Candle Lighting
Light Candles before sunset ––:––
Today's Laws & Customs:• "Nine Days'
During the “Nine Days" from Av 1st to the Ninth of Av, we mourn the destruction of the Holy Temple. We abstain from meat and wine, music, haircutting, bathing for pleasure, and other joyous (and dangerous) activities. (The particular mourning customs vary from community to community, so consult a competent halachic authority for details.)
Consumption of meat and wine is permitted on Shabbat, or at a seudat mitzvah (obligatory festive meal celebrating the fulfillment of certain mitzvot) such as a brit (circumcision), or asiyum celebrating the completion of a course of Torah study (i.e., a complete Talmudic tractate). The Lubavitcher Rebbe, of righteous memory initiated the custom of conducting or participating in a siyum on each of the Nine Days (even if one does not avail oneself of the dispensation to eat meat).
Citing the verse "Zion shall be redeemed with mishpat [Torah] and its returnees with tzedakah," (Isaiah 1:27) 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:
Today in Jewish History:
• Spies Return (1312 BCE)
The Spies dispatched 40 days earlier by Moses to tour the Promised Land return to Israel's encampment in the desert, bearing a huge cluster of grapes and other lush fruits. But even as they praise the land's fertility, they terrify the people with tales of mighty giant warriors dwelling there and assert that the land is unconquerable.
Links:
• Civil War in Jerusalem (67 CE)
Fighting breaks out inside the besieged city of Jerusalem between Jewish factions divided on the question of whether or not to fight the Roman armies encircling the city from without. One group sets fire to the city's considerable food stores, consigning its population to starvation until the fall of Jerusalem three years later.
Daily Quote:
Do you think that G-d needs to eat? Does not the verse proclaim, "Should I hunger, I would not tell you, for the world, and all it contains, is Mine... Do I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats?" But it is not for My desire that you bring these offerings, [says G-d,] but for your own, as it is written (Leviticus 19:5), "For your own desire, you should offer it."[Talmud, Menachot 110a]Daily Study:
Chitas and Rambam for today:
Chumash: Parshat Devarim, 6th Portion Deuteronomy 2:31-3:14 with Rashi
• Deuteronomy Chapter 2
31And the Lord said to me, "Behold I have begun to deliver Sihon and his land before you; begin to drive him out, that you may inherit his land." לאוַיֹּ֤אמֶר יְהֹוָה֙ אֵלַ֔י רְאֵ֗ה הַֽחִלֹּ֨תִי֙ תֵּ֣ת לְפָנֶ֔יךָ אֶת־סִיחֹ֖ן וְאֶת־אַרְצ֑וֹ הָחֵ֣ל רָ֔שׁ לָרֶ֖שֶׁת אֶת־אַרְצֽוֹ:
I have begun to deliver… before you: God forced down the guardian angel of the Amorites from above, beneath Moses’ feet and made him tread upon his neck. החלותי תת לפניך: כפה שר של אמוריים של מעלה תחת רגליו של משה והדריכו על צוארו:
32Then Sihon went forth towards us, he and all his people, to war at Jahzah. לבוַיֵּצֵא֩ סִיחֹ֨ן לִקְרָאתֵ֜נוּ ה֧וּא וְכָל־עַמּ֛וֹ לַמִּלְחָמָ֖ה יָֽהְצָה:
Then Sihon went forth: He did not send for Og to assist him. This teaches us that they did not require each other’s assistance [so powerful was each one of them.] ויצא סיחן: לא שלח בשביל עוג לעזור לו, ללמדך שלא היו צריכים זה לזה:
33And the Lord our God delivered him to us; and we smote him and his sons and all his people. לגוַיִּתְּנֵ֛הוּ יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵ֖ינוּ לְפָנֵ֑ינוּ וַנַּ֥ךְ אֹת֛וֹ וְאֶת־בָּנָ֖יו(כתיב ואת־בנו) וְאֶת־כָּל־עַמּֽוֹ:
and his sons: It is written בנו [which can also be read as בְּנוֹ]“his son” [although traditionally it is read בָּנָיו “his sons”], for Sihon had a son who was as mighty as he (Midrash Tanchuma , Chukath 28; Num. Rabbah 32; Midrash Chaseroth Vietheroth, p. 279). ואת בניו: בנו כתיב, שהיה לו בן גבור כמותו:
34And we conquered all his cities at that time, and utterly destroyed every city, the men, women, and the young children; we left over no survivor. לדוַנִּלְכֹּ֤ד אֶת־כָּל־עָרָיו֙ בָּעֵ֣ת הַהִ֔וא וַנַּֽחֲרֵם֙ אֶת־כָּל־עִ֣יר מְתִ֔ם וְהַנָּשִׁ֖ים וְהַטָּ֑ף לֹ֥א הִשְׁאַ֖רְנוּ שָׂרִֽיד:
the men: Heb. מְתִם, which means“men.” Referring to the spoil taken from Sihon it is stated (verse 35), בָּזַזְנוּ לָנוּ, an expression denoting plunder בִּזָה, because it was precious to them, and every man plundered for himself. When they came to the spoils of Og, however, they were already satisfied and full, and it was contemptible in their eyes. They tore into pieces and threw away cattle and garments, and took only the silver and gold. Therefore, it states (3:7), בָּזוֹנוּ לָנוּ, which is an expression of “contempt.” It is also expounded in Sifrei, in the chapter beginning,“And Israel dwelt in Shittim” (Num. 25). מתם: אנשים. בביזת סיחון נאמר בזזנו לנו לשון ביזה, שהיתה חביבה עליהם ובוזזים איש לו, וכשבאו לביזת עוג כבר היו שבעים ומלאים והיתה בזויה בעיניהם ומקרעין ומשליכין בהמה ובגדים ולא נטלו כי אם כסף וזהב. לכך נאמר (דברים ג, ז) בזונו לנו, לשון בזיון. כך נדרש בספרי בפרשת (במדבר כה, א) וישב ישראל בשטים:
35Only the cattle we took for a prey unto ourselves with the spoil of the cities which we had taken. להרַ֥ק הַבְּהֵמָ֖ה בָּזַ֣זְנוּ לָ֑נוּ וּשְׁלַ֥ל הֶֽעָרִ֖ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר לָכָֽדְנוּ:
36From Aroer which is on the edge of the valley of Arnon, and from the city that is in the valley,even unto Gilead, there was not a city too high for us: the Lord our God delivered up all before us. לומֵֽעֲרֹעֵ֡ר אֲשֶׁר֩ עַל־שְׂפַת־נַ֨חַל אַרְנֹ֜ן וְהָעִ֨יר אֲשֶׁ֤ר בַּנַּ֨חַל֙ וְעַד־הַגִּלְעָ֔ד לֹ֤א הָֽיְתָה֙ קִרְיָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר שָֽׂגְבָ֖ה מִמֶּ֑נּוּ אֶת־הַכֹּ֕ל נָתַ֛ן יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵ֖ינוּ לְפָנֵֽינוּ:
37Only to the land of the children of Ammon you came not near; all the side of the river Yabbok and the cities of the hill country, and wherever the Lord our God commanded us. לזרַ֛ק אֶל־אֶ֥רֶץ בְּנֵֽי־עַמּ֖וֹן לֹ֣א קָרָ֑בְתָּ כָּל־יַ֞ד נַ֤חַל יַבֹּק֙ וְעָרֵ֣י הָהָ֔ר וְכֹ֥ל אֲשֶׁר־צִוָּ֖ה יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ:
all the side of the river Yabok: [means,] all the area beside the brook of Yabrok. כל יד נחל יבק: כל אצל נחל יבוק:
and wherever the Lord our God commanded us: not to conquer, we left alone. וכל אשר צוה ה' אלהינו: שלא לכבוש, הנחנו:
Deuteronomy Chapter 3
1Then we turned and went up the way of Bashan, and Og, the king of Bashan, came forth toward us, he and all his people, to war at Edrei אוַנֵּ֣פֶן וַנַּ֔עַל דֶּ֖רֶךְ הַבָּשָׁ֑ן וַיֵּצֵ֣א עוֹג֩ מֶֽלֶךְ־הַבָּשָׁ֨ן לִקְרָאתֵ֜נוּ ה֧וּא וְכָל־עַמּ֛וֹ לַמִּלְחָמָ֖ה אֶדְרֶֽעִי:
Then we turned and went up: The whole northern direction [from the wilderness toward Canaan] is an ascent. ונפן ונעל: כל צד צפון הוא עלייה:
2And the Lord said to me, "Do not fear him, for I have given him, all his people, and his land into your hand, and you shall do to him as you did to Sihon, king of the Amorites, who dwelt in Heshbon." בוַיֹּ֨אמֶר יְהֹוָ֤ה אֵלַי֙ אַל־תִּירָ֣א אֹת֔וֹ כִּ֣י בְיָֽדְךָ֞ נָתַ֧תִּי אֹת֛וֹ וְאֶת־כָּל־עַמּ֖וֹ וְאֶת־אַרְצ֑וֹ וְעָשִׂ֣יתָ לּ֔וֹ כַּֽאֲשֶׁ֣ר עָשִׂ֗יתָ לְסִיחֹן֙ מֶ֣לֶךְ הָֽאֱמֹרִ֔י אֲשֶׁ֥ר יוֹשֵׁ֖ב בְּחֶשְׁבּֽוֹן:
Do not fear him: In the case of Sihon [however] it was not necessary to state, “Do not fear him.” But [in the case of Og,] Moses feared lest the merit that he [Og] had rendered service to Abraham might stand by him, as it says, “And the fugitive came” (Gen. 14:13), and this was Og. אל תירא אתו: ובסיחון לא הוצרך לומר אל תירא אותו, אלא מתיירא היה משה שלא תעמוד לו זכות ששמש לאברהם שנאמר (בראשית יד, יג) ויבא הפליט, והוא עוג:
3So the Lord, our God, delivered into our hands also Og, the king of Bashan and all his people, and we smote him until no remnant remained of him. גוַיִּתֵּן֩ יְהֹוָ֨ה אֱלֹהֵ֜ינוּ בְּיָדֵ֗נוּ גַּ֛ם אֶת־ע֥וֹג מֶֽלֶךְ־הַבָּשָׁ֖ן וְאֶת־כָּל־עַמּ֑וֹ וַנַּכֵּ֕הוּ עַד־בִּלְתִּ֥י הִשְׁאִֽיר־ל֖וֹ שָׂרִֽיד:
4And we conquered all his cities at that time; there was not a town that we did not take from them sixty cities, all the territory of Argob the kingdom of Og in Bashan. דוַנִּלְכֹּ֤ד אֶת־כָּל־עָרָיו֙ בָּעֵ֣ת הַהִ֔וא לֹ֤א הָֽיְתָה֙ קִרְיָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר לֹֽא־לָקַ֖חְנוּ מֵֽאִתָּ֑ם שִׁשִּׁ֥ים עִיר֙ כָּל־חֶ֣בֶל אַרְגֹּ֔ב מַמְלֶ֥כֶת ע֖וֹג בַּבָּשָֽׁן:
[All] the territory of Argob: This is rendered in the Targum as כָּל בֵּית פֶּלֶךְ טְרָכוֹנָא, “the province of Trachona,” and I saw the Targum Yerushalmi of Megillath Esther, which calls a palace טְרָכוֹנִין. Hence, I derive from this that חֶבֶל אַרְגֹּב means“the province of the royal palace,” denoting that the province is called after its name. [Consequently] I learned that the province אַרְגּוֹב is the province of the king’s palace, i.e. [the province] after which the kingdom was named. Similarly, the אֶת אַרְגּוֹב found in (II) Kings (15:25) means that near the king’s palace, Pekah the son of Remaliah killed Pekahiah the son of Menahem. חבל ארגב: מתרגמינן בית פלך טרכונא. וראיתי תרגום ירושלמי במגילת אסתר קורא פלטין טרכונין. למדתי חבל ארגוב הפרכיא, היכל מלך, כלומר שהמלכות נקראת על שמה. וכן את הארגוב דמלכים (מלכים ב' טו, כה) אצל היכל מלך, הרגו פקח בן רמליהו לפקחיה:
5All these cities were fortified with high walls, double doors, and bolts, in addition to a great many unwalled cities. הכָּל־אֵ֜לֶּה עָרִ֧ים בְּצֻרֹ֛ת חוֹמָ֥ה גְבֹהָ֖ה דְּלָתַ֣יִם וּבְרִ֑יחַ לְבַ֛ד מֵֽעָרֵ֥י הַפְּרָזִ֖י הַרְבֵּ֥ה מְאֹֽד:
[in addition to…] unwalled cities: Heb. הַפְּרָזִי, unconfined and open, i.e., without a wall. Similarly,“Jerusalem will be inhabited like unwalled towns” (Zech. 2:8). מערי הפרזי: פרוזות ופתוחות בלא חומה, וכן (זכריה ב, ח) פרזות תשב ירושלים:
6And we utterly destroyed them as we did to Sihon, king of Heshbon, utterly destroying every city, the men, the women, and the young children. ווַנַּֽחֲרֵ֣ם אוֹתָ֔ם כַּֽאֲשֶׁ֣ר עָשִׂ֔ינוּ לְסִיחֹ֖ן מֶ֣לֶךְ חֶשְׁבּ֑וֹן הַֽחֲרֵם֙ כָּל־עִ֣יר מְתִ֔ם הַנָּשִׁ֖ים וְהַטָּֽף:
utterly destroy: Heb. הַחִרֵם. This is the present tense: [i.e.,] continuously destroying. החרם: לשון הוה [כמו] הלוך וכלות:
7But all the beasts and the spoils of the cities, we took as spoil for ourselves. זוְכָל־הַבְּהֵמָ֛ה וּשְׁלַ֥ל הֶֽעָרִ֖ים בַּזּ֥וֹנוּ לָֽנוּ:
8At that time we took the land out of the hands of the two kings of the Amorites who were on that side of the Jordan, from the brook of Arnon to Mount Hermon. חוַנִּקַּ֞ח בָּעֵ֤ת הַהִוא֙ אֶת־הָאָ֔רֶץ מִיַּ֗ד שְׁנֵי֙ מַלְכֵ֣י הָֽאֱמֹרִ֔י אֲשֶׁ֖ר בְּעֵ֣בֶר הַיַּרְדֵּ֑ן מִנַּ֥חַל אַרְנֹ֖ן עַד־הַ֥ר חֶרְמֽוֹן:
out of the hand: [I.e.,] from the possession. מיד: מרשות:
9The Sidonians call Hermon Sirion; and the Amorites call it Senir. טצִֽידֹנִ֛ים יִקְרְא֥וּ לְחֶרְמ֖וֹן שִׂרְיֹ֑ן וְהָ֣אֱמֹרִ֔י יִקְרְאוּ־ל֖וֹ שְׂנִֽיר:
The Sidonians call Hermon, etc.: But in another passage, it states, “Until Mount Sion, which is Hermon” (Deut. 4:48). So we see that it had four names [Hermon, Sirion, Senir, and Sion]. Why was it necessary for all of them to be written [in the Scriptures]? To extol the praise of the land of Israel, that there were four kingdoms priding themselves in it-one saying, “It shall be called by my name,” and another saying, “It shall be called by my name.” צידנים יקראו לחרמון וגו': ובמקום אחר הוא אומר (דברים ד, מח) ועד הר שיאון הוא חרמון, הרי לו ארבעה שמות למה הוצרכו ליכתב, להגיד שבח ארץ ישראל, שהיו ארבעה מלכיות מתפארות בכך, זו אומרת על שמי יקרא, וזו אומרת על שמי יקרא:
Senir: This means “snow” in German and Slavish. (See Berliner, p. 427.) שניר: הוא שלג בלשון אשכנז [שנעע] ובלשון כנען:
10All the cities of the plain, and all Gilead, and all Bashan, to Salchah and Edrei, cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan. יכֹּ֣ל | עָרֵ֣י הַמִּישֹׁ֗ר וְכָל־הַגִּלְעָד֙ וְכָל־הַבָּשָׁ֔ן עַד־סַֽלְכָ֖ה וְאֶדְרֶ֑עִי עָרֵ֛י מַמְלֶ֥כֶת ע֖וֹג בַּבָּשָֽׁן:
11For only Og, king of Bashan, was left from the remnant of the Rephaim. His bedstead was a bedstead of iron; is it not in Rabbah of the children of Ammon? Nine cubits was its length, and four cubits its breadth, according to the cubit of a man. יאכִּ֣י רַק־ע֞וֹג מֶ֣לֶךְ הַבָּשָׁ֗ן נִשְׁאַר֘ מִיֶּ֣תֶר הָֽרְפָאִים֒ הִנֵּ֤ה עַרְשׂוֹ֙ עֶ֣רֶשׂ בַּרְזֶ֔ל הֲלֹ֣ה הִ֔וא בְּרַבַּ֖ת בְּנֵ֣י עַמּ֑וֹן תֵּ֧שַׁע אַמּ֣וֹת אָרְכָּ֗הּ וְאַרְבַּ֥ע אַמּ֛וֹת רָחְבָּ֖הּ בְּאַמַּת־אִֽישׁ:
[Only Og… was left] from the remnant of the Rephaim: whom Amraphel and his allies killed in Ashteroth-Karnaim [see Gen. 14:5], and he [Og] escaped from the battle, as it is said, “And the fugitive came” (Gen. 14:13), and this is Og. — [Niddah 61a] מיתר הרפאים: שהרגו אמרפל וחביריו בעשתרות קרנים והוא פלט מן המלחמה שנאמר (בראשית יד, יג) ויבא הפליט זהו עוג:
according to the cubit of a man: I.e., according to the cubit of Og [from the elbow to the end of the middle finger]. באמת איש: באמת עוג:
12And this land, which we possessed at that time; from Aro'er, which is by the brook of Arnon, and half of Mount Gilead and its cities, I gave to the Reubenites and to the Gadites. יבוְאֶת־הָאָ֧רֶץ הַזֹּ֛את יָרַ֖שְׁנוּ בָּעֵ֣ת הַהִ֑וא מֵֽעֲרֹעֵ֞ר אֲשֶׁר־עַל־נַ֣חַל אַרְנֹ֗ן וַֽחֲצִ֤י הַר־הַגִּלְעָד֙ וְעָרָ֔יו נָתַ֕תִּי לָרֽאוּבֵנִ֖י וְלַגָּדִֽי:
And this land, which we possessed at that time: The one mentioned above, “from the brook of Arnon to Mount Hermon” (verse 8). ואת הארץ הזאת ירשנו בעת ההוא: האמורה למעלה, (פסוק ח) מנחל ארנון ועד הר חרמון:
from Aro’er, which is by the brook Arnon: This is not to be connected with the beginning of the verse [defining “this land”], but with its conclusion, [namely,] “I gave to the Reubenites and to the Gadites.” Regarding the possession, however, that was“[from the brook of Arnon] to Mount Hermon” (verse 8). מערער אשר על נחל ארנון: אינו מחובר לראשו של מקרא אלא לסופו, על נתתי לראובני ולגדי. אבל לענין ירושה עד הר חרמון היה:
13And the rest of Gilead, and all Bashan, the kingdom of Og, I gave to the half tribe of Manasseh; all the territory of Argob, all of Bashan; that is called the land of Rephaim. יגוְיֶ֨תֶר הַגִּלְעָ֤ד וְכָל־הַבָּשָׁן֙ מַמְלֶ֣כֶת ע֔וֹג נָתַ֕תִּי לַֽחֲצִ֖י שֵׁ֣בֶט הַֽמְנַשֶּׁ֑ה כֹּ֣ל חֶ֤בֶל הָֽאַרְגֹּב֙ לְכָל־הַבָּשָׁ֔ן הַה֥וּא יִקָּרֵ֖א אֶ֥רֶץ רְפָאִֽים:
that is called the land of Rephaim: That is what I gave to Abraham. ההוא יקרא ארץ רפאים: היא אותה שנתתי לאברהם:
14Jair the son of Manasseh took all the territory of Argob to the boundaries of the Geshurites and the Maachathites, and he called them, even Bashan, after his own name, villages of Jair, to this day. ידיָאִ֣יר בֶּן־מְנַשֶּׁ֗ה לָקַח֙ אֶת־כָּל־חֶ֣בֶל אַרְגֹּ֔ב עַד־גְּב֥וּל הַגְּשׁוּרִ֖י וְהַמַּֽעֲכָתִ֑י וַיִּקְרָא֩ אֹתָ֨ם עַל־שְׁמ֤וֹ אֶת־הַבָּשָׁן֙ חַוֹּ֣ת יָאִ֔יר עַ֖ד הַיּ֥וֹם הַזֶּֽה:Daily Tehillim: Chapters 44 - 48
• Chapter 44
The psalmist cries and laments painfully over this bitter exile, where we and our Torah are shamed daily, when the nations say that God has exchanged us for another nation, and where we are considered as sheep for the slaughter, as a byword and taunt. It is therefore fitting that God redeem us, for the sake of His great Name that abides with us in exile.
