Today's Laws and Customs:
Elul Observances
As the last a 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" forElul 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 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). Click below to view today's Psalms.
Chapter 64 Chapter 65 Chapter 66
Psalms 64:1 (0) For the leader. A psalm of David:
2 (1) Hear my voice, God, as I plead:
preserve my life from fear of the enemy.
3 (2) Hide me from the secret intrigues of the wicked
and the open insurrection of evildoers.
4 (3) They sharpen their tongues like a sword;
they aim their arrows, poisoned words,
5 (4) in order to shoot from cover at the innocent,
shooting suddenly and fearing nothing.
6 (5) They support each other’s evil plans;
they talk of hiding snares
and ask, “Who would see them?”
7 (6) They search for ways to commit crimes,
bringing their diligent search to completion
when each of them has thought it through
in the depth of his heart.
8 (7) Suddenly God shoots them down with an arrow,
leaving them with wounds;
9 (8) their own tongues make them stumble.
All who see them shake their heads.
10 (9) Everyone is awestruck —
they acknowledge that it is God at work,
they understand what he has done.
11 (10) The righteous will rejoice in Adonai;
they will take refuge in him;
all the upright in heart will exult.
65:1 (0) For the leader. A psalm of David. A song:
2 (1) To you, God, in Tziyon, silence is praise;
and vows to you are to be fulfilled.
3 (2) You who listen to prayer,
to you all living creatures come.
4 (3) When deeds of wickedness overwhelm me,
you will atone for our crimes.
5 (4) How blessed are those you choose and bring near,
so that they can remain in your courtyards!
We will be satisfied with the goodness of your house,
the Holy Place of your temple.
6 (5) It is just that you answer us with awesome deeds,
God of our salvation,
you in whom all put their trust,
to the ends of the earth and on distant seas.
7 (6) By your strength you set up the mountains.
You are clothed with power.
8 (7) You still the roaring of the seas,
their crashing waves, and the peoples’ turmoil.
9 (8) This is why those living at the ends of the earth
stand in awe of your signs.
The places where the sun rises and sets
you cause to sing for joy.
10 (9) You care for the earth and water it,
you enrich it greatly;
with the river of God, full of water,
you provide them grain and prepare the ground.
11 (10) Soaking its furrows and settling its soil,
you soften it with showers and bless its growth.
12 (11) You crown the year with your goodness,
your tracks overflow with richness.
13 (12) The desert pastures drip water,
the hills are wrapped with joy,
14 (13) the meadows are clothed with flocks
and the valleys blanketed with grain,
so they shout for joy and break into song.
66:(0) For the leader. A song. A psalm:
(1) Shout to God, all the earth!
2 Sing the glory of his name,
make his praise glorious.
3 Tell God, “How awesome are your deeds!
At your great power, your enemies cringe.
4 All the earth bows down to you,
sings praises to you, sings praises to your name.” (Selah)
5 Come and see what God has done,
his awesome dealings with humankind.
6 He turned the sea into dry land.
They passed through the river on foot;
there we rejoiced in him.
7 With his power he rules forever;
his eyes keep watch on the nations.
Let no rebel arise to challenge him. (Selah)
8 Bless our God, you peoples!
Let the sound of his praise be heard!
9 He preserves our lives
and keeps our feet from stumbling.
10 For you, God, have tested us,
refined us as silver is refined.
11 You brought us into the net
and bound our bodies fast.
12 You made men ride over our heads;
we went through fire and water.
But you brought us out
to a place of plenty.
13 I will come into your house with burnt offerings,
I will fulfill my vows to you,
14 those my lips pronounced and my mouth spoke
when I was in distress.
15 I will offer you burnt offerings of fattened animals,
along with the sweet smoke of rams;
I will offer bulls and goats. (Selah)
16 Come and listen, all you who fear God,
and I will tell what he has done for me.
17 I cried out to him with my mouth,
his praise was on my tongue.
18 Had I cherished evil thoughts,
Adonai would not have listened.
19 But in fact, God did listen;
he paid attention to my prayer.
20 Blessed be God, who did not reject my prayer
or turn his grace away from me.
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
Daily Study:
Chitas and Rambam for today:
Chumash: Parshat Nitzavim, 1st Portion (Deuteronomy 29:9-29:11) with Rashi
• Deuteronomy Chapter 29
9You are all standing this day before the Lord, your God the leaders of your tribes, your elders and your officers, every man of Israel, טאַתֶּ֨ם נִצָּבִ֤ים הַיּוֹם֙ כֻּלְּכֶ֔ם לִפְנֵ֖י יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹֽהֵיכֶ֑ם רָֽאשֵׁיכֶ֣ם שִׁבְטֵיכֶ֗ם זִקְנֵיכֶם֙ וְשֹׁ֣טְרֵיכֶ֔ם כֹּ֖ל אִ֥ישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵֽל:
You are all standing: [The verse says “this day,” which] teaches us that on the day of his death, Moses assembled Israel in the presence of the Holy One, Blessed is He, to bring them into [His] covenant. אתם נצבים: מלמד שכנסם משה לפני הקב"ה ביום מותו להכניסם בברית:
the leaders of your tribes: Heb. רָאשֵׁיכֶם שִׁבְטֵיכֶם, [lit., “your leaders, your tribes,” referring to two separate entities, which does not make sense here because “your tribes” includes the leaders. Rather, this means here:] “The leaders of your tribes.” ראשיכם שבטיכם: ראשיכם לשבטיכם:
your elders and your officers: [We learn from the order in this verse that] the more distinguished ones were mentioned first, and after this: “every man of Israel.” זקניכם ושטריכם: החשוב חשוב קודם ואחר כך כל איש ישראל:
10your young children, your women, and your convert who is within your camp both your woodcutters and your water drawers, יטַפְּכֶ֣ם נְשֵׁיכֶ֔ם וְגֵ֣רְךָ֔ אֲשֶׁ֖ר בְּקֶ֣רֶב מַֽחֲנֶ֑יךָ מֵֽחֹטֵ֣ב עֵצֶ֔יךָ עַ֖ד שֹׁאֵ֥ב מֵימֶֽיךָ:
both your woodcutters [and your water drawers]: [The mention of these people separate to the main community of Israel] teaches us that in the days of Moses, Canaanites came to convert [to Judaism], just as the Gibeonites came [to convert] in the days of Joshua. This is the meaning of the verse regarding the Gibeonites,“And they also acted cunningly…” (Josh. 9:4), [i. e., pretending that they had come from a far away country. When they were discovered, Joshua made them woodcutters and water drawers for Israel (see Josh. 9:3-27). Likewise here, the Canaanites attempted to deceive Moses,. but they did not succeed, and Moses did not accept them to be Jews. Rather,] Moses made them woodcutters and water drawers [i.e., slaves for Israel]. — [Tanchuma 2; Yev. 79a; see Rashi Gittin 23b] מחטב עציך: מלמד שבאו כנענים להתגייר בימי משה, כדרך שבאו גבעונים בימי יהושע. וזהו האמור בגבעונים (יהושע ט, ד) ויעשו גם המה בערמה, ונתנם משה חוטבי עצים ושואבי מים:
11that you may enter the covenant of the Lord, your God, and His oath, which the Lord, your God, is making with you this day, יאלְעָבְרְךָ֗ בִּבְרִ֛ית יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ וּבְאָֽלָת֑וֹ אֲשֶׁר֙ יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ כֹּרֵ֥ת עִמְּךָ֖ הַיּֽוֹם:
that you may enter: Heb. לְעָבְרְךָ. [Meaning,] “That you may pass through [i.e., enter] the covenant.” One should not understand this verb [to be in the causative conjugation,] to mean “to cause you to pass through,” [but rather, the verb is in the simple conjugation, and means that you yourselves will pass through]. This is similar to the expression, לַעֲשׂתְכֶם, “that you [yourselves] should do them” (Deut. 4:14). לעברך: להיותך עובר בברית. ולא יתכן לפרשו כמו להעבירך, אלא כמו (לעיל ד, יד) לעשותכם אותם:
that you may enter into the covenant: [lit.] “that you may pass through the covenant.” This was the method of those who made covenants: They would set up a demarcation on one side and a demarcation on the other, and [the respective parties of the covenant] “passed through” between [these partitions], as the verse says, “[when] they cut the calf in two and passed between its parts” (Jer. 34:18). לעברך בברית: דרך העברה, כך היו כורתים ברית, עושין מחיצה מכאן ומחיצה מכאן ועוברים בינתים, כמו שנאמר (ירמיה לד, יח) העגל אשר כרתו לשנים ויעברו בין בתריו:
Daily Tehillim: Psalms Chapters 106-107
• 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 106
The psalmist continues the theme of the previous psalm, praising God for performing other miracles not mentioned previously, for "who can recount the mighty acts of God?" Were we to try, we could not mention them all!
1. Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord for He is good, for His kindness is everlasting.
2. Who can recount the mighty acts of the Lord, or proclaim all His praises?
3. Fortunate are those who preserve justice, who perform deeds of righteousness all the time.
4. Remember me, Lord, when You find favor with Your people; be mindful of me with Your deliverance;
5. to behold the prosperity of Your chosen, to rejoice in the joy of Your nation, to glory with Your inheritance.
6. We have sinned as did our fathers, we have acted perversely and wickedly.
7. Our fathers in Egypt did not contemplate Your wonders, they did not remember Your abundant kindnesses, and they rebelled by the sea, at the Sea of Reeds.
8. Yet He delivered them for the sake of His Name, to make His strength known.
9. He roared at the Sea of Reeds and it dried up; He led them through the depths, as through a desert.
10. He saved them from the hand of the enemy, and redeemed them from the hand of the foe.
11. The waters engulfed their adversaries; not one of them remained.
12. Then they believed in His words, they sang His praise.
13. They quickly forgot His deeds, they did not wait for His counsel;
14. and they lusted a craving in the desert, they tested God in the wilderness.
15. And He gave them their request, but sent emaciation into their souls.
16. They angered Moses in the camp, and Aaron, the Lord's holy one.
17. The earth opened and swallowed Dathan, and engulfed the company of Abiram;
18. and a fire burned in their assembly, a flame set the wicked ablaze.
19. They made a calf in Horeb, and bowed down to a molten image.
20. They exchanged their Glory for the likeness of a grass-eating ox.
21. They forgot God, their savior, Who had performed great deeds in Egypt,
22. wonders in the land of Ham, awesome things at the Sea of Reeds.
23. He said that He would destroy them-had not Moses His chosen one stood in the breach before Him, to turn away His wrath from destroying.
24. They despised the desirable land, they did not believe His word.
25. And they murmured in their tents, they did not heed the voice of the Lord.
26. So He raised His hand [in oath] against them, to cast them down in the wilderness,
27. to throw down their progeny among the nations, and to scatter them among the lands.
28. They joined themselves to [the idol] Baal Peor, and ate of the sacrifices to the dead;
29. they provoked Him with their doings, and a plague broke out in their midst.
30. Then Phineas arose and executed judgement, and the plague was stayed;
31. it was accounted for him as a righteous deed, through all generations, forever.
32. They angered Him at the waters of Merivah, and Moses suffered on their account;
33. for they defied His spirit, and He pronounced [an oath] with His lips.
34. They did not destroy the nations as the Lord had instructed them;
35. rather, they mingled with the nations and learned their deeds.
36. They worshipped their idols, and they became a snare for them.
37. They sacrificed their sons and daughters to demons.
38. They spilled innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan; and the land became guilty with blood.
39. They were defiled by their deeds, and went astray by their actions.
40. And the Lord's wrath blazed against His people, and He abhorred His inheritance;
41. so He delivered them into the hands of nations, and their enemies ruled them.
42. Their enemies oppressed them, and they were subdued under their hand.
43. Many times did He save them, yet they were rebellious in their counsel and were impoverished by their sins.
44. But He saw their distress, when He heard their prayer;
45. and He remembered for them His covenant and He relented, in keeping with His abounding kindness,
46. and He caused them to be treated mercifully by all their captors.
47. Deliver us, Lord our God; gather us from among the nations, that we may give thanks to Your Holy Name and glory in Your praise.
48. Blessed is the Lord, the God of Israel, forever and ever. And let all the people say, "Amen! Praise the Lord!"
Chapter 107
This psalm speaks of those who are saved from four specific perilous situations(imprisonment, sickness, desert travel, and sea travel) and must thank God, for their sins caused their troubles, and only by the kindness of God were they saved. It is therefore appropriate that they praise God and tell of their salvation to all.
1. Give thanks to the Lord for He is good, for His kindness is everlasting.
2. So shall say those redeemed by the Lord, those whom He redeemed from the hand of the oppressor.
3. He gathered them from the lands-from east and from west, from north and from the sea.
4. They lost their way in the wilderness, in the wasteland; they found no inhabited city.
5. Both hungry and thirsty, their soul languished within them.
6. They cried out to the Lord in their distress; He delivered them from their afflictions.
7. He guided them in the right path to reach an inhabited city.
8. Let them give thanks to the Lord, and [proclaim] His wonders to the children of man,
9. for He has satiated a thirsting soul, and filled a hungry soul with goodness.
