Torah Reading
Bereishit: Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was unformed and void, darkness was on the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God hovered over the surface of the water. 3 Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and God divided the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. So there was evening, and there was morning, one day.
6 God said, “Let there be a dome in the middle of the water; let it divide the water from the water.” 7 God made the dome and divided the water under the dome from the water above the dome; that is how it was, 8 and God called the dome Sky. So there was evening, and there was morning, a second day.
9 God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered together into one place, and let dry land appear,” and that is how it was. 10 God called the dry land Earth, the gathering together of the water he called Seas, and God saw that it was good.
11 God said, “Let the earth put forth grass, seed-producing plants, and fruit trees, each yielding its own kind of seed-bearing fruit, on the earth”; and that is how it was. 12 The earth brought forth grass, plants each yielding its own kind of seed, and trees each producing its own kind of seed-bearing fruit; and God saw that it was good. 13 So there was evening, and there was morning, a third day.
Today in Jewish History:
• Passing of R. Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev (1809)
Passing of the great Chassidic leader and advocate for the Jewish people, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev (1740-1810). Rabbi Levi Yitzchak was a close disciple of the second leader of the Chassidic movement, Rabbi DovBer, the Maggid of Mezritch. He is best known for his love for every Jew and his impassioned words of advocacy on their behalf before the Almighty.
Link: Kol Nidrei; more on R. Levi Yitzchak
• Passing of Chatam Sofer (1839)
Tishrei 25th is the yahrtzeit of Rabbi Moshe Sofer of Pressburg (1762-1839), known as "Chatam Sofer" after his work of Rabbinic responsa. Rabbi Moshe was an outstanding Halachic authority and community leader, and was at the forefront of the battle to preserve the integrity of traditional Judaism in the face of the various "reformist" movements of his time.
Daily Quote:
Behold, I have set before you life and goodness, and death and evil; in that I command you this day to love G-d, to walk in His ways and to keep His commandments... Life and death I have set before you, blessing and curse. And you shall choose life.[Deuteronomy 30:15-19]Today's Study:
Chitas and Rambam for today:
Chumash: Bereishit, 5th Portion Genesis 4:19-4:22 with Rashi
• Genesis Chapter 4
19And Lemech took himself two wives; one was named Adah, and the other was named Zillah. יטוַיִּקַּח־ל֥וֹ לֶ֖מֶךְ שְׁתֵּ֣י נָשִׁ֑ים שֵׁ֤ם הָֽאַחַת֙ עָדָ֔ה וְשֵׁ֥ם הַשֵּׁנִ֖ית צִלָּֽה:
And Lemech took himself two wives: It was not necessary to elaborate on all this, but it did so to teach us from the end of the section that the Holy One, blessed be He, kept His promise when He said, “vengeance will be wrought upon Cain sevenfold,” and Lemech arose after he had begotten sons and raised the seventh generation, and he slew Cain. This is what is meant by [Lemech’s statement] “for have I slain a man by my wounding, etc.” - [from sources quoted on verse 23] ויקח לו למך: לא היה לו לפרש כל זה, אלא ללמדנו מסוף הענין שקיים הקב"ה הבטחתו שאמר שבעתים יוקם קין, עמד למך לאחר שהוליד בנים ועשה דור שביעי והרג את קין, זהו שאמר (פסוק כג) כי איש הרגתי לפצעי וגו':
two wives: So was the custom of the generation of the Flood, one [wife] for propagation and one for marital relations. The one who was for marital relations would be given a potion of roots to drink, so that she should become sterile (in some editions, the following does not appear), and he would adorn her like a bride and feed her delicacies, but her companion was neglected and was mourning like a widow. This is what Job explained (24:21): “He feeds the barren woman who will not bear, but he does not adorn the widow.” [This is] as explained in the Aggadah of Chelek (Sanh. ch. 10) (not found in our edition, but in Gen. Rabbah 23:2). שתי נשים: כך היה דרכן של דור המבול, אחת לפריה ורביה ואחת לתשמיש, זו שהיא לתשמיש משקה כוס של עקרין כדי שתעקר ומקושטת ככלה ומאכילה מעדנים, וחברתה נזופה ואבלה כאלמנה, וזהו שפירש איוב (איוב כד כא) רועה עקרה לא תלד ואלמנה לא ייטיב, כמו שמפורש באגדת חלק:
Adah: She was the one for propagation, called so because she was despicable to him and removed from him. עָדָה is the Aramaic translation of סוּרָה, turn away. עדה: היא של פריה ורביה, ועל שם שמגונה עליו ומוסרת מאצלו. עדה תרגום של סורה:
Zillah: She was the one for marital relations.[so named]because whe would always sit in his shadow (בְּצִלּוֹ). These are the words of Aggadah in Genesis Rabbah . צלה: היא של תשמיש על שם שיושבת תמיד בצלו, דברי אגדה הם בבראשית רבה (כג ב):
20Now Adah bore Jabal; he was the father of those who dwell in tents and have cattle. כוַתֵּ֥לֶד עָדָ֖ה אֶת־יָבָ֑ל ה֣וּא הָיָ֔ה אֲבִ֕י ישֵׁ֥ב אֹ֖הֶל וּמִקְנֶֽה:
the father of those who dwell in tents and have cattle: He was the first to pasture animals in uncultivated places and dwell in tents, one month here and one month here for the sake of his flocks. When the pasture in this place was depleted, he went and pitched his tent elsewhere (Targumim). According to the Midrash Aggadah (Gen. Rabbah 23:3), he would build houses for idol worship, as it is said (Ezek. 8:3), "The image of jealousy that provokes (God to) jealousy (הַקִּנְאָה הַמַּקְנֶה). And so did his brother grasp the lyre and the flute to sing to pagan deities. (Bereishith Rabbathi, p. 49) אבי יושב אהל ומקנה: הוא היה הראשון לרועי בהמות במדברות, ויושב אהלים חדש כאן וחדש כאן בשביל מרעה צאנו, וכשכלה המרעה במקום הזה הולך ותוקע אהלו במקום אחר. ומדרש אגדה בונה בתים לעבודה זרה, כמה דאת אמר (יחזקאל ח ג) סמל הקנאה המקנה, וכן (פסוק כא) אחיו תופש כנור ועוגב לזמר לעבודה זרה:
21And his brother's name was Jubal; he was the father of all who grasp a lyre and a flute. כאוְשֵׁ֥ם אָחִ֖יו יוּבָ֑ל ה֣וּא הָיָ֔ה אֲבִ֕י כָּל־תֹּפֵ֥שׂ כִּנּ֖וֹר וְעוּגָֽב:
22And Zillah she too bore Tubal-cain, who sharpened all tools that cut copper and iron, and Tubal-cain's sister was Na'amah. כבוְצִלָּ֣ה גַם־הִ֗וא יָֽלְדָה֙ אֶת־תּ֣וּבַל קַ֔יִן לֹטֵ֕שׁ כָּל־חֹרֵ֥שׁ נְח֖שֶׁת וּבַרְזֶ֑ל וַֽאֲח֥וֹת תּֽוּבַל־קַ֖יִן נַֽעֲמָֽה:
Tubal-cain: He refined the craft of Cain. Tubal is related to the word תַּבְלִין (spices). He “spiced” and “refined” Cain’s craft to make weapons for murderers- [from Gen. Rabbah 23:3]. תובל קין: תובל אומנתו של קין. תובל לשון תבלין, תיבל והתקין אומנתו של קין לעשות כלי זיין לרוצחים:
who sharpened all tools that cut copper and iron: Heb. לֹטֵשׁ. He sharpened the tools [for working with] copper and iron, like (Job 16:9): “sharpens (יִלְטוֹשׁ) his eyes upon me.” חֹרֵשׁ is not an expression of פּוֹעֶל (a noun) but an expression of פּוֹעֵל (a verb), because it is vowelized with a small “kamatz” (i.e., a tzeireh) and the final syllable is accented, i.e., he sharpens and burnishes all implements of the craft of copper and iron. לוטש כל חרש נחשת וברזל: מחדד אומנות נחשת וברזל, כמו (איוב טז ט) ילטוש עיניו לי. חורש אינו לשון פועל אלא לשון פועל שהרי נקוד קמץ קטן. וטעמו למטה, כלומר מחדד ומצחצח כל כלי אומנות נחשת וברזל:
Na’amah: She was Noah’s wife. (Genesis Rabbah 23:3) נעמה: היא אשתו של נח:
Daily Tehillim: Psalms Chapter 119, Verses 1-96
• Verses 1-96
David composed this prominent psalm in alphabetical sequence-eight verses for each letter. Every verse contains one of the following words (referring to different aspects of Torah): Way; Torah; Testimony; Precept; Commandment; Statement (translated here as Word or Promise); Word; Judgement (or Laws); Righteousness; Statute. Replete with morals and prayers, this psalm should be recited daily, as a powerful preparation for the service of God. (In verses beginning with one of the letters of the mnemonic PeReTZ BeN DaMaH, the word "עדותיך" is pronounced "eidvotecha.")
1. Fortunate are those whose way is artless, who walk with the Torah of the Lord.
2. Fortunate are those who keep His testimonies, who seek Him with all their hearts.
3. Indeed, they have not done iniquity; they walk in His ways.
4. You have commanded Your precepts to be observed diligently.
5. My wish is that my ways be directed to keep Your statutes.
6. Then I will not be ashamed, when I behold all Your commandments.
7. I will give thanks to You with uprightness of heart, when I learn Your righteous judgments.
8. I will keep Your statutes; do not utterly forsake me
9. How can a young man keep his way pure? By observing Your word.
10. With all my heart I have sought You; do not let me stray from Your commandments.
11. I have harbored Your word in my heart, that I might not sin against You.
12. Blessed are You, O Lord; teach me Your statutes.
13. With my lips I have declared all the judgments of Your mouth.
14. I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies, as I would with all riches.
15. I will speak of Your precepts, and gaze upon Your ways.
16. I will delight in Your statutes; I will not forget Your word.
17. Deal kindly with Your servant, that I may live to keep Your word.
18. Unveil my eyes, that I may behold wonders from Your Torah.
19. I am a sojourner on earth; do not hide Your commandments from me.
20. My soul is crushed with a longing for Your judgments every moment.
21. You have rebuked the accursed scoffers, those who stray from Your commandments.
22. Remove insult and contempt from me, for I have kept Your testimonies.
23. Though princes sat and spoke against me, Your servant speaks of Your statutes.
24. Indeed, Your testimonies are my delight; they are my counsellors.
25. My soul cleaves to the dust; revive me in accordance with Your word.
26. I have spoken of my ways, and You answered me; teach me Your statutes.
27. Make me understand the way of Your precepts, and I will speak of Your wonders.
28. My soul drips away out of grief; sustain me according to Your word.
29. Remove from me the way of falsehood, and graciously endow me with Your Torah.
30. I have chosen the way of faith; Your judgments have I laid before me.
31. I held fast to Your testimonies, O Lord; put me not to shame.
32. I will run on the path of Your commandments, for You will broaden my heart.
33. Teach me, O Lord, the way of Your statutes, and I will keep it to the last.
34. Grant me understanding and I will keep Your Torah; I will observe it with all my heart.
35. Direct me in the path of Your commandments, for that is my desire.
36. Incline my heart to Your testimonies, and not to greed.
37. Avert my eyes from seeing vanity; by Your ways give me life.
38. Fulfill for Your servant Your promise, which brings to the fear of You.
39. Remove my shame which I fear, for Your judgments are good.
40. Behold, I have longed for Your precepts; give me life in Your righteousness.
41. And let Your kindness come to fruition for me, O Lord, Your salvation as You promised.
42. I will offer a retort to those who taunt me, for I trust in Your word.
43. Do not at all remove the word of truth from my mouth, for I hope [to fulfill] Your judgments.
44. I will keep Your Torah continually, for ever and ever.
45. And I will walk in spacious paths, for I seek Your precepts.
46. I will speak of Your testimonies before kings, and I will not be ashamed.
47. And I will delight in Your commandments, which I love.
48. I will lift up my hands to Your commandments, which I love, and I will speak of Your statutes.
49. Remember the word [promised] to Your servant, by which You gave me hope.
50. This is my comfort in my affliction, for Your word has given me life.
51. [Though] the wicked ridicule me severely, I have not strayed from Your Torah.
