Today in Jewish History:
• R. Abraham Maimuni (1237)
Rabbi Abraham Maimuni HaNagid (also called "Rabbi Avraham ben HaRambam") was the only son of Maimonides (the famed Talmudist, codifier of Jewish Law, philosopher, physician and statesmen, Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon, 1135-1204). Born in 1185, Rabbi Abraham succeeded his father as the leader of the Jewish community in Fostat (old Cairo), Egypt, at the tender age of 19. He wrote many responsa and commentaries explaining and defending his father's writings and Halachic rulings. Rabbi Abraham passed away on the 18th of Kislev of the year 4998 from creation (1237).• R. Baruch Mezhibuzher (1811)
Rabbi Baruch was the son of Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov's daughter, Adel, and her husband, Rabbi Yechiel Ashkenazi. He was born in 1753 in Mezhibuz, the town from which his illustrious grandfather led the Chassidic Movement. He was one of the pre-eminent Rebbes (Chassidic masters) in the 3rd generation of Chassidism, and had thousands of disciples and followers.
Link: Two Stories
Daily Quote:
Remember what Amalek did to you on the road, on your way out of Egypt. That he encountered you on the way and cut off those lagging to your rear, when you were tired and exhausted; he did not fear G-d. And it shall come to pass, when the L-rd your G-d has given you rest from all your enemies round about, in the land which the L-rd your G-d is giving you for an inheritance to possess it, that you shall obliterate the memory of Amalek from under the heavens. Do not forget.[Zachor reading, Deuteronomy 25:17-19]
Today's Study:
Chitas and Rambam for today:
Chumash: Parshat Vayeishev, 1st Portion (Genesis 37:1-37:11) with Rashi
• Genesis Chapter 37
1Jacob dwelt in the land of his father's sojournings, in the land of Canaan. אוַיֵּ֣שֶׁב יַֽעֲקֹ֔ב בְּאֶ֖רֶץ מְגוּרֵ֣י אָבִ֑יו בְּאֶ֖רֶץ כְּנָֽעַן:
Jacob dwelt: Scripture described Esau’s settlements and his generations, [but only] briefly, because they were not distinguished nor important enough to elaborate on [in detail] how they settled and the order of their wars, [or] how they drove out the Horites. [In contrast] it (Scripture) elaborates at length on the settlements of Jacob and his generations, and all the events that brought these about, since they were [considered] important [enough] to the Omnipresent to dwell upon at length. Similarly, you find regarding the ten generations from Adam to Noah: So-and-so begot so-and-so, but when it (Scripture) reached Noah, it dwelt upon him at length. Likewise, with the ten generations from Noah to Abraham, it dealt [only] briefly with them, but when it reached Abraham, it dwelt upon him at length. This can be compared to a pearl that falls into the sand: A person searches in the sand and sifts it with a sieve until he finds the pearl, and when he finds it, he casts the pebbles from his hand and keeps the pearl. (Another interpretation of “Jacob dwelt” -The camels of a flax dealer [once] entered [a town], laden with flax. The blacksmith wondered, “Where will all this flax go?” One clever fellow answered him, “One spark will come out of your bellows, which will burn it all.” So did Jacob see all the chieftains [of Esau] mentioned above (36:15-19, 40-43). He wondered and said, “Who can conquer them all?” What is written below? “These are the generations of Jacob: Joseph” (verse 2), only, and it is written: “And the house of Jacob shall be fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau shall become stubble” (Obadiah 1:18). One spark will emerge from Joseph, which will destroy and consume them all. From an old Rashi.) [From Tanchuma Vayeshev 1] וישב יעקב וגו': אחר שכתב לך ישובי עשו ותולדותיו בדרך קצרה, שלא היו ספונים [הגונים] וחשובים לפרש היאך נתיישבו וסדר מלחמותיהם איך הורישו את החורים, פירש לך ישובי יעקב ותולדותיו בדרך ארוכה כל גלגולי סבתם, לפי שהם חשובים לפני המקום להאריך בהם. וכן אתה מוצא בעשרה דורות שמאדם ועד נח, פלוני הוליד פלוני, וכשבא לנח האריך בו. וכן בעשרה דורות שמנח ועד אברהם קצר בהם, ומשהגיע אצל אברהם האריך בו. משל למרגלית שנפלה בין החול, אדם ממשמש בחול וכוברו בכברה עד שמוצא את המרגלית, ומשמצאה הוא משליך את הצרורות מידו ונוטל המרגלית. (דבר אחר וישב יעקב הפשתני הזה נכנסו גמליו טעונים פשתן, הפחמי תמה אנה יכנס כל הפשתן הזה, היה פיקח אחד משיב לו ניצוץ אחד יוצא ממפוח שלך ששורף את כולו, כך יעקב ראה כל האלופים הכתובים למעלה, תמה ואמר מי יכול לכבוש את כולן, מה כתיב למטה (פסוק ב) אלה תולדות יעקב יוסף, דכתיב (עובדיה א יח) והיה בית יעקב אש ובית יוסף להבה ובית עשו לקש, ניצוץ יוצא מיוסף שמכלה ושורף את כולם):
2These are the generations of Jacob: when Joseph was seventeen years old, being a shepherd, he was with his brothers with the flocks, and he was a lad, [and was] with the sons of Bilhah and with the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives; and Joseph brought evil tales about them to their father. באֵ֣לֶּה | תֹּֽלְד֣וֹת יַֽעֲקֹ֗ב יוֹסֵ֞ף בֶּן־שְׁבַע־עֶשְׂרֵ֤ה שָׁנָה֙ הָיָ֨ה רֹעֶ֤ה אֶת־אֶחָיו֙ בַּצֹּ֔אן וְה֣וּא נַ֗עַר אֶת־בְּנֵ֥י בִלְהָ֛ה וְאֶת־בְּנֵ֥י זִלְפָּ֖ה נְשֵׁ֣י אָבִ֑יו וַיָּבֵ֥א יוֹסֵ֛ף אֶת־דִּבָּתָ֥ם רָעָ֖ה אֶל־אֲבִיהֶֽם:
These are the generations of Jacob: And these are those of the generations of Jacob. These are their settlements and their wanderings until they came to settle. The first cause [of their wanderings]: when Joseph was seventeen years old, etc. Through this [the events that unfolded], they wandered and descended to Egypt. This is according to the plain explanation of the verse, putting everything in its proper perspective. The Midrash Aggadah, however, interprets [the passage as follows]: Scripture bases the generations of Jacob on Joseph because of many things: one is that, with his entire being, Jacob served Laban only for Rachel [and Rachel bore Joseph]. In addition, Joseph’s features resembled his (Jacob’s), and whatever happened to Jacob happened to Joseph. This one (Jacob) was hated, and that one (Joseph) was hated. This one-his brother (Esau) sought to kill him, and that one his brothers sought to kill him, and likewise many [other similarities related] in Genesis Rabbah (84:6). It is further expounded upon [as follows]: “dwelt” (verse 1) When Jacob sought to dwell in tranquility, the troubles of Joseph sprang upon him. The righteous seek to dwell in tranquility. Said the Holy One, blessed be He, “What is prepared for the righteous in the world to come is not sufficient for them, but they seek [also] to dwell in tranquility in this world!” אלה תולדות יעקב: אלה של תולדות יעקב, אלה ישוביהם וגלגוליהם עד שבאו לכלל יישוב. סבה ראשונה יוסף בן שבע עשרה וגו' על ידי זה נתגלגלו וירדו למצרים. זהו אחר פשוטו של מקרא להיות [דבר] דבור על אופניו. ומדרש אגדה דורש, תלה הכתוב תולדות יעקב ביוסף מפני כמה דברים, אחת שכל עצמו של יעקב לא עבד אצל לבן אלא ברחל, ושהיה זיו איקונין של יוסף דומה לו, וכל מה שאירע ליעקב אירע ליוסף, זה נשטם וזה נשטם, זה אחיו מבקש להרגו וזה אחיו מבקשים להרגו, וכן הרבה בבראשית רבה (סד ו). ועוד נדרש בו וישב ביקש יעקב לישב בשלוה, קפץ עליו רוגזו של יוסף. צדיקים מבקשים לישב בשלוה אומר הקב"ה לא דיין לצדיקים מה שמתוקן להם לעולם הבא, אלא שמבקשים לישב בשלוה בעולם הזה:
and he was a lad: He behaved childishly, fixing his hair and touching up his eyes so that he would appear handsome. [From Gen. Rabbah 84:7] והוא נער: שהיה עושה מעשה נערות, מתקן בשערו ממשמש בעיניו, כדי שיהיה נראה יפה:
with the sons of Bilhah: That is to say, he was frequently with the sons of Bilhah, because his [other] brothers would demean them, while he acted friendly toward them. [From Tanchuma Vayeshev 7] את בני בלהה: כלומר ורגיל אצל בני בלהה, לפי שהיו אחיו מבזין אותן והוא מקרבן:
evil tales about them: Any evil he saw in his brothers, the sons of Leah, he would tell his father: 1) that they ate limbs from living animals, 2) that they demeaned the sons of the handmaids by calling them slaves, and 3) that they were suspected of illicit sexual relationships. For these three [tales] he was punished: For [the report that his brothers ate] limbs from living animals, “they slaughtered a kid” (Gen. 37:31) when they sold him, and did not eat it alive. For the report that he told about them that they called their brothers slaves, “Joseph was sold as a slave” (Ps. 105:17), and concerning the illicit sexual relationships that he told about them, “his master’s wife lifted her eyes, etc.” (Gen. 39:7). את דבתם רעה: כל רעה שהיה רואה באחיו בני לאה היה מגיד לאביו, שהיו אוכלין אבר מן החי, ומזלזלין בבני השפחות לקרותן עבדים, וחשודים על העריות. ובשלשתן לקה. על אבר מן החי (לעיל פסוק לא) וישחטו שעיר עזים במכירתו, ולא אכלוהו חי. ועל דבה שספר עליהם שקורין לאחיהם עבדים, (תהלים קה יז) לעבד נמכר יוסף. ועל העריות שספר עליהם, (להלן לט ז) ותשא אשת אדוניו וגו':
tales about them: Heb. דִּבָּתָם Every expression of דִּבָּה denotes parlediz in Old French, gossip, slander. Whatever evil he could tell about them he told. דִּבָּה is an expression of making the lips of the sleeping speak (דוֹבֵב). דבתם: כל לשון דבה פרלידי"ץ בלע"ז [רכילות] כל מה שהיה יכול לדבר בהם רעה היה מספר:
3And Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons, because he was a son of his old age; and he made him a fine woolen coat. גוְיִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל אָהַ֤ב אֶת־יוֹסֵף֙ מִכָּל־בָּנָ֔יו כִּֽי־בֶן־זְקֻנִ֥ים ה֖וּא ל֑וֹ וְעָ֥שָׂה ל֖וֹ כְּתֹ֥נֶת פַּסִּֽים:
a son of his old age: Heb. - בֶן זְקֻנִים, for he was born to him in his old age (Pirkei d’Rabbi Eliezer, ch. 38). Onkelos rendered: for he was a wise son to him. Whatever he had learned from Shem and Eber he gave over to him. Another explanation: for his (Joseph’s) features (זִיו אִיקוֹנִין) resembled his own (those of Jacob). [From Gen. Rabbah 84:8] בן זקונים: שנולד לו לעת זקנתו. ואונקלוס תרגם בר חכים הוא ליה כל מה שלמד משם ועבר מסר לו. דבר אחר שהיה זיו איקונין שלו דומה לו:
fine woolen: Heb. פַּסִים, a term meaning fine woolen garments, like“green wool (כַּרְפַּס) and blue wool” (Esther 1:6), and like the fine woolen coat (כְתֹנֶת פַּסִים) of Tamar and Amnon (II Sam. 13:18). The Midrash Aggadah, however, explains that it was called פַּסִים because of his (Joseph’s) troubles, namely, that he was sold to Potiphar (פּוֹטִפַר), to the merchants (סוֹחֲרִים), to the Ishmaelites (יִשְׁמְעִאלִים), and to the Midianites (מִדְיָנִים). [From Gen. Rabbah 84:8] פסים: לשון כלי מלת, כמו (אסתר א ו) כרפס ותכלת, וכמו (שמואל ב' יג יח) כתונת הפסים, דתמר ואמנון. ומדרש אגדה על שם צרותיו שנמכר לפוטיפר ולסוחרים ולישמעאלים ולמדינים:
4And his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, so they hated him, and they could not speak with him peacefully. דוַיִּרְא֣וּ אֶחָ֗יו כִּֽי־אֹת֞וֹ אָהַ֤ב אֲבִיהֶם֙ מִכָּל־אֶחָ֔יו וַיִּשְׂנְא֖וּ אֹת֑וֹ וְלֹ֥א יָֽכְל֖וּ דַּבְּר֥וֹ לְשָׁלֹֽם:
and they could not speak with him peacefully: From what is stated to their discredit, we may learn something to their credit, that they did not say one thing with their mouth and think differently in their heart. [From Gen. Rabbah 84:9] ולא יכלו דברו לשלום: מתוך גנותם למדנו שבחם, שלא דברו אחת בפה ואחת בלב:
speak with him: Heb. דַבְּרוֹ, [the equivalent of] לְדַבֵּר עִמוֹ, to speak with him. [From Targum Onkelos] דברו: לדבר עמו:
5And Joseph dreamed a dream and told his brothers, and they continued to hate him. הוַיַּֽחֲלֹ֤ם יוֹסֵף֙ חֲל֔וֹם וַיַּגֵּ֖ד לְאֶחָ֑יו וַיּוֹסִ֥פוּ ע֖וֹד שְׂנֹ֥א אֹתֽוֹ:
6And he said to them, "Listen now to this dream, which I have dreamed: ווַיֹּ֖אמֶר אֲלֵיהֶ֑ם שִׁמְעוּ־נָ֕א הַֽחֲל֥וֹם הַזֶּ֖ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר חָלָֽמְתִּי:
7Behold, we were binding sheaves in the midst of the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright, and behold, your sheaves encircled [it] and prostrated themselves to my sheaf." זוְהִנֵּ֠ה אֲנַ֜חְנוּ מְאַלְּמִ֤ים אֲלֻמִּים֙ בְּת֣וֹךְ הַשָּׂדֶ֔ה וְהִנֵּ֛ה קָ֥מָה אֲלֻמָּתִ֖י וְגַם־נִצָּ֑בָה וְהִנֵּ֤ה תְסֻבֶּ֨ינָה֙ אֲלֻמֹּ֣תֵיכֶ֔ם וַתִּשְׁתַּֽחֲוֶ֖יןָ לַֽאֲלֻמָּתִֽי:
binding sheaves: Heb. מְאַלְּמִים אִלֻמִים, as the Targum renders: מְאַסְרִין אֱסָרִין, sheaves, and likewise, carrying his sheaves (אִלֻמוֹתָיו) (Ps. 126:6). The same is found in the Mishnah: But [if one finds] large sheaves (וְהָאִלֻמוֹת) , one must take [them] and announce [them] (Baba Mezia 22b). מאלמים אלומים: כתרגומו מאסרין אסרין, עמרין, וכן (תהלים קכו ו) נושא אלומותיו, וכמוהו בלשון משנה (בבא מציעא כב ב) והאלומות נוטל ומכריז:
my sheaf arose: It stood erect. קמה אלומתי: נזקפה:
and also stood upright: It remained standing erect in its place. וגם נצבה: לעמוד על עמדה בזקיפה:
8So his brothers said to him, "Will you reign over us, or will you govern us?" And they continued further to hate him on account of his dreams and on account of his words. חוַיֹּ֤אמְרוּ לוֹ֙ אֶחָ֔יו הֲמָלֹ֤ךְ תִּמְלֹךְ֙ עָלֵ֔ינוּ אִם־מָשׁ֥וֹל תִּמְשֹׁ֖ל בָּ֑נוּ וַיּוֹסִ֤פוּ עוֹד֙ שְׂנֹ֣א אֹת֔וֹ עַל־חֲלֹֽמֹתָ֖יו וְעַל־דְּבָרָֽיו:
and on account of his words: Because of the evil tales that he would bring to their father. ועל דבריו: על דבתם רעה שהיה מביא לאביהם:
9And he again dreamed another dream, and he related it to his brothers, and he said, "Behold, I have dreamed another dream, and behold, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were prostrating themselves to me." טוַיַּֽחֲלֹ֥ם עוֹד֙ חֲל֣וֹם אַחֵ֔ר וַיְסַפֵּ֥ר אֹת֖וֹ לְאֶחָ֑יו וַיֹּ֗אמֶר הִנֵּ֨ה חָלַ֤מְתִּי חֲלוֹם֙ ע֔וֹד וְהִנֵּ֧ה הַשֶּׁ֣מֶשׁ וְהַיָּרֵ֗חַ וְאַחַ֤ד עָשָׂר֙ כּֽוֹכָבִ֔ים מִשְׁתַּֽחֲוִ֖ים לִֽי:
10And he told [it] to his father and to his brothers, and his father rebuked him and said to him, "What is this dream that you have dreamed? Will we come I, your mother, and your brothers to prostrate ourselves to you to the ground?" יוַיְסַפֵּ֣ר אֶל־אָבִיו֘ וְאֶל־אֶחָיו֒ וַיִּגְעַר־בּ֣וֹ אָבִ֔יו וַיֹּ֣אמֶר ל֔וֹ מָ֛ה הַֽחֲל֥וֹם הַזֶּ֖ה אֲשֶׁ֣ר חָלָ֑מְתָּ הֲב֣וֹא נָב֗וֹא אֲנִי֙ וְאִמְּךָ֣ וְאַחֶ֔יךָ לְהִשְׁתַּֽחֲוֹ֖ת לְךָ֖ אָֽרְצָה:
And he told [it] to his father and to his brothers: After he told it to his brothers, he told it again to his father in their presence. ויספר אל אביו ואל אחיו: לאחר שספר אותו לאחיו חזר וספרו לאביו בפניהם:
his father rebuked him: because he was bringing hatred upon himself. ויגער בו: לפי שהיה מטיל שנאה עליו:
Will we come: Isn’t your mother (Rachel) already dead? But he (Jacob) did not know that the matters referred to Bilhah, who had raised him (Joseph) as [if she were] his mother (Gen. Rabbah 84:11). Our Rabbis, however, derived from here that there is no dream without meaningless components (Ber. 55a/b). Jacob, however, intended to make his sons forget the whole matter, so that they would not envy him (Joseph). Therefore, he said,“Will we come, etc.” Just as it is impossible for your mother, so is the rest meaningless. הבוא נבוא: והלא אמך כבר מתה. והוא לא היה יודע שהדברים מגיעין לבלהה, שגדלתו כאמו. ורבותינו למדו מכאן שאין חלום בלא דברים בטלים. ויעקב נתכוון להוציא הדבר מלב בניו שלא יקנאוהו, לכך אמר לו הבוא נבוא וגו', כשם שאי אפשר באמך כך השאר הוא בטל:
11So his brothers envied him, but his father awaited the matter. יאוַיְקַנְאוּ־ב֖וֹ אֶחָ֑יו וְאָבִ֖יו שָׁמַ֥ר אֶת־הַדָּבָֽר:
awaited the matter: Heb. שָׁמַר. He was waiting and looking forward in expectation of when it (the fulfillment) would come. Similarly,“awaiting (שׁוֹמֵר) the realization [of God’s promise]” (Isa. 26:2), [and]“You do not wait (תִשְׁמוֹר) for my sin” (Job 14:16). You do not wait. [From Gen. Rabbah 84:12] שמר את הדבר: היה ממתין ומצפה מתי יבא, וכן (ישעיה כו ב) שומר אמונים וכן (איוב יד טז) לא תשמור על חטאתי, לא תמתין:
• Daily Tehillim: Psalms Chapters 88-89
• Chapter 88
The psalmist weeps and laments bitterly over the maladies and suffering Israel endures in exile, which he describes in detail.
