Torah Reading
Ki Tisa: Exodus 30:11 Adonai said to Moshe, 12 “When you take a census of the people of Isra’el and register them, each, upon registration, is to pay a ransom for his life to Adonai, to avoid any breakout of plague among them during the time of the census. 13 Everyone subject to the census is to pay as an offering to Adonai half a shekel [one-fifth of an ounce of silver]— by the standard of the sanctuary shekel (a shekel equals twenty gerahs). 14 Everyone over twenty years of age who is subject to the census is to give this offering to Adonai — 15 the rich is not to give more or the poor less than the half-shekel when giving Adonai’s offering to atone for your lives. 16 You are to take the atonement money from the people of Isra’el and use it for the service in the tent of meeting, so that it will be a reminder of the people of Isra’el before Adonai to atone for your lives.”
17 Adonai said to Moshe, 18 “You are to make a basin of bronze, with a base of bronze, for washing. Place it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it. 19 Aharon and his sons will wash their hands and feet there 20 when they enter the tent of meeting — they are to wash with water, so that they won’t die. Also when they approach the altar to minister by burning an offering for Adonai, 21 they are to wash their hands and feet, so that they won’t die. This is to be a perpetual law for them through all their generations.”
Today's Laws & Customs:
• Shushan Purim
In cities that are surrounded by a wall dating from the days of Joshua (13th century BCE) -- a prominent example is the city of Jerusalem -- the festival of Purim is observed on the 15th of Adar (instead of the 14th), in commemoration of the fact that in the ancient walled city of Shushan, the first Purim was celebrated on this day (see "Today in Jewish History").
(For an overview of the Purim observances and links to more information, see "Laws and Customs" for Adar 14.)
Today in Jewish History:
• Purim Victory Celebrated in Shushan (356 BCE)
The battles fought between the Jews and their enemies, which took place on Adar 13 throughout the Persian empire (see "Today in Jewish History" for that date), continued for two days -- Adar 13 and 14 -- in the capital city of Shushan, where there were a greater number of Jew haters. Thus the victory celebrations in Shushan were held on the 15th of Adar, and the observance of the festival of Purim was instituted for that day in Shushan and all walled cities. (See Laws and Customs below).
Daily Quote:
Said Rabbi Banaah: There were 24 interpreters of dreams in Jerusalem. Once I had a dream and went around to all of them and they all gave different interpretations, and all were fulfilled, confirming that which is said, "All dreams follow the mouth."[Talmud, Berachot 55b]
Today's Study:
Ki Tisa: Exodus 30:11 Adonai said to Moshe, 12 “When you take a census of the people of Isra’el and register them, each, upon registration, is to pay a ransom for his life to Adonai, to avoid any breakout of plague among them during the time of the census. 13 Everyone subject to the census is to pay as an offering to Adonai half a shekel [one-fifth of an ounce of silver]— by the standard of the sanctuary shekel (a shekel equals twenty gerahs). 14 Everyone over twenty years of age who is subject to the census is to give this offering to Adonai — 15 the rich is not to give more or the poor less than the half-shekel when giving Adonai’s offering to atone for your lives. 16 You are to take the atonement money from the people of Isra’el and use it for the service in the tent of meeting, so that it will be a reminder of the people of Isra’el before Adonai to atone for your lives.”
17 Adonai said to Moshe, 18 “You are to make a basin of bronze, with a base of bronze, for washing. Place it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it. 19 Aharon and his sons will wash their hands and feet there 20 when they enter the tent of meeting — they are to wash with water, so that they won’t die. Also when they approach the altar to minister by burning an offering for Adonai, 21 they are to wash their hands and feet, so that they won’t die. This is to be a perpetual law for them through all their generations.”
Today's Laws & Customs:
• Shushan Purim
In cities that are surrounded by a wall dating from the days of Joshua (13th century BCE) -- a prominent example is the city of Jerusalem -- the festival of Purim is observed on the 15th of Adar (instead of the 14th), in commemoration of the fact that in the ancient walled city of Shushan, the first Purim was celebrated on this day (see "Today in Jewish History").
(For an overview of the Purim observances and links to more information, see "Laws and Customs" for Adar 14.)
Today in Jewish History:
• Purim Victory Celebrated in Shushan (356 BCE)
The battles fought between the Jews and their enemies, which took place on Adar 13 throughout the Persian empire (see "Today in Jewish History" for that date), continued for two days -- Adar 13 and 14 -- in the capital city of Shushan, where there were a greater number of Jew haters. Thus the victory celebrations in Shushan were held on the 15th of Adar, and the observance of the festival of Purim was instituted for that day in Shushan and all walled cities. (See Laws and Customs below).
Daily Quote:
Said Rabbi Banaah: There were 24 interpreters of dreams in Jerusalem. Once I had a dream and went around to all of them and they all gave different interpretations, and all were fulfilled, confirming that which is said, "All dreams follow the mouth."[Talmud, Berachot 55b]
Today's Study:
Chitas and Rambam for today:
Chumash: Ki Tisa, 2nd Portion Exodus 31:18-33:11 with Rashi
• Exodus Chapter 31
18When He had finished speaking with him on Mount Sinai, He gave Moses the two tablets of the testimony, stone tablets, written with the finger of God. יחוַיִּתֵּ֣ן אֶל־משֶׁ֗ה כְּכַלֹּתוֹ֙ לְדַבֵּ֤ר אִתּוֹ֙ בְּהַ֣ר סִינַ֔י שְׁנֵ֖י לֻחֹ֣ת הָֽעֵדֻ֑ת לֻחֹ֣ת אֶ֔בֶן כְּתֻבִ֖ים בְּאֶצְבַּ֥ע אֱלֹהִֽים:
He gave Moses: In the Torah, chronological order is not adhered to. The episode of the calf took place long before the command of the work of the Mishkan. For on the seventeenth of Tammuz the tablets were broken, and on Yom Kippur the Holy One, blessed is He, was reconciled to Israel. On the morrow [i.e., on the eleventh of Tishri], they commenced with the donation for the Mishkan, and it [the Mishkan] was erected on the first of Nissan. -[from Midrash Tanchuma, Ki Thissa 31] ויתן אל משה וגו': אין מוקדם ומאוחר בתורה. מעשה העגל קודם לצווי מלאכת המשכן ימים רבים היה, שהרי בשבעה עשר בתמוז נשתברו הלוחות, וביום הכפורים נתרצה הקב"ה לישראל, ולמחרת התחילו בנדבת המשכן והוקם באחד בניסן:
When He had finished: Heb. כְּכַלֹתוֹ. [This word should be spelled כְּכַלּוֹתוֹ. Here, however,] it is spelled defectively [without the first “vav”], as if to be read: כְּכַלָּתוֹ, [meaning] like his bride, for the Torah was delivered to him [Moses] as a gift, as a bride [is given] to a bridegroom, because [otherwise] he could not have learnt it all in such a short time (Tanchuma, Ki Thissa 18). Another explanation: Just as a bride is adorned with twenty-four ornaments [i.e.,] the ones listed in the book of Isaiah (3:18-22), so too must a Torah scholar be adorned with the twenty-four books [of the Scriptures, i.e., possess the knowledge of the entire Scriptures] (Tanchuma, Ki Thissa 16). ככלתו: ככלתו כתיב חסר, שנמסרה לו תורה במתנה ככלה לחתן, שלא היה יכול ללמוד כולה בזמן מועט כזה. דבר אחר מה כלה מתקשטת בעשרים וארבעה קשוטין, הן האמורים בספר ישעיה (ישעיה ג יח - כד) אף תלמיד חכם צריך להיות בקי בעשרים וארבעה ספרים:
speaking with him: the statutes and the ordinances in the section entitled: “And these are the ordinances” (Exod. 21-23) [i.e., in parshath Mishpatim]. לדבר אתו: החקים והמשפטים שבואלה המשפטים:
speaking with him: [The word “with”] teaches [us] that Moses would hear [the laws] from God and then they would both repeat the halachah together. -[from Exod. Rabbah 41:5] לדבר אתו: מלמד שהיה משה שומע מפי הגבורה וחוזרין ושונין את ההלכה שניהם יחד:
tablets: Heb. לֻחֹת. It is spelled לֻחֹת [without the “vav” of the plural, as if to be read לֻחַת, the singular form,] because they were both the same [size]. -[from Exod. Rabbah 41:6] לחת: לחת כתיב שהיו שתיהם שוות:
Exodus Chapter 32
1When the people saw that Moses was late in coming down from the mountain, the people gathered against Aaron, and they said to him: "Come on! Make us gods that will go before us, because this man Moses, who brought us up from the land of Egypt we don't know what has become of him." אוַיַּ֣רְא הָעָ֔ם כִּֽי בשֵׁ֥שׁ משֶׁ֖ה לָרֶ֣דֶת מִן־הָהָ֑ר וַיִּקָּהֵ֨ל הָעָ֜ם עַל־אַֽהֲרֹ֗ן וַיֹּֽאמְר֤וּ אֵלָיו֙ ק֣וּם | עֲשֵׂה־לָ֣נוּ אֱלֹהִ֗ים אֲשֶׁ֤ר יֵֽלְכוּ֙ לְפָנֵ֔ינוּ כִּי־זֶ֣ה | משֶׁ֣ה הָאִ֗ישׁ אֲשֶׁ֤ר הֶֽעֱלָ֨נוּ֙ מֵאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרַ֔יִם לֹ֥א יָדַ֖עְנוּ מֶה־הָ֥יָה לֽוֹ:
that Moses was late: Heb. בשֵׁשׁ, as the Targum [Onkelos] renders אוֹחַר, an expression for lateness. Likewise, [in the verse] “is his chariot late (בֹּשֵׁשׁ) ” (Jud. 5:28); “and they waited until it was late (בּוֹשׁ) ” (Jud. 3:25). When Moses went up the mountain, he said to them [the Israelites], “At the end of forty days I will come, within six hours” [from sunrise of the fortieth day]. They thought that the day he went up was included in the number [of the forty days], but [in fact] he had said to them, “forty days,” [meaning] complete [days], including the night. But the day of his ascent did not have its night included with it [because Moses ascended in the morning], for on the seventh of Sivan he ascended. Thus, the fortieth day [of Moses’ absence] was the seventeenth of Tammuz. On the sixteenth [of Tammuz], Satan came and brought confusion into the world and showed a semblance of darkness, [even] pitch darkness, and confusion, [as if] indicating [that] Moses had surely died and therefore, confusion had come upon the world. He [Satan] said to them, “Moses has died, for six [additional] hours have already passed, and he has not come, etc.,” as is found in tractate Shabbath (89a). We cannot say that their [the Israelites’] only error was that on a cloudy day [they were confused] between before noon and after noon, because Moses did not descend until the next day, as it is said: “On the next day, they arose early, offered up burnt offerings…” (verse 6). כי בשש משה: כתרגומו, לשון איחור, וכן בשש רכבו, (שופטים ה כח), ויחילו עד בוש (שם ג כה) כי כשעלה משה להר אמר להם לסוף ארבעים יום אני בא בתוך שש שעות. כסבורים הם, שאותו יום שעלה מן המנין הוא, והוא אמר להם שלימים, ארבעים יום ולילו עמו, ויום עלייתו אין לילו עמו, שהרי בשבעה בסיון עלה, נמצא יום ארבעים בשבעה עשר בתמוז. בששה עשר בא השטן וערבב את העולם והראה דמות חשך ואפילה וערבוביא לומר ודאי מת משה, לכך בא ערבוביא לעולם. אמר להם מת משה, שכבר באו שש שעות ולא בא וכו', כדאיתא במסכת שבת (דף פט). ואי אפשר לומר שלא טעו אלא ביום המעונן בין קודם חצות בין לאחר חצות, שהרי לא ירד משה עד יום המחרת, שנאמר וישכימו ממחרת ויעלו עולות:
that will go before us: אִשֶׁר יֵלְכוּ לְפָנֵינוּ [The word יֵלְכוּ is in the plural form.] They desired many deities for themselves. -[from Sanh. 63a] אשר ילכו לפנינו: אלהות הרבה איוו להם:
because this man Moses: Satan showed them something resembling Moses, being carried in the air, high above in the sky. -[from Shab. 89a, Midrash Tanchuma 19] כי זה משה האיש: כמין דמות משה הראה להם השטן, שנושאים אותו באויר רקיע השמים:
who brought us up from the land of Egypt: And directed us the way we should go up [from Egypt]. Now we need gods who will go before us [instead of Moses]. אשר העלנו מארץ מצרים: והיה מורה לנו דרך, אשר נעלה בה, עתה צריכין אנו לאלהות, אשר ילכו לפנינו:
2Aaron said to them, "Remove the golden earrings that are on the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters and bring them [those earrings] to me." בוַיֹּ֤אמֶר אֲלֵהֶם֙ אַֽהֲרֹ֔ן פָּֽרְקוּ֙ נִזְמֵ֣י הַזָּהָ֔ב אֲשֶׁר֙ בְּאָזְנֵ֣י נְשֵׁיכֶ֔ם בְּנֵיכֶ֖ם וּבְנֹֽתֵיכֶ֑ם וְהָבִ֖יאוּ אֵלָֽי:
that are on the ears of your wives…: Aaron said to himself, “The women and children are fond of their jewelry. Perhaps the matter will be delayed, and in the meantime, Moses will arrive.” But they did not wait [for their wives and children to give them their earrings], and they took off their own [earrings]. -[from Midrash Tanchuma 21] באזני נשיכם: אמר אהרן בלבו הנשים והילדים חסים על תכשיטיהן, שמא יתעכב הדבר, ובתוך כך יבא משה, והם לא המתינו ופרקו מעל עצמן:
Remove: Heb. פָּרְקוּ, an imperative expression, from the same root as פָּרֵק in the singular. [This is] like בָּרְכוּ, bless, [which is] from the same root as בָּרֵ. פרקו: לשון צווי, מגזרת פרק ליחיד, כמו ברכו, מגזרת ברך:
3And all the people stripped themselves of the golden earrings that were on their ears and brought them to Aaron. גוַיִּתְפָּֽרְקוּ֙ כָּל־הָעָ֔ם אֶת־נִזְמֵ֥י הַזָּהָ֖ב אֲשֶׁ֣ר בְּאָזְנֵיהֶ֑ם וַיָּבִ֖יאוּ אֶל־אַֽהֲרֹֽן:
stripped themselves: Heb. וַיִתְפָּרְקוּ, an expression [used for] unloading a burden. When they removed them [the earrings] from their ears, they were found to be unloaded of their earrings, descharyer in Old French [decharger in modern French], to unload. ויתפרקו: לשון פריקת משא, כשנטלום מאזניהם נמצאו הם מפורקים מנזמיהם, דישקריי"ר בלעז (לפרוק):
of the golden earrings: Heb. אֶת-נִזְמֵי, like מִנַּזְמֵי, similar to “When I leave the city (אֶת-הָעִיר) ” (Exod. 9:29), [like] מִן-הָעִיר, [lit., when I go out of the city]. את נזמי: כמו מנזמי, כמו (שמות ט כט) כצאתי את העיר, מן העיר:
4He took [them] from their hand[s], fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made it into a molten calf, upon which they said: "These are your gods, O Israel, who have brought you up from the land of Egypt!" דוַיִּקַּ֣ח מִיָּדָ֗ם וַיָּ֤צַר אֹתוֹ֙ בַּחֶ֔רֶט וַיַּֽעֲשֵׂ֖הוּ עֵ֣גֶל מַסֵּכָ֑ה וַיֹּ֣אמְר֔וּ אֵ֤לֶּה אֱלֹהֶ֨יךָ֙ יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל אֲשֶׁ֥ר הֶֽעֱל֖וּךָ מֵאֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם:
fashioned it with an engraving tool: Heb. וַיָּצַר אֹתוֹ בַּחֶרֶט. This [clause] can be rendered in two ways: One is [that] וַיָָּצַר is an expression of tying, and בַּחֶרֶט is an expression meaning a kerchief, similar to “and the tablecloths and the purses (וְהַחִרִיטִים) ” (Isa. 3:22); “and he tied two talents of silver in two purses (חִרִטִים) ” (II Kings 5:23). The second [way of rendering it] is [that] וַיָּצַר is an expression meaning a form, and בַּחֶרֶט is the tool of the smiths, with which they cut out and engrave (חוֹרְטִין) forms in gold. [The tool is] like a scribe’s stylus, which engraves letters on tablets and wax-covered tablets, as “and inscribe on it with a common pen (בְּחֶרֶט אֱנוֹשׁ) ” (Isa. 8:1). This [second interpretation] is what Onkelos rendered: וְצַר יָתֵיהּ בְּזִיפָא, an expression of זִיוּף, a tool with which people engrave letters and designs, known in French as nielle, niello work. With it, signets are engraved. ויצר אותו בחרט: יש לתרגמו בשני פנים האחד, ויצר לשון קשירה, בחרט לשון סודר, כמו (ישעיה ג כא) והמטפחות והחריטים, (מלכים ב ה כג) ויצר ככרים כסף בשני חריטים. והשני, ויצר לשון צורה, בחרט כלי אומנות הצורפין, שחורצין וחורטין בו צורות בזהב כעט סופר החורט אותיות בלוחות ופנקסין, כמו (ישעיה ח א) וכתוב עליו בחרט אנוש. וזהו שתרגם אונקלוס וצר יתיה בזיפא, לשון זיוף הוא כלי אומנות שחורצין בו בזהב אותיות ושקדים, שקורין בלעז ניאי"ל [תצריב שחור] ומזייפין על ידו חותמות:
a molten calf -: As soon as they had cast it into the fire of the crucible, the sorcerers of the mixed multitude who had gone up with them from Egypt came and made it with sorcery. [See commentary on Exod. 12:38.] Others say that Micah was there, who had emerged from the layer of the building where he had been crushed in Egypt. (Sanh. 101b). In his hand was a plate upon which Moses had inscribed “Ascend, O ox; ascend, O ox,” to [miraculously] bring up Joseph’s coffin from the Nile. They cast it [the plate] into the crucible, and the calf emerged. -[from Midrash Tanchuma 19] עגל מסכה: כיון שהשליכו לכור, באו מכשפי ערב רב שעלו עמהם ממצרים ועשאוהו בכשפים ויש אומרים מיכה היה שם שיצא מתוך דמוסי בנין שנתמעך בו במצרים, והיה בידו שם, וטס שכתב בו משה עלה שור, עלה שור, להעלות ארונו של יוסף מתוך נילוס, והשליכו לתוך הכור ויצא העגל:
molten: Heb. מַסֵּכָה, an expression related to מַתֶּכֶת, metal, [both derived from roots meaning to pour]. Another interpretation: One hundred and twenty-five centenaria of gold were in it, like the gematria of מַסֵּכָה. 40= מ, 60= ס, 20= כ, 5= ה, totaling 125] -[from Midrash Tanchuma 19] מסכה: לשון מתכת. דבר אחר מאה עשרים וחמשה קנטרין זהב היה בו, כגימטריא של מסכה:
These are your gods: But it does not say, “These are our gods.” -[from here [we learn] that the mixed multitude who had come up from Egypt were the ones who gathered against Aaron, and they were the ones who made it [the calf]. Afterwards, they caused the Israelites to stray after it. -[from Midrash Tanchuma 19] אלה אלהיך: ולא נאמר אלה אלהינו, מכאן שערב רב שעלו ממצרים, הם שנקהלו על אהרן, והם שעשאוהו, ואחר כך הטעו את ישראל אחריו:
5When Aaron saw [this], he built an altar in front of it, and Aaron proclaimed and said: "Tomorrow shall be a festival to the Lord." הוַיַּ֣רְא אַֽהֲרֹ֔ן וַיִּ֥בֶן מִזְבֵּ֖חַ לְפָנָ֑יו וַיִּקְרָ֤א אַֽהֲרֹן֙ וַיֹּאמַ֔ר חַ֥ג לַֽיהֹוָ֖ה מָחָֽר:
When Aaron saw: that it was alive, as it is said: “for the likeness of an ox eating grass” (Ps. 106:20), and he saw that Satan’s work had succeeded, and he had no words to stall them completely [i.e., to keep the Israelites from worshipping the calf, so then] וירא אהרן: שהיה בו רוח חיים, שנאמר (תהלים קו כ) בתבנית שור אוכל עשב, וראה שהצליח מעשה שטן, ולא היה לו פה לדחותם לגמרי:
he built an altar: to stall them. ויבן מזבח: לדחותם:
and said: “Tomorrow shall be a festival to the Lord.”: But [it will] not [be] today. Perhaps Moses would come before they would worship it. This is its simple meaning. Its midrashic meaning in Leviticus Rabbah (10:3) is [as follows]: Aaron saw many things. He saw his sister’s son Hur, who had reproved them [the Israelites], and they assassinated him. That is [the meaning of] וַיִּבֶן, [an expression of בִּינָה, understanding]. מִזְבֵּח לְפָנָיו [should be understood as if it were written] וַיִבֶן מִזָָּבוּחַ לְפָנָיו, [meaning] he understood from the slaughtered one in front of him. Moreover, he saw [the situation] and said, “Better I should be blamed and not they.” He also “saw” another thing and said, “If they build the altar [themselves], one will bring pebbles and [another] one will bring a stone. Thus, their work will be done all at once. Since I will build it, and I will neglect my work, in the meantime Moses will arrive.” ויאמר חג לה' מחר: ולא היום, שמא יבא משה קודם שיעבדוהו, זהו פשוטו. ומדרשו בויקרא רבה (ה /י/, ג) דברים הרבה ראה אהרן, ראה חור בן אחותו, שהיה מוכיחם והרגוהו, וזהו ויבן מזבח לפניו - ויבן מזבוח לפניו. ועוד ראה ואמר מוטב שיתלה בי הסירחון ולא בהם, ועוד ראה ואמר אם הם בונים אותו המזבח, זה מביא צרור וזה מביא אבן, ונמצאת מלאכתן נעשית בבת אחת, מתוך שאני בונה אותו ומתעצל במלאכתי, בין כך ובין כך משה בא:
a festival to the Lord: In his heart, he meant Heaven. He was confident that Moses would come, and they would worship the Omnipresent. -[from Lev. Rabbah 10:3] חג לה': בלבו היה לשמים, בטוח היה שיבא משה, ויעבדו את המקום:
6On the next day they arose early, offered up burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings, and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and they got up to make merry. ווַיַּשְׁכִּ֨ימוּ֙ מִמָּֽחֳרָ֔ת וַיַּֽעֲל֣וּ עֹלֹ֔ת וַיַּגִּ֖שׁוּ שְׁלָמִ֑ים וַיֵּ֤שֶׁב הָעָם֙ לֶֽאֱכֹ֣ל וְשָׁת֔וֹ וַיָּקֻ֖מוּ לְצַחֵֽק:
they arose early: Satan roused them so that they would sin. וישכימו: השטן זרזם כדי שיחטאו:
to make merry: Heb. לְצַחֵק. In this word, there is [also] a connotation of sexual immorality, as it is said: “to mock (לְצַחֶק) me” (Gen. 39:17), and bloodshed, as it is said: “Let the boys get up now and play (וִישַׂחִקוּ) before us” (II Sam. 2:14). Here too, Hur was slain. -[from Midrash Tanchuma 20] לצחק: יש במשמע הזה גלוי עריות, כמו שנאמר (בראשית לט יז) לצחק בי, ושפיכות דמים, כמו שנאמר (שמואל ב' ב יד) יקומו נא הנערים וישחקו לפנינו, אף כאן נהרג חור:
7And the Lord said to Moses: "Go, descend, for your people that you have brought up from the land of Egypt have acted corruptly. זוַיְדַבֵּ֥ר יְהֹוָ֖ה אֶל־משֶׁ֑ה לֶךְ־רֵ֕ד כִּ֚י שִׁחֵ֣ת עַמְּךָ֔ אֲשֶׁ֥ר הֶֽעֱלֵ֖יתָ מֵאֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם:
And…said: Heb. וַיְדַבֵּר. [This is] an expression of harshness, like “and he spoke (וַיְדַבֵּר) to them harshly” (Gen. 42:7). וידבר: לשון קושי הוא, כמו (בראשית מב ז) וידבר אתם קשות:
Go, descend: Descend from your high position. I gave you this high position only for their sake (Ber. 32a). At that time, Moses was banished by a decree of the heavenly tribunal (Midrash Tanchuma 22, Exod. Rabbah 42:3). לך רד: מגדולתך, לא נתתי לך גדולה אלא בשבילם. באותה שעה נתנדה משה מפי בית דין של מעלה:
your people…have acted corruptly: Heb. שִׁחֵתעַמְ. It does not say, “The people have acted corruptly,” but “your people.” Those are the mixed multitude whom you accepted on your own initiative, and whom you converted without consulting Me. You said, “It is good that converts cleave to the Shechinah.” They have acted corruptly and have corrupted [others]. -[from Exod. Rabbah 42:6] שחת עמך: שחת העם לא נאמר אלא עמך, ערב רב שקבלת מעצמך וגיירתם ולא נמלכת בי, ואמרת טוב שידבקו גרים בשכינה, הם שחתו והשחיתו:
8They have quickly turned away from the path that I have commanded them; they have made themselves a molten calf! And they have prostrated themselves before it, slaughtered sacrifices to it, and said: 'These are your gods, O Israel, who have brought you up from the land of Egypt.' " חסָ֣רוּ מַהֵ֗ר מִן־הַדֶּ֨רֶךְ֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר צִוִּיתִ֔ם עָשׂ֣וּ לָהֶ֔ם עֵ֖גֶל מַסֵּכָ֑ה וַיִּשְׁתַּֽחֲווּ־לוֹ֙ וַיִּזְבְּחוּ־ל֔וֹ וַיֹּ֣אמְר֔וּ אֵ֤לֶּה אֱלֹהֶ֨יךָ֙ יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל אֲשֶׁ֥ר הֶֽעֱל֖וּךָ מֵאֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם:
9And the Lord said to Moses: "I have seen this people and behold! they are a stiff necked people. טוַיֹּ֥אמֶר יְהֹוָ֖ה אֶל־משֶׁ֑ה רָאִ֨יתִי֙ אֶת־הָעָ֣ם הַזֶּ֔ה וְהִנֵּ֥ה עַם־קְשֵׁה־עֹ֖רֶף הֽוּא:
stiff-necked: Heb. קְשֵׁה-עֹרֶף. [This is a description of stubbornness, meaning] they turned the hardness of the backs of their necks toward those who reproved them, and they refused to listen. קשה ערף: מחזרין קשי ערפם לנגד מוכיחיהם, וממאנים לשמוע:
10Now leave Me alone, and My anger will be kindled against them so that I will annihilate them, and I will make you into a great nation." יוְעַתָּה֙ הַנִּ֣יחָה לִּ֔י וְיִֽחַר־אַפִּ֥י בָהֶ֖ם וַֽאֲכַלֵּ֑ם וְאֶֽעֱשֶׂ֥ה אֽוֹתְךָ֖ לְג֥וֹי גָּדֽוֹל:
leave Me alone: [It is unclear why God is saying this-which implies that Moses has made a demand-since] we have not yet heard that Moses prayed for them, and yet He [God] said, “Leave Me alone” ? But here, He opened a door for him and informed him that the matter [indeed] depended upon him [Moses], that if he [Moses] would pray for them, He [God] would not destroy them. [Therefore, God implores Moses to leave Him alone so that He can destroy Israel.] -[from Exod. Rabbah 42:9] הניחה לי: עדיין לא שמענו, שהתפלל משה עליהם, והוא אומר הניחה לי, אלא כאן פתח לו פתח והודיעו, שהדבר תלוי בו, שאם יתפלל עליהם לא יכלם:
11Moses pleaded before the Lord, his God, and said: "Why, O Lord, should Your anger be kindled against Your people whom You have brought up from the land of Egypt with great power and with a strong hand? יאוַיְחַ֣ל משֶׁ֔ה אֶת־פְּנֵ֖י יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהָ֑יו וַיֹּ֗אמֶר לָמָ֤ה יְהֹוָה֙ יֶֽחֱרֶ֤ה אַפְּךָ֙ בְּעַמֶּ֔ךָ אֲשֶׁ֤ר הוֹצֵ֨אתָ֙ מֵאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרַ֔יִם בְּכֹ֥חַ גָּד֖וֹל וּבְיָ֥ד חֲזָקָֽה:
Why, O Lord: Is anyone jealous of another, except a wise man of a wise man, or a strong man of a strong man? -[from Exod. Rabbah 43:6] למה ה' יחרה אפך: כלום מתקנא אלא חכם בחכם, גבור בגבור:
12Why should the Egyptians say: 'He brought them out with evil [intent] to kill them in the mountains and to annihilate them from upon the face of the earth'? Retreat from the heat of Your anger and reconsider the evil [intended] for Your people. יבלָ֩מָּה֩ יֹֽאמְר֨וּ מִצְרַ֜יִם לֵאמֹ֗ר בְּרָעָ֤ה הֽוֹצִיאָם֙ לַֽהֲרֹ֤ג אֹתָם֙ בֶּֽהָרִ֔ים וּלְכַ֨לֹּתָ֔ם מֵעַ֖ל פְּנֵ֣י הָֽאֲדָמָ֑ה שׁ֚וּב מֵֽחֲר֣וֹן אַפֶּ֔ךָ וְהִנָּחֵ֥ם עַל־הָֽרָעָ֖ה לְעַמֶּֽךָ:
and reconsider: Heb. וְהִנָּחֵם, [i.e.,] formulate another thought to do good to them. והנחם: התעשת מחשבה אחרת להטיב להם:
the evil: that You thought for them. על הרעה: אשר חשבת להם:
13Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants, to whom You swore by Your very Self, and to whom You said: 'I will multiply your seed like the stars of the heavens, and all this land which I said that I would give to your seed, they shall keep it as their possession forever.' " יגזְכֹ֡ר לְאַבְרָהָם֩ לְיִצְחָ֨ק וּלְיִשְׂרָאֵ֜ל עֲבָדֶ֗יךָ אֲשֶׁ֨ר נִשְׁבַּ֣עְתָּ לָהֶם֘ בָּךְ֒ וַתְּדַבֵּ֣ר אֲלֵהֶ֔ם אַרְבֶּה֙ אֶת־זַרְעֲכֶ֔ם כְּכֽוֹכְבֵ֖י הַשָּׁמָ֑יִם וְכָל־הָאָ֨רֶץ הַזֹּ֜את אֲשֶׁ֣ר אָמַ֗רְתִּי אֶתֵּן֙ לְזַרְעֲכֶ֔ם וְנָֽחֲל֖וּ לְעֹלָֽם:
Remember Abraham: If [You argue that] they have transgressed the Ten Commandments, [let me remind You that] their [fore]father Abraham was tested with ten tests and has not yet received his reward. Give this [reward] to him [Abraham] so that the ten will cancel out the ten. -[from Midrash Tanchuma 24, Exod. Rabbah 44:4] זכר לאברהם: אם עברו על עשרת הדברות, אברהם אביהם נתנסה בעשרה נסיונות ועדיין לא קבל שכרו, תנהו לו, ויצאו עשרה בעשרה:
Abraham, Isaac, and Israel: If they are condemned to be burnt [in a fire], remember Abraham, who gave himself over to be burned for Your sake in Ur of the Chaldees; if they are condemned to be killed by the sword, remember Isaac, who stretched out his neck when he was bound; if they are condemned to exile, remember Jacob, who was exiled to Haran (Midrash Tanchuma 24, Exod. Rabbah 44:5). If they [the children of Israel] will not be saved in their [the Patriarchs’] merit, why do You say to me, “and I will make you into a great nation” ? If a chair with three legs cannot stand up before You when You are angry, how much less will a chair with one leg (Ber. 32a) ? לאברהם ליצחק ולישראל: אם לשרפה הם, זכור לאברהם שמסר עצמו לישרף עליך באור כשדים. אם להריגה, זכור ליצחק שפשט צוארו לעקידה. אם לגלות, זכור ליעקב שגלה לחרן, ואם אינן נצולין בזכותן, מה אתה אומר לי (פסוק י) ואעשה אותך לגוי גדול, ואם כסא של שלוש רגלים אינו עומד לפניך בשעת כעסך, קל וחומר לכסא של רגל אחת:
to whom You swore by Your very Self: You did not swear to them by something finite-not by the heavens and not by the earth, not by the mountains and not by the hills, but by Your very Self [You swore], for You exist, and Your oath exists forever, as it was said [to Abraham]: “By Myself I have sworn, says the Lord” (Gen. 22:16). To Isaac was said: “and I will establish the oath that I swore to Abraham, your father” (Gen. 26:3). To Jacob was said: “I am the Almighty God; be fruitful and multiply” (Gen. 35:11). Here He swore to him [Jacob] by the [Name] Almighty God. -[from Ber. 32a, Midrash Tanchuma 24, Exod. Rabbah 44:10] אשר נשבעת להם בך: לא נשבעת להם בדבר שהוא כלה, לא בשמים ולא בארץ לא בהרים ולא בגבעות, אלא בך, שאתה קיים ושבעותך קיימת לעולם, שנאמר (בראשית כב טז) בי נשבעתי נאם ה', וליצחק נאמר (שם כו ג) והקימותי את השבועה אשר נשבעתי לאברהם אביך, וליעקב נאמר (שם לה יא) אני אל שדי פרה ורבה, נשבע לו באל שדי:
14The Lord [then] reconsidered the evil He had said He would do to His people. ידוַיִּנָּ֖חֶם יְהֹוָ֑ה עַל־הָ֣רָעָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר דִּבֶּ֖ר לַֽעֲשׂ֥וֹת לְעַמּֽוֹ:
15Now Moses turned and went down from the mountain [bearing] the two tablets of the testimony in his hand, tablets inscribed from both their sides; on one side and on the other side they were inscribed. טווַיִּ֜פֶן וַיֵּ֤רֶד משֶׁה֙ מִן־הָהָ֔ר וּשְׁנֵ֛י לֻחֹ֥ת הָֽעֵדֻ֖ת בְּיָד֑וֹ לֻחֹ֗ת כְּתֻבִים֙ מִשְּׁנֵ֣י עֶבְרֵיהֶ֔ם מִזֶּ֥ה וּמִזֶּ֖ה הֵ֥ם כְּתֻבִֽים:
from both their sides: the letters could be read. This was a miraculous phenomenon. -[from Shab. 104a, Meg. 2b] משני עבריהם: היו האותיות נקראות, ומעשה נסים היה:
16Now the tablets were God's work, and the inscription was God's inscription, engraved on the tablets. טזוְהַ֨לֻּחֹ֔ת מַֽעֲשֵׂ֥ה אֱלֹהִ֖ים הֵ֑מָּה וְהַמִּכְתָּ֗ב מִכְתַּ֤ב אֱלֹהִים֙ ה֔וּא חָר֖וּת עַל־הַלֻּחֹֽת:
were God’s work: This is to be interpreted according to its apparent meaning, [i.e.,] that He personally made them. Another interpretation: Like a person who says to his friend, “All so-and-so’s activities are in such-and-such [a kind of] work.” So too, all the delight of the Holy One, blessed is He, is with the Torah. -[from Midrash Tanchuma 16] מעשה א-להים המה: כמשמעו הוא בכבודו עשאן. דבר אחר כאדם האומר לחבירו כל עסקיו של פלוני במלאכת פלונית, כך כל שעשועיו של הקב"ה בתורה:
engraved: Heb. חָרוּת. The terms חָרֹת and חָרֹט are one [and the same]. Both are an expression of engraving, entalyer in Old French, [entailler in modern French, meaning] to engrave. חרות: לשון חרת וחרט אחד הוא, שניהם לשון חיקוק אנטייליי"ר בלעז [לחתוך]:
17When Joshua heard the voice of the people in their shouting, he said to Moses: "There is a voice of battle in the camp!" יזוַיִּשְׁמַ֧ע יְהוֹשֻׁ֛עַ אֶת־ק֥וֹל הָעָ֖ם בְּרֵעֹ֑ה וַיֹּ֨אמֶר֙ אֶל־משֶׁ֔ה ק֥וֹל מִלְחָמָ֖ה בַּמַּֽחֲנֶֽה:
in their shouting: Heb. בְּרֵעֹה, in their shouting, for they were shouting, rejoicing, and laughing.[The Israelites were so loud that they could be heard even from a distance.] ברעה: בהריעו, שהיו מריעים ושמחים וצוחקים:
18But [Moses] said: "[It is] neither a voice shouting victory, nor a voice shouting defeat; a voice of blasphemy I hear." יחוַיֹּ֗אמֶר אֵ֥ין קוֹל֙ עֲנ֣וֹת גְּבוּרָ֔ה וְאֵ֥ין ק֖וֹל עֲנ֣וֹת חֲלוּשָׁ֑ה ק֣וֹל עַנּ֔וֹת אָֽנֹכִ֖י שֹׁמֵֽעַ:
[It is] neither a voice shouting victory: This voice does not appear to be a voice of the shouting of heroes crying “Victory!” or the voice of weak [soldiers] crying “Woe!” or “Flee!” אין קול ענות גבורה: אין הקול הזה נראה קול עניית גבורים הצועקים נצחון ולא קול חלשים שצועקים וי או ניסה:
a voice of blasphemy: Heb. קוֹל עָנּוֹת. A voice of blasphemy and reviling, which distresses (הַמְעַנִין) the soul of the one who hears them when they are said to him. קול ענות: קול חרופין וגדופין המענין את נפש שומען כשנאמרין לו:
19Now it came to pass when he drew closer to the camp and saw the calf and the dances, that Moses' anger was kindled, and he flung the tablets from his hands, shattering them at the foot of the mountain. יטוַיְהִ֗י כַּֽאֲשֶׁ֤ר קָרַב֙ אֶל־הַמַּֽחֲנֶ֔ה וַיַּ֥רְא אֶת־הָעֵ֖גֶל וּמְחֹלֹ֑ת וַיִּֽחַר־אַ֣ף משֶׁ֗ה וַיַּשְׁלֵ֤ךְ מִיָּדָו֙ אֶת־הַלֻּחֹ֔ת וַיְשַׁבֵּ֥ר אֹתָ֖ם תַּ֥חַת הָהָֽר:
and he flung… from his hands: He said [to himself]: If [in regard to] the Passover sacrifice, which is [merely] one of the commandments, the Torah said: “No estranged one may partake of it” (Exod. 12:43), [now that] the entire Torah is here [i.e., the Ten Commandments includes the whole Torah], and all the Israelites are apostates, shall I give it to them? -[from Shab. 87a] וישלך מידיו וגו': אמר מה פסח שהיא אחת מן המצות, אמרה תורה (שמות יב מג) כל בן נכר לא יאכל בו, התורה כלה כאן, וכל ישראל משומדים ואתננה להם:
at the foot of the mountain: Heb. תַּחַתהָהָר, lit., under the mountain, [meaning:] at the foot of the mountain. תחת ההר: לרגלי ההר:
20Then he took the calf they had made, burned it in fire, ground it to fine powder, scattered [it] upon the surface of the water, and gave [it to] the children of Israel to drink. כוַיִּקַּ֞ח אֶת־הָעֵ֨גֶל אֲשֶׁ֤ר עָשׂוּ֙ וַיִּשְׂרֹ֣ף בָּאֵ֔שׁ וַיִּטְחַ֖ן עַ֣ד אֲשֶׁר־דָּ֑ק וַיִּ֨זֶר֙ עַל־פְּנֵ֣י הַמַּ֔יִם וַיַּ֖שְׁק אֶת־בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל:
scattered: Heb. וַיִּזֶר, an expression of scattering. Similarly, “Brimstone shall be scattered (יְזֹרֶה) on his dwelling” (Job 18:15), and similarly, “For the net is scattered (מְזֹרָה) without cause” (Prov. 1:17), for they scatter corn and beans on it [the net]. ויזר: לשון נפוץ, וכן (איוב יח טו) יזרה על נוהו גפרית, וכן (משלי א יז) כי חנם מזורה הרשת, שזורין בה דגן וקטנית:וישק את בני ישראל נתכוין לבדקן כסוטות. שלש מיתות נדונו שם אם יש עדים והתראה בסייף, כמשפט אנשי עיר הנדחת שהן מרובים, עדים בלא התראה במגפה, שנאמר (פסוק לה) ויגוף ה' את העם, לא עדים ולא התראה בהדרוקן, שבדקום המים וצבו בטניהם:
and gave [it to] the children of Israel to drink: He intended to test them like women suspected of adultery [are tested, as prescribed in Num. 5:11-31] (A.Z. 44a). Three [different] death penalties were meted out there: (1) If there were witnesses [to the worship] and warning [had been issued to the sinners, they were punished] by the sword, according to the law (Deut. 13:13-18) that applies to the people of a city that has been led astray who are many [people involved]. (2) [Those who practiced idolatry with] witnesses but without warning [died] from a plague, as it is said: “Then the Lord struck the people with a plague” (verse 35). (3) [Those who practiced idolatry both] without witnesses and without warning [died] from dropsy, for the water tested them and their stomachs swelled up (Yoma 66b).
