Light Candles before sunset ––:––.
Today's Laws & Customs:
• Elul Observances
As the last month of the Jewish year, Elul is traditionaly a time of introspection and stocktaking -- a time to review one's deeds and spiritual progress over the past year and prepare for the upcoming "Days of Awe" of Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur.
As the month of Divine Mercy and Forgiveness (see "Today in Jewish History" for Elul 1) it is a most opportune time for teshuvah ("return" to G-d), prayer, charity, and increased Ahavat Yisrael (love for a fellow Jew) in the quest for self-improvement and coming closer to G-d. Chassidic master Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi likens the month of Elul to a time when "the king is in the field" and, in contrast to when he is in the royal palace, "everyone who so desires is permitted to meet him, and he receives them all with a cheerful countenance and shows a smiling face to them all."
Specific Elul customs include the daily sounding of the shofar (ram's horn) as a call to repentance. The Baal Shem Tov instituted the custom of reciting three additional chapters ofPsalms each day, from the 1st of Elul until Yom Kippur (on Yom Kippur the remaining 36 chapters are recited, thereby completing the entire book of Psalms). Click below to view today's Psalms.
Chapter 37 Chapter 38 Chapter 39
Psalms 37:(0) By David:
(1) Don’t be upset by evildoers
or envious of those who do wrong,
2 for soon they will wither like grass
and fade like the green in the fields.
3 Trust in Adonai, and do good;
settle in the land, and feed on faithfulness.
4 Then you will delight yourself in Adonai,
and he will give you your heart’s desire.
5 Commit your way to Adonai;
trust in him, and he will act.
6 He will make your vindication shine forth like light,
the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.
7 Be still before Adonai;
wait patiently till he comes.
Don’t be upset by those whose way
succeeds because of their wicked plans.
8 Stop being angry, put aside rage,
and don’t be upset — it leads to evil.
9 For evildoers will be cut off,
but those hoping in Adonai will inherit the land.
10 Soon the wicked will be no more;
you will look for his place, and he won’t be there.
11 But the meek will inherit the land
and delight themselves in abundant peace.
12 The wicked plots against the righteous
and grinds his teeth at him;
13 but Adonai laughs at the wicked,
knowing his day will come.
14 The wicked have unsheathed their swords,
they have strung their bows
to bring down the poor and needy,
to slaughter those whose way is upright.
15 But their swords will pierce their own hearts,
and their bows will be broken.
16 Better the little that the righteous has
than the wealth of all the wicked.
17 For the arms of the wicked will be broken,
but Adonai upholds the righteous.
18 Adonai knows what the wholehearted suffer,
but their inheritance lasts forever.
19 They will not be distressed when times are hard;
when famine comes, they will have plenty.
20 For the wicked will perish;
Adonai’s enemies will be like sheep fat,
ending up as smoke, finished.
21 The wicked borrows and doesn’t repay,
but the righteous is generous and gives.
22 For those blessed by [Adonai] will inherit the land,
but those cursed by him will be cut off.
23 Adonai directs a person’s steps,
and he delights in his way.
24 He may stumble, but he won’t fall headlong,
for Adonai holds him by the hand.
25 I have been young; now I am old;
yet not once have I seen the righteous abandoned
or his descendants begging for bread.
26 All day long he is generous and lends,
and his descendants are blessed.
27 If you turn from evil and do good,
you will live safely forever.
28 For Adonai loves justice
and will not abandon his faithful;
they are preserved forever.
But the descendants of the wicked will be cut off.
29 The righteous will inherit the land
and live in it forever.
30 The mouth of the righteous articulates wisdom,
his tongue speaks justice.
31 The Torah of his God is in his heart;
his footsteps do not falter.
32 The wicked keeps his eye on the righteous,
seeking a chance to kill him.
33 But Adonai will not leave him in his power
or let him be condemned when judged.
34 Put your hope in Adonai, keep to his way,
and he will raise you up to inherit the land.
When the wicked are cut off, you will see it.
35 I have seen a wicked man wielding great power,
flourishing like a shade tree in its native soil.
36 But I passed by again, and he was no longer there;
I looked for him, but he could not be found.
37 Observe the pure person, consider the upright;
for the peaceful person will have posterity.
38 But transgressors will all be destroyed;
the posterity of the wicked will be cut off.
39 Adonai is the one who saves the righteous;
he is their stronghold in time of trouble.
40 Adonai helps them and rescues them,
rescues them from the wicked and saves them;
because they take refuge in him.
38:1 (0) A psalm of David, serving as a reminder:
2 (1) Adonai, don’t rebuke me when you are angry
or discipline me when you are enraged,
3 (2) for your arrows penetrate me deeply,
and your hand is pressing me down.
4 (3) Your indignation left no part of me intact;
my sin made my whole body sick;
5 (4) for my iniquities loom high over my head
as a heavy burden, too heavy for me.
6 (5) I have stinking, festering wounds
because of my foolishness.
7 (6) I am bent down, prostrate completely;
I go about mourning all day long.
8 (7) For my insides burn with fever,
and my whole body is sick.
9 (8) I am numb, completely crushed;
my anguished heart makes me groan aloud.
10 (9) Adonai, all my longing is known to you;
my sighing is not hidden from you.
11 (10) My heart is throbbing, my strength is gone,
and the light in my eyes has left me.
12 (11) My friends and companions shun my disease;
even the closest keep their distance.
13 (12) Those seeking my life lay snares for me,
those seeking to harm me speak of disaster
and think up deceptions all day long.
14 (13) But I’m like a deaf man — I don’t hear it;
and, like a mute, I don’t say a word.
15 (14) Yes, I’ve become like a man who doesn’t hear
and in whose mouth are no defenses.
16 (15) For it is in you, Adonai, that I hope.
You will answer, Adonai my God.
17 (16) I said, “Don’t let them gloat over me
or boast against me when my foot slips.”
18 (17) For I am about to fall,
and my pain is always with me.
19 (18) I acknowledge my guilt,
I am anxious because of my sin.
20 (19) But my enemies are alive and well,
those who wrongfully hate me increase their numbers;
21 (20) and, since they repay good with evil,
they oppose me because I pursue good.
22 (21) Don’t abandon me, Adonai!
My God, don’t be far from me!
23 (22) Come quickly to help me,
Adonai, my salvation!
39:1 (0) For the leader. Set in the style of Y’dutun. A psalm of David:
2 (1) I said, “I will watch how I behave,
so that I won’t sin with my tongue;
I will put a muzzle on my mouth
whenever the wicked confront me.”
3 (2) I was silent, said nothing, not even good;
but my pain kept being stirred up.
4 (3) My heart grew hot within me;
whenever I thought of it, the fire burned.
Then, [at last,] I let my tongue speak:
5 (4) “Make me grasp, Adonai, what my end must be,
what it means that my days are numbered;
let me know what a transient creature I am.
6 (5) You have made my days like handbreadths;
for you, the length of my life is like nothing.”
Yes, everyone, no matter how firmly he stands,
is merely a puff of wind. (Selah)
7 (6) Humans go about like shadows;
their turmoil is all for nothing.
They accumulate wealth, not knowing
who will enjoy its benefits.
8 (7) Now, Adonai, what am I waiting for?
You are my only hope.
9 (8) Rescue me from all my transgressions;
don’t make me the butt of fools.
10 (9) I am silent, I keep my mouth shut,
because it is you who have done it.
11 (10) Stop raining blows on me;
the pounding of your fist is wearing me down.
12 (11) With rebukes you discipline people for their guilt;
like a moth, you destroy what makes them attractive;
yes, everyone is merely a puff of wind. (Selah)
13 (12) Hear my prayer, Adonai, listen to my cry,
don’t be deaf to my weeping;
for with you, I am just a traveler
passing through, like all my ancestors.
14 (13) Turn your gaze from me, so I can smile again
before I depart and cease to exist.
Elul is also the time to have one's tefillin and mezuzot checked by an accredited scribe to ensure that they are in good condition and fit for use.Links: More on Elul
Today in Jewish History:
• R. Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn's marriage (1897)
Marriage of the 6th Rebbe of Chabad-Lubavitch, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn (1880-1950), to Rebbetzin Nechamah Dinah (1882-1971).
• Passing of Ben Ish Chai (1909)
Elul 13 is the yahrtzeit of Rabbi Yosef Chaim of Baghdad (1835-1909), the renowned Sephardic Halachic authority and Kabbalist, known as "Ben Ish Chai" after his work by that name.
Links:
The Ben Ish Chai, A Biography
The Ultimate Employee (from the teachings of the Ben Ish Chai)
• R. Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn's marriage (1897)
Marriage of the 6th Rebbe of Chabad-Lubavitch, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn (1880-1950), to Rebbetzin Nechamah Dinah (1882-1971).
• Passing of Ben Ish Chai (1909)
Elul 13 is the yahrtzeit of Rabbi Yosef Chaim of Baghdad (1835-1909), the renowned Sephardic Halachic authority and Kabbalist, known as "Ben Ish Chai" after his work by that name.
Links:
The Ben Ish Chai, A Biography
The Ultimate Employee (from the teachings of the Ben Ish Chai)
Daily Quote:
Chitas and Rambam for today:
Chumash: Ki Teitzei, 6th Portion Deuteronomy 24:5-24:13 with Rashi
• Deuteronomy Chapter 24
5When a man takes a new wife, he shall not go out in the army, nor shall he be subjected to anything associated with it. He shall remain free for his home for one year and delight his wife, whom he has taken. הכִּֽי־יִקַּ֥ח אִישׁ֙ אִשָּׁ֣ה חֲדָשָׁ֔ה לֹ֤א יֵצֵא֙ בַּצָּבָ֔א וְלֹא־יַֽעֲבֹ֥ר עָלָ֖יו לְכָל־דָּבָ֑ר נָקִ֞י יִֽהְיֶ֤ה לְבֵיתוֹ֙ שָׁנָ֣ה אֶחָ֔ת וְשִׂמַּ֖ח אֶת־אִשְׁתּ֥וֹ אֲשֶׁר־לָקָֽח:
[When a man takes] a new wife: [i.e., one] who is new to him, even if she is a widow [i.e., she was previously married to someone else], but this excludes [a man who] remarries his divorcee. — [Sotah 44a] אשה חדשה: שהיא חדשה לו ואפילו אלמנה, פרט למחזיר גרושתו:
nor shall he be subjected: lit., nor shall it pass over him, [referring to] the order of the army. ולא יעבור עליו: דבר הצבא:
to anything associated with it: that is required by the army: [For instance,] he must not supply water and food or repair the roads [for the army]. However, men who return from the battlefield by the order of the kohen because they either built a house but did not yet dedicate it, or betrothed a woman but did not yet take her [as a wife] [see Deut. 20:5-7], are required to supply water and food and repair the roads [for the army]. — [Sotah 43a] לכל דבר: שהוא צורך הצבא, לא לספק מים ומזון ולא לתקן דרכים, אבל החוזרים מעורכי המלחמה על פי כהן, כגון בנה בית ולא חנכו או ארס אשה ולא לקחה, מספיקין מים ומזון ומתקנין את הדרכים:
He shall remain [free] for his home: Heb. לְבֵיתוֹ, lit.,“for his house,” [meaning] also for his house. If he built a new house and dedicated it, or if he planted a vineyard (see Deut. 20:6) and redeemed it [i.e., he just began to partake of its fruits in the fourth year by redeeming them and eating their value in Jerusalem], he does not move from his home for the needs of war. יהיה לביתו: אף בשביל ביתו, אם בנה בית וחנכו ואם נטע כרם וחללו, אינו זז מביתו בשביל צורכי המלחמה:
for his home: Heb. לְבֵיתוֹ. This refers to his house [as explained above]. לביתו: זה ביתו:
must remain: Heb. יִהְיֶה. [This] comes to include his vineyard [as explained above]. יהיה: לרבות את כרמו:
and delight: Heb. וְשִׂמַּח. [The word אֶת in this phrase, וְשִׂמַּח אֶת-אִשְׁתּוֹ, can mean “with,” or it can introduce the direct object, namely, “his wife.” Thus, this phrase can either mean “he shall rejoice with his wife,” or it could mean “he shall delight his wife.” Here, Rashi decides that the meaning is]“He shall delight his wife” [that is, the verb is in the piel (intensive causative) conjugation]. Thus, the [correct] rendering is as it appears in the Targum [Onkelos]: וְיַחְדֵי יַת אִיתְּתֵהּ,“and he shall make his wife happy.” One who renders: וְיֶחְדֵי יַת אִיתְּתֵהּ,“he shall rejoice with his wife,” is mistaken, for this is not the translation of וְשִׂמַּח [in the piel, causative conjugation], but [the translation] of וְשָׂמַח, [the kal, simple intransitive conjugation]. ושמח: ישמח את אשתו. ותרגומו ויחדי ית אתתיה. והמתרגם ויחדי עם אתתיה, טועה הוא, שאין זה תרגום של ושמח אלא של ושמח:
6One shall not take the lower or the upper millstone as security [for a loan], because he is taking a life as security. ולֹא־יַֽחֲבֹ֥ל רֵחַ֖יִם וָרָ֑כֶב כִּי־נֶ֖פֶשׁ ה֥וּא חֹבֵֽל:
One shall not take the lower or the upper millstone as security [for a loan]: If [a creditor] comes to the court to demand security for a debt [for which no security had previously been required], he may not take as security articles used in the preparation of food. — [B.M. 115a] לא יחבול: אם בא למשכנו על חובו בבית דין, לא ימשכננו בדברים שעושים בהן אוכל נפש:
the lower millstone: Heb. רֵחַיִם. This is the lower [millstone]. רחים: היא התחתונה:
the upper millstone: Heb. וָרָכֶב. This is the upper [millstone]. ורכב: היא העליונה:
7If a man is discovered kidnapping any person from among his brothers, of the children of Israel, and treats him as a slave and sells him that thief shall die, so that you shall clear out the evil from among you. זכִּֽי־יִמָּצֵ֨א אִ֜ישׁ גֹּנֵ֨ב נֶ֤פֶשׁ מֵֽאֶחָיו֙ מִבְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וְהִתְעַמֶּר־בּ֖וֹ וּמְכָר֑וֹ וּמֵת֙ הַגַּנָּ֣ב הַה֔וּא וּבִֽעַרְתָּ֥ הָרָ֖ע מִקִּרְבֶּֽךָ:
If [a man] is discovered: By witnesses, and after he was warned [not to kidnap] (Sifrei 24:139). Likewise, every [instance of] יִמָּצֵא, “[if someone is] discovered,” in the Torah. - [Mechilta 21:63] כי ימצא: בעדים והתראה. וכן כל כי ימצא שבתורה:
and treats him as a slave: The perpetrator is not liable [to the death penalty] until he uses [his victim as a slave]. — [Sifrei 24:139, San. 85b] והתעמר בו: אינו חייב עד שישתמש בו:
8Be cautious regarding the lesion of tzara'ath, to observe meticulously and you shall do according to all that the Levite priests instruct you; as I have commanded them, [so shall you] observe to do. חהִשָּׁ֧מֶר בְּנֶֽגַע־הַצָּרַ֛עַת לִשְׁמֹ֥ר מְאֹ֖ד וְלַֽעֲשׂ֑וֹת כְּכֹל֩ אֲשֶׁר־יוֹר֨וּ אֶתְכֶ֜ם הַכֹּֽהֲנִ֧ים הַֽלְוִיִּ֛ם כַּֽאֲשֶׁ֥ר צִוִּיתִ֖ם תִּשְׁמְר֥וּ לַֽעֲשֽׂוֹת:
Be cautious regarding the lesion of tzara’ath: that you do not remove any of the signs of uncleanness [e.g., by peeling off the skin], and that you do not cut off a bahereth , bright spot. — [Sifrei 24:140, Mak. 22a] השמר בנגע הצרעת: שלא תתלוש סימני טומאה, ולא תקוץ את הבהרת:
according to all that [the Levite kohanim] instruct you: whether to quarantine [the person with tzara’ath], whether to make a decisive diagnosis [of tzara’ath], or whether to declare him clean. ככל אשר יורו אתכם: אם להסגיר אם להחליט אם לטהר:
9Remember what the Lord, your God, did to Miriam on the way, when you went out of Egypt. טזָכ֕וֹר אֵ֧ת אֲשֶׁר־עָשָׂ֛ה יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ לְמִרְיָ֑ם בַּדֶּ֖רֶךְ בְּצֵֽאתְכֶ֥ם מִמִּצְרָֽיִם:
Remember what the Lord, your God, did to Miriam: If you wish to take precautions against being stricken with tzara’ath, then do not speak לָשׁוֹן הָרַע [slander, derogatory remarks]. Remember what was done to Miriam, who spoke against her brother [Moses] and was stricken with lesions [of tzara’ath] (see Num. 12:1-16). - [Sifrei 24: 141] זכור את אשר עשה ה' אלהיך למרים: אם באת להזהר שלא תלקה בצרעת, אל תספר לשון הרע. זכור העשוי למרים שדברה באחיה ולקתה בנגעים:
10When you lend your fellow [Jew] any item, you shall not enter his home to take his security. יכִּֽי־תַשֶּׁ֥ה בְרֵֽעֲךָ֖ מַשַּׁ֣את מְא֑וּמָה לֹֽא־תָבֹ֥א אֶל־בֵּית֖וֹ לַֽעֲבֹ֥ט עֲבֹטֽוֹ:
When you lend your fellow [Jew]: Heb. כִּי-תַשֶּׁה, lit., when you obligate your friend. כי תשה ברעך: תחוב בחברך:
any item: Heb. מַשַּׁאת מְאוּמָה, lit., a debt involving anything. משאת מאומה: חוב של כלום:
11You shall stand outside, and the man to whom you are extending the loan shall bring the security to you outside. יאבַּח֖וּץ תַּֽעֲמֹ֑ד וְהָאִ֗ישׁ אֲשֶׁ֤ר אַתָּה֙ נשֶׁ֣ה ב֔וֹ יוֹצִ֥יא אֵלֶ֛יךָ אֶת־הָֽעֲב֖וֹט הַחֽוּצָה:
12And if he is a poor man, you shall not lie down [to sleep] with his security. יבוְאִם־אִ֥ישׁ עָנִ֖י ה֑וּא לֹ֥א תִשְׁכַּ֖ב בַּֽעֲבֹטֽוֹ:
you shall not lie down [to sleep] with his security: You shall not lie down [to sleep] while you have his security in your possession. — [Sifrei 24:144, B.M. 114b] לא תשכב בעבוטו: לא תשכב ועבוטו אצלך:
13You shall return the security to him by sunset, so that he may lie down [to sleep] in his garment, and he will bless you, and it will be counted for you as merit before the Lord, your God. יגהָשֵׁב֩ תָּשִׁ֨יב ל֤וֹ אֶת־הָֽעֲבוֹט֙ כְּב֣וֹא הַשֶּׁ֔מֶשׁ וְשָׁכַ֥ב בְּשַׂלְמָת֖וֹ וּבֵֽרֲכֶ֑ךָּ וּלְךָ֙ תִּֽהְיֶ֣ה צְדָקָ֔ה לִפְנֵ֖י יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶֽיךָ:
[You shall return the security to him] by sunset: if it is a garment worn at night. And if it is a garment worn by day, return it in the morning. This has already been written in parshath Mishpatim , where the verse says, “ until sunset you shall return it to him” (Exod. 22:25), meaning that you shall return it to him for the entire day, and when the sun sets, you may take it [back]. — [B.M. 114b] כבוא השמש: אם כסות לילה הוא, ואם כסות יום החזירהו בבקר, וכבר כתוב בואלה המשפטים (שמות כב כה) עד בא השמש תשיבנו לו, כל היום תשיבנו לו וכבוא השמש תקחנו:
and he will bless you: And if he does not bless you, it will nevertheless “be counted for you as merit.” - [Sifrei 24:144] וברכך: ואם אינו מברכך, מכל מקום ולך תהיה צדקה:
Daily Tehillim: Psalms Chapters 69 - 71
• Special Custom for the Month of Elul and High Holidays
• Lessons in Tanya
• Today's Tanya Lesson
• Friday, 13 Elul, 5776 · 16 September 2016
• Iggeret HaKodesh, end of Epistle 14
• ובכל שנה ושנה יורד ומאיר מחכמה עילאה אור חדש ומחודש שלא היה מאיר עדיין מעולם, לארץ העליונה
• Rambam: Sefer Hamitzvos:
• Friday, 13 Elul, 5776 · 16 September 2016
• Today's Mitzvah
A daily digest of Maimonides’ classic work "Sefer Hamitzvot"
Positive Commandment 198
Taking Interest from a Gentile
"Take interest from the gentile"—Deuteronomy 23:21.
When issuing a loan to a non-Jew, we are commanded to charge interest. [This commandment only applies to a non-Jew who has not accepted upon himself the Seven Noahide Laws.] The Sages enacted various restrictions to this mitzvah [such as forbidding the charging of outright interest].
Full text of this Mitzvah »
• Taking Interest from a Gentile
•Metamme'ey Mishkav uMoshav - Chapter 6
• 3 Chapters: Malveh veLoveh Malveh veLoveh - Chapter 25, Malveh veLoveh Malveh veLoveh - Chapter 26, Malveh veLoveh Malveh veLoveh - Chapter 27
• Malveh veLoveh - Chapter 25
• Hayom Yom: Today's Hayom Yom
• Friday, 13 Elul, 5776 · 16 September 2016
• "Today's Day"
• Monday, Elul 13, 5703
Every additional child brings increased blessing to the family and serves as a channel of sustenance from Above...[The Rebbe]
Daily Study:Chitas and Rambam for today:
Chumash: Ki Teitzei, 6th Portion Deuteronomy 24:5-24:13 with Rashi
• Deuteronomy Chapter 24
5When a man takes a new wife, he shall not go out in the army, nor shall he be subjected to anything associated with it. He shall remain free for his home for one year and delight his wife, whom he has taken. הכִּֽי־יִקַּ֥ח אִישׁ֙ אִשָּׁ֣ה חֲדָשָׁ֔ה לֹ֤א יֵצֵא֙ בַּצָּבָ֔א וְלֹא־יַֽעֲבֹ֥ר עָלָ֖יו לְכָל־דָּבָ֑ר נָקִ֞י יִֽהְיֶ֤ה לְבֵיתוֹ֙ שָׁנָ֣ה אֶחָ֔ת וְשִׂמַּ֖ח אֶת־אִשְׁתּ֥וֹ אֲשֶׁר־לָקָֽח:
[When a man takes] a new wife: [i.e., one] who is new to him, even if she is a widow [i.e., she was previously married to someone else], but this excludes [a man who] remarries his divorcee. — [Sotah 44a] אשה חדשה: שהיא חדשה לו ואפילו אלמנה, פרט למחזיר גרושתו:
nor shall he be subjected: lit., nor shall it pass over him, [referring to] the order of the army. ולא יעבור עליו: דבר הצבא:
to anything associated with it: that is required by the army: [For instance,] he must not supply water and food or repair the roads [for the army]. However, men who return from the battlefield by the order of the kohen because they either built a house but did not yet dedicate it, or betrothed a woman but did not yet take her [as a wife] [see Deut. 20:5-7], are required to supply water and food and repair the roads [for the army]. — [Sotah 43a] לכל דבר: שהוא צורך הצבא, לא לספק מים ומזון ולא לתקן דרכים, אבל החוזרים מעורכי המלחמה על פי כהן, כגון בנה בית ולא חנכו או ארס אשה ולא לקחה, מספיקין מים ומזון ומתקנין את הדרכים:
He shall remain [free] for his home: Heb. לְבֵיתוֹ, lit.,“for his house,” [meaning] also for his house. If he built a new house and dedicated it, or if he planted a vineyard (see Deut. 20:6) and redeemed it [i.e., he just began to partake of its fruits in the fourth year by redeeming them and eating their value in Jerusalem], he does not move from his home for the needs of war. יהיה לביתו: אף בשביל ביתו, אם בנה בית וחנכו ואם נטע כרם וחללו, אינו זז מביתו בשביל צורכי המלחמה:
for his home: Heb. לְבֵיתוֹ. This refers to his house [as explained above]. לביתו: זה ביתו:
must remain: Heb. יִהְיֶה. [This] comes to include his vineyard [as explained above]. יהיה: לרבות את כרמו:
and delight: Heb. וְשִׂמַּח. [The word אֶת in this phrase, וְשִׂמַּח אֶת-אִשְׁתּוֹ, can mean “with,” or it can introduce the direct object, namely, “his wife.” Thus, this phrase can either mean “he shall rejoice with his wife,” or it could mean “he shall delight his wife.” Here, Rashi decides that the meaning is]“He shall delight his wife” [that is, the verb is in the piel (intensive causative) conjugation]. Thus, the [correct] rendering is as it appears in the Targum [Onkelos]: וְיַחְדֵי יַת אִיתְּתֵהּ,“and he shall make his wife happy.” One who renders: וְיֶחְדֵי יַת אִיתְּתֵהּ,“he shall rejoice with his wife,” is mistaken, for this is not the translation of וְשִׂמַּח [in the piel, causative conjugation], but [the translation] of וְשָׂמַח, [the kal, simple intransitive conjugation]. ושמח: ישמח את אשתו. ותרגומו ויחדי ית אתתיה. והמתרגם ויחדי עם אתתיה, טועה הוא, שאין זה תרגום של ושמח אלא של ושמח:
6One shall not take the lower or the upper millstone as security [for a loan], because he is taking a life as security. ולֹא־יַֽחֲבֹ֥ל רֵחַ֖יִם וָרָ֑כֶב כִּי־נֶ֖פֶשׁ ה֥וּא חֹבֵֽל:
One shall not take the lower or the upper millstone as security [for a loan]: If [a creditor] comes to the court to demand security for a debt [for which no security had previously been required], he may not take as security articles used in the preparation of food. — [B.M. 115a] לא יחבול: אם בא למשכנו על חובו בבית דין, לא ימשכננו בדברים שעושים בהן אוכל נפש:
the lower millstone: Heb. רֵחַיִם. This is the lower [millstone]. רחים: היא התחתונה:
the upper millstone: Heb. וָרָכֶב. This is the upper [millstone]. ורכב: היא העליונה:
7If a man is discovered kidnapping any person from among his brothers, of the children of Israel, and treats him as a slave and sells him that thief shall die, so that you shall clear out the evil from among you. זכִּֽי־יִמָּצֵ֨א אִ֜ישׁ גֹּנֵ֨ב נֶ֤פֶשׁ מֵֽאֶחָיו֙ מִבְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וְהִתְעַמֶּר־בּ֖וֹ וּמְכָר֑וֹ וּמֵת֙ הַגַּנָּ֣ב הַה֔וּא וּבִֽעַרְתָּ֥ הָרָ֖ע מִקִּרְבֶּֽךָ:
If [a man] is discovered: By witnesses, and after he was warned [not to kidnap] (Sifrei 24:139). Likewise, every [instance of] יִמָּצֵא, “[if someone is] discovered,” in the Torah. - [Mechilta 21:63] כי ימצא: בעדים והתראה. וכן כל כי ימצא שבתורה:
and treats him as a slave: The perpetrator is not liable [to the death penalty] until he uses [his victim as a slave]. — [Sifrei 24:139, San. 85b] והתעמר בו: אינו חייב עד שישתמש בו:
8Be cautious regarding the lesion of tzara'ath, to observe meticulously and you shall do according to all that the Levite priests instruct you; as I have commanded them, [so shall you] observe to do. חהִשָּׁ֧מֶר בְּנֶֽגַע־הַצָּרַ֛עַת לִשְׁמֹ֥ר מְאֹ֖ד וְלַֽעֲשׂ֑וֹת כְּכֹל֩ אֲשֶׁר־יוֹר֨וּ אֶתְכֶ֜ם הַכֹּֽהֲנִ֧ים הַֽלְוִיִּ֛ם כַּֽאֲשֶׁ֥ר צִוִּיתִ֖ם תִּשְׁמְר֥וּ לַֽעֲשֽׂוֹת:
Be cautious regarding the lesion of tzara’ath: that you do not remove any of the signs of uncleanness [e.g., by peeling off the skin], and that you do not cut off a bahereth , bright spot. — [Sifrei 24:140, Mak. 22a] השמר בנגע הצרעת: שלא תתלוש סימני טומאה, ולא תקוץ את הבהרת:
according to all that [the Levite kohanim] instruct you: whether to quarantine [the person with tzara’ath], whether to make a decisive diagnosis [of tzara’ath], or whether to declare him clean. ככל אשר יורו אתכם: אם להסגיר אם להחליט אם לטהר:
9Remember what the Lord, your God, did to Miriam on the way, when you went out of Egypt. טזָכ֕וֹר אֵ֧ת אֲשֶׁר־עָשָׂ֛ה יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ לְמִרְיָ֑ם בַּדֶּ֖רֶךְ בְּצֵֽאתְכֶ֥ם מִמִּצְרָֽיִם:
Remember what the Lord, your God, did to Miriam: If you wish to take precautions against being stricken with tzara’ath, then do not speak לָשׁוֹן הָרַע [slander, derogatory remarks]. Remember what was done to Miriam, who spoke against her brother [Moses] and was stricken with lesions [of tzara’ath] (see Num. 12:1-16). - [Sifrei 24: 141] זכור את אשר עשה ה' אלהיך למרים: אם באת להזהר שלא תלקה בצרעת, אל תספר לשון הרע. זכור העשוי למרים שדברה באחיה ולקתה בנגעים:
10When you lend your fellow [Jew] any item, you shall not enter his home to take his security. יכִּֽי־תַשֶּׁ֥ה בְרֵֽעֲךָ֖ מַשַּׁ֣את מְא֑וּמָה לֹֽא־תָבֹ֥א אֶל־בֵּית֖וֹ לַֽעֲבֹ֥ט עֲבֹטֽוֹ:
When you lend your fellow [Jew]: Heb. כִּי-תַשֶּׁה, lit., when you obligate your friend. כי תשה ברעך: תחוב בחברך:
any item: Heb. מַשַּׁאת מְאוּמָה, lit., a debt involving anything. משאת מאומה: חוב של כלום:
11You shall stand outside, and the man to whom you are extending the loan shall bring the security to you outside. יאבַּח֖וּץ תַּֽעֲמֹ֑ד וְהָאִ֗ישׁ אֲשֶׁ֤ר אַתָּה֙ נשֶׁ֣ה ב֔וֹ יוֹצִ֥יא אֵלֶ֛יךָ אֶת־הָֽעֲב֖וֹט הַחֽוּצָה:
12And if he is a poor man, you shall not lie down [to sleep] with his security. יבוְאִם־אִ֥ישׁ עָנִ֖י ה֑וּא לֹ֥א תִשְׁכַּ֖ב בַּֽעֲבֹטֽוֹ:
you shall not lie down [to sleep] with his security: You shall not lie down [to sleep] while you have his security in your possession. — [Sifrei 24:144, B.M. 114b] לא תשכב בעבוטו: לא תשכב ועבוטו אצלך:
13You shall return the security to him by sunset, so that he may lie down [to sleep] in his garment, and he will bless you, and it will be counted for you as merit before the Lord, your God. יגהָשֵׁב֩ תָּשִׁ֨יב ל֤וֹ אֶת־הָֽעֲבוֹט֙ כְּב֣וֹא הַשֶּׁ֔מֶשׁ וְשָׁכַ֥ב בְּשַׂלְמָת֖וֹ וּבֵֽרֲכֶ֑ךָּ וּלְךָ֙ תִּֽהְיֶ֣ה צְדָקָ֔ה לִפְנֵ֖י יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶֽיךָ:
[You shall return the security to him] by sunset: if it is a garment worn at night. And if it is a garment worn by day, return it in the morning. This has already been written in parshath Mishpatim , where the verse says, “ until sunset you shall return it to him” (Exod. 22:25), meaning that you shall return it to him for the entire day, and when the sun sets, you may take it [back]. — [B.M. 114b] כבוא השמש: אם כסות לילה הוא, ואם כסות יום החזירהו בבקר, וכבר כתוב בואלה המשפטים (שמות כב כה) עד בא השמש תשיבנו לו, כל היום תשיבנו לו וכבוא השמש תקחנו:
and he will bless you: And if he does not bless you, it will nevertheless “be counted for you as merit.” - [Sifrei 24:144] וברכך: ואם אינו מברכך, מכל מקום ולך תהיה צדקה:
Daily Tehillim: Psalms Chapters 69 - 71
• Special Custom for the Month of Elul and High Holidays
The Baal Shem Tov instituted a custom of reciting three additional chapters of Psalms each day, from the 1st of Elul until Yom Kippur (on Yom Kippur the remaining 36 chapters are recited, thereby completing the entire book of Psalms).
