Torah Reading
Ki Teitzei (Devarim/Deuteronomy 21:10 When thou goest forth to milchamah against thine enemies, and Hashem Eloheicha hath delivered them into thine hands, and thou hast taken them captive,
11 And seest among the captives an eshet yefat to’ar (a woman who is beautiful of form), and hast a desire unto her, that thou wouldest have her to be thy wife;
12 Then thou shalt bring her home to thine bais, and she shall shave her rosh, and trim her nails;
13 And she shall put the raiment of her captivity from off her, and shall remain in thine bais, and mourn her av and her em a full month; and after that thou shalt go in unto her, and be her ba’al, and she shall be thy isha.
14 And it shall be, if thou have no delight in her, then thou shalt let her go whither she will; but thou shalt not sell her at all for kesef, thou shalt not make merchandise of her, because thou hast humbled her.
15 If an ish have two nashim, one beloved, and another hated, and they have born him banim, both the beloved and the hated; and if the bechor be hers that was hated;
16 Then it shall be, on the yom when he wills his possessions to his banim, that he may not make the ben of the beloved bechor before the ben of the hated, which is indeed the bechor;
17 But he shall acknowledge the ben of the hated for the bechor, by giving him a double portion of all that he hath; for he is the beginning of his strength; the mishpat habechorah (right of the firstborn) is his.
18 If an ish have a stubborn and rebellious ben, which will not obey the voice of his av, or the voice of his em, and that, when they have chastened him, will not give heed unto them;
19 Then shall his av and his em lay hold on him, and bring him out unto the zekenim of his town, and unto the sha’ar (gate) of his place;
20 And they shall say unto the zekenim of his town, This our ben is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice; he is a zolel (glutton) and a soveh (drunkard).
21 And all the men of his town shall stone him with avanim (stones), that he die; so shalt thou put harah away from among you; and all Yisroel shall hear and fear.
22 And if an ish have committed a chet (sin) mishpat mavet (worthy of death), and he is put to death, and thou hang him on an etz;
23 His nevelah shall not remain all night upon the etz, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day; for he that is talui (hanged) is under Kilelat Elohim (curse of G-d); that thy adamah be not defiled, which Hashem Eloheicha giveth thee for a nachalah [see 2Sm 18:14; Yn 19:31; Ga 3:13].
22:1 Thou shalt not see thy brother’s shor or his seh go astray, and ignore them; thou shalt in any case bring them back unto thy brother.
2 And if thy brother be not near unto thee, or if thou know him not, then thou shalt bring it unto thine own bais, and it shall be with thee until thy brother seek after it, and thou shalt restore it to him again.
3 In like manner shalt thou do with his chamor; and so shalt thou do with his raiment; and with all lost things of thy brother’s, which he hath lost, and thou hast found, shalt thou do likewise; thou mayest not ignore it.
4 Thou shalt not see thy brother’s chamor or his shor fall down by the road, and ignore them; thou shalt surely help him to lift them up again.
5 The isha shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a gever (man) neither shall a gever put on simlat isha (garment of a woman); for all that do so are to’avat unto Hashem Eloheicha.
6 If a bird’s ken (nest) chance to be before thee in the way in any tree, or on the ground, whether they be young ones, or eggs, and the mother is roosting upon the young, or upon the eggs, thou shalt not take the mother with the young;
7 But thou shalt in any wise let the mother go, and take the young to thee; that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy yamim.
8 When thou buildest a bais chadash, then thou shalt make a parapet for thy roof, that thou bring not dahm (blood guiltiness) upon thine bais, if any fall from thence.
9 Thou shalt not sow thy kerem with different seeds; lest the fruit of thy zera which thou hast sown, and the fruit of thy kerem, be defiled.
10 Thou shalt not plow with a shor and a chamor together.
11 Thou shalt not wear a garment of different sorts, as of woolen and linen together.
12 Thou shalt make thee gedilim (fringes, tzitzis, twisted threads) upon the four corners of thy garment, wherewith thou coverest thyself.
13 If any ish take an isha, and go in unto her, and hate her,
14 And give occasions of speech against her, and bring up a shem rah (bad name) upon her, and say, I took this isha, and when I came to her, I found her with no betulim (proofs of virginity);
15 Then shall the av of the na’arah, and her em, take and bring forth the betulim (proofs of virginity) unto the zekenim of the town in the sha’arah (gate);
16 And the avi hana’arah shall say unto the zekenim, I gave my bat unto this ish as isha (wife) and he hateth her;
17 And, hinei, he hath given occasions of speech against her, saying, I found not thy bat with betulim; and yet these are my bat’s betulim. And they shall spread the simlah (clothing) before the zekenim of the town.
18 And the zekenim of that town shall take that ish and punish him;
19 And they shall fine him a hundred shekels of kesef, and give them unto the avi hana’arah, because he hath brought a shem rah (bad name) upon a betulat Yisroel; and she shall be his isha; he may not put her away all his yamim.
20 But if this thing be emes, and the betulim be not found for the na’arah;
21 Then they shall bring out the na’arah to the door of her bais avi, and the anashim of her town shall stone her with avanim that she die; because she hath committed an outrage in Yisroel, to play the whore in her bais avi; so shalt thou put away the rah from among you.
22 If an ish be found lying with an isha married to a husband then they shall both of them die, both the ish that lay with the isha, and the isha; so shalt thou put away the rah from Yisroel.
23 If a na’arah that is a betulah be betrothed unto a husband, and an ish find her in the town, and lie with her;
24 Then ye shall bring them both out unto the sha’ar of that town, and ye shall stone them with avanim that they die; the na’arah, because she cried not, being in the town; and the ish, because he hath humbled his neighbor’s isha; so thou shalt put away the rah from among you.
25 But if the ish find a na’arah hame’orasah (betrothed woman) in the sadeh, and the ish overpower her, and lie with her; then the ish only that lay with her shall die.
26 But unto the na’arah thou shalt do nothing; there is in the na’arah no chet mavet (sin worthy of death); for as when an ish riseth against his neighbor, and slayeth him, even so is this matter;
27 For he found her in the sadeh, and the na’arah hame’orasah cried, and there was no moshia (savior) for her [see 2C 11:2-3 regarding Moshiach and his Kehillah Kallah and Hasatan’s evil interference with the betrothal and the above three Scriptures T.N.].
28 If an ish find a na’arah that is a betulah, which is not orasah (betrothed), and lay hold on her, and lie with her, and they be found;
29 Then the ish that lay with her shall give unto the avi hana’arah fifty [shekels] of kesef, and she shall be his isha; because he hath humbled her, he may not put her away all his yamim.
30 (23:1) An ish shall not take eshet aviv (his father’s wife), nor uncover his father’s robe.
23:1(2) He that is wounded in the testicles, or hath a severed organ, shall not enter into the Kahal Hashem.
2 (3) A mamzer shall not enter into the Kahal Hashem; even to his tenth generation shall he not enter into the Kahal Hashem.
3 (4) An Amoni or Moavi shall not enter into the Kahal Hashem; even to their tenth generation shall they not enter into the Kahal Hashem ad olam;
4 (5) Because they met you not with lechem and with mayim in the way, when ye came forth out of Mitzrayim; and because they hired against thee Balaam ben Beor from Petor in Aram Naharaim, to curse thee.
5 (6) Nevertheless Hashem Eloheicha would not give heed unto Balaam; but Hashem Eloheicha turned the kelalah into a brocha unto thee, because Hashem Eloheicha loved thee.
6 (7) Thou shalt not seek their shalom nor their tovat all thy yamim l’olam.
7 (8) Thou shalt not abhor an Edomi; for he is thy brother: thou shalt not abhor a Mitzri (an Egyptian); because thou wast a ger in his land.
8 (9) The banim that are begotten of them shall enter into the Kahal Hashem in their third generation.
9 (10) When the machaneh (camp) goeth forth against thine enemies, then be shomer over thee against every wicked thing.
10 (11) If there be among you any ish, that is not tahor (clean) by reason of a nocturnal occurrence, then shall he go outside the machaneh, he shall not come within the machaneh;
11 (12) But it shall be, when erev cometh on, he shall wash himself with mayim; and when the shemesh is down, he shall come into the machaneh again.
12 (13) Thou shalt have a place also outside the machaneh, whither thou shalt go forth outside;
13 (14) And thou shalt have a shovel in addition to thy weapon; and it shall be, when thou wilt relieve thyself outside, thou shalt dig therewith, and shalt turn back and cover that which cometh from thee:
14 (15) For Hashem Eloheicha walketh in the midst of thy machaneh, to deliver thee, and to give up thine enemies before thee; therefore shall thy machaneh be kadosh; that He see no ervat davar (shameful thing) in thee, and turn away from thee.
15 (16) Thou shalt not give back unto his adon the eved which is rescued from his adon unto thee [see PM]:
16 (17) He shall dwell with thee, even among you, in that place which he shall choose in one of thy she’arim, where it pleases him best; thou shalt not oppress him.
17 (18) There shall be no kedeshah (ritual prostitute) of the banot Yisroel, nor a kadesh (sodomite ritual prostitute) of the bnei Yisroel.
18 (19) Thou shalt not bring the hire of a zonah, or the price of a kelev (male prostitute), into the Bais Hashem Eloheicha for any neder; for even both of these are to’avat Hashem Eloheicha.
19 (20) Thou shalt not lend upon neshekh (interest) to thy brother; neshekh of kesef, neshekh of okhel, neshekh of any thing that is lent upon neshekh;
20 (21) Unto a nokhri thou mayest lend upon neshekh; but unto thy brother thou shalt not lend upon neshekh; that Hashem Eloheicha may bless thee in all that thou settest thine hand to in ha’aretz whither thou goest to possess it.
21 (22) When thou shalt vow a neder unto Hashem Eloheicha, thou shalt not delay to pay it; for Hashem Eloheicha will surely require it of thee; and it would be chet (sin) in thee.
22 (23) But if thou shalt abstain from vowing, it shall be no chet in thee.
23 (24) That which is gone out of thy lips thou shalt be shomer over and perform; even a vow thou hast voluntarily vowed unto Hashem Eloheicha, which thou hast promised with thy mouth.
24 (25) When thou comest into thy neighbor’s kerem (vineyard), then thou mayest eat thy fill of grapes at thine own pleasure; but thou shalt not put any in thy vessel.
25 (26) When thou comest into the standing grain of thy neighbor, then thou mayest pluck the ears with thine yad; but thou shalt not use a sickle unto thy neighbor’s standing grain [see Mt 12:1; Mk 2:23; Lk 6:1 on the fact that where the Spirit of the L-rd is, there is liberty.T.N.].
24:1 When an ish hath taken an isha, and married her, and it come to pass that she find no chen (favor) in his eyes, because he hath found some ervat davar (matter of immorality) in her; then let him write her a sefer keritut and give it in her hand, and send her out of his bais;
2 And when she is departed out of his bais, she may go and be an ish acher (wife of another).
3 And if the latter husband hate her, and write her a sefer keritut and giveth it in her hand, and sendeth her out of his bais; or if the latter husband die, which took her to be his isha;
4 Her former husband, which sent her away, may not take her again to be his isha, after that she is hutamma’ah (defiled); for that is to’evah (abomination) before Hashem; and thou shalt not cause ha’aretz to sin, which Hashem Eloheicha giveth thee for a nachalah.
5 When an ish hath taken an isha chadasha, he shall not go out to milchamah, neither shall he be charged with any business; but he shall be free in his bais shanah echat, and shall gladden his isha which he hath taken.
6 No ish shall take the lower or the upper millstone to pledge; for he taketh a man’s nefesh in pledge.
7 If an ish be found kidnapping any of his brethren of the Bnei Yisroel, and enslaves him, or selleth him; then that ganav shall die; and thou shalt put the rah away from among you.
8 Take heed in the nega hatzara’at, that thou be shomer me’od and do according to all that the kohanim, the Levi’im, shall teach you; as I commanded them, so ye shall be shomer to do.
9 Remember what Hashem Eloheicha did unto Miryam by the way, after that ye were come forth out of Mitzrayim.
10 When thou dost lend thy brother any thing, thou shalt not go into his bais to get his pledge.
11 Thou shalt stand outside, and the ish to whom thou dost lend shall bring out the pledge outside unto thee.
12 And if the ish be oni (poor), thou shalt not keep his pledge overnight;
13 In any case thou shalt deliver to him the pledge again when the shemesh goeth down, that he may sleep in his own raiment, and bless thee; and it shall be tzedakah unto thee before Hashem Eloheicha.
14 Thou shalt not oppress a hired servant that is oni (poor) and evyon (needy), whether he be of thy brethren, or of thy ger that are in thy land within thy she’arim;
15 Each day thou shalt give him his wages, neither shall the shemesh go down upon it; for he is oni, and setteth his lev upon it; lest he cry against thee unto Hashem, and it be chet unto thee.
16 The avot shall not be put to death for the banim, neither shall the banim be put to death for the avot; every ish shall be put to death for his own chet.
17 Thou shalt not pervert the mishpat due the ger, nor of the yatom; nor take an almanah’s raiment to pledge;
18 But thou shalt remember that thou wast an eved in Mitzrayim, and Hashem Eloheicha redeemed thee thence; therefore I command thee to do this thing.
19 When thou cuttest down thine katzir in thy sadeh, and hast forgot an omer (sheaf) in the sadeh, thou shalt not go again to bring it back; it shall be for the ger, for the yatom (orphan), and for the almanah; that Hashem Eloheicha may bless thee in all the ma’aseh of thine hands.
20 When thou beatest thine [etz] hazayit (olive tree), thou shalt not go over the branches again; it shall be for the ger, for the yatom (orphan), and for the almanah.
21 When thou gatherest the grapes of thy kerem, thou shalt not glean it afterward; it shall be for the ger, for the yatom, and for the almanah.
22 And thou shalt remember that thou wast an eved in Eretz Mitzrayim; therefore I command thee to do this thing.
25:1 If there be a dispute between anashim, and they come unto hamishpat (the court) that the shofetim may judge them; then they shall justify the tzaddik (i.e., declare him to be in the right), and condemn the guilty.
2 And it shall be, if the reshah be worthy to be beaten, that the shofet shall cause him to lie down, and to be beaten in his presence, according to his fault, by a certain number.
3 Arba’im he may give him, and not exceed; lest, if he should exceed, and beat him above these with makkah rabbah (many stripes), then thy brother would be degraded in your sight.
4 Thou shalt not muzzle the shor when he treadeth out the grain [1C 9:9; 1Ti 5:18].
5 If achim dwell together, and one of them die, and ben ain lo (have no child), the eshet hamet (wife of the dead) shall not marry outside unto an ish zar (strange man); her yevam (deceased husband’s brother) shall go in unto her, and take her to him as a wife, and perform the levirate marriage.
6 And it shall be, that the bechor which she beareth shall succeed in the shem of his brother which is dead, that shmo be not blotted out from Yisroel [see Ruth].
7 And if the ish like not to take his brother’s isha, then let his brother’s isha go up to the sha’ar unto the zekenim, and say, My husband’s brother refuseth to raise up unto his brother a shem in Yisroel, he will not perform the levirate marriage with me.
8 Then the zekenim of his town shall call him, and speak unto him; and if he stand to it, and say, I like not to take her;
9 Then shall his brother’s isha come unto him in the presence of the zekenim, and remove his sandal from off his foot, and spit in his face, and shall answer and say, So shall it be done unto that ish that will not build up the bais achiv (the house of his brother).
10 And shmo shall be called in Yisroel, The bais of him that hath his sandal loosed.
11 When anashim strive together one with another, and the eshet (wife) of the one draweth near for to deliver her husband out of the hand of him that striketh him, and putteth forth her hand, and taketh him by the private parts,
12 Then thou shalt cut off her kaf (palm, hollow or flat of the hand), thine eye shall not pity her.
13 Thou shalt not have in thy bag differing weights, a gedolah and a ketannah.
14 Thou shalt not have in thine bais differing eifah (measures), a gedolah and a ketannah.
15 But thou shalt have a shleimah and tzedek weight, a perfect and just measure shalt thou have; that thy yamim may be lengthened in ha’adamah which Hashem Eloheicha giveth thee.
16 For all that do such things, and all that do unrighteously, are a to’evah (abomination) unto Hashem Eloheicha.
17 Remember what Amalek did unto thee by the way, when ye were come forth out of Mitzrayim;
18 How he met thee by the way, and struck your rear ranks, even all that were feeble behind thee, when thou wast faint and weary; and he feared not Elohim.
19 Therefore it shall be, when Hashem Eloheicha hath given thee rest from all thine enemies round about, in ha’aretz which Hashem Eloheicha giveth thee for a nachalah to possess it, that thou shalt blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under Shomayim; thou shalt not forget it.)
Today's Laws & Customs:
Elul Observances
As the last month of the Jewish year, Elul is traditionaly a time of introspection and stocktaking -- a time to review one's deeds and spiritual progress over the past year and prepare for the upcoming "Days of Awe" of Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur.
As the month of Divine Mercy and Forgiveness (see "Today in Jewish History" for Elul 1) it is a most opportune time for teshuvah ("return" to G-d), prayer, charity, and increased Ahavat Yisrael (love for a fellow Jew) in the quest for self-improvement and coming closer to G-d. Chassidic master Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi likens the month of Elul to a time when "the king is in the field" and, in contrast to when he is in the royal palace, "everyone who so desires is permitted to meet him, and he receives them all with a cheerful countenance and shows a smiling face to them all."
Specific Elul customs include the daily sounding of the shofar (ram's horn) as a call to repentance. The Baal Shem Tov instituted the custom of reciting three additional chapters of Psalms each day, from the 1st of Elul until Yom Kippur (on Yom Kippur the remaining 36 chapters are recited, thereby completing the entire book of Psalms). Click below to view today's Psalms.
Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30
Elul is also the time to have one's tefillin and mezuzot checked by an accredited scribe to ensure that they are in good condition and fit for use.
Links: More on Elul
Today's Laws & Customs:
Ethics: Chapter 2
During the summer months, from the Shabbat after Passover until the Shabbat before Rosh Hashahah, we study a weekly chapter of the Talmud's Ethics of the Fathers ("Avot") each Shabbat afternoon; this week we study Chapter Two.
Link: Ethics of the Fathers, Chapter 2
Elul Observances
As the last month of the Jewish year, Elul is traditionaly a time of introspection and stocktaking -- a time to review one's deeds and spiritual progress over the past year and prepare for the upcoming "Days of Awe" of Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur.
As the month of Divine Mercy and Forgiveness (see "Today in Jewish History" for Elul 1) it is a most opportune time for teshuvah ("return" to G-d), prayer, charity, and increased Ahavat Yisrael (love for a fellow Jew) in the quest for self-improvement and coming closer to G-d. Chassidic master Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi likens the month of Elul to a time when "the king is in the field" and, in contrast to when he is in the royal palace, "everyone who so desires is permitted to meet him, and he receives them all with a cheerful countenance and shows a smiling face to them all."
Specific Elul customs include the daily sounding of the shofar (ram's horn) as a call to repentance. The Baal Shem Tov instituted the custom of reciting three additional chapters of Psalms each day, from the 1st of Elul until Yom Kippur (on Yom Kippur the remaining 36 chapters are recited, thereby completing the entire book of Psalms). Click below to view today's Psalms.
Chapter 31 Chapter 32 Chapter 33
Elul is also the time to have one's tefillin and mezuzot checked by an accredited scribe to ensure that they are in good condition and fit for use.
Links: More on Elul
Today in Jewish History:
Noah Dispatches Raven (2105 BCE)
On the 10th of Elul of the year 1656 from creation (2105 BCE), as the Great Flood neared its end, Noah opened the window of the Ark and dispatched a raven to determine if the flood waters had begun to recede (Genesis 8:1; Rashi). For a discussion of the deeper significance of this event, see The Window
Today in Jewish History:
During the summer months, from the Shabbat after Passover until the Shabbat before Rosh Hashahah, we study a weekly chapter of the Talmud's Ethics of the Fathers ("Avot") each Shabbat afternoon; this week we study Chapter Two.
Link: Ethics of the Fathers, Chapter 2
Elul Observances
As the last month of the Jewish year, Elul is traditionaly a time of introspection and stocktaking -- a time to review one's deeds and spiritual progress over the past year and prepare for the upcoming "Days of Awe" of Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur.
As the month of Divine Mercy and Forgiveness (see "Today in Jewish History" for Elul 1) it is a most opportune time for teshuvah ("return" to G-d), prayer, charity, and increased Ahavat Yisrael (love for a fellow Jew) in the quest for self-improvement and coming closer to G-d. Chassidic master Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi likens the month of Elul to a time when "the king is in the field" and, in contrast to when he is in the royal palace, "everyone who so desires is permitted to meet him, and he receives them all with a cheerful countenance and shows a smiling face to them all."
Specific Elul customs include the daily sounding of the shofar (ram's horn) as a call to repentance. The Baal Shem Tov instituted the custom of reciting three additional chapters of Psalms each day, from the 1st of Elul until Yom Kippur (on Yom Kippur the remaining 36 chapters are recited, thereby completing the entire book of Psalms). Click below to view today's Psalms.
Chapter 31 Chapter 32 Chapter 33
Elul is also the time to have one's tefillin and mezuzot checked by an accredited scribe to ensure that they are in good condition and fit for use.
Links: More on Elul
Today in Jewish History:
Noah Dispatches Raven (2105 BCE)
On the 10th of Elul of the year 1656 from creation (2105 BCE), as the Great Flood neared its end, Noah opened the window of the Ark and dispatched a raven to determine if the flood waters had begun to recede (Genesis 8:1; Rashi). For a discussion of the deeper significance of this event, see The Window
Today in Jewish History:
Completion of Beit Yosef (1542)
In 1522, Rabbi Yosef Caro started writing the Beit Yosef, his famous commentary on the Arba Turim, Yaakov Ben Asher’s comprehensive Halachic code. He started writing this commentary in Adrianople, Turkey, and continued for the next twenty years, during which time he relocated to Safed, Israel. He completed the monumental work on the 11th of Elul. It took another ten years for the writings to be published.
Rashab's marriage (1875)
Marriage of the fifth Rebbe of Chabad-Lubavitch, Rabbi Sholom DovBer Schneersohn ("Rashab", 1860-1920), to Rebbetzin Shterna Sarah Schneerson (1860-1942).
DAILY QUOTE:
Marriage is giving it your all, and appreciating that you are but a half.(The Chassidic Masters)In 1522, Rabbi Yosef Caro started writing the Beit Yosef, his famous commentary on the Arba Turim, Yaakov Ben Asher’s comprehensive Halachic code. He started writing this commentary in Adrianople, Turkey, and continued for the next twenty years, during which time he relocated to Safed, Israel. He completed the monumental work on the 11th of Elul. It took another ten years for the writings to be published.
Rashab's marriage (1875)
Marriage of the fifth Rebbe of Chabad-Lubavitch, Rabbi Sholom DovBer Schneersohn ("Rashab", 1860-1920), to Rebbetzin Shterna Sarah Schneerson (1860-1942).
