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- ב"ה - Today in Judaism - Today is Monday, Elul 27, 5777 · September 18, 2017Torah Reading:
Ha'Azinu: Deuteronomy 32:1-12
Deuteronomy 32:1 “Hear, oh heavens, as I speak!
Listen, earth, to the words from my mouth!
2 May my teaching fall like rain.
May my speech condense like dew,
like light rain on blades of grass,
or showers on growing plants.
3 “For I will proclaim the name of Adonai.
Come, declare the greatness of our God!
4 The Rock! His work is perfect,
for all his ways are just.
A trustworthy God who does no wrong,
he is righteous and straight.
5 “He is not corrupt; the defect is in his children,
a crooked and perverted generation.
6 You foolish people, so lacking in wisdom,
is this how you repay Adonai?
He is your father, who made you his!
It was he who formed and prepared you!
(ii) 7 “Remember how the old days were;
think of the years through all the ages.
Ask your father — he will tell you;
your leaders too — they will inform you.
8 “When ‘Elyon gave each nation its heritage,
when he divided the human race,
he assigned the boundaries of peoples
according to Isra’el’s population;
9 but Adonai’s share was his own people,
Ya‘akov his allotted heritage.
10 “He found his people in desert country,
in a howling, wasted wilderness.
He protected him and cared for him,
guarded him like the pupil of his eye,
11 like an eagle that stirs up her nest,
hovers over her young,
spreads out her wings, takes them
and carries them as she flies.
12 “Adonai alone led his people;
no alien god was with him.
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Today's Laws & Customs:
• Selichot
The Selichot ("supplication") are recited in the early morning hours, before the morning prayers, in preparation for the "Days of Awe" of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
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 79 Chapter 80 Chapter 81
Psalms Chapter 79:1. A psalm by Asaph. O God, nations have entered Your inheritance, they defiled Your Holy Sanctuary; they turned Jerusalem into heaps of rubble.
2. They have rendered the corpses of Your servants as food for the birds of heaven, the flesh of Your pious ones for the beasts of the earth.
3. They spilled their blood like water around Jerusalem, and there is no one to bury [them].
4. We became the object of disgrace to our neighbors, ridicule and scorn to those around us.
5. Until when, O Lord! Will You be angry forever? Will Your jealousy burn like fire?
6. Pour Your wrath upon the nations that do not know You, upon the kingdoms that do not call Your Name,
7. for they devoured Jacob and desolated His abode.
8. Do not recall our former sins; let Your mercies come swiftly towards us, for we have fallen very low.
9. Help us, God of our deliverance, for the sake of the glory of Your Name; save us and pardon our sins for the sake of Your Name.
10. Why should the nations say, "Where is their God?" Let there be known among the nations, before our eyes, the retribution of the spilled blood of Your servants.
11. Let the groan of the prisoner come before You; liberate those condemned to death, as befits the greatness of Your strength.
12. Repay our neighbors sevenfold into their bosom, for the disgrace with which they reviled You, O Lord.
13. And we, Your people, the flock of Your pasture, will thank You forever; for all generations we will recount Your praise. Chapter 80:1. For the Conductor, on the shoshanim, 1 a testimony by Asaph, a psalm.
2. Listen, O Shepherd of Israel, Who leads Joseph like sheep. Appear, You Who is enthroned upon the cherubim.
3. Arouse Your might before Ephraim, Benjamin and Menashe, for it is upon You to save us.
4. Return us, O God; cause Your countenance to shine, that we may be saved.
5. O Lord, God of Hosts, until when will You fume at the prayer of Your people?
6. You fed them bread of tears, and gave them tears to drink in great measure.
7. You have made us an object of strife to our neighbors; our enemies mock to themselves.
8. Return us, O God of Hosts; cause Your countenance to shine, that we may be saved.
9. You brought a vine out of Egypt; You drove out nations and planted it.
10. You cleared space before it; it took root and filled the land.
11. Mountains were covered by its shade, and its branches became mighty cedars.
12. It sent forth its branches till the sea, and its tender shoots to the river.
13. Why did You breach its fences, so that every passerby plucked its fruit?
14. The boars of the forest ravage it, and the creepers of the field feed upon it.
15. O God of Hosts, please return! Look down from heaven and see, and be mindful of this vine,
16. and of the foundation which Your right hand has planted, and the son whom You strengthened for Yourself.
17. It is burned by fire, cut down; they perish at the rebuke of Your Presence.
18. Let Your hand be upon the man of Your right hand, upon the son of man whom You strengthened for Yourself.
19. Then we will not withdraw from You; revive us, and we will proclaim Your Name.
20. O Lord, God of Hosts, return us; cause Your countenance to shine that we may be saved. Chapter 81:1. For the Conductor, upon the gittit,1 by Asaph.
2. Sing joyously to God, our strength; sound the shofar to the God of Jacob.
3. Raise your voice in song, sound the drum, the pleasant harp, and the lyre.
4. Blow the shofar on the New Month, on the designated day of our Holy Day;
5. for it is a decree for Israel, a ruling of the God of Jacob.
6. He ordained it as a precept for Joseph when he went forth over the land of Egypt; I heard a language which I did not know.
7. I have taken his shoulder from the burden; his hands were removed from the pot.2
8. In distress you called and I delivered you; [you called] in secret, and I answered you with thunderous wonders; I tested you at the waters of Merivah, Selah.
9. Hear, My people, and I will admonish you; Israel, if you would only listen to Me!
10. You shall have no alien god within you, nor shall you bow down to a foreign deity.
11. I am the Lord your God who brought you up from the land of Egypt; open wide your mouth, [state all your desires,] and I shall grant them.
12. But My people did not heed My voice; Israel did not want [to listen to] Me.
13. So I sent them away for the willfulness of their heart, for following their [evil] design.
14. If only My people would listen to Me, if Israel would only walk in My ways,
15. then I would quickly subdue their enemies, and turn My hand against their oppressors.
16. Those who hate the Lord would shrivel before Him, and the time [of their retribution] shall be forever.
17. I would feed him [Israel] with the finest of wheat, and sate you with honey from the rock.
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:
• Passing of Belzer Rebbe (1855)Elul 27 is the yahrtzeit of Rabbi Shalom Rokeach (1779-1855), founder of the Belz Chassidic dynasty.
Daily Quote:
This is the meaning of "Love your fellow as yourself": Just like you are blind to your own failings, since your self-love covers them up, so, too, should your fellow's failings be swallowed up and concealed by your love for him (Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Lubavitch (1789-1866))
Daily Torah Study:
Chumash: Ha'Azinu, 2nd Portion Deuteronomy 32:7-32:12 with Rashi
• English / Hebrew Linear Translation
• Video Class
• Daily Wisdom (short insight)
Deuteronomy Chapter 32
7Remember the days of old; reflect upon the years of [other] generations. Ask your father, and he will tell you; your elders, and they will inform you. זזְכֹר֙ יְמ֣וֹת עוֹלָ֔ם בִּ֖ינוּ שְׁנ֣וֹת דֹּֽר וָדֹ֑ר שְׁאַ֤ל אָבִ֨יךָ֙ וְיַגֵּ֔דְךָ זְקֵנֶ֖יךָ וְיֹֽאמְרוּ־לָֽךְ:
Remember the days of old: what God did to past generations who provoked Him to anger.
זכר ימות עולם: מה עשה בראשונים שהכעיסו לפניו:
reflect upon the years of [other] generations: [I.e.,] the generation of Enosh, whom [God] inundated with the waters of the ocean, and the generation of the Flood, whom [God] washed away. Another explanation is: [If] you have not set your attention to the past, then “reflect upon the years of generations,” i.e., to recognize the future, that He has the power to bestow good upon you and to give you as an inheritance the days of the Messiah and the world-to-come. — [Sifrei 32:6]
בינו שנות דר ודר: דור אנוש שהציף עליהם מי אוקינוס ודור המבול ששטפם. דבר אחר לא נתתם לבבכם על שעבר. בינו שנות דור ודור להכיר להבא שיש בידו להיטיב לכם ולהנחיל לכם ימות המשיח והעולם הבא:
Ask your father: These are the prophets, who are called “fathers,” as Scripture states regarding [Elisha’s crying out to] Elijah, “My father, my father, the chariot of Israel!” (II Kings 2:12).
שאל אביך: אלו הנביאים שנקראים אבות, כמו שנאמר באליהו (מלכים ב' ב, יב) אבי אבי רכב ישראל:
your elders: These are the Sages. — [Sifrei 32:7]
זקניך: אלו החכמים:
and they will inform you: the events of the former times.
ויאמרו לך: הראשונות:
8When the Most High gave nations their lot, when He separated the sons of man, He set up the boundaries of peoples according to the number of the children of Israel. חבְּהַנְחֵ֤ל עֶלְיוֹן֙ גּוֹיִ֔ם בְּהַפְרִיד֖וֹ בְּנֵ֣י אָדָ֑ם יַצֵּב֙ גְּבֻלֹ֣ת עַמִּ֔ים לְמִסְפַּ֖ר בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל:
When the Most High gave nations their lot: When the Holy One, Blessed is He, gave those who provoked Him to anger their portion, He flooded them and drowned them [i.e., that was their lot].
בהנחל עליון גוים: כשהנחיל הקדוש ברוך הוא למכעיסיו את חלק נחלתן הציפן ושטפם:
when He separated the sons of man: When [God] scattered the Generation of the Dispersion [which built the tower of Babel], He had the power to remove them from the world [altogether], but He did not do so. Rather, “He set up the boundaries of peoples,” [i.e.,] He let them remain in existence and did not destroy them.
בהפרידו בני אדם: כשהפיץ דור הפלגה היה בידו להעבירם מן העולם ולא עשה כן, אלא יצב גבולות עמים קיימם ולא אבדם:
according to the number of the children of Israel: [God let man remain in existence] for the sake of a [small] number of the children of Israel who were destined to descend from the children of Shem, and [the sake of] the number of the seventy souls of the children of Israel who went down to Egypt, He “set up the boundaries of peoples,” [i.e., He separated man into seventy nations with] seventy languages.
למספר בני ישראל: בשביל מספר בני ישראל שעתידים לצאת מבני שם, ולמספר שבעים נפש של בני ישראל שירדו למצרים, הציב גבולות עמים שבעים לשון:
9Because the Lord's portion is His people Jacob, the lot of His inheritance. טכִּ֛י חֵ֥לֶק יְהֹוָ֖ה עַמּ֑וֹ יַֽעֲקֹ֖ב חֶ֥בֶל נַֽחֲלָתֽוֹ:
Because the Lord’s portion is His people: And why did God go to all this effort [to save mankind]? “Because the Lord’s portion” was hidden within them [i.e., mankind] and was destined to come forth. And who is God’s portion? “His people.” And who is His people? “Jacob, the lot of His inheritance” - and he is the third among the Patriarchs. He is endowed with a threefold [parcel] of merits: The merit of his grandfather, the merit of his father, and his own merit-thus, totaling three, like a rope (חֶבֶל) composed of three strands [twined together for added strength (Sifrei 32:9)]. Thus, it was [only] Jacob and his sons who became God’s inheritance, not Ishmael, the son of Abraham, and not Esau, the son of Isaac.
כי חלק ה' עמו: למה כל זאת, לפי שהיה חלקו כבוש ביניהם ועתיד לצאת. ומי הוא חלקו, עמו. ומי הוא עמו יעקב חבל נחלתו - והוא השלישי באבות, המשולש בשלש זכיות, זכות אבי אביו וזכות אביו וזכותו, הרי שלשה, כחבל הזה שהוא עשוי בשלשה גדילים והוא ובניו היו לו לנחלה, ולא ישמעאל בן אברהם, ולא עשו בן של יצחק:
10He found them in a desert land, and in a desolate, howling wasteland. He encompassed them and bestowed understanding upon them; He protected them as the pupil of His eye. ייִמְצָאֵ֨הוּ֙ בְּאֶ֣רֶץ מִדְבָּ֔ר וּבְתֹ֖הוּ יְלֵ֣ל יְשִׁמֹ֑ן יְסֹֽבְבֶ֨נְהוּ֙ יְב֣וֹנְנֵ֔הוּ יִצְּרֶ֖נְהוּ כְּאִישׁ֥וֹן עֵינֽוֹ:
He found them in a desert land: God found them [i.e., Jacob’s sons] faithful to Him in a desert land, for they accepted His Torah, His sovereignty, and His yoke upon themselves-something that Ishmael and Esau did not do, as Scripture states,“The Lord… shone forth from Seir to them, and appeared from Mount Paran” (Deut. 33:2). [The Sages (Sifrei Deut. 33:2, Tanchuma Beracha 4) explain this to mean: God first went to the children of Esau (Seir) and offered them the Torah, but they refused to accept it; then He went and offered it to the children of Ishmael (Paran), and they also refused. See Rashi on that verse.]
