Today's Laws & Customs:
• Kindle Three Chanukah Lights tonight
In commemoration of the miracle of Chanukah (see "Today in Jewish History" for Kislev 25) we kindle the Chanukah lights -- oil lamps or candles -- each evening of the eight-day festival, increasing the number of lights each evening. Tonight we kindle three lights. (In the Jewish calendar, the day begins at nightfall; this evening, then, commences the 3rd day of Chanukah).
The lights—which ideally should be kindled soon after sunset—must burn for at least half an hour after nightfall. Learn more about the proper lighting time here.
For a more detailed guide to Chanukah lighting click here. For text and audio of the blessings recited before lighting, click here.
Additional Chanukah observances and customs are listed below:
• Hallel & Al HaNissim
Special prayers of thanksgiving -- Hallel (in its full version) and Al HaNissim -- are added to the daily prayers and Grace After Meals on all eight days of Chanukah. Tachnun (confession of sins) and similar prayers are omitted for the duration of trhe festival.
• Latkes, Sufganiot & Dairy Foods
On Chanukah we eat foods fried in oil -- such as latkes (potato cakes) and sufganiot (doughnuts) -- in commemoration of the miracle of the oil.
It is also customary to eat dairy foods in commemoration of Judith's heroic deed.
• Dreidel
It is customary to play dreidel -- a game played with a spinning top inscribed with the Hebrew letters Nun, Gimmel, Hei and Shin, which spell the phrase Nes Gadol Hayah Sham, "a great miracle happened there." (It is said that when the Greeks forbade the study of Torah, Jewish children continued the study with their teachers in caves and cellars; when the agents of the king were seen approaching, the children would hide their scrolls and start to play with spinning tops...)
Links: About the dreidel
• Chanukah Gelt
It is an age-old custom to distribute gifts of Chanukah gelt ("Chanukah money") to children on Chanukah. (It was the custom of the rebbes of Chabad-Lubavitch to give Chanukah gelt to their children and other family members on the fourth or fifth night of Chanukah; more recently, however, the Lubavitcher Rebbe encouraged the giving of Chanukah gelt every day of the festival -- except for Shabbat, when handling money is forbidden.)
Today in Jewish History:
• 2nd Day of Chanukah Miracle (139 BCE)
On the 25th of Kislev in the year 3622 from creation, the Maccabees liberated the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, after defeating the vastly more numerous and powerful armies of the Syrian-Greek king Antiochus IV, who had tried to forcefully uproot the beliefs and practices of Judaism from the people of Israel. The victorious Jews repaired, cleansed and rededicated the Temple to the service of G-d. But all the Temple's oil had been defiled by the pagan invaders; when the Jews sought to light the Temple's menorah (candelabra), they found only one small cruse of ritually pure olive oil. Miraculously, the one-day supply burned for eight days, until new, pure oil could be obtained. In commemoration, the Sages instituted the 8-day festival of Chanukah, on which lights are kindled nightly to recall and publicize the miracle.
Link: The Story of Chanukah
• Raavad's Passing (1198)
Rabbi Avraham ben David of Posquieres (Provence), known by the acronym "Raavad", wrote the famed hagaot critical notations to Maimonides' Mishneh Torah. Born approximately 1120, he passed away on the 26th of kislev of the year 4959 from creation (1198).
Link: The Lubavitcher Rebbe's analysis of a famous dispute between Maimonides and Raavad on the subject of free choice.
• Oldest US Synagogue Dedicated (1763)
On this date, the "Touro Synagogue" was dedicated in Newport, Rhode Island. The synagogue, named after Isaac Touro, its first officiating rabbi, is the oldest American synagogue still standing in its original structure.
DAILY QUOTE:
The world says: If you can't go under [an obstacle], leap over; I say: In the first place, go over! (lechatchilah ariber)[Rabbi Shmuel of Lubavitch (1834-1882)]
DAILY STUDY:
CHITAS AND RAMBAM FOR TODAY:In commemoration of the miracle of Chanukah (see "Today in Jewish History" for Kislev 25) we kindle the Chanukah lights -- oil lamps or candles -- each evening of the eight-day festival, increasing the number of lights each evening. Tonight we kindle three lights. (In the Jewish calendar, the day begins at nightfall; this evening, then, commences the 3rd day of Chanukah).
The lights—which ideally should be kindled soon after sunset—must burn for at least half an hour after nightfall. Learn more about the proper lighting time here.
For a more detailed guide to Chanukah lighting click here. For text and audio of the blessings recited before lighting, click here.
Additional Chanukah observances and customs are listed below:
• Hallel & Al HaNissim
Special prayers of thanksgiving -- Hallel (in its full version) and Al HaNissim -- are added to the daily prayers and Grace After Meals on all eight days of Chanukah. Tachnun (confession of sins) and similar prayers are omitted for the duration of trhe festival.
• Latkes, Sufganiot & Dairy Foods
On Chanukah we eat foods fried in oil -- such as latkes (potato cakes) and sufganiot (doughnuts) -- in commemoration of the miracle of the oil.
It is also customary to eat dairy foods in commemoration of Judith's heroic deed.
• Dreidel
It is customary to play dreidel -- a game played with a spinning top inscribed with the Hebrew letters Nun, Gimmel, Hei and Shin, which spell the phrase Nes Gadol Hayah Sham, "a great miracle happened there." (It is said that when the Greeks forbade the study of Torah, Jewish children continued the study with their teachers in caves and cellars; when the agents of the king were seen approaching, the children would hide their scrolls and start to play with spinning tops...)
Links: About the dreidel
• Chanukah Gelt
It is an age-old custom to distribute gifts of Chanukah gelt ("Chanukah money") to children on Chanukah. (It was the custom of the rebbes of Chabad-Lubavitch to give Chanukah gelt to their children and other family members on the fourth or fifth night of Chanukah; more recently, however, the Lubavitcher Rebbe encouraged the giving of Chanukah gelt every day of the festival -- except for Shabbat, when handling money is forbidden.)
Today in Jewish History:
• 2nd Day of Chanukah Miracle (139 BCE)
On the 25th of Kislev in the year 3622 from creation, the Maccabees liberated the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, after defeating the vastly more numerous and powerful armies of the Syrian-Greek king Antiochus IV, who had tried to forcefully uproot the beliefs and practices of Judaism from the people of Israel. The victorious Jews repaired, cleansed and rededicated the Temple to the service of G-d. But all the Temple's oil had been defiled by the pagan invaders; when the Jews sought to light the Temple's menorah (candelabra), they found only one small cruse of ritually pure olive oil. Miraculously, the one-day supply burned for eight days, until new, pure oil could be obtained. In commemoration, the Sages instituted the 8-day festival of Chanukah, on which lights are kindled nightly to recall and publicize the miracle.
Link: The Story of Chanukah
• Raavad's Passing (1198)
Rabbi Avraham ben David of Posquieres (Provence), known by the acronym "Raavad", wrote the famed hagaot critical notations to Maimonides' Mishneh Torah. Born approximately 1120, he passed away on the 26th of kislev of the year 4959 from creation (1198).
Link: The Lubavitcher Rebbe's analysis of a famous dispute between Maimonides and Raavad on the subject of free choice.
• Oldest US Synagogue Dedicated (1763)
On this date, the "Touro Synagogue" was dedicated in Newport, Rhode Island. The synagogue, named after Isaac Touro, its first officiating rabbi, is the oldest American synagogue still standing in its original structure.
DAILY QUOTE:
The world says: If you can't go under [an obstacle], leap over; I say: In the first place, go over! (lechatchilah ariber)[Rabbi Shmuel of Lubavitch (1834-1882)]
DAILY STUDY:
Chumash: Mikeitz, 5th Portion Genesis 42:19-43:15 with Rashi
• Chapter 42
19. If you are honest, your one brother will be confined in your prison, and you, go bring the grain for the hunger of your households. יט. אִם כֵּנִים אַתֶּם אֲחִיכֶם אֶחָד יֵאָסֵר בְּבֵית מִשְׁמַרְכֶם וְאַתֶּם לְכוּ הָבִיאוּ שֶׁבֶר רַעֲבוֹן בָּתֵּיכֶם:
in your prison: In which you are now imprisoned.
בבית משמרכם: שאתם אסורים בו עכשיו:
and you, go bring: to your father’s house.
ואתם לכו הביאו: לבית אביכם:
the grain for the hunger of your households: What you have purchased for the hunger of the members of your households. — [from Targum Jonathan ben Uzziel].
שבר רעבון בתיכם: מה שקניתם לרעבון אנשי בתיכם:
20. And bring your youngest brother to me, so that your words may be verified, and you will not die." And they did so. כ. וְאֶת אֲחִיכֶם הַקָּטֹן תָּבִיאוּ אֵלַי וְיֵאָמְנוּ דִבְרֵיכֶם וְלֹא תָמוּתוּ וַיַּעֲשׂוּ כֵן:
so that your words may be verified: Heb. וְיֵאָמְנוּ, let them be confirmed and fulfilled, like“Amen, amen (אָמֵן)” (Num. 5:22), and like“may Your word now be verified (יֵאָמֵן)” (I Kings 8:26).
ויאמנו דבריכם: יתאמתו ויתקיימו, כמו (במדבר ה כב) אמן אמן, וכמו (מ"א ח כו) יאמן נא דבריך:
21. And they said to one another, "Indeed, we are guilty for our brother, that we witnessed the distress of his soul when he begged us, and we did not listen. That is why this trouble has come upon us." כא. וַיֹּאמְרוּ אִישׁ אֶל אָחִיו אֲבָל אֲשֵׁמִים | אֲנַחְנוּ עַל אָחִינוּ אֲשֶׁר רָאִינוּ צָרַת נַפְשׁוֹ בְּהִתְחַנְנוֹ אֵלֵינוּ וְלֹא שָׁמָעְנוּ עַל כֵּן בָּאָה אֵלֵינוּ הַצָּרָה הַזֹּאת:
Indeed: Heb. אִבָל, as the Targum renders: בָּקוּשְׁטָא, in truth. I [also] saw in Genesis Rabbah (91:8): It is the language of the Southerners; אִבָל means בְּרַם, in truth.
אבל: כתרגומו בקושטא. וראיתי בבראשית רבה (צא ח) לישנא דרומאה הוא אבל, ברם:
has come upon us: Heb. בָּאָה. Its accent is on the“beth,” because it is in the past tense, [meaning] that it has already come, and the Targum is אָתַת לָנָא [which is the past tense in Aramaic].
באה אלינו: טעמו בבי"ת, לפי שהוא בלשון עבר שכבר באה, ותרגומו אתת לנא:
22. And Reuben answered them, saying, "Didn't I tell you, saying, 'Do not sin against the lad,' but you did not listen? Behold, his blood, too, is being demanded!" כב. וַיַּעַן רְאוּבֵן אֹתָם לֵאמֹר הֲלוֹא אָמַרְתִּי אֲלֵיכֶם | לֵאמֹר אַל תֶּחֶטְאוּ בַיֶּלֶד וְלֹא שְׁמַעְתֶּם וְגַם דָּמוֹ הִנֵּה נִדְרָשׁ:
his blood, too, is being demanded: The use of the word אֶת or the word גַם denotes inclusion. In this case it means“his blood and also the blood of his aged father.” - [from Gen. Rabbah 91:8]
וגם דמו: אתין וגמין רבויין, דמו וגם דם הזקן:
23. They did not know that Joseph understood, for the interpreter was between them. כג. וְהֵם לֹא יָדְעוּ כִּי שֹׁמֵעַ יוֹסֵף כִּי הַמֵּלִיץ בֵּינֹתָם:
They did not know that Joseph understood: Heb. שֹׁמֵעַ, understood their language, and they were speaking in this manner in his presence. — [from Tanchuma Buber Vayigash 7]
והם לא ידעו כי שומע יוסף: מבין לשונם ובפניו היו מדברים כן:
for the interpreter was between them: For whenever they spoke with him, the interpreter, who knew both Hebrew and Egyptian, was between them, and he would interpret their words for Joseph and Joseph’s words for them. Therefore, they thought that Joseph did not understand Hebrew. — [from Targum Onkelos]
כי המליץ בינותם: כי כשהיו מדברים עמו היה המליץ ביניהם, היודע לשון עברי ולשון מצרי, והיה מליץ דבריהם ליוסף ודברי יוסף להם, לכך היו סבורים שאין יוסף מכיר בלשון עברי:
the interpreter: This was his son Manasseh. — [from Gen. Rabbah 91:8, Targum Jonathan, Targum Yerushalmi]
המליץ: זה מנשה:
24. And he turned away from them and wept, then returned to them and spoke to them; and he took Simeon from among them and imprisoned him before their eyes. כד. וַיִּסֹּב מֵעֲלֵיהֶם וַיֵּבְךְּ וַיָּשָׁב אֲלֵהֶם וַיְדַבֵּר אֲלֵהֶם וַיִּקַּח מֵאִתָּם אֶת שִׁמְעוֹן וַיֶּאֱסֹר אֹתוֹ לְעֵינֵיהֶם:
And he turned away from them: Heb. וַיִסֹב. He distanced himself from them so that they would not see him weeping.
ויסב מעליהם: נתרחק מעליהם שלא יראוהו בוכה:
and wept: Because he heard that they were remorseful. — [from Bereishith Rabbathi , p. 204]
ויבך: לפי ששמע שהיו מתחרטין:
Simeon: He [was the one who] had cast him into the pit. It was he who said to Levi,“Behold, that dreamer is coming” (Gen. 37:19). Another explanation: Joseph intended to separate him from Levi, lest the two of them take counsel to assassinate him.
את שמעון: הוא השליכו לבור, הוא שאמר ללוי (לעיל לז יט) הנה בעל החלומות הלזה בא. דבר אחר נתכוין יוסף להפרידו מלוי שמא יתיעצו שניהם להרוג אותו:
and imprisoned him before their eyes: He imprisoned him only before their eyes, but as soon as they left, he released him and gave him food and drink. — [from Gen. Rabbah 91:8]
ויאסור אותו לעיניהם: לא אסרו אלא לעיניהם, וכיון שיצאו הוציאו והאכילו והשקהו:
25. And Joseph commanded, and they filled their vessels with grain, and [he commanded] to return their money into each one's sack, and to give them provisions for the journey, and he did so for them. כה. וַיְצַו יוֹסֵף וַיְמַלְאוּ אֶת כְּלֵיהֶם בָּר וּלְהָשִׁיב כַּסְפֵּיהֶם אִישׁ אֶל שַׂקּוֹ וְלָתֵת לָהֶם צֵדָה לַדָּרֶךְ וַיַּעַשׂ לָהֶם כֵּן:
26. And they loaded their grain upon their donkeys, and they went away from there. כו. וַיִּשְׂאוּ אֶת שִׁבְרָם עַל חֲמֹרֵיהֶם וַיֵּלְכוּ מִשָּׁם:
27. The one opened his sack to give fodder to his donkey at the lodging place, and he saw his money there it was, in the mouth of his sack. כז. וַיִּפְתַּח הָאֶחָד אֶת שַׂקּוֹ לָתֵת מִסְפּוֹא לַחֲמֹרוֹ בַּמָּלוֹן וַיַּרְא אֶת כַּסְפּוֹ וְהִנֵּה הוּא בְּפִי אַמְתַּחְתּוֹ:
The one opened: That was Levi, who was left alone, without Simeon, his companion. — [from Gen. Rabbah]
ויפתח האחד: הוא לוי שנשאר יחיד משמעון בן זוגו:
at the lodging place: Heb.בַּמָלוֹן. In the place where they lodged at night.
במלון: במקום שלנו בלילה:
his sack: Heb. אַמְתַּחְתּוֹ. That is a sack.
אמתחתו: הוא שק:
28. And he said to his brothers, "My money has been returned, and indeed, here it is in my sack! " Their hearts sank, and trembling, they turned to one another, saying, "What is this that God has done to us?" כח. וַיֹּאמֶר אֶל אֶחָיו הוּשַׁב כַּסְפִּי וְגַם הִנֵּה בְאַמְתַּחְתִּי וַיֵּצֵא לִבָּם וַיֶּחֶרְדוּ אִישׁ אֶל אָחִיו לֵאמֹר מַה זֹּאת עָשָׂה אֱלֹהִים לָנוּ:
and indeed, here it is in my sack: The money is in it with the grain.
