידים ולא דברי תורה בלבד אלא כל כתבי הקדש אפילו שיר השירים וקהלת שהן דברי חכמה מטמאין את הידים:
7
The Aramaic portions in the Books of Ezra and Daniel are considered as part of the Holy Scriptures. If, by contrast, one translated an Aramaic portion into Hebrew or a Hebrew portion into Aramaic, or wrote the Holy Scriptures in the Hebrew script, they do not impart impurity to hands. That applies only when Scripture is written in the Ashuri script, on parchment, with ink.
ז
תרגום שבעזרא ושבדניאל הרי הוא מכלל כתבי הקדש אבל תרגום שכתבו עברית ועברית שכתבו תרגום או שכתב כתבי הקדש בכתב עברי אינן מטמאין את הידים עד שיהיו כתובים אשורית על העור ובדיו:
8
Although it is forbidden to do so, if one writes Hallel or theShema for a child to study, they impart impurity to hands.
ח
הכותב הלל ושמע לתינוק להתלמד בו אף על פי שאינו רשאי הרי אלו מטמאין את הידים:
9
Although it is forbidden to maintain them, as long as the strings and the straps sewed within a Torah scroll are attached to the scroll, they impart impurity to hands.
ט
המשיחות והרצועות שתפרן לספר אע"פ שאינו רשאי לקיימן כל זמן שהן מחוברין לספר מטמאין את הידים:
10
When the case of a scroll, an ark, or the mantle of a scroll are sewn to the scroll itself, they impart impurity to hands. By contrast, although passages of blessings, contain the letters of God's name and many Torah concepts, they do not impart impurity to hands.
י
תיק של ספר ומטפחות ספרים בזמן שהן תפורות מטמאין את הידים אבל הברכות אף על פי שיש בהן מאותיות של שם ומעניינים הרבה של תורה אינן מטמאין את הידים:
11
Scrolls written by heretics do not impart impurity to hands. Since the passage of a sotah is intended to be blotted out, it does not impart impurity to hands.
יא
ספרי המינים אינן מטמאין את הידים פרשת סוטה הואיל ולמחיקה עומדת אינה מטמאה את הידים:
She'ar Avot haTum'ah - Chapter 10
1
As we explained, every entity, whether a person or a k'li, that contracts impurity from a primary source of impurity is considered as a primary derivative of impurity until immersion in amikveh. After immersion, he or it is considered like a secondary derivative of impurity until nightfall, as implied by Leviticus 11:32: "It shall be inserted into water and it will be impure until evening, when it will become pure." Thus Scripture refers to an entity immersed that day as impure.
א
כל המתטמא באב מאבות הטומאות בין אדם בין כלים הרי הוא ראשון לטומאה כמו שביארנו עד שיטבול טבל הרי הוא כשני לטומאה עד שיעריב שמשו שנאמר במים יובא וטמא עד הערב וטהר הכתוב קרא לטבול יום טמא:
2
The same status applies both to one who immersed to purify himself from severe impurity, e.g., that of a zav, that connected with a human corpse, or tzara'at, and one who immersed to purify himself from the impurity stemming from the carcass of a teeming animal and the like. Any entity, whether a person or a k'li, that must wait until nightfall to regain purity, regardless of whether the impurity stems from Scriptural Law or the words of the Rabbis, is considered as a secondary derivative until nightfall.
ב
אחד טבול יום מטומאה חמורה כגון שטבל מזיבות מטומאת מת וצרעת ואחד טבול יום מטומאת שרץ וכיוצא בו כל הטעון הערב שמש בין אדם בין כלים בין מדברי תורה בין מדברי סופרים הרי הוא כשני לטומאה עד שיעריב שמשו:
3
Contact with a person who immersed himself that day disqualifies foods that are terumah, liquids that are terumah, sacrificial foods, and consecrated liquids. It disqualifies everything.
What is implied? If a person who immersed that day touches food that is terumah, he causes it to be considered a tertiary derivative of impurity, for he is a secondary derivative. Similarly, if he touches liquids that are terumah, he imparts impurity to them and they are considered tertiary derivatives of impurity. In the same vein, if such a person touches consecrated liquids, he imparts impurity to them and they are a fourth degree derivative of impurity. Similarly, if he touches consecrated food, he causes them to be considered a fourth degree derivative of impurity. If, however, he touches ordinary foods or ordinary liquids, they remain pure. The laws that apply to those who are lacking atonement and one who immersed himself are the same with regard to touching consecrated food.
