Torah Reading
Rosh Chodesh: Numbers 28:1 (v) Adonai said to Moshe, 2 “Give an order to the people of Isra’el. Tell them, ‘You are to take care to offer me at the proper time the food presented to me as offerings made by fire, providing a fragrant aroma for me.’ 3 Tell them, ‘This is the offering made by fire that you are to bring to Adonai: male lambs in their first year and without defect, two daily as a regular burnt offering.
3 Tell them, ‘This is the offering made by fire that you are to bring to Adonai: male lambs in their first year and without defect, two daily as a regular burnt offering. 4 Offer the one lamb in the morning and the other lamb at dusk, 5 along with two quarts of fine flour as a grain offering, mixed with one quart of oil from pressed olives. 6 It is the regular burnt offering, the same as was offered on Mount Sinai to give a fragrant aroma, an offering made by fire for Adonai. 7 Its drink offering is to be one-quarter hin for one lamb; in the Holy Place you are to pour out a drink offering of intoxicating liquor to Adonai. 8 The other lamb you are to present at dusk; present it with the same kind of grain offering and drink offering as in the morning; it is an offering made by fire, with a fragrant aroma for Adonai.
9 “‘On Shabbat offer two male lambs in their first year and without defect, with one gallon of fine flour as a grain offering, mixed with olive oil, and its drink offering. 10 This is the burnt offering for every Shabbat, in addition to the regular burnt offering and its drink offering.
11 “‘At each Rosh-Hodesh of yours, you are to present a burnt offering to Adonai consisting of two young bulls, one ram and seven male lambs in their first year and without defect; 12 with six quarts of fine flour mixed with olive oil as a grain offering for the one ram; 13 and two quarts of fine flour mixed with olive oil as a grain offering for each lamb. This will be the burnt offering giving a fragrant aroma, an offering made by fire for Adonai. 14 Their drink offerings will be two quarts of wine for a bull, one-and-one-third quarts for the ram, and one quart for each lamb. This is the burnt offering for every Rosh-Hodesh throughout the months of the year. 15 Also a male goat is to be offered as a sin offering to Adonai, in addition to the regular burnt offering and its drink offering.
Today's Laws & Customs:• Rosh Chodesh Observances
Today isRosh Chodesh ("Head of the Month") for the month of Sivan.
Special portions are added to the daily prayers: Hallel (Psalms 113-118) is recited -- in its "partial" form -- following the Shacharit morning prayer, and the Yaaleh V'yavo prayer is added to the Amidah and to Grace After Meals; the additional Musaf prayer is said (when Rosh Chodesh is Shabbat, special additions are made to the Shabbat Musaf). Tachnun (confession of sins) and similar prayers are omitted.
Many have the custom to mark Rosh Chodesh with a festive meal and reduced work activity. The latter custom is prevalent amongst women, who have a special affinity with Rosh Chodesh -- the month being the feminine aspect of the Jewish Calendar.
Links:
• Count "Forty-Six Days to the Omer" Tonight
Tomorrow is the forty-sixth day of the Omer Count. Since, on the Jewish calendar, the day begins at nightfall of the previous evening, we count the omer for tomorrow's date tonight, after nightfall: "Today is forty-six days, which are six weeks and four days, to the Omer." (If you miss the count tonight, you can count the omer all day tomorrow, but without the preceding blessing).
The 49-day "Counting of the Omer" retraces our ancestors' seven-week spiritual journey from the Exodus to Sinai. Each evening we recite a special blessing and count the days and weeks that have passed since the Omer; the 50th day is Shavuot, the festival celebrating the Giving of the Torah at Sinai.
Tonight's Sefirah: Netzach sheb'Malchut -- "Ambition in Receptiveness"
The teachings of Kabbalah explain that there are seven "Divine Attributes" -- Sefirot -- that G-d assumes through which to relate to our existence: Chessed, Gevurah, Tifferet, Netzach, Hod,Yesod and Malchut ("Love", "Strength", "Beauty", "Victory", "Splendor", "Foundation" and "Sovereignty"). In the human being, created in the "image of G-d," the seven sefirot are mirrored in the seven "emotional attributes" of the human soul: Kindness, Restraint, Harmony, Ambition, Humility, Connection and Receptiveness. Each of the seven attributes contain elements of all seven--i.e., "Kindness in Kindness", "Restraint in Kindness", "Harmony in Kindness", etc.--making for a total of forty-nine traits. The 49-day Omer Count is thus a 49-step process of self-refinement, with each day devoted to the "rectification" and perfection of one the forty-nine "sefirot."
Links:
The deeper significance of the Omer Count
Today in Jewish History:
• Flood Waters Recede (2105 BCE)
150 days after the rains stopped falling in the Great Flood, the raging waters which covered the face of the earth calmed and began to subside at the rate of one cubit every four days (Genesis 8:3; Rashi, ibid. See "Today in Jewish History" for Cheshvan 17.)
Links:
• Encampment at Sinai (1313 BCE)
On the 1st of Sivan of the year 2448 from creation (1313 BCE), six weeks after their exodus from Egypt, the Children of Israel arrived at Mount Sinai in the Sinai Desert and camped at the foot of the mountain "as one man, with one heart" in preparation for the receiving of the Torahfrom G-d. On this day, however "Moses did not say anything to them, because of their exhaustion from the journey."
Link: The Day That Nothing Happened
• Korach Swallowed Up by the Earth (1312 BCE)
Korach, who led a rebellion against the leadership of Moses and Aaron, met his end when, miraculously, "the ground split beneath them... And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their houses, and all the men that appertained to Korach, and all their possessions" (Numbers 16:31-32).
Links:
• Worms Jews Massacred (1096)
At the end of a week in which a group Jews took refuge in a local castle in Worms, Germany, the crusaders massacred them during their morning prayers. (see "Today in Jewish History" for Iyar 8.)
Daily Quote:
Blessed are you G-d... who re-enacts the work of creation[blessing recited on the sun once in 28 years when it returns to its original place and time at the time of its creation]
Daily Study:
Chitas and Rambam for today:
Chumash: Bamidbar, 3rd Portion Numbers 2:1-2:34 with Rashi
• English / Hebrew Linear Translation | Video Class• Numbers Chapter 2
1God spoke to Moses and Aaron saying: אוַיְדַבֵּ֣ר יְהוָֹ֔ה אֶל־משֶׁ֥ה וְאֶל־אַֽהֲרֹ֖ן לֵאמֹֽר:
2The children of Israel shall encamp each man by his division with the flag staffs of their fathers' house; some distance from the Tent of Meeting they shall encamp. באִ֣ישׁ עַל־דִּגְל֤וֹ בְאֹתֹת֙ לְבֵ֣ית אֲבֹתָ֔ם יַֽחֲנ֖וּ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל מִנֶּ֕גֶד סָבִ֥יב לְאֹֽהֶל־מוֹעֵ֖ד יַֽחֲנֽוּ:
with the flag staffs: Heb. בְאֹתֹת. Every division shall have its own flag staff, with a colored flag hanging on it; the color of one being different from the color of any other. The color of each one was like the hue of its stone, set in the choshen [worn by the Kohen Gadol], and in this way, everyone could recognize his division. Another explanation: “with the signs [the literal translation of בְאֹתֹת] of his fathers’ house”—according to the sign their father Jacob gave them when they carried him out of Egypt, as it says, “His sons did for him just as he had commanded them” (Gen. 50:12), [which was that] Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun should bear him [his body] from the east, Reuben, Simeon, and Gad from the south etc. as it states in the [Midrash] Tanchuma on this section. — [Rashi]
באתת: כל דגל יהיה לו אות מפה צבועה תלויה בו. צבעו של זה לא כצבעו של זה, צבע כל אחד כגוון אבנו הקבועה בחשן, ומתוך כך יכיר כל אחד את דגלו. דבר אחר באותות לבית אבותם באות שמסר להם יעקב אביהם כשנשאוהו ממצרים, שנאמר (בראשית נ, יב) ויעשו בניו לו כן כאשר צום, יהודה ויששכר וזבולן ישאוהו מן המזרח, וראובן ושמעון וגד מן הדרום וכו', כדאיתא בתנחומא [במדבר יב] בפרשה זו:
some distance: At a distance of a mil, as it is stated in Joshua (3:4),“However, there shall be some distance between you and it; about two thousand cubits.” [The reason for this distance, which is the distance permitted to travel on a Sabbath day, was] so that they would be able to come [to the Mishkan] on the Sabbath, [for] Moses, Aaron and his sons, and the Levites were encamped close to it.
