에스겔 8:3의 인용 해설

ויוצא אותו החוצה, he had received the prophetic vision and words of G’d while in the tent. As part of this prophetic insight, Avram felt that G’d took him outside the tent, showing him the stars. This was the מחזה, “the vision.” We have a parallel situation in Ezekiel 8,3 ותבא אתי ירושלמה במראות אלוקים, “He brought me to Jerusalem in visions of G’d;” [the prophet never set foot in Jerusalem, but lived in Babylonia all his life. Ed.] The new element now was that whereas previously G’d had compared Avram’s offspring as being “like the dust of the earth,” now it is described as “as numerous as the stars in heaven.” Both statements, of course, have to be understood as exaggerations, as we pointed out already on 13,16. We also mentioned the allegorical explanations offered on that verse. It is possible, that in messianic times the Jewish people will be comparable to the stars in that just as no one is able to impose his will on the stars in heaven, so no one will be able to impose his will on the Jewish people. They will shine on earth without interruption just as the stars shine in the sky without dimming. In Bereshit Rabbah 44,10 the words ויוצא אותו are understood as G’d telling Avram to free himself from his astrological speculations according to which he was not able to beget children. Once his name would be changed to Avraham, there would be no reason why a person by that name could not beget children. As soon as G’d would change his name he would be able to sire children, something that proved correct.

Give wings to Moab Heb. ציץ. Give wings to Moab. Every appendage that hangs or protrudes from man or beast is called ציץ. Cf. “And it shall be to you for fringes (לציצית)” (Num. 15:39); “And He took me by the locks (בציצית) of my head” (Ezek. 8:3).

As long as etc. - And [regarding] what is written in se'if 13 - that if you wound even one section - I will explain the root of the matter: Because Chazal agreed that ציצית require a גדיל/tassel, which means that it's a requirement, like it says in the verse "you shall make for yourself גדילים (tassels)", and also it needs to have individual strings, like it says [in the verse] "by the hairs of my head" (Ezekiel 8:3). However, on a Torah level, there is no measurement regarding the length of the tassel, rather even if one only wound three windings and tied a knot above that, that too is a law to Moshe from on Sinai [that] one fulfills with it the name "גדיל/tassel". And with that [alone] one already completes the mitzvah on a Torah level. And this the reason of the words (ie. opinion) of the Shulchan Aruch there. And on this one may rely on Erev Shabbos before nightfall when he doesn't have enough time to make [his ציצית] properly (ie. with the full number of knots and winded sections) and [so] it's permitted to go out [while wearing it] on Shabbos and to make the blessing on it. (And [it would be] even better if he also makes the first knot that's before the first set of windings like we are accustomed to do, in order to fulfill [the mitvah] also in accordance with some of the rabbinic authorities who hold that it's regarding that [first] knot that Chazal were referring to which is on a Torah level). And all of this is on a Torah level, but on a Rabbinic level, one must make a third [of the total length of the ציצית] - the גדיל/tassel, and two thirds - the פתיל/loose spun threads. And since the length of the strings is twelve thumb-widths, as we mentioned above in se'if 4, one should make four thumb-widths - as the גדיל/tassel, which are the windings, and leave over eight thumb-widths of separate strings, for that is the beauty of the ציצית. And therefore, if one made [only] one set of windings on Erev Shabbos before nightfall, he must complete it immediately after Shabbos. Because if not, he is transgressing on the words of the Rabbis. And there are those who stumble regarding this.

אבי יושב אהל ומקנה THE FATHER OF SUCH AS ABIDE IN TENTS AND OF SUCH THAT HAVE CATTLE — He was the first of those who pastured cattle, and he dwelt in tents, a month here and a month there, on account of the pasture necessary for his sheep; for when the grass was finished in one place he went away and pitched his tent in another place. There is a Midrashic statement (Genesis Rabbah 23:3) that he built temples for idol worship, (for ומקנה may be read ומקנה –– provoking jealousy), just as you say, (Ezekiel 8:3) "the image of jealousy which provoketh God to jealousy" (המקנה); similarly his brother handled the harp and guitar to make music for idol worship.

ועשו להם ציצת THAT THEY MAKE THEM A FRINGE — It is called צצית, because of the threads that hang down from it. Similar is, (Ezekiel 8:3) “and he caught me by the curls (ציצת) of my head’’. (The word denotes something twisted as threads or curls). — Another explanation is: it is called ציצת because of the command associated with it (v. 39) “and ye shall look at it”. Similar is, “looking (מציץ) from the lattice” (Song 2:9). (The word therefore denotes “something looked at”) (Sifrei Bamidbar 115).