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- ב"ה - Today in Judaism - Today is Sunday, Elul 19, 5777 · September 10, 2017Today'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 55 Chapter 56 Chapter 57
Psalms Chapter 55:1. For the Conductor, with instrumental music, a maskil by David.
2. Listen to my prayer, O God, do not hide from my pleas.
3. Pay heed to me and answer me, as I lament in my distress and moan -
4. because of the shout of the enemy and the oppression of the wicked; for they accuse me of evil and hate me passionately.
5. My heart shudders within me, and the terrors of death have descended upon me.
6. Fear and trembling penetrate me, and I am enveloped with horror.
7. And I said, "If only I had wings like the dove! I would fly off and find rest.
8. Behold, I would wander afar, and lodge in the wilderness forever.
9. I would hurry to find shelter for myself from the stormy wind, from the tempest.”
10. Consume, O Lord, confuse their tongue; for I have seen violence and strife in the city.1
11. Day and night they encircle her upon her walls, and iniquity and vice are in her midst.
12. Treachery is within her; fraud and deceit never depart from her square.
13. For it is not the enemy who taunts me-that I could bear; nor my foe who raises himself against me, that I could hide from him.
14. But it is you, a man of my equal, my guide and my intimate.
15. Together we took sweet counsel; we walked with the throng to the house of God.
16. May He incite death upon them, let them descend to the pit alive; for there is evil in their dwelling, within them.
17. As for me, I call to God, and the Lord will save me.
18. Evening, morning and noon, I lament and moan-and He hears my voice.
19. He redeemed my soul in peace from battles against me, because of the many who were with me.
20. May God-He who is enthroned from the days of old, Selah-hear and humble those in whom there is no change, and who do not fear God.
21. He extended his hands against his allies, he profaned his covenant.
22. Smoother than butter are the words of his mouth, but war is in his heart; his words are softer than oil, yet they are curses.
23. Cast your burden upon the Lord, and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous man falter.
24. And You, O God, will bring them down to the nethermost pit; bloodthirsty and treacherous men shall not live out half their days; but I will trust in You. Chapter 56:1. For the Conductor, of the mute dove1 far away. By David, a michtam, 2 when the Philistines seized him in Gath.
2. Favor me, O God, for man longs to swallow me; the warrior oppresses me every day.
3. My watchful enemies long to swallow me every day, for many battle me, O Most High!
4. On the day I am afraid, I trust in You.
5. [I trust] in God and praise His word; in God I trust, I do not fear-what can [man of] flesh do to me?
6. Every day they make my words sorrowful; all their thoughts about me are for evil.
7. They gather and hide, they watch my steps, when they hope [to capture] my soul.
8. Should escape be theirs in reward for their iniquity? Cast down the nations in anger, O God!
9. You have counted my wanderings; place my tears in Your flask-are they not in Your record?
10. When my enemies will retreat on the day I cry out, with this I will know that God is with me.
11. When God deals strictly, I praise His word; when the Lord deals mercifully, I praise His word.
12. In God I trust, I do not fear-what can man do to me?
13. My vows to You are upon me, O God; I will repay with thanksgiving offerings to You.
14. For You saved my soul from death-even my feet from stumbling-to walk before God in the light of life. Chapter 57:1. For the Conductor, a plea to be spared destruction. By David, a michtam, when he fled from Saul in the cave.
2. Favor me, O God, favor me, for in You my soul took refuge, and in the shadow of Your wings I will take refuge until the disaster passes.
3. I will call to God the Most High; to the Almighty Who fulfills [His promise] to me.
4. He will send from heaven, and save me from the humiliation of those who long to swallow me, Selah; God will send forth His kindness and truth.
5. My soul is in the midst of lions, I lie among fiery men; their teeth are spears and arrows, their tongue a sharp sword.
6. Be exalted above the heavens, O God; let Your glory be upon all the earth.
7. They laid a trap for my steps, they bent down my soul; they dug a pit before me, [but] they themselves fell into it, Selah.
8. My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and chant praise.
9. Awake, my soul! Awake, O harp and lyre! I shall awaken the dawn.
10. I will thank You among the nations, my Lord; I will praise You among the peoples.
11. For Your kindness reaches till the heavens, Your truth till the skies.
12. Be exalted above the heavens, O God; let Your glory be over all the earth.
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
Daily Quote:
A man of wisdom holds his peace [Proverbs 11:12]
Daily Torah Study:
Chumash: Nitzavim-Vayelech, 1st Portion Deuteronomy 29:9-29:28 with Rashi
• English / Hebrew Linear Translation
• Video Class
• Daily Wisdom (short insight)
Deuteronomy Chapter 29
9You are all standing this day before the Lord, your God the leaders of your tribes, your elders and your officers, every man of Israel, טאַתֶּ֨ם נִצָּבִ֤ים הַיּוֹם֙ כֻּלְּכֶ֔ם לִפְנֵ֖י יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹֽהֵיכֶ֑ם רָֽאשֵׁיכֶ֣ם שִׁבְטֵיכֶ֗ם זִקְנֵיכֶם֙ וְשֹׁ֣טְרֵיכֶ֔ם כֹּ֖ל אִ֥ישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵֽל:
You are all standing: [The verse says “this day,” which] teaches us that on the day of his death, Moses assembled Israel in the presence of the Holy One, Blessed is He, to bring them into [His] covenant.
אתם נצבים: מלמד שכנסם משה לפני הקב"ה ביום מותו להכניסם בברית:
the leaders of your tribes: Heb. רָאשֵׁיכֶם שִׁבְטֵיכֶם, [lit., “your leaders, your tribes,” referring to two separate entities, which does not make sense here because “your tribes” includes the leaders. Rather, this means here:] “The leaders of your tribes.”
ראשיכם שבטיכם: ראשיכם לשבטיכם:
your elders and your officers: [We learn from the order in this verse that] the more distinguished ones were mentioned first, and after this: “every man of Israel.”
זקניכם ושטריכם: החשוב חשוב קודם ואחר כך כל איש ישראל:
10your young children, your women, and your convert who is within your camp both your woodcutters and your water drawers, יטַפְּכֶ֣ם נְשֵׁיכֶ֔ם וְגֵ֣רְךָ֔ אֲשֶׁ֖ר בְּקֶ֣רֶב מַֽחֲנֶ֑יךָ מֵֽחֹטֵ֣ב עֵצֶ֔יךָ עַ֖ד שֹׁאֵ֥ב מֵימֶֽיךָ:
both your woodcutters [and your water drawers]: [The mention of these people separate to the main community of Israel] teaches us that in the days of Moses, Canaanites came to convert [to Judaism], just as the Gibeonites came [to convert] in the days of Joshua. This is the meaning of the verse regarding the Gibeonites,“And they also acted cunningly…” (Josh. 9:4), [i. e., pretending that they had come from a far away country. When they were discovered, Joshua made them woodcutters and water drawers for Israel (see Josh. 9:3-27). Likewise here, the Canaanites attempted to deceive Moses,. but they did not succeed, and Moses did not accept them to be Jews. Rather,] Moses made them woodcutters and water drawers [i.e., slaves for Israel]. — [Tanchuma 2; Yev. 79a; see Rashi Gittin 23b]
מחטב עציך: מלמד שבאו כנענים להתגייר בימי משה, כדרך שבאו גבעונים בימי יהושע. וזהו האמור בגבעונים (יהושע ט, ד) ויעשו גם המה בערמה, ונתנם משה חוטבי עצים ושואבי מים:
11that you may enter the covenant of the Lord, your God, and His oath, which the Lord, your God, is making with you this day, יאלְעָבְרְךָ֗ בִּבְרִ֛ית יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ וּבְאָֽלָת֑וֹ אֲשֶׁר֙ יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ כֹּרֵ֥ת עִמְּךָ֖ הַיּֽוֹם:
that you may enter: Heb. לְעָבְרְךָ. [Meaning,] “That you may pass through [i.e., enter] the covenant.” One should not understand this verb [to be in the causative conjugation,] to mean “to cause you to pass through,” [but rather, the verb is in the simple conjugation, and means that you yourselves will pass through]. This is similar to the expression, לַעֲשׂתְכֶם, “that you [yourselves] should do them” (Deut. 4:14).
לעברך: להיותך עובר בברית. ולא יתכן לפרשו כמו להעבירך, אלא כמו (לעיל ד, יד) לעשותכם אותם:
that you may enter into the covenant: [lit.] “that you may pass through the covenant.” This was the method of those who made covenants: They would set up a demarcation on one side and a demarcation on the other, and [the respective parties of the covenant] “passed through” between [these partitions], as the verse says, “[when] they cut the calf in two and passed between its parts” (Jer. 34:18).
לעברך בברית: דרך העברה, כך היו כורתים ברית, עושין מחיצה מכאן ומחיצה מכאן ועוברים בינתים, כמו שנאמר (ירמיה לד, יח) העגל אשר כרתו לשנים ויעברו בין בתריו:
12in order to establish you this day as His people, and that He will be your God, as He spoke to you, and as He swore to your forefathers to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. יבלְמַ֣עַן הָקִֽים־אֹֽתְךָ֩ הַיּ֨וֹם | ל֜וֹ לְעָ֗ם וְה֤וּא יִֽהְיֶה־לְּךָ֙ לֵֽאלֹהִ֔ים כַּֽאֲשֶׁ֖ר דִּבֶּר־לָ֑ךְ וְכַֽאֲשֶׁ֤ר נִשְׁבַּע לַֽאֲבֹתֶ֔יךָ לְאַבְרָהָ֥ם לְיִצְחָ֖ק וּלְיַֽעֲקֹֽב:
in order to establish you this day as His people: [Why does God here warn Israel against idolatry by making such grave oaths and severe curses, unlike other commandments where He would simply make a warning and attach a punishment if the commandment was transgressed?] He goes to so much trouble here, for the purpose of keeping you as His people. [Since He promised not to exchange you for another people (see the following Rashi), He must ensure your faithfulness to Him.
למען הקים אותך היום לו לעם: כל כך הוא נכנס לטרוח למען קיים אותך לפניו לעם:
and that He will be your God: Since God has given you His word and [also] sworn to your forefathers not to exchange their offspring for another nation, therefore, He [ensures your faithfulness to Him by] binding you through these oaths, so as not to provoke Him to anger, because He cannot separate Himself from you. Until here, I have explained this passage according to its simple sense. The homiletic explanation is as follows: Why is parashath Nitzavim juxtaposed to the curses [in parashath Ki Tavo]? Because when Israel heard these ninety-eight curses [delineated in Ki Tavo], besides the forty-nine [curses] stated in Leviticus (26:14-38), they turned pale, and said, “Who can possibly endure these?” [Thereupon,] Moses began to appease them [as follows]:
והוא יהיה לך לאלהים: לפי שדבר לך ונשבע לאבותיך שלא להחליף את זרעם באומה אחרת, לכך הוא אוסר אתכם בשבועות הללו, שלא תקניטוהו אחר שהוא אינו יכול להבדל מכם. עד כאן פירשתי לפי פשוטו של פרשה. ומדרש אגדה למה נסמכה פרשת אתם נצבים לקללות, לפי ששמעו ישראל מאה קללות חסר שתים, חוץ ממ"ט שבתורת כהנים, הוריקו פניהם ואמרו מי יוכל לעמוד באלו, התחיל משה לפייסם:
You are… standing this day: You have provoked the Omnipresent to anger many times, yet He has not made an end to you. Indeed, you still exist before Him [“standing… before the Lord”]. — [Tanchuma 1]
אתם נצבים היום: הרבה הכעסתם למקום ולא עשה אתכם כלייה והרי אתם קיימים לפניו
this day: [You exist now] Just as this day exists. For [although] it becomes dark [for a period, nevertheless] it shines [again]. So too, here, God has made light for you, and He will again make light for you in the future. And the curses and sufferings preserve you and enable you to stand before Him [the curses, by preventing you to stray from serving Him, and the sufferings, by cleansing you of your sins]. Similarly, in the previous parashah [of Ki Tavo, Moses spoke] words of conciliation, [e.g.,] “You have seen all that the Lord did…” (Deut. 29:1). Another explanation of…
היום: כיום הזה שהוא קיים והוא מאפיל ומאיר, כך האיר לכם וכך עתיד להאיר לכם, והקללות והיסורין מקיימין אתכם ומציבין אתכם לפניו. ואף הפרשה שלמעלה מזו פיוסין הם, אתם ראיתם את כל אשר עשה. דבר אחר,:
You are… standing: Because the Israelites were now passing from one leader to the next-i.e., from [the leadership of] Moses to [that of] Joshua. Therefore, Moses made them stand [in assembled ranks], in order to encourage them. Joshua did the same [when he was about to die (Josh. 24:1)]. Also, Samuel [did likewise], when Israel passed from his leadership to that of Saul, [as the verse says,] “Stand now, and I will reason with you before the Lord…” (I Sam. 12:7). - [Tanchuma 1]
אתם נצבים: לפי שהיו ישראל יוצאין מפרנס לפרנס ממשה ליהושע, לפיכך עשה אותם מצבה כדי לזרזם וכן עשה יהושע וכן שמואל (שמואל א' יב, ז) התיצבו ואשפטה אתכם, כשיצאו מידו ונכנסו לידו של שאול:
13But not only with you am I making this covenant and this oath, יגוְלֹ֥א אִתְּכֶ֖ם לְבַדְּכֶ֑ם אָֽנֹכִ֗י כֹּרֵת֙ אֶת־הַבְּרִ֣ית הַזֹּ֔את וְאֶת־הָֽאָלָ֖ה הַזֹּֽאת:
14but with those standing here with us today before the Lord, our God, and [also] with those who are not here with us, this day. ידכִּי֩ אֶת־אֲשֶׁ֨ר יֶשְׁנ֜וֹ פֹּ֗ה עִמָּ֨נוּ֙ עֹמֵ֣ד הַיּ֔וֹם לִפְנֵ֖י יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֵ֑ינוּ וְאֵ֨ת אֲשֶׁ֥ר אֵינֶ֛נּוּ פֹּ֖ה עִמָּ֥נוּ הַיּֽוֹם:
and [also] with those who are not here: also with future generations. — [Tanchuma 3]
ואת אשר איננו פה: ואף עם דורות העתידים להיות:
15For you know how we dwelled in the land of Egypt, and how we passed among the nations through which you passed. טוכִּֽי־אַתֶּ֣ם יְדַעְתֶּ֔ם אֵ֥ת אֲשֶׁר־יָשַׁ֖בְנוּ בְּאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרָ֑יִם וְאֵ֧ת אֲשֶׁר־עָבַ֛רְנוּ בְּקֶ֥רֶב הַגּוֹיִ֖ם אֲשֶׁ֥ר עֲבַרְתֶּֽם:
For you know: [Verses 15-17 are understood as follows:] Since you saw the idolatrous nations, perhaps one of you was enticed to follow their ways, and“perhaps there is among you…” (verse 17), therefore, I must place you under an oath [because you are in this position of extra susceptibility].