ימצאהו בארץ מדבר: אותם מצא לו נאמנים בארץ המדבר, שקבלו עליהם תורתו ומלכותו ועולו מה שלא עשו ישמעאל ועשו, שנאמר (לקמן לג, ב) וזרח משעיר למו הופיע מהר פארן:
and in a desolate, howling wasteland: An arid, desolate land, a place of howling (יְלֵל) jackals and ostriches. Yet even there, Israel followed their faith. They did not say to Moses, “How can we go out into the deserts, a place of drought and desolation?” The verse attests to this:“When you went after Me in the desert” (Jer. 2: 2).
ובתהו ילל ישימון: ארץ ציה ושממה מקום יללת תנינים ובנות יענה אף שם נמשכו אחר האמונה, ולא אמרו למשה האיך נצא למדברות מקום ציה ושממון, כענין שנאמר (ירמיה ב, ב) לכתך אחרי במדבר:
He encompassed them: There [in the desert], [God] encompassed [Israel], surrounding them by [protective] clouds; He surrounded them with divisions in four directions, and He surrounded them with the underside of the mountain [Sinai], which He overturned [i.e., suspending it] over them like a tub [see Rashi on Exod. 19:17]. — [Sifrei 32:10]
יסבבנהו: שם סבבם והקיפם בעננים וסבבם בדגלים לארבע רוחות וסבבן בתחתית ההר, שכפהו עליהם כגיגית:
and bestowed understanding upon them: There [God bestowed upon them] Torah and understanding.
יבוננהו: שם בתורה ובינה:
He protected them: from snakes, serpents, and scorpions, and from [hostile] nations.
יצרנהו: מנחש שרף ועקרב ומן האומות:
as the pupil of his eye: This refers to the black part of the eye, from which the light is reflected outward. Now, Onkelos renders יִמְצָאֵהוּ as:“He provided their needs,” that is, God provided Israel with all their needs in the desert. [The use of the word מָצָא is] similar to [its use in the verses],“[Will flock and cattle be slaughtered for them] to provide (וּמָצָא) them?” (Num. 11:22), and“The mountain is not enough (יִמָּצֵא) for us” (Josh. 17:16).
כאישון עינו: הוא השחור שבעין, שהמאור יוצא הימנו. ואונקלוס תרגם ימצאהו יספיקהו כל צרכו במדבר, כמו (במדבר יא, כב) ומצא להם, (יהושע יז, טז) לא ימצא לנו ההר:
He encompassed them: [Rendered by Onkelos :] “He made them encamp round about His Divine Presence”-the Tent of Meeting [where the Divine Presence rested] was in the middle [of the camp] and the four divisions [i.e., the tribal camps, surrounded it] from all four directions.
יסבבנהו: אשרינון סחור סחור לשכינתיה, אוהל מועד באמצע וארבעה דגלים לארבע רוחות:
11As an eagle awakens its nest, hovering over its fledglings, it spreads its wings, taking them and carrying them on its pinions. יאכְּנֶ֨שֶׁר֙ יָעִ֣יר קִנּ֔וֹ עַל־גּֽוֹזָלָ֖יו יְרַחֵ֑ף יִפְרֹ֤שׂ כְּנָפָיו֙ יִקָּחֵ֔הוּ יִשָּׂאֵ֖הוּ עַל־אֶבְרָתֽוֹ:
As an eagle awakens its nest: He guided them [Israel] with mercy and compassion like an eagle, which is merciful towards its own fledglings and does not enter its nest suddenly. [Rather,] it beats and flaps its wings above its young between one tree and another, between one branch and another, in order that its young should awaken and have the strength to receive it.
כנשר יעיר קנו: נהגם ברחמים ובחמלה כנשר הזה רחמני על בניו ואינו נכנס לקנו פתאום עד שהוא מקשקש ומטרף על בניו בכנפיו בין אילן לאילן בין שוכה לחברתה, כדי שיעורו בניו, ויהא בהם כח לקבלו:
awakens its nest: [I.e.,] it awakens its fledglings.
יעיר קנו: יעורר בניו:
hovering over its fledglings: [The eagle] does not impose its [whole] body upon them. Rather, it hovers above them, touching them and yet not quite touching them. So too, is the Holy One, Blessed is He. [As in the verse:] “We did not find the Almighty great in power” (Job 37:23). When He came to give the Torah to Israel, He did not reveal Himself to them from one direction [thus concentrating His power at one point, as it were], but rather, from four directions, as Scripture states, “The Lord came from Sinai, and shone forth from Seir to them, and appeared from Mount Paran” (Deut. 33:2). [This accounts for three directions.] The fourth direction is referred to in [the verse], “God comes from Teman” (Hab. 3:3). - [Sifrei 32:11]
על גוזליו ירחף: אינו מכביד עצמו עליהם אלא מחופף, נוגע ואינו נוגע, אף הקב"ה (איוב לז, כג) שדי לא מצאנוהו שגיא כח, כשבא ליתן תורה לא נגלה עליהם מרוח אחת אלא מארבע רוחות, שנאמר (לקמן לג, ב) ה' מסיני בא וזרח משעיר למו הופיע מהר פארן ואתה מרבבות קודש, (חבקוק ג, ג) אלוה מתימן יבא זו רוח רביעית:
spreading its wings, taking them: When it [the eagle] comes to move [its fledglings] from place to place, it does not pick them up with its feet, as do other birds. Other birds are afraid of the eagle, which soars very high and flies above them. For this reason, it [the other bird] carries them with its feet because of the eagle [above them]. The eagle, however, is afraid only of an arrow. Therefore, it carries its young on its wings, saying, “It is better that an arrow pierce me, rather than pierce my young.” So too, the Holy One, Blessed is He, [says]: “I carried you on eagles’ wings” (Exod. 19:4). [I.e.,] when the Egyptians pursued [the children of Israel] and overtook them at the [Red] Sea, they cast arrows and catapulted rocks [at Israel]. Immediately, “The angel of God moved… [behind them… and the pillar of cloud] came between the camp of Egypt [and the camp of Israel]” (Exod. 14:19-20) [for Israel’s protection]. — [Mechilta 19:4]
יפרוש כנפיו יקחהו: כשבא ליטלן ממקום למקום אינו נוטלן ברגליו כשאר עופות, לפי ששאר עופות יראים מן הנשר, שהוא מגביה לעוף ופורח עליהם, לפיכך נושאן ברגליו מפני הנשר, אבל הנשר אינו ירא אלא מן החץ לפיכך נושאן על כנפיו. אומר מוטב שיכנס החץ בי ולא יכנס בבני, אף הקב"ה (שמות יט, ד) ואשא אתכם על כנפי נשרים, כשנסעו מצרים אחריהם והשיגום על הים היו זורקים בהם חצים ואבני בליסטראות, מיד (שמות יד, יט - כ) ויסע מלאך האלהים וגו' ויבא בין מחנה מצרים וגו':
12[So] the Lord guided them alone, and there was no alien deity with Him. יביְהֹוָ֖ה בָּדָ֣ד יַנְחֶ֑נּוּ וְאֵ֥ין עִמּ֖וֹ אֵ֥ל נֵכָֽר:
[So] the Lord guided them alone: God guided them safely and alone in the desert.
ה' בדד ינחנו: נהגם במדבר בטח ובדד:
and there was no alien deity with him: Not one of the deities of the nations had the power to display its might and to wage war with them [i.e., with Israel]. Our Rabbis, however, explained [this whole verse] as referring to the future [i.e., “(So) the Lord will guide them….”] (Sifrei 32:12), and Onkelos renders [this verse] likewise. But I say that these are words of reproof. [Moses] called upon heaven and earth as witnesses, and this song [i.e., parashath Ha’azinu] would [also] be a witness, that eventually [Israel] would betray [God], and they would neither remember what God did for them in the past [generations], nor [would they bear in mind] what He was destined to do to them. Hence, this [verse] should be understood to refer to both [the past and the future]. And [therefore] this whole passage is apropos of [the phrase]:“Remember the days of old; reflect upon the years of [other] generations” (verse 7)-thus [God] did for them, and thus will He do for them in the future. [The passage is admonishing Israel:] They should have remembered all this.
ואין עמו אל נכר: לא היה כח באחד מכל אלהי הגוים להראות כחו ולהלחם עמהם. ורבותינו דרשוהו על העתיד, וכן תרגם אונקלוס. ואני אומר דברי תוכחה הם, להעיד השמים והארץ ותהא השירה להם לעד שסופן לבגוד ולא יזכרו הראשונות שעשה להם ולא הנולדות שהוא עתיד לעשות להם, לפיכך צריך ליישב הדבר לכאן ולכאן. וכל הענין מוסב על (פסוק ז) זכור ימות עולם בינו שנות דור ודור, כן עשה להם וכן עתיד לעשות, כל זה היה להם לזכור:
Tehillim: Psalms Chapters 120 - 134
• 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.
Chapter 120
This psalm rebukes slanderers, describing how the deadly effect of slander reaches even further than weapons.
1. A song of ascents. I have called out to the Lord in my distress, and He answered me.
2. O Lord, rescue my soul from the lips of falsehood, from a deceitful tongue.
3. What can He give you, and what [further restraint] can He add to you, O deceitful tongue?
4. [You resemble] the sharp arrows of a mighty one, and the coals of broom-wood.1
5. Woe unto me that I sojourned among Meshech, that I dwelt beside the tents of Kedar.
6. Too long has my soul dwelt among those who hate peace.
7. I am for peace, but when I speak, they are for war.
FOOTNOTES
1.Which remain hot on the inside while appearing cool to the touch (Rashi).
Chapter 121
This psalm alludes to the Lower Paradise, from which one ascends to the Higher Paradise. It also speaks of how God watches over us.
1. A song of ascents. I lift my eyes to the mountains-from where will my help come?
2. My help will come from the Lord, Maker of heaven and earth.
3. He will not let your foot falter; your guardian does not slumber.
4. Indeed, the Guardian of Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps.
5. The Lord is your guardian; the Lord is your protective shade at your right hand.
6. The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.
7. The Lord will guard you from all evil; He will guard your soul.
8. The Lord will guard your going and your coming from now and for all time.
Chapter 122
The psalmist sings the praises of Jerusalem and tells of the miracles that happened there.
1. A song of ascents by David. I rejoiced when they said to me, "Let us go to the House of the Lord.”
2. Our feet were standing within your gates, O Jerusalem;
3. Jerusalem that is built like a city in which [all Israel] is united together.
4. For there the tribes went up, the tribes of God-as enjoined upon Israel-to offer praise to the Name of the Lord.
5. For there stood the seats of justice, the thrones of the house of David.
6. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem; may those who love you have peace.
7. May there be peace within your walls, serenity within your mansions.
8. For the sake of my brethren and friends, I ask that there be peace within you.
9. For the sake of the House of the Lord our God, I seek your well-being.
Chapter 123
The psalmist laments the length of time we have already suffered in exile.
1. A song of ascents. To You have I lifted my eyes, You Who are enthroned in heaven.
2. Indeed, as the eyes of servants are turned to the hand of their masters, as the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress, so are our eyes turned to the Lord our God, until He will be gracious to us.
3. Be gracious to us, Lord, be gracious to us, for we have been surfeited with humiliation.
4. Our soul has been overfilled with the derision of the complacent, with the scorn of the arrogant.
Chapter 124
1. A song of ascents by David. Were it not for the Lord Who was with us-let Israel declare-
2. were it not for the Lord Who was with us when men rose up against us,
3. then they would have swallowed us alive in their burning rage against us.
