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- ב"ה - Today in Judaism - Today is Shabbat, Tammuz 14, 5777 · July 8, 2017Torah Reading
Balak: Numbers 22:2 - 25:9
Micah 5:6 - 6:8
Numbers 22:2 Now Balak the son of Tzippor saw all that Isra’el had done to the Emori. 3 Mo’av was very afraid of the people, because there were so many of them; Mo’av was overcome with dread because of the people of Isra’el. 4 So Mo’av said to the leaders of Midyan, “This horde will lick up everything around us, the way an ox licks up grass in the field.”
Balak the son of Tzippor was king of Mo’av at that time. 5 He sent messengers to Bil‘am the son of B‘or, at P’tor by the [Euphrates] River in his native land, to tell him, “Listen, a people has come out of Egypt, spread over all the land and settled down next to me. 6 Therefore, please come, and curse this people for me, because they are stronger than I am. Maybe I will be able to strike them down and drive them out of the land, for I know that whomever you bless is in fact blessed, and whomever you curse is in fact cursed.” 7 The leaders of Mo’av and Midyan left, taking with them the payment for divining, came to Bil‘am and spoke to him the words of Balak. 8 He said to them, “Stay here tonight, and I will bring you back whatever answer Adonai tells me.” So the princes of Mo’av stayed with Bil‘am.
9 God came to Bil‘am and said, “Who are these men with you?” 10 Bil‘am said to God, “Balak the son of Tzippor, king of Mo’av, has sent me this message: 11 ‘The people who came out of Egypt have spread over the land; now, come and curse them for me; maybe I will be able to fight against them and drive them out.’” 12 God answered Bil‘am, “You are not to go with them; you are not to curse the people, because they are blessed.”
(RY: v; LY: ii) 13 Bil‘am got up in the morning and said to the princes of Balak, “Return to your own land, because Adonai refuses to give me permission to go with you.” 14 The princes of Mo’av got up, returned to Balak and said, “Bil‘am refuses to come with us.”
15 Balak again sent princes, more of them and of higher status than the first group. 16 They went to Bil‘am and said to him, “Here is what Balak the son of Tzippor says: ‘Please don’t let anything keep you from coming to me. 17 I will reward you very well, and whatever you say to me I will do. So please come, and curse this people for me.’” 18 Bil‘am answered the servants of Balak, “Even if Balak were to give me his palace filled with silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of Adonai my God to do anything, great or small. 19 Now, please, you too, stay here tonight; so that I may find out what else Adonai will say to me.” 20 God came to Bil‘am during the night and said to him, “If the men have come to summon you, get up and go with them; but do only what I tell you.”
(LY: iii) 21 So Bil‘am got up in the morning, saddled his donkey and went with the princes of Mo’av. 22 But God’s anger flared up because he went, and the angel of Adonai stationed himself on the path to bar his way. He was riding on his donkey, and his two servants were with him. 23 The donkey saw the angel of Adonai standing on the road, drawn sword in hand; so the donkey turned off the road into the field; and Bil‘am had to beat the donkey to get it back on the road. 24 Then the angel of Adonai stood on the road where it became narrow as it passed among the vineyards and had stone walls on both sides. 25 The donkey saw the angel of Adonai and pushed up against the wall, crushing Bil‘am’s foot against the wall. So he beat it again. 26 The angel of Adonai moved ahead and stood in a place so tight that there was no room to turn either right or left. 27 Again the donkey saw the angel of Adonai and lay down under Bil‘am, which made him so angry that he hit the donkey with his stick. 28 But Adonai enabled the donkey to speak, and it said to Bil‘am, “What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?” 29 Bil‘am said to the donkey, “It’s because you’ve been making a fool of me! I wish I had a sword in my hand; I would kill you on the spot!” 30 The donkey said to Bil‘am, “I’m your donkey, right? You’ve ridden me all your life, right? Have I ever treated you like this before?” “No,” he admitted. 31 Then Adonai opened Bil‘am’s eyes, so that he could see the angel of Adonai standing in the way with his drawn sword in his hand, and he bowed his head and fell on his face. 32 The angel of Adonai said to him, “Why did you hit your donkey three times like that? I have come out here to bar your way, because you are rushing to oppose me. 33 The donkey saw me and turned aside these three times; and indeed, if she hadn’t turned away from me, I would have killed you by now and saved it alive!” 34 Bil‘am said to the angel of Adonai, “I have sinned. I didn’t know that you were standing on the road to block me. Now, therefore, if what I am doing displeases you, I will go back.” 35 But the angel of Adonai said to Bil‘am, “No, go on with the men; but you are to say only what I tell you to say.” So Bil‘am went along with the princes of Balak.
36 When Balak heard that Bil‘am had come, he went out to meet him in the city of Mo’av at the Arnon border, in the farthest reaches of the territory. 37 Balak said to Bil‘am, “I sent more than once to summon you! Why didn’t you come to me? Did you think I couldn’t pay you enough?” 38 Bil‘am replied to Balak, “Here, I’ve come to you! But I have no power of my own to say anything. The word that God puts in my mouth is what I will say.”
(RY: vi, LY: iv) 39 Bil‘am went with Balak. When they arrived at Kiryat-Hutzot, 40 Balak sacrificed cattle and sheep, then sent to Bil‘am and the princes with him. 41 In the morning Balak took Bil‘am and brought him up to the high places of Ba‘al; from there he could see a portion of the people.
23:1 Bil‘am said to Balak, “Build me seven altars here, and prepare me seven bulls and seven rams here.” 2 Balak did as Bil‘am said; then Balak and Bil‘am offered a bull and a ram on each altar. 3 Bil‘am said to Balak, “Stand by your burnt offering while I go off; maybe Adonai will come and meet me; and whatever he shows me I will tell you.” He went off to a bare hill. 4 God met Bil‘am, who said to him, “I prepared the seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.” 5 Then Adonai put a word in Bil‘am’s mouth and said, “Go on back to Balak, and speak as I tell you.” 6 He went back to him, and there, standing by his burnt offering, he with all the princes of Mo’av, 7 he made his pronouncement:
“Balak, the king of Mo’av,
brings me from Aram, from the eastern hills, saying,
‘Come, curse Ya‘akov for me;
come and denounce Isra’el.’
8 “How am I to curse
those whom God has not cursed?
How am I to denounce
those whom Adonai has not denounced?
9 “From the top of the rocks I see them,
from the hills I behold them —
yes, a people that will dwell alone
and not think itself one of the nations.
10 “Who has counted the dust of Ya‘akov
or numbered the ashes of Isra’el?
May I die as the righteous die!
May my end be like theirs!”
11 Balak said to Bil‘am, “What have you done to me?! To curse my enemies is why I brought you; and, here, you have totally blessed them!” 12 He answered, “Mustn’t I take care to say just what Adonai puts in my mouth?”
(LY: v) 13 Balak said to him, “All right, come with me to another place where you can see them. You will see only some of them, not all; but you can curse them for me from there.” 14 He took him through the field of Tzofim to the top of the Pisgah Range, built seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar. 15 Bil‘am said to Balak, “Stand here by your burnt offering, while I go over there for a meeting.” 16 Adonai met Bil‘am, put a word in his mouth and said, “Go on back to Balak, and speak as I tell you.” 17 He came to him and stood by his burnt offering, with all the princes of Mo’av. Balak asked him, “What did Adonai say?” 18 Then Bil‘am made his pronouncement:
“Get up, Balak, and listen!
Turn your ears to me, son of Tzippor!
19 “God is not a human who lies
or a mortal who changes his mind.
When he says something, he will do it;
when he makes a promise, he will fulfill it.
20 Look, I am ordered to bless;
when he blesses, I can’t reverse it.
21 “No one has seen guilt in Ya‘akov,
or perceived perversity in Isra’el;
Adonai their God is with them
and acclaimed as king among them.
22 “God, who brought them out of Egypt,
gives them the strength of a wild ox;
23 thus one can’t put a spell on Ya‘akov,
no magic will work against Isra’el.
It can now be said of Ya‘akov and Isra’el,
‘What is this that God has done?!’
24 “Here is a people rising up like a lioness;
like a lion he rears himself up —
he will not lie down till he eats up the prey
and drinks the blood of the slain.”
25 Balak said to Bil‘am, “Obviously, you won’t curse them. But at least don’t bless them!” 26 However, Bil‘am answered Balak, “Didn’t I warn you that I must do everything Adonai says?”
(RY: vii, LY: vi) 27 Balak said to Bil‘am, “Come, I will take you now to another place; maybe it will please God for you to curse them for me from there.” 28 Balak took Bil‘am to the top of P‘or, overlooking the desert. 29 Bil‘am said to Balak, “Build me seven altars here, and prepare me seven bulls and seven rams.” 30 Balak did as Bil‘am said and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
24:1 When Bil‘am saw that it pleased Adonai to bless Isra’el, he didn’t go, as at the other times, to make use of divination, but looked out toward the desert. 2 Bil‘am raised his eyes and saw Isra’el encamped tribe by tribe. Then the Spirit of God came upon him, 3 and he made his pronouncement:
“This is the speech of Bil‘am, son of B‘or;
the speech of the man whose eyes have been opened;
4 the speech of him who hears God’s words;
who sees what Shaddai sees,
who has fallen, yet has open eyes:
5 “How lovely are your tents, Ya‘akov;
your encampments, Isra’el!
6 They spread out like valleys,
like gardens by the riverside,
like succulent aloes planted by Adonai,
like cedar trees next to the water.
7 “Water will flow from their branches,
their seed will have water aplenty.
Their king will be higher than Agag
and his kingdom lifted high.
8 God, who brought them out of Egypt,
gives them the strength of a wild ox.
They will devour the nations opposing them,
break their bones, pierce them with their arrows.
9 “When they lie down they crouch like a lion,
or like a lioness — who dares to rouse it?
Blessed be all who bless you!
Cursed be all who curse you!”
10 Balak blazed with fury against Bil‘am. He struck his hands together and said to Bil‘am, “I summoned you to curse my enemies. But here, you have done nothing but bless them — three times already! 11 Now you had better escape to your own place! I had planned to reward you very well, but now Adonai has deprived you of payment.”
12 Bil‘am answered Balak, “Didn’t I tell the messengers you sent me 13 that even if Balak would give me his palace full of silver and gold, I could not of my own accord go beyond the word of Adonai to do either good or bad? that what Adonai said is what I would say? (LY: vii) 14 But now that I am going back to my own people, come, I will warn you what this people will do to your people in the acharit-hayamim. 15 So he made his pronouncement:
“This is the speech of Bil‘am, son of B‘or;
the speech of the man whose eyes have been opened;
16 the speech of him who hears God’s words;
who knows what ‘Elyon knows,
who sees what Shaddai sees,
who has fallen, yet has open eyes:
17 “I see him, but not now;
I behold him, but not soon —
a star will step forth from Ya‘akov,
a scepter will arise from Isra’el,
to crush the corners of Mo’av
and destroy all descendants of Shet.
18 His enemies will be his possessions —
Edom and Se‘ir, possessions.
Isra’el will do valiantly,
19 From Ya‘akov will come someone who will rule,
and he will destroy what is left of the city.”
20 He saw ‘Amalek and made this pronouncement:
“First among nations was ‘Amalek,
but destruction will be its end.”
21 He saw the Keini and made this pronouncement:
“Though your dwelling is firm,
your nest set on rock,
22 Kayin will be wasted
while captive to Ashur.”
23 Finally, he made this pronouncement:
“Oh no! Who can live when God does this?
24 But ships will come from the coast of Kittim
to subdue Ashur and subdue ‘Ever,
but they too will come to destruction.”
25 Then Bil‘am got up, left and returned to his home; and Balak too went his way.
25:1 Isra’el stayed at Sheetim, and there the people began whoring with the women of Mo’av. 2 These women invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, where the people ate and bowed down to their gods. 3 With Isra’el thus joined to Ba‘al-P‘or, the anger of Adonai blazed up against Isra’el.
4 Adonai said to Moshe, “Take all the chiefs of the people, and hang them facing the sun before Adonai, so that the raging fury of Adonai will turn away from Isra’el.” 5 Moshe said to the judges of Isra’el, “Each of you is to put to death those in his tribe who have joined themselves to Ba‘al-P‘or.”
6 Just then, in the sight of Moshe and the whole community of Isra’el, as they were weeping at the entrance to the tent of meeting, a man from Isra’el came by, bringing to his family a woman from Midyan. (Maftir) 7 When Pinchas the son of El‘azar, the son of Aharon the cohen, saw it, he got up from the middle of the crowd, took a spear in his hand, 8 and pursued the man from Isra’el right into the inner part of the tent, where he thrust his spear through both of them — the man from Isra’el and the woman through her stomach. Thus was the plague among the people of Isra’el stopped; 9 nevertheless, 24,000 died in the plague.
Micah 5:5 (6) They will shepherd the land of Ashur with the sword,
the land of Nimrod at its gates;
and he will rescue us from Ashur
when he invades our land,
when he overruns our borders.
6 (7) Then the remnant of Ya‘akov,
surrounded by many peoples,
will be like dew from Adonai,
like showers on the grass,
which doesn’t wait for a man
or expect anything from mortals.
7 (8) The remnant of Ya‘akov among the nations,
surrounded by many peoples,
will be like a lion among forest animals,
like a young lion among flocks of sheep —
if it passes through, tramples and tears to pieces,
there is no one to rescue them.
8 (9) Your hand will be raised over your enemies;
all your adversaries will be destroyed.
9 (10) “When that day comes,” says Adonai,
“I will cut off your horses from among you
and destroy your chariots.
10 (11) I will cut off the cities of your land
and lay waste your strongholds.
11 (12) I will cut off sorceries from your land;
you will no longer have soothsayers.
12 (13) I will cut off your carved images
and standing-stones from among you;
no longer will you worship
what your own hands have made.