See below for today's additional chapters.
Chapter 69
1. For the Conductor, on the shoshanim,1 by David.
2. Deliver me, O God, for the waters have reached until my soul!
3. I have sunk in muddy depths without foothold; I have come into deep waters, and the current sweeps me away.
4. I am wearied by my crying, my throat is parched; my eyes pined while waiting for my God.
5. More numerous than the hairs on my head are those who hate me without reason. Mighty are those who would cut me off, those who are my enemies without cause. What I have not stolen, I will then have to return.
6. O God, You know my folly, and my wrongs are not hidden from You.
7. Let not those who hope in You be shamed through me, O my Lord, God of Hosts; let not those who seek You be disgraced through me, O God of Israel,
8. because for Your sake I have borne humiliation, disgrace covers my face.
9. I have become a stranger to my brothers, an alien to my mother's sons,
10. for the envy of Your House has consumed me, and the humiliations of those who scorn You have fallen upon me.
11. And I wept while my soul fasted, and it was a humiliation to me.
12. I made sackcloth my garment, and became a byword for them.
13. Those who sit by the gate speak of me, and [of me] are the songs of drunkards.
14. May my prayer to You, Lord, be at a gracious time; God, in Your abounding kindness, answer me with Your true deliverance.
15. Rescue me from the mire, so that I not sink; let me be saved from my enemies and from deep waters.
16. Let not the current of water sweep me away, nor the deep swallow me; and let not the pit close its mouth over me.
17. Answer me, Lord, for Your kindness is good; according to Your abundant mercies, turn to me.
18. Do not hide Your face from Your servant, for I am in distress-hurry to answer me.
19. Draw near to my soul and liberate it; redeem me, so that my enemies [not feel triumphant].
20. You know my humiliation, my shame, and my disgrace; all my tormentors are before You.
21. Humiliation has broken my heart, and I have become ill. I longed for comfort, but there was none; for consolers, but I did not find.
22. They put gall into my food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.
23. Let their table become a trap before them, and [their] serenity, a snare.
24. Let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see, and let their loins continually falter.
25. Pour Your wrath upon them, and let the fierceness of Your anger overtake them.
26. Let their palace be desolate, let there be no dweller in their tents,
27. for they persecute the one whom You struck, and tell of the pain of Your wounded ones.
28. Add iniquity to their iniquity, and let them not enter into Your righteousness.
29. May they be erased from the Book of Life, and let them not be inscribed with the righteous.
30. But I am poor and in pain; let Your deliverance, O God, streng-then me.
31. I will praise the Name of God with song, I will extol Him with thanksgiving!
32. And it will please the Lord more than [the sacrifice of] a mature bull with horns and hooves.
33. The humble will see it and rejoice; you seekers of God, [see] and your hearts will come alive.
34. For the Lord listens to the needy, and He does not despise His prisoners.
35. Let heaven and earth praise Him, the seas and all that moves within them,
36. for God will deliver Zion and build the cities of Judah, and they will settle there and possess it;
37. and the seed of His servants will inherit it, and those who love His Name will dwell in it.
FOOTNOTES
1.A musical instrument shaped like a shoshana, a rose (Metzudot).
Chapter 70
David prays that his enemies be shamed and humiliated for their shaming him and reveling in his troubles. Then the righteous will rejoice, and chant songs and praises always.
1. For the Conductor, by David, to remind.
2. O God, [come] to rescue me; O Lord, hurry to my aid.
3. Let those who seek my life be shamed and disgraced; let those who wish me harm retreat and be humiliated.
4. Let those who say, "Aha! Aha!" be turned back in return for their shaming [me].
5. Let all who seek You rejoice and delight in You, and let those who love Your deliverance say always, "May God be exalted!”
6. But I am poor and needy; hurry to me, O God! You are my help and deliverer; O God, do not delay!
Chapter 71
In this awe-inspiring prayer, David speaks of his enemies' desire to kill him, declaring him deserving of death.
1. I have taken refuge in You, O Lord; I will never be shamed.
2. Rescue me and deliver me in Your righteousness; incline Your ear to me and save me.
3. Be for me a sheltering rock, to enter always. You have ordered my salvation, for You are my rock and my fortress.
4. O my God, rescue me from the hand of the wicked, from the palm of the scheming and violent.
5. For You are my hope, O my Lord, God, my security since my youth.
6. I have relied on You from the womb; You drew me from my mother's innards; my praise is of You always.
7. I became an example to the masses, yet You were my mighty refuge.
8. Let my mouth be filled with Your praise, all day long with Your glory.
9. Do not cast me aside in old age; do not forsake me when my strength fails;
10. for my enemies say of me, and those who watch my soul conspire together,
11. saying, "God has forsaken him. Give chase and catch him, for there is no rescuer.”
12. O God, do not distance Yourself from me; my God, hurry to my aid.
13. Let the adversaries of my soul be shamed and consumed; let those who seek my harm be enwrapped in disgrace and humiliation.
14. But as for me, I will always hope; I will add to all Your praises.
15. My mouth will tell of Your righteousness, all day long of Your deliverance, for I do not know their number.
16. I come with the strength of my Lord, God; I mention Your righteousness, Yours alone.
17. O God, You have taught me since my youth, and to this day I tell of Your wonders.
18. Even into old age and hoariness, O God, do not abandon me, until I tell of Your might to the generations, and of Your strength to all who are to come.
19. Your righteousness, O God, reaches the high heavens, for You do great things; O God, who is like You!
20. You, Who has shown me many and grievous troubles, You will revive me again; You will lift me again from the depths of the earth.
21. You will increase my greatness; You will turn and console me.
22. I too1 will thank You on the lyre for Your faithfulness, My God; I will sing to You on the harp, O Holy One of Israel.
23. My lips will rejoice when I sing to you, as well as my soul which You have redeemed.
24. My tongue will also utter Your righteousness all day, for those who seek my harm are shamed and disgraced.
FOOTNOTES
1.As you increase my greatness, so will I increase your praise (Metzudot).
Additional Three Chapters
The Baal Shem Tov instituted a custom of reciting three additional chapters of Psalms each day, from the 1st of Elul until Yom Kippur (on Yom Kippur the remaining 36 chapters are recited, thereby completing the entire book of Psalms).
Today's Chapters are 37, 38 and 39.
Chapter 37
King David exhorts his generation not to be jealous of the prosperity of the wicked, for it may lead to falling into their ways. Rather, put your trust in God, conduct yourselves with integrity, and God will take care of everything.
1. By David. Do not compete with the wicked; do not envy doers of injustice.
2. For like grass they will be swiftly cut down; like green vegetation they will wither.
3. Trust in the Lord and do good; then will you abide in the land and be nourished by faith.
4. Delight in the Lord, and He will grant you the desires of your heart.
5. Cast your needs upon the Lord; rely on Him, and He will take care.
6. He will reveal your righteousness like the light, your justness like the high noon.
7. Depend on the Lord and hope in Him. Compete not with the prosperous, with the man who invents evil schemes.
8. Let go of anger, abandon rage; do not compete with [one who intends] only to harm.
9. For the evildoers will be cut down; but those who hope in the Lord, they will inherit the earth.
10. For soon the wicked one will not be; you will gaze at his place and he will be gone.
11. But the humble shall inherit the earth, and delight in abundant peace.
12. The wicked one plots against the righteous, and gnashes his teeth at him.
13. My Lord laughs at him, for He sees that his day will come.
14. The wicked have drawn a sword and bent their bow to fell the poor and destitute, to slaughter those of upright ways.
15. But their sword shall enter their own hearts, and their bows shall break.
16. Better the little of the righteous, than the abundant wealth of the wicked.
17. For the strength of the wicked will be broken, but the Lord supports the righteous.
18. The Lord appreciates the days of the innocent; their inheritance will last forever.
19. They will not be shamed in times of calamity, and in days of famine they will be satisfied.
20. For the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the Lord are as fattened sheep: consumed, consumed in smoke.
21. The wicked man borrows and does not repay; but the righteous man is gracious and gives.
22. For those blessed by Him will inherit the earth, and those cursed by Him will be cut off.
23. The steps of man are directed by God; He desires his way.
24. When he totters he shall not be thrown down, for the Lord supports his hand.
25. I have been a youth, I have also aged; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his offspring begging bread.
26. All day he is kind and lends; his offspring are a blessing.
27. Turn away from evil and do good, and you will dwell [in peace] forever.
28. For the Lord loves justice, he will not abandon his pious ones-they are protected forever; but the offspring of the wicked are cut off.
29. The righteous shall inherit the earth and dwell upon it forever.
30. The mouth of the righteous one utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks justice.
31. The Torah of his God is in his heart; his steps shall not falter.
32. The wicked one watches for the righteous man, and seeks to kill him.
33. But the Lord will not abandon him in his hand, nor condemn him when he is judged.
34. Hope in the Lord and keep His way; then He will raise you high to inherit the earth. When the wicked are cut off, you shall see it.
35. I saw a powerful wicked man, well-rooted like a vibrant, native tree.
36. Yet he vanished, behold he was gone; I searched for him, but he could not be found.
37. Watch the innocent, and observe the upright, for the future of such a man is peace.
38. But sinners shall be destroyed together; the future of the wicked is cut off.
39. The deliverance of the righteous is from the Lord; He is their strength in time of distress.
40. The Lord helps them and delivers them; He delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they have put their trust in Him.
Chapter 38
A prayer for every individual, bewailing the length of the exile. One who is in distress should recite this psalm, hence its introduction, "A psalm... to remind" (to remind us to recite it in times of distress). One can also derive many lessons from it.
1. A psalm by David, to remind.
2. O Lord, do not rebuke me in Your anger, nor chastise me in Your wrath.
3. For Your arrows have landed in me, Your hand descended upon me.
4. There is no soundness in my flesh because of Your rage, no peace in my bones because of my sin.
5. For my iniquities have flooded over my head; like a heavy load, they are too heavy for me.
6. My wounds are rotted; they reek because of my foolishness.
7. I am bent and extremely bowed; all day I go about in gloom.
8. My sides are inflamed; there is no soundness in my flesh.
9. I am weakened and extremely depressed; I howl from the moaning of my heart.
10. My Lord, all that I desire is before You; my sighing is not hidden from You.
11. My heart is engulfed, my strength has left me; the light of my eyes they, too, are not with me.
12. My friends and companions stand aloof from my affliction; my intimates stand afar.
13. The seekers of my life have laid traps; those who seek my harm speak destructiveness; they utter deceits all day long.
