Today in Jewish History:
• Passing of the Taz (1667)
Shevat 26 is the yahrtzeit (anniversary of the passing) of Rabbi Dovid ben Shmuel Halevi (1586-1667), a primary Halachic authority, known as Taz after his work Turei Zahav ("Rows of Gold") -- a commentary on Rabbi Yosef Caro's Shulchan Aruch(Code of Jewish Law).
Links: Rabbi David Halevi (Taz)
Daily Quote:
Love the L‑rd your G‑d... for He is your life[Deuteronomy 30:20]
Daily Study:
Chitas and Rambam for today:
Chumash: with Rashi
• Chapter 25
1"The Lord spoke to Moses saying: אוַיְדַבֵּר יְהֹוָה אֶל משֶׁה לֵּאמֹר:
2"Speak to the children of Israel, and have them take for Me an offering; from every person whose heart inspires him to generosity, you shall take My offering. בדַּבֵּר אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְיִקְחוּ לִי תְּרוּמָה מֵאֵת כָּל אִישׁ אֲשֶׁר יִדְּבֶנּוּ לִבּוֹ תִּקְחוּ אֶת תְּרוּמָתִי:
and have them take for Me: Heb. לִי. [I.e.,] dedicated to My name. -[from Tan. 1] ויקחו לי תרומה: לי לשמי:
offering: Heb. תְּרוּמָה, separation. They shall set apart from their property an offering for Me. תרומה: הפרשה, יפרישו לי מממונם נדבה:
whose heart inspires him to generosity: Heb. יִדְּבֶנּוּ לִבּוֹ, an expression of נְדָבָה, which is an expression of good will, present in French, [a] gift. ידבנו לבו: לשון נדבה, והוא לשון רצון טוב, פרישנ"ט בלעז [מתנה]:
you shall take My offering: Our Rabbis said: [The word תְּרוּמָה, mentioned three times, denotes that] three offerings are mentioned here. One is the offering of a beka [half-shekel] per head, from which they made the sockets, as is delineated in [Exod. 38:26, 27, in the parsha] “ אֵלֶּה פְקוּדֵי, These are the accounts.” Another is the offering of a beka per head for the [community] coffers, from which to purchase the communal sacrifices, and another is the offering for the Mishkan, each one’s [Israelite’s] donation (Talmud Yerushalmi, Shekalim 1:1; Meg. 29b). The thirteen materials mentioned in this section [i.e., this chapter] were all required for the work of the Mishkan or for the garments of the kohanim, [as you will find] when you study them closely (Tan. 5, Song Rabbah 4:25). תקחו את תרומתי: אמרו רבותינו שלש תרומות אמורות כאן, אחת תרומת בקע לגלגלת, שנעשו מהם הא-דנים, כמו שמפורש באלה פקודי (שמות לח כו - כז), ואחת תרומת המזבח בקע לגלגלת לקופות לקנות מהן קרבנות צבור, ואחת תרומת המשכן נדבת כל אחד ואחד. שלשה עשר דברים האמורים בענין כולם הוצרכו למלאכת המשכן או לבגדי כהונה, כשתדקדק בהם:
3And this is the offering that you shall take from them: gold, silver, and copper; גוְזֹאת הַתְּרוּמָה אֲשֶׁר תִּקְחוּ מֵאִתָּם זָהָב וָכֶסֶף וּנְחשֶׁת:
gold, silver, and copper, etc.: They were all given voluntarily; each person [gave] what his heart inspired him to give, except [for] the silver, which they gave equally, a half-shekel for each individual. We do not find throughout the entire work of the Mishkan that more silver was required, as it is said: “The silver of the community census was…a beka per head…” (Exod. 38:25, 26). The rest of the silver, which was given there [in the work of the Mishkan] voluntarily, they [the workers] made into service utensils. זהב וכסף ונחשת וגו': כולם באו בנדבה, איש איש מה שנדבו לבו, חוץ מן הכסף שבא בשוה מחצית השקל לכל אחד, ולא מצינו בכל מלאכת המשכן, שהוצרך שם כסף יותר, שנאמר (שמות לח כו - כז) וכסף פקודי העדה וגו' בקע לגלגלת וגו', ושאר הכסף הבא שם בנדבה עשאוה לכלי שרת:
4blue, purple, and crimson wool; linen and goat hair; דוּתְכֵלֶת וְאַרְגָּמָן וְתוֹלַעַת שָׁנִי וְשֵׁשׁ וְעִזִּים:
blue…wool: Heb. תְכֵלֶת, wool dyed with the blood of the chillazon [animal], which bears a blue color. — [from Men. 44a, Tosefta Men. 9:6] ותכלת: צמר צבוע בדם חלזון, וצבעו ירוק:
purple…wool: Heb. וְאַרְגָּמָן, wool dyed with a kind of dye named אַרְגָּמָן. וארגמן: צמר צבוע ממין צבע ששמו ארגמן:
linen: Heb. שֵׁשׁ. This is linen. — [from Tosefta Men. 9:6] ושש: הוא פשתן:
and goat hair: Heb. וְעִזִים, the hair of goats. Therefore, Onkelos rendered: וּמְעַזֵי, [i.e.,] what comes from the goats, but not the goats themselves [i.e., not the goat skins], for Targum’s [Onkelos] translation of עִזִים [goats] is עִזַיָא (Gen. 30:32). ועזים: נוצה של עזים, לכך תרגם אונקלוס ומעזי, הבא מן העזים, ולא עזים עצמם, שתרגום של עזים עזיא:
5ram skins dyed red, tachash skins, and acacia wood; הוְעֹרֹת אֵילִם מְאָדָּמִים וְעֹרֹת תְּחָשִׁים וַעֲצֵי שִׁטִּים:
dyed red: Heb. מְאֳָדָּמִים. They were dyed red after being tanned. מאדמים: צבועות היו אדום לאחר עבודן:
tachash skins: This was a species of animal that existed only for a [short] time, and it had many hues (גַּוָּנִים). Therefore, [Onkelos] renders [it] סַסְגּוֹנָא, because it rejoices (שֶׁשָׂשׂ) [ס and שׂ are often interchangeable] and boasts of its hues (גַּוָּנִים). -[from Shab. 28a, b] תחשים: מין חיה, ולא היתה אלא לשעה והרבה גוונים היו לה, לכך מתרגם ססגונא, ששש ומתפאר בגוונין שלו:
and acacia wood: Where did they get these [trees] in the desert? Rabbi Tanchuma explained that our father Jacob foresaw with the holy spirit that the Israelites were destined to build a Mishkan in the desert, so he brought cedars to Egypt and planted them. He commanded his sons to take them with them when they left Egypt. — [from Mid. Tanchuma 9] ועצי שטים: מאין היו להם במדבר, פירש רבי תנחומא יעקב אבינו צפה ברוח הקודש, שעתידין ישראל לבנות משכן במדבר, והביא ארזים למצרים ונטעם, וצוה לבניו ליטלם עמהם, כשיצאו ממצרים:
6oil for lighting, spices for the anointing oil and for the incense; ושֶׁמֶן לַמָּאֹר בְּשָׂמִים לְשֶׁמֶן הַמִּשְׁחָה וְלִקְטֹרֶת הַסַּמִּים:
oil for lighting: Pure olive oil to continually kindle the light. שמן למאור: שמן זית זך להעלות נר תמיד:
spices for the anointing oil: which was made to anoint the vessels of the Mishkan and [for] the Mishkan itself to sanctify them, and spices were required for it, as is delineated in [the parsha] כִּי תִשָׂא (Exod. 30:22-33). בשמים לשמן המשחה: שנעשה למשוח כלי המשכן והמשכן לקדשו, והוצרכו לו בשמים כמו שמפורש בכי תשא (שמות ל כג - כה):
and for the incense: Heb. וְלִקְטֹרֶת הַסַּמִּים, which they burned every evening and morning, as is explained in [the parsha] וְאַתָּה תְּצַוֶּה (Exod. 30:7, 8). The word קְטֹרֶת means the raising of smoke (קִיטוֹר) and columns of smoke ותִּמְרוֹת עָשָׁן. ולקטרת הסמים: שהיו מקטירין בכל ערב ובקר, כמו שמפורש בואתה תצוה (שמות ל ז - ח) ולשון קטרת העלאת קיטור ותמרות עשן:
7shoham stones and filling stones for the ephod and for the choshen. זאַבְנֵי שֹׁהַם וְאַבְנֵי מִלֻּאִים לָאֵפֹד וְלַחשֶׁן:
shoham stones: Two were needed there [in the Mishkan] for the ephod, mentioned in [the parsha] וְאַתָּה תְּצַוֶּה (Exod. 28:9-12). אבני שהם: שתים הוצרכו שם לצורך האפוד האמור בואתה תצוה (שמות כח יב):
filling: Since they make for them a seat out of gold, like a sort of hole, and the stone is placed there to fill the hole, they are called filling stones. The place of the “seat” is called מִשְׁבֶּצֶת, a setting. מלאים: על שם שעושין להם בזהב מושב כמין גומא ונותנין האבן שם למלאות הגומא, קרויים אבני מלואים, ומקום המושב קרוי משבצות:
