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 in Jewish History:
• First Jewish Governor Sworn In (1801) When Governor of Georgia James Jackson resigned his post to serve as a US senator, the president of the Georgia Senate, David Emanuel, was sworn in as governor. March 3, 1801, was the first time that a Jewish person served as governor of a US state.
Emanuel served the remaining eight months of Jackson's term, but did not seek re-election, opting instead to retire from politics. In 1812, Georgia named a new county in his honor: "Emanuel County."
• First Jewish Periodical in US (1823) The inaugural edition of "The Jew," the first Jewish periodical in the United States, was published in March of 1823. It was published in New York City and edited by Solomon H. Jackson.
The subtitle of the paper was “Being a defence of Judaism against all adversaries, and particularly against the insidious attacks of Israel's Advocate.” Its major aim was to combat missionaries, and specifically "Israel's Advocate," a Christian conversionist periodical published at the same time.
The periodical was issued until March 1825.
Daily Quote:
Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field. Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb, and the fruit of your earth, and the fruit of your beasts; the offspring increase of your cattle, and the young of your sheep. Blessed shall be your basket and your store. Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out[Deuteronomy 28:3-6]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 in Jewish History:
• First Jewish Governor Sworn In (1801) When Governor of Georgia James Jackson resigned his post to serve as a US senator, the president of the Georgia Senate, David Emanuel, was sworn in as governor. March 3, 1801, was the first time that a Jewish person served as governor of a US state.
Emanuel served the remaining eight months of Jackson's term, but did not seek re-election, opting instead to retire from politics. In 1812, Georgia named a new county in his honor: "Emanuel County."
• First Jewish Periodical in US (1823) The inaugural edition of "The Jew," the first Jewish periodical in the United States, was published in March of 1823. It was published in New York City and edited by Solomon H. Jackson.
The subtitle of the paper was “Being a defence of Judaism against all adversaries, and particularly against the insidious attacks of Israel's Advocate.” Its major aim was to combat missionaries, and specifically "Israel's Advocate," a Christian conversionist periodical published at the same time.
The periodical was issued until March 1825.
Daily Quote:
Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field. Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb, and the fruit of your earth, and the fruit of your beasts; the offspring increase of your cattle, and the young of your sheep. Blessed shall be your basket and your store. Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out[Deuteronomy 28:3-6]Today's Study:
Chitas and Rambam for today:
Chumash: Ki Tisa, 5th Portion Exodus 34:1-34:9 with Rashi
• Exodus Chapter 34
1And the Lord said to Moses: "Hew for yourself two stone tablets like the first ones. And I will inscribe upon the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke. אוַיֹּ֤אמֶר יְהֹוָה֙ אֶל־משֶׁ֔ה פְּסָל־לְךָ֛ שְׁנֵֽי־לֻחֹ֥ת אֲבָנִ֖ים כָּרִֽאשֹׁנִ֑ים וְכָֽתַבְתִּי֙ עַל־הַלֻּחֹ֔ת אֶת־הַ֨דְּבָרִ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר הָי֛וּ עַל־הַלֻּחֹ֥ת הָרִֽאשֹׁנִ֖ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר שִׁבַּֽרְתָּ:
Hew for yourself: Heb. פְּסָל לְ. He [God] showed him [Moses] a sapphire mine from within his tent, and He said to him, “The [sapphire] chips shall be yours,” and from there Moses became very wealthy. -[from Tanchuma 29, Lev. Rabbah 32:2] פסל לך: הראהו מחצב סנפירינון מתוך אהלו, ואמר לו הפסולת יהיה שלך, ומשם נתעשר משה הרבה:
Hew for yourself: You broke the first ones. You hew others for yourself. This can be compared to a king who went abroad and left his betrothed with the maidservants. Because of the immoral behavior of the maidservants, she acquired a bad reputation. Her bridesman [the person appointed to defend the bride should any problems arise] arose and tore up her marriage contract. He said, “If the king decides to kill her, I will say to him, ‘She is not yet your wife.’” The king investigated and discovered that only the maidservants were guilty of immoral behavior. He [therefore] became appeased to her. So her bridesman said to him, “Write her another marriage contract because the first one was torn up.” The king replied to him, “You tore it up. You buy yourself another [sheet of] paper, and I will write to her with my [personal] hand [writing].” Likewise, the king represents the Holy One, blessed is He. The maidservants represent the mixed multitude. The bridesman is Moses, and the betrothed of the Holy One, blessed is He, is Israel. That is why it says: “Hew for yourself.” -[from Tanchuma 30] פסל לך: אתה שברת הראשונות, אתה פסל לך אחרות. משל למלך שהלך למדינת הים והניח ארוסתו עם השפחות, מתוך קלקול השפחות יצא עליה שם רע, עמד שושבינה וקרע כתובתה, אמר אם יאמר המלך להורגה אומר לו עדיין אינה אשתך. בדק המלך ומצא, שלא היה הקלקול אלא מן השפחות, נתרצה לה. אמר לו שושבינה כתוב לה כתובה אחרת, שנקרעה הראשונה. אמר לו המלך אתה קרעת אותה, אתה קנה לך נייר אחר, ואני אכתוב לה בכתב ידי, כן המלך זה הקדוש ברוך הוא, השפחות אלו ערב רב, והשושבין זה משה, ארוסתו של הקדוש ברוך הוא אלו ישראל, לכך נאמר פסל לך:
2Be prepared for the morning, and in the morning you shall ascend Mount Sinai and stand before Me there on the top of the mountain. בוֶֽהְיֵ֥ה נָכ֖וֹן לַבֹּ֑קֶר וְעָלִ֤יתָ בַבֹּ֨קֶר֙ אֶל־הַ֣ר סִינַ֔י וְנִצַּבְתָּ֥ לִ֛י שָׁ֖ם עַל־רֹ֥אשׁ הָהָֽר:
prepared: Heb. נָכוֹן, ready. נכון: מזומן:
3No one shall ascend with you, neither shall anyone be seen anywhere on the mountain, neither shall the sheep and the cattle graze facing that mountain." גוְאִישׁ֙ לֹא־יַֽעֲלֶ֣ה עִמָּ֔ךְ וְגַם־אִ֥ישׁ אַל־יֵרָ֖א בְּכָל־הָהָ֑ר גַּם־הַצֹּ֤אן וְהַבָּקָר֙ אַל־יִרְע֔וּ אֶל־מ֖וּל הָהָ֥ר הַהֽוּא:
No one shall ascend with you: Since the first ones [i.e., tablets] were accompanied by loud noises, sounds, and with a multitude, the evil eye affected them. [Our conclusion is that] there is nothing better than modesty. -[from Tanchuma 30] ואיש לא יעלה עמך: הראשונות על ידי שהיו בתשואות וקולות וקהלה, שלטה בהן עין רעה, אין לך מדה יפה מן הצניעות:
4So he [Moses] hewed two stone tablets like the first ones, and Moses arose early in the morning and ascended Mount Sinai as the Lord had commanded him, and he took two stone tablets in his hand. דוַיִּפְסֹ֡ל שְׁנֵֽי־לֻחֹ֨ת אֲבָנִ֜ים כָּרִֽאשֹׁנִ֗ים וַיַּשְׁכֵּ֨ם משֶׁ֤ה בַבֹּ֨קֶר֙ וַיַּ֨עַל֙ אֶל־הַ֣ר סִינַ֔י כַּֽאֲשֶׁ֛ר צִוָּ֥ה יְהֹוָ֖ה אֹת֑וֹ וַיִּקַּ֣ח בְּיָד֔וֹ שְׁנֵ֖י לֻחֹ֥ת אֲבָנִֽים:
5And the Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and He called out in the name of the Lord. הוַיֵּ֤רֶד יְהֹוָה֙ בֶּֽעָנָ֔ן וַיִּתְיַצֵּ֥ב עִמּ֖וֹ שָׁ֑ם וַיִּקְרָ֥א בְשֵׁ֖ם יְהֹוָֽה:
and He called out in the name of the Lord: We render: וּקְרָא בִשְׁמָא דַיְיָ, and he called out in the name of the Lord. [from Onkelos] ויקרא בשם ה': מתרגמינן וקרא בשמא דה':
6And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed: Lord, Lord, benevolent God, Who is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abundant in loving kindness and truth, ווַיַּֽעֲבֹ֨ר יְהֹוָ֥ה | עַל־פָּנָיו֘ וַיִּקְרָא֒ יְהֹוָ֣ה | יְהֹוָ֔ה אֵ֥ל רַח֖וּם וְחַנּ֑וּן אֶ֥רֶךְ אַפַּ֖יִם וְרַב־חֶ֥סֶד וֶֽאֱמֶֽת:
Lord, Lord: This is God's Attribute of Compassion. [It is repeated,] once for before the person sins, and once for after he sins and repents. ה' ה': מדת הרחמים היא, אחת קודם שיחטא, ואחת אחר שיחטא וישוב:
God: Heb. אֵל. This too is an attribute of compassion [for God], and so he [the Psalmist] says: “My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?” (Ps. 22:2). One cannot say to the Divine attribute of justice, “Why have You forsaken me?” I found this in the Mechilta (Exod. 15:2). אל: אף זו מדת רחמים, וכן הוא אומר (תהלים כב ב) אלי אלי למה עזבתני, ואין לומר למדת הדין למה עזבני כך מצאתי במכילתא:
slow to anger: He puts off His anger and does not hasten to exact retribution, [hoping that] perhaps he [the sinner] will repent. ארך אפים: מאריך אפו ואינו ממהר ליפרע, שמא יעשה תשובה:
and abundant in loving-kindness: for those who need loving-kindness because they lack sufficient merits. -[from R.H. 17a] ורב חסד: לצריכים חסד, שאין להם זכיות כל כך:
and truth: to pay a good reward to those who do His will. ואמת: לשלם שכר טוב לעושי רצונו:
7preserving loving kindness for thousands, forgiving iniquity and rebellion and sin; yet He does not completely clear [of sin] He visits the iniquity of parents on children and children's children, to the third and fourth generations." זנֹצֵ֥ר חֶ֨סֶד֙ לָֽאֲלָפִ֔ים נֹשֵׂ֥א עָוֹ֛ן וָפֶ֖שַׁע וְחַטָּאָ֑ה וְנַקֵּה֙ לֹ֣א יְנַקֶּ֔ה פֹּקֵ֣ד | עֲוֹ֣ן אָב֗וֹת עַל־בָּנִים֙ וְעַל־בְּנֵ֣י בָנִ֔ים עַל־שִׁלֵּשִׁ֖ים וְעַל־רִבֵּעִֽים:
preserving loving-kindness: that a person does before Him. נצר חסד: שהאדם עושה לפניו:
for thousands: For two thousand generations. לאלפים: לשני אלפים דורות:
[iniquity and rebellion]: Iniquities (עִוֹנוֹת) are intentional sins. פְּשָׁעִים are sins committed out of rebellion, which a person commits [in order] to anger [God]. -[from Yoma 36b] עון ופשע: עונות אלו הזדונות. פשעים אלו המרדים, שאדם עושה להכעיס:
yet He does not completely clear [of sin]: Heb. וְנַקֵּה לֹא יְנַקֶּה. According to its simple interpretation, it means that He does not completely overlook the iniquity but exacts retribution for it little by little. Our Rabbis, however, interpreted [this expression to mean]: He clears those who repent, but does not clear those who do not repent (from Yoma 86a, targumim). ונקה לא ינקה: לפי פשוטו משמע, שאינו מוותר על העון לגמרי, אלא נפרע ממנו מעט מעט. ורבותינו דרשו מנקה הוא לשבים ולא ינקה לשאינן שבים:
He visits the iniquity of parents on the children: when they hold onto the deeds of their parents in their hands [i.e., emulate their ways], for He already explained this in another verse, [that it means only] “of those who hate Me” (Exod. 20:5). -[from Ber. 7a] פקד עון אבות על בנים: כשאוחזים מעשה אבותיהם בידיהם, שכבר פירש במקרא אחר (שמות כ ד) לשונאי:
and fourth generations: Heb. וְעַל רִבֵּעִים, the fourth generation. Thus, the [i.e., God’s] attribute of goodness exceeds the attribute of retribution by a ratio of one to five hundred. Concerning the attribute of goodness, He says: “preserving loving-kindness for thousands.” -[from Tosefta, Sotah 4:1] ועל רבעים: דור רביעי, נמצאת מדה טובה מרובה על מדת פורענות אחת לחמש מאות, שבמדה טובה הוא אומר נוצר חסד לאלפים:
8And Moses hastened, bowed his head to the ground and prostrated himself, חוַיְמַהֵ֖ר משֶׁ֑ה וַיִּקֹּ֥ד אַ֖רְצָה וַיִּשְׁתָּֽחוּ:
And Moses hastened: When Moses saw the Shechinah passing [in front of him] and he heard the voice calling, he immediately prostrated himself. וימהר משה: כשראה משה שכינה עוברת ושמע קול הקריאה, מיד וישתחו:
9and said: "If I have now found favor in Your eyes, O Lord, let the Lord go now in our midst [even] if they are a stiff necked people, and You shall forgive our iniquity and our sin and thus secure us as Your possession." טוַיֹּ֡אמֶר אִם־נָא֩ מָצָ֨אתִי חֵ֤ן בְּעֵינֶ֨יךָ֙ אֲדֹנָ֔י יֵֽלֶךְ־נָ֥א אֲדֹנָ֖י בְּקִרְבֵּ֑נוּ כִּ֤י עַם־קְשֵׁה־עֹ֨רֶף֙ ה֔וּא וְסָֽלַחְתָּ֛ לַֽעֲוֹנֵ֥נוּ וּלְחַטָּאתֵ֖נוּ וּנְחַלְתָּֽנוּ:
let the Lord go now in our midst: As You promised us, since You forgive iniquity. [Which means:] and if they are a stiff-necked people, and they rebelled against You, and You have said concerning this, “Lest I destroy you on the way” (Exod. 33:3), You [still] will forgive our iniquity, etc. There are [other instances where] כִּי [is used] instead of אִם if. ילך נא ה' בקרבנו: כמו שהבטחת, מאחר שאתה נושא עון, ואם עם קשה עורף הוא וימרו בך, ואמרת על זאת פן אכלך בדרך, אתה תסלח לעונינו. ויש כי במקום אם:
and thus secure us as Your possession: And You shall give us to Yourself as a special possession. (Other editions read: and You shall give us a special possession.) That is the [same] request of: “Then I and Your people will be distinguished” (Exod. 33:16), [meaning] that the Shechinah should not rest upon the pagan nations. ונחלתנו: ותתננו לך לנחלה מיוחדת, זו היא בקשת ונפלינו אני ועמך, שלא תשרה שכינתך על
האומות:• Daily Tehillim: Psalm Chapters 88 - 89
• Chapter 88
The psalmist weeps and laments bitterly over the maladies and suffering Israel endures in exile, which he describes in detail.
1. A song, a psalm by the sons of Korach, for the Conductor, upon the machalat le'anot; 1 a maskil2 for Heiman the Ezrachite.
2. O Lord, God of my deliverance, by day I cried out [to You], by night I [offer my prayer] before You.
3. Let my prayer come before You; turn Your ear to my supplication.
4. For my soul is sated with affliction, and my life has reached the grave.
5. I was reckoned with those who go down to the pit, I was like a man without strength.
6. [I am regarded] among the dead who are free, like corpses lying in the grave, of whom You are not yet mindful, who are yet cut off by Your hand.
7. You have put me into the lowest pit, into the darkest places, into the depths.
8. Your wrath has weighed heavily upon me, and all the waves [of Your fury] have constantly afflicted me.
9. You have estranged my friends from me, You have made me abhorrent to them; I am imprisoned and unable to leave.
10. My eye is afflicted because of distress; I call to You, O Lord, every day; I have stretched out my hands [in prayer] to You.
11. Do You perform wonders for the deceased? Do the dead stand to offer You praise? Selah.
12. Is Your kindness recounted in the grave, your faithfulness in the place of perdition?
13. Are Your wondrous deeds known in the darkness [of the grave], or Your righteousness in the land of oblivion?
14. But, I, to You, O Lord, I cry; each morning my prayer comes before You.
15. Why, O Lord, do You forsake my soul? Why do You conceal Your countenance from Me?
16. From my youth I have been afflicted and approaching death, yet I have borne the fear of You which is firmly established within me.
17. Your furies have passed over me; Your terrors have cut me down.
18. They have engulfed me like water all day long, they all together surrounded me.
19. You have estranged from me beloved and friend; I have been rejected by my intimates.
FOOTNOTES
1.A musical instrument(Metzudot).
2.A psalm intended to enlighten and impart knowledge(Metzudot).
Chapter 89
This psalm speaks of the kingship of the House of David, the psalmist lamenting its fall from power for many years, and God's abandonment and spurning of us.
1. A maskil1 by Eitan the Ezrachite.
2. I will sing of the Lord's kindness forever; to all generations I will make known Your faithfulness with my mouth.
3. For I have said, "The world is built with kindness; there in the heavens You establish Your faithfulness.”
4. I have made a covenant with My chosen one; I have sworn to David, My servant:
5. "I will establish Your descendants forever; I will build your throne for all generations," Selah.