4. Then the waters would have inundated us, the torrent would have swept over our soul;
5. then the raging waters would have surged over our soul.
6. Blessed is the Lord, Who did not permit us to be prey for their teeth.
7. Our soul is like a bird which has escaped from the fowler's snare; the snare broke and we escaped.
8. Our help is in the Name of the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.
Chapter 125
1. A song of ascents. Those who trust in the Lord are as Mount Zion which never falters, but abides forever.
2. Mountains surround Jerusalem, and the Lord surrounds His people from this time and forever.
3. For the rod of wickedness will never come to rest upon the lot of the righteous; therefore the righteous need not stretch their hand to iniquity.
4. Be beneficent, O Lord, to the good and to those who are upright in their hearts.
5. But as for those that turn to their perverseness, may the Lord lead them with the workers of iniquity. Peace be upon Israel.
Chapter 126
The psalmist speaks of the future, comparing our Divine service in exile to one who sows arid land, then cries and begs God to send rain upon it so that the seed not be wasted. When he merits to reap the crop, he offers thanks to God.
1. A song of ascents. When the Lord will return the exiles of Zion, we will have been like dreamers.
2. Then our mouth will be filled with laughter, and our tongue with songs of joy; then will they say among the nations, "The Lord has done great things for these.”
3. The Lord has done great things for us; we were joyful.
4. Lord, return our exiles as streams to arid soil.
5. Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy.
6. He goes along weeping, carrying the bag of seed; he will surely return with songs of joy, carrying his sheaves.
Chapter 127
King David instructs his generation, and especially his son Solomon, to be sure that all one's actions be for the sake of Heaven. He also criticizes those who toil day and night in pursuit of a livelihood.
1. A song of ascents for Solomon. If the Lord does not build a house, then its builders labor upon it in vain. If the Lord will not guard a city, the vigilance of its watchman is in vain.
2. It is in vain for you, you who rise early, who sit up late, and who eat the bread of tension, for in fact He gives His loved ones sleep.
3. Behold, the heritage of the Lord is children; the fruit of the womb is a reward.
4. As arrows in the hand of a mighty man, so are the children of youth.
5. Fortunate is the man who has his quiver full of them; they will not find themselves shamed when they speak with enemies in public places.
Chapter 128
This psalm extols one who enjoys the fruits of his own labor, avoiding theft and deception, even refusing gifts. It also describes behavior appropriate to the God-fearing.
1. A song of ascents. Fortunate is every man who fears the Lord, who walks in His ways.
2. When you eat of the labor of your hands, you will be happy, and you will have goodness.
3. Your wife will be like a fruitful vine in the inner chambers of your house; your children will be like olive saplings around your table.
4. Behold, so will be blessed the man who fears the Lord.
5. May the Lord bless you out of Zion, and may you see the goodness of Jerusalem all the days of your life.
6. And may you see children [born] to your children; peace upon Israel.
Chapter 129
The psalmist laments the troubles of Israel.
1. A song of ascents. Much have they persecuted me from my youth on. Let Israel declare it now-
2. "Much have they persecuted me from my youth on, [but] they have not prevailed against me.”
3. The plowmen plowed upon my back; they wished to make their furrow long.
4. But the Lord is just; He cut the cords of the lawless.
5. They will be humiliated and will be turned back, all the haters of Zion.
6. They will be as grass upon the rooftops that withers before one plucks it,
7. wherewith the reaper has never filled his hand, nor the sheaf-binder his arm;
8. and of which the passers-by never have said: "The blessing of the Lord be upon you; we bless you in the name of the Lord."
Chapter 130
The psalmist prays for an end to this long exile.
1. A song of ascents. Out of the depths I call to You, O Lord.
2. My Lord, hearken to my voice; let Your ears be attentive to the sound of my pleas.
3. God, if You were to preserve iniquities, my Lord, who could survive?
4. But forgiveness is with You, that You may be held in awe.
5. I hope in the Lord; my soul hopes, and I long for His word.
6. My soul yearns for the Lord more than those awaiting the morning wait for the morning.
7. Israel, put your hope in the Lord, for with the Lord there is kindness; with Him there is abounding deliverance.
8. And He will redeem Israel from all its iniquities.
Chapter 131
In this prayer, David declares that never in the course of his life was he haughty, nor did he pursue greatness or worldly pleasures.
1. A song of ascents, by David. O Lord, my heart was not proud, nor were my eyes haughty; I did not seek matters that were too great and too wondrous for me.
2. Surely I put my soul at peace and soothed it like a weaned child with his mother; my soul was like a weaned child.
3. Let Israel hope in the Lord from this time forth and forever.
Chapter 132
David composed this psalm while he and the elders of Israel wore sackcloth, in mourning over the plague that had descended upon the land, and their being distant from the Holy Temple. David therefore offers intense prayers, entreating God to remember the hardship and sacrifice he endured for the sake of the Temple.
1. A song of ascents. O Lord, remember unto David all his suffering,
2. how he swore to the Lord, and vowed to the Mighty Power of Jacob:
3. "I will not enter into the tent of my house; I will not go up into the bed that is spread for me;
4. I will not give sleep to my eyes, nor slumber to my eyelids;
5. until I will have found a place for the Lord, a resting place for the Mighty Power of Jacob.”
6. Lo, we heard of it in Ephrath; we found it in the field of the forest.
7. We will come to His resting places; we will prostrate ourselves at His footstool.
8. Ascend, O Lord, to Your resting place, You and the Ark of Your might.
9. May Your priests clothe themselves in righteousness, and may Your pious ones sing joyous songs.
10. For the sake of David Your servant, turn not away the face of Your anointed.
11. For the Lord has sworn to David a truth from which He will never retreat: "From the fruit of your womb will I set for you upon the throne.
12. If your sons will keep My covenant and this testimony of mine which I will teach them, then their sons, too, will sit on the throne for you until the end of time.
13. For the Lord has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His habitation.
14. This is My resting place to the end of time. Here will I dwell, for I have desired it.
15. I will abundantly bless her sustenance; I will satisfy her needy with bread.
16. I will clothe her priests with salvation, and her pious ones will sing joyous songs.
17. There I will cause David's power to flourish; there I have prepared a lamp for My anointed.
18. His enemies will I clothe with shame, but upon him, his crown will blossom."
Chapter 133
1. A song of ascents, by David. Behold, how good and how pleasant it is when brothers dwell together.
2. Like the precious oil [placed] upon the head, flowing [in abundance] down the beard, the beard of Aaron which rests upon his garments.
3. Like the dew of Hermon which comes down upon the mountains of Zion, for there the Lord has commanded blessing, life unto eternity.
Chapter 134
The psalmist exhorts the scholarly and pious to rise from their beds at night, and go to the House of God.
1. A song of ascents. Behold: Bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord who stand in the House of the Lord in the nights.
2. Lift up your hands in holiness and bless the Lord.
3. May the Lord, Who makes heaven and earth, bless you from Zion.
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 79, 80 and 81.
Chapter 79
In this psalm, Asaph thanks God for sparing the people and directing His wrath upon the wood and stones (of the Temple). Still he cries bitterly, mourning the immense destruction: The place where the High Priest alone was allowed to enter-and only on Yom Kippur-is now so desolate that foxes stroll through it!
1. A psalm by Asaph. O God, nations have entered Your inheritance, they defiled Your Holy Sanctuary; they turned Jerusalem into heaps of rubble.
2. They have rendered the corpses of Your servants as food for the birds of heaven, the flesh of Your pious ones for the beasts of the earth.
3. They spilled their blood like water around Jerusalem, and there is no one to bury [them].
4. We became the object of disgrace to our neighbors, ridicule and scorn to those around us.
5. Until when, O Lord! Will You be angry forever? Will Your jealousy burn like fire?
6. Pour Your wrath upon the nations that do not know You, upon the kingdoms that do not call Your Name,
7. for they devoured Jacob and desolated His abode.
8. Do not recall our former sins; let Your mercies come swiftly towards us, for we have fallen very low.
9. Help us, God of our deliverance, for the sake of the glory of Your Name; save us and pardon our sins for the sake of Your Name.
10. Why should the nations say, "Where is their God?" Let there be known among the nations, before our eyes, the retribution of the spilled blood of Your servants.
11. Let the groan of the prisoner come before You; liberate those condemned to death, as befits the greatness of Your strength.
12. Repay our neighbors sevenfold into their bosom, for the disgrace with which they reviled You, O Lord.
13. And we, Your people, the flock of Your pasture, will thank You forever; for all generations we will recount Your praise.
Chapter 80
An awe-inspiring prayer imploring God to draw near to us as in days of old.
1. For the Conductor, on the shoshanim, 1 a testimony by Asaph, a psalm.
2. Listen, O Shepherd of Israel, Who leads Joseph like sheep. Appear, You Who is enthroned upon the cherubim.
3. Arouse Your might before Ephraim, Benjamin and Menashe, for it is upon You to save us.
4. Return us, O God; cause Your countenance to shine, that we may be saved.
5. O Lord, God of Hosts, until when will You fume at the prayer of Your people?
6. You fed them bread of tears, and gave them tears to drink in great measure.
7. You have made us an object of strife to our neighbors; our enemies mock to themselves.
8. Return us, O God of Hosts; cause Your countenance to shine, that we may be saved.
9. You brought a vine out of Egypt; You drove out nations and planted it.
10. You cleared space before it; it took root and filled the land.
11. Mountains were covered by its shade, and its branches became mighty cedars.
12. It sent forth its branches till the sea, and its tender shoots to the river.
13. Why did You breach its fences, so that every passerby plucked its fruit?
14. The boars of the forest ravage it, and the creepers of the field feed upon it.
15. O God of Hosts, please return! Look down from heaven and see, and be mindful of this vine,
16. and of the foundation which Your right hand has planted, and the son whom You strengthened for Yourself.
17. It is burned by fire, cut down; they perish at the rebuke of Your Presence.
18. Let Your hand be upon the man of Your right hand, upon the son of man whom You strengthened for Yourself.
19. Then we will not withdraw from You; revive us, and we will proclaim Your Name.
20. O Lord, God of Hosts, return us; cause Your countenance to shine that we may be saved.
Chapter 81
This psalm was chanted in the Holy Temple on Rosh Hashanah, a day on which many miracles were wrought for Israel.
1. For the Conductor, upon the gittit,1 by Asaph.
2. Sing joyously to God, our strength; sound the shofar to the God of Jacob.
3. Raise your voice in song, sound the drum, the pleasant harp, and the lyre.
4. Blow the shofar on the New Month, on the designated day of our Holy Day;
5. for it is a decree for Israel, a ruling of the God of Jacob.
6. He ordained it as a precept for Joseph when he went forth over the land of Egypt; I heard a language which I did not know.
7. I have taken his shoulder from the burden; his hands were removed from the pot.2
8. In distress you called and I delivered you; [you called] in secret, and I answered you with thunderous wonders; I tested you at the waters of Merivah, Selah.
9. Hear, My people, and I will admonish you; Israel, if you would only listen to Me!
10. You shall have no alien god within you, nor shall you bow down to a foreign deity.
11. I am the Lord your God who brought you up from the land of Egypt; open wide your mouth, [state all your desires,] and I shall grant them.
12. But My people did not heed My voice; Israel did not want [to listen to] Me.
13. So I sent them away for the willfulness of their heart, for following their [evil] design.
14. If only My people would listen to Me, if Israel would only walk in My ways,
15. then I would quickly subdue their enemies, and turn My hand against their oppressors.
16. Those who hate the Lord would shrivel before Him, and the time [of their retribution] shall be forever.
17. I would feed him [Israel] with the finest of wheat, and sate you with honey from the rock.
Tanya: Iggeret HaKodesh, beginning of Epistle 18
• English Text (Lessons in Tanya)
• Hebrew Text
• Audio Class: Listen | Download
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Monday, Elul 27, 5777 · September 18, 2017
Today's Tanya Lesson
Iggeret HaKodesh, beginning of Epistle 18
AUDIO & VIDEO CLASSES
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As noted earlier, the overwhelming majority of the letters that the Alter Rebbe’s sons included here as part of the Tanya, were intended to encourage active divine service,1 particularly through the giving of tzedakah for the Kollel Chabad Fund. (This Fund supported fellow chassidim who had settled in the Holy Land, there to serve G‑d through Torah and prayer.)
