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- ב"ה - Today in Judaism - Today is Monday, Elul 13, 5777 · September 4, 2017Torah Reading:
Ki Tavo: Deuteronomy 26:1-15
Deuteronomy 26:1 “When you have come to the land Adonai your God is giving you as your inheritance, taken possession of it and settled there; 2 you are to take the firstfruits of all the crops the ground yields, which you will harvest from your land that Adonai your God is giving you, put them in a basket and go to the place where Adonai your God will choose to have his name live. 3 You will approach the cohen holding office at the time and say to him, ‘Today I declare to Adonai your God that I have come to the land Adonai swore to our ancestors that he would give us.’ 4 The cohen will take the basket from your hand and put it down in front of the altar of Adonai your God.
5 “Then, in the presence of Adonai your God, you are to say, ‘My ancestor was a nomad from Aram. He went down into Egypt few in number and stayed. There he became a great, strong, populous nation. 6 But the Egyptians treated us badly; they oppressed us and imposed harsh slavery on us. 7 So we cried out to Adonai, the God of our ancestors. Adonai heard us and saw our misery, toil and oppression; 8 and Adonai brought us out of Egypt with a strong hand and a stretched-out arm, with great terror, and with signs and wonders. 9 Now he has brought us to this place and given us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. 10 Therefore, as you see, I have now brought the firstfruits of the land which you, Adonai, have given me.’ You are then to put the basket down before Adonai your God, prostrate yourself before Adonai your God, 11 and take joy in all the good that Adonai your God has given you, your household, the Levi and the foreigner living with you.
(ii) 12 “After you have separated a tenth of the crops yielded in the third year, the year of separating a tenth, and have given it to the Levi, the foreigner, the orphan and the widow, so that they can have enough food to satisfy them while staying with you; 13 you are to say, in the presence of Adonai your God, ‘I have rid my house of the things set aside for God and given them to the Levi, the foreigner, the orphan and the widow, in keeping with every one of the mitzvot you gave me. I haven’t disobeyed any of your mitzvot or forgotten them. 14 I haven’t eaten any of this food when mourning, I haven’t put any of it aside when unclean, nor have I given any of it for the dead. I have listened to what Adonai my God has said, and I have done everything you ordered me to do. 15 Look out from your holy dwelling-place, from heaven; and bless your people Isra’el and the land you gave us, as you swore to our ancestors, a land flowing with milk and honey.’
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Today's Laws & Customs:
• Elul Observances
As the last month of the Jewish year, Elul is traditionaly a time of introspection and stocktaking -- a time to review one's deeds and spiritual progress over the past year and prepare for the upcoming "Days of Awe" of Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur.
As the month of Divine Mercy and Forgiveness (see "Today in Jewish History" for Elul 1) it is a most opportune time for teshuvah ("return" to G-d), prayer, charity, and increased Ahavat Yisrael (love for a fellow Jew) in the quest for self-improvement and coming closer to G-d. Chassidic master Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi likens the month of Elul to a time when "the king is in the field" and, in contrast to when he is in the royal palace, "everyone who so desires is permitted to meet him, and he receives them all with a cheerful countenance and shows a smiling face to them all."
Specific Elul customs include the daily sounding of the shofar (ram's horn) as a call to repentance. The Baal Shem Tov instituted the custom of reciting three additional chapters of Psalms each day, from the 1st of Elul until Yom Kippur (on Yom Kippur the remaining 36 chapters are recited, thereby completing the entire book of Psalms). Click below to view today's Psalms.
Chapter 37 Chapter 38 Chapter 39
Psalms Chapter 37:1. By David. Do not compete with the wicked; do not envy doers of injustice.
2. For like grass they will be swiftly cut down; like green vegetation they will wither.
3. Trust in the Lord and do good; then will you abide in the land and be nourished by faith.
4. Delight in the Lord, and He will grant you the desires of your heart.
5. Cast your needs upon the Lord; rely on Him, and He will take care.
6. He will reveal your righteousness like the light, your justness like the high noon.
7. Depend on the Lord and hope in Him. Compete not with the prosperous, with the man who invents evil schemes.
8. Let go of anger, abandon rage; do not compete with [one who intends] only to harm.
9. For the evildoers will be cut down; but those who hope in the Lord, they will inherit the earth.
10. For soon the wicked one will not be; you will gaze at his place and he will be gone.
11. But the humble shall inherit the earth, and delight in abundant peace.
12. The wicked one plots against the righteous, and gnashes his teeth at him.
13. My Lord laughs at him, for He sees that his day will come.
14. The wicked have drawn a sword and bent their bow to fell the poor and destitute, to slaughter those of upright ways.
15. But their sword shall enter their own hearts, and their bows shall break.
16. Better the little of the righteous, than the abundant wealth of the wicked.
17. For the strength of the wicked will be broken, but the Lord supports the righteous.
18. The Lord appreciates the days of the innocent; their inheritance will last forever.
19. They will not be shamed in times of calamity, and in days of famine they will be satisfied.
20. For the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the Lord are as fattened sheep: consumed, consumed in smoke.
21. The wicked man borrows and does not repay; but the righteous man is gracious and gives.
22. For those blessed by Him will inherit the earth, and those cursed by Him will be cut off.
23. The steps of man are directed by God; He desires his way.
24. When he totters he shall not be thrown down, for the Lord supports his hand.
25. I have been a youth, I have also aged; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his offspring begging bread.
26. All day he is kind and lends; his offspring are a blessing.
27. Turn away from evil and do good, and you will dwell [in peace] forever.
28. For the Lord loves justice, he will not abandon his pious ones-they are protected forever; but the offspring of the wicked are cut off.
29. The righteous shall inherit the earth and dwell upon it forever.
30. The mouth of the righteous one utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks justice.
31. The Torah of his God is in his heart; his steps shall not falter.
32. The wicked one watches for the righteous man, and seeks to kill him.
33. But the Lord will not abandon him in his hand, nor condemn him when he is judged.
34. Hope in the Lord and keep His way; then He will raise you high to inherit the earth. When the wicked are cut off, you shall see it.
35. I saw a powerful wicked man, well-rooted like a vibrant, native tree.
36. Yet he vanished, behold he was gone; I searched for him, but he could not be found.
37. Watch the innocent, and observe the upright, for the future of such a man is peace.
38. But sinners shall be destroyed together; the future of the wicked is cut off.
39. The deliverance of the righteous is from the Lord; He is their strength in time of distress.
40. The Lord helps them and delivers them; He delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they have put their trust in Him. Chapter 38:1. A psalm by David, to remind.
2. O Lord, do not rebuke me in Your anger, nor chastise me in Your wrath.
3. For Your arrows have landed in me, Your hand descended upon me.
4. There is no soundness in my flesh because of Your rage, no peace in my bones because of my sin.
5. For my iniquities have flooded over my head; like a heavy load, they are too heavy for me.
6. My wounds are rotted; they reek because of my foolishness.
7. I am bent and extremely bowed; all day I go about in gloom.
8. My sides are inflamed; there is no soundness in my flesh.
9. I am weakened and extremely depressed; I howl from the moaning of my heart.
10. My Lord, all that I desire is before You; my sighing is not hidden from You.
11. My heart is engulfed, my strength has left me; the light of my eyes they, too, are not with me.
12. My friends and companions stand aloof from my affliction; my intimates stand afar.
13. The seekers of my life have laid traps; those who seek my harm speak destructiveness; they utter deceits all day long.
14. But I am like a deaf man, I do not hear; like a mute that does not open his mouth.
15. I was like a man that does not perceive, and in whose mouth there are no rebuttals.
16. Because for You, O Lord, I wait; You will answer, my Lord, my God.
17. For I said, "Lest they rejoice over me; when my foot falters they will gloat over me.”
18. For I am accustomed to limping, and my pain is constantly before me.
19. For I admit my iniquity; I worry because of my sin.
20. But my enemies abound with life; those who hate me without cause flourish.
21. Those who repay evil for good resent me for my pursuit of good.
22. Do not forsake me, O Lord; do not be distant from me, my God.
23. Hurry to my aid, O my Lord, my Salvation. Chapter 39:1. For the Conductor, for yedutun,1 a psalm by David.
2. I said that I would guard my ways from sinning with my tongue; I would guard my mouth with a muzzle, [even] while the wicked one is before me.
3. I became mute with stillness, I was silent [even] from the good, though my pain was crippling.
4. My heart grew hot within me, a fire blazed in my utterance, as I spoke with my tongue.
5. O Lord, let me know my end and what is the measure of my days, that I may know when I will cease.
6. Behold, like handbreadths You set my days; my lifetime is as naught before You. But all is futility, all mankind's existence, Selah.
7. Only in darkness does man walk, seeking only futility; he amasses riches and knows not who will reap them.
8. And now, what is my hope, my Lord? My longing is to You.
9. Rescue me from all my transgressions; do not make me the scorn of the degenerate.
10. I am mute, I do not open my mouth, for You have caused [my suffering].
11. Remove Your affliction from me; I am devastated by the attack of Your hand.
12. In reproach for sin You chastened man; like a moth, You wore away that which is precious to him. All mankind is nothing but futility, forever.
13. Hear my prayer, O Lord, listen to my cry; do not be silent to my tears, for I am a stranger with You, a sojourner like all my forefathers.
14. Turn from me, that I may recover my strength, before I depart and I am no more.
Elul is also the time to have one's tefillin and mezuzot checked by an accredited scribe to ensure that they are in good condition and fit for use.
Links: More on Elul
Today in Jewish History
• R. Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn's marriage (1897)Marriage of the 6th Rebbe of Chabad-Lubavitch, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn(1880-1950), to Rebbetzin Nechamah Dinah (1882-1971).
• Passing of Ben Ish Chai (1909)Elul 13 is the yahrtzeit of Rabbi Yosef Chaim of Baghdad (1835-1909), the renowned Sephardic Halachic authority and Kabbalist, known as "Ben Ish Chai" after his work by that name.