14. But I am like a deaf man, I do not hear; like a mute that does not open his mouth.
15. I was like a man that does not perceive, and in whose mouth there are no rebuttals.
16. Because for You, O Lord, I wait; You will answer, my Lord, my God.
17. For I said, "Lest they rejoice over me; when my foot falters they will gloat over me.”
18. For I am accustomed to limping, and my pain is constantly before me.
19. For I admit my iniquity; I worry because of my sin.
20. But my enemies abound with life; those who hate me without cause flourish.
21. Those who repay evil for good resent me for my pursuit of good.
22. Do not forsake me, O Lord; do not be distant from me, my God.
23. Hurry to my aid, O my Lord, my Salvation.
Chapter 39
David's prayer bewailing his suffering. But it is not suffering itself that pains him, rather he is saddened by its disturbing his Torah study. For man's days are few, "and if not now, when (will he study)?" for he may die, today or tomorrow. He therefore requests that his suffering be removed, to enable him to study Torah and acquire a place in the World to Come.
1. For the Conductor, for yedutun,1 a psalm by David.
2. I said that I would guard my ways from sinning with my tongue; I would guard my mouth with a muzzle, [even] while the wicked one is before me.
3. I became mute with stillness, I was silent [even] from the good, though my pain was crippling.
4. My heart grew hot within me, a fire blazed in my utterance, as I spoke with my tongue.
5. O Lord, let me know my end and what is the measure of my days, that I may know when I will cease.
6. Behold, like handbreadths You set my days; my lifetime is as naught before You. But all is futility, all mankind's existence, Selah.
7. Only in darkness does man walk, seeking only futility; he amasses riches and knows not who will reap them.
8. And now, what is my hope, my Lord? My longing is to You.
9. Rescue me from all my transgressions; do not make me the scorn of the degenerate.
10. I am mute, I do not open my mouth, for You have caused [my suffering].
11. Remove Your affliction from me; I am devastated by the attack of Your hand.
12. In reproach for sin You chastened man; like a moth, You wore away that which is precious to him. All mankind is nothing but futility, forever.
13. Hear my prayer, O Lord, listen to my cry; do not be silent to my tears, for I am a stranger with You, a sojourner like all my forefathers.
14. Turn from me, that I may recover my strength, before I depart and I am no more.
Tanya: Iggeret HaKodesh, end of Epistle 14• Lessons in Tanya
• Today's Tanya Lesson
• Friday, 13 Elul, 5776 · 16 September 2016
• Iggeret HaKodesh, end of Epistle 14
• ובכל שנה ושנה יורד ומאיר מחכמה עילאה אור חדש ומחודש שלא היה מאיר עדיין מעולם, לארץ העליונה
And every year there descends and radiates a new and renewed light which has never yet shone, from the Supreme Chochmah1 to the Eretz HaElyonah.
The light that reaches down to this level is here described as “new and renewed,” for in the first instance a new light radiates into Chochmah from the Ein Sof that transcends it, and then a new light issues from Chochmah and irradiates the Eretz HaElyonah.
כי אור כל שנה ושנה מסתלק לשרשו בכל ערב ראש השנה
For the light of every year withdraws to its source in the Essence of the Ein Sof on the eve of every Rosh HaShanah,
כשהחדש מתכסה בו
“when the moon is covered.”
Rosh HaShanah is known as2 “the holiday when the new moon is covered,” and is not seen. In a spiritual context this means that the Sefirah of Malchut (represented in the Kabbalah by the moon), the light that animates the worlds and created beings, is concealed and withdraws to its source.
ואחר כך, על ידי תקיעת שופר והתפלות, נמשך אור חדש עליון
Afterwards, by means of the sounding of the Shofar and by means of the prayers, a new and superior light is elicited,
מבחינה עליונה יותר שבמדריגת חכמה עילאה
[a light] of a yet higher rank in the sphere of the Supreme Chochmah,
להאיר לארץ עליונה ולדרים עליה
to radiate to the Eretz Elyonah and those who dwell upon it,
הם כל העולמות, העליונים והתחתונים, המקבלים חיותם ממנה
i.e., to all the higher and lower worlds that receive their vitality from it
דהיינו, מן האור אין סוף ברוך הוא וחכמתו המלובש בה
i.e., from the [infinite] Ein Sof-light, and from [G‑d’s] Chochmah which is vested in it, i.e., in “the Higher Land”;
כדכתיב: כי עמך מקור חיים, באורך נראה אור
as it is written,3 “For with You is the source of life; in Your light shall we see light.”
Supreme Chochmah, which is the source of life, is “with You,” i.e., nullified and unified with the Ein Sof; “in Your light” (i.e., in the light that radiates from Chochmah to “the Higher Land”) “we shall see light” (i.e., the light that descends from “the Higher Land” and illumines all the created beings which receive their vitality from it).
דהיינו אור המאיר מחכמה עילאה, מקור החיים
This refers to the light that radiates from Supreme Chochmah, the source of life.
וכנודע ליודעי חן, שבכל ראש השנה היא הנסירה, ומקבלת מוחין חדשים, עליונים יותר כו׳
(4And, as is known to the scholars of the Hidden Wisdom, i.e., the Kabbalists, every Rosh HaShanah thenesirah takes place, and [the Sefirah of Malchut] receives new, more sublime Mochin, and so on.)
This is a Kabbalistic theme regarding the “rebuilding” of the Sefirah of Malchut that takes place every Rosh HaShanah. The paradigm of this sequence is the slumber that G‑d brought upon Adam5 on the day of his creation, which took place on the day of Rosh HaShanah, and the subsequent excision (nesirah) of the rib from which Eve was then formed.
The Kabbalah explains that Adam is a terrestial echo of Supernal Man, i.e., the bracket of Sefirot known collectively as Za(ז״א, acronym for זעיר אנפין) of the World of Atzilut. “Slumber” alludes to the withdrawal of the Supernal intellectual attributes, or Mochin, from Za (just as man’s intellect withdraws during sleep). The new and more sublime Mochin which are then drawn down into Malchut are far superior to the Mochin that Malchut had previously received from Za.
ובפרטי פרטיות, כן הוא בכל יום ויום
In a very specific way, this takes place every day.
נמשכים מוחין עליונים יותר בכל תפלת השחר
More sublime Mochin are elicited by every morning-prayer,
ואינן מוחין הראשונים שנסתלקו אחר התפלה, רק גבוהין יותר
which are not the original Mochin that withdrew after the prayer [of the previous day], but more sublime ones.
ודרך כלל, בכללות העולם בשית אלפי שנין, כן הוא בכל ראש השנה וראש השנה
In general terms, with respect to the world as a whole — and not only with regard to the daily elicitation of newMochin during prayer as experienced by an individual man — during the six thousand years [of the world’s existence],6 this occurs every Rosh HaShanah.
וזהו שכתוב: תמיד עיני ה׳ אלקיך בה
And this is the meaning of the above-quoted verse, “Forever are the eyes of the L‑rd your G‑d upon it,”
שהעינים הם כינוים להמשכת והארת אור החכמה
for “eyes” is an epithet for the efflux and radiation of the light of Chochmah,
שלכן נקראו חכמים: עיני העדה
for which reason sages are referred to as7 “the eyes of the congregation,” for they are illumined by the light ofChochmah which is known by the epithet “eyes”.
ואוירא דארץ ישראל מחכים
And [this, too, is the meaning of the teaching],8 “The atmosphere of the Land of Israel makes one wise” — for the Land of Israel, too, is illumined by Chochmah.
As was stated above, “Forever are the eyes of the L‑rd your G‑d upon it” refers to a constant illumination by Chochmah.
והארה והמשכה זו, אף שהיא תמידית
Now, this radiation and efflux, though it is continuous,
אף על פי כן אינה בבחינה ומדריגה אחת לבדה מימי עולם
nevertheless, it is not only on one and the same plane and level since the beginning of the world.
אלא שבכל שנה ושנה הוא אור חדש עליון
Rather, every year there is a new and superior light,
כי האור שנתחדש והאיר בראש השנה זה, מסתלק בערב ראש השנה הבאה, לשרשו
because the light which was generated and which shone on this Rosh HaShanah withdraws to its source on the eve of the next Rosh HaShanah.
וזהו שכתוב: מרשית השנה ועד אחרית שנה לבדה
This enables us to understand the verse that says that “the eyes of G‑d” are upon the Land “from the beginning of the year to the end of the year” only.
The verse does not state that they are there “everlastingly”, for the efflux that descends on Rosh HaShanah lasts only to the end of the year, at which time it withdraws and makes way for the descent of a new and more sublime light.
ולכן כתיב: מרשית, חסר א׳
And that is why meireishit (“from the beginning”) is written without an alef:
רומז על הסתלקות האור
it alludes to the withdrawal of the light, signified by the alef,9
שמסתלק בליל ראש השנה
which withdraws on the night of Rosh HaShanah
At that time the innermost element of the world’s vitality is in a state of withdrawal due to the “ascent of Malchut”; i.e., the innermost core of Malchut is then in a state of elevation and withdrawal,
עד אחר התקיעות
until after the sounding of the Shofar,
שיורד אור חדש, עליון יותר, שלא היה מאיר עדיין מימי עולם
when there descends a new and more sublime light that has never yet shone since the beginning of the world.
והוא מתלבש ומסתתר בארץ החיים שלמעלה ושלמטה
It vests itself and conceals itself in the Eretz HaChayim which is above — i.e., in Malchut of Atzilut, the source of all worlds and created beings — and in the Eretz HaChayim which is below, in the Land of Israel,
For the light that animates this world first passes through the Holy Land, and from there it is diffused throughout the world at large.
להחיות את כל העולמות כל משך שנה זו
in order to animate all the worlds for the duration of that year.
אך גילויו מההסתר הזה
Its manifestation, however,
For the light became concealed in the Eretz HaChayim above and below, so that its further descent and the revelation of its creative life-force to the world and to all its created beings:
תלוי במעשה התחתונים, וזכותם ותשובתם בעשרת ימי תשובה
depends on the actions of those below, and on their merits and penitence during the Ten Days of Penitence.
ודי למבין
This will suffice for the initiated.
In summary: The Divine light issuing from the Sefirah of Chochmah in the World of Atzilut that radiates within the Land of Israel throughout the year, increases yearly both in quantity and in quality. Similarly, the tzedakah given for the Holy Land should be increased every year both quantitatively and qualitatively.
The conclusion of the above letter makes it clear that this mortal initiative makes an impact on the revelation of this light: the ever-increasing revelation of the light that descends in a concealed form is dependent on the ever-increasing contributions of tzedakah given for the Land of Israel.
| FOOTNOTES | |
| 1. | Note of the Rebbe: “Cf. Likkutei Torah (Shir HaShirim 50b): ‘Surely in Supreme Chochmah too this new light is drawn down from Above....”’ |
| 2. | Rosh HaShanah 8a. |
| 3. | Tehillim 36:10. |
| 4. | Parentheses are in the original text. |
| 5. | Bereishit 2:21. |
| 6. | Rosh HaShanah 31a. |
| 7. | See Bamidbar 15:24; Taanit 24a. |
| 8. | Bava Batra 158b. |
| 9. | Cf. Zohar II, 34a; ibid., 123a. |
• Friday, 13 Elul, 5776 · 16 September 2016
• Today's Mitzvah
A daily digest of Maimonides’ classic work "Sefer Hamitzvot"
Positive Commandment 198
Taking Interest from a Gentile
"Take interest from the gentile"—Deuteronomy 23:21.
When issuing a loan to a non-Jew, we are commanded to charge interest. [This commandment only applies to a non-Jew who has not accepted upon himself the Seven Noahide Laws.] The Sages enacted various restrictions to this mitzvah [such as forbidding the charging of outright interest].
Full text of this Mitzvah »
• Taking Interest from a Gentile
Positive Commandment 198
Translated by Berel Bell
The 198th mitzvah is that we are commanded1 to charge interest to a non-Jew and only then lend him money, in order that we not assist him nor give him rest. Rather we should cause him [financial] loss, even with the kind of interest that we are forbidden from taking from a Jew.
The source of this commandment is G‑d's statement2 (exalted be He), "You shall take interest from a non-Jew." The Oral Tradition explains that this does not only give permission, but is a command, as stated in the Sifri: "The phrase 'You shall take interest from a non-Jew' constitutes a positive commandment. The phrase 'You shall not take interest from your brother' constitutes a prohibition."
This commandment also has rabbinically ordained conditions, as explained in tractate Bava Metzia.3
FOOTNOTES
1.See Kapach, 5731, footnote 14 regarding all the authorities who say that this is not a commandment. See also Likkutei Sichos, Vol. 12, p. 115ff.
2.Deut. 23:21.
3.See 70b: "R. Chiya the son of R. Huna said, 'You are only allowed to take the minimum necessary to survive.' " See Kapach, 5731, footnote 16.
• 1 Chapter: Metamme'ey Mishkav uMoshav Metamme'ey Mishkav uMoshav - Chapter 6 •
1 We have already explained that a zav and the others in that category impart impurity to an article on which one lies, sits, or rides.
An article on which one lies and one on which he sits are essentially the same. Why then did the Torah mention them separately? To teach that although a seat is fit for sitting and a couch is fit for lying, whether one sits on a couch or lies on a seat, he causes it to become impure. Therefore I will mention a surface on which one lies alone and it should be understood that the same applies to a surface on which one sits.
What is meant by a surface on which one rides? The surface on which one sits when riding, e.g., a donkey's packsaddle or a horse's saddlecloth.
א
כבר ביארנו שהזב וחביריו מטמאין משכב ומושב ומרכב והמשכב והמושב אחד הוא ולמה נאמר בתורה משכב ומושב שהמשכב הראוי לשכיבה והמושב הראוי לישיבה ובין שישב על המשכב או ששכב על המושב טמאהו לפיכך אני אומר בכל מקום משכב לבד והוא הדין למושב ואי זהו מרכב זה הראוי לרכיבה כגון מרדעת החמור וטפיטן הסוס:
2
Any article on which one lies or rides to which a zav or the like imparted impurity becomes a primary source of impurity according to Scriptural Law. It imparts impurity to a person andkeilim when touching them and to a person when being carried by them.