10. Those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, bound in misery and chains of iron,
11. for they defied the words of God and spurned the counsel of the Most High-
12. He humbled their heart through suffering; they stumbled and there was none to help.
13. They cried out to the Lord in their distress; He saved them from their afflictions.
14. He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and sundered their bonds.
15. Let them give thanks to the Lord for His kindness, and [proclaim] His wonders to the children of man,
16. for He broke the brass gates and smashed the iron bars.
17. Foolish sinners are afflicted because of their sinful ways and their wrongdoings.
18. Their soul loathes all food, and they reach the gates of death.
19. They cried out to the Lord in their distress; He saved them from their afflictions.
20. He sent forth His command and healed them; He delivered them from their graves.
21. Let them give thanks to the Lord for His kindness, and [proclaim] His wonders to the children of man.
22. Let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving, and joyfully recount His deeds.
23. Those who go down to the sea in ships, who perform tasks in mighty waters;
24. they saw the works of the Lord and His wonders in the deep.
25. He spoke and caused the stormy wind to rise, and it lifted up the waves.
26. They rise to the sky, plunge to the depths; their soul melts in distress.
27. They reel and stagger like a drunkard, all their skill is to no avail.
28. They cried out to the Lord in their distress, and He brought them out from their calamity.
29. He transformed the storm into stillness, and the waves were quieted.
30. They rejoiced when they were silenced, and He led them to their destination.
31. Let them give thanks to the Lord for His kindness, and [proclaim] His wonders to the children of man.
32. Let them exalt Him in the congregation of the people, and praise Him in the assembly of the elders.
33. He turns rivers into desert, springs of water into parched land,
34. a fruitful land into a salt-marsh, because of the wickedness of those who inhabit it.
35. He turns a desert into a lake, and parched land into springs of water.
36. He settles the hungry there, and they establish a city of habitation.
37. They sow fields and plant vineyards which yield fruit and wheat.
38. He blesses them and they multiply greatly, and He does not decrease their cattle.
39. [If they sin,] they are diminished and cast down through oppression, misery, and sorrow.
40. He pours contempt upon distinguished men, and causes them to stray in a pathless wilderness.
41. He raises the needy from distress, and makes their families [as numerous] as flocks.
42. The upright observe this and rejoice, and all the wicked close their mouth.
43. Let him who is wise bear these in mind, and then the benevolent acts of the Lord will be understood.
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 64, 65 and 66.
Chapter 64
The masters of homiletics interpret this psalm as alluding to Daniel, who was thrown into the lion's den. With divine inspiration, David foresaw the event and prayed for him. Daniel was a descendant of David, as can be inferred from God's statement to Hezekiah (himself of Davidic lineage), "And from your children, who will issue forth from you, they will take, and they (referring to, amongst others, Daniel) will be ministers in the palace of the king of Babylon."
1. For the Conductor, a psalm by David.
2. Hear my voice, O God, as I recount [my woes]; preserve my life from the terror of the enemy.
3. Shelter me from the schemes of the wicked, from the conspiracy of evildoers,
4. who have sharpened their tongue like the sword, aimed their arrow-a bitter word-
5. to shoot at the innocent from hidden places; suddenly they shoot at him, they are not afraid.
6. They encourage themselves in an evil thing, they speak of laying traps; they say: "Who will see them?”
7. They sought pretexts; [and when] they completed a diligent search, each man [kept the plot] inside, deep in the heart.
8. But God shot at them; [like] a sudden arrow were their blows.
9. Their own tongues caused them to stumble; all who see them shake their heads [derisively].
10. Then all men feared, and recounted the work of God; they perceived His deed.
11. Let the righteous one rejoice in the Lord and take refuge in Him, and let them take pride-all upright of heart.
Chapter 65
This psalm contains awe-inspiring and glorious praises to God, as well as entreaties and prayers concerning our sins. It declares it impossible to recount God's greatness, for who can recount His mighty acts? Hence, silence is His praise.
1. For the Conductor, a psalm by David, a song.
2. Silence is praise for You, O God [Who dwells in] Zion; and to You vows will be paid.
3. O Heeder of prayer, to You does all flesh come.
4. Matters of sin overwhelm me; You will pardon our transgressions.
5. Fortunate is [the nation] whom You choose and draw near, to dwell in Your courtyards; may we be sated with the goodness of Your House, with the holiness of Your Sanctuary.
6. Answer us with awesome deeds as befits Your righteousness, O God of our salvation, the security of all [who inhabit] the ends of the earth and distant seas.
7. With His strength He prepares [rain for] the mountains; He is girded with might.
8. He quiets the roar of the seas, the roar of their waves and the tumult of nations.
9. Those who inhabit the ends [of the earth] fear [You] because of Your signs; the emergences of morning and evening cause [man] to sing praise.
10. You remember the earth and water it, you enrich it abundantly [from] God's stream filled with water. You prepare their grain, for so do You prepare it.
11. You saturate its furrows, gratifying its legions; with showers You soften it and bless its growth.
12. You crown the year of Your goodness [with rain], and Your clouds drip abundance.
13. They drip on pastures of wilderness, and the hills gird themselves with joy.
14. The meadows don sheep, and the valleys cloak themselves with grain; they sound blasts, indeed they sing.
Chapter 66
This psalm describes the praises and awe-inspiring prayers that we will offer God upon the ingathering of the exiles.
1. For the Conductor, a song, a psalm. Raise your voices in jubilation to God, all the earth!
2. Sing the glory of His Name; make glorious His praise.
3. Say to God, "How awesome are Your deeds!" Because of Your great strength, Your enemies will [admit] their treachery to You.
4. All the earth will bow to You, and sing to You; they will sing praise to Your Name forever!
5. Go and see the works of God, awesome in His deeds toward mankind.
6. He turned the sea into dry land, and they passed through the river on foot; we rejoiced in Him there.
7. He rules the world with His might, and His eyes watch the nations; let the rebellious not exalt themselves, Selah.
8. Bless our God, O nations, and let the voice of His praise be heard.
9. He has kept us alive, and did not allow our feet to falter.
10. For You tested us, O God; You refined us as one refining silver.
11. You brought us into prison; You placed a chain upon our loins.
12. You mounted men over our head; we went through fire and water, and You brought us out to abundance.
13. I will enter Your House with burnt-offerings, I will pay to You my vows,
14. which my lips uttered and my mouth spoke in my distress.
15. I will offer up to You burnt-offerings of fat animals, with the smoke of rams; I will prepare cattle with he-goats, Selah.
16. Come listen, all you who fear God, and I will relate what He has done for my soul.
17. I called to Him with my mouth, with exaltation beneath my tongue.
18. Had I seen iniquity in my heart, my Lord would not have listened.
19. But in truth, God heard; He gave ear to the voice of my prayer.
20. Blessed is God Who has not turned away my prayer or His kindness from me.
Tanya: Iggeret HaKodesh, end of Epistle 17
• Lessons in Tanya
• Today's Tanya Lesson
• Sunday, 22 Elul, 5776 · 25 September 2016
• Iggeret HaKodesh, end of Epistle 17
Chumash: Parshat Nitzavim, 1st Portion (Deuteronomy 29:9-29:11) with Rashi
• Deuteronomy Chapter 29
9You are all standing this day before the Lord, your God the leaders of your tribes, your elders and your officers, every man of Israel, טאַתֶּ֨ם נִצָּבִ֤ים הַיּוֹם֙ כֻּלְּכֶ֔ם לִפְנֵ֖י יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹֽהֵיכֶ֑ם רָֽאשֵׁיכֶ֣ם שִׁבְטֵיכֶ֗ם זִקְנֵיכֶם֙ וְשֹׁ֣טְרֵיכֶ֔ם כֹּ֖ל אִ֥ישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵֽל:
You are all standing: [The verse says “this day,” which] teaches us that on the day of his death, Moses assembled Israel in the presence of the Holy One, Blessed is He, to bring them into [His] covenant. אתם נצבים: מלמד שכנסם משה לפני הקב"ה ביום מותו להכניסם בברית:
the leaders of your tribes: Heb. רָאשֵׁיכֶם שִׁבְטֵיכֶם, [lit., “your leaders, your tribes,” referring to two separate entities, which does not make sense here because “your tribes” includes the leaders. Rather, this means here:] “The leaders of your tribes.” ראשיכם שבטיכם: ראשיכם לשבטיכם:
your elders and your officers: [We learn from the order in this verse that] the more distinguished ones were mentioned first, and after this: “every man of Israel.” זקניכם ושטריכם: החשוב חשוב קודם ואחר כך כל איש ישראל:
10your young children, your women, and your convert who is within your camp both your woodcutters and your water drawers, יטַפְּכֶ֣ם נְשֵׁיכֶ֔ם וְגֵ֣רְךָ֔ אֲשֶׁ֖ר בְּקֶ֣רֶב מַֽחֲנֶ֑יךָ מֵֽחֹטֵ֣ב עֵצֶ֔יךָ עַ֖ד שֹׁאֵ֥ב מֵימֶֽיךָ:
both your woodcutters [and your water drawers]: [The mention of these people separate to the main community of Israel] teaches us that in the days of Moses, Canaanites came to convert [to Judaism], just as the Gibeonites came [to convert] in the days of Joshua. This is the meaning of the verse regarding the Gibeonites,“And they also acted cunningly…” (Josh. 9:4), [i. e., pretending that they had come from a far away country. When they were discovered, Joshua made them woodcutters and water drawers for Israel (see Josh. 9:3-27). Likewise here, the Canaanites attempted to deceive Moses,. but they did not succeed, and Moses did not accept them to be Jews. Rather,] Moses made them woodcutters and water drawers [i.e., slaves for Israel]. — [Tanchuma 2; Yev. 79a; see Rashi Gittin 23b] מחטב עציך: מלמד שבאו כנענים להתגייר בימי משה, כדרך שבאו גבעונים בימי יהושע. וזהו האמור בגבעונים (יהושע ט, ד) ויעשו גם המה בערמה, ונתנם משה חוטבי עצים ושואבי מים:
11that you may enter the covenant of the Lord, your God, and His oath, which the Lord, your God, is making with you this day, יאלְעָבְרְךָ֗ בִּבְרִ֛ית יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ וּבְאָֽלָת֑וֹ אֲשֶׁר֙ יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ כֹּרֵ֥ת עִמְּךָ֖ הַיּֽוֹם:
that you may enter: Heb. לְעָבְרְךָ. [Meaning,] “That you may pass through [i.e., enter] the covenant.” One should not understand this verb [to be in the causative conjugation,] to mean “to cause you to pass through,” [but rather, the verb is in the simple conjugation, and means that you yourselves will pass through]. This is similar to the expression, לַעֲשׂתְכֶם, “that you [yourselves] should do them” (Deut. 4:14). לעברך: להיותך עובר בברית. ולא יתכן לפרשו כמו להעבירך, אלא כמו (לעיל ד, יד) לעשותכם אותם:
that you may enter into the covenant: [lit.] “that you may pass through the covenant.” This was the method of those who made covenants: They would set up a demarcation on one side and a demarcation on the other, and [the respective parties of the covenant] “passed through” between [these partitions], as the verse says, “[when] they cut the calf in two and passed between its parts” (Jer. 34:18). לעברך בברית: דרך העברה, כך היו כורתים ברית, עושין מחיצה מכאן ומחיצה מכאן ועוברים בינתים, כמו שנאמר (ירמיה לד, יח) העגל אשר כרתו לשנים ויעברו בין בתריו:
Daily Tehillim: Psalms Chapters 106-107
• 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 106
The psalmist continues the theme of the previous psalm, praising God for performing other miracles not mentioned previously, for "who can recount the mighty acts of God?" Were we to try, we could not mention them all!
1. Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord for He is good, for His kindness is everlasting.
2. Who can recount the mighty acts of the Lord, or proclaim all His praises?
3. Fortunate are those who preserve justice, who perform deeds of righteousness all the time.
4. Remember me, Lord, when You find favor with Your people; be mindful of me with Your deliverance;
5. to behold the prosperity of Your chosen, to rejoice in the joy of Your nation, to glory with Your inheritance.
6. We have sinned as did our fathers, we have acted perversely and wickedly.
7. Our fathers in Egypt did not contemplate Your wonders, they did not remember Your abundant kindnesses, and they rebelled by the sea, at the Sea of Reeds.
8. Yet He delivered them for the sake of His Name, to make His strength known.
9. He roared at the Sea of Reeds and it dried up; He led them through the depths, as through a desert.
10. He saved them from the hand of the enemy, and redeemed them from the hand of the foe.
11. The waters engulfed their adversaries; not one of them remained.
12. Then they believed in His words, they sang His praise.
13. They quickly forgot His deeds, they did not wait for His counsel;
14. and they lusted a craving in the desert, they tested God in the wilderness.
