Halakhah zu Tehillim 19:78

There is a distinction between washing before (mayim rishonim) and washing after (mayim ahronim) a meal in many particulars. Mayim rishonim require a person’s effort, either another person to pour it over his hands, or he himself to pour it with one hand over the other. That is not the case with mayim ahronim, for which a person’s effort is not required to make it flow. Mayim rishonim require raising the hands in a way so as not to bring them back down and make them unclean. That is not the case with mayim ahronim, for which it is required to lower one’s hands downward to remove the dirt. Mayim rishonim require wiping dry, because the wiping dry is crucial to the point of the hand washing; mayim ahronim do not require wiping dry. ³⁵The point of the mayim rishonim is to purify one’s hands in order to eat with pure hands. If one doesn’t dry them, they can become unclean again (see the previous note), defeating the purpose of netilat yada’im before the meal. The point of the mayim ahronimhowever is merely to get the dirt off one’s hands after finishing eating, so it doesn’t really matter if they become ritually unclean once the meal is over. Mayim rishonim require that there be nothing on one’s hands separating them from the water, such as wax, pitch, flour, or feces on one’s fingernails. For mayim ahronim, it doesn’t matter whatsoever if there is or isn’t something separating one’s hands from the water. With mayim rishonim, the hands can be washed either with a vessel or over the ground. In other words, we need not worry if the water falls onto the vessel or onto the ground. With mayim ahronim, one only washes with a vessel, since the water has to fall into the vessel and not onto the ground. With mayim rishonim, if one has rubbed his hands together, he has to do netilat yada’im all over again; with mayim ahronim it is not necessary.³⁶Chavel: if one rubs his hands under the water, the water may have missed a spot, leaving it unclean. With mayim rishonim, one recites the blessing “al netilat yada’im.” With mayim ahronim, there is no blessing, except for someone saying birkat ha-mazon, who says the blessing “al rehitzat yada’im” (“concerning the washing of the hands”).³⁷As opposed to “al netilat yada’im” – literally, “taking up the hands [to wash them].” Mayim rishonim require pauses; it shouldn’t be poured all at once. Rather, taking up his hands, one washes and pauses, and then takes up and washes and pauses again.³⁸Halakhah, Chavel notes, following Orah Hayim 122:2, actually requires three distinct pourings of the mayim rishonim, pausing between each: the first pouring to remove dirt or anything else separating the surface of one’s hands from the water, and then a second pouring to wash off the dirty water; but the water for both of these pourings remains impure. Only after one pours yet a third time does the water purify the water that was on one’s hands. But the mayim ahronim one may pour all at once. Mayim rishonim specifically requires water, and not other kinds of liquids. But for mayim ahronim, even other liquids are acceptable, such as wine and milk, since they are only used to remove the dirt. Mayim rishonim require a vessel (from which to pour it), as it is written about the priests’ washstand: “from it;”³⁹Ex 30:19: “Let Aaron and his sons wash their hands and feet [in water drawn] from it.” (JSB). Chavel points out that the commentators explain “from it” (mi-meno) to specify that they were to wash in water poured from it, not in it, and that the Torah’s rules about the Temple priests’ washing apply to netilat yada’im as well. one should not remove or rub off the water in a river; for mayim ahronim, it is permitted. Mayim rishonim go as far as the perek (“the joint”) which is where the hand ends, where the hand and the arm bones are joined. Mayim ahronim are required only up to the edge of the hand where the fingers end. And there are some who say that this is the extent that is required for mayim rishonim – the place where the fingers end. And that the extent for mayim ahronim is up to the middle section of the fingers, since mayim ahronim are only to remove the dirt, and from that point and higher the cooked food is unlikely to get on them. A specific quantity is required for mayim rishonim, namely a quarter of a log,⁴⁰About the size of 1½ eggs. but mayim ahronim do not require a specific quantity. One can extend the effect of mayim rishonim by setting a condition, but one cannot extend the effect of mayim ahronim with a condition.⁴¹In other words, one can say, “The washing I’m doing now before this meal applies to all the meals I’m going to eat today,” that is, “I’m as ritually clean as a priest to eat this and all my subsequent meals today.” However, since the washing after is to remove actual, visible food from one’s hands, obviously simply stating the condition that “my first hand-washing after a meal will remove any food I get on my hands at subsequent meals during the day” is not going to remove the food stuck to one’s hands after later meals. It seems that R. Bahya and the source he quotes virtually verbatim for all these differences between mayim rishonim and mayim ahronim (R. Abraham ibn Daud, Kol Bo 23: Din Netilat Yadayim) recognize a distinction between what some today might call “ritual” vs. “actual” washing, but what I would prefer to call “theurgic” vs. “pragmatic” washing. After all, they are both rituals. But the former seems explicitly intended to change one’s subjective, spiritual status (“now I’m as pure as priest”); the latter primarily merely one’s observable physical status (no more food scraps on the hands). The ruling that one can verbally condition the “validity” of the mayim rishonim as opposed to the ahronim supports my view that R. Bahya appreciates the difference between rituals whose primary intent is to affect one’s subjective status, vs. those which primarily affect one physically. However, R. Bahya would not say that the former type of ritual was somehow more “spiritual” or important than the latter. On the contrary, one of the main points of Shulhan Shel Arba is to show that even those rituals that primarily affect one physically are designed implicitly to reinforce one’s awareness that eating meals is a way to worship God. A mnemonic for all of these differences between mayim rishonim and mayim ahronim is KoHe”N He”N Sha’A”H MiKaPeRe”T (“For the precious priest, the hour atones”): K – Ko’ah adam (“by human power”); H – Hag’ba’ah (“raising up”); N- Niguv (“wiping dry”); H-Hatzitzah (“nothing separating”); N- Netilah bayn klay beyn ‘al gabay karka’ (“washing into a vessel or onto the ground”); Sh – Shifshuf (“rubbing”); ‘A – ‘Al netilat yada’im (the blessing ‘al netilat yada’im); H – Hefsek (“pausing between pours”); M – Mayim (“water, and nothing else”); K – Klay (“poured from a vessel”); P- Perek (“up to the joint”); R – Revi’it log (“a quarter of a log”); and T- Tenai (“setting a condition”).

