Today's Laws & Customs:
• Fast Day
Because of the holiness of Shabbat, the fast of Tammuz 17 is this year postponed to today, Tammuz 18. We refrain from all food and drink from "daybreak" (about an hour before sunrise, depending on location) until nightfall. Special prayers and Torah readings are added to the day's services.
The fast day mourns the breaching of Jerusalem's walls and the other tragic events that occurred on Tammuz 17--see "Today in Jewish History" for that date--and repenting and rectifying their causes.
Link: Halachic times for today's fast
• "The Three Weeks"
During the Three Weeks, from 17th of Tamuz to the 9th of Av, we commemorate the conquest of Jerusalem, the destruction of the Holy Temple and the dispersion of the Jewish people.
Weddings and other joyful events are not held during this period; like mourners, we do not cut our hair, and various pleasurable activities are limited or proscribed. (The particular mourning customs vary from community to community, so consult a competent halachic authority for details.)
Citing the verse (Isaiah 1:27) "Zion shall be redeemed with mishpat [Torah] and its returnees with tzedakah," the Rebbe urged that we increase in Torah study(particularly the study of the laws of the Holy Temple) and charity during this period.
Links:
The Three Weeks
Today in Jewish History:
• Golden Calf Destroyed (1313 BCE)
Moses destroyed the Golden Calf, and re-ascended Mount Sinai to plead G-d's forgiveness for the Jewish people. (Exodus 32:20; Talmud Taanit 30b. See "Today in Jewish History" for Tammuz 16 and Tammuz 17)
Daily Quote:
The Torah that Moses commanded us is the inheritance of the congregation of Jacob[Deuteronomy 33:4]
Daily Study:
Chitas and Rambam for today:
Chumash: Pinchas, 1st Portion Numbers 25:10-26:4 with Rashi
• Chapter 25
10The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: יוַיְדַבֵּר יְהֹוָה אֶל משֶׁה לֵּאמֹר:
11Phinehas the son of Eleazar the son of Aaron the kohen has turned My anger away from the children of Israel by his zealously avenging Me among them, so that I did not destroy the children of Israel because of My zeal. יאפִּינְחָס בֶּן אֶלְעָזָר בֶּן אַהֲרֹן הַכֹּהֵן הֵשִׁיב אֶת חֲמָתִי מֵעַל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּקַנְאוֹ אֶת קִנְאָתִי בְּתוֹכָם וְלֹא כִלִּיתִי אֶת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּקִנְאָתִי:
Phinehas the son of Eleazar the son of Aaron the kohen: Since the tribes were disparaging him, saying, Have you seen the son of Puti, whose mother’s father [Jethro] fattened (פִּטֵּם) calves for idols (See Rashi, Exod. 6:25), and who killed a chieftain of an Israelite tribe? For this reason, Scripture traces his pedigree to Aaron. — [Sanh. 82b, Num. Rabbah 21:3, Mid. Tanchuma Pinchas 2] פינחס בן אלעזר בן אהרן הכהן: לפי שהיו השבטים מבזים אותו, הראיתם בן פוטי זה שפיטם אבי אמו עגלים לעבודה זרה והרג נשיא שבט מישראל, לפיכך בא הכתוב ויחסו אחר אהרן:
by his zealously avenging Me: Heb. אֶתקִנְאָתִי בְּקַנְאוֹ, by his avenging My vengeance, by his releasing the wrath that I should have released. The term קִנְאָה always denotes someone motivated to take vengeance for some matter, in old French, enprenemant. בקנאו את קנאתי: בנקמו את נקמתי, בקצפו את הקצף שהיה לי לקצוף. כל לשון קנאה הוא המתחרה לנקום נקמת דבר, אנפרימנ"ט בלע"ז [חמה]:
12Therefore, say, "I hereby give him My covenant of peace. יבלָכֵן אֱמֹר הִנְנִי נֹתֵן לוֹ אֶת בְּרִיתִי שָׁלוֹם:
My covenant of peace: That it should be a covenant of peace for him. Just as a man owes gratitude and favor to someone who did him a favor, so here God expressed to him His feelings of peace. את בריתי שלום: שתהא לו לברית שלום, כאדם המחזיק טובה וחנות למי שעושה עמו טובה, אף כאן פירש לו הקב"ה שלומותיו:
13It shall be for him and for his descendants after him [as] an eternal covenant of kehunah, because he was zealous for his God and atoned for the children of Israel." יגוְהָיְתָה לּוֹ וּלְזַרְעוֹ אַחֲרָיו בְּרִית כְּהֻנַּת עוֹלָם תַּחַת אֲשֶׁר קִנֵּא לֵאלֹהָיו וַיְכַפֵּר עַל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל:
It shall be: This covenant of Mine [mentioned in the previous verse] shall be for him. והיתה לו: בריתי זאת:
an eternal covenant of kehunah: Although the kehunah had already been given to Aaron’s descendants, it had been given only to Aaron and his sons who were anointed with him, and to their children whom they would beget after their anointment. Phinehas, however, who was born before that and had never been anointed, had not been included in the kehunah until now. And so, we learn in [Tractate] Zevachim [101b],“Phinehas was not made a kohen until he killed Zimri.” ברית כהנת עולם: שאע"פ שכבר נתנה כהונה לזרעו של אהרן, לא נתנה אלא לאהרן ולבניו, שנמשחו עמו ולתולדותיהם שיולידו אחר המשחתן, אבל פינחס שנולד קודם לכן ולא נמשח, לא בא לכלל כהונה עד כאן. וכן שנינו בזבחים (קא ב) לא נתכהן פינחס עד שהרגו לזמרי:
for his God: Heb. לֵאלֹהָיו, for the sake of his God, as in (11:29),“Are you zealous for my sake (לִי) ?” and (Zech. 8:2),“I am zealous for Zion (לְצִיּוֹן) ”-for the sake of Zion. לאלהיו: בשביל אלהיו, כמו (במדבר יא, כט) המקנא אתה לי, (זכריה ח ב) וקנאתי לציון, בשביל ציון:
14The name of the Israelite man who was killed, who was slain with the Midianite woman was Zimri the son of Salu, the chieftain of the Simeonite paternal house. ידוְשֵׁם אִישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל הַמֻּכֶּה אֲשֶׁר הֻכָּה אֶת הַמִּדְיָנִית זִמְרִי בֶּן סָלוּא נְשִׂיא בֵית אָב לַשִּׁמְעֹנִי:
The name of the Israelite man: In the place it [Scripture] traces the lineage of the righteous man for praise, it traces the lineage of the wicked man for shame. — [Mid. Tanchuma Pinchas 2, Num. Rabbah 21:3] ושם איש ישראל וגו': במקום שייחס את הצדיק לשבח ייחס את הרשע לגנאי:
the chieftain of the Simeonite paternal house: Of one of the five paternal houses belonging to the tribe of Simeon. Another interpretation: To proclaim the praise of Phinehas, for although he [Zimri] was a chieftain, he [Phinehas] did not refrain from acting zealously against a profanation of the Divine Name. This is why Scripture tells us the name of the one who was slain. — [Mid. Aggadah] נשיא בית אב לשמעני: לאחד מחמשת בתי אבות שהיו לשבט שמעון. דבר אחר להודיע שבחו של פינחס, שאע"פ שזה היה נשיא, לא מנע את עצמו מלקנא לחילול השם, לכך הודיעך הכתוב מי הוא המוכה:
15And the name of the Midianite woman who was slain was Cozbi the daughter of Zur, a national leader of a paternal house in Midian. טווְשֵׁם הָאִשָּׁה הַמֻּכָּה הַמִּדְיָנִית כָּזְבִּי בַת צוּר רֹאשׁ אֻמּוֹת בֵּית אָב בְּמִדְיָן הוּא:
The name of the slain… woman…: To inform you of the the hatred of the Midianites [toward Israel], for they submitted a princess to prostitution to entice Israel into sin. — [Mid. Tanchuma Pinchas 2, Num. Rabbah 21:3] ושם האשה המכה וגו': להודיעך שנאתם של מדינים שהפקירו בת מלך לזנות, כדי להחטיא את ישראל:
a national leader: One of the five Midianite kings: “Evi, Rekem, Zur…” (31:8). He was the most prominent of them all, as it says,“a national leader.” But because he degraded himself by abandoning his daughter, he is listed only as the third [king]. — [Mid. Tanchuma Pinchas 2] ראש אומות: אחד מחמשת (במדבר לא ח) מלכי מדין את אוי ואת רקם ואת צור וגו', והוא היה חשוב מכולם, שנאמר ראש אמות, ולפי שנהג בזיון בעצמו להפקיר בתו מנאו שלישי:
a paternal house: There were five paternal houses in Midian: Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Elda’ah (Gen. 25:4). This was the king of one of them. בית אב: חמשה בתי אבות היו למדין עיפה ועפר וחנוך ואבידע ואלדעה, וזה היה מלך לאחד מהם:
16The Lord spoke to Moses saying: טזוַיְדַבֵּר יְהֹוָה אֶל משֶׁה לֵּאמֹר:
17Distress the Midianites, and you shall smite them. יזצָרוֹר אֶת הַמִּדְיָנִים וְהִכִּיתֶם אוֹתָם:
Distress: Heb. צָרוֹר, like זָכוֹר, ‘remember,’ (Exod. 20:8), and שָׁמוֹר, ‘keep’ (Deut. 5:12); a term describing a continual action [as if to say,] You must [constantly] show hostility toward them. צרור: כמו זכור, שמור, לשון הווה. עליכם לאייב אותם:
18For they distress you with their plots which they contrived against you in the incident of Peor and in the incident of Cozbi their sister, the daughter of the Midianite chieftain, who was slain on the day of the plague [that had come] because of Peor. יחכִּי צֹרְרִים הֵם לָכֶם בְּנִכְלֵיהֶם אֲשֶׁר נִכְּלוּ לָכֶם עַל דְּבַר פְּעוֹר וְעַל דְּבַר כָּזְבִּי בַת נְשִׂיא מִדְיָן אֲחֹתָם הַמֻּכָּה בְּיוֹם הַמַּגֵּפָה עַל דְּבַר פְּעוֹר:
For they distress you… in the incident of Cozbi: By submitting their daughters for prostitution so as to entice you to stray after Peor. He did not order the destruction of Moab for the sake of Ruth, who was destined to issue from them, as is stated in [Tractate] Bava Kamma [38b]. כי צוררים הם לכם וגו' על דבר פעור: שהפקירו בנותיהם לזנות, כדי להטעותכם אחר פעור. ואת מואב לא צוה להשמיד, מפני רות שהיתה עתידה לצאת מהם, כדאמרינן בבבא קמא (לח ב):
Chapter 26
1It was after the plague, that the Lord spoke to Moses and to Eleazar the son of Aaron the kohen, saying: אוַיְהִי אַחֲרֵי הַמַּגֵּפָה פ באמצע פסוק וַיֹּאמֶר יְהֹוָה אֶל משֶׁה וְאֶל אֶלְעָזָר בֶּן אַהֲרֹן הַכֹּהֵן לֵאמֹר:
It was after the plague: This can be compared to a shepherd whose flock was intruded by wolves who killed some of them [his sheep]. He counted them to know how many were left. Another interpretation: When they left Egypt and were entrusted to Moses, they were delivered to him with a number. Now that he was close to death and would soon have to return his flock, he returns them with a number. — [Mid. Tanchuma Pinchas 4, Num. Rabbah 21:7] ויהי אחרי המגפה וגו': משל לרועה שנכנסו זאבים לתוך עדרו והרגו בהן והוא מונה אותן לידע מנין הנותרות. דבר אחר כשיצאו ממצרים ונמסרו למשה, נמסר לו במנין, עכשיו שקרב למות ולהחזיר צאנו, מחזירם במנין:
2Take a census of all the congregation of the children of Israel from twenty years old and upwards, following their fathers' houses, all that are fit to go out to war in Israel. בשְׂאוּ אֶת רֹאשׁ | כָּל עֲדַת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל מִבֶּן עֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה וָמַעְלָה לְבֵית אֲבֹתָם כָּל יֹצֵא צָבָא בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל:
following their fathers’ houses: Their lineage followed their father’s tribe, not their mother’s. — [B.B. 109b] לבית אבתם: על שבט האב יתיחסו, ולא אחר האם:
3Moses and Eleazar the kohen spoke with them in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, saying: גוַיְדַבֵּר משֶׁה וְאֶלְעָזָר הַכֹּהֵן אֹתָם בְּעַרְבֹת מוֹאָב עַל יַרְדֵּן יְרֵחוֹ לֵאמֹר:
Moses and Eleazar the kohen spoke with them: They spoke with them concerning this, namely that the Omnipresent had commanded to count them. וידבר משה ואלעזר הכהן אתם: דברו עמם על זאת שצוה המקום למנותם:
saying: They said to them, “You must be counted.” לאמר: אמרו להם צריכים אתם להמנות:
4"From the age of twenty and upward, as the Lord commanded Moses and the children of Israel who had come out of Egypt." דמִבֶּן עֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה וָמָעְלָה כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוָּה יְהֹוָה אֶת משֶׁה וּבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הַיֹּצְאִים מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם:
From the age of twenty and upward, as the Lord commanded…: that they be counted from the age of twenty and upwards, as it says, “Everyone who goes through the counting, [from the age of twenty and upward]” (Exod. 30:14). מבן עשרים שנה ומעלה כאשר צוה וגו': שיהא מנינם מבן עשרים שנה ומעלה, שנאמר (שמות ל יג) כל העובר על הפקודים וגו':Daily Tehillim: Psalms Chapters 88 - 89
• Chapter 88
The psalmist weeps and laments bitterly over the maladies and suffering Israel endures in exile, which he describes in detail.
1. A song, a psalm by the sons of Korach, for the Conductor, upon the machalat le'anot; 1 a maskil2 for Heiman the Ezrachite.
2. O Lord, God of my deliverance, by day I cried out [to You], by night I [offer my prayer] before You.
3. Let my prayer come before You; turn Your ear to my supplication.
4. For my soul is sated with affliction, and my life has reached the grave.
5. I was reckoned with those who go down to the pit, I was like a man without strength.
6. [I am regarded] among the dead who are free, like corpses lying in the grave, of whom You are not yet mindful, who are yet cut off by Your hand.
7. You have put me into the lowest pit, into the darkest places, into the depths.
8. Your wrath has weighed heavily upon me, and all the waves [of Your fury] have constantly afflicted me.
9. You have estranged my friends from me, You have made me abhorrent to them; I am imprisoned and unable to leave.
10. My eye is afflicted because of distress; I call to You, O Lord, every day; I have stretched out my hands [in prayer] to You.
