Halakhah su Salmi 16:76

Therefore G-d found it necessary to create man on the sixth day, and He created him with competing drives: Man possesses a spiritual soul that enables him to recognize the creator as does an angel, as the verse states: “Man’s soul is G-d’s lamp…” (Mishlei 20:27). He also possesses an animalistic nature due to his physical body, which drives him to animal behaviors, such as eating, drinking, and sleeping.This state of affairs gives rise to a constant struggle within man all the days of his life, with his animal nature pining for physical desires, while his pure soul opposes such pursuits, inspiring man to turn to his real purpose, to serve G-d like an angel. His soul further insists that even necessary physical needs, such as eating, drinking, and sleeping, should be done with intent to better serve G-d, and on this the verse has been stated: “I have placed G-d before me constantly.” (Psalms 16:8). After man’s death he is shown on high that all his actions were recorded, as though in a book, with his own signature. If he has followed the path of Torah and mitzvos, he inherits heaven (Lit. 'Gan Eden') which is a limitless and endless spiritual joy. Of these people the verse proclaims "They will be sated from the fat of Your house, and with the stream of Your delights You give them to drink. For with You is the source of life; in Your light we will see light. " (Psalms 36:9). If G-d forbid his actions were the opposite, he inherits Gehenom, to which all the pains of this life are as naught in comparison. On these people the verse states: "And they shall go out and see the corpses of the people who rebelled against Me, for their worm shall not die, and their fire shall not be quenched, and they shall be an abhorring for all flesh." (Yishayahu 66:24). There are seven descriptions given to Gehenom: Nether-world (or Sheol), Destruction, Pit, Tumultuous Pit, Miry Clay, Shadow of Death and the Underworld. (Eruvin 19a). One who is seduced by his base inclinations falls there, and that is why it is also called 'seducer', as the verse states "For Tophteh (Heb. related to the word 'seduce') is set up from yesterday, that too has been prepared for the king (Sennacherib and his army), it deepened, it widened its pile, of fire and much wood; the breath of the Lord is like a stream of brimstone, burning therein.(Yishayahu 30:33). (Eruvin 19a).

Yehudah son of Taima says: "Be bold as a leopard, light as an eagle, swift as a deer and strong as a lion to do the will of your Father in heaven."⁴Avos 5:20. "Bold as a leopard" means, you should not be ashamed before people who mock you for worshipping Hashem, Blessed be His Name. "Light as an eagle" refers to what the eye sees. This alludes to the requirement to be swift to close your eyes to prevent the seeing of evil because the sight of evil constitutes the beginning of sin. The eye sees and the heart desires and the organs capable of action culminate the sin. "Swift as a deer" refers to the legs, for your legs should run to do good things. "Strong as a lion" is a reference to the heart, because true valor in serving the Creator, Blessed is He, emanates from the heart. He also states: "Strengthen your heart to serve Him, and overpower your evil inclination and defeat it as a hero triumphs over his enemy, defeating him, and casting him to the earth."

The host enters first into the house, then the guest after him. And when the guest leaves, the guest leaves first, then the host after him.¹⁷Derekh Eretz Rabba 4. One must beware of saying birkat ha-mazon if one’s father, or teacher, or someone greater in wisdom than he is at the table, unless he gets permission from them. And if there is a kohen among them, one should defer to the kohen, for thus it is written, “And you shall make him holy,”¹⁸Lev. 21:8 and the sages interpreted this in a midrash to mean, “you shall make him holy in everything that involves holiness, such as letting him open first, say a blessing first, take the nicest portion first, since a person is required to bestow honors upon the seed of Aaron.¹⁹B.Gittin 59b. And if there’s a kohen who’s a talmid hakham (i.e., a Torah scholar)²⁰Lit., “disciple of a sage,” i.e., someone learned in rabbinic Torah. and an ordinary Jew who’s a talmid hakham, and the kohen wishes to bestow an honor on him, he may. For it is said about a kohen, “You shall make him holy [ve-kidashto]” but it is also said about ordinary Israelites “Set bounds about the mountain and make it holy [ve-kidashto],” and in the entire Torah there are only these two occurrences of “ve-kidashto:” one at the beginning of the verse, the other at the end of the verse.²¹Lev. 21:8 and Ex. 19:23. In Ex. 19:23, Moses says to the Lord, “The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai, for you warned us saying, “set bounds about the mountain and make it holy [ve-kidashto].” However, R. Bahya takes the “it” in the pronominal suffix of ve-kidashto to refer to “the people [ha-‘am],” i.e., the Israelites, not the mountain. Grammatically both are masculine singular. This comes to teach about the kohen, that his greatness comes when he begins things, like opening first, or saying a blessing first. But the talmid hakham, his greatness comes at the end, which we derive from what is written, “to the holy ones [la-kedoshim] who are in the land,”²²Ps. 16:3. which the sages interpret in a midrash to mean the holy ones are not called “holy ones” until they have been given their “land.”²³Midrash Tehillim on Ps. 16:3. as it is said, “they become holy ones [la-kedoshim]- those who are in the land.”²⁴The midrash seems to read la-kedoshim (“to the holy ones) as if it were in the Hebrew grammatical construction “hayu le-:” “they became holy ones.” But about them during their lifetime it is written, “He should not trust that he is among His holy ones.”²⁵Job 15:15, as R. Bahya creatively reads the verse, which the JSB translates “He puts no trust in His Holy ones.”