Accordingly, these themes should be sought even in a letter such as the one that follows, which does not refer to them directly. If at all possible, one should also seek to connect this letter to the one which precedes it, and thus understand why the author’s sons placed it where they did.2
In the present letter the Alter Rebbe elaborates upon two general categories in the love of G‑d. The first category of love is granted man only as a gift from Above: he cannot attain it by dint of his own service. This pleasurable experience of Divinity is termed3 ahavah betaanugim (“a love which experiences delights”), and is a foretaste of the World to Come, wherein the soul basks in the rays of the Shechinah. The second category of love for G‑d — longing and thirsting for Him — can be attained through man’s service and meditation.
The connection between this letter and the previous one, and its lesson in man’s divine service (particularly with respect to charity), may then be the following:
The previous letter extolled the merit of serving G‑d through tzedakah, whereby one simultaneously secures the revelations of Gan Eden and of the World to Come, the time of the Resurrection.
The difference in revelation between Gan Eden and the World to Come is that Gan Eden reveals but a “glimmer of a glimmer” of that which is accomplished through the performance of a mitzvah — its “fruits”, while the World to Come reveals the reward of the very essence of the mitzvah. Both Gan Eden and the World to Come — to a greater or lesser degree — reveal and enable the soul to apprehend the essential Divinity that underlies the mitzvah.
But all the merits of both the above levels relate only to a consequence of the mitzvah, viz., its revelations. The nucleus of the mitzvah is the fact that through performing it the individual cleaves to G‑d, for מצוה is related to צוותא, signifying attachment. And this nucleus surfaces at the actual time of performance. It is for this reason that our Sages teach that4 “Better one hour in repentance and good deeds in this world than all of the World to Come”; the actual practice of repentance and good deeds (for by prefacing the deeds with repentance they become “good” and “luminous”5) in this world is superior to all the lofty spiritual levels of Gan Eden and the World to Come.
However, lofty as actual performance may be, its effects are totally concealed; man is neither aware of them nor does his soul perceive them at all. In this letter, therefore, the Alter Rebbe explains the two categories of love, for the love of G‑d is a feeling that is manifest in the soul.
The first, ahavah betaanugim (“a love that experiences delights”), is related to the revelation in the World to Come, at the time of the Resurrection. For just as at that time6 “the righteous will sit with their crowns on their heads, and take delight in the radiance of the Divine Presence,” so too is this love a pleasurable love; in the words of the Alter Rebbe, “It is truly a foretaste of the World to Come.”
The second manner of love — a thirstful longing for G‑d and a desire to cleave to Him — is a revelation similar to that of Gan Eden, for there too there is a limited degree of longing for G‑d, as explained in the previous letter at length.
Thus, when a Jew performs a mitzvah he not only cleaves to G‑d unawares: some aspect of this contact may also become revealed within his soul — both the revelation which foreshadows that of Gan Eden and even the revelation which anticipates the World to Come at the time of the Resurrection.
And even though ahavah betaanugim is a gift bestowed upon lofty souls from Above, some echo of it may resonate within any Jew when his wholehearted performance of the mitzvot is vitalized by his love of G‑d.7
כתיב: מה יפית ומה נעמת, אהבה בתענוגים
It is written,8 “How beautiful and how pleasant are you, ahavah betaanugim!”
I.e., “How beautiful and pleasant it is to cleave to You with ahavah betaanugim” — with a love that experiences delight in the state of cleaving to the beloved, as opposed to a love in which the lover seeks to cleave to the beloved.
הנה ב׳ מיני אהבות הן
There are two kinds of love, each of which subdivides further.
האחת: אהבה בתענוגים
The first is ahavah betaanugim,
דהיינו, שמתענג על ה׳ עונג נפלא
meaning that one delights wondrously in G‑d,
בשמחה רבה ועצומה, שמחת הנפש וכלותה, בטעמה כי טוב ה׳
with a great and immense joy, the joy of the soul and its yearning as it tastes that G‑d is good9
ונעים נעימות עריבות עד להפליא
and as delightful as wondrously sweet delights.
This sweetness is not sensed as a result of one’s comprehension; rather, this is a sensation of wonderment at that which transcends one’s comprehension.
מעין עולם הבא ממש, שנהנין כו׳
It is truly a foretaste of the World to Come, where10 “[the righteous will sit with their crowns on their heads], and take delight [in the radiance of the Divine Presence].”
ועל זה כתיב: שמחו צדיקים בה׳
Concerning this pleasurable experience of G‑dliness it is written,11 “Rejoice, you righteous, in G‑d,”
ולא כל אדם זוכה לזה
and not everyone merits this.
וזו היא בחינת כהנא ברעותא דלבא, שבזוהר הקדוש
This is the level [of love] which the sacred Zohar refers to in the phrase,12 kahana bire’uta delibba.
Lit., “The Kohen [serves G‑d] with the [innermost] desire of the heart”]. As opposed to the Levites, whose longing for G‑d surged forth (ratzo) and found outward expression in song, the service of the Kohanim was silent.
ועל זה נאמר: עבודת מתנה וגו׳
Moreover, of this [level of love] it is said,13 “[I shall grant you your priestly] service as a gift,”
The priestly level of love, ahavah betaanugim, is a gift from Above.
והזר הקרב וגו׳
“and the stranger who comes nigh — i.e., to this manner of service — [is liable to death],”14
כי אין דרך להשיגה על ידי יגיעת בשר, כמו היראה
for there is no way to attain it by human efforts, as there is with the awe of G‑d,
ששואלין עליה: יגעת ביראה
concerning which [the departed soul] is asked [in the next world],15 “Did you labor with awe?”
I.e., “Did you toil to acquire an awe of G‑d?”
ואוי לבשר שלא נתייגע ביראה
Likewise, “Woe to the mortal who did not labor with awe,”
כמו שכתוב בראשית חכמה
as is written in Reishit Chochmah.
וכתיב ביראה: אם תבקשנה ככסף וגו׳
Of awe it is also written,16“If you will seek it like silver, [and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will attain a fear of G‑d...].”
מלמד שצריכה יגיעה רבה ועצומה, כמחפש אחר אוצרות
This shows that it requires great and intense exertion, as when one searches for treasure.
It has already been explained (in Part I, ch. 42) that when one digs for a treasure that he knows beyond the shadow of a doubt lies buried in the depths of the earth, he will seek it tirelessly. Knowing with certainty that the fear of heaven lies buried in the understanding of the heart of every Jew, will lead to similar untiring efforts in revealing this spiritual treasure.
However, this only applies to the fear and awe of G‑d; even the loftiest degree of awe, yirah ilaah, is attainable through man’s efforts.
אבל אהבה רבה זו אהבה בתענוגים נופלת לאדם מאליה מלמעלה, בלי שיכין ויכוון לה
By contrast, this great love (17ahavah betaanugim) comes upon a man by itself, from Above, without his preparing and intending himself for it,
אך ורק אחר שנתייגע ביראת הרוממות
but only after he has exerted himself in yirat haromemut, to attain the higher level of fear wherein he stands in awe of G‑d’s Majesty,
והגיע לתכלית מה שיוכל להשיג ממנה, לפי בחינת נשמתו
and after he has attained the maximum he is able to attain of that [awe], according to the level of his soul;
אזי ממילא באה האהבה בתענוגים מלמעלה לשכון ולתייחד עם היראה
then, of itself, the ahavah betaanugim comes from Above to dwell, and to become united, with the awe.
כי דרכו של איש לחזר כו׳, כמו שכתוב בלקוטי אמרים
For18 “It is the way of the man to search [for the woman],” as explained in Likkutei Amarim.
In Part I, ch. 43, the Alter Rebbe explains that love is termed “man” or “male”, while fear is termed “woman” (as in the verse,19 “A woman who fears G‑d...”). In spiritual terms, “It is the way of the man to search for the woman” means that the love of G‑d searches for the fear of G‑d and dwells with it.
Having spoken until now of the higher category in the love of G‑d called ahavah betaanugim, the Alter Rebbe now proceeds to consider the lesser love, ahavah zuta.
| FOOTNOTES | |
| 1. | Note of the Rebbe: “In the words of the ‘Approbation of the rabbis, long may they live, sons of the illustrious author of blessed memory, whose soul is in Eden,’ [these letters were mostly written] ‘in order to teach the people of G‑d the way by which they should walk and the deed which they should do.’” |
| 2. | Note of the Rebbe: “For they were arranged not by date but by topic (Sefer HaSichot 5705, p. 110).” |
| 3. | Shir HaShirim 7:7. |
| 4. | Avot 4:17. |
| 5. | Likkutei Torah, Matot 82a et al. |
| 6. | Berachot 17a. |
| 7. | See Likkutei Torah, Masei 90b-c. |
| 8. | Shir HaShirim 7:7. |
| 9. | Cf. Tehillim 34:9. |
| 10. | Berachot 17a. |
| 11. | Ibid. 97:12. |
| 12. | )See Zohar III, 177b. |
| 13. | Bamidbar 18:7. |
| 14. | Ibid. |
| 15. | Cf. Shabbat 31a. |
| 16. | Mishlei 2:4-5. |
| 17. | Parentheses are in the original text. |
| 18. | Kiddushin 2b. |
| 19. | Mishlei 31:30, as interpreted in Zohar III, 27a. |
• Sefer Hamitzvot:
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Monday, Elul 27, 5777 · September 18, 2017
A daily digest of Maimonides’ classic work "Sefer Hamitzvot"
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Negative Commandment 195
Gluttonous Eating and Drinking
"You shall not eat over the blood"—Leviticus 19:26.
A youth is forbidden to eat and drink in a gluttonous fashion, according to the specific [extreme] conditions that define a "rebellious son." (A rebellious son is put to death. As such, the Sages interpret the afore-cited verse to mean: "Do not eat [in such a manner that will cause] blood [i.e., death].")
Full text of this Mitzvah »
Gluttonous Eating and Drinking
Negative Commandment 195
Translated by Berel Bell
The 195th prohibition is that we are forbidden from being a glutton and a drunkard in our youth, according to the specific conditions1 which define a ben sorer u'moreh [rebellious son].
The source of this prohibition is G‑d's statement2 (exalted be He), "Do not eat on the blood."3
The explanation [of why this is counted as a prohibition instead of a positive commandment to punish the ben sorer u'moreh] is that the ben sorer u'moreh is included among those who are executed by the High Court. The Torah states clearly4 that the method of execution is stoning. We already explained in the Introduction to this work5 that whenever the Torah indicates a punishment of kares or execution, the mitzvah is a prohibition, except for the Pesach sacrifice and circumcision. We therefore know that the present mitzvah is a prohibition, since this glutton and drunkard is punished by stoning if all the conditions are present.
We have mentioned the source for the punishment, but according to our principle that the Torah gives a punishment only if there is another verse which states the actual prohibition, we still need to find the actual prohibition. The Gemara says in Sanhedrin,6 "Which verse serves as the prohibition of ben sorer u'moreh? The verse, 'Do not eat on the blood.' " It is as if the verse says, "Do not eat in a way that will cause bloodshed," i.e. the eating of this glutton and drunkard which is punishable by execution. If a person would eat this wicked meal with all the negative conditions, he would transgress this prohibition.
It doesn't matter that this is a lav she'b'klalus,7 as explained in the Ninth Introductory Principle, because since there is a separate verse stating the punishment, we are not concerned whether the actual prohibition comes from a separate law or a lav she'b'klalus. We have already explained this many times and given many examples.8
The details of this mitzvah are explained in the eighth chapter of tractate Sanhedrin.
FOOTNOTES
1.For example, he must buy and consume 50 dinars worth of meat with money stolen from his father. It must be cooked rare, and eaten outside his father's property in bad company. It must be done in the three month period after he reaches bar mitzvah. See Hilchos Mamrim, Ch. 7.
2.Lev. 19:26.
3.See below, where the Rambam explains the connection of this verse to this prohibition.
4.Deut. 21:21.
5.End of Introductory Principle 14.
6.63a.
7.An "inclusive prohibition," i.e. one which includes several distinct prohibitions. The general rule regarding a lav she'b'klalus is that it counts as just one commandment even though it includes several distinct prohibitions. (See Introductory Principle Nine and N299.)
