FROM THE TORAH
Leviticus 16:1-20:27
Sedra Acharey Mot takes up the theme of purity established in the preceding Sedras of Tazria and Metsora. The maintenance of practical purity in the life of Israel comes to a climax in the opening verses of this first of two Sedras with the purification from accumulated impurity on the Day of Atonement. The issue is continued with respect to the slaughtering of animals for food and to domestic human intimacy, but it is also demarcated as an anticipated distinction of Israel, presently to possess the Land of Israel, from which previous violators of purity will be expelled. Then, in Sedra Kedoshim purity is empyrealized as a quality that the Children of Israel should share with God: They should be holy (kedoshim) in their behavior as the Eternal their God is holy (kadosh). For Israel such holiness is to be achieved by observing laws regulating offerings, economic behavior, cultic practices, agriculture, and intimate relations.
Purification
THE DAY OF ATONEMENT
16:1-34
Preparation
16:1-5
After the death (Acharey Mot) of Aaron’s two sons (cf. Leviticus 10:1 ff.), when they drew near before the Eternal, the Eternal charges Moses to warn Aaron his brother that he may not enter the inner side of the Dividing Curtain (Parochet) of the Sanctuary, before the Propitiatory (Kaporet), which is over the Ark and over which the Eternal may be seen in a thick cloud, unless he brings a bull of the herd for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering, lest he die. Moreover, he must first bathe his body in water and then be dressed with a sacred linen tunic, linen breeches directly against his skin, a linen sash, and a linen turban. He shall also take from the congregation of the Children of Israel two male goats for a sin offering and one ram for a burnt offering.
Casting of Lots
16:6-10
Aaron shall offer his bull of sin offering to seek atonement for himself and for his household, and he should position the two male goats before the Eternal at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, casting lots concerning them: one for the Eternal and one for Azazel. He shall offer up as a sin offering the goat for which the lot comes up for the Eternal. The other goat, for which the lot comes up for Azazel, shall be left standing alive before the Eternal for seeking atonement, and shall ultimately be sent for Azazel into the wilderness.
Sin Offerings
16:11-19
In the meantime, Aaron should slaughter his bull of sin offering and bring a panful of glowing coals from upon the Altar, from before the Eternal, and two handfuls of finely-ground aromatic Incense, to the inner side of the Dividing Curtain. He shall put the Incense upon the fire before the Eternal, creating an Incense cloud to obscure the Propitiatory which is over the Testimony, so that he does not die. He shall sprinkle some of the blood of the bull with his finger over the Propitiatory on the east side, and on the front of the Propitiatory he shall sprinkle some of the blood seven times with his finger. Then he shall slaughter the people’s male goat of sin offering and bring its blood inside of the Dividing Curtain. As he did with the blood of the bull, he shall sprinkle some of the blood of the people’s male goat of sin offering both over the Propitiatory and in front of it.
Thus shall he seek atonement for the Sanctuary from the impurities and iniquities of the Children of Israel, with respect to all of their sins, and thus shall he do for the Tent of Meeting, which dwells with them in the midst of their impurities. Let no man be in the Tent of Meeting when he enters to seek atonement in the Sanctuary, until he leaves. He shall seek atonement for himself, for his household, and for all the community of Israel. Then he shall go out to the Altar, which is before the Eternal, and seek atonement for it, applying some of the blood of the bull and some of the blood of the goat to each of the horns of the Altar. He shall also sprinkle upon it some of the blood with his finger seven times. Thus shall he purify it and sanctify it from the impurities of the Children of Israel.
Azazel
16:20-26
Then Aaron shall bring forward the living goat and place both of his hands upon its head, confessing over it all of the iniquities and transgressions of the Children of Israel. Bearing upon it all of Israel’s sins, the goat is conducted into the wilderness by a specially-designated man, to a place from which there is no return.
Aaron shall then come to the Tent of Meeting, remove the linen garments and leave them there. He shall bathe his body in water in a holy place, put on his garments, and go out and offer his burnt offering and the people’s burnt offering, seeking atonement for himself and for the people. He shall cause the fat of the sin offering to smoke upon the Altar. The conductor of the goat for Azazel shall wash his garments and bathe his body in water. He may thereafter enter the camp.
Disposal
16:27-28,34b
The bull of sin offering and the goat of sin offering, the blood of which was brought to seek atonement in the Sanctuary, shall be removed to outside of the camp. Their hides, their flesh and their dung shall be burned in fire. The burner shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water. He may thereafter enter the camp.
Moses does as the Eternal commanded him.
Everlasting Statute
16:29-34a
This shall be an everlasting statute for you. On the tenth day of the seventh month you shall afflict yourselves and not do any work, both the native and the alien who sojourns with you, for on that day atonement shall be made for you to purify you from all of your sins before the Eternal. It is a Sabbath of complete rest. The anointed Kohen who succeeds his father and puts on the sacred vestments of linen shall seek atonement for the Most Holy Sanctuary, for the Tent of Meeting, for the Altar, and for the Kohanim and for all of the people of the community, as an everlasting statute, to seek atonement of the Children of Israel from all of their sins, one time in the year.
Sanctity of Animal Life
ALL OFFERINGS TO THE TENT OF MEETING
17:1-9
The Eternal charges Moses to warn Aaron, his sons, and all the Children of Israel, against slaughtering an ox, a sheep, or a goat, either inside or outside of the camp, without bringing it to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting as an offering to the Eternal before His Tabernacle. Failing to so bring it shall be imputed as bloodguilt for the violator: he has shed blood and will be cut off from among his people. The purpose of this warning is to end sacrificing in the open by the Children of Israel. Instead, they should bring their sacrifices to the Kohen and slaughter them as well-being offerings to the Eternal. The Kohen shall dash the blood of the sacrifice upon the Altar of the Eternal and cause the fat to smoke for a pleasant aroma to the Eternal. No more shall they offer their sacrifices to the goat demons after which they stray. This shall be an everlasting statute for them throughout their generations.
Anyone of the House of Israel or of the aliens who sojourn in their midst who offers a burnt offering or a sacrifice that is not brought to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting shall be cut off from his people.
PROHIBITION OF BLOOD
17:10-14
If anyone of the House of Israel or of the aliens who sojourn in their midst partakes of any blood, I shall oppose that person and cut that person off from among its people. For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have provided you the blood upon the Altar to seek atonement for your lives as it is the blood underlying the life that achieves expiation. Further, if any of them hunts an animal or a bird in order to eat it, he must pour out its blood and cover it with earth, because the blood of all flesh underlies its life.
PROHIBITION OF DEAD OR TORN ANIMAL
17:15-16
If anyone, native or alien, eats an animal which has already died or is torn, he shall wash his clothes and bathe in water and be impure until the evening, at which time he shall be pure. Otherwise he shall bear his sin.