מנגד: מרחוק מיל, כמו שנאמר ביהושע (יהושע ג, ד) אך רחוק יהיה ביניכם וביניו כאלפים אמה, שיוכלו לבא בשבת, משה ואהרן ובניו והלוים חונים בסמוך לו:
3Those camping in front, to the east, were the legions under the division of the camp of Judah. The prince of the children of Judah was Nahshon the son of Amminadab. גוְהַֽחֹנִים֙ קֵ֣דְמָה מִזְרָ֔חָה דֶּ֛גֶל מַֽחֲנֵ֥ה יְהוּדָ֖ה לְצִבְאֹתָ֑ם וְנָשִׂיא֙ לִבְנֵ֣י יְהוּדָ֔ה נַחְשׁ֖וֹן בֶּן־עַמִּֽינָדָֽב:
in front: The front side, which is called קֶדֶם, and which is this? The east side. The west is called the rear side [of the world]. — [Rashi]
קדמה: לפנים הקרויה קדם, ואיזו זו, רוח מזרחית. והמערב קרוי אחור:
4His legion numbered seventy four thousand, six hundred. דוּצְבָא֖וֹ וּפְקֻֽדֵיהֶ֑ם אַרְבָּעָ֧ה וְשִׁבְעִ֛ים אֶ֖לֶף וְשֵׁ֥שׁ מֵאֽוֹת:
5Camping next to him, the tribe of Issachar; the prince of the children of Issachar was Nethanel the son of Zu'ar. הוְהַֽחֹנִ֥ים עָלָ֖יו מַטֵּ֣ה יִשָּׂשכָ֑ר וְנָשִׂיא֙ לִבְנֵ֣י יִשָּׂשכָ֔ר נְתַנְאֵ֖ל בֶּן־צוּעָֽר:
6His legion numbered fifty four thousand, four hundred. ווּצְבָא֖וֹ וּפְקֻדָ֑יו אַרְבָּעָ֧ה וַֽחֲמִשִּׁ֛ים אֶ֖לֶף וְאַרְבַּ֥ע מֵאֽוֹת:
7[Then] the tribe of Zebulun, and the prince of the children of Zebulun was Eliab the son of Helon. זמַטֵּ֖ה זְבוּלֻ֑ן וְנָשִׂיא֙ לִבְנֵ֣י זְבוּלֻ֔ן אֱלִיאָ֖ב בֶּן־חֵלֹֽן:
8His legion numbered fifty seven thousand, four hundred. חוּצְבָא֖וֹ וּפְקֻדָ֑יו שִׁבְעָ֧ה וַֽחֲמִשִּׁ֛ים אֶ֖לֶף וְאַרְבַּ֥ע מֵאֽוֹת:
9The total sum for the legions of Judah's camp was one hundred and eighty six thousand, four hundred; these shall journey first. טכָּל־הַפְּקֻדִ֞ים לְמַֽחֲנֵ֣ה יְהוּדָ֗ה מְאַ֨ת אֶ֜לֶף וּשְׁמֹנִ֥ים אֶ֛לֶף וְשֵֽׁשֶׁת־אֲלָפִ֥ים וְאַרְבַּע־מֵא֖וֹת לְצִבְאֹתָ֑ם רִֽאשֹׁנָ֖ה יִסָּֽעוּ:
these shall journey first: When the cloud was seen departing, the kohanim would sound the trumpets, and the camp of Judah would set off first. And when they traveled, they journeyed forward retaining the same positions in which they camped: the Levites and the wagons in the center, the division of Judah to the east, that of Reuben to the south, that of Ephraim to the west, and that of Dan to the north.
ראשנה יסעו: כשרואין הענן מסתלק, תוקעין הכהנים בחצוצרות ונוסע מחנה יהודה תחלה, וכשהולכין הולכין כדרך חנייתן, הלוים והעגלות באמצע, דגל יהודה במזרח, ושל ראובן בדרום, ושל אפרים במערב, ושל דן בצפון:
10The legions under the division of the camp of Reuben were to the south. The prince of the children of Reuben was Elitzur the son of Shedeur. ידֶּ֣גֶל מַֽחֲנֵ֧ה רְאוּבֵ֛ן תֵּימָ֖נָה לְצִבְאֹתָ֑ם וְנָשִׂיא֙ לִבְנֵ֣י רְאוּבֵ֔ן אֱלִיצ֖וּר בֶּן־שְׁדֵיאֽוּר:
11His legion numbered forty six thousand, five hundred. יאוּצְבָא֖וֹ וּפְקֻדָ֑יו שִׁשָּׁ֧ה וְאַרְבָּעִ֛ים אֶ֖לֶף וַֽחֲמֵ֥שׁ מֵאֽוֹת:
12Camping next to him, the tribe of Simeon. The prince of the children of Simeon was Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai. יבוְהַֽחוֹנִ֥ם עָלָ֖יו מַטֵּ֣ה שִׁמְע֑וֹן וְנָשִׂיא֙ לִבְנֵ֣י שִׁמְע֔וֹן שְׁלֻֽמִיאֵ֖ל בֶּן־צוּרִֽישַׁדָּֽי:
13His legion numbered fifty nine thousand, three hundred. יגוּצְבָא֖וֹ וּפְקֻֽדֵיהֶ֑ם תִּשְׁעָ֧ה וַֽחֲמִשִּׁ֛ים אֶ֖לֶף וּשְׁל֥שׁ מֵאֽוֹת:
14[Then] the tribe of Gad. The prince of the children of Gad was Eliasaph the son of Re'uel. ידוּמַטֵּ֖ה גָּ֑ד וְנָשִׂיא֙ לִבְנֵ֣י גָ֔ד אֶלְיָסָ֖ף בֶּן־רְעוּאֵֽל:
15His legion numbered forty five thousand, six hundred and fifty. טווּצְבָא֖וֹ וּפְקֻֽדֵיהֶ֑ם חֲמִשָּׁ֤ה וְאַרְבָּעִים֙ אֶ֔לֶף וְשֵׁ֥שׁ מֵא֖וֹת וַֽחֲמִשִּֽׁים:
16The total sum for the legions of Reuben's camp was one hundred and fifty one thousand, four hundred and fifty; they shall be the second to set out. טזכָּל־הַפְּקֻדִ֞ים לְמַֽחֲנֵ֣ה רְאוּבֵ֗ן מְאַ֨ת אֶ֜לֶף וְאֶחָ֨ד וַֽחֲמִשִּׁ֥ים אֶ֛לֶף וְאַרְבַּע־מֵא֥וֹת וַֽחֲמִשִּׁ֖ים לְצִבְאֹתָ֑ם וּשְׁנִיִּ֖ם יִסָּֽעוּ:
17Then the Tent of Meeting shall set out, [with] the Levite camp, in the center of the other camps. Just as they camp, so shall they travel, each man in his place, by their divisions. יזוְנָסַ֧ע אֹֽהֶל־מוֹעֵ֛ד מַֽחֲנֵ֥ה הַֽלְוִיִּ֖ם בְּת֣וֹךְ הַמַּֽחֲנֹ֑ת כַּֽאֲשֶׁ֤ר יַֽחֲנוּ֙ כֵּ֣ן יִסָּ֔עוּ אִ֥ישׁ עַל־יָד֖וֹ לְדִגְלֵיהֶֽם:
Then the Tent of Meeting shall set out: After these two divisions.
ונסע אהל מועד: לאחר שני דגלים הללו:
just as they camp, so shall they travel: As I explained, they journeyed as they camped; each division marching on its designated side.
כאשר יחנו כן יסעו: כמו שפירשתי, הליכתן כחנייתן, כל דגל מהלך לרוח הקבועה לו:
in his place: Heb. עַל יָדוֹ, lit., on his hand. On his place. The term יָד does not depart from its usual meaning; the direction of his side is called עַל יָדוֹ, that which is by his hand, closest to him and within reach of his hand; en son aise in Old French. [According to Greenberg, on his place, i.e., the place adjacent to him. According to Gukovitski, at his ease (i.e., within easy reach). According to Berliner, on his side.]
על ידו: על מקומו, ואין לשון יד זז ממשמעו, רוח של צדו, קרוי על ידו, הסמוכה לו לכל הושטת ידו. אי"ן שו"ן איש"א בלע"ז [על ידו]:
18The legions under the division of the camp of Ephraim were to the west. The prince of the children of Ephraim was Elishama'the son of 'Amihud. יחדֶּ֣גֶל מַֽחֲנֵ֥ה אֶפְרַ֛יִם לְצִבְאֹתָ֖ם יָ֑מָּה וְנָשִׂיא֙ לִבְנֵ֣י אֶפְרַ֔יִם אֱלִֽישָׁמָ֖ע בֶּן־עַמִּיהֽוּד:
19His legion numbered forty thousand, five hundred. יטוּצְבָא֖וֹ וּפְקֻֽדֵיהֶ֑ם אַרְבָּעִ֥ים אֶ֖לֶף וַֽחֲמֵ֥שׁ מֵאֽוֹת:
20Next to him, the tribe of Manasseh. The prince of the children of Manasseh was Gamliel the son of Pedahzur. כוְעָלָ֖יו מַטֵּ֣ה מְנַשֶּׁ֑ה וְנָשִׂיא֙ לִבְנֵ֣י מְנַשֶּׁ֔ה גַּמְלִיאֵ֖ל בֶּן־פְּדָהצֽוּר:
Next to him: Heb. וְעָלָיו, as the Targum [Onkelos] renders it:“and those closest to him.”