וגם הנה באמתחתי: גם הכסף בו עם התבואה:
What is this that God has done to us: to bring us to this accusation, for it (the money) was not returned except to accuse us falsely.
מה זאת עשה א-להים לנו: להביאנו לידי עלילה זו שלא הושב אלא להתעולל עלינו:
29. And they came to Jacob their father, to the land of Canaan, and they told him all that had befallen them, saying, כט. וַיָּבֹאוּ אֶל יַעֲקֹב אֲבִיהֶם אַרְצָה כְּנָעַן וַיַּגִּידוּ לוֹ אֵת כָּל הַקֹּרֹת אֹתָם לֵאמֹר:
30. "The man, the lord of the land, spoke to us harshly, and he accused us of spying on the land. ל. דִּבֶּר הָאִישׁ אֲדֹנֵי הָאָרֶץ אִתָּנוּ קָשׁוֹת וַיִּתֵּן אֹתָנוּ כִּמְרַגְּלִים אֶת הָאָרֶץ:
31. And we said to him, 'We are honest; we were never spies. לא. וַנֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו כֵּנִים אֲנָחְנוּ לֹא הָיִינוּ מְרַגְּלִים:
32. We are twelve brothers, the sons of our father; one is gone, and today the youngest is with our father in the land of Canaan.' לב. שְׁנֵים עָשָׂר אֲנַחְנוּ אַחִים בְּנֵי אָבִינוּ הָאֶחָד אֵינֶנּוּ וְהַקָּטֹן הַיּוֹם אֶת אָבִינוּ בְּאֶרֶץ כְּנָעַן:
33. And the man, the lord of the land, said to us, 'With this I will know that you are honest; leave one of your brothers with me, and [what is needed for] the hunger of your households, take and go. לג. וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלֵינוּ הָאִישׁ אֲדֹנֵי הָאָרֶץ בְּזֹאת אֵדַע כִּי כֵנִים אַתֶּם אֲחִיכֶם הָאֶחָד הַנִּיחוּ אִתִּי וְאֶת רַעֲבוֹן בָּתֵּיכֶם קְחוּ וָלֵכוּ:
34. And bring your youngest brother to me, so that I will know that you are not spies, that you are honest; [then] I will give you your brother, and you may travel around in the land.' " לד. וְהָבִיאוּ אֶת אֲחִיכֶם הַקָּטֹן אֵלַי וְאֵדְעָה כִּי לֹא מְרַגְּלִים אַתֶּם כִּי כֵנִים אַתֶּם אֶת אֲחִיכֶם אֶתֵּן לָכֶם וְאֶת הָאָרֶץ תִּסְחָרוּ:
and you may travel around in the land: Heb. תִּסְחָרוּ, you may go around. Likewise, every expression of merchants (סוֹחִרִים) and commerce (סְחוֹרָה) is based on the fact that they (the merchants) travel around and look for merchandise.
ואת הארץ תסחרו: תסובבו. וכל לשון סוחרים וסחורה על שם שמחזרים וסובבים אחר פרקמטיא:
35. And it came to pass that they were emptying their sacks and behold! Each one's bundle of money was in his sack; they saw the bundles of their money, they and their father, and they became frightened. לה. וַיְהִי הֵם מְרִיקִים שַׂקֵּיהֶם וְהִנֵּה אִישׁ צְרוֹר כַּסְפּוֹ בְּשַׂקּוֹ וַיִּרְאוּ אֶת צְרֹרוֹת כַּסְפֵּיהֶם הֵמָּה וַאֲבִיהֶם וַיִּירָאוּ:
bundle of money: Heb. צְרוֹר כַּסְפּוֹ, his bundle of money. — [from Targum Jonathan ben Uzziel]
צרור כספו: קשר כספו:
36. And their father Jacob said to them, "You have bereaved me-Joseph is gone, and Simeon is gone, and you want to take Benjamin! All these troubles have come upon me." לו. וַיֹּאמֶר אֲלֵהֶם יַעֲקֹב אֲבִיהֶם אֹתִי שִׁכַּלְתֶּם יוֹסֵף אֵינֶנּוּ וְשִׁמְעוֹן אֵינֶנּוּ וְאֶת בִּנְיָמִן תִּקָּחוּ עָלַי הָיוּ כֻלָּנָה:
You have bereaved me: [This] teaches [us] that he suspected them-perhaps they had killed him (Simeon) or sold him like Joseph. [Gen. Rabbah 91:9]
אתי שכלתם: מלמד שחשדן שמא הרגוהו או מכרוהו כיוסף:
You have bereaved: Heb. שִׁכַּלְתֶּם Anyone who has lost his children is called שַׁכּוּל.
שכלתם: כל מי שבניו אבודים קרוי שכול:
37. And Reuben spoke to his father, saying, "You may put my two sons to death if I don't bring him (Benjamin) to you. Put him into my hand[s] and I will return him to you." לז. וַיֹּאמֶר רְאוּבֵן אֶל אָבִיו לֵאמֹר אֶת שְׁנֵי בָנַי תָּמִית אִם לֹא אֲבִיאֶנּוּ אֵלֶיךָ תְּנָה אֹתוֹ עַל יָדִי וַאֲנִי אֲשִׁיבֶנּוּ אֵלֶיךָ:
38. But he (Jacob) said, "My son shall not go down with you, because his brother is dead, and he alone is left, and if misfortune befalls him on the way you are going, you will bring down my gray head in sorrow to the grave." לח. וַיֹּאמֶר לֹא יֵרֵד בְּנִי עִמָּכֶם כִּי אָחִיו מֵת וְהוּא לְבַדּוֹ נִשְׁאָר וּקְרָאָהוּ אָסוֹן בַּדֶּרֶךְ אֲשֶׁר תֵּלְכוּ בָהּ וְהוֹרַדְתֶּם אֶת שֵׂיבָתִי בְּיָגוֹן שְׁאוֹלָה:
My son shall not go down with you: He did not accept Reuben’s offer. He said,“This firstborn is a fool. He offers to kill his sons. Are they his sons and not my sons?” - [from Gen. Rabbah 91:9]
לא ירד בני עמכם: לא קבל דבריו של ראובן. אמר בכור שוטה הוא זה, הוא אומר להמית בניו, וכי בניו הם ולא בני:
Chapter 43
1. But the hunger was severe in the land. א. וְהָרָעָב כָּבֵד בָּאָרֶץ:
2. And it came to pass, when they finished eating the grain that they had brought from Egypt, that their father said to them, "Go back [and] buy us a little food." ב. וַיְהִי כַּאֲשֶׁר כִּלּוּ לֶאֱכֹל אֶת הַשֶּׁבֶר אֲשֶׁר הֵבִיאוּ מִמִּצְרָיִם וַיֹּאמֶר אֲלֵיהֶם אֲבִיהֶם שֻׁבוּ שִׁבְרוּ לָנוּ מְעַט אֹכֶל:
when they finished eating: Judah had said to them, “Wait for the old man until there is no more bread left in the house.” - [from Tanchuma Mikeitz 8, Gen. Rabbah 91:6]
כאשר כלו לאכול: יהודה אמר להם המתינו לזקן עד שתכלה פת מן הבית:
when they finished.: [Onkelos renders:] כַּד שֵׁצִיאוּ, when they stopped. The one who renders: כַּד סַפִּיקוּ is in error.“When the camels had finished drinking” (Gen. 24:22) is rendered: כַּד סַפִּיקוּ, which means “when they had drunk their fill,” [for] that was the end of their drinking. This instance of “when they had finished eating,” however, means“when the food was depleted,” and we render: כַּד שֵׁצִיאוּ
כאשר כלו: כד שציאו. והמתרגם כד ספיקו, טועה כאשר כלו הגמלים לשתות מתורגם כד ספיקו כששתו די ספוקם הוא גמר שתייתם. אבל זה כאשר כלו לאכול, כאשר תם האוכל הוא, ומתרגמינן כד שציאו:
3. But Judah spoke to him, saying, "The man warned us repeatedly, saying, 'You shall not see my face if your brother is not with you.' ג. וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו יְהוּדָה לֵאמֹר הָעֵד הֵעִד בָּנוּ הָאִישׁ לֵאמֹר לֹא תִרְאוּ פָנַי בִּלְתִּי אֲחִיכֶם אִתְּכֶם:
warned us repeatedly: Heb. הָעֵד הֵעִד, an expression of warning, since a warning is usually given in the presence of witnesses (עֵדִים) . Similarly,“I warned (הַעִדֹתִי) your forefathers” (Jer. 11:7);“Go down, warn (הָעֵד) the people” (Exod. 19:21).
העד העד: לשון התראה, שסתם התראה מתרה בו בפני עדים, וכן (דברים ל יט) העידותי בכם, (שמות יט כא) רד העד בעם:
‘You shall not see my face if your brother is not with you.’: Heb. בִּלְתִּי, lit., without. You shall not see me without your brother [being] with you. Onkelos, however, renders: except when your brother is with you. He explained the verse according to its context, but he was not precise in translating it in accordance with the language of the verse.
לא תראו פני בלתי אחיכם אתכם: לא תראוני בלא אחיכם אתכם. ואנקלוס תרגם אלהין כד אחוכון עמכון, יישב ביאור הדבר על אופנו ולא דקדק לתרגם אחר לשון המקרא:
4. If you send our brother with us, we will go down and buy food for you. ד. אִם יֶשְׁךָ מְשַׁלֵּחַ אֶת אָחִינוּ אִתָּנוּ נֵרְדָה וְנִשְׁבְּרָה לְךָ אֹכֶל:
5. But if you do not send [him], we will not go down, because the man said to us, 'You shall not see my face if your brother is not with you.' " ה. וְאִם אֵינְךָ מְשַׁלֵּחַ לֹא נֵרֵד כִּי הָאִישׁ אָמַר אֵלֵינוּ לֹא תִרְאוּ פָנַי בִּלְתִּי אֲחִיכֶם אִתְּכֶם:
6. And Israel said, "Why have you harmed me, by telling the man that you have another brother?" ו. וַיֹּאמֶר יִשְׂרָאֵל לָמָה הֲרֵעֹתֶם לִי לְהַגִּיד לָאִישׁ הַעוֹד לָכֶם אָח:
7. They said, "The man asked about us and about our family, saying, 'Is your father still alive? Do you have a brother?' And we told him according to these words. Could we have known that he would say, 'Bring your brother down'?" ז. וַיֹּאמְרוּ שָׁאוֹל שָׁאַל הָאִישׁ לָנוּ וּלְמוֹלַדְתֵּנוּ לֵאמֹר הַעוֹד אֲבִיכֶם חַי הֲיֵשׁ לָכֶם אָח וַנַּגֶּד לוֹ עַל פִּי הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה הֲיָדוֹעַ נֵדַע כִּי יֹאמַר הוֹרִידוּ אֶת אֲחִיכֶם:
about us and about our family: Heb. וּלְמוֹלַדְתֵּנוּ, about our lineage (Targum Jonathan). Midrashically, [it is explained:] Even the matters (עִנְיָנֵי) of our cradles he revealed to us. — [from Gen. Rabbah 91:10]
לנו ולמולדתנו: למשפחותינו, ומדרשו אפילו עצי עריסותינו גלה לנו:
And we told him: that we have a father and a brother.
ונגד לו: שיש לנו אב ואח:
according to these words: According to his questions that he asked, we were compelled to answer.
על פי הדברים האלה: על פי שאלותיו אשר שאל הוזקקנו להגיד:
that he would say: Heb. כִּי יֹאמַר. [This is equivalent to] אִשֶׁר יֹאמַר, that he would say. כִּי is used as an expression for אִם, and אִם is used as an expression for אִשֶׁר, that. Hence, this is one of its four usages, for this [כִּי] is like אִם, as“until (עַד אִם) I have spoken my words” (24:33). - [after targumim]
כי יאמר: אשר יאמר, כי משמש בלשון אם, ואם משמש בלשון אשר. הרי זה שימוש אחד מארבע לשונותיו שמשמש כי, והוא אם, שהרי כי זה כמו אם, כמו עד אם דברתי דברי (כד לג):
8. And Judah said to Israel, his father, "Send the lad with me, and we will get up and go, and we will live and not die, both we and you and also our young children. ח. וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוּדָה אֶל יִשְׂרָאֵל אָבִיו שִׁלְחָה הַנַּעַר אִתִּי וְנָקוּמָה וְנֵלֵכָה וְנִחְיֶה וְלֹא נָמוּת גַּם אֲנַחְנוּ גַם אַתָּה גַּם טַפֵּנוּ:
and we will live: The Holy Spirit flickered within him. Through this trip, your spirit will be revived, as it is said:“and the spirit of their father Jacob was revived” (Gen. 45:27).
ונחיה: נצנצה בו רוח הקודש, על ידי הליכה זו תחי רוחך שנאמר (מה כז) ותחי רוח יעקב אביהם:
and not die: of hunger. As for Benjamin, we are not sure whether he will be seized or he will not be seized, but all of us will [certainly] die of hunger if we do not go. It would be better to leave the doubtful situation and seize the [situation that is] certain. — [from Tanchuma Mikeitz 8]
ולא נמות: ברעב. בנימין ספק יתפש ספק לא יתפש, ואנו כלנו מתים ברעב אם לא נלך, מוטב שתניח את הספק ותתפוש את הודאי:
9. I will guarantee him; from my hand you can demand him. If I do not bring him to you and stand him up before you, I will have sinned against you forever. ט. אָנֹכִי אֶעֶרְבֶנּוּ מִיָּדִי תְּבַקְשֶׁנּוּ אִם לֹא הֲבִיאֹתִיו אֵלֶיךָ וְהִצַּגְתִּיו לְפָנֶיךָ וְחָטָאתִי לְךָ כָּל הַיָּמִים:
and stand him up before you: That I will not bring him to you dead, but alive.
והצגתיו לפניך: שלא אביאנו אליך מת כי אם חי:
I will have sinned against you forever: For the world to come. - [from Gen. Rabbah 91:10]
וחטאתי לך כל הימים: לעולם הבא:
10. For had we not tarried, by now we would have already returned twice." י. כִּי לוּלֵא הִתְמַהְמָהְנוּ כִּי עַתָּה שַׁבְנוּ זֶה פַעֲמָיִם:
had we not tarried: because of you, we would have [already] returned with Simeon, and you would not have suffered all these days.
לולא התמהמהנו: על ידך, כבר היינו שבים עם שמעון ולא נצטערת כל הימים הללו:
11. So Israel, their father, said to them, "If so, then do this: take some of the choice products of the land in your vessels, and take down to the man as a gift, a little balm and a little honey, wax and lotus, pistachios and almonds. יא. וַיֹּאמֶר אֲלֵהֶם יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲבִיהֶם אִם כֵּן | אֵפוֹא זֹאת עֲשׂוּ קְחוּ מִזִּמְרַת הָאָרֶץ בִּכְלֵיכֶם וְהוֹרִידוּ לָאִישׁ מִנְחָה מְעַט צֳרִי וּמְעַט דְּבַשׁ נְכֹאת וָלֹט בָּטְנִים וּשְׁקֵדִים:
then: Heb. אֵפוֹא. This is a redundant word, used for stylistic purposes in the Hebrew. If [it is] so, [that] I will be compelled to do [this]-that I will [have to] send him with you-I will have to search and seek where [is the place that we can say,]“Here is (אַיֵּה פֹה) a solution as well as advice to give you, and [therefore] I say, ‘Do this.’”
אפוא: כל לשון אפוא לשון יתר הוא לתקן מלה בלשון עברי, אם כן אזדקק לעשות שאשלחנו עמכם, צריך אני לחזור ולבקש איה פה תקנה ועצה להשיאכם, ואומר אני זאת עשו:
some of the choice products of the land: Heb. מִזִמְּרַת הָאָרֶץ lit., from the song of the land. Targumim render: מִדִּמְשַׁבָּח בְּאַרְעָא,“from what is praised in the land,” about which everyone sings, [rejoicing] that it came into the world.