21Moses said to Aaron: "What did this people do to you that you brought [such] a grave sin upon them?" כאוַיֹּ֤אמֶר משֶׁה֙ אֶל־אַֽהֲרֹ֔ן מֶֽה־עָשָׂ֥ה לְךָ֖ הָעָ֣ם הַזֶּ֑ה כִּֽי־הֵבֵ֥אתָ עָלָ֖יו חֲטָאָ֥ה גְדֹלָֽה:
What did this people do to you: How many tortures did you [Aaron] endure, that they tortured you until you brought this sin upon them? מה עשה לך העם הזה: כמה יסורים (סבלת) שיסרוך [סבלת], עד שלא תביא עליהם חטא זה:
22Aaron replied: "Let not my lord's anger grow hot! You know the people, that they are disposed toward evil. כבוַיֹּ֣אמֶר אַֽהֲרֹ֔ן אַל־יִ֥חַר אַ֖ף אֲדֹנִ֑י אַתָּה֙ יָדַ֣עְתָּ אֶת־הָעָ֔ם כִּ֥י בְרָ֖ע הֽוּא:
that they are disposed toward evil: They are always going in a bad direction and testing the Omnipresent. כי ברע הוא: בדרך רע הם הולכין תמיד ובנסיונות לפני המקום:
23They said to me, 'Make us gods who will go before us, because this man Moses, who brought us up from the land of Egypt we do not know what has become of him.' כגוַיֹּ֣אמְרוּ לִ֔י עֲשֵׂה־לָ֣נוּ אֱלֹהִ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר יֵֽלְכ֖וּ לְפָנֵ֑ינוּ כִּי־זֶ֣ה | משֶׁ֣ה הָאִ֗ישׁ אֲשֶׁ֤ר הֶֽעֱלָ֨נוּ֙ מֵאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרַ֔יִם לֹ֥א יָדַ֖עְנוּ מֶה־הָ֥יָה לֽוֹ:
24I said to them, 'Who has gold?' So they took it [the gold] off and gave it to me; I threw it into the fire and out came this calf." כדוָֽאֹמַ֤ר לָהֶם֙ לְמִ֣י זָהָ֔ב הִתְפָּרָ֖קוּ וַיִּתְּנוּ־לִ֑י וָֽאַשְׁלִכֵ֣הוּ בָאֵ֔שׁ וַיֵּצֵ֖א הָעֵ֥גֶל הַזֶּֽה:
I said to them: one word only: “Who has gold?” [and not “give me your gold”], but they hurried and stripped themselves and gave it to me. ואמר להם: אמרתי להם דבר אחד למי זהב לבד, והם מהרו והתפרקו ויתנו לי:
I threw it into the fire: I did not know that this calf would come out, but out it came. ואשלכהו באש: ולא ידעתי שיצא העגל הזה ויצא:
25And Moses saw the people, that they were exposed, for Aaron had exposed them to be disgraced before their adversaries. כהוַיַּ֤רְא משֶׁה֙ אֶת־הָעָ֔ם כִּ֥י פָרֻ֖עַ ה֑וּא כִּֽי־פְרָעֹ֣ה אַֽהֲרֹ֔ן לְשִׁמְצָ֖ה בְּקָֽמֵיהֶֽם:
exposed: Heb. פָרֻעַ, uncovered. Their shame and disgrace was revealed, as in “and he shall uncover (וּפָרַע) the woman’s head” (Num. 5:18). פרוע: מגולה, נתגלה שמצו וקלונו, כמו (במדבר ה יח) ופרע את ראש האשה:
to be disgraced before their adversaries: Heb. לְשִׁמְצָה בְּקָמֵיהֶם, that this thing should be a disgrace for them in the mouths of all who rise up against them. לשמצה בקמיהם: להיות להם הדבר הזה לגנות בפי כל הקמים עליהם:
26So Moses stood in the gate of the camp and said: "Whoever is for the Lord, [let him come] to me!" And all the sons of Levi gathered around him. כווַיַּֽעֲמֹ֤ד משֶׁה֙ בְּשַׁ֣עַר הַמַּֽחֲנֶ֔ה וַיֹּ֕אמֶר מִ֥י לַֽיהֹוָ֖ה אֵלָ֑י וַיֵּאָֽסְפ֥וּ אֵלָ֖יו כָּל־בְּנֵ֥י לֵוִֽי:
“Whoever is for the Lord… to me!”: Let him come to me. מי לה' אלי: יבא אלי:כל בני לוי מכאן שכל השבט כשר:
all the sons of Levi: From here [we learn] that the entire tribe was righteous. -[from Yoma 66b]
27He said to them: "So said the Lord, the God of Israel: 'Let every man place his sword upon his thigh and pass back and forth from one gate to the other in the camp, and let every man kill his brother, every man his friend, every man his kinsman.' " כזוַיֹּ֣אמֶר לָהֶ֗ם כֹּֽה־אָמַ֤ר יְהֹוָה֙ אֱלֹהֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל שִׂ֥ימוּ אִֽישׁ־חַרְבּ֖וֹ עַל־יְרֵכ֑וֹ עִבְר֨וּ וָשׁ֜וּבוּ מִשַּׁ֤עַר לָשַׁ֨עַר֙ בַּמַּֽחֲנֶ֔ה וְהִרְג֧וּ אִֽישׁ־אֶת־אָחִ֛יו וְאִ֥ישׁ אֶת־רֵעֵ֖הוּ וְאִ֥ישׁ אֶת־קְרֹבֽוֹ:
So said the Lord, the God of Israel: Now, where did He say [this]? “He who slaughters [a sacrifice] to the gods shall be destroyed” (Exod. 22:19). So it was taught in the Mechilta. כה אמר וגו': והיכן אמר, (שמות כב יט) זובח לא-להים יחרם, כך שנויה במכילתא:
his brother: [i.e.,] from his mother, who was an [ordinary] Israelite [and not a Levite]. -[from Yoma 66b] אחיו: מאמו והוא מישראל:
28The sons of Levi did according to Moses' word; on that day some three thousand men fell from among the people. כחוַיַּֽעֲשׂ֥וּ בְנֵֽי־לֵוִ֖י כִּדְבַ֣ר משֶׁ֑ה וַיִּפֹּ֤ל מִן־הָעָם֙ בַּיּ֣וֹם הַה֔וּא כִּשְׁל֥שֶׁת אַלְפֵ֖י אִֽישׁ:
29And Moses said: "Initiate yourselves today for the Lord for each man with his son and with his brother so that He may bestow a blessing upon you this day. " כטוַיֹּ֣אמֶר משֶׁ֗ה מִלְא֨וּ יֶדְכֶ֤ם הַיּוֹם֙ לַֽיהֹוָ֔ה כִּ֛י אִ֥ישׁ בִּבְנ֖וֹ וּבְאָחִ֑יו וְלָתֵ֧ת עֲלֵיכֶ֛ם הַיּ֖וֹם בְּרָכָֽה:
Initiate yourselves: You who kill them, with this thing [act] you will initiate yourselves to be servants [i.e., kohanim] of the Omnipresent. מלאו ידכם: אתם ההורגים אותם, בדבר זה תתחנכו להיות כהנים למקום:
for each man: Among you will initiate himself through his son and through his brother. כי איש: מכם ימלא ידו בבנו ובאחיו:
30It came to pass on the next day that Moses said to the people: "You have committed a grave sin. And now I will go up to the Lord; perhaps I will obtain atonement for your sin." לוַֽיְהִי֙ מִמָּֽחֳרָ֔ת וַיֹּ֤אמֶר משֶׁה֙ אֶל־הָעָ֔ם אַתֶּ֥ם חֲטָאתֶ֖ם חֲטָאָ֣ה גְדֹלָ֑ה וְעַתָּה֙ אֶֽעֱלֶ֣ה אֶל־יְהֹוָ֔ה אוּלַ֥י אֲכַפְּרָ֖ה בְּעַ֥ד חַטַּאתְכֶֽם:
I will obtain atonement for your sin: Heb. אִכַפְּרָה בְּעַד חַטַּאתְכֶם. [This means] I will place a cleansing, a wiping away, and a barrier opposite your sin to separate you from your sin. אכפרה בעד חטאתכם: אשים כופר וקנוח וסתימה לנגד חטאתכם, להבדיל ביניכם ובין החטא:
31And Moses returned to the Lord and said: "Please! This people has committed a grave sin. They have made themselves a god of gold. לאוַיָּ֧שָׁב משֶׁ֛ה אֶל־יְהֹוָ֖ה וַיֹּאמַ֑ר אָ֣נָּ֗א חָטָ֞א הָעָ֤ם הַזֶּה֙ חֲטָאָ֣ה גְדֹלָ֔ה וַיַּֽעֲשׂ֥וּ לָהֶ֖ם אֱלֹהֵ֥י זָהָֽב:
a god of gold: [Moses is saying to God:] It was You Who caused them [to sin], for You lavished upon them gold and whatever they desired. What should they have done so as not to sin? [This may be illustrated by] a parable of a king who gave his son to eat and drink, dressed him up, hung a coin purse on his neck, and stationed him at the entrance of a brothel. What can the son do so as not to sin? -[from Ber. 32a] אלהי זהב: אתה הוא שגרמת להם שהשפעת להם זהב וכל חפצם מה יעשו שלא יחטאו? משל למלך שהיה מאכיל ומשקה את בנו ומקשטו,ותולה לו כיס בצוארו,ומעמידו בפתח בית זונות,מה יעשה הבן שלא יחטא?:
32And now, if You forgive their sin But if not, erase me now from Your book, which You have written." לבוְעַתָּ֖ה אִם־תִּשָּׂ֣א חַטָּאתָ֑ם וְאִם־אַ֕יִן מְחֵ֣נִי נָ֔א מִסִּפְרְךָ֖ אֲשֶׁ֥ר כָּתָֽבְתָּ:
And now, if You forgive their sin…: good, I will not ask You to erase me, but if not, erase me. This is an elliptical verse, and there are many like it. ועתה אם תשא חטאתם: הרי טוב, איני אומר לך מחני. ואם אין, מחני, וזה מקרא קצר, וכן הרבה:מספרך מכל התורה כולה, שלא יאמרו עלי, שלא הייתי כדאי לבקש עליהם רחמים:
from Your book: From the entire Torah, so that they will not say about me that I was unworthy to beg mercy for them [the Israelites].
33And the Lord said to Moses: "Whoever has sinned against Me, him I will erase from My book!" לגוַיֹּ֥אמֶר יְהֹוָ֖ה אֶל־משֶׁ֑ה מִ֚י אֲשֶׁ֣ר חָֽטָא־לִ֔י אֶמְחֶ֖נּוּ מִסִּפְרִֽי:
34And now go, lead the people to [the place] of which I have spoken to you. Behold My angel will go before you. But on the day I make an accounting [of sins upon them], I will bring their sin to account against them." לדוְעַתָּ֞ה לֵ֣ךְ | נְחֵ֣ה אֶת־הָעָ֗ם אֶ֤ל אֲשֶׁר־דִּבַּ֨רְתִּי֙ לָ֔ךְ הִנֵּ֥ה מַלְאָכִ֖י יֵלֵ֣ךְ לְפָנֶ֑יךָ וּבְי֣וֹם פָּקְדִ֔י וּפָֽקַדְתִּ֥י עֲלֵהֶ֖ם חַטָּאתָֽם:
to [the place] of which I have spoken to you: Heb. דִּבַּרְתִּי לָ Here [we find] לָ [used] along with דִּבּוּר, speech, instead of אֵלֶי. Similarly [in the verse] “to speak to him (לְדַבֶּר לוֹ) for Adoniahu” (I Kings 2:19). אל אשר דברתי לך: יש כאן לך אצל דבור במקום אליך, וכן (מלכים א ב יט) לדבר לו על אדוניהו:
Behold My angel: But not I. הנה מלאכי: ולא אני:
But on the day I make an accounting, etc.: Now I have listened to you not to destroy them all at once, but always, always, when I take an accounting of their sins, I will also account a little of this sin with the other sins. [This means that] no punishment befalls Israel in which there is not part of the punishment for the sin of the [golden] calf. -[from Sanh. 102a] וביום פקדי וגו': עתה שמעתי אליך מלכלותם יחד, ותמיד תמיד כשאפקוד עליהם עונותיהם ופקדתי עליהם מעט מן העון הזה עם שאר העונות, ואין פורענות באה על ישראל שאין בה קצת מפרעון עון העגל:
35Then the Lord struck the people with a plague, because they had made the calf that Aaron had made. להוַיִּגֹּ֥ף יְהֹוָ֖ה אֶת־הָעָ֑ם עַ֚ל אֲשֶׁ֣ר עָשׂ֣וּ אֶת־הָעֵ֔גֶל אֲשֶׁ֥ר עָשָׂ֖ה אַֽהֲרֹֽן:
Then the Lord struck the people with a plague: [This was] death by the hands of Heaven for [those who sinned in the presence of] witnesses without warning. -[from Yoma 66b. See commentary above on verse 20.] ויגף ה' את העם: מיתה בידי שמים, לעדים בלא התראה:
Exodus Chapter 33
1The Lord spoke to Moses: "Go, ascend from here, you and the people you have brought up from the land of Egypt, to the land that I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying: 'I will give it to your descendants.' אוַיְדַבֵּ֨ר יְהֹוָ֤ה אֶל־משֶׁה֙ לֵ֣ךְ עֲלֵ֣ה מִזֶּ֔ה אַתָּ֣ה וְהָעָ֔ם אֲשֶׁ֥ר הֶֽעֱלִ֖יתָ מֵאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרָ֑יִם אֶל־הָאָ֗רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֣ר נִ֠שְׁבַּ֠עְתִּי לְאַבְרָהָ֨ם לְיִצְחָ֤ק וּלְיַֽעֲקֹב֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר לְזַרְעֲךָ֖ אֶתְּנֶֽנָּה:
Go, ascend from here: The land of Israel is higher than all [other] lands (Zev. 54b). That is why it says: “ascend.” Another explanation: [This is] in contrast to what He said to him [Moses] in time of anger, “Go, descend,” (Exod. 32:7). In time of good will He said to him, Go, ascend (Midrash Tanchuma 26). לך עלה מזה: ארץ ישראל גבוהה מכל הארצות, לכך נאמר עלה, דבר אחר כלפי שאמר לו בשעת הכעס (שמות לב ז) לך רד, אמר לו בשעת רצון לך עלה:
you and the people: Here He did not say “Your people” [as He had said previously in Exod. 32:7 “for your people… have acted corruptly”]. אתה והעם: כאן לא נאמר ועמך:
2I will send an angel before you, and I will drive out the Canaanites, the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivvites, and the Jebusites בוְשָֽׁלַחְתִּ֥י לְפָנֶ֖יךָ מַלְאָ֑ךְ וְגֵֽרַשְׁתִּ֗י אֶת־הַכְּנַֽעֲנִי֙ הָֽאֱמֹרִ֔י וְהַֽחִתִּי֙ וְהַפְּרִזִּ֔י הַֽחִוִּ֖י וְהַיְבוּסִֽי:
and I will drive out the Canaanites: They are six nations [listed here, although seven nations were mentioned in Gen. 15], and [this is because] the Girgashites got up and emigrated because of them [the Israelites] of their own accord. -[from Lev. Rabbah 17:6, Yerushalmi Shevi’ith 6:1]. וגרשתי את הכנעני וגו': שש אומות הן, והגרגשי עמד ופנה מפניהם מאליו:
3to a land flowing with milk and honey; because I will not go up in your midst since you are a stiff necked people, lest I destroy you on the way." גאֶל־אֶ֛רֶץ זָבַ֥ת חָלָ֖ב וּדְבָ֑שׁ כִּי֩ לֹ֨א אֶֽעֱלֶ֜ה בְּקִרְבְּךָ֗ כִּ֤י עַם־קְשֵׁה־עֹ֨רֶף֙ אַ֔תָּה פֶּן־אֲכֶלְךָ֖ בַּדָּֽרֶךְ:
to a land flowing with milk and honey: I tell you to take them [the Israelites] up. אל ארץ זבת חלב ודבש: אני אומר לך להעלותם:
because I will not go up in your midst: Therefore, I tell you, “I will send an angel before you.” כי לא אעלה בקרבך: לכך אני אומר לך ושלחתי לפניך מלאך:
since you are a stiff-necked people: And when My Shechinah is in your midst and you rebel against Me, I will increase My fury against you. כי עם קשה ערף אתה: וכששכינתי בקרבכם ואתם ממרים בי מרבה אני עליכם זעם:
I destroy you: Heb. אִכֶלְ, an expression of destruction (כִּלָיוֹן). אכלך: לשון כליון:
4[When] the people heard this bad news, they mourned, and no one put on his finery. דוַיִּשְׁמַ֣ע הָעָ֗ם אֶת־הַדָּבָ֥ר הָרָ֛ע הַזֶּ֖ה וַיִּתְאַבָּ֑לוּ וְלֹא־שָׁ֛תוּ אִ֥ישׁ עֶדְי֖וֹ עָלָֽיו:
this bad news: that the Shechinah would not rest [upon them] or go with them. הדבר הרע: שאין השכינה שורה ומהלכת עמם:איש עדיו כתרים שניתנו להם בחורב, כשאמרו נעשה ונשמע:
and no one… his finery: [I.e.,] the crowns given to them in Horeb when they said, “…we will do and we will hear” (Exod. 24:7) (Shab. 88a).
5And the Lord said to Moses: "Say to the children of Israel: 'You are a stiff necked people; if I go up into your midst for one moment, I will destroy you; but now, leave off your finery, and I will know what to do to you.' " הוַיֹּ֨אמֶר יְהֹוָ֜ה אֶל־משֶׁ֗ה אֱמֹ֤ר אֶל־בְּנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ אַתֶּ֣ם עַם־קְשֵׁה־עֹ֔רֶף רֶ֧גַע אֶחָ֛ד אֶֽעֱלֶ֥ה בְקִרְבְּךָ֖ וְכִלִּיתִ֑יךָ וְעַתָּ֗ה הוֹרֵ֤ד עֶדְיְךָ֙ מֵֽעָלֶ֔יךָ וְאֵֽדְעָ֖ה מָ֥ה אֶֽעֱשֶׂה־לָּֽךְ:
if I go up into your midst for one moment, I will destroy you: If I go up into your midst and you rebel against Me with stubbornness [again], I will be furious with you for one moment, which is the measure of My wrath (Ber. 7a), as it is said: “Hide for but a moment until the wrath passes” (Isa. 26: 20), and I will destroy you. Therefore, it is better for you that I send an angel [in My place]. רגע אחד אעלה בקרבך וכליתיך: אם אעלה בקרבך, ואתם ממרים בי בקשיות ערפכם, אזעום עליכם רגע אחד, שהוא שיעור זעמו, שנאמר (ישעיה כו כ) חבי כמעט רגע עד יעבור זעם, ואכלה אתכם, לפיכך טוב לכם שאשלח מלאך:
but now: this punishment you will suffer immediately, that you shall take off your finery. ועתה: פורענות זו תלקו מיד, שתורידו עדיכם מעליכם:
and I will know what to do to you: with the visitation of the rest of the sin. I know what is in My heart to do to you. ואדעה מה אעשה לך: בפקודת שאר העון. אני יודע מה שבלבי לעשות לך:
6So the children of Israel divested themselves of their finery from Mount Horeb. ווַיִּתְנַצְּל֧וּ בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל אֶת־עֶדְיָ֖ם מֵהַ֥ר חוֹרֵֽב:
their finery from Mount Horeb: The finery that was in their possession from Mount Horeb. -[from Shab. 88a] את עדים מהר חורב: את העדי שהיה בידם מהר חורב:
7And Moses took the tent and pitched it for himself outside the camp, distancing [it] from the camp, and he called it the tent of meeting, and it would be that anyone seeking the Lord would go out to the tent of meeting, which was outside the camp. זוּמשֶׁה֩ יִקַּ֨ח אֶת־הָאֹ֜הֶל וְנָֽטָה־ל֣וֹ | מִח֣וּץ לַמַּֽחֲנֶ֗ה הַרְחֵק֙ מִן־הַמַּֽחֲנֶ֔ה וְקָ֥רָא ל֖וֹ אֹ֣הֶל מוֹעֵ֑ד וְהָיָה֙ כָּל־מְבַקֵּ֣שׁ יְהֹוָ֔ה יֵצֵא֙ אֶל־אֹ֣הֶל מוֹעֵ֔ד אֲשֶׁ֖ר מִח֥וּץ לַמַּֽחֲנֶֽה:
And Moses: from [the moment of] that sin [and] on. ומשה: מאותו עון והלאה:
took the tent: Heb. יִקַּח. This is a present tense, [meaning that] he would take his tent and pitch it outside the camp. He said, “One who is banished from the master is banished from the disciple.” -[from Tanchuma 27] יקח את האהל: לשון הווה הוא, לוקח אהלו ונוטהו מחוץ למחנה, אמר מנודה לרב, מנודה לתלמיד:
distancing [it]: two thousand cubits, like the matter that is stated: “But there shall be a distance between you and it just two thousand cubits by measure” (Josh. 3:4). -[from Midrash Tanchuma 27] הרחק: אלפים אמה, כענין שנאמר (יהושע ג ד) אך רחוק יהיה ביניכם וביניו כאלפים אמה במדה:
and he called it: And he would call it the tent of meeting. That is the meeting house of those seeking the Torah. וקרא לו: והיה קורא לו אהל מועד, הוא בית ועד למבקשי תורה:
anyone seeking the Lord: From here [we deduce] that one who seeks the presence of a sage is tantamount to one who seeks the presence of the Shechinah. -[from Tanchuma 27] כל מבקש ה': מכאן למבקש פני זקן כמקבל פני השכינה:
would go out to the tent of meeting: Heb. יֵצֵא, lit., will go out, like יוֹצֵא, would go out. Another interpretation: and it would be that anyone seeking the Lord-even the ministering angels-when they would ask for the place of the Shechinah, their companions would say to them, “Behold, it is in Moses’ tent” -[from Tanchuma 27] יצא אל אהל מועד: כמו יוצא. דבר אחר והיה כל מבקש ה' אפילו מלאכי השרת כשהיו שואלים מקום שכינה, חבריהם אומרים להם הרי הוא באהלו של משה:
8And it would be that when Moses would go out to the tent, all the people would rise and stand, each one at the entrance of his tent, and they would gaze after Moses until he went into the tent. חוְהָיָ֗ה כְּצֵ֤את משֶׁה֙ אֶל־הָאֹ֔הֶל יָק֨וּמוּ֙ כָּל־הָעָ֔ם וְנִ֨צְּב֔וּ אִ֖ישׁ פֶּ֣תַח אָֽהֳל֑וֹ וְהִבִּ֨יטוּ֙ אַֽחֲרֵ֣י משֶׁ֔ה עַד־בֹּא֖וֹ הָאֹֽהֱלָה:
And it would be: Heb. וְהָיָה, a present tense. והיה: לשון הווה:
when Moses would go out: of the camp to go to the tent. כצאת משה מן המחנה: ללכת אל האהל:
all the people would rise: They would stand before him and not sit down until he was concealed from them. יקומו כל העם: עומדים מפניו ואין יושבין עד שנתכסה מהם:
and they would gaze after Moses: in admiration. [They would say,] “Fortunate is one born of woman who is so assured [by God] that the Shechinah follows him to the entrance of his tent.” -[from Kid. 33b, Shekalim 5:2. See also Tanchuma 27, Exod. Rabbah 45:4, 51:6] והביטו אחרי משה: לשבח, אשרי ילוד אשה שכך מובטח, שהשכינה תכנס אחריו לפתח אהלו:
9And it would be that when Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent, and He would speak with Moses. טוְהָיָ֗ה כְּבֹ֤א משֶׁה֙ הָאֹ֔הֱלָה יֵרֵד֙ עַמּ֣וּד הֶֽעָנָ֔ן וְעָמַ֖ד פֶּ֣תַח הָאֹ֑הֶל וְדִבֶּ֖ר עִם־משֶֽׁה:
and He would speak with Moses: Heb. וְדִבֶּר, like וּמְדַבֵּר, and He would speak [in the present tense]. Its Aramaic translation is וּמִתְמַלֵל עִם משֶׁה, and He would speak to Himself with Moses, which is [denoting] respect for the Shechinah, like [in the verse] “he heard the voice speaking (מְדַּבֵּר) to him” (Num. 7: 89), but one does not read וּמְדַבֵּר אֵלָיו. When one reads מְדַּבֵּר, it means that the voice would speak to itself and the commoner would hear by himself. But when one reads מְדַבֵּר, it means that the king speaks with the commoner. ודבר עם משה: כמו ומדבר עם משה. תרגומו ומתמלל עם משה שהוא כבוד שכינה, כמו (במדבר ז פט) וישמע את הקול מדבר אליו, ואינו קורא מדבר אליו. כשהוא קורא מדבר פתרונו הקול מדבר בינו לבין עצמו, וההדיוט שומע מאליו, וכשהוא קורא מדבר משמע שהמלך מדבר עם ההדיוט:
10When all the people would see the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, all the people would rise and prostrate themselves, each one at the entrance of his tent. יוְרָאָ֤ה כָל־הָעָם֙ אֶת־עַמּ֣וּד הֶֽעָנָ֔ן עֹמֵ֖ד פֶּ֣תַח הָאֹ֑הֶל וְקָ֤ם כָּל־הָעָם֙ וְהִשְׁתַּֽחֲו֔וּ אִ֖ישׁ פֶּ֥תַח אָֽהֳלֽוֹ:
and prostrate themselves: to the Shechinah. והשתחוו: לשכינה:
11Then the Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as a man would speak to his companion, and he would return to the camp, but his attendant, Joshua, the son of Nun, a lad, would not depart from the tent. יאוְדִבֶּ֨ר יְהֹוָ֤ה אֶל־משֶׁה֙ פָּנִ֣ים אֶל־פָּנִ֔ים כַּֽאֲשֶׁ֛ר יְדַבֵּ֥ר אִ֖ישׁ אֶל־רֵעֵ֑הוּ וְשָׁב֙ אֶל־הַמַּֽחֲנֶ֔ה וּמְשָׁ֨רְת֜וֹ יְהוֹשֻׁ֤עַ בִּן־נוּן֙ נַ֔עַר לֹ֥א יָמִ֖ישׁ מִתּ֥וֹךְ הָאֹֽהֶל:
Then the Lord would speak to Moses face to face: [The targumim render:] וּמִתְמַלֵּל עִם משֶׁה, [as explained on verse 9]. ודבר ה' אל משה פנים אל פנים: ומתמלל עם משה:
and he would return to the camp: After He spoke with him, Moses would return to the camp and teach the elders what he had learned. Moses conducted himself in this way from Yom Kippur until the Mishkan was erected, but no more [than that]. For on the seventeenth of Tammuz the tablets were broken, and on the eighteenth he burned the calf and judged the sinners, and on the nineteenth he went up [Mount Sinai], as it is said: “It came to pass on the next day that Moses said to the people, etc.” (Exod. 32:30). He spent forty days there and begged for mercy, as it is said: “And I cast myself down before the Lord, etc.” (Deut. 9:18). On Rosh Chodesh Elul it was said to him, “And in the morning you shall ascend Mount Sinai” (Exod. 34:2) to receive the second tablets, and he spent forty days there, as it is said concerning them, “And I remained upon the mountain just as the first days” (Deut. 10:10). Just as the first ones [days] were with good will [from the seventh of Sivan to the seventeenth of Tammuz], so were the last ones [days] with good will. [We may] deduce from this that the intermediate ones were with wrath. On the tenth of Tishri the Holy One, blessed is He, was appeased to Israel joyfully and wholeheartedly, and He said to Moses, “I have forgiven, as you have spoken.” He [God] gave over to him the second tablets, and he [Moses] descended, and He [God] began commanding him concerning the work of the Mishkan. They constructed it until the first of Nissan, and once it was erected, He no longer spoke with him except from the Tent of Meeting. -[from Midrash Tanchuma 31, Seder Olam ch. 6] ושב אל המחנה: לאחר שנדבר עמו, היה משה שב אל המחנה ומלמד לזקנים מה שלמד. והדבר הזה נהג משה מיום הכפורים עד שהוקם המשכן ולא יותר, שהרי בשבעה עשר בתמוז נשתברו הלוחות, ובשמונה עשר שרף את העגל ודן את החוטאים, ובתשעה עשר עלה, שנאמר (שמות לב ל) ויהי ממחרת ויאמר משה אל העם וגו', עשה שם ארבעים יום ובקש רחמים, שנאמר (דברים ט יח) ואתנפל לפני ה' וגו', ובראש חדש אלול נאמר לו (שמות לד ב) ועלית בבקר אל הר סיני, לקבל לוחות האחרונות, ועשה שם ארבעים יום, שנאמר בהם (דברים י י) ואנכי עמדתי בהר כימים הראשונים וגו', מה הראשונים ברצון אף האחרונים ברצון, אמור מעתה אמצעיים היו בכעס. בעשרה בתשרי נתרצה הקב"ה לישראל בשמחה ובלב שלם, ואמר לו למשה סלחתי כדברך, ומסר לו לוחות אחרונות. וירד והתחיל לצוותם על מלאכת המשכן ועשאוהו עד אחד בניסן, ומשהוקם לא נדבר עמו עוד אלא מאהל מועד:
and he would return to the camp: Its Aramaic translation is וְתָב לְמַשְׁרִיתָא [meaning] and he would return to the camp, because it is the present tense, and so is [the Aramaic translation of] the entire section: “all the people would see (וְרָאָה)” (verse 10) - וַחִזַן; and [they would] stand (וְנִצְּבוּ) (verse 8) - קַיְּימִין “and they [would] gaze (וְהִבִּיטוּ) ” (verse 8) וּמִסְתַּכְּלִין and [they would] prostrate themselves (וְהִשְׁתַּחִווּ) (verse 10) - וְסַגְדִין. [This is the simple meaning of the verses, which depict Moses’ usual conduct from after Yom Kippur until the Mishkan was erected.] Its midrashic interpretation, however, is: And the Lord spoke to Moses [saying] that he should return to the camp. He [the Lord] said to him, “I am angry, and you are angry. Who then will bring them near [to Me]?” (Midrash Tanchuma 27). ושב אל המחנה: תרגומו ותב למשריתא, לפי שהוא לשון הווה, וכן כל הענין וראה כל העם - וחזן, ונצבו - וקיימין, והביטו - ומסתכלין, והשתחוו - וסגדין. ומדרשו ודבר ה' אל משה שישוב אל המחנה, אמר לו אני בכעס ואתה בכעס, אם כן מי יקרבם:
• Daily Tehillim: Psalm Chapters 77 - 78
• Chapter 77
1. For the Conductor, on the yedutun,1 by Asaph, a psalm.
2. [I raise] my voice to God and cry out; [I raise] my voice to God and He will listen to me.