11. Do You perform wonders for the deceased? Do the dead stand to offer You praise? Selah.
12. Is Your kindness recounted in the grave, your faithfulness in the place of perdition?
13. Are Your wondrous deeds known in the darkness [of the grave], or Your righteousness in the land of oblivion?
14. But, I, to You, O Lord, I cry; each morning my prayer comes before You.
15. Why, O Lord, do You forsake my soul? Why do You conceal Your countenance from Me?
16. From my youth I have been afflicted and approaching death, yet I have borne the fear of You which is firmly established within me.
17. Your furies have passed over me; Your terrors have cut me down.
18. They have engulfed me like water all day long, they all together surrounded me.
19. You have estranged from me beloved and friend; I have been rejected by my intimates.
Chapter 89
This psalm speaks of the kingship of the House of David, the psalmist lamenting its fall from power for many years, and God's abandonment and spurning of us.
1. A maskil1 by Eitan the Ezrachite.
2. I will sing of the Lord's kindness forever; to all generations I will make known Your faithfulness with my mouth.
3. For I have said, "The world is built with kindness; there in the heavens You establish Your faithfulness.”
4. I have made a covenant with My chosen one; I have sworn to David, My servant:
5. "I will establish Your descendants forever; I will build your throne for all generations," Selah.
6. Then the heavens will extol Your wonders, O Lord; Your faithfulness, too, in the congregation of the holy ones.
7. Indeed, who in heaven can be compared to the Lord, who among the supernal beings can be likened to the Lord!
8. The Almighty is revered in the great assembly of the holy ones, awe-inspiring to all who surround Him.
9. O Lord, God of Hosts, who is mighty like You, O God! Your faithfulness surrounds You.
10. You rule the vastness of the sea; when its waves surge, You still them.
11. You crushed Rahav (Egypt) like a corpse; with Your powerful arm You scattered Your enemies.
12. Yours are the heavens, the earth is also Yours; the world and all therein-You established them.
13. The north and the south-You created them; Tabor and Hermon sing of [the greatness] of Your Name.
14. Yours is the arm which has the might; strengthen Your hand, raise high Your right hand.
15. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; kindness and truth go before Your countenance.
16. Fortunate is the people who know the sound of the shofar; Lord, they walk in the light of Your countenance.
17. They rejoice in Your Name all day, and they are exalted through Your righteousness.
18. Indeed, You are the splendor of their might, and in Your goodwill our glory is exalted.
19. For our protectors turn to the Lord, and our king to the Holy One of Israel.
20. Then You spoke in a vision to Your pious ones and said: "I have granted aid to [David] the mighty one; I have exalted the one chosen from among the people.
21. I have found David, My servant; I have anointed him with My holy oil.
22. It is he whom My hand shall be prepared [to assist]; My arm, too, shall strengthen him.
23. The enemy shall not prevail over him, nor shall the iniquitous person afflict him.
24. And I will crush his adversaries before him, and will strike down those who hate him.
25. Indeed, My faithfulness and My kindness shall be with him, and through My Name his glory shall be exalted.
26. I will set his hand upon the sea, his right hand upon the rivers.
27. He will call out to Me, 'You are my Father, my God, the strength of my deliverance.’
28. I will also make him [My] firstborn, supreme over the kings of the earth.
29. I will maintain My kindness for him forever; My covenant shall remain true to him.
30. And I will bestow [kingship] upon his seed forever, and his throne will endure as long as the heavens last.
31. If his children forsake My Torah and do not walk in My ordinances;
32. if they profane My statutes and do not observe My commandments,
33. then I will punish their transgression with the rod and their misdeeds with plagues.
34. Yet I shall not take away My kindness from him, nor betray My faithfulness.
35. I will not abrogate My covenant, nor change that which has issued from My lips.
36. One thing I have sworn by My holiness-I will not cause disappointment to David.
37. His seed will endure forever and his throne will be [resplendent] as the sun before Me.
38. Like the moon, it shall be established forever; [the moon] is a faithful witness in the sky for all time.”
39. Yet You have forsaken and abhorred; You became enraged at Your anointed.
40. You annulled the covenant with Your servant; You have profaned his crown [by casting it] to the ground.
41. You shattered all his fences; You turned all his strongholds into ruin.
42. All wayfarers despoiled him; he has become a disgrace to his neighbors.
43. You have uplifted the right hand of his adversaries; You have made all his enemies rejoice.
44. You also turned back the blade of his sword, and did not sustain him in battle.
45. You put an end to his splendor, and toppled his throne to the ground.
46. You have cut short the days of his youth; You have enclothed him with long-lasting shame.
47. How long, O Lord, will You conceal Yourself-forever? [How long] will Your fury blaze like fire?
48. O remember how short is my life span! Why have You created all children of man for naught?
49. What man can live and not see death, can save his soul forever from the grave?
50. Where are Your former deeds of kindness, my Lord, which You swore to David in Your faithfulness?
51. Remember, my Lord, the disgrace of Your servants, that I bear in my bosom from all the many nations;
52. that Your enemies have disgraced, O Lord, that they have disgraced the footsteps of Your anointed.
53. Blessed is the Lord forever, Amen and Amen.
Tanya: Igeret HaTeshuva , beginning of Chapter 6• Lessons in Tanya
• Sunday, Tammuz 18, 5775 · July 5, 2015
Today's Tanya Lesson
Igeret HaTeshuva , beginning of Chapter 6
The Alter Rebbe opened the fourth chapter by beginning to explain the concept of repentance according to the mystical approach to the Torah. He prefaced his commentary by noting that according to Scripture and our Sages a person who committed a sin punishable by excision would actually die before his fiftieth year, while one who committed a sin punishable by death by Divine agency would actually die before his sixtieth year.
The Alter Rebbe thereupon posed the following question: How is it, he asked, that “in every generation there are so many individuals liable to excision and death [by Divine agency] who nevertheless enjoy extended and pleasant days and years!”
In answer, the Alter Rebbe explained that the soul is part of the Divine Name Havayah, the Tetragrammaton. Furthermore, both the internal and external aspects of the soul are “blown” or “breathed” forth, i.e., their source is the innermost reaches of G‑dliness. The innermost core of the soul derives from the internal aspect of the Tetragrammaton, the internal level of holiness. And even the external level of the soul, which is drawn down into man’s body through the Utterance “Let us make man,” derives from the internal aspect of this Utterance. Thus all aspects of the soul, even as enclothed within the body, ultimately derive from an act of “blowing”. And it is noted in ch. 5 that unlike speech, which can be heard even when something separates the listener from the speaker, exhaled breath does not reach its destination when there is an intervening obstruction (in this case, the individual’s sins).
The Alter Rebbe next uses this image and another to explain the concept of excision. The Jewish people’s relationship to G‑d is compared in Scripture to a rope, whose upper end is bound above and whose lower end is bound below — “Jacob is the rope of [G‑d’s] inheritance.” This rope is the lifeline through which G‑dliness is drawn down even into the external aspect of the soul that lodges within the body. Sins, especially those incurring excision, sever this lifeline, thus preventing the life-force which is “blown” forth to penetrate to the soul that is invested in the body. In the past, this meant that a person liable to excision would actually die before his fiftieth year, while a person liable to death by Divine agency would actually die before his sixtieth year.
In this, the sixth chapter, the Alter Rebbe goes on to explain that this applied only during the time when the Divine Presence dwelt among Israel, for then each Jew’s spiritual sustenance reached him only from the “side” of holiness — from the Four-Letter Name of the Infinite One.