מזמרת הארץ: מתורגם מדמשבח בארעא שהכל מזמרים עליו כשהוא בא לעולם:
wax: Heb. נְכֹאת, wax. — [from Gen. Rabbah 91:11, Targum Onkelos] Cf. Rashi above on 37:25.
נכאת: שעוה:
pistachios: Heb. בָּטְנִים I do not know what they are. In the alphabetized dictionary of Rabbi Machir, I saw [that they are] pistachios, but I believe that they are אִפַרְסְקִים (mentioned in the Mishnah, Kilayim 1:4, and the Talmud, Shabbath 45a).
בטנים: לא ידעתי מה הם ובפרושי א' ב' של רבי מכיר ראיתי פישיטצי"ש [פיסטוקים] ודומה לי שהם אפרסקין:
12. And take double the money in your hand[s], and the money that was returned in the mouth of your sacks you shall return in your hand[s], perhaps it was an error. יב. וְכֶסֶף מִשְׁנֶה קְחוּ בְיֶדְכֶם וְאֶת הַכֶּסֶף הַמּוּשַׁב בְּפִי אַמְתְּחֹתֵיכֶם תָּשִׁיבוּ בְיֶדְכֶם אוּלַי מִשְׁגֶּה הוּא:
And…double the money: Twice as much as the first.
וכסף משנה: פי שנים כראשון:
take…in your hand[s]: to purchase food, perhaps the price has risen.
קחו בידכם: לשבור אוכל, שמא הוקר השער:
perhaps it was an error: Perhaps the one appointed over the house inadvertently forgot it.
אולי משגה הוא: שמא הממונה על הבית שכחו שוגג:
13. And take your brother, and get up, go back to the man. יג. וְאֶת אֲחִיכֶם קָחוּ וְקוּמוּ שׁוּבוּ אֶל הָאִישׁ:
14. And may the Almighty God grant you compassion before the man, and he will release to you your other brother and Benjamin, and as for me as I am bereaved, I am bereaved." יד. וְאֵל שַׁדַּי יִתֵּן לָכֶם רַחֲמִים לִפְנֵי הָאִישׁ וְשִׁלַּח לָכֶם אֶת אֲחִיכֶם אַחֵר וְאֶת בִּנְיָמִין וַאֲנִי כַּאֲשֶׁר שָׁכֹלְתִּי שָׁכָלְתִּי:
And may the Almighty God: From now on, you lack nothing but prayer. Behold I am praying for you. — [from Gen. Rabbah 91:11]
ואל שדי: מעתה אינכם חסרים כלום אלא תפלה, הריני מתפלל עליכם:
the Almighty God: Heb. א-ֵל שַׁדָּי, Whose grant of mercy is sufficient (שֶׁדַי) , and Who has sufficient power to grant, May He grant you compassion. This is its simple meaning (Zohar , vol. 2, p. 257a). Its midrashic interpretation, however, is: May He Who said to His world,“Enough!” (שֶׁאָמַר דָּי) say to my troubles,“Enough!” for I have not enjoyed tranquility since my youth. [I endured] the trouble of Laban (who tricked me and pursued me with the desire of killing me), the trouble of Esau (who wanted to kill me), the trouble of Rachel (who died in childbirth), the trouble of Dinah (who was violated and kidnapped by Shechem), the trouble of Joseph (who disappeared), the trouble of Simeon (who is being detained by the ruler of Egypt), and the trouble of Benjamin (whom he demands that I send to him) (Tanchuma Mikeitz 10).
ואל שדי: שדי בנתינת רחמיו, וכדי היכולת בידו ליתן, יתן לכם רחמים, זהו פשוטו. ומדרשו מי שאמר לעולם די יאמר די לצרותי, שלא שקטתי מנעורי, צרת לבן, צרת עשו, צרת רחל, צרת דינה, צרת יוסף, צרת שמעון, צרת בנימין:
and he will release to you: Heb. וְשִׁלַח. He will release to you, as the Targum renders, [meaning that] he will release him from his bonds, an expression similar to“he shall let him out to freedom (לַחָפְשִׁי יְשַׁלְחֶנוּ)” (Exod. 21:26). It is, however, inappropriate to translate it as an expression of sending away because they were going there to him.
ושלח לכם: ויפטר לכון, תרגומו, יפטרנו מאסיריו, לשון (שמות כא כו) לחפשי ישלחנו, ואינו נופל בתרגום [לתרגמו] לשון וישלח, שהרי לשם הם הולכים אצלו:
your…brother: This is Simeon.
את אחיכם: זה שמעון:
other: The Holy Spirit [of prophecy] was cast into him to include Joseph. - [from Avoth d’Rabbi Nathan,]
אחר: רוח הקודש נזרקה בו, לרבות יוסף:
and as for me: Until you return, I will be bereaved out of doubt.
ואני: עד שובכם אהיה שכול מספק:
as I am bereaved: of Joseph and Simeon.
כאשר שכלתי: מיוסף ומשמעון:
I am bereaved: of Benjamin.
שכלתי: מבנימין:
15. So the men took this gift, and they took double the money in their hand[s] and Benjamin, and they got up and went down to Egypt and stood before Joseph. טו. וַיִּקְחוּ הָאֲנָשִׁים אֶת הַמִּנְחָה הַזֹּאת וּמִשְׁנֶה כֶּסֶף לָקְחוּ בְיָדָם וְאֶת בִּנְיָמִן וַיָּקֻמוּ וַיֵּרְדוּ מִצְרַיִם וַיַּעַמְדוּ לִפְנֵי יוֹסֵף:
and Benjamin: The Targum renders: וּדְבָרוּ יַת בִּנְיָמִן, and they led Benjamin away. [I.e., Onkelos was not satisfied with the verb נְסִיבוּ, they took, but added another verb, וּדְבָרוּ, and they led away. [That is] because [the expressions for] taking money and taking a person are not the same in Aramaic. Regarding a thing“taken in the hand,” we translate וּנְסִיב, but something taken by persuasion, we translate וּדְבָר.
ואת בנימין: מתרגמינן ודברו ית בנימין, לפי שאין לקיחת הכסף ולקיחת האדם שוה בלשון ארמי, בדבר הנקח ביד מתורגם ונסיב, ודבר הנקח בהנהגת דברים מתרגמינן ודבר:
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Daily Tehillim: Psalms Chapter 119, Verses 97-176
• Verses 97-176
97. O how I love Your Torah! All day it is my discussion.
98. Your commandments make me wiser than my enemies, for they are ever with me.
99. From all my teachers I have gained wisdom, for Your testimonies are my discussion.
100. I will be more perceptive than elders, because I have guarded Your precepts.
101. I have restrained my feet from every evil path, that I might keep Your word.
102. I have not turned away from Your judgments, for You have instructed me.
103. How sweet are Your words to my palate, [sweeter] than honey to my mouth!
104. From Your precepts I gain understanding, therefore I hate every path of falsehood.
105. Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
106. I have sworn-and I will fulfill it-to keep Your righteous judgments.
107. I am afflicted to the extreme; grant me life, O Lord, according to Your promise.
108. Accept with favor, O Lord, the offerings of my lips, and teach me Your laws.
109. My soul is in danger always, yet I have not forgotten Your Torah.
110. The wicked laid a snare for me, yet I have not strayed from Your precepts.
111. I have taken Your testimonies as an eternal heritage, for they are the joy of my heart.
112. I have inclined my heart to perform Your statutes, forever, to the last.
113. I despise vain thoughts, but I love Your Torah.
114. You are my refuge and my shield; I place hope in Your promise.
115. Turn away from me, you evildoers, and I will keep the commandments of my God.
116. Support me according to Your promise, and I will live; let me not be shamed because of my hope.
117. Sustain me, and I will be saved, and I will be engrossed in Your statutes always.
118. You trample all who stray from Your statutes, for their ploy is a lie.
119. You have purged all the wicked of the earth like dross, therefore I love Your testimonies.
120. My flesh bristles from fear of You, and I am in awe of Your judgments.
121. I practiced justice and righteousness; leave me not to my oppressors.
122. Guarantee Your servant goodness; let not the wicked exploit me.
123. My eyes long for Your salvation, and for the word of Your righteousness.
124. Treat Your servant according to Your kindness, and teach me Your statutes.
125. I am Your servant; grant me understanding, that I may know Your testimonies.
126. It is time to act for the Lord; they have abrogated Your Torah.
127. Therefore I love Your commandments more than gold, even fine gold.
128. Therefore I affirmed all Your precepts; I have hated every path of falsehood.
129. Your testimonies are wondrous, therefore does my soul guard them.
130. Your opening words illuminate, enlightening the simple.
131. I opened my mouth and swallowed, because I craved Your commandments.
132. Turn to me and favor me, as is [Your] law for those who love Your Name.
133. Set my steps in Your word, and let no iniquity rule over me.
134. Deliver me from the oppression of man, and I will keep Your precepts.
135. Let Your face shine upon Your servant, and teach me Your statutes.
136. My eyes shed streams of water, because they do not keep Your Torah.
137. Righteous are you, O Lord, and Your judgments are upright.
138. You commanded Your testimonies in righteousness and great faithfulness.
139. My zeal consumes me, because my enemies have forgotten Your words.
140. Your word is very pure, and Your servant cherishes it.
141. I am young and despised, yet I do not forget Your precepts.
142. Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and Your Torah is truth.
143. Trouble and anguish have taken hold of me, yet Your commandments are my delight.
144. Your testimonies are righteous forever; give me understanding, that I may live.
145. I call out with all my heart; answer me, O Lord; I will keep Your statutes.
146. I call out to You; save me, and I will observe Your testimonies.
147. I rose before dawn and cried out; my hope is in Your word.
148. My eyes preceded the night watches, that I may discuss Your word.
149. Hear my voice in keeping with Your kindness; O Lord, grant me life as is Your practice.
150. Those who pursue mischief draw near; they are far from Your Torah.
151. You are near, O Lord, and all Your commandments are truth.
152. From the beginning I discerned from Your testimonies that You had established them forever.
153. Behold my affliction and deliver me, for I have not forgotten Your Torah.
154. Wage my battle and redeem me; grant me life for the sake of Your word.
155. Salvation is far from the wicked, for they seek not Your statutes.
156. Your mercies are great, O Lord; grant me life as is Your practice.
157. My pursuers and my enemies are many, yet I did not turn away from Your testimonies.
158. I saw traitors and I quarreled with them, because they do not keep Your words.
159. Behold how I love Your precepts; grant me life, O Lord, according to Your kindness.
160. The beginning of Your word is truth, and forever are all Your righteous judgements.
161. Princes have pursued me without cause, but it is Your word my heart fears.
162. I rejoice at Your word, like one who finds abundant spoil.
163. I hate falsehood and abhor it, but Your Torah I love.
164. Seven times a day I praise You, because of Your righteous judgments.
165. There is abundant peace for those who love Your Torah, and there is no stumbling for them.
166. I hoped for Your salvation, O Lord, and I performed Your commandments.
167. My soul has kept Your testimonies, and I love them intensely.
168. I have kept Your precepts and Your testimonies, for all my ways are before You
169. Let my prayer approach Your presence, O Lord; grant me understanding according to Your word.
170. Let my supplication come before You; save me according to Your promise.
171. My lips will utter praise, for You have taught me Your statutes.
172. My tongue will echo Your word, for all Your commandments are just.
173. Let Your hand be ready to help me, for I have chosen Your precepts.
174. I long for Your salvation, O Lord, and Your Torah is my delight.
175. Let my soul live, and it will praise You, and let Your judgment help me.
176. I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek out Your servant, for I have not forgotten Your commandments.
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Tanya: Likutei Amarim, end of Chapter 3
• Lessons in Tanya
• Today's Tanya Lesson
Thursday, 26 Kislev, 5775 • 18 December 2014
Likutei Amarim, end of Chapter 3
כי השכל שבנפש המשכלת כשמתבונן ומעמיק מאד בגדולת ה׳
For when the intellect in the rational soul deeply contemplates and immerses itself exceedingly in the greatness of G-d,
איך הוא ממלא כל עלמין
how He fills all worlds,
i.e., how G-d animates all of creation with an immanent divine light and life-force (just as the soul fills and gives life to every part of the body) — a life-force which clothes itself in and unifies itself with each creature, and which adapts itself to the individual needs of that creature,
וסובב כל עלמין
and when one further contemplates how He encompasses all worlds,1
He illuminates the worlds with a G-dly light and life-force that is far beyond the capacity of the worlds to receive internally; rather, it affects them in an encompassing manner.
וכולא קמיה כלא חשיב
Or, when one contemplates another aspect of G-d’s greatness, namely, how in His presence all creation is considered as naught, —2
נולדה ונתעוררה מדת יראת הרוממות במוחו ומחשבתו
Upon contemplating and immersing oneself in any of the above-mentioned aspects of G-d’s greatness the middah of awe for the Divine Majesty will be born and aroused in one’s mind and thought,
לירא ולהתבושש מגדולתו יתברך, שאין לה סוף ותכלית
to fear and be humble before His blessed greatness, which is without end or limit,
i.e., the fear will be coupled and permeated with humility, as in the awe one feels in the presence of a very wise or righteous person, which expresses one’s bashfulness and humility before him,
ופחד ה׳ בלבו
and there will also be born a dread of G-d in his heart.
This explains how contemplating G-d’s greatness arouses a fear and dread of Him — an expression of the attribute of Gevurah.
ושוב יתלהב לבו באהבה עזה כרשפי אש, בחשיקה וחפיצה ותשוקה ונפש שוקקה
Next his contemplation will give birth to the attribute of Chesed, expressed as a love of G-d, so that his heart will glow with an intense love of G-d like fiery flames, with a passion, desire and longing, and a yearning soul
לגדולת אין סוף ברוך הוא
(each of these expressions — “fiery flames,” “passion”, and so on, denoting a different grade of love) toward the greatness of the blessed Ein Sof.
והיא כלות הנפש, כדכתיב: נכספה וגם כלתה נפשי וגו׳, וכתיב: צמאה נפשי לאלקים וגו׳, וכתיב צמאה לך נפשי וגו׳
This is what is meant by the term kalot hanefesh (“a consuming passion of the soul”), as it is written:3 “My soul longs [for You]; indeed, it faints…,” and4 “My soul thirsts for G-d …,” and again,5 “My soul thirsts for You.”
So intense can one’s love become that the soul risks being consumed in the fiery flames of its love of G-d, and totally leaving the body. In fact, were one not to forestall this danger, and contain this great love, he would indeed expire. But he restrains himself so that his soul will remain clothed in his body — the only condition in which it is possible for him to fulfill his G-d-given mission.
והצמאון הוא מיסוד האש שבנפש האלקית
This loving thirst is derived from the element of Fire in the divine soul.
וכמו שכתבו הטבעיים, וכן הוא בע׳ חיים, שיסוד האש הוא בלב
As students of natural science affirm, and so it is in Etz Chayim, the element of Fire is in the heart,
ומקור המים והליחות מהמוח
while the source of [the element of] Water and moisture is in the brain,
וכמו שכתוב בע׳ חיים שער נ׳, שהיא בחינת חכמה שנקרא מים שבנפש האלקית
As explained in Etz Chayim, Portal 50, [the source of the element of Water] is the level of Chochmah which is called “the water of the divine soul.”
Inasmuch as the heart is the seat of the emotions — of warmth — we say that it is the abode of the element of Fire. In contrast, the brain — being the seat of “cold” intellect, calm and measured intelligence — is the source of the element of Water. One can readily observe this by comparing the demeanor of an emotional person to that of an intellectual.
So, too, with the intellect and emotions of the divine soul: the heat and passion of one’s love of G-d is expressed in the heart, ultimately leading him to expire in kalot hanefesh. The mind, however, remains cool. This capacity of the intellect for calm appraisal of a situation leads it to comprehend that G-d’s intent is that the soul remain clothed in the body so that it will be able to fulfill the Torah and its commandments. This realization cools the fiery ardor of the heart and thus prevents the soul from actually expiring in kalot hanefesh.
The Alter Rebbe’s discussion of the birth of middot from the intellect has thus far been centered on two emotions: love and fear of G-d. What of the others?
ושאר המדות כולן הן ענפי היראה והאהבה ותולדותיהן, כמו שכתוב במקום אחר
The rest of the remaining five middot are all offshoots and derivatives of fear and love (and obviously they, too, are born of Chochmah and Binah), as is explained elsewhere.