52. When I remember Your judgments of old, O Lord, I take comfort.
53. Trembling seized me because of the wicked, those who forsake Your Torah.
54. Your statutes have been my songs in the house of my wanderings.
55. At night I remembered Your Name, O Lord, and I kept Your Torah.
56. All this came to me because I kept Your precepts.
57. The Lord is my portion; I pledged to keep Your words.
58. I pleaded before You with all my heart: have compassion upon me according to Your word.
59. I contemplated my ways, and returned my feet to Your testimonies.
60. I hurried and did not delay to keep Your commandments.
61. Bands of wicked men plundered me, [but] I did not forget Your Torah.
62. At midnight, I rise to thank You for Your righteous judgments.
63. I am a friend to all who fear You, and to those who keep Your precepts.
64. Your kindness, O Lord, fills the earth; teach me Your statutes.
65. You have dealt goodness to Your servant, O Lord, in accord with Your promise.
66. Teach me the goodness and wisdom of the [Torah's] reasons, for I believe in Your commandments.
67. Before I afflicted myself, I would blunder; but now I observe Your word.
68. You are good and benevolent; teach me Your statutes.
69. The wicked have smeared me with lies, [when in truth] I keep Your precepts with all my heart.
70. Their hearts grew thick as fat; but as for me, Your Torah is my delight.
71. It is for my good that I was afflicted, so that I might learn Your statutes.
72. The Torah of Your mouth is better for me than thousands in gold and silver.
73. Your hands have made me and prepared me; grant me understanding, that I may learn Your commandments.
74. Those who fear You will see me and rejoice, because I hoped in Your word.
75. I know, O Lord, that Your judgments are just; righteously have You afflicted me.
76. Let Your kindness be my comfort, as You promised to Your servant.
77. Let Your mercies come upon me, that I may live, for Your Torah is my delight.
78. Let the scoffers be shamed, for they have maligned me with falsehood; but I will meditate upon Your precepts.
79. May those who fear You return to me, and those who know Your testimonies.
80. May my heart be perfect in Your statutes, so that I not be shamed.
81. My soul longs for Your salvation; I hope for Your word.
82. My eyes long for Your promise, saying, "When will You comfort me?”
83. Though I became [dried out] like a wineskin in smoke, I did not forget Your statutes.
84. How many are the days of Your servant? When will You execute judgment upon my pursuers?
85. The wicked have dug pits for me, in violation of Your Torah.
86. All Your commandments teach truth, [yet] they pursue me with lies, help me!
87. They nearly consumed me upon the earth, but I did not forsake Your precepts.
88. As befits Your kindness, grant me life, and I will keep the testimony of Your mouth.
89. Forever, O Lord, Your word stands firm in the heavens.
90. Your faithfulness persists for all generations; You established the earth, and it stands.
91. They stand ready today [to execute] Your judgments, for all are Your servants.
92. Had Your Torah not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction.
93. Never will I forget Your precepts, for through them You have sustained me.
94. I am Yours; save me, for I have sought Your precepts.
95. The wicked hope to destroy me, but I meditate upon Your testimonies.
96. To every goal I have seen a limit, but Your commandment is immensely broad.
Tanya: Iggeret HaKodesh, beginning of Epistle 25
• Lessons in Tanya
• Today's Tanya Lesson
• Thursday, 25 Tishrei, 5777 · 27 October 2016
• Iggeret HaKodesh, beginning of Epistle 25
• Genesis Chapter 4
19And Lemech took himself two wives; one was named Adah, and the other was named Zillah. יטוַיִּקַּח־ל֥וֹ לֶ֖מֶךְ שְׁתֵּ֣י נָשִׁ֑ים שֵׁ֤ם הָֽאַחַת֙ עָדָ֔ה וְשֵׁ֥ם הַשֵּׁנִ֖ית צִלָּֽה:
And Lemech took himself two wives: It was not necessary to elaborate on all this, but it did so to teach us from the end of the section that the Holy One, blessed be He, kept His promise when He said, “vengeance will be wrought upon Cain sevenfold,” and Lemech arose after he had begotten sons and raised the seventh generation, and he slew Cain. This is what is meant by [Lemech’s statement] “for have I slain a man by my wounding, etc.” - [from sources quoted on verse 23] ויקח לו למך: לא היה לו לפרש כל זה, אלא ללמדנו מסוף הענין שקיים הקב"ה הבטחתו שאמר שבעתים יוקם קין, עמד למך לאחר שהוליד בנים ועשה דור שביעי והרג את קין, זהו שאמר (פסוק כג) כי איש הרגתי לפצעי וגו':
two wives: So was the custom of the generation of the Flood, one [wife] for propagation and one for marital relations. The one who was for marital relations would be given a potion of roots to drink, so that she should become sterile (in some editions, the following does not appear), and he would adorn her like a bride and feed her delicacies, but her companion was neglected and was mourning like a widow. This is what Job explained (24:21): “He feeds the barren woman who will not bear, but he does not adorn the widow.” [This is] as explained in the Aggadah of Chelek (Sanh. ch. 10) (not found in our edition, but in Gen. Rabbah 23:2). שתי נשים: כך היה דרכן של דור המבול, אחת לפריה ורביה ואחת לתשמיש, זו שהיא לתשמיש משקה כוס של עקרין כדי שתעקר ומקושטת ככלה ומאכילה מעדנים, וחברתה נזופה ואבלה כאלמנה, וזהו שפירש איוב (איוב כד כא) רועה עקרה לא תלד ואלמנה לא ייטיב, כמו שמפורש באגדת חלק:
Adah: She was the one for propagation, called so because she was despicable to him and removed from him. עָדָה is the Aramaic translation of סוּרָה, turn away. עדה: היא של פריה ורביה, ועל שם שמגונה עליו ומוסרת מאצלו. עדה תרגום של סורה:
Zillah: She was the one for marital relations.[so named]because whe would always sit in his shadow (בְּצִלּוֹ). These are the words of Aggadah in Genesis Rabbah . צלה: היא של תשמיש על שם שיושבת תמיד בצלו, דברי אגדה הם בבראשית רבה (כג ב):
20Now Adah bore Jabal; he was the father of those who dwell in tents and have cattle. כוַתֵּ֥לֶד עָדָ֖ה אֶת־יָבָ֑ל ה֣וּא הָיָ֔ה אֲבִ֕י ישֵׁ֥ב אֹ֖הֶל וּמִקְנֶֽה:
the father of those who dwell in tents and have cattle: He was the first to pasture animals in uncultivated places and dwell in tents, one month here and one month here for the sake of his flocks. When the pasture in this place was depleted, he went and pitched his tent elsewhere (Targumim). According to the Midrash Aggadah (Gen. Rabbah 23:3), he would build houses for idol worship, as it is said (Ezek. 8:3), "The image of jealousy that provokes (God to) jealousy (הַקִּנְאָה הַמַּקְנֶה). And so did his brother grasp the lyre and the flute to sing to pagan deities. (Bereishith Rabbathi, p. 49) אבי יושב אהל ומקנה: הוא היה הראשון לרועי בהמות במדברות, ויושב אהלים חדש כאן וחדש כאן בשביל מרעה צאנו, וכשכלה המרעה במקום הזה הולך ותוקע אהלו במקום אחר. ומדרש אגדה בונה בתים לעבודה זרה, כמה דאת אמר (יחזקאל ח ג) סמל הקנאה המקנה, וכן (פסוק כא) אחיו תופש כנור ועוגב לזמר לעבודה זרה:
21And his brother's name was Jubal; he was the father of all who grasp a lyre and a flute. כאוְשֵׁ֥ם אָחִ֖יו יוּבָ֑ל ה֣וּא הָיָ֔ה אֲבִ֕י כָּל־תֹּפֵ֥שׂ כִּנּ֖וֹר וְעוּגָֽב:
22And Zillah she too bore Tubal-cain, who sharpened all tools that cut copper and iron, and Tubal-cain's sister was Na'amah. כבוְצִלָּ֣ה גַם־הִ֗וא יָֽלְדָה֙ אֶת־תּ֣וּבַל קַ֔יִן לֹטֵ֕שׁ כָּל־חֹרֵ֥שׁ נְח֖שֶׁת וּבַרְזֶ֑ל וַֽאֲח֥וֹת תּֽוּבַל־קַ֖יִן נַֽעֲמָֽה:
Tubal-cain: He refined the craft of Cain. Tubal is related to the word תַּבְלִין (spices). He “spiced” and “refined” Cain’s craft to make weapons for murderers- [from Gen. Rabbah 23:3]. תובל קין: תובל אומנתו של קין. תובל לשון תבלין, תיבל והתקין אומנתו של קין לעשות כלי זיין לרוצחים:
who sharpened all tools that cut copper and iron: Heb. לֹטֵשׁ. He sharpened the tools [for working with] copper and iron, like (Job 16:9): “sharpens (יִלְטוֹשׁ) his eyes upon me.” חֹרֵשׁ is not an expression of פּוֹעֶל (a noun) but an expression of פּוֹעֵל (a verb), because it is vowelized with a small “kamatz” (i.e., a tzeireh) and the final syllable is accented, i.e., he sharpens and burnishes all implements of the craft of copper and iron. לוטש כל חרש נחשת וברזל: מחדד אומנות נחשת וברזל, כמו (איוב טז ט) ילטוש עיניו לי. חורש אינו לשון פועל אלא לשון פועל שהרי נקוד קמץ קטן. וטעמו למטה, כלומר מחדד ומצחצח כל כלי אומנות נחשת וברזל:
Na’amah: She was Noah’s wife. (Genesis Rabbah 23:3) נעמה: היא אשתו של נח:
Daily Tehillim: Psalms Chapter 119, Verses 1-96
• Verses 1-96
David composed this prominent psalm in alphabetical sequence-eight verses for each letter. Every verse contains one of the following words (referring to different aspects of Torah): Way; Torah; Testimony; Precept; Commandment; Statement (translated here as Word or Promise); Word; Judgement (or Laws); Righteousness; Statute. Replete with morals and prayers, this psalm should be recited daily, as a powerful preparation for the service of God. (In verses beginning with one of the letters of the mnemonic PeReTZ BeN DaMaH, the word "עדותיך" is pronounced "eidvotecha.")
1. Fortunate are those whose way is artless, who walk with the Torah of the Lord.
2. Fortunate are those who keep His testimonies, who seek Him with all their hearts.
3. Indeed, they have not done iniquity; they walk in His ways.
4. You have commanded Your precepts to be observed diligently.
5. My wish is that my ways be directed to keep Your statutes.
6. Then I will not be ashamed, when I behold all Your commandments.
7. I will give thanks to You with uprightness of heart, when I learn Your righteous judgments.
8. I will keep Your statutes; do not utterly forsake me
9. How can a young man keep his way pure? By observing Your word.
10. With all my heart I have sought You; do not let me stray from Your commandments.
11. I have harbored Your word in my heart, that I might not sin against You.
12. Blessed are You, O Lord; teach me Your statutes.
13. With my lips I have declared all the judgments of Your mouth.
14. I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies, as I would with all riches.
15. I will speak of Your precepts, and gaze upon Your ways.
16. I will delight in Your statutes; I will not forget Your word.
17. Deal kindly with Your servant, that I may live to keep Your word.
18. Unveil my eyes, that I may behold wonders from Your Torah.
19. I am a sojourner on earth; do not hide Your commandments from me.
20. My soul is crushed with a longing for Your judgments every moment.
21. You have rebuked the accursed scoffers, those who stray from Your commandments.
22. Remove insult and contempt from me, for I have kept Your testimonies.
23. Though princes sat and spoke against me, Your servant speaks of Your statutes.
24. Indeed, Your testimonies are my delight; they are my counsellors.
25. My soul cleaves to the dust; revive me in accordance with Your word.
26. I have spoken of my ways, and You answered me; teach me Your statutes.
27. Make me understand the way of Your precepts, and I will speak of Your wonders.
28. My soul drips away out of grief; sustain me according to Your word.
29. Remove from me the way of falsehood, and graciously endow me with Your Torah.
30. I have chosen the way of faith; Your judgments have I laid before me.
31. I held fast to Your testimonies, O Lord; put me not to shame.
32. I will run on the path of Your commandments, for You will broaden my heart.
33. Teach me, O Lord, the way of Your statutes, and I will keep it to the last.
34. Grant me understanding and I will keep Your Torah; I will observe it with all my heart.
35. Direct me in the path of Your commandments, for that is my desire.
36. Incline my heart to Your testimonies, and not to greed.
37. Avert my eyes from seeing vanity; by Your ways give me life.
38. Fulfill for Your servant Your promise, which brings to the fear of You.
39. Remove my shame which I fear, for Your judgments are good.
40. Behold, I have longed for Your precepts; give me life in Your righteousness.
41. And let Your kindness come to fruition for me, O Lord, Your salvation as You promised.
42. I will offer a retort to those who taunt me, for I trust in Your word.
43. Do not at all remove the word of truth from my mouth, for I hope [to fulfill] Your judgments.
44. I will keep Your Torah continually, for ever and ever.
45. And I will walk in spacious paths, for I seek Your precepts.
46. I will speak of Your testimonies before kings, and I will not be ashamed.
47. And I will delight in Your commandments, which I love.
48. I will lift up my hands to Your commandments, which I love, and I will speak of Your statutes.
49. Remember the word [promised] to Your servant, by which You gave me hope.
50. This is my comfort in my affliction, for Your word has given me life.
51. [Though] the wicked ridicule me severely, I have not strayed from Your Torah.