This verse, "Do not eat on the blood," is explained in Sanhedrin to include other prohibitions, such as eating sacrificial meat before the blood is spilt on the altar (N182). Although usually the separate aspects of a lav she'b'klalus are included in one single prohibition, N195 does not have this problem, as the Rambam explains further.
8.See, for example, N26; N60.
Positive Commandment 37
A Priest's Attendance at a Next of Kin's Funeral
"For [his sister], he must become impure"—Leviticus 21:3.
Priests are commanded to become ritually impure [by attending the funerals of] their next of kin. Since the Torah normally forbids priests from becoming impure through contact with a corpse, one might think that the allowance for them to attend the funeral of a relative is simply to provide them with that option, but is not compulsory. Therefore the Torah clarifies that it is mandatory. As the Talmud related that Yosef the Priest's wife died on the eve of Passover and he didn't want to become impure by attending her funeral [so that he should be able to sacrifice and eat from the Paschal Offering], so the Sages "pushed" him and forced him become impure.
Included in this mitzvah is the general obligation that everyone – priests and Israelites alike – mourn the deaths of their next of kin. (And it is because of the priest's obligation to mourn that the Torah obligates him to attend the funeral and show his respects.) According to Torah law, the mourning period is one day [following the burial]; the Sages extended this to a seven-day period of mourning.
Full text of this Mitzvah »
A Priest's Attendance at a Next of Kin's Funeral
Positive Commandment 37
Translated by Berel Bell
The 37th mitzvah is that we are commanded that Kohanim shall make themselves tameh1 for those relatives mentioned in the Torah.2 Since the Torah honored them by prohibiting them from being tameh from a dead body alone,3 and allowed them to become tameh for relatives, one could possibly think that it is optional and depends on their wishes: if they wish, they may become tameh, and if not, they will not become tameh. The Torah therefore explicitly decreed that it is a requirement.
The source of this commandment is G‑d's statement4 (exalted be He), [regarding the kohen's sister], "You shall become tameh for her."
The Sifra5 says, "The phrase, 'You shall become tameh for her,' is a positive commandment. Even should he not want to become tameh, he is made tameh against his will. The wife of Yosef HaKohen passed away on Erev Pesach, and he did not want to become tameh,6 and the Sages forced him to become tameh against his will."
This mitzvah is actually the commandment to mourn, i.e. that every Jew is required to mourn upon the passing of one of the six7 for who it is commanded to mourn. The commandment is said regarding a kohen to emphasize its seriousness: Even a kohen, who is normally forbidden from becoming tameh, is commanded in this case to act like any other Jew and become tameh. [It is stressed in this way] in order to prevent people from being lenient in the laws of mourning.
It has been explained8 that the first day of mourning is mandated by Torah law. Our Sages said in tractate Moed Katan,9 "The commandment of mourning does not apply during Yom Tov. If the person was already mourning [when Yom Tov began], the positive commandment which applies to everyone [i.e. rejoicing during Yom Tov] pushes away the positive commandment which applies only to the individual" [i.e. mourning]. This [phrase "positive commandment"] indicates clearly that mourning is a Torah obligation and counts as a positive commandment. However, this is only for the first day, when even a kohen becomes tameh upon the passing of a close relative. The seven days of mourning are by Rabbinic law. Be sure to understand this.
The details of this mitzvah are explained in tractate "Mashkin,"10 passages in Berachos,11 Kesuvos,12 Yevamos,13 and Avodah Zorah,14 and in Sifra, Parshas Emor el HaKohanim.
The requirement of Kohanim to become tameh for a close relative is not binding upon female Kohanim. Only one who is prohibited from becoming tameh for non-relatives is commanded to become tameh for relatives. A female kohen, since she is not prohibited from tumas meis, as explained there,15 she is also not commanded or required to become tameh [upon death of a relative]. She is required to mourn, but becoming tameh is her choice. Be sure to understand this.
FOOTNOTES
1.I.e. ritually impure by attending the funeral of a close relative.
2.Lev. 21:2-3. I.e. father, mother, son, daughter, brother and sister. By Rabbinic law, this also applies to a husband and wife. See Hilchos Avel, 2:1.
3.And not other types of tumah
4.Lev. 21:3.
5.Ibid.
6.For her burial. Even though he was allowed to become tameh, he would then be unable to fulfill the mitzvah of partaking in the Pesach sacrifice.
7.See Kapach, 5731, footnote 26.
8.Zevachim 100a.
9.14b.
10.Moed Katan 19ff.
11.18a.
12.4b.
13.22b et al.
14.13a.
15.N166.
Rambam:
• 1 Chapter A Day: Melachim uMilchamot Melachim uMilchamot - Chapter 4
English Text | Hebrew Text
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1
The king is granted license to levy taxes upon the nation for his needs or for the purpose of war. He may also fix a duty on merchandise. It is forbidden to avoid paying this duty. The king has the right to decree that if someone does not pay these duties, his property will be seized or he will be killed.
These laws are derived as follows: I Samuel 8:17 states: 'You will be servants to him, the king.' Previously, Deuteronomy 20:11 states: 'They shall be subject to your levy and they shall serve you.' From this association, it is derived that the king may levy taxes and fix duties.
The statutes that he establishes in these and related matters are accepted as law for all the matters mentioned in the Biblical passage concerning the king are rights to which the king is entitled.
א
רשות יש למלך ליתן מס על העם לצרכיו או לצורך המלחמות וקוצב לו מכס ואסור להבריח מן המכס שיש לו לגזור שכל מי שיגנוב המכס ילקח ממונו או יהרג שנאמר ואתם תהיו לו לעבדים ולהלן הוא אומר יהיו לך למס ועבדוך מכאן שנותן מס וקוצב מכס ודיניו בכל אלו הדברים וכיוצא בהן דין שכל האמור בפרשת מלך מלך זוכה בו:
2
He may also send throughout the territory of Eretz Yisrael and take from the nation valiant men and men of war and employ them as soldiers for his chariot and cavalry. Similarly, he may appoint them as his body guard and as footmen to run before him as I Samuel 8:11 states: 'He shall place them among his charioteers and his horsemen and they shall run before his chariot.' He may also take the choicest of them to be his servants and attendants as ibid.:16 states: 'He shall take... your finest young men... to do his work.'
ב
ושולח בכל גבול ישראל ולוקח מן העם הגבורים ואנשי חיל ועושה מהן חיל למרכבתו ובפרשיו ומעמיד מהן עומדים לפניו ומעמיד מהן אנשים לרוץ לפניו שנאמר ושם לו במרכבתו ופרשיו ורצו לפני מרכבתו ולוקח מן היפים שבהם להיות שמשים ועומדים לפניו שנאמר ואת בחוריכם הטובים יקח ועשה למלאכתו:
3
Similarly, he may take all those that are necessary for him from the nation's craftsmen and employ them to do his work. He must pay their wages. He may also take all the beasts, servants, and maids that are necessary for his tasks. He must pay their hire or their value as ibid.:12-16 states: 'He will set them to plough his ground and to reap his harvest, to make instruments of war, and gear for his chariots.... He will take your servants, your maids, your finest young men, and your donkeys to do his work.'
ג
וכן לוקח מן בעלי האומניות כל מה שהוא צריך ועושין לו מלאכתו ונותן שכרן ולוקח כל הבהמות והעבדים והשפחות למלאכתו ונותן שכרן או דמיהן שנאמר ולחרוש חרישו ולקצור קצירו ולעשות כלי מלחמתו וכלי רכבו ואת עבדיכם ואת שפחותיכם ואת בחוריכם הטובים ואת חמוריכם יקח ועשה למלאכתו:
4
Similarly, he may take wives and concubines from the entire territory of Eretz Yisrael. The term 'wives' implies women who were married with A ketubah and kiddushin; concubines, women who were not given A ketubah and kiddushin. With the act of yichud alone, the king acquires her and relations with her are permitted him.
A commoner is forbidden to have a concubine. The only similar relationship is the union with a Hebrew maid servant after she has been designated by her master.
The king may make the concubines which he takes to his palace cooks, bakers, and perfumers as ibid.:13 states: 'He will take your daughters to be perfumers, cooks, and bakers.
ד
וכן לוקח מכל גבול ישראל נשים ופלגשים נשים בכתובה וקדושין ופלגשים בלא כתובה ובלא קידושין אלא ביחוד בלבד קונה אותה ומותרת לו אבל ההדיוט אסור בפילגש אלא באמה העבריה בלבד אחר ייעוד ויש לו [רשות] לעשות הפילגשים שלוקח לארמונו טבחות ואופות ורקחות שנאמר ואת בנותיכם יקח לרקחות ולטבחות ולאופות:
5
He may force those who are fit to serve as officers, appointing them as leaders of thousands and leaders of fifties as ibid.:12 states: 'He shall appoint them as leaders of thousands and leaders of fifties for himself.'
ה
וכן כופה את הראויין להיות שרים וממנה אותם שרי אלפים ושרי חמשים שנאמר ולשום לו שרי אלפים ושרי חמשים:
6
He may take fields, olive groves, and vineyards for his servants when they go to war and allow them to commandeer these places if they have no source of nurture other than them. He must pay for what is taken. This is stated in ibid.:14: 'He shall take your good fields, vineyards, and olive groves and give them to his servants.
ו
ולוקח השדות והזיתים והכרמים לעבדיו כשילכו למלחמה ויפשטו על מקומות אלו אם אין להם מה יאכלו אלא משם ונותן דמיהן שנאמר ואת שדותיכם ואת כרמיכם וזיתיכם הטובים יקח ונתן לעבדיו:
7
He is entitled to a tenth of the produce of the seed and the orchards and the newborn beasts as ibid.:16-17 states: 'He will take a tenth of your seed and your vineyards...He shall take a tenth of your sheep.'
ז
ויש לו מעשר מן הזרעים ומן האילנות ומן הבהמה שנאמר וזרעיכם וכרמיכם יעשור וגו' צאנכם יעשור:
8
The Messianic king may take a thirteenth portion of all the lands conquered by Israel as his own. This will be an allotment for him and his descendants forever.
ח
המלך המשיח נוטל מכל הארצות שכובשין ישראל חלק אחד משלשה עשר ודבר זה חק לו ולבניו עד עולם:
9
The property of all those executed by the king, belongs to the king. Similarly, all the treasures belonging to the kings of the kingdoms which he conquers become the property of the king.
In regard to the other spoil which is taken. The soldiers may take spoil. Afterwards, they must bring it to the king. He is entitled to one half of the spoil. He takes this portion first.
The second half of the spoil is divided between the combat soldiers and the people who remained in camp to guard the baggage. An equal division is made between them as I Samuel 30:24 relates: 'The portion of those who go down to the battle will be as the portion of those who stay with the baggage. They shall divide equally.'
ט
כל הרוגי המלך ממונן למלך וכל הממלכות שכובש הרי אוצרות המלכים למלך ושאר הבזה שבוזזין בוזזין ונותנין לפניו והוא נוטל מחצה בראש ומחצית הבזה חולקין אותה כל אנשי הצבא ביחד עם העם היושבין על הכלים במחנה לשמרם חולקין בשוה שנאמר כי כחלק היורד במלחמה וכחלק היושב על הכלים יחדיו יחלוקו:
10
All the lands that he conquers belong to him. He may apportion them to his servants and soldiers as he desires and keep the remainder for himself. In all these matters, the judgement he makes is binding.
In all matters, his deeds shall be for the sake of heaven. His purpose and intent shall be to elevate the true faith and fill the world with justice, destroying the power of the wicked and waging the wars of God. For the entire purpose of appointing a king is to execute justice and wage wars as I Samuel 8:20 states: 'Our king shall judge us, go out before us, and wage our wars.'