13 (14) I will pull up your sacred poles from among you
and destroy your enemies.
14 (15) I will wreak vengeance in anger and fury
on the nations, because they would not listen.”
6:1 So listen now to what Adonai says:
“Stand up and state your case to the mountains,
let the hills hear what you have to say.”
2 Listen, mountains, to Adonai’s case;
also you enduring rocks that support the earth!
Adonai has a case against his people;
he wants to argue it out with Isra’el:
3 “My people, what have I done to you?
How have I wearied you? Answer me!
4 I brought you up from the land of Egypt.
I redeemed you from a life of slavery.
I sent Moshe, Aharon
and Miryam to lead you.
5 My people, just remember what Balak
the king of Mo’av had planned,
what Bil‘am the son of B‘or answered him,
[and what happened] between Sheetim and Gilgal —
so that you will understand
the saving deeds of Adonai.”
6 “With what can I come before Adonai
to bow down before God on high?
Should I come before him with burnt offerings?
with calves in their first year?
7 Would Adonai take delight in thousands of rams
with ten thousand rivers of olive oil?
Could I give my firstborn to pay for my crimes,
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”
8 Human being, you have already been told
what is good, what Adonai demands of you —
no more than to act justly, love grace
and walk in purity with your God.
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Today's Laws & Customs:
• Ethics of the Fathers: Chapter 6
During the summer months, from the Shabbat after Passover until the Shabbat before Rosh Hashahah, we study a weekly chapter of the Talmud's Ethics of the Fathers("Avot") each Shabbat afternoon; this week we study Chapter Six.
Link: Ethics of the Fathers, Chapter 6
Today in Jewish History:
• Jews of Schaffhausen (Switzerland) Burned at the Stake (1401)After the postilion (coach driver) of the governor killed the four-year-old son of a councilor, charges were lodged against a Jew named Michael Vinelmann, a former resident of Basel, alleging that he had promised the murderer three gulden for the blood of the child. The murderer was broken on the wheel, and the Jew burned alive without trial.
Shortly before, a similar accusation had been brought against the Jews of Schaffhausen and been successfully refuted. When news of Michael Vinelmann's fate was brought to Schaffhausen, several of the Jews of the city fled and were soon captured. They were taken back to Schaffhausen, where they were thrown into a dungeon and terribly tortured. Unable to endure the pain, they "confessed" to the crime of which they had been accused, whereupon all the Jews living in Schaffhausen were condemned to death. Thirty Jews were burned alive. Four weeks later, eighteen men and women died at the stake in Winterthur in a similar context.
• Passing of Rabbi Yosef Trani (1639)Rabbi Yosef Trani, known as the Maharit (1568-1639), was born in Safed and married a descendant of Rabbi Yosef Cairo. When a plague broke out in Safed, he abandoned the city, but returned in 1594 to head a yeshivah. In 1604, he was appointed rabbi of Constantinople and, a few years later, leader of Turkish Jewry. He is renowned for his responsa published under the title Teshuvot Maharit.
Daily Torah Study:
Chumash: with Rashi
• English / Hebrew Linear Translation
• Video Class
• Daily Wisdom (short insight)
Numbers Chapter 24
14And now, I am going to my people. Come, I will advise you...what this people will do to your people at the end of days." ידוְעַתָּ֕ה הִנְנִ֥י הוֹלֵ֖ךְ לְעַמִּ֑י לְכָה֙ אִיעָ֣צְךָ֔ אֲשֶׁ֨ר יַֽעֲשֶׂ֜ה הָעָ֥ם הַזֶּ֛ה לְעַמְּךָ֖ בְּאַֽחֲרִ֥ית הַיָּמִֽים:
I am going to my people: “From now I am like the rest of my people,” for the Holy One, blessed is He, had departed from him.
הולך לעמי: מעתה הריני כשאר עמי, שנסתלק הקב"ה מעליו:
Come, I will advise you: what action you should take. What is that counsel? “The God of these [people] hates immorality [thus, entice them to sin with your women…] as it is related in [the chapter of] Cheilek (Sanh. 106a). The proof that Balaam offered this counsel to cause them to stumble through immorality is that it says, ”They were the ones who were involved with the children of Israel on Balaam’s advice" (31:16).
לכה איעצך: מה לך לעשות. ומה היא העצה, אלהיהם של אלו שונא זמה הוא כו', כדאיתא בחלק (סנהדרין קו א) תדע שבלעם השיא עצה זו להכשילם בזמה, שהרי נאמר הן הנה היו לבני ישראל בדבר בלעם (לקמן לא, טז):
what this people will do to your people: This is an elliptical verse, [and it means,] I will advise you how to make them stumble, and tell you how they will punish Moab at the end of days. “And crush the princes of Moab” (verse 17); the Targum [Onkelos] elaborates on the abbreviated Hebrew.
אשר יעשה העם הזה לעמך: מקרא קצר הוא זה, איעצך להכשילם, ואומר לך מה שהן עתידין להרע למואב באחרית הימים:
15He took up his parable and said, "The word of Balaam, son of Beor, the word of a man with an open eye. טווַיִּשָּׂ֥א מְשָׁל֖וֹ וַיֹּאמַ֑ר נְאֻ֤ם בִּלְעָם֙ בְּנ֣וֹ בְעֹ֔ר וּנְאֻ֥ם הַגֶּ֖בֶר שְׁתֻ֥ם הָעָֽיִן:
16The word of the one who hears God's sayings and perceives the thoughts of the Most High; who sees the vision of the Almighty, fallen yet with open eyes. טזנְאֻ֗ם שֹׁמֵ֨עַ֙ אִמְרֵי־אֵ֔ל וְיֹדֵ֖עַ דַּ֣עַת עֶלְי֑וֹן מַֽחֲזֵ֤ה שַׁדַּי֙ יֶֽחֱזֶ֔ה נֹפֵ֖ל וּגְל֥וּי עֵינָֽיִם:
and perceives the thoughts of the Most High: to determine the precise moment that He becomes angry. - [Ber. 7a]
ויודע דעת עליון: לכוין השעה שכועס בה:
17I see it, but not now; I behold it, but not soon. A star has gone forth from Jacob, and a staff will arise from Israel which will crush the princes of Moab and uproot all the sons of Seth. יזאֶרְאֶ֨נּוּ֙ וְלֹ֣א עַתָּ֔ה אֲשׁוּרֶ֖נּוּ וְלֹ֣א קָר֑וֹב דָּרַ֨ךְ כּוֹכָ֜ב מִיַּֽעֲקֹ֗ב וְקָ֥ם שֵׁ֨בֶט֙ מִיִּשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וּמָחַץ֙ פַּֽאֲתֵ֣י מוֹאָ֔ב וְקַרְקַ֖ר כָּל־בְּנֵי־שֵֽׁת:
I see it: I see that prominence and greatness of Jacob, but it is not at present, only at a later time.
אראנו: רואה אני שבחו של יעקב וגדולתן, אך לא עתה היא, אלא לאחר זמן:
A star has gone forth: As the Targum [Onkelos] renders, an expression similar to“He has bent (דָּרַ) his bow” (Lam. 2:4), for a star shoots out like an arrow; in old French, destent, as if to say, his good fortune shall rise [prosper].
דרך כוכב: כתרגומו, לשון דרך קשתו (איכה ב ד), שהכוכב עובר כחץ, ובלע"ז דישטנ"ט (מזנק) כלומר יקום משל:
and a staff will arise: A king who rules dominantly.
וקם שבט: מלך רודה ומושל:
which will crush the princes of Moab: This refers to David, of whom it says,“he laid them on the ground and measured two cord-lengths to put to death…” (II Sam. 8:2). - [Mid. Aggadah]
ומחץ פאתי מואב: התרגום מפרש קוצר העברי ויקטול וכו':
and uproot: Heb. וְקַרְקַר is a term denoting ‘digging’ as in,“I dug (קַרְתִּי) ” (II Kings 19:24);“to the hole of the pit from which you were dug out (נֻקַּרְתֶּם) ” (Is. 51:1);“may the ravens of the valley pick it out (יִקְּרוּהָ) ” (Prov. 30:17); in French, forer.
ומחץ פאתי מואב: זה דוד, שנאמר בו השכב אותם ארצה וימדד שני חבלים להמית וגו' (שמואל ב' ח ב):
all the sons of Seth: All the nations, for they are all descended from Seth, the son of Adam [lit., the first man].
וקרקר: לשון קורה כמו אני קרתי (מלכים ב' יט כד) מקבת בור נקרתם (ישעיה נא א) יקרוה עורבי נחל (משלי ל יז) פורי"יר בלע"ז (לנקב):
18Edom shall be possessed, and Seir shall become the possession of his enemies, and Israel shall triumph. יחוְהָיָ֨ה אֱד֜וֹם יְרֵשָׁ֗ה וְהָיָ֧ה יְרֵשָׁ֛ה שֵׂעִ֖יר אֹֽיְבָ֑יו וְיִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל עֹ֥שֶׂה חָֽיִל:
and Seir shall become the possession of his enemies: For his enemy, Israel.
והיה ירשה שעיר אויביו: ישראל:
19A ruler shall come out of Jacob, and destroy the remnant of the city." יטוְיֵ֖רְדְּ מִיַּֽעֲקֹ֑ב וְהֶֽאֱבִ֥יד שָׂרִ֖יד מֵעִֽיר:
A ruler shall come out of Jacob: There will be another ruler from Jacob.
וירד מיעקב: ועוד יהיה מושל אחר מיעקב:
and destroy the remnant of the city: Of the most prominent [city] of Edom, that is, Rome. He says this regarding the King Messiah, of whom it says, “and may he reign from sea to sea,” (Ps. 72:8),“ and the house of Esau shall have no survivors” (Obad. 1:18). - [Mid. Aggadah]
והאביד שריד מעיר: מעיר החשובה של אדום והיא רומי, ועל מלך המשיח אומר כן, שנאמר בו וירד מים עד ים (תהלים עב ח) ולא יהיה שריד לבית עשו (עובדיה א, יח):
20When he saw Amalek, he took up his parable and said, "Amalek was the first of the nations, and his fate shall be everlasting destruction." כוַיַּרְא֙ אֶת־עֲמָלֵ֔ק וַיִּשָּׂ֥א מְשָׁל֖וֹ וַיֹּאמַ֑ר רֵאשִׁ֤ית גּוֹיִם֙ עֲמָלֵ֔ק וְאַֽחֲרִית֖וֹ עֲדֵ֥י אֹבֵֽד:
He saw Amalek: He perceived the retribution destined to befall Amalek.
וירא את עמלק: נסתכל בפורענותו של עמלק:
Amalek was the first of the nations: He came before all of them to make war with Israel, and so Targum renders. And his fate shall be to perish by their hand, as it says, “You shall obliterate the remembrance of Amalek” (Deut. 25:19).
ראשית גוים עמלק: הוא קדם את כלם להלחם בישראל, וכך תרגם אונקלוס ואחריתו ליאבד בידם, שנאמר תמחה את זכר עמלק (דברים כה יט):
21When he saw the Kenite, he took up his parable and said, "How firm is your dwelling place, and your nest is set in a cliff. כאוַיַּרְא֙ אֶת־הַקֵּינִ֔י וַיִּשָּׂ֥א מְשָׁל֖וֹ וַיֹּאמַ֑ר אֵיתָן֙ מֽוֹשָׁבֶ֔ךָ וְשִׂ֥ים בַּסֶּ֖לַע קִנֶּֽךָ:
He saw the Kenite and said: Since the Kenites were encamped near Amalek, as it is said, “Saul said to the Kenite…” (I Sam. 15:6), he mentions him after Amalek. He perceived the greatness of the sons of Jethro [known also as Keni], of whom it is said,“Tirathites (תִּרְעָתִים), Shimathites (שִׁמְעָתִים), Sochathites (סוֹכָתִים)” (I Chron. 2:55), [expounded on in Sifrei (Beha’alothecha 42) as follows: תִּרְעָתִים, so called because they heard the shofar blast (תְּרוּעָה) on Mount Sinai, because they would cry out (מַתְרִיעִים) and be answered, because they dwelled at the entrance to the gates (תַּרְעֵי) of Jerusalem; שִׁמְעָתִים, so called because they obeyed (שָׁמְעוּ) their father’s command (to abstain from drinking wine and to live in tents, as in Jer. 35:8, 9); סוֹכָתִים, so called because they did not anoint themselves (לֹא סָכוּ) with oil and because they dwelt in booths (סֻכּוֹת)].
וירא את הקיני: לפי שהיה קיני תקוע אצל עמלק, כענין שנאמר ויאמר שאול אל הקיני וגו' (שמואל א' טו, ו) הזכירו אחר עמלק, נסתכל בגדולתן של בני יתרו שנאמר בהם תרעתים שמעתים שוכתים (דברי הימים א' ב נה):
How firm is your dwelling place: [Balaam asks Jethro, who is Keni,] “I wonder how you merited this? Were you not with me in the counsel [we gave Pharaoh] ”Come, let us deal wisely with them"? (Exod. 1:10) Yet now you have settled yourself in the firmness and strength of Israel. — [Sanh. 106a]
איתן מושבך: תמה אני מהיכן זכית לכך הלא אתה עמי היית בעצת הבה נתחכמה לו (שמות א י), ועתה נתישבת באיתן ומעוז של ישראל:
22For if Kain is laid waste, how far will Assyria take you captive?" כבכִּ֥י אִם־יִֽהְיֶ֖ה לְבָ֣עֵֽר קָ֑יִן עַד־מָ֖ה אַשּׁ֥וּר תִּשְׁבֶּֽךָּ:
For if Kain is laid waste: Fortunate are you that you are settled in this stronghold, for you will never be banished from the world. Even if you are destined to be exiled with the ten tribes, and be eliminated from the place where you had settled, what of it?
