Today's Laws & Customs:
• Elul Observances
As the last month of the Jewish year, Elul is traditionaly a time of introspection and stocktaking -- a time to review one's deeds and spiritual progress over the past year and prepare for the upcoming "Days of Awe" of Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur.
As the month of Divine Mercy and Forgiveness (see "Today in Jewish History" for Elul 1) it is a most opportune time for teshuvah ("return" to G-d), prayer, charity, and increased Ahavat Yisrael (love for a fellow Jew) in the quest for self-improvement and coming closer to G-d. Chassidic master Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi likens the month of Elul to a time when "the king is in the field" and, in contrast to when he is in the royal palace, "everyone who so desires is permitted to meet him, and he receives them all with a cheerful countenance and shows a smiling face to them all."
Specific Elul customs include the daily sounding of the shofar (ram's horn) as a call to repentance. The Baal Shem Tov instituted the custom of reciting three additional chapters ofPsalms each day, from the 1st of Elul until Yom Kippur (on Yom Kippur the remaining 36 chapters are recited, thereby completing the entire book of Psalms). Click below to view today's Psalms.
Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12
Psalms 10:1 Why, Adonai, do you stand at a distance?
Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?
2 The wicked in their arrogance hunt down the poor,
who get caught in the schemes they think up.
3 For the wicked boasts about his lusts;
he blesses greed and despises Adonai.
4 Every scheme of the wicked in his arrogance [says],
“There is no God, [so] it won’t be held against me.”
5 His ways prosper at all times.
Your judgments are way up there,
so he takes no notice.
His adversaries? He scoffs at them all.
6 In his heart he thinks, “I will never be shaken;
I won’t meet trouble, not now or ever.”
7 His mouth is full of curses, deceit, oppression;
under his tongue, mischief and injustice.
8 He waits near settlements in ambush
and kills an innocent man in secret;
his eyes are on the hunt for the helpless.
9 Lurking unseen like a lion in his lair,
he lies in wait to pounce on the poor,
then seizes the poor and drags him off in his net.
10 Yes, he stoops, crouches down low;
and the helpless wretch falls into his clutches.
11 He says in his heart, “God forgets,
he hides his face, he will never see.”
12 Arise, Adonai! God, raise your hand!
Don’t forget the humble!
13 Why does the wicked despise God
and say in his heart, “It won’t be held against me”?
14 You have seen; for you look at mischief and grief,
so that you can take the matter in hand.
The helpless commits himself to you;
you help the fatherless.
15 Break the arm of the wicked!
As for the evil man,
search out his wickedness
until there is none left.
16 Adonai is king forever and ever!
The nations have vanished from his land.
17 Adonai, you have heard what the humble want;
you encourage them and listen to them,
18 to give justice to the fatherless and oppressed,
so that no one on earth will strike terror again.
11:(0) For the leader. By David:
(1) In Adonai I find refuge.
So how can you say to me,
“Flee like a bird to the mountains!
2 See how the wicked are drawing their bows
and setting their arrows on the string,
to shoot from the shadows at honest men.
3 If the foundations are destroyed,
what can the righteous do?”
4 Adonai is in his holy temple.
Adonai, his throne is in heaven.
His eyes see and test humankind.
5 Adonai tests the righteous;
but he hates the wicked and the lover of violence.
6 He will rain hot coals down on the wicked,
fire, sulfur and scorching wind
will be what they get to drink.
7 For Adonai is righteous;
he loves righteousness;
the upright will see his face.
12:1 (0) For the leader. On sh’minit [low-pitched musical instruments?]. A psalm of David:
2 (1) Help, Adonai! For no one godly is left;
the faithful have vanished from humankind.
3 (2) They all tell lies to each other,
flattering with their lips, but speaking from divided hearts.
4 (3) May Adonai cut off all flattering lips
and the tongue that speaks so proudly,
5 (4) those who say, “By our tongues, we will prevail;
our lips are with us. Who can master us?”
6 (5) “Because the poor are oppressed,
because the needy are groaning,
I will now rise up,” says Adonai,
“and grant security to those whom they scorn.”
7 (6) The words of Adonai are pure words,
silver in a melting-pot set in the earth,
refined and purified seven times over.
8 (7) You, Adonai, protect us;
guard us forever from this generation —
9 (8) the wicked strut about everywhere
when vileness is held in general esteem.
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 Quote:
Rabbi Leib, the "Grandfather of Shpoli," related that when he was a child of three he saw the Baal Shem Tov. "He placed his holy hand on my heart and ever since I have felt warm." A gesture of a tzaddik (righteous person), certainly seeing him and hearing his voice, will make an impression never to be forgotten.[Hayom Yom, Tevet 14]
Daily Study:
Chitas and Rambam for today:
Chumash: Shoftim, 4th Portion Deuteronomy 18:6-18:13 with Rashi
• Deuteronomy Chapter 18
6And if a Levite comes from one of your cities out of all Israel where he sojourns, he may come whenever his soul desires, to the place the Lord will choose, ווְכִֽי־יָבֹ֨א הַלֵּוִ֜י מֵֽאַחַ֤ד שְׁעָרֶ֨יךָ֙ מִכָּל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל אֲשֶׁר־ה֖וּא גָּ֣ר שָׁ֑ם וּבָא֙ בְּכָל־אַוַּ֣ת נַפְשׁ֔וֹ אֶל־הַמָּק֖וֹם אֲשֶׁר־יִבְחַ֥ר יְהֹוָֽה:
And if the Levite comes: One might think that Scripture is referring to an actual Levite [i.e., not a kohen]. Therefore it says, “And he may serve” (verse 7). And since Levites are not fit to serve in the whole service, we see that this verse is not referring to them [but rather to kohanim]. — [Sifrei] וכי יבא הלוי: יכול בבן לוי ודאי הכתוב מדבר, תלמוד לומר ושרת, יצאו לוים שאין ראוין לשירות:
he may come whenever his soul desires…: ובא בכל אות נפשו וגו' :
7and he may serve in the name of the Lord, his God, just like all his Levite brothers, who stand there before the Lord. זוְשֵׁרֵ֕ת בְּשֵׁ֖ם יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהָ֑יו כְּכָל־אֶחָיו֙ הַֽלְוִיִּ֔ם הָעֹֽמְדִ֥ים שָׁ֖ם לִפְנֵ֥י יְהֹוָֽה:
and he may serve: [This] teaches [us] that a kohen may come and offer his own freewill and obligatory sacrifices even when it is not his shift. — B. K. 109b] Another explanation: It further teaches concerning kohanim who come to the Temple [as pilgrims] on the Festivals, that they may offer [together with those of the shift] and perform the services connected with the sacrifices that are brought because of the Festival-for instance, the “additional offerings” of the Festivaleven though it is not their shift. — [Sifrei, Sukk. 55b] ושרת: למד על הכהן שבא ומקריב קרבנות נדבתו או חובתו ואפילו במשמר שאינו שלו. דבר אחר עוד למד על הכהנים הבאים לרגל שמקריבין במשמר ועובדין בקרבנות הבאות מחמת הרגל, כגון מוספי הרגל, ואף על פי שאין המשמר שלהם:
8They shall eat equal portions, except what was sold by the forefathers. חחֵ֥לֶק כְּחֵ֖לֶק יֹאכֵ֑לוּ לְבַ֥ד מִמְכָּרָ֖יו עַל־הָֽאָבֽוֹת:
They shall eat equal portions: This teaches that they [the kohanim present as pilgrims on the Festivals] receive a portion of the hides [of the Festival burnt-offerings] and the flesh of the he-goats of sin-offerings [of the Festival]. Now one might think that [these kohanim may participate] also in sacrifices which are brought unrelated to the Festival, such as the תָּמִיד, the daily burnt-offerings, מוּסְפֵי שַׁבָּת, additional offerings of the Sabbath [on which a Festival may coincide] and sacrificial vows and donations. Therefore, it says: חלק כחלק יאכלו: מלמד שחולקין בעורות ובבשר שעירי חטאות. יכול אף בדברים הבאים שלא מחמת הרגל, כגון תמידין ומוספי שבת ונדרים ונדבות, תלמוד לומר:
except what was sold by the forefathers: Except what his ancestors sold [to one another] in the days of David and Samuel when the system of shifts was established, trading with each other thus, “You take your week, and I will take my week.” - [Sifrei ; Sukk. 56a] לבד ממכריו על האבות: חוץ ממה שמכרו האבות בימי דוד ושמואל, שנקבעו המשמרות ומכרו זה לזה טול אתה שבתך ואני אטול שבתי
9When you have come to the land the Lord, your God, is giving you, you shall not learn to do like the abominations of those nations. טכִּ֤י אַתָּה֙ בָּ֣א אֶל־הָאָ֔רֶץ אֲשֶׁר־יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ נֹתֵ֣ן לָ֑ךְ לֹֽא־תִלְמַ֣ד לַֽעֲשׂ֔וֹת כְּתֽוֹעֲבֹ֖ת הַגּוֹיִ֥ם הָהֵֽם:
you shall not learn to do [like the abominations of those nations]: But you may learn [their practices] to understand [them] and to teach [them], i.e. to understand how degenerate their actions are, and to teach your children, “Do not do such and such, because this is a heathen custom!” - [Sifrei ; San. 68a] לא תלמד לעשות: אבל אתה למד להבין ולהורות, כלומר להבין מעשיהם כמה הם מקולקלים, ולהורות לבניך לא תעשה כך וכך, שזה הוא חוק הגוים:
10There shall not be found among you anyone who passes his son or daughter through fire, a soothsayer, a diviner of [auspicious] times, one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, ילֹֽא־יִמָּצֵ֣א בְךָ֔ מַֽעֲבִ֥יר בְּנֽוֹ־וּבִתּ֖וֹ בָּאֵ֑שׁ קֹסֵ֣ם קְסָמִ֔ים מְעוֹנֵ֥ן וּמְנַחֵ֖שׁ וּמְכַשֵּֽׁף:
who passes his son or daughter through fire: This was the Molech worship. They made two bonfires on either side and passed the child between them both. — [San. 64b] מעביר בנו ובתו באש: היא עבודת המולך. עושה מדורות אש מכאן ומכאן ומעבירו בין שתיהם:
a soothsayer: What is a soothsayer? One who takes his rod in his hand and says [as though to consult it], “Shall I go, or shall I not go?” Similarly, it says (Hos. 4:12),“My people takes counsel of his piece of wood, and his rod declares to him.” - [Sifrei] קוסם קסמים: איזהו קוסם, האוחז את מקלו ואומר אם אלך אם לא אלך. וכן הוא אומר, עמי בעצו ישאל ומקלו יגיד לו (הושע ד, יב):
a diviner of [auspicious] times: Heb. מְעוֹנֵן. Rabbi Akiva says: These are people who determine the times (עוֹנוֹת) , saying, “Such-and-such a time is good to begin [a venture].” The Sages say, however, that this refers to those who“catch the eyes (עֵינַיִם) ” [i.e., they deceive by creating optical illusions]. מעונן: רבי עקיבא אומר אלו נותני עונות, שאומרים עונה פלונית יפה להתחיל. וחכמים אומרים אלו אוחזי העינים:
one who interprets omens: [e.g.,] bread falling from his mouth, a deer crossing his path, or his stick falling from his hand. — [Sifrei , San. 65b] מנחש: פתו נפלה מפיו, צבי הפסיקו בדרך, מקלו נפל מידו:
11or a charmer, a pithom sorcerer, a yido'a sorcerer, or a necromancer. יאוְחֹבֵ֖ר חָ֑בֶר וְשֹׁאֵ֥ל אוֹב֙ וְיִדְּעֹנִ֔י וְדֹרֵ֖שׁ אֶל־הַמֵּתִֽים:
or a charmer: One who collects snakes, scorpions or other creatures into one place. וחובר חבר: שמצרף נחשים או עקרבים או שאר חיות למקום אחד:
a pithom sorcerer: This is a type of sorcery called pithom . The sorcerer raises the [spirit of the] dead, and it speaks from his [the sorcerer’s] armpit. ושאל אוב: זה מכשפות ששמו פיתום ומדבר משחיו ומעלה את המת בבית השחי שלו:
a yido’a sorcerer: Here the sorcerer inserts a bone of the animal called yido’a into his mouth, and the bone speaks by means of sorcery. — [Sifrei , San. 65a] וידעני: מכניס עצם חיה ששמה ידוע, לתוך פיו, ומדבר העצם על ידי מכשפות:
or a necromancer: As, for example, one who raises [the dead spirit] upon his membrum, or one who consults a skull. — [Sifrei , see San. 65b] ודורש אל המתים: כגון המעלה בזכורו והנשאל בגלגולת:
12For whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord, and because of these abominations, the Lord, your God is driving them out from before you. יבכִּי־תֽוֹעֲבַ֥ת יְהֹוָ֖ה כָּל־עֹ֣שֵׂה אֵ֑לֶּה וּבִגְלַל֙ הַתּֽוֹעֵבֹ֣ת הָאֵ֔לֶּה יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶי֔ךָ מוֹרִ֥ישׁ אוֹתָ֖ם מִפָּנֶֽיךָ:
[For] whoever does these [things] [is an abomination to the Lord]: It does not say, “one who does all these things,” but, “whoever does these things,” even one of them. — [Sifrei , Mak. 24a] כל עושה אלה: עושה כל אלה לא נאמר אלא כל עושה אלה, אפילו אחת מהן:
13Be wholehearted with the Lord, your God. יגתָּמִ֣ים תִּֽהְיֶ֔ה עִ֖ם יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶֽיךָ:
Be wholehearted with the Lord, your God: Conduct yourself with Him with simplicity and depend on Him, and do not inquire of the future; rather, accept whatever happens to you with [unadulterated] simplicity and then, you will be with Him and to His portion. — [Sifrei] תמים תהיה עם ה' אלהיך: התהלך עמו בתמימות ותצפה לו ולא תחקור אחר העתידות, אלא כל מה שיבא עליך קבל בתמימות ואז תהיה עמו ולחלקו:
Daily Tehillim: Psalms Chapters 23 - 28
• 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 23
When King David was in the forest of Cheret and nearly died of starvation, God provided nourishment for him with a taste of the World to Come. David then composed this psalm, describing the magnitude of his trust in God.
