|
|
P Pirqei de-Rabbi Eliezer is a late midrashic work mostly structured as a chronological, continuous retelling of the stories of the Torah, from Creation up to the middle of the desert wandering period. Unlike most midrashic works, which are complications of myriad traditions, PRE is a unified creation of one author. It is written in Hebrew and shows heavy influences of earlier midrashic literature, Second Temple period Apocryphal, Pseudepigraphal, and apocalyptic literature, the Talmud Yerushalmi and the Talmud Bavli. Scholars conclude from PRE's knowledge of halakhot innovated during the Byzantine period, its descriptions of the Muslim Omayyad dynasty, and other evidence, that it was composed during the first half of the 8th Century CE in the Land of Israel. Our version of PRE is believed to be incomplete. Return to top Q Qorban Ha-‘Edah is a commentary on the Talmud Yerushalmi (Mo‘ed and Nashim) by Rabbi David ben Naphtali Hirsch Fraenkel, 1707-1762, who was Rabbi of Dessau, Germany, and, starting in 1743, Chief Rabbi of Berlin. The philosopher Moses Mendelssohn was his student. In Qorban Ha-‘Edah, his magnum opus, he attempts to elucidate the plain meaning of the text of the Yerushalmi in a similar style as Rashi's commentary on the Talmud Bavli. This commentary has become one of the two standard commentaries of the Yerushalmi and is printed alongside the text in the standard, Vilna printing of the Yerushalmi. He also penned another commentary to the Yerushalmi called Shirei Qorban that, in the style of the Tosafot on the Bavli, provides deeper analysis of the text, including reconciliations of contradictions. Return to top R RaMBaM, Rav Mosheh ben Maimon, also known as Maimonides, 1135-1204, Spain and Egypt, is one of the most significant figures in Jewish intellectual history. In his 20s, he authored a significant commentary on the Mishnah that is still used widely today. He was the dominant halakhic authority of his place and time and left an unrivaled imprint on later halakhah with his Mishneh Torah, the first systematic code of Jewish law ever written, which summarized Talmudic law and organized it into topical categories. This code is a cornerstone of all later halakhic writing and whole fields of yeshivah learning revolve around it. The Rambam's other central sphere of influence was in philosophy; it is possible to say that he is the epicenter of all Jewish philosophy. In addition to important philosophical sections of his Mishnah commentary and Mishneh Torah, his philosophic opus is The Guide for the Perplexed, a 3-part philosophical work directed at Jews struggling to reconcile their education in Aristotelian philosophy, of which Rambam was a follower, with traditional Jewish beliefs and doctrines. | Rambam Hil. Teshuvah 5:4 | רמב"ם הלכות תשובה ה:ד | | If God had decreed for people to be righteous or wicked, or if there were anything that pulled people from birth to any one of the many ways, knowledges, character traits, or deeds, as the stupid astrologers fabricate from their minds, how could He have commanded us, by way of the prophets, ‘do this' and ‘don't do that', ‘improve your ways', and ‘don't follow wicked people'?!... | אילו האל היה גוזר על האדם להיות צדיק או רשע או אילו היה שם דבר שמושך את האדם בעיקר תולדתו לדרך מן הדרכים או למדע מן המדעות או לדעה מן הדעות או למעשה מן המעשים כמו שבודים מלבם הטפשים הוברי שמים היאך היה מצוה לנו על ידי הנביאים עשה כך ואל תעשה כך הטיבו דרכיכם ואל תלכו אחרי רשעכם... |
RaMBaN, Rav Moshe ben Nahman, 1194-1270, was one of the most important figures in Medieval Jewish religious history. He wrote significant commentaries on the Talmud and the Bible that remain central in Torah learning today. He was the pre-eminent halakhic authority of Spain and made aliyah to Eretz Yisrael at the end of his life.
RaShBaM, Rav Shemuel ben Meir, 1083-1174, Ramerupt, France, was the grandson and student of Rashi. He wrote a commentary to the entire Bible, but only the section on the Torah is extant. It remains one of the most frequently studied Torah commentaries and is printed in most editions of the Miqra'ot Gedolot. Rashbam insisted that the Torah should be explained literally, in terms of its plain meaning (peshat) and objected to his grandfather's frequent use of midrash to explain Biblical passages. Rashbam was also a Talmudist and halakhic authority, many of whose rulings are recorded by later sages among the tosafot. His comments on the last chapter of Pesahim and most of Bava Batra are printed in standard editions of the Talmud where Rashi's comments usually appear. Rashbam taught and sometimes disputed with his younger brother, Rabbenu Tam. RaShi: (Rav Shlomo Yitzchaki), 1040 - 1105, Troyes, France, is one of the most important figures in all of Rabbinic Judaism. His indispensable commentaries on the Bible and the Talmud serve as the basis for most subsequent commentaries and are included in traditional printed editions of those texts. His Torah commentary selects and weaves Talmudic and midrashic sources, with his own explanatory glosses. Reasons for Shabbat
The terms "זֵכֶר לֽמַעֲשֵׂה בֽרֵאשִׁית" ("a remembrance of the creation of the world") and "זֵכֶר לִיצִיאַת מִצְרָיִם" ("a remembrance of the exodus from Egypt") do not actually appear in the Torah, but are Rabbinic approximations of the Torah's explanations for Shabbat. The statements emerge from the two versions of the Ten Commandments, which famously give different explanations for the reason for the commandment of Shabbat: in Shemot we rest because God rested on the 7th day, while in Devarim we rest so that our slaves rest and we remember that God took us out of slavery. | Shemot 20:11 | שמות כ:י"א | | For in six days Hashem made heaven and earth and sea, and all that is in them, and He rested on the seventh day; therefore, Hashem blessed the Shabbat day and sanctified it. | כִּי שֵׁשֶׁת יָמִים עָשָׂה יְהֹוָה אֶת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֶת הָאָרֶץ אֶת הַיָּם וְאֶת כָּל אֲשֶׁר בָּם וַיָּנַח בַּיּוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי עַל כֵּן בֵּרַךְ יְהֹוָה אֶת יוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת וַיְקַדְּשֵׁהוּ: | | Devarim 5:14-15 | דברים ה:י"ד-ט"ו | | ...so that your male and female slave may rest as you do. Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt and Hashem your God freed you from there with a strong hand and an outstretched arm; therefore, Hashem your God has commanded you to observe the Shabbat day. | ...לְמַעַן יָנוּחַ עַבְדְּךָ וַאֲמָתְךָ כָּמוֹךָ:
וְזָכַרְתָּ כִּי עֶבֶד הָיִיתָ בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם וַיֹּצִאֲךָ יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ מִשָּׁם בְּיָד חֲזָקָה וּבִזְרֹעַ נְטוּיָה עַל כֵּן צִוְּךָ יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ לַעֲשׂוֹת אֶת יוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת: |
The phrase " זֵכֶר לֽמַעֲשֵׂה בֽרֵאשִׁית" appears in the siddur, in the " מָגֵן אָבוֹת" paragraph that the Hazzan chants after the Friday night ‘Amidah, in summary and recapitulation of the ‘Amidah. The phrase also appears in description of Shabbat in the midrash Shemot Rabbah 19:7. It can also be found in Ibn Ezra's comment on Shemot 20:1 and the Ramban's comments on 20:7, 21:2, 34:21, and Devarim 5:14. The phrase "זֵכֶר לִיצִיאַת מִצְרָיִם" appears in the Qiddush for Shabbat evening and Qiddush for Festival evenings. An example of this phrase's use to refer to Shabbat in Rabbinic literature is Devarim Rabbah (Parashat Devarim 18). See also the Ramban's comments to Shemot 34:21 and Devarim 5:14 and 16:2. Rema (רמ"א) is an acronym for Rav Mosheh Isserles (רב משה איסרלס), Krakow, Poland, c. 1530-1572, one of Judaism's most significant halakhic authorities. His most significant contribution to halakhah was in supplementing Rav Yoseph Caro's codes with Ashkenazic traditions; Rema considered Caro's works superb except for their insignificant attention to Ashkenazi rulings. The first of these works is his Darkhei Mosheh, supplementing Caro's opus Beit Yoseph, which elucidating the background to Rav Yaaqov ben Asher's Arba'ah Turim (Tur) and details the further developments of the laws codified there. Rema's other work of this sort is his "Mappah" ("Tablecloth"), glosses added to Caro's code, the Shulhan Arukh ("Set Table"). With the additions in place, Caro/Rema's works became the central texts of halakhic authority, a stature they retain to this day. Rema also authored Torat ha-Hattat, covering laws of permitted and forbidden things, as well as 91 responsa and the philosophical works Mehir Yayin and Torat ha-‘Olah, which sought to explain that Jewish philosophy and Qabbalah were really identical systems, just using different language. His halakhic rulings emphasized the strong authority of minhag (common practice), even when it seemingly conflicts with dominant rulings, and recognized financial stress as a significant legal indicator for leniency. | Returning to Egypt | | | Talmud Yerushalmi Sukkah 5:1/55b | תלמוד ירושלמי סוכה ה:א/נה:ב | | R. Shimon ben Yohai taught: in three places Israel was warned not to return to the land of Egypt. | תני רבי שמעון בן יוחי בשלשה מקומות הוזהרו ישראל שלא לשוב ארץ מצרים. |
In the continuation of the gemara there, R. Shimon cites the following three verses. The first is right before the splitting of the Sea of Reeds, the second is among the commandments for a king, and the third is part of the curses to befall Israel if they reject the mitzvot. | Shemot 14:13 | שמות יד:יג | | Mosheh said to the people, "Do not fear! Stand up and see the deliverance of H, which he will work for you today; for the Egypt which you see today - you will never see them again." | וַיֹּאמֶר מֹשֶׁה אֶל הָעָם אַל תִּירָאוּ הִתְיַצְּבוּ וּרְאוּ אֶת יְשׁוּעַת יְהֹוָה אֲשֶׁר יַעֲשֶׂה לָכֶם הַיּוֹם כִּי אֲשֶׁר רְאִיתֶם אֶת מִצְרַיִם הַיּוֹם לֹא תֹסִיפוּ לִרְאֹתָם עוֹד עַד עוֹלָם: | | Devarim 17:16 | דברים יז:טז | | But he may not keep many horses for himself, and he may not return the people to Egypt in order to proliferate horses, for H said to you, "You may never again return that way." | רַק לֹא יַרְבֶּה לּוֹ סוּסִים וְלֹא יָשִׁיב אֶת הָעָם מִצְרַיְמָה לְמַעַן הַרְבּוֹת סוּס וַיהֹוָה אָמַר לָכֶם לֹא תֹסִפוּן לָשׁוּב בַּדֶּרֶךְ הַזֶּה עוֹד: | | Devarim 28:68 | דברים כח:סח | | H will send you back to Egypt in galleys, by the way which I told you you would never see again, and you will try to sell yourselves there to your enemies as male and female slaves, but there won't even be any buyers. | וֶהֱשִׁיבְךָ יְהֹוָה מִצְרַיִם בָּאֳנִיּוֹת בַּדֶּרֶךְ אֲשֶׁר אָמַרְתִּי לְךָ לֹא תֹסִיף עוֹד לִרְאֹתָהּ וְהִתְמַכַּרְתֶּם שָׁם לְאֹיְבֶיךָ לַעֲבָדִים וְלִשְׁפָחוֹת וְאֵין קֹנֶה: |
Reward for Walking-"שכר פסיעות"
The concept of reward for walking a farther distance to pray comes from the following gemara: | | | Talmud Bavli Sotah 22a | תלמוד בבלי סוטה כב. | | R. Yohanan said: We have learned about...receiving reward from a widow...for that one widow who had a synagogue in her neighborhood, but every day would come to pray in R. Yohanan's beit midrash. He said to her, "My daughter, isn't there a synagogue in your neighborhood?" She said to him, "Rabbi, do I not have reward for footsteps?" | אמר רבי יוחנן: למדנו...וקיבול שכר מאלמנה...דההיא אלמנה דהואי בי כנישתא בשיבבותה, כל יומא הות אתיא ומצלה בי מדרשיה דר' יוחנן, אמר לה: בתי, לא בית הכנסת בשיבבותך? אמרה ליה: רבי, ולא שכר פסיעות יש לי? |
This concept is brought as halakhah. Here, for example, are the words of R. Yechiel Michel Epstein (Lithuania, 1829-1907), in his compendium, Arukh haShulhan (Orah Hayim 90:15). | If there are two synagogues in the town, there is more reward for the one who walks to the farther one, because he is rewarded for the footsteps [Sotah 22a]. | ואם יש שני בתי כנסיות בעיר יש יותר שכר לההולך להרחוקה דמשלמים לו שכר פסיעות [סוטה כ"ב.] |