1. For the Conductor, by the sons of Korach, a maskil.1
2. God, with our ears we have heard, our fathers have told us, of the deeds You wrought in their days, in the days of old.
3. You drove out nations with Your hand, and planted [Israel in their place]; You afflicted peoples and banished them.
4. For not by their sword did they inherit the land, and their own arm did not save them, but by Your right hand, Your arm and the light of Your countenance-for You favored them.
5. You are my king, O God; decree the salvation of Jacob.
6. Through You will we gore our adversaries; with Your Name we will trample our opponents.
7. For I do not trust in my bow, and my sword cannot save me.
8. For You have delivered us from our foes, and You shamed those who hate us.
9. In God we glory all day, and forever thank Your Name, Selah.
10. Though You abandon and disgrace us, and do not go forth with our armies;
11. You cause us to retreat from the oppressor, and those who hate us plunder for themselves;
12. You deliver us like sheep to be devoured, and scatter us among the nations;
13. You sell Your nation without gain, and do not set a high price upon them;
14. You make us a disgrace to our neighbors, the scorn and derision of those around us;
15. You make us a byword among the nations, [a cause for] nodding the head among the peoples;
16. all day long my humiliation is before me, and the shame of my face covers me
17. at the voice of the reviler and blasphemer, because of the foe and avenger-
18. all this has come upon us, yet we have not forgotten You, nor have we been false to Your covenant.
19. Our hearts have not retracted, nor have our steps strayed from Your path.
20. Even when You crushed us in the place of serpents, and shrouded us in the shadow of death-
21. did we forget the Name of our God, and extend our hands to a foreign god?
22. Is it not so that God can examine this, for He knows the secrets of the heart.
23. For it is for Your sake that we are killed all the time; we are regarded as sheep for the slaughter.
24. Arise! Why do You sleep, my Lord? Wake up! Do not abandon [us] forever!
25. Why do You conceal Your countenance and forget our affliction and distress?
26. For our souls are bowed to the dust, our bellies cleave to the earth.
27. Arise! Be our help, and redeem us for the sake of Your kindness.
FOOTNOTES
1.A psalm intended to enlighten and impart knowledge(Metzudot).
Chapter 45
The psalmist composed this psalm referring to Moshiach. He describes his greatness, his attributes, his glory, his wealth, and his reign; and states that Israel anticipates him, remembering and saying in every generation, "When will King Moshiach come?"
1. For the Conductor, upon the shoshanim,1 By the sons of Korach; a maskil,2 a song of love.
2. My heart is astir with a noble theme; I say, "My composition is for the king;3 my tongue is the pen of a skillful scribe.”
3. You are the most handsome of men, charm is poured upon your lips; therefore has God blessed you forever.
4. Gird your sword upon your thigh, O mighty one-it is your majesty and splendor.
5. And with your splendor, succeed and ride on for the sake of truth and righteous humility; and your right hand will guide you to awesome deeds.
6. Your arrows are sharpened-nations fall beneath you-[the arrows fall] into the hearts of the king's enemies.
7. Your throne, O ruler, is forever and ever, [for] the scepter of justice is the scepter of your kingdom.
8. You love righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore has God, your God, anointed you with oil of joy above your peers.
9. Myrrh, aloes and cassia are [the fragrance] of all your garments, which are from ivory palaces that bring you joy.
10. Daughters of kings visit you, and the queen stands erect at your right hand, adorned in the fine gold of Ophir.
11. Hear, O daughter, and observe, incline your ear; forget your people and your father's house.
12. Then the king will desire your beauty. He is your master-bow to him.
13. The daughter of Tyre, the wealthiest of nations, will seek your favor with a gift.
14. All the glory of the princess is within; her clothing surpasses settings of gold.
15. In embroidered garments she will be brought to the king; the maidens in her train, her companions, will be led to you.
16. They will be brought with gladness and joy, they will enter the palace of the king.
17. Your sons will succeed your fathers; you will appoint them ministers throughout the land.
18. I will cause Your Name to be remembered throughout the generations; therefore will the nations praise You forever and ever.
FOOTNOTES
1.A musical instrument shaped like a shoshana, a rose (Metzudot).
2.A psalm intended to enlighten and impart knowledge(Metzudot).
3.Reffering to the Messiah. (Metzudot).
Chapter 46
This psalm tells of the Gog and Magog era (the Messianic age), when man will cast aside his weapons, and warfare will be no more.
1. For the Conductor, by the sons of Korach, on the alamot,1 a song.
2. God is our refuge and strength, a help in distress, He is most accessible.
3. Therefore, we will not be afraid when the earth is transformed, when mountains collapse in the heart of the seas;
4. when its waters roar and are muddied, and mountains quake before His grandeur, Selah.
5. The river2-its streams will bring joy to the city of God, the sacred dwelling of the Most High.
6. God is in her midst, she will not falter; God will help her at the approach of morning.
7. Nations clamor, kingdoms stumble; He raises His voice and the earth dissolves.
8. The Lord of Hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold forever.
9. Go and see the works of the Lord, Who has wrought devastation in the land.
10. To the end of the earth He causes wars to cease; He breaks the bow, snaps the spear, and burns the wagons in fire.
11. Stop [waging war]! And know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, exalted upon the earth.
12. The Lord of Hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold forever.
FOOTNOTES
1.A musical instrument (Rashi)
2.Flowing from Eden (Rashi)
Chapter 47
Following the battle of Gog and Magog (in the Messianic era), war will be no more. God will grant us salvation, and we will merit to go up to the Holy Temple for the festivals, Amen.
1. For the Conductor, a psalm by the sons of Korach.
2. All you nations, clap hands; sound [the shofar] to God with a sound of jubilation.
3. For the Lord is most high, awesome; a great King over all the earth.
4. He subdues peoples under us, nations beneath our feet.
5. He chooses our heritage for us, the glory of Jacob whom He loves eternally.
6. God ascends through teruah, the Lord-through the sound of the shofar.
7. Sing, O sing to God; sing, O sing to our King.
8. For God is King over all the earth; sing, O man of understanding.
9. God reigns over the nations; God is seated on His holy throne.
10. The most noble of the nations are gathered, the nation of the God of Abraham; for the protectors of the earth belong to God; He is greatly exalted.
Chapter 48
The psalmist prophesies about the Messianic era, singing the praises of a rebuilt Jerusalem and the sacrifices brought there. At that time Israel will say, "As we heard from the mouths of the prophets, so have we merited to see!"
1. A song, a psalm by the sons of Korach.
2. The Lord is great and exceedingly acclaimed in the city of God, His holy mountain.
3. Beautiful in landscape, the joy of the whole earth is Mount Zion, on the northern slopes, the city of the great King.
4. In her citadels, God became known as a tower of strength.
5. For behold, the kings assembled, they advanced in concert [to invade her].
6. They saw [the wonders of the Almighty] and were astounded; they were terror-stricken, they hastened to flee.
7. Trembling seized them there, pangs as of a woman in the throes of labor;
8. [they were crushed as] by an east wind that shatters the ships of Tarshish.