52. When I remember Your judgments of old, O Lord, I take comfort.
53. Trembling seized me because of the wicked, those who forsake Your Torah.
54. Your statutes have been my songs in the house of my wanderings.
55. At night I remembered Your Name, O Lord, and I kept Your Torah.
56. All this came to me because I kept Your precepts.
57. The Lord is my portion; I pledged to keep Your words.
58. I pleaded before You with all my heart: have compassion upon me according to Your word.
59. I contemplated my ways, and returned my feet to Your testimonies.
60. I hurried and did not delay to keep Your commandments.
61. Bands of wicked men plundered me, [but] I did not forget Your Torah.
62. At midnight, I rise to thank You for Your righteous judgments.
63. I am a friend to all who fear You, and to those who keep Your precepts.
64. Your kindness, O Lord, fills the earth; teach me Your statutes.
65. You have dealt goodness to Your servant, O Lord, in accord with Your promise.
66. Teach me the goodness and wisdom of the [Torah's] reasons, for I believe in Your commandments.
67. Before I afflicted myself, I would blunder; but now I observe Your word.
68. You are good and benevolent; teach me Your statutes.
69. The wicked have smeared me with lies, [when in truth] I keep Your precepts with all my heart.
70. Their hearts grew thick as fat; but as for me, Your Torah is my delight.
71. It is for my good that I was afflicted, so that I might learn Your statutes.
72. The Torah of Your mouth is better for me than thousands in gold and silver.
73. Your hands have made me and prepared me; grant me understanding, that I may learn Your commandments.
74. Those who fear You will see me and rejoice, because I hoped in Your word.
75. I know, O Lord, that Your judgments are just; righteously have You afflicted me.
76. Let Your kindness be my comfort, as You promised to Your servant.
77. Let Your mercies come upon me, that I may live, for Your Torah is my delight.
78. Let the scoffers be shamed, for they have maligned me with falsehood; but I will meditate upon Your precepts.
79. May those who fear You return to me, and those who know Your testimonies.
80. May my heart be perfect in Your statutes, so that I not be shamed.
81. My soul longs for Your salvation; I hope for Your word.
82. My eyes long for Your promise, saying, "When will You comfort me?”
83. Though I became [dried out] like a wineskin in smoke, I did not forget Your statutes.
84. How many are the days of Your servant? When will You execute judgment upon my pursuers?
85. The wicked have dug pits for me, in violation of Your Torah.
86. All Your commandments teach truth, [yet] they pursue me with lies, help me!
87. They nearly consumed me upon the earth, but I did not forsake Your precepts.
88. As befits Your kindness, grant me life, and I will keep the testimony of Your mouth.
89. Forever, O Lord, Your word stands firm in the heavens.
90. Your faithfulness persists for all generations; You established the earth, and it stands.
91. They stand ready today [to execute] Your judgments, for all are Your servants.
92. Had Your Torah not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction.
93. Never will I forget Your precepts, for through them You have sustained me.
94. I am Yours; save me, for I have sought Your precepts.
95. The wicked hope to destroy me, but I meditate upon Your testimonies.
96. To every goal I have seen a limit, but Your commandment is immensely broad.
Tanya: Iggeret HaKodesh, beginning of Epistle 25
• Lessons in Tanya
• Today's Tanya Lesson
• Thursday, 25 Tishrei, 5777 · 27 October 2016
• Iggeret HaKodesh, beginning of Epistle 25
• This letter comments on a discourse (in Tzavaat HaRivash, sec. 120 in the Kehot editions) in which the Baal Shem Tov explains that though all things emanate from G‑d through His attributes of love and awe, these attributes can find themselves in a state of exile.
• Rambam: Sefer Hamitzvos:
The Baal Shem Tov goes on to say that in the same way, a worshiper who finds that his endeavors to concentrate are being disturbed by someone speaking should consider: “Why did G‑d bring me here, where this talker is disturbing my prayers? After all, everything is Providential.”
Indeed it is, explains the Baal Shem Tov: this man’s talk is a spark of the radiance of the Shechinah that has descended and now “abides” in his mouth, in order that the worshiper should exert himself so strenuously that he will be able to ignore the disturbance. (The verb used in the above-quoted version of the teaching is “abides” — שרתה; as the Alter Rebbe will soon explain, the proper term is “vested” — נתלבשה.)
Especially so, the text there goes on to say, if the person speaking is a heathen or a child, then the realization that the Shechinah has (as it were) contracted itself to such a degree should surely bring the worshiper to ever-increasing fervor.
It would seem that the opponents of Chassidism seized upon this statement of the Baal Shem Tov: they could not understand how one could possibly say that the Shechinah “abided” (or even was “vested”) within a heathen.
The Alter Rebbe explains this in the present letter, beginning with the teaching of the Sages that “Whoever is in a rage resembles an idolater.” A Jew, he explains, must know that everything comes from G‑d. When someone strikes him or angers him with words, he should remind himself that at that very moment, a glimmer of the Divine Presence — which provides life to all creatures and to this individual as well — has vested itself within that person.
The Alter Rebbe goes on to prove this from King David’s response when Shimi ben Geira cursed him. King David said: “For G‑d told him, ‘Curse!’” Although we do not find it explicitly stated that G‑d told Shimi to curse David, still, since G‑d’s spirit animated Shimi at the moment that he cursed David, thus providing him with the strength to do so, David considered this as if “G‑d told him to curse.” Indeed, as the Alter Rebbe goes on to explain, a glimmer or irradiation of the Shechinah vests itself even in kelipot.
Throughout this discussion the Alter Rebbe does not actually quote the Baal Shem Tov’s teaching nor the above objection to it. The reason for the latter omission may perhaps be understood in light of the fact that the Alter Rebbe was prepared for mesirut nefesh, literally risking his life, not to be sundered from any teaching or even the slightest gesture of the Baal Shem Tov, even if it would only appear to be so in the eyes of the beholder.1
It is thus reasonable to assume that here as well, the Alter Rebbe chose not to even mention an objection raised against a teaching of the Baal Shem Tov; he merely clarifies the concepts involved, and the objection falls away as a matter of course.
להבין אמרי בינה
“To comprehend the words of understanding,” i.e., the words of Torah,2
מה שכתוב בספר הנקרא צוואת ריב״ש
stated in the book called Tzavaat Rivash3 (“The Testament of the Baal Shem Tov),”
הגם שבאמת אינה צוואתו כלל, ולא ציוה כלל לפני פטירתו
though in fact it is not at all4 his will or testament, and he did not ordain anything before his passing;
רק הם לקוטי אמרותיו הטהורות
they (i.e., the teachings in this book) are merely gleanings of his pure sayings
The adjective (“pure”) recalls the phrase in the morning blessings, טהורה היא, that describes the pristine purity of a soul before it descends from the World of Atzilut; likewise the verse,5 כעצם השמים לטוהר (“as pure as the very heavens”).
שלקטו לקוטי בתר לקוטי
that were gathered as6 “compilations after compilations,”
ולא ידעו לכוין הלשון על מתכונתו
and [the compilers] did not know how to phrase his teachings exactly.
For the Baal Shem Tov used to speak in Yiddish, and the teachings in Tzavaat HaRivash are recorded in Hebrew.
אך המכוון הוא אמת לאמיתו
The connotation, however, of the teachings is absolutely true.
The Alter Rebbe now begins to explain the statement in Tzavaat HaRivash, sec. 120.
והוא בהקדים מאמר רז״ל: כל הכועס, כאילו עובד עבודת כוכבים ומזלות
And this [will be understood] by first considering the teaching of our Sages, of blessed memory:7“Whoever is in a rage resembles an idolater.”
והטעם מובן ליודעי בינה
The reason [for this] is clear to those who8 “know un-derstanding,”
לפי שבעת כעסו, נסתלקה ממנו האמונה
because at the time of his anger, faith in G‑d and in His individual Divine Providence has left him.
כי אילו היה מאמין שמאת ה׳ היתה זאת לו, לא היה בכעס כלל
For were he to believe that what happened to him was G‑d’s doing, he would not be angry at all.
ואף שבן אדם, שהוא בעל בחירה, מקללו או מכהו או מזיק ממונו
True, it is a person possessed of free choice that is cursing him, or striking him, or causing damage to his property,
ומתחייב בדיני אדם ובדיני שמים על רוע בחירתו
and [therefore] guilty according to the laws of man and the laws of heaven for his evil choice.
The perpetrator for his part cannot plead innocence on the grounds that he is merely an instrument in the hands of Divine Providence.
אף על פי כן, על הניזק כבר נגזר מן השמים
Nevertheless, as regards the person harmed, this [incident] was already decreed in heaven,
והרבה שלוחים למקום
and9 “G‑d has many agents” through whom He can act.
Hence, even if the offending party had chosen otherwise, the incident would have befallen the victim in any case.
This discussion recalls the teaching of the Mechilta cited by Rashi on the verse,10 והאלקים אנה לידו — “and G‑d caused it to happen to him.” For to such a case the Mechilta applies the verse,11 “From evildoers there emerges evil.” This means that though it was decreed from above that someone should sustain an injury, G‑d brings it about that a particular person should inflict it.
That context, however, speaks of an unwitting injury. In the case of a potentially willful offender, if instead of choosing freely to act in an evil manner he chose to do otherwise, the event would still have occurred, for “G‑d has many agents,” as quoted above.
At any rate, it is thus clear that the victim has no cause to be angry with the offender, for the true cause of the offense was not him, but a heavenly decree.
The Alter Rebbe now takes this one step further: Not only does the heavenly decree give the offender an undefined potential to do harm, but moreover, the particular thought to do it and the power to do it, all come about from G‑d. (At the same time, since man has freedom of choice, he can of course choose to reject such a thought and refrain from doing such a deed.)
Anger thus remains unjustifiable. For the offended party is not angry that the other party made an evil choice; what angers him is the damage done to him. His anger thus results from his lack of belief that the true cause for his mishap is not a particular individual’s evil choice, but a heavenly decree.
ולא עוד
And not only this, that a heavenly decree gave permission in principle and made it possible that he suffer injury,
אלא אפילו בשעה זו ממש, שמכהו או מקללו
but even at that very moment at which [the offender] strikes or curses him,
מתלבש בו כח ה׳ ורוח פיו יתברך, המחייהו ומקיימו
there is vested in him (in the offender) a force from G‑d and the breath of His mouth, which animates and sustains him;
וכמו שכתוב: כי ה׳ אמר לו, קלל
as it is written:12 “For G‑d told him, ‘Curse!’”
והיכן אמר לשמעי
Now where did He say so to Shimi? Where do we find it written that G‑d told him to curse David?
אלא שמחשבה זו, שנפלה לשמעי בלבו ומוחו, ירדה מאת ה׳
But this thought that occurred in Shimi’s heart and mind to curse David, descended from G‑d, Who was thus responsible for such a thought entering Shimi’s mind;
ורוח פיו, המחיה כל צבאם
and13 “the breath of His mouth, [which animates] all the hosts [of heaven],”
החיה רוחו של שמעי, בשעה שדיבר דברים אלו לדוד
animated the spirit of Shimi at the time he spoke those words to David.
כי אילו נסתלק רוח פיו יתברך רגע אחד מרוחו של שמעי, לא יכול לדבר מאומה
For if the breath of G‑d’s mouth had departed from the spirit of Shimi for a single moment, he could not have spoken at all.
* * *
| FOOTNOTES | |
| 1. | HaTamim, Issue II, p. 56. |
| 2. | “Words of understanding” (Mishlei 1:2) has the same meaning as בינה in Shabbat 104a, which Rashi explains to mean “Torah”. |
| 3. | The abbreviation is an acronym of the Heb. for “Rabbi Yisrael Baal Shem.” |
| 4. | In the standard editions of Tanya the word כלל (“at all”) does not appear. It has been added in accordance with an emendation of the Tzemach Tzedek, quoted in Luach HaTikkun at the end of the Hebrew editions of Tanya. |
| 5. | Shmot 24:6. |
| 6. | Taanit 6b. |
| 7. | Zohar I, 27b; III, 179a; Rambam, Hilchot De’ot 2:3 in the name of the “earliest sages” (חכמים הראשונים); et al. |
| 8. | For an exposition of why the Alter Rebbe specifically uses the phrase “those who ‘know understanding,’” see Likkutei Levi Yitzchak on this passage. |
| 9. | Zohar III, 36b; cf. Taanit 18b. |
| 10. | Shmot 21:13. |
| 11. | I Shmuel 24:14. |
| 12. | II Shmuel 16:10. |
| 13. | Tehillim 33:6. |
• Thursday, 25 Tishrei, 5777 · 27 October 2016
• Today's Mitzvah
A daily digest of Maimonides’ classic work "Sefer Hamitzvot"
Positive Commandment 1
Belief in G-d
"I am the L-rd, your G-d" —Exodus 20:2.
