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- ב"ה - Today in Judaism - Today is Tuesday, 4 Cheshvan, 5778 · October 24, 2017Daily Quote: A person learns most of his wisdom at night (Maimonides)
By Tzvi Freeman
Even the wrong road eventually takes you closer to the truth.
Even closer.
Likkutei Sichot, vol. 5, Lech Lecha.
By Tzvi Freeman
From the wisdom of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, of righteous memory; words and condensation by Rabbi Tzvi Freeman. Subscribe and get your dose daily. Or order Rabbi Freeman’s book, Bringing Heaven Down to Earth, click here.
Daily Torah Study:
Chumash: Lech-Lecha, 3rd Portion Genesis 13:5-13:18 with Rashi
• English / Hebrew Linear Translation
• Video Class
• Daily Wisdom (short insight)
Genesis Chapter 13
5And also Lot, who went with Abram, had flocks and cattle and tents. הוְגַ֨ם־לְל֔וֹט הַֽהֹלֵ֖ךְ אֶת־אַבְרָ֑ם הָיָ֥ה צֹֽאן־וּבָקָ֖ר וְאֹֽהָלִֽים:
who went with Abram: What brought about that he had this [wealth]? His going with Abram. [from B.K. 93a]
ההולך את אברם: מי גרם שהיתה לו זאת, הליכתו עם אברם:
6And the land did not bear them to dwell together, for their possessions were many, and they could not dwell together. ווְלֹֽא־נָשָׂ֥א אֹתָ֛ם הָאָ֖רֶץ לָשֶׁ֣בֶת יַחְדָּ֑ו כִּֽי־הָיָ֤ה רְכוּשָׁם֙ רָ֔ב וְלֹ֥א יָֽכְל֖וּ לָשֶׁ֥בֶת יַחְדָּֽו:
And…did not bear: It was unable to supply enough pasture for their cattle, and this is an abbreviated expression, and an additional word is needed. [It is to be explained] as: “And the pasture of the land could not bear them.” Therefore, וְלֹא נָשָׂא is written in the masculine gender.
ולא נשא אותם: לא היתה יכולה להספיק מרעה למקניהם, ולשון קצר הוא, וצריך להוסיף עליו, כמו ולא נשא אותם מרעה הארץ, לפיכך כתוב ולא נשא בלשון זכר:
7And there was a quarrel between the herdsmen of Abram's cattle and between the herdsmen of Lot's cattle, and the Canaanites and the Perizzites were then dwelling in the land. זוַֽיְהִי־רִ֗יב בֵּ֚ין רֹעֵ֣י מִקְנֵֽה־אַבְרָ֔ם וּבֵ֖ין רֹעֵ֣י מִקְנֵה־ל֑וֹט וְהַכְּנַֽעֲנִי֙ וְהַפְּרִזִּ֔י אָ֖ז ישֵׁ֥ב בָּאָֽרֶץ:
And there was a quarrel: Since Lot’s herdsmen were wicked, and they pastured their animals in fields belonging to others, Abram’s herdsmen rebuked them for committing robbery, but they responded, “The land was given to Abram, who has no heir; so Lot will inherit him, and therefore this is not robbery.” But Scripture states: “And the Canaanites and the Perizzites were then dwelling in the land,” and Abram had not yet been awarded its possession. [from Gen. Rabbah 41:5]
ויהי ריב: לפי שהיו רועים של לוט רשעים ומרעים בהמתם בשדות אחרים, ורועי אברם מוכיחים אותם על הגזל, והם אומרים נתנה הארץ לאברם, ולו אין יורש, ולוט יורשו, ואין זה גזל, והכתוב אומר והכנעני והפרזי אז יושב בארץ ולא זכה בה אברם עדיין:
8And Abram said to Lot, "Please let there be no quarrel between me and between you and between my herdsmen and between your herdsmen, for we are kinsmen. חוַיֹּ֨אמֶר אַבְרָ֜ם אֶל־ל֗וֹט אַל־נָ֨א תְהִ֤י מְרִיבָה֙ בֵּינִ֣י וּבֵינֶ֔ךָ וּבֵ֥ין רֹעַ֖י וּבֵ֣ין רֹעֶ֑יךָ כִּֽי־אֲנָשִׁ֥ים אַחִ֖ים אֲנָֽחְנוּ:
kinsmen: meaning relatives, and according to the Midrash Aggadah (Gen. Rabbah 41:6), they resembled each other in their facial features.
אנשים אחים: קרובים. ומדרש אגדה דומין בקלסתר פנים:
9Is not all the land before you? Please part from me; if [you go] left, I will go right, and if [you go] right, I will go left." טהֲלֹ֤א כָל־הָאָ֨רֶץ֙ לְפָנֶ֔יךָ הִפָּ֥רֶד נָ֖א מֵֽעָלָ֑י אִם־הַשְּׂמֹ֣אל וְאֵימִ֔נָה וְאִם־הַיָּמִ֖ין וְאַשְׂמְאִֽילָה:
if [you go] left, I will go right: Wherever you dwell, I will not distance myself from you, and I will stand by you as a protector and a helper. And he ultimately needed him, as it is said (below 14:14): “And Abram heard that his kinsman had been captured, etc.”
אם השמאל ואימנה: בכל אשר תשב, לא אתרחק ממך ואעמוד לך למגן ולעזר. וסוף דבר הוצרך לו שנאמר (יד יד) וישמע אברם כי נשבה אחיו וגו':
I will go right: [Grammatically, this means] “I will go towards the right,” like וְאַשְׂמְאִילָה, “and I will go towards the left.” Now if you say that it should have been vowelized וְאַיְמִינָה, we find the same in another place (viz., II Sam. 14:19): “if anyone can turn to the right (לַהֵמִין),” and it is not vowelized לְהַיְמִין.
ואימנה: אימין את עצמי, כמו ואשמאילה אשמאיל את עצמי. ואם תאמר היה לו לינקד ואימינה, כך מצינו במקום אחר (ש"ב יד יט) אם יש להימין ואין נקוד להימין:
10And Lot raised his eyes, and he saw the entire plain of the Jordan, that it was entirely watered; before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, as you come to Zoar. יוַיִּשָּׂא־ל֣וֹט אֶת־עֵינָ֗יו וַיַּרְא֙ אֶת־כָּל־כִּכַּ֣ר הַיַּרְדֵּ֔ן כִּ֥י כֻלָּ֖הּ מַשְׁקֶ֑ה לִפְנֵ֣י | שַׁחֵ֣ת יְהֹוָ֗ה אֶת־סְדֹם֙ וְאֶת־עֲמֹרָ֔ה כְּגַן־יְהֹוָה֙ כְּאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרַ֔יִם בֹּֽאֲכָ֖ה צֹֽעַר:
that it was entirely watered: A land with streams of water.
כי כלה משקה: ארץ נחלי מים:
before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah: that plain was:
לפני שחת ה' את סדום ואת עמורה: היה אותו מישור:
like the garden of the Lord: for [growing] trees.
כגן ה': לאילנות:
like the land of Egypt: for [growing] seeds (Gen. Rabbah 41:7).
כארץ מצרים: לזרעים:
as you come to Zoar: Until Zoar. And the Midrash Aggadah interprets it unfavorably: it was because they were lascivious that Lot chose their region for himself (Tractate Horioth 10b).
באכה צער: עד צער. ומדרש אגדה דורשה לגנאי, על שהיו שטופי זמה בחר לו לוט בשכונתם במסכת הוריות (י ב):
11And Lot chose for himself the entire plain of the Jordan, and Lot traveled from the east, and they parted from one another. יאוַיִּבְחַר־ל֣וֹ ל֗וֹט אֵ֚ת כָּל־כִּכַּ֣ר הַיַּרְדֵּ֔ן וַיִּסַּ֥ע ל֖וֹט מִקֶּ֑דֶם וַיִּפָּ֣רְד֔וּ אִ֖ישׁ מֵעַ֥ל אָחִֽיו:
plain: Heb. כִּכָּר, the plain, as the Targum renders it. Note that according to Rashi, כִּכָּר is not the generic term for a plain, but the proper name of the Plain of the Jordan. See below (14:5).
ככר: מישור, כתרגומו:
from the east: He traveled from beside Abram and went away to the west of Abram; hence, he travelled from east to west (Targum Jonathan). According to the Midrash Aggadah (Gen. Rabbah 41:7), he distanced himself from the Ancient One (מִקַּדְמוֹנוֹ) of the world. He said, “I care neither for Abram nor for his God.”
מקדם: נסע מאצל אברם והלך לו למערבו של אברם, נמצא נוסע ממזרח למערב. ומדרש אגדה הסיע עצמו מקדמונו של עולם אמר אי אפשי לא באברם ולא באלהיו:
12Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain, and he pitched his tents until Sodom. יבאַבְרָ֖ם יָשַׁ֣ב בְּאֶֽרֶץ־כְּנָ֑עַן וְל֗וֹט יָשַׁב֙ בְּעָרֵ֣י הַכִּכָּ֔ר וַיֶּֽאֱהַ֖ל עַד־סְדֹֽם:
and he pitched his tents: He pitched tents for his herdsmen and his cattle until Sodom.
ויאהל: נטה אהלים לרועיו ולמקנהו עד סדום:
13And the people of Sodom were very evil and sinful against the Lord. יגוְאַנְשֵׁ֣י סְדֹ֔ם רָעִ֖ים וְחַטָּאִ֑ים לַֽיהֹוָ֖ה מְאֹֽד:
And the people of Sodom were…evil: Nevertheless, Lot did not hesitate to sojourn with them. And our Rabbis (Yoma 38b) learned from here that (Prov. 10:7) “the name of the wicked shall rot.” [Having mentioned them, the Torah speaks of their evil.]
ואנשי סדום רעים: ואף על פי כן לא נמנע לוט מלשכון עמהם. ורבותינו למדו מכאן (משלי י ז) שם רשעים ירקב:
evil: with their bodies.
רעים: בגופם:
and sinful: with their money. [from Sanh. 109a]
וחטאים: בממונם:
very… against the Lord: They recognized their Master and intended to rebel against Him. [from Sifra, Bechukkothai 2]
לה' מאוד: יודעים רבונם ומתכוונים למרוד בו:
14And the Lord said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, "Please raise your eyes and see, from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward. ידוַֽיהֹוָ֞ה אָמַ֣ר אֶל־אַבְרָ֗ם אַֽחֲרֵי֙ הִפָּֽרֶד־ל֣וֹט מֵֽעִמּ֔וֹ שָׂ֣א נָ֤א עֵינֶ֨יךָ֙ וּרְאֵ֔ה מִן־הַמָּק֖וֹם אֲשֶׁר־אַתָּ֣ה שָׁ֑ם צָפֹ֥נָה וָנֶ֖גְבָּה וָקֵ֥דְמָה וָיָֽמָּה:
after Lot had parted: As long as the wicked man was with him, the Divine speech withdrew from him (and above, when Lot was with him, and it is written (12: 7):“And the Lord appeared to Abram,” [we must assume that] at that time, he was righteous, and this is easy to understand). [from Tan. Vayeze 10]
אחרי הפרד לוט: כל זמן שהרשע עמו היה הדבור פורש ממנו:
15For all the land that you see I will give to you and to your seed to eternity. טוכִּ֧י אֶת־כָּל־הָאָ֛רֶץ אֲשֶׁר־אַתָּ֥ה רֹאֶ֖ה לְךָ֣ אֶתְּנֶ֑נָּה וּלְזַרְעֲךָ֖ עַד־עוֹלָֽם:
16And I will make your seed like the dust of the earth, so that if a man will be able to count the dust of the earth, so will your seed be counted. טזוְשַׂמְתִּ֥י אֶת־זַרְעֲךָ֖ כַּֽעֲפַ֣ר הָאָ֑רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֣ר | אִם־יוּכַ֣ל אִ֗ישׁ לִמְנוֹת֙ אֶת־עֲפַ֣ר הָאָ֔רֶץ גַּם־זַרְעֲךָ֖ יִמָּנֶֽה:
that if a man will be able: Just as it is impossible for the dust to be counted, so will your seed not be counted. [from Targum Onkelos]
אשר אם יוכל איש: כשם שאי אפשר לעפר להמנות, כך זרעך לא ימנה:
17Rise, walk in the land, to its length and to its breadth, for I will give it to you." יזק֚וּם הִתְהַלֵּ֣ךְ בָּאָ֔רֶץ לְאָרְכָּ֖הּ וּלְרָחְבָּ֑הּ כִּ֥י לְךָ֖ אֶתְּנֶֽנָּה:
18And Abram pitched his tents, and he came, and he dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and there he built an altar to the Lord. יחוַיֶּֽאֱהַ֣ל אַבְרָ֗ם וַיָּבֹ֛א וַיֵּ֛שֶׁב בְּאֵֽלֹנֵ֥י מַמְרֵ֖א אֲשֶׁ֣ר בְּחֶבְר֑וֹן וַיִּֽבֶן־שָׁ֥ם מִזְבֵּ֖חַ לַֽיהֹוָֽה:
Mamre: the name of a man. [from Gen. Rabbah 42:8]
ממרא: שם אדם:
Tehillim: Psalms Chapters 23 - 28
• Hebrew text
• English text
Chapter 23
When King David was in the forest of Cheret and nearly died of starvation, God provided nourishment for him with a taste of the World to Come. David then composed this psalm, describing the magnitude of his trust in God.