From this entire discussion, one has learnt that liquids are never considered a secondary derivative. They are always considered as primary derivatives with the exception of liquids touched by a person who immersed himself that day which are considered as tertiary derivatives if they were terumah or a fourth degree derivative if they are consecrated foods.
ג
טבול יום פוסל אוכלי תרומה ומשקה תרומה ואוכלי הקדש ומשקה הקדש פוסל הכל כיצד טבול יום שנגע באוכלין של תרומה עשאן שלישי לטומאה מפני שהוא שני וכן אם נגע במשקין של תרומה טמאין והרי הן שלישי לטומאה נגע טבול יום במשקין של קדש טימאן והרי הן רביעי לטומאה וכן אם נגע באוכלי הקדש עשאן רביעי אבל אם נגע באוכלין חולין ומשקה חולין הרי הן טהורין ודין מחוסר כפורים וטבול יום בנגיעת הקודש אחד הוא הרי נתבאר לך מכל אלו הדברים שאין שם משקין שניות לעולם אלא המשקין תחילה לעולם חוץ ממשקין שנגע בהן טבול יום שהן שלישי אם היו תרומה או רביעי אם היו קדש:
4
Fluids, e.g., saliva or urine, produced by any of those who impart impurity - whether severe or light - are governed by the same laws as the liquids that they touch. They are all primary derivatives of impurity, as we explained, with the exception of those produced or touched by a zav and those like him. The fluids such individuals produce are primary sources of impurity, while the liquids they touch are primary derivatives of impurity. Even when a person contracts impurity by eating impure foods or drinking impure liquids, the fluids he produces are governed by the same laws as the liquids he touches, i.e., they are primary derivatives.
Similarly, the fluids produced by a person who immersed and is waiting for nightfall are governed by the same laws as the liquids he touches; they do not impart impurity to other entities at all. Instead, if such fluids touch ordinary liquids, they are pure. If they touch liquids that are terumah, they become tertiary derivatives of impurity. And if they touch consecrated liquids, they become fourth degree derivatives.
ד
כל המטמאין בין חמורין בין קלין משקין היוצאין מהן כגון רוקן ומימי רגליהן הרי הן כמשקין שנגעו בהן אלו ואלו ראשון לטומאה כמו שביארנו חוץ מזב וחבריו שמשקין היוצאין מהן אב טומאה ומשקין שהזב וחבריו נוגעין בהן תחלה אפילו אוכל אוכלין טמאין או שותה משקין טמאין המשקין היוצאין ממנו קודם שיטבול כמו המשקין שנגע בהן שהן תחילה וכן טבול יום משקין היוצאין ממנו כמשקין שהוא נוגע בהן שאין מטמאין אחרים כלל אלא אם נגע במשקה חולין הרי הן טהורין ואם נגע במשקה תרומה הרי הן שלישי ואם נגע במשקה קדש הרי הן רביעי:
5
From the above, it should be clear that a tertiary derivative that is terumah or a fourth degree derivative that is consecrated does not impart impurity to other liquids or other foods. Needless to say, it does not impart impurity to keilim.
Therefore, the following rules apply when there was a pot full of liquids and a person who had immersed that day touches it. If they were ordinary liquids, everything is pure. If the liquids were terumah, the liquids are disqualified, but the pot is pure. If only the person's hands were impure, the liquids are impure, whether they are terumahor ordinary liquids. This is a stringency observed with regard to impure hands that does not apply to a person who immersed that day.
There is a stringency observed with regard to a person who immersed that day that does not apply to impure hands: If there is a question regarding the status of a person who immersed that day, he disqualifies foods and liquids he touches because of that question. If, by contrast, the status of a person's hands is in doubt, the entities he touches are pure, as will be explained.