כי אם יהיה לבער קין וגו': אשריך שנתקעת לתוקף זה שאינך נטרד עוד מן העולם, כי אף אם אתה עתיד לגלות עם עשרת השבטים ותהיה לבער ממקום שנתישבת שם, מה בכך:
how far will Assyria take you captive?: How far will he exile you? Perhaps as far as Halah or Habor? That is not considered being banished from the world, but being moved from one place to another, and you shall return with the other exiles.
עד מה אשור תשבך: עד היכן הוא מגלה אותך, שמא לחלח וחבור, אין זה טרוד מן העולם, אלא טלטול ממקום למקום ותשוב עם שאר הגליות:
23He took up his parable and said, Alas! Who can survive these things from God? כגוַיִּשָּׂ֥א מְשָׁל֖וֹ וַיֹּאמַ֑ר א֕וֹי מִ֥י יִֽחְיֶ֖ה מִשֻּׂמ֥וֹ אֵֽל:
He took up his parable…: Since he mentioned the captivity by Assyria, he says-
וישא משלו וגו': כיון שהזכיר את שביית אשור אמר
Alas! Who can survive these things from God?: Who can save himself from the One who designates these things, so that the One who decrees [namely, God] should not put these things [into effect] against him? [And what are these terrible things?] That Sennacherib will arise and confuse all the nations, and furthermore, “ships will come from the Kittites”-the Kittites, who are the Romans, shall go forth in huge warships against Assyria.
אוי מי יחיה משומו אל : מי יכול להחיות את עצמו משומו את אלה שלא ישים עליו הגוזר את אלה, שיעמוד סנחריב ויבלבל את כל האומות, ועוד יבואו צים מיד כתים ויעברו כתיים שהן רומיים בבירניות גדולות על אשור:
24Ships will come from the Kittites and afflict Assyria and afflict those on the other side, but he too will perish forever." כדוְצִים֙ מִיַּ֣ד כִּתִּ֔ים וְעִנּ֥וּ אַשּׁ֖וּר וְעִנּוּ־עֵ֑בֶר וְגַם־ה֖וּא עֲדֵ֥י אֹבֵֽד:
and afflict those on the other side: And they shall afflict those on the other side of the river [Euphrates].
וענו אשור וענו עבר: וענו אותם שבעבר הנהר:
but he too will perish forever: Similarly does Daniel explain [concerning the Roman empire],“until the beast was slain and its body destroyed” (Dan. 7:11).
וגם הוא עדי אובד: וכן פירש דניאל עד די קטילת חיותא והובד גשמה (דניאל ז יא):
ships: Heb. וְצִים, huge ships, as it is written,“ וְצִי אַדִּיר ” (Is. 33:21) which the Targum [Jonathan] renders as“a great ship.” - [Yoma 77b]
וצים: ספינות גדולות, כדכתיב וצי אדיר (ישעיה לג כא) תרגומו ובורני רבתא:
25Balaam arose, went, and returned home, and Balak went on his way. כהוַיָּ֣קָם בִּלְעָ֔ם וַיֵּ֖לֶךְ וַיָּ֣שָׁב לִמְקֹמ֑וֹ וְגַם־בָּלָ֖ק הָלַ֥ךְ לְדַרְכּֽוֹ:
Numbers Chapter 25
1Israel settled in Shittim, and the people began to commit harlotry with the daughters of the Moabites. אוַיֵּ֥שֶׁב יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל בַּשִּׁטִּ֑ים וַיָּ֣חֶל הָעָ֔ם לִזְנ֖וֹת אֶל־בְּנ֥וֹת מוֹאָֽב:
in Shittim: That is its name. — [Sanh. 106a]
בשטים: כך שמה:
to commit harlotry with the daughters of Moab: As a result of Balaam’s advice, as is stated in [the chapter entitled] "Cheilek’ (Sanh. 106a).
לזנות אל בנות מואב: על ידי עצת בלעם כדאיתא בחלק:
2They invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and prostrated themselves to their gods. בוַתִּקְרֶ֣אןָ לָעָ֔ם לְזִבְחֵ֖י אֱלֹֽהֵיהֶ֑ן וַיֹּ֣אכַל הָעָ֔ם וַיִּשְׁתַּֽחֲו֖וּ לֵאלֹֽהֵיהֶֽן:
and prostrated themselves to their gods: When his urge overcame him, and he said to her, “Submit to me,” she took out an image of Peor from her bosom and said to him, “Bow down before this.” - [Sifrei Balak 1]
וישתחוו לאלהיהן: כשתקף יצרו עליו ואומר לה השמעי לי, והיא מוציאה לו דמות פעור מחיקה ואומרת לו השתחוה לזה:
3Israel became attached to Baal Peor, and the anger of the Lord flared against Israel. גוַיִּצָּ֥מֶד יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל לְבַ֣עַל פְּע֑וֹר וַיִּֽחַר־אַ֥ף יְהֹוָ֖ה בְּיִשְׂרָאֵֽל:
Peor: [פְּעוֹר was so named] because before it they bared פּוֹעֲרִין their anus before it and relieved themselves. This was the manner of its worship. - [Sifrei Balak 1]
פעור: על שם שפוערין לפניו פי הטבעת ומוציאין רעי, וזו היא עבודתו:
and the anger of the Lord flared against Israel: He sent a plague upon them.
ויחר אף ה' בישראל: שלח בהם מגפה:
4The Lord said to Moses, "Take all the leaders of the people and hang them before the Lord, facing the sun, and then the flaring anger of the Lord will be removed from Israel. דוַיֹּ֨אמֶר יְהֹוָ֜ה אֶל־משֶׁ֗ה קַ֚ח אֶת־כָּל־רָאשֵׁ֣י הָעָ֔ם וְהוֹקַ֥ע אוֹתָ֛ם לַֽיהֹוָ֖ה נֶ֣גֶד הַשָּׁ֑מֶשׁ וְיָשֹׁ֛ב חֲר֥וֹן אַף־יְהֹוָ֖ה מִיִּשְׂרָאֵֽל:
Take all the leaders of the people: to judge those who worshipped Peor. — [Sanh. 35a]
קח את כל ראשי העם: לשפוט את העובדים לפעור:
and hang them: The [idol] worshippers.
והוקע אותם: את העובדים:
and hang them: Heb. הוֹקַע. This refers to [death by] hanging, as we find with the sons of Saul [where a similar expression is used,]“and we shall hang them (הוֹקַעֲנוּם) for the Lord” (II Sam. 21:6), and there hanging is specifically mentioned. Idolatry is [punishable] by stoning, and all those stoned are also hanged [as is stated in Sanh. 45b according to Rabbi Eliezer].
והוקע: היא תליה, כמו שמצינו בבני שאול והוקענום לה' (שמואל ב' כא ו) ושם תליה מפורשת בעבודה זרה בסקילה, וכל הנסקלין נתלין:
facing the sun: for all to see. The Midrash Aggadah (Mid. Tanchuma Balak 19) says: The sun identified the sinners, for the cloud folded back from the area above him and the sun shone on him. —
נגד השמש: לעין כל. ומדרש אגדה השמש מודיע את החוטאים, הענן נקפל מכנגדו והחמה זורחת עליו:
5Moses said to the judges of Israel, "Each of you shall kill the men who became attached to Baal Peor. הוַיֹּ֣אמֶר משֶׁ֔ה אֶל־שֹֽׁפְטֵ֖י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל הִרְגוּ֙ אִ֣ישׁ אֲנָשָׁ֔יו הַנִּצְמָדִ֖ים לְבַ֥עַל פְּעֽוֹר:
Each of you shall kill the men: Each one of the Israelite judges executed two, and there were eighty-eight thousand Israelite judges, as is stated in Sanhedrin [18a].
הרגו איש אנשיו: כל אחד ואחד מדייני ישראל היה הורג שנים, ודייני ישראל שמונה רבוא ושמונת אלפים, כדאיתא בסנהדרין (יח א):
6Then an Israelite man came and brought the Midianite woman to his brethren, before the eyes of Moses and before the eyes of the entire congregation of the children of Israel, while they were weeping at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting. ווְהִנֵּ֡ה אִישׁ֩ מִבְּנֵ֨י יִשְׂרָאֵ֜ל בָּ֗א וַיַּקְרֵ֤ב אֶל־אֶחָיו֙ אֶת־הַמִּדְיָנִ֔ית לְעֵינֵ֣י משֶׁ֔ה וּלְעֵינֵ֖י כָּל־עֲדַ֣ת בְּנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וְהֵ֣מָּה בֹכִ֔ים פֶּ֖תַח אֹ֥הֶל מוֹעֵֽד:
Then an Israelite man came: The tribe of Simeon gathered around Zimri, who was their prince, and they said to him, “We have been sentenced to death, yet you sit there [and remain silent] etc.,” as it is related in [the chapter of] Elu hen hanisrafin’ (Sanh. 82a).
והנה איש מבני ישראל בא: נתקבצו שבטו של שמעון אצל זמרי שהיה נשיא שלהם, אמרו לו אנו נדונין במיתה ואתה יושב וכו', כדאיתא באלו הן הנשרפין (סנהדרין דף פב א):
the Midianite woman: Cozbi the daughter of Zur (see verse 15).
את המדינית: כזבי בת צור:
before the eyes of Moses: They said to him, “Moses, is this one forbidden or is she permitted? If you say it is forbidden, who permitted for you the daughter of Jethro…?” as is stated there (Sanh. 82a).
לעיני משה: אמרו לו משה, זו אסורה או מותרת, אם תאמר אסורה, בת יתרו מי התירה לך וכו', כדאיתא התם:
while they were weeping: The law [that anyone cohabiting with a non-Jewish woman is to be executed by zealots] eluded him. [Therefore,] they all burst out weeping. At the incident of the golden calf Moses [successfully] confronted six hundred thousand as it says, “He ground it until it was powder…” (Exod. 32:20), yet here he appeared so helpless? However, [this happened] so that Phinehas should come and take what was due to him. — [Mid. Tanchuma Balak 20]
והמה בוכים: נתעלמה ממנו הלכה כל הבועל ארמית קנאים פוגעים בו געו כלם בבכיה. בעגל עמד משה כנגש ששים רבוא, שנאמר (שמות לב כ) ויטחן עד אשר דק וגו' וכאן רפו ידיו, אלא כדי שיבא פינחס ויטול את הראוי לו:
7Phinehas the son of Eleazar the son of Aaron the kohen saw this, arose from the congregation, and took a spear in his hand. זוַיַּ֗רְא פִּֽינְחָס֙ בֶּן־אֶלְעָזָ֔ר בֶּן־אַֽהֲרֹ֖ן הַכֹּהֵ֑ן וַיָּ֨קָם֙ מִתּ֣וֹךְ הָֽעֵדָ֔ה וַיִּקַּ֥ח רֹ֖מַח בְּיָדֽוֹ:
Phinehas…saw: He saw the deed and reminded himself of the law. He said to Moses, “I learned from you, ‘If someone cohabits with an Aramean [heathen] woman, zealots have a right to strike him [dead].’ ” He replied to him, “Let the one who reads the letter be the agent to carry it out.” Immediately,“he took a spear in his hand….” - [Sanh. 82a]
וירא פינחס: ראה מעשה ונזכר הלכה, אמר לו למשה מקובלני ממך הבועל ארמית קנאין פוגעין בו, אמר לו קריינא דאגרתא איהו ליהוי פרוונקא, מיד ויקח רומח בידו וגו':
8He went after the Israelite man into the chamber and drove [it through] both of them; the Israelite man, and the woman through her stomach, and the plague ceased from the children of Israel. חוַיָּבֹ֠א אַחַ֨ר אִֽישׁ־יִשְׂרָאֵ֜ל אֶל־הַקֻּבָּ֗ה וַיִּדְקֹר֙ אֶת־שְׁנֵיהֶ֔ם אֵ֚ת אִ֣ישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וְאֶת־הָֽאִשָּׁ֖ה אֶל־קֳבָתָ֑הּ וַתֵּֽעָצַר֙ הַמַּגֵּפָ֔ה מֵעַ֖ל בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל:
into the chamber: Into the tent.
אל הקבה: אל האהל:
through her stomach: Heb. קֳבָתָהּ, as in,“the jaw and the maw (וְהַקֵּבָה)” (Deut. 18:3). He aimed for the male organ of Zimri and her female organs and everyone saw that he had not killed them for nothing. Many miracles happened to him…, as it is related there (Sanh. 82b).
אל קבתה: [אל הקיבה] כמו הלחיים והקיבה כיון בתוך זכרות של זמרי ונקבות שלה, וראו כלם שלא לחנם הרגם, והרבה נסים נעשו לו כו', כדאיתא התם (סנהדרין פב ב):
9Those that died in the plague numbered twenty four thousand. טוַיִּֽהְי֕וּ הַמֵּתִ֖ים בַּמַּגֵּפָ֑ה אַרְבָּעָ֥ה וְעֶשְׂרִ֖ים אָֽלֶף:
Tehillim: Psalms Chapters 72 - 76
• Hebrew text
• English text
Chapter 72
David composed this psalm for Solomon, praying that he be granted the wisdom to provide justice for the poor.
1. For Solomon. O God, impart Your justice to the king, and Your righteousness to the son of the king.
2. May he judge Your people with righteousness, Your poor with justice.
3. May the mountains bear peace to the nation, also the hills, in [reward for their] righteousness.
4. May he judge the nation's poor, save the children of the destitute, and crush the oppressor,
5. so that they will fear You as long as the sun [shines] and the moon endures, generation after generation.
6. May [his words] descend like rain upon cut grass, like raindrops that water the earth.
7. In his days may the righteous flourish, with much peace until the moon is no more.
8. And may he rule from sea to sea, and from the river until the ends of the earth.
9. May nobles kneel before him, and may his enemies lick the dust.
10. The kings of Tarshish and the islands will return tribute, the kings of Sheba and Seba will offer gifts.
11. All kings will bow to him, all nations will serve him;
12. for he rescues the needy one who cries out, the poor one who has no one to help him.
