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- ב"ה - Today in Judaism - Today is Shabbat, Elul 25, 5777 · September 16, 2017Torah Reading:
Nitzavim-Vayelech: Deuteronomy 29:9 - 31:30
Isaiah 61:10 - 63:9
Deuteronomy 29:9 (10) “Today you are standing, all of you, before Adonai your God — your heads, your tribes, your leaders and your officers — all the men of Isra’el, 10 (11) along with your little ones, your wives and your foreigners here with you in your camp, from the one who chops your wood to the one who draws your water. 11 (12) The purpose is that you should enter into the covenant of Adonai your God and into his oath which Adonai your God is making with you today, (LY: ii) 12 (13) so that he can establish you today for himself as a people, and so that for you he will be God — as he said to you and as he swore to your ancestors, to Avraham, Yitz’chak and Ya‘akov.
13 (14) “But I am not making this covenant and this oath only with you. 14 (15) Rather, I am making it both with him who is standing here with us today before Adonai our God and also with him who is not here with us today. (LY: iii) 15 (16) For you know how we lived in the land of Egypt and how we came directly through the nations you passed through; 16 (17) and you saw their detestable things and their idols of wood, stone, silver and gold that they had with them. 17 (18) So let there not be among you a man, woman, family or tribe whose heart turns away today from Adonai our God to go and serve the gods of those nations. Let there not be among you a root bearing such bitter poison and wormwood. 18 (19) If there is such a person, when he hears the words of this curse, he will bless himself secretly, saying to himself, ‘I will be all right, even though I will stubbornly keep doing whatever I feel like doing; so that I, although “dry,” [sinful,] will be added to the “watered” [righteous].’ 19 (20) But Adonai will not forgive him. Rather, the anger and jealousy of Adonai will blaze up against that person. Every curse written in this book will be upon him. Adonai will blot out his name from under heaven. 20 (21) Adonai will single him out from all the tribes of Isra’el to experience what is bad in all the curses of the covenant written in this book of the Torah.
21 (22) “When the next generation, your children who will grow up after you, and the foreigner who arrives from a distant land, see the plagues of that land and the diseases with which Adonai has made it sick, 22 (23) and that the whole land has become burning sulfur and salt, that it isn’t being sown or bearing crops or even producing grass — like the overthrow of S’dom, ‘Amora, Admah and Tzvoyim, which Adonai overthrew in his furious anger — 23 (24) then all the nations will ask, ‘Why did Adonai do this to this land? What is the meaning of such frenzied, furious anger?’ 24 (25) People will answer, ‘It’s because they abandoned the covenant of Adonai, the God of their fathers, which he made with them when he brought them out of the land of Egypt. 25 (26) They went and served other gods, prostrating themselves before them, gods they had not known and which he had not assigned them. 26 (27) For this reason, the anger of Adonai blazed up against this land and brought upon it every curse written in this book; 27 (28) and Adonai, in anger, fury and incensed with indignation, uprooted them from their land and threw them out into another land — as it is today.’
28 (29) “Things which are hidden belong to Adonai our God. But the things that have been revealed belong to us and our children forever, so that we can observe all the words of this Torah.
30:1 (RY: ii, LY: iv) “When the time arrives that all these things have come upon you, both the blessing and the curse which I have presented to you; and you are there among the nations to which Adonai your God has driven you; then, at last, you will start thinking about what has happened to you; 2 and you will return to Adonai your God and pay attention to what he has said, which will be exactly what I am ordering you to do today — you and your children, with all your heart and all your being. 3 At that point, Adonai your God will reverse your exile and show you mercy; he will return and gather you from all the peoples to which Adonai your God scattered you. 4 If one of yours was scattered to the far end of the sky, Adonai your God will gather you even from there; he will go there and get you. 5 Adonai your God will bring you back into the land your ancestors possessed, and you will possess it; he will make you prosper there, and you will become even more numerous than your ancestors. 6 Then Adonai your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your children, so that you will love Adonai your God with all your heart and all your being, and thus you will live. (RY: iii, LY: v) 7 Adonai your God will put all these curses on your enemies, on those who hated and persecuted you; 8 but you will return and pay attention to what Adonai says and obey all his mitzvot which I am giving you today. 9 Then Adonai your God will give you more than enough in everything you set out to do — the fruit of your body, the fruit of your livestock, and the fruit of your land will all do well; for Adonai will once again rejoice to see you do well, just as he rejoiced in your ancestors.
10 “However, all this will happen only if you pay attention to what Adonai your God says, so that you obey his mitzvot and regulations which are written in this book of the Torah, if you turn to Adonai your God with all your heart and all your being. (LY: vi) 11 For this mitzvah which I am giving you today is not too hard for you, it is not beyond your reach. 12 It isn’t in the sky, so that you need to ask, ‘Who will go up into the sky for us, bring it to us and make us hear it, so that we can obey it?’ 13 Likewise, it isn’t beyond the sea, so that you need to ask, ‘Who will cross the sea for us, bring it to us and make us hear it, so that we can obey it?’ 14 On the contrary, the word is very close to you — in your mouth, even in your heart; therefore, you can do it!
(RY: iv, LY: vii) 15 “Look! I am presenting you today with, on the one hand, life and good; and on the other, death and evil — 16 in that I am ordering you today to love Adonai your God, to follow his ways, and to obey his mitzvot, regulations and rulings ; for if you do, you will live and increase your numbers; and Adonai your God will bless you in the land you are entering in order to take possession of it. 17 But if your heart turns away, if you refuse to listen, if you are drawn away to prostrate yourselves before other gods and serve them; (LY: Maftir) 18 I am announcing to you today that you will certainly perish; you will not live long in the land you are crossing the Yarden to enter and possess.
19 “I call on heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have presented you with life and death, the blessing and the curse. Therefore, choose life, so that you will live, you and your descendants, 20 loving Adonai your God, paying attention to what he says and clinging to him — for that is the purpose of your life! On this depends the length of time you will live in the land Adonai swore he would give to your ancestors Avraham, Yitz’chak and Ya‘akov.”
31:1 Moshe went and spoke the following words to all Isra’el: 2 “I am 120 years old today. I can’t get around any longer; moreover, Adonai has said to me, ‘You will not cross this Yarden.’ 3 Adonai your God — he will cross over ahead of you. He will destroy these nations ahead of you, and you will dispossess them. Y’hoshua — he will cross over ahead of you, as Adonai has said. (LY: ii) 4 Adonai will do to them what he did to Sichon and ‘Og, the kings of the Emori, and to their land — he destroyed them. 5 Adonai will defeat them ahead of you, and you are to do to them just as I have ordered you to do. 6 Be strong, be bold, don’t be afraid or frightened of them, for Adonai your God is going with you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.”
(RY: v, LY: iii) 7 Next Moshe summoned Y’hoshua and, in the sight of all Isra’el, said to him, “Be strong, be bold, for you are going with this people into the land Adonai swore to their ancestors he would give them. You will be the one causing them to inherit it. 8 But Adonai — it is he who will go ahead of you. He will be with you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you, so don’t be afraid or downhearted.”
9 Then Moshe wrote down this Torah and gave it to the cohanim, the descendants of Levi who carried the ark with the covenant of Adonai, and to all the leaders of Isra’el. (LY: iv) 10 Moshe gave them these orders: “At the end of every seven years, during the festival of Sukkot in the year of sh’mittah, 11 when all Isra’el have come to appear in the presence of Adonai at the place he will choose, you are to read this Torah before all Isra’el, so that they can hear it. 12 Assemble the people — the men, the women, the little ones and the foreigners you have in your towns — so that they can hear, learn, fear Adonai your God and take care to obey all the words of this Torah; 13 and so that their children, who have not known, can hear and learn to fear Adonai your God, for as long as you live in the land you are crossing the Yarden to possess.”
(RY: vi, LY: v) 14 Adonai said to Moshe, “The time is coming for you to die. Summon Y’hoshua, and present yourselves in the tent of meeting, so that I can commission him.” Moshe and Y’hoshua went and presented themselves in the tent of meeting. 15 Adonai appeared in the tent in a column of cloud; the column of cloud stood above the entrance to the tent. 16 Adonai said to Moshe, “You are about to sleep with your ancestors. But this people will get up and offer themselves as prostitutes to the foreign gods of the land where they are going. When they are with those gods, they will abandon me and break my covenant which I have made with them. 17 Then my anger will flare up, and I will abandon them and hide my face from them. They will be devoured, and many calamities and troubles will come upon them. Then they will ask, ‘Haven’t these calamities come upon us because our God isn’t here with us?’ 18 But I will be hiding my face from them because of all the evil they will have done in turning to other gods.
19 “Therefore, write this song for yourselves, and teach it to the people of Isra’el. Have them learn it by heart, so that this song can be a witness for me against the people of Isra’el. (RY: vii, LY: vi) 20 For when I have brought them into the land I swore to their ancestors, flowing with milk and honey; and they have eaten their fill, grown fat and turned to other gods, serving them and despising me, and broken my covenant; 21 then, after many calamities and troubles have come upon them, this song will testify before them as a witness, because their descendants will still be reciting it and will not have forgotten it. For I know how they think even now, even before I have brought them into the land about which I swore.” 22 So Moshe wrote this song that same day and taught it to the people of Isra’el.
23 Adonai also commissioned Y’hoshua the son of Nun with these words: “Be strong and full of courage; for you are to bring the people of Isra’el into the land about which I swore to them; and I will be with you.”
24 Moshe kept writing the words of this Torah in a book until he was done. When he had finished, (LY: vii) 25 Moshe gave these orders to the L’vi’im who carried the ark with the covenant of Adonai: 26 “Take this book of the Torah and put it next to the ark with the covenant of Adonai your God, so that it can be there to witness against you. 27 For I know how rebellious and stiffnecked you are! Here, even while I am still alive with you today, you have rebelled against Adonai; so how much more will you do so after my death? (Maftir) 28 Assemble for me all the leaders of your tribes and your officials, so that I can say these things in their hearing, calling heaven and earth to witness against them — 29 because I know that after my death you will become very corrupt and turn aside from the way that I have ordered you, and that disaster will come upon you in the acharit-hayamim, because you will do what Adonai sees as evil and provoke him by your deeds.”
30 Then Moshe spoke in the hearing of the whole assembly of Isra’el the words of this song, from beginning to end:
Isaiah 61:10 I am so joyful in Adonai!
My soul rejoices in my God,
for he has clothed me in salvation,
dressed me with a robe of triumph,
like a bridegroom wearing a festive turban,
like a bride adorned with her jewels.
11 For just as the earth brings forth its plants,
or a garden makes its plants spring up,
so Adonai, God, will cause victory and glory
to spring up before all nations.
62:1 For Tziyon’s sake I will not be silent,
for Yerushalayim’s sake I will not rest,
until her vindication shines out brightly
and her salvation like a blazing torch.
2 The nations will see your vindication
and all kings your glory.
Then you will be called by a new name
which Adonai himself will pronounce.
3 You will be a glorious crown in the hand of Adonai,
a royal diadem held by your God.
4 You will no longer be spoken of as ‘Azuvah [Abandoned]
or your land be spoken of as ‘Sh’mamah [Desolate];
rather, you will be called Heftzi-Vah [My-Delight-Is-In-Her]
and your land Be‘ulah [Married].
For Adonai delights in you,
and your land will be married —
5 as a young man marries a young woman,
your sons will marry you;
as a bridegroom rejoices over the bride,
your God will rejoice over you.
6 I have posted watchmen
on your walls, Yerushalayim;
they will never fall silent,
neither by day nor by night.
You who call on Adonai,
give yourselves no rest;
7 and give him no rest till he restores Yerushalayim
and makes it a praise on earth.
8 Adonai has sworn by his right hand
and by his mighty arm:
“Never again will I give your grain
to your enemies as food;
nor will strangers drink your wine,
for which you worked so hard;
9 but those who harvest the grain will eat it
with praises to Adonai;
those who gathered the wine will drink it
in the courtyards of my sanctuary.”
10 Go on through, go on through the gates,
clear the way for the people!
Build up a highway, build it up!
Clear away the stones!
Raise a banner for the peoples!
11 Adonai has proclaimed to the end of the earth,
“Say to the daughter of Tziyon,
‘Here, your Salvation is coming!
Here, his reward is with him,
and his recompense is before him.’”
12 They will call them The Holy People,
The Redeemed of Adonai.
You will be called D’rushah [Sought-After],
‘Ir Lo Ne‘ezvah [City-No-Longer-Abandoned].
63:1 Who is this, coming from Edom,
from Botzrah with clothing stained crimson,
so magnificently dressed,
so stately in his great strength?
“It is I, who speak victoriously,
I, well able to save.”
2 Why is your apparel red,
your clothes like someone treading a winepress?
3 “I have trodden the winepress alone;
from the peoples, not one was with me.
So I trod them in my anger,
trampled them in my fury;
so their lifeblood spurted out on my clothing,
and I have stained all my garments;
4 for the day of vengeance that was in my heart
and my year of redemption have come.
5 I looked, but there was no one to help,
and I was appalled that no one upheld me.
Therefore my own arm brought me salvation,
and my own fury upheld me.
6 In my anger I trod down the peoples,
made them drunk with my fury,
then poured out their lifeblood on the earth.”
7 I will recall the grace of Adonai
and the praises of Adonai,
because of all that Adonai has granted us
and his great goodness toward the house of Isra’el,
which he bestowed on them in keeping with his mercy,
in keeping with the greatness of his grace.