כי אתם ידעתם וגו' ותראו את שקוציהם: לפי שראיתם האומות עובדי עבודה זרה ושמא השיא לב אחד מכם אותו ללכת אחריהם פן יש בכם וגו' (פסוק יז) לפיכך אני צריך להשביעכם:
16And you saw their abominations and their repugnant idols [of] wood and stone, silver and gold which were with them. טזוַתִּרְאוּ֙ אֶת־שִׁקּ֣וּצֵיהֶ֔ם וְאֵ֖ת גִּלֻּֽלֵיהֶ֑ם עֵ֣ץ וָאֶ֔בֶן כֶּ֥סֶף וְזָהָ֖ב אֲשֶׁ֥ר עִמָּהֶֽם:
you saw their abominations: Heb. שִׁקּוּצֵיהֶם. [Their idols are so termed] because they are disgusting, like creeping, crawling insects (שְׁקָצִים).
ותראו את שקוציהם: על שם שהם מאוסים כשקצים:
their repugnant idols: Heb. גִּלֻּלֵיהֶם. - [Their idols, thus termed] because they are putrid and disgusting like dung (גָּלָל) .
גלליהם: שמוסרחים ומאוסין כגלל:
wood and stone: You saw those [idols] made of wood and stone out in the open, because the heathen [who owned them, did not mind leaving them outside, since he] did not fear that they would be stolen. [Thus, regarding these idols, the verse says, “And you saw their… idols… (of) wood and stone.”] However, [regarding the idols made] of “silver and gold,” they“were with them,” in the [confines of their private] treasure chambers, because [their heathen owners] were afraid that these [expensive idols] might be stolen. — [Tanchuma 3]
עץ ואבן: אותן של עצים ושל אבנים ראיתם בגלוי, לפי שאין הגוים יראים שמא יגנבו, אבל של כסף וזהב עמהם בחדרי משכיתם הם, לפי שהם יראים שמא יגנבו:
17Perhaps there is among you a man, woman, family, or tribe, whose heart strays this day from the Lord, our God, to go and worship the deities of those nations. Perhaps there is among you a root that produces hemlock and wormwood. יזפֶּן־יֵ֣שׁ בָּ֠כֶ֠ם אִ֣ישׁ אֽוֹ־אִשָּׁ֞ה א֧וֹ מִשְׁפָּחָ֣ה אוֹ־שֵׁ֗בֶט אֲשֶׁר֩ לְבָב֨וֹ פֹנֶ֤ה הַיּוֹם֙ מֵעִם֙ יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֵ֔ינוּ לָלֶ֣כֶת לַֽעֲבֹ֔ד אֶת־אֱלֹהֵ֖י הַגּוֹיִ֣ם הָהֵ֑ם פֶּן־יֵ֣שׁ בָּכֶ֗ם שֹׁ֛רֶשׁ פֹּרֶ֥ה רֹ֖אשׁ וְלַֽעֲנָֽה:
Perhaps there is among you: פֶּן-יֵשׁ בָּכֶם [This phrase, meaning,] “Perhaps there is among you,” [is repeated twice in this verse. Rashi explains here that there might be two levels of disobeying God. A person might serve other deities, or he is one…]
פן יש בכם: שמא יש בכם:
whose heart strays this day: from accepting upon himself the covenant.
אשר לבבו פנה היום: מלקבל עליו הברית:
a root that produces hemlock and wormwood: [This refers to] a root that produces a bitter herb, like giddin , which are bitter [see Targum Jonathan on Lam. 3:19]. Here, then, the verse means:“[Someone who] produces and increases evil among you.”
שרש פרה ראש ולענה: שרש מגדל עשב מר כגידין, שהם מרים, כלומר מפרה ומרבה רשע בקרבכם:
18And it will be, when he [such a person] hears the words of this oath, that he will bless himself in his heart, saying, "I will have peace, even if I follow my heart's desires," in order to add the [punishment for the] unintentional sins [of this man] to that of [his] intentional sins. יחוְהָיָ֡ה בְּשָׁמְעוֹ֩ אֶת־דִּבְרֵ֨י הָֽאָלָ֜ה הַזֹּ֗את וְהִתְבָּרֵ֨ךְ בִּלְבָב֤וֹ לֵאמֹר֙ שָׁל֣וֹם יִֽהְיֶה־לִּ֔י כִּ֛י בִּשְׁרִר֥וּת לִבִּ֖י אֵלֵ֑ךְ לְמַ֛עַן סְפ֥וֹת הָֽרָוָ֖ה אֶת־הַצְּמֵאָֽה:
that he will bless himself in his heart: Heb. וְהִתְבָּרֵךְ בִּלְבָבוֹ [the word וְהִתְבָּרֵךְ stems from] the word for “blessing” (בָּרֵךְ). [The verse means:] “In his heart, [this man] will imagine a blessing of peace for himself, saying: These curses will not come upon me. I will have only peace!”
והתברך בלבבו: לשון ברכה, יחשוב בלבו ברכת שלום לעצמו לאמר, לא יבואוני קללות הללו, אך שלום יהיה לי:
he will bless himself: Heb. וְהִתְבָּרֵךְ, bendira soy in Old French [i.e., the verb is in the reflexive conjugation], like “וְהִתְגַּלָּח, And he shall shave himself” (Lev. 13:33), “וְהִתְפַּלֵּל, and he will pray” (I Kings 8:42), [which employs the reflexive form of the root פלל].
והתברך: בינדיר"א שי"י בלע"ז [יברך את עצמו], כמו והתגלח והתפלל:
I follow my heart’s desires: Heb. בִּשְׁרִירוּת לִבִּי אֵלֵךְ [Meaning, “If I follow] what my heart beholds,” as in [the verse], “I behold it (אֲשׁוּרֶנּוּ) , but it is not near” (Num. 24:17). That is to say [the verse means]: “[Even if I go in the way] that my heart sees [fit] to do.”
בשררות לבי אלך: במראית לבי, כמו (במדבר כד, יז) אשורנו ולא קרוב, כלומר מה שלבי רואה לעשות:
in order to add the [punishment for the] unintentional sins [of this man]: לְמַעַן סְפוֹת הָרָוָה - Because I will add to him the punishment for what he heretofore committed unintentionally, which I would have overlooked, but now, he has caused that I combine them with the intentional sins and punish him for everything. Similarly, Onkelos renders [the verse here as]: בְּדִיל לְאוֹסָפָא לֵיהּ חֶטְאֵי שָׁלוּתָא עַל זְדָנוּתָא, [meaning,] That I shall add for him the [punishment incurred for the] unintentional sins to [that of] the intentional sins.
למען ספות הרוה: לפי שאוסיף לו פורענות על מה שעשה עד הנה בשוגג והייתי מעביר עליהם, וגורם עתה שאצרפם עם המזיד ואפרע ממנו הכל. וכן תרגם אונקלוס בדיל לאוספא ליה חטאי שלותא על זדנותא, שאוסיף לו אני השגגות על הזדונות:
the [punishment for the] unintentional sins: Heb. הָרָוָה [lit., “drunk.” Here, as explained, the word] refers to unintentional [sins], which [a man] commits as if in a drunken state, that is, unknowingly.
הרוה: שוגג שהוא עושה כאדם שכור שלא מדעת:
to [his] intentional sins: Heb. הַצְּמֵאָה [lit., “thirsty.” Here, as explained, the word refers to intentional sins, that is] when [a man] commits [a sin] knowingly and out of lust.
הצמאה: שהוא עושה מדעת ובתאוה:
19The Lord will not be willing to forgive him; rather, then, the Lord's fury and His zeal will fume against that man, and the entire curse written in this book will rest upon him, and the Lord will obliterate his name from beneath the heavens. יטלֹֽא־יֹאבֶ֣ה יְהֹוָה֘ סְלֹ֣חַ לוֹ֒ כִּ֣י אָ֠ז יֶעְשַׁ֨ן אַף־יְהֹוָ֤ה וְקִנְאָתוֹ֙ בָּאִ֣ישׁ הַה֔וּא וְרָ֤בְצָה בּוֹ֙ כָּל־הָ֣אָלָ֔ה הַכְּתוּבָ֖ה בַּסֵּ֣פֶר הַזֶּ֑ה וּמָחָ֤ה יְהֹוָה֙ אֶת־שְׁמ֔וֹ מִתַּ֖חַת הַשָּׁמָֽיִם:
The Lord’s fury… will fume: [The image is as follows:] Through anger, the body [of a person] becomes heated up, and fumes are emitted from the nose. Similarly, [referring to God,] the verse says,“Smoke rose up in His nose” (II Sam. 22:9). Now, although this is inappropriate for the Omnipresent [since He has no physical form; nevertheless], Scripture describes [this concept] to the human ear in the manner to which it is accustomed and able to understand, according to the [natural] ways of the world. [Thus, the verse here is figuratively denoting God’s fuming anger.]
יעשן אף ה': על ידי כעס הגוף מתחמם והעשן יוצא מן האף, וכן (ש"ב כב, ט) עלה עשן באפו ואף על פי שאין זו לפני המקום, הכתוב משמיע את האוזן כדרך שהיא רגילה ויכולה לשמוע, כפי דרך הארץ:
and His zeal: Heb. וְקִנְאָתוֹ [This is] a term denoting [burning] fury, enprenemant [in Old French, zealous anger], firmly keeping hold of the trait of vengeance, without giving in whatsoever.