1. A psalm by David. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall lack nothing.
2. He lays me down in green pastures; He leads me beside still waters.
3. He revives my soul; He directs me in paths of righteousness for the sake of His Name.
4. Though I walk in the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff-they will comfort me.
5. You will prepare a table for me before my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; my cup is full.
6. Only goodness and kindness shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the House of the Lord for many long years.
Chapter 24
If the fulfillment of one's prayer would result in the sanctification of God's Name, he should pray that God act for the sake of the holiness of His Name. One should also invoke the merit of his ancestors, for we know that "the righteous are greater in death than in life"
1. By David, a psalm. The earth and all therein is the Lord's; the world and its inhabitants.
2. For He has founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the rivers.
3. Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord, and who may stand in His holy place?
4. He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not used My Name in vain or sworn falsely.
5. He shall receive a blessing from the Lord, and kindness from God, his deliverer.
6. Such is the generation of those who search for Him, [the children of] Jacob who seek Your countenance forever.
7. Lift up your heads, O gates, and be lifted up, eternal doors, so the glorious King may enter.
8. Who is the glorious King? The Lord, strong and mighty; the Lord, mighty in battle.
9. Lift up your heads, O gates; lift them up, eternal doors, so the glorious King may enter.
10. Who is the glorious King? The Lord of Hosts, He is the glorious King for all eternity.
Chapter 25
The verses in this psalm are arranged according to the alphabet, excluding the letters Bet, Vav, and Kuf, which together equal the numerical value of Gehenom (purgatory). One who recites this psalm daily will not see the face of purgatory.
1. By David. To You, Lord, I lift my soul.
2. My God, I have put my trust in You. May I not be put to shame; may my enemies not gloat over me.
3. Indeed, may all who hope in You not be put to shame; let those who act treacherously without reason be shamed.
4. O Lord, make Your ways known to me; teach me Your paths.
5. Train me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; I yearn for You all day.
6. O Lord, remember Your mercies and Your kindnesses, for they have existed for all time.
7. Do not recall the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions; remember me in accordance with Your kindness, because of Your goodness, O Lord.
8. Good and upright is the Lord, therefore He directs sinners along the way.
9. He guides the humble with justice, and teaches the humble His way.
10. All the paths of the Lord are kindness and truth for those who observe His covenant and testimonies.
11. For the sake of Your Name, O Lord, pardon my iniquity, for it is great.
12. Whoever is a God-fearing man, him will He teach the path that he should choose.
13. His soul will abide in well-being, and his descendants will inherit the earth.
14. The secret of the Lord is to those who fear Him; He makes His covenant known to them.
15. My eyes are always turned to the Lord, for He releases my feet from the snare.
16. Turn to me and be compassionate to me, for I am alone and afflicted.
17. The sufferings of my heart have increased; deliver me from my hardships.
18. Behold my affliction and suffering, and forgive all my sins.
19. See how numerous my enemies have become; they hate me with a violent hatred.
20. Guard my soul and deliver me; may I not be put to shame, for I place my trust in You.
21. Let integrity and uprightness guard me, for my hope is in You.
22. Redeem Israel, O God, from all its afflictions.
Chapter 26
In this psalm King David inundates God with prayers and acts of piety, because he envies those who are his spiritual superiors, saying, "If only I were on their level of piety and virtue!"
1. By David. Judge me, O Lord, for in my innocence I have walked, and in the Lord I have trusted-I shall not falter.
2. Try me, O Lord, and test me; refine my mind and heart.
3. For Your kindness is before my eyes, and I have walked constantly in Your truth.
4. I did not sit with men of falsehood, and with hypocrites I will not mingle.
5. I detested the company of evildoers, and with the wicked I will not sit.
6. I wash my hands in purity, and circle Your altar, O Lord,
7. to give voice to thanks, and to recount all Your wonders.
8. I love the shelter of Your House, O Lord, and the place where Your glory resides.
9. Gather not in my soul with sinners, nor my life with men of bloodshed,
10. In whose hands are schemes, and whose right hand is filled with bribes.
11. But I walk in my innocence; redeem me and show me favor.
12. My foot stands on level ground; in assemblies I will bless the Lord.
Chapter 27
King David acknowledges and praises God, placing his trust in Him because of his victories in war. "Nevertheless, it is not wars that I desire, for I cannot gain perfection with them. Only one thing do I ask: to abide day and night in the study hall studying Torah, to gain perfection so that my soul may merit the life of the World to Come."
1. By David. The Lord is my light and my salvation-whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life-whom shall I dread?
2. When evildoers approached me to devour my flesh, my oppressors and my foes, they stumbled and fell.
3. If an army were to beleaguer me, my heart would not fear; if war were to arise against me, in this I trust1
4. One thing I have asked of the Lord, this I seek: that I may dwell in the House of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the pleasantness of the Lord, and to visit His Sanctuary.
5. For He will hide me in His tabernacle on a day of adversity; He will conceal me in the hidden places of His tent; He will lift me upon a rock.
6. And then my head will be raised above my enemies around me, and I will offer in His tabernacle sacrifices of jubilation; I will sing and chant to the Lord.
7. Lord, hear my voice as I call; be gracious to me and answer me.
8. In Your behalf my heart says, "Seek My countenance"; Your countenance, Lord, I seek.
9. Do not conceal Your countenance from me; do not cast aside Your servant in wrath. You have been my help; do not abandon me nor forsake me, God of my deliverance.
10. Though my father and mother have forsaken me, the Lord has taken me in.
11. Lord, teach me Your way and lead me in the path of righteousness, because of my watchful enemies.
12. Do not give me over to the will of my oppressors, for there have risen against me false witnesses, and they speak evil.
13. [They would have crushed me] had I not believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
14. Hope in the Lord, be strong and let your heart be valiant, and hope in the Lord.
FOOTNOTES
1.I trust that “the lord is my light and salvation” etc. (Rashi)
Chapter 28
A prayer for every individual, entreating God to assist him in walking the good path, to prevent him from walking with the wicked doers of evil, and that He repay the wicked for their wickedness and the righteous for their righteousness.
1. By David. I call to You, O Lord; my Strength, do not be deaf to me; for should You be silent to me, I will be like those who descend to the pit.
2. Hear the sound of my pleas when I cry out to You, when I raise my hands toward Your holy Sanctuary.
3. Do not draw me along with the wicked, with evildoers who speak of peace with their companions, though evil is in their heart.
4. Give them according to their deeds, and the evil of their endeavors; give them according to their handiwork, render to them their just desserts.
5. For they pay no heed to the acts of the Lord, nor to the work of His hands; may He destroy them and not rebuild them.
6. Blessed is the Lord, for He has heard the voice of my pleas.
7. The Lord is my strength and my shield; in Him my heart trusted and I was helped; my heart exulted, and with my song I praised Him.
8. The Lord is a strength to them; He is a stronghold of deliverance to His anointed.
9. Grant salvation to Your people and bless Your heritage; tend them and exalt them forever.
Tanya: Iggeret HaKodesh, beginning of Epistle 26
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Tuesday, Cheshvan 4, 5778 · October 24, 2017
Today's Tanya Lesson
Iggeret HaKodesh, beginning of Epistle 26
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The letters that comprise Iggeret HaKodesh were written over many years and assembled in their present order by the sons of the Alter Rebbe after his passing, as they explain in their introduction (“Approbation”) to Tanya (Vol. I, p. 19ff., in the present series). It is clear from internal evidence, as the Rebbe notes, that they were not arranged chronologically. Epistle XX, for example, was written just before the Alter Rebbe’s passing in the year 5573 (1812), while Epistle XXVII was written after the passing of R. Mendel of Horodok, about the year 5549 (1789).
Instead, the Rebbe suggests, one can sometimes seek thematic connections to explain the sequence of letters. The present letter, for example, manifests the following connection with Epistle XXV, the preceding one:
After the previous letter discussed how the Shechinah can sometimes be vested in kelipot, the present letter explains that this state of exile brings the Torah, too, to a state of concealment, as kelipot obscure its radiance. It is the task of the Jew to remove this concealment by toiling in the study of the Torah.
The above form of divine service in Torah study supplements another form — separating good from evil, the permitted from the prohibited, and the kasher from the pasul. For the Torah, too, is vested within good and evil, and it is the task of the Jew studying Torah to separate and purify the positive element from each of these dual compounds, and to elevate it to the holy “side” of the universe.
Accordingly, the Alter Rebbe begins the present letter by explaining a statement of Ra’aya Mehemna in the Zohar, which can give the mistaken impression that the revealed portion of Torah stems from the Tree of Good and Evil, while the esoteric portion of Torah, which in the main will be revealed in the Time to Come (with the arrival of Mashiach), derives from the Tree of Life.1
The Alter Rebbe explains how this is truly not so, for the entire Torah is called the Tree of Life. The intent of Ra’aya Mehemna is that the revealed portion of Torah descended and was vested within good and evil, and hence speaks of kasher and pasul, permitted and prohibited, and the like. With the study of Torah, a Jew separates the good from the evil, and elevates it.
ברעיא מהימנא, פרשת נשא: והמשכילים כזהר הרקיע
On the verse,2 “And the wise shall shine like the radiance of the firmament,” Ra’aya Mehemnaon Parshat Nasso3 comments:
בהאי חבורא דילך, דאיהו ספר הזהר
“With this work of yours, i.e., of R. Shimon bar Yochai, which is the Book of the Zohar (lit., ‘the Book of Radiance’)
מן זוהרא דאימא עילאה: תשובה
from the radiance of Imma Ila’ah, which is teshuvah, —
Imma Ila’ah (lit., “the Supernal Mother”) is another name for the Sefirah of Binah in the World of Atzilut. This Sefirah relates to teshuvah ila’ah, the higher level of repentance, as explained at the end of ch. 8 of Iggeret HaTeshuvah,4 quoting the Zohar and Tikkunim.
באילין לא צריך נסיון
with those [who study this work] no trial is needed.
The Zohar previously states that at the time of the final Redemption the Jewish people will be put to the test; those who belong to the “good side” of the universe will withstand it, while those who belong to the “side of evil” will not. As it is written,5 “Many will be refined and bleached and chastened, but the wicked will act wickedly; none of the wicked will understand, but the wise will understand.”
The Zohar then states (as above) that those who study the Tree of Life, the Zohar, which is “from the side of Binah” (lit., “understanding”, alluding to the perception of the mystical essence of the Torah), will not be put to the test.
ובגין דעתידין ישראל למטעם מאילנא דחיי, דאיהו האי ספר הזהר, יפקון ביה מן גלותא ברחמי
Because eventually the Jewish people will taste of the Tree of Life, which is this Book of the Zohar, they will go out of exile with it, in mercy.
ויתקיים בהון: ה׳ בדד ינחנו, ואין עמו אל נכר
For them shall be fulfilled the verse,6 ‘G‑d alone will lead them, and there is no strange god with Him.’
In seeking their Redemption they will not have to resort to the favors of the gentile nations, whose patron angels are known as “strange gods.” Rather, G‑d Himself will lead them out of exile and redeem them.
ואילנא דטוב ורע, דאיהו איסור והיתר, טומאה וטהרה, לא שלטא על ישראל יתיר
And the Tree of [Knowledge of] Good and Evil, i.e., prohibition and permission, impurity and purity, will no longer dominate Israel.
דהא פרנסה דלהון לא להוי אלא מסטרא דאילנא דחיי, דלית תמן לא קשיא מסטרא דרע, ולא מחלוקת מרוח הטומאה
For their sustenance will derive only from the side of the Tree of Life, where there is no problematic query, which emanates from the side of evil, and no controversy, which emanates from the spirit of impurity;
דכתיב: ואת רוח הטומאה אעביר מן הארץ
as it is written,7 ‘And the spirit of impurity I shall remove from the earth.’