for the ephod and for the choshen: The shoham stones for the ephod and the filling stones for the choshen. The ephod and the choshen are explained in וְאַתָּה תְּצַוֶּה they are types of ornaments [worn by the kohanim]. לאפוד ולחשן: אבני השהם לאפוד, ואבני המלאוים לחשן, וחשן ואפוד מפורשים בואתה תצוה, והם מיני תכשיט:
8And they shall make Me a sanctuary and I will dwell in their midst חוְעָשׂוּ לִי מִקְדָּשׁ וְשָׁכַנְתִּי בְּתוֹכָם:
And they shall make Me a sanctuary: And they shall make in My name a house of sanctity. ועשו לי מקדש: ועשו לשמי בית קדושה:
9according to all that I show you, the pattern of the Mishkan and the pattern of all its vessels; and so shall you do. טכְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר אֲנִי מַרְאֶה אוֹתְךָ אֵת תַּבְנִית הַמִּשְׁכָּן וְאֵת תַּבְנִית כָּל כֵּלָיו וְכֵן תַּעֲשׂוּ:
according to all that I show you: here, the pattern of the Mishkan. This verse is connected to the verse above it: “And they shall make Me a sanctuary…” according to all that I show you. ככל אשר אני מראה אותך: כאן את תבנית המשכן. המקרא הזה מחובר למקרא שלמעלה הימנו ועשו לי מקדש ככל אשר אני מראה אותך:
and so shall you do: in future generations (Sanh. 16b, Shev. 14b, 15a). If one of the vessels is lost, or when you make the vessels of the Temple, such as [the] tables, menorahs, wash basins, and bases that Solomon made, you shall make them according to the pattern of these [that I will describe in the following verses]. If the verse was not connected to what was written before it, He would not have written, “and so shall you do,” but" so shall you do" [without the word “and”], and it would be speaking about the making of the Tent of Meeting and its vessels. וכן תעשו: לדורות אם יאבד אחד מן הכלים או כשתעשו לי כלי בית עולמים, כגון שולחנות ומנורות וכיורות ומכונות שעשה שלמה, כתבנית אלו תעשו אותם. ואם לא היה המקרא מחובר למעלה הימנו, לא היה לו לכתוב וכן תעשו אלא כן תעשו, והיה מדבר על עשיית אהל מועד וכליו:
10They shall make an ark of acacia wood, two and a half cubits its length, a cubit and a half its width, and a cubit and a half its height. יוְעָשׂוּ אֲרוֹן עֲצֵי שִׁטִּים אַמָּתַיִם וָחֵצִי אָרְכּוֹ וְאַמָּה וָחֵצִי רָחְבּוֹ וְאַמָּה וָחֵצִי קֹמָתוֹ:
They shall make an ark: like the chests that are made without feet, made like a sort of chest called escrin [in Old French, ecrin in modern French], (i.e., a chest or box), which rests on its bottom [without being raised off the floor by the attachment of legs]. ועשו ארון: כמין ארונות שעושים בלא רגלים, עשויים כמין ארגז שקורין אישקרי"ן בלעז [ארגז] יושב על שוליו:
11And you shall overlay it with pure gold; from inside and from outside you shall overlay it, and you shall make upon it a golden crown all around. יאוְצִפִּיתָ אֹתוֹ זָהָב טָהוֹר מִבַּיִת וּמִחוּץ תְּצַפֶּנּוּ וְעָשִׂיתָ עָלָיו זֵר זָהָב סָבִיב:
from inside and from outside you shall overlay it: Bezalel made three arks, two of gold and one of wood. Each one had four walls and a bottom, and they were open on the top. He placed the wooden one inside the golden one and the [other] golden one inside the wooden one. He covered the upper rim with gold, thus it is found that [the wooden one] was overlaid from inside and from outside [with gold]. — [from Yoma 72b, Shek. 16b] מבית ומחוץ תצפנו: שלשה ארונות עשה בצלאל, שתים של זהב ואחד של עץ, וארבע כתלים ושולים לכל אחד ופתוחים מלמעלה, נתן של עץ בתוך של זהב ושל זהב בתוך של עץ, וחפה שפתו העליונה בזהב, נמצא מצופה מבית ומחוץ:
a golden crown: Like a sort of crown surrounding it above its rim. For he [Bezalel] made the outer ark higher than the inner one, until it extended upwards opposite the thickness of the ark cover and slightly higher than it, so that when the ark cover lies on the thickness of the walls, the crown extends slightly over the thickness of the ark cover (Yoma 72b). And that [the crown] is the symbol of the crown of the Torah (Tan. Vayakhel 8, Exod. Rabbah 34:2). זר זהב: כמין כתר מקיף לו סביב למעלה משפתו, שעשה הארון החיצון גבוה מן הפנימי עד שעלה למול עובי הכפורת ולמעלה הימנו משהו, וכשהכפורת שוכב על עובי הכתלים, עולה הזר למעלה מכל עובי הכפורת כל שהוא, והוא סימן לכתר תורה:
12And you shall cast four golden rings for it, and you shall place them upon its four corners, two rings on its one side, and two rings on its other side. יבוְיָצַקְתָּ לּוֹ אַרְבַּע טַבְּעֹת זָהָב וְנָתַתָּה עַל אַרְבַּע פַּעֲמֹתָיו וּשְׁתֵּי טַבָּעֹת עַל צַלְעוֹ הָאֶחָת וּשְׁתֵּי טַבָּעֹת עַל צַלְעוֹ הַשֵּׁנִית:
And you shall cast: Heb. וְיָצַקְךְתָּ, an expression of casting, as the Targum [Onkelos] renders. ויצקת: לשון התכה כתרגומו:
its…corners: Heb. פַּעִמֹתָיו. As the Targum [Onkelos] renders: זִיוְיָתֵיהּ, its corners. They were attached on the upper corners, close to the ark cover, two from here and two from there, across the width of the ark, and the poles were placed in them [the rings]. The length of the ark separated the poles, two and one-half cubits between [one] pole and [the other] pole, so that the two people carrying the ark would walk between them [the poles]. So it is explained in Men., in the chapter entitled שתֵּי הַלֶּחֶם (98b). פעמתיו: כתרגומו זויתיה. ובזויות העליונות סמוך לכפרת היו נתונות שתים מכאן ושתים מכאן לרחבו של ארון, והבדים נתונים בהם, וארכו של ארון מפסיק בין הבדים, אמתים וחצי בין בד לבד, שיהיו שני בני אדם, הנושאים את הארון, מהלכין ביניהם, וכן מפורש במנחות בפרק שתי הלחם (צח ב):
two rings on its one side: Heb. וּשְׁתֵּי טַבָּעֹת, lit., and two rings. These are the four rings [mentioned] in the beginning of the verse, and [Scripture now] explains to you where they were [to be placed]. This “vav” is superfluous, and it is to be interpreted as שְׁתֵּי טַבָּעֹת, two rings. But you can reconcile it [by interpreting it] in this way: and two of these rings [shall be] on its one side, [meaning, and two of the four rings mentioned in the beginning of this verse shall be on one side, etc.]. ושתי טבעות על צלעו האחת: הן הן הארבע טבעות שבתחלת המקרא, ופירש לך היכן היו, והוי"ו זו יתירה היא ופתרונו כמו שתי טבעות, ויש לך לישבה כן ושתיים מן הטבעות האלו על צלעו האחת:
its…side: Heb. צַלְעוֹ, its side. צלעו: צדו:
13And you shall make poles of acacia wood and you shall overlay them with gold. יגוְעָשִׂיתָ בַדֵּי עֲצֵי שִׁטִּים וְצִפִּיתָ אֹתָם זָהָב:
poles of: Heb. בַדֵּי, poles. בדי: מוטות:
14And you shall bring the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, to carry the ark with them. ידוְהֵבֵאתָ אֶת הַבַּדִּים בַּטַּבָּעֹת עַל צַלְעֹת הָאָרֹן לָשֵׂאת אֶת הָאָרֹן בָּהֶם:
15The poles of the ark shall be in the rings; they shall not be removed from it. טובְּטַבְּעֹת הָאָרֹן יִהְיוּ הַבַּדִּים לֹא יָסֻרוּ מִמֶּנּוּ:
they shall not be removed from it: forever. לא יסרו ממנו: לעולם:
16And you shall place into the ark the testimony, which I will give you. טזוְנָתַתָּ אֶל הָאָרֹן אֵת הָעֵדֻת אֲשֶׁר אֶתֵּן אֵלֶיךָ:
And you shall place into the ark: Heb. אֶל-הָאָרֹן, lit., to the ark, [meaning] into the ark. ונתת אל הארן: כמו בארון:
the testimony: [I.e.,] the Torah, which serves as testimony between Me and you [Israel] that I commanded you [to fulfill] the commandments written in it. — [from Mid. Tan. Pekudei 4, also Mid. Lekach Tov] העדות: התורה שהיא לעדות ביני וביניכם, שצויתי אתכם מצות הכתובות בה:
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.