Links:
The Ben Ish Chai, A Biography
The Ultimate Employee (from the teachings of the Ben Ish Chai)
Daily Quote:
When G-d split the Red Sea, all the water in the world divided, even the waters in cisterns and ditches, in jars, cups, casks and bowls. [Midrash Mechilta]
Daily Torah Study:
Chumash: Ki Tavo, 2nd Portion Deuteronomy 26:12-26:15 with Rashi
• English / Hebrew Linear Translation
• Video Class
• Daily Wisdom (short insight)
Deuteronomy Chapter 26
12When you have finished tithing all the tithes of your produce in the third year, the year of the tithe, you shall give [them] to the Levite, the stranger, the orphan, and the widow, so that they can eat to satiety in your cities. יבכִּ֣י תְכַלֶּ֞ה לַ֠עְשֵׂ֠ר אֶת־כָּל־מַעְשַׂ֧ר תְּבוּאָֽתְךָ֛ בַּשָּׁנָ֥ה הַשְּׁלִישִׁ֖ת שְׁנַ֣ת הַמַּֽעֲשֵׂ֑ר וְנָֽתַתָּ֣ה לַלֵּוִ֗י לַגֵּר֙ לַיָּת֣וֹם וְלָֽאַלְמָנָ֔ה וְאָֽכְל֥וּ בִשְׁעָרֶ֖יךָ וְשָׂבֵֽעוּ:
When you have finished tithing all the tithes of your produce in the third year: When you have finished separating the tithes of the third year [of the seven-year shemittah cycle]. It fixes a time for the removal [of the tithes from the house] and for the [accompanying] confession [regarding their proper disposal] on the Eve of Passover [for the removal, and for the confession, in the afternoon of the last day of Passover] of the fourth year, as it is said,“At the end of (מִקֵּץ) three years, you shall take out [all the tithe of your crop] (Deut. 14:28), and later on, Scripture also uses this expression:”At the end of (מִקֵּץ) seven years“ (Deut. 31: 10), referring to the mitzvah of הַקְהֵל [assembling all the people in the Temple courtyard, to hear the king read the book of Deuteronomy]. Just as there, the mitzvah was to be performed on a Festival, here too [in the case of removing the tithes and reciting the confession, the mitzvah must be performed] on a Festival. But one could suggest that just as there [in the case of הַקְהֵל, the mitzvah was performed] on the Festival of Sukkoth, here too, [the mitzvah must be performed] on the Festival of Sukkoth. Therefore, Scripture states here: ”When have you finished taking all the tithes in the third year"- [this refers to] a festival on which all tithes have been completely taken: this is Passover [not Sukkoth], because many trees have their fruits picked after Sukkoth [but not after Passover]. Consequently, the separating of tithes of the third year’s produce will conclude on Passover of [the following year, namely] the fourth year. And anyone who has delayed [in distributing] his tithes is ordered by Scripture to remove [any remaining tithes] from the house [on Passover of the fourth year of the shemittah cycle]. — [Sifrei 26:12]
כי תכלה לעשר את כל מעשר תבואתך בשנה השלישית: כשתגמור להפריש מעשרות של שנה השלישית, קבע זמן הביעור והוידוי בערב הפסח של שנה הרביעית, שנאמר (דברים יד, כח) מקצה שלש שנים תוציא וגו'. נאמר כאן מקץ, ונאמר להלן (שם לא י) מקץ שבע שנים, לענין הקהל מה להלן רגל אף כאן רגל, אי מה להלן חג הסוכות אף כאן חג הסוכות, תלמוד לומר כי תכלה לעשר, מעשרות של שנה השלישית רגל שהמעשרות כלין בו, וזהו פסח, שהרבה אילנות יש שנלקטין אחר הסוכות, נמצאו מעשרות של שלישית כלין בפסח של רביעית, וכל מי ששהה מעשרותיו הצריכו הכתוב לבערו מן הבית:
the year of the tithe: [The third year of each shemittah cycle is called“the year of the tithe” because] it differs from its preceding two years insofar as it is a year in which only one of the tithes separated in the two preceding years is separated. During the first and second years of the shemittah cycle, the tithes separated are: a) מַעֲשֵׂר רִאשׁוֹן, “the first tithe,” as the verse says, “[Speak to the Levites, and say to them,] When you take from the children of Israel the tithe…” (Num. 18:26) [referring to“the first tithe,”] and b) מַעֲשֵׂר שֵׁנִי, “the second tithe,” as the verse says, “And you shall eat before the Lord, your God… the tithes of your grain, of your wine and of your oil…” (Deut. 14:23) [which is a reference to “the second tithe”]. Thus, we have two tithes [being separated during the first two years of the shemittah cycle]. Now Scripture comes and teaches us that in the third year, only one of these two tithes is separated. And which one is that? It is “the first tithe.” [“The second tithe is not separated during the third year.”] Instead of “the second tithe,” one must give “the tithe for the poor,” for it says here in our verse “you shall give [them] to the Levite” what belongs to him, namely “the first tithe” ; [then our verse continues:] “the stranger, the orphan, and the widow”-this is “the tithe for the poor.” - [Sifrei 26:12; R.H. 12b]
שנת המעשר: שנה שאין נוהג בה אלא מעשר אחד משני מעשרות שנהגו בשתי שנים שלפניה, ששנה ראשונה של שמיטה נוהג בה מעשר ראשון, כמו שנאמר (במדבר יח כו) כי תקחו מאת בני ישראל את המעשר, ומעשר שני, שנאמר (דברים יד כג) ואכלת לפני ה' אלהיך מעשר דגנך תירושך ויצהרך, הרי שני מעשרות, ובא ולמדך כאן בשנה השלישית שאין נוהג מאותן שני מעשרות אלא האחד ואיזה, זה מעשר ראשון. ותחת מעשר שני תן מעשר עני שנאמר כאן ונתת ללוי. את אשר לו הרי מעשר ראשון. לגר ליתום ולאלמנה זה מעשר עני:
so that they can eat to satiety: Give them enough to satisfy them. Based on this, [our Rabbis] stated: One may not give the poor in the granary less than one-half a kav of wheat [or one kav of barley. [A kav represents the volume of twenty-four eggs]. — [Sifrei 26:12, Pe’ah 8:5]
ואכלו בשעריך ושבעו: תן להם כדי שבען מכאן אמרו אין פוחתין לעני בגורן פחות מחצי קב חטים וכו':
13Then you shall say before the Lord, your God, "I have removed the holy [portion] from the house, and I have also given it to the Levite, the stranger, the orphan, and the widow, according to all Your commandment that You commanded me; I have not transgressed Your commandments, nor have I forgotten [them]. יגוְאָֽמַרְתָּ֡ לִפְנֵי֩ יְהֹוָ֨ה אֱלֹהֶ֜יךָ בִּעַ֧רְתִּי הַקֹּ֣דֶשׁ מִן־הַבַּ֗יִת וְגַ֨ם נְתַתִּ֤יו לַלֵּוִי֙ וְלַגֵּר֙ לַיָּת֣וֹם וְלָֽאַלְמָנָ֔ה כְּכָל־מִצְוָֽתְךָ֖ אֲשֶׁ֣ר צִוִּיתָ֑נִי לֹֽא־עָבַ֥רְתִּי מִמִּצְוֹתֶ֖יךָ וְלֹ֥א שָׁכָֽחְתִּי:
Then you shall say before the Lord, your God: Confess [i.e., declare] that you have given your tithes [as required]. — [Sifrei 26:13]
ואמרת לפני ה' אלהיך: התודה שנתת מעשרותיך:
I have removed the holy [portions] from the house: This refers to: a) “the second tithe,” and b) נֶטַע רְבָעִי, the fruit yielded by a tree in its fourth year of growth [both of which are termed קֹדֶשׁ, holy (portions)], they must be brought up to Jerusalem and eaten there in purity. [Accordingly,] the verse here teaches us that if one has delayed bringing these tithes up to Jerusalem for two years, he must take them up now [in the third year].
בערתי הקדש מן הבית: זה מעשר שני ונטע רבעי, ולמדך שאם שהה מעשרותיו של שתי שנים ולא העלם לירושלים, שצריך להעלותם עכשיו:
and I have also given it to the Levite: This refers to “the first tithe.” - [ibid.] [The seemingly superfluous word “also”] comes to include terumah, [the part given to the kohen] and the firstfruits [which are also given to the kohen. Since Kohanim stem from the tribe of Levi, they are referred to here as Levites]. — [Yerushalmi Ma’aser Sheni 5:5]
וגם נתתיו ללוי: זה מעשר ראשון. וגם לרבות תרומה ובכורים:
the stranger, the orphan and the widow: This refers to “the tithe for the poor.” - [Sifrei 26:13]
ולגר ליתום ולאלמנה: זה מעשר עני:
according to all Your commandment: I have given them [the tithes] in their proper sequence (ibid). I did not give terumah before the firstfruits; I did not give tithes before terumah; I did not give the second tithe before the first tithe. For terumah is termed רֵאשִׁית, “the first one,” because it is the first portion to be separated when the produce has become [matured] “grain,” and it is written [regarding the separation of tithes]: מְלֵאָתְךָ וְדִמְעֲךָ לֹא תְאַחֵר (Exod. 22:28), which means that one must not change the order [set out in Scripture for separating tithes]. - [Mechilta , Exod. 22:28]
ככל מצותך: נתתים כסדרן ולא הקדמתי תרומה לבכורים, ולא מעשר לתרומה ולא שני לראשון, שהתרומה קרויה ראשית, שהיא ראשונה משנעשה דגן, וכתיב (שמות כב כח) מלאתך ודמעך לא תאחר, לא תשנה את הסדר:
I have not transgressed Your commandments: I did not separate tithes from one species [of produce to fulfill the obligation of tithe-separation due] from another species [of produce], and I did not separate tithes from the new crop [of the year to fulfill the obligation of tithe-separation due] from the old crop. — [Sifrei, Ma’aser Sheni 5:11]
לא עברתי ממצותיך: לא הפרשתי ממין על שאינו מינו ומן החדש על הישן:
nor have I forgotten: to bless You [on the performance of the mitzvah] of separating tithes. — [ibid.]