3. On the day of my distress I sought my Lord. My wound oozes at night and does not abate; my soul refuses to be consoled.
4. I remember God and I moan; I speak and my spirit faints, Selah.
5. You grasped my eyelids; I am broken, I cannot speak.
6. I think of olden days, of ancient years.
7. During the night I recall my music, I meditate with my heart, and my spirit searches:
8. Is it for eternity that my Lord forsakes [me], nevermore to be appeased?
9. Has His kindness ceased forever? Has He sealed the decree for all generations?
10. Has God forgotten mercy? Has He in anger restrained His compassion forever?
11. I said, "It is to ter- rify me that the right hand of the Most High changes.”
12. I remember the deeds of Yah, when I remember Your wonders of long ago.
13. I meditate on all Your works, and speak of Your deeds.
14. O God, Your way is in sanctity; what god is as great as God?
15. You are the God Who works wonders; You make Your might known among the nations.
16. You redeemed Your people with a mighty arm, the children of Jacob and Joseph, Selah.
17. The waters2 saw You, O God, the waters saw You and trembled; even the deep shuddered.
18. The clouds streamed water, the heavens sounded forth, even Your arrows flew about.
19. The sound of Your thunder was in the rolling wind; lightning lit up the world; the earth trembled and quaked.
20. Your way was through the sea, Your path through the mighty waters; and Your footsteps were not known.3
21. You led Your people like a flock, by the hand of Moses and Aaron
FOOTNOTES
1.A musical instrument(Metzudot).
2.Of the Red Sea.
3.The waters returned to cover the trail.
Chapter 78
This psalm recounts all the miracles that God wrought for Israel, from the exodus of Egypt to David's becoming king over Israel.
1. A maskil1 by Asaph. Listen, my people, to my teaching; incline your ear to the words of my mouth.
2. I will open my mouth with a parable, I will utter riddles of long ago;
3. that which we have heard and know [to be true], and that our fathers have told us.
4. We will not withhold from their children, telling the final generation the praises of the Lord, and His might, and the wonders He has performed.
5. He established a testimony in Jacob, and set down the Torah in Israel, which He commanded our fathers to make known to their children,
6. so that the last generation shall know; children yet to be born will rise and tell their children,
7. and they shall put their hope in God, and not forget the works of the Almighty; and they shall guard His commandments.
8. And they shall not be like their fathers, a wayward and rebellious generation, a generation that did not set its heart straight, and whose spirit was not faithful to God.
9. The children of Ephraim, armed archers, retreated on the day of battle.2
10. They did not keep the covenant of God, and refused to follow His Torah.
11. They forgot His deeds and His wonders that He had shown them.
12. He performed wonders before their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.3
13. He split the sea and brought them across; He erected the waters like a wall.
14. He led them with a cloud by day, and all night long with the light of fire.
15. He split rocks in the wilderness, and gave them to drink as if from the abundant depths.
16. And He brought forth flowing waters from the rock, and caused waters to descend like rivers.
17. Yet they again continued to sin against Him, to provoke the Most High in the parched land.
18. And they tested God in their hearts, by requesting food for their craving.
19. They spoke against God; they said, "Can God set a table in the wilderness?
20. True, He hit the rock and waters flowed, streams gushed forth; but can He also give bread? Will He prepare meat for His people?”
21. And so the Lord heard and was enraged; a fire was kindled against Jacob; wrath, too, flared against Israel.
22. For they did not believe in God and did not trust in His salvation,
23. [though] He had commanded the skies above, and opened the doors of heaven.
24. He had rained upon them manna to eat, and given them grain of heaven.
25. Man ate the bread of angels; He sent them [enough] provisions to satiate.
26. He drove the east wind through the heaven, and led the south wind with His might.
27. He rained meat upon them like dust, winged birds like the sand of seas;
28. and He dropped them inside His camp, around His dwellings.
29. And they ate and were very satiated, for He brought them their desire.
30. They were not yet estranged from their craving, their food was still in their mouths,
31. when the wrath of God rose against them and slew their mighty ones, and brought down the chosen of Israel.
32. Despite this, they sinned again, and did not believe in His wonders;
33. so He ended their days in futility, and their years in terror.
34. When He slew them they would seek Him, they would return and pray to God.
35. They remembered that God is their rock, God the Most High, their redeemer.
36. But they beguiled Him with their mouth, and deceived Him with their tongue.
37. Their heart was not steadfast with Him; they were not faithful to His covenant.
38. Yet He is compassionate, pardons iniquity, and does not destroy; time and again He turns away His anger, and does not arouse all His wrath.
39. He remembered that they were but flesh, a spirit that leaves and does not return.
40. How often they provoked Him in the desert, and grieved Him in the wasteland!
41. Again and again they tested God, and sought a sign from the Holy One of Israel.
42. They did not remember His hand, the day He redeemed them from the oppressor;
43. that He set His signs in Egypt, and His wonders in the field of Zoan.
44. He turned their rivers to blood, and made their flowing waters undrinkable.
45. He sent against them a mixture of beasts which devoured them, and frogs that destroyed them.
46. He gave their produce to the grasshopper, and their toil to the locust.
47. He killed their vines with hail, and their sycamores with biting frost.
48. He delivered their animals to the hail, and their livestock to fiery bolts.
49. He sent against them His fierce anger, fury, rage, and affliction; a delegation of messengers of evil.
50. He leveled a path for His anger, and did not spare their soul from death; He delivered their animals to pestilence.
51. He struck every firstborn in Egypt, the first fruit of their strength in the tents of Ham.4
52. He drove His nation like sheep, and guided them like a flock in the desert.
53. He led them in security and they did not fear, for the sea covered their enemies.
54. And He brought them to the boundary of His holy place, this mountain which His right hand acquired.
55. He drove out nations before them, and allotted them an inheritance [measured] by the cord; He settled the tribes of Israel in their tents.
56. Yet they tested and defied God, the Most High, and did not keep His testimonies.
57. They regressed and rebelled like their fathers; they turned around like a deceptive bow.
58. They angered Him with their high altars, and provoked Him with their idols.
59. God heard and was enraged, and He was utterly disgusted with Israel;
60. And He abandoned the Tabernacle of Shilo, the Tent where He had dwelled among men.
61. He put His might into captivity, and His glory into the hand of the oppressor.
62. He delivered His nation to the sword, and was enraged with His inheritance.
63. Fire consumed His young men, and His maidens had no marriage song.
64. His priests fell by the sword, and their widows did not weep.5
65. And the Lord awoke like one who had been asleep, like a warrior shouting [to sober himself] from wine.
66. He beat His enemies into retreat, and dealt them eternal disgrace.
67. He was disgusted with the tent of Joseph, and did not choose the tribe of Ephraim.
68. He chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion which He loves.
69. And He built His Sanctuary [permanent as] the heavens; like the earth, He established it forever.
70. And He chose David His servant, and took him from the sheep corrals.
71. From following the nursing ewes, He brought Him to shepherd His nation Jacob, Israel His inheritance.
72. And he tended them with the integrity of his heart, and led them with the skill of his hands.
FOOTNOTES
1.A psalm intended to enlighten and impart knowledge(Metzudot).
2.The Ephraimites escaped Egypt before the other tribes, but were defeated when trying to enter the land of Canaan.
3.Capital of Egypt (Radak).
4.Progenitor of the Egyptians.
5.They died before being able to weep (Targum).
Tanya: Likutei Amarim, end of Chapter 34
• Lessons in Tanya
• Today's Tanya Lesson
• Monday, 15 Adar, 5777 · 13 March 2017
• Likutei Amarim, end of Chapter 34
• אם ירחיב ה׳ לו עוד, אזי: טהור ידים יוסיף אומץ, ומחשבה טובה כו׳
• Rambam Monday, 15 Adar, 5777 · 13 March 2017
• Today's Mitzvah
A daily digest of Maimonides’ classic work "Sefer Hamitzvot"
• Positive Commandment 80
• Redeeming Firstborn Sons
"Give to Me the firstborn of your sons"—Numbers 22:28.
We are commanded to "redeem" male firstborn and to give the redemption money – five sela'im – to the priest.
The obligation to redeem the firstborn son lies with the boy's father; the mother is not obligated in this mitzvah.
Full text of this Mitzvah »
• Redeeming Firstborn Sons
Positive Commandment 80
Translated by Berel Bell
The 80th mitzvah is that we are commanded to redeem a first-born male and to give the redemption value to a kohen.
The source of this commandment is G‑d's statement,1 "Give Me the first-born of your sons." The explanation of this "giving" is that we must redeem him as if the kohen already owns him. We acquire the child from the kohen by giving him five selah.
The source of this commandment is G‑d's statement,2 "You must redeem a first-born male child."
This mitzvah is called pidyon haben. Women are not obligated in this mitzvah; it is the child's mitzvah which the father must fulfill, as explained in Kiddushin.3
The details of this mitzvah are explained in tractate B'choros.
Levites are exempt from this mitzvah.
FOOTNOTES
1.Ex. 22:28.
2.Num. 18:15.
3.29a.
• Positive Commandment 81
• Redeeming Firstborn Donkeys
"The firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb"—Exodus 34:20.
We are commanded to redeem a firstborn male donkey with a lamb—which is given to the priest. (Unless the owner wishes to give the priest the monetary value of the donkey.)
Levites are exempt from this mitzvah.
Full text of this Mitzvah »
• Redeeming Firstborn Donkeys
Positive Commandment 81
Translated by Berel Bell
The 81st mitzvah is that we are commanded to redeem a first-born donkey with a sheep, and to give the sheep to a kohen — unless we give the monetary value.1
The source of this commandment is G‑d's statement,2 "The first-born of a donkey you shall redeem with a sheep."
The details of this mitzvah are also explained in tractate B'choros.
Levites are also exempt from this mitzvah.
FOOTNOTES
1.If one desire, money may be given, since the Torah gives him the option of giving a sheep for the owner's convenience. See Hilchos B'chorim, Ch. 12, Hal. 11.
2.Ibid. 34:20.
• Rambam - 1 Chapter: Zechiyah uMattanah Zechiyah uMattanah - Chapter Four
• Zechiyah uMattanah - Chapter Four
• Bikkurim - Chapter 9
• Monday, 15 Adar, 5777 · 13 March 2017
• "Today's Day"
• Shabbat, 15 Adar I, Shushan Purim Katan, 5703
Av Harachamim (p. 191) and Tzidkat'cha (p. 209) are not said.
Torah lessons: Chumash: Tetzaveh, Shevi'i with Rashi.
Tehillim: 77-78.
Tanya: In addition (p. 129)...in the holy Zohar (p. 133).
Before pronouncing the b'racha hamotzi, a scratch is made on the bread with the knife, but we are careful not to cut into it.
Even when saying kiddush over bread, we still say savri maranan (p. 141).
It is said of the Time To Come:1 "A stone in the wall will cry out and a beam from the tree will respond." At present, inert creations are mute; though trodden upon, they remain silent. But there will come a time when the revelation of the Future becomes a reality, that the inert will begin to speak, relate and demand: "If a man was walking along without thinking or speaking words of Torah, why did he trample upon me?"
The earth trodden upon has been waiting for millenia, ever since the Six Days of Creation. All kinds of living creatures have been treading upon it all this time, but it is waiting for a Jew (or two Jews) to walk on it while discussing Torah. But if they do not say words of Torah, the earth will protest: "You too are just like an animal!"
Monday, Adar Sheini 15, Shushan Purim, 5703
Torah lessons: Chumash: Tzav, Sheini with Rashi.
Tehillim: 77-78.
Tanya: When the whole (p. 171)...were the Patriarchs. (p. 171).
My grandfather said that the Mitteler Rebbe wrote specific maamarim and a special book for every different kind of maskil and oveid1 in the Chassidic community. Shaar Hayichud and Shaarei Ora, however, are general, written for all chassidim. Shaar Hayichud is the key to the teachings of Chassidus; Shaarei Ora is the alef-beit of Chassidus.
FOOTNOTES
1.Maskil is the term used to denote one who devotes himself primarily to the intellectual aspects of Chassidus, while the oveid devotes himself primarily to the emotional and worship aspects. The oveid is a maskil and the maskil is an oveid, for the intellectual and emotional are both essential, and symbiotic. The distinction is merely in their primary emphasis.
• Daily Thought:
Purim: The Ultimate Happiness
There is a quiet happiness: an inner sense of bliss, the innocent joy of a small child, one of wonderment and gratitude. It is a happiness to carry with you at all times.
Then there are those seasons when happiness blooms for all to see, bursting out in song, in dance, in celebration. A festival, a wedding, a time to feast and rejoice with family and friends.
But the ultimate happiness is the joy of Purim. It is no longer about you, your family, your life. It is about making others laugh, bringing smiles to the weary, celebration to those who feel abandoned, a feast to those who had lost all hope.
It is a season for breaking out of yourself, out of your character, out of all those bounds you have set for yourself—“beyond knowing.”
The light of Purim knows no bounds.[Likkutei Sichot, vol. 16, p. 371.]
Chumash: Ki Tisa, 2nd Portion Exodus 31:18-33:11 with Rashi
• Exodus Chapter 31
18When He had finished speaking with him on Mount Sinai, He gave Moses the two tablets of the testimony, stone tablets, written with the finger of God. יחוַיִּתֵּ֣ן אֶל־משֶׁ֗ה כְּכַלֹּתוֹ֙ לְדַבֵּ֤ר אִתּוֹ֙ בְּהַ֣ר סִינַ֔י שְׁנֵ֖י לֻחֹ֣ת הָֽעֵדֻ֑ת לֻחֹ֣ת אֶ֔בֶן כְּתֻבִ֖ים בְּאֶצְבַּ֥ע אֱלֹהִֽים:
He gave Moses: In the Torah, chronological order is not adhered to. The episode of the calf took place long before the command of the work of the Mishkan. For on the seventeenth of Tammuz the tablets were broken, and on Yom Kippur the Holy One, blessed is He, was reconciled to Israel. On the morrow [i.e., on the eleventh of Tishri], they commenced with the donation for the Mishkan, and it [the Mishkan] was erected on the first of Nissan. -[from Midrash Tanchuma, Ki Thissa 31] ויתן אל משה וגו': אין מוקדם ומאוחר בתורה. מעשה העגל קודם לצווי מלאכת המשכן ימים רבים היה, שהרי בשבעה עשר בתמוז נשתברו הלוחות, וביום הכפורים נתרצה הקב"ה לישראל, ולמחרת התחילו בנדבת המשכן והוקם באחד בניסן:
When He had finished: Heb. כְּכַלֹתוֹ. [This word should be spelled כְּכַלּוֹתוֹ. Here, however,] it is spelled defectively [without the first “vav”], as if to be read: כְּכַלָּתוֹ, [meaning] like his bride, for the Torah was delivered to him [Moses] as a gift, as a bride [is given] to a bridegroom, because [otherwise] he could not have learnt it all in such a short time (Tanchuma, Ki Thissa 18). Another explanation: Just as a bride is adorned with twenty-four ornaments [i.e.,] the ones listed in the book of Isaiah (3:18-22), so too must a Torah scholar be adorned with the twenty-four books [of the Scriptures, i.e., possess the knowledge of the entire Scriptures] (Tanchuma, Ki Thissa 16). ככלתו: ככלתו כתיב חסר, שנמסרה לו תורה במתנה ככלה לחתן, שלא היה יכול ללמוד כולה בזמן מועט כזה. דבר אחר מה כלה מתקשטת בעשרים וארבעה קשוטין, הן האמורים בספר ישעיה (ישעיה ג יח - כד) אף תלמיד חכם צריך להיות בקי בעשרים וארבעה ספרים:
speaking with him: the statutes and the ordinances in the section entitled: “And these are the ordinances” (Exod. 21-23) [i.e., in parshath Mishpatim]. לדבר אתו: החקים והמשפטים שבואלה המשפטים:
speaking with him: [The word “with”] teaches [us] that Moses would hear [the laws] from God and then they would both repeat the halachah together. -[from Exod. Rabbah 41:5] לדבר אתו: מלמד שהיה משה שומע מפי הגבורה וחוזרין ושונין את ההלכה שניהם יחד:
tablets: Heb. לֻחֹת. It is spelled לֻחֹת [without the “vav” of the plural, as if to be read לֻחַת, the singular form,] because they were both the same [size]. -[from Exod. Rabbah 41:6] לחת: לחת כתיב שהיו שתיהם שוות:
Exodus Chapter 32
1When the people saw that Moses was late in coming down from the mountain, the people gathered against Aaron, and they said to him: "Come on! Make us gods that will go before us, because this man Moses, who brought us up from the land of Egypt we don't know what has become of him." אוַיַּ֣רְא הָעָ֔ם כִּֽי בשֵׁ֥שׁ משֶׁ֖ה לָרֶ֣דֶת מִן־הָהָ֑ר וַיִּקָּהֵ֨ל הָעָ֜ם עַל־אַֽהֲרֹ֗ן וַיֹּֽאמְר֤וּ אֵלָיו֙ ק֣וּם | עֲשֵׂה־לָ֣נוּ אֱלֹהִ֗ים אֲשֶׁ֤ר יֵֽלְכוּ֙ לְפָנֵ֔ינוּ כִּי־זֶ֣ה | משֶׁ֣ה הָאִ֗ישׁ אֲשֶׁ֤ר הֶֽעֱלָ֨נוּ֙ מֵאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרַ֔יִם לֹ֥א יָדַ֖עְנוּ מֶה־הָ֥יָה לֽוֹ:
that Moses was late: Heb. בשֵׁשׁ, as the Targum [Onkelos] renders אוֹחַר, an expression for lateness. Likewise, [in the verse] “is his chariot late (בֹּשֵׁשׁ) ” (Jud. 5:28); “and they waited until it was late (בּוֹשׁ) ” (Jud. 3:25). When Moses went up the mountain, he said to them [the Israelites], “At the end of forty days I will come, within six hours” [from sunrise of the fortieth day]. They thought that the day he went up was included in the number [of the forty days], but [in fact] he had said to them, “forty days,” [meaning] complete [days], including the night. But the day of his ascent did not have its night included with it [because Moses ascended in the morning], for on the seventh of Sivan he ascended. Thus, the fortieth day [of Moses’ absence] was the seventeenth of Tammuz. On the sixteenth [of Tammuz], Satan came and brought confusion into the world and showed a semblance of darkness, [even] pitch darkness, and confusion, [as if] indicating [that] Moses had surely died and therefore, confusion had come upon the world. He [Satan] said to them, “Moses has died, for six [additional] hours have already passed, and he has not come, etc.,” as is found in tractate Shabbath (89a). We cannot say that their [the Israelites’] only error was that on a cloudy day [they were confused] between before noon and after noon, because Moses did not descend until the next day, as it is said: “On the next day, they arose early, offered up burnt offerings…” (verse 6). כי בשש משה: כתרגומו, לשון איחור, וכן בשש רכבו, (שופטים ה כח), ויחילו עד בוש (שם ג כה) כי כשעלה משה להר אמר להם לסוף ארבעים יום אני בא בתוך שש שעות. כסבורים הם, שאותו יום שעלה מן המנין הוא, והוא אמר להם שלימים, ארבעים יום ולילו עמו, ויום עלייתו אין לילו עמו, שהרי בשבעה בסיון עלה, נמצא יום ארבעים בשבעה עשר בתמוז. בששה עשר בא השטן וערבב את העולם והראה דמות חשך ואפילה וערבוביא לומר ודאי מת משה, לכך בא ערבוביא לעולם. אמר להם מת משה, שכבר באו שש שעות ולא בא וכו', כדאיתא במסכת שבת (דף פט). ואי אפשר לומר שלא טעו אלא ביום המעונן בין קודם חצות בין לאחר חצות, שהרי לא ירד משה עד יום המחרת, שנאמר וישכימו ממחרת ויעלו עולות:
that will go before us: אִשֶׁר יֵלְכוּ לְפָנֵינוּ [The word יֵלְכוּ is in the plural form.] They desired many deities for themselves. -[from Sanh. 63a] אשר ילכו לפנינו: אלהות הרבה איוו להם:
because this man Moses: Satan showed them something resembling Moses, being carried in the air, high above in the sky. -[from Shab. 89a, Midrash Tanchuma 19] כי זה משה האיש: כמין דמות משה הראה להם השטן, שנושאים אותו באויר רקיע השמים:
who brought us up from the land of Egypt: And directed us the way we should go up [from Egypt]. Now we need gods who will go before us [instead of Moses]. אשר העלנו מארץ מצרים: והיה מורה לנו דרך, אשר נעלה בה, עתה צריכין אנו לאלהות, אשר ילכו לפנינו:
2Aaron said to them, "Remove the golden earrings that are on the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters and bring them [those earrings] to me." בוַיֹּ֤אמֶר אֲלֵהֶם֙ אַֽהֲרֹ֔ן פָּֽרְקוּ֙ נִזְמֵ֣י הַזָּהָ֔ב אֲשֶׁר֙ בְּאָזְנֵ֣י נְשֵׁיכֶ֔ם בְּנֵיכֶ֖ם וּבְנֹֽתֵיכֶ֑ם וְהָבִ֖יאוּ אֵלָֽי:
that are on the ears of your wives…: Aaron said to himself, “The women and children are fond of their jewelry. Perhaps the matter will be delayed, and in the meantime, Moses will arrive.” But they did not wait [for their wives and children to give them their earrings], and they took off their own [earrings]. -[from Midrash Tanchuma 21] באזני נשיכם: אמר אהרן בלבו הנשים והילדים חסים על תכשיטיהן, שמא יתעכב הדבר, ובתוך כך יבא משה, והם לא המתינו ופרקו מעל עצמן:
Remove: Heb. פָּרְקוּ, an imperative expression, from the same root as פָּרֵק in the singular. [This is] like בָּרְכוּ, bless, [which is] from the same root as בָּרֵ. פרקו: לשון צווי, מגזרת פרק ליחיד, כמו ברכו, מגזרת ברך:
3And all the people stripped themselves of the golden earrings that were on their ears and brought them to Aaron. גוַיִּתְפָּֽרְקוּ֙ כָּל־הָעָ֔ם אֶת־נִזְמֵ֥י הַזָּהָ֖ב אֲשֶׁ֣ר בְּאָזְנֵיהֶ֑ם וַיָּבִ֖יאוּ אֶל־אַֽהֲרֹֽן:
stripped themselves: Heb. וַיִתְפָּרְקוּ, an expression [used for] unloading a burden. When they removed them [the earrings] from their ears, they were found to be unloaded of their earrings, descharyer in Old French [decharger in modern French], to unload. ויתפרקו: לשון פריקת משא, כשנטלום מאזניהם נמצאו הם מפורקים מנזמיהם, דישקריי"ר בלעז (לפרוק):
of the golden earrings: Heb. אֶת-נִזְמֵי, like מִנַּזְמֵי, similar to “When I leave the city (אֶת-הָעִיר) ” (Exod. 9:29), [like] מִן-הָעִיר, [lit., when I go out of the city]. את נזמי: כמו מנזמי, כמו (שמות ט כט) כצאתי את העיר, מן העיר:
4He took [them] from their hand[s], fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made it into a molten calf, upon which they said: "These are your gods, O Israel, who have brought you up from the land of Egypt!" דוַיִּקַּ֣ח מִיָּדָ֗ם וַיָּ֤צַר אֹתוֹ֙ בַּחֶ֔רֶט וַיַּֽעֲשֵׂ֖הוּ עֵ֣גֶל מַסֵּכָ֑ה וַיֹּ֣אמְר֔וּ אֵ֤לֶּה אֱלֹהֶ֨יךָ֙ יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל אֲשֶׁ֥ר הֶֽעֱל֖וּךָ מֵאֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם:
fashioned it with an engraving tool: Heb. וַיָּצַר אֹתוֹ בַּחֶרֶט. This [clause] can be rendered in two ways: One is [that] וַיָָּצַר is an expression of tying, and בַּחֶרֶט is an expression meaning a kerchief, similar to “and the tablecloths and the purses (וְהַחִרִיטִים) ” (Isa. 3:22); “and he tied two talents of silver in two purses (חִרִטִים) ” (II Kings 5:23). The second [way of rendering it] is [that] וַיָּצַר is an expression meaning a form, and בַּחֶרֶט is the tool of the smiths, with which they cut out and engrave (חוֹרְטִין) forms in gold. [The tool is] like a scribe’s stylus, which engraves letters on tablets and wax-covered tablets, as “and inscribe on it with a common pen (בְּחֶרֶט אֱנוֹשׁ) ” (Isa. 8:1). This [second interpretation] is what Onkelos rendered: וְצַר יָתֵיהּ בְּזִיפָא, an expression of זִיוּף, a tool with which people engrave letters and designs, known in French as nielle, niello work. With it, signets are engraved. ויצר אותו בחרט: יש לתרגמו בשני פנים האחד, ויצר לשון קשירה, בחרט לשון סודר, כמו (ישעיה ג כא) והמטפחות והחריטים, (מלכים ב ה כג) ויצר ככרים כסף בשני חריטים. והשני, ויצר לשון צורה, בחרט כלי אומנות הצורפין, שחורצין וחורטין בו צורות בזהב כעט סופר החורט אותיות בלוחות ופנקסין, כמו (ישעיה ח א) וכתוב עליו בחרט אנוש. וזהו שתרגם אונקלוס וצר יתיה בזיפא, לשון זיוף הוא כלי אומנות שחורצין בו בזהב אותיות ושקדים, שקורין בלעז ניאי"ל [תצריב שחור] ומזייפין על ידו חותמות:
a molten calf -: As soon as they had cast it into the fire of the crucible, the sorcerers of the mixed multitude who had gone up with them from Egypt came and made it with sorcery. [See commentary on Exod. 12:38.] Others say that Micah was there, who had emerged from the layer of the building where he had been crushed in Egypt. (Sanh. 101b). In his hand was a plate upon which Moses had inscribed “Ascend, O ox; ascend, O ox,” to [miraculously] bring up Joseph’s coffin from the Nile. They cast it [the plate] into the crucible, and the calf emerged. -[from Midrash Tanchuma 19] עגל מסכה: כיון שהשליכו לכור, באו מכשפי ערב רב שעלו עמהם ממצרים ועשאוהו בכשפים ויש אומרים מיכה היה שם שיצא מתוך דמוסי בנין שנתמעך בו במצרים, והיה בידו שם, וטס שכתב בו משה עלה שור, עלה שור, להעלות ארונו של יוסף מתוך נילוס, והשליכו לתוך הכור ויצא העגל:
molten: Heb. מַסֵּכָה, an expression related to מַתֶּכֶת, metal, [both derived from roots meaning to pour]. Another interpretation: One hundred and twenty-five centenaria of gold were in it, like the gematria of מַסֵּכָה. 40= מ, 60= ס, 20= כ, 5= ה, totaling 125] -[from Midrash Tanchuma 19] מסכה: לשון מתכת. דבר אחר מאה עשרים וחמשה קנטרין זהב היה בו, כגימטריא של מסכה:
These are your gods: But it does not say, “These are our gods.” -[from here [we learn] that the mixed multitude who had come up from Egypt were the ones who gathered against Aaron, and they were the ones who made it [the calf]. Afterwards, they caused the Israelites to stray after it. -[from Midrash Tanchuma 19] אלה אלהיך: ולא נאמר אלה אלהינו, מכאן שערב רב שעלו ממצרים, הם שנקהלו על אהרן, והם שעשאוהו, ואחר כך הטעו את ישראל אחריו:
5When Aaron saw [this], he built an altar in front of it, and Aaron proclaimed and said: "Tomorrow shall be a festival to the Lord." הוַיַּ֣רְא אַֽהֲרֹ֔ן וַיִּ֥בֶן מִזְבֵּ֖חַ לְפָנָ֑יו וַיִּקְרָ֤א אַֽהֲרֹן֙ וַיֹּאמַ֔ר חַ֥ג לַֽיהֹוָ֖ה מָחָֽר:
When Aaron saw: that it was alive, as it is said: “for the likeness of an ox eating grass” (Ps. 106:20), and he saw that Satan’s work had succeeded, and he had no words to stall them completely [i.e., to keep the Israelites from worshipping the calf, so then] וירא אהרן: שהיה בו רוח חיים, שנאמר (תהלים קו כ) בתבנית שור אוכל עשב, וראה שהצליח מעשה שטן, ולא היה לו פה לדחותם לגמרי:
he built an altar: to stall them. ויבן מזבח: לדחותם:
and said: “Tomorrow shall be a festival to the Lord.”: But [it will] not [be] today. Perhaps Moses would come before they would worship it. This is its simple meaning. Its midrashic meaning in Leviticus Rabbah (10:3) is [as follows]: Aaron saw many things. He saw his sister’s son Hur, who had reproved them [the Israelites], and they assassinated him. That is [the meaning of] וַיִּבֶן, [an expression of בִּינָה, understanding]. מִזְבֵּח לְפָנָיו [should be understood as if it were written] וַיִבֶן מִזָָּבוּחַ לְפָנָיו, [meaning] he understood from the slaughtered one in front of him. Moreover, he saw [the situation] and said, “Better I should be blamed and not they.” He also “saw” another thing and said, “If they build the altar [themselves], one will bring pebbles and [another] one will bring a stone. Thus, their work will be done all at once. Since I will build it, and I will neglect my work, in the meantime Moses will arrive.” ויאמר חג לה' מחר: ולא היום, שמא יבא משה קודם שיעבדוהו, זהו פשוטו. ומדרשו בויקרא רבה (ה /י/, ג) דברים הרבה ראה אהרן, ראה חור בן אחותו, שהיה מוכיחם והרגוהו, וזהו ויבן מזבח לפניו - ויבן מזבוח לפניו. ועוד ראה ואמר מוטב שיתלה בי הסירחון ולא בהם, ועוד ראה ואמר אם הם בונים אותו המזבח, זה מביא צרור וזה מביא אבן, ונמצאת מלאכתן נעשית בבת אחת, מתוך שאני בונה אותו ומתעצל במלאכתי, בין כך ובין כך משה בא:
a festival to the Lord: In his heart, he meant Heaven. He was confident that Moses would come, and they would worship the Omnipresent. -[from Lev. Rabbah 10:3] חג לה': בלבו היה לשמים, בטוח היה שיבא משה, ויעבדו את המקום:
6On the next day they arose early, offered up burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings, and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and they got up to make merry. ווַיַּשְׁכִּ֨ימוּ֙ מִמָּֽחֳרָ֔ת וַיַּֽעֲל֣וּ עֹלֹ֔ת וַיַּגִּ֖שׁוּ שְׁלָמִ֑ים וַיֵּ֤שֶׁב הָעָם֙ לֶֽאֱכֹ֣ל וְשָׁת֔וֹ וַיָּקֻ֖מוּ לְצַחֵֽק:
they arose early: Satan roused them so that they would sin. וישכימו: השטן זרזם כדי שיחטאו:
to make merry: Heb. לְצַחֵק. In this word, there is [also] a connotation of sexual immorality, as it is said: “to mock (לְצַחֶק) me” (Gen. 39:17), and bloodshed, as it is said: “Let the boys get up now and play (וִישַׂחִקוּ) before us” (II Sam. 2:14). Here too, Hur was slain. -[from Midrash Tanchuma 20] לצחק: יש במשמע הזה גלוי עריות, כמו שנאמר (בראשית לט יז) לצחק בי, ושפיכות דמים, כמו שנאמר (שמואל ב' ב יד) יקומו נא הנערים וישחקו לפנינו, אף כאן נהרג חור:
7And the Lord said to Moses: "Go, descend, for your people that you have brought up from the land of Egypt have acted corruptly. זוַיְדַבֵּ֥ר יְהֹוָ֖ה אֶל־משֶׁ֑ה לֶךְ־רֵ֕ד כִּ֚י שִׁחֵ֣ת עַמְּךָ֔ אֲשֶׁ֥ר הֶֽעֱלֵ֖יתָ מֵאֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם:
And…said: Heb. וַיְדַבֵּר. [This is] an expression of harshness, like “and he spoke (וַיְדַבֵּר) to them harshly” (Gen. 42:7). וידבר: לשון קושי הוא, כמו (בראשית מב ז) וידבר אתם קשות:
Go, descend: Descend from your high position. I gave you this high position only for their sake (Ber. 32a). At that time, Moses was banished by a decree of the heavenly tribunal (Midrash Tanchuma 22, Exod. Rabbah 42:3). לך רד: מגדולתך, לא נתתי לך גדולה אלא בשבילם. באותה שעה נתנדה משה מפי בית דין של מעלה:
your people…have acted corruptly: Heb. שִׁחֵתעַמְ. It does not say, “The people have acted corruptly,” but “your people.” Those are the mixed multitude whom you accepted on your own initiative, and whom you converted without consulting Me. You said, “It is good that converts cleave to the Shechinah.” They have acted corruptly and have corrupted [others]. -[from Exod. Rabbah 42:6] שחת עמך: שחת העם לא נאמר אלא עמך, ערב רב שקבלת מעצמך וגיירתם ולא נמלכת בי, ואמרת טוב שידבקו גרים בשכינה, הם שחתו והשחיתו:
8They have quickly turned away from the path that I have commanded them; they have made themselves a molten calf! And they have prostrated themselves before it, slaughtered sacrifices to it, and said: 'These are your gods, O Israel, who have brought you up from the land of Egypt.' " חסָ֣רוּ מַהֵ֗ר מִן־הַדֶּ֨רֶךְ֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר צִוִּיתִ֔ם עָשׂ֣וּ לָהֶ֔ם עֵ֖גֶל מַסֵּכָ֑ה וַיִּשְׁתַּֽחֲווּ־לוֹ֙ וַיִּזְבְּחוּ־ל֔וֹ וַיֹּ֣אמְר֔וּ אֵ֤לֶּה אֱלֹהֶ֨יךָ֙ יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל אֲשֶׁ֥ר הֶֽעֱל֖וּךָ מֵאֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם:
9And the Lord said to Moses: "I have seen this people and behold! they are a stiff necked people. טוַיֹּ֥אמֶר יְהֹוָ֖ה אֶל־משֶׁ֑ה רָאִ֨יתִי֙ אֶת־הָעָ֣ם הַזֶּ֔ה וְהִנֵּ֥ה עַם־קְשֵׁה־עֹ֖רֶף הֽוּא:
stiff-necked: Heb. קְשֵׁה-עֹרֶף. [This is a description of stubbornness, meaning] they turned the hardness of the backs of their necks toward those who reproved them, and they refused to listen. קשה ערף: מחזרין קשי ערפם לנגד מוכיחיהם, וממאנים לשמוע:
10Now leave Me alone, and My anger will be kindled against them so that I will annihilate them, and I will make you into a great nation." יוְעַתָּה֙ הַנִּ֣יחָה לִּ֔י וְיִֽחַר־אַפִּ֥י בָהֶ֖ם וַֽאֲכַלֵּ֑ם וְאֶֽעֱשֶׂ֥ה אֽוֹתְךָ֖ לְג֥וֹי גָּדֽוֹל:
leave Me alone: [It is unclear why God is saying this-which implies that Moses has made a demand-since] we have not yet heard that Moses prayed for them, and yet He [God] said, “Leave Me alone” ? But here, He opened a door for him and informed him that the matter [indeed] depended upon him [Moses], that if he [Moses] would pray for them, He [God] would not destroy them. [Therefore, God implores Moses to leave Him alone so that He can destroy Israel.] -[from Exod. Rabbah 42:9] הניחה לי: עדיין לא שמענו, שהתפלל משה עליהם, והוא אומר הניחה לי, אלא כאן פתח לו פתח והודיעו, שהדבר תלוי בו, שאם יתפלל עליהם לא יכלם:
11Moses pleaded before the Lord, his God, and said: "Why, O Lord, should Your anger be kindled against Your people whom You have brought up from the land of Egypt with great power and with a strong hand? יאוַיְחַ֣ל משֶׁ֔ה אֶת־פְּנֵ֖י יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהָ֑יו וַיֹּ֗אמֶר לָמָ֤ה יְהֹוָה֙ יֶֽחֱרֶ֤ה אַפְּךָ֙ בְּעַמֶּ֔ךָ אֲשֶׁ֤ר הוֹצֵ֨אתָ֙ מֵאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרַ֔יִם בְּכֹ֥חַ גָּד֖וֹל וּבְיָ֥ד חֲזָקָֽה:
Why, O Lord: Is anyone jealous of another, except a wise man of a wise man, or a strong man of a strong man? -[from Exod. Rabbah 43:6] למה ה' יחרה אפך: כלום מתקנא אלא חכם בחכם, גבור בגבור:
12Why should the Egyptians say: 'He brought them out with evil [intent] to kill them in the mountains and to annihilate them from upon the face of the earth'? Retreat from the heat of Your anger and reconsider the evil [intended] for Your people. יבלָ֩מָּה֩ יֹֽאמְר֨וּ מִצְרַ֜יִם לֵאמֹ֗ר בְּרָעָ֤ה הֽוֹצִיאָם֙ לַֽהֲרֹ֤ג אֹתָם֙ בֶּֽהָרִ֔ים וּלְכַ֨לֹּתָ֔ם מֵעַ֖ל פְּנֵ֣י הָֽאֲדָמָ֑ה שׁ֚וּב מֵֽחֲר֣וֹן אַפֶּ֔ךָ וְהִנָּחֵ֥ם עַל־הָֽרָעָ֖ה לְעַמֶּֽךָ:
and reconsider: Heb. וְהִנָּחֵם, [i.e.,] formulate another thought to do good to them. והנחם: התעשת מחשבה אחרת להטיב להם:
the evil: that You thought for them. על הרעה: אשר חשבת להם:
13Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants, to whom You swore by Your very Self, and to whom You said: 'I will multiply your seed like the stars of the heavens, and all this land which I said that I would give to your seed, they shall keep it as their possession forever.' " יגזְכֹ֡ר לְאַבְרָהָם֩ לְיִצְחָ֨ק וּלְיִשְׂרָאֵ֜ל עֲבָדֶ֗יךָ אֲשֶׁ֨ר נִשְׁבַּ֣עְתָּ לָהֶם֘ בָּךְ֒ וַתְּדַבֵּ֣ר אֲלֵהֶ֔ם אַרְבֶּה֙ אֶת־זַרְעֲכֶ֔ם כְּכֽוֹכְבֵ֖י הַשָּׁמָ֑יִם וְכָל־הָאָ֨רֶץ הַזֹּ֜את אֲשֶׁ֣ר אָמַ֗רְתִּי אֶתֵּן֙ לְזַרְעֲכֶ֔ם וְנָֽחֲל֖וּ לְעֹלָֽם:
Remember Abraham: If [You argue that] they have transgressed the Ten Commandments, [let me remind You that] their [fore]father Abraham was tested with ten tests and has not yet received his reward. Give this [reward] to him [Abraham] so that the ten will cancel out the ten. -[from Midrash Tanchuma 24, Exod. Rabbah 44:4] זכר לאברהם: אם עברו על עשרת הדברות, אברהם אביהם נתנסה בעשרה נסיונות ועדיין לא קבל שכרו, תנהו לו, ויצאו עשרה בעשרה:
Abraham, Isaac, and Israel: If they are condemned to be burnt [in a fire], remember Abraham, who gave himself over to be burned for Your sake in Ur of the Chaldees; if they are condemned to be killed by the sword, remember Isaac, who stretched out his neck when he was bound; if they are condemned to exile, remember Jacob, who was exiled to Haran (Midrash Tanchuma 24, Exod. Rabbah 44:5). If they [the children of Israel] will not be saved in their [the Patriarchs’] merit, why do You say to me, “and I will make you into a great nation” ? If a chair with three legs cannot stand up before You when You are angry, how much less will a chair with one leg (Ber. 32a) ? לאברהם ליצחק ולישראל: אם לשרפה הם, זכור לאברהם שמסר עצמו לישרף עליך באור כשדים. אם להריגה, זכור ליצחק שפשט צוארו לעקידה. אם לגלות, זכור ליעקב שגלה לחרן, ואם אינן נצולין בזכותן, מה אתה אומר לי (פסוק י) ואעשה אותך לגוי גדול, ואם כסא של שלוש רגלים אינו עומד לפניך בשעת כעסך, קל וחומר לכסא של רגל אחת:
to whom You swore by Your very Self: You did not swear to them by something finite-not by the heavens and not by the earth, not by the mountains and not by the hills, but by Your very Self [You swore], for You exist, and Your oath exists forever, as it was said [to Abraham]: “By Myself I have sworn, says the Lord” (Gen. 22:16). To Isaac was said: “and I will establish the oath that I swore to Abraham, your father” (Gen. 26:3). To Jacob was said: “I am the Almighty God; be fruitful and multiply” (Gen. 35:11). Here He swore to him [Jacob] by the [Name] Almighty God. -[from Ber. 32a, Midrash Tanchuma 24, Exod. Rabbah 44:10] אשר נשבעת להם בך: לא נשבעת להם בדבר שהוא כלה, לא בשמים ולא בארץ לא בהרים ולא בגבעות, אלא בך, שאתה קיים ושבעותך קיימת לעולם, שנאמר (בראשית כב טז) בי נשבעתי נאם ה', וליצחק נאמר (שם כו ג) והקימותי את השבועה אשר נשבעתי לאברהם אביך, וליעקב נאמר (שם לה יא) אני אל שדי פרה ורבה, נשבע לו באל שדי:
14The Lord [then] reconsidered the evil He had said He would do to His people. ידוַיִּנָּ֖חֶם יְהֹוָ֑ה עַל־הָ֣רָעָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר דִּבֶּ֖ר לַֽעֲשׂ֥וֹת לְעַמּֽוֹ:
15Now Moses turned and went down from the mountain [bearing] the two tablets of the testimony in his hand, tablets inscribed from both their sides; on one side and on the other side they were inscribed. טווַיִּ֜פֶן וַיֵּ֤רֶד משֶׁה֙ מִן־הָהָ֔ר וּשְׁנֵ֛י לֻחֹ֥ת הָֽעֵדֻ֖ת בְּיָד֑וֹ לֻחֹ֗ת כְּתֻבִים֙ מִשְּׁנֵ֣י עֶבְרֵיהֶ֔ם מִזֶּ֥ה וּמִזֶּ֖ה הֵ֥ם כְּתֻבִֽים:
from both their sides: the letters could be read. This was a miraculous phenomenon. -[from Shab. 104a, Meg. 2b] משני עבריהם: היו האותיות נקראות, ומעשה נסים היה:
16Now the tablets were God's work, and the inscription was God's inscription, engraved on the tablets. טזוְהַ֨לֻּחֹ֔ת מַֽעֲשֵׂ֥ה אֱלֹהִ֖ים הֵ֑מָּה וְהַמִּכְתָּ֗ב מִכְתַּ֤ב אֱלֹהִים֙ ה֔וּא חָר֖וּת עַל־הַלֻּחֹֽת:
were God’s work: This is to be interpreted according to its apparent meaning, [i.e.,] that He personally made them. Another interpretation: Like a person who says to his friend, “All so-and-so’s activities are in such-and-such [a kind of] work.” So too, all the delight of the Holy One, blessed is He, is with the Torah. -[from Midrash Tanchuma 16] מעשה א-להים המה: כמשמעו הוא בכבודו עשאן. דבר אחר כאדם האומר לחבירו כל עסקיו של פלוני במלאכת פלונית, כך כל שעשועיו של הקב"ה בתורה:
engraved: Heb. חָרוּת. The terms חָרֹת and חָרֹט are one [and the same]. Both are an expression of engraving, entalyer in Old French, [entailler in modern French, meaning] to engrave. חרות: לשון חרת וחרט אחד הוא, שניהם לשון חיקוק אנטייליי"ר בלעז [לחתוך]:
17When Joshua heard the voice of the people in their shouting, he said to Moses: "There is a voice of battle in the camp!" יזוַיִּשְׁמַ֧ע יְהוֹשֻׁ֛עַ אֶת־ק֥וֹל הָעָ֖ם בְּרֵעֹ֑ה וַיֹּ֨אמֶר֙ אֶל־משֶׁ֔ה ק֥וֹל מִלְחָמָ֖ה בַּמַּֽחֲנֶֽה:
in their shouting: Heb. בְּרֵעֹה, in their shouting, for they were shouting, rejoicing, and laughing.[The Israelites were so loud that they could be heard even from a distance.] ברעה: בהריעו, שהיו מריעים ושמחים וצוחקים:
18But [Moses] said: "[It is] neither a voice shouting victory, nor a voice shouting defeat; a voice of blasphemy I hear." יחוַיֹּ֗אמֶר אֵ֥ין קוֹל֙ עֲנ֣וֹת גְּבוּרָ֔ה וְאֵ֥ין ק֖וֹל עֲנ֣וֹת חֲלוּשָׁ֑ה ק֣וֹל עַנּ֔וֹת אָֽנֹכִ֖י שֹׁמֵֽעַ:
[It is] neither a voice shouting victory: This voice does not appear to be a voice of the shouting of heroes crying “Victory!” or the voice of weak [soldiers] crying “Woe!” or “Flee!” אין קול ענות גבורה: אין הקול הזה נראה קול עניית גבורים הצועקים נצחון ולא קול חלשים שצועקים וי או ניסה:
a voice of blasphemy: Heb. קוֹל עָנּוֹת. A voice of blasphemy and reviling, which distresses (הַמְעַנִין) the soul of the one who hears them when they are said to him. קול ענות: קול חרופין וגדופין המענין את נפש שומען כשנאמרין לו:
19Now it came to pass when he drew closer to the camp and saw the calf and the dances, that Moses' anger was kindled, and he flung the tablets from his hands, shattering them at the foot of the mountain. יטוַיְהִ֗י כַּֽאֲשֶׁ֤ר קָרַב֙ אֶל־הַמַּֽחֲנֶ֔ה וַיַּ֥רְא אֶת־הָעֵ֖גֶל וּמְחֹלֹ֑ת וַיִּֽחַר־אַ֣ף משֶׁ֗ה וַיַּשְׁלֵ֤ךְ מִיָּדָו֙ אֶת־הַלֻּחֹ֔ת וַיְשַׁבֵּ֥ר אֹתָ֖ם תַּ֥חַת הָהָֽר:
and he flung… from his hands: He said [to himself]: If [in regard to] the Passover sacrifice, which is [merely] one of the commandments, the Torah said: “No estranged one may partake of it” (Exod. 12:43), [now that] the entire Torah is here [i.e., the Ten Commandments includes the whole Torah], and all the Israelites are apostates, shall I give it to them? -[from Shab. 87a] וישלך מידיו וגו': אמר מה פסח שהיא אחת מן המצות, אמרה תורה (שמות יב מג) כל בן נכר לא יאכל בו, התורה כלה כאן, וכל ישראל משומדים ואתננה להם:
at the foot of the mountain: Heb. תַּחַתהָהָר, lit., under the mountain, [meaning:] at the foot of the mountain. תחת ההר: לרגלי ההר:
20Then he took the calf they had made, burned it in fire, ground it to fine powder, scattered [it] upon the surface of the water, and gave [it to] the children of Israel to drink. כוַיִּקַּ֞ח אֶת־הָעֵ֨גֶל אֲשֶׁ֤ר עָשׂוּ֙ וַיִּשְׂרֹ֣ף בָּאֵ֔שׁ וַיִּטְחַ֖ן עַ֣ד אֲשֶׁר־דָּ֑ק וַיִּ֨זֶר֙ עַל־פְּנֵ֣י הַמַּ֔יִם וַיַּ֖שְׁק אֶת־בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל:
scattered: Heb. וַיִּזֶר, an expression of scattering. Similarly, “Brimstone shall be scattered (יְזֹרֶה) on his dwelling” (Job 18:15), and similarly, “For the net is scattered (מְזֹרָה) without cause” (Prov. 1:17), for they scatter corn and beans on it [the net]. ויזר: לשון נפוץ, וכן (איוב יח טו) יזרה על נוהו גפרית, וכן (משלי א יז) כי חנם מזורה הרשת, שזורין בה דגן וקטנית:וישק את בני ישראל נתכוין לבדקן כסוטות. שלש מיתות נדונו שם אם יש עדים והתראה בסייף, כמשפט אנשי עיר הנדחת שהן מרובים, עדים בלא התראה במגפה, שנאמר (פסוק לה) ויגוף ה' את העם, לא עדים ולא התראה בהדרוקן, שבדקום המים וצבו בטניהם:
and gave [it to] the children of Israel to drink: He intended to test them like women suspected of adultery [are tested, as prescribed in Num. 5:11-31] (A.Z. 44a). Three [different] death penalties were meted out there: (1) If there were witnesses [to the worship] and warning [had been issued to the sinners, they were punished] by the sword, according to the law (Deut. 13:13-18) that applies to the people of a city that has been led astray who are many [people involved]. (2) [Those who practiced idolatry with] witnesses but without warning [died] from a plague, as it is said: “Then the Lord struck the people with a plague” (verse 35). (3) [Those who practiced idolatry both] without witnesses and without warning [died] from dropsy, for the water tested them and their stomachs swelled up (Yoma 66b).
21Moses said to Aaron: "What did this people do to you that you brought [such] a grave sin upon them?" כאוַיֹּ֤אמֶר משֶׁה֙ אֶל־אַֽהֲרֹ֔ן מֶֽה־עָשָׂ֥ה לְךָ֖ הָעָ֣ם הַזֶּ֑ה כִּֽי־הֵבֵ֥אתָ עָלָ֖יו חֲטָאָ֥ה גְדֹלָֽה:
What did this people do to you: How many tortures did you [Aaron] endure, that they tortured you until you brought this sin upon them? מה עשה לך העם הזה: כמה יסורים (סבלת) שיסרוך [סבלת], עד שלא תביא עליהם חטא זה:
22Aaron replied: "Let not my lord's anger grow hot! You know the people, that they are disposed toward evil. כבוַיֹּ֣אמֶר אַֽהֲרֹ֔ן אַל־יִ֥חַר אַ֖ף אֲדֹנִ֑י אַתָּה֙ יָדַ֣עְתָּ אֶת־הָעָ֔ם כִּ֥י בְרָ֖ע הֽוּא:
that they are disposed toward evil: They are always going in a bad direction and testing the Omnipresent. כי ברע הוא: בדרך רע הם הולכין תמיד ובנסיונות לפני המקום:
23They said to me, 'Make us gods who will go before us, because this man Moses, who brought us up from the land of Egypt we do not know what has become of him.' כגוַיֹּ֣אמְרוּ לִ֔י עֲשֵׂה־לָ֣נוּ אֱלֹהִ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר יֵֽלְכ֖וּ לְפָנֵ֑ינוּ כִּי־זֶ֣ה | משֶׁ֣ה הָאִ֗ישׁ אֲשֶׁ֤ר הֶֽעֱלָ֨נוּ֙ מֵאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרַ֔יִם לֹ֥א יָדַ֖עְנוּ מֶה־הָ֥יָה לֽוֹ:
24I said to them, 'Who has gold?' So they took it [the gold] off and gave it to me; I threw it into the fire and out came this calf." כדוָֽאֹמַ֤ר לָהֶם֙ לְמִ֣י זָהָ֔ב הִתְפָּרָ֖קוּ וַיִּתְּנוּ־לִ֑י וָֽאַשְׁלִכֵ֣הוּ בָאֵ֔שׁ וַיֵּצֵ֖א הָעֵ֥גֶל הַזֶּֽה:
I said to them: one word only: “Who has gold?” [and not “give me your gold”], but they hurried and stripped themselves and gave it to me. ואמר להם: אמרתי להם דבר אחד למי זהב לבד, והם מהרו והתפרקו ויתנו לי:
I threw it into the fire: I did not know that this calf would come out, but out it came. ואשלכהו באש: ולא ידעתי שיצא העגל הזה ויצא:
25And Moses saw the people, that they were exposed, for Aaron had exposed them to be disgraced before their adversaries. כהוַיַּ֤רְא משֶׁה֙ אֶת־הָעָ֔ם כִּ֥י פָרֻ֖עַ ה֑וּא כִּֽי־פְרָעֹ֣ה אַֽהֲרֹ֔ן לְשִׁמְצָ֖ה בְּקָֽמֵיהֶֽם:
exposed: Heb. פָרֻעַ, uncovered. Their shame and disgrace was revealed, as in “and he shall uncover (וּפָרַע) the woman’s head” (Num. 5:18). פרוע: מגולה, נתגלה שמצו וקלונו, כמו (במדבר ה יח) ופרע את ראש האשה:
to be disgraced before their adversaries: Heb. לְשִׁמְצָה בְּקָמֵיהֶם, that this thing should be a disgrace for them in the mouths of all who rise up against them. לשמצה בקמיהם: להיות להם הדבר הזה לגנות בפי כל הקמים עליהם:
26So Moses stood in the gate of the camp and said: "Whoever is for the Lord, [let him come] to me!" And all the sons of Levi gathered around him. כווַיַּֽעֲמֹ֤ד משֶׁה֙ בְּשַׁ֣עַר הַמַּֽחֲנֶ֔ה וַיֹּ֕אמֶר מִ֥י לַֽיהֹוָ֖ה אֵלָ֑י וַיֵּאָֽסְפ֥וּ אֵלָ֖יו כָּל־בְּנֵ֥י לֵוִֽי:
“Whoever is for the Lord… to me!”: Let him come to me. מי לה' אלי: יבא אלי:כל בני לוי מכאן שכל השבט כשר:
all the sons of Levi: From here [we learn] that the entire tribe was righteous. -[from Yoma 66b]
27He said to them: "So said the Lord, the God of Israel: 'Let every man place his sword upon his thigh and pass back and forth from one gate to the other in the camp, and let every man kill his brother, every man his friend, every man his kinsman.' " כזוַיֹּ֣אמֶר לָהֶ֗ם כֹּֽה־אָמַ֤ר יְהֹוָה֙ אֱלֹהֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל שִׂ֥ימוּ אִֽישׁ־חַרְבּ֖וֹ עַל־יְרֵכ֑וֹ עִבְר֨וּ וָשׁ֜וּבוּ מִשַּׁ֤עַר לָשַׁ֨עַר֙ בַּמַּֽחֲנֶ֔ה וְהִרְג֧וּ אִֽישׁ־אֶת־אָחִ֛יו וְאִ֥ישׁ אֶת־רֵעֵ֖הוּ וְאִ֥ישׁ אֶת־קְרֹבֽוֹ:
So said the Lord, the God of Israel: Now, where did He say [this]? “He who slaughters [a sacrifice] to the gods shall be destroyed” (Exod. 22:19). So it was taught in the Mechilta. כה אמר וגו': והיכן אמר, (שמות כב יט) זובח לא-להים יחרם, כך שנויה במכילתא:
his brother: [i.e.,] from his mother, who was an [ordinary] Israelite [and not a Levite]. -[from Yoma 66b] אחיו: מאמו והוא מישראל:
28The sons of Levi did according to Moses' word; on that day some three thousand men fell from among the people. כחוַיַּֽעֲשׂ֥וּ בְנֵֽי־לֵוִ֖י כִּדְבַ֣ר משֶׁ֑ה וַיִּפֹּ֤ל מִן־הָעָם֙ בַּיּ֣וֹם הַה֔וּא כִּשְׁל֥שֶׁת אַלְפֵ֖י אִֽישׁ:
29And Moses said: "Initiate yourselves today for the Lord for each man with his son and with his brother so that He may bestow a blessing upon you this day. " כטוַיֹּ֣אמֶר משֶׁ֗ה מִלְא֨וּ יֶדְכֶ֤ם הַיּוֹם֙ לַֽיהֹוָ֔ה כִּ֛י אִ֥ישׁ בִּבְנ֖וֹ וּבְאָחִ֑יו וְלָתֵ֧ת עֲלֵיכֶ֛ם הַיּ֖וֹם בְּרָכָֽה:
Initiate yourselves: You who kill them, with this thing [act] you will initiate yourselves to be servants [i.e., kohanim] of the Omnipresent. מלאו ידכם: אתם ההורגים אותם, בדבר זה תתחנכו להיות כהנים למקום:
for each man: Among you will initiate himself through his son and through his brother. כי איש: מכם ימלא ידו בבנו ובאחיו:
30It came to pass on the next day that Moses said to the people: "You have committed a grave sin. And now I will go up to the Lord; perhaps I will obtain atonement for your sin." לוַֽיְהִי֙ מִמָּֽחֳרָ֔ת וַיֹּ֤אמֶר משֶׁה֙ אֶל־הָעָ֔ם אַתֶּ֥ם חֲטָאתֶ֖ם חֲטָאָ֣ה גְדֹלָ֑ה וְעַתָּה֙ אֶֽעֱלֶ֣ה אֶל־יְהֹוָ֔ה אוּלַ֥י אֲכַפְּרָ֖ה בְּעַ֥ד חַטַּאתְכֶֽם:
I will obtain atonement for your sin: Heb. אִכַפְּרָה בְּעַד חַטַּאתְכֶם. [This means] I will place a cleansing, a wiping away, and a barrier opposite your sin to separate you from your sin. אכפרה בעד חטאתכם: אשים כופר וקנוח וסתימה לנגד חטאתכם, להבדיל ביניכם ובין החטא:
31And Moses returned to the Lord and said: "Please! This people has committed a grave sin. They have made themselves a god of gold. לאוַיָּ֧שָׁב משֶׁ֛ה אֶל־יְהֹוָ֖ה וַיֹּאמַ֑ר אָ֣נָּ֗א חָטָ֞א הָעָ֤ם הַזֶּה֙ חֲטָאָ֣ה גְדֹלָ֔ה וַיַּֽעֲשׂ֥וּ לָהֶ֖ם אֱלֹהֵ֥י זָהָֽב:
a god of gold: [Moses is saying to God:] It was You Who caused them [to sin], for You lavished upon them gold and whatever they desired. What should they have done so as not to sin? [This may be illustrated by] a parable of a king who gave his son to eat and drink, dressed him up, hung a coin purse on his neck, and stationed him at the entrance of a brothel. What can the son do so as not to sin? -[from Ber. 32a] אלהי זהב: אתה הוא שגרמת להם שהשפעת להם זהב וכל חפצם מה יעשו שלא יחטאו? משל למלך שהיה מאכיל ומשקה את בנו ומקשטו,ותולה לו כיס בצוארו,ומעמידו בפתח בית זונות,מה יעשה הבן שלא יחטא?:
32And now, if You forgive their sin But if not, erase me now from Your book, which You have written." לבוְעַתָּ֖ה אִם־תִּשָּׂ֣א חַטָּאתָ֑ם וְאִם־אַ֕יִן מְחֵ֣נִי נָ֔א מִסִּפְרְךָ֖ אֲשֶׁ֥ר כָּתָֽבְתָּ:
And now, if You forgive their sin…: good, I will not ask You to erase me, but if not, erase me. This is an elliptical verse, and there are many like it. ועתה אם תשא חטאתם: הרי טוב, איני אומר לך מחני. ואם אין, מחני, וזה מקרא קצר, וכן הרבה:מספרך מכל התורה כולה, שלא יאמרו עלי, שלא הייתי כדאי לבקש עליהם רחמים:
from Your book: From the entire Torah, so that they will not say about me that I was unworthy to beg mercy for them [the Israelites].