ועליו: כתרגומו ודסמיכין עלוהי:
21His legion numbered thirty two thousand, two hundred. כאוּצְבָא֖וֹ וּפְקֻֽדֵיהֶ֑ם שְׁנַ֧יִם וּשְׁלשִׁ֛ים אֶ֖לֶף וּמָאתָֽיִם:
22[Then] the tribe of Benjamin. The prince of the children of Benjamin was Abidan the son of Gid'oni. כבוּמַטֵּ֖ה בִּנְיָמִ֑ן וְנָשִׂיא֙ לִבְנֵ֣י בִנְיָמִ֔ן אֲבִידָ֖ן בֶּן־גִּדְעֹנִֽי:
23His legion numbered thirty five thousand, four hundred. כגוּצְבָא֖וֹ וּפְקֻֽדֵיהֶ֑ם חֲמִשָּׁ֧ה וּשְׁלשִׁ֛ים אֶ֖לֶף וְאַרְבַּ֥ע מֵאֽוֹת:
24The total sum for the legions under the division of the camp of Ephraim was one hundred and eight thousand, one hundred; they shall be the third to set out. כדכָּל־הַפְּקֻדִ֞ים לְמַֽחֲנֵ֣ה אֶפְרַ֗יִם מְאַ֥ת אֶ֛לֶף וּשְׁמֹֽנַת־אֲלָפִ֥ים וּמֵאָ֖ה לְצִבְאֹתָ֑ם וּשְׁלִשִׁ֖ים יִסָּֽעוּ:
25The legions under the division of the camp of Dan were to the north. The prince of the children of Dan was Ahi'ezer the son of Ammishaddai. כהדֶּ֣גֶל מַֽחֲנֵ֥ה דָ֛ן צָפֹ֖נָה לְצִבְאֹתָ֑ם וְנָשִׂיא֙ לִבְנֵ֣י דָ֔ן אֲחִיעֶ֖זֶר בֶּן־עַמִּֽישַׁדָּֽי:
26His legion numbered sixty two thousand, seven hundred. כווּצְבָא֖וֹ וּפְקֻֽדֵיהֶ֑ם שְׁנַ֧יִם וְשִׁשִּׁ֛ים אֶ֖לֶף וּשְׁבַ֥ע מֵאֽוֹת:
27Camping next to him was the tribe of Asher. The prince of the children of Asher was Pag'iel the son of 'Ocran. כזוְהַֽחֹנִ֥ים עָלָ֖יו מַטֵּ֣ה אָשֵׁ֑ר וְנָשִׂיא֙ לִבְנֵ֣י אָשֵׁ֔ר פַּגְעִיאֵ֖ל בֶּן־עָכְרָֽן:
28His legion numbered forty one thousand, five hundred. כחוּצְבָא֖וֹ וּפְקֻֽדֵיהֶ֑ם אֶחָ֧ד וְאַרְבָּעִ֛ים אֶ֖לֶף וַֽחֲמֵ֥שׁ מֵאֽוֹת:
29[Then] the tribe of Naphtali. The prince of the children of Naphtali was Ahira' the son of 'Enan. כטוּמַטֵּ֖ה נַפְתָּלִ֑י וְנָשִׂיא֙ לִבְנֵ֣י נַפְתָּלִ֔י אֲחִירַ֖ע בֶּן־עֵינָֽן:
30His legion numbered fifty three thousand, four hundred. לוּצְבָא֖וֹ וּפְקֻֽדֵיהֶ֑ם שְׁלשָׁ֧ה וַֽחֲמִשִּׁ֛ים אֶ֖לֶף וְאַרְבַּ֥ע מֵאֽוֹת:
31The total sum for the legions under the division of the camp of Dan was one hundred and fifty seven thousand, six hundred; they shall be the last to set out. לאכָּל־הַפְּקֻדִים֙ לְמַ֣חֲנֵה דָ֔ן מְאַ֣ת אֶ֗לֶף וְשִׁבְעָ֧ה וַֽחֲמִשִּׁ֛ים אֶ֖לֶף וְשֵׁ֣שׁ מֵא֑וֹת לָאַֽחֲרֹנָ֥ה יִסְע֖וּ לְדִגְלֵיהֶֽם:
32These are the numbers of the Israelites according to their fathers' houses. The total number of legions of the camps was six hundred and three thousand, five hundred and fifty. לבאֵ֛לֶּה פְּקוּדֵ֥י בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל לְבֵ֣ית אֲבֹתָ֑ם כָּל־פְּקוּדֵ֤י הַמַּֽחֲנֹת֙ לְצִבְאֹתָ֔ם שֵׁשׁ־מֵא֥וֹת אֶ֨לֶף֙ וּשְׁל֣שֶׁת אֲלָפִ֔ים וַֽחֲמֵ֥שׁ מֵא֖וֹת וַֽחֲמִשִּֽׁים:
33However, the Levites were not counted with the rest of the Israelites, as the Lord commanded Moses. לגוְהַ֨לְוִיִּ֔ם לֹ֣א הָתְפָּֽקְד֔וּ בְּת֖וֹךְ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל כַּֽאֲשֶׁ֛ר צִוָּ֥ה יְהוָֹ֖ה אֶת־משֶֽׁה:
34The Israelites did all that the Lord had commanded Moses; they encamped by their divisions, and so did they journey each man with his family, according to his father's house. לדוַיַּֽעֲשׂ֖וּ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל כְּ֠כֹ֠ל אֲשֶׁר־צִוָּ֨ה יְהוָֹ֜ה אֶת־משֶׁ֗ה כֵּן־חָנ֤וּ לְדִגְלֵיהֶם֙ וְכֵ֣ן נָסָ֔עוּ אִ֥ישׁ לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָ֖יו עַל־בֵּ֥ית אֲבֹתָֽיו:
Daily Tehillim: Chapters 1 - 9• Hebrew text• English text
• Chapter 1
• Lessons in Tanya• English Text
This psalm inspires man to study Torah and avoid sin. One who follows this path is assured of success in all his deeds, whereas the plight of the wicked is the reverse.
1. Fortunate is the man that has not walked in the counsel of the wicked, nor stood in the path of sinners, nor sat in the company of scoffers.
2. Rather, his desire is in the Torah of the Lord, and in His Torah he meditates day and night.
3. He shall be like a tree planted by streams of water, that yields its fruit in its season, and whose leaf does not wither; and all that he does shall prosper.
4. Not so the wicked; rather, they are like the chaff that the wind drives away.
5. Therefore the wicked will not endure in judgement, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
6. For the Lord minds the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.
Chapter 2
This psalm warns against trying to outwit the ways of God. It also instructs one who has reason to rejoice, to tremble—lest his sins cause his joy to be overturned.
1. Why do nations gather, and peoples speak futility?
2. The kings of the earth rise up, and rulers conspire together, against the Lord and against His anointed:
3. “Let us sever their cords, and cast their ropes from upon us!”
4. He Who sits in heaven laughs, my Master mocks them.
5. Then He speaks to them in His anger, and terrifies them in His wrath:
6. “It is I Who have anointed My king, upon Zion, My holy mountain.”
7. I am obliged to declare: The Lord said to me, “You are my son, I have this day begotten you.
8. Ask of Me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, and the ends of the earth your possession.
9. Smash them with a rod of iron, shatter them like a potter’s vessel.”
10. Now be wise, you kings; be disciplined, you rulers of the earth.
11. Serve the Lord with awe, and rejoice with trembling.
12. Yearn for purity—lest He become angry and your path be doomed, if his anger flares for even a moment. Fortunate are all who put their trust in Him
FOOTNOTES
1.The day David was crowned. (Rashi)
Chapter 3
When punishment befalls man, let him not be upset by his chastisement, for perhaps--considering his sins—he is deserving of worse, and God is in fact dealing kindly with him.
1. A psalm by David, when he fled from Absalom his son.
2. Lord, how numerous are my oppressors; many rise up against me!
3. Many say of my soul, “There is no salvation for him from God—ever!”
4. But You, Lord, are a shield for me, my glory, the One Who raises my head.
5. With my voice I call to the Lord, and He answers me from His holy mountain, Selah.
6. I lie down and sleep; I awake, for the Lord sustains me.
7. I do not fear the myriads of people that have aligned themselves all around me.
8. Arise, O Lord, deliver me, my God. For You struck all my enemies on the cheek, You smashed the teeth of the wicked.
9. Deliverance is the Lord’s; may Your blessing be upon Your people forever
Chapter 4
This psalm exhorts man not to shame his fellow, and to neither speak nor listen to gossip and slander. Envy not the prosperity of the wicked in this world, rather rejoice and say: “If it is so for those who anger Him . . . [how much better it will be for those who serve Him!”]
1. For the Conductor, with instrumental music, a psalm by David.
2. Answer me when I call, O God [Who knows] my righteousness. You have relieved me in my distress; be gracious to me and hear my prayer.