Now I shall enlighten and illuminate for you the answer to this question. It is because when a person is taken up from this world to the world of souls, which is right as he dies, this is called k’vod Ha-Shem – “the Glory of theLord,”¹³⁸As is described in Is 58:8, when “Your Vindicator shall march before, and the k’vod Ha-Shem – the Glory (or Presence) of the Lord – shall gather you up.” (Chavel). and from there, the world of souls, the soul is elevated to take delight in tzrur ha-hayyim – “the bundle of life”¹³⁹From the expression in 1 Sam 25:28: “the soul … will be bound up in the bundle of life” (nefesh …tzrurah be-tzror ha-hayyim), which is used in the prayer for the dead El Male’ Rahamim to describe where the souls of the departed go. – which is called “netzah” – “forever” – like it is used in the verse “You will make known to me the path of life. In Your presence is perfect joy, delights are forever [netzah] in Your right hand.”¹⁴⁰Ps 16:11. And if it is fit to stay there forever, it stays there without a break, for this is what our rabbis z”l said,¹⁴¹B. Erubin 54a. “Every place where the words netzah, selah, and va-ed are used [in Scripture] it means without interruption forever.” And when the soul is not fit to stay there, but ought to receive what it deserves in the world of bodies measure for measure, you see it has to return to this world for the resurrection of the dead, to get its due with the body in the world of bodies. And this is why it is written, “Many of those that sleep in the dust of the earth will awake.”¹⁴²Dan 12:2. It didn’t say “all of those that sleep,” but “many of those” – and they, the ones who are not fit to prolong their days in the “bundle of life” return in the resurrection of the dead and there receive their due, and concentrate on comprehending Him (may He be blessed), and are refined in the elevation of their comprehension and knowledge, until they are fit to return there, and after returning there they are elevated to the invisible world, which is what is written: “He [God] will lead us beyond death.”¹⁴³Ps 48:15.