15. And He gave them their request, but sent emaciation into their souls.
16. They angered Moses in the camp, and Aaron, the Lord's holy one.
17. The earth opened and swallowed Dathan, and engulfed the company of Abiram;
18. and a fire burned in their assembly, a flame set the wicked ablaze.
19. They made a calf in Horeb, and bowed down to a molten image.
20. They exchanged their Glory for the likeness of a grass-eating ox.
21. They forgot God, their savior, Who had performed great deeds in Egypt,
22. wonders in the land of Ham, awesome things at the Sea of Reeds.
23. He said that He would destroy them-had not Moses His chosen one stood in the breach before Him, to turn away His wrath from destroying.
24. They despised the desirable land, they did not believe His word.
25. And they murmured in their tents, they did not heed the voice of the Lord.
26. So He raised His hand [in oath] against them, to cast them down in the wilderness,
27. to throw down their progeny among the nations, and to scatter them among the lands.
28. They joined themselves to [the idol] Baal Peor, and ate of the sacrifices to the dead;
29. they provoked Him with their doings, and a plague broke out in their midst.
30. Then Phineas arose and executed judgement, and the plague was stayed;
31. it was accounted for him as a righteous deed, through all generations, forever.
32. They angered Him at the waters of Merivah, and Moses suffered on their account;
33. for they defied His spirit, and He pronounced [an oath] with His lips.
34. They did not destroy the nations as the Lord had instructed them;
35. rather, they mingled with the nations and learned their deeds.
36. They worshipped their idols, and they became a snare for them.
37. They sacrificed their sons and daughters to demons.
38. They spilled innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan; and the land became guilty with blood.
39. They were defiled by their deeds, and went astray by their actions.
40. And the Lord's wrath blazed against His people, and He abhorred His inheritance;
41. so He delivered them into the hands of nations, and their enemies ruled them.
42. Their enemies oppressed them, and they were subdued under their hand.
43. Many times did He save them, yet they were rebellious in their counsel and were impoverished by their sins.
44. But He saw their distress, when He heard their prayer;
45. and He remembered for them His covenant and He relented, in keeping with His abounding kindness,
46. and He caused them to be treated mercifully by all their captors.
47. Deliver us, Lord our God; gather us from among the nations, that we may give thanks to Your Holy Name and glory in Your praise.
48. Blessed is the Lord, the God of Israel, forever and ever. And let all the people say, "Amen! Praise the Lord!"
Chapter 107
This psalm speaks of those who are saved from four specific perilous situations(imprisonment, sickness, desert travel, and sea travel) and must thank God, for their sins caused their troubles, and only by the kindness of God were they saved. It is therefore appropriate that they praise God and tell of their salvation to all.
1. Give thanks to the Lord for He is good, for His kindness is everlasting.
2. So shall say those redeemed by the Lord, those whom He redeemed from the hand of the oppressor.
3. He gathered them from the lands-from east and from west, from north and from the sea.
4. They lost their way in the wilderness, in the wasteland; they found no inhabited city.
5. Both hungry and thirsty, their soul languished within them.
6. They cried out to the Lord in their distress; He delivered them from their afflictions.
7. He guided them in the right path to reach an inhabited city.
8. Let them give thanks to the Lord, and [proclaim] His wonders to the children of man,
9. for He has satiated a thirsting soul, and filled a hungry soul with goodness.
10. Those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, bound in misery and chains of iron,
11. for they defied the words of God and spurned the counsel of the Most High-
12. He humbled their heart through suffering; they stumbled and there was none to help.
13. They cried out to the Lord in their distress; He saved them from their afflictions.
14. He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and sundered their bonds.
15. Let them give thanks to the Lord for His kindness, and [proclaim] His wonders to the children of man,
16. for He broke the brass gates and smashed the iron bars.
17. Foolish sinners are afflicted because of their sinful ways and their wrongdoings.
18. Their soul loathes all food, and they reach the gates of death.
19. They cried out to the Lord in their distress; He saved them from their afflictions.
20. He sent forth His command and healed them; He delivered them from their graves.
21. Let them give thanks to the Lord for His kindness, and [proclaim] His wonders to the children of man.
22. Let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving, and joyfully recount His deeds.
23. Those who go down to the sea in ships, who perform tasks in mighty waters;
24. they saw the works of the Lord and His wonders in the deep.
25. He spoke and caused the stormy wind to rise, and it lifted up the waves.
26. They rise to the sky, plunge to the depths; their soul melts in distress.
27. They reel and stagger like a drunkard, all their skill is to no avail.
28. They cried out to the Lord in their distress, and He brought them out from their calamity.
29. He transformed the storm into stillness, and the waves were quieted.
30. They rejoiced when they were silenced, and He led them to their destination.
31. Let them give thanks to the Lord for His kindness, and [proclaim] His wonders to the children of man.
32. Let them exalt Him in the congregation of the people, and praise Him in the assembly of the elders.
33. He turns rivers into desert, springs of water into parched land,
34. a fruitful land into a salt-marsh, because of the wickedness of those who inhabit it.
35. He turns a desert into a lake, and parched land into springs of water.
36. He settles the hungry there, and they establish a city of habitation.
37. They sow fields and plant vineyards which yield fruit and wheat.
38. He blesses them and they multiply greatly, and He does not decrease their cattle.
39. [If they sin,] they are diminished and cast down through oppression, misery, and sorrow.
40. He pours contempt upon distinguished men, and causes them to stray in a pathless wilderness.
41. He raises the needy from distress, and makes their families [as numerous] as flocks.
42. The upright observe this and rejoice, and all the wicked close their mouth.
43. Let him who is wise bear these in mind, and then the benevolent acts of the Lord will be understood.
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 64, 65 and 66.
Chapter 64
The masters of homiletics interpret this psalm as alluding to Daniel, who was thrown into the lion's den. With divine inspiration, David foresaw the event and prayed for him. Daniel was a descendant of David, as can be inferred from God's statement to Hezekiah (himself of Davidic lineage), "And from your children, who will issue forth from you, they will take, and they (referring to, amongst others, Daniel) will be ministers in the palace of the king of Babylon."
1. For the Conductor, a psalm by David.
2. Hear my voice, O God, as I recount [my woes]; preserve my life from the terror of the enemy.
3. Shelter me from the schemes of the wicked, from the conspiracy of evildoers,
4. who have sharpened their tongue like the sword, aimed their arrow-a bitter word-
5. to shoot at the innocent from hidden places; suddenly they shoot at him, they are not afraid.
6. They encourage themselves in an evil thing, they speak of laying traps; they say: "Who will see them?”
7. They sought pretexts; [and when] they completed a diligent search, each man [kept the plot] inside, deep in the heart.
8. But God shot at them; [like] a sudden arrow were their blows.
9. Their own tongues caused them to stumble; all who see them shake their heads [derisively].
10. Then all men feared, and recounted the work of God; they perceived His deed.
11. Let the righteous one rejoice in the Lord and take refuge in Him, and let them take pride-all upright of heart.
Chapter 65
This psalm contains awe-inspiring and glorious praises to God, as well as entreaties and prayers concerning our sins. It declares it impossible to recount God's greatness, for who can recount His mighty acts? Hence, silence is His praise.
1. For the Conductor, a psalm by David, a song.
2. Silence is praise for You, O God [Who dwells in] Zion; and to You vows will be paid.
3. O Heeder of prayer, to You does all flesh come.
4. Matters of sin overwhelm me; You will pardon our transgressions.
5. Fortunate is [the nation] whom You choose and draw near, to dwell in Your courtyards; may we be sated with the goodness of Your House, with the holiness of Your Sanctuary.
6. Answer us with awesome deeds as befits Your righteousness, O God of our salvation, the security of all [who inhabit] the ends of the earth and distant seas.
7. With His strength He prepares [rain for] the mountains; He is girded with might.
8. He quiets the roar of the seas, the roar of their waves and the tumult of nations.
9. Those who inhabit the ends [of the earth] fear [You] because of Your signs; the emergences of morning and evening cause [man] to sing praise.
10. You remember the earth and water it, you enrich it abundantly [from] God's stream filled with water. You prepare their grain, for so do You prepare it.
11. You saturate its furrows, gratifying its legions; with showers You soften it and bless its growth.
12. You crown the year of Your goodness [with rain], and Your clouds drip abundance.
13. They drip on pastures of wilderness, and the hills gird themselves with joy.
14. The meadows don sheep, and the valleys cloak themselves with grain; they sound blasts, indeed they sing.
Chapter 66
This psalm describes the praises and awe-inspiring prayers that we will offer God upon the ingathering of the exiles.
1. For the Conductor, a song, a psalm. Raise your voices in jubilation to God, all the earth!
2. Sing the glory of His Name; make glorious His praise.
3. Say to God, "How awesome are Your deeds!" Because of Your great strength, Your enemies will [admit] their treachery to You.
4. All the earth will bow to You, and sing to You; they will sing praise to Your Name forever!
5. Go and see the works of God, awesome in His deeds toward mankind.
6. He turned the sea into dry land, and they passed through the river on foot; we rejoiced in Him there.
7. He rules the world with His might, and His eyes watch the nations; let the rebellious not exalt themselves, Selah.
8. Bless our God, O nations, and let the voice of His praise be heard.
9. He has kept us alive, and did not allow our feet to falter.
10. For You tested us, O God; You refined us as one refining silver.
11. You brought us into prison; You placed a chain upon our loins.
12. You mounted men over our head; we went through fire and water, and You brought us out to abundance.
13. I will enter Your House with burnt-offerings, I will pay to You my vows,
14. which my lips uttered and my mouth spoke in my distress.
15. I will offer up to You burnt-offerings of fat animals, with the smoke of rams; I will prepare cattle with he-goats, Selah.
16. Come listen, all you who fear God, and I will relate what He has done for my soul.
17. I called to Him with my mouth, with exaltation beneath my tongue.
18. Had I seen iniquity in my heart, my Lord would not have listened.
19. But in truth, God heard; He gave ear to the voice of my prayer.
20. Blessed is God Who has not turned away my prayer or His kindness from me.
Tanya: Iggeret HaKodesh, end of Epistle 17
• Lessons in Tanya
• Today's Tanya Lesson
• Sunday, 22 Elul, 5776 · 25 September 2016
• Iggeret HaKodesh, end of Epistle 17
• וזהו שאמרו רז״ל: ועטרותיהם בראשיהם, ונהנין כו׳
And this is the meaning of the teaching of our Sages, of blessed memory:1“[In the World to Come — here meaning Gan Eden — there is no eating and drinking..., but the righteous sit] with their crowns on their heads, and they take delight [in the radiance of the Divine Presence].”2
עטרה היא בחינת מקיף וסובב
A crown (atarah) is something that encompasses and encircles,
This refers to an illumination that neither contracts nor adapts itself so that it can be vested in varying degrees within created beings; rather, it descends to the worlds3 and encompasses them all equally.
ונקרא כתר, מלשון כותרת
and is called keter, as related to koteret, the capital which crowns a column,4 as in the Beit HaMikdash built by King Solomon (I Kings, ch. 7).
Atarah is thus a crown worn on the head,5 while keter means (as well) the crown atop a column.
Since the illumination of light from the Sefirah of Keter that will be revealed in the World to Come results from the performance of the mitzvot that are likened to 620 תר״ך columns of light (corresponding to the 613 Torah commandments and seven Rabbinic commandments, numerically equal to the word כתר),6 the Alter Rebbe also explains the term “crown” as it applies to a column.
והוא בחינת ממוצע המחבר הארת המאציל, אין סוף ברוך הוא, להנאצלים
[The Sefirah of Keter] is an intermediary which joins the radiation and revelation of the Emanator, the blessed Ein Sof, to the emanated beings in the World of Atzilut,
The Emanator is infinite, while the emanated beings — which are within a world, and even the loftiest of worlds is bound by limitation — are finite. There must therefore be an intermediary between the two. It is the Sefirah of Keter that serves as this intermediary, for its internal dimension is related to the Emanator and its external dimension is related to the emanated beings. It is thus through the Sefirah of Keter that the [infinite] Ein Sof-light is drawn into the World of Atzilut and to the emanated beings which populate it.
ולעתיד יאיר ויתגלה בעולם הזה, לכל הצדיקים שיקומו בתחייה
and in the future it will radiate and become revealed in this world to all the righteous who will rise with the Resurrection,
ועמך כולם צדיקים כו׳
This transcendent degree of Divine light will thus be revealed to the entire Jewish people.
Accordingly, the illumination that presently is received only by those beings that inhabit the World of Atzilut will radiate in the World to Come to this physical world as well. For unlike the indwelling illumination of Gan Eden that is dependent upon the level and comprehension of each recipient, this revelation is an encompassing light from theSefirah of Keter, which does not undergo contraction, but radiates to all equally.