דלא יתפרנסון תלמידי חכמים מעמי הארץ, אלא מסטרא דטוב, דאכלין טהרה, כשר, היתר
Thus, the Torah scholars will not be sustained by illiterate people, but from the side of the good, who eat that which is pure, kosher and permitted;
ולא מערב רב, דאכלין טומאה, פסול, איסור
nor [will they be sustained] by the mixed multitude, who eat that which is impure, ritually unfit, and prohibited.”
ובזמנא דאילנא דטוב ורע שלטא כו׳
The Zohar continues: “While the Tree of Good and Evil dominates [the world],...
אינון חכמים, דדמיין לשבתות וימים טובים
these Sages, who are likened to the Sabbaths and festivals,8
לית לון אלא מה דיהבין לון אינון חולין
have nothing except what is given to them by those who are called ‘unsanctified ones,’
כגוונא דיום השבת, דלית ליה אלא מה דמתקנין ליה ביומא דחול
just like the Sabbath day, which only has what has been prepared for it on a weekday.
ובזמנא דשלטא אילנא דחיי, אתכפייא אילנא דטוב ורע, ולא יהא לעמי הארץ אלא מה דיהבין להון תלמידי חכמים
However, when the Tree of Life will dominate, the Tree of Good and Evil will be suppressed, and the illiterate people will only have what the Torah scholars give them.
ואתכפיין תחותייהו וכאלו לא הוו בעלמא
They will be subjugated to them, as if they did not exist in the world.
והכי איסור והיתר, טומאה וטהרה, לא אתעבר מעמי הארץ
Accordingly, the prohibited and the permitted, the impure and the pure, will not be removed from the illiterate people.
דמסטרייהו, לית בין גלותא לימות המשיח, אלא שעבוד מלכיות בלבד
As regards them, there will be no difference between the era of exile and the days of Mashiach, except for [the Jewish people’s release from] servitude to the nations.9
דאינון לא טעמין מאילנא דחיי, וצריך לון מתניתין באיסור והיתר, טומאה וטהרה
For they will not have tasted of the Tree of Life, and will require the Mishnayot [which set out the laws] of prohibition and permission, impurity and purity.”
עד כאן ברעיא מהימנא
Here ends the quotation from Ra’aya Mehemna.
* * *
והנה המובן מהשקפה ראשונה לכאורה מלשון זה המאמר לחסירי מדע
Now, at first glance, what the words of this passage imply to those who lack understanding10
שלימוד איסור והיתר וסדר טהרות, הוא מאילנא דטוב ורע
is that the study of [the laws of] ritual prohibition and permission, and the Order of Taharot,where the laws of purity and impurity are found, relates [only] to the Tree of [Knowledge of] Good and Evil.
מלבד שהוא פלא גדול מחמת עצמו
Now this is most surprising in itself, that a particular area within the Torah should be designated as the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, thus relating it to kelipat nogah, which is an admixture of good and evil;
וסותר פשטי הכתובים ומדרשי רבותינו ז״ל, שכל התורה הנגלית לנו ולבנינו נקראת: עץ חיים למחזיקים בה, ולא ספר הזהר לבד
moreover, this contradicts the plain meaning of Scripture and the teachings of our Sages, of blessed memory, that the entire Torah that has been revealed to us and to our children, i.e., the dimension of nigleh, is called11 “A tree of life to those who hold fast to it,” and not only the Book of the Zohar.
ובפרט שהיה גנוז בימיהם
This is especially so, since [the Zohar] was [still] concealed in their days;
וגם כל חכמת הקבלה היתה נסתרה בימיהם, ונעלמה מכל תלמידי חכמים, כי אם ליחידי סגולה
indeed, the whole wisdom of the Kabbalah was hidden in their days and concealed from all the Torah scholars, except for a select few,
ואף גם זאת, בהצנע לכת ולא ברבים, כדאיתא בגמרא
and even then, [it was studied] in a concealed manner and not publicly, as stated in the Gemara.12
וכמו שכתב האריז״ל, דדוקא בדורות אלו האחרונים, מותר ומצוה לגלות זאת החכמה, ולא בדורות הראשונים
Thus R. Isaac Luria, of blessed memory, wrote13 that it is only in these latter generations that “it is permitted and obligatory to reveal this wisdom” — i.e., the Kabbalah, which illuminates the esoteric dimension of the Torah — but not in the earlier generations.
On this entire subject, see the introduction of R. Chayim Vital to Shaar HaHakdamot, which also appears as the first addendum to Kuntres Etz Chayim by the Rebbe Rashab (in the Kehot edition entitled Otzar HaChassidim), as well as the introduction of the Rebbe Rayatz to this Kuntres.
וגם רבי שמעון בר יוחאי אמר בזהר הקדוש, שלא ניתן רשות לגלות רק לו ולחביריו לבדם
R. Shimon bar Yochai, too, stated in the sacred Zohar14 that permission to reveal [the secrets of the Kabbalah] was only granted to himself and his associates.
ואך גם זאת פליאה נשגבה
Now this, too, is a remarkable wonder.
דלפי זה
For if so, i.e., according to a superficial reading of the above quotation from Ra’aya Mehemna, from which it would appear that only the Zohar is called the Tree of Life, while the revealed plane of the Torah is considered the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil,
לא היה לימוד איסור והיתר, וכל שכן דיני ממונות, דוחין מצות תפלה
then the study of [the laws of] ritual prohibition and permission, and surely [the study of] civil laws, such as litigation on monetary matters,15 should not override the obligation of prayer,
שנתקנה על פי סודות הזהר ויחודים עליונים, ליודעים
which is set out according to the secrets of the Zohar and on the Supernal Unions (of the various Divine Names and Supernal Sefirot), for those who are familiar with them,
כרבי שמעון בר יוחאי וחביריו
such as R. Shimon bar Yochai and his associates.
וזה אינו
But this is not the case. In fact, the study of the laws of what is ritually prohibited or permitted, and even the study of civil law, does override the obligation to pray at fixed times.
כדאיתא בגמרא, דרבי שמעון בן יוחאי וחביריו, וכל מי שתורתו אומנותו, אין מפסיקין לתפלה
As stated in the Gemara,16 R. Shimon bar Yochai and his associates, and likewise any others whose Torah study is their sole occupation, do not interrupt [their Torah study] for prayer.17
ואפילו כשעוסק בדיני ממונות, כרב יהודה, דכולהו תנויי בנזיקין הוי
[This applies] even when one is occupied with the study of civil law, like Rav Yehudah, all of whose studies were in the Order of Nezikin18 (lit., “damages”);
ואפילו הכי, לא הוי מצלי אלא מתלתין יומין לתלתין יומין, כד מהדר תלמודא, כדאיתא בגמרא
nevertheless, in order not to interrupt his studies, he prayed only every thirty days19 when reviewing his studies, as stated in the Gemara.20
ובירושלמי, פרק קמא דברכות, סבירא ליה לרבי שמעון בר יוחאי דאפילו לקריאת שמע אין מפסיקין, כי אם ממקרא ולא ממשנה, דעדיפי ממקרא, לרבי שמעון בר יוחאי
Also, in the Talmud Yerushalmi, in the first chapter of Berachot,21 R. Shimon bar Yochai is of the opinion that even for the Reading of Shema one interrupts only the study of Scripture, but not of Mishnah, the Oral Torah, the study of which is superior to the study of Scripture,22according to R. Shimon bar Yochai.
ולא חילק בין סדר זרעים ומועד וקדשים, לטהרות ונזיקין
He did not differentiate between [studying] the Orders of Zera’im, Moed and Kodashim, and [studying] the Orders of Taharot and Nezikin.23
He thus holds that even when studying the monetary laws in the Order of Nezikin one should not interrupt one’s studies for the Reading of Shema.
(וסותר דעת עצמו ברעיא מהימנא בכמה מקומות, דמשנה איהי שפחה כו׳
(24Actually, he [here] contradicts his own opinion, given in a number of instances in Ra’aya Mehemna,25 that Mishnah (relative to Scripture) is termed a “handmaiden” (Heb.: shifchah), and so on;
והמקרא, שהוא תורת משה, ודאי עדיפא מקבלה, דאיהי מטרוניתא ברעיא מהימנא שם
and Scripture, the Torah of Moses, is surely superior to the Kabbalah, which is termed a “queen” (Aram.: matrunita) in the above-quoted passage in Ra’aya Mehemna,
ותורה שבכתב הוא מלכא
while the Written Torah is termed a “king” (Aram.: malka).
Thus, according to the last-quoted set of terms from R. Shimon bar Yochai, Scripture is superior even to Kabbalah and surely to Mishnah. From the previous passage, however, as cited in the Talmud Yerushalmi, it would seem that he maintains that Mishnah is superior to Scripture, for one does not interrupt one’s study of Mishnah in order to read Shema at its prescribed time, though one does interrupt one’s study of Scripture.
Here the Alter Rebbe interpolates a Kabbalistic definition of the term malka (“king”):
(דהיינו יסוד אבא, המלובש בזעיר אנפין, כמו שכתב האריז״ל))
(26This is the Yesod of Abba vested in Z’eir Anpin, as stated by R. Isaac Luria, of blessed memory.27))
To resume the discussion of R. Shimon bar Yochai:
וגם פלפול הקושיות ותירוצים, דמסטרא דרע ורוח הטומאה, אשכחן ברבי שמעון בר יוחאי, דעסק ביה טובא
Moreover, we find that R. Shimon bar Yochai dealt considerably (not only with the mere statements of law in the Mishnayot, but) also with the argumentation of problems and solutions, which (according to the original quotation from Ra’aya Mehemna) derive from the side of evil and from the spirit of impurity.
גם בהיותו במערה
[This he did] even when he was in the cave, where legal adjudication, especially in civil suits, was obviously uncalled for.
ואדרבה, בזכות צער המערה זכה לזה
Indeed, the very fact that he underwent anguish [when forced to hide] in the cave made him worthy of these attainments.
כדאיתא בגמרא, דאמר לרבי פנחס בן יאיר אכל קושיא, כ״ד פירוקי
For, as stated in the Gemara,28 he countered every problematic query posed by R. Pinchas ben Yair with twenty-four solutions,
ואמר ליה: אלמלא לא ראיתני בכך כו׳
and [R. Shimon] said to him: “If you had not seen me like this,” in this sorry state in the cave,[“you would not have found me like this”].
(וגם באמת, על כרחך עיקר עסקיהם במערה היה תורת המשניות, ת״ר סדרי שהיה בימיהם עד רבינו הקדוש
(29In fact, their principal occupation in the cave — the principal occupation of Rashbi and his son, R. Eliezer — must have been with the teachings of the Mishnayot, i.e., the six hundred Orders extant in those days30 until the time of our holy Master, R. Yehudah HaNasi, who compiled the Mishnayot in six Orders.
דאילו ספר הזהר והתיקונים היה יכול לגמור בב׳ וג׳ חדשים, כי בודאי לא אמר דבר אחד ב׳ פעמים)
For he could have completed the Zohar and the Tikkunim, the Tikkunei Zohar, in two or three months; for surely he did not repeat the same subject twice.31)
Surely, then, he was occupied almost the entire time with the study of the six hundred Orders of the Mishnah.
גם אמרו רבותינו ז״ל: מיום שחרב בית המקדש אין לו להקדוש ברוך הוא אלא ד׳ אמות של הלכה בלבד
Moreover, our Sages, of blessed memory, have taught32 that “Since the day the Temple was destroyed, the Holy One, blessed be He, has only the four cubits of Halachah.” The study of Torah law thus takes the place of the Holy Temple.