ה
ועתה יתבאר לך שאין שלישי שבתרומה ולא רביעי שבקדש מטמא משקה אחר או אוכל אחר ואין צ"ל שאין מטמאין כלים לפיכך קדירה שמליאה משקין ונגע בה טבול יום אם היה משקה חולין הכל טהור ואם היה משקה תרומה המשקין פסולין והקדירה טהורה ואם היו ידיו טמאות המשקה טמא בין משקה תרומה בין משקה חולין וזה חומר בידים מבטבול יום וחומר בטבול יום מבידים טמאות שספק טבול יום פוסל מספק וספק הידים טהור כמו שיתבאר:
6
Both a person who was pure, but his hands contracted impurity and a person who immersed that day whose hands contracted impurity, impart impurity to ordinary liquids to cause them to be considered as primary derivatives of impurity that impart impurity to foods and liquids, as we explained.
Since the fluids discharged by a person who immersed that day are governed by the same laws as the liquids he touches, if the saliva or the urine of a person who immersed that day falls on a loaf of bread that is terumah, it is pure, because the fluids are like the liquids that he touches.
ו
אחד טהור שהיו ידיו טמאות או טבול יום שידיו טמאות ה"ז מטמא משקה חולין ועושה אותן תחלה לטמא אוכלין ומשקין כמו שביארנו ומאחר שמשקה שיצא מטבול יום כמשקין שנגע בהן טבול יום שנפל מרוקו או מימי רגליו על ככר של תרומה ה"ז טהור מפני שהן כמשקין שנגע בהן:
7
From all the concepts that we have stated previously, it is possible to comprehend that a person may become a source of impurity and he may be a primary derivative of impurity according to Scriptural Law. A person will be considered as a secondary derivative only according to Rabbinic Law. This refers to one who partakes of impure foods or drinks impure beverages or one who inserts his head and the majority of his body into drawn water. In all of these instances, the person is a secondary derivative of impurity according to Rabbinic Law.
Similarly, all types of keilim with the exception of earthenware containers can become primary sources of impurity or primary derivatives of impurity according to Scriptural Law. A k'li will be considered as a secondary derivative only according to Rabbinic Law; i.e., if it contracted impurity from impure liquids, it will be a secondary derivative according to Rabbinic Law, as we explained.
ז
מכל אלו הדברים שהקדמנו לבארם אתה למד שהאדם יהיה אב לטומאה ויהיה ראשון לטומאה מדברי תורה ולעולם לא יהיה האדם שני אלא מדברי סופרים והוא האוכל אוכלין טמאים או השותה משקין טמאין או הבא ראשו ורובו במים שאובין שכל אלו כשני לטומאה מדבריהם וכן שאר כל הכלים חוץ מכלי חרס יהיו אב טומאה ויהיו ראשון לטומאה מדברי תורה ולא יהיה הכלי לעולם שני לטומאה אלא מד"ס שאם יטמא במשקין טמאים יהיה שני מדבריהן כמו שביארנו:
8
We already explained, that an earthenware container will never become a primary source of impurity, neither according to Scriptural Law, nor according to Rabbinic Law. It may become a primary derivative of impurity according to Scriptural Law and a secondary derivative according to Rabbinic Law if it contracted impurity from liquids, like other keilim. Neither persons, nor keilimever become a third degree or a fourth degree derivative of impurity, neither according to Scriptural Law, nor according to Rabbinic Law.
ח
כבר ביארנו שכלי חרס לא יהיה אב טומאה לעולם לא מדברי תורה ולא מד"ס ויהיה ראשון לטומאה מדברי תורה ושני מדבריהן אם נטמא במשקין כשאר הכלים ולא יהיה האדם ולא הכלים שלישי ולא רביעי לעולם לא מדברי תורה ולא מדברי סופרים:
9
Foods will never become a primary source of impurity, neither according to Scriptural Law, nor according to Rabbinic Law. They may become primary and secondary derivatives of impurity according to Scriptural Law. For if a person or k'li that is a primary derivative of impurity touches food, it causes it to be considered a secondary derivative.
According to the Sages alone, foods may become third degree derivatives or fourth degree derivatives.