13. He pities the impoverished and needy, and saves the souls of the destitute.
14. He redeems their soul from deception and violence, and their blood is precious in his eyes.
15. He revives [the poor], and gives him of the gold of Sheba; and so [the poor] pray for him always, and bless him all day.
16. May there be abundant grain in the land, upon the mountaintops; may its fruit rustle like the [cedars of] Lebanon, and may [people] blossom from the city like the grass of the earth.
17. May his name endure forever; may his name be magnified as long as the sun [shines]. And all nations will bless themselves by him, they will praise him.
18. Blessed is the Lord God, the God of Israel, Who alone performs wonders.
19. Blessed is His glorious Name forever, and may the whole earth be filled with His glory, Amen and Amen.
20. The prayers of David, son of Jesse, are concluded1
FOOTNOTES
1.David composed this psalm at the end of his lifetime.
Chapter 73
This psalm addresses the question of why the righteous suffer while the wicked prosper, and prays for an end to our long exile. Read, and you will find repose for your soul.
1. A psalm by Asaph. Truly God is good to Israel, to the pure of heart.
2. But as for me, my feet nearly strayed; in an instant my steps would have been swept aside.
3. For I envied the revelers when I saw the tranquility of the wicked.
4. For there are no bonds1 to their death, and their health is sound.
5. They have no part in the toil of men, nor are they afflicted like other mortals;
6. therefore they wear pride as a necklace; their bodies are enwrapped in violence.
7. Their eyes bulge from fat; they surpassed the fantasies of their heart.
8. They consume [others], and talk wickedly of oppression-from on high do they speak.
9. They set their mouths against Heaven, while their tongues walk upon the earth.
10. Therefore His people return here,2 and suck the full [cup of bitter] waters.
11. And they say, "How can it be that God knows? Is there knowledge in the Most High?”
12. Behold these are the wicked, and they are ever tranquil, they have gained much wealth.
13. Surely in vain have I purified my heart, and washed my hands in cleanliness;
14. for I was afflicted all day, and my rebuke came each morning.
15. Were I to say, "I shall tell it like it is," behold I would turn the generation of Your children to rebels.
16. And when I pondered to understand this, it was unjust in my eyes;
17. until I came to the sanctuaries of God, and perceived their end.
18. Only on slippery places do You set them, You cast them into darkness.
19. How they have become desolate in an instant! They came to an end, they were consumed by terrors,
20. like a dream upon awakening. O my Lord, disgrace their image in the city.
21. When my heart was in ferment, and my mind was sharpened,
22. I was a boor and did not understand, like an animal was I with You.
23. Yet I was always with You; You held my right hand.
24. Guide me with Your counsel, and afterward, receive me with honor.
25. Whom do I have in heaven [besides You]? And when I am with You I desire nothing on earth.
26. My flesh and my heart yearn; God is the rock of my heart and my portion forever.
27. For behold, all those who are far from You perish, You cut down all who stray from You.
28. But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have put my trust in my Lord, God, that I may recount all Your works.
FOOTNOTES
1.Their death is not protracted by illness and misery(Radak).
2.To the way of the wicked (Rashi).
Chapter 74
The psalmist mourns and weeps over all the synagogues and study halls that have been burned: the Philistines destroyed the Tabernacle of Shiloh; Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the first Temple. We have been in exile for so long, without seeing any signs of redemption! When will the redemption come? Read, and you will find lamentation and consolation.
1. A maskil1 by Asaph. Why, O God, have You abandoned us forever, does Your wrath fume against the sheep of Your pasture?
2. Remember Your congregation which You acquired long ago, the tribe of Your inheritance whom You redeemed [and brought to] Mount Zion, where You rested Your Presence.
3. Lift Your steps to inflict eternal ruin, because of all the evil done by the enemy in the Sanctuary.
4. Your foes roared in the midst of Your meeting place; they considered their omens to be [genuine] signs.
5. The axes in the thicket of trees2 were reckoned as bringing [an offering] to the Above.
6. And now, all her ornaments together are smashed by hammer and hatchet.
7. They set Your Sanctuary on fire; they desecrated the Abode of Your Name to the ground.
8. Their rulers thought together in their hearts; they burned all the meeting places of God in the land.
9. We have not seen our signs; there is no longer a prophet, and there is none among us who knows how long.
10. How long, O God, will the adversary disgrace, will the enemy blaspheme Your Name forever!
11. Why do You withdraw Your hand, even Your right hand? Cast it out from within Your bosom!
12. For God is my King from long ago, working salvations in the midst of the earth.
13. In Your might, You divided the sea; You shattered the heads of the sea-monsters on the waters.
14. You crushed the heads of the Leviathan,3 leaving him as food for the nation [wandering in] the wilderness.
15. You split [the rock, bringing forth] fountain and brook; You dried up mighty streams.
16. Yours is the day, the night is also Yours; You established the moon and the sun.
17. You set all the boundaries of the earth; summer and winter-You created them.
18. Remember this, how the enemy reviled the Lord, and the vile nation blasphemed Your Name.
19. Do not give the soul of Your turtledove to the wild beast; do not forget the life of Your poor forever.
20. Look to the covenant, for the dark places of the earth are filled with dens of violence.
21. Do not turn back the oppressed in disgrace; [then] the poor and needy will praise Your Name.
22. Arise, O God, champion Your cause; remember Your insults from the perverse all day long.
23. Forget not the voice of Your adversaries; the tumult of Your opponents ascends always.
FOOTNOTES
1.A psalm intended to enlighten and impart knowledge(Metzudot).
2.Chopping wood for the construction of the Temple (Metzudot).
3.Pharaoh and his chieftains
Chapter 75
How great is Israel! During their holidays they do not engage in frivolity, but in song and praise, and the study of the holiday's laws. Also, when they proclaimed (at the giving of the Torah), "We will do and we will hear!" they allowed the world to remain in existence. This psalm also admonishes those who indulge in worldly pleasures and attribute their prosperity to their own efforts.
1. For the Conductor, a plea not to be destroyed. A psalm by Asaph, a song.
2. We gave thanks to You, O God, we gave thanks; and Your Name was near [when] they1 told of Your wonders.
3. When I choose the appointed time, I will judge with fairness.
4. When the earth and all its inhabitants were melting, I established its pillars forever.
5. I said to the perverse, "Do not pervert [Israel]," and to the wicked, "Do not raise your pride.”
6. Do not raise your pride heavenward, nor speak with an arrogant neck
7. For not from the east or the west, nor from the desert does greatness come.
8. For God is Judge; He humbles one, and elevates the other.
9. For there is a cup [of punishment] in the hand of the Lord, with strong wine of full mixture; He pours from this, and all the wicked of the earth will drink, draining even its dregs.
10. But as for me, I will tell of it forever; I will sing to the God of Jacob.
11. I will cut off all glory of the wicked, but the glory of the righteous will be raised up.
FOOTNOTES
1.Our ancestors.
Chapter 76
This psalm contains the prophecy of when the vast army of Sennacherib was seized with a deep slumber that rendered the hands of the soldiers powerless to raise their weapons; thus did they all fall in battle.
1. For the Conductor, with instrumental music, a psalm by Asaph, a song.
2. God is known in Judah, His Name is great in Israel.
3. His Tabernacle was in Shalem,1 and His dwelling place in Zion.
4. There He broke the flying arrows of the bow, the shield, the sword and battle-forever.
5. You are illumination, mightier than the mountains of prey.
6. The stout-hearted were without sense, they slept their sleep, and all the warriors were unable to find their strength.
7. At Your rebuke, O God of Jacob, chariot and horse were stunned.
8. You, awesome are You! Who can stand before You once You are enraged.
9. From heaven You let the verdict be heard; the earth feared and was still,
10. when God rose to pass judgement, to save all the humble of the earth forever.
11. The anger of man will cause us to thank You;2 You will restrain the residue of wrath.
12. Make vows to the Lord your God and fulfill them; all who surround Him will bring tribute to the Awesome One.
13. He cuts down the spirit of nobles; He is awesome to the kings of the earth.
FOOTNOTES
1.Jerusalem.
2.When the wicked are punished for being angry with Israel, Israel acknowledges God (Metzudot).
Tanya: Igeret HaTeshuva , middle of Chapter 4
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Igeret HaTeshuva , middle of Chapter 4
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אך הענין יובן על פי מה שכתוב: כי חלק ה׳ עמו וגו׳
The key to this will be found in the phrase,1 “For [G‑d’s] people are part of G‑d...”;
חלק משם הוי׳ ברוך הוא
[they are] part of the Four-Letter Name of G‑d.
כדכתיב: ויפח באפיו נשמת חיים
Thus, describing G‑d’s infusion of a soul into the body of Adam, it is written:2 “And He blew into his nostrils a soul of life,”
ומאן דנפח מתוכו נפח וכו׳
The metaphor of blowing signifies that the soul of a Jew originates in the innermost aspect of G‑dliness — in the Tetragrammaton, as shall be soon explained.
ואף שאין לו דמות הגוף וכו׳ חס ושלום
Now [G‑d] has no bodily form, and so on,5 G‑d forbid.
How, then, is it possible to say that G‑d “blew”, and to speak of a “part” of Himself?
אך דברה תורה כלשון בני אדם
However, the Torah6 “speaks as in the language of men,” i.e., anthropomorphically.
כי כמו שיש הפרש והבדל גדול באדם התחתון, על דרך משל, בין ההבל שיוצא מפיו בדבורו להבל היוצא על ידי נפיחה
By way of analogy: There exists a vast difference in the case of mortal man between the breath issuing from his mouth while speaking and the breath of forceful blowing.
שביוצא בדיבורו מלובש בו כח וחיות מעט מזעיר
The breath that issues with his speech embodies the soul’s power and life-force only minimally,
והוא בבחינת חיצוניות מנפש החיה שבקרבו
and that is only from the superficial aspect of the soul that dwells within him.
אבל ביוצא בכח הנופח דמתוכו נפח
But the breath that issues when he blows forcefully, from deep within himself,
מלובש בו כח וחיות פנימית מבחינת נפש החיה וכו׳
embodies the internal power and life-force of the vivifying soul….
Just as there exists a vast difference between man’s speaking and forceful blowing:
ככה ממש, על דרך משל, המבדיל הבדלות לאין קץ
Precisely so in the analogy [of Creation], allowing for the infinite differentiations involved [between Creator and created],
יש הפרש עצום מאד למעלה
there exists a prodigious difference Above,
בין כל צבא השמים, ואפילו המלאכים, שנבראו מאין ליש
between all the hosts of heaven, even the spiritual beings like angels, who were created ex nihilo,[and the soul of man].
וחיים וקיימים מבחינת חיצוניות החיות והשפע שמשפיע אין סוף ברוך הוא להחיות העולמות
They derive their life and existence from the external aspect of the life-force issuing forth from the Infinite One to vitalize creation.
ובחינה זו נקראת בשם רוח פיו, על דרך משל, כמו שכתוב: וברוח פיו כל צבאם
his [external] aspect of the life-giving power is called the “breath of His mouth,” as it were, as the verse states:7 “By the breath of His mouth all their hosts [were created].”
והיא בחינת חיות המלובשת באותיות שבעשרה מאמרות
This is the creative power embodied in the letters of the Ten Utterances
שהן בחינת כלים והמשכות וכו׳, כמו שכתוב בלקוטי אמרים חלק ב׳ פרק י״א
(8these letters being in the nature of vessels, and a drawing down and so forth of the life-force, as explained in Likutei Amarim, Part II, ch. 11).
ובין נשמת האדם שנמשכה תחלה מבחינת פנימיות החיות והשפע שמשפיע אין סוף ברוך הוא
In contrast, the soul of man derives initially from the innermost dimension of the life-force and flow issuing from the Infinite One,
כמו שכתוב: ויפח וגו׳
as in the verse quoted above, “And He blew….”
As mentioned earlier, this verb indicates the internal aspect of the Divine flow of life-force, for “he who blows, does so from his innermost being.”
Thus, the soul originated in the internal aspect of the life-force and flow issuing from G‑d. It is only afterwards, in order to enable it to be invested within the body, that the soul descended to a more external level, as the Alter Rebbe now goes on to say.
ואחר כך ירדה בסתר המדרגה, גם כן על ידי בחינת האותיות שבמאמר: נעשה אדם וגו׳
It then descended through ever more concealing planes, also (like the angels who were created by means of “letters”) by means of the letters that comprise the Divine Utterance,9 “Let us make man...,”
כדי להתלבש בגוף עולם הזה התחתון
in order that it could eventually be invested in a body in this inferior, [physical] world.
This, then, is the difference between souls and angels: Souls derive from the innermost aspect of G‑dliness, the Tetragrammaton, while angels are rooted in the external aspect of G‑dliness, the Divine Name Elokim, as is now explained.
ולכן נקראו המלאכים בשם אלקים בכתוב
For this reason Scripture calls the angels “Elokim”,
וכמו שכתוב: כי ה׳ אלקיכם הוא אלקי האלקים גו׳
as10 in the phrase,11 “For the L‑rd your G‑d, 12He is the G‑d of G‑ds (Elokim).,” the last word here referring to angels,
הודו לאלקי האלקים גו׳
[and likewise],13 “Praise the G‑d of G‑ds (Elokim).,” once again referring to angels by the name“Elokim”,
ויבואו בני האלקים להתייצב גו׳
and (in yet another reference to angels),14 “The sons of G‑d (Elokim) came to present themselves….”
The Name Elokim is applied to angels:
לפי שיניקת חיותם היא מבחינת חיצוניות, שהיא בחינת האותיות לבד
Because they derive their nurture from the external degree [of G‑dliness], which is merely the state of “letters”.
ושם אלקים הוא בחינת חיצוניות לגבי שם הויה ברוך הוא
Similarly, the Name Elokim is an external state relative to the Tetragrammaton.