1. A song, a psalm by the sons of Korach, for the Conductor, upon the machalat le'anot; 1 a maskil2 for Heiman the Ezrachite.
2. O Lord, God of my deliverance, by day I cried out [to You], by night I [offer my prayer] before You.
3. Let my prayer come before You; turn Your ear to my supplication.
4. For my soul is sated with affliction, and my life has reached the grave.
5. I was reckoned with those who go down to the pit, I was like a man without strength.
6. [I am regarded] among the dead who are free, like corpses lying in the grave, of whom You are not yet mindful, who are yet cut off by Your hand.
7. You have put me into the lowest pit, into the darkest places, into the depths.
8. Your wrath has weighed heavily upon me, and all the waves [of Your fury] have constantly afflicted me.
9. You have estranged my friends from me, You have made me abhorrent to them; I am imprisoned and unable to leave.
10. My eye is afflicted because of distress; I call to You, O Lord, every day; I have stretched out my hands [in prayer] to You.
11. Do You perform wonders for the deceased? Do the dead stand to offer You praise? Selah.
12. Is Your kindness recounted in the grave, your faithfulness in the place of perdition?
13. Are Your wondrous deeds known in the darkness [of the grave], or Your righteousness in the land of oblivion?
14. But, I, to You, O Lord, I cry; each morning my prayer comes before You.
15. Why, O Lord, do You forsake my soul? Why do You conceal Your countenance from Me?
16. From my youth I have been afflicted and approaching death, yet I have borne the fear of You which is firmly established within me.
17. Your furies have passed over me; Your terrors have cut me down.
18. They have engulfed me like water all day long, they all together surrounded me.
19. You have estranged from me beloved and friend; I have been rejected by my intimates.
FOOTNOTES
1.A musical instrument(Metzudot).
2.A psalm intended to enlighten and impart knowledge(Metzudot).
Chapter 89
This psalm speaks of the kingship of the House of David, the psalmist lamenting its fall from power for many years, and God's abandonment and spurning of us.
1. A maskil1 by Eitan the Ezrachite.
2. I will sing of the Lord's kindness forever; to all generations I will make known Your faithfulness with my mouth.
3. For I have said, "The world is built with kindness; there in the heavens You establish Your faithfulness.”
4. I have made a covenant with My chosen one; I have sworn to David, My servant:
5. "I will establish Your descendants forever; I will build your throne for all generations," Selah.
6. Then the heavens will extol Your wonders, O Lord; Your faithfulness, too, in the congregation of the holy ones.
7. Indeed, who in heaven can be compared to the Lord, who among the supernal beings can be likened to the Lord!
8. The Almighty is revered in the great assembly of the holy ones, awe-inspiring to all who surround Him.
9. O Lord, God of Hosts, who is mighty like You, O God! Your faithfulness surrounds You.
10. You rule the vastness of the sea; when its waves surge, You still them.
11. You crushed Rahav (Egypt) like a corpse; with Your powerful arm You scattered Your enemies.
12. Yours are the heavens, the earth is also Yours; the world and all therein-You established them.
13. The north and the south-You created them; Tabor and Hermon sing of [the greatness] of Your Name.
14. Yours is the arm which has the might; strengthen Your hand, raise high Your right hand.
15. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; kindness and truth go before Your countenance.
16. Fortunate is the people who know the sound of the shofar; Lord, they walk in the light of Your countenance.
17. They rejoice in Your Name all day, and they are exalted through Your righteousness.
18. Indeed, You are the splendor of their might, and in Your goodwill our glory is exalted.
19. For our protectors turn to the Lord, and our king to the Holy One of Israel.
20. Then You spoke in a vision to Your pious ones and said: "I have granted aid to [David] the mighty one; I have exalted the one chosen from among the people.
21. I have found David, My servant; I have anointed him with My holy oil.
22. It is he whom My hand shall be prepared [to assist]; My arm, too, shall strengthen him.
23. The enemy shall not prevail over him, nor shall the iniquitous person afflict him.
24. And I will crush his adversaries before him, and will strike down those who hate him.
25. Indeed, My faithfulness and My kindness shall be with him, and through My Name his glory shall be exalted.
26. I will set his hand upon the sea, his right hand upon the rivers.
27. He will call out to Me, 'You are my Father, my God, the strength of my deliverance.’
28. I will also make him [My] firstborn, supreme over the kings of the earth.
29. I will maintain My kindness for him forever; My covenant shall remain true to him.
30. And I will bestow [kingship] upon his seed forever, and his throne will endure as long as the heavens last.
31. If his children forsake My Torah and do not walk in My ordinances;
32. if they profane My statutes and do not observe My commandments,
33. then I will punish their transgression with the rod and their misdeeds with plagues.
34. Yet I shall not take away My kindness from him, nor betray My faithfulness.
35. I will not abrogate My covenant, nor change that which has issued from My lips.
36. One thing I have sworn by My holiness-I will not cause disappointment to David.
37. His seed will endure forever and his throne will be [resplendent] as the sun before Me.
38. Like the moon, it shall be established forever; [the moon] is a faithful witness in the sky for all time.”
39. Yet You have forsaken and abhorred; You became enraged at Your anointed.
40. You annulled the covenant with Your servant; You have profaned his crown [by casting it] to the ground.
41. You shattered all his fences; You turned all his strongholds into ruin.
42. All wayfarers despoiled him; he has become a disgrace to his neighbors.
43. You have uplifted the right hand of his adversaries; You have made all his enemies rejoice.
44. You also turned back the blade of his sword, and did not sustain him in battle.
45. You put an end to his splendor, and toppled his throne to the ground.
46. You have cut short the days of his youth; You have enclothed him with long-lasting shame.
47. How long, O Lord, will You conceal Yourself-forever? [How long] will Your fury blaze like fire?
48. O remember how short is my life span! Why have You created all children of man for naught?
49. What man can live and not see death, can save his soul forever from the grave?
50. Where are Your former deeds of kindness, my Lord, which You swore to David in Your faithfulness?
51. Remember, my Lord, the disgrace of Your servants, that I bear in my bosom from all the many nations;
52. that Your enemies have disgraced, O Lord, that they have disgraced the footsteps of Your anointed.
53. Blessed is the Lord forever, Amen and Amen.
FOOTNOTES
1.A psalm intended to enlighten and impart knowledge(Metzudot).
Tanya: Kuntres Acharon, Essay 9
• Lessons in Tanya
• Today's Tanya Lesson
• Sunday, 18 Kislev, 5777 · 18 December 2016
• Kuntres Acharon, Essay 9
• הוכח תוכיח את עמיתך, אפילו מאה פעמים
• Rambam - Sunday, 18 Kislev, 5777 · 18 December 2016
• Today's Mitzvah
A daily digest of Maimonides’ classic work "Sefer Hamitzvot"
• Positive Commandment 168
Dwelling in the Sukkah
"You shall dwell in booths for seven days"—Leviticus 23:42.
We are commanded to dwell in a sukkah (booth) for the seven days of the holiday of Sukkot. Women are exempt from this mitzvah.
Full text of this Mitzvah »
• Dwelling in the Sukkah
Positive Commandment 168
Translated by Berel Bell
The 168th mitzvah is that we are commanded to dwell in a Sukkah for all seven days of the holiday [of Sukkos].
The source of this commandment is G‑d's statement (exalted be He),1 "For seven days you must dwell in Sukkos."
The details of this mitzvah are explained in the tractate devoted to this subject; i.e. tractate Sukkah.
Women are not obligated in this mitzvah.
FOOTNOTES
1.Lev. 23:42.
• Rambam - 1 Chapter: Hilchot Nizkei Mamon - Chapter Eleven
• Hilchot Nizkei Mamon - Chapter Eleven
• Shofar, Sukkah, vLulav - Chapter Three
• Sunday, 18 Kislev, 5777 · 18 December 2016
• "Today's Day"
• Wednesday, Kislev 18, 5704
Torah lessons: Chumash: Vayeishev, Revi'i with Rashi.
Tehillim: 88-89.
Tanya: "You shall reprove (p. 631)...parallel to the other...(p.633).
No tachanun at Mincha.
The Tzemach Tzedek writes: The love expressed in "Beside You I wish for nothing,"1 means that one should desire nothing other than G-d, not even "Heaven" or "earth" i.e. Higher Gan Eden and Lower Gan Eden, for these were created with a mere yud...2. The love is to be directed to Him alone, to His very Being and Essence. This was actually expressed by my master and teacher3 (the Alter Rebbe) when he was in a state of d'veikut4 and he exclaimed as follows:
I want nothing at all! I don't want Your gan eden, I don't want Your olam haba... I want nothing but You alone.
GOOD YOM TOV.
MAY YOU BE INSCRIBED AND SEALED
FOR A GOOD YEAR IN THE STUDY OF CHASSIDUS
AND THE WAYS OF CHASSIDUS
FOOTNOTES
1.Tehillim 73:25.
2.The Divine Essence-name, Havayeh (the Tetragrammaton), is source of all creation. Olam haba, spiritual Hereafter, including Gan Eden, was created from the first (and smallest) letter - yud - of the Name.
3.After "...teacher" there appears in the Hebrew the expression "may his soul rest in eden."
4.Ecstatic, cleaving devotion to G-d. See Sh'vat 23.
• Daily Thought:
Prophecy
G‑d speaks with us at every moment.
His words form all the events of time and space we see about us.
What then is a prophet?
Nothing more than one who catches those words before they crystallize into the events of time and space.