The very first mitzvah is to believe in G-d--a primal entity that is the cause and origin of all that exists.
Full text of this Mitzvah »• Belief in G-d
Positive Commandment 1
Translated by Berel Bell
The first mitzvah is that we are commanded to acquire knowledge1 of the nature of G‑d's existence, i.e. to understand that He is the Original cause and Source of existence Who brings all creations into being.
The source of this commandment is G‑d's statement2 (exalted be He), "I am G‑d your Lord."
[We see that this commandment is included in the total of 613 from] the end of the tractate Makkos,3 which states, "613 commandments were given to Moshe at Sinai. From which verse do we see this? — 'The Torah which was commanded to us by Moshe.' "4 This indicates [that the number of mitzvos which Moshe commanded us equals] the numerical value of the word Torah.5 The Gemara than asks, "But is this the proper numerical value? It only totals 611!" The answer was given, "The two commandments 'I am G‑d your Lord' and 'Do not have any other gods'6 were heard from G‑d directly"7 [and not through Moshe. They are therefore not alluded to in the word Torah in this verse, which refers only to those 611 mitzvos which were given through Moshe. It is included, however, in the total of 613.]
It is clear from this passage that "I am G‑d your Lord," i.e. knowledge of G‑d, as explained above, is counted as one of the 613 mitzvos.
FOOTNOTES
1.Some translations render this commandment as "belief" in G‑d. However, see Kapach (5731) and Heller (note 1), who translate the Arabic word aetkad as "knowledge." See Guide to the Perplexed, Pt. I, Ch.50, for a detailed description of this term; Derech Mitzvosecha, Haamanas Elokus; On the Teachings of Chassidus, Ch. 13.
See Hilchos Yesodei Hatorah, Ch. 1:1-6, for details of the knowledge mandatory for fulfillment of this mitzvah.
2.Exodus 20:2. Deut. 5:6.
3.23b.
4.Deut. 33:4.
5.In the word "Torah," the tov=400, vov=6, reish=200, and hei=5.
6.Exodus 20:3. Deut. 5:7.
7.[and not through Moshe. They are therefore not alluded to in the word Torah in this verse, which refers only to those 611 mitzvos which were given through Moshe. It is included, however, in the total of 613.]
Negative Commandment 1
Idol Worship
"You shall have no other gods besides Me" —Exodus 20:3.
The very first prohibition is against ascribing G-dly powers to any entity other than G-d.
Full text of this Mitzvah »• Idol Worship
Negative Commandment 1
Translated by Berel Bell
The first prohibition is that we are forbidden from entertaining the thought1 that there is any deity other than G‑d.
The source of this prohibition is G‑d's 'statement'2 (although he is so exalted that the term "speech" cannot really be applied to Him), "Do not have any other gods before me."
In the end of Makkos3 it is explained that this prohibition is included among the 613 commandments, as they state there," 613 commandments were given to Moshe at Sinai." We have explained this proof in the 1st of the Positive Mitzvos.
FOOTNOTES
1.See Kapach (5731), p. 181, footnote 1; who offers a literal translation, "being of the opinion."
2.Exodus 20:3. Deut. 5:7.
3.77b.
Positive Commandment 2
G-d’s Unity
"Hear O Israel, the L-rd is our G-d, the L-rd is One" —Deuteronomy 6:4.
We are commanded to believe and acknowledge that the One who provides existence to all of creation is one.
Full text of this Mitzvah »
• Today's Mitzvah
A daily digest of Maimonides’ classic work "Sefer Hamitzvot"
Positive Commandment 1
Belief in G-d
"I am the L-rd, your G-d" —Exodus 20:2.
The very first mitzvah is to believe in G-d--a primal entity that is the cause and origin of all that exists.
Full text of this Mitzvah »• Belief in G-d
Positive Commandment 1
Translated by Berel Bell
The first mitzvah is that we are commanded to acquire knowledge1 of the nature of G‑d's existence, i.e. to understand that He is the Original cause and Source of existence Who brings all creations into being.
The source of this commandment is G‑d's statement2 (exalted be He), "I am G‑d your Lord."
[We see that this commandment is included in the total of 613 from] the end of the tractate Makkos,3 which states, "613 commandments were given to Moshe at Sinai. From which verse do we see this? — 'The Torah which was commanded to us by Moshe.' "4 This indicates [that the number of mitzvos which Moshe commanded us equals] the numerical value of the word Torah.5 The Gemara than asks, "But is this the proper numerical value? It only totals 611!" The answer was given, "The two commandments 'I am G‑d your Lord' and 'Do not have any other gods'6 were heard from G‑d directly"7 [and not through Moshe. They are therefore not alluded to in the word Torah in this verse, which refers only to those 611 mitzvos which were given through Moshe. It is included, however, in the total of 613.]
It is clear from this passage that "I am G‑d your Lord," i.e. knowledge of G‑d, as explained above, is counted as one of the 613 mitzvos.
FOOTNOTES
1.Some translations render this commandment as "belief" in G‑d. However, see Kapach (5731) and Heller (note 1), who translate the Arabic word aetkad as "knowledge." See Guide to the Perplexed, Pt. I, Ch.50, for a detailed description of this term; Derech Mitzvosecha, Haamanas Elokus; On the Teachings of Chassidus, Ch. 13.
See Hilchos Yesodei Hatorah, Ch. 1:1-6, for details of the knowledge mandatory for fulfillment of this mitzvah.
2.Exodus 20:2. Deut. 5:6.
3.23b.
4.Deut. 33:4.
5.In the word "Torah," the tov=400, vov=6, reish=200, and hei=5.
6.Exodus 20:3. Deut. 5:7.
7.[and not through Moshe. They are therefore not alluded to in the word Torah in this verse, which refers only to those 611 mitzvos which were given through Moshe. It is included, however, in the total of 613.]
Negative Commandment 1
Idol Worship
"You shall have no other gods besides Me" —Exodus 20:3.
The very first prohibition is against ascribing G-dly powers to any entity other than G-d.
Full text of this Mitzvah »• Idol Worship
Negative Commandment 1
Translated by Berel Bell
The first prohibition is that we are forbidden from entertaining the thought1 that there is any deity other than G‑d.
The source of this prohibition is G‑d's 'statement'2 (although he is so exalted that the term "speech" cannot really be applied to Him), "Do not have any other gods before me."
In the end of Makkos3 it is explained that this prohibition is included among the 613 commandments, as they state there," 613 commandments were given to Moshe at Sinai." We have explained this proof in the 1st of the Positive Mitzvos.
FOOTNOTES
1.See Kapach (5731), p. 181, footnote 1; who offers a literal translation, "being of the opinion."
2.Exodus 20:3. Deut. 5:7.
3.77b.
Positive Commandment 2
G-d’s Unity
"Hear O Israel, the L-rd is our G-d, the L-rd is One" —Deuteronomy 6:4.
We are commanded to believe and acknowledge that the One who provides existence to all of creation is one.
Full text of this Mitzvah »
• G-d’s Unity
Positive Commandment 2
Translated by Berel Bell
The 2nd mitzvah is that we are commanded to acquire knowledge1 of the nature of G‑d's Unity, i.e. to understand that the Original Creator and Source of all existence is One.
The source of this commandment is G‑d's statement2 (exalted be He), "Hear [i.e. "understand"] O Israel, G‑d is our Lord, G‑d is One."
In most Midrashim you will find this mitzvah described [in the context of G‑d's statement that a certain kindness was done to the Jewish people,] "on condition that they unify My Name," "on condition that they unite Me," or a similar expression. They mean to say that G‑d took us out of bondage and heaped kindness upon us upon condition that we have His Unity firmly fixed in our minds — since we are required to do so. [From this we see that knowledge of His unity is an actual requirement, and is therefore counted as one of the 613 commandments.]
In many places the expression is used, "the mitzvah of His Unity" [the word "mitzvah" also indicating that this counts as one of the 613 commandments.]
Our Sages3 also called this mitzvah "Kingdom," saying that [the paragraph Shema is read before V'haya] "in order to accept upon oneself the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven," i.e. to acknowledge and comprehend His Unity.4
FOOTNOTES
1.See footnote 1.
See Hilchos Yesodei Hatorah, Ch. 1:7, for details of the knowledge mandatory for fulfillment of this mitzvah. See also, Guide to the Perplexed, Pt. I, Ch.50-69.
2.Deut. 6:4.
3.See Berachos 13a; 61b.
4.It has been suggested that the Rambam's intention is as follows: The Talmud could have given the reason, "in order to fulfill the mitzvah of reciting the Shema." The phrase, "Kingdom of Heaven" stresses the additional significance of Shema, in that it also involves the mitzvah of Unity. See Rif Perlo, Vol. I, p. 71a.
• Rambam - 1 Chapter: Tum'at Okhalin Tum'at Okhalin - Chapter 14
• Tum'at Okhalin - Chapter 14
1
When water from a drainpipe descends into produce and the owner mixed the produce so that it would dry, the produce does not become susceptible to impurity.
א
פירות שירד הדלף לתוכן ועירבן כדי שיתנגבו לא הוכשרו:
2
When a person brings his produce to the roof so that it does not become worm-infested and dew descends upon it, it does not become susceptible to impurity. If he intended that the dew descend upon it, it becomes susceptible to impurity. Therefore, if a deafmute, a intellectually or emotionally compromised individual, or a minor brought the produce up to the roof, even if they had the intent that dew descend upon it, it does not become susceptible to impurity. The rationale is that their deeds are significant according to Scriptural Law, but their intent is not significant, even according to Rabbinic Law.
If minors turned the produce over on the roof, it becomes susceptible to impurity. For if the intent of a minor is obvious from his actions, his intent has an effect according to Rabbinic Law.
ב
המעלה פירותיו לגג מפני הכנימה וירד עליהן הטל לא הוכשר ואם נתכוון שירד עליהן הטל הוכשרו לפיכך אם העלום חרש שוטה וקטן אף על פי שחישבו שירד הטל עליהן לא הוכשרו שיש מעשה להן דין תורה ואין להן מחשבה אפילו מדברי סופרים הפכו בהן קטנים על הגג הרי אלו מוכשרין שאם היתה מחשבה של קטן ניכרת מתוך מעשיו מחשבתו מועלת מדבריהן:
3
When a person brings bundles of vegetables, dried figs, or garlic to a roof so that they will be preserved and dew descended upon them, they do not become susceptible to ritual impurity. We do not say that since everyone knows that dew will descend, it is as if he willfully exposed them to water. The rationale is that he brought them up to the roof solely so that they should be preserved.
ג
המעלה את האגודות ואת הקציעות ואת השום לגג בשביל שימתינו וירד עליהן הטל לא הוכשרו ואין אומרין הואיל והכל יודעין שהטל יורד הרי זה ברצונו שהרי לא העלם אלא כדי שימתינו:
4
When a person brings wheat to be ground into flour and rain falls upon it, if he was happy, it becomes susceptible to impurity. When his olives had been placed on the roof and rain descended, if he was happy, they were made susceptible to impurity. When donkey-drivers were crossing a river and their sacks fell into the water, and they lifted them up, if they were happy that the produce became wet, the produce was made susceptible to impurity. The water that is on the sacks is considered as having been uprooted willfully, for they were happy that the sacks became wet.
ד
המוליך חיטין לטחון וירדו עליהן גשמים אם שמח הוכשרו היו זיתיו נתונין בגג וירדו עליהן גשמים אם שמח הוכשרו החמרים שהיו עוברים בנהר ונפלו שקיהן במים והעלום אם שמחו הוכשרו הפירות והמים שעל השקין הנם תלושין ברצון שהרי שמחו:
5
When a sack that was filled with seeds and was placed on the edge of a river, at the opening to a cistern, or on the steps leading to a storage cavern of water, if they absorbed water, they become susceptible to impurity.
ה
שק שהוא מלא זרעונים ונתון על גבי הנהר או על פי הבור או על מעלות המערה ושאבו הוכשרו:
6
When an earthenware jug containing produce was placed in liquids or a jug containing liquids was placed among produce and the produce absorbed the liquids, it becomes susceptible to impurity.
With regard to which liquids was the above said: With regard to water, wine, and vinegar. Other liquids are not absorbed through the walls of earthenware containers causing produce to be made susceptible to ritual impurity.
