Musar sobre Números 15:47

This can be explained, with the help of the L-rd, in various ways. [See what we have written above in the introduction.] It is written in Yerushalmi Peah 1:1 that just as the reward for Torah study is over and against all of the mitzvoth, so is the punishment for lashon hara over and against all of the transgressions. It is found, then, that just as Torah study is the greatest of all of the mitzvoth, so is lashon hara the severest of all of the sins. The reason, basically, is this: Just as with the elements that the blessed One has implanted in this world — fire, wind, water, and earth — the spiritual element is far stronger than the material so that the material is almost nothing compared to it, as we see plainly that when fire gets the upper hand over a material substance it destroys it, and, likewise, when the element of wind gets the upper hand, it can split mountains and break rocks, as it is written (I Kings 19:11): "And a great, strong wind, splitting mountains and breaking rocks," so is the thing with the "higher elements," such as tzitzith, lulav, shofar, and all the mitzvoth. Just as through them great things are worked in the higher worlds, and through them, too, a man is sanctified to the L-rd, as it is written (Numbers 15:40): "And you shall do all My mitzvoth and you shall be holy to your G-d," still, there is no comparison between them and Torah study, as we find in Yerushalmi Peah 1, that all of the mitzvoth are not comparable to one word of Torah. The reason is that all the mitzvoth are combined with matter. So that, for example, it is impossible to fulfill the mitzvah of tzitzith without donning a garment, which is material. And the same with succah and lulav, and thus with all of the mitzvoth. Not so with Torah study, which inheres in the faculty of speech, which is an abstract, "spiritual" faculty alone. For this reason its higher workings are awesome, wherefore the study of Torah is "over and against all." The reverse is true of kilkul ["damage"]. For with all of the organs through which he sins, because they are material, the kilkul wrought by them is not so [relatively] great. Not so, with the sin of lashon hara and rechiluth, which works purely through a spiritual agency, wherefore its kilkul in the higher worlds is awesome. Its punishment, therefore, correspondingly, is "over and against all."

The fourth principle is pain in [his] actions, as it is stated (Joel 2:12), "'Yet even now' - says the Lord - 'Turn back to Me with all your hearts, and with fasting, weeping, and lamenting." And they, may their memory be blessed, said (Yerushalmi Berakhot 1:4), "The heart and the eyes are the two intermediaries of sin." And so is it written (Numbers 15:39), "and you shall not go astray after your hearts and after your eyes." Hence with this will the sin of the intermediaries be atoned - with the measure of repentance according to the measure of the affliction. For the iniquity of the heart is atoned by its bitterness and sighing - with the brokenness with which it is broken, as it is stated (Isaiah 57:16), "when spirits in front of Me cover themselves." And it is [also] written (Psalms 51:19), "God, You will not despise a contrite and crushed heart." And the parable about this is from the [impure] vessels - when they are broken, they are purified, as it is stated (Leviticus 11:35), "an oven or stove shall be smashed." And the iniquity of the eyes is atoned by tears, as it is stated (Psalms 119:136), "My eyes shed streams of water, because they do not obey Your Torah ." It does not state, "because I do not obey Your Torah," but rather states, "they do not obey"; since they were what caused the sin - therefore, I shed streams of waters.

And this is the intent of (Bamidbar 15:40): So that you remember and do all of My mitzvoth and you will be holy to your G-d." Now, ostensibly, "so that you remember and do all of My mitzvoth" is superfluous, for it is written [just] before (Ibid. 39): "and you will remember all the mitzvoth of the L-rd and you will do them." And it should have been written there "and you will be holy to your G-d." But, the verse [39] intimates to us something essential, i.e., when are the mitzvoth of so much avail that through them a man will be "holy to G-d"? When he takes heed not to go astray after the thoughts of his heart and the sight of his eyes. As Chazal have said on this verse, (Berachoth 12): "'After your hearts' — this is heresy;" 'and after your eyes' — this is adultery.'" And the Chinuch writes that included in "heresy" are all of the thoughts that run counter to the perspective of Torah, and included in "adultery" is pursuing the lusts of the world.

To what may this be compared? To one whose house is full of mud and mire. Even if he will bring into his house the finest golden vessels, it will not be beautified thereby. He must first remove the mud and mire and then bring in the vessels. And so is it in our instance. The Jew has been given the power through his cleaving to Torah and mitzvoth to root in his soul the holiness of the L-rd, as it is written (Bamidbar 35:34): "I, the L-rd, dwell in the midst of Israel." But when is this? When he does not allow the yetzer to reside there through his false ideas or filthy thoughts. And this is the intent of "And you shall not go astray after your hearts and after your eyes, after which you stray." (That is, [this will occur] only if you guard yourselves in the future against your straying). "so that you remember and do all of My mitzvoth, etc." That is, if you are careful not to go astray, as mentioned above, the great result will follow that through the doing of the mitzvoth you will be holy to the L-rd. (As the Men of the Great Assembly have formulated for the blessing over a mitzvah: "who sanctified us with His mitzvoth." ["so that" refers to "and you will be holy" (i.e., "so that, in remembering and doing My mitzvoth, you will be holy to your G-d")]. But if, G-d forbid, you do go astray, the mitzvoth will not avail for your becoming holy. And this is the prophet's intent in (Jeremiah 4:3): "Plow for yourselves a furrow and do not sow upon thorns." Happy is he who reflects upon this. It will be good for him in this world and in the next.

But still, one should not despair, even one for whom it is difficult to cleanse his thoughts and to entirely remove lewd thoughts from his heart. For if so, even His mitzvoth and his Torah would not avail to sanctify his soul, and how would he ever attain his end? But the major element here is Chazal's formula: "If one comes to cleanse himself he is helped [by Heaven]." And if he desires with his whole heart to remove lewd thoughts from it, he will certainly be aided by Heaven to do this, and he must not, G-d forbid, nullify any mitzvah or Torah, even though his thoughts are not entirely pure. In this connection Chazal have said (Pesachim 50b): "Let one always occupy himself with Torah and mitzvoth, even lo lishmah [not for the sake of Heaven], for from lo lishmah, lishmah [for the sake of Heaven] will follow." That is, the holiness of the Torah and the mitzvah will help him, so that it will be in his power to do and to learn for the sake of Heaven, too. And this is what is alluded to in the above verse itself. For, in the beginning it is written (Bamidbar 15:39): "And you will remember all the mitzvoth of the L-rd and you will do them." "the mitzvoth of the L-rd," implying for the sake of the L-rd, is written only in respect to remembering, but not in respect to doing, his not yet having attained purity of thought in the doing of the mitzvoth. In any event, the doing of these acts will bring him to remove the [impure] thoughts of the heart and to overcome his lusts, after which he will reach the level of (Ibid. 40): "and you will do all of My mitzvoth," the doing, too, being exclusively for the sake of the L-rd; and this will bring him to the level of holiness— "and you will be holy." However, all of this obtains only with one who comes to purify himself and strengthens himself to remove the lewd thoughts and to keep himself from [the gratification of] his lusts. (Only) then does "He who comes to purify himself" obtain.]

