Torah Reading
Ki Tisa: Exodus 30:11 Adonai said to Moshe, 12 “When you take a census of the people of Isra’el and register them, each, upon registration, is to pay a ransom for his life to Adonai, to avoid any breakout of plague among them during the time of the census. 13 Everyone subject to the census is to pay as an offering to Adonai half a shekel [one-fifth of an ounce of silver]— by the standard of the sanctuary shekel (a shekel equals twenty gerahs). 14 Everyone over twenty years of age who is subject to the census is to give this offering to Adonai — 15 the rich is not to give more or the poor less than the half-shekel when giving Adonai’s offering to atone for your lives. 16 You are to take the atonement money from the people of Isra’el and use it for the service in the tent of meeting, so that it will be a reminder of the people of Isra’el before Adonai to atone for your lives.”
17 Adonai said to Moshe, 18 “You are to make a basin of bronze, with a base of bronze, for washing. Place it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it. 19 Aharon and his sons will wash their hands and feet there 20 when they enter the tent of meeting — they are to wash with water, so that they won’t die. Also when they approach the altar to minister by burning an offering for Adonai, 21 they are to wash their hands and feet, so that they won’t die. This is to be a perpetual law for them through all their generations.”
22 Adonai said to Moshe, 23 “Take the best spices — 500 shekels of myrrh [12 1/2 pounds], half this amount (250 shekels) of aromatic cinnamon [6 1/4 pounds], 250 shekels of aromatic cane, 24 500 shekels of cassia (use the sanctuary standard), and one gallon of olive oil — 25 and make them into a holy anointing oil; blend it and perfume it as would an expert perfume-maker; it will be a holy anointing oil. 26 Use it to anoint the tent of meeting, the ark for the testimony, 27 the table and all its utensils, the menorah and all its utensils, the incense altar, 28 the altar for burnt offerings and all its utensils, and the basin with its base. 29 You are to consecrate them — they will be especially holy, and whatever touches them will be holy. 30 Then you are to anoint Aharon and his sons — you are to consecrate them to serve me in the office of cohen.
31 “Tell the people of Isra’el, ‘This is to be a holy anointing oil for me through all your generations. 32 It is not to be used for anointing a person’s body; and you are not to make any like it, with the same composition of ingredients — it is holy, and you are to treat it as holy. 33 Whoever makes any like it or uses it on any unauthorized person is to be cut off from his people.’”
34 Adonai said to Moshe, “Take aromatic plant substances — balsam resin, sweet onycha root and bitter galbanum gum — these spices along with frankincense, all in equal quantities; 35 and make incense, blended and perfumed as would an expert perfume-maker, salted, pure and holy. 36 You are to grind up some of it very finely and put it in front of the testimony in the tent of meeting where I will meet with you; you are to regard it as especially holy. 37 You are not to make for your own use any incense like it, with the same composition of ingredients — you are to treat it as holy, for Adonai. 38 Whoever makes up any like it to use as perfume is to be cut off from his people.”
31:1 Adonai said to Moshe, 2 “I have singled out B’tzal’el the son of Uri the son of Hur, of the tribe of Y’hudah. 3 I have filled him with the Spirit of God — with wisdom, understanding and knowledge concerning every kind of artisanry. 4 He is a master of design in gold, silver, bronze, 5 cutting precious stones to be set, woodcarving and every other craft.
6 “I have also appointed as his assistant Oholi’av the son of Achisamakh, of the tribe of Dan. Moreover, I have endowed all the craftsmen with the wisdom to make everything I have ordered you — 7 the tent of meeting, the ark for the testimony, the ark-cover above it, all the furnishings of the tent, 8 the table and its utensils, the pure menorah and all its utensils, the incense altar, 9 the altar for burnt offerings and all its utensils, the basin and its base, 10 the garments for officiating, the holy garments for Aharon the cohen and the garments for his sons, so that they can serve in the office of cohen, 11 the anointing oil and the incense of aromatic spices for the Holy Place: they are to make everything just as I have ordered you.”
12 Adonai said to Moshe, 13 “Tell the people of Isra’el, ‘You are to observe my Shabbats; for this is a sign between me and you through all your generations; so that you will know that I am Adonai, who sets you apart for me. 14 Therefore you are to keep my Shabbat, because it is set apart for you. Everyone who treats it as ordinary must be put to death; for whoever does any work on it is to be cut off from his people. 15 On six days work will get done; but the seventh day is Shabbat, for complete rest, set apart for Adonai. Whoever does any work on the day of Shabbat must be put to death. 16 The people of Isra’el are to keep the Shabbat, to observe Shabbat through all their generations as a perpetual covenant. 17 It is a sign between me and the people of Isra’el forever; for in six days Adonai made heaven and earth, but on the seventh day he stopped working and rested.’”
(ii) 18 When he had finished speaking with Moshe on Mount Sinai, Adonai gave him the two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone inscribed by the finger of God.
32:1 When the people saw that Moshe was taking a long time to come down from the mountain, they gathered around Aharon and said to him, “Get busy; and make us gods to go ahead of us; because this Moshe, the man that brought us up from the land of Egypt — we don’t know what has become of him.” 2 Aharon said to them, “Have your wives, sons and daughters strip off their gold earrings; and bring them to me.” 3 The people stripped off their gold earrings and brought them to Aharon. 4 He received what they gave him, melted it down, and made it into the shape of a calf. They said, “Isra’el! Here is your god, who brought you up from the land of Egypt!” 5 On seeing this, Aharon built an altar in front of it and proclaimed, “Tomorrow is to be a feast for Adonai.” 6 Early the next morning they got up and offered burnt offerings and presented peace offerings. Afterwards, the people sat down to eat and drink; then they got up to indulge in revelry.
7 Adonai said to Moshe, “Go down! Hurry! Your people, whom you brought up from the land of Egypt, have become corrupt! 8 So quickly they have turned aside from the way I ordered them to follow! They have cast a metal statue of a calf, worshipped it, sacrificed to it and said, ‘Isra’el! Here is your god, who brought you up from the land of Egypt!’” 9 Adonai continued speaking to Moshe: “I have been watching these people; and you can see how stiffnecked they are. 10 Now leave me alone, so that my anger can blaze against them, and I can put an end to them! I will make a great nation out of you instead.”
11 Moshe pleaded with Adonai his God. He said, “Adonai, why must your anger blaze against your own people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and a strong hand? 12 Why let the Egyptians say, ‘It was with evil intentions that he led them out, to slaughter them in the hills and wipe them off the face of the earth’? Turn from your fierce anger! Relent! Don’t bring such disaster on your people! 13 Remember Avraham, Yitz’chak and Isra’el, your servants, to whom you swore by your very self. You promised them, ‘I will make your descendants as many as the stars in the sky; and I will give all this land I have spoken about to your descendants; and they will possess it forever.’” 14 Adonai then changed his mind about the disaster he had planned for his people.
15 Moshe turned and went down from the mountain with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand, tablets inscribed on both sides, on the front and on the back. 16 The tablets were the work of God; and the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets. 17 When Y’hoshua heard the noise of the people shouting he said to Moshe, “It sounds like war in the camp!” 18 He answered, “That is neither the clamor of victory nor the wailings of defeat; what I hear is the sound of people singing.”
19 But the moment Moshe got near the camp, when he saw the calf and the dancing, his own anger blazed up. He threw down the tablets he had been holding and shattered them at the base of the mountain. 20 Seizing the calf they had made, he melted it in the fire and ground it to powder, which he scattered on the water. Then he made the people of Isra’el drink it.
21 Moshe said to Aharon, “What did these people do to you to make you lead them into such a terrible sin?” 22 Aharon replied, “My lord shouldn’t be so angry. You know what these people are like, that they are determined to do evil. 23 So they said to me, ‘Make us gods to go ahead of us; because this Moshe, the man that brought us up from the land of Egypt — we don’t know what has become of him.’ 24 I answered them, ‘Anyone with gold, strip it off!’ So they gave it to me. I threw it in the fire, and out came this calf!”
25 When Moshe saw that the people had gotten out of control — because Aharon had allowed them to get out of control, to the derision of their enemies — 26 Moshe stood at the entrance to the camp and shouted, “Whoever is for Adonai, come to me!” All the descendants of Levi rallied around him. 27 He told them, “Here is what Adonai, the God of Isra’el, says: ‘Each of you, put his sword on his side; and go up and down the camp, from gate to gate; and every man is to kill his own kinsman, his own friend and his own neighbor!” 28 The sons of Levi did what Moshe said, and that day three thousand of the people died. 29 Moshe said, “You have consecrated yourselves today to Adonai, because every one of you has been against his own son and against his own kinsman, in order to bring a blessing on yourselves today.”
30 The next day Moshe said to the people, “You have committed a terrible sin. Now I will go up to Adonai ; maybe I will be able to atone for your sin.” 31 Moshe went back to Adonai and said, “Please! These people have committed a terrible sin: they have made themselves a god out of gold. 32 Now, if you will just forgive their sin! But if you won’t, then, I beg you, blot me out of your book which you have written!” 33 Adonai answered Moshe, “Those who have sinned against me are the ones I will blot out of my book. 34 Now go and lead the people to the place I told you about; my angel will go ahead of you. Nevertheless, the time for punishment will come; and then I will punish them for their sin.” 35 Adonai struck the people with a plague because they had made the calf, the one Aharon made.
33:1 Adonai said to Moshe, “Leave, you and the people you brought up from the land of Egypt; and move on from here toward the land of which I swore to Avraham, Yitz’chak and Ya‘akov, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ 2 I will send an angel ahead of you; and I will drive out the Kena‘ani, Emori, Hitti, P’rizi, Hivi and Y’vusi. 3 You will go to a land flowing with milk and honey; but I myself will not go with you, because you are such a stiffnecked people that I might destroy you on the way.” 4 When the people heard this bad news, they went into mourning; and no one wore his ornaments. 5 Adonai said to Moshe, “Tell the people of Isra’el, ‘You are a stiffnecked people! If I were to go up with you for even one moment, I would exterminate you! Now, keep your ornaments off; then I will decide what to do to you.’” 6 So from Mount Horev onward, the people of Isra’el stripped themselves of their ornaments.
7 Moshe would take the tent and pitch it outside the camp, far away from the camp. He called it the tent of meeting. Everyone who wanted to consult Adonai would go out to the tent of meeting, outside the camp. 8 Whenever Moshe went out to the tent, all the people would get up and stand, each man at his tent door, and look at Moshe until he had gone into the tent. 9 Whenever Moshe entered the tent, the column of cloud would descend and station itself at the entrance to the tent; and Adonai would speak with Moshe. 10 When all the people saw the column of cloud stationed at the entrance to the tent, they would get up and prostrate themselves, each man at his tent door. 11 Adonai would speak to Moshe face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. Then he would return to the camp; but the young man who was his assistant, Y’hoshua the son of Nun, never left the inside of the tent.
(iii) 12 Moshe said to Adonai, “Look, you say to me, ‘Make these people move on!’ But you haven’t let me know whom you will be sending with me. Nevertheless you have said, ‘I know you by name,’ and also, ‘You have found favor in my sight.’ 13 Now, please, if it is really the case that I have found favor in your sight, show me your ways; so that I will understand you and continue finding favor in your sight. Moreover, keep on seeing this nation as your people.” 14 He answered, “Set your mind at rest — my presence will go with you, after all.” 15 Moshe replied, “If your presence doesn’t go with us, don’t make us go on from here. 16 For how else is it to be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people, other than by your going with us? That is what distinguishes us, me and your people, from all the other peoples on earth.”
(iv) 17 Adonai said to Moshe, “I will also do what you have asked me to do, because you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.” 18 But Moshe said, “I beg you to show me your glory!” 19 He replied, “I will cause all my goodness to pass before you, and in your presence I will pronounce the name of Adonai. Moreover, I show favor to whomever I will, and I display mercy to whomever I will. 20 But my face,” he continued, “you cannot see, because a human being cannot look at me and remain alive. 21 Here,” he said, “is a place near me; stand on the rock. 22 When my glory passes by, I will put you inside a crevice in the rock and cover you with my hand, until I have passed by. 23 Then I will remove my hand, and you will see my back, but my face is not to be seen.”
34:1 (v) Adonai said to Moshe, “Cut yourself two tablets of stone like the first ones; and I will inscribe on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke. 2 Be ready by morning; in the morning you are to ascend Mount Sinai and present yourself to me on the top of the mountain. 3 No one is to come up with you, and no one is to be seen anywhere on the mountain; don’t even let the flocks or herds feed in front of this mountain.” 4 Moshe cut two stone tablets like the first. Then he got up early in the morning and, with the two stone tablets in his hands, ascended Mount Sinai, as Adonai had ordered him to do.
5 Adonai descended in the cloud, stood with him there and pronounced the name of Adonai. 6 Adonai passed before him and proclaimed: “YUD-HEH-VAV-HEH!!! Yud-Heh-Vav-Heh [Adonai] is God, merciful and compassionate, slow to anger, rich in grace and truth; 7 showing grace to the thousandth generation, forgiving offenses, crimes and sins; yet not exonerating the guilty, but causing the negative effects of the parents’ offenses to be experienced by their children and grandchildren, and even by the third and fourth generations.” 8 At once Moshe bowed his head to the ground, prostrated himself 9 and said, “If I have now found favor in your view, Adonai, then please let Adonai go with us, even though they are a stiffnecked people; and pardon our offenses and our sin; and take us as your possession.”
(vi) 10 He said, “Here, I am making a covenant; in front of all your people I will do wonders such as have not been created anywhere on earth or in any nation. All the people around you will see the work of Adonai. What I am going to do through you will be awesome! 11 Observe what I am ordering you to do today. Here! I am driving out ahead of you the Emori, Kena‘ani, Hitti, P’rizi, Hivi and Y’vusi. 12 Be careful not to make a covenant with the people living in the land where you are going, so that they won’t become a snare within your own borders. 13 Rather, you are to demolish their altars, smash their standing-stones and cut down their sacred poles; 14 because you are not to bow down to any other god; since Adonai — whose very name is Jealous — is a jealous God. 15 Do not make a covenant with the people living in the land. It will cause you to go astray after their gods and sacrifice to their gods. Then they will invite you to join them in eating their sacrifices, 16 and you will take their daughters as wives for your sons. Their daughters will prostitute themselves to their own gods and make your sons do the same!
17 “Do not cast metal gods for yourselves.
18 “Keep the festival of matzah by eating matzah, as I ordered you, for seven days during the month of Aviv; for it was in the month of Aviv that you came out from Egypt.
19 “Everything that is first from the womb is mine. Of all your livestock, you are to set aside for me the males, the firstborn of cattle and flock. 20 The firstborn of a donkey you must redeem with a lamb; if you won’t redeem it, break its neck. All the firstborn of your sons you are to redeem, and no one is to appear before me empty-handed.
21 “Six days you will work, but on the seventh day you are to rest — even in plowing time and harvest season you are to rest.
22 “Observe the festival of Shavu‘ot with the first-gathered produce of the wheat harvest, and the festival of ingathering at the turn of the year. 23 Three times a year all your men are to appear before the Lord, Adonai, the God of Isra’el. 24 For I am going to expel nations ahead of you and expand your territory, and no one will even covet your land when you go up to appear before Adonai your God three times a year. 25 You are not to offer the blood of my sacrifice with leavened bread, and the sacrifice of the feast of Pesach is not to be left until morning. 26 You are to bring the best firstfruits of your land into the house of Adonai your God.
“You are not to boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.”
(vii) 27 Adonai said to Moshe, “Write these words down, because they are the terms of the covenant I have made with you and with Isra’el.” 28 Moshe was there with Adonai forty days and forty nights, during which time he neither ate food nor drank water. [Adonai] wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Words.
29 When Moshe came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand, he didn’t realize that the skin of his face was sending out rays of light as a result of his talking with [Adonai]. 30 When Aharon and the people of Isra’el saw Moshe, the skin of his face was shining; and they were afraid to approach him. 31 But Moshe called to them; then Aharon and all the community leaders came back to him, and Moshe spoke to them. 32 Afterwards, all the people of Isra’el came near; and he passed on to them all the orders that Adonai had told him on Mount Sinai.
(Maftir) 33 Once Moshe had finished speaking with them, he put a veil on his face. 34 But when he went in before Adonai for him to speak, he would take the veil off until he came out; then, when he came out, he would tell the people of Isra’el what he had been ordered. 35 But when the people of Isra’el saw Moshe’s face, that the skin of Moshe’s face shone, he would put the veil back over his face until he went in again to speak with [Adonai].
Parshat Parah: Numbers 19:1 Adonai said to Moshe and Aharon, 2 “This is the regulation from the Torah which Adonai has commanded. Tell the people of Isra’el to bring you a young red female cow without fault or defect and which has never borne a yoke. 3 You are to give it to El‘azar the cohen; it is to be brought outside the camp and slaughtered in front of him. 4 El‘azar the cohen is to take some of its blood with his finger and sprinkle this blood toward the front of the tent of meeting seven times. 5 The heifer is to be burned to ashes before his eyes — its skin, meat, blood and dung is to be burned to ashes. 6 The cohen is to take cedar-wood, hyssop and scarlet yarn and throw them onto the heifer as it is burning up. 7 Then the cohen is to wash his clothes and himself in water, after which he may re-enter the camp; but the cohen will remain unclean until evening. 8 The person who burned up the heifer is to wash his clothes and himself in water, but he will remain unclean until evening. 9 A man who is clean is to collect the ashes of the heifer and store them outside the camp in a clean place. They are to be kept for the community of the people of Isra’el to prepare water for purification from sin. 10 The one who collected the ashes of the heifer is to wash his clothes and be unclean until evening. For the people of Isra’el and for the foreigner staying with them this will be a permanent regulation.
11 “Anyone who touches a corpse, no matter whose dead body it is, will be unclean for seven days. 12 He must purify himself with [these ashes] on the third and seventh days; then he will be clean. But if he does not purify himself the third and seventh days, he will not be clean. 13 Anyone who touches a corpse, no matter whose dead body it is, and does not purify himself has defiled the tabernacle of Adonai. That person will be cut off from Isra’el, because the water for purification was not sprinkled on him. He will be unclean; his uncleanness is still on him.
14 “This is the law: when a person dies in a tent, everyone who enters the tent and everything in the tent will be unclean for seven days. 15 Every open container without a cover closely attached is unclean. 16 Also whoever is in an open field and touches a corpse, whether of someone killed by a weapon or of someone who died naturally, or the bone of a person, or a grave, will be unclean for seven days.
17 “For the unclean person they are to take some of the ashes of the animal burned up as a purification from sin and add them to fresh water in a container. (LY: ii) 18 A clean person is to take a bunch of hyssop leaves, dip it in the water and sprinkle it on the tent, on all the containers, on the people who were there, and on the person who touched the bone or the person killed or the one who died naturally or the grave. 19 The clean person will sprinkle the unclean person on the third and seventh days. On the seventh day he will purify him; then he will wash his clothes and himself in water; and he will be clean at evening. 20 The person who remains unclean and does not purify himself will be cut off from the community because he has defiled the sanctuary of Adonai. The water for purification has not been sprinkled on him; he is unclean. 21 This is to be a permanent regulation for them. The person who sprinkles the water for purification is to wash his clothes. Whoever touches the water for purification will be unclean until evening. 22 Anything the unclean person touches will be unclean, and anyone who touches him will be unclean until evening.”
Parah: Ezekiel 36:16 The word of Adonai came to me: 17 “Human being, when the house of Isra’el lived in their own land, they defiled it by their manner of life and their actions; their way before me was like the uncleanness of niddah. 18 Therefore I poured out my fury on them, because of the blood they had shed in the land and because they defiled it with their idols. 19 I scattered them among the nations and dispersed them throughout the countries; I judged them in keeping with their manner of life and actions. 20 When they came to the nations they were going to, they profaned my holy name; so that people said of them, ‘These are Adonai’s people, who have been exiled from his land.’ 21 But I am concerned about my holy name, which the house of Isra’el is profaning among the nations where they have gone.
22 “Therefore tell the house of Isra’el that Adonai Elohim says this: ‘I am not going to do this for your sake, house of Isra’el, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have been profaning among the nations where you went. 23 I will set apart my great name to be regarded as holy, since it has been profaned in the nations — you profaned it among them. The nations will know that I am Adonai,’ says Adonai Elohim, ‘when, before their eyes, I am set apart through you to be regarded as holy.
24 For I will take you from among the nations,
gather you from all the countries,
and return you to your own soil.
25 Then I will sprinkle clean water on you,
and you will be clean;
I will cleanse you from all your uncleanness
and from all your idols.
26 I will give you a new heart
and put a new spirit inside you;
I will take the stony heart out of your flesh
and give you a heart of flesh.
27 I will put my Spirit inside you
and cause you to live by my laws,
respect my rulings and obey them.
28 You will live in the land I gave to your ancestors.
You will be my people,
and I will be your God.
29 I will save you from all your uncleanliness.
I will summon the grain and increase it,
and not send famine against you.
30 I will multiply the yield of fruit from the trees
and increase production in the fields,
so that you never again suffer the reproach
of famine among the nations.
31 Then you will remember your evil ways
and your actions that were not good;
as you look at yourselves, you will loathe yourselves
for your guilt and disgusting practices.
32 Understand,’ says Adonai Elohim,
‘that I am not doing this for your sake.
Instead, be ashamed and dismayed for your ways,
house of Isra’el.’
33 “Adonai Elohim says, ‘When the day comes for me to cleanse you from all your guilt, I will cause the cities to be inhabited and the ruins to be rebuilt. 34 The land that was desolate will be tilled, whereas formerly it lay desolate for all passing by to see. 35 Then they will say, “The land that used to be desolate has become like Gan-‘Eden, and the cities formerly ruined, abandoned and wasted have been fortified and are inhabited!” 36 Then the nations around you that remain will know that I, Adonai, have rebuilt the ruins and replanted what was abandoned. I, Adonai, have spoken; and I will do it.’
Today's Laws & Customs:
• Parshat Parah
The Torah reading of Parah (Numbers 19) is added to the weekly reading. Parah details the laws of the "Red Heifer" and the process by which a person rendered ritually impure by contact with a dead body was purified.
(When the Holy Temple stood in Jerusalem, every Jew had to be in a state of ritual purity in time for the bringing of the Passover offering in the Temple. Today, though we're unable to fulfill the Temple-related rituals in practice, we fulfill them spiritually by studying their laws in the Torah. Thus, we study and read the section of Parah in preparation for the upcoming festival of Passover.)
Links: The Parah reading w commentary
The Calf's Mother
Today in Jewish History:
• Choni the Circle Maker prays for rain (1st Century BCE)
"One year, most of Adar went by and it didn't rain. They sent for Choni the Circle Maker. He prayed and the rains didn't come. He drew a circle, stood in it and said: 'Master of The World! Your children have turned to me; I swear in Your great name that I won't move from here until You have pity on Your children.' The rains came down." (Talmud, Taanit 23a)
• Passing of "Bach" (1640) Adar 20 is the yahrtzeit (anniversary of the passing) of Rabbi Yoel Sirkes (1560?-1640), Rabbi of Krakow and author of the Bayit Chadash ("Bach") commentary on the great Halachic work, the Arba'ah Turim.Today's Study:
Ki Tisa: Exodus 30:11 Adonai said to Moshe, 12 “When you take a census of the people of Isra’el and register them, each, upon registration, is to pay a ransom for his life to Adonai, to avoid any breakout of plague among them during the time of the census. 13 Everyone subject to the census is to pay as an offering to Adonai half a shekel [one-fifth of an ounce of silver]— by the standard of the sanctuary shekel (a shekel equals twenty gerahs). 14 Everyone over twenty years of age who is subject to the census is to give this offering to Adonai — 15 the rich is not to give more or the poor less than the half-shekel when giving Adonai’s offering to atone for your lives. 16 You are to take the atonement money from the people of Isra’el and use it for the service in the tent of meeting, so that it will be a reminder of the people of Isra’el before Adonai to atone for your lives.”
17 Adonai said to Moshe, 18 “You are to make a basin of bronze, with a base of bronze, for washing. Place it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it. 19 Aharon and his sons will wash their hands and feet there 20 when they enter the tent of meeting — they are to wash with water, so that they won’t die. Also when they approach the altar to minister by burning an offering for Adonai, 21 they are to wash their hands and feet, so that they won’t die. This is to be a perpetual law for them through all their generations.”
22 Adonai said to Moshe, 23 “Take the best spices — 500 shekels of myrrh [12 1/2 pounds], half this amount (250 shekels) of aromatic cinnamon [6 1/4 pounds], 250 shekels of aromatic cane, 24 500 shekels of cassia (use the sanctuary standard), and one gallon of olive oil — 25 and make them into a holy anointing oil; blend it and perfume it as would an expert perfume-maker; it will be a holy anointing oil. 26 Use it to anoint the tent of meeting, the ark for the testimony, 27 the table and all its utensils, the menorah and all its utensils, the incense altar, 28 the altar for burnt offerings and all its utensils, and the basin with its base. 29 You are to consecrate them — they will be especially holy, and whatever touches them will be holy. 30 Then you are to anoint Aharon and his sons — you are to consecrate them to serve me in the office of cohen.
31 “Tell the people of Isra’el, ‘This is to be a holy anointing oil for me through all your generations. 32 It is not to be used for anointing a person’s body; and you are not to make any like it, with the same composition of ingredients — it is holy, and you are to treat it as holy. 33 Whoever makes any like it or uses it on any unauthorized person is to be cut off from his people.’”
34 Adonai said to Moshe, “Take aromatic plant substances — balsam resin, sweet onycha root and bitter galbanum gum — these spices along with frankincense, all in equal quantities; 35 and make incense, blended and perfumed as would an expert perfume-maker, salted, pure and holy. 36 You are to grind up some of it very finely and put it in front of the testimony in the tent of meeting where I will meet with you; you are to regard it as especially holy. 37 You are not to make for your own use any incense like it, with the same composition of ingredients — you are to treat it as holy, for Adonai. 38 Whoever makes up any like it to use as perfume is to be cut off from his people.”