ו
חבית שהיא מלאה פירות שנתנה בתוך המשקין או מלאה משקין שנתנה בתוך הפירות ושאבו הוכשרו באלו משקין אמרו במים וביין ובחומץ אבל שאר המשקין אין משאבין מן החרס כדי שיכשירו הפירות שבצידן:
7
The following rules apply when a person removes a hot loaf of bread from an oven and places it on the opening of a jug of wine: If the loaf was from wheat flour, it does not become susceptible to impurity. If it was from barley flour, it does become susceptible to impurity, because barley is absorbent. Similarly, if the wine was impure, if the loaf was from wheat, it is pure. If it was from barley, it becomes impure, because it absorbed impure liquids.
ז
הרודה פת חמה ונתנה ע"פ חבית של יין אם היתה פת חיטין לא הוכשרה ואם היתה של שעורים הוכשרה מפני שהשעורים שואבות וכן אם היה היין טמא והיה פת חיטים טהורה ואם היתה שעורים נטמאה מפני ששאבה משקין טמאין:
8
When a person sprinkles water on the floor of his house and then placed wheat upon it and it became moist, if it became moist because of the water, it becomes susceptible to impurity. If it became moist because of the stone, it does not become susceptible to impurity.
When a person washes his garment in a kneading trough and afterwards he placed wheat in it and it became moist, if it became moist because of the water, it becomes susceptible to impurity. If it became moist because of the kneading trough, it does not become susceptible to impurity.
ח
המרבץ את ביתו ונתן בו חטים וטננו אם מחמת המים הוכשרו ואם מחמת הסלע לא הוכשרו המכבס את כסותו בעריבה ונתן בה חטים וטננו אם מחמת המים הוכשרו ואם מחמת העריבה לא הוכשרו:
9
When a person buries his produce in sand so that it will become moist, it becomes subject to impurity. When he buries it in dry mud, if the mud is moist enough that a hand that touches it will become wet, the produce becomes subject to impurity. If not, it does not.
ט
הטומן פירות בחול כדי שירטיבו הוכשרו הטומן בטיט הנגוב אם יש בו משקה טופח הוכשרו ואם לאו לא הוכשרו:
10
When a person sprinkles water on his grainheap, he need not worry that his wheat became susceptible to impurity if the kernels came in contact with water even though he is satisfied that this happened.
י
המרבץ את גורנו אינו חושש שמא יוכשרו חטיו אם טננו בו ואף ע"פ שהוא שמח:
11
When a person gathers grasses upon which dew had descended to use for covering wheat, the wheat does not become susceptible to impurity. If this was his intent, it does become susceptible.
יא
המלקט עשבים כשהטל יורד עליהן לחפות בהן החיטין לא הוכשרו ואם נתכוון לכך הוכשרו:
12
When a person sprinkles impure water on the floor of his house and then placed stalks of grain there and they become moist, they become impure if there is enough moisture upon them that the hand of one who touches them also becomes moist. If not, they are pure.
יב
המרבץ את ביתו במים טמאים ונתן בו שבולים וטננו אם יש עליהן משקה טופח הרי אלו טמאין ואם לאו טהורין:
13
When a person shakes a bunch of vegetables that had liquid on them and the liquid descended from the upper ones to the lower ones, they do not become susceptible to impurity.
יג
הנוער אגודה של ירק שהיו עליה משקין וירדו מצד העליון לצד התחתון לא הוכשר:
14
When a person lifts sacks full of produce from the river and places them one on top of the other, the lower one becomes susceptible to impurity because of the water descending from the upper one, for he willfully placed one on top of the other.
יד
המעלה שקין מלאין פירות מן הנהר ונתנן זה ע"ג זה הוכשר התחתון במים שירדו לו מן העליון שהרי ברצונו הניח זה על גבי זה:
15
When a person blows on lentils to see if they are good for the purpose of cooking, if water collects on them, they become susceptible to impurity because of the moisture in his breath which is a derivative of water. Similarly, when a person eats sesame seeds with his finger, they become susceptible to impurity because of the moisture in his breath and on his finger.
טו
הנופח בעדשים לבודקן אם הן יפות והזיעו הוכשרו בהבל פיו מפני שהוא מתולדות המים וכן האוכל שומשמין באצבע הוכשרו במשקה פיו ושעל אצבעו:
16
When a person bites food and then it falls from his hand, the liquid on the food is not considered as having been placed there willfully. If a person was eating olives that had been broken open, moist dates, or any other produce whose pit he desired to suck, but it fell from his mouth, the liquid on it is considered as having been placed there willfully. If he was eating dry olives, dried dates, any other produce whose pit he does not desire to suck, and it fell from his mouth, the liquid on it is not considered as having been placed there willfully.
טז
נשך באוכל ונפל האוכל הרי המשקה שעל האוכל שלא לרצון היה אוכל זיתים פצועים ותמרים רטובות וכל שהוא רוצה למוץ את גרעינתו ונפל מפיו הרי המשקה שעליו ברצון היה אוכל זיתים נגובין ותמרים יבישות וכל שאינו רוצה למוץ את גרעינתו ונפל מפיו הרי המשקה שעליו שלא ברצון:
17
We have already explained that when a person gathered endives for an animal and washed them, but changed his mind afterwards and thought to use them for human consumption, they need to be exposed to water a second time to make foods susceptible to impurity. If, however, there was tangible moisture on them when he thought to use them for human consumption, they are susceptible to impurity.
יז
עולשין שליקטן לבהמה והדיחן וחישב עליהן לאדם אח"כ כבר ביארנו שהן צריכים הכשר שני ואם היה עליהן משקה טופח כשחישב עליהן לאדם הרי אלו מוכשרין:
• Rambam - 3 Chapters: Yesodei haTorah Yesodei haTorah - Chapter One, Yesodei haTorah Yesodei haTorah - Chapter Two, Yesodei haTorah Yesodei haTorah - Chapter Three
• Yesodei haTorah - Chapter One
"Extend Your kindness to those who know You and Your righteousness to the upright of heart” (Psalms 36:11) 1
The first book
Sefer HaMada
The Book of Knowledge
It contains five halachot. They are, in order:
Hilchot Yesodei HaTorah - The Laws [which are] the
Foundations of the Torah
Hilchot De'ot - The Laws of Personal Development
Hilchot Talmud Torah - The Laws of Torah Study
Hilchot Avodat Kochavim UMazalot V'Chukkot
HaAkum - The Laws [Governing the Prohibition against] the Worship of Stars and Spiritual Forces,and the Statutes of the Idolaters
Hilchot Teshuvah - The Laws of Teshuvah
FOOTNOTES
1.
The Rambam begins every one of the fourteen books of the Mishneh Torah within a relevant verse from the Prophets or the Holy Scriptures.
1
The foundation of all foundations and the pillar of wisdom is to know that there is a Primary Being who brought into being all existence. All the beings of the heavens, the earth, and what is between them came into existence only from the truth of His being.
א
.יסוד היסודות ועמוד החכמות לידע שיש שם מצוי ראשון והוא ממציא כל נמצא וכל הנמצאים משמים וארץ ומה שביניהם לא נמצאו אלא מאמתת המצאו:
2
If one would imagine that He does not exist, no other being could possibly exist.
ב
.ואם יעלה על הדעת שהוא אינו מצוי אין דבר אחר יכול להמצאות:
3
If one would imagine that none of the entities aside from Him exist, He alone would continue to exist, and the nullification of their [existence] would not nullify His existence, because all the [other] entities require Him and He, blessed be He, does not require them nor any one of them. Therefore, the truth of His [being] does not resemble the truth of any of their [beings].
ג
ואם יעלה על הדעת שאין כל הנמצאים מלבדו מצויים הוא לבדו יהיה מצוי ולא יבטל הוא לבטולם שכל הנמצאים צריכין לו והוא ברוך הוא אינו צריך להם ולא לאחד מהם לפיכך אין אמתתו כאמתת אחד מהם:
4
This is implied by the prophet's statement [Jeremiah 10:10]: "And God, your Lord, is true" - i.e., He alone is true and no other entity possesses truth that compares to His truth. This is what [is meant by] the Torah's statement [Deuteronomy 4:35]: "There is nothing else aside from Him" - i.e., aside from Him, there is no true existence like His.
ד
.הוא שהנביא אומר וה' אלהים אמת הוא לבדו האמת ואין לאחר אמת כאמתתו והוא שהתורה אומרת אין עוד מלבדו כלומר אין שם מצוי אמת מלבדו כמותו:
5
This entity is the God of the world and the Lord of the entire earth. He controls the sphere with infinite and unbounded power. This power [continues] without interruption, because the sphere is constantly revolving, and it is impossible for it to revolve without someone causing it to revolve. [That one is] He, blessed be He, who causes it to revolve without a hand or any [other] corporeal dimension.
ה
המצוי הזה הוא אלהי העולם אדון כל הארץ והוא המנהיג הגלגל בכח שאין לו קץ ותכלית בכח שאין לו הפסק שהגלגל סובב תמיד ואי אפשר שיסוב בלא מסבב והוא ברוך הוא המסבב אותו בלא יד ובלא גוף:
6
The knowledge of this concept is a positive commandment, as [implied by Exodus 20:2]: "I am God, your Lord...."
Anyone who presumes that there is another god transgresses a negative commandment, as [Exodus 20:3] states: "You shall have no other gods before Me" and denies a fundamental principle [of faith], because this is the great principle [of faith] upon which all depends.
ו
וידיעת דבר זה מצות עשה שנאמר אנכי ה' אלהיך וכל המעלה על דעתו שיש שם אלוה אחר חוץ מזה עובר בלא תעשה שנאמר לא יהיה לך אלהים אחרים על פני וכופר בעיקר שזהו העיקר הגדול שהכל תלוי בו:
7
This God is one. He is not two or more, but one, unified in a manner which [surpasses] any unity that is found in the world; i.e., He is not one in the manner of a general category which includes many individual entities, nor one in the way that the body is divided into different portions and dimensions. Rather, He is unified, and there exists no unity similar to His in this world.
If there were many gods, they would have body and form, because like entities are separated from each other only through the circumstances associated with body and form.
Were the Creator to have body and form, He would have limitation and definition, because it is impossible for a body not to be limited. And any entity which itself is limited and defined [possesses] only limited and defined power. Since our God, blessed be His name, possesses unlimited power, as evidenced by the continuous revolution of the sphere, we see that His power is not the power of a body. Since He is not a body, the circumstances associated with bodies that produce division and separation are not relevant to Him. Therefore, it is impossible for Him to be anything other than one.
The knowledge of this concept fulfills a positive commandment, as [implied by Deuteronomy 6:4]: "[Hear, Israel,] God is our Lord, God is one."
ז
אלוה זה אחד הוא ואינו שנים ולא יתר על שנים אלא אחד שאין כיחודו אחד מן האחדים הנמצאים בעולם לא אחד כמין שהוא כולל אחדים הרבה ולא אחד כגוף שהוא נחלק למחלקות ולקצוות אלא יחוד שאין יחוד אחר כמותו בעולם אילו היו אלוהות הרבה היו גופין וגויות מפני שאין הנמנים השוין במציאותן נפרדין זה מזה אלא במאורעין שיארעו בגופות והגויות ואילו היה היוצר גוף וגוייה היה לו קץ ותכלית שאי אפשר להיות גוף שאין לו קץ וכל שיש לגופו קץ ותכלית יש לכחו קץ וסוף ואלהינו ברוך שמו הואיל וכחו אין לו קץ ואינו פוסק שהרי הגלגל סובב תמיד אין כחו כח גוף והואיל ואינו גוף לא יארעו לו מאורעות הגופות כדי שיהא נחלק ונפרד מאחר לפיכך אי אפשר שיהיה אלא אחד וידיעת דבר זה מצות עשה שנאמר ה' אלהינו ה' אחד:
8
Behold, it is explicitly stated in the Torah and [the works of] the prophets that the Holy One, blessed be He, is not [confined to] a body or physical form, as [Deuteronomy 4:39] states: "Because God, your Lord, is the Lord in the heavens above and the earth below," and a body cannot exist in two places [simultaneously].
Also, [Deuteronomy 4:15] states: "For you did not see any image," and [Isaiah 40:25] states: "To whom can you liken Me, with whom I will be equal." Were He [confined to] a body, He would resemble other bodies.
ח
הרי מפורש בתורה ובנביאים שאין הקב"ה גוף וגוייה שנאמר כי ה' אלהיכם הוא אלהים בשמים ממעל ועל הארץ מתחת והגוף לא יהיה בשני מקומות ונאמר כי לא ראיתם כל תמונה ונאמר ואל מי תדמיוני ואשוה ואילו היה גוף היה דומה לשאר גופים:
9
If so, what is the meaning of the expressions employed by the Torah: "Below His feet" [Exodus 24:10], "Written by the finger of God" [ibid. 31:18], "God's hand" [ibid. 9:3], "God's eyes" [Genesis 38:7], "God's ears" [Numbers 11:1], and the like?