Tanya: Likutei Amarim, beginning of Chapter 28• Today's Tanya Lesson
Likutei Amarim, beginning of Chapter 28
In the previous chapter the Alter Rebbe taught that the Beinoni should not be distressed by the occurrence of sinful thoughts in his mind. On the contrary, he ought to rejoice, for by repulsing these thoughts and promptly averting his mind from them, he fulfills the commandment of “not going astray after one’s heart,” and thereby crushes the spirit of the sitra achra, consequently causing intense Divine pleasure.However, this reasoning can only be applied when such thoughts occur to the Beinoniwhile engaged in his material pursuits. If, however, they occur to him while occupied in the service of G‑d (e.g., while praying or studying the Torah), they are certainly no cause for rejoicing, since they distract him from his divine service. How is he to deal with them in this case? — This is the subject of ch. 28.
ואפילו אם נופלים לו הרהורי תאוות ושאר מחשבות זרות בשעת העבודה בתורה או בתפלה בכוונה
Even if lustful imaginings or other extraneous thoughts occur to him during his service of G‑d — in Torah or in prayer with kavanah,
אל ישית לב אליהן, אלא יסיח דעתו מהן כרגע
he should pay them no attention, but avert his mind from them immediately.
וגם אל יהי שוטה, לעסוק בהעלאת המדות של המחשבה זרה
Nor should he be so foolish as to engage in “sublimation of the middot” of the extraneous thought,
כנודע
as is known — that one can overcome extraneous thoughts by elevating their source.
For every such thought stems from one of the middot of the animal soul. For example, themiddah of love in the animal soul gives rise to one’s lustful thoughts; the middah of fear gives rise to hatred, and to fears inappropriate to him; and so on. It is therefore written1 that when one is disturbed by such a thought, he should determine which middah is its source, and should then refocus that middah on the spiritual aspects of the object of his thoughts. For example, if the extraneous thought is a desire for some physical object, one should contemplate that the desirability of the object which he craves is actually a manifestation of the Divine power that made it desirable — beautiful, tasty, or whatever. Therefore, rather than applying his desire (i.e., his middah of love) to the object’s physical sheath, he should direct it to the G‑dliness that underlies it. He will thereby elevate the corresponding middah of his animal soul to its Divine source, and thus destroy the evil in the thoughts caused by the middah, leaving only the good — the “sparks” of holiness embedded in them. This is what is meant by “sublimating themiddot” in order to overcome extraneous thoughts.
For the Beinoni, however, such an exercise would be sheer foolishness, as the Alter Rebbe explains presently.
כי לא נאמרו דברים ההם אלא לצדיקים
For such things were intended only for tzaddikim,
שאין נופלים להם מחשבות זרות שלהם כי אם משל אחרים
in whom there do not occur any evil thoughts of their own evil middot, but only from the middot of others.
Since the tzaddik has transformed the middot of his animal soul to good, no evil thoughts can arise from them. Any evil thought that may arise in his mind stems from the middot of others. For another individual, whose soul-root is connected with this tzaddik, finds himself in difficulty combating his own evil middot, and requires his assistance. This person’s evil thought is therefore planted in the mind of the tzaddik, though in the form of mere abstract “letters of thought,” without any feeling of evil attached to it. The tzaddik, recognizing the source of this thought, redirects it towards the spiritual realm (as explained above), and thereby elevates the middah whence it stems, thus enabling his fellow-Jew to overcome his own evilmiddot. But only the tzaddik can accomplish this, since he himself possesses no evil middot.
אבל מי שנופל לו משלו מבחינת הרע שבלבו בחלל השמאלי
But as for one, i.e., a Beinoni, to whom there occurs an evil thought of his own, from the evil that is lodged in the left part of his heart i.e., the evil middot of his animal soul,
איך יעלהו למעלה והוא עצמו קשור למטה
how can he raise it up to the spiritual realm when he himself is bound below by his desire for the material?
It would therefore be foolish for the Beinoni to attempt to rid himself of extraneous thoughts by engaging in the sublimation of his middot.
אך אף על פי כן אל יפול לבו בקרבו להיות מזה עצב נבזה בשעת העבודה, שצריך להיות בשמחה רבה
Nevertheless, he must not be downhearted, nor feel dejected and despicable because of this occurence of extraneous thoughts during his service of G‑d, when he ought to be most joyous.
אלא אדרבה, יתחזק יותר ויוסיף אומץ בכל כחו בכוונת התפלה בחדוה ושמחה יתירה
On the contrary, he should draw fresh strength, and intensify his determination with all his power, to pray with concentration, with even greater joy and gladness,
בשומו אל לבו כי נפילת המחשבה זרה היא מהקליפה שבחלל השמאלי, העושה מלחמה בבינוני עם נפש אלקית שבו
in the realization that the foreign thought which occurred to him derives from the kelipah of the left part of the heart, which wages war within the Beinoniagainst the divine soul within him.
ונודע דרך הנלחמים וכן הנאבקים יחד
It is known, that it is the way of combatants who seek to destroy one another and similarly of wrestlers who aim merely to topple one another,
כשהאחד מתגבר אזי השני מתאמץ להתגבר גם כן בכל מאמצי כחו
that when one is gaining the upper hand, the other likewise exerts himself with all the resources of his strength in order to prevail.
ולכן כשנפש האלקית מתאמצת ומתגברת להתפלל
Therefore, in the battle between the divine soul and the animal soul, when the divine soul exerts itself and musters all its strength in prayer, thereby to weaken or even vanquish the animal soul,
אזי גם הקליפה מתגברת כנגדה, לבלבלה ולהפילה במחשבה זרה שלה
the kelipah of the animal soul too gathers strength to counter it, aiming to confuse and topple the divine soul by means of a foreign thought of its own.
The animal soul, sensing danger in the divine soul’s increased efforts in prayer with devotion, contrives to jar one’s concentration by conjuring up assorted foreign thoughts in his mind. Thus, the appearance of an extraneous thought during prayer indicates that one’s devotion was of sufficient quality to give the animal soul cause for concern; and this realization itself should gladden one and encourage him to continue his efforts.
FOOTNOTES
1. Keter Shem Tov (collected teachings of the Baal Shem Tov) Sec. 171.Rambam:
• Sefer Hamitzvos:
Today's Mitzvah
A daily digest of Maimonides’ classic work "Sefer Hamitzvot"
Important Message Regarding This Lesson
Positive Commandment 153Calculating Months and Years
The Daily Mitzvah schedule runs parallel to the daily study of 3 chapters of Maimonides' 14-volume code. There are instances when the Mitzvah is repeated a few days consecutively while the exploration of the same Mitzvah continues in the in-depth track.
"This month shall be to you the beginning of months"—Exodus 12:2.
We are commanded to establish a calendar and calculate its months and years. The months are lunar months, with a new month established when the new moon appears; the years follow the solar seasonal cycle, necessitating the periodic addition of an extra (thirteenth) month to a year – which then becomes a "leap year" – because twelve lunar months are several days short of a solar year. This mitzvah is known as Sanctifying the New Moon.
This mitzvah is entrusted to the Jewish Supreme Court that presides in Israel. Unlike the counting of six days and then observing the Shabbat, a mitzvah that is incumbent upon every individual, no individual can unilaterally decide that a new month has arrived simply because he espied the new moon, and no individual can decide to add a month to the calendar based on his personal (even Torah-based) calculations.
Only the Supreme Court can make these calculations, and only in the Land of Israel. We follow the rulings issued by the Supreme Court in Israel even if they inadvertently established the "wrong" day as the New Moon, even if they did so under duress.
In the event that there are no qualified rabbis remaining in Israel, these calculations can be made, and months and leap years established, by a court that was ordained in Israel—even if it finds itself in the Diaspora.
Today we no longer sanctify the months based on the testimony of witnesses who saw the new moon, because there is no longer a sitting rabbinical Supreme Court in Israel—much as we no longer offer sacrifices, because we lack a Holy Temple.
But under no circumstances can an individual or court outside of Israel establish a new month or a leap year. Our calculations today in the Diaspora are only to determine which days the Court in Israel established as the New Moon, and which years they established as leap years.
[Editor's Note: Nachmanides asks, if so, how do we have holidays and a calendar today, when there is no rabbinical Supreme Court in Israel? He answers that there is a tradition that Hillel the Prince, who resided in Israel, established a calendar until the arrival of Moshiach, and sanctified all the new months and leap years until that time. Therefore, we can use our calculations to determine exactly what he previously established.]
Some laws associated with this mitzvah:
We are commanded to establish a calendar and calculate its months and years. The months are lunar months, with a new month established when the new moon appears; the years follow the solar seasonal cycle, necessitating the periodic addition of an extra (thirteenth) month to a year – which then becomes a "leap year" – because twelve lunar months are several days short of a solar year. This mitzvah is known as Sanctifying the New Moon.
This mitzvah is entrusted to the Jewish Supreme Court that presides in Israel. Unlike the counting of six days and then observing the Shabbat, a mitzvah that is incumbent upon every individual, no individual can unilaterally decide that a new month has arrived simply because he espied the new moon, and no individual can decide to add a month to the calendar based on his personal (even Torah-based) calculations.