וקנאתו: לשון חמה אנפרטמינ"ט [חמה] אחיזת לבישת נקמה, ואינו מעביר על המדה:
20And the Lord will separate him for evil, out of all the tribes of Israel, according to all the curses of the covenant, written in this Torah scroll. כוְהִבְדִּיל֤וֹ יְהֹוָה֙ לְרָעָ֔ה מִכֹּ֖ל שִׁבְטֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל כְּכֹל֙ אָל֣וֹת הַבְּרִ֔ית הַכְּתוּבָ֕ה בְּסֵ֥פֶר הַתּוֹרָ֖ה הַזֶּֽה:
that is written in this book: Heb. בְּסֵפֶר הַתּוֹרָה הַזֶּה, “written in this Torah scroll.” [Here, the word for“this” (הַזֶּה) is in the masculine form. However,] earlier, the verse says, “And also every sickness and plague… in this Torah scroll בְּסֵפֶר הַתּוֹרָה הַזּאֹת” (Deut. 28:61), [where the word for“this” (הַזּאֹת), appearing in the identical phrase, is in the feminine form. How do we explain the difference of gender for the same word, appearing in an identical phrase in Scripture? The answer is that there in Deut. 28:61,] the הַזּאֹת, which is in the feminine form, qualifies the word הַתּוֹרָה, “Torah” [which is in the feminine form]. And [here in our verse,] the word הַזֶּה, which is in the masculine form, qualifies the word סֵפֶר, “scroll” [which is in the masculine form. How do we know that each respective mention of the word “this” is qualifying the particular word described, and not otherwise? Because in these two verses,] the cantillation symbols punctuate the words [of the phrase“this Torah scroll”] in two different ways, [as follows]: In the passage [describing] the curses [i.e., in Deut. 28:61], the [cantillation symbol called] tipcha is placed under the word בְּסֵפֶר, [thus separating it from the next words הַתּוֹרָה הַזּאֹת,] while [the words], הַתּוֹרָה הַזּאֹת are attached to each other [also by virtue of the cantillation symbols]. Hence, [the verse] employs the הַזּאֹת [for the word “this,” because it clearly is qualifying the word “Torah,” which is in the feminine form]. However, here [in our verse], the tipcha is placed under the word הַתּוֹרָה. [Thus, together with its previous conjunctive symbol, the meircha placed under the word בְּסֵפֶר, it] joins these two words, בְּסֵפֶר הַתּוֹרָה, into one attached [expression]. Accordingly, the word [“this”] qualifies the [first word in the expression, namely,] “scroll,” [the direct object in the expression “Torah scroll,” and since the word“scroll”] is in the masculine form [thus, the qualifying word הַזֶּה takes on the masculine form here].
הכתובה בספר התורה הזה: ולמעלה הוא אומר (לעיל כח, סא) בספר התורה הזאת גם כל חלי וכל מכה וגו', הזאת לשון נקבה מוסב על התורה. הזה לשון זכר מוסב על הספר, ועל ידי פסוק הטעמים הן נחלקין לשתי לשונות, בפרשת הקללות הטפחא נתונה תחת בספר, והתורה הזאת דבוקים זה לזה, לכך אמר הזאת וכאן הטפחה נתונה תחת התורה, נמצא ספר התורה דבוקים זה לזה לפיכך לשון זכר נופל אחריו, שהלשון נופל על הספר:
21And a later generation, your descendants, who will rise after you, along with the foreigner who comes from a distant land, will say, upon seeing the plagues of that land and the diseases with which the Lord struck it: כאוְאָמַ֞ר הַדּ֣וֹר הָאַֽחֲר֗וֹן בְּנֵיכֶם֙ אֲשֶׁ֤ר יָק֨וּמוּ֙ מֵאַ֣חֲרֵיכֶ֔ם וְהַ֨נָּכְרִ֔י אֲשֶׁ֥ר יָבֹ֖א מֵאֶ֣רֶץ רְחוֹקָ֑ה וְ֠רָא֠וּ אֶת־מַכּ֞וֹת הָאָ֤רֶץ הַהִוא֙ וְאֶת־תַּ֣חֲלֻאֶ֔יהָ אֲשֶׁר־חִלָּ֥ה יְהֹוָ֖ה בָּֽהּ:
22Sulfur and salt have burned up its entire land! It cannot be sown, nor can it grow [anything], not [even] any grass will sprout upon it. It is like the overturning of Sodom, Gemorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, which the Lord overturned in His fury and in His rage. כבגָּפְרִ֣ית וָמֶ֘לַח֘ שְׂרֵפָ֣ה כָל־אַרְצָהּ֒ לֹ֤א תִזָּרַע֙ וְלֹ֣א תַצְמִ֔חַ וְלֹא־יַֽעֲלֶ֥ה בָ֖הּ כָּל־עֵ֑שֶׂב כְּמַהְפֵּכַ֞ת סְדֹ֤ם וַֽעֲמֹרָה֙ אַדְמָ֣ה וּצְבוֹיִ֔ם (כתיב וצביים) אֲשֶׁר֙ הָפַ֣ךְ יְהֹוָ֔ה בְּאַפּ֖וֹ וּבַֽחֲמָתֽוֹ:
23And all the nations will say, Why did the Lord do so to this land? What [is the reason] for this great rage of fury? כגוְאָֽמְרוּ֙ כָּל־הַגּוֹיִ֔ם עַל־מֶ֨ה עָשָׂ֧ה יְהֹוָ֛ה כָּ֖כָה לָאָ֣רֶץ הַזֹּ֑את מֶ֥ה חֳרִ֛י הָאַ֥ף הַגָּד֖וֹל הַזֶּֽה:
24Then they will say, It is because they abandoned the covenant of the Lord, God of their fathers, [the covenant] which He made with them when He took them out of the land of Egypt, כדוְאָ֣מְר֔וּ עַ֚ל אֲשֶׁ֣ר עָֽזְב֔וּ אֶת־בְּרִ֥ית יְהֹוָ֖ה אֱלֹהֵ֣י אֲבֹתָ֑ם אֲשֶׁר֙ כָּרַ֣ת עִמָּ֔ם בְּהֽוֹצִיא֥וֹ אֹתָ֖ם מֵאֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם:
25For they went and served other deities, prostrating themselves to them deities which they had not known, and which He had not apportioned to them. כהוַיֵּֽלְכ֗וּ וַיַּֽעַבְדוּ֙ אֱלֹהִ֣ים אֲחֵרִ֔ים וַיִּשְׁתַּֽחֲו֖וּ לָהֶ֑ם אֱלֹהִים֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר לֹֽא־יְדָע֔וּם וְלֹ֥א חָלַ֖ק לָהֶֽם:
which they had not known: In which they had never recognized any divine power.
לא ידעום: לא ידעו בהם גבורת אלהות:
and which He had not apportioned to them: Heb. וְלֹא חָלַק לָהֶם [Meaning, “God] had not allotted them” [these deities] to be their [Israel’s] portion. Onkelos , however, renders:“and which did not grant them any good.” [Here,] the expression וְלֹא חָלַק is [understood to mean]:“that deity which they would choose for themselves did not apportion to them any inheritance or any portion.”
ולא חלק להם: לא נתנם לחלקם. ואונקלוס תרגם ולא אוטיבא להון, לא הטיבו להם שום טובה, ולשון לא חלק אותו אלוה שבחרו להם לא חלק להם שום נחלה ושום חלק:
26And the Lord's fury raged against that land, bringing upon it the entire curse written in this book. כווַיִּֽחַר־אַ֥ף יְהֹוָ֖ה בָּאָ֣רֶץ הַהִ֑וא לְהָבִ֤יא עָלֶ֨יהָ֙ אֶת־כָּל־הַקְּלָלָ֔ה הַכְּתוּבָ֖ה בַּסֵּ֥פֶר הַזֶּֽה:
27And the Lord uprooted them from upon their land, with fury, anger and great wrath, and He cast them to another land, as it is this day. כזוַיִּתְּשֵׁ֤ם יְהֹוָה֙ מֵעַ֣ל אַדְמָתָ֔ם בְּאַ֥ף וּבְחֵמָ֖ה וּבְקֶ֣צֶף גָּד֑וֹל וַיַּשְׁלִכֵ֛ם אֶל־אֶ֥רֶץ אֲחֶ֖רֶת כַּיּ֥וֹם הַזֶּֽה:
And the Lord uprooted them: Heb. וַיִּתְּשֵׁם ה׳, as rendered by the Targum: וְטַלְטְלִינוּן, “and He drove them out.” Similarly, “Behold, I uproot them (נוֹתְשָׁם) from upon their land” (Jer. 12:14).
ויתשם ה': כתרגומו וטלטלינון, וכן (ירמיה יב יד) הנני נותשם מעל אדמתם:
28The hidden things belong to the Lord, our God, but the revealed things apply to us and to our children forever: that we must fulfill all the words of this Torah. כחהַנִּ֨סְתָּרֹ֔ת לַֽיהֹוָ֖ה אֱלֹהֵ֑ינוּ וְהַנִּגְלֹ֞ת ֹלָֹ֤נוֹּ ֹוֹּלְֹבָֹנֵֹ֨יֹנֹוּ֨ עַד־עוֹלָ֔ם לַֽעֲשׂ֕וֹת אֶת־כָּל־דִּבְרֵ֖י הַתּוֹרָ֥ה הַזֹּֽאת:
The hidden things belong to the Lord, our God: Now, you might object [to God, saying]: “But what can we do? You punish the entire community because of the sinful thoughts of an individual, as Scripture says, ‘Perhaps there is among you a man…’ (verse 17 above), and after this, Scripture continues, ‘Seeing the plagues of that land [and the diseases with which the Lord struck it]’ (verse 21) [which seems to indicate that for the sinful thought of even one individual, the whole land would be struck down with plagues and diseases]. But surely no man can know the secret thoughts of his fellow [that we could somehow prevent this collective punishment!” In answer to this, God says:] “I will not punish you for the hidden things!” [I.e.,] because “[The hidden things] belong to the Lord, our God,” and He will exact punishment upon that particular individual [who sins in secret]. However, “the revealed things apply to us and to our children” [that is, we are responsible for detecting the sins committed openly in our community, and] to eradicate any evil among us. And if we do not execute judgment upon these [open transgressions, over which we do have control,], then the whole community will be punished [because they would be remiss in their responsibility]. There is a dot placed over [each letter of] the words לָנוּ וּלְבָנֵינוּ here, to teach us homiletically that even for open sins [which were not brought to judgment, God] did not punish the whole community-until Israel crossed the Jordan. For then, they accepted upon themselves the oath at Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal, and thereby [formally] became responsible for one another (Sanh. 43b). [When dots are placed over letters of the Torah, this denotes an exclusion of some sort. In our context, our Rabbis teach us that the exclusion refers to the period prior to the crossing of the Jordan.]
הנסתרת לה' אלהינו: ואם תאמרו מה בידינו לעשות, אתה מעניש את הרבים על הרהורי היחיד, שנאמר (פסוק יז) פן יש בכם איש וגו', ואחר כך (פסוק כא) וראו את מכות הארץ ההיא, והלא אין אדם יודע טמונותיו של חבירו, אין אני מעניש אתכם על הנסתרות, שהן לה' אלהינו והוא יפרע מאותו יחיד, אבל הנגלות, לנו ולבנינו לבער הרע מקרבנו, ואם לא נעשה דין בהם יענשו את הרבים. נקוד על לנו ולבנינו, לדרוש, שאף על הנגלות לא ענש את הרבים עד שעברו את הירדן משקבלו עליהם את השבועה בהר גרזים ובהר עיבל ונעשו ערבים זה לזה:
Tehillim: Psalms Chapters 90 - 96
• Hebrew text
• English text
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 90
David found this prayer in its present form-receiving a tradition attributing it to MosesThe Midrash attributes the next eleven psalms to Moses (Rashi).-and incorporated it into the Tehillim. It speaks of the brevity of human life, and inspires man to repent and avoid pride in this world.
1. A prayer by Moses, the man of God. My Lord, You have been a shelter for us in every generation.
2. Before the mountains came into being, before You created the earth and the world-for ever and ever You are Almighty God.
3. You diminish man until he is crushed, and You say, "Return, you children of man.”
4. Indeed, a thousand years are in Your eyes like yesterday that has passed, like a watch of the night.
5. The stream of their life is as but a slumber; in the morning they are like grass that sprouts anew.
6. In the morning it thrives and sprouts anew; in the evening it withers and dries.
7. For we are consumed by Your anger, and destroyed by Your wrath.
8. You have set our wrongdoings before You, our hidden sins before the light of Your countenance.
9. For all our days have vanished in Your wrath; we cause our years to pass like a fleeting sound.
10. The days of our lives number seventy years, and if in great vigor, eighty years; most of them are but travail and futility, passing quickly and flying away.
11. Who can know the intensity of Your anger? Your wrath is commensurate with one's fear of You.
12. Teach us, then, to reckon our days, that we may acquire a wise heart.
13. Relent, O Lord; how long [will Your anger last]? Have compassion upon Your servants.
14. Satiate us in the morning with Your kindness, then we shall sing and rejoice throughout our days.
15. Give us joy corresponding to the days You afflicted us, the years we have seen adversity.
16. Let Your work be revealed to Your servants, and Your splendor be upon their children.
17. May the pleasantness of the Lord our God be upon us; establish for us the work of our hands; establish the work of our hands.
Chapter 91
This psalm inspires the hearts of the people to seek shelter under the wings of the Divine Presence. It also speaks of the four seasons of the year, and their respective ministering powers, instructing those who safeguard their souls to avoid them.
1. You who dwells in the shelter of the Most High, who abides in the shadow of the Omnipotent:
2. I say of the Lord who is my refuge and my stronghold, my God in whom I trust,
3. that He will save you from the ensnaring trap, from the destructive pestilence.