1. A psalm by David. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall lack nothing.
2. He lays me down in green pastures; He leads me beside still waters.
3. He revives my soul; He directs me in paths of righteousness for the sake of His Name.
4. Though I walk in the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff-they will comfort me.
5. You will prepare a table for me before my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; my cup is full.
6. Only goodness and kindness shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the House of the Lord for many long years.
Chapter 24
If the fulfillment of one's prayer would result in the sanctification of God's Name, he should pray that God act for the sake of the holiness of His Name. One should also invoke the merit of his ancestors, for we know that "the righteous are greater in death than in life"
1. By David, a psalm. The earth and all therein is the Lord's; the world and its inhabitants.
2. For He has founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the rivers.
3. Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord, and who may stand in His holy place?
4. He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not used My Name in vain or sworn falsely.
5. He shall receive a blessing from the Lord, and kindness from God, his deliverer.
6. Such is the generation of those who search for Him, [the children of] Jacob who seek Your countenance forever.
7. Lift up your heads, O gates, and be lifted up, eternal doors, so the glorious King may enter.
8. Who is the glorious King? The Lord, strong and mighty; the Lord, mighty in battle.
9. Lift up your heads, O gates; lift them up, eternal doors, so the glorious King may enter.
10. Who is the glorious King? The Lord of Hosts, He is the glorious King for all eternity.
Chapter 25
The verses in this psalm are arranged according to the alphabet, excluding the letters Bet, Vav, and Kuf, which together equal the numerical value of Gehenom (purgatory). One who recites this psalm daily will not see the face of purgatory.
1. By David. To You, Lord, I lift my soul.
2. My God, I have put my trust in You. May I not be put to shame; may my enemies not gloat over me.
3. Indeed, may all who hope in You not be put to shame; let those who act treacherously without reason be shamed.
4. O Lord, make Your ways known to me; teach me Your paths.
5. Train me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; I yearn for You all day.
6. O Lord, remember Your mercies and Your kindnesses, for they have existed for all time.
7. Do not recall the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions; remember me in accordance with Your kindness, because of Your goodness, O Lord.
8. Good and upright is the Lord, therefore He directs sinners along the way.
9. He guides the humble with justice, and teaches the humble His way.
10. All the paths of the Lord are kindness and truth for those who observe His covenant and testimonies.
11. For the sake of Your Name, O Lord, pardon my iniquity, for it is great.
12. Whoever is a God-fearing man, him will He teach the path that he should choose.
13. His soul will abide in well-being, and his descendants will inherit the earth.
14. The secret of the Lord is to those who fear Him; He makes His covenant known to them.
15. My eyes are always turned to the Lord, for He releases my feet from the snare.
16. Turn to me and be compassionate to me, for I am alone and afflicted.
17. The sufferings of my heart have increased; deliver me from my hardships.
18. Behold my affliction and suffering, and forgive all my sins.
19. See how numerous my enemies have become; they hate me with a violent hatred.
20. Guard my soul and deliver me; may I not be put to shame, for I place my trust in You.
21. Let integrity and uprightness guard me, for my hope is in You.
22. Redeem Israel, O God, from all its afflictions.
Chapter 26
In this psalm King David inundates God with prayers and acts of piety, because he envies those who are his spiritual superiors, saying, "If only I were on their level of piety and virtue!"
1. By David. Judge me, O Lord, for in my innocence I have walked, and in the Lord I have trusted-I shall not falter.
2. Try me, O Lord, and test me; refine my mind and heart.
3. For Your kindness is before my eyes, and I have walked constantly in Your truth.
4. I did not sit with men of falsehood, and with hypocrites I will not mingle.
5. I detested the company of evildoers, and with the wicked I will not sit.
6. I wash my hands in purity, and circle Your altar, O Lord,
7. to give voice to thanks, and to recount all Your wonders.
8. I love the shelter of Your House, O Lord, and the place where Your glory resides.
9. Gather not in my soul with sinners, nor my life with men of bloodshed,
10. In whose hands are schemes, and whose right hand is filled with bribes.
11. But I walk in my innocence; redeem me and show me favor.
12. My foot stands on level ground; in assemblies I will bless the Lord.
Chapter 27
King David acknowledges and praises God, placing his trust in Him because of his victories in war. "Nevertheless, it is not wars that I desire, for I cannot gain perfection with them. Only one thing do I ask: to abide day and night in the study hall studying Torah, to gain perfection so that my soul may merit the life of the World to Come."
1. By David. The Lord is my light and my salvation-whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life-whom shall I dread?
2. When evildoers approached me to devour my flesh, my oppressors and my foes, they stumbled and fell.
3. If an army were to beleaguer me, my heart would not fear; if war were to arise against me, in this I trust
4. One thing I have asked of the Lord, this I seek: that I may dwell in the House of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the pleasantness of the Lord, and to visit His Sanctuary.
5. For He will hide me in His tabernacle on a day of adversity; He will conceal me in the hidden places of His tent; He will lift me upon a rock.
6. And then my head will be raised above my enemies around me, and I will offer in His tabernacle sacrifices of jubilation; I will sing and chant to the Lord.
7. Lord, hear my voice as I call; be gracious to me and answer me.
8. In Your behalf my heart says, "Seek My countenance"; Your countenance, Lord, I seek.
9. Do not conceal Your countenance from me; do not cast aside Your servant in wrath. You have been my help; do not abandon me nor forsake me, God of my deliverance.
10. Though my father and mother have forsaken me, the Lord has taken me in.
11. Lord, teach me Your way and lead me in the path of righteousness, because of my watchful enemies.
12. Do not give me over to the will of my oppressors, for there have risen against me false witnesses, and they speak evil.
13. [They would have crushed me] had I not believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
14. Hope in the Lord, be strong and let your heart be valiant, and hope in the Lord.
FOOTNOTES
1.I trust that “the lord is my light and salvation” etc. (Rashi)
Chapter 28
A prayer for every individual, entreating God to assist him in walking the good path, to prevent him from walking with the wicked doers of evil, and that He repay the wicked for their wickedness and the righteous for their righteousness.
1. By David. I call to You, O Lord; my Strength, do not be deaf to me; for should You be silent to me, I will be like those who descend to the pit.
2. Hear the sound of my pleas when I cry out to You, when I raise my hands toward Your holy Sanctuary.
3. Do not draw me along with the wicked, with evildoers who speak of peace with their companions, though evil is in their heart.
4. Give them according to their deeds, and the evil of their endeavors; give them according to their handiwork, render to them their just desserts.
5. For they pay no heed to the acts of the Lord, nor to the work of His hands; may He destroy them and not rebuild them.
6. Blessed is the Lord, for He has heard the voice of my pleas.
7. The Lord is my strength and my shield; in Him my heart trusted and I was helped; my heart exulted, and with my song I praised Him.
8. The Lord is a strength to them; He is a stronghold of deliverance to His anointed.
9. Grant salvation to Your people and bless Your heritage; tend them and exalt them forever.
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 10, 11 and 12.
Chapter 10
This psalm tells of the wicked one’s prosperity and his boasting of it, until he says: “There is neither law nor judge. God pays no attention to the actions of mere mortals.”
1. Why, O Lord, do You stand afar, do You hide Yourself in times of distress?
2. The wicked man in his arrogance pursues the poor; they are caught by the schemes they have contrived.
3. For the wicked man glories in the desire of his heart, and the robber boasts that he has scorned the Lord.
4. The wicked one in his insolence [thinks], “He does not avenge”; all his thoughts are, “There is no God.”
5. His ways always succeed; Your retribution is far removed from before him; he puffs at all his foes.
6. He says in his heart, “I shall not falter; for all generations no evil will befall me.”
7. His mouth is full of oaths, deceit and malice; mischief and iniquity are under his tongue.
8. He sits in ambush near open cities; in hidden places he murders the innocent; his eyes stealthily watch for the helpless.
9. He lurks in hiding like a lion in his lair; he lurks to seize the poor, then seizes the poor when he draws his net.
10. He crouches and stoops, then the helpless fall prey to his might.
11. He says in his heart, “God has forgotten, He conceals His countenance, He will never see.”
12. Arise, O Lord! O God, lift Your hand! Do not forget the lowly.
13. Why does the wicked man scorn God? Because he says in his heart, “You do not avenge.”
14. Indeed, You do see! For You behold the mischief and vexation. To recompense is in Your power; the helpless place their trust in You; You have [always] helped the orphan.
15. Break the strength of the wicked; then search for the wickedness of the evil one and You will not find it.
16. The Lord reigns for all eternity; the nations have vanished from His land.
17. Lord, You have heard the desire of the humble; direct their hearts, let Your ear listen,
18. to bring justice to the orphan and the downtrodden, so that [the wicked] shall no longer crush the frail of the earth.
Chapter 11
This psalm declares that the suffering of the righteous one is for his own benefit, to cleanse him of his sins; whereas the wicked one is granted prosperity in this world-similar to the verse, "Wealth remains with its owner, to his detriment."
1. For the Conductor, by David. I have placed my trust in the Lord; [thus] how can you say of my soul, your mountain,1 that it flees like a bird?2
2. For behold, the wicked bend the bow, they have readied their arrow upon the bowstring, to shoot in darkness at the upright of heart.
3. They destroyed the foundations; 3 what [wrong] has the righteous man done?
4. The Lord is in His holy Sanctuary, the Lord's throne is in heaven, [yet] His eyes behold, His pupils probe [the deeds of] mankind.
5. The Lord tests the righteous, but He hates the wicked and the lover of violence.
6. He will rain down upon the wicked fiery coals and brimstone; a scorching wind will be their allotted portion.
7. For the Lord is righteous, He loves [the man of] righteous deeds; the upright will behold His countenance.
Chapter 12
This psalm admonishes informers, slanderers, and flatterers.
1. For the Conductor, upon the eight-stringed instrument, a psalm by David.
2. Help us, Lord, for the pious are no more; for the faithful have vanished from among men.
3. Men speak falsehood to one another; with flattering lips, with a duplicitous heart do they speak.
4. May the Lord cut off all flattering lips, the tongue that speaks boastfully-
5. those who have said, "With our tongues we shall prevail, our lips are with us, who is master over us!”
6. Because of the plundering of the poor, because of the moaning of the needy, the Lord says, "Now I will arise!" "I will grant deliverance," He says to him.
7. The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver refined in the finest earthen crucible, purified seven times.
8. May You, O Lord, watch over them; may You forever guard them from this generation,
9. [in which] the wicked walk on every side; when they are exalted it is a disgrace to mankind.
Tanya: Iggeret HaKodesh, Epistle 11
• Lessons in Tanya
• Today's Tanya Lesson
• Wednesday, 4 Elul, 5776 · 7 September 2016
• Iggeret HaKodesh, Epistle 11
• Like most of the components of Iggeret HaKodesh, this pastoral letter too was addressed to the chassidic community as a whole. Why, then, echoing the words first addressed to Daniel (“To enlighten you with understanding”),1 does the Alter Rebbe open it in the singular?