31:1 Adonai said to Moshe, 2 “I have singled out B’tzal’el the son of Uri the son of Hur, of the tribe of Y’hudah. 3 I have filled him with the Spirit of God — with wisdom, understanding and knowledge concerning every kind of artisanry. 4 He is a master of design in gold, silver, bronze, 5 cutting precious stones to be set, woodcarving and every other craft.
6 “I have also appointed as his assistant Oholi’av the son of Achisamakh, of the tribe of Dan. Moreover, I have endowed all the craftsmen with the wisdom to make everything I have ordered you — 7 the tent of meeting, the ark for the testimony, the ark-cover above it, all the furnishings of the tent, 8 the table and its utensils, the pure menorah and all its utensils, the incense altar, 9 the altar for burnt offerings and all its utensils, the basin and its base, 10 the garments for officiating, the holy garments for Aharon the cohen and the garments for his sons, so that they can serve in the office of cohen, 11 the anointing oil and the incense of aromatic spices for the Holy Place: they are to make everything just as I have ordered you.”
12 Adonai said to Moshe, 13 “Tell the people of Isra’el, ‘You are to observe my Shabbats; for this is a sign between me and you through all your generations; so that you will know that I am Adonai, who sets you apart for me. 14 Therefore you are to keep my Shabbat, because it is set apart for you. Everyone who treats it as ordinary must be put to death; for whoever does any work on it is to be cut off from his people. 15 On six days work will get done; but the seventh day is Shabbat, for complete rest, set apart for Adonai. Whoever does any work on the day of Shabbat must be put to death. 16 The people of Isra’el are to keep the Shabbat, to observe Shabbat through all their generations as a perpetual covenant. 17 It is a sign between me and the people of Isra’el forever; for in six days Adonai made heaven and earth, but on the seventh day he stopped working and rested.’”
(ii) 18 When he had finished speaking with Moshe on Mount Sinai, Adonai gave him the two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone inscribed by the finger of God.
32:1 When the people saw that Moshe was taking a long time to come down from the mountain, they gathered around Aharon and said to him, “Get busy; and make us gods to go ahead of us; because this Moshe, the man that brought us up from the land of Egypt — we don’t know what has become of him.” 2 Aharon said to them, “Have your wives, sons and daughters strip off their gold earrings; and bring them to me.” 3 The people stripped off their gold earrings and brought them to Aharon. 4 He received what they gave him, melted it down, and made it into the shape of a calf. They said, “Isra’el! Here is your god, who brought you up from the land of Egypt!” 5 On seeing this, Aharon built an altar in front of it and proclaimed, “Tomorrow is to be a feast for Adonai.” 6 Early the next morning they got up and offered burnt offerings and presented peace offerings. Afterwards, the people sat down to eat and drink; then they got up to indulge in revelry.
7 Adonai said to Moshe, “Go down! Hurry! Your people, whom you brought up from the land of Egypt, have become corrupt! 8 So quickly they have turned aside from the way I ordered them to follow! They have cast a metal statue of a calf, worshipped it, sacrificed to it and said, ‘Isra’el! Here is your god, who brought you up from the land of Egypt!’” 9 Adonai continued speaking to Moshe: “I have been watching these people; and you can see how stiffnecked they are. 10 Now leave me alone, so that my anger can blaze against them, and I can put an end to them! I will make a great nation out of you instead.”
11 Moshe pleaded with Adonai his God. He said, “Adonai, why must your anger blaze against your own people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and a strong hand? 12 Why let the Egyptians say, ‘It was with evil intentions that he led them out, to slaughter them in the hills and wipe them off the face of the earth’? Turn from your fierce anger! Relent! Don’t bring such disaster on your people! 13 Remember Avraham, Yitz’chak and Isra’el, your servants, to whom you swore by your very self. You promised them, ‘I will make your descendants as many as the stars in the sky; and I will give all this land I have spoken about to your descendants; and they will possess it forever.’” 14 Adonai then changed his mind about the disaster he had planned for his people.
15 Moshe turned and went down from the mountain with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand, tablets inscribed on both sides, on the front and on the back. 16 The tablets were the work of God; and the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets. 17 When Y’hoshua heard the noise of the people shouting he said to Moshe, “It sounds like war in the camp!” 18 He answered, “That is neither the clamor of victory nor the wailings of defeat; what I hear is the sound of people singing.”
19 But the moment Moshe got near the camp, when he saw the calf and the dancing, his own anger blazed up. He threw down the tablets he had been holding and shattered them at the base of the mountain. 20 Seizing the calf they had made, he melted it in the fire and ground it to powder, which he scattered on the water. Then he made the people of Isra’el drink it.
21 Moshe said to Aharon, “What did these people do to you to make you lead them into such a terrible sin?” 22 Aharon replied, “My lord shouldn’t be so angry. You know what these people are like, that they are determined to do evil. 23 So they said to me, ‘Make us gods to go ahead of us; because this Moshe, the man that brought us up from the land of Egypt — we don’t know what has become of him.’ 24 I answered them, ‘Anyone with gold, strip it off!’ So they gave it to me. I threw it in the fire, and out came this calf!”
25 When Moshe saw that the people had gotten out of control — because Aharon had allowed them to get out of control, to the derision of their enemies — 26 Moshe stood at the entrance to the camp and shouted, “Whoever is for Adonai, come to me!” All the descendants of Levi rallied around him. 27 He told them, “Here is what Adonai, the God of Isra’el, says: ‘Each of you, put his sword on his side; and go up and down the camp, from gate to gate; and every man is to kill his own kinsman, his own friend and his own neighbor!” 28 The sons of Levi did what Moshe said, and that day three thousand of the people died. 29 Moshe said, “You have consecrated yourselves today to Adonai, because every one of you has been against his own son and against his own kinsman, in order to bring a blessing on yourselves today.”
30 The next day Moshe said to the people, “You have committed a terrible sin. Now I will go up to Adonai ; maybe I will be able to atone for your sin.” 31 Moshe went back to Adonai and said, “Please! These people have committed a terrible sin: they have made themselves a god out of gold. 32 Now, if you will just forgive their sin! But if you won’t, then, I beg you, blot me out of your book which you have written!” 33 Adonai answered Moshe, “Those who have sinned against me are the ones I will blot out of my book. 34 Now go and lead the people to the place I told you about; my angel will go ahead of you. Nevertheless, the time for punishment will come; and then I will punish them for their sin.” 35 Adonai struck the people with a plague because they had made the calf, the one Aharon made.
33:1 Adonai said to Moshe, “Leave, you and the people you brought up from the land of Egypt; and move on from here toward the land of which I swore to Avraham, Yitz’chak and Ya‘akov, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ 2 I will send an angel ahead of you; and I will drive out the Kena‘ani, Emori, Hitti, P’rizi, Hivi and Y’vusi. 3 You will go to a land flowing with milk and honey; but I myself will not go with you, because you are such a stiffnecked people that I might destroy you on the way.” 4 When the people heard this bad news, they went into mourning; and no one wore his ornaments. 5 Adonai said to Moshe, “Tell the people of Isra’el, ‘You are a stiffnecked people! If I were to go up with you for even one moment, I would exterminate you! Now, keep your ornaments off; then I will decide what to do to you.’” 6 So from Mount Horev onward, the people of Isra’el stripped themselves of their ornaments.
7 Moshe would take the tent and pitch it outside the camp, far away from the camp. He called it the tent of meeting. Everyone who wanted to consult Adonai would go out to the tent of meeting, outside the camp. 8 Whenever Moshe went out to the tent, all the people would get up and stand, each man at his tent door, and look at Moshe until he had gone into the tent. 9 Whenever Moshe entered the tent, the column of cloud would descend and station itself at the entrance to the tent; and Adonai would speak with Moshe. 10 When all the people saw the column of cloud stationed at the entrance to the tent, they would get up and prostrate themselves, each man at his tent door. 11 Adonai would speak to Moshe face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. Then he would return to the camp; but the young man who was his assistant, Y’hoshua the son of Nun, never left the inside of the tent.
(iii) 12 Moshe said to Adonai, “Look, you say to me, ‘Make these people move on!’ But you haven’t let me know whom you will be sending with me. Nevertheless you have said, ‘I know you by name,’ and also, ‘You have found favor in my sight.’ 13 Now, please, if it is really the case that I have found favor in your sight, show me your ways; so that I will understand you and continue finding favor in your sight. Moreover, keep on seeing this nation as your people.” 14 He answered, “Set your mind at rest — my presence will go with you, after all.” 15 Moshe replied, “If your presence doesn’t go with us, don’t make us go on from here. 16 For how else is it to be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people, other than by your going with us? That is what distinguishes us, me and your people, from all the other peoples on earth.”
(iv) 17 Adonai said to Moshe, “I will also do what you have asked me to do, because you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.” 18 But Moshe said, “I beg you to show me your glory!” 19 He replied, “I will cause all my goodness to pass before you, and in your presence I will pronounce the name of Adonai. Moreover, I show favor to whomever I will, and I display mercy to whomever I will. 20 But my face,” he continued, “you cannot see, because a human being cannot look at me and remain alive. 21 Here,” he said, “is a place near me; stand on the rock. 22 When my glory passes by, I will put you inside a crevice in the rock and cover you with my hand, until I have passed by. 23 Then I will remove my hand, and you will see my back, but my face is not to be seen.”
34:1 (v) Adonai said to Moshe, “Cut yourself two tablets of stone like the first ones; and I will inscribe on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke. 2 Be ready by morning; in the morning you are to ascend Mount Sinai and present yourself to me on the top of the mountain. 3 No one is to come up with you, and no one is to be seen anywhere on the mountain; don’t even let the flocks or herds feed in front of this mountain.” 4 Moshe cut two stone tablets like the first. Then he got up early in the morning and, with the two stone tablets in his hands, ascended Mount Sinai, as Adonai had ordered him to do.
5 Adonai descended in the cloud, stood with him there and pronounced the name of Adonai. 6 Adonai passed before him and proclaimed: “YUD-HEH-VAV-HEH!!! Yud-Heh-Vav-Heh [Adonai] is God, merciful and compassionate, slow to anger, rich in grace and truth; 7 showing grace to the thousandth generation, forgiving offenses, crimes and sins; yet not exonerating the guilty, but causing the negative effects of the parents’ offenses to be experienced by their children and grandchildren, and even by the third and fourth generations.” 8 At once Moshe bowed his head to the ground, prostrated himself 9 and said, “If I have now found favor in your view, Adonai, then please let Adonai go with us, even though they are a stiffnecked people; and pardon our offenses and our sin; and take us as your possession.”
(vi) 10 He said, “Here, I am making a covenant; in front of all your people I will do wonders such as have not been created anywhere on earth or in any nation. All the people around you will see the work of Adonai. What I am going to do through you will be awesome! 11 Observe what I am ordering you to do today. Here! I am driving out ahead of you the Emori, Kena‘ani, Hitti, P’rizi, Hivi and Y’vusi. 12 Be careful not to make a covenant with the people living in the land where you are going, so that they won’t become a snare within your own borders. 13 Rather, you are to demolish their altars, smash their standing-stones and cut down their sacred poles; 14 because you are not to bow down to any other god; since Adonai — whose very name is Jealous — is a jealous God. 15 Do not make a covenant with the people living in the land. It will cause you to go astray after their gods and sacrifice to their gods. Then they will invite you to join them in eating their sacrifices, 16 and you will take their daughters as wives for your sons. Their daughters will prostitute themselves to their own gods and make your sons do the same!
17 “Do not cast metal gods for yourselves.
18 “Keep the festival of matzah by eating matzah, as I ordered you, for seven days during the month of Aviv; for it was in the month of Aviv that you came out from Egypt.
19 “Everything that is first from the womb is mine. Of all your livestock, you are to set aside for me the males, the firstborn of cattle and flock. 20 The firstborn of a donkey you must redeem with a lamb; if you won’t redeem it, break its neck. All the firstborn of your sons you are to redeem, and no one is to appear before me empty-handed.
21 “Six days you will work, but on the seventh day you are to rest — even in plowing time and harvest season you are to rest.
22 “Observe the festival of Shavu‘ot with the first-gathered produce of the wheat harvest, and the festival of ingathering at the turn of the year. 23 Three times a year all your men are to appear before the Lord, Adonai, the God of Isra’el. 24 For I am going to expel nations ahead of you and expand your territory, and no one will even covet your land when you go up to appear before Adonai your God three times a year. 25 You are not to offer the blood of my sacrifice with leavened bread, and the sacrifice of the feast of Pesach is not to be left until morning. 26 You are to bring the best firstfruits of your land into the house of Adonai your God.
“You are not to boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.”
(vii) 27 Adonai said to Moshe, “Write these words down, because they are the terms of the covenant I have made with you and with Isra’el.” 28 Moshe was there with Adonai forty days and forty nights, during which time he neither ate food nor drank water. [Adonai] wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Words.
29 When Moshe came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand, he didn’t realize that the skin of his face was sending out rays of light as a result of his talking with [Adonai]. 30 When Aharon and the people of Isra’el saw Moshe, the skin of his face was shining; and they were afraid to approach him. 31 But Moshe called to them; then Aharon and all the community leaders came back to him, and Moshe spoke to them. 32 Afterwards, all the people of Isra’el came near; and he passed on to them all the orders that Adonai had told him on Mount Sinai.
(Maftir) 33 Once Moshe had finished speaking with them, he put a veil on his face. 34 But when he went in before Adonai for him to speak, he would take the veil off until he came out; then, when he came out, he would tell the people of Isra’el what he had been ordered. 35 But when the people of Isra’el saw Moshe’s face, that the skin of Moshe’s face shone, he would put the veil back over his face until he went in again to speak with [Adonai].
Parshat Parah: Numbers 19:1 Adonai said to Moshe and Aharon, 2 “This is the regulation from the Torah which Adonai has commanded. Tell the people of Isra’el to bring you a young red female cow without fault or defect and which has never borne a yoke. 3 You are to give it to El‘azar the cohen; it is to be brought outside the camp and slaughtered in front of him. 4 El‘azar the cohen is to take some of its blood with his finger and sprinkle this blood toward the front of the tent of meeting seven times. 5 The heifer is to be burned to ashes before his eyes — its skin, meat, blood and dung is to be burned to ashes. 6 The cohen is to take cedar-wood, hyssop and scarlet yarn and throw them onto the heifer as it is burning up. 7 Then the cohen is to wash his clothes and himself in water, after which he may re-enter the camp; but the cohen will remain unclean until evening. 8 The person who burned up the heifer is to wash his clothes and himself in water, but he will remain unclean until evening. 9 A man who is clean is to collect the ashes of the heifer and store them outside the camp in a clean place. They are to be kept for the community of the people of Isra’el to prepare water for purification from sin. 10 The one who collected the ashes of the heifer is to wash his clothes and be unclean until evening. For the people of Isra’el and for the foreigner staying with them this will be a permanent regulation.
11 “Anyone who touches a corpse, no matter whose dead body it is, will be unclean for seven days. 12 He must purify himself with [these ashes] on the third and seventh days; then he will be clean. But if he does not purify himself the third and seventh days, he will not be clean. 13 Anyone who touches a corpse, no matter whose dead body it is, and does not purify himself has defiled the tabernacle of Adonai. That person will be cut off from Isra’el, because the water for purification was not sprinkled on him. He will be unclean; his uncleanness is still on him.
14 “This is the law: when a person dies in a tent, everyone who enters the tent and everything in the tent will be unclean for seven days. 15 Every open container without a cover closely attached is unclean. 16 Also whoever is in an open field and touches a corpse, whether of someone killed by a weapon or of someone who died naturally, or the bone of a person, or a grave, will be unclean for seven days.
17 “For the unclean person they are to take some of the ashes of the animal burned up as a purification from sin and add them to fresh water in a container. (LY: ii) 18 A clean person is to take a bunch of hyssop leaves, dip it in the water and sprinkle it on the tent, on all the containers, on the people who were there, and on the person who touched the bone or the person killed or the one who died naturally or the grave. 19 The clean person will sprinkle the unclean person on the third and seventh days. On the seventh day he will purify him; then he will wash his clothes and himself in water; and he will be clean at evening. 20 The person who remains unclean and does not purify himself will be cut off from the community because he has defiled the sanctuary of Adonai. The water for purification has not been sprinkled on him; he is unclean. 21 This is to be a permanent regulation for them. The person who sprinkles the water for purification is to wash his clothes. Whoever touches the water for purification will be unclean until evening. 22 Anything the unclean person touches will be unclean, and anyone who touches him will be unclean until evening.”
Parah: Ezekiel 36:16 The word of Adonai came to me: 17 “Human being, when the house of Isra’el lived in their own land, they defiled it by their manner of life and their actions; their way before me was like the uncleanness of niddah. 18 Therefore I poured out my fury on them, because of the blood they had shed in the land and because they defiled it with their idols. 19 I scattered them among the nations and dispersed them throughout the countries; I judged them in keeping with their manner of life and actions. 20 When they came to the nations they were going to, they profaned my holy name; so that people said of them, ‘These are Adonai’s people, who have been exiled from his land.’ 21 But I am concerned about my holy name, which the house of Isra’el is profaning among the nations where they have gone.
22 “Therefore tell the house of Isra’el that Adonai Elohim says this: ‘I am not going to do this for your sake, house of Isra’el, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have been profaning among the nations where you went. 23 I will set apart my great name to be regarded as holy, since it has been profaned in the nations — you profaned it among them. The nations will know that I am Adonai,’ says Adonai Elohim, ‘when, before their eyes, I am set apart through you to be regarded as holy.
24 For I will take you from among the nations,
gather you from all the countries,
and return you to your own soil.
25 Then I will sprinkle clean water on you,
and you will be clean;
I will cleanse you from all your uncleanness
and from all your idols.
26 I will give you a new heart
and put a new spirit inside you;
I will take the stony heart out of your flesh
and give you a heart of flesh.
27 I will put my Spirit inside you
and cause you to live by my laws,
respect my rulings and obey them.
28 You will live in the land I gave to your ancestors.
You will be my people,
and I will be your God.
29 I will save you from all your uncleanliness.
I will summon the grain and increase it,
and not send famine against you.
30 I will multiply the yield of fruit from the trees
and increase production in the fields,
so that you never again suffer the reproach
of famine among the nations.
31 Then you will remember your evil ways
and your actions that were not good;
as you look at yourselves, you will loathe yourselves
for your guilt and disgusting practices.
32 Understand,’ says Adonai Elohim,
‘that I am not doing this for your sake.
Instead, be ashamed and dismayed for your ways,
house of Isra’el.’
33 “Adonai Elohim says, ‘When the day comes for me to cleanse you from all your guilt, I will cause the cities to be inhabited and the ruins to be rebuilt. 34 The land that was desolate will be tilled, whereas formerly it lay desolate for all passing by to see. 35 Then they will say, “The land that used to be desolate has become like Gan-‘Eden, and the cities formerly ruined, abandoned and wasted have been fortified and are inhabited!” 36 Then the nations around you that remain will know that I, Adonai, have rebuilt the ruins and replanted what was abandoned. I, Adonai, have spoken; and I will do it.’
Today's Laws & Customs:
• Parshat Parah
The Torah reading of Parah (Numbers 19) is added to the weekly reading. Parah details the laws of the "Red Heifer" and the process by which a person rendered ritually impure by contact with a dead body was purified.
(When the Holy Temple stood in Jerusalem, every Jew had to be in a state of ritual purity in time for the bringing of the Passover offering in the Temple. Today, though we're unable to fulfill the Temple-related rituals in practice, we fulfill them spiritually by studying their laws in the Torah. Thus, we study and read the section of Parah in preparation for the upcoming festival of Passover.)
Links: The Parah reading w commentary
The Calf's Mother
Today in Jewish History:
• Choni the Circle Maker prays for rain (1st Century BCE)
"One year, most of Adar went by and it didn't rain. They sent for Choni the Circle Maker. He prayed and the rains didn't come. He drew a circle, stood in it and said: 'Master of The World! Your children have turned to me; I swear in Your great name that I won't move from here until You have pity on Your children.' The rains came down." (Talmud, Taanit 23a)
• Passing of "Bach" (1640) Adar 20 is the yahrtzeit (anniversary of the passing) of Rabbi Yoel Sirkes (1560?-1640), Rabbi of Krakow and author of the Bayit Chadash ("Bach") commentary on the great Halachic work, the Arba'ah Turim.Today's Study:
Chitas and Rambam for today:
Chumash: Ki Tisa, 7th Portion Exodus 34:27-34:35 with Rashi
• Exodus Chapter 34
27The Lord said to Moses: "Inscribe these words for yourself, for according to these words I have formed a covenant with you and with Israel." כזוַיֹּ֤אמֶר יְהֹוָה֙ אֶל־משֶׁ֔ה כְּתָב־לְךָ֖ אֶת־הַדְּבָרִ֣ים הָאֵ֑לֶּה כִּ֞י עַל־פִּ֣י | הַדְּבָרִ֣ים הָאֵ֗לֶּה כָּרַ֧תִּי אִתְּךָ֛ בְּרִ֖ית וְאֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵֽל:
these words: But you are not permitted to write down the Oral Torah. -[from Gittin 60b] את הדברים האלה: ולא אתה רשאי לכתוב תורה שבעל פה:
28He was there with the Lord for forty days and forty nights; he ate no bread and drank no water, and He inscribed upon the tablets the words of the Covenant, the Ten Commandments. כחוַיְהִי־שָׁ֣ם עִם־יְהֹוָ֗ה אַרְבָּעִ֥ים יוֹם֙ וְאַרְבָּעִ֣ים לַ֔יְלָה לֶ֚חֶם לֹ֣א אָכַ֔ל וּמַ֖יִם לֹ֣א שָׁתָ֑ה וַיִּכְתֹּ֣ב עַל־הַלֻּחֹ֗ת אֵ֚ת דִּבְרֵ֣י הַבְּרִ֔ית עֲשֶׂ֖רֶת הַדְּבָרִֽים:
29And it came to pass when Moses descended from Mount Sinai, and the two tablets of the testimony were in Moses' hand when he descended from the mountain and Moses did not know that the skin of his face had become radiant while He had spoken with him כטוַיְהִ֗י בְּרֶ֤דֶת משֶׁה֙ מֵהַ֣ר סִינַ֔י וּשְׁנֵ֨י לֻחֹ֤ת הָֽעֵדֻת֙ בְּיַד־משֶׁ֔ה בְּרִדְתּ֖וֹ מִן־הָהָ֑ר וּמשֶׁ֣ה לֹֽא־יָדַ֗ע כִּ֥י קָרַ֛ן ע֥וֹר פָּנָ֖יו בְּדַבְּר֥וֹ אִתּֽוֹ:
And it came to pass when Moses descended: when he brought the latter [second] tablets on Yom Kippur. ויהי ברדת משה: כשהביא לוחות אחרונות ביום הכפורים:
that… had become radiant: Heb. קָרַן, an expression meaning horns (קַרְנַיִם) because light radiates and protrudes like a type of horn. From where did Moses [now] merit these rays of splendor [which he did not have when he descended with the first tablets (Gur Aryeh)]? Our Rabbis said: [Moses received it] from the cave, when the Holy One, blessed is He, placed His hand on his face, as it is said: “and I will cover you with My hand” (Exod. 33:22). -[from Midrash Tanchuma 37] כי קרן: לשון קרנים, שהאור מבהיק ובולט כמין קרן. ומהיכן זכה משה לקרני ההוד, רבותינו אמרו מן המערה, שנתן הקב"ה ידו על פניו, שנאמר (שמות לג כב) ושכותי כפי:
30that Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses and behold! the skin of his face had become radiant, and they were afraid to come near him. לוַיַּ֨רְא אַֽהֲרֹ֜ן וְכָל־בְּנֵ֤י יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ אֶת־משֶׁ֔ה וְהִנֵּ֥ה קָרַ֖ן ע֣וֹר פָּנָ֑יו וַיִּֽירְא֖וּ מִגֶּ֥שֶׁת אֵלָֽיו:
and they were afraid to come near him: Come and see how great the power of sin is! Because when they had not yet stretched out their hands to sin [with the golden calf], what does He say? “And the appearance of the glory of the Lord was like a consuming fire atop the mountain, before the eyes of the children of Israel” (Exod. 24:17), and they were neither frightened nor quaking. But since they had made the calf, even from Moses’ rays of splendor they recoiled and quaked. [from Sifrei Nasso 11, Pesikta d’Rav Kahana, p. 45] וייראו מגשת אליו: בא וראה, כמה גדולה כחה של עבירה, שעד שלא פשטו ידיהם בעבירה, מהו אומר (שמות כד יז) ומראה כבוד ה' כאש אוכלת בראש ההר לעיני בני ישראל, ולא יראים ולא מזדעזעים; ומשעשו את העגל, אף מקרני הודו של משה היו מרתיעים ומזדעזעים:
31But Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the princes of the community returned to him, and Moses would speak to them. לאוַיִּקְרָ֤א אֲלֵהֶם֙ משֶׁ֔ה וַיָּשֻׁ֧בוּ אֵלָ֛יו אַֽהֲרֹ֥ן וְכָל־הַנְּשִׂאִ֖ים בָּֽעֵדָ֑ה וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר משֶׁ֖ה אֲלֵהֶֽם:
the princes of the community: Heb. הַנְשִׂאִים בָּעֵדָה lit., the princes in the community, like נְשִׂיאֵי הָעֵדָה, the princes of the community. הנשאים בעדה: כמו נשיאי העדה:
and Moses would speak to them: [sharing] the Omnipresent’s message, and this entire passage is in the present tense. וידבר משה אליהם: שליחותו של מקום, ולשון הווה הוא כל הענין הזה:
32Afterwards all the children of Israel would draw near, and he would command them everything that the Lord had spoken with him on Mount Sinai. לבוְאַֽחֲרֵי־כֵ֥ן נִגְּשׁ֖וּ כָּל־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וַיְצַוֵּ֕ם אֵת֩ כָּל־אֲשֶׁ֨ר דִּבֶּ֧ר יְהֹוָ֛ה אִתּ֖וֹ בְּהַ֥ר סִינָֽי:
Afterwards… would draw near: After he taught the elders, he would repeat and teach the chapter or the halachah to the Israelites. The Rabbis taught: What was the order of teaching? Moses would learn from the mouth of Almighty. Aaron would enter, and Moses would teach him his chapter. Aaron would move away and sit at Moses’ left. His [Aaron’s] sons would enter, and Moses would teach them their chapter. They would move away, and Eleazar would sit at Moses’ right and Ithamar would sit at Aaron’s left. [Then] the elders would enter, and Moses would teach them their chapter. The elders would move away and sit down on the sides. [Then] the entire nation would enter, and Moses would teach them their chapter. Thus, the entire nation possessed one [lesson from Moses], the elders possessed two, Aaron’s sons possessed three, Aaron possessed four, etc., as is stated in Eruvin (54b). ואחרי כן נגשו: אחר שלמד לזקנים, חוזר ומלמד הפרשה או ההלכה לישראל. תנו רבנן כיצד סדר המשנה, משה היה לומד מפי הגבורה, נכנס אהרן, שנה לו משה פרקו, נסתלק אהרן וישב לו לשמאל משה, נכנסו בניו, שנה להם משה פרקם, נסתלקו הם, ישב אלעזר לימין משה ואיתמר לשמאל אהרן, נכנסו זקנים, שנה להם משה פרקם, נסתלקו זקנים ישבו לצדדין, נכנסו כל העם שנה להם משה פרקם, נמצא ביד כל העם אחד, ביד הזקנים שנים, ביד בני אהרן שלשה, ביד אהרן ארבעה וכו' כדאיתא בעירובין (נד ב):
33When Moses had finished speaking with them, he placed a covering over his face. לגוַיְכַ֣ל משֶׁ֔ה מִדַּבֵּ֖ר אִתָּ֑ם וַיִּתֵּ֥ן עַל־פָּנָ֖יו מַסְוֶֽה:
he placed a covering over his face: Heb. מַסְוֶה, as the Targum [Onkelos] renders: בֵּיתאַפֵּי. [מַסְוֶה] is an Aramaic expression. In the Talmud (Keth. 62b) [we read]: לִבָּהּ סָוֵי, her heart saw, and also in [tractate] Kethuboth (60a): יְהַוָה קָא מַסְוֶה לְאַפָּה an expression meaning “looking.” He [the nursing infant] was looking at her [his mother]. Here too, מַסְוֶה is a garment placed in front of the face and a covering over the eyes. In honor of the rays of splendor, so that no one would derive pleasure from them, he [Moses] would place the covering in front of them [his eyes] and remove it when he spoke with the Israelites, and when the Omnipresent spoke to him until he left. When he would leave, he would leave without the covering. ויתן על פניו מסוה: כתרגומו בית אפי, לשון ארמי הוא בתלמוד סוי לבא ועוד בכתובות (ס א) הוה קא מסוה לאפה, לשון הבטה, היה מסתכל בה, אף כאן מסוה בגד הניתן כנגד הפרצוף ובית העינים, ולכבוד קרני ההוד שלא יזונו הכל מהם היה נותן המסוה כנגדן ונוטלו בשעה שהיה מדבר עם ישראל, ובשעה שהמקום נדבר עמו עד צאתו, ובצאתו יצא בלא מסוה:
34When Moses would come before the Lord to speak with Him, he would remove the covering until he left; then he would leave and speak to the children of Israel what he would be commanded. לדוּבְבֹ֨א משֶׁ֜ה לִפְנֵ֤י יְהֹוָה֙ לְדַבֵּ֣ר אִתּ֔וֹ יָסִ֥יר אֶת־הַמַּסְוֶ֖ה עַד־צֵאת֑וֹ וְיָצָ֗א וְדִבֶּר֙ אֶל־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל אֵ֖ת אֲשֶׁ֥ר יְצֻוֶּֽה:
and speak to the children of Israel: And they would see the rays of splendor on his face, and when he would leave them. ודבר אל בני ישראל: וראו קרני ההוד בפניו. וכשהוא מסתלק מהם:
35Then the children of Israel would see Moses' face, that the skin of Moses' face had become radiant, and [then] Moses would replace the covering over his face until he would come [again] to speak with Him. להוְרָא֤וּ בְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ אֶת־פְּנֵ֣י משֶׁ֔ה כִּ֣י קָרַ֔ן ע֖וֹר פְּנֵ֣י משֶׁ֑ה וְהֵשִׁ֨יב משֶׁ֤ה אֶת־הַמַּסְוֶה֙ עַל־פָּנָ֔יו עַד־בֹּא֖וֹ לְדַבֵּ֥ר אִתּֽוֹ:
Moses would replace the covering over his face until he would come [again] to speak with Him.: And when he came to speak with Him, he would remove it from his face. והשיב משה את המסוה על פניו עד באו לדבר אתו: וכשבא לדבר אתו נוטלו מעל פניו:
• Daily Tehillim: Psalm Chapters 97 - 103
• Chapter 97
1. When the Lord will reveal His kingship, the earth will exult; the multitudes of islands will rejoice.
2. Clouds and dense darkness will surround Him; justice and mercy will be the foundation of His throne.
3. Fire will go before Him and consume His foes all around.
4. His lightnings will illuminate the world; the earth will see and tremble.
5. The mountains will melt like wax before the Lord, before the Master of all the earth.
6. The heavens will declare His justice, and all the nations will behold His glory.
7. All who worship graven images, who take pride in idols, will be ashamed; all idol worshippers will prostrate themselves before Him.
8. Zion will hear and rejoice, the towns of Judah will exult, because of Your judgments, O Lord.
9. For You, Lord, transcend all the earth; You are exceedingly exalted above all the supernal beings.
10. You who love the Lord, hate evil; He watches over the souls of His pious ones, He saves them from the hand of the wicked.
11. Light is sown for the righteous, and joy for the upright in heart.
12. Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous, and extol His holy Name.
Chapter 98
This psalm describes how Israel will praise God for the Redemption.
1. A psalm. Sing to the Lord a new song, for He has performed wonders; His right hand and holy arm have wrought deliverance for Him.
2. The Lord has made known His salvation; He has revealed His justice before the eyes of the nations.
3. He has remembered His kindness and faithfulness to the House of Israel; all, from the farthest corners of the earth, witnessed the deliverance by our God.
4. Raise your voices in jubilation to the Lord, all the earth; burst into joyous song and chanting.
5. Sing to the Lord with a harp, with a harp and the sound of song.
6. With trumpets and the sound of the shofar, jubilate before the King, the Lord.
7. The sea and its fullness will roar in joy, the earth and its inhabitants.
8. The rivers will clap their hands, the mountains will sing together.
9. [They will rejoice] before the Lord, for He has come to judge the earth; He will judge the world with justice, and the nations with righteousness.
Chapter 99
This psalm refers to the wars of Gog and Magog, which will precede the Redemption.
1. When the Lord will reveal His kingship, the nations will tremble; the earth will quake before Him Who is enthroned upon the cherubim,
2. [before] the Lord Who is in Zion, Who is great and exalted above all the peoples.
3. They will extol Your Name which is great, awesome and holy.
4. And [they will praise] the might of the King Who loves justice. You have established uprightness; You have made [the laws of] justice and righteousness in Jacob.
5. Exalt the Lord our God, and bow down at His footstool; He is holy.
6. Moses and Aaron among His priests, and Samuel among those who invoke His Name, would call upon the Lord and He would answer them.
7. He would speak to them from a pillar of cloud; they observed His testimonies and the decrees which He gave them.
8. Lord our God, You have answered them; You were a forgiving God for their sake, yet bringing retribution for their own misdeeds.
9. Exalt the Lord our God, and bow down at His holy mountain, for the Lord our God is holy.
Chapter 100
This psalm inspires the hearts of those who suffer in this world. Let them, nevertheless, serve God with joy, for all is for their good, as in the verse: "He whom God loves does He chastise." The psalm also refers to the thanksgiving sacrifice-the only sacrifice to be offered in the Messianic era.
1. A psalm of thanksgiving. Let all the earth sing in jubilation to the Lord.
2. Serve the Lord with joy; come before Him with exultation.
3. Know that the Lord is God; He has made us and we are His, His people and the sheep of His pasture.
4. Enter His gates with gratitude, His courtyards with praise; give thanks to Him, bless His Name.
5. For the Lord is good; His kindness is everlasting, and His faithfulness is for all generations.
Chapter 101
This psalm speaks of David's secluding himself from others, and of his virtuous conduct even in his own home.
1. By David, a psalm. I will sing of [Your] kindness and justice; to You, O Lord, will I chant praise!
2. I will pay heed to the path of integrity-O when will it come to me? I shall walk with the innocence of my heart [even] within my house.
3. I shall not place an evil thing before my eyes; I despise the doing of wayward deeds, it does not cling to me.
4. A perverse heart shall depart from me; I shall not know evil.
5. He who slanders his fellow in secret, him will I cut down; one with haughty eyes and a lustful heart, him I cannot suffer.
6. My eyes are upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me; he who walks in the path of integrity, he shall minister to me.
7. He that practices deceit shall not dwell within my house; the speaker of lies shall have no place before my eyes.
8. Every morning I will cut down all the wicked of the land, to excise all evildoers from the city of the Lord.
Chapter 102
An awe-inspiring prayer for the exiled, and an appropriate prayer for anyone in distress.
1. A prayer of the poor man when he is faint [with affliction], and pours out his tale of woe before the Lord.
2. O Lord, hear my prayer, let my cry reach You!
3. Hide not Your face from me on the day of my distress; turn Your ear to me; on the day that I call, answer me quickly.
4. For my days have vanished with the smoke; my bones are dried up as a hearth.
5. Smitten like grass and withered is my heart, for I have forgotten to eat my bread.
6. From the voice of my sigh, my bone cleaves to my flesh.
7. I am like the bird of the wilderness; like the owl of the wasteland have I become.
8. In haste I fled; I was like a bird, alone on a roof.
9. All day my enemies disgrace me; those who ridicule me curse using my name.1
10. For I have eaten ashes like bread, and mixed my drink with tears,
11. because of Your anger and Your wrath-for You have raised me up, then cast me down.
12. My days are like the fleeting shadow; I wither away like the grass.
13. But You, Lord, will be enthroned forever, and Your remembrance is for all generations.
14. You will arise and have mercy on Zion, for it is time to be gracious to her; the appointed time has come.
15. For Your servants cherish her stones, and love her dust.
16. Then the nations will fear the Name of the Lord, and all the kings of the earth Your glory,
17. when [they see that] the Lord has built Zion, He has appeared in His glory.
18. He turned to the entreaty of the prayerful, and did not despise their prayer.
19. Let this be written for the last generation, so that the newborn nation will praise the Lord.
20. For He looked down from His holy heights; from heaven, the Lord gazed upon the earth,
21. to hear the cry of the bound, to untie those who are doomed to die,
22. so that the Name of the Lord be declared in Zion, and His praise in Jerusalem,
23. when nations and kingdoms will gather together to serve the Lord.
24. He weakened my strength on the way; He shortened my days.
25. I would say: "My God, do not remove me in the midst of my days! You Whose years endure through all generations.”
26. In the beginning You laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands.
27. They will perish, but You will endure; all of them will wear out like a garment; You will exchange them like a robe, and they will vanish.
28. But You remain the same; Your years will not end.
29. The children of Your servants will abide; their seed shall be established before You.
FOOTNOTES
1.When swearing, they would say, “If I am lying, may I become like the miserable Jews” (Metzudot).
Chapter 103
David's prayer when he was ill, this psalm is an appropriate prayer on behalf of the sick, especially when offered by the sick person himself while his soul is yet in his body. He can then bless God from his depths, body and soul. Read, and find repose for your soul.
1. By David. Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all my being, His holy Name.
2. My soul, bless the Lord; forget not all His favors:
3. Who forgives all your sins, Who heals all your illnesses;
4. Who redeems your life from the grave, Who crowns you with kindness and mercy;
5. Who satisfies your mouth with goodness; like the eagle, your youth is renewed.
6. The Lord executes righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.
7. He made His ways known to Moses, His deeds to the Children of Israel.
8. The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and of great kindness.
9. He will not contend for eternity, nor harbor ill will forever.
10. He has not dealt with us according to our transgressions, nor requited us according to our sins.
11. For as high as heaven is above the earth, so has His kindness been mighty over those who fear Him.
12. As far as the east is from the west, so has He distanced our transgressions from us.
13. As a father has compassion on his children, so has the Lord had compassion on those who fear Him.
14. For He knows our nature; He is mindful that we are but dust.
15. As for man, his days are like grass; like a flower of the field, so he sprouts.
16. When a wind passes over him, he is gone; his place recognizes him no more.
17. But the kindness of the Lord is forever and ever upon those who fear Him, and His righteousness is [secured] for children's children,
18. to those who keep His covenant, and to those who remember His commands to do them.
19. The Lord has established His throne in the heavens, and His kingship has dominion over all.
20. Bless the Lord, you His angels who are mighty in strength, who do His bidding to obey the voice of His speech.
21. Bless the Lord, all His hosts, His servants who do His will.
22. Bless the Lord, all His works, in all the places of His dominion. My soul, bless the Lord!
Tanya: Likutei Amarim, end of Chapter 35
• Lessons in Tanya
• Today's Tanya Lesson
• Shabbat, 20 Adar, 5777 · 18 March 2017
• Likutei Amarim, end of Chapter 35
• ואף שמהותה ועצמותה של נפש הבהמית שבלבו, שהן מדותיה הרעות, עדיין לא נכללו בקדושה
• Rambam Shabbat, 20 Adar, 5777 · 18 March 2017
• Today's Mitzvah
A daily digest of Maimonides’ classic work "Sefer Hamitzvot"
• Negative Commandment 169
• A Portion in the Land of Israel for the Tribe of Levi
"The Priests the Levites all the tribe of Levi shall have no portion or inheritance..."—Deuteronomy 18:1.
The tribe of Levi [this includes the priests] are forbidden from taking a tribal portion in the Land of Israel.
Full text of this Mitzvah »
• A Portion in the Land of Israel for the Tribe of Levi
Negative Commandment 169
Translated by Berel Bell
The 169th prohibition is that all members of the tribe of Levi are forbidden from inheriting a portion of Israel.1
The source of this mitzvah is G‑d's statement2 (exalted be He), "The Levitical priests and the entire tribe of Levi shall not have a portion and an inheritance."
FOOTNOTES
1.In the days of Joshua, Israel was divided up among the various tribes, excluding Levi. The Rambam, Hilchos Shemittah VeYovel, 13:11, holds that the prohibition only covers the portion of Israel promised to Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov. They may, however, take a portion of additional lands captured in the past by various Jewish kings.
2.Deut. 18:1.
• Negative Commandment 170
• The Levites Benefiting from Conquest Spoils
"The Priests the Levites all the tribe of Levi shall have no portion or inheritance..."—Deuteronomy 18:1.
The tribe of Levi, including the priests, are forbidden from taking a portion of the spoils taken during the conquest of the Land of Israel.
Full text of this Mitzvah »
• The Levites Benefiting from Conquest Spoils
Negative Commandment 170
Translated by Berel Bell
The 170th prohibition is that all members of the tribe of Levi are also forbidden from taking part of the spoils of war which were taken when Israel was being conquered.
The source of this mitzvah is G‑d's statement1 (exalted be He), "The Levitical priests and the entire tribe of Levi shall not have a portion and an inheritance." The Sifri explains, "The word 'portion' refers to spoils of war. The word 'inheritance' refers to the land."
It is possible for you to question me as follows: "Why did you count these two prohibitions — against taking a portion of the land and against taking part of the spoils — as separate mitzvos? They are included in one statement, and you already explained before2 that a lav she'b'klalus (inclusive prohibition) counts as one single prohibition!"
You must realize that Scripture itself separates the one prohibitive statement into two [in the next verse],3 "And he shall not have an inheritance." They are therefore two separate prohibitions with two separate names: the verse, "The Levitical priests ... shall not have a portion and an inheritance," which prohibits taking part of the spoils, and the verse, "And he shall not have an inheritance," which prohibits taking a portion of the land.
Both parts of this prohibition are repeated regarding the kohanim4 when G‑d (exalted be He) said to Aaron, "You shall not have any inheritance in their land, and you shall not have a portion among them." Our Sages explained5 that "You shall not have any inheritance in their land" refers to when the land was split up; "you shall not have a portion among them," refers to the spoils.
Perhaps you will think that these two prohibitions mentioned regarding the kohanim should be counted as two additional mitzvos. However, you must realize that since the prohibition is stated in general terms — "the entire tribe of Levi" — the kohanim are included. The prohibition was repeated regarding the kohanim for additional stress. The same applies wherever both the general law and a particular application are mentioned. The repetition is either to add stress or6 to complete a law which was not fully described in the one prohibitive statement.
If we would count G‑d's statement to Aaron, "You shall not have any inheritance in their land, and you shall not have a portion among them," as another prohibition in addition to, "The Levitical priests ...", we would similarly have to count the prohibitions of a kohen gadol to marry a divorcee, a chalalah, and a zonah as three more prohibitions in addition to the three which apply equally to all kohanim, whether kohen gadol or regular kohen.
And if someone will counter, "Yes, you should count them separately," we will answer that accordingly, a kohen gadol who marries a divorcee would transgress two prohibitions — one because any kohen may not marry a divorcee, and a second because a kohen gadol may not marry a divorcee. But the Gemara explains in Kiddushin7 that he only transgresses one prohibition. Therefore, it is clear that only the general prohibition is counted, and all other particular prohibitions associated with it come only to teach some particular detail or to complete the law, as we explained in Prohibition 161.8
In this same category belongs the prohibition to the kohanim not to "shave off patches of hair from their heads, nor shave the edges of their beards, nor make gouges in their skin."9 These three prohibitions were already said to the Jewish people in general: "Do not cut off the hair on the sides of your head and do not shave [the edges of your beard];"10 "Do not make a bald patch in the middle of your head for the dead;"11 and "Do not make gashes in your skin."12 They were repeated regarding the kohanim to completely describe the mitzvah, as explained in the end of tractate Makkos,13 where these three laws are explained. If these prohibitions were counted separately for kohanim and were not just given to completely describe the mitzvah, then a kohen would get two sets of lashes — one for being a Jew and one for being a kohen. But this is not the case; he gets one set of lashes just as any Jew would, as we explained in the proper place. You should understand and know this principle.
FOOTNOTES
1.Ibid.
2.Introductory Principle 9.
3.Deut. 18:2.
4.Num. 18:20.
5.Sifri, Num. ibid.
6.See Kapach, 5731, footnote 44, that the Rav Kook edition changed l'chizuk oh l'hashlomas hadin to l'chizuk u'l'hashlomas hadin, as if there is only one. Chavel translates according to the Rav Kook edition, "emphasize and complete."
7.77a.
8.See also P165. Ninth Introductory Principle.
9.Lev. 21:5.
10.Lev. 19:27.
11.Deut. 14:1.
12.Lev. 19:28.
13.20a
• Positive Commandment 183
• Providing Cities for the Levites
"They shall give to the Levites . . . cities to dwell in"—Numbers 35:2.
We are commanded to provide the Levites with cities in Israel in which to dwell—considering that they have no tribal portion in the Land.
These cities given to the Levites also serve as "Cities of Refuge" and provide refuge [to inadvertent murderers] under certain unique conditions.
Full text of this Mitzvah »
• Providing Cities for the Levites
Positive Commandment 183
Translated by Berel Bell
The 183rd mitzvah is that we are commanded to give cities to the Levites to dwell in since they have no portion in Israel.
The source of this mitzvah is G‑d's statement1 (exalted be He), "Give to the Levites cities in which to live."
These Levitical cities also serve as Cities of Refuge, and therefore provide protection under the proper conditions, as explained in tractate Makkos.2
FOOTNOTES
1.Num. 35:2.
2.10a
• Negative Commandment 228
• Switching the Functions of the Levite Cities' Zones
"But the field of the pasture land of their cities may not be sold"—Leviticus 25:34.
The cities that the Israelites grant the Levites each consist of the actual city, surrounding open areas (1,000 cubits to all directions) and then fields around the open areas (2,000 cubits to all directions).
It is forbidden for the Levites to switch these areas. They may not make the space allotted for a city into an open area, an open area into a city, a field into an open area, or an open area into a field.
Full text of this Mitzvah »
• Switching the Functions of the Levite Cities' Zones
Negative Commandment 228
Translated by Berel Bell
The 228th prohibition is that we are forbidden from selling the open areas surrounding the Levitical cities.
The source of this mitzvah is G‑d's statement,1 "Do not sell the open areas surrounding their cities."
You are aware that Scripture2 grants the Levites cities, open areas and fields. The open areas are 1000 amos wide and an additional 2000 amos beyond that are for fields and vineyards, as explained in tractate Sotah.3 This prohibition forbids the Levites from changing these borders. They may not make the space allotted for a city into an open area; an open area into a city; a field into an open area; an open area into a field. The phrase, "Do not sell" is explained in the Oral Tradition as meaning, "Do not change."
The details of this mitzvah are explained in the end of tractate Erachin.4
FOOTNOTES
1.Lev. 25:34.
2.Num. 35:2-5.
3.27b.
4.33b
• Positive Commandment 20
• Building a Temple
"And they shall make for Me a sanctuary"—Exodus 25:8.
We are commanded to build a Sanctuary to serve [G‑d]. In it we offer sacrifices, burn the eternal flame, offer our prayers, and congregate for the festivals each year.
This is one of the three mitzvot the Jews were commanded to fulfill upon entering the Land—the other two being crowning a king and annihilating Amalek.
Included in this mitzvah are many details—e.g., building a menorah, a showbread table, altars.
Full text of this Mitzvah »
• Building a Temple
Positive Commandment 20
Translated by Berel Bell
The 20th mitzvah is that we are commanded to build a Sanctuary to serve [G‑d]. In it we offer sacrifices, burn the eternal flame, offer our prayers, and congregate for the festivals each year, as will be explained.1
The source of this mitzvah is G‑d's statement2 (exalted be He), "Make a Sanctuary for Me."
The Sifri3 says, "The Jewish people were commanded three mitzvos upon entering Israel: appointing for themselves a king, building themselves a Sanctuary and wiping out the descendants of Amalek." This wording ["three mitzvos"] shows clearly that building the Sanctuary is counted as a distinct mitzvah.
We have already explained4 that this general term ["Sanctuary"] includes many parts. The Menorah, the Table, the Altar, etc. are all parts of the Sanctuary, everything together is called by the name, "Sanctuary," even though the Torah gives a distinct command for each individual element.
It is possible for one to entertain the thought that G‑d's statement5 regarding the Altar, "Make for Me an earthen Altar," constitutes a mitzvah separate from that regarding the Sanctuary.6 However, the explanation is as follows: The plain meaning of the verse refers to the era when it was permissible to bring sacrifices on a bamah, i.e. when we were allowed to construct an earthen altar and bring sacrifices upon it in any location.7 However, our Sages, may they rest in peace, explained that it is a commandment to build the altar attached to the ground, and that it cannot be moved around as it was in the desert. They explained this verse in the Mechilta of R. Yishmael8: "When you enter Israel, make for Me an altar attached to the ground." If so, this does apply to all generations.9
It — building an altar of stones — is considered an integral part of the Sanctuary. The Mechilta10 explains the verse "If you make for Me an earthen altar," as follows: "R. Yishmael says, 'Wherever the Torah uses the word im (if), it is not obligatory, with three exceptions. One exception is, "If (im) you make for Me an earthen altar," which is obligatory. How do we know it is really obligatory? From the verse,11 "You shall build the altar of Hashem your G‑d with whole stones."' "
All the details pertaining to this mitzvah — i.e. building the Sanctuary, its shape, its divisions, building the Altar, and all its regulations — are explained in the tractate which deals with it specifically, tractate Middos. The shape of the Menorah, the Table, the Golden Table and their placement in the Sanctuary are explained in tractates Menachos12 and Yoma.13
FOOTNOTES
1.See P29, P52, P53, P54.
2.Ex. 25:8.
3.Deut. 12:10.
4.Introductory Principle 12.
5.Ex. 20:24.
6.This is in fact the opinion of the Ramban.
7.Since this was allowed only until the construction of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, it would not apply for all generations and would not be counted among the 613 mitzvos. See Third Introductory Principle.
8.See Kapach, 5731, footnote 9, from Mechilta D'Rashbi.
9.Therefore, according to the Sages, it does apply for all generations and can be counted among the 613 mitzvos. Which is not the case according to the first interpretation. (See previous footnote.) The Rambam now explains that even according to this explanation, it cannot be counted as a separate mitzvah.
10.Yisro 11, Mishpatim 19.
11.Deut. 27:6.
12.28a; 97a ff.
13.33b
• Rambam - 1 Chapter: Zechiyah uMattanah Zechiyah uMattanah - Chapter Nine
• Zechiyah uMattanah - Chapter Nine
• Shemita - Chapter 12
• Shabbat, 20 Adar, 5777 · 18 March 2017
• "Today's Day"
• Thursday, 20 Adar I, 5703
Torah lessons: Chumash: Ki Tissa, Chamishi with Rashi.
Tehillim: 97-103.
Tanya: Even in the (p. 137)...transgression, and so on. (p. 137).
Avoda (translated as "service" and "striving") is not the striving that avoda (service) itself be true;1 rather, truth itself is an avoda, that the "fingernails" be true.2 Why does that surprise you? "He saw the attribute of Truth," the Talmud declares,3 "and he prostrated himself."
Shabbat, Adar Sheini 20, Parshat Para, 5703
Haftora: Va'y'hi dvar Hashem...dibarti v'assissi.
Say Av harachamim.
Torah lessons: Chumash: Tzav, Shevi'i with Rashi.
Tehillim: 97-103.
Tanya: In the light (p. 175)...explained (Ch. 23). (p. 179).
The Alter Rebbe related: Among the teachings my Rebbe (the Maggid) told me at yechidus, there was one on the verse, "A constant fire shall be kept burning on the altar; it shall not be extinguished."1
The Maggid taught: Though fire descends from Above, spontaneously, it is a mitzva to bring from the 'ordinary,' by man.2 (Man's action is) an awakening from below which engenders an awakening Above. (For the nature of spirit is that) 'spirit elicits (another, responding) spirit and in turn calls forth another, yet higher spirit.' The spirit from below elicits the spirit from Above, calling forth spirit from higher and still higher.3
It is a positive mitzva to kindle fire on the altar. 'Altar' refers to the 'man who offers of you.'4 The offering itself is insufficient. Man must kindle a fire on the offering that is 'of you.' This fire, lo tichbeh (literally, 'it shall not be extinguished'), shall extinguish (tichbeh) the lo (the 'no,' the negative).