33And the Lord said to Moses: "Whoever has sinned against Me, him I will erase from My book!" לגוַיֹּ֥אמֶר יְהֹוָ֖ה אֶל־משֶׁ֑ה מִ֚י אֲשֶׁ֣ר חָֽטָא־לִ֔י אֶמְחֶ֖נּוּ מִסִּפְרִֽי:
34And now go, lead the people to [the place] of which I have spoken to you. Behold My angel will go before you. But on the day I make an accounting [of sins upon them], I will bring their sin to account against them." לדוְעַתָּ֞ה לֵ֣ךְ | נְחֵ֣ה אֶת־הָעָ֗ם אֶ֤ל אֲשֶׁר־דִּבַּ֨רְתִּי֙ לָ֔ךְ הִנֵּ֥ה מַלְאָכִ֖י יֵלֵ֣ךְ לְפָנֶ֑יךָ וּבְי֣וֹם פָּקְדִ֔י וּפָֽקַדְתִּ֥י עֲלֵהֶ֖ם חַטָּאתָֽם:
to [the place] of which I have spoken to you: Heb. דִּבַּרְתִּי לָ Here [we find] לָ [used] along with דִּבּוּר, speech, instead of אֵלֶי. Similarly [in the verse] “to speak to him (לְדַבֶּר לוֹ) for Adoniahu” (I Kings 2:19). אל אשר דברתי לך: יש כאן לך אצל דבור במקום אליך, וכן (מלכים א ב יט) לדבר לו על אדוניהו:
Behold My angel: But not I. הנה מלאכי: ולא אני:
But on the day I make an accounting, etc.: Now I have listened to you not to destroy them all at once, but always, always, when I take an accounting of their sins, I will also account a little of this sin with the other sins. [This means that] no punishment befalls Israel in which there is not part of the punishment for the sin of the [golden] calf. -[from Sanh. 102a] וביום פקדי וגו': עתה שמעתי אליך מלכלותם יחד, ותמיד תמיד כשאפקוד עליהם עונותיהם ופקדתי עליהם מעט מן העון הזה עם שאר העונות, ואין פורענות באה על ישראל שאין בה קצת מפרעון עון העגל:
35Then the Lord struck the people with a plague, because they had made the calf that Aaron had made. להוַיִּגֹּ֥ף יְהֹוָ֖ה אֶת־הָעָ֑ם עַ֚ל אֲשֶׁ֣ר עָשׂ֣וּ אֶת־הָעֵ֔גֶל אֲשֶׁ֥ר עָשָׂ֖ה אַֽהֲרֹֽן:
Then the Lord struck the people with a plague: [This was] death by the hands of Heaven for [those who sinned in the presence of] witnesses without warning. -[from Yoma 66b. See commentary above on verse 20.] ויגף ה' את העם: מיתה בידי שמים, לעדים בלא התראה:
Exodus Chapter 33
1The Lord spoke to Moses: "Go, ascend from here, you and the people you have brought up from the land of Egypt, to the land that I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying: 'I will give it to your descendants.' אוַיְדַבֵּ֨ר יְהֹוָ֤ה אֶל־משֶׁה֙ לֵ֣ךְ עֲלֵ֣ה מִזֶּ֔ה אַתָּ֣ה וְהָעָ֔ם אֲשֶׁ֥ר הֶֽעֱלִ֖יתָ מֵאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרָ֑יִם אֶל־הָאָ֗רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֣ר נִ֠שְׁבַּ֠עְתִּי לְאַבְרָהָ֨ם לְיִצְחָ֤ק וּלְיַֽעֲקֹב֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר לְזַרְעֲךָ֖ אֶתְּנֶֽנָּה:
Go, ascend from here: The land of Israel is higher than all [other] lands (Zev. 54b). That is why it says: “ascend.” Another explanation: [This is] in contrast to what He said to him [Moses] in time of anger, “Go, descend,” (Exod. 32:7). In time of good will He said to him, Go, ascend (Midrash Tanchuma 26). לך עלה מזה: ארץ ישראל גבוהה מכל הארצות, לכך נאמר עלה, דבר אחר כלפי שאמר לו בשעת הכעס (שמות לב ז) לך רד, אמר לו בשעת רצון לך עלה:
you and the people: Here He did not say “Your people” [as He had said previously in Exod. 32:7 “for your people… have acted corruptly”]. אתה והעם: כאן לא נאמר ועמך:
2I will send an angel before you, and I will drive out the Canaanites, the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivvites, and the Jebusites בוְשָֽׁלַחְתִּ֥י לְפָנֶ֖יךָ מַלְאָ֑ךְ וְגֵֽרַשְׁתִּ֗י אֶת־הַכְּנַֽעֲנִי֙ הָֽאֱמֹרִ֔י וְהַֽחִתִּי֙ וְהַפְּרִזִּ֔י הַֽחִוִּ֖י וְהַיְבוּסִֽי:
and I will drive out the Canaanites: They are six nations [listed here, although seven nations were mentioned in Gen. 15], and [this is because] the Girgashites got up and emigrated because of them [the Israelites] of their own accord. -[from Lev. Rabbah 17:6, Yerushalmi Shevi’ith 6:1]. וגרשתי את הכנעני וגו': שש אומות הן, והגרגשי עמד ופנה מפניהם מאליו:
3to a land flowing with milk and honey; because I will not go up in your midst since you are a stiff necked people, lest I destroy you on the way." גאֶל־אֶ֛רֶץ זָבַ֥ת חָלָ֖ב וּדְבָ֑שׁ כִּי֩ לֹ֨א אֶֽעֱלֶ֜ה בְּקִרְבְּךָ֗ כִּ֤י עַם־קְשֵׁה־עֹ֨רֶף֙ אַ֔תָּה פֶּן־אֲכֶלְךָ֖ בַּדָּֽרֶךְ:
to a land flowing with milk and honey: I tell you to take them [the Israelites] up. אל ארץ זבת חלב ודבש: אני אומר לך להעלותם:
because I will not go up in your midst: Therefore, I tell you, “I will send an angel before you.” כי לא אעלה בקרבך: לכך אני אומר לך ושלחתי לפניך מלאך:
since you are a stiff-necked people: And when My Shechinah is in your midst and you rebel against Me, I will increase My fury against you. כי עם קשה ערף אתה: וכששכינתי בקרבכם ואתם ממרים בי מרבה אני עליכם זעם:
I destroy you: Heb. אִכֶלְ, an expression of destruction (כִּלָיוֹן). אכלך: לשון כליון:
4[When] the people heard this bad news, they mourned, and no one put on his finery. דוַיִּשְׁמַ֣ע הָעָ֗ם אֶת־הַדָּבָ֥ר הָרָ֛ע הַזֶּ֖ה וַיִּתְאַבָּ֑לוּ וְלֹא־שָׁ֛תוּ אִ֥ישׁ עֶדְי֖וֹ עָלָֽיו:
this bad news: that the Shechinah would not rest [upon them] or go with them. הדבר הרע: שאין השכינה שורה ומהלכת עמם:איש עדיו כתרים שניתנו להם בחורב, כשאמרו נעשה ונשמע:
and no one… his finery: [I.e.,] the crowns given to them in Horeb when they said, “…we will do and we will hear” (Exod. 24:7) (Shab. 88a).
5And the Lord said to Moses: "Say to the children of Israel: 'You are a stiff necked people; if I go up into your midst for one moment, I will destroy you; but now, leave off your finery, and I will know what to do to you.' " הוַיֹּ֨אמֶר יְהֹוָ֜ה אֶל־משֶׁ֗ה אֱמֹ֤ר אֶל־בְּנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ אַתֶּ֣ם עַם־קְשֵׁה־עֹ֔רֶף רֶ֧גַע אֶחָ֛ד אֶֽעֱלֶ֥ה בְקִרְבְּךָ֖ וְכִלִּיתִ֑יךָ וְעַתָּ֗ה הוֹרֵ֤ד עֶדְיְךָ֙ מֵֽעָלֶ֔יךָ וְאֵֽדְעָ֖ה מָ֥ה אֶֽעֱשֶׂה־לָּֽךְ:
if I go up into your midst for one moment, I will destroy you: If I go up into your midst and you rebel against Me with stubbornness [again], I will be furious with you for one moment, which is the measure of My wrath (Ber. 7a), as it is said: “Hide for but a moment until the wrath passes” (Isa. 26: 20), and I will destroy you. Therefore, it is better for you that I send an angel [in My place]. רגע אחד אעלה בקרבך וכליתיך: אם אעלה בקרבך, ואתם ממרים בי בקשיות ערפכם, אזעום עליכם רגע אחד, שהוא שיעור זעמו, שנאמר (ישעיה כו כ) חבי כמעט רגע עד יעבור זעם, ואכלה אתכם, לפיכך טוב לכם שאשלח מלאך:
but now: this punishment you will suffer immediately, that you shall take off your finery. ועתה: פורענות זו תלקו מיד, שתורידו עדיכם מעליכם:
and I will know what to do to you: with the visitation of the rest of the sin. I know what is in My heart to do to you. ואדעה מה אעשה לך: בפקודת שאר העון. אני יודע מה שבלבי לעשות לך:
6So the children of Israel divested themselves of their finery from Mount Horeb. ווַיִּתְנַצְּל֧וּ בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל אֶת־עֶדְיָ֖ם מֵהַ֥ר חוֹרֵֽב:
their finery from Mount Horeb: The finery that was in their possession from Mount Horeb. -[from Shab. 88a] את עדים מהר חורב: את העדי שהיה בידם מהר חורב:
7And Moses took the tent and pitched it for himself outside the camp, distancing [it] from the camp, and he called it the tent of meeting, and it would be that anyone seeking the Lord would go out to the tent of meeting, which was outside the camp. זוּמשֶׁה֩ יִקַּ֨ח אֶת־הָאֹ֜הֶל וְנָֽטָה־ל֣וֹ | מִח֣וּץ לַמַּֽחֲנֶ֗ה הַרְחֵק֙ מִן־הַמַּֽחֲנֶ֔ה וְקָ֥רָא ל֖וֹ אֹ֣הֶל מוֹעֵ֑ד וְהָיָה֙ כָּל־מְבַקֵּ֣שׁ יְהֹוָ֔ה יֵצֵא֙ אֶל־אֹ֣הֶל מוֹעֵ֔ד אֲשֶׁ֖ר מִח֥וּץ לַמַּֽחֲנֶֽה:
And Moses: from [the moment of] that sin [and] on. ומשה: מאותו עון והלאה:
took the tent: Heb. יִקַּח. This is a present tense, [meaning that] he would take his tent and pitch it outside the camp. He said, “One who is banished from the master is banished from the disciple.” -[from Tanchuma 27] יקח את האהל: לשון הווה הוא, לוקח אהלו ונוטהו מחוץ למחנה, אמר מנודה לרב, מנודה לתלמיד:
distancing [it]: two thousand cubits, like the matter that is stated: “But there shall be a distance between you and it just two thousand cubits by measure” (Josh. 3:4). -[from Midrash Tanchuma 27] הרחק: אלפים אמה, כענין שנאמר (יהושע ג ד) אך רחוק יהיה ביניכם וביניו כאלפים אמה במדה:
and he called it: And he would call it the tent of meeting. That is the meeting house of those seeking the Torah. וקרא לו: והיה קורא לו אהל מועד, הוא בית ועד למבקשי תורה:
anyone seeking the Lord: From here [we deduce] that one who seeks the presence of a sage is tantamount to one who seeks the presence of the Shechinah. -[from Tanchuma 27] כל מבקש ה': מכאן למבקש פני זקן כמקבל פני השכינה:
would go out to the tent of meeting: Heb. יֵצֵא, lit., will go out, like יוֹצֵא, would go out. Another interpretation: and it would be that anyone seeking the Lord-even the ministering angels-when they would ask for the place of the Shechinah, their companions would say to them, “Behold, it is in Moses’ tent” -[from Tanchuma 27] יצא אל אהל מועד: כמו יוצא. דבר אחר והיה כל מבקש ה' אפילו מלאכי השרת כשהיו שואלים מקום שכינה, חבריהם אומרים להם הרי הוא באהלו של משה:
8And it would be that when Moses would go out to the tent, all the people would rise and stand, each one at the entrance of his tent, and they would gaze after Moses until he went into the tent. חוְהָיָ֗ה כְּצֵ֤את משֶׁה֙ אֶל־הָאֹ֔הֶל יָק֨וּמוּ֙ כָּל־הָעָ֔ם וְנִ֨צְּב֔וּ אִ֖ישׁ פֶּ֣תַח אָֽהֳל֑וֹ וְהִבִּ֨יטוּ֙ אַֽחֲרֵ֣י משֶׁ֔ה עַד־בֹּא֖וֹ הָאֹֽהֱלָה:
And it would be: Heb. וְהָיָה, a present tense. והיה: לשון הווה:
when Moses would go out: of the camp to go to the tent. כצאת משה מן המחנה: ללכת אל האהל:
all the people would rise: They would stand before him and not sit down until he was concealed from them. יקומו כל העם: עומדים מפניו ואין יושבין עד שנתכסה מהם:
and they would gaze after Moses: in admiration. [They would say,] “Fortunate is one born of woman who is so assured [by God] that the Shechinah follows him to the entrance of his tent.” -[from Kid. 33b, Shekalim 5:2. See also Tanchuma 27, Exod. Rabbah 45:4, 51:6] והביטו אחרי משה: לשבח, אשרי ילוד אשה שכך מובטח, שהשכינה תכנס אחריו לפתח אהלו:
9And it would be that when Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent, and He would speak with Moses. טוְהָיָ֗ה כְּבֹ֤א משֶׁה֙ הָאֹ֔הֱלָה יֵרֵד֙ עַמּ֣וּד הֶֽעָנָ֔ן וְעָמַ֖ד פֶּ֣תַח הָאֹ֑הֶל וְדִבֶּ֖ר עִם־משֶֽׁה:
and He would speak with Moses: Heb. וְדִבֶּר, like וּמְדַבֵּר, and He would speak [in the present tense]. Its Aramaic translation is וּמִתְמַלֵל עִם משֶׁה, and He would speak to Himself with Moses, which is [denoting] respect for the Shechinah, like [in the verse] “he heard the voice speaking (מְדַּבֵּר) to him” (Num. 7: 89), but one does not read וּמְדַבֵּר אֵלָיו. When one reads מְדַּבֵּר, it means that the voice would speak to itself and the commoner would hear by himself. But when one reads מְדַבֵּר, it means that the king speaks with the commoner. ודבר עם משה: כמו ומדבר עם משה. תרגומו ומתמלל עם משה שהוא כבוד שכינה, כמו (במדבר ז פט) וישמע את הקול מדבר אליו, ואינו קורא מדבר אליו. כשהוא קורא מדבר פתרונו הקול מדבר בינו לבין עצמו, וההדיוט שומע מאליו, וכשהוא קורא מדבר משמע שהמלך מדבר עם ההדיוט:
10When all the people would see the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, all the people would rise and prostrate themselves, each one at the entrance of his tent. יוְרָאָ֤ה כָל־הָעָם֙ אֶת־עַמּ֣וּד הֶֽעָנָ֔ן עֹמֵ֖ד פֶּ֣תַח הָאֹ֑הֶל וְקָ֤ם כָּל־הָעָם֙ וְהִשְׁתַּֽחֲו֔וּ אִ֖ישׁ פֶּ֥תַח אָֽהֳלֽוֹ:
and prostrate themselves: to the Shechinah. והשתחוו: לשכינה:
11Then the Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as a man would speak to his companion, and he would return to the camp, but his attendant, Joshua, the son of Nun, a lad, would not depart from the tent. יאוְדִבֶּ֨ר יְהֹוָ֤ה אֶל־משֶׁה֙ פָּנִ֣ים אֶל־פָּנִ֔ים כַּֽאֲשֶׁ֛ר יְדַבֵּ֥ר אִ֖ישׁ אֶל־רֵעֵ֑הוּ וְשָׁב֙ אֶל־הַמַּֽחֲנֶ֔ה וּמְשָׁ֨רְת֜וֹ יְהוֹשֻׁ֤עַ בִּן־נוּן֙ נַ֔עַר לֹ֥א יָמִ֖ישׁ מִתּ֥וֹךְ הָאֹֽהֶל:
Then the Lord would speak to Moses face to face: [The targumim render:] וּמִתְמַלֵּל עִם משֶׁה, [as explained on verse 9]. ודבר ה' אל משה פנים אל פנים: ומתמלל עם משה:
and he would return to the camp: After He spoke with him, Moses would return to the camp and teach the elders what he had learned. Moses conducted himself in this way from Yom Kippur until the Mishkan was erected, but no more [than that]. For on the seventeenth of Tammuz the tablets were broken, and on the eighteenth he burned the calf and judged the sinners, and on the nineteenth he went up [Mount Sinai], as it is said: “It came to pass on the next day that Moses said to the people, etc.” (Exod. 32:30). He spent forty days there and begged for mercy, as it is said: “And I cast myself down before the Lord, etc.” (Deut. 9:18). On Rosh Chodesh Elul it was said to him, “And in the morning you shall ascend Mount Sinai” (Exod. 34:2) to receive the second tablets, and he spent forty days there, as it is said concerning them, “And I remained upon the mountain just as the first days” (Deut. 10:10). Just as the first ones [days] were with good will [from the seventh of Sivan to the seventeenth of Tammuz], so were the last ones [days] with good will. [We may] deduce from this that the intermediate ones were with wrath. On the tenth of Tishri the Holy One, blessed is He, was appeased to Israel joyfully and wholeheartedly, and He said to Moses, “I have forgiven, as you have spoken.” He [God] gave over to him the second tablets, and he [Moses] descended, and He [God] began commanding him concerning the work of the Mishkan. They constructed it until the first of Nissan, and once it was erected, He no longer spoke with him except from the Tent of Meeting. -[from Midrash Tanchuma 31, Seder Olam ch. 6] ושב אל המחנה: לאחר שנדבר עמו, היה משה שב אל המחנה ומלמד לזקנים מה שלמד. והדבר הזה נהג משה מיום הכפורים עד שהוקם המשכן ולא יותר, שהרי בשבעה עשר בתמוז נשתברו הלוחות, ובשמונה עשר שרף את העגל ודן את החוטאים, ובתשעה עשר עלה, שנאמר (שמות לב ל) ויהי ממחרת ויאמר משה אל העם וגו', עשה שם ארבעים יום ובקש רחמים, שנאמר (דברים ט יח) ואתנפל לפני ה' וגו', ובראש חדש אלול נאמר לו (שמות לד ב) ועלית בבקר אל הר סיני, לקבל לוחות האחרונות, ועשה שם ארבעים יום, שנאמר בהם (דברים י י) ואנכי עמדתי בהר כימים הראשונים וגו', מה הראשונים ברצון אף האחרונים ברצון, אמור מעתה אמצעיים היו בכעס. בעשרה בתשרי נתרצה הקב"ה לישראל בשמחה ובלב שלם, ואמר לו למשה סלחתי כדברך, ומסר לו לוחות אחרונות. וירד והתחיל לצוותם על מלאכת המשכן ועשאוהו עד אחד בניסן, ומשהוקם לא נדבר עמו עוד אלא מאהל מועד:
and he would return to the camp: Its Aramaic translation is וְתָב לְמַשְׁרִיתָא [meaning] and he would return to the camp, because it is the present tense, and so is [the Aramaic translation of] the entire section: “all the people would see (וְרָאָה)” (verse 10) - וַחִזַן; and [they would] stand (וְנִצְּבוּ) (verse 8) - קַיְּימִין “and they [would] gaze (וְהִבִּיטוּ) ” (verse 8) וּמִסְתַּכְּלִין and [they would] prostrate themselves (וְהִשְׁתַּחִווּ) (verse 10) - וְסַגְדִין. [This is the simple meaning of the verses, which depict Moses’ usual conduct from after Yom Kippur until the Mishkan was erected.] Its midrashic interpretation, however, is: And the Lord spoke to Moses [saying] that he should return to the camp. He [the Lord] said to him, “I am angry, and you are angry. Who then will bring them near [to Me]?” (Midrash Tanchuma 27). ושב אל המחנה: תרגומו ותב למשריתא, לפי שהוא לשון הווה, וכן כל הענין וראה כל העם - וחזן, ונצבו - וקיימין, והביטו - ומסתכלין, והשתחוו - וסגדין. ומדרשו ודבר ה' אל משה שישוב אל המחנה, אמר לו אני בכעס ואתה בכעס, אם כן מי יקרבם:
• Daily Tehillim: Psalm Chapters 77 - 78
• Chapter 77
1. For the Conductor, on the yedutun,1 by Asaph, a psalm.
2. [I raise] my voice to God and cry out; [I raise] my voice to God and He will listen to me.
3. On the day of my distress I sought my Lord. My wound oozes at night and does not abate; my soul refuses to be consoled.
4. I remember God and I moan; I speak and my spirit faints, Selah.
5. You grasped my eyelids; I am broken, I cannot speak.
6. I think of olden days, of ancient years.
7. During the night I recall my music, I meditate with my heart, and my spirit searches:
8. Is it for eternity that my Lord forsakes [me], nevermore to be appeased?
9. Has His kindness ceased forever? Has He sealed the decree for all generations?
10. Has God forgotten mercy? Has He in anger restrained His compassion forever?
11. I said, "It is to ter- rify me that the right hand of the Most High changes.”
12. I remember the deeds of Yah, when I remember Your wonders of long ago.
13. I meditate on all Your works, and speak of Your deeds.
14. O God, Your way is in sanctity; what god is as great as God?
15. You are the God Who works wonders; You make Your might known among the nations.
16. You redeemed Your people with a mighty arm, the children of Jacob and Joseph, Selah.
17. The waters2 saw You, O God, the waters saw You and trembled; even the deep shuddered.
18. The clouds streamed water, the heavens sounded forth, even Your arrows flew about.
19. The sound of Your thunder was in the rolling wind; lightning lit up the world; the earth trembled and quaked.
20. Your way was through the sea, Your path through the mighty waters; and Your footsteps were not known.3
21. You led Your people like a flock, by the hand of Moses and Aaron
FOOTNOTES
1.A musical instrument(Metzudot).
2.Of the Red Sea.
3.The waters returned to cover the trail.
Chapter 78
This psalm recounts all the miracles that God wrought for Israel, from the exodus of Egypt to David's becoming king over Israel.
1. A maskil1 by Asaph. Listen, my people, to my teaching; incline your ear to the words of my mouth.
2. I will open my mouth with a parable, I will utter riddles of long ago;
3. that which we have heard and know [to be true], and that our fathers have told us.
4. We will not withhold from their children, telling the final generation the praises of the Lord, and His might, and the wonders He has performed.
5. He established a testimony in Jacob, and set down the Torah in Israel, which He commanded our fathers to make known to their children,
6. so that the last generation shall know; children yet to be born will rise and tell their children,
7. and they shall put their hope in God, and not forget the works of the Almighty; and they shall guard His commandments.
8. And they shall not be like their fathers, a wayward and rebellious generation, a generation that did not set its heart straight, and whose spirit was not faithful to God.
9. The children of Ephraim, armed archers, retreated on the day of battle.2
10. They did not keep the covenant of God, and refused to follow His Torah.
11. They forgot His deeds and His wonders that He had shown them.
12. He performed wonders before their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.3
13. He split the sea and brought them across; He erected the waters like a wall.
14. He led them with a cloud by day, and all night long with the light of fire.
15. He split rocks in the wilderness, and gave them to drink as if from the abundant depths.
16. And He brought forth flowing waters from the rock, and caused waters to descend like rivers.
17. Yet they again continued to sin against Him, to provoke the Most High in the parched land.
18. And they tested God in their hearts, by requesting food for their craving.
19. They spoke against God; they said, "Can God set a table in the wilderness?
20. True, He hit the rock and waters flowed, streams gushed forth; but can He also give bread? Will He prepare meat for His people?”
21. And so the Lord heard and was enraged; a fire was kindled against Jacob; wrath, too, flared against Israel.
22. For they did not believe in God and did not trust in His salvation,
23. [though] He had commanded the skies above, and opened the doors of heaven.
24. He had rained upon them manna to eat, and given them grain of heaven.
25. Man ate the bread of angels; He sent them [enough] provisions to satiate.
26. He drove the east wind through the heaven, and led the south wind with His might.
27. He rained meat upon them like dust, winged birds like the sand of seas;
28. and He dropped them inside His camp, around His dwellings.
29. And they ate and were very satiated, for He brought them their desire.
30. They were not yet estranged from their craving, their food was still in their mouths,
31. when the wrath of God rose against them and slew their mighty ones, and brought down the chosen of Israel.
32. Despite this, they sinned again, and did not believe in His wonders;
33. so He ended their days in futility, and their years in terror.
34. When He slew them they would seek Him, they would return and pray to God.
35. They remembered that God is their rock, God the Most High, their redeemer.
36. But they beguiled Him with their mouth, and deceived Him with their tongue.
37. Their heart was not steadfast with Him; they were not faithful to His covenant.
38. Yet He is compassionate, pardons iniquity, and does not destroy; time and again He turns away His anger, and does not arouse all His wrath.
39. He remembered that they were but flesh, a spirit that leaves and does not return.
40. How often they provoked Him in the desert, and grieved Him in the wasteland!
41. Again and again they tested God, and sought a sign from the Holy One of Israel.
42. They did not remember His hand, the day He redeemed them from the oppressor;
43. that He set His signs in Egypt, and His wonders in the field of Zoan.
44. He turned their rivers to blood, and made their flowing waters undrinkable.
45. He sent against them a mixture of beasts which devoured them, and frogs that destroyed them.
46. He gave their produce to the grasshopper, and their toil to the locust.
47. He killed their vines with hail, and their sycamores with biting frost.
48. He delivered their animals to the hail, and their livestock to fiery bolts.
49. He sent against them His fierce anger, fury, rage, and affliction; a delegation of messengers of evil.
50. He leveled a path for His anger, and did not spare their soul from death; He delivered their animals to pestilence.
51. He struck every firstborn in Egypt, the first fruit of their strength in the tents of Ham.4
52. He drove His nation like sheep, and guided them like a flock in the desert.
53. He led them in security and they did not fear, for the sea covered their enemies.
54. And He brought them to the boundary of His holy place, this mountain which His right hand acquired.
55. He drove out nations before them, and allotted them an inheritance [measured] by the cord; He settled the tribes of Israel in their tents.
56. Yet they tested and defied God, the Most High, and did not keep His testimonies.
57. They regressed and rebelled like their fathers; they turned around like a deceptive bow.
58. They angered Him with their high altars, and provoked Him with their idols.
59. God heard and was enraged, and He was utterly disgusted with Israel;
60. And He abandoned the Tabernacle of Shilo, the Tent where He had dwelled among men.
61. He put His might into captivity, and His glory into the hand of the oppressor.
62. He delivered His nation to the sword, and was enraged with His inheritance.
63. Fire consumed His young men, and His maidens had no marriage song.
64. His priests fell by the sword, and their widows did not weep.5
65. And the Lord awoke like one who had been asleep, like a warrior shouting [to sober himself] from wine.
66. He beat His enemies into retreat, and dealt them eternal disgrace.
67. He was disgusted with the tent of Joseph, and did not choose the tribe of Ephraim.
68. He chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion which He loves.
69. And He built His Sanctuary [permanent as] the heavens; like the earth, He established it forever.
70. And He chose David His servant, and took him from the sheep corrals.
71. From following the nursing ewes, He brought Him to shepherd His nation Jacob, Israel His inheritance.
72. And he tended them with the integrity of his heart, and led them with the skill of his hands.
FOOTNOTES
1.A psalm intended to enlighten and impart knowledge(Metzudot).
2.The Ephraimites escaped Egypt before the other tribes, but were defeated when trying to enter the land of Canaan.
3.Capital of Egypt (Radak).
4.Progenitor of the Egyptians.
5.They died before being able to weep (Targum).
Tanya: Likutei Amarim, end of Chapter 34
• Lessons in Tanya
• Today's Tanya Lesson
• Monday, 15 Adar, 5777 · 13 March 2017
• Likutei Amarim, end of Chapter 34
• אם ירחיב ה׳ לו עוד, אזי: טהור ידים יוסיף אומץ, ומחשבה טובה כו׳
If G‑d grants him a greater abundance of time for Torah study, then1 “He whose hands are pure will increase his effort”; i.e., he should resolve that as more time becomes available to him, he will devote it to Torah study. Moreover,2 “[G‑d reckons] a good intention [as an actual deed].”
Therefore, even while his time for Torah study is limited to a small part of the day and night, he is regarded as if he had studied the entire day, since he would have devoted all this time to Torah study had it been available. By virtue of his good intention, he thus is, in a sense, an abode for G‑dliness not only during the time actually spent in Torah study, but also throughout the day.3
וגם שאר היום כולו שעוסק במשא ומתן, יהיה מכון לשבתו יתברך בנתינת צדקה שיתן מיגיעו
Even during the remainder of the day, when he is engaged in business, he will be an abode for G‑d by giving charity out of the proceeds of his labor.
שהיא ממדותיו של הקב״ה: מה הוא רחום וכו׳, וכמו שכתוב בתיקונים: חסד דרועא ימינא
Charity is one of G‑d’s attributes which we are enjoined to emulate, as our Sages say,4 “As He is compassionate... [so must you be]”; and as it is written in Tikkunei Zohar,5 “Kindness is the right arm of G‑d,” so to speak, and therefore human kindness constitutes an abode for the Divine attribute of kindness.
ואף שאינו נותן אלא חומש
Even though one distributes as charity no more than one fifth of his earnings — the maximum requirement for charity; how then is he an abode for G‑dliness while he is engaged in earning the other four fifths
הרי החומש מעלה עמו כל הארבע ידות לה׳ להיות מכון לשבתו יתברך
Yet that fifth elevates with it all the other four parts to G‑d, so that they too become an abode for Him.
כנודע מאמר רז״ל, שמצות צדקה שקולה כנגד כל הקרבנות
In a well-known statement, our Sages have declared6 that the mitzvah of charity is equivalent to offeringall the sacrifices.
ובקרבנות, היה כל החי עולה לה׳ על ידי בהמה אחת, וכל הצומח על ידי עשרון סלת אחד בלול בשמן כו׳
Now, in the case of sacrifices, all living creatures were elevated to G‑d through the offering of one animal, all plants through the “meal offering” which consisted of merely “one tenth of a measure of fine meal mixed with oil,” and so on.
Similarly, all of one’s earnings are elevated when he gives one fifth to charity.
ומלבד זה, הרי בשעת התורה והתפלה עולה לה׳ כל מה שאכל ושתה ונהנה מארבע הידות לבריאות גופו, כמו שכתוב לקמן
Apart from this, as is explained below, all that one has eaten and drunk and generally enjoyed for his bodily health, from the other four fifths of his earnings, is elevated toward G‑d during his Torah study and prayer.
Thus, even the time spent on earning those profits which he does not distribute in charity, also becomes an abode for G‑dliness through Torah study and prayer.
* * *
From the end of Ch. 30 up to this point, the Alter Rebbe discussed various forms of joy which one ought to strive to attain when saddened over his spiritual shortcomings: the joy of one’s soul on its being released from exile within one’s body and animal soul; the joy of being close to G‑d through awareness of His unity; the joy occasioned by contemplating G‑d’s joy in the crushing of the sitra achra; and so on. The Alter Rebbe now goes on to state that all these forms of joy do not conflict with the bitter remorse and sadness that one experiences over one’s spiritual failings. For, although joy and sadness are opposites, they can nonetheless coexist when each has its own, distinct cause.
והנה בכל פרטי מיני שמחות הנפש הנ״ל, אין מהן מניעה להיות נבזה בעיניו נמאס ולב נשבר ורוח נמוכה בשעת השמחה ממש
All the specific types of joy enumerated above do not preclude one from being shamed and despised in his own eyes, or from having a broken heart and a humble spirit, even at the very time of his joy.
כי היותו נבזה בעיניו וכו׳, הוא מצד הגוף ונפש הבהמית
For the shame and so on is prompted by [one’s awareness of the lowliness of] his body and animal soul,
והיותו בשמחה הוא מצד נפש האלקית וניצוץ אלקות המלובש בה להחיותה, כנ״ל בפרק ל״א
while his joy is felt on account of his divine soul, and the animating spark of G‑dliness clothed within it, as mentioned above (in ch. 31).
וכהאי גוונא איתא בזהר: בכיה תקיעא בלבאי מסטרא דא, וחדוה תקיעא בלבאי מסטרא דא
We find a similar statement in the Zohar:7 “Weeping is lodged in one side of my heart, and joy is lodged in the other.”
Rabbi Elazar exclaimed these words upon hearing from his father, Rabbi Shimon, an esoteric exposition on the destruction of the Temple. On the one hand, he now felt even more keenly the enormity of the tragedy; on the other hand he was filled with joy over the secrets of Torah being revealed to him.
We thus see from the Zohar that two opposite emotions, stemming from separate causes, can exist in one’s heart side by side.
——— ● ———
| FOOTNOTES | |
| 1. | Iyov 17:9. |
| 2. | Kiddushin 40a. |
| 3. | This interpretation is based on a talk delivered by the Rebbe on Purim 5723 (1963). The Rebbe added that this interpretation sheds light on an unusual technical point in this chapter. In the original text, one finds a paragraph marking, (relatively infrequent in the Tanya, and indicative of a new train of thought), appearing just before the words ("If G-d grants him..."). It would seem, however, that these words merely continue the point made earlier: one ought to rejoice in the knowledge that he becomes a sanctuary for G-dliness during the time he devotes each day to Torah study, and should resolve to increase that time if the opportunity arises. Why the break between the two sentences? In light of the above, that one's resolve to increase the extent of his Torah study as the time becomes available, confers upon him the status of "sanctuary" for all the time he *would* devote to Torah study (which means in fact the entire day), this may be explained as follows: After discussing how one can become a sanctuary for G-dliness in the time he allocates for Torah study, the Alter Rebbe goes on to say that one can be a sanctuary for G-d *the entire day* -by giving charity from his earnings. Since the effect of one's resolve to increase his study of Torah is akin to the effect of charity, the Alter Rebbe inserts the paragraph marking before this section, indicating that it is more closely related to the subject which follows it - charity, than to the one that precedes it -actual Torah study during fixed times of the day. |
| 4. | Shabbat 133b. |
| 5. | Introduction, 17a. |
| 6. | Sukkah 49b. |
| 7. | II, 255a; III, 75a. |
• Today's Mitzvah
A daily digest of Maimonides’ classic work "Sefer Hamitzvot"
• Positive Commandment 80
• Redeeming Firstborn Sons
"Give to Me the firstborn of your sons"—Numbers 22:28.
We are commanded to "redeem" male firstborn and to give the redemption money – five sela'im – to the priest.
The obligation to redeem the firstborn son lies with the boy's father; the mother is not obligated in this mitzvah.
Full text of this Mitzvah »
• Redeeming Firstborn Sons
Positive Commandment 80
Translated by Berel Bell
The 80th mitzvah is that we are commanded to redeem a first-born male and to give the redemption value to a kohen.
The source of this commandment is G‑d's statement,1 "Give Me the first-born of your sons." The explanation of this "giving" is that we must redeem him as if the kohen already owns him. We acquire the child from the kohen by giving him five selah.
The source of this commandment is G‑d's statement,2 "You must redeem a first-born male child."
This mitzvah is called pidyon haben. Women are not obligated in this mitzvah; it is the child's mitzvah which the father must fulfill, as explained in Kiddushin.3
The details of this mitzvah are explained in tractate B'choros.
Levites are exempt from this mitzvah.
FOOTNOTES
1.Ex. 22:28.
2.Num. 18:15.
3.29a.
• Positive Commandment 81
• Redeeming Firstborn Donkeys
"The firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb"—Exodus 34:20.
We are commanded to redeem a firstborn male donkey with a lamb—which is given to the priest. (Unless the owner wishes to give the priest the monetary value of the donkey.)
Levites are exempt from this mitzvah.