Chitas and Rambam for today:
Chumash: Shoftim, 4th Portion Deuteronomy 18:6-18:13 with Rashi
• Deuteronomy Chapter 18
6And if a Levite comes from one of your cities out of all Israel where he sojourns, he may come whenever his soul desires, to the place the Lord will choose, ווְכִֽי־יָבֹ֨א הַלֵּוִ֜י מֵֽאַחַ֤ד שְׁעָרֶ֨יךָ֙ מִכָּל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל אֲשֶׁר־ה֖וּא גָּ֣ר שָׁ֑ם וּבָא֙ בְּכָל־אַוַּ֣ת נַפְשׁ֔וֹ אֶל־הַמָּק֖וֹם אֲשֶׁר־יִבְחַ֥ר יְהֹוָֽה:
And if the Levite comes: One might think that Scripture is referring to an actual Levite [i.e., not a kohen]. Therefore it says, “And he may serve” (verse 7). And since Levites are not fit to serve in the whole service, we see that this verse is not referring to them [but rather to kohanim]. — [Sifrei] וכי יבא הלוי: יכול בבן לוי ודאי הכתוב מדבר, תלמוד לומר ושרת, יצאו לוים שאין ראוין לשירות:
he may come whenever his soul desires…: ובא בכל אות נפשו וגו' :
7and he may serve in the name of the Lord, his God, just like all his Levite brothers, who stand there before the Lord. זוְשֵׁרֵ֕ת בְּשֵׁ֖ם יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהָ֑יו כְּכָל־אֶחָיו֙ הַֽלְוִיִּ֔ם הָעֹֽמְדִ֥ים שָׁ֖ם לִפְנֵ֥י יְהֹוָֽה:
and he may serve: [This] teaches [us] that a kohen may come and offer his own freewill and obligatory sacrifices even when it is not his shift. — B. K. 109b] Another explanation: It further teaches concerning kohanim who come to the Temple [as pilgrims] on the Festivals, that they may offer [together with those of the shift] and perform the services connected with the sacrifices that are brought because of the Festival-for instance, the “additional offerings” of the Festivaleven though it is not their shift. — [Sifrei, Sukk. 55b] ושרת: למד על הכהן שבא ומקריב קרבנות נדבתו או חובתו ואפילו במשמר שאינו שלו. דבר אחר עוד למד על הכהנים הבאים לרגל שמקריבין במשמר ועובדין בקרבנות הבאות מחמת הרגל, כגון מוספי הרגל, ואף על פי שאין המשמר שלהם:
8They shall eat equal portions, except what was sold by the forefathers. חחֵ֥לֶק כְּחֵ֖לֶק יֹאכֵ֑לוּ לְבַ֥ד מִמְכָּרָ֖יו עַל־הָֽאָבֽוֹת:
They shall eat equal portions: This teaches that they [the kohanim present as pilgrims on the Festivals] receive a portion of the hides [of the Festival burnt-offerings] and the flesh of the he-goats of sin-offerings [of the Festival]. Now one might think that [these kohanim may participate] also in sacrifices which are brought unrelated to the Festival, such as the תָּמִיד, the daily burnt-offerings, מוּסְפֵי שַׁבָּת, additional offerings of the Sabbath [on which a Festival may coincide] and sacrificial vows and donations. Therefore, it says: חלק כחלק יאכלו: מלמד שחולקין בעורות ובבשר שעירי חטאות. יכול אף בדברים הבאים שלא מחמת הרגל, כגון תמידין ומוספי שבת ונדרים ונדבות, תלמוד לומר:
except what was sold by the forefathers: Except what his ancestors sold [to one another] in the days of David and Samuel when the system of shifts was established, trading with each other thus, “You take your week, and I will take my week.” - [Sifrei ; Sukk. 56a] לבד ממכריו על האבות: חוץ ממה שמכרו האבות בימי דוד ושמואל, שנקבעו המשמרות ומכרו זה לזה טול אתה שבתך ואני אטול שבתי
9When you have come to the land the Lord, your God, is giving you, you shall not learn to do like the abominations of those nations. טכִּ֤י אַתָּה֙ בָּ֣א אֶל־הָאָ֔רֶץ אֲשֶׁר־יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ נֹתֵ֣ן לָ֑ךְ לֹֽא־תִלְמַ֣ד לַֽעֲשׂ֔וֹת כְּתֽוֹעֲבֹ֖ת הַגּוֹיִ֥ם הָהֵֽם:
you shall not learn to do [like the abominations of those nations]: But you may learn [their practices] to understand [them] and to teach [them], i.e. to understand how degenerate their actions are, and to teach your children, “Do not do such and such, because this is a heathen custom!” - [Sifrei ; San. 68a] לא תלמד לעשות: אבל אתה למד להבין ולהורות, כלומר להבין מעשיהם כמה הם מקולקלים, ולהורות לבניך לא תעשה כך וכך, שזה הוא חוק הגוים:
10There shall not be found among you anyone who passes his son or daughter through fire, a soothsayer, a diviner of [auspicious] times, one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, ילֹֽא־יִמָּצֵ֣א בְךָ֔ מַֽעֲבִ֥יר בְּנֽוֹ־וּבִתּ֖וֹ בָּאֵ֑שׁ קֹסֵ֣ם קְסָמִ֔ים מְעוֹנֵ֥ן וּמְנַחֵ֖שׁ וּמְכַשֵּֽׁף:
who passes his son or daughter through fire: This was the Molech worship. They made two bonfires on either side and passed the child between them both. — [San. 64b] מעביר בנו ובתו באש: היא עבודת המולך. עושה מדורות אש מכאן ומכאן ומעבירו בין שתיהם:
a soothsayer: What is a soothsayer? One who takes his rod in his hand and says [as though to consult it], “Shall I go, or shall I not go?” Similarly, it says (Hos. 4:12),“My people takes counsel of his piece of wood, and his rod declares to him.” - [Sifrei] קוסם קסמים: איזהו קוסם, האוחז את מקלו ואומר אם אלך אם לא אלך. וכן הוא אומר, עמי בעצו ישאל ומקלו יגיד לו (הושע ד, יב):
a diviner of [auspicious] times: Heb. מְעוֹנֵן. Rabbi Akiva says: These are people who determine the times (עוֹנוֹת) , saying, “Such-and-such a time is good to begin [a venture].” The Sages say, however, that this refers to those who“catch the eyes (עֵינַיִם) ” [i.e., they deceive by creating optical illusions]. מעונן: רבי עקיבא אומר אלו נותני עונות, שאומרים עונה פלונית יפה להתחיל. וחכמים אומרים אלו אוחזי העינים:
one who interprets omens: [e.g.,] bread falling from his mouth, a deer crossing his path, or his stick falling from his hand. — [Sifrei , San. 65b] מנחש: פתו נפלה מפיו, צבי הפסיקו בדרך, מקלו נפל מידו:
11or a charmer, a pithom sorcerer, a yido'a sorcerer, or a necromancer. יאוְחֹבֵ֖ר חָ֑בֶר וְשֹׁאֵ֥ל אוֹב֙ וְיִדְּעֹנִ֔י וְדֹרֵ֖שׁ אֶל־הַמֵּתִֽים:
or a charmer: One who collects snakes, scorpions or other creatures into one place. וחובר חבר: שמצרף נחשים או עקרבים או שאר חיות למקום אחד:
a pithom sorcerer: This is a type of sorcery called pithom . The sorcerer raises the [spirit of the] dead, and it speaks from his [the sorcerer’s] armpit. ושאל אוב: זה מכשפות ששמו פיתום ומדבר משחיו ומעלה את המת בבית השחי שלו:
a yido’a sorcerer: Here the sorcerer inserts a bone of the animal called yido’a into his mouth, and the bone speaks by means of sorcery. — [Sifrei , San. 65a] וידעני: מכניס עצם חיה ששמה ידוע, לתוך פיו, ומדבר העצם על ידי מכשפות:
or a necromancer: As, for example, one who raises [the dead spirit] upon his membrum, or one who consults a skull. — [Sifrei , see San. 65b] ודורש אל המתים: כגון המעלה בזכורו והנשאל בגלגולת:
12For whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord, and because of these abominations, the Lord, your God is driving them out from before you. יבכִּי־תֽוֹעֲבַ֥ת יְהֹוָ֖ה כָּל־עֹ֣שֵׂה אֵ֑לֶּה וּבִגְלַל֙ הַתּֽוֹעֵבֹ֣ת הָאֵ֔לֶּה יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶי֔ךָ מוֹרִ֥ישׁ אוֹתָ֖ם מִפָּנֶֽיךָ:
[For] whoever does these [things] [is an abomination to the Lord]: It does not say, “one who does all these things,” but, “whoever does these things,” even one of them. — [Sifrei , Mak. 24a] כל עושה אלה: עושה כל אלה לא נאמר אלא כל עושה אלה, אפילו אחת מהן:
13Be wholehearted with the Lord, your God. יגתָּמִ֣ים תִּֽהְיֶ֔ה עִ֖ם יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶֽיךָ:
Be wholehearted with the Lord, your God: Conduct yourself with Him with simplicity and depend on Him, and do not inquire of the future; rather, accept whatever happens to you with [unadulterated] simplicity and then, you will be with Him and to His portion. — [Sifrei] תמים תהיה עם ה' אלהיך: התהלך עמו בתמימות ותצפה לו ולא תחקור אחר העתידות, אלא כל מה שיבא עליך קבל בתמימות ואז תהיה עמו ולחלקו:
Daily Tehillim: Psalms Chapters 23 - 28
• 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 23
When King David was in the forest of Cheret and nearly died of starvation, God provided nourishment for him with a taste of the World to Come. David then composed this psalm, describing the magnitude of his trust in God.
1. A psalm by David. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall lack nothing.
2. He lays me down in green pastures; He leads me beside still waters.
3. He revives my soul; He directs me in paths of righteousness for the sake of His Name.
4. Though I walk in the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff-they will comfort me.
5. You will prepare a table for me before my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; my cup is full.
6. Only goodness and kindness shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the House of the Lord for many long years.
Chapter 24
If the fulfillment of one's prayer would result in the sanctification of God's Name, he should pray that God act for the sake of the holiness of His Name. One should also invoke the merit of his ancestors, for we know that "the righteous are greater in death than in life"
1. By David, a psalm. The earth and all therein is the Lord's; the world and its inhabitants.
2. For He has founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the rivers.
3. Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord, and who may stand in His holy place?
4. He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not used My Name in vain or sworn falsely.
5. He shall receive a blessing from the Lord, and kindness from God, his deliverer.
6. Such is the generation of those who search for Him, [the children of] Jacob who seek Your countenance forever.
7. Lift up your heads, O gates, and be lifted up, eternal doors, so the glorious King may enter.
8. Who is the glorious King? The Lord, strong and mighty; the Lord, mighty in battle.
9. Lift up your heads, O gates; lift them up, eternal doors, so the glorious King may enter.
10. Who is the glorious King? The Lord of Hosts, He is the glorious King for all eternity.
Chapter 25
The verses in this psalm are arranged according to the alphabet, excluding the letters Bet, Vav, and Kuf, which together equal the numerical value of Gehenom (purgatory). One who recites this psalm daily will not see the face of purgatory.
1. By David. To You, Lord, I lift my soul.
2. My God, I have put my trust in You. May I not be put to shame; may my enemies not gloat over me.
3. Indeed, may all who hope in You not be put to shame; let those who act treacherously without reason be shamed.
4. O Lord, make Your ways known to me; teach me Your paths.
5. Train me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; I yearn for You all day.
6. O Lord, remember Your mercies and Your kindnesses, for they have existed for all time.
7. Do not recall the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions; remember me in accordance with Your kindness, because of Your goodness, O Lord.
8. Good and upright is the Lord, therefore He directs sinners along the way.
9. He guides the humble with justice, and teaches the humble His way.
10. All the paths of the Lord are kindness and truth for those who observe His covenant and testimonies.
11. For the sake of Your Name, O Lord, pardon my iniquity, for it is great.
12. Whoever is a God-fearing man, him will He teach the path that he should choose.
13. His soul will abide in well-being, and his descendants will inherit the earth.
14. The secret of the Lord is to those who fear Him; He makes His covenant known to them.
15. My eyes are always turned to the Lord, for He releases my feet from the snare.
16. Turn to me and be compassionate to me, for I am alone and afflicted.
17. The sufferings of my heart have increased; deliver me from my hardships.
18. Behold my affliction and suffering, and forgive all my sins.
19. See how numerous my enemies have become; they hate me with a violent hatred.
20. Guard my soul and deliver me; may I not be put to shame, for I place my trust in You.
21. Let integrity and uprightness guard me, for my hope is in You.
22. Redeem Israel, O God, from all its afflictions.
Chapter 26
In this psalm King David inundates God with prayers and acts of piety, because he envies those who are his spiritual superiors, saying, "If only I were on their level of piety and virtue!"
1. By David. Judge me, O Lord, for in my innocence I have walked, and in the Lord I have trusted-I shall not falter.
2. Try me, O Lord, and test me; refine my mind and heart.
3. For Your kindness is before my eyes, and I have walked constantly in Your truth.
4. I did not sit with men of falsehood, and with hypocrites I will not mingle.
5. I detested the company of evildoers, and with the wicked I will not sit.
6. I wash my hands in purity, and circle Your altar, O Lord,
7. to give voice to thanks, and to recount all Your wonders.
8. I love the shelter of Your House, O Lord, and the place where Your glory resides.
9. Gather not in my soul with sinners, nor my life with men of bloodshed,
10. In whose hands are schemes, and whose right hand is filled with bribes.
11. But I walk in my innocence; redeem me and show me favor.
12. My foot stands on level ground; in assemblies I will bless the Lord.
Chapter 27
King David acknowledges and praises God, placing his trust in Him because of his victories in war. "Nevertheless, it is not wars that I desire, for I cannot gain perfection with them. Only one thing do I ask: to abide day and night in the study hall studying Torah, to gain perfection so that my soul may merit the life of the World to Come."
1. By David. The Lord is my light and my salvation-whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life-whom shall I dread?
2. When evildoers approached me to devour my flesh, my oppressors and my foes, they stumbled and fell.
3. If an army were to beleaguer me, my heart would not fear; if war were to arise against me, in this I trust
4. One thing I have asked of the Lord, this I seek: that I may dwell in the House of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the pleasantness of the Lord, and to visit His Sanctuary.
5. For He will hide me in His tabernacle on a day of adversity; He will conceal me in the hidden places of His tent; He will lift me upon a rock.
6. And then my head will be raised above my enemies around me, and I will offer in His tabernacle sacrifices of jubilation; I will sing and chant to the Lord.
7. Lord, hear my voice as I call; be gracious to me and answer me.
8. In Your behalf my heart says, "Seek My countenance"; Your countenance, Lord, I seek.
9. Do not conceal Your countenance from me; do not cast aside Your servant in wrath. You have been my help; do not abandon me nor forsake me, God of my deliverance.
10. Though my father and mother have forsaken me, the Lord has taken me in.
11. Lord, teach me Your way and lead me in the path of righteousness, because of my watchful enemies.
12. Do not give me over to the will of my oppressors, for there have risen against me false witnesses, and they speak evil.
13. [They would have crushed me] had I not believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
14. Hope in the Lord, be strong and let your heart be valiant, and hope in the Lord.
FOOTNOTES
1.I trust that “the lord is my light and salvation” etc. (Rashi)
Chapter 28
A prayer for every individual, entreating God to assist him in walking the good path, to prevent him from walking with the wicked doers of evil, and that He repay the wicked for their wickedness and the righteous for their righteousness.
1. By David. I call to You, O Lord; my Strength, do not be deaf to me; for should You be silent to me, I will be like those who descend to the pit.
2. Hear the sound of my pleas when I cry out to You, when I raise my hands toward Your holy Sanctuary.
3. Do not draw me along with the wicked, with evildoers who speak of peace with their companions, though evil is in their heart.
4. Give them according to their deeds, and the evil of their endeavors; give them according to their handiwork, render to them their just desserts.
5. For they pay no heed to the acts of the Lord, nor to the work of His hands; may He destroy them and not rebuild them.
6. Blessed is the Lord, for He has heard the voice of my pleas.
7. The Lord is my strength and my shield; in Him my heart trusted and I was helped; my heart exulted, and with my song I praised Him.
8. The Lord is a strength to them; He is a stronghold of deliverance to His anointed.
9. Grant salvation to Your people and bless Your heritage; tend them and exalt them forever.
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 10, 11 and 12.
Chapter 10
This psalm tells of the wicked one’s prosperity and his boasting of it, until he says: “There is neither law nor judge. God pays no attention to the actions of mere mortals.”