The commandment of ציצית fulfills a similar function. It is directed to all four directions of the globe, and the total numerical value of the word, adding the eight threads of the actual fringes plus the five knots we tie when attaching them to the garment, give us a total of 613, i.e. reminds us of all the commandments of the Torah. They also act as reminder of the Celestial Regions, a reminder of the soul which originates immediately beneath the "throne of G–d." Our sages in Chullin 89, have phrased it thus: "The blue wool resembles the ocean, the ocean resembles the colour of the sky, the sky resembles the purity of the sapphire, and the sapphire resembles the throne of G–d." We find therefore that this commandment is an instrument designed to refine the non-material, spiritual part of man, his נפש. The two prohibitions then are designed to prevent mental and physical excesses, to ensure that the Jew has a pure mind and body.

The reason for Scripture's singling out just these things seems to be this: It is known that every man has 248 physical organs and 365 physical sinews, as it is written (Iyyov 10:11): "With skin and flesh did You clothe me and with bones and sinews did You cover me." Now Scripture mentions skin and flesh and sinews and bones, and calls them only "clothing" and "covering" — "You clothed me"; "You covered me." Whom did He clothe if not the soul that is in his midst — "the essential man." And every organ of the soul is clothed from above with a bodily organ which corresponds to that organ as a garment to the body. And corresponding to this, the Holy One Blessed be He gave us 248 positive commandments and 365 negative commandments. And they are also distributed among the organs. For there is a mitzvah depending on the hand and a mitzvah depending on the foot. And so with all the other organs, as stated in the book of Charedim. And when a man fulfills a mitzvah in this world with a certain organ, in the world to come the light of the L-rd reposes on that organ, and it is that light which vivifies that organ. And so, with each and every mitzvah. It emerges, then, that when a man fulfills the 248 positive commandments, then he is the "complete man," who is sanctified to the L-rd with all of his organs. And this is the intent of what is stated in the section of tzitzith [fringes] (Bamidbar 15:40): "And you will do all My mitzvoth and you will be holy to your G-d." But if, G-d forbid, he be lacking one of the 248 positive commandments, which he has "cast behind his back," and which he did not repent of, there will be a defect in his soul in the world to come in the organ corresponding to that mitzvah. And this is the intent of Berachoth 26a: "(Koheleth 1:15): 'The crooked cannot be made straight' — This refers to one who omitted the Shema of the evening prayer or the Shema of the morning prayer, or the Amidah of the evening prayer or the Amidah of the morning prayer.'" And when a man is careful not to transgress the negative commandments of the Torah, he draws down the light of sanctity upon the sinews of his soul. And if he is not careful, they will be — G-d forbid — defective, as is explained at length in the book, Sha'arei Kedushah, Chapter I.

I have come, further, to awaken ourselves to [the significance of] something we say every day in the section of tzitzith (Bamidbar 15:39): "And you shall see it, and you shall remember all the mitzvoth of the L-rd." Our Rabbis of blessed memory have said concerning this (Menachoth 43b): "Seeing leads to remembering and remembering leads to doing." But when is this of avail? When he studies and knows the mitzvoth but is afraid that he might forget them. Tzitzith avails for this, that he will remember them and not forget them, and, as a matter of course, he will come to fulfill them. But if he does not know the mitzvoth, how will tzitzith avail him? Therefore, it is very desirable that one learn all of the book, Mitzvoth Hashem, or, at least, Kitzur Sefer Charedim which is included in Zichru Torath Mosheh of the Chayeh Adam. He will thereby know the mitzvoth and will fulfill correctly the mitzvah of tzitzith.

And there are many people among the masses who think that the main loss and damage to the soul is only from sins that [involve] an action; and that there is no losing of the soul for a man that is pure from sinning actively and who did not walk in the way of transgressions, but rather [only] prevented himself from doing [positive] commandments and good deeds. Therefore, we are obligated to make discernment known to the ones of a mistaken spirit. For our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Yerushalmi Chagigah 1:7), “The Holy One, blessed be He, forewent idolatry, etc., but He did not forego the sin of wasting [time available for] Torah [study].” And they said, (Sifre Devarim, Ekev), “Just like the reward for Torah study is greater than [that for] all of the commandments in the Torah, so too is the punishment for wasting [time for] it greater than [that for] all of the sins.” And they said (Sanhedrin 99a), “‘Because he has despised the word of the Lord and has breached His commandment’ (Numbers 15:31) - is stated about anyone for whom it is possible to engage in Torah [study] and does not engage [in it].” And we have already mentioned all of these to you in the Gate of the Torah (no longer extant).

And the commandment of tefillin and the commandment of mezuzah are positive commandments - but behold they are included in accepting the kingdom of the Heavens. For thus were they written in the section of Shema Yisrael. And from this, you can contemplate the punishment of one who nullifies these commandments, as he is breaking the yoke and removing the cords [of God’s authority]. And we have already discussed these commandments. And about the commandment of fringes (tsitsit), our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, have said in the Sifrei (Sifrei Bemidbar, Shelach) that fringes adds to holiness, as it is stated (Numbers 15:40), “In order that you shall be reminded to observe all My commandments and to be holy to your God.” And even though the commandment of fringes is only for a garment that has four corners - and if one does not have a garment like this, he is not obligated to acquire one - nevertheless, our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Menachot 41a) that he will surely be punished in times of trouble about the matter: That in his heart he did not desire the beauty of the commandment and its reward [enough], to cause the matter of the obligation to apply to him and to get himself a garment that has four corners to make fringes on its corners.

“So that you do not follow your heart and your eyes” (Numbers 15:39). We were warned with this not to think to do a transgression (or upon any) [or any] prohibition or sin - like the matter that is stated (Proverbs 24:8), “He who thinks to do evil” - and not to think about words of heresy, lest one stumble and be drawn after them. And when he places upon his heart that God, may He be blessed, examines the heart and investigates the kidneys (understood as the seat of wisdom), how can he dare to defile his heart and [have] a ruffian matter lodged upon it? And King Solomon, peace be upon him, said (Proverbs 24:9), “The schemes of folly are sin.” He also said (Proverbs 6:16-18), “Six things the Lord hates; seven are an abomination to His soul: [...] A mind that hatches evil plots.”

