민수기 8:27의 Halakhah

You should know that that which they said (Makkot 23b), "613 commandments were stated to Moshe at Sinai," indicates that this is the number of the commandments that are practiced for [all] generations. For commandments that are not practiced for [all] generations do not have a connection to Sinai - whether they were stated at Sinai or elsewhere. However their intention in saying, "at Sinai," was that the main giving of the Torah was at Sinai. And that was His, may He be elevated, saying, "Come up to Me on the mountain and be there, and I will give [it] to you" (Exodus 24:12). And in explanation, they said, "What is the verse [that alludes to this]? 'Moshe commanded us the Torah, an inheritance of the congregation of Yaakov' (Deuteronomy 33:4)" - meaning to say - "the numerical value of [the word,] Torah is 611. In addition, 'I am the Lord your God' and 'You shall have no other gods' (Exodus 20:2, 3), that we heard from the mouth of the Almighty." And with them, the total of the commandments is 613. They wanted to say with this indication that the thing that Moshe commanded us - and that we did not hear from anyone but him - was the number of 611 commandments. And he called it, "an inheritance of the congregation of Yaakov." And a commandment that is not practiced for [all] the generations is not an inheritance for us. For it is indeed only that which will be continuous for the generations - as it is stated (Deuteronomy 11:21), "like the days of the heavens upon the earth" - that will be called an inheritance for us. And likewise, their statement (Tanchuma, Ki Tetzeh), that it is as if each and every limb commands a person to do a commandment; and it is as if each and every day is warning a person from sin. This is a proof that the number will never be lacking. But if commandments that are not practiced for [all] generations were included in the count of the commandments, behold that the number would be lacking once the obligation of such a commandment ceased. And then this statement would only be correct for a limited time. However someone besides us already erred in this principle as well and counted - because he was forced by a need - "But let them not go inside and witness the dismantling of the sanctuary" (Numbers 4:20); and "he shall serve no more" (Numbers 8:25), concerning the Levites. Yet these were also only practiced in the wilderness. And even though they said (Sanhedrin 81b:18), "From where is there a hint about one who steals a jar for the Temple service (that he is killed)? 'But let them not go inside and witness the dismantling of the sanctuary'" - there is enough [clarification here] in their saying, "a hint." But the simple understanding of the verse is not like this; and it is not even included in those liable for the death penalty at the hands of the Heavens - as is explained in the Tosefta (Tosefta Keritot 1) and in Sanhedrin (Sanhedrin 83a). And I am wondering about this, why they mentioned these negative commandments. Why did they not [also] count about the manna, "Let no one leave any of it over until morning" (Exodus 16:19); or that which He, may He blessed said, "Do not harass the Moabites or provoke them to war" (Deuteronomy 2:9), and likewise the prohibition that came about the the Children of Ammon, "do not harass them or start a fight with them" (Deuteronomy 2:19). And likewise should he count among the positive commandments, "Make a seraph figure and mount it on a standard" (Numbers 21:8); and its saying, "Take a jar and put one omer of manna in it" (Exodus 16:33) - like he counted the tithe of the [booty] (Numbers 31) and the dedication of the altar (Numbers 7). And he should have also counted, "Be ready for the third day" (Exodus 19:15); "neither shall the flocks and the herds graze" (Exodus 34:3); "they shall not destroy, to come up" (Exodus 19:24); and many like these. And no intelligent person will doubt that all of these commandments were given to Moshe at Sinai as commands and [prohibitions; however they were all temporary and not practiced for [all] generations. And therefore they were not counted. And because of this principle, it is inappropriate to count the blessings and the curses that they were commanded at Gerizim and Eval; nor to count the building of the altar that we were commanded to build when we entered the Land of Canaan - for all of these were temporary commandments. And likewise, not the command that we were commanded to sacrifice any animal, from which we want to eat, as peace-offerings - as this was only a temporary command. And that was its saying, "and you shall bring them to the Lord" (Leviticus 7:8)." And they said in Sifrei, Achrei Mot, "'And you shall bring them' is a positive commandment" - but it was only so in the wilderness. For the dispensation to eat meat for pleasure is explained in [Deuteronomy]; and that is its saying, "you may eat meat whenever you wish" (Deuteronomy 12:20). And had it been appropriate to count everything of this type - meaning all that Moshe was commanded from the day he was appointed to be a prophet until the day he died - there would be more than three hundred commandments, besides the commandments that are practiced for [all] generations. This is when we count all the commands that came in Egypt, everything about the preparations [for the tabernacle service], and the other ones besides them - some are positive commandments and some are negative commandments, but they are all written in the Torah. And since he did not count all of them, he is perforce also obligated not to count any of them; and not like this other man, who took [only] some of these things to help him, when he toiled to find the [right] tally. And this is the critique we wanted to make about him regarding this principle.

Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach (Me’orei Eish 5:2) and Rav Ovadia Yosef (Yabia Omer, O.C. 3:35, and Yechaveh Da’at 4:38) contend that electric lights, although they meet the halachic definition of fire, differ significantly from the menorah in the Beit Hamikdash (Temple), which Chanukah candles should commemorate.⁹The Ramban (Bemidbar 8:2) and Ba’al Hama’or (Shabbat 9a in Rif’s pages) develop the idea that Chanukah candles commemorate the lights that the Kohanim lit in the Temple. See, however, Teshuvot Tzitz Eliezer (1:20:12), where Rav Eliezer Waldenberg argues that Chanukah candles need not be so similar to the original menorah as to invalidate electric menorahs. We have already cited Rav Waldenberg’s own objections to electric menorahs, due to other reasons. They note that electric lights contain a glowing filament but lack any actual flame, a key element of the lights in the Beit Hamikdash (see Rashi, Bemidbar 8:2). Moreover, conventional candles contain both a wick and a source of fuel. Although wax candles do not correspond precisely to the lights in the Beit Hamikdash (which burned olive oil), they may nevertheless be used on Chanukah because they include the basic structure of a wick and fuel. Incandescent bulbs, by contrast, clearly lack a combustible source of fuel to parallel oil. Rav Ovadia and Rav Moshe Stern (Be’er Moshe, vol. 6 Kuntres Electric 58-59) even question whether the filament parallels a wick.¹⁰Rav Ben-Zion Uzziel (Mishp’tei Uzziel, O.C. 1:7) explains that although the filament becomes hot, it does not actually catch fire as a true wick does. Indeed, Dr. Joel Berman further notes that, from a scientific perspective, candles and electric bulbs generate light in different manners. Regarding candles, a chemical process of oxidation produces light. A filament, on the other hand, produces light through black body radiation, a process that involves no chemical change.

During the entire month of Nisan we do not say Tachanun¹See Chapter 22. or Tzidduk Hadin²See Chapter 198:14. (burial service), and we do not say Tzidkasecha on Shabbos at Minchah.³Shulchan Aruch 429. It is customary⁴This custom is not very widespread in our times, except among Chassidim. from Rosh Chodesh on, to read (from the Seifer Torah) the parashah of the Nasi⁵The leader of each tribe was called Nasi. On Rosh Chodesh Nisan the Tabernacle was erected, and in honor of its dedication, during the ensuing twelve days, each Nasi had his day on which he brought a special offering, as is written in Numbers 7:10–7:89. who brought his offering on that day. On the thirteenth day of the month, we read in parashas Beha'alosechah until "Kein asah es hamenorah" "So did he make the Menorah" which is fitting for the tribe of Levi.⁶Aaron, the High Priest, and Nasi of the tribe of Levi did not take part in the offering of the Nesi’im. His lighting of the Menorah was his part in the dedication. See Rashi. (Numbers 8:2)

Each day [of Chanukah] we call up three men [for the reading of the Torah] from the chapter "The Offerings of the Princes" in the weekly portion of Naso. On the first day we begin to read for the kohein, from Vayehi beyom kalos Moshe, [On the day that Moses completed] (Numbers 7:1) until Lachanukas hamizbei'ach, [For the dedication of the altar]; for the Levi, Vayehi hamakriv bayom harishon, [The one to bring his offering on the first day] etc. until melei'ah ketores [Filled with incense]. For the Yisrael, Par echad, [One young bull] etc., until Ben Aminadav. On the second day for the kohein and the Levi, we read, Bayom hasheini [On the second day] etc., and for the Yisrael, Bayom hashelishi, [On the third day] etc. Similarly, on each subsequent day for the kohein and the Levi we read of the current day's offering, and for the Yisrael, the offering of the next day. On the eighth day, for the kohein and the Levi, we read, Bayom hashemini [On the eighth day] etc., and for the Yisrael we begin with Bayom hatesh'i, [On the ninth day], completing the entire parashah, and we continue in parashas Beha'alosecha, until kein asa es hamenorah, [So did he make the menorah] (Numbers 8:4).

But the core of their service is to sing over the sacrifice. And they would only say song with communal burnt-offerings that are obligatory and upon the peace-offerings of [Shavouot] at the time of the wine libation; but not over voluntary offerings that the community would make for the 'end of the altar.' And so [too], they would not say song upon libations that came on their own. A Levite who is bereaved (onen) is permitted to serve and sing. We do not ever decrease below twelve Levites that stand on the platform to say song over the sacrifice, but we [may] increase [as much as is wanted]. And the song that the Levites would say was with the mouth, as the crux of song is with the mouth. And others would stand there that would play musical instruments - some of them Levites and some of them pedigreed Israelites that [their family be permitted to] be married to [priests] - as only the pedigreed are ever able to go up to the platform. And we never reduce below nine lyres, but we [may] increase [as much as is wanted]. And there was only one cymbals. And it appears that the reason is that the sound of cymbals is loud and a bit frightening; and [so] if there were many, the rest of the musical instruments that were there would not be heard - all the more so, the song of the mouth. And the hollow of the flutes that they would play with were of reed, since their sound is pleasant. And the flute would strike [play] in front of the altar twelve days a year. And it pushes off the Shabbat, since it is [a part of] the service of the sacrifice, and the sacrifice pushes off the Shabbat. And a [Levite] does not come to the service until they teach him for five years. and as they, may their memory be blessed, learned from the verse. And from here, they, may their memory be blessed, said (Chullin 24a) that a student that does not see a good sign of (some success) for five years, will never see [it]. And he does not ever come to serve until he is an adult, as it is stated (Numbers 4:49), "each man to his service." But a Levite is not disqualified by age and not by blemishes, but rather by deterioration of the voice, such as the old men whose voices deteriorate at the time of old age. And that which is stated in the Torah (Numbers 8:25), "But at the age of fifty they shall retire from the legion of service" is only at the time they were carrying the tabernacle from place to place. And even at the time of old age when his voice deteriorates, he is not disqualified from guarding the Temple and from closing the doors. And all of this and the rest of its details are nicely elucidated in [various] places in Tamid and Middot; also some of this matter is elucidated in the second chapter of Arakhin. And I have written a little at length about this for you, my son, as the Temple will soon be built, and you will need it. Amen, so should God do (see Mishneh Torah, Laws of Vessels of the Sanctuary and Those who Serve Therein 9).