1. Why, O Lord, do You stand afar, do You hide Yourself in times of distress?
2. The wicked man in his arrogance pursues the poor; they are caught by the schemes they have contrived.
3. For the wicked man glories in the desire of his heart, and the robber boasts that he has scorned the Lord.
4. The wicked one in his insolence [thinks], “He does not avenge”; all his thoughts are, “There is no God.”
5. His ways always succeed; Your retribution is far removed from before him; he puffs at all his foes.
6. He says in his heart, “I shall not falter; for all generations no evil will befall me.”
7. His mouth is full of oaths, deceit and malice; mischief and iniquity are under his tongue.
8. He sits in ambush near open cities; in hidden places he murders the innocent; his eyes stealthily watch for the helpless.
9. He lurks in hiding like a lion in his lair; he lurks to seize the poor, then seizes the poor when he draws his net.
10. He crouches and stoops, then the helpless fall prey to his might.
11. He says in his heart, “God has forgotten, He conceals His countenance, He will never see.”
12. Arise, O Lord! O God, lift Your hand! Do not forget the lowly.
13. Why does the wicked man scorn God? Because he says in his heart, “You do not avenge.”
14. Indeed, You do see! For You behold the mischief and vexation. To recompense is in Your power; the helpless place their trust in You; You have [always] helped the orphan.
15. Break the strength of the wicked; then search for the wickedness of the evil one and You will not find it.
16. The Lord reigns for all eternity; the nations have vanished from His land.
17. Lord, You have heard the desire of the humble; direct their hearts, let Your ear listen,
18. to bring justice to the orphan and the downtrodden, so that [the wicked] shall no longer crush the frail of the earth.
Chapter 11
This psalm declares that the suffering of the righteous one is for his own benefit, to cleanse him of his sins; whereas the wicked one is granted prosperity in this world-similar to the verse, "Wealth remains with its owner, to his detriment."
1. For the Conductor, by David. I have placed my trust in the Lord; [thus] how can you say of my soul, your mountain,1 that it flees like a bird?2
2. For behold, the wicked bend the bow, they have readied their arrow upon the bowstring, to shoot in darkness at the upright of heart.
3. They destroyed the foundations; 3 what [wrong] has the righteous man done?
4. The Lord is in His holy Sanctuary, the Lord's throne is in heaven, [yet] His eyes behold, His pupils probe [the deeds of] mankind.
5. The Lord tests the righteous, but He hates the wicked and the lover of violence.
6. He will rain down upon the wicked fiery coals and brimstone; a scorching wind will be their allotted portion.
7. For the Lord is righteous, He loves [the man of] righteous deeds; the upright will behold His countenance.
Chapter 12
This psalm admonishes informers, slanderers, and flatterers.
1. For the Conductor, upon the eight-stringed instrument, a psalm by David.
2. Help us, Lord, for the pious are no more; for the faithful have vanished from among men.
3. Men speak falsehood to one another; with flattering lips, with a duplicitous heart do they speak.
4. May the Lord cut off all flattering lips, the tongue that speaks boastfully-
5. those who have said, "With our tongues we shall prevail, our lips are with us, who is master over us!”
6. Because of the plundering of the poor, because of the moaning of the needy, the Lord says, "Now I will arise!" "I will grant deliverance," He says to him.
7. The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver refined in the finest earthen crucible, purified seven times.
8. May You, O Lord, watch over them; may You forever guard them from this generation,
9. [in which] the wicked walk on every side; when they are exalted it is a disgrace to mankind.
Tanya: Iggeret HaKodesh, Epistle 11
• Lessons in Tanya
• Today's Tanya Lesson
• Wednesday, 4 Elul, 5776 · 7 September 2016
• Iggeret HaKodesh, Epistle 11
• Like most of the components of Iggeret HaKodesh, this pastoral letter too was addressed to the chassidic community as a whole. Why, then, echoing the words first addressed to Daniel (“To enlighten you with understanding”),1 does the Alter Rebbe open it in the singular?
In this letter the Alter Rebbe demands spiritual service of a caliber so seemingly formidable as to be attainable only by a chosen few. For in it he calls upon the reader not to desire physical things, even those things that are essential for his wellbeing and utilized in his service of G‑d.
Even such essentials, states the Alter Rebbe, should not be desired for their physicality but for their spirituality, for the spark of G‑dliness found within them. So much so, that even if a person finds that he is lacking (G‑d forbid) life’s essentials, he should not be pained by their absence; rather he should rejoice in his belief that this is indeed for his good, as shall soon be explained. Such a lofty response to deprivation would seem to be within the reach of only a very restricted elite.
The Alter Rebbe therefore begins this letter in the singular, indicating that every single individual can attain this level of divine service. For it requires only an absolute faith in G‑d, and this lies hidden within every Jew; let him but unveil this faith, and he will be able to live by it.
להשכילך בינה
“To enlighten you with understanding”
כי לא זו הדרך ישכון אור ה׳
that not by this path will the light of G‑d dwell within [one],2
להיות חפץ בחיי בשרים, ובני ומזוני
i.e., by desiring the3 “life of flesh,” and children, and sustenance,
The Alter Rebbe is negating a desire that emanates from a craving for pleasure, rather than a desire that results from purposeful need.
כי על זה אמרו רז״ל: בטל רצונך כו׳
for on this our Sages, of blessed memory, said,4 “Nullify your will [out of deference to His will].”
דהיינו, שיהיה רצונו בטל במציאות, ולא יהיה לו שום רצון כלל בעניני עולם הזה כולם
This means not that one should set aside his own will because it does not coincide with G‑d’s will, but that from the outsetone’s will should be [so] nullified that he has no desire whatever for any worldly matters
הנכללים בבני, חיי ומזוני
that are incorporated within the three general categories of5 “children, life, and sustenance.”
Although these are essentials, and though they affect one’s divine service, they should be desired not for themselves, but only insofar as they further the accomplishment of one’s spiritual tasks.
The above directive to “nullify” thus implies bittul bimetziut, an utter nullification of the self. Confronted by a scholar of stature, a lesser scholar may experience self-effacement — but he still remains a self-assertive personality. Utter nullification, by contrast, means that this sensation of self ceases to exist. In similar vein, nullifying one’s own wishes before G‑d connotes the absence of any wishes other than G‑d’s.
וכמאמר רז״ל: שעל כרחך אתה חי
[One should thus live] in the spirit of the teaching of our Sages, of blessed memory, that6 “Against your will do you live.” I.e., one should view the corporeal aspects of his life as being contrary to his will, and surely so with regard to the corporeal aspects of children and sustenance.
The Alter Rebbe now goes on to explain how a Jew can achieve a total lack of yearning for the physicality of things, even things that are essential. According to the explanation that follows, it will be seen that one can go beyond this, and even not be pained by their absence. Indeed, this equanimity in the face of deprivation proves that he derives no pleasure from these things when he does have them.
For it is possible for a person not to derive (conscious) pleasure from something7 and still delight in it subconsciously; the proof of this is that he grieves mightily at its loss, and pain is the exact counterpart of pleasure.
וביאור הענין
The clarification of this matter, how one can achieve a state of not desiring the physicality of even those things most crucial to his existence, [is as follows]:
הוא רק אמונה אמיתית ביוצר בראשית
This [can be achieved] only [when there is] an absolute belief in the Yotzer Bereishit.
Literally, as in the opening words of the Aleinu prayer,8 this phrase refers to G‑d as “the One Who formed the first beginnings of Creation.” In the Kabbalistic lexicon, however, reishit also connotes the Sefirah called Chochmah (lit., “wisdom”). The Alter Rebbe hence uses this phrase here to allude to G‑d as “the One Who created [everything] by means ofreishit,” i.e., by means of the Sefirah of Chochmah.
דהיינו שהבריאה יש מאין, הנקראת ראשית חכמה
This means that the creation of yesh (“that which exists”) out of the state of ayin (lit., “nothingness”) which is called reishit Chochmah,
Loosely, the phrase yesh me’ayin means “something from nothing,” i.e., creation ex nihilo. Here, however, the meaning ofayin is not “non-being” or “non-existence”, for we cannot say that the source of creation is “non-being” when9 “Everything is from You”: all of creation comes from G‑dliness, the only entity that has true existence. Rather, ayin here means “incomprehensible”, for that which a created being understands he terms “existing” while that which totally transcends his understanding he denotes as “non-existing”, inasmuch as it does not exist within the world of his understanding.
Yesh me’ayin thus describes the creation of something that comes into existence from the ayin of Chochmah. Chochmah in turn is known as reishit (lit., “first”), as in the verse,10 “Reishit chochmah....” The level of emanation called Chochmah is deemed to be “first” because it is the first of the Sefirot and as such serves as a source of creation, unlike the levels of Divinity preceding it which are too high, so to speak, to emanate down to the level of creation.
והיא חכמתו שאינה מושגת לשום נברא
i.e., the Divine [Sefirah of] Chochmah which is not apprehensible to any created being, and which is the level of Divinity described above as Yotzer Bereishit, that refers to G‑d as “the One Who created [everything] by means of reishit,” i.e., by means of the Sefirah of Chochmah, —
הבריאה הזאת היא בכל עת ורגע
this creation occurs at every time11 and moment
שמתהוים כל הברואים יש מאין
at which all created beings come into being ex nihilo (yesh me’ayin)
מחכמתו יתברך המחיה את הכל
through G‑d’s wisdom which animates everything.12
G‑d not only vitalizes all beings but also creates them, and since creation takes place ex nihilo it must occur constantly.
For it is explained at length in the teachings of Chassidut that the relationship between Creator and created differs from theilah ve’alul (“cause and effect”) relationship of, for example, intellect and emotions. Once emotions are brought about by the intellect, they can then continue to exist independently, because in truth the intellect merely serves to reveal pre-existing emotions; it does not actually create them.
Creation ex nihilo however, involves creating a being that previously did not exist at all. The ayin that creates must therefore continuously vest itself within the created being, so as to constantly effect the phenomenon of creation. (This is explained in Shaar HaYichud VeHaEmunah,13 a priori from the splitting of the Red Sea.)
This is also the meaning of the statement,14 “He Who in His goodness renews each day, continuously, the work of creation....” G‑d constantly creates the universe anew from the ayin of Chochmah.
וכשיתבונן האדם בעומק הבנתו
Now when a man will contemplate in the depths of his understanding
ויצייר בדעתו הווייתו יש מאין בכל רגע ורגע ממש
and will [moreover] picture in his mind how he comes into being ex nihilo at every single moment, so that he is affected at every moment of his existence by G‑d’s wisdom,
האיך יעלה על דעתו כי רע לו
how can he entertain the thought that he is suffering,
או שום יסורים מבני, חיי ומזוני
or has any afflictions related to “children, life, i.e., health, and sustenance,”
או שארי יסורין בעולם
or whatever other worldly sufferings?
הרי האין, שהיא חכמתו יתברך, הוא מקור החיים והטוב והעונג
For the ayin which is G‑d’s Chochmah is the source of life, goodness and delight.
והוא העדן שלמעלה מעולם הבא
It is the Eden that transcends the World to Come,
The World to Come — the Garden of Eden — is the most sublime form of bliss experienced by the soul in apprehending G‑dliness. This level, lofty as it may be, is however but a garden, a stage once removed from the spiritual delights which flow to it from the source which is called Eden. It is this level of Divinity that constantly creates and vitalizes all living beings.
רק מפני שאינו מושג, לכן נדמה לו רע או יסורים
except that, because it is not apprehensible, one imagines that he is suffering, or afflicted.
אבל באמת, אין רע יורד מלמעלה, והכל טוב
In truth, however,15 “No evil descends from above,” and everything is good,
רק שאינו מושג, לגודלו ורב טובו
though it is not apprehended [as such] because of its immense and abundant goodness, at a level which is inconceivable to man.
The life-force of all things, even those that we perceive as evil, as found within its source is truly good. In fact, it is such a lofty manner of good that it remains faithful to its source, and as such is not apprehensible to man as good. In this it differs from the other form of good that is able to descend to so low a level that even mortals can perceive its goodness. This higher form of goodness, because it retains its status at the outset of its revelation, is clothed in this world in a garb of pain and evil, inasmuch as its goodness has yet to be revealed to man.
This may be more fully understood in light of the Alter Rebbe’s explanation16 of the verse,17 “Happy is the man whom You, G‑d, chasten.” (In the original of this verse in the Holy Tongue, the Divine Name is spelled with yud and hei, which are also the first two letters of the Four-Letter Divine Name.) The Alter Rebbe explains there that suffering stems from the revelation of these first two letters “in the hidden world” (i.e., on a plane which is hidden from our understanding), before the revelation of the latter two letters (vav and hei) descends into the “revealed world.” Thus, suffering as found within its source is truly good.
In this spirit, the Alter Rebbe explains18 the conduct of Nachum Ish Gamzu, whose response to all occurrences was the remark,19 Gam zu letovah — “This, too, is for the good.” This remark not only meant that an event that seemed to be evil would eventually evolve into good, but that the event itself, by virtue of its source, was good in its present form as well; its inherent goodness would be revealed at some later date.
וזהו עיקר האמונה שבשבילה נברא האדם
להאמין דלית אתר פנוי מיניה
to believe that22 “There is no place void of Him” — i.e., G‑d is everywhere —
ובאור פני מלך, חיים
and23 “In the light of the King’s countenance there is life.”
When one encounters the King face to face, he is granted life. If in this temporal world a man sentenced to death should encounter his king, his sentence may be commuted and he is granted life, for “In the light of the king’s countenance there is life.” The same is true Above: the omnipresence of G‑d, the King of the world, provides everything with life.
ועל כן עוז וחדוה במקומו
Accordingly,24 “Strength and gladness are in His place,”
The fact that G‑d is found everywhere should encourage a man by strengthening his trust, and thereby fill him with joy, for whatever predicament he finds himself in, G‑d is there too. And wherever G‑d is present, there is “strength and gladness.”
הואיל והוא רק טוב כל היום
because He is but good all the time.
ועל כן, ראשית הכל, שישמח האדם ויגל בכל עת ושעה
ויחיה ממש באמונתו בה׳, המחיה ומטיב עמו בכל רגע
and truly live by his faith27 in G‑d, Who animates him and acts kindly towards him at every moment.28
ומי שמתעצב ומתאונן
But he who is grieved and laments
מראה בעצמו שיש לו מעט רע ויסורין
demonstrates29 that he is undergoing some hardship and suffering,
וחסר לו איזה טובה
and lacks some goodness;
והרי זה ככופר, חס ושלום
he is (heaven forfend) like a heretic, who denies G‑d’s omnipresence.