ט
האוכלים לא יהיו אב טומאה לעולם לא מדברי תורה ולא מדבריהם ויהיו ראשון ושני מדברי תורה שהאדם או הכלי שהוא ראשון לטומאה אם נגע באוכל עשאוהו שני והאוכלין יהיו שלישי ורביעי לטומאה מדבריהן בלבד:
10
Liquids, e.g., the water on which the ashes of the red heifer have been sprinkled or the saliva or urine of a zav, may become primary sources of impurity according to Scriptural Law. And they may become primary derivatives of impurity according to Scriptural Law, e.g., if they touched a primary source of impurity. Similarly, if liquids touched a derivative of impurity - whether a person or a k'li - they contract impurity according to Scriptural Law and are considered as primary derivatives to impart impurity to other entities according to Rabbinic decree. Similarly, if liquids touched a secondary derivative of impurity - whether a person, a k'li, or foods, they are considered as primary derivatives to impart impurity to other entities according to Rabbinic decree, as we explained.
Similarly, liquids can become third degree derivatives or fourth degree derivatives according to Rabbinic decree. What is implied? If a person who immersed that day touches a liquid that is terumah, he causes it to be considered a third degree derivative. If he touches a consecrated liquid, he causes it to be considered a fourth degree derivative. There is no concept of a liquid being considered as a secondary derivative or indeed, anything other than a primary derivative except liquids touched by or fluids discharged by a person who immersed that day or one who is lacking atonement with regard to consecrated liquids, in which instance, he disqualifies them, but does not make them impure, as we explained.
י
המשקין יהיו אב טומאה מדברי תורה כגון מי חטאת ורוק הזב ומימי רגליו ויהיו ראשון לטומאה מדברי תורה כגון שנגעו באב מאבות הטומאות וכן אם נגעו המשקין בולד הטומאה בין אדם בין כלים נטמאו מדברי תורה והרי הן כראשון לטומאה לטמא אחרים מדבריהן וכן אם נגעו בשני בין אדם בין כלים בין באוכלין נעשו ראשון לטמא אחרים מדבריהם כמו שביארנו ויהיו המשקין שלישי ורביעי מדבריהם כיצד אם נגע טבול יום במשקה תרומה עשאהו שלישי ואם נגע במשקה קדש עשאהו רביעי ואין אתה מוצא משקין שניות לעולם ולא משקה שאינו תחלה חוץ ממשקה טבול יום או מחוסר כפורים בקדש כמו שביארנו שהוא פוסל מדבריהם ואינו מטמא:
She'ar Avot haTum'ah - Chapter 11
1
Whenever the term "disqualified" is used with regard to foods, the intent is that the food itself is considered as impure, but it does not impart impurity to other similar foods. Instead, if it touches another food, it is pure.
א
כל מקום שנאמר באוכלין פסול הוא שיהיה האוכל עצמו טמא ולא יטמא אוכל אחר אלא אם נגע באוכל אחר הרי הוא טהור:
2
With regard to ordinary foods, a primary derivative of impurity contracts impurity and imparts impurity to others. A secondary derivative is disqualified, but does not impart impurity, for a secondary derivative does not create a tertiary derivative with regard to ordinary food.
What is the source that teaches that ordinary food which is a secondary derivative is disqualified? Leviticus 11:33 states: "Whenever one of them falls into its inner space, everything in its inner space contracts impurity." Now, a carcass of a crawling animal is a primary source of impurity. The earthenware container into whose inner space it falls is a primary derivative of impurity. Thus the food in the container is a secondary derivative and yet Scripture calls it impure.
Similarly, if the carcass of a crawling animal falls into an oven, bread in the oven is a secondary derivative, for the oven is a primary derivative.
ב
הראשון שבחולין טמא ומטמא השני פסול ולא מטמא ואין שני עושה שלישי בחולין ומניין לאוכל שני שהוא פסול בחולין שנאמר וכלי חרש אשר יפול מהן אל תוכו כל אשר בתוכו יטמא נמצא השרץ אב וכלי חרס שנפל השרץ לאוירו ראשון והאוכל שבכלי שני והרי הוא אומר יטמא וכן שרץ שנפל לאויר התנור הפת שנייה שהתנור ראשון:
3
With regard to terumah, primary and secondary derivatives of impurity contract impurity and impart impurity. A tertiary derivative is disqualified, but does not impart impurity, for a tertiary derivative does not create a derivative of the fourth degree with regard to terumah.
What is the source that teaches that food that is terumah which is a tertiary derivative is disqualified? Leviticus 22:7 states: "And the sun will set and he will become pure. Afterwards, he shall partake of consecrated food." Thus a person who immersed that day is forbidden to partake of terumah until nightfall. If he touches it, he disqualifies it. A person who immerses is like a secondary derivative. Thus one can conclude a secondary derivative makes a tertiary derivative with regard to terumah.