6. Then the heavens will extol Your wonders, O Lord; Your faithfulness, too, in the congregation of the holy ones.
7. Indeed, who in heaven can be compared to the Lord, who among the supernal beings can be likened to the Lord!
8. The Almighty is revered in the great assembly of the holy ones, awe-inspiring to all who surround Him.
9. O Lord, God of Hosts, who is mighty like You, O God! Your faithfulness surrounds You.
10. You rule the vastness of the sea; when its waves surge, You still them.
11. You crushed Rahav (Egypt) like a corpse; with Your powerful arm You scattered Your enemies.
12. Yours are the heavens, the earth is also Yours; the world and all therein-You established them.
13. The north and the south-You created them; Tabor and Hermon sing of [the greatness] of Your Name.
14. Yours is the arm which has the might; strengthen Your hand, raise high Your right hand.
15. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; kindness and truth go before Your countenance.
16. Fortunate is the people who know the sound of the shofar; Lord, they walk in the light of Your countenance.
17. They rejoice in Your Name all day, and they are exalted through Your righteousness.
18. Indeed, You are the splendor of their might, and in Your goodwill our glory is exalted.
19. For our protectors turn to the Lord, and our king to the Holy One of Israel.
20. Then You spoke in a vision to Your pious ones and said: "I have granted aid to [David] the mighty one; I have exalted the one chosen from among the people.
21. I have found David, My servant; I have anointed him with My holy oil.
22. It is he whom My hand shall be prepared [to assist]; My arm, too, shall strengthen him.
23. The enemy shall not prevail over him, nor shall the iniquitous person afflict him.
24. And I will crush his adversaries before him, and will strike down those who hate him.
25. Indeed, My faithfulness and My kindness shall be with him, and through My Name his glory shall be exalted.
26. I will set his hand upon the sea, his right hand upon the rivers.
27. He will call out to Me, 'You are my Father, my God, the strength of my deliverance.’
28. I will also make him [My] firstborn, supreme over the kings of the earth.
29. I will maintain My kindness for him forever; My covenant shall remain true to him.
30. And I will bestow [kingship] upon his seed forever, and his throne will endure as long as the heavens last.
31. If his children forsake My Torah and do not walk in My ordinances;
32. if they profane My statutes and do not observe My commandments,
33. then I will punish their transgression with the rod and their misdeeds with plagues.
34. Yet I shall not take away My kindness from him, nor betray My faithfulness.
35. I will not abrogate My covenant, nor change that which has issued from My lips.
36. One thing I have sworn by My holiness-I will not cause disappointment to David.
37. His seed will endure forever and his throne will be [resplendent] as the sun before Me.
38. Like the moon, it shall be established forever; [the moon] is a faithful witness in the sky for all time.”
39. Yet You have forsaken and abhorred; You became enraged at Your anointed.
40. You annulled the covenant with Your servant; You have profaned his crown [by casting it] to the ground.
41. You shattered all his fences; You turned all his strongholds into ruin.
42. All wayfarers despoiled him; he has become a disgrace to his neighbors.
43. You have uplifted the right hand of his adversaries; You have made all his enemies rejoice.
44. You also turned back the blade of his sword, and did not sustain him in battle.
45. You put an end to his splendor, and toppled his throne to the ground.
46. You have cut short the days of his youth; You have enclothed him with long-lasting shame.
47. How long, O Lord, will You conceal Yourself-forever? [How long] will Your fury blaze like fire?
48. O remember how short is my life span! Why have You created all children of man for naught?
49. What man can live and not see death, can save his soul forever from the grave?
50. Where are Your former deeds of kindness, my Lord, which You swore to David in Your faithfulness?
51. Remember, my Lord, the disgrace of Your servants, that I bear in my bosom from all the many nations;
52. that Your enemies have disgraced, O Lord, that they have disgraced the footsteps of Your anointed.
53. Blessed is the Lord forever, Amen and Amen.
FOOTNOTES
1.A psalm intended to enlighten and impart knowledge(Metzudot).
Tanya: Likutei Amarim, middle of Chapter 35
• Lessons in Tanya
• Today's Tanya Lesson
• Thursday, 18 Adar, 5777 · 16 March 2017
• Likutei Amarim, middle of Chapter 35
• והנה ענין השראת השכינה
• Rambam Thursday, 18 Adar, 5777 · 16 March 2017
• Today's Mitzvah
A daily digest of Maimonides’ classic work "Sefer Hamitzvot"
• Positive Commandment 140
• Counting Down the Years to the Jubilee
"And you shall count seven Sabbatical years"—Leviticus 25:8.
Starting when the Jews conquered Israel and settled therein, the high court is commanded to count down the years to the Jubilee Year. They count seven cycles of seven years [and then sanctify the fiftieth one as the Jubilee].
Full text of this Mitzvah »
• Counting Down the Years to the Jubilee
Positive Commandment 140
Translated by Berel Bell
The 140th mitzvah is that we are commanded to count the years, beginning with the time we ruled over Eretz Yisrael and took possession of it.1
This mitzvah of counting the shemittah years is to be fulfilled by the beth din, i.e. the Great Sanhedrin. They have the responsibility of counting each of the 50 years, just as each of us is required to count the days of the omer.
The source of this commandment is G‑d's statement,2 "You shall count seven Sabbatical years."
The Sifra says: "One might think that they count seven consecutive Sabbatical years and then make a jubilee year. Therefore the verse continues, 'seven years, seven times.' If not for these two phrases, we would not know the law."
This means that without both phrases we would not understand how to perform this mitzvah, i.e. to count just the years and to count the appropriate shemittah cycle together with it.
Their3 statement that the law could not be derived without both passages definitely implies that they comprise one mitzvah. If they were two mitzvos — one to count the years and one to count the shemittah cycles — our Sages would not have used the expression "If not for these two phrases, we would not know the law"; because any two mitzvos are derived from two verses — each from its own verse. One can only say, "If not for these two phrases, we would not know the law" regarding one single mitzvah the laws of which can only be fully understood through two phrases.
An example of this is the b'chor (first-born animal). One verse,4 "The first-born initiating every womb is Mine" implies that both males and females are included. Another verse,5 "[every animal that your cattle shall issue] which is male shall be the L‑rd's" implies both first-born animals and those which are born later. Only with both verses do we fully understand the mitzvah — that it applies only to first-born male animals, as explained in the Mechilta.
FOOTNOTES
1.I.e. after the seven years of conquering the land and another seven years of dividing it among the tribes in the days of Joshua. See Hilchos Shemittah V'yovel 10:2.
2.Lev. 25:8.
3.The Rambam now explains why these two countings — of the years and of the shemittah cycles — count as one mitzvah instead of two separate mitzvos.
4.Ex. 34:19.
5.Ibid. 13:12.
• Positive Commandment 136
• Sanctifying the Jubilee Year
"And you shall sanctify the fiftieth year"—Leviticus 25:10.
We are commanded to sanctify the fiftieth year, the Jubilee Year, by abstaining from agricultural work and rendering all the land's produce ownerless and free for all to take—just as we are commanded to do during the Shemitah (Sabbatical) Year.
This mitzvah is only practiced in the Land of Israel, and only when all of the tribes are settled therein, each in their ancestral portion of the Land.
Full text of this Mitzvah »
• Sanctifying the Jubilee Year
Positive Commandment 136
Translated by Berel Bell
The 136th mitzvah is that we are commanded to sanctify the 50th year, i.e. to refrain from working the land as in the shemittah year.
The source of this commandment is G‑d's statement,1 "You shall sanctify the 50th year." Our Sages2 explained that, "As it is with shemittah, so too with the jubilee." This means that just as Scripture equates them in the prohibition, so too they are equated in the positive commandment, as I will explain.3
The jubilee year and the shemittah year are the same in that one must stop working the land and must renounce ownership of all produce. Both of these4 are included in the statement, "You shall sanctify the 50th year." Scripture itself explicitly states that this "sanctity" includes renouncing ownership of all produce. This is in the verse,5 "The jubilee shall thus be holy to you; you shall eat the crops from the field."
The jubilee year is only in effect in Eretz Yisrael, and only when each tribe is in its proper place, i.e. in its portion in Eretz Yisrael rather than mixed among other tribes.6
FOOTNOTES
1.Lev. 25:10.
2.Sifra, ibid.
3.See N223 and N226.
4.To stop working the land and to renounce ownership.
5.Ibid. 25:12.
6.In the Messianic Age, Mashiach will identify which tribe each individual belongs to by ruach hakodesh. See Hilchos Melachim 12:3.
• Positive Commandment 137
• Emancipation of Slaves during the Jubilee Year
"You shall sound the shofar [ram's horn] on the tenth day of the seventh month, on Yom Kippur you shall sound the shofar throughout your land"—Leviticus 25:9.
We are commanded to blow the shofar (ram's horn) on the tenth of Tishrei of the Jubilee Year—announcing the emancipation (without compensation) of all Hebrew slaves.
These shofar blasts parallel the annual sounding of the shofar on Rosh Hashanah, both with regards to the actual blasts as well as the blessings that accompany them. (Though the purpose of the sounding of the shofaris different; the Jubilee blasts serving as an announcement regarding the liberation of the slaves.)
Full text of this Mitzvah »
• Emancipation of Slaves during the Jubilee Year
Positive Commandment 137
Translated by Berel Bell
The 137th mitzvah is that we are commanded to blow shofar on the 10th of Tishrei of this [jubilee] year, and to declare throughout the land the emancipation of slaves and that each eved Ivri1 goes free on this day, the 10th of Tishrei, without payment.
The source of this commandment is G‑d's statement,2 "On the 10th day, Yom Kippur, of the seventh month, you shall make a proclamation with the ram's horn throughout your land" and3 "You shall declare the emancipation [of slaves] in the land to all its inhabitants."
It is explained4 that, "the jubilee is identical to Rosh Hashanah regarding blowing the shofar and the blessings." The laws of blowing the shofar on Rosh Hashanah are explained in tractate Rosh Hashanah.5
It is well-known6 that this shofar blowing on the jubilee is only to publicize the emancipation, and is part of the proclamation mandated by the verse "You shall declare the emancipation [of slaves] in the land." It is not like the shofar blowing of Rosh Hashanah, which is "a remembrance before G‑d," unlike this which is to designate the freeing of slaves, as explained above.
FOOTNOTES
1.See P232.
2.Ibid. 25:9.
3.Ibid. 25:10.
4.Rosh Hashanah 26b.
5.26a ff.
6.Apparently the Rambam wishes to demonstrate that these two verses constitute one mitzvah.
• Negative Commandment 224
• Planting during the Jubilee Year
"You shall not sow"—Leviticus 25:11.
It is forbidden to sow the fields or do agricultural work on fruit trees during the Jubilee Year (similar to the Sabbatical Year).
Full text of this Mitzvah »
• Planting during the Jubilee Year
Negative Commandment 224
Translated by Berel Bell
The 224th prohibition is that we are forbidden from working the land during the jubilee year.
The source of this prohibition is G‑d's statement,1 "[The 50th year shall be a jubilee to you in that] you may not plant," as commanded regarding the shemittah year,2 "you may not plant your fields."
Just as during the shemittah year one is prohibited from both working the land and the trees, so too during the jubilee. Therefore the general statement "you may not plant" is used, to include both the land and trees.
The punishment for transgressing this prohibition is also lashes.
FOOTNOTES
1.Ibid. 25:11.
2.Ibid. 25:4.
• Negative Commandment 225
• Harvesting Field Crops during the Jubilee Year
"Nor shall you reap that which grows of itself in it"—Leviticus 25:11.
It is forbidden to harvest – in normal fashion – that which grows wild in the fields during the Jubilee Year.
(As with the Sabbatical Year, one may only harvest them as if they were ownerless, i.e. without extensive preparation or arrangement, and not in bulk.)
Full text of this Mitzvah »
• Harvesting Field Crops during the Jubilee Year
Negative Commandment 225
Translated by Berel Bell
The 225th prohibition is that we are forbidden from harvesting s'fichim [uncultivated crops] which grow during the jubilee year in the same way we harvest in a regular year, as we explained regarding the shemittah year.1
The source of this prohibition is G‑d's statement,2 "[The 50th year shall be a jubilee to you in that you may not plant;] you may not harvest crops which grow of their own accord."
FOOTNOTES
1.See N222.
2.Ibid. 25:11.
• Negative Commandment 226
• Harvesting Fruit during the Jubilee Year
"Nor shall you gather in it the grapes from your un-pruned vine"—Leviticus 25:11.
It is forbidden to harvest – in normal fashion – the fruit that grows during the Jubilee Year.
(As with the Sabbatical Year, one may only harvest them as if they were ownerless, i.e. without extensive preparation or arrangement, and not in bulk.)
Full text of this Mitzvah »
• Harvesting Fruit during the Jubilee Year
Negative Commandment 226
Translated by Berel Bell
The 226th prohibition is that we are also forbidden from gathering fruit of the jubilee year in the same way we gather in a regular year.
The source of this prohibition is G‑d's statement,1 "[The 50th year shall be a jubilee to you in that you may not plant; you may not harvest crops which grow of their own accord;] you may not gather grapes from unpruned vines," similar to what was explained above2 regarding the shemittah year. The Sifra says: "The phrases 'you may not harvest...you may not gather' teach us that it is the same during the jubilee year as during the shemittah year." This means that they are identical regarding all these prohibitions.
All the laws of shemittah and yovel are obligatory only in Eretz Yisrael.
FOOTNOTES
1.Ibid.
2.N223.
• Rambam - 1 Chapter: Zechiyah uMattanah Zechiyah uMattanah - Chapter Seven
• Zechiyah uMattanah - Chapter Seven
• Shemita - Chapter 6
• Thursday, 18 Adar, 5777 · 16 March 2017
• "Today's Day"
• Tuesday, 18 Adar I, 5703
Torah lessons: Chumash: Ki Tissa, Shlishi with Rashi.
Tehillim: 88-89.
Tanya: It is indeed (p. 135)...later at length. (p. 135).
After drinking wine and eating one of the seven fruits (p. 96), the concluding b'racha ends: v'al pri hagafen v'al hapeirot, baruch...al pri hagafen v'hapeirot (not v'al hapeirot).
Thursday, Adar Sheini 18, 5703
Torah lessons: Chumash: Tzav, Chamishi with Rashi.
Tehillim: 88-89.
Tanya: For the community (p. 173)...Yetzirah, Asiyah. (p. 173).
My grandfather wrote in one of his maamarim: It is necessary to study some of the Written Torah daily with Rashi, for his commentaries are the t'rumot - the select - of the interpretations of our Sages.
...and at the very least everyone must study a tractate of Talmud each year.
• Daily Thought:
Breaking Limits
Everything a human being is given comes in a finite package. Even the tablets Moses carried down from Mount Sinai were defined and bounded.
And so, when G‑d saw Moses mourning over the broken tablets, He said, “Your powers were focused when you smashed the tablets. For now you will receive a Torah you may extend wider than the sea.”
When a human being fails, he shatters the treasures G‑d has put in his trust. But then he cries and picks up the shards to restore what he has ruined.
That is when he discovers that G‑d Himself was hidden inside.
That is when he discovers the Infinite.
