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- ב"ה - Today in Judaism - Today is Wednesday, 26 Cheshvan, 5778 · November 15, 2017Daily Quote: The morning prayer was instituted by Abraham, as it is written (Genesis 19:27): "And Abraham arose early in the morning, to the place where he stood before the Face of G-d"... Isaac instituted the afternoon prayer, as it is written (Genesis 24:63): "And Isaac went out to meditate in the field towards evening"... Jacob instituted the evening prayer, as it is written (Genesis 28:11): "And he encountered the Place... for the sun had set" (Talmud, Berachot 26b)
Daily Torah Study:
Chumash: Toldot, 4th Portion Genesis 26:23-26:29 with Rashi
• English / Hebrew Linear Translation
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Genesis Chapter 26
23And he went up from there to Beer sheba. כגוַיַּ֥עַל מִשָּׁ֖ם בְּאֵ֥ר שָֽׁבַע:
24And the Lord appeared to him on that night and said, "I am the God of Abraham, your father. Fear not, for I am with you, and I will bless you and multiply your seed for the sake of Abraham, My servant." כדוַיֵּרָ֨א אֵלָ֤יו יְהֹוָה֙ בַּלַּ֣יְלָה הַה֔וּא וַיֹּ֕אמֶר אָֽנֹכִ֕י אֱלֹהֵ֖י אַבְרָהָ֣ם אָבִ֑יךָ אַל־תִּירָא֙ כִּֽי־אִתְּךָ֣ אָנֹ֔כִי וּבֵֽרַכְתִּ֨יךָ֙ וְהִרְבֵּיתִ֣י אֶת־זַרְעֲךָ֔ בַּֽעֲב֖וּר אַבְרָהָ֥ם עַבְדִּֽי:
25And he built an altar there, and he called in the name of the Lord, and he pitched his tent there, and Isaac's servants dug a well there. כהוַיִּ֧בֶן שָׁ֣ם מִזְבֵּ֗חַ וַיִּקְרָא֙ בְּשֵׁ֣ם יְהֹוָ֔ה וַיֶּט־שָׁ֖ם אָֽהֳל֑וֹ וַיִּכְרוּ־שָׁ֥ם עַבְדֵֽי־יִצְחָ֖ק בְּאֵֽר:
26And Abimelech went to him from Gerar, and a group of his companions and Pichol, his general. כווַֽאֲבִימֶ֕לֶךְ הָלַ֥ךְ אֵלָ֖יו מִגְּרָ֑ר וַֽאֲחֻזַּת֙ מֵֽרֵעֵ֔הוּ וּפִיכֹ֖ל שַׂר־צְבָאֽוֹ:
and a group of his companions: Heb. וַאִחֻזַת מֵרֵעֵהוּ, as the Targum renders: וְסִיעַת מֵרַחִמוֹהִי, a group of his friends [the “mem” meaning“of”](Gen. Rabbah 64:9). Some interpret that in the word מֵרֵעֵהוּ, the “mem” is [part of] the root of the word, like (Jud. 14:11):“the thirty companions” (מֵרֵעִים) of Samson, in order that the word וַאִחֻזַת should be in the construct state [i.e., the group of his friends]. However, it is not polite to speak of royalty in this manner, i.e.,“his group of companions,” because this would imply that he brought his entire group of companions, and that he had only one group of companions. Therefore, it should be interpreted in the previous manner, [i.e., that אִחֻזַת is not construct]. And do not be puzzled about the letter“thav” of אִחֻזַת. Although the word is not in the construct state, there are similar cases in Scripture (Ps. 60:13):“help against the adversary” עֶזְרָת מִצָּר (Isa. 51: 21):“drunk, but not from wine” (וּשְׁכֻרַת וְלֹא מִיָּיִן).
ואחזת מרעהו: כתרגומו וסיעת מרחמוהי, סיעת מאוהביו. ויש פותרין מרעהו מ' מיסוד התיבה, כמו (שופטים יד יא) שלשים מרעים דשמשון, כדי שתהיה תיבת ואחוזת דבוקה, אבל אין דרך ארץ לדבר על המלכות כן סיעת אוהביו, שאם כן כל סיעת אוהביו הוליך עמו ולא היה לו אלא סיעה אחת של אוהבים, לכן יש לפותרו כלשון הראשון. ואל תתמה על תי"ו של ואחוזת ואף על פי שאין התיבה סמוכה, יש דוגמתה במקרא (תהלים ס יג) עזרת מצר, (ישעיה נא כא) ושכורת ולא מיין:
a group: Heb. אִחֻזַת, an expression of a gathering or a band [of people] who are held (שֶׁנֶאֱחָזִין) together.
אחזת: לשון קבוצה ואגודה שנאחזין יחד:
27And Isaac said to them, "Why have you come to me, since you hate me, and you sent me away from you?" כזוַיֹּ֤אמֶר אֲלֵהֶם֙ יִצְחָ֔ק מַדּ֖וּעַ בָּאתֶ֣ם אֵלָ֑י וְאַתֶּם֙ שְׂנֵאתֶ֣ם אֹתִ֔י וַתְּשַׁלְּח֖וּנִי מֵֽאִתְּכֶֽם:
28And they said, "We have seen that the Lord was with you; so we said: Let there now be an oath between us, between ourselves and you, and let us form a covenant with you. כחוַֽיֹּאמְר֗וּ רָא֣וֹ רָאִ֘ינוּ֘ כִּֽי־הָיָ֣ה יְהֹוָ֣ה | עִמָּךְ֒ וַנֹּ֗אמֶר תְּהִ֨י נָ֥א אָלָ֛ה בֵּֽינוֹתֵ֖ינוּ בֵּינֵ֣ינוּ וּבֵינֶ֑ךָ וְנִכְרְתָ֥ה בְרִ֖ית עִמָּֽךְ:
And they said,"We have seen: Heb. רָאו ֹרָאִינוּ, [a double expression meaning:] We saw it regarding your father; we saw it regarding you. [From Gen. Rabbah 64:10]
ראו ראינו: ראינו באביך ראינו בך:
Let there now be an oath between us, etc.: Let the oath that has existed between us from the days of your father be now also between us and you. [From Targum Onkelos]
תהי נא אלה בינותינו וגו': האלה אשר בינותינו מימי אביך, תהי גם עתה בינינו וביניך:
29If you do [not] harm us, as we have not touched you, and as we have done with you only good, and we sent you away in peace, [so do] you now, blessed of the Lord." כטאִם־תַּֽעֲשֵׂ֨ה עִמָּ֜נוּ רָעָ֗ה כַּֽאֲשֶׁר֙ לֹ֣א נְגַֽעֲנ֔וּךָ וְכַֽאֲשֶׁ֨ר עָשִׂ֤ינוּ עִמְּךָ֙ רַק־ט֔וֹב וַנְּשַׁלֵּֽחֲךָ֖ בְּשָׁל֑וֹם אַתָּ֥ה עַתָּ֖ה בְּר֥וּךְ יְהֹוָֽה:
we have not touched you: when we said to you, “Go away from us.”
לא נגענוך: כשאמרנו (לעיל פסוק טז) לך מעמנו:
you: You too, (other editions: now too) do to us likewise.
: גם אתה עשה עמנו כמו כן:
Tehillim: Psalm Chapter 119, Verses 97-176• Hebrew text
• English text
Verses 97-176
97. O how I love Your Torah! All day it is my discussion.
98. Your commandments make me wiser than my enemies, for they are ever with me.
99. From all my teachers I have gained wisdom, for Your testimonies are my discussion.
100. I will be more perceptive than elders, because I have guarded Your precepts.
101. I have restrained my feet from every evil path, that I might keep Your word.
102. I have not turned away from Your judgments, for You have instructed me.
103. How sweet are Your words to my palate, [sweeter] than honey to my mouth!
104. From Your precepts I gain understanding, therefore I hate every path of falsehood.
105. Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
106. I have sworn-and I will fulfill it-to keep Your righteous judgments.
107. I am afflicted to the extreme; grant me life, O Lord, according to Your promise.
108. Accept with favor, O Lord, the offerings of my lips, and teach me Your laws.
109. My soul is in danger always, yet I have not forgotten Your Torah.
110. The wicked laid a snare for me, yet I have not strayed from Your precepts.
111. I have taken Your testimonies as an eternal heritage, for they are the joy of my heart.
112. I have inclined my heart to perform Your statutes, forever, to the last.
113. I despise vain thoughts, but I love Your Torah.
114. You are my refuge and my shield; I place hope in Your promise.
115. Turn away from me, you evildoers, and I will keep the commandments of my God.
116. Support me according to Your promise, and I will live; let me not be shamed because of my hope.
117. Sustain me, and I will be saved, and I will be engrossed in Your statutes always.
118. You trample all who stray from Your statutes, for their ploy is a lie.
119. You have purged all the wicked of the earth like dross, therefore I love Your testimonies.
120. My flesh bristles from fear of You, and I am in awe of Your judgments.
121. I practiced justice and righteousness; leave me not to my oppressors.
122. Guarantee Your servant goodness; let not the wicked exploit me.
123. My eyes long for Your salvation, and for the word of Your righteousness.
124. Treat Your servant according to Your kindness, and teach me Your statutes.
125. I am Your servant; grant me understanding, that I may know Your testimonies.
126. It is time to act for the Lord; they have abrogated Your Torah.
127. Therefore I love Your commandments more than gold, even fine gold.
128. Therefore I affirmed all Your precepts; I have hated every path of falsehood.
129. Your testimonies are wondrous, therefore does my soul guard them.
130. Your opening words illuminate, enlightening the simple.
131. I opened my mouth and swallowed, because I craved Your commandments.
132. Turn to me and favor me, as is [Your] law for those who love Your Name.
133. Set my steps in Your word, and let no iniquity rule over me.
134. Deliver me from the oppression of man, and I will keep Your precepts.
135. Let Your face shine upon Your servant, and teach me Your statutes.
136. My eyes shed streams of water, because they do not keep Your Torah.
137. Righteous are you, O Lord, and Your judgments are upright.
138. You commanded Your testimonies in righteousness and great faithfulness.
139. My zeal consumes me, because my enemies have forgotten Your words.
140. Your word is very pure, and Your servant cherishes it.
141. I am young and despised, yet I do not forget Your precepts.
142. Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and Your Torah is truth.
143. Trouble and anguish have taken hold of me, yet Your commandments are my delight.
144. Your testimonies are righteous forever; give me understanding, that I may live.
145. I call out with all my heart; answer me, O Lord; I will keep Your statutes.
146. I call out to You; save me, and I will observe Your testimonies.
147. I rose before dawn and cried out; my hope is in Your word.
148. My eyes preceded the night watches, that I may discuss Your word.
149. Hear my voice in keeping with Your kindness; O Lord, grant me life as is Your practice.
150. Those who pursue mischief draw near; they are far from Your Torah.
151. You are near, O Lord, and all Your commandments are truth.
152. From the beginning I discerned from Your testimonies that You had established them forever.
153. Behold my affliction and deliver me, for I have not forgotten Your Torah.
154. Wage my battle and redeem me; grant me life for the sake of Your word.
155. Salvation is far from the wicked, for they seek not Your statutes.
156. Your mercies are great, O Lord; grant me life as is Your practice.
157. My pursuers and my enemies are many, yet I did not turn away from Your testimonies.
158. I saw traitors and I quarreled with them, because they do not keep Your words.
159. Behold how I love Your precepts; grant me life, O Lord, according to Your kindness.
160. The beginning of Your word is truth, and forever are all Your righteous judgements.
161. Princes have pursued me without cause, but it is Your word my heart fears.
162. I rejoice at Your word, like one who finds abundant spoil.
163. I hate falsehood and abhor it, but Your Torah I love.
164. Seven times a day I praise You, because of Your righteous judgments.
165. There is abundant peace for those who love Your Torah, and there is no stumbling for them.
166. I hoped for Your salvation, O Lord, and I performed Your commandments.
167. My soul has kept Your testimonies, and I love them intensely.
168. I have kept Your precepts and Your testimonies, for all my ways are before You
169. Let my prayer approach Your presence, O Lord; grant me understanding according to Your word.
170. Let my supplication come before You; save me according to Your promise.
171. My lips will utter praise, for You have taught me Your statutes.
172. My tongue will echo Your word, for all Your commandments are just.
173. Let Your hand be ready to help me, for I have chosen Your precepts.
174. I long for Your salvation, O Lord, and Your Torah is my delight.
175. Let my soul live, and it will praise You, and let Your judgment help me.
176. I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek out Your servant, for I have not forgotten Your commandments.
Tanya: Iggeret HaKodesh, Epistle 32• English Text (Lessons in Tanya)
• Hebrew Text
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Wednesday, Cheshvan 26, 5778 · November 15, 2017
Today's Tanya Lesson
Iggeret HaKodesh, Epistle 32
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Just as the Alter Rebbe opened the first Epistle in this series1 with a blessing — occasioned by the good news that most of the chassidic congregations had completed their annual study of the Talmud — so, too, this final Epistle begins with a blessing.