8 For he said, “They are indeed my people,
children who are not disloyal.”
So he became their Savior.
9 In all their troubles he was troubled;
then the Angel of His Presence saved them;
in his love and pity he redeemed them.
He had lifted them up and carried them
throughout the days of old.
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Today's Laws & Customs:
• Shabbat Mevarchim Customs
Each month, on the Shabbat before Rosh Chodesh, we bless the upcoming new month with a special blessing recited in the synagogue. The one exception is this Shabbat: although it proceeds Rosh Hashanah -- which is also the first day of the month of Tishrei -- we do not recite the special "blessing for the month," just as all other Rosh Chodesh elements are absent from the Rosh Hashanah prayers and observances. According to the Baal Shem, "G-d Himself blesses the month of Tishrei, and it is with the power of this blessing that the people of Israel bless the other months of the year."
Although the formal blessing is not recited, we fulfill the other customs of Shabbat Mevarchim Hachodesh ("the Shabbat that blesses the new month"), reciting theBook of Psalms before morning prayers and conducting farbrengens.
Link: On the Significance of Shabbat Mevarchim
• Ethics of the Fathers: Chapters 5 & 6During the summer months, from the Shabbat after Passover until the Shabbat before Rosh Hashahah, we study a portion of the Talmud's Ethics of the Fathers("Avot") each Shabbat afternoon. This week, we complete this year's cycle with the study of Chapters Five and Six.
Link: Ethics of the Fathers, Chapter 5 and Chapter 6
• Selichot
The series of Selichot ("supplication") recited in preparation for the "Days of Awe" of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur begin this Saturday night, after midnight (after the Ashkenazic custom; the Sephardic community begins on the 1st of Elul). On subsequent days, the custom is to recite the Selichot in the early morning hours, before the morning prayers, each morning up to and including Elul 29, the eve of Rosh Hashanah.
Links: More on Selichot
• Elul ObservancesAs the last month of the Jewish year, Elul is traditionaly a time of introspection and stocktaking -- a time to review one's deeds and spiritual progress over the past year and prepare for the upcoming "Days of Awe" of Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur.
As the month of Divine Mercy and Forgiveness (see "Today in Jewish History" for Elul 1) it is a most opportune time for teshuvah ("return" to G-d), prayer, charity, and increased Ahavat Yisrael (love for a fellow Jew) in the quest for self-improvement and coming closer to G-d. Chassidic master Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi likens the month of Elul to a time when "the king is in the field" and, in contrast to when he is in the royal palace, "everyone who so desires is permitted to meet him, and he receives them all with a cheerful countenance and shows a smiling face to them all."
Specific Elul customs include the daily sounding of the shofar (ram's horn) as a call to repentance. The Baal Shem Tov instituted the custom of reciting three additional chapters of Psalms each day, from the 1st of Elul until Yom Kippur (on Yom Kippur the remaining 36 chapters are recited, thereby completing the entire book of Psalms). Click below to view today's Psalms.
Chapter 73 Chapter 74 Chapter 75
Psalms Chapter 73:1. A psalm by Asaph. Truly God is good to Israel, to the pure of heart.
2. But as for me, my feet nearly strayed; in an instant my steps would have been swept aside.
3. For I envied the revelers when I saw the tranquility of the wicked.
4. For there are no bonds1 to their death, and their health is sound.
5. They have no part in the toil of men, nor are they afflicted like other mortals;
6. therefore they wear pride as a necklace; their bodies are enwrapped in violence.
7. Their eyes bulge from fat; they surpassed the fantasies of their heart.
8. They consume [others], and talk wickedly of oppression-from on high do they speak.
9. They set their mouths against Heaven, while their tongues walk upon the earth.
10. Therefore His people return here,2 and suck the full [cup of bitter] waters.
11. And they say, "How can it be that God knows? Is there knowledge in the Most High?”
12. Behold these are the wicked, and they are ever tranquil, they have gained much wealth.
13. Surely in vain have I purified my heart, and washed my hands in cleanliness;
14. for I was afflicted all day, and my rebuke came each morning.
15. Were I to say, "I shall tell it like it is," behold I would turn the generation of Your children to rebels.
16. And when I pondered to understand this, it was unjust in my eyes;
17. until I came to the sanctuaries of God, and perceived their end.
18. Only on slippery places do You set them, You cast them into darkness.
19. How they have become desolate in an instant! They came to an end, they were consumed by terrors,
20. like a dream upon awakening. O my Lord, disgrace their image in the city.
21. When my heart was in ferment, and my mind was sharpened,
22. I was a boor and did not understand, like an animal was I with You.
23. Yet I was always with You; You held my right hand.
24. Guide me with Your counsel, and afterward, receive me with honor.
25. Whom do I have in heaven [besides You]? And when I am with You I desire nothing on earth.
26. My flesh and my heart yearn; God is the rock of my heart and my portion forever.
27. For behold, all those who are far from You perish, You cut down all who stray from You.
28. But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have put my trust in my Lord, God, that I may recount all Your works. Chapter 74:1. A maskil1 by Asaph. Why, O God, have You abandoned us forever, does Your wrath fume against the sheep of Your pasture?
2. Remember Your congregation which You acquired long ago, the tribe of Your inheritance whom You redeemed [and brought to] Mount Zion, where You rested Your Presence.
3. Lift Your steps to inflict eternal ruin, because of all the evil done by the enemy in the Sanctuary.
4. Your foes roared in the midst of Your meeting place; they considered their omens to be [genuine] signs.
5. The axes in the thicket of trees2 were reckoned as bringing [an offering] to the Above.
6. And now, all her ornaments together are smashed by hammer and hatchet.
7. They set Your Sanctuary on fire; they desecrated the Abode of Your Name to the ground.
8. Their rulers thought together in their hearts; they burned all the meeting places of God in the land.
9. We have not seen our signs; there is no longer a prophet, and there is none among us who knows how long.
10. How long, O God, will the adversary disgrace, will the enemy blaspheme Your Name forever!
11. Why do You withdraw Your hand, even Your right hand? Cast it out from within Your bosom!
12. For God is my King from long ago, working salvations in the midst of the earth.
13. In Your might, You divided the sea; You shattered the heads of the sea-monsters on the waters.
14. You crushed the heads of the Leviathan,3 leaving him as food for the nation [wandering in] the wilderness.
15. You split [the rock, bringing forth] fountain and brook; You dried up mighty streams.
16. Yours is the day, the night is also Yours; You established the moon and the sun.
17. You set all the boundaries of the earth; summer and winter-You created them.
18. Remember this, how the enemy reviled the Lord, and the vile nation blasphemed Your Name.
19. Do not give the soul of Your turtledove to the wild beast; do not forget the life of Your poor forever.
20. Look to the covenant, for the dark places of the earth are filled with dens of violence.
21. Do not turn back the oppressed in disgrace; [then] the poor and needy will praise Your Name.
22. Arise, O God, champion Your cause; remember Your insults from the perverse all day long.
23. Forget not the voice of Your adversaries; the tumult of Your opponents ascends always. Chapter 75:1. For the Conductor, a plea not to be destroyed. A psalm by Asaph, a song.
2. We gave thanks to You, O God, we gave thanks; and Your Name was near [when] they1 told of Your wonders.
3. When I choose the appointed time, I will judge with fairness.
4. When the earth and all its inhabitants were melting, I established its pillars forever.
5. I said to the perverse, "Do not pervert [Israel]," and to the wicked, "Do not raise your pride.”
6. Do not raise your pride heavenward, nor speak with an arrogant neck
7. For not from the east or the west, nor from the desert does greatness come.
8. For God is Judge; He humbles one, and elevates the other.
9. For there is a cup [of punishment] in the hand of the Lord, with strong wine of full mixture; He pours from this, and all the wicked of the earth will drink, draining even its dregs.
10. But as for me, I will tell of it forever; I will sing to the God of Jacob.
11. I will cut off all glory of the wicked, but the glory of the righteous will be raised up.
Elul is also the time to have one's tefillin and mezuzot checked by an accredited scribe to ensure that they are in good condition and fit for use.
Links: More on Elul
Today in Jewish History:
• Creation of the World (3761 BCE)
The 1st day of creation, on which G-d created existence, time, matter, darkness and light, was the 25th of Elul. (Rosh Hashanah, on which we mark "the beginning of Your works", is actually the 6th day of creation, on which the world attained the potential for the realization of its purpose, with the creation of the first man and woman, Adam and Eve. Rosh Hashanah is therefore the day from which the Jewish calendar begins to count the years of history; the 1st day of creation thus occurred on the 25th of Elul of what is termed -1 from creation.
Links: Parshah Bereishit (Genesis 1:1-6:8) with commentary
• Jerusalem Walls Rebuilt (335 BCE)The rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem -- which had been in ruins since the destruction of the First Temple by the Babylonians 88 years earlier -- was completed by Nehemia on Elul 25 of the year 3426 from creation (335 BCE) as related in the Book of Nehemia (ch. 6).
• Passing of Rabbi Elazar (2nd century CE)Passing of the Talmudic sage Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai.
• Passing of R. Michel of Zlotchov (1786)Passing of Rabbi Yechiel Michel of Zlotchov (1721?-1786), disciple of the Baal Shem Tov.
Daily Torah Study
Chumash: Nitzavim-Vayelech, 7th Portion Deuteronomy 31:20-31:30 with Rashi
• English / Hebrew Linear Translation
• Video Class
• Daily Wisdom (short insight)
Deuteronomy Chapter 31
20When I bring them to the land which I have sworn to their forefathers [to give them], a land flowing with milk and honey, they will eat and be satisfied, and live on the fat [of the land]. Then, they will turn to other deities and serve them, provoking Me and violating My covenant. כ כִּֽי־אֲבִיאֶ֜נּוּ אֶל־הָֽאֲדָמָ֣ה | אֲשֶׁר־נִשְׁבַּ֣עְתִּי לַֽאֲבֹתָ֗יו זָבַ֤ת חָלָב֙ וּדְבַ֔שׁ וְאָכַ֥ל וְשָׂבַ֖ע וְדָשֵׁ֑ן וּפָנָ֞ה אֶל־אֱלֹהִ֤ים אֲחֵרִים֙ וַֽעֲבָד֔וּם וְנִ֣אֲצ֔וּנִי וְהֵפֵ֖ר אֶת־בְּרִיתִֽי:
provoking me: Heb. וְנִאֲצוּנִי, and they will provoke me to anger. Similarly, any mention of the word נִאוּץ [in Scripture] denotes anger.
ונאצוני: והכעיסוני וכן כל נאוץ לשון כעס:
21And it will be, when they will encounter many evils and troubles, this song will bear witness against them, for it will not be forgotten from the mouth of their offspring. For I know their inclination what they [are planning] to do today, [even] before I bring them in to the land which I have sworn [to give them]." כאוְהָיָ֠ה כִּֽי־תִמְצֶ֨אןָ אֹת֜וֹ רָע֣וֹת רַבּוֹת֘ וְצָרוֹת֒ וְ֠עָֽנְתָ֠ה הַשִּׁירָ֨ה הַזֹּ֤את לְפָנָיו֙ לְעֵ֔ד כִּ֛י לֹ֥א תִשָּׁכַ֖ח מִפִּ֣י זַרְע֑וֹ כִּ֧י יָדַ֣עְתִּי אֶת־יִצְר֗וֹ אֲשֶׁ֨ר ה֤וּא עֹשֶׂה֙ הַיּ֔וֹם בְּטֶ֣רֶם אֲבִיאֶ֔נּוּ אֶל־הָאָ֖רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֥ר נִשְׁבָּֽעְתִּי:
this song will bear witness against them: that in it, I had warned them concerning all the things that are now befalling them. [Consequently, when they read this song, they will not be able to claim, “Had we known all the evils that would befall us, we would never have transgressed God’s word!”]
וענתה השירה הזאת לפניו לעד: שהתריתי בו בתוכה על כל המוצאות אותן:
for it will not be forgotten from the mouth of their offspring: This is a promise to Israel that the Torah will never be entirely forgotten by their offspring. — [Shab. 138b]
כי לא תשכח מפי זרעו: הרי זו הבטחה לישראל, שאין תורה משתכחת מזרעם לגמרי:
22And Moses wrote this song on that day, and taught it to the children of Israel. כבוַיִּכְתֹּ֥ב משֶׁ֛ה אֶת־הַשִּׁירָ֥ה הַזֹּ֖את בַּיּ֣וֹם הַה֑וּא וַיְלַמְּדָ֖הּ אֶת־בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל:
23And He commanded Joshua the son of Nun, and said: "Be strong and courageous! For you shall bring the children of Israel to the land that I have sworn to them, and I will be with you." כגוַיְצַ֞ו אֶת־יְהוֹשֻׁ֣עַ בִּן־נ֗וּן וַיֹּ֘אמֶר֘ חֲזַ֣ק וֶֽאֱמָץ֒ כִּ֣י אַתָּ֗ה תָּבִיא֙ אֶת־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל אֶל־הָאָ֖רֶץ אֲשֶׁר־נִשְׁבַּ֣עְתִּי לָהֶ֑ם וְאָֽנֹכִ֖י אֶֽהְיֶ֥ה עִמָּֽךְ:
And He commanded Joshua the son of Nun: This refers above (verse 16), where the subject is the Shechinah. [That God is the speaker is evident from the use of the first person]: “to the land that I have sworn to them.”