Chumash: Parshat Vayeishev, 1st Portion (Genesis 37:1-37:11) with Rashi
• Genesis Chapter 37
1Jacob dwelt in the land of his father's sojournings, in the land of Canaan. אוַיֵּ֣שֶׁב יַֽעֲקֹ֔ב בְּאֶ֖רֶץ מְגוּרֵ֣י אָבִ֑יו בְּאֶ֖רֶץ כְּנָֽעַן:
Jacob dwelt: Scripture described Esau’s settlements and his generations, [but only] briefly, because they were not distinguished nor important enough to elaborate on [in detail] how they settled and the order of their wars, [or] how they drove out the Horites. [In contrast] it (Scripture) elaborates at length on the settlements of Jacob and his generations, and all the events that brought these about, since they were [considered] important [enough] to the Omnipresent to dwell upon at length. Similarly, you find regarding the ten generations from Adam to Noah: So-and-so begot so-and-so, but when it (Scripture) reached Noah, it dwelt upon him at length. Likewise, with the ten generations from Noah to Abraham, it dealt [only] briefly with them, but when it reached Abraham, it dwelt upon him at length. This can be compared to a pearl that falls into the sand: A person searches in the sand and sifts it with a sieve until he finds the pearl, and when he finds it, he casts the pebbles from his hand and keeps the pearl. (Another interpretation of “Jacob dwelt” -The camels of a flax dealer [once] entered [a town], laden with flax. The blacksmith wondered, “Where will all this flax go?” One clever fellow answered him, “One spark will come out of your bellows, which will burn it all.” So did Jacob see all the chieftains [of Esau] mentioned above (36:15-19, 40-43). He wondered and said, “Who can conquer them all?” What is written below? “These are the generations of Jacob: Joseph” (verse 2), only, and it is written: “And the house of Jacob shall be fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau shall become stubble” (Obadiah 1:18). One spark will emerge from Joseph, which will destroy and consume them all. From an old Rashi.) [From Tanchuma Vayeshev 1] וישב יעקב וגו': אחר שכתב לך ישובי עשו ותולדותיו בדרך קצרה, שלא היו ספונים [הגונים] וחשובים לפרש היאך נתיישבו וסדר מלחמותיהם איך הורישו את החורים, פירש לך ישובי יעקב ותולדותיו בדרך ארוכה כל גלגולי סבתם, לפי שהם חשובים לפני המקום להאריך בהם. וכן אתה מוצא בעשרה דורות שמאדם ועד נח, פלוני הוליד פלוני, וכשבא לנח האריך בו. וכן בעשרה דורות שמנח ועד אברהם קצר בהם, ומשהגיע אצל אברהם האריך בו. משל למרגלית שנפלה בין החול, אדם ממשמש בחול וכוברו בכברה עד שמוצא את המרגלית, ומשמצאה הוא משליך את הצרורות מידו ונוטל המרגלית. (דבר אחר וישב יעקב הפשתני הזה נכנסו גמליו טעונים פשתן, הפחמי תמה אנה יכנס כל הפשתן הזה, היה פיקח אחד משיב לו ניצוץ אחד יוצא ממפוח שלך ששורף את כולו, כך יעקב ראה כל האלופים הכתובים למעלה, תמה ואמר מי יכול לכבוש את כולן, מה כתיב למטה (פסוק ב) אלה תולדות יעקב יוסף, דכתיב (עובדיה א יח) והיה בית יעקב אש ובית יוסף להבה ובית עשו לקש, ניצוץ יוצא מיוסף שמכלה ושורף את כולם):
2These are the generations of Jacob: when Joseph was seventeen years old, being a shepherd, he was with his brothers with the flocks, and he was a lad, [and was] with the sons of Bilhah and with the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives; and Joseph brought evil tales about them to their father. באֵ֣לֶּה | תֹּֽלְד֣וֹת יַֽעֲקֹ֗ב יוֹסֵ֞ף בֶּן־שְׁבַע־עֶשְׂרֵ֤ה שָׁנָה֙ הָיָ֨ה רֹעֶ֤ה אֶת־אֶחָיו֙ בַּצֹּ֔אן וְה֣וּא נַ֗עַר אֶת־בְּנֵ֥י בִלְהָ֛ה וְאֶת־בְּנֵ֥י זִלְפָּ֖ה נְשֵׁ֣י אָבִ֑יו וַיָּבֵ֥א יוֹסֵ֛ף אֶת־דִּבָּתָ֥ם רָעָ֖ה אֶל־אֲבִיהֶֽם:
These are the generations of Jacob: And these are those of the generations of Jacob. These are their settlements and their wanderings until they came to settle. The first cause [of their wanderings]: when Joseph was seventeen years old, etc. Through this [the events that unfolded], they wandered and descended to Egypt. This is according to the plain explanation of the verse, putting everything in its proper perspective. The Midrash Aggadah, however, interprets [the passage as follows]: Scripture bases the generations of Jacob on Joseph because of many things: one is that, with his entire being, Jacob served Laban only for Rachel [and Rachel bore Joseph]. In addition, Joseph’s features resembled his (Jacob’s), and whatever happened to Jacob happened to Joseph. This one (Jacob) was hated, and that one (Joseph) was hated. This one-his brother (Esau) sought to kill him, and that one his brothers sought to kill him, and likewise many [other similarities related] in Genesis Rabbah (84:6). It is further expounded upon [as follows]: “dwelt” (verse 1) When Jacob sought to dwell in tranquility, the troubles of Joseph sprang upon him. The righteous seek to dwell in tranquility. Said the Holy One, blessed be He, “What is prepared for the righteous in the world to come is not sufficient for them, but they seek [also] to dwell in tranquility in this world!” אלה תולדות יעקב: אלה של תולדות יעקב, אלה ישוביהם וגלגוליהם עד שבאו לכלל יישוב. סבה ראשונה יוסף בן שבע עשרה וגו' על ידי זה נתגלגלו וירדו למצרים. זהו אחר פשוטו של מקרא להיות [דבר] דבור על אופניו. ומדרש אגדה דורש, תלה הכתוב תולדות יעקב ביוסף מפני כמה דברים, אחת שכל עצמו של יעקב לא עבד אצל לבן אלא ברחל, ושהיה זיו איקונין של יוסף דומה לו, וכל מה שאירע ליעקב אירע ליוסף, זה נשטם וזה נשטם, זה אחיו מבקש להרגו וזה אחיו מבקשים להרגו, וכן הרבה בבראשית רבה (סד ו). ועוד נדרש בו וישב ביקש יעקב לישב בשלוה, קפץ עליו רוגזו של יוסף. צדיקים מבקשים לישב בשלוה אומר הקב"ה לא דיין לצדיקים מה שמתוקן להם לעולם הבא, אלא שמבקשים לישב בשלוה בעולם הזה:
and he was a lad: He behaved childishly, fixing his hair and touching up his eyes so that he would appear handsome. [From Gen. Rabbah 84:7] והוא נער: שהיה עושה מעשה נערות, מתקן בשערו ממשמש בעיניו, כדי שיהיה נראה יפה:
with the sons of Bilhah: That is to say, he was frequently with the sons of Bilhah, because his [other] brothers would demean them, while he acted friendly toward them. [From Tanchuma Vayeshev 7] את בני בלהה: כלומר ורגיל אצל בני בלהה, לפי שהיו אחיו מבזין אותן והוא מקרבן:
evil tales about them: Any evil he saw in his brothers, the sons of Leah, he would tell his father: 1) that they ate limbs from living animals, 2) that they demeaned the sons of the handmaids by calling them slaves, and 3) that they were suspected of illicit sexual relationships. For these three [tales] he was punished: For [the report that his brothers ate] limbs from living animals, “they slaughtered a kid” (Gen. 37:31) when they sold him, and did not eat it alive. For the report that he told about them that they called their brothers slaves, “Joseph was sold as a slave” (Ps. 105:17), and concerning the illicit sexual relationships that he told about them, “his master’s wife lifted her eyes, etc.” (Gen. 39:7). את דבתם רעה: כל רעה שהיה רואה באחיו בני לאה היה מגיד לאביו, שהיו אוכלין אבר מן החי, ומזלזלין בבני השפחות לקרותן עבדים, וחשודים על העריות. ובשלשתן לקה. על אבר מן החי (לעיל פסוק לא) וישחטו שעיר עזים במכירתו, ולא אכלוהו חי. ועל דבה שספר עליהם שקורין לאחיהם עבדים, (תהלים קה יז) לעבד נמכר יוסף. ועל העריות שספר עליהם, (להלן לט ז) ותשא אשת אדוניו וגו':
tales about them: Heb. דִּבָּתָם Every expression of דִּבָּה denotes parlediz in Old French, gossip, slander. Whatever evil he could tell about them he told. דִּבָּה is an expression of making the lips of the sleeping speak (דוֹבֵב). דבתם: כל לשון דבה פרלידי"ץ בלע"ז [רכילות] כל מה שהיה יכול לדבר בהם רעה היה מספר:
3And Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons, because he was a son of his old age; and he made him a fine woolen coat. גוְיִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל אָהַ֤ב אֶת־יוֹסֵף֙ מִכָּל־בָּנָ֔יו כִּֽי־בֶן־זְקֻנִ֥ים ה֖וּא ל֑וֹ וְעָ֥שָׂה ל֖וֹ כְּתֹ֥נֶת פַּסִּֽים:
a son of his old age: Heb. - בֶן זְקֻנִים, for he was born to him in his old age (Pirkei d’Rabbi Eliezer, ch. 38). Onkelos rendered: for he was a wise son to him. Whatever he had learned from Shem and Eber he gave over to him. Another explanation: for his (Joseph’s) features (זִיו אִיקוֹנִין) resembled his own (those of Jacob). [From Gen. Rabbah 84:8] בן זקונים: שנולד לו לעת זקנתו. ואונקלוס תרגם בר חכים הוא ליה כל מה שלמד משם ועבר מסר לו. דבר אחר שהיה זיו איקונין שלו דומה לו:
fine woolen: Heb. פַּסִים, a term meaning fine woolen garments, like“green wool (כַּרְפַּס) and blue wool” (Esther 1:6), and like the fine woolen coat (כְתֹנֶת פַּסִים) of Tamar and Amnon (II Sam. 13:18). The Midrash Aggadah, however, explains that it was called פַּסִים because of his (Joseph’s) troubles, namely, that he was sold to Potiphar (פּוֹטִפַר), to the merchants (סוֹחֲרִים), to the Ishmaelites (יִשְׁמְעִאלִים), and to the Midianites (מִדְיָנִים). [From Gen. Rabbah 84:8] פסים: לשון כלי מלת, כמו (אסתר א ו) כרפס ותכלת, וכמו (שמואל ב' יג יח) כתונת הפסים, דתמר ואמנון. ומדרש אגדה על שם צרותיו שנמכר לפוטיפר ולסוחרים ולישמעאלים ולמדינים:
4And his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, so they hated him, and they could not speak with him peacefully. דוַיִּרְא֣וּ אֶחָ֗יו כִּֽי־אֹת֞וֹ אָהַ֤ב אֲבִיהֶם֙ מִכָּל־אֶחָ֔יו וַיִּשְׂנְא֖וּ אֹת֑וֹ וְלֹ֥א יָֽכְל֖וּ דַּבְּר֥וֹ לְשָׁלֹֽם:
and they could not speak with him peacefully: From what is stated to their discredit, we may learn something to their credit, that they did not say one thing with their mouth and think differently in their heart. [From Gen. Rabbah 84:9] ולא יכלו דברו לשלום: מתוך גנותם למדנו שבחם, שלא דברו אחת בפה ואחת בלב:
speak with him: Heb. דַבְּרוֹ, [the equivalent of] לְדַבֵּר עִמוֹ, to speak with him. [From Targum Onkelos] דברו: לדבר עמו:
5And Joseph dreamed a dream and told his brothers, and they continued to hate him. הוַיַּֽחֲלֹ֤ם יוֹסֵף֙ חֲל֔וֹם וַיַּגֵּ֖ד לְאֶחָ֑יו וַיּוֹסִ֥פוּ ע֖וֹד שְׂנֹ֥א אֹתֽוֹ:
6And he said to them, "Listen now to this dream, which I have dreamed: ווַיֹּ֖אמֶר אֲלֵיהֶ֑ם שִׁמְעוּ־נָ֕א הַֽחֲל֥וֹם הַזֶּ֖ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר חָלָֽמְתִּי:
7Behold, we were binding sheaves in the midst of the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright, and behold, your sheaves encircled [it] and prostrated themselves to my sheaf." זוְהִנֵּ֠ה אֲנַ֜חְנוּ מְאַלְּמִ֤ים אֲלֻמִּים֙ בְּת֣וֹךְ הַשָּׂדֶ֔ה וְהִנֵּ֛ה קָ֥מָה אֲלֻמָּתִ֖י וְגַם־נִצָּ֑בָה וְהִנֵּ֤ה תְסֻבֶּ֨ינָה֙ אֲלֻמֹּ֣תֵיכֶ֔ם וַתִּשְׁתַּֽחֲוֶ֖יןָ לַֽאֲלֻמָּתִֽי:
binding sheaves: Heb. מְאַלְּמִים אִלֻמִים, as the Targum renders: מְאַסְרִין אֱסָרִין, sheaves, and likewise, carrying his sheaves (אִלֻמוֹתָיו) (Ps. 126:6). The same is found in the Mishnah: But [if one finds] large sheaves (וְהָאִלֻמוֹת) , one must take [them] and announce [them] (Baba Mezia 22b). מאלמים אלומים: כתרגומו מאסרין אסרין, עמרין, וכן (תהלים קכו ו) נושא אלומותיו, וכמוהו בלשון משנה (בבא מציעא כב ב) והאלומות נוטל ומכריז:
my sheaf arose: It stood erect. קמה אלומתי: נזקפה:
and also stood upright: It remained standing erect in its place. וגם נצבה: לעמוד על עמדה בזקיפה:
8So his brothers said to him, "Will you reign over us, or will you govern us?" And they continued further to hate him on account of his dreams and on account of his words. חוַיֹּ֤אמְרוּ לוֹ֙ אֶחָ֔יו הֲמָלֹ֤ךְ תִּמְלֹךְ֙ עָלֵ֔ינוּ אִם־מָשׁ֥וֹל תִּמְשֹׁ֖ל בָּ֑נוּ וַיּוֹסִ֤פוּ עוֹד֙ שְׂנֹ֣א אֹת֔וֹ עַל־חֲלֹֽמֹתָ֖יו וְעַל־דְּבָרָֽיו:
and on account of his words: Because of the evil tales that he would bring to their father. ועל דבריו: על דבתם רעה שהיה מביא לאביהם:
9And he again dreamed another dream, and he related it to his brothers, and he said, "Behold, I have dreamed another dream, and behold, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were prostrating themselves to me." טוַיַּֽחֲלֹ֥ם עוֹד֙ חֲל֣וֹם אַחֵ֔ר וַיְסַפֵּ֥ר אֹת֖וֹ לְאֶחָ֑יו וַיֹּ֗אמֶר הִנֵּ֨ה חָלַ֤מְתִּי חֲלוֹם֙ ע֔וֹד וְהִנֵּ֧ה הַשֶּׁ֣מֶשׁ וְהַיָּרֵ֗חַ וְאַחַ֤ד עָשָׂר֙ כּֽוֹכָבִ֔ים מִשְׁתַּֽחֲוִ֖ים לִֽי:
10And he told [it] to his father and to his brothers, and his father rebuked him and said to him, "What is this dream that you have dreamed? Will we come I, your mother, and your brothers to prostrate ourselves to you to the ground?" יוַיְסַפֵּ֣ר אֶל־אָבִיו֘ וְאֶל־אֶחָיו֒ וַיִּגְעַר־בּ֣וֹ אָבִ֔יו וַיֹּ֣אמֶר ל֔וֹ מָ֛ה הַֽחֲל֥וֹם הַזֶּ֖ה אֲשֶׁ֣ר חָלָ֑מְתָּ הֲב֣וֹא נָב֗וֹא אֲנִי֙ וְאִמְּךָ֣ וְאַחֶ֔יךָ לְהִשְׁתַּֽחֲוֹ֖ת לְךָ֖ אָֽרְצָה:
And he told [it] to his father and to his brothers: After he told it to his brothers, he told it again to his father in their presence. ויספר אל אביו ואל אחיו: לאחר שספר אותו לאחיו חזר וספרו לאביו בפניהם:
his father rebuked him: because he was bringing hatred upon himself. ויגער בו: לפי שהיה מטיל שנאה עליו:
Will we come: Isn’t your mother (Rachel) already dead? But he (Jacob) did not know that the matters referred to Bilhah, who had raised him (Joseph) as [if she were] his mother (Gen. Rabbah 84:11). Our Rabbis, however, derived from here that there is no dream without meaningless components (Ber. 55a/b). Jacob, however, intended to make his sons forget the whole matter, so that they would not envy him (Joseph). Therefore, he said,“Will we come, etc.” Just as it is impossible for your mother, so is the rest meaningless. הבוא נבוא: והלא אמך כבר מתה. והוא לא היה יודע שהדברים מגיעין לבלהה, שגדלתו כאמו. ורבותינו למדו מכאן שאין חלום בלא דברים בטלים. ויעקב נתכוון להוציא הדבר מלב בניו שלא יקנאוהו, לכך אמר לו הבוא נבוא וגו', כשם שאי אפשר באמך כך השאר הוא בטל:
11So his brothers envied him, but his father awaited the matter. יאוַיְקַנְאוּ־ב֖וֹ אֶחָ֑יו וְאָבִ֖יו שָׁמַ֥ר אֶת־הַדָּבָֽר:
awaited the matter: Heb. שָׁמַר. He was waiting and looking forward in expectation of when it (the fulfillment) would come. Similarly,“awaiting (שׁוֹמֵר) the realization [of God’s promise]” (Isa. 26:2), [and]“You do not wait (תִשְׁמוֹר) for my sin” (Job 14:16). You do not wait. [From Gen. Rabbah 84:12] שמר את הדבר: היה ממתין ומצפה מתי יבא, וכן (ישעיה כו ב) שומר אמונים וכן (איוב יד טז) לא תשמור על חטאתי, לא תמתין:
• Daily Tehillim: Psalms Chapters 88-89
• Chapter 88
The psalmist weeps and laments bitterly over the maladies and suffering Israel endures in exile, which he describes in detail.
1. A song, a psalm by the sons of Korach, for the Conductor, upon the machalat le'anot; 1 a maskil2 for Heiman the Ezrachite.
2. O Lord, God of my deliverance, by day I cried out [to You], by night I [offer my prayer] before You.
3. Let my prayer come before You; turn Your ear to my supplication.
4. For my soul is sated with affliction, and my life has reached the grave.
5. I was reckoned with those who go down to the pit, I was like a man without strength.
6. [I am regarded] among the dead who are free, like corpses lying in the grave, of whom You are not yet mindful, who are yet cut off by Your hand.
7. You have put me into the lowest pit, into the darkest places, into the depths.
8. Your wrath has weighed heavily upon me, and all the waves [of Your fury] have constantly afflicted me.
9. You have estranged my friends from me, You have made me abhorrent to them; I am imprisoned and unable to leave.
10. My eye is afflicted because of distress; I call to You, O Lord, every day; I have stretched out my hands [in prayer] to You.
11. Do You perform wonders for the deceased? Do the dead stand to offer You praise? Selah.
12. Is Your kindness recounted in the grave, your faithfulness in the place of perdition?
13. Are Your wondrous deeds known in the darkness [of the grave], or Your righteousness in the land of oblivion?
14. But, I, to You, O Lord, I cry; each morning my prayer comes before You.
15. Why, O Lord, do You forsake my soul? Why do You conceal Your countenance from Me?
16. From my youth I have been afflicted and approaching death, yet I have borne the fear of You which is firmly established within me.
17. Your furies have passed over me; Your terrors have cut me down.
18. They have engulfed me like water all day long, they all together surrounded me.
19. You have estranged from me beloved and friend; I have been rejected by my intimates.
FOOTNOTES
1.A musical instrument(Metzudot).
2.A psalm intended to enlighten and impart knowledge(Metzudot).
Chapter 89
This psalm speaks of the kingship of the House of David, the psalmist lamenting its fall from power for many years, and God's abandonment and spurning of us.
1. A maskil1 by Eitan the Ezrachite.
2. I will sing of the Lord's kindness forever; to all generations I will make known Your faithfulness with my mouth.
3. For I have said, "The world is built with kindness; there in the heavens You establish Your faithfulness.”
4. I have made a covenant with My chosen one; I have sworn to David, My servant:
5. "I will establish Your descendants forever; I will build your throne for all generations," Selah.
6. Then the heavens will extol Your wonders, O Lord; Your faithfulness, too, in the congregation of the holy ones.
7. Indeed, who in heaven can be compared to the Lord, who among the supernal beings can be likened to the Lord!
8. The Almighty is revered in the great assembly of the holy ones, awe-inspiring to all who surround Him.
9. O Lord, God of Hosts, who is mighty like You, O God! Your faithfulness surrounds You.
10. You rule the vastness of the sea; when its waves surge, You still them.
11. You crushed Rahav (Egypt) like a corpse; with Your powerful arm You scattered Your enemies.
12. Yours are the heavens, the earth is also Yours; the world and all therein-You established them.
13. The north and the south-You created them; Tabor and Hermon sing of [the greatness] of Your Name.
14. Yours is the arm which has the might; strengthen Your hand, raise high Your right hand.
15. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; kindness and truth go before Your countenance.