In times of exile, however, when the Divine presence too is (so to speak) in exile, even the life-force of holiness can be drawn down through a garb of kelipah. It is therefore then possible that even individuals guilty of sins punishable by excision and death by Divine agency continue to receive their vitality, even though their spiritual lifeline to the Tetragrammaton has been severed. This explains why during the era of exile even those guilty of the above-mentioned sins can live long lives. Parenthetically, this also provides them with the opportunity to repent and rectify their past misdeeds.
אמנם זהו בזמן שהיו ישראל במדרגה עליונה, כשהיתה השכינה שורה בישראל בבית המקדש
However, all this obtained when Israel was on an elevated plane, when the Divine Presence dwelt among Israel1 in the Beit HaMikdash.2
ואז לא היו מקבלים חיות לגופם רק על ידי נפש האלקית לבדה, מבחינת פנימיות השפע שמשפיע אין סוף ברוך הוא, על ידי שם הוי׳ ברוך הוא, כנ״ל
Then the body3 received its vitality only through the divine soul, from the innermost source of the life-giving power issuing from the Infinite One, through the Tetragrammaton, as discussed above.
Thus, if the spiritual lifeline emanating from the Tetragrammaton was severed, it was impossible for them to continue living. However, as the Alter Rebbe now goes on to say, once they had fallen from that spiritual height, and thereby diverted the flow of the Divine life-force from its accustomed course, even deliberate transgressors can now receive their vitality as freely as do mere creatures.
אך לאחר שירדו ממדרגתם, וגרמו במעשיהם סוד גלות השכינה
But they then fell from their estate, and through their actions brought about the mystic exile of the Divine Presence,
That the Divine Presence should be in a state of exile among the forces of unholiness is indeed an inconceivable mystery.4
כמו שכתוב: ובפשעיכם שולחה אמכם
“Your mother” refers to the Divine Presence, the “mother of the children” (as explained in Part I, ch. 52), also known as Knesset Yisrael, the source of Jewish souls — the level of Malchutof Atzilut. In the context of the letters that constitute the Tetragrammaton, this corresponds to the final hei, from which proceeds the “rope” or “lifeline” to the soul.
דהיינו, שירדה השפעת בחינת ה״א תתאה הנ״ל, ונשתלשלה ממדרגה למדרגה למטה מטה
This means that the benevolence flowing forth from the above-mentioned7 latterhei of the Tetragrammaton was lowered far down, from plane to plane,
עד שנתלבשה השפעתה בי׳ ספירות דנוגה
until it became enclothed in the Ten Sefirot of nogah,
Inasmuch as the kelipah called nogah includes an admixture of goodness, it is composed of Ten Sefirot, corresponding to the Ten Sefirot of holiness.8
המשפיעות שפע וחיות על ידי המזלות וכל צבא השמים והשרים שעליהם
which transmit9 the benevolence and vitality through the hosts of heaven and those charged over them,
לכל החי הגשמי שבעולם הזה, וגם לכל הצומח
to every living physical being in this world, even to vegetation,
כמאמר רז״ל: אין לך כל עשב מלמטה שאין לו מזל וכו׳
as our Sages state:10 “There is no blade of grass below that has no spirit [Above that smites it and commands it: Grow!]”
Thus, the life-force of all living beings — even of vegetation, which expresses its vitality through growth — derives from the kelipah of nogah.
ואזי יכול גם החוטא ופושעי ישראל לקבל חיות לגופם ונפשם הבהמיות
Hence, even the sinful and deliberate transgressors11 of Israel may receive vitality [from it] for their bodies and animal souls,
כמו שאר בעלי חיים ממש
exactly as other living creatures do,
כמו שנאמר: נמשל כבהמות נדמו
as Scripture states,12 that there exists a state wherein human beings are “likened and similar to beasts.”
ואדרבה
In fact, not only is it possible for the sinner to receive his nurture from kelipah as do animals and other living beings, but indeed,
ביתר שאת וביתר עז
with even greater emphasis and force.
על פי המבואר מזהר הקדוש פרשת פקודי, שכל שפע וחיות הנשפעות לאדם התחתון
For, as explained in the holy Zohar, Parshat Pekudei, all the benevolence and vitality granted mortal man
בשעה ורגע שעושה הרע בעיני ה׳, במעשה או בדיבור או בהרהורי עבירה וכו׳
while he commits evil in the eyes of G‑d, in deed or speech, or by musing on sin, and so on,13 i.e., through any of the three soul-garments of thought, speech and action, —
הכל נשפע לו מהיכלות הסטרא אחרא המבוארים שם בזהר הקדוש
all [this life-force] issues to him from the [various] chambers of the sitra achradescribed there in the holy Zohar.
והאדם הוא בעל בחירה, אם לקבל השפעתו מהיכלות הסטרא אחרא, או מהיכלות הקדושה שמהם נשפעות כל מחשבות טובות וקדושות וכו׳
The choice is man’s — whether to derive his nurture from the chambers of thesitra achra, or from the chambers of holiness14 from which flow all good and holy thoughts, and so on.
When one’s thoughts, words and deeds are wholesome and holy, he receives his nurture from holiness; when his thoughts, words and deeds are evil, he derives his nurture from the chambers of the sitra achra.
כי זה לעומת זה עשה האלקים וכו׳
For15 “one opposite the other did G‑d make….”
Every manifestation of holiness has a counterpart in the kelipah and sitra achra.
והיכלות הסטרא אחרא מקבלים ויונקים חיותם מהתלבשות והשתלשלות השפע די׳ ספירות דנוגה
The chambers of the sitra achra derive their vitality from the issue of the TenSefirot of nogah that is embodied within them and that descends into them by stages,
הכלולה מבחינת טוב ורע, היא בחינת ע׳ הדעת וכו׳, כנודע ליודעי ח״ן
and [this kelipah of nogah] is comprised of good and evil, as in “the Tree of Knowledge [of good and evil],” as is known to those who are knowledgeable in the Kabbalah.
Since the kelipah of nogah is composed of both good and evil it serves as a source, after a multitude of descents, for the evil of the chambers of the sitra achra — the reservoir from which a man is refuelled when he sins in thought, speech or action.
The Alter Rebbe now resumes his explanation of why a sinful person not only receives his vitality from the “other side” like other living creatures, but in fact does so to an even greater degree. Since through his freely-chosen thoughts, words and deeds it was the sinner himself who replenished the reservoirs of the kelipot with life-force of Divine origin, it is he who will now have to swallow the lion’s share of those reservoirs.