אבל נשמת האדם, שהיא מבחינת פנימיות החיות, היא חלק שם הויה ברוך הוא
But the soul of man, deriving from the internal aspect of the G‑dly vivifying power, is a part of the Tetragrammaton,
כי שם הויה מורה על פנימיות החיות, שהיא למעלה מעלה מבחינת האותיות
for the Tetragrammaton indicates the innermost dimension of the life-giving power, which far transcends the state of letters.
| FOOTNOTES | |
| 1. | Devarim 32:9. |
| 2. | Bereishit 2:7. |
| 3. | See above, Part I, beg. of ch. 2, citing the Zohar. |
| 4. | The Rebbe suggests that “etc.” alludes to the continuation of this statement above, Part I, beg. of ch. 2: “...from his inwardness and his innermost being.” |
| 5. | Note of the Rebbe: “ ‘Etc.’ signifies ‘nor body’ — from the hymn entitled Yigdal. See also beg. of Likutei Torah leGimmel Parshiyot.” |
| 6. | Berachot 31b. |
| 7. | Tehillim 33:6. |
| 8. | Parentheses are in the original text. |
| 9. | Bereishit 1:26. |
| 10. | The Rebbe notes that the Alter Rebbe cites three verses to adduce that angels are called Elokim, possibly in order to allude to the three general categories of angels — in the Worlds of Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah. The angels closest to souls (souls having “arisen in the Divine thought”) are those of the World of Beriah, the World of Thought. They are alluded to in the first verse, which states that “Your G‑d,” i.e., the G‑d of souls, is “the G‑d of angels.” The second verse, which mentions neither “Your G‑d” nor the Tetragrammaton, may be said to refer to the angels in the World of Yetzirah. The final verse, which speaks of the angels who give testimony with regard to the worldly affairs of man, may be said to apply to the angels of the nethermost world, the World of Asiyah. |
| 11. | Devarim 10:17. |
| 12. | In line with Scripture, the Rebbe restored the word “He” to the paraphrase in the text. |
| 13. | Tehillim 136:2. |
| 14. | Iyov 1:6. |
• Sefer Hamitzvot:
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Shabbat, Tammuz 14, 5777 · July 8, 2017
A daily digest of Maimonides’ classic work "Sefer Hamitzvot"
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Positive Commandment 225
Exiling an Inadvertent Murderer to a City of Refuge
"And he shall live there until the death of the high priest"—Numbers 35:25.
The courts are commanded to exile a person guilty of manslaughter to a city of refuge. The killer must remain there [until the death of the serving high priest]: "There he must dwell, there he shall die, there he shall be buried."
Full text of this Mitzvah »
Exiling an Inadvertent Murderer to a City of Refuge
Positive Commandment 225
Translated by Berel Bell
The 225th mitzvah is that we are commanded to exile a person who has killed another unintentionally from his city to one of the refuge cities.
The source of this commandment is G‑d's statement1 (exalted be He), "[The killer] must live there until the death of the kohen gadol."
In the words of the Sifri, "In the phrase '[The killer] must live there,' the word 'there' means he may never leave there. There he shall live, there he shall die, and there he shall be buried."
The details of this mitzvah are explained in tractate Makkos.2
FOOTNOTES
1.Ibid., 35:25.
2.7a ff.
Negative Commandment 295
Accepting a Ransom from an Intentional Murderer
"You shall take no ransom for the life of a murderer who is guilty of death"—Numbers 35:31.
It is forbidden to take a monetary payment from a person guilty of murder to exempt him from capital punishment.
Full text of this Mitzvah »
Accepting a Ransom from an Intentional Murderer
Negative Commandment 295
Translated by Berel Bell
The 295th prohibition is that we are forbidden from taking ransom money [to spare] someone who has committed murder intentionally. Rather, he must be executed.
The source of this prohibition is G‑d's statement1 (exalted be He), "Do not take ransom for the life of a murderer who is under the death penalty."
The details of this mitzvah are explained in tractate Makkos.
FOOTNOTES
1.Num. 35:31.
Negative Commandment 292
Executing a Criminal before he Stands Trial
"The murderer shall not die until he stands before the congregation in judgment"—Numbers 35:12.
It is forbidden to execute a criminal guilty of committing a capital crime before he receives due process before a rabbinical court. (This prohibition applies after the crime was committed. With regards to a criminal in the process of executing a crime, see Negative Commandment 293.)
Even if the members of the High Court witness the execution of a capital offense, they must serve as witnesses (before another panel of judges) who will adjudicate the case.
Full text of this Mitzvah »
Executing a Criminal before he Stands Trial
Negative Commandment 292
Translated by Berel Bell
The 292nd prohibition is that we are forbidden from killing someone who has already done1 something punishable by death before he is brought to High Court. Rather, we must bring him to High Court and present the evidence against him. We must be only witnesses [not judges], and they will determine his guilt.
The source of this prohibition is G‑d's statement2 (exalted be He), "The murderer shall not die until he stands before the court in judgment."
In the words of the Mechilta,3 "One might think that [the witnesses] may kill the person after he has committed murder or adultery. The Torah therefore says, 'The murderer shall not die until he stands ...' " Even if the Great Sanhedrin saw him commit the murder, they may only be witnesses and testify before another court [rather than themselves act as judges]; and that court will execute him.
The Mechilta also says, "In a case where a court saw a person commit murder, you might think that they may execute him even before he is judged. The Torah therefore says, 'The murderer shall not die until he stands before the court in judgment.' "
FOOTNOTES
1.If he has not yet done the crime, N293 applies.
2.Num. 35:12.
3.See Sifri Zuta. Kapach, 5731, footnote 34.
Rambam:• 1 Chapter A Day: Sanhedrin veha`Onashin haMesurin lahem Sanhedrin veha`Onashin haMesurin lahem - Chapter 1
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Introduction to Hilchos
"Open your mouth, judge righteously, and render justice for the poor and indigent" Proverbs 31:9
The fourteenth book,
Sefer Shoftim
The Book of Judges
It contains five halachot. They are: Hilchot Sanhedrin V'HaOnshin Hamesurim Lahem - The laws of the courts and the penalties placed under their jurisdiction
Hilchot Edut - The laws of witnesses
Hilchot Mamrim - The laws of the rebellious ones
Hilchot Evel - The laws of mourning
Hilchot Melachim UMilchamotehem - The laws of kings and their wars
Introduction to Hilchos Sanhedrin veha`Onashin haMesurin lahem
These laws contain 30 mitzvot: Ten positive commandments and twenty negative commandments. They are:
1. To appoint judges,
2. Not to appoint a judge who does not know the proper manner of judgment
3. To follow the majority if there is a difference of opinion among the judges
4. Not to issue a death sentence if there is a majority of only one condemning the defendant; rather, a majority of at least two is necessary,
5. For a judge who argued in favor of acquittal in a capital case not to argue for a conviction,
6. To execute by stoning the condemned to death,
7. To execute by burning the condemned to death,
8. To execute by decapitation,
9. To execute by strangulation,
10. To hang the corpses of certain sinners who were executed,
11. To bury the executed person on the day of his execution,
12. Not to allow his corpse to remain unburied overnight,
13. Not to allow a sorcerer to live,
14. To punish a sinner with lashes,
15. Not to add blows when lashing a sinner,
16. Not to punish a person forced to commit a sin,
17. Not to kill an innocent person based on an apparent conclusion,
18. Not to have mercy on a person who killed or injured a colleague,
19. Not to have mercy on a poor person in judgment,
20. Not to honor a man of stature in judgment,
21. Not to pervert judgment against a sinner even though he is known to be a transgressor,
22. Not to act deceitfully in judgment,
23. Not to pervert the justice due converts or orphans,
24. To render a righteous judgment,
25. For a Judge not to fear rendering a just judgment because of a powerful person,
26. Not to accept a bribe,
27. Not to curse the judges,
28. Not to accept a false report,
29. Not to curse the nasi,
30. Not to curse any other Jew of moral repute.
The explanation of these mitzvot is found in the coming chapters.
הלכות סנהדרין פרק ראשון - הקדמה
הלכות סנהדרין והעונשין המסורין להם יש בכללן שלשים מצות עשר מצות עשה ועשרים מצות לא תעשה וזה הוא פרטן:
(א) למנות שופטים
(ב) שלא למנות דיין שאינו יודע דרך המשפט
(ג) לנטות אחרי רבים אם נחלקו השופטים
(ד) שלא להרוג אם רבו המחייבין באיש אחד עד שיהיו יתר שנים
(ה) שלא ילמד חובה מי שלמד זכות בדיני נפשות
(ו) להרוג בסקילה
(ז) להרוג בשריפה
(ח) להרוג בסייף
(ט) להרוג בחנק
(י) לתלות
(יא) לקבור הנהרג ביום הריגתו
(יב) שלא תלין נבלתו
(יג) שלא להחיות מכשף
(יד) להלקות הרשע
(טו) שלא יוסיף בהכאת הלוקה
(טז) שלא לענוש אנוס
(יז) שלא להרוג דם נקי באומד הדעת
(יח) שלא לחוס על הורג חבירו או חובל בו
(יט) שלא לרחם את הדל בדין
(כ) שלא להדר גדול בדין
(כא) שלא להטות הדין על בעלי עבירות אע"פ שהוא חוטא
(כב) שלא לעוות משפט
(כג) שלא להטות משפט גר ויתום
(כד) לשפוט בצדק
(כה) שלא לירא בדין מאיש זרוע
(כו) שלא ליקח שוחד
(כז) שלא לקלל הדיינים
(כח) שלא לישא שמע שוא
(כט) שלא לקלל הנשיא
(ל) שלא לקלל אדם משאר בני ישראל הכשרים
וביאור מצות אלו בפרקים אלו:
1
It is a positive Scriptural commandment to appoint judges and enforcement officers in every city and in every region, as Deuteronomy 16:18 states: "Appoint judges and enforcement officers in all your gates."
"Judges" refers to magistrates whose attendance is fixed in court, before whom the litigants appear. "Enforcement officers" refers to those equipped with a billet and a lash who stand before the judges and patrol the market places and the streets to inspect the stores and to regulate the prices and the measures. They inflict corporal punishment on all offenders. Their deeds are controlled entirely by the judges.
Whenever a person is seen perpetrating injustice, they should bring his to the court, where he will be judged according to his wickedness.
א
מצות עשה של תורה למנות שופטים ושוטרים בכל מדינה ומדינה ובכל פלך ופלך שנאמר שופטים ושוטרים תתן לך בכל שעריך שופטים אלו הדיינים הקבועין בבית דין ובעלי דינין באים לפניהם שוטרים אלו בעלי מקל ורצועה והם עומדים לפני הדיינין המסבבין בשווקים וברחובות ועל החנויות לתקן השערים והמדות ולהכות כל מעוות וכל מעשיהם ע"פ הדיינים וכל שיראו בו עוות דבר מביאין אותו לבית דין ודנין אותו כפי רשעו:
2
We are obligated to appoint courts in every region and in every city only in Eretz Yisrael. In the diaspora, by contrast, we are not obligated to appoint courts in every region. This is derived from the continuation of the above verse: "Appoint...in all your gates which God your Lord is giving you for your tribes."
ב
אין אנו חייבין להעמיד בתי דינים בכל פלך ופלך ובכל עיר ועיר אלא בארץ ישראל בלבד אבל בחוצה לארץ אינן חייבין להעמיד בית דין בכל פלך ופלך שנאמר תתן לך בכל שעריך אשר ה' אלהיך נותן לך לשבטיך:
3
How many established courts should there be among the Jewish people and how many judges should there be in each court?
First, a supreme court is established in the Temple. This is called the Great Sanhedrin. It was composed of 71 judges. This is derived from Numbers 11:16 which states: "Gather for Me seventy men from the elders of Israel." And Moses presided over them, as the verse continues: "And they shall stand there with you." Thus there are 71.
The one who is of greatest knowledge is placed as the head over them. He acts as the Rosh Yeshivah. And he is called the nasi by the Sages in all sources. He assumes the position of Moses our teacher.
The greatest among the remaining 70 is appointed as an assistant to the head. He sits at his right and is called av beit din. The remaining judges from the 70 sit before them and are seated according to their age and according to their stature. Whoever possesses greater wisdom than his colleague is seated closer than his colleagues to the nasi on his left. The members of the Sanhedrin sit in a semi-circle so that the nasi and the av beit din can see all of them.
In addition, two courts of 23 judges each are appointed. One holds sessions at the entrance to the Temple courtyard. and the other at the entrance to the Temple Mount.
In addition, in every city in Israel in which their are 120 or more adult males, we appoint a minor Sanhedrin. They hold court at the entrance to the city, as implied by Amos 5:15: "And you shall present judgment in your gates." How many judges should be in such a court? 23. The one who possesses the greatest wisdom is the chief justice and the remainder sit in a semi-circle so that the chief justice can see all of them.
ג
כמה בתי דינין קבועין יהיו בישראל וכמה יהיה מניינן קובעין בתחלה בית דין הגדול במקדש והוא הנקרא סנהדרי גדולה ומניינם שבעים ואחד שנאמר אספה לי שבעים איש מזקני ישראל ומשה על גביהן שנאמר והתיצבו שם עמך הרי שבעים ואחד הגדול בחכמה שבכולן מושיבין אותו ראש עליהן והוא ראש הישיבה והוא שקורין אותו החכמים נשיא בכל מקום והוא העומד תחת משה רבינו ומושיבין הגדול שבשבעים משנה לראש ויושב מימינו והוא הנקרא אב בית דין ושאר השבעים יושבין לפניו כפי שניהם וכפי מעלתם כל הגדול מחבירו בחכמה יהיה קרוב לנשיא משמאלו יותר מחבירו והם יושבין בכמו חצי גורן בעיגול כדי שיהיה הנשיא עם אב בית דין רואין כולן ועוד מעמידין שני בתי דינין של עשרים ושלשה עשרים ושלשה אחד על פתח העזרה ואחד על פתח הר הבית ומעמידין בכל עיר ועיר מישראל שיש בה מאה ועשרים או יותר סנהדרי קטנה ויושבת בשער העיר שנאמר והציגו בשער משפט וכמה יהיה מניינם עשרים ושלשה דיינים והגדול בחכמה שבכולן ראש עליהן והשאר יושבין בעיגול כמו חצי גורן כדי שיהא הראש רואה את כולן:
4
When there are less than 120 adult males in a city, we appoint a court of three judges. For a court should never be less than three. In that way, there will be a majority and a minority if there is a difference of opinion in any particular judgment.