How, then, can we possibly say, as the above passage from Ra’aya Mehemna might superficially indicate, that the study of the laws of ritual permissibility, and the like, is designated as the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, and thus related to kelipat nogah, which is an admixture of good and evil?
| FOOTNOTES | |
| 1. | These Kabbalistic terms are borrowed from Bereishit 2:9. |
| 2. | Daniel 12:3. |
| 3. | Zohar III, 124b. |
| 4. | Vol. III, p. 1089, in the present work. |
| 5. | Daniel 12:10. |
| 6. | Devarim 32:12. |
| 7. | Zechariah 13:2. |
| 8. | Zohar III, 29a, b. |
| 9. | Cf. Berachot 34b. |
| 10. | Following early editions of the Tanya, the correct Hebrew text here reads chaseirei (spelled with a resh), meaning “those who lack.” Other editions appear to read chassidei (spelled with a daled), and have led to some mistranslation. |
| 11. | Mishlei 3:18. |
| 12. | Chagigah 11b; 13a. |
| 13. | See Shaar HaGilgulim, end of Introduction XV; et al. |
| 14. | Note of the Rebbe: “See beginning of Idra Rabbah (Zohar III, 127b ff.) and many other places in the Zoharwhere Rashbi expresses himself similarly.” |
| 15. | Note of the Rebbe: “It could be suggested that civil law is singled out, for in this field the law of the Torah [sometimes] takes into account ‘the custom of local merchants’ or ‘the law of the land’ or a waiver by one of the parties to a transaction; and so on.” [Hence the most “remarkable wonder” would be that the study of such a seemingly mundane level of law should override the seemingly more spiritual occupation of prayer.] |
| 16. | Shabbat 11a. |
| 17. | Note of the Rebbe: “Many have asked: ‘If so, how were the Supernal Unions (yichudim) usually effected by daily prayer, accomplished [by them]?’ For an answer, see Torah Or 38d, 69a, et al. [where it is explained that these holy Sages were so self-effacing and so G‑d-fearing that their Torah study bore spiritual results which others can only achieve through prayer].” |
| 18. | Berachot 20a. |
| 19. | Note of the Rebbe: “Many have asked: ‘If so, how were the Supernal Unions (yichudim) usually effected by daily prayer, accomplished [by them]?’ For an answer, see Torah Or 38d, 69a, et al. [where it is explained that these holy Sages were so self-effacing and so G‑d-fearing that their Torah study bore spiritual results which others can only achieve through prayer].” |
| 20. | Rosh HaShanah 35a. |
| 21. | End of Law 2. |
| 22. | Note of the Rebbe: “It could be suggested that the Alter Rebbe adds the reason, since the reason too is part of the question, as is soon stated. Note that Mishnah is the revealed level of the Torah, while Scripture is related to Kabbalah (see the commentary in Likkutei Torah on the maamar beginning Lo Tashbit). But see Hilchot Talmud Torah of the Alter Rebbe, beginning of sec. 2, [from which it would seem that Kabbalah is related to the Oral Torah, not to Scripture].” |
| 23. |
Note of the Rebbe: “The Alter Rebbe omits the Order of Nashim, etc. (See Likkutei Levi Yitzchak on Tanya.)”
[Explaining this omission, the father of the Rebbe states there that the Alter Rebbe’s point could not be proved from the fact that the study of Nashim (which deals with marriage and divorce, etc.) overrides the Reading of Shema. For, as the Gemara says regarding the erasing of the Divine Name in the course of the purification of a sotah (the woman suspected of adultery), G‑d is even willing to allow the Divine Name to be erased, so long as this will restore peace between a husband and his wife. It is thus to be expected that the Reading of Shema, whose essence is the affirmation of the unity of the Divine Name, should defer to the study of this particular Order.
Other Kabbalistic reasons are offered there as well.]
|
| 24. | These parentheses/brackets are in the original text. |
| 25. | Note of the Rebbe: “This requires further examination and research [to find where Rashbi actually states this in Ra’aya Mehemna]. See Zohar I, 27b (and in the Introduction to Tikkunei Zohar XIV, foot of p. 71 ff.); also Biurei HaZohar there [by the Mitteler Rebbe], (as well as by the Tzemach Tzedek, Volume II).” |
| 26. | These parentheses/brackets are in the original text. |
| 27. | Shaar HaMitzvot, Parshat Vaetchanan; et al. |
| 28. | Shabbat 33b. |
| 29. | These parentheses/brackets are in the original text. |
| 30. | Chagigah 14a and Rashi there. |
| 31. |
The author of Minchat Elazar poses the following question (Divrei Torah 8:70):
The study of the Mishnayot would likewise not have taken more than several months, if they did not debate all the legal problems and solutions involved. We can thus say the same for their study of the Zohar and Tikkunei Zohar: while several months would suffice for the bare-bone text itself, even thirteen years would not suffice for discussing and plumbing its depths!
The Rebbe answers this by noting that the Alter Rebbe anticipated this question in this very letter.
He prefaces the fact that it took the compiler of the Gemara, R. Ashi, a full ten years to study the first and second editions of the Talmud which then comprised only six Orders. R. Shimon, who was of far greater stature (see Eruvin 54a) and studied the six hundred Orders of the Mishnah in much greater depth, propounding twenty-four solutions to every problem, surely was fully occupied in the cave with the study of the Mishnah.
With regard to the Zohar and Tikkunei Zohar, however, since the Alter Rebbe here quoted the Ra’aya Mehemna to the effect that they contain “no problematic query, which emanates from the side of evil, and no controversy, which emanates from the spirit of impurity,” there were then no questions nor disputations. Surely, then, this took no more than several months.
|
| 32. | Berachot 8a. |
• Sefer Hamitzvot:
English Text | Hebrew Text
Audio: Listen | Download | Video ClassTuesday, Cheshvan 4, 5778 · October 24, 2017
Today's Mitzvah
A daily digest of Maimonides’ classic work "Sefer Hamitzvot"
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Positive Commandment 15
The Mezuzah
"And you shall write them upon the doorposts of your house and upon your gates"—Deuteronomy 6:9.
We are commanded to place mezuzahs on our doorposts.
Full text of this Mitzvah »
The Mezuzah
Positive Commandment 15
Translated by Berel Bell
The 15th mitzvah is that we are commanded in the actions1 involving the mezuzah.
The source of this commandment is G‑d's statement (exalted be He),2 "And you shall write them upon the doorposts of your house and upon your gates."
This identical command is repeated in the Torah.3
All the details of this mitzvah have been explained in the third chapter of tractate Menachos.4
FOOTNOTES
1.The mitzvah includes preparing the parchment, writing the mezuzah, and affixing it to the doorpost. See Kapach, 5731, note 72.
2.Deut. 6:9.
3.Deut. 11:20.
4.31ff.
Positive Commandment 18
A Personal Torah Scroll
"Write this song for yourselves"—Deuteronomy 31:19.
Every male is required to acquire a complete Torah Scroll for himself. Better yet if he can write one himself—then it is considered "as if he received it from Sinai"!
One cannot suffice with a scroll that he inherits from his father or ancestors, rather one must write or acquire one oneself.
Full text of this Mitzvah »
A Personal Torah Scroll
Positive Commandment 18
Translated by Berel Bell
The 18th mitzvah is that every Jewish male should have his own Sefer Torah. It is highly commendable and preferable that he write it himself, as our Sages said,1 "If he himself writes it, it is as if he personally received it at Mount Sinai." If it is impossible for him to write it himself, he is at least required to buy one or to appoint someone to write it for him.
The source of this commandment is G‑d's statement,2 "Write for yourselves this song." One may not write individual sections of the Torah3 [and therefore not write merely the song of Ha'azinu, which follows this verse]. Therefore, the commandment to write the "song" means the entire Torah, including this song.
In the tractate Sanhedrin,4 it is related: "Rava said, Even though a person's forefathers left him a Sefer Torah, it is still a mitzvah for him to write one for himself, as the verse says, 'And now write for yourselves this song.'
"Abaye questioned him: [The Tosefta says regarding a king, that] 'he must write a Torah scroll for himself, and not be satisfied5 with the one left for him by his forefathers' — [this implies that the mitzvah to write a Torah scroll applies] only for a king, not for a common person.' "
The Gemara's answer to this question: [The Tosefta's statement does not come to tell you that only the king, rather than a common person, has this commandment; rather,] "it teaches you [that the king is obligated to have] two Torah scrolls. The proof for this is from the following Baraisa: The verse6 says, 'He [the king] shall write for himself a copy of this Torah' — this means a total of two Torah scrolls."
The meaning of this statement: the difference between a king and a common person is that the common person must write7 for himself one Torah scroll, and the king, two Torah scrolls,8 as explained in the second chapter of tractate Sanhedrin.7
The laws and conditions governing the writing of a Torah scroll are explained in the third chapter of tractate Menachos,9 the first chapter of tractate [Bava] Basra,10 and in tractate Shabbos.11
FOOTNOTES
1.Menachos 30a.
2.Deut. 31:19.
3.Gitin 60a.
4.21b.
5.See Kesef Mishnah, Hilchos Melachim, Chapter 3, Halacha 1.
6.Deut. 17:18.
7.The Arabic word which is used also indicates appointing a scribe to write it for you. See Kapach, 5731, note 91.
8.This passage also proves that P17 counts as a separate mitzvah. In the order of Sefer HaMitzvos, P17 (regarding the king's Sefer Torah) was already explained previously, and it is obvious that the proof given in P18 applies to both mitzvos.
9.30ff.
10.13-14.
11.133b.
Rambam:
• 1 Chapter A Day: De'ot De'ot - Chapter Six
English Text | Hebrew Text
Audio: Listen | Download | Video ClassDe'ot - Chapter Six
1
It is natural for a man's character and actions to be influenced by his friends and associates and for him to follow the local norms of behavior. Therefore, he should associate with the righteous and be constantly in the company of the wise, so as to learn from their deeds. Conversely, he should keep away from the wicked who walk in darkness, so as not to learn from their deeds.
This is [implied by] Solomon's statement (Proverbs 13:20): "He who walks with the wise will become wise, while one who associates with fools will suffer." Similarly, [Psalms 1:1] states: "Happy is the man who has not followed the advice of the wicked."
A person who lives in a place where the norms of behavior are evil and the inhabitants do not follow the straight path should move to a place where the people are righteous and follow the ways of the good.
If all the places with which he is familiar and of which he hears reports follow improper paths, as in our times, or if he is unable to move to a place where the patterns of behavior are proper, because of [the presence of] bands of raiding troops, or for health reasons, he should remain alone in seclusion as [Eichah 3:28] states: "Let him sit alone and be silent."
If they are wicked and sinful and do not allow him to reside there unless he mingle with them and follow their evil behavior, he should go out to caves, thickets, and deserts [rather than] follow the paths of sinners as [Jeremiah 9:1] states: "Who will give me a lodging place for wayfarers, in the desert."
א
דרך ברייתו של אדם להיות נמשך בדעותיו ובמעשיו אחר ריעיו וחביריו ונוהג כמנהג אנשי מדינתו לפיכך צריך אדם להתחבר לצדיקים ולישב אצל החכמים תמיד כדי שילמוד ממעשיהם ויתרחק מן הרשעים ההולכים בחשך כדי שלא ילמוד ממעשיהם הוא ששלמה אומר הולך את חכמים יחכם ורועה כסילים ירוע ואומר אשרי האיש וגו' וכן אם היה במדינה שמנהגותיה רעים ואין אנשיה הולכים בדרך ישרה ילך למקום שאנשיה צדיקים ונוהגים בדרך טובים ואם היו כל המדינות שהוא יודעם ושומע שמועתן נוהגים בדרך לא טובה כמו זמנינו או שאינו יכול ללכת למדינה שמנהגותיה טובים מפני הגייסות או מפני החולי ישב לבדו יחידי כענין שנאמר ישב בדד וידום ואם היו רעים וחטאים שאין מניחים אותו לישב במדינה אא"כ נתערב עמהן ונוהג במנהגם הרע יצא למערות ולחוחים ולמדברות ואל ינהיג עצמו בדרך חטאים כענין שנאמר מי יתנני במדבר מלון אורחים:
Commentary on Halachah 1
2
It is a positive commandment to cleave unto the wise and their disciples in order to learn from their deeds as [Deuteronomy 10:20] states: "and you will cling to Him."
Our Sages [questioned the nature of this command for] is it possible for man to cling to the Divine Presence? They [resolved the difficulty,] explaining this commandment to mean: Cleave unto the wise and their disciples.
Therefore, one should try to marry the daughter of a Torah Sage and marry his daughter to a Torah Sage, eat and drink with Sages, do business on behalf of Sages, and associate with them in all possible ways as [Deuteronomy 11:22] states: "to cling to Him."
Similarly, our Sages have directed [us], saying: "Sit in the dust of their feet and drink in their words thirstily."
ב
מצות עשה להדבק בחכמים ותלמידיהם כדי ללמוד ממעשיהם כענין שנאמר ובו תדבק וכי אפשר לאדם להדבק בשכינה אלא כך אמרו חכמים בפירוש מצוה זו הדבק בחכמים ותלמידיהם לפיכך צריך אדם להשתדל שישא בת תלמיד חכם וישיא בתו לתלמיד חכם ולאכול ולשתות עם תלמידי חכמים ולעשות פרקמטיא לתלמיד חכם ולהתחבר להן בכל מיני חבור שנאמר ולדבקה בו וכן צוו חכמים ואמרו והוי מתאבק בעפר רגליהם ושותה בצמא את דבריהם:
Commentary on Halachah 2
3
Each man is commanded to love each and every one of Israel as himself as [Leviticus 19:18] states: "Love your neighbor as yourself."
Therefore, one should speak the praises of [others] and show concern for their money just as he is concerned with his own money and seeks his own honor.
Whoever gains honor through the degradation of a colleague does not have a share in the world to come.