Sanctity of Human Intimacies
PROHIBITION OF ALIEN IMPURITIES
18:1-30
The Eternal charges Moses to warn the Children of Israel: Do not follow the practice of the land of Egypt in which you dwelled, and do not follow the practice of the land of Canaan to which I am bringing you. Follow My laws, not theirs, “I, the Eternal your God.” Observe My statutes and ordinances, “by which a person may live” (Leviticus 18:5).
Do not have an intimate encounter with any of your blood relatives. These include:
Your father, that is to say, your mother or your father’s wife;
Your sister, whether your father’s daughter or your mother’s daughter, whether born in the household or outside;
Your granddaughter, whether the daughter of your son or the daughter of your daughter;
The daughter of your father’s wife, born in the household of your father, as she is your sister;
Your father’s sister, as she is your father’s flesh;
Your mother’s sister, as she is your mother’s flesh;
Your father’s brother, that is to say, his wife, as she is your aunt;
Your daughter-in-law, as she is your son’s wife; and
Your brother’s wife, as she is your brother’s intimate.
Do not have an intimate encounter with a woman and with her daughter, nor may you take in an intimate encounter the daughter of her son or the daughter of her daughter, as they are blood relatives and it would be incest.
Do not take your wife’s sister as a second wife to be intimate with her in your wife’s lifetime.
Do not approach a woman for intimacy during the period of her impurity.
Do not have intercourse with the wife of another and become impure through her.
Do not offer up your offspring to Molech, so that you do not profane the Name of your God, I the Eternal.
Do not lie with a male in the manner of lying with a woman; it is an abomination.
Do not lie with any animal to become impure through it, and let no woman lie down before it; it is unnatural.
Do not subject yourselves to impurity by engaging in any of these practices as did the nations that I am expelling from before you. When the Land is defiled, I visit its sin upon it, and the Land disgorges its inhabitants. This is the consequence of the abominations performed by your predecessors in the Land. So observe My statutes and My ordinances, both native and alien who sojourn among you. Let the Land not disgorge you as it did your predecessors. Whoever violate these laws will be cut off from the midst of their people. Keep My charge, I, the Eternal, your God.
Holiness
LAWS
19:1-37
The Eternal charges Moses to speak to all the congregation of the Children of Israel these words: “You shall be holy (Kedoshim) as I, the Eternal, your God, am holy” (Leviticus 19:2):
You shall fear, each man, his mother and his father, and you shall observe my Sabbaths.
Do not turn to false gods, and do not make molten gods for yourselves.
Perform your well-being offerings to the Eternal in a manner that is acceptable on your behalf: It should be eaten by the first and second days; any that remains on the third day shall be burned in fire. If it is actually eaten on the third day, it is refuse and unacceptable. One who eats it then shall bear his iniquity for he has profaned what is holy to the Eternal, and such a one shall be cut off from his people.
When you reap the harvest of your field or your vineyard, do not collect everything. Instead, leave the corner of your field, the gleaning of your harvest, and the fallen fruit of your vineyard, for the poor and for the stranger.
You shall not steal or deal falsely with another or use My Name in a false oath, thereby profaning the Name of your God.
You shall not extort your fellow or commit robbery.
Pay the wages of your hired worker immediately: do not wait until the next morning.
Do not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block before the blind, but fear your God.
Do not be unfair in judgment; do not favor the weak or defer to the great, but judge another in righteousness.
Do not go about as a tale-bearer among your people.
Do not stand idly by the blood of your neighbor.
Do not hate your brother in your heart, but do indeed reprove your fellow so that you do not bear sin because of him.
Do not act vengefully or bear a grudge towards the children of your people, but love your fellow as yourself.
Observe My statutes:
Do not let your animal mate with a different kind, do not sow two kinds of seed together, and do not wear a garment made of mixed kinds.
If a man should have intercourse with a maidservant designated for another man, but she has not been redeemed or freed, there shall be an investigation followed by a fine, but they shall not be put to death since she was not freed. He shall bring a ram as guilt offering to the Eternal at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, and the Kohen shall seek atonement for him for the sin that he committed, and he shall thereby be forgiven.
When you enter the Land and plant any tree for food, you shall consider its fruit as uncircumcised for three years; it may not be eaten. In the fourth year it shall be considered sacred celebration. Then, in the fifth year you may eat its fruit. To increase its yield for you.
Do not eat anything together with its blood.
Do not practice divination or soothsaying.
Do not round off the corner of your head or destroy the corner of your beard.
Do not make a bodily incision in your flesh, and do not make imprinted writing upon yourselves.
Do not profane your daughter by making her a harlot; do not make the Land licentious and full of perversity.
Keep My Sabbaths, and revere My Sanctuary.
Do not turn to necromancers or knowing spirits; do not seek to be defiled by them.
Rise before the hoary head, showing respect for the aged, and be in awe of your God.
When a stranger sojourns with you in your Land, do not oppress him; rather, treat him as a native among you, and love him as yourself; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.
Do not falsify measures of weight, length or capacity: you shall have an honest balance, honest weights, an honest ephah, and an honest hin.
I, the Eternal your God, who brought you out from the land of Egypt: Keep all of My statutes and all of My ordinances, and do them—I, the Eternal.
SANCTIONS
20:1-27
The Eternal charges Moses to teach the Children of Israel:
Anyone of the Children of Israel or of the alien sojourning in Israel who gives of his offspring to Molech shall be put to death by stoning at the hand of the people of the Land, and I shall oppose that man and cut him off from the midst of his people. His act would defile My Sanctuary and profane My Holy Name. If the people of the Land should fail to recognize that man and his offense, then I shall oppose not only that man but also his family and cut off not only him but also all who go astray after him with respect to the Molech.
I shall also oppose anyone who turns to necromancers or knowing spirits to go astray after them, and I shall cut him off from the midst of his people.
Sanctify yourselves and be holy, for I, the Eternal, am your God. Keep My statutes and do them. I, the Eternal, make you holy.
Indeed, anyone who curses his father or his mother shall be put to death: his bloodguilt is upon him.
If any man commits adultery with another man’s wife, both adulterers shall be put to death. A man who lies with his father’s wife has violated the intimacy of his own father; both of them shall be put to death; their bloodguilt is upon them.
If a man should lie with his daughter-in-law, they shall both be put to death; they have committed incest; their bloodguilt is upon them.
If a man should lie with another man in the manner of lying with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall both be put to death; their bloodguilt is upon them.
If a man should take a woman and her mother, it is incest: both he and they should be burned in fire, in order to prevent such incest in your midst.
A man who lies with an animal shall be put to death, and you shall kill the animal.
If a woman approaches any animal to lie with it, you shall kill the woman and the animal; their bloodguilt is upon them.