For if he would truly believe, he would realize (as above) that “In the light of the King’s countenance there is life,” and “Strength and joy are in His place,” so that he indeed lacks nothing.
ועל כן הרחיקו מדת העצבות במאד חכמי האמת
This is why the Sages of Truth, the Kabbalists, strongly rejected the trait of sadness, for it contradicts a Jew’s true faith that “There is no place devoid of Him.”
אבל המאמין לא יחוש משום יסורין בעולם
The truly faithful, however, is not perturbed30 by any suffering whatever,
ובכל עניני העולם, הן ולאו שוין אצלו בהשוואה אמיתית
and with respect to all mundane matters, “yes” and “no” are all the same to him, in true equality.
ומי שאין שוין לו
But he to whom they are not the same,
מראה בעצמו שהוא מערב רב, דלגרמייהו עבדין
ואוהב את עצמו לצאת מתחת יד ה׳ ולחיות בחיי הגוים
he loves himself to the extent that33 he removes himself from under the hand (i.e., the authority) of G‑d, and lives the life of the gentiles, —
בשביל אהבת את עצמו
[all] because of his self-love.
ועל כן הוא חפץ בחיי בשרים ובני ומזוני
This is why he desires the “life of the flesh,”34 and “children and sustenance,”
כי זה טוב לו
for that is his good.
ונוח לו שלא נברא
[Indeed,] it would have been better for him had he not been created.
כי עיקר בריאת האדם בעולם הזה
For the main purpose of man’s creation in this world
הוא בשביל לנסותו בנסיונות אלו
is to test him by these trials and physical tribulations,
ולדעת את אשר בלבבו
to ascertain what is in his heart:35
אם יפנה לבבו אחרי אלהים אחרים
whether his heart will turn towards other gods,
שהם תאוות הגוף, המשתלשלים מסטרא אחרא, ובהם הוא חפץ
namely the passions of the body which evolve from the sitra achra, and desire these,
Since the kelipot and sitra achra, the forces of evil and unholiness, are termed “other gods,” the passions that they generate are likewise termed “other gods.”
או אם חפצו ורצונו לחיות חיים אמיתים, המשתלשלים מאלקים חיים
or whether his desire and wish is to live the true life which evolves from the living G‑d.36
ויאמין שבאמת הוא חי בהם
One must believe that he really lives it, i.e., the true life,
וכל צרכיו וכל עניניו משתלשלים באמת בפרטי פרטיותיהם שלא מסטרא אחרא
and that all his needs, and everything related to himself, truly evolve in all their details not from the sitra achra,
כי מה׳ מצעדי גבר כוננו
ואין מלה גו׳
and39 “While there is [yet] no word [on my tongue, You, G‑d, know it all].”
Thus, G‑d is aware of all man’s thoughts, words and deeds, even before man thinks, speaks or does them.
ואם כן, הכל טוב בתכלית, רק שאינו מושג
Accordingly, everything is absolutely good, except that it is not apprehended as such by man.
ובאמונה זו באמת, נעשה הכל טוב גם בגלוי
When one believes this truly, everything becomes good even on a revealed level.
שבאמונה זו, שמאמין שהרע הנדמה בגלוי
For by such a faith, in which one believes that what manifestly seems to be evil
כל חיותו הוא מטוב העליון
in fact receives its entire vitality from the Supreme Good,
שהיא חכמתו יתברך, שאינה מושגת
(i.e., from G‑d’s Chochmah which is not apprehensible,
שהיא העדן שלמעלה מעולם הבא
and which is the Eden that transcends the World to Come40), —
הרי באמונה זו נכלל ומתעלה באמת הרע המדומה בטוב העליון הגנוז
by this faith the imagined evil is truly absorbed and sublimated in the concealed Supreme Good, so that the good becomes palpably revealed to the physical eye.
| FOOTNOTES | |
| 1. | Daniel 9:22. |
| 2. | Cf. Iyov 38:19. |
| 3. | Cf. Mishlei 14:30. |
| 4. | Avot 2:4. |
| 5. | Cf. Moed Katan 28a. |
| 6. | Avot 4:22. |
| 7. | Note of the Rebbe: “In the words of the adage, ‘A constant delight is no delight.’” |
| 8. | Siddur Tehillat HaShem, p. 84. |
| 9. | I Divrei HaYamim 29:14. |
| 10. | Tehillim 111:10; Mishlei 4:7. |
| 11. | See footnote 25, below. |
| 12. | Note of the Rebbe: “As above in Shaar HaYichud Veha Emunah, ch. 2.” |
| 13. | Loc. cit. |
| 14. | Morning prayers; Siddur Tehillat HaShem, p. 44. |
| 15. | Cf. Bereishit Rabbah 51:3. |
| 16. | In ch. 26 of Part I, above. |
| 17. | Tehillim 94:12. |
| 18. | Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 62a. |
| 19. | Taanit 21a. |
| 20. | Note of the Rebbe: “Cf. Raaya Mehemna, Zohar II, 25a; the beginning of the [Mishneh Torah of the] Rambam; and above, p. 83b [i.e., Shaar HaYichud VehaEmunah, ch. 7].” |
| 21. | Note of the Rebbe: “From this phrase one may understand that from here on the Alter Rebbe adds a vital emphasis regarding the conclusion drawn from the above contemplation: (a) it should affect one at every moment and hour, and (b) one should truly live with it.” |
| 22. | Tikkunei Zohar, Tikkun 57. |
| 23. | Mishlei 16:15. |
| 24. | I Divrei HaYamim 16:27. |
| 25. | Note of the Rebbe: “For, as explained above, we are speaking of the Yotzer Bereishit [‘the One Who formed the firstbeginnings of Creation’].” |
| 26. | Note of the Rebbe: “This may be seen as a hint that [one should maintain this happy frame of mind at all times, despite the vagaries of life’s] 28 different and opposite ‘times’ (as listed in Kohelet 3:2 ff.). The same hint may also be perceived at the beginning of the present Epistle (‘at every time and moment’).” |
| 27. | Note of the Rebbe: “Since it is for the sake of [his faith] that he was created — and he is alive at all times and hours.” |
| 28. | Note of the Rebbe: “This is another reason why [the above-described train of thinking] should be maintained at all times and hours.” |
| 29. | Note of the Rebbe: “[The second word in the Hebrew phrase מראה בעצמו (here translated “demonstrates”; lit., “showsconcerning himself”)] is seemingly superfluous and also unexpected. Perhaps it suggests that [such a response to hardship] runs contrary to the very essence (עצם) of one’s creation and existence (for [a faith in G‑d’s ever-present goodness is] the purpose, as stated above, for which he was created).” |
| 30. | Note of the Rebbe: “This echoes Yeshayahu 28:16; see the Targum there [which translates לא יחיש as לא יזדעזעון — ‘...will not be agitated’]. In our text, too, the verb should perhaps be spelled thus [with a yud replacing the vav]. See also theTargum of Kohelet 2:25 [which translates ומי יחוש as דאית ליה חששא... — ‘...who is apprehensive’].” |
| 31. | Note of the Rebbe: “As above, footnote 29.” |
| 32. | Note of the Rebbe: “Tikkunei Zohar, Tikkun 6, end of p. 22a; cf. Iggeret HaKodesh, beginning of sec. 22; see also Part I [ofTanya], conclusion of ch. 1 (with regard to gentiles).” |
| 33. | The explanatory phrase “to the extent that” was inserted by the Rebbe. |
| 34. | Note of the Rebbe: “This [reason] was not stressed above for it is self-understood, and is the simple meaning of the expression as often quoted by our Sages. This, however, is not the case here: after the Alter Rebbe has focussed on life in the light of the King’s countenance, it is obvious that this is what should have been desired.” |
| 35. | Cf. Devarim 8:2. |
| 36. | In the text here follow the words, אף שאינו יכול — “though he is unable.” A gloss, inserted at this point by the original publishers of this Hebrew edition, notes the anomalous nature of this phrase and comments that it does not appear in some manuscripts. An alternative version reads, “...or whether his desire and wish — though he is unable [to actually do so] — is to live the true life.” According to this version the phrase is parenthetical. |
| 37. | Tehillim 37:23. |
| 38. | Note of the Rebbe: “The choice of this particular verse here might appear problematic, when numerous verses about Divine Providence appear in Scripture before this one. [Its relevance to our context] becomes clear, however, in light of a comment of our Sages specifically on this verse (Chullin, end of p. 7b): [‘A man does not (even have something trivial happen to him, such as)] bruise [his finger, without its having been decreed from Above’].“ Here too, then, we observe the extreme precision of the Alter Rebbe’s writing, even with regard to words that might seem to be mere stylistic embellishments.” |
| 39. | Tehillim 139:4. |
| 40. | Note of the Rebbe: “Cf. the teaching of our Sages in Berachot 34b.” |
• Rambam: Sefer Hamitzvos:
• Wednesday, 4 Elul, 5776 · 7 September 2016
• Today's Mitzvah
A daily digest of Maimonides’ classic work "Sefer Hamitzvot"
Positive Commandment 242
The Unpaid Watchman
"If a man gives his neighbor money or vessels to watch"—Exodus 22:6.
We are commanded [to follow all the laws outlined in the Torah] regarding one who watches an object for his fellow without compensation.
Full text of this Mitzvah »
• The Unpaid Watchman
Positive Commandment 242
Translated by Berel Bell
The 242nd mitzvah is that we are commanded regarding the law of an unpaid watchman.1
The source of this commandment is G‑d's statement2 (exalted be He), "If one person gives another money or articles to watch...."
The details of this mitzvah are explained in the 9th chapter of tractate Bava Kama, the 3rd chapter of Bava Metzia and the 8th chapter of Shavuos.
FOOTNOTES
1.See note to P243.
2.Ex. 22:6.
• Wednesday, 4 Elul, 5776 · 7 September 2016
• Today's Mitzvah
A daily digest of Maimonides’ classic work "Sefer Hamitzvot"
Positive Commandment 242
The Unpaid Watchman
"If a man gives his neighbor money or vessels to watch"—Exodus 22:6.
We are commanded [to follow all the laws outlined in the Torah] regarding one who watches an object for his fellow without compensation.
Full text of this Mitzvah »
• The Unpaid Watchman
Positive Commandment 242
Translated by Berel Bell
The 242nd mitzvah is that we are commanded regarding the law of an unpaid watchman.1
The source of this commandment is G‑d's statement2 (exalted be He), "If one person gives another money or articles to watch...."
The details of this mitzvah are explained in the 9th chapter of tractate Bava Kama, the 3rd chapter of Bava Metzia and the 8th chapter of Shavuos.
FOOTNOTES
1.See note to P243.
2.Ex. 22:6.
• Rambam - 1 Chapter: Tum'at Tsara`at Tum'at Tsara`at - Chapter 13
• Tum'at Tsara`at - Chapter 13
• Tum'at Tsara`at - Chapter 13
1
The only garments that contract impurity due to tzara'atblemishes are wool and linen garments, cloths where the warp or woof is made of wool or linen, and any leather utensil, whether hard or soft. Even leather that is colored naturally is susceptible to impurity because of blemishes. Felt is considered like garments and is susceptible to impurity because of blemishes. Tents are susceptible to impurity because of blemishes whether they are made from wool or linen or they are leather.
א
אין מטמא בנגעים אלא בגדי צמר ופשתים בלבד או השתי או הערב של צמר ופשתים וכל כלי העור בין קשה בין רך אף העור הצבוע בידי שמים מטמא בנגעים והלבדים כבגדים ומטמאין בנגעים והאהלים מטמאין בנגעים בין שהיו של צמר ופשתים בין שהיו של עור:
2
All garments of wool and linen are susceptible to impurity except those belonging to gentiles. When a person purchases a garment from gentiles, if tzara'at appears on it, it should be viewed as if for the first time. When a garment is made from mixed species - wool and linen - it can incur impurity because of tzara'atblemishes.
ב
כל הבגדים של צמר ופשתים מטמאין בנגעים חוץ מבגדי עכו"ם הלוקח בגדים מן העכו"ם יראו בתחלה בגד שהוא כלאים מן הצמר ומן הפשתים מטמא בנגעים:
3
The following rules apply when camels' wool and sheep's wool were spun together: If the majority is camels' wool, it does not contract impurity because of blemishes. If the majority is sheep's wool, it does. If equal amounts are used, it can incur impurity. The same laws apply when flax and hemp are mixed together.
The wool of a sheep born from a goat does not contract impurity because of blemishes. When the warp of a garment was linen and its woof, hemp, or its warp hemp and its woof, linen, it does not contract impurity because of blemishes. Similarly, if its warp or woof was linen or wool and the remainder goat's hair or the like, it does not contract impurity because of blemishes.
ג
צמר גמלים וצמר רחלים שטוואן זה עם זה אם רוב מן הגמלים אינו מטמא בנגעים ואם רוב מן הרחלים מטמא בנגעים מחצה למחצה מטמא בנגעים והוא הדין בפשתן וקנבוס שטרפן זה בזה ורחל בת עז אין הצמר שלה מטמא בנגעים בגד שהיה שתיו פשתן וערבו קנבוס או שתיו קנבוס וערבו פשתן אינו מטמא בנגעים וכן אם היה שתיו או ערבו פשתן או צמר והשאר נוצה של עזים וכיוצא בה אינו מטמא בנגעים:
4
A hide that was not processed does not contract impurity because of blemishes. Similarly, a hide that is an unformed mass before implements were made from it, does not contract impurity because of blemishes. This can be inferred from Leviticus 13:52 which speaks of "leather articles." Nevertheless, all leather articles - whether flat or receptacles - are susceptible to impurity because of blemishes.