9. As we have heard, so have we seen, in the city of the Lord of Hosts, in the city of our God; may God establish it for all eternity.
10. God, we have been hoping for Your kindness [to be revealed] within Your Sanctuary.
11. As Your Name, O God, [is great,] so is Your praise to the ends of the earth; Your right hand is filled with righteousness.
12. Let Mount Zion rejoice, let the towns of Judah exult, because of Your judgments.
13. Walk around Zion, encircle her, count her towers.
14. Consider well her ramparts, behold her lofty citadels, that you may recount it to a later generation.
15. For this God is our God forever and ever; He will lead us eternally.
Tanya: Iggeret HaKodesh, middle of Epistle 1• Lessons in Tanya
• Today's Tanya Lesson
• Friday, 8 AV , 5776 · 12 August 2016
• Iggeret HaKodesh, middle of Epistle 1
• אך מי הוא הנותן כח ועוז לבחינת מתנים להעמיד ולקיים הראש והזרועות
But what gives the power and strength to the “loins” (i.e., faith) to support and sustain the “head” (i.e., the intellect that contemplates G‑d’s greatness) and the “arms” (i.e., the love and fear of G‑d)?
הוא עסק ולימוד הלכות בתורה שבעל פה
It is one’s involvement in — and study of — the laws of the Oral Torah, for the Torah is the food1 that nourishes the soul’s faith,
שהיא בחינת גילוי רצון העליון
and [the Oral Torah] is the manifestation of the Supreme Will.
Only the Oral Torah manifestly reveals the Supreme Will in all its ramifications; the Written Torah does not elaborate on the detailed laws concerning the performance of the commandments. On the mitzvah of tefillin, for example, the Written Torah merely states that2 “You shall bind them as a sign upon your hand, and they shall serve as a reminder between your eyes.” It is not at all clear exactly what shall be bound, how it shall serve as a sign, and precisely where it shall be placed “between your eyes.” All these particulars are elaborated upon in the Oral Torah; it is there that G‑d’s specific intentions regarding tefillin are revealed.
So too with the other commandments: the Oral Torah reveals the Supreme Will, as will be explained in more detail below, in Epistle 29.
The Alter Rebbe now goes on to say that Torah may indeed be said to be the revelation of G‑d’s Will, a level that transcends His wisdom, notwithstanding the fact that3 “Torah proceeds from Chochmah,” i.e., from Divine wisdom. This is so because:
דאורייתא מחכמה היא דנפקת
Torah [merely] proceeds i.e., unfolds from Chochmah: it is merely revealed through Divine wisdom;
אבל מקורה ושרשה הוא למעלה מעלה מבחינת חכמה
its source and root, however, surpass by far the rank of Chochmah,
והוא הנקרא בשם רצון העליון, ברוך הוא
being that which is referred to as the Blessed One’s Supreme Will, which encompasses and sustains Chochmah.
וכמו שכתוב: כצנה רצון תעטרנו
Thus it is written, — and the following proof text is cited here to illustrate the effect of Torah upon the soul,4 “As with a shield You crown5 [the righteous man] with favor.” (The word here translated “favor” is ratzon, the same word that has been rendered as “Will”.)
So, too, the study of Torah encompasses and protects the soul of the Torah student,
כעטרה שהיא על המוחין שבראש
like a crown which is placed above the brains which are within the head.
Since the study of the Oral Torah reveals G‑d’s Will (i.e., the “crown” that transcends the level of wisdom), it is therefore able to strengthen the “loins” (i.e., faith), whose purpose it is to support the “head” (i.e., intellect) and the “arms” (i.e., the love and fear of G‑d — the spiritual emotions that are the fruits of intellect).
וכנודע ממה שכתוב על פסוק: אשת חיל עטרת בעלה
[This teaching] parallels the familiar exposition of the verse,6 “A woman of valor is the crown of her husband.”
The Alter Rebbe explains below, in Epistle 29, that “a woman of valor” alludes to the Oral Torah. Its numerous laws serve as a “crown” for her “husband” — the intellective faculty of Chochmah.
וכל השונה הלכות בכל יום כו׳
[This teaching] likewise [recalls the Rabbinic teaching, that]7 “whoever studies Torah laws every day [is assured of life in the World to Come],” for it is the study of the Oral Torah that enables one to be receptive to Divine revelation in the World to Come, as is explained at greater length in Epistle 29.
וזהו: חגרה בעוז מתניה
This, then, is the meaning of the verse, “She girds her loins with strength”:
אין עוז אלא תורה
“There8 is no strength but Torah,”
שהיא נותנת כח ועוז לבחינת מתנים החגורים ומלובשים בה
for it gives power and strength to the “loins”, i.e., the faith of the soul, which are girded and embodied in it,
לחזק ולאמץ זרועותיה, הן דחילו ורחימו שכליים או טבעיים
to strengthen and fortify its “arms”, namely the intellectually-generated or innate awe and love
כל חד לפום שיעורא דיליה
in each man according to his measure.
One individual generates a love or awe of G‑d through his own intellectual endeavor, through study and meditation; another merely draws on his inborn reservoir of love and awe; in all cases, however, these spiritual emotions are strengthened by the study of Torah laws.
In the spirit of the above we can understand the metaphor of the verse, “She girds her loins with strength”: Just as a warrior gathers strength by girding his loins, so does the soul become more powerful by being enveloped with the encompassing radiance of the Divine light, which is drawn down upon it from the Supreme Will that is revealed in the laws of the Torah.
(ועל העמדת וקיום בחינת הראש שבנפש, הוא השכל המתבונן כו׳, אמר: טעמה כי טוב סחרה גו׳, ומבואר במקום אחר)
(9As regards supporting and sustaining the “head” of the soul, i.e., the intellect that contemplates, [Solomon] said:10 “She perceives that her trade is good,” [a metaphor which is] explained elsewhere.)
What mainly concerns the Alter Rebbe here is “girding one’s loins” in order to arouse a love and fear of G‑d; as he will soon explain, the ideal time for this is during prayer. He therefore only briefly notes in passing that the intellect is also strengthened through the study of Torah laws.
אך עת וזמן החיזוק ואימוץ הזרועות והראש היא שעת תפלת השחר
However, the occasion and time for the strengthening and fortification of the “arms” (i.e., the spiritual emotions) and the “head” (i.e., the intellect) is the time of morning prayer,
שהיא שעת רחמים ועת רצון העליון למעלה
for Above, that is a time of compassion, a time at which the Supreme Will is revealed.11
Since the Supreme Will strengthens the “arms” and “head”, it follows that the time of prayer — an hour of favor when the Supreme Will is manifest — is an especially propitious time to strengthen both one’s intellectual grasp of G‑dliness and one’s spiritual emotions. Prayer is thus the ideal opportunity to meditate upon the greatness of G‑d and to create within oneself a feeling of awe and love of Him.
ולזאת אותה אבקש ממבקשי ה׳
Therefore, says the Alter Rebbe, this is what I would ask of those who seek to draw close to G‑d:
יבינו וישכילו יחדיו, ולהיות לזכרון בין עיניהם, כל מה שכתבתי אליהם אשתקד בכלל
Let them both understand and contemplate, and have as a [constant] reminder between their eyes,12 all that I wrote them last year13 in general,
ובפרט מענין כוונת התפלה מעומקא דלבא
and especially with respect to devout concentration during prayer from the depths of their heart.
יום יום ידרשון ה׳ בכל לבם ובכל נפשם
Day after day let them seek G‑d and desire to cleave to Him with all their heart and with all their soul;14
ונפשם תשתפך כמים נוכח פני ה׳
let them pour out their soul like water15 in the presence of G‑d.
וכמאמר רז״ל בספרי: עד מיצוי הנפש כו׳
In this spirit our Sages, of blessed memory, taught in Sifrei, commenting upon the verse, “and with all your soul”16— that [prayer should be intense] “to the extent of pressing out the soul”; i.e., until the soul bursts forth and expresses itself in an outpouring of love for G‑d.
The wine that is forced out through the cracks of an absolutely full barrel is no more than a trickle. Yet what forces it through is the very fullness of the entire quantity of wine within. So, too, “pressing out the soul” refers to a state in which the entire essence of the soul is bursting forth with its love for G‑d, yet only a trickle of this love is visible externally.
* * *
| FOOTNOTES | |
| 1. | Cf. Mishlei 9:5. |
| 2. | Devarim 6:8. |
| 3. | Zohar II, 121a et passim. |
| 4. | Tehillim 5:13. |
| 5. | The Rebbe notes: “Though tzinah generally denotes a shield that protects the body from three sides, our verse concludes with the verb ‘crowned’ (rather than ‘surrounded’; see commentary of Rashi here), signifying that this shield also serves as a ‘crown’.” |
| 6. | Mishlei 12:4. |
| 7. | Conclusion of Niddah and loc. cit. |
| 8. | Sifri on Parshat Haazinu, and elsewhere. |
| 9. | Parentheses are in the original text. |
| 10. | Mishlei 31:18. |
| 11. | Zohar I, 247b; III, 204a. |
| 12. | Cf. Shmot 15:9. |
| 13. | In the epistle beginning “You shall reprove” that appears at the conclusion of Kuntres Acharon. |
| 14. | Cf. Devarim 4:29. |
| 15. | Cf. I Shmuel 1:15. |
| 16. | Devarim 6:5. |
• Sefer Hamitzvos:
• Friday, 8 AV , 5776 · 12 August 2016
• Today's Mitzvah
A daily digest of Maimonides’ classic work "Sefer Hamitzvot"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.