ד
עיר שאין בה מאה ועשרים מעמידין בה שלשה דיינים שאין בית דין פחות משלשה כדי שיהא בהן רוב ומיעוט אם היתה ביניהן מחלוקת בדין מן הדינין:
5
When a city does not possess two sages of great knowledge - 0ne fit to teach and issue rulings with regard to the entire Torah and one who knows how to listen diligently and knows how to raise questions and arrive at solutions - a court should not be appointed for it even though thousands of Jews live there.
ה
כל עיר שאין בה שני חכמים גדולים אחד ראוי ללמד ולהורות בכל התורה כולה ואחד יודע לשמוע ויודע לשאול ולהשיב אין מושיבין בה סנהדרין אף על פי שיש בה אלפים מישראל:
6
When a court has two judges of this caliber: one capable of listening with regard to the entire Torah, and one capable of expounding, it is a valid court. If there are three, it is of intermediate esteem. If the court possess four judges who can expound upon the entire Torah, it is a wise court.
ו
סנהדרין שיש בה שנים אלו אחד ראוי לשמוע ואחד ראוי לדבר הרי זו סנהדרין היו בה שלשה הרי זו בינונית היו בה ארבעה יודעים לדבר הרי זו סנהדרי חכמה:
7
We sit three rows of Torah scholars before every minor Sanhedrin. In each row, there are 23 men. The first row is seated next to the Sanhedrin, the second row below it, and the third row below it. In each row, the scholars are seated in the order of their level of wisdom.
ז
כל סנהדרי קטנה מושיבין לפניהן שלש שורות של תלמידי חכמים בכל שורה ושורה עשרים ושלשה איש שורה ראשונה קרובה לסנהדרין ושורה שנייה למטה הימנה ושלישית למטה הימנה וכל שורה ושורה יושבין בה לפי מעלתן בחכמה:
8
If there is a difference of opinion among the judges and it is necessary to grant semichah to one student to add to the number, the scholar of the greatest stature from the first row is granted semichah. The first scholar in the second row advances and sits in the first row to make up for the lack, and the first scholar in the third row advances and sits in the second row to make up for the lack. One of the remaining people is chosen and is seated in the third row. Similarly, if they must grant semichah to a second or third judge, they follow this pattern.
ח
אם נחלקו הסנהדרין והוצרכו לסמוך אחד להוסיף על מניינן סומכין מן הראשונה גדול שבה והראשון שבשורה שנייה בא ויושב בסוף שורה הראשונה כדי למלאות חסרונה והראשון שבשלישית בא ויושב בסוף שורה שנייה ובוררין להן אחד משאר הקהל ומושיבין אותו בסוף שורה שלישית וכן אם צרכו לסמוך שני או שלישי על הסדר הזה הם עושים:
9
Whenever a Sanhedrin functions, two legal scribes should stand before them: one at the right and one at the left. One writes the arguments of those who seek to hold the defendant liable, and one writes the arguments of those who seek to exonerate him.
ט
כל מקום שיש בו סנהדרין יהיו שם שני סופרי דיינים עומדין לפניהם אחד מן הימין ואחד מן השמאל אחד כותב דברי המחייבין ואחד כותב דברי המזכים:
10
Why is a Sanhedrin appointed only in a city with a population of 120? So that there will be a Sanhedrin of 23 judges, three rows of 23 students each, ten sitters in the synagogue, two scribes, two court officers, two litigants, two witnesses, two witnesses who seek to invalidate the testimony of the witnesses, two witnesses who seek to invalidate the testimony of the second pair of witnesses and restore the validity of the first, two charity collectors, and a third to distribute these collections, a doctor who is a bloodletter, a scribe, and a teacher for young children. This reaches a total of 120.
י
ולמה אין סנהדרין אלא בעיר שיש בה מאה ועשרים כדי שיהיה מהן סנהדרין של עשרים ושלשה ושלש שורות של עשרים ושלשה ועשרה בטלנין של בית הכנסת ושני סופרים ושני חזנים ושני בעלי דינין ושני עדים ושני זוממין ושני זוממי זוממין ושני גבאי צדקה ועוד אחד כדי שיהיו שלשה לחלק צדקה ורופא אומן ולבלר ומלמד תינוקות הרי מאה ועשרים:
Rambam:• 3 Chapters A Day: Rotzeach uShmirat Nefesh Rotzeach uShmirat Nefesh - Chapter Two, Rotzeach uShmirat Nefesh Rotzeach uShmirat Nefesh - Chapter Three, Rotzeach uShmirat Nefesh Rotzeach uShmirat Nefesh - Chapter Four
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Audio: Listen | Download | Video ClassRotzeach uShmirat Nefesh - Chapter Two
1
Whenever a person kills a colleague with his hands - e.g., he strikes him with a sword or with a stone that can cause death, strangles him until he dies or burns him in fire - he should be executed by the court, for he himself has killed him.
א
כל ההורג חבירו בידו כגון שהכהו בסייף או באבן הממיתה. או שחנקו עד שמת. או שרפו באש. הואיל והרגו מכל מקום הוא בעצמו הרי זה נהרג בבית דין:
2
But a person who hires a murderer to kill a colleague, one who sends his servants and they kill him, one who binds a colleague and leaves him before a lion or the like and the beast kills him, and a person who commits suicide are all considered to be shedders of blood; the sin of bloodshed is upon their hands, and they are liable for death at the hands of God. They are not, however, liable for execution by the court.
ב
אבל [א] השוכר הורג להרוג את חבירו או ששלח עבדיו והרגוהו. או שכפתו והניחו לפני הארי וכיוצא בו והרגתהו חיה וכן ההורג את עצמו. כל אחד מאלו שופך דמים הוא. ועון הריגה בידו וחייב מיתה לשמים ואין בהן מיתת בית דין:
3
Which source indicates that this is the law? Genesis 9:6 states: "When a person sheds the blood of a man, by a man his blood shall be shed." This refers to a person who kills a colleague by himself, without employing an agent.
The verse continues: "Of the blood of your own lives I will demand an account." This refers to a person who commits suicide.6
"From the hand of every wild beast will I demand an account" Ibid. 9:5 This refers to a person who places a person before a wild beast so that he will devour him.
"From the hand of a man, from the hand of one's brother, will I demand an account for the soul of a man" ibid.. This refers to a person who hires others to kill a colleague. In all of the three last instances, the verse uses the expression "will I demand an account," indicating that their judgment is in heaven's hands.
ג
ומנין שכן הוא הדין שנאמר א שופך דם האדם באדם דמו ישפך זה ההורג בעצמו שלא על ידי שליח. את דמכם לנפשותיכם אדרוש זה הורג עצמו. מיד כל חיה אדרשנו זה המוסר חבירו לפני חיה לטרפו. מיד האדם מיד איש אחיו אדרוש את נפש האדם זה השוכר אחרים להרוג את חבירו. ובפירוש נאמר בשלשתן לשון דרישה הרי דינם מסור לשמים:
4
When a Jewish king desires to slay any of these murderers and the like - who are not liable for execution by the court - by virtue of his regal authority, in order to perfect society, he has the license.
Similarly, if the court desires to execute them as a result of a immediate fiat, because this was required at the time, they have the license to do as they see fit.
ד
וכל אלו הרצחנים וכיוצא בהן שאינן מחוייבין מיתת בית דין. אם רצה מלך ישראל להרגם בדין המלכות ותקנת העולם הרשות בידו. וכן אם ראו בית דין להרגם בהוראת שעה. אם היתה השעה צריכה לכך יש להם רשות כפי מה שיראו:
5
If the king did not execute them, nor did the court deem the time as such to require strengthening the strictures against murder, it should nevertheless have the murderer beaten with severe blows - so that he is on the verge of death - and imprisoned, deprived and afflicted with all types of discomfort in order to strike fear and awe into the hearts of other wicked men, so that this death should not be a stumbling block and a snag for them, causing them to say: "Let me arrange to have my enemies killed the way so-and-so did, and I will not suffer the consequences."
ה
הרי שלא הרגם המלך ולא היתה השעה צריכה לכך לחזק הדבר הרי בית דין חייבין מכל מקום להכותם מכה רבה הקרובה למיתה לאסרם במצור ובמצוק שנים רבות ולצערן בכל מיני צער כדי להפחיד ולאיים על שאר הרשעים שלא יהיה הדבר להם לפוקה ולמכשול ויאמר הריני מסבב להרוג אויבי כדרך שעשה פלוני ואפטר:
6
Whether a person kills an adult or an infant that is one day old, a male or a female, he should be executed if he killed him intentionally, or exiled if he killed him unintentionally.
With regard to an infant, the above applies provided it was born after a full term pregnancy. If, however, it was born before nine months passed, it is considered to be an inviable birth until it lives for 30 days. If it is killed within those 30 days, the killer should not be executed.
ו
אחד ההורג את הגדול או את הקטן בן יומו. בין זכר בין נקבה. הרי זה נהרג עליו אם הרג בזדון. או גולה אם הרג בשגגה. והוא שכלו לו חדשיו. אבל אם נולד לפחות מתשעה חדשים הרי הוא כנפל עד שישהה שלשים יום וההורגו בתוך שלשים יום אינו נהרג עליו:
7
Whether a person kills a healthy person, a sick person who is on the verge of dying, or even a person in his actual death throes, the killer should be executed. If, however, one kills a person in his death throes because of wounds inflicted upon him by others - i.e., he was stricken until he was on the verge of death, and he is in his death throes, the killer should not be executed by the court.
ז
אחד ההורג את הבריא או את החולה הנוטה למות. ואפילו הרג את הגוסס נהרג עליו. ואם היה גוסס בידי אדם כגון שהכוהו עד שנטה למות והרי הוא גוסס. ההורגו אין בית דין ממיתין אותו:
8
When, by contrast, a person is considered trefah,even though he eats, drinks and walks in the market place, one is not held liable by an earthly court for killing him.
Every person is presumed to be physically sound, and a person who kills him should be executed unless it is certainly known that he is a trefah, and the physicians say that his infirmity does not have any remedy for humans and it will surely cause his death, if no other factor does first.
ח
ההורג את הטריפה אע"פ שאוכל ושותה ומהלך בשוק הרי זה פטור מדיני אדם. וכל אדם בחזקת שלם והורגו נהרג עד שיוודע בודאי שזה טריפה ויאמרו הרופאים שמכה זו אין לה תעלה באדם ובה ימות אם לא ימיתנו דבר אחר:
9
When a person who is a trefah kills another man, he should be killed, as reflected by Deuteronomy 19:19, which states: "And you shall destroy the evil from among your midst."
When does this apply? When he committed the murder in the presence of a court. If, however, he committed the murder in the presence of witnesses, he is not liable. The rationale is that the witnesses may be disqualified through hazamah. And if they are disqualified through hazamah, they will not be punished by execution, for they intended merely to have a person who was trefah executed. And whenever the laws of hazamah cannot be applied to testimony, it is not considered to be valid testimony in capital cases.
ט
אדם טריפה שהרג את הנפש נהרג שנאמר ובערת הרע מקרבך. והוא שיהרוג בפני בית דין אבל בפני עדים פטור שמא יזומו ואם הוזמו אינן נהרגין שהרי לא זממו אלא להרוג טריפה וכל עדות שאינה ראוי להזמה אינה עדות בדיני נפשות:
10
If a person kills either a Jew or a Canaanite servant, he should be executed. If he kills inadvertently, he should be exiled.
י
אחד ההורג את ישראל א או ההורג עבד כנעני הרי זה נהרג עליו. ואם הרג בשגגה גולה:
11
At first, a person who killed a resident alienshould not be executed by the court, as implied by Exodus 21:14, which introduces the laws regarding the punishment for murder, by stating: "When a man acts intentionally against his colleague, killing him...." Needless to say, this ruling applies with regard to a gentile.
Whether a person kills his own Canaanite servant or a servant belonging to someone else, he should be executed. For a servant has accepted the yoke of mitzvot and has been added to "the heritage of God."
יא
בראשונה מי שהרג גר תושב אינו נהרג עליו בבית דין שנאמר וכי יזיד איש על רעהו. ואין צריך לומר שאינו נהרג על העובד כוכבים. ואחד ההורג את עבד אחרים או ההורג עבדו הרי זה נהרג עליו שהעבד קבל עליו מצות ונוסף על נחלת ה':
12
What is the difference between killing one's own Canaanite servant and a servant belonging to someone else? With regard to one's own servant, one has the right to strike him. Thus, if one strikes him with a blow that is sufficient to cause death, and he is on the verge of dying, but survives for 24 hours and dies afterwards, the owner should not be executed, although the servant died because of the blow, as Exodus 21:21 states: "But if he survives for a day or two, he shall not be avenged, for he is his property."
What is the intent of the phrase "for a day or two"? A day that is like two days - i.e., a full 24-hour cycle.
יב
מה בין עבדו לעבד אחרים. שעבדו יש לו רשות להכותו לפיכך אם הכהו הכאה שיש בה כדי להמית ונטה למות ועמד עשרים וארבע שעות ואחר כך מת לא היה נהרג עליו אע"פ שמת מחמת המכה שנאמר לא יוקם כי כספו הוא. ומהו יום או יומים יום שהוא כיומים שהוא מעת לעת:
13
Different rules apply when, by contrast, one strikes a Canaanite servant who belongs to another person. If one strikes him with a blow sufficient to kill, one may be executed for killing him, as one would be executed for killing any free Jew, even if he does not die because of the blow until several days have passed.