If a man takes his sister, whether the daughter of his father or the daughter of his mother, and they are intimate with each other, it is a disgrace: they shall be cut off in the sight of the children of their people. He has been intimate with his sister; he shall bear his iniquity.
If a man lies with a woman when she is infirm and is intimate with her, he has uncovered her flow, and she has uncovered the flow of her blood: both of them shall be cut off from among their people.
You shall not be intimate with the sister of your mother or with the sister of your father, one’s being intimate thereby with his own flesh: they shall bear their iniquity.
If a man lies with his aunt, he has violated the intimacy of his own uncle: they shall bear their sin and die childless.
If a man takes the wife of his brother, it is impurity; he has violated the intimacy of his own brother: they shall be childless.
Keep My laws, and do not follow the laws of the nation that I am expelling from the Land because they followed those practices which I despise. You shall inherit their land, which I am giving to you, a land flowing with milk and honey, you whom I separate from other peoples. You should make a separation between clean and unclean animals and birds so that you do not bring abomination upon yourselves, through any land animal or bird or anything that tramples the earth which I have separated for you, to cause impurity. Be holy to Me, as I the Eternal am holy and I separate you from the other peoples to be Mine.
If a man or a woman possesses a necromancer or a knowing spirit, they shall be put to death by stoning; their bloodguilt shall be upon them.
FROM THE PROPHETS
Haftarah for Shabbat Acharey Mot / Kedoshim
Amos 9:7-15
Destiny of Israel and the Fallen Sukkah of David
Like the children of the Ethiopians
are you to Me, O Children of Israel:
I brought up Israel from the land of Egypt,
I also brought up the Philistines from Caphtor
and the Arameans from Kir.
Now I observe your evil kingdom,
and I shall destroy it from off the face of the earth!
Yet I shall not utterly destroy the House of Jacob,
declares the Eternal.
At My command,
the House of Israel
shall be scattered among all the nations
as in a sieve,
yet none shall be lost.
But all of the sinners of My people,
who consider themselves protected,
shall die by the sword.
On that day
I shall reestablish
the fallen Sukkah of David
and its ruins
as in days of old,
in order that they may possess
the remnant of Edom
and all the nations
upon which My Name is called.
Indeed the days are coming,
declares the Eternal,
when the yield will be so abundant
that the reaper will have more to reap than he can finish
before the ploughman of the next planting
catches up with him!
Similarly with the vintage,
the sower of seed for the next planting
will catch up
with the treader of grapes from the previous,
so that the mountains will drip sweet wine
and all the hills shall melt!
So will I return the captivity of My people Israel,
who will rebuild cities from their waste
and inhabit them,
plant vines and drink their wine,
make gardens and eat their fruit.
I shall plant them upon their Land,
never more to be uprooted,
declares the Eternal your God.
FROM TALMUD AND MIDRASH
Leviticus Rabbah 21:8
Preparation before Entering
“The Eternal is speaking to Moses
after the death of the two sons of Aaron
when they drew near before the Eternal…”:
“Let Aaron not enter the Sanctuary
at any time…lest he die…
except under these conditions…”
(Leviticus 16:1-3)
A similar note of caution:
“You shall make the robe…around its hem you shall make ornamentation resembling pomegranates of blue, purple and crimson, alternating with actual bells of gold. Aaron shall wear this robe when he officiates, so that the sound may be heard when he enters the Sanctuary before the Eternal and when he leaves it. Then he shall not die.”
(Exodus 28:31,33-35)
Rabbi Chananiah ben Chachinai and Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai went to learn Torah with Rabbi Akiba at B’nei B’rak, and they stayed there for thirteen years. Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai corresponded, so that he knew what was happening in his home. Rabbi Chananiah, on the other hand, did not correspond, so he did not know what was happening in his home. But his wife sent him a message: Your daughter has come of age, so come home to arrange her marriage! But he did not go.
Rabbi Akiba, informed by the Holy Spirit, said to all of them: Whoever has a daughter come of age should go home and arrange for her marriage. Rabbi Chananiah understood what he meant, so he obtained permission to depart. When he arrived home, he did not find his wife at home. So he went to the place where women fill their pitchers with water, and eventually he heard someone call her name to fill her pitcher and leave.
He followed after her until she entered their house. Then he entered after her without any warning. Before she could recognize him, her spirit departed. Master of the Universe, he exclaimed, is this a just reward for this poor woman after waiting for me for thirteen years? Whereupon her spirit returned to her body.
Said Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai: Among practices of which the Holy One, blessed be He, disapproves is to enter one’s own house without warning, not to mention the house of another.
Regarding the daughter who has come of age, Rav taught that if you are holding a male servant, free him and give her to him.
When Rabbi Yochanan went up to greet Rabbi Chaninah, he used to knock on the door, in accordance with, “that the sound may be heard when he enters the Sanctuary before the Eternal” (ibid.).
Leviticus Rabbah 21:10
Defender of Israel
“Thus shall Aaron enter the Sanctuary…
dressed with a sacred linen tunic,
linen breeches directly against his skin,
a linen sash,
and a linen turban….”
(Leviticus 16:3-4)
Why did the Kohen Gadol (High Priest) not enter wearing gold vestments?
Rabbi Simon taught in the name of Rabbi Joshua: Because the accused cannot be believed as a defender! If the Kohen Gadol, who defends Israel, wore gold vestments, they would give Satan an opening to accuse: Yesterday they made a golden god, and today they want to serve in gold vestments!
Rabbi Joshua of Sichnin taught in the name of Rabbi Levi: In order to spare the treasury of Israel!
Rabbi Levi taught: To eschew prideful behavior, in accordance with, ”Do not exalt yourself in the presence of the King [interpteted here to mean ‘King of the universe’]…” (Proverbs 25:6)!
Sifra Acharey Mot Parshata 9:10, Perek 13:13
Talmud Sanhedrin 74a
Talmud Yoma 85a-85b
Live by them!
“Observe My statutes and My ordinances,
which a person shall perform
and by which he may live,
I am the Eternal.”
(Leviticus 18:5)
Heavenly Reward
“By which he may live” means life in the world to come, that is, life beyond this world! Now, if you argue that those words refer only to life in this world and that one who performs them will live only until he finally dies, I maintain that those words (“by which he may live”) refer to the world to come because of the divine signature, “I am the Eternal,” which implies His faithfulness in providing our reward for performing His statutes and His ordinances!
Torah of Man
“Which a person shall perform…”—Rabbi Jeremiah derived from “a person” within The Torah of Kohanim (The Book of Leviticus) that any “person,” even a gentile, who performs what the Torah requires of him, is as entitled to the divine reward as the Kohen Gadol: “…and by which he may live!”
Indeed you do not actually find here such a verse as, “This is the Torah of Kohanim, Levites and Israelites,” but you do find, “This is the Torah of Man…” (II Samuel 7:19)!