ולא שכחתי: מלברך על הפרשת מעשרות:
14I did not eat any of it [second tithe] while in my mourning, nor did I consume any of it while unclean; neither did I use any of it for the dead. I obeyed the Lord, my God; I did according to all that You commanded me. ידלֹֽא־אָכַ֨לְתִּי בְאֹנִ֜י מִמֶּ֗נּוּ וְלֹֽא־בִעַ֤רְתִּי מִמֶּ֨נּוּ֙ בְּטָמֵ֔א וְלֹֽא־נָתַ֥תִּי מִמֶּ֖נּוּ לְמֵ֑ת שָׁמַ֗עְתִּי בְּקוֹל֙ יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהָ֔י עָשִׂ֕יתִי כְּכֹ֖ל אֲשֶׁ֥ר צִוִּיתָֽנִי:
I did not eat any of it [second tithe] while in my mourning: From here [our Rabbis derive the ruling that the second tithe] is forbidden to [be eaten by] an אוֹנָן [close relative of a deceased on the day of death]. — [Sifrei 26:14]
לא אכלתי באני ממנו: מכאן שאסור לאונן:
nor did I consume any of it while unclean: Whether I was unclean and it was clean, or I was clean it was unclean. But where [in the Torah] is one warned against this? [The warning is alluded to in the verse: (Deut. 12:17),]“You shall not eat in your cities [the tithe…].” This refers to eating in a state of uncleanness, as it is said in reference to פְּסוּלֵי הַמֻּקְדָשִׁים, [animals dedicated as sacrifices, which subsequently became blemished and consequently unfit for that purpose (see Deut. 15: 21-22) the Torah says,] “You may eat it within your cities, the unclean and the clean person together…” (Deut. 15:22). This [the second tithe], however, you shall not eat in the manner of “eating in the cities,” mentioned elsewhere. - [Yev. 73b]
ולא בערתי ממנו בטמא: בין שאני טמא והוא טהור, בין שאני טהור והוא טמא. והיכן הוזהר על כך (לעיל יב יז) לא תוכל לאכול בשעריך, זו אכילת טומאה, כמו שנאמר בפסולי המקודשים (לעיל טו כב) בשעריך תאכלנו הטמא והטהור וגו', אבל זה לא תוכל לאכול דרך אכילת שעריך האמור במקום אחר:
neither have I used any of it for the dead: [using its value in money] to make for him a coffin or shrouds. — [Sifrei, Ma’aser Sheni 5:12]
ולא נתתי ממנו למת: לעשות לו ארון ותכריכין:
I obeyed the Lord, my God: [in that] I have brought [it] to the Temple. - [Sifrei , Ma’aser Sheni 5:12] [In fact, the second tithe was not brought to the Temple, but eaten in Jerusalem. If a person redeemed it, however, he was to bring the redempion money to Jerusalem and purchase food to be eaten in Jerusalem. Although all types of food could be purchased, it was customary to purchase animals and sacrifice them as peace offerings. In this respect, the tithe would be brought into the Temple (Malbim).]
שמעתי בקול ה' אלהי: הביאותיו לבית הבחירה:
I have done according to all that You have commanded me: I have myself rejoiced and caused others to rejoice through it. — [Sifrei, Ma’aser Sheni 5:12]
עשיתי ככל אשר צויתני: שמחתי ושימחתי בו:
15Look down from Your holy dwelling, from the heavens, and bless Your people Israel, and the ground which You have given to us, as You swore to our forefathers a land flowing with milk and honey. טוהַשְׁקִ֩יפָה֩ מִמְּע֨וֹן קָדְשְׁךָ֜ מִן־הַשָּׁמַ֗יִם וּבָרֵ֤ךְ אֶת־עַמְּךָ֙ אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וְאֵת֙ הָֽאֲדָמָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר נָתַ֖תָּה לָ֑נוּ כַּֽאֲשֶׁ֤ר נִשְׁבַּ֨עְתָּ֙ לַֽאֲבֹתֵ֔ינוּ אֶ֛רֶץ זָבַ֥ת חָלָ֖ב וּדְבָֽשׁ:
Look down from Your holy dwelling: We have fulfilled what You have decreed upon us. Now You do what is incumbent upon You to do (Sifrei , Ma’aser Sheni 5:13), for You said, “If you follow My statutes… then I shall give [you] your rains in their [proper] time….” (Lev. 26:3-4).
השקיפה ממעון קדשך: עשינו מה שגזרת עלינו, עשה אתה מה שעליך לעשות, שאמרת (ויקרא כו, ג) אם בחקתי תלכו ונתתי גשמיכם בעתם:
which You have given us, as You swore to our forefathers: to give to us, and You have [also] kept [the promise You made to our ancestors who left Egypt, that You would give us] “a land flowing with milk and honey.”
אשר נתתה לנו כאשר נשבעת לאבתינו: לתת לנו וקיימת ארץ זבת חלב ודבש:
Tehillim: Psalms Chapters 69 - 71
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Special Custom for the Month of Elul and High Holidays
The Baal Shem Tov instituted a custom of reciting three additional chapters of Psalms each day, from the 1st of Elul until Yom Kippur (on Yom Kippur the remaining 36 chapters are recited, thereby completing the entire book of Psalms).
See below for today's additional chapters.
Chapter 69
1. For the Conductor, on the shoshanim,1 by David.
2. Deliver me, O God, for the waters have reached until my soul!
3. I have sunk in muddy depths without foothold; I have come into deep waters, and the current sweeps me away.
4. I am wearied by my crying, my throat is parched; my eyes pined while waiting for my God.
5. More numerous than the hairs on my head are those who hate me without reason. Mighty are those who would cut me off, those who are my enemies without cause. What I have not stolen, I will then have to return.
6. O God, You know my folly, and my wrongs are not hidden from You.
7. Let not those who hope in You be shamed through me, O my Lord, God of Hosts; let not those who seek You be disgraced through me, O God of Israel,
8. because for Your sake I have borne humiliation, disgrace covers my face.
9. I have become a stranger to my brothers, an alien to my mother's sons,
10. for the envy of Your House has consumed me, and the humiliations of those who scorn You have fallen upon me.
11. And I wept while my soul fasted, and it was a humiliation to me.
12. I made sackcloth my garment, and became a byword for them.
13. Those who sit by the gate speak of me, and [of me] are the songs of drunkards.
14. May my prayer to You, Lord, be at a gracious time; God, in Your abounding kindness, answer me with Your true deliverance.
15. Rescue me from the mire, so that I not sink; let me be saved from my enemies and from deep waters.
16. Let not the current of water sweep me away, nor the deep swallow me; and let not the pit close its mouth over me.
17. Answer me, Lord, for Your kindness is good; according to Your abundant mercies, turn to me.
18. Do not hide Your face from Your servant, for I am in distress-hurry to answer me.
19. Draw near to my soul and liberate it; redeem me, so that my enemies [not feel triumphant].
20. You know my humiliation, my shame, and my disgrace; all my tormentors are before You.
21. Humiliation has broken my heart, and I have become ill. I longed for comfort, but there was none; for consolers, but I did not find.
22. They put gall into my food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.
23. Let their table become a trap before them, and [their] serenity, a snare.
24. Let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see, and let their loins continually falter.
25. Pour Your wrath upon them, and let the fierceness of Your anger overtake them.
26. Let their palace be desolate, let there be no dweller in their tents,
27. for they persecute the one whom You struck, and tell of the pain of Your wounded ones.
28. Add iniquity to their iniquity, and let them not enter into Your righteousness.
29. May they be erased from the Book of Life, and let them not be inscribed with the righteous.
30. But I am poor and in pain; let Your deliverance, O God, streng-then me.
31. I will praise the Name of God with song, I will extol Him with thanksgiving!
32. And it will please the Lord more than [the sacrifice of] a mature bull with horns and hooves.
33. The humble will see it and rejoice; you seekers of God, [see] and your hearts will come alive.
34. For the Lord listens to the needy, and He does not despise His prisoners.
35. Let heaven and earth praise Him, the seas and all that moves within them,
36. for God will deliver Zion and build the cities of Judah, and they will settle there and possess it;
37. and the seed of His servants will inherit it, and those who love His Name will dwell in it.
FOOTNOTES
1.A musical instrument shaped like a shoshana, a rose (Metzudot).
Chapter 70
David prays that his enemies be shamed and humiliated for their shaming him and reveling in his troubles. Then the righteous will rejoice, and chant songs and praises always.
1. For the Conductor, by David, to remind.
2. O God, [come] to rescue me; O Lord, hurry to my aid.
3. Let those who seek my life be shamed and disgraced; let those who wish me harm retreat and be humiliated.
4. Let those who say, "Aha! Aha!" be turned back in return for their shaming [me].
5. Let all who seek You rejoice and delight in You, and let those who love Your deliverance say always, "May God be exalted!”
6. But I am poor and needy; hurry to me, O God! You are my help and deliverer; O God, do not delay!
Chapter 71
In this awe-inspiring prayer, David speaks of his enemies' desire to kill him, declaring him deserving of death.
1. I have taken refuge in You, O Lord; I will never be shamed.
2. Rescue me and deliver me in Your righteousness; incline Your ear to me and save me.
3. Be for me a sheltering rock, to enter always. You have ordered my salvation, for You are my rock and my fortress.
4. O my God, rescue me from the hand of the wicked, from the palm of the scheming and violent.
5. For You are my hope, O my Lord, God, my security since my youth.
6. I have relied on You from the womb; You drew me from my mother's innards; my praise is of You always.
7. I became an example to the masses, yet You were my mighty refuge.
8. Let my mouth be filled with Your praise, all day long with Your glory.
9. Do not cast me aside in old age; do not forsake me when my strength fails;
10. for my enemies say of me, and those who watch my soul conspire together,
11. saying, "God has forsaken him. Give chase and catch him, for there is no rescuer.”
12. O God, do not distance Yourself from me; my God, hurry to my aid.
13. Let the adversaries of my soul be shamed and consumed; let those who seek my harm be enwrapped in disgrace and humiliation.
14. But as for me, I will always hope; I will add to all Your praises.
15. My mouth will tell of Your righteousness, all day long of Your deliverance, for I do not know their number.
16. I come with the strength of my Lord, God; I mention Your righteousness, Yours alone.
17. O God, You have taught me since my youth, and to this day I tell of Your wonders.
18. Even into old age and hoariness, O God, do not abandon me, until I tell of Your might to the generations, and of Your strength to all who are to come.
19. Your righteousness, O God, reaches the high heavens, for You do great things; O God, who is like You!
20. You, Who has shown me many and grievous troubles, You will revive me again; You will lift me again from the depths of the earth.
21. You will increase my greatness; You will turn and console me.
22. I too1 will thank You on the lyre for Your faithfulness, My God; I will sing to You on the harp, O Holy One of Israel.
23. My lips will rejoice when I sing to you, as well as my soul which You have redeemed.
24. My tongue will also utter Your righteousness all day, for those who seek my harm are shamed and disgraced.
FOOTNOTES
1.As you increase my greatness, so will I increase your praise (Metzudot).
Additional Three Chapters
The Baal Shem Tov instituted a custom of reciting three additional chapters of Psalms each day, from the 1st of Elul until Yom Kippur (on Yom Kippur the remaining 36 chapters are recited, thereby completing the entire book of Psalms).
Today's Chapters are 37, 38 and 39.
Chapter 37
King David exhorts his generation not to be jealous of the prosperity of the wicked, for it may lead to falling into their ways. Rather, put your trust in God, conduct yourselves with integrity, and God will take care of everything.