3. Sons of men, how long will you turn my honor to shame, will you love vanity, and endlessly seek falsehood?
4. Know that the Lord has set apart His devout one; the Lord will hear when I call to Him.
5. Tremble and do not sin; reflect in your hearts upon your beds, and be silent forever.
6. Offer sacrifices in righteousness, and trust in the Lord.
7. Many say: “Who will show us good?” Raise the light of Your countenance upon us, O Lord.
8. You put joy in my heart, greater than [their joy] when their grain and wine abound.
9. In peace and harmony I will lie down and sleep, for You, Lord, will make me dwell alone, in security.
Chapter 5
A prayer for every individual, requesting that the wicked perish for their deeds, and the righteous rejoice for their good deeds.
1. For the Conductor, on the nechilot,1 a psalm by David.
2. Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my thoughts.
3. Listen to the voice of my cry, my King and my God, for to You I pray.
4. Lord, hear my voice in the morning; in the morning I set [my prayers] before you and hope.
5. For You are not a God Who desires wickedness; evil does not abide with You.
6. The boastful cannot stand before Your eyes; You hate all evildoers.
7. You destroy the speakers of falsehood; the Lord despises the man of blood and deceit.
8. And I, through Your abundant kindness, come into Your house; I bow toward Your holy Sanctuary, in awe of You.
9. Lead me, O Lord, in Your righteousness, because of my watchful enemies; straighten Your path before me.
10. For there is no sincerity in their mouths, their heart is treacherous; their throat is an open grave, [though] their tongue flatters.
11. Find them guilty, O God, let them fall by their schemes; banish them for their many sins, for they have rebelled against You.
12. But all who trust in You will rejoice, they will sing joyously forever; You will shelter them, and those who love Your Name will exult in You.
13. For You, Lord, will bless the righteous one; You will envelop him with favor as with a shield.
FOOTNOTES
1.A musical instrument that sounded like the buzzing of bees (Metzudot).
Chapter 6
This is an awe-inspiring prayer for one who is ill, to pray that God heal him, body and soul. An ailing person who offers this prayer devoutly and with a broken heart is assured that God will accept his prayer.
1. For the Conductor, with instrumental music for the eight-stringed harp, a psalm by David.
2. Lord, do not punish me in Your anger, nor chastise me in Your wrath.
3. Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I languish away; heal me, O Lord, for my bones tremble in fear.
4. My soul is panic-stricken; and You, O Lord, how long [before You help]?
5. Relent, O Lord, deliver my soul; save me for the sake of Your kindness.
6. For there is no remembrance of You in death; who will praise You in the grave?
7. I am weary from sighing; each night I drench my bed, I melt my couch with my tears.
8. My eye has grown dim from vexation, worn out by all my oppressors.
9. Depart from me, all you evildoers, for the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping.
10. The Lord has heard my supplication; the Lord accepts my prayer.
11. All my enemies will be shamed and utterly terrified; they will then repent and be shamed for a moment.
FOOTNOTES
1.Only for a moment will they be shamed, because I will forgive them and never again mention their deeds (Metzudot).
Chapter 7
Do not rejoice if God causes your enemy to suffer—just as the suffering of the righteous is not pleasant. David, therefore, defends himself intensely before God, maintaining that he did not actively harm Saul. In fact, Saul precipitated his own harm, while David’s intentions were only for the good.
1. A shigayon 1 by David, which he sang to the Lord concerning Kush the Benjaminite.
2. I put my trust in You, Lord, my God; deliver me from all my pursuers and save me.
3. Lest he tear my soul like a lion, crushing me with none to rescue.
4. Lord, my God, if I have done this, if there is wrongdoing in my hands;
5. if I have rewarded my friends with evil or oppressed those who hate me without reason—
6. then let the enemy pursue and overtake my soul, let him trample my life to the ground, and lay my glory in the dust forever.
7. Arise, O Lord, in Your anger, lift Yourself up in fury against my foes. Stir me [to mete out] the retribution which You commanded.
8. When the assembly of nations surrounds You, remove Yourself from it and return to the heavens.
9. The Lord will mete out retribution upon the nations; judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness and my integrity.
10. Let the evil of the wicked come to an end, but establish the righteous—O righteous God, Searcher of hearts and minds.
11. [I rely] on God to be my shield, He Who saves the upright of heart.
12. God is the righteous judge, and the Almighty is angered every day.
13. Because he does not repent, He sharpens His sword, bends His bow and makes it ready.
14. He has prepared instruments of death for him; His arrows will be used on the pursuers.
15. Indeed, he conceives iniquity, is pregnant with evil schemes, and gives birth to falsehood.
16. He digs a pit, digs it deep, only to fall into the trap he laid.
17. His mischief will return upon his own head, his violence will come down upon his own skull.
18. I will praise the Lord according to His righteousness, and sing to the Name of the Lord Most High
FOOTNOTES
1.This refers either to a musical instrument, or to a mistake committed by David, in recognition of which this psalm was written (Rashi).
Chapter 8
This psalm is a glorious praise to God for His kindness to the lowly and mortal human in giving the Torah to the inhabitants of the lower worlds, arousing the envy of the celestial angels. This idea is expressed in the Yom Kippur prayer, “Though Your mighty strength is in the angels above, You desire praise from those formed of lowly matter.”
1. For the Conductor, on the gittit,1 a psalm by David.
2. Lord, our Master, how mighty is Your Name throughout the earth, You Who has set Your majesty upon the heavens!
3. Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings You have established might, to counter Your enemies, to silence foe and avenger.2
4. When I behold Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars which You have set in place—
5. what is man that You should remember him, son of man that You should be mindful of him?
6. Yet, You have made him but a little less than the angels, and crowned him with honor and glory.
7. You made him ruler over Your handiwork, You placed everything under his feet.
8. Sheep and cattle—all of them, also the beasts of the field;
9. the birds of the sky and the fish of the sea; all that traverses the paths of the seas.
10. Lord, our Master, how mighty is Your Name throughout the earth.
FOOTNOTES
1.A musical instrument crafted in Gath (Metzudot).
2.The wonders of childbirth and nursing demonstrate God’s existence to non-believers (Metzudot).
Chapter 9
One should praise God for saving him from the hand of the enemy who stands over and agonizes him, and for His judging each person according to his deeds: the righteous according to their righteousness, and the wicked according to their wickedness.
1. For the Conductor, upon the death of Labben, a psalm by David.
2. I will thank the Lord with all my heart; I will recount all Your wonders.
3. I will rejoice and exult in You; I will sing to Your Name, O Most High.
4. When my enemies retreat, they will stumble and perish from before You.
5. You have rendered my judgement and [defended] my cause; You sat on the throne, O righteous Judge.
6. You destroyed nations, doomed the wicked, erased their name for all eternity.
7. O enemy, your ruins are gone forever, and the cities you have uprooted—their very remembrance is lost.
8. But the Lord is enthroned forever, He established His throne for judgement.
9. And He will judge the world with justice, He will render judgement to the nations with righteousness.
10. The Lord will be a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.
11. Those who know Your Name put their trust in You, for You, Lord, have not abandoned those who seek You.
12. Sing to the Lord Who dwells in Zion, recount His deeds among the nations.
13. For the Avenger of bloodshed is mindful of them; He does not forget the cry of the downtrodden.
14. Be gracious to me, O Lord; behold my affliction at the hands of my enemies, You Who raises me from the gates of death,
15. so that I may relate all Your praises in the gates of the daughter of Zion, that I may exult in Your deliverance.
16. The nations sank into the pit that they made; in the net they concealed their foot was caught.
17. The Lord became known through the judgement He executed; the wicked one is snared in the work of his own hands; reflect on this always.
18. The wicked will return to the grave, all the nations that forget God.
19. For not for eternity will the needy be forgotten, nor will the hope of the poor perish forever.
20. Arise, O Lord, let not man prevail; let the nations be judged in Your presence.
21. Set Your mastery over them, O Lord; let the nations know that they are but frail men, Selah.
Tanya: Likutei Amarim, middle of Chapter 52• Lessons in Tanya• English Text
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• Tuesday, Sivan 1, 5776 · June 7, 2016
• Likutei Amarim, middle of Chapter 52
• But what manner of “garment” can possibly conceal the Shechinah and yet itself not be affected by it, so that it, too, will not become nullified? Since the Shechinah is the source of all creation, it is of course the source of the concealing “garment” too.
Rambam:
• Sefer Hamitzvos:• English Text | Hebrew Text |
Audio: Listen | Download | Video Class• Tuesday, Sivan 1, 5776 · June 7, 2016
In other words: If the Shechinah is manifest in the “garment”, i.e., if the garment is enveloped by its source, then it follows that it should be nullified out of existence, just as the sun’s rays cease to exist within the body of the sun. In effect, this would make the “garment” cease serving as a “garment” to conceal the Shechinah.