Nor do you find, “Open the gates that Kohanim, Levites and Israelites may enter,” but you do find, “Open the gates that a righteous gentile, a true observer, may enter” (Isaiah 26:2)!
Nor, “This is the gate of the Eternal: only Kohanim, Levites and Israelites may enter it,” but you do find, “This is the gate of the Eternal: let the righteous enter it” (Psalms 118:20)!
Nor, “Rejoice in the Eternal, O you Kohanim, Levites and Israelites” but you do find, “Rejoice in the Eternal, O you righteous” (Psalms 33:1)!
Nor do you find, “Do good, O Eternal, only to those who are Kohanim, Levites and Israelites,” but you do find, “Do good, O Eternal, to those who are good” (Psalms 125:4)!
All of which goes to show that even a gentile who observes the Torah is as good as the Kohen Gadol!
Torah of Life
Said Rabbi Yochanan in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Yehotzadak: It was decided by a majority vote in the upper chamber of the house of Nitza that one may violate a commandment of the Torah under duress except for idolatry, adultery or incest, and bloodshed. But didn’t Rabbi Ishmael allow idolatry when one is threatened with death—on the basis of “Observe My statutes and My ordinances which a person shall perform and by which he may live” and therefore not die by them! Yes, but only privately, not in public, because of the command: “You shall not profane My Holy Name, but I shall be sanctified in the midst of the Children of Israel” (Leviticus 22:32)!
Rabbi Ishmael, Rabbi Akiba and Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah were on a journey together, accompanied by Levi Hasaddar and Rabbi Ishmael son of Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah. The following question was put forward: What is the basis for suspending Sabbath laws when they endanger life?
Rabbi Ishmael’s answer: It is inferred from, “If a thief is discovered breaking in…” (Exodus 22:1), wherein it is permitted to defend oneself even at the cost of the thief’s life. For in that case it is uncertain whether the thief has come just to steal or also to kill. Yet we are permitted to suspend the Torah’s law about bloodshed. How much the moreso [kal vachomer] when life is certainly endangered by a law of Sabbath may the Torah’s law of Sabbath be suspended!
Rabbi Akiba’s answer: It is inferred from, “If one has intentionally killed another, you may take him from My Altar to die” (Exodus 21:14), where the Kohen is the one at the Altar and has evidence regarding the culpability of an accused, but not “from upon My Altar,” that is, when the Kohen had already begun the service! Nonetheless Rabbah son of Bar Chana said that Rabbi Yochanan applied this only where the Kohen had evidence as to the accused’s guilt, but if he had evidence as to the accused’s innocence, then even “from upon My Altar,” that is, even if the Kohen with evidence had already begun the service! Now in that case it is uncertain whether his evidence will be accepted or not, yet he interrupts the Divine Service, which itself suspends Sabbath laws (when sacrifices are burned on the Sabbath, etc.). How much the moreso [kal vachomer] when life is certainly endangered by a law of Sabbath may the Torah’s law of Sabbath be suspended!
Rabbi Eleazar’s answer: It is inferred from brit milah (the covenant of circumcision), which overrides the Sabbath laws against its various procedures and which relates to only one of the 248 parts of the human body. How much the moreso [kal vachomer] shall Sabbath laws be suspended when they relate to the saving of the whole body!
In addition, Rabbi Yosi son of Rabbi Judah inferred from, “However [ach] you shall keep My Sabbaths…” (Exodus 31:13), “however [ach]” in the sense of “only,” implying a limitation such as when keeping the Sabbath would endanger life! Rabbi Jonathan son of Joseph cited the next verse, “…for it is holy to you…” (ibid. 14), “to you” is it given, not to it are you surrendered! Rabbi Shimon ben Menassia interpreted the apparently redundant words which follow, “The Children of Israel shall guard the Sabbath to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations…” (ibid. 16), to mean: Profane for the sake of one’s life one Sabbath so that he can observe many Sabbaths thereafter!
Rav Judah reported that Samuel said: Had I been there, I would have given an answer better than theirs. “Observe My statutes and My ordinances which a person shall perform and by which he may live” and therefore not die by them! Rava said: All of the answers could be refuted except the answer of Samuel.
How could the others be refuted? Regarding Rabbi Ishmael’s answer, inferring from, “If a thief is discovered breaking in…” (Exodus 22:1), his reasoning [kal vachomer] is based on the uncertainty of whether the thief is breaking in to steal or to murder. But Rava argued that we can be certain that the thief would be prepared to murder since he knows that the homeowner would resist him and would be warranted by the Torah to kill him in self-defense. Regarding Rabbi Akiba’s answer, inferring from, “If one has intentionally killed another, you may take him from [upon] My Altar to die” (Exodus 21:14), his reasoning [kal vachomer] is based on the uncertainty of whether the Kohen’s evidence will be accepted or not. But Abaye argued that we should let a couple of scholars interview him while he is still upon the Altar whereupon we could be certain whether his evidence would be acceptable or not!
Similarly, the other answers, except for Samuel’s, can be refuted because all of them are based upon a situation where there is no doubt, when keeping the Sabbath would certainly endanger life. Rabbi Yosi son of Rabbi Judah inferring from, “However [ach] you shall keep My Sabbaths…” (Exodus 31:13), “however [ach]” in the sense of “only,” implying a limitation, which we could safely assume would be a certain danger to life, not a matter of doubt! Rabbi Jonathan son of Joseph inferring from, “…for it is holy to you…” (ibid. 14), “to you” is the Sabbath given, not to it are you surrendered. When would you be surrendered to the Sabbath? When it is certain that you would die as a result! Rabbi Shimon ben Menassia inferring from, “The Children of Israel shall guard the Sabbath to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations…” (ibid. 16): Profane for the sake of one’s life one Sabbath so that he can observe many Sabbaths thereafter, in other words a certainty that he would otherwise die because of that one Sabbath!
But Samuel, inferring from, “Observe My statutes and My ordinances which a person shall perform and by which he shall live”: that a man shall observe the commandments when it is a certainty that he will live thereby; therefore, when it is uncertain that he will live thereby, when there is doubt, you may profane out of doubt! How much the moreso [kal vachomer] when life is certainly endangered by a law of Sabbath may the Torah’s law of Sabbath be suspended! Said Rabina, or possibly Rav Nachman son of Isaac: Better is one grain of sharp pepper than a basket full of gourds!
Leviticus Rabbah 25:3
Following After the Eternal
“You shall be holy
as I the Eternal your God am holy.”
(Leviticus 19:2)
“When you enter the Land and you plant a tree for food…”
(Leviticus 19:23).
Rabbi Judah son of Rabbi Simon opened his discourse with the verse:
“Follow after the Eternal your God…and cleave to Him.”