DAILY QUOTE:
DAILY STUDY:
CHITAS AND RAMBAM FOR TODAY:
Chumash: Ki Teitzei, 6th Portion Deuteronomy 24:5-24:13 with Rashi
• Chapter 24
5. When a man takes a new wife, he shall not go out in the army, nor shall he be subjected to anything associated with it. He shall remain free for his home for one year and delight his wife, whom he has taken. ה. כִּי יִקַּח אִישׁ אִשָּׁה חֲדָשָׁה לֹא יֵצֵא בַּצָּבָא וְלֹא יַעֲבֹר עָלָיו לְכָל דָּבָר נָקִי יִהְיֶה לְבֵיתוֹ שָׁנָה אֶחָת וְשִׂמַּח אֶת אִשְׁתּוֹ אֲשֶׁר לָקָח:
[When a man takes] a new wife: [i.e., one] who is new to him, even if she is a widow [i.e., she was previously married to someone else], but this excludes [a man who] remarries his divorcee. — [Sotah 44a]
אשה חדשה: שהיא חדשה לו ואפילו אלמנה, פרט למחזיר גרושתו:
nor shall he be subjected: lit., nor shall it pass over him, [referring to] the order of the army.
ולא יעבור עליו: דבר הצבא:
to anything associated with it: that is required by the army: [For instance,] he must not supply water and food or repair the roads [for the army]. However, men who return from the battlefield by the order of the kohen because they either built a house but did not yet dedicate it, or betrothed a woman but did not yet take her [as a wife] [see Deut. 20:5-7], are required to supply water and food and repair the roads [for the army]. — [Sotah 43a]
לכל דבר: שהוא צורך הצבא, לא לספק מים ומזון ולא לתקן דרכים, אבל החוזרים מעורכי המלחמה על פי כהן, כגון בנה בית ולא חנכו או ארס אשה ולא לקחה, מספיקין מים ומזון ומתקנין את הדרכים:
He shall remain [free] for his home: Heb. לְבֵיתוֹ, lit.,“for his house,” [meaning] also for his house. If he built a new house and dedicated it, or if he planted a vineyard (see Deut. 20:6) and redeemed it [i.e., he just began to partake of its fruits in the fourth year by redeeming them and eating their value in Jerusalem], he does not move from his home for the needs of war.
יהיה לביתו: אף בשביל ביתו, אם בנה בית וחנכו ואם נטע כרם וחללו, אינו זז מביתו בשביל צורכי המלחמה:
for his home: Heb. לְבֵיתוֹ. This refers to his house [as explained above].
לביתו: זה ביתו:
must remain: Heb. יִהְיֶה. [This] comes to include his vineyard [as explained above].
יהיה: לרבות את כרמו:
and delight: Heb. וְשִׂמַּח. [The word אֶת in this phrase, וְשִׂמַּח אֶת-אִשְׁתּוֹ, can mean “with,” or it can introduce the direct object, namely, “his wife.” Thus, this phrase can either mean “he shall rejoice with his wife,” or it could mean “he shall delight his wife.” Here, Rashi decides that the meaning is]“He shall delight his wife” [that is, the verb is in the piel (intensive causative) conjugation]. Thus, the [correct] rendering is as it appears in the Targum [Onkelos]: וְיַחְדֵי יַת אִיתְּתֵהּ,“and he shall make his wife happy.” One who renders: וְיֶחְדֵי יַת אִיתְּתֵהּ,“he shall rejoice with his wife,” is mistaken, for this is not the translation of וְשִׂמַּח [in the piel, causative conjugation], but [the translation] of וְשָׂמַח, [the kal, simple intransitive conjugation].
ושמח: ישמח את אשתו. ותרגומו ויחדי ית אתתיה. והמתרגם ויחדי עם אתתיה, טועה הוא, שאין זה תרגום של ושמח אלא של ושמח:
6. One shall not take the lower or the upper millstone as security [for a loan], because he is taking a life as security. ו. לֹא יַחֲבֹל רֵחַיִם וָרָכֶב כִּי נֶפֶשׁ הוּא חֹבֵל:
One shall not take the lower or the upper millstone as security [for a loan]: If [a creditor] comes to the court to demand security for a debt [for which no security had previously been required], he may not take as security articles used in the preparation of food. — [B.M. 115a]
לא יחבול: אם בא למשכנו על חובו בבית דין, לא ימשכננו בדברים שעושים בהן אוכל נפש:
the lower millstone: Heb. רֵחַיִם. This is the lower [millstone].
רחים: היא התחתונה:
the upper millstone: Heb. וָרָכֶב. This is the upper [millstone].
ורכב: היא העליונה:
7. If a man is discovered kidnapping any person from among his brothers, of the children of Israel, and treats him as a slave and sells him that thief shall die, so that you shall clear out the evil from among you. ז. כִּי יִמָּצֵא אִישׁ גֹּנֵב נֶפֶשׁ מֵאֶחָיו מִבְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְהִתְעַמֶּר בּוֹ וּמְכָרוֹ וּמֵת הַגַּנָּב הַהוּא וּבִעַרְתָּ הָרָע מִקִּרְבֶּךָ:
If [a man] is discovered: By witnesses, and after he was warned [not to kidnap] (Sifrei 24:139). Likewise, every [instance of] יִמָּצֵא, “[if someone is] discovered,” in the Torah. - [Mechilta 21:63]
כי ימצא: בעדים והתראה. וכן כל כי ימצא שבתורה:
and treats him as a slave: The perpetrator is not liable [to the death penalty] until he uses [his victim as a slave]. — [Sifrei 24:139, San. 85b]
והתעמר בו: אינו חייב עד שישתמש בו:
8. Be cautious regarding the lesion of tzara'ath, to observe meticulously and you shall according to all that the Levite priests instruct you; as I have commanded them, [so shall you] observe to do. ח. הִשָּׁמֶר בְּנֶגַע הַצָּרַעַת לִשְׁמֹר מְאֹד וְלַעֲשׂוֹת כְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר יוֹרוּ אֶתְכֶם הַכֹּהֲנִים הַלְוִיִּם כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוִּיתִם תִּשְׁמְרוּ לַעֲשׂוֹת:
Be cautious regarding the lesion of tzara’ath: that you do not remove any of the signs of uncleanness [e.g., by peeling off the skin], and that you do not cut off a bahereth , bright spot. — [Sifrei 24:140, Mak. 22a]
השמר בנגע הצרעת: שלא תתלוש סימני טומאה, ולא תקוץ את הבהרת:
according to all that [the Levite kohanim] instruct you: whether to quarantine [the person with tzara’ath], whether to make a decisive diagnosis [of tzara’ath], or whether to declare him clean.
ככל אשר יורו אתכם: אם להסגיר אם להחליט אם לטהר:
9. Remember what the Lord, your God, did to Miriam on the way, when you went out of Egypt. ט. זָכוֹר אֵת אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ לְמִרְיָם בַּדֶּרֶךְ בְּצֵאתְכֶם מִמִּצְרָיִם:
Remember what the Lord, your God, did to Miriam: If you wish to take precautions against being stricken with tzara’ath, then do not speak לָשׁוֹן הָרַע [slander, derogatory remarks]. Remember what was done to Miriam, who spoke against her brother [Moses] and was stricken with lesions [of tzara’ath] (see Num. 12:1-16). - [Sifrei 24: 141]
זכור את אשר עשה ה' אלהיך למרים: אם באת להזהר שלא תלקה בצרעת, אל תספר לשון הרע. זכור העשוי למרים שדברה באחיה ולקתה בנגעים:
10. When you lend your fellow [Jew] any item, you shall not enter his home to take his security. י. כִּי תַשֶּׁה בְרֵעֲךָ מַשַּׁאת מְאוּמָה לֹא תָבֹא אֶל בֵּיתוֹ לַעֲבֹט עֲבֹטוֹ:
When you lend your fellow [Jew]: Heb. כִּי-תַשֶּׁה, lit., when you obligate your friend.
כי תשה ברעך: תחוב בחברך:
any item: Heb. מַשַּׁאת מְאוּמָה, lit., a debt involving anything.
משאת מאומה: חוב של כלום:
11. You shall stand outside, and the man to whom you are extending the loan shall bring the security to you outside. יא. בַּחוּץ תַּעֲמֹד וְהָאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר אַתָּה נשֶׁה בוֹ יוֹצִיא אֵלֶיךָ אֶת הָעֲבוֹט הַחוּצָה:
12. And if he is a poor man, you shall not lie down [to sleep] with his security. יב. וְאִם אִישׁ עָנִי הוּא לֹא תִשְׁכַּב בַּעֲבֹטוֹ:
you shall not lie down [to sleep] with his security: You shall not lie down [to sleep] while you have his security in your possession. — [Sifrei 24:144, B.M. 114b]
לא תשכב בעבוטו: לא תשכב ועבוטו אצלך:
13. You shall return the security to him by sunset, so that he may lie down [to sleep] in his garment, and he will bless you, and it will be counted for you as merit before the Lord, your God. יג. הָשֵׁב תָּשִׁיב לוֹ אֶת הָעֲבוֹט כְּבוֹא הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ וְשָׁכַב בְּשַׂלְמָתוֹ וּבֵרֲכֶךָּ וּלְךָ תִּהְיֶה צְדָקָה לִפְנֵי יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ:
[You shall return the security to him] by sunset: if it is a garment worn at night. And if it is a garment worn by day, return it in the morning. This has already been written in parshath Mishpatim , where the verse says, “ until sunset you shall return it to him” (Exod. 22:25), meaning that you shall return it to him for the entire day, and when the sun sets, you may take it [back]. — [B.M. 114b]
כבוא השמש: אם כסות לילה הוא, ואם כסות יום החזירהו בבקר, וכבר כתוב בואלה המשפטים (שמות כב כה) עד בא השמש תשיבנו לו, כל היום תשיבנו לו וכבוא השמש תקחנו:
and he will bless you: And if he does not bless you, it will nevertheless “be counted for you as merit.” - [Sifrei 24:144]
וברכך: ואם אינו מברכך, מכל מקום ולך תהיה צדקה:
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Chumash: Parshat Ki Teitzei, 7th Portion (Deuteronomy 24:14-25:19) with Rashi
• Chapter 24
14. You shall not withhold the wages of a poor or destitute hired worker, of your brothers or of your strangers who are in your land within your cities. יד. לֹא תַעֲשֹׁק שָׂכִיר עָנִי וְאֶבְיוֹן מֵאַחֶיךָ אוֹ מִגֵּרְךָ אֲשֶׁר בְּאַרְצְךָ בִּשְׁעָרֶיךָ:
You shall not withhold the wages of a [poor or destitute] hired worker: But has this not already been written [in the verse, “You shall not withhold what is due your fellow [Jew]” (Lev. 19:13)]? However, this [negative commandment] is [repeated here] to [make one] transgress two negative commandments for [withholding the pay due] a destitute person: [First, here,] not to withhold the wages of a worker who is poor or destitute, and [secondly,] concerning [even] the well-to-do worker, one was already admonished (Lev. 19:13)],“You shall not [unjustly] withhold what is due your fellow [Jew, which includes the destitute as well].” - [B.M. 61a] [See Chavel and Yosef Hallel, who quote the Reggio edition, which is more correct.]
לא תעשק שכיר: והלא כבר כתוב, אלא לעבור על האביון בשני לאוין לא תעשוק שכר שכיר שהוא עני ואביון, ועל העשיר כבר הוזהר (ויקרא יט יג) לא תעשוק את רעך:
destitute: Heb. אֶבְיוֹן, one who longs for everything [because he has nothing. The word for longing (תאב) resembles the word for destitute (אֶבְיוֹן)]. - [See Midrash Prov. 22:22]
אביון: התאב לכל דבר:
of your strangers: This [refers to] a righteous proselyte [who converts to Judaism out of genuine conviction and pure motives]. — [Sifrei 24:145]
מגרך: זה גר צדק:
within your cities: This [expression refers to] a convert who [has undertaken not to practice idolatry, but] eats animals that have not been ritually slaughtered. — [Sifrei 24:145]
בשעריך: זה גר תושב האוכל נבלות:
who are in your land: This [expression] comes to include the hire of animals or utensils. — [Sifrei 24:145, B.M. 111b]
אשר בארצך: לרבות שכר בהמה וכלים:
15. You shall give him his wage on his day and not let the sun set over it, for he is poor, and he risks his life for it, so that he should not cry out to the Lord against you, so that there should be sin upon you. טו. בְּיוֹמוֹ תִתֵּן שְׂכָרוֹ וְלֹא תָבוֹא עָלָיו הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ כִּי עָנִי הוּא וְאֵלָיו הוּא נֹשֵׂא אֶת נַפְשׁוֹ וְלֹא יִקְרָא עָלֶיךָ אֶל יְהֹוָה וְהָיָה בְךָ חֵטְא:
and he risks his life for it: For this wage he risks his life. [For instance,] he climbed up a ramp or suspended himself from a tree. — [B.M. 112a]
ואליו הוא נושא את נפשו: אל השכר הזה הוא נושא את נפשו למות, עלה בכבש ונתלה באילן:
so that there should be sin upon you: in any case, [even if he does not cry out to the Lord against you]. However, punishment is meted out faster by virtue of one who cries out. — [Sifrei 24:146]
והיה בך חטא: מכל מקום, אלא שממהרין להפרע על ידי הקורא:
16. Fathers shall not be put to death because of sons, nor shall sons be put to death because of fathers; each man shall be put to death for his own transgression. טז. לֹא יוּמְתוּ אָבוֹת עַל בָּנִים וּבָנִים לֹא יוּמְתוּ עַל אָבוֹת אִישׁ בְּחֶטְאוֹ יוּמָתוּ:
Fathers shall not be put to death because of sons: [I.e.,] by the testimony of [their] sons. But, if you say [that it means that fathers shall not be put to death] because of the sins of their sons, it has already been stated, “each man shall be put to death for his own transgression.” However, one who is not yet a man may die on account of his father’s transgressions. [Therefore,] minors may die at the hands of Heaven on account of their parents’ sins. — [Sifrei 24:147, Shab. 32b]
לא יומתו אבות על בנים: בעדות בנים. ואם תאמר בעון בנים, כבר נאמר איש בחטאו יומתו, אבל מי שאינו איש מת בעון אביו, הקטנים מתים בעון אבותם בידי שמים:
17. You shall not pervert the judgment of a stranger or an orphan, and you shall not take a widow's garment as security [for a loan] . יז. לֹא תַטֶּה מִשְׁפַּט גֵּר יָתוֹם וְלֹא תַחֲבֹל בֶּגֶד אַלְמָנָה:
You shall not pervert the judgment of a stranger or an orphan: And concerning a wealthy person, [meaning anyone, not necessarily poor], one has already been warned, “You shall not pervert justice” (Deut. 16:19). However, [Scripture] repeats this prohibition here in reference to the poor man to [make one] transgress two negative commandments [for perverting the justice due a poor man]. Since it is easier to pervert the judgment of a poor man than that of a rich man, [Scripture] admonishes and then repeats [the admonition].
לא תטה משפט גר יתום: ועל העשיר כבר הוזהר (דברים טז יט) לא תטה משפט, ושנה בעני לעבור עליו בשני לאוין, לפי שנקל להטות משפט עני יותר משל עשיר, לכך הזהיר ושנה עליו:
and you shall not take a widow’s garment as security [for a loan]: not at the time of the loan, [but when the debtor has defaulted].
ולא תחבול: שלא בשעת הלואה:
18. You shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and the Lord, your God, redeemed you from there; therefore, I command you to do this thing. יח. וְזָכַרְתָּ כִּי עֶבֶד הָיִיתָ בְּמִצְרַיִם וַיִּפְדְּךָ יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ מִשָּׁם עַל כֵּן אָנֹכִי מְצַוְּךָ לַעֲשׂוֹת אֶת הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה:
You shall remember [that you were a slave in Egypt, and the Lord, your God, redeemed you from there]: [God says:] On that condition I redeemed you, [namely, on the condition] that you observe My statutes, even if you incur monetary loss in the matter.
וזכרת: על מנת כן פדיתיך לשמור חקותי אפילו יש חסרון כיס בדבר:
19. When you reap your harvest in your field and forget a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to take it; it shall be [left] for the stranger, the orphan, and the widow, so that the Lord, your God, will bless you in all that you do. יט. כִּי תִקְצֹר קְצִירְךָ בְשָׂדֶךָ וְשָׁכַחְתָּ עֹמֶר בַּשָּׂדֶה לֹא תָשׁוּב לְקַחְתּוֹ לַגֵּר לַיָּתוֹם וְלָאַלְמָנָה יִהְיֶה לְמַעַן יְבָרֶכְךָ יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ בְּכֹל מַעֲשֵׂה יָדֶיךָ:
and forget a sheaf: but not a stack. [That is, if someone forgot a stack of grain, he may go back to retrieve it.] (Sifrei 24:149). Hence, [our Rabbis] said: (Pe’ah 6:6) A sheaf containing two se’ah, which someone forgot, is not considered שִׁכְחָה [that is, the harvester is permitted to go back and retrieve it].
ושכחת עומר: ולא גדיש. מכאן אמרו עומר שיש בו סאתים ושכחו אינו שכחה:
[When you reap your harvest in your field and forget a sheaf] in the field: [Why the repetition of the word“field”? This comes] to include שִׁכְחָה of standing grain, part of which the harvester had forgotten to reap, [not only bound up sheaves standing in the field]. - [Sifrei 24:149]
בשדה: לרבות שכחת קמה ששכח מקצתה מלקצור:
you shall not go back to take it: From here, [our Rabbis] said: Whatever is behind him is considered שִׁכְחָה, “forgotten” [and may not be retrieved]. Whatever is in front of him, is not considered “forgotten” [and may still be retrieved], since it does not come under the law of “you shall not go back to take.” - [Pe’ah 6:4]
לא תשוב לקחתו: מכאן אמרו, שלאחריו שכחה, שלפניו אינו שכחה, שאינו בבל תשוב:
so that [the Lord, your God,] will bless you: Although [the forgotten sheaf came into his hand without intention [of the owner]. How how much more so [will one be blessed] if he did it liberately! Hence, you must say that if someone dropped a sela, and a poor man found it and was sustained by it, then he [who lost the coin] will be blessed on its account. — [Sifrei 24:149]
למען יברכך: ואף על פי שבאת לידו שלא במתכוין, קל וחומר לעושה במתכוין. אמור מעתה, נפלה סלע מידו ומצאה עני ונתפרנס בה הרי הוא מתברך עליה:
20. When you beat your olive tree, you shall not deglorify it [by picking all its fruit] after you; it shall be [left] for the stranger, the orphan and the widow. כ. כִּי תַחְבֹּט זֵיתְךָ לֹא תְפַאֵר אַחֲרֶיךָ לַגֵּר לַיָּתוֹם וְלָאַלְמָנָה יִהְיֶה:
you shall not deglorify it [by picking all its fruit] after you: Heb. לֹא-תְפַאֵר, [This word is derived from פְּאֵר or תִּפְאֶרֶת, “glory.” The “glory” of an olive-tree is its fruit. Thus, the meaning is:“You shall not take its glory” (תִּפְאֶרֶת) from it. [I.e., do not remove all its fruit.] Hence, [our Rabbis derive that [in addition to the harvest of grain and produce, in fruit-bearing trees also], one must leave behind פֵּאָה, [fruits at the end of the olive harvest]. — [Chul. 131b]
לא תפאר: לא תטול תפארתו ממנו. מכאן שמניחין פאה לאילן:
after you: This refers to שִׁכְחָה, forgotten fruit [in the case of a fruit-bearing tree, that one must leave the forgotten fruit for the poor to collect]. — [Chul. 131b]
אחריך: זו שכחה:
21. When you pick the grapes of your vineyard, you shall not glean after you: it shall be [left] for the stranger, the orphan and the widow. כא. כִּי תִבְצֹר כַּרְמְךָ לֹא תְעוֹלֵל אַחֲרֶיךָ לַגֵּר לַיָּתוֹם וְלָאַלְמָנָה יִהְיֶה:
[When you pick the grapes of your vineyard,] you shall not glean: i.e., if you find עוֹלְלוֹת, small clusters therein, you shall not take them. Now what constitutes עוֹלְלוֹת [thus necessitating them to be left for the poor]? Any cluster of grapes which has neither a כָּתֵף,“shoulder” or a נָטֵף, “drippings.” But if it has either one of them, it belongs to the householder. — [Pe’ah 7:4] I saw in the Talmud Yerushalmi (Pe’ah 7:3):“What is a כָּתֵף, shoulder?” It is [a cluster of grapes] in which the sprigs of grapes pile one on top of the other [at the top of the cluster, together taking on the shape of a shoulder. And what is] a נָטֵף,“drippings?” These are the grapes suspended from the central stalk [of the cluster, as though dripping down].