Only the Supreme Court can make these calculations, and only in the Land of Israel. We follow the rulings issued by the Supreme Court in Israel even if they inadvertently established the "wrong" day as the New Moon, even if they did so under duress.
In the event that there are no qualified rabbis remaining in Israel, these calculations can be made, and months and leap years established, by a court that was ordained in Israel—even if it finds itself in the Diaspora.
Today we no longer sanctify the months based on the testimony of witnesses who saw the new moon, because there is no longer a sitting rabbinical Supreme Court in Israel—much as we no longer offer sacrifices, because we lack a Holy Temple.
But under no circumstances can an individual or court outside of Israel establish a new month or a leap year. Our calculations today in the Diaspora are only to determine which days the Court in Israel established as the New Moon, and which years they established as leap years.
[Editor's Note: Nachmanides asks, if so, how do we have holidays and a calendar today, when there is no rabbinical Supreme Court in Israel? He answers that there is a tradition that Hillel the Prince, who resided in Israel, established a calendar until the arrival of Moshiach, and sanctified all the new months and leap years until that time. Therefore, we can use our calculations to determine exactly what he previously established.]
Some laws associated with this mitzvah:
- The extra month added to a leap year is the one contiguous to the month of Passover—i.e. Adar.
- The establishment of new months and leap years must be done during daylight hours.
- A year must be comprised of complete months; a month must be comprised of complete days.
Calculating Months and Years
Positive Commandment 153
Translated by Berel Bell
The 153rd mitzvah is that G‑d (exalted be He) commanded us to calculate the months and years.1 This is the mitzvah of Kiddush HaChodesh (Sanctifying the Moon).
The source of this commandment is G‑d's statement2 (exalted be He), "[And G‑d said to Moshe and Aharon in the land of Egypt,] 'this month [Nissan] shall be the head month to you.' "
In their explanation of this mitzvah, the Sages said,3 "This testimony is given lochem ["you", plural]."4 The meaning of this statement: This mitzvah is not incumbent on every individual as is Shabbos, for example, where every single individual counts six days and rests on the seventh. In our case, it would mean that every individual who sees the appearance of the new moon would consider that day Rosh Chodesh [the first of the month]; Or that an individual could use the Torah-approved calculations to himself determine Rosh Chodesh; Or that he could himself estimate that the produce would not yet ripen [by Pesach]5, or consider any of the other factors6 which are used in determining [the calendar] — and then [himself declare a leap year and] add a month!
However, this mitzvah can only be performed by the Bais Din Hagadol, and only in Eretz Yisroel7. Therefore, since today there is no Bais Din HaGadol, we no longer determine the months on the basis of testimony, just as we no longer bring sacrifices because there is no Holy Temple.
The group of heretics known here in the East8 as Karaites have erred in this principle.9 Not even all of the Rabbis have grasped it, and as a result, grope around with them together in deep darkness.10
One must understand that the calculations which we use today to know11 when Rosh Chodesh and the holidays occur, may only be done in Eretz Yisroel. Only in cases of dire need, when there are no Sages in Eretz Yisroel, and when the Bais Din outside Eretz Yisroel was previously ordained in Eretz Yisroel, is it permissible to declare a leap year or determine Rosh Chodesh outside Eretz Yisroel — as Rabbi Akiva did, as explained in the Gemara.12 This is a very extreme measure, and it is well known that in the majority of cases, it was done only in Eretz Yisroel. They [i.e. the Sages in Eretz Yisroel] are the ones to establish the months and declare a leap year, when they gather together and use the accepted methods.
There is a very important principle upon which the Torah's perspective13 on this subject is based, which is only understood and fully realized by those who delve deeply into the Torah, as follows. This that we outside Eretz Yisroel use our system to make calculations and we declare that "this day is the first of the month," and "this day is a holiday," does not in any way mean that we are making this day based on our calculations. Rather, it is because the Bais Din in Eretz Yisroel has already established that the day is a holiday or Rosh Chodesh. The day becomes a holiday or Rosh Chodesh upon their declaration, "Today is Rosh Chodesh, or "Today is a holiday"; regardless of whether they based their actions on calculations or testimony.14
This [that the Bais Din HaGadol in Eretz Yisroel has absolute authority] is known to us through the verse15, "[Speak to the Israelites and tell them, 'These are the holidays] that you shall designate.' " Our Sages explain16, "These are the only holidays." The meaning of this statement, as passed down in the Oral Tradition: whatever they [i.e. the Bais Din] designate as holidays are considered holidays, even if they made an error, were forced [into making a declaration], or misled.
The calculations which we make today are only to know which day they established in Eretz Yisroel, since they use the exact same system to make calculations and to determine the day – not testimony. Therefore, we are really basing ourselves on their determination, rather than our own calculations, which are only used to reveal [what they already determined previously]. One must clearly understand this.
I will give some additional explanation: let us assume, for example, that there would be no Jewish inhabitants in Eretz Yisroel (G‑d forbid such a thing, since He has already promised that he will never completely wipe out or uproot the Jewish nation17); that there would be no Bais Din there, nor a Bais Din outside Eretz Yisroel which had been ordained in Eretz Yisroel. In such a case, our calculations would be totally futile,18 since we, who dwell outside Eretz Yisroel, may not make the calculations, nor declare leap years nor establish the months without the conditions mentioned above,19 since, "For from Zion shall go forth the Torah, and the word of the L‑rd from Jerusalem."20 A person who fully understands the words of the Talmud in this subject will, upon meditation, undoubtedly agree with the abovementioned.
The Torah contains brief references to the basic principles which are relied upon to know when Rosh Chodesh and the leap years occur. Among them: "This law must therefore be kept at its designated time (l'moadah)."21 Our Sages said,22 "This teaches you that one may add on to the leap year only close to the holiday" [moed, i.e. Pesach23].
They also said,24 "From which verse do we derive that only during the daytime may we officially add on to the month or officially declare Rosh Chodesh? From the verse,25 'miyamim yamimah.' "26
[So too,] G‑d's statement27 (exalted be He), "[This month shall be the head month to you; the first month] of the months of the year." On this our Sages said,28 "The year must be composed of months, not of [odd] days", meaning that when adding on to the year, a complete month must be added.29
There is also a verse,30 "a month of days." Our Sages commented,31 "the month must be composed of days, not of [odd] hours". [So too] the verse,32 "safeguard the month of Aviv,"33 which implies that in calculating the year we must take into account the seasons. Therefore, they shall be years [based not only on the moon but also] based on the sun.
All the details of this mitzvah have been completely explained in the first chapter of Sanhedrin,34 in tractate Rosh Hashanah,35 and in Berachos.
FOOTNOTES
1.The lunar month has approximately 29 1/2 days. Since, as mentioned later in this mitzvah, a month may only consist of complete days, one must determine whether a particular month has 29 or 30 days. This could be done either by witnesses, who testified that they saw the moon appear on the 30th day, or by making the astronomical calculations.
In addition, the holidays must fall out in the proper season: Pesach in the spring, etc. Since the lunar year is only 354 days and the solar year 365 days, each lunar year is 11 days short. Therefore, an additional lunar month must be periodically added in order to maintain the proper timing of the holidays.
2.Ex. 12:2.
3.Rosh Hashanah 22a.
4.I.e. to Moshe and Aharon. In later generations, it applies to the most important heads of the generation. See Rashi, ibid.
5.This would be a sign that Pesach is too early and therefore a month must be added.
6.Such as the spring solstice falling out later than the 16th of Nissan.
7.Unless there is no Sage in Eretz Yisroel of sufficient stature. See below.
8.I.e. Egypt. See Heller edition, note 10.
9.And therefore, even in the Rambam's times, they attempted to do this mitzvah by determining the calendar on the basis of testimony, each location individually. See Yad Halevi, note 8.
10.Trying to disprove the Karaites with faulty reasoning — saying, for example, that the primary mitzvah is to base everything on calculations, rather than testimony, even when the Bais Din HaGadol was in existence (unlike the Rambam's reasoning). See Kapach, 5731, note 40. The Rambam therefore proceeds to explain the function of the calculations.
11.See below for the preciseness of this wording — that today we use the calculations only to "know" what was previously established, not to ourselves establish Rosh Chodesh.
12.Berachos 63a.
13.This phrase can also be translated, "full understanding." See Kapach, 5731, note 44.
14.See note below regarding today's situation, where there is no Bais Din Hagadol in Eretz Yisroel.
15.Lev. 23:2.
16.Rosh Hashanah 25a.
17.For the source of this statement, see Tzafnas Paneach; Yermiyahu 31:35-36 and Guide to the Perplexed Part II, ch.28 (quoted in Kapach, 5731, note 51.)
18.The Ramban asks, if so, how can we have holidays and a calendar today?
However, there is a tradition (see Rashba, responsa, Vol.4, No.254) that Hillel HaNassi, in Eretz Yisroel, established a calendar until the arrival of Moshiach. Therefore, we can use our calculations to determine exactly what was previously established. According to many commentaries (see, for example, Megillas Esther; Chinuch) this is also the opinion of the Rambam. However, see Avnei Nezer, Orach Chaim, 310, 311; Maharam Shick, Mitzvah 4; Chasam Sofer, Yoreh Deah, 234.