What goes for this blessing, al netilat yada’im, that it is worded with both the explicit second person singular pronoun “You” and the “hidden” pronoun implicit in the third person singular past tense verb form,⁴²The original Hebrew is much more elliptical: “be-lashon nigleh ve-nistar.” These are technical grammatical terms. See note 46. is the rule for the rest of the blessings that are fixed according to this formula. This is the secret of blessings, that “the World” is what “sanctified us by His commandments,” and we bless it with the phrase melekh ha-‘olam – “King of the World,” and thus you will find it in the Song at the Sea, “Adonai yimlokh le-‘olam va’ed” – “YHWH will be King for ‘olam forever.”⁴³Ex 15:18, ordinarily translated “The Lord will reign forever and ever” (JSB). And this has been evoked by the expression “YHWH will be King,” the word “world” and the word “forever.” This is a reference to the three names for God in “The Thirteen Attributes,” which is similarly evoked by the expression “Barukh YHWH ha-mevorakh le-‘olam va’ed” – “Blessed be the Lord to Whom blessing is due as ‘World’ forever,”⁴⁴That is, the usual communal liturgical response to the call to worship: “Barekhu et YHWH ha-mevorakh.” Clearly, R. Bahya is interpreting it midrashically, not in its ordinary sense. and likewise in the prayer “Aleynu le-shabe’ah” by the expression, “Before the Kings of Kings, the Holy One Blessed be He, Who spread out the heavens and established the earth.”⁴⁵Here too, the title melekh (King) is associated with “the World,” that is, “the heavens…and earth” which He spread out and established. It is precisely in this manner that the phrasing of blessings was fixed and ordered. But for the experts on the literal meaning of the text, it seems grammatically inconsistent, since it would be better to say, “us whom You sanctified and by Your commandments You commanded.”⁴⁶Asher kidashtanu bi-mitzvotekha vetzvitanu as opposed to asher kidshanu bi-mitzvotav ve-tzivavanu. However, there are pretty good reasons for it to be phrased exactly as it is with its literal meaning, in order to fix in the heart that the Holy One Blessed be He is both revealed and hidden:⁴⁷Nigleh ve-nistar, which are also the grammatical terms R. Bahya uses at the beginning of this paragraph. See note 41.revealed in regard to His ways and actions; hidden in regard to His essence and His very Selfhood. Therefore you will find that when Moses Our Teacher (peace be upon him) asked about knowing Him (may He be Blessed) in regard to his ways, he said to Him, “Pray let me know Your ways.”⁴⁸Ex 33:13. He replied, “I will make all My goodness pass before you.”⁴⁹Ibid., 33:19. But when he asked to know Him in regard to his very Selfhood, and said to Him, “Oh let me behold Your Presence,”⁵⁰Ibid., 33:18. He replied, “You cannot see My face.”⁵¹Ibid., 33:20. He explained to him these two ways: that He is revealed, and that it is possible to conceive of Him in regard to His ways and actions; and that He is hidden in regard to His Selfhood, and there is no power or device to conceive of Him in this way. And therefore, here when we say “Barukh Atah” – “Blessed are You” – with a present participle [and the pronoun “You”], we should focus on how He (May He be Blessed) is revealed through His actions. And when we continue speaking using the third person singular (be-nistar), saying “asher kidshanu bi-mitzvotav ve-tzivanu” – “who sanctified us by His commandments and commanded us” – we should focus on how He (May He be Blessed) is hidden and invisible to our power of conception. An analogy to this is that the sun, which is one of His servants,⁵²R. Bahya’s Hebrew wordplay here “she-ha-shemesh she-hu ehad mi-shamsav” is lost in translation.and of which human beings can conceive through its actions, such as how it works in the lower world with its heat on the speaking species, animals, and plants, and through its light and heat. And thus it is written, “nothing escapes (nistar) his heat.”⁵³Ps. 19:7 (JSB); “his” refers to the sun. But if trying to conceive the sun itself, one looks into the light itself, the light of his own eyes will be extinguished, and understand this! So in order to hint at Him being revealed and hidden, Scripture has said, “And your faithful ones shall bless You,”⁵⁴Ps. 145:10. that is to say, “in this way they shall bless You:” revealed and hidden, and this what is meant by “They shall talk of the majesty of Your kingship [kevod malkhutkha],”⁵⁵Ibid., 145:11. using the present tense, to teach about Him being revealed.⁵⁶Actually, in the Hebrew the verb is in the imperfect tense. And it said, “to make His mighty acts known among men,”⁵⁷Ibid., 145:12. to teach about Him being hidden.

If one was reclining and eating at the table, and the time for minhah came, if there isn’t enough time to wait before it’s too late, he interrupts his meal and prays. But if there is enough time to wait, he finishes his meal and then prays.¹²⁸B. Shabbat 9b, and so the Tur and Orah Hayim 232. And likewise if during the festival of Sukkot he forgot to wave the lulav, and he is standing over his table, if there is enough time in the day to wait, he finishes his meal, and then waves it, but if there is not enough time in the day to wait, he interrupts his meal and waves the lulav.¹²⁹B. Sukkot 38a, because one must wave the lulav during the day time.