16. Fortunate is the people who know the sound of the shofar; Lord, they walk in the light of Your countenance.
17. They rejoice in Your Name all day, and they are exalted through Your righteousness.
18. Indeed, You are the splendor of their might, and in Your goodwill our glory is exalted.
19. For our protectors turn to the Lord, and our king to the Holy One of Israel.
20. Then You spoke in a vision to Your pious ones and said: "I have granted aid to [David] the mighty one; I have exalted the one chosen from among the people.
21. I have found David, My servant; I have anointed him with My holy oil.
22. It is he whom My hand shall be prepared [to assist]; My arm, too, shall strengthen him.
23. The enemy shall not prevail over him, nor shall the iniquitous person afflict him.
24. And I will crush his adversaries before him, and will strike down those who hate him.
25. Indeed, My faithfulness and My kindness shall be with him, and through My Name his glory shall be exalted.
26. I will set his hand upon the sea, his right hand upon the rivers.
27. He will call out to Me, 'You are my Father, my God, the strength of my deliverance.’
28. I will also make him [My] firstborn, supreme over the kings of the earth.
29. I will maintain My kindness for him forever; My covenant shall remain true to him.
30. And I will bestow [kingship] upon his seed forever, and his throne will endure as long as the heavens last.
31. If his children forsake My Torah and do not walk in My ordinances;
32. if they profane My statutes and do not observe My commandments,
33. then I will punish their transgression with the rod and their misdeeds with plagues.
34. Yet I shall not take away My kindness from him, nor betray My faithfulness.
35. I will not abrogate My covenant, nor change that which has issued from My lips.
36. One thing I have sworn by My holiness-I will not cause disappointment to David.
37. His seed will endure forever and his throne will be [resplendent] as the sun before Me.
38. Like the moon, it shall be established forever; [the moon] is a faithful witness in the sky for all time.”
39. Yet You have forsaken and abhorred; You became enraged at Your anointed.
40. You annulled the covenant with Your servant; You have profaned his crown [by casting it] to the ground.
41. You shattered all his fences; You turned all his strongholds into ruin.
42. All wayfarers despoiled him; he has become a disgrace to his neighbors.
43. You have uplifted the right hand of his adversaries; You have made all his enemies rejoice.
44. You also turned back the blade of his sword, and did not sustain him in battle.
45. You put an end to his splendor, and toppled his throne to the ground.
46. You have cut short the days of his youth; You have enclothed him with long-lasting shame.
47. How long, O Lord, will You conceal Yourself-forever? [How long] will Your fury blaze like fire?
48. O remember how short is my life span! Why have You created all children of man for naught?
49. What man can live and not see death, can save his soul forever from the grave?
50. Where are Your former deeds of kindness, my Lord, which You swore to David in Your faithfulness?
51. Remember, my Lord, the disgrace of Your servants, that I bear in my bosom from all the many nations;
52. that Your enemies have disgraced, O Lord, that they have disgraced the footsteps of Your anointed.
53. Blessed is the Lord forever, Amen and Amen.
FOOTNOTES
1.A psalm intended to enlighten and impart knowledge(Metzudot).
Tanya: Kuntres Acharon, Essay 9
• Lessons in Tanya
• Today's Tanya Lesson
• Sunday, 18 Kislev, 5777 · 18 December 2016
• Kuntres Acharon, Essay 9
• הוכח תוכיח את עמיתך, אפילו מאה פעמים
[It is written,]1 “You shall surely reprove your comrade” — “even one hundred times,” add our Sages,2 taking up the hint offered by the repetitive form of the Hebrew verb.
ולזאת לא אוכל להתאפק ולהחריש מלזעוק עוד, בקול ענות חלושה
Therefore, writes the Alter Rebbe, I cannot contain myself and cannot refrain from crying out yet again, in a voice betraying [pained] weakness.3
במטותא מינייכו ברחמין נפישין
I plead with you out of deep compassion,
חוסו נא על נפשותיכם, והשמרו והזהרו מאד מאד על התורה ועל העבודה שבלב, זו תפלה בכוונה
have pity on your souls. Take care, be extremely vigilant, concerning the study of Torah and the service of the heart, which is prayer4 with proper intent.
להתחיל כולם יחד כאחד, מלה במלה, ולא זה בכה וזה בכה, וזה דומם וזה משיח שיחה בטלה, ה׳ ישמרנו
All should begin [the prayers] in unison, as one, word by word, not one person here and another elsewhere, one mute and the other idly chatting, may G‑d protect us.
ועיקר הסיבה וגרמא בנזקין, הוא מהיורדים לפני התיבה
The main cause and instigator of [this] damage comes from those leading the services.
שהוא הפקר לכל הרוצה לפשוט רגליו החוטף אפרתי
That office is abandoned to whoever wishes to stride forth and snatch the honor,5
או מחמת שאין גם אחד רוצה כו׳
or because not even one desires it..., so that ultimately the prayers are led by someone inappropriate to the task.
ואי לזאת, זאת העצה היעוצה ותקנה קבועה, חוק ולא יעבור עוד, חס ושלום
For this reason, this is the counsel offered, and a regulation established as law not to be violated further, G‑d forbid.
דהיינו, לבחור אנשים קבועים הראוים לזה, על פי הגורל או בריצוי רוב המנין
That is, choose fixed individuals fit for this office of leading the prayers, by lot or by consent of the majority of the worshipers.
And who, indeed, is fit for this office?
דהיינו שמתפללים מלה במלה, בדרך המיצוע, בקול רם
These shall be men who pray word by word, at a moderate pace, aloud,
ולא מאריכים יותר מדאי, ולא מקצרים וחוטפים, חס ושלום
neither overly prolonging the prayers, nor racing intemperately, G‑d forbid.
ועליהם מוטל החובה לירד לפני התיבה, כל אחד ואחד ביומו אשר יגיע לו
Theirs is the duty to lead the prayers, each on his day as determined.
ולאסוף אליו מסביב סמוך כל המתפללים בקול קצת על כל פנים, ולא בלחש ולא חוטפים, חס ושלום
He shall assemble close around him all those who pray audibly, at least, neither whispering nor rushing, G‑d forbid.
וכמבואר בתקנות ישנות בכמה עיירות
This is amplified in age-old communal regulations in many towns.
ועתה באתי לחדשן ולחזקן ולאמצן, בל ימוטו עוד לעולם, חס ושלום
I come now, writes the Alter Rebbe, to renew them, to strengthen and invigorate them, never again to be weakened, G‑d forbid.
(גוולד גוולד)
(6The following two words appear in Yiddish7 in the Alter Rebbe’s original manuscript: Gevald! Gevald! — an outcry of agonized consternation.)
עד מתי יהיה זה לנו למוקש
How long will this be an obstacle for us?8
How long will we burdened by praying without proper intent?
ולא די לנו בכל התוכחות והצרות שעברו עלינו, ה׳ ישמרנו, וינחמנו בכפלים לתושיה, ויטהר לבנו לעבדו באמת
Have we not sufficient reproofs and troubles that have overtaken us? — May G‑d protect and console us with redoubled support,9 and purify our hearts to serve Him in truth.
חזקו ואמצו לבבכם, כל המייחלים לה׳
Strengthen and fortify your hearts, all who hope in G‑d.10
* * *
גם לגמור כל הש״ס בכל שנה ושנה
Also: Complete the study of the entire Talmud year after year,
ובכל עיר ועיר, לחלק המסכתות על פי הגורל או ברצון
and in every community apportion the tractates by lot or by consent, each individual choosing the tractate that he desires to study.
ועיר שיש בה מנינים הרבה, יגמרו בכל מנין ומנין, ואם איזה מנין קטן מהכיל, יצרפו אליהם אנשים מאיזה מנין גדול
In a city with numerous synagogues, each congregation should complete [the Talmud]. And if a congregation is too small to implement this program, they should join forces with men of a larger one.
בבל ישונה, חק ולא יעבור
This statute — that the entire Talmud be studied every year — shall not be varied or violated.
וכל אחד ואחד מהלומדים הנ״ל יגמור לעצמו בכל שבוע התמניא אפי שבתהלים קי״ט
In addition, each of the participants shall individually read the whole of the eightfold Psalm 119 every week.11
The Previous Rebbe comments on the connection between completing the study of the Talmud and the recitation of Psalms as follows:12 “From here we see that the study of Gemara is complete only when it is accompanied by the recitation of Tehillim; and in order to recite Tehillim properly, one needs to study Gemara.”
ולהיות מחמת חלישות הדור, אין כח בכל אחד ואחד להתענות כראוי לו
Moreover, since, due to the frailty of our times, not everyone is capable of fasting as he ought,
In Iggeret HaTeshuvah13 the Alter Rebbe cites the classical works of Mussar as to the number of fasts prescribed for each major sin, so that a penitent will be able to render himself as acceptable to G‑d after his repentance as he was before sinning.
לזאת עצה היעוצה, כמאמר רז״ל: כל השומר שבת כהלכתו, מוחלין לו על כל עוונותיו
the counsel offered follows the declaration of our Sages, of blessed memory,14 “Whoever observes Shabbat according to its law, is forgiven all his sins.”
כהלכתו דייקא
The term “according to its law” is used advisedly, for the Shabbat cannot be properly observed without a knowledge of its laws.
לכן מוטל על כל אחד ואחד, להיות בקי בהלכתא רבתי לשבתא
It is therefore incumbent upon every individual to master the “great law” of Shabbat.
The term “great law” echoes the expression in the Gemara15 regarding checking one’s clothes before sundown on Friday in order not to transgress a prohibition later. The laws of Shabbat thus not only inform us of what is prohibited, but also of how to avoid transgression.
וגם יזהר מאד שלא לשוח שום שיחה בטילה, חס ושלום
Also, be most careful [on Shabbat] not to indulge in idle chatter, G‑d forbid.
בהיות מודעת זאת ליודעי חכמה נסתרת, כי בכל המצות יש פנימיות וחיצוניות
For, as is known to the initiates in the mystical wisdom [of Kabbalah], all the mitzvot comprise an internal and an external aspect — the spirituality of the mitzvah, and the physical act which it requires.
וחיצוניות מהשבת היא שביתה מעשיה גשמיית, כמו ששבת ה׳ מעשות שמים וארץ גשמיים
The externality of the [mitzvah of] Shabbat is the cessation of physical activity, just as G‑d ceased making the physical heaven and earth.
ופנימיות השבת היא הכוונה בתפלת השבת ובתלמוד תורה, לדבקה בה׳ אחד
The internal dimension of Shabbat is one’s intention in the Shabbat prayers and during one’s Torah study, to cleave to the One G‑d,
כמו שכתוב: שבת לה׳ אלקיך
as it is written,16 “It is Shabbat to the L‑rd your G‑d.”
Underlying the cessation of labor on Shabbat is the concept of elevation. When a person rests from his labor at any time, the energy that had been vested in it rises and returns to its source within the soul. So, too, the cessation of labor and resting on Shabbat means that the soul, which during the week had been immersed in mundane activities, is uplifted “to the L‑rd your G‑d.”
וזו היא בחינת זכור
This [internal level of the mitzvah of Shabbat] is the element of “remembering”.
The Shabbat comprises two elements, “remembering” (zachor) and “observing” (shamor), reflecting the two commandments,17 “Remember the Shabbat day, to sanctify it,” and18 “Observe the Shabbat day, to sanctify it.” Elevating the soul on Shabbat through proper intent (kavanah) during prayer and Torah study, is an act of “remembering”.
ובחינת שמור בפנימיות, היא השביתה מדיבורים גשמיים, כמו ששבת ה׳ מיו״ד מאמרות שנבראו בהם שמים וארץ גשמיים
The inner dimension of the element of “observing” is refraining from speech about material affairs, just as G‑d ceased from the Ten Utterances through which the physical heaven and earth were created.
The external aspect of “observing” is refraining from active labor; the internal aspect of “observing” is refraining and resting from speech about material affairs.
כי זה לעומת זה כו׳
For19 “one opposite the other...” — speaking about material affairs onShabbat is the inverse of the rest and elevation that a Jew secures on Shabbat, through prayer and Torah study.
FOOTNOTES
1.
Vayikra 19:17.
2.
Bava Metzia 31a.
3.
Cf. Shmot 32:18.
4.
Taanit 2a; Sifrei, commenting on Devarim 11:13.
5.
Note of the Rebbe (in Likkutei Biurim, foot of p. 487): “‘To stride forth’ — cf. the expression in the Responsa of the Rashba 1:450 (quoted in Bet Yosef, Orach Chayim 53); ‘to snatch’ — cf. Chullin 133a [regarding the priestly dues], and Yalkut Shimoni (quoted in Rashi) on Balak, sec. 769: ‘snatches Keriat Shema.’”
“Efrati — possibly the intent is to both explanations that the Radak offers on this word (I Samuel 1:1): ‘person of distinguished lineage,’ and ‘one who shares in something sanctified.’”
6.
Parentheses are in the original text.
7.
See Likkutei Sichot, Vol. XXIII, p. 415.
8.
Shmot 6:7.
10.
Note of the Rebbe: “Cf. Tehillim 31:25.”
11.
Note of the Rebbe: “I have not observed that people make a point of doing this.” Elsewhere the Rebbe adds: “It will be noted that in many places it is customary to recite this Psalm on Shabbat after Minchah (and this too was the custom of my revered father, of blessed memory).”
12.
Sefer HaSichot 5704, p. 48.
13.
Ch. 3.
14.
Shabbat 118b.
15.
Ibid. 12a.
16.
Shmot 20:10.
17.
Ibid., verse 8.
18.
Devarim 5:12.
19.
Cf. Kohelet 7:14.
• Today's Mitzvah
A daily digest of Maimonides’ classic work "Sefer Hamitzvot"
• Positive Commandment 168
Dwelling in the Sukkah
"You shall dwell in booths for seven days"—Leviticus 23:42.
We are commanded to dwell in a sukkah (booth) for the seven days of the holiday of Sukkot. Women are exempt from this mitzvah.
Full text of this Mitzvah »
• Dwelling in the Sukkah
Positive Commandment 168
Translated by Berel Bell
The 168th mitzvah is that we are commanded to dwell in a Sukkah for all seven days of the holiday [of Sukkos].
The source of this commandment is G‑d's statement (exalted be He),1 "For seven days you must dwell in Sukkos."
The details of this mitzvah are explained in the tractate devoted to this subject; i.e. tractate Sukkah.
Women are not obligated in this mitzvah.
FOOTNOTES
1.Lev. 23:42.
• Rambam - 1 Chapter: Hilchot Nizkei Mamon - Chapter Eleven
• Hilchot Nizkei Mamon - Chapter Eleven
1
How much is the atonement fine? The amount the judges evaluate as being the worth of the person who was killed; everything depends on his worth, as [implied by Exodus 21:30]: "And he shall give the ransom of his1 soul according to all that will be imposed upon him." The atonement fine for a servant, whether an adult or a minor, whether a male or a female, is the amount determined by the Torah: 30 selaim2 of fine3 silver. [This applies] whether the servant was worth 100 maneh4 or only one dinar.If a servant is lacking only a bill of release,5 a fine is not imposed, for he does not have a master, for he has already attained his freedom.
א
כמה הוא הכופר. כמו שראו הדיינין שהוא דמי הנהרג הכל לפי שוויו של נהרג שנאמר ונתן פדיון נפשו ככל אשר יושת עליו. וכופר העבדים א בין גדולים בין קטנים בין זכרים בין נקבות הוא הקנס הקצוב בתורה שלשים סלע כסף יפה בין שהיה העבד שוה מאה מנה בין שאינו שוה אלא דינר. וכל המעוכב גט שחרור אין לו קנס הואיל ואין לו אדון שהרי יצא לחירות:
2
To whom is the atonement fine paid? To the heirs of the deceased. If a woman is killed, the atonement fine is paid to her heirs [as though she had not married], and not to her husband.6If a person who is half a servant, and half a freed man7 is killed, half of the fine should be given to the owner, and the other half is fit to be given, but there is no one to take it.8
ב
למי נותנין הכופר ליורשי הנהרג. ואם המית אשה הכופר ליורשיה מאביה ואינו לבעל. המית מי שחציו עבד וחציו בן חורין נותן חצי קנס לרבו והחצי האחר ראוי ליתן ואין מי יקחנו:
3
When an ox gores a pregnant woman and causes her to miscarry, its owners are not liable for the value of the fetus. [This law applies] even when the ox is mu'ad to gore. For the obligation [stated in] the Torah to pay for the value of the fetus applies only when it is a human who causes the damages.9
ג
שור שנגח אשה ויצאו ילדיה אע"פ שהוא מועד ליגח הבעלים פטורין מדמי ולדות. שלא חייבה תורה בדמי ולדות אלא לאדם:
4
If, however, an ox [that is mu'ad] gores a maid-servant and causes her to miscarry, [the owner] is required to pay for the value of the fetus. For this is equivalent to having gored a pregnant donkey.10 If the ox is tam, [the owner] must pay half the value of the fetus from the body of the ox.