ויצו את יהושע בן נון: מוסב למעלה כלפי שכינה, כמו שמפורש (פסוק כא) אל הארץ אשר נשבעתי להם:
24And it was, when Moses finished writing the words of this Torah in a scroll, until their very completion, כדוַיְהִ֣י | כְּכַלּ֣וֹת משֶׁ֗ה לִכְתֹּ֛ב אֶת־דִּבְרֵ֥י הַתּוֹרָֽה־הַזֹּ֖את עַל־סֵ֑פֶר עַ֖ד תֻּמָּֽם:
25that Moses commanded the Levites, who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord, saying: כהוַיְצַ֤ו משֶׁה֙ אֶת־הַֽלְוִיִּ֔ם נֹֽשְׂאֵ֛י אֲר֥וֹן בְּרִֽית־יְהֹוָ֖ה לֵאמֹֽר:
26"Take this Torah scroll and place it along side the ark of covenant of the Lord, your God, and it will be there as a witness. כולָקֹ֗חַ אֵ֣ת סֵ֤פֶר הַתּוֹרָה֙ הַזֶּ֔ה וְשַׂמְתֶּ֣ם אֹת֔וֹ מִצַּ֛ד אֲר֥וֹן בְּרִֽית־יְהֹוָ֖ה אֱלֹֽהֵיכֶ֑ם וְהָֽיָה־שָׁ֥ם בְּךָ֖ לְעֵֽד:
Take: [This verb is employing the form known as פָּעוֹל, denoting ongoing fulfillment, a form] similar to זָכוֹר, remember (Exod. 20:8) [see Rashi on that verse]; שָׁמוֹר, observe (Deut. 5:12), and הָלוֹךְ (Gen. 8:5) [lit., going, where it means “constantly diminished” in the expression הָיוּ הָלוֹךְ וְחָסוֹר, and הָלוֹךְ וְנָסוֹעַ (Gen. 12:9), continually traveling].
לקח: כמו (שמות כ, ח), (דברים ה יא) זכור, שמור, (שמואל ב' ג, כד) הלוך:
alongside the ark of covenant of the Lord, your God: The Sages of Israel differ (B.B. 14b). Some say that a board projected outward from the ark, and there it was laid, while others maintain that it was laid alongside the tablets, inside the ark.
מצד ארון ברית ה': נחלקו בו חכמי ישראל בבבא בתרא (יד ב) יש מהם אומרים דף היה בולט מן הארון מבחוץ ושם היה מונח ויש אומרים מצד הלוחות היה מונח בתוך הארון:
27For I know your rebellious spirit and your stubbornness. Even while I am alive with you today you are rebelling against the Lord, and surely after my death! כזכִּ֣י אָֽנֹכִ֤י יָדַ֨עְתִּי֙ אֶת־מֶרְיְךָ֔ וְאֶת־עָרְפְּךָ֖ הַקָּשֶׁ֑ה הֵ֣ן בְּעוֹדֶ֩נִּי֩ חַ֨י עִמָּכֶ֜ם הַיּ֗וֹם מַמְרִ֤ים הֱיִתֶם֙ עִם־יְהֹוָ֔ה וְאַ֖ף כִּי־אַֽחֲרֵ֥י מוֹתִֽי:
28Assemble to me all the elders of your tribes and your officers, and I will speak these words into their ears, and I will call upon the heaven and the earth as witnesses against them. כחהַקְהִ֧ילוּ אֵלַ֛י אֶת־כָּל־זִקְנֵ֥י שִׁבְטֵיכֶ֖ם וְשֹֽׁטְרֵיכֶ֑ם וַֽאֲדַבְּרָ֣ה בְאָזְנֵיהֶ֗ם אֵ֚ת הַדְּבָרִ֣ים הָאֵ֔לֶּה וְאָעִ֣ידָה בָּ֔ם אֶת־הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם וְאֶת־הָאָֽרֶץ:
Assemble to me: On this day they did not blow the trumpets to assemble the congregation [as they usually did (see Num. 10:2-3,7)], because the verse says, “Make for yourself [two trumpets of silver… and they will be for you to call the assembly]” (Num. 10:2). [Now, this was a commandment directed personally to Moses, because “for yourself” and “for you” are both written in the singular form. Hence, Moses made these trumpets and kept them in his possession,] and he did not give Joshua authority over them during Moses’ lifetime. Moreover, these trumpets were hidden away [by God] even during his [Moses’] lifetime, prior to the day of his passing, thus affirming the words of the verse, “and there is no ruling on the day of death” (Ecc. 8:8). - [Tanchuma Beha’alotecha 10]
הקהילו אלי: ולא תקעו אותו היום בחצוצרות להקהיל את הקהל, לפי שנאמר (במדבר י, ב) עשה לך, ולא השליט יהושע עליהם בחייו של משה. ואף בחייו נגנזו קודם יום מותו, לקיים מה שנאמר (קהלת ח, ח) ואין שלטון ביום המות:
and I will call upon the heaven and the earth as witnesses against them: You might object, “But did God not already call them as witnesses earlier [saying,] ‘I call upon the heaven and the earth as witnesses’ (Deut. 30:19)?” [The answer is that] there God was addressing Israel [regarding this matter], but He was not [directly] addressing the heaven and the earth. Now [however] God comes to say, “Listen, O Heavens…” (Deut. 32:1), [addresses the heaven and the earth directly.
ואעידה בם את השמים ואת הארץ: ואם תאמר הרי כבר העיד למעלה (לעיל ל, יט) העידותי בכם היום וגו', התם לישראל אמר, אבל לשמים ולארץ לא אמר ועכשיו בא לומר האזינו השמים וגו':
29For I know that after my death, you will surely become corrupted, and deviate from the way which I had commanded you. Consequently, the evil will befall you at the end of days, because you did evil in the eyes of the Lord, to provoke Him to anger through the work of your hands. כטכִּ֣י יָדַ֗עְתִּי אַֽחֲרֵ֤י מוֹתִי֙ כִּֽי־הַשְׁחֵ֣ת תַּשְׁחִת֔וּן וְסַרְתֶּ֣ם מִן־הַדֶּ֔רֶךְ אֲשֶׁ֥ר צִוִּ֖יתִי אֶתְכֶ֑ם וְקָרָ֨את אֶתְכֶ֤ם הָֽרָעָה֙ בְּאַֽחֲרִ֣ית הַיָּמִ֔ים כִּי־תַֽעֲשׂ֤וּ אֶת־הָרַע֙ בְּעֵינֵ֣י יְהֹוָ֔ה לְהַכְעִיס֖וֹ בְּמַֽעֲשֵׂ֥ה יְדֵיכֶֽם:
[For I know that] after my death, you will surely become corrupted: But actually, throughout all the days of Joshua, they [the Jews] did not become corrupt, for the verse states, “And the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua” (Jud. 2:7). [What, then, did Moses mean when he said that they would become corrupted after his death? We learn] from here that a person’s disciple is as dear to him as his own self, for as long as Joshua was alive [even after Moses’ passing], for Moses it was as though he himself was alive. [Hence, when Moses said“after my death,” he was in fact alluding to the death of Joshua, thus referring to the period after Joshua’s passing.]
אחרי מותי כי השחת תשחתון: והרי כל ימי יהושע לא השחיתו, שנאמר (יהושע כד, לא) ויעבדו בני ישראל את ה' כל ימי יהושע, מכאן שתלמידו של אדם חביב עליו כגופו, שכל זמן שיהושע חי נראה למשה כאלו הוא חי:
30Then, Moses spoke into the ears of the entire assembly of Israel the words of the following song, until their completion. לוַיְדַבֵּ֣ר משֶׁ֗ה בְּאָזְנֵי֙ כָּל־קְהַ֣ל יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל אֶת־דִּבְרֵ֖י הַשִּׁירָ֣ה הַזֹּ֑את עַ֖ד תֻּמָּֽם:
Tehillim: Psalms Chapter 119, Verses 1-96
• Hebrew text
• English text
Special Custom for the Month of Elul and High Holidays
The Baal Shem Tov instituted a custom of reciting three additional chapters of Psalms each day, from the 1st of Elul until Yom Kippur (on Yom Kippur the remaining 36 chapters are recited, thereby completing the entire book of Psalms).
See below for today's additional chapters.
Verses 1-96
David composed this prominent psalm in alphabetical sequence-eight verses for each letter. Every verse contains one of the following words (referring to different aspects of Torah): Way; Torah; Testimony; Precept; Commandment; Statement (translated here as Word or Promise); Word; Judgement (or Laws); Righteousness; Statute. Replete with morals and prayers, this psalm should be recited daily, as a powerful preparation for the service of God. (In verses beginning with one of the letters of the mnemonic PeReTZ BeN DaMaH, the word "עדותיך" is pronounced "eidvotecha.")
1. Fortunate are those whose way is artless, who walk with the Torah of the Lord.
2. Fortunate are those who keep His testimonies, who seek Him with all their hearts.
3. Indeed, they have not done iniquity; they walk in His ways.
4. You have commanded Your precepts to be observed diligently.
5. My wish is that my ways be directed to keep Your statutes.
6. Then I will not be ashamed, when I behold all Your commandments.
7. I will give thanks to You with uprightness of heart, when I learn Your righteous judgments.
8. I will keep Your statutes; do not utterly forsake me
9. How can a young man keep his way pure? By observing Your word.
10. With all my heart I have sought You; do not let me stray from Your commandments.
11. I have harbored Your word in my heart, that I might not sin against You.
12. Blessed are You, O Lord; teach me Your statutes.
13. With my lips I have declared all the judgments of Your mouth.
14. I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies, as I would with all riches.
15. I will speak of Your precepts, and gaze upon Your ways.
16. I will delight in Your statutes; I will not forget Your word.
17. Deal kindly with Your servant, that I may live to keep Your word.
18. Unveil my eyes, that I may behold wonders from Your Torah.
19. I am a sojourner on earth; do not hide Your commandments from me.
20. My soul is crushed with a longing for Your judgments every moment.
21. You have rebuked the accursed scoffers, those who stray from Your commandments.
22. Remove insult and contempt from me, for I have kept Your testimonies.
23. Though princes sat and spoke against me, Your servant speaks of Your statutes.
24. Indeed, Your testimonies are my delight; they are my counsellors.
25. My soul cleaves to the dust; revive me in accordance with Your word.
26. I have spoken of my ways, and You answered me; teach me Your statutes.
27. Make me understand the way of Your precepts, and I will speak of Your wonders.
28. My soul drips away out of grief; sustain me according to Your word.
29. Remove from me the way of falsehood, and graciously endow me with Your Torah.
30. I have chosen the way of faith; Your judgments have I laid before me.
31. I held fast to Your testimonies, O Lord; put me not to shame.
32. I will run on the path of Your commandments, for You will broaden my heart.
33. Teach me, O Lord, the way of Your statutes, and I will keep it to the last.
34. Grant me understanding and I will keep Your Torah; I will observe it with all my heart.
35. Direct me in the path of Your commandments, for that is my desire.
36. Incline my heart to Your testimonies, and not to greed.
37. Avert my eyes from seeing vanity; by Your ways give me life.
38. Fulfill for Your servant Your promise, which brings to the fear of You.
39. Remove my shame which I fear, for Your judgments are good.
40. Behold, I have longed for Your precepts; give me life in Your righteousness.
41. And let Your kindness come to fruition for me, O Lord, Your salvation as You promised.
42. I will offer a retort to those who taunt me, for I trust in Your word.
43. Do not at all remove the word of truth from my mouth, for I hope [to fulfill] Your judgments.
44. I will keep Your Torah continually, for ever and ever.
45. And I will walk in spacious paths, for I seek Your precepts.
46. I will speak of Your testimonies before kings, and I will not be ashamed.
47. And I will delight in Your commandments, which I love.
48. I will lift up my hands to Your commandments, which I love, and I will speak of Your statutes.
49. Remember the word [promised] to Your servant, by which You gave me hope.
50. This is my comfort in my affliction, for Your word has given me life.
51. [Though] the wicked ridicule me severely, I have not strayed from Your Torah.