The Alter Rebbe anticipates this question by stating that the “garment” is G‑d’s Will and wisdom, which are enclothed in Torah and the mitzvot. Since this “garment” belongs to a plane even higher than (the source of the world’s vitality known as) the Shechinah, it is not nullified by it.
However, asks the Rebbe, according to this explanation the question becomes even stronger: If creation cannot receive the light of the Shechinah, then surely it cannot receive the light of the “garment” which is even higher than the Shechinah.
This, the Rebbe says, is answered by the Alter Rebbe when he says, “only that it has descended by means of obscuring gradations.” This means to say: Since G‑d’s Will and wisdom as found in Torah and the mitzvot “descended” in the gradations of the Worlds, being able to clothe themselves even in material things, they therefore can serve as a “garment” to conceal the light of the Shechinah.
We now understand why the “garment” itself is not nullified by the light of the Shechinah, as well as how created beings can receive this “garment” within themselves, for it is none other than G‑d’s Will and wisdom which He enclothed in Torah and the mitzvot — as shall presently be explained.
ומהו הלבוש שיוכל להסתירה ולהלבישה ולא יתבטל במציאות באורה, הוא רצונו יתברך וחכמתו וכו׳ המלובשים בתורה ומצותיה, הנגלית לנו ולבנינו
But what is this “garment” which is able to conceal and clothe it (the Shechinah) yet will not itself be completely nullified within its light? — This is His blessed Will and wisdom, and so forth (“and so forth” referring to the levels of Binah and Daat which are part of “intelligence” Above, as mentioned earlier), which are clothed in the Torah and its mitzvot that are revealed to us and our children,
Why are G‑d’s Will and wisdom and so forth able to act as a concealing “garment” for the light of the Shechinah without themselves being nullified by it?
דאורייתא מחכמה נפקת, היא חכמה עילאה, דלעילא לעילא מעלמא דאתגליא
for “the Torah issues from wisdom,” namely Chochmah Ila‘ah (“Supernal Wisdom,” which is the level ofChochmah of Atzilut), that is immeasurably higher than the world of manifestation (which is the Shechinah),
As mentioned earlier, Shechinah refers to the initial stage of revelation, for which reason it is called the “world of manifestation.” Since Chochmah Ila‘ah is entirely beyond the pale of revelation it is therefore immeasurably higher than theShechinah.
דאיהו חכים ולא בחכמה ידיעה וכו׳
for “He is wise,” with the wisdom of Chochmah of Atzilut, “but not with a knowable wisdom,” and so forth.
וכמו שנתבאר לעיל, שאור אין סוף ברוך הוא מלובש ומיוחד בחכמה עילאה, והוא יתברך וחכמתו אחד
And as has previously been explained, the [infinite] light of the blessed Ein Sof is clothed in and united with the Supernal Wisdom — and He and His wisdom are One.
Thus, Chochmah as well as the other levels of Divine “intelligence” (such as Binah and Daat) are far superior to the level of the light of the Shechinah. They are therefore able to serve as a “garment” concealing the Shechinah, without being nullified by its light. But how can Divine “intelligence” serve as a “garment”, and how can created beings accept this garment when it is in fact loftier than the Shechinah itself? The Alter Rebbe now answers this question.
רק שירדה בסתר המדרגות ממדריגה למדריגה בהשתלשלות העולמות, עד שנתלבשה בדברים גשמיים, שהן תרי״ג מצות התורה
— Only this is because it (Supernal Wisdom and the Torah1) has descended by means of obscuring gradations, from a higher grade to a lower grade, with the descent of the Worlds, until it (the Torah) has clothed itself in material things, namely, the 613 commandments of the Torah.
| FOOTNOTES | |
| 1. | The Rebbe notes: “Possibly this alludes only to Torah. See above, ch. 4, where exactly the same expression is used. See also beginning of ch. 53: ‘The Supernal Wisdom of Atzilut, which is the totality of the Torah.’ — This matter requires further investigation.” |
• Sefer Hamitzvos:• English Text | Hebrew Text |
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• 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 107
Ritual Impurity Contracted through Contact with a Corpse
We are commanded regarding the ritual impurity contracted through contact with a human corpse. [I.e., if contracted, one must follow all the laws associated with this impurity.]
Full text of this Mitzvah »•
The Red Heifer
"And it shall be as a keepsake for the congregation of the children of Israel"—Numbers 19:9.
We are commanded to prepare a red heifer [as detailed in the Torah], to have it ready for the procedure of purifying those who are ritually impure as a result of contact with a corpse.
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 107
Ritual Impurity Contracted through Contact with a Corpse
We are commanded regarding the ritual impurity contracted through contact with a human corpse. [I.e., if contracted, one must follow all the laws associated with this impurity.]
Full text of this Mitzvah »•
Ritual Impurity Contracted through Contact with a Corpse
Positive Commandment 107
Translated by Berel Bell
The 107th mitzvah1 is that we are commanded regarding the tumah conveyed by a dead body.2 This mitzvah includes all the laws relating to tumas meis.3
FOOTNOTES
1.In the order given here, following the order of Mishneh Torah, P107 is the first of the commandments dealing with tumah and taharah (ritual purity and impurity). In the order of Sefer HaMitzvos, however, P96 is the first of these mitzvos, and there the Rambam gives a general introduction to all these mitzvos.
2.Num. 19:11ff.
3.Such as which parts of the body convey tumah, how it is conveyed, etc. See Hilchos Tumas Meis.
Positive Commandment 113The Red Heifer
"And it shall be as a keepsake for the congregation of the children of Israel"—Numbers 19:9.
We are commanded to prepare a red heifer [as detailed in the Torah], to have it ready for the procedure of purifying those who are ritually impure as a result of contact with a corpse.
Full text of this Mitzvah »
• The Red Heifer
Positive Commandment 113
Translated by Berel Bell
The 113th mitzvah is that we are commanded to prepare the red heifer1 to have it ready for the procedure of purifying those who are tameh as a result of tumas meis.2
The source of this commandment is G‑d's statement3 (exalted be He), "[A ritually clean person shall gather up the cow's ashes and...] it shall be a keepsake for the congregation of the Jewish people."
The details of this mitzvah are found in the tractate devoted to this subject, tractate Parah.
FOOTNOTES
1.To slaughter it, burn it, gather the ashes, etc.
2.See P107.
3.Num. 19:9.
• 1 Chapter: Korban Pesach Korban Pesach - Perek 6 • English Text | Hebrew Text | Audio: Listen | Download | Video Class• Korban Pesach - Perek 6
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Halacha 1
Which impure individuals are prevented from offering until the second Pesach? Anyone who cannot partake of the Paschal sacrifice on the fifteenth of Nisan because of his impurity, e.g., zavim, zavot, niddot, women impure because of childbirth, and those who were intimate with a women in theniddah state. By contrast, those who are impure because they touched an animal corpse, a dead crawling animal, and the like on the day of the fourteenth of Nisan, should immerse themselves and the Paschal sacrifice should be sacrificed on their behalf after they immerse themselves. In the evening, when the day of their impurity is concluded, they may partake of the Paschal sacrifice.
Halacha 2
When the seventh day of the purification process of one who is impure because of contact with a human corpse falls on the fourteenth of Nisan - even though he has immersed himself and had the ashes of the red heifer sprinkled upon him and thus he is fit to partake of sacrificial foods in the evening - the Paschal sacrifice should not be slaughtered for him. His offering is postponed until the second Pesach. This is derived from Numbers 9:6 "And the men who were impure because of a human corpse and were not able to offer the Paschal sacrifice on that day." According to the Oral Tradition, it was taught that this occurred on the seventh day of their purification process. This is what they were asking: Should the Paschal sacrifice be slaughtered for them and they would partake of it in the evening? Moses explained to them that it should not be slaughtered for them.
When does the above apply? When one became impure because of one of the types of impurity for which a Nazirite would be required to shave. If, however, one became impure because of other types of impurity resulting from contact with a corpse for which a Nazirite is not required to shave, the Paschal sacrifice may be slaughtered for him on the seventh day of his purification process after he immersed himself and had the ashes of the red heifer sprinkled upon him. In the evening, when the day of his impurity is concluded, he may partake of the Paschal sacrifice.
Halacha 3
When a zav experiences two discharges and then counts seven clean days and immerses on the seventh day, the Paschal sacrifice may be sacrificed on his behalf and he may partake of it in the evening. If he experienced a zavdischarge after the blood was cast on the altar, he is exempt from bringing the second Paschal sacrifice.
Similarly, a woman who is watching a day because of a discharge on the previous day may immerse on the day she is watching, as explained in the laws of forbidden relations. The Paschal sacrifice may be slaughtered on her behalf and she may partake of it in the evening. If she experiences uterine bleeding after the blood of the Paschal sacrifice was cast on the altar, she is exempt from bringing the second Paschal sacrifice.
A Paschal sacrifice is not slaughtered on behalf of a woman who is impure because of menstrual bleeding on her seventh day of impurity. For she may not immerse herself until the night of the eighth day and she is not fit to partake of sacrificial meat until the night of the ninth day.
