Hebrew Bible Study
Hebrew Bible Study

Halakhah for Numbers 18:5

וּשְׁמַרְתֶּ֗ם אֵ֚ת מִשְׁמֶ֣רֶת הַקֹּ֔דֶשׁ וְאֵ֖ת מִשְׁמֶ֣רֶת הַמִּזְבֵּ֑חַ וְלֹֽא־יִהְיֶ֥ה ע֛וֹד קֶ֖צֶף עַל־בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃

And ye shall keep the charge of the holy things, and the charge of the altar, that there be wrath no more upon the children of Israel.

Sefer HaChinukh

To not nullify the guarding of the Temple: To not nullify the guarding of the Temple, [but rather] to always walk around it every night, as it is stated (Numbers 18:5), "And you shall guard the guarding of the Holy." And it is well-known that the expression of guarding takes the place of a negative commandment. And [it is] as they, may their memory be blessed, said (Eruvin 96a), "Every place in which it is stated, 'guard yourself,' 'lest,' and 'not,' is nothing but a negative commandment." And they said in Mekhilta, "'And they shall guard the guarding of the Tent of Meeting' (Numbers 18:4), - I only [know of] a positive commandment. From where [do I know] a negative commandment? [Hence], we learn to say, 'And you shall guard the guarding of the Holy.'" To here [are the words of Mekhilta]. And maybe they expounded a positive commandment and a negative commandment when they found two verses teaching one thing. And from the one that comes by way of a command in second person, they learned a negative commandment; and they expounded the command in third person - which is lighter than it - about a positive commandment. And anyone who weighs the things in just scales will concede about this - that the third person is lighter than a command in second person.
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