Evidently, this blessing too was occasioned by good news — that the Alter Rebbe’s chassidim had organized the collection of charity for the Holy Land faithfully and efficiently, with a lively gabbai tzedakah appointed in each town or congregation to rouse his brethren to action. The Alter Rebbe therefore extends his blessings both to the donors and to the gabbaim, explaining meanwhile in mystical terms why generosity is at its best when it is spontaneously aroused by one’s own spiritual endeavors.
The Rebbe indicates in a letter, that the first and final Epistles of Iggeret HaKodesh are also connected, in that both of them laud the service of prayer when it is undertaken with proper intent.
The first speaks of “devout concentration during prayer from the depths of the heart...to the extent of pressing out the soul.” As explained there, this fortifies the mind that meditates upon G‑d’s greatness, while fanning man’s love and awe of G‑d. This final Epistle speaks of “an arousal of the love of G‑d when reading the Shema, cleaving to Him and surrendering one’s soul at Echad, and [loving G‑d] ‘with all [his] wealth,’ in the literal sense.”
When this inspiration crystallizes into practical expression in this material world here below, the resultant tzedakah is of the finest, for it is born of one’s own labors in the service of prayer.
ברך ה׳ חילם, ופועל ידם ירצה
The above blessing, which Moses gave the Tribe of Levi, is understood by our Sages4 to refer to the service in the Holy Temple. As to the period of exile, when the Beit HaMikdash has not yet been rebuilt, Avot deRabbi Natan states5 that tzedakah and acts of lovingkindness bring about the same atonement as was effected by the Temple service. This may well explain why the Alter Rebbe chooses this particular verse as the text of the blessing that he offered to those who give tzedakah.
לרצון להם לפני ה׳ תמיד
so that you may be accepted before G‑d at all times.6
With this addition the Alter Rebbe apparently implies that though his readers’ tzedakah amounts to no more than a fifth of their earnings, this fifth nevertheless elevates the whole of their income to G‑d, as explained above in Tanya, ch. 34. In this way, not only the effort expended in earning the funds set aside for tzedakah, but with it the entire “work of their hands,” becomes “accepted before G‑d at all times.”
כה יתן וכה יוסיף ה׳, לאמץ לבם בגבורים
So may G‑d ever continue to grant you [His blessings], to fortify your hearts amongst the valiant.7
This sentence would tend to connect this Epistle with the good news the Alter Rebbe received from his chassidim with regard to the giving of tzedakah. Hence his blessings that G‑d should further strengthen them in a practice whose performance requires one to be valiant, in the spirit of the teaching,8 “Who is valiant? — He who conquers his evil inclination”; i.e., he who gives even more than he desires to give.
ונדיב על נדיבות יקום
And he that is generous stands over generous things,9
This paraphrase evidently means that the public-spirited catalyst who motivates others to give is even more praiseworthy than those who actually give.
להיות גדול המעשה, בכל עיר ומנין
to be “great” by causing others to act, in every city and congregation, for10 “He who causes another to act is greater than the doer.”
ותחשב לו לצדקה
This will be accounted as his act of tzedakah.
ועל העושה נאמר: צדקתו עומדת לעד
And of him who does [the deed], it is said,11 “His tzedakah stands forever.”
עומדת, לשון נקבה: שמקבל התעוררות לבו הטהור מגדול המעשה
[The verb] omedet (“stands”) is of feminine gender, which suggests a recipient, because [this donor] receives the [charitable] arousal of his pure heart from him who is “great, by causing others to act.”
Had he been roused to give tzedakah of his own accord, he would have been considered a true “giver”.
אף על פי כן, עומדת לעד
Nevertheless, [his tzedakah] “stands forever.”
פירוש: שכל הצדקה והחסד שישראל עושין בעולם הזה, מנדבת לבם הטהור
This means: All the acts of charity and kindness that Jews perform in this world, out of the generosity of their pure hearts,
הן הנה חיות וקיימות בעולם הזה הגשמי עד זמן התחייה
are alive and they endure in this physical world until the time of the Resurrection.
שאז זמן גילוי אלקות ואור אין סוף ברוך הוא, מבחינת סובב כל עלמין, בעולם הזה
For that will be the time of the manifestation of Divinity and of the [infinite] Ein Sof-light, from the level of sovev kol almin, in this world,
This degree of spiritual illumination, which transcends (lit., “encompasses”) all created worlds, will be fully revealed in this world at the time of the Resurrection.
וכמו שכתוב באריכות במכתב דאשתקד
as explained at length in last year’s letter.12
וצריך להיות כלי ומכון, להתלבש בו אור אין סוף ברוך הוא
But there needs to be a vessel and an abode wherein the [infinite] Ein Sof-light can vest itself,
כמו הגוף לנשמה, על דרך משל
just as the body is [a vessel] to the soul, metaphorically speaking.
כמו שכתוב: הלא כה דברי כאש
Thus it is written:13 “For My word is like fire”;
מה אש אינה מאירה בעולם הזה, אלא כשנאחזת ומתלבשת בפתילה כו׳
just as fire does not radiate in this world except when it is attached to and vests itself in a wick..., so, too, if Divinity is to illuminate this world, it too must be able to to attach itself to something in this world which, like a wick, will be wholly subjugated to the Divine flame and consumed by it,
כמו שכתוב במקום אחר
as explained elsewhere.14
והגוף והכלי לאורו יתברך, היא מדת החסד ונדיבת הלב
The body and the vessel for G‑d’s light is the attribute of kindness and the generosity of the heart,
ליתן ולהשפיע חיות, למאן דלית ליה כו׳
whereby one gives and effuses vitality to him who has nothing [of his own].
Generosity with a smile, empathy with the pauper, — this is the vessel for G‑d’s infinite light.
כמו שכתוב בתיקונים: וכמה גופין תקינת לון
Thus it is stated in the Tikkunim,15 “And You have prepared many bodies for [the illuminations of the Sefirot],
ואתקריאו בתיקונא דא: חסד, דרועא ימינא
and they are described in the following manner: Chesed — the right arm,”
Just as Chesed is the Supernal “right arm,” so too is man’s corresponding attribute of kindness the appropriate vessel for revelations and benefactions from that source.
וכל הגוף נכלל בימין
Moreover, the entire body is included in the right side, which is its mainstay.
וכך אמר הפייט: לבושו צדקה
Tzedakah, unqualified, is the garment which garbs and screens the entire Supernal “Body”, thereby enabling mortals here below to receive the infinite revelation of Divinity.
וזהו שאמרו רז״ל: אין צדקה משתלמת אלא לפי חסד שבה
This is the meaning of what our Sages, of blessed memory, said:18 “Charity is recompensed only according to the kindness within it,
שנאמר: זרעו לכם לצדקה, קצרו לפי חסד
as it is written,19 ‘Sow for yourselves for tzedakah, reap according to the kindness.’”
Why is tzedakah is alluded to as “sowing” and its reward as “reaping”?
שהקציר הוא גילוי הזריעה הטמונה בארץ
For a harvest is the manifestation of the seed hidden in the soil.
וכך הוא הצדקה והחסד שישראל עושין בזמן הגלות: היא טמונה ונסתרת עד זמן התחיה, שיתלבש ויאיר אור אין סוף ברוך הוא בעולם הזה הגשמי
It is likewise with the charity and kindness that Jews perform in the time of exile: it [too] is hidden and concealed until the time of the Resurrection, when the [infinite] Ein Sof-light will vest itself and radiate in this physical world.
This ultimate vestiture and revelation thus resembles the harvest of tzedakah.
Moreover, as the Alter Rebbe now explains, G‑d’s vestiture and revelation at the time of the Resurrection resembles and even surpasses His vestiture and revelation within the vessels of the Sefirot in the World of Atzilut.
ואיהו וגרמוהי חד הם, בחינת הכלים דעשר ספירות דאצילות
For “He is one with His causations”,20 i.e., with the kelim (lit., “vessels”) of the Ten Sefirot of Atzilut: they are utterly fused with the infinite light that is revealed in them, as explained above in Epistle XX.21
וכל שכן וקל וחומר, אור אין סוף ברוך הוא, הסובב כל עלמין מלמעלה מעלה מבחינת אצילות
Thus, how much more so, with regard to the [infinite] Ein Sof-light which encompasses all worlds (sovev kol almin) from far higher than the level of Atzilut.
If the vessel that receives the lower degree of illumination that permeates Atzilut is wholly one with the light that shines into it, then the vessel that receives an infinitely higher degree of illumination must surely be wholly one with it — absorbing and integrating this illumination within itself. This latter vessel is tzedakah.
ולפיכך נקראת צדקה, לשון נקבה
This is why [charity] is called tzedakah, [a noun] of feminine gender,
צדקתו עומדת לעד
[in the above-quoted phrase,] “his tzedakah stands forever.”
Correspondingly, the verb here translated “stands” (or “endures”) is omedet, also in the feminine form — which, it will be recalled, puts tzedakah in the light of a recipient.
שמקבלת הארה מאור אין סוף, הסובב כל עלמין, המתלבש בתוכה בעולם הזה הגשמי, בזמן התחיה
For it receives a radiation from the [infinite] Ein Sof-light that encompasses all worlds, which vests itself in it (and is revealed in it) in this physical world at the time of the Resurrection.
Not only is the feminine gender used because (as explained earlier) a donor may receive his motivation from another, but also because tzedakah itself is a feminine recipient: it is man’s vessel or receptor for the transcendent light of G‑d.
אבל: צדק לפניו יהלך, הוא לשון זכר
However, the verse,22 “Tzedek shall go before him,” is in the masculine gender, both the noun(tzedek) and its matching verb (yehaleich).
היא מדת החסד המתעוררת בלב האדם מעצמו
This refers to the attribute of kindness that is aroused in a man’s heart of his own accord, not through another’s inspiration,
על ידי התעוררות אהבת ה׳ בקריאת שמע, ולדבקה בו ולמסור נפשו באחד
through an arousal of the love of G‑d when reading the Shema,23 cleaving to Him and surrendering his soul at Echad, i.e., as he completes that verse, “...G‑d is One”;
ובכל מאדך כפשוטו וכו׳
[loving G‑d] “with all your wealth,” in the literal sense24...
I.e., the individual’s love and surrender to G‑d inspire him to give tzedakah.
ובאתערותא דלתתא
And as a result of [this] arousal from below —
וכמים הפנים לפנים, כן לב אדם העליון כו׳
for25 as waters reflect face to face, so is the heart of the Supernal Man [that is “upon the throne”] —
אתערותא דלעילא
there is an arousal from above.
הוא המשכת אור אין סוף ברוך הוא, הסובב כל עלמין, למטה מטה בעולם הזה הגשמי בבחינת גילוי, בזמן התחיה
This is [expressed as] a manifest downward flow of the [infinite] Ein Sof-light that encompasses (i.e., transcends) all worlds, down to the nethermost level of this physical world, at the time of the Resurrection,
כמבואר במכתב דאשתקד באריכות
as explained at length in last year’s letter.26
Charity inspired by a person’s avodah during prayer is thus called tzedek, a noun of masculine gender, suggesting emanation and provision — for it gives forth and elicits the transcendent light of sovev kol almin. Moreover, as the Alter Rebbe will soon explain, this kind of unsolicited charity draws down the innermost essence of this light. When, however, one’s giving has to wait for another man’s inspiration, such tzedakahremains a recipient, a mere receptor or vessel for a mere glimmer of the light of sovev kol almin.
וזהו: לפניו יהלך
And this is the [mystical] meaning of [two of the words from the above-quoted verse],27“[Tzedek] shall go before him.”
The verb yehaleich, here translated “shall go,” in fact appears in this verse in the causative mode: “shall causeto go”; i.e., “shall lead.”
The word lefanav, here translated “before him,” stems from the root panim, meaning “face” or “countenance”.
שמוליך וממשיך פנים העליונים מלמעלה מהאצילות, עד עולם העשיה
Hence: Tzedek leads and elicits the Supernal Countenance, the most essential and inward aspect of the Divine light, drawing it from higher than [the World of] Atzilut, down to the World of Asiyah.
* * *
וכעת עת לקצר, וכל טוב מהם לא יבצר
But let’s close; quite enough I’ve prepared you, and may no kind of blessing be spared you.
הטיבה ה׳ לטובים, ולישרים בלבותם
“Do good, O G‑d, to the good, and to those who are upright in their heart”28 — bless those who donate generously to tzedakah, and also those whose generous intentions are forced to remain unrealized.
כנפש תדרשנו
Such is the prayerful wish of him who seeks [your welfare].29
Addendum
The Rebbe once explained in a talk that the Alter Rebbe’s statement in the above Epistle, that the spiritual effects of tzedakah are drawn down into this physical world at the present time as well, is truly novel. Generally, Chassidut explains that the performance of mitzvot draws the Divine light downward into the World of Atzilut. The parable offered (see Sefer HaMaamarim 5627, p. 433; Sefer HaMaamarim 5629, p. 209) thus describes the reward for mitzvot as being kept in Atzilut within a chest, so to speak, whose key is in the possession of the individual who performed the mitzvah.
This flow of Divine light is incapable of descending into this world — “There is no reward in this world for a mitzvah”30 — for this finite and material world cannot receive the reward that comes from the transcendent level of Divinity called sovev kol almin.