All the above explains why Chochmah and Binah are called the “father” and “mother” of the middot, for it is through the contemplation exercised by Chochmah and Binah that the middot are born. Chochmah is called the “father”. Just as the drop of semen which derives from the father’s brain comprises, in concentrated and concealed form, all the organs of the child’s body, similarly the seminal point of Chochmah contains, in a concealed manner, all the details of an idea, as explained above. And just as it is the mother who reveals the child’s organs from their concealed state, and brings them to a state of completion, similarly, Binah reveals, expands and elucidates the concept in all its details.
But what of Daat, the third of the intellectual faculties? Daat too, as explained earlier, is a “mother” and source of middot. What does it contribute to their birth? This issue is now addressed.
והדעת הוא מלשון: והאדם ידע את חוה, והוא לשון התקשרות והתחברות
Daat, whose etymology may be found in the verse,6 “And Adam knew (ידע) Eve,” implies attachment and union.
שמקשר דעתו בקשר אמי׳ וחזק מאד, ויתקע מחשבתו בחוזק, בגדולת אין סוף ברוך הוא, ואינו מסיח דעתו
(As applied to Daat of the divine soul, this means) binding one’s mind with a very firm, strong bond and firmly fixing one’s thought on the greatness of the blessed Ein Sof, without diverting his mind from it (i.e., the subject matter conceived in Chochmah and developed in Binah is absorbed in the mind by concentration, Daat.)
כי אף מי שהוא חכם ונבון בגדולת אין סוף ברוך הוא, הנה אם לא יקשר דעתו ויתקע מחשבתו בחוזק ובהתמדה
For even one who is wise (by utilizing his faculty of Chochmah) and understanding (by exercising his faculty of Binah) in the greatness of the blessed Ein Sof, yet, unless he applies his Daat and fixes his thought firmly and diligently on his understanding of G-d’s greatness,
לא יוליד בנפשו יראה ואהבה אמיתית, כי אם דמיונות שוא
he will not produce in his soul true fear and love, but only vain fancies.
He will only imagine that he fears G-d and loves Him. True fear and love are attained only by way of Daat.
ועל כן הדעת הוא קיום המדות וחיותן
Thus, Daat provides the substance and vitality of the middot (and is therefore termed a “mother” of the middot, another parent side by side with Chochmah and Binah).
והוא כולל חסד וגבורה, פירוש: אהבה וענפיה ויראה וענפיה
It comprises Chesed and Gevurah; that is to say, love with those other middot that are its offshoots, and fear with its offshoots.
——— ● ———
FOOTNOTES
1. Zohar III, 225a.
2. Zohar I, 11b.
3. Tehillim 84:3.
4. Ibid. 42:3.
5. Ibid. 63:2.
6. Bereishit 4:1.
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Rambam:
Daily Mitzvah Sefer Hamitzvot
Today's Mitzvah
Thursday, 26 Kislev, 5775 • 18 December 2014
Daily Mitzvah Sefer Hamitzvot
Today's Mitzvah
Thursday, 26 Kislev, 5775 • 18 December 2014
Principle 10
Do not count a preparatory act as an independent mitzvah.
E.g., "You shall take fine flour and bake it [into] twelve loaves" (Leviticus 24:5). This is not an independent mitzvah, but a necessary prerequisite to the mitzvah of placing Showbreads on the Table in the Temple's sanctuary. Similarly, "Command the children of Israel, and they shall take to you pure olive oil" (ibid. 27:2) is not counted as one of the 613 mitzvot, rather it is a preamble to the mitzvah of kindling the Temple Menorah daily.
Principle 11
If a mitzvah is comprised of a number of elements, do not count them separately.
E.g. "And you shall take for yourselves on the first day [of Sukkot], the fruit of a beautiful tree, date palm fronds, a branch of a braided tree, and willows of the brook" (ibid. 23:40). All these individual elements come together to create a single mitzvah—the mitzvah of taking the Four Species. As such, they are collectively counted as only one mitzvah.
Principle 12
When commanded to do a certain action, do not count each part of the action separately.
E.g. "They shall make Me a sanctuary" (Exodus 25:8). There's a general mitzvah to construct a sanctuary for G‑d. For this purpose, it is necessary to construct an Ark, a Menorah, altars, etc.—but these are all details of the overarching mitzvah of creating a sanctuary for G‑d.
Principle 13
We do not count the amount of days a mitzvah is preformed.
E.g. we are commanded to dwell in a sukkah during the seven days of the holiday of Sukkot—yet this is one mitzvah. We are commanded to bring a special offering in the Temple on Rosh Chodesh—yet this is one mitzvah, not twelve. We are commanded to make pilgrimage to the Temple thrice yearly—but this is one mitzvah, the mitzvah of pilgrimage.
Principle 14
We do not count the punishment administered for each transgression.
The Torah specifies many forms of punishments that the courts administer: Four types of capital punishment, corporal punishment, financial remuneration, sacrificial penalties, etc.
While each form of punishment constitutes an independent mitzvah, we do not count the penalty for a particular transgression as part of the 613. For example, there are many different transgressions that mandate the bringing of a sin-offering. Yet, the bringing of a sin-offering is counted as only one mitzvah.
________________________________________
Do not count a preparatory act as an independent mitzvah.
E.g., "You shall take fine flour and bake it [into] twelve loaves" (Leviticus 24:5). This is not an independent mitzvah, but a necessary prerequisite to the mitzvah of placing Showbreads on the Table in the Temple's sanctuary. Similarly, "Command the children of Israel, and they shall take to you pure olive oil" (ibid. 27:2) is not counted as one of the 613 mitzvot, rather it is a preamble to the mitzvah of kindling the Temple Menorah daily.
Principle 11
If a mitzvah is comprised of a number of elements, do not count them separately.
E.g. "And you shall take for yourselves on the first day [of Sukkot], the fruit of a beautiful tree, date palm fronds, a branch of a braided tree, and willows of the brook" (ibid. 23:40). All these individual elements come together to create a single mitzvah—the mitzvah of taking the Four Species. As such, they are collectively counted as only one mitzvah.
Principle 12
When commanded to do a certain action, do not count each part of the action separately.
E.g. "They shall make Me a sanctuary" (Exodus 25:8). There's a general mitzvah to construct a sanctuary for G‑d. For this purpose, it is necessary to construct an Ark, a Menorah, altars, etc.—but these are all details of the overarching mitzvah of creating a sanctuary for G‑d.
Principle 13
We do not count the amount of days a mitzvah is preformed.
E.g. we are commanded to dwell in a sukkah during the seven days of the holiday of Sukkot—yet this is one mitzvah. We are commanded to bring a special offering in the Temple on Rosh Chodesh—yet this is one mitzvah, not twelve. We are commanded to make pilgrimage to the Temple thrice yearly—but this is one mitzvah, the mitzvah of pilgrimage.
Principle 14
We do not count the punishment administered for each transgression.
The Torah specifies many forms of punishments that the courts administer: Four types of capital punishment, corporal punishment, financial remuneration, sacrificial penalties, etc.
While each form of punishment constitutes an independent mitzvah, we do not count the penalty for a particular transgression as part of the 613. For example, there are many different transgressions that mandate the bringing of a sin-offering. Yet, the bringing of a sin-offering is counted as only one mitzvah.
________________________________________
Rambam:
• 1 Chapter a Day: Positive Commandments Part 1Part 1
The Positive Commandments
1. The first of the positive commandments is the mitzvah to know that there is a God, as [Exodus 20:2] states: "I am God, your Lord."a
2. To unify Him, as [Deuteronomy 6:4] states: "God is our Lord, God is one."
3. To love Him, as [Deuteronomy 6:5] states: "And you shall love God, your Lord."
4. To fear Him, as [Deuteronomy 6:13] states: "Fear God, your Lord."
5. To pray, as [Exodus 23:25] states: "And you shall serve God, your Lord." This service is prayer.a
6. To cling to Him, as [Deuteronomy 10:2] states: "And you shall cling to Him."
7. To swear in His name, as [Deuteronomy 10:20] states: "And you shall swear in His name."a,b
8. To emulate His good and just ways, as [Deuteronomy 28:19] states: "And you shall walk in His ways."
9. To sanctify His name, as [Leviticus 22:32] states: "And I shall be sanctified amidst the children of Israel."
10. To recite the Shema twice daily, as [Deuteronomy 6:2] states: "And you shall speak of them when you lie down and when you arise."
11. To study Torah and to teach it [to others], as [Deuteronomy 6:2] states: "And you shall teach them to your children."
12. To tie tefillin upon our heads, as [Deuteronomy 6:8] states: "And they shall be an emblem between your eyes."
13. To tie tefillin upon our arms, as [Deuteronomy 6:8] states: "And you shall tie them for a sign upon your arms."
14. To make tzitzit, as [Numbers 15:38] states: "And you shall make tzitzit for them."
15. To affix a mezuzah, as [Deuteronomy 6:9] states: "And you shall write them on the doorposts of your home."
16. To collect the people to hear the Torah [being read] in the year following the shemitah year, as [Deuteronomy 31:12] states: "Gather together the people."
17. For each man to write a Torah scroll for himself, as [Deuteronomy 31:19] states: "Write down this song."
18. For the king to write a second Torah scroll for himself in addition to the one which [he is required to write to fulfill the mitzvah incumbent upon] every man. Thus, he will have two Torah scrolls, as [Deuteronomy 17:19] states: "And he shall write for himself a copy of this Torah."
19. To bless [God] after eating, as [Deuteronomy 8:10] states: "[After] you eat and are satisfied, you shall bless God, your Lord."
20. To build [God's] chosen house, [the Temple,] as [Exodus 25:8] states: "And you shall make a sanctuary for Me."b
21. To revere this house, as [Leviticus 19:30] states: "And revere My sanctuary."
22. To keep watch over this house continuously, as [Numbers 18:2,4] states: "And you and- your descendants before the Tent of Testimony.... [And they shall keep the watch....]"
23. For the Levites to serve in the sanctuary, as [Numbers 18:23] states: "And the Levite shall serve...."
24. For a priest to sanctify his hands and feet at the time of service [in the Temple], as [Exodus 30:19] states: "And Aaron and his sons will wash...."
25. To prepare the candles of the Sanctuary, as [Exodus 27:21] states: "Aaron and his sons shall prepare it."
26. For the priests to bless the Jews, as [Numbers 6:23] states: "In this manner, you shall bless the children of Israel."
27. To arrange bread and frankincense before God [in the Temple] on every Sabbath, as [Exodus 25:30] states: "And you shall place the showbread on the table."b
28. To burn a spice offering twice [each] day, as [Exodus 30:7] states: "And Aaron shall burn incense upon it...."
29. To keep a fire burning on the altar for burnt offerings continually, as [Leviticus 6:6] states: "And you shall keep a fire burning continuously on the altar."
30. To remove the ashes from the altar, as [Leviticus 6:3] states: "And he shall remove the ashes...."
31. To send impure people out from the camp of the Divine Presence - i.e., the sanctuary - as [Numbers 5:2] states: "And you shall send from the camp all the leprous, any zav, and anyone who has contracted impurity because of a corpse."
32. To show honor to Aaron's descendants and to give them priority regarding all holy matters, as [Leviticus 21:8] states: "And you shall sanctify him."
33. To clothe the priests with the priestly garments for service [in the Temple], as [Exodus 28:2] states: "And you shall make holy garments...."a
34. To carry the ark upon our shoulders when it is to be carried, as [Numbers 7:9] states: "And they shall carry it on their shoulders."
35. To anoint the High Priests and kings with the anointing oil, as [Exodus 30:30-31] states: "[Anoint Aaron....] This shall be sacred anointing oil."
36. For the priests to serve in the sanctuary in individual watches; and for them to all serve as one on the festivals, as [Deuteronomy 18:6-8] states: "When the Levite shall come... [he can serve]...with the exception of that which is theirs by ancestral right."a
37. For the priests to become ritually impure and mourn for their relatives in the same manner as other Jews who are commanded to mourn, as [Leviticus 21:3] states: "He shall become impure for her."
38. For a High Priest to marry a virgin, as [Leviti‑cus 21:13] states: "And he shall marry a woman who is a virgin."
39. To offer the tamid offerings each day, as [Numbers 28:3] states: "[This is the fire offering...] two each day continuously."
40. For the High Priest to offer a meal offering each day, as [Leviticus 6:13] states: "This is the sacrifice of Aaron and his descendants."
41. To offer an additional sacrifice every Sabbath, as [Numbers 28:9] states: "On the Sabbath day, two lambs...."
42. To offer an additional sacrifice every Rosh Chodesh, as [Numbers 28:11] states: "On your Rashei Chodashim...."
43. To offer an additional sacrifice on Pesach, as [Leviticus 23:36] states: "For seven days, you will bring a fire offering unto God...."1
44. To bring the meal offering of the omer on the day after the first day of Pesach together with a single lamb, as [Leviticus 23:10] states: "And you shall bring the omer...."
45. To offer an additional sacrifice on Shavuot, as [Numbers 28:26] states: "On the day of the first fruits [Bikkurim]...."
46. To bring two loaves and the sacrifices which accompany the loaves on Shavuot, as [Leviticus 23:17] states: "From your dwellings, bring bread as a wave offering. And you shall offer upon the bread...."
47. To offer an additional sacrifice on Rosh HaShanah, as [Numbers 29:1] states: "And in the seventh month, on the first of the month...."
48. To offer an additional sacrifice on the fast [of Yom Kippur], as [Numbers 29:7] states: "On the tenth of the seventh month...."
49. To carry out the service of the fast [of Yom Kippur], as [Leviticus 16:3] states: "In this manner, Aaron will enter the [inner] sanctuary, with a young bull...." All the [particulars of] this service are stated in the parashah of Acharei Mot.
50. To offer an additional sacrifice on the holiday of Sukkot, as [Numbers 29:13] states: "And you shall present a burnt offering as a pleasing fragrance...."
51. To offer an additional sacrifice on Shemini Atzeret, for it is a festival in its own right, as [Numbers 29:35] states: "And on the eighth day....
52. To celebrate on the festivals, as [Exodus 23:14] states: "And you shall celebrate three festivals for Me."
53. To appear [before God in the Temple] on the festivals, as [Deuteronomy 16:16] states: "On three occasions during the year, all your males shall appear...."
54. To rejoice on the festivals, as [Deuteronomy 16:14] states: "And you shall rejoice on your festivals."
55. To slaughter the Paschal lamb, as [Exodus 12:6] states: "And the entire congregation shall slaughter it...."
56. To eat the meat of the Paschal sacrifice roasted on the night of the fifteenth of Nisan, as [Exodus 12:8] states: "And they shall eat the meat...."
57. To offer the second Paschal sacrifice, as [Numbers 9:11] states: "In the second month, on the fourteenth of the month...."
58. To eat the meat of the second Paschal offering together with matzot and bitter herbs, as [Numbers 9:11] states: "And you shall eat it with matzot and bitter herbs."
59. To sound the trumpets when the sacrifices [are offered] and in times of difficulty, as [Numbers 10:10] states: "And you shall sound the trumpets...."
60. For all animals to be sacrificed after their eighth day [of life], as [Leviticus 22:27] states: "And on the eighth day and afterwards...."b
61. For all animal offerings to be unblemished, as [Leviticus 22:21] states: "[When it is] unblemished, it will be desirable...."
62. To salt all the sacrifices, as [Leviticus 2:13] states: "Offer salt on all your sacrifices."
63. The burnt offering, as [Leviticus 1:3] states:"If his is a burnt offering...."
64. The sin offering, as [Leviticus 6:18] states: "These are the laws of the sin offering...."
65. The guilt offering, as [Leviticus 7:1] states: "These are the laws of the guilt offering...."
66. The peace offering, as [Leviticus 7:11] states: "These are the laws of the peace offering...."
67. The meal offering, as [Leviticus 2:1] states: "When a person presents a meal offering...."
68. For the [High] Court to offer a sacrifice if it renders an erroneous decision, as [Leviticus 4:13] states: "If the entire congregation of Israel shall err...."