My Master told me this teaching ten times to engrave it in the ten powers of my soul. "You, my pupil," he said to me, "are in need of this constant fire, for yours is the duty of extinguishing the great lo (of the opponents of Chassidus). You shall extinguish the lo, and G-d will transform the lo to hein ('yes'; assent, the positive).
FOOTNOTES
1.Vayikra 6:6.
2.Also in the literal sense: Both in the mishkan desert sanctuary and the Jerusalem Beit Hamikdash a miraculous heavenly fire descended which was subsequently kept burning for all sacrifices; yet it was a mitzva to bring ordinary physical fire too.
3.If Man's action (the "Awakening From Below") elicits only the Divine response ("Awakening From Above") on the same plane from which the fire from Above had descended spontaneously, what is the gain in Man's initiative? Hence the explanation that spirit from Below elicits spirit from Above, calling...etc. from higher and still higher. See Supplementary Footnotes, p. 125; see also Zohar III, p. 162b, and Or HaTorah for Chanuka, p. 286a.
4.See 12 Adar II.
• Daily Thought:
Impossible Fusion
Why not remain broken? When broken, you can achieve the highest heights. When you are nothing, you can receive everything.
Because you are not made only to receive. You must also face the real world and challenge its chutzpah over and over. To do that, you need supreme wholeness, as though you were Adam in the Garden before his fall.
And if you should say, “But it is impossible! It is beyond the capacity of a created being to be both something and nothing at once.”
You are right. It is impossible. That is precisely the advantage of the human being. That is why G‑d created you: To join heaven and earth, Nothingness and Being. To make the impossible a reality.
Chumash: Ki Tisa, 7th Portion Exodus 34:27-34:35 with Rashi
• Exodus Chapter 34
27The Lord said to Moses: "Inscribe these words for yourself, for according to these words I have formed a covenant with you and with Israel." כזוַיֹּ֤אמֶר יְהֹוָה֙ אֶל־משֶׁ֔ה כְּתָב־לְךָ֖ אֶת־הַדְּבָרִ֣ים הָאֵ֑לֶּה כִּ֞י עַל־פִּ֣י | הַדְּבָרִ֣ים הָאֵ֗לֶּה כָּרַ֧תִּי אִתְּךָ֛ בְּרִ֖ית וְאֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵֽל:
these words: But you are not permitted to write down the Oral Torah. -[from Gittin 60b] את הדברים האלה: ולא אתה רשאי לכתוב תורה שבעל פה:
28He was there with the Lord for forty days and forty nights; he ate no bread and drank no water, and He inscribed upon the tablets the words of the Covenant, the Ten Commandments. כחוַיְהִי־שָׁ֣ם עִם־יְהֹוָ֗ה אַרְבָּעִ֥ים יוֹם֙ וְאַרְבָּעִ֣ים לַ֔יְלָה לֶ֚חֶם לֹ֣א אָכַ֔ל וּמַ֖יִם לֹ֣א שָׁתָ֑ה וַיִּכְתֹּ֣ב עַל־הַלֻּחֹ֗ת אֵ֚ת דִּבְרֵ֣י הַבְּרִ֔ית עֲשֶׂ֖רֶת הַדְּבָרִֽים:
29And it came to pass when Moses descended from Mount Sinai, and the two tablets of the testimony were in Moses' hand when he descended from the mountain and Moses did not know that the skin of his face had become radiant while He had spoken with him כטוַיְהִ֗י בְּרֶ֤דֶת משֶׁה֙ מֵהַ֣ר סִינַ֔י וּשְׁנֵ֨י לֻחֹ֤ת הָֽעֵדֻת֙ בְּיַד־משֶׁ֔ה בְּרִדְתּ֖וֹ מִן־הָהָ֑ר וּמשֶׁ֣ה לֹֽא־יָדַ֗ע כִּ֥י קָרַ֛ן ע֥וֹר פָּנָ֖יו בְּדַבְּר֥וֹ אִתּֽוֹ:
And it came to pass when Moses descended: when he brought the latter [second] tablets on Yom Kippur. ויהי ברדת משה: כשהביא לוחות אחרונות ביום הכפורים:
that… had become radiant: Heb. קָרַן, an expression meaning horns (קַרְנַיִם) because light radiates and protrudes like a type of horn. From where did Moses [now] merit these rays of splendor [which he did not have when he descended with the first tablets (Gur Aryeh)]? Our Rabbis said: [Moses received it] from the cave, when the Holy One, blessed is He, placed His hand on his face, as it is said: “and I will cover you with My hand” (Exod. 33:22). -[from Midrash Tanchuma 37] כי קרן: לשון קרנים, שהאור מבהיק ובולט כמין קרן. ומהיכן זכה משה לקרני ההוד, רבותינו אמרו מן המערה, שנתן הקב"ה ידו על פניו, שנאמר (שמות לג כב) ושכותי כפי:
30that Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses and behold! the skin of his face had become radiant, and they were afraid to come near him. לוַיַּ֨רְא אַֽהֲרֹ֜ן וְכָל־בְּנֵ֤י יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ אֶת־משֶׁ֔ה וְהִנֵּ֥ה קָרַ֖ן ע֣וֹר פָּנָ֑יו וַיִּֽירְא֖וּ מִגֶּ֥שֶׁת אֵלָֽיו:
and they were afraid to come near him: Come and see how great the power of sin is! Because when they had not yet stretched out their hands to sin [with the golden calf], what does He say? “And the appearance of the glory of the Lord was like a consuming fire atop the mountain, before the eyes of the children of Israel” (Exod. 24:17), and they were neither frightened nor quaking. But since they had made the calf, even from Moses’ rays of splendor they recoiled and quaked. [from Sifrei Nasso 11, Pesikta d’Rav Kahana, p. 45] וייראו מגשת אליו: בא וראה, כמה גדולה כחה של עבירה, שעד שלא פשטו ידיהם בעבירה, מהו אומר (שמות כד יז) ומראה כבוד ה' כאש אוכלת בראש ההר לעיני בני ישראל, ולא יראים ולא מזדעזעים; ומשעשו את העגל, אף מקרני הודו של משה היו מרתיעים ומזדעזעים:
31But Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the princes of the community returned to him, and Moses would speak to them. לאוַיִּקְרָ֤א אֲלֵהֶם֙ משֶׁ֔ה וַיָּשֻׁ֧בוּ אֵלָ֛יו אַֽהֲרֹ֥ן וְכָל־הַנְּשִׂאִ֖ים בָּֽעֵדָ֑ה וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר משֶׁ֖ה אֲלֵהֶֽם:
the princes of the community: Heb. הַנְשִׂאִים בָּעֵדָה lit., the princes in the community, like נְשִׂיאֵי הָעֵדָה, the princes of the community. הנשאים בעדה: כמו נשיאי העדה:
and Moses would speak to them: [sharing] the Omnipresent’s message, and this entire passage is in the present tense. וידבר משה אליהם: שליחותו של מקום, ולשון הווה הוא כל הענין הזה:
32Afterwards all the children of Israel would draw near, and he would command them everything that the Lord had spoken with him on Mount Sinai. לבוְאַֽחֲרֵי־כֵ֥ן נִגְּשׁ֖וּ כָּל־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וַיְצַוֵּ֕ם אֵת֩ כָּל־אֲשֶׁ֨ר דִּבֶּ֧ר יְהֹוָ֛ה אִתּ֖וֹ בְּהַ֥ר סִינָֽי:
Afterwards… would draw near: After he taught the elders, he would repeat and teach the chapter or the halachah to the Israelites. The Rabbis taught: What was the order of teaching? Moses would learn from the mouth of Almighty. Aaron would enter, and Moses would teach him his chapter. Aaron would move away and sit at Moses’ left. His [Aaron’s] sons would enter, and Moses would teach them their chapter. They would move away, and Eleazar would sit at Moses’ right and Ithamar would sit at Aaron’s left. [Then] the elders would enter, and Moses would teach them their chapter. The elders would move away and sit down on the sides. [Then] the entire nation would enter, and Moses would teach them their chapter. Thus, the entire nation possessed one [lesson from Moses], the elders possessed two, Aaron’s sons possessed three, Aaron possessed four, etc., as is stated in Eruvin (54b). ואחרי כן נגשו: אחר שלמד לזקנים, חוזר ומלמד הפרשה או ההלכה לישראל. תנו רבנן כיצד סדר המשנה, משה היה לומד מפי הגבורה, נכנס אהרן, שנה לו משה פרקו, נסתלק אהרן וישב לו לשמאל משה, נכנסו בניו, שנה להם משה פרקם, נסתלקו הם, ישב אלעזר לימין משה ואיתמר לשמאל אהרן, נכנסו זקנים, שנה להם משה פרקם, נסתלקו זקנים ישבו לצדדין, נכנסו כל העם שנה להם משה פרקם, נמצא ביד כל העם אחד, ביד הזקנים שנים, ביד בני אהרן שלשה, ביד אהרן ארבעה וכו' כדאיתא בעירובין (נד ב):
33When Moses had finished speaking with them, he placed a covering over his face. לגוַיְכַ֣ל משֶׁ֔ה מִדַּבֵּ֖ר אִתָּ֑ם וַיִּתֵּ֥ן עַל־פָּנָ֖יו מַסְוֶֽה:
he placed a covering over his face: Heb. מַסְוֶה, as the Targum [Onkelos] renders: בֵּיתאַפֵּי. [מַסְוֶה] is an Aramaic expression. In the Talmud (Keth. 62b) [we read]: לִבָּהּ סָוֵי, her heart saw, and also in [tractate] Kethuboth (60a): יְהַוָה קָא מַסְוֶה לְאַפָּה an expression meaning “looking.” He [the nursing infant] was looking at her [his mother]. Here too, מַסְוֶה is a garment placed in front of the face and a covering over the eyes. In honor of the rays of splendor, so that no one would derive pleasure from them, he [Moses] would place the covering in front of them [his eyes] and remove it when he spoke with the Israelites, and when the Omnipresent spoke to him until he left. When he would leave, he would leave without the covering. ויתן על פניו מסוה: כתרגומו בית אפי, לשון ארמי הוא בתלמוד סוי לבא ועוד בכתובות (ס א) הוה קא מסוה לאפה, לשון הבטה, היה מסתכל בה, אף כאן מסוה בגד הניתן כנגד הפרצוף ובית העינים, ולכבוד קרני ההוד שלא יזונו הכל מהם היה נותן המסוה כנגדן ונוטלו בשעה שהיה מדבר עם ישראל, ובשעה שהמקום נדבר עמו עד צאתו, ובצאתו יצא בלא מסוה:
34When Moses would come before the Lord to speak with Him, he would remove the covering until he left; then he would leave and speak to the children of Israel what he would be commanded. לדוּבְבֹ֨א משֶׁ֜ה לִפְנֵ֤י יְהֹוָה֙ לְדַבֵּ֣ר אִתּ֔וֹ יָסִ֥יר אֶת־הַמַּסְוֶ֖ה עַד־צֵאת֑וֹ וְיָצָ֗א וְדִבֶּר֙ אֶל־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל אֵ֖ת אֲשֶׁ֥ר יְצֻוֶּֽה:
and speak to the children of Israel: And they would see the rays of splendor on his face, and when he would leave them. ודבר אל בני ישראל: וראו קרני ההוד בפניו. וכשהוא מסתלק מהם:
35Then the children of Israel would see Moses' face, that the skin of Moses' face had become radiant, and [then] Moses would replace the covering over his face until he would come [again] to speak with Him. להוְרָא֤וּ בְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ אֶת־פְּנֵ֣י משֶׁ֔ה כִּ֣י קָרַ֔ן ע֖וֹר פְּנֵ֣י משֶׁ֑ה וְהֵשִׁ֨יב משֶׁ֤ה אֶת־הַמַּסְוֶה֙ עַל־פָּנָ֔יו עַד־בֹּא֖וֹ לְדַבֵּ֥ר אִתּֽוֹ:
Moses would replace the covering over his face until he would come [again] to speak with Him.: And when he came to speak with Him, he would remove it from his face. והשיב משה את המסוה על פניו עד באו לדבר אתו: וכשבא לדבר אתו נוטלו מעל פניו:
• Daily Tehillim: Psalm Chapters 97 - 103
• Chapter 97
1. When the Lord will reveal His kingship, the earth will exult; the multitudes of islands will rejoice.
2. Clouds and dense darkness will surround Him; justice and mercy will be the foundation of His throne.
3. Fire will go before Him and consume His foes all around.
4. His lightnings will illuminate the world; the earth will see and tremble.
5. The mountains will melt like wax before the Lord, before the Master of all the earth.
6. The heavens will declare His justice, and all the nations will behold His glory.
7. All who worship graven images, who take pride in idols, will be ashamed; all idol worshippers will prostrate themselves before Him.
8. Zion will hear and rejoice, the towns of Judah will exult, because of Your judgments, O Lord.
9. For You, Lord, transcend all the earth; You are exceedingly exalted above all the supernal beings.
10. You who love the Lord, hate evil; He watches over the souls of His pious ones, He saves them from the hand of the wicked.
11. Light is sown for the righteous, and joy for the upright in heart.
12. Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous, and extol His holy Name.
Chapter 98
This psalm describes how Israel will praise God for the Redemption.
1. A psalm. Sing to the Lord a new song, for He has performed wonders; His right hand and holy arm have wrought deliverance for Him.
2. The Lord has made known His salvation; He has revealed His justice before the eyes of the nations.
3. He has remembered His kindness and faithfulness to the House of Israel; all, from the farthest corners of the earth, witnessed the deliverance by our God.
4. Raise your voices in jubilation to the Lord, all the earth; burst into joyous song and chanting.
5. Sing to the Lord with a harp, with a harp and the sound of song.
6. With trumpets and the sound of the shofar, jubilate before the King, the Lord.
7. The sea and its fullness will roar in joy, the earth and its inhabitants.
8. The rivers will clap their hands, the mountains will sing together.
9. [They will rejoice] before the Lord, for He has come to judge the earth; He will judge the world with justice, and the nations with righteousness.
Chapter 99
This psalm refers to the wars of Gog and Magog, which will precede the Redemption.
1. When the Lord will reveal His kingship, the nations will tremble; the earth will quake before Him Who is enthroned upon the cherubim,
2. [before] the Lord Who is in Zion, Who is great and exalted above all the peoples.
3. They will extol Your Name which is great, awesome and holy.
4. And [they will praise] the might of the King Who loves justice. You have established uprightness; You have made [the laws of] justice and righteousness in Jacob.
5. Exalt the Lord our God, and bow down at His footstool; He is holy.
6. Moses and Aaron among His priests, and Samuel among those who invoke His Name, would call upon the Lord and He would answer them.
7. He would speak to them from a pillar of cloud; they observed His testimonies and the decrees which He gave them.
8. Lord our God, You have answered them; You were a forgiving God for their sake, yet bringing retribution for their own misdeeds.
9. Exalt the Lord our God, and bow down at His holy mountain, for the Lord our God is holy.
Chapter 100
This psalm inspires the hearts of those who suffer in this world. Let them, nevertheless, serve God with joy, for all is for their good, as in the verse: "He whom God loves does He chastise." The psalm also refers to the thanksgiving sacrifice-the only sacrifice to be offered in the Messianic era.
1. A psalm of thanksgiving. Let all the earth sing in jubilation to the Lord.
2. Serve the Lord with joy; come before Him with exultation.
3. Know that the Lord is God; He has made us and we are His, His people and the sheep of His pasture.
4. Enter His gates with gratitude, His courtyards with praise; give thanks to Him, bless His Name.
5. For the Lord is good; His kindness is everlasting, and His faithfulness is for all generations.
Chapter 101
This psalm speaks of David's secluding himself from others, and of his virtuous conduct even in his own home.
1. By David, a psalm. I will sing of [Your] kindness and justice; to You, O Lord, will I chant praise!
2. I will pay heed to the path of integrity-O when will it come to me? I shall walk with the innocence of my heart [even] within my house.
3. I shall not place an evil thing before my eyes; I despise the doing of wayward deeds, it does not cling to me.
4. A perverse heart shall depart from me; I shall not know evil.
5. He who slanders his fellow in secret, him will I cut down; one with haughty eyes and a lustful heart, him I cannot suffer.
6. My eyes are upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me; he who walks in the path of integrity, he shall minister to me.
7. He that practices deceit shall not dwell within my house; the speaker of lies shall have no place before my eyes.
8. Every morning I will cut down all the wicked of the land, to excise all evildoers from the city of the Lord.
Chapter 102
An awe-inspiring prayer for the exiled, and an appropriate prayer for anyone in distress.
1. A prayer of the poor man when he is faint [with affliction], and pours out his tale of woe before the Lord.
2. O Lord, hear my prayer, let my cry reach You!
3. Hide not Your face from me on the day of my distress; turn Your ear to me; on the day that I call, answer me quickly.
4. For my days have vanished with the smoke; my bones are dried up as a hearth.
5. Smitten like grass and withered is my heart, for I have forgotten to eat my bread.
6. From the voice of my sigh, my bone cleaves to my flesh.
7. I am like the bird of the wilderness; like the owl of the wasteland have I become.
8. In haste I fled; I was like a bird, alone on a roof.
9. All day my enemies disgrace me; those who ridicule me curse using my name.1
10. For I have eaten ashes like bread, and mixed my drink with tears,
11. because of Your anger and Your wrath-for You have raised me up, then cast me down.
12. My days are like the fleeting shadow; I wither away like the grass.
13. But You, Lord, will be enthroned forever, and Your remembrance is for all generations.
14. You will arise and have mercy on Zion, for it is time to be gracious to her; the appointed time has come.
15. For Your servants cherish her stones, and love her dust.
16. Then the nations will fear the Name of the Lord, and all the kings of the earth Your glory,
17. when [they see that] the Lord has built Zion, He has appeared in His glory.
18. He turned to the entreaty of the prayerful, and did not despise their prayer.
19. Let this be written for the last generation, so that the newborn nation will praise the Lord.
20. For He looked down from His holy heights; from heaven, the Lord gazed upon the earth,
21. to hear the cry of the bound, to untie those who are doomed to die,
22. so that the Name of the Lord be declared in Zion, and His praise in Jerusalem,
23. when nations and kingdoms will gather together to serve the Lord.
24. He weakened my strength on the way; He shortened my days.
25. I would say: "My God, do not remove me in the midst of my days! You Whose years endure through all generations.”
26. In the beginning You laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands.
27. They will perish, but You will endure; all of them will wear out like a garment; You will exchange them like a robe, and they will vanish.
28. But You remain the same; Your years will not end.
29. The children of Your servants will abide; their seed shall be established before You.
FOOTNOTES
1.When swearing, they would say, “If I am lying, may I become like the miserable Jews” (Metzudot).
Chapter 103
David's prayer when he was ill, this psalm is an appropriate prayer on behalf of the sick, especially when offered by the sick person himself while his soul is yet in his body. He can then bless God from his depths, body and soul. Read, and find repose for your soul.
1. By David. Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all my being, His holy Name.
2. My soul, bless the Lord; forget not all His favors:
3. Who forgives all your sins, Who heals all your illnesses;
4. Who redeems your life from the grave, Who crowns you with kindness and mercy;
5. Who satisfies your mouth with goodness; like the eagle, your youth is renewed.
6. The Lord executes righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.
7. He made His ways known to Moses, His deeds to the Children of Israel.
8. The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and of great kindness.
9. He will not contend for eternity, nor harbor ill will forever.
10. He has not dealt with us according to our transgressions, nor requited us according to our sins.
11. For as high as heaven is above the earth, so has His kindness been mighty over those who fear Him.
12. As far as the east is from the west, so has He distanced our transgressions from us.
13. As a father has compassion on his children, so has the Lord had compassion on those who fear Him.
14. For He knows our nature; He is mindful that we are but dust.
15. As for man, his days are like grass; like a flower of the field, so he sprouts.
16. When a wind passes over him, he is gone; his place recognizes him no more.
17. But the kindness of the Lord is forever and ever upon those who fear Him, and His righteousness is [secured] for children's children,
18. to those who keep His covenant, and to those who remember His commands to do them.
19. The Lord has established His throne in the heavens, and His kingship has dominion over all.
20. Bless the Lord, you His angels who are mighty in strength, who do His bidding to obey the voice of His speech.
21. Bless the Lord, all His hosts, His servants who do His will.
22. Bless the Lord, all His works, in all the places of His dominion. My soul, bless the Lord!
Tanya: Likutei Amarim, end of Chapter 35
• Lessons in Tanya
• Today's Tanya Lesson
• Shabbat, 20 Adar, 5777 · 18 March 2017
• Likutei Amarim, end of Chapter 35
• ואף שמהותה ועצמותה של נפש הבהמית שבלבו, שהן מדותיה הרעות, עדיין לא נכללו בקדושה
Although the substance and essence of the animal soul, in his heart, i.e., its evil middot (its evil emotional character), have still not been absorbed into holiness,
As explained in ch. 12, only in the case of tzaddikim are the evil middot themselves transformed into holiness. In others, only the animal soul’s garments — its faculties of expression by means of which a mitzvah is accomplished — are absorbed into holiness; not the middot which constitute the animal soul’s essence. Nevertheless, this fact does not prevent the light of the Shechinah from suffusing the entire body, as the Alter Rebbe concludes shortly.
מכל מקום, מאחר דאתכפין לקדושה, ובעל כרחן עונין אמן, ומסכימין ומתרצין לעשיית המצוה
yet, because they (the evil middot) are subjugated to holiness and “against their will they say Amen,” agreeing and acceding to the performance of the mitzvah,
על ידי התגברות נפשו האלהית שבמוח ששליט על הלב
through the strengthening of the divine soul in the brain which masters the heart,
As discussed in ch. 12, although the emotions of the Beinoni have not been transformed into good, he nevertheless has the power to control them by means of his mind, through contemplating G‑d’s greatness. In this way the Beinoni can direct his heart as he chooses, insofar as the actual performance of the mitzvot is concerned.
והן בשעה זו בבחינת גלות ושינה, כנ״ל
and [the evil middot] are, at such time when one exercises the natural mastery of brain over heart by contemplating G‑d’s greatness, in a state of “exile” and “sleep” i.e., impotent as mentioned above in ch. 12,
ולכך אין זו מניעה מהשראת השכינה על גוף האדם בשעה זו
therefore this incorrigible nature of the animal soul’s evil middot does not prevent the Shechinah from resting on one’s body at this time.
The Alter Rebbe now goes on to explain how it is possible for one mitzvah to draw the Shechinah upon one’s entire body.
דהיינו שכח נפש החיונית המלובש בעשיית המצוה
This “resting of the Shechinah” means that the power of the animal soul clothed in the act that constitutes themitzvah e.g., the power in the hand donning Tefillin
הוא נכלל ממש באור ה׳, ומיוחד בו ביחוד גמור
is actually absorbed into the divine light, and merges with it in perfect unity.
ועל ידי זה ממשיך הארה לכללות נפש החיונית שבכל הגוף, וגם על הגוף הגשמי
Thereby one draws down a “ray” of the light wherein the particular power has been absorbed upon the totality of the animal soul throughout the body, and [upon] the entire body as well.
בבחינת מקיף מלמעלה, מראשו ועד רגליו
This “ray” of divine light illuminates one’s animal soul and his body in a manner of “encompassing from above,”surrounding them from head to foot.
וזהו שכתוב דשכינתא שריא על רישיה, על דייקא
This explains the expression (appearing in the passage from the Zohar quoted at the beginning of this chapter): “TheShechinah rests upon his head,”1 specifically “upon” i.e., encompassing him “from above”;
וכן: אכל בי עשרה שכינתא שריא
and in a similar vein, the expression “upon every [assembly of] ten [Jews] the Divine Presence rests” means that the light of the Divine Presence does not permeate them, but illuminates them “from above.”2
Heretofore, various levels in the “resting of the Shechinah” have been discussed: As it rests upon the divine soul; upon the specific faculty of the animal soul that performs a mitzvah;3 upon the animal soul as a whole and upon the body — the latter two only encompassed by, but not permeated with, the light of the Shechinah. As to the light of theShechinah encompassing the body, within this level we find further subdivisions: that level which is the effect of amitzvah; that which encompasses any gathering of ten Jews, even when not engaged in a mitzvah; and perhaps we may distinguish yet another level — that which rests upon even one individual Jew, even when he is not occupied with amitzvah.
The Alter Rebbe now goes on to state that this variety of levels at which the Shechinah becomes manifest does not indicate any change or plurality in its light (G‑d forbid). The variety means merely that the different objects of the light (the divine soul, the animal soul, the body, and so on) receive it in different ways.
In the Alter Rebbe’s words:
והנה כל בחינת המשכת אור השכינה, שהיא בחינת גילוי אור אין סוף ברוך הוא
None of these various forms in which the light of the Shechinah is manifested, meaning the ways in which the Ein Sof-light is revealed,
G‑d the Ein Sof is everywhere; it is only that He is concealed from His creatures. Thus, the uniqueness of the manifestation of the Shechinah lies in the revelation of the Ein Sof.
אינו נקרא שינוי, חס ושלום, בו יתברך, ולא ריבוי
can be construed as a change in Himself, or as a plurality.
The fact that the Shechinah manifests itself at some point (e.g., in one’s soul, through the performance of a mitzvah),whereas it had previously not been manifest, does not point to any change in G‑d; nor do the various forms of manifestation indicate plurality within Him.
כדאיתא בסנהדרין דאמר ליה ההוא מינא לרבן גמליאל: אמריתו כל בי עשרה שכינתא שריא, כמה שכינתא אית לכו
As we find in the Tractate Sanhedrin4 where it is recorded that a certain heretic said to Rabban Gamliel: “You say that the Shechinah rests on every assembly of ten. How many Shechinahs have you?”
והשיב לו משל מאור השמש הנכנס בחלונות רבים כו׳
And Rabban Gamliel replied with an analogy of the sun’s light which enters through many windows, etc.