ג
הראשון והשני שבתרומה טמאים ומטמאים השלישי פסול ולא מטמא ואין שלישי עושה רביעי בתרומה מניין לאוכל שלישי שהוא פוסל בתרומה שנאמר ובא השמש וטהר ואחר יאכל מן הקדשים נמצא טבול יום אסור בתרומה עד שיעריב שמשו ואם נגע בה פסלה וטבול יום כשני לטומאה הוא הא למדת שהשני עושה שלישי בתרומה:
4
With regard to consecrated food, primary, secondary, and tertiary derivatives contract impurity and impart impurity. A derivative to the fourth degree is disqualified, but does not impart impurity, for a derivative to the fourth degree does not ever create a derivative to the fifth degree.
What is the source that teaches that a tertiary derivative is impure with regard to consecrated foods? Leviticus 7:19 states: "Meat that touches anything that is impure shall not be eaten." And Scripture has already referred to a secondary derivative of impurity as "impure," as stated: "Everything in its inner space contracts impurity." Thus one can conclude that consecrated meat that touches a secondary derivative contracts impurity and must be burnt.
What is the source that teaches that a fourth degree derivative disqualifies consecrated foods? It is derived through an inference from a more lenient matter to a more stringent one: A person who is lacking atonement is permitted to partake of terumah, but is forbidden to partake of sacrificial food until he brings the offerings that secure atonement for him. If so, should not a tertiary derivative of impurity which disqualifies terumah cause a derivative to the fourth degree to become impure? Nevertheless, a fifth degree derivative is pure.
ד
הראשון והשני והשלישי בקדש טמאין ומטמאין הרביעי פסול ואינו מטמא ואין רביעי עושה חמישי לעולם ומניין לשלישי בקדש שהוא טמא שנאמר והבשר אשר יגע בכל טמא לא יאכל וכבר קרא הכתוב לשני טמא שנאמר כל אשר בתוכו יטמא הא למדת שבשר הקדש שנגע בשני נטמא וישרף ומניין לרביעי בקדש שהוא פסול מק"ו ומה מחוסר כיפורים שהוא מותר בתרומה אסור בקדש עד שיביא כפרתו השלישי שהוא פסול בתרומה אינו דין שיעשה רביעי בקדש אבל החמישי טהור:
5
Even though ordinary meat is pure, our Sages decreed that it should be considered as a tertiary derivative of impurity and convey impurity to sacrificial food. It does not impart impurity toterumah. It appears to me that the Sages enforced their decree against it solely so that ordinary meat not become mixed with sacrificial meat. Were that to happen, an error could be made and inadvertently, one might think that the meat is ordinary and eat it while he is impure, although in truth it is consecrated.
ה
בשר תאוה אף על פי שהוא טהור גזרו עליו שיהיה כשלישי לטומאה מטמא את הקדש ואינו פוסל את התרומה ויראה לי שלא גזרו עליו אלא כדי שלא יערבוהו עם בשר הקדש ויבואו לטעות ולשגוג בו וידמו שהבשר זה הוא חול והוא קדש ויאכלנו בטומאה:
6
When foods are joined together by liquid, they are considered as joined with regard to contracting the impurity associated with foods. There is an unresolved question if they are considered as a single entity from which to count primary, secondary, and tertiary derivatives or the food that was touched by the impurity is a primary derivative and the food that is joined to it as a secondary derivative.
ו
חיבורי אוכלין ע"י משקין הרי הן חיבור לטמא טומאת אוכלין והדבר ספק אם חשובים כגוף אחד למנות בהן ראשון ושני ושלישי או חושבים זה האוכל שנגעה בו הטומאה ראשון והאוכל המחובר לו שני:
7
Impure food that is a secondary derivative disqualifies food that is terumah and causes it to be considered as a tertiary derivative. If it touches ordinary liquids, it imparts impurity to them. Needless to say, if it touches liquids that are terumah or consecrated, it imparts impurity to the entire quantity.