You already knew from “The Wisdom of Formation”¹⁵⁴I.e., Sefer Yetzirah, 4:7. that a human being has seven apertures: two ears, two nostrils, two eyes, and the seventh is the mouth. And the “sevenths” are what the Holy One Blessed be He has “chosen.” He created the heavens, and chose the seventh one, which is “aravot” (“deserts”),¹⁵⁵According to B. Hagigah 12b, “Resh Lakish said: There are seven heavens. Vilon, Raki’a, Shekhakim, Z’vul, Ma’on, Makchon, and Aravot.” as it is said, “Cast up a highway for Him who rides through the deserts [aravot].”¹⁵⁶Ps 68:5. He created seven days of the week, and chose the seventh day, which is Shabbat, as it said, “the days were formed, and for Him there was one among them.”¹⁵⁷Ps 139:16. He created seven climates, and chose the seventh one, which is the land of Israel, as it is said, “For the Lord has chosen Zion.”¹⁵⁸Ps 132:13.And meditate well on this verse: “The Canaanites were then in the land.”¹⁵⁹Gen 12:6. The secret meaning of the verse is “and a girdle she gives to the merchant [la-kana’ani –‘to the Canaanite’]”¹⁶⁰Prov 31:24. “Canaanite” can be a generic term for “merchant” in Biblical Hebrew, just as “gypsy” can generically refer to any wanderer in English, though this is not how R. Bahya reads “kana’ani” here. – a girdle is put on the middle of a body.¹⁶¹In other words, the Cana’anites were originally given the “girdle” – the land, that like a girdle, is in the “center” of all the other lands; its centrality is proof that God prefers it over other lands. Chavel suggests that R. Bahya alludes to a mystical interpretation found also in his contemporary R. Menahem Recanati’s comment on Gen 12:6. Recanati says that “The Canaanites were then in the land” hints that even before God handed the land of the Canaanites over to the Israelites, it was his “chosen” land. For Prov 31:24 says to the Canaanites was given the “girdle” – the center of all the lands. This was when God assigned to each nation a piece of the earth, and an angel above to rule over it. However, no nation below falls from power until its ruling angel above falls – hence “the Canaanites were then in the land.” Eventually this does occur, and so the Israelites get the “girdle” that had originally been assigned to the Canaanites and their ruling angel. He created seven apertures in the head, and chose the seventh one, which is the mouth. And it is well known that he did not choose it because it eats and drinks, but rather because of the Torah and the mitzvah to bless His Name and declare His praise, just as the heavens and their hosts declare His glory, as it said, “The heavens declare the glory of God, the sky proclaims His handiwork.”¹⁶²Ps 19:2. And thus it is written, “This people I formed for Myself, that they might declare My praise.”¹⁶³Is 43:21. It is obvious that all that the Holy One Blessed be He created in the world, He created only for His glory, and so the prophet proclaimed: “Everyone who is called by My Name, I created for My glory,”¹⁶⁴Is 43:7. and it is written, “The Lord made everything for a purpose – le-ma’anehu,” to praise Him, like in the expression, “And Miriam chanted – ve-ta’an – for them.”¹⁶⁵Ex 15:21, i.e., led the women in a song of praise after God saved them at the Red Sea. R. Bahya interprets le-ma’anehu and va-ta’an midrashically as if they came from the same verb. So if everything was created to praise Him, it goes without saying that the mouth, which is the particular instrument for praising Him, was created for none other than this.

You already knew from “The Wisdom of Formation”¹⁵⁴I.e., Sefer Yetzirah, 4:7. that a human being has seven apertures: two ears, two nostrils, two eyes, and the seventh is the mouth. And the “sevenths” are what the Holy One Blessed be He has “chosen.” He created the heavens, and chose the seventh one, which is “aravot” (“deserts”),¹⁵⁵According to B. Hagigah 12b, “Resh Lakish said: There are seven heavens. Vilon, Raki’a, Shekhakim, Z’vul, Ma’on, Makchon, and Aravot.” as it is said, “Cast up a highway for Him who rides through the deserts [aravot].”¹⁵⁶Ps 68:5. He created seven days of the week, and chose the seventh day, which is Shabbat, as it said, “the days were formed, and for Him there was one among them.”¹⁵⁷Ps 139:16. He created seven climates, and chose the seventh one, which is the land of Israel, as it is said, “For the Lord has chosen Zion.”¹⁵⁸Ps 132:13.And meditate well on this verse: “The Canaanites were then in the land.”¹⁵⁹Gen 12:6. The secret meaning of the verse is “and a girdle she gives to the merchant [la-kana’ani –‘to the Canaanite’]”¹⁶⁰Prov 31:24. “Canaanite” can be a generic term for “merchant” in Biblical Hebrew, just as “gypsy” can generically refer to any wanderer in English, though this is not how R. Bahya reads “kana’ani” here. – a girdle is put on the middle of a body.¹⁶¹In other words, the Cana’anites were originally given the “girdle” – the land, that like a girdle, is in the “center” of all the other lands; its centrality is proof that God prefers it over other lands. Chavel suggests that R. Bahya alludes to a mystical interpretation found also in his contemporary R. Menahem Recanati’s comment on Gen 12:6. Recanati says that “The Canaanites were then in the land” hints that even before God handed the land of the Canaanites over to the Israelites, it was his “chosen” land. For Prov 31:24 says to the Canaanites was given the “girdle” – the center of all the lands. This was when God assigned to each nation a piece of the earth, and an angel above to rule over it. However, no nation below falls from power until its ruling angel above falls – hence “the Canaanites were then in the land.” Eventually this does occur, and so the Israelites get the “girdle” that had originally been assigned to the Canaanites and their ruling angel. He created seven apertures in the head, and chose the seventh one, which is the mouth. And it is well known that he did not choose it because it eats and drinks, but rather because of the Torah and the mitzvah to bless His Name and declare His praise, just as the heavens and their hosts declare His glory, as it said, “The heavens declare the glory of God, the sky proclaims His handiwork.”¹⁶²Ps 19:2. And thus it is written, “This people I formed for Myself, that they might declare My praise.”¹⁶³Is 43:21. It is obvious that all that the Holy One Blessed be He created in the world, He created only for His glory, and so the prophet proclaimed: “Everyone who is called by My Name, I created for My glory,”¹⁶⁴Is 43:7. and it is written, “The Lord made everything for a purpose – le-ma’anehu,” to praise Him, like in the expression, “And Miriam chanted – ve-ta’an – for them.”¹⁶⁵Ex 15:21, i.e., led the women in a song of praise after God saved them at the Red Sea. R. Bahya interprets le-ma’anehu and va-ta’an midrashically as if they came from the same verb. So if everything was created to praise Him, it goes without saying that the mouth, which is the particular instrument for praising Him, was created for none other than this.