Full text of this Mitzvah »
• Redeeming Firstborn Donkeys
Positive Commandment 81
Translated by Berel Bell
The 81st mitzvah is that we are commanded to redeem a first-born donkey with a sheep, and to give the sheep to a kohen — unless we give the monetary value.1
The source of this commandment is G‑d's statement,2 "The first-born of a donkey you shall redeem with a sheep."
The details of this mitzvah are also explained in tractate B'choros.
Levites are also exempt from this mitzvah.
FOOTNOTES
1.If one desire, money may be given, since the Torah gives him the option of giving a sheep for the owner's convenience. See Hilchos B'chorim, Ch. 12, Hal. 11.
2.Ibid. 34:20.
• Rambam - 1 Chapter: Zechiyah uMattanah Zechiyah uMattanah - Chapter Four
• Zechiyah uMattanah - Chapter Four
1
Once a person acquires a gift, he cannot nullify his acquisition. To cite an example: A person received a gift and acquired it. After it entered his domain while he remained silent, he retracted and said: "I do not desire it," "It is nullified," or "I see this blemish in it," his statements are of no consequence. Just as the giver cannot retract, so too, the recipient cannot retract once he has acquired it.
The gift that the recipient stated that he did not desire after it entered his possession becomes ownerless. The first person to take possession of it acquires it. For the recipient declared it ownerless after he acquired it. If, however, the recipient protested from the very outset, he does not acquire it , and it should be returned to its original owners.
א
המקבל את המתנה וזכה בה ואחר שבאה לידו והוא שותק חזר בו ואמר איני רוצה בה או איני מקבלה או הרי היא בטילה או שאמר מום זה נראה לי בה לא אמר כלום וכשם שאין הנותן יכול לחזור בו כך המקבל אינו יכול לחזור בו אחר שזכה מתנה זו שאמר המקבל איני רוצה בה אחר שבאת לידו הרי היא הפקר וכל הקודם בה זכה בה שהרי הפקירה המקבל אחר שזכה בה אבל אם היה צווח מעיקרו לא קנה המקבל וחוזרת לבעלים הראשונים:
2
The following rules apply when a person transfers ownership over an article to a colleague through the agency of a third party. Once the third party takes possession of it - e.g., he performs meshichah on movable property, a deed of transfer of landed property reaches his hand, or he manifests ownership over the land - his colleague acquires the gift, even though it does not reach his hand. The giver can no longer retract.
The recipient by contrast has the option in his hand. If he desires, he may accept it. If he does not desire, he need not accept it. For a positive acquisition may be made for his person without his consent, and an obligation cannot be undertaken on his behalf without his consent. If a person desires that a gift be given to him, it is considered to be a positive acquisition. If, however, he does not desire it, a person cannot be forced to accept a gift that is given to him.
ב
המזכה לחבירו במתנה ע"י אחר כיון שהחזיק בה אחר כגון שמשך המטלטלין או הגיע שטר הקרקע לידו או החזיק בקרקע זכה חבירו אף על פי שלא הגיע המתנה לידו ואין הנותן יכול לחזור בו אבל המקבל ידו על העליונה אם רצה מקבל אם לא רצה אינו מקבל שזכין לאדם שלא בפניו ואין חבין לו אלא בפניו וזכות הוא שתנתן לו מתנה אם ירצה אבל אם לא ירצה אין נותנין מתנה לאדם בעל כרחו:
3
There is an unresolved question among our Sages when another person accepts a gift on behalf of the recipient, when the recipient hears about the gift and remains silent, and afterwards he protests and states that he does not desire to receive it. We do not know whether the reason he remained silent at first is that he desired to accept it, and the reason he protested was that he retracted. Or perhaps he remained silent at the outset because nothing had reached his hand at that time. When the article did reach his hand, he protested, and his ultimate statements reveal his original intent.
Therefore," if another person comes first and acquires the article himself, it should not be expropriated from his possession. For perhaps the recipient originally acquired the article, and when he said: "I do not desire it," he declared it ownerless, as explained above. Thus, the person who came and took possession of it while it was ownerless acquires it.
If, however, the original owner comes and takes the article out of the possession of the person who took it, it should not be expropriated from his possession. The rationale is that perhaps the recipient did not acquire it, for when he said: "I do not desire it," his ultimate statements reveal his original intent. Thus, the person who took possession of it did not acquire it, and it remained in the possession of its original owner.
ג
זיכה לו על ידי אחר וכששמע המקבל שתק ואחר כך צווח ואמר איני מקבלה הרי זה ספק אם זה ששתק כבר רצה וזה שחזר וצווח חזר בו או ששתק מפני שעדיין לא הגיע לידו כלום וזה שצווח הוכיח סופו על תחלתו לפיכך אם קדם אחר וזכה בה לעצמו אין מוציאין מידו שמא המקבל זכה וכיון שאמר איני רוצה בה הרי הפקירה כמו שביארנו וזה שקדם ולקחה מן ההפקר זכה ואם חזרו הבעלים הראשונים ותפשוה מיד זה שקדם וזכה בה אין מוציאין אותה מידם שמא המקבל לא זכה וכיון שאמר איני רוצה הוכיח סופו על תחלתו ולא קנה אותה וברשות בעלים הראשונים היא קיימת עדיין:
4
The above principles can be applied in the following situation: Reuven desired to give 100 dinarim to Shimon. He sent him the 100 dinarim with Levi. If Reuven told Levi: "Acquire these 100 zwz on behalf of Shimon," or "Give these 100 zuz to Shimon," Reuven cannot retract his gift.
If, however, he tells him: "Bring these 100 zuz to Shimon," he has the option of retracting until the 100 zuz reach Shimon.
ד
ראובן שרצה ליתן מאה דינרין לשמעון ושלח לו המאה ע"י לוי אם אמר לו זכה במאה זוז לשמעון או תן מאה זוז לשמעון אינו יכול לחזור בו אבל אם אמר לו הולך מאה זוז לשמעון יכול לחזור בו עד שיגיע המאה ליד שמעון:
5
In the above instance, if Levi took the 100 zuz that he was sent to bring to Shimon and looked for Shimon, but could not find him, he should return the money to Reuven.
If Shimon died during Reuven's lifetime, Levi should return the money to Reuven or to his heirs. But if Reuven died in Shimon's lifetime, the 100 zuz should be given to Shimon or his heirs.
The rationale is that it is a mitzvah to carry out the instructions of a deceased person, even though he gave those instructions while he was healthy. And in this instance, the 100 zuz are still in the possession of the agent.
ה
הלך לוי במאה זוז שנשתלחו עמו להוליכן לשמעון ובקש שמעון ולא מצאהו יחזיר לראובן מת שמעון בחיי ראובן יחזיר לראובן או ליורשיו מת ראובן בחיי שמעון יתן המאה לשמעון או ליורשיו שמצוה לקיים דברי המת ואע"פ שאמר הדברים והוא בריא שהרי המאה בידו של שליח עדיין:
6
A person cannot acquire a gift on behalf of a colleague unless the person acquiring the gift is past majority and mentally competent. Both a man and a woman - indeed, even a married woman or a servant or maidservant can acquire property on behalf of another person.
A gentile, by contrast, cannot acquire property for a Jew. Since he is not fit to serve as an agent, he can never acquire property on behalf of a Jew. Similarly, just as a Jew cannot serve as an agent for a gentile, he cannot acquire property for a gentile.
ו
אין אדם זוכה במתנה לחבירו עד שיהיה הזוכה גדול ובן דעת ואחד איש ואחד אשה ואפילו אשת איש ועבד ושפחה אבל העכו"ם אינו זוכה הואיל ואין ראוי לשליחות לעולם כך אינו זוכה לישראל וכשם שאין ישראל נעשה שליח לעכו"ם כך אינו זוכה לעכו"ם:
7
When a child reaches the state of understanding that when he is given a stone he throws it away, but when he is given a nut he keeps it, he can acquire property on his own behalf, but he cannot acquire on behalf of others. If he is less mature than this, he cannot even acquire property on his own behalf.
Similarly, a mentally or emotionally incompetent person cannot acquire property, neither on his own behalf nor on behalf of others. When a person gives property to a mentally or emotionally incompetent person through the agency of a mentally competent person, the incompetent acquires it.
A deaf mute can acquire property on his own behalf, as explained in Hilchot Gezelah.
ז
קטן שנותנין לו צרור וזורקו אגוז ונוטלו זוכה לעצמו ואינו זוכה לאחרים פחות מזה לא זכה לעצמו ולא לאחרים וכן השוטה אינו זוכה לא לו ולא לאחרים והמזכה לשוטה על ידי בן דעת זכה אבל החרש זוכה לעצמו כמו שביארנו בהלכות גזילה:
8
One may acquire property for a minor - even a newborn child - or an adult, in his presence or outside his presence.
A person's courtyard can acquire property on his behalf even though he is not standing there. The rationale is that since the gift reached the person's courtyard, it is as if another person acquired it on his behalf.
ח
זכין לקטן אפילו בן יום אחד ולגדול בין בפניו בין שלא בפניו וחצירו של אדם קונה לו שלא מדעתו אף על פי שאינו עומד שם כיון שהגיע המתנה לחצירו כאילו זכה בה אחר:
9
When does the above apply? With regard to a courtyard that is safeguarded. Different rules apply with regard to a courtyard that is not safeguarded - e.g., a field or a ruin. In such an instance, a person does not acquire an article unless he is standing next to the courtyard and says: "Let my field acquire the article for me."
Similarly, the area within a radius of the four cubits next to where a person is standing can acquire property on his behalf, if he is standing in an alleyway, at the sides of the public domain, which are not crowded with many people or in a field that is ownerless. However, when a person stands in the public domain or in a field belonging to a colleague, he does not acquire the article until it reaches his hand.
A female minor may acquire an article by virtue of its presence in her courtyard or within the area within a radius of four cubits of her. A male minor, by contrast, cannot acquire a gift unless it reaches his hand or is acquired on his behalf by another person.
ט
בד"א בחצר המשתמרת אבל בחצר שאינה משתמרת כגון שדהו וחורבתו עד שיהיה עומד בצדה ויאמר זכתה לי שדי וכן ארבע אמות של אדם שהוא עומד בצדן קונין לו בסימטא או בצדי רשות הרבים או בחצר שאין לה בעלים אבל ברשות הרבים או בשדה חבירו אינו זוכה עד שיגיע מתנה לידו וקטנה תזכה לה חצרה וארבע אמות שלה אבל הקטן אינו זוכה עד שתגיע מתנה לידו או עד שיזכה לו אחר:
10
A gift is like a bill of divorce, in that a person cannot transfer words alone to an agent.
What is implied? If a person tells three people: "Tell so and so and so and so to compose and sign a deed recording a gift and give it to so and so," his statement is of no consequence. If these people convey these instructions to those witnesses and the witnesses write the deed and give it to the intended recipient, the recipient does not acquire anything.
Similarly, if a person tells two people, "Compose and sign a deed recording a gift and give it to so and so," they cannot tell a scribe to compose such a deed. Instead, they must compose it themselves, as applies with regard to a bill of divorce.
י
המתנה כגט שאין אדם יכול למסור דברים לשליח כיצד אמר לשלשה אמרו לפלוני ופלוני שיכתבו ויחתמו בשטר מתנה ויתנוה לפלוני אין זה כלום ואם אמרו לאותן העדים וכתבו ונתנו למקבל לא קנה וכן אם אמר לשנים כתבו וחתמו בשטר מתנה ותנוהו לפלוני אינן יכולין לומר לסופר לכתוב אלא הן עצמן כותבין כמו בגט:
11
When a person writes a deed saying: "I gave such and such a field to so and so," "I gave it to him," or "Behold, it is his," the person named acquires the field when the deed reaches his hand.
When, by contrast, the prospective donor writes in a deed: "I will give it to him," the intended recipient does not acquire the property even if witnesses testify with regard to the document.
The intended recipient does not acquire the property until the giver tells the witnesses: "Compose a deed recording a gift, and give it to him." Then they should compose the deed and give it. The rationale is that a recipient does not acquire the property given to him until a deed recording the gift reaches his hand or until the giver transfers ownership of the property to him via a third party, as explained.
יא
הכותב בשטר נתתי שדה פלונית לפלוני או שכתב נתתיה לו או הרי היא שלו הרי זוכה בה כשיגיע השטר לידו אבל אם כתב בשטר אתננה לו אע"פ שהעידו עליו העדים לא זכה המקבל עד שיאמר לעדים כתבו שטר מתנה ותנו לו וכותבין ונותנין לו שאין המקבל זוכה עד שיגיע שטר המתנה לידו או עד שיזכה לו בו ע"י אחרים כמו שביארנו:
12
When a person says: "I gave this and this field to so and so," but the recipient says: "He did not give it to me," we suspect that perhaps the giver had another person acquire it for him.
Different rules apply if the giver states: "I composed a deed and gave it to him," and the recipient states: "He did not compose such a deed, nor did he give it to me." If the recipient of the gift himself makes such a statement, the admission of the principal himself is equivalent to the testimony of 100 witnesses. Therefore the giver is entitled to receive the produce of the field.
If the son of the recipient is the one who states: "You did not give this field to my father," while the giver maintains: "I wrote a deed and gave it to him," the produce should be entrusted to a third party until the status of the field becomes known.
יב
האומר נתתי שדה פלונית לפלוני והוא אומר לא נתן לי חוששין שמא זיכה לו על ידי אחר אבל אם אמר כתבתי ונתתי לו והוא אומר לא כתב ולא נתן לי אם המקבל מתנה הוא שאמר כן הודאת בעל דין כמאה עדים הוא והנותן אוכל פירות שדהו ואם בן המקבל הוא שאמר לא נתת לאבי שדה זו והוא אומר כתבתי ונתתי לו מניחין את הפירות על ידי שליש עד שיודע הדבר היאך הוא:
13
When a person thought to have received a gift claims: "The object in my possession was not given to me as a gift; instead, I am a watchman for it," or the like, or he says: "The gift was nullified from the outset, because I did not accept it," "I was forced to accept it against my will," "I accepted it by mistake," or the like, his claim is accepted. He is required to take a sh'vuat hesset, and the gift is returned to its original owners.
יג
מקבל מתנה שטען ואמר זו שתחת ידי אינה מתנה בידי אלא שומר אני עליה וכיוצא בו או שאמר בטילה היתה מתחלתה לפי שלא קבלתיה או בעל כרחי באונס או בטעות וכיוצא בדברים אלו דבריו קיימין ונשבע על זה שבועת היסת ותחזור לבעליה:
14
If the alleged giver of a gift denies giving it, and instead, claims: "You are a watchman over it," "I gave it to you unwillingly," or "It is stolen property that you have," and the person in possession of the disputed article states: "You gave it to me as a gift," the alleged recipient must support his claim with a Rabbinic oath. Afterwards, he is under no obligation.
יד
טען הנותן ואמר שומר אתה עליה או שאמר שלא מדעתי נתתיה או גזולה היא בידך וזה אומר אתה נתת לי נשבע המקבל שבועת היסת ונפטר:
• Bikkurim - Chapter 9
1
It is a positive commandment for anyone1 who slaughters a kosher domesticated animal to give a priest the foreleg, the jaw, and the maw,2 as [Deuteronomy 18:50] states: "This is the judgment [due] the priests...." These are universally known as "presents."
This mitzvah is practiced at all times, whether at the time the Temple is standing or not, whether in Eretz Yisrael or in the Diaspora,3 with regard to ordinary animals and not consecrated ones.
א
מצות עשה ליתן כל זובח בהמה טהורה לכהן הזרוע והלחיים והקיבה שנאמר וזה יהיה משפט הכהנים ואלו הם הנקראים בכ"מ מתנות ומצות זו נוהגת תמיד בין בפני הבית בין שלא בפני הבית ובכל מקום בין בארץ בין בחוצה לארץ ובחולין אבל לא במוקדשין:
2
There is an obligation to separate the above-mentioned presents from all consecrated animals that had a permanent blemish4 before they were consecrated and were redeemed.5If, by contrast, they had a temporary blemish6 before their consecration or they were consecrated when they were unblemished, but afterwards, they became blemished,7 and they were redeemed, they are exempt from these presents.8
ב
כל הקדשים שקדם מום קבוע להקדישן ונפדו חייבין במתנות ואם קדם מום עובר להקדישן או שהקדישן תמימים ואחר כך נולד בהם מום ונפדו הרי אלו פטורין מן המתנות:
3
If there is an unresolved doubt whether an animal is a firstborn,9 there is certainly an obligation to give the presents [from it to the priest].10 [The rationale is:] If it is a firstborn, it must be given to a priest in its entirety. If it is not a firstborn, the presents must be given to a priest.
ג
ספק בכור חייב במתנות מכל צד שאם בכור הוא כולו לכהן ואם אינו בכור מתנותיו לכהן ואם נסתפק בשנים ולקח הכהן האחד מספק הרי השני פטור מן המתנות עשאוהו כמי שזכה בו הכהן ונתנו במומו לבעליו אבל ספק מעשר פטור מ"מ שהמוציא מחבירו עליו הראיה:
4
When an animal that was consecrated and then disqualified because of a blemish16 became mixed with other animals - even one with 100 - if one person owns all of them,17 they are all exempt [from the obligation of the presents]. [The rationale is that the status of] each one is doubtful and when one desires to expropriate property from a colleague, the burden of proof is on him.18 If one person was slaughtering all the animals, only one [set of] presents is exempt.19
ד
בהמת קדשים שנפסלה במומה ואינה חייבת במתנות שנתערבה בבהמות אחרות אפילו אחת במאה בזמן שכל בהמה מהן לאחר כולן פטורין שכל אחד ואחד ספק והמוציא מחבירו עליו הראיה היה אחד הוא השוחט את כולם פוטר מתנות אחת מהן בלבד:
5
We are required to separate presents only from a kosher domesticated animal,20 [as indicated by Deuteronomy, loc. cit., which] states: "If it be an ox or a sheep."21 If a hybrid is born from a sheep and a goat, there is an obligation for presents to be given.22 We separate all23 the presents from a ko'i24even though its status is undetermined.
When a male deer mates with a goat and it gives birth, there is an obligation [to give] half the presents [to a priest]. [This is derived from the above prooftext]: "If it be... a sheep," i.e., even if it is only part sheep.25 [When, by contrast,] a male goat mates with a deer, the offspring is exempt from the presents.26
ה
אין חייב במתנות אלא בהמה טהורה בלבד שנאמר אם שור אם שה כלאים הבא מכבש ועז חייב במתנות והכוי אף על פי שהוא ספק מפרישין ממנו כל המתנות צבי הבא על העז וילדה הולד חייב בחצי מתנות שנאמר אם שה אפילו מקצת שה תיש הבא על הצביה הולד פטור מן המתנות:
6
Whether a person slaughters an animal for consumption by Jews, by animals, by dogs, or for medical purposes, there is an obligation [to give] the presents.27
ו
אחד השוחט לאכילת עכו"ם או לאכילת כלבים או לרפואה חייב במתנות:
7
There is an obligation [to separate the presents from] an animal belonging to partners, as [the above prooftext] states: "those who slaughter28 the animal."
ז
בהמת שותפין חייבת שנאמר זובחי הזבח:
8
When a person purchases an animal with the produce of the Sabbatical year, he is obligated to [give] presents [to a priest].29
ח
הלוקח בהמה מפירו' שביעית חייב במתנות כהנים ולוים פטורים מן המתנות שנאמר מאת העם וספק הם הלוים אם הם בכלל העם או לא לפיכך אין נוטלין מהם ואם נטל הכהן לא יחזיר:
9
When does the above32 apply? When one slaughters for his own sake. [Different laws apply to] a priest who is butcher, who slaughters [animals] and sells them in the marketplace. We grant him two or three weeks.33 Afterwards, we expropriate the presents from him and grant them to other priests.34
If he established a butcher shop to sell meat, we do not wait at all. Instead, we expropriate the presents from him immediately. If he refrains from giving them, we place him under a ban of ostracism35until he gives them.
ט
בד"א בשוחט לעצמו אבל כהן טבח ששוחט ומוכר בשוק ממתינין לו שתים ושלש שבתות מיכן ואילך מוציאין ממנו מתנות ונותנין אותם לכהנים אחרים ואם קבע בית מטבחיים למכור אין ממתינין לו אלא מוציאין ממנו מיד ואם נמנע מליתן מנדין אותו עד שיתן:
10
A person who slaughters an animal for the sake of a priest or a gentile is exempt from [the obligation to give presents].36
A person who enters into a partnership with a priest [in the ownership of an animal] must mark his portion, so that he will leave the presents in the portion of the priest. If he does not mark his portion, he is obligated [to give] these presents, because the fact that the priest is his partner is not a matter of public knowledge.37Accordingly, if the priest was standing with him in the butcher store and dealing and negotiating with him,38 he is not required to mark [his portion].39
When a person enters a partnership with a gentile [in the ownership of an animal], he need not mark his portion.40 [The rationale is that] as a rule, a gentile will speak excessively and inform everyone that he is [the Jew's] partner, even if [the Jew] is not present at the time of the sale.
י
השוחט לעכו"ם ולכהן פטור מן המתנות והמשתתף עם הכהן צריך שירשום חלקו כדי שיניח המתנות בחלק הכהן שאם לא ציין חלקו חייב במתנות מפני שאין הכל יודעין שהכהן שותף לו לפיכך אם היה הכהן עומד עמו במטבחיים ונושא ונותן עמו אינו צריך לרשום והמשתתף עם העכו"ם אינו צריך לרשום שסתם עכו"ם מרבה דברים ומודיע לכל שהוא שותף ואע"פ שאינו עמו בשעת מכירה:
11
[If, when negotiating a partnership agreement41 regarding the ownership of an animal,] a priest stipulates to [his partner, an Israelite,] that they are partners with the exception of the presents, the presents belong to the priest. Since the priest stipulated "with the exception of...," he left himself the portion of [the animal containing] the presents. Hence, they are his.42
If, however, the priest told the Israelite: "...on the condition that the presents are mine," the presents belong to the Israelite and he may give them to any priest he desires. Even though [the priest] stipulated that they were his, [the animal] is not exempt from [the obligation to give] the presents.43 For by saying "on the condition that...," he did not leave himself [the ownership of] the presents. Since he did not leave himself a share in their ownership, he did not acquire them through this stipulation.44
יא
התנה הכהן עמו שהוא שותף חוץ מן המתנות הרי המתנות לכהן כיון שאמר לו חוץ הרי שייר לו הכהן חלק במתנות ולפיכך הם שלו אבל אם אמר לו הכהן ע"מ שהמתנות שלי הרי המתנות של ישראל זה ונותנן לכל כהן שירצה אף על פי שהתנה עמו שהן שלו לא נפטר מן המתנות שהאומר ע"מ לא שייר לו בעצמן של מתנות כלום הואיל ולא שייר לו בהן שותפות לא קנאן בתנאי זה:
12
If a priest was a partner in [the ownership of] the head, he is exempt from [giving] the jaw. If he is a partner in the front leg, he is exempt from the fore leg. If he is a partner in the digestive organs, he is exempt from the maw.45
If the priest told [the Israelite]: "The entire animal is mine, but the head is yours," he is obligated to give the jaw, for the portion that must be given belongs to the Israelite.
יב
היה הכהן שותף בראש פטור מן הלחי שותף ביד פטור מן הזרוע שותף בבני מעיים פטור מן הקיבה אמר לו הכהן הרי הבהמה כולה שלי והראש שלך חייב בלחי שהדבר החייב הרי הוא של ישראל:
13
[The following laws apply when] a gentile converts and he is in the process of having an animal slaughtered. If it was slaughtered before he converted, he is exempt.46 If [it was slaughtered] after he converted, he is obligated. If there is a doubt concerning the matter, [we follow the principle]: When one desires to expropriate property from a colleague, the burden of proof is on him.47
יג
גר שנתגייר והיתה לו בהמה שחוטה אם נשחטה עד שלא נתגייר פטור ואם אחר שנתגייר חייב ואם ספק פטור והמוציא מחבירו עליו הראיה:
14
It is permitted to partake [of the meat] of an animal from which the presents were not separated. [The situation] is not analogous to tevel48 [The rationale is that] the presents due to be given the priests are separate and distinct.49It is forbidden for an Israelite to partake of the presents themselves without the permission of a priest. If he transgresses and partakes of them, damages them, or sells them, he is not liable to make financial restitution.50 [The rationale is that] this is money that has no known plaintiff.51 A person who purchases them - even though he is forbidden to do so - is permitted to partake of them, because when the presents to the priests are stolen, the theft effect a change in ownership.
יד
בהמה שלא הורמו מתנותיה מותר לאכול ממנה שאינה דומה לטבל שהרי מתנות כהונה מובדלין והמתנות עצמן אסור לישראל לאכלן אלא ברשות כהן עבר ואכלן או הזיקן או מכרן אינו חייב לשלם מפני שהוא ממון שאין לו תובע ידוע והקונה אותם אע"פ שאינו רשאי ה"ז מותר לאכלן מפני שמתנות כהונה נגזלות:
15
If one tells a butcher: "Sell me the digestive organs of a cow," and there were presents52 among them, [the purchaser] should give them to a priest,53but [the seller] need not decrease the price [accordingly].54 If [the purchaser] bought [the organs] by weight, he should give them to the priest and deduct their value from the butcher's [due].55
טו
אמר לטבח מכור לי בני מעיה של פרה והיו בה מתנות נותנן לכהן ואינו מנכה לו מן הדמים לקחם ממנו במשקל נותנם לכהן ומנכה לטבח מן הדמים:
16
טז
המשלח בשר לחבירו והיו בה מתנות אינו חושש שמא עבר זה וגזלן מקום שאין בו כהן מעלה המתנות בדמים ואוכלן מפני הפסד כהן ויתן הדמים לכל כהן שירצה:
17
If a person wants to give the presents to only one priest, he may do so. If he wants to divide them [and give them to several], he should not give half the maw or half the foreleg to one [priest]. Instead, he should give the foreleg to one, the maw to another, and the jaw to two others. [This is inferred from Deuteronomy 18:4]: "And you shall give it to him," i.e., give him a portion that is a significant present.60 If [he is giving presents] from an ox, he may divide them into portions,61 provided each portion is a significant present.
יז
הרוצה ליתן המתנות לכהן אחד נותן ואם רצה לחלוק אותן לא יתן חצי קיבה לאחד או חצי זרוע אלא זרוע לאחד וקיבה לאחד ולחיים לשנים שנאמר תתן לו שיהיה בה כדי מתנה ואם היו של שור חולק אותן חתיכות והוא שיהיה בכל חתיכה כדי מתנה:
18
What is meant by the foreleg? The right foreleg,62 The portion from the upper-joint until the ankle joint; two limbs, one connected with the other. The jaw refers to the jaw bones until the large ring of the protrusion of the gullet with the tongue between the bones.63 All of this is given to the priest.
יח
אי זהו הזרוע זרוע של ימין מן הפרק של ארכובה עד כף של ידו שהן שני איברים זה מעורה בזה והלחיים מן הפרק של לחי ועד פיקה של גרגרת טבעת גדולה עם הלשון שביניהן הכל לכהן:
19
[When giving the jaw and the foreleg to the priest,] we do not pour boiling water on the hide [to remove the hair], nor do we skin it. Instead, we give it to [the priest] with its skin and wool. [We give a priest] the maw with the fat upon it64 and the fat within it. The priests have already accepted the custom of leaving the fat of the maw for the owner.65
יט
אין מולגין אותן ואין מפשיטין אותן אלא יתנו לו בעורן ובצמרן והקיבה בחלב שעליה ובחלב שבתוכה וכבר נהגו הכהנים להניח חלב הקיבה לבעלים:
20
A women of the priestly family may partake of the presents even if she is married to an Israelite, because they are not consecrated. Moreover, her husband may partake of the presents for her sake.
כ
הכהנת אוכלת המתנות אף על פי שהיא נשואה לישראל מפני שאין בהן קדושה ולא עוד אלא הבעל אוכל מתנות בגלל אשתו אבל חללה אינה אוכלת שאין חללים בכלל כהנים ואם רצה הכהן למכור המתנות או ליתנן במתנה אפילו לעכו"ם או להאכילם לכלבים מאכילם שאין בהן קדושה כלל:
21
[The following rules apply when there is] a priest whose friends [continually] give him presents. If he desires to transfer ownership of them to a friend who is an Israelite,70 he may, even though they did not enter [the priest's] domain. Thus [the priest's] friends may slaughter [their animals] and give the presents to the Israelite who acquired them. [This applies] provided the Israelite is in difficult straits and does not have the means to buy meat and the priest who transfers the meat to him is his friend. If, however, the priest is the Israelite's attendant or his hired worker or employee, he may not transfer ownership [of the presents] until they enter his domain.71 [This is a safeguard,] lest he compel him to do so.
כא
כהן שהיו לו חברים שנותנים לו המתנות אם רצה לזכות בהן לישראל חבירו ה"ז מזכה לו ואע"פ שלא באו לידו ויהיו אותם החברים זובחים ונותנין המתנות לזה הישראל שזכה בהן והוא שיהיה הישראל זה בדוחק ואין לו לקנות בשר ויהיה הכהן שזכה לו חבירו אבל אם היה הכהן שמשו של ישראל זה או שכירו או לקיטו אינה מזכה לו עד שיבואו לידו שמא יזכה בעל כרחו:
22
A priest should not grab the presents, nor should he even request them verbally. Instead, if he is given them72 in a respectful manner, he may take them.73 When there are many priests at the slaughter house, the modest ones withdraw and the gluttons take them. [Even though] a priest is modest, [if] it is not known that he is a priest, he should take [the presents] to let it be known to everyone that he is a priest.
The priests should only eat the presents as they are roasted, with mustard on them,74 for [Numbers 18:8] states [that the gifts to the priests75 were given them]: "for distinction." Hence, [they should] be eaten in a manner befitting a king.
כב
לא יחטוף הכהן המתנות ולא ישאל בפיו אלא אם כן נותנין לו בכבוד נוטל ובזמן שהם רבים בבית המטבחים הצנועים מושכין ידיהם והגרגרנים נוטלין ואם היה כהן צנוע ואין מכירין אותו שהוא כהן ה"ז נוטל כדי שיודע לכל שהוא כהן ואין הכהנים אוכלין המתנות אלא צלי בחרדל שנאמר למשחה כדרך שאוכלים המלכים:
FOOTNOTES
1.
I.e., other than a priest or Levite (see Halachah 8).
2.
Sefer HaMitzvot (positive commandment 143) and Sefer HaChinuch (mitzvah 506) include this commandment among the 613 mitzvot of the Torah. Chulin134b states that the priests merited these gifts in recognition of the heroism of Pinchas in stopping the Jews' lewd behavior with the Midianite women.
3.
This is a matter of debate among the commentaries. The Tur and the Shulchan Aruch (Yoreh De'ah 61:21) quote the Rambam's view, but also mention the opinion of Rashi and Rabbenu Meir of Rutenberg who maintain that this mitzvah is not practiced in the Diaspora. They conclude that this latter view is observed. The Sefer HaChinuch, loc. cit., writes that in the abstract, he agrees that the law should be observed in the present era as well, but "we do not have the power to compel the butchers to observe it." See also the Responsa of the Chatam Sofer, sec. 301, where he writes that he would observe this mitzvah.
4.
These blemishes are listed in Hilchot Bi'at HaMikdash, ch. 7, Hilchot Issurei Mizbeach, ch. 2.
5.
Since they are permanently blemished at the time of their consecration, it is obvious that they will ultimately be redeemed and used for ordinary purposes, not as a sacrifice. Hence it is never considered that their actual bodies became consecrated. Once they are redeemed, they are like any ordinary property. Hence the obligation to separate the presents falls upon them (Radbaz).
6.
Such blemishes are listed in Hilchot Issurei Mizbeach 2:7.
7.
Even permanently.
8.
In such a situation, the consecration of the animal encompasses its actual body. The rationale is that in the first instance mentioned in this clause, the blemish is not permanent. Hence, it does not block the consecration. And in the second instance, the blemish comes after the consecration already took effect. And since the consecration affected the actual bodies of the animals, it continues to have an effect even after the animals have been redeemed. They are considered as pesulei hamukdashim and are exempt from this obligation (Radbaz, based on Bechorot15a).
9.
A sheep that had not given birth before gave birth to two offspring, a male - which would be separated as a firstborn - and a female which would not - and it is not known which of them was born first. See Hilchot Bechorot5:1. Alternatively, a firstborn animal became mixed together with other animals [Shulchan Aruch (Yoreh De'ah 61:20).
10.
A priest to whom a firstborn animal is given is not obligated to separate the presents and give them to another priest. In the instance described above, the Israelite who is the owner of the animal may retain possession of it, for we follow the principle: "When one desires to expropriate property from a colleague, the burden of proof is on him." Thus since a priest cannot prove that the animal was a firstborn, it remains the property of the owner. Nevertheless, he must give the presents to a priest based on the rationale presented by the Rambam.
11.
E.g., a sheep that had not given birth before gave birth to two males. Thus one of them is certainly the firstborn and must be given to a priest. The question is which one. Hence the weaker one is given to the priest and the other one remains the property of its owner, but may not be slaughtered until it receives a disqualifying blemish (Hilchot Bechorot, loc. cit.).
12.
I.e., in exchange for giving the priest the weaker animal, the priest forfeits his claim on the other animal. Hence, although there is a possibility that it is an ordinary animal and the presents must be given to the priest, to obtain those presents, the priest is required to prove that claim and he cannot. Hence, the owner may retain possession.
13.
Which the owner must offer as a sacrifice (Hilchot Bechorot 6:4). Were this to be the case, he would not be required to give the presents to a priest.