Among the [negative commandments] that are dependent on the (heart) [tongue] are: “Since the Lord, your God, moves about in your camp to protect you and to deliver your enemies to you, let your camp be holy; let not anything unseemly be seen among you” (Deuteronomy 23:15). They, may their memory be blessed, said (Berakhot 25b) that included in this [prohibition] is that when we speak words of the Torah of God, may He be blessed - and in our speaking in prayer in front of Him - our camp should be holy, and let not anything unseemly be seen among us. Therefore we were commanded about this, to mention [God’s] name in holiness and to engage in words of Torah and prayer in holiness; and not to mention [God’s] name or words of Torah if he is naked or if there is a naked man across from him. And likewise were we warned that the place be clean, as it is stated (Deuteronomy 23:14), “you shall dig a hole with it and cover up your excrement.” And all the more so is he warned not to mention [God’s] name if his hands are not clean. And if his hands touched something disgusting to him, he should wash them - like the matter that is stated (Psalms 26:6), “I wash my palms in cleanliness.” And when one is walking on the path and he is in doubt if the path is clean, he should not mention [God’s] name, and he should not say words of Torah. And if there is something that is not clean behind him - such as excrement or a carcass or water [used for] soaking [flax] - one must move a distance of four ells away from where the odor ends; but in front of him, [the distance] is [as far as] his eye can see. And carefulness about this is one of the ways of fearing God, as it is stated (Malachi 3:16), “concerning those who revere the Lord and esteem His name.” And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Berakhot 24b), “‘For he has shown contempt for the word of the Lord’ (Numbers 15:31) - this is [referring to] one who says words of Torah in filthy alleyways.” And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Kohelet Rabbah 1:17), “‘He gives wisdom to the wise’ (Daniel 2:21) because the wise honor the Torah and occupy themselves with it in holiness.” But if He had given it to the silly, they would have said words of Torah in filthy alleyways.

And many are also ensnared and trapped in profaning their glorious senses - the sense of seeing and the sense of hearing. And it is stated about the sense of seeing (Numbers 15:39), “so that you do not follow your heart and eyes.” We were commanded with this that a man should not stare at a married woman or at other sexual prohibitions, lest he be ensnared by them.

The tenth level is the severity of the transgressions for which those who do them have no share in the world to come: All creatures are created for God’s glory, as it is stated (Isaiah 43:7), “All who are linked to My name, whom I have created, formed, and made for My glory.” Hence it is logically understood that one who profanes [God’s] name and disgraces His word will lose his hope. For it is not enough that he does not fulfill that which is expected from him from the essence of his creation - to glorify God and to sanctify Him - but he rather puts out his hands to do the inverse and the opposite, and to profane His holy name. And so is it written (Numbers 15:30-31), “But the person [...] who acts defiantly is blaspheming the Lord; that person shall be excised from among his people. Because he has spurned the word of the Lord and violated His commandment, that person shall be excised - he bears his iniquity.” For death does not atone for him, and he has no share in the world to come. Therefore it mentions, “he bears his iniquity” in this matter - for it does not mention this in other excisions.
And the explanation of “who acts defiantly (literally, with a high hand),” is such that he publicly does sins known to people. And likewise one who removes the yoke of the kingdom of the Heavens - and even privately, because he too is doing it defiantly. And the content of one who removes the yoke is, for example, one who is [defiant] in eating carcasses or forbidden fat or blood, or to profane holidays - even though he does not transgress the other commandments. Since he removed the yoke of one [negative commandment] from upon himself, he has already rebelled against God, may He be blessed. It is true that sometimes righteous people also stumble in a sin - but this is only incidental, when his impulse overpowers him. [Moreover, the righteous person’s] soul is bitter with him about the matter, and he will be careful about it afterwards. However the person who thinks in his heart to remove the yoke of one [negative commandment] from upon him anytime he wants to transgress it, is called a heretic for one thing. And we have already explained this earlier in the first section of the Gates of Repentance. And they, may their memory be blessed, said (Avodah Zarah 26a), “[Regarding] all shepherds, we do not [save them], etc. (as they engage in such behavior).” And the notion of the shepherds is [about] people that would graze their animals in the fields of others, removing the yoke of the prohibition of theft from upon themselves. And their category is the category of the heretic to eat carcasses, or one of the other transgressions, out of desire. But one who is a heretic to eat carcasses in order to anger [God] is a [full-fledged] heretic (apikoros). And the content of angering, is that he does not sin out of a desire for desirable food. Rather even if there is [also] slaughtered meat in front of him, he will take from the carcass. For he is rebelling, and does not accept upon himself to beware of the prohibition of carcasses [at all].

Both the commandment of ציצית and that of חלה, are described as ראשית , "heads." In the case of חלה, the Torah speaks about מראשית עריסותיכם, that it is to be taken "from the first part of your doughs" (15,21). Bereshit Rabbah explains that word as meaning "on account of the Challah." The Rekanati describes the mystical dimension of this commandment as being the fact that Israel the nation is called ראשית relative to other nations. This does not only mean that Israel is first, but also that Israel is separate from other nations. It is necessary when putting the dough inside the oven to separate the חלה from the flames of the oven so as not to confront the מדת הדין הקשה, the attribute of Justice in its greatest intensity. This is the meaning of the expression תרומה לה', i.e. a gift to the attribute of Mercy which is mentioned in 15,21. This is the deeper meaning of the statement in the Midrash i.e. "בראשית" on account of that gift which is called ראשחץ. Blessing devolves upon the world because of the fulfillment of this commandment. The reason the חלה is to be given to the כהן is so that blessing will come to rest on your houses. Thus far the Rekanati.