Despite the multitude of windows, there is but one light. The same holds true even where the light appears differently from place to place: sunlight shining through stained-glass windows of various hues remains nonetheless unchanged, though it takes on the multicolored appearance of the windows; as does also water in a colored glass — once removed from the glass, it appears in its pristine clarity.
So too with the various modes in which the light of the Shechinah is manifested: The light remains the same, without change or division; any differences in manifestation are attributable only to the way the light is received by the object in which it is manifest.
והמשכיל יבין
And the intelligent will understand — and, as chassidim would add, “The devout will perceive.”
——— ● ———
| FOOTNOTES | |
| 1. | The Rebbe notes: “From the fact that the prohibition of walking bareheaded (mentioned in the Zohar) is constant, applying even when one is not engaged in the performance of a mitzvah, it is evident that the reason for the prohibition — that the Shechinah rests on his head — is also constant. Since the Shechinahrests upon the individual constantly, independently of his performance of a mitzvah, the meaning of theTanya here requires further study.” |
| 2. | The Rebbe notes: “This, too, is unrelated to the performance of a mitzvah. (Accordingly, we can begin to understand how this [quotation] is relevant here.)” The explanation of the Rebbe’s comment is as follows: At first glance, the statement, “On every [assembly of] ten [Jews] the Divine Presence rests,” seems to be totally unrelated to the subject under discussion. Our text is speaking of the light that encompasses the person from above, and descends upon him through the performance of a mitzvah. How is this related to the Shechinah’s resting upon any assembly of ten Jews, even when they are not performing a mitzvah? Quite the contrary, answers the Rebbe; this question in itself begins to provide an answer: The Alter Rebbe seeks to emphasize that an illumination of the Shechinah encompasses the entirevivifying soul and the entire body (“from head to foot”), not only that organ of the body or the particular faculty of the animal soul that actually performs the mitzvah. He therefore quotes the saying of our Sages which speaks of “every assembly”: even when the assembled are at that moment not performing a commandment, the Shechinah nevertheless rests upon them — in an encompassing fashion at least. |
| 3. | The Rebbe takes issue with this statement, because the Alter Rebbe states that “[the vital spirit as garbed in the physical body] is absorbed in the Divine light, and furthermore ‘it is truly absorbed.’” |
| 4. | 39a. |
• Today's Mitzvah
A daily digest of Maimonides’ classic work "Sefer Hamitzvot"
• Negative Commandment 169
• A Portion in the Land of Israel for the Tribe of Levi
"The Priests the Levites all the tribe of Levi shall have no portion or inheritance..."—Deuteronomy 18:1.
The tribe of Levi [this includes the priests] are forbidden from taking a tribal portion in the Land of Israel.
Full text of this Mitzvah »
• A Portion in the Land of Israel for the Tribe of Levi
Negative Commandment 169
Translated by Berel Bell
The 169th prohibition is that all members of the tribe of Levi are forbidden from inheriting a portion of Israel.1
The source of this mitzvah is G‑d's statement2 (exalted be He), "The Levitical priests and the entire tribe of Levi shall not have a portion and an inheritance."
FOOTNOTES
1.In the days of Joshua, Israel was divided up among the various tribes, excluding Levi. The Rambam, Hilchos Shemittah VeYovel, 13:11, holds that the prohibition only covers the portion of Israel promised to Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov. They may, however, take a portion of additional lands captured in the past by various Jewish kings.
2.Deut. 18:1.
• Negative Commandment 170
• The Levites Benefiting from Conquest Spoils
"The Priests the Levites all the tribe of Levi shall have no portion or inheritance..."—Deuteronomy 18:1.
The tribe of Levi, including the priests, are forbidden from taking a portion of the spoils taken during the conquest of the Land of Israel.
Full text of this Mitzvah »
• The Levites Benefiting from Conquest Spoils
Negative Commandment 170
Translated by Berel Bell
The 170th prohibition is that all members of the tribe of Levi are also forbidden from taking part of the spoils of war which were taken when Israel was being conquered.
The source of this mitzvah is G‑d's statement1 (exalted be He), "The Levitical priests and the entire tribe of Levi shall not have a portion and an inheritance." The Sifri explains, "The word 'portion' refers to spoils of war. The word 'inheritance' refers to the land."
It is possible for you to question me as follows: "Why did you count these two prohibitions — against taking a portion of the land and against taking part of the spoils — as separate mitzvos? They are included in one statement, and you already explained before2 that a lav she'b'klalus (inclusive prohibition) counts as one single prohibition!"
You must realize that Scripture itself separates the one prohibitive statement into two [in the next verse],3 "And he shall not have an inheritance." They are therefore two separate prohibitions with two separate names: the verse, "The Levitical priests ... shall not have a portion and an inheritance," which prohibits taking part of the spoils, and the verse, "And he shall not have an inheritance," which prohibits taking a portion of the land.
Both parts of this prohibition are repeated regarding the kohanim4 when G‑d (exalted be He) said to Aaron, "You shall not have any inheritance in their land, and you shall not have a portion among them." Our Sages explained5 that "You shall not have any inheritance in their land" refers to when the land was split up; "you shall not have a portion among them," refers to the spoils.
Perhaps you will think that these two prohibitions mentioned regarding the kohanim should be counted as two additional mitzvos. However, you must realize that since the prohibition is stated in general terms — "the entire tribe of Levi" — the kohanim are included. The prohibition was repeated regarding the kohanim for additional stress. The same applies wherever both the general law and a particular application are mentioned. The repetition is either to add stress or6 to complete a law which was not fully described in the one prohibitive statement.
If we would count G‑d's statement to Aaron, "You shall not have any inheritance in their land, and you shall not have a portion among them," as another prohibition in addition to, "The Levitical priests ...", we would similarly have to count the prohibitions of a kohen gadol to marry a divorcee, a chalalah, and a zonah as three more prohibitions in addition to the three which apply equally to all kohanim, whether kohen gadol or regular kohen.
And if someone will counter, "Yes, you should count them separately," we will answer that accordingly, a kohen gadol who marries a divorcee would transgress two prohibitions — one because any kohen may not marry a divorcee, and a second because a kohen gadol may not marry a divorcee. But the Gemara explains in Kiddushin7 that he only transgresses one prohibition. Therefore, it is clear that only the general prohibition is counted, and all other particular prohibitions associated with it come only to teach some particular detail or to complete the law, as we explained in Prohibition 161.8
In this same category belongs the prohibition to the kohanim not to "shave off patches of hair from their heads, nor shave the edges of their beards, nor make gouges in their skin."9 These three prohibitions were already said to the Jewish people in general: "Do not cut off the hair on the sides of your head and do not shave [the edges of your beard];"10 "Do not make a bald patch in the middle of your head for the dead;"11 and "Do not make gashes in your skin."12 They were repeated regarding the kohanim to completely describe the mitzvah, as explained in the end of tractate Makkos,13 where these three laws are explained. If these prohibitions were counted separately for kohanim and were not just given to completely describe the mitzvah, then a kohen would get two sets of lashes — one for being a Jew and one for being a kohen. But this is not the case; he gets one set of lashes just as any Jew would, as we explained in the proper place. You should understand and know this principle.
FOOTNOTES
1.Ibid.
2.Introductory Principle 9.
3.Deut. 18:2.
4.Num. 18:20.
5.Sifri, Num. ibid.
6.See Kapach, 5731, footnote 44, that the Rav Kook edition changed l'chizuk oh l'hashlomas hadin to l'chizuk u'l'hashlomas hadin, as if there is only one. Chavel translates according to the Rav Kook edition, "emphasize and complete."
7.77a.
8.See also P165. Ninth Introductory Principle.
9.Lev. 21:5.
10.Lev. 19:27.
11.Deut. 14:1.
12.Lev. 19:28.
13.20a
• Positive Commandment 183
• Providing Cities for the Levites
"They shall give to the Levites . . . cities to dwell in"—Numbers 35:2.
We are commanded to provide the Levites with cities in Israel in which to dwell—considering that they have no tribal portion in the Land.
These cities given to the Levites also serve as "Cities of Refuge" and provide refuge [to inadvertent murderers] under certain unique conditions.
Full text of this Mitzvah »
• Providing Cities for the Levites
Positive Commandment 183
Translated by Berel Bell
The 183rd mitzvah is that we are commanded to give cities to the Levites to dwell in since they have no portion in Israel.
The source of this mitzvah is G‑d's statement1 (exalted be He), "Give to the Levites cities in which to live."
These Levitical cities also serve as Cities of Refuge, and therefore provide protection under the proper conditions, as explained in tractate Makkos.2
FOOTNOTES
1.Num. 35:2.
2.10a
• Negative Commandment 228
• Switching the Functions of the Levite Cities' Zones
"But the field of the pasture land of their cities may not be sold"—Leviticus 25:34.
The cities that the Israelites grant the Levites each consist of the actual city, surrounding open areas (1,000 cubits to all directions) and then fields around the open areas (2,000 cubits to all directions).
It is forbidden for the Levites to switch these areas. They may not make the space allotted for a city into an open area, an open area into a city, a field into an open area, or an open area into a field.
Full text of this Mitzvah »
• Switching the Functions of the Levite Cities' Zones
Negative Commandment 228
Translated by Berel Bell
The 228th prohibition is that we are forbidden from selling the open areas surrounding the Levitical cities.
The source of this mitzvah is G‑d's statement,1 "Do not sell the open areas surrounding their cities."
You are aware that Scripture2 grants the Levites cities, open areas and fields. The open areas are 1000 amos wide and an additional 2000 amos beyond that are for fields and vineyards, as explained in tractate Sotah.3 This prohibition forbids the Levites from changing these borders. They may not make the space allotted for a city into an open area; an open area into a city; a field into an open area; an open area into a field. The phrase, "Do not sell" is explained in the Oral Tradition as meaning, "Do not change."
The details of this mitzvah are explained in the end of tractate Erachin.4
FOOTNOTES
1.Lev. 25:34.
2.Num. 35:2-5.
3.27b.
4.33b
• Positive Commandment 20
• Building a Temple
"And they shall make for Me a sanctuary"—Exodus 25:8.
We are commanded to build a Sanctuary to serve [G‑d]. In it we offer sacrifices, burn the eternal flame, offer our prayers, and congregate for the festivals each year.
This is one of the three mitzvot the Jews were commanded to fulfill upon entering the Land—the other two being crowning a king and annihilating Amalek.
Included in this mitzvah are many details—e.g., building a menorah, a showbread table, altars.
Full text of this Mitzvah »
• Building a Temple
Positive Commandment 20
Translated by Berel Bell
The 20th mitzvah is that we are commanded to build a Sanctuary to serve [G‑d]. In it we offer sacrifices, burn the eternal flame, offer our prayers, and congregate for the festivals each year, as will be explained.1
The source of this mitzvah is G‑d's statement2 (exalted be He), "Make a Sanctuary for Me."
The Sifri3 says, "The Jewish people were commanded three mitzvos upon entering Israel: appointing for themselves a king, building themselves a Sanctuary and wiping out the descendants of Amalek." This wording ["three mitzvos"] shows clearly that building the Sanctuary is counted as a distinct mitzvah.
We have already explained4 that this general term ["Sanctuary"] includes many parts. The Menorah, the Table, the Altar, etc. are all parts of the Sanctuary, everything together is called by the name, "Sanctuary," even though the Torah gives a distinct command for each individual element.
It is possible for one to entertain the thought that G‑d's statement5 regarding the Altar, "Make for Me an earthen Altar," constitutes a mitzvah separate from that regarding the Sanctuary.6 However, the explanation is as follows: The plain meaning of the verse refers to the era when it was permissible to bring sacrifices on a bamah, i.e. when we were allowed to construct an earthen altar and bring sacrifices upon it in any location.7 However, our Sages, may they rest in peace, explained that it is a commandment to build the altar attached to the ground, and that it cannot be moved around as it was in the desert. They explained this verse in the Mechilta of R. Yishmael8: "When you enter Israel, make for Me an altar attached to the ground." If so, this does apply to all generations.9
It — building an altar of stones — is considered an integral part of the Sanctuary. The Mechilta10 explains the verse "If you make for Me an earthen altar," as follows: "R. Yishmael says, 'Wherever the Torah uses the word im (if), it is not obligatory, with three exceptions. One exception is, "If (im) you make for Me an earthen altar," which is obligatory. How do we know it is really obligatory? From the verse,11 "You shall build the altar of Hashem your G‑d with whole stones."' "
All the details pertaining to this mitzvah — i.e. building the Sanctuary, its shape, its divisions, building the Altar, and all its regulations — are explained in the tractate which deals with it specifically, tractate Middos. The shape of the Menorah, the Table, the Golden Table and their placement in the Sanctuary are explained in tractates Menachos12 and Yoma.13
FOOTNOTES
1.See P29, P52, P53, P54.
2.Ex. 25:8.
3.Deut. 12:10.
4.Introductory Principle 12.
5.Ex. 20:24.
6.This is in fact the opinion of the Ramban.
7.Since this was allowed only until the construction of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, it would not apply for all generations and would not be counted among the 613 mitzvos. See Third Introductory Principle.
8.See Kapach, 5731, footnote 9, from Mechilta D'Rashbi.
9.Therefore, according to the Sages, it does apply for all generations and can be counted among the 613 mitzvos. Which is not the case according to the first interpretation. (See previous footnote.) The Rambam now explains that even according to this explanation, it cannot be counted as a separate mitzvah.
10.Yisro 11, Mishpatim 19.
11.Deut. 27:6.
12.28a; 97a ff.
13.33b
• Rambam - 1 Chapter: Zechiyah uMattanah Zechiyah uMattanah - Chapter Nine
• Zechiyah uMattanah - Chapter Nine
1
When a sh'chiv me'ra instructs those listening to the apportionment of his property: "Do not reveal this gift and do not tell anyone about it until after my death," the gift is binding. It is not considered to be a hidden gift. For at the time when the transfer takes place - i.e., after the testator's death - the testator said: "Reveal the matter."
א
שכיב מרע שצוה ואמר לא תגלו מתנה זו ולא תודיעו בה אדם אלא לאחר מיתה הרי זו מתנה קיימת ואינה מתנה מסותרת שבעת שהקנה שהוא אחר מותו הרי אמר גלו אותה:
2
A person who apportions his property because of his impending death does not have to say: "Publicize the gift...." Even though it is written without any specific instructions, we do not assume that the intent was that it be hidden.
ב
מצוה מחמת מיתה אין צריך לומר גלו את המתנה אלא אע"פ שהיא כתובה סתם אין חוששין לה שמא מסותרת היא:
3
When a sh'chiv me'ra says: "Let so and so take all my property," or "...part of my property," or he uses the verb "take hold of," "acquire," "obtain" - they are all expressions connoting a gift. Similarly, if he says "inherit" or "receive as an inheritance," when the intended recipient is fit to inherit the property, the intended recipient acquires it.
ג
שכיב מרע שצוה ואמר יטול פלוני כל נכסי או מקצת נכסי או יחזיק או יזכה או יקנה כולן לשון מתנה היא וכן אם אמר יחסן או יירש על מי שראוי ליורשו הרי זה קנה:
4
If the sh'chiv me'ra said: "May so and so benefit from my property," "May he stand in it," or "May he be supported by it," the intended recipient does not acquire the property.
ד
אמר יהנה פלוני בהן יעמד בהן ישען בהן לא קנה:
5
The following rules apply when a sh'chiv me'ra apportions all his property to another person. If he is not fit to inherit the property, he is awarded it as a gift. If he is fit to inherit it, he is awarded it as an inheritance.
When does the above apply? When the intended recipient is one of the dying man's daughters, one of the members of his household, one of his brothers or one of his other heirs. If, however, the dying man gave his entire estate to one of his sons, we assume that he appointed him an executor, as explained above.
ה
שכיב מרע שכתב כל נכסיו לאחר אם אינו ראוי ליורשו נוטלן משום מתנה ואם ראוי ליורשו נוטלן משום ירושה בד"א בשהיה היורש הזה אחת מבנותיו או אחד מכלל בני בניו או אחד מכלל אחיו וכיוצא בהן משאר יורשין אבל אם כתבהו לאחד מבניו לא עשהו אלא אפוטרופוס כמו שביארנו:
6
If before a person's death, he was asked: "To whom should your property be given? Perhaps to so and so?", and the dying man answers, "To whom else?" that person is awarded the property. We see whether he is fit to inherit the property. If he is, he is awarded it as an inheritance. If not, he is awarded it as a gift.
ו
מי שאמרו לו בשעת מיתתו נכסיך למי הן שמא לפלוני ואמר להן אלא למי רואין אם ראוי ליורשו נוטלן משום ירושה ואם לאו נוטלן משום מתנה:
7
When a convert has a son who was not conceived in holiness, since the son is not considered an heir - as will be explained in the section dealing with this subject - the convert cannot give the son his entire estate as a gift given by a sh'chiv me'ra. This applies to his entire estate and to a portion of his estate.
The rationale is that when speaking about a potential heir, there is no difference whether one uses wording that connotes an inheritance, or wording that connotes a gift. Thus, if in the situation mentioned above one said that the convert's son should acquire the property, it would be as if he inherited his father's estate.
ז
גר שיש לו בן שאין הורתו בקדושה הואיל ואינו יורשו כמו שיתבאר במקומו כך אינו יכול ליתן לו כל נכסיו במתנת שכיב מרע לא כל נכסיו ולא מקצתן שלשון ירושה ומתנה לגבי יורש אחד הן ואם תאמר יקנה נמצא זה יורש את אביו:
8
Therefore, if the dying convert gave his estate as a gift to any other convert as a matnat sh'chiv me'ra, the gift is effective.
ח
לפיכך אם נתן לגר משאר הגרים מתנתו קיימת:
9
When a sh'chiv me'ra acknowledges that he owes a debt of a particular amount to a given person and asks that it be given to him from his estate, his acknowledgement is of consequence and his request is fulfilled. This principle also applies when he states that a given utensil is an entrusted object belonging to another person and should be returned to him, a particular courtyard belongs to another person, a debt that another person is reputed to owe him is in fact owed to another person, or in any analogous situation.
Even if a convert acknowledges an obligation to a son who was not conceived in holiness, his statements are binding. Indeed, even if a person acknowledged a debt owed to a gentile, the gentile should be repaid.
ט
שכיב מרע שהודה שיש לו לפלוני אצלי כך וכך תנוהו לו או שאמר כלי פלוני פקדון הוא בידי לפלוני תנוהו לו חצר פלונית של פלוני הוא חוב שיש לי ביד פלוני אינו שלי של פלוני הוא בכל אלו הדברים וכיוצא בהן הודאתו הודיה ואפילו הודה הגר לבנו שאין הורתו בקדושה דבריו קיימין אפילו הודה שכיב מרע לעכו"ם נותנין לו:
10
When, by contrast, a sh'chiv me'ra orders that a gift be given to a gentile from his estate, we do not heed his words, for it is as if he commanded that a transgression be performed with his property.
י
אבל שכיב מרע שצוה ליתן לעכו"ם מתנה אין שומעין לו שזה כמי שצוה לעבור עבירה מנכסיו:
11
If a dying man says: "My servant, so and so, make him a free man," "I made him a free man," or "Behold he is a free man," we compel the person's heirs to free the servant. The rationale is that a servant is obligated to perform certain mitzvot.
יא
אמר פלוני עבדי עשו אותו בן חורין או שאמר עשיתי אותו בן חורין או הרי הוא בן חורין כופין את היורשין ומשחררין אותו שעבד ישנו במקצת מצות:
12
If a dying man says: "Generate satisfaction for so and so, my maid-servant," satisfaction should be generated for her. She should be given only the type of work she desires out of all the types of work that are known to be performed by servants in that locale.
יב
אמר פלונית שפחתי עשו לה קורת רוח עושין לה קורת רוח ואינה עובדת אלא עבודה שהיא רוצה בה מכל העבודות הידועות לעבדים באותו מקום:
13
When a sh'chiv me'ra apportions all his property to a specific person, and that person says: "I do not desire it," he does not acquire it.
יג
שכיב מרע שכתב כל נכסיו לאחד ואמר הלה איני רוצה בהן לא קנה:
14
If the intended recipient remained silent, and then protests, he acquires the property. The rationale is that the words of a sh'chiv me'ra are considered as if they have been already recorded in a legal document and the property already transferred. Thus, once the recipient remains silent, he can no longer retract.
יד
שתק ואחר כך צוח קנה שדברי שכיב מרע ככתובין וכמסורין הן וכיון ששתק אינו יכול לחזור בהן:
15
When a sh'chiv me'ra apportions his property to one person and then changes his mind and apportions his property to another person, the latter person acquires it. For a sh'chiv me'ra has the right to retract until he dies.
The above applies whether he desires to retract the entire amount or only a portion of it, and whether he seeks to retain the property for himself or give it to another person.
Even if he apportioned the property to a person and had someone acquire the property on his behalf, and then apportioned it to another person and had someone acquire the property on his behalf, the latter person acquires it. The rationale is that even when a sh'chiv me'ra has someone acquire the property on the recipient's behalf, the transaction is still considered to be a gift given by a sh'chiv me'ra.
טו
שכיב מרע שכתב לזה וחזר וכתב לאחר האחרון קנה שיש לו לחזור עד שימות בין בכל בין במקצת בין לעצמו בין לאחר ואפילו כתב וזכה לראשון וכתב וזכה לאחרון האחרון קנה ששכיב מרע שזכה עדיין מתנת שכיב מרע היא:
16
If, however, a sh'chiv me'ra apportioned his property to a person, had someone acquire the property on the recipient's behalf and then confirmed the transfer with a kinyan, nothing can be done after the kinyan. He cannot retract - neither to give the property to another person nor to retain it for himself. This applies whether he gave his entire estate or only a portion of it.
טז
אבל שכיב מרע שכתב וזכה וקנו מידו אין לאחר קנין כלום ואינו יכול לחזור בו לא לאחר ולא לעצמו בין שנתן הכל בין שנתן מקצת:
17
When a sh'chiv me'ra retracts part of his apportionment of his estate, the entire apportionment is nullified.
What is implied? If he gave all his property to one person, and confirmed his gift with a kinyan to bolster the recipient's legal power, and then retracted and gave part of his property to another person and confirmed his gift with a kinyan to bolster the second recipient's legal power, the second person acquires the property he was given. The first person does not acquire anything. This applies whether the sh'chiv me'ra recovers or dies.
יז
שכיב מרע שחזר במקצת חזר בכל כיצד נתן כל נכסיו לראשון וקנו מידו כדי ליפות את כחו וחזר ונתן מקצתן לאחר וקנו מידו כדי ליפות את כחו השני קנה אבל הראשון לא קנה כלום בין שעמד בין שמת:
18
The following rules apply when a dying man gives a portion of his estate as a gift and confirms this with a kinyan, and then gives his entire estate to another person and confirms this gift with a kinyan to bolster the recipient's legal power. If the sh'chiv me'ra dies, the first recipient acquires the portion given to him, and the second recipient acquires the remainder. If the sh'chiv me'ra recovers, the first recipient acquires the portion given to him, and the second recipient does not acquire anything.
יח
נתן מקצת נכסיו וקנו מידו ואחר כך נתן כלן לאחר וקנו מידו כדי ליפות את כחו אם מת קנה הראשון המקצת וקנה השני את השאר ואם עמד ראשון קנה שני לא קנה:
19
When a sh'chiv me'ra consecrates all his property without retaining anything, declares his estate ownerless or divides his estate among the poor -if he recovers, he retracts everything.
יט
שכיב מרע שהקדיש כל נכסיו ולא שייר כלום או הפקיר או חלקן לעניים אם עמד חוזר בכל:
20
If a person conducts a sale while a sh'chiv me'ra, the sale is binding even if he recovers.
כ
מכר כשהוא שכיב מרע ממכרו קיים כבריא:
21
Different rules apply when by contrast, a dying man sells his entire estate. If the money itself that he received for the estate is still in his possession, he may retract if he recovers. If, however, he has spent the money, he cannot retract.
כא
מכר כל נכסיו אם המעות עצמן קיימות אם עמד חוזר ואם הוציא המעות אינו יכול לחזור:
22
The following laws apply when a legal document recording a gift is brought before us, and it does not explicitly state whether the giver was healthy when he gave it, or whether he was a sh'chiv me'ra; the giver claims that he was a sh'chiv me'ra, that he recovered and now desires to retract his gift; the recipient of the gift claims that the giver was healthy and therefore does not have the option of retracting. The recipient must bring proof that the giver was healthy. If he does not find proof, the giver must take a sh'vuat hesset supporting his claim. Afterwards, the landed property remains in the possession of the giver.
כב
מתנה שהיא סתם ולא נתפרש בה שהיה בריא כשנתן או שהיה שכיב מרע הוא אומר שכיב מרע היית והרי עמדתי ואחזור במתנתי ומקבל מתנה אומר בריא היה ואינו יכול לחזור על המקבל להביא ראיה שבריא היה לא מצא ראיה נשבע הנותן שבועת היסת ויפטר ותעמוד הקרקע בחזקת הנותן:
23
Different rules apply if, however, the gift involved movable property, and that movable property is now in the possession of the recipient. Since the recipient could claim: "The movable property is mine," he is allowed to retain possession of the movable property, provided he takes a sh'vuat hesset that the giver was healthy when he gave this gift.
כג
אבל אם היו מטלטלין ביד המקבל מתוך שיכול לומר שלי הן ישבע היסת שבריא היה כשנתן לו מתנה זו:
24
The following rule applies when a person dies, and a legal document recording a gift is discovered tied to his thigh. Even though the document is signed by witnesses and mentions that a klnyan was undertaken to bolster the legal power of the recipients, the document is of no consequence. We assume that after the sh'chiv me'ra had it written, he changed his mind and retracted his gift.
כד
מי שמת ונמצא מתנה קשורה על ירכו אף על פי שהיא בעדים וקנו מידו ליפות כח אלו שנתן להם הרי זו אינה כלום שאני אומר כתבה ונמלך:
25
If through the legal document the person transferred ownership over the property to another person, whether he is a legal heir or is not a legal heir, everything stated within takes effect, as is true with regard to all gifts given by a sh'chiv me'ra.