Halacha 4
When the day when one of those requiring atonement may bring his sacrifice falls on the fourteenth of Nisan, one may slaughter the Paschal sacrifice on their behalf. Their sacrifices may be offered on the fourteenth of Nisan, whether before the Paschal sacrifice is slaughtered or afterwards. They may partake of their Paschal sacrifices in the evening.
We do not slaughter the Paschal sacrifice on their behalf until they entrust their sacrifices required to regain purity to the court, lest they be negligent and fail to offer them.
Halacha 5
When the eighth day of the purification process of a person suffering fromtzara'at falls on the fourteenth of Nissan, but he experiences a seminal emission that day, he may immerse himself, enter the Women's Courtyard, and bring his sacrifices. Although a person who immersed on a particular day is forbidden from entering the Temple Courtyard that day, as was explained inHilchot Bi'at HaMikdash.since this is the day that the Paschal sacrifice is to be offered at its appointed time, a positive commandment whose omission is punishable by karet comes and supersedes a Rabbinic commandment.
Halacha 6
When the seventh day of the purification process of one who became impure due to contact with a human corpse falls on the Sabbath, the ashes of the Red Heifer are not sprinkled upon him until the following day. Even if his seventh day falls on the thirteenth of Nisan which is a Sabbath, the sprinkling of the ashes should be postponed until the fourteenth. The ashes should be sprinkled upon him, but the Paschal sacrifice should not be slaughtered on his behalf, as we explained. Instead, his offering is postponed and he brings the second Paschal sacrifice.
One might argue: The prohibition against sprinkling the ashes on the Sabbath was instituted as a shvut and the failure to bring the Paschal sacrifice is punishable by karet. How then could the Sages uphold their prohibition in the face of a prohibition punishable by karet? In resolution, it can be explained that the day on which he is forbidden to have the ashes sprinkled upon him is not the time when the sacrifice punishable by karet is obligated to be brought. Therefore they upheld their words as instituted, even though this matter will lead to it having to stand in a place punishable by karet.
Halacha 7
When an uncircumcised Jew circumcises himself on the day before Pesach, the Paschal sacrifice sacrifice may be slaughtered on his behalf after his circumcision. The Paschal sacrifice should not, by contrast, be slaughtered on behalf of a convert who converted on the fourteenth of Nisan and circumcised himself and immersed in a mikveh, for he may not partake of the sacrifice in the evening. He is like one who departs from a grave who requires seven days of purification and then can he become pure. This is a decree lest this convert become impure due to contact with a corpse in the following year on the fourteenth of Nisan and immerse himself and seek to partake of the Paschal sacrifice in the evening, saying: "Last year, the Jews did this for me, when I circumcised myself and immersed, and partook of the Paschal sacrifice in the evening."
Behold, this decree is of Rabbinic origin and the failure to bring the Paschal sacrifice is punishable by karet. How then could the Sages uphold their prohibition in the face of a prohibition punishable by karet on the day of the sacrifice which is the fourteenth of Nisan? The rationale is that the convert is not obligated in the observance of mitzvot until he circumcises himself and immerses himself in a mikveh. He should not immerse himself until he becomes healed from the circumcision, as we explained with regard to the concept of conversion. Therefore they upheld their words in this instance, because this person who circumcised himself should not have immersed until he was healed. Thus he would not have incurred an obligation to bring the Paschal sacrifice at all.
Halacha 8
If a person came through a beit hapras, he should proceed and sift, proceed and sift. If he did not find a bone and did not contract impurity, he should slaughter and partake of his Paschal sacrifice, even though he walked in abeit hapras. The rationale is that the impurity of a beit hapras is a Rabbinic institution, as will be explained in Hilchot Tum'at Meit, and the Sages did not uphold their decree in the face of an obligation punishable by karet, as we explained. Similarly, a beit hapras that was trod upon is pure with regarding to bringing a Paschal sacrifice.
Halacha 9
A person in the acute state of onein mourning is fit to partake of the Paschal sacrifice in the evening. The rationale is that the restrictions of aninut at night are Rabbinic in origin and our Sages did not uphold their decree in the face of an obligation punishable by karet. Instead, the Paschal sacrifice should be slaughtered on his behalf. He must immerse and afterwards partake of it. The immersion is necessary so that he makes a distinction from the state of aninutand does not divert his attention.
When does the above apply? When the deceased for whom he must mourn passes away after midday on the fourteenth of Nisan and thus he was already obligated to bring the Paschal sacrifice. If, however, the deceased passed away before midday, the Paschal sacrifice should not be slaughtered on his behalf. Instead, his offering is postponed until the second Pesach. If, however, the Paschal sacrifice was slaughtered on his behalf and the blood poured on the altar, he should immerse himself and partake of it in the evening.
If the deceased relative passed away on the thirteenth of Nisan and was buried on the fourteenth, on the day of the burial, he must observe aninutaccording to Rabbinic decree and that decree does not encompass the night following the fourteenth. Therefore one may slaughter the Paschal sacrifice on his behalf. He should immerse and partake of it and other sacrifices in the evening. The day when one hears of a close relative's death and the day when one gathers the bones of one's dead is equivalent to the day of burial. Therefore if one had the bones of his dead gathered on the fourteenth of Nisan or heard that a close relative died, the Paschal sacrifice may be slaughtered on his behalf. He immerses himself and may partake of sacrificial food in the evening.
Halacha 10
When a person is digging in a mound from an avalanche in search of the body of a deceased person, the Paschal sacrifice should not be slaughtered on his behalf, lest he find a corpse in the mound and he be impure at the time of slaughter. If the Paschal sacrifice was slaughtered on his behalf and a corpse was not found, he may partake of the sacrifice in the evening.
The following rules apply if the corpse was discovered after the blood was poured on the altar. If it became known to him that he was certainly impure at the time the blood was poured, e.g., the mound was round, he is obligated in the second Paschal sacrifice. If the matter is in doubt, i.e., maybe he was not standing over the impurity at the time the blood was poured and did not become impure until afterwards, he is exempt from the second Paschal sacrifice.
Halacha 11
The following rules apply when a person journeyed on a road and later a corpse was discovered lying across the width of the road. If the corpse could be deemed as the impurity likened to the depths, even though the person is considered as impure with regard to terumah, he is considered as pure with regard to the Paschal sacrifice. He may slaughter and partake of the Paschal sacrifice even though it is possible that he touched the corpse.Since the impurity is likened to the depths, he is pure with regard to the Paschal sacrifice. Even though the corpse is intact and extends from one end of the path to the other, he may offer his Paschal sacrifice unless he knows with certainty that he became impure because of it.
When does the above apply? When he was walking on foot, for it is possible that he did not touch it. If, however, he was riding on a beast or carrying a burden, he is impure even though it is impurity likened to the depths, for it is impossible that he will not have touched, moved, or stood over the corpse. We have already explained impurity likened to the depths in Hilchot Nizirut.
Halacha 12
When a person offered the Paschal sacrifice under the presumption that he was pure and afterwards, it was discovered that he was impure due to impurity likened to the depths, he is not obligated in the second Paschal sacrifice. This is a law conveyed by the Oral Tradition. If, however, it becomes known to him that he was impure due to impurity that was known, he is obligated in the second Paschal sacrifice.
Halacha 13
When a person contracted impurity from a human corpse and had the ashes of the red heifer sprinkled upon him on the third and seventh day [as required, but on his seventh day he unknowingly became impure because of a grave "likened to the depths" and brought a Paschal sacrifice under the presumption that he was pure and afterwards, he discovered that he had contracted the impurity "likened to the depths," he is not obligated in the second Paschal sacrifice, for once he immersed himself on the seventh day, his initial impurity ceased. If, however, he had contracted the impurity "likened to the depths" on the sixth day of his impurity and without knowing, he brought a Paschal sacrifice, he is obligated in the second Paschal sacrifice. The rationale is that a person who is impure must operate under the presumption that he is impure until he has definitely become pure, because there is a basis for the presumption of his impurity.
• 3 Chapters: Tum'at Met Tum'at Met - Chapter 24, Tum'at Met Tum'at Met - Chapter 25, Parah Adummah Parah Adummah - Chapter 1 • English Text | Hebrew Text | Audio: Listen | Download• Tum'at Met - Chapter 24
Hayom Yom:
• English Text | Video Class• Tuesday, Sivan 1, 5776 · June 7, 2016
Audio: Listen | Download• Tum'at Met - Chapter 24
Halacha 1
The following rules apply when one divided a house by making a barrier of pure earthenware jugs from the ground until the roof and there is impurity in one side of the house. If the opening of the jugs was facing the pure side of the house, they protect the house from the spread of impurity. If the openings were facing the impurity, they do not protect it. If, when they were facing the impurity, he applied mud to them, whether from the inside, or the outside, we see whether the mud is able to stand on its own or not. If it can, it protects the house from impurity. If not, it does not and the entire house is considered as one ohel.