4. He will cover you with His pinions and you will find refuge under His wings; His truth is a shield and an armor.
5. You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day;
6. the pestilence that prowls in the darkness, nor the destruction that ravages at noon.
7. A thousand may fall at your [left] side, and ten thousand at your right, but it shall not reach you.
8. You need only look with your eyes, and you will see the retribution of the wicked.
9. Because you [have said,] "The Lord is my shelter," and you have made the Most High your haven,
10. no evil will befall you, no plague will come near your tent.
11. For He will instruct His angels in your behalf, to guard you in all your ways.
12. They will carry you in their hands, lest you injure your foot upon a rock.
13. You will tread upon the lion and the viper; you will trample upon the young lion and the serpent.
14. Because he desires Me, I will deliver him; I will fortify him, for he knows My Name.
15. When he calls on Me, I will answer him; I am with him in distress. I will deliver him and honor him.
16. I will satiate him with long life, and show him My deliverance.
Chapter 92
Sung every Shabbat by the Levites in the Holy Temple, this psalm speaks of the World to Come, and comforts the hearts of those crushed by suffering.
1. A psalm, a song for the Shabbat day.
2. It is good to praise the Lord, and to sing to Your Name, O Most High;
3. to proclaim Your kindness in the morning, and Your faithfulness in the nights,
4. with a ten-stringed instrument and lyre, to the melody of a harp.
5. For You, Lord, have gladdened me with Your deeds; I sing for joy at the works of Your hand.
6. How great are Your works, O Lord; how very profound Your thoughts!
7. A brutish man cannot know, a fool cannot comprehend this:
8. When the wicked thrive like grass, and all evildoers flourish-it is in order that they may be destroyed forever.
9. But You, Lord, are exalted forever.
10. Indeed, Your enemies, O Lord, indeed Your enemies shall perish; all evildoers shall be scattered.
11. But You have increased my might like that of a wild ox; I am anointed with fresh oil.
12. My eyes have seen [the downfall of] my watchful enemies; my ears have heard [the doom of] the wicked who rise against me.
13. The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, grow tall like a cedar in Lebanon.
14. Planted in the House of the Lord, they shall blossom in the courtyards of our God.
15. They shall be fruitful even in old age; they shall be full of sap and freshness-
16. to declare that the Lord is just; He is my Strength, and there is no injustice in Him.
Chapter 93
This psalm speaks of the Messianic era, when God will don grandeur-allowing no room for man to boast before Him as did Nebuchadnezzar, Pharaoh, and Sennacherib.
1. The Lord is King; He has garbed Himself with grandeur; the Lord has robed Himself, He has girded Himself with strength; He has also established the world firmly that it shall not falter.
2. Your throne stands firm from of old; You have existed forever.
3. The rivers have raised, O Lord, the rivers have raised their voice; the rivers raise their raging waves.
4. More than the sound of many waters, than the mighty breakers of the sea, is the Lord mighty on High.
5. Your testimonies are most trustworthy; Your House will be resplendent in holiness, O Lord, forever.
Chapter 94
An awe-inspiring and wondrous prayer with which every individual can pray for the redemption. It is also an important moral teaching.
1. The Lord is a God of retribution; O God of retribution, reveal Yourself!
2. Judge of the earth, arise; render to the arrogant their recompense.
3. How long shall the wicked, O Lord, how long shall the wicked exult?
4. They continuously speak insolently; all the evildoers act arrogantly.
5. They crush Your people, O Lord, and oppress Your heritage.
6. They kill the widow and the stranger, and murder the orphans.
7. And they say, "The Lord does not see, the God of Jacob does not perceive.”
8. Understand, you senseless among the people; you fools, when will you become wise?
9. Shall He who implants the ear not hear? Shall He who forms the eye not see?
10. Shall He who chastises nations not punish? Shall He who imparts knowledge to man [not know]?
11. The Lord knows the thoughts of man, that they are naught.
12. Fortunate is the man whom You chastise, O Lord, and instruct him in Your Torah,
13. bestowing upon him tranquillity in times of adversity, until the pit is dug for the wicked.
14. For the Lord will not abandon His people, nor forsake His heritage.
15. For judgment shall again be consonant with justice, and all the upright in heart will pursue it.
16. Who would rise up for me against the wicked ones; who would stand up for me against the evildoers?
17. Had the Lord not been a help to me, my soul would have soon dwelt in the silence [of the grave].
18. When I thought that my foot was slipping, Your kindness, O Lord, supported me.
19. When my [worrisome] thoughts multiply within me, Your consolation delights my soul.
20. Can one in the seat of evil, one who makes iniquity into law, consort with You?
21. They band together against the life of the righteous, and condemn innocent blood.
22. The Lord has been my stronghold; my God, the strength of my refuge.
23. He will turn their violence against them and destroy them through their own wickedness; the Lord, our God, will destroy them.
Chapter 95
This psalm speaks of the future, when man will say to his fellow, "Come, let us sing and offer praise to God for the miracles He has performed for us!"
1. Come, let us sing to the Lord; let us raise our voices in jubilation to the Rock of our deliverance.
2. Let us approach Him with thanksgiving; let us raise our voices to Him in song.
3. For the Lord is a great God, and a great King over all supernal beings;
4. in His hands are the depths of the earth, and the heights of the mountains are His.
5. Indeed, the sea is His, for He made it; His hands formed the dry land.
6. Come, let us prostrate ourselves and bow down; let us bend the knee before the Lord, our Maker.
7. For He is our God, and we are the people that He tends, the flock under His [guiding] hand-even this very day, if you would but hearken to His voice!
8. Do not harden your heart as at Merivah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness,
9. where your fathers tested Me; they tried Me, though they had seen My deeds.
10. For forty years I quarreled with that generation; and I said, "They are a people of erring hearts, they do not know My ways.”
11. So I vowed in My anger that they would not enter My resting place.
Chapter 96
The time will yet come when man will say to his fellow: "Come, let us sing to God!"
1. Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth.
2. Sing to the Lord, bless His Name; proclaim His deliverance from day to day.
3. Recount His glory among the nations, His wonders among all the peoples.
4. For the Lord is great and highly praised; He is awesome above all gods.
5. For all the gods of the nations are naught, but the Lord made the heavens.
6. Majesty and splendor are before Him, might and beauty in His Sanctuary.
7. Render to the Lord, O families of nations, render to the Lord honor and might.
8. Render to the Lord honor due to His Name; bring an offering and come to His courtyards.
9. Bow down to the Lord in resplendent holiness; tremble before Him, all the earth.
10. Proclaim among the nations, "The Lord reigns"; indeed, the world is firmly established that it shall not falter; He will judge the peoples with righteousness.
11. The heavens will rejoice, the earth will exult; the sea and its fullness will roar.
12. The fields and everything therein will jubilate; then all the trees of the forest will sing.
13. Before the Lord [they shall rejoice], for He has come, for He has come to judge the earth; He will judge the world with justice, and the nations with His truth.
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 55, 56 and 57.
Chapter 55
David composed this psalm upon escaping from Jerusalem in the face of the slanderers, Doeg and Achitofel, who had declared him deserving of death. David had considered Achitofel a friend and accorded him the utmost honor, but Achitofel betrayed him and breached their covenant. David curses all his enemies, so that all generations should "know, and sin no more."
1. For the Conductor, with instrumental music, a maskil by David.
2. Listen to my prayer, O God, do not hide from my pleas.
3. Pay heed to me and answer me, as I lament in my distress and moan -
4. because of the shout of the enemy and the oppression of the wicked; for they accuse me of evil and hate me passionately.
5. My heart shudders within me, and the terrors of death have descended upon me.
6. Fear and trembling penetrate me, and I am enveloped with horror.
7. And I said, "If only I had wings like the dove! I would fly off and find rest.
8. Behold, I would wander afar, and lodge in the wilderness forever.
9. I would hurry to find shelter for myself from the stormy wind, from the tempest.”
10. Consume, O Lord, confuse their tongue; for I have seen violence and strife in the city.1
11. Day and night they encircle her upon her walls, and iniquity and vice are in her midst.
12. Treachery is within her; fraud and deceit never depart from her square.
13. For it is not the enemy who taunts me-that I could bear; nor my foe who raises himself against me, that I could hide from him.
14. But it is you, a man of my equal, my guide and my intimate.
15. Together we took sweet counsel; we walked with the throng to the house of God.
16. May He incite death upon them, let them descend to the pit alive; for there is evil in their dwelling, within them.
17. As for me, I call to God, and the Lord will save me.
18. Evening, morning and noon, I lament and moan-and He hears my voice.
19. He redeemed my soul in peace from battles against me, because of the many who were with me.
20. May God-He who is enthroned from the days of old, Selah-hear and humble those in whom there is no change, and who do not fear God.
21. He extended his hands against his allies, he profaned his covenant.
22. Smoother than butter are the words of his mouth, but war is in his heart; his words are softer than oil, yet they are curses.
23. Cast your burden upon the Lord, and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous man falter.
24. And You, O God, will bring them down to the nethermost pit; bloodthirsty and treacherous men shall not live out half their days; but I will trust in You.
Chapter 56
David composed this psalm while in mortal danger at the palace of Achish, brother of Goliath. In his distress David accepts vows upon himself.
1. For the Conductor, of the mute dove1 far away. By David, a michtam, 2 when the Philistines seized him in Gath.
2. Favor me, O God, for man longs to swallow me; the warrior oppresses me every day.
3. My watchful enemies long to swallow me every day, for many battle me, O Most High!
4. On the day I am afraid, I trust in You.
5. [I trust] in God and praise His word; in God I trust, I do not fear-what can [man of] flesh do to me?
6. Every day they make my words sorrowful; all their thoughts about me are for evil.
7. They gather and hide, they watch my steps, when they hope [to capture] my soul.
8. Should escape be theirs in reward for their iniquity? Cast down the nations in anger, O God!
9. You have counted my wanderings; place my tears in Your flask-are they not in Your record?
10. When my enemies will retreat on the day I cry out, with this I will know that God is with me.
11. When God deals strictly, I praise His word; when the Lord deals mercifully, I praise His word.
12. In God I trust, I do not fear-what can man do to me?
13. My vows to You are upon me, O God; I will repay with thanksgiving offerings to You.
14. For You saved my soul from death-even my feet from stumbling-to walk before God in the light of life.
Chapter 57
David composed this psalm while hiding from Saul in a cave, facing grave danger. Like Jacob did when confronted with Esau, David prayed that he neither be killed nor be forced to kill. In the merit of his trust in God, God wrought wonders to save him.
1. For the Conductor, a plea to be spared destruction. By David, a michtam, when he fled from Saul in the cave.
2. Favor me, O God, favor me, for in You my soul took refuge, and in the shadow of Your wings I will take refuge until the disaster passes.
3. I will call to God the Most High; to the Almighty Who fulfills [His promise] to me.
4. He will send from heaven, and save me from the humiliation of those who long to swallow me, Selah; God will send forth His kindness and truth.
5. My soul is in the midst of lions, I lie among fiery men; their teeth are spears and arrows, their tongue a sharp sword.
6. Be exalted above the heavens, O God; let Your glory be upon all the earth.
7. They laid a trap for my steps, they bent down my soul; they dug a pit before me, [but] they themselves fell into it, Selah.
8. My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and chant praise.
9. Awake, my soul! Awake, O harp and lyre! I shall awaken the dawn.
10. I will thank You among the nations, my Lord; I will praise You among the peoples.
11. For Your kindness reaches till the heavens, Your truth till the skies.
12. Be exalted above the heavens, O God; let Your glory be over all the earth.
Tanya: Iggeret HaKodesh, middle of Epistle 15
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Sunday, Elul 19, 5777 · September 10, 2017
Today's Tanya Lesson
Iggeret HaKodesh, middle of Epistle 15
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והנה כללות היו״ד ספירות שבנשמת האדם
Now, as regards the totality of the Ten Sefirot [as they appear] in the soul of man,
נודע לכל שהמדות נחלקות בדרך כלל לז׳ מדות
וכל פרטי המדות שבאדם באות מאחת מז׳ מדות אלו
and each of the particular attributes in man derives from one of these seven attributes.
שהן שורש כל המדות וכללותן
For they are the root of all the attributes and their generality,
שהן: מדת החסד, להשפיע בלי גבול
namely: the attribute of Chesed (“lovingkindness”), [which is a thrust] to diffuse benevolence [to all] without limit;
ומדת הגבורה, לצמצם מלהשפיע כל כך, או שלא להשפיע כלל
the attribute of Gevurah (“stern limitation and contraction”), [which seeks] to restrain such a degree of diffusion, or to withhold diffusion altogether3 [from certain individuals];
ומדת הרחמים, לרחם על מי ששייך לשון רחמנות עליו
and the attribute of Rachamim (“compassion”), [which seeks] to pity a person to whom compassion is appropriate4 and to extend benevolence to him as well, although he may be unworthy of it.