1. By David. Do not compete with the wicked; do not envy doers of injustice.
2. For like grass they will be swiftly cut down; like green vegetation they will wither.
3. Trust in the Lord and do good; then will you abide in the land and be nourished by faith.
4. Delight in the Lord, and He will grant you the desires of your heart.
5. Cast your needs upon the Lord; rely on Him, and He will take care.
6. He will reveal your righteousness like the light, your justness like the high noon.
7. Depend on the Lord and hope in Him. Compete not with the prosperous, with the man who invents evil schemes.
8. Let go of anger, abandon rage; do not compete with [one who intends] only to harm.
9. For the evildoers will be cut down; but those who hope in the Lord, they will inherit the earth.
10. For soon the wicked one will not be; you will gaze at his place and he will be gone.
11. But the humble shall inherit the earth, and delight in abundant peace.
12. The wicked one plots against the righteous, and gnashes his teeth at him.
13. My Lord laughs at him, for He sees that his day will come.
14. The wicked have drawn a sword and bent their bow to fell the poor and destitute, to slaughter those of upright ways.
15. But their sword shall enter their own hearts, and their bows shall break.
16. Better the little of the righteous, than the abundant wealth of the wicked.
17. For the strength of the wicked will be broken, but the Lord supports the righteous.
18. The Lord appreciates the days of the innocent; their inheritance will last forever.
19. They will not be shamed in times of calamity, and in days of famine they will be satisfied.
20. For the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the Lord are as fattened sheep: consumed, consumed in smoke.
21. The wicked man borrows and does not repay; but the righteous man is gracious and gives.
22. For those blessed by Him will inherit the earth, and those cursed by Him will be cut off.
23. The steps of man are directed by God; He desires his way.
24. When he totters he shall not be thrown down, for the Lord supports his hand.
25. I have been a youth, I have also aged; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his offspring begging bread.
26. All day he is kind and lends; his offspring are a blessing.
27. Turn away from evil and do good, and you will dwell [in peace] forever.
28. For the Lord loves justice, he will not abandon his pious ones-they are protected forever; but the offspring of the wicked are cut off.
29. The righteous shall inherit the earth and dwell upon it forever.
30. The mouth of the righteous one utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks justice.
31. The Torah of his God is in his heart; his steps shall not falter.
32. The wicked one watches for the righteous man, and seeks to kill him.
33. But the Lord will not abandon him in his hand, nor condemn him when he is judged.
34. Hope in the Lord and keep His way; then He will raise you high to inherit the earth. When the wicked are cut off, you shall see it.
35. I saw a powerful wicked man, well-rooted like a vibrant, native tree.
36. Yet he vanished, behold he was gone; I searched for him, but he could not be found.
37. Watch the innocent, and observe the upright, for the future of such a man is peace.
38. But sinners shall be destroyed together; the future of the wicked is cut off.
39. The deliverance of the righteous is from the Lord; He is their strength in time of distress.
40. The Lord helps them and delivers them; He delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they have put their trust in Him.
Chapter 38
A prayer for every individual, bewailing the length of the exile. One who is in distress should recite this psalm, hence its introduction, "A psalm... to remind" (to remind us to recite it in times of distress). One can also derive many lessons from it.
1. A psalm by David, to remind.
2. O Lord, do not rebuke me in Your anger, nor chastise me in Your wrath.
3. For Your arrows have landed in me, Your hand descended upon me.
4. There is no soundness in my flesh because of Your rage, no peace in my bones because of my sin.
5. For my iniquities have flooded over my head; like a heavy load, they are too heavy for me.
6. My wounds are rotted; they reek because of my foolishness.
7. I am bent and extremely bowed; all day I go about in gloom.
8. My sides are inflamed; there is no soundness in my flesh.
9. I am weakened and extremely depressed; I howl from the moaning of my heart.
10. My Lord, all that I desire is before You; my sighing is not hidden from You.
11. My heart is engulfed, my strength has left me; the light of my eyes they, too, are not with me.
12. My friends and companions stand aloof from my affliction; my intimates stand afar.
13. The seekers of my life have laid traps; those who seek my harm speak destructiveness; they utter deceits all day long.
14. But I am like a deaf man, I do not hear; like a mute that does not open his mouth.
15. I was like a man that does not perceive, and in whose mouth there are no rebuttals.
16. Because for You, O Lord, I wait; You will answer, my Lord, my God.
17. For I said, "Lest they rejoice over me; when my foot falters they will gloat over me.”
18. For I am accustomed to limping, and my pain is constantly before me.
19. For I admit my iniquity; I worry because of my sin.
20. But my enemies abound with life; those who hate me without cause flourish.
21. Those who repay evil for good resent me for my pursuit of good.
22. Do not forsake me, O Lord; do not be distant from me, my God.
23. Hurry to my aid, O my Lord, my Salvation.
Chapter 39
David's prayer bewailing his suffering. But it is not suffering itself that pains him, rather he is saddened by its disturbing his Torah study. For man's days are few, "and if not now, when (will he study)?" for he may die, today or tomorrow. He therefore requests that his suffering be removed, to enable him to study Torah and acquire a place in the World to Come.
1. For the Conductor, for yedutun,1 a psalm by David.
2. I said that I would guard my ways from sinning with my tongue; I would guard my mouth with a muzzle, [even] while the wicked one is before me.
3. I became mute with stillness, I was silent [even] from the good, though my pain was crippling.
4. My heart grew hot within me, a fire blazed in my utterance, as I spoke with my tongue.
5. O Lord, let me know my end and what is the measure of my days, that I may know when I will cease.
6. Behold, like handbreadths You set my days; my lifetime is as naught before You. But all is futility, all mankind's existence, Selah.
7. Only in darkness does man walk, seeking only futility; he amasses riches and knows not who will reap them.
8. And now, what is my hope, my Lord? My longing is to You.
9. Rescue me from all my transgressions; do not make me the scorn of the degenerate.
10. I am mute, I do not open my mouth, for You have caused [my suffering].
11. Remove Your affliction from me; I am devastated by the attack of Your hand.
12. In reproach for sin You chastened man; like a moth, You wore away that which is precious to him. All mankind is nothing but futility, forever.
13. Hear my prayer, O Lord, listen to my cry; do not be silent to my tears, for I am a stranger with You, a sojourner like all my forefathers.
14. Turn from me, that I may recover my strength, before I depart and I am no more.
Tanya: Iggeret HaKodesh, middle of Epistle 13
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Monday, Elul 13, 5777 · September 4, 2017
Today's Tanya Lesson
Iggeret HaKodesh, middle of Epistle 13
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והנה כל איש ישראל צריך להיות כלול מב׳ בחינות אלו
Now, every Jew needs to comprise both these traits: a Jew whose soul derives from Chesed must also incorporate the thrust of Gevurah, and vice versa,
ואין לך דבר שאין לו מקום
for1 “There is no thing that has not its place.”
Both Chesed and Gevurah are essential to one’s service; at times he must use one attribute, at times — the other.
ולכן מצינו כמה דברים מקולי בית שמאי ומחומרי בית הלל
Thus we find various matters that exemplify the leniencies of Beit Shammai and the stringencies of Beit Hillel.2
ללמדנו, שאף בית שמאי, ששרש נשמתם מבחינת שמאל העליון, ולכן היו דנין להחמיר תמיד בכל איסורי התורה
This comes to teach us that even Beit Shammai, whose soul was rooted in the Supernal “left”,3(which is why they always decided stringently as regards all the prohibitions of the Torah,
For stringencies stem from Gevurah, inasmuch as they prevent an object from being used and thereby elevated.
ובית הלל, שהיו מבחינת ימין העליון, היו מלמדין זכות להקל ולהתיר איסורי בית שמאי
whereas Beit Hillel, who derived from the Supernal “right”, would find arguments for leniency in order to render permissible the things prohibited by Beit Shammai,
שיהיו מותרים מאיסורם, ויוכלו לעלות למעלה
so that these should become released from their prohibitive bonds and be able to ascend), —
The word אסור means “bound” (i.e., to the sitra achra) and hence “prohibited”. Its opposite (מותר) means “released” and hence “permitted”. Declaring an object permissible thus unfetters it from the bonds of the sitra achra, thereby allowing it to ascend, as explained in Tanya, Part I, ch. 7.
אף על פי כן, בכמה דברים היו בית שמאי מקילין
nevertheless, in numerous matters, [even] Beit Shammai were lenient.
מפני התכללות שרש נשמתם, שהוא כלול גם מימין
[This is so] because of the inclusiveness of their soul’s root, which is compounded of the “right” (Chesed) as well.
וכן שורש נשמת בית הלל כלול גם משמאל
And, likewise, the root of Beit Hillel’s soul was also compounded of the “left” (Gevurah).
כידוע דרך ומדות קדש העליון
For, as is known of the mode and the attributes4 (i.e., the manner) of Supernal Holiness,
דלית תמן קיצוץ ופירוד, חס ושלום
“there is no cleavage or division there,”5 heaven forfend;
וכל המדות כלולות זו מזו
rather, all the traits that derive from Supernal Holiness incorporate each other — Chesed incorporates an aspect of Gevurah; Gevurah of Chesed; and so on.
ולכן הן מיוחדות זו בזו, כידוע ליודעי חן
They are therefore in union with each other, as is known to those who study the Kabbalah (lit., “the scholars of the Hidden Wisdom”).
Although Chesed and Gevurah are opposites, nonetheless, since they are also compounded of each other, they are able to work together.
וכדכתיב באברהם, שהוא מדת החסד והאהבה: עתה ידעתי כי ירא אלקים אתה
Thus it is written of Abraham,6 who personifies the attribute of Chesed and love, “Now I know that you stand in awe of G‑d,”
על ידי שלבש מדת הגבורה, ויעקוד את יצחק בנו, ויקח את המאכלת גו׳
— for he had garbed himself in the attribute of Gevurah, which was not of his essence,7 “And bound Isaac his son...and took the knife [to slaughter his son].”
We thus see that Abraham, who is the very embodiment of Chesed, was able to respond as the occasion demanded with even this expression of severity, the very epitome of the attribute of Gevurah.
ומה שאמר הכתוב: אברהם אוהבי, ופחד יצחק
As for Scripture characterizing him as8 “Abraham who loved Me,” and [in another verse characterizing Isaac as]9 “the Dread of Isaac,” thereby indicating that Abraham’s service was an expression of Chesed and Isaac’s service an expression of Gevurah, which would seem to contradict the earlier statement that Abraham also revealed the attribute of Gevurah,
הנה ההפרש וההבדל הזה הוא בבחינת גילוי והעלם
this difference and distinction exists [only] on the scale of manifestation and concealment.
שבמדת יצחק, הפחד הוא בבחינת גילוי, והאהבה מסותרת בבחינת העלם והסתר
In Isaac’s mode of divine service, the fear is manifest, while the love is hidden, in a state of concealment and hiding.