Halacha 2
The following rules apply when a house was divided in two with boards or with curtains, whether it was divided lengthwise or widthwise or facing the ceiling. If there was impurity in the remainder of the house, keilim between the partition and the wall or between the partition and the ceiling are pure. If there is impurity between the partition and the wall or between the partition and the ceiling, the keilim in the house are impure, because the partition does not prevent the impurity from departing and imparting impurity, as we explained with regard to a tent inside a house.
The following laws apply when there are keilim in the midst of the thickness of the partition itself, whether the impurity was within the area set off by the partition or within the house. If the place where the keilim were located was a handbreadth by a handbreadth or more, the keilim are impure. If it is smaller than that, they are pure. We have already explained the laws pertaining to a house that was divided horizontally.
Halacha 3
The following rules apply when there is a house that is filled with straw and there is not a cubic handbreadth of space between the straw and the ceiling. If there is impurity in the inner portion of the house, whether within the straw or in the space between the straw and the ceiling, all of the keilim that are opposite the space through which the impurity will depart in the entire open space of the entranceway are impure.
The following laws apply if the impurity was outside the straw, anywhere in the open space of the entranceway. If there are keilim within the straw and there is a handbreadth by a handbreadth by a handbreadth of open space, they are pure. If not, they are impure. If there is a cubic handbreadth of space between the straw and the ceiling, the keilim are impure regardless, for the straw does not intervene, because we can assume that the person's intention is to remove the straw.
Halacha 4
When there is a wall between two houses and there is impurity in the midst of the wall, the house that is closest to the impurity is impure, while that which is closest to purity is pure. If the impurity was equidistant from them, they are both impure.
The following rules apply when the impurity was in one of the houses and thekeilim were in the midst of the wall. If the keilim were located from the center towards the impurity, they are impure; from the center towards the pure side, they are pure. If they are equidistant, they are impure.
Similar principles apply when there is a ceiling between a house and a loft and there is impurity in the ceiling. If it was located from the center downward, the house is impure and the loft is pure; from the center, upward, the loft is impure and the house is pure. If it is equidistant from them, they are both impure.
When there is impurity in either the house or the loft and there were keilim in the ceiling, if the keilim were located from the center towards the impurity, they are impure; from the center towards the pure side, they are pure. If they are equidistant, they are impure.
The following rules apply if the ceiling had nothing but open space above it and there was impurity in it. If the impurity was located from the center downward, the house is impure and a person standing on the roof - even if he is directly above the impurity - is pure, because the impurity spreads throughout the house. If the impurity was located from the center upward, the house is pure and a person standing on the roof directly above the impurity is impure. If the impurity was in the center of the ceiling, the house is impure and a person standing on the roof directly above the impurity is impure, because it is impossible to make an exact calculation.
Halacha 5
Similarly, if there is a wall that serves a house, it is considered as half and half.
What is implied? There is a wall that has open space on one side. The roof of the house is supported by the wall, but does not rest on the wall and there is impurity flush inside the wall. If the impurity is from the halfway point of the wall inward, the house is impure. A person standing on top of the wall is pure like someone standing on the roof of the house.
If the impurity is from the halfway point outward, the house is pure. A person standing on top of the wall, above the impurity is impure, because the impurity did not spread out in the house. If the impurity was in the center of the wall, the house is impure, but a person standing above it is pure, because the impurity spread within the house.
If one removed part of the wall from the inside or added to the outer portion of the wall until the impurity was in the inner half of the wall, the house is impure. If he removed part of the wall from the outside or added to the thickness of the inner portion of the wall until the impurity was in the outer half of the wall, the house is pure. If the impurity was placed on the top of the wall, even if it is on the inside, the house is pure.
Halacha 6
When there is a structure that serves a wall, as long as there is part of the wall as thin as a garlic peel, the structure is considered as separate from the wall.
What is implied? A person dug two burial vaults or two burial caves one next to the other and thus there were two structures dug into the ground with a wall dividing between them. If there is impurity in the structures and keilim in the wall, as long as there is a portion of the wall as thin as a garlic peel covering them, they are pure. If there is impurity in the wall and keilim in the structures, if it is covered by a portion of the wall as thin as a garlic peel, they are pure.
Thus we can learn the following general principles: When there is a wall that was built from building materials, the status of the house depends on the half of the wall in which the impurity is located. When the wall was made of stone or of the thickness of the earth when one dug from either side, as long as there is part of the wall as thin as a garlic peel, the structure is considered as separate from the wall.
Halacha 7
When half of the thickness of a wall was constructed and half was a rock, the status of the house depends on the half of the wall in which the impurity is located.
Halacha 8
If there was impurity between the beams of the roof of a house, even if there is only a portion of a board as thin as as a garlic peel under it, the house is pure. We consider the impurity as if it were flush in the earth and only the area directly below it or directly above it is impure. If there is a handbreadth by a handbreadth of empty space in its place, everything is impure. Similarly, if the impurity could be seen from the house, the house is impure regardless.
If there are two entrances, one on top of the other, and there is impurity in the wall between them, if it can be seen from one of them, that entrance is impure and the other is pure. If not, their status depends on the half of the wall in which the impurity is located.
Tum'at Met - Chapter 25
Halacha 1
If there is a pillar standing in a house and impurity is flush under it, the impurity pierces through and ascends and pierces through and descends. It imparts impurity only to entities that are directly above or below the impurity. If there is a flower, projecting from the pillar and there are keilim under the flower, thekeilim are pure. Impurity is imparted only to the entities under or above the impurity.
Halacha 2
If there is open space a handbreadth by a handbreadth and a handbreadth high in the pillar where the impurity is located, it is considered as a closed grave and it imparts impurity to all its surroundings. The entire house is impure because it is standing over a grave.
Halacha 3
When there is impurity in a wall and it is an open space a handbreadth by a handbreadth and a handbreadth high, all of the stories built on this wall - even ten - are impure. The rationale is that the wall is considered a closed grave until its highest point. It is the wall for these upper stories and every upper storey is considered to be an ohel over the grave.
If he built a structure next to that wall on one side and another structure next to the wall on the other side and a second storey that spans both those structures and thus the top of the impure wall is in the middle of the floor of the second storey, the second storey is impure because it serves as an ohel over a grave. A third storey built over it is pure, because they are one on top of the other and the impure wall is not one of the walls of this storey.
Halacha 4
The following rules apply when there is a large hole in the thickness of a wall which people would employ for functional purposes which was called apardisek. If there was impurity within it and it had closed doors, the house is pure. If there is impurity flush in its floor, its wall, or its roof, we consider the entire hole as if it is a solid mass and see where the impurity is located. If it is located in the inner portion of the thickness of the wall, the house is impure. If it is in the outer portion, the house is pure. If it is in the exact center, the house is impure.
Halacha 5
If there are two pardiskin - one next to the other or one on top of the other - and there is impurity located in one of them and it is opened, it and the house are impure, but the other one is pure. If there was impurity flush in the walls of the building, we consider the pardiskin as if they were a solid mass and the status of the house depends on the half of the wall in which the impurity is located. the house is pure. If it was flush below the doorstep, the status of the house depends on the half of the doorstep in which the impurity is located. If it is attached to the lintel, the house is impure.
Halacha 7
When a dog ate the flesh of a corpse, died within three days of doing so, and was lying on the doorstep of a house, we consider the place where the impurity is located in his body. If it is under the lintel and inward, the house is impure.
Halacha 8
The following laws apply when the fetus being carried by a woman dies in her womb. If its head has reached the size of a weaving needle, when her womb opens and the head becomes visible, the house becomes impure because of the fetus even if it has not emerged yet.
Halacha 9
If a woman was in the midst of labor and went from one house to another and miscarried in the second house, the first house is still impure because of a doubt: perhaps the head of the fetus had emerged while she was there.
When does the above apply? When its head did not reach the size of a weaving needle. If, however, its head reached the size of a weaving needle, the first house is pure. For if her womb had opened to that degree, she would not be able to walk unsupported. Therefore if she was being supported by her shoulders and taken from one house to the other, the first is impure because of a doubt, even though its head reached the size of a weaving needle.
Halacha 10
When a woman discharged a placenta, the house in which she was located is certainly impure. It can be presumed that there is no placenta without a fetus.
Halacha 11
The following laws apply when a woman gave birth to two children, one a viable birth and the other, stillborn. If the stillborn child emerged first, the living child is pure, because he did not touch the stillborn child after he emerged into the world. If the living child emerged first, he is impure, because it is impossible that the stillborn child did not touch him, for the stillborn tumbles out after the living child like a stone that does not have any vitality and cannot hold itself back.
Halacha 12
When a woman discharges a stillborn infant - even, as we explained, a tiny fetus - she contracts the impurity that lasts seven days. If the fetus dies within her womb and the midwife extended her hand inside the womb and touched it, the midwife contracts the impurity that lasts seven days, but the woman is pure until the fetus emerges.