Similar formulations may be found in the Magen Avraham (OH 90:22) and Mishnah Berurah (OH 90:37). Riskin, Rabbi Shlomo is a prominent Israeli-American Modern Orthodox rabbi. He was the founding rabbi of the Lincoln Square Synagogue in Manhattan and since the early 1980s has served as the Chief Rabbi of Efrat, in Israel. He is also the Dean of Ohr Torah Institutions, an umbrella including Midreshet Lindenbaum, Yeshivat Hamivtar, and several high schools and other Israeli educational institutions. His comments on Ya‘aqov and Lavan can be found in his Haggadah Commentary: The Passover Haggadah: With a Traditional and Contemporary Commentary. New York: Ktav, 1983, pp. 73-75. There, Rabbi Riskin eloquently develops the idea regarding Lavan's role in the Haggadah. The Ritba (Rabbi Yom Tov ben Avraham Ishbilli - i.e., from Seville), c. 1250-1330, was an important Talmudic commentator and halakhist. A dayyan (judge) in Saragossa, he became the pre-eminent Rabbinic leader of Spain after the deaths of his teachers, Rav Aharon ha-Levi of Barcelona, and the Rashba. His commentary to the Talmud occupies a prominent place in Talmudic study to this day, and his responsa are still studied as well. Rosenzweig, Franz (1886-1929, Germany) was one of the Modernity's most influential Jewish thinkers. Born to an assimilated family whose minimal Jewish practice was largely driven by reactions to anti-Semitism, Rosenzweig, educated in philosophy at Germany's finest universities, almost converted to Christianity in 1913, reasoning that he and his friends were Jews only in name, but not culturally different from their Christian contemporaries. However, opting to become a Christian "as a Jew," i.e., by reenacting Judaism's consummation in Christianity, he decided to attend Yom Kippur services in a small, Eastern European-style Orthodox synagogue in Berlin. His moving experience there led him to reverse his decision and to affirm and recover Judaism for himself and others like him. Thereafter, he devoted himself to Jewish education and Jewish philosophy. The former centered on the Jewish Free House of Learning ("Lehrhaus"), which pioneered the reclaiming of classical Jewish texts by Western Jewish intelligentsia who saw themselves as Jewishly "homeless". His major philosophical work, Star of Redemption (1921) emphasized revelation not as a past, historical event that produced universal truths, but as God's continuous entry into relationship with human beings, which they, in turn, enter actively from the point of their experience. He came to see mitzvot as expressions of the divine-human love relationship to which Jews should remain open, even if "not yet" able to accept, for they could become compelling expressions at later points of life. Over the last years of his life, during which his health deteriorated greatly, Rosenzweig corresponded extensively with his friend, the philosopher Martin Buber, and collaborated with him on a new German translation of the Bible, which Buber completed in the 1950s in Israel. Return to top S
The Sefat Emet is the collection of Torah teachings of R. Yehudah Leib Alter, 1847-1905, Gur, Poland, the 3nd Rebbe of the Gerer Hasidic dynasty, a post he held for the last 35 years of his life. The Sefat Emet , arranged as a collection of the Rebbe's derashot on Parashat HaShavua and the holidays, is renowned less for its originality than for its remarkable combination of intellectual and psychological depth with accessibility. The derashot revisit familiar Hasidic themes (absent the emphasis on Kabbalah found in much of Hasidut), but articulate them with a rare lucidity of expression that leads many to consider this work the greatest literary achievement of Polish Hasidut. The "playing field" for the derashot in the Sefat Emet tends to be the language of the Torah itself, and the chief concerns of the work are moral application of the Torah, human psychology, and inner spiritual life, especially undiscovered wells of "Jewishness" that drive Jews in our life and worship. The Sefat Emet is considered to be "Hasidut for the masses", enjoying wide popularity within Hasidic communities and also being one of the most commonly studied Hasidic works among non-Hasidim. Sefer ha-Hinnukh ("The Book of Education") is a book listing and explaining the 613 commandments of the Torah. Published anonymously in 13th century Spain, scholars still do not know who authored it. Arranged according the weekly Torah portion, this book was written for laypeople, to familiarize them with the mitzvot and their reasons. To that end, it avoids the philosophical or mystical explorations used by his predecessors, limiting itself to description of the laws' requirements and ethical purposes. It has been published into many languages, including English. Sforno, Rav Ovadiah, c. 1470-c. 1550, Italy, was a Bible commentator and philosopher. His commentary on the Torah is included in most editions of Miqra'ot Gedolot and he wrote on several other books of the Bible, as well. Sforno's commentary is characterized by terse expression and adherence to the plain, literal meaning of the text (peshat), as well as short comments explaining ethical or philosophical implications of the text. He avoided mystically-oriented interpretations. He also wrote a philosophical work called Or Ammim, which attempted to refute Aristotle on matters which he deemed incompatible with the Bible, but to reconcile them where possible. Shulhan Arukh Orah Hayim 624-5 | Shulhan Arukh Orah Hayim, 624:5, gloss of the Rema | שולחן ערוך, אורח חיים תרכד:ה, הגהת הרמ"א | ...Those who are meticulous start immediately after Yom Kippur to make the sukkah, in order to go from mitzvah to mitzvah.
| ...והמדקדקים מתחילים מיד במוצאי י"כ בעשיית הסוכה, כדי לצאת ממצוה אל מצוה. | | Shulhan Arukh Orah Hayim, 625:1, gloss of the Rema | שולחן ערוך, אורח חיים תרכה:א, הגהת הרמ"א | | ...It is a mitzvah to prepare the sukkah immediately after Yom Kippur, because one should not delay a mitzvah that comes to one's hands. | ...ומצוה לתקן הסוכה מיד לאחר יום כפור, דמצוה הבאה לידו אל יחמיצנה. |
| Shulhan Arukh Orah Hayim 670:2 | שולחן ערוך אורח חיים סימן תרע סעיף ב | The proliferation of festive meals that people do [on Hanukah] are optional meals, for they did not establish these days for feasts and rejoicing.
Gloss [of the Rema]: But some say that there is a bit of a mitzvah in the proliferation of feasts, because the dedication of the altar was on those days. | ריבוי הסעודות שמרבים בהם הם סעודות הרשות, שלא קבעום למשתה ושמחה.