ד
העור שאינו מעובד אינו מטמא בנגעים וכן העור שהוא גולם קודם שעשה ממנו כלים אינו מטמא בנגעים שנאמר כלי העור וכל כלי העור בין פשוטיהן בין מקבליהן כל שהן מטמאין בנגעים:
5
The hides of sea-animals do not contract impurity because of blemishes. If anything that grows on the earth was connected to such a hide, even a strand or string of wool or flax or the hide of an animal or a beast that was processed to any degree, and an implement was made, tzara'at blemishes can cause it to contract impurity, provided it was connected to it in a manner that garments are connected with regard to impurity.
ה
עורות חיה שבים אין מטמאין בנגעים חיבר להן מן הגדל בארץ אפילו חוט או משיחה של צמר או פשתים או עור בהמה וחיה המעובדין כל שהוא ועשה מהן כלים מטמאין בנגעים והוא שיחברנו לו כדרך חיבורי בגדים לטומאה:
6
All utensils that are fit to contract other types of impurity - even though they are not fit to contract the impurity that results when a zav treads on them, because they are not meant to be lied upon or sat upon - are susceptible to impurity because of blemishes. To cite examples: a ship's sail, a curtain, a barber's sheet, a mantle for scrolls, a belt and laces for shoes and sandals that are a gris wide. These all contract impurity because of blemishes. Needless to say, other articles do, e.g., pillows and cushions.
A leather drinking pouch and a carrying case should be inspected in their ordinary fashion. A blemish is considered to have increased in size when it spreads from their inner side to their outer side or from their outer side to their inner side. Similar laws apply in all analogous situations with regard to all two-sided leather utensils.
ו
כל כלי הראוי להתטמא בשאר הטומאות אף ע"פ שאינו מתטמא במדרס הזב מפני שלא נעשה למשכב או למושב הרי זה מטמא בנגעים כגון קלע של ספינה והפרוכת ושביס של שבכה ומטפחות ספרים והאבנט ורצועות מנעל וסנדל שיש בהן רוחב כגריס הרי אלו וכל כיוצא בהן מטמא בנגעים ואין צריך לומר שאר הכלים כגון כרים וכסתות החמת והתורמל נראין כדרכן ופושה הנגע מתוכן לאחוריהן ומאחוריהן לתוכן וכן כל כיוצא בהן מכלי העור הכפולין:
7
When a sheet is creased, its creases are straightened out and then its blemishes are inspected.
ז
סדין המקומט מפשיטין את קמטיו ורואין את נגעו:
8
The thread for the warp and the woof - whether of wool or of linen - are susceptible to impurity because of blemishes immediately after it has been spun even though the linen has not been whitened, nor the wool soaked in hot water.
How much thread must be on a ball of thread for it to contract impurity because of blemishes? Enough to weave a cloth three fingerbreadths by three fingerbreadths from it, both the warp and the woof. This applies whether it was all warp threads or all woof threads. If the ball of thread was collected from separate threads, it is not susceptible to impurity because of blemishes.
ח
השתי והערב בין של צמר בין של פשתן מטמאין בנגעין מיד משיטוו אע"פ שלא ליבן הפשתן ולא שלק הצמר וכמה יהיה בפקעת של טווי ותטמא בנגעים כדי לארוג ממנו שלש על שלש שתי וערב בין שהיה כולה שתי בין שהיתה כולה ערב היתה הפקעת מקובצת מחוטים פסוקין אינה מטמאה בנגעים:
9
The following law applies when a) there are two balls of thread connected to each other with a thread, b) part of the warp thread is wound over the top frame of the loom and part over the bottom frame of the loom, or c) one side of a cloak is connected to the other with one strand. If a blemish is discovered on one of these entities, the other is pure even though the strand connects them.
If a blemish is discovered in the weaving thread and in the warp that has not yet been woven, even though a portion of the blemish exists on the cloth and a portion on the warp, it is impure. If, however, the blemish appears on the unwoven warp alone, the woven cloth is pure. If the blemish appears on the woven portion alone, the unwoven warp is pure.
If a blemish appears on a wrapping blanket, the strands protruding from it should be burnt with it. If the blemish appears on the strands, the wrapping blanket is pure. If the blemish spreads from the strands to the wrapping blanket, the wrapping blanket is impure.
ט
שתי פקעיות המעורות זו לזו בחוט וכן השתי שמקצתו לפוף על הכובד העליונה ומקצתו לפוף על הכובד התחתונה וכן שני דפי חלוק שמעורות בחוט אחד ונראה הנגע באחד מהן השני טהור אף ע"פ שחוט אחד מחבר ביניהן נראה הנגע בנפש המסכת ובשתי העומד אף על פי שמקצת הנגע בבגד ומקצתו בשתי הרי זה טמא נראה הנגע בשתי העומד לבדו הארוג טהור נראה בארוג לבדו השתי העומד טהור נראה בסדין שורף את הנימין נראה בנימין הסדין טהור פשה מן הנימין לסדין הסדין טמא:
10
When a blemish is discovered in a cloak, its borders may be saved. Even if the border is made of wool or linen, it can be saved and should not be burnt.
י
חלוק שנראה בו נגע מציל את האמריות שבו אפילו היתה האימרת צמר או פשתים מצילה ואינה נשרפת:
11
When a garment that was isolated because of a blemish was dyed or sold to a gentile, it is pure. Similarly, if it became mixed with others, they are all deemed pure. If the owner cut it up and made it into small strands, each one less than three fingerbreadths by three fingerbreadths, it is pure and it is permitted to benefit from it. If one of the strands was three fingerbreadths by three fingerbreadths and the blemish was discovered on it, it alone is impure.
יא
בגד מוסגר שצבעו או מכרו לעכו"ם טהור וכן אם נתערב באחרים כולן טהורים קצצו ועשהו מוכין פחות משלש על שלש טהור ומותר בהנייתו היתה בהן אחת שלש על שלש ונראה בה נגע היא לבדה טמאה:
12
When a garment that had been definitively deemed impure became mixed with others, they are all considered impure and must be burned. This applies even if one is mixed with several thousands. Similarly, even if it was cut up into strands, there are all impure and it is forbidden to benefit from them.
יב
בגד מוחלט שנתערב באחרים כולן טמאין וישרפו אפילו אחד בכמה אלפים וכן אם קצצן ועשאהו מוכין הרי הן טמאין ואסור בהנייתן:
13
With regard to ritual impurity, a garment or a leather utensil or threads for the warp or the woof that were isolated or deemed impure is considered a primary category of ritual impurity and is analogous to a person who contracted tzara'at in all respects. It imparts impurity when touched, when carried, when brought into a building, and imparts impurity to couches and seats on which it is placed even if they are under a stone.
What is implied? When one brings even an olive-sized portion of a garment or a leather utensil or threads for the warp or the woof that were blemished into a building that is ritually pure, everything in the building - humans and utensils - become primary derivatives of impurity. Similarly, if there is a couch or a seat located under a stone and one places an olive-sized portion on the stone, the couch or the seat becomes impure.
יג
אחד בגד או כלי עור או שתי או ערב המוסגר או המוחלט לענין טומאה הרי הוא אב מאבות הטומאות כאדם מצורע לכל דבר מטמא במגע ובמשא ובביאה ועושה משכב ומושב אפילו מתחת האבן כיצד בגד מנוגע או שתי או ערב או כלי עור המנוגעין שהכניס מהן אפילו כזית לבית טהור נטמא כל אשר בבית בין אדם בין כלים ונעשו כולן ראשון לטומאה וכן משכב ומושב המונח תחת האבן והניח כזית מהן למעלה מן האבן נטמא המשכב או המושב:
14
When a cloth is three fingerbreadths by three fingerbreadths even though it does not possess the mass of an olive-sized portion, it renders a house that was pure impure when brought inside. If it was the size of several olive-sized portions, once an olive-size portion is brought into a building that is pure, it renders it impure.
Although all the measures are halachot transmitted to Moses at Sinai there is an allusion in the Torah to the concept that an olive-sized portion of a blemished garment conveys impurity. ForLeviticus 14:54-55 states: "For all blemishes of tzara'at, for a netek, for the tzara'at of garments and of houses." An association is made between blemishes affecting humans and those affecting garments and houses. Now a person afflicted by tzara'at is equated with a human corpse, as Numbers 12:12 states: "Let her not be as a corpse." Hence, just as the minimum measure for a portion of a human corpse that imparts impurity is an olive-sized portion, the minimum measure for these is an olive-sized portion.
יד
מטלית שיש בה שלש על שלש אע"פ שאין בה כזית כיון שנכנס רובה לבית טהור טימאתו היו בה כמה זיתים כיון שנכנס ממנה כזית לבית טהור נטמא אף על פי שכל השיעורין הלכה למשה מסיני הרי הוא אומר לכל נגע הצרעת ולנתק ולצרעת הבגד ולבית הקיש נגעי אדם לנגעי בגדים ובתים והשוה המצורע למת שנאמר אל נא תהי כמת מה המת בכזית אף אלו בכזית:
15
Blemished garments are sent outside a city, whether it is surrounded by a wall or not. This reflects a stringency relevant to garments over humans.
טו
בגדים המנוגעים משלחין אותן חוץ לעיר בין שהיתה מוקפת חומה בין שאינה מוקפת וזה חומר בבגדים מבאדם:
• Rambam - 3 Chapters: She'elah uFikkadon She'elah uFikkadon - Chapter 6, She'elah uFikkadon She'elah uFikkadon - Chapter 7, She'elah uFikkadon She'elah uFikkadon - Chapter 8
• She'elah uFikkadon - Chapter 6
• Hayom Yom: Today's Hayom Yom
• Wednesday, 4 Elul, 5776 · 7 September 2016
• "Today's Day"
• Shabbat, Elul 4, 5703
Torah lessons: Chumash: Shoftim, Shevi'i with Rashi.
Tehillim: 23-28. Also 10-12.
Tanya: XI. To make you (p. 445) ...Supreme Good. (p. 449).
The order of birchot haTorah:1 With the tallit touch the beginning and ending of the reading, kiss the tallit where it touched the Torah, roll up the Torah, turn your face slightly to the right, say the b'racha, open the Torah and read.
__________
In describing the unique qualities of humankind, four terms are used: Adam refers to the quality of mind and intellect; ish to the quality of heart and emotion; enosh, weakness in either intellect or emotion or both; gever, who overcomes inner weakness and removes obstacles and hindrances to the attainment of an intellectual or emotional quality. I.e. gever works upon enosh to elevate him to the plane of ish or adam.
Since it is possible to turn enosh into ish or adam, it is obvious that enosh already possesses2 the qualities found in ish and adam.
FOOTNOTES
1.The b'rachot pronounced by the person called to the Torah.
2.In latent or undeveloped state.
• Daily Thought:
• She'elah uFikkadon - Chapter 6
1
The following rules apply when an unpaid watchman says, "I desire to pay and not to take an oath: If the entrusted article is of a uniform type and it is possible to purchase such articles in the market-place - e.g., produce, reams of wool and flax that are entirely uniform, beams on which images have not been carved, or the like- he may pay the value of the article and be excused from taking an oath.
If, however, the entrusted article was an animal, a decorated garment, a utensil that had been fixed, or an article that is not easily available to purchase in the market place, we suspect that the watchman coveted it for himself. We therefore require him to take an oath as instituted by our Sages, while holding a sacred article, that the entrusted object is no longer in his possession. Afterwards, he must make restitution.
The same law applies to other watchmen - e.g., a borrower who says that an entrusted animal died or was stolen, or a paid watchman, or a renter who says that an entrusted article was stolen or lost. Even though they are obligated to pay, they are required to take an oath that the article is no longer in their possession. Afterwards, they must make financial restitution for the entrusted animal or article. The rationale is that we suspect that the watchman coveted it for himself.
If the owner claims that the entrusted article was worth more than the watchman admits, he must also include in his oath that it was worth only such and such. Thus, every watchman who takes the oath required of watchmen must include three matters in the oath:
a) that he cared for the article in a manner appropriate for a watchman;
b) that this and this happened to the article and it is no longer in his domain; and
c) that he did not use the article for his own purposes before the event that absolves him of responsibility took place.
If he desires to make financial restitution, he must take an oath that the article is no longer in his domain and include in his oath that it is worth such and such.
א
שומר חנם שאמר הריני משלם ואיני נשבע אם הפקדון דבר שכל מינו שוה ומצוי בשוק לקנות כמותו כגון פירות או יריעות של צמר ושל פשתן השוות בכל עניינם או קורות שאינן מצויירות וכל כיוצא בהן ה"ז משלם ואינו נשבע אבל אם היה פקדון בהמה או בגד מצוייר או כלי מתוקן או דבר שאינו מוצא לקנות כמותו בשוק חוששין שמא עיניו נתן בו ומשביעין אותו בתקנת חכמים שבועה בנקיטת חפץ שאינו ברשותו ואחר כך משלם והוא הדין לשאר השומרין כגון השואל שאמר מתה או נגנבה ושומר שכר והשוכר שאמר נגנבה או שאבדה אף על פי שהן חייבין לשלם משביעין אותן שבועה שאינה ברשותן ואח"כ משלמין דמי הבהמה או החפץ שאנו חוששין לו שמא עיניו נתן בה ואם אמרו הבעלים יתר על זה היה שוה כולל בשבועתו שאינה שוה אלא כך וכך נמצא כל שומר שנשבע שבועת השומרין כולל בשבועתו שלשה דברים ששמר כדרך השומרין ושארעו כך וכך ואינו ברשותו ושלא שלח בו יד קודם שארעו המאורע הפוטר אותו ואם רצה לשלם נשבע שאינו ברשותו וכולל בשבועתו שכך וכך היה שוה:
2
When accepting an article for safekeeping, a watchman may stipulate that he will not guard the articles in a manner appropriate for a watchman; instead: "Money that is entrusted to me, I will keep in the corner of my house," or the like.
The following rule applies if the watchman claims that he made such a stipulation and the owner agreed, and the owner claims that such a stipulation was never made. The watchman's claim is accepted. This applies even if the owner entrusted it to him in the presence of witnesses. The rationale is that since he could have claimed: "I guarded it in a manner appropriate for a watchman, but it was destroyed by forces beyond my control," we accept his claim that he made such a stipulation. Therefore, he must take an oath that he did not use the article for his own purposes, that it is not in his possession, and that he had made such a stipulation.