והיא מדה ממוצעת בין גבורה לחסד
[Rachamim] is the mediating attribute between Gevurah and Chesed,
שהיא להשפיע לכל, גם למי שלא שייך לשון רחמנות עליו כלל
the latter of which would diffuse benevolence to all, even to a person to whom compassion is not at all appropriate,5
מפני שאינו חסר כלום, ואינו שרוי בצער כלל
inasmuch as he lacks nothing and is in no state of trouble whatever.6
Because the attribute of Chesed is unlimited it desires to benefit even someone who lacks nothing. The attribute of Rachamim, by contrast, being also compounded of Gevurah, will not seek to diffuse indiscriminately. At the same time, Rachamim pleads the cause of any individual who is in a pitiable state, however unworthy he may be.
ולפי שהיא מדה ממוצעת, נקראת תפארת
Because [the attribute of Rachamim] is the mediating attribute, it is called Tiferet (“beauty”),
כמו בגדי תפארת, על דרך משל
by analogy with beautiful garments
שהוא בגד צבוע בגוונים הרבה, מעורבים בדרך שהיא תפארת ונוי
מה שאין כן בגד הצבוע בגוון אחד, לא שייך בו לשון תפארת
To a garment dyed in one color, however, one cannot apply the term Tiferet, which implies the beauty of harmony. And since the attribute of Rachamim is compounded of Chesed and Gevurah, the term Tiferet is appropriate.
ואחר כך, בבוא ההשפעה לידי מעשה
Afterwards, once the attribute of either Chesed, Gevurah or Tiferet is aroused to dispense benevolence, as the diffusion is realized,
דהיינו, בשעת ההשפעה ממש
that is, at the time of the actual diffusion,
צריך להתיעץ איך להשפיע בדרך שיוכל המקבל לקבל ההשפעה
it is necessary to deliberate how to diffuse in such a way that the recipient will be able to absorb the effusion.9
כגון שרוצה להשפיע דבר חכמה ללמדה לבנו
For example, when one wishes — and this is a powerful desire — to convey and teach an intellectual subject to his son:
אם יאמרנה לו כולה, כמו שהיא בשכלו, לא יוכל הבן להבין ולקבל
If he will tell it to him in its totality, just as it appears in his own mind, the son will be unable to understand and to absorb it.
This could happen either (a) because the concept as understood by the father is too abstract and subtle for the son, and needs to be lent a more tangible garb, such as a parable; or (b) because the concept is too comprehensive and too diverse, and needs to be broken down into digestible segments, only some of which will be presented to the son.
רק שצריך לסדר לו בסדר וענין אחר
Rather, one needs to arrange [it] for him in a different order and context, such as by providing an example from an alternative context,
דבר דבור על אופניו
“every word fitly spoken,”10 presenting first one side of the issue at hand and then the other,
מעט מעט
little by little, a little of the concept at a time.
The concept thus needs to be contracted with regard to its “length”, by lowering its stature until it is within the grasp of the recipient, and with regard to its “breadth”, by reducing its manifold details to match the capacity of the son or student.
ובחינת עצה זו נקראת נצח והוד
This deliberation, regarding how best to present the concept, is referred to [by the terms] Netzach and Hod.
שהן כליות יועצות
These [attributes] are11 “the kidneys that advise,” in a manner similar to their physical counterpart,
וגם תרין ביעין המבשלים הזרע
and they are also (in spiritual terms) the two testicles that prepare the spermatozoa,12
Like their physical counterpart, the attributes of Netzach and Hod adapt the effusion of the concept.
שהיא הטפה הנמשכת מהמוח
i.e., the drop that issues from the brain.13
דהיינו, דבר חכמה ושכל הנמשך משכל האב, שלא יומשך כמו שהוא, שכל דק מאד במוחו ושכלו
That is, [they adapt] an intellectual subject deriving from the father’s mind in such a way that it will not issue unmodified, i.e., as a very subtle concept in his brain and intellect,
רק ישתנה קצת מדקות שכלו, ויתהווה שכל שאינו דק כל כך
but that it change somewhat from the subtlety of his intelligence and become a somewhat less subtle concept,
כדי שיוכל הבן לקבל במוחו והבנתו
so that the son will be able to absorb [it] in his mind and understanding.
והוא ממש על דרך משל כטפה היורדת מהמוח
This is truly analogous to the seminal drop which descends from the brain;
שהיא דקה מאד, ונעשית גסה וחומרית ממש בכליות ותרין ביעין
it is extremely tenuous, and, through the kidneys and the two testicles, it becomes truly concrete and corporeal.
This process parallels the progressive concretization of a concept, as it descends to match the capacity of the recipient.
The Alter Rebbe now speaks of yet another function of the attributes of Netzach and Hod — separating a concept into its various components.
וגם נצח והוד נקראים שחקים ורחיים, ששוחקים מן לצדיקים
Netzach and Hod are also referred to as “grinders” and “millstones”, because they “grind the mannah for the righteous,”14 like the heaven which is named Shechakim (שחקים) for it “grinds (שוחקים) the mannah for the righteous.”
כמו הטוחן חטים ברחיים, על דרך משל, שמפרר החטים לחלקים דקים מאד
Just as, by way of example, a person who grinds [wheat]15 with millstones crumbles it into very fine parts,
כך צריך האב להקטין השכל ודבר חכמה שרוצה להשפיע לבנו
so too does the father need to taper the insight or the intellectual subject he wishes to convey to his son,
ולחלקם לחלקים רבים, ולומר לו מעט מעט במועצות ודעת
and to divide them into many parts, relating [them] to him gradually, with devices and discernment.
Dividing a concept in this way so as to be able to determine what should be presented and what should be withheld is a contraction of the concept’s depth. Thus, Netzach and Hod serve to contract its length, breadth and depth — the concept in all its dimensions.
וגם בכלל בחינת נצח הוא לנצח ולעמוד נגד כל מונע ההשפעה והלימוד מבנו, מבית ומבחוץ
The category of Netzach also comprises prevailing16 and standing up against anything, from within or from without, that withholds from his son the transmission of beneficial influence or learning.
מבית, היינו: להתחזק נגד מדת הגבורה והצמצום שבאב עצמו
“From within” means firmly resisting the attribute of Gevurah and tzimtzum within the father himself,
שהיא מעוררת דינים ברצונו על בנו
for it arouses (within his will) contentions against his son,
לומר שאינו ראוי לכך עדיין
arguing that he is not yet fit for this [profound knowledge].
There now follows a parenthetical note in the text which states:
(בכתבי יד נרשם: חסר)
(A note in the manuscripts: Omission.)
I.e., according to some of the manuscripts which were compared to the previous printed editions of Iggeret HaKodesh when the current edition was being prepared for publication,17 there is an omission here in the text.
The Rebbe notes that prevailing over influences “from without” is even more important to explain than prevailing over influences “from within.” The fact that this explanation is lacking points to an omission in the text.
In addition: According to the translation offered above that “The category of Netzachalso comprises...,” there is nothing amiss in the Alter Rebbe’s failure to explain a corresponding aspect within Hod, for Hod comprises no such corresponding aspect. However, the translation may also be rendered: “In general, the category of Netzachalso entails....” If this is indeed the proper rendition, then the question arises, why was there no corresponding statement as to the general function of Hod? Its absence likewise demonstrates that there is an omission in the text.
The Alter Rebbe now goes on to explain the attribute of Yesod.
ובחינת יסוד היא על דרך משל ההתקשרות, שמקשר האב שכלו בשכל בנו
The category of Yesod is, by way of example, the bond by which the father binds his intellect to the intellect of his son
בשעת למודו עמו באהבה ורצון, שרוצה שיבין בנו
while teaching him with love and willingness, for he wishes his son to understand.
ובלעדי זה, גם אם היה הבן שומע דבורים אלו עצמם מפי אביו שמדבר בעדו ולומד לעצמו
Without this [bond], even if the son would hear the very same words from the mouth of his father [18as he speaks and studies to himself],
לא היה מבין כל כך כמו עכשיו
he would not understand [them] as well as now,
שאביו מקשר שכלו אליו, ומדבר עמו פנים אל פנים באהבה וחשק, שחושק מאד שיבין בנו
when his father binds his intellect to him and speaks with him face to face19 with love and desire, because he desires very much that his son understand.
The father does not merely want to enlighten his son; his desire stemming from Yesod is powerful because it is driven by pleasure.
(בכתב יד קודש אדמו״ר בעל הצמח צדק, נשמתו עדן, בדרוש: כי ידעתיו, סעיף י״ג, שהועתק שם לשון זה ליתא תיבות אלו)
[20In the holy handwriting of the Tzemach Tzedek, of blessed memory, (in the discourse entitled Ki Yedaativ, sec. 13,21 where this passage is quoted,) the above words (“as he speaks and studies to himself”) are not to be found.]
The reason for this omission: Not only is there a difference between (a) what the son passively absorbs when he hears his father studying independently, and (b) what he absorbs when his father actively teaches him; but even when the father is actually teaching, the presence or absence of the quality of Yesod will determine whether or not his son’s mind will be ignited by the fire of his own desire to communicate.
וכל מה שהחשק והתענוג גדול, כך ההשפעה והלימוד גדול
And the greater the desire and delight of the father, the greater is the influence and the learning,22
שהבן יוכל לקבל יותר, והאב משפיע יותר
because then the son is able to absorb more and the father communicates more, proportionally.
כי על ידי החשק והתענוג, מתרבה ומתגדל שכלו בהרחבת הדעת, להשפיע וללמד לבנו
For through the desire and delight, and with a contented disposition, his own insight is heightened and amplified, so that he can bestow enlightenment upon his son and teach him.
וכמו, על דרך משל, בגשמיות ממש, רבוי הזרע הוא מרוב החשק והתענוג
(23This parallels, to draw a metaphor from [the attribute of Yesod in] the sphere of the truly physical, the profusion of spermatozoa that results from heightened desire and delight,
ועל ידי זה ממשיך הרבה מהמוח
through which much is elicited from the brain, which is its source.
ולכן המשילו חכמי האמת לזיווג גשמי, כמו שיתבאר
This is why the Kabbalists, seeking to illustrate the imparting of knowledge out of a sense of pleasure, used the analogy of a physical union, for there are a number of similarities between these two expressions of the attribute of Yesod, as will be explained.)24
והנה מדות אלו, הן בחינות חיצוניות שבנפש
Now, these emotive attributes — those involved in imparting enlightenment, and the like —are the external aspects of the soul.
ובתוכן מלובשות מדות פנימיות
Within them are vested the inner attributes, which bring about the external attributes involved in the actual imparting of knowledge,
שהן בחינות אהבה ויראה כו׳
i.e., the faculties of love and awe, and so on.
דהיינו, על דרך משל, באב המשפיע לבנו מחמת אהבתו
This may be compared to the case of a father who bestows enlightenment upon his son because of his love for him,
The internal aspect of the attribute involved is love and its external aspect is kindness.
ומונע השפעתו מפחדו ויראתו שלא יבא לידי מכשול, חס ושלום
and withholds his influence because of his dread and fear lest [his son] come to some downfall, heaven forfend.
The father’s fear and dread are thus the internal aspect of his Gevurah, the attribute that completely or partially witholds the flow of instruction.
The remaining emotive attributes are all offshoots of love and fear (as explained in Part I, ch. 3, above), and accordingly they too possess internal and external aspects.
* * *
Having dealt with the middot, the seven emotive attributes of the soul, the Alter Rebbe now proceeds to discuss the intellective attributes which give birth to them.
ומקור ושרש מדות אלו, הפנימיות והחיצוניות
The source and root of these internal and external emotive attributes,
הוא מחב״ד שבנפשו
is the ChaBaD — an acronym for the intellectual faculties of Chochmah, Binah and Daat —of one’s soul,
כי לפי שכל האדם, כך הן מדותיו
for a person’s emotive traits are in proportion to his intellect.
כנראה בחוש, שהקטן, שהחב״ד שלו הן בבחינת קטנות, כך כל מדותיו הן בדברים קטני הערך
This is empirically evident; with a child, for example, whose ChaBaD are in a state of pettiness, all his emotive traits, too, relate to insignificant things, and as he matures in age and understanding, his emotive traits correspondingly aspire to worthier goals.
וגם בגדולים, לפי שכלו יהולל איש
With adults, too, the emotive traits develop in proportion to the intellect, for25 “According to his intelligence is a man praised.”
Since the term “man” (איש) is an appelative for the emotive traits (cf. the verse,26 “As is a man, so is his Gevurah”), the previously-quoted verse is teaching us that a person’s emotive traits are praiseworthy in proportion to the stature of his ChaBaD.