Right after washing the hands comes the blessing, in other words, whoever has washed their hands for mayim ahronim ought to say birkat ha-mazon immediately.¹⁷⁶B. Berakhot 42a. And so you will also find in the Jerusalem Talmud: “Rabbi Zeira said in the name of Rabbi Abba, ‘There are three pairs of things that need to be done in immediate succession: the 18 Benedictions prayer has to follow the blessing for redemption without a break, kosher slaughter has to follow the laying on of hands without a break, and the blessing has to follow hand-washing without a break. The 18 Benedictions prayer has to follow the blessing for redemption without a break, as it is said, “The Lord is my Rock and my Redeemer,’ to which immediately is connected, ‘May the Lord answer you in time of trouble.’¹⁷⁷Ps 19:15 (last verse) and Ps 20:2 (first verse after the ascription). Kosher slaughter has to follow the laying on of hands without a break, as it is said, ‘He shall lay his hand…He shall slaughter.’¹⁷⁸Lev 1:4, 5. The blessing has to follow netilat yada’im without a break, as it is said, ‘Lift your hands toward the sanctuary and bless the Lord.’¹⁷⁹Ps 134:2. Rabbi Yosi the son of Rabbi Abin said, ‘Everyone who connects ge’ulah to tefilah without a break, Satan cannot accuse for the whole day; and everyone who connects the blessing to netilat yada’im without a break, Satan cannot accuse him during that meal. And likewise, everyone who lays his hand and slaughters without a break, there will be nothing invalid about that sacrifice.” So says the Jerusalem Talmud.¹⁸⁰Y. Berakhot 1:1.

And know indeed that what kind of person one is, is determined at the table, for there his qualities are revealed and made known. And thus our rabbis z”l said, “By three things a person is known: through his purse, through his cup, and through his anger.”³⁴B. Erubin 68b. The clever wordplay of be-kiso, be-koso, be-ka’aso of the saying is lost in the translation. For being drawn to wine and other pleasures – surely these are “the drippings of the honeycomb”³⁵Psalm 19:11, that is, the flowing “honey, the drippings of the honeycomb” than which the “fear of the Lord” and “judgments of the Lord” (19:10) “are sweeter.” – is one drawn to the drug of death, and by his grasping this path he will die an everlasting death. But whoever wants to live ought to keep far from this path; “he will eat and live forever.”³⁶Gen 3:22, an allusion to the immortality that would have come from eating from the Tree of Life. In other words, unlike the way Adam and Eve chose, there is another way one can and should eat to gain eternal life. And thus our rabbis z”l said in tractate Gittin of the Talmud, “A meal for your own enjoyment – pull your hand away from it,”³⁷B.Gittin 70a. and similarly said, “‘You shall be holy,’ that is, ‘you shall be abstemious (perushim),'”³⁸Sifra on Lev. 19:2. and “Make yourself holy through what is appropriate for you.”³⁹B. Yebamot 20a: “Make yourself holy through what is permitted to you.” And the author of Ecclesiastes said, “I said to myself, ‘Come, I will treat you to merriment. Taste mirth!’ That too, I found was futile.”⁴⁰Eccl. 2:1. And after that, he said, “I ventured to tempt [limshokh] my flesh with wine.”⁴¹Ibid. 2:3. Limshokh here is from the root of the same verb R. Bahya used above to refer to being drawn to wine, i.e., “being drawn [he-hamshekh] to wine and other pleasures…is one drawn [nemshakh] to the drug of death.” Thus, R. Bahya is using Eccl. 2:3 as a sort of prooftext for his point about wine. And in tractate Sanhedrin of the Talmud:⁴²B.Sanhedrin 70a. “Thirteen woes are said about wine, and they are specified in Parshat Noah. It is written, ‘Noah, the tiller of the soil, was the first to plant a vineyard,’⁴³Gen 9:20. which means from the moment he began to plant, he made his holiness profane. That is the point of the expression va-yahel – “he began”- which includes both the connotations of “beginning” (tehilah) and “profanation” (hillul). And because of wine, one third of the world was cursed.⁴⁴That is, the descendents of Ham were condemned to serve the descendents of his brothers Shem and Japhet, because when Noah, after drinking his wine, fell asleep in a drunken stupor, Ham “saw his nakedness.” Normally this is a Biblical euphemism for having sexual relations, hence the severity of the curse. The curse was actually directed at Ham’s son Canaan, most likely to justify morally the Israelites’ subsequent subjugation of the Canaanites and their land. However, the whole account is ambiguous and full of apparent non-sequiturs, prompting a quite a fruitful growth of midrashic attempts to explain the story. One unfortunate stream of interpretation, that Ham’s curse not only involved eternal servitude but also the blackening of his skin color, was later adopted in Christian and Muslim traditions, and used to justify the enslavement of Black Africans well into the 19th century – the so-called “Curse of Ham.” And they also taught in a midrash, “Don’t eye the wine, as it reddens…,”⁴⁵Prov. 23:31. that is, it yearns for blood.⁴⁶B. Sanhedrin 70a. And likewise Bathsheba warned King Solomon not to tempt his flesh with wine,⁴⁷B. Sanhedrin 70b.when she said to him, “Wine is not for kings, O Lemuel; not for kings to drink, nor any beer for princes.”⁴⁸Prov. 31:4. The midrash above identifies “Lemuel’s mother” (Prov. 31:1) with Bathsheba, the mother of King Solomon. And so he said, “I ventured to tempt my flesh with wine,”⁴⁹Eccl. 2:3. and “for who eats, and who feels the pleasures of the senses but me?”⁵⁰Ibid., 2:25. and then remarks after that, “That too is futile.”⁵¹Ibid., 2:26. For it is well known that someone in whose heart reverence for HaShem and fear of Him is strong, will reject and separate himself from the pleasures of the world, and will scorn them to the utmost, for he knows and is familiar with their consequences, while others who are lesser or worthless will fill their bellies with what delights them, and their vessels will return empty; they’re empty because they lack sense “They neither know nor understand; they walk about in darkness.”⁵²Ps. 82:5. About this, Solomon said, “When you sit down to dine with a ruler, consider well who is before you.”⁵³Prov. 23:1. He said, “If the wrath of the ruler rises up against you”⁵⁴Eccl. 10:4. and you go out to eat “the king’s food or the wine he drank”⁵⁵Dan. 1:8. in the house of the king who rules the land, understand well and look at those who were before you who chose this way- “what they saw in that matter and what had befallen them.”⁵⁶Esth. 9:26. Doesn’t the high status and greatness of most of them end up in humiliation and submission, “wholly swept away by terrors”?⁵⁷Ps. 73:19. Just what is written right afterwards in Proverbs, “Thrust a knife in your gullet!”⁵⁸Prov. 23:2.And our rabbis z”l said, “Do not yearn for the tables of kings, for your table is greater than their table, your crown greater than their crown.”⁵⁹M. Avot 6:5. Therefore, a person should not seek excessive gains and pursue them, for if he does, his days will be painful and he will never be satisfied, because there is no end to these gains, and whoever pursues things that have no end – is he not sick, blinded by his stupidity? For “every fool is embroiled.”⁶⁰Prov. 20:3. It goes without saying that he has no share in the Torah, because if he were rich and used to eating and drinking with silver dishes, he would be liable to think little of them and become unsatisfied until he had utensils of “turquoise, sapphire, and diamond,”⁶¹Ex 28:18. and as soon as he obtained one of them, he’d want two or three, and this would go on without out end. And therefore a person with good qualities must not in his heart crave for excessive gains, and should be satisfied with a little.