ותעמודנה לפני משה ולפני אלעזר הכהן ולפני הנשיאים וכל העדה . TheZohar on Parshat Balak queries the peculiar statement of the daughters of Tzelofchod who said (27,3) "our father has died in the desert." Did not hundreds of thousands of that generation die in the desert? Why did the daughters of Tzelofchod use such a preamble in their request for a share in the land of Israel? There are a variety of answers to this. Some say that they were asserting that their father's sin and cause of death had been associated with a particular activity in the desert, namely that he had collected firewood on the Sabbath (Numbers 15,32). They try to prove this by pointing out that his daughters had added the words כי בחטאו מת, "he died due to his personal sin" (not the collective sin of refusing to go up to the land of Canaan). Others claim that their father had been one of the people who had gone to war against the Canaanites after the episode of the spies, something that Moses had specifically prohibited (14,40-45). It is actually more likely that the argument of the daughters of Tzelofchod was that though their father was a head of the ancestral tribe of Joseph (ראש בית אב), he had never risen to the position of prince of that tribe due to his not possessing sufficient Torah knowledge. He had not been discreet enough and had spoken out in the presence of Moses. Concerning this, the Torah says "a great many people of Israel died" (21,6). The construction of that verse i.e. וימת, (singular) instead of וימותו (plural) is strange. We are entitled to assume therefore, that one important man, (רב) is the subject in this verse. It refers to Tzelofchod, who, because he was relatively ignorant, i.e. an עם הארץ, is described by the Torah as עם רב. The word רב may also refer to the fact that the man in question was a member of Menashe [of the tribe of Joseph], a tribe that is described elsewhere as particularly numerous. (Joshua 17,14) Tzelofchod's daughters were afraid that since their father had sinned in the desert by unseemly remarks, Moses would hold this against his family at the distribution of the land of Israel. This is why they made a point of appealing not only to Moses, but to all the other notables. They did not actually address Moses. Rather, they addressed all the other notables in Moses' presence. The lesson to be learned from the conduct of the daughters of Tzelofchod is, that if someone is afraid that a certain tribunal of judges may be prejudiced against him, he should ask for additional judges to be co-opted to that tribunal. Tzelofchod's daughters had been unaware of Moses' extreme humility and had no need to submit their argument to any additional judges. As soon as Moses realized what bothered the daughters of Tzelofchod, he immediately excused himself from the hearing. This is the true meaning of: ויקרב משה את השפטן לפני השם, "Moses brought their case before the Lord" (27,5). Whenever a litigant requests additional judges to hear his case, the judges who feel that they do not enjoy the confidence of the litigant must voluntarily disqualify themselves. Any judge who fails to do so is considered an עזות פנים, an arrogant person, one who displays the very reverse of Moses' qualities.

And Rabbeinu Yonah has written in Iggereth Hatshuvah that "when men finish their work and their dealings and go to their houses or idle on the [street] corners or speak idle talk, their evil is very great and their sin exceedingly severe, for they [thereby] shame the Torah. For if they believed that there is no end to its reward, why would they not turn their feet to the house of study to learn? Does not a man rush to work knowing that all is vanity? And how can he forget the life of the world to come and not devote a day or an hour to learning? And let him not say: 'There is yet time to do for the L-rd, to learn Torah, and to occupy oneself with mitzvoth and tzedakoth.' He is guilty! He has sinned greatly against the L-rd! And Chazal have said on the verse (Bamidbar 15:31): 'For the word of the L-rd he has despised, and His commandments he has broken. Cut off shall be that soul; its transgression is in it,' that if it is possible for one to occupy himself with Torah but he does not do so, he shames the word of the L-rd. Therefore, every man is obligated to set aside a place in his house in which to learn halachoth or Scripture, each according to his ability. And when he is finished with his dealings or with his work, he must turn in there to study. And by doing so, he will "do wonders" for his soul, to rescue it from the pit. And he must reflect upon his end and consider his latter end, as Chazal have said: 'Consider three things and you will not come to transgression, etc.' And it is fitting that one find himself a pashut or a half [(types of coins)] to give charity for every day he fails to go to the house of study or to a place where he has one of the holy books to learn from."

Commandment 387 is not to follow the inclination of one's eyes or heart, since the Torah commands in 15,39: "so that you do not follow the inclinations of your eyes or your heart which you are in the habit of following after. This prohibition concerns our not adopting attitudes that are at variance with Torah principles. Once one concentrates on such ideas, one easily errs in one's practice also. The moment one feels persuaded by such alien ideas one must desist from pursuing them, and change back to contemplate what Torah views are on the subject matter concerned. It amounts to a warning not to pursue desires that are of a transient nature if fulfilled and which are bound to lead one to an unhappy end. This is what our sages had in mind when they said that the meaning of the words "after your hearts," is not to pursue heresy. The meaning of "after your eyes" is not to indulge in sexual licentiousness (Berachot 12b). We have an allusion to this when the book of Judges 14,3, says of Samson "he said to his father: "take this one for me for she is good in my eyes."

וכי תשגו ולא תעשו את כל המצות האלה . Midrash Tanchuma as well as the Yalkut Shimoni, have the following comment on Leviticus 4,2: "When a person unknowingly commits a transgression in respect of any of G–d's negative commandments, etc." They say that this verse teaches us that transgression of any prohibition is equivalent to transgression of all of the Torah's commandments. Conversely, the Reishit Chochmah writes in Parshat Nasso, that if one performs a single positive commandment in all its pertinent details, it is as if one had performed all 248 positive commandments. The reason of course, is that there is no מצוה that does not contain some element of all the other מצות. Having said this, we understand why transgression of a single negative commandment is viewed as if one had transgressed all of them, seeing that it involved negation of those particular elements of all the other negative commandments that were associated with the single negative commandment one has flouted. This is the real meaning of the wording of the verse quoted above in 15,22.

ולקחת מראשית פרי האדמה . Rav Huna, commenting on the first verse in the Torah in Bereshit Rabbah 1,4, says that the universe was created in consideration of three merits acquired by Israel. They are: the merit of setting aside the חלה from their doughs, the merit of giving tithes, and the merit of bringing the first ripe fruit to the Temple. In fact, the reason that the word used by the Torah for describing the beginning of creation is בראשית, [and not e.g. בהתחלה] is that the legislation of חלה is described as setting aside מראשית עריסותיכם, "from the 'beginning' of your dough" (Numbers 15,20). The same word is also used in Deut. 18,4 in connection with the tithes. The expression is further used in connection with בכורים, as we know from our פרשה 26,2. The difficulty with this Midrash is why these three commandments should be so much more important than others to justify their being reported to be the reason that G–d created the universe. We have other easily understandable quotes about the word ראשית being equated with Israel and the world being created for the sake of Israel or for the sake of Torah. This special significance of the above-mentioned three commandments certainly needs elaboration! Another difficulty in the Midrash is the wording אין דבר נקרא ראשית אלא חלה, which implies that the appellation ראשית is not accorded to anything else but חלה. How can the Midrash reverse itself immediately afterwards and state אין דבר נקרא ראשית אלא מעשר? The Midrash compounds this by stating "אין דבר נקרא ראשית אלא בכורים." How many things are there which qualify for the exclusive appellation ראשית? Another difficulty is that the verse (18,4) quoted by the Midrash as proving that the term ראשית applies to מעשר actually speaks of תרומה and not of מעשרות? Why does the Midrash not use the customary form for quoting a verse i.e. שנאמר, but instead says: כמה דאת אמר?