All these [expressions were used] to relate to human thought processes which know only corporeal imagery, for the Torah speaks in the language of man. They are only descriptive terms, as [apparent from Deuteronomy 32:41]: "I will whet My lightning sword." Does He have a sword? Does He need a sword to kill? Rather, this is metaphoric imagery. [Similarly,] all [such expressions] are metaphoric imagery.
A proof of this concept: One prophet says that he saw the Holy One, blessed be He, "clothed in snow white" [Daniel 7:9], and another envisioned Him [coming] "with crimson garments from Batzra" [Isaiah 63:1]. Moses, our teacher, himself envisioned Him at the [Red] Sea as a mighty man, waging war, and, at Mount Sinai, [saw Him] as the leader of a congregation, wrapped [in a tallit].
This shows that He has no image or form. All these are merely expressions of prophetic vision and imagery and the truth of this concept cannot be grasped or comprehended by human thought. This is what the verse [Job 11:7] states: "Can you find the comprehension of God? Can you find the ultimate bounds of the Almighty?"
ט
אם כן מהו זה שכתוב בתורה ותחת רגליו כתובים באצבע אלהים יד ה' עיני ה' אזני ה' וכיוצא בדברים האלו הכל לפי דעתן של בני אדם הוא שאינן מכירין אלא הגופות ודברה תורה כלשון בני אדם והכל כנויים הן שנאמר אם שנותי ברק חרבי וכי חרב יש לו ובחרב הוא הורג אלא משל והכל משל ראיה לדבר שנביא אחד אומר שראה הקדוש ברוך הוא לבושיה כתלג חיור ואחד ראהו חמוץ בגדים מבצרה משה רבינו עצמו ראהו על הים כגבור עושה מלחמה ובסיני כשליח צבור עטוף לומר שאין לו דמות וצורה אלא הכל במראה הנבואה ובמחזה ואמתת הדבר אין דעתו של אדם מבין ולא יכולה להשיגו ולחקרו וזה שאמר הכתוב החקר אלוה תמצא אם עד תכלית שדי תמצא:
10
[If so,] what did Moses, our teacher, want to comprehend when he requested: "Please show me Your glory" [Exodus 33:18]?
He asked to know the truth of the existence of the Holy One, blessed be He, to the extent that it could be internalized within his mind, as one knows a particular person whose face he saw and whose image has been engraved within one's heart. Thus, this person's [identity] is distinguished within one's mind from [that of] other men. Similarly, Moses, our teacher, asked that the existence of the Holy One, blessed be He, be distinguished in his mind from the existence of other entities, to the extent that he would know the truth of His existence as it is [in its own right].
He, blessed be He, replied to him that it is not within the potential of a living man, [a creature of] body and soul, to comprehend this matter in its entirety. [Nevertheless,] He, blessed be He, revealed to [Moses] matters which no other man had known before him - nor would ever know afterward - until he was able to comprehend [enough] from the truth of His existence, for the Holy One, blessed be He, to be distinguished in his mind from other entities, as a person is distinguished from other men when one sees his back and knows the structure of his body and [the manner in which] he is clothed.
This is alluded to by the verse [Exodus 33:23]: "You shall see My back, but you shall not see My face."
י
מהו זה שביקש משה רבינו להשיג כשאמר הראני נא את כבודך ביקש לידע אמיתת המצאו של הקדוש ב"ה עד שיהיה ידוע בלבו כמו ידיעת אחד מן האנשים שראה פניו ונחקקה צורתו בלבו שנמצא אותו האיש נפרד בדעתו משאר האנשים כך ביקש משה רבינו להיות מציאות הקב"ה נפרדת בלבו משאר הנמצאים עד שידע אמתת המצאו כאשר היא והשיבו ברוך הוא שאין כח בדעת האדם החי שהוא מחובר מגוף ונפש להשיג אמיתת דבר זה על בוריו והודיעו ברוך הוא מה שלא ידע אדם לפניו ולא ידע לאחריו עד שהשיג מאמיתת המצאו דבר שנפרד הקדוש ברוך הוא בדעתו משאר הנמצאים כמו שיפרד אחד מן האנשים שראה אחוריו והשיג כל גופו ומלבושו בדעתו משאר גופי האנשים ועל דבר זה רמז הכתוב ואמר וראית את אחורי ופני לא יראו:
11
Since it has been clarified that He does not have a body or corporeal form, it is also clear that none of the functions of the body are appropriate to Him: neither connection nor separation, neither place nor measure, neither ascent nor descent, neither right nor left, neither front nor back, neither standing nor sitting.
He is not found within time, so that He would possess a beginning, an end, or age. He does not change, for there is nothing that can cause Him to change.
[The concept of] death is not applicable to Him, nor is [that of] life within the context of physical life. [The concept of] foolishness is not applicable to Him, nor is [that of] wisdom in terms of human wisdom.
Neither sleep nor waking, neither anger nor laughter, neither joy nor sadness, neither silence nor speech in the human understanding of speech [are appropriate terms with which to describe Him]. Our Sages declared: "Above, there is no sitting or standing, separation or connection."
יא
וכיון שנתברר שאינו גוף וגוייה יתברר שלא יארע לו אחד ממאורעות הגופות לא חיבור ולא פירוד לא מקום ולא מדה לא עליה ולא ירידה ולא ימין ולא שמאל ולא פנים ולא אחור ולא ישיבה ולא עמידה ואינו מצוי בזמן עד שיהיה לו ראשית ואחרית ומנין שנים ואינו משתנה שאין לו דבר שיגרום לו שינוי ואין לו לא מות ולא חיים כחיי הגוף החי ולא סכלות ולא חכמה כחכמת האיש החכם לא שינה ולא הקיצה ולא כעס ולא שחוק ולא שמחה ולא עצבות ולא שתיקה ולא דבור כדבור בני אדם וכך אמרו חכמים אין למעלה לא ישיבה ולא עמידה ולא עורף ולא עיפוי:
12
Since this is so, all such [descriptions] and the like which are related in the Torah and the words of the Prophets - all these are metaphors and imagery. [For example,] "He who sits in the heavens shall laugh" [Psalms 2:4], "They angered Me with their emptiness" [Deuteronomy 32:21], and "As God rejoiced" [ibid. 28:63]. With regard to all such statements, our Sages said: "The Torah speaks in the language of man."
This is [borne out by the rhetorical question (Jeremiah 7:19):] "Are they enraging Me?" Behold, [Malachi 3:6] states: "I, God, have not changed." Now were He to at times be enraged and at times be happy, He would change. Rather, all these matters are found only with regard to the dark and low bodies, those who dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is dust. In contrast, He, blessed be He, is elevated and exalted above all this.
יב
והואיל והדבר כן הוא כל הדברים הללו וכיוצא בהן שנאמרו בתורה ובדברי נביאים הכל משל ומליצה הן כמו שנאמר יושב בשמים ישחק כעסוני בהבליהם כאשר שש ה' וכיוצא בהן על הכל אמרו חכמים דברה תורה כלשון בני אדם וכן הוא אומר האותי הם מכעיסים הרי הוא אומר אני ה' לא שניתי ואילו היה פעמים כועס ופעמים שמח היה משתנה וכל הדברים האלו אינן מצויין אלא לגופים האפלים השפלים שוכני בתי חומר אשר בעפר יסודם אבל הוא ברוך הוא יתברך ויתרומם על כל זה:
Yesodei haTorah - Chapter Two
1
It is a mitzvah to love and fear this glorious and awesome God, as [Deuteronomy 6:5] states: "And you shall love God, your Lord" and, as [Deuteronomy 6:13] states: "Fear God, your Lord."
א
האל הנכבד והנורא הזה מצוה לאהבו וליראה אותו שנאמר ואהבת את ה' אלהיך ונאמר את ה' אלהיך תירא:
2
What is the path [to attain] love and fear of Him? When a person contemplates His wondrous and great deeds and creations and appreciates His infinite wisdom that surpasses all comparison, he will immediately love, praise, and glorify [Him], yearning with tremendous desire to know [God's] great name, as David stated: "My soul thirsts for the Lord, for the living God" [Psalms 42:3].
When he [continues] to reflect on these same matters, he will immediately recoil in awe and fear, appreciating how he is a tiny, lowly, and dark creature, standing with his flimsy, limited, wisdom before He who is of perfect knowledge, as David stated: "When I see Your heavens, the work of Your fingers... [I wonder] what is man that You should recall Him" [Psalms 8:4-5].
Based on these concepts, I will explain important principles regarding the deeds of the Master of the worlds to provide a foothold for a person of understanding to [develop] love for God, as our Sages said regarding love: "In this manner, you will recognize He who spoke and [thus,] brought the world into being."
ב
והיאך היא הדרך לאהבתו ויראתו בשעה שיתבונן האדם במעשיו וברואיו הנפלאים הגדולים ויראה מהן חכמתו שאין לה ערך ולא קץ מיד הוא אוהב ומשבח ומפאר ומתאוה תאוה גדולה לידע השם הגדול כמו שאמר דוד צמאה נפשי לאלהים לאל חי וכשמחשב בדברים האלו עצמן מיד הוא נרתע לאחוריו ויפחד ויודע שהוא בריה קטנה שפלה אפלה עומדת בדעת קלה מעוטה לפני תמים דעות כמו שאמר דוד כי אראה שמיך מעשה אצבעותיך מה אנוש כי תזכרנו ולפי הדברים האלו אני מבאר כללים גדולים ממעשה רבון העולמים כדי שיהיו פתח למבין לאהוב את השם כמו שאמרו חכמים בענין אהבה שמתוך כך אתה מכיר את מי שאמר והיה העולם:
3
Everything which the Holy One, blessed be He, created within His world is divided into three categories. They include:
a) Creations which are a combination of matter and form. They are constantly coming into existence and ceasing to exist; for example, the bodies of man and beasts, plants, and metals.
b) Creations which are [also] a combination of matter and form, but do not change from body to body and from form to form as those in the first category. Rather, their form is permanently fixed in their matter, and they do not change as the others do; for example, the spheres and the stars [which revolve] in them. The matter [from which] they [are composed] differs from [a simple conception of] matter, and their form differs from [a simple conception of] form.
c) Creations which have form, but no matter at all; for example, the angels, for the angels do not possess bodies or corporeal being, but rather are forms which are separate from each other.
ג
כל מה שברא הקב"ה בעולמו נחלק לשלשה חלקים מהן ברואים שהן מחוברים מגולם וצורה והם הווים ונפסדים תמיד כמו גופות האדם והבהמה והצמחים והמתכות ומהן ברואים שהן מחוברים מגולם וצורה אבל אינן משתנין מגוף לגוף ומצורה לצורה כמו הראשונים אלא צורתן קבועה לעולם בגולמם ואינן משתנין כמו אלו והם הגלגלים והכוכבים שבהן ואין גולמם כשאר גולמים ולא צורתם כשאר צורות ומהן ברואים צורה בלא גולם כלל והם המלאכים שהמלאכים אינם גוף וגויה אלא צורות נפרדות זו מזו:
4
What is meant by the prophets' statements that they saw an angel of fire or with wings? All these are prophetic visions and parables, as [Deuteronomy 4:24] states: "God, your Lord, is consuming fire," though He is not fire and [the description of Him in this manner] is only metaphoric. Similarly, [Psalms 104:4] states: "He makes His angels as winds...."
ד
ומהו זה שהנביאים אומרים שראו המלאך אש ובעל כנפים הכל במראה הנבואה ודרך חידה לומר שאינו גוף ואינו כבד כגופות הכבדים כמו שנאמר כי ה' אלהיך אש אוכלה הוא ואינו אש אלא משל וכמו שנאמר עושה מלאכיו רוחות:
5
Since they possess no body, what separates the form [of the angels] from each other? Their existence is not alike. Rather each one is below the level of the other and exists by virtue of its influence, [in a progression of levels,] one above the other.
Everything exists by virtue of the influence of the Holy One, blessed be He, and His goodness. Solomon alluded to this [concept] in his wisdom, saying (Ecclesiastes 5:7): "Because above the one who is high there is a watcher [and there are others higher than them]."
ה
ובמה יפרדו הצורות זו מזו והרי אינן גופין לפי שאינן שוין במציאותן אלא כל אחד מהן למטה ממעלתו של חבירו והוא מצוי מכחו זה למעלה מזה והכל נמצאים מכחו של הקדוש ברוך הוא וטובו וזהו שרמז שלמה בחכמתו ואמר כי גבוה מעל גבוה שומר:
6
The expression "below the level of the other" does not refer to height in a spatial sense as [one might say], he is sitting higher than his colleague, [but rather, in regard to spiritual level]. For example, when speaking about two sages, one of whom is greater than the other, we say, "one is above the level of the other." Similarly, a cause is referred to as "above" the effect [it produces].