Here, however, the Alter Rebbe states explicitly that “all the acts of charity and kindness that Jews perform in this world, out of the generosity of their pure hearts, are alive and they endure in this physical world until the time of the Resurrection.” Moreover, the Alter Rebbe specifies “in this physical world,” as opposed to the spiritual source of this world. In addition, when he states that the acts of charity “are alive,” how does this term apply in our context?
The Rebbe explains this by citing the following exegesis of the Maggid of Mezritch31 on the verse,32 “You shall observe my statutes and commandments that one is to do and live in them.”
The operative commandments draw down spiritual life-force only when a mitzvah has been actually performed. To consider the tzitzit, for example: Only when a person has used its threads in the performance of the commandment, are all the sublime levels of Divinity drawn downward into the physical world; only then are this person’s thoughts, speech and action (relative to the tzitzit) united; only then do all the laws of tzitzit and all the appropriate Torah passages apply.
The same is true with regard to all the other operative commandments as well. The Maggid concludes that this is the meaning (at the non-literal level of derush) of vechai bahem — “you shall live in them”: every individual Jew draws down spiritual life into the mitzvot he performs.
The above teaching of the Maggid gave the Tzemach Tzedek a fresh insight into a statement with which the Sages extrapolate Moses’ entreaty to be allowed to enter the Holy Land:33 “Let me enter the Land so that all of [the mitzvot] will be fulfilled through me.” The request was not “...so that I will be able to perform the mitzvot,” but rather, “...so that all of [the mitzvot] will be fulfilled and animated through me.” For the commandments are alive and they endure only when a Jew actually performs them.
In this light, the Rebbe concludes, we can understand the above teaching of the Alter Rebbe, that “all the acts of charity and kindness that Jews perform in this world, out of the generosity of their pure hearts, are alive and they endure in this physical world until the time of the Resurrection.”
| FOOTNOTES | |
| 1. | See above, Vol. IV, p. 1. |
| 2. | Cf. Devarim 33:11. |
| 3. | See above, Epistle 27, Part (a), footnote 7. |
| 4. | Pesachim 22b. |
| 5. | 4:5. |
| 6. | Cf. Shmot 28:38. |
| 7. | Cf. Amos 2:16. |
| 8. | Avot, beginning of ch. 4. |
| 9. | Cf. Yeshayahu 32:8. |
| 10. | Bava Batra 9a; the key word המעשה (vocalized patach-sheva-patach-segol) does not mean “the action” but “he who causes another to act.” |
| 11. | Tehillim 111:3. |
| 12. | Epistle XVII (above), in Vol. IV, p. 298. |
| 13. | Yirmeyahu 23:29. |
| 14. | Tanya, ch. 53. |
| 15. | In the Introduction to Tikkunei Zohar which begins Patach Eliyahu; see Siddur Tehillat HaShem, p. 125. |
| 16. | In the hymn which begins Atah Hu Elokeinu, recited during the Shemoneh Esreh on Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur; see (e.g.) Machzor for Rosh HaShanah with English Translation (trans. Rabbi Nissen Mangel; Kehot, N.Y., 1983), p. 98. The word tzedakah means both “charity” and “righteousness”. |
| 17. | Note of the Rebbe: “Cf. Epistle III, above.” |
| 18. | Sukkah 49b. |
| 19. | Hoshea 10:12. |
| 20. | Etz Chayim, Shaar 47, ch. 12, et al. |
| 21. | See above, Vol. IV, p. 357 ff. |
| 22. | Tehillim 85:14. |
| 23. | Devarim 6:4; Siddur Tehillat HaShem, p. 46. |
| 24. | Berachot 54a. |
| 25. | Cf. Mishlei 27:19; the original verse speaks of the heart of one man to another. |
| 26. | Epistle XVII (above), in Vol. IV, p. 298. |
| 27. | Tehillim 85:14. |
| 28. | Tehillim 125:4. |
| 29. | Cf. Eichah 3:25. |
| 30. | Kiddushin 39b. |
| 31. | Likkutei Amarim by the Maggid, sec. 227 in Kehot editions. |
| 32. | Vayikra 18:5. |
| 33. | Sotah 14a. |
• Sefer Hamitzvot:
English Text | Hebrew Text
Audio: Listen | Download | Video ClassWednesday, Cheshvan 26, 5778 · November 15, 2017
Today's Mitzvah
A daily digest of Maimonides’ classic work "Sefer Hamitzvot"
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Positive Commandment 165
Resting on Yom Kippur
"[Yom Kippur] shall be a Sabbath of solemn rest for you"—Leviticus 16:31.
We are commanded to rest, by abstaining from creative work, on the tenth day of Tishrei—Yom Kippur.
Full text of this Mitzvah »
Resting on Yom Kippur
Positive Commandment 165
Translated by Berel Bell
The 165th mitzvah is that we are commanded to refrain from the various categories of melachah1 and prohibited activities2 on this day [of Yom Kippur]
The source of this commandment is G‑d's statement,3 "It is a Sabbath of Sabbaths to you."
We have already explained many times4 that the term Shabbason indicates a positive commandment.5
FOOTNOTES
1.See first footnote in N320.
2.. Kapach, 5731, footnote 23 points out that the Arabic word, "ashgal" refers in this context to all other types of prohibited activity.
3.Lev. 16:31.
4.See P90, P135, P159, and P163.
5.Since this mitzvah prohibits melachah, it would seem to be a negative commandment. However, since the term "Shabbason" is used, the mitzvah is counted among the positive commandments.
Negative Commandment 329Working on Yom Kippur
"And you shall do no work on that very day [of Yom Kippur]"—Leviticus 23:28.
We are forbidden to engage in any creative work on the tenth of Tishrei, Yom Kippur.
Full text of this Mitzvah »
Working on Yom Kippur
Negative Commandment 329
Translated by Berel Bell
The 329th prohibition is that we are forbidden from performing melachah1 on Yom Kippur.
The source of this commandment is G‑d's statement,2 "Do not do any melachah [on this day, because it is a day of atonement]."
If one intentionally transgresses this commandment, the punishment is kores3 as explained in Scripture.4 If the act was unintentional, he must bring a sin-offering.5
The details of this commandment are explained in tractate Beitza6 and Megillah.7
FOOTNOTES
1.See first footnote in N320.
2.Lev. 23:28.
3.See Principle 14, where the Rambam defines kores as losing one's portion in the World to Come (unless the person does teshuvah before death). See also Hilchos Teshuvah, Chapter 8, Halachah. 1.
4.Lev. 23:30. "If one does any work on this day, I will destroy him [i.e. punish him with kores] from among his people."
5.See P69. This offering is called a "fixed sin-offering," to distinguish it from the offering of adjustable value (P72).
6.18b.
7.30b.
Positive Commandment 164Fasting on Yom Kippur
"You shall afflict your souls"—Leviticus 16:29.
We are commanded to fast on the tenth of Tishrei, Yom Kippur. We afflict ourselves by abstaining from food and drink, the nourishment of the soul.
We are also commanded to refrain on Yom Kippur from bathing, applying creams or ointments, wearing [leather] shoes and engaging in marital relations.
Full text of this Mitzvah »
Fasting on Yom Kippur
Positive Commandment 164
Translated by Berel Bell
The 164th mitzvah is that we are commanded to fast on the tenth of Tishrei [i.e. Yom Kippur].
The source of this commandment is G‑d's statement1 (exalted be He), "You must afflict your lives."
The Sifra explains: "The expression 'You must afflict your lives' refers to 'affliction' that affects one's actual life. What is that? Eating and drinking."
The Oral Tradition2 explains that one must also refrain from bathing, anointing, wearing leather shoes, and engaging in marital relations.
The source that one must refrain from all these activities is the verse,3 "It is a Sabbath of Sabbaths to you, and you must afflict your lives." The verse says, "Sabbath of Sabbaths," to indicate that one must refrain [observe a "Sabbath"] from the various categories of melachah4 and prohibited activities, and that one must refrain [observe a "Sabbath"] from those things which nourish and sustain the body. The Sifra says, "What is the source that bathing, anointing, and marital relations are forbidden on Yom Kippur? From the verse, 'Sabbath of Sabbaths.' " This means that one must refrain [observe a "Sabbath"] from these activities in order to reach the state of affliction.5
FOOTNOTES
1.Lev. 16:29.
2.See Yoma 73a.
3.Lev. 16:31.
4.See P165.
5.Therefore the verse says, "It is a Sabbath of Sabbaths to you, and you must afflict your lives": through making a "Sabbath" (i.e. refraining from these activities), one reaches a state of affliction.
Negative Commandment 196Eating on Yom Kippur
"For any soul that shall not be afflicted... shall be cut off..."—Leviticus 23:29.
It is forbidden to eat on the tenth of Tishrei, Yom Kippur.
Full text of this Mitzvah »
Eating on Yom Kippur
Negative Commandment 196
Translated by Berel Bell
The 196th prohibition is that we are forbidden from eating on Yom Kippur.
There is no verse in the Torah that explicitly prohibits this act.1 However, since the punishment – that one who eats is punished by kores – is mentioned, we know that eating is counted as a prohibition.
The source which describes the punishment is G‑d's statement,2 "If anyone does not fast on this day, he shall be punished by kores."
In the beginning of Tractate Kerisus, all those who are punished by kores are listed, and one who eats on Yom Kippur is listed among them. It also explains that all mitzvos which are punishable by kores are prohibitions, except for the Pesach sacrifice and circumcision. Therefore, clearly eating on Yom Kippur counts as a prohibition.
Therefore, if one intentionally transgresses this commandment, the punishment is kores, and if the act was unintentional, he must bring a sin-offering, as explained in the beginning of Tractate Kerisus.
This [i.e. that eating on Yom Kippur counts also as a prohibition] is also explained in the Tractate Horiyos,3 which rules that one is required to bring a sin-offering only if one violates a prohibition. The proof for this is G‑d's statement4 (may He be exalted and elevated) regarding those who are required to bring a sin-offering, "[And they violate] one of the prohibitory commandments of G‑d."
The Sifra says5: "The verse, 'If anyone does not fast on this day, he shall be punished by kores", describes the punishment for not fasting. However, we do not have a verse to serve as the actual prohibition.
But [there is an "extra" verse that serves as the actual prohibition;] we do not really need a verse to tell you the punishment for doing melachah on Yom Kippur, because we could derive it from the following kal vechomer:6 if for the prohibition of fasting, which [applies only on Yom Kippur, and] not on Shabbos and holidays, one receives punishment, then certainly for the prohibition of melachah, which applies on holidays and Shabbos [and is therefore more strict] one should receive punishment. If so, why is there a verse stating the punishment for doing melachah? From it we learn the actual prohibition of eating on Yom Kippur: just as the punishment for melachah follows its prohibition, so too the punishment for eating follows its prohibition."
The details of this mitzvah are explained in Tractate Yoma.
FOOTNOTES
1.The rule is that every prohibition has one verse which tells you that the act is prohibited, and another verse which gives the punishment for the transgression. (See N195.) Regarding not eating on Yom Kippur, the only apparent verse is the one describing the punishment. The Rambam therefore first explains how we know that eating on Yom Kippur counts as a prohibition, and then explains which verse tells us the actual prohibition.
2.Lev. 23:29.
3.See Rambam's Commentary on the Mishneh, Ch. 2, Mishneh 4.
4.Lev. 4:13.
5.After having established that not eating on Yom Kippur must be a prohibition, the Rambam now quotes the Sifra, which identifies the verse that serves as the actual prohibition itself.
6.This general principle of the Oral Tradition allows one to generalize from one case to a more obvious one. Here, since the less serious prohibition (eating on Yom Kippur) is punished by kores, certainly the more serious prohibition (doing melachah on Yom Kippur) would punished by kores, even if the verse regarding melachah (Lev. 23:30, N329 above) would not have been written.
Rambam:• 1 Chapter A Day: Teshuvah Teshuvah - Chapter Two
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Teshuvah - Chapter Two
1
[Who has reached] complete Teshuvah? A person who confronts the same situation in which he sinned when he has the potential to commit [the sin again], and, nevertheless, abstains and does not commit it because of his Teshuvah alone and not because of fear or a lack of strength.
For example, a person engaged in illicit sexual relations with a woman. Afterwards, they met in privacy, in the same country, while his love for her and physical power still persisted, and nevertheless, he abstained and did not transgress. This is a complete Baal-Teshuvah. This was implied by King Solomon in his statement [Ecclesiastes 12:1] "Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, [before the bad days come and the years draw near when you will say: `I have no desire for them.'"]
If he does not repent until his old age, at a time when he is incapable of doing what he did before, even though this is not a high level of repentance, he is a Baal-Teshuvah.
Even if he transgressed throughout his entire life and repented on the day of his death and died in repentance, all his sins are forgiven as [Ecclesiastes, op. cit.:2] continues: "Before the sun, the light, the moon, or the stars are darkened and the clouds return after the rain..." - This refers to the day of death. Thus, we can infer that if one remembers his Creator and repents before he dies, he is forgiven.