ג
מצוה על כל אדם לאהוב את כל אחד ואחד מישראל כגופו שנאמר ואהבת לרעך כמוך לפיכך צריך לספר בשבחו ולחוס על ממונו כאשר הוא חס על ממון עצמו ורוצה בכבוד עצמו והמתכבד בקלון חבירו אין לו חלק לעולם הבא:
Commentary on Halachah 3
4
Loving a convert who has come to nestle under the wings of the Shechinah [fulfills] two positive commandments: one for he is [also] included among the "neighbors" [whom we are commanded to love] and one because he is a convert and the Torah (Deuteronomy 10:19) states: "and you shall love the converts."
[Thus, God] has commanded us concerning the love of a convert just as He has commanded us concerning loving Himself as [Deuteronomy 11:1] states: "and you shall love God, your Lord." The Holy One, blessed be He, Himself, loves converts as [Deuteronomy 10:18] states: "and He loves converts."
ד
אהבת הגר שבא ונכנס תחת כנפי השכינה שתי מצות עשה אחת מפני שהוא בכלל ריעים ואחת מפני שהוא גר והתורה אמרה ואהבתם את הגר צוה על אהבת הגר כמו שצוה על אהבת עצמו שנאמר ואהבת את ה' אלהיך הקב"ה עצמו אוהב גרים שנאמר ואוהב גר:
Commentary on Halachah 4
5
Whoever hates a [fellow] Jew in his heart transgresses a Torah prohibition as [Leviticus 19:17] states: "Do not hate your brother in your heart." One is not [liable for] lashes for violating this prohibition because no deed is involved.
The Torah only warns [us] against hating in [our] hearts. However, a person who beats a colleague or insults him, although he is not permitted to do so, does not violate [the prohibition,] "you shall not hate."
ה
כל השונא אחד מישראל בלבו עובר בלא תעשה שנאמר לא תשנא את אחיך בלבבך ואין לוקין על לאו זה לפי שאין בו מעשה ולא הזהירה תורה אלא על שנאה שבלב אבל המכה את חבירו והמחרפו אע"פ שאינו רשאי אינו עובר משום לא תשנא:
Commentary on Halachah 5
6
When one person wrongs another, the latter should not remain silent and despise him as [II Samuel 13:22] states concerning the wicked: "And Avshalom did not speak to Amnon neither good, nor bad for Avshalom hated Amnon."
Rather, he is commanded to make the matter known and ask him: "Why did you do this to me?", "Why did you wrong me regarding that matter?" as [Leviticus 19:17] states: "You shall surely admonish your colleague."
If, afterwards, [the person who committed the wrong] asks [his colleague] to forgive him, he must do so. A person should not be cruel when forgiving [as implied by Genesis 20:17]: "And Abraham prayed to God..."
ו
כשיחטא איש לאיש לא ישטמנו וישתוק כמו שנאמר ברשעים ולא דבר אבשלום את אמנון מאומה למרע ועד טוב כי שנא אבשלום את אמנון אלא מצוה עליו להודיעו ולומר לו למה עשית לי כך וכך ולמה חטאת לי בדבר פלוני שנאמר הוכח תוכיח את עמיתך ואם חזר ובקש ממנו למחול לו צריך למחול ולא יהא המוחל אכזרי שנאמר ויתפלל אברהם אל האלהים:
Commentary on Halachah 6
7
It is a mitzvah for a person who sees that his fellow Jew has sinned or is following an improper path [to attempt] to correct his behavior and to inform him that he is causing himself a loss by his evil deeds as [Leviticus 19:17] states: "You shall surely admonish your colleague."
A person who rebukes a colleague - whether because of a [wrong committed] against him or because of a matter between his colleague and God - should rebuke him privately. He should speak to him patiently and gently, informing him that he is only making these statements for his colleague's own welfare, to allow him to merit the life of the world to come.
If he accepts [the rebuke], it is good; if not, he should rebuke him a second and third time. Indeed, one is obligated to rebuke a colleague who does wrong until the latter strikes him and tells him: "I will not listen."
Whoever has the possibility of rebuking [sinners] and fails to do so is considered responsible for that sin, for he had the opportunity to rebuke the [sinners].
ז
הרואה חבירו שחטא או שהלך בדרך לא טובה מצוה להחזירו למוטב ולהודיעו שהוא חוטא על עצמו במעשיו הרעים שנאמר הוכח תוכיח את עמיתך המוכיח את חבירו בין בדברים שבינו לבינו בין בדברים שבינו לבין המקום צריך להוכיחו בינו לבין עצמו וידבר לו בנחת ובלשון רכה ויודיעו שאינו אומר לו אלא לטובתו להביאו לחיי העולם הבא אם קיבל ממנו מוטב ואם לאו יוכיחנו פעם שניה ושלישית וכן תמיד חייב אדם להוכיחו עד שיכהו החוטא ויאמר לו איני שומע וכל שאפשר בידו למחות ואינו מוחה הוא נתפש בעון אלו כיון שאפשר לו למחות בהם:
Commentary on Halachah 7
8
At first, a person who admonishes a colleague should not speak to him harshly until he becomes embarrassed as [Leviticus 19:17] states: "[You should]... not bear a sin because of him." This is what our Sages said: Should you rebuke him to the point that his face changes [color]? The Torah states: "[You should]... not bear a sin because of him."
From this, [we learn that] it is forbidden for a person to embarrass a [fellow] Jew. How much more so [is it forbidden to embarrass him] in public. Even though a person who embarrasses a colleague is not [liable for] lashes on account of him, it is a great sin. Our Sages said: "A person who embarrasses a colleague in public does not have a share in the world to come."
Therefore, a person should be careful not to embarrass a colleague - whether of great or lesser stature - in public, and not to call him a name which embarrasses him or to relate a matter that brings him shame in his presence.
When does the above apply? In regard to matters between one man and another. However, in regard to spiritual matters, if [a transgressor] does not repent [after being admonished] in private, he may be put to shame in public and his sin may be publicized. He may be subjected to abuse, scorn, and curses until he repents, as was the practice of all the prophets of Israel.
ח
המוכיח את חבירו תחלה לא ידבר לו קשות עד שיכלימנו שנאמר ולא תשא עליו חטא כך אמרו חכמים יכול אתה מוכיחו ופניו משתנות ת"ל ולא תשא עליו חטא מכאן שאסור לאדם להכלים את ישראל וכל שכן ברבים אף על פי שהמכלים את חבירו אינו לוקה עליו עון גדול הוא כך אמרו חכמים המלבין פני חבירו ברבים אין לו חלק לעולם הבא לפיכך צריך אדם להזהר שלא לבייש חבירו ברבים בין קטן בין גדול ולא יקרא לו בשם שהוא בוש ממנו ולא יספר לפניו דבר שהוא בוש ממנו במה דברים אמורים בדברים שבין אדם לחבירו אבל בדברי שמים אם לא חזר בו בסתר מכלימין אותו ברבים ומפרסמים חטאו ומחרפים אותו בפניו ומבזין ומקללין אותו עד שיחזור למוטב כמו שעשו כל הנביאים בישראל:
Commentary on Halachah 8
9
It is pious behavior if a person who was wronged by a colleague would rather not admonish him or mention the matter at all because the person who wronged him was very boorish or because he was mentally disturbed, [provided] he forgives him totally without bearing any feelings of hate or admonishing him. The Torah is concerned only with those who carry feelings of hate.
ט
מי שחטא עליו חבירו ולא רצה להוכיחו ולא לדבר לו כלום מפני שהיה החוטא הדיוט ביותר או שהיתה דעתו משובשת ומחל לו בלבו ולא שטמו ולא הוכיחו הרי זו מדת חסידות לא הקפידה תורה אלא על המשטמה:
Commentary on Halachah 9
10
A person is obligated to show great care for orphans and widows because their spirits are very low and their feelings are depressed. This applies even if they are wealthy. We are commanded to [show this attention] even to a king's widow and his orphans as [implied by Exodus 22:21]: "Do not mistreat any widow or orphan."
How should one deal with them? One should only speak to them gently and treat them only with honor. One should not cause pain to their persons with [overbearing] work or aggravate their feelings with harsh words and [one should] show more consideration for their financial interests than for one's own. Anyone who vexes or angers them, hurts their feelings, oppresses them, or causes them financial loss transgresses this prohibition. Surely this applies if one beats them or curses them.
Even though [a person who violates] this prohibition is not [liable for] lashes, the retribution one suffers for its [violation] is explicitly stated in the Torah (ibid. 22:23): "I will display My anger and slay you with the sword." There is a covenant between them and He who spoke and created the world that whenever they cry out because they have been wronged, they will be answered as [ibid.:22] states: "When they cry out to Me, I will surely hear their cry."
When does the above apply? When one causes them suffering for one's own purposes. However, it is permitted for a teacher to cause them suffering while teaching them Torah, or a craft, or in order to train them in proper behavior. Nevertheless, he should not treat them in the same manner as he treats others, but rather make a distinction with regard to them and treat them with gentility, great mercy, and honor for [Proverbs 22:22] states: "For God will take up their cause."
This applies to both those orphaned from their father and those orphaned from their mother. Until when are they considered orphans in the context [of this mitzvah]? Until they no longer need a mature individual to support, instruct, and care for them and are able to see to all their own needs by themselves, like other adults.
י
חייב אדם להזהר ביתומים ואלמנות מפני שנפשן שפלה למאד ורוחם נמוכה אע"פ שהן בעלי ממון אפילו אלמנתו של מלך ויתומיו מוזהרים אנו עליהן שנאמר כל אלמנה ויתום לא תענון והיאך נוהגין עמהן לא ידבר אליהם אלא רכות ולא ינהוג בהן אלא מנהג כבוד ולא יכאיב גופם בעבודה ולבם בדברים קשים ויחוס על ממונם יותר מממון עצמו כל המקניטן או מכעיסן או הכאיב להן או רדה בהן או אבד ממונן הרי זה עובר בלא תעשה וכל שכן המכה אותם או המקללן ולאו זה אף על פי שאין לוקין עליו הרי עונשו מפורש בתורה וחרה אפי והרגתי אתכם בחרב ברית כרת להן מי שאמר והיה העולם שכל זמן שהם צועקים מחמס הם נענים שנאמר כי אם צעק יצעק אלי שמוע אשמע צעקתו בד"א בזמן שעינה אותן לצורך עצמו אבל עינה אותם הרב כדי ללמדן תורה או אומנות או להוליכן בדרך ישרה הרי זה מותר ואע"פ כן לא ינהוג בהן מנהג כל אדם אלא יעשה להם הפרש וינהלם בנחת וברחמים גדולים וכבוד שנאמר כי ה' יריב ריבם אחד יתום מאב אחד יתום מאם ועד אימתי נקראים יתומים לענין זה עד שלא יהיו צריכין לאדם גדול להסמך עליו ולאמנן ולהטפל בהן אלא יהיה עושה כל צרכי עצמו לעצמו כשאר כל הגדולים:
Commentary on Halachah 10
Rambam:
• 3 Chapters A Day: Tefillin, Mezuzah and Sefer Torah Tefillin, Mezuzah and Sefer Torah - Chapter Five, Tefillin, Mezuzah and Sefer Torah Tefillin, Mezuzah and Sefer Torah - Chapter Six, Tefillin, Mezuzah and Sefer Torah Tefillin, Mezuzah and Sefer Torah - Chapter Seven
English Text | Hebrew Text
Audio: Listen | Download | Video ClassTefillin, Mezuzah and Sefer Torah - Chapter Five
1
How is a mezuzah written? The two portions, Shema and V'hayah im shamo'a, are written on one piece of parchment in a single column. Approximately half a fingernail of space should be left above and below [the writing].
Should one write [a mezuzah] in two or three columns, it is acceptable, as long as it not written tail-shaped, in a circle, or tent-shaped. If it was written using any of these forms, it is not acceptable.
If it was not written in order - e.g., one wrote the passage [V'hayah im shamo'a] before the passage [Shema] - it is not acceptable. If one writes a mezuzah on two different parchments, it is not acceptable even if they were sewn together [later].
A mezuzah should not be made from a Torah scroll or tefillin that have become worn, nor should a mezuzah be written on the empty parchment from a Torah scroll, because one should not lower an article from a higher level of holiness to a lesser one.