| FOOTNOTES | |
| 1. | Note of the Rebbe: “This indicates the level of the Jewish people at that time.” |
| 2. | Note of the Rebbe: “This applies to the world as a whole and to the Divine Presence. Specifically, with regard to man, there is yet another aspect.” |
| 3. | Note of the Rebbe: “I.e., also with regard to each and every individual.” |
| 4. | Note of the Rebbe: “See below, p. 140b.” [I.e., Iggeret HaKodesh, Epistle 25, para. beg.VeHinei Zeh Leumat Zeh....] |
| 5. | Note of the Rebbe: “At first glance it is incomprehensible that man’s actions should cause the exile of the Divine Presence. The Alter Rebbe therefore provides proof and also an explanation: (a) proof — that it is indeed so; (b) an explanation — for the Divine Presence is ‘your mother.’” |
| 6. | Yeshayahu 50:1. |
| 7. | Note of the Rebbe: “In ch. 4 — on a cosmic scale; in ch. 5 — in each individual soul.” |
| 8. | Note of the Rebbe: “Cf. Part I, ch. 6.” |
| 9. | Note of the Rebbe: “They do so in any case (and not necessarily because of the state of exile discussed here; rather, as a result of the sin of the Tree of Knowledge; see below, beg. of p. 140a).” |
| 10. | Bereishit Rabbah 10:6. |
| 11. | Note of the Rebbe: “It would seem that the text should read ‘transgressor’, in the singular.” |
| 12. | Tehillim 49:13. |
| 13. | The Rebbe notes that the Alter Rebbe may have added the words “and so on” for the following reason. In Part I, ch. 11, the Alter Rebbe differentiates between two situations: (a) contemplating the commission of a sin, (b) “and even where one does not actually contemplate committing a sin, but indulges in contemplation on the carnal union of male and female in general.” The term “and even” seems to imply that the latter form of contemplation is not an entirely distinct form of sin (for which reason no distinct mention of it is made in Iggeret HaTeshuvah). Nevertheless some reference to it must be made here, and this the Alter Rebbe does by adding the words “and so on.” |
| 14. | The Rebbe comments that it seems to be entirely superfluous for the Alter Rebbe to state that “the choice is man’s.” He goes on to provide two possible explanations. (a) Paradoxically, this statement is indeed novel: The Alter Rebbe desires to emphasize that even in times of exile, when “through your sins was your mother banished,” and the benevolence flowing forth from the latter hei is enclothed in the kelipah of nogah, man can still choose to receive his vitality from the chambers of holiness. This is possible because the garment of nogah becomes nullified to its wearer — to holiness, and is thereby itself transformed to goodness and absorbed within holiness. This recalls the statement in Part I, early in ch. 40, that in the case of the holy letters of Torah and prayer, the kelipah of nogah is converted to good and is absorbed into holiness. (This explanation, that the Alter Rebbe wished to tell us that even in times of exile man can choose to derive his nurture from the chambers of holiness, does not accord with the explanation given in Likutei Biurim BeSefer HaTanya, by Rabbi Yehoshua Korf.) (b) Another possible explanation (which would also go a long way in explaining why it is specifically here that the Alter Rebbe states that “the choice is man’s”): The Alter Rebbe means to tell us that it is specifically during the times of exile, when they “fell from their estate,” that Jews can choose to receive their vitality from the chambers of sitra achra. This, however, could not be done during the time of the Beit HaMikdash, as explained at the end of ch. 5 above. [For at that time, if the “rope” connecting a person to his spiritual source was severed — if, for example, he committed a sin punishable by excision — he could not live at all; during that period Jews truly could not receive their vitality from the kelipah ofnogah.] |
| 15. | Kohelet 7:14. |
• Sefer Hamitzvos:
• Sunday, Tammuz 18, 5775 · July 5, 2015
Daily Mitzvah
P113
Important Message Regarding This Lesson
The Daily Mitzvah schedule runs parallel to the daily study of 3 chapters of Maimonides' 14-volume code. There are instances when the Mitzvah is repeated a few days consecutively while the exploration of the same Mitzvah continues in the in-depth track.
Positive Commandment 113 (Digest)
The Red Heifer
"And it shall be as a keepsake for the congregation of the children of Israel"—Numbers 19:9.
We are commanded to prepare a red heifer [as detailed in the Torah], to have it ready for the procedure of purifying those who are ritually impure as a result of contact with a corpse.
The 113th mitzvah is that we are commanded to prepare the red heifer1 to have it ready for the procedure of purifying those who are tameh as a result of tumas meis.2
The source of this commandment is G‑d's statement3 (exalted be He), "[A ritually clean person shall gather up the cow's ashes and...] it shall be a keepsake for the congregation of the Jewish people."
The details of this mitzvah are found in the tractate devoted to this subject, tractate Parah.
Rabbi Berel Bell is a well-known educator, author and lecturer. He and his family reside in Montreal, Canada.
From "Sefer Hamitzvot in English," published by Sichos in English.
FOOTNOTES
1.To slaughter it, burn it, gather the ashes, etc.
2.See P107.
3.Num. 19:9.
Translation of (the unabridged text of) Sefer Hamitzvot by Rabbi Berel Bell, member of the Rabbinical Court of Montreal and director of Teacher Training for the Jewish Learning Institute.
Megillah vChanukah - Chapter One
HILCHOT MEGILLAH VACHANUKAH
THE LAWS OF READING THE MEGILLAH AND OF CHANUKAH
They include two positive commandments that were ordained by the Rabbis which are not included among the 613 mitzvot of the Torah.
The explanation of these mitzvot is contained in the following chapters.
Halacha 1
It is a positive mitzvah ordained by the Rabbis to read the Megillah at the appointed time. It is well-known that this was ordained by the Prophets.
Everyone is obligated in this reading: men, women, converts, and freed slaves. Children should also be trained to read it. Even the priests should neglect their service in the Temple and come to hear the reading of the Megillah.
Similarly, Torah study should be neglected to hear the reading of the Megillah. Surely, this applies to the other mitzvot of the Torah: the observance of all of them is superseded by the reading of the Megillah. There is nothing that takes priority over the reading of the Megillah except the burial of a meit mitzvah - a corpse that has no one to take care of it. A person who encounters such a corpse should bury it and then read the Megillah.
Halacha 2
One can fulfill one's obligation by reading or by listening to another person's reading, provided one listens to a person who is obligated to hear the reading. For this reason, if the reader was a minor or mentally incompetent, one who hears his reading does not fulfill his obligation.
Halacha 3
It is a mitzvah to read the entire Megillah and to read it both at night and during the day. The entire night is an appropriate time for the night reading, and the entire day is appropriate for the day reading.
Before the reading at night, one should recite three blessings. They are:
Blessed are You, God, our Lord, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to read the Megillah.Blessed are You, God, our Lord, King of the universe, who wrought miracles for our ancestors in previous days at this season.Blessed are You, God, our Lord, King of the universe, who has granted us life, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this occasion.
During the day, one should not recite the final blessing.
In places where it is customary to recite a blessing after the reading, the following blessing should be recited:
Blessed are You, God, our Lord, King of the universe, who wages our battles and executes judgment on our behalf, who avenges the vengeance wrought against us, who exacts retribution from our enemies on our behalf, and who acquits justly all our mortal enemies. Blessed are You, God, the Almighty, who exacts payment on behalf of His nation Israel from all their oppressors, the God of salvation.
Halacha 4
What is the appropriate time for the Megillah to be read? The Sages ordained many different times for its reading, as implied by Esther 9:31: "To confirm these days of Purim in their appointed times." The following are the days on which the Megillah is read:
Every city, whether in Eretz Yisrael or in the diaspora, that was surrounded by a wall at the time of Joshua bin Nun should read the Megillah on the fifteenth of Adar. This applies even when a wall does not surround the city at present. Such a city is called a כרך .
Every city that was not surrounded by a wall at the time of Joshua bin Nun should read the Megillah on the fourteenth of Adar. This applies even when there is a wall surrounding the city at present. Such a city is called an עיר .
Halacha 5
In the capital of Shushan, the Megillah is read on the fifteenth of Adar although it was not surrounded by a wall at the time of Joshua bin Nun, because the miracle occurred within it and at that time, the Jews celebrated on that day, asEsther 9:18 states, "And they rested on the fifteenth."