א
אי זו היא תשובה גמורה זה שבא לידו דבר שעבר בו ואפשר בידו לעשותו ופירש ולא עשה מפני התשובה לא מיראה ולא מכשלון כח כיצד הרי שבא על אשה בעבירה ולאחר זמן נתייחד עמה והוא עומד באהבתו בה ובכח גופו ובמדינה שעבר בה ופירש ולא עבר זהו בעל תשובה גמורה הוא ששלמה אמר וזכור את בוראיך בימי בחורותיך ואם לא שב אלא בימי זקנותו ובעת שאי אפשר לו לעשות מה שהיה עושה אף על פי שאינה תשובה מעולה מועלת היא לו ובעל תשובה הוא אפילו עבר כל ימיו ועשה תשובה ביום מיתתו ומת בתשובתו כל עונותיו נמחלין שנאמר עד אשר לא תחשך השמש והאור והירח והכוכבים ושבו העבים אחר הגשם שהוא יום המיתה מכלל שאם זכר בוראו ושב קודם שימות נסלח לו:
2
What constitutes Teshuvah? That a sinner should abandon his sins and remove them from his thoughts, resolving in his heart, never to commit them again as [Isaiah 55:7] states "May the wicked abandon his ways...." Similarly, he must regret the past as [Jeremiah 31:18] states: "After I returned, I regretted."
[He must reach the level where] He who knows the hidden will testify concerning him that he will never return to this sin again as [Hoshea 14:4] states: "We will no longer say to the work of our hands: `You are our gods.'"
He must verbally confess and state these matters which he resolved in his heart.
ב
ומה היא התשובה הוא שיעזוב החוטא חטאו ויסירו ממחשבתו ויגמור בלבו שלא יעשהו עוד שנאמר יעזוב רשע דרכו וגו' וכן יתנחם על שעבר שנאמר כי אחרי שובי נחמתי ויעיד עליו יודע תעלומות שלא ישוב לזה החטא לעולם שנאמר ולא נאמר עוד אלהינו למעשה ידינו וגו' וצריך להתודות בשפתיו ולומר עניינות אלו שגמר בלבו:
3
Anyone who verbalizes his confession without resolving in his heart to abandon [sin] can be compared to [a person] who immerses himself [in a mikvah] while [holding the carcass of] a lizard in his hand. His immersion will not be of avail until he casts away the carcass.
This principle is implied by the statement, [Proverbs 28:13], "He who confesses and forsakes [his sins] will be treated with mercy."
It is necessary to mention particularly one's sins as evidenced by [Moses' confession, Exodus 32:31]: "I appeal to You. The people have committed a terrible sin by making a golden idol."
ג
כל המתודה בדברים ולא גמר בלבו לעזוב הרי זה דומה לטובל ושרץ בידו שאין הטבילה מועלת לו עד שישליך השרץ וכן הוא אומר ומודה ועוזב ירוחם וצריך לפרוט את החטא שנאמר אנא חטא העם הזה חטאה גדולה ויעשו להם אלהי זהב:
4
Among the paths of repentance is for the penitent to
a) constantly call out before God, crying and entreating;
b) to perform charity according to his potential;
c) to separate himself far from the object of his sin;
d) to change his name, as if to say "I am a different person and not the same one who sinned;"
e) to change his behavior in its entirety to the good and the path of righteousness; and f) to travel in exile from his home. Exile atones for sin because it causes a person to be submissive, humble, and meek of spirit.
ד
מדרכי התשובה להיות השב צועק תמיד לפני השם בבכי ובתחנונים ועושה צדקה כפי כחו ומתרחק הרבה מן הדבר שחטא בו ומשנה שמו כלומר אני אחר ואיני אותו האיש שעשה אותן המעשים ומשנה מעשיו כולן לטובה ולדרך ישרה וגולה ממקומו שגלות מכפרת עון מפני שגורמת לו להכנע ולהיות עניו ושפל רוח:
5
It is very praiseworthy for a person who repents to confess in public and to make his sins known to others, revealing the transgressions he committed against his colleagues.
He should tell them: "Though I sinned against so and so, committing the following misdeeds.... Behold, I repent and express my regret." Anyone who, out of pride, conceals his sins and does not reveal them will not achieve complete repentance as [Proverbs 28:13] states: "He who conceals his sins will not succeed."
When does the above apply? In regard to sins between man and man. However, in regard to sins between man and God, it is not necessary to publicize one's [transgressions]. Indeed, revealing them is arrogant. Rather, a person should repent before God, blessed be He, and specifically mention his sins before Him. In public, he should make a general confession. It is to his benefit not to reveal his sins as [Psalms 32:1] states: "Happy is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered."
ה
ושבח גדול לשב שיתודה ברבים ויודיע פשעיו להם ומגלה עבירות שבינו לבין חבירו לאחרים ואומר להם אמנם חטאתי לפלוני ועשיתי לו כך וכך והריני היום שב ומתנחם וכל המתגאה ואינו מודיע אלא מכסה פשעיו אין תשובתו גמורה שנאמר מכסה פשעיו לא יצליח בד"א בעבירות שבין אדם לחבירו אבל בעבירות שבין אדם למקום אינו צריך לפרסם עצמו ועזות פנים היא לו אם גילם אלא שב לפני האל ברוך הוא ופורט חטאיו לפניו ומתודה עליהם לפני רבים סתם וטובה היא לו שלא נתגלה עונו שנאמר אשרי נשוי פשע כסוי חטאה:
6
Even though repentance and calling out [to God] are desirable at all times, during the ten days between Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur, they are even more desirable and will be accepted immediately as [Isaiah 55:6] states: "Seek God when He is to be found."
When does the above apply? To an individual. However, in regard to a community, whenever they repent and cry out wholeheartedly, they are answered immediately as [Deuteronomy 4:7] states: "[What nation is so great that they have God close to them,] as God, our Lord, is whenever we call Him."
ו
אע"פ שהתשובה והצעקה יפה לעולם בעשרה הימים שבין ראש השנה ויום הכפורים היא יפה ביותר ומתקבלת היא מיד שנאמר דרשו ה' בהמצאו במה דברים אמורים ביחיד אבל צבור כל זמן שעושים תשובה וצועקין בלב שלם הם נענין שנאמר כה' אלהינו בכל קראנו אליו:
7
Yom Kippur is the time of Teshuvah for all, both individuals and the community at large. It is the apex of forgiveness and pardon for Israel. Accordingly, everyone is obligated to repent and confess on Yom Kippur.
The mitzvah of the confession of Yom Kippur begins on the day's eve, before one eats [the final meal], lest one choke to death in the meal before confessing.
Although a person confessed before eating, he should confess again in the evening service, Yom Kippur night, and similarly, repeat the confession in the morning, Musaf, afternoon, and Ne'ilah services.
At which point [in the service] should one confess? An individual confesses after the Amidah and the Chazan confesses in the midst of the Amidah, in the fourth blessing.
ז
יוה"כ הוא זמן תשובה לכל ליחיד ולרבים והוא קץ מחילה וסליחה לישראל לפיכך חייבים הכל לעשות תשובה ולהתודות ביום הכפורים ומצות וידוי יום הכפורים שיתחיל מערב היום קודם שיאכל שמא יחנק בסעודה קודם שיתודה ואף על פי שהתודה קודם שיאכל חוזר ומתודה בלילי יוה"כ ערבית וחוזר ומתודה בשחרית ובמוסף ובמנחה ובנעילה והיכן מתודה יחיד אחר תפלתו ושליח צבור באמצע תפלתו בברכה רביעית:
8
The confessional prayer customarily recited by all Israel is: "For we have all sinned...." This is the essence of the confessional prayer.
Sins which were confessed on one Yom Kippur should be confessed on another Yom Kippur even though one remains steadfast in his repentance, as [Psalms 51:5] states: "I acknowledge my transgressions and my sins are always before me."
ח
הוידוי שנהגו בו כל ישראל אבל אנחנו חטאנו (כולנו) והוא עיקר הוידוי עבירות שהתודה עליהם ביום הכפורים זה חוזר ומתודה עליהן ביוה"כ אחר אע"פ שהוא עומד בתשובתו שנאמר כי פשעי אני אדע וחטאתי נגדי תמיד:
9
Teshuvah and Yom Kippur only atone for sins between man and God; for example, a person who ate a forbidden food or engaged in forbidden sexual relations, and the like. However, sins between man and man; for example, someone who injures a colleague, curses a colleague, steals from him, or the like will never be forgiven until he gives his colleague what he owes him and appeases him.
[It must be emphasized that] even if a person restores the money that he owes [the person he wronged], he must appease him and ask him to forgive him.
Even if a person only upset a colleague by saying [certain] things, he must appease him and approach him [repeatedly] until he forgives him.
If his colleague does not desire to forgive him, he should bring a group of three of his friends and approach him with them and request [forgiveness]. If [the wronged party] is not appeased, he should repeat the process a second and third time. If he [still] does not want [to forgive him], he may let him alone and need not pursue [the matter further]. On the contrary, the person who refuses to grant forgiveness is the one considered as the sinner.
[The above does not apply] if [the wronged party] was one's teacher. [In that instance,] a person should continue seeking his forgiveness, even a thousand times, until he forgives him.
ט
אין התשובה ולא יום הכפורים מכפרין אלא על עבירות שבין אדם למקום כגון מי שאכל דבר אסור או בעל בעילה אסורה וכיוצא בהן אבל עבירות שבין אדם לחבירו כגון החובל את חבירו או המקלל חבירו או גוזלו וכיוצא בהן אינו נמחל לו לעולם עד שיתן לחבירו מה שהוא חייב לו וירצהו אף על פי שהחזיר לו ממון שהוא חייב לו צריך לרצותו ולשאול ממנו שימחול לו אפילו לא הקניט את חבירו אלא בדברים צריך לפייסו ולפגע בו עד שימחול לו לא רצה חבירו למחול לו מביא לו שורה של שלשה בני אדם מריעיו ופוגעין בו ומבקשין ממנו לא נתרצה להן מביא לו שניה ושלישית לא רצה מניחו והולך לו וזה שלא מחל הוא החוטא ואם היה רבו הולך ובא אפילו אלף פעמים עד שימחול לו:
10
It is forbidden for a person to be cruel and refuse to be appeased. Rather, he should be easily pacified, but hard to anger. When the person who wronged him asks for forgiveness, he should forgive him with a complete heart and a willing spirit. Even if he aggravated and wronged him severely, he should not seek revenge or bear a grudge.
This is the path of the seed of Israel and their upright spirit. In contrast, the insensitive gentiles do not act in this manner. Rather, their wrath is preserved forever. Similarly, because the Gibeonites did not forgive and refused to be appeased, [II Samuel 21:2] describes them, as follows: "The Gibeonites are not among the children of Israel."
י
אסור לאדם להיות אכזרי ולא יתפייס אלא יהא נוח לרצות וקשה לכעוס ובשעה שמבקש ממנו החוטא למחול מוחל בלב שלם ובנפש חפיצה ואפילו הצר לו וחטא לו הרבה לא יקום ולא יטור וזהו דרכם של זרע ישראל ולבם הנכון אבל העובדי כוכבים ערלי לב אינן כן אלא ועברתן שמרה נצח וכן הוא אומר על הגבעונים לפי שלא מחלו ולא נתפייסו והגבעונים לא מבני ישראל המה:
11
If a person wronged a colleague and the latter died before he could ask him for forgiveness, he should take ten people and say the following while they are standing before the colleague's grave: "I sinned against God, the Lord of Israel, and against this person by doing the following to him...."
If he owed him money, he should return it to his heirs. If he is unaware of the identity of his heirs, he should place [the sum] in [the hands of] the court and confess.
יא
החוטא לחבירו ומת חבירו קודם שיבקש מחילה מביא עשרה בני אדם ומעמידן על קברו ויאמר בפניהם חטאתי לה' אלהי ישראל ולפלוני זה שכך וכך עשיתי לו ואם היה חייב לו ממון יחזירו ליורשים לא היה יודע לו יורשין יניחנו בבית דין ויתודה:
Rambam:• 3 Chapters A Day: Shevitat Asor Shevitat Asor - Chapter One, Shevitat Asor Shevitat Asor - Chapter Two, Shevitat Asor Shevitat Asor - Chapter Three
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Shevitat Asor - Chapter One
Introduction to Hilchos Shevitat Asor
They contain four mitzvot: two positive commandments and two negative commandments. They are:
1) To rest on this day;
2) Not to perform work on it;
3) To fast on this day;
4) Not to eat or drink on it.
These mitzvot are explained in the chapters [that follow].
הלכות שביתת עשור - הקדמה
יש בכללן ארבע מצות. שתי מצות עשה. ושתי מצות לא תעשה. וזהו פרטן:
א) לשבות בו ממלאכה.
ב) שלא לעשות בו מלאכה.
ג) להתענות בו.
ד) שלא לאכול ולשתות בו:
וביאור כל המצות האלו בפרקים אלו:
1
It is a positive commandment1 to refrain from all work on the tenth [day] of the seventh month2, as [Leviticus 16:31] states: "It shall be a Sabbath of Sabbaths3 for you." Anyone who performs a [forbidden] labor negates the observance of [this] positive commandment and violates a negative commandment4, as [Numbers 29:7] states, "You shall not perform any labor."