ז
השני שבחולין פוסל אוכלי תרומה ועושה אותן שלישי ואם נגע במשקה חולין טימאן ואצ"ל אם נגע במשקה תרומה או במשקה קדש שהוא מטמא את הכל:
8
Terumah that is a tertiary derivative of impurity that touched consecrated food disqualifies it and causes it to be considered as a fourth degree derivative. If it touches consecrated liquids, it imparts impurity to them and causes them to be considered as primary derivatives. If, however, terumah that is a tertiary derivative touches a liquid that is terumah, it is pure. Similarly, if consecrated food that is a fourth degree derivative touches a consecrated liquid, it is pure.
ח
השלישי שבתרומה שנגע באוכלי קדש פסלן ונעשו רביעי ואם נגע במשקה הקדש טימאן ונעשו תחלה אבל אם נגע שלישי שבתרומה במשקה תרומה הרי הוא טהור וכן רביעי שבקדש אם נגע במשקה קדש הרי זה טהור:
9
When ordinary food is prepared with the stringencies ofterumah, if it becomes a tertiary derivative, it is disqualified, as is true with regard to terumah. Nevertheless, if such food touches consecrated food, it does not cause it to be considered as a fourth degree derivative. It does not even disqualify consecrated liquids. When ordinary food is prepared with the stringencies of consecrated food, a tertiary derivative is pure like ordinary food.
ט
חולין שנעשו על טהרת תרומה השלישי שבהן פסול כתרומה ואם נגע בקדש אינו עושהו רביעי ואפילו משקה קדש אינו פוסל וחולין שנעשו על טהרת הקדש השלישי שבהן טהור כחולין:
10
A person who partakes of consecrated food that is a fourth degree derivative of impurity is forbidden to partake of other consecrated foods. He is permitted to touch consecrated foods and does not disqualify them. Even when there is cooked food in which consecrated food was mixed, but there is less than an olive-sized portion of consecrated food in a mixture the size of half a loaf of bread, a person who partook of consecrated food that was a fourth degree derivative of impurity should not partake of this mixture. It may be eaten only by one who partook of consecrated food that was removed from impurity by the fifth degree. For he is pure, as we explained.
י
האוכל רביעי שבקדש אסור לו לאכול את הקדש ומותר ליגע בקדש ואינו פוסלו אפילו תבשיל שנתערב בו הקדש ואין בו כזית בכדי אכילת פרס הרי זה לא יאכל ברביעי של קדש אלא בחמישי שהוא טהור כמו שביארנו:
11
When a person partakes of terumah or ordinary food prepared with the stringencies of terumah that was a tertiary derivative of impurity, he is forbidden to partake of terumah until he immerses himself in a mikveh. He is permitted to touch terumah, and if he does, it is ritually pure. The Sages imposed a stringency with regard to eating, not with regard to touching.
When does the above apply? To terumah itself. If, however, terumahwas mixed into cooked food and there is less than an olive-sized portion of terumah in a mixture the size of half a loaf of bread, such a person is permitted to partake of the mixture, just as he is permitted to touch terumah.
יא
האוכל שלישי שבתרומה עצמה או של חולין שנעשו על טהרת תרומה ה"ז אסור לאכול את התרומה עד שיטבול ומותר ליגע בתרומה והרי היא טהורה באכילה עשו מעלה בנגיעה לא עשו מעלה בד"א בתרומה עצמה אבל תבשיל שנתערבה בו תרומה אם אין שם כזית בכדי אכילת פרס הרי זה מותר לאכול מאותו תבשיל כדרך שמותר ליגע בתרומה:
12
Although a person who partakes of terumah or ordinary food prepared with the stringencies of terumah that was a tertiary derivative of impurity is considered as pure with regard to touchingterumah, he is considered as a secondary derivative with regard to consecrated foods. For something that is pure with regard to terumahis impure with regard to consecrated food.
When, by contrast, one partakes of ordinary food prepared with the stringencies of consecrated food that was a tertiary derivative of impurity, he is pure. There is nothing that creates a fourth degree derivative of impurity with regard to consecrated foods except consecrated food itself.