י
כל הארץ שכובש הרי היא שלו ונותן לעבדיו ולאנשי המלחמה כפי מה שירצה ומניח לעצמו כפי מה שירצה ובכל אלו הדברים דינו דין ובכל יהיו מעשיו לשם שמים ותהיה מגמתו ומחשבתו להרים דת האמת ולמלאות העולם צדק ולשבור זרוע הרשעים ולהלחם מלחמות ה' שאין ממליכין מלך תחלה אלא לעשות משפט ומלחמות שנאמר ושפטנו מלכנו ויצא לפנינו ונלחם את מלחמותינו:
Rambam:
• 3 Chapters A Day: Mamrim Mamrim - Chapter 7, Avel Avel - Chapter 1, Avel Avel - Chapter 2
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Audio: Listen | Download | Video ClassMamrim - Chapter 7
INTRODUCTION
Deuteronomy 21:18-21 states:
If a person will have a wayward and rebellious son who does not heed the voice of his father or the voice of his mother and they chastise him, but he does not heed them. His father and mother shall take hold of him and bring him out to the elders of his city and to the gate of his place. They say to the elders of his city: "This son of ours is wayward and rebellious. He does not heed our voice; he is gluttonous and a lush." All of the men of his city will clout him with stones, killing him, and you shall remove evil from your midst. All Israel shall hear and fear.
Our Sages (primarily in Sanhedrin 68b ff) interpret this passage precisely, explaining how each term used in the passage teaches us a different concept. In the chapter that follows, the Rambam summarizes and organizes their teachings, giving us a clear-cut picture of the requirements of the mitzvah. It is important to emphasize that there is a difference of opinion among our Sages if the judgment of "a wayward and rebellious son" ever took place (Sanhedrin 71a). Some maintain that such a judgment was never issued. Indeed, from all the particulars mentioned by the Rambam, one can understand that it could be impossible for such a judgment to have been issued. Others maintain that they know of an instance where an individual was executed because of this transgression.
Sanhedrin 72a asks: Is eating the gluttonous meal (to be described by the Rambam) a sufficient cause for a person to be executed? In resolution, our Sages explain that the Torah considered the ultimate fate of such a person. He will be drawn after his natural tendencies and continue to steal and eat gluttonously. Ultimately, he will become a robber and slay people in order to support his habit. It is preferable, the Torah maintains, for him to be executed early in life, before he commits such severe sins.
1
It is explicitly stated that the wayward and rebellious son described in the Torah should be stoned to death. Now the Torah does not administer a punishment unless a warning was issued first. Where was the warning issued? In Leviticus 19:26: "Do not eat upon the blood," which can be interpreted to mean: "Do not partake of food that will lead to the shedding of blood." This refers to the meal eaten by the wayward and rebellious son who is executed only because of the hateful feast of which he partook as Deuteronomy 21:20 states: "He is gluttonous and a lush." According to the Oral Tradition, we learned that this was interpreted to mean that he ate meat and drank wine in a ravenous manner.
א
בן סורר ומורה האמור בתורה הרי נתפרשה בו סקילה ולא ענש הכתוב אלא אם כן הזהיר והיכן הזהיר לא תאכלו על הדם לא תאכל אכילה המביאה לידי שפיכות דמים וזו אכילת בן סורר ומורה שאינו נהרג אלא על אכילה מכוערת שאכל שנאמר זולל וסובא מפי השמועה למדו שזולל הוא האוכל בשר ברעבתנות וסובא השותה יין ברעבתנות:
2
There are many particulars involved in the meal for which he is liable for eating. All of these are conveyed by the Oral Tradition. He is not liable for stoning until he steals from his father and buys meat and wine at a cheap price. He must then eat it outside his father's domain, together with a group that are all empty and base. He must eat meat that is raw, but not entirely raw, cooked but not entirely cooked, as is the practice of thieves. He must drink the wine as it is thinned as the alcoholics drink. He must eat a quantity of meat weighing 50 dinarim in one sitting, and drink half a log of this wine at one time.
If he stole from his father and partook of such a meal inside his father's domain, or stole from others and partook of this hateful meal in his father's domain or in another's domain, he is not liable. If the meal involves a mitzvah, even a mitzvah of Rabbinic origin, or the meal involves a transgression, even a transgression of Rabbinic origin, he is not liable. This may be inferred from the phrase (Ibid.): "He does not heed our voice"; i.e., through eating this meal, he violates only his parents' command. This excludes one who through this meal violates the words of the Torah or who partakes of it for the sake of a mitzvah.
What is implied? If he partook of such a hateful meal together with a wicked company for the sake of a mitzvah, or he partook of the second tithe in Jerusalem, even if they eat a meal comforting the bereaved which is a mitzvah of Rabbinic origin, he is not liable. Similarly, if he ate meat from animals that were not ritually slaughtered or which were trefe, teeming animals or crawling animals, and even if he ate on a communal fast day, a transgression of Rabbinic origin, he is not liable for execution.
ב
אכילה זו שהוא חייב עליה דברים הרבה יש בהם והן כולן הלכה מפי הקבלה אינו חייב סקילה עד שיגנוב משל אביו ויקנה בשר בזול ויין בזול ויאכל וישתה חוץ מרשות אביו בחבורה שכולן ריקנין ופחותין ויאכל הבשר חי ואינו חי מבושל ואינו מבושל כדרך שהגנבים אוכלים וישתה היין מזוג כדרך שהגרגרנים שותים והוא שיאכל משקל חמשים דינרין מבשר זה במלוגמא אחת וישתה חצי לוג מיין זה בבת אחת גנב משל אביו ואכל אכילה זו ברשות אביו או שגנב משל אחרים ואכל אכילה זו המכוערת בין ברשות אביו בין ברשות אחרים הרי זה פטור וכן אם גנב משל אביו ואכל אכילה מכוערת כזו ברשות אחרים והיתה אכילת מצוה אפילו מדבריהם [או אכילת עבירה אפילו מדבריהם] פטור שנאמר איננו שומע בקולנו שאינו עובר באכילה זו אלא על קולם יצא זה שעבר בה על דברי תורה או שאכלה בדבר מצוה כיצד אכל אכילה זו המכוערת עם החבורה הרעה שאוכל עמהם בדבר מצוה או שאכלו מעשר שני בירושלים אפילו אכלו בתנחומי אבלים שהיא מצוה מדבריהם הרי זה פטור וכן אם אכלה מנבלות וטריפות שקצים ורמשים אפילו אכל בתענית צבור שהיא עבירה מדבריהם הרי זה פטור מן המיתה:
3
If he partook of any type of food, but did not partake of meat, even if he partook of fowl, he is not liable. If he partook of this meal from meat, but reached the sum of 50 dinarim by including fowl, he is liable. If he drank other beverages, but did not drink wine, he is not liable.
ג
אכל כל מאכל ולא אכל בשר בהמה אע"פ שאכל אכילה זו מבשר העוף פטור ואם אכל אכילה זו מבשר בהמה והשלים החמשים דינרים מבשר העוף חייב שתה כל משקה ולא שתה יין פטור:
4
When he ate raw meat and undiluted wine, he is not liable. The rationale is that this is an occasional occurrence and not something that a person will be drawn after. Similarly, if he ate this meal of salted meat on the third day after it was salted, or drank fresh grape juice, he is not liable. For a person will not be drawn after such matters.
ד
אכל בשר חי ושתה יין חי פטור שזה קרי הוא ואין אדם יכול להמשך בזה וכן אם אכל בשר מליח ביום השלישי למליחתו או שתה יין מגתו פטור שאין אדם יכול להמשך בזה:
5
For this transgression, the Torah does not punish a child who has not come to the age where he is responsible for the observance of mitzvot. Similarly, a man who has matured and is independent is not stoned to death, because he ate and drank such a hateful meal.
What is implied? According to the Oral Tradition, we learned that this law concerns a youth of thirteen between the time he grew two pubic hairs and the time at which his entire male organ is surrounded by pubic hair. After the entire male organ is surrounded by pubic hair, he is considered as independent and is not executed by stoning.
ה
לא ענש הכתוב קטן שלא בא לכלל המצות וכן איש שגדל והרי הוא ברשות עצמו אינו נסקל מפני שגנב ואכל ושתה אכילה זו המכוערת הא כיצד מפי השמועה למדו שאין דין זה אלא בבן שלש עשרה שנה ויום אחד שהביא שתי שערות עד שיקיף כל הגיד ואחר שיקיף השיער כל הגיד הרי הוא ברשות עצמו ואינו נסקל:
6
The entire period for which a "wayward and rebellious son" is liable is only three months from the time he manifests signs of physical maturity. For it is possible that his wife will conceive and her fetus will be recognizable within three months. This is derived from Deuteronomy 21:18: "If a person will have a wayward and rebellious son..."; a son, and not a "wayward and rebellious father."
Thus one may conclude that if one's pubic hair surrounds the entire organ before the three months are completed, he is not liable.
ו
כל ימיו של בן סורר ומורה אינן אלא שלשה חדשים מאחר שיביא שתי שערות לפי שאפשר שתתעבר אשתו ויהיה עוברה ניכר בשלשה חדשים ונאמר כי יהיה לאיש בן סורר ומורה ולא אב סורר ומורה הא למדת שאם הקיף השיער את כל הגיד קודם שישלים שלשה חדשים הרי זה פטור:
7
How is the judgment of a "wayward and rebellious son" adjudicated? First, his father and mother bring him to a court of three judges and tell them: "Our son is wayward and rebellious." They bring two witnesses who testify that he stole from his father and bought meat and wine with what he stole and partook of the meal described above after being warned. This is the first testimony.
He receives lashes as are administered to all of those who are obligated to be lashed, as Deuteronomy 21:20 states: "they chastise him, but he does not heed them." Should he steal from his father a second time and partake of such a meal, his father and mother bring him to a court of 23 judges. They bring two witnesses who testify that he stole and partook of this meal after being warned. This is the second testimony. It is acceptable if the first two witnesses also deliver the latter testimony.
After their testimony is heard, the youth is examined to see if his pubic hair surrounded his entire male organ. If that is not the case and it is not three months after he became thirteen, he complete the judgment against him as is done with all those executed by the court and he is stoned to death. He is not stoned to death unless the three judges who originally sentenced him to be lashed are present. This is implied by the phrase: "This son of ours," i.e., the one that was lashed in your presence."
ז
כיצד דנין בן סורר ומורה מביאין אותו אביו ואמו תחילה לבית דין של שלשה ואומרין להן בננו זה סורר ומורה ומביאין שני עדים שגנב משל אביו וקנה בשר ויין במה שגנב ואכל אותה אכילה האמורה אחר ההתראה וזו היא עדות הראשונה ומלקין אותו כשאר חייבי מלקות שנאמר ויסרו אותו ולא ישמע אליהם חזר וגנב משל אביו ואכל אכילה זו אביו ואמו מביאין אותו לבית דין של שלשה ועשרים ומביאין שני עדים ומעידין עליו שגנב ואכל אכילה זו האמורה אחר שהתרו בו וזו היא עדות אחרונה אפילו היו השנים הראשונים הם האחרונים ואחר שמקבלין עדותן בודקין אותו שמא הקיף השער את כל הגיד אם לא הקיף ולא שלמו לו שלשה חדשים גומרין דינו כדרך כל הרוגי בית דין וסוקלין אותו ואינו נסקל עד שיהו שם שלשה הראשונים שנאמר בננו זה זהו שלקה בפניכם:
8
If his father and his mother forgave him before he was sentenced, he is not liable.
ח
ואם מחלו לו אביו ואמו קודם שיגמר דינו פטור:
9
If he fled before he was sentenced to death and afterwards, his pubic hair surrounded his organ, he is not liable. If he fled after he was sentenced, even if he grows old, whenever he is discovered, he should be stoned to death. For whenever a person has been sentenced to death, it is as if he has already been slain and he has no blood.
ט
ברח עד שלא נגמר דינו ואח"כ הקיף השער מלמטה פטור ואם משנגמר דינו ברח אפילו הזקין כל עת שימצא יסקל שכל מי שנגמר דינו הרי הוא כהרוג ואין לו דם:
10
If his father desires to convict him and his mother does not desire, or his mother desires and his father does not desire, he is not judged as a "wayward and rebellious son," as implied by Deuteronomy 21:19: "His father and mother shall take hold of him."
If one of the parents has had his arm amputated, was lame, dumb, blind, or deaf, the son is not judged as a "wayward and rebellious son." These concepts are derived as follows: "His father and mother shall take hold of him" - This excludes parents with amputated arms" "And bring him out" - this excludes the lame. "They say" - this excludes the dumb. "This son of ours" - This excludes the blind. "He does not heed our voice" - This excludes the dumb.