The objective of these commandments is to refine body and soul, and the purpose of that refinement is to establish, or better re-establish a close relationship with one's roots, ראשית. Since we have traversed many stages, ספירות, from the original roots, ראשית, this is a difficult task. Nonetheless as the Torah testifies in Deut. 4,4, it can be done, and it confers a superior quality of life on one. דבקות can be defined as the return of the branch to the stem, to the root. However far removed one has been from the source, the Torah exhorts us never to forget our roots, i.e.: וזכרת כי ה' אלוקיך הוא הנותן לך כח לעשות חיל. "You shall remember that it is the Lord your G–d who gives you strength to do valiantly." (Deut. 8,18). The fact that the מצוה of ציצית also features the exhortation וזכרתם, "you shall remember," demonstrates that a similar purpose underlies that commandment. When we follow accepted methods of exegesis, we have both the similar sounding words, i.e. גזרה שוה, present in those two מצות, as well as the references to לדורותיכם, "throughout your generations," which, when applied to former generations, is similar in meaning to ראשית, beginning, or root. The thrust of all this is to remind us that ultimately all our capabilities are rooted in G–d.

Therefore, I say that according to the strength of the soul and according to its sweetness, will the power of thought be seen. And if thought inclines to lofty things, then the acts which come from its power will incline towards piety and righteousness, and the acts of the five senses which we have mentioned will be drawn towards righteousness and piety. These five senses are like channels or arteries through which the blood courses to quench the thirst of all the limbs of the body. Similarly, the emotions are channels through which the powers of thought flow in order to quench the thirst of the soul. Concerning this, it is said: (Numbers 15:39), “And that ye go not about after your own heart and your own eyes.” And so did our Sages, of blessed memory, say in the first chapter of the Jerusalem Talmud, “The heart and the eye are two agents of sin, and when evil deeds are mingled in the soul, they corrupt its acts until they turn away from their regimen.” Just as extraneous juices corrupt the structure of the body, so do evil thoughts corrupt the function of the soul. The functions of the soul are knowledge, intelligence, speech, humility, fear and hope, and other good qualities. But when evil lust is mingled with the soul, it destroys all of these good qualities; just as extraneous juices destroy the structure of the body, so does the mixture of lust destroy the work of the soul. Therefore, we must heal the sickness in the same way as we heal the body—just as the sickness which comes from mixtures of the humors needs at the very beginning medicines that will cleanse and purify the wound from within so that the medicine from outside will be of value. For if you should give to the patient a medicament or an ointment or a bandage and the wound is still clearly discernible, the medicament will be of no advantage. It will only unite with the extraneous juices and increase the damage, as it is written (Exodus 1:10), “… and they also will join themselves unto our enemies.” Moreover, what can healing do from the outside when the enemy lurks in ambush from within. He spoils that which you would correct, and between the onslaught of both of them, the body perishes. Therefore, it is necessary to cleanse the body, and when the body is clean, the medicine will be effective. Just as with a soiled curtain—if you want to dye it, the dye will not be fast because of the stains. But if you wash it well it becomes clean. Then, according to its cleanliness, it will receive the dye well. So it is with the soul. When we wash away from it the taints of an evil thought and the lust which stains, then the power of repentance will cleave to it like to a garment which has been washed. And on this subject, King Solomon, peace be unto him, said (Ecclesiastes 9:8), “Let thy garments be always white.” By this, he means cleanliness of the heart, which is to say that your intention at all times should be that your heart be pure, and then you will be able to receive good deeds. So did the prophet say concerning repentance (Isaiah 55:7), “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the man of iniquity his thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord, and He will have compassion upon him.”

To return to our main subject: that imperfections in this world are reflected by disturbances of the harmony in the Celestial Regions. The dislocation experienced by Jacob in his thigh joint had its impact in the "higher" world. If the episode foreshadows the destruction of the terrestrial Temple, it also foreshadows the negative vibes of that event felt in Heaven. Our sages state that the מצוה of ציצית alludes to all 613 commandments visually by means of the blue thread which symbolizes the sea, which in turn symbolizes the sky which in turn symbolizes the throne of G–d (Jerusalem Talmud Berachot 1, 2 on Numbers 15, 39). Our sages also hint that the examples quoted allude to three distinctions Israel acquired as a result of its cleaving to G–d. Jacob achieved these distinctions first and Israel later on.

There is a general way to rescue oneself from this bitter sin and its punishment. And this is what we are taught by the Blessed L-rd in Parshath Tetze (Devarim 24:8): "Guard yourself against the plague-spot of leprosy, to take great care and to do according to all that the Cohanim teach you, etc.", followed by (Ibid. 9): "Remember what the L-rd your G-d did to Miriam on the way when you went out of Egypt." And we learned in Sifrei: "Remember what the L-rd your G-d did" — I might think, [remember] in your heart, but 'Guard yourself against the plague-spot of leprosy to take care and to do' already speaks of the guarding of the heart (For the Sifrei understands "Guard yourself in [lit.], the plague-spot of leprosy" as "from the plague-spot of leprosy"; that is, that we not divert our heart from guarding against the sin [lashon hara], which leads to it). How, then, am I to fulfill 'Remember'? Mention it with your mouth." The will of the Torah, then, is that we remember the greatness of the punishment of this bitter sin both in the heart and by the mouth in order to avail our souls by this. As Ramban wrote in Mitzvah 7 of his Mitzvoth: "We have been commanded to remember by the mouth and return it to our heart, what the exalted L-rd did to Miriam when she spoke against her brother, though she was a prophetess, in order to distance ourselves from lashon hara and not be one of those of whom it is said (Psalms 50:20): "You sit and speak against your brother; against your mother's son you utter slander." For, in truth, the remembrance of the issur and the greatness of its punishment lead to guarding against it, just as the remembrance of the positive commandments leads to their fulfillment, as it is written (Bamidbar 15:40): "And you shall remember all the mitzvoth of the L-rd and you shall do them."

Therefore, if one wishes to cleanse his soul, let him reflect upon the greatness of the issur of levity in several respects. For aside from the fact that he [the mocker] sins himself, it [levity] being one of the four things because of which one does not receive the Shechinah, as Chazal have said (Sotah 42a), he also causes many to sin, bringing them to multiply mockery. And the punishment of causing many to sin is well known, it not being granted one to repent because of this, as Chazal have stated (Avoth 5:18). And, aside from all this, involvement in idle talk, even if it contained nothing forbidden, causes one to lose the time that he could have spent in Torah study and the acquisition of the world to come. And he gives the impression that he scorns the words of the L-rd and the reward of the world to come, as stated in Sanhedrin 99a on the verse (Bamidbar 15:31): "For he has scorned the word of the L-rd" — R. Nehorai said: ['This refers to] one who could have studied Torah but did not do so.'"

