Halakhah su I Re 8:67

[During Shemoneh Esrei, ] we must stand facing the Land of Israel, as it is said: "And they pray to You toward their land."³⁰I Kings 8:48. We should also face Jerusalem, [the place of] the Holy Temple and the Holy of Holies. Therefore, we, in our country,³¹The author lived in Hungary. The same rule is applicable in America as well. who dwell West of the Land of Israel, must stand facing Eastward. (Not exactly Eastward but toward Southeast.) Those living North of the Land of Israel should face Southward, and those living East, face Westward, and those living South, face Northward. Thus, all Jews turn their faces toward one place when they pray, namely toward Jerusalem and the Holy of Holies, for there is the Gateway to Heaven, through which all prayers ascend. Therefore, the Holy Temple is called talpiyos, as it is written: "Your neck is like the tower of David, built magnificently."³²Song of Songs 4:4. It is the hill to which all mouths turn.³³Tel means a hill, and piyos means mouths. Thus talpiyos means a hill to which all mouths turn. Should you be praying in a place in which you are unable to face the Land of Israel, you should direct your heart [thoughts] to your Father in Heaven, as it is said: "And they pray unto God."³⁴I Kings 8:44. If you were facing North or South and remembered during the Shemoneh Esrei that you were not standing correctly, you should not shift your feet, but turn your face Eastward. If you are unable to do so, or if you are facing Westward, you may conclude your prayers in this position and direct your heart [thoughts] towards the Holy of Holies, but do not shift your feet. Also, if you pray in a place where there are pictures on the Eastern wall, you may pray facing any side, even though it is not East.

[During Shemoneh Esrei, ] we must stand facing the Land of Israel, as it is said: "And they pray to You toward their land."³⁰I Kings 8:48. We should also face Jerusalem, [the place of] the Holy Temple and the Holy of Holies. Therefore, we, in our country,³¹The author lived in Hungary. The same rule is applicable in America as well. who dwell West of the Land of Israel, must stand facing Eastward. (Not exactly Eastward but toward Southeast.) Those living North of the Land of Israel should face Southward, and those living East, face Westward, and those living South, face Northward. Thus, all Jews turn their faces toward one place when they pray, namely toward Jerusalem and the Holy of Holies, for there is the Gateway to Heaven, through which all prayers ascend. Therefore, the Holy Temple is called talpiyos, as it is written: "Your neck is like the tower of David, built magnificently."³²Song of Songs 4:4. It is the hill to which all mouths turn.³³Tel means a hill, and piyos means mouths. Thus talpiyos means a hill to which all mouths turn. Should you be praying in a place in which you are unable to face the Land of Israel, you should direct your heart [thoughts] to your Father in Heaven, as it is said: "And they pray unto God."³⁴I Kings 8:44. If you were facing North or South and remembered during the Shemoneh Esrei that you were not standing correctly, you should not shift your feet, but turn your face Eastward. If you are unable to do so, or if you are facing Westward, you may conclude your prayers in this position and direct your heart [thoughts] towards the Holy of Holies, but do not shift your feet. Also, if you pray in a place where there are pictures on the Eastern wall, you may pray facing any side, even though it is not East.

Insofar as the Negev and the southern territories are concerned, the Mishnah, Gittin 2a, indicates that Ashkelon was the southern boundary of Erez Yisra'el. Rambam maintains that those who ascended from Egypt conquered no territory south of Ashkelon and that Ashkelon was always the southern boundary. However, most other authorities maintain that in the time of Joshua territories south of Ashkelon were also captured and that the Mishnah, in speaking of Ashkelon as the southern border, refers only to areas regained in the time of Ezra and gives the boundary which existed in the time of the Second Commonwealth. According to these authorities, at least some of the areas south of Ashkelon fall into the category of territory captured by those who ascended from Egypt but not retaken by the returnees from Babylonia. There is considerable evidence in support of this view. I Kings 8:65 speaks of the south of Israel as being populated by Jews "until the river of Egypt." Targum Yonatan (Genesis 15:18) translates the words "nahar mizrayim" as the "Nile of Egypt." Radbaz, Hilkhot Terumot 1:7, dismisses this view and declares the river to be Wa'ad al Arish. This is also the opinion of Sa'adia Ga'on.¹⁴See Tevu’ot ha-Areẓ, chap. 1, p. 27. Sa'adia Ga'on states that Ma'aleh Akrabim of Numbers 34:4 is identical with the area known as Aqaba. I Kings 9:26 speaks of Solomon's dominion as extending to Eilat; II Kings 14:22 and II Chronicles 26:2 speak of the rebuilding of Eilat by Uzziah. It is, however, generally assumed that these territories were not resettled by those who returned with Ezra.

It also seems that that which Maimonides, may his memory be blessed, said that it is elucidated in Joshua is from this verse, but it is not a clear elucidation at all, as we have said. And that which is stated in I Kings 8:1, "And the Kohanim brought the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord to its place, to the sanctuary, to the Holy of Holies" should also not be difficult in your eyes. It is because the Levites were not permitted to enter the Holy of Holies that only the Kohanim brought it in. And [so] the main approach seems to be like the words of Nachmanides, may his memory be blessed, that the entire tribe is fit to carry the Ark; and as it is written (II Chronicles 35:3), "And he said to the Levites, etc. 'place the Holy Ark in the Temple that was built by Solomon son of David, the king of Israel, there is no longer a burden on your shoulders.'" Its matter is also that Israel would have no more need to carry the Ark form one place to another; but it does not indicate that if it were to move it, that it would not be done by the Levites, and this is clear and obvious to all. And [regarding] that which the Sages said (Chullin 24a) [that] blemishes disqualify the Kohanim but years do not, it is only the priestly duties that are not affected by age, but age does disqualify the Kohanim for the labor of carrying, as it does for the Levites (see Mishneh Torah, Laws of Vessels of the Sanctuary and Those who Serve Therein 2).

3. We take out two [Torah] scrolls and read the same sections that were read the previous day. The haftarah is from Kings, "They gathered" [Kings I 8:2] until "when I took them out of Egypt" [Kings I 8:21].

3. We take out two [Torah] scrolls and read the same sections that were read the previous day. The haftarah is from Kings, "They gathered" [Kings I 8:2] until "when I took them out of Egypt" [Kings I 8:21].

2. At Shacharit, we take out three Torah scrolls. From the first, we read from "And this is the blessing" [Deuteronomy 33:1] until the end of the Torah. From the second, we read "In the beginning" [Genesis 1:1] until "that God made" [2:3]. In the third we read "On Shmini Atzeret" [Numbers 29:35]. The haftarah is "And after Moses died" [Joshua 1:1]. In places where they do two days of Yom Tov, they only take two Torah scrolls out on the first day, reading five sections from Re'eh from the first from "every firstborn" [Deuteronomy 15:1]. If it is Shabbat, they read seven and start at "You should tithe" [14:22]. The maftir reads from the second Torah "On Shmini Atzeret." The haftarah is from Kings, "When Solomon finished..." [Kings I 8:1]. The Torah scrolls are returned. We say Kaddish and then announce [the addition of] "who makes the wind blow and the rain fall."