ד
נגח שפחה ויצאו ילדיה משלם דמי ולדות. שזה כמי שנגח חמור מעוברת. ואם היה תם משלם חצי דמי ולדות מגופו:
5
How is this sum evaluated? We assess the value of this maid-servant when she was pregnant, and how much she is worth now.11 [The owner of the ox] must pay [the owner of the maid-servant] the difference or half the difference.12 If [the ox] kills the maid-servant, [despite the fact that she is pregnant, its owner] need pay only the fine determined by the Torah, as we have explained.13
ה
כיצד שמין אותה. אומדין כמה היתה שפחה זו שוה כשהיתה מעוברת וכמה היא שוה עתה ונותן לבעליה הפחת או חציו. ואם המית השפחה משלם הכופר הקצוב בתורה בלבד כמו שבארנו:
6
When an ox intended to gore an animal and instead gored a man, [the owner is not liable], even if the man dies, as explained.14 Nevertheless, if [the ox] injures him, [the owner of the ox] is liable for the damages.15 If the ox is tam, he should pay half the damages from the body of the ox. If it is mu'ad, he must pay the entire amount of the damages.16
ו
שור שנתכוון לבהמה ונגח את האדם אע"פ שאם המיתו פטור כמו שבארנו אם חבל בו חייב בנזק. ואם תם הוא משלם חצי נזק מגופו. ואם מועד נזק שלם:
7
When an ox that is tam kills [a man] and then causes damage,17 it is sentenced to execution, but there is no financial claim on its owners.18 If an ox that is mu'ad kills and then causes damage, the liability [resulting from the damages] is determined,19 and then it is sentenced to execution. If it is sentenced to execution first, the liability [resulting from the damages] is determined afterwards.
ז
שור תם שהמית והזיק דנין אותו דיני נפשות ואין דנין אותו דיני ממונות. ומועד שהמית והזיק דנין אותו דיני ממונות וחוזרין ודנין אותו דיני נפשות. קדמו ודנוהו דיני נפשות תחלה חוזרין ודנין אותו דיני ממונות:
8
How is this money collected? From the profit that will accrue from the labor of the ox after it has been sentenced.20 [This step is taken] because once it is sentenced to be stoned to death, it no longer has owners who are considered liable for the damages it caused.21 If [in the above situation] it was sentenced to death and then it22 fled, no liability [resulting from the damages] is assigned.23
ח
9
When an ox killed a human, and afterwards its owner consecrates it, it is not consecrated.24 Similarly, if he declares it ownerless, it is not ownerless. If he sells it, the sale is not effective. If a watchman returns it to its owner, it is not considered to have been returned.25 If it is slaughtered, one is forbidden to benefit from its meat.26 When does the above apply? After it has already been sentenced to death. If, however, it had not been sentenced to death [different rules apply]. If its owner consecrates it, it is consecrated. If he declares it ownerless, it is ownerless. If he sells it, the sale is effective.27 If a watchman returns it to its owner, it is considered to have been returned.28 If it is slaughtered first, one is not forbidden to benefit from its meat.
ט
שור שהמית את האדם והקדישו בעליו אינו קדוש. וכן אם הפקירו אינו מופקר. מכרו אינו מכור. החזירו שומר לבעליו אינה חזרה. שחטו בשרו אסור בהנאה. במה דברים אמורים אחר שנגמר דינו לסקילה. אבל עד שלא נגמר דינו לסקילה אם הקדישו מוקדש ואם הפקירו הרי הוא מופקר מכרו הרי זה מכור החזירו שומר לבעליו הרי זה מוחזר. ואם קדם ושחטו הרי זה מותר באכילה:
10
When an ox [that killed a human] becomes intermingled with other oxen before it was sentenced to death, they are all not held liable. [The rationale is that] just as the judgment of a human being [must be concluded in the presence of that person], so too, the judgment of the ox must be concluded in the presence of the ox.29 If an ox becomes intermingled with other oxen - even 1000 - after it was sentenced to death, they all must be stoned to death.30 It is forbidden to benefit from them, and their carcasses must be buried, as is required whenever an animal is stoned to death.31
י
שור שלא נגמר דינו שנתערב בשוורים אחרים כולן פטורין לפי שאין גומרין דינו של שור אלא בפני השור כדין האדם. נגמר דינו ואחר כך נתערב באחרים אפילו באלף כולן נסקלים ונקברין ואסורין בהנאה כדין בהמה נסקלת:
11
יא
פרה מעוברת שהמיתה את האדם וכן כל בהמה שנעברה בה עבירה הרי עוברה כמוה היא ועוברה נגחה היא ועוברה נרבעה:
12
[The following rules apply if a cow] gored a person to death and then became pregnant: If it became pregnant and bore a calf before it was sentenced to death, the calf is permitted.34 If it bore a calf after the sentence was delivered, the calf is forbidden, for a fetus is considered an extension35 of its mother.36 If [the calf] became intermingled with other calves, they must all be enclosed in a closed room until they die.37
יב
נגחה והמיתה ואחר כך נתעברה. אם עד שלא נגמר דינה נתעברה וילדה קודם גמר דין ולדה מותר ואם ילדה אחר גמר דין ולדה אסור שהעובר ירך אמו הוא. ואם נתערב ילד זה באחרים כונסין את כלם בכיפה עד שימותו שם:
13
When the witnesses whose testimony caused an ox to be sentenced for execution are disqualified because they lied, whoever first takes possession of the ox acquires it as his own. [The rationale is that] once it was sentenced to death, the owners gave up their ownership of it.38 If witnesses testify that the owner [of an ox sodomized his animal] and they were disqualified because they lied, the ox remains the property of its [original] owner. Although another person drew it after him,39 he does not acquire it. [The rationale is that] since the owner knows that he did not sin, and that these are false witnesses, he was planning to have them disqualified. Therefore, he did not give up ownership [of his animal].
יג
שור הנסקל שהוזמו עדיו כל הקודם בו זכה שהרי משנגמר דינו הפקירוהו בעליו. ואם העידו שבעליו רבעהו והזים את העדים הרי השור לבעליו והקודם ומשכו לא זכה בו שכיון שהבעל יודע בעצמו שלא חטא ושאלו עדי שקר הם והרי הוא מיחל להזימם לא הפקיר:
FOOTNOTES
1.
The antecedent of the pronoun his is a matter of debate among our Sages (Bava Kama 40a), who debated whether it refers to the soul of the owner or that of the person who was killed. According to the Rambam, there are dimensions of both opinions that are relevant. As evident from the previous chapter, by paying the atonement fine the owner of the ox is ransoming his own soul. On the other hand, as the Rambam states in this halachah and in Chapter 10, Halachah 4, the atonement fine is for the person killed, and the amount is determined according to the worth of the person who was killed.
2.
See Exodus 21:32. A sela is equivalent to four dinarim (zuzim).
3.
I.e., pure silver.
4.
10,000 zuz.
5.
E.g., a servant who has been declared ownerless by his master, or one whom his master caused to lose one of the limbs that require his release.
6.
A woman's property is inherited by her husband. He, however, is entitled only to the property that she possesses at the time of her death, but not property that will accrue to her afterwards. For this reason, he is not entitled to the atonement fine. Needless to say, if the woman has already borne children, the atonement fine is given to them.
7.
E.g., a servant was owned by two partners, and one of them freed him while the other did not.Note the gloss of the Maggid Mishneh, who states that this law applies only to a maid-servant, but not to a male servant. The Radbaz (Volume VI, Responsum 2249), however, justifies the Rambam's view.
8.
For the half-servant is dead, and he or she has no heirs. Even if he or she bore children as a servant, they are not considered as the half-servant's sons or daughters.
9.
Exodus 21:22 speaks about men fighting together, and one of them causing a woman to miscarry.
10.
As mentioned at the conclusion of the previous chapter, servants are considered in certain contexts to be no more than their master's chattel.
11.
Our Sages note that there are two elements lost with the miscarriage: a) the fetus, which would otherwise become the owner's property, and b) the fact that while pregnant, a woman looks larger and healthier (Bava Kama 49a).
12.
I.e., if the ox was mu'ad, the owner must pay the entire difference. If it is tam, he must pay half the difference.
13.
See Halachah 1. No extra renumeration is made in consideration of the miscarriage.
14.
Chapter 10, Halachah 9.
15.
Our Sages explain that one might think that although the owner is liable if his ox damages another ox in this manner, he would not be liable for injuring a man. The rationale is that an animal does not have a spiritual source protecting it, while a person does. If injury occurs despite that spiritual protection, one might think that it is willed by God, and therefore the owner of the ox is not liable. (See Bava Kama 2b).
16.
See Chapter 7, Halachah 3.
17.
To a man or to another animal.
18.
For the payment for the damages caused by an ox that is tam must come from the body of the ox itself. In this instance, since the ox must be stoned to death, we are forbidden to benefit from its carcass. Thus, there is no source from which this obligation can be met.
19.
They must pay from resources other than the body of the ox.
20.
I.e., the ox is hired out by the court to work for different people. When enough money accrues to pay for the damages, it is executed.
21.
The Maggid Mishneh explains the Rambam's position as follows. It is clear to the Rambam that once an animal is sentenced to be executed, it is no longer considered the property of its owner, and the owner is not considered responsible for the damages, even if the damages took place before the death sentence was delivered. (It appears that the Rambam considers that the obligation for the damages takes place only after the matter is taken to court.) For this reason, the Rambam maintains that the ox itself should be made to work for the damages.For this reason, the ox will not be executed immediately after being sentenced. Although it is not proper to delay the execution of a human, there is no such principle with regard to the execution of an ox. There are other authorities who differ with several elements of the Maggid Mishneh's interpretation.
22.
I.e., the ox. Rashi interprets Bava Kama 91a, the source of this halachah, as referring to the flight of the owner of the ox.
23.
For the ox is not present to be hired out to work.
24.
Once an ox has been sentenced to death, it is no longer considered to be the property of its former owner.
25.
And the watchman must reimburse the owner for his ox, for he is responsible for it.
26.
See Hilchot Ma'achalot Asurot 4:22, Hilchot Issurei Mizbe'ach 4:2 and other sources.
27.
The purchaser should slaughter the ox immediately. Otherwise, its meat will become forbidden.
28.
Although the ox will be sentenced to death, the watchman is considered to have fulfilled his obligation, for the owners have the option of slaughtering the ox before it is sentenced to death.
29.
And since the ox cannot be identified, that is not possible.
30.
The animal is not considered to become bateil b'rov, insignificant because it is mixed with a larger quantity of permitted substances. Indeed, even when it becomes mixed with a far larger number of oxen, its identity is never considered insignificant. The rationale is that a live animal is important. And an important entity is never considered to be insignificant (Zevachim 72a; Sanhedrin 79b-80a).
31.
See Hilchot Ma'achalot Asurot 16:7 and Hilchot Pesulei Hamukdashim 19:11.
32.
This apparently refers to an animal used by a human for sodomy, which must be executed, as stated in Leviticus 20:15. For no other sin is an animal executed.
33.
This follows the principle stated in the next halachah: A fetus is considered to be an extension of its mother.
34.
For it was not part of its mother's body, neither at the time of the killing, nor at the time of the sentence.
35.
Literally the thigh.
36.
And so, just as the sentence caused the mother to become forbidden, it also caused the calf to become forbidden. The calf is not executed, however. Instead, it is left to die.
37.
In this instance as well, all the calves need not be executed. It is, however, forbidden to benefit from them, because the presence of a live animal in a mixture is never considered to be insignificant.
38.
Since the owner of the ox does not know whether or not the ox gored, he is dependent on the testimony of the witnesses. Once their testimony establishes that the ox gored, the owner assumes that it will be executed and despairs of retaining ownership. After he has made such a decision, even in error, anyone has the right to take possession of the ox. A parallel ruling is delivered in Hilchot Avodat Kochavim 4:8.
39.
Thus performing the kinyan of meshichah, a formal act of acquisition.
• Shofar, Sukkah, vLulav - Chapter Three
1
How many shofar blasts is a person required to hear on Rosh Hashanah? Nine.
[This figure is derived as follows]: The Torah mentions the word תרועה [sounding the shofar] three times in association with Rosh Hashanah and the Yovel. Every תרועה must be preceded and followed by a [single] long blast. According to the oral tradition, we learned that - whether on Rosh Hashanah or on Yom Kippur of the Yovel - all the soundings of the shofar of the seventh month are a single entity.
Thus, nine shofar blasts must be sounded on both of them: teki'ah, teru'ah, teki'ah; teki'ah, teru'ah, teki'ah; teki'ah, teru'ah, teki'ah.
א
כמה תקיעות חייב אדם לשמוע בראש השנה. תשע תקיעות. לפי שנאמר תרועה ביובל ובראש השנה שלש פעמים וכל תרועה פשוטה לפניה ופשוטה לאחריה. ומפי השמועה למדו שכל תרועות של חדש השביעי אחד הן. בין בראש השנה בין ביום הכפורים של יובל תשע תקיעות תוקעין בכל אחד משניהן. תקיעה ותרועה ותקיעה, תקיעה ותרועה ותקיעה, תקיעה ותרועה ותקיעה:
2
Over the passage of the years and throughout the many exiles, doubt has been raised concerning the teru'ah which the Torah mentions, to the extent that we do not know what it is:
Does it resemble the wailing with which the women cry when they moan, or the sighs which a person who is distressed about a major matter will release repeatedly? Perhaps a combination of the two - sighing and the crying which will follow it - is called teru'ah, because a distressed person will sigh and then cry? Therefore, we fulfill all [these possibilities].
ב
תרועה זו האמורה בתורה נסתפק לנו בה ספק לפי אורך השנים ורוב הגלות ואין אנו יודעין היאך היא. אם היא היללה שמייללין הנשים ביניהן בעת שמייבבין. או האנחה כדרך שיאנח האדם פעם אחר פעם כשידאג לבו מדבר גדול. או שניהם כאחד האנחה והיללה שדרכה לבא אחריה הן הנקראין תרועה. שכך דרך הדואג מתאנח תחלה ואחר כך מילל. לכך אנו עושין הכל:
3
The crying refers to what we call teru'ah. The repeated sighs refer to what we call three shevarim.
Thus, the order of blowing the shofar is as follows: First, one recites the blessing and sounds a teki'ah; afterwards, three shevarim; and afterwards, a teru'ah; and afterwards, a teki'ah. He repeats this pattern [until he completes] three series.
[Then,] he sounds a teki'ah; afterwards, three shevarim; and afterwards, a teki'ah. He repeats this pattern [until he completes] three series.
[Then,] he sounds a teki'ah; afterwards, a teru'ah; and afterwards, a teki'ah. He repeats this pattern [until he completes] three series.
Thus, there are a total of thirty shofar blasts, in order to remove any doubt.
ג
היללה היא שאנו קוראין תרועה. והאנחה זו אחר זו היא שאנו קוראין אותה שלשה שברים. נמצא סדר התקיעות כך הוא. מברך ותוקע תקיעה ואחריה שלשה שברים ואחריה תרועה ואחריה תקיעה. וחוזר כסדר זה שלש פעמים. ותוקע תקיעה ואחריה שלשה שברים ואחריה תקיעה וחוזר כסדר זה שלש פעמים. ותוקע תקיעה ואחריה תרועה ואחריה תקיעה וחוזר כסדר הזה שלש פעמים. נמצא מנין התקיעות שלשים כדי להסתלק מן הספק:
4
The required length of a teru'ah is that of two teki'ot. The required length of the three shevarim is that of a teru'ah.
When a person sounds a teki'ah and a teru'ah, and afterwards sounds a long teki'ah, extending it twice the length of the original one, we do not say that it may be considered to be two teki'ot - thus allowing one [to complete the series merely by] sounding a teru'ah and another teki'ah. Rather, even if one extended a teki'ah the entire day, it is considered to be only a single teki'ah and one must sound another teki'ah, teru'ah, and teki'ah [until he completes] three series.
ד
שיעור תרועה כשתי תקיעות. שיעור שלשה שברים כתרועה. הרי שתקע והריע ותקע תקיעה ארוכה ומשך בה כשתים בראשונה. אין אומרין תחשב כשתי תקיעות ויריע אחריה ויחזור ויתקע. אלא אפילו משך בה כל היום אינה אלא תקיעה אחת וחוזר ותוקע ומריע ותוקע שלש פעמים:
5
If a person hears one shofar blast at one hour and a second one an hour later - even if he waits the entire day - the two may be considered to be a single unit and he may fulfill his obligation.