(Deuteronomy 13:5)
But is it possible for flesh and blood to follow after the Holy One, blessed be He?
Of Him it is written, “Your way is through the sea, and Your path is through the mighty waters” (Psalms 77:20)! And you say, “Follow after the Eternal your God…and cleave to Him” (Deuteronomy 13:5)?
Is it possible for flesh and blood to ascend to heaven
in order to cleave to the Divine Presence?
Of Him it is written, “The Eternal your God is a consuming fire” (Deuteronomy 4:24)! And you say, “…cleave to Him” (Deuteronomy 13:5)?
But at the beginning of Creation, the Holy One, blessed be He, engaged primarily in planting. This can be inferred from, “The Eternal God planted a garden in Eden” (Genesis 2:8). So for you, when you enter the Land, you will engage primarily in planting. This is the way that you shall “follow after the Eternal your God”: Read the verse, “When you enter the Land, you will plant a tree for food…” (Leviticus 19:23)!
Sifra Kedoshim 7 Parshata 1
Fear and Honor of God and Parents
4
|
“You shall fear, everyone, |
“You shall fear |
By using the same words, “You shall fear,” before both parents and God,
He compares fear of father and mother to fear of God!
9
|
“Honor |
“You shall fear, everyone, |
The father usually precedes the mother where they are mentioned together:
Does that mean that honor of father is preferred over honor of mother?
No, the verse here (Leviticus 19:3), wherein mother precedes father,
counters that impression and proves that they are equal!
10
“You shall fear, everyone,
his mother and his father…”
(Leviticus 19:3)
What constitutes fear?
Not standing in their place
Not sitting in their place
Not contradicting their words
Not taking sides in their disputes with others
(cf. Talmud Kiddushin 31b; translated here in the inclusive spirit of 9 above).
5, 10
|
“Honor |
“Honor the Eternal |
He compares honor of father and mother to honor of God!
Rabbenu Yonah ben Avraham Gerondi (13th cent.): This verse in Proverbs relates to the issue of faith and confidence (bitachon), whereby we should not worry that generosity in expenditures for the fulfillment of commandments and charity will deplete our wealth; rather, the Eternal will bless us for it and increase our holdings, as the next verse promises, “and your stores will be filled in abundance…” (Proverbs 3:10).
Another possible reading of Proverbs 3:9:
“Honor the Eternal [meyhonecha] more than your wealth….”
Accordingly, what constitutes honor of parents?
Providing them with food and drink
Clothing them and dressing them
Helping them in and helping them out
Talmud Kiddushin 32a: It could be argued, as you honor God from your own wealth, so do you honor your parents from your own wealth. But the Rabbis ruled: From your father’s wealth! Nonetheless, there will be a cost to the children in time which they devote to caring for their parents.
What if a parent directs him to transgress
a commandment of the Torah:
Should he obey them?
“You shall fear, everyone,
his mother and his father,
and observe My Sabbaths…”
(Leviticus 19:3)
Inclusion of the words, “And observe My Sabbaths..,” following the commandment to fear, everyone, your parents, says to us: And you are all obligated to honor Me as well!
Talmud Kiddushin 30b-31a
Honor of Mother, Fear of Father
Our Rabbis taught that there are three partners in the making of a human being: The Holy One, blessed be He, his father, and his mother. When one honors father and mother, the Holy One, blessed be He, says: I regard it as if I am dwelling with them and they are honoring Me!
It is also taught that Rabbi said: The Creator of the universe well knows that a child honors mother more than father because she influences the child with her words, and for just that reason the Holy One, blessed be He, put honor of father before honor of mother (cf. Exodus 20:12). And it is also well known to the Creator that a child fears father more than mother because he teaches the child Torah, and for just that reason the Holy One, blessed be He, put fear of mother before fear of father (cf. Leviticus 19:3).
Malbim (Rabbi Meir Leibush ben Yechiel Michel, 19th cent.): It is the way of nature for the child to honor the mother more and to fear the father. Therefore He placed first the opposite of what comes naturally to the human mind. This is to teach us that honor and fear should not be left to natural law but rather be activated in accordance with divine commandment.
“Blessed is the one who trusts in the Eternal,
for whom the Eternal is his confidence…
The human heart is oblique,
not readily understood by man himself;
I the Eternal observe the heart,
penetrate its secrets,
providing each one
according to his needs,
according to the fruit of his doings.”
(Jeremiah 17:7,9-10)
Talmud Menachot 110a
For you and not for Me
“Perform your well-being offerings to the Eternal
in a manner that is acceptable on your behalf [lir’tson’chem].”
(Leviticus 19:5)
Mishnah (Menachot 13:11): Regarding a burnt offering of cattle it is said, “A fire offering of pleasing aroma to the Eternal” (Leviticus 1:9); and regarding a burnt offering of birds it is said, “A fire offering of pleasing aroma to the Eternal” (ibid. 13); and regarding a meal offering it is said, “A fire offering of pleasing aroma to the Eternal” (ibid. 2:2). All of this to teach you: Whether one brings much or one brings little, the important thing is that he directs his heart to Heaven.
Gemara: Rabbi Zera interpreted the verse, “Sweet is the sleep of the worker [oved], whether little or much he eats [yochel]…” (Ecclesiastes 5:11) to support the teaching of the Mishnah: “Sweet is the sleep of one who brings an offering [oved], whether little or much, he benefits [yochel]!” Rav Ada bar Ahavah interpreted the preceding verse, “The more wealth [tovah] a person accumulates, the more are those who consume it, so that the only benefit to the owner is in the seeing of his eyes [eynav]” (ibid. 10) to support the same Mishnah: “The more value of a sacrifice [tovah] the more priests there are to consume it, so that the only benefit to the Owner (the Holy One, blessed be He) is in the seeing of his (the offeror’s) good intentions [eynav].”
The following is taught in a Baraitha:
Rabbi Shimon ben Azzai observed that in those passages concerning the various offerings, no words are used for the Deity other than “the Eternal,” in order to deny sectarians a basis for claiming that the various types of sacrifices were commanded by various gods—and that for the heavy ox is said, “A fire offering of pleasing aroma…”(Leviticus 1:9), as for the light bird is said, “A fire offering of pleasing aroma…” (ibid. 13), as for the meal offering is said, “A fire offering of pleasing aroma…” (ibid. 2:2), to teach you from the repetition of “a fire offering of pleasing aroma…” for heavy and light: Whether one brings much or one brings little, the important thing is that he direct his heart to Heaven.
And lest you think He actually needs food to eat, the following verses should be interpreted to disabuse you: “If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for Mine is the world and its fullness” (Psalms 50:12)! “For Mine is every animal of the forest, beasts on thousands of hills; I know every bird of the mountains, and whatever moves in the field is close to Me; do I eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of he-goats” (ibid. 10-11,13)?!