א
כיצד כותבין את המזוזה כותבין שתי פרשיות שמע והיה אם שמוע על דף אחד ביריעה אחת ועושה לה ריוח מלמטה וריוח מלמעלה כמו חצי צפורן ואם כתבה בשנים או בשלשה דפין כשירה ובלבד שלא יעשנה כזנב או כמו עגול או כקובה ואם עשה כאחת מאלה פסולה כתבה שלא על הסדר כגון שהקדים פרשה לפרשה פסולה כתבה בשני עורות אף על פי שתפרן פסולה ספר תורה שבלה ותפילין שבלו אין עושין מהן מזוזה ולא מן הגליונים של ספר תורה אין כותבין עליו מזוזה לפי שאין מורידין מקדושה חמורה לקדושה קלה:
Commentary on Halachah 1
2
It is a mitzvah to leave a space between the passage Shema and the passage V'hayah im shamo'a, as if it were s'tumah. If space were left as if it were p'tuchah, it is acceptable, since these passages do not follow each other in the Torah.
One must take care regarding the crowns [on the letters] in a mezuzah. The following letters should have crowns.
ב
ומצוה לעשות ריוח שבין פרשת שמע לוהיה אם שמוע פרשה סתומה ואם עשה אותה פתוחה כשירה לפי שאינה סמוכה לה מן התורה וצריך להזהר בתגין שבה ואלו הן התגין שעושין במזוזה:
Commentary on Halachah 2
3
In the first passage, there are seven letters which should each have three zeiynin upon it. They are: The shin and the ayin of [the word] Shema, the nun of [the word] nafsh'cha, the two zeiynin of [the word] mezuzot, and the two tettin of the word totafot.
In the second passage, there are six letters each of which should have three zeiynin upon it. They are: The gimmel of [the word] d'ganecha, the two zeiynin of [the word] mezuzot, the two tettin of the word totafot, and the tzadi of [the word] ha'aretz.
If no crowns were made, or one increased or decreased their number, [the mezuzah] is not invalidated. If the mezuzah was not written on ruled [parchment], if [the scribe] was not exact with regard to the use of the full or short form [of the words, or if [the scribe] added even a single letter inside [the mezuzah], it is invalidated.
ג
פרשה ראשונה יש בה שבע אותיות על כל אות מהן שלשה זייני"ן ואלו הן:
שי"ן עיי"ן של שמע ונו"ן דנפשך ותרי זייני"ן של מזוזות ותרי טיתי"ן של טטפת ופרשה שנייה יש בה שש אותיות על כל אות מהן שלשה זייני"ן ואלו הן:
גימ"ל של דגנך ותרי זייני"ן של מזוזות ותרי טיתי"ן של טוטפת וצדי"ק של הארץ ואם לא עשה תגין או שהוסיף בהן או גרע מהן לא פסל ואם כתבה שלא בשירטוט או שלא דקדק במלא וחסר או שהוסיף מבפנים אפילו אות אחת הרי זו פסולה:
4
It is a common custom to write [God's name,] Shaddai, on the outside of a mezuzah opposite the empty space left between the two passages. There is no difficulty in this, since [the addition is made] outside.
Those, however, who write the names of angels, other sacred names, verses, or forms, on the inside [of a mezuzah] are among those who do not have a portion in the world to come. Not only do these fools nullify the mitzvah, but furthermore, they make from a great mitzvah [which reflects] the unity of the name of the Holy One, blessed be He, the love of Him, and the service of Him, a talisman for their own benefit. They, in their foolish conception, think that this will help them regarding the vanities of the world.
ד
מנהג פשוט שכותבים על המזוזה מבחוץ כנגד הריוח שבין פרשה לפרשה שדי ואין בזה הפסד לפי שהוא מבחוץ אבל אלו שכותבין מבפנים שמות המלאכים או שמות קדושים או פסוק או חותמות הרי הן בכלל מי שאין להם חלק לעולם הבא שאלו הטפשים לא די להם שבטלו המצוה אלא שעשו מצוה גדולה שהיא יחוד השם של הקדוש ברוך הוא ואהבתו ועבודתו כאילו הוא קמיע של הניית עצמן כמו שעלה על לבם הסכל שזהו דבר המהנה בהבלי העולם:
Commentary on Halachah 4
5
It is a mitzvah to write al ha'aretz on the final line [of a mezuzah], either at the beginning or in the middle of the line. It has become universally accepted custom for scribes to write [mezuzot] with 22 lines, with al ha'aretz at the beginning of the final line.
These are the letters that appear at the beginning of each line in order: shema, י-ה-ו-ה, hadevarim, l'vanecha, uv'shochbicha, beyn, v'hayah, m'tzaveh, b'chol, yoreh, esev, pen, v'hishtachavitem, hashamayim, va'avad'tem, v'samtem, otam, otam, baderech, uvish'arecha, asher, al ha'aretz13.
ה
ומצוה לכתוב על הארץ בשיטה אחרונה בין בראש בין (באמצע) השיטה ונהגו כל הסופרים לכתוב אותה בשתים ועשרים שיטות ועל הארץ בראש שיטה אחרונה ואלו הן האותיות שבראש כל שיטה ושיטה על הסדר:
שמע ה' הדברים לבניך ובשכבך בין והיה מצוה בכל יורה עשב פן והשתחויתם השמים ואבדתם ושמתם אתם אתם בדרך ובשעריך אשר על הארץ:
6
When [a mezuzah] is folded, it should be rolled from the end of the line to its beginning so that when a reader rolls it open, he will be able to read from the beginning of the line to the end.
After rolling it, one should place it in a tube made of reed, wood, or any other substance and affix it to the doorpost of one's entrance with a nail. Alternatively, one should hollow out the doorpost and place the mezuzah within.
ו
כשכופלין אותה גוללין אותה מסוף השיטה לתחלתה עד שתמצא כשיפתח הקורא לקרות יקרא מראש השיטה לסופה ואחר שגוללה מניחה בשפופרת של קנה או של עץ או של כל דבר ומחבר אותה אל מזוזת הפתח במסמר או חופר במזוזת הפתח ומכניס בה המזוזה:
Commentary on Halachah 6
7
Before affixing it on the doorpost of the entrance, one should recite the blessing: "Blessed are You, God, our Lord, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to affix a mezuzah."
One should not recite a blessing when writing [the mezuzah], because affixing it fulfills the mitzvah.
ז
וקודם שיקבענה במזוזת הפתח מברך תחלה ברוך אתה יי' אלהינו מלך העולם אשר קדשנו במצותיו וצונו לקבוע מזוזה ואינו מברך בשעת כתיבתה שקביעתה זו היא המצוה:
Commentary on Halachah 7
8
If one suspends [a mezuzah] within a pole, it is unacceptable, because it has not been affixed. If one positions it behind the door, it is as if one has done nothing.
Should one hollow out the doorpost and place a mezuzah within it horizontally, as the rods were put through the rings [in the Sanctuary], it is unacceptable. Should one place it deeper than a handbreadth [within the doorpost], it is unacceptable.
Should one cut a reed in half and insert a mezuzah within, and afterwards connect this reed with other reeds, making a doorpost for the house from them, it is unacceptable, because the affixing of the mezuzah preceded the making of the doorpost of the entrance.
ח
תלאה במקל פסולה שאין זו קבועה הניחה אחרי הדלת לא עשה כלום חפר במזוזת הפתח והכניס המזוזה כמו נגר והיא כבריח הקרשים בטבעות פסולה העמיק לה טפח פסולה חתך קנה והכניס בו מזוזה ואח"כ חיבר הקנה אל קנים אחרים והעמיד מן הכל מזוזת הפתח פסולה מפני שקדמה קביעת המזוזה לעשיית מזוזת הפתח:
Commentary on Halachah 8
9
A mezuzah [placed] on private [property] should be checked twice in seven years, and a mezuzah [placed] on public [property] should be checked twice in fifty years, lest a letter have become torn or faded. Since it is affixed within a wall, there is the possibility that it will decay.
ט
מזוזת היחיד נבדקת פעמים בשבוע ומזוזת רבים פעמים ביובל שמא נקרעה ממנה אות אחת או נמחקה מפני שהיא קבועה בכתלים מרקבת:
Commentary on Halachah 9
10
Everyone is obligated [to fulfill the mitzvah of] mezuzah, even women and slaves. Minors should be educated to affix a mezuzah to [the doors of] their homes.
A person who rents a dwelling in the diaspora, and a person who rents a room in a hotel in Eretz Yisrael, are exempt from the obligation [to affix a] mezuzah for thirty days. One who rents a house in Eretz Yisrael, however, is obligated [to affix a] mezuzah immediately.
י
הכל חייבין במזוזה אפילו נשים ועבדים ומחנכים את הקטנים לעשות מזוזה לבתיהם השוכר בית בחוצה לארץ והדר בפונדק בארץ ישראל פטור מן המזוזה ל' יום אבל השוכר בית בארץ ישראל חייב במזוזה מיד:
Commentary on Halachah 10
11
When a person rents a dwelling to a colleague, the tenant is obligated to obtain a mezuzah and affix it. [This applies] even if he would pay to have it affixed. [The rationale is] that a mezuzah is an obligation incumbent on the person dwelling [in the house], and is not incumbent on the house.
When [the tenant] leaves [the dwelling, however], he should not take it with him unless the dwelling belongs to a gentile. In that instance, he should remove it when he leaves.
יא
המשכיר בית לחבירו על השוכר להביא מזוזה ולקבוע אותה אפילו היה נותן שכר על קביעתה מפני שהמזוזה חובת הדר היא ואינה חובת הבית וכשהוא יוצא לא יטלנה בידו ויצא ואם היה הבית של כותי הרי זה נוטלה כשיצא:
Commentary on Halachah 11
Tefillin, Mezuzah and Sefer Torah - Chapter Six
1
There are ten requirements that must be met by a house for the person who dwells within to be obligated to affix a mezuzah. If one of the requirements is lacking, there is no obligation for a mezuzah. They are:
a) for the area [of the dwelling] to be four cubits by four cubits or more;
b) for it to have two doorposts;
c) for it to have a lintel;
d) for it to have a roof;
e) for it to have doors;
f) for the entrance to be at least ten handbreadths high;
g) for the dwelling not to be consecrated;
h) for it to be intended for human habitation;
i) for it to be intended to be used for a dignified dwelling;
j) for it to be a permanent dwelling.
א
עשרה תנאין יש בבית ואחר כך יתחייב הדר בו לעשות לו מזוזה ואם חסר תנאי אחד מהן פטור מן המזוזה ואלו הן:
שיהיה בן ארבע אמות על ארבע אמות או יתר ושתהיינה לו שתי מזוזות ויהיה לו משקוף ותהיה לו תקרה ויהיו לו דלתות ויהיה השער גבוה עשרה טפחים או יותר ויהיה הבית חול ויהיה עשוי לדירת אדם ועשוי לדירת כבוד ועשוי לדירת קבע:
Commentary on Halachah 1
2
A dwelling which is less than four cubits by four cubits does not require a mezuzah. If its area is equal to sixteen square cubits, although it is circular, pentagonal, and needless to say, if it is rectangular, since its area is equal to the above-mentioned figure, it requires a mezuzah.
ב
בית שאין לו ארבע אמות על ארבע אמות פטור מן המזוזה ואם יש בו כדי לרבע ארבע אמות על ארבע אמות בשוה אע"פ שהוא עגול או בעל חמש זויות ואין צריך לומר שאם היה ארכו יתר על רחבו הואיל ויש בו לרבע ארבע אמות על ארבע אמות חייב במזוזה:
Commentary on Halachah 2
3
An excedra, a structure with three walls and a roof, does not require a mezuzah even though it has two pillars on the fourth side. The pillars are intended as supports for the roof, and not as doorposts.
Similarly, a roof without walls which stands on pillars, even though shaped like a house, does not require a mezuzah, because it has no doorposts. The pillars are intended to support the roof.
ג
אכסדרה והוא המקום שיש לו שלשה כתלים ותקרה אע"פ שיש לה שני פצימין ברוח רביעית פטורה מן המזוזה מפני שהפצימין להעמיד התקרה הם עשויים ולא משום מזוזות נעשו וכן התקרה שאין לה כתלים אלא עומדת על עמודים מכאן ומכאן אף על פי שהיא כתבנית בית פטורה לפי שאין לה מזוזות שאלו העמודים להעמיד התקרה הן עשויין:
Commentary on Halachah 3
4
[The following rules apply to] a house which has a doorpost on either side and an arch above the two doorposts instead of a lintel. If the doorposts are ten handbreadths high or more, it requires a mezuzah. If they are not ten handbreadths high, [the entrance] does not require [a mezuzah], because it does not have a lintel.
ד
בית שיש לו מזוזה מכאן ומכאן וכיפה כמין קשת על שתי המזוזות במקום המשקוף אם יש בגובה המזוזות עשרה טפחים או יתר חייב במזוזה ואם אין בהן עשרה טפחים פטורין מפני שאין לו משקוף:
Commentary on Halachah 4
5
A house that does not have a roof does not require a mezuzah. If a portion of [a building] was covered by a roof and a portion was not, the [following ruling] appears to me [as appropriate]: If the covered portion is near the entrance, it requires a mezuzah.