ו
זה שאמרנו למטה ממעלתו של חבירו אינה מעלת מקום כמו אדם שיושב למעלה מחבירו אלא כמו שאומרין בשני חכמים שאחד גדול מחבירו בחכמה שהוא למעלה ממעלתו של זה וכמו שאומרין בעילה שהיא למעלה מן העלול:
7
The different names with which the angels are called reflect their [spiritual] levels. Thus, they are called:
1) The holy chayyot, who are above all the others;
2) the ofanim; 7) the elohim;
3) the er'elim; 8) the sons of the elohim;
4) the chashmalim; 9) the keruvim;
5) the serafim; 10) the ishim.
6) the mal'achim;
These ten names which are used to refer to the angels reflect their ten [different spiritual] levels. The level above which there is no higher level except that of God, blessed be He, is that of the form called chayyot. Therefore, the prophets state that they are below God's throne of glory.
The tenth [and lowest] level is that of the form called ishim. They are the angels who communicate with the prophets and are perceived by them in prophetic visions. Therefore, they are called ishim, (“men”), because their level is close to the level of human knowledge.
ז
שינוי שמות המלאכים על שם מעלתם הוא ולפיכך נקראים חיות הקדש והם למעלה מן הכל ואופנים ואראלים וחשמלים ושרפים ומלאכים ואלהים ובני אלהים וכרובים ואישים כל אלו עשרה השמות שנקראו בהן המלאכים על שם עשר מעלות שלהן הן ומעלה שאין למעלה ממנה אלא מעלת האל ברוך הוא היא מעלת הצורה שנקראת חיות לפיכך נאמר בנבואה שהן תחת כסא הכבוד ומעלה עשירית היא מעלת הצורה שנקראת אישים והם המלאכים המדברים עם הנביאים ונראים להם במראה הנבואה לפיכך נקראו אישים שמעלתם קרובה למעלת דעת בני אדם:
8
All these [spiritual] forms are alive. They recognize and know the Creator with very immense knowledge, each of the forms according to its level and not according to its greatness.
Even the highest level is unable to conceive of the true nature of the Creator as He [truly] is, since its intellectual capacity is too limited to know or to grasp [Him]. It does, however, comprehend and know more than the form which is below it.
This is true regarding each and every level, including the tenth level. This [level] also knows the Creator in a manner that surpasses the potential to know and comprehend [God possessed by] human beings made up of body and soul. None [of these levels] can know the Creator as He knows Himself.
ח
וכל הצורות האלו חיים ומכירין את הבורא ויודעים אותו דעה גדולה עד למאד כל צורה וצורה לפי מעלתה לא לפי גודלה אפילו מעלה הראשונה אינה יכולה להשיג אמתת הבורא כמו שהוא אלא דעתה קצרה להשיג ולידע אבל משגת ויודעת יותר ממה שמשגת ויודעת צורה שלמטה ממנה וכן כל מעלה ומעלה עד מעלה עשירית גם היא יודעת הבורא דעה שאין כח בני האדם המחוברים מגולם וצורה יכול להשיג ולידע כמותה והכל אינן יודעין הבורא כמו שהוא יודע עצמו:
9
All existence, aside from the Creator - from the first form down to a small mosquito in the depths of the earth - came into being from the influence of His truth. Since He knows Himself and recognizes His greatness, beauty, and truth, He knows everything, and nothing is hidden from Him.
ט
כל הנמצאים חוץ מן הבורא מצורה הראשונה עד יתוש קטן שיהיה בטבור הארץ הכל מכח אמתתו נמצאו ולפי שהוא יודע עצמו ומכיר גדולתו ותפארתו ואמתתו הוא יודע הכל ואין דבר נעלם ממנו:
10
The Holy One, blessed be He, recognizes His truth and knows it as it is. He does not know with a knowledge which is external to Him in the way that we know, for ourselves and our knowledge are not one. Rather, the Creator, may He be blessed, He, His knowledge, and His life are one from all sides and corners, in all manners of unity.
Were He to live as life is [usually conceived], or know with a knowledge that is external from Him, there would be many gods, Him, His life, and His knowledge. The matter is not so. Rather, He is one from all sides and corners, in all manners of unity. Thus, you could say, "He is the Knower, He is the Subject of Knowledge, and He is the Knowledge itself." All is one.
This matter is beyond the ability of our mouths to relate, [or our] ears to hear, nor is there [the capacity] within the heart of man to grasp it in its entirety. [In expression of this concept, Genesis 42:15] states: "chay (By the life) of Pharaoh" and [I Samuel 25:26] states "chay, (By the life) of your soul," but [I Samuel, ibid.] does not say: "chay, (By the life) of God" but chai Adonai, “As God lives.” [This shows] that the Creator and His life are not two, as are the lives of living beings or the lives of the angels.
Thus, He does not recognize and know the creations in terms of the creations as we know them, but rather He knows them in terms of Himself. Thus, since He knows Himself, He knows everything, for the existence of everything else is dependent on Him.
י
הקב"ה מכיר אמתו ויודע אותה כמו שהיא ואינו יודע בדעה שהיא חוץ ממנו כמו שאנו יודעין שאין אנו ודעתנו אחד אבל הבורא יתברך הוא ודעתו וחייו אחד מכל צד ומכל פינה ובכל דרך ייחוד שאלמלי היה חי בחיים ויודע בדעה חוץ ממנו היו שם אלוהות הרבה הוא וחייו ודעתו ואין הדבר כן אלא אחד מכל צד ומכל פינה ובכל דרך ייחוד נמצאת אתה אומר הוא היודע והוא הידוע והוא הדעה עצמה הכל אחד ודבר זה אין כח בפה לאומרו ולא באוזן לשמעו ולא בלב האדם להכירו על בוריו ולפיכך אומר חי פרעה וחי נפשך ואין אומר חי ה' אלא חי ה' שאין הבורא וחייו שנים כמו חיי הגופים החיים או כחיי המלאכים לפיכך אינו מכיר הברואים ויודעם מחמת הברואים כמו שאנו יודעין אותם אלא מחמת עצמו ידעם לפיכך מפני שהוא יודע עצמו יודע הכל שהכל נסמך לו בהוייתו:
11
The concepts that we have mentioned about the subject matter in these two chapters are like a drop from the sea [when compared to] what is necessary to explain this matter. The explanation of all the fundamental principles of these two chapters is referred to as Ma'aseh Merkavah, (lit. “the work of [G‑d’s] chariot.”)
יא
דברים אלו שאמרנו בענין זה בשני פרקים אלו כמו טיפה מן הים הם ממה שצריך לבאר בענין זה וביאור כל העיקרים שבשני פרקים אלו הוא הנקרא מעשה מרכבה:
12
The Sages of the early generations commanded that these matters should not be explained except to a single individual [at a time]. He should be a wise man, who can reach understanding with his [powers of] knowledge. In such an instance, he is given fundamental points, and an outline of the concepts is made known to him. He [is expected to continue to contemplate] until he reaches understanding with his powers of knowledge and knows the ultimate meaning and depth of the concept.
These concepts are extremely deep, and not every [person has] the knowledge necessary to appreciate them. In his wisdom, Solomon described them with the metaphor [Proverbs 27:26]: "Lambs for your clothing." [The root kevas - "lamb" - also has the meaning "hide."] Thus, our Sages interpreted this metaphor [to mean]: Matters which are the secrets of the world will be your clothing - i.e., they will be for you alone, and you should not discuss them in public.
Concerning them, [Proverbs 5:17] teaches: "They shall be for you and not for others with you." [Similarly, the Song of Songs 4:11] states: "Honey and milk will be under your tongue." The Sages of the early generations interpreted this [as a metaphor]: Subjects that are like honey and milk should be [kept] under your tongue.
יב
צוו חכמים הראשונים שלא לדרוש בדברים אלו אלא לאיש אחד בלבד והוא שיהיה חכם ומבין מדעתו ואחר כך מוסרין לו ראשי הפרקים ומודיעין אותו שמץ מן הדבר והוא מבין מדעתו וידע סוף הדבר ועומקו ודברים אלו דברים עמוקים הם עד למאד ואין כל דעת ודעת ראויה לסובלן ועליהם אמר שלמה בחכמתו דרך משל כבשים ללבושך כך אמרו חכמים בפירוש משל זה דברים שהן כבשונו של עולם יהיו ללבושך כלומר לך לבדך ואל תדרוש אותם ברבים ועליהם אמר יהיו לך לבדך ואין לזרים אתך ועליהם אמר דבש וחלב תחת לשונך כך פירשו חכמים הראשונים דברים שהן כדבש וחלב יהיו תחת לשונך:
Yesodei haTorah - Chapter Three
1
The spheres are called the heavens, the firmament, the habitation, the skies.
There are nine spheres. The closest sphere is the sphere of the moon. The second sphere, which is above it, is the sphere which contains the planet Kochav. 1 The third sphere, which is above it, contains [the planet] Nogah. 2 The fourth sphere contains the sun. The fifth sphere contains [the planet] Ma'dim. 3 The sixth sphere contains the planet Tzedek. 4 The seventh sphere contains [the planet] Shabbtai. 5The eighth sphere contains all the stars which are seen in the sky. The ninth sphere is the sphere which revolves each day from the east to the west.6 It surrounds and encompasses everything.
The planets and stars all appear to be in one sphere, even though one is higher than another. This is because the spheres are pure and refined like glass or sapphire. Therefore, the stars in the eighth sphere appear lower than the first sphere.
א
הגלגלים הם הנקראים שמים ורקיע וזבול וערבות והם תשעה גלגלים גלגל הקרוב ממנו הוא גלגל הירח והשני שלמעלה ממנו הוא גלגל שבו הכוכב הנקרא כוכב וגלגל שלישי שלמעלה ממנו שבו נוגה וגלגל רביעי שבו חמה וגלגל חמישי שבו מאדים וגלגל ששי שבו כוכב צדק וגלגל שביעי שבו שבתי וגלגל שמיני שבו שאר כל הכוכבים שנראים ברקיע וגלגל תשיעי הוא גלגל החוזר בכל יום מן המזרח למערב והוא המקיף ומסבב את הכל וזה שתראה כל הכוכבים כאילו הם כולם בגלגל אחד ואף על פי שיש בהן זה למעלה מזה מפני שהגלגלים טהורים וזכים כזכוכית וכספיר לפיכך נראים הכוכבים שבגלגל השמיני מתחת גלגל הראשון:
2
Each of the eight spheres which contain the planets and stars are themselves divided into many spheres, one above the other like the layers of an onion. Some of these spheres revolve from the west to the east, and some revolve from the east to the west, such as the ninth sphere, which revolves from the east to the west. There is no empty space between any of them.
ב
כל גלגל וגלגל משמונה הגלגלים שבהם הכוכבים נחלק לגלגלים הרבה זה למעלה מזה כמו גלדי בצלים מהן גלגלים סובבים ממערב למזרח ומהן סובבים ממזרח למערב כמו הגלגל התשיעי החוזר ממזרח למערב וכולן אין ביניהם מקום פנוי:
3
None of the spheres are light or heavy. They are neither red, black, nor any other color. Though we see them as blue, this is only our perception, because of the height of the atmosphere.
Similarly, they have neither taste nor smell, because these phenomena are present only in matter lower than they. 7
ג
כל הגלגלים אינן לא קלים ולא כבדים ואין להם לא עין אדום ולא עין שחור ולא שאר עינות וזה שאנו רואין אותם כעין התכלת למראית העין בלבד הוא לפי גובה האויר וכן אין להם לא טעם ולא ריח לפי שאין אלו המאורעין מצויין אלא בגופות שלמטה מהן:
4
All these [nine] spheres which surround the world are spherical like a ball, and the Earth is suspended in their midst.
Some of the planets have small spheres fixed [around] them. These spheres do not surround the Earth. Rather, a small sphere which does not surround the Earth is fixed within a large sphere which does.
ד
כל הגלגלים האלו המקיפין את העולם הן עגולין ככדור והארץ תלויה באמצע ויש למקצת מן הכוכבים גלגלים קטנים שהן קבועים בהן ואין אותם הגלגלים מקיפין את הארץ אלא גלגל קטן שאינו מקיף קבוע בגלגל הגדול המקיף:
5
The total number of spheres which surround the Earth entirely is eighteen,8 and the number of smaller spheres which do not surround [the world] is eight.
From the movement of the planets and the knowledge of the extent of their revolution each day and each moment, their position either northward or southward, and their distance above the Earth and closeness to it, [it is possible to] know the number of all these spheres, the manner in which they proceed, and the nature of their orbit. This is the science of calculating the seasons and astronomy. Many books about these subjects were written by the wise men of Greece.9
ה
מספר כל הגלגלים המקיפין את כל העולם שמונה עשר ומספר הגלגלים הקטנים שאינן מקיפין שמונה וממהלך הכוכבים וידיעת שיעור סביבתן בכל יום ובכל שעהו ומנטייתן מרוח דרום לרוח צפון ומרוח צפון לרוח דרום ומגבהן מעל הארץ וקריבתן יודע מספר כל אלו הגלגלים וצורת הליכתן ודרך הקפתן וזו היא חכמת חשבון תקופות ומזלות וספרים רבים חיברו בהן חכמי יון:
6
The ninth sphere, which encompasses all the others, was divided by the Sages of the early generations into twelve sections.10They gave each of these sections a name, based on the shapes that appeared to be formed by the stars below it which correspond to it.