יג
אבל המכה עבד שאינו שלו. אפילו מת לאחר כמה ימים מחמת המכה הואיל והכהו כדי להמית הרי זה נהרג עליו כשאר בני חורין:
14
It appears to me that when a person strikes his servant with a knife, a sword, a stone, a fist or the like, and it was assessed that he would die, and he did die, the leniency granted if the servant survives more than 24 hours does not apply. Instead, even if the servant dies a year later, the owner should be executed because of the servant's death.
To underscore this point, Exodus 21:20 mentions striking the servant "with a rod." For the Torah has granted the owner permission to beat his servant only with a rod, a staff, a strap or the like, and he may not strike him with murderous blows.
יד
יראה לי [ב] שהמכה את עבדו בסכין וסייף או באבן ואגרוף וכיוצא בהן ואמדוהו למיתה ומת אינו בדין יום או יומים אלא אפילו מת לאחר שנה נהרג עליו. לכך נאמר בשבט שלא נתנה תורה רשות להכותו אלא בשבט ומקל ורצועה וכיוצא בהן ולא בהכאת רציחה:
15
The following rules apply when a person sells his servant and stipulates that the servant must continue to serve him for 30 days - and in those 30 days, either the seller or the purchaser strikes the servant - the leniency granted if the servant survives more than 24 hours does not apply, neither to the seller nor to the purchaser, and the killer should be executed.
The rationale is that the servant no longer is the personal "property" of the seller, nor has he entered the domain of the purchaser.
טו
המוכר עבדו ופסק עמו שישמשנו שלשים יום והכהו אחר מהן בתוך השלשים יום והמיתו. הרי זה נהרג עליו ואינו בדין [ג] יום או יומים. הראשון לפי שאינו כספו המיוחד לו. והשני לפי שאינו עדיין תחתיו:
16
Similarly, if a person is half servant and half free,or there is a servant belonging to two partners, and the owner or one of the owners strikes and kills the servant, the leniency granted if the servant survives more than 24 hours does not apply. For in these cases, there is not an owner who owns the servant as his personal "property." Therefore, the owner should be executed, as would any other person.
טז
וכן מי שחציו עבד וחציו בן חורין ועבד של שני שותפין אינן בדין יום או יומים. שהרי אינו לאחד מהן כספו המיוחד לו ולפיכך נהרג עליו כשאר העם:
Rotzeach uShmirat Nefesh - Chapter Three
1
The following rule applies when a person strikes a colleague intentionally with a stone or a piece of wood and causes his death. We assess the object with which he was struck, and the place where he was struck, and determine whether or not it is likely that such an article would cause death when used to give a blow in such a place.
This is implied by Numbers 35:17-18, which states: "If he struck him with a fist-sized stone that could cause death... or if he struck him with a fist-sized wooden article that could cause death." "That could cause death" teaches that the murder weapon must be such that would likely cause him to die.
Striking a person on his heart cannot be compared to striking him on his thigh.
א
המכה את חבירו בזדון באבן או בעץ והמיתו. אומדין דבר שהכהו בו ומקום שהכה עליו. אם ראוי אותו חפץ להמית באבר זה או אינו ראוי. שנאמר באבן יד אשר ימות בה הכהו או בכלי עץ אשר ימות בו הכהו. עד שיהיה בו כדי להמית. ואינו דומה מכהו על לבו למכהו על ירכו:
2
Since the verse states "That could cause death," this phrase also implies that we assess the place where the victim was struck.
Just as we assess the object with which he was struck, and the place where he was struck, we also assess the force of the blow. This is implied by the phrase (Ibid.): "a fist-sized stone," from which we infer that we evaluate the force of the hand. For one cannot compare a person who throws a stone at his colleague from a distance of two cubits to one who throws a stone from a distance of ten cubits. At ten cubits, the stone will have more force. Nor can one compare a person who throws a stone at his colleague from a distance of ten cubits to one who throws a stone from a distance of 100 cubits. For over an extended distance, the force of the blow will be diminished.
ב
הואיל ונאמר אשר ימות בה מכאן שאומדין מקום המכה. וכשם שאומדין החפץ שהכה בו ומקום המכה. כך אומדין כח ההכאה שנאמר באבן יד מכאן שמשערין את היד. אינו דומה זורק אבן בחבירו בריחוק שתי אמות לזורק בו בריחוק עשר שבריחוק עשר יהיה כחה יתר. ואינו דומה זורק בריחוק עשר לזורק בריחוק מאה שבריחוק המקום ביותר יתמעט כח ההכאה:
3
Similarly, the blow itself and the power of the killer and the victim should be assessed: Is he large or small? Is he strong or weak? Is he healthy or sickly? These and all similar questions should be investigated. This is all implied by the phrase: "That could cause death." It teaches that all the factors involved in the person's death should be assessed.
ג
וכן משערין המכה עצמה ומשערין כח ההורג וכח הנהרג. אם הוא גדול או קטן או חזק או חלש או בריא או חולה וכן כל כיוצא בזה. שנאמר אשר ימות בה מיתתו של זה משערין כל סבותיה:
4
The Torah did not mention a minimum size with regard to an iron object, as Numbers 35:16 states: "If he struck him with an iron utensil and he dies, he is a murderer." This applies even to a needle, provided the object is pointed like a needle, a spit, a knife or the like.
If, however, a person strikes a colleague with a hunk of metal or the like, we evaluate the blow as we would evaluate it if it had been dealt with a piece of wood or a stone.
ד
כלי ברזל לא נתנה בה תורה שיעור. שנאמר ואם בכלי ברזל הכהו וימות רוצח הוא ואפילו ג במחט. והוא שיהיה לו חוד כמו מחט או שפוד או סכין וכיוצא בהן. אבל אם הכהו בעשת של ברזל וכיוצא בה אומדין אותה כדרך שאומדין העץ או האבן:
5
When a person strikes a colleague without an object and kills him - e.g., he strikes him with his hand or foot or butts him with his head and kills him - we should assess the force of the blow, the strength of the victim and the place where the blow was given. One cannot compare a person poking at a colleague with his finger to one who kicks his colleague with all his strength. Nor can one compare a blow given on the heart to a blow given in the groin. Nor can one compare a weak person who strikes a healthy, strong person to a healthy, strong person who strikes a weak or sickly person.
ה
המכה את חבירו בלא כלי והמיתו. כגון שהכהו בידו או ברגלו או נגפו בראשו והמיתו משערין כח המכה וכח הנהרג ומקום המכה. אינו דומה דוחף חבירו באצבעו לבועט בו ברגלו בכל כחו. ואינו דומה מכהו על לבו למכהו על מתניו. ואינו דומה חלש המכה את הבריא החזק לבריא חזק המכה חלש או חולה:
6
What is the source that teaches that an assessment must be made in such an instance? Numbers 35:21 states: "Or if he maliciously strikes him with his hand and he dies, the one who strikes him shall certainly die." Although it mentions "with his hand," the verse also states that the blow must be given "maliciously." Implied is that we assess the force of the blow.
ו
ומנין שמשערין בכל אלו שנאמר או באיבה הכהו בידו וימות מות יומת המכה. אף על פי שנאמר בידו הצריך הכתוב להיות ההכאה באיבה מכלל שמשערין כח ההכאה:
7
Similarly, when a person pushes a colleague from a rooftop, causing him to fall and die, we assess the height of the place from which he pushed him and the strength of the person who was pushed. For an infant who fell cannot be compared to an adult who fell.
What is the source that teaches that we must assess the height from which the victim fell? Numbers 35:20 states: "If he pushes him down with hatred."
It appears to me that any place that is not more than ten handbreadths high is not considered of sufficient height to kill, as explained with regard to an animal that fell into a cistern.
ז
וכן הדוחף את חבירו מראש הגג ונפל ומת משערין גובה המקום שהפילו מעליו וכח הנדחף. שאינו דומה בן יומו שנפל לגדול שנפל. ומנין [א] שמשערין גובה המקום. שנאמר ואם בשנאה יהדפנו. ויראה לי א שכל מקום שאין בגובהו עשרה טפחים אין בו כדי להמית כמו שאמרו בבור לענין בהמה:
8
The same laws apply if a person strikes a colleague with a stone, a block of wood, a clod of earth, a block of salt or sulfur, or a basket full of dust or pebbles, or even if he strikes him with a cake of dried figs. This is implied by the phrase "That could cause death" - i.e., anything that may cause death. And it is the weight of the object that makes it fit to cause death.
ח
אחד המכה את חבירו באבן או בעץ. או שהכהו בגוש עפר או בגוש מלח וגפרית או בסל מלא עפר או צרורות ואפילו בפלח דבילה. שנאמר אשר ימות בה כל שהוא ראוי להמית והכובד הוא שממית:
9
When a person pushes a colleague into water or into a fire, an assessment should be made. If the person could ascend, the one who pushed him is not liable for execution. If he could not ascend, the one who pushed him is liable.
Similarly, if one held a colleague in water or in fire until he did not have any strength to ascend, and the colleague died, the one who held him is liable, even if he did not push him there at the outset.
Similarly, a person is liable for execution in all of the following instances: he held his hand over a colleague's mouth and nose until he left him in his death throes, unable to live; he bound a colleague and left him in the sun or the cold until he died; he built an airtight construction over him that prevented air from coming in; he placed a colleague in a house or a cave and filled it with smoke until he died; or he placed a colleague in an airtight marble building and lit a candle, causing the colleague to die because of the lack of air. In all of these instances, the person who caused the victim's death is executed; it is as if he had strangled him by hand.
ט
הדוחף את חבירו לתוך המים או לתוך האש אומדין אותו אם יכול לעלות משם פטור ממיתת בית דין ואם לאו חייב. וכן אם כבש עליו [בתוך המים או] בתוך האש עד שלא נשאר בו כח לעלות ומת חייב. אע"פ שאינו הוא הדוחף בתחילה. והוא הדין למניח ידו על פי חבירו וחוטמו עד שהניחו מפרפר ואינו יכול לחיות. או שכפתו והניחו בצנה או בחמה עד שמת. או שבנה עליו מקום עד שמנע ממנו הרוח. או שהכניסו למערה או לבית ועישן עליו עד שמת. או שהכניסו לבית של שיש והדליק עליו נר עד שהמיתו ההבל. בכל אלו נהרג עליו שזה כמו שחנקו בידו:
10
Different rules apply, however, in the following instances: A person binds a colleague and leaves him to starve to death; he binds him and leaves him in a place that will ultimately cause him to be subjected to cold or heat, and these influences indeed come and kill the victim; he covers him with a barrel; he uncovers the roof of the building where he was staying; or he causes a snake to bite him. Needless to say, a distinction is made if a colleague dispatches a dog or a snake at a colleague. In all the above instances, the person is not executed. He is, nevertheless, considered to be a murderer, and "the One who seeks vengeance for bloodshed" will seek vengeance for the blood he shed.
י
אבל הכופת את חבירו והניחו ברעב עד שמת. או שכפתו והניחו במקום שסוף הצנה או החמה לבוא לשם ובאה והמיתתו. או שכפה עליו גיגית. או שפרע עליו את המעזיבה. או שהשיך עליו את הנחש. ואין צריך לומר אם שסה בו כלב או נחש. בכל אלו אין ממיתין אותו והרי הוא רוצח. ודורש דמים דורש ממנו דם:
11
Similarly execution is not required in the following instances. A person pushed his colleague into a cistern and there was a ladder that he could have used to climb out, or he shot an arrow at him, but he was holding a shield with which he could protect himself - and another person came and took away the ladder or the shield. Neither of the two is executed by the court.
Moreover, even if the person who pushed the victim is himself the one who takes away the ladder, he is not liable for execution. God will, however, seek him out and avenge the bloodshed.
יא
וכן הדוחף חבירו בבור והיה שם סולם שיכול לעלות עליו. או שזרק בו חץ והיה תריס בידו להגן עליו ובא אחר וסלק את הסולם והסיר את התריס. שניהן אין נהרגין בבית דין. אפילו היה הדוחף עצמו הוא שחזר וסלק הסולם פטור ממיתת בית דין ונדרש ממנו הדם:
12
When a person throws a stone against a wall, and the stone rebounds and kills a person, the thrower of the stone is liable for execution by the court. For it was propelled by the power of the person who threw it.
A similar principle applies with regard to a person playing with a ball, who was given a warning and caused death by throwing it. If the victim was within four cubits of the wall, he is not liable. If the victim was beyond four cubits away, even if he was standing at the end of a distance of 100 cubits, the thrower is liable, provided the ball is of sufficient weight to kill, as explained.
יב
הזורק צרור בכותל וחזרה האבן לאחוריה והרגה חייב מיתת בית דין שמכחו היא באה. וכן אלו שמשחקין בכדור שהתרו בהן והרגו. בתוך ארבע אמות פטורין. חוץ לארבע אמות אפילו לסוף מאה אמה חייבין. והוא שיש בה כדי להמית כמו שביארנו:
13
If a person threw a stone upward and it went to the side and caused death, the one who threw it is liable.
If a person binds a colleague and puts him in a place where he cannot flee, and then turns a current of water on him, causing him to die, the killer should be executed. This law applies provided the victim dies from the first burst of water that flows because of his deeds.
יג
זרק אבן למעלה והלכה לצדדין והרגה חייב. הכופת את חבירו והניחו במקום שאינו יכול לברוח והציף עליו מים ומת הרי זה נהרג עליו. והוא שימות מכח ראשון הבא ממעשיו:
Rotzeach uShmirat Nefesh - Chapter Four
1
A person who intended to kill one person and instead killed another is not liable - neither for execution by the court, nor for financial liability, nor for exile.