Negative Commandment 251
Hurtful Words
"You shall not wrong one another and you shall fear your G‑d"—Leviticus 25:17.
It is forbidden to verbally distress or humiliate another.
Examples:
- If a person has sinned in his youth and then repented, one may not tell him, "Thank G‑d who has taken you away from that path to this good path!" or similar indirect references to his earlier faults that may cause him pain.
- [If a person is suffering from illness, one may not say (as Job's friends did), "Has anyone perished who was totally innocent?"
- If you see people who seek to purchase grain, do not tell them that they can obtain it by a certain person, who in reality has nothing to sell.
- Do not enter a store and ask, "How much does this item cost?" when you have no intention to make a purchase.]
Full text of this Mitzvah »• Hurtful Words
Negative Commandment 251
Translated by Berel Bell
The 251st prohibition is that we are forbidden from verbally wronging another person by telling him things that will distress and humiliate him, and make him discouraged.1 For example, when a person has sinned in his youth, but changed his ways, and someone tells him, "Thank G‑d who has taken you away from that path to this good path," or similar indirect references to faults that cause him pain.
The source of this prohibition is G‑d's statement2 (exalted be He), "V'lo sonu one another and you shall fear your G‑d." Our Sages3 said that this refers to verbally causing him pain (ona'as devarim). 4
In the words of the Sifra, "The verse 'V'lo sonu one another' refers to ona'as devarim. What does this mean? If the person is a baal teshuvah, do not tell him, 'Remember your previous deeds...'; if there was illness...[do not say as Job's friends did, 'has anyone perished who was totally innocent?']; if you see donkey drivers...[who are seeking grain to buy, do not say that they can obtain it by a certain person, who in reality has nothing to sell and the drivers will be disappointed]; do not ask, 'how much does this cost?' [when you don't intend to make a purchase, since it will cause disappointment to the seller]."
Our Sages said,5 "Ona'as devarim is more serious than ona'as mamon, since regarding the former, the Torah says, 'and you shall fear your G‑d.'"6
The details of this mitzvah are explained in the 4th chapter of tractate Bava Metzia.
FOOTNOTES
1.Literally, "make him unable to encourage himself."
2.Lev. 25:17.
3.Bava Metzia 58b.
4.Causing verbal pain, as opposed to ona'as mamon, which is cheating someone financially. See N250.
5.Bava Metzia 58b.
6.From this statement it is obvious that ona'as devarim is a distinct mitzvah, not just a subcategory of ona'as mamon.
• Rambam - 1 Chapter: Parah Adummah Parah Adummah - Chapter 2
•
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.
א
מעלות יתירות עשו בטהרת פרה אדומה והרחקות גדולות הרחיקו מטומאת המת בכל מעשיה מפני שהיא כשירה בטבולי יום חשו שמא יבאו לזלזל בה ומפני זה כשמפרישין הכהן השורף אותה מפרישין אותו ללשכה מוכנת בעזרה ובית אבן היתה נקראת מפני שכל כליה כלי אבנים שאין מקבלין טומאה ובכלי האבן היה משתמש כל שבעת ימי ההפרשה ולא היו נוגעין בו אחיו הכהנים כדי להרבות בטהרתו:
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 nidahand he be impure for seven days.
ב
שבעת ימים קודם שריפת הפרה מפרישין כהן השורף אותה מביתו כשם שמפרישין כ"ג לעבודת יוה"כ ודבר זה קבלה ממשה רבינו וכן מפרישין אותו מאשתו שמא תמצא נדה ויהיה טמא שבעת ימים:
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.
ג
הלשכה שהיה יושב בה כל ז' צפונית מזרחית היתה כדי להזכירו שהיא כחטאת הנשחטת בצפון אע"פ שהיא נשחטת בחוץ:
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.
ד
כל יום ויום משבעת ימי ההפרשה מזין עליו מי חטאת שמא נטמא למת והוא לא ידע חוץ מיום רביעי להפרשה שא"צ הזאה לפי שא"א שלא יהיה לא שלישי לטומאתו ולא שביעי שאין הזאה בשביעי עולה משום הזאת שביעי עד שיזה בשלישי מלפניה ומן הדין היה שא"צ הזאה אלא בשלישי ושביעי להפרשה בלבד וזה שמזין יום אחר יום מעלה יתירה עשו בפרה:
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.
ה
ברביעי בשבת היו מפרישין אותו כדי שיחול רביעי שלו להיות בשבת שההזייה אינה דוחה שבת והרביעי א"צ הזייה:
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.
ו
בכל יום ויום מימי ההפרשה שמזין עליו בהם מזין מאפר פרה מן הפרות שנשרפו כבר ואם לא היה שם אלא אפר פרה אחת בלבד מזין ממנו עליו כל הששה:
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.
ז
כשמזין עליו בימי ההפרשה אין מזה עליו אלא אדם שלא נטמא במת מעולם שהמזה צריך שיהיה טהור וא"ת יזה עליו איש שנטמא והוזה עליו שמא זה שהזה עליו לא היה טהור מטומאת מת וכן הכלים שממלאין בהן ומקדשין להזות על הכהן השורף כולם כלי אבנים היו שאין מקבלין טומאה וכל אלו הדברים מעלות יתירות הן שעשו בה וכיצד ימצא איש שלא נטמא במת מעולם חצירות היו בירושלים בנויות על גבי הסלע ותחתיהן חלול מפני קבר התהום ומביאין היו נשים עוברות ויולדות שם ומגדלות שם את בניהם וכשירצו להזות על הכהן השורף מביאין שוורים מפני שכרסיהן נפוחות ומניחים על גביהן דלתות ויושבין התינוקות על גבי הדלתות כדי שיהיה האהל מבדיל בינם לבין הארץ מפני קבר התהום וכוסות של אבן בידם והולכין לשילוח הגיעו לשילוח יורדין שם וממלאין שאין לחוש שם מפני קבר התהום שאין דרך בני אדם לקבור בנהרות ועולין ויושבין על גבי הדלתות והולכין עד שמגיעין להר הבית הגיעו להר הבית יורדין ומהלכין על רגליהן מפני שכל הר הבית והעזרות תחתיהן היה חלול מפני קבר התהום ומהלכין עד פתח העזרה ובפתח העזרה היה קלל של אפר נוטלין האפר ונותנין במים שבכוסות ומזין על הכהן השורף ומטבילין היו התינוקות שממלאין ומקדשין ומזין על השורף אף על פי שהן טהורין מטומאת המת שמא נטמאו בטומאה אחרת:
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.
ח
תינוק שטבל למלאות ולהזות לא ימלא בכליו תינוק אחר אע"פ שטבל ותינוק שטבל להזות על כהן זה אינו מזה על כהן אחר עד שיטבול לשם מעשה זה הכהן וכן כלים שטהרום לחטאת זו ובני אדם שטהרום לחטאת זו לא יתעסק בהם בפרה אחרת עד שיטבלו לשמה וכל הדברים האלו מעלות יתירות בפרה:
• Mechirah - Chapter Sixteen
1
The following laws apply when a person sells seeds of garden vegetables to a colleague, when the seeds themselves are not eaten. If the seeds do not grow, the seller is responsible to reimburse him for the money that he took from him. For we can assume that he purchased the seeds to sow them.
The above applies provided that the seeds did not grow because of a problem with the seeds themselves. If, however, the reason they did not grow is that the land was smitten with hail or the like, the seller is not responsible for the loss, for perhaps the reason that the seeds did not grow is the hail. Similar principles apply in all analogous situations.
א
המוכר זרעוני גינה שאין עצמן של זרעונים נאכל לחבירו ולא צמחו חייב באחריותן ומחזיר לו את הדמים שלקח ממנו שחזקתן לזריעה והוא שלא צמחו מחמת עצמן אבל אם לקתה הארץ בברד וכיוצא בו אינו חייב באחריותן שמא מחמת הברד לא צמחו וכן כל כיוצא בזה:
2
If, by contrast, a seller sold seeds that are eaten - e.g., wheat or barley -and the purchaser sowed them, and they did not grow, the seller is not responsible to reimburse the purchaser.Even if he sold him flax seeds, which most people purchase to sow, the seller is not responsible if they are destroyed when they are sown, since there are some who eat these seeds.
If, however, the purchaser notifies the seller that he is purchasing the seeds with the intent of sowing them, the seller is responsible for them. The same applies to objects that are purchased for medicinal purposes or for dyes. Similar principles apply in all analogous situations.
ב
מכר לו זרעים הנאכלין כגון חטים ושעורים וזרען ולא צמחו אינו חייב באחריותן אפילו היה זרע פשתן שרוב בני אדם קונין אותה לזריעה הואיל ואוכלין אותה אינו חייב באחריות זריעתו ואם הודיעו שהוא קונה לזרע חייב באחריותן והוא הדין לדברים הנמכרים לרפואה ולצביעה וכן כל כיוצא בזה:
3
From the above, we can derive the following law. Whenever a person purchases an item from a colleague and informs him that he intends to transport it to another city to sell it there, and after he transported it there a blemish which nullifies the sale was discovered, the seller may not tell the purchaser: "Bring my article here." Instead, the seller must reimburse the purchaser, and the seller must take the trouble of returning the article to its original place or selling it in the place to which it was transported. Even if the article was lost or stolen after the purchaser notified the seller, it is considered to have been in the seller's domain.