כה
ואם זכה בה לאחר בין מן היורשין בין שאינו מן היורשין כל הדברים שבה קיימין ככל מתנת שכיב מרע:
26
Similar laws apply when a sh'chiv me'ra has a promissory note composed stating that he owes money to a particular person - to one of his sons or to one of his other heirs - and he entrusts that document to a third party. If he tells that third party: "Hold this in your possession," but does not make any further statement, or tells him: "Leave this until I tell you what to do with it," and dies before making any further statements, the document is of no consequence.
כו
וכן מי שכתב שטר חוב על עצמו בשם אחר או בשם אחד מבניו [או] מן היורשין ונתן השטר עד יד שליש ואמר לו יהיה זה אצלך ולא פירש לו כלום או שאמר לו הנח עד שאומר לך מה תעשה ומת הרי זו אינה כלום:
• Shemita - Chapter 12
1
א
המוכר בית בתוך עיר המוקפת חומה ה"ז גואלה כל י"ב חודש מיום שמכר בכל עת שירצה ואפילו ביום שמכר וכשרוצה לפדות נותן כל הדמים שלקח ואינו גורע ללוקח כלום:
2
ב
ואין הקרובים פודין אותה אלא המוכר עצמו אם השיגה ידו ויש לו למכור מנכסיו ולפדותו אבל לא ילוה ויגאל ולא יגאל לחצאין:
3
If the purchaser dies, [the original owner] may redeem it from his son. Similarly, if the seller dies, his son may redeem it for the duration of the twelve months.7
ג
מת הלוקח יפדה מיד בנו וכן אם מת המוכר יש לבנו לפדותה כל י"ב חדש:
4
If [the seller] sold it to one person and he sold it to another, the reckoning is made from [the date of] the first [sale]. When the first year is concluded, the house is established8 as the property of the [second] purchaser. For the [second] seller9 sold to the second [purchaser] all the rights that will accrue to him [with regard to this property].10 If twelve months pass and it is not redeemed, it is established as the property of the [second] purchaser.
ד
מכר לראשון וראשון לשני בתוך השנה מונין לראשון כיון ששלמה שנה ראשונה הוחלט הבית ביד השני שהמוכר מכר לשני כל זכות שתבוא לידו הגיע י"ב חדש ולא גאלה הרי זו נחלטת ביד הלוקח וכן אם נתן הבית מתנה ולא גאלו כל י"ב חדש הרי זה נחלט ביד זה שנתן לו מתנה:
5
During a leap year, the permanent disposition of the property is not brought about until the end of the year,13 as [Leviticus 25:30] states: "Until a complete year is completed for it." [This wording indicates that] the extra month [of the leap year] is included.
ה
היתה שנה מעוברת אינו נחלט עד סופה שנאמר עד מלאת לו שנה תמימה להביא חדש העיבור:
6
[The following rules apply when a person] sold two houses, one in the middle of Adar 1 and the other on Rosh Chodesh Adar II. When the month of Adar arrives in the following year,14 the year for the house sold on Rosh Chodesh II is completed.15 The year for the house sold in the middle of Adar I is not completed until the middle of Adar in the following year, for the purchaser took possession in the middle of the extra month [of the leap year].
ו
מכר ב' בתים אחד בחצי אדר ראשון ואחד בראש אדר שני זה שמכר בראש אדר שני כיון שהגיע אחד באדר של שנה הבאה עלתה לו שנה וזה שמכר בחצי אדר ראשון לא עלתה לו שנה עד חצי אדר של שנה הבאה מפני שירד הלוקח בחדש העיבור:
7
ז
הגיע יום י"ב חדש ולא נמצא הלוקח לפדות ממנו הרי זה מניח מעותיו בב"ד ושובר את הדלת ונכנס לביתו ואימתי שיבוא הלוקח יבוא ויטול מעותיו:
8
When a person consecrates a house in a walled city and another person redeems it from the Temple treasury, when a year passes from the time that it was redeemed from the Temple treasury without it being redeemed by its [original] owner, it becomes established as the property of the one who redeemed it [from the Temple treasury].18 For the Temple treasury does not become the permanent owner, the purchaser does, as [implied by Leviticus 25:30]: "the one who purchases it for his generations."19
ח
המקדיש בית עיר חומה וגאלו אחר מיד ההקדש כיון שעלתה לו שנה משעה שנגאל מיד ההקדש ולא גאלו בעליו נחלט ביד הגואל שאין ההקדש חולט אלא הלוקח שנאמר לקונה אותו לדורותיו:
9
When a person sells a house in a walled city and the Jubilee arrives within the first year after the sale, the house does not revert to its owner in the Jubilee.20 Instead, it remains in the possession of the purchaser until the seller decides to redeem it throughout the year after its sale or it becomes established as the property [of the purchaser] after that year is completed.
ט
מכר בית עיר חומה והגיע יובל בתוך שנת המכר אינו חוזר ביובל אלא יהיה ביד הלוקח עד שירצה המוכר לגאול כל שנת המכר או תמלא שנה ויחלוט:
10
When a person sells a home in a settlement or in a city that is not surrounded by a wall in the appropriate manner,21 he may redeem it according to the advantages that apply with regard to both the redemption of an [ancestral] field and the redemption of a home in a walled city.
What is implied? If he desires to redeem [the home] immediately, he may,22 as is the law with regard to a home [in a walled city]. If the twelve months pass and he does not redeem it, he may redeem it until the Jubilee, as is the law regarding a field.23 When he redeems it, he makes a reckoning with the purchaser and subtracts the value of the benefit he received.24 If the Jubilee arrives without having redeemed it, the house returns [to the owner] without payment, as is the law with regard to fields.
י
המוכר בית בבתי חצרים או בעיר שאינה מוקפת חומה כראוי ה"ז נגאל בכח יפה שבדין השדה ושבדין הבתים המוקפין חומה כיצד אם רצה לגאול מיד גואל כדין הבתים הגיע י"ב חדש ולא גאל ה"ז גואל עד שנת היובל כדין השדות ובעת שגואל מחשב עם המוכר וגורע לו מה שאכל הגיע יובל ולא גאל חוזר הבית בלא דמים כדין השדות:
11
Any [residential property] within a city's wall, e.g., gardens, bathhouses, and dovecotes, is considered as a house,25for [ibid.] states: "that are in the city." Fields that are located in the city may be redeemed according to the rules applying to fields outside the city, as [implied the phrase (ibid.)]: "And the house that will be within the city will be established." [This includes] houses and anything resembling houses, not fields.
יא
כל שהוא לפנים מן החומה כגון הגנות והמרחצאות והשובכות הרי הוא כבתים שנאמר אשר בעיר אבל השדות שבתוך העיר נגאלין כדין השדות שחוץ לעיר שנאמר וקם הבית אשר בעיר בית וכל הדומה לבית לא השדות:
12
When a house is not four cubits by four cubits, it does not become the permanent property of the purchaser like the houses in a walled city.26 A house does not become the permanent property of a purchaser in Jerusalem.27 A house that is built in the wall is not considered as a home in a walled city.28
יב
בית שאין בו ד' אמות על ד' אמות אינו נחלט כבתי ערי חומה וירושלים אין הבית נחלט בה ובית הבנוי בחומה אינו כבתי ערי חומה:
13
יג
עיר שגגותיה חומתה או שהים חומתה אינה כמוקפת חומה:
14
A city is not referred to as a walled city unless it has three or more courtyards and in each of the courtyards, it has two or more houses.32 [Moreover,] it must have been surrounded by a wall first and then the courtyards were built in its midst. If, however, a place was settled and afterwards, surrounded [by a wall] or it did not have [at least] three courtyards with [at least] two houses [each], it is not considered as a walled city. Instead, its houses are like the houses of a settlement.33
יד
אין המקום נקרא ערי חומה עד שיהיה בו שלש חצרות או יתר ובכל חצר מהן ב' בתים או יתר ויקיפוה חומה תחלה ואחר כך יבנו החצרות בתוכו אבל מקום שישב ואח"כ הוקף או שלא היו בו ג' חצרות של ב' בתים אינו עיר חומה אלא בתים שבו כבתי החצרים:
15
We rely only on a wall that surrounded [a city] at the time of the conquest of the land.
What is implied? When a city was not surrounded by a wall at the time when Joshua conquered the land even though it is surrounded now, [the houses in it] are considered as the houses of a settlement. [Conversely,] if a city was surrounded by a wall at the time of Joshua,34 even though it is not surrounded at present, it is considered as walled.35
When the Jews were exiled after the first destruction [of the Temple], the sanctity of the walled cities from Joshua's time were nullified.36 When Ezra ascended at the time of the second entry into the land, all of the walled cities of that time became consecrated. For the entry [into the land] at the time of Ezra, i.e., the second entry, was comparable to the entry at the time of Joshua. Just as [after] their entry at the time of Joshua, they counted Sabbatical years and Jubilees, sanctified the homes in walled cities and were obligated in the tithes, so too, [after] their entry in the time of Ezra, they counted Sabbatical years and Jubilees, sanctified the homes in walled cities and were obligated in the tithes.37
טו
אין סומכין אלא על חומה המוקפת בשעת כיבוש הארץ כיצד עיר שלא היתה מוקפת חומה בשעה שכבש יהושע את הארץ אע"פ שמוקפת עתה הרי היא כבתי החצרים ועיר שהיתה מוקפת חומה בימי יהושע אף ע"פ שאינה מוקפת עתה הרי היא כמוקפת וכיון שגלו בחרבן ראשון בטלה קדושת ערי חומה שהיו בימי יהושע כיון שעלה עזרא בביאה השניה נתקדשו כל הערים המוקפות חומה באותו העת מפני שביאתן בימי עזרא שהיא ביאה שנייה כביאתן בימי יהושע מה ביאתן בימי יהושע מנו שמיטין ויובלות וקדשו בתי ערי חומה ונתחייבו במעשר אף ביאתם בימי עזרא מנו שמיטין ויובלות וקדשו בתי ערי חומה ונתחייבו במעשר:
16
Similarly, in the Ultimate Future, upon the third entry to the land,38 we will begin to count the Sabbatical and Jubilee years and sanctify the homes in walled cities, and every place that will be conquered will be obligated in [the separation of] tithes, as [Deuteronomy 30:5]: "And God your Lord will bring you to the land that your ancestors possessed as a heritage and you shall possess." [The verse] equates [the Jews' ultimate] possession with that of their ancestors. Just as when your ancestors took possession of the land as a heritage, they practiced the renewal of all these observances, when you take possession of the land, you should practice the renewal of all these observances.39
טז
וכן לעתיד לבוא בביאה שלישית בעת שיכנסו לארץ יתחילו למנות שמיטין ויובלות ויקדשו בתי ערי חומה ויתחייב כל מקום שיכבשוהו במעשרות שנאמר והביאך י"י אלהיך אל הארץ אשר ירשו אבותיך וירשתה מקיש ירושתך לירושת אבותיך מה ירושת אבותיך אתה נוהג [בה] בחידוש כל הדברים האלו אף ירושתך אתה נוהג בה בחידוש כל הדברים האלו:
FOOTNOTES
1.
As stated in Halachah 15, it is not significant whether the city is surrounded by a wall at the present time. Instead, we are speaking about cities that were walled when Joshua conquered Eretz Yisrael.
2.
I.e., the year mentioned in the Leviticus 25:29 is not a calendar year, beginning on Rosh HaShanah, but a twelve month period beginning from the day of sale.
3.
In contrast to the laws of a field that is an ancestral heritage, as mentioned in Chapter 11, Halachah 4. The return of the purchaser's money in full resembles a loan at interest - for the benefit he had in using the property is comparable to interest paid for the principal - nevertheless, because a sale is involved, there is no prohibition (Arichin 9:3).
4.
In contrast to the law regarding an ancestral heritage (Chapter 11, Halachah 18).
5.
In contrast to the law regarding an ancestral heritage (ibid.:17).
6.
In this, the laws parallel those governing an ancestral field (ibid.:17-18).
7.
Arachin 32b derives these concepts from the exegesis of relevant verses.
8.
Permanently, for it does not return to the owner in the Jubilee. See the Rambam's Commentary to the Mishnah (Arichin 9:4).
9.
Who was also the first purchaser.
10.
The Rambam is referring to a difference of opinion in Arichin, loc. cit., whether after twelve months, the house remains in the possession of the second purchaser or reverts to the first. Although one might argue that the Torah specifies that if the house is not redeemed it becomes the property of the first seller, that rationale is not accepted for the reason the Rambam states.
11.
Permanently, for it does not return to the owner in the Jubilee. See the Rambam's Commentary to the Mishnah (Arichin 9:4).
12.
For as indicated by Chapter 11, Halachah 19, a present is equivalent to a sale.
13.
I.e., until the end of a 13 month period.
14.
I.e., an ordinary year with only one Adar.
15.
For it is a full twelve months after that sale and that sale was made after the extra month of the leap year had been completed.
16.
And if that day passes, he will not be able to redeem it.
17.
This is an ordinance established by Hillel the Elder to protect the rights of the seller (Arachin 9:4). The rationale is that since the purchaser has no choice whether to accept the money or not, it is sufficient for the money to be deposited in the court for him (Arachin 32a).
18.
We are not concerned with the date on which it was consecrated. Instead, it is the date from which it was redeemed from the Temple treasury which concerns us, for that is when it was sold and it is its sale that brings about a change in ownership.
19.
I.e., for the sake of his descendants and the Temple treasury does not have descendants (Arachin 32b).
20.
The statement (Leviticus 25:30): "It shall not return in the Jubilee" applies both before the house becomes the permanent property of the purchaser and afterwards.
21.
Again, what is significant is not the present state of the city, but its state at the time of Joshua's conquest, as stated in Halachah 15.
22.
Since the sale involves a house, the seller has this advantage over the seller of a field.
23.
For Leviticus 25:31 states that they will be considered as a field.
24.
Arachin 33a [quoted by the Rambam's Commentary to the Mishnah (Arachin 9:7)] explains that since the above verse specifies that these homes can be redeemed and that they are returned in the Jubilee, we derive the concept that their redemption involves a reduction of the cost of the field.
25.
I.e., it can be redeemed only within a year and does not return in the Jubilee.
26.
For a house is not considered a house unless it is at least four cubits by four cubits (Sukkah3b). This concept applies in several different contacts, for example, the requirement to place a mezuzah (Hilchot Mezuzah 6:1) or to construct a guardrail (Hilchot Rotzeach11:1).
27.
As the Rambam states in Hilchot Beit HaBechirah 7:14, Jerusalem was never divided among the tribes. For that reason, a person can never permanently acquire property there. Instead, houses there are bound by the laws that apply to houses in settlements (see Rashi. Arachin 32b; Bava Kama 82b).
28.
Arachin 9:5 records a difference of opinion on this issue between Rabbi Yehudah and Rabbi Shimon. Both of them base their opinion on the exegesis of the Biblical story of Rachab's home in Joshua, ch. 2.
29.
Megillah 5b explains that this refers to a situation where the city is not surrounded by a wall, but instead, its houses are built next to each other, so that it appears that it is surrounded by a wall (Rav Yosef Corcus).
30.
For example, as in the instance of Tiberias which was surrounded by a wall on one side and the sea on the other.
31.
Instead, they are governed by the laws applying to homes in a settlement.
32.
Otherwise, it is not large enough to be called a city.
33.
Interestingly, the Talmud also mentions these laws with regard to reading a Megilah in a walled city (Megilah 3b), but the Rambam does not quote them there, only here.
34.
Arachin 9:6 gives as examples: Ancient Yodefat, Gamla, Chadid, Gedod, and Ono.
35.
The Ra'avad differs with the Rambam and maintains that once a city's walls are destroyed, the city loses its unique status. The Radbaz and the Kessef Mishneh explain that the Rambam is referring to the situation in the First Temple era. If a city had a wall at the time of Joshua's conquest, but that wall was torn down, the status of the city did not change throughout that era. See also the Rambam's Commentary to the Mishnah (Arichin 9:6).
36.
And the sanctity of the land was nullified, as the Rambam states in Hilchot Beit HaBechirah 6:15, Hilchot Terumah 1:26..
37.
As stated in those sources, in contrast to the sanctification in the time of Joshua, the sanctification of the land by Ezra was only Rabbinic in origin. In his Commentary to the Mishnah (loc. cit.), the Rambam states that the cities that were walled at the time of Ezra were given the status of walled cities. From the Radbaz and the Kessef Mishneh, it appears that the cities that were given the status of walled cities by the people who returned with Ezra were cities that were considered walled cities in the era of the First Temple.
38.
I.e., when the Jews return to Eretz Yisrael led by Mashiach.
39.
The Ra'avad and others question the Rambam's statements, because he accepts the principal (see Hilchot Beit HaBechirah, loc. cit.) that through Ezra's consecration, the land was consecrated until and including the ultimate future. Kina'at Eliyahu suggests a resolution based on the fact that the sanctification of the land by Ezra was only Rabbinic in origin, while the sanctification by Mashiachwill have the power of Scriptural Law. Hence, a new sanctification will be necessary.
Shemita - Chapter 13
1
Although the tribe of Levi does not have an ancestral portion within Eretz [Yisrael],1 the Jewish people were commanded to give them cities2 to dwell in3 and [additional] residential property.4 The cities include the six cities of refuge and 42 additional cities.5 When cities of refuge will be added in the era of Mashiach,6 all will be given to the Levites.
א
שבט לוי אעפ"י שאין להם חלק בארץ כבר נצטוו ישראל ליתן להם ערים לשבת ומגרשיהם והערים הם שש ערי מקלט ועליהן שתים וארבעים עיר וכשמוסיפין ערי מקלט אחרות בימי המשיח הכל ללוים:
2
[The obligation to give] the non-developed land around the cities is explicitly mentioned in the Torah as being [a radius of] three thousand cubits in every direction from the wall of the city outward, for [Numbers 35:4-5] states: "From the wall of the city onward, 1000 cubits on all sides" and continues: "You shall measure from the outside of the city 2000 cubits on the eastern side." The first thousand are left as [additional] residential property and the 2000 that are measured outside this residential property are for fields and vineyards.
ב
מגרשי הערים כבר נתפרשו בתורה שהם שלשת אלפים אמה לכל רוח מקיר העיר וחוצה שנאמר מקיר העיר וחוצה אלף אמה סביב ולהלן הוא אומר ומדותם מחוץ לעיר את פאת קדמה אלפים באמה וגו' אלף הראשונים מגרש ואלפים שמודדין חוץ למגרש לשדות וכרמים:
3
Every city is given a cemetery outside these boundaries, for they do not bury their dead within their cities, as [implied by ibid.:3]: "The residential area will be for their animals, their property, and all their vital needs." [This land] was given "for their vital needs" and not for burial.7
ג
ונותנין לכל עיר בית הקברות חוץ לתחום זה שאין קוברין מתיהם לתחום עריהם שנאמר ומגרשיהם יהיו לבהמתם ולרכושם ולכל חייתם לחיים נתנו ולא לקבורה:
4
In the cities of the Levites, the city itself should not be transformed into an outlying residential area and the outlying residential area should not made part of the city. This outlying residential area should not be converted to fields, nor should the fields be converted into such a residential area, as [Leviticus 25:34] states: "The fields of the residential area of their cities should not be sold."
ד
אין עושין בערי הלוים עיר מגרש ולא מגרש עיר ולא מגרש שדה ולא שדה מגרש שנאמר ושדה מגרש עריהם לא ימכר:
5
According to the Oral Tradition,8 it was taught that the phrase "should not be sold" should be interpreted as "should not be changed."9 Instead, all of the three, field, a residential area, and a city should remain in its original circumstances forever.
Similarly, in the other cities of [Eretz] Yisrael, the outlying residential area should not be converted to fields, nor should the fields be converted into such a residential area. The city itself should not be transformed into an outlying residential area and the outlying residential area should not be made part of the city.
ה
ומפי השמועה למדו שזה שנאמר לא ימכר לא ישונה אלא השדה והמגרש והעיר כל אחד משלשתן כמות שהוא לעולם וכן בשאר ערי ישראל:
6
A person should not destroy his home to make it into a garden, nor should he plant a garden in his ruin, lest one destroy Eretz Yisrael.10
ו
לא יסתור אדם את ביתו לעשותו גינה ולא יטע חרבתו גינה שלא יחריבו ארץ ישראל:
7
The priests and the Levites who sold fields from the fields of their cities or homes from the homes in their walled cities do not redeem their property according to the procedures [explained above].11 Instead, they may sell their fields even directly before the Jubilee and redeem them immediately.12 If they consecrated a field, they may redeem it from the possession of the Temple treasury after the Jubilee.13 They may redeem houses in a walled city whenever they desire, even after several years,14 as [Leviticus 25:32] states: "The Levites will have eternal rights of redemption."
ז
כהנים ולוים שמכרו שדה משדה עריהם או בית מבתי ערי חומה שלהן אין גואלין כסדר הזה אלא מוכרין השדות ואפילו סמוך ליובל וגואלין מיד ואם הקדישו שדה גואלים מיד ההקדש לאחר היובל וגואלים בתי ערי חומה כל זמן שירצו אפילו אחר כמה שנים שנאמר גאולת עולם תהיה ללוים:
8
When an Israelite inherits property from his maternal grandfather who was a Levi,15 although he is not a Levite, he may redeem [the property] as if he was a Levite. Since these cities or fields belong to the Levities, they may be redeemed forever. For this law is dependent on [the characteristics of] these places, not of the owners.16
ח
ישראל שירש את אבי אמו לוי הרי זה גואל כלוים אף על פי שאינו לוי הואיל והערים או השדות של לוים גואל לעולם שדין זה תלוי במקומות אלו ולא בבעלים:
9
When a Levite inherits the property of his maternal grandfather who is an Israelite,17 he does not have the redemption rights of a Levite, only those of an Israelite, for the verse "The Levites will have eternal rights of redemption" applies only in the cities of the Levites.
ט
ולוי שירש את אבי אמו ישראל גואל כישראל ולא כלוים שלא נאמר גאולת עולם תהיה ללוים אלא בערי הלוים:
10
The entire tribe of Levi are commanded against receiving an inheritance in the land of Canaan,18 and they were commanded against receiving a share in the spoil when the cities are conquered,19 as [Deuteronomy 10:9] states: "The priest and the Levites - the entire tribe of Levi - should not have a portion and an inheritance among Israel." "A portion" [refers to a portion] of the spoil; "an inheritance" refers to [a portion of] the land. And [Numbers 18:20]: "You20 shall not receive a heritage in their land, nor will you have a portion among them," i.e., in the spoil. If a Levite or a priest takes a portion of the spoil, he is punished by lashes.21 If he takes an inheritance in Eretz [Yisrael], it should be taken from his possession.22
י
כל שבט לוי מוזהרין שלא ינחלו בארץ כנען וכן הן מוזהרין שלא יטלו חלק בביזה בשעה שכובשין את הערים שנאמר לא יהיה לכהנים הלוים כל שבט לוי חלק ונחלה עם ישראל חלק בביזה ונחלה בארץ וכן הוא אומר בארצם לא תנחל וחלק לא יהיה לך בתוכם בביזה ובן לוי או כהן שנטל חלק בביזה לוקה ואם נטל נחלה בארץ מעבירין אותה ממנו:
11
It appears to me23 that the above applies only with regard to the land for which a covenant was established with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, their descendants inherited it and it was divided among them. If, however, other lands will be conquered by a king of Israel, the priests and the Levites have the same rights as the entire Jewish people.24
יא
יראה לי שאין הדברים אמורי' אלא בארץ שנכרתה עליה ברית לאברהם ליצחק וליעקב וירשוה בניהם ונתחלקה להם אבל שאר כל הארצות שכובש מלך ממלכי ישראל הרי הכהנים והלוים באותן הארצות ובביזתן ככל ישראל:
12
Why did the Levites not receive a portion in the inheritance of Eretz Yisrael and in the spoils of war like their brethren? Because they were set aside to serve God and minister unto Him and to instruct people at large in His just paths and righteous judgments, as [Deuteronomy 33:10] states:25 "They will teach Your judgments to Jacob and Your Torah to Israel." Therefore they were set apart from the ways of the world. They do not wage war like the remainder of the Jewish people, nor do they receive an inheritance, nor do they acquire for themselves through their physical power. Instead, they are God's legion, as [ibid.:11]: states: "God has blessed His legion" and He provides for them, as [Numbers 18:20] states: "I am your portion and your inheritance."26
יב
ולמה לא זכה לוי בנחלת ארץ ישראל ובביזתה עם אחיו מפני שהובדל לעבוד את י"י לשרתו ולהורות דרכיו הישרים ומשפטיו הצדיקים לרבים שנאמר יורו משפטיך ליעקב ותורתך לישראל לפיכך הובדלו מדרכי העולם לא עורכין מלחמה כשאר ישראל ולא נוחלין ולא זוכין לעצמן בכח גופן אלא הם חיל השם שנאמר ברך י"י חילו והוא ברוך הוא זוכה להם שנאמר אני חלקך ונחלתך:
13
Not only the tribe of Levi, but any one of the inhabitants of the world27whose spirit generously motivates him and he understands with his wisdom to set himself aside and stand before God to serve Him and minister to Him and to know God, proceeding justly as God made him, removing from his neck the yoke of the many reckonings which people seek, he is sanctified as holy of holies.28 God will be His portion and heritage forever and will provide what is sufficient for him in this world like He provides for the priests and the Levites.29 And thus David declared [Psalms 16:5]: "God is the lot of my portion; You are my cup, You support my lot."
Blessed be the Merciful One who provides assistance.
יג
ולא שבט לוי בלבד אלא כל איש ואיש מכל באי העולם אשר נדבה רוחו אותו והבינו מדעו להבדל לעמוד לפני יי לשרתו ולעובדו לדעה את יי והלך ישר כמו שעשהו האלהים ופרק מעל צוארו עול החשבונות הרבים אשר בקשו בני האדם הרי זה נתקדש קדש קדשים ויהיה י"י חלקו ונחלתו לעולם ולעולמי עולמים ויזכה לו בעה"ז דבר המספיק לו כמו שזכה לכהנים ללוים הרי דוד ע"ה אומר י"י מנת חלקי וכוסי אתה תומיך גורלי:
FOOTNOTES
1.