19.I.e. in cases of dire need, when there are no Sages in Eretz Yisroel, and when the Bais Din outside Eretz Yisroel was previously ordained in Eretz Yisroel.
20.Yeshayahu 2:3.
21.Ex. 13:10.
22.Mechilta D'Rashbi.
23.The extra month of the leap must be an additional Adar, right before Nissan, the month of Pesach.
24.Mechilta D'Rashbi.
25.Ex. 13:10.
26.Literally, "from day to day." The standard translation of this verse, however, is "from year to year," or "every year."
27.Ex. 12:2.
28.Megilah 5a.
29.Unlike the solar leap year, where one day is added.
30.Num. 11:21.
31.Megillah 5a.
32.Deut. 16:1.
33.I.e. the spring solstice.
34.11a.
35.20a.
Tefilah and Birkat Kohanim - Chapter One
The Laws of Prayer and the Priestly
[This text describes] two positive commandments:
a) Serving God daily withprayer ;
b) For the priests to bless the Jewish People each day.
The elucidation of these two commandments is contained in the following chapters:
a) Serving God daily with
b) For the priests to bless the Jewish People each day.
The elucidation of these two commandments is contained in the following chapters:
Halacha 1
It is a positive Torah commandment to pray every day, as [Exodus 23:25] states: "You shall serve God, your Lord." Tradition teaches us that this service is prayer, as [Deuteronomy 11:13] states: "And serve Him with all your heart" and our Sages said: Which is the service of the heart? This is prayer.
The number of prayers is not prescribed in the Torah, nor does it prescribe a specific formula for prayer. Also, according to Torah law, there are no fixed times for prayers.
Halacha 2
Therefore, women and slaves are obligated to pray, since it is not a time-oriented commandment.
Rather, this commandment obligates each person to offer supplication and prayer every day and utter praises of the Holy One, blessed be He; then petition for all his needs with requests and supplications; and finally, give praise and thanks to God for the goodness that He has bestowed upon him; each one according to his own ability.
Halacha 3
A person who was eloquent would offer many prayers and requests. [Conversely,] a person who was inarticulate would speak as well as he could and whenever he desired.
Similarly, the number of prayers was dependent on each person's ability. Some would pray once daily; others, several times.
Everyone would pray facing the Holy Temple, wherever he might be. This was the ongoing practice from [the time of] Moshe Rabbenu until Ezra.
Halacha 4
When Israel was exiled in the time of the wicked Nebuchadnezzar, they became interspersed in Persia and Greece and other nations. Children were born to them in these foreign countries and those children's language was confused.
The speech of each and every one was a concoction of many tongues. No one was able to express himself coherently in any one language, but rather in a mixture [of languages], as [Nehemiah 13:24] states: "And their children spoke half in Ashdodit and did not know how to speak the Jewish language. Rather, [they would speak] according to the language of various other peoples."
Consequently, when someone would pray, he would be limited in his ability to request his needs or to praise the Holy One, blessed be He, in Hebrew, unless other languages were mixed in with it. When Ezra and his court saw this, they established eighteen blessings in sequence.
The first three [blessings] are praises of God and the last three are thanksgiving. The intermediate [blessings] contain requests for all those things that serve as general categories for the desires of each and every person and the needs of the whole community.
Thus, the prayers could be set in the mouths of everyone. They could learn them quickly and the prayers of those unable to express themselves would be as complete as the prayers of the most eloquent. It was because of this matter that they established all the blessings and prayers so that they would be ordered in the mouths of all Israel, so that each blessing would be set in the mouth of each person unable to express himself.
Halacha 5
They also decreed that the number of prayers correspond to the number of sacrifices - i.e., two prayers every day, corresponding to the two daily sacrifices. On any day that an additional sacrifice [was offered], they instituted a third prayer, corresponding to the additional offering.
The prayer that corresponds to the daily morning sacrifice is called the Shacharit Prayer. The prayer that corresponds to the daily sacrifice offered in the afternoon is called the Minchah Prayer and the prayer corresponding to the additional offerings is called the Musaf Prayer.
Halacha 6
They also instituted a prayer to be recited at night, since the limbs of the daily afternoon offering could be burnt the whole night, as [Leviticus 6:2] states: "The burnt offering [shall remain on the altar hearth all night until morning]." In this vein, [Psalms 55:18] states: "In the evening, morning and afternoon I will speak and cry aloud, and He will hear my voice."
The Evening Prayer is not obligatory, as are the Morning and Minchah Prayers. Nevertheless, the Jewish people, in all the places that they have settled, are accustomed to recite the Evening Prayer and have accepted it upon themselves as an obligatory prayer.
Halacha 7
Similarly, they instituted a prayer after the Minchah Prayer [to be recited] close to sunset on fast days only, its purpose being to increase supplication and pleading because of the fast.
This is called the Ne'ilah prayer, as if to say that the gates of Heaven are closed behind the sun, which becomes hidden, since it is recited only close to [the time of] sunset.
Halacha 8
Thus, three prayers are recited daily: the Evening Prayer, the Morning Prayer, and the Minchah Prayer. There are four on Sabbaths, festivals and Rosh Chodesh: the three that are recited daily and the Musaf Prayer. On Yom Kippur, there are five: these four and the Ne'ilah prayer.
Halacha 9
The number of these prayers may not be diminished, but may be increased. If a person wants to pray all day long, he may.
Any prayer that one adds is considered as a freewill offering. Therefore, one must add a new idea consistent with that blessing in each of the middle blessings. [However], making an addition of a new concept even in only one blessing is sufficient in order to make known that this is a voluntary prayer and not obligatory.
In the first three [blessings] and the last three [blessings], one must never add, detract or change anything at all.
Halacha 10
The community should not recite a voluntary prayer, since the community does not bring a freewill offering. Even an individual should not recite the MusafPrayer twice, once as the obligation of the day and the other as a voluntary prayer, because the additional offering is never a freewill offering.
One of the Geonim taught that it is forbidden to recite a voluntary prayer on Sabbaths or holidays, since freewill offerings were not sacrificed on these days, but only the obligatory offerings of the day.
Kiddush HaChodesh - Chapter Nine
Halacha 1
[There is a difference of opinion among] the Sages of Israel concerning the length of a solar year. Some Sages1 maintain that it is 365 days and 1/4 of a day - i.e., six hours. Others maintain that it is slightly less than that figure.2There is also a difference of opinion among the wise men of Greece and Persia concerning this matter.3
Halacha 2
According to the opinion that [a solar year] is [exactly] 365 and 1/4 days, there will be a remainder of one hour and 485 units after every nineteen-year cycle, as we mentioned.4
Between the start of each of the successive seasons of the year, there will be ninety-one days and seven and one-half hours. When you know the date and the hour of the beginning of one season, you can calculate [the beginning of] the following season by [adding the above amount]. Similarly, you can calculate the beginning of the following season, and continue forever.
Halacha 3
The equinox of Nisan (spring) [takes place] at the hour and the unit when the sun enters the beginning of the constellation of Aries. The solstice of Tammuz (summer) [takes place] when the sun is located in the beginning of the constellation of Cancer. The equinox of Tishrei (autumn) [takes place] at the hour and the unit when the sun enters the beginning of the constellation of Libra. The solstice of Tevet (winter) [takes place] when the sun is located in the beginning of the constellation of Capricorn.
According to this calculation, in the first year of creation the vernal (spring) equinox took place seven days, nine hours, and 642 units before the conjunction of the month of Nisan, in numbers, 7 -9 - 642.5
Halacha 4
The method of calculating [the beginning of] the seasons can be explained as follows. First, it is necessary to calculate the number of [nineteen-year] cycles that have passed until the [nineteen-year] cycle in question. Afterwards, add one hour and 485 units for every [nineteen-year] cycle. Afterwards, group all the units into hours, and all the hours into days. [Once a] total [has been reached], subtract seven days, nine hours, and 642 units [from it].6 Add the remainder to [the time of] the conjunction of Nisan in the first year of the [nineteen-year] cycle in question, and you will be able to know the hour and the date of the the vernal equinox of the first year of this cycle.7 From this date, you can calculate [the beginnings of] all the subsequent seasons [by] adding ninety-one days and seven and one- half hours for every season.
If you desire to know [the time and the date of] the vernal equinox of a particular year within a given [nineteen-year] cycle, [the following procedure should be used:] Add one hour and 485 [units] for every [nineteen-year] cycle. For each complete year that has passed within the [nineteen-year] cycle [under discussion], add ten days, twenty-one hours, and 204 units,8, and then group the entire sum [into days and hours].9
Afterwards, subtract seven days, nine hours, and 642 units [from this sum]10and divide the remainder into lunar months of 29 days, 12 hours, and 793 units.11 [The number of days, hours, and units that] remain [after all the complete] lunar months [have been calculated] should be added to [the day and the time of] the conjunction of Nisan in that year. [In this manner,] you will be able to determine the date and the time of the vernal equinox of the year desired.