This results in a state of total revelation, whereby the very Essence of Divinity is visually perceived (re’iyat hamahut), as it is written,10 “The glory of G‑d shall be revealed, and together all flesh shall see...”
וזהו שאמרו רז״ל: עתידים צדיקים שיאמרו לפניהם קדוש
And this is the meaning of the teaching of our Sages, of blessed memory:11“In the future the righteous will be lauded as holy,” as G‑d is praised now.
כי קדוש הוא בחינת מובדל
For “holy” signifies [lofty] separation;
שאינו בגדר השגה ודעת
it is not subject to apprehension and knowledge,
כי הוא למעלה מעלה מבחינת החכמה ודעת שבגן עדן
because it transcends by far the wisdom and knowledge which are attainable in Gan Eden.
כי החכמה מאין תמצא, כתיב
For Scripture states,12 “Chochmah shall be found from ayin (‘naught’).”
הוא בחינת כתר עליון, הנקרא אין בזוהר הקדוש
This refers to the Supreme Keter which, in the sacred Zohar,13 is calledayin;
והשפעתו והארתו בבחינת גילוי, הוא דוקא כשהנשמה תתלבש בגוף זך וצח אחר התחיה
and the bestowal of its radiance is manifest, i.e., its essence is apprehended,only when, after the Resurrection, the soul is vested in a pure and clear body.
The Alter Rebbe now goes on to explain why in Gan Eden, when the soul is not encumbered by a body, the light of Keter cannot be manifest, whereas — paradoxically — this revelation becomes possible only in the World to Come at the time of the Resurrection, when the soul is once again invested within a body.
(For, as is well known,14 the determining opinion is that of the Ramban,15 who states that the ultimate reward will be specifically at the time of the Resurrection, when the soul will again be found within a body.)
כי נעוץ תחלתן בסופן דוקא
For16 “Their beginning (i.e., the loftiest initial level) is wedged in their end.”
This is explained in the teachings of Chassidut17 as follows: “Beginning” refers to a level of Divinity that utterly transcends the evolvement of any created worlds. This level of Divinity is wedged in the last level preceding the creation of the evolving worlds, theSefirah of Keter. Keter is revealed only in the “end” of all worlds — i.e., within this physical world — during the time of the Resurrection. Gan Eden, by contrast, is incapable of receiving this transcendent level of revelation in an internalized manner.
Thus, while the lesser radiance that is muted to match the respective limitations of the evolving worlds can be absorbed by the soul (in Gan Eden) in its disembodied state, the transcendent radiance issuing from Keter is revealed to the soul only when it is clothed within a body.
וסוף מעשה במחשבה תחלה כו׳, כנודע
Likewise, as is known,18 “The final deed — i.e., the last stage of creation: this physical world — was first in thought....”
Thought and creation both have aspects that are “first” and “last”; the “last” (i.e., lowest) level of creation, which is this world, is rooted in the “beginning” (i.e., in the highest level) of the Divine thought.
This is why specifically the deeds performed in this “last” world of creation, while the soul is clothed in a physical body, are able to elicit and draw down the radiance of Keter. As explained here by the Alter Rebbe, this refers to the mitzvah of tzedakah, as well as tomitzvot in general, all of which are termed “tzedakah”.19 For it is the performance of physical mitzvot in this material world that arose first in G‑d’s thought and will, at the level of the Divine Keter, for the physical mitzvot are the ultimate purpose of creation.
Returning to the earlier discussion: It is now clear why in future time the righteous (and “Your people are all righteous”) will be lauded as holy: they will all have revealed to them that Divine radiance that is “holy” in the sense that it transcends apprehension. Moreover, they will become so unified with this revelation that the term “holy” will apply to them as well.
אך אי אפשר להגיע למדרגה זו, עד שיהא בגן עדן תחלה
But it is impossible to attain this level of being able to absorb the transcendent light of Sovev Kol Almin, until one has first been in Gan Eden,
להשיג בחינת חכמה עילאה כו׳ אפשר צריך להיות: כל חד כפום שיעורא דיליה
For, as explained earlier, the lesser Divine light that radiates in Gan Eden is received by each soul according to its own particular degree.
וטל תורה מחייהו
(The Rebbe adds here that the soul will then rise at the time of the Resurrection of the Dead through the “dew of the Torah,” for, as our Sages teach,22 “[Whoever engages in the study of the Torah,]) the dew of Torah revives him [at the time of the Resurrection].”
The verse upon which our Sages base this teaching reads:23 “Your dead shall be resurrected...; those who lie in the dust shall awaken and sing joyful praises; for the Dew of Lights shall be your dew....” It is thus clear that the revival effected by “the dew of the Torah” refers to the Resurrection of the Dead.
והקיצות, היא תשיחך גו׳, ודי למבין
(The Rebbe adds: Thereafter,)24 “When you will awaken, it (i.e., the Torah)will cause you to speak...,” and this promise, as expounded in Avot,25 refers to the time of the World to Come. This will suffice for the discerning.
In order to attain the level of Sovev Kol Almin at the time of the Resurrection, the soul must first be in Gan Eden and apprehend Supernal Chochmah according to its particular degree and level. For though in Gan Eden the soul apprehends no higher than the lesser, permeating Divine light called Memaleh Kol Almin, its perception is nevertheless augmented by the light of Keter which also illumines it. The soul indeed apprehends the latter enlightenment only to the extent of yediat hametziut (lit., “a knowledge of its existence”; i.e., by the “encompassing” perception known as makkif), rather than with the penetrating revelation of hassagat hamahut (lit., “an understanding of its essence”).26Nevertheless, this added illumination enables the soul at the time of the Resurrection to comprehend the essence of the revelation of Sovev Kol Almin.
Since, as stated above, the soul in Gan Eden apprehends indwelling lights, its experience of Gan Eden consists of the revelation of the Torah within the soul, so to speak, for the Torah is likened to “food” (as in the verse,27 “for Your Torah is within my inward parts”) — i.e., something that affects one from within, as explained at length above, in Part I, ch. 5. However, Gan Eden is also illumined by a glimmering of the radiation that results from the performance of mitzvot, and these act as “garments” and “encompassing lights” for the soul in Gan Eden, as mentioned in the above letter.
At the time of the World to Come, at the time of the Resurrection, the superior light ofSovev Kol Almin will be revealed chiefly as a result of one’s present performance ofmitzvot. This comes about through and together with the “dew of Torah” that “revives him” and “causes [him] to speak.”
The Alter Rebbe now returns to the above-quoted verse, “Your commandment is very wide.” Having earlier explained that “Your commandment” (in the singular) refers to G‑d’s own commandment, viz., tzedakah, he now goes on to explain the words, “is very wide”: the mitzvah of tzedakah is a vessel so capacious that it can contain the revelation of G‑d’s infinite light at the time of the Resurrection.
וזהו: רחבה מצותך מאד
And this is the meaning of [the verse], “And your commandment is very wide.”
היא מצות הצדקה, שהיא כלי ושטח רחב מאד, להתלבש בה הארת אור אין סוף ברוך הוא
This refers to the precept of charity, which is a vessel of great volume, in which the radiation from the [infinite] Ein Sof-light may be invested,
וכמו שכתוב: לבושו צדקה
אשר יאיר לעתיד בבחינת בלי גבול ותכלית
In the future this [light] will radiate without limit or end,
בחסד חנם באתערותא דלתתא זו, הנקראת דרך ה׳
with a gratuitous [Divine] kindness elicited by this arousal from below —by the kindness and tzedakah initiated by man — which is called “the path of G‑d.”
As mentioned above, even when this Divine revelation is granted in response to an arousal from below it is still considered “gratuitous kindness,” for it is granted out of all proportion to man’s actions; man’s tzedakah is no more than a vessel which enables him to receive the benevolence of this Divine revelation.
וזהו לשון מאד, שהוא בלי גבול ותכלית
And this is the meaning of the term “very [wide],” signifying limitlessness and endlessness: tzedakah acts as an infinitely wide vessel for receiving an infinite degree of G‑d-liness.
אבל: לכל תכלה ראיתי קץ
However, at the beginning of the verse quoted above,30 [it is written,] “To every tichlah (lit., “conclusion”) I have seen an end.”
תכלה היא מלשון כלות הנפש שבגן עדן
The word tichlah is related to the term kalot hanefesh, the intense yearning — to the point of expiry — of the soul in Gan Eden,
שהיא בבחינת קץ ותכלית וצמצום, כנ״ל
for it (i.e., the Divine light that is yearned for in Gan Eden) does have an end and a limit, and undergoes contraction, as mentioned above: this is the radiation of the finite light called Memaleh Kol Almin.
Likkutei Levi Yitzchak, authored by the father of the Rebbe, explains how “end”, “limit” and “contraction” respectively refer to three kinds of illumination that radiate within Gan Eden. It also explains why the verse chooses to use the word “end” rather than “limit” or “contraction.”
ולכל תכלה
As to the term “to every [kind of] tichlah,” when the verse is alluding only to the yearning of souls in Gan Eden,
הוא לפי שיש כמה וכמה מעלות ומדרגות גן עדן, זה למעלה מזה, עד רום המעלות
this is used because there are numerous levels and rungs of Gan Eden,one higher than the other, to the topmost of levels.
כמו שכתוב בלקוטי הש״ס מהאריז״ל, בפירוש מאמר רז״ל: תלמידי חכמים אין להם מנוחה כו׳
As is written in Likkutei HaShas by R. Isaac Luria, of blessed memory, in explanation of the teaching of our Sages, of blessed memory,31 “Torah scholars have no rest [in this world nor in the next],”
שעולים תמיד ממדרגה למדרגה בהשגת התורה, שאין לה סוף כו׳
because they are constantly rising from level to level in [their] grasp of the Torah, which has no end... —
עד אחר התחיה, שיהיה להם מנוחה כו׳
until after the Resurrection, when they will have rest..., for that time will be32 “a day which is entirely Shabbat, and rest.”
At that time there will be revealed a radiance from G‑d’s Essence that utterly transcends levels; elevation from level to level will thus be not only impossible but also unnecessary. At that time mortal souls will finally find repose, as they delight in the radiance of G‑d’s Essence.
FOOTNOTES
2.
Note of the Rebbe: “The former phrase (`with their crowns on their heads’) alludes to makkif, the encompassing light; adding to this, the latter phrase (`and they take delight [in the Divine Presence]’) alludes to pnimi, the indwelling light.”
3.
At this point the Rebbe noted that although this illumination is present even in the lower worlds, it cannot be said that it illumines them with the same degree of luminosity as in its own inherent state. For while it is true that the light of “Sovev Kol Almin illumines all worlds equally, there yet remains an entirely separate question — whether it is revealed [to the worlds to quite the same degree] as it exists in itself [which indeed it does not do]. [By way of analogy:] Though a king’s august majesty transcends all of his subjects equally, their perception of it does not at all resemble its own intrinsic state. (Indeed, this is true not only with regard to the king’s objective essence, but even insofar as he is revealed to — and is aware of — himself.)”
4.
Note of the Rebbe: “I.e., this is the etymology that is relevant here, rather than that of katar li [Iyov 36:2; lit., `wait for me’], which implies silence and abnegation. (See Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 69a; beginning of Hemshech5672.)”
9.
Note of the Rebbe: “This verse is cited here, for this is one of the differences between the time of the Resurrection and Gan Eden. As to the former, `Your people are allrighteous,’ whereas Gan Eden is not merited by all (see Torah Or, Parshat Yitro73b; Likkutei Torah; and elsewhere).”
Although the Alter Rebbe says below that “it is impossible to attain this level until one has first been in Gan Eden,” which would seem to presuppose that all Jews will meritGan Eden as well, the Rebbe notes that when the Alter Rebbe writes above that “Your people are all righteous” he means only that “they will all rise at the Resurrection, which will embrace everyone from Moshe Rabbeinu and the Patriarchs and so on, to the water-drawers. And it is self-evident that there will be enormous distinctions between their respective revelations at that time, each according to his measure (in Gan Eden), and so on.”
12.
Iyov 28:12. Note of the Rebbe: “In the place where Chochmah is to be found(Gan Eden), [the level of] Keter is in a state of concealment — ayin.”
14.
See Sefer HaMitzvot of the Tzemach Tzedek (Derech Mitzvo-techa), Mitzvat Tzitzit. See also Likkutei Torah, Parshat Tzav, p. 15c.
21.
The parenthetical text means “etc.”, and the bracketed text that follows it suggests instead “each one.” The Rebbe notes that the anomalous “etc.” grew out of a copyist’s error in which its Hebrew abbreviation כו׳ was substituted for כ״ח, an abbreviation for כל חד (“each one”).
22.