Different laws apply, however, when the purchaser did not tell the seller that he was planning to transport the article to another country and transported it nevertheless. If he then discovered a blemish, the article is considered to be in the domain of the purchaser until he returns it with its blemish to the seller.
ג
מכאן אתה למד שכל הלוקח מחבירו מקח והודיעו שהוא מוליכו למדינה פלונית למכרו שם ואחר שהוליכו לשם נמצא בו מום אינו יכול לומר החזיר לי מקחי לכאן אלא מחזיר לו את הדמים והמוכר מטפל להביא ממכרו או למכרו שם ואפילו אבד או נגנב אחר שהודיעו הרי הוא ברשות מוכר אבל אם לא הודיעו שמוליכו למדינה אחרת והוליכו ונמצא שם בו מום הרי זה ברשות לוקח עד שיחזיר המקח במומו למוכר:
4
When a person purchases produce and discovers a blemish, and afterwards the article is lost or stolen, the article is considered in the domain of the purchaser until he returns it to the seller. If the produce becomes wormy and is spoiled because-of the length of time it had been kept, it is considered to be in the domain of the seller. If the purchaser realized the difficulty and should have notified the seller, but failed to do so, the produce is considered to be in his domain.
ד
הלוקח מקח ונמצא בו מום ואחר כך אבד או נגנב הרי הוא ברשות הלוקח עד שיחזיר המקח למוכר ואם התליע ונפסד מחמת אורך הזמן הרי זה ברשות המוכר ואם היה לו להודיע למוכר ולא הודיעו הרי זה ברשות לוקח:
5
When a person sells an ox to a colleague and it is discovered to have tendencies to gore, the seller can excuse himself from responsibility by saying: "I sold it to you for the purpose of slaughter."When does the above apply? When the purchaser buys oxen for both slaughter and plowing. If, however, the seller knows that the purchaser purchases oxen only to plow, the transaction is considered to have been conducted under false premises, and it is nullified. The same principles apply in all analogous situations.
ה
המוכר שור לחבירו ונמצא נגחן יכול לומר לו לשחיטה מכרתיו לך במה דברים אמורים בשהיה הלוקח קונה לשחיטה ולחרישה אבל אם היה יודע שהוא קונה לחרישה בלבד הרי זה מקח טעות וחוזר וכן כל כיוצא בזה:
6
The following rule applies when a person sells an animal to a colleague for slaughter, the purchaser slaughters it, and it is discovered to be trefah. If it can definitely be determined that it had been trefah when it was purchased,the purchaser should return the slaughtered animal, and the seller must return the money.
From this ruling, we can derive the following principles that apply when a seller sells an entity that possesses a blemish, and the purchaser makes another blemish before he discovers the first blemish. If the purchaser creates the blemish in the process of performing an act that would ordinarily be performed - e.g., one who slaughters an animal that is trefah - he is not liable. If, however, he deviates from ordinary practice and makes another blemish before he discovers the first blemish, he should return the article to its owner and reimburse him for the blemish that he made.
ו
המוכר בהמה לחבירו לטביחה ושחטה ונמצא טרפה אם נודע בודאי שהיתה טרפה כשלקחה הרי זה מחזיר לו את השחוטה ויחזיר המוכר את הדמים מכאן אתה למד שהמוכר דבר שהיה מום בממכרו ועשה בו הלוקח מום אחר קודם שיודע לו המום הראשון אם עשה דבר שדרכו לעשותו כגון זה ששחט את הטרפה פטור ואם שנה ועשה מום אחר קודם שיודע לו המום [הראשון] מחזיר המקח לבעליו ומשלם דמי המום שעשה:
7
The following rules apply when a person purchases a garment and cuts it with the intent of making a cloak from it. If, because of the cut he made, he discovers a blemish in the fabric, he may return the pieces.
Should he sew the cloak and then discover the blemish in the fabric, he may return it. If he has increased its value, he may collect from the seller the value of the increase his sewing generated. Similar principles apply in all analogous situations.
ז
קנה בגד וקרעו לעשות ממנו חלוק ואח"כ נודע המום מחמת הקריעה מחזיר לו את הקרעים תפרו ואחר כך נודע המום אם השביח נוטל שבח התפירה מן המוכר וכן כל כיוצא בזה:
8
The following principles apply when a person sells landed property to a colleague, the purchaser derives benefit from the property, and afterwards discovers a blemish in it. If he desires to return the land to its owners, he must reimburse them for all the benefit that he derived. If it was a courtyard and he dwelled in it, he must pay them rent.
ח
המוכר קרקע לחבירו ואכל פירותיה ולאחר זמן נראה לו בה מום אם רצה להחזיר קרקע לבעלים מחזיר כל הפירות שאכל ואם היה חצר ודר בו צריך להעלות לו שכר:
9
When a person sells an article with a blemish that is not recognized, and the article that is sold becomes destroyed because of that blemish, the seller must return the money that he received.
ט
המוכר דבר שיש בו מום שאינו נראה ואבד המקח מחמת אותו המום הרי זה מחזיר את הדמים:
10
What is implied? A person sold an ox that did not have molars. The purchaser placed that ox together with his cattle, placed food before all of them, and they ate. He did not realize that the ox he had purchased was not eating until it died of starvation.
In such an instance, the purchaser may return the corpse to the seller, who is required to return his money to him. Similar principles apply in all analogous situations.
י
[כיצד] המוכר שור לחבירו שאין לו טוחנות והניחו הלוקח עם הבקר שלו והיה מניח המאכל לפני כולן ואוכלין ולא היה יודע שזה אוכל עד שמת ברעב הרי זה מחזיר לו את הנבילה ויחזיר זה את הדמים וכן כל כיוצא בזה:
11
Different rules apply if the seller is a broker who purchases from one person and sells to another without keeping the animal in his possession. For this reason, we assume that the broker did not know of the blemish. Therefore, the broker is required to take a Rabbinic oath that he did not know of the blemish, and then he is absolved of responsibility.
The rationale is that the purchaser had the responsibility of checking the ox he purchased independently and returning it to the broker before it died. The broker would then have returned it to the one who sold it to him. Since the purchaser did not do this, he caused himself a loss. Similar principles apply in all analogous situations.
יא
היה המוכר סרסור שלוקח מזה ומוכר לזה ואינו משהה המקח עמו ולא ידע במום זה הרי הסרסור נשבע שבועת היסת שלא ידע במום זה ויפטר מפני שהיה על הלוקח לבדוק השור בפני עצמו ולהחזירו לו קודם שימות ויהיה הסרסור מחזירו על המוכר הראשון הואיל ולא עשה הוא הלוקח הפסיד על עצמו וכן כל כיוצא בזה:
12
The following rules apply when a person slaughters a firstborn animal, sells its meat, and then the purchaser discovers that the seller had not shown it to an expert: What the purchaser ate is not taken into consideration, and the seller is required to return to the purchaser the money he paid. The seller should receive the remainder of the meat from the purchaser and return his money to him.
Similarly, if a butcher slaughters a cow and sells it, and it is discovered that it was trefah, what the purchaser ate is not taken into consideration, and the seller is required to return the purchaser's money to him.The meat that was not eaten should be returned to the butcher, ] and he should return the money to the purchaser.
יב
השוחט את הבכור ומכרו ונודע לו שלא הראהו למומחה מה שאכל אכל ויחזיר לו הדמים והנשאר מן הבשר ביד הלקוחות יקבל ויחזיר להם את הדמים וכן השוחט את הפרה ומכרה ונודע שהיא טרפה מה שאכל אכל ויחזיר לו את הדמים ומה שלא אכל יחזיר את הבשר לטבח ויחזיר לו את הדמים:
13
If the purchaser sold the meat that was trefah to gentiles, he should come to an understanding with the butcher with regard to the money for the trefah; the butcher should then return the remainder to him. Similar principles apply in all analogous situations.
יג
מכר הלוקח בשר זה של טרפה לנכרים או שהאכילו לכלבים יחשב עם הטבח על דמי הטרפה ויחזיר לו הטבח את המותר וכן כל כיוצא בזה:
14
When a person sells meat to a colleague and it is discovered to be the meat of a firstborn animal, or he sells produce and it is discovered to be tevel, or wine and it is discovered to be wine used for idolatry, what the purchaser consumed is not taken into consideration, and the seller is required to return the money he paid to the purchaser.
The same laws apply to any substance from which it is forbidden to partake according to Scriptural Law. This applies both when the prohibition is punishable by karet, or when there is merely an ordinary prohibition involved.
Different rules apply if one sells an object that is forbidden by Rabbinic law to be eaten. If the produce exists, one should return the produce and receive in return the money originally paid. If, however, one ate them, then one has benefited from it, and the seller is not obligated to return anything to the purchaser.
Whenever it is forbidden to benefit from an object - whether by Scriptural or Rabbinic law - the seller must return the money he received.There is no binding legal convention governing such a sale.