69. For each individual to offer a sin offering if he unintentionally violates a negative commandment punishable by karet2, as [Leviticus 5:1] states: "When a person sins...."3
70. For an individual to offer a sacrifice if he is in doubt whether or not he transgressed a prohibition for which he would be liable for a sin offering, as [Leviticus 5:17-18] states: "If he does not know, he still bears responsibility...and he shall bring his guilt offering." This is referred to as "the conditional guilt offering."
71. For [the following individuals:] a person who unknowingly used sacred property, a person who sinned by stealing, one [who had relations with] a maidservant designated for another person, or one who denied possession of an entrusted object and took a [false] oath, to bring a guilt offering. This is referred to as "the unconditional guilt offering."4
72. To offer "the adjustable guilt offering" [as atonement for the violation of certain transgressions], as [Leviticus 5:1,11] states: "If his means are not sufficient.... If his means do not suffice...."
73. For a person to confess before God for any sin which he has committed. [This applies] when he brings a sacrifice [for atonement] and when he does not bring a sacrifice, as [Numbers 5:6] states: "And they shall confess the sins that they committed."5
74. For a zav to offer a sacrifice when he becomes purified [after his affliction], as [Leviticus 15:13] states: "When a zav will become pure...."
75. For a zavah to offer a sacrifice when she be-comes purified [after her affliction], as [Leviticus 15:28] states: "When she becomes pure from [the condition] of zavah...."
76. For a person afflicted with tzara’at to offer a sacrifice after he becomes purified, as [Leviticus 14:1] states: "On the eighth day, he shall take...."
77. For a woman who gave birth to offer a sacrifice after she becomes purified, as [Leviticus 12:6] states: "And after the conclusion of her pure days...."
78. To tithe one's herds, as [Leviticus 27:32] states: "And all the tithes of your cattle and sheep...."
79. To sanctify the firstborn of a kosher animal and offer it as a sacrifice, as [Deuteronomy 15:19] states: "Every firstling which shall be born...."
80. To redeem firstborn sons, as [Numbers 18:15] states: "However, you must surely redeem first-born humans."
81. To redeem a firstling donkey, as [Exodus 34:20] states: "Redeem a firstling donkey with a sheep."
82. To decapitate a firstling donkey [which is not redeemed], as [Exodus 34:20] states: "If you do not redeem it, you must decapitate it."
83. For a person to bring all the sacrifices for which he is liable, be they obligatory or voluntary offerings, on the first pilgrimage festival that occurs, as [Deuteronomy 12:5-6] states: "And you shall come there... and you shall bring there...."
Note: We have marked with the letter “a” those mitzvot concerning which the Ramban (Nachmanides) differs with the Rambam in his Hasagot to Sefer HaMitzvot, and with the letter “b,” those mitzvot concerning which the Ra'avad, in his gloss to the Mishneh Torah, differs with the Rambam.
FOOTNOTES
1.There is a slight difficulty with the Rambam's statements: The verse cited refers to the sacrifices offered on Sukkot, and not those offered on Pesach. Perhaps the intended prooftext is Leviticus 23:8: "And you shall offer a burnt offering for God for seven days."
2..Karet refers to premature death at the hand of God, the death of one's children, and a severe spiritual punishment for the soul. (See Hilchot Teshuvah 8:1.)
3.. Though this prooftext is quoted in the printed editions of the Mishneh Torah, it appears to be an error, for the passage it introduces deals with the adjustable guilt offering (Positive Mitzvah 72). The verse which introduces the laws of the sin offerings is Leviticus 4:27: "If one person sins...."
4.. Perhaps the Rambam does not cite a specific prooftext for this mitzvah because there is a different passage in the Torah which deals with each of the guilt offerings which he mentions.
5.. Note that in Hilchot Teshuvah, the Rambam defines this mitzvah as return to God and repentance, a more encompassing service, of which confession is only one facet.(See Hilchot Teshuvah 2:2.)
____________________________
Rambam:
• 3 Chapters a Day: Listing of Mitzvos Part 1, Listing of Mitzvos Part 2, Listing of Mitzvos Part 3
Part 1
The Division of the Mitzvot According to the Halachot of the
Mishneh Torah
I saw fit to divide this text into fourteen books.
The first book - I will include within it all the mitzvot that are the foundations of the faith [taught by] Moses, our teacher, of blessed memory, those which a person must know before everything - e.g., the unity of God, blessed be He, and the prohibition against worshipping false gods. I have called this book The Book of Knowledge.
The second book - I will include within it all the mitzvot that are constant and which were commanded to us so that we will love God and constantly remember Him - e.g., the recitation of the Shema, prayer, tefillin, and the priestly blessing. Circumcision is included in this category because it is a sign in our flesh to recall [God] constantly, during the times when we are not wearing tefillin, tzitzit, or the like. I have called this book The Book of Love.
The third book - I will include within it all the mitzvot that are associated with specific times - e.g., the Sabbath and the festivals. I have called this book The Book of the Seasons.
The fourth book - I will include within it all the mitzvot that involve intimate relations - e.g., marriage, divorce, yibbum, and chalitzah. I have called this book The Book of Women.
The fifth book - I will include within it all the mitzvot that involve forbidden intimate relations and those that involve forbidden foods. [I have grouped the two (forbidden intimate relations and forbidden foods) together] because it is in these two matters that God has sanctified us and separated us from the [other] nations.
[The Torah mentions the concept of holiness] with regard to both these matters, stating [Leviticus 20:24, 27]: "[I am God, your Lord,] who has separated you from among the nations... and I have set you apart among the nations." [Accordingly,] I have called this book The Book of Holiness.
The sixth book - I will include within it all the mitzvot that one is obligated in when he forbids himself [certain things] by his statements - e.g., vows and oaths. I have called this book The Book of Utterances.
The seventh book - I will include within it all the mitzvot that deal with the produce of the earth - e.g., the Sabbatical and Jubilee years, the tithes, the terumot, and the other mitzvot which are relevant to this subject. I have called this book The Book of Agricultural [Laws].
The eighth book - I will include within it all the mitzvot that involve the construction of the Temple and the communal offerings that are brought regularly. I have called this book The Book of [the Temple and its] Service.
The ninth book - I will include within it all the mitzvot that involve the sacrifices [brought by] individuals. I have called this book The Book of Sacrifices. The tenth book - I will include within it all the mitzvot that involve ritual purity and impurity. I have called this book The Book of Ritual Purity.
The eleventh book - I will include within it all the mitzvot that [govern relations] between an individual and his colleague that involve damage to property or personal injury. I have called this book The Book of Damages.
The twelfth book - I will include within it all the mitzvot that govern sales and the acquisition [of property]. I have called this book The Book of Acquisition [of Property].
The thirteenth book - I will include within it all the mitzvot that [govern relations] between an individual and his colleague and do not involve damage at the outset - e.g., the laws of watchmen, debtors, claims lodged [against one another], and [their] denial. I have called this book The Book of Judgments.
The fourteenth book - I will include within it all the mitzvot that are delegated to the Sanhedrin - e.g., execution [when convicted by] the court, the acceptance of testimony, and the laws pertaining to a king and the wars he [wages]. I have called this book The Book of Judges.
These are [the governing principles for] the division of the Halachot of this text according to the subjects [treated in] the [different] books and the division of the mitzvot according to the subjects [treated in] the halachot.
The Listing of the Mitzvot According to the Halachot of the Mishneh Torah
Sefer HaMada- The Book of Knowledge
It contains five halachot. They are, in order:
Hilchot Yesodei HaTorah - The Laws [which are] the Foundations of the Torah
Hilchot De'ot - The Laws of Personal Development
Hilchot Talmud Torah - The Laws of Torah Study
Hilchot Avodat Kochavim UMazalot V'Chukkot
HaAkum - The Laws [Governing the Prohibition against] the Worship of Stars and Spiritual Forces,and the Statutes of the Idolaters
Hilchot Teshuvah - The Laws of Teshuvah
Hilchot Yesodei HaTorah - The Laws [which are] the Foundations of the Torah
They contain ten mitzvot:
Six positive commandments and four negative commandments.
They are:
1. To know that there is a God
2. Not to consider the thought that there is another
divinity aside from God
3. To unify Him
4. To love Him
5. To fear Him
6. To sanctify His name
7. Not to profane God's name
8. Not to destroy those things associated with His name
9. To listen to a prophet who speaks in [God's] name
10. Not to test God.
Hilchot De'ot
The Laws of Personal Development
They contain eleven mitzvot:
Five positive commandments and six negative com-
mandments.
They are:
1. To emulate His ways
2. To cling to those who know Him
3. To love one's fellow Jews
4. To love the converts
5. Not to hate one's [Jewish] brethren
6. To rebuke
7. Not to embarrass
8. Not to oppress the unfortunate
9. Not to gossip
10. Not to take vengeance
11. Not to bear a grudge.
Hilchot Talmud Torah
The Laws of Torah Study
They contain two mitzvot:
1. To study Torah
2. To honor those who study it and know it.
Hilchot Avodat Kochavim V'Chukkot HaAkum
The Laws of [Governing the Prohibition against]
the Worship of Stars and the Statutes of the
Idolaters
They contain 51 mitzvot:
Two positive commandments and forty nine negative commandments.
They are:
1. Not to show interest in the worship of false gods
2. Not to stray after the thoughts of one's heart or the sights one's eyes behold
3. Not to curse [God]
4. Not to worship [false gods] with the types of service with which they are customarily served
5. Not to bow down to [false gods]
6. Not to make an idol for oneself
7. Not to make an idol even for others
8. Not to make images even for decoration
9. Not to entice others to [worship false gods]
10. To burn an apostate city
11. Never to rebuild it
12. Not to receive benefit from any of its property
13. Not to persuade a single individual to worship [false gods]
14. Not to love a mesit
15. Not to reduce one's hatred for him
16. Not to save his life
17. Not to advance any arguments on his behalf
18. Not to withhold information that will lead to his conviction
19. Not to prophesy in the name of [false gods]
20. Not to listen to anyone who prophesies in the name of [false gods]
21. Not to give false prophecy even in the name of God
22. Not to fear executing a false prophet
23. Not to swear in the name of a false god
24. Not to perform the deeds associated with an ov
25. Not to perform the deeds associated with a yid'oni
26. Not to offer to Molech
27. Not to erect a pillar [for purposes of worship]
28. Not to prostrate oneself on hewn stones
29. Not to plant an asherah
30. To destroy false gods and all their objects of worship
31. Not to benefit from false gods and all their objects of worship
32. Not to benefit from ornaments that have adorned false gods
33. Not to establish a covenant with nations who worship false gods
34. Not to show them favor
35. Not to allow them to settle in our land
36. Not to follow their customs or manner of dress
37. Not to act as a soothsayer
38. Not to practice black magic
39. Not to practice divination
40. Not to cast spells
41. Not to seek information from the dead
42. Not to consult an ov
43. Not to consult a yid'oni
44. Not to practice sorcery
45. Not to shave the temples of our heads
46. Not to shave off the corners of our beards
47. For a man not to wear a woman's apparel
48. For a woman not to wear a man's apparel
49. Not to tattoo [our bodies]
50. Not to make cuts in our flesh
51. Not to tear out hair [in mourning] for the dead.
Hilchot Teshuvah
The Laws of Teshuvah
[They contain] one mitzvah, that a sinner should repent before God from his sin and confess.
Thus, this book contains a total of 75 mitzvot: 16 positive commandments and 59 negative commandments.
Sefer Ahavah
The Book of Love
It contains six halachot. They are, in order:
Hilchot Kri'at Shema - The Laws of the Recitation of the Shema
Hilchot Tefillah U'Virkat Kohanim - The Laws of Prayer and the Priestly Blessing
Hilchot Tefillin UM'zuzah V'Sefer Torah - The Laws of Tefillin, Mezuzot, and Torah Scrolls
Hilchot Tzitzit - The Laws of Tzitzit
Hilchot Berachot - The Laws of Blessings
Hilchot Milah - The Laws of Circumcision
Hilchot Kri'at Shema
The Laws of the Recitation of the Shema
[They contain] one positive commandment, to recite the Shema twice daily.
Hilchot Tefillah U'Virkat Kohanim
The Laws of Prayer and the Priestly Blessing
They contain two positive commandments:
1. To serve God in prayer each day
2. For the priests to bless the Jews each day.
Hilchot Tefillin UM'zuzah V'Sefer Torah
The Laws of Tefillin, Mezuzot, and Torah Scrolls
They contain five positive commandments. They are:
1. To [place] tefillin on the head
2. To tie them on the arm
3. To affix a mezuzah at the entrance of our gateways
4. For a man to write a Torah scroll for himself
5. For a king to write a second Torah scroll for himself, so that he will have two Torah scrolls.
Hilchot Tzitzit
The Laws of Tzitzit
[They contain] one positive commandment, to tie tzitzit to the fringes of our garments.
Hilchot Berachot
The Laws of Blessings
[They contain] one positive commandment, to bless His name after eating.
Hilchot Milah
The Laws of Circumcision
[They contain] one positive commandment, to circumcise males on the eighth day.
Thus, this book contains a total of eleven positive commandments.
Sefer Zemanim
The Book of Seasons
It contains ten halachot. They are, in order:
Hilchot Shabbat - The Laws of the Sabbath
Hilchot Eruvin - The Laws of Eruvin
Hilchot Sh'vitat Asor - The Laws of Resting on the Tenth Day [Yom Kippur]
Hilchot Sh'vitat Yom Tov - The Laws of Resting on Holidays
Hilchot Chametz UMatzah - The Laws of Chametz and Matzah
Hilchot Shofar V'Sukkah V'Lulav - The Laws of Shofar, Sukkah, and Lulav
Hilchot Shekalim - The Laws of the [Half-] Shekel Hilchot Kiddush HaChodesh - The Laws of the Sanctification of the New Month
Hilchot Ta'aniot - The Laws of Fasts
Hilchot Megillah V'Chanukah - The Laws of the Megillah and of Chanukah
Hilchot Shabbat
The Laws of the Sabbath
They contain five mitzvot:
Two positive commandments and three negative commandments.
They are:
1. To rest on the seventh [day]
2. Not to do work on it
3. [For the court] not to inflict punishment on the Sabbath
4. Not to travel beyond the limits [of one's place] on the Sabbath
5. To sanctify the day by remembering it.
Hilchot Eruvin
The Laws of Eruvin
[They contain] one positive commandment, which is Rabbinic in origin and is not included among [the 613 commandments of the Torah].
Hilchot Sh'vitat Asor
The Laws of Resting on the Tenth Day [Yom Kippur]
They contain three mitzvot:
Two positive commandments and two negative commandments:
1. To rest on this day
2. Not to do work on it
3. To fast on this day
4. Not to eat or drink on it.
Hilchot Sh'vitat Yom Tov
The Laws of Resting on Holidays
They contain twelve mitzvot:
Six positive commandments and six negative commandments.
They are:
1. To rest on the first day of Pesach
2. Not to work on that day
3. To rest on the seventh day of Pesach
4. Not to work on that day
5. To rest on the holiday of Shavuot
6. Not to work on that day
7. To rest on the first day of Rosh HaShanah
8. Not to work on that day
9. To rest on the first day of the festival of Sukkot
10. Not to work on that day
11. To rest on the eighth day of the festival [of Sukkot]
12. Not to work on that day.
Hilchot Chametz UMatzah
The Laws of Chametz and Matzah
They contain eight mitzvot:
Three positive commandments and five negative commandments.
They are:
1. Not to eat chametz on the fourteenth [of Nisan] from noontime onwards
2. To destroy leaven on the fourteenth [of Nisan]
3. Not to eat chametz for all seven days [of Pesach]
4. Not to eat a mixture containing chametz for all [these] seven days
5. For chametz not to be seen [in one's possession] for all [these] seven days
6. For chametz not to be found [in one's possession] for all [these] seven days
7. To eat matzah on the night of Pesach
8. To tell the story of the exodus from Egypt on that night.
Hilchot Shofar V'Sukkah V'Lulav
The Laws of Shofar, Sukkah, and Lulav
They contain three positive commandments: They are:
1. To hear the sounding of the shofar on the first of Tishrei
2. To dwell in a sukkah for the seven days of that festival
3. To take the lulav in the Temple on all the seven days of the festival.
Hilchot Shekalim
The Laws of the [Half-] Shekel
[They contain] one positive commandment, for each man to give a half-shekel each year.