Chumash: Ki Tisa, 5th Portion Exodus 34:1-34:9 with Rashi
• Exodus Chapter 34
1And the Lord said to Moses: "Hew for yourself two stone tablets like the first ones. And I will inscribe upon the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke. אוַיֹּ֤אמֶר יְהֹוָה֙ אֶל־משֶׁ֔ה פְּסָל־לְךָ֛ שְׁנֵֽי־לֻחֹ֥ת אֲבָנִ֖ים כָּרִֽאשֹׁנִ֑ים וְכָֽתַבְתִּי֙ עַל־הַלֻּחֹ֔ת אֶת־הַ֨דְּבָרִ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר הָי֛וּ עַל־הַלֻּחֹ֥ת הָרִֽאשֹׁנִ֖ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר שִׁבַּֽרְתָּ:
Hew for yourself: Heb. פְּסָל לְ. He [God] showed him [Moses] a sapphire mine from within his tent, and He said to him, “The [sapphire] chips shall be yours,” and from there Moses became very wealthy. -[from Tanchuma 29, Lev. Rabbah 32:2] פסל לך: הראהו מחצב סנפירינון מתוך אהלו, ואמר לו הפסולת יהיה שלך, ומשם נתעשר משה הרבה:
Hew for yourself: You broke the first ones. You hew others for yourself. This can be compared to a king who went abroad and left his betrothed with the maidservants. Because of the immoral behavior of the maidservants, she acquired a bad reputation. Her bridesman [the person appointed to defend the bride should any problems arise] arose and tore up her marriage contract. He said, “If the king decides to kill her, I will say to him, ‘She is not yet your wife.’” The king investigated and discovered that only the maidservants were guilty of immoral behavior. He [therefore] became appeased to her. So her bridesman said to him, “Write her another marriage contract because the first one was torn up.” The king replied to him, “You tore it up. You buy yourself another [sheet of] paper, and I will write to her with my [personal] hand [writing].” Likewise, the king represents the Holy One, blessed is He. The maidservants represent the mixed multitude. The bridesman is Moses, and the betrothed of the Holy One, blessed is He, is Israel. That is why it says: “Hew for yourself.” -[from Tanchuma 30] פסל לך: אתה שברת הראשונות, אתה פסל לך אחרות. משל למלך שהלך למדינת הים והניח ארוסתו עם השפחות, מתוך קלקול השפחות יצא עליה שם רע, עמד שושבינה וקרע כתובתה, אמר אם יאמר המלך להורגה אומר לו עדיין אינה אשתך. בדק המלך ומצא, שלא היה הקלקול אלא מן השפחות, נתרצה לה. אמר לו שושבינה כתוב לה כתובה אחרת, שנקרעה הראשונה. אמר לו המלך אתה קרעת אותה, אתה קנה לך נייר אחר, ואני אכתוב לה בכתב ידי, כן המלך זה הקדוש ברוך הוא, השפחות אלו ערב רב, והשושבין זה משה, ארוסתו של הקדוש ברוך הוא אלו ישראל, לכך נאמר פסל לך:
2Be prepared for the morning, and in the morning you shall ascend Mount Sinai and stand before Me there on the top of the mountain. בוֶֽהְיֵ֥ה נָכ֖וֹן לַבֹּ֑קֶר וְעָלִ֤יתָ בַבֹּ֨קֶר֙ אֶל־הַ֣ר סִינַ֔י וְנִצַּבְתָּ֥ לִ֛י שָׁ֖ם עַל־רֹ֥אשׁ הָהָֽר:
prepared: Heb. נָכוֹן, ready. נכון: מזומן:
3No one shall ascend with you, neither shall anyone be seen anywhere on the mountain, neither shall the sheep and the cattle graze facing that mountain." גוְאִישׁ֙ לֹא־יַֽעֲלֶ֣ה עִמָּ֔ךְ וְגַם־אִ֥ישׁ אַל־יֵרָ֖א בְּכָל־הָהָ֑ר גַּם־הַצֹּ֤אן וְהַבָּקָר֙ אַל־יִרְע֔וּ אֶל־מ֖וּל הָהָ֥ר הַהֽוּא:
No one shall ascend with you: Since the first ones [i.e., tablets] were accompanied by loud noises, sounds, and with a multitude, the evil eye affected them. [Our conclusion is that] there is nothing better than modesty. -[from Tanchuma 30] ואיש לא יעלה עמך: הראשונות על ידי שהיו בתשואות וקולות וקהלה, שלטה בהן עין רעה, אין לך מדה יפה מן הצניעות:
4So he [Moses] hewed two stone tablets like the first ones, and Moses arose early in the morning and ascended Mount Sinai as the Lord had commanded him, and he took two stone tablets in his hand. דוַיִּפְסֹ֡ל שְׁנֵֽי־לֻחֹ֨ת אֲבָנִ֜ים כָּרִֽאשֹׁנִ֗ים וַיַּשְׁכֵּ֨ם משֶׁ֤ה בַבֹּ֨קֶר֙ וַיַּ֨עַל֙ אֶל־הַ֣ר סִינַ֔י כַּֽאֲשֶׁ֛ר צִוָּ֥ה יְהֹוָ֖ה אֹת֑וֹ וַיִּקַּ֣ח בְּיָד֔וֹ שְׁנֵ֖י לֻחֹ֥ת אֲבָנִֽים:
5And the Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and He called out in the name of the Lord. הוַיֵּ֤רֶד יְהֹוָה֙ בֶּֽעָנָ֔ן וַיִּתְיַצֵּ֥ב עִמּ֖וֹ שָׁ֑ם וַיִּקְרָ֥א בְשֵׁ֖ם יְהֹוָֽה:
and He called out in the name of the Lord: We render: וּקְרָא בִשְׁמָא דַיְיָ, and he called out in the name of the Lord. [from Onkelos] ויקרא בשם ה': מתרגמינן וקרא בשמא דה':
6And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed: Lord, Lord, benevolent God, Who is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abundant in loving kindness and truth, ווַיַּֽעֲבֹ֨ר יְהֹוָ֥ה | עַל־פָּנָיו֘ וַיִּקְרָא֒ יְהֹוָ֣ה | יְהֹוָ֔ה אֵ֥ל רַח֖וּם וְחַנּ֑וּן אֶ֥רֶךְ אַפַּ֖יִם וְרַב־חֶ֥סֶד וֶֽאֱמֶֽת:
Lord, Lord: This is God's Attribute of Compassion. [It is repeated,] once for before the person sins, and once for after he sins and repents. ה' ה': מדת הרחמים היא, אחת קודם שיחטא, ואחת אחר שיחטא וישוב:
God: Heb. אֵל. This too is an attribute of compassion [for God], and so he [the Psalmist] says: “My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?” (Ps. 22:2). One cannot say to the Divine attribute of justice, “Why have You forsaken me?” I found this in the Mechilta (Exod. 15:2). אל: אף זו מדת רחמים, וכן הוא אומר (תהלים כב ב) אלי אלי למה עזבתני, ואין לומר למדת הדין למה עזבני כך מצאתי במכילתא:
slow to anger: He puts off His anger and does not hasten to exact retribution, [hoping that] perhaps he [the sinner] will repent. ארך אפים: מאריך אפו ואינו ממהר ליפרע, שמא יעשה תשובה:
and abundant in loving-kindness: for those who need loving-kindness because they lack sufficient merits. -[from R.H. 17a] ורב חסד: לצריכים חסד, שאין להם זכיות כל כך:
and truth: to pay a good reward to those who do His will. ואמת: לשלם שכר טוב לעושי רצונו:
7preserving loving kindness for thousands, forgiving iniquity and rebellion and sin; yet He does not completely clear [of sin] He visits the iniquity of parents on children and children's children, to the third and fourth generations." זנֹצֵ֥ר חֶ֨סֶד֙ לָֽאֲלָפִ֔ים נֹשֵׂ֥א עָוֹ֛ן וָפֶ֖שַׁע וְחַטָּאָ֑ה וְנַקֵּה֙ לֹ֣א יְנַקֶּ֔ה פֹּקֵ֣ד | עֲוֹ֣ן אָב֗וֹת עַל־בָּנִים֙ וְעַל־בְּנֵ֣י בָנִ֔ים עַל־שִׁלֵּשִׁ֖ים וְעַל־רִבֵּעִֽים:
preserving loving-kindness: that a person does before Him. נצר חסד: שהאדם עושה לפניו:
for thousands: For two thousand generations. לאלפים: לשני אלפים דורות:
[iniquity and rebellion]: Iniquities (עִוֹנוֹת) are intentional sins. פְּשָׁעִים are sins committed out of rebellion, which a person commits [in order] to anger [God]. -[from Yoma 36b] עון ופשע: עונות אלו הזדונות. פשעים אלו המרדים, שאדם עושה להכעיס:
yet He does not completely clear [of sin]: Heb. וְנַקֵּה לֹא יְנַקֶּה. According to its simple interpretation, it means that He does not completely overlook the iniquity but exacts retribution for it little by little. Our Rabbis, however, interpreted [this expression to mean]: He clears those who repent, but does not clear those who do not repent (from Yoma 86a, targumim). ונקה לא ינקה: לפי פשוטו משמע, שאינו מוותר על העון לגמרי, אלא נפרע ממנו מעט מעט. ורבותינו דרשו מנקה הוא לשבים ולא ינקה לשאינן שבים:
He visits the iniquity of parents on the children: when they hold onto the deeds of their parents in their hands [i.e., emulate their ways], for He already explained this in another verse, [that it means only] “of those who hate Me” (Exod. 20:5). -[from Ber. 7a] פקד עון אבות על בנים: כשאוחזים מעשה אבותיהם בידיהם, שכבר פירש במקרא אחר (שמות כ ד) לשונאי:
and fourth generations: Heb. וְעַל רִבֵּעִים, the fourth generation. Thus, the [i.e., God’s] attribute of goodness exceeds the attribute of retribution by a ratio of one to five hundred. Concerning the attribute of goodness, He says: “preserving loving-kindness for thousands.” -[from Tosefta, Sotah 4:1] ועל רבעים: דור רביעי, נמצאת מדה טובה מרובה על מדת פורענות אחת לחמש מאות, שבמדה טובה הוא אומר נוצר חסד לאלפים:
8And Moses hastened, bowed his head to the ground and prostrated himself, חוַיְמַהֵ֖ר משֶׁ֑ה וַיִּקֹּ֥ד אַ֖רְצָה וַיִּשְׁתָּֽחוּ:
And Moses hastened: When Moses saw the Shechinah passing [in front of him] and he heard the voice calling, he immediately prostrated himself. וימהר משה: כשראה משה שכינה עוברת ושמע קול הקריאה, מיד וישתחו:
9and said: "If I have now found favor in Your eyes, O Lord, let the Lord go now in our midst [even] if they are a stiff necked people, and You shall forgive our iniquity and our sin and thus secure us as Your possession." טוַיֹּ֡אמֶר אִם־נָא֩ מָצָ֨אתִי חֵ֤ן בְּעֵינֶ֨יךָ֙ אֲדֹנָ֔י יֵֽלֶךְ־נָ֥א אֲדֹנָ֖י בְּקִרְבֵּ֑נוּ כִּ֤י עַם־קְשֵׁה־עֹ֨רֶף֙ ה֔וּא וְסָֽלַחְתָּ֛ לַֽעֲוֹנֵ֥נוּ וּלְחַטָּאתֵ֖נוּ וּנְחַלְתָּֽנוּ:
let the Lord go now in our midst: As You promised us, since You forgive iniquity. [Which means:] and if they are a stiff-necked people, and they rebelled against You, and You have said concerning this, “Lest I destroy you on the way” (Exod. 33:3), You [still] will forgive our iniquity, etc. There are [other instances where] כִּי [is used] instead of אִם if. ילך נא ה' בקרבנו: כמו שהבטחת, מאחר שאתה נושא עון, ואם עם קשה עורף הוא וימרו בך, ואמרת על זאת פן אכלך בדרך, אתה תסלח לעונינו. ויש כי במקום אם:
and thus secure us as Your possession: And You shall give us to Yourself as a special possession. (Other editions read: and You shall give us a special possession.) That is the [same] request of: “Then I and Your people will be distinguished” (Exod. 33:16), [meaning] that the Shechinah should not rest upon the pagan nations. ונחלתנו: ותתננו לך לנחלה מיוחדת, זו היא בקשת ונפלינו אני ועמך, שלא תשרה שכינתך על
האומות:• Daily Tehillim: Psalm Chapters 88 - 89
• Chapter 88
The psalmist weeps and laments bitterly over the maladies and suffering Israel endures in exile, which he describes in detail.
1. A song, a psalm by the sons of Korach, for the Conductor, upon the machalat le'anot; 1 a maskil2 for Heiman the Ezrachite.
2. O Lord, God of my deliverance, by day I cried out [to You], by night I [offer my prayer] before You.
3. Let my prayer come before You; turn Your ear to my supplication.
4. For my soul is sated with affliction, and my life has reached the grave.
5. I was reckoned with those who go down to the pit, I was like a man without strength.
6. [I am regarded] among the dead who are free, like corpses lying in the grave, of whom You are not yet mindful, who are yet cut off by Your hand.
7. You have put me into the lowest pit, into the darkest places, into the depths.
8. Your wrath has weighed heavily upon me, and all the waves [of Your fury] have constantly afflicted me.
9. You have estranged my friends from me, You have made me abhorrent to them; I am imprisoned and unable to leave.
10. My eye is afflicted because of distress; I call to You, O Lord, every day; I have stretched out my hands [in prayer] to You.
11. Do You perform wonders for the deceased? Do the dead stand to offer You praise? Selah.
12. Is Your kindness recounted in the grave, your faithfulness in the place of perdition?
13. Are Your wondrous deeds known in the darkness [of the grave], or Your righteousness in the land of oblivion?
14. But, I, to You, O Lord, I cry; each morning my prayer comes before You.
15. Why, O Lord, do You forsake my soul? Why do You conceal Your countenance from Me?
16. From my youth I have been afflicted and approaching death, yet I have borne the fear of You which is firmly established within me.
17. Your furies have passed over me; Your terrors have cut me down.
18. They have engulfed me like water all day long, they all together surrounded me.
19. You have estranged from me beloved and friend; I have been rejected by my intimates.
FOOTNOTES
1.A musical instrument(Metzudot).
2.A psalm intended to enlighten and impart knowledge(Metzudot).
Chapter 89
This psalm speaks of the kingship of the House of David, the psalmist lamenting its fall from power for many years, and God's abandonment and spurning of us.
1. A maskil1 by Eitan the Ezrachite.
2. I will sing of the Lord's kindness forever; to all generations I will make known Your faithfulness with my mouth.
3. For I have said, "The world is built with kindness; there in the heavens You establish Your faithfulness.”
4. I have made a covenant with My chosen one; I have sworn to David, My servant:
5. "I will establish Your descendants forever; I will build your throne for all generations," Selah.
6. Then the heavens will extol Your wonders, O Lord; Your faithfulness, too, in the congregation of the holy ones.
7. Indeed, who in heaven can be compared to the Lord, who among the supernal beings can be likened to the Lord!
8. The Almighty is revered in the great assembly of the holy ones, awe-inspiring to all who surround Him.
9. O Lord, God of Hosts, who is mighty like You, O God! Your faithfulness surrounds You.
10. You rule the vastness of the sea; when its waves surge, You still them.
11. You crushed Rahav (Egypt) like a corpse; with Your powerful arm You scattered Your enemies.
12. Yours are the heavens, the earth is also Yours; the world and all therein-You established them.
13. The north and the south-You created them; Tabor and Hermon sing of [the greatness] of Your Name.
14. Yours is the arm which has the might; strengthen Your hand, raise high Your right hand.
15. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; kindness and truth go before Your countenance.
16. Fortunate is the people who know the sound of the shofar; Lord, they walk in the light of Your countenance.
17. They rejoice in Your Name all day, and they are exalted through Your righteousness.
18. Indeed, You are the splendor of their might, and in Your goodwill our glory is exalted.
19. For our protectors turn to the Lord, and our king to the Holy One of Israel.
20. Then You spoke in a vision to Your pious ones and said: "I have granted aid to [David] the mighty one; I have exalted the one chosen from among the people.
21. I have found David, My servant; I have anointed him with My holy oil.
22. It is he whom My hand shall be prepared [to assist]; My arm, too, shall strengthen him.
23. The enemy shall not prevail over him, nor shall the iniquitous person afflict him.
24. And I will crush his adversaries before him, and will strike down those who hate him.
25. Indeed, My faithfulness and My kindness shall be with him, and through My Name his glory shall be exalted.
26. I will set his hand upon the sea, his right hand upon the rivers.
27. He will call out to Me, 'You are my Father, my God, the strength of my deliverance.’
28. I will also make him [My] firstborn, supreme over the kings of the earth.
29. I will maintain My kindness for him forever; My covenant shall remain true to him.
30. And I will bestow [kingship] upon his seed forever, and his throne will endure as long as the heavens last.
31. If his children forsake My Torah and do not walk in My ordinances;
32. if they profane My statutes and do not observe My commandments,
33. then I will punish their transgression with the rod and their misdeeds with plagues.
34. Yet I shall not take away My kindness from him, nor betray My faithfulness.
35. I will not abrogate My covenant, nor change that which has issued from My lips.
36. One thing I have sworn by My holiness-I will not cause disappointment to David.
37. His seed will endure forever and his throne will be [resplendent] as the sun before Me.
38. Like the moon, it shall be established forever; [the moon] is a faithful witness in the sky for all time.”
39. Yet You have forsaken and abhorred; You became enraged at Your anointed.
40. You annulled the covenant with Your servant; You have profaned his crown [by casting it] to the ground.
41. You shattered all his fences; You turned all his strongholds into ruin.
42. All wayfarers despoiled him; he has become a disgrace to his neighbors.
43. You have uplifted the right hand of his adversaries; You have made all his enemies rejoice.
44. You also turned back the blade of his sword, and did not sustain him in battle.
45. You put an end to his splendor, and toppled his throne to the ground.
46. You have cut short the days of his youth; You have enclothed him with long-lasting shame.
47. How long, O Lord, will You conceal Yourself-forever? [How long] will Your fury blaze like fire?
48. O remember how short is my life span! Why have You created all children of man for naught?
49. What man can live and not see death, can save his soul forever from the grave?
50. Where are Your former deeds of kindness, my Lord, which You swore to David in Your faithfulness?
51. Remember, my Lord, the disgrace of Your servants, that I bear in my bosom from all the many nations;
52. that Your enemies have disgraced, O Lord, that they have disgraced the footsteps of Your anointed.
53. Blessed is the Lord forever, Amen and Amen.
FOOTNOTES
1.A psalm intended to enlighten and impart knowledge(Metzudot).
Tanya: Likutei Amarim, middle of Chapter 35
• Lessons in Tanya
• Today's Tanya Lesson
• Thursday, 18 Adar, 5777 · 16 March 2017
• Likutei Amarim, middle of Chapter 35
• והנה ענין השראת השכינה
The “resting” of the Shechinah means i.e., when we single out a specific object from a world filled with theShechinah, by saying that the Divine Presence “rests” upon that object, its uniqueness lies in
הוא גילוי אלקותו יתברך ואור אין סוף ברוך הוא באיזה דבר
the revelation of G‑dliness and the Ein Sof-light in that particular object.
והיינו לומר, שאותו דבר נכלל באור ה׳, ובטל לו במציאות לגמרי
This means to say that this object is comprised within G‑d’s light and is nullified out of existence toward Him (i.e., it has no separate identity);
שאז הוא ששורה ומתגלה בו ה׳ אחד
for [only] then can the One G‑d rest upon it (upon that object) and reveal Himself in it.
אבל כל מה שלא בטל אליו במציאות לגמרי, אין אור ה׳ שורה ומתגלה בו
But anything not completely nullified out of existence toward [the G‑dly light] cannot have G‑d’s light rest and reveal itself within it.