And know indeed that the status of the souls in the world of souls comes right as one dies, while the world to come is after the resurrection. And it is the hope of all hopes, it cannot be compared or likened to anything in this world, nor pictured in the mind, because its image cannot be comprehended in the heart of “anyone artistically skillful,”⁸⁷“Kol hakham lev,” any “artistic genius.” R. Bahya uses an expression from Ex 31:3-5 that describes the great architect and builders of the mishkan, Bezalel and his assistants: “I have filled him [Bezalel] with a divine spirit of skill [hakhmah]…to make designs…and work in every kind of craft. Moreover I have assigned to him Oholiab…and I have granted skill [hakhmah] to all who are skillful [kol hakham lev]…”surpassing their ability to picture its essence and quality – what it is like and how the souls take delight in it. The reason for this is because of our being sunken in the world of thick and coarse bodies, which is totally thickness and coarseness, while the upper world is totally elevation, refinement, and purity. Indeed, the two are opposites; it’s impossible to think of what we are diametrically opposed to. Just as for fish, because they exist in the element of water, and need it to exist and live, it would be impossible for them to turn to the element of fire because it is its opposite, so these two worlds are opposites, and “every man is proved dull, without knowledge”⁸⁸Jer 10:14. of the quality of the world to come while in this world, and even the wisest of the wise are fools about this. And you already knew that our rabbis z”l said that even the prophets didn’t prophesy about it due the fact that it was hidden for the most part, which is what they said in Sanhedrin:⁸⁹B. Sanhedrin 99a. “All the prophets prophesied all the good things with regard to the days of Messiah; but as for the world to come ‘No eye has seen, O God, but You.'” However, we know in general through what we can infer through reason and from the Torah “which makes wise the simple”⁹⁰Ps 19:8. that just as the body enjoys and takes delight [mitaden] in a pleasant aromatic meal according to the body’s standards of pleasure, so the soul will enjoy and take delight in this upper world. However, its way of taking delight there is not measured like bodily things, which have measures and dimensions, but the upper beings have no measure and dimension, because their status is great, beyond conception, and their way of taking delight deeper than any measure. And even though the power of the body is weak and unable to picture in the heart the existence of the upper beings and their delight that is without measure, the power of the upper beings and their perfection is not diminished by lesser beings, composed of matter, who are unable to conceive of them, just as the human wisdom and virtue is not diminished by a fool or beast who cannot imagine or conceive of it.

In reciting the verse, “Yihyu le-ratzon…” (“May the expressions of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart find favor before You, God, my Rock, and my Redeemer”; Tehilim 19:15) right after completing the berakha for peace, we end the main part of the Amida. At this point, Elokai Netzor, a paragraph of personal pray, is customarily added. As we have learned, this is where one may add as much personal petition and supplication as she wants. It is said that R. Akiva would prolong his prayers extensively with supplications when praying alone (see Berakhot 31a).

When saying Shemoneh Esrei, you should not signal with your eyes, or move your lips, or indicate with your fingers.⁵⁰These things are forbidden when used as a means of communication or to attract someone’s attention. You may not interrupt even in response to Kaddish, Kedushah, or Barechu.⁵¹If you are in the midst of praying Shemoneh Esrei, you may not answer Amein to Kaddish, or recite the Kedushah, or respond to Barechu. You should remain silent and concentrate on what is being said by the chazzan and the congregation, and this will be accounted to you as if you had responded and fulfilled your obligation;⁵²By following this instruction, it is considered as though you had actually participated in the response of the congregation. and nevertheless it is not considered an interruption [of your Shemoneh Esrei.] However, when saying: Elokai Netzor, interruptions are permitted for those things for which you may interrupt in the middle of a section of the berachos of Shema, or the Shema itself. (See Chapter 16) Nevertheless if possible you should first recite: Yiheyu leratzon imrei fi;⁵³“May the words of my mouth be acceptable etc.” Psalms 19:15. and if there is still time, you should also take three steps backward.⁵⁴Before making these interruptions.

In exile, Israel abandoned its preoccupation with secular matters that concerned the people as a whole, and turned its eyes and hearts toward heaven. It stopped trying to amass power, chariots, and horses like every other people on earth, and the nation as a collective ceased all materialist pursuits. It no longer desired the debaucheries of the surrounding peoples. The spirit of God began to beat within the people once again and to awaken them to know the true heights of the human soul. So, too, they became aware once more of the Jewish people’s spiritual potential. The Torah became more precious to them “than gold, than much fine gold,”⁵²Ps. 19:11. as it had been in the good times of the people’s youth. They were willing to accept death joyfully for the sake of their holy faith and commandments. Their eyes and hearts, which were habitually cast heavenward, began to recuperate⁵³See Jer. 8:22. from the backslidings and sins of their national life. From the time they were separated from the land, they turned toward it—not with the greedy gaze of one who sits in his house and desires to reacquire the land that he had sold because it supplied him with bread and other physical needs, but rather with a look of holy love for its inner character, befitting the godly desire that had begun to return to the people.