52. When I remember Your judgments of old, O Lord, I take comfort.
53. Trembling seized me because of the wicked, those who forsake Your Torah.
54. Your statutes have been my songs in the house of my wanderings.
55. At night I remembered Your Name, O Lord, and I kept Your Torah.
56. All this came to me because I kept Your precepts.
57. The Lord is my portion; I pledged to keep Your words.
58. I pleaded before You with all my heart: have compassion upon me according to Your word.
59. I contemplated my ways, and returned my feet to Your testimonies.
60. I hurried and did not delay to keep Your commandments.
61. Bands of wicked men plundered me, [but] I did not forget Your Torah.
62. At midnight, I rise to thank You for Your righteous judgments.
63. I am a friend to all who fear You, and to those who keep Your precepts.
64. Your kindness, O Lord, fills the earth; teach me Your statutes.
65. You have dealt goodness to Your servant, O Lord, in accord with Your promise.
66. Teach me the goodness and wisdom of the [Torah's] reasons, for I believe in Your commandments.
67. Before I afflicted myself, I would blunder; but now I observe Your word.
68. You are good and benevolent; teach me Your statutes.
69. The wicked have smeared me with lies, [when in truth] I keep Your precepts with all my heart.
70. Their hearts grew thick as fat; but as for me, Your Torah is my delight.
71. It is for my good that I was afflicted, so that I might learn Your statutes.
72. The Torah of Your mouth is better for me than thousands in gold and silver.
73. Your hands have made me and prepared me; grant me understanding, that I may learn Your commandments.
74. Those who fear You will see me and rejoice, because I hoped in Your word.
75. I know, O Lord, that Your judgments are just; righteously have You afflicted me.
76. Let Your kindness be my comfort, as You promised to Your servant.
77. Let Your mercies come upon me, that I may live, for Your Torah is my delight.
78. Let the scoffers be shamed, for they have maligned me with falsehood; but I will meditate upon Your precepts.
79. May those who fear You return to me, and those who know Your testimonies.
80. May my heart be perfect in Your statutes, so that I not be shamed.
81. My soul longs for Your salvation; I hope for Your word.
82. My eyes long for Your promise, saying, "When will You comfort me?”
83. Though I became [dried out] like a wineskin in smoke, I did not forget Your statutes.
84. How many are the days of Your servant? When will You execute judgment upon my pursuers?
85. The wicked have dug pits for me, in violation of Your Torah.
86. All Your commandments teach truth, [yet] they pursue me with lies, help me!
87. They nearly consumed me upon the earth, but I did not forsake Your precepts.
88. As befits Your kindness, grant me life, and I will keep the testimony of Your mouth.
89. Forever, O Lord, Your word stands firm in the heavens.
90. Your faithfulness persists for all generations; You established the earth, and it stands.
91. They stand ready today [to execute] Your judgments, for all are Your servants.
92. Had Your Torah not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction.
93. Never will I forget Your precepts, for through them You have sustained me.
94. I am Yours; save me, for I have sought Your precepts.
95. The wicked hope to destroy me, but I meditate upon Your testimonies.
96. To every goal I have seen a limit, but Your commandment is immensely broad.
Additional Three Chapters
The Baal Shem Tov instituted a custom of reciting three additional chapters of Psalms each day, from the 1st of Elul until Yom Kippur (on Yom Kippur the remaining 36 chapters are recited, thereby completing the entire book of Psalms).
Today's Chapters are 73, 74 and 75.
Chapter 73
This psalm addresses the question of why the righteous suffer while the wicked prosper, and prays for an end to our long exile. Read, and you will find repose for your soul.
1. A psalm by Asaph. Truly God is good to Israel, to the pure of heart.
2. But as for me, my feet nearly strayed; in an instant my steps would have been swept aside.
3. For I envied the revelers when I saw the tranquility of the wicked.
4. For there are no bonds1 to their death, and their health is sound.
5. They have no part in the toil of men, nor are they afflicted like other mortals;
6. therefore they wear pride as a necklace; their bodies are enwrapped in violence.
7. Their eyes bulge from fat; they surpassed the fantasies of their heart.
8. They consume [others], and talk wickedly of oppression-from on high do they speak.
9. They set their mouths against Heaven, while their tongues walk upon the earth.
10. Therefore His people return here,2 and suck the full [cup of bitter] waters.
11. And they say, "How can it be that God knows? Is there knowledge in the Most High?”
12. Behold these are the wicked, and they are ever tranquil, they have gained much wealth.
13. Surely in vain have I purified my heart, and washed my hands in cleanliness;
14. for I was afflicted all day, and my rebuke came each morning.
15. Were I to say, "I shall tell it like it is," behold I would turn the generation of Your children to rebels.
16. And when I pondered to understand this, it was unjust in my eyes;
17. until I came to the sanctuaries of God, and perceived their end.
18. Only on slippery places do You set them, You cast them into darkness.
19. How they have become desolate in an instant! They came to an end, they were consumed by terrors,
20. like a dream upon awakening. O my Lord, disgrace their image in the city.
21. When my heart was in ferment, and my mind was sharpened,
22. I was a boor and did not understand, like an animal was I with You.
23. Yet I was always with You; You held my right hand.
24. Guide me with Your counsel, and afterward, receive me with honor.
25. Whom do I have in heaven [besides You]? And when I am with You I desire nothing on earth.
26. My flesh and my heart yearn; God is the rock of my heart and my portion forever.
27. For behold, all those who are far from You perish, You cut down all who stray from You.
28. But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have put my trust in my Lord, God, that I may recount all Your works.
Chapter 74
The psalmist mourns and weeps over all the synagogues and study halls that have been burned: the Philistines destroyed the Tabernacle of Shiloh; Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the first Temple. We have been in exile for so long, without seeing any signs of redemption! When will the redemption come? Read, and you will find lamentation and consolation.
1. A maskil1 by Asaph. Why, O God, have You abandoned us forever, does Your wrath fume against the sheep of Your pasture?
2. Remember Your congregation which You acquired long ago, the tribe of Your inheritance whom You redeemed [and brought to] Mount Zion, where You rested Your Presence.
3. Lift Your steps to inflict eternal ruin, because of all the evil done by the enemy in the Sanctuary.
4. Your foes roared in the midst of Your meeting place; they considered their omens to be [genuine] signs.
5. The axes in the thicket of trees2 were reckoned as bringing [an offering] to the Above.
6. And now, all her ornaments together are smashed by hammer and hatchet.
7. They set Your Sanctuary on fire; they desecrated the Abode of Your Name to the ground.
8. Their rulers thought together in their hearts; they burned all the meeting places of God in the land.
9. We have not seen our signs; there is no longer a prophet, and there is none among us who knows how long.
10. How long, O God, will the adversary disgrace, will the enemy blaspheme Your Name forever!
11. Why do You withdraw Your hand, even Your right hand? Cast it out from within Your bosom!
12. For God is my King from long ago, working salvations in the midst of the earth.
13. In Your might, You divided the sea; You shattered the heads of the sea-monsters on the waters.
14. You crushed the heads of the Leviathan,3 leaving him as food for the nation [wandering in] the wilderness.
15. You split [the rock, bringing forth] fountain and brook; You dried up mighty streams.
16. Yours is the day, the night is also Yours; You established the moon and the sun.
17. You set all the boundaries of the earth; summer and winter-You created them.
18. Remember this, how the enemy reviled the Lord, and the vile nation blasphemed Your Name.
19. Do not give the soul of Your turtledove to the wild beast; do not forget the life of Your poor forever.
20. Look to the covenant, for the dark places of the earth are filled with dens of violence.
21. Do not turn back the oppressed in disgrace; [then] the poor and needy will praise Your Name.
22. Arise, O God, champion Your cause; remember Your insults from the perverse all day long.
23. Forget not the voice of Your adversaries; the tumult of Your opponents ascends always.
Chapter 75
How great is Israel! During their holidays they do not engage in frivolity, but in song and praise, and the study of the holiday's laws. Also, when they proclaimed (at the giving of the Torah), "We will do and we will hear!" they allowed the world to remain in existence. This psalm also admonishes those who indulge in worldly pleasures and attribute their prosperity to their own efforts.
1. For the Conductor, a plea not to be destroyed. A psalm by Asaph, a song.
2. We gave thanks to You, O God, we gave thanks; and Your Name was near [when] they1 told of Your wonders.
3. When I choose the appointed time, I will judge with fairness.
4. When the earth and all its inhabitants were melting, I established its pillars forever.
5. I said to the perverse, "Do not pervert [Israel]," and to the wicked, "Do not raise your pride.”
6. Do not raise your pride heavenward, nor speak with an arrogant neck
7. For not from the east or the west, nor from the desert does greatness come.
8. For God is Judge; He humbles one, and elevates the other.
9. For there is a cup [of punishment] in the hand of the Lord, with strong wine of full mixture; He pours from this, and all the wicked of the earth will drink, draining even its dregs.
10. But as for me, I will tell of it forever; I will sing to the God of Jacob.
11. I will cut off all glory of the wicked, but the glory of the righteous will be raised up.
Tanya: Iggeret HaKodesh, middle of Epistle 17
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Shabbat, Elul 25, 5777 · September 16, 2017
Today's Tanya Lesson
Iggeret HaKodesh, middle of Epistle 17
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וזהו שאמרו רז״ל: ועטרותיהם בראשיהם, ונהנין כו׳
And this is the meaning of the teaching of our Sages, of blessed memory:1 “[In the World to Come — here meaning Gan Eden — there is no eating and drinking..., but the righteous sit] with their crowns on their heads, and they take delight [in the radiance of the Divine Presence].”2
עטרה היא בחינת מקיף וסובב
A crown (atarah) is something that encompasses and encircles,
This refers to an illumination that neither contracts nor adapts itself so that it can be vested in varying degrees within created beings; rather, it descends to the worlds3 and encompasses them all equally.
ונקרא כתר, מלשון כותרת
and is called keter, as related to koteret, the capital which crowns a column,4 as in the Beit HaMikdashbuilt by King Solomon (I Kings, ch. 7).
Atarah is thus a crown worn on the head,5 while keter means (as well) the crown atop a column.
Since the illumination of light from the Sefirah of Keter that will be revealed in the World to Come results from the performance of the mitzvot that are likened to 620 תר״ך columns of light (corresponding to the 613 Torah commandments and seven Rabbinic commandments, numerically equal to the word כתר),6 the Alter Rebbe also explains the term “crown” as it applies to a column.
והוא בחינת ממוצע המחבר הארת המאציל, אין סוף ברוך הוא, להנאצלים
[The Sefirah of Keter] is an intermediary which joins the radiation and revelation of the Emanator, the blessed Ein Sof, to the emanated beings in the World of Atzilut,
The Emanator is infinite, while the emanated beings — which are within a world, and even the loftiest of worlds is bound by limitation — are finite. There must therefore be an intermediary between the two. It is the Sefirah of Keter that serves as this intermediary, for its internal dimension is related to the Emanator and its external dimension is related to the emanated beings. It is thus through the Sefirah of Keter that the [infinite] Ein Sof-light is drawn into the World of Atzilut and to the emanated beings which populate it.
ולעתיד יאיר ויתגלה בעולם הזה, לכל הצדיקים שיקומו בתחייה
and in the future it will radiate and become revealed in this world to all the righteous who will rise with the Resurrection,
ועמך כולם צדיקים כו׳
This transcendent degree of Divine light will thus be revealed to the entire Jewish people.
Accordingly, the illumination that presently is received only by those beings that inhabit the World of Atzilutwill radiate in the World to Come to this physical world as well. For unlike the indwelling illumination of Gan Eden that is dependent upon the level and comprehension of each recipient, this revelation is an encompassing light from the Sefirah of Keter, which does not undergo contraction, but radiates to all equally.
This results in a state of total revelation, whereby the very Essence of Divinity is visually perceived (re’iyat hamahut), as it is written,10 “The glory of G‑d shall be revealed, and together all flesh shall see...”
וזהו שאמרו רז״ל: עתידים צדיקים שיאמרו לפניהם קדוש
And this is the meaning of the teaching of our Sages, of blessed memory:11 “In the future the righteous will be lauded as holy,” as G‑d is praised now.
כי קדוש הוא בחינת מובדל
For “holy” signifies [lofty] separation;
שאינו בגדר השגה ודעת
it is not subject to apprehension and knowledge,
כי הוא למעלה מעלה מבחינת החכמה ודעת שבגן עדן
because it transcends by far the wisdom and knowledge which are attainable in Gan Eden.
כי החכמה מאין תמצא, כתיב
For Scripture states,12 “Chochmah shall be found from ayin (‘naught’).”
הוא בחינת כתר עליון, הנקרא אין בזהור הקדוש
This refers to the Supreme Keter which, in the sacred Zohar,13 is called ayin;
והשפעתו והארתו בבחינת גילוי, הוא דוקא כשהנשמה תתלבש בגוף זך וצח אחר התחיה
and the bestowal of its radiance is manifest, i.e., its essence is apprehended, only when, after the Resurrection, the soul is vested in a pure and clear body.
The Alter Rebbe now goes on to explain why in Gan Eden, when the soul is not encumbered by a body, the light of Keter cannot be manifest, whereas — paradoxically — this revelation becomes possible only in the World to Come at the time of the Resurrection, when the soul is once again invested within a body.
(For, as is well known,14 the determining opinion is that of the Ramban,15 who states that the ultimate reward will be specifically at the time of the Resurrection, when the soul will again be found within a body.)
כי נעוץ תחלתן בסופן דוקא
For16 “Their beginning (i.e., the loftiest initial level) is wedged in their end.”
This is explained in the teachings of Chassidut17 as follows: “Beginning” refers to a level of Divinity that utterly transcends the evolvement of any created worlds. This level of Divinity is wedged in the last level preceding the creation of the evolving worlds, the Sefirah of Keter. Keter is revealed only in the “end” of all worlds — i.e., within this physical world — during the time of the Resurrection. Gan Eden, by contrast, is incapable of receiving this transcendent level of revelation in an internalized manner.
Thus, while the lesser radiance that is muted to match the respective limitations of the evolving worlds can be absorbed by the soul (in Gan Eden) in its disembodied state, the transcendent radiance issuing from Keter is revealed to the soul only when it is clothed within a body.
וסוף מעשה במחשבה תחלה כו׳, כנודע
Likewise, as is known,18 “The final deed — i.e., the last stage of creation: this physical world — was first in thought....”
Thought and creation both have aspects that are “first” and “last”; the “last” (i.e., lowest) level of creation, which is this world, is rooted in the “beginning” (i.e., in the highest level) of the Divine thought.
This is why specifically the deeds performed in this “last” world of creation, while the soul is clothed in a physical body, are able to elicit and drawn down the radiance of Keter. As explained here by the Alter Rebbe, this refers to the mitzvah of tzedakah, as well as to mitzvot in general, all of which are termed “tzedakah”.19 For it is the performance of physical mitzvot in this material world that arose first in G‑d’s thought and will, at the level of the Divine Keter, for the physical mitzvot are the ultimate purpose of creation.