I did not tell you to sacrifice to make you think, “Let me do what He wants, so that He will do what I want.” You offer sacrifices not to satisfy My will or desire but to satisfy yours, as was said, “Perform the offering in accordance with your desire/will [lir’tson’chem]” (Leviticus 19:5b)! Rashi: Not to benefit Me, as I do not want to trouble you to do it against your will; rather, do it to fulfill your own need to uphold My commandments, through which you gain expiation!
Talmud Sanhedrin 86a
Two Types of Stealing
“You shall not steal…”
(Exodus 20:13)
“You shall not steal…”
(Leviticus 19:11)
Our Rabbis taught: “You shall not steal” (The Ten Commandments: Exodus 20:13) refers to one who steals people (abduction). – But perhaps it refers to one who steals property? – Interpret from context (based upon the Thirteen Principles by which the Torah is Interpreted): Just as the preceding and following commandments deal with capital crimes, so must this commandment deal with a capital crime (stealing people is a capital crime while stealing property is not)!
Where, then, does the Torah teach the prohibition of theft of property?
Another teaching: “You shall not steal or deal falsely or lie one to another” (The Holiness Code: Leviticus 19:11) refers to one who steals property (theft). – But perhaps it refers to one who steals people (abduction)? – Interpret from context (based upon the Thirteen Principles by which the Torah is Interpreted): Just as the preceding and following commandments (cf. ibid. 13) deal with property crimes (which are not capital crimes), so must this commandment deal with theft of property (which is not a capital crime)!
Sifra Kedoshim 7 Parshata 2
Consequences of Stealing
“You shall not steal,
and you shall not deceive,
and you shall not lie,
one to another;
and you shall not swear falsely by My Name,
then you profane the Name of your God [Shem Elohecha],
I the Eternal.”
(Leviticus 19:11-12)
5
This tells us that if you “steal,” you will come to “act deceptively,” eventually “lying”, and ultimately “swearing falsely by My Name.”
7-8
This teaches further that when you “swear falsely by My Name,” “you profane your Name of God [Shem Elohecha] ,” the Divine Name that is with you!
Another interpretation: When you “swear falsely by My Name,” by “profaning your Name of God,” you are profaned, you reduce yourself to an existence lower than that of animals. This was expressed by the Prophet:
“The Land is profaned under its residents,
because they have transgressed laws…
broken the universal covenant;
therefore a curse consumes the Land,
its inhabitants are to blame,
its inhabitants are profaned,
there remain men of low quality.”
(Isaiah 24:5-6)
Sifre Deuteronomy 278-279
Prompt Compensation
“Do not abuse your fellow, and do not rob him.
The pay of a hireling shall not stay overnight with you until the morning.”
(Leviticus 19:13)
“Do not abuse a poor or destitute hireling,
of your kinsmen or of the foreigner who is in your Land, in your gates.
Give him his wages on the same day,
before the sun sets on him,
for he is poor and his life depends on it…”
(Deuteronomy 24:14-15)
“Do not abuse a poor or destitute hireling…,” but haven’t we already learned, “Do not rob him?!” What is the point of adding, “Do not abuse…?” Those additional words are oral Torah (talmud) meant to teach us something that is not explicit in the written Torah, that whoever withholds the wages of a hireling transgresses four commandments: (1) Do not abuse, (2) Do not rob, (3) Do not keep the pay of a hireling overnight, and (4) Give him his wages on the same day before the sun sets on him.
“…and his life depends on it…”—These words would seem to limit the commandments to work which endangers the life of the hireling. Whence do I derive the same obligation for work which does not endanger the life of the worker, such as weaving or dyeing? The additional words, “Do not abuse,” are oral Torah (talmud) meant to teach us what is not explicit in the written Torah, that the commandments apply to work whether it endangers life or not.
“Do not abuse a poor or destitute hireling…”—These words would seem to exclude from the commandments’ protection workers who are not poor or destitute. Whence do I derive the same obligation for workers who are not poor or destitute? The additional words, “Do not abuse,” are oral Torah (talmud) meant to teach us what is not explicit in the written Torah, that the commandments apply to all workers, whatever their economic status may be. But then why does the written Torah even specify “a poor or destitute hireling?” I should hasten to compensate “a poor or destitute hireling” before one who is not!
“…of your kinsmen…”—These words, as they stand, exclude others; that is, your kinsmen only! But He continues, “…or of the foreigner…,” referring to the proselyte as being in a more limited category of protection under only two of the aforementioned negative commandments. Rabbi Yosi son of Rabbi Judah says that he is limited to protection under only (1) Do not abuse. Finally, “…in your gates,” includes the non-idolatrous resident alien who observes the Noachide commandments only.
All of the aforementioned categories refer to personal wages. Whence do I derive compensation for animals or objects? The redundant words, “…who [asher] is in your Land…,” should be read as, “which [asher] is in your Land…,” oral Torah (talmud) meant to teach us what is not explicit in the written Torah, that the obligation applies to “anything that is in your Land!”
“Give him his wages on the same day, before the sun sets on him…” teaches that the night laborer may collect his wages throughout the day which follows the night of his labor. Whence do we derive, then, that the day laborer may collect his wages not only “on the same day” but throughout the night which follows the day of his labor? The redundant words, “The pay of a hireling shall not stay overnight with you until the morning,” are oral Torah (talmud) meant to teach us what is not explicit in the written Torah, that the day laborer may collect his wages throughout the night which follows the day of his labor!
“…for he is poor…,” for why else would he climb up a ladder, risking his life for your benefit, if not to expect you to pay him his wages on the same day! If that expectation follows, why need it be said, “…and his life depends [hu nosey et-nafsho] on it [eylav]…?” Those seemingly superfluous words can be read literally, “and he (the worker) transfers his life [hu nosey et-nafsho] to him (to the employer!) [eylav],” in order to imply: An employer who withholds the wages of a hireling—the verse regards him as if he takes the hireling’s life!
Sifra Kedoshim 7 Perek 4
“Do Not Stand Idly By…”
8
“Do not stand idly by the blood of your neighbor…
You shall love your neighbor as yourself—
I, the Eternal ”
(Leviticus 19:16,18)
Whence do we derive that if you have testimony in support of someone, you are not allowed to remain silent? “You shall not stand idly by the blood of your neighbor….”
Whence do we derive that if you see another drowning in the river or being attacked by bandits or a wild beast, you are required to rescue him even at the cost of the assailant’s life? “You shall not stand idly by the blood of your neighbor….”
Whence do we derive that if you see someone pursuing another to kill him or a man pursuing another man or a betrothed woman to commit a sexual crime, you are required to rescue the pursued even at the cost of the assailant’s life? “You shall not stand idly by the blood of your neighbor….”