To preserve your sense of sight, take the following precautions: Do not come suddenly, all at once, from a dark place to a well-lit one. If you need to enter from a dark place to a lighted one, open the door a bit and look at that small amount of light for a few moments, then open it more and again look at that light for a few moments, and then open it completely. Do the same when going from a lighted area to a dark one. This is because the shift from light to darkness, or from darkness to light, without any transition, damages the sense of sight. For this reason G-d, blessed be His name, in His great mercy created the world in such a way that the sun shines upon the earth little by little, not all at once, and likewise sets little by little. For this we bless Him as “the One who illuminates the earth and those who dwell upon it, with mercy,” meaning that He mercifully makes the sun shine little by little, and not suddenly, all at once. Reflected light from the sun—meaning that the sun shines on something and from there the light is reflected—is a light that is damaging to the eyes. Therefore you should take care not to dwell in a house where all the windows are on the north side, because the sun does not come to the north, so that all the light that comes from that side is only reflected light. Similarly, even if the windows are on the eastern, southern or western sides, if you cannot see the sky through the windows—for example, if there are high walls opposite them—then the light that comes through them is also only reflected light. You should take care not to be occupied with writing, reading a book, or any sort of detailed work by twilight, or in the middle of the day, when the sun’s light is at full strength. You should also not do too much writing, reading of books with fine print, or any other sort of detailed work by candlelight at night. Too much staring at the color white also damages the eyes; that is why the sky appears blue, not white, so it should not damage the eyes. Likewise, staring excessively at a bright red color, or at fire, is also damaging. Smoke and sulfurous fumes are also damaging, as are fine dust and wind that blows into one’s eyes. Also too much walking and large strides, and excessive crying [are harmful], as the verse says, “My eyes are spent with tears.”⁹Eichah 2:11. Most detrimental of all is excessive sexual intercourse. By contrast, “the commandment of G-d is clear, enlightening the eyes.”¹⁰Tehillim 19:9.

It is from the roots of this commandment that God wanted to uproot evil-heartedness and severe cruelty from His holy people. And therefore He commanded that anyone, whose great anger overpowers him to the point that he strikes his slave who is in his home and has no savior, should be killed. Even though the slave is an acquisition of his money and he has destroyed his [own asset] with [his slave's] death, he is still killed - since his anger overcame him so much. And this is a fitting and proper law - 'the judgments of the Lord are true, righteous altogether.'

The Rosh, may his memory be for a blessing, wrote (Chapter 2 of Tractate Sukkah, paragraph 8):
It must be examined (exactly) what constitutes the “ḥupah”; is it a place where one recites the marriage benedictions, meaning (only that it is) the first stage of marriage and hence called the “ḥupah”? It is impossible to say this, for somethimes they recite the benedictions in the city street while the people are crowding about. Rather, the main dwelling place of the groom and bride is what is called “ḥupah”. It is not a place used (lit. made) by mere chance. And there (the fomer place) they recite the benedictions for seven days.
The custom in Ashkenaz (Germany) is to make a litter and place the groom and bride (on it), and this is called the “ḥupah”.
This is in accordance with an ancient view (custom) and it has Biblical support: “A groom will go out of his chamber, and a bride from her canopy (‘ḥupah’)” (Joel 2:16).
Behold, there is an established (fixed) place that, for this time (the marriage ceremony), is called a “ḥupah”, as it is written: “He is like a groom going out from his canopy (‘ḥupah’)” (Psalms 19:6), meaning (he goes out) from the tent wherein is the “ḥupah”, as it is written in the previous verse: “He placed in them a tent for the sun”³⁴It is possible that the author is basing his proof-text on a now reading of verse 5; changing the vocalization of two words leads to the translation: “to serve there as a tent for them.” (Psalms 19:5).

The Rosh, may his memory be for a blessing, wrote (Chapter 2 of Tractate Sukkah, paragraph 8):
It must be examined (exactly) what constitutes the “ḥupah”; is it a place where one recites the marriage benedictions, meaning (only that it is) the first stage of marriage and hence called the “ḥupah”? It is impossible to say this, for somethimes they recite the benedictions in the city street while the people are crowding about. Rather, the main dwelling place of the groom and bride is what is called “ḥupah”. It is not a place used (lit. made) by mere chance. And there (the fomer place) they recite the benedictions for seven days.
The custom in Ashkenaz (Germany) is to make a litter and place the groom and bride (on it), and this is called the “ḥupah”.
This is in accordance with an ancient view (custom) and it has Biblical support: “A groom will go out of his chamber, and a bride from her canopy (‘ḥupah’)” (Joel 2:16).
Behold, there is an established (fixed) place that, for this time (the marriage ceremony), is called a “ḥupah”, as it is written: “He is like a groom going out from his canopy (‘ḥupah’)” (Psalms 19:6), meaning (he goes out) from the tent wherein is the “ḥupah”, as it is written in the previous verse: “He placed in them a tent for the sun”³⁴It is possible that the author is basing his proof-text on a now reading of verse 5; changing the vocalization of two words leads to the translation: “to serve there as a tent for them.” (Psalms 19:5).

In my humble opinion, the Halakhic authorities do not differ at all, for behold, it is true that the word “ḥupah” is not written in the Torah, only the word (for) marriage, as it is written: “(In the case of) one who betrothes a woman but has not (yet) taken her…”
[illegible] marriage, since, according to Torah law proper, when he has intercourse with her for the sake of marriage, she is (considered) his wife completely and she is (considered) married. So wrote the Rambam.
However, it is not the way for Israelites to have this intercourse in public, and therefore, we would require witnesses to the “yiḥud” for intercourse. And even if it was possible that there was no need for witnesses to this (“yiḥud”), as it is written in paragraph 5, in every instance the matter would be in public (in reality) - for behold, (we) must bless them with the seven benedictions immediately before the marriage (ceremony). Therefore, our rabbis, may their memories be for a blessing, established that the “ḥupah” will be (can be) in place of the “nisuin” (i.e. the two terms can be used synonymously). It has always been this way; even in the time of the prophets, as it is written: “like a groom going out from his ‘ḥupah’ ” (Psalm 19:6), and, it says: “and a bride from her ‘ḥupah’ ” (Joel 2:16). (Cf. VIII) Obviously (then), thus did Moses our Rabbi instruct (lead) Israel.