Returning to the earlier discussion: It is now clear why in future time the righteous (and “Your people are allrighteous”) will be lauded as holy: they will all have revealed to them that Divine radiance that is “holy” in the sense that it transcends apprehension. Moreover, they will become so unified with this revelation that the term “holy” will apply to them as well.
אך אי אפשר להגיע למדרגה זו, עד שיהא בגן עדן תחלה
But it is impossible to attain this level of being able to absorb the transcendent light of Sovev Kol Almin,until one has first been in Gan Eden,
להשיג בחינת חכמה עילאה כו׳ אפשר צריך להיות: כל חד כפום שיעורא דיליה
For, as explained earlier, the lesser Divine light that radiates in Gan Eden is received by each soul according to its own particular degree.
וטל תורה מחייהו
(The Rebbe adds here that the soul will then rise at the time of the Resurrection of the Dead through the “dew of the Torah,” for, as our Sages teach,22 “[Whoever engages in the study of the Torah,]) the dew of Torah revives him [at the time of the Resurrection].”
The verse upon which our Sages base this teaching reads:23 “Your dead shall be resurrected...; those who lie in the dust shall awaken and sing joyful praises; for the Dew of Lights shall be your dew....” It is thus clear that the revival effected by “the dew of the Torah” refers to the Resurrection of the Dead.
והקיצות, היא תשיחך גו׳, ודי למבין
(The Rebbe adds: Thereafter,)24 “When you will awaken, it (i.e., the Torah) will cause you to speak...,” and this promise, as expounded in Avot,25 refers to the time of the World to Come. This will suffice for the discerning.
In order to attain the level of Sovev Kol Almin at the time of the Resurrection, the soul must first be in Gan Eden and apprehend Supernal Chochmah according to is particular degree and level. For though in Gan Edenthe soul apprehends no higher than the lesser, permeating Divine light called Memaleh Kol Almin, its perception is nevertheless augmented by the light of Keter which also illumines it. The soul indeed apprehends the latter enlightenment only to the extent of yediat hametziut (lit., “a knowledge of its existence”; i.e., by the “encompassing” perception known as makkif), rather than with the penetrating revelation of hassagat hamahut(lit., “an understanding of its essence”).26 Nevertheless, this added illumination enables the soul at the time of the Resurrection to comprehend the essence of the revelation of Sovev Kol Almin.
Since, as stated above, the soul in Gan Eden apprehends indwelling lights, its experience of Gan Edenconsists of the revelation of the Torah within the soul, so to speak, for the Torah is likened to “food” (as in the verse,27 “for Your Torah is within my inward parts”) — i.e., something that affects one from within, as explained at length above, in Part I, ch. 5. However, Gan Eden is also illumined by a glimmering of the radiation that results from the performance of mitzvot, and these act as “garments” and “encompassing lights” for the soul in Gan Eden, as mentioned in the above letter.
At the time of the World to Come, at the time of the Resurrection, the superior light of Sovev Kol Almin will be revealed chiefly as a result of one’s present performance of mitzvot. This comes about through and together with the “dew of Torah” that “revives him” and “causes [him] to speak.”
The Alter Rebbe now returns to the above-quoted verse, “Your commandment is very wide.” Having earlier explained that “Your commandment” (in the singular) refers to G‑d’s own commandment, viz., tzedakah, he now goes on to explain the words, “is very wide”: the mitzvah of tzedakah is a vessel so capacious that it can contain the revelation of G‑d’s infinite light at the time of the Resurrection.
| FOOTNOTES | |
| 1. | Berachot 17a. |
| 2. | Note of the Rebbe: “The former phrase (`with their crowns on their heads’) alludes to makkif, the encompassing light; adding to this, the latter phrase (`and they take delight [in the Divine Presence]’) alludes to pnimi, the indwelling light.” |
| 3. | At this point the Rebbe noted that although this illumination is present even in the lower worlds, it cannot be said that it illumines them with the same degree of luminosity as in its own inherent state. For while it is true that the light of “Sovev Kol Almin illumines all worlds equally, there yet remains an entirely separate question — whether it is revealed [to the worlds to quite the same degree] as it exists in itself [which indeed it does not do]. [By way of analogy:] Though a king’s august majesty transcends all of his subjects equally, their perception of it does not at all resemble its own intrinsic state. (Indeed, this is true not only with regard to the king’s objective essence, but even insofar as he is revealed to — and is aware of — himself.)” |
| 4. | Note of the Rebbe: “I.e., this is the etymology that is relevant here, rather than that of katar li [Iyov 36:2; lit., `wait for me’], which implies silence and abnegation. (See Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 69a; beginning of Hemshech 5672.)” |
| 5. | Cf. Tehillim 21:4. |
| 6. | Cf. the prayer of R. Nechuniah ben Hakanah, cited and expounded in Epistle 29, below. |
| 7. | Parentheses are in the original text. |
| 8. | Yeshayahu 60:21. |
| 9. |
Note of the Rebbe: “This verse is cited here, for this is one of the differences between the time of the Resurrection and Gan Eden. As to the former, `Your people are all righteous,’ whereas Gan Eden is not merited by all (see Torah Or, Parshat Yitro 73b; Likkutei Torah; and elsewhere).”
Although the Alter Rebbe says below that “it is impossible to attain this level until one has first been in Gan Eden,” which would seem to presuppose that all Jews will merit Gan Eden as well, the Rebbe notes that when the Alter Rebbe writes above that “Your people are all righteous” he means only that “they will all rise at the Resurrection, which will embrace everyone from Moshe Rabbeinu and the Patriarchs and so on, to the water-drawers. And it is self-evident that there will be enormous distinctions between their respective revelations at that time, each according to his measure (in Gan Eden), and so on.”
|
| 10. | Yeshayahu 40:5. |
| 11. | Bava Batra 75b. |
| 12. | Iyov 28:12. Note of the Rebbe: “In the place where Chochmah is to be found (Gan Eden), [the level of] Keteris in a state of concealment — ayin.” |
| 13. | Note of the Rebbe: “See Mishpatim 121a: ‘And Chochmah...,’ and elsewhere.” |
| 14. | See Sefer HaMitzvot of the Tzemach Tzedek (Derech Mitzvo-techa), Mitzvat Tzitzit. See also Likkutei Torah, Parshat Tzav, p. 15c. |
| 15. | Shaar HaGemul. |
| 16. | Sefer Yetzirah 1:7. |
| 17. | Hemshech 5666, p. 346. |
| 18. | From the Friday night hymn entitled Lechah Dodi (Siddur Tehillat HaShem, p. 132). |
| 19. | See Tanya, Part I, ch. 37; see also below, Epistle 32. |
| 20. | The parentheses and brackets are in the original Hebrew text. |
| 21. | The parenthetical text means “etc.”, and the bracketed text that follows it suggests instead “each one.” The Rebbe notes that the anomalous “etc.” grew out of a copyist’s error in which its Hebrew abbreviation כו׳ was substituted for כ״ח, an abbreviation for כל חד (“each one”). |
| 22. | Note of the Rebbe: “Cf. Ketubbot 111b, and see above, conclusion of ch. 36.” See also Likkutei Sichot, Vol. XI, p. 193 (footnote). |
| 23. | Yeshayahu 26:19. |
| 24. | Mishlei 6:22. |
| 25. | 6:9. |
| 26. | Likkutei Torah, Parshat Tazria, in the maamar that begins, Ka Mifligei biMetivta deRakia. |
| 27. | Tehillim 40:9. |
• Sefer Hamitzvot:
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Shabbat, Elul 25, 5777 · September 16, 2017
A daily digest of Maimonides’ classic work "Sefer Hamitzvot"
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Positive Commandment 174
Obeying the High Court
"According to the Torah which they shall teach you..."—Deuteronomy 17:11.
We are commanded to obey the High Court (Sanhedrin) and heed all their decisions with regards to what is permitted or prohibited. This is true whether their decision is based on oral tradition, they arrived at their decision via extrapolation from the words of the Torah, or if the rule was issued in order to address a contemporary concern, i.e., the court saw the need to impose a certain law in order to safeguard a Torah law.
Full text of this Mitzvah »
Obeying the High Court
Positive Commandment 174
Translated by Berel Bell
The 174th mitzvah is that we are commanded to obey the Beis Din HaGadol and act in accordance with all their instructions regarding what is prohibited and what is permitted. There is no difference whether it is something they received by Oral Tradition; derived using one of the principle of Torah extrapolation; decreed in order to correct some laxity or in response to some other situation where they found it appropriate and that it would strengthen Torah observance. We are required to obey all such directives and to act in accordance with their words, not to transgress them.
The source of this commandment is G‑d's statement1 (exalted be He), "You must keep the Torah as they interpret it for you [and follow the laws that they legislate for you]."
The Sifri says, "The verse, 'Follow the laws that they legislate for you' constitutes a positive commandment."
The details of this mitzvah are explained in the end of tractate Sanhedrin.2
FOOTNOTES
1.Deut. 17:11.
2.87a.
Negative Commandment 312
Disobeying Torah Authorities
"You shall not deviate from that which they shall tell you"—Deuteronomy 17:11.
We are forbidden to dispute the rulings of the sages who are the transmitters of the Oral Tradition and to deviate from their rulings with all that pertains to Torah law.
Full text of this Mitzvah »
Disobeying Torah Authorities
Negative Commandment 312
Translated by Berel Bell
The 312th prohibition is that we are forbidden from disagreeing with the Sages who pass down the Oral Tradition (may they rest in peace), or from deviating from any of their instructions in Torah matters.
The source of this prohibition is G‑d's statement1 (exalted be He), "Do not stray from the word that they declare to you."
The Sifri says, "The verse, 'Do not stray...' constitutes a prohibition."
One who violates this prohibition, i.e. a zaken mam're, is executed by strangulation if all the conditions described in the end of Sanhedrin2 are fulfilled. The details of this mitzvah are explained there.
FOOTNOTES
1.Deut. 17:11.
2.86b.
Negative Commandment 313
Adding to the Torah
"You shall not add to it"—Deuteronomy 13:1.
We are forbidden to add anything to the Torah—both the Written and Oral Laws.
Full text of this Mitzvah »
Adding to the Torah
Negative Commandment 313
Translated by Berel Bell
The 313th prohibition is that we are forbidden from adding on to either the Written or the Oral Torah.
The source of this prohibition is G‑d's statement1 (exalted be He), "Do not add to it."
Our Sages say in many places,2 "He transgresses the prohibition, 'Do not add to it,' " or "You transgressed the prohibition, 'Do not add to it.' "
FOOTNOTES
1.Ibid., 13:1.
2.Rosh HaShanah 28b, et. al. The Rambam apparently quotes these passages to prove that this verse serves as an actual prohibition.
Negative Commandment 314
Subtracting from the Torah
"You shall not subtract from it"—Deuteronomy 13:1.
We are forbidden to subtract anything from the Torah—both the Written and Oral Laws.
Full text of this Mitzvah »
Subtracting from the Torah
Negative Commandment 314
Translated by Berel Bell
The 314th prohibition is that we are forbidden from subtracting from either the Written or the Oral Torah.
The source of this prohibition is G‑d's statement,1 "Do not subtract from it."
Our Sages say in many places,2 "He transgresses the prohibition, 'Do not subtract from it,' " or "You transgressed the prohibition, 'Do not subtract from it.' "
FOOTNOTES
1.Ibid.
2.See footnote to N313 above.
Rambam:• 1 Chapter A Day: Melachim uMilchamot Melachim uMilchamot - Chapter 2
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1
The king must be treated with great honor. We must implant awe and fear of him in the hearts of all men. The command Deuteronomy 17:15: 'Appoint a king' implies the obligation to be in awe of him.
We may not ride on his horse, nor sit on his throne, use his scepter, wear his crown, or use any of his utensils. When he dies, they should all be burned before his bier.
Similarly, only another king is allowed to make use of his servants, maids, and attendants. Accordingly, Avishag was permitted to Solomon, but prohibited to Adoniyahu.
א
כבוד גדול נוהגין במלך ומשימין לו אימה ויראה בלב כל אדם שנאמר שום תשים שתהא אימתו עליך אין רוכבין על סוסו ואין יושבין על כסאו ואין משתמשין בשרביטו ולא בכתרו ולא באחד מכל כלי תשמישיו וכשהוא מת כולן נשרפין לפניו וכן לא ישתמש בעבדיו ושפחותיו ושמשיו אלא מלך אחר לפיכך אבישג היתה מותרת לשלמה ואסורה לאדוניה:
2
However, a king's wife is forbidden to share intimacy with another person forever. Even another king may not marry a king's widow or divorced exwife.
ב
אבל אשתו של מלך אינה נבעלת לאחר לעולם אפילו המלך אינו נושא אלמנתו או גרושתו של מלך אחר:
3
It is forbidden to observe him while he is naked, while he is having his hair cut, while he is in the baths, or while he is drying himself afterwards.
He may not perform chalitzah, for concerning that ritual, it is said Deuteronomy 25:9: 'And she shall spit before him.' This would be disrespectful to the king.
Even if he desires to perform this mitzvah, he is not given the opportunity because a king's honor must be preserved even though he is willing to forgo it.
Since he is not allowed to perform chalitzah, he is not eligible to participate in yibbum. Similarly, in the event of his death, since it is forbidden to initiate yibbum with his wife, chalitzah is also not performed for her. Rather, she must remain in her state of attachment forever.