לא תעולל: אם מצאת בו עוללות לא תקחנה. ואיזו היא עוללות כל שאין לה לא כתף ולא נטף. יש לה אחד מהם הרי היא לבעל הבית. וראיתי בתלמוד ירושלמי איזו היא כתף, פסיגין זה על גב זה. נטף, אלו התלויות בשדרה ויורדות:
22. You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt: therefore, I command you to do this thing. כב. וְזָכַרְתָּ כִּי עֶבֶד הָיִיתָ בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם עַל כֵּן אָנֹכִי מְצַוְּךָ לַעֲשׂוֹת אֶת הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה:
Chapter 25
1. If there is a quarrel between men, and they approach the tribunal, and they [the judges] judge them, and they acquit the innocent one and condemn the guilty one א. כִּי יִהְיֶה רִיב בֵּין אֲנָשִׁים וְנִגְּשׁוּ אֶל הַמִּשְׁפָּט וּשְׁפָטוּם וְהִצְדִּיקוּ אֶת הַצַּדִּיק וְהִרְשִׁיעוּ אֶת הָרָשָׁע:
If there is a quarrel: they will eventually go to court. We learn from this, that peace cannot result from quarrel. [Just think,] what caused Lot to leave the righteous man [Abraham] (Gen. 13:7-12)? Clearly, it was quarrel. — [Sifrei 25:152]
כי יהיה ריב: סופם להיות נגשים אל המשפט. אמור מעתה אין שלום יוצא מתוך מריבה, מי גרם ללוט לפרוש מן הצדיק הוי אומר זו מריבה:
and condemn the guilty one: [Since the next verse continues, “the judge shall… flog him,”] one might think that all those convicted by the court must be flogged. Therefore, Scripture teaches us, “and it shall be, if the guilty one has incurred [the penalty] of lashes…” (verse 2). [From here, we see that] sometimes [a convicted party] is given lashes, and sometimes he is not. Who receives lashes is derived from the context, as follows: [Some negative commandments are mitigated by positive commandments which relate to the same matter, for example, the law of sending away the mother bird (Deut. 22:6-7). Scripture (22:6) states the negative commandment: “you shall not take the mother upon the young,” and immediately, Scripture (22:7) continues to state the positive commandment of: “You shall send away the mother.” Here, the negative commandment is mitigated by the positive commandment. How so? If someone transgressed the negative commandment and took the mother bird from upon her young, he may clear himself of the punishment he has just incurred, by fulfilling the positive commandment of sending the mother bird away from the nest. This is an example of “a negative commandment mitigated by a positive commandment.” (see Mishnah Mak. 17a) Now, in our context, immediately after describing the procedure of flogging in court, the next verse (4) continues with the negative commandment of:] “You shall not muzzle an ox when it is threshing [the grain],” a negative commandment which is not mitigated by a positive one. [Therefore, from the very context of these verses, we learn that only for transgressing a “negative commandment which is not mitigated by a positive commandment,” is one punished by lashes.]- [see Mak. 13b]
והרשיעו את הרשע: יכול כל המתחייבין בדין לוקין, תלמוד לומר והיה אם בן הכות הרשע, פעמים לוקה ופעמים אינו לוקה. ומי הוא הלוקה, למוד מן הענין (פסוק ד), לא תחסום שור בדישו, לאו שלא נתק לעשה:
2. and it shall be, if the guilty one has incurred [the penalty of] lashes, that the judge shall make him lean over and flog him in front of him, commensurate with his crime, in number. ב. וְהָיָה אִם בִּן הַכּוֹת הָרָשָׁע וְהִפִּילוֹ הַשֹּׁפֵט וְהִכָּהוּ לְפָנָיו כְּדֵי רִשְׁעָתוֹ בְּמִסְפָּר:
the judge shall make him lean over: This teaches [us] that they [the judges] do not flog [the guilty party while [the latter is] standing or sitting, but, [when he is] leaning over. — [Mak. 22b]
והפילו השופט: מלמד שאין מלקין אותו לא עומד ולא יושב אלא מוטה:
[The judge shall… flog him] in front of him, commensurate with his crime: Heb., כְּדֵי רִשְׁעָתוֹ [singular-meaning one punishment before him -] and behind him twice that number. From here they [the Rabbis] said:“They must give him two thirds [of his lashes] behind him [i.e., on his back], and one third in front of him [i.e., on his chest]” (Mak. 22b)
לפניו כדי רשעתו: ולאחריו כדי שתים. מכאן אמרו, מלקין אותו שתי ידות מלאחריו ושליש מלפניו:
in number: Heb. בְּמִסְפָּר, but it is not vowelized בַּמִּסְפָּר, in the number. This teaches us that the word בְּמִסְפָּר is in the construct state, [qualifying the word following it which is the first word of the next verse, namely, אַרְבָּעִים], to read: בְּמִסְפָּר אַרְבָּעִים, that is, “[and flog him…] the number of forty,” but not quite a full quota of forty, but the number that leads up to the full total of forty, i. e.,“forty-minus-one.” - [Mak. 22b]
במספר: ואינו נקוד במספר, למד שהוא דבוק, לומר במספר ארבעים ולא ארבעים שלמים, אלא מנין שהוא סוכם ומשלים לארבעים, והן ארבעים חסר אחת:
3. He shall flog him with forty [lashes]; he shall not exceed, lest he give him a much more severe flogging than these [forty lashes], and your brother will be degraded before your eyes. ג. אַרְבָּעִים יַכֶּנּוּ לֹא יֹסִיף פֶּן יֹסִיף לְהַכֹּתוֹ עַל אֵלֶּה מַכָּה רַבָּה וְנִקְלָה אָחִיךָ לְעֵינֶיךָ:
He… shall not exceed: From here, we derive the admonition that one may not strike his fellow man. - [Keth. 33a, San. 85a]
לא יוסיף: מכאן אזהרה למכה את חברו:
and your brother will be degraded: All day [that is, throughout the entire procedure], Scripture calls him רָשָׁע, “wicked,” but, once he has been flogged, behold, he is “your brother.” - [Sifrei 25:153]
ונקלה אחיך: כל היום קוראו רשע ומשלקה קראו אחיך:
4. You shall not muzzle an ox when it is threshing [the grain]. ד. לֹא תַחְסֹם שׁוֹר בְּדִישׁוֹ:
You shall not muzzle an ox: Scripture is speaking here in terms of what usually occurs [i.e., one usually uses an ox for threshing grain]. However, the law applies equally to any species of domestic animal, non-domesticated animal, or bird, and in any area of work in the process of preparing food. If so, why does Scripture specify an ox? To exclude man [from this law. That is, if it is a human who is performing the work, his employer is permitted to “muzzle” him, that is, to prevent the worker from eating from the produce. Nevertheless, it is a mitzvah to allow him to eat from the employer’s produce.]- [Sifrei 25:154]
לא תחסם שור בדישו: דיבר הכתוב בהווה והוא הדין לכל בהמה חיה ועוף העושים במלאכה שהיא בדבר מאכל. אם כן למה נאמר שור, להוציא את האדם:
when it is threshing [the grain]: One might have thought that it is permissible to muzzle the animal outside [the work area, i.e., before it starts threshing]. Therefore, Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox!”-i.e., at any time [even before the actual threshing] (see B.M. 90b). Why then, is threshing mentioned? To tell you that, just as threshing [has two specific features]: a) It is a thing that does not represent the completion of its process [rendering the product liable for tithing and challah], and b) it [namely, grain] grows from the ground, likewise, any [work] which resembles it [in these two features, is included in this law]. Thus, excluded [from this prohibition] is the labor of milking, cheese-making, or in churning [milk, to produce buttermilk], all of which deal with an item that does not grow from the ground. Also excluded is the labor of kneading [dough], or in rolling out the dough to shape, for these procedures do in fact complete the process, rendering the product liable for challah to be taken. A further exclusion to this prohibition is the labor of separating dates and figs [that is, when spreading out dates and figs on a roof or the like, so that they dry, the fruit may adhere into one mass. Here, the procedure is to separate individual dates or figs from the mass, a procedure] which completes the preparation process, rendering the fruit liable for tithing. — [B.M. 89a]
בדישו: יכול יחסמנו מבחוץ, תלמוד לומר לא תחסום שור מכל מקום, ולמה נאמר דיש, לומר לך מה דיש מיוחד דבר שלא נגמרה מלאכתו וגדולו מן הארץ, אף כל כיוצא בו, יצא החולב והמגבן והמחבץ שאין גדולו מן הארץ, יצא הלש והמקטף שנגמרה מלאכתו לחלה, יצא הבודל בתמרים ובגרוגרות שנגמרה מלאכתן למעשר:
5. If brothers reside together, and one of them dies having no son, the dead man's wife shall not marry an outsider. [Rather,] her husband's brother shall be intimate with her, making her a wife for himself, thus performing the obligation of a husband's brother with her. ה. כִּי יֵשְׁבוּ אַחִים יַחְדָּו וּמֵת אַחַד מֵהֶם וּבֵן אֵין לוֹ לֹא תִהְיֶה אֵשֶׁת הַמֵּת הַחוּצָה לְאִישׁ זָר יְבָמָהּ יָבֹא עָלֶיהָ וּלְקָחָהּ לוֹ לְאִשָּׁה וְיִבְּמָהּ:
If brothers reside together: [meaning] that they were both alive at the same time, [lit. that they had one dwelling in the world]. It excludes the wife of his brother who was no longer in the world [when he was born]. [This means as follows: If a man dies, and his brother is born after his death, his widow may not marry the brother of her deceased husband.] - [Sifrei 25:155, Yev. 17b]
כי ישבו אחים יחדו: שהיתה להם ישיבה אחת בעולם, פרט לאשת אחיו שלא היה בעולמו:
together: [This law applies only to brothers] who share in the inheritance“together” [namely, paternal brothers]. This excludes maternal brothers. - [Sifrei 25:155, Yev. 17b]
יחדו: המיוחדים בנחלה, פרט לאחיו מן האם:
having no son: Heb. וּבֵן אֵין-לוֹ [Literally,“and he has no son.” Here, the word אֵין can be read also as עַיִן, meaning to“investigate,” because an א is interchangeable with an ע (see Yev. 22b). Thus, the verse also teaches us:] Investigate him [if he has progeny of any sort]-whether he has a son or a daughter, or a son’s son or a son’s daughter, or a daughter’s son or a daughter’s daughter. [And if he has any of these, the law of יִבּוּם does not apply.]
ובן אין לו: עיין עליו בן או בת, או בן הבן, או בת הבן, או בן הבת, או בת הבת:
6. And it will be, that the eldest brother [who performs the levirate marriage, if] she [can] bear will succeed in the name of his deceased brother, so that his [the deceased brother's] name shall not be obliterated from Israel. ו. וְהָיָה הַבְּכוֹר אֲשֶׁר תֵּלֵד יָקוּם עַל שֵׁם אָחִיו הַמֵּת וְלֹא יִמָּחֶה שְׁמוֹ מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל:
the eldest brother: Heb. הַבְּכוֹר, [literally“the firstborn.” However, here it means that] the eldest brother [of the deceased] should perform the levirate marriage with the widow. — [Sifrei 25:156, Yev. 24a]
והיה הבכור: גדול האחים הוא מייבם אותה:
she [can] bear: Heb. אֲשֶׁר תֵּלֵד [literally, “who will give birth.”] This excludes a woman incapable of conception. - [Sifrei 25:156, Yev. 24a]
אשר תלד: פרט לאילונית שאינה יולדת:
will succeed in the name of his deceased brother: [literally,“will rise in the name of his brother.”] The one who marries his wife, is to take the share of his deceased brother’s inheritance of their father’s property [in addition to his own share]. - [Yev. 24a]
יקום על שם אחיו: זה שייבם את אשתו יטול נחלת המת בנכסי אביו:
so that his name shall not be obliterated: This excludes [from the obligation of יִבּוּם] the wife of a eunuch whose name [was already] obliterated. - [Yev. 24a]
ולא ימחה שמו: פרט לאשת סריס ששמו מחוי:
7. But if the man does not wish to take his brother's wife, the brother's wife shall go up to the gate, to the elders, and say, "My husband's brother has refused to perpetuate his brother's name in Israel he does not wish to perform the obligation of a husband's brother with me." ז. וְאִם לֹא יַחְפֹּץ הָאִישׁ לָקַחַת אֶת יְבִמְתּוֹ וְעָלְתָה יְבִמְתּוֹ הַשַּׁעְרָה אֶל הַזְּקֵנִים וְאָמְרָה מֵאֵן יְבָמִי לְהָקִים לְאָחִיו שֵׁם בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל לֹא אָבָה יַבְּמִי:
to the gate: [Not to the gate of the city, but,] as the Targum [Onkelos] renders it: to the gate of the court.
השערה: כתרגומו לתרע בית דינא:
8. Then the elders of his city shall call him and speak to him, and he shall stand up and say, "I do not wish to take her." ח. וְקָרְאוּ לוֹ זִקְנֵי עִירוֹ וְדִבְּרוּ אֵלָיו וְעָמַד וְאָמַר לֹא חָפַצְתִּי לְקַחְתָּהּ:
and he shall stand up: [He must make this declaration] in a standing position. - [Sifrei 25:158]
ועמד: בעמידה:
and say: in the Holy Language. She too shall make her statement in the Holy Language. — [Yev. 106b]
ואמר: בלשון הקודש, ואף היא דבריה בלשון הקודש:
9. Then his brother's wife shall approach him before the eyes of the elders and remove his shoe from his foot. And she shall spit before his face and answer [him] and say, "Thus shall be done to the man who will not build up his brother's household!" ט. וְנִגְּשָׁה יְבִמְתּוֹ אֵלָיו לְעֵינֵי הַזְּקֵנִים וְחָלְצָה נַעֲלוֹ מֵעַל רַגְלוֹ וְיָרְקָה בְּפָנָיו וְעָנְתָה וְאָמְרָה כָּכָה יֵעָשֶׂה לָאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר לֹא יִבְנֶה אֶת בֵּית אָחִיו:
And she shall spit before his face: on the ground, [not in his face]. — [Yev. 106b]
וירקה בפניו: על גבי קרקע:
[Thus shall be done to the man] who will not build up [his brother’s household]: From here, [we learn] that one who has undergone the rite of chalitzah [described in these verses], cannot change his mind and marry her, for it does not say,“[Thus will be done to that man] who did not build up [his brother’s household],” but,“who will not build up [his brother’s household].” Since he did not build it up [when he was obliged to do so], he will never again build it up. — [Yev. 10b]
אשר לא יבנה: מכאן למי שחלץ שלא יחזור וייבם, דלא כתיב אשר לא בנה, אלא אשר לא יבנה, כיון שלא בנה שוב לא יבנה:
10. And that family shall be called in Israel, "The family of the one whose shoe was removed." י. וְנִקְרָא שְׁמוֹ בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל בֵּית חֲלוּץ הַנָּעַל:
And his name shall be called [in Israel]: It is the duty of all those standing there to proclaim: חֲלוּץ הַנָּעַל - “you, who have had your shoe removed!” - [Yev. 106b]
ונקרא שמו וגו': מצוה על כל העומדים שם לומר חלוץ הנעל:
11. If [two] men, a man and his brother, are fighting together, and the wife of one of them approaches to rescue her husband from his assailant, and she stretches forth her hand and grabs hold of his private parts יא. כִּי יִנָּצוּ אֲנָשִׁים יַחְדָּו אִישׁ וְאָחִיו וְקָרְבָה אֵשֶׁת הָאֶחָד לְהַצִּיל אֶת אִישָׁהּ מִיַּד מַכֵּהוּ וְשָׁלְחָה יָדָהּ וְהֶחֱזִיקָה בִּמְבֻשָׁיו:
If… men… are fighting together: they will eventually come to blows, as it is said:“[to rescue her husband] from his assailant.” [The moral here is:] Peace cannot result from strife. — [Sifrei 25:160]
כי ינצו אנשים: סופן לבא ליד מכות, כמו שנאמר מיד מכהו. אין שלום יוצא מתוך ידי מריבה:
12. you shall cut off her hand You shall not have pity. יב. וְקַצֹּתָה אֶת כַּפָּהּ לֹא תָחוֹס עֵינֶךָ:
You shall cut off her hand: [This verse is not to be understood literally, but rather, it means:] She must pay monetary damages to recompense the victim for the embarrassment he suffered [through her action. The amount she must pay is calculated by the court,] all according to the [social status] of the culprit and the victim (see B.K. 83b). But perhaps [it means that we must actually cut off] her very hand? [The answer is born out from a transmission handed down to our Rabbis, as follows:] Here, it says לֹא תָחוֹס,“do not have pity,” and later, in the case of conspiring witnesses (Deut. 19:21), the same expression, לֹא תָחוֹס, is used. [And our Rabbis taught that these verses have a contextual connection:] Just as there, in the case of the conspiring witnesses, [the literal expressions in the verse refer to] monetary compensation (see Rashi on that verse), so too, here, [the expression “You must cut off her hand” refers to] monetary compensation. — [Sifrei 25:161]
וקצותה את כפה: ממון דמי בשתו. הכל לפי המבייש והמתבייש. או אינו אלא ידה ממש, נאמר כאן לא תחוס, ונאמר להלן בעדים זוממין (לעיל יט יג) לא תחוס, מה להלן ממון, אף כאן ממון:
13. You shall not keep in your pouch two different weights, one large and one small. יג. לֹא יִהְיֶה לְךָ בְּכִיסְךָ אֶבֶן וָאָבֶן גְּדוֹלָה וּקְטַנָּה:
two different weights: [This term is not to be understood literally as “stones,” but rather, it refers to specific stones, namely:] weights [used to weigh merchandise in business].
אבן ואבן: משקלות:
one large and one small: [literally, “big and small.” This means:] the big stone“contradicts” [i.e., is inconsistent with] the small one. [That is to say, you must not have two weights which appear to be the same, but in fact, are unequal, allowing you] to purchase goods with the larger weight [thereby cheating the seller], and to sell with the smaller one [thereby cheating the buyer]. — [Sifrei 25:162]
גדולה וקטנה: גדולה שמכחשת את הקטנה, שלא יהא נוטל בגדולה ומחזיר בקטנה:
14. You shall not keep in your house two different ephah measures, one large and one small. יד. לֹא יִהְיֶה לְךָ בְּבֵיתְךָ אֵיפָה וְאֵיפָה גְּדוֹלָה וּקְטַנָּה:
You shall not keep: Heb. לֹא-יִהְיֶה לְךָ, literally, “You will not have.” That is, the verse literally reads: “If you keep… two different weights, you will not have.” This teaches us that] if you do this, you will not have anything! - [Sifrei 25:162] [However,]
לא יהיה לך: אם עשית כן לא יהיה לך כלום:
15. [Rather,] you shall have a full and honest weight, [and] a full and honest ephah measure, in order that your days will be prolonged on the land which the Lord, your God, gives you. טו. אֶבֶן שְׁלֵמָה וָצֶדֶק יִהְיֶה לָּךְ אֵיפָה שְׁלֵמָה וָצֶדֶק יִהְיֶה לָּךְ לְמַעַן יַאֲרִיכוּ יָמֶיךָ עַל הָאֲדָמָה אֲשֶׁר יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ נֹתֵן לָךְ:
you shall have a full and honest weight: [Literally, “If you keep a full and honest weight, you will have.” That is to say,] if you do this, you will have much. — [Sifrei 25:162]
אבן שלמה וצדק יהיה לך: אם עשית כן יהיה לך הרבה:
16. For whoever does these things, whoever perpetrates such injustice, is an abomination to the Lord, your God. טז. כִּי תוֹעֲבַת יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ כָּל עֹשֵׂה אֵלֶּה כֹּל עֹשֵׂה עָוֶל:
17. You shall remember what Amalek did to you on the way, when you went out of Egypt, יז. זָכוֹר אֵת אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה לְךָ עֲמָלֵק בַּדֶּרֶךְ בְּצֵאתְכֶם מִמִּצְרָיִם:
You shall remember what [Amalek] did to you: [The juxtaposition of these passages teaches us that] if you use fraudulent measures and weights, you should be worried about provocation from the enemy, as it is said: “Deceitful scales are an abomination of the Lord” (Prov. 11:1), after which the [next] verse continues,“When willful wickedness comes, then comes disgrace.” [That is, after you intentionally sin by using deceitful scales, the enemy will come to provoke you into war, and this will be a disgraceful matter to you]. — [Tanchuma 8]
זכור את אשר עשה לך: אם שקרת במדות ובמשקלות הוי דואג מגרוי האויב, שנאמר (משלי יא א) מאזני מרמה תועבת ה', וכתיב בתריה בא זדון ויבא קלון:
18. how he happened upon you on the way and cut off all the stragglers at your rear, when you were faint and weary, and he did not fear God. יח. אֲשֶׁר קָרְךָ בַּדֶּרֶךְ וַיְזַנֵּב בְּךָ כָּל הַנֶּחֱשָׁלִים אַחֲרֶיךָ וְאַתָּה עָיֵף וְיָגֵעַ וְלֹא יָרֵא אֱלֹהִים:
how he happened upon you on the way: Heb. קָרְךָ, an expression denoting a chance occurrence (מִקְרֶה). - [Sifrei 25:167] Alternatively, an expression denoting seminal emission (קֶרִי) and defilement, because Amalek defiled the Jews by [committing] homosexual acts [with them]. — [Tanchuma 9] Yet another explanation: an expression denoting heat and cold (קוֹר). He cooled you off and made you [appear] tepid, after you were boiling hot, for the nations were afraid to fight with you, [just as people are afraid to touch something boiling hot]. But this one, [i.e., Amalek] came forward and started and showed the way to others. This can be compared to a bathtub of boiling water into which no living creature could descend. Along came an irresponsible man and jumped headlong into it! Although he scalded himself, he [succeeded to] make others think that it was cooler [than it really was]. — [Tanchuma 9]
אשר קרך בדרך: לשון מקרה. דבר אחר לשון קרי וטומאה, שהיה מטמאן במשכב זכור. דבר אחר לשון קור וחום, צננך והפשירך מרתיחתך, שהיו כל האומות יראים להלחם בכם ובא זה והתחיל והראה מקום לאחרים. משל לאמבטי רותחת שאין כל בריה יכולה לירד בתוכה, בא בן בליעל אחד קפץ וירד לתוכה. אף על פי שנכוה, הקרה אותה בפני אחרים:
and cut off: [The word וַיְזַנֵּב is derived from the word זָנָב, meaning “tail.” Thus, the verse means: Amalek] “cut off the tail.” This refers to the fact that Amalek cut off the members [of the male Jews,] where they had been circumcised, and cast them up [provocatively] towards Heaven [exclaiming to God: “You see! What good has Your commandment of circumcision done for them?”]- [Tanchuma 9]
ויזנב בך: מכת זנב, חותך מילות וזורק כלפי מעלה:
all the stragglers at your rear: Those who lacked strength on account of their transgression. [And because these Jews had sinned,] the cloud [of glory] had expelled them [thereby leaving them vulnerable to Amalek’s further attack]. - [Tanchuma 10]
כל הנחשלים אחריך: חסרי כח מחמת חטאם, שהיה הענן פולטן:
you were faint and weary: faint from thirst, as it is written, “The people thirsted there for water” (Exod. 17:3), and [immediately] afterwards it says,“Amalek came [and fought with Israel]” (verse 17:8). - [Tanchuma 10]
ואתה עיף ויגע: עיף בצמא, דכתיב (שמות יז ג) ויצמא שם העם למים, וכתיב אחריו ויבא עמלק:
and weary: from the journey. - [Tanchuma 10]
ויגע: בדרך:
He did not fear [God]: i.e., Amalek did not fear God [so as to refrain] from doing you harm. — [Sifrei 25:167]
ולא ירא: עמלק, אלהים, מלהרע לך:
19. [Therefore,] it will be, when the Lord your God grants you respite from all your enemies around [you] in the land which the Lord, your God, gives to you as an inheritance to possess, that you shall obliterate the remembrance of Amalek from beneath the heavens. You shall not forget! יט. וְהָיָה בְּהָנִיחַ יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ | לְךָ מִכָּל אֹיְבֶיךָ מִסָּבִיב בָּאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ נֹתֵן לְךָ נַחֲלָה לְרִשְׁתָּהּ תִּמְחֶה אֶת זֵכֶר * (זֶכֶר) עֲמָלֵק מִתַּחַת הַשָּׁמָיִם לֹא תִּשְׁכָּח:
you shall obliterate the remembrance of Amalek: Both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep [camel and donkey] (God’s command to King Saul: see I Sam. 15:3), so that the name of Amalek should never again be mentioned (נִזְכָּר), from the word (זֵכֶר) , even regarding an animal, to say:“This animal was from Amalek.” - [Midrash Lekach Tov]
תמחה את זכר עמלק: מאיש ועד אשה מעולל ועד יונק משור ועד שה (שמואל א' טו ג). שלא יהא שם עמלק נזכר אפילו על הבהמה, לומר בהמה זו משל עמלק היתה:
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Daily Tehillim: Psalms Chapters 55 - 59
• Special Custom for the Month of Elul and High Holidays
The Baal Shem Tov instituted a custom of reciting three additional chapters of Psalms each day, from the 1st of Elul until Yom Kippur (on Yom Kippur the remaining 36 chapters are recited, thereby completing the entire book of Psalms).