ב
יש לשומר להתנות שאינו שומר כדרך השומרין אלא מעות אלו שהפקיד אצלי בזוית ביתי אני מניח אותן וכיוצא בזה טען השומר שתנאי היה בינינו ובעל הפקדון אומר לא היה שם תנאי אע"פ שהפקיד אצלו בעדים מתוך שיכול לומר שמרתי כדרך השומרין ונאנסתי נאמן לומר שהיה ביניהן תנאי לפיכך ישבע שלא שלח יד בו ושאינו ברשותו ושהיה ביניהן תנאי:
3
When an unpaid watchman brings proof that he was not negligent, he is not required to take an oath. We do not suspect that he used the article for his own purposes before it was lost.
If the owner of the entrusted article brings proof that the watchman was negligent, the watchman must make restitution. If he claims that the owner had agreed to his stipulation that he not be required to guard the article in the manner required by witnesses, his claim is not accepted. The rationale is that there are witnesses who testify that he was negligent.
ג
שומר חנם שהביא ראייה שלא פשע בה פטור משבועה ואין אומרים שמא שלח בו יד קודם שיאבד ובעל הפקדון שהביא ראייה שפשע השומר משלם ואם טען ואמר תנאי היה בינינו אינו נאמן שהרי יש עדים שפשע:
4
When a person entrusts an article to a colleague in the presence of witnesses, there is a disagreement between the owner and the watchman, and the witnesses testify that the article that we see is the article that was entrusted in their presence, the watchman cannot claim: "Afterwards, I purchased it from him," or "He gave it to me as a present."
Therefore, if the watchman dies, the entrusted article may be expropriated from the orphans without an oath. Moreover, should a person come and tell an heir: "I entrusted this and this article with your father," and give very explicit signs to identify the article, if the entrusted article is found as he described it, and the judge knows that the deceased was not likely to have such an article, the judge may award the article to the person who identified it with the signs.
This law applies provided the person who claims that the article is his would not frequently visit the deceased. If, however, he would frequently visit him we do not award him the article. We suspect that perhaps it belongs to another person, and the claimant merely became familiar with its identifying characteristics.
If witnesses come and testify that the deceased is not likely to have owned the article, we do not expropriate the article from the orphans because of their testimony. For their estimation of the deceased's financial capacity is not necessarily that of the judge, and the judge should follow only information that he feels that he can rely only, as will be explained in Hilchot Sanhedrin.
An incident occurred concerning a person who entrusted sesame seeds to a colleague in the presence of witnesses and later came to claim them. The watchman replied: "I returned them."
The owner answered: "They were of this and this measure and they are now held in your jug."
The watchman responded: "I returned yours, and these are others."
The Sages ruled that the sesame seeds should not be expropriated from his possession, for perhaps these sesame seeds belonged to the watchman. Instead, the watchman is required to take an oath while holding a sacred object that he returned the entrusted object, as we have explained.
ד
הפקיד אצל חבירו בעדים ובאו עדים שזה החפץ בפנינו הפקידו אצלו אין השומר יכול לטעון ולומר חזרתי ולקחתיו ממנו או נתנו לי במתנה לפיכך אם מת השומר מוציאין הפקדון עצמו מן היתומים בלא שבועה ולא עוד אלא מי שבא ואמר כך וכך הפקדתי אצל אביכם ונתן סימנין מובהקין ונמצא הפקדון כמו שאמר והיה יודע הדיין שלא היה המת אמוד שזה הפקדון שלו יש לו לדיין הזה לתת הפקדון לזה שנתן סימניו והוא שלא יהיה המפקיד רגיל להכנס אצל זה שמת אבל אם היה רגיל ליכנס אצלו שמא של אחר הוא והכיר הסימנין שלו באו עדים והעידו לדיין שאין זה אמוד אין מוציאין מיד היתומים בעדותן שאין זה ראייה ברורה ואומדן דעתן אינו אומד דעתו ואין לו לדיין אלא מה שדעתו סומכת עליו כמו שיתבאר בהלכות סנהדרין מעשה באחד שהפקיד שומשמין אצל חבירו בעדים ובא לתבעו ואמר לו החזרתים אמר לו המפקיד והלא כך וכך היא מדתם והרי הם מונחים אצלך בחביתך אמר לו שלך החזרתי לך ואלו אחרים הן ואמרו חכמים אין מוציאין מידו שמא אלו השומשמין של שומר הן אלא ישבע השומר בנקיטת חפץ שהחזיר כמו שביארנו:
5
The following rules apply when the owner of an entrusted object asks for the return of that object and the watchman gives it to him, but a difference of opinion arises between them. For example,the owner claims: "This is not the article I entrusted, but a different one," "My article was whole, and you broke it," "It was new and you used it," or "I entrusted 100 se'ah to you, and there are only 50 here." The watchman responds to these claims, saying: "This is the article you personally deposited. You will be taking what you gave me."
In all such instances, the watchman is required merely to take ash'vuat hesset, as is required of others who must take oaths in response to such claims. For a watchman is not obligated to take the oath required of watchmen mentioned in the Torah unless he admits accepting responsibility for the very article that the owner claims, but asserts that it was stolen, it died, or it was captured.
The general principle is: When a watchman makes a claim that absolves him from payment, he is required to take the oath required of watchmen. If, however, he says, "This is the article that you lent me," "... hired to me," or "... paid me for watching," and the owner claims that the article he seeks to return is not the one given or that it was changed from its original state, the renter is required to take merely a sh'vuat hesset, or a Scriptural oath if he admits a portion of the plaintiff's claim.
What is implied? If the owner claims: "I entrusted 100 se'ah to you," and the watchman claims: "You only entrusted 50," he is required to take a Scriptural oath, because he admitted a portion of the claim, not because it is the oath required of a watchman. If the owner claims: "I entrusted 100 se'ah of wheat to you," and the watchman claims: "You entrusted only 100 se'ah of barley," he is merely required to take a sh'vuat hesset, as others who would have to take an oath with regard to this claim.
ה
בעל הפקדון שתבע פקדונו ונתן לו השומר ואמר המפקיד אין זה פקדוני אלא אחר הוא או שלם היה ואתה שברתו או חדש היה ונשתמשת בו ק' סאין הפקדתי אצלך ואין אלו אלא ג' ובעל הבית אומר זהו שהפקדת בעצמך ומה שנתת אתה נוטל הרי השומר נשבע היסת כשאר כל הנשבעין שאין כל שומר נשבע שבועת השומרין האמורה בתורה אלא בזמן שמודה בעצמו של פקדון כמו שהמפקיד אומר וטוען שנגנב או מת או נשבה כללו של דבר טוען לפטור עצמו מן התשלומין [נשבע שבועת שומרין] אבל אם אמר זהו שהשאלתני או שהשכרת לי או שנטלתי שכר על שמירתי והבעלים אומרים אינו זה אלא אחר או נשתנה מכמות שהיה השוכר נשבע היסת או שבועת התורה אם הודה במקצת כיצד מאה סאה הפקדתי אצלך והשומר אומר לא הפקדת אצלי אלא חמשים נשבע שבועת התורה מפני שהודה במקצת לא משום שבועת השומרין מאה כור של חטים הפקדתי אצלך והוא אומר לא הפקדת אצלי אלא מאה של שעורים נשבע היסת כשאר כל הנשבעין בטענה כזו:
She'elah uFikkadon - Chapter 7
1
When a person entrusts produce to a colleague, the watchman should not touch it even though its quantity is dwindling and diminishing.
When does the above apply? When it is diminishing at the ordinary rate that could be expected each year. If, however, the amount is diminishing beyond the ordinary norms, the watchman should sell the produce in the presence of a court. It is as if he were returning a lost object to the owner.
When he sells the produce, he should sell it to priests at the price at which terumah is sold, for perhaps the owner designated it asterumah or terumat ma'aser for other produce.
א
המפקיד פירות אצל חבירו ה"ז לא יגע בהן ואף על פי שהן חוסרין ומתמעטין והולכין במה דברים אמורים כשחסרו חסרון הראוי להן בכל שנה אבל אם חסרו יותר מכדי חסרונן מוכרן בב"ד מפני שהוא משיב אבידה לבעלים וכשהוא מוכרן ימכור לכהנים בדמי תרומה שמא עשו אותן הבעלים תרומה או תרומת מעשר על פירות אחרות:
2
When a person entrusts produce to a colleague and it spoils, honey that becomes ruined, or wine that sours, the watchman should perform a service to the owner and sell the entrusted object in the presence of a court.
This law applies even though the loss reached its limit and the produce would not spoil further, for the containers and the baskets would continue to spoil.
ב
המפקיד אצל חבירו פירות והרקיבו דבש ונפסד יין והחמיץ עושה תקנה לבעל הפקדון ומוכרן בב"ד אע"פ שעמדו בהפסדן ואין ההפסד פושה בהן הרי הקנקנים והסלים מוסיפין הפסד:
3
When a person entrusts leaven to a colleague and the Pesach holiday arrives, the watchman should not touch the produce until the fifth hour on the morning of the fourteenth of Nisan. After that, he should sell it in the market place at that hour, for it is like he is returning a lost object to the owner.
The same law applies to other entrusted objects. A watchman should not touch them even though he certainly knows that their value will diminish at this and this time, or they will be seized by the king, lest the owner come beforehand and take his property.
ג
המפקיד חמץ אצל חבירו והגיע הפסח ה"ז לא יגע בו עד שעה חמישית מיום י"ד מכאן ואילך יוצא ומוכרו בשוק לשעתו משום השב אבידה לבעלים והוא הדין לשאר הפקדונות שלא יגע בהן אף על פי שהוא יודע בודאי שיזולו בזמן פלוני או יאנוס אותם המלך שמא יבא בעליהן מקודם ויטלו ממונם:
4
When a person entrusts a Torah scroll to a colleague, the watchman should roll the scroll once every twelve months. It is permitted for him to open it and read it while rolling it. He should not, however, open it for his own purposes and read. The same law applies with regard to other scrolls. If the watchman opened the scroll, read it and rolled it for his own purposes, he is considered to have misappropriated the entrusted article and is liable if it is destroyed by forces beyond his control.
If the owner entrusted a woolen garment to a colleague, he should shake it out once every 30 days. The same principles that apply with regard to lost objects apply to entrusted objects. He should care for other entrusted objects in a similar way; this is an obligation incumbent upon him, like the return of a lost article to its owner.
When does the above apply? With regard to an entrusted object whose owner has traveled overseas. If, however, the owner was together with the watchman in that same land, the watchman should not touch the entrusted object even though it is being ruined.
ד
המפקיד ספר תורה אצל חבירו גוללו פעם אחת לי"ב חדש ואם כשהוא גוללו פותחו וקרא בו מותר אבל לא יפתח בגלל עצמו ויקרא והוא הדין שאר ספרים ואם פתח וקרא וגלל בגלל עצמו הרי שלח יד בפקדון ונתחייב באונסין הפקיד אצלו כסות של צמר מנענעה אחת לשלשים יום כדרך שאמרו באבידה כך אמרו בפקדון וכן כל כיוצא בזה שזו חובה עליו משום השב אבידה לבעלים בד"א בפקדון שהלכו בעליו למדינת הים אבל אם היו עמו באותה הארץ ה"ז לא יגע בו אע"פ שהוא אבד:
5
Whenever a person sells an entrusted object under the supervision of a court, he must sell it to others and may not purchase it himself, lest suspicion arise. The money should be kept in his possession, and he has the right to make use of it. Therefore, he is considered to be a paid watchman with regard to these funds even though he did not make use of them.
ה
כל המוכר פקדון ע"פ ב"ד ה"ז מוכר לאחרים ואינו מוכר לעצמו מפני החשד והדמים יהיו מונחים אצלו ויש לו להשתמש בהן לפיכך הרי הוא עליהן שומר שוכר אף על פי שעדיין לא נשתמש בהן:
6
The following rules apply when a person entrusts money to a storekeeper or a moneychanger. If the money was bound in a bag and sealed or tied with an unordinary knot, the storekeeper or the moneychanger should not use it. Therefore, if it became lost or was stolen, he is not responsible for it.
If the money was neither sealed nor tied in an unordinary manner, even though it is bound in a bag, the storekeeper or the moneychanger has the right to use the money.Therefore, he is considered to be a paid watchman, and if it is lost or stolen, he is responsible for it. If it is lost due to forces beyond his control - e.g., they were taken by armed thieves - he is not liable.
ו
המפקיד מעות אצל חנווני או השולחני אם היו צרורין וחתומין או קשורין קשר משונה ה"ז לא ישתמש בהן לפיכך אם אבדו או נגנבו אינו חייב באחריותן ואם אינן חתומין ולא קשורין קשר משונה אע"פ שהן צרורין יש לו להשתמש בהן לפיכך הוא נעשה עליהם ש"ש ואם אבדו או נגנבו חייב באחריותן ואם נאנסו כגון שאבדו בליסטים מזויין ה"ז פטור:
7
When does the above apply? Before the storekeeper or the moneychanger used them. If, however, he does use the money, he is responsible for it until he returns it to the owner, as for any other loan in the world.
ז
במה דברים אמורים קודם שישתמש בהן אבל אחר שנשתמש בהן נתחייב באחריותן ככל מלוה שבעולם עד שיחזירם לבעלים:
8
When a person entrusts money to a householder, whether it is bound or not, the watchman may not use it. Therefore, if it became lost or was stolen, he is not responsible for it, provided he buries it in the ground, as has been explained.
ח
המפקיד מעות אצל בעה"ב בין צרורין בין מותרין ה"ז לא ישתמש בהן לפיכך אם אבדו או נגנבו אינו חייב באחריותן והוא שיטמנם בקרקע כמו שביארנו:
9
The following rules apply when a person entrusts a jug to a colleague regardless of whether or not the owner of the jug designated a specific place where he could put the jug down. If the watchman moved the jug for his own purposes, he is liable, whether the jug was broken in his hand or after he returned it to the place designated for it. If he moved it for the sake of the jug, he is not liable - whether the jug was broken in his hand or whether it was broken after it was put down in a different place.