ג
ואסור לראותו כשהוא ערום ולא כשהוא מסתפר ולא כשהוא בבית המרחץ ולא כשהוא מסתפג ואינו חולץ שנאמר וירקה בפניו וזה בזיון ואפילו רצה אין שומעין לו שהמלך שמחל על כבודו אין כבודו מחול והואיל ואינו חולץ אינו מיבם וכן [אם מת הוא] כיון שאי אפשר ליבם את אשתו כך אין חולצין לה אלא תשב לעולם בזיקתה:
4
Even if one of his close relatives dies, he may not leave his palace. When he is served the meal of comfort, the entire nation should sit on the ground and he should sit on a low couch.
If he enters the Temple courtyard, and he is of David's descendents, he may sit. For the only ones who may sit in the Temple Courtyard are kings of the Davidic dynasty, as II Samuel 7:18 states: 'And David sat before God.'
ד
מת לו מת אינו יוצא מפתח פלטרין שלו וכשמברין אותו כל העם מסובין על הארץ והוא מיסב על הדרגש ואם נכנס לעזרה והיה מזרע דוד ישב שאין ישיבה בעזרה אלא למלכי בית דוד בלבד שנאמר ויבא המלך דוד וישב לפני ה:
5
A king should have his hair cut every day. He should dress and adorn himself in attractive and impressive garments, as Isaiah 33:17 states: 'Your eyes shall behold the king in his beauty.'
He sits on his throne in his palace and has a crown placed on his head.
When he desires, the nation must present themselves before him. They should stand before him and prostrate themselves to the ground. Even a prophet must stand before the king and prostrate himself on the ground, as I Kings 1:23 states: 'Behold, Nathan, the prophet came before the king and prostrated himself before the king.'
However, a High Priest need not come before the king unless he the High Priest desires to do so. The High Priest need not stand before the king. Rather, the king stands before the High Priest, as Numbers 27:21 states: 'And he shall stand before Elazar, the priest.'
Nevertheless, it is a mitzvah for the High Priest to honor the king by having him seated and standing in his presence when he visits him. The king should only stand before him when he consults the Urim and Tumim.
Similarly, it is a mitzvah for the king to honor students of Torah when they enter his presence. He should stand before the Sanhedrin and the Sages of Israel and seat them at his side.
Jehosephat, King of Judah would follow this practice. Whenever even a student of a Torah scholar would come to him, he would rise from his throne and kiss him and address him as 'My teacher and master.'
When does the above apply? When the king is alone in his palace. Then, in private, before his servants, he should behave in this fashion. However, in public, before the people at large, he should not conduct himself in this manner. He should not stand before anyone. He should not speak gently and should address a person using his name alone in order that the awe of him will be implanted in everyone's hearts.
ה
המלך מסתפר בכל יום ומתקן עצמו ומתנאה במלבושין נאים ומפוארים שנאמר מלך ביפיו תחזינה עיניך ויושב על כסא מלכותו בפלטרין שלו ומשים כתר בראשו וכל העם באין אליו בעת שירצה ועומדין לפניו ומשתחוים ארצה אפילו נביא עומד לפני המלך משתחוה ארצה שנאמר הנה נתן הנביא ויבא לפני המלך וישתחו למלך אבל כהן גדול אינו בא לפני המלך אלא אם רצה ואינו עומד לפניו אלא המלך עומד לפני כהן גדול שנאמר ולפני אלעזר הכהן יעמוד אעפ"כ מצוה על כהן גדול לכבד את המלך ולהושיבו ולעמוד מפניו כשיבא לו ולא יעמוד המלך לפניו אלא כשישאל לו במשפט האורים וכן מצוה על המלך לכבד לומדי התורה וכשיכנסו לפניו סנהדרין וחכמי ישראל יעמוד לפניהם ויושיבם בצדו וכן היה יהושפט מלך יהודה עושה אפילו לתלמיד חכם היה עומד מכסאו ומנשקו וקורא לו רבי ומורי בד"א בזמן שיהיה המלך בביתו לבדו הוא ועבדיו יעשה זה בצינעה אבל בפרהסיא בפני העם לא יעשה ולא יעמוד מפני אדם ולא ידבר רכות ולא יקרא לאדם אלא בשמו כדי שתהא יראתו בלב הכל:
6
Just as the Torah has granted him great honor and obligated everyone to revere him; so, too, has it commanded him to be lowly and empty at heart, as Psalms 109:22 states: 'My heart is a void within me.' Nor should he treat Israel with overbearing haughtiness. For Deuteronomy 17:20 describes how 'he should not lift up his heart above his brothers.'
He should be gracious and merciful to the small and the great, involving himself in their good and welfare. He should protect the honor of even the humblest of men.
When he speaks to the people as a community, he should speak gently, as I Chronicles 28:2 states 'Listen my brothers and my people....' Similarly, I Kings 12:7 states 'If today, you will be a servant to these people....'
He should always conduct himself with great humility. There is none greater than Moses, our teacher. Yet, he said Exodus 16:8: 'What are we? Your complaints are not against us.' He should bear the nation's difficulties, burdens, complaints, and anger as a nurse carries an infant.
Psalms 78:71 refers to a king as a shepherd: 'to pasture, Jacob, His nation.' The prophets have described the behavior of a shepherd (Isaiah 40:11): 'He shall pasture His flock like a shepherd, He shall gather the lambs with His arm and carry them in His bosom."
ו
כדרך שחלק לו הכתוב הכבוד הגדול וחייב הכל בכבודו כך צוהו להיות לבו בקרבו שפל וחלל שנאמר ולבי חלל בקרבי ולא ינהג גסות לב בישראל יתר מדאי שנאמר לבלתי רום לבבו מאחיו ויהיה חונן ומרחם לקטנים וגדולים ויצא ויבא בחפציהם ובטובתם ויחוס על כבוד קטן שבקטנים וכשמדבר אל כל הקהל בלשון רבים ידבר רכות שנאמר שמעוני אחי ועמי ואומר אם היום תהיה עבד לעם הזה וגו' לעולם יתנהג בענוה יתירה אין לנו גדול ממשה רבינו והוא אומר ונחנו מה לא עלינו תלונותיכם ויסבול טרחם ומשאם ותלונותם וקצפם כאשר ישא האומן את היונק רועה קראו הכתוב לרעות ביעקב עמו ודרכו של רועה מפורש בקבלה כרועה עדרו ירעה בזרועו יקבץ טלאים ובחיקו ישא וגו':
Rambam:• 3 Chapters A Day: Mamrim Mamrim - Chapter 1, Mamrim Mamrim - Chapter 2, Mamrim Mamrim - Chapter 3
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Audio: Listen | Download | Video ClassMamrim - Chapter 1
Introduction to Hilchos Mamrim
They include nine mitzvot: three positive commandments and six negative commandments They are:
1. To follow the directives given by the Supreme Sanhedrin;
2. Not to deviate from their words;
3. Not to add to the Torah, neither to the mitzvot of the Written Law, nor to their explanation which was transmitted by the Oral Tradition;
4. Not to detract from the mitzvot;
5. Not to curse one's father or mother;
6. Not to strike one's father or mother;
7. To honor one's father and mother;
8. To fear one's father and mother;
9. For a son not to rebel against his father's and mother's instruction.
These mitzvot are explained in the coming chapters.
רמב"ם הלכות ממרים – הקדמה
הלכות ממרים. יש בכללן תשע מצות, שלש מצות עשה, ושש מצות לא תעשה. וזה הוא פרטן:
(א) לעשות על פי התורה שאמרו לנו בית דין הגדול.
(ב) שלא לסור מדבריהם.
(ג) שלא להוסיף על התורה לא במצות שבכתב ולא בפירושן שלמדנו מפי השמועה.
(ד) שלא לגרוע מן הכל.
(ה) שלא לקלל אב ואם.
(ו) שלא להכותם.
(ז) לכבדם.
(ח) ליראם.
(ט) שלא יהיה הבן סורר ומורה על קול אביו ואמו.
וביאור מצות אלו בפרקים אלו.
1
The Supreme Sanhedrin in Jerusalem are the essence of the Oral Law. They are the pillars of instruction from whom statutes and judgments issue forth for the entire Jewish people. Concerning them, the Torah promises Deuteronomy 17:11: "You shall do according to the laws which they shall instruct you...." This is a positive commandment.
Whoever believes in Moses and in his Torah is obligated to make all of his religious acts dependent on this court and to rely on them.
א
בית דין הגדול שבירושלים הם עיקר תורה שבעל פה והם עמודי ההוראה ומהם חק ומשפט יוצא לכל ישראל ועליהן הבטיחה תורה שנאמר על פי התורה אשר יורוך זו מצות עשה וכל המאמין במשה רבינו ובתורתו חייב לסמוך מעשה הדת עליהן ולישען עליהן:
2
Any person who does not carry out their directives transgresses a negative commandment, as Ibid. continues: "Do not deviate from any of the statements they relate to you, neither right nor left."
Lashes are not given for the violation of this prohibition, because it also serves as a warning for a transgression punishable by execution by the court. For when a sage rebels against the words of the court, he should be executed by strangulation, as the following verse states: "A person who will act deliberately...."
We are obligated to heed their words whether they:
a) learned them from the Oral Tradition, i.e., the Oral Law,
b) derived them on the basis of their own knowledge through one of the attributes of Biblical exegesis and it appeared to them that this is the correct interpretation of the matter,
c) instituted the matter as a safeguard for the Torah, as was necessary at a specific time. These are the decrees, edicts, and customs instituted by the Sages.
It is a positive commandment to heed the court with regard to each of these three matters. A person who transgresses any of these types of directives transgresses a negative commandment. This is derived from the continuation of the above verse in the following manner: "According to the laws which they shall instruct you" - this refers to the edicts, decrees, and customs which they instruct people at large to observe to strengthen the faith and perfect the world. "According to the judgment which they relate" - this refers to the matters which they derive through logical analysis employing one of the methods of Biblical exegesis. "From all things that they will tell you" - This refers to the tradition which they received one person from another.
ב
כל מי שאינו עושה כהוראתן עובר בלא תעשה שנאמר לא תסור מכל הדבר אשר יגידו לך ימין ושמאל ואין לוקין על לאו זה מפני שניתן לאזהרת מיתת בית דין שכל חכם שמורה על דבריהם מיתתו בחנק שנאמר והאיש אשר יעשה בזדון וגו' אחד דברים שלמדו אותן מפי השמועה והם תורה שבעל פה ואחד דברים שלמדום מפי דעתם באחת מן המדות שהתורה נדרשת בהן ונראה בעיניהם שדבר זה כך הוא ואחד דברים שעשאום סייג לתורה ולפי מה שהשעה צריכה והן הגזרות והתקנות והמנהגות כל אחד ואחד מאלו השלשה דברים מצות עשה לשמוע להן והעובר על כל אחד מהן עובר בלא תעשה הרי הוא אומר על פי התורה אשר יורוך אלו התקנות והגזירות והמנהגות שיורו בהם לרבים כדי לחזק הדת ולתקן העולם ועל המשפט אשר יאמרו אלו דברים שילמדו אותן מן הדין באחת מן המדות שהתורה נדרשת בהן מכל הדבר אשר יגידו לך זו הקבלה שקבלו איש מפי איש:
3
There can never be any difference of opinion with regard to matters received through the Oral Tradition. Whenever there arises a difference of opinion with regard to a matter that shows that it was not received in the tradition from Moses our teacher.
The following principles apply with regard to matters derived through logical analysis. If the entire body of the Supreme Sanhedrin agrees with regard to them, their consent is binding. If there is a difference of opinion, we follow the majority and decide the matter according to the majority. Similarly, with regard to the decrees, edicts, and customs, if a portion of the judges perceived that it was necessary to issue a decree, institute an edict, or establish a custom for the people, and a portion perceived that it is not appropriate to issue this decree, institute this edict, or establish this custom, the judges should debate the matter back and forth. Afterwards, a vote is called, and we follow the majority and execute the matter according to the decision of the majority.
ג
דברי קבלה אין בהן מחלוקת לעולם וכל דבר שתמצא בו מחלוקת בידוע שאינו קבלה ממשה רבינו ודברים שלמדין מן הדין אם הסכימו עליהן בית דין הגדול כולן הרי הסכימו ואם נחלקו בהן הולכין אחר הרוב ומוציאין הדין אחר הרבים וכן הגזרות והתקנות והמנהגות אם ראו מקצתן שראוי לגזור גזירה או לתקן תקנה או שיניחו העם המנהג הזה וראו מקצתן שאין ראוי לגזור גזרה זו ולא לתקן תקנה זו ולא להניח מנהג זה נושאין ונותנין אלו כנגד אלו והולכין אחר רובן ומוציאין הדבר אחר הרבים:
4
When the Supreme Sanhedrin was in session, there was never any prolonged differences of opinion among the Jewish people. Instead, if a doubt arose in a Jew's mind over any law, he would inquire of the court in his city. If not, the questioner and that court - or its agents - ascend to Jerusalem and ask the court which holds sessions on the Temple Mount. If they know, they will reply to him, if they do not know, everyone comes to the court that holds sessions at the entrance to the Temple Courtyard. If they know, they will reply to him, if they do not know, everyone comes to the Chamber of Hewn Stone, to the Supreme Sanhedrin, and presents the question. If the matter that was unresolved by all the others was known to the Supreme Sanhedrin - either as part of the Oral Tradition or because of its derivation through the principles of exegesis - they relate the decision immediately. If, however, the decision was unclear to the Supreme Sanhedrin, they deliberate about the matter at that time and debate it back and forth until they reach a uniform decision, or until a vote is taken. In such a situation, they follow the majority and then tell all the questioners: "This is the halachah." The questioners then all depart.