י
היה אביו רוצה ואמו אינה רוצה אמו רוצה ואביו אינו רוצה אינו נעשה בן סורר ומורה שנאמר ותפשו בו אביו ואמו היה אחד מהן גדם או חגר או אלם או סומא או חרש אינו נעשה בן סורר ומורה שנאמר ותפשו בו ולא גדמים והוציאו אותו ולא חגרים ואמרו ולא אלמים בננו זה ולא סומים איננו שומע בקולנו ולא חרשים:
11
There is a Scriptural decree that a "wayward and rebellious son" should be stoned to death. A daughter, by contrast, is not judged in this manner. The rationale is that she does not have the tendency to become habituated to eating and drinking. For this reason, the Torah states: "A son," i.e., and not a daughter. A tumtum and an adrogynus are also excluded.
יא
גזירת הכתוב הוא שיסקל בן סורר ומורה אבל הבת אינה נידונית בדין זה שאין דרכה להמשך באכילה ושתיה כאיש שנאמר בן ולא בת ולא טומטום ואנדרוגינוס:
12
When an operation is performed on a tumtum and it is discovered that he is a male, he is not judged as a "wayward and rebellious son." The rationale is Deuteronomy 21:18 states: "If a person will have a wayward and rebellious son...." Implied is that he must be a son at the time he receives the warning.
יב
טומטום שנקרע ונמצא זכר אינו נעשה בן סורר ומורה שנאמר כי יהיה לאיש בן סורר ומורה עד שיהיה בן משעת התראה:
13
An announcement must be made concerning the execution of a "wayward and rebellious son." What type of announcement is made? A declaration is written and sent to the entire Jewish people: "In this-and-this court, we stoned so-and-so because he was a "wayward and rebellious son.'
יג
בן סורר ומורה צריך הכרזה כיצד מכריזין עליו כותבין לכל ישראל בבית דין פלוני סקלנו פלוני מפני שהיה בן סורר ומורה:
14
A "wayward and rebellious son" is like all others executed by the court; their estate is inherited by their heirs. Even though the person's father caused him to be stoned to death, the father inherits all of his possessions.
Blessed be God who grants assistance.
יד
בן סורר ומורה הרי הוא ככל הרוגי בית דין שממונם ליורשיהן שאף על פי שאביו גרם לו סקילה הרי הוא יורש כל נכסיו:
Avel - Chapter 1
Introduction to Hilchos Avel
They include four mitzvot: one positive commandment and three negative commandments. They are:
1. To mourn for one's close relatives; even a priest must become impure and mourn for his close relatives. A person should not mourn for individuals executed by the court. For this reason, I have included these laws in this book, for they relate to the mitzvah of burying the dead on the day of their passing which is a positive commandment.
2. For a High Priest not to become impure because of his close relatives.
3. For him not to enter under the same shelter as a corpse.
4. For an ordinary priest not to become impure because of a corpse except for that of his close relatives.
These mitzvot are explained in the coming chapters.
רמב"ם הלכות אבל - הקדמה
הלכות אבל. יש בכללן ארבע מצות, אחת מצות עשה, ושלש מצות לא תעשה. וזה הוא פרטן:
(א) להתאבל על הקרובים ואפילו כהן מתטמא ומתאבל על הקרובים, ואין אדם מתאבל על הרוגי בית דין, ולפי זה כללתי הלכות אלו בספר זה שהן מעין קבורה ביום מיתה שהיא מצות עשה.
(ב) שלא יטמא כהן גדול לקרובים.
(ג) שלא יכנס עם המת באהל.
(ד) שלא יטמא כהן הדיוט לנפש אדם אלא לקרובים בלבד.
וביאור מצות אלו בפרקים אלו.
1
It is a positive commandment to mourn for one's close relatives,1 as implied by Leviticus 10:20: "Were I to partake of a sin offering today, would it find favor in God's eyes?" According to Scriptural Law, the obligation to mourn is only on the first day which is the day of the person's death and burial. The remainder of the seven days of mourning are not required by Scriptural Law. Although the Torah states Genesis 50:10: "And he instituted mourning for his father for seven days," when the Torah was given, the laws were renewed.
Moses our teacher ordained for the Jewish people the seven days of mourning and the seven days of wedding celebrations.
א
מצות עשה להתאבל על הקרובים שנאמר ואכלתי חטאת היום הייטב בעיני ה' ואין אבילות מן התורה אלא ביום ראשון בלבד שהוא יום המיתה ויום הקבורה אבל שאר השבעה ימים אינו דין תורה אף על פי שנאמר בתורה ויעש לאביו אבל שבעת ימים ניתנה תורה ונתחדשה הלכה ומשה רבינו תקן להם לישראל שבעת ימי אבלות ושבעת ימי המשתה:
2
From when is a person obligated to mourn? When the grave is covered. But until the corpse has been buried, a mourner is not bound by any of the prohibitions incumbent on a mourner. For this reason, King David washed and anointed himself when his son died, before he was buried.
ב
מאימתי יתחייב אדם באבל משיסתם הגולל אבל כל זמן שלא נקבר המת אינו אסור בדבר מן הדברים שהאבל אסור בהן ומפני טעם זה רחץ דוד וסך כשמת הילד טרם שיקבר:
3
When does the obligation to mourn and count the seven and the thirty days of mourning for people executed by the gentile authorities who they do not allow to be buried? When their relatives despair of asking permission from the king to bury them, even though they did not despair of stealing their corpses to bury them.
ג
הרוגי מלכות שאין מניחין אותן להקבר מאימתי מתחילין להתאבל עליהן ולספור שבעה ושלשים משיתיאשו לשאול למלך לקברן אע"פ שלא נתיאשו מלגנוב אותן:
4
When a person drowned in a river or was consumed by a wild beast, we begin mourning for him when we despair of finding his corpse. If his corpse was found limb by limb, we do not begin counting the days of mourning until his head and the majority of his body is found or they despair of finding the remainder of his corpse.
ד
מי שטבע בנהר או מי שאכלתו חיה ראה משנתיאשו לבקש מצאוהו איברים איברים אין מונין לו עד שימצא ראשו ורובו או יתיאשו מלבקש:
5
When it is customary for people to send a corpse to another city to be buried and they do not know when the burial will take place, from the time they turn back from accompanying the corpse, they are obligated to count the seven and thirty days of mourning and begin mourning rites.
ה
מי שדרכן לשלוח המת למדינה אחרת לקוברו ואינם יודעים מתי יקבר מעת שיחזרו פניהן מללוותו מתחילין למנות שבעה ושלשים ומתחילין להתאבל:
6
We do not mourn for stillborn infants. Whenever a human offspring does not live for 30 days, he is considered as stillborn. Even if he died on the thirtieth day, we do not mourn for him.
ו
הנפלים אין מתאבלין עליהן וכל שלא שהה שלשים יום באדם הרי זה נפל אפילו מת ביום שלשים אין מתאבלין עליו:
7
If we know for certain that he was born after a full nine months of pregnancy, we mourn for him even if he died on the day of his birth.
ז
ואם נודע בודאי שנולד לתשעה חדשים גמורים אפילו מת ביום שנולד מתאבלים עליו:
8
A fetus from a full term pregnancy that was stillborn, a child born in the eighth month of pregnancy who died even after living 30 days, or a fetus that emerged cut or crushed even though it endured a full term pregnancy is considered stillborn. We do not observe mourning rites for them and we do not engage in activity on their behalf.
ח
בן תשעה חדשים שנולד מת ובן שמונה שמת אפילו לאחר שלשים ומי שיצא מחותך או מרוסס אף על פי שכלו לו חדשיו הרי זה נפל ואין מתאבלין עליהן ולא מתעסקין עמהם:
9
We observe mourning rites for all of those executed by the government, even when they were executed by the government's laws and the Torah granted it license to execute them. We don't withhold anything from them. Their estate is given to the government, but they are buried in their ancestral plots.
We do not, by contrast, observe mourning rites for those executed by the court. We do, however, observe the rites of bitter regret (aninut), for aninut is an expression of the feelings in one's heart. They are not buried with their ancestors until their corpses have decomposed. Their estate, however, is granted to their heirs.
ט
כל הרוגי מלכות אע"פשנהרגו בדין המלך והתורה נתנה לו רשות להרגן הרי אלו מתאבלין עליהן ואין מונעין מהן כל דבר וממונם למלך ונקברין בקברי אבותיהן אבל כל הרוגי בית דין אין מתאבלין עליהן אבל אוננין שאין אנינות אלא בלב ואין נקברין עם אבותיהן עד שיתאכל הבשר וממונם ליורשיהם:
10
We do not conduct mourning rites for all those who deviate from the path of the community, i.e., people who throw off the yoke of the mitzvot from their necks and do not join together with the Jewish people in the observance of the mitzvot, the honoring of the festivals, or the attendance of synagogues and houses of study. Instead, they are like free and independent people like the other nations. Similarly, we do not mourn for heretics, apostates, and people who inform on Jews to the gentiles. Instead, their brothers and their other relatives wear white clothes, robe themselves in white, eat, drink, and celebrate for the enemies of the Holy One, blessed be He, have perished. Concerning them, Psalms139:21 states: "Those who hate You, O God, will I hate."
י
כל הפורשין מדרכי צבור והם האנשים שפרקו עול המצות מעל צוארן ואין נכללין בכלל ישראל בעשיית המצות ובכבוד המועדות וישיבת בתי כנסיות ובתי מדרשות אלא הרי הן כבני חורין לעצמן [כשאר האומות] וכן האפיקורוסין [והמומרים] והמוסרין כל אלו אין מתאבלין עליהן אלא אחיהם ושאר קרוביהם לובשין לבנים ומתעטפים לבנים ואוכלים ושותים ושמחים שהרי אבדו שונאיו של הקב"ה ועליהם הכתוב אומר הלא משנאיך ה' אשנא:
11
When a person commits suicide, we do not engage in activity on their behalf at all. We do not mourn for him or eulogize him. We do, however, stand in a line to comfort the relatives, recite the blessing for the mourners and perform any act that shows respect for the living.
What is meant by a person who commits suicide? Not necessarily one who climbs up on a roof, falls, and dies, but rather, one who says: "I am going up to the top of the roof." If we see him climb up immediately in anger or know that he was distressed and see him fall and die, we presume such a person is one who committed suicide. If, however, we see him strangled and hanging from a tree or slain and lying on the back of his sword, we presume that he is like all other corpses. We engage in activity on his behalf and do not withhold anything from him.
יא
המאבד עצמו לדעת אין מתעסקין עמו לכל דבר ואין מתאבלין עליו ואין מספידין אותו אבל עומדין עליו בשורה ואומרין עליו ברכת אבלים וכל דבר שהוא כבוד לחיים ואי זהו המאבד עצמו לדעת לא שעלה לגג ונפל ומת אלא האומר הריני עולה לראש הגג ראוהו שעלה מיד דרך כעס או שהיה מיצר ונפל ומת הרי זה בחזקת שאבד עצמו לדעת אבל אם ראוהו חנוק ותלוי באילן או הרוג ומושלך על גב סייפו הרי זה בחזקת כל המתים ומתעסקין עמו ואין מונעין ממנו דבר:
Avel - Chapter 2
1
These are the relatives for whom a person is obligated to mourn according to Scriptural Law: His mother, his father, his son, his daughter, his paternal brother and paternal sister. According to Rabbinic Law, a man should also mourn for his wife if she dies while they are married. And a woman should mourn for her husband. Similarly, a person should mourn for a maternal brother and sister.
א
אלו שאדם חייב להתאבל עליהן דין תורה אמו ואביו בנו ובתו ואחיו ואחותו מאביו ומדבריהם שיתאבל האיש על אשתו הנשואה וכן האשה על בעלה ומתאבל על אחיו ועל אחותו שהן מאמו:
2
Even a priest who does not become impure for his maternal brother and sister or for his paternal sister who is married, mourns for them. For his married paternal sister who is married, he is required to mourn by Scriptural Law.
ב
אפילו הכהן שאינו מתטמא לאחיו ואחותו מאמו ולאחותו הנשואה אע"פ שהיא מאביו מתאבל הוא עליהן ואם היתה אחותו זו הנשואה מאביו הרי הוא מתאבל עליה דין תורה:
3
A person who has a son or a brother born by a maid-servant or a gentile woman should not mourn for them at all. Similarly, when a person and his sons convert or a person and his mother are freed from slavery, they do not mourn for each other.