Hilchot Kiddush HaChodesh
The Laws of the Sanctification of the New Month
[They contain] one positive commandment, to calculate, know, and appoint the day on which each of the months of the year begin.
Hilchot Ta'aniot
The Laws of Fasts
[They contain] one positive commandment, to fast and call out before God at times of great communal distress.
Hilchot Megillah V'Chanukah
The Laws of the Megillah and of Chanukah
They contain two positive commandments, which are Rabbinic in origin and are not included among [the 613 commandments of the Torah].
Thus, this book contains a total of 35 of the Torah's commandments: 19 positive commandments and 16 negative commandments. It also contains three commandments which are Rabbinic in origin.
Sefer Nashim
The Book of Women
It contains five halachot. They are, in order:
Hilchot Ishut - The Laws of Marriage
Hilchot Gerushin - The Laws of Divorce
Hilchot Yibbum Va'Chalitzah - The Laws of Yibbum and Chalitzah
Hilchot Na'arah Betulah - The Laws Pertaining to a Virgin Maiden
Hilchot Sotah - The Laws Pertaining to a Sotah
Hilchot Ishut
The Laws of Marriage
They contain four mitzvot:
Two positive commandments and two negative commandments.
They are:
1. To marry a woman with a marriage contract and a marriage ceremony
2. Not to engage in sexual relations with a woman without a marriage contract and a marriage ceremony
3. Not to withhold living expenses, clothing, and conjugal rights [from one's wife]
4. To be fruitful and multiply with her.
Hilchot Gerushin
The Laws of Divorce
They contain two mitzvot:
1. A positive commandment, for a man to divorce [his wife] with a get
2. For a man who divorces his wife not to remarry her after she has married another person.
Hilchot Yibbum Va'Chalitzah
The Laws of Yibbum andChalitzah They contain three mitzvot:
Two positive commandments and one negative commandment.
They are:
1. To perform yibbum
2. To perform chalitzah
3. For a yevamah not to marry another person until she is absolved of her obligation to the yavam.
Hilchot Na'arah Betulah
The Laws Pertaining to a Virgin Maiden
They contain five mitzvot:
Three positive commandments and two negative commandments.
They are:
1. To fine one who seduces a woman
2. For a rapist to marry the woman he rapes
3. For a rapist never to divorce [his wife]
4. For a woman whose husband made defamatory remarks about her to remain married to him forever
5. For a husband who made defamatory remarks about his wife never to divorce her.
Hilchot Sotah
The Laws Pertaining to a Sotah
They contain three mitzvot:
One positive commandment and two negative commandments.
They are:
1. To perform the ritual associated with [the testing of] a Sotah, [a woman who aroused her husband's] jealousy, as prescribed by the Torah
2. Not to place oil on her sacrifice
3. Not to place frankincense on her sacrifice.
Thus, this book contains a total of 17 of the Torah's commandments: nine positive commandments and eight negative commandments.
Part 2
Sefer Kedushah
The Book of Holiness
It contains three halachot. They are, in order:
Hilchot Issurei Bi'ah - The Laws of Forbidden Intimate Relations
Hilchot Ma'achalot Asurot - The Laws of Forbidden Foods
Hilchot Shechitah - The Laws of Ritual Slaughter.
Hilchot Issurei Bi'ah
The Laws of Forbidden Intimate Relations
They contain 37 mitzvot: One positive commandment, the remainder being negative commandments.
They are:
1. Not to have intimate relations with one's mother
2. Not to have relations with one's father's wife
3. Not to have relations with one's sister
4. Not to have relations with one's father's wife's daughter
5. Not to have relations with one's son's daughter
6. Not to have relations with one's daughter
7. Not to have relations with one's daughter's daughter
8. Not to marry a woman and her daughter
9. Not to marry a woman and her son's daughter
10. Not to marry a woman and her daughter's daughter
11. Not to have relations with one's father's sister
12. Not to have relations with one's mother's sister
13. Not to have relations with one's father's brother's wife
14. Not to have relations with one's son's wife
15. Not to have relations with one's brother's wife
16. Not to have relations with one's wife's sister
17. Not to have relations with an animal
18. For a woman not to have relations with an animal
19. [For a man] not to have relations with another man
20. Not to have relations with one's father
21. Not to have relations with one's father's brother
22. Not to have relations with a married woman
23. Not to have relations with [a woman in the] niddah state
24. Not to marry a gentile
25. For an Ammonite [convert] or a Moabite [convert not to marry, among the Jewish people
26. Not to prevent a third generation Egyptian [convert] from marrying among the Jewish people
27. Not to prevent a third generation Edomite [convert] from marrying among the Jewish people from marrying among the Jewish people
28. Not to allow a mamzer to marry among the Jewish people
29. Not to allow a castrated man to marry among the Jewish people
30. Not to castrate a male, even an animal, beast, or bird
31. For a High Priest not to marry a widow
32. For a High Priest not to have intimate relations with a widow even outside the context of marriage
33. A positive commandment for a High Priest to marry a virgin maiden
34. For a priest not to marry a divorcee
35. [For a priest] not to marry an immoral woman (a zonah)
36. [For a priest] not to marry a chalalah
37. For a man not to be intimate with a woman with whom sexual relations are forbidden, even when no sex is involved.
Hilchot Ma'achalot Asurot
The Laws of Forbidden Foods
They contain 28 mitzvot:
Four positive commandments and 24 negative commandments.
They are:
1. To check the signs [which] differentiate kosher animals and beasts from those which are not kosher
2. To check the signs [which] differentiate kosher fowl from those which are not kosher
3. To check the signs [which] differentiate kosher fish from those which are not kosher
4. To check the signs [which] differentiate kosher locusts from those which are not kosher
5. Not to eat non-kosher animals and beasts
6. Not to eat non-kosher fowl
7. Not to eat non-kosher fish
8. Not to eat flying insects
9. Not to eat insects that breed on land
10. Not to eat anything that creeps on the earth
11. Not to eat worms that breed in produce after they emerge on land
12. Not to eat swarming creatures that breed in water
13. Not to eat carrion
14. Not to derive benefit from an ox that was executed by stoning
15. Not to eat an animal with a mortal affliction (trefah)
16. Not to eat a limb from a living animal
17. Not to consume blood
18. Not to partake of the [hard] fat of a kosher animal
19. Not to eat the displaced sciatic nerve
20. Not to eat meat and milk [together]
21. Not to cook them together
22. Not to eat bread made from newly grown produce [before Pesach]
23. Not to eat roasted grain newly grown produce [before Pesach]
24. Not to eat fresh grain newly grown produce [before Pesach]
25. Not to eat orlah
26. Not to eat mixed species planted in a vineyard
27. Not to eat tevel
28. Not to drink wine used for idolatrous libations.
Hilchot Shechitah
The Laws of Ritual Slaughter
They contain five mitzvot:
Three positive commandments and two negative commandments.
They are:
1. To slaughter an animal, and then to eat it
2. Not to slaughter an animal and its offspring on the same day
3. To cover the blood of [slaughtered] beasts and fowl
4. Not to take a mother [bird] together with its young
5. To send away the mother when taking her with her young.
Thus, this book contains a total of 70 mitzvot: eight positive commandments and 62 negative commandments.
Sefer Hafla'ah
The Book of Utterances
It contains four halachot. They are, in order:
Hilchot Sh'vuot - The Laws of Oaths
Hilchot Nedarim - The Laws of Vows
Hilchot Nazirut - The Laws of Nazarites
Hilchot Arachin V'Charamim - The Laws of Endowment Evaluations and Devotion Offerings.
Hilchot Sh'vuot
The Laws of Oaths
They contain five mitzvot:
One positive commandment and four negative commandments.
They are:
1. Not to swear in [God's] name falsely
2. Not to take [God's] name in vain
3. Not to deny [having received] an entrusted object
4. Not to swear [falsely] when denying financial obligations
5. To swear truly in [God's] name.
Hilchot Nedarim
The Laws of Vows
They contain three mitzvot:
Two positive commandments and one negative commandment.
They are:
1. To fulfill one's word and observe a vow which one takes
2. Not to violate one's word
3. To nullify a vow or an oath. This is the law of nullifications of vows, as explicitly stated in the Torah.
Hilchot Nazir
The Laws of Nazarites
They contain ten mitzvot:
Two positive commandments and eight negative commandments.
They are:
1. For a nazir to let his hair grow long
2. For a nazir not cut his hair throughout the duration of his vow
3. [For a nazir] not to drink wine or a mixture of wine even after it has become vinegar
4. [For a nazir] not to eat fresh grapes
5. [For a nazir] not to eat raisins
6. [For a nazir] not to eat grape seeds
7. [For a nazir] not to eat grape peels
8. [For a nazir] not to enter the place of a corpse
9. [For a nazir] not to become impure because of a corpse
10. [For a nazir] to shave [his hair] over his sacrifices when he completes his nazirite [vow] or if he becomes impure.
Hilchot Arachin V'Charamim
The Laws of Endowment Valuations and Devo‑
tion Offerings
They contain seven mitzvot:
Five positive commandments and two negative commandments.
They are:
1. To carry out the judgment concerning the endowment valuation of a person, as prescribed by the Torah. These are the laws of the endowment valuations of humans.
2. The laws of the endowment valuations of animals
3. The laws of the endowment valuations of houses
4. The laws of the endowment valuations of fields
5. The laws governing a person who makes a devoted offering of his property
6. For property [given as] a devotion offering not to be sold
7. For property [given as] a devotion offering not to be redeemed.
Thus, this book contains a total of 25 mitzvot: 10 positive commandments and 15 negative commandments.
Sefer Zera'im
The Book of Agricultural [Laws]
It contains seven halachot. They are, in order: Hilchot Kilayim - The Laws of Mixing Forbidden Species
Hilchot Matnot Ani'im - The Laws of the Gifts to be Given to the Poor
Hilchot Terumot - The Laws of Terumah
Hilchot Ma'asrot - The Laws of Tithes
Hilchot Ma'aser Sheni V'Neta Reva'i - The Laws of the Second Tithe and the Produce of the Fourth Year
Hilchot Bikkurim - The Laws of the First Fruits Hilchot Shemitah V'Yovel - The Laws of the Sabbatical and Jubilee Years.
Hilchot Kilayim
The Laws of Mixing Forbidden Species
They contain five negative commandments.
They are:
1. Not to sow different species of produce
2. Not to sow grain or vegetables in a vineyard
3. Not to crossbreed different species of animals
4. Not to work with two different species of animals together
5. Not to wear [a garment made] from a forbidden mixture of fabrics.
Hilchot Matnot Ani'im
The Laws of the Gifts to be Given to the Poor
They contain thirteen mitzvot:
Seven positive commandments and six negative commandments.
They are:
1. To leave pe'ah [for the poor]
2. Not to gather the pe'ah
3. To leave leket [for the poor]
4. Not to gather the leket
5. To leave the incompletely formed grape clusters [for the poor]
6. Not to gather the incompletely formed grape clusters
7. To leave individual fallen grapes [for the poor]
8. Not to gather the individual fallen grapes
9. To leave a forgotten sheaf [for the poor]
10. Not to return to take a forgotten sheaf
11. To separate the tithe for the poor
12. To give charity according to one's ability
13. Not to harden one's heart [against giving] to the poor.
Hilchot Terumot
The Laws of Terumah
They contain eight mitzvot:
Two positive commandments and six negative commandments.
They are:
1. To separate the Great Terumah
2. To separate terumah from the tithes
3. Not to separate one of the terumot or tithes before the proper one, but rather to separate all the obligations in order
4. For an unauthorized person not to eat terumah
5. For even a priest's tenant or hired worker not to eat terumah
6. For an uncircumcised person not to eat terumah
7. For a priest who is ritually impure not to eat terumah
8. For a chalalah not to eat terumah or partake of the sacred offerings.
Hilchot Ma'asrot
The Laws of Tithes
[They contain] one mitzvah, to separate the first tithe each year the land is tilled and give it to the Levites.
Hilchot Ma'aser Sheni V'Neta Reva'i
The Laws of the Second Tithe and the Produce
of the Fourth Year
They contain nine mitzvot:
Three positive commandments and six negative commandments.
They are:
1. To separate the second tithe
2. Not to use the proceeds of the second tithe for any human need other than food, drink, or anointing oneself
3. Not to partake of [the second tithe] while ritually impure
4. Not to partake of [the second tithe] while in mourning
5. Not to partake of the second tithe of grain outside of Jerusalem
6. Not to partake of the second tithe of wine outside of Jerusalem
7. Not to partake of the second tithe of olive oil outside of Jerusalem
8. For the entire produce of the fourth year to be consecrated, for it to be eaten in Jerusalem by its owners, conforming in all matters to the laws governing the second tithe
9. To make the declaration associated with the giving of tithes.
Hilchot Bikkurim
The Laws of the First Fruits (and also the
Laws Governing the other Presents Given to
the Priests)
They contain nine mitzvot:
Eight positive commandments and one negative commandment.
They are:
1. To separate the first fruits and bring them to the Temple
2. For a priest not to partake of the first fruits outside of Jerusalem
3. To recite the declaration (associated with the first fruits)
4. To separate challah [and give it] to a priest
5. To give the shankbone, jaw, and maw to a priest
6. To give him the first shearings [of our flocks]
8. To redeem a firstling donkey and give the animal [with which it is] redeemed to the priest
9. To decapitate a firstling donkey if one does not
want to redeem it.
Hilchot Shemitah V'Yovel
The Laws of the Sabbatical and Jubilee Years
They contain 22 mitzvot:
Nine positive commandments and 13 negative commandments.
They are:
1. To allow the land to rest from all [agricultural] work in the seventh year
2. Not to do any [agricultural] work on the land during this year
3. Not to do any [agricultural] work with trees during this year
4. Not to harvest produce that grows on its own in the normal manner
5. Not to harvest the vines in the normal manner
6. To renounce ownership over all of the earth's produce
7. To renounce all debts [owed one]
8. Not to demand payment or seek to collect a debt
9. Not to withholding lending money before the shemitah year, lest one's money be lost
10. To count the years [in cycles of] seven
11. To sanctify the fiftieth [Jubilee] year
12. To blow the shofar on the tenth of Tishrei [of the Jubilee], so that so that the [Hebrew] servants will be released
13. Not to work the land in this year
14. Not to harvest produce that grows on its own in the normal manner
15. Not to harvest the vines in the normal manner
16. To release the land in this year. These are the laws of ancestral property and purchased property
17. For the land not to be sold permanently
18. The laws governing houses in a walled city
19. For the tribe of Levi not to be given an inheritance in Eretz Yisrael. Instead, they are given gifts of cities in which to dwell.
20. For the tribe of Levi not to be given a portion of the spoils [of war]
21. To give the Levites cities in which to dwell and [to give them] open land [around these cities]
22. For these open lands never to be sold [in a permanent manner], but rather for them to be able to be redeemed at all times, both before the Jubilee year and afterwards.
Thus, this book contains a total of 67 mitzvot: 30 positive commandments and 37 negative commandments.
Sefer Avodah
The Book of [the Temple and its] Service
It contains nine halachot. They are, in order:
Hilchot Beit HaBechirah - The Laws of [God's] Chosen House
Hilchot Klei HaMikdash V'HaOvdim Bo - The Laws [Governing] the Temple Utensils and Those who Serve Within
Hilchot Bi'at HaMikdash - The Laws [Governing] Entrance to the Temple
Hilchot Issurei Mizbe'ach - The Laws [Governing Animals] Forbidden [to be Sacrificed on] the Altar
Hilchot Ma'aseh HaKorbanot - The Laws of the Sacrificial Procedures
Hilchot Temidim UMusafim - The Laws of Daily and Special Offerings
Hilchot Pesulei HaMukdashim - The Laws of Offerings that have become Unacceptable [for Sacrifice]
Hilchot Avodat Yom HaKippurim - The Laws of the Yom Kippur Service
Hilchot Me'ilah - The Laws of Misuse of Sacred Property.
Hilchot Beit HaBechirah
The Laws of [God's] Chosen House
They contain six mitzvot:
Three positive commandments and three negative commandments.