ואף צדיק גמור שמתדבק בו באהבה רבה, הרי לית מחשבה תפיסא ביה כלל באמת
Even a perfect tzaddik, who cleaves to Him with “abundant love” — a most lofty level of love and attachment to G‑d; yet even in the case of such a tzaddik “no thought can truly grasp Him at all.”
כי אמיתת ה׳ אלקים אמת הוא יחודו ואחדותו, שהוא לבדו הוא, ואפס בלעדו ממש
For the true implication of the phrase “G‑d is the true L‑rd,” is His Unity and Oneness, that He alone exists and there is absolutely nothing besides Him.
As explained in ch. 20, the statement “G‑d is one” means (not only that He is the sole G‑d, but also) that He is the only being that truly exists. All else is totally nullified before Him.
ואם כן, זה האוהב, שהוא יש ולא אפס, לית מחשבה דיליה תפיסא ביה כלל
If so, this person i.e., the above-mentioned tzaddik who loves [G‑d] and who is a [separate] “being” in his own self-perception (as is evident from the very fact that he loves G‑d), rather than a “nonentity”, no thought of his can grasp Him at all.
ואין אור ה׳ שורה ומתגלה בו, אלא על ידי קיום המצות שהן רצונו וחכמתו יתברך ממש, בלי שום הסתר פנים
Even the tzaddik cannot grasp G‑d and thereby become one with Him through the faculties of his own soul; therefore G‑d’s light does not abide or manifest itself in him except through the fulfillment of the mitzvot, which constitute His actual Will and Wisdom, without any “concealment of Countenance.”* Since the inner aspect of the Divine Will stands revealed only in the mitzvot, it is only by means of them that the light of the Shechinah rests upon man; not through spiritual devotion alone.
הגהה
וכאשר שמעתי ממורי עליו השלום, פירוש וטעם למה שכתוב בע׳ חיים שאור אין סוף אינו מתייחד אפילו בעולם האצילות, אלא על ידי התלבשותו תחלה בספירת חכמה
*NOTE
Concerning his aforementioned statement that the Ein Sof-light reveals itself only within that which is totally nullified before G‑d and absorbed within Him, the Alter Rebbe notes:
This accords with what I heard from my teacher (the Maggid of Mezritch), peace upon him, on the meaning of and the reason behind the statement of the Etz Chayim that the Ein Sof-light does not unite itself even with the World of Atzilut (Emanation) except by first vesting itself in the attribute of Chochmah (Wisdom).
The Maggid (a) explained the meaning of the Ein Sof’s vesting itself in Chochmah; (b) provided the reason that it does not unite with Atzilut except by way of Chochmah.
והיינו משום שאין סוף ברוך הוא, הוא אחד האמת, שהוא לבדו הוא, ואין זולתו, וזו היא מדרגת החכמה וכו׳
This is because the Ein Sof is “the true One”; which means that He alone exists, and there is naught besides Him; and this, in fact, is the level of Chochmah.
The attribute of Chochmah represents the perception of G‑dliness as the sole existing being. This, then, is the meaning of the Ein Sof’s “clothing” itself in the attribute of Chochmah: The revelation of Ein Sof as “One alone, with naught besides Him.” And for this reason the Ein Sof does not unite with any world or level except by way of Chochmah;for, as stated above, G‑d abides (“may be united with”) only where there is no sense of self or separation from Him, only in that which is pervaded with the spirit of “He alone... and naught besides him”; and this spirit constitutes the attribute ofChochmah, as stated.
(This note expresses a profound chassidic concept; after further study of the Tanya, we will understand it more clearly.)
END OF NOTE
The Alter Rebbe now returns to our subject of the light of the Shechinah which rests upon man only through themitzvot (which alone can serve as oil for this light). He points out that the effect of this light upon the person performing a mitzvah, varies from one category of mitzvot to another.
Those mitzvot performed in one’s thought and speech, cause the light of the Shechinah to rest upon the divine soul alone. Drawing this light upon the body and upon the animal soul requires the performance of mitzvot which involve action, where one harnesses the power of the animal, life-giving soul.1 In the Alter Rebbe’s words:
| FOOTNOTES | |
| 1. | The Rebbe notes: “See below, ch. 37; cf. commentary of Rabbi Korf.” |
• Today's Mitzvah
A daily digest of Maimonides’ classic work "Sefer Hamitzvot"
• Positive Commandment 140
• Counting Down the Years to the Jubilee
"And you shall count seven Sabbatical years"—Leviticus 25:8.
Starting when the Jews conquered Israel and settled therein, the high court is commanded to count down the years to the Jubilee Year. They count seven cycles of seven years [and then sanctify the fiftieth one as the Jubilee].
Full text of this Mitzvah »
• Counting Down the Years to the Jubilee
Positive Commandment 140
Translated by Berel Bell
The 140th mitzvah is that we are commanded to count the years, beginning with the time we ruled over Eretz Yisrael and took possession of it.1
This mitzvah of counting the shemittah years is to be fulfilled by the beth din, i.e. the Great Sanhedrin. They have the responsibility of counting each of the 50 years, just as each of us is required to count the days of the omer.
The source of this commandment is G‑d's statement,2 "You shall count seven Sabbatical years."
The Sifra says: "One might think that they count seven consecutive Sabbatical years and then make a jubilee year. Therefore the verse continues, 'seven years, seven times.' If not for these two phrases, we would not know the law."
This means that without both phrases we would not understand how to perform this mitzvah, i.e. to count just the years and to count the appropriate shemittah cycle together with it.
Their3 statement that the law could not be derived without both passages definitely implies that they comprise one mitzvah. If they were two mitzvos — one to count the years and one to count the shemittah cycles — our Sages would not have used the expression "If not for these two phrases, we would not know the law"; because any two mitzvos are derived from two verses — each from its own verse. One can only say, "If not for these two phrases, we would not know the law" regarding one single mitzvah the laws of which can only be fully understood through two phrases.
An example of this is the b'chor (first-born animal). One verse,4 "The first-born initiating every womb is Mine" implies that both males and females are included. Another verse,5 "[every animal that your cattle shall issue] which is male shall be the L‑rd's" implies both first-born animals and those which are born later. Only with both verses do we fully understand the mitzvah — that it applies only to first-born male animals, as explained in the Mechilta.
FOOTNOTES
1.I.e. after the seven years of conquering the land and another seven years of dividing it among the tribes in the days of Joshua. See Hilchos Shemittah V'yovel 10:2.
2.Lev. 25:8.
3.The Rambam now explains why these two countings — of the years and of the shemittah cycles — count as one mitzvah instead of two separate mitzvos.
4.Ex. 34:19.
5.Ibid. 13:12.
• Positive Commandment 136
• Sanctifying the Jubilee Year
"And you shall sanctify the fiftieth year"—Leviticus 25:10.
We are commanded to sanctify the fiftieth year, the Jubilee Year, by abstaining from agricultural work and rendering all the land's produce ownerless and free for all to take—just as we are commanded to do during the Shemitah (Sabbatical) Year.
This mitzvah is only practiced in the Land of Israel, and only when all of the tribes are settled therein, each in their ancestral portion of the Land.
Full text of this Mitzvah »
• Sanctifying the Jubilee Year
Positive Commandment 136
Translated by Berel Bell
The 136th mitzvah is that we are commanded to sanctify the 50th year, i.e. to refrain from working the land as in the shemittah year.
The source of this commandment is G‑d's statement,1 "You shall sanctify the 50th year." Our Sages2 explained that, "As it is with shemittah, so too with the jubilee." This means that just as Scripture equates them in the prohibition, so too they are equated in the positive commandment, as I will explain.3
The jubilee year and the shemittah year are the same in that one must stop working the land and must renounce ownership of all produce. Both of these4 are included in the statement, "You shall sanctify the 50th year." Scripture itself explicitly states that this "sanctity" includes renouncing ownership of all produce. This is in the verse,5 "The jubilee shall thus be holy to you; you shall eat the crops from the field."
The jubilee year is only in effect in Eretz Yisrael, and only when each tribe is in its proper place, i.e. in its portion in Eretz Yisrael rather than mixed among other tribes.6
FOOTNOTES
1.Lev. 25:10.
2.Sifra, ibid.
3.See N223 and N226.
4.To stop working the land and to renounce ownership.
5.Ibid. 25:12.
6.In the Messianic Age, Mashiach will identify which tribe each individual belongs to by ruach hakodesh. See Hilchos Melachim 12:3.
• Positive Commandment 137
• Emancipation of Slaves during the Jubilee Year
"You shall sound the shofar [ram's horn] on the tenth day of the seventh month, on Yom Kippur you shall sound the shofar throughout your land"—Leviticus 25:9.
We are commanded to blow the shofar (ram's horn) on the tenth of Tishrei of the Jubilee Year—announcing the emancipation (without compensation) of all Hebrew slaves.
These shofar blasts parallel the annual sounding of the shofar on Rosh Hashanah, both with regards to the actual blasts as well as the blessings that accompany them. (Though the purpose of the sounding of the shofaris different; the Jubilee blasts serving as an announcement regarding the liberation of the slaves.)
Full text of this Mitzvah »
• Emancipation of Slaves during the Jubilee Year
Positive Commandment 137
Translated by Berel Bell
The 137th mitzvah is that we are commanded to blow shofar on the 10th of Tishrei of this [jubilee] year, and to declare throughout the land the emancipation of slaves and that each eved Ivri1 goes free on this day, the 10th of Tishrei, without payment.
The source of this commandment is G‑d's statement,2 "On the 10th day, Yom Kippur, of the seventh month, you shall make a proclamation with the ram's horn throughout your land" and3 "You shall declare the emancipation [of slaves] in the land to all its inhabitants."
It is explained4 that, "the jubilee is identical to Rosh Hashanah regarding blowing the shofar and the blessings." The laws of blowing the shofar on Rosh Hashanah are explained in tractate Rosh Hashanah.5
It is well-known6 that this shofar blowing on the jubilee is only to publicize the emancipation, and is part of the proclamation mandated by the verse "You shall declare the emancipation [of slaves] in the land." It is not like the shofar blowing of Rosh Hashanah, which is "a remembrance before G‑d," unlike this which is to designate the freeing of slaves, as explained above.
FOOTNOTES
1.See P232.
2.Ibid. 25:9.
3.Ibid. 25:10.
4.Rosh Hashanah 26b.
5.26a ff.
6.Apparently the Rambam wishes to demonstrate that these two verses constitute one mitzvah.
• Negative Commandment 224
• Planting during the Jubilee Year
"You shall not sow"—Leviticus 25:11.
It is forbidden to sow the fields or do agricultural work on fruit trees during the Jubilee Year (similar to the Sabbatical Year).
Full text of this Mitzvah »
• Planting during the Jubilee Year
Negative Commandment 224
Translated by Berel Bell
The 224th prohibition is that we are forbidden from working the land during the jubilee year.
The source of this prohibition is G‑d's statement,1 "[The 50th year shall be a jubilee to you in that] you may not plant," as commanded regarding the shemittah year,2 "you may not plant your fields."
Just as during the shemittah year one is prohibited from both working the land and the trees, so too during the jubilee. Therefore the general statement "you may not plant" is used, to include both the land and trees.
The punishment for transgressing this prohibition is also lashes.
FOOTNOTES
1.Ibid. 25:11.
2.Ibid. 25:4.
• Negative Commandment 225
• Harvesting Field Crops during the Jubilee Year
"Nor shall you reap that which grows of itself in it"—Leviticus 25:11.
It is forbidden to harvest – in normal fashion – that which grows wild in the fields during the Jubilee Year.
(As with the Sabbatical Year, one may only harvest them as if they were ownerless, i.e. without extensive preparation or arrangement, and not in bulk.)
Full text of this Mitzvah »
• Harvesting Field Crops during the Jubilee Year
Negative Commandment 225
Translated by Berel Bell
The 225th prohibition is that we are forbidden from harvesting s'fichim [uncultivated crops] which grow during the jubilee year in the same way we harvest in a regular year, as we explained regarding the shemittah year.1
The source of this prohibition is G‑d's statement,2 "[The 50th year shall be a jubilee to you in that you may not plant;] you may not harvest crops which grow of their own accord."
FOOTNOTES
1.See N222.
2.Ibid. 25:11.
• Negative Commandment 226
• Harvesting Fruit during the Jubilee Year
"Nor shall you gather in it the grapes from your un-pruned vine"—Leviticus 25:11.
It is forbidden to harvest – in normal fashion – the fruit that grows during the Jubilee Year.
(As with the Sabbatical Year, one may only harvest them as if they were ownerless, i.e. without extensive preparation or arrangement, and not in bulk.)
Full text of this Mitzvah »
• Harvesting Fruit during the Jubilee Year
Negative Commandment 226
Translated by Berel Bell
The 226th prohibition is that we are also forbidden from gathering fruit of the jubilee year in the same way we gather in a regular year.
The source of this prohibition is G‑d's statement,1 "[The 50th year shall be a jubilee to you in that you may not plant; you may not harvest crops which grow of their own accord;] you may not gather grapes from unpruned vines," similar to what was explained above2 regarding the shemittah year. The Sifra says: "The phrases 'you may not harvest...you may not gather' teach us that it is the same during the jubilee year as during the shemittah year." This means that they are identical regarding all these prohibitions.
All the laws of shemittah and yovel are obligatory only in Eretz Yisrael.
FOOTNOTES
1.Ibid.
2.N223.
• Rambam - 1 Chapter: Zechiyah uMattanah Zechiyah uMattanah - Chapter Seven
• Zechiyah uMattanah - Chapter Seven
1
It is a universally accepted custom in most countries that when a man marries, his friends and acquaintances send him money to support the expenses he must undertake on behalf of his wife. Then the friends and acquaintances who sent him this money come and eat and drink with the groom during all - or part - of the seven days of wedding celebration; everything should be done according to the accepted local custom.
The money that he is sent is called shushvinut, and the people who send the money and then come and eat and drink with the groom are called shushvinin.
א
מנהג פשוט ברוב המדינות שבזמן שישא אדם אשה משלחין לו ריעיו ומיודעיו מעות כדי שיתחזק בהן על ההוצאה שמוציא באשתו ובאים אותן הריעים והמיודעים ששלחו לו ואוכלין ושותין עם החתן בשבעת ימי המשתה או במקצתן הכל כמנהג המדינה ואלו המעות שמשלחין נקראין שושבינות ואותם ששלחו המעות ואוכלין ושותין עם החתן נקראים שושבינין:
2
Shushvinut is not an outright gift. For it is plainly obvious that a person did not send a colleague 10 dinarim with the intent that he eat and drink a zuz's worth. He sent him the money solely because his intent was that when he would marry, he would send him money as he has sent him.
Therefore, if the sender marries a woman, and the recipient does not return the shushvinut, the sender may lodge a legal claim against the recipient and expropriate the money from him.
ב
השושבינות אינה מתנה גמורה הדברים ידועים שלא שלח זה עשרה דינרין בשביל שיאכל וישתה בזה ולא שלח אלא מפני שבדעתו היה שאם ישא הוא אשה יחזור וישלח לו כמו ששלח לו לפיכך אם נשא זה אשה ולא החזיר לו השושבינות הרי זה תובעו בדין ומוציא ממנו:
3
He cannot lodge a claim against him unless he marries in the same way as he did.s
What is implied? If Reuven married a maiden and Shimon sent him shushvinut, and then Shimon married a widow, Shimon cannot demand that he return the shushvinut, for he will tell him: "I will return it to you only for a maiden, as you gave to me." Conversely, if the giver sent the recipient shushvinut for the marriage of a widow, he cannot demand that it be returned for the marriage of a maiden.
ג
ואין יכול לתבעו עד שישא כדרך שנשא הוא כיצד ראובן שנשא בתולה ושלח לו שמעון שושבינות ואחר כך נשא שמעון אלמנה אינו יכול לתבוע להחזיר לו השושבינות שהרי אומר לו איני מחזיר לך אלא בבתולה כמו שנתת לי וכן אם שלח לו בנשואי אלמנה אינו יכול לתובעו להחזיר לו בנשואי בתולה:
4
If Reuven made a large public reception, while Shimon made a modest private affair, or Reuven married modestly and Shimon made a public affair, he cannot lodge a claim against him. For he can tell him: "I will not do for you anything else than what you did for me."
ד
עשה ראובן משתה בגלוי ובפרהסיא ועשה שמעון בצנעה או שעשה ראובן בצנעה ושמעון בפרהסיא אינו יכול לתבעו שהרי אומר לו איני עושה עמך אלא כדרך שעשית עמי:
5
Reuven married a woman and Shimon sent him shushvinut,and came and ate and drank with him. Afterwards, Shimon married in precisely the same manner as Reuven did, and Reuven came and ate and drank with him, or Shimon called Reuven and he did not desire to come, or Reuven was in the city and heard the herald in a place where it is not customary to give private invitations, but rather everyone who hears the announcement comes, and Reuven heard the announcement and yet did not come, Reuven is obligated to return the entire amount of the shushvinut. For he knew about the wedding and did not come or was given a private invitation in a place where that is the custom, and yet he did not come.