See below for today's additional chapters.
Chapter 55
David composed this psalm upon escaping from Jerusalem in the face of the slanderers, Doeg and Achitofel, who had declared him deserving of death. David had considered Achitofel a friend and accorded him the utmost honor, but Achitofel betrayed him and breached their covenant. David curses all his enemies, so that all generations should "know, and sin no more."
1. For the Conductor, with instrumental music, a maskil by David.
2. Listen to my prayer, O God, do not hide from my pleas.
3. Pay heed to me and answer me, as I lament in my distress and moan -
4. because of the shout of the enemy and the oppression of the wicked; for they accuse me of evil and hate me passionately.
5. My heart shudders within me, and the terrors of death have descended upon me.
6. Fear and trembling penetrate me, and I am enveloped with horror.
7. And I said, "If only I had wings like the dove! I would fly off and find rest.
8. Behold, I would wander afar, and lodge in the wilderness forever.
9. I would hurry to find shelter for myself from the stormy wind, from the tempest.”
10. Consume, O Lord, confuse their tongue; for I have seen violence and strife in the city.1
11. Day and night they encircle her upon her walls, and iniquity and vice are in her midst.
12. Treachery is within her; fraud and deceit never depart from her square.
13. For it is not the enemy who taunts me-that I could bear; nor my foe who raises himself against me, that I could hide from him.
14. But it is you, a man of my equal, my guide and my intimate.
15. Together we took sweet counsel; we walked with the throng to the house of God.
16. May He incite death upon them, let them descend to the pit alive; for there is evil in their dwelling, within them.
17. As for me, I call to God, and the Lord will save me.
18. Evening, morning and noon, I lament and moan-and He hears my voice.
19. He redeemed my soul in peace from battles against me, because of the many who were with me.
20. May God-He who is enthroned from the days of old, Selah-hear and humble those in whom there is no change, and who do not fear God.
21. He extended his hands against his allies, he profaned his covenant.
22. Smoother than butter are the words of his mouth, but war is in his heart; his words are softer than oil, yet they are curses.
23. Cast your burden upon the Lord, and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous man falter.
24. And You, O God, will bring them down to the nethermost pit; bloodthirsty and treacherous men shall not live out half their days; but I will trust in You.
Chapter 56
David composed this psalm while in mortal danger at the palace of Achish, brother of Goliath. In his distress David accepts vows upon himself.
1. For the Conductor, of the mute dove1 far away. By David, a michtam, 2 when the Philistines seized him in Gath.
2. Favor me, O God, for man longs to swallow me; the warrior oppresses me every day.
3. My watchful enemies long to swallow me every day, for many battle me, O Most High!
4. On the day I am afraid, I trust in You.
5. [I trust] in God and praise His word; in God I trust, I do not fear-what can [man of] flesh do to me?
6. Every day they make my words sorrowful; all their thoughts about me are for evil.
7. They gather and hide, they watch my steps, when they hope [to capture] my soul.
8. Should escape be theirs in reward for their iniquity? Cast down the nations in anger, O God!
9. You have counted my wanderings; place my tears in Your flask-are they not in Your record?
10. When my enemies will retreat on the day I cry out, with this I will know that God is with me.
11. When God deals strictly, I praise His word; when the Lord deals mercifully, I praise His word.
12. In God I trust, I do not fear-what can man do to me?
13. My vows to You are upon me, O God; I will repay with thanksgiving offerings to You.
14. For You saved my soul from death-even my feet from stumbling-to walk before God in the light of life.
Chapter 57
David composed this psalm while hiding from Saul in a cave, facing grave danger. Like Jacob did when confronted with Esau, David prayed that he neither be killed nor be forced to kill. In the merit of his trust in God, God wrought wonders to save him.
1. For the Conductor, a plea to be spared destruction. By David, a michtam, when he fled from Saul in the cave.
2. Favor me, O God, favor me, for in You my soul took refuge, and in the shadow of Your wings I will take refuge until the disaster passes.
3. I will call to God the Most High; to the Almighty Who fulfills [His promise] to me.
4. He will send from heaven, and save me from the humiliation of those who long to swallow me, Selah; God will send forth His kindness and truth.
5. My soul is in the midst of lions, I lie among fiery men; their teeth are spears and arrows, their tongue a sharp sword.
6. Be exalted above the heavens, O God; let Your glory be upon all the earth.
7. They laid a trap for my steps, they bent down my soul; they dug a pit before me, [but] they themselves fell into it, Selah.
8. My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and chant praise.
9. Awake, my soul! Awake, O harp and lyre! I shall awaken the dawn.
10. I will thank You among the nations, my Lord; I will praise You among the peoples.
11. For Your kindness reaches till the heavens, Your truth till the skies.
12. Be exalted above the heavens, O God; let Your glory be over all the earth.
Chapter 58
David expresses the anguish caused him by Avner and his other enemies, who justified Saul's pursuit of him.
1. For the Conductor, a plea to be spared destruction; by David, a michtam.
2. Is it true that you are mute [instead of] speaking justice? [Instead of] judging men with fairness?
3. Even with your heart you wreak injustice upon the land; you justify the violence of your hands.
4. The wicked are estranged from the womb; from birth do the speakers of falsehood stray.
5. Their venom is like the venom of a snake; like the deaf viper that closes its ear
6. so as not to hear the voice of charmers, [even] the most skillful caster of spells.
7. O God, smash their teeth in their mouth; shatter the fangs of the young lions, O Lord.
8. Let them melt like water and disappear; when He aims His arrows, may they crumble.
9. Like the snail that melts as it goes along, like the stillbirth of a woman-they never see the sun.
10. Before your tender shoots know [to become] hardened thorns, He will blast them away, as one [uprooting] with vigor and wrath.
11. The righteous one will rejoice when he sees revenge; he will bathe his feet in the blood of the wicked.
12. And man will say, "There is indeed reward for the righteous; indeed there is a God Who judges in the land."
Chapter 59
This psalm speaks of the great miracle David experienced when he eluded danger by escaping through a window, unnoticed by the guards at the door. The prayers, supplications, and entreaties he offered then are recorded here.
1. For the Conductor, a plea to be spared destruction, By David, a michtam, when Saul dispatched [men], and they guarded the house in order to kill him.
2. Rescue me from my enemies, my God; raise me above those who rise against me.
3. Rescue me from evildoers, save me from men of bloodshed.
4. For behold they lie in ambush for my soul, mighty ones gather against me-not because of my sin nor my transgression, O Lord.
5. Without iniquity [on my part,] they run and prepare-awaken towards me and see!
6. And You, Lord, God of Hosts, God of Israel, wake up to remember all the nations; do not grant favor to any of the iniquitous traitors, Selah.
7. They return toward evening, they howl like the dog and circle the city.
8. Behold, they spew with their mouths, swords are in their lips, for [they say], "Who hears?”
9. But You, Lord, You laugh at them; You mock all nations.
10. [Because of] his might, I wait for You, for God is my stronghold.
11. The God of my kindness will anticipate my [need]; God will show me [the downfall] of my watchful foes.
12. Do not kill them, lest my nation forget; drive them about with Your might and impoverish them, O our Shield, my Master,
13. [for] the sin of their mouth, the word of their lips; let them be trapped by their arrogance. At the sight of their accursed state and deterioration, [people] will recount.
14. Consume them in wrath, consume them and they will be no more; and they will know that God rules in Jacob, to the ends of the earth, Selah.
15. And they will return toward evening, they will howl like the dog and circle the city.
16. They will wander about to eat; when they will not be sated they will groan.
17. As for me, I shall sing of Your might, and sing joyously of Your kindness toward morning, for You have been a stronghold to me, a refuge on the day of my distress.
18. [You are] my strength, to You I will sing, for God is my stronghold, the God of my kindness.
Additional Three Chapters
The Baal Shem Tov instituted a custom of reciting three additional chapters of Psalms each day, from the 1st of Elul until Yom Kippur (on Yom Kippur the remaining 36 chapters are recited, thereby completing the entire book of Psalms).
Today's Chapters are 28, 29 and 30.
Chapter 28
A prayer for every individual, entreating God to assist him in walking the good path, to prevent him from walking with the wicked doers of evil, and that He repay the wicked for their wickedness and the righteous for their righteousness.
1. By David. I call to You, O Lord; my Strength, do not be deaf to me; for should You be silent to me, I will be like those who descend to the pit.
2. Hear the sound of my pleas when I cry out to You, when I raise my hands toward Your holy Sanctuary.
3. Do not draw me along with the wicked, with evildoers who speak of peace with their companions, though evil is in their heart.
4. Give them according to their deeds, and the evil of their endeavors; give them according to their handiwork, render to them their just deserts.
5. For they pay no heed to the acts of the Lord, nor to the work of His hands; may He destroy them and not rebuild them.
6. Blessed is the Lord, for He has heard the voice of my pleas.
7. The Lord is my strength and my shield; in Him my heart trusted and I was helped; my heart exulted, and with my song I praised Him.
8. The Lord is a strength to them; He is a stronghold of deliverance to His anointed.
9. Grant salvation to Your people and bless Your heritage; tend them and exalt them forever.
Chapter 29
The Name of God appears eighteen times in this psalm, corresponding to which our Sages established eighteen blessings-the Amidah. The entire psalm can be interpreted as referring to the giving of the Torah and the ingathering of the exiles.
1. A psalm by David. Render to the Lord, children of the mighty, render to the Lord honor and strength.
2. Render to the Lord the honor due to His Name; bow down to the Lord in resplendent holiness.
3. The voice of the Lord is over the waters, the God of glory thunders; the Lord is over mighty waters.
4. The voice of the Lord resounds with might; the voice of the Lord resounds with majesty.
5. The voice of the Lord breaks cedars; the Lord shatters the cedars of Lebanon.
6. He makes them leap like a calf, Lebanon and Sirion like a young wild ox.
7. The voice of the Lord strikes flames of fire.
8. The voice of the Lord makes the desert tremble; the Lord causes the desert of Kadesh to tremble.
9. The voice of the Lord causes the does to calve, and strips the forests bare; and in His Sanctuary all proclaim His glory.
10. The Lord sat [as King] at the Flood; the Lord will sit as King forever.
11. The Lord will give strength to His people; the Lord will bless His people with peace.
Chapter 30
This psalm teaches one not to be distressed if God visits suffering upon him in this world, for only through suffering can one enter the World to Come. Even one of great spiritual stature should realize that his stability is not guaranteed, but that all is in the hands of God.
1. A psalm, a song of dedication of the House, by David.
2. I exalt You, Lord, for You have uplifted me, and did not allow my enemies to rejoice over me.
3. Lord, my God, I cried out to You, and You healed me.
4. Lord, You have brought up my soul from the grave; You have kept me alive, that I should not descend to the pit.
5. Sing to the Lord, you His pious ones, and praise His holy Name.
6. For His wrath endures but for a moment, when He is conciliated there is [long] life; when one retires at night weeping, joy will come in the morning.
7. In my security I thought, "I shall never falter.”
8. Lord, by Your favor You have made my mountain stand strong; when You concealed Your countenance I was alarmed.
9. I called to You, O Lord, and I made supplication to my Lord:
10. What profit is there in my death, in my going down to the grave? Can dust praise You? Can it proclaim Your truth
11. Lord, hear and be gracious to me; Lord, be a help to me.
12. You have turned my mourning into dancing; You have undone my sackcloth and girded me with joy.
13. Therefore my soul shall sing to You, and not be silent; Lord my God, I will praise You forever.
Daily Tehillim: Psalms Chapters 60-65
• Special Custom for the Month of Elul and High Holidays
The Baal Shem Tov instituted a custom of reciting three additional chapters of Psalms each day, from the 1st of Elul until Yom Kippur (on Yom Kippur the remaining 36 chapters are recited, thereby completing the entire book of Psalms).
See below for today's additional chapters.
Chapter 60
This psalm tells of when Joab, David's general, came to Aram Naharayim for war and was asked by the people: "Are you not from the children of Jacob? What of the pact he made with Laban?" Not knowing what to answer, Joab asked the Sanhedrin. The psalm includes David's prayer for success in this war.
1. For the Conductor, on the shushan eidut. A michtam by David, to instruct,
2. when he battled with Aram Naharayim and Aram Tzovah, and Joab returned and smote Edom in the Valley of Salt, twelve thousand [men].
3. O God, You forsook us, You have breached us! You grew furious-restore us!
4. You made the earth quake, You split it apart-heal its fragments, for it totters!
5. You showed Your nation harshness, You gave us benumbing wine to drink.
6. [Now] give those who fear You a banner to raise themselves, for the sake of truth, Selah.
7. That Your beloved ones may be delivered, help with Your right hand and answer me.
8. God said with His Holy [Spirit] that I would exult; I would divide Shechem, and measure out the Valley of Succot.
9. Mine is Gilead, mine is Menasseh, and Ephraim is the stronghold of my head; Judah is my prince.
10. Moab is my washbasin, and upon Edom I will cast my shoe; for me, Philistia will sound a blast [of coronation].
11. Who will bring me into the fortified city? Who will lead me unto Edom?
12. Is it not You, God, Who has [until now] forsaken us, and did not go forth with our legions?
13. Grant us relief from the oppressor; futile is the salvation of man.
14. With God we will do valiantly, and He will trample our oppressors.
Chapter 61
David composed this prayer while fleeing from Saul. The object of all his thoughts and his entreaty is that God grant him long life-not for the sake of pursuing the pleasures of the world, but rather to serve God in awe, all of his days.
1. For the Conductor, on the neginat, by David.
2. Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer.
3. From the end of the earth I call to You, when my heart is faint [with trouble]: Lead me upon the rock that surpasses me!
4. For You have been a refuge for me, a tower of strength in the face of the enemy.
5. I will dwell in Your tent forever; I will take refuge in the shelter of Your wings, Selah.
6. For You, God, heard my vows; You granted the inheritance of those who fear Your Name.
7. Add days to the days of the king; may his years equal those of every generation.
8. May he sit always before God; appoint kindness and truth to preserve him.
9. Thus will I sing the praise of Your Name forever, as I fulfill my vows each day.
Chapter 62
David prays for the downfall of his enemies. He also exhorts his generation that their faith should not rest in riches, telling them that the accumulation of wealth is utter futility.
1. For the Conductor, on the yedutun,1 a psalm by David.
2. To God alone does my soul hope; my salvation is from Him.
3. He alone is my rock and salvation, my stronghold; I shall not falter greatly.
4. Until when will you plot disaster for man? May you all be killed-like a leaning wall, a toppled fence.
5. Out of their arrogance alone they scheme to topple me, they favor falsehood; with their mouths they bless, and in their hearts they curse, Selah.
6. To God alone does my soul hope, for my hope is from Him.
7. He alone is my rock and salvation, my stronghold; I shall not falter.
8. My salvation and honor is upon God; the rock of my strength-my refuge is in God.
9. Trust in Him at all times, O nation, pour out your hearts before Him; God is a refuge for us forever.
10. Men are but vanity; people [but] transients. Were they to be raised upon the scale, they would be lighter than vanity.
11. Put not your trust in exploitation, nor place futile hope in robbery. If [corrupt] wealth flourishes, pay it no heed.
12. God spoke one thing, from which I perceived two: That strength belongs to God;
13. and that Yours, my Lord, is kindness. For You repay each man according to his deeds.
Chapter 63
Hiding from Saul, and yearning to approach the place of the Holy Ark like one thirsting for water, David composed this prayer on his behalf and against his enemy.
1. A psalm by David, when he was in the Judean desert.
2. O God, You are my Almighty, I seek You! My soul thirsts for You, my flesh longs for You; [like one] in a desolate and dry land, without water,
3. so [I thirst] to see You in the Sanctuary, to behold Your might and glory.
4. For Your kindness is better than life; my lips shall praise You.
5. Thus will I bless you all my life, in Your Name I will raise my hands [in prayer].
6. As with fat and abundance my soul is sated, when my mouth offers praise with expressions of joy.
7. Indeed, I remember You upon my bed; during the watches of the night I meditate upon You.
8. For You were a help for me; I sing in the shadow of Your wings.
9. My soul cleaved to You; Your right hand supported me.
10. But they seek desolation for my soul; they will enter the depths of the earth.
11. They will drag them by the sword; they will be the portion of foxes.
12. And the king will rejoice in God, and all who swear by Him will take pride, when the mouths of liars are blocked up.
Chapter 64
The masters of homiletics interpret this psalm as alluding to Daniel, who was thrown into the lion's den. With divine inspiration, David foresaw the event and prayed for him. Daniel was a descendant of David, as can be inferred from God's statement to Hezekiah (himself of Davidic lineage), "And from your children, who will issue forth from you, they will take, and they (referring to, amongst others, Daniel) will be minesters in the palace of the king of Babylon."
1. For the Conductor, a psalm by David.
2. Hear my voice, O God, as I recount [my woes]; preserve my life from the terror of the enemy.
3. Shelter me from the schemes of the wicked, from the conspiracy of evildoers,
4. who have sharpened their tongue like the sword, aimed their arrow-a bitter word-
5. to shoot at the innocent from hidden places; suddenly they shoot at him, they are not afraid.
6. They encourage themselves in an evil thing, they speak of laying traps; they say: "Who will see them?”
7. They sought pretexts; [and when] they completed a diligent search, each man [kept the plot] inside, deep in the heart.
8. But God shot at them; [like] a sudden arrow were their blows.
9. Their own tongues caused them to stumble; all who see them shake their heads [derisively].
10. Then all men feared, and recounted the work of God; they perceived His deed.
11. Let the righteous one rejoice in the Lord and take refuge in Him, and let them take pride-all upright of heart.
Chapter 65
This psalm contains awe-inspiring and glorious praises to God, as well as entreaties and prayers concerning our sins. It declares it impossible to recount God's greatness, for who can recount His mighty acts? Hence, silence is His praise.
1. For the Conductor, a psalm by David, a song.
2. Silence is praise for You, O God [Who dwells in] Zion; and to You vows will be paid.
3. O Heeder of prayer, to You does all flesh come.
4. Matters of sin overwhelm me; You will pardon our transgressions.
5. Fortunate is [the nation] whom You choose and draw near, to dwell in Your courtyards; may we be sated with the goodness of Your House, with the holiness of Your Sanctuary.
6. Answer us with awesome deeds as befits Your righteousness, O God of our salvation, the security of all [who inhabit] the ends of the earth and distant seas.
7. With His strength He prepares [rain for] the mountains; He is girded with might.
8. He quiets the roar of the seas, the roar of their waves and the tumult of nations.
9. Those who inhabit the ends [of the earth] fear [You] because of Your signs; the emergences of morning and evening cause [man] to sing praise.
10. You remember the earth and water it, you enrich it abundantly [from] God's stream filled with water. You prepare their grain, for so do You prepare it.
11. You saturate its furrows, gratifying its legions; with showers You soften it and bless its growth.
12. You crown the year of Your goodness [with rain], and Your clouds drip abundance.
13. They drip on pastures of wilderness, and the hills gird themselves with joy.
14. The meadows don sheep, and the valleys cloak themselves with grain; they sound blasts, indeed they sing.
Additional Three Chapters
The Baal Shem Tov instituted a custom of reciting three additional chapters of Psalms each day, from the 1st of Elul until Yom Kippur (on Yom Kippur the remaining 36 chapters are recited, thereby completing the entire book of Psalms).
Today's Chapters are 31, 32 and 33.
Chapter 31
Composed by a destitute and oppressed David, running from Saul while placing his trust in God, this psalm instructs man to put his trust in God alone.
1. For the Conductor, a psalm by David.
2. In You I have taken shelter, O Lord, I shall never be shamed; rescue me in Your righteousness.
3. Turn Your ear to me, save me quickly; be to me a rock of refuge, a fortress to deliver me.
4. For You are my rock and my fortress; for the sake of Your Name, direct me and lead me.
5. Remove me from the net they planted for me, for You are my stronghold.
6. I entrust my spirit into Your hand; You will redeem me, Lord, God of truth.
7. I despise those who anticipate worthless vanities; but I trust in the Lord.
8. I will rejoice and delight in Your kindness, for You have seen my affliction; You know the troubles of my soul.
9. You have not delivered me into the hand of the enemy; You have set my feet on spacious ground.
10. Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am in distress; my eye wastes away from vexation-my soul and my stomach.
11. For my life is spent in sorrow, my years in sighing; my strength fails because of my iniquity, and my bones are wasted away.
12. Because of my adversaries I have become a disgrace-exceedingly to my neighbors, and a dread to my friends; those who see me outside flee from me.
13. Like a dead man, I was forgotten from the heart; I became like a lost vessel.
14. For I have heard the slander of many, terror on every side, when they assembled together against me and plotted to take my life.
15. But I trusted in You, O Lord; I said, "You are my God.”
16. My times are in Your hand; save me from the hands of my enemies and pursuers.
17. Shine Your countenance upon Your servant; deliver me in Your kindness.
18. O Lord, let me not be ashamed, for I have called You; let the wicked be shamed, let them be silent to the grave.
19. Let the lips of falsehood-which speak insolently against the righteous, with arrogance and contempt-be struck dumb.
20. How abundant is Your good that You have hidden for those who fear You; in the presence of man, You have acted for those who take refuge in You.
21. Conceal them from the haughtiness of man, in the shelter of Your countenance; hide them in a shelter from the strife of tongues.
22. Blessed is the Lord, for He has been wondrous in His kindness to me in a besieged city.
23. I said in my panic, "I am cut off from before Your eyes!" But in truth, You heard the voice of my pleas when I cried to You.
24. Love the Lord, all His pious ones! The Lord preserves the faithful, and repays with exactness those who act haughtily.
25. Be strong and fortify your hearts, all who put their hope in the Lord!
Chapter 32
This psalm speaks of forgiveness of sin, and of the good fortune of one who repents and confesses to God wholeheartedly.
1. By David, a maskil.1Fortunate is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
2. Fortunate is the man to whom the Lord does not reckon his sin, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.
3. When I was silent, my limbs wore away through my wailing all day long.
4. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my marrow became [dry] as the droughts of summer, Selah.
5. My sin I made known to You, my iniquity I did not cover. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the Lord," and You have forgiven the iniquity of my transgression forever.
6. For this let every pious man pray to You, at a time when You may be found; indeed, the flood of many waters will not reach him.
7. You are a refuge to me; protect me from distress; surround me with songs of deliverance forever.
8. I will enlighten you and educate you in the path you should go; I will advise you with what I have seen.
9. Be not like a horse, like a mule, senseless, that must be muzzled with bit and bridle when being adorned, so that it not come near you.
10. Many are the agonies of the wicked, but he who trusts in the Lord is surrounded by kindness.
11. Rejoice in the Lord and exult, you righteous ones! Sing joyously, all you upright of heart!
Chapter 33
This psalm teaches the righteous and upright to praise God. For the more one knows of the Torah's wisdom, the more should he praise God, for he knows and understands His greatness.