According to this calculation, the vernal equinox will always take place either at nightfall, at midnight, at daybreak, or at noon.12 The summer solstice will always take place at either 7:30 PM, 1:30 AM, 7:30 AM, or 1:30 PM.13 The autumnal equinox will always take place either at nine or at three o'clock, either in the day or the night.14 The winter solstice will always take place either at 10:30 PM, 4:30 AM, 10:30 AM, or 4:30 PM.15
If you desire to know the day of the week and the hour of the equinox, [the following procedure should be used:] Count the number of complete years that have passed from the year of creation until the desired year, and divide them into groups of twenty- eight.16 Add one day and six hours17 for each year remaining. Total the sum [of the hours and the days], and then add three days. Afterwards, divide the days into groups of seven. The remainder of the days and the hours should be added to the time of nightfall on the first day of the week.18 The result will be [the day and the time] on which the vernal equinox will occur.
Why is it necessary to add three days? Because the first equinox of the year of creation took place at the beginning of the fourth day.19
Halacha 5
What is implied? If a person desires to know the day and the time of the vernal equinox of the year 4930 after creation,20 [the following procedure should be used:] [That number] should be divided by 28, leaving a remainder of one year, thus producing the figure of one day and six hours. By adding three days to this figure, it can be determined that the vernal equinox will take place on the night of the fifth day at midnight.
By adding seven and one-half hours to this figure, it can be determined that the summer solstice will take place on Thursday, an hour and one half after daybreak. By adding seven and one-half hours to this figure, it can be determined that the autumnal equinox will take place on Friday, at nine hours after daybreak. By adding seven and one-half hours to this figure, it can be determined that the winter solstice will take place on the night of the sixth day, four and one half hours after nightfall.
Similarly, by adding seven and one-half hours to this figure, it can be determined that the vernal equinox of the following year will take place on Friday, at daybreak. In this manner, it is possible to calculate [the time of the beginning of all] the seasons forever.
Halacha 6
[The following procedure should be used] if one desires to know the date of the month on which the vernal equinox will fall this year:21 First, determine the day of the week on which [the equinox] will fall. Then determine the day [of the week] on which Rosh Chodesh of Nisan will fall, and how many complete years have passed within the nineteen-year cycle. Add eleven days for every year,22and then add seven days to this sum in the present time.23 Divide the sum by thirty,24 and begin counting the remainder of days from Rosh Chodesh Nisan.
If the date coincides with the day of the week on which the equinox falls, this is sufficient. If not, add one, two, or three days to this number until you reach the day [of the week] on which the equinox falls.25 If the year in question is a leap year, begin counting from Rosh Chodesh of the second Adar.26 When a day is determined through this calculation, the equinox will take place on that date.
Halacha 7
What is implied? Should we desire to know the date of the vernal equinox of the year 4930, which is the ninth year of the two- hundred-sixtieth [nineteen-year] cycle, [the following procedure should be used:] We have already determined that Rosh Chodesh Nisan will take place on Thursday, and that the equinox will take place on Thursday.27
Since this is the ninth year of the [nineteen-year] cycle, there are eight complete years [to take into consideration]. When eleven days are added for every year, we reach a sum of 88. When seven is added, the total will be 95. When this number is divided by 30, there will be a remainder of five.
When we add five days to Rosh Chodesh Nisan, which is Thursday, we reach Monday. Since we know that the equinox will not fall on Monday, but rather on Thursday, we continue adding days until Thursday, the day of the equinox. Thus, we can determine that this year the vernal equinox will take place on the eighth of Nisan. A similar process can be followed [to determine the date of the equinox] every year.
Halacha 8
Although we said that one should continue to add days until one reaches the day of the week on which the equinox takes place, one should never have to add more than one, two, or three days28 - or in a most unusual case - four days.29 If you find it necessary to add any more days than this, know that you have made an error in your calculations, and you should recalculate carefully.
| FOOTNOTES | |
| 1. |
Shemuel (Eruvin 56a).
|
| 2. |
Rav Ada (Ibid.). His opinion is discussed in the following chapter.
|
| 3. |
Ptolemy and Albatani, astronomers whose opinions were valued by the Rambam, from Greece and Arabia respectively, both maintain that the length of a solar year is less than 365 days and six hours. There is, however, a difference between the figures each of them suggests. According to contemporary science, the length of a tropical solar year is 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes and 45 1/2 seconds. It is decreasing at the rate of 0.530 second per century.
|
| 4. |
Chapter 6, Halachah 10.
|
| 5. |
This figure is based on the following principles: The times of the seasons are calculated according to the opinion of Rabbi Yehoshua, who maintains that the world was created in Nisan. Although the lunar calendar is calculated according to the opinion of Rabbi Eliezer, who maintains that the world was created in Tishrei, our Sages did not see a contradiction in interrelating the two conceptions, as we will continue to explain.
The conjunction of the month of Tishrei is the hour of man's creation, the fourteenth hour of Friday, the sixth day of creation. Based on this figure, by subtracting six times 1 day, 12 hours, and 793 units (the remainder of a lunar month), we can calculate that the conjunction of the month of Nisan - six months before creation - took place on Thursday, nine hours and 642 units after nightfall.
The vernal equinox is calculated according to the conception that the world was created in Nisan. The sun was created in the first hour of the fourth day of creation. This is considered the first vernal equinox. Thus, the autumnal equinox (half a year later) took place on Wednesday, three hours after daybreak, one day and twenty-three hours before the conjunction of Tishrei.
Since there is a difference of five days, ten hours, and 642 units between six months according to the lunar calendar, and half a year according to the solar calendar, it follows that the conjunction of Nisan was seven days, nine hours, and 642 units after the vernal equinox (Perush).
|
| 6. |
For the calculations will be based on Rosh Chodesh Nisan, which took place this amount of time after the vernal equinox.
|
| 7. |
A significant point arises from these statements, when one calculates the progression of the date and time of the vernal equinox by adding one hour and 485 units for each nineteen-year cycle. It follows that within the entire six millennia of the world's existence, the vernal equinox will have advanced approximately fifteen days. Thus, from the standpoint of the solar calendar, it will always be possible for Pesach, the fifteenth of Nisan, to occur in the spring.
|
| 8. |
The difference between a lunar year and a solar year, as stated in Chapter 6, Halachah 4.
|
| 9. |
I.e., calculate every group of 1080 units as an hour, and every group of 24 hours as a day.
|
| 10. |
By making this subtraction, one bases the calculation on the conjunction of the month of Nisan, and not on the time of the first vernal equinox, which preceded that conjunction by this number of days and hours.
|
| 11. |
Until this point in the calculation, the Rambam has not taken into consideration the existence of leap years. He does this now by grouping the remainder into months and subtracting the complete months. The number of complete months subtracted represents the number of leap years that have passed in the nineteen-year cycle.
|
| 12. |
There are 30 hours between the time of the equinox (or solstice) of one year and the next. Since the first vernal equinox took place at nightfall between Tuesday and Wednesday, the second vernal equinox took place at midnight between Wednesday and Thursday, the third at daybreak on Friday, and the fourth at noon on the Sabbath. Similarly, in subsequent years, the time of the equinox will continue to advance in six (i.e., 30) hour intervals according to such a pattern.
|
| 13. |
There is a difference of seven and a half hours between the time of the vernal equinox and the time of the summer solstice. Since the first vernal equinox took place at nightfall, the first summer solstice took place at 1:30 AM. Afterwards, the time of the summer solstice advances in six- (i.e., 30-) hour intervals every year, in a manner parallel to the progression of the vernal equinox, as described in the previous note.
|
| 14. |
The first autumnal equinox took place at 9 AM. Afterwards, the time of the equinox has advanced in six-hour intervals, as explained.
|
| 15. |
The first winter solstice took place at 4:30 PM. Afterwards, the time of the solstice has advanced in six-hour intervals, as explained.
|
| 16. |
This number is chosen because after twenty-eight years, the equinox takes place on the same day of the week and the same hour as it did originally. This figure can be calculated as follows: 1 and 1/4 days (the difference between the time of the equinox in two successive years) times 28 equals 35 days. Thirty-five days are five full weeks.