יד
המוכר בשר לחבירו ונמצא בשר בכור פירות ונמצאו טבלים יין ונמצא יין נסך מה שאכל אכל ויחזיר לו את הדמים וכן כל המוכר דבר שאסור לאכלו מן התורה כך הוא דינו בין שהיה איסורו בכרת בין שהיה איסורו בלאו בלבד אבל המוכר דבר לחבירו שאיסור אכילתו מדברי סופרים אם היו הפירות קיימין מחזיר את הפירות ונוטל את דמיו ואם אכלן אכל ואין המוכר מחזיר לו כלום וכל איסורי הנייה בין מדברי תורה בין מדבריהם מחזיר את הדמים ואין בהן דין מכירה כלל:
Mechirah - Chapter Seventeen
1
There are four states applicable with regard to a seller:
a) The seller sold wheat assuring the purchaser that it was of a high quality, and it was discovered to be of a low quality. In such an instance, the purchaser may retract, but not the seller.
b) If the purchaser convinced the seller that the wheat was of a low quality, and it was discovered to be of a high quality. In such an instance, the seller may retract, but not the purchaser.
c-d) If the produce was said to be of a low quality, and it was discovered to be of a low quality, but not of the absolutely lowest quality, or he assured him that it was of a high quality, and it was discovered to be of a high quality, but not of the absolutely highest quality, we see if there was an unfair gain of one sixth of its value. If there was, neither may retract, but the unfair gain must be returned.
א
ארבע מדות במוכרין מכר לו חטים יפות ונמצאו רעות הלוקח יכול לחזור בו ולא המוכר רעות ונמצאו יפות המוכר יכול לחזור בו ולא הלוקח רעות ונמצאו רעות יפות ונמצאו יפות אע"פ שאינן יפות שאין למעלה מהן ולא רעות שאין למטה מהן והרי יש שם הונייה שתות אין אחד מהם יכול לחזור בו אלא קנה ומחזיר אונאה:
2
If, however, a person claims to be selling red wheat and in fact, it is white, white wheat and in fact, it is red, olive wood and in fact, it is from a wild fig tree, or wild fig wood and in fact, it is from an olive tree, wine and it is discovered to be vinegar, vinegar and it is discovered to be wine, both the seller and the purchaser can retract. For the object of the sale is not of the type that the seller stated he was selling. Similar principles apply in all analogous situations.
ב
אבל המוכר חטים שחמתית ונמצאת לבנה לבנה ונמצא שחמתית עצים של זית ונמצאו של שקמה של שקמה ונמצאו של זית יין ונמצא חומץ חומץ ונמצא יין כל אחד מהן יכול לחזור בו שאין זה המין שאמר שימכור לו וכן כל כיוצא בזה:
3
When a person sells wine to a colleague and the purchaser transfers it to his own containers, even if it turns into vinegar immediately, the seller is not held responsible for it. This law applies even if the purchaser says: "I am purchasing it to use for cooking." If the seller knew that his wine was turning sour, the transaction is considered to have taken place under false pretenses.
Different laws apply if a person sold a colleague wine, and it remained in the seller's containers and turned into vinegar. If the purchaser told the seller: "I need this for cooking," and the wine turns sour, the purchaser may return it and say: "Here is your wine and your containers. I did not buy it to drink, but rather to use for cooking a little bit at a time."
If the purchaser did not say: "I need this for cooking," he may not return it. For the owner may tell him: "Why didn't you drink it immediately. You should not have left it until it turned sour."
ג
המוכר יין לחבירו ונתנו הלוקח בקנקניו והחמיץ מיד אינו חייב באחריותו ואף על פי שאמר לו לתבשיל אני צריך לו ואם ידע שיינו מחמיץ הרי זה מקח טעות מכר לו יין והרי הוא בקנקניו של מוכר והחמיץ אם אמר לו למקפה אני צריך והחמיץ מחזיר ואומר לו הרי יינך וקנקנך שאני לא קניתי לשתותו אלא לבשל מעט מעט ואם לא אמר למקפה הוא אינו יכול להחזיר שהרי אומר לו למה לא שתית אותו ולא היה לך לשהותו עד שיחמיץ:
4
The following rules apply when a person sells a barrel of beer to a colleague in a barrel belonging to the seller. If the beer becomes like vinegar within the first three days [after the sale, the change is considered to have taken place in the seller's domain and he must return the money he received. From that point onward, the change is considered to have taken place in the purchaser's domain.
ד
המוכר חבית של שכר לחבירו והחבית של מוכר והחמיצה בתוך שלשה ימים הראשונים הרי זה ברשות המוכר ומחזיר את הדמים מכאן ואילך ברשות הלוקח:
5
The following rules apply when a person sells a barrel of wine to a colleague who intends to sell it little by little. If half or a third of the wine becomes sour, it may be returned to the seller. If, however, the purchaser changes the hole for the spout, or the market day came and he was lax and did not try to sell the wine, it is considered to be in the purchaser's domain. Similar laws apply when a person accepts a barrel of wine from a colleague with the intent of transporting it to a particular destination and selling it there. If the price of the wine decreases or it becomes sour before it reaches the destination, it is considered to be in the purchaser's domain, for the barrel and the wine are his. Similar principles apply in all analogous situations.
ה
המוכר חבית של יין לחבירו כדי למכרה מעט מעט והחמיצה במחציתה או בשלישה חוזרת למוכר ואם שינה הלוקח הנקב שלה או שהגיע יום השוק ושהה ולא מכר הרי היא ברשות הלוקח וכן המקבל חבית של יין מחבירו כדי להוליכה למקום פלוני למכרה שם וקודם שהגיע שם הוזל היין או החמיצה הרי זה ברשות המוכר מפני שהחבית והיין שלו וכן כל כיוצא בזה:
6
When a person tells a colleague: "I am selling you fragrant wine," he is responsible for the wine to retain its fragrance until the holiday of Shavuot. If he tells him: "I am selling you aged wine," he must give him wine from the previous year. If he mentions vintage wine, it must be in its third year and must retain its flavor without turning sour until the holiday of Sukkot.
In a locale where there is a well-known custom, everything is determined by the local custom.
ו
האומר לחבירו יין מבושם אני מוכר לך חייב להעמיד לו עד עצרת אמר לו יין ישן אני מוכר לך נותן לו משל שנה שעברה מיושן משל שלש שנים וצריך שיעמוד ולא יחמיץ עד החג ובמקום שיש מנהג ידוע הכל כמנהג המדינה:
7
When a person tells a colleague: "I am selling you this cellar of wine for cooking," or merely "...a cellar of wine," the purchaser accepts the fact that the wine from ten containers out of one hundred will not be of as high a quality and will already have begun to sour. If more wine changes flavor, he has not acquiesced.
ז
האומר לחבירו מרתף זה של יין אני מוכר לך למקפה או שמכר לו מרתף של יין סתם הרי הלוקח מקבל עליו עשרה קנקנים בכל מאה שלא יהיה יינם טוב אלא כבר התחיל להשתנות יתר על זה לא יקבל:
8
If the seller told the purchaser: "I am selling you a cellar of wine for cooking," or he told him: "I am selling you a barrel of wine," he must provide him with wine that is entirely of high quality and fit to be used for cooking. If he told him: "I am selling you this cellar of wine," he should provide him with wine similar to that sold in a store - i.e., of average quality, neither bad nor good. If he told him, "I am selling you this cellar," and did not mention that it contained wine, the purchaser must accept it, even if it was all vinegar. Similar principles apply in all analogous situations.
ח
אמר לו מרתף של יין אני מוכר לך למקפה או שאמר לו חבית של יין אני מוכר לך נותן לו יין שכולו יפה וראוי לתבשיל אמר לו מרתף זה של יין נותן לו יין הנמכר בחנות שהרי הוא בינוני לא רע ולא יפה אמר לו מרתף זה אני מוכר לך ולא הזכיר יין אפילו כולו חומץ הגיעו וכן כל כיוצא בזה:
9
When a person tells a colleague: "I am selling you a wooden kneading tray," or "I am selling you a beam for an olive press," he may not give him a piece of wood that is fit to have a kneading tray hewn out from it, or a beam that is fit to be made into a beam for an olive press. Instead, he must give him a kneading tray that has already been fashioned or a beam for an olive press that has already been fashioned, one that any person seeing it will say: "This is a kneading tray," or "this is a beam for an olive press." Similar principles apply in all analogous situations.
ט
האומר לחבירו עריבה של עץ אני מוכר לך או קורת בית הבד אני מוכר לך אינו נותן לו עץ שראוי לחפור בו עריבה או קורה שראוי לקרות בית הבד אלא עריבה בצורתה או קורות בית הבד בצורתם שכל הרואה אומר זו עריבה או זו קורת בית הבד וכן כל כיוצא בזה:
Mechirah - Chapter Eighteen
1
It is forbidden to deceive people with regard to a business deal or to beguile them. This prohibition applies equally to Jews and to gentiles.
If a seller knows that the article he is selling has a blemish, he must notify the purchaser about it. It is even forbidden to beguile a person with false flattery.
א
אסור לרמות את בני אדם במקח וממכר או לגנוב את דעתם ואחד עובד כוכבים ואחד ישראל שוים בדבר זה היה יודע שיש בממכרו מום יודיעו ללוקח ואפילו לגנוב דעת הבריות בדברים אסור:
2
One may not improve the appearance of a man being sold as a servant, nor of an animal, nor of old utensils, by making them appear to be new. One may, however, improve the appearance of new utensils, by polishing them, ironing them and beautifying them as much as necessary.