1. Sing joyously to the Lord, you righteous ones; it is fitting for the upright to offer praise.
2. Extol the Lord with a harp; sing to Him with a ten-stringed lyre.
3. Sing to Him a new song; play well with sounds of jubilation.
4. For the word of the Lord is just; all His deeds are done in faithfulness.
5. He loves righteousness and justice; the kindness of the Lord fills the earth.
6. By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath of His mouth all their hosts.
7. He gathers the waters of the sea like a mound; He places the deep waters in vaults.
8. Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world tremble before Him.
9. For He spoke, and it came to be; He commanded, and it endured.
10. The Lord has annulled the counsel of nations; He has foiled the schemes of peoples.
11. The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the thoughts of His heart throughout all generations.
12. Fortunate is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people He chose as a heritage for Himself.
13. The Lord looks down from heaven; He beholds all mankind.
14. From His dwelling-place He looks intently upon all the inhabitants of the earth.
15. It is He Who fashions the hearts of them all, Who perceives all their actions.
16. The king is not saved by a great army, nor a warrior rescued by great might.
17. The horse is a false guarantee for victory; with all its great strength it offers no escape.
18. But the eye of the Lord is directed toward those who fear Him, toward those who hope for His kindness,
19. to save their soul from death and to sustain them during famine.
20. Our soul yearns for the Lord; He is our help and our shield.
21. For our heart shall rejoice in Him, for we have put our trust in His Holy Name.
22. May Your kindness, Lord, be upon us, as we have placed our hope in You.
____________________________
Tanya: Iggeret HaKodesh, end of Epistle 12
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Friday, Elul 10, 5774 • 5 September 2014
Iggeret HaKodesh, end of Epistle 12
וזהו שכתוב: והיה מעשה הצדקה
This, then, is the meaning of the verse, “And the act of charity shall be [peace]” —
שגם הצדקה הנקראת בשם מעשה, ולא בשם עבודה
that even with the kind of charity which is called an “act” and not “service”,
אף על פי כן באתערותא דלתתא, אתערותא דלעילא
[this] arousal from below will nevertheless elicit an arousal from above.
מעורר גילוי אור אין סוף ברוך הוא בהארה רבה והשפעה עצומה
One arouses a manifestation of the [infinite] Ein Sof-light with a great illumination and an intense diffusion,
ונעשה שלום במרומיו
and peace is brought about “in [G d’s] high places,” between Michael and Gabriel, Chesed and Gevurah,
וגם בפמליא של מטה
and also within the terrestial retinue — the lower worlds.
רק שבעולם הזה השפל לא יתגלה השלום, והבירור ופירוד הרע מהטוב
In this lowly world, however, there will be no manifestation of [this] peace, and of the refinement and separation of the evil from the good,
עד עת קץ
until the ultimate time, when evil will cease to exist,
ולא בזמן הגלות
but not during the time of the exile, as explained above,
רק בעולם קטן, הוא האדם
except in the microcosm, i.e., in man,
בכל עת מצוא, זו תפלה
at every “time of finding,” meaning prayer,
כמו שכתוב: בצדק אחזה פניך, כנ״ל
as it is written, “Through tzedek will I behold Your countenance,” as discussed above.
אך אחר התפלה, יוכל להיות הרע חוזר וניעור בקל, ולהתערב בטוב
Even so, after prayer it is possible that the evil will easily reawaken and become intermingled with the good
כאשר יתהלך בחשכת עולם הזה
as one walks about in the darkness of this world.
אך הצדקה בבחינת עבודה
However, as to the charity [which is practiced with self-imposed toil] at the level of avodah (“service”),
הנה כאשר יקרה וגדלה מעלתה במאד מאד
since it is exceedingly precious and lofty, far more so than the tzedakah one practices out of one’s natural inclination,
בהיותו מבטל טבעו ורצונו הגופני מפני רצון העליון ברוך הוא
because [in the former case] one overrules his nature and bodily will out of deference to the Supreme Will,
ואתכפיא סטרא אחרא
and “the sitra achra is subjugated,”
ואזי אסתלק יקרא דקודשא בריך הוא כו׳
and then “the glory of the Holy One, blessed be He, rises [and becomes manifest in all the worlds],”1
וכיתרון האור מן החשך דוקא, כנודע
“like the superiority of light over (lit., ‘out of’) darkness,”2 as is known, —
The excellence of light is most appreciated when darkness itself is transformed into light.
אי לזאת, אין הרע יכול להיות עוד חוזר וניעור בקלות כל כך מאליו
in such a case, by virtue of the exertion involved in this superior form of tzedakah, the evil can no longer reawaken so easily of itself,
רק אם האדם יעוררנו וימשיכנו על עצמו, חס ושלום
unless, heaven forfend, one rouses it and draws it upon himself.
וזהו שכתוב: השקט ובטח עד עולם
This, then, is the meaning of “quietness and surety forever” — that the reward for the service of charity is eternal quietness and surety.
השקט הוא מלשון: שוקט על שמריו, דהיינו שהשמרים נפרדים לגמרי מן היין, ונופלין למטה לגמרי
Hashket (“quietness”) is related to [the root of the verb in] the phrase,3 “he rests (shoket) on his dregs,” meaning that the dregs are completely separated from the wine and sink all the way down,
והיין למעלה זך וצלול בתכלית
while the wine above is wholly pure and clear.
ועל דרך זה הוא בעבודת הצדקה
Similarly with the service of charity:
השמרים הן בחינת תערובת רע שבנפשו
the dregs represent the admixture of evil in one’s soul,
נברר ונפרד מעט מעט
which is gradually extricated and separated
עד שנופל למטה למקורו ושרשו
until it falls netherwards to its root and source — below all the worlds,
וכמו שכתוב: ותשליך במצולות ים כל חטאתם
as it is written,4 “And You will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.”5
FOOTNOTES
1. Zohar II, 128b.
2. Kohelet 2:13.
3. Yirmeyahu 48:11.
4. Michah 7:19.
5. Note of the Rebbe: “In Or HaTorah of the Tzemach Tzedek on this verse (Michah 7:19), the author refers the reader to the Shelah on Parshat Vayishlach (p. 295b). That reference is instructive here too.”
Tanya: Iggeret HaKodesh, Epistle 13
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Shabbat, Elul 11, 5774 • 6 September 2014
Iggeret HaKodesh, Epistle 13
מה רב טובך אשר צפנת ליראיך וגו׳
“How abundant is Your goodness which You have hidden away for those who fear You, [which You have wrought for those who trust in You before man].”1
Now the first part of the verse states that the reward is “hidden away,” while its conclusion implies that it is revealed to the sight of man.
The Alter Rebbe will now explain that corresponding to these two forms of reward, the Jew’s spiritual service (that leads to the reward) likewise assumes two forms: there is both a concealed and a revealed form of divine service.
הנה בכלל עובדי ה׳, יש ב׳ בחינות ומדרגות חלוקות
Among those who serve G‑d by fulfilling the Torah and its mitzvot, there are two distinct kinds and levels,
מצד שורש נשמתם למעלה, מבחינת ימין ושמאל
depending on the root of their souls above, in the categories of the “right” (Chesed) and the “left” (Gevurah).
דהיינו, שבחינת שמאל היא מדת הצמצום וההסתר בעבודת ה׳
In terms of the effect of the soul’s root, this means that the “left” is characterized by contraction and concealment in one’s divine service.
כמו שכתוב: והצנע לכת גו׳
Thus, with regard to this manner of service, it is written,2 “...and to walk covertly [with the L‑rd your G‑d]”;
במסתרים תבכה גו׳
[and in another verse we find],3 “in secret places weeps [my soul]...”;
כל העוסק בתורה בסתר כו׳
[and, in the words of our Sages],4 “Whoever engages in the study of the Torah in secret....”
The three above-mentioned quotations refer to the three general modes of divine service: With regard to mitzvot — “to walk covertly”; regarding prayer — “my soul weeps”; and with regard to Torah — “engages in the study of the Torah in secret.”
All the above approaches to divine service result from one of the the traits that characterizes Gevurah, viz., concealment. The Alter Rebbe now goes on to speak of the other dominant trait that characterizes the attribute of Gevurah, viz., contraction.
והנה ממדה זו נמשכה גם כן בחינת הצמצום והגבול בעבודת ה׳
From this attribute derives also the element of contraction and limitation in the service of G‑d;
כמו בצדקה, להיות נידון בהשג יד
for example, having one’s disbursements to charity adjudged according to one’s means,5
והמבזבז, אל יבזבז יותר מחומש
and [setting one’s limits in the spirit of the teaching],6 “He who gives lavishly, should not expend more than one fifth.”
וכהאי גונא בתלמוד תורה ושארי מצות, די לו שיוצא ידי חובתו מחיוב מפורש שחייבתו התורה בפירוש
Likewise, as regards the study of Torah and the other commandments, such a person is satisfied if he discharges his definite duty which the Torah explicitly obligates him to do,
לקבוע עתים כו׳
such as to set aside certain times [for Torah study].
Thus, the soul’s root in the Supernal “left”, in the attribute of Gevurah, will lead one to act in a manner consistent with its character trait of limitation: so that he will give only as much tzedakah, study only as much Torah, and perform the mitzvot only to the degree that he is obligated.
וממנה נמשך גם כן מה שאמרו רז״ל: זרוק מרה בתלמידים כו׳
From it derives also the teaching of our Sages, of blessed memory,7 “Cast awe upon the pupils....”8
אך בחינת ימין היא מדת החסד וההתפשטות בעבודת ה׳
By contrast, the characteristic of the “right” is the attribute of Chesed and expansiveness — serving G‑d
בהתרחבות, בלי צמצום והסתר כלל
with amplitude, without any contraction or concealment whatever,
כמו שכתוב: ואתהלכה ברחבה כו׳
as it is written,9 “And I will walk about expansively...,”
וגם בלי צמצום וגבול כלל
and without any contraction or limitation whatever. I.e., with such an individual, not only the approach to divine service but also its execution is characterized by a broad sweep.
ואין מעצור לרוח נדבתו, בין בצדקה ובין בתלמוד תורה ושאר מצות
There is no restraint to the spirit of his generosity, whether it be with respect to charity, the study of Torah, or other commandments.
ולא די לו לצאת ידי חובתו בלבד, אלא עד בלי די כו׳
He is not satisfied with merely discharging his obligation, but [continues]10 “to the extent of never [saying] ‘Enough!’...”
These, then, are the two types of divine service that result from the soul’s being rooted either in the “right” or the “left”.
* * *
והנה כל איש ישראל צריך להיות כלול מב׳ בחינות אלו
Now, every Jew needs to comprise both these traits: a Jew whose soul derives from Chesed must also incorporate the thrust of Gevurah, and vice versa,
ואין לך דבר שאין לו מקום
for11 “There is no thing that has not its place.”
Both Chesed and Gevurah are essential to one’s service; at times he must use one attribute, at times — the other.
ולכן מצינו כמה דברים מקולי בית שמאי ומחומרי בית הלל
Thus we find various matters that exemplify the leniencies of Beit Shammai and the stringencies of Beit Hillel.12
ללמדנו, שאף בית שמאי, ששרש נשמתם מבחינת שמאל העליון, ולכן היו דנין להחמיר תמיד בכל איסורי התורה
This comes to teach us that even Beit Shammai, whose soul was rooted in the Supernal “left”,13 (which is why they always decided stringently as regards all the prohibitions of the Torah,
For stringencies stem from Gevurah, inasmuch as they prevent an object from being used and thereby elevated.
ובית הלל, שהיו מבחינת ימין העליון, היו מלמדין זכות להקל ולהתיר איסורי בית שמאי
whereas Beit Hillel, who derived from the Supernal “right”, would find arguments for leniency in order to render permissible the things prohibited by Beit Shammai,
שיהיו מותרים מאיסורם, ויוכלו לעלות למעלה
so that these should become released from their prohibitive bonds and be able to ascend), —
The word אסור means “bound” (i.e., to the sitra achra) and hence “prohibited”. Its opposite (מותר) means “released” and hence “permitted”. Declaring an object permissible thus unfetters it from the bonds of the sitra achra, thereby allowing it to ascend, as explained in Tanya, Part I, ch. 7.
אף על פי כן, בכמה דברים היו בית שמאי מקילין
nevertheless, in numerous matters, [even] Beit Shammai were lenient.
מפני התכללות שרש נשמתם, שהוא כלול גם מימין
[This is so] because of the inclusiveness of their soul’s root, which is compounded of the “right” (Chesed) as well.
וכן שורש נשמת בית הלל כלול גם משמאל
And, likewise, the root of Beit Hillel’s soul was also compounded of the “left” (Gevurah).
כידוע דרך ומדות קדש העליון
For, as is known of the mode and the attributes14 (i.e., the manner) of Supernal Holiness,
דלית תמן קיצוץ ופירוד, חס ושלום
“there is no cleavage or division there,”15 heaven forfend;
וכל המדות כלולות זו מזו
rather, all the traits that derive from Supernal Holiness incorporate each other — Chesed incorporates an aspect of Gevurah; Gevurah of Chesed; and so on.
ולכן הן מיוחדות זו בזו, כידוע ליודעי חן
They are therefore in union with each other, as is known to those who study the Kabbalah (lit., “the scholars of the Hidden Wisdom”).
Although Chesed and Gevurah are opposites, nonetheless, since they are also compounded of each other, they are able to work together.
וכדכתיב באברהם, שהוא מדת החסד והאהבה: עתה ידעתי כי ירא אלקים אתה
Thus it is written of Abraham,16 who personifies the attribute of Chesed and love, “Now I know that you stand in awe of G‑d,”
על ידי שלבש מדת הגבורה, ויעקוד את יצחק בנו, ויקח את המאכלת גו׳
— for he had garbed himself in the attribute of Gevurah, which was not of his essence,17 “And bound Isaac his son...and took the knife [to slaughter his son].”
We thus see that Abraham, who is the very embodiment of Chesed, was able to respond as the occasion demanded with even this expression of severity, the very epitome of the attribute of Gevurah.
ומה שאמר הכתוב: אברהם אוהבי, ופחד יצחק
As for Scripture characterizing him as18 “Abraham who loved Me,” and [in another verse characterizing Isaac as]19 “the Dread of Isaac,” thereby indicating that Abraham’s service was an expression of Chesed and Isaac’s service an expression of Gevurah, which would seem to contradict the earlier statement that Abraham also revealed the attribute of Gevurah,
הנה ההפרש וההבדל הזה הוא בבחינת גילוי והעלם
this difference and distinction exists [only] on the scale of manifestation and concealment.
שבמדת יצחק, הפחד הוא בבחינת גילוי, והאהבה מסותרת בבחינת העלם והסתר
In Isaac’s mode of divine service, the fear is manifest, while the love is hidden, in a state of concealment and hiding.
וההיפך במדת אברהם אבינו, עליו השלום
The opposite is the case with the trait of our father Abraham, peace be to him — Chesed was manifest and Gevurah was concealed.
וזהו שאמר דוד המלך, עליו השלום, מה רב טובך וגו׳
And this is the meaning of what was said by King David, peace be to him, who was20 of the attribute of Gevurah, “How abundant is Your goodness [which You have hidden away for those who fear You].”
כלומר, שמדת הטוב והחסד, אשר היא בבחינת העלם והסתר אצל כל מי ששורש נשמתו מבחינת שמאל
That is to say that the attribute of goodness and Chesed, which is in a state of concealment and hiding within those whose soul-root derives from the “left”, i.e., from Gevurah,
הנקראים בשם יראיך
and who are referred to as “those who fear You,”
כמדת בית שמאי
resembling the [above-mentioned] trait of Beit Shammai, —
הנה, אף שהוא טוב הגנוז וצפון
though this is a concealed and hidden goodness, beneath a dominant surface of Gevurah,
אף על פי כן הוא רב וגדול מאד, כמו מדת הגדולה והחסד ממש, שמבחינת ימין
it is nevertheless truly as abundant and immense as the attribute of Gedulah21 and Chesed, which is of the “right”.
Although the element of Chesed within those described as “those that fear You” is concealed, for their soul-root derives essentially from Gevurah, it is latent within them just as abundantly as it is found within those who are essentially of the “right”.
ושתיהן הן מבחינת גילוי בלי גבול ומדה ושיעור
Moreover, both [degrees of Chesed] — that which is dominant in the souls deriving from the “right” as well as that incorporated in the souls deriving from the “left” — are manifest without limit, measure or dimension.
וזהו שכתוב: מה רב טובך
And this is the meaning of the phrase, “How abundant is Your goodness”;
כלומר, בלי גבול ומדה
i.e., [it applies in both cases] without limit and measure;
בין הטוב אשר צפנת ליראיך, ובין אשר פעלת לחוסים בך
whether it be the goodness “which You have hidden away for those who fear You,” or that which “You have wrought for those who trust in You,”
שהם בעלי הבטחון שמבחינת ימין
referring to the trusting ones who derive from the “right”,
A person trusts his beloved friend to act in his best interests. In the same way, those whose souls stem from the “right” and who serve G‑d with Chesed and love, place their trust in Him.
וחסדם וטובם הוא גם כן בבחינת גילוי והתפשטות נגד בני אדם
and whose kindness and goodness are also in a state of manifestation and expansiveness before [the sight of] man,
ולא בבחינת צמצום והסתר כלל
and by no means in a state of contraction and concealment.
We can now understand why the verse begins by saying “hidden away for those who fear You” and concludes with the manifest state of “before man”: The verse is alluding to two forms of Chesed — in its concealed state, as possessed by “those who fear You,” and in its revealed state, as possessed by “those who trust in You.”
ומה שכתוב: ליראיך, ולא ביראיך
(22The reason the verse says “for those who fear You,” which would seem to imply that the Chesed from above is granted to them as a reward, rather than “in those who fear You,”
היינו משום שכל מה שהוא בבחינת העלם בכל נשמה
is that whatever is in a state of concealment within any soul
הנה בחינה זו אינה מלובשת תוך הגוף, במוחו ולבו
is not vested within the body — in the individual’s mind and heart, for they are incapable of receiving it.
אלא היא בבחינת מקיף מלמעלה
Rather, it encompasses [the individual] from above, so to speak,
ומשם היא מאירה למוחו ולבו, לעתים הצריכים להתעוררות בחינה זו
and thence it radiates to his mind and heart at those times which require an arousal of the attribute in question,
שתתעורר ותאיר למוחו ולבו, כדי לבא לידי מעשה בפועל ממש
so that it will be aroused and will illumine his mind and heart in order to result in actual deeds.)
For example, a person whose charitable contributions are customarily limited will have revealed to him the concealed and infinite attribute of Chesed, which will prompt him to give tzedakah unstintingly.
ואמר על כן: אשר רב טוב לבית ישראל, הצפון והגלוי, הוא בבחינת בלי גבול ומדה לפי ערך נפשותם המלובשת בגוף
[King David] therefore said that whereas the “abundance of goodness” of the House of Israel, [both] that which is hidden and that which is manifest, is (so to speak) without limit and measure (relative to the category of their soul vested in the body),
The kindness of a finite creature is by definition limited. However, it may be termed infinite in relation to the soul vested in the body.
לכן גם אתה ה׳ תתנהג עמהם במדת חסדך הגדול, בלי גבול ותכלית, הנקרא רב חסד
therefore “You, too, O G‑d, relate to them with the attribute of Your unlimited and infinitely great Chesed, which is of the level known as Gedulah, and which is called rav Chesed” — the Chesed of Arich Anpin that utterly transcends the lesser Chesed of Z’eir Anpin, from which the worlds evolve by means of the Seder Hishtalshelut.
דאית חסד ואית חסד
“For there is Chesed and [then] there is [a far higher form of] Chesed”:23
אית חסד עולם
There is Chesed olam (lit., “Chesed of the world”) — i.e., a worldlike (and hence finite) Chesed,
שיש כנגדו ולעומתו מדת הדין, חס ושלום
that has an opposite counterpart — the attribute of din, of severe justice, heaven forfend,
למעט ולצמצם חסדו וטובו
which would diminish and contract [G‑d’s] goodness.
אבל חסד עליון, הנקרא רב חסד
The superior form of Chesed, however, which is called rav Chesed,
אין כנגדו מדת הדין, למעט ולצמצם רוב חסדו, מלהתפשט בלי גבול ותכלית
does not have the attribute of din opposed to it, to diminish and contract the abundance of [G‑d’s] benevolence from extending without limit or end.
כי הוא נמשך מבחינת סובב כל עלמין, וטמירא דכל טמירין
For it derives from the level of [Divinity called] Sovev Kol Almin, which transcends (lit., “encompasses”) all worlds and limitations, and from [the level of Divinity called] Temira DeChol Temirin (lit., “that which is hidden [even] from all the hidden [worlds]),”
הנקרא כתר עליון
which is called Keter Elyon (lit., “the Supernal Crown”), i.e., the utterly transcendent level of Divinity known as Keter.
וזהו שכתוב: תסתירם בסתר פניך וגו׳, תצפנם בסוכה וגו׳
This, then, is the meaning of the verse which follows our opening quotation, and which continues to speak of “those who fear You” and “those who trust in You”: “Hide them in the concealment of Your innermost dimension...” (for, as explained above, פנים denotes both “countenance” and “inwardness”); “conceal them in a sukkah...” (i.e., in the sublime level of Chesed which, deriving from the above-mentioned level of Keter, transcends the Seder Hishtalshelut, and will encompass them like a sukkah).
Supplement by the Rebbe
The thrust of the above letter, which was delivered by an emissary who was to collect contributions for charity, is that even those who serve G‑d by means of their soul-root in the “left”, — even if, like Beit Shammai, they are totally righteous individuals (who need not give tzedakah [for the sake of atonement]; cf. “for we are not complete,” as explained above in Iggeret HaKodesh, Epistle 10), — nevertheless, they too possess “an abundant and immense” degree of Chesed. “At those times which require it,” moreover, “it results in actual deeds.”’
This is explicit in the concluding passage of the letter which was not printed “by the rabbis, long may they live, sons of the illustrious author of blessed memory, whose soul is in Eden,” and which reads as follows:24
ואחר הדברים האלה, נפשי בשאלתי
And after the above words, from the depths of my soul I seek
לעורר רב טוב הגנוז והצפון בלב כל אנשי שלומנו
to arouse the [infinite] abundance of benevolence that is concealed in the heart of every individual in the chassidic brotherhood,25
מן ההעלם אל הגילוי, לבא לידי מעשה
[so that it be manifested] from concealment to revelation and be translated into action,
למלאות ידם לה׳, ביד מלאה ורחבה
and so that you will all “fill your hands unto G‑d” by giving charity with a full and open hand
על ידי ציר נאמן, מוסר כתב זה כו׳, ודי למבין כמו שכתוב באגרת
through the trusted bearer of this message — and what is written [above] in the letter should suffice for the discerning.
ואין אני כותבו מחמת שלא נצרך, ודי למבין
I am not spelling it out, for this is not necessary; the above will suffice.