Note of the Rebbe: “Cf. Ketubbot 111b, and see above, conclusion of ch. 36.” See also Likkutei Sichot, Vol. XI, p. 193 (footnote).
| Rambam: Sefer Hamitzvos: |
• Sunday, 22 Elul, 5776 · 25 September 2016
• Today's Mitzvah
A daily digest of Maimonides’ classic work "Sefer Hamitzvot"
Important Message Regarding This Lesson
The Daily Mitzvah schedule runs parallel to the daily study of 3 chapters of Maimonides' 14-volume code. There are instances when the Mitzvah is repeated a few days consecutively while the exploration of the same Mitzvah continues in the in-depth track.
Positive Commandment 248 (Digest)
Laws of Inheritance
"If a man dies and he has no son..."—Numbers 27:8.
We are commanded regarding the laws of inheritance [to follow the inheritance laws detailed in the Torah]. Included in this mitzvah is that the firstborn receives a double portion from his father's estate.
• Laws of Inheritance
The 248th mitzvah is that we are commanded regarding the laws of inheritance.
The source of this commandment is G‑d's statement1 (exalted be He), "If a man dies and has no son..."
This mitzvah undoubtedly includes the law that the firstborn son inherits a double portion,2 since this is part of the laws of inheritance.
The details of this mitzvah are explained in the 8th and 9th chapters of tractate Bava Basra.
Rabbi Berel Bell is a well-known educator, author and lecturer. He and his family reside in Montreal, Canada.
From "Sefer Hamitzvot in English," published by Sichos in English.
FOOTNOTES
1.Num. 27:8.
2.Deut. 21:17.
• Today's Mitzvah
A daily digest of Maimonides’ classic work "Sefer Hamitzvot"
Important Message Regarding This Lesson
The Daily Mitzvah schedule runs parallel to the daily study of 3 chapters of Maimonides' 14-volume code. There are instances when the Mitzvah is repeated a few days consecutively while the exploration of the same Mitzvah continues in the in-depth track.
Positive Commandment 248 (Digest)
Laws of Inheritance
"If a man dies and he has no son..."—Numbers 27:8.
We are commanded regarding the laws of inheritance [to follow the inheritance laws detailed in the Torah]. Included in this mitzvah is that the firstborn receives a double portion from his father's estate.
• Laws of Inheritance
The 248th mitzvah is that we are commanded regarding the laws of inheritance.
The source of this commandment is G‑d's statement1 (exalted be He), "If a man dies and has no son..."
This mitzvah undoubtedly includes the law that the firstborn son inherits a double portion,2 since this is part of the laws of inheritance.
The details of this mitzvah are explained in the 8th and 9th chapters of tractate Bava Basra.
Rabbi Berel Bell is a well-known educator, author and lecturer. He and his family reside in Montreal, Canada.
From "Sefer Hamitzvot in English," published by Sichos in English.
FOOTNOTES
1.Num. 27:8.
2.Deut. 21:17.
• Rambam - 1 Chapter a Day She'ar Avot haTum'ah - Chapter 2
• She'ar Avot haTum'ah - Chapter 2
• Rambam - 3 Chapters a Day Nachalot - Chapter 9, Nachalot - Chapter 10, Nachalot - Chapter 11
1
When a non-kosher domesticated animal or wild animal was slaughtered, it does not impart the impurity of a carcass as long as it is in its death-throes unless its head is cut off. Instead, it is considered as impure food. If it is killed by being stabbed in the throat and it is in its death throes, as long as it makes convulsive movements, it is not even considered as impure food.
A limb that is separated from an animal that is making convulsive movements is forbidden to a Noachide, as if it were separated from a living animal. And meat that is separated from it is considered as having been separated from a living animal. Similarly, when a kosher animal is slaughtered in an unacceptable manner and it is still making convulsive movements or one of its signs or the majority of one was slit, it is not considered impure at all until it dies.
If one divides an animal in half or one removes its thigh and its inner cavity, it is considered as a carcass and it imparts impurity when carried and when touched, even though it shows signs of life. Similarly, if it was ripped apart from its back or its back bone was broken and the majority of the meat around it severed, it is considered as a carcass in all contexts.
א
בהמה או חיה טמאה שנשחטה אינה מטמאה משום נבילה כל זמן שהיא מפרכסת עד שיתיז את ראשה והרי היא כאוכלין טמאין נחרה והרי היא מפרכסת אין בה אפילו טומאת אוכלין כל זמן שהיא מפרכסת ואבר הפורש מן המפרכסת אסור לבני נח כפורש מן החי ובשר הפורש ממנה כפורש מן החי וכן טהורה שנפסלה בשחיטתה ועדיין היא מפרכסת או שחט בה אחד או רוב אחד אין לה טומאה כלל עד שתמות חלק בהמה לשנים או שניטלה ירך וחלל שלה הרי זו נבילה ומטמאה במשא ובמגע אע"פ שהיא עדיין בחיים וכן אם קרעה מגבה או שנשברה מפרקת ורוב בשר עמה הרי זו כנבילה לכל דבר:
2
When the fetus of an animal dies within its womb and a shepherd inserts his hand and touches it - whether it is a non-kosher species or a kosher species - the shepherd who touches it is considered pure until he removes the stillborn animal from the womb.
ב
בהמה שמת עוברה בתוך מעיה והושיט הרועה את ידו ונגע בו בין בבהמה טמאה בין בטהורה הרי זה הנוגע טהור עד שיצא הנפל לאויר העולם:
3
Meat that is separated from a domesticated or wild animal - whether from a kosher species or a non-kosher species - in their lifetime is ritually pure and does not impart impurity as a carcass does. When, however, an entire limb is separated from a living animal, it does impart impurity as a carcass does. This applies to a limb from a living animal itself or from a fetus in its womb.
There is no minimum measure to the size of a limb. Even if it is the size of a barley-corn or smaller, it imparts impurity provided it was intact as when it came into being with flesh, sinews, and bones. It must have enough flesh to regenerate and return to a state of wholeness. If the limb did not have enough flesh to return to a state of wholeness or the bone was lacking, it is pure.
ג
בשר הפורש מבהמה וחיה כשהן חיין בין טהורין בין טמאין טהור ואינו מטמא כנבילה אבל אבר מן החי הפורש מהן מטמא כנבלה אחד אבר מן החי הפורש מן הבהמה עצמה או אבר הפורש מן השליל שבבטנה והאיברים אין להן שיעור אפילו היה כשעורה או פחות מטמא והוא שיהיה האבר כברייתו בשר וגידין ועצמות ויהיה עליו בשר כדי להעלות ארוכה היה הבשר פחות מהעלות ארוכה בחי או חסר עצמו טהור:
4
A kidney, the tongue, the lips, and like - even though they are organs and will not regenerate - are considered as meat in this context, because they do not have bones, they.
ד.
הכוליא והלשון והשפה וכיוצא בהן אף על פי שהן איברים ואין עושין חליפין הואיל ואין בהם עצם הרי הן כבשר:
5
The flesh or a limb of a domesticated or wild animal that could not regain its vitality and reconnect with the remainder of the body does not impart impurity as a carcass does as long as the animal is alive. Instead, they are considered as like other edible substances. If they were made fit to contract impurity, they can contract impurity while attached to the animal.
If the animal was slaughtered, the slaughter causes the flesh or the limb that had been maimed to be considered fit to contract impurity, but they do not impart impurity as a carcass does. For the slaughter of the animal does not cause them to be considered as if they were separated from the animal during its lifetime. If, by contrast, the animal died, the flesh that was hanging loosely from it during its lifetime must be made fit to contract ritual impurity and a limb that had been hanging loosely imparts impurity as a limb from a living animal and not as a limb from a carcass.
What is the difference between a limb from a living animal and a limb from a carcass? Meat that was cut from a limb separated from a living animal is pure, while meat cut from a carcass imparts impurity when touched or carried if an olive-sized portion is present. The same measure applies in both instances.
ה
הבשר או האבר המדולדלין בבהמה או חיה שאינן יכולין לחיות ולהדביק בשאר הגוף אינן מטמאין כנבילה כל זמן שהבהמה בחיים והרי הן כשאר אוכלין אם הוכשרו מקבלין טומאה במקומה נשחטה הבהמה הוכשרו בשחיטה ואינן מטמאין כנבילה שאין השחיטה עושה אותן כמו שפירשו מחיים אבל אם מתה הבהמה הבשר שהיה מדולדל בה צריך הכשר והאבר מטמא משום אבר מן החי ואינו מטמא משום אבר מן הנבילה ומה בין אבר מן החי לאבר מן הנבילה שהבשר הפורש מאבר מן החי טהור והבשר הפורש מאבר מן הנבילה מטמא בכזית במגע ובמשא וזה וזה שוין לשיעור:
6
When an animal that was tereifah was slaughtered in a proper manner, even though it is forbidden to be eaten, it is pure. Similarly, when a person slaughters an animal and discovers a dead fetus, the slaughter of its mother purifies it from imparting the impurity associated with a carcass.
If one discovers a fetus that is in its eighth month and is alive, it is considered as a tereifah. Even if it is slaughtered after it was deemed tereifah, the slaughter does not prevent it from imparting the impurity associated with a carcass. The rationale is that there is no concept of ritual slaughter for an animal of this type.
Based on this logic, when the offspring of an animal was not kept for seven full days before it was slaughtered, the slaughter does not prevent it from imparting the impurity associated with a carcass, because such an animal is considered like a non-viable offspring.
ו
טריפה שנשחטה שחיטה כשירה אע"פ שהיא אסורה באכילה הרי היא טהורה וכן השוחט את הבהמה ומצא בה עובר מת שחיטת אמו מטהרתו מידי נבילה מצא בה בן שמונה חי נטרף אף על פי שנשחט אחר שנטרף אין שחיטתו מטהרתו מידי נבילה לפי שאין למינו שחיטה לפיכך ולד בהמה שלא שהה ז' ימים גמורין אם שחטו בתוך ז' אין שחיטתו מטהרתו מידי נבילה מפני שהוא כנפל:
7
As explained, when a person slaughters an animal and finds a living fetus that has been carried for nine months, ritual slaughter is not required before it steps on the ground, because the slaughter of its mother causes it to be considered as pure. Nevertheless, if its mother becomes impure before the fetus was removed, the fetus does not contract impurity. If the slaughter of its mother was not performed successfully and the mother became considered as a carcass, the living fetus remains pure. The rationale is that a living being does not contract impurity at all, not the impurity associated with foods, nor the impurity associated with a carcass, even though it is considered as one of the limbs of the mother. If it dies before it steps on the ground, it is pure, because the slaughter of its mother causes it to be deemed pure.
ז
השוחט את הבהמה ומצא בה בן ט' חי קודם שיהלך על הקרקע אע"פ שאין צריך שחיטה כמו שביארנו שהרי שחיטת אמו מטהרתו אם נטמאת אמו לא נטמא הוא ואם נתנבלה אמו הרי הוא טהור שאין החי מתטמא לא טומאת אוכלין ולא טומאת נבילות ואף על פי שהוא כאבר מאיבריה ואם מת קודם שיפריס על גבי קרקע הרי הוא טהור ששחיטת אמו טהרתו:
8
When an animal that is tereifah was slaughtered, even though its meat is pure according to Scriptural Law, if meat from a sacrificial animal touches it, the sacrificial meat contracts impurity according to Rabbinic Law. This is an added stringency applied with regard to consecrated foods.
ח
טריפה שנשחטה אע"פ שהיא טהורה מן התורה אם נגע בה הקדש נטמא מדברי סופרים וזו מעלה יתירה שעשו בקודש:
9
The following laws apply when an animal had difficulty birthing its offspring. If, after the fetus stuck out its foot and it was cut off, the mother was then slaughtered, the limb that was cut off is considered as if it was from a carcass, but the remainder of the meat of the fetus is pure.
If the mother was slaughtered and then the limb was cut off, the limb is considered as the meat of a tereifah animal that was slaughtered. The remainder of the meat of the fetus is considered as meat that touched a tereifah animal that was slaughtered which imparts impurity to consecrated foods, but not to terumah.
If the fetus stuck out its foot between the slaughter of one sign and the other and it was cut off, the slitting of the second sign is joined to the slitting of the first to purify the limb from imparting impurity as a carcass does.
ט
בהמה המקשה לילד והוציא העובר את ידו וחתכה ואח"כ שחט את אמו האבר שנחתך נבילה ושאר בשר העובר טהור שחט את אמו ואחר כך חתכה האבר כטריפה שנשחטה ושאר בשר העובר מגע טריפה שחוטה שהיא מטמאה את הקודש אבל לא את התרומה הוציא העובר את ידו בין שחיטת סימן לשחיטת סימן וחתכו מצטרף שחיטת סימן לסימן לטהר האבר מידי נבילה:
10
When a non-Jew slaughters an animal, it is considered as a carcass and imparts impurity when carried. This applies even when a Jew is supervising him and even if he slaughtered it properly with an acceptable knife. Whether the slaughterer is a gentile, a Samaritan, or a resident alien, his slaughter causes the animal to be considered as a carcass.