We hold that the first and foremost of the senses is that of the eye, since its position with regard to the body is like that of the sun to the universe.¹Cf. Horovitz (p. 138, note 140). It is a sense which never fails to perceive an object without (the lapse of) time, i.e., its perception of that which is near to it is as quick as its perception of that which is far from it; nor does any time elapse between its perception of the near and its perception of the far,²Cf. Kaufmann ("Sinne," pp. 117, 118, note 55, and p. 120, note 61), and Horovitz. (p. 13;. note 1.4.1). as is the case with the other senses. The eye alights upon its objects of perception as long as it is open.³Horovitz (p. 139, note 143). Therefore, sleep is impossible unless it be closed. How wondrous is the saying of a philosopher with regard to the sense of the eye!" The soul has spiritual tints, which sometimes become apparent in the motion of the eyelid."⁴Platonic doctrine. Cf. Horovitz (p. 139. note 142), and Dukes ("Phil.," p. 78, note i). Again he said, "Keep watch over the sense of sight: verily it may lead to various kinds of wrong: by some of its motions it may testify to your (having) pride and haughtiness, and by others to your possession of meekness and humility.¹Platonic Dukes (pp. 97, 98) shows the thought, "Humility dwells in the eye," to be Aristotelian. Cf. "Ethics," i. 3, where two maxims of Aristotle are quoted in the paragraph, which restates the thesis, that pride and meekness are closely related to the sense of sight. Therefore, compel it to make the very best movements and restrain it from the most ignoble." "Furthermore," he said, "social intercourse does not exist for the pleasure of the eye, but the enjoyment of the mind." The learned man will understand this saying. How beautiful is the agreement of this utterance with the word of God, exalted and magnified be He (Num. xv. 39), "Do ye not seek after your own heart and your own eyes."

The sin of machloketh obtains even if one argues with another who is equal to him in status. How much more so, G-d forbid, if he argues with a Torah scholar, even if he is not his Rabbi. How much more so if he is his Rabbi, is his sin great and his wickedness redoubled. For it is well known that the way of men of machloketh is to shame by words those who oppose them. And the greatness of the punishment of one who shames a Torah scholar is well known from what is stated in Sanhedrin, Chapter Chelek, and is ruled in Yoreh Deah 234:6, that one who shames a Torah scholar is in the category of (Numbers 15:31): "For the word of the L-rd he has despised. That soul shall be utterly cut off; its sin is in it." And even in our day, if he be but fit to rule [on halachah] and toils in Torah, he is called a Torah scholar. And if one shames him, even in general matters, and even not in his presence, it is a grave sin and he is liable to nidui [excommunication] because of this (as we find in Yoreh Deah 246:7 and in the Shach section 68.) And there is also no cure for his illness, as we find in Shabbath 119b: "R. Yehudah said in the name of Rav: 'If one shames a Torah scholar, there is no cure for his illness.'" And the destruction of Jerusalem also is attributed to this sin, as we find there: "Jerusalem was destroyed only because Torah scholars were shamed there, as it is written (II Chronicles 26:16): 'And they shamed the angels of G-d [i.e., the Torah scholars], and scorned His words and mocked His prophets until the wrath of the L-rd rose against His people, without cure.'" They have also said (Berachoth 19a): "R. Yehudah b. Levi said: 'All who slander a Torah scholar after his death descend to Gehinnom.'"

And, in truth, this remedy is almost the most effective of all. And not only with lashon hara, but with every mitzvah that he stumbles in [i.e., that he transgresses] many times, until the yetzer hara predominates in this area. And there is nothing new in this [remedy], for it is included in the counsel of "remembering," which is mentioned in the section of tzitzith, viz. (Numbers 15:39): "And you shall see it [(the purple strand)] and you shall remember all the mitzvoth of the L-rd, and you shall do them," as Rashi explains there. For remembering leads to doing. That is, he should study the din that he stumbles in with much concentration on all the details of that din, and he should also review it many times. If he does so, the din will become fixed in his memory and the power of the yetzer in this sin will also be removed from him, as we find in Midrash Rabbah, Parshath Nasso: "If you toil much in their [the rabbis'] words, the Holy One Blessed be He will remove the yetzer hara from you."

The former two entice the mind and draw it towards ulterior motives, like an adulterous wife who, while still married to her husband, takes other men. Ulterior thoughts are referred to as "lewdness of the heart", as written: "and you shall not stray after your hearts and after your eyes which you go after promiscuously (Zonim)" (Bamidbar 15:39). For the heart strays from the whole aspiration which it should have bonded to, and turns instead to the worthless and imaginary falsehood.

They do not realize that even while a bit of these things may be needed for sinners engaged in repentance and some for those who practice Separation (Perushim), but piety is not founded on these matters at all. Only the good of these practices are fit to accompany Piety.

This is the way this matter is explained in the book Ma'asseh Hashem on Deut. 7,17: "When you will say: "these nations are very numerous, how can I possibly drive them out?" G–d's answer was: "Do not be afraid of them" (verse 18), meaning that when you have these doubts and fears, what is meant is that if G–d were not to be on your side, you would have ample reason to think in those terms. When you rely on G–d, you will be fearless. If, however, you ascribe your success to your own efforts and prowess, then you will become very frightened when facing such people in battle. The word כי at the beginning of verse 17, is quite clear then and Rashi would not need to trouble himself to explain it as meaning "maybe." At any rate, this was G–d's purpose in authorising the despatch of the spies and His hope of strengthening the Jewish people's belief in Him. Moses, of course, had every reason to agree then. This is the reason that both G–d and Moses employ the term ויתורו as describing the function of the spies. This word is usually used when there is a concensus between the heart and the mind. An example is the last pragraph in the קריאת שמע, where we are warned לא תתורו אחרי לבבכם "not to follow your hearts."

Memory is a very lofty quality and it is an instrument that strengthens all the commandments and all the Torah. Concerning the fringes, it is said, "And remember all the commandments of the Lord and do them … that ye may remember and do all My commandments" (Num. 15:39-40). Concerning the tefillin, it is said, "And it shall be for a sign upon thee upon thy hand, and for a memorial between thine eyes, that the law of the Lord may be in thy mouth" (Ex. 13:9). And it is written, "And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in Egypt; and thou shalt observe and do these statutes (Deut. 16:12).