הכל דברי אוהב נפשם, דורש שלומם מלב ונפש חפיצה
These are the words of one who loves you with all his soul, and who seeks your welfare with heartfelt and soulful longing.
At this point the Alter Rebbe signs:
שניאור זלמן בן לאדוני אבי מורנו ורבנו הרב ר׳ ברוך
Shneur Zalman, the son of my master, my father, our mentor and Rebbe, Rabbi Baruch
The Rebbe adds: “The above passage [which makes it clear that the foregoing teachings were intended to find practical expression in the giving of tzedakah] enables us to understand the relevance here of the first part of this letter, which otherwise should seemingly have begun with והנה כל איש ישראל — ‘Now every Jew needs to comprise....”’
FOOTNOTES
1. Tehillim 31:20.
2. Michah 6:8.
3. Yirmeyahu 13:17.
4. Note of the Rebbe: “See Moed Katan 16b מבפנים כו׳ בסתר.”
5. Note of the Rebbe: “Tur and Shulchan Aruch, beginning of Hilchot Tzedakah.”
6. Ketubbot 50a.
7. Ibid. 103b.
8. In the standard Hebrew text, this last sentence appears after the following one (i.e., after ברחבה כו׳ — “expansively”). A parenthetical comment there notes the consequent anomaly, and suggests that the sentence might in fact belong here, as in the present edition.
9. Tehillim 119:45.
10. Malachi 3:10.
11. Avot 4:3.
12. Note of the Rebbe: “Eduyot, chs. 4-5.”
13. Note of the Rebbe: “See Zohar III, 245a.”
14. Note of the Rebbe in He’arot VeTikkunim: “This expression requires some explanation.”
15. Zohar III, 70a.
16. Bereishit 22:12.
17. Ibid., verses 9, 10.
18. Yeshayahu 41:8.
19. Bereishit 31:42.
20. Zohar III, 204a.
21. This term denotes the Divine attribute of Chesed; see Shaar HaYichud VehaEmunah, ch. 4.
22. Parentheses are in the original text.
23. Note of the Rebbe: “Zohar III, 133b.”
24. See Igrot Kodesh (Letters) of the Alter Rebbe (Kehot, N.Y., 5740), p. 47ff.
25. In the Hebrew original, this phrase is abbreviated as אנ״ש.
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Rambam:
• Daily Mitzvah P109 - Sefer Hamitzvos:
Friday, Elul 10, 5774 • 5 September 2014
A daily digest of Maimonides’ classic work "Sefer Hamitzvot"
Positive Commandment 109
Immersing in a Mikvah (Ritual Pool)
"He shall bathe all his body in water"—Leviticus 15:16.
A person who chooses to become cleansed of any ritual impurity is commanded to immerse in a mikvah [a natural pool of water]. According to the tradition of the Oral Law, for a mikvah to be kosher it must contain enough water for [an average] person to submerge himself within them—unless it is a moving stream of water, in which case even the smallest amount of water suffices [for a smaller than average individual, or for immersing a ritually impure utensil].
Some details:
•Of all the types of ritually impure people, only the zav requires immersion in a moving stream of water.
•This mitzvah is not obligatory. As long as an individual has no intention of entering the Temple Mount, he may remain in his ritually impure state.
•An individual's purification process is not finalized until the sun sets on the day he immerses.
•There may not be anything separating between the person's body and the waters of the mikvah.
Immersing in a Mikvah (Ritual Pool)
Positive Commandment 109
Translated by Berel Bell
The 109th mitzvah is that we are commanded to immerse in the waters of a mikvah and thereby be purified from whichever form of tumah previously existed.
The source of this commandment is G‑d's statement1 (exalted be He), "He must immerse his entire body in water." The Oral Tradition2 explains that [the phrase "his entire body" also teaches that] there must be enough water to cover his entire body.3 This is the minimum size of a mikvah unless the water is from a spring, in which case there is no minimum amount,4 as explained in the laws which deal with this mitzvah.
Among the conditions [governing the mikvah] is that only in the case of a zav is spring water required,5 as the verse6 states, "mayim chaim."
When we say that immersion is a mitzvah, this does not mean that any person who is tameh is required to immerse himself — as one who wears a four-cornered garment must put tzitzis on it, or that anyone with a house must build a fence around the roof. [When I say, "it is a mitzvah,"] I refer to the laws of immersion — that we are commanded that anyone who wants purification from tumah can do so only through immersion in water, after which he becomes tahor.
The Sifra7 says, "One might think that the phrase8 'He must immerse in water' is a Divine decree [and that it is an absolute requirement to immerse]. The verse therefore says, 'then he can return to the camp' [after being purified] from tumah." This hints to the principle I just explained, i.e. that the mitzvah is just the law, i.e. that one who wants to be purified should take certain steps. This law is itself the mitzvah. This does not mean however, that there is an independent requirement to immerse — should he want to remain tameh and not enter the machaneh Shechinah9 for any period of time, he may do so.
The Book of Truth (i.e. the Torah) explains that even though after the person immerses he becomes tahor, his purification is incomplete until sunset.10 The Oral Tradition also explains that during immersion he must be naked and that his entire body must come in contact with the water. As our Sages put it,11 "The phrase, 'his entire body' teaches that there can be nothing intervening between his body and the water."
We have therefore explained that this mitzvah of immersion includes the laws of mikvah, of intervening substances, and t'vul yom.12 This mitzvah is explained in tractates Mikva'os and T'vul Yom.
FOOTNOTES
1.Lev. 15:16.
2.Sifra.
3.This is 40 se'ah of water.
4.In practice, even a mikvah of spring water must contain 40 se'ah.
5.In other cases, even for a zavah, rain water is sufficient.
6.Lev. 15:13.
7.Ibid., 16:26.
8.Ibid., 14:8.
9.Corresponding to the Temple courtyard.
10.See Lev. 22:6. A person in this state is called a t'vul yom.
11.Eruvin 4b.
12.One who has immersed and is awaiting sunset, as mentioned above.
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Today's Mitzvah
Rambam:
• Daily Mitzvah P109 - Sefer Hamitzvos:
Shabbat, Elul 11, 5774 • 6 September 2014
Today's Mitzvah
Important Message Regarding This Lesson
The Daily Mitzvah schedule runs parallel to the daily study of 3 chapters of Maimonides' 14-volume code. There are instances when the Mitzvah is repeated a few days consecutively while the exploration of the same Mitzvah continues in the in-depth track.
Positive Commandment 109 (Digest)
Immersing in a Mikvah (Ritual Pool)
"He shall bathe all his body in water"—Leviticus 15:16.
A person who chooses to become cleansed of any ritual impurity is commanded to immerse in a mikvah [a natural pool of water]. According to the tradition of the Oral Law, for a mikvah to be kosher it must contain enough water for [an average] person to submerge himself within them—unless it is a moving stream of water, in which case even the smallest amount of water suffices [for a smaller than average individual, or for immersing a ritually impure utensil].
Some details:
Of all the types of ritually impure people, only the zav requires immersion in a moving stream of water.
This mitzvah is not obligatory. As long as an individual has no intention of entering the Temple Mount, he may remain in his ritually impure state.
An individual's purification process is not finalized until the sun sets on the day he immerses.
There may not be anything separating between the person's body and the waters of the mikvah.
The 109th mitzvah is that we are commanded to immerse in the waters of a mikvah and thereby be purified from whichever form of tumah previously existed.
The source of this commandment is G‑d's statement1 (exalted be He), "He must immerse his entire body in water." The Oral Tradition2 explains that [the phrase "his entire body" also teaches that] there must be enough water to cover his entire body.3 This is the minimum size of a mikvah unless the water is from a spring, in which case there is no minimum amount,4 as explained in the laws which deal with this mitzvah.
Among the conditions [governing the mikvah] is that only in the case of a zav is spring water required,5 as the verse6 states, "mayim chaim."
When we say that immersion is a mitzvah, this does not mean that any person who is tameh is required to immerse himself — as one who wears a four-cornered garment must put tzitzis on it, or that anyone with a house must build a fence around the roof. [When I say, "it is a mitzvah,"] I refer to the laws of immersion — that we are commanded that anyone who wants purification from tumah can do so only through immersion in water, after which he becomes tahor.
The Sifra7 says, "One might think that the phrase8 'He must immerse in water' is a Divine decree [and that it is an absolute requirement to immerse]. The verse therefore says, 'then he can return to the camp' [after being purified] from tumah." This hints to the principle I just explained, i.e. that the mitzvah is just the law, i.e. that one who wants to be purified should take certain steps. This law is itself the mitzvah. This does not mean however, that there is an independent requirement to immerse — should he want to remain tameh and not enter the machaneh Shechinah9 for any period of time, he may do so.
The Book of Truth (i.e. the Torah) explains that even though after the person immerses he becomes tahor, his purification is incomplete until sunset.10 The Oral Tradition also explains that during immersion he must be naked and that his entire body must come in contact with the water. As our Sages put it,11 "The phrase, 'his entire body' teaches that there can be nothing intervening between his body and the water."
We have therefore explained that this mitzvah of immersion includes the laws of mikvah, of intervening substances, and t'vul yom.12 This mitzvah is explained in tractates Mikva'os and T'vul Yom.
Rabbi Berel Bell is a well-known educator, author and lecturer. He and his family reside in Montreal, Canada.
From "Sefer Hamitzvot in English," published by Sichos in English.
FOOTNOTES
1.Lev. 15:16.
2.Sifra.
3.This is 40 se'ah of water.
4.In practice, even a mikvah of spring water must contain 40 se'ah.
5.In other cases, even for a zavah, rain water is sufficient.
6.Lev. 15:13.
7.Ibid., 16:26.
8.Ibid., 14:8.
9.Corresponding to the Temple courtyard.
10.See Lev. 22:6. A person in this state is called a t'vul yom.
11.Eruvin 4b.
12.One who has immersed and is awaiting sunset, as mentioned above.
Translation of (the unabridged text of) Sefer Hamitzvot by Rabbi Berel Bell, member of the Rabbinical Court of Montreal and director of Teacher Training for the Jewish Learning Institute.
________________________________________
Rambam:
• 1 Chapter a Day: To`en veNit`an To`en veNit`an - Chapter 8To`en veNit`an - Chapter 8
Halacha 1
It is an accepted presumption that all movable property belongs to the person who is in physical possession of it.' This applies even if the plaintiff brought witnesses who testify that the movable property in question was known to belong to the plaintiff.
What is implied? A plaintiff lodges a claim against a defendant: "This garment..." or "This utensil that is in your possession..." or "... that is in your house belongs to me..,", "... I entrusted it to you for safekeeping...", or "... I lent it to you. Here are witnesses who knew that it was previously in my domain."
The defendant responds: "That is not so. You sold it to me," or "...You gave it to me as a present," the defendant is required to take only a sh'vuat hesset and is freed of responsibility.
Halacha 2
If the defendant claims that the movable property he is holding is security, he may claim up to its value. He must, however, take an oath while holding a sacred object. Afterwards, he may collect his due, as explained.
Halacha 3
When does the above apply? To articles that are not made to lend out or rent out - e.g., garments, produce, household articles, merchandise and the like. Different rules apply with regard to articles that are made to lend out or rent out. Although they are found in the possession of a particular person and there are no witnesses that the original owner lent or rented out this article to this person, it is an accepted presumption that they belong to their original owner.
What is implied? Reuven owned a utensil that was made to lend or rent out, and he has witnesses who know that such an article belonged to him. This utensil is presently in the possession of Shimon. Reuven claims that he lent it or rented it to him," while Shimon claims that Reuven sold it to him, gave it to him as a present or entrusted it to him as security. We do not accept Shimon's claim. Instead, Reuven may take his utensil after taking a sh'vuat hesset in response to Shimon's claim.
Even if Shimon died, Reuven may take his utensil. The Geonim ruled that Reuven must take a sh'vuat hesset, for we advance claims on behalf of an heir.
Halacha 4
When does the above apply? When the utensil can be seen in the possession of Shimon.
Different rules apply when, however, Reuven lodges a claim against Shimon saying: "You have this-and-this utensil of mine. You rented it. Give it back to me. I have witnesses who know that it belongs to me." If Shimon responds: "You sold it to me" or "You gave it to me," his word is accepted. He must take a sh'vuat hesset and then he is released of all obligations. The rationale is since he could say: "Nothing like this ever happened. I do not have anything that belonged to you," we accept his word if he claims: "I have the article, but you sold it to me."
Halacha 5
The above-mentioned concepts apply only when the owner of the utensil claims: "I entrusted it to you" or "I lent it to you." Different laws apply if, however, he claims: "This article is mine. It was stolen, lost or taken by robbery." Although he brings witnesses who testify that the article was known to be his, if the person in possession of the article says: "I do not know what you are talking about. Someone else sold it to me or gave it to me as a present," we allow it to remain in that person's possession although it is an article that is made to be lent out or rented out. He is not required to take an oath at all, because there is no claim against him.
Halacha 6
If a well-founded report has circulated that utensils belonging to the original owner have been stolen, the person in possession of the article may take an oath while holding a sacred article, stating how much he spent on the article. The original owner must reimburse him for this expense and may then take his article, as stated in Hilchot Geneivah.
If the defendant claims: "You sold it to me" or "You gave it to me as a present," he must take a sh'vuat hesset, and he is then allowed to maintain possession of the article, even though a well-founded report has circulated that utensils belonging to the original owner have been stolen, provided the article was not made to be lent or rented out.
From these laws, the following concept can be derived: A person has movable property in his possession and another person claims that it belongs to him. The defendant could claim that he purchased it. Thus, he would be required to take a sh'vuat hesset and would then be released of all obligations. Nevertheless, if the defendant says: "It belongs to you, but you owe me this-and-this," he must take an oath while holding a sacred object. Afterwards, he collects his claim from the property in his possession, as is the law applying to all those who take oaths and collect their due.
Halacha 7
When a person has in his possession articles that were made to lend or rent out, he is allowed to maintain possession even though he acknowledged the plaintiff's ownership, telling him: "I know that this property was yours, but so-and-so sold it to me," or "... gave it to me as a present," we do not expropriate it from the defendant's possession.
The above applies even if the plaintiff brings witnesses who testify that the property was known to belong to him. The rationale is that a person is wont to sell his personal property.
Halacha 8
If, however, the plaintiff claims: "I rented it to you," or "I lent it to you," we expropriate it from his possession. If the object in question was not one that was made to lend or rent out, the defendant may retain possession of the article. He must, however, take a sh'vuat hesset that the plaintiff) did not lend or rent the article to him, but that he purchased it from so-and-so.
Halacha 9
Do not err and interpret the phrase "entities made to lend out or rent out" as meaning "entities that are wont to be lent out or rented out" as did many, [including great sages. For all articles are fit to be lent out and are wont to be lent out. Even a person's cloak, mattress, and bed are fit to be lent out.
The phrase "articles made to lend out or rent out," by contrast, refers to utensils that people in that country make initially with the intent that they be lent out or rented out, so that they can receive a fee for them. They are considered to belong to their owners like landed property, concerning which benefit is derived from its produce, but the land itself remains. Similarly, these utensils are made primarily to benefit from renting them out - e.g., large brass pots used for cooking at party halls, bronze jewelry inlaid with gold that are rented for brides to wear. Such articles are not made to be sold, nor for the owner to use them in his own home. Instead, they are lent out to others with the expectation of receiving benefit in recompense or of renting them out for a fee.
Similarly, if a person has ordinary utensils, but there are witnesses who will testify that he rents them out at all times and lends them, and it is an accepted presumption that he lends them and rents them, they are considered utensils that were made for the sake of being lent or rented.
Halacha 10
When the possible damage to an article is greater than the fee one would receive for renting it out, and people are therefore careful not to lend such articles - e.g., a ritual slaughterer's knife - it is an accepted presumption that it was not made with the intent of being lent or rented out. Therefore, even if people came and testified that a person lent out or rented out such an article on several occasions, their testimony does not negate this presumption, and these utensils are considered to be all other utensils.
Proof of this position can be brought from the fact that Ravva expropriated tailor's scissors used to make a cloak, and an Aggadah scroll as articles that were made to be lent or rented out. Had it not been clarified to him through the testimony of witnesses that these were entities that were lent out, he would not have expropriated them from the orphans. It is evident that other scissors and other scrolls are not placed in this category even though they could be lent or rented out.
This concept is a fundamental principle of law and a point of logic that may be relied upon in judgment. It is clear to those who give forth knowledge. It is appropriate for a judge to keep it in mind at all times and not to sway from it.
Rambam:
• 1 Chapter a Day: To`en veNit`an - Chapter 9
To`en veNit`an - Chapter 9
Halacha 1
We do not accept it as a presumption that the utensils in the possession of a craftsman belong to him. This applies both to articles that are made to lend and rent out, and to other articles.
What is implied? A person sees his utensils in the possession of a craftsman. He brings witnesses who testify that they know that the article belongs to him and claims that he gave it to the craftsman to repair. The craftsman, by contrast, maintains that he purchased it, or that it was given to him as a present. Or he claims: "After it was given to me to repair, you sold it to me or gave it to me as a present." Although the owner of the utensil did not give it to the craftsman in the presence of witnesses, his word is accepted and the article is expropriated from the craftsman. The owner must however, take an oath to support his claim.
There are Geonim who ruled that even though the owner did not bring witnesses to testify that the article was his, since he saw his article in the craftsman's possession and the craftsman admits that the article belonged to him, but claims that he sold it to him, the owner's word is accepted. If, however, the craftsman claimed: "This never happened; the article is mine," the craftsman's word is accepted, provided that he takes a sh'vu'at hesset. If, however, the owner brings witnesses who testify that the article was known to belong to him, the craftsman's word is not accepted. This decision is incredulous in my eyes.
Halacha 2
Different rules apply if the owner 10 did not see his utensil in the possession of the craftsman, but instead claimed: "I gave you this-and-this utensil to repair." If the craftsman claims: "You came back and sold it to me" or "... gave it to me as a present," the craftsman is required to take a sh'vu'at hesset and is then released of responsibility. The rationale is that he could claim that the article was never given him."
Moreover, even if the owner gave the article to the craftsman to repair in the presence of witnesses, the craftsman's word is accepted, because he could claim: "I returned it." For although an article is entrusted to a person in the presence of witnesses, he is not required to return it to him in the presence of witnesses. Therefore, the craftsman is required to take only a sh'vu'at hesset; we do not require him to produce the article.
If, however, he does produce the article, since it becomes visible, the owner may bring witnesses who testify that it belongs to him. He may then expropriate it even though he did not entrust it to the craftsman in the presence of witnesses, as explained in the previous halachah.
Based on the above, the following rules apply if the craftsman claimed: "You agreed to pay me two dinarim as a wage," and the owner responded: "I agreed to pay you only one." If the utensil was visible before them, since the craftsman's possession does not bring about an accepted presumption of ownership, and we would not accept his claim that he purchased the article, the owner's claim regarding the promised wage is accepted, provided that he takes a sh'vu'at hesset, as we stated in Hilchot Sechirut. He must pay that amount.
If, however, the utensil is not visible, since the craftsman could claim that he purchased the article, he can also claim a wage equal to its value. He must take an oath holding a sacred article. Then he may collect his claim, as do all those who take an oath and collect, as we have explained.
Halacha 3
A craftsman who gave up his profession, and a craftsman's son are like any other person. When movable property is in their possession, we presume that it belongs to them, as we have explained.
Halacha 4
The following rules apply when a person enters a colleague's house in the presence of the owner and leaves with utensils hidden under the corners of his garments, and witnesses see him. Afterwards, the owner lodges a claim against him, saying: "Return the utensils that I lent you; here are witnesses." Although the defendant claims: "I purchased them," his word is not accepted. Instead, the owner must take a sh'vu'at hesset to support his claim that he did not sell or give away the utensils. The court returns the utensils to the owner.
When does the above apply? With regard to an owner who is not accustomed to sell his property, when the person who removed the utensils under his cloak does not normally hide them, and when the utensils are not of the type that people would ordinarily hide. Therefore, the defendant is obligated to return the articles. We assume that he hid them only so that he could deny taking them.
If, however, an owner frequently sells his personal property, even though the person who took the utensils would not ordinarily hide them, and it is not ordinary practice for these utensils to be hidden under one's cloak, the defendant may take a sh'vu'at hesset that he purchased the articles.
Similarly, if he took the articles out so that they were visible for the witnesses to see, even when the owner does not frequently sell his personal property, the defendant's word is accepted when he says that he purchased the utensils, provided that the articles are not of the type that are made with the intent of being lent or rented out. For it is possible that the owner needed money, and hence sold his property.
If, however, the articles are of the type that are made with the intent of being lent or rented out, our presumption is always that they belong to their original owner, as we have explained. Even if the person took out such utensils in a visible manner and the owner was accustomed to selling his personal utensils, if he has witnesses that this utensil that was made with the intent of being lent or rented out was known to belong to him, he may expropriate the utensils from the defendant immediately, unless he brings proof that he sold it to him or gave it to him as a present, as is the law with regard to landed property.
Halacha 5
In the above situation, if the person in whose possession the utensil was found died, we expropriate it from the heir. Moreover, the owner is not required to take an oath. An oath is not required because, since his father is not present to claim that that he purchased it or that it is security for a specific amount, the heir cannot require the owner to take an oath.
If the heir lodges a definite claim, saying: "He gave it to my father - or sold it to him - in my presence," the owner is required to take a sh'vu'at hesset, as required of all those who are obligated to take oaths. We explained that there are opinions that require the owner to take a sh'vu'at hesset in all instances before his utensil is returned by the heir, but I do not accept this approach.
Halacha 6
When a person takes an ax and says: "I am going to chop down the palm tree belonging to so-and-so," if he in fact chops down the tree, we presume that it belonged to him. For a person would not be so bold as to cut down a tree that did not belong to him. If the owner claims that he did not sell it, the person who cut down the tree is required to take a sh'vu'at hesset that the tree belonged to him. He is then freed of responsibility. The rationale is that once the tree is cut down, it is like other movable property.
Similar laws apply when a person enters a colleague's field without permission and partakes of its produce for a year or two. If the owner claims that the person entered without permission, that he is a robber, and that he partook of the field's produce, and the owner brings witnesses who confirm that he partook of the produce, and the person claims that the owner gave him permission to partake of the produce, that person's word is accepted.
The rationale is that it is an accepted presumption that a person would not be so bold as to eat produce that does not belong to him. Although the land is presumed to belong to its original owner, the produce is not. For a person does not necessarily sell produce with a bill of sale, so that the purchaser could be told: "Present your bill of sale."
Needless to say, these laws apply if the squatter partook of a field's produce for many years. In such a situation, since he could claim that he had purchased the field, his word is accepted when he says that he has a right only to the produce. He must, however, take a sh'vu'at hesset.
Halacha 7
The following laws apply when two people are holding one article, both are riding on one animal, one was riding the animal and one was leading it, or they were sitting next to an ownerless pile of wheat that was located in a lane or in a courtyard belonging to both of them. If each claims that the article belongs to him in its entirety, they should both take an oath holding a sacred article that they own no less than half the article. Afterwards, it should be divided between them.