What is the difference between the laws pertaining to an article on which one lies and one on which one rides? With regard to touching an article on which one lies, if a person touches clothes and other keilim while he is still touching the impure article, he imparts impurity to them and makes them a primary derivative of impurity. One who touches an article on which one rides, by contrast, does not impart impurity to clothes and keilim even when he touches them while touching the impure article. Nevertheless, one who carries either an article on which one lies or rides imparts impurity to clothes and other keilim until he severs contact with the source of his impurity.
What is the source that teaches that a distinction is made between touching and carrying with regard to the impurity of an object on which one rides and no such distinction is made with regard to the impurity of an object on which one lies? With regard to an object on which one lies, Leviticus 15:5 states: "A man who touches his couch.... shall launder his clothes," while with regard to an object on which one rides, ibid.: 9-10 states: "Any object on which he will ride... anyone who touches anything that will be beneath him will be impure until the evening." In the latter instance, it is not said that he must launder his garments. This teaches that he does not impart impurity to his garments when touching the source of impurity. And it is written ibid.: "One who carries them shall launder his garments." This applies equally to one who carries an article on which one rides and an article on which one lies.
Thus it can be concluded that a zav, a zavah, a nidah, and a woman after childbirth, the articles on which they lie, their saliva, their urine, the blood of a nidah, a zavah, and a woman after childbirth, and the discharge of a zav are all primary sources of impurity. If a person touches any of these or carries them, he imparts impurity to his clothes and other keilim while he is touching them or carrying them. He does not, however, impart impurity to another person or to an earthenware container. For any entity that imparts impurity to a human imparts impurity to an earthenware container and any entity that does not impart impurity to a human does not impart impurity to an earthenware container.
Thus it can be concluded that whenever it is said about an impure person: "He shall launder his clothes," he imparts impurity to clothes that he touches as long as he does not separate from the entity imparting impurity to him. He makes those garments primary derivatives of impurity, like he is. He imparts impurity to other keilimlike garments with the exception of earthenware containers. For he does not impart impurity to another person or to earthenware containers even though he has not separated from the entity imparting impurity to him.
Whenever, by contrast, Scripture does not say about an impure person: "He shall launder his clothes," his status is the same before he separates from the entity imparting impurity to him as it is afterwards. He does not impart impurity to garments, because he is merely a derivative of impurity. Needless to say, he does not impart impurity to another person or to earthenware containers. Therefore a person who touches an article on which a zav rode does not impart impurity to garments when touching it. One who carries such an article, by contrast, imparts impurity when carrying it, as we explained.
ב
המשכב והמרכב כל אחד מהן אב מאבות הטומאות של תורה מטמאין אדם וכלים במגע ומטמאין את האדם במשא ומה בין משכב למרכב שהנוגע במשכב אם היה אדם ונגע בבגדים ובשאר כלים עד שלא פירש ממטמאיו הרי זה טמאם ועשאן ראשון לטומאה והנוגע במרכב אינו מטמא בגדים ולא כלים אפילו בשעת מגעו אבל הנושא את המשכב או את המרכב הרי זה מטמא בגדים ושאר כלים בשעת נשיאתו עד שלא פירש ממטמאיו ומניין שבטומאת מרכב חלק מגעו ממשאו ובמשכב לא חלק שהרי הוא אומר במשכב ואיש אשר יגע במשכבו יכבס בגדיו ובמרכב הוא אומר וכל המרכב אשר ירכב עליו וכל הנוגע בכל אשר יהיה תחתיו יטמא עד הערב ולא נאמר בו יכבס בגדיו מלמד שאינו מטמא בגדים בשעת מגעו ונאמר והנושא אותם יכבס בגדיו אחד הנושא את המרכב או הנושא משכב מטמא בגרים בשעת נשיאתו:
נמצאת למד שהזב והזבה והנדה והיולדת ומשכבן ורוקן ומימי רגליהן ודם נדה וזבה ויולדת וזובו של זב כל אחד מאלו אב ואדם שנגע באחד מכל אלו או נשאן מטמא בגדים ושאר כלים בשעת נגיעתו או בשעת נשיאתו ואינו מטמא לא אדם ולא כלי חרש שכל המטמא אדם מטמא כלי חרש וכל שאינו מטמא אדם אינו מטמא כלי חרש הנה למדת שכל טמא שנאמר בו יכבס בגדיו הרי זה מטמא בגדים שיגע בהם כל זמן שלא פירש ממטמאיו ועושה אותן ראשון לטומאה כמוהו ומטמא שאר כלים כבגדים חוץ מכלי חרש שאינו מטמא לא אדם ולא כלי חרש אע"פ שעדיין לא פירש וכל טמא שלא נאמר בו יכבס בגדיו הרי הוא עד שלא פירש כאחר שפירש שאינו מטמא בגדים מפני שהוא ולד ואצ"ל שאינו מטמא אדם ולא כלי חרש ולפיכך הנוגע במרכב אינו מטמא בגדים בשעת מגעו והנושא את המרכב מטמא בגדים בשעת נשיאותו כמו שביארנו:
3
All keilim that rest above a zav or the like are called madaf. They are considered as articles that he touches and they do not impart impurity to another person or to an earthenware container. They do, however, impart impurity to food or liquids like other derivatives of impurity. The impurity of madaf is a Rabbinic decree.
ג
כל הכלים שינשאו למעלה מן הזב הם הנקראין מדף והם כולם ככלים שהוא נוגע בהם שהם ראשון לטומאה ואינן מטמאין לא אדם ולא כלים אבל מטמאין אוכלין ומשקין כשאר ולדות הטומאה וטומאת מדף מדבריהם:
4
When a zav, a zavah, a nidah, a woman after childbirth, or a person afflicted by tzara'at die, they impart impurity to an object on which they lied or rode after their death just as they would during their lifetime until their flesh decomposes. This is a Rabbinic safeguard, decreed lest one of these individuals lose consciousness and it appear that they died, but they did not actually die. Thus a surface on which one of these lie or ride after death is a primary source of impurity by Rabbinic decree. When, by contrast, a gentile dies, a surface on which he lies after death is not considered as a source of impurity, for even when he is alive, he imparts impurity only due to Rabbinic decree, as we explained.
ד
הזב והזבה והנדה והיולדת והמצורע שמתו הרי הן מטמאין משכב ומרכב אחר מיתתן כשהיו כשהן חיין עד שימוק הבשר וטומאה זו מדבריהם גזירה שמא יתעלף אחד מאלו וידמו שמת והוא עדיין לא מת נמצא משכבו ומרכבו של אחר מיתה אב טומאה של דברי סופרים אבל נכרי שמת אינו עושה משכב שהרי כשהוא חי אינו מטמא אלא מדבריהם כמו שביארנו:
5
Whenever you hear the terms "the impurity of an object upon which one lies or rides," the intent is not necessarily that the impure person touch the object on which one lies or rides while resting on them. Instead, even if there are large stones above the entity made to lie or ride on and the zav rested on the stones from above, the surface on which one lies or rides becomes a primary source of impurity. Even when there are 1000 surfaces on which a person lies or rides one on top of another and a stone is on the uppermost and a person who imparts impurity to an object on which he or she lies or sits on top of the stone, everything becomes impure. Both the article on which one lies that touches the earth and the uppermost one become primary sources of impurity when they are affected by the zav's lying down.
Similarly, if one of the individuals who impart impurity to an object on which he or she lies or sits was below, there was a stone on top of him, and food, liquids, keilim, and/or a person on the stone, one on top of the other, they are all impure and are considered as primary derivatives of impurity. Whether an k'li, food, a liquid, or a person touches a zav or the k'li, food, liquid, or person was on a stone that was above the zav, there is no difference. In both instances everything is considered as a derivative of impurity and does not impart impurity to a person or to keilim. The only exception is a person who is above a zav who is still in contact with the zav who imparted impurity to him. He imparts impurity to otherkeilim, as we explained.
ה
כל מקום שאתה שומע טומאת משכב ומרכב אינו שיגע הטמא במשכב או במרכב כשינשא עליהן אלא אפילו היו אבנים גדולות למעלה מן הכלי העשוי למשכב או למרכב ונישא הזב על האבנים מלמעלה נטמא המשכב או המרכב ונעשה אב טומאה אפילו אלף משכב או מרכב זה למעלה מזה ואבן על העליון וישב אחד ממטמאי משכב ומושב למעלה מן האבן נטמאו הכל ואחד המשכב הנוגע בארץ או המשכב של מעלה אם נגע בו בשעת שכיבתו כל אחד מהן אב הטומאה וכן אם היה אחד ממטמאי משכב ומושב למטה ואבן על גביו ואוכלין ומשקין וכלים ואדם על גבי האבן זה למעלה מזה כולן טמאין וראשון לטומאה ואחד כלי או אוכל ומשקה או אדם הנוגע בזב או כלי או אוכל ומשקה או אדם שהוא למעלה על האבן שעל גביו הכל ולד טומאה ואינו מטמא לא אדם ולא כלים חוץ מן האדם שעל גבי הזב שעד שלא פירש ממטמאיו מטמא שאר כלים כמו שביארנו:
6
When food, liquids, and keilim that are not made to lie, sit, or ride upon were below other articles and a zav or the like sat above them without touching them, they are all pure. If, however, a person was below and a zav was above, he is impure even if he does not touch him, because he is carrying the zav, like anyone who carries an article that imparts impurity when carried. The one carrying it becomes a primary derivative of impurity.
Thus one can conclude that anything that is above a zav is impure, whether a person, articles on which one lies, sits, or rides, all otherkeilim, food, and liquids. Everything is a primary derivative of impurity. Everything that is below a zav and does not touch him is pure except a person or an article made to lie, sit, or ride upon. There is a difference between them. The person is a derivative of impurity and the article made to lie, sit, or ride upon is a primary sources of impurity, as we explained.
ו
האוכלים והמשקין והכלים שאינן עשוים לא למשכב ולא למושב ולא למרכב שהיו למטה וישב הזב וכיוצא בו עליהם למעלה ולא נגעו בהן כולן טהורין אבל אם היה האדם למטה והזב למעלה אע"פ שאינו נוגע בו הרי זה טמא משום נושא זב ככל נושא דבר שמטמא במשא שהנושא ראשון לטומאה הא למדת שכל שיהיה למעלה מן הזב טמא בין אדם ובין כלים העשויין למשכב ולמושב ולמרכב בין שאר כל הכלים בין אוכלים בין משקין הכל ראשון לטומאה וכל שיהיה למטה מן הזב ולא יגע בו טהור חוץ מן האדם או כלי העשוי למשכב או למושב או למרכב אלא שהאדם ראשון והכלים העשויים למושב או למשכב או למרכב אב הטומאה כמו שביארנו:
• Malveh veLoveh - Chapter 25
1
The following law applies when a person gives a loan to a colleague and afterwards, a third party says: "I will act as a guarantor," the lender sues the borrower and a third party says: "Let him go. I will act as a guarantor, or the lender was strangling the borrower in the market place and a third party says: "Let him go. I will act as a guarantor." The guarantor is not obligated at all. Even if the prospective guarantor says in the presence of a court: "I will guarantee the money," he is not liable.
If, however, he formalizes his commitment to guarantee the money with a kinyan, he becomes obligated in all the above situations. This applies whether the kinyan was made in the presence of the court, or together with the lender alone.
א
המלוה את חבירו ואחר שהלוהו אמר לו אחד אני ערב, או שתבע את הלוה בדין ואמר לו אחר הנח ואני ערב, או שהיה חונק את חבירו בשוק ליתן לו ואמר לו הנח ואני ערב אין הערב חייב כלום, ואפילו אמר אני ערב בפני ב"ד, אבל אם קנו מידו שהוא ערב ממון זה כל אלו הפנים בין בפני ב"ד בין בינו לבין המלוה נשתעבד.
2
If, however, the guarantor told the lender when the money was being given: "Lend him, and I will be the guarantor," he becomes responsible. In such a situation, a kinyan is not necessary.
Similarly, if a court appointed him a guarantor, he becomes liable even though he did not affirm his commitment with a kinyan. For example, the court desired to expropriate property from the borrower, and this person told them: "Let him be. I will guarantee the debt for you." Since he receives satisfaction from being trusted by the court, he accepts a binding commitment upon himself.
ב
אמר לו בשעת מתן מעות הלוהו ואני ערב נשתעבד הערב ואינו צריך קנין, וכן אם ב"ד עשו אותו ערב נשתעבד אע"פ שלא קנו מידו, כגון שהיו ב"ד רוצין לגבות מן הלוה ואמר להם הניחוהו ואני ערב לכם הואיל ויש לו הנאה שהאמינוהו ב"ד באותה הנייה שעבד עצמו.
3
When a person lends money to a colleague because of the commitment of a guarantor, although though the guarantor becomes responsible to the lender, the lender should not demand payment from the guarantor first. Instead, he should demand payment from the borrower first. If he does not pay him, he should return to the guarantor and collect payment from him. When does the above apply? When the borrower does not own property. If, however, the borrower does own property. He should not collect the debt from the guarantor at all. Instead, he should collect from the borrower."
If, however, the borrower is a man of force, and the court cannot expropriate money from him, or he refuses to come to the court, the lender may collect payment from the guarantor first. Afterwards, the guarantor will make a reckoning with the borrower. If the guarantor can extract payment from him, he should. If that is not possible, the court should place the borrower under a ban of ostracism until he repays the guarantor.
ג
המלוה את חבירו ע"י ערב אע"פ שהערב משתעבד למלוה לא יתבע את הערב תחלה אלא תובע את הלוה תחלה אם לא נתן לו חוזר אצל הערב ונפרע ממנו, בד"א בשאין נכסים ללוה, אבל אם יש נכסים ללוה לא יפרע מן הערב כלל אלא מן הלוה, היה הלוה אלם ואין ב"ד יכולין להוציא מידו או שלא בא לדין ה"ז נפרע מן הערב תחלה ואח"כ יעשה הערב דין עם הלוה אם יכול להוציאו מידו יוציא או ישמתוהו ב"ד עד שיתן לו.
4
Although the lender makes a stipulation with the guarantor and tells him: "I am giving the loan on the condition that I can collect the debt from whomever I desire," if the borrower possesses property, he should not collect the debt from the guarantor.