The impurity of the midwife is a Rabbinical decree, instituted since she may have touched the fetus after it emerged into the vaginal channel. According to Scriptural Law, touching a hidden portion of the body is not considered as touching. Since the fetus is in the mother's inner organs, anyone who touches it is pure. Similar laws apply to one who swallowed an impure ring and then swallowed a pure ring. Although the two certainly touched each other in his digestive system, this is not considered as touch. The impure one is considered as impure and the pure one, as pure.
Blessed be the Merciful One Who grants assistance.
Parah Adummah - Chapter 1
HILCHOT PARAH ADUMAH
The Laws of the Red Heifer
Included in this text are two positive commandments. They comprise the following:
1) the laws of the red heifer;
2) the laws of the impurity and purity brought about by the water used for the sprinkling of its ashes.
These mitzvot are explained in the ensuing chapters.
Halacha 1
The commandment involving the red heifer is to offer such an animal in its third or fourth year of life. If it is older, it is acceptable, but we do not wait for it to age longer, lest its hairs become black.
The Jewish community does not purchase a calf and raise it, for Numbers 19:2 states: "And you shall take unto yourselves a heifer," i.e., a heifer, not a calf. If only a calf was found, a price is established for it and it should remain in its owner's possession until it matures and becomes a cow. It should be purchased with money from the Temple treasury.
Halacha 2
The Torah's description of this heifer as "perfect" means "perfectly red," not perfect in stature. Even if it is dwarfsize, it is acceptable, as is the law regarding other sacrifices. If it had two white hairs or black hairs growing from one follicle or from two cavities and they are lying on top of each other, it is unacceptable.
Halacha 3
If there were two hairs, their roots reddish and their heads blackish, or their roots blackish and their heads reddish, their status follows the roots entirely. One should cut off the blackish head with scissors. He need not be concerned about the prohibition against shearing consecrated animals, because his intention not to shear.
Halacha 4
Enough of the red hair must remain so that it can be pulled out by tweezers. For if a hair is not large enough to be pulled out by tweezers, it is considered as if it does not exist. Therefore if there were two white or black hairs that are so small that they cannot be pulled out by tweezers, it is acceptable.
Halacha 5
If its horns or hooves are black, they may be cut off and it is acceptable. The color of the eyeballs, the teeth, and the tongue do not disqualify a heifer.
Halacha 6
If it had an abnormal growth of another color and one cut it off, even though red hair grew in its place, it is unacceptable.
Halacha 7
All of the physical blemishes that disqualify sacrificial animals, also disqualify a red heifer, for the prooftext cited above states: "Which does not possess a blemish." If the heifer was born by Caesarian section, was exchanged for a dog, was a present given a prostitute, was treifah, or had been sodomized, it is unacceptable. For any factor that invalidates a sacrificial animal for the altar invalidates the red heifer even though it is considered only as consecrated for the upkeep of the Temple, for Scripture has called it a sin-offering. It is permitted to purchase a red heifer from a gentile. We do not suspect that the gentile sodomized it, for he would not destroy the value of his animal.
There is a more severe element to the red heifer than to animals consecrated as sacrifices: work disqualifies it, for Numbers 19:2 states: "upon which a yoke was never placed." Now concerning a calf whose neck is broken,Deuteronomy 21:3 states: "With which no work was performed and which was not led with a yoke." Just as with regard to the yoke mentioned in connection with this calf, the Torah equated other labor with a yoke, so too, with regard to the red heifer, other forms of labor also disqualify it like a yoke does. There is, however, a greater stringency that applies with regard to a yoke. A yoke disqualifies the heifer whether it was placed upon it during work or not during work and other forms of labor disqualify it only when work was actually performed.
What is implied? If one tied a yoke upon it, it is disqualified even if one did not plow with it. If one placed it in a threshing team, it is not disqualified unless it actually threshed. Similar principles apply in analogous situations.
If one rode upon it, leaned upon it, hung on to its tail, crossed a river using it for support while swimming, folded its lead rope on top of it, placed his garment on it, placed a covering of sacks on it, it is disqualified. If one tied it with a rope because it was rebellious and required to be safeguarded, it is acceptable. If not, it is disqualified, for any safeguarding that is unnecessary is a burden.
If one shod its hooves so that it would not slip or spread his garment over it to protect it from flies, it is acceptable. This is the general principle: If anything is done for its own needs, it remains acceptable. If it is performed for another purpose, it is disqualified.
When work was performed with it as a matter of course or a yoke was placed over it as a matter of course, if the owner is pleased, it is disqualified. The rationale is that the verse above states: "With which no work was performed." The implication is that if work was performed with it and the owner would be satisfied, it is as if he performed work with it. Therefore, if a bird rested upon it, it is acceptable. If a male mounted it, it is unacceptable. Needless to say, a pregnant heifer is unacceptable.
If one placed it among a team of animals and it threshed grain on its own accord, it remains acceptable. If he placed it among the team so that it would nurse and thresh, it is disqualified, for he is satisfied that the work is performed. Similar laws apply in all analogous situations.
Halacha 8
When a disqualifying factor invalidates a red heifer, it should be redeemed. Similarly, if it dies, it should be redeemed so that its hide can be used. This, however, should not be done in order to feed its meat to the dogs.
Halacha 9
If it was slaughtered to be used as an ordinary animal, it should be redeemed and it does not bring about atonement. If it was slaughtered on top of the arrangement of wood set up for burning it, it can never be redeemed.
Halacha 10
If a red heifer was purchased and then one found a more attractive one, the first may be redeemed even if it does not have a blemish.
Halacha 11
Even an ordinary priest is acceptable to perform the burning of the red heifer, as Numbers 9:3 states: "And you shall give it to Elazar, the priest." At that time, Aaron was still alive. According to the Oral Tradition, it was taught: That red heifer was offered by Elazar. The remainder of the red heifers could be offered either by a High Priest or an ordinary priest.
Halacha 12
The person offering the red heifer should wear the four garments of an ordinary priest. This applies whether it was offered by an ordinary priest or a High Priest.
Halacha 13
All of those who were involved in the offering of the red heifer from the beginning to the end who had immersed that day are acceptable for the services associated with the red heifer, to consecrate the water used for sprinkling, and for sprinkling its ashes even though they did not wait until the nightfall after their immersion. The rationale is that the term "a pure man" used throughout that passage refers to one who is pure with regard to partaking of the second tithe, even though he is not pure with regard to partaking ofterumah until nightfall. Such a person is pure with regard to the red heifer.
Halacha 14
The Sadducees would say that the offering of the red heifer was acceptable only when those bringing it had waited until nightfall after immersion. Therefore in the Second Temple, the court would cause the priest who burned the red heifer to become ritually impure through contact with the carcass of a crawling animal or the like. He would immerse and then offer the red heifer to nullify the words of these brazen ones who issue rulings according to their whims without basis in the received tradition. Similarly, all of the containers into which the ashes of the red heifer were placed were all immersed that day.
Halacha 15
For the same reason, a person who cuts the stalk of a reed to place the ashes of a red heifer upon it so they can be placed in water to consecrate it for sprinkling, should make it impure, immerse it, and then place the ashes in it. The one who cuts it and the one who immerses it must immerse themselves, because that reed was considered as an entity that came in contact with a corpse on the seventh day of its purification process. Therefore it does not need to have the ashes of the red heifer sprinkled on it. Instead, it is made impure to show the Sadducees that the Oral Tradition should be upheld. It is then immersed and the ashes of the red heifer are placed in it.
• English Text | Video Class• Tuesday, Sivan 1, 5776 · June 7, 2016
• "Today's Day"
Friday Sivan 1, 45th day of the omer, Rosh Chodesh 5703
Until Sivan 12, inclusively, do not say tachanun.
Torah lessons: Chumash: Bamidbar, Shishi with Rashi.
Tehillim: 1-9.
Tanya: But what is (p. 273)...commandments of the Torah. (p. 273).
"Throw a stick into the air; it will fall back on ikrei, its root-side."1 Our fathers, the holy Rebbes, bequeathed a boundless heritage to the first chassidim, that their sons' children and their daughters' children throughout the generations, in whatever country and environment they may be, will have that "root" - which is the attraction of their "inwardness of heart" to the rock from which they were hewn. At times this element is covered and concealed in a number of garbs. This, then, is the avoda of whoever desires life - to remove these coverings, to establish for himself periods for the study of Chassidus, and to conduct himself in the manner of the Chassidic community.
FOOTNOTES
1.Bereishit Rabba, end of 53. Viz. Likutei Sichot Vol. 4, p. 1251. The stick will tend to land on its thick end which was nearest to the roots; ikrei also connotes "its essential element."
• Daily Thought:
Living Now
Life is here and now, forever new. To be alive, this moment now must touch the essence of your soul. To be alive is to be forever newly born.
And so our sages said, “The Torah must be new to you every day.”
Because if it is not new, then it is not giving you life. And if it is not giving you life, then what is?
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