This oath was ordained by the Sages so that everyone will not grab unto a garment belonging to a colleague and take it without having to take an oath.
Halacha 8
If one says: "The entire article belongs to me," and the other says: "Half of it belongs to me," the one who claims the entire article must take an oath that he owns no less than three fourths of the article, and the one who claims half the article must take an oath that he owns no less than one fourth. They then divide the article accordingly.
From this, one can learn that all those who take an oath to expropriate property - whether a minor oath or a severe oath - should not take that oath concerning what they claim, but rather what they will receive even though they claim more.
Halacha 9
When two people were both clinging to a garment, and each claims that the entire garment belongs to him, each is awarded the portion he is holding. The remainder is divided equally after they take the appropriate oaths. Based on the principle of gilgul sh'vu'ah, each of the litigants can require the other to take an oath that he is legally entitled to everything he collects.
Halacha 10
If one was holding the strings on one side of the garment, and the other holding the strings on the other side, they should divide the entire garment equally, after they take the required oaths.
When the term "division" is used in this context, it refers to a division of the article's value, not that a utensil itself or a garment should be divided and ruined, or that an animal should be killed.
Halacha 11
If one person was holding onto the article in its entirety, and the other was struggling with him and clasping it, the article is considered to belong to the person holding it in its entirety.
Halacha 12
The following rules apply when two people came to court holding onto the garment, and one pulled it away from the other in our presence. If at first the person from whom the garment was taken remained silent, even though afterwards he protested, we do not expropriate it from the possession of the one who seized it. The rationale is that since he remained silent at the outset, it is as if he acknowledged the other's ownership.
If the second person came and grabbed it from the one who seized it, even though that person protested continuously, the garment should be divided between the two of them.
Halacha 13
The following laws apply when two people come to court holding onto a garment, and the court instructs them to go out and divide its value. They depart and return, but the article is now in the possession of only one of them. The person in possession claims: "He acknowledged my claim and withdrew his claim from it," while the other person claims: "I sold it to him," or "He overcame me and seized it from me," we follow the principle: "A person who seeks to expropriate property from a colleague must prove his claim." If he cannot bring proof of his claim, the other litigant may take an oath that the article belongs to him and be released of liability. Similar principles apply in all analogous situations.
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Rambam:
• 3 Chapters a Day: Mikvaot Mikvaot - Chapter 2, Mikvaot Mikvaot - Chapter 3, Mikvaot Mikvaot - Chapter 4
Mikvaot - Chapter 2
Halacha 1
These are the substances that intervene for a person: the secretion outside the eye, the fluid outside a wound that crusts, dried blood over a wound, a bandage over a wound, crusts of filth on one's flesh, dough or mud under one's nails, particles of mud or dough that collect on one's flesh, thick mud, potters' clay, and mud that is found in the thoroughfares at all times, even in the summer. All of these substances intervene. Other mud does not intervene when wet, because it will dissolve in the water. When it is dry, it is considered as an intervening substance.
Halacha 2
When the following: honey, ink, milk, blood, and the sap of berry bushes, fig trees, wild fig trees, and carob trees are dry, they are considered intervening substances. When they are moist, they are not. The sap of other fruits are considered as intervening substances whether moist or dry.
Blood that sticks to the flesh, even if it is moist, is considered an intervening substance. A loosely hanging limb or flesh is considered an intervening substance.
Halacha 3
A woman's hidden area is considered to have intervening substances present unless she washes before her immersion, because that portion of the body is always sweaty and dust collects there and intervenes.
To whom does the above apply? To a married woman. Different rules apply for an unmarried woman. Since she is not concerned about the cleanliness of that area, it is not considered to have intervening substances present.
Halacha 4
The following rules apply to bandages on a wound, metal plates on a broken bone, necklaces, noserings, choker necklaces, and rings. When they are firm and cling to the flesh, they are considered as intervening substances. If they are loose, they are not considered as intervening substances.
Halacha 5
Strands of wool, strands of flax, and straps that women tie to their heads as adornments are intervening substances, because they separate between the body and the water. Strands of hair are not considered intervening substances, because water penetrates through them, even when they are not loose.
Halacha 6
Strands tied around one's neck, even of flax, are not considered as intervening substances, because a woman does not strangle herself with them. Tight necklaces, e.g., choker necklaces and necklets, are intervening substances, because a woman chokes herself with them to look fat.
Halacha 7
Hair over the heart that became tangled and matted and similarly, matted hairs of the beard are intervening substances.
Halacha 8
When an arrow is stuck in a person's flesh, if it is visible, it is considered an intervening substance. If it is not visible, he may immerse in a mikveh and partake of terumah in the evening even though the arrow itself is impure. Similarly, if a person swallowed an impure ring and immersed, he is pure. If he vomited it out after immersing, he contracts impurity, because of contact with it. For, as we explained, any entities swallowed within the body of a living being, do not impart impurity or contract impurity.
If pebbles or splinters enter the cracks on the soles of a person's feet, they are considered as intervening substances.
Halacha 9
When there is a bandage, a compress, or a dressing over the hidden parts of a person's body, they are considered as intervening substances. The rationale is that even though water need not enter these parts, they must be fit for water to enter them and not have any intervening substances upon them, as we explained.
If there was one or two hairs that were outside the wound, but their tips were stuck to the wound, there were two hairs with mud or filth stuck to their tips, or there were two hairs from one's upper eyelashes that were perforated and hairs from one's lower eyelashes were threaded through them, they are considered an intervening substance.
Halacha 10
A person should not immerse with dust on his feet. If, however, he did, the dust is not an intervening substance.
Halacha 11
When one holds another person or an implement and immerses them, they remain impure. This applies even if he loosens his hand and allows water to reach the person or the article being immersed. This is a decree, lest he not loosen his hand. If he rinses his hand in water first, the immersion is acceptable.
Halacha 12
When a woman slings her infant son over her back and immerses, the immersion is not acceptable, for perhaps there was mud on the infant's feet or hands and it became attached to his mother at the time of her immersion and intervened between her body and the water, but it fell off after she emerged.
Halacha 13
When a woman who was a nidah put her hair in her mouth, clenched her fists, pursed her lips, or a bone was discovered between her teeth, it is as if she did not immerse. This applies to other impure individuals as well.
If she placed coins in her mouth and descended and immersed, she is purified from nidah impurity, but she is impure because of her spittle. Thus she is a primary derivative of impurity, like one who touched the spittle of a nidah. The same laws apply with regard to a zav.
Halacha 14
These are the substances that do not intervene for a human: the matted hair of the head, the arm pits, and the hidden parts of a man, the secretions of the eye, the scab above a wound, moist drops of filth on his skin, filth that is under a nail, a loose-hanging nail, and the thin hair that is on the skin of a child. All of these substances are not considered as intervening.
Halacha 15
When two or more hairs are knotted in one knot, they are not considered as an intervening substance, because the water can penetrate through them. If one hair is knotted, it is considered an intervening substance, provided the person is particular about it. If, however, he is not particular about it, his immersion is acceptable unless the larger portion of his hair is tied individually hair by hair. This is the ruling of the Geonim.
It appears to me that a person's hair is considered like his body with regard to immersion and is not a separate entity to the extent that it is inappropriate to speak of "the larger portion of his hair." Instead, even though all of a person's hair is tied hair by hair, if the person is not particular about the matter, his immersion is acceptable unless the hairs are combined with another intervening substance on his body and thus there are intervening substances covering the larger portion of his body, as we explained. The laws mentioned here apply equally to a woman in the nidah state and to other impure people who have hair on their heads.
Halacha 16
Ezra ordained that a woman should comb out her hair and then immerse. If it is possible for her to comb out her hair at night and immerse immediately thereafter, it is praiseworthy. In a pressing situation or when there is a question of sickness, she may comb out her hair - say - on Friday and immerse Saturday night.
Halacha 17
The following rules apply when a woman immersed and then an intervening substance was found upon her that disqualified her immersion. If she immersed on the same day that she prepared herself, she does not have to prepare herself again. Instead, she may remove the intervening substance and immerse again immediately. If not, she must prepare herself a second time and then immerse.
Halacha 18
A woman should not comb out her hair with natron, because it causes the hairs to snap, nor with oak sap, because it snarls the hair. Instead, she should use hot water, even water heated in the sun, because it hardens the hair and enables it to be combed out. Cold water, by contrast, tangles the hair and causes it to contract and thus become intertwined.
Halacha 19
When a nidah gave cooked food to her son and then immersed, the immersion is invalid because of the fatty substances on her hand.
Halacha 20
The following laws apply if a woman scratched her skin to the extent that it bled and then immersed. If the immersion was within three days of the bleeding, the place of the scratches is not considered as intervening. After three days, it is considered as intervening because the blood coagulates there, like a scab on the wound.
Similar concepts apply with regard to secretion in the eye. If it is dry and has begun to change color, it is considered as an intervening substance for a nidah.
Halacha 21
Blue ointment in the eye is not considered as an intervening substance. If it is outside the eye, it is considered as an intervening substance. If her eyes open and close frequently, even the ointment outside the eye, it is not considered as an intervening substance.
Halacha 22
If, while immersing, a woman opened her eyes to a great extent or closed them very firmly, the immersion is not acceptable.
With regard to what does the above apply? With regard to immersion to partake or touch pure foods. With regard to permitting intimacy with her husband, by contrast, she is permitted even if she gave cooked food to her son, she had an old scratch, there was blue ointment above her eye, or she opened her eyes very widely or closed them tightly. The rationale is that all of these matters and other similar ones are considered as intervening only according to Rabbinic Law and the Sages ordained their decree with regard to pure foods, but not with regard to intimacy.
Whenever a substance is considered as intervening for a nidah with regard to pure foods, it is considered as intervening for other impure people with regard to pure foods and as intervening for a convert when immersing during conversion.
Halacha 23
When a person immersed and after he ascended an intervening substance was found upon his body, even though he was involved with that substance for the entire day after the immersion, he is considered as impure unless he says: "I know with certainty that this substance was not upon me before the immersion." The rationale is that since he was categorized as impure, he is presumed to remain in that state until it is known for certain that he regained purity.
Mikvaot - Chapter 3
Halacha 1
These are the substances that intervene with regard to the immersion of keilim: Pitch, mortar, and the like.
When tar is on a cup or a bottle, it is considered an intervening substance if it is on the inside. If it is on the outside, it is not an intervening substance. When does the above apply? To a k'li in a craftsman's shop. When one belongs to a homeowner, whether the tar is on the inside or on the outside, it is an intervening substance.
When there is tar on a large pot or on a bowl, whether it is on the inside or on the outside, whether it belongs to a homeowner or comes from a craftsman's shop, it is considered as intervening.
Halacha 2
Musk and black earth are considered as intervening substances, whether in a cup, a bottle, a large pot, or a bowl, whether it belongs to a homeowner or comes from a craftsman's shop.
If pitch or mortar and the like are found on a counter-top, on a table, or on a small chair and they are clean, the foreign substances are considered as intervening, because the owner objects to their presence. If the surfaces are dirty, the foreign substances are not considered as intervening, because he does not object to their presence.
Halacha 3
If such substances were on the bed of an ordinary homeowner, they are considered intervening. If they were found on the bed of a poor person, they are not considered as intervening. If they were found on the saddle placed on a donkey belonging to an ordinary homeowner, they are considered intervening. If found on the wineskins placed on a donkey, they are not considered as intervening; on both sides of its saddle-blanket, they are considered intervening.
Halacha 4
If pitch, mortar, or the like were found on the clothes of Torah scholars, even on one side, they are considered as intervening substances, because they are careful to keep their clothes clean. If such substances are found on both sides of the clothes of unlearned people, they are considered as intervening. If they are only on one side, they are not considered as intervening.
Halacha 5
If such substances were found on the handkerchiefs of men who work with tar, potters, or tree-pruners, they are not considered intervening substances.
Halacha 6
When there is blood on the garments of a butcher, it is not considered as an intervening substance, because he does not object to its presence.
Halacha 7
When oily substances are found on the garments of one who sells such substances, they are not considered as intervening. Similar laws apply in all analogous situations.
If a butcher also sold oily substances and both blood and oily substances were found on his clothes, there is an unresolved question whether they are considered as intervening, because there are two stains, or whether they are not considered as intervening, since this is his work and hence he does not object to their presence.
Halacha 8
If tar, mortar, or the like were present on the inside of a sandal, on its upper surface, it is intervening; on its lower surface, it is not intervening. If they were found on a bench, on the upper surface or on the sides, they are intervening. On the lower surface, they are not intervening.
Halacha 9
Spots of filth on a chair and a carriage top that have been laundered, whether in the inside or on the outside, whether below or on the sides, are not intervening, because the water will wash them away. Filth coming from dregs left in a cup and a bottle, cotton on the inside of a necklace or inside a bell, and mud or dough on the handle of a hatchet or a rake are not considered as intervening. Should they harden, they are considered as intervening.
Halacha 10
It is clear that whenever we have said that tar, mortar, or the like do not intervene for keilim, the rationale is that the owner does not object to their presence. Therefore, if the larger portion of the k'li was covered with tar, mortar, or the like, its immersion is invalid, even though the owner does not object, as we explained. There is no difference in this context regarding any particular type of k'li. Instead, all keilim are the same in this regard.
Halacha 11
Whenever the handles of a k'li are hollow and were inserted into a mikveh upside down, they were inserted in the ordinary manner, but they were not thoroughly washed out, or they were of metal and they were bent out of shape, their immersion is invalid.
Halacha 12
When one turned the opening of a container upside down and immersed it, it is as if it was not immersed, because the water will not enter it entirely. If a utensil has a portion into which water will not enter unless it is tilted to its side, its immersion is not valid until it is tilted to its side.
Halacha 13
When a utensil is narrow on either side and wide in the center, it does not regain purity unless one turns it on its side in the water.
Halacha 14
When the rim of the opening of a bottle is turned over, it does not regain purity unless one turns it on its side in the water.
Halacha 15
An inkwell does not regain purity until a hole was made at its side so that water can enter its curved portions.
Halacha 16
When the collar of an animal was loose and it contracted impurity, it can be immersed in its place.
Halacha 17
A person should not immerse a kettle with its coals unless he moves the coals with his hands.
Halacha 18
When a container was filled with liquids and immersed in a mikveh, it is as if it was not immersed. If the container was filled with water and one immersed it in a mikveh, the water and the container regain purity simultaneously. The rationale is that water can be purified in a mikveh, as we explained in Hilchot Tum'at Ochalin.
If there was urine in the container, it is considered as if it were water. The following rules apply to a container holding water mixed with the ashes of the red heifer. If the greater portion of the container was empty, so that the quantity of mikveh water would be greater than that of the water mixed with the ashes of the red heifer, the container is pure. If not, it is impure, as if the water is another liquid that intervenes between the substance of the container and the water of the mikveh.
Halacha 19
When the inside of a container was pure, but the outside was impure, it was filled with white wine or milk, and immersed in a mikveh, the ruling depends on which is the greater quantity. If the greater portion of the container was empty so that there would be more water than milk or wine, it is pure. This leniency is granted, because the impurity is of Rabbinic origin. If it contained red wine or other liquids, the immersion is not effective.
Halacha 20
The following law applies to a container that is filled with impure water which had its opening closed with moist mud which was extending into the water of the container. If one immersed it, it is pure. If it was closed with thick mud, it is as if it was not immersed.
Similarly, if a ring was placed in a brick of moist mud and immersed, it is pure. If the brick is made from thick mud, it is as if it was not immersed.
Halacha 21
Water need not penetrate through the following articles for their immersion to be effective:
a) knots in the clothes of poor people as a rule; if they are particular about them, they
are intervening; by contrast, as a rule, knots in the garments of homeowners, intervene;
if they are not particular about them, they do not intervene:
b) knots in the fringes of clothes that became tied unintentionally:
c) the loops of sandals:
d) the head tefilah when its cube is firmly attached to its strand;
e) the arm tefilah when it does not move up and down freely:
f) the handles of a leather drinking pouch or a satchel; and
g) any similar entity that is tied or sewed and will not be untied in the future.
Halacha 22
Water must be able to penetrate the following articles for their immersion to be effective:
a) the knots in the openings of a cloak which are made like loops;
b) the knots that serve as loops on the shoulder;
c) the border of a sheet that must be extended:
d) the head tefilah when its cube is not attached to its strand:
e) the arm tefilah when it moves up and down freely:
f) the laces of a sandal; and knots in the fringes of clothes that were tied by humans; and
g) any similar entity that will be laid open or extended.
With regard to baskets used in winepresses and olivepresses, if the strands of material that make up the basket are firm, one must scratch out around them. If they are loose, one must shake them out. For their immersion to be effective, water must penetrate into leather pillows and cushions.
Halacha 23
Water does not have to penetrate into the inner space of a round leather cushion, a ball, a mold, an amulet, and tefillin for their immersion to be valid. This is the general principle: Whenever it is not common to remove and insert entities in the inner space of an object, it may be immersed while closed.
Halacha 24
When one immerses clothes that have been laundered, the water must penetrate through them to the extent that air bubbles arise. If they were immersed while dry, they must remain in the water until air bubbles arise and then cease arising.
Halacha 25
Whenever the accessories of a k'li are longer than necessary and one will ultimately cut them off, one may immerse them to the extent necessary.
What is implied? For the chain of a large bucket, the measure is four handbreadths; for a small one, ten handbreadths. It is necessary to immerse only this much of the chain, the remainder is pure.
Halacha 26
When one placed other keilim in an impure k'li and immersed them together, the immersion is effective for all of them, even if the opening of the k'li is very narrow. The rationale is that the water is able to enter it and since the immersion is acceptable for the larger k'li, it is also acceptable for the keilim inside of it. If he inclined it on its side and immersed it, the immersion is not acceptable for the keilim inside of it unless the opening is as wide as the mouthpiece of a drinking pouch. Similarly, if the larger k'li is pure and one placed impure keilim and immersed them together, the immersion is not acceptable for the keilim inside of it unless the opening is as wide as the mouthpiece of a drinking pouch.
When does the above apply? With regard to terumah, but with regard to consecrated food, keilim should not be immersed inside pure keilim at all, even if they were in a basket or a storage bin, as explained in its place.
Mikvaot - Chapter 4
Halacha 1
According to Scriptural Law, it is permissible to immerse in any collected body of water, as implied by Leviticus 11:36: "a gathering of water," i.e., any gathering, provided it contains enough water for the entire body of a human being to immerse in it at one time. Our Sages measured this figure as a cubit by a cubit by a height of three cubits. This measure contains 40 se'ah of water. According to Scriptural Law, the water is acceptable whether drawn or not.
Halacha 2
According to Rabbinic Law, water that is drawn is invalid for immersion. Moreover, if there was a body of water that was not drawn and three lugim of drawn water fell into it, the entire body of water is invalidated.
Although the disqualification of drawn water is a Rabbinic decree, our Sages explained it based on an association found in a Biblical verse. Leviticus, op. cit., states: "Only a spring, a cistern, or a gathering of water shall be pure." Based on a comparison of the terms used in the verse, they explained: The water of "a spring" is not dependent on man's activity at all. The water of "a cistern" is entirely dependent on man's activity, for it contains drawn water entirely. Our Sages said: The "gathering of water" should not be entirely made up of drawn water like a cistern, nor need it come entirely from the hand of heaven. Instead, if it came into being partially through human effort, it is acceptable.
Halacha 3
What is implied? When a person places barrels on top of a roof to dry, but it rained and they became filled with water, even though it is during the rainy season, he may break the barrels or turn them over and the water collected from them is acceptable for immersion. Even though all of this water had been contained in vessels, the mikveh is acceptable, because the person did not fill it up by hand. Therefore if he lifted up the barrels and overturned them, all of the water in them is considered as drawn.
Halacha 4
When a person places containers under a drainage pipe at any time and any season, both small containers and large containers, even containers of stone and the like that are not susceptible to ritual impurity, if they became filled with rainwater, the water is not acceptable for a mikveh. Even if he turned them over or broke them, the water collected from them is considered as drawn in every respect. For the containers were filled as a result of his intent, since it can be assumed that a drainpipe will conduct water. Even if one forgot containers under a drainpipe, the water is unacceptable for a mikveh. Our Sages issued a decree against one who forgot, lest a person place them there intentionally.
Similarly, if one placed containers in a courtyard when the sky was densely cloudy and they became filled with rainwater afterwards, the water inside of them is unacceptable for a mikveh, since they were filled as a result of his intent. Moreover, our Sages issued a decree against one who forgot containers in a courtyard, lest a person place them there intentionally.
If one placed containers in a courtyard when the clouds were dispersed and then the sky became cloudy and the containers became filled with rainwater, the water is acceptable for a mikveh, like that in containers left on top of a roof to dry. Similarly, when one left containers in a courtyard when the sky was densely cloudy, the clouds dispersed, and then became dense again and the containers became filled with rainwater, the water is acceptable. If he breaks the containers or turns them over, the water collected from them is acceptable for a mikveh.
Halacha 5
When one who applies lime forgot a large container in a mikveh and it became full with water, even if only a small quantity of water remained in the mikveh and the majority of the water of the mikveh is in the container, he may break the container in its place. Thus the entire mikveh will be acceptable.
Similarly, when one arranged containers in a mikveh to seal them and they became filled with water, even though the mikveh absorbed its water and no water remained except the water in the containers, one may break the containers. The water that collects from them forms an acceptable mikveh.
Halacha 6
How do three lugim of drawn water invalidate a mikveh? If there were less than 40 se'ah of acceptable water in a mikveh and three lugim of water fell in, making the entire amount 40 se'ah, all of the water is disqualified for use. If, however, there are 40 se'ah of water that was not drawn in a mikveh and then one drew water with a pitcher and poured it into the mikveh throughout the entire day, it is acceptable. Furthermore, when there are two mikveot, one above the other, and the upper mikveh had 40 se'ah of acceptable water and one was drawing water by hand and pouring it into that mikveh until the amount of water increased to the extent that 40 se'ah overflowed and descended into the lower mikveh, the lower mikveh is acceptable.
Halacha 7
When a mikveh contained exactly 40 se'ah and one added a se'ah of drawn water and then removed a se'ah of water from it, the mikveh is acceptable. Similarly, if he added a se'ah of drawn water and removed a se'ah of water from the mikveh, the mikveh is acceptable provided the greater portion of the original water remained.
Halacha 8
Drawn water does not disqualify the water of a mikveh when three lugin fall in unless they fall into the mikveh from a container. If, by contrast, the drawn water flows on the ground outside the mikveh and continues streaming until it descends into the mikveh, it does not disqualify the mikveh unless it constitutes half or more of the original 40 seah of water. If, however, the majority of the original 40 se'ah of water was acceptable, the mikveh is acceptable.