I.e, all the other tribes were given portions of the land as an ancestral heritage. Levi was not given such a portion. Indeed, as stated in Halachah 10, a Scriptural prohibition is involved in them receiving such a portion.
2.
Sefer HaMitzvot (positive commandment 183) and Sefer HaChinuch (mitzvah 408) include the commandment to provide cities for the Levites among the 613 mitzvot of the Torah.
3.
One might infer from this wording (borrowed from Numbers 35:2)that the cities do not belong to the Levites per se. They are merely given the right "to dwell" in them. Nevertheless, from the Rambam's rulings: a) (Hilchot Ma'aser Sheni 11:17) that the Levites must recite the declaration after separating the second tithes for they possess these cities; and
b) his ruling (Hilchot Rotzeach8:10) that an accidental killer who flees to the cities of the Levites must pay rent, we can conclude that they are the owners of these cities in a way similar to the other tribes' ownership of their ancestral heritages (Likkutei Sichot, Vol. XXV, p. 93).
4.
Our translation follows the Rambam's Commentary to the Mishnah (Arachin 9:8) which defines the term migrash as "the settlements close to the city which we refer to as outlying districts where shepherds and workers dwell."
5.
Numbers 35:2, 6 states: "Command the children of Israel that they shall give to the Levites... cities for dwelling and residential property.... The cities that you shall give the Levites are the six cities of refuge... and in addition, you shall give 42 cities." The names of these 42 cities are mentioned in Joshua, ch. 21.
Based on Hilchot Rotzeach, loc. cit., Likkutei Sichot, differentiates between the Levites ownership of the 42 cities and their ownership of the cities of refuge. For in Hilchot Rotzeach, the Rambam states that an accidental killer who flees to the cities of refuge need not pay rent. With regard to these cities, the Levites are mere caretakers.
6.
In Deuteronomy, ch. 19, the Torah commands the Jewish people to set aside three cities of refuge in the portion of Eretz Yisrael west of the Jordan and three in TransJordan. It then continues (Deuteronomy 19:8-9) states: 'When God will expand your borders... you must add three more cities.' In Hilchot Melachim 11:2, the Rambam refers to this command as a proof of Mashiach's ultimate coming, for "This command was never fulfilled. [Surely,] God did not give this command in vain." Ultimately, there will come an era, the era of Mashiach, when this command will be fulfilled and these cities will be separated. See also Hilchot Rotzeach 8:2-4, 9-10.
7.
And additional land must be given for that purpose. Nevertheless, a person who accidentally killed a colleague and who fled to one of these cities should be buried within these cities, as stated in Hilchot Rotzeach 7:3 (Radbaz).
8.
See Arachin 33b.
9.
Sefer HaMitzvot (negative commandment 228) and Sefer HaChinuch (mitzvah 342) include this commandment with the above interpretation among the 613 mitzvot of the Torah.
10.
I.e., the intent should be to make the land a residential center.
11.
See Chapter 11 which describes the redemption of a field that is an ancestral heritage. See Chapter 12 which describes the redemption of a home in a walled city.
12.
In contrast to the fields of an ancestral heritage that must be sold for at least two years, as stated in Chapter 11, Halachah 9.
In the listing of the mitzvot at the beginning of these halachot, the Rambam mentions giving the Levites the potential to redeem the land as part of the prohibition against selling the lands of the Levite. This enables that mitzvah to be understood in two contexts:
a) the halachic understanding expressed in halachot 4-5, that the status of the properties should not change,
b) the simple understanding of the verse, that the Levites' property should never be permanently sold, but rather there should always be the opportunity to redeem it.
13.
When, by contrast, an ordinary person who does not redeem his field after consecrating it, it becomes the property of the Temple treasury in the Jubilee (Hilchot Arachin 4:20-21).
14.
While an ordinary person can redeem such houses only during the first year (Chapter 12, Halachah 7).
15.
I.e., his maternal grandfather had no sons and his property was therefore inherited by his daughter. The daughter was married to an Israelite and so her children are Israelites. Whether she dies in her father's lifetime or afterwards, his property is inherited by her son, an Israelite.
16.
And when the Israelite inherited his grandfather's property, he inherited all the rights his grandfather possessed.
17.
I.e., a Levite married an Israelite women who gave birth to a son. That son is an Levite. If his maternal grandfather (an Israelite) dies without sons, his mother inherits his property and when she dies, the son who is a Levite inherits it from her.
18.
Sefer HaMitzvot (negative commandment 169) and Sefer HaChinuch (mitzvah 504) include this commandment with the above interpretation among the 613 mitzvot of the Torah.
19.
Sefer HaMitzvot (negative commandment 170) and Sefer HaChinuch (mitzvah 505) include this commandment with the above interpretation among the 613 mitzvot of the Torah. Sefer HaMitzvot, loc. cit., elaborates in explanation why the two charges are counted as separate commandments.
20.
The verse is addressed to Aaron as the leader of the entire tribe of Levi.
21.
The Radbaz states that it would appear that this applies only when one has destroyed the portion that he took. If, however, it can be returned, it should be returned and he is not subjected to lashes. (This is also the view of Sefer HaChinuch, loc. cit.) Nevertheless, the Radbaz concludes that it is possible to say that one may not compensate for this prohibition by making financial restitution and hence, lashes are required in all circumstances.
22.
For land can never be misappropriated from its rightful owners. Hence, his taking it is of no consequence and therefore, he is not punished (Radbaz).
23.
This phrase introduces a ruling that the Rambam arrived at through deduction, without any explicit, prior Rabbinic source.
24.
The Ra'avad objects to the Rambam's statement, stating that if so, the priests and the Levites would not have the rights to terumah and the tithes in these lands, for (see the following halachah and Hilchot Bikkurim 105), these presents were given to the priests instead of an ancestral portion. The Kessef Mishneh strengthens the Ra'avad's argument, noting that were it not for a special Divine commandment, the priests and the Levites would not have been given a portion of the spoil gained in the war against Midian. Nevertheless, the Kessef Mishneh as well as the Radbaz explain that the spoils from the war against Midian can be used as a source to teach that similar concepts apply with regard to other wars.
25.
In Moses' blessing to the tribe of Levi.
26.
The Rambam cites the first portion of this verse in Halachah 10 as proof that the Levites are not entitled to a portion of the spoil nor an ancestral heritage in Eretz Yisrael. In this halachah, he explains the rationale for that exclusion. The Levites are set aside from material involvement so that they can devote themselves to the spiritual. God, however, promises that this exchange will not cause them any loss, for He will provide for their material needs.
27.
This wording could also imply gentiles.
28.
This expression is used by I Chronicles 23:12 to refer to the holiness of Aaron, the High Priest. The Rambam is implying that every individual can reach a similar level of holiness.
29.
I.e., the Rambam is explaining that the motif that applies with regard to the priests and the Levites can be extended and in truth applies with regard to any person who is willing to devote his life to God's service.
Beit Habechirah - Chapter 1
1
1 It is a positive commandment2 to construct a House for God,3 prepared for sacrifices to be offered within.4 We [must] celebrate there three times a year,5 as [Exodus 25:8] states: "And you shall make Me a sanctuary.6"
The sanctuary constructed by Moses is already described in the Torah.7 It was only temporary,8 as [Deuteronomy 12:9] states: "For at present, you have not come unto [the resting place and the inheritance]."9
א
מצות עשה לעשות בית ליי' מוכן להיות מקריבים בו הקרבנות וחוגגין אליו שלש פעמים בשנה שנאמר ועשו לי מקדש וכבר נתפרש בתורה משכן שעשה משה רבינו והיה לפי שעה שנאמר כי לא באתם עד עתה וגו':
2
After [the Jews] entered The Land [of Israel],10 they erected the Sanctuary in Gilgal during the fourteen years in which they conquered and divided [the land].11From there, they came to Shiloh,12 built a house of stone, and spread the curtains of the Sanctuary over it. It did not have a roof. The sanctuary of Shiloh stood for 369 years. When Eli died, it was destroyed.13
ב
כיון שנכנסו לארץ העמידו המשכן בגלגל ארבע עשרה שנה שכבשו ושחלקו ומשם באו לשילה ובנו שם בית של אבנים ופרשו יריעות המשכן עליו ולא היתה שם תקרה ושס"ט שנה עמד משכן שילה וכשמת עלי חרב ובאו לנוב ובנו שם מקדש וכשמת שמואל חרב ובאו לגבעון ובנו שם מקדש ומגבעון באו לבית העולמים וימי נוב וגבעון שבע וחמשים שנה:
3
Once the Temple was built in Jerusalem, it became forbidden to build a sanctuary for God or to offer sacrifices in any other place.19
There is no Sanctuary for all generations20 except in Jerusalem and [specifically,] on Mt. Moriah,21 as [I Chronicles 22:1] states: "And David declared: 'This is the House of the Lord, God, and this is the altar for the burnt offerings of Israel.'22 and [Psalms 132:14] states: "This is My resting place forever."23
ג
כיון שנבנה המקדש בירושלים נאסרו כל המקומות כולן לבנות בהן בית ליי' ולהקריב בהן קרבן ואין שם בית לדורי הדורות אלא בירושלים בלבד ובהר המוריה שבה נאמר ויאמר דויד זה הוא בית יי' האלהים וזה מזבח לעולה לישראל ואומר זאת מנוחתי עדי עד:
4
The [design of the] structure built by [King] Solomon is described explicitly in [the Book of] Kings.24 [In contrast, the design of] the Messianic Temple, though mentioned in [the Book of] Ezekiel, is not explicit or explained. Thus, the people [in the time] of Ezra built the Second Temple according to the structure of Solomon, [including] certain aspects which are explicitly stated in Ezekiel.25
ד
בנין שבנה שלמה כבר מפורש במלכים וכן בנין העתיד להבנות אע"פ שהוא כתוב ביחזקאל אינו מפורש ומבואר ואנשי בית שני כשבנו בימי עזרא בנוהו כבנין שלמה ומעין דברים המפורשים ביחזקאל:
5
The followings elements are essential when constructing this House:26
a) the Sanctuary,27
b) the Holy of Holies,28
c) preceding the Sanctuary, there should be a place called the Entrance Hall.29
The three [together] are called the Temple.30
[In addition,] we must make another partition around the Temple, set off from it [slightly], resembling the curtains surrounding the courtyard of the [sanctuary in the] desert.31 Everything encompassed by this partition is similar to the courtyard of the Tent of Meeting and is called the Courtyard.32
The entire area is referred to as the Mikdash.
ה
ואלו הן הדברים שהן עיקר בבנין הבית עושין בו קדש וקדש הקדשים ויהיה לפני הקדש מקום אחד והוא הנקרא אולם ושלשתן נקראין היכל ועושין מחיצה אחרת סביב להיכל רחוקה ממנו כעין קלעי החצר שהיו במדבר וכל המוקף במחיצה זו שהוא כעין חצר אהל מועד הוא הנקרא עזרה והכל נקרא מקדש:
6
The following utensils are required for the Sanctuary:33
a) an altar for the burnt offering and other sacrifices;34
b) a ramp to ascend to the altar. It was positioned before the Entrance Hall to the south.35
c) a wash basin36 with a pedestal where the priests would sanctify their hands and feet for the (Temple) service.37 It was positioned between the Entrance Hall and the altar, to the left when entering the Sanctuary.38
d) the altar for the incense offering,
e) the Menorah, and
f) the table [for the showbread].39
The [latter] three were placed within the Sanctuary, before the Holy of Holies.40
ו
ועושין במקדש כלים מזבח לעולה ולשאר הקרבנות וכבש שעולים בו למזבח ומקומו לפני האולם משוך לדרום וכיור וכנו לקדש ממנו הכהנים ידיהם ורגליהם לעבודה ומקומו בין האולם ולמזבח משוך לדרום שהוא שמאל הנכנס למקדש ומזבח לקטורת ומנורה ושולחן ושלשתן בתוך הקדש לפני קדש הקדשים:
7
The Menorah was in the south, to the left as one entered. The Table was to the right.41 The Showbread was placed upon it. Both of them were close to the Holy of Holies on the outside. The incense altar was positioned between these two, towards the outside.
Divisions are to be made within the Temple Courtyard to [indicate] the point to which the Israelites may proceed;42 the point to which the priests, [who were not able to participate in the Temple service,] may proceed.43
[Also,] within it, we must build structures for the various necessities of the Sanctuary. These structures were called chambers.44
ז
המנורה בדרום משמאל הנכנס ושולחן מימין שעליו לחם הפנים ושניהם בצד קדש הקדשים מבחוץ ומזבח הקטורת משוך מבין שניהם לחוץ ועושין בתוך העזרה גבולין עד כאן לישראל עד כאן לכהנים ובונים בה בתים לשאר צרכי המקדש כל בית מהם נקרא לשכה:
8
When we build the Temple and the courtyard, we must use large stones. If stones cannot be found, we may build with bricks.45
We may not split the stones used for the building on the Temple Mount.46 Rather, we must split and chisel them outside, and [afterwards,] bring them in,47 as it is said (I Kings 5:31): "And they brought great stones, costly stones, to lay the foundation of the House with hewn stone." Furthermore, it is said (ibid. 6:7): "Neither hammer, nor axe, nor any tool of iron was heard in the House while it was being built."
ח
כשבונין ההיכל והעזרה בונין באבנים גדולות ואם לא מצאו אבנים בונין בלבנים ואין מפצלין את אבני הבנין בהר הבית אלא מפצלין אותן ומסתתין אותן מבחוץ ואחר כך מכניסין אותן לבנין שנאמר אבנים גדולות אבנים יקרות ליסד הבית אבני גזית ואומר ומקבות והגרזן כל כלי ברזל לא נשמע בבית בהבנותו:
9
We must not build with any wood protruding at all,48 only stone, bricks, or cement.
[Similarly,] we must not make wooden chambers in the courtyard. Rather, [they were made] of stone or of brick. 49
ט
ואין בונין בו עץ בולט כלל אלא או באבנים או בלבנים וסיד ואין עושין אכסדרות של עץ בכל העזרה אלא של אבנים או לבנים:
10
Costly stones were laid on the floor of the entire courtyard.50
Stones which were uprooted [from their fixture] are invalidated, even though they remained in place, since they were impaired. [Thus,] a priest is forbidden to stand upon them during the [Temple] service until they become fixed in the ground [again.]51
י
ומרצפין את כל העזרה באבנים יקרות ואם נעקרה אבן אף על פי שהיא עומדת במקומה הואיל ונתקלקלה פסולה ואסור לכהן העובד לעמוד עליה בשעת העבודה עד שתקבע בארץ:
11
יא
ומצוה מן המובחר לחזק את הבנין ולהגביהו כפי כח הציבור שנאמר ולרומם את בית אלהינו ומפארין אותו ומייפין כפי כחן אם יכולין לטוח אותו בזהב ולהגדיל במעשיו ה"ז מצוה:
12
We must not build the Temple at night, as [Numbers 9:15] states: "on the day in which the Sanctuary was raised up." [Our Sages55 interpret this phrase as implying:] We may raise it up by day and not by night.
We must be involved with its building from sunrise until the appearance of the stars.56
Everyone is obligated to build and to assist both personally and financially;57[both] men and women,58 as in the [construction of the] Sanctuary in the desert.59 [Nevertheless,] children are not to be interrupted from their [Torah] studies.60
The construction of the Temple does not supersede the [observance of the] festivals.61
יב
אין בונין את המקדש בלילה שנאמר וביום הקים את המשכן ביום מקימין לא בלילה ועוסקין בבנין מעלות השחר עד צאת הכוכבים והכל חייבין לבנות ולסעד בעצמן ובממונם אנשים ונשים כמקדש המדבר ואין מבטלין תינוקות של בית רבן לבנין ואין בנין ב"ה דוחה יום טוב:
13
The Altar should only be made as a structure of stone.62Though the Torah states, [Exodus 20:24]: "You shall make Me an altar of earth," [that verse is interpreted63 to mean that] the altar must be in contact with the earth and not built on an arch or on a cave.64
Though [ibid.:22] states: "If you shall make an Altar of stone...," the Oral Tradition explains that the matter is not left to [our] decision, but is an obligation [incumbent upon us].65
יג
המזבח אין עושין אותו אלא בנין אבנים (גזית) וזה שנאמר בתורה מזבח אדמה תעשה לי שיהיה מחובר באדמה שלא יבנוהו לא על גבי כיפין ולא על גבי מחילות וזה שנאמר ואם מזבח אבנים מפי השמועה למדו שאינו רשות אלא חובה:
14
Any stone which is damaged66 to the extent that a nail will become caught in it [when passing over it], as is the case regarding a slaughtering knife,67is disqualified for [use in the] Altar or the ramp, as [Deuteronomy 27:6] states: "You shall build the Altar of the Lord with whole stones."68
From where would they bring the stones of the Altar? From virgin earth. They would dig until they reach a point which was obviously never used for tilling or for building, and they would take the stones from there.69 Alternatively, [they would take them] from the Mediterranean Sea70 and build with them.
Similarly, the stones the Temple and the Courtyard were whole.71
יד
כל אבן שנפגמה כדי שתחגור בה הציפורן כסכין של שחיטה הרי זו פסולה לכבש ולמזבח שנאמר אבנים שלמות תבנה את מזבח יי' ומהיכן היו מביאין אבני מזבח מן בתולת הקרקע חופרין עד שמגיעין למקום הניכר שאינו מקום עבודה ובנין ומוציאין ממנו האבנים או מן הים הגדול ובונין מהן וכן אבני ההיכל והעזרות שלמות היו:
15
Damaged or split stones from the Temple and the Courtyard are invalid.72 They can not be redeemed [and used for mundane purposes].73Rather, they must be entombed.74
Every stone which was touched by iron,75 even though it was not damaged, is disqualified [for use] in building the Altar or the ramp, as it is said (Exodus 20:25): "By lifting your sword against it, you will have profaned it."76
Anyone who builds the altar or the ramp with a stone that has been touched by iron [violates a negative command and] is [given] lashes,77 as it is said (ibid.): "Do not build them with hewn stone."
One who builds with a damaged stone violates a positive command.78
טו
אבני היכל ועזרות שנפגמו או שנגממו פסולין ואין להן פדיון אלא נגנזים כל אבן שנגע בה הברזל אע"פ שלא נפגמה פסולה לבנין המזבח ובנין הכבש שנאמר כי חרבך הנפת עליה ותחללה והבונה אבן שנגע בה ברזל במזבח או בכבש לוקה שנאמר לא תבנה אתהן גזית והבונה אבן פגום עובר בעשה:
16
[If] a stone was damaged or touched by iron once it had been built into the Altar or the ramp, that stone [alone] is invalidated, but the others are still fit for use.
טז
אבן שנפגמה או שנגע בה ברזל אחר שנבנית במזבח או בכבש אותה האבן פסולה והשאר כשירו' ומלבנין את המזבח פעמים בשנה בפסח ובחג וכשמלבנין אותן מלבנין במפה אבל לא בכפיס של ברזל שמא יגע באבן ויפסול:
17
We must not make steps for the Altar, as [Exodus 22:26] states: "Do not ascend on My Altar with steps."81 Rather, we must build an incline on the southern side of the Altar,82 diminishing [in height] as it declines from the top of the Altar until the earth.83 It was called the ramp.
Anyone who ascends the Altar with steps [violates a negative command and] is [given] lashes.
Similarly, anyone who demolishes84 a single stone from the Altar, any part of the Temple building, or [the floor of the Temple Courtyard] between the Entrance Hall and the Altar85 with a destructive intent is worthy of lashes, as [Deuteronomy 12:3-4] states: "And you shall destroy their altars.... Do not do so to God, your Lord."86
יז
אין עושין מדרגות למזבח שנאמר לא תעלה במעלות על מזבחי אלא בונין כמו תל בדרומו של מזבח מתמעט ויורד מראש המזבח עד הארץ והוא הנקרא כבש והעולה במעלות על המזבח לוקה וכן נותץ אבן אחת מן המזבח או מכל ההיכל או מבין האולם ולמזבח דרך השחתה לוקה שנאמר ונתצתם את מזבחותם וגו' לא תעשון כן ליי' אלהיכם:
18
יח
המנורה וכליה והשולחן וכליו ומזבח הקטורת וכל כלי שרת אין עושין אותן אלא מן המתכת בלבד ואם עשאום של עץ או עצם או אבן או של זכוכית פסולין:
19
If the nation is poor, it is permissible to make them of tin.90If they [later] become wealthy, they should be made of gold.
יט
היו הקהל עניים עושין אותן אפילו של בדיל ואם העשירו עושין אותן זהב אפילו המזרקות והשפודין והמגרפות של מזבח העולה והמדות אם יש כח בציבור עושין אותן של זהב אפילו שערי העזרה מחפין אותן זהב אם מצאה ידם:
20
All the [Temple's] utensils must initially be made for sacred purposes.93If they were initially made for mundane uses,94 they may not be used for [the Temple's] sake.95
A vessel [intended to be used for the Temple], but which was never used for [the Temple] may be used for mundane purposes. Once it has been used for [the Temple], it may not be used for mundane purposes.96
Stones or boards which were originally hewn for use in a synagogue should not be used in the Temple Mount construction.97
כ
אין עושין כל הכלים מתחילתן אלא לשם הקודש ואם נעשו מתחילתן להדיוט אין עושין אותן לגבוה וכלי גבוה עד שלא נשתמש בהן גבוה רשאי להשתמש בהן הדיוט ומשנשתמש בהן גבוה אסורין להדיוט אבנים וקורות שחצבן מתחלה לבית הכנסת אין בונין אותן להר הבית:
FOOTNOTES
1.
The Rambam introduces each book of the Mishneh Torah by quoting a verse from the Bible. In this case, the verse chosen does more than introduce the text to follow. It also emphasizes that we are commanded to "seek out the welfare of Jerusalem" and study the laws of the Temple's construction.
2.
Sefer HaMitzvot (positive commandment 20) and Sefer HaChinuch (mitzvah 95) include this as one of 613 mitzvot. The mitzvah is incumbent on the Jewish community as a whole and must be undertaken by the nation as a collective entity. See Hilchot Melachim 1:1 which speaks of "Israel being commanded to fulfill three mitzvot upon entering [the Promised] Land."
3.
There are two ways to understand this mitzvah:
a) to build the Temple,
b) to ensure that the Temple be built; the mitzvah is not fulfilled until that objective is accomplished.
The question is whether the command is to perform an activity or to see that an objective is completed. In his commentary on the Torah (Exodus 35:10), the Rogachover Gaon favors the latter explanation and explains a number of possible practical differences between these abstract concepts. Among them:
a) Must a blessing be recited before taking part in the construction of the Temple? If the mitzvah is the actual building, a blessing would be required. However, if the mitzvah is to ensure that the Temple be completed, no blessing is necessary.
b) Can a gentile participate in the building of the Temple? If the actual construction is the mitzvah, it would be improper for a gentile to participate. However, if the mitzvah is dependent on the completion of the objective, the construction of the Temple, there is no difference if a gentile's efforts also aided in the fulfillment of this goal.
c) If the Temple descends from heaven - as some maintain the Third Temple will - will it be considered as if the mitzvah has been fulfilled (Likkutei Sichot, Vol. 18, p. 418).
From the Rambam' wording (Halachah 12 and elsewhere), it appears that he views the mitzvah as the activity of building.
4.
This phrase is the subject of much commentary. In Sefer HaMitzvot(loc. cit.) the Rambam describes the mitzvah to build a Sanctuary as : "the command... to make a house for service where sacrifices will be offered."
In contrast, the Ramban (Nachmanides) views the construction of the Temple as a command with a self-contained objective. Thus, he writes in his commentary to the Torah (Exodus 25:2): "[God's] essential desire in the Sanctuary was the [construction of] a resting place for the Shechinah."
Some commentaries explain the disagreement between these giants simply: According to the Rambam, the Temple was built to allow for sacrifices to be offered, while the Ramban views the revelation of the Shechinahas the Temple's purpose.
However, this interpretation can not be accepted because:
a) the Torah itself specifically refers to the Temple as (Deuteronomy 12:5): "The place which God has chosen to cause His Name to dwell there," emphasizing the revelation of Godliness.
b) when describing the mitzvah to build a Sanctuary, the Rambam himself writes that we are commanded "to construct a house for God," stressing that the main element of the Temple was the revelation of Godliness. It is after that statement, that he declares that the House must be "prepared for sacrifices to be offered within."
Therefore, it must be assumed that both sages recognized the two differing elements, and the debate between them involves the question of determining which aspect is more important. The Ramban considered the fundamental goal the revelation of Godliness and viewed man's service as a means toward that end. On the other hand, the Rambam saw man's service as the ultimate objective. However, that service could only be complete when carried out in a place where Godliness is revealed (Likkutei Sichot, Vol. 4, p. 1346, Vol. 11, p. 116, Vol. 24, p. 84).
5.
The pilgrimage festivals; Passover, Shavuot, and Sukkot. On these festivals, each Jew was obligated to come to the Temple and present himself before God. In particular, the term "celebrate" refers to bringing the festive peace-offerings (see Hilchot Chagigah1:1).
6.
Even though this verse specifically refers to the construction of the sanctuary in the desert, the construction of the later sanctuaries and the building of the Temple were also implicit in that command (Kessef Mishneh).
In Hilchot Melachim (1:1), the Rambam writes "Israel was commanded to fulfill three mitzvot upon its entry into Eretz [Yisrael]: to appoint a king..., to annihilate the seed of Amalek.., and to build [God's] Chosen House as it is said: "You shall seek out His dwelling and come there." The commentaries offer different explanations why the Rambam quotes a different verse in either place.
7.
In the Book of Exodus, Chapters 25-40.
8.
And was replaced by other structures, as described in the following Halachah.
9.
Commenting on this verse, Zevachim 119a declares: "'the resting place' - this is Shiloh, [for Shiloh was also merely a temporary resting place for the Divine Presence]; 'the inheritance' - this is Jerusalem." (Just as an inheritance reflects an everlasting chain, so too, the Divine Presence will always remain in Jerusalem.)
10.
In the year 2488 after creation.
11.