According to my estimation, this is also a Rabbinical decree, for the impurity imparted by false deities and objects offered to them is a Rabbinical decree, as will be explained. And it is because of their worship of false deities that the Samaritans were distanced and their slaughter forbidden. If you will ask: According to Scriptural Law, it is forbidden to partake of an animal which they slaughtered? In resolution, it can be said that not everything that is forbidden to be eaten imparts impurity. For an animal that is tereifah, but which was slaughtered properly, is forbidden to be eaten, but is ritually pure. It is impossible to obligate a person for karet for such impurity for entering the Temple or for partaking of sacrificial foods unless one can clearly prove his assertion that he contracted impurity.
י
שחיטת עכו"ם נבילה ומטמאה במשא ואפילו ישראל עומד על גביו ואם שחט בסכין יפה שחיטה כראוי אחד העכו"ם ואחד הכותי או גר תושב שחיטתן נבילה וקרוב בעיני שאף זה מדברי סופרים שהרי טומאת ע"ז וטומאת תקרובתה מדבריהם כמו שיתבאר ובגלל ע"ז נתרחקו הכותים ונאסרה שחיטתן וא"ת והלא היא אסורה באכילה דין תורה לא כל האסור באכילה מטמא שהרי הטריפה אסורה וטהורה וא"א לחייב כרת על טומאה זו על ביאת מקדש ואכילת קדשיו אלא בראיה ברורה:
11
When a person touches or carries the thigh bone of a dead animal, he is pure. The rationale is that any portion of an animal's carcass that does not impart impurity when touched, does not impart impurity when carried. If, however, it was perforated to the slightest degree, one who touches it or carries it contracts impurity.
When does the above apply? When the marrow in it rattles, for, in that state, it would not regenerate flesh were the animal to be alive. If, however, it is in its natural place and it has sufficient marrow that it could regenerate flesh on the outside of the bone, it imparts impurity when touched or carried like other limbs. We have already explained that a thigh-bone is closed on all sides.
יא
קוליית הנבילה הנוגע בה או נושאה טהור שכל דבר מן הנבילה שאינו מטמא במגע אינו מטמא במשא ניקבה כל שהוא הנוגע בה או נושאה טמא במה דברים אמורים כשהיה המוח שבה מתקשקש שהרי אינה מעלה ארוכה אבל אם היה עומד במקומו אם יש בו כדי להעלות ארוכה לעצם מבחוץ הרי זו מטמאה במגע ובמשא ככל האיברים וכבר פירשנו שהקולית היא העצם הסתום מכל צדדיו:
12
When a person thought of perforating a thigh bone, but had not done so as of yet, one who touches it contracts impurity of a doubtful status. For there is an unresolved question whether the fact that he has not perforated the bone as of yet is considered as not having carried out a significant deed or not.
יב
קולית שחישב עליה לנוקבה ועדיין לא ניקבה הרי הנוגע בה ספק טמא שהרי יש בדבר ספק אי מחוסר נקיבה כמחוסר מעשה או לא:
• Nachalot - Chapter 9
• Hayom Yom: Today's Hayom Yom
1
When brothers have not yet divided the inheritance they received from their father, but instead all use the estate together, they are considered partners with regard to all matters. Similarly, all the other heirs are considered partners with regard to the estate of the person they inherited. Whenever any of them does business with the resources of this estate, the profits are split equally.
א
האחין שעדיין לא חלקו ירושת אביהן אלא כולן משתמשין ביחד במה שהניח להן הרי הן כשותפין לכל דבר, וכן בשאר היורשין הרי הן שותפין בנכסי מורישן וכל שנשא ונתן כל אחד מהן בממון זה השכר לאמצע.
2
When there were heirs above majority and others below majority, and those above majority improved the estate, the increment is split equally. If they said: "See the estate that our father left us. We will work it and benefit from the increase," the persons who brought about the increase are entitled to it. This applies provided the increase comes about because of the expenses undertaken by those persons. If the value of the estate increased on its own accord, that increase is shared equally.
ב
היו היורשין גדולים וקטנים והשביחו הגדולים את הנכסים השביחו לאמצע, אמרו ראו מה שהניח לנו אבא והרי אנו עושין ואוכלין השבח של משביח והוא שיהיה השבח מחמת הוצאה שהוציא המשביח, אבל שבחו נכסים מחמת עצמן השבח לאמצע. 1
3
Similar laws apply if the wife of the deceased was also his relative and had a right to inherit the estate together with her sisters or her cousins. If she increased the value of the estate, the increase is shared equally. If she said: "See the estate that my husband left me. I will work it and benefit from the increase," should she increase the value of the estate through investments she made, the increase belongs to her.
ג
וכן אם היתה אשתו של מת היא היורשת בכלל אחיותיה או בכלל בנות דודיה והשביחה הנכסים השבח לאמצע, ואם אמרה ראו מה שהניח לי בעלי והריני עושה ואוכלת השביח הנכסים מחמת הוצאה הרי השבח שלה.
4
The following rules apply when a person inherits his father's estate, improves its value by planting trees and building structures, and afterwards he discovers that he has brothers in another country. If they are minors, the increase in value is divided equally. If they are above majority, since he did not know that he had brothers, he is given a portion as if he was a sharecropper."
Similarly, if a brother took possession of property belonging to a minor and improved it, he is not given a portion as if he were a sharecropper. Instead, the increase of the entire estate is divided equally, because he did not have permission to make use of the property.
ד
מי שירש את אביו והשביח הנכסים ונטע ובנה ואחר כך נודע שיש לו אחין במדינה אחרת, אם קטנים הן השבח לאמצע ואם היו גדולים הואיל ולא נודע שיש לו אחין שמין לו כאריס, וכן אח שירד לנכסי קטן והשביח אין שמין לו כאריס, אלא השבח לאמצע שהרי לא ברשות ירד. 2
5
The following rule applies when one of the brothers took money from the inheritance and engaged in commerce with it. If he is a great Torah scholar who ordinarily does not abandon his Torah study for one moment, the profits are given to him. For he would not abandon his Torah studies to engage in commerce for the sake of his brothers.
ה
אחד מן האחין שלקח מעות ועשה בהן סחורה אם היה תלמיד חכם גדול שאינו מניח תורתו שעה אחת, הרי השכר שלו שאין זה מניח תורתו ומתעסק לצורך אחיו.
6
The following laws apply when a king appoints one of the brothers who share in the father's estate as a tax collector, an accountant who supervises the influx and efflux of the king's monies, or to another one of the positions in the king's service. If the son was appointed for his father's sake - i.e., his father was renowned for this skill, and the king said: "Let us appoint his son in his stead in order to act graciously to the orphans," the portion that the son who receives the appointment receives and any wages he earns in this task should be shared among all the brothers. This ruling applies even if that son is very wise and fit to be appointed on his own merit. If the king appointed him on his own merit, his wages are his alone.
ו
אחד מן האחין שמנהו המלך גבאי או סופר שמכניס ומוציא בממון המלך וכן כל כיוצא בזה מעבודת המלכים, אם מחמת אביהן מנהו כגון שהיה אביהן ידוע בדבר זה ואמר נעמיד תחתיו בנו כדי לעשות חסד עם היתומים, הפרס שיטול וכל השכר שישתכר בעבודה לכל האחין, ואפילו היה חכם ביותר וראוי למנותו, ואם מחמת עצמו מנוהו הרי זה לעצמו.
7
The following laws apply when one of the brothers was carrying out transactions on behalf of the household and purchased servants as his own individual property, or lent money to others and had the promissory note written to him alone. If he says: "The money that I lent or with which I purchased the servants is my own. It came to me as an inheritance from my maternal grandfather, 1 found an ownerless object, or a present was given to me," he is required to verify the authenticity of his statements.
Similar laws apply when a married woman was carrying out transactions on behalf of the household and deeds of purchase of servants and promissory notes were composed in her own name. If she says: "The money belonged to me. I received it as an inheritance from my father's family," she is required to verify the authenticity of her statements. Similar laws apply when a widow was carrying out transactions with funds belonging to orphans, and deeds of purchase and promissory notes were circulated in her personal name. If she claimed them as her own, saying: "It came to me as an inheritance, I found an ownerless object, or a present was given to me," she is required to verify the authenticity of her statements.
If she said: "I took them from the resources of my dowry," her word is accepted. If, however, she does not have a dowry, or in the situation described in the previous clauses, she did not bring proof of her statement, everything is assumed to be owned by the heirs.
ז
אחד מן האחין שהיה נושא ונותן בתוך הבית וקנה עבדים בשמו לבדו, הלוה לאחרים והיה שטר החוב בשמו לבדו, ואמר מעות אלו שהלויתי או שקניתי בהן עבדים אלו שלי לבדי הן שנפלו לי מבית אבי אמי, או מציאה מצאתי או מתנה ניתנה לי, עליו להביא ראיה שנפלה לו ירושה אחרת, או מצא מציאה, או זכה במתנה, וכן האשה שהיתה נושאת ונותנת בתוך הבית והיו אונות שהן שטרי ממכר עבדים ושטרי חובות יוצאות על שמה, ואמרה שלי הן שנפלו לי מבית אבותי עליה להביא ראיה שנפלו לה לירושה, וכן אלמנה שהיתה נושאת ונותנת בנכסי יתומים והיו אונות ושטרות יוצאות על שמה ואמרה מירושה נפלו לי או מציאה מצאתי או מתנה ניתנה לי עליה להביא ראיה, ואם יש לה נדוניא ואמרה מנדונייתי לקחתי נאמנת אבל אם אין לה נדוניא ולא הביאה ראיה הרי הכל בחזקת היורשין.
8
When does the above apply? When the brothers or the widow do not eat separately. When, however, they eat separately, we suspect that they saved from their food allowance. Hence, the other brothers must prove that the money was taken from the estate. Similarly, if the brother who was managing the funds died, the other brothers are required to bring proof that the money was taken from the estate, even though they did not eat separately.
ח
במה דברים אמורים באחים ובאלמנה שאין חלוקין בעיסתן, אבל אם היו חלוקין בעיסתן שמא מעיסתו קמץ ועל האחין להביא ראיה שהן משל אמצע, וכן אם מת זה הנותן והנושא בתוך הבית על האחין להביא ראיה אע"פ שלא היו חלוקין בעיסתן. 3
9
The following laws apply when one of the brothers is in possession of a promissory note owed to his father. He is obligated to bring proof that his father gave him the note, signing and transferring a document attesting to the fact that the note was given as a gift, or that, at the time of his death, the father commanded that it be given to that brother. If the brother in possession does not bring proof of this nature, the note must be shared equally as part of the estate.
ט
אחד מן האחין ששטר חוב יוצא מתחת ידו עליו להביא ראיה שאביו נתנו לו בכתיבה ומסירה, או שצוה לו בו כשהוא שכיב מרע ואם לא הביא ראיה הרי הוא לאמצע.
10
When does the above apply? With regard to brothers, because the prevailing assumption is that they take from each other. When, however, a promissory note is in the possession of another person who claims that the creditor gave it to him or that he purchased it from him, he may collect the debt. He is not required to bring proof of his claim.
י
במה דברים אמורים באחין מפני שחזקתן שומטין זה מזה, אבל אחר שטען שנתן לו או שקנהו מבעליו גובה בו ואינו צריך להביא ראיה.
11
If one of the brothers took 200 zuz from his share of the estate to study Torah or to study a profession, the other brothers may tell him: "If you do not live together with us, we will not give you a food allocation beyond what it would cost were you living with us." For the food expenses incurred by an individual living alone are much higher than they would be were he to live with others.
יא
אחד מן האחין שנטל מאתים זוז ללמוד תורה או ללמוד אומנות יכולין האחין לומר לו אם אין אתה אצלנו אין לך מזונות אלא לפי ברכת הבית, שאין הוצאת מזונות האחד לבדו כהוצאת מזונותיו בין רבים.
12
When a person died, leaving sons past majority and under majority, the older sons cannot be required to receive only what is allocated for the younger sons' living expenses. Nor may younger sons be required to receive only what is allocated for the older sons' food expenses. Instead, the estate should be divided equally.
If the older brothers married after their father's death using the funds of the estate, the younger brothers may marry using the funds of the estate, and then divide it. If the older brothers married during their father's lifetime, we do not heed the requests of the younger brothers who say: "Let us marry using the funds of the estate, as you married." Instead, whatever the father gave the older brothers is considered as a present.
יב
מי שמת והניח בנים גדולים וקטנים אין הגדולים מתפרנסים פרנסת הקטנים ולא הקטנים נזונים מזונות הגדולים אלא חולקים בשוה, נשאו גדולים לאחר מיתת אביהן ישאו הקטנים כן מכלל הנכסים ואחר כך יחלוקו, נשאו הגדולים בחיי אביהן ואמרו הקטנים לאחר מיתת אביהן הרי אנו נושאין כדרך שנשאתם אתם, אין שומעין להן אלא מה שנתן להם אביהם נתן.