וההיפך במדת אברהם אבינו, עליו השלום
The opposite is the case with the trait of our father Abraham, peace be to him — Chesed was manifest and Gevurah was concealed.
| FOOTNOTES | |
| 1. | Avot 4:3. |
| 2. | Note of the Rebbe: “Eduyot, chs. 4-5.” |
| 3. | Note of the Rebbe: “See Zohar III, 245a.” |
| 4. | Note of the Rebbe in He’arot VeTikkunim: “This expression requires some explanation.” |
| 5. | Zohar III, 70a. |
| 6. | Bereishit 22:12. |
| 7. | Ibid., verses 9, 10. |
| 8. | Yeshayahu 41:8. |
| 9. | Bereishit 31:42. |
• Sefer Hamitzvot:
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Monday, Elul 13, 5777 · September 4, 2017
A daily digest of Maimonides’ classic work "Sefer Hamitzvot"
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Negative Commandment 294
Punishing an Individual Coerced to Sin
"But to the girl you shall do nothing"—Deuteronomy 22:26.
It is forbidden to punish a person for the commission of a sin which he was coerced to do.
Full text of this Mitzvah »
Punishing an Individual Coerced to Sin
Negative Commandment 294
Translated by Berel Bell
The 294th prohibition is that we are forbidden from punishing a person who was forced to commit a transgression, since the act was done unwillingly.
The source of this prohibition is G‑d's statement1 (exalted be He), "You must not impose any penalty upon the girl."
Our Sages said in tractate Sanhedrin,2 "The Torah exempts a person in the case of force, as it is written,3 'You must not impose any penalty whatsoever upon the girl.' "
FOOTNOTES
1.Deut. 22:26. The previous verses (ibid,. 23-24) speak of a young married woman who committed adultery, in which case both she and the man are punished. This verse speaks of a case of rape, to say that only he is punished, not her.
2.Our versions of tractate Sanhedrin do not contain this statement. It is found in Nedarim 67a, Bava Kama 28b, and Avodah Zorah 54a. See Kapach 5731, footnote 39.
3.Deut., ibid.
Negative Commandment 290
Issuing a Punitive Sentence Based on Circumstantial Evidence
"And an innocent and righteous person you shall not slay"—Exodus 23:7.
We are forbidden to punish an individual based on circumstantial evidence, even if the person's guilt is virtually certain.
For example: A person was pursuing his enemy with the intent to murder him. The pursued escaped into a house, followed by the pursuer. Witnesses then enter the house and find the victim lying murdered, still convulsing, and the pursuer standing over him holding a knife—both people covered with blood. The courts may not execute the pursuer since there were no witnesses who actually saw the murder.
Though this law might seem unjust [as it will inevitably lead to the exoneration of certain criminals], here's the rationale:
In the realm of the possible, some possibilities are extremely probable, some are extremely unlikely, and then there's the full broad gamut of possibilities that fall somewhere between these two extremes. If the Torah were to allow the courts to punish an individual in an instance where the probability of guilt is almost definite (similar to the above example), then the courts would also come to punish in cases in which the guilt is less and less probable, until they would execute defendants based on flimsy estimation according to the judge's imagination.
Therefore G‑d "closed the door" to this possibility and forbade any punishment unless there are witnesses who are certain beyond a doubt that the event transpired and that there is no other possible explanation.
If we do not inflict punishment, even when the offense is most probable, the worst that could happen is that someone who is really guilty will be found innocent. But if punishment was implemented based on circumstantial evidence, it is possible that someday an innocent person would be executed. And it is preferable that a thousand guilty people be set free than to execute one innocent person.
Similarly, if two witnesses testified that a person committed two different capital offenses, each one having seen only one of the acts – e.g., one witness testified that he saw a person working on Shabbat, and another witness testified that he saw the person worshipping idols – that person cannot be executed.
Full text of this Mitzvah »
Issuing a Punitive Sentence Based on Circumstantial Evidence
Negative Commandment 290
Translated by Berel Bell
The 290th prohibition is that we are forbidden from punishing someone based on our estimation [without actual testimony], even if his guilt is virtually certain. An example of this is a person who was chasing after his enemy to kill him. The pursued escaped into a house and the pursuer entered the house after him. We enter the house after them and find the victim lying murdered, with the pursuer standing over him holding a knife, with both covered with blood. The Sanhedrin may not inflict the death penalty1 on this pursuer since there were no witnesses who actually saw the murder.
The Torah of Truth (Toras Emess) comes to prohibit his execution with G‑d's statement2 (exalted be He), "Do not kill a person who has not been proven guilty."
Our Sages said in Mechilta:3 "If they saw him chasing after another to kill him and they warned him, saying, 'He is a Jew, a son of the Covenant! If you kill him you will be executed!' If the two went out of sight and they found one murdered, with the sword in the murderer's hand dripping blood, one might think that he can be executed. The Torah therefore says, 'Do not kill a person who has not been proven guilty.' "
Do not question this law and think that it is unjust, for there are some possibilities that are extremely probable, others that are extremely unlikely, and others in between. The category of "possible" is very broad, and if the Torah allowed the High Court to punish when the offense was very probable and almost definite (similar to the above example), then they would carry out punishment in cases which were less and less probable, until people would be constantly4 executed based on flimsy estimation and the judges' imagination. G‑d (exalted be He), therefore "closed the door" to this possibility and forbid any punishment unless there are witnesses who are certain beyond a doubt that the event transpired and that there is no other possible explanation.
If we do not inflict punishment even when the offense is most probable, the worst that could happen is that someone who is really guilty will be found innocent. But if punishment was given based on estimation and circumstantial evidence,5 it is possible that someday an innocent person would be executed. And it is preferable and more proper6 that even a thousand guilty people be set free than to someday execute even one innocent person.
Similarly, if two witnesses testified that the person committed two capital offenses, but each one saw only one act and not the other, he cannot be executed. For example: One witness testified that he saw a person doing a melachah on Shabbos and warned him not to. Another witness testified that he saw the person worshipping idols and warned him not to. This person cannot be executed by stoning.7 Our Sages said,8 "If one witness testified that he worshipped the sun and the other testified that he worshipped the moon, one might think that they can joined together.9 The Torah therefore said, 'Do not kill a person who has not been proven guilty.'"
FOOTNOTES
1.They are allowed, however, in extreme circumstances, to order him executed as an emergency measure.
2.Ex. 23:7.
3.Ibid.
4.See Kapach, 5731, footnote 21, that the correct translation of the Arabic tzara is tamid (constantly), rather than the translation in the 5718 Rav Kook edition, b'avel. Chavel, following that version, translates "unwarrantable presumptions."
5.See Kapach, 5731, footnote 23, that this is the correct translation of the Arabic k'ra'in rather than the translation in the 5718 Rav Kook edition, dimui. Chavel, following that version, translates "suppositions."
6.See Kapach, 5731, footnote 24, translates ratzui, but writes that he could not find an equivalent Hebrew word, since the Arabic achut indicates taking extra precautions to avoid executing an innocent person.
7.Literally "stoning." See P229.
8.Mechilta, loc cit.
9.I.e. that there are two witnesses that he worshipped idols.
Rambam:
• 1 Chapter A Day: Avel Avel - Chapter 4
English Text | Hebrew Text
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1
These are the customs observed by the Jewish people with regard to corpses and burial. We close the eyes of the deceased. If one's mouth hangs open, we tie the jaw close. After washing the corpse, we stuff close the orifices, anoint it with different fragrances, cut its hair, and dress it in shrouds of white linen which are not expensive. Our Sages followed the custom of using a cloak worth a zuz, so as not to embarrass a person who lacks resources. We cover the faces of the deceased so as not to embarrass the poor whose faces turned black because of hunger.
א
מנהג ישראל במתים ובקבורה כך הוא מאמצין עיניו של מת ואם נפתח פיו קושרין את לחייו ופוקקין את נקביו אחר שמדיחין אותו וסכין אותו במיני בשמים וגוזזין שערו ומלבישין אותו תכריכין תפורין בחוט של פשתן לבנים ולא יהיו דמיהן יקרים ונהגו חכמים בסודר שוה זוז שלא לבייש את מי שאין לו ומכסין פני המת שלא לבייש את העניים שפניהם מושחרין ברעב:
2
It is forbidden to bury the dead, even a nasi among the Jewish people, in silk shrouds or clothes embroidered with gold, for this is an expression of haughtiness, the destruction of useful property, and the emulation of gentile practices.
We carry the dead on our shoulders to the cemetery.
ב
ואסור לקבור בתכריכין של משי ובגדים המוזהבין הרקומין אפילו לנשיא שבישראל שזהו גסות הרוח והשחתה ומעשה עכו"ם וסובלין את המת על הכתף עד בית הקברות:
3
The pallbearers are forbidden to wear sandals, lest the strap of one of them snap and he hold back the performance of the mitzvah.
ג
ונושאי המטה אסורין בנעילת הסנדל שמא תפסק רצועה מסנדלו של אחד מהן ונמצא מתעכב מן המצוה:
4
We dig burial caves in the earth and make hollows at the side of the caves. There we bury the corpse with its face upward; we then place the earth and the stones back in place above it. They may bury it in a wooden coffin.
Those who accompany the corpse tell him: "Go in peace," as Genesis 15:15 states: "You will go to your ancestors in peace."
Markings are made on the graves. A tombstone is placed on the grave. For the righteous, by contrast, a tombstone is not placed, because their words will cause them to be remembered; a person will not need to visit in the cemeteries.
ד
וחופרין בעפר מערות ועושין כוך בצד המערה וקוברין אותו בו ופניו למעלה ומחזירין העפר והאבנים עליו ויש להן לקבור בארון של עץ והמלוין אותו אומרין לו לך בשלום שנאמר ואתה תבוא אל אבותיך בשלום ומציינין את כל בית הקברות ובונין נפש על הקבר והצדיקים אין בונים להם נפש על קברותיהם שדבריהם הם זכרונם ולא יפנה אדם לבקר הקברות:
5
A person in his deathroes is considered as a living person with regard to all matters. We do not tie his cheek, stuff his orifices, nor to we place a metal utensil or a utensil that cools on his navel so that his body will not bloat. We do not anoint it or wash it or place it on sand or on salt until the person dies.
One who touches him is considered as shedding blood. To what can the matter be compared? To a candle that is flickering, were a person to touch it, it will be extinguished. Similarly, anyone who closes a dying person's eyes as his soul expires is considered as shedding blood. Instead, they should wait some lest he have fainted. Similarly, we do not rend our clothes because of him, uncover our shoulders, recite eulogies, or bring a coffin or shrouds into the house until the person dies.