What liability does a person incur for performing a [forbidden] labor on this day? If he performs [the forbidden labor] willfully, as a conscious act of defiance,5 he is liable for karet.6If he performs [the forbidden labor] inadvertently, he is liable to bring a sin offering whose nature is fixed.7
א
מצות עשה לשבות ממלאכה בעשור לחדש השביעי שנאמר שבת שבתון הוא לכם. וכל העושה בו מלאכה בטל מצות עשה ועבר על לא תעשה שנאמר ובעשור וגו' כל מלאכה לא תעשו. ומה הוא חייב על עשיית מלאכה ביום זה. אם עשה ברצונו בזדון חייב כרת. ואם עשה בשגגה חייב קרבן חטאת קבועה:
2
All the [forbidden] labors8 for which one is liable to be executed by stoning for performing on the Sabbath cause one to be liable for karet if performed on the tenth [of Tishrei].9 Any activity that incurs the obligation of a sin offering on the Sabbath incurs the obligation of a sin offering on Yom Kippur.
Any activity that is forbidden to be performed on the Sabbath10- although it is not a forbidden labor - is forbidden to be performed on Yom Kippur. If one performs such an act, one is punished by stripes for rebellion, as one is punished [for performing the same act] on the Sabbath.11
Whatever is forbidden to be carried on the Sabbath is forbidden to be carried on Yom Kippur.12 Whatever is forbidden to be said or done at the outset on the Sabbath is likewise forbidden on Yom Kippur.13 The general principle is that there is no difference between the Sabbath and Yom Kippur14 in this regard, except that a person who willfully performs a forbidden labor on the Sabbath is liable for execution by being stoned to death, and on Yom Kippur [such an act warrants merely] karet.
ב
כל מלאכה שחייבין על זדונה בשבת סקילה חייבין על זדונה בעשור כרת. וכל שחייבין עליו קרבן חטאת בשבת חייבין עליו קרבן חטאת ביום הכפורים. וכל דבר שאסור לעשותו בשבת אע"פ שאינה מלאכה אסור לעשותו ביום הכפורים. ואם עשה מכין אותו מכת מרדות כדרך שמכין אותו על השבת. וכל שאסור לטלטלו בשבת אסור לטלטלו ביום הכפורים. וכל שאסור לאמרו או לעשותו לכתחלה בשבת כך אסור ביום הכפורים. כללו של דבר אין בין שבת ליום הכפורים בענינים אלו אלא שזדון מלאכה בשבת בסקילה וביום הכפורים בכרת.
3
It is permitted to trim a vegetable on the day of Yom Kippur from mid-afternoon15 onward.16 What is meant by trimming a vegetable? To remove the wilted leaves, and to cut the others to prepare them for consumption. Similarly, it is permitted to crack open nuts and to open pomegranates on Yom Kippur from mid-afternoon onward. [These leniencies were granted] so that one will not endure hardship.17
When Yom Kippur falls on the Sabbath, it is forbidden to trim vegetables and open nuts and pomegranates the entire day.18 It has already become the universally accepted custom in Babylon and in North Africa not to perform these activities during the fast.19Instead, [Yom Kippur is observed] as the Sabbath is with regard to all its particulars.
ג
ומותר לקנב את הירק ביום הכפורים מן המנחה ולמעלה. ומהו הקינוב שיסיר את העלים המעופשות ויקצץ השאר ויתקן אותו לאכילה. וכן מפצעין באגוזין ומפרכין ברמונים מן המנחה ולמעלה מפני עגמת נפש. ויום הכפורים שחל להיות בשבת אסור בקניבת ירק ובפציעת אגוזים ובפריכת רמונים כל היום. וכבר נהגו העם בשנער ובמערב שלא יעשו אחת מכל אלו ביום הצום אלא הרי הוא כשבת לכל דבריו:
4
There is another positive commandment on Yom Kippur, to refrain from eating and drinking, as [Leviticus 16:29] states: "You shall afflict your souls." According to the Oral Tradition, it has been taught: What is meant by afflicting one's soul? Fasting.20
Whoever fasts on this day fulfills a positive commandment.21 Whoever eats or drinks on this day negates the observance of [this] positive commandment and violates a negative commandment22, as [ibid. 23:29] states, "Any soul that does not afflict itself will be cut off." Since the Torah punishes a person who does not fast with karet, we can derive from this that we are forbidden to eat and drink on this day.23
A person who eats or drinks inadvertently on this day is liable to bring a sin offering of a fixed nature.
ד
מצות עשה אחרת יש ביום הכפורים והיא לשבות בו מאכילה ושתיה שנאמר תענו את נפשותיכם. מפי השמועה למדו אי זה הוא ענוי שהוא לנפש זה הצום. וכל הצם בו קיים מצות עשה. וכל האוכל ושותה בו בטל מצות עשה ועבר על לא תעשה שנאמר כי כל הנפש אשר לא תעונה בעצם היום הזה ונכרתה. מאחר שענש הכתוב כרת למי שלא נתענה למדנו שמוזהרין אנו בו על אכילה ושתייה. וכל האוכל או השותה בו בשוגג חייב קרבן חטאת קבועה:
5
Similarly, according to the Oral Tradition, it has been taught that it is forbidden to wash, anoint oneself, wear shoes, or engage in sexual relations on this day.24 It is a mitzvah to refrain from these activities in the same way one refrains from eating and drinking.
This is derived from [the exegesis of the expression,] "A Sabbath of Sabbaths." "A Sabbath" implies refraining from eating; "of Sabbaths," refraining from these activities.25
One is liable, however, for karet or a sin offering only for eating and drinking. If one washes, anoints oneself, wears shoes, or engages in sexual relations, one receives stripes for rebelliousness.
ה
וכן למדנו מפי השמועה שאסור לרחוץ בו או לסוך בו או לנעול את הסנדל או לבעול. ומצוה לשבות מכל אלו כדרך ששובת מאכילה ושתייה שנאמר שבת שבתון שבת לענין(אכילה) ושבתון לענינים אלו. ואין חייבין כרת או קרבן אלא על אכילה ושתייה. אבל אם רחץ או סך או נעל או בעל מכין אותו מכת מרדות:
6
Just as [the obligation to] refrain from work applies both during the day and at night, so too, [the obligation to] refrain from [these activities and thus to] afflict oneself applies both during the day and at night.
It is obligatory to add [time]26 from the mundane to the sacred at both the entrance and departure of the holiday, as [implied by ibid. 23:32]: "And you shall afflict your souls on the ninth of the month in the evening."27 [Since the date of the fast is the tenth,] the intent is [obviously] that one begin fasting and afflicting oneself in the afternoon of the ninth, which directly precedes the tenth.
Similarly, at the departure [of the holiday], one should prolong the affliction slightly, [entering] the night of the eleventh, which follows the tenth, as [implied by ibid.]: "From evening to evening, you shall keep this day of refraining."
ו
כשם ששבות מלאכה בו בין ביום ובין בלילה כך שבות לעינוי בין ביום בין בלילה. וצריך להוסיף מחול על הקדש בכניסתו וביציאתו שנאמר ועניתם את נפשותיכם בתשעה לחדש בערב. כלומר התחיל לצום ולהתענות מערב תשעה הסמוך לעשירי. וכן ביציאה שוהה בעינויו מעט מליל אחד עשר סמוך לעשירי שנאמר מערב ועד ערב תשבתו שבתכם:
7
When women eat and drink until nightfall, without knowing that we are obligated to add [time] from the weekday to the holiday, they should not be rebuked,28 lest they perform [the transgression] willfully. It is impossible for there to be a policeman in every person's house to warn his wives. Thus, it is preferable to let [the situation] remain [as it is], so that they will transgress unintentionally, instead of intentionally. The same [principle] applies in other similar instances.29
ז
נשים שאוכלות ושותות עד שחשכה והן אינן יודעות שמצוה להוסיף מחול על הקדש אין ממחין בידן שלא יבואו לעשות בזדון. שהרי אי אפשר שיהיה שוטר בבית כל אחד ואחד להזהיר נשיו. והנח להן שיהו שוגגין ואל יהיו מזידין. וכן כל הדומה לזה
FOOTNOTES
1.Sefer HaMitzvot (Positive Commandment 165) and Sefer HaChinuch (Mitzvah 317) both include this as one of the 613 mitzvot of the Torah.
2.I.e., Tishrei, which is the seventh month when reckoning from Nisan.
3.Shabbat 24b states that the word shabbaton, literally, "a day of rest," implies a positive mitzvah.
4.This is also considered to be one of the 613 mitzvot of the Torah [Sefer HaMitzvot (Negative Commandment 329) and Sefer HaChinuch (Mitzvah 315)].
5.The Radbaz (Vol. V, Responsum 1510) notes that the Rambam uses the expression "willingly, as a conscious act of defiance" with regard to the transgressions of idolatry (Hilchot Avodat Kochavim 3:1), the Sabbath laws (Hilchot Shabbat 1:1), and the laws of Yom Kippur. With regard to all other transgressions punishable by כרת, the Rambam merely states "as a conscious act of defiance."
The Radbaz explains that it is possible that the Rambam mentioned the concept of "willingly" with regard to these three transgressions because they are the first cases of כרת mentioned in the Mishneh Torah. After mentioning the concept on these three occasions, he does not consider that further repetition is necessary.
6.כרת means "cut off." Mo'ed Katan 28a relates that a person liable for כרת would die prematurely, before reaching the age of fifty. The Rambam (Hilchot Teshuvah 8:1) emphasizes that being "cut off in this world" is not the sum total of Divine retribution for such a transgression. In addition, the person's soul is also cut off and prevented from reaching the world to come.
7.The Rambam uses this term to differentiate the sin offering required here from a קרבן עולה ויורד - a guilt offering - which differs depending on the financial status of the person bringing it. (See Hilchot Shegagot 1:4.)
8.The 39 labors forbidden on the Sabbath are listed in Hilchot Shabbat 7:1 and explained in the subsequent chapters there. Unlike the holidays, on which the forbidden labors involved in the preparation of food are permitted, on Yom Kippur these activities are forbidden.
9.The Or Sameach notes that in contrast to the remainder of the halachah, in this instance the Rambam does not refer to the day with the name Yom Kippur. He explains that the name Yom Kippur, meaning "the day of atonement," is not relevant to a person who performs a forbidden labor on this day. Since the person acts in contrast to the holy nature of the day, he is not granted atonement.
10.The commentaries explain that this refers to the activities defined as sh'vut, which are forbidden by the Torah. The specification of which activities should be included in this category was, however, made subject to our Sages' definitions. (See Hilchot Shabbat, Chapters 21-23.)
11.See Hilchot Shabbat 1:3. (See Hilchot Edut 18:6 for a definition of this punishment.)
12.This refers to the laws of muktzeh mentioned in Hilchot Shabbat, Chapters 25-26.
13.This refers to the prohibitions mentioned in Hilchot Shabbat, Chapter 24, which are not associated with forbidden labors, but are prohibited in order to make the Sabbath distinct from the other days of the week.
14.On a theoretical basis, there are commentaries that take issue with the Rambam's statements, explaining that there is another difference. On the Sabbath, we follow the principle of chiluk melachot, that one can incur liability for every forbidden labor as a separate entity. Therefore, if a person inadvertently performed two different types of forbidden labor, he would have to bring two sin offerings.
These authorities maintain that on Yom Kippur (as on the holidays) this principle does not apply, and one is liable for only a single sin offering even when one inadvertently performs several types of forbidden labor. (See Sha'agat Aryeh, Responsum 70.)
15.Mid-afternoon refers to minchah katanah, 3:30 PM (according to seasonal hours).
16.Earlier it is forbidden, lest one eat from the vegetable. Nevertheless, by this late hour one is conscious that the evening is approaching and will refrain from breaking the fast (Shulchan Aruch HaRav 611:7).
17.The Maggid Mishneh explains that the intent is the hardship a person would suffer if he had to labor to prepare food at night after fasting the entire day.
18.So as not to distinguish between this and the other Sabbaths of the year, and thereby to emphasize that the leniency was granted only because of the fast (Shulchan Aruch HaRav 611:6).
19.Shabbat 115a relates that even in the time of the Talmud, this restriction was observed.
20.In his Commentary on the Mishnah (Yoma 8:1), the Rambam explains that since the connection between the body and the soul is established through nourishment, withholding such nourishment is considered an affliction to the soul. See Yoma 74b.
21.Sefer HaMitzvot (Positive Commandment 164) and Sefer HaChinuch (Mitzvah 313) both include this as one of the 613 mitzvot of the Torah.
22.This is also considered one of the 613 mitzvot of the Torah [Sefer HaMitzvot (Negative Commandment 196) and Sefer HaChinuch (Mitzvah 316)].
23.It is an established tradition that there are only two positive commandments - circumcision and offering a Pesach sacrifice - whose lack of observance are punishable by karet. Therefore, the fact that eating on Yom Kippur is punishable by karet indicates that it violates a negative commandment [Sefer HaMitzvot (Negative Commandment 196)].
24.In his Commentary on the Mishnah (Yoma 8:1), the Rambam explains that the Torah mentions the concept of afflicting oneself on Yom Kippur five times. As such, the Oral Tradition (Yoma 76a) explains that there are five different activities forbidden on that day and cites (ibid. 76a-77a) various allusions to these five prohibitions. The terms he uses for allusions, asmachta'ot, indicates that he does not view the four prohibitions other than eating and drinking as having the status of a Torah commandment.