14.
In this instance, the priest desires to expropriate the presents.
15.
I.e., we cannot obligate him to give the presents to a priest, because unlike the firstborn, the priest has no claim to the animal as a whole.
16.
It is exempt from the obligation to separate the presents as stated in Halachah 2.
17.
Our translation is based on authoritative manuscripts and early printings of the Mishneh Torah. The standard printed text differs slightly.
18.
In this instance, the priest desires to expropriate the presents.
19.
Because he knows that only one animal was consecrated and then disqualified.
20.
If, however, he slaughters a kosher wild animal (e.g., a deer) or a kosher fowl, he is not required to give the presents to the priest.
21.
More particularly, the Hebrew term seh can refer either to a sheep or a goat.
22.
For even though it is a hybrid, it is definitely a domesticated animal and hence, there is an obligation for presents to be given.
23.
Not only half.
24.
Generally - and indeed, this interpretation is indicated by the standard published text of Hilchot Ma'achalot Assurot 1:13 - a ko'i is defined as: "a mixed species that comes from the mating of a kosher domesticated animal and a kosher wild beast." Accordingly, the Tur (Yoreh De'ah 61) questions the Rambam's ruling for it appears to contradict his own statements in the continuation of this halachah. Rav Yosef Caro (in his Kessef Mishneh to the Mishneh Torahand his Beit Yosef to the Tur) explains that the Rambam understands the term ko'i as referring to an independent species that we do not know whether to classify as a domesticated animal or as a wild beast. He maintains that the proper version of Hilchot Ma'achalot Assurot is "any animal whose classification as a domesticated animal or as a beast is doubtful is a ko'i" and he maintains that Hilchot Shechitah14:4 serves as proof of this interpretation.
25.
Chulin 132a explains that since it is only part sheep, only part of the presents are granted. We do not take the species of the father of the animal into consideration.
26.
For, as in the previous law, we do not take the species of the father of the animal into consideration. Although this matter is not determined definitively, since "when one desires to expropriate property from a colleague, the burden of proof is on him," the priest cannot claim the presents definitively either (Siftei Cohen61:10).
27.
Presents need not be separated when an animal is killed without ritual slaughter - or when the ritual slaughter is performed improperly and the animal is forbidden to be eaten (Tosefta, Chulin 9:1). Nevertheless, if the slaughter is performed properly, the presents must be given to a priest, regardless of the reason for which the animal was slaughtered. This is derived from a comparison to the covering of the blood after the slaughter of an animal (Ra'avad).
28.
The use of the plural term implies that the law applies even if there are many for whom the animal is being slaughtered (seeChulin 136a).
29.
For even though that produce must be destroyed at the appropriate time, while it is in a person's possession, it is his personal property. See Bechorot12b.
30.
As above, when one desires to expropriate property from a colleague, the burden of proof is on him. And it is impossible for a priest to prove that the Levite is obligated.
From Chulin 131a, it is obvious that a Levite does not have the right to receive presents (Siftei Cohen 61:12).
31.
For now they are in the possession of the priest. He may therefore retain them, for the Levite cannot prove that he is exempt.
The Rambam's view is cited by the Shulchan Aruch (Yoreh De'ah 61:23). The Rama maintains that since the law is that a priest is not entitled to take it, if he takes it by force, he is required to return it. This difference of opinion reflects a divergence on an issue of a greater scope. See Hilchot Bechorot 5:3, where the Rambam rules that when there is a question concerning whether an animal is a firstborn or not, a priest is not permitted to take possession of it. If he takes possession of it, however, it is not expropriated from him. In that instance as well, the Shulchan Aruch (Yoreh De'ah 315:1) follows the Rambam's approach and the Rama differs.
32.
That the priests are exempt from giving presents.
33.
During which he is allowed to keep the presents for himself.
34.
Since he sells the meat, he is acting on behalf of others and they are not absolved from the obligation of giving the presents. See the gloss of Rav Yosef Korcus who debates whether this is a Scriptural Law or a Rabbinic decree.
35.
See Hilchot Talmud Torah, ch. 6.
36.
We are speaking about a situation where the animal belongs entirely to the priest or the gentile. It is the ownership of the animal, not the identity of the slaughterer which is significant. Since neither the priest nor the gentile would be required to give these presents, a slaughterer who acts on their behalf is also exempt.
37.
Hence, if he does not give a priest the presents, people will suspect him of withholding them.
38.
And thus it is evident that they are partners.
39.
The Tur (Yoreh De'ah 61) differs with the Rambam, explaining Chulin 133a,b (the Rambam's source) differently. In his Kessef Mishneh, Rav Yosef Caro elaborates in support of the Rambam's interpretation (even though at the outset, he states that the interpretation of the Turappears more appropriate to the simple meaning of the passage. In his Shulchan Aruch (Yoreh De'ah 61:25), he follows the Tur's interpretation.
40.
And we nevertheless assume that the presents were in the gentile's portion.
41.
Rashi (in his commentary to Chulin 132a, the source for the Rambam's ruling) and similarly, the Tur and the Shulchan Aruch(Yoreh De'ah 61:29) interpret this as referring to a sale and not a partnership agreement.
42.
Even if they were not marked [the Rambam's Commentary to the Mishnah (Chulin 10:3)].
43.
The Radbaz explains that the rationale is that his stipulation runs contrary to the Torah - for the Torah requires that the presents be given - and whenever a person makes a stipulation that runs contrary to Torah law, the stipulation is nullified. Hence, it is as if the stipulation was never made and the priest's partner must separate the presents as stated in the previous halachah.
44.
The commentaries note an apparent contradiction between the Rambam's ruling here and his ruling in Hilchot Ma'aser 6:19 where he states:
When a priest sells a field to an Israelite and tells him: "[I am selling it] on the condition that the tithes from it belong to me forever," they belong to him. [The rationale is that] saying "on the condition that" is tantamount to setting aside for himself [the portion of the field] where the tithes [grow].
Although there are explicit Talmudic sources for both rulings, their logic appears contradictory. Among the resolutions offered is that here, the Rambam is speaking about the ownership of an animal, while in Hilchot Ma'aser, he is speaking about landed property and the principles of ownership are different in these two instances.
45.
The new concept taught by this halachah is that one can be exempt from part, but not all, of the presents.
46.
Because at that time, he was not obligated, as stated in Halachah 10.
47.
Hence, the convert may retain possession of the presents. As mentioned in the notes to Chapter 8, Halachah 9, when a similar situation arises concerning challah, the Rambam rules that the convert is liable to separate the dough. Nevertheless, a distinction between the two can be made because of the severity of that prohibition.
48.
In which instance, it is forbidden to partake of the produce until the terumah and the tithes are separated.
49.
In contrast to the produce where the terumah and tithes must be separated from the produce as a whole.
50.
I.e., he has no legal obligation to make financial restitution. In his Kessef Mishneh, Rav Yosef Caro questions whether the person has a moral and spiritual obligation to make restitution and in his Shulchan Aruch (Yoreh De'ah 61:15), he rules that he does.
51.
There is no one priest who can claim that the presents are his and they must be returned to him, for until they are given, the owner has the right to give them to any priest he desires.
52.
I.e., the maw.
53.
For they belong to him.
54.
Since it was obvious that the maw was among the organs he purchased, the purchaser should have realized that it was not included in the price. Instead, he was paying him for the remainder of the meat (Kessef Mishneh).
55.
Since the maw did not belong to the butcher - for it must be given to the priest - he had no right to sell it (ibid.). See also the Rambam's Commentary to the Mishnah (Chulin 10:4) which states that it is forbidden to buy the presents, because by doing so, one would be aiding theft.
56.
I.e., some of the organs that have to be given the priest.
57.
For we do not suspect that a person sinned. Instead, the recipient assumes that the sender purchased the presents from a priest; alternatively, there were no priests in the area and he followed the advice given in the following clause.
58.
And thus there is no one to give the presents to.
59.
For if he sets them aside, they will spoil. There is no difficulty in doing so, for the presents are not consecrated at all.
60.
See the notes of Rav Kapach to the Rambam's Commentary to the Mishnah (Chulin 10:4). There he writes that the original version of the Rambam's Commentary did not contain this law, but the later version did.
61.
For even a portion of the organs of an ox are of a significant size.
62.
The Turei Zahav 61:1 states that this is derived from the fact that the prooftext speaks of "the foreleg," i.e., the important one. An animal's foreleg is comprised of three bones. According to the Rambam, the lower two are given to the priest. See the Rambam's Commentary to the Mishnah (Chulin 10:4).
63.
Chulin 134b states that one should take the jaw until the place where the animal is slaughtered. See the accompanying diagrams.
64.
This fat is forbidden to be eaten (Hilchot Ma'achalot Assurot 7:6).
65.
Chulin 134b explains that this is an act of generosity on the part of the priests. Since the presents are their personal property without any sanctity at all, they can do with them as they see fit. From the wording of the Shulchan Aruch (Yoreh De'ah61:4), however, it appears that this custom is not universally accepted.
66.
In Hilchot Issurei Bi'ah 19:1 describes a challalah as a woman born from relations forbidden to the priesthood or a woman who is forbidden to the priesthood who engaged in relations with a priest.
67.
The term challal refers to the offspring of relations forbidden to a priest.
68.
Hence, just as the presents may not be given to a challal, they may not be given to a challalah.
The concept that challalim are not priests applies in many contexts. See Hilchot Nesiat Kapayim 15:5, Hilchot Issurei Bi'ah 19:5, Hilchot Terumah 6:7, et al.
69.
The Siftei Cohen 61:5 states that a priest should not give or sell them to gentiles or feed them to dogs unless they are no longer fit for human consumption.
70.
The Rambam's source (Chulin133a) mentions that the recipient of these presents must be a Torah scholar. The Tur and the Shulchan Aruch (Yoreh De'ah61:14) also mention that point. Apparently, the Rambam thinks that it is not an absolute necessity.
71.
Once they are given to him, however, there are no restrictions on what he may do with them.
72.
Turei Zahav 61:12 states that this is derived from the word "and you shall give" in the prooftext. Implied is that the presents should be given. They should not be taken by the priests on their own initiative.
73.
See parallels in Hilchot Terumah12:18.
74.
If, however, a priest prefers to eat them in another manner, he may. It is not an obligation to partake of them in the manner described (Tosafot, Chulin 132b).
75.
This verse does not speak about the presents of meat explicitly, but rather the portions of the sacrifices given to the priests. Nevertheless, the concepts can be derived one from the other. See Rashi, Chulin, loc. cit..
Bikkurim - Chapter 10
1
It is a positive commandment to give a priest the first shearings [of an animal],1 as [Deuteronomy 18:4] states: 'Give him the first shearings of your flock.' Levites are considered like Israelites with regard to this mitzvah.2 There is no minimum measure for these shearings according to Scriptural law. According to Rabbinical Law, one should not give less than a sixtieth. It applies only in Eretz [Yisrael],3 whether the Temple is standing or not like the first of the grain.4 It applies to ordinary animals, but not to consecrated ones.
א
מצות עשה ליתן לכהן ראשית הגז שנאמר וראשית גז צאנך תתן לו ולוים בכלל ישראל במצוה זו ואין לראשית הגז זו שיעור מן התורה ומדברי סופרים שלא יפחות מאחד מששים ואינה נוהגת אלא בארץ בין בפני הבית בין שלא בפני הבית כראשית הדגן ונוהג בחולין אבל לא במוקדשין:
2
What is implied? A person consecrated animals for the Temple treasury5and then sheared them. Is he obligated to redeem them and give [the first shearings] to the priests? Or if one consecrated an animal with the exception of its shearings, is he obligated in the first shearings? It is written [ibid.]: "your sheep,' [i.e., the obligation applies only to "your sheep.'
ב
כיצד הרי שהקדיש בהמות לבדק הבית וגזזן יכול יהיה חייב לפדות וליתן לכהן או הקדיש בהמה חוץ מגיזתה יכול יהיה חייב בראשית הגז ת"ל צאנך אין אלו צאנו:
3
There is an obligation [to give a priest] the first shearing of any consecrated animals6 that possessed a permanent blemish before they were consecrated and were [then] redeemed.7 If, however, they were consecrated before they were blemished or it had a temporary blemish before it was consecrated,8 and afterwards, it received a permanent blemish and it was redeemed, it is exempt from the first shearing.9
ג
כל הקדשים שקדם מום קבוע להקדשן ונפדו חייבין בראשית הגז אבל אם קדם הקדשן את מומן או שקדם מום עובר להקדשן ואח"כ נולד להן מום קבוע ונפדו פטורים מראשית הגז:
4
The only animals whose first shearings we are obligated [to give a priest] are sheep, both male and female, for their wool is fit [to make] garments. If their wool was stiff and not fit for [making] garments, they are exempt from the first shearings, for this present is given to the priest for the sole purpose of providing him with garments.10
ד
אין חייבין בראשית הגז אלא הכבשים בלבד זכרים כנקבות שהצמר שלהן הוא הראוי לבגדים היה צמרן קשה ואינו ראוי ללבישה פטורין מראשית הגז שאין מתנה זו לכהן אלא כדי ללבוש ממנה:
5
Since the Holy One, blessed be He, granted [a priest] the terumot which provide him with bread and wine11 and He granted him the presents of meat12and the sacrificial meat of the Temple for meat,13 He provided them with the first shearings for their garments and [restitution for property] stolen from a [childless] convert,14 devotion offerings,15 ancestral fields [that were consecrated and not redeemed],16 and the redemption of the firstborn,17for their expenses and for their other needs. [These are granted to the priests,] because they are not granted an ancestral portion of the land, nor a share in the spoils of war.18
ה
כיון שזיכה לו הקדוש ברוך הוא בתרומות שהן לחמו ויינו וזיכה לו במתנות בהמה וקדשי מקדש שהבשר שלו זיכה לו בראשית הגז ללבושו ובגזל הגר והחרמים ושדה אחוזה ופדיון בכורות להוצאותיו ושאר צרכיו שהרי אין לו חלק בנחלה ובבזה:
6
If [a sheep's] wool was [naturally] red, black, or brown, there is an obligation [to give the priest] the first shearings. If, however, the wool was shorn and dyed, before it was given [to a priest], he is exempt from the first shearings.19 If one bleached it before he gave it [to the priests], he is obligated to set [the wool] aside after he bleaches it.20 When a person pulls out the wool of ewes by hand instead of shearing it, he is obligated in the first shearings.
ו
היה הצמר שלהן אדום או שחור או שחום חייבות בראשית הגז אבל אם גזז הצמר וצבעו קודם שיתן נפטר מראשית הגז הלבינו קודם שיתן חייב להפריש אחר שלבנו התולש צמר רחלים בידו ולא גזז חייב בראשית הגז:
7
ז
ראשית הגז נוהג בכלאים ובכוי ובטרפה אבל הגוזז את המתה פטור:
8
When a person sets aside the first shearings and they are lost, he is responsible to make restitution until he gives them to the priest.25
When a person says: 'Let all of my shearings be considered as the first shearings,' his words are of consequence.26
ח
המפריש ראשית הגז ואבד חייב באחריותן עד שיתן לכהן האומר כל גיזותי ראשית דבריו קיימין:
9
A person who purchases the shearings of a gentile's sheep after the gentile has shorn them is exempt from the first shearings.27 When he purchases [the gentile's] sheep for their shearing,28 he is obligated even though the wool grew in the gentile's domain and the sheep are returned to the gentile after the shearing. Since the shearer is Jewish and the shearings belong to him, he is obligated. For the obligation takes effect only at the time of shearing.
ט
הלוקח גז צאנו של עכו"ם אחר שגזזן העכו"ם פטור מראשית הגז לקח הצאן לגיזתן חייב אף ע"פ שגדלה הגיזה ברשות העכו"ם ואף על פי שחוזרין הצאן לעכו"ם אחר גזיזה הואיל והגוזז ישראל והגזיזות שלו חייב שאין החיוב אלא בשעת הגיזה:
10
[The following laws apply when] a person purchases the shearings of a fellow Jew. If the seller left a portion of his sheep to shear,29 the seller is obligated to separate from [the shearing of] the remainder [the appropriate amount] for the entire [flock. This applies] even if the seller has not begun to shear [his sheep.30 The rationale is that we operate under] the assumption that a person will not sell the presents to be given the priests.31 If [the seller] did not leave any [sheep to shear], the purchaser is obligated to separate [the first shearings].32
י
הלוקח גז צאנו של חבירו אם שייר המוכר מעט מצאנו להגזז המוכר חייב להפריש מן המשואר על הכל ואע"פ שלא התחיל המוכר לגזוז חזקה אין אדם מוכר מתנות כהונה ואם לא שייר כלום הלוקח חייב להפריש:
11
[A different rule applies it] there are two types of shearings, e.g., white wool and brown wool, or wool from males and wool from females, and one sold one and retained possession of the other. Both [the purchaser and the seller] should give the first shearings, [the purchaser] on what he purchased and the seller on what he retained.33
יא
היו שני מיני גיזה כגון גיזה לבנה וגיזה שחומה או גיזת זכרים וגיזת נקבות ומכר מין זה והניח המין האחר זה נותן לעצמו וזה נותן לעצמו [זה נותן לעצמו] על מה שלקח וזה נותן לעצמו על מה ששייר:
12
When a convert converts and he possesses sheep that are being shorn and it is not known whether they were shorn before he converted or after he converted, he is exempt. [The rationale is when] one desires to expropriate property from a colleague,34 the burden of proof is upon him.
יב
גר שנתגייר והיו לו גיזות ואין ידוע אם עד שלא נתגייר נגזזו או משנתגייר ה"ז פטור והמע"ה:
13
How many sheep must there be for [a flock] to be obligated for the first shearings? No less than five,35provided their shearings is not less than the weight of 60 sela36 and the shearings of each one will not be less than the weight of 12 sela. If the shearings of one of them is less than the weight of twelve sela, [the flock] is exempt from the first shearing, even if [the wool of] the five of them weighs 60 selaim or more.
יג
כמה צאן יהיה לו ויהיו חייבות בראשית הגז אין פחות מחמש והוא שיהיה בגיזה שלהן אין פחות ממשקל ששים סלע ותהיה גיזת כל אחת מחמשתן אין פחות ממשקל י"ב סלע היתה אחת מהם גוזזת פחות מי"ב סלע אף על פי שחמשתן גוזזות ששים סלע או יתר הרי אלו פטורין מראשית הגז:
14
Partners are obligated in [the mitzvah of] the first shearings, provided each one's share is equal to the minimum measure [mentioned above]. It: however, there are only five sheep belonging to two partners, they are exempt.37
יד
השותפין חייבין בראשית הגז והוא שיהיה בחלק כל אחד מהן כשיעור אבל חמש צאן בלבד של שני שותפין פטורין:
15
The mitzvah is to set aside the first shearing at the outset.38 If, however, one set it aside in the middle or at the end, he fulfilled his obligation.
When a person owns five sheep, but [did not shear them together, i.e.,] he had one shorn alone and sold its wool, and then had another shorn alone and sold its wool, and then a third, etc., all of these are combined [to obligate him in the mitzvah of] the first shearing,39 even if this takes place over the course of several years. He may separate from the new shearings for the old shearings and from [the shearings of] one type of sheep for another.40 If, however, he had one sheep, he sheared it and set aside its shearings, purchased a second sheep and set aside its shearings, [and continued doing so until he sheared five sheep], their shearings are not combined.41
טו
ראשית הגז מצותה בתחלה ואם הפריש בין באמצע בין בסוף יצא היו לו חמש צאן וגזז אחת מהן בלבד ומכר גיזתה ואחר כך גזז שניה ומכר גיזתה ואח"כ גזז שלישית ומכר גיזתה הכל מצטרפות לראשית הגז וחייב אפילו לאחר כמה שנים ויש לו להפריש מן החדש על הישן ומזה על זה אבל אם היתה רחל אחת וגזזה והניח גיזתה ואחר כך קנה שנייה וגזזה והניח גיזתה אינן מצטרפות:
16
When a person has several shearings from the first shearings that he desired to divide among the priests, he should not give any priest less than the weight of five selaim of white wool, enough to make a small garment.
The intent is not that he should whiten it and give it to them. Instead, he should give each of them [at least enough] unrefined wool to produce five selaim42 or more of wool after it has been whitened. [This is derived from Deuteronomy 18:14:] 'Give it to him,' i.e., give him a significant present.
טז
מי שהיו לו גיזות רבות של ראשית הגז ורוצה לחלק לכהנים לא יתן לכל אחד ואחד פחות ממשקל חמש סלעים מלובן כדי בגד קטן לא שילבנו ואח"כ יתן לו אלא יתן לו מצמר הגיזה כשהוא צואי כדי שיהיה בו אחר הליבון חמש סלעים או יתר שנאמר תתן לו שיהיה בו כדי מתנה המועלת:
17
The first shearings are ordinary property in every regard. Therefore, I maintain that they may be given to a woman of the priestly family even if she is married to an Israelite like the presents of meat.43 It appears to me that they are governed by the same laws.
יז
ראשית הגז חולין לכל דבר לפיכך אני אומר שנותנים אותו לכהנת אע"פ שהיא נשואה לישראל כמתנות בהמה ויראה לי שדין שניהן אחד הוא:
FOOTNOTES
1.
Sefer HaMitzvot (positive commandment 144) and Sefer HaChinuch (mitzvah 508) include this commandment among the 613 mitzvot of the Torah.
2.
I.e., as opposed to the presents described in the previous chapter, the Levites are required to separate these shearings.
3.
But not in the Diaspora. Thus it resembles terumah - for both are called "first" and hence share similarilities in many laws - and not the presents of meat. Although the Mishnah (Chulin11:1) states that this mitzvah also applies in the Diaspora, according to the Rambam, the halachah does not follow that view.
The Shulchan Aruch (Yoreh De'ah 333:1) follows the Rambam's view. The Tur and the Rama state that theoretically, this mitzvah should also be observed in the Diaspora, but in practice, that view is not followed.
4.
I.e., terumah. See Hilchot Terumah 1:1.
5.
I.e., needless to say this law would apply if the animal was consecrated for the sake of sacrifice on the Altar, for in that instance, the animal is forbidden to be shorn and it is forbidden to work with it. Moreover, even if the animal is consecrated only for the sake of the Temple treasury, in which instance, it will ultimately be redeemed for personal use, since while it is consecrated, it is not "your sheep,' as the Rambam continues to explain, there is no obligation to give its first shearings.
6.
I.e., even if the animal was consecrated only for the sake of the Temple treasury, as above, these laws apply. The rationale is that a blemished kosher animal that is consecrated to the Temple treasury is redeemed with the intent to be used as a sacrifice.
7.
Since it was blemished at the time it was consecrated, the animal was never fit to be offered on the altar. Hence, the consecration never affected the actual physical substance of the animal. Accordingly, once it is redeemed, it is considered as an ordinary animal and its first shearings must be given to a priest
8.
Since the temporary blemish will be healed, it is considered as if did not exist.
9.
Since when consecrated, the animal was fit for sacrifice, the consecration affected its physical substance. Hence, even after it was redeemed, it is not considered as an ordinary animal and it is exempt from the first shearings. See the parallel in Chapter 9, Halachah2.
10.
Rav Yosef Corcus explains that the Rambam (based on one of the opinions in Chulin 137a) is referring to the priestly garments which are made from wool and linen. For, otherwise, goats' wool is also fit to make ordinary garments. This explanation is also quoted by Siftei Cohen333:2. The intent is not, however, that the first shearings should be used only for priestly garments, for as the Rambam states in the following halachah, the first shearings were given to the priests for their personal garments.
11.
According to the Rambam, the terumot also include oil and other fruits.
12.
Described in Chapter 9.
13.
I.e., the portions of the sin offerings, guilt offerings, and peace offerings which are granted to the priests.
14.
See Hilchot Gezeilah, Chapter 8.
15.
See Hilchot Arachin VaCharamim, Chapter 6.
16.
Which becomes the property of the priests; see Hilchot Arachin VaCharamim4:19.
17.
See Chapters 11 and 12.
18.
See Hilchot Shemitah VeYovel, Chapter 13, with regard to both these points.
19.
He is considered to have acquired the wool because he made a significant change in its nature. This ruling applies after the fact. As an initial preference, it is forbidden to make such a change [the Rambam's Commentary to the Mishnah (Chulin 11:3; Rav Kappach's edition)].
20.
For this is not considered as a significant change.
21.
The Radbaz explains that this law depends on the concept stated in Halachah 4: If the wool of a hybrid (the offspring of a sheep or a goat) is soft, the first shearings must be separated. If not, it is exempt.
22.
As mentioned in the notes to Chapter 9, Halachah 5, the Rambam understands the term ko'i as referring to an animal which our Sages were unable to classify as a domesticated animal or a wild beast.
23.
For the animal is alive at present and the removal of its wool is considered as shearing.
24.
The Kessef Mishneh explains that this is derived from the very definition of the mitzvah, 'the shearing of the sheep.' A dead sheep is not considered a sheep and cutting its wool is not considered as shearing.
25.
The Radbaz questions why the first shearings are different than all the other presents given to the priests where such a law is not found. He explains that the other presents involve grain and meat and a granary or a slaughter house are not located at a great distance from the residential area of a city. Hence, it is not very difficult for a priest to go and collect them. Sheep, by contrast, may not be allowed to pasture near residential areas. Hence, since it is far more difficult for a priest to collect them, the Torah made the owners responsible for the shearings.
26.
Chulin 136b notes that in this respect, although they are also called "the first," the first shearings are different from terumah and challah. With regard to these separations, if one designates his entire crop as terumah 0r his entire dough as challah, his statements are of no consequence. The Radbaz explains that the term terumah - and challah is also called terumah - implies elevating one portion of a group from another portion. Hence, there must always be something left behind. The term 'the first shearings' does not have such a connotation.
Rav Yosef Corcus notes that Chulin 136b associates this ruling with the Rabbi Ila'ai's opinion that the first shearing applies in the Diaspora as well as in Eretz Yisrael. Thus there is an apparent contradiction between the Rambam's ruling here and his ruling in Halachah 1 that the mitzvah of the first shearing applies only in Eretz Yisrael. Rav Yosef explains that the Rambam's ruling in Halachah 1 is based on custom and not on the acceptance of the opinions that differ with Rabbi Ila'ai.
27.
This point is obvious. The Rambam (and his source, Chulin138a) mention it only because of the contrast to the following laws. Rashi, however, interprets that passage differently. The Shulchan Aruch (Yoreh De'ah333:7) follows the Rambam's understanding, while the Tur and the Rama follow Rashi's view.
28.
I.e., he never becomes the real owner of the sheep; he acquires them only for the right to shear their wool.
29.
And that portion contains the minimum measure mentioned in Halachah 13.
30.
Since the seller has not begun shearing the sheep at all, it would seem reasonable to say that each person should give the first shearings from his portion. Nevertheless, the ruling is not so.
31.
And thus they remain in his portion. Selling these presents is prohibited and we assume that the person would not desire to transgress.
32.
Chulin 138a explains that the seller tells the purchaser: 'I did not sell you the first shearings. The money I took from you is for the remainder of the wool that is not the priest's portion. I merely gave you the opportunity to give the presents to the priest of your choice."
33.
Even though one may separate the first shearings from one type of wool for another type as evident from Halachah 15, in this instance, since the two types are owned by two separate people, each should separate the first shearings from his own wool.
34.
I.e., the priest desires to expropriate the first shearings from the owner. See the parallel in Chapter 9, Halachah 13. The Radbaz explains that this ruling follows the principle: When there is a doubt concerning a prohibition, we rule stringently. When there is a doubt concerning financial matters, we rule leniently.
35.
Chulin 11:1 derives this from a non-literal interpretation of II Samuel 25:18.
36.
A sela is approximately 20 grams in contemporary measure.
Chulin 11:2 states that this measure is required, for only then will the gift to the priest be significant, for it will be possible to make a small garment from it.
37.
I.e., the Rambam follows the opinion (Chulin 135a) that the partnership is not recognized as a single entity. Hence, it is necessary for the share of each of the partners to comprise at least the minimum amount. The Kessef Mishneh notes the parallel to Chapter 6, Halachah 20.
38.
The Radbaz states that this is implied by the very term 'the first of.'
39.
Because at the time he sheared the first sheep, he possessed a flock of the minimum size. The Rama (Yoreh De'ah 333: 12) states that this applies even if he sold some of his sheep after shearing them.
40.
One should not, however, separate the shearings of inferior sheep for those of superior sheep [Rama (Yoreh De'ah333:12)].
41.
Because at the time he sheared the first sheep, he did not have a flock of the minimum size.
42.
Five selaim is 100 grams in contemporary measure. This measure of wool was sufficient to fashion a sash (avneit) for a priest (Chulin 138a).
43.
See Chapter 9, Halachah 20.
Bikkurim - Chapter 11
1
It is a positive commandment1 for every Jewish man2 to redeem his son who is the firstborn of his Jewish mother, as [Exodus 34:19] states: "All first issues of the womb are mine" and [Numbers 18:15] states: "And you shall surely redeem a firstborn man."
א
מצות עשה לפדות כל איש מישראל בנו שהוא בכור לאמו הישראלית שנאמר כל פטר רחם לי ונאמר אך פדה תפדה את בכור האדם:
2
ב
ואין האשה חייבת לפדות את בנה שהחייב לפדות את עצמו הוא שחייב לפדות את בנו עבר האב ולא פדהו כשיגדל יפדה את עצמו:
3
If it is necessary to redeem both the person himself and his son, he should redeem himself first and then his son.7 If he only has enough [money] for one redemption, he should redeem himself.
ג
היה הוא לפדות ובנו לפדות יפדה עצמו תחלה ואחר כך בנו ואם אין לו אלא כדי פדיון אחד יפדה עצמו:
4
If [a father] had to redeem his son and the time arrived for him to make a festive pilgrimage [to Jerusalem] and he does not have the resources for both, he should redeem his son and then make the pilgrimage. [This is alluded to in Exodus 34:20:] which states: "You shall redeem all your firstborn sons" and afterwards [continues]: "Do not behold My countenance8emptyhanded."9
ד
היה בנו לפדות והגיע עת לעלות לרגל ואין לו כדי לזה ולזה פודה את בנו ואח"כ עולה לרגל שנאמר כל בכור בניך תפדה ואחר כך ולא יראו פני ריקם:
5
A person who redeems his son should recite the blessing: "[Blessed are You...] who sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us concerning the redemption of a son."10 Afterwards, he recites the blessing Shehechiyanu11 and then gives12 [the money for] the redemption to the priest. If [a son] redeems himself, he should recite the blessing: "[Blessed... who commanded us] to redeem the firstborn"13 and he should recite the blessing Shehechiyanu.
ה
הפודה את בנו מברך אשר קדשנו במצותיו וצונו על פדיון הבן וחוזר ומברך שהחיינו ואח"כ נותן הפדיון לכהן ואם פדה עצמו מברך לפדות הבכור ומברך שהחיינו:
6
This mitzvah is practiced in every place and at all times.14 For how much should the son be redeemed? Five selaim,15 as [Numbers 18:16] states: "And those to be redeemed: from one month you shall redeem [according to the valuation of five silver shekalim]." [The redemption may be paid] in silver16 or in articles worth silver, i.e., movable property that is of financial worth like the shekalim are. Therefore one may not redeem [a firstborn] with landed property or with servants. Nor may promissory notes [be used], because they are not of inherent worth.17 If one redeemed a firstborn with these, he is not redeemed.18
ו
מצוה זו נוהגת בכ"מ ובכל זמן ובכמה פודהו בחמש סלעים שנאמר ופדוייו מבן חדש תפדה בין בכסף בין בשוה כסף מן המטלטלין שגופן ממון כענין השקלים לפיכך אין פודין בקרקעות ולא בעבדים מפני שהן כקרקעות ולא בשטרות לפי שאין גופן ממון ואם פדהו בהן אינו פדוי:
7
When a father writes to a priest that he is obligated to give him five selaim, the obligation takes effect,19 but the son is not redeemed.20If he gives him a utensil that is not worth five selaim in the market, but the priest accepts it as if he was given five selaim, the son is redeemed.21 If he divides the five selaimamong ten priests,22 whether at once or one after the other, he fulfils his obligation.23
ז
כתב האב לכהן שהוא חייב לו ה' סלעים חייב ליתן לו ובנו אינו פדוי נתן לו כלי שאינו שוה בשוק ה' סלעים וקבלו הכהן בה' סלעים הרי בנו פדוי נתן ה' סלעים לעשרה כהנים בין בבת אחת בין בזה אחר זה יצא:
8
If the priest desires to return [what was given for] the redemption to [the father], he may. He should not, however, give it to him with the intent that he return it. If he did so, and [the priest] returned it, his son is not redeemed.24 [Instead,] he must give it to him with the resolution that he is giving him a present without any reservations. Afterwards, if the priest desires to return it, he may return it.25 Similarly, if he gives it to him as a present with the stipulation that it be returned, his son is redeemed.26
ח
רצה הכהן להחזיר לו הפדיון מחזיר ולא יתן לו הוא ודעתו שיחזיר ואם עשה כן והחזיר לו אין בנו פדוי עד שיגמור בלבו ליתן לו מתנה גמורה ואם רצה הכהן אחר כך להחזיר יחזיר וכן אם פירש ונתן לו על מנת להחזיר הרי בנו פדוי:
9
The priests and the Levites are exempt from the redemption of their firstborn, as evident from a logical deduction: If they served as the redemption of the Israelites firstborn in the desert,27 certainly, they themselves are exempt.