They are:
1. To build a Temple
2. Not to build the altar with hewn stone
3. Not to ascend [the altar] with steps
4. To fear the Temple
5. To keep watch around the Temple
6. Not to nullify the watch around the Temple.
Hilchot Klei HaMikdash V'HaOvdim Bo
The Laws [Governing] the Temple Utensils and
Those who Serve Within
They contain 14 mitzvot:
Six positive commandments and eight negative commandments.
They are:
1. To make the anointing oil
2. Not to make [other oil] which resembles it
3. Not to pour it on the skin [of an unauthorized person]
4. Not to [mix incense] using the same formula as the incense offering
5. Not to offer anything on the golden altar with the exception of the incense offering
6. To carry the ark on one's shoulders
7. That the ark's staves not be removed from it
8. For the Levites to serve in the Temple
9. That a person appointed to one function in the Temple should not perform a task that was assigned to a different individual
10. To sanctify the priests [in preparation] for [Temple] service
11. For [the members of] all the priestly watches to be given equal opportunity during the festivals
12. To wear the priestly garments when serving [in the Temple]
13. For the [High Priest's] cloak not to be torn
14. For the breastplate not to move from the ephod.
Hilchot Bi'at HaMikdash
The Laws [Governing] Entrance to the Temple
They contain 15 mitzvot:
Two positive commandments and thirteen negative commandments.
They are:
1. For a drunken person not to enter the Temple
2. For a person with overly long hair not to enter [the Temple]
3. For a person with torn garments not to enter [the Temple]
4. For a priest not to enter the Temple building at all times
5. For a priest not to leave the Temple in the midst of service
6. To send away the ritually impure from the Temple
7. For [certain categories of] the ritually impure not to enter the Temple
8. For [certain categories of] the ritually impure not to enter the Temple Mount
9. For one who is ritually impure not to serve [in the Temple]
10. For one who is ritually impure and immersed himself in a mikveh not to serve [in the Temple on the day of his immersion]
11. For a priest serving [in the Temple] to sanctify his hands and feet
12. For a priest with a disqualifying physical blemish not to enter the Temple building or approach the altar
13. For a priest with a disqualifying physical blemish not to serve [in the Temple]
14. For a priest with a disqualifying physical blemish of a temporary nature not to serve [in the Temple]
15. For an unauthorized person not to serve [in the Temple].
Hilchot Issurei Mizbe'ach
The Laws [Governing Animals] Forbidden [to be
Sacrificed on] the Altar
They contain 14 mitzvot:
Four positive commandments and ten negative commandments.
They are:
1. To offer all the sacrifices in an unblemished state
2. Not to dedicate an animal with a disqualifying physical blemish for sacrifice
3. Not to slaughter [an animal with a disqualifying physical blemish as a sacrifice]
4. Not to sprinkle the blood of [an animal with a disqualifying physical blemish]
5. Not to burn the fats of [an animal with a disqualifying physical blemish]
6. Not to sacrifice an animal with a disqualifying physical blemish of a temporary nature
7. Not to sacrifice an animal with a disqualifying physical blemish even when offered by gentiles
8. Not to cause a disqualifying physical blemish in an animal that was consecrated for sacrificial use
9. To redeem an animal [that was set aside for sacrificial use] which possesses a disqualifying physical blemish
10. To sacrifice an animal only after the eighth day. Before that time, it is considered as "lacking [sufficient] time" and cannot be sacrificed.
11. Not to offer as a sacrifice [an animal] given as a prostitute's fee or given in exchange for a dog
12. Not to offer [sacrifices] that contain a leavening agent or a sweetener
13. To salt all sacrifices
14. Not to forget to place salt on any sacrifice.
Hilchot Ma'aseh HaKorbanot
The Laws of the Sacrificial Procedures
They contain 23 mitzvot:
Ten positive commandments and thirteen negative commandments.
They are:
I. To offer the burnt offerings in accordance with the procedure stated in the Torah
2. Not to eat the meat of the burnt offerings
3. The procedure for a sin offering
4. Not to eat the meat of those sin offerings [whose blood was brought] inside [the Temple building]
5. Not to cut off the head entirely when slaying a bird brought as a sin offering
6. The procedure for a guilt offering
7. That the priests should eat the meat of the sacrifices of the most sacred order within the Temple
8. That [the meat of these sacrifices] should not be eaten outside the Temple Courtyard
9. That an unauthorized person should not partake of the sacrifices of the most sacred order
10. The procedure for a peace offering
11. Not to eat from the sacrifices of a lesser degree of holiness before the sprinkling of their blood
12. To offer the meal offerings in accordance with the procedure stated in the Torah
13. Not to put oil on a meal offering brought by a sinner
14. Not to put frankincense upon it
15. For a meal offering brought by a priest not to be eaten
16. For a meal offering not to be baked from leaven
17. For the priests to eat the remaining portions of the meal offerings
18. For a person to bring the sacrifices that he pledged to bring and the animals he pledged to offer as sacrifices to be offered, on the first festival that comes
19. Not to delay bringing the sacrifices that one pledged to bring, the animals he pledged to offer as sacrifices, or the other pledges one has taken upon himself
20. To offer all the sacrifices in the Temple
21. To bring sacrifices from the diaspora to the Temple
22. Not to slaughter a sacrifice outside the Temple courtyard
23. Not to offer a sacrifice outside the Temple court-yard.
Hilchot Temidim UMusafim
The Laws of Daily and Special Offerings
They contain 19 mitzvot:
Eighteen positive commandments and one negative commandment.
They are:
1. Two offer two Iambs every day
2. To kindle the fire of the altar every day
3. Not to extinguish [the fire of the altar]
4. To remove the ashes [from the altar] every day
5. To offer the incense offering every day
6. To light the candles [of the Menorah] every day
7. For the High Priest to offer a meal offering every day. It is called Minchat Chavitin.
8. To sacrifice an additional two lambs [as a musaf offering] on the Sabbath
9. To offer the showbread
10. To bring a musaf offering on Rosh Chodesh
11. To bring a musaf offering on Pesach
12. To bring the omer offering which is waved]
13. For every individual to count seven weeks from the day the omar was offered
14. To bring a musaf offering on Shavuot
15. To bring the two loaves [of bread] and the sacrifices which accompany the loaves on Shavuot
16. To bring a musaf offering on Rosh HaShanah
17. To bring a musaf offering on the fast [of Yom Kippur]
18. To bring a musaf offering on the holiday [of Sukkot]
19. To bring a musaf offering on Shemini Atzeret
Hilchot Pesulei HaMukdashim
The Laws of Offerings that have become Unac‑
ceptable [for Sacrifice]
They contain eight mitzvot:
Two positive commandments and six negative commandments.
They are:
1. Not to partake of sacred foods that have become disqualified because of blemishes or due to other reasons
2. Not to eat piggul
3. Not to partake of sacred foods after the time prescribed for their consumption
4. Not to partake of notar [meat from the sacrifices which remains after the time prescribed for their consumption]
5. Not to partake of sacred foods that have become impure
6. For a person who becomes impure not to partake of sacred foods
7. To burn notar
8. To burn sacrificial offerings that have become impure.
Hilchot Avodat Yom HaKippurim
The Laws of the Yom Kippur Service
[They contain] one mitzvah, to perform the service of Yom Kippur, the sacrifices, the confessions, the sending away of the goat, and the other aspects of the service, in accordance with the order prescribed in the parashah of Acharei Mot.
Hilchot Me'ilah
The Laws of Misuse of Sacred Property.
They contain three mitzvot:
One positive commandment and two negative commandments.
They are:
1. For a person who sins by misusing sacred property to make recompense, adding a fifth [of the article's value] and offering a sacrifice. This is the law pertaining to a mo'il.
2. Not to work with animals which were consecrated
3. Not to shear animals which were consecrated.
Thus, this book contains a total of 103 mitzvot: 47 positive commandments and 56 negative commandments.
Sefer Korbanot
The Book of Sacrifices
It contains six halachot. They are, in order: Hilchot Korban Pesach - The Laws of the Paschal Offering
Hilchot Chaggigah - The Laws of the Festive Offering
Hilchot Bechorot - The Laws of the Firstling Animals
Hilchot Shegagot - The Laws of the Offerings [to Atone for] Unintentional Transgression
Hilchot Mechusarei Kapparah - The Laws of [the Offerings brought by] those whose Process of Atonement is Incomplete
Hilchot Temurah - The Laws of [Offerings which were] Substituted [One for Another]
Hilchot Korban Pesach
The Laws of the Paschal Offering
They contain 16 mitzvot:
Four positive commandments and twelve negative commandments.
They are:
1. To slaughter the Paschal sacrifice at its appropriate time
2. Not to slaughter it while in possession of chametz
3. Not to allow the portions burned on the altar to remain overnight
4. To slaughter the second Paschal sacrifice
5. To eat the meat of the Paschal sacrifice together with matzot and bitter herbs on the night of the fifteenth [of Nisan]
6. To eat the meat of the second Paschal sacrifice on the night of the fifteenth of the second month
7. Not to partake [of the Paschal sacrifice] is raw or boiled
8. Not to take the meat of the Paschal sacrifice out of the group [in which it is eaten]
9. Not to allow an apostate to eat from it
10. For a resident alien or a [Jew's] hired worker not to partake of it
11. For an uncircumcised person not to partake of it
12. Not to break a bone of it
13. Not to break a bone in the second Paschal sacrifice
14. Not to allow [the Paschal sacrifice] to remain until the morning
15. Not to allow the second Paschal sacrifice to remain until the morning
16. Not to allow the meat from the festive offering [brought on] the fourteenth [of Nisan] to remain until the morning of the third day.
Hilchot Chaggigah
The Laws of the Festive Offering
They contain six mitzvot:
Four positive commandments and two negative commandments.
They are:
1. To present oneself before God
2. To celebrate on the three pilgrimage festivals
3. To rejoice on the festivals
4. Not to appear [before God] empty-handed
5. Not to abandon the Levi, but rather to have him rejoice and give him the presents due him on the festivals
6. To gather together the people during the Sukkot festival during the year following the shemitah year.
Hilchot Bechorot
The Laws of the Firstling Animals
They contain five mitzvot:
Two positive commandments and three negative commandments.
They are:
1. To separate the firstling animals [as a sacrifice]
2. Not to partake of an unblemished firstling animal outside of Jerusalem
3. Not to redeem a firstling animal
4. To separate the tithes of one's herds
5. Not to redeem the tithes of one's herds
I have included the laws of the tithes of one's herds together with the laws of the firstling animals, because the same procedure is followed with regard to both of them. The Torah also groups the two together in the verse (Numbers 18:17): "And you shall dash their blood...." According to the oral tradition, we learn that this refers to the blood of the tithes and the blood of the firstling animals.
Hilchot Shegagot
The Laws of the Offerings [to Atone for] Unintentional Transgression
They contain five positive commandments. They are:
1. That a person who inadvertently violates a transgression should bring a fixed sin offering
2. That a person who does not know whether or not he violated a transgression should bring a guilt offering unless he discovers that he definitely transgressed, at which time he must bring a sin offering. This [guilt offering] is referred to as "the conditional guilt offering."
3. That a person who commits certain sins should bring a guilt offering [to atone] for their violation. This is referred to as "the definite guilt offering."
4. For a person who commits certain sins to offer [a sacrifice in] atonement. If he is rich, he should offer an animal, if he is poor, a fowl or the tenth of an ephah [of meal]. This is referred to as "the adjustable guilt offering."
5. For the Sanhedrin to offer a sacrifice if they render an erroneous decision regarding one of the serious matters [of Torah law].
Hilchot Mechusarei Kapparah
The Laws of [the Offerings brought by] those
whose Process of Atonement is Incomplete
They contain four positive commandments. They are:
1. For a zavah to offer a sacrifice when she becomes ritually pure
2. For a woman who gives birth to offer a sacrifice when she becomes ritually pure
3. For a zav to offer a sacrifice when he becomes ritually pure
4. For a person afflicted by tzara’at to offer a sacrifice when he becomes ritually pure. :
After the offering of these sacrifices, the process of purification of these individuals is completed.
Hilchot Temurah
The Laws of [Offerings which were] Substituted
[One for Another]
They contain three mitzvot:
One positive commandment and two negative commandments.
They are:
1. Not to substitute [another animal for one designated as a sacrifice]
2. For an animal that was substituted [for one designated as a sacrifice] to be considered consecrated
3. Not to change animals that were consecrated from one category of holiness to another.
Thus, this book contains a total of 39 mitzvot: 20 positive commandments and 19 negative commandments.
Part 3
Sefer Taharah
The Book of Ritual Purity
It consists of eight halachot. They are, in order:
Hilchot Tum'at Meit - The Laws of the Ritual Impurity Imparted by a Human Corpse
Hilchot Parah Adumah - The Laws of [the Purification Process Involving] the Red Heifer
Hilchot Tum'at Tzara'at - The Laws of the Ritual Impurity Imparted by Tzara’at
Hilchot Metamei Mishkav UMoshav - The Laws of the [Sources of Ritual Impurity] which Impart Impurity to the Places where One Sits and the Places where One Lies
Hilchot Sh'ar Avot HaTum'ah - The Laws of the Other Categories of Sources of Ritual Impurity
Hilchot Tum'at Ochalin - The Laws of the Ritual Impurity Contracted by Foods
Hilchot Kelim - The Laws of [the Ritual Impurity] Contracted by Vessels
Hilchot Mikvaot - The Laws of Mikvaot
Hilchot Tum'at Meit
The Laws of the Ritual Impurity Imparted by a
Human Corpse
They contain one positive commandment, the laws governing the ritual impurity imparted by a human corpse.
Hilchot Parah Adumah
The Laws of [the Purification Process Involving] the Red Heifer
They contain two positive commandments. They are:
1. The law of the red heifer
2. The laws involving the ritual purity and impurity imparted by the water that is sprinkled [together with the ashes of the red heifer].
Hilchot Tum'at Tzara'at
The Laws of the Ritual Impurity Imparted by
Tzara’at
They contain eight mitzvot:
Six positive commandments and two negative commandments.
They are:
1. To render judgments concerning tzara’at in humans as prescribed by the Torah
2. Not to cut off the signs of tzara’at
3. Not to shave a bald spot
4. That a person afflicted by tzara’at should make known his state of impurity by wearing torn clothing, letting his hair grow long, and covering his head
5. The purification process of a person afflicted by tzara’at
6. That a person afflicted by tzara’at should shave off all his hair as part of his purification process
7. The laws of tzara’at in clothing
8. The laws of tzara’at in houses.
Hilchot Metamei Mishkav UMoshav
The Laws of the [Sources of Ritual Impurity]
which Impart Impurity to the Places where One Sits and the Places where One Lies
They contain four positive commandments. They are:
1. The laws of the impurity of the niddah state
2. The laws of the impurity of a woman after childbirth
3. The laws of the impurity of a zavah
4. The laws of the impurity of a zav
Hilchot Sh'ar Avot HaTum'ah
The Laws of the Other Categories of Sources of
Ritual Impurity
They contain three positive commandments. They are:
1. The laws of the impurity imparted by an animal carcass
2. The laws of the impurity imparted by a the carcass of a crawling animal
3. The laws of the impurity imparted by human semen.
[These halachot also deal with] the ritual impurity imparted by false gods and their accessories. This ritual impurity is equivalent to that imparted by the carcass of a crawling animal; it is a Rabbinic injunction.
Hilchot Tum'at Ochalin
The Laws of the Ritual Impurity Contracted by Foods
They contain one positive commandment, the laws
of the impurity contracted by liquids and foods and
how it is possible for them to regain ritual purity.
Hilchot Kelim
The Laws of [the Ritual Impurity] Contracted
by Vessels
The intent of these laws is to know which vessels can contract the above-mentioned impurities and which do not, and how the vessels contract and impart ritual impurity.
Hilchot Mikvaot
The Laws of Mikvaot
[They contain] one positive commandment, that all those who are impure should immerse themselves in the waters of a mikveh [to] regain impurity afterwards.
Thus, this book contains a total of 20 mitzvot: 18 positive commandments and two negative commandments.