And you ought to know that at the intellectual meal which is for the soul alone, prepared for the righteous in the world of souls or in the life of the world to come, the righteous are not all equal in this, but there is a hierarchy of status, one above the other. And thus they interpreted “sove’a’ semahot“¹⁵³An expression in Ps 16:11: “You will teach me the path of life. In your presence is perfect joy – sove’a’ semahot.” – “perfect joy” in a midrash in Sifre:¹⁵⁴Sifre Devarim 10. “The faces of the righteous in time to come will be like the sun, the moon, the horizon, the stars, lightning, flowers, and the menorot of the Temple.” And likewise they said in Seder Eliahu Zuta,¹⁵⁵Chavel says he couldn’t find this tradition in Seder Eliahu Zuta, but it is in b. Baba Batra 75a. “The righteous have seven huppot in the Garden of Eden, as it is said, ‘The Lord will create over the whole shrine and meeting place of Mt. Zion cloud by day, and smoke with a glow of flaming fire by night, etc.”¹⁵⁶Is 4:5: “The Lord will create over the whole shrine and meeting place of Mt. Zion cloud by day, and smoke with a glow of flaming fire by night. Indeed, over each ‘glory’ (kavod) will hang a huppah.” Cf Is 4:1: “In that day seven women shall take hold of one man…” You can see where the midrash gets the idea of seven wedding huppot in the future to come. So Rashi explains in a comment to b. Baba Batra 75a: “Indeed over each glory (or honor ) will hang a huppah: (1) “the cloud by day,” (2) “smoke”, (3) “glow”, (4) “fire”, (5) “flaming”, (6) “over each glory”, and (7) “huppah.” But “over each glory” doesn’t seem to belong to this count, but rather the “sukkah which will serve for shade by day” which follows immediately in the next verse (Is 4:6), making seven. It was this that was referred to when the Holy One Blessed be He promised Abraham Our Father in the “Covenant between the pieces” when He said to him, “Count the stars,” and “So shall your offspring be,”¹⁵⁷Gen 15:5. that is to say, just as the stars are arranged by levels, each star’s light greater than its neighbor, with some below it and some above, so in time to come your offspring will be arranged in levels, based on their light of Torah and wisdom, each one greater than the other, each one above the other. And thus in the light of the world to come, the level of the righteous will be one above the other, some of them worthy of the “glass that does not reflect”¹⁵⁸That is, the least obstructed view of God. See the Second Gate (pp. 492-3)., others “the glass which does reflect,” some that go up inside, that is, have permission to, and others who do not go up inside. And all of this they described in a midrash in Tractate Sukkah,¹⁵⁹B.Sukkah 45b. “The row [of righteous men immediately] before the Holy One, blessed be He, consists of eighteen thousand, for it is said, ‘It shall be eighteen thousand round about,'”¹⁶⁰Ez 48:35. which Rashi explained as “eighteen thousand of the righteous surrounding the Shekhinah.”¹⁶¹Rashi’s comment to B.Sukkah 45b. And the explanation of his explanation is that they do so at each of the four winds of the world, and if so, each wind has four thousand five hundred righteous people, and this is what “eighteen thousand round about”¹⁶²Ez 48:35. refers to.

So this book is now finished, built upon precious sayings. With these words the enlightened¹⁸²Lit., ha-maskil be-hakhmah, one “enlightened with wisdom, i.e., the wisdom of Kabbalah (Chavel). will discern when they’re eating, may they make themselves holy and their minds burnished fully. With these words engaged, may they be at their table; raise their table’s renown so that “all shall say ‘Glory!'”¹⁸³An allusion to Ps 29:9: kulo ‘omer kavod. Let their hearts be made pure, to withstand any test. “By these raise up the table,”¹⁸⁴Ex 28:28 so that “before the Lord”¹⁸⁵Ez 41:22 is its label. This table is greater than the table of kings, “he shall be permitted to join those attending,”¹⁸⁶An allusion to the reward of the faithful promised in Zech 3:7: “Thus said the Lord of Hosts: If you walk in My paths and keep My charge, you will in turn rule in My house and guard My courts, and I will permit you to move about among these attendants.”and to be lifted in honor to gaze on¹⁸⁷Or “envision,” because the Hebrew is ye-hazeh, as in hazon “vision,” like the verb in Ex 24:11, with connotation of prophetic vision. the face of “David among the lilies grazing,” to earn “the three-legged table” ¹⁸⁸An allusion to what is referred to in B. Ta’anit 25a: “The righteous will in time to come eat at a golden table with three legs.” See R. Bahya’s Preface, where he explains this idea in his discussion of the fourth reason he gives for calling his book Shulhan Shel Arba. There’s an untranslatable wordplay here with the Hebrew word ro‘e’ (“grazing” or “shepherd”) and the Aramaic word ker’a’ (“leg”): “David among the lilies grazing (ro‘e’)” to earn the table of three legs (ker’a’).” of gold ablazing. They will earn the physical and intellectual meals, and be counted among the benei aliyah. Blessed is the Lord who has refined His servants to perfect us, whose love for us even preceded us; may He bring us to see wonders from His Torah, the foundation of His Temple, the place of the ark and the tablets, the menorah and table and the altars. May our betrayals and sins be atoned for and forgiven, may prosperity be ours – from God’s hand gladly given.¹⁸⁹An allusion to Is 54:10. Among the saints may He raise and lift us, “west and south”¹⁹⁰An allusion to Dt 33:23. may He gift us. From the abundance of His love may He redeem our soul¹⁹¹An allusion to Ps 22:21. from Sheol when He takes it, by His counsel may He guide us¹⁹²An allusion to Ps 73:24. to the “delights ever in His right hand.”¹⁹³An allusion to Ps 16:11. May he encompass us with favor, ¹⁹⁴An allusion to Ps 5:13. in the “bundle of life” may He hide us,¹⁹⁵As opposed to She’ol – “hell” – as in Job 14:13: “O that You would hide me in Sheol.” in the path of life may He guide us, and grant us what is written, “For God is our God forever; He will guide us even beyond death.”¹⁹⁶Ps. 48:15.