ט
כהנים ולוים פטורים מפדיון הבן מקל וחומר אם פטרו של ישראל במדבר דין הוא שיפטרו עצמן:
10
י
ישראל הבא מן הכהנת ומן הלויה פטור שאין הדבר תלוי באב אלא באם שנאמר פטר רחם בישראל:
11
יא
לויה המעוברת מעכו"ם בנה פטור וכהנת המעוברת מעכו"ם בנה חייב שהרי נפסלה אמו מן הכהונה בבעילת העכו"ם:
12
When a priest fathers a son who is a challal33 and the father dies within 30 days [of the son's birth], the son is obligated to redeem himself,34because the father did not acquire the redemption.35 If [the father] dies after 30 days [have passed], the son is not obligated to redeem himself, because the father acquired the redemption.36
יב
כהן שנולד לו בן חלל מת האב בתוך שלשים יום הבן חייב לפדות את עצמו שלא זכה האב בפדיונו מת אחר ל' יום אינו חייב הבן לפדות את עצמו שהרי זכה האב בפדיונו:
13
If a maidservant was freed - or a gentile woman converted - while she was pregnant and then she gave birth,37 since he was born in holiness,38 [the child] is obligated [to redeem himself] even though he was not conceived in holiness, as [indicated by] the phrase:39 "the first issue of the womb in Israel." For this child is the first issue of a womb in Israel. If it is not known whether the woman gave birth before she converted or afterwards,40 [we follow the principle:] When one desires to expropriate property from a colleague, the burden of proof is on him.41
יג
השפחה שנשתחררה וכותית שנתגיירה כשהן מעוברות וילדו אף על פי שהורתו שלא בקדושה הואיל ונולד בקדושה חייב שנאמר פטר רחם בישראל והרי פטר ורחם בישראל אין ידוע אם קודם שנתגיירה ילדה או אחר שנתגיירה ילדה המוציא מחבירו עליו הראיה:
14
When a gentile woman or a maidservant gave birth and then converted or was freed and then gave birth again, [the second child] is exempt,42 as [indicated by] the phrase "the first issue of the womb," and this is not [the woman's] first issue of the womb.43
Similar concepts apply when a son is born after a nefal.44Whenever the mother is ritually impure due to birth because of a nefal,45a son born afterwards is not considered the first issue of the womb. Whenever a nefal does not cause the mother to be ritually impure due to birth,46 e.g., a woman who miscarries and the issue resembles a fish or a grasshopper,47 a woman who miscarries on the fortieth day [after conception],48 or the like, a son born afterwards is [under obligation] to the priesthood and must be redeemed.
יד
הכותית והשפחה שילדו ואח"כ נתגיירו ונשתחררו וילדו ולד אחר הרי זה פטור שנאמר פטר רחם ואין זה פטר רחם וכן הבא אחר הנפלים כל נפל שאמו טמאה לידה הבא אחריו אינו פטר רחם וכל נפל שאין אמו טמאה לידה כמו המפלת כמין דגים וחגבים או המפלת יום ארבעים וכיוצא בהן הבא אחריו בכור לכהן וחייב לפדות:
15
When a fetus in a woman's womb was cut up and removed limb by limb, a son born afterwards is not considered to be "the first issue of her womb."49 When the head of a fetus that was carried for eight months emerged alive50 and then was withdrawn back to the womb where it died - or the head of a stillborn fetus that was carried for nine moths emerged and then was withdrawn - and afterwards the [twin] brother [of the fetus] emerged as [a viable] birth, the viable birth is not considered the first issue of the womb, for [all subsequent births] became exempt with the [emergence of] the head of the first [fetus]. As soon as its forehead emerged, it exempted those born afterwards.51
טו
חתך העובר במעיה והוציאו אבר אבר הבא אחריו אינו פטר רחם בן שמנה חדשים שהוציא ראשו והוא חי והחזירו ומת וכן בן ט' שמת ויצא ראשו והחזירו ואחר כך יצא אחיו וילדה זה שילדה אינו פטר רחם שהרי נפטר בראשו של ראשון ומשתצא פדחתו פוטר הבא אחריו:
16
טז
יוצא דופן והבא אחריו כדרכו שניהם פטורים הראשון לפי שלא יצא מן הרחם והשני מפני שקדמו אחר:
17
When does the obligation for redemption take effect? When the baby completes 30 days of life,54 as [Numbers 18:16] states: "And those to be redeemed should be redeemed from the age of a month." If the son died within the thirty days - even on the thirtieth day - or it became mortally ill,55 there is no obligation [to pay the priest] five selaim.56 If he gave the priest [the money for] the redemption beforehand, he should return it.57 If the baby died after its thirtieth day, the father is obligated to redeem him.58 If he did not give [the money to the priest], he should.
יז
מאימתי יתחייב בפדיון משישלים שלשים יום שנאמר ופדויו מבן חדש תפדה מת הבן בתוך ל' ואפילו ביום ל' וכן אם נעשה טריפה אינו חייב בחמשה סלעים ואם הקדים ונתן לכהן יחזיר לו הפדיון [ואם מת אחר ל' יום חייב בפדיון] ואם לא נתן יתן:
18
[The following rules apply when] one redeems his son within 30 days of his birth: If he tells [the priest]: "I am redeeming him at this time," his son is not redeemed.59 If he tells him that [the gift should take effect] after 30 days, his son is redeemed even if the coins no longer exist after 30 days.60
יח
מי שפדה בנו בתוך ל' יום אם אמר לו מעכשיו אין בנו פדוי ואם אמר לו לאחר ל' יום בנו פדוי ואע"פ שאין המעות קיימין לאחר ל' יום:
19
If there is a doubt whether a son is obligated to be redeemed or not, he is exempt. [The rationale is that when] one desires to expropriate property from a colleague, the burden of proof is on him.61 If a father dies within 30 days [of his son's birth], we operate under the assumption that the son was not redeemed unless he brings proof from his father that he redeemed him62 before he died. If the father died after 30 days [following the son's birth], we operate under the assumption that he was redeemed63 unless he informed us that he was not redeemed.64
יט
מי שהוא ספק אם חייב בפדיון או לא ה"ז פטור שהמוציא מחבירו עליו הראיה מת האב בתוך ל' יום הרי הבן בחזקת שלא נפדה עד שיביא ראיה מאביו שפדהו קודם שימות מת האב לאחר ל' יום הרי הוא בחזקת פדוי עד שיודיעוהו שלא נפדה:
20
When a person's wife has never given birth and she gives birth to a male and a female, but it is not known which emerged first,65 there is no obligation to give the priest anything.66
If she gave birth to two males, even if it is not known which is the firstborn, [the father] must give five selaim to the priest.67 If one of them dies within 30 days, [the father] is exempt, [based on the principle, when] one desires to expropriate property from a colleague, the burden of proof is on him].68 If the father died - whether he died within 30 days of the birth of his sons or afterwards, whether the sons divided his estate69 or not - five selaim should be given from the estate to the priest, because an obligation was already established upon the estate.
כ
מי שלא בכרה אשתו וילדה זכר ונקבה ואין ידוע אי זה מהן יצא ראשון אין כאן לכהן כלום ילדה שני זכרים אף על פי שאין ידוע אי זה מהן הבכור נותן ה' סלעים לכהן מת אחד מהן בתוך ל' יום פטור שהמוציא מחבירו עליו הראיה מת האב בין בתוך שלשים יום בין אחר שלשים יום בין שלא חלקו האחים בין שחלקו ינתן מן הנכסים ה' סלעים לכהן שכבר נתחייבו הנכסים:
21
[The following rules apply when a man has] two wives who have not yet given birth and they give birth to two sons and [the father] gives ten selaim to the priest [within 30 days of their birth].70 If one dies within 30 days and he had given [the ten selaim] to one priest, he should return five selaim to him.71 If he gave the money to two priests,72 he cannot expropriate the money from them, since he did not specify which son he is redeeming and each can tell him: "Have my colleague refund you."73
כא
שתי נשיו שלא בכרו וילדו שני זכרים נותן עשר סלעים לכהן מת אחד מהן בתוך ל' יום אם לכהן אחד נתן יחזיר לו ה' סלעים ואם לשני כהנים נתן אינו יכול להוציא מהן שהרי לא ציין פדיון זה על בן זה וכל אחד מהן יוכל לומר החזיר מחבירי:
22
When a man has two wives who have not given birth yet and they give birth to a male and a female or two males and a female [and it is not known which mother gave birth to which child and which is the order of the children's births], he should give five selaim to a priest. [The rationale is that] it is impossible that among them there will not be one male who is the first issue of the womb.74
כב
שתי נשיו שלא בכרו שילדו זכר ונקבה או שני זכרים ונקבה נותן ה' סלעים לכהן שא"א שלא יהיה זכר אחד מהן פטר רחם:
23
[In the above situation, if the women] give birth to two females and a male or two males and two females and it is not known which was born first, the priest is not entitled to anything. For [with regard to each mother], it is possible to say a female was born first and then a male.75
כג
ילדו שתי נקבות וזכר או שני זכרים ושתי נקבות ואין ידוע אי זה נולד ראשון אין כאן לכהן כלום שאני אומר נקבה נולדה תחלה ואחריה זכר:
24
[When a man has] two wives, one who has already given birth and one who has not yet given birth, and they give birth to two sons who become mixed together, he must give five selaim to a priest.76 If one of the sons dies within thirty days, the father is exempt.77 If the father died,78 five selaim should be paid from his estate.79
כד
שתי נשיו אחת בכרה ואחת לא בכרה וילדו שני זכרים ונתערבו נותן חמש סלעים לכהן מת אחד מהם בתוך שלשים יום האב פטור מת האב ינתן מן הנכסים חמש סלעים:
25
[In the above situation, if the two wives] gave birth to a male and a female or two males and a female, the priest is not entitled to anything. For it is possible to say that the woman who did not give birth yet gave birth to a female first and then a male and the one who had given birth already gave birth to a male.80
כה
ילדו זכר ונקבה או שני זכרים ונקבה אין כאן לכהן כלום שאני אומר זו שלא בכרה ילדה נקבה תחלה ואחריה זכר וזו שבכרה ילדה זכר:
26
When there are two men who have wives who had not yet given birth and they both gave birth to males and they became mixed together,81 each father must give five selaim.
[The following rules apply if] they both gave [that amount] within thirty days and then one of the sons died within that time. If they gave the money to two priests, they cannot expropriate it from them.82 If they both gave it to the same priest, one should write a document giving power of attorney to the other and then the one with power of attorney should expropriate five selaim from the priest.83
כו
שתי נשים של שני אנשים שלא בכרו וילדו ב' זכרים ונתערבו זה נותן ה' סלעים וזה נותן ה' סלעים נתנו ואח"כ מת אחד מן הבנים בתוך ל' יום אם לשני כהנים נתנו אינן יכולין להוציא מידן ואם לכהן אחד נתנו כותב אחד מהן לחבירו הרשאה וילך זה בהרשאה ויחזיר מן הכהן חמש סלעים:
27
[In the above situation, if the women] gave birth to a male and a female and they became mixed together, the fathers are exempt84 and the son is obligated to redeem himself.85 Similar [laws apply when] a woman who has not given birth previously does not wait after [being divorced from] her [first] husband three months [before marrying] and gives birth [to a child, whose lineage is doubtful]. It is not known whether he is the first [husband's] son having been born after nine months or the last husband's son, having been born after seven. Both fathers are exempt86 and the son is obligated to redeem himself.87
כז
ילדו זכר ונקבה ונתערבו האבות פטורין והבן חייב לפדות את עצמו וכן מבכרת שלא שהתה אחר בעלה שלשה חדשים וילדה ואין ידוע אם בן תשעה לראשון או בן שבעה לאחרון שניהן פטורין והבן חייב לפדות את עצמו:
28
[In the above situation, if the women] gave birth to two females and a male or two females and two males, the priest is not entitled to anything.88
כח
ילדו שתי נקבות וזכר או שתי נקבות ושני זכרים אין כאן לכהן כלום:
29
[The following laws apply when] there are two wives of two men and one gave birth previously and one did not [and they gave birth and the infants became mixed together]. If they gave birth to two males, the father whose wife had not given birth previously must give five selaim to a priest.89 If they gave birth to a male and a female, the priest does not receive anything.90
כט
שתי נשים של שני אנשים אחת בכרה ואחת לא בכרה וילדו שני זכרים זה שלא בכרה אשתו נותן חמש סלעים לכהן ילדו זכר ונקבה אין כאן לכהן כלום:
30
[In the above situation, if the women] gave birth to two males and a female, the man whose wife had not given birth previously should give five selaim. The rationale is that his exemption implies a compounded doubt. For if his wife gave birth to a male only, he is obligated. And if she gave birth to a male and a female, he is obligated unless she gave birth to the female first. Since the probability of this is distant, he should give the money for the redemption.91
ל
ילדו שני זכרים ונקבה זה שלא ביכרה אשתו נותן חמש סלעים שלא נפטר אלא בשני ספיקות אם אשתו ילדה זכר בלבד חייב ואם היא ילדה הזכר והנקבה חייב אא"כ ילדה נקבה תחלה והואיל והדבר רחוק יתן פדיונו:
FOOTNOTES
1.
Sefer HaMitzvot (positive commandment 80) and Sefer HaChinuch (mitzvah 392) include this commandment among the 613 mitzvot of the Torah. This obligation was established in commemoration of the slaying of the Egyptian firstborn before the Exodus.
2.
I.e., the obligation is incumbent on the baby's father, not his mother, as stated in the following halachah.
3.
The P'nei Meivin, Yoreh De'ah, Responsum 226, infers from the wording "a woman is not obligated," that she may do so if she desires. Eidut LiYisraelstates that this is the common custom if the child does not have a father.
4.
The Rambam's wording implies that the obligation is incumbent on the son. Nevertheless, as a newborn, the son cannot fulfill it and so, the obligation becomes his father's. See the Minchat Chinuch (mitzvah 392), the Siftei Cohen 305:11, Likkutei Sichot, Vol. XI, p. 44ff., and others who debate whether the mitzvah is primarily the father's or the son's. This difference is not merely theoretical. Among the practical question that result is: If the father did not redeem the son until the son was thirteen, who has the fundamental responsibility to observe the mitzvah, the father or the son?
5.
13, at which age he is obligated to observe the mitzvot. See Minchat Chinuch, loc. cit., who discusses a situation where the son redeemed himself beforehand.
6.
The Rama (Yoreh De'ah 305:15) states that a silver plaque should be placed around the child's neck as a reminder that he has not been redeemed. See also Halachah 11. The Sifei Cohen305:20 states that this is not practical. In many instances, the silver plaque will become lost before the child comes of age and he will not be aware of the responsibility incumbent upon him. Instead, it is preferable that the redemption be performed by the Jewish court. Eidut LiYisraelalso mentions that if the child's grandfather is alive, there are opinions that he should perform the redemption.
7.
For the mitzvah incumbent on his own person takes precedence (Kiddushin 29a,b).
8.
I.e., make a pilgrimage to the Temple to behold the Divine presence.
9.
Even though he could possibly redeem his son afterwards, and he will not be able to make this pilgrimage again, the redemption of his son takes precedence.
10.
This follows the Rambam's rulings in Hilchot Berachot 11:11 where he writes that a person who performs a mitzvah involving his own person should praise God who "commanded us to...." If the mitzvah involves others, by contrast, the blessing should conclude "commanded us concerning...." The commentaries, however, note that in ibid.:12 and in Hilchot Milah 3:1, the Rambam writes that one who circumcises his own son should recite the blessing concluding "to circumcise...," for the mitzvah is incumbent on his own person. Seemingly, this should also apply with regard to the redemption of a son.
It is possible to resolve the question as follows: The mitzvah of redeeming the son is primarily the child's/ Hence, the father uses the form "concerning...." The mitzvah of circumcision, by contrast, is primarily the father's. Hence he uses the form "to...."
11.
This blessing is recited as an expression of thanks whenever one performs a mitzvah infrequently (Hilchot Berachot12:9). Even though one recited this blessing at the child's circumcision, it should be recited again at his redemption, for the two are separate mitzvot to be performed at separate times (Radbaz). Similarly, as an expression of thanks, it is customary to mark the redemption with a celebratory feast. This feast is considered a seudat mitzvah, a feast associated with a mitzvah.
12.
For the blessing should precede the observance of the mitzvah.
13.
For he is certainly performing a mitzvah involving himself. The Rambam's ruling is quoted by the Shulchan Aruch (Yoreh De'ah 305:10). The Tur and the Rama rule that even in such a situation, the conclusion of the blessing should be "...concerning the redemption of the firstborn."
14.
I.e., its observance is not limited to Eretz Yisrael, nor to the time when the Temple is standing.
15.
Shiurei Torah defines this as 101 or 96 grams of pure silver.
16.
We have translated kessef as "silver" and not "money" to allude to the concepts stated below.
17.
This includes not only promissory notes given by a particular individual, but also the fiat currencies of the present day, for such currency does not have any inherent value. In practice, silver coins are almost always used for the redemption of the firstborn.
18.
And he must be redeemed again.
19.
As stated in Hilchot Mechirah11:15, when a person undertakes a financial obligation, even though according to law he was not liable, he is bound by his commitment.
20.
This applies even if he actually pays him the five selaim, for that money is being paid to satisfy the obligation he voluntarily undertook and not to discharge the obligation the Torah placed upon him (Bechorot 49b).
The Turei Zahav 305:2 and the Siftei Cohen 305:3 explain that according to Scriptural Law, the commitment is effective in redeeming the son. Nevertheless, our Sages ruled that it is unacceptable lest a person attempt to redeem his son with promissory notes from other people.
21.
In his Kessef Mishneh, Rav Yosef Caro debates this ruling at length and in his Shulchan Aruch(Yoreh De'ah 305:5), he rules that the utensil must be worth five selaim to a person in a given situation. If, however, there is no way that it would be considered as worth five selaim, the son is not redeemed. The Turei Zahav305:5 and the Siftei Cohen305:5, however, maintain that the Rambam's words should be understood simply.
22.
Giving each a half-sela.
23.
The Pitchei Teshuvah 305:10 states that it is not desirable to redeem one's son in this manner. As an initial preference, one should give all five selaim to one priest, at one time.
24.
Since the father expected the present to be returned, it is as if he never really intended to give it to the priest (Bechorot, loc. cit., Radbaz). This applies only when the priest actually returns what he was given, for if he does not return it, we assume that after the fact, the father consents that the priest retain possession and as a result, the son is redeemed.
25.
When quoting this law, the Shulchan Aruch (Yoreh De'ah305:8) states that the priest should not frequently return what is given to him for the redemption. It should only be done occasionally, when the father is poor.
26.
A present given with the intent that it be returned is considered as a valid present (Kiddushin6b). Thus the father's gift was within the limits of law. Hence, it is acceptable. In the first instance, by contrast, since the present was not given wholeheartedly, it is as if it was never given. Nevertheless, receiving the redemption as a present with the stipulation that it be returned is frowned upon by our Rabbis. The Shulchan Aruchdescribes a priest who does so as having "transgressed."
27.
See Numbers 3:45 which commands "Take the Levites in place of all the firstborn of the children of Israel."
28.
I.e., the father is an Israelite and thus the son is an Israelite.
29.
The commentaries have noted that there is no exact verse in the Torah that corresponds to the Rambam's wording. Similar phrases are found in Exodus 13:2 and Numbers 3:12.
30.
The identity of the father does not change the status of the mother or the child and it is just as if the child was from a Jewish father. See Hilchot Issurei Bi'ah15:3.
31.
I.e., he is obligated to redeem himself when he comes of age, for as stated in Halachah 2, there is no obligation for a woman to redeem her son. There are authorities who maintain that, in the present age, the Jewish court should redeem such children, for it is possible that when the child comes of age, he will not be aware of the mitzvah and will fail to observe it.
32.
Such relations - even if she is raped - caused her to be deemed a zonah and she is disqualified from the priestly family. Her children do not bear its holiness, nor does she have any of the rights granted to its members (Hilchot Issurei Bi'ah18:1).
33.
The children born from relations between a priest and a woman forbidden because of the unique prohibitions incumbent upon the priests, as explained in Hilchot Issurei Bi'ah 19:3-6.
34.
I.e., if the son is the first issue of his mother's womb.
35.
I.e., were the father to have lived until the son was 30 days old, there would have been an obligation to redeem the child. Nevertheless, since the father was a priest - and the fact that he entered into a forbidden relationship does not disqualify him from the priesthood - it is considered as if he paid himself and the child was redeemed (Turei Zahav 305:17).
36.
Because he died after the obligation took effect, as indicated by Halachah 17.
37.
For the first time, as obvious from the following halachah.
38.
I.e., as a Jew.
39.
I.e., the father is an Israelite and thus the son is an Israelite.
40.
Implied is that we do not rely on her word alone.
41.
The priest is considered as if he desires to expropriate property - the five selaim of the redemption - from the child. Since the priest cannot prove that the child was born as an Israelite, the child is not obligated. See parallels in Chapter 9, Halachah 13, and Chapter 10, Halachah 12.
42.
As the Radbaz mentions, this child may be considered as the father's firstborn and receive a double share of his inheritance. Nevertheless, in this context, he is not considered as a firstborn.
43.
Even though it is her first Jewish child.
44.
A stillborn, aborted, or miscarried fetus.
45.
See Hilchot Issurei Bi'ah 10:1 which states: "Every woman who gives birth is impure like a niddah, even if she did not suffer uterine bleeding. [This applies whether] a woman gives birth to a living child or one which is stillborn, and even if she miscarries [and discharges a fetus]." The remainder of that chapter mentions different questionable circumstances involving such miscarriages.
46.
In the instances mentioned, the embryo that was miscarried is not given the halachic status of a fetus and none of the laws applying to childbirth apply.
47.
See ibid. 5:15.
48.
ibid. 10:2.
49.
Even though it was removed from the womb piece by piece, the mother is considered impure as if she gave birth (Ibid.:6) and the subsequent child is not considered as a firstborn.
50.
From the Rambam's wording, the commentaries have inferred that if the baby emerges dead, a boy born next is considered as the mother's firstborn. The rationale is that a baby born in the eighth month is considered as if it would never be a viable birth. This ruling is quoted by the Shulchan Aruch (Yoreh De'ah305:23).
51.
For the emergence of the forehead is considered as birth in several halachic contexts (e.g., Hilchot Nachalot 2:2).
52.
And the Torah obligated only the first issue of a woman's womb.
53.
These concepts also apply with regard to the definition of a firstborn with regard to the inheritance (ibid.:11).
54.
I.e., as soon as the thirty-first day begins. These days are counted from sunset to sunset and not from hour to hour. It is customary to redeem the son on his thirty-first day of life, because one should not delay the observance of a mitzvah. If, however, the thirty-first day is the Sabbath or a festival, the redemption is performed at the earliest possible opportunity afterwards.
55.
Treifah, the Hebrew term used by the Rambam, is interpreted as referring to an ailment that will cause the person to die within a year.
56.
For the obligation to redeem the child never took effect.
57.
For that gift is not effective in redeeming the child, as stated in the following halachah.
58.
When quoting this law, the Rama (Yoreh De'ah 305:12) states that the father must also recite the blessing for the redemption. He does not, however, recite the blessing Shehechiyanu.
59.
Because the obligation to redeem him has not taken effect. This ruling applies even if the coins remain in the priest's possession until after the thirtieth day. For the redemption to take effect, the priest must return the money to the father and then he must give it to him again. See Siftei Cohen 305:18.
60.
There is a difference of opinion concerning this issue in the Talmud (Bechorot 49a,b). The Rambam's ruling follows the position of Shmuel, even though Rav differs and rules that the son is not redeemed. Although ordinarily, in such differences of opinion, the halachah follows Rav with regard to questions involving Torah prohibitions, in this instance, the Talmud explicitly states that the halachah follows Shmuel. There is, however, a question regarding the proper version of the Talmudic text and the Rambam's ruling does not follow the standard published version (Radbaz). The Shulchan Aruch(Yoreh De'ah 305:13) quotes the Rambam's ruling, while the Rama rules that if the money no longer exists, the redemption is not effective.
61.
As explained above, the priest is considered as if he desires to expropriate property - the five selaim of the redemption - from the father. The rationale is based on the fact that the money is presently in possession of the father. There are commentaries who maintain that if the priest would seize the five selaim, he would be entitled to retain possession of them, because the father would now have to prove that he is not obligated and that is likewise impossible. They support this conclusion with the Rambam's ruling in Hilchot Bechorot 5:3 that if there is an animal whose status is unclear and there is a doubt whether it is a firstborn, should a priest seize possession of it, we do not expropriate it from his property. Others, however, differentiate between the two instances, explaining that in Hilchot Bechorot, the priest has seized a specific entity concerning which an unresolved doubt exists. In this halachah, by contrast, although there is a question whether the father is under obligation to the priest, the money that the priest seizes definitely belongs to the father. Hence, it must be returned (Machaneh Ephrayim, Hilchot Zechiyah, sec. 8; see also Radbaz to Halachah 21).
62.
In the manner described at the conclusion of the previous halachah. This is an uncommon occurrence. Hence, unless there is specific knowledge that the father redeemed him in this manner, we assume he did not.
63.
For we assume that the person fulfilled the mitzvah incumbent upon him at the earliest possible opportunity.
64.
I.e., he made such statements on his deathbed [Shulchan Aruch(Yoreh De'ah 305:14)].
65.
Thus there is a question whether the son must be redeemed or not, for if the female emerged first, the son need not be redeemed.
66.
Since there is a doubt concerning the obligation, the burden of proof is on the priest, as stated in Halachah 19. Not only does this apply with regard to the father, the son is under no obligation to redeem himself when he comes of age. This is the underlying principle governing many of the situations described in the following halachot.
67.
For one of his sons is certainly a firstborn and hence, he is required to redeem him. Although the father does not know which of his sons he is redeeming, he is obligated to perform the redemption (Radbaz).
68.
For the father can claim that the son who died was the firstborn and since he died within 30 days of his birth, there is no obligation to redeem him, as stated in Halachah 17.
69.
In which case, each of the sons could argue that perhaps the other was in fact the firstborn and hence, he is not required to give toward the redemption. This ruling represents a reversal of the Rambam's opinion from his ruling in his final version of his Commentary to the Mishnah (Bechorot 8:3). [Apparently, the issue was one that the Rambam debated back and forth, because his earlier version of that text does not mention an exemption.] The Shulchan Aruch (Yoreh De'ah 305:265) quotes the Rambam's ruling here. The Turand the Siftei Cohen 305:30 rule that the sons are exempt if the father died before the passage of the 30 days. The rationale they give is that each of the sons can claim that the obligation is on the other.
70.
For their redemption in the maaner stated in Halachah 18.
71.
For there is no obligation to redeem a son who died before he reaches the age of 30 days.
72.
Giving each five selaim for one of the sons, without specifying which one.
73.
I.e., each priest can maintain that he received the redemption for the son that is alive and it is the other priest who is required to return the funds.
74.
In the second instance, however, he need not redeem both sons, because it is possible that his daughter's birth preceded the birth of one of them. Thus with regard to that child, we follow the principle stated in Halachah 19.
75.
Although two mothers and two pairs of children are involved, the situation is abstractly the same as that described in Halachah 20.
76.
For the woman who had not given birth previously obviously gave birth to a firstborn son. The fact that his identity is unknown is not significant.
77.
Because it is possible that the firstborn died and therefore, there is no obligation if he dies within thirty days of his birth.
78.
Whether within 30 days of the sons' birth or afterwards, as in Halachah 20. See, however, note 68.
79.
Although the entire sum could not be expropriated from either of the sons - for each one could claim that it is the other who is liable - it can be expropriated from the estate. For the father was certainly obligated and that obligation is transferred to his estate.
80.
The commentaries question the Rambam's ruling, maintaining that seemingly the instance here is analogous to the case described in Halachah 30. What difference does it make if the two women mentioned are the wives of one man or two? The Radbaz explains that since we are speaking about one man with two wives and one is exempt, we assume that the exemption will continue unless it is indicated otherwise.
81.
So that it was not known which woman was the mother of which child.
82.
For, as in Halachah 21, each priest can claim that he received the redemption for the son who is presently alive.
83.
The priest owes one of the two five selaim, but there is no way of determining which one. Thus if each approached him and demanded money individually, he could avoid paying, claiming that the father must prove that it was his son that died. When, however, he is approached by the two fathers in a single claim, he has no recourse other than to pay [the Rambam's Commentary to the Mishnah (Bechorot 8:5)].
84.
Because there is no way it can be proven who is the father of the male and thus responsible for his redemption.
85.
I.e., when he attains majority. For there is no question that he is a firstborn (Turei Zahav 305:23).
86.
The priest owes one of the two five selaim, but there is no way of determining which one. Thus if each approached him and demanded money individually, he could avoid paying, claiming that the father must prove that it was his son that died. When, however, he is approached by the two fathers in a single claim, he has no recourse other than to pay [the Rambam's Commentary to the Mishnah (Bechorot 8:5)].
87.
Because there is no way it can be proven who is the father of the male and thus responsible for his redemption.
88.
Because it is impossible to prove that a male was born first. See Halachah 23. From the Rambam's wording, it could be inferred that different rules apply when the women gave birth to two males and one female. It would appear that according to the Rambam, each of the males would have to redeem himself when he comes of age. The Tur(Yoreh De'ah 305) rules that in such a situation, the sons are exempt. See Turei Zahav305:24.
89.
Even though the identity of his son is not firmly established, his wife definitely gave birth to a firstborn son and he is obligated to redeem him.
90.
For there is no way of proving that the woman who had not given birth previously was the mother of the male. Hence, the exemption is granted not only to the father, but also to the son when he comes of age.
91.
More specifically, there are five possibilities regarding this situation:
a) the woman who had not given birth before gave birth to one male (and the other woman gave birth to a male and a female);
b) she gave birth to two males (and the other woman gave birth to a female);
c) she gave birth to a male and then a female (and the other woman gave birth to a male);
d) she gave birth to a female and then a male (and the other woman gave birth to a male);
e) she gave birth to a female (and the other woman gave birth to two males).
Since her husband would be obligated in the first three of this situations, he is considered as obligated, because of the higher probability.
As mentioned in the notes to Halachah 25, there is a difference of opinion among the commentaries with regard to the rulings in the two halachot. The Ra'avad reverses the Rambam's ruling in both instances, maintaining that here, the father is exempt and there, he is obligated. And the Tur and the Shulchan Aruch (Yoreh De'ah305:31) rule that he is exempt in both instances. These differences of opinion depend on textual differences in the versions of Bechorot 49a and differences in the interpretation of that passage.
• Monday, 15 Adar, 5777 · 13 March 2017
• "Today's Day"
• Shabbat, 15 Adar I, Shushan Purim Katan, 5703
Av Harachamim (p. 191) and Tzidkat'cha (p. 209) are not said.
Torah lessons: Chumash: Tetzaveh, Shevi'i with Rashi.
Tehillim: 77-78.
Tanya: In addition (p. 129)...in the holy Zohar (p. 133).
Before pronouncing the b'racha hamotzi, a scratch is made on the bread with the knife, but we are careful not to cut into it.
Even when saying kiddush over bread, we still say savri maranan (p. 141).
It is said of the Time To Come:1 "A stone in the wall will cry out and a beam from the tree will respond." At present, inert creations are mute; though trodden upon, they remain silent. But there will come a time when the revelation of the Future becomes a reality, that the inert will begin to speak, relate and demand: "If a man was walking along without thinking or speaking words of Torah, why did he trample upon me?"
The earth trodden upon has been waiting for millenia, ever since the Six Days of Creation. All kinds of living creatures have been treading upon it all this time, but it is waiting for a Jew (or two Jews) to walk on it while discussing Torah. But if they do not say words of Torah, the earth will protest: "You too are just like an animal!"
Monday, Adar Sheini 15, Shushan Purim, 5703
Torah lessons: Chumash: Tzav, Sheini with Rashi.
Tehillim: 77-78.
Tanya: When the whole (p. 171)...were the Patriarchs. (p. 171).
My grandfather said that the Mitteler Rebbe wrote specific maamarim and a special book for every different kind of maskil and oveid1 in the Chassidic community. Shaar Hayichud and Shaarei Ora, however, are general, written for all chassidim. Shaar Hayichud is the key to the teachings of Chassidus; Shaarei Ora is the alef-beit of Chassidus.
FOOTNOTES
1.Maskil is the term used to denote one who devotes himself primarily to the intellectual aspects of Chassidus, while the oveid devotes himself primarily to the emotional and worship aspects. The oveid is a maskil and the maskil is an oveid, for the intellectual and emotional are both essential, and symbiotic. The distinction is merely in their primary emphasis.
• Daily Thought:
Purim: The Ultimate Happiness
There is a quiet happiness: an inner sense of bliss, the innocent joy of a small child, one of wonderment and gratitude. It is a happiness to carry with you at all times.
Then there are those seasons when happiness blooms for all to see, bursting out in song, in dance, in celebration. A festival, a wedding, a time to feast and rejoice with family and friends.
But the ultimate happiness is the joy of Purim. It is no longer about you, your family, your life. It is about making others laugh, bringing smiles to the weary, celebration to those who feel abandoned, a feast to those who had lost all hope.
It is a season for breaking out of yourself, out of your character, out of all those bounds you have set for yourself—“beyond knowing.”
The light of Purim knows no bounds.[Likkutei Sichot, vol. 16, p. 371.]
-------
No comments:
Post a Comment