Sefer Nezikin
The Book of Damages
It consists of five halachot. They are, in order: Hilchot Nizkei Mammon - The Laws of Damage to Property
Hilchot Geneivah - The Laws of Theft
Hilchot Gezeilah Va'Avedah -The Laws of Robbery and [the Return of] Lost Object
Hilchot Chovel UMazik - The Laws of [Personal] Injury and Damages [Caused Directly by Human Action]
Hilchot Rotzeach USh'mirat Nefesh - The Laws of Murder and the Protection of Life
Hilchot Nizkei Mammon
The Laws of Damage to Property
They contain four positive commandments. They are:
1. The laws governing [the damages caused by the goring of] an ox
2. The laws governing [the damages caused by] the grazing of animals
3. The laws governing [the damages caused by] an obstruction [in public property]
4. The laws governing [the damages caused by] fire.
Hilchot Geneivah The Laws of Theft
They contain seven mitzvot:
Two positive commandments and five negative commandments.
They are:
1. Not to steal money
2. The laws governing [punishment of] a thief
3. To have proper scales and weights
4. Not to deal unjustly with weights and measures
5. For a person not to possess incorrect weights and measures, even if he does not use them for purchase or sale
6. Not to alter a [colleague's] property marker
7. Not to kidnap.
Hilchot Gezeilah Va'Avedah
The Laws of Robbery and [the Return> of] >Lost Objects
They contain seven mitzvot
Two positive commandments and five negative commandments.
They are:
1. Not to commit robbery
2. Not to wrong [a colleague by withholding his due]
3. Not to covet
4. Not to desire
5. To return a stolen object
6. Not to ignore a lost object
7. To return a lost object.
Hilchot Chovel UMazik
The Laws of [Personal] Injury and Damages
[Caused Directly by Human Action]
[They contain] one positive commandment, the laws governing injury which one person causes another, and damages which one person causes to a colleague's property.
Hilchot Rotzeach USh'mirat Nefesh
The Laws of Murder and the Protection of Life
They contain 17 mitzvot:
Seven positive commandments and ten negative commandments.
They are:
1. Not to murder
2. Not to take a ransom for the life of the murderer
3. To exile one who inadvertently kills another person
4. Not to take a ransom for the person sentenced to exile
5. That the murderer should not be killed before having been given a trial
6. To save a person who is being pursued [even at the expense of] the pursuer's life
7. Not to show any mercy to a pursuer
8. Not to neglect [a person] in mortal danger
9. To set aside cities of refuge and to prepare the road to them
10. To decapitate a calf in a river [in atonement for an unsolved murder]
11. Not to till or sow the land [where this atonement was made]
12. Not to create a dangerous situation
13. To put up a guard rail
14. Not to cause an innocent person to err
15. To unload a person [or his animal] that has fallen on the road
16. To [help him] reload [his animal]
17. Not to leave him distraught with his burden on the road
Thus, this book contains a total of 36 mitzvot: 16 positive commandments and 20 negative commandments.
Sefer Kinyan
The Book of Acquisition [of Property]
It consists of five halachot. They are, in order:
Hilchot Mechirah - The Laws Governing Sales
Hilchot Zechiyah UMatanah - The Laws Governing the Acquisition of Property and Presents
Hilchot Sh'chenim - The Laws Governing [Relations] with Neighbors
Hilchot Shluchin VShutafin - The Laws of Agents and Partners
Hilchot Avadim - The Laws of Slaves.
Hilchot Mechirah
The Laws Governing Sales
They contain four mitzvot:
One positive commandment and three negative commandments.
They are:
1. The laws of sales and purchases
2. Not to cheat a colleague in a business transaction
3. Not to wrong a person with words
4. Not to wrong a convert financially.
5. Not to wrong him with words.
Hilchot Zechiyah UMatanah
The Laws Governing the Acquisition of Property and Presents
The intent of] these laws is to know how one acquires ownerless property and what [legal] acts are involved, the laws governing the giving and receiving of a present; which present [does not represent a binding commitment and, therefore,] must be returned to its owner, and which [is binding] and need not be returned.
Hilchot Sh'chenim
The Laws Governing [Relations] with Neighbors
The intent of these laws is to know how land is divided between partners, the measures each must take to prevent damage to the other and their neighbors, and the laws governing a person's right to purchase property sold by his neighbor
Hilchot Shluchin V'Shutafin
The Laws of Agents and Partners
The intent of these laws is to know the laws governing the activities of a person's agent, the laws governing partners, and their application with regard to purchases, sales, losses, and profits.
Hilchot Avadim
The Laws of Slaves
They contain 13 mitzvot:
Five positive commandments and eight negative commandments.
They are:
1. The laws governing the purchase of a Hebrew servant
2. That he not be sold in the way a slave is sold
3. That he may not be made to perform rigorous work
4. Not to allow a resident alien to make him perform rigorous work
5. Not to make him perform servile tasks
6. To give him a separation gift when he is released
7. That he should not be released empty-handed
8. To redeem a Hebrew maidservant
9. To designate her as a bride
10. Not to sell her
11. To work with a Canaanite slave forever unless his master destroys one of his primary limbs
12. Not to return a slave who fled from the Diaspora to Eretz Yisrael
13. Not to oppress this slave who has fled to us.
Thus, this book contains a total of 18 mitzvot: six positive commandments and 12 negative commandments.
Sefer Mishpatim
The Book of Judgments
It consists of five halachot. They are, in order:
Hilchot Sechirut - The Laws of Employer-Employee Relations
Hilcho She'lah UPikadon - The Laws of Borrowed and Entrusted Objects
Hilchot Malveh V'Loveh - The Laws of Lenders and Borrowers
Hilchot To'en V'Nit'an - The Laws Governing [Disputes between] Plaintiffs and Defendants
Hilchot Nachalot - The Laws Governing Inheritances.
Hilchot Sechirut
The Laws of Employer-Employee Relations
They contain seven mitzvot:
three positive commandments and four negative commandments.
They are:
1. The laws governing a hired worker and a paid watchman
2. To pay a worker his wage when due
3. Not to delay payment of a worker's wage after it falls due
4. That a worker be allowed to eat from the produce with which he is working
5. That a worker not eat from this during the time he should be working
6. That a worker should not take more than what he eats
7. Not to muzzle an ox or any other animal while it is treading [grain].
Hilchot She'ilah UPikadon
The Laws of Borrowed and Entrusted Objects They contain two positive commandments. They are:
1. The laws pertaining to a borrower
2. The laws pertaining to an unpaid watchman.
Hilchot Malveh V'Loveh The Laws of Lenders and Borrowers
They contain twelve mitzvot:
Four positive commandments and eight negative commandments.
They are:
1. To lend money to a poor and unfortunate person
2. Not to demand repayment of his debt
3. To demand repayment of a gentile's debt
4. Not to forcefully take security from a debtor
5. To return security to a debtor when he needs it
6. Not to delay returning security to a poor debtor when he needs it
7. Not to take security from a widow
8. Not to take utensils used to prepare food as security
9. Not to give a loan at interest
10. For a borrower not to accept a loan at interest
11. For a person not to render assistance to a lender or a borrower with regard to a loan at interest, for him not to act as a witness or a guarantor, nor to compose a contract of loan
12. To borrow from a gentile and lend to him at interest.
Hilchot To'en V'Nit'an
The Laws Governing [Disputes between] Plaintiffs and Defendants
[They contain] one positive commandment, the laws governing claims [issued by a plaintiff when the defendant] either admits to them or denies them.
Hilchot Nachalot
The Laws Governing Inheritances
[They contain] one positive commandment, the laws governing the order of inheritance.
Thus, this book contains a total of 23 mitzvot: 11 positive commandments and 12 negative commandments.
Sefer Shoftim
The Book of Judges
It consists of five halachot. They are, in order:
Hilchot Sanhedrin V'HaOnshin HaMesurim Lahem - The Laws of the Courts and the Punishments Over which They Have Jurisdiction
Hilchot Edut - The Laws of Witnesses
Hilchot Mamrim - The Laws of the Rebellious Ones
Hilchot Eivel - The Laws of Mourning
Hilchot Melachim UMilchamotehem - The Laws of Kings and Their Wars.
Hilchot Sanhedrin
V'HaOnshin HaMesurim Lahem
The Laws of the Courts and the Punishments
Over which They Have Jurisdiction
They contain 30 mitzvot:
Ten positive commandments and twenty negative commandments.
They are:
1. To appoint judges
2. Not to appoint a judge who does not know the [proper] manner of judgment
3. To follow the majority if there is a difference of opinion among the judges
4. Not to issue a death sentence if there is a majority of only one condemning the defendant. Rather, a majority of at least two is necessary
5. For a person who argued in favor of acquittal in a capital case not to argue for a conviction
6. To execute by stoning [the condemned to death]
7. To execute by burning [the condemned to death]
8. To execute by decapitation
9. To execute by strangulation
10. To hang [the corpses of certain sinners who were executed]
11. To bury the executed person on the day of his execution
12. Not to allow his corpse to remain unburied overnight
13. Not to allow a sorcerer to live
14. To [punish] a sinner with lashes
15. Not to add blows when lashing a sinner
16. Not to kill an innocent person based on an apparent conclusion
17. Not to punish a person forced [to commit a sin]
18. Not to have mercy on a person who killed or injured a colleague
19. Not to have mercy on a poor person in judgment
20. Not to honor a man of stature in judgment
21. Not to pervert judgment against a sinner even though he is [known to be] a transgressor
22. Not to act deceitfully in judgment
23. Not to pervert the justice due converts or orphans
24. To render a righteous judgment
25. For a judge not to fear rendering [a just] judgment because of a powerful person
26. Not to accept a bribe
27. Not to accept a false report
28. Not to curse the judges
29. Not to curse the nasi
30. Not to curse any other Jew of moral repute.
Hilchot Edut
The Laws of Witnesses
They contain eight mitzvot:
Three positive commandments and five negative commandments.
They are:
1. For a person who knows [relevant] testimony to testify in court
2. To question and cross-examine witnesses
3. For a witness not to render a decision in a capital case in which he has testified
4. Not to render a decision based on the testimony of a single witness
5. For a sinner not to act as a witness
6. For a relative not to act as a witness
7. Not to give false testimony
8. To punish a false witness with [the punishment] he plotted [to have the defendant receive]
Hilchot Mamrim
The Laws of the Rebellious Ones
They contain nine mitzvot:
Three positive commandments and six negative commandments.
They are:
1. To follow the instructions given by the High Court
2. Not to deviate from their words
3. Not to add to the Torah, neither to the mitzvot of the Written Law nor to their explanation which was transmitted by the oral tradition
4. Not to detract from the mitzvot
5. Not to curse one's father or mother
6. Not to strike one's father or mother
7. To honor one's father and mother
8. To fear one's father and mother
9. For a son not to rebel against his father's and mother's commands.
Hilchot Eivel
The Laws of Mourning
They contain four mitzvot:
One positive commandment and three negative commandments.
They are:
1. To mourn for our relatives. Even a priest must become impure and mourn for his relatives. A person may not mourn for those executed by the court. Therefore, I have included these laws in this book because they are connected with the burial of a person on the day of his death, which is a positive commandment.
2. For a High Priest not to become impure because of his relatives
3. For him not to enter a place where a corpse is lying
4. For a common priest not to contract impurity from contact with a human corpse, with the exception of his relatives
Hilchot Melachim UMilchamotehem
The Laws of Kings and Their Wars.
They contain 23 mitzvot:
Ten positive commandments and thirteen negative commandments.
They are:
1. To appoint a king over Israel
2. Not to appoint a convert [as a king]
3. [That the king] should not accumulate many wives
4. [That the king] should not accumulate many horses
5. [That the king] should not accumulate much silver and gold
6. To annihilate the seven nations
7. Not to allow any of them to remain alive
8. To wipe out the descendants of Amalek
9. To remember what Amalek did to us
10. Not to forget [Amalek's] wicked deeds and their ambushing [our people] on the journey [to Eretz Yisrael]
11. Not to dwell in Egypt
12. To make an offer of peace to the inhabitants of a city to which we lay siege, and to carry out the Torah's instructions should they sue for peace or not
13. Not to make an offer of peace to Ammon and Moav when we lay siege [to their land]
14. Not to destroy fruit producing trees in the process of a siege
15. To prepare a place outside the army camp where the soldiers can go to defecate
16. [For a soldier] to prepare a shovel with which he can dig [to cover his excrement]
17. To anoint a priest to speak to the soldiers at the time of battle
18. To allow a person who becomes betrothed, builds a house, or plants a vineyard to rejoice in his acquisition for a full year and to be sent back from the army camp
19. Not to call on them for any [public] duties, neither the needs of the community, the needs of the army, nor the like
20. Not to panic and flee in the midst of battle
21. The law of a yefat to'ar
22. Not to sell a yefat to'ar
23. Not to enslave a yefat to'ar after having relations with her
Thus, this book contains a total of 74 mitzvot: 27 positive commandments and 47 negative commandments.
There are a total of 83 halachot in these fourteen books. Now, I will begin to explain the rules governing each mitzvah and the relevant laws that are included with them, according to the order of [these] halachot, with the help of the Almighty.
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Hayom Yom:
Thursday, 26 Kislev, 5775 • 18 December 2014
"Today's Day"
Bless Rosh Chodesh Tevet. Say the entire Tehillim in the early morning.
Torah lessons: Chumash: Vayeishev, Shevi'i with Rashi.
Tehillim: 119, 97 to end.
Tanya: Ch. 2. The second soul (p. 5)...Parshat Bereishit (p. 9).
Day of farbrengen. Tal umatar (Siddur, p. 54). Chanuka lights after havdala (p. 234), before v'yitein l'cha (p. 235). In shul, Chanuka candles before havdala.
On Shabbat mevarchim, (when the new month is blessed) (Siddur, p. 191), Chassidim are to assemble in Shul early in the morning to say the entire Tehillim. Afterwards, study for about an hour a maamar Chassidus that everyone can understand, and then daven. The time to farbreng is to be determined according to the circumstances1 in the place they live (for material and spiritual success).
After concluding the Tehillim on Shabbat Mevarchim, say Mourner's Kaddish; if there is a Yahrzeit or mourner - Kaddish after each of the five books of Tehillim.
FOOTNOTES
1. See Nissan 30, p. 49
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Daily Thought:
Preconception
Standing at the cusp of existence, before its very conception, when anything could have been, but nothing was; He declared, “It should be light.”
The truth of all darkness is its mandate to become light; the truth of all conscious beings is their mandate to perceive that light; the truth of all existence is to know that it emerges out of that which stands beyond existence.
“How great are Your works, O G‑d! How very deep are Your thoughts!” (Psalms 92:6)[Likutei Sichot vol. 10, pp. 7–12.]
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Bless Rosh Chodesh Tevet. Say the entire Tehillim in the early morning.
Torah lessons: Chumash: Vayeishev, Shevi'i with Rashi.
Tehillim: 119, 97 to end.
Tanya: Ch. 2. The second soul (p. 5)...Parshat Bereishit (p. 9).
Day of farbrengen. Tal umatar (Siddur, p. 54). Chanuka lights after havdala (p. 234), before v'yitein l'cha (p. 235). In shul, Chanuka candles before havdala.
On Shabbat mevarchim, (when the new month is blessed) (Siddur, p. 191), Chassidim are to assemble in Shul early in the morning to say the entire Tehillim. Afterwards, study for about an hour a maamar Chassidus that everyone can understand, and then daven. The time to farbreng is to be determined according to the circumstances1 in the place they live (for material and spiritual success).
After concluding the Tehillim on Shabbat Mevarchim, say Mourner's Kaddish; if there is a Yahrzeit or mourner - Kaddish after each of the five books of Tehillim.
FOOTNOTES
1. See Nissan 30, p. 49
____________________________
Daily Thought:
Preconception
Standing at the cusp of existence, before its very conception, when anything could have been, but nothing was; He declared, “It should be light.”
The truth of all darkness is its mandate to become light; the truth of all conscious beings is their mandate to perceive that light; the truth of all existence is to know that it emerges out of that which stands beyond existence.
“How great are Your works, O G‑d! How very deep are Your thoughts!” (Psalms 92:6)[Likutei Sichot vol. 10, pp. 7–12.]
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