After the Supreme Sanhedrin was nullified, differences of opinion multiplied among the Jewish people. One would rule an article is impure and support his ruling with a rationale and another would rule that it is pure and support his ruling with a rationale. This one would rule an article is forbidden and this would rule that it is permitted.
ד
כשהיה בית דין הגדול קיים לא היתה מחלוקת בישראל אלא כל דין שנולד בו ספק לאחד מישראל שואל לבית דין שבעירו אם ידעו אמרו לו אם לאו הרי השואל עם אותו בית דין או עם שלוחיו עולין לירושלים ושואלין לבית דין שבהר הבית אם ידעו אמרו לו אם לאו הכל באין לבית דין שעל פתח העזרה אם ידעו אמרו להן ואם לאו הכל באין ללשכת הגזית לבית דין הגדול ושואלין אם היה הדבר שנולד בו הספק לכל ידוע אצל בית דין הגדול בין מפי הקבלה בין מפי המדה שדנו בה אומרים מיד אם לא היה הדבר ברור אצל בית דין הגדול דנין בו בשעתן ונושאין ונותנין בדבר עד שיסכימו כולן או יעמדו למנין וילכו אחר הרוב ויאמרו לכל השואלים כך הלכה והולכין להן משבטל בית דין הגדול רבתה מחלוקת בישראל זה מטמא ונותן טעם לדבריו וזה מטהר ונותן טעם לדבריו זה אוסר וזה מתיר:
5
The following rules apply when there are two sages or two courts that have differing opinions in an age when there was no Supreme Sanhedrin or during the time when the Supreme Sanhedrin was still undecided concerning the matter - whether in one age or in two different ages - one rules that an article is pure and one rules that it is impure, one forbids an article's use and one permits it. If one does not know in which direction the law tends, should the matter involve a question of Scriptural Law, follow the more severe opinion. If it involve a question of Rabbinic Law, follow the more lenient opinion.
ה
שני חכמים או שני בתי דינין שנחלקו שלא בזמן הסנהדרין או עד שלא היה הדבר ברור להן בין בזמן אחד בין בזה אחר זה אחד מטהר ואחד מטמא אחד אוסר ואחד מתיר אם אינך יודע להיכן הדין נוטה בשל תורה הלך אחר המחמיר בשל סופרים הלך אחר המיקל:
Mamrim - Chapter 2
1
When, using one of the principles of exegesis, the Supreme Sanhedrin derived a law through their perception of the matter and adjudicated a case accordingly, and afterwards, another court arose and they perceived another rationale on which basis, they would revoke the previous ruling, they may revoke it and rule according to their perception. This is reflected by Deuteronomy 17:9: "To the judge who will be in that age." This indicates that a person is obligated to follow only the court in his own generation.
א
ב"ד גדול שדרשו באחת מן המדות כפי מה שנראה בעיניהם שהדין כך ודנו דין ועמד אחריהם ב"ד אחר ונראה לו טעם אחר לסתור אותו הרי זה סותר ודן כפי מה שנראה בעיניו שנאמר אל השופט אשר יהיה בימים ההם אינך חייב ללכת אלא אחר בית דין שבדורך:
2
The following rules apply when a court issued a decree, instituted an edict, or established a custom and this practice spread throughout the Jewish people and another court arose and sought to nullify the original order and eliminate the original edict, decree, or custom. The later court does not have this authority unless it surpasses the original court in wisdom and in its number of adherents. If it surpasses the original court in wisdom, but not in the number of adherents, or in the number of adherents, but not in wisdom, it cannot nullify its statements. Even if the rationale for which the original court instituted the decree or the edict is nullified, the later court does not have the authority to negate their statements unless they are greater.
How is it possible that the later court will surpass the original court in number? For every Supreme Sanhedrin consists of 71 judges. The intent is the number of sages in the generation who consent and accept the matter stated by the Supreme Sanhedrin without opposing it.
ב
בית דין שגזרו גזרה או תקנו תקנה והנהיגו מנהג ופשט הדבר בכל ישראל ועמד אחריהם בית דין אחר ובקש לבטל דברים הראשונים ולעקור אותה התקנה ואותה הגזרה ואותו המנהג אינו יכול עד שיהיה גדול מן הראשונים בחכמה ובמנין היה גדול בחכמה אבל לא במנין במנין אבל לא בחכמה אינו יכול לבטל את דבריו אפילו בטל הטעם שבגללו גזרו הראשונים או התקינו אין האחרונים יכולין לבטל עד שיהו גדולים מהם והיאך יהיו גדולים מהם במנין הואיל וכל בית דין ובית דין של שבעים ואחד הוא זה מנין חכמי הדור שהסכימו וקבלו הדבר שאמרו בית דין הגדול ולא חלקו בו:
3
When does the above apply? With regard to matters that were not forbidden to create a safeguard for the words of the Torah, but rather resemble other Torah laws. A different principle applies, by contrast, with regard to matters which the court sought necessary to issue a decree and create a prohibition as a safeguard. If the prohibition spread throughout the Jewish people, another Supreme Sanhedrin does not have the authority to uproot the decree and grant license even if it was of greater stature than the original court.
ג
בד"א בדברים שלא אסרו אותן כדי לעשות סייג לתורה אלא כשאר דיני תורה אבל דברים שראו בית דין לגזור ולאסרן לעשות סייג אם פשט איסורן בכל [ישראל] אין בית דין גדול אחר יכול לעקרן ולהתירן אפילו היה גדול מן הראשונים:
4
A court may, however, suspend the application of such decrees temporarily, even if it is of lesser stature than the original court. The rationale is that these decrees should not be considered as more severe than the words of the Torah itself, and any court has the authority to abrogate the words of the Torah as a temporary measure.
What is implied? If a court sees that it is necessary to strengthen the faith and create a safeguard so that the people will not violate Torah law, they may apply beatings and punishments that are not sanctioned by Torah. They may not, however, establish the matter for posterity and say that this is the halachah.
Similarly, if they saw that temporarily it was necessary to nullify a positive commandment or violate a negative commandment in order to bring people at large back to the Jewish faith or to prevent many Jews from transgressing in other matters, they may do what is necessary at that time. To explain by analogy: Just like a doctor may amputate a person's hand or foot so that the person as a whole will live; so, too, at times, the court may rule to temporarily violate some of the commandments so that they will later keep all of them. In this vein, the Sages of the previous generations said: "Desecrate one Sabbath for a person's sake so that he will keep many Sabbaths."
ד
ויש לבית דין לעקור אף דברים אלו לפי שעה אע"פשהוא קטן מן הראשונים שלא יהו גזרות אלו חמורין מדברי תורה עצמה שאפילו דברי תורה יש לכל בית דין לעקרו הוראת שעה כיצד בית דין שראו לחזק הדת ולעשות סייג כדי שלא יעברו העם על דברי תורה מכין ועונשין שלא כדין אבל אין קובעין הדבר לדורות ואומרים שהלכה כך הוא וכן אם ראו לפי שעה לבטל מצות עשה או לעבור על מצות לא תעשה כדי להחזיר רבים לדת או להציל רבים מישראל מלהכשל בדברים אחרים עושין לפי מה שצריכה השעה כשם שהרופא חותך ידו או רגלו של זה כדי שיחיה כולו כך בית דין מורים בזמן מן הזמנים לעבור על קצת מצות לפי שעה כדי שיתקיימו [כולם] כדרך שאמרו חכמים הראשונים חלל עליו שבת אחת כדי שישמור שבתות הרבה:
5
When a court sees it necessary to issue a decree, institute an edict, or establish a custom, they must first contemplate the matter and see whether or not the majority of the community can uphold the practice. We never issue a decree on the community unless the majority of the community can uphold the practice.
ה
בית דין שנראה להן לגזור גזירה או לתקן תקנה או להנהיג מנהג צריכין להתיישב בדבר ולידע תחלה אם רוב הצבור יכולין לעמוד בהן או אם אין יכולין לעמוד ולעולם אין גוזרין גזירה על הצבור אלא אם כן רוב הצבור יכולין לעמוד בה:
6
If a court issued a decree, thinking that the majority of the community could uphold it and after the decree was issued, the majority of the community raised contentions and the practice did not spread throughout the majority of the community, the decree is nullified. The court cannot compel the people to accept it.
ו
הרי שגזרו בית דין גזירה ודימו שרוב הקהל יכולין לעמוד בה ואחר שגזרוה פקפקו העם בה ולא פשטה ברוב הקהל הרי זו בטלה ואינן רשאין לכוף את העם ללכת בה:
7
Sages issued a decree and thought that it spread among the entire Jewish people and the situation remained unchanged for many years. After a long duration of time, another court arose and checked throughout the Jewish community and saw that the observance of this decree had not spread throughout the Jewish community, it has the authority to negate the decree even if it is of lesser stature than the original court in wisdom and in number of adherents.
ז
גזרו ודימו שפשטה בכל ישראל ועמד הדבר כן שנים רבות ולאחר זמן מרובה עמד בית דין אחר ובדק בכל ישראל וראה שאין אותה הגזרה פושטת בכל ישראל יש לו רשות לבטל ואפילו היה פחות מבית דין הראשון בחכמה ובמנין:
8
Whenever a court releases two decrees, it should not rush to release a third decree.
ח
וכל בית דין שהתיר שני דברים אל ימהר להתיר דבר שלישי:
9
A court has the authority to issue a decree and forbid something which is permitted and have its decree perpetuated for generations to come. Similarly, it has the authority - as a temporary measure - to release the Torah's prohibitions. What then is the meaning of the Scriptural prohibitions Deuteronomy 13:1: "Do not add to it and do not detract from it"?
The intent is that they do not have the authority to add to the words of the Torah or to detract from them, establishing a matter forever as part of Scriptural Law. This applies both to the Written Law and the Oral Law.
What is implied? The Torah states Exodus 23:19: "Do not cook a kid in its mother's milk." According to the Oral Tradition, we learned that the Torah forbade both the cooking and eating of milk and meat, whether the meat of a domesticated animal or the meat of a wild beast. The meat of fowl, by contrast, is permitted to be cooked in milk according to Scriptural Law. Now if a court will come and permit partaking of the meat of a wild animal cooked in milk, it is detracting from the Torah. And if it forbids the meat of fowl cooked in milk saying that this is included in "the kid" forbidden by the Scriptural Law, it is adding to the Torah.
If, however, the court says: "The meat of fowl cooked in milk is permitted according to Scriptural Law. We, however, are prohibiting it and publicizing the prohibition as a decree, lest the matter lead to a detriment and people say: 'Eating the meat of fowl cooked in meat is permitted, because it is not explicitly forbidden by the Torah. Similarly, the meat of a wild animal cooked in milk is permitted, because it is also not explicitly forbidden.' "And another may come and say: 'Even the meat of a domesticated animal cooked in milk is permitted with the exception of a goat.' And another will come and say: 'Even the meat of a goat is permitted when cooked in the milk of a cow or a sheep. For the verse mentions only "its mother," i.e., an animal from the same species.' And still another will come and say: 'Even the meat of a goat is permitted when cooked in goat's milk as long the milk is not from the kid's mother, for the verse says: "its mother."' For these reasons, we will forbid all meat cooked in milk, even meat from fowl."
Such an approach is not adding to the Torah. Instead, it is creating safeguards for the Torah. Similar concepts apply in all analogous situations.
ט
הואיל ויש לבית דין לגזור ולאסור דבר המותר ויעמוד איסורו לדורות וכן יש להן להתיר איסורי תורה לפי שעה מהו זה שהזהירה תורה לא תוסיף עליו ולא תגרע ממנו שלא להוסיף על דברי תורה ולא לגרוע מהן ולקבוע הדבר לעולם בדבר שהוא מן התורה בין בתורה שבכתב בין בתורה שבעל פה כיצד הרי כתוב בתורה לא תבשל גדי בחלב אמו מפי השמועה למדו שזה הכתוב אסר לבשל ולאכול בשר בחלב בין בשר בהמה בין בשר חיה אבל בשר העוף מותר בחלב מן התורה אם יבוא בית דין ויתיר בשר חיה בחלב הרי זה גורע ואם יאסור בשר העוף ויאמר שהוא בכלל הגדי והוא אסור מן התורה הרי זה מוסיף אבל אם אמר בשר העוף מותר מן התורה ואנו נאסור אותו ונודיע לעם שהוא גזרה שלא יבא מן הדבר חובה ויאמרו העוף מותר מפני שלא נתפרש כך החיה מותרת שהרי לא נתפרשה ויבא אחר לומר אף בשר בהמה מותרת חוץ מן העז ויבא אחר לומר אף בשר העז מותר בחלב פרה או הכבשה שלא נאמר אלא אמו שהיא מינו ויבא אחר לומר אף בחלב העז שאינה אמו מותר שלא נאמר אלא אמו לפיכך נאסור כל בשר בחלב אפילו בשר עוף אין זה מוסיף אלא עושה סייג לתורה וכן כל כיוצא בזה:
Mamrim - Chapter 3
1
A person who does not acknowledge validity of the Oral Law is not the rebellious elder mentioned in the Torah. Instead, he is one of the heretics and he should be put to death by any person.