Similarly, the punishment that he states should be given for these activities, "stripes for rebellion," is the punishment received for transgressing a Rabbinic commandment.
[It must be noted that this matter was a question on which the Rambam deliberated. For an early edition of his Commentary on the Mishnah states that one should receive lashes for performing these activities, indicating that, at that time, he saw them as forbidden by the Torah itself. Similarly, the Rambam's wording in Sefer HaMitzvot (loc. cit.) appears to indicate that these prohibitions are forbidden by the Torah itself. This view is advanced by several authorities including Rabbenu Nissin, the Magen Avraham 611, and the Shulchan Aruch HaRav 611:2.]
Based on the explanations above, it would appear that the term "according to the Oral Tradition" as used in this halachah has a different meaning from that in the previous halachah. In the previous halachah, the term denoted an interpretation of a verse in the Torah. Therefore, the prohibition was given the status of a Torah commandment. In this halachah, the term refers to a concept that has been transmitted through a chain of tradition extending back to Moses. Nevertheless, it is a decree that does not stem from a Biblical verse and is therefore considered to be Rabbinic in origin.
Other Rabbinic authorities (Rabbenu Asher and the Ashkenazic authorities) clearly state that the prohibitions against these other activities are Rabbinic in nature. Therefore, certain leniencies are granted in their regard, as reflected in Chapter 3, Halachah 1 (Kessef Mishneh).
25.The reference to the phrase "a Sabbath of Sabbaths" is taken from Yoma 74a. The interpretation is, however, the Rambam's.
Based on the concepts explained above - that the prohibition against the remaining four types of afflictions is Rabbinic in origin and is not based on the explanation of a verse in the Torah - the Ma'aseh Rokeach suggests amending the text to read, "'A Sabbath' from work; 'of Sabbaths' from these other matters." He supports this view by noting that in Halachah 1, the Rambam had cited this expression as a proof-text for the commandment to refrain from work on Yom Kippur.
26.The Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chayim 608:1) states that there is no limit to the amount of time one must add to the fast. This addition must, however, be made before (and after) beyn hash'mashot.
27.From the Rambam's citation of a proof-text, it is clear that the obligation to add time to the fast of Yom Kippur stems from the Torah itself. The Maggid Mishneh adds that the Rambam's wording indicates that the obligation to add "from the mundane to the sacred" - i.e., to include some of the previous day in the fast - applies only with regard to the prohibition against eating and drinking, but not to the prohibition against performing labor.
He mentions that other authorities do not share this opinion and maintain that this obligation applies also to the prohibition against work, and that it applies also on the Sabbath and on other holidays aside from Yom Kippur.
The Radbaz (Vol. V, Responsum 1486) differs with the Maggid Mishneh. Although he agrees that the fact that, in his discussion of the prohibition of labor on the Sabbath, the Rambam does not mention the need to add "from the mundane to the sacred" supports the Maggid Mishneh's view, he is reluctant to state that the Rambam differs with all the other authorities on this issue.
(See Likkutei Sichot, Vol. XV, which explains the difference between the two perspectives. If we derive the concept of adding "from the mundane to the sacred" from Yom Kippur, the obligation revolves around the person, a chiyuv gavra in yeshivah terminology. If, by contrast, the obligation is derived from the prohibition against working on the Sabbath, it is a function of the cheftza, a result of the atmosphere of Sabbath holiness that prevents labor from being performed.)
28.Shulchan Aruch HaRav 608:4 and the Mishnah Berurah 608:3 explain that this applies only when one is absolutely sure that the women will not accept the admonishment. If there is the possibility that they will accept the admonishment and modify their conduct, they should be admonished.
29.The Maggid Mishneh and the Ramah (Orach Chayim 608:2) explain that this refers to any prohibition that is not explicitly stated in the Torah, even if it has its source in the interpretation of one of the Torah's verses.
If, however, a prohibition is explicitly mentioned in the Torah, rebuke should be given even when one is certain that the person committing the transgression will not accept the reproof. Further laws governing the situations when and how rebuke should be given are mentioned in Hilchot De'ot 6:7-8.
Shevitat Asor - Chapter Two
1
On Yom Kippur, a person is liable for eating [an amount of] food that is fit for humans to eat1 and is equivalent to the size of a large ripe date2 - i.e., slightly less than the size of an egg.3 All foods [that one eats] are combined to produce this measure.
Similarly, one who drinks a cheekful of liquid fit to be drunk by humans is liable. The size of a cheekful is [not a standard measure,] but rather dependent on the size of the cheek of every individual.
What is meant by a cheekful? Enough [liquid] for a person to swish to one side of his mouth and for his cheek to appear full. For an ordinary person, this measure is less than a revi'it.4
All liquids [that one drinks] are combined to produce this measure. Foods and liquids are not combined in a single measure.5
א
האוכל ביום הכפורים מאכלין הראויין לאכול לאדם ככותבת הגסה שהיא פחות מכביצה כמעט הרי זה חייב. וכל האוכלים מצטרפין לשיעור זה. וכן השותה משקין הראויין לשתיית אדם כמלוא לוגמיו של שותה כל אחד ואחד לפי לוגמיו חייב. וכמה מלוא לוגמיו כדי שיסלקם לצד אחד ויראה מלא לוגמיו. ושיעור זה באדם בינוני פחות מרביעית וכל המשקין מצטרפין לשיעור זה והאכילה ושתייה אין מצטרפין לשיעור אחד:
2
One is liable for karet for eating on Yom Kippur if one eats food that is fit for human consumption, regardless of whether it is permitted or forbidden.6 [This includes] piggul,7 notar,8 tevel,9 the flesh of an animal that died without ritual slaughter, the flesh of an animal that is trefah,10 fat, or blood.11
ב
אחד האוכל אוכלים המותרים או שאכל דברים האסורין כגון פיגול ונותר וטבל ונבלות וטריפות וחלב או דם הואיל ואכל אוכלים הראויין לאדם הרי זה חייב כרת משום אוכל ביום הכפורים:
3
If a person eats or drinks less than the above-mentioned measures, he is not liable for karet. Although the Torah forbids partaking of less than the measure [for which punishment is given], one is not liable for karet unless [one partakes of] that measure.12
A person who eats or drinks less than the minimal measure is given "stripes for rebellion."
ג
אכל או שתה פחות משיעור זה אינו חייב כרת אע"פ שהוא אסור מן התורה בחצי שיעור אין חייבין כרת אלא על כשיעור. והאוכל או השותה חצי שיעור מכין אותו מכת מרדות:
4
[The following rules apply when] a person eats a small amount, [pauses,] and eats again: If the time from when he begins eating until he concludes eating is less than the time it takes to eat an amount of bread and relish equal in size to three eggs, [the food that he eats] is included in the same measure.13 If not, it is not included in the same measure.14
[Similar rules apply when] a person drinks, [pauses,] and drinks again: If the time from when he begins drinking until he concludes drinking is less than the time it takes to drink a revi'it,15 [the liquid that he drinks] is included in the same measure. If not, it is not included in the same measure.
ד
אכל מעט וחזר ואכל אם יש מתחלת אכילה ראשונה עד סוף אכילה אחרונה כדי אכילת שלש ביצים הרי אלו מצטרפות לכשיעור ואם לאו אין מצטרפות לכשיעור. שתה מעט וחזר ושתה אם יש מתחלת שתייה ראשונה עד סוף שתייה אחרונה כדי שתיית רביעית מצטרפין לשיעור ואם לאו אין מצטרפין:
5
When a person eats foods that are not fit for human consumption - e.g., bitter herbs or foul-tasting syrups - or drinks liquids that are not fit to to be drunk - e.g., fish brine, pickle brine16 or undiluted vinegar - he is not liable for karet17 even if he eats or drinks a substantial amount. He should, however, be given "stripes for rebellion."
ה
אכל אוכלים שאין ראויין למאכל אדם כגון עשבים המרים או שרפים הבאושין או ששתה משקין שאינן ראויין לשתייה כגון ציר או מורייס וחומץ חי אפילו אכל ושתה מהן הרבה הרי זה פטור מן הכרת אבל מכין אותו מכת מרדות:
6
A person who drinks vinegar mixed with water is liable. One who chews dried pepper, dried ginger, or the like is not liable. [If, however, one chews] fresh ginger, one is liable.18
A person who eats the leaves of the vine is not liable,19 but one who eats the buds of the vine is liable.20 What is meant by the buds of the vine? The buds that have sprouted in Eretz Yisrael from Rosh HaShanah until Yom Kippur. If they sprouted earlier, they are considered as wood, and the person is not liable. The same rules apply in all analogous situations.
ו
שתה חומץ מזוג במים חייב. הכוסס פלפלין וזנגביל יבש וכיוצא בהן פטור. אבל זנגביל רטוב חייב. אכל עלי גפנים פטור. לולבי גפנים חייב. ואלו הן לולבי גפנים כל שלבלבו בארץ ישראל מראש השנה ועד יום הכפורים. יתר על זה הרי הן כעצים ופטור וכן כל כיוצא באלו:
7
When a person eats roast meat that has been salted, the salt is included in the mass of the meat.21 Similarly, brine on a vegetable is included,22 because condiments that make food fit to be eaten and are mixed together with the food are considered to be part of the food.
If a person was already sated [because he] had overeaten to the extent that he was jaded by food, and then ate more,23 he is not liable. It is comparable to a person who eats food that is not fit for consumption. Although this additional amount is fit to be eaten by a person who is hungry, it is not fit for a person who is sated to this extent.24
ז
אכל צלי במלח מצטרף המלח לבשר. ציר שעל גבי ירק מצטרף. מפני שמכשירי האוכל המעורבים עם האוכל כאוכל הן חשובים. היה שבע מאכילה גסה שאכל עד שקץ במזונו ואכל יתר על שובעו פטור כמי שאכל אוכלין שאינם ראויין לאכילה. שאף על פי שזה המאכל היתר ראוי לרעב אינו ראוי לכל מי ששבע כזה:
8
When a person who is dangerously ill25 asks to eat on Yom Kippur, he should be fed26 because of his request until he says, "It is enough,"27 even though expert physicians say that it is unnecessary.28
When the sick person says that it is unnecessary for him to eat,29 and a physician says that it is necessary, he should be fed according to [the physician's] instructions, provided the physician is an expert.30
When one physician says that it is necessary [for a sick person to eat], and another physician says that it is unnecessary, the person should be fed. If several physicians say that it is necessary [for a sick person to eat], and other physicians say that it is unnecessary, [the ruling] follows the majority, or those with the most expertise.31 [This applies] provided the sick person does not himself say that it is necessary [for him to eat]. If, however, he makes such a statement, he should be fed.
If the sick person does not say that he must [eat], the physicians were divided on the issue, they were all experts, and an equal number took each side, he should be fed.
ח
חולה שיש בו סכנה ששאל לאכול ביום הכפורים אע"פ שהרופאים הבקיאין אומרין אינו צריך מאכילין אותו על פי עצמו עד שיאמר דיי. אמר החולה איני צריך והרופא אומר צריך מאכילין אותו על פיו. והוא שיהיה רופא בקי. רופא אחד אומר צריך ואחד אומר אינו צריך מאכילין אותו. מקצת הרופאין אומרין צריך ומקצתן אומרין אינו צריך הולכין אחר הרוב או אחר הבקיאין. ובלבד שלא יאמר החולה צריך אני. אבל אם אמר צריך אני מאכילין אותו. לא אמר החולה שהוא צריך ונחלקו הרופאים והיו כלם בקיאין ואלו שאמרו אינו צריך כמנין שאמרו צריך מאכילין אותו:
9
When a pregnant woman smells food, [and is overcome by desire for it,] we should whisper in her ear that today is Yom Kippur.32If this reminder is sufficient to calm her senses, it is desirable; if not, she should be fed until her desire ceases.
Similarly, if a person is overcome by ravenous hunger,33 he should be fed until he sees clearly. He should be fed immediately, even if it necessitates giving him non-kosher meat34 or [meat from a] loathsome species.35 We do not require that he wait until permitted food becomes available.
ט
עוברה שהריחה לוחשין לה באזנה שיום הכפורים הוא. אם נתקררה דעתה בזכרון זה מוטב ואם לאו מאכילין אותה עד שתתישב נפשה. וכן מי שאחזו בולמוס מאכילין אותו עד שיאורו עיניו. ואפילו נבלות ושקצים מאכילין אותו מיד ואין משהין אותו עד שימצאו דברים המותרין:
10
[From the time] a child is nine or ten years old36 [onward], he should be trained [to fast] for several hours. What is implied? If he is used to eating two hours after daybreak, he should be fed in the third hour. If he is used [to eating] after three hours, he should be fed in the fourth. According to the child's stamina, we should add hours to his anguish.
When a child is eleven years old, whether male or female,37 it is a Rabbinic ordinance that he complete his fast so that he be trained in [the observance of] the mitzvot.