The above applies provided each series is heard in the proper order; i.e., one may not hear a teru'ah and afterwards two teki'ot, or two teki'ot, and afterwards a teru'ah, and the like.
ה
שמע תקיעה אחת בשעה אחת ושניה בשעה שניה אפילו שהה כל היום כולו הרי אלו מצטרפין ויצא ידי חובתו. והוא שישמע כל בבא מהן על סדרה. לא שישמע תרועה ואחריה שתי תקיעות או שתי תקיעות ואחריהן תרועה וכיוצא בזה:
6
If a person heard nine shofar blasts from nine men simultaneously, he has not fulfilled his obligation for a single blast. [If he heard] a teki'ah from one, a teru'ah from another, and another teki'ah from a third, in sequence, he has fulfilled his obligation.
The above applies even if one heard [the shofar blasts] with interruptions, even if [the blowing was extended] over the entire day. A person does not fulfill his obligation until he hears all nine shofar blasts, for they are all [only] one mitzvah. Thus, they are dependent one on the other.
ו
שמע תשע תקיעות מתשעה בני אדם כאחד לא יצא אפילו ידי אחת. תקיעה מזה ותרועה מזה ותקיעה משלישי בזה אחר זה יצא ואפילו בסירוגין ואפילו כל היום כולו. ואינו יוצא ידי חובתו עד שישמע כל התשע תקיעות שכולן מצוה אחת הן לפיכך מעכבות זו את זו:
7
The congregation is obligated to hear the shofar blasts together with the order of blessings.
How is this expressed? The chazan recites Avot, Gevurot, the sanctification of God's name, Malchuyot [ - at this point,] the shofar is sounded three times; Zichronot - the shofar is sounded three times; Shofarot - the shofar is sounded three times - [and concludes the Amidah with] the Avodah, an acknowledgement [of God's wonders], and the priestly blessing.
ז
הצבור חייבין לשמוע התקיעות על סדר הברכות: כיצד אומר שליח צבור אבות וגבורות וקדושת השם ומלכיות ותוקע שלש. ואומר זכרונות ותוקע שלש. ואומר שופרות ותוקע שלש. ואומר עבודה והודייה וברכת כהנים:
8
These three intermediate blessings recited on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur of the Yovel - Malchuyot, Zichronot, and Shofarot - are each dependent on each other.
In each of these blessings, one is required to recite ten verses reflecting the content of the blessing - three verses from the Torah, three from the Book of Psalms, and three from [the words of] the prophets. One concludes with a verse from the Torah. Should a person conclude with a verse from the prophets, he fulfills his obligation.
Should a person recite only one verse from the Torah, one from the sacred writings, and one from the prophets, he fulfills his obligation. Even if he states: "In Your Torah, God, our Lord, it is written..." and recites one verse from the Torah and concludes, nothing further is necessary.
ח
שלש ברכות אמצעיות אלו של ראש השנה ויום הכפורים של יובל שהן מלכיות וזכרונות ושופרות מעכבות זו את זו וצריך לומר בכל ברכה מהן עשרה פסוקים מעין הברכה. שלשה פסוקים מן התורה. ושלשה מספר תהלים. ושלשה מן הנביאים. ואחד מן התורה משלים בו. ואם השלים בנביא יצא. ואם אמר פסוק אחד מן התורה ואחד מן הכתובים ואחד מן הנביאים יצא. ואפילו אמר ובתורתך ה' אלהינו כתוב לאמר ואמר פסוק של תורה והפסיק שוב אינו צריך כלום:
9
One should not recite [verses for] Malchuyot, Zichronot, and Shofarot which describe [Divine] retribution; for example, for Zichronot, [Psalms 78:39]: "And He remembered that they were mere flesh..."; for Malchuyot, [Ezekiel 20:33]: "With outpoured anger, I will reign over you..."; for Shofarot, [Hoshea 5:8]: "Blow the shofar in Givah..."
Similarly, Zichronot which are merely associated with an individual [should not be mentioned] even if they are of a positive nature - for example, [Psalms 106:4]: "Remember me, O God, amidst the favor of Your people," [Nehemiah 5:19]: "Remember me, my God, for good."
Verses using the verb פקד - for example, [Exodus 3:16]: "I have surely taken note..." - may not be included as Zichronot. One may mention verses that refer to retribution to be visited upon the gentile nations - for example, [Psalms 99:1]: "God is King, the nations will tremble..."; [Psalms 137:7]: "Remember, O God, against the Edomites, the day of Jerusalem"; or [Zechariah 9:14]: "God, the Lord, will sound the shofar and proceed in a southerly storm-wind."
All the following verses: [Deuteronomy 6:4]: "Hear Israel, God is our Lord, God is one"; [Deuteronomy 4:35]: "To you, it has been revealed that you may know..."; and [Deuteronomy 4:39]: "And you shall know today and draw it close to your heart..." express the concept of God's sovereignty. Even though [these verses] do not explicitly mention His kingship, they are equivalent to [Exodus 16:18]: "God will rule forever and ever"; and [Deuteronomy 33:5]: "When He became King in Jeshurun."
ט
אין מזכירין זכרונות מלכיות ושופרות של פורענות. זכרונות כגון ויזכור כי בשר המה וכו'. מלכיות כגון בחמה שפוכה אמלוך עליכם. שופרות כגון תקעו שופר בגבעה וכו'. ולא זכרון יחיד אפילו לטובה כגון זכרני ה' ברצון עמך, זכרה לי אלהי לטובה. ופקדונות אינן כזכרונות. כגון פקד פקדתי אתכם. ויש לו להזכיר פורענות של אומות עכו"ם כגון ה' מלך ירגזו עמים. זכור ה' לבני אדום את יום ירושלים. וה' אלהים בשופר יתקע והלך בסערות תימן. שמע ישראל ה' אלהינו ה' אחד. אתה הראת לדעת וכו' וידעת היום והשבות אל לבבך וכו' כל פסוק מאלו מלכות הוא ענינו אף על פי שאין בו זכר מלכות והרי הוא כמו ה' ימלוך לעולם ועד ויהי בישורון מלך וכו':
10
The following is the commonly accepted custom for blowing the shofar on Rosh Hashanah in the communal services:
After the Torah is read and returned to its place, the congregation is seated. One person stands and recites the blessing:
Blessed are You, God, Lord of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to hear the sounding of the shofar.
The entire congregation responds "Amen." He then recites the blessing shehecheyanu, and the entire congregation responds "Amen" to him. Thirty shofar blasts are sounded in the proper order.
Kaddish is recited. The congregation stands and recites the musaf service. After the chazan completes the fourth blessing - i.e., Malchuyot - a teki'ah, three shevarim, a [series of] teru'ot, and a teki'ah are sounded once.
He then recites the fifth blessing - i.e., Zichronot. After he completes the blessing, a teki'ah, three shevarim, and a teki'ah are sounded. He then recites the sixth blessing - i.e., Shofarot. After he completes the blessing, a teki'ah, a [series of] teru'ot, and a teki'ah are sounded once, and he concludes the prayers.
י
המנהג הפשוט בסדר התקיעות של ראש השנה בצבור כך הוא. אחר שקוראין בתורה ומחזירין הספר למקומו יושבין כל העם ואחד עומד ומברך ברוך אתה ה' אלהינו מלך העולם אשר קדשנו במצותיו וצונו לשמוע קול שופר וכל העם עונין אמן. וחוזר ומברך שהחיינו וכל העם עונין אחריו אמן. ותוקע שלשים תקיעות שאמרנו מפני הספק על הסדר. ואומרים קדיש ועומדין ומתפללין תפלת מוסף. ואחר שגומר שליח צבור ברכה רביעית שהיא מלכיות תוקע תקיעה שלשה שברים תרועה תקיעה פעם אחת. ומברך ברכה חמישית שהוא זכרונות. ואחר שגומרה תוקע תקיעה שלשה שברים ותקיעה. ומברך ברכה ששית שהיא שופרות. ואחר שגומרה תוקע תקיעה תרועה ותקיעה פעם אחת וגומר התפלה:
11
The person who sounds the shofar while they are sitting also sounds the shofar according to the order of blessings while they stand. He should not speak between the shofar blasts while the congregation is seated and those sounded while they stand. If he did talk between them, even though it is a transgression, he does not repeat the blessing.
יא
זה שתוקע כשהן יושבין הוא שתוקע על סדר הברכות כשהן עומדים. ואינו מדבר בין תקיעות שמיושב לתקיעות שמעומד. ואם סח ביניהן אף על פי שעבר אינו חוזר ומברך:
12
It is logical that each series of shofar blasts should be sounded three times for every blessing, as [the shofar] was sounded while [the congregation] was seated. However, since they satisfied every possible doubt [by hearing] the shofar while seated, there is no need for the congregation to repeat them in their entirety during the order of blessings. Rather, it is sufficient for them to hear one series for each blessing, and they will thus have heard the shofar during the order of blessings.
All of the above applies only to a congregation. However, there is no [set] custom regarding an individual. He fulfills his obligation whether or not he hears [the shofar blasts] during the order of blessings, whether seated or standing.
יב
בדין היה שיתקעו על כל ברכה כל בבא מהן שלש פעמים כדרך שתקעו כשהן יושבין אלא כיון שיצאו מידי ספק בתקיעות שמיושב אין מטריחין על הצבור לחזור בהן כולן על סדר ברכות. אלא די להן בבא אחת על כל ברכה כדי שישמעו תקיעות על סדר ברכות. וכל הדברים האלו בצבור אבל היחיד בין ששמע על סדר ברכות בין שלא שמע על הסדר בין מעומד בין מיושב יצא ואין בזה מנהג:
13
The blessings are not dependent on the teki'ot, nor are the teki'ot dependent on the blessings.
When there are two cities - in one it is known that there will definitely be someone to recite the nine blessings, but there is no one to blow the shofar - in the other, a doubt exists whether or not there will be someone to blow the shofar, one should go the latter, since the sounding of the shofar is a requirement of the Torah, while the blessings are of Rabbinic origin.
יג
התקיעות אינן מעכבות את הברכות והברכות אינן מעכבות את התקיעות. שתי עיירות באחת יודע בודאי שיש שם מי שיברך להן תשע ברכות ואין שם תוקע. ובשנייה ספק יש שם תוקע ספק אין שם תוקע הולך לשנייה. שהתקיעה מדברי תורה והברכות מדברי סופרים
Shofar, Sukkah, vLulav - Chapter Four
1
These are the required measurements of a sukkah: Its height should not be less than ten handbreadths nor more than twenty cubits. Its area should not be less than seven handbreadths by seven handbreadths. [There is no maximum limit to] its area, and one may increase it [to include] a number of millim.
A sukkah which is less than ten handbreadths high, smaller than seven handbreadths by seven handbreadths [in area], or taller than twenty cubits - even [if the increase or decrease] is of the slightest amount - is invalid.
א
שיעור הסוכה גובהה אין פחות מעשרה טפחים ולא יתר על עשרים אמה. ורחבה אין פחות משבעה טפחים על שבעה טפחים. ויש לו להוסיף ברחבה אפילו כמה מילין. היתה פחותה מעשרה או משבעה על שבעה או גבוהה מעשרים אמה כל שהוא הרי זו פסולה:
2
A sukkah which does not possess three walls is invalid. However, if it has two complete walls perpendicular to each other in the shape of [the Greek letter] gamma, it is sufficient to construct a third wall that is [only] slightly more than a handbreadth wide and place it within three handbreadths of one of the two walls. Also, one must construct the likeness of an entrance, since it does not possess three complete walls.
We have already explained in Hilchot Shabbat that wherever the term "a likeness of an entrance" is used, it may be a rod on one side, another rod on the opposite side, and a third above, even though it does not touch them.
ב
סוכה שאין לה שלש דפנות פסולה. היו לה שתי דפנות גמורות זו בצד זו כמין ג"ם עושה דופן שיש ברחבו יתר על טפח ומעמידו בפחות משלשה סמוך לאחד משתי הדפנות ודיו. וצריך לעשות לה צורת פתח מפני שאין לה שלש דפנות גמורות. וכבר בארנו בהלכות שבת שצורת פתח האמור בכל מקום אפילו קנה מכאן וקנה מכאן וקנה על גביהן אע"פ שאינו מגיע להן:
3
If the two walls were parallel to each other and there was an open space between them, one should construct a wall slightly more than four handbreadths wide and place it within three handbreadths of one of the two walls; then, [the sukkah] is kosher. However, it is necessary to construct "the likeness of an entrance."
If the rods of the s'chach of the sukkah extend beyond the sukkah and one wall extends with them, they are considered to be [part of] the sukkah.
ג
היו לה שתי דפנות זו כנגד זו וביניהן מפולש. עושה דופן שיש ברוחבו ארבעה טפחים ומשהו ומעמידו בפחות משלשה סמוך לאחת משתי הדפנות וכשרה. וצריך לעשות לה צורת פתח. קנים היוצאים מסכך הסוכה לפני הסוכה ודופן אחת נמשכת עמהן הרי הן כסוכה:
4
Walls which are connected to the roof of the sukkah, but do not reach the earth: If they are more than three handbreadths above the earth, they are invalid; if the distance is less than that, they are kosher.
[The following rules apply] should the walls be connected to the earth, without reaching the s'chach: If they are ten handbreadths high, they are kosher even though are removed several cubits from the roof, provided they are positioned below the end of the roof. If the roof was separated from the wall by more than three handbreadths, it is invalid; less than this amount is kosher.
If one suspended a partition which is slightly more than four handbreadths high at a distance of less than three handbreadths from the earth and a distance of less than three handbreadths from the roof, it is kosher.
ד
דפנות שהיו דבוקות בגג הסוכה ולא היו מגיעות לארץ אם היו גבוהות מן הארץ שלשה טפחים פסולה פחות מיכן כשרה. היו הדפנות דבוקות לארץ ולא היו מגיעות לסכך אם גבוהות עשרה טפחים אף על פי שהן רחוקין מן הגג כמה אמות כשרה ובלבד שיהיו הדפנות מכוונות תחת שפת הגג. הרחיק את הגג מן הדופן שלשה טפחים פסולה פחות מיכן כשרה. תלה מחיצה שגבוהה ארבעה ומשהו באמצע בפחות משלשה סמוך לארץ ובפחות משלשה סמוך לגג הרי זו כשרה:
5
When a person constructs his sukkah among the trees, using the trees as walls, it is kosher if:
a) they are strong enough - or he tied them and reinforced them so that they would be strong enough - that they would not be shaken by the wind at all times; andb) he filled [the space] between the branches with hay and straw, tying them so that they will not be shaken by the wind.
[This is necessary,] for any partition that cannot stand before a normal land wind is not considered to be a partition.
ה
העושה סוכתו בין האילנות והאילנות דפנות לה. אם היו חזקים או שקשר אותם וחיזק אותם עד שלא תהיה הרוח המצויה מנידה אותם תמיד ומלא בין האמירים בתבן ובקש כדי שלא תניד אותם הרוח וקשר אותם הרי זו כשרה. שכל מחיצה שאינה יכולה לעמוד ברוח מצויה של יבשה אינה מחיצה:
6
If a person constructs his sukkah on top of a wagon or on the deck of a ship, it is kosher, and one may ascend to it on the festival. If one constructs it on the treetops or on a camel's back, it is kosher, but one may not ascend to it on the festival, because climbing on a tree or animal is forbidden on a festival.
If some of the walls were the result of human activity and some were trees, we consider [its structure]. We may ascend to any [sukkah] where, if the trees were taken away, it would be able to stand with the walls that were built by man alone.
ו
העושה סוכתו בראש העגלה או בראש הספינה כשרה ועולין לה ביום טוב. בראש האילן או על גבי הגמל כשרה ואין עולין לה ביום טוב. לפי שאסור לעלות ביו"ט באילן או על גבי בהמה. היו מקצת הדפנות עשויות בידי אדם ומקצתן אילנות רואין כל שאילו ניטלו האילנות היא יכולה לעמוד בדפנות שבידי אדם עולין לה ביום טוב:
7
A sukkah that does not possess a roof is invalid. To what does this refer? A sukkah whose walls are joined to each other like a hut; alternatively, when the side of the sukkah is placed against the wall. However, if it has a roof, even only a handbreadth in width, or if one lifted the side of the sukkah close to the wall a handbreadth above the ground, it is kosher.
A round sukkah - if its circumference is large enough to contain a square seven handbreadths by seven handbreadths, it is kosher even though it has no corners.