13
The following laws apply when a father married off one of his sons and made a feast for him, paying for the expenses himself. If a wedding gift was sent to this son during the father's lifetime, should the wedding gift have to be repaid after the father's death, it should be repaid by the estate as a whole. If, however, the brother paid for the expenses of the wedding feast from his own resources, the brother who received the gift must repay it from his portion alone.
יג
השיא האב את בנו ועשה לו משתה והיתה ההוצאה משל אב ונשתלחה שושבינות לזה הבן בחיי האב, כשהיא חוזרת לאחר מיתת האב חוזרת לאמצע, אבל הוציא הבן במשתה משלו אינה חוזרת אלא מחלק הבן שנשתלחה לו בלבד. 4
14
When the father sent a wedding gift to a friend in the name of one of his sons, when that wedding gift is repaid to that son, it is his alone. If, however, the father sent the wedding gift in the name of his sons without making any specification, when it is repaid, it should be repaid to the estate as a whole.
The person to whom the wedding gift was sent is not required to return it unless all the brothers rejoice together with him, for they are all members of the wedding party and the gift was sent in all of their names. Therefore, if he rejoiced with only several of them, he need return only the portion appropriate for those with whom he rejoiced. The money he repays is shared by the estate as a whole.
יד
האב ששלח שושבינות בשם אחד מבניו כשתחזור השושבינות לאותו הבן הרי היא שלו, אבל אם שלחה האב בשם בניו סתם כשתחזור תחזור לאמצע, ואין זה שנשתלחה לו חייב להחזירה עד שישמחו עמו הבנים כולן, שהרי כולן שושבינין שבשם כולן נשתלחה, לפיכך אם שמח במקצתן מחזיר חלק זה ששמח עמו בלבד והרי הוא לאמצע.
15
When the oldest of the brothers dresses and garbs himself in fine raiment, he may purchase these garments from the funds of the estate if this brings his brothers benefit, i.e., because of his fine clothing, his words are heeded by other people.
טו
גדול האחין שהיה לובש ומתכסה מלבושין נאים אם יש לאחים הנאה ממנו כדי שיהיו דבריו נשמעין הרי זה לובש מתפיסת הבית.
FOOTNOTES
2.
מי שירש את אביו וכו' עד שמין לו כאריס. א"א ואם ידע מה בכך הלא מורידין קרוב לנכסי שבוי קטן אא"כ יצא לדעת ולא צוה דהיינו רטושין עכ"ל.
3.
בד"א באחים ובאלמנה וכו' עד ואין צריך להביא ראיה. א"א והיאך גובה בו והא קי"ל דבעינן כתיבה ומסירה, והנה הוא הולך על דרך פירוש רבו שמפרש אינו צריך ראיה דמצי למימר שטר היה לי ואבד והאי פירושא לא דייק מגופא דהא שמעתא ומשמעתא דסנהדרין במעשה דההיא סבתא דנפק שטרא מתותי ידה עכ"ל.
4.
השיא האב את בנו וכו' עד והרי הוא לאמצע. א"א זה לא ידעתי מהו ולמה לאמצע והלא אינו מחזיר לו אלא חלקו וכשישאו האחרים נשים יחזיר להם חלקם עכ"ל.
Nachalot - Chapter 10
1
When two brothers divided an estate and then a third brother came from overseas, or when three brothers divided an estate and then a creditor came and expropriated the portion of one of them, the division is nullified. They should return and divide the remainder equally. This applies even if originally one brother took land and the other cash.
א
שני אחים שחלקו ובא להן אח ממדינת הים, וכן שלשה אחין שחלקו ובא בעל חוב ונטל חלקו של אחד מהן אפילו נטל זה קרקע וזה כספים בטלה מחלוקת וחוזרין וחולקין השאר בשוה.
2
When, before his death, a person commanded that so-and-so be given a palm tree or a field from his property, but the brothers divided the estate without giving that person anything, their division is negated. What should they do? The entity concerning which the deceased commanded should be given to that person, and then they should divide the estate anew.
ב
מי שצוה בשעת מיתתו שיתנו לפלוני דקל או שדה מנכסיו וחלקו האחין ולא נתנו לפלוני כלום, הרי המחלוקת בטלה, וכיצד עושין נותנין מה שצוה מורישן ואחר כך חוזרין וחולקין כתחלה.
3
When brothers divide an estate, we evaluate the clothes they are wearing. We do not evaluate the clothes that their sons and daughters are wearing that they purchased with the funds of the estate. Similarly, the clothes that their wives are wearing are considered as if they have already been acquired by them.
When does the above apply? With regard to weekday garments. With regard to Sabbath and festival garments, we evaluate what the women and children are wearing.
ג
האחין שחלקו שמין להן מה שעליהן, אבל מה שעל בניהן ובנותיהן שקנו להן מתפיסת הבית אין שמין, וכן מה שעל נשותיהן שכבר זכו בהן לעצמן, במה דברים אמורים בבגדי חול, אבל בבגדי שבת ומועד שמין מה שעליהן.
4
The following law applies when a person died leaving some orphans who are past majority, and others who are below majority. If they desired to divide their father's estate so that the older brothers could receive their portion, the court appoints a guardian for the minors and chooses a good portion for them. Once they come of age, they may not protest the division, because it was made by the court. If, however, the court erred in its evaluation of the estate's worth and reduced their portion by a sixth, they may issue a protest. In that instance, a new division is made after they come of age.
ד
מי שהניח יתומים מקצתן גדולים ומקצתן קטנים ורצו לחלוק בנכסי אביהן כדי שיטלו הגדולים חלקן, מעמידין בית דין אפוטרופוס לקטנים ובורר להן החלק היפה, ואם הגדילו אינן יכולין למחות שהרי על פי בית דין חלקו להם, ואם טעו בית דין בשומא ופחתו שתות, יכולין למחות וחולקין חלוקה אחרת אחר שהגדילו.
5
When a person dies, leaving some orphans who are past majority and others who are below majority, he must appoint a guardian before his death, who will care for the portion of the minors until they come of age." If the father does not appoint such a guardian, the court is obligated to appoint a guardian for them until they come of age. For the court acts as the parents of the orphans.
ה
מי שמת והניח יורשין גדולים וקטנים צריך למנות אפוטרופוס שיהיה מתעסק בחלק הקטן עד שיגדיל, ואם לא מנה חייבין בית דין להעמיד להן אפוטרופוס עד שיגדילו שבית דין הוא אביהן של יתומים. 1
6
If the dying person ordered: "Give the minor's portion of my estate to him. Let him do whatever he wants with it," he has the license to deal with his own estate in this manner."
Similarly, if the dying person appointed a minor, a woman or a servant as the guardian for the minors, he has the license to deal with his own estate in this manner. A court, by contrast, should not appoint a woman, a servant, a minor or an unlearned person who is suspect to violate the Torah's prohibitions' as a guardian.
Instead, they should seek out a faithful and courageous person who knows how to advance the claims of the orphans and bring arguments on their behalf, one who is capable with regard to worldly matters to protect their property and secure a profit for them. Such a person is appointed a guardian over the minors whether or not he is related to them. If he is a relative, however, he should not take control of the landed property.
ו
צוה המוריש ואמר ינתן חלק הקטן לקטן ומה שירצה יעשה בה הרשות בידו, וכן אם מנה המוריש אפוטרופוס על הקטנים קטן או אשה או עבד הרשות בידו, אבל אין בית דין ממנין אפוטרופוס לא אשה ולא עבד ולא קטן ולא עם הארץ, שהוא בחזקת חשוד על העבירות, אלא בודקין על אדם נאמן ואיש חיל ויודע להפך בזכות היתומים וטוען טענתם ושיש לו כח בעסקי העולם כדי לשמור נכסים ולהרויח בהן ומעמידין אותו על הקטנים, בין שיהיה רחוק בין שיהיה קרוב לקטן אלא שאם היה קרוב לא ירד לקרקעות.
7
When the court appointed a guardian and afterwards heard that he was eating, drinking and making other expenses beyond what he could be expected to, they should suspect that he is using the resources of the orphans. They should remove him from his position and appoint someone else.
If, however, the guardian was appointed by the orphan's father, he should not be removed in such a situation; it is possible that he found an ownerless article. If, however, witnesses come and testify that he is ruining the orphans' estate, he is removed from his position.The Geonim agreed that he should be required to take an oath in such a situation, for he is causing the orphans a loss.
Similarly, when a guardian was appointed by the orphans' father who had a praiseworthy reputation, was known to be upright and to pursue the mitzvot, and he became a glutton and a drunkard and began following paths that arouse suspicion, or became reckless with regard to vows and the shade of theft, the court is required to remove him from his position and require him to take an oath. Afterwards, they appoint an appropriate guardian. These matters are dependent on the perception of the local judge. For each and every court must act as the parents of the orphans.
ז
בית דין שהעמידו אפוטרופוס ושמעו עליו שהוא אוכל ושותה ומוציא הוצאות יתר מדבר שהיה אמור בו יש להן לחוש לו שמא מנכסי יתומים הוא אוכל ומסלקין אותו ומעמידין אחר, אבל אם מנהו אבי יתומים אין מסלקין אותו שמא מציאה מצא, אבל אם באו עדים שהוא מפסיד נכסי יתומים מסלקין אותו וכבר הסכימו הגאונים שמשביעין אותו הואיל ומפסיד, והוא הדין לאפוטרופוס שמנהו אבי יתומים והיתה שמועתו טובה והיה ישר ורודף מצות וחזר להיות זולל וסובא והולך בדרכי החשד או שפרץ בנדרים ובאבק גזל בית דין חייבים לסלק אותו ולהשביעו, ולמנות להן אפוטרופוס כשר, וכל הדברים האלו כפי מה שיראה לדיין שכל בית דין ובית דין הוא אביהן של יתומים.
8
When a minor attains majority, even if he eats and drinks excessively, ruins his estate and follows an undesirable path, the court does not withhold his property from him, nor does it appoint a guardian, unless his father or the person whose property he inherited ordered that the property not be given to him unless he conducts himself uprightly and successfully, or that it not be given to him until later.
A person who is mentally or emotionally unstable or a deaf-mute are considered as minors, and a guardian should be appointed for them.
ח
קטן שהגדיל אפילו היה אוכל ושותה יותר מדאי ומפסיד והולך בדרך רעה אין בית דין מונעין ממנו ממונו ואין מעמידין לו אפוטרופוס, אלא אם כן צוה אביו או מורישו שלא יתנו לו אלא אם כן יהיה כשר ומצליח או שלא יתנו לו עד זמן מרובה, והשוטה והחרש הרי הן כקטנים ומעמידין להן אפוטרופוס.
FOOTNOTES
1.
מי שמת והניח יורשים גדולים וכו' עד שיגדיל. א"א והוא שחלק להם בחייו שאם לא חלק יניח הכל ביד הגדולים והם ישביחו לאמצע וטוב להם עכ"ל.
Nachalot - Chapter 11
1
Money belonging to orphans that was left to them by their father does not require a guardian. What, instead, is done with it?
We search for a person who owns property that can be expropriated by a creditor and that is of high quality. This person should be trustworthy, one who heeds the laws of the Torah, and who was never placed under a ban of ostracism. He is given the money in the presence of the court to invest in a manner that will most likely lead to a profit and will not likely lead to loss. Thus, the orphans will derive benefit from the investment of the money.
Similarly, if such a person does not have landed property, he should give bars of gold that do not have any identifying marks as security. The court takes the security and gives him the money to invest in a manner that will most likely lead to a profit and will not likely lead to loss.
Why does he not give golden utensils or golden jewelry as security? For perhaps these articles belong to another person. We fear that in the event of the investor's death, that other person will claim these articles by identifying them with signs. They will then be given to him if the judge knows that the investor was unlikely to possess such articles.
How much should be given to the orphans as profit? As the judges determine, a third of the profits, half of them, or even a fourth of them; if the judges ascertain that this is in the best interests of the orphans, such an arrangement is followed.
If the court cannot find a person to give the money to invest in a manner that will not likely lead to loss and will most likely lead to a profit, they should use a small amount of the money to provide the orphans with their livelihood until they use the money to purchase land that they entrust to a guardian whom they appoint.
א
מעות של יתומים שהניח להן אביהן אינן צריכין אפוטרופוס, אלא כיצד עושין בהן, בודקין על מי שיש לו נכסים שיש להם אחריות ויהיו עדית ויהיה איש נאמן ושומע דיני תורה ומעולם לא קבל עליו נדוי, ונותנין לו המעות בבית דין קרוב לשכר ורחוק להפסד ונמצאו היתומים נהנין משכר המעות, וכן אם אין לו קרקע ינתן להן משכון זהב שבור שאין בו סימן ונוטלין בית דין המשכון ונותנין לו המעות קרוב לשכר ורחוק להפסד, ולמה לא יקחו משכון כלים של זהב או חלי של זהב, שמא של אחרים הוא ויתנו סימן ויטלוהו אחר מותו אם ידע הדיין שאין זה אמוד, וכמה יפסקו בשכר כפי מה שיראו הדיינין, או שליש השכר או חציו אפילו רביע השכר ליתומים אם ראו שזו תקנה להם עושין, לא מצאו אדם שיתנו לו המעות רחוק להפסד וקרוב לשכר הרי אלו מוציאין מהן מזונות מעט, עד שיקנו להן במעות קרקע וימסרו אותו ביד אפוטרופוס שיעמידו להן.