כי לפי רוב חכמתו, כך הוא רוב אהבתו וחסדו
For the extent of his love and kindness corresponds to the extent of his wisdom,
וכן שאר כל מדותיו פנימיות וחיצוניות, מקורן הוא מחב״ד שבו
and all his other internal and external traits likewise have their source in his ChaBaD.
והעיקר הוא הדעת שבו, הנמשך מבחינת החכמה ובינה שבו
Most important to the development of the spiritual emotions is one’s Daat, which derives from one’s Chochmah and Binah.
A thinker first grasps the essence of a concept through the seminal flash of illumination afforded by his faculty of Chochmah; he next understands it fully by means of the analysis and amplification which are the function of his faculty of Binah; ultimately, he must immerse himself in concentration on the concept, binding and unifying himself with it to the point that — beyond mere intellective comprehension — he also senses and experiences it with his faculty of Daat.
It is this faculty that is critical to the development of his middot, such as the spiritual emotions of love and awe of G‑d, for Daat provides them with their substance and vitality, as explained in Part I, ch. 3.
כנראה בחוש, כי לפי שינוי דעות בני אדם זה מזה, כך הוא שינוי מדותיהם
This is readily observable, for the differences between the emotive traits of various people corresponds to the differences in their respective degrees of Daat.
| FOOTNOTES | |
| 1. | An alternative reading, which does not appear in the ms. versions: “It is known, in a general way,...” |
| 2. | The Alter Rebbe first deals with the seven middot, or emotive attributes, and towards the end of this letter proceeds to explain the three intellective attributes which give birth to them. (See the passage below that begins, “Having dealt with the middot....”) |
| 3. | In place of כלל (“altogether”), an alternative reading has כל עיקר, which is a more emphatic phrase. |
| 4. | The word לשון, which appears in the Hebrew text before רחמנות (“compassion”), is left untranslated for, as the Rebbe notes, it is evidently a superfluous interpolation. |
| 5. | The word לשון, which appears in the Hebrew text before רחמנות (“compassion”), is left untranslated for, as the Rebbe notes, it is evidently a superfluous interpolation. |
| 6. | Note of the Rebbe: “This is a departure from the usual explanation — that Chesed extends its benevolence even to an individual whom the attribute of compassion would disqualify (despite his need), or to an individual whom one should not pity.” |
| 7. | The corresponding Hebrew phrase, whose singular form is apparently anomalous, is rendered in the plural in one of the early editions of this letter (Lemberg, 1860). |
| 8. | An alternative reading, which does not appear in the ms. versions, interpolates the word בו after מעורבים; the meaning of the sentence is virtually unaffected. |
| 9. | Note of the Rebbe: “This is [the function of the attributes of] Malchut and Yesod, as will soon be explained.” |
| 10. | Mishlei 25:11. |
| 11. | Berachot 61a. |
| 12. | Zohar III, 296a. |
| 13. | Cf. Tanya, Part I, ch. 2. |
| 14. | Note of the Rebbe: “As above, conclusion of Shaar HaYichud VehaEmunah, quoting Chagigah 12b.” |
| 15. | Brackets are in the original text. |
| 16. | The Hebrew root of Netzach comprises three meanings — to prevail, to be enduring, to be victorious. |
| 17. | Note of the Rebbe: “As noted in the Introduction of R. Avraham Shu”b, the [previously] printed letters of Iggeret HaKodesh were compared to copyists’ manuscripts (and not to the Alter Rebbe’s original letters).” |
| 18. | Brackets are in the original text. |
| 19. | Note of the Rebbe: “Though it is possible to understand the acronym פא״פ as meaning פה אל פה (‘mouth to mouth,’ i.e., without an intermediary; cf. Ibn Ezra on Parshat Behaalotcha 12:8), the phrase פנים אל ”פנים״ (‘face to face’) describes a higher level [of communication, and is therefore the preferred rendition], for here the Alter Rebbe is speaking of the highest qualities of Yesod, to the degree that the father ‘desires greatly.’ Moreover, it is specifically this phrase (‘face to face’) that is the antithesis of the contrasting situation described above, in which the father ‘speaks to himself.’” |
| 20. | Brackets are in the original text. |
| 21. | Printed in Or HaTorah, Vayeira 98b. |
| 22. | Note of the Rebbe: “Perhaps this should read גדל [with a kamatz and tzeirei, so that the sentence would mean, ‘And the more the desire and delight of the father grow, the more do the influence and the learning grow’], instead of גדול [with a kamatz and cholam, as translated above].” |
| 23. | Parentheses are in the original text. |
| 24. | In his Hebrew annotations to the original Yiddish text of the present work, the Rebbe explains why the Alter Rebbe does not discuss the attribute of Malchut. The learned explanation, which hinges on the comparative dynamics of the various Sefirot, is not readily translatable. |
| 25. | Mishlei 12:8. |
| 26. | Shoftim 8:21. |
• Sefer Hamitzvot:
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Sunday, Elul 19, 5777 · September 10, 2017
A daily digest of Maimonides’ classic work "Sefer Hamitzvot"
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Negative Commandment 291
A Witness Acting as Judge
"But one witness shall not testify against a person causing him to die"—Numbers 35:30.
In a capital case, a witness may not offer any opinion regarding the defendant's guilt or innocence. Rather, he must state the facts as he saw them and then remain silent, and allow the judges to reach their decision.
Full text of this Mitzvah »
A Witness Acting as Judge
Negative Commandment 291
Translated by Berel Bell
The 291st prohibition is that a witness is forbidden from saying anything extra regarding the case he is testifying about. Even if he is learned and knowledgeable, he may not act as a witness and a judge and legal authority. He must testify concerning what he saw and then remain silent, and the judges will use his testimony as they see fit. The witness is prohibited from saying anything in addition to his testimony. This law applies only to capital cases.
The source of this prohibition is G‑d's statement1 (exalted be He), "A single eyewitness may not speak against a person where the death penalty is involved." This prohibition is repeated in the verse,2 "He shall not be put to death through the testimony of one witness." This means that he shall not be put to death because of the instructions of the witness.
Our Sages said in tractate Sanhedrin,3 "The prohibition, 'A single eyewitness may not speak against a person' applies whether he speaks for acquittal or for conviction," and they give a reason, "Because it will appear that he is a biased witness." The prohibition against speaking out either for or against the defendant applies only in capital cases.4
FOOTNOTES
1.Num. 35:30.
2.Deut. 17:6.
3.33b.
4.In monetary cases, the witness can offer arguments either for or against the defendant, as long as he is not counted as a judge. See Hilchos Eidus 5:8.
Rambam:
• 1 Chapter A Day: Avel Avel - Chapter 10
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1
The Sabbath is counted as one of the days of mourning. Nevertheless, the laws of mourning are not observed on the Sabbath with the exception of private matters, e.g., veiling one's head, marital relations, and washing with hot water. With regard to matters which are obvious, however, the mourning laws are not observed. Instead, one may wear shoes, position his bed upright, and greet everyone.
If the mourner has another garment, he should change it. He should not wear a torn garment on the Sabbath even because of his father and mother. If he does not have a garment to change, he should turn the tear to the other side.
א
השבת עולה למנין אבילות ואין אבילות בשבת אלא בדברים שבצנעה כגון עטיפת הראש ותשמיש המטה ורחיצה בחמין אבל דברים שבגלוי אינו נוהג בהן אבלות אלא לובש מנעליו וזוקף את המטה ונותן שלום לכל אדם ואם יש לו בגד מחליף ולא ילבש בגד קרוע בשבת אפילו על אביו ועל אמו ואם אין לו להחליף מחזיר את הקרע לאחריו:
2
When may one position his bed upright on Friday? From the afternoon onward. Nevertheless, one should not sit on the upright bed until nightfall. Even when there remains only one day for the seven days of mourning, one should overturn the beds again on Saturday night.
ב
מאימתי זוקפים את המטות בערב שבת מן המנחה ולמעלה ואעפ"כ לא ישב עליה עד שתחשך ואע"פ שלא נשתייר לו אלא יום אחד חוזר וכופה אותן במוצאי שבת:
3
On the festivals and similarly, Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur, we do not observe any of the mourning rites at all. Moreover, whenever anyone buries his dead even a small amount of time before a festival or before Rosh HaShanah or Yom Kippur, the decree requiring him to observe seven days of mourning is nullified.
Thus after Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur, a mourner counts 23 days. After Pesach, he counts16 days - for the seven days of mourning are nullified and the seven days of the festival are equal to 14. Similarly, if the deceased was buried before Shavuos, the mourner counts 16 days afterwards. For even though the holiday is only one day, since it is a festival, it is counted as seven days.
ג
הרגלים וכן ראש השנה ויוה"כ אין דבר מדברי אבלות נוהג בהן וכל הקובר את מתו אפילו שעה אחת קודם הרגל או קודם ראש השנה ויום הכפורים בטלה ממנו גזירת שבעה נמצא מונה לאחר ראש השנה ויוה"כ שלשה ועשרים יום ולאחר הפסח ששה עשר יום שהרי בטלה גזירת שבעה ושבעת ימי החג הרי ארבעה עשר וכן אם קבר קודם עצרת מונה אחריה ששה עשר יום אע"פשהוא יום אחד הרי היא רגל ועולה לשבעה ימים:
4
When a person buries his dead before Sukkos, he should count only nine days after the festival. For Shemini Atzeret is a holiday in its own right. Thus the first day concludes the seven days, then come the seven days of the holiday, and the eighth day is considered as a festival. Thus there are 21 days.
ד
קבר את מתו קודם חג הסוכות מונה אחר החג תשעה ימים בלבד שהרי שמיני עצרת רגל בפני עצמו ונמצא יום טוב הראשון מפסיק שבעה ושבעת ימי החג ושמיני של חג רגל אחד הרי אחד ועשרים יום:
5
When a person buries his dead seven days before any one of the festivals or seven days before Rosh HaShanah or Yom Kippur, the decree requiring him to observe the 30 days of mourning is nullified. He is permitted to cut his hair and launder his garments on the day preceding the festival or Yom Kippur. The rationale is that a portion of the day is considered as the entire day. After the holiday, he does not count any other days of mourning.
If, however, he is mourning for his father or mother - even if they died more than 30 days before the festival - he may not cut his hair until it grows uncontrolled or until his friends rebuke him. The festivals do not nullify this measure.
ה
הקובר את מתו שבעת ימים קודם רגל מן הרגלים או קודם ראש השנה ויוה"כ בטלה גזרת שלשים ומותר לספר ולכבס בערב יום טוב או בערב יום הכפורים שמקצת היום ככולו ואינו מונה לאחריהם כלום ואם על אביו ועל אמו הוא מתאבל אפילו מתו קודם הרגל שלשים יום אינו מגלח עד שישלח פרע או עד שיגערו בו חביריו ואין הרגלים מפסיקין דבר זה:
6
When the sixth day of mourning falls on the day before the festival - needless to say, this law applies if the fifth or the third day falls on that day - he may not cut his hair. The festival nullifies only the decree requiring him to mourn for seven days. He is not permitted to wash, anoint himself, or perform any other practice forbidden during the days of mourning until the onset of the festival. The festival concludes the seven days of mourning. After the festival, he concludes all 30 days from the day of the death. During them, he is forbidden to perform any of the five practices mentioned in Chapter 6.
ו
חל ששי שלו בערב הרגל ואין צריך לומר חמישי או שלישי אינו מגלח ולא בטלה ממנו אלא גזירת שבעה בלבד ואינו מותר לרחוץ ולסוך ולעשות דבר עד שיכנס יום טוב ויום טוב מפסיק שאר השבעה ולאחר יום טוב משלים כל שלשים יום מיום המיתה ואסור בהן בכל חמשה דברים:
7
The following rules apply when the seventh day of mourning falls on the day before a festival and that day is the Sabbath. The decree requiring him to observe the 30 days of mourning is nullified and he may cut his hair in the midst of the holiday. For he was held back by forces beyond his control since he cannot cut his hair on the Sabbath. Similarly, one may cut one's hair after Shavuot or after Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur, for the decree requiring him to observe the 30 days of mourning has been nullified and he may cut his hair whenever he desires.
ז
חל שביעי שלו להיות בערב הרגל והרי הוא שבת בטלה ממנו גזרת שלשים ומותר לגלח בתוך המועד שהרי אנוס היה ואי אפשר לו לגלח בשבת וכן מגלח אחר עצרת או אחר ראש השנה ויוה"כ שהרי בטלה גזירת שלשים ויש לו לגלח בכל עת שירצה:
8
When a person buries his dead in the midst of a festival, the laws of mourning do not apply to him. He does not observe the mourning rites in the midst of the festival. Instead, after the festival he begins to count the seven days of mourning and observes all of the mourning rites at that time. He counts the 30 days of Sheloshim from the day of the burial. In the days that remain from these 30 days, he observes all the restrictions required.