Why was the matter made dependent on the time of Joshua bin Nun? To give honor to the cities of Eretz Yisrael that were in ruin at the time of the Purim miracle. Although they are in ruin at present, this would allow them to read the Megillah on the fifteenth as do the inhabitants of Shushan, since they were surrounded by a wall at the time of Joshua. Thus the commemoration of the miracle would include a remembrance of Eretz Yisrael.
Halacha 6
The Sages ordained that the inhabitants of the villages who gather in the synagogues only on Mondays and Thursdays could read the Megillah earlier, on the day when they gather in the synagogues.
What is implied? If the fourteenth of Adar falls on either Monday or Thursday, the Megillah is read on that day. If it falls on a day other than Monday or Thursday, we read on an earlier date, on the Monday or Thursday that is closest to the fourteenth of Adar.
Halacha 7
What is implied? If the fourteenth of Adar falls on Sunday, the Megillah is read on the previous Thursday, the eleventh of Adar. If the fourteenth falls on Tuesday, the Megillah is read earlier, on Monday, the thirteenth. If the fourteenth falls on Wednesday, the Megillah is read earlier, on Monday, the twelfth.
Whenever license is granted to read the Megillah before the fourteenth, it should not be read unless ten are present.
Halacha 8
In a village where the Jews do not gather together to read the Torah on Mondays and Thursdays, the Megillah should be read only on the fourteenth of Adar. When a city does not have ten people who have no other occupation but to attend the synagogue for communal purposes, it is considered to be a village, and the Megillah is read earlier, on the day when people gather in the synagogue.
If a city lacks ten adult men, the very difficulty leads to its solution, and they are considered to be like the inhabitants of a large city and read the Megillah only on the fourteenth.
Halacha 9
When does the above leniency - that it is possible to read the Megillah earlier, on the day people gather in the synagogue - apply? When Israel rules itself. In the present era, however, the Megillah is read only at its appropriate times, the fourteenth of Adar and the fifteenth. The inhabitants of villages and cities read on the fourteenth, and the inhabitants of walled cities read on the fifteenth.
Halacha 10
The following rules apply when an inhabitant of an unwalled city travels to a walled city, or an inhabitant of a walled city travels to an unwalled city:
If his intent was to return home for the day of the Megillah reading, but he was prevented from returning, he should read the Megillah on the day when it is read in his home. If his intent was not to return home until after the day of the Megillah reading, he should read the Megillah together with the people in the place where he is visiting.
The following rule applies to all those homes adjacent to a walled city which are seen together with it: If there are not more than two thousand cubits between them, they are considered to be part of the walled city, and their inhabitants should read the Megillah on the fifteenth.
Halacha 11
When a doubt exists and it is unknown whether a city had been surrounded by a wall at the time of Joshua bin Nun or whether it was surrounded afterwards, its inhabitants should read the Megillah on the day and the night of both the fourteenth and the fifteenth of Adar. They should recite the blessing only when reading on the fourteenth, since this is the time when the Megillah is read in most places in the world.
Halacha 12
When the Megillah was read in the first month of Adar and, afterwards, the court proclaimed a leap year, the Megillah should be read again in the second month of Adar at its appropriate time.
Halacha 13
The Megillah should not be read on the Sabbath. This is a decree, enacted so that one should not take it in one's hands and bring it to a person who knows how to read it, thus carrying it four cubits in the public domain. Everyone is obligated to read the Megillah, but everyone is not capable of reading it. Thus, there is the possibility for such an error to occur.
For this reason, if the appropriate time for the Megillah to be read falls on the Sabbath, we read it earlier, on the day prior to the Sabbath. We discuss the laws of Purim on that Sabbath to commemorate the fact that it is Purim.
Halacha 14
What is implied? When the fourteenth of Adar falls on the Sabbath, the inhabitants of the unwalled cities should read the Megillah earlier, on Friday. The inhabitants of the walled cities should read it at their appropriate time, on Sunday.
When the fifteenth falls on the Sabbath, the inhabitants of the walled cities read the Megillah earlier, on Friday the fourteenth. The inhabitants of the unwalled cities also read on that day, for this is the appropriate time for them to read. Thus in such an instance, everyone reads on the fourteenth.
Parah Adummah - Chapter 2
Halacha 1
Extra stringencies were employed with regard to the purity observed in preparation for offering the red heifer and great extremes were taken to keep a distance from the ritual impurity associated with a human corpse in all the activities associated with its offering. The rationale is that since it is acceptable for a person who immersed that day to bring it, our Sages were concerned that people would treat this offering with disdain.
For this reason, when the priest who burns it is isolated, he is isolated to a prepared chamber in the Temple Courtyard. It was called the House of Stone, because all of the utensils in it were stone utensils that do not contract impurity. He would use the stone utensils throughout the seven days that he is isolated. His priestly brethren would not touch him in order to increase his purity.
Halacha 2
For seven days before the burning of the red heifer, the priest who would burn it is isolated from his home, just like the High Priest is isolated for the sake of the service of Yom Kippur. This was received as part of the Oral Tradition from Moses. Similarly, he is isolated from his wife, lest it be discovered that she was a nidah and he be impure for seven days.
Halacha 3
The chamber in which this priest would abide for all these seven days was in the northeast portion of the Temple Courtyard. It was positioned there to remind the priest that the red heifer is like a sin-offering that is slaughtered in the northern portion of the Temple Courtyard, even though the red heifer is slaughtered outside the Temple.
Halacha 4
On every one of the seven days of his isolation, water with the ashes of the red heifer should be sprinkled upon him lest he unknowingly have contracted impurity due to contact with a corpse with the exception of the fourth day of his isolation. That day does not require sprinkling. The rationale is that it is impossible for it to be the third day of his impurity or the seventh day of his impurity. For the sprinkling of the ashes on the seventh day is not considered as the sprinkling of the seventh day unless the ashes were sprinkled on the third day before it. According to law, there is no need to sprinkle the ashes upon him on any days other than the third and the seventh days of isolation. The sprinkling day after day is an extra stringency enacted with regard to the red heifer.
Halacha 5
He would be isolated on Wednesday, so that the fourth day of his isolation would fall on the Sabbath, for the sprinkling of the ashes of the red heifer does not supersede the Sabbath prohibitions, and the fourth day does not require the sprinkling of the ashes.
Halacha 6
On all the days of his isolation when the ashes of the red heifer are sprinkled upon him, the ashes of all the red heifers that were burnt previously were sprinkled on him. If, however, there were only ashes from one red heifer, those ashes are used for all six days.
Halacha 7
When the ashes of the red heifer are sprinkled upon him during the days of his isolation, the sprinkling should be performed by a man who never contracted the ritual impurity stemming from a human corpse. The rationale is that the person sprinkling the ashes must be pure. If one would say: "Let so-and-so, a person who had contracted impurity, but then had the ashes of the red heifer sprinkled upon him, sprinkle the ashes on the priest who will burn the red heifer," that suggestion is not followed. The rationale is that it is possible that the person who sprinkled the ashes upon so-and-so was not pure from the impurity associated with a corpse. Similarly, the utensils that are used to be filled and consecrated to sprinkle on the priest who burns the red heifer were all stone utensils that are not susceptible to ritual impurity. Pregnant women were brought there; they would give birth there, and raise their sons there. When they wanted to sprinkle ashes on the priest who would burn the red heifer, they would bring oxen - because they have ample bellies - and place doors on their backs in their hands and would go to the Shiloach spring. When they reached the Shiloach, the children would descend and fill the cups. We do not suspect that they will contract impurity from a grave in the depths of the earth at the spring, because it is not ordinary practice to bury the dead in streams.