Based on this calculation, it is each twenty-eight years that the sun returns to its original position at the time of creation. To commemorate this occurrence, a special blessing, Birkat HaChamah, is recited. (See Hilchot Berachot 10:18.)
|
| 17. |
The difference in the time of the equinox from one year to the next.
|
| 18. |
I.e., the night between the Sabbath and Sunday.
|
| 19. |
I.e., the night between Tuesday and Wednesday. By making this addition, it is possible for these calculations to start from the beginning of the week.
|
| 20. |
The commentaries understand this as an indication that this portion of the Mishneh Torah was composed during that year.
|
| 21. |
The date of the equinox also can be determined by the calculations mentioned in Halachah 4. In this and the following halachot, however, the Rambam offers a simpler calculation, which uses approximations, but ultimately enables one to arrive at the same result.
|
| 22. |
The Rambam is using an approximation. The difference between a lunar year and a solar year is ten days, twenty-one hours, and 204 units. However, to simplify the calculation, the Rambam rounds off the figure to eleven days.
|
| 23. |
I.e., in the Rambam's time. The figure of seven days is reached as follows: In the year 4930, 259 nineteen-year cycles had passed. When an hour and 485 units are added for every nineteen-year cycle, a total of 15 days, 15 hours, and 335 units is obtained. Since the first equinox took place more than seven days before the conjunction of Nisan, eight days are subtracted from this figure, leaving a remainder of approximately seven days.
|
| 24. |
To account for any leap years. Here, too, the Rambam is rounding off the figure; the length of a lunar month is slightly less.
|
| 25. |
Since the calculation suggested by the Rambam contains several approximations, it may not be exact, and days may have to be added to reconcile the discrepancy.
|
| 26. |
There will be more than thirty days remaining. Therefore, the reckoning should be made from Rosh Chodesh Adar.
|
| 27. |
Further calculations are necessary, for in this instance, it is impossible that the equinox will take place on the first of the month, the eighth, or the fifteenth.
|
| 28. |
I.e., although the calculation mentioned by the Rambam operates using approximations, the difference between these approximations and the actual data will hardly ever exceed three days.
|
| 29. |
The maximum difference between the approximations employed by the Rambam and the actual data is three and one half days. Thus, it is possible, but highly improbable, that there be a four-day difference.
|
Kiddush HaChodesh - Chapter Ten
Halacha 1
According to the opinion among the Sages of Israel that a solar year is less than [365 and] one-quarter [days], there is a view that [the length of the solar year] is 365 days, 5 hours, 997 units, and 48 moments. A moment is a seventy-sixth portion of a unit.
According to this reckoning, the difference between a solar year and a lunar year will be 10 days, 21 hours, 121 units, and 48 moments (in numbers, 10 - 21 - 121 - 48). [According to this calculation,] there will be no remainder at all after a [nineteen-year] cycle. Instead, after every [nineteen-year] cycle, a perfect correspondence will be established between the solar years and the combination of ordinary and full lunar years.
Halacha 2
According to this calculation, there are ninety-one days, seven hours, 519 units, and thirty-one moments (in numbers, 91 - 7 - 519 - 31). When you know the date and the time of the beginning of any particular season, you can calculate [the date and the time of the beginning of] the subsequent season according to the seasons of the year, in a way resembling the calculations [that follow the opinion that a solar year is 365 and] 1/4 days.
Halacha 3
According to this calculation, the vernal equinox of the first year of creation was nine hours and 642 units1 (in numbers, 9 - 642) before the conjunction of the month of Nisan. Similarly, in every first year of a [nineteen-year] cycle, the vernal equinox is nine hours and 642 units before the conjunction of the month of Nisan.
Halacha 4
When you know which is the first year of a [nineteen- year] cycle, [you will be able to calculate the beginning of every subsequent season] by adding 91 days, 7 hours, 519 units, and 31 moments for each and every season until the end of the [nineteen- year] cycle.
Halacha 5
If you desire to know when the vernal equinox [of a given year] will fall according to this calculation, first determine how many complete years have passed within this [nineteen-year] cycle. For each year, add the remainder of a year 10 [days], 21 [hours], 121 [units], and 48 moments.
[Afterwards,] group all the moments as units, all the units as hours, and all the hours as days, as done when calculating the conjunction. Subtract nine hours and 642 units from the entire sum,2 and divide the remainder by the length of a lunar month.3 The remainder that is less than the length of a lunar month should be added to the time of the conjunction of Nisan of the year in question. The vernal equinox of that year will take place on the moment arrived at according to these calculations.
Halacha 6
It appears to me that [the Sages] relied on this calculation [of the length] of the seasons regarding the institution of a leap year, in the era when the High Court held sessions and would institute a leap year because of the time [when the equinox was scheduled to occur] or for other reasons. For this calculation is more accurate than the former one. It shares a greater resemblance to the data explained by the astronomers than the first opinion, which considered a solar year to be 365 and 1/4 days.
Halacha 7
Both these calculations that we have explained are approximations, based on the mean rate of progress of the sun, and not on its actual position [in the celestial sphere]. When one considers the actual position of the sun at these times, the vernal equinox will take place approximately two days before the time determined by either of these calculations.4 [This applies both] according to the opinion that [a solar year is] exactly [365 and] 1/4 days, and according to the opinion that [a solar year is] less than [365 and] 1/4 days.
| FOOTNOTES | |
| 1. |
This differs from the figure given in Chapter 9, Halachah 3. The reason for this difference is that Rav Ada's calculations (the figures mentioned in this chapter) follow Rabbi Yehoshua's view, which maintains that the world was created in Nisan. In contrast, Shemuel's calculations (those mentioned in Chapter 9) depend more on the view of Rabbi Eliezer, who maintains that the world was created in Tishrei.
|
| 2. |
So that the calculation will begin from the day of the conjunction of Nisan.
|
| 3. |
Thus accounting for all the leap years that have passed within the nineteen-year cycle.
|
| 4. |
As mentioned previously, and as is explained in the subsequent chapters, the mean position or the mean rate of progress of a body in the celestial sphere refers to the average of its monthly or yearly cycle. In actual fact, there are slight inconsistencies between the position of any of these bodies according to these calculations and its actual position as observed in the celestial sphere. Until this point, the Rambam has relied on the mean rate of progress of the celestial bodies for his calculations. In the subsequent chapters, he explains how their exact position in the celestial sphere can be determined.
|
Kiddush HaChodesh - Chapter Eleven
Halacha 1
As stated in the laws mentioned previously,1 the court made precise calculations and knew whether or not the [new] moon would be visible. Accordingly, we are assured that anyone with a proper spirit and heart, who desires words of wisdom and probes to grasp the mysteries, will wish to know the methods of calculation used to determine whether or not the [new] moon would be visible on a particular night.2
Halacha 2
There are many differences of opinion among the sages of the nations of the previous eras who studied astronomy and mathematics, with regard to these methods of calculation.3 Great wise men have blundered regarding these matters. Concepts were hidden from them and doubts arose [in their minds].
There are those who have made many calculations, but have not been able to find the correct approach to determine when the moon becomes visible. Rather, they plunged into the mighty waters, to return with merely a potsherd in their hands.4
Halacha 3
Over the course of history, through much research and investigation, several sages have discovered the proper methods of calculation. We also possess traditions regarding these principles that we have received from the sages, and proofs that were not written in texts that are of common knowledge. For these reasons, I have considered it proper to explain a method of calculation that will be available for anyone whose heart spurs him to approach the task and perform it.5
Halacha 4
A person should not regard these calculations lightly, because they are not required in the present age, for these methods are indeed abstract and deep matters. They constitute the mystery of the calendar, which was known [only] to great sages, who would not convey these matters to [most] other people, but only to ordained and perceptive [sages].6
The calendar that is employed in the era when there is no court to determine [the months according to the testimony of] witnesses, and which we use at present [is], by contrast, [a simple matter that] can be appreciated even by school children in three or four days.
Halacha 5
A wise man of the gentile nations or a sage of Israel who studied Greek wisdom may meditate on the methods of calculation I have used to determine the appearance of the moon and may detect a slight approximation [and imprecision] with regard to certain matters. He should not presume that we have overlooked this point and were not aware that there was an approximation regarding that matter.
Instead, he should assume that whenever we were not exact, it was because our mathematical calculations proved that [this inaccuracy] did not affect the knowledge of the time when the moon would become visible, and thus it was not significant. Therefore, we were not precise regarding this matter.
Halacha 6
Similarly, should a person see that [our use of] one of the methods leads to a minor inadequacy that is inappropriate for this method of computation, [he should realize] that this was intentional. For this method produced an advantage from another perspective that will produce a correct result - [albeit] through approximate calculations - without requiring lengthy computations. Thus, a person who is not practiced in such matters will not be flustered by complex computations that are of no avail with regard to the visibility of the moon.
Halacha 7
The [following] fundamental principles must be known by a person as a prelude to all astronomical computations, whether for the purpose of determining the visibility [of the moon] or for other purposes:
The heavenly sphere7 is divided into 3608 degrees [and twelve constellations].9Each constellation includes thirty degrees, beginning with the constellation of Aries the ram.10 Every degree contains sixty minutes, every minute sixty seconds, and every second sixty thirds. You may continue and divide into further fractions to the extent that you desire.
Halacha 8
Therefore, were you to calculate that a particular star's position in the heavenly sphere is seventy degrees, thirty minutes and forty seconds, you would know that this star is located in the constellation of Gemini the twins, in the middle of the eleventh degree. For the constellation of Aries includes thirty degrees, and the constellation of Taurus the bull includes thirty degrees. Thus, there remain ten and one half degrees of the constellation of Gemini, plus forty seconds of the next degree.
Halacha 9
Similarly, were you to calculate that a particular star's position in the heavenly sphere is 320 degrees, you would know that this star is located in the constellation of Aquarius the water bearer, in its twentieth degree. The same applies to all other calculations.