ט
המפקיד חבית אצל חבירו בין שייחדו לה הבעלים מקום בין לא ייחדו לה מקום וטלטלה לצרכו ונשברה בין מתוך ידו נשברה בין אחר שהחזירה למקום שייחדו לה נשברה חייב לשלם טלטלה לצרכה בין שנשברה מתוך ידו בין שנשברה משהניחה במקום אחר פטור:
10
One should not accept entrusted articles from married women, from servants or from children. If a person accepted an entrusted object from a woman, he should return it to her. If she dies, he should return it to her husband. If he accepts an entrusted object from a servant, he should return it to him. If he dies, he should return it to his master. If he accepts an entrusted object from a child, he should buy a Torah scroll for him or a date palm so that he can eat its fruits.
With regard to all the above individuals, the following principles should be adhered to if, at the time of their death, they said, "The entrusted article belongs to so and so." If the watchman would accept their word, he should act upon their instructions. If not, he should return the entrusted article to their heirs.
י
אין מקבלין פקדונות לא מן הנשים ולא מן העבדים ולא מן התינוקות קיבל מן האשה יחזיר לאשה מתה יחזיר לבעלה קיבל מן העבד יחזיר לעבד מת יחזיר לרבו קיבל מן הקטן יקנה לו בו ס"ת או דקל שיאכל בהן פירותיו וכולן שאמרו בשעת מיתתן של פלוני הם אם נאמנין לו יעשה כפירושן ואם לאו יחזיר ליורשיהם:
11
One may demand the return of an entrusted object or an object that was lost and discovered only in the original place.
What is implied? If he entrusted the article to him in Jerusalem, he cannot demand its return in Nov. If the watchman returns it to him in Nov, he must accept it.
If a person entrusted an article to a colleague in a settled community, and that colleague brought the entrusted article with him to the desert, the owner is not required to accept it from him. Instead, the owner may tell the watchman: "You are responsible for it until you return it to me as settled land, just like I entrusted it to you in a settled land.
יא
הפקדון והאבידה לא ניתנו ליתבע אלא במקומם כיצד הפקיד אצלו בירושלים אינו יכול לתבעו בנוב ואם החזיר לו בנוב מקבלו ממנו הפקיד אצלו ביישוב והביא פקדונו במדבר אינו מקבלו ממנו אלא יאמר לו הרי הוא באחריותך עד שתחזירנו לי ביישוב כדרך שהפקדתי אצלך ביישוב:
12
A question arose when a person entrusts an article to a colleague and then journeys overseas, and afterwards, the watchman also desires to travel overseas or depart in a caravan. There is an authority who ruled that if the watchman brings the entrusted article to the Jewish court, he is absolved of his responsibility.
These are well-reasoned words. For we do not imprison the watchman in this city because of the object entrusted to him by the person who departed overseas. The watchman cannot take the entrusted article with him, lest it be destroyed by factors beyond his control. The court should then entrust the article to a faithful person. This is like returning a lost object to its owner.
יב
המפקיד אצל חבירו והלך בעל הפקדון למדינת הים והרי השומר רצה לפרש מיבשה לים או לצאת בשיירא יש מי שהורה שאם בא השומר והביא הפקדון לב"ד נפטר מאחריות שמירתו ודברים של טעם הם שאין אוסרין זה במדינה זו מפני פקדון של זה שהלך ואי אפשר לו להוליכו עמו שמא יארע לו אונס ויהיה חייב באחריותו וב"ד מפקידין אותו ביד נאמן אצלם משום השב אבידה לבעלים:
She'elah uFikkadon - Chapter 8
1
The following rules apply when a person entrusts an animal or articles to a colleague, and they were lost or stolen. If the watchman says, "I will pay," because he does not desire to take an oath, he acquires the rights to certain profits that come because of the article.
If the thief is discovered, he must pay twice the value of the article. If he slaughtered it or sold it, he should pay four or five times the value of the stolen animal. To whom should restitution be made? To the person who has the rights to the article i.e., the watchman, for he said that he would make restitution.
If the animal itself is returned, it should be returned to the owner - it, its shearings and its offspring. For the watchman does not acquire the profits that come from its body, but only the profits that come because of outside factors. We have already explained that the thief is required to return only the shearings and the offspring that preceded the owner's despair of the recovery of his property.
If the watchman took the oath because he did not desire to pay, and afterwards the thief is discovered, the thief must pay twice the value of the article. If he slaughtered it or sold it, he should pay four or five times the value of the stolen animal. To whom should restitution be made? To the owner of the entrusted article.
Similarly, when a person rents a cow from a colleague and it is stolen, if he says, "I am willing to pay and I will not take an oath," if the thief is discovered afterwards, he should pay double or four or five times to the renter. For had the renter desired, he could have taken an oath that the cow was stolen in a manner in which he could not control, and he would be released from liability.
א
המפקיד אצל חבירו בהמה או כלים ונגנבו או אבדו אמר הריני משלם ואיני נשבע ונמצא הגנב משלם תשלומי כפל טבח או מכר משלם תשלומי ארבעה וחמשה למי משלם למי שהיה הפקדון אצלו שהרי אמר אשלם חזרה הבהמה עצמה חוזרת לבעליה היא וגזותיה וולדותיה שאין זה השומר קונה שבח הבא מגופה אלא שבח הבא מאליו וכבר ביארנו שאין הגנב מחזיר גזות וולדות אלא לפני יאוש נשבע השומר ולא רצה לשלם ואחר כך נמצא הגנב משלם תשלומי כפל טבח או מכר משלם תשלומי ארבעה וחמשה למי משלם לבעל הפקדון וכן השוכר פרה מחבירו ונגנבה ואמר הריני משלם ואיני נשבע ואחר כך הוכר הגנב משלם תשלומי כפל ותשלומי ארבעה וחמשה לשוכר שאילו רצה השוכר היה נשבע שנגנבה באונס ונפטר:
2
When an unpaid watchman says, "I was negligent," he acquires the right to the double payment because he obligated himself to make restitution. For had he said, "It was stolen," or "It was lost," he would not have been liable. Similarly, when a renter or a borrower says, "It was stolen," he acquires the right to the double payment because he obligated himself to make restitution. For had he said, "It died," he would not have been liable.
A borrower, by contrast, does not acquire the right to the double payment until he makes restitution on his own initiative. If afterwards the thief is discovered, he makes the payment of four or five times the animal's value to the borrower.
ב
שומר חנם שאמר פשעתי זכה בכפל שהרי חייב עצמו לשלם ואילו רצה אמר נגנבה או אבדה והיה פטור וכן נושא שכר והשוכר שאמר נגנבה קנה הכפל שהרי חייב עצמו לשלם ואילו רצה אמר מתה והיה נפטר אבל השואל אינו קונה הכפל עד שישלם מעצמו קידם ושלם מעצמו ואח"כ הוכר הגנב משלם תשלומי ארבעה וחמשה לשואל:
3
Whenever a watchman acquires the rights to the double payment, he also acquires the rights to any profit that comes as a matter of course.
What is implied? A person entrusts four se'ah, worth a sela, to his colleague. They were stolen or lost. The watchman says, "I will pay a sela; I do not desire to take the oath." If they were later discovered and at that time were worth four sela'im, they are granted to the watchman. He, however, is required to pay only asela.
When does the above apply? When the watchman did not trouble the owner to undertake legal process to recover his money. Different rules apply, however, if the watchman admits that he was negligent and the court required him to pay, but he did not do so willingly and had to be compelled by the court, and it had to expropriate the money from him. If, afterwards, the thief is found or the entrusted article is discovered, it should be returned to the owner in its present condition. The money that was expropriated from the watchman should be returned to him. If the court expropriated utensils or land from the watchman after evaluating them, the watchman's utensils or land should be returned to him.
ג
כל הקונה הכפל קונה השבח הבא מאליו כיצד הפקיד ארבע סאין אצל חבירו והרי הן שוין סלע ונגנבו או אבדו ואמר הריני משלם סלע ואיני נשבע ואחר כך נמצאו והרי הן שוין ארבע סלעים הרי הן של שומר ואינו משלם אלא סלע בד"א בשלא הטריחן לבעלים בדין אבל אם הודה שפשע וחייבוהו ב"ד ליתן ולא נתן ברצונו עד שכפוהו ב"ד על כרחו ונטלו ממנו ואח"כ הוכר הגנב או נמצא הפקדון יחזיר לבעלים כמות שהוא ומחזירין לשומר הדמים שלקחו ממנו ואם כלים או קרקע גבו ב"ד ממנו בשומא מחזיר לשומר כליו או שדהו:
4
When the owner demanded the return of the entrusted article from a watchman, the watchman took an oath to free himself of responsibility, but made restitution regardless, if the thief was discovered afterwards, since the watchman made restitution willingly, he acquires the right to the double payment.
This applies despite the fact that at the outset, he troubled the owner to take him to court until he took an oath. Similarly, if at first the watchman said, "I will not pay," and then he said, "I will pay," he acquires the right to the double payment.
ד
תבעוהו בעלים לשומר ונשבע ואחר כך שלם והוכר הגנב הואיל ושלם ברצונו זכה בכפל אף על פי שהטריחו בתחילה לדין עד שנשבע אמר השומר בתחלה איני משלם וחזר ואמר הריני משלם זכה בכפל:
5
All the following situations represent questions left unresolved by the Talmud: The watchman said, "I will pay" and then said, "I refuse to pay";
the watchman said, "I will pay" and then died, and his children said, "We refuse to pay";
the owner was not able to demand payment from the watchman before the watchman died; he demanded payment of his sons and they paid;
the sons of the watchman paid the sons of the owner;
the watchman paid half the sum;
he borrowed two cows and paid for one of them;
he borrowed from partners and paid one of them;
partners borrowed and one of them paid;
he borrowed from a woman and paid her husband;
a woman borrowed and her husband paid.
There is unresolved doubt with regard to all the above instances. The ownership of the money is in doubt, and it is not in the hands of either of them. Therefore, the double payment or the increase in the value of the entrusted article is divided between the owner and the watchman. If, however, one of them took the initiative and seized the entire amount, it should not be expropriated from his possession. This applies even in the diaspora.
ה
אמר הריני משלם וחזר ואמר איני משלם או שאמר הריני משלם ומת ואמרו הבנים אין אנו משלמין או שלא הספיק לתבוע את השומר עד שמת ותבע הבנים ושלמו בני השומר או ששלמו הבנים לבנים או ששלם השומר מחצה שאל שתי פרות ושלם אחת מהן שאל מהשותפין ושלם לאחד מהן שותפין ששאלו ושלם אחד מהן שאל מן האשה ושלם לבעלה אשה ששאלה ושלם בעלה כל אלו ספק והרי הכפל מוטל בספק ואינו תחת יד אחד מהן לפיכך חולקין הכפל או השבח בין בעל הפקדון ובין השומר ואם קידם אחד מהן ותפס הכל אין מוציאין מידו ואפילו בח"ל:
6
When the entrusted article was stolen in a manner beyond the watchman's control, and afterwards the thief was discovered, both an unpaid watchman and a paid watchman must lodge a legal claim against the thief. The watchman is not required to take an oath.
The following rules apply when the watchman hurried and took the oath before the thief was discovered, and then the thief was discovered. If he is an unpaid watchman, he may remain content with his oath if he desires. If he desires, he may lodge a legal claim against the thief. If he is a paid watchman, he must lodge a legal claim against him.
There is a question when an animal that was deposited as an entrusted article is stolen in a manner beyond the watchman's control and then returned by the thief to the watchman's house, and it dies there because of the watchman's negligence. There is an unresolved question whether his responsibility as a watchman was concluded when the article was stolen, and hence he is absolved of liability or his responsibility did not conclude. Hence, the watchman is not required to make restitution. If the owner seizes the animal's worth, it is not expropriated from his possession.
ו
נגנב הפקדון באונס ואח"כ הוכר הגנב אחד ש"ח ואחד ש"ש עושה דין עם הגנב ואינו נשבע קדם ונשבע ואחר כך הוכר הגנב אם ש"ח הוא רצה עומד בשבועתו רצה עושה דין עם הגנב ואם ש"ש הוא עושה עמו דין נגנב הפקדון באונס והחזירו הגנב לבית השומר והרי הוא בהמה ומתה שם בפשיעה יש בדבר ספק אם כלתה שמירתו ונפטר או עדיין לא כלתה שמירתו לפיכך השומר פטור מלשלם ואם תפסו הבעלים אין מוציאין מידם:
With God's help, this concludes the Laws of Borrowing and Entrusted Objects
סליקו להו הלכות שאלה ופקדון:
• Wednesday, 4 Elul, 5776 · 7 September 2016
• "Today's Day"
• Shabbat, Elul 4, 5703
Torah lessons: Chumash: Shoftim, Shevi'i with Rashi.
Tehillim: 23-28. Also 10-12.
Tanya: XI. To make you (p. 445) ...Supreme Good. (p. 449).
The order of birchot haTorah:1 With the tallit touch the beginning and ending of the reading, kiss the tallit where it touched the Torah, roll up the Torah, turn your face slightly to the right, say the b'racha, open the Torah and read.
__________
In describing the unique qualities of humankind, four terms are used: Adam refers to the quality of mind and intellect; ish to the quality of heart and emotion; enosh, weakness in either intellect or emotion or both; gever, who overcomes inner weakness and removes obstacles and hindrances to the attainment of an intellectual or emotional quality. I.e. gever works upon enosh to elevate him to the plane of ish or adam.
Since it is possible to turn enosh into ish or adam, it is obvious that enosh already possesses2 the qualities found in ish and adam.
FOOTNOTES
1.The b'rachot pronounced by the person called to the Torah.
2.In latent or undeveloped state.
• Daily Thought:
Jewish Unity
The first thing needed to fix this world is that Jews should love each other and be united.
And this can begin even without a planning committee and without funding.
It can begin with you.[from a letter]
The first thing needed to fix this world is that Jews should love each other and be united.
And this can begin even without a planning committee and without funding.
It can begin with you.[from a letter]
-------
No comments:
Post a Comment