What is implied? When a mikveh contains a little bit more than 20 se'ah of acceptable water, one drew water and poured it outside the mikveh, and then the water flowed and descended into the mikveh, it is acceptable, even if it reached a total of 1000 se'ah. This applies whether the water flowed on the ground or through a conduit or the like that does not disqualify a mikveh. The rationale is that drawn water that was caused to flow is acceptable if the majority of 40 se'ah water is acceptable.
Similarly, if there was a little more than 20 se'ah of rainwater on an enclosed roof and one drew water by hand and poured less than 20 se'ah of water into the water, the entire quantity is unacceptable. Nevertheless, if one opened the drainage pipe and caused all the water to flow into one place, it constitutes an acceptable mikveh. The rationale is that when an entire quantity of drawn water was caused to flow, it is acceptable, provided the majority of the water was acceptable.
Halacha 9
Some of the scholars of the west ruled that since the Sages declared "An entire quantity of drawn water that was caused to flow is pure," it is not necessary that the majority of the water be acceptable. Instead, the perspective that required both a majority of acceptable water and that it be caused to flow are the words of only one Sage and they were already rebutted, for the conclusion of the passage states: "An entire quantity of drawn water that was caused to flow is pure."
According to the words of the scholars of the west, if one would fill a container with water and pour it out and the water would flow to one place where it collects, it would be an acceptable mikveh. Similarly, all the pools in our bathhouses would be kosher mikveot, for all the water they contain was drawn and then flowed through pipes. Never have we seen anyone who performed such a deed, i.e., ruling that such pools are acceptable for immersion.
Halacha 10
The following laws apply when rainwater and drawn water were mixed together in a courtyard and flowed into a cavity or they were mixed together on the steps leading to an underground cavern and then descended into the cavern. If the majority of the water was acceptable, the mikveh is acceptable. If the majority of the water was unacceptable, it is unacceptable.
When does the above apply? When they became mixed together before they reached the mikveh, but instead, flowed and descended together. If, however, the acceptable water and the unacceptable water were descending directly into the mikveh, different rules apply. If it is known that 40 se'ah of acceptable water fell into the mikveh before three lugim of drawn water, the mikveh is acceptable. If not, it is unacceptable.
Rambam:
• 3 Chapters a Day: Mikvaot - Chapter 5, Mikvaot - Chapter 6, Mikvaot - Chapter 7
Mikvaot - Chapter 5
Halacha 1
When three lugim of drawn water fall into a mikveh - whether from one k'li or from two or three keilim - they can be combined to reach a quantity that disqualifies the mikveh, provided the water begins descending from the second before it concludes descending from the first. If descends from four keilim, the water from them is not combined.
When does the above apply? When one did not intend to increase the amount of water in the mikveh. If, however, one intended to increase the amount of water in the mikveh, even if a dinar-size measure was added each year, they are all combined to reach the sum of three lugim, whether the drawn water was present there before the acceptable water, the acceptable water was present there before the drawn water, or they both fell into the mikveh at the same time. Since three lugim of water fell into 40 se'ah combining with the acceptable water to reach that amount or into less than 40 se'ah of water, the entire amount is invalidated and considered as drawn.
Halacha 2
When two people each poured a log and a half into a mikveh, or one wrung out his garment and lifted it up, causing the water it contained to fall from several places, it invalidates a mikveh. A similar ruling applies when one pours from a distributor that causes water to pour from several places at the same time.
Halacha 3
When one immerses a pillow or a cushion of leather into a mikveh that has exactly 40 se'ah, when he lifts their edges out of the water, the water inside of them is considered as drawn water.
What should he do? He should immerse them and lift them up by their ends. With regard to a basket and a sack, he should immerse them and lift them up in the ordinary manner without showing any concern.
Halacha 4
The following law applies to a mikveh that had three pockets of drawn water with a log in each of the pockets and then acceptable water fell into it. If it is known that 40 se'ah of acceptable water fell into it before the water reached the third pocket, it is acceptable, If not, it is disqualified.
Halacha 5
When there are two mikveot, neither containing 40 se'ah, a log and a half fell into each one of them, and then the mikveot became mixed together, they are acceptable. The rationale is that neither one of them had been designated as unacceptable.
If, by contrast, three lugim of drawn water fell into a mikveh that does not contain 40 se'ah [of acceptable water and afterwards, it was divided into two, even though enough acceptable water was added to each one to constitute an acceptable mikveh, they are invalid. The rationale is that whenever a mikveh is disqualified, all of its contents are considered as drawn water. It is as if all of the water had been drawn with a container.
Halacha 6
When a cistern is filled with drawn water and a canal of rainwater flows into it and out of it, it is still considered as unacceptable until it can be calculated that not even three lugim of the drawn water that originally was in the cistern remain.
When three lugim of unacceptable water fall into a mikveh containing less than 40 se'ah of acceptable water, all of its contents are disqualified. Even if afterwards, he added enough acceptable water until the measure of 40 se'ah is reached, the mikveh remains invalid until all the water that was contained within it flows out and less than three lugim of the drawn water remain.
What is implied? A mikveh contains 20 se'ah of rainwater and a se'ah of drawn water fell into it. Afterwards, more acceptable water was added to it. It remains unacceptable until one knows that the 20 se'ah it originally contained and more than five and a quarter kabbin of the added water flowed out and less than three lugim of the entire quantity remain. Similarly, if one made a mikveh that contains 40 se'ah of acceptable water and joined it to this invalid mikveh, the acceptable water purifies the unacceptable water.
Halacha 7
If one was moving mud from the bottom of the mikveh to the sides and, as a result, three lugim of water flowed into the mikveh, it remains acceptable. If one was removing the mud and lifted it up by hand, separating it from the mikveh and placing it on the mikveh's sides and three lugim flowed into the mikveh from it, they disqualify it.
Halacha 8
When a legion is passing from one place to another - or similarly, an animal is passing from one place to another - and three lugim of water was splashed into a mikveh by their hands and feet, it is acceptable. Moreover, even if they made a mikveh in this manner initially, it is acceptable.
Halacha 9
When a mikveh does not contain 40 se'ah and less than three lugim of impure, drawn water fell into it, the water is acceptable with regard to challah and terumah and one may use it for the ritual washing of hands. It is, however, invalid to be used as the base for the collection of water for an acceptable mikveh. If rainwater descended upon it to the extent that the rainwater constituted the majority of the mixture, the mixture is acceptable to be used as the base for the collection of water for an acceptable mikveh.
When three lugim of impure, drawn water fell into it, the water is unacceptable for challah and terumah. One may not use it for the ritual washing of hands, nor may it be used as the base for the collection of water for an acceptable mikveh. If rainwater descended upon it to the extent that the rainwater constituted the majority of the mixture, the mixture is acceptable with regard to challah and terumah and one may use it for the ritual washing of hands. It is, however, invalid to be used as the base for the collection of water for an acceptable mikveh until all of the original water that became considered as drawn flowed out and less than three lugim of it remained.
Similarly, if there was a mikveh that contained only a dinar-size measure less than 40 se'ah and three lugim of impure, drawn water fell into it, the water is unacceptable for challah and terumah. One may not use it for the ritual washing of hands, nor may it be used as the base for the collection of water for an acceptable mikveh. If less than three lugim of water fell into it - even if the water was all impure - and then a dinar-size measure of rainwater fell into it, causing it comprise a complete measure of 40 se'ah, it is acceptable. Just as it is considered as pure with regard to immersion, it is considered pure in every respect.
Mikvaot - Chapter 6
Halacha 1
Whenever water passes over keilim that contain a receptacle or water falls into them, it is considered as drawn water and disqualifies a mikveh, provided that the receptacle was made to serve that purpose. Even containers that are not susceptible to ritual impurity, e.g., stone containers and containers made from earth, disqualify water.
Halacha 2
Whenever a k'li was not made with the intent that it serve as a receptacle, even though it does serve as a receptacle, the water it contains does not disqualify a mikveh, for example, large pipes through which water flows. Even though they are wide in the middle and serve as receptacles, the water they contain does not disqualify a mikveh. This applies whether they were made of metal or of earthenware.
Halacha 3
The water contained in a trough in a stone does not disqualify a mikveh, because the trough is not a k'li. If, however, one joins a k'li to a stone, water contained in it disqualifies a mikveh, even if it was joined with cement. If one made a hole from below or one as wide as the mouthpiece of a drinking pouch in the trough from the side, it is acceptable and water contained within it does not disqualify a mikveh.
Halacha 4
When a person takes a large barrel or a large kneading trough and makes a hole large enough to purify it from susceptibility to impurity, and then permanently affixes it within the ground, making it into a mikveh, it is acceptable. Similarly, if one plugged the hole with lime and with building materials, this does not disqualify the barrel and the water collected within forms an acceptable mikveh. If one plugged it with lime or with gypsum, the water it contains makes a mikveh unacceptable, unless it was permanently affixed to the earth or made part of a building. If it was taken and placed on the surface of the earth or on lime and mud was smeared on its sides, it is acceptable to use as a mikveh.
Halacha 5
The following laws apply when one places a tablet under a drainage pipe and water flows over it into a mikveh. If the tablet had borders on its sides, this water would disqualify the mikveh. If not, it does not disqualify it. If one stood the tablet upright on its point, at an angle under the drainage pipe to wash it, even though it has borders, it does not disqualify the water, because in this position, it was not intended to serve as a receptacle.
Halacha 6
The following laws apply when one carves a place in a pipe for pebbles that are carried with the water to collect so that they will not descend together with the water. If it was a wooden pipe and he carved out even the slightest hollow, it disqualifies the water, because all of the water passes through a utensil that was made to serve as a receptacle. This applies even if one permanently affixed the pipe to the earth after he carved out the hollow. The rationale is that the pipe had already been considered as a k'li when it was unattached. If, by contrast, it was permanently affixed to the earth and then he carved out the receptacle, it does not disqualify the water. If the pipe was made from earthenware, it does not disqualify the water unless the hollow is large enough to contain a revi'it.
Even though the hollow in the pipe becomes filled with the pebbles that dribble into it, it remains a disqualifying factor. It is not considered as having been stopped up. If earth or pebbles descended into the hollow and stopped it up, because they were compressed there, the water is acceptable.
Halacha 7
When either a sponge or a bucket that contains three lugim of drawn water falls into a mikveh, it does not disqualify it. For it was said only that three lugim of water that fall into it disqualify it, not a container into which drawn water had fallen.
Halacha 8
When there is a closet or a chest in the sea, one may not immerse in them unless they have a hole the size of the mouthpiece of a drinking pouch. If there was a sack or a basket in the sea, one may immerse in them. Similarly, if one places a sack or a basket under a drainage pipe, the water that flows through them does not disqualify a mikveh.
Halacha 9
When one immersed keilim over an impure base for a container that was placed inside a mikveh, even though the edge of the base extends above the water, the keilim are purified from their impurity. If, however, one lifts them up from the water into the inner space of the base, the water that is on the keilim contracts impurity because it is within the inner space of the base. The water in turn imparts impurity to the keilim.
Similarly, if a spring emerges from under an earthenware oven and a person descended and immersed in it, he is pure, but his hands contract impurity from the inner space of the oven unless the water extends above the oven for at least the height of his hands. Thus when he immersed, his hands will be above the oven. The difficulties arise, because earthenware keilim do not regain purity through immersion in a mikveh, as we explained.
Halacha 10
When a barrel full of water falls into a sea, even into the Mediterranean Sea, one who immerses there is not considered to have immersed. The rationale is that it is impossible that there will not be three lugim of water from the barrel in one place. If a loaf of terumah falls there, it becomes impure. It contracts impurity due to contact with drawn water, for the water is standing there. If such a situation would take place in a river or the like, one would be able to immerse there, since it flows.
Halacha 11
When there was a pool of drawn water next to a mikveh that contains less than 40 seah, even though it is touching the water of the mikveh, it does not disqualify it, because it is like a mikveh next to a mikveh. If the pool of the drawn water was in the middle of the mikveh, it disqualifies it.
Halacha 12
The following rule applies when there are two pools of water, one above the other, they are separated by a wall, and the upper one is filled with acceptable water, but the lower one is filled with drawn water, and there is a hole in the wall between the upper pool and the lower one. If there are three lugim of drawn water opposite the hole, the upper pool is disqualified. The rationale is that it is considered as if the hole was in the center of the upper pool, not at its side.
Halacha 13
How large must the hole be for there to be three lugim there? Everything depends on the quantity of water contained in the pool. If the lower pool contains 40 se'ah, the hole must be 1/320th of the pool. If the pool contains 20 se'ah, the hole must be 1/160th of the pool. Continue calculating according to this ratio for other amounts. A se'ah is six kabbin, a kab is four lugim, and a log is the size of six eggs.
Halacha 14
The following laws apply when there are three mikveot, each containing exactly 20 se'ah, next to each other, and one [of those on the side contained drawn water. If three people descended and immersed themselves, causing all the water to rise and mix on the floor outside the mikveot, both the mikveot and the people who immersed themselves are pure. The rationale is that the entire amount totaled 60 se'ah, of which 40 se'ah of acceptable water came from two pools located next to each other. And drawn water does not disqualify a mikveh that contains 40 se'ah, as we explained.
If the pool containing drawn water was in the middle and they descended and immersed themselves, causing the water to rise and the mikveot thus to become joined, the status of the mikveot is the same as it was previously and those who immersed themselves are impure as they were previously. The rationale is that 40 se'ah of acceptable water did not mix together, because their pools were not located next to each other, for the pool of drawn water separates between them.
Mikvaot - Chapter 7
Halacha 1
A mikveh is not disqualified, neither because of a change of its water's taste, nor a change of its smell, only because its color changes. Any substance that may not be used to constitute a mikveh initially disqualifies one, if it causes its color to change.
What is implied? Wine, milk, blood, or other liquids that are classified as fruit juices do not disqualify a mikveh if three lugim of them fall into it, because it was only said that three lugim of drawn water disqualify a mikveh. They do, however, disqualify it if they change the color of its water.
Even when a mikveh contains 100 se'ah and a log of wine or fruit juice falls into it and changes its color, it is unacceptable. Similarly, if a mikveh contains 20 se'ah or less of acceptable water and a se'ah of wine or fruit juice fell into it without changing its color, the water is acceptable as it was beforehand. The se'ah of wine or fruit juice, however, is not counted in the measure of the mikveh. If another 20 se'ah of acceptable water were added to the original 20, it is an acceptable mikveh.
Halacha 2
There are substances that cause a mikveh to be considered acceptable and do not disqualify it; others that disqualify it and do not cause it to be considered acceptable, and others that neither cause it to be acceptable nor disqualify it.
Halacha 3
These are the substances that cause a mikveh to be considered acceptable and do not disqualify it: snow, hail, sleet, ice, salt, and flowing mud. What is implied? When a mikveh contains 39 se'ah of water and a se'ah of one of these substances falls into it, the mikveh is acceptable and complete. Thus they cause a mikveh to be considered acceptable and do not disqualify it.
Even if one brought 40 se'ah of snow initially and placed them in a cavity and crushed it there, the mikveh is complete and acceptable.
Halacha 4
These are the substances that disqualify a mikveh and never cause it to be considered acceptable: drawn water, whether pure or impure, water that was used for pickling, water that was used for cooking, a mixture of water and grape dregs before they become vinegar, and beer.
What is implied? When a mikveh contains 40 se'ah minus the weight of a dinar and the weight of a dinar of one of these liquids falls into it, it is not included in the measure of a mikveh and does not complete it. If three lugim of one of these liquids falls into a mikveh, it disqualifies it.
Halacha 5
These are the substances that neither disqualify a mikveh, nor cause it to be considered acceptable: other liquids, fruit juice, fish brine, fish oil, and a mixture of water and grape dregs that became vinegar.
What is implied? If there was a mikveh that contained 39 se'ah and a se'ah of these liquids fell into it, it does not cause it to be acceptable. Nevertheless, the water the mikveh contains is acceptable as it was beforehand, for these liquids disqualify a mikveh only if they change its color, as explained.
Halacha 6
There are times when the latter liquids cause a mikveh to be considered as acceptable. What is implied? A mikveh contained 40 se'ah, a se'ah of these liquids fell in, and then a se'ah was removed from the mikveh's waters. The 40 se'ah that remain still constitute an acceptable mikveh.
Halacha 7
When one washed baskets used to collect olives or grapes in a mikveh, causing the water's color to change, it is acceptable.
Halacha 8
Water of dyes disqualify a mikveh if three lugim fall in, but do not disqualify it because they changed its color.
Halacha 9
When wine, black fluid from olives, or other fruit juices fall into a mikveh and change the color of its water, disqualifying it, how can it be rectified? If the mikveh contains less than 40 se'ah, one should wait until rain descends and changes its color back to water's natural color. If the mikveh contains 40 se'ah of acceptable water, one may fill buckets and pour water into it until its color reverts to water's natural color.
If wine, the black fluid from olives, or the like falls into a mikveh and changes the color of some of its water, if it does not have 40 se'ah of water whose color has not changed, one should not immerse in it. Even if it contains 40 se'ah, if one immerses in a place whose color has changed, his immersion is invalid. Even if a barrel of wine was broken and fell into the Mediterranean Sea and the color of the water in that place is the color of wine, one who immerses in that place is not considered to have immersed.
Halacha 10
When even a dinar-sized portion of wine fell into three lugim of drawn water and change their color, so that they are all the color of wine and then they fell into a mikveh they do not disqualify it, unless they change its color.
Halacha 11
When there are three lugim minus a dinar-sized portion of water and milk or fruit juice falls into the water, but its color remains that of water, it does not disqualify a mikveh if it falls into it. A mikveh is not disqualified unless three lugim of drawn water fall into it that were not mixed with any other liquid or with fruit juice.
Halacha 12
When the color of a mikveh changes on its own accord without anything falling into it, it is acceptable. It is only disqualified if its color changed due to another liquid.
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Hayom Yom:
Friday, Elul 10, 5774 • 5 September 2014
"Today's Day"
Friday, Elul 10, 5703
Torah lessons: Chumash: Teitsei, Shishi with Rashi.
Tehillim: 55-59. Also 28-30.
Tanya: And this is (p. 455) ...the sea." (p. 457).
Great elders of the Alter Rebbe's chassidim used to say that yechidus (private audience with the Rebbe) means: "clear," "designated," "united." The sources of these three interpretations are in Shekalim 6:2, Yevamot 62a, and Bereishit Raba 20.
This means that the idea of yechidus is:
To clarify one's own status;
To designate a mode of avoda for him in "turn(ing) away from evil" and in the acquisition of fine character traits;
And that he should bind himself1 in total oneness, and utterly dedicate himself1 with all his desires.
FOOTNOTES
1. To the Rebbe.
Hayom Yom:
Shabbat, Elul 11, 5774 • 6 September 2014
"Today's Day"
Shabbat, Elul 11, 5703
Torah lessons: Chumash: Teitsei, Shevi'i with Rashi.
Tehillim: 60-65. Also 31-33.
Tanya: XIII. "How abundant (p. 457) ...in a pavilion..." (p. 461).
On Shabbat Teitsei 5603 (1843), at the Kiddush table by day, the Tzemach Tzedek said: "This world is a world of falsity, therefore even good is adulterated with chaff and must be purified 'from below upward' as well as from 'Above downward.' Olam haba (the Coming World) is the world of truth. In Torah there are discussions of matters which may appear negative, yet the same matters, as they are studied in gan eden1 - are actually positive qualities."
Then the Rebbe began to sing, and indicated with a motion of his hand that everyone join him. His sons began singing, then all the chassidim joined in; the singing enflamed and aroused all hearts. When the Tzemach Tzedek stopped singing, he said: "In This World the meaning of the passage (Sanhedrin 99b) 'He who studies Torah liprakim,' means one who studies Torah intermittently; in gan eden they interpret the passage to mean that he studies Torah and the Torah 'takes him apart',2 the words of Torah possess him."
Compiled and arranged by the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, of righteous memory, in 5703 (1943) from the talks and letters of the sixth Chabad Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, of righteous memory.
FOOTNOTES
1. Related to olam haba.
2. The word liprakim lends itself to both interpretations: peirek - intermittent, or - pareik - to take apart.
____________________________
Daily Thought:
Impossible
He could have made a world that was self-explanatory. It would look at itself and explain itself according to its own design.
But He made a world with such parameters, that according to its own rules it cannot exist.
He wanted a world held together by wonder.(Acharon Shel Pesach 5717:21.)
Daily Thought:Friday, Elul 10, 5703
Torah lessons: Chumash: Teitsei, Shishi with Rashi.
Tehillim: 55-59. Also 28-30.
Tanya: And this is (p. 455) ...the sea." (p. 457).
Great elders of the Alter Rebbe's chassidim used to say that yechidus (private audience with the Rebbe) means: "clear," "designated," "united." The sources of these three interpretations are in Shekalim 6:2, Yevamot 62a, and Bereishit Raba 20.
This means that the idea of yechidus is:
To clarify one's own status;
To designate a mode of avoda for him in "turn(ing) away from evil" and in the acquisition of fine character traits;
And that he should bind himself1 in total oneness, and utterly dedicate himself1 with all his desires.
FOOTNOTES
1. To the Rebbe.
Hayom Yom:
Shabbat, Elul 11, 5774 • 6 September 2014
"Today's Day"
Shabbat, Elul 11, 5703
Torah lessons: Chumash: Teitsei, Shevi'i with Rashi.
Tehillim: 60-65. Also 31-33.
Tanya: XIII. "How abundant (p. 457) ...in a pavilion..." (p. 461).
On Shabbat Teitsei 5603 (1843), at the Kiddush table by day, the Tzemach Tzedek said: "This world is a world of falsity, therefore even good is adulterated with chaff and must be purified 'from below upward' as well as from 'Above downward.' Olam haba (the Coming World) is the world of truth. In Torah there are discussions of matters which may appear negative, yet the same matters, as they are studied in gan eden1 - are actually positive qualities."
Then the Rebbe began to sing, and indicated with a motion of his hand that everyone join him. His sons began singing, then all the chassidim joined in; the singing enflamed and aroused all hearts. When the Tzemach Tzedek stopped singing, he said: "In This World the meaning of the passage (Sanhedrin 99b) 'He who studies Torah liprakim,' means one who studies Torah intermittently; in gan eden they interpret the passage to mean that he studies Torah and the Torah 'takes him apart',2 the words of Torah possess him."
Compiled and arranged by the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, of righteous memory, in 5703 (1943) from the talks and letters of the sixth Chabad Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, of righteous memory.
FOOTNOTES
1. Related to olam haba.
2. The word liprakim lends itself to both interpretations: peirek - intermittent, or - pareik - to take apart.
____________________________
Daily Thought:
Impossible
He could have made a world that was self-explanatory. It would look at itself and explain itself according to its own design.
But He made a world with such parameters, that according to its own rules it cannot exist.
He wanted a world held together by wonder.(Acharon Shel Pesach 5717:21.)
Impossible
He could have made a world that was self-explanatory. It would look at itself and explain itself according to its own design.
But He made a world with such parameters, that according to its own rules it cannot exist.
He wanted a world held together by wonder.(Acharon Shel Pesach 5717:21.)
____________________________
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