The doors should be attached, and afterwards, a mezuzah affixed.
ה
בית שאין לו תקרה פטור מן המזוזה היה מקצתו מקורה ומקצתו אינו מקורה יראה לי שאם היה הקירוי כנגד הפתח שהוא חייב במזוזה ומעמידין הדלתות ואח"כ קובעין את המזוזה:
Commentary on Halachah 5
6
[The gates to] the Temple Mount, its chambers, courtyards, and, similarly, entrances to synagogues and houses of study which do not have apartments in which people live do not require mezuzot, because they are consecrated.
A synagogue in a village in which guests reside requires a mezuzah. Similarly, a synagogue in a metropolis, if it has an apartment, requires a mezuzah.
All the gates in the Temple complex did not have mezuzot, with the exception of the Gate of Nicanor and those further within, and the entrance to the Chamber of Parhedrin, because this chamber served as a dwelling for the High Priest during the seven days when he was separated [from his home in preparation for the Yom Kippur service].
ו
הר הבית הלשכות והעזרות ובתי כנסיות ובתי מדרשות שאין בהן בית דירה פטורין לפי שהן קדש בית הכנסת של כפרים שהאורחין דרין בו חייב במזוזה וכן בית הכנסת של כרכין אם היה בו בית דירה חייב כל השערים שהיו במקדש לא היה להם מזוזות חוץ משער נקנור ושלפנים ממנו ושל לשכת פרהדרין מפני שהלשכה הזאת היתה בית דירה לכהן גדול בשבעת ימי ההפרשה:
Commentary on Halachah 6
7
A storage house for straw, a barn for cattle, a woodshed, or [other] storage rooms do not require a mezuzah [as can be inferred from Deuteronomy 6:9, which requires that a mezuzah be placed on] "your homes" - i.e., a house which is set aside for your use - thus excluding the above and their like.
Therefore, [if] a barn [is also used] by women as a dressing room, it requires a mezuzah, since it is used as a dwelling by a human being. A guardhouse, an excedra, a porch, a garden, and a corral do not require a mezuzah since they are not dwellings. If dwellings which require a mezuzah open up to these structures, they require a mezuzah.
ז
בית התבן בית הבקר בית העצים בית אוצרות פטורין מן המזוזה שנאמר ביתך ביתך המיוחד לך פרט לאלו וכיוצא בהן לפיכך רפת הבקר שהנשים יושבות בה ומתקשטות בה חייבות במזוזה שהרי יש בה יחוד לדירת אדם בית שער אכסדרה ומרפסת והגינה והדיר פטורין מן המזוזה מפני שאינם עשויין לדירה אם היו בתים החייבין במזוזה פתוחין למקומות אלו חייבין במזוזה:
Commentary on Halachah 7
8
Accordingly, gates to courtyards, gates to alleys, and gates to cities and towns, all require a mezuzah, since houses which require a mezuzah open up to them. Even when there are ten structures leading one to each other, should the innermost one require a mezuzah, they all require [mezuzot]. Therefore, [our Sages] stated: A gate which opens up from a garden to a courtyard requires a mezuzah.
ח
לפיכך אחד שערי חצרות ואחד שערי מבואות ואחד שערי מדינות ועיירות הכל חייבים במזוזה שהרי הבתים החייבין במזוזה פתוחין לתוכן אפילו עשרה בתים זה פתוח לזה וזה פתוח לזה הואיל והפנימי חייב במזוזה כולן חייבין ומפני זה אמרו שער הפתוח מן הגינה לחצר חייב במזוזה:
Commentary on Halachah 8
9
A toilet, a bathhouse, a mikveh, a tannery, and the like, do not require a mezuzah, since they do not constitute a dignified dwelling.
A sukkah on the holiday of Sukkot, and a house on a ship do not require a mezuzah, for they do not constitute a permanent dwelling.
[With regard to] the two booths of a potter, one inside the other: The outer booth does not require a mezuzah, because it is not a permanent structure. Stores in a market place do not require a mezuzah because they are not permanently used as a dwelling.
ט
בית הכסא ובית המרחץ ובית הטבילה ובית הבורסקי וכיוצא בהם פטורין מן המזוזה לפי שאינן עשויין לדירת כבוד סוכת חג בחג ובית שבספינה פטורין מן המזוזה לפי שאינן עשויין לדירת קבע שתי סוכות של יוצרים זו לפנים מזו החיצונה פטורה מן המזוזה לפי שאינה קבועה החנויות שבשוקים פטורין מפני שאינן קבועים לדירה:
Commentary on Halachah 9
10
A dwelling which has many doorways requires a mezuzah for each and every doorway, even though one generally enters and leaves through only one of them.
A small entrance between a dwelling and a loft requires a mezuzah. When there is a separate room in a house, or even one room which leads to another room, it is necessary to affix a mezuzah on the doorway to the innermost room, the doorway to the outer room, and the doorway to the house, since all of them are used for the purpose of dwelling and are permanent structures.
י
בית שיש לו פתחים הרבה אף על פי שאינו רגיל לצאת ולבא אלא באחת מהן חייב לעשות מזוזה בכל פתח ופתח פתח קטן שבין בית לעליה חייב במזוזה חדר שבבית אפילו חדר בחדר חייב לעשות מזוזה על שער החדר הפנימי ועל שער החדר החיצון ועל שער הבית שכולן עשויין לדירה וקבועין:
Commentary on Halachah 10
11
When a person frequently enters and leaves through an entrance between a synagogue and a house of study and his own house, that entrance requires a mezuzah.
When there is an entrance between two houses, [the position of the mezuzah] is determined by the door-hinge. The mezuzah is placed on the side on which the hinge can be seen.
יא
פתח שבין בית המדרש או בין בית הכנסת וביתו אם רגיל לצאת ולבוא באותו הפתח חייב במזוזה פתח שבין שני בתים הולכין אחר הציר של דלת מקום שהציר נראה עמו שם קובעים את המזוזה:
Commentary on Halachah 11
12
Where is the mezuzah affixed? At the inside of the entrance, within a handbreadth of the outer edge of the doorpost, at the beginning of the top third of the entrance. If it was affixed higher up, it is acceptable as long as it is at least a handbreadth below the lintel.
It must be placed at the right-hand side as one enters the house. If it is placed on the left-hand side, it is invalid.
A house belonging to partners requires a mezuzah.
יב
והיכן קובעים את המזוזה בתוך חלל של פתח בטפח הסמוך לחוץ בתחלת שליש העליון של גובה השער ואם קבעה למעלה מזה כשרה והוא שירחיקנה מן המשקוף טפח וצריך לקובעה על ימין הנכנס לבית ואם קבעה משמאל פסולה ובית של שותפין חייב במזוזה:
Commentary on Halachah 12
13
A person must show great care in [the observance of the mitzvah of] mezuzah, because it is an obligation which is constantly incumbent upon everyone.
[Through its observance,] whenever a person enters or leaves [the house], he will encounter the unity of the name of the Holy One, blessed be He, and remember his love for Him. Thus, he will awake from his sleep and his obsession with the vanities of time, and recognize that there is nothing which lasts for eternity except the knowledge of the Creator of the world. This will motivate him to regain full awareness and follow the paths of the upright.
Whoever wears tefillin on his head and arm, wears tzitzit on his garment, and has a mezuzah on his entrance, can be assured that he will not sin, because he has many who will remind him. These are the angels, who will prevent him from sinning, as [Psalms 34:8] states: "The angel of God camps around those who fear Him and protects them."
Blessed be God who offers assistance.
יג
חייב אדם להזהר במזוזה מפני שהיא חובת הכל תמיד וכל זמן שיכנס ויצא יפגע ביחוד השם שמו של הקדוש ב"ה ויזכור אהבתו ויעור משנתו ושגיותיו בהבלי הזמן וידע שאין דבר העומד לעולם ולעולמי עולמים אלא ידיעת צור העולם ומיד הוא חוזר לדעתו והולך בדרכי מישרים אמרו חכמים הראשונים כל מי שיש לו תפילין בראשו ובזרועו וציצית בבגדו ומזוזה בפתחו מוחזק הוא שלא יחטא שהרי יש לו מזכירין רבים והן הם המלאכים שמצילין אותו מלחטוא שנאמר חונה מלאך יי' סביב ליראיו ויחלצם בריך רחמנא דסייען:
Tefillin, Mezuzah and Sefer Torah - Chapter Seven
1
It is a positive commandment for each and every Jewish man to write a Torah scroll for himself, as [implied by the commandment (Deuteronomy 31:19)]: "And now, write down this song for yourselves," i.e., write down the [entire] Torah which contains this song. [The basis for this interpretation is] that the Torah should not be written passage by passage.
Even if a person's ancestors left him a Torah scroll, it is a mitzvah to write one himself. If a person writes the scroll by hand, it is considered as if he received it on Mount Sinai. If he does not know how to write himself, [he should have] others write it for him.
Anyone who checks even a single letter of a Torah scroll is considered as if he wrote the entire scroll.
א
מצות עשה על כל איש ואיש מישראל לכתוב ספר תורה לעצמו שנאמר ועתה כתבו לכם את השירה כלומר כתבו לכם תורה שיש בה שירה זו לפי שאין כותבין את התורה פרשיות פרשיות ואע"פ שהניחו לו אבותיו ספר תורה מצוה לכתוב משלו ואם כתבו בידו הרי הוא כאילו קבלה מהר סיני ואם אינו יודע לכתוב אחרים כותבין לו וכל המגיה ספר תורה ואפילו אות אחת הרי הוא כאילו כתבו כולו:
Commentary on Halachah 1
2
A king is commanded to write another Torah scroll for himself, for the sake of his sovereignty, in addition to the scroll which he possessed while a commoner, as [Deuteronomy 17:18] states: "And when he sits on his royal throne, he shall write...." This scroll should be checked against the scroll in the Temple Courtyard by the Supreme Sanhedrin.
The one which he possessed while he was a commoner should be placed in his storage chambers, and the one that he wrote - or had written for him - while he was a king, should be with him at all times. When he goes out to war, his Torah scroll should be with him. When he returns, it should be with him. When he sits in judgment, it should be with him. When he dines, it should be opposite him, as [Deuteronomy 17:19] states: "And it shall be with him and he shall read it all the days of his life."
ב
והמלך מצוה עליו לכתוב ספר תורה אחד לעצמו לשם המלך יתר על ספר שיהיה לו כשהוא הדיוט שנאמר והיה כשבתו על כסא ממלכתו וכתב לו וגו' ומגיהין אותו מספר העזרה ע"פ בית דין הגדול זה שהיה לו כשהוא הדיוט מניחו בבית גנזיו וזה שכתב או שנכתב לו אחר שמלך יהיה עמו תמיד ואם יצא למלחמה ספר תורה עמו נכנס והוא עמו יושב בדין והוא עמו מיסב והוא כנגדו שנאמר והיתה עמו וקרא בו כל ימי חייו:
Commentary on Halachah 2
3
If a king did not possess a Torah scroll before he became king, he must write two Torah scrolls after he ascends the throne: one to place in his storage chambers, and the other to accompany him at all times, never leaving his presence except at night, when he enters the bathhouse, the toilet, or when he sleeps.
ג
לא היה לו ספר תורה קודם שימלוך צריך לכתוב לו אחר שמלך שני ספרי תורה אחד מניחו בבית גנזיו והשני יהיה עמו תמיד לא יסור מעמו אלא בלילה בלבד וכשיכנס לבית המרחץ או לבית הכסא או לישן על מטתו:
Commentary on Halachah 3
4
A Torah scroll which was written on unruled [parchment] or which was written with portions on g'vil and portions on k'laf is invalid. It must be written either entirely on g'vil or entirely on k'laf.
How should a Torah scroll be written? One should write with very careful and attractive calligraphy, leaving the space the size of a small letter between each word and a hairbreadth's space between each letter. The space of a line should be left between each line.
The length of each line should be thirty letters so that one can write the word למשפחותיכם three times. This should be the width of every column. A line should not be shorter than this, lest the column appear like a note; nor wider than this, so that one's eyes will not wander through the text.
ד
ספר תורה שכתבו בלא שרטוט או שכתבו מקצתו על הגויל ומקצתו על הקלף פסול אלא או כולו על הגויל או כולו על הקלף וכיצד כותבין ספר תורה כותב כתיבה מתוקנת נאה ביותר יניח בין כל תיבה ותיבה כמלא אות קטנה ובין אות לאות כמלוא חוט השערה ובין כל שיטה ושיטה כמלוא שיטה ואורך כל שיטה ושיטה שלשים אותיות כדי לכתוב למשפחותיכם למשפחותיכם למשפחותיכם תלתא זימני וזה הוא רוחב כל דף ודף ולא תהא שיטה קצרה מזה כדי שלא יהא הדף כאיגרת ולא אורכה יותר על זה כדי שלא יהו עיניו משוטטות בכתב:
Commentary on Halachah 4
5
One should not reduce the size of a letter in order to leave the proper amount of space between one passage and another.