א
מי שאינו מודה בתורה שבעל פה אינו זקן ממרא האמור בתורה אלא הרי זה בכלל האפיקורוסין [ומיתתו בכל אדם]:
2
Since it has become known that such a person denies the Oral Law, he may be pushed into a pit and may not be helped out. He is like all the rest of the heretics who say that the Torah is not Divine in origin, those who inform on their fellow Jews, and the apostates. All of these are not considered as members of the Jewish people. There is no need for witnesses, a warning, or judges for them to be executed. Instead, whoever kills them performs a great mitzvah and removes an obstacle from people at large.
ב
מאחר שנתפרסם שהוא כופר בתורה שבעל פה [מורידין אותו] ולא מעלין והרי הוא כשאר כל האפיקורוסין והאומרין אין תורה מן השמים והמוסרין והמומרין שכל אלו אינם בכלל ישראל ואין צריך לא לעדים ולא התראה ולא דיינים [אלא כל ההורג אחד מהן עשה מצוה גדולה והסיר המכשול]:
3
To whom does the above apply? To a person who denied the Oral Law consciously, according to his perception of things. He follows after his frivolous thoughts and his capricious heart and denies the Oral Law first, as did Tzadok and Beitus and those who erred in following them.
The children of these errant people and their grandchildren whose parents led them away and they were born among these Karaities and raised according to their conception, they are considered as a children captured and raised by them. Such a child may not be eager to follow the path of mitzvot, for it is as if he was compelled not to. Even if later, he hears that he is Jewish and saw Jews and their faith, he is still considered as one who was compelled against observance, for he was raised according to their mistaken path. This applies to those who we mentioned who follow the erroneous Karaite path of their ancestors. Therefore it is appropriate to motivate them to repent and draw them to the power of the Torah with words of peace.
ג
במה דברים אמורים באיש שכפר בתורה שבעל פה במחשבתו ובדברים שנראו לו והלך אחר דעתו הקלה ואחר שרירות לבו וכופר בתורה שבעל פה תחילה כצדוק ובייתוס וכן כל התועים אחריו אבל בני התועים האלה ובני בניהם שהדיחו אותם אבותם ונולדו בין הקראים וגדלו אותם על דעתם הרי הוא כתינוק שנשבה ביניהם וגדלוהו ואינו זריז לאחוז בדרכי המצות שהרי הוא כאנוס ואע"פ ששמע אח"כ [שהוא יהודי וראה היהודים ודתם הרי הוא כאנוס שהרי גדלוהו על טעותם] כך אלו שאמרנו האוחזים בדרכי אבותם הקראים שטעו לפיכך ראוי להחזירן בתשובה ולמשכם בדברי שלום עד שיחזרו לאיתן התורה:
4
The "rebellious elder" mentioned in the Torah, by contrast, is one of the sages of Israel who has received the tradition from previous sages and who analyzes and issues ruling with regard to the words of Torah as do all the sages of Israel. His rebellion involves an instance when he has a difference of opinion in one of the Torah's laws with the Supreme Sanhedrin and did not accept their views, but instead issued a ruling to act in a different manner. The Torah decreed that he should be executed. He should confess his sin before being executed so that he will be granted a portion in the world to come.
Even though he analyzes and they analyze; he received the tradition and they received the tradition, the Torah granted them deference. Even if the court desires to forgo their honor and allow him to live, they are not allowed so that differences of opinion will not arise within Israel.
ד
אבל זקן ממרא האמור בתורה הוא חכם אחד מחכמי ישראל שיש בידו קבלה ודן ומורה בדברי תורה כמו שידונו ויורו כל חכמי ישראל שבאת לו מחלוקת בדין מן הדינים עם בית דין הגדול ולא חזר לדבריהם אלא חלק עליהם והורה לעשות שלא כהוראתן גזרה עליו תורה מיתה ומתודה ויש לו חלק לעולם הבא אף על פי שהוא דן והן דנים הוא קבל והם קבלו הרי התורה חלקה להם כבוד ואם רצו בית דין למחול על כבודן ולהניחו אינן יכולין כדי שלא ירבו מחלוקת בישראל:
5
A "rebellious elder" is not liable for execution unless he is a sage, erudite enough to issue halachic judgments who has received semichah from the Sanhedrin and who differs with that court with regard to a matter whose willful violation is punishable by kerait and whose inadvertent violation requires a sin offering or with regard to tefillin. He must direct others to act according to his ruling or act according to his ruling himself, and differ with the Sanhedrin while they hold session in the Chamber of Hewn Stone.
When, by contrast, a student who has not attained a level of erudition that enables him to issue halachic rulings, but, nevertheless, issues a ruling, he is not liable. This is derived from Deuteronomy 17:8 which states: "If a matter of judgment exceeds your grasp...." Implied is that the passage concerns only a scholar who is unable to grasp something which is exceedingly difficult to comprehend.
ה
אין זקן ממרא חייב מיתה עד שיהא חכם שהגיע להוראה סמוך בסנהדרין ויחלוק על בית דין בדבר שזדונו כרת ושגגתו חטאת או בתפילין ויורה לעשות כהוראתו או יעשה הוא על פי הוראתו ויחלוק עליהן והן יושבין בלשכת הגזית אבל אם היה תלמיד שלא הגיע להוראה והורה לעשות פטור שנאמר כי יפלא ממך דבר למשפט מי שלא יפלא ממנו אלא דבר מופלא:
6
If a sage was an exceedingly great scholar and a member of a court and differed with [the Supreme Sanhedrin] and he returned home and taught others according to his [original] conception, but did not direct them to act accordingly, he is not liable.1 [This is derived from ibid.:12 which] states: “And the person who acts obstinately”; [i.e., the punishment is warranted] not for speaking obstinately, but for issuing a directive for action or for acting oneself.
ו
היה חכם מופלא של בית דין וחלק ושנה ולמד לאחרים כדבריו אבל לא הורה לעשות פטור שנאמר והאיש אשר יעשה בזדון לא שיאמר בזדון אלא יורה לעשות או יעשה הוא בעצמו:
7
If he found the Supreme Sanhedrin outside their place and rebelled against their ruling, he is not liable. This is derived from ibid.:8 which states: "And you shall arise and ascend to that place," implied is that the place is the cause for capital punishment.
All of the individuals mentioned above who are not executed and anyone who acts in a similar manner, although they are not liable for execution, the Supreme Sanhedrin should place them under a ban of ostracism, separate them from the community, subject them to corporal punishment, and prevent them from teaching their interpretation of the matter.
ז
מצאן חוץ למקומן והמרה עליהן פטור שנאמר וקמת ועלית אל המקום מלמד שהמקום גורם לו מיתה וכל אלו וכיוצא בהן שהן פטורין מן המיתה יש לבית דין הגדול לנדותם ולהפרישן ולהכותן ולמנען מללמד כפי מה שיראה להן שהדבר צריך לכך:
8
How is the law applying to a rebellious elder adjudicated? When a matter is undecided because of its difficulty and a sage who is erudite enough to issue rulings whether with regard to a matter which he arrived at through his own reasoning or which he received from his teachers. He and the sages who differ with him ascend to Jerusalem and come to the court which holds sessions at the entrance to the Temple Mount.
The court tells them: "This is the law." If the elder listens and accepts the ruling, it is desirable. If not, they all go to the court which holds sessions at the entrance to the Temple Courtyard. They also say: "This is the law." If the elder listens and accepts the ruling, they go their ways. If not, they all go to the Supreme Sanhedrin in the Chamber of Hewn Stone from which the Torah emanates to the entire Jewish people, as Deuteronomy 17:10 states: "From that place which God has chosen." The Supreme Sanhedrin tell them: "This is the law" and the all depart.
If the elder returns to his city and continues to interpret the law as he did previously and teaches this interpretation to others, he is not liable. If he gave a directive for action or acted according to his conception himself, he is liable for execution. There is no need for a warning. Even if he offers a rationale to explain his conduct, we do not heed him. Instead, once witnesses come and testify that he acted according to his own directive or that he directed others to perform a deed, we sentence him to death in his local court. We take hold of him and bring him from that place to Jerusalem. For we do not execute him in the presence of his local court, nor in the presence of the Supreme Sanhedrin who left Jerusalem, but instead, bring him to the Supreme Sanhedrin in Jerusalem. Until the next pilgrimage festival, he is kept under watch. During the pilgrimage festival, he is executed by strangulation, as implied by ibid.:13: "And all Israel shall hear and become fearful." This indicates that his execution must be announced.
There are four transgressors whose execution must be announced publicly: a rebellious elder, lying witnesses, a person who entices others to worship idols, and a wayward and rebellious son. For with regard to all of them, the Torah states: "so that they will hear and become afraid."
ח
וכיצד דנין זקן ממרא בעת שיפלא דבר ויורה בו חכם המגיע להוראה בין בדבר שיראה בעיניו בין בדבר שקבל מרבותיו הרי הוא והחולקין עמו עולין לירושלים ובאין לבית דין שעל פתח הר הבית אומרים להן בית דין כך הוא הדין אם שמע וקבל מוטב ואם לאו באין כולן לבית דין שעל פתח העזרה ואומרים להם גם הם כך הוא הדין אם קבלו ילכו להן ואם לאו כולן באין לבית דין הגדול ללשכת הגזית שמשם תורה יוצאת לכל ישראל שנאמר מן המקום ההוא אשר יבחר ה' ובית דין אומר להם כך הוא הדין ויוצאין כולן חזר זה החכם לעירו ושנה ולמד כדרך שהוא למוד הרי זה פטור הורה לעשות או שעשה כהוראתו חייב מיתה ואינו צריך התראה אפילו נתן טעם לדבריו אין שומעין לו אלא כיון שבאו עדים שעשה כהוראתו או שהורה לאחרים לעשות גומרין דינו למיתה בבית דין שבעירו ותופסין אותו ומעלין אותו משם לירושלים ואין ממיתין אותו בבית דין שבעירו ולא בבית דין הגדול שיצא חוץ לירושלים אלא מעלין אותו לבית דין הגדול שבירושלים ועד הרגל משמרין אותו וחונקין אותו ברגל שנאמר וכל ישראל ישמעו וייראו מכלל שצריך הכרזה וארבעה צריכין הכרזה זקן ממרא ועדים זוממין והמסית ובן סורר ומורה שהרי בכולן נאמר ישמעו וייראו:
FOOTNOTES
1.The classic example of this principle is Akkavya ben Mahallel who received four teachings from his teachers which - though they represented the majority views at that time - were not accepted by the majority of the Sages in the following generation. Akkavya refused to change his conception of these laws, and yet, in deference to the majority, did not issue rulings for action according to his conception. Moreover, before his passing, he advised his son to accept the ruling of the majority (Ediot 5:6-7; Sanhedrin 88a)
Hayom Yom:
• English Text | Video Class
Shabbat, Elul 25, 5777 · 16 September 2017
"Today's Day"
Shabbat, Elul 25, 5703
Say the entire Tehillim in the early morning.
Day of farbrengen. S'lichot immediately after midnight, but on the remaining s'lichot days - in the early morning.
When Nitzavim and Vayeilech are separate, the Maftir and Shevi'i of Nitzavim begin at Re'ei natati l'fanecha...
Torah lessons: Chumash: Nitzavim-Vayeilech, Shevi'i with Rashi.
Tehillim: 119, 1-96. Also 73-75.
Tanya: XIX. "He wraps (p. 489) ...(as follows). (p. 491).
The Alter Rebbe related: When I was in Mezritch I heard from my Rebbe, the Maggid, in the name of the Baal Shem Tov: The seventh month (Tishrei), first of the months of the year,1 is blessed by G-d Himself, on Shabbat mevarchim - last Shabbat in the month of Elul.2 With this power3 Israel blesses the other months eleven times a year.
It is written, Atem nitzavim hayom, "You stand this day."4 This day refers to Rosh Hashana which is the day of Judgment (as it is written, "The day came,"5 which Targum renders, the day of the great judgment came). Yet you remain standing firmly upright (nitzavim), meaning - you will be vindicated in judgment.6
On the Shabbat preceding Rosh Hashana, the last Shabbat in Elul, we read the parsha of Atem nitzavim, which is G-d's blessing7 on the Shabbat-of-blessing the seventh month (Shabbat mevarchim). That seventh month (Tishrei) is itself sated8 - and in turn satiates all Israel - with an abundance of good for the duration of the (coming) year."
FOOTNOTES
1.While Tishrei is the seventh month of the Festival Calendar (which begins with Nissan), it is the first month of the Annual Calendar, marking the years since Creation. See Likutei Sichos Vol. 4, p. 1139, footnote 2.
2.The month of Tishrei is not blessed by the congregants in shul on the Shabbat preceding it, unlike all other months of the year.
3.I.e. with the power of G-d's blessing of the seventh month - Tishrei.
4.Devarim 29:9.
5.Iyov 2:1.
6.This assurance of vindication in the upcoming Rosh Hashana judgment - contained in the opening words of Nitzavim - is G-d's blessing of Tishrei - embodied in the Torah-reading.
7.See footnote 6.
8.The word sheva (seven), may alternately be rendered sova (sated).
Daily Thought:
Wasting Life on Purpose
Once you have found the meaning of life, will there be enough life left to live meaningfully?
Better to live life as meaningfully as you know how, and find more meaning as you go along. You will gain, and so will those you influence.
From a letter to a teacher who wanted to take off time from teaching to find the meaning of life.
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