If he stipulated, "I am giving the loan on the condition that I can collect the debt from whomever I desire first," or the guarantor was a kablan, the lender may demand payment from this guarantor or this kablan first. He may collect payment from them although the borrower possesses property.
ד
התנה המלוה על הערב ואמר לו על מנת שאפרע ממי שאצרה אם יש נכסים ללוה לא יפרע מן הערב, אמר על מנת שאפרע ממי שארצה תחלה או שהיה קבלן הרי זה יתבע את הערב הזה או את הקבלן תחלה ויפרע מהן אף על פי שיש נכסים ללוה. 1
5
Who is considered to be an ordinary guarantor and who is considered to be a kablan] If a person says: "Give him the loan and I will give you," he is considered to be a kablan. The lender has the option of seeking repayment from him, even though he did not explicitly stipulate: "On the condition that I can collect the debt from whomever I desire first."
If, however, he tells him: "Lend him and I will act as a guarantor," "Lend him and I will pay," "Lend him and I am obligated," "Lend him and I will give," "Lend him and I will act as a kablan" "Give him and I will act as a kablan" "Give him and I will pay," "Give him and I am obligated," or "Give him and I will serve as a guarantor" - all of these are statements that cause him to be considered a guarantor. The lender may not demand payment from him first. Nor may he collect payment from him in a situation where the lender possesses property unless he stipulates: "On the condition that I can collect... from whomever I desire first"
ה
איזהו ערב ואיזהו קבלן אמר לו תן לו ואני נותן לך זהו קבלן שיש למלוה להפרע ממנו תחלה אע"פ שלא פירש ולא אמר על מנת שאפרע ממי שארצה, אבל אם אמר לו הלוהו ואני ערב הלוהו ואני פורע הלוהו ואני חייב הלוהו ואני נותן הלוהו ואני קבלן, תן לו ואני קבלן תן לו ואני פורע תן לו ואני חייב תן לו ואני ערב, כולן לשון ערבנות הן ואינו תובעו תחלה ולא נפרע ממנו במקום שיש נכסים ללוה עד שיפרש ויאמר ממי שארצה אפרע. 2
6
When a person guarantees a woman's ketubah he is not obligated to pay, even if he affirmed his commitment with akinyan. The rationale is that he performed a mitzvah and did not cause her a financial loss. If a father guarantees his son's ketubahand affirms his commitment with a kinyan, the obligation is established. A person who becomes a kablan for a ketubah is liable.
ו
ערב של כתובה אע"פ שקנו מידו פטור מלשלם שהרי מצוה עשה ולא חסר ממון, ואם היה האב ערב לכתובת בנו וקנו מידו חייב, וקבלן של כתובה חייב. 3
7
The following rules apply when Reuven sells Shimon a field and Levi accepts financial responsibility for it. Levi is not considered responsible, for this is an asmachta. If he affirmed with a kinyan his commitment to pay the money involved in this sale whenever demanded to do so by Shimon, he is obligated to do so. My masters ruled in this manner.
ז
ראובן שמכר לשמעון שדה ובא לוי וקיבל אחריות עליו לא נשתעבד לוי שזו אסמכתא היא, ואם קנו מידו שהוא ערב לשלם דמי מכר זה כל עת שירצה שיתבענו לשמעון הרי זה חייב וכזה הורו רבותי. 4
8
Similarly, if a guarantor or a kablan make a conditional commitment, they do not become obligated even if the commitment is affirmed by a kinyan. The rationale is that this is anasmachta.
What is implied? For example, the guarantor told him: "Give him the loan and I will give you if this-and-this will take place," or "... if it will not take place." The rationale is that whenever a person undertakes an obligation for which he is personally not liable and makes it dependent on a condition: "if this takes place," or "if this does not take place," he never makes a wholehearted commitment or kinyan. Therefore, he does not become liable.
ח
וכן הערב או הקבלן שחייבו עצמן על תנאי אע"פ שקנו מידו לא נשתעבד מפני שהוא אסמכתא, כיצד כגון שאמר לו תן לו ואני אתן לך אם יהיה כך וכך או אם לא יהיה, שכל התולה שיעבוד שאינו חייב בו באם יהיה ואם לא יהיה לא גמר והקנה קנין שלם ולפיכך לא נשתעבד.
9
When two people take out loans from the same person and record their debts in the same promissory note or together purchase a single article, they are considered as having guaranteed the other person's commitment even though they do not explicitly agree to do so. The same law applies when one of a group of partners undertakes a loan or makes a purchase for the partnership.
ט
שנים שלוו בשטר אחד או שלקחו מקח אחד, וכן השותפין שלוה אחד מהן או לקח בשותפות הרי הן ערבאין זה לזה אע"פ שלא פירש.
10
When two people both commit themselves to guarantee a debt taken on by one person, when the lender comes to collect payment from the guarantor, he may collect from either one of them, as he desires. If, however, one of them does not possess the entire amount of the debt, the lender may demand payment of the remainder from the other guarantor.
י
שנים שערבו לאחד כשיבוא המלוה ליפרע מן הערב יפרע מאי זה מהן שירצה, ואם לא היה לאחד כדי החוב חוזר ותובע השני בשאר החוב. 5
11
If one person guarantees the debts of two different individuals, when a lender comes to collect payment he should tell the guarantor which of the two debts he is paying so that the guarantor will be able to seek reimbursement from the debtor.
יא
ואחד שערב לשנים כשיפרע למלוה יודיעו על חוב איזה משניהם פורע כדי שיחזור עליו.
12
When a person tells a colleague: "Guarantee a debt for so-and-so for this-and-this amount and I will guarantee the sum to you," it is as if he tells him: "Lendhim the money and I will guarantee the debt." Just as the guarantor becomes obligated to the lender, the second guarantor becomes obligated to the first guarantor. The same laws that govern the relationship between the guarantor and the lender govern the relationship between the first guarantor and the second guarantor.
יב
האומר לחבירו ערוב לפלוני כך וכך ואני ערב לך הרי זה כמי שאמר לו הלוהו ואני ערב, וכשם שנשתעבד הערב למלוה כך נשתעבד ערב לערב ראשון, ודין הערב עם המלוה ודין ערב ראשון עם השני דין אחד הוא.
13
The following opinions were stated with regard to a person who did not limit the extent of the commitment he made to serve as a guarantor. For example, he told the lender: "Give him whatever you give him, I will guarantee it," "Sell to him, and I will guarantee it," or "Lend him, and I will guarantee it."
There are Geonim who rule that even if the other person sells 10,000 zuz worth of merchandise or lends 100,000 zuz to the person named, the guarantor becomes responsible for the entire amount. It appears to me, by contrast, that the guarantor is not liable at all. Since he does not know for what he undertook the liability, he did not make a serious commitment and did not obligate himself. These are words of reason that a person of understanding will appreciate.
יג
מי שלא פירש קצב הדבר שערב כגון שאמר לו כל מה שתתן תן לו ואני ערב או מכור לו ואני ערב או הלוהו ואני ערב יש מן הגאונים שהורה אפילו מכר לו בעשרת אלפים או הלוה מאה אלף נשתעבד הערב בכל, ויראה לי שאין זה הערב חייב כלום שכיון שאינו יודע הדבר ששיעבד עצמו בו לא סמכה דעתו ולא שיעבד עצמו ודברים של טעם הם למבין. 6
14
When a person tells a colleague: "Lend him. I will guarantee the borrower's physical person," he did not make a commitment with regard to the money itself. What he meant was: Whenever you want, I will bring him to you.
Similar principles apply when, after the lender makes the loan and demands payment, a person says: "Let him go. Whenever you lodge a claim against him, I will bring him to you." If he affirms his commitment with a kinyan, there are Geonim who rule that if the guarantor does not bring the borrower to the court, the guarantor is obligated to pay. There are, however, others who rule that even if he made a stipulation saying: "If I do not bring him, or if he dies or he flees, I will be obligated to pay," the guarantor does not become liable, for this is an asmachta. I favor this understanding.
יד
מי שאמר לחבירו הלוהו ואני ערב לגופו של לוה זה לא ערב לעצמו של ממון אלא כל זמן שתרצה אביאנו לך, וכן אם אמר לו אחר שהלוהו ותבעו הניחהו כל זמן שתתבענו אביאנו לך וקנו מידו על זה אם לא יביא זה הלוה יש מן הגאונים שהורה שהוא חייב לשלם, ויש מי שהורה שאפילו התנה ואמר אם לא אביאנו או שמת או שברח אהיה חייב לשלם הרי זו אסמכתא ולא נשתעבד ולזה דעתי נוטה. 7
FOOTNOTES
1.
התנה המלוה עם הערב וכו' עד שיש נכסים ללוה. א"א שבוש הוא שאע"פ שאמר על מנת שאפרע ממי שארצה תחלה אם יש נכסים ללוה לא יפרע מן הערב עכ"ל.
4.
ראובן שמכר לשמעון וכו' עד וכזה הורו רבותי. א"א שבוש הוא זה שאם אמר בשעת מתן מעות משתעבד ואין בערבות משום אסמכתא עכ"ל.
6.
מי שלא פירש וכו' עד ודברים של טעם וכו'. א"א וא"כ לא ברב ולא במעט אלא כדי שהדעת מגעת לשם שהוא רגיל ואמיד נשתעבד עכ"ל.
7.
מי שאמר לחבירו הלוהו ואני ערב לגופו של וכו' עד ולזה דעתי נוטה. א"א דל אסמכתא מהכא שהרי סלקו אותה בגמרא אלא אם אמר בשעת מתן מעות הלוהו ואני ערב לך להביא בידך את גופו ואם לא אוכל להשיבו אשלם לית דין ולית דיין שהוא חייב לשלם ואם לא אמר לו כך למה יתחייב ממון אלא י"ל שיבא גוף תחת גוף עד שיתפשר עמו עכ"ל.
Malveh veLoveh - Chapter 26
1
The following law applies when a person gives a loan to a colleague that is supported by a promissory note. After the witnesses signed the promissory note, the guarantor came and made a guarantee for the borrower's debt. Although his commitment was affirmed with a kinyan and thus he become obligated to pay, as explained, when the lender comes to expropriate payment from the property of this guarantor, he may not expropriate property that has already been sold.
Different rules apply if the witness was mentioned in the promissory note itself before the signature of the witnesses. If they wrote: "So-and-so is the guarantor," the lender may not expropriate property that has already been sold, because the guarantor's name is not associated together with that of the borrower with regard to the loan. If, however, the promissory note states: "So-and-so borrowed such-and-such an amount from so-and-so and so-and-so guaranteed the loan, the guarantor affirmed his commitment with akinyan, and then the witnesses signed the promissory note," the lender may expropriate property that has already been sold. The rationale is that the guarantor's name is associated together with that of the borrower in the promissory note.
א
המלוה את חבירו בשטר ואחר שהעידו העדים בשטר בא ערב וערב את הלוה אע"פ שקנו מידו ונשתעבד לשלם כמו שביארנו כשיבא המלוה להפרע מנכסי הערב הזה אינו טורף מנכסים משועבדים, היה הערב בגופו של שטר קודם חתימת העדים אם כתבו פלוני ערב שהרי אינו מעורב עם הלוה במלוה אינו גובה ממנו מן המשועבדים אבל אם כתוב בשטר פלוני לוה מפלוני כך וכך ופלוני ערב שהרי ערבו לוה עם ערב בשטר וקנו מידו של ערב ואח"כ חתמו עדים בשטר ה"ז נפרע מנכסי ערב המשועבדים.
2
When a lender demands payment from the borrower and discovers that he does not have property, he may not expropriate payment from the guarantor until 30 days after the guarantor became obligated to pay. The legal power of the guarantor should not be less than that of the borrower himself. The halachic authorities ruled in this manner. If, however, the lender made a stipulation with the guarantor about this matter, that stipulation is followed."
ב
מלוה שתבע את הלוה ולא מצא לו נכסים אינו יכול להפרע מן הערב עד אחר שלשים יום מיום שנתחייב הערב לשלם לא יהיה כח זה פחות מן הלוה עצמו וכזה הורו המורים, ואם התנה עמו הכל לפי התנאי.
3
When a lender comes to demand payment from a borrower, the borrower cannot turn away the lender, telling him: "Go to the kablan, because you have the right to demand payment from him first." Instead, the lender may demand payment from anyone he desires first. If, however, the kablan took the money from the lender and gave it to the borrower, the lender has nothing to do with the borrower. If the borrower was in another country and the lender cannot notify him -or the borrower died and left heirs below the age of majority, whose property the court cannot attach - the lender may demand payment from the guarantor first, because the borrower is not at hand.
ג
מלוה שבא לתבוע את הלוה ולא מצא לו נכסים אינו יכול לדחותו ולומר לך אצל הקבלן הרי יש לך לתבוע אותו תחלה אלא תובע כל מי שרצה תחלה, ואם נשא הקבלן המעות מיד המלוה ונתנו ביד הלוה אין למלוה ביד הלוה כלום, היה הלוה במדינה אחרת שאינו יכול להודיעו ולא לילך אליו או שמת הלוה והניח יתומים קטנים שאין ב"ד נזקקין לנכסיהן ה"ז תובע את הערב תחלה שהרי אין הלוה מצוי.
4
When a lender demands payment from the borrower and discovers that he has become impoverished, he may not demand payment from the guarantor until the borrower takes an oath that he is bankrupt, as ordained by the later sages. The rationale is that we fear that the borrower and the lender might be trying to obtain the guarantor's property through deception.
ד
מלוה שתבע את הלוה ומצאו שהוא עני אינו יכול להפרע מן הערב עד שישבע הלוה בתקנת אחרונים שאין לו כלום שמא יעשו קנוניא על נכסיו של ערב.
5
The following law applies when a person has guaranteed a colleague with regard to a loan supported by a verbal commitment alone, the lender comes to demand payment from the guarantor, and the borrower is overseas. The guarantor may tell the lender: "Bring proof that the borrower did not repay you and I will pay you."
ה
מי שהיה ערב לחבירו במלוה על פה ובא המלוה לתבוע את הערב והרי הלוה במדינת הים, אומר לו הערב הבא ראיה שלא פרעך הלוה ואני אשלם לך.
6
When a guarantor takes the initiative and pays the debt to the creditor, he may come back and collect from the borrower everything that he paid on his account, even though the loan was supported by a verbal commitment alone or was not observed by witnesses.