We have completed our brief list of the things a man ought to remember always. But everyone should continue to meditate on these according to his wisdom, and he will learn from them all sorts of good and pure qualities, and these will cleanse the soul and will beautify its ugliness. Be ever alert to remember them, and this will bring out in you a superior strength you never knew before. And a man is obligated to keep all of these thoughts in mind constantly, at every hour, at every moment. And he should be careful to remember them with his every breath so that he may never lose his awe and fear and shame before God, who looks upon him at all times. Go forth and learn from what the Torah warned the king to do, as it is written, … "that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book, out of that which is before the priests the Levites. And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life" (Deut. 17:18-19). And it is written, "This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou shalt meditate therein day and night" (Josh. 1:8). And it is written, "And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be upon thy heart; and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thy house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thy hand, and they shall be for frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the door-posts of thy house, and upon thy gates" (Deut. 6:6—9). And he has emphasized this matter in connection with the fringes, for it is written, "And it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the Lord, and do them" (Num. 15:39—40). And according to this it is proper to remember God at every moment. And it is written, "Let thy garments be always white" (Eccl. 9:8).

You should know that remembering leads one to right action, as it is written, "and remember… and do" (Num. 15:39). Therefore be very careful in exercising the quality of remembering, and with respect to every single precept remember for Whose sake you perform it, and Who is the Master of your work.

The fourth principle in repentance is the sorrow and the pain caused by the actual doing of the deeds of repentance. Thus far we have spoken about the pain and sorrow of the heart, but this concerns the pain and the sorrow of the repentant act itself, as it is said, "Yet even now, saith the Lord, turn ye unto Me with all your heart, and with fasting and with weeping, and with lamentation" (Joel 2:12). And a man must show the signs of pain and sorrow in his garments, for example, to put on sackcloth, as it is said, "For this gird you with sackcloth, lament and wail" (Jer. 4:8). And as it is said, "But let them be covered with sackcloth, both man and beast" (Jonah 3:8). And he must remove his lovely garments from him and he must reduce his pleasures, in the kinds of food he eats and in his drink and in strolling about. And our Sages said, "The heart and the eyes are the two agents of sin" (T.P. Berakoth 1:8). And thus is it written, "And that ye go not about after your own heart and your own eyes" (Num. 15:39). Therefore only in this way can the sin brought about by these agents be atoned for : the sin of the agent of the heart, by bitterness and pain, and the wrong of the agent of the eyes, by tears. As it is said, "Mine eyes run down with rivers of water, because they observe not Thy law" (Ps. 119:136). It is not said, "because I observe not," but "because they observe not." The plural form refers to the eyes, that spied out to explore sin, therefore have I caused rivers of water to descend from my eyes. When he weeps over his sins, he should say, "May my tears quench the wrath of your anger and may my repentant deeds turn away your anger from me, and let my table, which I have not set because of my sorrow, be considered as an altar arranged for sacrifice, and the pot which I did not place upon the coals, as fire burning upon Thy altar. And may the lack of my blood, the diminution resulting from fasting, atone as the blood which is offered on the corners of the altar. And may the lessening of my fat be as the fat which is offered from the sacrifices, and the sound of my weeping as the psalms of the poets, and the aroma of my soul's hunger as the aroma of the incense, and the weakness of my limbs as the cutting of portions for the sacrifice, and may my broken heart tear the books in which my sins are recorded. And may the change of my good garments for garments of mourning be as acceptable to you as are the garments of the priesthood, and my restraint from washing (because of my sorow)as though I had sanctified my hands and feet, and may my repentance restore me to Thee, for I am truly remorseful for the evil of my deeds that I did and I shall not return to do evil before Thee.

And of these twenty-four things which impede repentance, five have to do with one who has no inclination to repent, because they are things that are unimportant in the eyes of most people. Consequently, the person sins but it appears to him as though he had not sinned. And these are the things : He who eats of a meal that does not suffice for its owners. For example, a man enters the house of a poor man, and the poor man prepares very much food for his guest, not out of the willingness of his heart but because he is ashamed to invite his guest to partake of little. And the visitor does not think that he has sinned in this, because he thinks that he is eating with the permission of the master of the house, and not against his real will. And he who uses an object which has been given to him in pledge by a poor man, even if it is only an axe or a plow, and he says in his heart, "I did not take anything away from them; I did not rob." And he who looks upon indecent acts, for the one who gazes thinks in his heart that there is nothing evil in this, saying "Did I participate in this act, or did I draw near to it?" And he does not know that even looking at lewness with the eye is a great sin, for it leads a person to violate the laws of chastity, as it is said, "That ye go not about after your own heart and your own eyes" (Num. 15:39). And he who obtains honor through the shame of his companion. He says in his heart that he has not sinned because his companion is not in his presence, and therefore the shameful deed really did not effect his companion and that he did not in fact shame him, but that he has merely evaluated his own good deeds, his wisdom, and his keenness higher than the deeds, the wisdom and the keenness of his companion. But in the eyes of the one who hears his words, he will be the honored one, and his companion the shamed one. And he who suspects the innocent. He says in his heart that that is no sin, for he says, "What did I do to him? I did not do anything to him; it was just a mere suspicion." He does not know that this is a great sin, to picture an innocent person in his own mind as though he were a sinful man.

Accordingly, if one is not heedful in his lifetime of his faculty of sight, and permits himself to gaze at what the Torah forbade, he should know with certainty that in time to come he will be like a blind man, unable to gaze upon the light of the L-rd, just as one who is sick in his eyes cannot see by the light of his soul. And the degree of the injury to his eyes is proportional to the degree of his [self-abandonment].

And through every word of Torah, holiness is added to a man's soul. For with every word he fulfills the mitzvah of talmud Torah, as written in the sefarim. And through each mitzvah a man's soul is sanctified, as it is written (Bamidbar 15:40): "So that you remember and do all of My mitzvoth; and you shall be holy to your G-d." And there is no mitzvah performed by the organs, where a man has mitzvoth added to him as profusely as that of speech [of Torah] granted him by the L-rd. For whatever mitzvah one does with his organs, he must allocate to it [at least] several minutes, and in this time, if he were learning Torah, he could utter hundreds of words of Torah. Therefore, a man is not permitted to leave off Torah study if the mitzvah can be performed by others. And this is what is intimated by Mishlei 14:4: "Wealth adds many friends," which the GRA explained: Through the wealth of Torah many friends are added to a man. For with every word of Torah with which one fulfills the mitzvah of Torah study, there is created for him one defender, and these [defenders] are the true friends of a man.