Talmud Arachin 16b
Enmity vs. Reproof
“Do not harbor enmity
for your brother in your heart;
instead you should indeed
reprove your fellow
and not bear sin
concerning him!”
(Leviticus 19:17)
How far should you go
in reproving your fellow?
Rabbi Yochanan said: Only until your fellow rebukes you.
Samuel said: Farther, until your fellow curses you.
Rav said: Even farther, until your fellow strikes you.
The answers of these match, respectively, the answers of three earlier authorities—Ben Azzai, Rabbi Yehoshua, and Rabbi Eliezer—each of whom based his opinion on part of Saul’s response to the reproof of Jonathan his son, viz. the rhetorical questions, “Why should David be put to death? What has he done?” (I Samuel 20:32):
“Then Saul became angry at Jonathan, and he said to him, ‘O son of a perverse and rebellious woman, surely I know that you choose the son of Jesse to your own shame and to the shame of your mother’s nakedness’” (ibid. 30)! “Then Saul raised the spear at him to strike him…” (ibid. 33).
For Ben Azzai, who said: Until your fellow rebukes you—“Then Saul became angry at Jonathan, and he said to him, ‘O son of a perverse and rebellious woman…’”
For Rabbi Yehoshua, who said: Until your fellow curses you—“Surely I know that you choose the son of Jesse to your own shame and to the shame of your mother’s nakedness!”
For Rabbi Eliezer, who said: Until your fellow strikes you—“Then Saul raised the spear at him to strike him…”
But then how can Ben Azzai ignore the verses that support cursing and striking and teach instead that that you need to reprove your fellow only until he rebukes you? He would argue that the verses of striking and cursing reflect the special situation of Jonathan, who, because of his extraordinary love for David, was prepared to sacrifice his personal safety more than would be required normally.
Sifra Kedoshim 7 Perek 4
Vengeance and Grudge
10-11
“Do not act vengefully
or bear a grudge
towards the children of your people…”
(Leviticus 19:18)
In order to understand how vengeance and grudge, respectively, might occur and the difference between them, suppose one farmer comes to the other and asks him to lend him a scythe, but the other farmer refuses. The next day that other farmer goes to the first farmer to borrow a mattock. The first farmer says to him, “I won’t lend you my mattock today just as you refused to lend me your scythe yesterday!” To that it was said, “Do not act vengefully” (ibid.)!
Again, let us suppose afresh that one farmer comes to the other and asks him to lend him a mattock, and the other farmer refuses. The next day that other farmer goes to the first farmer to borrow a scythe. The first farmer says to him, “Here it is; I am not like you who refused to lend me your mattock yesterday!” To that it was said, “Do not bear a grudge” (ibid.)!
Sifra Kedoshim 7 Parshata 2
Fundamental Principles
12
“Love your fellow as yourself…”
(Leviticus 19:18)
Rabbi Akiba held this as a fundamental principle in the Torah.
But Ben Azzai put forward:
“This is the Book of the Generations of Man:
when God created Man, He created him in the likeness of God.”
(Genesis 5:1)
He held this as a more fundamental principle.
Why?
Genesis Rabbah 24:7: So that you should not say, “Since I despise myself, let my fellow be despised!” Said Rabbi Tanchuma: If you should take that attitude, know that you are denigrating “…the likeness of God in which your fellow was created” (Genesis 5:1b)!
Mirkin Commentary: Ben Azzai’s teaching stands upon the equality of all human beings, not simply love. All men are descendants of Adam; therefore all of the Torah’s laws are founded upon the principle that all human beings are equal one to another regardless of how we feel about ourselves or others. He also thereby expands our understanding of the fundamental principle to include all of humanity and not just Israel.
Malbim (Meir Leibush ben Yehiel Michel Wisser, 19th cent. Ukraine): Philosophers have explained as a fundamental of moral philosophy that the maxim of a person’s action must be universalizable, that is, that he could will it to become a rule that would apply to everyone. By this measure the problem with Rabbi Akiba’s identifying “Love your fellow as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18) as fundamental is that it depends on the value that a person assigns to himself and thereby misses the criterion of being universalizable. Against this Ben Azzai raised the fundamental principle to a higher level, citing “This is the book of the generations of Man…” (Genesis 5:1a), implying that all children of Adam are connected as a single body and that all of them were created in the image of God (cf. ibid. 1b) in order to fulfill the image and the likeness of the Highest as if they were all a single body composed of various parts, so that the head would love the hand as itself. With that basis, Ben Azzai could say, “Despise no man!” (Mishnah Avot 4:3) and “The whole world was created as an extension of God!” (Talmud Berachot 6b) Accordingly, a person should want for another person what he wants for himself because he is flesh of his flesh and bone of his bones (cf. Genesis 2:23).
Maharzu (Ze’ev Wolf Einhorn, 19th cent. Belarus) explains a parable here in Talmud Yerushalmi (Nedarim 9:4): If one hand of a person wounds his other hand, would he think to take revenge against his own hand that wounded himself? In the same way, a person should not act upon the calculation that his fellow has harmed him, therefore he should harm him back, rather that he is of your flesh and therefore he would not harm him back anymore than the wounded arm of a person would wound the other arm in retaliation.
But:
Rabbi Samson of Sens (12th cent. France): Rabbi Akiba’s teaching may be compared with Hillel’s teaching to the prospective convert, “What is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow; that is all of the Torah, the rest is commentary; go and learn!” (Talmud Shabbat 31a) It may be considered the fundamental principle underlying a multitude of commandments.
Leviticus Rabbah 25:1
Take Hold of the Tree of Life
“When you enter the Land and plant a tree for food,
you shall consider its fruit as uncircumcised (areylim) for three years;
it may not be eaten.
In the fourth year
it shall be considered sacred celebration (kodesh hilulim).
Then, in the fifth year
you may eat its fruit.
To increase its yield for you…”
(Leviticus 19:23-25)
Along with those words, consider the following:
“It is a tree of life (aytz chayyim)
to those who take hold of it…”
(Proverbs 3:18)
Read our verse: “When you enter the Land, then you will plant a tree for food….” The “tree that you are planting for food” is the Torah! — Why do you have to “consider its fruit as uncircumcised (areylim) for three years,” during which time “it may not be eaten,” and “in the fourth year it must be set aside for sacred celebration (kodesh hillulim),” and only “in the fifth year may you eat its fruit in order to increase its yield…” (Leviticus 19:23-25)? Because, “It (the Torah) is a living tree (aytz chayyim)” only “to those who take hold of it” (Proverbs 3:18)!
Rav Huna explained this in the name of Rabbi Acha: The way of Torah should not be in your eyes like the daughter who has come of age and whose father seeks to marry her off to the first man who becomes available. Rather: “My son, if you accept my teachings and commit to yourself my commandments…then you will understand fear of the Eternal and attain knowledge of God” (Proverbs 2:1-5)! It depends on what you do: If you have practiced my teachings, then you have accepted them! – It is not just a matter of planting the tree but also of taking hold of all of its mitzvot: then it shall be a living tree for you, and its yield will increase for you!