He who speaks and is concerned only with his own words and does not consider God¹Lit “Searcher of kidneys.” Who knows his thoughts, his very coming and going Who counts his steps and before Whose glory and power his words are laid, as it is written, “Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? Saith the Lord. Do not I fill heaven and earth? Saith the Lord” (Jer. 23:23); this man is not on a good path. For the nature of man should be to think of his Creator continually and to place Him before himself, as it is written, “ I have set the Lord always before me” (Ps. 16:8). When a man sits in solitude, wherever he may be, let him empty his mind of all vain matters and think only of his Creator, of His holiness and wonders and of His favors which He does for us each day. But when a despised man concentrates on idle things or hears vain matters, even though he does not intend to speak, immediately he turns his thoughts to idleness²Shabbath 149a. with loss to himself for each and every good thought which (rightfully) should be thought of his Creator’s holiness and of His fear so pure. He should be in that good, pure and exalted station to worship God for love and desire of His commands. And this is the grand worship that the ministering angels and the hosts of heaven, who declaim His holiness, employ as it is said, “Holy, holy, holy” (Isa. 6:3). Therefore one needs to be careful and not multiply idle talk lest he forget the Lord who is always before him, as the seeing before the blind (so is He) with His presence and strength in all places. And this blind man is one who does not see except through his vain thoughts and does not remember the Lord and removes himself from the standard of truth and fear of Him. For it (fear of God) is not found in his heart because of the hardness of his heart, which is calloused and distant from God, in his mind are found only vain thoughts. Therefore he is not present in the Divine Mind, only through difficulty and force. As the blind person cannot perceive or apprehend the person who is before him if he does not touch him or hear his voice, so too an individual cannot learn and bind God in his heart permanently unless he forsake transgression. For transgressions divide and darken fear of the Lord and change one’s countenance³Midrash Rabbah, ed. Horeb. Genesis, Chapter LXXIII, p. 158a. and so he says, “But your iniquities have separated between you and your God” (Isa. 59:2).

If an orphan is present in the cemetery, then, after the burial, (if it is still day) the people should step away a distance of at least four amos from the graves and recite the psalm, "Lamenatzaich" ("To the chief musician") etc. "Shimu Zos" ("Hear this") etc.⁶Psalms 49. On a day when Tachanun is not said, "Michtam Le'Dovid" etc. is said.⁷Psalms 16. The orphan then says the Kaddish: "D'Hu Assid Lehischadetah" ("That he will renew"), and those present recite with him up to "Vikarei" (And may this happen). In some communities it is customary that the Kaddish is recited first before the burial, following Tzidduk Haddin. There are communities where even Tzidduk Haddin is not said until after the burial.

And this commandment is practiced in the Land of Israel at the time when Israel is there - whether by Levites or by Israelites - by males and females, as all are obligated never to change the three places spoken about: the city; the open space; and the fields and vineyards. And it would seem that anyone who did change them with witnesses and a warning would be liable for lashes. But I did not know the measure of this change - how much it would be for him to be liable for it. Be wise, my son, and know it. And Rambam, may his memory be blessed, wrote concerning this commandment (Mishneh Torah, Laws of Sabbatical Year and the Jubilee 13:12), "Why did the Levites not merit [a portion] in the possession of the Land of Israel and in the spoils of war, with his brethren? Because they were set aside to serve God, may He be blessed, and minister unto Him and to instruct His just paths. And therefore they were set apart from the ways of the world: They do not wage war like the remainder of the Israelites, nor do they [receive an inheritance], nor do they acquire [things] for themselves through the power of their bodies. Instead, they are God's legion - as it is stated (Deuteronomy 13:11), 'May the Lord bless His legion' - and He provides for them, as it is stated (Numbers 18:20), 'I am your portion and your possession.' And it is not only the tribe of Levi that is included in this, but each and every man that comes to the world whose spirit has moved him to be separated and to stand in front of God and to serve Him, to know His straight and righteous paths and to teach them to others - the yoke of the many calculations that people seek out is lifted from upon his neck. And behold, he is sanctified to become holy of holies, and God will be his possession for ever and ever. And he will acquire the thing that he needs in this world, just as the tribe of Levi acquired [it]. And so David states (Psalms 16:5), 'The Lord is my appointed portion and my cup, You sustain my fate.'"