The order of the constellations is the following: Aries the ram, Taurus the bull, Gemini the twins, Cancer the crab, Leo the lion, Virgo the virgin, Libra the balance, Scorpio the scorpion, Sagittarius the archer, Capricorn the goat, Aquarius the water-bearer, Pisces the fishes.11
Halacha 10
In all calculations, when you collect fractions or add numbers, each integer should be added to its kind, the seconds to the seconds, the minutes to the minutes, and the degrees to the degrees. When calculating seconds, they should be grouped in sets of sixty [or less]. Whenever sixty seconds are reached, they should be considered a minute and added to the sum of the minutes.
When calculating minutes, they should be grouped in sets of sixty [or less]. Whenever sixty minutes are reached, they should be considered a degree and added to the sum of the degrees.
When calculating degrees, they should be grouped in sets of 360. If a sum above 360 is reached, the remainder after 360 has been subtracted is the figure that is of consequence.
Halacha 11
In all computations, whenever you desire to subtract one number from another, should the second number be greater than the first number, even if it is merely one minute greater, it is necessary to add 360 degrees to the first number so that it is possible to subtract the [greater] number from it.
Halacha 12
What is implied? When it is necessary to subtract two hundred degrees, fifty minutes and forty seconds - in symbols 200° 50' 40" - from one hundred degrees, twenty minutes and thirty seconds - in symbols 100° 20' 30" - [one should follow this procedure]:
[First,] one adds 360 to 100, producing a sum of 460. Afterwards, one begins to subtract the seconds. Since it is impossible to subtract 40 from 30, it is necessary to convert one of the 20 minutes into 60 seconds. When added to 30, this produces a sum of 90. [From the 90] subtract 40, producing a total of 50 seconds.
Afterwards, one must subtract 50 minutes from the 19 [remaining], for one of the minutes has already been converted into seconds. Since 50 cannot be subtracted from 19, one must convert a degree into 60 minutes. When this figure is added to 19, it produces a sum of 79. When 50 is subtracted [from 79], a total of 29 minutes remain.
Afterwards, one must subtract the 200 degrees from the 459 decrees, for one of the degrees has already been converted into minutes. Thus 259 degrees remain. In symbols [the remainder is] 259° 29' 50". All other subtractions should be performed following a similar method.
Halacha 13
The sun, the moon, and the remainder of the seven stars,12 each proceeds at a uniform speed in its orbit. They are never inclined to heaviness, nor to lightness. Rather, the speed at which they proceed today is the same speed at which they proceeded yesterday. And tomorrow, and indeed on every other day, they will proceed at this speed.
Although the orbits in which they all travel encircle the earth,13 the earth is not at the center of [their orbits].
Halacha 14
Therefore, if one measured the progress [of any of these stars] against the sphere that encompasses the world in which the earth is the center - i.e., the sphere of the constellations - its [rate of] progress [would appear to] change.14Its rate of progress in the sphere of the constellations on one day could appear less or more than its progress on the previous day or on the following day.15
Halacha 15
The uniform speed at which a planet, the sun, or the moon progresses is referred to as its mean motion.16 The progress that [this celestial body appears to make] in the sphere of the constellations that is sometimes greater and sometimes less [than its actual rate of progress] is referred to as its true motion. This determines the true position of the sun17 or the true position of the moon.18
Halacha 16
We have already stated that the calculations that we explain in these laws are intended solely to determine the visibility of the [new] moon. Therefore, we have established the starting point from which we will always begin these calculations: the eve of Thursday,19 the third of Nisan, of the present year, the seventeenth year of the 260th [nineteen-year] cycle - i.e., the year 4938 since creation20 - which is the year 1489 with regard to contracts,21 and 1109 years after the destruction of the Second Temple. This is the year that will be referred to as the starting point in these calculations.
Halacha 17
Since the sighting of the moon is significant only in Eretz Yisrael as explained,22all our calculations are centered on the city of Jerusalem and locations within six or seven days' journey [from it. [In these places,] the moon is frequently sighted, and the people come and give testimony in the court.23
This location is situated approximately 32 degrees north of the equator,24 [and the surrounding areas extend] from 29° to 35° [north]. Similarly, in longitude, it is situated approximately 24 degrees west of the center of the populated area,25 [and the surrounding areas extend] from 21° to 27° [west].
| FOOTNOTES | |
| 1. |
E.g., Chapter 1, Halachah 6; Chapter 2, Halachah 4; Chapter 6, Halachah 1.
|
| 2. |
This concept, the calculation of the place and position of the new moon, and the determination of when it will be visible, is the subject of this and the following eight chapters. In the present chapter, the Rambam outlines the general principles and ground rules governing his calculations.
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| 3. |
See Chapter 17, Halachah 24, where the Rambam states that in this text he refers to the works of Greek scientists, because the books written by the Sages of Israel on the subject were not available to him. In the following halachah, however, he mentions having accepted traditions from the Rabbis.
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| 4. |
The poetic wording is borrowed, out of context, from Bava Kama 91a.
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| 5. |
The latter phrase is borrowed, also out of context, from Exodus 36:2.
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| 6. |
I.e., to receive this knowledge, one had to have received semichah as described in Hilchot Sanhedrin, Chapter 4. Nevertheless, not all the Sages who received semichah were privileged to this knowledge.
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| 7. |
This term is used, because from man's perspective, the earth appears flat and the heavens appear as a sphere that revolves around him, only half of which is visible at any given time.
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| 8. |
The number 360 was chosen because it can be divided by all the cardinal integers except for seven (Perush).
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| 9. |
One corresponding roughly to each of the months of the year.
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| 10. |
For the year begins in spring, and during the spring the sun is located in the constellation of Aries.
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| 11. |
See Hilchot Yesodei HaTorah 3:7, which states that these constellations appeared in these forms at the time of the flood, and then they were given these names. At present, the stars have changed position somewhat, and some creativity is required to perceive how the images suggested by these names are appropriate for these constellations.
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| 12. |
The Rambam appears to be referring to his statements in Hilchot Yesodei HaTorah 3:1, which relate that there are nine spheres in which the stars revolve: The moon revolves in the first, then Mercury, Venus, the Sun, Mars, Jupiter, and then Saturn. In the eighth sphere revolve all the stars that are visible, and the ninth sphere includes and encircles all existence.
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| 13. |
The Rambam is following the theory of an earth-centered universe. The term "center" must, however, be understood loosely, because the earth does not lie at the exact center of all these spheres.
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| 14. |
The early astronomers realized that at some given times, the sun appears to travel faster or slower than at others - i.e., the pace at which it appears to proceed in the heavens varies between approximately 1 1/2 degrees per day and 58 1/2 minutes per day. Similarly, they saw that at different times of the year, the sun appears larger or smaller. By postulating that the earth was not the center of the sun's orbit, they were able to resolve these anomalies.
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| 15. |
Were the earth to lie at the center of all the planets' orbits, the speed at which the planets progress would not only be uniform, it would appear uniform. Since the earth is not in the center, although the planets are proceeding at a uniform pace, this does not always appear to be the case.
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| 16. |
See the notes on Chapter 6, Halachah 1.
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| 17. |
I.e., the angular location in the heavenly sphere at which the sun can be found. The stars cannot be seen during the daytime. Hence, we cannot actually see the constellations in which the sun is located. Throughout this text, the term "the position of the sun" generally refers to the angular position of the celestial sphere that is just below the horizon when the sun sets.
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| 18. |
The place of the moon in the heavenly sphere can be seen at night. It is possible for us to determine its angular position in comparison to the constellations of the Zodiac.
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| 19. |
I.e., Wednesday night.
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| 20. |
This year corresponds to 1178 C.E. There are several other dates cited within the Mishneh Torahwith regard to the composition of that text.
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| 21. |
In Talmudic times, legal contracts were dated from the year when Alexander the Great ascended to the throne.
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| 22. |
For the New Moon can be sanctified only in Eretz Yisrael, as stated in Chapter 1, Halachah 8.
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| 23. |
The positive value of testimony from locales of more than a day's journey is mentioned in Chapter 3, Halachot 15-18.
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| 24. |
More precisely, Jerusalem is 31° 47' north of the equator.
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| 25. |
The populated area refers to the land mass of Europe and Asia, for at the time the Rambam wrote his text, America had not been discovered. The center of the populated area refers to a line approximately 90° east of Greenwich. Thus, Jerusalem, which is 66° east of Greenwich, is 24° west of this line.
The significance of the latitude and longitude of Jerusalem with regard to these calculations is mentioned in Chapter 17.
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• Shevat 26, 5775 · 02/15/2015
"Today's Day"
Torah lessons: Chumash: Mishpatim, Sheini with Rashi.
Tehillim: 119, 97 to end.
Tanya: To be sure (p. 107)...as is known. (p. 107).
Ahava, affection, is the breath of life in the Avoda of Chassidus. It is the thread that binds chassidim to each other, that binds Rebbe to chassidim and chassidim to Rebbe.Ahava works in a direct way (initiated affection) and also in a reflective way (responding to the other's affection). It knows no barriers and transcends the limits of time and place.
Daily Thought:
Torah and Us
The Torah and a Jew are one.
So much so, that even a Jew who claims he has no connection with the Torah—when pushed up against a wall, even that Jew will hold the Torah as the most precious thing in life.[Bamidbar 5739:7.]
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