They would ascend and sit on the doors and proceed upward until they reach the Temple Mount. When they reached the Temple Mount, they would descend and proceed on their feet, because the entire area of the Temple Mount and its courtyards was built over a hollow cavity, lest there be a grave in the depths of the earth. of ashes. They would take the ashes and place them on the water in the cups and sprinkle them on the priest who burns the heifer.
The children who would fill the water, would consecrate it with the ashes and sprinkle it on the priest who burns the heifer must immerse in a mikveh. Even though they are pure with regard to the impurity associated with a human corpse, it is possible that they contracted other forms of impurity.
Halacha 8
When a child immersed himself in a mikveh in order to fill pitchers with water and sprinkle it, another child should not fill those containers with water even though he immersed himself.
When a child immersed himself to sprinkle the water of the ashes on one priest, he may not sprinkle the water on another priest until he immerses again for the sake of purifying that priest. Similarly, when utensils or people were purified for the sake of offering one red heifer, they should not become involved in the offering of another red heifer until they immerse themselves for its sake. All of these are extra stringencies required for the offering of the red heifer.
Parah Adummah - Chapter 3
Halacha 1
The red heifer should be burnt only outside the Temple Mount, as Numbers 19:3 states: "And you shall take it outside the camp." They would burn it on the Mount of Olives. A ramp was built from the Temple Mount to the Mount of Olives. Below it were arches upon arches, i.e., an arch on two arches, so that there would be empty space under it, lest there be a grave in the depths of the earth. Similarly, the place where the heifer was burnt and the place of immersion on the Mount of Olives had the space under them hollowed, lest there be a grave in the depths of the earth.
The red heifer, the one who would burn it, and all those who assist in its burning go from the Temple Mount to the Mount of Olives on this ramp.
Halacha 2
How was the red heifer burnt? The elders of Israel would walk to the Mount of Olives first. There was a mikveh there. The priest, those assisting in burning it, and the heifer would go out on the ramp and come to the Mount of Olives.
There they would make the priest impure. The elders would rest their hands on the priest and tell him: "Immerse yourself." If he was a High Priest, they would tell him: "My sir, the High Priest, immerse yourself." He would descend, immerse himself, ascend, and dry himself.
There was wood arranged there: cedar wood, oak wood, pine wood, and smooth fig wood. An arrangement like a tower was made and windows were made in the midst of it, so that the fire would flame in them. The front of the arrangement was in the west.
The heifer would be tied with a rope of love grass and it would be brought onto the arrangement with its head to the south and its face to the west. The priest would stand to the east with his head facing west. He would slaughter the heifer with his right hand and receive its blood in his left hand. With his right finger, he would sprinkle from the blood in his left palm seven times toward the Holy of Holies. He would dip his finger in the blood for every sprinkling. The remainder of the blood on his finger was disqualified for sprinkling, Therefore, after every sprinkling, he would clean his finger on the body of the heifer.
When he completed sprinkling, he would clean his hands on the body of the heifer and descend from the arrangement. He would light the fire with small kindling twigs and place them below the wood of the arrangement. The fire would begin to catch in it. The priest would stand at a distance and watch it until the fire catches in its larger portion and its belly becomes ripped open.
Afterwards, he takes a branch of a cedar tree and hyssop that is at least a handbreadth long, and wool dyed crimson weighing five selaim. He asks the people standing there: "Is this a piece of cedar?" "Is this a piece of cedar?" "Is this a piece of cedar?" "Is this hyssop?" "Is this hyssop?" "Is this hyssop?" "Is this a crimson thread?" "Is this a crimson thread?" "Is this a crimson thread?", asking each question three times. They answer: "Yes!" "Yes!" "Yes!", three times for each set of questions.
Why is all this necessary? Because there are seven species of cedar, four species of hyssop, and several options to produce red dye. Some dye with madder and some dye with lacca sap, and some dye with tola'at? Tola'at refers to very red berries that resemble carob seeds. They are like sumach berries. There is a bug, like a gnat, in every berry. Since there are different types of species for each of the entities involved, the priest notifies everyone and informs them that these are the species mentioned in the Torah.
The hyssop mentioned in the Torah is the type of hyssop eaten by home-owners and used as a condiment in certain dishes. The hyssop, cedar, and wool dyed crimson are all absolute requirements, without one of which, the others are not acceptable. The priest should bind the hyssop together with the cedar branch with the crimson thread and then throw them into the belly of the heifer, as Numbers 19:6 states: "He shall cast them into the midst of the conflagration of the heifer."
He should not cast them into the heifer until the fire has caught hold of the larger portion of it and not after it has been reduced to ashes. If he casts them at those times, it is unacceptable, as indicated by the phrase: "into the midst of the conflagration," i.e., not before the fire has caught onto its larger portion and not after it was reduced to ashes. Whether one cast all three of them together or one after the other, whether one cast them into the heifer's body or into the fire, whether its belly burst open on its own accord or the priest ripped it open by hand or with a utensil, it is acceptable.
Halacha 3
When the process of burning it has been completed, its remnants and all of the pieces of wood in its arrangement that were burnt with it are beaten with clubs and everything is raked out with rakes. Anything - whether from its flesh or from the wood - that has been blackened and is possible to be crushed and reduced to ashes, should be crushed and reduced to ashes. If something has no trace of ash on it, it is left. Any piece of bone that remains from the heifer's bones that was not burnt should be crushed regardless.
Halacha 4
None of its ashes are brought into the Temple Courtyard for storage, as ibid.:9 states: "And he shall place it outside the camp." The ashes were divided into three portions: one was placed in the chayl one, on the Mount of Olives, and one, was divided among all the priestly guardposts.
The one that was divided among all the priestly watches was used by the priests to sanctify themselves. The one that was placed on the Mount of Olives was used by the entire Jewish people for sprinkling. And the one that was placed in the chayl was prepared and hidden away, as implied by ibid. which states: "It will be a security for the congregation of Israel." This teaches that it was put away for safekeeping.
Indeed, in the chayl, they would put away for safekeeping a portion of the ashes from every red heifer that was burnt. Nine red heifers were offered from the time that they were commanded to fulfill this mitzvah until the time when the Temple was destroyed a second time. The first was brought by Moses our teacher. The second was brought by Ezra. Seven others were offered until the destruction of the Second Temple. And the tenth will be brought by the kingMashiach; may he speedily be revealed. Amen, so may it be G-d's will.
Parah Adummah - Chapter 4
Halacha 1
Two red heifers should not be slaughtered at the same time, as Numbers 19:3states: "And you shall slaughter it."
Halacha 2
If the red heifer did not desire to go out, a black one should not be taken out with it, so that it would not be said: "They slaughtered a black one." Nor is another red one taken out, so that it would not be said: "They slaughtered two at once."
Halacha 3
When a red heifer was slaughtered with another intent in mind or its blood was received or sprinkled with another intent in mind, with the proper intent and another intent in mind, or with another intent and the proper intent in mind, it was offered by someone other than a priest, or it was offered by a priest lacking one or more of the priestly garments, while wearing the golden garments, or while wearing ordinary garments, it is unacceptable.
If it was slaughtered with the intent of partaking of its flesh or drinking its blood, it is acceptable. The rationale is that the expression "a pleasant fragrance" was not stated with regard to it.