ה
הגוסס הרי הוא כחי לכל דבר אין קושרין לחייו ואין פוקקין נקביו ואין מניחין כלי מתכות וכלי מיקר על טבורו שלא יתפח ולא סכין אותו ולא מדיחין אותו ולא מטילין אותו על החול ולא על המלח עד שעה שימות והנוגע בו הרי זה שופך דמים למה זה דומה לנר שמטפטף כיון שיגע בו אדם יכבה וכל המאמץ עיניו עם יציאת נפש הרי זה שופך דמים אלא ישהא מעט שמא נתעלף וכן אין קורעין עליו ולא חולצין כתף ולא מספידין ולא מכניסין עמו ארון ותכריכין בבית עד שימות:
6
When a person's dead is lying before him, he should eat in another house. If he does not have another house, he should construct a partition and eat. If he does not have the materials to make a partition, he should turn away his face and eat. Under no circumstances should he recline and eat or eat meat or drink wine.
He does not recite the blessing before eating, nor the grace after meals. Others do not recite the blessings for him, nor is he included in a quorum of three for the recitation of grace. He is free from the obligation to recite the Shema, pray, put on tefillin, or observe any of the mitzvot stated in the Torah.
On the Sabbath, he should recline, eat meat, and drink wine, recite the blessing before eating, and recite grace. Others may recite blessings for him. He is included in a quorum for grace and is obligated in all the mitzvot of the Torah with the exception of sexual relations.
Once the dead is buried, he is permitted to eat meat and drink a small amount of wine to help digest the food that he has eaten, but not in an unrestrained manner.
ו
מי שמתו מוטל לפניו אוכל בבית אחר אין לו בית אחר עושה מחיצה ואוכל אין לו דבר לעשות מחיצה מחזיר פניו ואוכל ובין כך ובין כך אינו מיסב ואוכל ולא אוכל בשר ולא שותה יין ואינו מברך ואינו מזמן ואין מברכין עליו ואין מזמנין עליו ופטור מקריאת שמע ומן התפלה ומתפילין ומכל מצות האמורות בתורה בשבת מיסב ואוכל בשר ושותה יין ומברך ומזמן ומברכין עליו ומזמנין עליו וחייב בכל מצות האמורות בתורה חוץ מתשמיש המטה נקבר המת הרי זה מותר לאכול בשר ולשתות יין מעט כדי לשרות אכילה שבמיעיו אבל לא לרוות:
7
We do not delay the burial of the dead. Instead, we hurry to bury him immediately. Hastening the burial is praiseworthy. For one's father and mother, by contrast, it is demeaning.
ז
אין משהין את המת אלא מדחין מטתו מיד וכל המדחה מטתו הרי זה משובח ועל אביו ועל אמו הרי זה מגונה:
8
On Friday or the day before a festival, or when rain was drenching the coffin, it is permitted to hurry even the funeral of one's parents. For the person hurried the funeral only as an expression of honor for his father and mother.
Whoever delays the burial of his dead overnight violates a negative commandment, unless he delays the burial for the honor of the dead and to complete providing for his needs.
ח
היה ערב שבת או ערב יום טוב או שהיו גשמים מזלפין על המטה מותר שלא מיהר אלא לכבוד אביו ואמו וכל המלין את מתו עובר בלא תעשה אא"כ הלינו לכבודו ולהשלים צרכיו:
9
On the first day alone, it is forbidden for a mourner to put on tefillin or to eat food of his own. He must sit on a overturned bed. During the remainder of the days of mourning, he may eat his own food, sit on a mat or on the ground, and put on tefillin.
What is the source which teaches that a mourner may not put on tefillin on the first day? Instructions were given Ezekiel (Ezekiel 24:17): "Your glory should be bound upon you." Implied is other people are forbidden. He was instructed: "Do not eat the bread of men." Implied is that other people should eat from others on the first day and are forbidden to eat their own food.
ט
האבל ביום ראשון בלבד אסור להניח תפילין ולאכול משלו וחייב לישב על מטה כפויה ובשאר ימי האבל מותר לו לאכול משלו ולישב על גבי מפץ או קרקע ומניח תפילין ומנין שהוא אסור ביום ראשון להניח תפילין שהרי נאמר ליחזקאל פארך חבוש עליך מכלל שכל העם אסורין ונאמר לו ולחם אנשים לא תאכל מכלל שכל העם אוכלין משל אחרים ביום ראשון ואסורין לאכול משל עצמן:
Rambam:
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1
When a person is sentenced to death, he is taken out of the court and led to the place of execution. One person stands at the entrance to the court with flags in his hands and a horse distant from him. An announcement is made before him: "So-and-so is being taken to be executed in this-and-this manner, because he violated this prohibition, in this place at this time. So-and-so and so-and-so are the witnesses. If there is anyone who knows a rationale leading to his acquittal, let them come and tell us."
If a person says: "I know a rationale that leads to his acquittal," the person with the flags waves them and the rider on the horse races to bring the defendant back to the court. If a factor leading to his acquittal is found, he is released. If not, he is taken back for execution.
If the defendant himself says: "I know a rationale that leads to my acquittal," even though there is no substance to his words, he is returned to the court once or twice. We suspect that perhaps out of fear, he could not present his arguments and when he is returned to the court, he will be composed and will state a substantial reason for acquittal.
If they return him to the court, and it is discovered that his words are without substance, for a third time, he is taken to be executed. If on this third occasion, he also says: "I know a rationale that leads to my acquittal," we return him to the court - even several times - if his words are substantial. For this reason, two scholars are sent to accompany him and listen to his statements on the way. If his words are of substance, he is returned to the court. If not, he is not returned.
If an argument leading to his acquittal is not discovered, he is brought out for execution. The witnesses are the ones who execute him in the manner for which he is liable. When a murderer is not executed by his witnesses, all other people are obligated to execute him.
Approximately ten cubits from the place of execution, he is told to confess. For all those who are executed should confess. For if they confess, they receive a portion in the world to come. If he does not know how to confess, we tell him: "Say 'may my death atone for my sins.' Even if he knows that he was the victim of false testimony, he should confess in this manner.
א
מי שנגמר דינו למיתה מוציאין אותו מבית דין ואחד עומד על פתח בית דין והסודרין בידו והסוס רחוק ממנו והכרוז יוצא לפניו פלוני יוצא ליהרג במיתה פלונית על שעבר עבירה פלונית במקום פלוני בזמן פלוני ופלוני ופלוני עדיו מי שיודע לו זכות יבא וילמד עליו אמר אחד יש לי ללמד עליו זכות זה מניף בסודרין וזה הרוכב על הסוס רץ ומחזיר את הנדון לבית דין אם נמצא לו זכות פוטרין אותו ואם לא יחזור ויצא להריגה אמר הוא בעצמו יש לי ללמד על עצמי זכות אע"פ שאין ממש בדבריו מחזירין אותו פעם ראשונה ושנייה שמא מפני הפחד נסתתמו טענותיו וכשיחזור לבית דין תתיישב דעתו ויאמר טעם החזירוהו ולא נמצא ממש בדבריו מוציאין אותו פעם שלישית אמר בשלישית יש לי ללמד על עצמי זכות אם יש ממש בדבריו מחזירין אותו אפילו כמה פעמים לפיכך מוסרין לו שני תלמידי חכמים ששומעין דבריו בדרך אם יש ממש בדבריו מחזירין אותו ואם לאו אין מחזירין אותו אם לא נמצא לו זכות מוציאין אותו ועדיו הם ההורגין אותו בכל מיתה שיתחייב בה ורוצח שלא הרגוהו עדיו חייבין להמיתו ביד כל אדם רחוק ממקום ההריגה כעשר אמות אומר לו התודה שכן דרך כל המומתין מתודין וכל המתודה יש לו חלק לעולם הבא אם אינו יודע להתודות אומרים לו אמור תהא מיתתי כפרה על כל עונותי אפילו ידע בעצמו ששקר העידו עליו כך הוא מתודה:
2
After he confessess, he is given a granule of frankincense dissolved in a cup of wine, so that he will lose control of his mind and become drunk. Afterwards, he is executed in the manner for which he is liable.
ב
ואחר שמתודה משקין אותו קורט של לבונה בכוס של יין כדי שתטרף דעתו עליו וישתכר ואחר כך יהרג במיתה שהוא חייב בה:
3
The wine, the frankincense, the stone used to execute a person stoned to death, the sword used to decapitate a defendant, the cloth use for strangulation, the pole on which a blasphemer or an idolater is hung after being executed, the flags that are waved before those being executed, and the horse that runs to save him all are paid for from communal funds. Anyone who wants to donate them may donate them.
ג
זה היין והלבונה והאבן שיסקל בה הנסקל והסייף שיהרג בו הנהרג והסודר שחונקין בו הנחנק והעץ שתולין עליו הנתלה והסודרין שמניפין בה לפני הרוגי בית דין והסוס שרץ להצילו הכל באין משל ציבור ומי שירצה להתנדב יבא ויתנדב:
4
The court does not attend the funeral of the executed person. Whenever a court has a person executed, they are forbidden to eat for the remainder of that entire day.. This prohibition is included in the interdiction (Leviticus 19:26): "Do not eat upon the blood." A meal of comfort is not given the relatives of those executed by the court. This too is derived from the above verse. These acts are forbidden, but they are not punishable by lashes.
ד
אין בית דין יוצאין אחר הנהרג וכל בית דין שהרגו נפש אסורים לאכול כל אותו היום הרי זה בכלל לא תאכלו על הדם ואין מברין הקרובים על הרוגי בית דין משום לא תאכלו על הדם ודברים אלו אסורין ואין בהן מלקות:
5
When a person is held liable for the death penalty during Chol HaMoed, the court prolong their analysis of his judgment. The judges eat and drink. Afterwards, shortly before sunset, they conclude the judgment and have him executed.
ה
מי שנתחייב מיתה בחולו של מועד מעיינין בדינו ואוכלין בית דין ושותין ואח"כ גומרין את דינו סמוך לשקיעת החמה והורגין אותו:
6
Mourning rites are not held for those executed by the court. Their relatives come and inquire about the well-being of the witnesses and the well-being of the judges to show that they have no bad feelings against them in their hearts and that they acknowledge that their judgment was true. Although they do not observe the mourning rites, they do observe aninut. For aninut is solely a reflection of the feeling in one's heart.
ו
הרוגי בית דין אין מתאבלין עליהן ובאין קרוביהן ושואלים את שלום העדים ואת שלום הדיינים להודיע שאין בלבם עליהן כלום שדין אמת דנו ואף על פי שאין נוהגין אבלות הרי הן אוננים עליהם שאין אנינות אלא בלב:
7
When a person was sentenced in one court, fled, and brought to another court, we do not reopen his case. Instead, wherever two people will arise and state: "We testify that this person was sentenced to death in this court and that so-and-so and so-and-so are those who testified against him," he is executed.
When does the above apply? To a murderer. Other people who are obligated to be executed are not given that punishment until the witnesses who originally testified against them come and testify that they were sentenced to death. The witnesses must then execute the convicted themselves. The above applies provided testimony is given in a court of 23 judges.