הגה: וי"א שיש קצת מצוה ברבוי הסעודות, משום דבאותן הימים היה חנוכת המזבח. |
| Shemot 2:14 | שמות ב:יד | | [The fighting Israelite] retorted, "Who made you chief and ruler over us!? Do you intend to kill me as you killed the Egyptian!?" And Mosheh was frightened and thought, "then the matter is known." | וַיֹּאמֶר, "מִי שָׂמְךָ לְאִישׁ שַׂר וְשֹׁפֵט עָלֵינוּ!? הַלְהָרְגֵנִי אַתָּה אֹמֵר כַּאֲשֶׁר הָרַגְתָּ אֶת הַמִּצְרִי!?" וַיִּירָא מֹשֶׁה וַיֹּאמַר, "אָכֵן נוֹדַע הַדָּבָר." |
| Shemot 3:13 | שמות ג:יג | | Moshe said to God, "When I come to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,' and they ask me, ‘What is His name?' what shall I say to them?" | וַיֹּאמֶר מֹשֶׁה אֶל הָאֱלֹהִים, "הִנֵּה אָנֹכִי בָא אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאָמַרְתִּי לָהֶם, 'אֱלֹהֵי אֲבוֹתֵיכֶם שְׁלָחַנִי אֲלֵיכֶם', וְאָמְרוּ לִי 'מַה שְּׁמוֹ?' מָה אֹמַר אֲלֵהֶם?" |
| Shemot 5:2 | שמות ה:ב | | And Pharaoh said, "Who is H, that I should listen to his voice to send out Israel?! I don't know H and I will not send off Israel!" | וַיֹּאמֶר פַּרְעֹה מִי יְהֹוָה אֲשֶׁר אֶשְׁמַע בְּקֹלוֹ לְשַׁלַּח אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל לֹא יָדַעְתִּי אֶת יְהֹוָה וְגַם אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל לֹא אֲשַׁלֵּחַ: |
| Shemot 14:10-15 | שמות יד:י-טו | | As Pharaoh drew near, the Israelites caught sight of the Egyptians advancing upon them. Greatly frightened, the Israelites cried out to Hashem. And they said to Moshe, "Was it for want of graves in Egypt that you brought us to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us, taking us out of Egypt!? Is this not the very thing we told you in Egypt, saying, ‘Let us be, and we will serve the Egyptians, for it is better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness'?" But Moshe said to the people, "Have no fear! Stand by and witness the deliverance which Hashem will work for you today, for the Egyptians whom you see today you will never see again. Hashem will battle for you; you hold your peace!" Then Hashem said to Mosheh, "Why do you cry out to Me? Tell the Israelites to go forward!" | וּפַרְעֹה הִקְרִיב וַיִּשְׂאוּ בְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת עֵינֵיהֶם וְהִנֵּה מִצְרַיִם נֹסֵעַ אַחֲרֵיהֶם וַיִּירְאוּ מְאֹד וַיִּצְעֲקוּ בְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶל יְהֹוָה: וַיֹּאמְרוּ אֶל מֹשֶׁה הַמִבְּלִי אֵין קְבָרִים בְּמִצְרַיִם לְקַחְתָּנוּ לָמוּת בַּמִּדְבָּר מַה זֹּאת עָשִׂיתָ לָּנוּ לְהוֹצִיאָנוּ מִמִּצְרָיִם: הֲלֹא זֶה הַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר דִּבַּרְנוּ אֵלֶיךָ בְמִצְרַיִם לֵאמֹר חֲדַל מִמֶּנּוּ וְנַעַבְדָה אֶת מִצְרָיִם כִּי טוֹב לָנוּ עֲבֹד אֶת מִצְרַיִם מִמֻּתֵנוּ בַּמִּדְבָּר: וַיֹּאמֶר מֹשֶׁה אֶל הָעָם אַל תִּירָאוּ הִתְיַצְּבוּ וּרְאוּ אֶת יְשׁוּעַת יְהֹוָה אֲשֶׁר יַעֲשֶׂה לָכֶם הַיּוֹם כִּי אֲשֶׁר רְאִיתֶם אֶת מִצְרַיִם הַיּוֹם לֹא תֹסִיפוּ לִרְאֹתָם עוֹד עַד עוֹלָם: יְהֹוָה יִלָּחֵם לָכֶם וְאַתֶּם תַּחֲרִישׁוּן:וַיֹּאמֶר יְהֹוָה אֶל מֹשֶׁה מַה תִּצְעַק אֵלָי דַּבֵּר אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְיִסָּעוּ: |
| Shemot 15:23-25 | שמות טו:כג-כה | | They came to Marah, but they could not drink the water of Marah because it was bitter (marim); that is why it was named Marah. And the people murmured against Moshe, saying, "What shall we drink?" So he cried out to Hashem, and Hashem showed him a piece of wood; he threw it into the water and the water became sweet... | וַיָּבֹאוּ מָרָתָה וְלֹא יָכְלוּ לִשְׁתֹּת מַיִם מִמָּרָה כִּי מָרִים הֵם עַל כֵּן קָרָא שְׁמָהּ מָרָה: וַיִּלֹּנוּ הָעָם עַל מֹשֶׁה לֵּאמֹר מַה נִּשְׁתֶּה: וַיִּצְעַק אֶל יְהֹוָה וַיּוֹרֵהוּ יְהֹוָה עֵץ וַיַּשְׁלֵךְ אֶל הַמַּיִם וַיִּמְתְּקוּ הַמָּיִם... |
| Shemot 17:3 | שמות יז:ג | | But the people thirsted there for water and the people murmured against Moshe and said, "Why did you bring us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?" | וַיִּצְמָא שָׁם הָעָם לַמַּיִם וַיָּלֶן הָעָם עַל מֹשֶׁה וַיֹּאמֶר לָמָּה זֶּה הֶעֱלִיתָנוּ מִמִּצְרַיִם לְהָמִית אֹתִי וְאֶת בָּנַי וְאֶת מִקְנַי בַּצָּמָא: |
| Shemot 24:3 | שמות כד:ג | | Mosheh went and related to the people all the commands of Hashem and all the rules. All the people answered in one voice, saying, "All the things that Hashem has commanded we will do!" | וַיָּבֹא מֹשֶׁה וַיְסַפֵּר לָעָם אֵת כָּל דִּבְרֵי יְהֹוָה וְאֵת כָּל הַמִּשְׁפָּטִים וַיַּעַן כָּל הָעָם קוֹל אֶחָד וַיֹּאמְרוּ כָּל הַדְּבָרִים אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר יְהֹוָה נַעֲשֶׂה. | | Devarim 4:44 | דברים פרק ד:מד | | This is the Teaching that Mosheh put before the Israelites. | וְזֹאת הַתּוֹרָה אֲשֶׁר שָׂם מֹשֶׁה לִפְנֵי בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל: | | Devarim 31:19 | דברים פרק לא:יט | | Therefore, write down this poem and teach it to the people of Israel; put it in their mouths, in order that this poem may be My witness against the people of Israel. | וְעַתָּה כִּתְבוּ לָכֶם אֶת הַשִּׁירָה הַזֹּאת וְלַמְּדָהּ אֶת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל שִׂימָהּ בְּפִיהֶם לְמַעַן תִּהְיֶה לִּי הַשִּׁירָה הַזֹּאת לְעֵד בִּבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל: |
| Shemot 31:16 | שמות לא:טז | | The Israelite people shall keep the shabbat, observing the shabbat throughout the ages as an eternal covenant. | וְשָׁמְרוּ בְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת הַשַּׁבָּת לַעֲשׂוֹת אֶת הַשַּׁבָּת לְדֹרֹתָם בְּרִית עוֹלָם: |
| Shemot 36:3 | שמות לו:ג | | They took over from Mosheh all the gifts that the Israelites had brought, to carry out the tasks connected with the service of the sanctuary, but they continued to bring voluntary offerings to him morning after morning. | וַיִּקְחוּ מִלִּפְנֵי משֶׁה אֵת כָּל הַתְּרוּמָה אֲשֶׁר הֵבִיאוּ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לִמְלֶאכֶת עֲבֹדַת הַקֹּדֶשׁ לַעֲשׂת אֹתָהּ וְהֵם הֵבִיאוּ אֵלָיו עוֹד נְדָבָה בַּבֹּקֶר בַּבֹּקֶר: |
| Shemot 36:3-7 | שמות לו:ג-ז | | They took over from Moses all the gifts that the Israelites had brought, to carry out the tasks connected with the service of the sanctuary. But when these continued to bring freewill offerings to him morning after morning, all the artisans who were engaged in the tasks of the sanctuary came, each from the task upon which he was engaged, and said to Moses, "The people are bringing more than is needed for the tasks entailed in the work that the Lord has commanded to be done." Moses thereupon had this proclamation made throughout the camp: "Let no man or woman make further effort toward gifts for the sanctuary!" So the people stopped bringing: their effort had been more than enough for all the tasks to be done. | (ג) וַיִּקְחוּ מִלִּפְנֵי מֹשֶׁה אֵת כָּל הַתְּרוּמָה אֲשֶׁר הֵבִיאוּ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לִמְלֶאכֶת עֲבֹדַת הַקֹּדֶשׁ לַעֲשֹׂת אֹתָהּ וְהֵם הֵבִיאוּ אֵלָיו עוֹד נְדָבָה בַּבֹּקֶר בַּבֹּקֶר: (ד) וַיָּבֹאוּ כָּל הַחֲכָמִים הָעֹשִׂים אֵת כָּל מְלֶאכֶת הַקֹּדֶשׁ אִישׁ אִישׁ מִמְּלַאכְתּוֹ אֲשֶׁר הֵמָּה עֹשִׂים:
(ה) וַיֹּאמְרוּ אֶל מֹשֶׁה לֵּאמֹר מַרְבִּים הָעָם לְהָבִיא מִדֵּי הָעֲבֹדָה לַמְּלָאכָה אֲשֶׁר צִוָּה יְקֹוָק לַעֲשֹׂת אֹתָהּ:
(ו) וַיְצַו מֹשֶׁה וַיַּעֲבִירוּ קוֹל בַּמַּחֲנֶה לֵאמֹר אִישׁ וְאִשָּׁה אַל יַעֲשׂוּ עוֹד מְלָאכָה לִתְרוּמַת הַקֹּדֶשׁ וַיִּכָּלֵא הָעָם מֵהָבִיא: (ז) וְהַמְּלָאכָה הָיְתָה דַיָּם לְכָל הַמְּלָאכָה לַעֲשׂוֹת אֹתָהּ וְהוֹתֵר: ס |
| Shemot Chapter 16 | שמות פרק טז | (2) In the wilderness, the whole Israelite community murmured against Moshe and Aharon.