ז
סוכה שאין לה גג פסולה. כיצד כגון שהיו ראשי הדפנות דבוקות זו בזו כמין צריף. או שסמך ראש הדופן של סוכה לכותל. אם היה לה גג אפילו טפח. או שהגביה הדופן הסמוך לכותל מן הקרקע טפח הרי זו כשרה. סוכה עגולה אם יש בהיקפה כדי לרבע בה שבעה טפחים על שבעה טפחים אף על פי שאין לה זויות הרי זו כשרה:
8
Should one place s'chach over an exedrah which has projections [extending from its pillars], it is kosher, regardless of whether the projections can be seen from the inside - although they cannot be seen from the outside - or whether they can be seen from the outside - although they cannot be seen from the inside.
ח
סיכך על גבי אכסדרה שיש לה פצימין בין שהיו נראין מבפנים ואין נראין מבחוץ בין שהיו נראין מבחוץ ואין נראין מבפנים כשרה:
9
If it does not have projections [extending from its pillars] it is not valid, because it resembles a sukkah constructed in an alley, because it has [walls on] only the two sides of the exedrah. The middle of the exedrah does not have a wall and there are no projections opposite it.
ט
לא היו לה פצימין פסולה מפני שהיא סוכה העשויה כמבוי שהרי אין לה אלא שני צדי האכסדרה ואמצע האכסדרה אין בו כותל ושכנגדו אין בו פצימין:
10
Should a person place s'chach over an alleyway which possesses a lechi or a well which possesses pasim, it is considered a kosher sukkah only on the Sabbath of the festival. Since this lechi and these pasim are considered to be partitions with regard to the Sabbath laws, they are also considered to be partitions with regard to the laws of sukkah.
י
סיכך על גבי מבוי שיש לו לחי או על גבי באר שיש לה פסין הרי זו סוכה כשרה לאותה שבת שבתוך החג בלבד. מתוך שלחי זה ופסין אלו מחיצות לענין שבת נחשוב אותן כמחיצות לענין סוכה:
11
Should a person implant four poles in the four corners of the roof and place s'chach upon them, it is kosher. Since he placed the s'chach [above] the edge of the roof, we consider that the lower walls ascend to the edge of the s'chach.
יא
נעץ ארבעה קונדיסין על ארבע זויות הגג וסיכך על גבן הואיל והסיכוך על שפת הגג כשר ורואין את המחיצות התחתונות כאילו הן עולות למעלה על שפת הסכוך:
12
A sukkah which has many entrances and many windows in its walls is kosher even though the open portion exceeds the closed portion, provided there is no opening larger than ten cubits.
If there is an opening larger than ten cubits, it is necessary that the closed portion exceed the open portion, even though [the opening] is constructed in the form of an entrance.
יב
סוכה שיש לה פתחים רבים ויש בכתליה חלונות הרבה הרי זו כשרה. ואף על פי שפרוץ מרובה על העומד. ובלבד שלא יהיה שם פתח יתר על עשר. אבל אם היה שם פתח יתר על עשר אע"פ שיש לה צורת פתח צריך שלא יהיה הפרוץ מרובה על העומד:
13
A sukkah whose inner space exceeds twenty cubits [is not acceptable]. Should one reduce it [by placing] pillows and coverings [on the floor], it is not considered to be reduced. [This applies even if] one considered them a permanent part of the sukkah. If one reduced the space using straw and considered it as a permanent part of the sukkah, [the space] is considered to be reduced.
Needless to say, the above applies if one used earth and considered it to be a permanent part of the sukkah. However, if one [merely brought in] earth with no specific intention, [its space] is not considered to be reduced.
If it was twenty cubits high, but branches [from the s'chach descend within the twenty cubits, [the following principle applies:] If its shade would be greater than its open portion because of these branches alone, it is considered as having thick s'chach and is kosher.
יג
סוכה שאוירה גבוה מעשרים אמה ומיעטה בכרים וכסתות אינו מיעוט ואפילו ביטלם. מיעטה בתבן ובטלו הרי זה מיעוט. ואין צריך לומר עפר ובטלו. אבל בעפר סתם אינו מיעוט. היתה גבוהה מעשרים אמה והוצין יורדין לתוך עשרים אם היתה צלתן מרובה מחמתן יחשבו כגג עבה וכשרה:
14
When [a sukkah is more than twenty cubits high, but] one builds a bench next to the middle wall extending across its entire span - if the width of the bench is equal to the minimum width of a sukkah, it is kosher.
Should one build the bench next to the middle wall along [one] side, if there are four cubits between the bench and the [opposite] wall, it is unacceptable. If there are fewer than four cubits, it is kosher.
Should one build the bench in the middle [of the sukkah], if there are more than four cubits from the edge of the bench to any of the sides [of the sukkah], it is not acceptable. If there are fewer than four cubits, it is kosher. It is considered as if the walls touch the bench, and the distance from the bench to the s'chach is less than twenty cubits.
If one constructs a pillar [within a sukkah whose s'chach is more than twenty cubits high, the following rule applies]: Even though it is of the minimum size required of a sukkah, it is unacceptable, because its walls are not discernible. Thus, it is as if there is kosher s'chach above the pillar without any walls.
יד
בנה איצטבה בה כנגד דופן האמצעית על פני כולה אם יש באיצטבה שיעור רוחב הסוכה כשרה. בנה איצטבה כנגד דופן האמצעית מן הצד אם יש משפת איצטבה ולכותל ארבע אמות פסולה פחות מארבע אמות כשרה. בנה איצטבה באמצעה אם יש משפת איצטבה ולכותל ארבע אמות לכל רוח פסולה. פחות מארבע אמות כשרה. וכאילו המחיצות נוגעות באיצטבה והרי מן האיצטבה ועד הסיכוך פחות מעשרים אמה. בנה בה עמוד ויש בו הכשר סוכה פסולה. שאין אלו מחיצות הנכרות ונמצא על גב העמוד סכך כשר בלא דפנות:
15
[The following rule applies] when [the inner space of the sukkah] was less than ten [handbreadths high] and one dug [into the ground of the sukkah] to create an [inner space] of ten [handbreadths]: If there are three handbreadths from the edge of the pit until the wall [of the sukkah], it is not acceptable. If there is less than that [amount], it is kosher, because any [distance] less than three [handbreadths] is considered to be [insignificant, and the two entities are considered to be] adjacent [to each other], as explained in Hilchot Shabbat.
טו
היתה פחותה מעשרה וחקק בה להשלימה לעשרה. אם יש משפת חקק ולכותל שלשה טפחים פסולה. פחות מיכן כשרה שכל פחות משלשה הרי הוא כדבוק כמו שבארנו בהלכות שבת:
16
The walls of the sukkah are kosher [although made] from all [substances]. All that is necessary is a barrier of any kind. Even living beings [may serve that purpose. Thus,] a person can create a wall [of the sukkah] by using a colleague so that he can eat, drink, and sleep in the sukkah, for which his colleague is serving as a wall [even] on the holiday.
The above applies when one employs the person as a wall without his conscious knowledge. However, it is forbidden to create [a wall by using a person] when the latter is conscious of the fact on the holiday. Nevertheless, it is permitted during the other days of the festival.
Similarly, a person may create a fourth wall from utensils on the holiday. However, he should not create a third wall using utensils on the holiday, because, [by doing so], he is making the sukkah fit for use, and it is forbidden to create [even] a temporary tent on the holiday.
טז
דפני סוכה כשרין מן הכל שאין אנו צריכין אלא מחיצה מכל מקום ואפילו מבעלי חיים. ועושה אדם את חברו דופן ביום טוב כדי שיאכל וישתה ויישן בסוכה כשרה שחבירו דופן לה. והוא שיעשה אותו שלא לדעת זה שנעשה דופן. אבל אם עשהו לדעת אסור ביום טוב. ומותר בשאר ימי החג. וכן עושה בכלים דופן רביעית ביום טוב. אבל דופן שלישית לא יעשה אותה בכלים ביום טוב לפי שהוא מכשיר הסוכה ואין עושין אהל עראי ביום טוב
Shofar, Sukkah, vLulav - Chapter Five
1
[There are requirements regarding] the s'chach of a sukkah, and not all substances are acceptable [to be used for this purpose]. For s'chach, we may use only a substance which grows from the ground, has been detached from the ground, is not subject to contracting ritual impurity, does not have an unpleasant odor, and does not have elements which fall off and wither constantly.
א
הסכך של סוכה אינו כשר מכל דבר. אין מסככין אלא בדבר שגידולו מן הארץ שנעקר מן הארץ ואינו מקבל טומאה ואין ריחו רע ואינו נושר ואינו נובל תמיד:
2
When a person uses as s'chach a substance which does not grow from the ground, is still connected to the ground, or is subject to contracting ritual impurity, [the sukkah] is not acceptable.
However, if he transgressed and used as s'chach a substance which has elements which fall off and wither, or which possesses an unpleasant odor, it is kosher. [Our Sages] said only that one should not use these as s'chach lest one leave one's sukkah and depart. One must take care that the branches and leaves should not descend within ten handbreadths of the ground, so that one will not be uncomfortable when using the sukkah.
If one used metals, bones, or hides as s'chach, it is unacceptable because these do not grow from the ground. If one suspended vines and the like over it until they made a sukkah, it is unacceptable, because they were not uprooted [from the ground].
Should one use wooden utensils, mats that were made to lie on, and the like as s'chach, it is unacceptable, because they are subject to contracting ritual impurity. Similarly, using broken and worn out utensils as s'chach is unacceptable. Since these substances were subject to ritual impurity, [the latter law was instituted] lest one use broken pieces which have not yet attained a state of [unquestionable] purity.
ב
סיכך בדבר שאין גדוליו מן הארץ או במחובר לארץ או בדבר שמקבל טומאה פסולה. אבל אם עבר וסיכך בדבר הנובל ונושר או בדבר שריחו רע כשרה. שלא אמרו אין מסככין באלו אלא כדי שלא יניח הסוכה ויצא. וצריך להזהר שלא יהיו הוצין ועלין של סכך יורדין לתוך עשרה טפחים כדי שלא יצר לו בישיבתו. סיככה במיני מתכות או בעצמות ועורות פסולה מפני שאינן גדולי קרקע. הדלה עליה גפנים וכיוצא בהן עד שנעשו סוכה פסולה שהרי לא נעקרו. סיככה בכלי עץ ובמחצלות העשויות לשכיבה וכיוצא בהן פסולה מפני שהן מקבלין טומאה. וכן אם סיככה בשברי כלים ובליותיהן פסולה הואיל והיו מקבלין טומאה שמא יסכך בשברים שעדיין לא טהרו:
3
If one used foods as s'chach, it is unacceptable, because they are subject to contracting ritual impurity. [When one uses] branches from a fig tree which contain figs, runners from a grape vine which contain grapes, branches of a date palm which contain dates and the like, [the following rules apply:] We see - if the waste is more than the food; then we may use them as s'chach. If not, we may not use them as s'chach.
If one uses as s'chach vegetables which, when they dry up, will wither, and none of their substance will remain, even though they are now fresh, their place is considered to be vacant, as though they did not exist.
ג
סיככה באוכלין פסולה מפני שהן מקבלין טומאה. סוכי תאנים ובהן תאנים. פרכילי ענבים ובהם ענבים. מכבדות ובהם תמרים וכן כל כיוצא בהן. רואין אם פסולת מרובה על האוכלין מסככין בהן ואם לאו אין מסככין בהן. סיכך בירקות שאם ייבשו יבולו ולא ישאר בהן ממש אע"פ שהן עתה לחים הרי מקומן נחשב כאילו הוא אויר וכאילו אינם:
4
If one used as s'chach branches of flax which were not crushed and combed, they are kosher, because they are still considered to be wood. After the flax has been crushed and combed, it may not be used as s'chach, since its form has changed and it is as though it is no longer a product of the earth.
One may use ropes made from palm bast or hemp and the like as s'chach, since their original form is unchanged and ropes are not considered to be utensils.
ד
סיככה בפשתי העץ שלא דק אותן ולא נפצן כשרה שעדיין עץ הוא. ואם דק ונפץ אותן אין מסככין בו מפני שנשתנית צורתו וכאלו אינן מגדולי קרקע. מסככין בחבלים של סיב ושל חלף וכיוצא בהן שהרי צורתן עומד ואין החבלים כלים:
5
[The following rules apply] when one uses arrows as s'chach. Those which are "male" are kosher; those which are "female" are not acceptable. Even though [ultimately,] they will be filled with iron, they have a receptacle. Hence, they are susceptible to contracting ritual impurity, as are all utensils with receptacles.
ה
סיככה בחצים בזכרים כשרה בנקבות פסולה אף על פי שהוא עשוי להתמלאות בברזל בית קיבול הוא ומקבל טומאה ככל כלי קיבול:
6
A mat of reeds, of raw rubber, or of hemp - if it is small, we may assume that it was made to lie on. Therefore, it may not be used for s'chach unless it was [explicitly] made for this purpose.
If it is large, we may assume that it was made for shade; therefore, it may be used for s'chach unless it was [explicitly] made to lie on.
If it has a border, even a large mat may not be used as s'chach, because it is considered to be a receptacle. Even if the border were removed, it may not be used as s'chach, because it would be considered to be a broken utensil.
ו
מחצלת קנים או מחצלת גמי או חלף. קטנה סתמה לשכיבה לפיכך אין מסככין בה אלא אם כן עשה אותה לסיכוך. גדולה סתמה לסיכוך לפיכך מסככין בה אלא אם כן עשה אותה לשכיבה. ואם יש לה קיר אפילו גדולה אין מסככין בה שהרי היא ככלי קיבול. ואפילו ניטל הקיר שלה אין מסככין בה מפני שהיא כשברי כלים:
7
Boards which are less than four handbreadths wide may be used for s'chach even though they have been planed. If they are more than four handbreadths wide, they should not be used as s'chach, even though they have not been planed. This is a decree [instituted] lest one sit under a roof and regard it as a sukkah.
If one placed a board which was more than four handbreadths wide over [a sukkah, the sukkah] is kosher. However, one should not sleep under the board. A person who did sleep under the board has not fulfilled his obligation.
There were boards that were four handbreadths wide, but less than four handbreadths thick. A person turned them on their side so that they would not be four handbreadths wide to use them as s'chach. This is not acceptable, because a board is unacceptable for use as s'chach whether one uses its width or thickness.
ז
נסרים שאין ברחבן ארבעה טפחים מסככין בהן אף על פי שהן משופין. ואם יש ברחבן ארבעה אין מסככין בהן ואע"פ שאינם משופין גזרה שמא ישב תחת התקרה וידמה שהיא כסוכה. נתן עליה נסר אחד שיש ברחבו ארבעה טפחים כשרה ואין ישנין תחתיו והישן תחתיו לא יצא ידי חובתו. היו נסרין שיש ברחבן ארבעה ואין בעביין ארבעה והפכן בצידיהן שאין בהן ארבעה וסכך בהן הרי זו פסולה. שהרי הנסר פסול בין שסיכך ברחבו בין שסיכך בעביו:
8
A roof which is not covered by a ceiling - i.e., the plaster and the stones - but rather has only boards fixed in place, is not acceptable, since they were not placed there for the purpose of a sukkah, but to be part of the house.
Therefore, if one lifted up the boards and removed the nails with the intent [that they serve] as a sukkah, it is kosher. [This applies provided] that each board is not four handbreadths wide.
Similarly, it is kosher if one removed a board from between two others and replaced it with kosher s'chach, with the intention [that it serve] as a sukkah.
ח
תקרה שאין עליה מעזיבה שהיא הטיט והאבנים אלא נסרין תקועין בלבד הרי זו פסולה שהרי לא נעשו לשם סוכה אלא לשם בית. לפיכך אם פקפק הנסרים והניד המסמרים לשם סוכה הרי זו כשרה. ובלבד שלא יהיה בכל נסר ונסר ארבעה טפחים. וכן אם נטל אחד מבינתים והניח במקומו סכך כשר לשם סוכה הרי זו כשרה:
9
A sukkah that was made for any purpose whatsoever - even if it was not made for the purpose of [fulfilling] the mitzvah - if it was made according to law, it is kosher. However, it must be made for the purpose of shade. Examples of this are sukkot made for gentiles, sukkot made for animals, and the like.
In contrast, a sukkah that came about on its own accord is unacceptable, because it was not made for the purpose of shade. Similarly, when a person hollows out a place in a heap of produce and thus makes a sukkah, it is not considered to be a sukkah, because the produce was not piled there for this purpose. Accordingly, were one to create a space one handbreadth [high] and seven [handbreadths] in area for the purpose of a sukkah, and afterwards hollow it out till it reached ten [handbreadths], it is kosher, since its s'chach was placed for the purpose of shade.