ז
מי שנגמר דינו וברח ובא לבית דין אחר אין סותרין את דינו אלא כל מקום שיעמדו שנים ויאמרו מעידין אנו את איש פלוני שנגמר דינו בבית דין פלוני ופלוני ופלוני עדיו הרי זה יהרג במה דברים אמורים ברוצח אבל שאר חייבי מיתות עד שיבואו עדיו הראשונים ויעידו שנגמר דינו ויהרגוהו בידם והוא שיעידו בבית דין של עשרים ושלשה:
8
When a person was sentenced to death by a court in the diaspora and fled to a court in Eretz Yisrael, we reopen his case at least. If he comes before the same court who sentenced him in the diaspora, we do not reopen his case, even though they sentenced him in the diaspora and now they are in Eretz Yisrael.
ח
מי שנגמר דינו בבית דין שהיה בחוצה לארץ וברח לבית דין שבארץ ישראל סותרין את דינו על כל פנים ואם היו אותן בית דין עצמן שנגמר דינו בפניהם אין סותרין את דינו אע"פ שגמרוהו בחוצה לארץ והם עתה בארץ ישראל:
Sanhedrin veha`Onashin haMesurin lahem - Chapter 14
1
Four types of execution were given to the court: stoning, burning, decapitation with a sword, and strangulation. Stoning and burning are explicitly mentioned in the Torah. Moses our teacher taught that whenever the Torah mentions the death sentence without any further description, the intent is strangulation. When a person kills a colleague, he should be decapitated. Similarly, the inhabitants of a city that goes astray are executed by decapitation.
א
ארבע מיתות נמסרו לבית דין סקילה ושריפה והריגה בסייף וחנק סקילה ושריפה מפורשין הן בתורה ומפי משה רבינו למדו שכל מיתה האמורה בתורה סתם היא חנק וההורג את חבירו מיתתו בסייף וכן אנשי עיר הנדחת מיתתן בסייף:
2
Every one of these forms of execution involves a positive commandment for the court to execute a person with the form of death for which he is liable. A king has permission to execute using only one of them - by decapitation.
ב
כל מיתה מהם מצות עשה היא לבית דין להרוג בה מי שנתחייב בה ואין רשות למלך להרוג באחת מהן אלא בסייף בלבד:
3
Whenever a person is obligated to be executed and the court did not execute him, the judges negated the observance of a positive commandment, but do not transgress a negative commandment. There is one exception: a sorcerer. If they do not kill him, they violate a negative commandment, as Exodus 22:17 states: "Do not allow a sorcerer to live."
ג
כל מחוייב מיתת בית דין שלא המיתו אותו בית דין ביטלו מצות עשה ולא עברו על מצות לא תעשה חוץ מן המכשף שאם לא המיתוהו עברו על מצות לא תעשה שנאמר מכשפה לא תחיה:
4
Stoning to death is a more severe form of execution than burning. Burning is a more sever form than decapitation, and decapitation is more sever than strangulation.
When a person is liable to be executed with two different forms of execution, he should be executed with the more severe form. This applies whether he committed two transgressions, one after the other, or he committed one transgression which involved two death penalties. Even if he was sentenced to be executed for the less severe form of execution and afterwards, committed a transgression punishable by the more severe form, should he be convicted, he is executed in the more severe manner.
ד
סקילה חמורה מן השריפה ושריפה חמורה מן הסייף והסייף חמורה מן החנק וכל מי שנתחייב בשתי מיתות נדון בחמורה בין שעבר שתי עבירות זו אחר זו בין שעבר עבירה אחת שחייב עליה שתי מיתות אפילו נגמר דינו לקלה ואחר כך עבר על החמורה ונגמר דינו נידון בחמורה:
5
Both men and women are executed in these four manners.
ה
ואחד האיש ואחד האשה דנין אותן בארבע מיתות:
6
Whenever people who are all liable to be executed are mixed together, each one of them is executed in the less severe manner.
ו
כל חייבי מיתות שנתערבו זה בזה נדון כל אחד מהן בקלה שבהן:
7
When a person who has been sentenced to death becomes mixed together with others and it is unable to distinguish him from them, and similarly, when a person who was not convicted becomes mixed together with others who have been convicted and sentenced to death and it is unable to distinguish him from them, they are all released from liability. The rationale is that we complete the judgment of a person only when he is present.
ז
מי שנגמר דינו שנתערב עם שאר העם ולא נודע מי הוא מאלו או מי שלא נגמר דינו שנתערב עם מי שנגמר דינו ולא נודע מי הוא כולן פטורין לפי שאין גומרין דינו של אדם אלא בפניו:
8
When a convicted person fights for his life and it is impossible for the court to have him bound so that he can be executed in the manner in which he is obligated to die, the witnesses should kill him in any manner they can, for he has been sentenced to death. No one else, however, has the right to kill him first.
For this reason, if the hands of the witnesses are cut off, the convicted person is released. If, however, at the outset, the witnesses did not have hands, the convicted person should be executed by others.
When does the above apply? To all people who are liable to be executed by the court with the exception of a murderer. When, however, a murderer has been sentenced by the court every person should pursue him using any means possible to kill him until he is executed.
ח
מי שעמד על נפשו ולא יכלו בית דין לאוסרו עד שימיתוהו במיתה שהוא חייב בה הורגין אותו עדיו בכל מיתה שיכולין להמיתו בה מאחר שנגמר דינו ואין רשות לשאר העם להמיתו תחלה לפיכך אם נקטעה יד העדים פטור ואם היו העדים גדמין מתחלה יהרג ביד אחרים בד"א בשאר מחוייבי מיתות בית דין חוץ מן הרוצח אבל הורג נפש שנגמר דינו רודפין אחריו בכל דבר וביד כל אדם עד שממתין אותו:
9
All of the people executed by the court should not be buried in their family plots together with the entire Jewish people. Instead, the court sets aside two different burial plots: one for those who are stoned and those who are burnt, and the other for those who are decapitated and strangled. This is a halachah conveyed by the Oral Tradition.
When the flesh of the corpse decomposes, they would gather the bones and rebury them in their ancestral plots. The relatives may make a coffin and shrouds in which to rebury the bones.
ט
כל הרוגי בית דין אין קוברין אותן בקברי אבותיהם בכלל ישראל אלא שני קברות מתקנין להן בית דין אחד לנסקלין ולנשרפין ואחד לנהרגין ולנחנקין ודבר זה הלכה מפי השמועה נתאכל הבשר היו מלקטין את העצמות וקוברין אותן בקברות אבותיהן ויש לקרוביהן לעשות להן ארון ותכריכין:
10
The court must be very patient with regard to laws involving capital punishment and ponder the matter without being hasty. Whenever a court executes a person once in seven years, it is considered a savage court. Nevertheless, if it happens that they must execute a person every day, they do. They do not, however, judge two cases involving capital punishment on the same day. Instead, one is judged immediately, and the other on the following day.
If, however, the two people committed the same sin and are punished with the same form of execution, e.g., a man and a woman who committed adultery, we judge both of them on the same day. Therefore if an adulterer had relations with the daughter of a priest, since he is executed by strangulation and she is burnt to death, they are not executed on the same day.
י
צריכין בית דין להתיישב בדיני נפשות ולהמתין ולא יאיצו וכל בית דין שהרגו נפש בשבע שנים הרי אלו חבלנין אף על פי כן אם אירע להם להרוג בכל יום ויום הורגין אבל אין דנין לעולם שנים ביום אחד אלא דנין זה היום והשני למחר היו שניהם בעבירה אחת ומיתה אחת כגון נואף עם נואפת דנין שניהם ביום אחד לפיכך אם היה הנואף בועל בת כהן הואיל והוא בחנק והיא בשריפה אין הורגין שניהן ביום אחד:
11
Cases involving capital punishment are adjudicated only when the Temple is standing. It is also necessary that the High Court hold its sessions in the Chamber of Hewn Stone in the Temple. This is derived from the statements of Deuteronomy 17:12 with regard to a rebellious elder: "who refuses to heed the priest." According to the Oral Tradition, it was taught: "At a time when there is a priest offering sacrifices on the altar, cases involving capital punishment are adjudicated." This applies provided the court is holding sessions in its place.
יא
אין דנין דני נפשות אלא בפני הבית והוא שיהיה בית דין הגדול שם בלשכה שבמקדש שנאמר בזקן ממרא לבלתי שמוע אל הכהן וגו' ומפי השמועה למדו שבזמן שיש כהן מקריב על גבי המזבח יש דיני נפשות והוא שיהיה בית דין הגדול במקומו:
12
At the outset, when the Temple was constructed, the Supreme Sanhedrin would hold session in the Chamber of Hewn Stone in the Courtyard of the Israelites. The place where the judges would sit was not consecrated. For only kings of the House of David were permitted to sit in the Temple Courtyard.
When the moral character of the Jewish people declined, the Sanhedrin went in exile. They traveled to ten different places in exile, the last being Tiberias. Afterwards, until the present age, the Supreme Sanhedrin has never been convened. And it is an accepted tradition, that in the future, the Sanhedrin will first convene in Tiberias, and from there, they will proceed to the Temple.
יב
בתחילה כשנבנה בית המקדש היו בית דין הגדול יושבין בלשכת הגזית שהיתה בעזרת ישראל והמקום שהיו יושבין בו חול היה שאין ישיבה בעזרה אלא למלכי בית דוד וכשנתקלקלה השורה גלו ממקום למקום ולעשרה מקומות גלו וסופן לטבריא ומשם לא עמד בית דין גדול עד עתה וקבלה היא שבטבריא עתידין לחזור תחילה ומשם נעתקין למקדש:
13
40 years before the destruction of the Temple, capital punishment was nullified among the Jewish people. Although the Temple was still standing, since the Sanhedrin went into exile and were not in their place in the Temple, these laws could not be enforced.
יג
ארבעים שנה קודם חרבן בית שני בטלו דיני נפשות מישראל אע"פ שהיה המקדש קיים מפני שגלו הסנהדרין ולא היו שם במקומן במקדש:
14
In the era when cases involving capital punishment were adjudicated in Eretz Yisrael, such cases could also be adjudicated in the diaspora, provided the members of that court received semichah in Eretz Yisrael. As we have already stated, the Sanhedrin exercises judicial authority in Eretz Yisrael and in the diaspora.
יד
בזמן שדנין דיני נפשות בארץ ישראל דנין דיני נפשות בחוצה לארץ והוא שיהיו הסנהדרין סמוכין בארץ כמו שביארנו שהסנהדרין נוהגת בארץ ובחוצה לארץ:
Sanhedrin veha`Onashin haMesurin lahem - Chapter 15
1
How is the mitzvah of stoning carried out? Four cubits from the place of execution, we remove the clothes of the person to be stoned; we do, however, cover his sexual organ in front. A woman is not executed naked. Instead, she is allowed to wear one cloak.