י
קטן בן תשע שנים ובן עשר שנים מחנכין אותו לשעות. כיצד היה רגיל לאכול בשתי שעות ביום מאכילין אותו בשלש. היה רגיל בשלש מאכילין אותו בארבע. לפי כח הבן מוסיפין לענות אותו בשעות. בן אחת עשרה שנה בין זכר בין נקבה מתענה ומשלים מדברי סופרים כדי לחנכו במצות:
11
A female who is twelve years old and one day38 and a male who is thirteen years old and one day, who manifest [signs of physical maturity - i.e.,] two [pubic] hairs, are considered to be adults with regard to [the observance of] all the mitzvot, and are obligated to complete their fast according to the Torah. If, however, they did not manifest [signs of physical maturity], they are still considered to be minors, and are obligated to complete their fast only by virtue of Rabbinic decree.39
A child who is less than nine years old should not be afflicted at all on Yom Kippur, lest this lead to danger.40
יא
בת שתים עשרה שנה ויום אחד ובן שלש עשרה שנה ויום אחד שהביאו שתי שערות הרי הן כגדולים לכל המצות ומשלימין מן התורה. אבל אם לא הביאו שתי שערות עדיין קטנים הן ואינם משלימין אלא מדברי סופרים. קטן שהוא פחות מבן תשע אין מענין אותו ביום הכפורים כדי שלא יבא לידי סכנה
FOOTNOTES
1.If, however, the foods are not fit for human consumption, different rules apply. (See Halachah 5.)
2.Although most prohibitions against forbidden foods involve a smaller measure - a k'zayit (the size of an olive) - an exception is made in this instance, because a person's appetite will not be sated if he eats an amount of food smaller than the size of a date. In contrast to the measure for drinking, this is a standard measure, regardless of a person's size (Yoma 80a).
3.According to Shiurei Torah an egg is 57.6 cubic centimeters; according to Chazon Ish (when the smaller measure is more stringent), it is 41 cubic centimeters. Thus, the size of a date would be a slightly smaller figure. The laws regarding eating less than this amount are mentioned in Halachah 3.
4.The commentaries interpret this to mean slightly less than a revi'it. Note, however, the Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chayim 271:13), which states that this measure is slightly more than half a revi'it with regard to the laws of kiddush. (Note the comments of the Be'ur Halachah 271.)
5.For this will sate neither one's appetite nor one's thirst (Yoma 81a).
6.For even forbidden food will sate one's hunger (Rabbenu Manoach).
7.A sacrifice that was offered with the intent that it - or any of its sacred elements - be offered on the altar or eaten at a time when it is forbidden to be eaten; e.g., a peace offering the blood of which one thought to have poured on the altar at nightfall, or to have its flesh consumed on the third day after its sacrifice (Hilchot Pesulei HaMukdashim 13:1).
8.Sacrificial meat that was left over past the time during which it is allowed to be eaten - e.g., a sin offering on the morning of the following day or a peace offering on the morning of the third day (Hilchot Pesulei HaMukdashim 18:10).
9.Produce from which the agricultural requirements of terumah and the tithes were not separated (Hilchot Ma'achalot Asurot 10:19).
10.An animal that will not live longer than twelve months, because of a wound or blemish (Hilchot Ma'achalot Asurot 4:6-8; Hilchot Shechitah 5:1).
11.By eating from this prohibited food on Yom Kippur, one violates two prohibitions: the consumption of the prohibited food and eating on Yom Kippur (Merkevet HaMishneh). See Hilchot Shegagot 6:4 and the conclusion of Chapter 14 of Hilchot Ma'achalot Assurot.
12.Since the substance that he is eating is forbidden, it is merely lacking in quantity (Rabbi Yochanan's view, Yoma 74a).
13.Our translation is based on the Rambam's statements in Hilchot Tu'mat Tzara'at 16:6.
Whenever the Torah mentions a prohibition - and similarly, a mitzvah - that involves eating, the intent is that the person partake of a minimum measure within a specific time. The standard time for all prohibitions (and mitzvot) is כדי אכילת פרס, which the Rambam defines as the time it takes to eat the above amount. [There are opinions that state an amount of bread equivalent to four eggs (Maggid Mishneh). This opinion is mentioned in the notes on Halachah 8.]
In time, כדי אכילת פרס is defined as six minutes by the Tzemach Tzedek in one place and seven minutes in another (Sha'ar HaMiluim, sec. 9). Other opinions mention nine minutes, 8, 7 1/2, 6, 5, 4 1/2, 4. (See Ketzot HaShulchan 3:15.)
14.And it is considered as if the person ate less than the minimum measure. For this reason, as mentioned in the notes on Halachah 8, when a person must eat on Yom Kippur, there are times when at first he is given less than the minimal amount, his eating is interrupted, and then he is given less than the minimal amount again, so as to minimize the extent of his transgression.
15.I.e., the amount of time it takes to drink a revi'it leisurely (Radbaz, Vol. V, Responsum 1554). This is, nevertheless, a much smaller measure than the amount of time it takes to eat three eggs.
The Ra'avad (in his gloss on Hilchot Terumah 10:3) differs and states that even regarding drinking, the minimum measure is the amount of time it takes to eat three eggs. (Significantly, the source on which his opinion is based, Keritot 13a, is cited by the Rambam as halachah in Hilchot Sha'ar Avot HaTum'ah 8:11.)
Although the Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chayim 612:10) appears to favor the Rambam's view, Shulchan Aruch HaRav 612:15 and the Mishnah Berurah 612:31 suggest following the more stringent view.
16.Our translation is taken from Rav Kapach's translation of an Arabic term in his edition of the Rambam's Commentary on the Mishnah (Yoma 8:2, Nedarim 6:4). In the latter source, the Rambam also states that the brine is sometimes made from fish. The Mishnah Berurah 612:28 renders the Hebrew term as referring to fat that exudes from a fish.
17.When describing the fast, Leviticus 23:29 uses the expression, "Every soul that will not afflict itself shall be cut off." Eating food that is not fit for human consumption is also a form of affliction. Hence, one is not liable for punishment (Rabbenu Manoach).
18.From the fact that the text mentions only fresh ginger, and not fresh peppers, the Maggid Mishneh states that one might infer that one is not liable for eating fresh peppers. He differs with this conclusion and suggests amending the text based on the Rambam's statements in Hilchot Berachot 8:7. The Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chayim 612:8) also makes a distinction between fresh and dried peppers.
19.The Shulchan Aruch (loc. cit.:7) quotes the version of Yoma 81b that we have, which states, "the leaves of reeds." The Rambam's wording is based on the version quoted by Rabbenu Chanan'el.
20.I.e., the leaves just as they emerge from the stem of the vine.
21.I.e., when calculating whether or not a person ate a quantity of food equivalent to the size of a date.
22.Although the brine is a liquid, and liquids and foods are not ordinarily combined (Halachah 1), since the brine is used to flavor the vegetable, it is considered to be a food (Yoma 80b).
23.The Rambam's wording requires some clarification. He is referring to a person who had overeaten before the commencement of Yom Kippur, and then despite being disgusted by food, continued to eat on Yom Kippur itself (Maggid Mishneh; Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayim 612:6). If a person began eating in the midst of the fast and then overate, he would be liable, because of the first morsels of food that he ate.
24.If, however, the person is not jaded with the taste of the food, e.g., because the food is prepared in a very flavorful manner, he is liable even though he overate.
25.Compare to Hilchot Shabbat 2:5, which explains that the classification "dangerously ill" means that "he has a wound in his body cavity, from his lips inward." Such a person does not need the assessment of a physician to determine whether or not the Sabbath should be violated on his behalf. In situations where the seriousness of the person's ailment is not as obvious, the Sabbath may be violated on his behalf based on a physician's pronouncement. Also, in this category is a women within three days after childbirth.
Significantly, when stating this law, the Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chayim 618:1) mentions only "a sick person who must eat," without stating that he must be dangerously ill. The Be'ur Halachah emphasizes that in many instances, even mildly serious conditions can become life-threatening if the person fasts.
26.See Hilchot Yesodei HaTorah 5:6, which states that with the exception of the prohibitions against idol worship, murder, and incestuous or adulterous relations, any of the Torah's prohibitions may be violated to save a person's life. As mentioned in Hilchot Shabbat 2:1, even if there is a doubt regarding the matter, the Sabbath should be violated, and moreover, it should be the leaders of the people and the wise who violate the Sabbath on the sick person's behalf, so that the people at large will appreciate that this is the course of action that should be taken.
27.Significantly, the Shulchan Aruch (loc. cit.:7) mentions that when a sick person is fed on Yom Kippur, he should first be fed less than the size of a date within the amount of time it takes to eat four eggs (the more stringent view regarding the time of כדי אכילת פרס). If, however, that is not sufficient, the more lenient opinions concerning the measure of כדי אכילת פרס can be relied upon. If even that is not sufficient, the person should be fed in the normal manner.
28.The sick man's own opinion should followed, because "the heart knows the bitterness of his soul." Nevertheless, the person should be reminded that it is Yom Kippur. If he persists in his desire to eat, we assume that he does not desire to transgress, but cannot bear the fast (Shulchan Aruch HaRav 618:1; Mishnah Berurah 618:5).
29.This is speaking about a person who genuinely does not think that it is necessary for him to eat. It must be emphasized that the Rabbis frowned on the supposed "piety" of a sick person who knows that he should eat, but refrains from doing so because of the fast, and applied the verse (Genesis 9:5): "I will demand an account of the blood of your own lives" (Mishnah Berurah, loc. cit.). He should be forced to eat, even against his will.
30.The Mishnah Berurah 618:1 quotes opinions that state that a Jew need not be an expert physician to render such an opinion. Since he is aware of a threat to life and knows the seriousness of Yom Kippur, his view is accepted. A gentile, however, must be an expert physician for his view to be considered.
31.The Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chayim 618:4) differs and states that if two physicians say that the sick person should eat, their opinion should be followed. Since two physicians have made such a statement, no further risks should be taken with a person's life.
32.Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi gave this suggestion when asked regarding such a problem (Yoma 83a).
33.This refers to a sense of infirmity that overcomes a person because of lack of nourishment; he becomes, dizzy, faint, and unable to focus his eyes.
34.If all that is immediately available is non-kosher food, he should be fed food that involves a prohibition that is least severe first. [See Hilchot Ma'achalot Asurot 14:17, the Rambam's Commentary on the Mishnah (Yoma 8:4), and the Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chayim 618:9). See the Noda BiY'hudah, Vol. I, Orach Chayim, Responsum 36, which focuses on this issue.]
35.The intent is non-kosher species. Even if their flesh is tasty, they are considered loathsome by Jewish law.
36.The Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chayim 616:2) explains that when a child's constitution is strong, his training to fast should begin at age nine. If he is weak, the training can be postponed a year.
37.The Ra'avad differs and maintains that since males and females reach maturity at different ages, that factor should be taken into account in this law. According to his view, a male child is not obligated to complete the fast until he is twelve, and a female must complete the fast at age eleven.
The Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chayim, loc. cit.) quotes the Rambam's view. The Ramah mentions a third opinion, which does not require children to complete a fast at all. He states that when a child's constitution is weak, this view should be followed.
38.Even a fraction of a day is considered to be a day. Therefore, if a girl's birthday is on Yom Kippur, she is obligated to fast from her twelfth birthday onward.
39.In this instance, however, even a child with a weak constitution should make every effort to complete the fast. For it is possible that the child had pubic hairs, which would cause him or her to be considered to be an adult, but they fell off (Ramah, Orach Chayim 616:2).
40.Even if a child desires to fast, he should be prevented from doing so (Ramah, Orach Chayim, loc. cit.).
Shevitat Asor - Chapter Three
1
It is forbidden to wash on Yom Kippur,1 whether using hot or cold water.2 One may not wash one's entire body [at one time], nor any individual limb. It is even forbidden to immerse one's small finger in water.
A king and a bride may wash their faces:3 a bride so that she will not appear unattractive to her husband, and a king so that he will appear splendorous, as [Isaiah 33:17] states: "Your eyes shall behold the king in his splendor."4 Until when is a wife considered to be a "bride"? For thirty days.5
א
אסור לרחוץ ביום הכפורים בין בחמין בין בצונן. בין כל גופו בין אבר אחד אפילו אצבע קטנה אסור להושיטה במים. והמלך והכלה רוחצין את פניהן, כלה כדי שלא תתגנה על בעלה. והמלך כדי שיראה ביופיו שנאמר מלך ביפיו תחזינה עיניך. ועד כמה נקראת כלה עד שלשים יום:
2
When a person is soiled with filth or mud, he may wash off the dirt in an ordinary manner without reservation.6 [Similarly,] a woman may wash one hand in water and give a piece of bread to a child.7
A person who is ill may wash in an ordinary manner even though he is not dangerously ill. Similarly, all those who are obligated to immerse themselves [for the sake of ritual purity] should immerse themselves in an ordinary manner. This applies both on Tish'ah B'Av and on Yom Kippur.8
ב
מי שהיה מלוכלך בצואה או טיט רוחץ מקום הטנופת כדרכו ואינו חושש. ומדיחה אשה ידה אחת במים ונותנת פת לתינוק. והחולה רוחץ כדרכו אע"פ שאינו מסוכן. וכל חייבי טבילות טובלין כדרכן בין בתשעה באב בין ביוה"כ:
3
[The following rules apply] in the present age9 when a man has a seminal emission on Yom Kippur: If it is still moist, he should wipe it off with a cloth; this is sufficient. If it is dry, or he has become soiled, he may wash the soiled portions of his body and pray.10 It is, however, forbidden for him wash his entire body or to immerse himself.