Rav Huna taught in the name of Rabbi Benjamin ben Levi: This may be likened to a king who was sending his son out into the world to engage in trade. His son said: Father, I fear robbers on the highway and pirates on the sea. What did his father do? He hollowed out a staff for his son and put sacred words inside it. He gave it to his son and said: With this staff in your hand, you will not have to fear any creature at all! Somewhat similarly, the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: Say to Israel, engage in Torah, and you will not need to fear any nation! So were the Levites commanded to proclaim at Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal: “Cursed is the one who fails to uphold the words of this Torah to do them” (Deuteronomy 27:26)! Had it said, “Cursed is the one who fails to learn…,” there would be no justice against Israel’s enemies. Likewise, if it had said, “It is a tree of life to those who labor in it…,” there would be no justice against Israel’s enemies. Rather: “It is a tree of life (survival/defense/triumph) to those who take hold of it…” (Proverbs 3:18)!
Leviticus Rabbah 25:5
Planting Trees
“Who gave wisdom to the chicken?”
(Job 38:36)
When the hen’s chicks are small, she gathers them under her wings to keep them warm and pecks before them. When they are grown, if one of them wants to stay near her, she pecks at its head and says to it, “Go peck in your own heap!”
Similarly, when the Children of Israel were in the Wilderness for forty years, the manna descended (cf. Exodus 16:15), the well came up (cf. Talmud Ta’anit 9a), the quail was abundant (cf. Exodus 16:13), heavy clouds surrounded them to protect them (cf. Talmud Sukkah 11b), and a pillar of cloud traveled before them to show them the way (cf. Exodus 13:21). But when they entered the Land of Israel, Moses said to them: Let each man take up his hoe and go out and plant trees. Thus: “When you enter the Land, then you will plant a tree for food…” (Leviticus 19:23)!
Hadrian the Emperor—may his bones be ground up!—was on the move through the roads of Tiberias when he saw an old man cutting fruits in order to plant trees. To him Hadrian remarked: Old man, if you had been diligent in your youth, you would not have to labor in your old age! The old man responded: I was diligent in my youth, and I have been diligent in my old age; whatever it pleases the Master of Heaven to do, He does!
The Emperor asked him his current age, to which the man responded: I am 100 years old. The Emperor: So you are 100 years old, and here you are digging holes to plant trees; do you think that you will eat from any of them? He replied: If I so merit, I will eat from them; but if not, just as my fathers labored for me, so will I have labored for my children! Then the Emperor said to him: By your life, if you merit to eat from them, let me know.
When some time had passed, the trees that the old man had planted bore him figs. He said: The time has come for me to tell the king. So he filled a basket with figs and presented himself at the entrance of the palace. When he was asked by the guards to state his business, he requested entrance to see the king. When the king asked him to state his business, he reminded the king of their encounter when he was planting trees and the king’s words to him, “If you merit to eat from them, let me know.” So now, said the old man, I have merited to eat from them, and these figs are some of their fruit! With that, Hadrian ordered his servants to bring a golden chair in which the old man might sit. He further ordered them to empty the bag of figs and to refill it with valuable coins. His servants were taken aback: All of this honor you bestow upon this old Jewish man?! The king said to them: It is his Creator who has honored him!
At that time there was a couple living in the vicinity of the palace. The devious wife said to her husband: Dimwit, see how much the king likes figs; he even exchanges them for valuable coins! So her husband filled his saddle bag with figs and went to stand before the palace. When he was asked by the guards to state his business, he said to them: I have heard that the king likes figs and exchanges them for valuable coins. They let him enter and told the king: This man was standing at the gate of the palace carrying a saddle bag full of figs. When the king asked him to state his business, he said: I heard that the king likes figs and exchanges them for valuable coins. The emperor then ordered his guards to station the man at the entrance of the palace and to have everyone who enters or leaves throw a fig in his face.
Towards evening they released him. He went home and greeted his wife: All of this honor I owe to you! She said to him: Go and tell your mother the good news, that they were figs and not etrogs, and that they were ripe!
Talmud Sanhedrin 96b-97a, 98a
When will Mashiach come?
“On that day
I shall reestablish
the fallen Sukkah of David…”
(Amos 9:11)
Rav Nachman asked Rabbi Isaac: Have you heard when the son of the fallen is coming? But Rabbi Isaac asked in return: Who is “the son of the fallen?” Rav Nachman answered: The anointed one (mashiach). Rabbi Isaac: The mashiach? You call the mashiach “the son of the fallen?” Rav Nachman: Yes, for it is written, “On that day I shall reestablish the fallen Sukkah of David” (Amos 9:11)! Rabbi Isaac then cited the teaching of Rabbi Yochanan: The son of David shall come in a generation when scholars are few and others’ eyes fail in suffering and distress, with an unceasing supply of new troubles and evil decrees.
··
Rabbi Chaninah taught: The son of David will not come until there will be no fish even for those whose illness requires it, as the Prophet foresaw, “Then shall I lower their waters and cause their rivers to run with oil” (Ezekiel 32:14), only then, “On that day I shall cause prosperity to sprout for the House of Israel” (ibid. 29:21)!
··
Zeiri reported that Rabbi Chaninah taught: The son of David will not come until the arrogant in Israel cease, as the Prophet foresaw, “Then I shall remove from your midst those who rejoice in your pride, and I shall leave in your midst a poor and afflicted people who will take refuge in the Name of the Eternal” (Zephaniah 3:11-12)!
··
Rabbi Simlai said in the name of Rabbi Elazar son of Rabbi Shimon: The son of David will not come until all corrupt magistrates cease from Israel, as the Prophet foresaw, “I shall turn My hand upon you…and remove all of your alloy and restore your judges as at first…” (Isaiah 1:25-26)!
··
Ulla taught: Jerusalem will be redeemed only through righteousness, as the Prophet said, “Zion shall be redeemed in justice, and those who return to her, in righteousness” (Isaiah 1:27)!
··
Withal, Rabbi Yochanan taught: The son of David will come only in a generation which is altogether righteous or in a generation which is altogether wicked. In a generation which is altogether righteous, for the Prophet promised, “When your people, all of them, shall be righteous, they shall inherit the Land for ever” (Isaiah 60:21)! Yet in a generation which is altogether wicked, the Prophet wondered, “Even with the lack of a champion for good, God’s own arm would save, and His righteousness would sustain Him” (ibid. 59:16), yes, “For My own sake, for My own sake, I shall do it” (ibid. 48:11)!
SHABBAT SHALOM!
Sedra Summary 