ה
ראובן שנשא אשה ושלח לו שמעון שושבינות ואכל ושתה עמו ואח"כ נשא שמעון כנשואי ראובן עצמן ובא ראובן ואכל ושתה עמו או שקרא לו שמעון ולא רצה לבא או שהיה במדינה ושמע קול טבלא במקום שאין דרכן לקרות אחד אחד אלא כל השומע יבא ושמע ולא בא חייב להחזיר לו השושבינות כולה שהרי ידע ולא בא או קרא לו במקום שדרכן לקרות אחד אחד ולא בא:
6
If Reuven was not in the city when Shimon married, he may deduct the cost of the food that Shimon ate at his wedding feast, but must return to him the remainder of the shushvlnut.Similarly, if Reuven was in the city when Shimon married, and he did not invite him or notify him, he may make such a deduction. Moreover, he has a justified complaint, for he should have notified him.
ו
לא היה ראובן במדינה מנכין לו דמי מה שאכל ושתה שמעון אצלו ומחזיר לו שאר השושבינות וכן אם היה במדינה ולא קראהו או לא הודיעו מנכין לו ויש לו עליו תרעומת מפני שלא הודיעו:
7
How much should he deduct? These are the deductions customarily made. If Shimon sent him only a dinar, he need not return anything to him, for the dinar is the cost of what he ate. If Shimon sent him between a dinar and a sela half should be deducted.
ז
וכמה מנכין נהגו בנכוי אם דינר אחד שלח לו שמעון אינו מחזיר לו כלום שהרי זה דמי מה שאכל ואם יתר על הדינר עד סלע מנכה לו מחצה מסלע ולמעלה אומדין דעת המשלח:
8
If he gave more than a sela, we must assess the intent of the sender and the size of the shushvinut. If he is a prestigious person, half of what he gave is deducted." If he is tightfisted and keeps careful account of his expenditures, only what he ate and drank should be deducted, and he must pay him the remainder.
ח
ושיעור השושבינות אם אדם חשוב מנכה לו מחצה ואם צר עין ומדקדק בהוצאתו אינו מנכה לו אלא שיעור מה שאכל ושתה ומשלם לו השאר:
9
If Shimon dies before he marries, or he marries and dies in the midst of the wedding celebrations, Reuven is not required to give anything to his heirs. For he can tell the heirs: "Bring me my shushvinin; I will gladly celebrate with him and pay my due."
ט
מת שמעון קודם שישא אשה או שנשא ומת בתוך ימי המשתה אין ראובן חייב להחזיר ליורשי שמעון כלום שהרי אומר להם תנו לי שושביני ואשמח עמו:
10
Therefore, if Reuven rejoiced with Shimon and afterwards Shimon died, Shimon invited him to the wedding and he did not come, Reuven was not in the city at the time of Shimon's wedding, or he did not notify him, since Shimon died after the days of rejoicing were concluded, Reuven is obligated to return the shushvinut to Shimon's heirs - either in its entirety or after a deduction has been made - if he did not notify him or if he was not in the city.
י
לפיכך אם שמח עמו ואחר כך מת שמעון או קרא לו ולא בא או שלא היה במדינה או שלא הודיעו הואיל ושלמו ימי המשתה ואח"כ מת שמעון חייב ראובן להחזיר השושבינות ליורשיו או כולה או בנכוי אם לא הודיעו או לא היה עמו במדינה:
11
Different rules apply if Reuven died, and then Shimon married a woman and the days of rejoicing were concluded. If the local custom is to collect the shushvinutfrom the heirs, Reuven's heirs are compelled to return the shushvinut. In a place where this is not the local custom, Reuven's heirs are not obligated to pay anything.
יא
מת ראובן ואחר כך נשא שמעון אשה ושלמו ימי המשתה מקום שנהגו לגבות השושבינות מיורשין כופין יורשי ראובן להחזיר בנכוי ומקום שלא נהגו אין היורשין משלמין כלום:
12
If Reuven died after Shimon married a woman and the days of rejoicing were concluded, Reuven's heirs are compelled to pay the shushvinut regardless of the locale in which they live. For their testator was obligated to pay before his death. If he was required to pay the entire sum, they must pay that amount. If a deduction was made, that deduction also applies to them.
יב
מת ראובן אחר שנשא שמעון אשה ושלמו ימי המשתה כופין את יורשיו ומשלמין השושבינות בכ"מ שהרי נתחייב אביהן לשלם ואם כולה היה חייב לשלם משלמין כולה ואם בנכוי משלמין בנכוי:
13
Five statements were made concerning shushvinut:
a) It may be expropriated by a court of law, for it is only like a loan and not an outright gift;
b) It need be repaid only at the required time, when the marriage is held in the same manner as the first person's marriage; this is like a condition of the loan, although he did not explicitly state that he was giving the loan with this intent;
c) The prohibition against taking interest is not involved; even if a person sent his colleague a dinar and the colleague sent him ten, it is permissible; the rationale is that he did not send him with the intent that he add;
d) It is not nullified in the Sabbatical year;is the rationale is that the giver may not demand payment from the recipient until he marries in the same manner as he married;
e) The firstborn does not receive a double portion when the shushvinut is returned to the giver's heirs; the rationale is that at the time of the division of the estate, it is not an actual part of the estate, but rather ra'ui; and the firstborn does not receive a double portion of ra'ui, as will be explained with regard to that subject.
יג
חמשה דברים נאמרו בשושבינות: נגבית בבית דין שאינה אלא כמו מלוה ואינה משתלמת אלא בעונתה כעין נשואי ראשון שזה כמו תנאי הוא אע"פ שלא פירש שעל דעת זה שלחה ואין בה משום ריבית אפילו שלח לו דינר והחזיר לו עשרה מותר שלא על מנת להוסיף לו שלח ואין השביעית משמטתה שאינו יכול לגוש אותו ולתובעו עד שישא כדרך שנשא הוא ואין הבכור נוטל בה פי שנים כשתחזור ליורשין מפני שהוא ראוי ואין הבכור נוטל בראוי כמו שיתבאר במקומו:
14
When a person offers a colleague money when the latter's financial status suffers, the intended recipient refuses to take it, and the giver takes an oath that he is unwilling that the recipient not accept it, and he presses the recipient until he accepts it, even though the giver did not say so explicitly, the money is considered to be a gift.
The same law applies when a person sends a gift of food to a colleague or offers other similar forms of generosity. The giver may not retract and demand repayment unless he explicitly states that he is making the gift as a loan.
יד
השולח תשורה לחבירו או שנתן לו מעות כשמטה ידו והוא ממאן ליקח וזה נשבע שאי אפשר שלא תקח והפציר בו עד שלקח וכן כל כיוצא בהן אף על פי שלא פירש הרי אלו מתנה ואינו יכול לחזור הוא ולתבוע עד שיפרש שהוא מלוה:
15
When a person sends jugs of wine or oil to a colleague at the time of his wedding, he may not demand repayment in court. These gifts are considered to be deeds of kindness; the laws of shushvinut apply only to money.
טו
וכן השולח לחבירו כדי יין וכדי שמן ופירות בעת הנשואין אין נגבין בבית דין מפני שהיא גמילות חסדים ולא נאמרו דיני שושבינות אלא במעות בלבד:
• Shemita - Chapter 6
1
We may not use the produce of the Sabbatical year for commercial activity.1 If one desires to sell a small amount2 of the produce of the Sabbatical year, he may.3 The money he receives [in return] has the same status as the produce of the Sabbatical year. He should use it to purchase food4 and eat that food according to the restrictions of the holiness of the Sabbatical year.5 The produce that was sold retains the holiness it possessed previously.6
א
אין עושין סחורה בפירות שביעית ואם רצה למכור מעט מפירות שביעית מוכר ואותן הדמים הרי הן כפירות שביעית וילקח בהן מאכל ויאכל בקדושת שביעית ואותו הפרי הנמכר הרי הוא בקדושתו כשהיה:
2
[In the Sabbatical year,] one should not reap vegetables from a field7 and sell them, nor should one charge a fee for dyeing with shells [from produce] of the Sabbatical year, because this is using the produce of the Sabbatical year for commercial activity.8If one reaped vegetables to partake of them and some were left over, he may sell the remainder.9 The proceeds are considered as the produce of the Sabbatical year. Similarly, if a person reaped vegetables for himself and his son or grandson took some of them and sold them, [the sale] is permitted10 and the proceeds are considered as the produce of the Sabbatical year.
ב
לא יהיה לוקח ירקות שדה ומוכר ולא יצבע מקליפי שביעית בשכר מפני שזה עושה סחורה בפירות שביעית לקח ירקות לאכול והותיר מותר למכור המותר והדמים שביעית וכן אם לקט ירקות לעצמו ולקח מהן בנו או בן בתו ומכר ה"ז מותר והדמים דמי שביעית:
3
When the produce of the Sabbatical year is sold, it should not be sold by measure, nor by weight, nor by number, so that it will not appear that one is selling produce in the Sabbatical year. Instead, one should sell a small amount by estimation to make it known that [the produce] is ownerless.11 And the proceeds of the sale should be used to purchase other food.
ג
כשמוכרין פירות שביעית אין מוכרין אותן לא במדה ולא במשקל ולא במנין כדי שלא יהיה כסוחר פירות בשביעית אלא מוכר המעט שמוכר אכסרה להודיע שהוא הפקר ולוקח הדמים לקנות בהן אוכל אחר:
4
One may package those entities that are usually packaged to bring home to sell in the market by estimation in the manner that one packages produce to bring home,12 not like one packages it for the market13 so that one will not sell in constrained manner. Produce that is packaged only for the market place should not be packaged.
ד
ואוגד דברים שדרכן להאגד לבית למכור בשוק אכסרה כדרך שאוגדין להביא לבית לא כדרך שאוגדין לשוק כדי שלא יהיה כמוכר בצמצום ודברים שאין דרכן להאגד אלא לשוק לא יאגוד אותן:
5
Produce from the Diaspora which were brought into Eretz Yisrael should not be sold by measure, nor by weight, nor by number. Instead, they should be sold by estimation like the produce of Eretz Yisrael.14 If it was obvious that it was produce from the Diaspora, it is permitted [to sell it in the ordinary manner].
ה
פירות חו"ל שנכנסו לארץ לא יהיו נמכרים במדה או במשקל או במנין אלא כפירות הארץ אכסרה ואם היו ניכרין שהם מח"ל מותר:
6
There is a stringency that applies to the produce of the Sabbatical year and not to articles consecrated [to the Temple]. When one redeems consecrated articles, the consecrated article loses its sacred status and that status is conveyed to the money.15 This is not so with regard to the produce of the Sabbatical year. When one sells the produce of the Sabbatical year, the status of the produce is conveyed to the money.16 The produce itself, however, does not lose its status and it is not considered as produce of the other years. [This is derived from] the use of the word tihiyeh17 [in the command regarding the produce of the Sabbatical year. That term implies that the produce] will be in its state at all times. And since the produce of the Sabbatical year is described18 as "holy," its status is conveyed to the money paid for it.19 Thus the final [object purchased]20receives the status of the Sabbatical year and [the status of] the produce itself remains as before.
ו
חומר בשביעית מבהקדש שהפודה את ההקדש יצא הקדש לחולין ויתפשו הדמים תחתיו והשביעית אינה כן אלא המוכר פירות שביעית יתפשו הדמים ויעשו כפירות שביעית והפירות עצמן לא נתחללו ונעשו כפירות שאר שנים שנאמר בה תהיה בהוייתה תהא לעולם ולפי שנקראת קדש תופשת דמיה נמצאת אומר האחרון נתפש בשביעית והפרי עצמו הוא כמו שהיה:
7
What is implied? A person purchased meat with the produce of the Sabbatical year or the proceeds from its sale. The meat is given the status of that produce and must be eaten [as befits the holiness of] the produce of the Sabbatical year. And one must rid oneself of it when one one must rid oneself of that produce.21 If one used that meat or the proceeds from its sale to purchase fish, the meat is considered as ordinary food and [the holiness of the Sabbatical year] is conveyed upon the fish. If one used that fish or the proceeds from its sale to purchase oil, the fish is considered as ordinary food and [the holiness of the Sabbatical year] is conveyed upon the oil. If one used that oil or the proceeds from its sale to purchase honey, the oil is considered as ordinary food and [the holiness of the Sabbatical year] is conveyed to the honey. One must rid oneself of the original fruit and the honey as one must rid oneself of the produce of the Sabbatical year. Neither of them may be used to make a compress, nor may they be ruined, as is the rule with regard to the produce of the Sabbatical year.
ז
כיצד לקח בפירות שביעית או בדמיהן בשר נעשה הבשר כאותן הפירות ואוכלו כפירות שביעית וצריך לבער אותן בשעת ביעור השביעית לקח באותו בשר או בדמיו דגים יצא הבשר ונתפשו הדגים לקח בדגים או בדמיהן שמן יצאו דגים ונתפש שמן לקח בשמן או בדמיו דבש יצא שמן ונתפש דבש וצריך לבער הפירות הראשונות עם הדבש האחרון כדרך שמבערין פירות שביעית ואין עושין משניהם מלוגמא ולא מפסידין אותן כשאר פירות שביעית:
8
The holiness of the produce of the Sababtical year may be transferred only through a sale. When does this apply? With regard to the original produce. With regard to the produce received [in exchange for that produce], its holiness can be transferred through a sale or through a process of transfer.22
ח
אין שביעית מתחללת אלא על דרך מקח בד"א בפרי ראשון אבל בפרי שני מתחלל בין דרך מקח בין דרך חילול:
9
When one is transferring the holiness of produce that was exchanged [for produce of the Sabbatical year], one may not transfer it to a domesticated animal, fowl, or beast, that is alive,23 lest they be left alive and one raise herds [of animals imbued with the holiness of the Sabbatical year]. Needless to say, this24 applies with the produce of the Sabbatical year itself. One may, however, transfer the holiness of this produce to animals that have been slaughtered.25
ט
וכשמחללין פרי הנלקח שנית אין מחללין אותו על בהמה חיה ועוף חיים שמא יניחם ויגדל מהם עדרים ואצ"ל שביעית עצמה אבל מחללין אותן הפירות על השחוטים:
10
Money received for produce of the Sabbatical year may not be used to pay a debt.26 Nor may one use it to repay shushbinut27 or return a favor.28 One should not use it to pay a pledge of charity for the poor in the synagogue.29 One may, however, send it for purposes associated with the acts of kindness,30 but one must notify the recipients.31
Similarly, it may not be used to purchase servants, landed property, or a non-kosher animal.32 If it was used for those purposes, one should purchase ordinary food with a commensurate sum and partake of it [as befits the holiness of the Sabbatical year],33 as was explained with regard to the second tithes.34 One may not purchase pairs of doves for [the sacrifices of] zavim, zavot, or women after childbirth,35 or sin-offerings or guilt offerings.36 If he purchased [these offerings with these funds], he should purchase food with a commensurate sum and partake of it [as befits the holiness of the Sabbatical year]. One should not apply oil from the Sabbatical year to utensils or hides.37 If one did so, one should purchase food with a commensurate sum and partake of it38 [as befits the holiness of the Sabbatical year].
י
דמי שביעית אין פורעין מהם את החוב ואין עושין בהן שושבינות ואין משלמין מהן תגמולין ואין פוסקין מהן צדקה לעניים בבית הכנסת אבל משלחין מהן דברים של גמילות חסדים וצריך להודיע וכן אין לוקחין מהם עבדים וקרקעות ובהמה טמאה ואם לקח יאכל כנגדן כדרך שעושה במעשר שני ואין מביאין מהן קיני זבים וזבות ויולדות וחטאות ואשמות ואם הביא יאכל כנגדן ואין סכים כלים ועורות בשמן של שביעית ואם סך יאכל כנגדן:
11
[This money] should not be given to a bathhouse attendant, a blood-letter,39 a person who sails a boat, or another craftsman.40 He may, however, give them to a person who draws water from a well to provide him with drinking water.41 It is permitted to given the produce of the Sabbatical year or money received in return for it to a craftsman as a present.42
יא
אין נותנין מהן לא לבלן ולא לספר ולא לספן ולא לשאר האומנין אבל נותן הוא למי שדולה מים מן הבור להשקותו מים ומותר ליתן מפירות שביעית או מדמיהן לאומנין מתנת חנם:
12
When a person tells a worker: "Here is an isar.43 Gather vegetables44 for me today," his wage is permitted. It is not considered as money received in return for produce of the Sabbatical year. Instead, he may use it for whatever he desires.45The worker was not penalized46 in that his wage would be considered as money received for the produce of the Sabbatical year. If he told him: "Gather a vegetable for me today for it," [his wage] is considered as money received in return for produce of the Sabbatical year.47He may use it only for eating and drinking like the produce of the Sabbatical year.
יב
האומר לפועל הא לך איסר זה ולקט לי ירק היום שכרו מותר ואינו כדמי שביעית אלא מוציאו בכל מה שירצה ולא קנסו הפועל להיות שכרו כדמי שביעית ואם אמר לו לקט לי בו היום ירק ה"ז כדמי שביעית ואינו מוציאו אלא באכילה ושתייה כפירות שביעית:
13
When donkey-drivers perform work with the produce of the Sabbatical year that is forbidden - e.g., they bring more than the [minimal amount] of produce48 - their wages are considered as money received in return for produce of the Sabbatical year.49 This is a penalty imposed upon them.
Why was a penalty imposed on the wages of a donkey-driver and not on the wages of a hired worker? Because the latter receives a minimal wage. Hence, he was not penalized so that [he could earn] his livelihood.