ח
הקובר את מתו בתוך הרגל לא חלה עליו אבילות כלל ואינו נוהג אבילות ברגל אלא לאחר הרגל מתחיל למנות שבעה ונוהג בהן כל דברי אבלות ומונה שלשים מיום הקבורה ונוהג בשאר השלשים בכל גזירות שלשים:
9
In the above situation, in places where the holidays are observed for two days, one should count seven days from the second day of the final days of the festival. Since its observance is a Rabbinic institution, it is included in the reckoning and he need count only six days afterwards. He counts the 30 days of Sheloshim from the day of the burial as stated above.
ט
המקומות שעושין שני ימים טובים מונה השבעה מיום טוב שני האחרון אף על פי שאינו נוהג אבילות הואיל ומדבריהם הוא עולה לו מן המנין ומונה אחריו ששה ימים בלבד ומונה שלשים יום מיום הקבורה כמו שאמרנו:
10
When a person buries his dead on the second day of a holiday which is the final day of a festival or on the second day of Shavuot, he should observe mourning rites, for the observance of the second day of a festival is a Rabbinic institution and the observance of mourning rites on the first day is a Scriptural obligation. Hence the observance of a positive Rabbinic commandment is superseded by the observance of a positive Scriptural commandment.
If, however, one buries his dead on the second day of Rosh HaShanah, he should not observe the mourning rites. For the two days of Rosh HaShanah are considered as one long day, because of the rationale explained in Hilchot Kiddush HaChodesh.
י
הקובר את מתו ביום טוב שני שהוא יום טוב האחרון או ביום טוב שני של עצרת נוהג בו אבלות הואיל ויום טוב שני מדבריהם ואבלות יום ראשון של תורה ידחה עשה של דבריהם מפני עשה של תורה אבל אם קבר ביום טוב שני של ראש השנה אינו נוהג בו אבלות ששניהן כיום ארוך הן מטעם שביארנו בהלכות קדוש החדש:
Rambam:
• 3 Chapters A Day: Edut Edut - Chapter 5, Edut Edut - Chapter 6, Edut Edut - Chapter 7
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1
A ruling is never delivered in any judgment on the basis of the testimony of one witness, not in cases involving financial law, nor in cases involving capital punishment, as Deuteronomy 19:15 states: "One witness should not stand up against any person with regard to any transgression or any sin." According to the Oral Tradition, we learned that his testimony is effective with regard to an oath, as stated in Hilchot Toein ViNitan.
א
אין חותכין דין מן הדינין על פי עד אחד לא דיני ממונות ולא דיני נפשות שנאמר לא יקום עד אחד באיש לכל עון ולכל חטאת ומפי השמועה למדנו שקם הוא לשבועה כמו שביארנו בהלכות טוען:
2
In two situations, the Torah accepted the testimony of one witness:
a) with regard to a sotah, so that she does not drink the bitter waters; and
b) with regard to a calf whose neck is broken, to prevent its neck from being broken, as we explained.
Similarly, according to Rabbinic Law, we accept the testimony of one witness with regard to testimony concerning a woman, if he testifies that her husband died.
ב
בשני מקומות האמינה תורה עד אחד בסוטה שלא תשתה מי מרים ובעגלה ערופה שלא תערף כמו שביארנו וכן מדבריהן בעדות אשה שיעיד לה שמת בעלה:
3
Whenever the testimony of one witness is effective, a woman and a person disqualified as a witness may also testify. There is, however, an exception: a witness who requires that an oath be taken. We do not require that an oath be taken except on the basis of testimony that is acceptable and fit to be joined with the testimony of another person to obligate the person taking the oath to make financial restitution.
Deuteronomy 19:15 states: "On the basis of the testimony of two witnesses or on the basis of the testimony of three witnesses...," establishing an equation between three witnesses and two witnesses. Just as when there are two witnesses, if one of them is discovered to be a relative or unfit to deliver testimony, the entire testimony is nullified; so, too, if there are three - or even 100 - witnesses and one of them is discovered to be a relative or unfit to deliver testimony, the entire testimony is nullified. This applies both in matters involving financial law and in cases involving capital punishment.
ג
וכל מקום שעד אחד מועיל אשה ופסול כמו כן מעידים חוץ מעד אחד של שבועה שאין מחייבין שבועה אלא בעדות כשר הראוי להצטרף עם אחר ויתחייב זה הנשבע ממון על פיו על פי שנים עדים או על פי שלשה עדים לעשות שלשה כשנים מה שנים נמצא אחד מהן קרוב או פסול בטל העדות אף שלשה והוא הדין למאה נמצא אחד מהן קרוב או פסול בטלה העדות בין בדיני ממונות בין בדיני נפשות:
4
When does the above apply? When all of the potential witnesses had the intent of delivering testimony. If, however, they did not all intend to deliver testimony, the testimony will not be nullified. What should two brothers do when they are together with other people and they and the others see a person murder a colleague, injure him, or grab an article from his hand?
ד
בד"א בזמן שנתכוונו כולן להעיד אבל אם לא נתכוונו כולם להעיד מה יעשו שני אחים בכלל העם וראו העם כשהרג זה את זה או כשחבל בו או כשחטף חפץ מידו:
5
How do we investigate the matter? When many witnesses come to the court as a single group, we ask them: "When you saw this person kill or injure was your intent to serve as a witness or merely to observe?" All those who say that their intent was not to serve as a witness, but they came merely to observe the matter as part of people at large are set aside. And all those who say: "I stood and took notice solely for the purpose of serving as a witness and being precise in my testimony," are set aside. If a relative or an unacceptable witness is found among those who intended to deliver testimony, the entire testimony is nullified.
When does the above apply? When a relative or an unacceptable witness was present. If, however, they are all acceptable to serve as witnesses, their testimony is taken into account whether they intended to serve as witnesses or not. Since they observed the matter, related the particulars of the testimony, and a warning was given the transgressor, the matter is adjudicated on this basis. This applies both in matters involving financial law and in cases involving capital punishment.
ה
וכיצד בודקין את הדבר כשיבואו לבית דין עדים מרובין כת אחת אומר להם כשראיתם זה שהרג או חבל להעיד באתם או לראות כל מי שאומר לא להעיד עליו אלא לראות מה הדבר ובכלל העם באתי מפרישין אותו וכל מי שאומר לא הייתי עומד אלא להעיד ולכוין העדות מפרישין אותו אם נמצא באלו שנתכוונו להעיד קרוב או פסול עדות כולם בטלה במה דברים אמורים כשהיה בהן קרוב או פסול אבל אם כולם כשרים אחד שנתכוון להעיד או שלא נתכוון להעיד הואיל וראה הדבר וכיון עדותו והיה שם התראה חותכין הדין על פיו בין בדיני ממונות בין בדיני נפשות:
6
The following laws apply when there is a legal document with many witnesses and one of them is discovered to be a relative or unacceptable or two of them are related to each other and the witnesses are not alive so that they could be asked whether they intended to sign as witnesses or not. If there is definitive testimony that they all sat down with the intent of signing - i.e., they intended to give testimony - the document is unacceptable. If not, the testimony may be maintained on the basis of the other witnesses.
Why may the testimony be maintained on the basis of the other witnesses? Because it is possible that the acceptable witnesses signed and left a place for a person of stature to sign and the relative or the unacceptable witness signed without them knowing.
ו
שטר שהיו עדיו מרובין ונמצא אחד מהן קרוב או פסול או שהיו בהם שנים קרובים זה לזה והרי אין העדים קיימין כדי לשאול אותן אם יש שם עדות ברורה שכולם ישבו לחתום שהרי נתכוונו להעיד הרי זה בטל ואם לאו תתקיים העדות בשאר ולמה מקיימין העדות בשאר שהרי אפשר שחתמו הכשרים והניחו מקום לגדול לחתום ובא זה הקרוב או הפסול וחתם שלא מדעתם:
7
Even though an unacceptable witness is the first whose signature appears on the legal document, the document is acceptable.
ז
אע"פ שהעד שחתום מתחילה בשטר הוא הפסול הרי השטר כשר:
8
Whenever a witness delivers testimony in a case involving capital punishment, he may not rule as a judge with regard to this murder. He may not offer an opinion in favor of the accused's acquittal or conviction. If he states: "I have a rationale that should lead to his acquittal, he is silenced, as implied by Numbers 35:30: "One witness shall not make a statement with regard to a case involving capital punishment," i.e., his words are not accepted neither for acquittal, nor for conviction.
What is the intent of the phrase "involving capital punishment"? That once a witness testifies with regard to capital punishment, he should make no further statements. He should deliver his testimony and be silent. With regard to cases involving financial matters, he may, however, offer an opinion leading to the defendant being released from financial liability or held liable. He may not, however, be counted among the judges or serve as a judge. For a witness may not serve as a judge. This applies even in cases involving financial matters.
ח
כל עד שהעיד בדיני נפשות אינו מורה בדין זה הנהרג ולא ילמד עליו לא זכות ולא חובה ואם אמר יש לי ללמד עליו זכות משתקין אותו שנאמר ועד אחד לא יענה בנפש למות בין לזכות בין לחובה ומהו זה שנאמר למות כלומר עד שהעיד בנפש למות לא יענה דבר אלא יעיד וישתוק אבל בדיני ממונות יש לו ללמד עליו זכות או חובה אבל לא ימנה עם הדיינים ולא יעשה דיין שאין עד נעשה דיין אפילו בדיני ממונות:
9
When does the above apply? With regard to matters that, according to Scriptural Law, require testimony and adjudication by judges. In matters of Rabbinic Law, by contrast, a witness may serve as a judge.
What is implied? A person brought a bill of divorce and stated: "It was written and signed in my presence." He and two other individuals may serve as a court and give the woman the bill of divorce. It is as if she received it in a court. Similar laws apply in all analogous situations.
ט
בד"א בדבר שצריך עדים מן התורה וצריך דיינים לדון באותו הדבר מן התורה אבל בשל דבריהם עד נעשה דיין כיצד אחד שהביא הגט ואמר בפני נכתב ובפני נחתם הוא ושנים נותנין אותו לה ונמצא כאילו נטלוהו מבית דין וכן כל כיוצא בזה:
Edut - Chapter 6
1
As explained, the verification of the authenticity of the signatures of the witnesses to legal documents is a Rabbinic provision so that loans will be given freely. Nevertheless, we do not verify the authenticity of a legal document except in a court of three judges, for it is a judgment. Ordinary people, however, are acceptable to serve as the judges. For this reason, the authenticity of legal documents may not be verified at night, as we explained.
א
כבר ביארנו שקיום שטרות מדבריהם כדי שלא תנעול דלת בפני לווין אף על פי כן אין מקיימין שטרות אלא בשלשה אפילו שלשתן הדיוטות מפני שהוא דין ולפיכך אין מקיימין שטרות בלילה כמו שביארנו:
2
The authenticity of the signatures of the witnesses to legal documents may be verified in any of five ways:
a) the judges recognize the handwriting of the witnesses and know that this is so-and-so's signature and that this is so-and-so's signature;
b) the witnesses sign the legal document in their presence;
c) the witnesses who signed come and each testifies in the presence of the judges saying, "This is my signature and I am a witness to this matter";
d) if the witnesses to the legal document died or they were in another locale, other witnesses may come and testify to the authenticity of their signatures;
e) if the witnesses' signatures were found on other legal documents, the court compares these signatures to the signatures on those documents, seeing that they resemble each other and the signatures on these documents match these signatures.
ב
באחד מחמשה דרכים מתקיים השטר בבית דין הדרך האחד שיהיו דיינים מכירין כתב ידי העדים שזו עדות פלוני וזו עדות פלוני הדרך השני שיחתמו העדים בפניהם הדרך השלישי שיבואו העדים החתומים בפניהם ויאמר כל אחד ואחד זה כתב ידי ואני עד בדבר הזה הדרך הרביעי שאם מתו עדי השטר או שהיו במדינה אחרת יבואו עדים ויעידו על כתב ידן שהוא זה הדרך החמישי שיהיה כתב ידן יוצא משטרות אחרים ועורכין בית דין זה הכתב לאותו הכתב שבשטרות אחרים ויהיה דומה זה לזה ויראה להם ביחד שכתב ידי אלו הוא כתב ידי אלו:
3
The authenticity of the signatures of the witnesses to legal documents should not be verified from documents other than:
a) two deeds of sale from two fields whose owners benefited from them for three years in a proper and conspicuous manner without fear or dread from any claim in the world as all the owners of fields benefit from their properties; or b) two ketubot.