ט
סוכה שנעשית כהלכתה מכל מקום כשרה אף על פי שלא נעשית לשם מצוה. והוא שתהיה עשויה לצל כגון סוכת עכו"ם וסוכת בהמה וכל כיוצא בהן. אבל סוכה שנעשית מאיליה פסולה לפי שלא נעשית לצל. וכן החוטט בגדיש ועשהו סוכה אינה סוכה שהרי לא עימר גדיש זה לצל. לפיכך אם עשה בתחלה חלל טפח במשך שבעה לשם סוכה וחטט בה אחרי כן והשלימה לעשרה כשרה שהרי נעשה סכך שלה לצל:
10
We may not use bundles of straw, bundles of wood or bundles of reeds as s'chach. This decree [was instituted] lest one place those bundles on one's roof to dry out, and then change one's mind and sit under them with the intent [that they serve as] a sukkah. The person did not place the s'chach there originally for the purpose of shade. Thus, it resembles a sukkah that came about on its own accord.
If one untied [the bundles], they are acceptable [for use as s'chach]. A bundle is considered to be no fewer than twenty five units.
י
חבילי קש וחבילי עצים וחבילי זרדין אין מסככין בהן גזרה שמא יעשה אותן חבילות על גגו כדי לייבשן וימלך וישב תחתיהן לשם סוכה והוא מתחלה לא עשה סכך זה לצל ונמצאת כסוכה שנעשית מאיליה. ואם התירם כשירות. ואין חבילה פחותה מעשרים וחמשה בדים:
11
Small bundles that were tied together [to be sold] by number may be used as s'chach.
Similarly, if one cuts off the top of a date palm and the branches are bound to it, it may be used as s'chach, because elements that are bound naturally are not considered to be bundles. Furthermore, even if one tied the tops of the branches from one side, and they thus appear to be a single bundle with one of its two ends bound naturally and the other bound as a result of human activity, it may be used as s'chach. A single tree which is bound up is not considered to be a bundle, but rather a single piece of wood, since [the branches] are bound together naturally.
Similarly, any knot which is not strong enough to hold when carried is not considered a knot [and the resulting bundle may be used as s'chach].
יא
חבילות קטנות שאגדו אותן למנין מסככין בהן. וכן החותך ראש הדקל והחריות אגודות בו מסככין בו שאגד בידי שמים אינו כחבילה. ואפילו קשר ראשי החריות כולן מצד האחד שנמצאו בחבילה אחת אחד משני ראשים בידי שמים ואחד בידי אדם מסככין בה שהאוגד עץ אחד אינו חבילה וזו כעץ אחד היא שהרי אגודה בידי שמים. וכן כל אגד שאינו עשוי לטלטלו אינו אגד:
12
A person who constructs his sukkah under a tree is considered as though he built it within his home.
If one draped the leaves and branches of trees [over the sukkah], and then placed s'chach over them, and only afterwards detached them, [the following rules apply:]
If the amount of [kosher] s'chach exceeded [the branches], it is kosher. If the amount of s'chach which originally was kosher did not exceed [the branches], one must move them after detaching them, so that they will have been put in place for the purpose of a sukkah.
יב
העושה סוכתו תחת האילן כאילו עשאה בתוך הבית. הדלה עליה עלי האילנות ובדיהן וסכך על גבן ואחר כך קצצן. אם היה הסיכוך הרבה מהן כשרה. ואם לא היה הסיכוך שהיה מתחלתו כשר הרבה מהן צריך לנענע אותן אחר קציצתן כדי שתהיה עשויה לשם סוכה:
13
If one mixed a substance which may be used for s'chach with a substance that may not be used for s'chach and used the two as s'chach, even though the quantity of kosher s'chach exceeds that of the substance which was not acceptable as s'chach, [the mixture] is not acceptable.
If one covered the sukkah with the two substances and kept them separate, [the following rules apply:] If there are more than three handbreadths of the substance which is not acceptable as s'chach in one place, whether in the middle of the sukkah or at its side, it is not acceptable.
יג
עירב דבר שמסככין בו בדבר שאין מסככין בו וסיכך בשניהם אף על פי שהכשר יתר על הפסול פסולה. סיכך בזה לעצמו ובזה לעצמו זה בצד זה. אם יש בסכך פסול שלשה טפחים במקום אחד בין באמצע בין מן הצד הרי זו פסולה:
14
Where does the above apply? In a small sukkah. However, in a large sukkah, where there is a substance that is unacceptable as s'chach in the middle, it disqualifies the sukkah if there are four handbreadths of it. [If there is] less than that, the sukkah is kosher.
Where the substance that is unacceptable as s'chach is at the side, it disqualifies the sukkah if there are four cubits of it. [If there is] less than that, the sukkah is kosher.
For example,
a) [the roof of] a house which was opened in the center and s'chach placed over the opening
b) a courtyard surrounded by an exedra which was covered with s'chach
c) a large sukkah over which was placed a substance that was not acceptable as s'chach near the sides of its walls.
[In all these cases,] if there are four cubits [or more] from the edge of the kosher s'chach until the wall, it is not acceptable. If there is less than that amount, we view it as though the wall has been made crooked - i.e., the substance that is not acceptable as s'chach is considered part of the wall and it is kosher. This concept is a halachah received by Moses on Mount Sinai.
יד
במה דברים אמורים בסוכה קטנה אבל בסוכה גדולה סכך פסול באמצע פוסלה בארבעה טפחים פחות מיכן כשרה. ומן הצד פוסל בארבע אמות ופחות מיכן כשרה. כיצד בית שנפחת באמצעו וסיכך על מקום הפחת. וכן חצר המוקפת אכסדרה שסיכך עליה. וכן סוכה גדולה שהקיפוה בדבר שאין מסככין בו בצד הדפנות מלמעלה. אם יש משפת הסכך הכשר ולכותל ארבע אמות פסולה. פחות מיכן רואין כאילו הכותל נעקם ויחשב זה הסכך הפסול מגוף הכותל וכשרה. ודבר זה הלכה למשה מסיני:
15
What is a small sukkah? Any [sukkah] whose area is no more than seven handbreadths by seven handbreadths.
[What is meant by] a large one? Any [sukkah] [whose area is large enough] that seven handbreadths by seven handbreadths of kosher s'chach will remain besides the s'chach which is not acceptable.
טו
ואי זו היא סוכה קטנה כל שאין בה אלא שבעה טפחים על שבעה טפחים. וגדולה כל שישאר בה יתר על סכך הפסול שבעה טפחים על שבעה טפחים סכך כשר:
16
If one used as s'chach substances that were acceptable as s'chach and substances that were not acceptable as s'chach, and placed them alongside each other, leaving no place with non-kosher s'chach more than three handbreadths in area, [the following rules apply:]
If the total of the kosher s'chach exceeds that of the non-kosher s'chach, it is kosher. If there was an exactly equal amount of both substances, it is not acceptable even though there is not a single place which has three handbreadths [of non-kosher s'chach]. [This decision is rendered] because non-kosher s'chach is considered to be open space.
טז
סיפר בדבר פסול ודבר כשר זה בצד זה ואין במקום אחד מסכך הפסול רוחב שלשה טפחים אלא פחות. אם היה כל הסכך הכשר יותר על כל הסכך הפסול כשר. ואם היה זה כמו זה בצמצום אע"פ שאין במקום אחד שלשה הרי זו פסולה מפני שסכך פסול כפרוץ הוא נחשב:
17
If one spread a cloth above [the s'chach] or spread one below it to catch [the leaves] which fall, it is unacceptable. If one spread it [under the s'chach] as a decoration, it is kosher. Similarly, if one covered the sukkah with s'chach as required by law and adorned it with various types of fruit, delicacies, and articles which hang from either the walls or the s'chach as a decoration, it is kosher.
יז
פרש עליה בגד מלמעלה או שפרש תחתיה מפני הנשר פסולה. פרשו כדי לנאותה כשרה. וכן אם סיככה כהלכתה ועיטרה במיני פירות ובמיני מגדים וכלים שתלויין בין בכתליה בין בסכך כדי לנאותה כשרה:
18
Sukkah decorations do not reduce its height, but they do reduce its width.
If the sukkah decorations are four handbreadths or more removed from the roof, it is unacceptable, because it is as though a person who sits there is not sitting under the s'chach, but rather under the decorations, which are foods and utensils that are not acceptable as s'chach.
יח
נויי סוכה אין ממעטין בגובהה אבל ממעטין ברחבה. היו נויי הסוכה מופלגין מגגה ארבעה טפחים או יתר פסולה. שנמצא שהיושב שם כאילו אינו תחת הסכך אלא תחת הנויים שהן אוכלין וכלים שאין מסככין בהן:
19
The [following rules apply when the] s'chach has open spaces through which the sky can be seen: If the area of the open spaces is equivalent to that of the space covered by s'chach, it is not acceptable, because the portion exposed to the sun will be greater than the shaded portion. Whenever the portion exposed to the sun is greater than the shaded portion, it is not considered as s'chach.
If the s'chach exceeds the open space, it is kosher.
יט
סכך שהיו בו חלונות חלונות שהאויר נראה מהן. אם יש בכל האויר ככל מקום המסוכך הרי זו פסולה מפני שחמתה תהיה מרובה מצלתה. וכל שהחמה מרובה על הצל אינו סכך. ואם היה הסכך רב על האויר כשרה:
20
When does the above apply? When there is no one open space of three handbreadths. However, if there is an open space of three handbreadths - whether in the center or at the side - it is unacceptable until one reduces [the space] to less than three.
If one used substances that were not acceptable as s'chach - e.g., pillows and blankets - to reduce the space, it is kosher if the sukkah is large. If it is a small sukkah, it is not acceptable unless [the space] was reduced with a substance that is acceptable as s'chach.
When the shaded portion of most of the sukkah exceeds the portion exposed to the sun, although in the lesser part of the sukkah the portion exposed to the sun exceeds the shaded portion, because as a whole the shaded portion exceeds the portion exposed to the sun, it is kosher.
כ
במה דברים אמורים בשלא היה במקום אחד אויר שלשה טפחים. אבל אם היה אויר שלשה טפחים בין באמצע בין מן הצד הרי זו פסולה עד שימעטנו משלשה. מיעטו בדבר הפסול כגון כרים וכסתות. אם סוכה גדולה היא כשרה. ואם בסוכה קטנה פסולה עד שימעטנו בדבר שמסככין בו. היה רוב הסכוך צלתו מרובה מחמתו ומיעוטו חמתו מרובה מצלתו הואיל וצילת הכל מרובה מחמת הכל כשרה:
21
The proper way is that s'chach should be thin, so that the large stars can be seen through it. However, even though it is thick - like [the roof of] a house - and stars cannot be seen through it, it is kosher.
If the s'chach is uneven - i.e., some of it high and some of it low - it is kosher, provided there is less than three handbreadths between the upper and lower [portions of the s'chach]. If the upper portion [of the s'chach] is a handbreadth or more wide, even though it is more than three handbreadths above [the lower portion], we consider it to be descending and touching the edge of the lower portion. [This applies] provided it is aligned opposite the edge of the lower portion.
כא
דרך הסכוך להיות קל כדי שיראו ממנו הכוכבים הגדולים. היתה מעובה כמין בית אף על פי שאין הכוכבים נראין מתוכה כשרה. היה הסכוך מדובלל והוא הסכוך שיהיה מקצתו למעלה ומקצתו למטה כשר. ובלבד שלא יהיה בין העולה והיורד שלשה טפחים. ואם היה ברוחב זה העולה טפח או יתר אף על פי שהוא גבוה יתר משלשה טפחים רואין אותו כאילו ירד למטה ונגע בשפת זה היורד. והוא שיהיה מכוון כנגד שפת היורד:
22
When a person constructs one sukkah on top of another sukkah, the lower one is unacceptable. It is considered as though it had been constructed in a house. [However,] the upper one is kosher.
When do we say that the lower one is unacceptable? When the inner space of the upper sukkah is ten handbreadths or more [high] and the roof of the lower sukkah is strong enough to hold the pillows and covers of the upper sukkah, even if that is done with difficulty.
However, if the inner space of the upper sukkah is less than ten handbreadths [high], or the roof of the lower sukkah is not strong enough to hold the pillows and covers of the upper sukkah, even with difficulty, even the lower sukkah is kosher. This applies provided the height of both together does not exceed twenty cubits, since [use of] the lower sukkah is permitted because of the s'chach of the upper one.
כב
העושה סוכה על גבי סוכה. התחתונה פסולה כמי שעשה סוכה בתוך הבית והעליונה כשרה במה דברים אמורים שהתחתונה פסולה בשהיה גובה חלל העליונה עשרה טפחים או יתר והיה גג התחתונה יכול לקבל כרים וכסתות של עליונה אפילו על ידי הדחק. אבל אם אין גובהה של עליונה עשרה או שלא היתה התחתונה יכולה לקבל כרים וכסתות של עליונה אפילו על ידי הדחק (אף) התחתונה כשרה והוא שלא יהיה גובה שתיהן יתר על עשרים אמה שהתחתונה בסכך העליונה היא נתרת:
23
A bed [with a canopy placed] inside a sukkah: If [the canopy] is more than ten handbreadths high, a person who sits under it does not fulfill his obligation, because it is considered to be a sukkah within a sukkah.
Similarly, a canopy with a roof - even as small as a handbreadth: If it is ten handbreadths high, one may not sleep under it in a sukkah. By the same token, if one sets up four pillars and spreads a sheet over them, if they are ten [handbreadths high], they are considered to be a sukkah within a sukkah.
כג
מטה שבתוך הסוכה אם גבוהה עשרה טפחים. היושב תחתיה לא יצא ידי חובתו. מפני שהיא כסוכה בתוך סוכה. וכן כילה שיש לה גג אפילו טפח אם גבוהה עשרה טפחים אין ישנין בה בסוכה. וכן המעמיד ארבעה עמודים ופרש סדין עליהן אם גבוהין עשרה הרי זה כסוכה בתוך סוכה:
24
In contrast, should one spread a sheet over two pillars or [use] a canopy that has a roof of less than a handbreadth - no matter how high they are - it is permitted to sleep under them within a sukkah. They are not considered to be a sukkah within a sukkah, because they do not have a roof.
כד
אבל שני עמודים שפרש עליהן סדין וכן כילה שאין בגגה טפח אפילו גבוהין כל שהן מותר לישן תחתיהם בסוכה. שאינן כסוכה בתוך סוכה מפני שאין לה גג:
25
A borrowed sukkah is fit [to be used on the holiday]. Similarly, a stolen sukkah is also fit [for use].
What does the latter imply? If a person attacked a colleague, forced him to leave his sukkah, stole it, and dwelled in it, the attacker has fulfilled his obligation, because landed property cannot be stolen.
[Similarly,] if he stole wood and made a sukkah from it, he has fulfilled his obligation, because the Sages ordained that the owner of the wood is entitled only to the monetary worth of the wood. Even if one stole boards and merely put them in place without attaching them or changing anything about them, he has fulfilled his obligation.
If a person constructs his sukkah in the public domain, it is acceptable.
כה
סוכה שאולה כשרה וכן הגזולה כשרה. כיצד אם תקף על חברו והוציאו מסוכתו וגזלה וישב בה יצא שאין הקרקע נגזלת. ואם גזל עצים ועשה מהן סוכה יצא. שתקנת חכמים היא שאין לבעל העצים אלא דמי עצים בלבד. ואפילו גזל נסרים והניחן ולא חברן ולא שנה בהן כלום יצא. העושה סוכתו ברשות הרבים הרי זו כשרה
• Sunday, 18 Kislev, 5777 · 18 December 2016
• "Today's Day"
• Wednesday, Kislev 18, 5704
Torah lessons: Chumash: Vayeishev, Revi'i with Rashi.
Tehillim: 88-89.
Tanya: "You shall reprove (p. 631)...parallel to the other...(p.633).
No tachanun at Mincha.
The Tzemach Tzedek writes: The love expressed in "Beside You I wish for nothing,"1 means that one should desire nothing other than G-d, not even "Heaven" or "earth" i.e. Higher Gan Eden and Lower Gan Eden, for these were created with a mere yud...2. The love is to be directed to Him alone, to His very Being and Essence. This was actually expressed by my master and teacher3 (the Alter Rebbe) when he was in a state of d'veikut4 and he exclaimed as follows:
I want nothing at all! I don't want Your gan eden, I don't want Your olam haba... I want nothing but You alone.
GOOD YOM TOV.
MAY YOU BE INSCRIBED AND SEALED
FOR A GOOD YEAR IN THE STUDY OF CHASSIDUS
AND THE WAYS OF CHASSIDUS
FOOTNOTES
1.Tehillim 73:25.
2.The Divine Essence-name, Havayeh (the Tetragrammaton), is source of all creation. Olam haba, spiritual Hereafter, including Gan Eden, was created from the first (and smallest) letter - yud - of the Name.
3.After "...teacher" there appears in the Hebrew the expression "may his soul rest in eden."
4.Ecstatic, cleaving devotion to G-d. See Sh'vat 23.
• Daily Thought:
Prophecy
G‑d speaks with us at every moment.
His words form all the events of time and space we see about us.
What then is a prophet?
Nothing more than one who catches those words before they crystallize into the events of time and space.
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