...
(7) [Moshe and Aharon speaking:] "...and in the morning you shall behold the Glory of Hashem, because He has heard your murmurings against Hashem. For who are we that you should murmur against us? (8) Since it is Hashem," Moshe continued, "who will give you flesh to eat in the evening and bread in the morning to the full, because Hashem has heard the murmurings you utter against Him, what is our part? Your murmuring is not against us, but against Hashem!" | (ב) וַיִּלּוֹנוּ כָּל עֲדַת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל עַל מֹשֶׁה וְעַל אַהֲרֹן בַּמִּדְבָּר:
...
(ז) וּבֹקֶר וּרְאִיתֶם אֶת כְּבוֹד יְהֹוָה בְּשָׁמְעוֹ אֶת תְּלֻנֹּתֵיכֶם עַל יְהֹוָה וְנַחְנוּ מָה כִּי תַלִּינוּ עָלֵינוּ: (ח) וַיֹּאמֶר מֹשֶׁה בְּתֵת יְהֹוָה לָכֶם בָּעֶרֶב בָּשָׂר לֶאֱכֹל וְלֶחֶם בַּבֹּקֶר לִשְׂבֹּעַ בִּשְׁמֹעַ יְהֹוָה אֶת תְּלֻנֹּתֵיכֶם אֲשֶׁר אַתֶּם מַלִּינִם עָלָיו וְנַחְנוּ מָה לֹא עָלֵינוּ תְלֻנֹּתֵיכֶם כִּי עַל יְהֹוָה: |
The Sifra is the halakhic midrash on the book of VaYiqra, organizing tannaitic teachings according to the order of VaYiqra. The name "Sifra", which is Aramaic for "the book", was first used to refer to this work in the Geonic period (c. 600-1000). The Sifra is also referred to as Sifra D'vei Rav and Torat Kohanim by many later commentators. Soloveitchik, Rabbi Joseph B. (1903-1993) was one of modernity's most important and Jewish thinkers and the chief intellectual and spiritual architect of American Modern Orthodoxy. Born in Belarus into a family of great Rabbinic renown, he followed his grandfather, Rav Chaim of Brisk, who pioneered the "Brisker" method of Talmud study, which emphasizes rigorous conceptual analysis and precise classification of halakhic principles and dominates yeshivah learning to this day. After breaking with rabbinic convention by earning a doctorate in philosophy from the University of Berlin, focusing on the neo-Kantian thought of Hermann Cohen, Rav Soloveitchik emigrated to the U.S., where he served for decades as Chief Rabbi of Boston and Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshiva University's Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary, in New York. It was there that he rose to larger-than-life prominence, overseeing the ordination of over 1,000 rabbis, delivering incisive and sophisticated Talmud shiurim-the first of their kind in English, as opposed to Yiddish-and wielding considerable communal influence. Over time, his disciples began to refer to him simply as "The Rav", an appellation applied to him to this day in Modern Orthodox circles. Although he lectured widely, he followed a perfectionist family tradition not to publish much. However, two philosophical works published in his lifetime became instant classics: Halakhic Man-a philosophical statement of the worldview implied by the Brisker method in learning-and The Lonely Man of Faith-an existentialist statement regarding the warring tensions of majesty and humility in religious experience. Prominent in his thinking are the claims that human creativity is the manifestation of being created in the image of God and that living a life of halakhah is the Jew's way of fully realizing that creative potential. Two points of controversy in his life were his vigorous embrace of Zionism, articulately expressed in the essay "Kol Dodi Dofek", and his founding of the Maimonides School, in Boston, which combined rigorous Jewish and secular studies, and was also among the first institutions to teach Talmud to girls alongside boys. Return to top T | Talmud Bavli, Menahot 43b: Commentary by the Sefat Emet | | "...for tekhelet resembles the sea" - Rashi explained, "for in it miracles were done for Israel". Apparently, Rashi thought that tekhelet really looks just like the heavenly firmament, and if so, [wondered], why does the Talmud hangs one item on the next? Necessarily, then, it must be to recall each of those items. However, much more simply, it seems that each one only resembles that which resembles: tekhelet to the sea and the sea to the heavenly firmament, but not tekhelet to the heavenly firmament, and so on.