Should [a scribe] have to write a word with five letters [at the end of a line, and there not be sufficient space for them all], he should not write two within the column and three beyond its margins. Rather, he should write three within the column, and two beyond its margins. If there is no room on the line to write [at least] three letters, he should leave an empty space and continue at the beginning of the [next] line.
ה
לא ימעט הכתב מפני הריוח שבין פרשה לפרשה נזדמנה לו תיבה בת חמש אותיות לא יכתוב שתים בתוך הדף ושלש חוץ לדף אלא כותב שלש בתוך הדף ושתים חוץ לדף לא נשאר מן השיטה כדי לכתוב שלש אותיות מניח המקום פנוי ומתחיל מתחילת השיטה:
Commentary on Halachah 5
6
Should [a scribe] have to write a two-letter word [after completing a line], he should not write it between the columns. Instead, he should write it at the beginning of the [following] line.
[The following rules apply] if one had to write a word of ten - or more or fewer - letters in the middle of a line, and less space than necessary remained within the column: If it is possible to write half of the word within the column, with [only] half extending beyond the margin, he should. If that is not possible, he should leave an empty space and continue at the beginning of the next line.
ו
נזדמנה לו תיבה בת שתי אותיות לא יזרקנה בין הדפין אלא יחזיר לתחלת השיטה נזדמנה לו בתוך השיטה תיבה בת עשר אותיות או פחות או יתר ולא נשאר מן השיטה כדי לכתוב את כולה בתוך הדף אם יכול לכתוב חציה בתוך הדף וחציה חוץ לדף כותב ואם לאו מניח המקום פנוי ומתחיל מתחלת השיטה:
Commentary on Halachah 6
7
One should leave four empty lines between each of the books of the Torah, neither more, nor less, starting the next book at the beginning of the following line.
One should complete the entire Torah in the middle of the line at the bottom of the column. If many lines remain in the column, he should write shorter lines, beginning at the beginning of the line, but not completing it, so that the words לעיני כל ישראל are in the middle of the line at the bottom of the column.
ז
ומניח בין כל חומש וחומש ארבע שיטין פנויות בלא כתיבה לא פחות ולא יתר ויתחיל החומש מתחלת שיטה חמישית וכשיגמור את התורה צריך שיגמור באמצע שיטה שבסוף הדף ואם נשאר מן הדף שיטין הרבה מקצר ועולה ומתחיל מתחלת השיטה שבסוף הדף ולא יגמור את השיטה ומתכוין עד שיהיה לעיני כל ישראל באמצע שיטה שבסוף הדף:
8
One should be careful regarding the oversized letters, the miniature letters, the letters that are dotted, the letters that have abnormal shapes - e.g., the pe'in that are bent over - and the crooked letters that the scribes have copied from each other in a chain of tradition.
[Similarly,] care should be taken regarding the crowns and the number [of crowns placed on a letter]. There are some letters that have [only] one crown, and others that have seven crowns. All these crowns are shaped like zeiynin. They should be as thin as a hair.
ח
ויזהר באותיות הגדולות ובאותיות הקטנות ובאותיות הנקודות ואותיות המשונות כגון הפאי"ן הלפופות והאותיות העקומות כמו שהעתיקו הסופרים איש מפי איש ויזהר בתגין ובמניינן יש אות שיש עליה תג אחד ויש אות שיש עליה שבעה וכל התגין כצורת זייני"ן הן דקין כחוט השערה:
Commentary on Halachah 8
9
All the above matters were mentioned only because this is the most perfect way of performing the mitzvah. Should one, however, alter the structure [of a scroll from that] mentioned above or not be precise regarding the placement of the crowns, [the scroll is acceptable] if all the letters were written as they should be.
[Similarly,] if one wrote the lines closer together, separated them further, lengthened them, or shortened them, the scroll is acceptable, provided one letter does not touch another, no letters are omitted, extra letters are not added, the shape of even a single letter is not altered, and the [form of the passages, whether] p'tuchah or s'tumah, is not changed.
ט
כל הדברים האלו לא נאמרו אלא למצוה מן המובחר ואם שינה בתיקון זה או שלא דקדק בתגין וכתב כל האותיות כתיקונן או שקרב את השיטין או הרחיקן או האריכן או קצרן הואיל ולא הדביקן אות באות ולא חיסר ולא הותיר ולא הפסיד צורת אות אחת ולא שינה בפתוחות וסתומות הרי זה ספר כשר:
10
There are other practices which, although they are not mentioned in the Talmud, have been followed by scribes as tradition, transferred from generation to generation. They include that:
a) the number of lines in each column not be less than 48 nor greater than 60;
b) there is a space of approximately nine letters left empty between each passage, so that one could write the word אשר three times;
c) that the five lines above the song recited at the Red Sea begin with the words: haba'im, bayabashah, י-ה-ו-ה andb'Mitzrayim, and that the five lines below that song begin with the words: vatikach, achareha, sus, vayetz'u, and vayavo'u.
d) that the six lines above the song, Ha'azinu begin with the words: v'a'idah, acharei, haderech, b'acharit, l'hach'iso, and k'hal, and that the five lines below that song begin with the words: vayavo, l'daber, asher, hazot, asher.
י
יש דברים אחרים שלא נאמרו בגמרא ונהגו בהם הסופרים וקבלה הוא בידם איש מפי איש והן שיהיו מנין השיטין שבכל דף ודף לא פחות משמנה וארבעים ולא יתר על ששים ושיהיה הריוח שבין פרשה לפרשה כמו תשע אותיות אשר אשר אשר ושיהיה בראש השיטין למעלה משירת הים הבאים ביבשה השם מת במצרים חמש שיטין ולמטה מן השירה חמש שיטין תחלת כל שיטה מהן כך ותקח אחריה סוס ויצאו ויבאו ויהיה בראשי השיטין למעלה משירת האזינו ואעידה אחרי הדרך באחרית להכעיסו קהל שש שיטין ולמטה ממנה חמש שיטין ויבא לדבר אשר הזאת אשר:
11
All the above matters [were mentioned] only because this is the most perfect way of performing the mitzvah. If one deviated from them, [the scroll] is not disqualified.
In contrast, if one wrote the short form of a word that should be spelled using a long form, or the long form of one that should be spelled using a short form, [the scroll] is disqualified.
[The same ruling applies if, in circumstances where one word is written in the Torah scroll and a different word is read] - e.g.,yishkavenah is read instead of yishgalenah (Deuteronomy 28:30), and uvat'chorim is read instead of uva'folim (Deuteronomy 28:27) - one writes the word that is read [instead of the word that is written].
Similarly, if one wrote a passage that should be p'tuchah as s'tumah, or one that should be s'tumah as p'tuchah, or if one wrote another passage from the Torah in the form of one of the songs, or wrote one of the songs in the form of another passage, [the scroll is disqualified]. It does not have the holiness of a Torah scroll and, instead, is considered as one of the chumashim from which children are taught.
יא
וכל הדברים האלו למצוה מן המובחר ואם שינה לא פסל אבל אם כתב המלא חסר או החסר מלא או שכתב מלה שהיא קרי וכתב כקריאתה כגון שכתב ישכבנה במקום ישגלנה ובטחורים במקום ובעפולים וכיוצא בהן או שכתב פרשה פתוחה סתומה או סתומה פתוחה או שכתב השירה כשאר הכתב או שכתב פרשה אחת כשירה הרי זה פסול ואין בו קדושת ספר תורה כלל אלא כחומש מן החומשין שמלמדין בה התינוקות:
Commentary on Halachah 11
12
A Torah scroll that is uncorrected should not be left [unattended to] for more than thirty days. Rather, it should either be corrected or entombed.
A Torah scroll that has three errors in each column should be corrected. If it has four, it should be entombed. Should the majority of a scroll have been checked to be accurate and there are four errors in each column of the remainder of the scroll, the scroll should be corrected, provided there is at least one column of the defective portion that has fewer than four errors.
יב
ספר תורה שאינו מוגה אסור לשהותו יותר על שלשים יום אלא יתקן או יגנז ספר תורה שיש בו שלש טעיות בכל דף ודף יתקן ואם היו ארבע יגנז ואם היה רוב הספר מוגה והשאר יש בו ארבע טעיות בכל דף ונשאר אפילו דף אחד מאותו השאר המשובש בלא ארבע טעיות הרי זה יתקן:
Commentary on Halachah 12
13
When does the above apply? When one wrote the short form of a word instead of the long form, and one will thus be forced to insert the [extra] letters between the lines. If, however, one wrote the long form of a word instead of the short form, one may correct the scroll even if there are many errors on each page. In such an instance, one removes a letter instead of inserting it.
יג
במה דברים אמורים שכתב המלא חסר שנמצא תולה האותיות ששכח ביני השיטות אבל אם כתב החסר מלא אפילו יש בכל דף ודף כמה טעיות הרי זה מתקן מפני שהוא גורד ואינו תולה:
14
It is permitted to write a scroll containing each of the five books of the Torah individually. These scrolls do not have the sanctity of a Torah scroll.
One should not write a scroll that contains several passages, nor should one write a scroll for a child to learn from. This is, nevertheless, permitted if one [ultimately] intends to complete an entire book of the Torah. It is permitted to write a scroll with [verses from the Torah] when one writes three words in a line spaced out disjointedly.
יד
מותר לכתוב התורה כל חומש וחומש בפני עצמו ואין בהן קדושת ספר תורה אבל לא יכתוב מגילה בפני עצמה שיהיה בה פרשיות ואין כותבין מגילה לתינוק להתלמד בה ואם דעתו להשלים עליה חומש מותר כתב מגילה שלש שלש תיבות בשיטה אחת מותר:
Commentary on Halachah 14
15
It is permitted to include [all the books of] the Torah, the Prophets, and the Holy Scriptures in a single scroll.
Four empty lines should be left between each book of the Torah, and three empty lines between each book of the Prophets. One should also leave three lines between each book of the twelve [minor] prophets, so that should one desire to cut, he may do so.
This is the order of the Prophets: Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Isaiah, the Twelve [Minor Prophets].
This is the order of the Holy Scriptures: Ruth, Psalms, Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, the Song of Songs, Lamentations, Daniel, Esther, Ezra, Chronicles.
טו
מותר לדבק תורה נביאים וכתובים בכרך אחד ומניח בכל חומש וחומש ארבע שיטין ובין כל נביא ונביא שלש שיטין ובין כל נביא ונביא משנים עשר שלש שיטין שאם בא לחתוך חותך וסידורן של נביאים כך הוא:
יהושע שופטים שמואל מלכים ירמיה יחזקאל ישעיה תרי עשר וסדר הכתובים:
רות ותהלים ואיוב ומשלי וקהלת ושיר השירים וקינות ודניאל ומגילה ודברי הימים:
Commentary on Halachah 15
16
All sacred texts may be written only on a ruled [surface]. [This applies] even if they are written on paper. One may write three words without ruling [the surface on which they are written]. Writing any more than that is forbidden.
A scroll that includes the Torah, the Prophets, and the Holy Scriptures does not possess the same degree of holiness as a Torah scroll. Rather, it is like a scroll containing one of the books of the Torah, because the addition [of a book in the scroll] is equivalent to having omitted one.
טז
כל כתבי הקדש אין כותבין אותן אלא בשירטוט אפילו כתבן על הנייר ומותר לכתוב שלש תיבות בלא שירטוט יותר על זה אסור כרך זה שיש בו תורה נביאים וכתובים אין קדושתו כקדושת ספר תורה אלא כחומש מן החומשים דין היתר כדין החסר:
Hayom Yom:
• English Text | Video Class
Tuesday, Cheshvan 4, 5778 · 24 October 2017
"Today's Day"
Tuesday, Cheshvan 4, 5704
Torah lessons: Chumash: Lech L'cha, Shlishi with Rashi.
Tehillim: 23-28.
Tanya: XXVI. In R'aya (p. 549) ...R'aya Mehemna. (p. 551).
Torah-study every day is crucial to life itself. This applies not only to the soul of the one studying but also to the souls of his family. For then (through Torah-study), the atmosphere of the home becomes an atmosphere of Torah and piety.
Daily Thought:
Messing In
Even the wrong road eventually takes you closer to the truth.
Even closer. (Likkutei Sichot, vol. 5, Lech Lecha.)
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