The reason that the Torah reports the quarrel of Korach immediately after having taught us the laws about ציצית is explained by Rashi, who says that ציצית teaches the unity of G–d, His existence, and that He created the world ex nihilo. It also teaches that the origin of Torah is in Heaven, that it is not man made. It teaches that there is a system of reward and punishment which operates in this world. Concerning ציצית the Torah says in Numbers 15,39: "when you see Him i.e. אותו, etc." There are eight threads above the blue thread and eight threads below the blue thread which is threaded through the corner of the garment. [4 threads on each corner of the 4- cornered garment, before the threads are bent double. Ed.] Subsequently we attach five knots, each one being a double knot making a total of ten. Thus we arrive at a total of sixteen threads and ten knots, the numerical value of the Ineffable Name of G–d. This name teaches that He is, was, and will be, and that He is the Cause of all Existence.

The matter that all Rabbis are agreed on is that there are a total of 248 positive and 365 negative commandments. Midrash Tanchuma sees an allusion to this in the numerical value of the word ציצית when combined with the 8 threads and 5 knots that are part of that commandment. Since the Torah uses that commandment as an example of remembering all the commandments, the number 613 seems appropriately mentioned (compare Numbers 15,39 and Tanchuma on that verse). At the end of tractate Makkot folio 23, Nedarim 25, as well as in numerous other places in the Talmud, in the Zohar and other ancient sources, this number is unequivocally accepted by all scholars as the correct number of positive and negative commandments respectively. If the codifiers of the 613 commandments display slight variations from one another in their method of counting these commandments, this only reflects differences that existed already in Mishnaic times.

He prayed for the דבקות to become manifest already before the conquest of the land of Canaan. As long as Israel carries out G–d's wishes this affinity exists, and the name of G–d as well as the throne of G–d is complete. When Israel sinned with the golden calf, one of the four supports of G–d's throne, i.e. the פני השור, "slipped," causing G–d's throne and His name to become impaired. As long as Israel carry out G–d's desires, they are the carriers of the Presence of G–d, they serve as the throne. As long as such a situation continues they are called אדם, i.e. they represent the פני אדם mentioned in Ezekiel's vision as one of the four carriers of G–d's throne (Ezekiel 1,10). The study of the Torah is one leg of the four legs supporting G–d's throne, the one called פני השור. This is based on ורב תבואות בכח השור (Proverbs 14,4). Our sages have said that one should apply oneself to Torah study as an ox applies himself to the yoke (Avodah Zarah 5). When it comes to the practical performance of what is written in the Torah one should behave like a lion and an eagle, as we know from Rabbi Yehudah ben Teyma in Avot 5,20. The Rabbi refers to the sharp eye possessed by the eagle and the courage possessed by the lion, a function of the heart. The Torah itself warns us not to allow our eyes and our hearts to make us stray from the path of Torah (Numbers 15,39), evidence that these two organs are of prime importance in carrying out G–d's commandments. Should Israel fail to live up to these obligations, also these two legs of G–d's throne would collapse.

The opposite is true of the wicked, who will experience הכרת תכרת הנפש, an extermination of their souls, as spelled out in Numbers 15,31. Whereas it is within the power of the righteous to transform the attribute of Justice to become the attribute of Mercy, the wicked accomplish the very reverse. Although in this context body and soul are viewed as opposites, both the body's and the soul's activities may evoke responses from either the attribute of Mercy or the attribute of Justice. Sin is possible when body and soul work in tandem, as we know from the parable of the blind and the lame. Whereas neither the one nor the other could commit theft individually, they managed quite well by the lame becoming the eyes of the blind and the blind becoming the legs of the lame.

In this connection I find the words of Rabbi Yitzchak Arama, the author of עקדת יצחק, most astonishing. The author of this book [chapter 90, see my translation. Ed.] questions how the Torah can command us to remember something at all; after all, man is subject to lapses of memory, and therefore such a commandment is beyond his control to observe! How can the Torah command us to perform acts beyond our control? Torah precepts involving vision do not apply to the blind because they cannot see, neither do Torah precepts involving hearing apply to the deaf since they cannot hear! The same rule should apply to precepts involving memory. Rabbi Arama answers this question saying that every remembrance has been preceded by an actual happening. It is the happening which triggers one's memory, and therefore the Torah is entitled to command us to use our memory. He quotes as an example the remembrance of the Sabbath legislation in the Kiddush. The mere fact that one observes the commandment of שמירת שבת, abstains from work, etc., acts as a memory jogger. It is therefore not true to say that the Torah commands only our memory. When we put on the phylacteries, that very act helps us to remember what the phylacteries stand for, as demanded by the Torah (Deut. 6,8); the same is true when we wear the ציצית, another commandment which the Torah has linked to memory (Numbers 15,39-40). The sages of the Great Assembly acted in consonance with this principle when they wanted to insure that the miracle which occurred in the days of Mordechai and Esther should be commemorated for all times. Since the Torah had not fixed a specific day for remembering Amalek, they decided to anchor this remembrance by some easily recognisable act and they instituted the reading of פרשת זכור in conjunction with the holiday of Purim. As long as the commandment was not connected with the anniversary of an anti-Jewish act committed by a descendant of Amalek, the commandment itself was in danger of being forgotten. According to the explanation by the Baal Akeydah the question is why the sages of the Great Assembly did not arrange to have the reading of פרשת זכור after Purim, after we had all remembered what the evil Haman had planned?

We are taught in Sofrim 6,4 that there are three occasions when the Torah writes the word לא whereas we read it as לו. Once in Leviticus 11,21, another time in Leviticus 25,30, and a third time in Leviticus 5,1, where the Torah commenced the verse with the words: ונפש כי תחטא, "When a 'soul' commits an inadvertent transgression, etc." The nature of the transgression is improper use of the mouth, abuse of the power of speech. In this instance the abuse consists of failure to testify, i.e. אם לוא יגיד. The Zohar (Sullam edition page 86) seems to understand the choice of the word נפש as opposed to the word רוח or נשמה, part of our life-force, as indicating that any sin we commit is due only to this inferior part of our "soul." The superior parts such as רוח ונשמה are by themselves quite incapable of committing a sin. The dual spelling of the word לוא is a hint that the רוח ונשמה has to make restitution to the נפש for the purity it has deprived them of by its sin. In other words: What the purely part of man has deprived the רוח, of "לא," has to be restored to the רוח, i.e. לו. Unless this occurs, the result will be: ונשא עונו, "he will bear his sin." This is the first of the three aspects concerning which an individual's lifestyle will be examined after his death, as we mentioned at the beginning of this discussion.