| שהתכלת דומה לים פרש"י שנעשו בו נסים לישראל כנראה דס"ל לרש"י שהתכלת דומה ממש לרקיע א"כ למה תלינהו בש"ס חד בחבירו ע"כ לזכור כל אלו ג"כ אבל פשוט נראה שהכל רק דומה לדומה תכלת לים וים לרקיע אבל תכלת לרקיע לא וכן כולם. | | | | | | | | Talmud Bavli Sanhedrin 17a | תלמוד בבלי סנהדרין יז:א | Our Rabbis have taught: "Two men had remained in camp" (Bemidbar 11:26): Some say they remained in the bin, for, when The Holy One said to Mosheh, "Gather Me 70 men from the elders of Israel", Mosheh said: "How should I do it? If I pick six from each tribe, there will be two extra. If I pick five from each tribe, there will be ten too few. If I pick six from some tribes and five from others, I'll foment jealousy between the tribes." What did he do? He picked six from each and brought 72 slips. On 70 he wrote "Elder" and two he left blank. He mixed them up and put them in a bin. He said to them, "Come, take your slips." To everyone whose hand drew "Elder" he said, "God has already sanctified you!" To everyone whose hand drew a blank, he said, "The Omnipresent did not want you; what can I do for you?!" | תנו רבנן: "וישארו שני אנשים במחנה" (במדבר י"א:כ"ו)-
יש אומרים בקלפי נשתיירו. שבשעה שאמר לו הקדוש ברוך הוא למשה אספה לי שבעים איש מזקני ישראל אמר משה: כיצד אעשה? אברור ששה מכל שבט ושבט - נמצאו שנים יתירים, אברור חמשה חמשה מכל שבט ושבט - נמצאו עשרה חסרים, אברור ששה משבט זה וחמשה משבט זה - הריני מטיל קנאה בין השבטים, מה עשה? בירר ששה ששה, והביא שבעים ושנים פיתקין, על שבעים כתב זקן ושנים הניח חלק, בללן ונתנן בקלפי, אמר להם: בואו וטלו פיתקיכם! כל מי שעלה בידו זקן אמר: כבר קידשך שמים, מי שעלה בידו חלק - אמר: המקום לא חפץ בך, אני מה אעשה לך? | ...R. Shimon said, they were left in the camp. When The Holy One said to Mosheh, "Gather Me 70 men from the elders of Israel", Eldad and Medad said, "We're not worthy for such greatness." Said the Holy One, "Since you made yourselves small, I will add greatness upon your greatness." What greatness was added? The other prophets prophesied and stopped, while they prophesied but did not stop. | ...רבי שמעון אומר: במחנה נשתיירו. בשעה שאמר לו הקדוש ברוך הוא למשה: אספה לי שבעים איש אמרו אלדד ומידד: אין אנו ראויין לאותה גדולה, אמר הקדוש ברוך הוא: הואיל ומיעטתם עצמכם - הריני מוסיף גדולה על גדולתכם. ומה גדולה הוסיף להם - שהנביאים כולן נתנבאו ופסקו, והם נתנבאו ולא פסק.
| | | | | | | | Talmud Bavli Sanhedrin 45a | תלמוד בבלי סנהדרין מה:א | | Said Rav Nahman, said Rabbah bar Avuh: Scripture said, "Love your neighbor as yourself" (VaYiqra 19:18)-choose for him a good death. | אמר רב נחמן אמר רבה בר אבוה: אמר קרא, "ואהבת לרעך כמוך" (ויקרא יט:יח) - ברור לו מיתה יפה. |
For an explication of this gemara, see Michael Rosenberg's devar torah on this site for Parashat Qedoshim, 5764, "The Prohibition of Taking Revenge".
| | | | Talmud Bavli Sanhedrin 74a | תלמוד בבלי מסכת סנהדרין עד/א | | It is taught: R. Yonatan b. Shaul says: If a "pursuer" is pursuing someone in order to kill him, and one can save him via one of his limbs and doesn't save-he is executed on his account. | תניא, רבי יונתן בן שאול אומר: רודף שהיה רודף אחר חבירו להורגו, ויכול להצילו באחד מאבריו ולא הציל - נהרג עליו. | | | | | | | | Talmud Bavli Shabbat 21b | תלמוד בבלי מסכת שבת דף כא/ב | | When the Greeks entered the Temple, the defiled all the oil in the Temple. When the Hasmonean Kingdom became strong and was victorious, they checked and found only one jug of oil that had the seal of the High Priest and had only enough to light for one day. A miracle was done for them and they lit from it for eight days. The next year, they established them as festive days of praise and thanksgiving. | שכשנכנסו יוונים להיכל טמאו כל השמנים שבהיכל, וכשגברה מלכות בית חשמונאי ונצחום בדקו ולא מצאו אלא פך אחד של שמן שהיה מונח בחותמו של כהן גדול ולא היה בו אלא להדליק יום אחד. נעשה בו נס והדליקו ממנו שמונה ימים. לשנה אחרת קבעום ועשאום ימים טובים בהלל והודאה | | | | | | | | Talmud Bavli Shabbat 22b | תלמוד בבלי מסכת שבת דף כב/ב | | [Regarding the Ner Tamid]: "Outside of the curtain of the testimony...shall [Aharon] set it up" (VaYiqra 24:3). But did [God] really need the light? Isn't it true that all 40 years that the Children of Israel walked in the desert they walked only with [God's] light?! Rather, it is testimony to anyone at all who comes by that the Shekhinah dwells with Israel. | "מחוץ לפרוכת העדת...יערך" (ויקרא כד:ג):
וכי לאורה הוא צריך? והלא כל ארבעים שנה שהלכו בני ישראל במדבר לא הלכו אלא לאורו?! אלא, עדות היא לבאי עולם שהשכינה שורה בישראל. | | | | | | | | Talmud Bavli Shabbat 88a | תלמוד בבלי שבת פח/א | | R. Simai expounded: When Israel said "We will do" before "we will hear", 600,000 Administering Angels came and affixed two crowns on each and every Israelite-one for "We will do" and one for "We will hear". When Israel sinned, 1,200,000 Angels of Destruction came and broke them off, as it is said, "So the Israelites remained stripped of the finery from Mt. Horev on" (Shemot 33:6). | דרש רבי סימאי: בשעה שהקדימו ישראל נעשה לנשמע, באו ששים ריבוא של מלאכי השרת, לכל אחד ואחד מישראל קשרו לו שני כתרים, אחד כנגד נעשה ואחד כנגד נשמע. וכיון שחטאו ישראל, ירדו מאה ועשרים ריבוא מלאכי חבלה, ופירקום. שנאמר "ויתנצלו בני ישראל את עדים מהר חורב" (שמות לג:ו). | | | | | | | | Talmud Bavli Ta‘anit 30b | תלמוד בבלי תענית ל: | [Mishnah:] R. Shimon b. Gamaliel said: There were no greater days for Israel than the 15th of Av and Yom ha-Kippurim.
[Gemara:] That makes sense for Yom ha-Kippurim, for it has forgiveness and pardon, and is the day in which the later tablets were given. | [משנה:] אמר רבן שמעון בן גמליאל: לא היו ימים טובים לישראל כחמשה עשר באב וכיום הכפורים."