When does the above apply? When, at the time the guarantor made his commitment, the borrower told him: "Become my guarantor and pay." When, however, he acted independently and became a guarantor or a kablan, or the borrower told him: "Guarantee the debt for me," but did not give him the authority to pay the debt, if he pays the debt, the borrower is not obligated to pay him anything. Similarly, if a person pays a promissory note of a colleague without that colleague's knowledge, even if it is a debt for which security was taken, the borrower is not obligated to pay him anything. Instead, he may take his security without paying anything; the other person forfeits his money. The rationale is that perhaps the borrower would have been able to appease the lender and have him waive the debt.
The following rules apply when the borrower dies, and the guarantor takes the initiative and pays the debt before he notifies the heirs. If it is known to us that the borrower did not pay the promissory note before he died - e.g., he admitted the debt on his deathbed, he was placed under a band of ostracism for failing to pay, and he died under that ban, or the due date of the loan did not arrive - he may collect from the heirs everything that he paid.
When the lender was a gentile, the heirs are not obligated to pay the guarantor. The rationale is that their parent might have given the guarantor the entire debt for which he was responsible. For a gentile demands payment from the guarantor first; for this reason the guarantor paid the gentile voluntarily before he notified the orphans. If, however, he notifies them that the gentile is demanding payment from him and that he is paying, the heirs are obligated to pay.
ו
ערב שקידם ונתן לבעל חוב את חובו הרי זה חוזר וגובה מן הלוה כל מה שפרע על ידו אף על פי שהיתה מלוה על פה או בלא עדים כלל, בד"א כשאמר לו הלוה בעת שנעשה לו ערב ערבני ושלם, אבל אם עמד ברשות עצמו ונעשה לו ערב או קבלן או שאמר לו הלוה ערבני ולא הרשהו שיתן ויפרע החוב אין הלוה חייב לשלם לו כלום, וכן הפורע שטר חובו של חבירו שלא מדעתו אפילו היה החוב על המשכון אין הלוה חייב כלום ונוטל משכונו בחנם והרי אבד זה הנותן את מעותיו שמא היה הלוה מפייס את המלוה ומוחל לו, מת הלוה וקידם הערב ופרע החוב קודם שיודיע את היורשים אם נודע לנו שלא פרע הלוה שטר חובו קודם שימות כגון שהודה בו קודם או שנדוהו ומת בנדויו או שלא הגיע זמן המלוה להגבות ה"ז חוזר וגובה מן היורשין כל מה שפרע, היה המלוה עכו"ם אין היורשין חייבין לשלם שמא אביהן נתן ליד הערב כל החוב שהיה עליו מפני שהעכו"ם תובע את הערב תחילה ולפיכך פרע זה מדעתו קודם שיודיע היתומים, אבל אם הודיען שהעכו"ם תובע אותו והרי הוא נותן חייבין לשלם. 1
7
Whenever a guarantor comes to collect what he paid - whether he comes to collect from the borrower's heirs or from the borrower himself - he must bring proof that he paid the debt. The guarantor's possession of the promissory note is not considered proof. For perhaps the promissory note fell from the lender's hand, and the guarantor did not pay him at all.
ז
כל ערב שבא ליטול מה שפרע בין שבא להפרע מיורשי לוה בין מלוה עצמו ה"ז צריך להביא ראיה שפרע ואין מציאת שטר החוב שעליו ביד הערב ראיה שמא נפל השטר מיד המלוה ולא פרע זה כלום.
8
In all the claims to be mentioned, and in all similar situations, we follow the principle: When a person who seeks to expropriate property from a colleague, the burden of proof is upon him:
a) a person tells a colleague, "You agreed to serve as a guarantor for me," and the alleged guarantor denies accepting the obligation ;
b) the guarantor tells the borrower: "You gave me the license to act as a guarantor for you and to pay," and the borrower tells him: "You acted as a guarantor on your own initiative," or "You were not a guarantor at all";
c) the guarantor said: "I paid the debt in your presence," and the borrower said: "You did not"; or he told him: "I have already given you what you paid"; or
d) the lender told the guarantor: "You guaranteed 200," and the guarantor said: "I guaranteed only a maneh."
Alternatively, the defendant should take a sh'vuat hessefi or a Scriptural oath if he agreed to a portion of the claim, as is the law with regard to all financial claims.
ח
האומר לחבירו ערבת לי והוא אומר לא ערבתי, או שאמר הערב ללוה אתה הרשיתני לערוב אותך וליתן והוא אומר מדעתך ערבת או לא ערבת כלל, או שאמר הערב פרעתי המלוה בפניך והלה אומר לא פרעת, או שאמר לו כן פרעת ונתתי לך מה שפרעת, או שאמר המלוה ערבת לי מאתים והוא אומר לא ערבתי אלא מנה, מכל אלו הטענות וכיוצא בהן המוציא מחבירו עליו הראיה, או ישבע הנתבע שבועת היסת או שבועת התורה אם הודה במקצת כשאר כל טענת הממון.
9
The following principles apply when a servant or a married woman borrows money or guarantees the debts of others and is obligated to pay: When the servant is freed and the woman is divorced or widowed, they must pay.
ט
עבד או אשת איש שלוו או שערבו את אחרים ונתחייבו לשלם, כשישתחרר העבד ותתגרש האשה או תתאלמן ישלמו.
10
If a minor borrows, he is obligated to pay when he attains majority. We do not, however, write a promissory note against him. Instead, even though it was affirmed with a kinyan, the loan has the status of a loan supported by a verbal commitment alone. The rationale is that a kinyan undertaken by a minor is of no substance.
י
קטן שלוה חייב לשלם כשיגדיל ואין כותבין עליו שטר אלא הרי היא מלוה על פה אע"פ שקנו מידו שאין קנין מיד הקטן כלום.
11
In a situation where a minor guaranteed others, theGeonim ruled that he is not liable to pay even after he attains majority. The person who lent his money because of a minor's word forfeits it. The rationale is that a minor does not have the intellectual responsibility to obligate himself in a matter in which he is not liable - not through becoming a guarantor, nor through other similar means. This is a ruling of truth and it is fitting to rule in this manner.
יא
קטן שערב את אחרים הורו הגאונים שאינו חייב לשלם כלום אף כשיגדיל וזה שנתן את מעותיו על פי הקטן אבד את מעותיו שאין לקטן דעת כדי לשעבד עצמו בדבר שאינו חייב בו ולא בערבנות ולא בכל כיוצא בזה ודין אמת הוא וכן ראוי לדון.
12
When a woman takes a loan that is supported by a promissory note or undertakes a commitment as a guarantor of a promissory note and then marries, she is obligated to pay even after she marries. If, however, it is a loan supported by a verbal commitment alone, it should not be repaid until she becomes divorced or widowed. The rationale is that her husband's authority is that of a purchaser, as we have explained in several sources. If, however, the money that was given as a loan is in her possession, it should be returned to the borrower.
יב
האשה שלותה בשטר או ערבה בשטר ונשאת חייבת לשלם אחר שנשאת, ואם היתה מלוה על פה אינה משלמת עד שתתגרש או שתתאלמן שרשות בעל כרשות לוקח הוא כמו שביארנו בכמה מקומות, ואם היו אותן מעות ההלואה עצמן קיימין יחזירו אותן למלוה.
FOOTNOTES
Malveh veLoveh - Chapter 27
1
No matter which language and which characters a legal document is written in, if it is written according to the regulations for legal documents that prevail among the Jewish people, i.e., it cannot be forged, nor is it possible to add to or detract from the content of the document, and its witnesses are Jews and they know how to read it, it is acceptable and may be used to expropriate property that has been sold.
All documents that are signed by gentiles, by contrast, are not acceptable except for deeds of sale and promissory notes. For the latter to be acceptable, the principal must count the money in their presence and they must write on the legal document: "In our presence, so-and-so counted out for so-and-so the money for the sale," or "... the money for the debt." This applies provided that they were prepared by their legal authorities. If, however, the documents were prepared in their courts without being authorized by their judges, they are of no value. Similarly, Jewish witnesses must testify that the gentile witnesses who signed the document and the judge who authorized their signatures are not known to accept bribes. If legal documents composed by gentiles lack any of these qualifications, they are considered shards. Similarly, legal documents acknowledging an obligation, deeds recording presents, compromises, and waivers of obligations are considered shards even if they are composed with all the above qualifications.
My masters ruled that even promissory notes composed by them that state that the money was given in their presence are unacceptable. They accepted only deeds of sale when the money was given in their presence. I do not accept this ruling.
If the Jewish judges do not know how to read a legal document prepared by gentile authorities, they should give it to two gentiles, each one outside the presence of the other, and have them read. Thus, each one of them is reading as is his ordinary practice. The document may be used to expropriate property that has not been sold. It may not, however, be used to expropriate property that has been sold, because it does not become public knowledge. For the purchasers will not know of legal processes carried out by gentiles.
א
שטר שכתוב בכל לשון ובכל כתב אם היה עשוי כתיקון שטרי ישראל שאינן יכולין להזדייף ולא להוסיף ולא לגרוע והיו עדיו ישראל ויודעין לקרותו הרי הוא כשר וגובין בו מן המשועבדין, אבל כל השטרות שחותמיהן עכו"ם הרי אלו פסולין חוץ משטרי מקח וממכר ושטרי חוב והוא שיתן המעות בפניהם ויכתבו בשטר לפנינו מנה פלוני לפלוני כך וכך דמי המכר או מעות החוב, והוא שיהיו עשויין בערכאות שלהם, אבל במקום קבוץ פליליהן בלא קיום השופט שלהם לא יועילו כלום, וכן צריכין עדי ישראל שיעידו על אלו העכו"ם שהן עדי שטר ועל זה השופט שלהן שקיים עדותן שאינן ידועין בקבלנות שוחד, ואם חסרו שטרי העכו"ם דבר מכל אלו הרי הן כחרס, וכן שטרי [חוב] והודאות ומתנות ופשרות ומחילות שהן בעדים שלהן אע"פ שיש בהן כל הדברים שמנינו הרי הן כחרסים, והורו רבותי שאפילו שטרי חוב שלהן שנתנו המעות בפניהם פסולין ולא הכשירו אלא שטרי מקח וממכר שנתנו המעות בפניהם ואין אני מודה בזה, אם לא ידעו דייני ישראל לקרות שטר זה הנעשה בערכאות של עכו"ם נותנו לשני עכו"ם זה שלא בפני זה וקורין לו שנמצא כל אחד מהן כמסיח לפי תומו וגובה בו מבני חורין אבל אין טורפין בו מפני שאין לו קול שהרי לא ידעו הלקוחות במה שנעשה בעכו"ם. 1
2
When a promissory note that was signed by gentile witnesses was given by the borrower to the lender or by the seller to the purchaser in the presence of two Jewish witnesses, it is acceptable and may be used to expropriate property that was not sold, even though it was not authenticated by the gentile legal authorities and was not prepared according to all the stipulations mentioned above. The above applies provided that the witnesses in whose presence the legal document was transferred were able to read it, they read it when it was transferred, and it was prepared according to the regulations for legal documents that prevail among the Jewish people, i.e., that it be composed in a manner that it cannot be forged, nor is it possible to add to or detract from the content of the document.
Why is it not acceptable to be used to expropriate property that has already been sold? Because it is not a matter of public knowledge.
ב
שטר שעדיו עכו"ם שמסרו הלוה ליד המלוה או המוכר ליד הלוקח בפני שני עדים מישראל אע"פ שאינו עשוי בערכאות של עכו"ם ואין בו כל הדברים שמנינו ה"ז גובה מבני חורין, והוא שיהיו העדים שמסר בפניהם יודעין לקרותו וקראוהו בשמסרו /כשמסרו/ בפניהן ויהיה כתיקון שטר ישראל שאינו יכול להזדייף ולא להוסיף ולא לגרוע, ולמה לא יגבה בו מן המשועבדים מפני שאין לו קול.
3
The following regulations prevail for legal documents among the Jewish people: All legal documents must repeat the content of the legal document in the last line, because we do not take into consideration what was written in that line. The rationale is that we suspect the witnesses signed a line away from the body of the document and this falsifier came and wrote in the empty space of this line.
ג
תיקון שטרי ישראל כך הוא כל השטרות כולן צריך שיחזור מענינו של שטר בשיטה אחרונה [אלא] שאין למדין משיטה אחרונה שמא היו העדים מרוחקין מגופו של שטר בכדי השיטה ובא זה המזייף וכתב באותו הריוח שיטה זו.
4
When the witnesses signed two lines or more from the conclusion of the writing, the document is not acceptable. If they leave less open space than this, it is acceptable.
The two lines mentioned refer to lines according to the handwriting of the witnesses and not according to the handwriting of the scribe. The rationale is that any person who forges will try to imitate the handwriting of the witnesses and not that of the scribe. The space of the two lines includes the lines and the space in between them, i.e., the space necessary to write a lamed above a final chaf.
If there was a space of more than two lines between the signature of the witnesses and the text of the documents, and they filled the space between the text and the signatures with the signatures of unacceptable witnesses and relatives, it is acceptable. For in this manner, it cannot be forged.
If the space was filled with lines of ink, it is unacceptable. For perhaps the witnesses signed for the lines of ink and not for the body of the document. If the document and the signatures of the witnesses were on one line, it is acceptable.
ד
עדים שהיו מרוחקין מן הכתב שתי שיטין פסול פחות מכאן כשר, שתי שיטין שאמרו בכתב ידי עדים ולא בכתב ידי סופר שכל המזייף אינו הולך אחר הסופר אלא אחר העדים, ושתי שיטין אלו הן ואוירן כגון למ"ד על כ"ף, היו העדי' מרוחקין מן הכתב יתר על שתי שיטין והיה הריוח שבין הכתב והעדים מלא בעדים פסולין או קרובים הרי זה כשר שהרי אינו יכול להזדייף, ואם מלאהו בשריטה של דיו פסול שמא העדים על השריטות חתמו ולא על גופו [של שטר], היה השטר כולו עם עדיו בשיטה אחת הרי זה כשר.
5
If the legal document was written on one line, and the witnesses signed on another line, it is unacceptable. We fear that possibly the witnesses had signed one line away from an acceptable legal document, and afterwards the person cut away that entire legal document and wrote the present document on that line. Thus, these witnesses were signed upon it.
A similar suspicion can arise when the document and the signatures of two witnesses were written on one line, two other witnesses were signed on a second line, and the maker of the legal document says: "I intended to increase the number of witnesses."