2
Movable property inherited by orphans should be evaluated and sold in the presence of a court. If the marketplace is close to their city of residence, we have the articles brought to the marketplace. They are sold and the proceeds added to the financial resources of the orphans."
ב
כל המטלטלין של יתומים שמין אותן ומוכרין אותן בבית דין, ואם היה השוק קרוב למדינה, מוליכין אותן לשוק ומוכרין אותן ויצטרפו דמיהן עם המעות של יתומים.
3
The following principle applies when a person possesses beer belonging to orphans and he is beset by a quandary: If he leaves it in its place until it is sold it might sour, and if he brings it to the marketplace it might become lost because of factors beyond his control. Our Sages ruled that he should do as he would do with his own beer. Similar laws apply in all analogous situations.
ג
מי שהיה בידו שכר של יתומים אם יניחו כאן עד שימכר שמא יחמיץ, ואם יוליכו לשוק שמא יארעו אונס בדרך, הרי זה עושה בו כדרך שהוא עושה בשלו וכן כל כיוצא בזה.
4
When the court appoints a guardian, he is given all the property of the minor: the landed property and the movable property that was not sold. He sells and purchases whatever he determines is necessary; he builds and he destroys; he rents, plants, sows and does whatever he thinks is in the best interests of the orphans. He should provide them with food and drink and provide them with their expenses according to their financial capacity and their social standing. He should not be overly generous with them, nor should he be overly parsimonious.
ד
כשמעמידין בית דין להן אפוטרופוס מוסרין לו כל נכסי הקטן הקרקע והמטלטלין שלא נמכרו, והוא מוציא ומכניס ובונה וסותר ושובר ונוטע וזורע ועושה כפי מה שיראה שזה טוב ליתומים ומאכילן ומשקן ונותן להן כל ההוצאה כפי הממון וכפי הראוי להן ולא ירויחו להן יותר מדאי ולא יצמצם עליהם יתר מדאי.
5
When the orphans come of age, the guardian should give them the property of the person whose estate they inherited. He does not have to give them an account of what he purchased and what he sold. Instead, he tells them: "This is what remains," and takes an oath holding a sacred article that he did not steal anything from them.
When does this apply? When the guardian was appointed by the court. When, however, the guardian was appointed by the orphans' father or other relatives, he is not required to take an oath because of an indefinite claim.
A guardian may dress and garb himself in a distinguished manner using the fund belonging to the orphans, so that he will be esteemed and his words will be heeded, provided that the orphans will benefit from the fact that he is esteemed and his words are heeded.
ה
כשיגדילו היתומים נותן להם ממון מורישן ואינו צריך לעשות להן חשבונות מה שהכניס והוציא אלא אומר להן זה הנשאר, ונשבע בנקיטת חפץ שלא גזלן כלום, במה דברים אמורים כשמנוהו בית דין אבל אפוטרופוס שמנהו אבי יתומים וכן שאר המורישן אינו נשבע על טענת ספק, יש לאפוטרופוס ללבוש ולהתכסות מנכסי יתומים כדי שיהיה מכובד ויהיו דבריו נשמעין והוא שיהיה ליתומים הנאה בנכסיהן בהיות דבריו נשמעין.
6
A guardian may sell animals, servants, maidservants, fields and vineyards belonging to the estate to provide sustenance for the orphans. He may not sell these assets and hoard the money. Nor may he sell fields to purchase servants, nor sell servants to purchase fields, for perhaps he will not be successful. He may, however, sell fields to purchase oxen to work other fields, for oxen are the fundamental element of the fields one possesses.
ו
יש לאפוטרופוס למכור בהמה ועבדים שפחות שדות וכרמים להאכיל ליתומים, אבל אין מוכרין ומניחין המעות ואין מוכרין שדות ליקח עבדים ולא עבדים ליקח שדות שמא לא יצליח, אבל מוכרין שדה ליקח שוורים לעבודת שדות אחרות שהשוורים הן עקר כל נכסי שדות.
7
The guardian is not permitted to sell a field located far from the city and purchase a field close to the city, nor may he sell a poor field and purchase a good field, for perhaps his purchases will not be successful.
Similarly, a guardian may not enter into a lawsuit to argue on behalf of the orphans with regard to a claim registered against them, with the intent of benefiting them. The rationale is that he may not be successful, and the claim against them will be substantiated.
ז
אין האפוטרופין רשאין למכור ברחוק ולגאול בקרוב למכור ברעה ולגאול ביפה, שמא לא יצליח זה שקנו, ואין רשאין לדון ולחוב על מנת לזכות ליתומים שמא לא יזכו ונמצא החוב קיים. 1
8
The guardians are not permitted to grant Canaanite servants their freedom. They may not even take money from the servant so that he will be released. Instead, they sell the servants to others and take the money from them with the intent that they grant them their freedom. It is those purchasers who release the servants.
ח
אין האפוטרופין רשאין להוציא עבדים לחירות אפילו ליקח מן העבד דמים שיצא לחירות, אבל מוכרין אותן לאחרים ולוקחין מהן הדמים על מנת שיוציאוהו לחירות ואותן האחרים הן שמשחררין אותם. 2
9
The guardians should separate terumah and the tithes from the crops of the orphans so that they can provide them with food. . For we may not feed the orphans forbidden substances. They may not, however, tithe or separate terumah so that the produce will be ready for use. Instead, they should sell it as tevel.Those who desire to make it ready for use will do so.
ט
האפוטרופין תורמין ומעשרין נכסי יתומים כדי להאכילן, שאין מאכילין את היתומים דבר האסור, אבל לא יעשרו ולא יתרומו כדי להניח פירות מתוקנין אלא ימכרו אותן טבל והרוצה לתקן יתקן. 3
10
The guardians must make a lulav, a sukkah, tzitzit, ashofar, a Torah scroll, tefillin, mezuzot and a megillah on behalf of the orphans. The general principle is: All mitzvot that have a fixed measure - whether of Scriptural or Rabbinic origin - should be made available for them, although they are obligated in these mitzvot only as part of their education. We do not, however, levy charitable assessments against their property, even for the sake of the redemption of captives. The rationale is that such mitzvot have no limit to them.
י
האפוטרופין עושין לקטנים לולב וסוכה וציצית ושופר ספר תורה ותפילין ומזוזות ומגילה, כללו של דבר כל מצות עשה שיש להם קצבה בין שהוא מדברי תורה בין שהוא מדברי סופרים, עושין להם אף על פי שאינן חייבין במצוה מכל אלו המצות אלא כדי לחנכן, אבל אין פוסקין עליהן צדקה ואפילו לפדיון שבוים, מפני שמצות אלו אין להן קצבה.
11
When a person loses his intellectual faculties or becomes a deaf-mute, the court levies charitable assessments against his property if he has the means.
יא
ומי שנשתטה או שנתחרש בית דין פוסקין עליו צדקה אם היה ראוי.
12
Although a guardian does not have to make an accounting, as mentioned above, he must keep a personal account, being extremely precise, so as not to incur the wrath of the Father of these orphans, He who rides upon the heavens, as Psalms 68:5-6 states: "Make a path for He who rides upon the heavens... the Father of orphans."
יב
אע"פ שאין האפוטרופוס צריך לעשות חשבון כמו שביארנו, צריך לחשב בינו לבין עצמו לדקדק ולהזהר הרבה מאביהן של אלו היתומים שהוא רוכב ערבות שנאמר סלו לרוכב בערבות וגו' אבי יתומים וגו'.
FOOTNOTES
1.
ואין רשאין וכו' עד ונמצא חוב קיים. א"א לא זו הדרך אלא שהוא דן לזכות ואם זכה זכו בו היתומים ואם חב לא חב ליתומים שאין להם רשות לאפוטרופסים לחוב ליתומים לא לכתחלה ולא דיעבד עכ"ל.
2.
אין האפוטרופין רשאין להוציא וכו' עד שמשחררין. א"א יש מי שאומר הלכה כרבי דאמר אף הוא נותן דמי עצמו ויוציא דבהא פליגי דת"ק סבר אין כסף גומר בה ור' סבר גומר וקי"ל גומר הלכך הלכתא כר' עכ"ל.
3.
האפוטרופין תורמין וכו' עד והרוצה לתקן יתקן. א"א אין הדעת נוחה הימנו שיהא האפוטרופוס חבר מוכר טבל להכשיל בני אדם בנכסי היתומים, אבל יניח המותר על מזונותיהם לשנה עד שיראה מקום ריוח במכירתם, ואחר ימכור והטעם שאינו שליח אלא לצורך שעה עכ"ל.
• Sunday, 22 Elul, 5776 · 25 September 2016
• "Today's Day"
• Wednesday, Elul 22, 5703
Torah lessons: Chumash: Nitzavim-Vayeilech, Revi'i with Rashi.
Tehillim: 106-107. Also 64-66.
Tanya: And this is (p. 483) ...will have rest... (p. 485).
Chassidic doctrine demands that before reproving another, one must pare his own "fingernails," in order not to gash the other. "They (the forces of evil) seize by the fingernails"; every stab is k'lipa and sitra achra. After the "nails" are pared there must be "laving the hands," as explained in Chassidus1 - calling forth intellect into emotion.2
Compiled and arranged by the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, of righteous memory, in 5703 (1943) from the talks and letters of the sixth Chabad Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, of righteous memory.
FOOTNOTES
1.Paralleling the physical reality, that after cutting one's fingernails - in the simple sense - he is required by Torah to lave his hands. Viz. Shulchan Aruch (HaRav) Orach Chayim 4:18.
2.See Supplementary Footnotes.
• Daily Thought:• "Today's Day"
• Wednesday, Elul 22, 5703
Torah lessons: Chumash: Nitzavim-Vayeilech, Revi'i with Rashi.
Tehillim: 106-107. Also 64-66.
Tanya: And this is (p. 483) ...will have rest... (p. 485).
Chassidic doctrine demands that before reproving another, one must pare his own "fingernails," in order not to gash the other. "They (the forces of evil) seize by the fingernails"; every stab is k'lipa and sitra achra. After the "nails" are pared there must be "laving the hands," as explained in Chassidus1 - calling forth intellect into emotion.2
Compiled and arranged by the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, of righteous memory, in 5703 (1943) from the talks and letters of the sixth Chabad Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, of righteous memory.
FOOTNOTES
1.Paralleling the physical reality, that after cutting one's fingernails - in the simple sense - he is required by Torah to lave his hands. Viz. Shulchan Aruch (HaRav) Orach Chayim 4:18.
2.See Supplementary Footnotes.
The King Alone
A parable of the Baal Shem Tov, of a king who on a day of joy proclaimed that anyone who would ask anything of him would be granted his request.
Some requested power and honor, others wealth and riches. To each the king gave according to his request.
Until there was one wise person who stated that his desire was nothing more than to speak with the king personally three times a day.
The king was very pleased with this request, seeing that this person cherished the king’s conversation more than wealth and honor. Therefore he granted this request, permitting this wise person entry to the palace to speak with the king, and instructed that the treasures be opened to him so that he might partake also of wealth and honor.
And so, David sang in his psalms, “A prayer of a pauper . . . when he will pour out his conversation before G‑d.” The conversation itself, that is his request.
What is the wisdom of this pauper?
It is that others chose greatness for themselves, while the pauper chose to stand as a nothingness before the greatness of the king.
By doing so, he chose the King Himself, along with all the King’s greatness.[Keter Shem Tov 97; Maamar Bayom Ashtei Asar; Shavuot 5724:1.]
-------A parable of the Baal Shem Tov, of a king who on a day of joy proclaimed that anyone who would ask anything of him would be granted his request.
Some requested power and honor, others wealth and riches. To each the king gave according to his request.
Until there was one wise person who stated that his desire was nothing more than to speak with the king personally three times a day.
The king was very pleased with this request, seeing that this person cherished the king’s conversation more than wealth and honor. Therefore he granted this request, permitting this wise person entry to the palace to speak with the king, and instructed that the treasures be opened to him so that he might partake also of wealth and honor.
And so, David sang in his psalms, “A prayer of a pauper . . . when he will pour out his conversation before G‑d.” The conversation itself, that is his request.
What is the wisdom of this pauper?
It is that others chose greatness for themselves, while the pauper chose to stand as a nothingness before the greatness of the king.
By doing so, he chose the King Himself, along with all the King’s greatness.[Keter Shem Tov 97; Maamar Bayom Ashtei Asar; Shavuot 5724:1.]
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