יב
האוכל שלישי שבתרומה או של חולין שנעשו על טהרת התרומה אע"פ שהוא טהור לנגיעת תרומה הרי הוא כשני לעניין קדש שטהרת תרומה טומאה היא אצל הקדש אבל האוכל שלישי שבחולין שנעשו על טהרת הקדש הרי הוא טהור שאין לך דבר שעושה רביעי בקדש אלא קדש מקדש בלבד:
13
The term "consecrated food" employed with regard to the impurity of foods and liquids refers to sacrificial foods, e.g., meat from sacrifices of the highest order of sanctity, meat from sacrifices of a lesser degree of sanctity, bread from a thanksgiving offering and cakes of a nazirite's offering for which their sacrifice was slaughtered, flour offerings that were sanctified in a consecrated vessel, the two loaves offered on Shavuot and the showbreads when their surface became hardened in the oven. By contrast, the loaves of the thanksgiving offerings and the cakes of nazirite's offering for which their sacrifice was not slaughtered and flour offerings that were not sanctified in a consecrated vessel are not considered as consecrated food, nor as ordinary food. Instead, their status is the same as terumah.
יג
כל קדש האמור בעניין טומאת אוכלין ומשקין הוא קדשי מקדש המקודשין כגון בשר קדשי קדשים ובשר קדשים קלים וחלות תודה ורקיקי נזיר שנשחט עליהן הזבח והמנחות שקדשו בכלי ושתי הלחם ולחם הפנים משקרמו בתנור אבל חלות תודה ורקיקי נזיר שלא נשחט עליהן הזבח והמנחות שלא קדשו בכלי אינן לא כקדש ולא כחולין אלא כתרומה:
14
Challah, the first-fruits, restitution made for terumah and the additional fifth are considered as terumah.
יד
החלה והבכורים ותשלומי תרומה [וחומשה] הרי הן כתרומה:
15
Tevel, a mixture of ordinary produce and terumah, produce that grew from terumah that was planted, the second and first tithes, and a dough from which challah had not yet been separated are considered like ordinary produce. A primary derivative is impure. A secondary derivative is disqualified and there is no concept of a tertiary derivative.
טו
הטבל והמדומע וגידולי תרומה ומעשר שני וראשון ועיסה הטבולה לחלה הרי הן כחולין והראשון טמא בהן והשני פסול ואין בהן שלישי:
16
Our Sages decreed that whenever an entity would impart impurity to ordinary food according to Scriptural Law if one was certain that they came into contact, when one is in doubt whether it came into contact with dough from which challah, that dough should be prepared in a state of ritual purity. Challah is separated from it, but its status is held in abeyance. It is neither eaten, nor burnt.
טז
כל דבר שודאו מטמא את החולין מן התורה גזרו על ספיקו בחולין הטבולין לחלה שתעשה אותה העיסה בטהרה ומפרישים ממנה חלה וחלתה תלויה לא נאכלת ולא נשרפת:
• Hayom Yom:
• English Text | Video Class
• Shabbat, Sivan 19, 5776 - June 25, 2016
• Shabbat, Sivan 19, 5776 - June 25, 2016
• "Today's Day"
Tuesday Sivan 19 5703
Torah lessons: Chumash: Sh'lach, Shlishi with Rashi.
Tehillim: 90-96.
Tanya: Therefore, it was (p. 305)...Hava'ye is Elokim. (p. 307).
In the month of Marcheshvan 5613 (1852) the Tzemach Tzedek started an additional program of study with my grandfather,1 besides the Tzemach Tzedek's regular studies. This was for two and a half hours daily, starting at 10:00 p.m. winters, and at 4:00 a.m. summers. For two years they studied Kabala with chassidic interpretation. Thereafter, until Elul 5616 (1856), when this special program ceased, they studied the following philosophical works: Those of R. Saadya Gaon, and Moreh Nevuchim, Ikarim, Kuzari, etc. - according to Chassidic teachings.
FOOTNOTES
1.R. Shmuel, the Tzemach Tzedek's son; later, the Rebbe Maharash.
• Daily Thought:
The Inner Plane
We balance two planes of being.
An outer world, in which we are helplessly carried down a stream and told, “Now is winter, soon will come spring, then summer, then autumn, then winter again. The unborn will live, the living will wither and die; a world will continue as it must be.”
And an inner world, of which we are master; in which we choose that life will be life, and death will have meaning, and the world we enter and leave behind will be filled with purpose.
The outer world is but a stage. The inner world is its soul for which it was brought into being.
---------------------
No comments:
Post a Comment