The place of execution was two storeys high. The convicted person ascends there with his hands tied, together with his witnesses. One of the witnesses pushes him at his loins from behind, he falls over, landing on his heart on the ground. If he dies because of this, they have fulfilled their obligation, for Exodus 19:13 states: "Or he will be cast down or stoned," creating an equation between a person who has a stone fall upon him with one who himself falls on the earth.
If he does not die after this fall, the witnesses pick up a stone that is so large it requires two people to carry it. The second witness lets go and the first casts the stone on the convicted person's heart. If he dies because of this, they have fulfilled their obligation. If not, he should be stoned by the entire Jewish people, as Deuteronomy 17:7 states: "The hand of the witnesses shall be raised up against him first to execute him, and the hand of the entire nation afterwards."
א
כיצד מצות הנסלקין רחוק מבית הסקילה ארבע אמות מפשיטין את המחוייב סקילה בגדיו ומכסין ערותו מלפניו ואין האשה נסקלת ערומה אלא בחלוק אחד ובית הסקילה גבוה שתי קומות עולה לשם הוא ועדיו וידיו אסורות ואחד מן העדים דוחפו על מתניו מאחוריו והוא נהפך ונופל על לבו לארץ אם מת בה יצא שהרי נאמר סקול יסקל או ירה יירה הנה השוה הנסקל שנפל את האבן עליו עם הנדחף שנפל הוא בעצמו על הארץ ואם לא מת מדחיפה זו מגביהין העדים אבן שהיתה מונחת שם משא שני בני אדם והעד השני מרפה את ידו ומשליך האבן על לבו אם מת בו יצא ואם לאו רגימתו בכל ישראל שנאמר יד העדים תהיה בו בראשונה להמיתו ויד כל העם באחרונה:
2
An idolater should be stoned at the gateway to the place where he performed the transgression. If the majority of the population of a city are gentiles, he should be stoned at the entrance to the court. This concept has been conveyed by the Oral Tradition. The term "to your gates" where Deuteronomy 17:8 states that an idolater should be executed refers to the gate where he performed the transgression and not the gate where he was sentenced.
ב
עובד ע"ז אין סוקלין אותו אלא על שער שעבד בו ואם היתה עיר שרובה עכו"ם סוקלין אותו על פתח בית דין ודבר זה קבלה מפי השמועה אל שעריך זה שער שעבד בו ולא שנגמר דינו בו:
3
The mitzvah of executing a person by burning is performed as follows: The convicted is placed in fertilizer until his knees. A firm cloth is placed within a soft cloth and they are wound around his neck. The two witnesses are positioned on either side and each pull the cloths toward himself until the convicted opens his mouth. Tin, lead, and the like are melted down and then poured into his mouth. The molten metal descends and burns his innards.
ג
מצות הנשרפין היו משקעין אותו בזבל עד ארכובותיו ונותנים סודר קשה לתוך הרך וכורך על צוארו ושני עדיו זה מושך אצלו וזה מושך אצלו עד שהוא פותח את פיו ומתיכים את הבדיל ואת העופרת וכיוצא בהן והוא זורק לתוך פיו והיא יורדת ושורפת את בני מעיו:
4
The mitzvah of decapitation is performed as follows: We cut of his head with a sword as the kings do.
ד
מצות הנהרגין מתיזין את ראשו בסייף כדרך שהמלכים עושים:
5
The mitzvah of executing a person by strangulation is performed as follows: The convicted is placed in fertilizer until his knees. A firm cloth is placed within a soft cloth and they are wound around his neck. Each of the two witnesses pulls the cloths toward himself until the convicted expires.
ה
מצות הנחנקין משקעין את המחוייב בזבל עד ארכובותיו ונותנין סודר קשה לתוך הרך וכורכין על צוארו זה מושך אצלו וזה מושך אצלו עד שתצא נפשו:
6
It is a positive commandment to hang a blasphemer and an idolater after they have been executed, as implied by Deuteronomy 21:23: "A person who is hung is cursing God." This refers to the blasphemer. With regard to an idolater, Numbers 15:30 states: "He blasphemes God."
A man is hung, but a woman is not hung, as implied by Deuteronomy 21:22: "When a man has sinned and is condemned to die, after he is executed, you shall hang him...."
ו
מצות עשה לתלות את המגדף ועובד עכו"ם שנאמר כי קללת אלהים תלוי הרי מגדף אמור ובעובד עכו"ם נאמר את ה' הוא מגדף והאיש נתלה ואין האשה נתלית שנאמר כי יהיה באיש חטא משפט מות והומת ותלית אותו:
7
How is the mitzvah of hanging carried out? After the convicted is stoned, a beam is implanted in the ground with a rafter protruding from it. The two hands of the corpse are intercrossed and he is hung close to sunset.
He is released immediately. If not, a negative commandment is transgressed, as Ibid.:23 states: "Do not let his corpse tarry overnight on the beam."
ז
כיצד מצות הנתלין אחר שסוקלין אותן משקעין את הקורה בארץ ועץ יוצא ממנה ומקיפין שתי ידיו זו לזו ותולהו סמוך לשקיעת החמה ומתירין אותו מיד ואם לן עוברין עליו בלא תעשה שנאמר לא תלין נבלתו על העץ:
8
It is a positive mitzvah to bury the persons executed by the court on the day of their execution, as Ibid. states: "For you shall surely bury him on that day."
Not only those executed by the court, but anyone who leaves a deceased overnight without burying him transgresses a negative commandment. If, however, a burial is delayed overnight to honor the deceased, e.g., to bring a coffin or shrouds, there is no transgression.
ח
ומצות עשה לקבור את כל הרוגי בית דין ביום ההריגה שנאמר כי קבור תקברנו ביום ההוא ולא הרוגי בית דין בלבד אלא כל המלין את מתו עובר עליו בלא תעשה הלינו לכבודו להביא לו ארון ותכריכין אינו עובר עליו:
9
We do not hang a person on a tree that is still growing from the ground, only from one which has been detached. In this way, the tree will not have to be chopped down before the person's burial. For the tree on which the executed is hung is buried with him, so that it will not be an unfavorable remembrance, causing people to say: "This is the tree on which so-and-so was hung."
Similarly, the stone, the sword, and the cloths used for execution are all buried near the deceased, but not in his actual grave.
ט
אין תולין על אילן המחובר לקרקע אלא על התלוש כדי שלא יהא מחוסר קציצה שהעץ שנתלה עליו נקבר עמו שלא יהא לו זכרון רע ויאמרו זה העץ שנתלה עליו פלוני וכן האבן שנסקל בה והסייף שנהרג בו הנהרג והסודרין שחונקין בהן הכל נקברין בתפישת הנהרג אבל לא בקבר עצמו:
10
The Torah mentions18 people who are executed by stoning. They are: a) a person who engages in relations with his mother, b) with his father's wife, c) his daughter-in-law, d) a maiden who was consecrated, e) a man involved in homosexual relations, f) a man who sodomizes an animal, g) a woman who has relations with an animal, h) a blasphemer, i) an idolater, j) a person who gives his descendants to Molech, k) a person who divines with an ov, l) a person who divines with an yidoni, m) a person who entices others to worship idols, n) the people who lead a city to idol worship, o) a sorcerer, p) a person who desecrates the Sabbath, q) a person who curses his father or his mother, and r) a wayward and rebellious son.
י
כל הנסקלין שבתורה שמונה עשר ואלו הן: הבא על האם ועל אשת אב ועל כלתו ועל נערה המאורסה ועל הזכור והשוכב עם בהמה והאשה המביאה את הבהמה עליה והמגדף ועובד עכו"ם והנותן מזרעו למולך ובעל אוב ובעל ידעוני והמסית והמדיח והמכשף והמחלל את השבת ומקלל אביו או אמו ובן סורר ומורה:
11
There are 10 people who are executing by burning: a) a priest's daughter who commits adultery, b) a person who has relations with his daughter, c) with his daughter's daughter, d) with his son's daughter, e) with his wife's daughter, f) with the daughter of his wife's daughter, g) with the daughter of his wife's son, h) with his mother-in-law, i) with the mother of his mother-in-law, and j) with the mother of his father-in-law.
The latter prohibitions apply if the man has relations with them during his wife's lifetime. After his wife's death, these relations are punishable by kerait alone like other incestuous relationships.
יא
כל הנשרפין עשרה ואלו הן: בת כהן שזינתה תחת בעלה ובא על בתו ועל בת בתו ועל בת בנו ועל בת אשתו ועל בת בתה ועל בת בנה ועל חמותו ועל אם חמותו ועל אם חמיו והוא שבא עליהן בחיי אשתו אבל לאחר מיתת אשתו הרי הן בכרת בלבד בכלל העריות:
12
There are two who are decapitated: a murderer, and the inhabitants of a city enticed to idolatry.
יב
הנהרגין שנים: הרוצח והנדח:
13
There are six who are executed by strangulation: a) an adulterer, b) a person who wounds his father or mother, c) a person who kidnaps a fellow Jew, d) a rebellious elder, e) an a false prophet, and f) a person who prophecies in the name of a false deity.
Thus the court executes individuals for a totality of 36 prohibitions.
יג
הנחנקין ששה ואלו הן: הבא על אשת איש החובל באביו או באמו וגונב נפש מישראל וזקן ממרא ונביא השקר והמתנבא בשם ע"ז נמצאו כל הרוגי בית דין ששה ושלשים:
Hayom Yom:
• English Text | Video Class
Monday, Elul 13, 5777 · 04 September 2017
"Today's Day"
Monday, Elul 13, 5703
Torah lessons: Chumash: Tavo, Sheini with Rashi.
Tehillim: 69-71. Also 37-39.
Tanya: And every year (p. 463) ...for the initiated. (p. 465).
The chassid R. Hendel1 related: It was known to all chassidim that at one's first yechidus the orla (insensitive "thick skin") was removed. Whatever else, one was immediately rid of the orla of the heart.
FOOTNOTES
1.See Tevet 16.
Daily Thought:
Mind Over Heart
True, our hearts are not in our hands. But our minds are: We can think about whatever we decide to think about. And therein lies our power.
The mind rules over the heart—not just as a rider rules over his horse, but in a much more intimate sense. For the mind is the father and the mother, the seed and the womb from which the attitudes of a person are born and then nurtured. The heart does no more than reflect the state of the mind—its turmoil, its resolution, its shallowness or its depth, its coarseness or its maturity.
This then must be the focus of the person who wishes to leave this world with more than he arrived: To engage his mind with all its intensity in thoughts that elevate and inspire, and push away with equal force any thought that drags down and holds back.
And to allow all that labor to pass through the channel from the mind to the heart and give birth to actual deeds.
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