It is written, “Serve the Lord with gladness” (Ps. 100:2)¹Berakoth 31a. and “Serve the Lord with fear” (Ps. 2:11), but how so? ²The Midrash on Psalms, trans. William Braude (2 Vols.; New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 1959), II, 147.(both fear and gladness?) If a man is over-joyful, let him recall the day of death,³Berakoth 31a. this is fear. If he is sad, let him rejoice his heart with matters of the Law,⁴Shabbath 30b. as it is written, “The precepts of the Lord are right rejoicing the heart” (Ps. 19:9).

To not conclude the judgment by estimation: That a court only kill the accused with witnesses that testify about the same matter about which he is to be killed; that they actually saw him with their eyes, [not] that they testify against him based on strong indications. And about this is it stated (Exodus 23:7), "and an innocent one and a righteous one you shall not kill" - meaning to say, be very careful not to kill a person about whom it is possible that he did not do what they said that he did. And so is it explained in Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 23:7:2, as there they said, "If they saw him pursuing another to kill him, the knife in his hand, and they [warned him, 'If you kill him, you will be killed.' And the witnesses] averted their eyes [and did not see him striking him] and afterwards they found him (the victim) in the death throes, the knife dripping blood in the hand of the murderer — I might understand that he is liable [for execution. Hence,] we learn to say, 'and a clean one and righteous one you shall not kill.'" Behold, because they averted their eyes at the time of the striking, this one is exempted. And the matter is proper and fitting to be like this. As if the Torah had permitted to establish the parameters of punishment with strong possibilities, it would come out from the matter that sometimes we would kill people for something they did not do, as there is great breadth to the possible. And know this and understand it, as it is a clear thing. And therefore, He, may He be elevated, closed this gate and commanded us about it. And all of "the precepts of the Lord are just, rejoicing the heart" (Psalms 19:9). And also included in this negative commandment is one about whom two witnesses have testified that he committed a [different] sin; for example, that one testifies that he did work on Shabbat and one testifies that he worshiped idolatry, such that this one is not condemned by their testimony, as it is stated, "and an innocent one and a righteous one do not kill." And so did they, may their memory be blessed, say (Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 23:7:2), "If one testified against another that he worshiped the sun, and another, [that he worshiped] the moon, I might understand that they combine (to constitute the necessary two witnesses). [Hence,] we learn to say, 'and an innocent one and righteous one you shall not kill.'"

We do not stand to pray in the midst of (ie. immediately after) judging a case, or in the midst of [studying] Jewish law, so that one's heart will not be troubled with it (ie. he will be distracted by it), rather [we stand to pray] in the midst of [studying] conclusive Jewish law. Rem"a: For this is also like being in the "midst of joy", because of [the verse] "the precepts of Hashem are upright, delighting the heart" [Psalms 19:9] (Tur, Orach Chaim 93:1)

The Law of Juxtaposing "Redemption" to "Prayer". Containing 3 Seifim:
One needs to juxtapose “redemption” [i.e. the last blessing of the Sh'ma - "Ga-al Yisrael"] to “prayer” [i.e. the Amidah]. And one should not interrupt between them, even with "Amen" after “Ga-al Yisrael”, and not for any verse other than “Hashem Sefatai” [Psalms 51:17, the introductory verse for the Amidah]. Gloss: And there are those who say that it is permitted to respond Amen after “Ga-al Yisrael”, and so we practice (Tur). And there are those who say that this requirement to juxtapose “redemption” to “prayer” is only on a weekday or Yom Tov, but on Shabbat one does not need to. (Meaning, that the reason that we require to juxtapose “redemption” to “prayer” [during the week] is because it is written “God will answer you in a day of distress,” [Psalms 20:2] and juxtaposed to it [is written], “Let the words of my mouth be desire … and my redeemer.” [Psalms 19:15], but Shabbat is not a time of distress. And in my humble opinion, it seems [that the reason] this is not so on Yom Tov is because they are days of judgement, as we learned in Mishnah Rosh Hashanah 1:2, “On Passover [the world is judged] on grain…”) (Hagahot Ashir"i [Rabbi Yisrael MiKrems] on Chapter 1 of Berachot; and Kol Bo, Laws of Shabbat; and Mahari"l, the Laws of Yom Tov) And it is good to be stringent unless in a place that needs to do such (Tur).

Know that it is obvious that our sages, their memory for a blessing, only allowed adding to the Shemoneh Esrei temporarily as the occasion required it. However, to add a regular, fixed prayer in the Shemoneh Esrei is an excessively arrogant and disrespectful [act] against the Men of the Great Assembly [who composed the Shemoneh Esrei]. And regarding this every Torah scholar agrees, as do all in whom the fear of G-d is in their midst. Accordingly, one should cry out against the publishers who have added in the prayer books in "Hear our voices" a fixed prayer: "Please G-d, I have sinned..." "You are the One who feeds and sustains...". Many of the commoners say this [insertion] regularly like all the prayer of Shemoneh Esrei", and my heart is sick upon me over this act. I have heard that one of the leaders of the past generation [protested] loudly over this. However, because of our many sins, "the world has been given over to fools" (see Sanhedrin 46b), and the publishers do whatever they want and we don't have the ability to [successfully] object. [Regarding] this that they cite from the Zohar that it is good to request regularly regarding one's sustenance even if one is wealthy, or to confess one's sins (Magen Avraham 1), this is indeed the case, but not to make a fixed formulation in the middle of the prayers of the Men of the Great Assembly. And if he wants to he can say them after the [Shemoneh Esrei] prayer, after [he says the completing verse] "May they find favor..." (Psalms 19:15), and [then] who would protest [his doing this]? The [sages] have already said in the Talmud that after the [Shemoneh Esrei] prayer one can say even like the [lengthy] prayer order of Yom Kippur.