These two legal documents must be in the possession of another person and not in the possession of the person who seeks to validate his legal document, for it is possible he forged all the signatures. Similarly, we may validate a legal document by comparing the signatures of the witnesses to those on a legal document whose authenticity was challenged and then verified by a court of law. Such a legal document alone can be used to verify the authenticity of the signatures to a legal document just as a legal document can be validated by comparing it to the deeds of sale for two fields or two ketubot.
ג
אין מקיימין את השטר משטרות אחרים אלא משני שטרות של שתי שדות שאכלום בעליהן שלש שנים אכילה גלויה נכונה בלא שום יראה ולא פחד מתביעה בעולם כדרך שאוכלין כל בעלי שדות שדותיהן או משתי שטרי כתובות והוא שיצאו שני השטרות מתחת ידי אחר לא מתחת ידי זה שרוצה לקיים שטרו שמא הוא זייף הכל וכן מקיימין השטר משטר שקרא עליו ערער והוחזק בבית דין מקיימין ממנו לבדו כמו שמקיימין משטר שתי שדות או משתי כתובות:
4
When a court writes on a legal document: "In a sitting of three judges, the authenticity of this legal document was validated in our presence," it is validated even though they did not state in which of the five ways it was validated. For we do not suspect that the court erred. Nevertheless, it has already become accepted practice for all the courts which we have seen and about whom we have heard for the judges to describe the manner in which the document was validated.
ד
בית דין שכתבו במושב שלשה היינו ונתקיים שטר זה בפנינו הרי זה מקויים אף על פי שלא פירשו באי זה דרך מחמשה דרכים נתקיים שאין חוששין לבית דין שמא יטעו וכבר נהגו כל בתי דינין שראינו ושמענו שיכתבו הדרך שנתקיים בה לפניהם:
5
A court never checks whether another court validated a legal document in a correct manner. Instead, we act under the presumption that they were knowledgeable and did not err. We do, however, check the witnesses.
ה
ולעולם אין בית דין בודקין אחר בית דין אחר אלא מחזיקין אותו שהן בקיאין ולא יטעו אבל בודקין אחר העדים:
6
When three judges sit to validate the authenticity of a legal document and one of them dies, the remaining judges should write: "We sat in a session of three judges, one of the judges exists no longer," lest an observer say: "A court of two judges validated it." Even if the validation states that it was performed by a court, it would be insufficient, lest an observer say: "Perhaps they thought that two judges could constitute a court." If their wording implied that there were three judges, there is no need to mention the death of the other judge.
ו
שלשה שישבו לקיים את השטר ומת אחד מהם צריכין לכתוב במושב שלשה היינו והאחד איננו שמא יאמר הרואה בית דין בשנים קיימוהו אפילו היה כתוב בו בבית דין יאמר שמא דמו ששנים בית דין הם ואם יש בו משמע שהיו שלשה אינו צריך:
7
The following principles apply when there is a question if one of the judges was acceptable to serve in his position. For example, three judges sat to validate the authenticity of a legal document. Two witnesses came and challenged the propriety of one of the judges, saying that he was a robber or the like. Two others came and testified that he repented. If, before the judges signed, they testified that he repented, he may sign with them. For there were three acceptable judges at the time of the signing. If it was not until after the other two judges signed that the witnesses testified that he repented, the third judge may not sign together with them. For it is as if he did not exist at the time the other two signed.
When does the above apply? When his propriety was challenged because of a transgression. Different rules apply, however, when, however, his propriety was challenged because of a blemish in his lineage, e.g., they said: "His mother was never freed, and he is a servant," or "His mother never converted and he is a gentile." If after the other two judges signed, it was discovered that he does not have this type of blemished lineage and he is fit to serve as a judge, he may sign together with the other two. The rationale is that this is merely the revelation of a fact that existed previously.
ז
שלשה שישבו לקיים את השטר ובאו שני עדים וערערו על אחד מהן שהוא גזלן וכיוצא בו ובאו שנים אחרים והעידו שחזר בתשובה אם עד שלא חתמו העידו שחזר הרי זה חותם עמהם שהרי שלשה היו ואם אחר שחתמו השנים העידו עליו שחזר בתשובה אינו חותם עמהן שהרי הוא כמי שאינו בעת חתימת השנים במה דברים אמורים כשערערו עליו בעבירה אבל ערערו עליו בפגם משפחה כמו שאמרו אמו לא נשתחררה ועבד הוא או לא נתגיירה ועכו"ם הוא ונודע אחר שחתמו השנים שאין במשפחתו פגם ושהוא כשר הרי זה חותם עמהם שזה גילוי דבר שהיה מקודם הוא:
8
It is permitted to write the validation on the document before the signatures on the document are validated. For it is the judges' signing of the validation, not the writing of it that is of fundamental importance.
The judges do not have to read the legal document when they validate its authenticity. Instead, they validate it based on the signatures of the witnesses even if they do not know what was written in it.
ח
מותר לכתוב הקיום בשטר קודם שיתקיים השטר שאין הכתיבה עיקר אלא החתימה ואין הדיינים צריכין לקרות השטר שמקיימין אותו אלא מקיימין אותו מעדיו אע"פ שלא ידעו מה כתוב בו:
Edut - Chapter 7
1
A relative may give testimony with regard to his relative's signature.
What is implied? There was a legal document which Reuven and Shimon signed as witnesses. They died or traveled overseas. Reuven's son came and testified: "This is my father's signature," and Shimon's son came and testified: "This is my father's signature," it is as if they are two acceptable witnesses who are not related to the witnesses who have signed. If a third witness joins together with them and testifies with regard to the two signatures, the authenticity of the legal document is validated.
א
מעיד קרוב על כתב קרובו כיצד שטר שעדיו ראובן ושמעון ומתו או שהלכו למדינת הים ובא בנו של ראובן ואמר זה כתב ידו של אבי ובא בנו של שמעון ואמר זה כתב ידו של אבי הרי אלו כשני עדים כשרים שאינן קרובים ואם יצטרף עמהם שלישי והעיד על כתב ידן של שניהם הרי נתקיים השטר:
2
The statements of the following individuals are acceptable when, as adults, they testify with regard to what they observed as minors. A person's words is accepted when, as an adult, he states: "This is the signature of my father....", "This is the signature of my teacher...", "This is the signature of my brother which I learned to recognize when I was a minor."
The above applies, provided he is joined by another person who learned to recognize these signatures while an adult.
ב
ואלו מדברים שנאמנים הגדולים להעיד בגדלם מה שראו בקטנם נאמן אדם לומר כשהוא גדול זהו כתב ידו של אבי זהו כתב ידו של רבי זהו כתב ידו של אחי שהייתי מכיר בכתב ידם כשהייתי קטן והוא שיצטרף עמו אחר שמכיר כתב ידן כשהוא גדול:
3
When there is a legal document on which Reuven and Shimon signed as witnesses and two others came and testified to the authenticity of the signatures of both Reuven and Shimon, the legal document is validated. If, however, one testified to the authenticity of Reuven's signature and the other testified to the authenticity of Shimon's signature, the document is not validated. The rationale is that two witnesses must testify with regard to both witnesses' signature. If there is a third witness who testifies with regard to the authenticity of both Reuven's and Shimon's signature, the document is validated.
ג
שטר שעדיו ראובן ושמעון ובאו שנים והעידו שזה כתב ידו של ראובן וזה כתב ידו של שמעון נתקיים השטר אבל אם העיד זה על כתב ידו [של] ראובן והשני העיד על כתב ידו [של] שמעון לא נתקיים השטר לפי שצריך שני עדים על כתב [כל] יד אחד משניהם ואם יש שלישי מעיד על כתב ראובן ושמעון כאחד נתקיים:
4
When one witness says: "This is my signature," and he and another witness testify with regard to the signature of the other witness, the document is not validated, for three fourths of the money mentioned in the legal document is dependent on the testimony of one person. Similarly, if the son or the brother of the first witness testifies with another person with regard to the signature of the second witness, the document is not validated, because three fourths of the money is dependent on the testimony of relatives.
ד
אמר הראשון זה כתב ידי והעיד הוא ואחר על כתב ידי השני לא נתקיים לפי שנמצא שלשת רבעי הממון שבשטר תלוי בעדות האחד וכן אם העיד אחיו או בנו של ראשון עם אחר על כתב ידי השני לא נתקיים שהרי שלשת רבעי הממון תלוי בעדות הקרובים:
5
When two witnesses sign a legal document and one of them dies, it is necessary that two witnesses testify with regard to the authenticity of the witness who died. If there is only one other witness who recognizes his signature in addition to the witness who is alive, the latter should write his signature, even on a shard, in the presence of two witnesses and send it to the court so that his signature will be validated. In that instance, it is not necessary for him to declare that it is his signature. Accordingly, he and another person can testify with regard to the signature of the deceased person so that his signature will be validated even though he is not present.
ה
שנים שחתומין על השטר ומת אחד מהן צריך שני עדים להעיד על כתב ידו של מת ואם לא נמצא אלא עד אחד עם זה העד החי כותב חתימת ידו בפני עדים אפילו על החרס ומשליכו בבית דין עד שתוחזק כתב ידו בבית דין ולא יהיה צריך לומר שזה כתב ידו ויעיד הוא ואחר על כתב ידי המת ויתקיים כתב ידו שלא בפניו:
6
The following principles apply if three judges sit together to validate the authenticity of a legal document, two of them recognize the signatures of the witnesses and one of them does not. Before the judges sign the validation, the two witnesses who recognize the signatures may deliver testimony before the third judge. Then they may sign the validation, for witnesses may serve as judges in a matter that is a Rabbinic ordinance, as we explained.
If the two witnesses who recognize the signatures sign the validation before testifying, they may not testify in the presence of the third judge and have him sign. For at the time they signed, only those two recognized the signature of the witnesses. A legal document may be validated only when all three judges recognize the signatures or witnesses deliver testimony on the signatures before each one of them.
ו
שלשה שישבו לקיים את השטר שנים מהן מכירין חתימת ידי עדים ואחד אינו מכיר עד שלא חתמו מעידין בפניו וחותם שהעדים נעשים דיינים בדבר שהוא מדבריהם כמו שבארנו אבל אחר שחתמו אין מעידין בפניו וחותם [שהרי בעת שחתמו לא היו מכירין אלא השנים] ואין מקיימין אלא עד שיהיו שלשתן מכירין או יעידו העדים על הכתב בפני כל אחד ואחד:
7
The following law applies when the two witnesses who signed on a legal document died and two others came and testified, saying: "This is their signature, but they signed under duress," "...they were minors," or "...they were unacceptable as witnesses." Even though there were other witnesses who testify with regard to their signatures or their signatures could be recognized from another legal document concerning which a protest was raised and afterwards, it was validated by the court, the legal document is not validated. Instead, the two witnesses who signed the document are balanced against the two who testified that they were unacceptable as witnesses, and the legal document may not be used to expropriate money.
ז
שנים שהיו חתומין על השטר ומתו ובאו שנים ואמרו כתב ידן הוא זה אבל אנוסים היו קטנים היו פסולי עדות היו אע"פשיש שם עדים אחרים שזה כתב ידן או שהיה כתב ידן יוצא משטר אחר שקרא עליו ערער והוחזק בבית דין הרי זה לא נתקיים אלא מעידין השנים שבשטר כנגד השנים שהעידו עליהן שהן פסולין ואין גובין בו כלום:
Hayom Yom:
• English Text | Video Class
Sunday, Elul 19, 5777 · 10 September 2017
"Today's Day"
Sunday, Elul 19, 5703
Torah lessons: Chumash: Nitzavim-Vayeilech, first parsha with Rashi.
Tehillim: 90-96. Also 55-57.
Tanya: XVI. My beloved (p. 477) ...folio 80. (p. 479).
When the Alter Rebbe was still in Vitebsk he once expounded on the verse "You stand...1" Taking eitz (wood) as an idiom of eitza (counsel), he interpreted "choppers of wood" to mean that one must chop out "the many thoughts (counsels) in the heart of man."2 "Those who draw water," he interpreted - one must drain out the water that "makes all enjoyments grow."3
FOOTNOTES
1.Devarim 19:9, 10. The verses read (in part): "You stand today, all of you, before the Eternal your G-d...; ...from the choppers of your wood to those who draw your water."
2.Mishlei 19:21.
3.See Tanya Ch. 1. "The appetite for pleasures (derives) from the element of water, for water makes grow all kinds of enjoyment."
Daily Thought:
Be a Mentsch
There is a way to live divinely by just being a mentsch.
A mentsch is someone who respects the needs and wishes of others—especially the desires of those in his care.
In the care of each of us is entrusted a divine soul. She has a terrible allergy to all those messy deeds that darken her world, and desires only those beautiful deeds that will bring in more light.
And you, being a mentsch, could you stand in her way?
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