יג
החמרים העושים בפירות שביעית מלאכת שביעית האסורה כגון שהביאו יותר מדאי הרי שכרן כדמי שביעית ודבר זה קנס להם ומפני מה קנסו בשכר החמרים ולא קנסו בשכר הפועל מפני ששכרו מעט לא קנסו בו משום כדי חייו:
14
When a person purchases a loaf of bread from a baker for a pundiyon,50 and tells him: "When I harvest vegetables [grown in the Saabatical year] from the field, I will bring them to you for it."51 this is permitted.52 The loaf of bread is considered as the produce of the Sabbatical year.53 If he purchases the loaf without making any qualifications,54 he should not pay him with money received for the produce of the Sabbatical year, because one should not use that money to pay debts.55
יד
הלוקח מן הנחתום ככר בפונדיון ואמר לו בשעת לקיחה כשאלקט ירקות שדה אביא לך בו ה"ז מותר ואותו הככר הרי הוא כפירות שביעית ואם לקח ממנו סתם לא ישלם לו מדמי שביעית שאין פורעין חוב מהן:
15
One may partake of the produce of the Sabbatical year [in expectation56 that the recipient will return] the favor and when there are no such expectations.57 What is implied [by the idea of eating in expectation of the return of the favor]? One may give a colleague the produce of the Sabbatical year as if he had already performed a favor for him58 or invite him into his garden to eat as one who performed a favor for him.
When a person was given the produce of the Sabbatical year as a present or he inherited it, he should partake of it in the same manner as if he gathered this produce from the field himself.59
טו
אוכלין פירות שביעית בטובה ושלא בטובה בטובה כיצד שיתן לו פירות שביעית כמו שעשה עמו טובה שנתן לו או שיכניסו לגינתו לאכול כמי שעשה לו טובה ומי שנתנו לו פירות שביעית במתנה או שנפלו לו בירושה הרי זה אוכלם כדרך שאוכל פירות שאוסף אותן הוא בעצמו מן השדה:
FOOTNOTES
1.
Avodah Zarah 62a derives this insight from the exegesis of Leviticus 25:7. The fact that the Rambam does not mention that prooftext here has raised a question among the commentaries: Does he consider the prohibition against using the produce of the Sabbatical year as merchandise as Scriptural or Rabbinic in origin?
5.
Sukkah 40b derives this from the exegesis of Leviticus 25:12: "It shall be holy for you." Just as the sanctity of articles that are "holy," consecrated to the Temple, is transferred to the money received for them, so too, the holiness of the produce of the Sabbatical year is transferred to the money received for it.
7.
These refer to vegetables that grow under the circumstances described in Chapter 4, Halachah 4, or the like. Otherwise, the vegetables would be forbidden as sifichin. See the gloss of the Kessef Mishneh to Halachah 12.
8.
This is forbidden even if one intends to use the proceeds to purchase food which he will eat according to the requirements of the holiness of the Sabbatical year [the Rambam's Commentary to the Mishnah (Shivi'it 7:3)].
10.
Since the person who reaped the produce was not the one who sold it, there is no prohibition involved (Radbaz).
12.
When a person packages produce to take home from his field, he is not precise with regard to the amount he takes.
13.
When a person packages produce to sell in the marketplace, he is careful to package an exact amount, so that the sale will be honest.
The Ra'avad differs with the Rambam's ruling, maintaining that as long as the type of produce is packaged to bring home, it can be packaged for sale. The Radbaz and the Kessef Mishneh support the Rambam's interpretation, explaining that when produce is packaged for sale, it is possible for an onlooker to appreciate that this is the intent from the way that it is packaged.
14.
For an onlooker will not understand that the produce is from the Diaspora and will think that the produce of the Sabbatical year is being sold in an ordinary manner.
16.
And it must be used to purchase food which will be eaten with the stringencies befitting the holiness of the produce of the Sabbatical year.
23.
Note the parallel to Hilchot Ma'aser Sheni 4:6. There it is stated that if one makes such a transfer, it is not effective. The commentaries state that the same law applies in the present instance.
27.
Shushbinut refers to a custom where a person sends money to a friend as a present at the time of the friend's wedding. Afterwards, when the person himself marries, his friend is expected to send a similar sum to him as a present. The money is considered as a debt and if he fails to so, he can be sued in court. See Hilchot Zechiyah UMatanah, ch. 7.
28.
I.e., the person once lent him money. He may not use money received in return for the produce of the Sabbatical year to offer that person a loan (Radbaz, Hilchot Matanot Aniyim 6:17).
29.
Since the person pledged money, satisfying his obligation with the produce of the Sabbatical year is comparable to using it to pay a debt.
31.
So that they treat it with the appropriate holiness and rid themselves of it when required. Also, the recipient will realize that he need not be overly grateful, for he was not given produce of full value.
35.
As explained in Hilchot Mechusrei Kapparah, ch. 1, these individuals are required to bring pairs of doves as part of their sacrifices to emerge from impurity.
36.
In his Commentary to the Mishnah (Ma'aser Sheni 1:7), the Rambam explains that money from the second tithes - and thus by extension, money from the Sabbatical year - may not be used for these sacrifices, for they are not eaten by their owners.
41.
For that is like using the money to purchase drinking water [the Rambam's Commentary to the Mishnah (Shivi'it 8:5)]. He may not, however, give it to him to draw water for other purposes (Radbaz).
42.
Even though the craftsman will be receiving a present and will return the favor to the person in some way, that is permitted. See Halachah 15 and notes.
43.
A coin of small value used in the Talmudic period. In his Commentary to the Mishnah (Shivi'it 8:4), the Rambam states that this was the cost of inexpensive vegetables in the Talmudic era.
44.
This refers to vegetables that grow in the manner described in Chapter 6, Halachah 4 (Kessef Mishneh).
45.
I.e., it is not restricted to being used for eating or drinking as is money received in return for produce of the Sabbatical year.
47.
The wording used by the employer clearly establishes such a connection. As the Radbaz explains, in the first instance, it appears that he is hiring him to work that day. In the second instance, it appears that he is hiring him to reap vegetables.
48.
While it is permitted to bring a small amount of produce in the Sabbatical year from the fields as stated in Chapter 4, Halachah 24, these donkey-drivers brought oversized loads as they would do in other years.
49.
And may only be used for food and drink. This stringency applies even if their employer hired them using wording that would be permitted when hiring a worker.
51.
I.e., rather than pay him now, he promises that he will pay him in the future by bringing him vegetables.
52.
The purchaser is not considered to be paying a debt with the produce from the Sabbatical year. Instead, since at the time he took the loaf of bread, he already stipulated that the exchange would be made, this is considered as an exchange for the produce of the Sabbatical year, which is permitted [the Rambam's Commentary to the Mishnah (Shivi'it 8:4)].
The commentaries explain that this concept is alluded to by the Rambam's addition of the word bo, meaning "for it." This implies that the purchaser is clearly stipulating that he is making an exchange.
57.
The Rambam is adding this point, to emphasize that we do not follow the opinion of Rabbi Yehudah who maintains that the School of Hillel permitted a person to partake of the produce of the Sabbatical year that belongs to a colleague only in expectation of favors (see Ediyot5:1). Rabbi Yehudah's rationale is that it is not desirable for any person to have free access to a colleague's field and enter it at all times.
58.
In his Commentary to the Mishnah (Shivi'it 4:1), the Rambam explains that the person tells a colleague: "Reap in my field and then I will reap in your field."
59.
There is a difference of opinion regarding this issue in Shivi'it 9:9 and the Rambam's ruling does not follow either of the views mentioned there. Nevertheless, it can be explained that the mishnah is speaking according to Rabbi Eliezer's perspective and Rabbi Eliezer follows the opinion of the School of Shammai. The Rambam's ruling reflects the position that would be given by the School of Hillel, whose opinion is accepted as halachah.
Shemita - Chapter 7
1
We may only partake of the produce of the Sabbatical year as long as that species is found in the field. [This is derived from Leviticus 25:7]: "For the animal and the beast in your land will be all the produce to eat." [Implied1 is that] as long as a beast2[can be] eating from this species in the field, one may eat from [what he has collected] at home. When there is no longer any [of that species] for the beast to eat in the field, one is obligated to remove that species from his home. This is the obligation of biyurwhich applies to the produce of the Sabbatical year.
א
פירות שביעית אין אוכלין מהן אלא כ"ז שאותו המין מצוי בשדה שנאמר ולבהמתך ולחיה אשר בארצך תהיה כל תבואתה לאכול כ"ז שחיה אוכלת ממין זה מן השדה אתה אוכל ממה שבבית כלה לחיה מן השדה חייב לבער אותו המין מן הבית וזהו ביעור של פירות שביעית:
2
What is implied? If a person has dried figs at home, he may partake of them as long as there are figs on the trees in the field. When there are no longer figs in the field, it is forbidden for him to partake of the figs he has at home and he must instead remove them.3
ב
כיצד הרי שהיו לו גרוגרות שביעית בתוך ביתו אוכל מהן כל זמן שהתאנים באילנות בשדה כלו התאנים מן השדה אסור לאכול מאותן שבבית אלא מבער אותן:
3
If he had a large amount of produce, he should distribute4 a quantity that can be eaten in three meals to every person [he desires]. It is forbidden - both for the rich and the poor5 - to partake of it after the time of biyur. If he is not able to find people to eat at the time of biyur, he should burn it with fire or cast it into Mediterranean Sea,6 or destroy it through any other means.7
ג
היו לו פירות מרובין מחלקן מזון שלש סעודות לכל אחד ואחד ואסור לאכול אחר הביעור בין לעניים בין לעשירים ואם לא מצא אוכלין בשעת הביעור שורף באש או משליך לים המלח ומאבדן לכל דבר שמאבד:
4
If one had raisins from the Sabbatical year and there were no longer any grapes left in the fields,8 the gardens, and the orchards which are ownerless,9 even though there are still grapes on the vines in the courtyards, he may not partake of the raisins because of the grapes in the courtyard, because they are not accessible to a wild beast.10 If, however, there are very firm grapes that do not mature until the end of the year [still growing in the field], one may partake of the raisins [he has stored] because of them. Similar laws apply in all analogous instances.
ד
היו לו צמוקין של שביעית וכלו הענבים מן השדה מן הגגות והפרדסים שהן הפקר אף על פי שעדיין יש ענבים בגפנים שבתוך החצרות אינו אוכל מן הצמוקין מפני ענבים אלו שבחצר לפי שאינן מצויין לחיה אבל אם יש ענבים קשים ביותר שאינן נגמרין אלא בסוף השנה הרי זה אוכל מן הצמוקין בשבילן וכן כל כיוצא בזה:
5
When a tree produces fruit twice a year and one still possesses fruit from its first crop, he may partake of it as long as the second crop is still in the field. For [the requirement that] this species be [available] in the field [is met]. We do not, however, [continue to] partake [of stored fruit] because of fruit that grows in the fall,11 because it is considered as the produce of a different year.
ה
אילן שעושה פירות שתי פעמים בשנה והיו לו מפירותיו הראשונות ה"ז אוכל מהן כל זמן שפירות שניות מצויות בשדה שהרי מאותו המין בשדה אבל פירות הסתיו אין אוכלים בשבילן מפני שדומין לפירות של שנה אחרת:
6
When a person pickles three types of produce in one barrel, if one of these types of produce is no longer available in the field, that type of produce should be removed from the barrel.12 If he began partaking of [the pickled produce], the entire [mixture] is considered as having been removed.13
Just as one is obligated to remove food [stored for] human consumption, so too, must he remove animal fodder from his home and he may no longer feed it to an animal if that type of produce is no longer available in the field.14
ו
הכובש שלשה כבשים בחבית אחת כל שכלה מינו מן השדה יבער מינו מן החבית ואם התחיל בה הרי הכל כמבוער וכשם שמבער אוכלי אדם כך מבער אוכלי בהמה מן הבית ואינו מאכילן לבהמה אם כלה אותו המין מן השדה:
7
Just as one must remove the produce of the Sabbatical year, so too, one must remove the money [received in exchange for it].15 What is implied? One sold pomegranates of the Sabbatical year and used the money received in return for them [to purchase] food. When there are no longer any pomegranates on the trees in the field, but he remains in possession of the money he received for selling them, he is obligated to remove it from his possession.
ז
וכשם שמבערין את הפירות כך מבערין את הדמים:
כיצד הרי שמכר רמונים של שביעית והרי הוא אוכל בדמיהן וכלו הרמונים מן האילנות שבשדה ונשאר אצלו מן הדמים שמכר בהן חייב לבערן:
8
What should he do? He should purchase food with this money and distribute it, [providing] three meals to every person [he desires].16 Alternatively, if he does not find people to partake of such food, he should cast the money into the Mediterranean Sea.
ח
כיצד עושה קונה בהן מאכלות ומחלקן מזון שלש סעודות לכל אחד ואחד או ישליכם לים המלח אם לא מצא אוכלין:
9
[Eretz Yisrael is divided into] three lands [with regard to the obligation of] biyur:17
a) the entire land of Yehudah, its mountainous portion, its plain, and its valley, is all one region.18
b) the entire [West] Bank of the Jordan,19 [including] the plain of Lod, the mountains [around] the plain of Lod, [the area of] Beit Choron, with the sea, is all one region; and
c) the entire Galilee, the upper [Galilee], the lower [Galilee], and the area of Tiberias, is one region. In each of these three regions, one may partake [of a species of produce stored at home] until the last [traces of that produce] cease [to exist in the entire region's fields].
ט
שלש ארצות לביעור ארץ יהודה כולה ההר והשפלה והעמק ארץ אחת עבר הירדן כולו שפלת לוד והר שפלת לוד ומבית חורון עם הים ארץ אחת והגליל כולו העליון והתחתון ותחום טבריא ארץ אחת ואוכלין בכל אחת ואחת משלשתן עד שיכלה האחרון שבה:
10
What is implied? If one possesses produce in the land of Yehudah, one may partake of it as long as this species is found [in the fields of] the entire land of Yehudah.20Similar laws apply if he possesses produce from the Galilee or from the [West] Bank of the Jordan.
י
כיצד היו לו פירות בארץ יהודה אוכל מהן כל זמן שיש מאותו המין בכל ארץ יהודה כולה וכן אם היו לו פירות גליל וכן בעבר הירדן:
11
These three regions are considered as one entity with regard to carobs, olives, and dates.21 One may eat dates [throughout Eretz Yisrael] until the last dates are no longer available in Tzo'ar.22 From when are they no longer available? Purim. We may eat olives until Shavuot and grapes until Pesach of the eighth year. Dried figs may be eaten until Chanukah.23
יא
ושלש ארצות אלו כולן חשובות כארץ אחת לחרובין ולזיתים ולתמרים ואוכלין בתמרים עד שיכלה האחרון שבצוער ואימתי הוא כלה עד הפורים ואוכלין בזיתים עד העצרת ובענבים עד הפסח של מוצאי שביעית ובגרוגרות עד החנוכה:
12
When a person transports produce of the Sabbatical year from a region in which it is no longer available [in the field] to a region where it is available, or from a region where it is available to a region in which it is no longer available, he is obligated in biyur. [The rationale is that] we place upon him the stringencies of the place from which he departed and those of the place to which he journeyed.24
When the produce of Eretz Yisrael has been brought to the Diaspora, it should be destroyed in its place.25 It should not be transported from one place to another.
יב
המוליך פירות שביעית ממקום שכלו למקום שלא כלו או ממקום שלא כלו למקום שכלו חייב לבער לפי שנותנין עליו חומרי מקום שיצא משם וחומרי מקום שהלך לשם ופירות הארץ שיצאו לחוצה לארץ מתבערים במקומן ולא יעבירם ממקום למקום:
13
A great general principle was stated with regard to [the produce of] the Sabbatical year: Whenever [produce] is [used as] food for humans, animal fodder, or as one of the dyes, if it will not be maintained in the earth, the laws of the Sabbatical year apply to it and to money received for it and the requirements of biyur apply to it26 and to money received for it, e.g., the leaves of wild onions, mint, and endives, are considered as food for humans, brambles and thorn are considered as animal fodder, and woad27 and safflower are considered as dyes. If the species is maintained in the earth, e.g., madder28 and dyer's rocket from the dyes,29 even though the laws of the Sabbatical year apply to it and to money received for it. The requirements of biyur do not apply to it or to money received for it, because it is maintained in the earth.30 Instead, one may benefit from it and use it as dye until Rosh HaShanah.31
יג
כלל גדול אמרו בשביעית כל שהוא מאכל אדם או מאכל בהמה או ממין הצובעין אם אינו מתקיים בארץ יש לו ולדמיו שביעית וחייב בביעור הוא ודמיו כגון עלי הלוף השוטה ועלי הדנדנה והעולשין מאוכל אדם וכגון החוחים והדרדרין מאוכל הבהמה וכגון אסטס וקוצה ממין הצובעין ואם היה מתקיים בארץ כגון הפואה והרכפה ממין הצובעין אע"פ שיש לו שביעית ולדמיו שביעית אין להם ביעור ולא לדמיהם שהרי מתקיים בארץ אלא נהנין וצובעין בו עד ר"ה:
14
Whenever a plant is not set aside to be [used as] food for humans, animal fodder, or as one of the dyes, since it is not used as kindling fuel,32 the laws of the Sabbatical year apply to it and to money received for it,33 but the requirements of biyur do not apply to it34 or to those monies. [This applies] even if it will not be maintained in the earth. Instead, we may benefit from it and the money received for it until Rosh HaShanah.35 Examples [of this category include] the roots of wild onions and mint and the scorpion-like herb.