For a person who immerses himself in the present age is not ritually pure11 - [he is impure regardless - ] because of ritual impurity contracted from a human corpse.12 The practice of washing after a nocturnal emission before prayer in the present age is only a custom. And a custom may not nullify a prohibition; it may only prohibit that which is permitted.13
The statement that a person who had a seminal emission on Yom Kippur should immerse himself was applicable only [in the era] when it was required to immerse oneself after a seminal emission and, as explained, this ordinance has already been nullified.
ג
מי שראה קרי בזמן הזה ביוה"כ. אם לח הוא מקנח במפה ודיו. ואם יבש הוא או שנתלכלך רוחץ מקומות המלוכלכין בלבד ומתפלל. ואסור לו לרחוץ כל גופו או לטבול. שאין הטובל בזמן הזה טהור מפני טומאת מת ואין הרחיצה מקרי לתפלה בזמן הזה אלא מנהג ואין מנהג לבטל דבר האסור אלא לאסור את המותר. ולא אמרו שהרואה קרי ביוה"כ טובל אלא כשתקנו טבילה לבעלי קריין וכבר בארנו שבטלה תקנה זו:
4
It is forbidden to sit on mud that is moist14 enough that if a person places his hand on it, sufficient moisture will rise up with it so that if he joins this hand to his other hand, the other hand will also become moist.15
A person should not fill an earthenware container with water and use it to cool himself, for the water permeates through its walls. It is even forbidden to use a metal container [for this purpose], lest water sprinkle on his flesh.16 It is permitted to cool off [by holding] fruit [against one's flesh].
ד
טיט שהוא לח ביותר כדי שיניח אדם ידו עליו ותעלה בה לחלוחית שאם הדביק אותה לידו האחרת תדבק בה לחלוחית אסור לישב עליו. לא ימלא אדם כלי חרש מים ויצטנן בו שהמים נזחלים מדפניו. אפילו כלי מתכות אסור שמא ינתזו מים על בשרו. ומותר להצטנן בפירות:
5
On the day preceding Yom Kippur, a person may take a handkerchief and soak it in water, wring it out slightly,17 and place it under clothes [so that it will not be exposed to the heat of the sun]. On the following day, he may wipe his face with it without any reservation,18 despite the fact that it is very cold.
ה
לוקח אדם מטפחת מערב יוה"כ ושורה אותה במים ומנגבה מעט ומניחה תחת הבגדים ולמחר מעבירה על פניו ואינו חושש ואע"פ שיש בה קור הרבה:
6
A person who is going to greet his teacher,19 his father,20 or someone who surpasses him in knowledge, and similarly, a person who is going to study in the House of Study, may pass through water21 that is neck-high22 without any reservation.23
[Moreover, after] he performs the mitzvah that he intended to perform, he may return to his home via the water. For if we did not allow him to return, he would not go, [and with this restriction, we would] thwart [his observance of] the mitzvah.
Similarly, a person who goes to guard his produce may pass through water that is neck-high without any reservation.24 These leniencies are granted], provided one does not extend his hands out from under the fringes of the garments, as one would do during the week.25
ו
ההולך להקביל פני רבו או פני אביו או מי שהוא גדול ממנו בחכמה או לקרות בבית המדרש עובר במים עד צוארו ואינו חושש ועושה מצוה שהלך לעשותה וחוזר במים למקומו. שאם לא תתיר לו לחזור אינו הולך ונמצא נכשל מן המצוה. וכן ההולך לשמור פירותיו עובר במים עד צוארו ואינו חושש ובלבד שלא יוציאו ידיהם מתחת שולי מעיליהם כדרך שעושין בחול:
7
It is forbidden to wear a [leather] shoe or a sandal,26 even on one foot. It is, however, permitted to wear a sandal made of reeds, rushes,27or the like. Similarly, a person may wind cloth over his feet or the like, for his feet remain sensitive to the hardness of the ground and he feels as if he is barefoot.28
Although children are allowed to eat, drink, wash, and anoint themselves, they should be prevented [from wearing] shoes and sandals.29
ז
אסור לנעול מנעל וסנדל אפילו ברגלו אחת. ומותר לצאת בסנדל של שעם ושל גמי וכיוצא בהן. וכורך אדם בגד על רגליו ויוצא בו שהרי קושי הארץ מגיע לרגליו ומרגיש שהוא יחף. התינוקות אע"פ שהן מותרין באכילה ובשתייה ורחיצה וסיכה מונעין אותן ממנעל וסנדל:
8
All people are allowed to wear sandals [to protect themselves] from being bitten by scorpions and the like.
A woman who has just given birth may wear sandals for thirty days, lest she be chilled. The same law applies to other people who are sick, even if their illness is not dangerous.30
ח
מותר לכל אדם לנעול את הסנדל מחמת עקרב וכיוצא בה כדי שלא תשכנו. והחיה מותרת לנעול את הסנדל משום צנה כל שלשים יום. והחולה כיוצא בה אע"פ שאין שם סכנה:
9
[Just as it is forbidden to anoint] one's entire body, so too, is it forbidden to anoint a portion of one's body. [This restriction applies] both to anointment that brings one pleasure and to anointment that does not bring one pleasure.31
When a person is sick, however, or if he has sores on his scalp, he may anoint himself in an ordinary manner without any reservation.
ט
אסור לסוך מקצת גופו ככל גופו בין סיכה של תענוג בין סיכה שאינה של תענוג. ואם היה חולה אף על פי שאין בו סכנה או שיש לו חטטין בראשו סך כדרכו ואינו חושש:
10
There are communities where it is customary to light a candle on Yom Kippur, so that one will be modest with regard to one's wife and thus not be prompted to engage in sexual relations. There are, by contrast, other communities where it is customary not to light a candle, lest one see one's wife, be attracted to her, and be prompted to engage in sexual relations.32
If Yom Kippur falls on the Sabbath, it is an obligation to light [a candle incumbent on the members] of all communities. For lighting a candle on the Sabbath is an obligation.33
Blessed be God who grants assistance.
י
יש מקומות שנהגו להדליק את הנר בלילי יום הכפורים כדי שיהיה לו בושת פנים מאשתו ולא יבוא לידי תשמיש המטה. ויש מקומות שנהגו שלא להדליק שמא יראה אשתו ותשא חן בעיניו ויבא לידי תשמיש. ואם חל יום הכפורים להיות בשבת חייבין הכל להדליק בכל מקום שהדלקת נר בשבת חובה
FOOTNOTES
1.Our Sages instituted this prohibition based Solomon's description (I Kings 2:26) of David's affliction, which included being forced to go without washing (Yoma 77a).
2.With regard to the prohibition against washing on the Sabbath and holidays, a distinction is made between washing with hot water and washing with cold water, because that prohibition was instituted lest the keepers of the baths heat water on these holy days. On Yom Kippur, the prohibition was instituted to prohibit washing per se. In this regard, we find a verse (Proverbs 25:25), "Like cold water on a wearied soul," including even cold water.
3.From this leniency, some authorities infer that the prohibition against washing is Rabbinic in origin. If its source had been in the Torah, the Sages would not have granted such a leniency. Nevertheless, it is possible to explain that since the Torah's prohibition applies only to washing for the sake of pleasure, washing for other reasons is permitted when necessary.
4.See Hilchot Melachim 2:5.
5.The Mishnah Berurah 613:26 mentions opinions that do not allow this leniency in the present age.
6.For it is only washing for the sake of pleasure that is forbidden, and not washing for the sake of cleanliness (Yoma 77b).
7.Yoma, ibid. explains that this refers to shibta, which Rashi interprets as meaning a spirit of impurity that rests on one's hands after sleep. For this reason, the Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chayim 613:2) allows one to wash one's hands upon arising in the morning.
8.This applied only in the ages when the people observed the laws of ritual purity. At present, since we do not possess the ashes of the red heifer, there is no way we can purify ourselves from the impurity contracted through contact with a human corpse, and we are all ritually impure. Hence, it is forbidden to immerse oneself on Yom Kippur and Tish'ah B'Av. Even a woman who is obligated to immerse herself on this day to purify herself from the niddah state should postpone her immersion. (See Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayim 613:12, 554:8.)
9.I.e., in contrast to the era of Ezra, who ordained that a person who saw a nocturnal emission must immerse himself in the mikveh before reciting the Shema, praying, or engaging in Torah study. (See Hilchot Kri'at Shema 4:8, Hilchot Tefillah 4:4-6 and notes.)
10.For it is forbidden to pray while there is a trace of semen on one's body.
11.I.e., although a seminal emission conveys ritual impurity and immersion in a mikveh removes that impurity, this is not of consequence in the present age.
12.Which can be removed only when the ashes of the red heifer are sprinkled on a person.
13.I.e., a person may accept a custom that requires more stringent conduct than that obligated by the letter of Torah law for various reasons. He may not, however, adopt any leniency in Torah law for such reasons.
14.This would also be done for the purpose of cooling off (Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayim 613:9).
15.This is the explanation of the Rabbinic expression, טופח על מנת להטפיח.
16.One may, however, use an empty container for this purpose (Shulchan Aruch, loc. cit.).
17.I.e., he must wring it out so that it will no longer be טופח על מנת להטפיח, as explained in the previous halachah.
18.The Ramah (Orach Chayim 613:9) forbids this, lest the person squeeze water from the cloth and thus perform one of the forbidden labors.
19.For it is a mitzvah to greet one's teacher (Chaggigah 5b).
20.Since honoring one's parents is a mitzvah.
21.For his intent is to perform the mitzvah and not to take pleasure in bathing.
22.The Shulchan Aruch (loc. cit. 613:5) emphasizes that one should not enter water in which the current is fast-moving, because of the danger involved.
23.The Ramah (Orach Chayim 613:8) states that even if there is a circuitous route that does not require one to pass through water, one may take a direct route through the water. Shulchan Aruch HaRav 613:13 and the Mishnah Berurah 613:22 differ, and prohibit passing through water if there is an alternative route, even one that is much longer.
24.Although guarding one's produce is not a mitzvah, this leniency was granted because of a person's concern for his money. In this instance, the person is not allowed to return through water on Yom Kippur (Shulchan Aruch HaRav 613:12).
25.Forcing the person to deviate from his ordinary pattern will remind him not to squeeze the water from his garments (Shulchan Aruch HaRav 613:8).
26.Yoma 77a also regards going without shoes as an affliction, based on Solomon's statements describing David's afflictions (I Kings 2:26) cited previously, for II Samuel 15:30 describes how David walked barefoot when fleeing from Avshalom.
27.Our translation for שעם is based on the gloss of Rabbenu Manoach. He also offers an alternative meaning of the word, "tree bark." In modern Hebrew, שעם means cork.
28.The Mishnah Berurah 614:5 states that in his time, it was customary to wear socks and not shoes or sandals made of rubber or similar materials. Nevertheless, at present it has become customary to wear such shoes or sandals.
29.Refraining from any of the other four activities mentioned could affect the child's health and growth. This is not true with regard to wearing shoes and sandals. On the contrary, children often go without shoes.
30.The halachic equivalence between a woman who has just given birth and a sick person is established in Hilchot Shabbat 2:14.
The Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chayim 614:3) also grants this leniency to a person who has a wound on his foot. The Ramah (loc. cit.:4) states that shoes may also be worn outside if the streets are very muddy.
31.The Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chayim 614:1) interprets this to mean that it is prohibited to anoint oneself even for purposes of cleanliness.
32.Shulchan Aruch HaRav 610:1 explains that it is an obligation to honor Yom Kippur by kindling lights, just as it is a mitzvah to honor other holidays. Nevertheless, because of the fear that one might be prompted to engage in sexual relations, certain communities adopted the custom of nullifying this mitzvah in homes where a husband and wife live together. Pesachim 53b applies the verse (Isaiah 60:21) "And your nation are all righteous" to both customs.
In all communities, it is customary to light candles for Yom Kippur, either at home or in the synagogue. The above explanation clarifies the decision of the Ramah, who maintains that one should recite a blessing over these candles. There are, however, other explanations, and for this reason, there are authorities (see Sha'ar HaTziyun 610:5) who maintain that a blessing should not be recited.
33.See Hilchot Shabbat 5:1.
Hayom Yom:• English Text | Video ClassWednesday, Cheshvan 26, 5778 · 15 November 2017
"Today's Day"
Wednesday, Cheshvan 26, 5704
Torah lessons: Chumash: Tol'dot, Revi'i with Rashi.
Tehillim: 119, 97 to end.
Tanya: To understand how (p. 593) ...stressing before G-d. (p. 595).
The true way is to know one's character, truly recognizing one's own deficiencies and one's good qualities. And when one knows his deficiencies - he should correct them with actual avoda, and not satisfy himself merely with bemoaning them.1
FOOTNOTES
1.See Tevet 23.
Daily Thought:
Mirror of Trust
The heavens above mirror the earth below.
Trust in Him and He will fulfill your trust.
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