The conquest of the Land took seven years, and the division took another seven years (Zevachim 118b).
12.
In the year 2502, built a house of stone and spread the curtains of the Sanctuary over it. It did not have a roof. The Talmud (ibid.) explains:
I Samuel 1:24 declares: "And she brought him to the House of God, Shiloh" implying that the Ark was enclosed with a permanent structure. Another verse (Psalms 78:60) states: "He has forsaken the tabernacle of Shiloh" from which it can be inferred that it was a tent-like structure resembling the Sanctuary in the desert. How can the two verses be reconciled?There was no roof. Though there was a structure of stone, the curtains [of the Sanctuary] were spread over it.
13.
In the year 2871, when the Philistines captured the Holy Ark and slew Eli's two sons.
The Sanctuary of Shiloh had a greater degree of holiness than the structure which preceded it and those that followed immediately thereafter. The Sifristates that the verse (Deuteronomy 12:5): "The place which God has chosen to cause His name to dwell there" refers to "Shiloh and the Temple."
The uniqueness of Shiloh is further emphasized by the fact that while it stood, the Jews were forbidden to offer sacrifices in any other place. While the Ark was in Gilgal, and similarly, in Nov and Givon, the Jews were allowed to bring their individual sacrifices wherever they desired. However, during all the years the Sanctuary was in Shiloh, no sacrifices could be offered in any other location.
14.
When the Philistines returned the ark after the seven months of its captivity, they brought it to Kiryat Yearim (I Samuel, Chapters 6-7). During this time, a Sanctuary was constructed in Nov and afterwards, in Givon, to provide the Jews with a place for centralized worship. However, the ark was not kept there out of fear that it might again be captured by the Philistines (Meiri, Megillah, 9b).
15.
Of stone. Though the Rambam in his commentary on the Mishnah (Zevachim, ibid.) states that the Jews erected the Sanctuary that had stood in the desert in Nov, here he appears to follow the view mentioned by Rashi (Pesachim 38 a,b) which states that a stone structure was erected there. Similarly, Sotah 9a states that the sanctuary's structure was entombed when the Jews entered Eretz Yisrael. The Sanctuary of Nov stood for 44 years (Seder HaDorot).
16.
By King Saul.
17.
On the outskirts of Jerusalem (see II Samuel, ch. 6). The Sanctuary stood there for approximately 13 years.
18.
In the year 2928, as described in the beginning of I Kings.
19.
See Hilchot Ma'aseh HaKorbonot 18:3 which describes this prohibition. Zevachim 112b states: "When they came to Jerusalem [and erected the Temple], it became forbidden [to sacrifice in] the High Places and permission [to sacrifice] there was never granted [again]."
That prohibition was derived from the following verses (Deuteronomy 12:5-6):
Only at the place where the Lord, your God, shall choose to cause His Name to dwell, may you seek Him at his dwelling...There, you shall bring your burnt offerings and your sacrifices.
The preceding verses described how the pagans had sacrificed "upon the high mountains, upon the hills, under every lofty tree." In contrast, the service of God had to be centralized in one place alone, "the place which the Lord, your God shall choose to cause His Name to dwell." Nevertheless, until an abode for the Shechinah was constructed, there was no prohibition against sacrificing anywhere in Eretz Yisrael.
As mentioned above, this prohibition was in effect during the time of the Sanctuary of Shiloh. After Shiloh was destroyed, there were no restrictions until the Temple was built. However, once the Shechinah was revealed on Mount Moriah, the Jews were never allowed to offer their sacrifices at any other place.
Although Shiloh and the Temple were both considered "the place God chose...," there is a difference between the two. God's choice of Shiloh was for the benefit of the Jewish people. He wanted to offer them a centralized place of worship. However, the physical place of the Sanctuary did not itself become holy for all time.
In contrast, God chose Jerusalem as an eternal resting place for the Shechinah. The Divine Presence united with the place itself. After Shiloh was destroyed, no vestige of its former holiness remained. However, Mount Moriah remains "the gate to heaven" even after the Temple has been destroyed. Hence, permission was never granted to sacrifice in other places. See Likkutei Sichot, Vol. 24, p. 80-85.
20.
The above prohibition extends beyond the offering of sacrifices and includes the actual construction of a sanctuary. Megillah 10a records the construction of such a sanctuary in Alexandria by Ono, the son of Shimon HaTzaddik.
21.
The root of the name Moriah is the word hora'ah, meaning instruction. The Temple was the seat of the Sanhedrin, Israel's highest court and the source of instruction for the entire Jewish nation. Others associate it with the word yirah, meaning "fear," for from this mountain, the fear of God radiated forth.
22.
As the Rambam explains in Chapter 2, in addition to God's choice of the site for the Temple at large, He also specifically chose the site of the Altar.
To emphasize this concept, the verse quoted by the Rambam contains two clauses. The first clause describes the choice of the Temple's site and the second, the choice of the site of the Altar.
23.
The Rambam views these verses as more than a statement of Jerusalem's uniqueness. They also exclude the possibility of constructing other sanctuaries.
24.
I Kings, chapter 6.
25.
The commentaries on the tractate of Middot contrast Ezekiel's vision and the structure of the Second Temple in mishnayot 2:5, 3:1, 4:2.
26.
i.e. if they are lacking, we have not fulfilled the mitzvah of constructing a Sanctuary.
27.
The holy chamber containing the Golden Altar, the Menorah, and the table for the Showbread.
28.
The inner chamber containing the Holy Ark.
29.
This refers to a structure positioned before the Sanctuary.
The commentaries note that, in general, an equivalent to each of the structures of the Temple existed in the Sanctuary of the desert. Based on this principle, they question which structure in the Sanctuary corresponded to the Entrance Hall.
30.
Though the three represent various levels of holiness, they are on one rung of sanctity when compared to other areas (Zevachim 2a).
The commentaries note that Jeremiah (7:4) states: "Trust not in lying words which say: 'The Temple of the Lord, the Temple of the Lord, the Temple of the Lord... ' The threefold repetition alludes to the fact that the three chambers mentioned above share an equal measure of holiness.
31.
As described in Exodus, chapter 27.
32.
The commentaries explain that the root of the Hebrew term azarah is the word ezra meaning "help." In the Temple Courtyard, the Jewish people call to God and He responds, granting them assistance.
33.
As mentioned in the explanation to Halachah 1, the Rambam considers the purpose of the construction of the Temple the erection of "a house ...to offer sacrifices within." In this context, he views the fashioning of the Temple's utensils as an integral part of the mitzvah of building a sanctuary - for without them the sacrifices could not be offered. Thus, when enumerating the mitzvot, he considers the fashioning of the Sanctuary's utensils as part of the mitzvah to construct the Sanctuary and not as separate mitzvot in their own right.
As mentioned above, the Ramban, Nachmanides, disputes the Rambam's view and considers the revelation of Godliness as the primary intent of the Sanctuary's construction. He also disagrees with the Rambam in regard to the fashioning of the utensils and considers them as separate independent commands. See Hasagot Sefer HaMitzvot, Positive command 33.
There is a practicable application of the above concept. The Sanctuary could only be constructed during the daytime, (see Halachah 17). If the fashioning of the Sanctuary's utensils is to be considered as part of the mitzvah of constructing the Temple, that ruling may apply to them as well (Likkutei Sichot, Vol. 21, p. 255).
34.
The Torah also refers to the outer altar as "the altar of the burnt offering" (Exodus 30:28, 35:16) for that was the most frequent sacrifice, offered twice daily.
35.
See Halachah 17.
36.
A large basin, with 12 taps. (Yoma 37a)
37.
Before taking part in any aspect of the Temple service, the priests had to wash their hands and feet. See Hilchot Biat HaMikdash5:1.
38.
The entrance to the Sanctuary was from the east, facing the Holy of Holies which was in the west.
39.
These sacred objects are discussed in detail in Chapter Two.
40.
See Exodus 26:35.
The commentaries have asked why the Rambam does not consider the ark as one of the essential vessels of the Sanctuary. The commentary to Chapter 4, Halachah 1, addresses that issue.
41.
The Menorah was the source of spiritual inspiration, the Table of material wealth. Because of the position of these objects, our Sages declared (Bava Batra25b): He who desires to become wise should face south (while praying). He who desires to become wealthy should face north.
42.
See Middot 2:6. There were steps dividing between the area set aside for Israelites and the area set aside for priests. An Israelite was not permitted to proceed beyond these steps, except:
a) to perform semichah, the placing of hands on an animal brought as a sacrifice. See Hilchot Ma'aseh HaKorbanot, ch. 3.
b) to recite confessional prayers, Vidui.
c) to slaughter an animal brought as a sacrifice,
d) to perform Tenufah, the waving of the peace offerings (Kellim 1:8. See also Chapter 7, Halachah 19, Tifferet Yisrael, Middot 2:6.)
43.
See Chapter 7, Halachah 20.
44.
Chapter 5, Halachah 17.
45.
On the verse (Exodus 20:22): "If you shall build an altar of stone...," the Mechiltacomments: "If you desire [to build it from] stone, you may. If you desire from bricks, you may."
46.
Regarding the altar, the Torah declares (ibid.): "Do not build it out of hewn stone. By lifting your sword against it, you will have profaned it." The Sages (Middot3:4) explained that iron shortens man's life, and the altar prolongs it. Therefore, iron should not be used to build the Temple. As above, the Rambam draws a parallel between the altar and the entire sanctuary.
Sotah"b quotes the two abovementioned verses and records a debate among the Sages how to resolve the apparent contradiction between them. The Rambam quotes the opinion of Rabbi Nechemiah who resolves the discrepancy by explaining that the stones were hewn outside the Temple premises and then, brought in.
In contrast, Rabbi Yehudah explained that King Solomon employed a unique wormlike creature, the Shamir, which had the power to eat through stone. The Temple's builders drew lines on the stone and then placed the Shamir upon them. The tiny creature ate through the rock, leaving the stones finely hewn without using iron.
According to most opinions, when the First Temple was destroyed, this unique species was lost, and it was impossible to build the Second Temple in this miraculous manner. Nevertheless, the stones were not hewn on the Temple Mount itself.
47.
Thus, at least, "in the House," on the Temple premises, no iron tool was used.
48.
Tamid 28b relates that this prohibition was enacted as a safeguard for the Scriptural commandment (Deuteronomy 16:21): "Do not plant an Asherahor any other tree near the altar that you shall make for the Lord." Though that prohibition only refers to a tree that grows in the ground and not to wood used for building purposes, the Sages instituted this measure as a "fence around the Torah."
Wood could be used for the substructure of the building. Indeed, I Kings 6:10 relates how Solomon used cedar trees for that purpose. However, they could not be used for the exterior surface of the building.
49.
The Ra'avad objects to this Halachah, noting that there were wooden structures on the Temple Mount. The High Priest's chamber was lined with wood. In addition, wooden balconies were built in the Women Courtyard on Sukkot to allow the women to observe the Simchat Beit Hashoevah celebrations. Thus, he concludes that the prohibition against building with any protruding wood applies only within within the Temple courtyard, from the area set off for the priests and beyond, and not elsewhere on the Temple Mount. Only that region could be described as "near the altar [of God]." Rav Yosef Corcus explains that the wooden balconies were not permanent structures. Hence, they were permitted.
50.
See the verse from I Kings quoted in Halachah 8.
The Torah (Leviticus 26:1), commands, "Do not make a stone pavement in your land to bow down upon it." The commentaries explain that this prohibition was ordained so that the Jews would refrain from making a copy of the Temple services outside of Jerusalem.
Nevertheless, according to strict Torah law, it was not necessary to lay a stone floor for the Temple courtyard. Zevachim 24a relates that in preparation for the construction of the Temple, King David sanctified the very ground of the Temple Courtyard.
51.
The Sages explained that it was not respectful to take part in the Temple services while standing on such a stone. Nevertheless, if a priest disobeyed this prohibition and did stand on such a stone, his service was not invalidated.
The logic of that decision can be explained as follows: There is a principle in Jewish law that a particular substance is not considered as interposing between one object and another if it and the object beneath it are of the same type. Thus, since the stone and the earth below it are considered to be of the same substance, the stone is not considered an interruption. Since, as mentioned above, the ground itself was sanctified by King David, the priest's service is not invalidated.
52.
Shabbat 11a interprets this verse in a very literal sense, explaining that a synagogue must be the tallest building in a city.
53.
Herod slaughtered many Sages. Bava Batra 4a explains that the Sages advised him to expiate a certain measure of his sin by rebuilding the Temple and making it attractive. The Talmud declares: "Whoever has not seen Herod's building has not seen an attractive building in his life."
54.
Thus, Pesachim 57a relates that the Temple was covered with gold plates the thickness of a golden coin.
55.
Sh'vuot 15b.
56.
Generally, employees are not obligated to begin their work until the sun appears. However, in this case, due to the importance of their task, the workers were obligated to begin earlier. See Nechemiah 4:15; Berachot 2b.
57.
Thus there are two obligations: a) the actual building of the Temple, b) assisting in the work and supporting it financially.
58.
In particular, there is a difference in the obligations incumbent on men and women. Women are not obligated to fulfill most mitzvot which have a specific time limitation. The construction of the Temple also possesses a specific time restriction. As mentioned above, it may only by built by day and not by night. Therefore, women are not obligated to carry out the actual construction. However, in regard to the second aspect mentioned above, rendering personal and financial assistance, women are obligated as well as men.
59.
Note Exodus 35:22 and 25, which relate the role played by women in constructing the Sanctuary. Commenting on the first of those verses, Rashi states that the women displayed greater generosity than the men.
60.
Commenting on this law, Shabbat 119b declares: "The world is only maintained [through the merit] of the voice of school children [studying Torah]."
61.
Yevamot 6a states: "The construction of the Sanctuary does not supersede the observance of the Sabbath, as it is written (Leviticus 19:30): 53Observe My Sabbaths and revere My Sanctuaries, 54 i.e., the Sabbath is of primary importance, even in regard to the Sanctuary. The festivals are also called Sabbaths by the Torah, cf. Leviticus 23:24 and 39. Hence, the same ruling applies to them.
Though the construction of the Temple is forbidden on the Sabbaths and festivals, sacrifices may be offered on these days even though prohibited labors are involved in this service.
This apparent discrepancy can be explained as follows: Once the Temple is constructed and complete, the holiness of its service supersedes the Sabbath prohibitions. Nevertheless, while the Temple is being constructed, those prohibitions must be observed in order to establish the sacred nature of the place.
62.
Our text is based on authoritative manuscripts and early printings of the Mishneh Torah. The standard printed text states "hewn stone." That is obviously an error. Note Halachah 8 which describes the manner of cutting the stones used for the Temple. Even such measures were insufficient for the stones used for the Altar, as explained in the following halachot.
63.
By the Mechilta, commenting on that verse.
64.
In his commentary on this Halachah, the Mishneh LiMelechnotes that it appears that this directive was violated in the construction of the Temple.
In Hilchot Parah Adumah 2:7 (see also Chapter 5, Halachah 1), the Rambam explains that the entire area beneath the Temple and its courtyard had been hollowed out to protect against the possibility of ritual impurity being contracted because of a grave which was buried there without anyone's knowledge.
To resolve this difficulty, the Mishneh LiMelech explains that the ground had indeed been hollowed out. However, there was a certain measure of earth that was left for support. The Altar was, therefore, considered to be in contact with the earth.
65.
Commenting on this verse, the Mechilta states that on three occasions the Torah expresses a command using terminology which appears conditional: our verse, the verse (Exodus 22:24), "If you will lend money...," and the verse (Leviticus 2:14), "If you shall offer a meal offering of the first fruits."
66.
I.e., cracked, split, or broken in any way. Even if the breach in the stone was not made by iron, the stone is disqualified. See Middot 3:4 and Halachah 16.
67.
See Hilchot Shechitah 1:23.
68.
Even though this verse describes the altar to be built by the Jews when they cross the Jordan, it teaches us fundamental principles regarding the Temple's altar.
69.
These lines are also taken from Middot, loc. cit. The Rambam quotes the mishnah here, rather than in the following halachah, to emphasize that even a breach which was not caused by contact with iron could disqualify a stone for use. To find stones of this nature, it was necessary to dig in the manner described.
70.
Zevachim 54a notes that whole stones could be found on the seashore. See also Tosefot, Sukkah 49a.
71.
As I Kings 6:7 states, "And the House...was built with whole stones as they were brought in." However, as explained in Halachah 8, the laws governing the stones of the Temple and the Courtyard were more lenient. They could be smoothed with iron tools outside the Temple Mount.
72.
The Rambam stated a measure: "to the extent that a nail passing over it will become caught in it" for disqualifying stones to be used in the Altar. However, in the present Halachah, he does not mention a measure for the cracks or splits which may disqualify a stone after it has been used for the Temple. Thus, a question arises: Does the previous measure apply in this case as well, or was no measure mentioned, because even the slightest crack would disqualify the stone?
This question can be resolved as follows: In Halachah 17, the Rambam states that a person "who destroys a single stone from the Altar, any part of the Temple building, or [the floor of the Temple Courtyard]," violates a negative command, "as it is said (Deuteronomy 12:3-4): 'And you shall destroy their altars...Do not do so to the Lord, your God. '
By mentioning the prohibition against the destruction or damage to the Altar's stones in the context of "their altars," the prohibition against idol worship, the Torah creates an association between the two. Even the slightest measure of property consecrated unto a false god is prohibited. So, too, even the smallest crack may disqualify one of the Temple's stones.
73.
Since they were used for the building of the Temple, it is not fitting for them to be used for mundane matters afterwards (Mishneh Limelech).
The Tosefta (Megillah, Chapter 2) discusses whether this principle applies to other sacred structures, such as a synagogue.
74.
Middot 1:6 describes that a special chamber just outside the Temple courtyard was set aside for entombing the stones of the Courtyard which were defiled by the Greeks before the Hasmoneans reconquered the Temple.
75.
As mentioned above, iron is often used for death and destruction. This stands in direct contradiction to the purpose of the Altar. Therefore, the Torah insisted that stones which had been prepared for building the Altar were forbidden to have any contact with that metal.
76.
The source for the Rambam's statements is Middot, Chapter 3, Mishnah 4.
However, the terminology used by the Mishnah and quoted by the Rambam is subject to debate. The Rosh interprets the Mishnah strictly and maintains that contact with iron disqualifies a stone even though no blemish was made in the stone.
77.
Sefer HaMitzvot (negative commandment 79) and Sefer HaChinuch (mitzvah 40) include this as one of 613 mitzvot of the Torah.
78.
As it is written (Deuteronomy 27:6): "You shall build the Altar of the Lord with whole stones." It is interesting to note that though the Rambam uses this expression, he does not consider this command as one of the 613 mitzvot of the Torah.
79.
To clean it from the blood of the sacrifices.
80.
To apply and smooth the cement. The Ra'avad suggests that a wooden tool was employed for this purpose.
81.
The verse continues, explaining the reason for the command: "so that your nakedness not be revealed upon it."
The commentaries explain that spreading one's legs as when walking up steps does not show fitting deference to God's altar.
This command raises an obvious question: If walking up steps is not considered respectful, why were any steps allowed on the Temple Mount? It was necessary to ascend steps to enter the Temple building itself!
Among the answers given to this question is: The ramp possessed a degree of holiness comparable to that of the Altar itself (as obvious from Halachot 15 and 16). Thus, one's manner of ascent could be considered a sign of respect or disrespect to the Altar. In contrast, the steps leading to the Temple building have a lower level of sanctity (as obvious from Halachah 5). Thus, the way in which one approached is not as significant. (See Likkutei Sichot, Vol. 21, p. 119).
82.
To the left when facing the Temple.
Zevachim 62b expounds this concept as follows: Leviticus 1:11 declares that "He shall slaughter it at the foot of the Altar, on its north side." If the north side was to be the Altar's foot, its head, i.e. the side from which we approach, would be at the south.
83.
The ramp began at a height of 8.83 cubits and was inclined over 32 cubits.
84.
One is only liable if his intent was to destroy. If he had intended to improve upon the building, there is no prohibition. Therefore, when King Herod desired to beautify the Temple, as mentioned in (Halachah 11), he was allowed to tear down the previous structure. See also Bava Batra 3b.
85.
The Rambam also mentions this prohibition in Hilchot Yesodai HaTorah (6:7). There, he does not restrict the scope of the prohibition, and states that it applies throughout the Temple Courtyard including the area outside the region specified here. Most commentaries view that opinion as more precise.
86.
Even though the command is stated in the positive, it is considered one of the 365 negative commands of the Torah. See Sefer HaMitzvot(negative commandment 65) and Sefer HaChinuch (mitzvah 437).
87.
I.e., the tongs and scoops used to clean out its wicks and ashes. See Exodus 25:38.
88.
I.e., the bread molds, incense bowls, frames, and dividers (ibid.:29).
89.
Menachot 28b derives this Halachah as follows: One of the thirteen principles of Biblical analysis expounded by Rabbi Yishmael (in the introduction to the Sifra, and included in our morning prayers) is as follows: "When a generalization is followed by a specific example and then, by a second generalization, the law is applicable to other cases similar to the specific example mentioned."
The command to fashion the Menorah was expressed as follows (Exodus 25:31): "You shall make a Menorah out of pure gold. You shall fashion it by hammering it out." The Sages commented, "You shall make a Menorah" is a generalization, "out of pure gold" is a specific example, and "You shall fashion it," a second generalization. Thus, the Menorah may be made from other substances similar to gold, i.e., any metal. The same principle is then expanded to include other utensils.
90.
Menachot 28b relates that when the Greeks controlled the Temple, they defiled all its utensils. When the Hasmoneans reconquered Jerusalem, they were very poor and constructed the Menorah of iron staves coated with tin. Afterwards, they acquired more means and made a Menorah of silver. Ultimately, they were able to make one of gold.
91.
Bereishit Rabbah declares: "Gold was created only for the sake of the Temple."
This metal is really too precious for our world, and was only given to us to be used for these sacred purposes. Therefore, fashioning even the Temple's most insignificant utensils from this metal is not an unnecessary extravagance, but rather the fulfillment of God's intent when He created gold.
92.
Middot 2:3 relates that the Second Temple's gates were originally built of other metals. Generations later, the people prospered, and plated them with gold.
93.
Before fashioning the utensil, the craftsman must have the intention that they be used for the Temple.
94.
Even if they were never used for those reasons
95.
The term translated as "the Temple," gavohah, literally means "the Most High." Because of the departure from the literal meaning, it is set off with brackets.
96.
The sanctity of the Temple's utensils has two dimensions:
a) that conveyed by one's intention when fashioning the utensil,
b) that brought about by its use in the Temple services.
Without the proper intention, an object may never be used in Temple services. However, the intention alone is not sufficient to distinguish that object as holy and prevent its use for mundane purposes.
97.
Since the sanctity of a synagogue is not as great as that of the Temple, the building materials are not considered as prepared for that holy purpose.
• Shabbat, 20 Adar, 5777 · 18 March 2017
• "Today's Day"
• Thursday, 20 Adar I, 5703
Torah lessons: Chumash: Ki Tissa, Chamishi with Rashi.
Tehillim: 97-103.
Tanya: Even in the (p. 137)...transgression, and so on. (p. 137).
Avoda (translated as "service" and "striving") is not the striving that avoda (service) itself be true;1 rather, truth itself is an avoda, that the "fingernails" be true.2 Why does that surprise you? "He saw the attribute of Truth," the Talmud declares,3 "and he prostrated himself."
Shabbat, Adar Sheini 20, Parshat Para, 5703
Haftora: Va'y'hi dvar Hashem...dibarti v'assissi.
Say Av harachamim.
Torah lessons: Chumash: Tzav, Shevi'i with Rashi.
Tehillim: 97-103.
Tanya: In the light (p. 175)...explained (Ch. 23). (p. 179).
The Alter Rebbe related: Among the teachings my Rebbe (the Maggid) told me at yechidus, there was one on the verse, "A constant fire shall be kept burning on the altar; it shall not be extinguished."1
The Maggid taught: Though fire descends from Above, spontaneously, it is a mitzva to bring from the 'ordinary,' by man.2 (Man's action is) an awakening from below which engenders an awakening Above. (For the nature of spirit is that) 'spirit elicits (another, responding) spirit and in turn calls forth another, yet higher spirit.' The spirit from below elicits the spirit from Above, calling forth spirit from higher and still higher.3
It is a positive mitzva to kindle fire on the altar. 'Altar' refers to the 'man who offers of you.'4 The offering itself is insufficient. Man must kindle a fire on the offering that is 'of you.' This fire, lo tichbeh (literally, 'it shall not be extinguished'), shall extinguish (tichbeh) the lo (the 'no,' the negative).
My Master told me this teaching ten times to engrave it in the ten powers of my soul. "You, my pupil," he said to me, "are in need of this constant fire, for yours is the duty of extinguishing the great lo (of the opponents of Chassidus). You shall extinguish the lo, and G-d will transform the lo to hein ('yes'; assent, the positive).
FOOTNOTES
1.Vayikra 6:6.
2.Also in the literal sense: Both in the mishkan desert sanctuary and the Jerusalem Beit Hamikdash a miraculous heavenly fire descended which was subsequently kept burning for all sacrifices; yet it was a mitzva to bring ordinary physical fire too.
3.If Man's action (the "Awakening From Below") elicits only the Divine response ("Awakening From Above") on the same plane from which the fire from Above had descended spontaneously, what is the gain in Man's initiative? Hence the explanation that spirit from Below elicits spirit from Above, calling...etc. from higher and still higher. See Supplementary Footnotes, p. 125; see also Zohar III, p. 162b, and Or HaTorah for Chanuka, p. 286a.
4.See 12 Adar II.
• Daily Thought:
Impossible Fusion
Why not remain broken? When broken, you can achieve the highest heights. When you are nothing, you can receive everything.
Because you are not made only to receive. You must also face the real world and challenge its chutzpah over and over. To do that, you need supreme wholeness, as though you were Adam in the Garden before his fall.
And if you should say, “But it is impossible! It is beyond the capacity of a created being to be both something and nothing at once.”
You are right. It is impossible. That is precisely the advantage of the human being. That is why G‑d created you: To join heaven and earth, Nothingness and Being. To make the impossible a reality.
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