[גמרא:] בשלמא יום הכפורים - משום דאית ביה סליחה ומחילה, יום שניתנו בו לוחות האחרונות. | | | | | | | | Talmud Yerushalmi Nedarim 3:2/37d: Two Statements Said Simultaneously | תלמוד ירושלמי נדרים ג:ב/לז:ד | "Emptiness" and "falsehood" were both said in one statement - that which is impossible for a mouth to say and for an ear to hear. "Remember" (Shemot 20:8) and "Guard" (Devarim 5:12) were both said in one statement - that which is impossible for a mouth to say and for an ear to hear. "Those who desecrate [the Shabbat] shall surely die" (Shemot 31:14) and "[on the Shabbat day,] two unblemished year-old lambs..." (Bemidbar 28:9) were both said in one statement - that which is impossible for a mouth to say and for an ear to hear. "Do not reveal the nakedness of your brother's wife" (VaYiqra 18:16) and "her husband's brother shall come to her" (Devarim 25:5) were both said in one statement. "No inheritance shall pass from one tribe to another tribe (Bemidbar 36:9) and "Every daughter who inherits a portion" (ibid., 8) were both said in one statement. "Tassels shall you make for yourself" (Devarim 22:12) and "Do not wear cloth mixed [of linen and wool together]" (ibid., 11) were both said in one statement. Likewise, he says, "One thing said God; it is two that I have heard" (Psalms 62:12) and it is written, "Is My word not like fire" says Hashem, "and like a hammer that shatters rock!?" (Yirmiyahu 23:29). | "שוא" ו"שקר" שניה[ן] נאמרו בדיבו[ר] אחד מה שאי איפשר לפה לומר ולא לאוזן לשמוע. "זכור" (שמות כ:ח) ו"שמור" (דברים ה:יב) שניה[ן] בדבור אחד נאמרו מה שאי אפשר לפה לומר ולא לאוזן לשמוע. "מחלליה מות יומת" (שמות לא:יד) ו"שני כבשים בני שנה תמימים" (במדבר כח:ט) נאמרו בדיבור אחד מה שאי איפשר לפה לומר ולא לאוזן לשמוע. "ערות אשת אחיך לא תגלה" (ויקרא יח:טז), "יבמה יבא עליה" (דברים כה:ה) שניהן נאמרו בדיבור אחד. ו"לא תסוב נחלה ממטה למטה אחר" (במדבר לו:ט) ו"כל בת יורשת נחלה" (שם, ח) שניהן בדיבור אחד. "גדילין תעשה לך" (דברים כב:יב), "לא תלבש שעטנז" (שם, יא) שניהן בדיבור אחד נאמרו. וכן הוא אומר אחת דיבר אלהים בדיבור שתים זו שמענו (תהילים סב:יב) וכתיב, "הלא כה דברי כאש נאם יי' וכפטיש יפוצץ סלע (ירמיה כג:כט)" |
| Ten Commandments -The Two Versions | | | דברים פרק ה - פרשת ואתחנן | שמות פרק כ - פרשת יתרו | (ו) אָנֹכִי יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ אֲשֶׁר הוֹצֵאתִיךָ מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם מִבֵּית עֲבָדִים לֹא יִהְיֶה לְךָ אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים עַל פָּנָי:
(ז) לֹא תַעֲשֶׂה לְךָ פֶסֶל כָּל תְּמוּנָה אֲשֶׁר בַּשָּׁמַיִם מִמַּעַל וַאֲשֶׁר בָּאָרֶץ מִתָּחַת וַאֲשֶׁר בַּמַּיִם מִתַּחַת לָאָרֶץ:
(ח) לֹא תִשְׁתַּחֲוֶה לָהֶם וְלֹא תָעָבְדֵם כִּי אָנֹכִי יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ אֵל קַנָּא פֹּקֵד עֲוֹן אָבוֹת עַל בָּנִים וְעַל שִׁלֵּשִׁים וְעַל רִבֵּעִים לְשֹׂנְאָי:
(ט) וְעֹשֶׂה חֶסֶד לַאֲלָפִים לְאֹהֲבַי וּלְשֹׁמְרֵי מִצְוֹתָי: ס
(י) לֹא תִשָּׂא אֶת שֵׁם יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ לַשָּׁוְא כִּי לֹא יְנַקֶּה יְהֹוָה אֵת אֲשֶׁר יִשָּׂא אֶת שְׁמוֹ לַשָּׁוְא: ס
(יא) שָׁמוֹר אֶת יוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת לְקַדְּשׁוֹ כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוְּךָ יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ:
(יב) שֵׁשֶׁת יָמִים תַּעֲבֹד וְעָשִׂיתָ כָּל מְלַאכְתֶּךָ:
(יג) וְיוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי שַׁבָּת לַיהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ לֹא תַעֲשֶׂה כָל מְלָאכָה אַתָּה וּבִנְךָ וּבִתֶּךָ וְעַבְדְּךָ וַאֲמָתֶךָ וְשׁוֹרְךָ וַחֲמֹרְךָ וְכָל בְּהֶמְתֶּךָ וְגֵרְךָ אֲשֶׁר בִּשְׁעָרֶיךָ לְמַעַן יָנוּחַ עַבְדְּךָ וַאֲמָתְךָ כָּמוֹךָ:
(יד) וְזָכַרְתָּ כִּי עֶבֶד הָיִיתָ בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם וַיֹּצִאֲךָ יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ מִשָּׁם בְּיָד חֲזָקָה וּבִזְרֹעַ נְטוּיָה עַל כֵּן צִוְּךָ יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ לַעֲשׂוֹת אֶת יוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת: ס (טו) כַּבֵּד אֶת אָבִיךָ וְאֶת אִמֶּךָ כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוְּךָ יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ לְמַעַן יַאֲרִיכֻן יָמֶיךָ וּלְמַעַן יִיטַב לָךְ עַל הָאֲדָמָה אֲשֶׁר יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ נֹתֵן לָךְ: ס
(טז) לֹא תִּרְצָח ס
וְלֹא תִּנְאָף ס
וְלֹא תִּגְנֹב ס
וְלֹא תַעֲנֶה בְרֵעֲךָ עֵד שָׁוְא: ס
(יז) וְלֹא תַחְמֹד אֵשֶׁת רֵעֶךָ ס וְלֹא תִתְאַוֶּה בֵּית רֵעֶךָ שָׂדֵהוּ וְעַבְדּוֹ וַאֲמָתוֹ שׁוֹרוֹ וַחֲמֹרוֹ וְכֹל אֲשֶׁר לְרֵעֶךָ:ס | (ב) אָנֹכִי יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ אֲשֶׁר הוֹצֵאתִיךָ מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם מִבֵּית עֲבָדִים לֹא יִהְיֶה לְךָ אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים עַל פָּנָי:
(ג) לֹא תַעֲשֶׂה לְךָ פֶסֶל וְכָל תְּמוּנָה אֲשֶׁר בַּשָּׁמַיִם מִמַּעַל וַאֲשֶׁר בָּאָרֶץ מִתָּחַת וַאֲשֶׁר בַּמַּיִם מִתַּחַת לָאָרֶץ:
(ד) לֹא תִשְׁתַּחֲוֶה לָהֶם וְלֹא תָעָבְדֵם כִּי אָנֹכִי יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ אֵל קַנָּא פֹּקֵד עֲוֹן אָבֹת עַל בָּנִים עַל שִׁלֵּשִׁים וְעַל רִבֵּעִים לְשֹׂנְאָי:
(ה) וְעֹשֶׂה חֶסֶד לַאֲלָפִים לְאֹהֲבַי וּלְשֹׁמְרֵי מִצְוֹתָי: ס
(ו) לֹא תִשָּׂא אֶת שֵׁם יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ לַשָּׁוְא כִּי לֹא יְנַקֶּה יְהֹוָה אֵת אֲשֶׁר יִשָּׂא אֶת שְׁמוֹ לַשָּׁוְא: פ
(ז) זָכוֹר אֶת יוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת לְקַדְּשׁוֹ:
(ח) שֵׁשֶׁת יָמִים תַּעֲבֹד וְעָשִׂיתָ כָּל מְלַאכְתֶּךָ:
(ט) וְיוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי שַׁבָּת לַיהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ לֹא תַעֲשֶׂה כָל מְלָאכָה אַתָּה וּבִנְךָ וּבִתֶּךָ עַבְדְּךָ וַאֲמָתְךָ וּבְהֶמְתֶּךָ וְגֵרְךָ אֲשֶׁר בִּשְׁעָרֶיךָ: (י) כִּי שֵׁשֶׁת יָמִים עָשָׂה יְהֹוָה אֶת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֶת הָאָרֶץ אֶת הַיָּם וְאֶת כָּל אֲשֶׁר בָּם וַיָּנַח בַּיּוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי עַל כֵּן בֵּרַךְ יְהֹוָה אֶת יוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת וַיְקַדְּשֵׁהוּ: ס
(יא) כַּבֵּד אֶת אָבִיךָ וְאֶת אִמֶּךָ לְמַעַן יַאֲרִכוּן יָמֶיךָ עַל הָאֲדָמָה אֲשֶׁר יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ נֹתֵן לָךְ: ס
(יב) לֹא תִּרְצָח ס
לֹא תִּנְאָף ס
לֹא תִּגְנֹב ס
לֹא תַעֲנֶה בְרֵעֲךָ עֵד שָׁקֶר: ס
(יג) לֹא תַחְמֹד בֵּית רֵעֶךָ ס לֹא תַחְמֹד אֵשֶׁת רֵעֶךָ וְעַבְדּוֹ וַאֲמָתוֹ וְשׁוֹרוֹ וַחֲמֹרוֹ וְכֹל אֲשֶׁר לְרֵעֶךָ:פ |
| The Torah's Description of the First Set of Tablets: | | | Shemot 31:18 | שמות לא:יח | | He gave Mosheh, when He finished speaking with him on Mt. Sinai, the two tablets of the Pact, tablets of stone inscribed with the finger of God. | וַיִּתֵּן אֶל מֹשֶׁה כְּכַלֹּתוֹ לְדַבֵּר אִתּוֹ בְּהַר סִינַי שְׁנֵי לֻחֹת הָעֵדֻת לֻחֹת אֶבֶן כְּתֻבִים בְּאֶצְבַּע אֱלֹהִים: | | Shemot 32:15-16 | שמות לב:טו-טז | | Then Mosheh turned and went down from the mountain, with the two tablets of the Pact in his hand, tablets inscribed on both their surfaces: they were inscribed on one side and on the other. The tablets were God's work and the writing was God's writing, engraved on the tablets. | וַיִּפֶן וַיֵּרֶד מֹשֶׁה מִן הָהָר וּשְׁנֵי לֻחֹת הָעֵדֻת בְּיָדוֹ לֻחֹת כְּתֻבִים מִשְּׁנֵי עֶבְרֵיהֶם מִזֶּה וּמִזֶּה הֵם כְּתֻבִים: וְהַלֻּחֹת מַעֲשֵׂה אֱלֹהִים הֵמָּה וְהַמִּכְתָּב מִכְתַּב אֱלֹהִים הוּא חָרוּת עַל הַלֻּחֹת: |
| | | | The Torah's Description of the Second Set of Tablets: | | | Shemot 34:1 | שמות לד:א | | Hashem said to Mosheh, "Carve yourself two stone tablets like the first, and I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you shattered." | וַיֹּאמֶר יְהֹוָה אֶל מֹשֶׁה פְּסָל לְךָ שְׁנֵי לֻחֹת אֲבָנִים כָּרִאשֹׁנִים וְכָתַבְתִּי עַל הַלֻּחֹת אֶת הַדְּבָרִים אֲשֶׁר הָיוּ עַל הַלֻּחֹת הָרִאשֹׁנִים אֲשֶׁר שִׁבַּרְתָּ: |
| Devarim 10:1 | דברים י:א | | At that time, Hashem said to me, "Carve yourself two stone tablets like the first; come up to Me on the mountain and make yourself a wooden ark." | בָּעֵת הַהִוא אָמַר יְהֹוָה אֵלַי פְּסָל לְךָ שְׁנֵי לוּחֹת אֲבָנִים כָּרִאשֹׁנִים וַעֲלֵה אֵלַי הָהָרָה וְעָשִׂיתָ לְּךָ אֲרוֹן עֵץ: |
The Tosafot are the Talmudic commentaries of 12th-14th century northern France. Following on the heels of Rashi's Talmud commentary, which smoothed out rough edges in the flow of the text, his grandsons and their disciples revolutionized the study of Talmud with their introduction of dialectic, raising difficulties between different discussions (sugyot) in different places and resolving them by proposing distinctions between the cases. They thereby generated new halakhic conclusions that, in turn, spawned further debate and application. The intellectual force behind the Tosafist school was Rashi's grandson, Yaaqov ben Meir (Remerupt, France, 1100-1171), known universally as Rabbenu Tam.* Through his many disciples, the most prominent of whom was his nephew, R. Yitzhaq of Dampierre ("the Ri," 1120-1200), this approach to learning quickly conquered Ashkenazi culture and, in time, even dominated the Spanish learning of Ramban and his followers. Study of Tosafot became so central toward understanding the Talmud, that when the first printed editions of the Talmud were produced in the late 15th century, the printers flanked the text of the Talmud with Rashi's commentary on one side and Tosafot on the other-the same format used in all standard printings of the Talmud to our day.
*This nickname is borrowed from Bereishit 25:27, which describes our forefather Yaaqov as "אִיש תָּם יֹשֵב אֹהָלִים"-"a plain man dwelling in tents"; the Rabbis (Bereishit Rabbah 63:10) explained that verse to mean that Yaaqov dwelt in the "tents" of Torah, i.e., he was the yeshivah student par excellence. Therefore, the nickname "Rabbenu Tam" is more than a cute word-play, rather, it expresses that its bearer embodied Torah prowess of mythic proportions. Tradition that Qeturah is Hagar: Bereishit Rabbah 61:4 teaches: "'ושמה קטורה'--רב אמר, זו הגר" ("‘and her name was Qeturah"-Rav said, This is Hagar").
On our verse (24:62), Rashi comments, "'מבוא באר לחי ראי' - שהלך להביא הגר לאברהם אביו שישאנה" ("‘From Be'er Lahai Ro‘i'-he went to bring Hagar to Avraham his father, so that he would marry her"). Return to top
|