ב
אין מפרכסין את האדם ולא את הבהמה ולא את הכלים הישנים כדי שיראו כחדשים אבל מפרכסין החדשים כגון שישוף ויגהץ וייפה כל צרכיו:
3
One may not feed a man water in which bran was cooked, which causes his body to swell, making his face appear larger. One may not paint one's face with rouge and the like.
One may not inflate intestines that are being sold in a butchery, nor may one soak meat in water. All practices similar to the above are also forbidden.
One may not sell a gentile meat from an animal that was not ritually slaughtered on the pretense that it was ritually slaughtered, although religiously there is no difference to him whether or not ritual slaughter was performed.
ג
אין משרבטין את האדם במים של חזרין וכיוצא בהן כדי שיתפח ויראו פניו שמנים ולא צובעין את הפנים בשרק וכיוצא בו ולא נופחין את הקרביים ולא שורין את הבשר במים וכן כל כיוצא בדברים אלו אסורין ואין מוכרין בשר נבילה לנכרי בכלל שחוטה אע"פ שהנבילה אצלו כשחוטה:
4
It is permitted to remove the husks from kernels of grain or beans, provided one does not do so only on the top of the grain sack, for doing so creates a false impression that the entire quantity has been husked.
It is permitted for a merchant to distribute roasted seeds and nuts to children and maidservants so that they will frequent his establishment. A merchant may discount the ordinary market price of an item to increase his volume of customers. The other merchants in the market place may not prevent him from doing so, nor is this considered to be deceiving a customer.
ד
מותר לבור את הגריסין אבל לא על פי המנורה שאינו אלא כגונב את העין וידמה שהוא הכל ברור ומותר לחנוני לחלק קליות ואגוזים לתינוקות ולשפחות כדי להרגילן לבא אצלו ופוחת משער שבשוק כדי להרבות במקיפין ממנו ואין בני השוק יכולין לעכב עליו ואין בזה גניבת הדעת:
5
One may not mix two batches of the same species of produce together. This applies when both batches are freshly harvested. Certainly, it is forbidden to mix produce harvested previously with freshly harvested produce. This applies even when previously harvested produce is more expensive than the freshly harvested, because the purchaser may desire to store the produce for an extended time.
An exception was made with regard to wine, and it is permitted to mix stronger wine with lighter wine during the time the wine is fermenting alone, because one improves the flavor of the other. If the flavor of the wine added is distinct, it is permitted to mix them at any time. For whenever an entity is distinct, its presence can be detected by a purchaser. And therefore, mixing it in is permitted.
ה
אין מערבין פירות בפירות אפילו חדשים בחדשים ואין צריך לומר ישנים בחדשים אפילו הישנים ביוקר והחדשים בזול מפני שהלוקח רוצה ליישנן ביין הוא שהתירו לערב קשה ברך בין הגתות בלבד מפני שמשביחו אם היה טעמו ניכר מותר לערב בכל מקום שכל דבר הניכר טעמו מרגיש הלוקח ולפיכך מותר לערב אותו:
6
Water may not be mixed together with wine that one intends to sell. When water has been mixed with a person's wine, he should not sell it in a store unless he notifies the customers. He should not sell it to a merchant, even if he notifies him, lest the merchant deceive others. In a place where it is customary to add water to wine, one may do so, provided one does so at the time the wine is fermenting.
ו
אין מערבין מים ביין ומי שנתערב לו מים ביינו לא ימכרנו בחנות אלא אם כן מודיעו ולא לתגר אע"פ שמודיעו שמרמה בו אחרים ומקום שנהגו להטיל מים ביין יטיל והוא שיהיה בין הגתות:
7
A merchant may take from five wine vats and store the mixture in one tank. He may take from five granaries and store the mixture in one warehouse, as long as he does not intend to mix the produce.
ז
התגר נוטל מחמש גתות ונותן לתוך פיטם אחד מחמש גרנות ונותן לתוך מגורה אחת ובלבד שלא יתכוין לערב:
8
It is forbidden to mix dregs with either wine or oil. Mixing even the slightest amount is forbidden. One may not even mix the dregs produced yesterday with the dregs produced today.
If, however, one pours wine from one container into another, one may add the dregs to the wine.
ח
אסור לערב שמרים בין ביין בין בשמן ואפילו כל שהוא ואפילו שמרים של אמש בשמרים של יום אסור אבל אם עירה היין מכלי אל כלי נותן שמריו לתוכו:
9
When a person sells "refined oil" to a colleague, the purchaser refuses to accept any dregs at all. If he sells him oil without mentioning any descriptive term, the purchaser is willing to accept that one and a half log from every 100 log will be dregs. And he accepts the fact that the remainder of the oil will have dregs; thus, it will be murky, with dregs being suspended in the oil in addition to the quantity of dregs that is standard in that locale.
ט
המוכר לחבירו שמן מזוקק אינו מקבל שמרים מכר לו שמן סתם מקבל לוג ומחצה שמרים לכל מאה לוג ומקבל בשאר שמרים שמן עכור העולה למעלה על פני השמן יתר על השמרים הידועים באותו מקום:
10
When does the above apply? When he pays the money in Tishrei, when oil is cloudy, and receives the oil in Nisan according to the measure of Tishrei, which is larger because of the unrefined oil above. If, however, the purchaser takes the measure given in Nisan, which is smaller because the oil has already become clear, he accepts only the measure of dregs mentioned in the previous halachah.
י
במה דברים אמורים כשנתן לו מעות בתשרי שהשמן עכור ולקח השמן בניסן כמדת תשרי שהיא גדולה מפני אותו השמן הקופה למעלה אבל אם לקח במדת ניסן שהיא קטנה מפני שכבר צלל השמן אינו מקבל אלא השמרים בלבד:
11
When a person sells wheat to a colleague, the purchaser accepts that he will receive one fourth of a kav of legumes for every se'ah. When he purchases barley, he accepts that he will receive one fourth of a kav of dried-out kernels for every se'ah.When he purchases lentils, he accepts that he will receive one fourth of a kav of pebbles for every se'ah. When he purchases figs, he accepts that he will receive ten wormy ones for every hundred.
If a person sells any other type of produce to a colleague, the purchaser accepts that he will receive one fourth of a kav of dirty produce for every se'ah.
If the amount of lower quality produce exceeds these measures, the seller must sift the entire batch and give the purchaser sifted and cleaned produce that has no undesirable qualities.
יא
המוכר חטים לחבירו מקבל עליו רובע קטנית לכל סאה שעורים מקבל עליו רובע נישובות לכל סאה עדשים מקבל עליו רובע עפרורית לסאה תאנים מקבל עליו עשר מתלועות לכל מאה מכר לו שאר פירות מקבל עליו רבע טנופות לכל סאה נמצא מהן יתר על השיעורים האלו כל שהוא ינפה את הכל ויתן לו פירות מנופין וברורין שאין בהן כלום:
12
All of the above applies only in a place where there is no established custom. In a place where there is an established custom, everything follows the established custom.
יב
ואין כל אלו הדברים אמורים אלא במקום שאין להם מנהג אבל במקום שיש להם מנהג הכל כמנהג המדינה:
13
There are places where it is customary for all produce to be sold when it has been cleaned and sifted, removing all foreign bodies, and for the wines and the oils to be clear, without selling any dregs at all. And there are other places where produce is sold even when there are half dregs, or there is half the amount of sand, straw or another substance in the produce.
Therefore, in such a locale, if a person takes a stone from a colleague's grain heap, he must reimburse the owner as if the stone he took were wheat. For if he had left it there, it would have been sold as part of the measure of wheat.'If one would say, "Let him return the stone," this is forbidden, for it is forbidden to mix even the slightest amount of foreign substances into produce.
יג
יש מקומות שנהגו שיהיו כל פירות מנוקים וברורים מכל דבר ושיהיו היינות והשמנים צלולין ולא ימכרו השמרים כלל ויש מקומות שנהגו אפילו היו בהן מחצה שמרים או שהיו בפירות מחצה עפר או תבן או מין אחר ימכר כמות שהוא לפיכך הבורר צרור מתוך גרנו של חבירו נותן לו דמי חטים כשיעור צרור שבירר שאילו הניחו היה נמכר במדת חטים ואם תאמר יחזירנו הרי אמרו אסור לערב כל שהוא:
14
When a person sells barrels in the Sharon in a place where there is no established custom, the purchaser accepts that out of 100 barrels, he will receive ten that are of inferior quality. Even these must, however, be attractive and fixed with pitch.
יד
המוכר קנקנים בשרון במקום שאין מנהג מקבל לכל מאה עשרה פיטסות והוא שיהיו נאות ועשויות בגפרית:
• Friday, 8 AV , 5776 · 12 August 2016
• "Today's Day"
• Monday, Menachem Av 8, 5703
Torah lessons: Chumash: Va'etchanan, Sheini with Rashi.
Tehillim: 44-48.
Tanya: But what gives (p. 391) ...pressing out the soul..." (p. 391).
The Six Remembrances1 are recited every day, including Shabbat, festivals, Rosh Hashana, and Yom Kippur.
From my grandfather's aphorisms: What good is Chassidus and piety if the main quality is lacking - ahavat Yisrael, love of another - even to the extent of causing (G-d forbid) anguish to another!
FOOTNOTES
1.Siddur p. 86.
• Daily Thought:
Revolution
If you were there
and the forces of destruction
were about to destroy Jerusalem
and you had the power to do something about it,
would you sit and mourn and cry?
Or would you turn the world
on its head
to change history?
So what is stopping you?
Turn over the whole world now!
-------
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