יד
וכל שאינו מיוחד לא למאכל אדם ולא למאכל בהמה ואינו ממין הצובעים הואיל ואינו לעצים יש לו ולדמיו שביעית אבל אין להם ביעור אע"פ שאינו מתקיים בארץ אלא נהנין בו או בדמיו עד ראש השנה כגון עיקרי הלוף השוטה ועיקר הדנדנה והערקבנין:
15
The laws of the Sabbatical year apply to the peels and the buds of pomegranates, the shells of nuts,36 and the seeds [of other fruits] and to the money received for them,37 but the requirements of biyur do not apply to them or to those monies.
The laws of the Sabbatical year apply to the tips of the branches of grape vines38 and carob trees and to the money received for them, as do the requirements of biyur.39 The laws of the Sabbatical year apply to the tips of the branches of the evergreen oak, the pistachio tree, and the box thorn bush40 and to the money received for them, but the requirements of biyur do not apply to them.41 The requirement of biyur does apply to their leaves.42
טו
קליפי רמון והנץ שלו קליפי אגוזים והגרעינין יש להם שביעית ולדמיהם שביעית אבל אין להם ביעור ולא לדמיהם לולבי זרדים והחרובים יש להם ולדמיהם שביעית וביעור לולבי האלה והבוטנה והאטדין יש להן ולדמיהן שביעית אבל אין להם ביעור אבל לעלים שלהן יש ביעור:
16
When is the time for biyur? For leaves, it is when they wither and fall from the tree.43 The leaves of olive trees, reeds, and carob trees do not have a time of biyur, because they never wither and fall away.
טז
איזו היא שעת ביעור העלין בעת שיבולו ונושרין מאילנותיהן עלי זיתים ועלי קנים ועלי חרובין אין להם ביעור לפי שאינן נובלות וכלות:
17
Until when does a person have the license to gather fresh grass in the Sabbatical year? Until the bitter44 [apples] become dried out.45 He may gather dried grasses46 until the second rains of the eighth year.47
יז
ועד מתי יהיה אדם רשאי ללקט עשבים לחין בשביעית עד שייבש המתוק ויגבב עשבים יבשים עד שתרד רביעה שנייה במוצאי שביעית:
18
Until when are the poor48 permitted to enter the orchards in the eighth year to gather the fruits of the Sabbatical year?49 Until the second rains descend.50
יח
ועד מתי יהיו העניים מותרין להכנס בפרדסות במוצאי שביעית לאסוף פירות שביעית עד שתרד רביעה שנייה:
19
The laws of the Sabbatical year apply to roses, cloves, and chestnuts and to the money received for them.51 The laws of the Sabbatical year do not apply to balsam sap that flows from trees, from their leaves, and their roots.52 They do apply to [sap] that flows from underdeveloped berries53 and the money received for it.
יט
הוורד והכופר והלוטם יש להן ולדמיהן שביעית הקטף והוא שרף היוצא מהאילנות מן העלים ומהעיקרים אין לו שביעית והיוצא מן הפגים יש לו ולדמיו שביעית:
20
When does the above apply? When the tree produces edible fruit. If, however, the tree is not fruitbearing, the sap that flows from its leaves and roots is considered as its fruit54 and the laws of the Sabbatical year apply to it and to the money received for it.
כ
במה דברים אמורים באילן מאכל אבל באילן סרק אף היוצא מן העלין ומן העיקרים כפרי שלהן ויש לו ולדמיו שביעית:
21
When a person pickles a rose from the Sabbatical year in the oil of the sixth year, he may gather the rose55 and it is permitted [to use] the oil [in an ordinary manner].56 If he pickles [a rose] in the oil of the eighth year,57 he is obligated to perform biyur with the oil. [The rationale is] at that time, the rose is dry and the obligation of biyur has already fallen upon it.
כא
הכובש ורד שביעית בשמן של ששית ילקט את הוורד והשמן מותר כבשו בשמן של מוצאי שביעית חייב לבער השמן שהרי הוורד יבש הוא וכבר נתחייב בביעור:
22
When carobs of the Sabbatical year were left to soak in the wine of the sixth year or in the wine of the eighth year, biyur must be performed with the wine, because it has absorbed the flavor of the produce of the Sabbatical year.58 This is the general principle: When the produce of the Sabbatical year becomes mixed with other produce of the same species,59 even the slightest amount [causes the entire mixture to be considered as the produce of the Sabbatical year]. When it becomes mixed with other species, [the ruling depends on whether it has] imparted its flavor [or not].60
כב
חרובין של שביעית שכבשן ביין ששית או ביין מוצאי שביעית חייב לבער היין שהרי טעם פירות שביעית בו זה הכלל פירות שביעית שנתערבו בפירות אחרות מין במינו בכל שהוא ושלא במינו בנותן טעם:
FOOTNOTES
1.
See the Sifra to that verse.
From the fact that a verse from the Torah is brought as support, the Minchat Chinuch concludes that the obligation of biyur is of Scriptural origin. The P'nei Yehoshua (Pesachim 52b), however, maintains that the verse is merely an asmachta, a support brought by the Rabbis for their own ordinance, and in truth, the obligation is Rabbinic. He supports this thesis by the fact that, otherwise, it would have been appropriate for the Rambam to consider the obligation as one of the mitzvot.
2.
I.e., a wild animal which you are not obligated to feed. See the Rambam's Commentary to the Mishnah (Shivi'it 9:2).
6.
This is how the Rambam [in the conclusion of his Commentary to the Mishnah, et al], interprets the phrase yam hamelech. See also Hilchot Ma'aser Sheni 2:2. Others interpret it as referring to the Dead Sea. In his Commentary to the Mishnah (Sh'vi'it 9:2), he mentions only casting the produce into the sea.
7.
Thus the Rambam interprets the word biyur as meaning "destruction." After the time of biyur, the produce must be destroyed. The Ramban (in his commentary to the Torah) and other Rishonim, however, interpret it as "removal" and maintain that after the biyur, all that is necessary is to renounce one's ownership over the produce and thus remove it from one's domain. Rav Yosef Corcus states that this view can be relied upon in the present era and, indeed, this is the practice in Eretz Yisrael today.
8.
In a later addition to his Commentary to the Mishnah (Sh'vi'it 9:4; see Rav Kappach's notes), the Rambam states that fields within a city are considered like gardens. Here he is speaking of those in the outlying areas.
10.
I.e., a homeowner will not leave his courtyard open so that a wild beast can enter it at will. (He must, however, regard even the produce growing in his courtyard as ownerless and allow another person to enter and pick it.)
11.
Since this fruit grows in the rainy season, which begins well after Rosh HaShanah, it is considered as the produce of the eighth year and not of the Sabbatical year.
12.
And eaten or destroyed, as stated in Halachah 3. He is not, however, obligated to remove the other two types of produce. Although the one type of produce that is now forbidden has imparted its flavor to the other two types, that does not cause them to be forbidden.
13.
Our translation is based on the interpretation of Mareh HaPonim(a gloss to the Jerusalem Talmud, Sh'vi'it 9:5). He explains that once a jar of pickled vegetables were opened (in pre-refrigeration eras), the vegetables would spoil rapidly. Hence, it is considered as if the entire batch was already removed from his possession.
14.
In this context, there is no difference between the laws applying to food for humans and animal fodder.
15.
For as stated in Chapter 6, Halachah 6, the holiness of the produce is transferred to the money received for it.
16.
As above, these activities should be performed on the day the obligation of biyur takes place. The Radbaz explains that the person is required to purchase food with the money. It is not sufficient for him to distribute the money itself and tell the recipients to purchase food, for perhaps they will fail to do so.
17.
I.e., as the Rambam proceeds to explain, Eretz Yisrael is not considered a single entity with regard to this obligation, for different conditions apply in each of the three regions. Each of those regions individually, however, is considered as a single integral entity although different conditions apply in each of its districts.
19.
The term Ever HaYarden, literally Trans-Jordan, is most commonly used to refer to the areas on the Eastern bank of the Jordan, as mentioned at the conclusion of the Book of Numbers, throughout the Book of Deuteronomy, and in many places throughout the Mishnah. There are many authorities (among them, Rabbenu Shimshon and Rabbenu Tam) who therefore consider that as the proper interpretation in this instance as well. In this instance, however, the Rambam understands the term differently. His view is accepted by Rabbenu Asher, Rav Ovadiah of Bartenura, and explained by Kaftor UPerach. See also the gloss of Rav Akiva Eiger.
20.
Even if it is no longer available in the particular district in which one is located. See Sh'vi'it 9:2-3.
21.
And one may eat these species in one region even though they are no longer available in that entire region, as long as they are available in other portions of Eretz Yisrael. Among the reasons given for the distinction between these species and other fruits is that there is little difference between the times these fruits grow in one region of Eretz Yisrael and another. Also, these species remain on the tree after they have ripened for longer than most fruits. Hence, there is added reason for seeking a common date.
22.
A village near Jericho, a region renown for its dates. They grow there later than in other places in Eretz Yisrael.
23.
The commentaries have questioned the Rambam's statements with regard to figs and grapes, for they imply that there is a universal time for the biyur of these species and yet they are not mentioned together with the three species at the beginning of the halachah. The Radbaz resolves this question by saying that the dates mentioned by the Rambam are the latest applicable in all of the three regions.
24.
This is a general principle applied in several different contexts in Torah law to maintain unity within the Jewish community; see Hilchot Sh'vitat Yom Tov 8:20. With regard to the matter at hand, since the obligation of biyur has already taken effect in one of these regions, he is obligated to observe it.
25.
I.e., it need not be brought back to Eretz Yisrael to be destroyed there as required by one opinion in Sh'vi'it 6:5. As stated in Chapter 5, Halachah 13, as an initial preference, the produce of the Sabbatical year should not be brought to the Diaspora.
29.
The Rambam does not mention food for human's or animal fodder, for all species of these types of produce reach a point where they are no longer available in the field and the obligation of biyur takes effect at that time.
31.
I.e., until the end of the Sabbatical year. Some commentaries maintain that the text should read "after Rosh HaShanah," for the plants that grew in the Sabbatical year will continue growing into the eighth year. In his Commentary to the Mishnah (Sh'vi'it 7:2), the Rambam states: "We continue to use them and benefit from them until they cease [growing in the field]." The Radbaz follows this understanding, but maintains that after Rosh HaShanah, these plants should be declared ownerless. That fulfills the requirement of biyur with regard to them.
32.
The laws of the Sabbatical year do not apply to kindling fuel, as stated in Chapter 5, Halachah 21.
33.
Since a person has chosen to benefit from it, he must treat it as the produce of the Sabbatical year.
34.
Since it is not considered as food or animal fodder, there is no limit until when it would normally be used.
35.
The Rambam does not mention food for human's or animal fodder, for all species of these types of produce reach a point where they are no longer available in the field and the obligation of biyur takes effect at that time.
36.
The Radbaz maintains that this refers to the inner shell which is useful as a dye. The hard outer shell, by contrast, is useful only for kindling and the laws of the Sabbatical year do not apply to it.
38.
When these branches are soft, they are occasionally cut off, pickled, and served as food [the Rambam's Commentary to the Mishnah (Sh'vi'it 7:5)].
39.
The requirements of biyur apply, because the tips of these branches will ultimately fall from the tree (Radbaz).
41.
From the Rambam's Commentary to the Mishnah (ibid.), it would appear that the rationale is that these branches continue growing on the tree.
44.
Our translation is taken from the Rambam's Commentary to the Mishnah (Sh'vi'it 3:1)]. There he explains that although matok, the name the Mishnah uses, means "sweet," this fruit has a bitter taste and that term is used as a euphemism. Some have identified this species with the colocynth, a wild gourd with a very bitter flavor. The Radbaz identifies it with a bitter species of grass.
47.
For the rains will spoil the grasses and they will no longer be available in the fields (Radbaz). In his Commentary to the Mishnah (Sh'vi'it 9:6), the Rambam explains that these rains usually come between the seventeenth of MarCheshvan and the first of Kislev.
48.
Or for that matter the rich, for everyone is allowed to gather the fruit of the Sabbatical year (Radbaz).
49.
In his Commentary to the Mishnah (Sh'vi'it 9:7), the Rambam explains that this concept also applies to the poor gathering the presents of leket, shichachah, and pe'ah in other years.
56.
In his Commentary to the Mishnah (Sh'vi'it 7:7), the Rambam explains that since the oil is aged and the rose is fresh, the oil will not absorb the flavor of the rose unless it is left within it for a long time. Accordingly, the oil is considered as the produce of the sixth year.
60.
If it has imparted its flavor to the mixture, the mixture must be treated as produce of the Sabbatical year. If it has not, those stringencies do not apply. The concept stated here is a general principle applying in other contexts. See Hilchot Ma'achalot Assurot 15:8.
Shemita - Chapter 8
1
Just as it is forbidden to work the land in the Sabbatical year,1so too, it is forbidden to reinforce the hands of the Jews who do till it2 or to sell them farming tools, for it is forbidden to strengthen the hands of transgressors.3
א
כדרך שאסור לעבוד הארץ בשביעית כך אסור לחזק ידי ישראל שעובדין אותה או למכור להן כלי עבודה לפי שאסור לחזק ידי עוברי עבירה:
2
These are the utensils which a craftsman is not permitted to sell in the Sabbatical year to someone who is suspect [to violate the laws of] the Sabbatical year:4 a plow and all of its accessories, a yoke [for a team of oxen], a winnowing fork, and a mattock.5 This is the general principle: Any [utensil] that is exclusively used for a type of work that is forbidden in the Sabbatical year is forbidden to be sold to a person suspect [to violate the laws of] the Sabbatical year. [If it is used for] a type of work that may be forbidden or which might be permitted, it is permitted to be sold to a person suspect [to violate the laws of] the Sabbatical year.6
ב
ואלו כלים שאין האומן רשאי למוכרן בשביעית למי שחשוד על השביעית מחרישה וכל כליה העול והמזרה והדקר זה הכלל כל שמלאכתו מיוחדת למלאכה שאסורה בשביעית אסור למכרו לחשוד ולמלאכה שאפשר שתהיה אסורה ותהיה מותרת מותר למוכרו לחשוד:
3
What is implied? He may sell him a sickle and a wagon and all of its accessories. For if he uses it to harvest a small amount of produce and he brings a small amount of produce on the wagon, it is permitted.7 If, however, he harvests in the ordinary manner of reapers or brings all the produce of his field, it is forbidden.8
ג
כיצד מוכר הוא לו המגל והעגלה וכל כליה שאם יקצור בו מעט ויביא על העגלה מעט ה"ז מותר ואם יקצור כדרך הקוצרין או יביא כל פירות שדהו אסור:
4
It is permissible to sell [a utensil] - even one which is exclusively used for tasks forbidden in the Sabbatical year - to someone who is not suspect [to violate the laws of] the Sabbatical year9 without any stipulations, because it is possible that he purchased the article in the Sabbatical year to perform work [with it] after the Sabbatical year.
ד
ומותר למכור סתם למי שאינו חשוד אפילו דבר שמלאכתו מיוחדת למלאכה האסורה בשביעית שהרי אפשר שקנה בשביעית לעשות לו מלאכה לאחר שביעית:
5
A potter may sell a person five jugs for oil and fifteen jugs for wine.10 It is permitted to sell a larger amount to a gentile.11One need not suspect that perhaps he will sell them to a Jew. One may sell many jugs to a Jew in the Diaspora. One need not suspect that perhaps he will bring them to Eretz [Yisrael].12
ה
היוצר מוכר חמש כדי שמן וחמשה עשר כדי יין ומותר למכור לעכו"ם יתר מזה ואינו חושש שמא ימכור לישראל ומוכר כדים רבים לישראל בחו"ל ואינו חושש שמא יביאם לארץ:
6
One may sell a cow that plows to a person suspect [to violate the laws of the Sabbatical year] in the Sabbatical year, because it is possible to slaughter it. One may sell such a person a field, for it is possible that he will leave it fallow.13 He may not, however, sell him an orchard unless he stipulates that [the purchaser] does not have a share in the trees' [produce].14 He may lend him [a measure of] a se'ah even though he knows that he has a granary,15 because he might use it to measure in his house. And he may exchange money for him even though he knows that he has workers [employed in violation of the laws of the Sabbatical year]. In all these instances, [if the purchaser states] explicitly [that he is intending to use the article in violation of the laws of the Sabbatical year, it] is forbidden.16
ו
ומוכר לחשוד פרה חורשת בשביעית שהרי אפשר לשוחטה ומוכר לו שדהו שהרי אפשר שיובירה אבל לא ימכור לו שדה האילן אא"כ פסק עמו על מנת שאין לו באילן ומשאילו סאה למדוד בה אעפ"י שהוא יודע שיש לו גורן שהרי אפשר שימדוד בה בתוך ביתו ופורט לו מעות אף ע"פ שהוא יודע שיש לו פועלים וכולן בפירוש אסורים:
7
Similarly, a woman may lend a sifter, a sieve, a mill, and an oven to a friend who is suspect [to violate the prohibitions of the Sabbatical year],17 but she may not sift or grind with her.18
ז
וכן משאלת אשה לחברתה החשודה על השביעית נפה וכברה רחים ותנור אבל לא תבור ולא תטחון עמה:
8
We may encourage the gentiles [working] in the Sabbatical year, but only verbally. For example, if one sees one plowing or sowing, he should tell him: "Be strong," "Be successful," or the like, because they are not commanded to let the land rest. One may not physically assist them.19 It is permitted to remove honey from a beehive with them and one may enter a sharecropping agreement with them for land whose ground was broken [in the Sabbatical year],20 for they are not obligated to observe [these restrictions]. [Hence,] they are not penalized [for their violation].21
ח
מחזיקין ידי עכו"ם בשביעית בדברים בלבד כגון שראהו חורש או זורע אומר לו תתחזק או תצליח וכיוצא בדברים אלו מפני שאינם מצווין על שביתת הארץ אבל לא יסעדנו ביד ומותר לרדות עמהן הכוורת וחוכרין מהן נירין לפי שאינן בני חיוב כדי לקנוס אותן:
9
In Syria,22 it is permitted to perform labor with produce that has been harvested,23 but not with produce that is still connected to the earth. What is implied? One may thresh produce, winnow it, squeeze grapes, and make sheaves out of grain,24but one may not harvest grain, grapes, olives, or perform any similar activities.