These are the mazalot,11 which are called the lamb, the ox, the twins, the crab, the lion, the virgin, the scales, the scorpion, the bow, the goat, the bucket, and the fish.
ו
גלגל התשיעי שהוא מקיף את הכל חלקוהו החכמים הקדמונים לשנים עשר חלקים כל חלק וחלק העלו לו שם על שם צורה זו שתראה בו מן הכוכבים שלמטה ממנו שהם מכוונים תחתיו והם המזלות ששמותם טלה שור תאומים סרטן אריה בתולה מאזנים עקרב קשת גדי דלי דגים:
7
The ninth sphere itself has no division, nor does it possess any of these shapes or any stars. Rather, the larger stars of the constellations of the eighth sphere are seen in the shape of these forms, or [in a form] resembling them.
These twelve forms corresponded to these divisions only at the time of the flood and then, they were given these names. However, at present, they have already moved slightly, because all the stars in the eighth sphere move, as the sun and the moon do. It is just that [these stars] move more slowly. It would take any of these stars approximately seventy years to move the [same] distance which the sun and the moon'' move in one day.
ז
גלגל התשיעי עצמו אין בו לא חלוקה ולא צורה מכל הצורות האלו ולא כוכב אלא בחיבור הכוכבים שבגלגל השמיני הוא שיראה בכוכבים גדולים שבו תבנית הצורות האלו או קרוב מהן ואלו השנים עשר צורות לא היו מכוונות כנגד אותן החלקים אלא בזמן המבול שאז העלו להן שמות אלו אבל בזמן הזה כבר סבבו מעט לפי שכל הכוכבים שבגלגל שמיני כולם סובבים כמו השמש והירח אלא שהן סובבין בכבידות וחלק שיתהלך השמש והירח כנגדו ביום אחד ילך כנגדו כל כוכב מהן בקירוב משבעים שנה:
8
[Among] all the stars we see are small ones which the Earth surpasses in size and large ones which are several times larger than the Earth.
Our Earth is approximately 40 times larger than the moon, and the sun is approximately 170 times larger than the Earth. Thus, the moon is approximately one 6800th the size of the sun. None of the other stars is as large as the sun, nor is one as small as [the planet] Kochav, in the second sphere.
ח
כל הכוכבים הנראים יש מהן כוכבים קטנים שהארץ גדולה מאחד מהן ויש מהן כוכבים גדולים שכל אחד מהן גדול מן הארץ כמה פעמים והארץ גדולה מן הירח כמו ארבעים פעמים והשמש גדולה מן הארץ כמו מאה ושבעים פעמים נמצא הירח אחד מששת אלפים ושמונה מאות מן השמש בקירוב ואין בכל הכוכבים כוכב גדול מן השמש ולא קטן מכוכב שבגלגל השני:
9
All the stars and spheres possess a soul, knowledge, and intellect. They are alive and stand in recognition of the One who spoke and [thus brought] the world into being.
According to their size and level, each one praises and glorifies their Creator as the angels do.12 Just as they are aware of the Holy One, blessed be He, they are also aware of themselves and of the angels which surpass them. The knowledge of the stars and the spheres is less than the knowledge of the angels, but greater than that of men.13
ט
כל הכוכבים והגלגלים כולן בעלי נפש ודעה והשכל הם והם חיים ועומדים ומכירין את מי שאמר והיה העולם כל אחד ואחד לפי גדלו ולפי מעלתו משבחים ומפארים ליוצרם כמו המלאכים וכשם שמכירין הקדוש ברוך הוא כך מכירין את עצמן ומכירין את המלאכים שלמעלה מהן ודעת הכוכבים והגלגלים מעוטה מדעת המלאכים וגדולה מדעת בני אדם:
10
Below the sphere of the moon, God created a [type of] matter14 which differs from the matter of the spheres. He created four forms15 for this matter, which differ from the forms of matter of the spheres.
Each of these forms was fixed in a portion of this matter [as it exists in its totality]. The first of these forms is the form of fire. [When] it became connected to a portion of this matter, from the two there came into being a body of fire.
The second of these forms is the form of wind. [When] it became connected to a portion of this matter, from the two there came into being a body of wind.
The third of these forms is the form of water. [When] it became connected to a portion of this matter, from the two there came into being a body of water.
The fourth of these forms is the form of earth. [When] it became connected to a portion of this matter, from the two there came into being a body of earth.
Thus, below the sky there are four different states of matter, one above the other, each one encompassing the one below it from all directions, like a sphere. The first of these bodies, which is closest to the sphere of the moon, is that of fire. Below it is the body of wind, below it the body of water, and below it the body of Earth. There is no empty space without any matter between them at all.
י
ברא האל למטה מגלגל הירח גולם אחד שאינו כגולם הגלגלים וברא ארבע צורות לגולם זה ואינן כצורת הגלגלים ונקבע כל צורה וצורה במקצת גולם זה צורה ראשונה צורת האש נתחברה במקצת גולם זה ונהיה משניהן גוף האש וצורה שניה צורת הרוח נתחברה במקצתו ונהיה משניהן גוף הרוח וצורה שלישית צורת המים נתחברה במקצתו ונהיה משניהם גוף המים וצורה רביעית צורת הארץ נתחברה במקצתו ונהיה משניהם גוף הארץ נמצא למטה מן הרקיע ארבעה גופין מוחלקין זה למעלה מזה וכל אחד ואחד מקיף את שלמטה ממנו מכל רוחותיו כמו גלגל הגוף הראשון הסמוך לגלגל הירח הוא גוף האש למטה ממנו גוף הרוח למטה ממנו גוף המים למטה ממנו גוף הארץ ואין ביניהם מקום פנוי בלא גוף כלל:
11
These four bodies do not possess a soul, nor are they conscious or knowing. Rather, they are like dead bodies. Each one has its inclinations. However, it is not conscious or knowledgeable [of these inclinations], nor can it change them.
David's statement (Psalms 148:7-8): "Praise God from the Earth, sea-monsters and all the depths; fire and hail, snow and vapor" [does not contradict the above statement].16 That verse should be interpreted: Men, praise [God] for His mightiness which is apparent in the fire, hail, and other creations that can be seen below the sky, because their power is always visible to [both] the great and the small.
יא
ארבעה גופות האלו אינם בעלי נפש ואינם יודעים ולא מכירים אלא כגופים מתים ויש לכל אחד ואחד מהם מנהג שאינו יודעו ולא משיגו ואינו יכול לשנותו וזה שאמר דוד הללו את ה' מן הארץ תנינים וכל תהומות אש וברד שלג וקיטור וביאור ענין הדברים הללוהו בני אדם מגבורותיו שתראו באש ובברד ובשאר ברואים שתראו למטה מן הרקיע שגבורתם תמיד ניכרת לקטן ולגדול:
FOOTNOTES
1.
In translation, this word means "star" or "planet." It refers to the planet Mercury.
2.
In translation, this word means "shining." It refers to the planet Venus.
3.
In translation, this word means "reddening." It refers to the planet Mars.
4.
In translation, this word means "justice." It refers to the planet Jupiter.
5.
In translation, this word means "the Sabbatical." It refers to the planet Saturn.
6.
Sanhedrin 91b states that the Shechinah(Divine Presence) is in the west. Hence, the movement of this sphere in this direction can be considered an act of service to God.
7.
As stated in Halachah 10 and in Chapter 2, Halachah 3, the state of matter of the spheres differs from the state of matter in our world.
8.
As stated in Halachah 10 and in Chapter 2, Halachah 3, the state of matter of the spheres differs from the state of matter in our world.
9.
These include some of the smaller spheres which are included with the eight larger spheres.
10.
Note the Rambam's remarks in Hilchot Kiddush HaChodesh 17:24:
This is the science of the seasons and geometry about which the wise men of Greece composed many books. These are presently found in the hands of the Sages. However, the texts which were composed by the Sages of Israel of the tribe of Issachar in the time of the Prophets have not reached us.
[Nevertheless,] since these concepts have been proven conclusively... we are not concerned about the author, regardless of whether they were authored by the prophets or the gentiles.... We are not relying on the person who states or teaches the concept, but on the proofs.
11.
The term mazal literally means "source of influence." In the Rambam's time, it was commonly felt that the position of the stars affected one's future. For this reason, the word mazal is often translated as "fortune" or "luck." Many Torah Sages shared these ideas - albeit with the qualification that a Jew always has the potential to rise above these influences. (See the Ra'avad's comments to Hilchot Teshuvah 5:5; Ramban, Responsum 282; and the Nimukei Yosef, Sanhedrin, Chapter 7).
The Rambam totally dismisses the influence of astrology. In his Commentary on the Mishnah, Avodah Zarah 4:7, he describes it as "empty words and lies," and in Shemonah Perakim, Chapter 8, he mentions "the madness with which the astrologers attempt to deceive."
12.
Thus, Pesachim 2a interprets Psalms 148:3, "Praise Him all shining stars," simply - i.e., the stars render praise to God. However, note how the Targum and the Midrash Sachar Tov interpret Psalms 19:2, "The heavens relate the glory of God," as "The heavens cause others to relate.
13.
Note the differences between this halachah and Chapter 2, Halachah 8.
14.
This refers to primeval, unformed matter. In Greek terminology, it is referred to as hyli.
15.
The word "form" in this context refers to the entity's spiritual qualities and not its physical shape.
16.
Although Notes 6 and 11 mentions the Sages' interpretation of the movement of the stars and spheres as an expression of their praise of God, such a statement cannot be made with regard to these four fundamental elements. The, unlike the stars, are not conscious beings, and their movement and activity are merely natural patterns imprinted within them by God, as explained in Chapter 4, Halachah 2.
• Thursday, 25 Tishrei, 5777 · 27 October 2016
• "Today's Day"
• Monday, Tishrei 26, 5704
Torah lessons: Chumash: Noach, Sheini with Rashi.
Tehillim: 119, 97 to end.
Tanya: (And that is (p. 535) ...dust, and water. (p. 537).
The interpretation of the verse, "Forever, O G-d, Your word stands firm in the heavens."1 (Tanya II:I and IV:25) is quoted by the Alter Rebbe in the Baal Shem Tov's name although that interpretation is found in Midrash Tehillim, as quoted in Likutei Torah in the maamar Ki bayom hazeh yechapeir. But the Alter Rebbe had a special reason for this: It was on the second day of Creation when G-d said: "Let there be a Heaven,"2 and it is this utterance which "stands firm in the Heavens." Associating the quotation with the Baal Shem Tov was to be an eternal memorial that the Baal Shem Tov was born on the second day of the week,3 on the eighteenth (chai) of Elul.
FOOTNOTES
1.Tehillim 119:89.
2.Bereishit 1:6.
3.Monday; paralleling the second day of Creation.
• Daily Thought:• "Today's Day"
• Monday, Tishrei 26, 5704
Torah lessons: Chumash: Noach, Sheini with Rashi.
Tehillim: 119, 97 to end.
Tanya: (And that is (p. 535) ...dust, and water. (p. 537).
The interpretation of the verse, "Forever, O G-d, Your word stands firm in the heavens."1 (Tanya II:I and IV:25) is quoted by the Alter Rebbe in the Baal Shem Tov's name although that interpretation is found in Midrash Tehillim, as quoted in Likutei Torah in the maamar Ki bayom hazeh yechapeir. But the Alter Rebbe had a special reason for this: It was on the second day of Creation when G-d said: "Let there be a Heaven,"2 and it is this utterance which "stands firm in the Heavens." Associating the quotation with the Baal Shem Tov was to be an eternal memorial that the Baal Shem Tov was born on the second day of the week,3 on the eighteenth (chai) of Elul.
FOOTNOTES
1.Tehillim 119:89.
2.Bereishit 1:6.
3.Monday; paralleling the second day of Creation.
Dancing With Feet
On Simchat Torah we dance with our feet, not with our heads.
We are celebrating the Torah, and the Torah is something we study with our heads. But we dance with our feet, not with our heads.
If we would dance with our heads, each one would dance a different dance, each in a different space, some with friends but not with others, some as lonesome souls.
One head is higher, one is lower, one is here on earth, the other in the clouds or beyond, and some minds know only their own space that no one else can know.
But we dance with our feet, and all our feet are here on the same earth—none higher and none lower. So now we can all dance as one, with one heart, as a single being.
Now there is no loneliness, only joy.[Likkutei Sichot, vol. 20, page 370.]
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