He is not liable for exile because the cities of refuge will not serve as protection for him, as will be explained.
Therefore, a person who throws a stone into a group of Jews without the intent of killing any specific person is not liable for execution by the court, even though he in fact kills a person.
א
המתכוין ב להרוג את זה והרג את זה פטור ממיתת בית דין ומן התשלומין ומן הגלות. לפי שאין ערי מקלט קולטות אותו כמו שיתבאר. לפיכך הזורק אבן לתוך עדה מישראל והרג אחד מהן פטור ממיתת בית דין:
2
Similarly, a killer is not held liable for execution in the following instances. He intended to strike a colleague on his loins, and the utensil was not sufficient to kill if it struck a person on his loins, but it instead struck him on his heart and he died. Or a person intended to strike a colleague on his heart, and the blow was sufficient to kill had it struck him on the heart, but instead it struck the victim on his loins and it was not sufficient to kill an ordinary person if it struck him on his loins, but this person died. In these instances, the killer is not liable for execution by the court, nor is he exiled, because a person who kills intentionally is never exiled.
If, however, he intended to strike him on his loins, and the blow was sufficient to kill him if it struck him on his loins, but it struck him on his heart, killing him, the killer should be executed. Similar principles apply in all analogous instances.
ב
נתכוון להכות את חבירו על מתניו ולא היה בכלי כדי להמית על מתניו והלכה לה האבן על לבו והיה בה כדי להמית על לבו ומת. או שנתכוון להכותו על לבו והיה בה כדי להמית על לבו והלכה לה האבן על מתניו ולא היה בה כדי להמית על מתניו ומת. פטור ממיתת בית דין ואינו גולה שאין ההורג בכוונה גולה. אבל אם נתכוין להכותו על מתניו והיה בה כדי להמית על מתניו והלכה לה על לבו ומת הרי זה נהרג וכן כל כיוצא בזה:
3
When a person strikes a colleague with a stone or a fist in a manner that could cause his death, but he does not die immediately, an assessment should be made.
If the judges assess that the victim would live, the person who struck the blow is liable only to pay the five damages awarded to a person who is injured, and he is released. Even if the victim falls ill, and his situation becomes more serious and ultimately he dies, the person who struck the blow is not held liable.
If the judges assess that the victim would die, they should imprison the person who struck the blow immediately and wait to see the outcome. If the victim does die, the person who struck the blow should be executed. If, however, the victim's condition improves, and he becomes healed entirely to the extent that he walks in the marketplace on his feet like other healthy people, the person who struck the blow should pay the damages and should be released.
ג
המכה את חבירו באבן או באגרוף וכיוצא בהן אומדין אותו. אם אמדוהו לחיים נותן חמשה דברים ונפטר. ואפילו חלה המוכה והכביד ומת מחמת המכה הרי זה פטור. ואם אמדוהו למיתה אוסרין את המכה בבית הסוהר מיד וממתינים לזה אם מת יהרג המכה ואם הקל ונתרפא רפואה שלימה והלך בשוק על רגליו כשאר הבריאים משלם המכה חמשה דברים ונפטר:
4
The Torah's expression על משענתו does not mean that he should walk while supported by a staff or by another person. For even a person who is on the verge of dying can walk leaning on a support. Instead, the intent in this verse is that he walk supported by his own power, without relying on any other factor for support.
ד
זה שנאמר בתורה על משענתו אינו שיהלך והוא נשען על המטה או על אחר שאפילו הנוטה למות יכול להלך על המשענת לא נאמר משענתו אלא שיהיה מהלך על משענת בוריו ולא יהיה צריך כח אחר להשען עליו:
5
If it was assessed that the victim would die, and afterwards his condition improved, but then deteriorated, and ultimately he died, the killer should be executed. We do not make a second assessment after the victim's condition improves, for there is a basis for the assumption that he died because of the original blow.
ה
אמדוהו למיתה והקל ממה שהיה ולאחר מכאן הכביד ומת הרי זה נהרג. ואין אומדין אותו אומד שני כשהקל שרגלים לדבר:
6
If ten people strike a person with ten different sticks and he dies, they are all not held liable for execution by the court. This law applies regardless of whether they struck him one after the other or they struck him at the same time.
These concepts are derived from Leviticus 24:17: "If he strikes any person mortally he should be put to death." כל translated as "any" also means "all." Implied is that death is not required unless one person alone is entirely accountable for the person's death.
The same law applies if two people push a colleague into water or hold him there, or several people are sitting together and an arrow emerges from their company and kills; none is held liable for execution.
ו
הכוהו עשרה בני אדם א בעשרה מקלות ומת בין שהכוהו בזה אחר זה בין שהכוהו כאחת כולן פטורין ממיתת בית דין שנאמר כל נפש אדם עד שיהיה אחד שהרג כל הנפש והוא הדין לשנים שדחפוהו או שכבשוהו לתוך המים או שהיו רבים יושבים ויצא חץ מביניהן והרג שכולן פטורין:
7
A different ruling is rendered in the following instance. Ten people threw stones at a person one after the other, and none of the stones was of sufficient weight to cause death. Afterwards, another person cast a stone that was of sufficient weight to cause death and the victim died. The last person who threw the stone should be executed.
If a murderer who was sentenced to execution becomes intermingled with other people, they are all absolved. Similarly, when a murderer who was not convicted becomes intermingled with other murderers who were sentenced to execution, none should be executed. The rationale is that judgment can be passed on a person only in his presence. All the killers should, however, be imprisoned.
ז
זרקו בו עשרה אבן זה אחר זה וכל אחת מהן אין בה כדי להמית וזרק אחד אבן באחרונה ויש בה כדי להמית ומת הרי זה האחרון נהרג עליו. רוצח שנגמר דינו ונתערב באחרים ולא נודע מי הוא מהן כולן פטורין. ורוצח שלא נגמר דינו שנתערב ברוצחים אחרים שנגמר דינן כולן פטורין מן המיתה שאין גומרין דינו של אדם אלא בפניו ואוסרין את כולן:
8
The following laws apply when a person kills people, but the witnesses did not observe his act together - instead one saw him after the other did: a person killed in the presence of witnesses, but a warning was not given; or the witnesses to a murder contradicted each other with regard to the fine points of the testimony, but not with regard to the fundamental questions.
All those murderers should be forced to enter a kipah.There they are fed parched bread and small amounts of water until their digestive tract contracts. Then they are fed barley until their bellies burst because of the extent of the sickness and they die.
ח
ההורג נפשות ולא היו שם עדים רואין אותו כאחת אלא ראהו האחד אחר האחד או שהרג בפני עדים בלא התראה או שהוכחשו העדים בבדיקות ולא הוכחשו בחקירות כל אלו הרצחנים כונסין אותן לכיפה ומאכילין אותן לחם צר ומים לחץ עד שיצרו מיעיהן ואחר כך מאכילין אותן שעורים עד שתבקע כריסם מכובד החולי:
9
This measure is not taken with regard to other crimes punishable by execution by the court. If a defendant is liable for execution, he should be executed. If he is not liable for execution, he should be released.
Although there are other sins that are more serious than murder, they do not present as serious a danger to society as murder does. Even idol worship - and needless to say, incest or the violation of the Sabbath - are not considered as severe as murder. For these sins involve man's relationship with God, while murder also involves man's relationship with his fellow man.
Whoever commits this sin is an utterly wicked person. All the mitzvot that he performs throughout his lifetime cannot outweigh this sin and save him from judgment. Thus, Proverbs 28:17 states: "A man weighed down with life's blood will flee to the pit."
Come and learn from the example of Ach'av King of Israel. He was an idolater so debased in his paganism that I Kings 21:25 says: "There was none like Ach'av who gave himself over to the performance of wickedness in the eyes of God." And yet when his merits and sins were weighed in the presence of the Lord of spirits, there was no sin that warranted his destruction and was not counterbalanced by a positive quality, except the blood of Navot.
Thus, it is written Ibid. 22:21, in the description of the prophecy of Ach'av's death in battle: "And the spirit came and stood before God." Our Sages commented:: "This is the spirit of Navot." And God told the spirit (Ibid.:2): "You will persuade him and prevail."
Now this wicked man Ach'av did not actually kill his victim with his own hands; he merely brought about his death. How much more so this condemnation should apply when a person kills another with his own hands.
ט
ואין עושין דבר זה לשאר מחוייבי מיתת בית דין אבל אם נתחייב מיתה ממיתין אותו ואם אינו חייב מיתה פוטרין אותו שאע"פ שיש עונות חמורין משפיכות דמים אין בהן השחתת יישובו של עולם כשפיכות דמים אפילו ע"ז ואין צריך לומר עריות או חילול שבת אינן כשפיכות דמים. שאלו עוונות הן מעבירות שבין אדם למקום אבל שפיכות דמים מעבירות שבינו לבין חבירו וכל מי שיש בידו עון זה הרי הוא רשע גמור ואין כל המצות שעשה כל ימיו שקולין כנגד עון זה ולא יצילוהו מן הדין שנאמר אדם עשוק בדם נפש וגו'. צא ולמד מאחאב עובד ע"ז שהרי נאמר בו רק לא היה כאחאב וכשנסדרו עונותיו וזכיותיו לפני אלהי הרוחות לא נמצא עון שחייבו כלייה ולא היה שם דבר אחר ששקול כנגדו אלא דמי נבות שנאמר ותצא הרוח ותעמד לפני ה' זה רוח נבות ונאמר לו תפתה וגם תוכל והרי הוא הרשע לא הרג בידו אלא סיבב קל וחומר להורג בידו:
10
It is a mitzvah to kill minim and apikorsim.
The term minim refers to Jewish idolaters or those who perform transgressions for the sake of angering God, even if one eats non-kosher meat for the sake of angering God or wears sha'atnez for the sake of angering God.
The term apikorsim refers to Jews who deny the Torah and the concept of prophecy.
If there is the possibility, one should kill them with a sword in public view. If that is not possible, one should develop a plan so that one can cause their deaths.
What is implied? If one sees such a person descend to a cistern, and there is a ladder in the cistern, one should take the ladder, and excuse oneself, saying: "I must hurry to take my son down from the roof. I shall return the ladder to you soon." Similarly, one should devise other analogous plans to cause the death of such people.
י
האפיקורסים והם עובדי עבודה זרה או העושה עבירות להכעיס אפילו אכל נבילה או לבש שעטנז להכעיס הרי זה אפיקורוס *ושכופרין בתורה ובנבואה היה מצוה להרגן. אם יש בידו כח להרגן בסייף בפרהסיא הורג. ואם לאו היה בא עליהן בעלילות עד [א] שיסבב הריגתן. כיצד ראה אחד מהן שנפל לבאר והסולם בבאר היה מסלקו ואומר הריני טרוד להוריד בני מן הגג ואחזירנו לך וכיוצא בדברים אלו:
11
With regard to a gentile idolater with whom we are not at war, a Jewish shepherd of small livestock, and the like, by contrast, we should not try to cause their deaths. It is, however, forbidden to save their lives if their lives are threatened. For example, if such a person fell into the sea, one should not rescue him. Leviticus 19:16] states: "Do not stand idly by while your brother's blood is at stake." This does not apply with regard to such individuals, because they are not "your brothers."
יא
אבל עובדי כוכבים שאין בינינו ובינם מלחמה ורועי בהמה דקה מישראל וכיוצא בה אין מסבבים להן המיתה ואסור להצילן אם נטו למות כגון שראה אחד מהן שנפל לים אינו מעלהו שנאמר לא תעמוד על דם רעך. ואין זה רעך:
12
When does the above apply? With regard to a Jew who sins and perseveres in his wickedness, continually repeating it - e.g., shepherds of small livestock who show no consideration for the prohibition against robbery and continue in their perversity.
When, by contrast, a Jew commits transgressions, but does not maintain his wickedness continually, merely occasionally sinning for his own personal satisfaction - e.g., one who eats non-kosher food for pleasure - it is a mitzvah to save his life, and it is forbidden to stand idly by when his life is threatened.
יב
במה דברים אמורים בישראל בעל עבירה והעומד ברשעו ושונה בו תמיד כגון רועי בהמה דקה שפקרו בגזל והם הולכים באוולתן. אבל ישראל בעל עבירות שאינו עומד ברשעו תמיד אלא עושה עבירות להנאת עצמו כגון אוכל נבילות לתיאבון מצוה להצילו ואסור לעמוד על דמו:
Hayom Yom:
• English Text | Video Class
Shabbat, Tammuz 14, 5777 · 8 July 2017
"Today's Day"
Shabbat, Tamuz 14, 5703
Torah lessons: Chumash: Balak, Shevi'i with Rashi.
Tehillim: 72-76.
Tanya: Ch. 3. The latter (p. 349) ...also be three. (p. 351).
The Tzemach Tzedek notes in one of his discourses: "On Tuesday of parshat Balak 5562 (1802) our master,1 of blessed memory, said to his sons as follows: To understand the problem posed by the astronomers, that since the earth is round and spherical like an apple, why do not those people fall who live on the side of the globe opposite to ours, 'down below,' in America?... Their answer is not the true one... Our master,1 of blessed memory, said that the answer lies in explanation of the Etz Chaim that the Nine Spheres are nurtured by that state termed igulim, 'Circles,' and in a circle there is no above or below. For this reason those who live opposite us, 'down below,' have their heavens high above them arching in one continuity with the heaven above us, and the earth there is below, relative to the heavens over it."
FOOTNOTES
1.The Alter Rebbe.
Daily Thought:
Getting Real
To know that this world is not some wild jungle where whoever is stronger or richer or smarter can abuse and destroy without regard for those beneath them—this is not a matter of religion or faith, particular to one people or group of believers. This is the underlying reality—that this world has a Master, and it is not any of us.
A peaceful society can endure only when it is built upon that which is real. [Simchat Torah, 5746]
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