Similarly, a person does not observe either the rites of aninut or the mourning rites for a wife whom he has consecrated, but not married. Similarly, she does not observe either of these rites for him.
ג
בנו או אחיו הבא מן השפחה ומן הנכרית אינו מתאבל עליהן כלל וכן מי שנתגייר הוא ובניו או נשתחרר הוא ואמו אין מתאבלין זה על זה וכן אשתו ארוסה אינו מתאבל עליה ולא אונן וכן היא לא אוננת ולא מתאבלת עליו:
4
Whenever a person is obligated to mourn for a relative, he also mourns with that relative in his presence according to Rabbinical Law.
What is implied? If a person's grandson, his son's maternal brother, or son's mother dies, he is obligated to rend his garments in the presence of his son and follow the mourning rites while in his presence. Outside his presence, he is not obligated. Similar laws apply with regard to other relatives.
ד
כל קרובים שהוא חייב להתאבל עליהן הרי זה מתאבל עמהם בפניהם מדברי סופרים כיצד הרי שמת בן בנו או אחי בנו או אם בנו חייב לקרוע בפני בנו ולנהוג אבילות בפניו אבל שלא בפניו אינו חייב וכן בשאר הקרובים:
5
With regard to a wife with whom one is married: Although one must mourn for her, he does not mourn together with her for her other relatives with the exception of her father and her mother. He observes the rites of mourning for them in her presence.
When a man's father-in-law or mother-in-law dies, he overturns his bed and observes the mourning rites together with his wife within her presence, but not outside her presence. Similarly, when a woman's father-in-law or mother-in-law dies, she observes the rites of mourning in her husband's presence. With regard to other relatives, by contrast, e.g., the brother of one's wife or her son dies or when the brother of one's husband or his son dies, they do not observe the mourning rites in respect for each other.
Similarly, it appears to me that if the wife of a person's relative dies or the husband of one of his relatives, e.g., the wife of one's son or the husband of one's daughter, one need not observe mourning rites for them. Similar concepts apply in all analogous situations.
ה
אשתו הנשואה אף על פי שהוא מתאבל עליה אינו מתאבל עמה על שאר קרובים אלא על אביה ועל אמה משום כבוד אשתו נוהג אבלות עליהן בפניה כיצד מי שמת חמיו או חמותו כופה מטתו ונוהג אבילות עם אשתו בפניה אבל לא שלא בפניה וכן האשה שמת חמיה או חמותה נוהגת אבלות בפניו אבל שאר קרובים כגון שמת אחי אשתו או בנה והאשה שמת אחי בעלה או בנו אין מתאבלין זה על זה וכן יראה לי שאם מתה אשת קרובו או בעל קרובתו כגון שמתה אשת בנו או בעל בתו אינו חייב להתאבל עליהן וכן כל כיוצא בזה:
6
See how severe the mitzvah of mourning is! For the prohibition against ritual impurity is superseded so that a priest can tend to his relatives' burial and mourn for them, as Leviticus 21:2-3 states: "Except to one's flesh, to whom he is close, to his mother... to her shall he become impure." This is a positive commandment; if he does not desire to become impure, we force him to become impure against his will.
To whom does the above apply? To males who are commanded against contracting ritual impurity. Different rules apply to female members of the priestly family. Since they are not commanded against contracting ritual impurity, they are also not commanded to become impure when tending to their relatives' burial. If they desire, they may become impure and if not, they do not become impure.
ו
כמה חמורה מצות אבלות שהרי נדחת לו הטומאה מפני קרוביו כדי שיתעסק עמהן ויתאבל עליהן שנאמר כי אם לשארו הקרוב אליו לאמו וגו' לה יטמא מצות עשה שאם לא רצה להטמא מטמאין אותו על כרחו בד"א בזכרים שהוזהרו על הטומאה אבל הכהנות הואיל ואינן מוזהרות על הטומאה כן אינן מצוות להתטמא לקרובים אלא אם רצו מתטמאות ואם לאו לא מטמאות:
7
A priest is forced to contact ritual impurity to tend to his deceased wife. This obligation is Rabbinic in origin. Our Sages had her considered as an unattended corpse. Since she has no other heir aside from him, there will be no one else to tend to her. He becomes impure only for a wife he has married. If he has merely consecrated her, he does not become impure for her.
ז
אשתו של כהן מתטמא לה על כרחו ואינו מטמא לה אלא מדברי סופרים עשאוה כמת מצוה כיון שאין לה יורש אלא הוא לא תמצא מי שיתעסק בה ואינו מטמא אלא לנשואה בלבד אבל הארוסה אינו מטמא לה:
8
Similarly, a priest does not become impure for any of those individuals for whom we do not mourn as stated above: e.g., those executed by the court, those who deviate from the ways of the community, stillborn infants, and those who commit suicide.
Until when does the mitzvah to become impure apply? Until the grave is covered. Once the grave is covered, however, the graves of one's close relatives are like those of any other corpse. If a priest becomes impure for their sake, he should be punished by lashes.
ח
וכן כל אותן שאמרו שאין מתאבלין עליהן כגון הרוגי בית דין ושפרשו מדרכי צבור והנפלים והמאבד עצמו לדעת אין הכהן מטמא להן ועד מתי מצווה להתטמא לקרוביו עד שיסתם הגולל אבל מאחר שנסתם הגולל הרי הן כשאר כל המתים שאם נטמא בהן לוקה:
9
A priest should not become impure for the sake of a wife whom he is forbidden to marry. Therefore if a woman heard a report that her husband died and hence remarried, and then her first husband came, neither husband should become impure for her sake, for she is forbidden to remain married to either of them.
A priest may, however, become impure for the sake of his mother, even though she is a challalah and he may become impure for the sake of his son, his daughter, his brother and his sister even though they are of tarnished lineage. Even if they are illegitimate, he should become impure for their sake.
ט
אשתו הפסולה אינו מטמא לה לפיכך מי ששמעה שמועה שמת בעלה ונשאת ובא בעלה שניהן אין מטמאין לה שהרי היא פסולה לשניהן אבל מטמא הוא לאמו אף על פי שהיא חללה וכן מטמא לבנו ולבתו ולאחיו ולאחותו אע"פשהן פסולין אפילו היו ממזרים מטמא להן:
10
When a priest's sister is married - even to another priest, he does not become impure for her sake, "as Leviticus 21:3 states: "his virgin sister who is close to him who has not been with a man." "Virgin" excludes a girl who has been raped or seduced. Should we also exclude a woman who attain majority or a woman who lost her signs of virginity because of reasons other than relations? The Torah teaches: "who has not been with a man," i.e., excluded is only one who lost her virginity because of a man. "Who has not been with a man" - this also excludes a sister who has been consecrated. He does not become impure, for her sake even if she is consecrated to a priest.
י
אחותו הנשואה אינו מטמא לה אע"פ שהיא נשואה לכהן שנאמר הבתולה הקרובה אליו אשר לא היתה לאיש הבתולה פרט לאנוסה ומפותה יכול שאני מוציא את הבוגרת ומוכת עץ תלמוד לומר אשר לא היתה לאיש מי שהוייתה בידי איש אשר לא היתה לאיש פרט לארוסה שאינו מטמא לה אף על פי שהיא ארוסה לכהן:
11
If, however, a priest's sister is divorced after consecration, before marriage, he must become impure for her sake. The phrase "who is close to him" includes a sister divorced after consecration.
יא
נתגרשה אחותו מן האירוסין מטמא לה שנאמר הקרובה אליו להביא את המגורשת מן האירוסין:
12
A priest does not become impure for the sake of his maternal brother and sister, as implied by Leviticus 21:2-3: "To his son and to his daughter, to his brother and to his sister." Just as we are speaking of a son who is fit to inherit his father's estate; so, too, he must be fit to inherit the estates of his brother and sister.
יב
אחיו ואחותו מאמו אינו מטמא להן שנאמר ולבנו ולבתו ולאחיו ולאחותו מה בנו הראוי לירושתו אף אחיו ואחותו הראויים לירושתו:
13
A priest does not become impure for the sake of relatives whose family connection is doubtful, as implied by Leviticus 21:3: "to her shall he become impure." He becomes impure for those whose connection is definite and not for those whose connection is doubtful. Accordingly, in an instance where children become intermingled, there is a son concerning whom there is a question whether he was born after seven months from conception to his mother's later husband or after nine months to her first husband, and all the like, he does not become impure for their sake due to the doubt.
Similarly, in all cases concerning divorce that involve a question concerning the validity of the divorce or an invalid bill of divorce, , the priest does not become impure for the sake of his wife.
יג
הספקות אינו מטמא להן שנאמר לה יטמא מיטמא הוא על הודאי ואינו מיטמא על הספק לפיכך הוולדות שנתערבו והבן שהוא ספק בן שבעה לאחרון או בן תשעה לראשון וכן כל כיוצא בהן אינו מיטמא להן מספק וכן כל המתגרשת ספק גירושין או בגט פסול אינו מטמא לה:
14
A priest may not become impure for the sake of a limb severed from his father while alive, nor for the sake of one of his father's bones. Similarly, when one's father's bones are being collected - even if his entire backbone is intact - a priest may not become impure for their sake.
יד
אין הכהן מטמא לאבר מן החי מאביו ולא לעצם מעצמות אביו וכן המלקט עצמות אביו אינו מטמא להן אף על פי שהשדרה קיימת:
15
If his father's head is decapitated, he may not become impure for his sake. This is implied by Leviticus 21:2: "To his father," i.e., at a time when his corpse is intact and not when it is impaired. Similar laws apply with regard to other relatives.
The prohibition against contact with ritual impurity is bypassed with regard to one's relatives; it is not released entirely. For this reason, a priest is forbidden to become impure for the sake of another corpse at the time he has become impure for the sake of his relatives. This is implied by Leviticus 21:3: "to her shall he become impure," i.e., to her alone. He does not become impure for the sake of others together with her. He should not say: "Since I became impure for the sake of my father, I will go gather so-and-so's bones" or "...touch so-and-so's grave."
Therefore when the relative of a priest dies, care must be taken to bury him at the edge of the cemetery, so that he will not have to enter the cemetery and become impure because of other graves when he buries his dead.
טו
נקטע ראשו של אביו אינו מטמא לו שנאמר לאביו בזמן שהוא שלם ולא בזמן שהוא חסר וכן שאר הקרובים הטומאה לקרובים דחויה היא ולא הותרה לכל לפיכך אסור לכהן להתטמא למת אפילו בעת שמתטמא לקרוביו שנאמר לה יטמא אינו מטמא לאחרים עמה שלא יאמר הואיל ונטמאתי על אבי אלקט עצמות פלוני או אגע בקבר פלוני לפיכך כהן שמת לו מת צריך להזהר ולקוברו בסוף בית הקברות כדי שלא יכנס לבית הקברות ולא יתטמא בקברות אחרים כשיקבור מתו:
Hayom Yom:
• English Text | Video Class
Monday, Elul 27, 5777 · 18 September 2017
"Today's Day"
Monday, Elul 27, 5703
Torah lessons: Chumash: Ha'azinu, Sheini with Rashi.
Tehillim: 120-134. Also 79-81.
Tanya: Now, the aspect (p. 493) ...and the intellect. (p. 495).
From the holy teachings of the Alter Rebbe: "Israel, one nation on the earth."1 The nation of Israel, even in the earthly world, is bound up with the one G-d. G-d transforms the spiritual into something material; Israel transforms the material into something spiritual.2
FOOTNOTES
1.Divrei Hayamim I, 17:21.
2.See Tevet 27; Adar II 29.
Daily Thought:
Primal Shofar
The sound of the shofar
is not the cry of a human voice.
It is the howl of an animal’s horn.
It is a cry so primal, so raw,
that the mind ceases to ponder,
the heart suspends its throb.
With the fury of a beast pent up in its cage,
the naked essence of the soul bursts out,
howling, ripping through heaven’s curtains,
awakening the primal essence of all being.
The raw core of your soul below
touches the primal essence above,
and now their reunion may begin.
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