The words of the Torah gladden the heart, as it is said, "The precepts of Hashem are upright, gladdening the heart" (Psalms 19:9). Therefore, it is forbidden to study Torah on Tishah beAv, except for subjects that sadden the heart, such as the chapters of the book of Jeremiah,¹¹According to Shulchan Aruch 554:2, it is also permitted to study commentaries on Jeremiah and Job. regarding the ominous events he prophesied, omitting the verses of consolation. Also the verses foretelling the punishment to be meted out to the nations of the world that are written there, should be omitted. It is also permitted to study the Book of Job, as well as Midrash Eichah. [The following Talmudic selections may also be studied:] the Talmud, chapter Eilu megalchin, (Moed Katan, 3rd chapter), which deals with the laws of a mourner, and a person who was excommunicated, and the Aggadic portion of the chapter Hanizakin (Maseches Gittin 55b), and in the Jerusalem Talmud, the last part of the Maseches Ta'anis, which discusses the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash. But even the chapters you are permitted to study, you are forbidden to study in depth, to find an answer to a difficult question or a homiletic interpretation, for that would gladden the heart. Any subject you, yourself, are permitted to study, you are permitted to teach to children. You are permitted to read the entire order of daily prayers, even the Mishnah of Eizehu mekoman¹²The portion of prayers that deal with the order of sacrificial offerings should not be said, with the exception of the daily sacrifice. (See Mishnah Berurah 554:7) (What is the location [of the offerings?]). But you should not say Ma'amados, even if you are accustomed to saying it every day.

That He prohibited the king from having much money specifically for himself. And that is His saying, "and he may not have silver and gold for himself in great abundance" (Deuteronomy 17:17). And the measure of this is that its amount only be according to that which is required for his chariot and his designated servants. But it is permitted that he amass money for the benefit of all of Israel. And God, may He be exalted, has already explained the reason for these three commandments - meaning to say, "he may not have many horses," "he may not have many wives" and "he may not have silver and gold for himself in abundance" - in Scripture. But because their reason and cause was known, a veering away from the law occurred. [This is] that which is already famous in the story of King Shlomo, peace be upon him - in spite of the great level of his knowledge and wisdom, and his being a "friend of God (YedidYah)" (II Samuel 12:25). They, may their memory be blessed, said (Sanhedrin 21b) that there is a hint and message with this to people: That if they knew the reasons for all of the commandments, there would be a veering away. [For] if this one, who was so complete in wisdom and of such great stature, could already imagine and think that this [forbidden] act is not necessarily a cause for that sin; what will be when all of the masses with their weak minds will talk about them and say, "This would not be prohibited or this not commanded except for this. I will be careful about the thing for which this commandment was commanded, and I will not pay attention to it [since it was only meant as a fence]!" But then the law will be destroyed. And hence God, may He be exalted, hid their reasons. But there is none of [the commandments] that does not have a reason, a benefit and a cause. However most of these reasons needed to be hidden; for the intellect of the masses will not grasp and understand them. But they are all like the prophet testified - "The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes" (Psalms 19:9). And I shall ask assistance from God to fulfill that which we are commanded about, and to stay away from that which we are prohibited. (See Parashat Shoftim; Mishneh Torah, Kings and Wars 3.)

Therefore, the one who sees the moon in her renewal blesses "Blessed... is the One with Whose word They created shechakim ..." - and the firmament is here called shechakim as we say in Chagiga 12b: "[there are seven firmaments, including] shechakim, since there millstones stand and grind out manna for the righteous" [the word for grind and shechakim are similar]. Therefore Rav Yehuda, who said this statement about blessing of the moon in Sanhedrin 42a, he thinks in Chagiga 12b that there are only two firmaments, "heavens" and "the utmost heavens". And it's possible that the two are firmament and the shechakim, and his intent was: that although it's obvious that there are seven firmaments, they fall into two categories. For in the Tana"ch we find only these two names for the firmaments: firmament [רקיע] and shechakim [שחקים], and these are "heavens" [שמים] and "the utmost heavens" [שמי השמים]. And this is why it says "at Their word They created shechakim, and with the breath of Their Mouth all their hosts" -- since so says David, "at the word of God the heavens were made, and with the breath of Their Mouth all their hosts" (Psalms 33:6). And it says "A law and a time They gave to them, that they should not change their courses". The "time" is all the days if the world, six thousand years. "Being glad and rejoicing to do the will of their Creator", as it is written "[the sun] rejoices like a hero about to run a race" (Psalms 19:6). And it uses the language of "gladness and joy", like the language designated for Yisrael, as it says "Gladness and joy shall abide there, Thanksgiving and the sound of music" (Isaiah 51:3). "Doers of truth whose doings are true" -- this is the text of Rash"i, and it refers to the sun and the moon whose courses do not change. And the Tosfot render it "Doer of truth whose doings are true" and referring to the Holy Blessed One, since with truth and justice did They diminish the moon. "And to the moon They said to renew itself..." -- this is the world to come, which will be entirely renewed. And as for now, it renews itself every month. And this is a sign for Israel, who are "those borne in the womb", since so said the prophet "[the people of Israel] who are carried from the womb" (Isaiah 46:3). And one concludes the blessing "Blessed... is the One Who renews months." [מחדש חודשים]

The root of this commandment is known - as there is in it a benefit to all, and to the ordering of the state; as forgetfulness exists with all [people, and] also their beasts and all of their animals flee here and there. And with this commandment that is among our people, beasts and vessels will be safe in every place that they may be in our holy land as if they were under the hand of their owners. 'And all of the directives of the Lord are straight, they rejoice the heart.'

1. Tisha b'Av is forbidden for washing, anointing, wearing leather shoes, and marital relations. It is also forbidden to read from the Torah, Nevi'im, and Ksuvim and to learn mishna and midrash and gemara and halacha and aggada, because it says, "The precepts of God are right, gladdening the heart" (Tehillim 19:9). Schoolchildren are idle on it. One may read Iyov and the bad things which are in Yirmiyah, but if there are between them passages of consolation, one must skip them.

It is from the roots of this commandment [that it is] in order to restrain the villains from this evil deed, and that the daughters of Israel should not be as if abandoned. Since if the rapist thinks he can fill his desire with her and [just] walk away, it will be light in his eyes to do so many times. But if he has in mind that she will be tied to him and he will be [held] responsible for the obligation of [her] sustenance, clothing and appointed times, all of his days; and that even if he gets sick of her, he will never have the option of divorcing her; and that he he will have to give to her father fifty silver [shekel-coins] immediately - he will truly suppress his [evil] impulse and prevent himself from doing this villainy that comes with such a penalty. And there is also in this a little comfort for this poor embarrassed woman in that she will stay with him forever, lest another man would embarrass her with this evil thing that happened to her. 'And the ordinances of the Lord are straight, they rejoice the heart.'