Halacha 4
If its blood was received in a container, it is unacceptable, as Numbers 19:4states: "And Elazar the priest will take the blood with his finger." The mitzvah is performed with the finger and not with a utensil.
Halacha 5
If he sprinkled the blood, even one sprinkling with a utensil, the sprinkling is unacceptable. If he performed one sprinkling with his left hand, it is unacceptable. If seven priests sprinkled the blood at the same time, their sprinkling is unacceptable. If they did so one after the other, it is acceptable.
If he sprinkled the blood, but did not direct it to the Sanctuary, it is unacceptable, as ibid. states: "opposite the front of the Tent of Meeting." Implied is that he should direct it toward the Sanctuary and see the Sanctuary. Similarly, if he slaughtered it or burnt it not opposite the Sanctuary, it is unacceptable, as implied by Numbers 19:3: "He shall slaughter it before him."
Halacha 6
When does the above apply? When he sprinkled the blood or burnt or slaughtered the heifer southward or northward, or with his back to the Sanctuary. If, however, he stood between the east and the west and faced the Sanctuary, even if he did not direct himself toward the Sanctuary exactly, it is acceptable.
Halacha 7
If one of the sprinklings is lacking, it is unacceptable. If one dipped his finger in the blood twice and sprinkled once, the sprinkling is unacceptable. If he dipped his finger once and sprinkled twice, even if he did not count the second sprinkling and instead, dipped his finger and sprinkled a second time, it is unacceptable.
What is implied? He dipped his finger in the blood for the sixth time and performed the sixth and seventh sprinklings, it is unacceptable, even if he dipped his finger in the blood again and sprinkled it a seventh time. If, after dipping his finger into the blood for the seventh time, he performed a seventh and eighth sprinkling - even if he dipped his finger into the blood an eighth time and then sprinkled it an eighth time, it is acceptable, for any addition over the seven is of no consequence, provided it is another priest making the addition. If, however, the priest burning it made the additional sprinkling, it is unacceptable, because he involved himself in an unnecessary activity while burning it.
Halacha 8
If one removed the blood from its arrangement and then sprinkled it, it is invalid.
Halacha 9
If one sprinkled its blood at night - even if one performed seven sprinklings during the day and one at night - it is unacceptable.
Halacha 10
If one slaughtered it outside the place where it is burnt, even if one slaughtered it within the walls of Jerusalem, it is unacceptable.
Halacha 11
If one burnt it outside the arrangement on which it was slaughtered, it was divided in two and burnt in two arrangements, or two heifers were burned on one arrangement, it is disqualified. If it was already reduced to ashes, one may bring another one and slaughter it over the ashes of the first without any qualms.
Halacha 12
If one skinned it and cut it into pieces and then burnt it in its entirety, it is acceptable. If any slight part of its substance, even its dung, is lacking, it is unacceptable. If an olive-sized portion of its skin, meat, or even its hair flew off its pyre, it should be returned. If he did not return it, it is unacceptable.
If it flew outside its arrangement, one should place much wood over it and burn it in its place. If its horns, its hooves, or its dung flew off, they need not be returned to the pyre.
Halacha 13
The red heifer is not disqualified if it is left overnight without being burnt. Therefore if it was slaughtered on one day and its blood sprinkled as required and then it was burned on the following day, it is acceptable.
Halacha 14
If the priest who burns it is in the acute state of onein mourning or is lacking atonement, it is acceptable.
Halacha 15
If one burnt it without sanctifying his hands and feet, it is invalid, because the process of offering the red heifer is comparable to sacrificial worship.
Where does he sanctify his hands and feet? From a consecrated vessel in the Temple Courtyard. If one consecrated them outside the Temple Courtyard with an ordinary vessel, even with a tiny earthenware cup, it is acceptable, because the entire process of offering the heifer is performed outside.
When the priest who burns the red heifer immerses himself after he is made impure, as we explained, he need not sanctify his hands and feet again, since the entire process of offering it is performed by those who immersed that day.
Halacha 16
If one burnt it without wood or with all types of wood, even with straw and stubble, it is acceptable, The optimum way of performing the mitzvah is not to reduce the wood less than is appropriate. On the contrary, one should add to it bundles of hyssop and Greek hyssop while it is burning to increase the amount of ashes. One may add to its conflagration until the heifer itself is reduced to ashes. Once it is reduced to ashes, if one added even one piece of wood to it, it is like one who mixed ashes from a range with the ashes of the red heifer.
Halacha 17
All of the activities performed with the red heifer from the beginning to the end must be performed only during the day and by male priests and the performance of work disqualifies it until it is reduced to ashes. Once it is reduced to ashes, it is acceptable even if its ashes were collected at night, by a woman, or one performed another task while collecting them.
What is the source that teaches that the collection of the ashes is acceptable if performed by any person with the exception of a deafmute, an intellectually or emotionally incapable person, or a minor? It is written Numbers 19:9: "And a pure man shall gather the ashes of the heifer." It can be derived that a priest is not required. Moreover, it is as if it said "a pure person," i.e., either a man or a woman.
What source teaches that the performance of work disqualifies it? Ibid.:3 states: "And he shall slaughter it." According to the Oral Tradition, we learned that this phrase comes solely to teach that if the priest becomes involved in another task at the time of slaughter, it is unacceptable. And ibid.:5 states: "And the heifer shall be burnt before his eyes," i.e., his eyes should be concentrated on it. This teaches that the performance of work causes it to be disqualified from the time of its slaughter until it is reduced to ashes. Anyone involved in burning it who performs another task disqualifies it until it is reduced to ashes.
Halacha 18
If one slaughtered the heifer and another animal was slaughtered with it or a gourd was cut with it, it is acceptable because he did not intend to perform work. This applies even though the animal that was slaughtered with it is acceptable to be eaten, for the slaughter of ordinary animals does not require concentrated intent. If, however, one had the intent of cutting the gourd and it was cut while he was slaughtering the red heifer, the heifer is disqualified, because work was performed during its slaughter.
• Sunday, Tammuz 18, 5775 · 05 July 2015
"Today's Day"
Wednesday Tamuz 18 5703
Torah lessons: Chumash: Pinchas, Revi'i with Rashi.
Tehillim: 88-89.
Tanya: Ch. 4. However, (p. 355) ...days and years! (p. 355).
The Alter Rebbe said of R. Moshe Vilenker:1 "Moshe has mochin d'gadlut, magnitude of intellect2 and in his ten years of toil3, he has attained through his labors a powerful, capacious, wide-ranging intellectuality - (mochin rechavim)."4
For three years R. Moshe Vilenker prepared himself for yechidus with the Alter Rebbe. Afterwards he remained in Lyozna for seven years to translate the yechidusinto actual avoda.
FOOTNOTES
1. A giant among the early chassidim.
2. A mind capable of integrating even opposing concepts.
3. "Toil" and "labor," refer to enormous efforts in inner spiritual self-improvement.
4. The term mochin rechavim, lit. "broad intellect," defies translation. It does notrefer to Reb Moshe's broad spectrum of knowledge or to "broadmindedness"; rather, it describes the nature (intense, powerful), absorptive ability (capacious), and breadth (wide-ranging) of his intellectuality - his faculty of intelligence.
Daily Thought:
G-d in Exile
We are imprisoned because we have exiled our G‑d.
As long as we search for G‑d by abandoning the world He has made, we can never truly find Him.
As long as we believe there is a place to escape, we cannot be liberated.
The ultimate liberation will be when we open our eyes
to see that everything is here, now.
____________________________
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