ט
מותר לעשות בסוריא בתלוש אבל לא במחובר כיצד דשין וזורין ודורכין ומעמרין אבל לא קוצרין ולא בוצרין ולא מוסקין וכן כל כיוצא באלו:
10
Just as it is forbidden to engage in business transactions with the produce of the Sabbatical year25 or to store them [until after the obligation of biyur has been incurred],26 so too, it is forbidden to purchase them from a common person. [The rationale is that] we do not give even the slightest amount of money exchanged for the produce of the Sabbatical year27 to a common person, lest he not partake of [food purchased with it] in a manner that befits the holiness of the Sabbatical year.28
י
כשם שאסור לעשות סחורה בפירות שביעית או לשמרן כך אסור ליקח מעם הארץ לפי שאין מוסרין דמי שביעית לעם הארץ ואפילו כל שהוא שמא לא יאכל אותן בקדושת שביעית:
11
When a person purchases a lulav from a common person in the Sabbatical year,29 he should give him an esrog30 as a present. If he does not give it to him,31 he should have the price of the esrog included in the price of the lulav.32
יא
הלוקח לולב מעם הארץ בשביעית נותן לו אתרוג מתנה ואם לא נתן לו מבליע לו דמי אתרוג בדמי לולב:
12
When does the above33 apply? When a person sells types of fruit that are usually protected, e.g., figs, pomegranates, or the like. If, however, he sells fruit which we could assume is ownerless, e.g., rue, amaranth, moss rose, coriander34and the like, it is permitted to purchase from them a small amount, merely the worth of three meals. [This leniency was granted to allow] the seller to earn his livelihood.35
יב
במה דברים אמורים בזמן שהיה מוכר פירות שכמותן בשמור כגון תאנים ורמונים וכיוצא בהן אבל היה מוכר פירות שחזקתן מן ההפקר כגון הפיגם והירבוזין והשוטים והחלגלוגות והכסבר של הרים וכיוצא בהן ה"ז מותר ליקח ממנו מעט כדמי שלש סעודות בלבד משום כדי חייו של מוכר:
13
Similarly, any species from which the tithes are not obligated to be separated, e.g., exceedingly powerful garlic, the onions of Rikpah,36 a pearled Cilcilian bean, Egyptian lentils,37 and the like, and also the seeds of plants when [the seeds] are not eaten, e.g., those of turnips, radishes, and the like, may be purchased from any person in the Sabbatical year.38
יג
וכל דבר שאינו חייב במעשרות כגון שום בעל בכי ובצל של רכפה וגריסין הקלקיות ועדשים המצריות וכן זרעוני גינה שאינן נאכלות כגון זרע לפת וצנון וכיוצא בהן הרי אלו נלקחין מכל אדם בשביעית:
14
When does the above apply? To an ordinary common person.39 When, however, one is suspect to carry out transactions with the produce of the Sabbatical year or to guard his produce and sell it, we may not purchase anything from him that has any connection to the Sabbatical year. [Similarly,] we may not purchase flax - even combed out flax40 - from him. One may, however, purchase [flax] that has been spun and twisted [into threads].41
יד
בד"א בעם הארץ סתם אבל מי שהוא חשוד לעשות סחורה בפירות שביעית או לשמור פירותיו ולמכור מהן אין לוקחין ממנו דבר שיש עליו זיקת שביעית כלל ואין לוקחין ממנו פשתן אפי' סרוק אבל לוקחין ממנו טווי ושזור:
15
A person who is suspect [to sell produce of] the Sabbatical year is not necessarily considered as suspect to [sell produce of the second] tithe. [Similarly,] one who is suspect [to sell produce of the second] tithe is not necessarily considered as suspect to [to sell produce of]s of] the Sabbatical year even though they are both Scriptural commandments.42[The rationale is that each possesses a stringency which the other lacks.] The [second] tithe must be brought to [Jerusalem]43 and this does not apply with regard to [the produce of] the Sabbatical year. [Conversely, the produce of] the Sabbatical year cannot be redeemed44 and this does not apply with regard to [the produce of] the second tithe.
טו
החשוד על השביעית אינו חשוד על המעשרות והחשוד על המעשרות אינו חשוד על השביעית שאף על פי שזה וזה מה"ת מעשר טעון הבאת מקום מה שאין כן בשביעית ושביעית אין לה פדיון משא"כ במעשר:
16
A person who is suspect [of selling impure food as if it were] ritually pure is not suspect [to sell produce of the second] tithe or [that of] the Sabbatical year. For the impure food that was sold as being ritually pure imparts impurity to others only according to Rabbinic Law45 and one who is suspect [of causing the transgression] of Rabbinic Law is not suspect [of causing the violation] of Scriptural Law.46
טז
החשוד על הטהרות אינו חשוד לא על המעשר ולא על השביעית שהאוכל הטמא הזה שמכרו בחזקת טהור אינו מטמא אחרים אלא מדברי סופרים והחשוד לדברי סופרים אינו חשוד לדברי תורה:
17
Whenever a person is suspect [of selling entities in violation of a prohibition], even though his word is not accepted with regard to his own property, his word is accepted with regard to [the property of] others. We operate under the assumption that a person will not violate a prohibition for the sake of others. Therefore even though a person is suspect with regard to a given [prohibition], he may judge and offer testimony regarding this matter.47
יז
כל החשוד על דבר אע"פ שאינו נאמן על של עצמו נאמן הוא על של אחרים חזקה אין אדם חוטא לאחרים לפיכך החשוד על הדבר דנו ומעידו:
18
Priests are considered suspect with regard to [the prohibitions of] the Sabbatical year.48 [The reason is that] they rationalize their conduct saying: Since the terumot are permitted to us even though they are forbidden to non-priests [and this violation is punishable] by death,49 certainly, the produce of the Sabbatical year is permitted to us.
Therefore when a se'ah of terumah falls into 100 se'ah of the produce of the Sabbatical year, a se'ah should be separated.50 If it fell into less than 100 se'ah, they entire mixture should be left to rot instead of being sold to priests as other produce which is miduma,51 because they are suspect to violate the prohibitions of the Sabbatical year.
יח
הכהנים חשודין על השביעית לפי שהם אומרים הואיל והתרומות מותרות לנו אף על פי שהן אסורין על הזרים במיתה ק"ו פירות שביעית לפיכך סאה תרומה שנפלה למאה סאה של פירות שביעית תעלה נפלה לפחות ממאה ירקבו הכל ולא ימכרו לכהנים ככל מדומע לפי שהם חשודין על השביעית:
19
Painters and cattle-raisers52 may purchase bran53 from any source. They need not suspect it is sefichin of the Sabbatical year.54
יט
הצבענין והפטמין לוקחין מורסן מכל מקום ואינן חוששין שמא מספיחי שביעית הוא:
20
In the Sabbatical year, the collectors of the kupah55 were not careful [to refrain from entering] the courtyards of those who partake [of the sefichin] of the Sabbatical year. If they gave a loaf of bread, it is permitted [for the poor to partake of it].56We do not suspect that perhaps it is from the sefichin of the Sabbatical year.57For the Jews were not suspect to give [the produce of the Sabbatical year to charity], only money received for the produce of the Sabbatical year or eggs which were purchased with money received for the produce of the Sabbatical year.58
כ
גבאי קופה בשביעית לא יהיו מדקדקין בחצרות של אוכלין שביעית ואם נתנו להן פת מותרת ואין חוששין לה שמא מספיחי שביעית הוא שלא נחשדו ישראל להיות נותנין אלא או מעות שביעית או ביצים הנלקחות בדמי שביעית ומותר ללות מן העניים פירות שביעית ומחזירין להן פירות בשנה שמינית:
FOOTNOTES
2.
They should not be given verbal encouragement. Needless to say, they should not be given assistance. Compare to Halachah 8.
3.
In this context, the Rambam writes in his Commentary to the Mishnah (Sh'vi'it 5:6):
God declared (Leviticus 19:14): "Do not place a stumbling block before the blind." The intent is that when someone has been blinded by desire and his bad character traits should not be assisted in his blindness to add to his warped conduct.
4.
One may, however, sell these utensils to someone who is not suspect of violating the laws of the Sabbatical year, as stated in Halachah 4.
6.
As long as there is a possibility that the person will use it for a permitted purpose, we assume that this is his intent (Avodah Zarah 15b).
9.
The person does not have to establish a reputation as an observer of the Sabbatical year. As long as he is not known to violate its laws, one may sell to him.
12.
To sell there. In both these instances, since it is possible that the Sabbatical laws will not be broken, we do not suspect that they will [the Rambam's Commentary to the Mishnah (Sh'vi'it 5:7)].
14.
For otherwise, the person will certainly violate the laws of the Sabbatical year, by harvesting all the fruit of the orchard.
15.
Where he could measure the produce of the Sabbatical year. As mentioned in Chapter 6, Halachah 3, one should not measure the produce of the Sabbatical year. Even when selling it, one should sell it by estimation.
16.
For then his actions would obviously be considering as rendering assistance to the violation of the laws of the Sabbatical year.
17.
The Mishnah (Sh'vi'it 5:9) states that these leniencies are granted only "because of darchei shalom('the paths of peace')," i.e., to establish unity and brotherhood among the Jewish people.
18.
For it is logical to assume that the other woman would be using the produce of the Sabbatical year and working with her would be considered as encouragement.
20.
And thus the Jew will receive some benefit from the work performed by the gentile in the Sabbatical year.
21.
If, by contrast, a Jew breaks the ground of his field in the Sabbatical year, it is forbidden to hire his field from him, as stated in Chapter 1, Halachah 13.
22.
Which is not part of Eretz Yisraeland hence, is not covered by the Scriptural prohibitions against work in the Sabbatical year, but where working the land in that year was forbidden by the Rabbis, as stated in Chapter 4, Halachah 27.
24.
For all of these activities are permitted even in Eretz Yisraelaccording to Scriptural Law, it is only Rabbinic Law that prohibits them.
26.
The bracketed addition is based on the gloss of the Radbaz. Alternatively, to guard the produce in his field so that it will not be taken during the Sabbatical year (Kin'at Eliyahu).
27.
For when one pays for the produce, the holiness of the produce is transferred to the money, as explained in Chapter 6, Halachot 6-7.
28.
Thus by purchasing the produce and giving him money, one would be - at least indirectly - causing him to violate the prohibitions of the Sabbatical year. Although in many of the instances mentioned in the previous halachot, we followed the principle that as long as there was a possibility that he would not transgress, we do not restrict transactions with people who might violate the laws of the Sabbatical year, in this instances, it is very likely that a transgression will occur. Hence, we are more stringent.
In his Commentary to the Mishnah (Sh'vi'it 9:1), the Rambam mentions a different reason for the prohibition against purchasing fruit from a common person, because he is likely to have harvested them and stored them in violation of the laws of the Sabbatical year.
29.
I.e., a lulav to use for the fulfillment of the mitzvah on Sukkot. This sale is permissible, because the laws of the Sabbatical year do not apply to a lulav, for it is part of the tree and not a fruit [the Rambam's Commentary to the Mishnah (Sukkah 3:9)].
34.
Both of these are fragrant herbs. Our translation is taken from Rav Kappach's notes to the Rambam's Commentary to the Mishnah (Sh'vi'it 9:1).
35.
These fruits and herbs grew naturally and are not cultivated. Hence, we do not assume that the person stored them away and therefore there is room for limited leniency (Radbaz).
36.
Which are also very pungent tasting. Our definition of terms is taken from the Rambam's Commentary to the Mishnah (Ma'aserot 5:9).
38.
Since these species are not usually eaten as food, they are not bound by the Scriptural prohibitions of terumah and the tithes (Hilchot Terumah 2:3). Hence there is also room for leniency with regard to the Sabbatical year.
40.
The reason that it is forbidden to purchase flax from such a person is that flax seeds are sometimes considered as food. Even though the flax has been combed to some degree, there is still the possibility that it contains some seeds that are useful as food.
42.
As the Rambam states in his Commentary to the Mishnah (Bechorot 4:10), generally when two prohibitions are of the same degree of severity, if one is considered suspect to violate one, he is considered as suspect to violate the other. Nevertheless, this instance is an exception for the reasons stated by the Rambam.
43.
Literally, the Rambam's words mean "the place," recalling Deuteronomy 12:11: "the place which God... will choose to cause His name to dwell." See Hilchot Ma'aser Sheni 2:1. This stringency does not apply with regard to the produce of the Sabbatical year which can be eaten in any place.
44.
I.e., even after its redemption, it remains holy (Chapter 6, Halachah 6). In contrast, once the produce of the second tithe is redeemed, it is considered as ordinary produce (Hilchot Ma'aser Sheni 4:1).
47.
As stated in the notes to Hilchot Ma'aser 12:17, the Ra'avad does not accept this principle and maintains that if someone is considered as suspect regarding a particular issue, he is not accepted as a judge or witness concerning such matters. The Kessef Mishneh supports the Rambam's view.
48.
I.e., we fear that they will not remove the produce of the Sabbatical year from their possession at the time of biyur, but instead will store it and sell it afterwards.
50.
And given to the priests. They must partake of it as if it were terumah, as stated in ibid. 13:1. As explained there, this act is necessary in order to enable non-priests to partake of the entire mixture. And since we permit the entire mixture to non-priests, we do not suspect that the priests will keep the produce beyond the biyur.
51.
As stated in ibid. 13:2, when terumah falls into less than 100 se'ah of ordinary produce, the presence of the terumah is not nullified. Instead, the entire mixture is considered as midumaand is sold to the priests as if it were terumah (which is sold at significantly lower price than ordinary produce). In this instance, we do not follow that ruling, because of the suspicion stated by the Rambam.
54.
The rationale is that the prohibition against benefiting from sefichin is only Rabbinic in origin. Hence, we do not employ a safeguard because of a doubtful situation.
55.
The city-wide charitable fund to which donations are made for the sustenance of the poor (see Hilchot Matanot Aniyim 9:1).
56.
The Radbaz maintains that this is speaking of individuals whom we merely suspect that they violate the laws of the Sabbatical year. If we know with certainty that they violate those laws, we may not take any produce from them.
57.
We do not suspect that a person will do a mitzvah - giving charity - in a manner that will cause a transgression - causing another Jew to violate the laws governing produce of the Sabbatical year [Jerusalem Talmud (Sh'vi'it 8:2)].
58.
In these instances as well, we do not suspect that the person intentionally gave the money received for the produce for the Sabbatical year (or eggs received for that produce). Instead, we suspect that because he was a common person, he was not aware of the relevant laws (Radbaz).
59.
The borrower must have such produce in his possession. Otherwise, it is forbidden to borrow the produce as a safeguard to the prohibition against taking interest (ibid.).
60.
This leniency is granted only as consideration for the needs of the poor (ibid.). He may not purchase it from him, for in that instance, the money would become money received for produce of the Sabbatical year. We are afraid that the common person will not purchase food with that money and eat it before the obligation of biyur takes effect.
61.
They should not be repaid with the produce of the Sabbatical year, because the produce of the Sabbatical year should not be given to a common person. We do not say the produce with which he repays him is produce received for produce of the Sabbatical year, because the exchange was not made in that year.
• Thursday, 18 Adar, 5777 · 16 March 2017
• "Today's Day"
• Tuesday, 18 Adar I, 5703
Torah lessons: Chumash: Ki Tissa, Shlishi with Rashi.
Tehillim: 88-89.
Tanya: It is indeed (p. 135)...later at length. (p. 135).
After drinking wine and eating one of the seven fruits (p. 96), the concluding b'racha ends: v'al pri hagafen v'al hapeirot, baruch...al pri hagafen v'hapeirot (not v'al hapeirot).
Thursday, Adar Sheini 18, 5703
Torah lessons: Chumash: Tzav, Chamishi with Rashi.
Tehillim: 88-89.
Tanya: For the community (p. 173)...Yetzirah, Asiyah. (p. 173).
My grandfather wrote in one of his maamarim: It is necessary to study some of the Written Torah daily with Rashi, for his commentaries are the t'rumot - the select - of the interpretations of our Sages.
...and at the very least everyone must study a tractate of Talmud each year.
• Daily Thought:
Breaking Limits
Everything a human being is given comes in a finite package. Even the tablets Moses carried down from Mount Sinai were defined and bounded.
And so, when G‑d saw Moses mourning over the broken tablets, He said, “Your powers were focused when you smashed the tablets. For now you will receive a Torah you may extend wider than the sea.”
When a human being fails, he shatters the treasures G‑d has put in his trust. But then he cries and picks up the shards to restore what he has ruined.
That is when he discovers that G‑d Himself was hidden inside.
That is when he discovers the Infinite.
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