We do not verify the authenticity of the document based on the signature of the witnesses below, in the second line, but rather on the signatures of those above. We fear that possibly there had been another document written originally, it was cut off, and the present document and the signatures of the two witnesses were written on the line between it and the witnesses who signed below.
ה
היה השטר בשיטה זו והעדים בשיטה שניה פסול שמא אלו העדים היו מרוחקין מן השטר כשר שיטה אחת וחתך כל השטר וכתב זה השטר באותה השיטה ונמצאו כל אלו העדים חתומים עליה, וכן אם היה השטר ושני עדים בשיטה אחת ושני עדים אחרים בשיטה שניה ואמר אני נתכוונתי לרבות העדים אין מקיימין שטר זה מעדים של מטה בשיטה שניה אלא מעדים של מעלה, שמא בשיטה שהיתה בין העדים של מטה ובין השטר שחתך כתב שטר זה ושני עדיו.
6
The validation of the authenticity of the signatures of the witnesses by the court should be positioned next to their signatures, next to one of the sides of the legal document, or on its back, opposite the text. If there was a space of more than one line between the statement of validation and the legal document, it is invalid. We fear that someone might cut off the document that was validated and forge a new document and the signature of two witnesses on that one line. Thus, the validation would be on a forged document.
ו
קיום ב"ד צריך שיהיה סמוך לכתב ידי עדים או סמוך לצד השטר או מאחוריו כנגד הכתב, ואם היה בין הקיום והשטר ריוח שיטה אחת פסול שמא יחתוך השטר שנתקיים ויזייף באותה שיטה שטר ושני עדיו, ונמצא הקיום על שטר מזוייף.
7
If the court wrote the validation more than two lines from the legal document and filled the entire empty space with lines of ink, the validation is acceptable, for there is no possibility of a forgery. ' And we do not suspect that the court would sign a validation of mere lines, but rather of the legal document itself.
ז
הרחיק את הקיום מן השטר יתר על שתי שיטין ומלא כל הריוח שריטות דיו כשר שהרי אינו יכול לזייף ואין חוששין לב"ד שיקיימו קיום על השריטות אלא על גופו של שטר.
8
Whenever words are written on a surface where there have been erasures, the scribe must write a validation of each of the these portions at the end of the legal document, stating: "This-and-this letter...", "This-and-this word...", or "This-and-this line were written on a surface where there had been erasures," or "... are attached between the lines. Everything is valid."
If the erasure is in the place where the document states sharir v'kayam, and is the size that it takes to write these words, it is not acceptable even if the scribe validates that these words were written on an erased surface. We fear that a person might have erased the words sharir v'kayam, then written a false statement and then validated the document in the space between the document and the signature of the witnesses.
ח
כל המחקין כולן צריך שיכתוב קיומיהן בסוף השטר ויאמר אות פלונית או מלה פלונית או שיטה פלונית על מחק או תלויה והכל קיים, ואם היה המחק במקום שריר וקיים ובשיעור שריר וקיים אע"פ שחזר וקיימו פסול שמא מחקו וכתב דבר שזייף וחזר וקיימו בריוח שבין הכתב והעדים.
9
When both a legal document and the signatures of the witnesses are written on a surface where there have been erasures, it is acceptable. If one might protest, saying: "The person in possession of the document might erase it again and write a text that benefits him," that argument can be answered, for it is possible to differentiate between a surface that has been erased once and one that has been erased twice.
If one might protest, saying: "Maybe the person erased only the surface where the witnesses would sign twice, and then after writing the legal document above the twice-erased surface and having the witnesses sign it, he erased the document and wrote whatever he desired." In such a situation, the document and the signatures of the witnesses appear the same, because everything was erased twice. This protest is untenable, because our Sages already ordained that witnesses should not sign a document written on a surface where there have been erasures, unless it was erased in their presence.
ט
שטר הבא הוא ועדיו על המחק כשר, ואם תאמר מוחק וחוזר ומוחק אינו דומה מי שנמחק פעם אחת לנמחק שתי פעמים, ואם תאמר שמא נמחק ב' פעמים מקום העדים ואחר שכתב השטר חוזר ומוחקו וכותב כל מה שירצה שהרי הוא ועדיו כולו שוה מפני שנמחק הכל שתי פעמים כבר תקנו חכמים שלא יהיו העדים חותמין על שטר מחוק אא"כ נמחק בפניהם.
10
When a legal document and the signatures of the witnesses are both written on a surface where there have been erasures, and the validation of the authenticity of the signatures was written on paper that had never been erased, we do not validate the document because of the signatures of the witnesses who validated it previously, but because of the signatures of the witnesses who signed it originally.
The rationale is that it is possible that the validation of the document was written very far from the document itself, and the space between them was filled with lines of ink. We suspect that the person in possession of the document cut off the document itself, erased the lines of ink, and forged the document and the signatures of the witnesses on the portion that had been erased.
י
שטר הבא הוא ועדיו על המחק והקיום מלמטה על הנייר אין מקיימין אותו מעדי הקיום אלא מעדים שלמעלה שמא הקיום היה רחוק מן השטר הרבה והיה הריוח מלא שריטות של דיו וחתך גוף השטר ומחק השריטות וכתב השטר ועדיו על המחק.
11
When a document is written on paper that had never been erased, and the witnesses signed on a surface where there were erasures, it is unacceptable. We suspect that the person might erase the document that the witnesses signed and replace it with a forgery. Thus, the document and the signatures of the witnesses will be on paper with erasures.
If the witnesses wrote: "We, the witnesses, signed on the portion of the paper where there were erasures, while the document was written on the portion of the paper that has never been erased," the document is acceptable. This statement should be written between the signature of one witness and the other, so that deception is not possible.
יא
שטר הבא על הנייר ועדיו על המחק פסול שמא ימחוק השטר ויזדייף ונמצא הוא ועדיו על המחק, ואם כתבו העדים אנחנו העדים חתמנו על המחק והשטר על הנייר כשר וכותבין כן בין עד לעד כדי שלא יזייף.
12
When a legal document is written on a portion of a paper where there have been erasures and the witnesses sign on a portion of the paper that has never been erased, the document is not acceptable. This applies even if the witnesses write: "We, the witnesses, signed on the portion of the paper that has never been erased, while the document was written on the portion where there were erasures."
The rationale is that we fear the person in possession of the document will erase it a second time and write on it anything that he desires. Since the document as a whole has been erased twice, the forgery will not be obvious.
If, by contrast, one portion of the document was erased once and the other twice, a distinction could be made.
Among the prevailing regulations for legal documents is to carefully scrutinize the document, seeing if the vavin and the zayinin are not squeezed between the letters, lest the person have forged this letter, adding it to the document. Similarly, these letters must not be too far from the other letters of the word, lest the person have erased a portion of one letter - e.g., a hei or a chet - and left one of its legs in the place of a vav. Similarly, in all analogous situations, we scrutinize the text in any language and with any characters.
יב
שטר הבא על המחק ועדיו על הנייר פסול, ואפילו כתבו העדים אנחנו עדים חתמנו על הנייר והשטר על המחק, מפני שהוא מוחק אותו פעם ב' וכותב כל מה שירצה וכיון שכולו נמחק ב' פעמים אינו ניכר, שאילו היה בו מקום הנמחק פעם אחת ומקום הנמחק שתי פעמים היה ניכר, ומתקון השטרות להתבונן בשטר בואוי"ן וזייני"ן שלו שלא יהו דחוקין בין התיבות שמא זייף והוסיף זו, ולא יהיו מרוחקין שמא מחק אות אחת כגון ה"א או חי"ת והניח רגלה האחת מקום וא"ו וכל כיוצא בזה מדקדקין בו בכל לשון ובכל כתב.
13
The numbers from shalosh (three) to esser (ten) should not be written at the end of a line, for it is possible for the person in possession of the document to forge the text and make the shalosh, sheloshim (30), and the esser, essrim (20).
If it would happen that a scribe would have to write these numbers at the end of a line, he should repeat the text of the document several times until the numbers come out in the middle of the line.
יג
משלש ועד עשר אין כותבין בסוף שיטה שמא יזייף ויחזיר השלש לשלשים והעשר עשרים, ואם נזדמן לו בסוף שיטה מחזיר הדבור בגופו של שטר פעמים רבות עד שיבא באמצע השיטה.
14
When the upper portion of a promissory note speaks of amaneh and the lower portion speaks of 200 zuz, or the upper portion of a promissory note speaks of 200 zuz and the lower portion speaks of a maneh, everything follows what is written in the lower portion.
Why do we not follow the lesser of the two numbers? Because in this instance, one is not dependent on the other. If the promissory note had said: "owes amaneh, which is 200 zuz" or "200 zuz, which is amaneh," the lender would be granted only a maneh. When, however, there are two matters stated in the document and the latter portion is not dependent on the former portion, we follow the latter portion.
When the upper portion of a legal document mentions one name and the lower portion mentions a name that resembles it, we follow the lower portion. If so, why do we write the upper portion? So that if one letter of the lower portion is rubbed out, one could learn from the upper portion. For example, if the upper portion stated Chanani or Anani and the lower portion stated Chanan or Anan, we can assume that it is referring to the person named in the upper portion. This applies regarding only one letter. We do not, however, resolve a doubt regarding two letters in the lower portion from the upper portion.
יד
שטר שכתבו מלמעלה מנה ומלמטה מאתים מלמעלה מאתים ומלמטה מנה הכל הולך אחר התחתון, ולמה אין הולכין אחר הפחות שבשניהם לפי שאין האחד תלוי בחבירו שאם היה כתוב בו ק' שהן מאתים או מאתים שהן ק' היה נוטל ק', אבל ב' דברים שאין האחרון תלוי בראשון הלך אחר אחרון, היה בו מלמעלה שם ולמטה שם קרוב לו הלך אחר התחתון א"כ למה כותבין את העליון שמא תמחק אות אחת מן התחתון וילמד מן העליון כגון היה בעליון חנני או ענני ובתחתון חנן או ענן בידוע שהוא השם העליון, אבל לא ילמוד תחתון מעליון בשתי אותיות.
15
If the upper portion of a promissory note speaks of a sefel and the lower portion speaks of a kefel, we follow the wording of the latter portion, for a kefel is less than a sefel.
If the upper portion of a promissory note speaks of a kefel and the lower portion speaks of a sefel, we suspect that perhaps a fly caused the left leg of the kuf to be rubbed out and made it appear like a samech. Hence, the bearer may expropriate only a kefel, the lesser measure. Similar principles apply in all analogous situations, for the bearer of the promissory note has the weaker position.
An incident occurred concerning a promissory note that stated: "600 and one zuz" This raised a doubt. Was the intent 601 zuz or was the intent 600 isteira and one zuz? The Sages said: "The bearer of the promissory note may collect only 600 isteira and azuz, for the bearer of the promissory note has the weaker position."
If so, why did they not say that he should collect 600 p'rutot and azuz? Because a scribe would count the p'rutot as zuzin before composing the promissory note. Similar principles apply in all analogous situations. In all times and in all places, we follow the accepted norms.
טו
כתוב בו מלמעלה ספל ומלמטה קפל הכל הולך אחר התחתון שהקפל פחות מן הספל, כתוב בו מלמעלה קפל ומלמטה ספל חוששין שמא זבוב הסיר רגל הקוף ונעשית סמ"ך ואינו גובה אלא במדת קפל הקטנה וכן כל כיוצא בזה שיד בעל השטר על התחתונה, מעשה בשטר שהיה כתוב בו שש מאות וזוז אחד והרי הדבר ספק אם שש מאות זוז וזוז אחד או שש מאות אסתירא וזוז, אמרו חכמים יטול שש מאות אסתירא וזוז שיד בעל השטר על התחתונה, א"כ למה לא נאמר שש מאות פרוטה וזוז לפי שהפרוטות כולל אותן הסופר זוזין ואחר כך כותבין וכן כל כיוצא בזה בכל זמן ובכל מקום לפי דרכם הידוע על פיו עושין.
16
When a promissory note states: "Isteira 100 m'ie," or "100m'ie isteira" one should follow the lesser of the phrases. The person should receive only one isteira. The rationale is that the bearer of the promissory note has the weaker position, because he is trying to expropriate property from a colleague, and a person can expropriate property only when there is no doubt regarding his claim.
Similarly, whenever a promissory note could be interpreted in either of two ways, either this way or that way, the bearer receives the lesser of the amounts. If, however, he seizes possession of the greater amount, the borrower may not expropriate the money from him unless he can clearly prove the legitimacy of his own claim.
טז
שטר שכתוב בו אסתירא מאה מעי או שכתוב בו מאה מעי אסתירא הלך אחר פחות שבלשונות ואינו נוטל אלא אסתירא אחת שיד בעל השטר על התחתונה, מפני שהוא המוציא מחבירו ואינו מוציא אלא בדבר שאין בו ספק, לפיכך כל שטר שיש בו משמע שתי לשונות שמא כך או שמא כך אינו נוטל אלא הפחות שבשתיהן, ואם תפס בעליונה אין מוציאין מידו אלא בראיה ברורה.2
17
When a promissory note states: "a gold coin," we assume that the intent is no less than a golden dinar. If it states "gold of dinarim," or "dinarim of gold," we assume that the intent is no less than the value of two dinarim of gold. If it states "gold indinarim" we assume that the intent is no less than the value in gold of two silver dinarim. Similar laws apply in all analogous situations.
Blessed be God, who grants assistance.
יז
כתב בו מטבע זהב אין פחות מדינר זהב, זהב דינרין או דינרין זהב אין פחות משוה שני דינרין של זהב, זהב בדינרין אין פחות משוה שני דינרין של כסף מן הזהב, וכן כל כיוצא בזה. תמו הלכות מלוה ולוה.
• Friday, 13 Elul, 5776 · 16 September 2016
• "Today's Day"
• Monday, Elul 13, 5703
Torah lessons: Chumash: Tavo, Sheini with Rashi.
Tehillim: 69-71. Also 37-39.
Tanya: And every year (p. 463) ...for the initiated. (p. 465).
The chassid R. Hendel1 related: It was known to all chassidim that at one's first yechidus the orla (insensitive "thick skin") was removed. Whatever else, one was immediately rid of the orla of the heart.
FOOTNOTES
1.See Tevet 16.
• Daily Thought:
Childish Love
A child gives love for the sake of love.
Yet an adult can also learn to do the same.
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