וְאִם־לֹ֥א תִשְׁמְע֖וּ לִ֑י וְלֹ֣א תַעֲשׂ֔וּ אֵ֥ת כָּל־הַמִּצְוֺ֖ת הָאֵֽלֶּה׃
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Mishneh Torah, Repentance
Now, after it is known that the reward and the good which we will acquire for observing the precepts and the way of the Lord according to what it is written in the Torah consist of life in the World to Come, even as it is said: "That it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days" (Deut. 22.7), and that the punishment inflicted upon the wicked who abandoned the righteous paths described in the Torah consists of excision, even as it is said: "That soul shall be utterly cut off; his iniquity shall be upon him" (Num.15.31), what is this which it is written throughout the Torah, if ye will hearken you will be overtaken by thus, but if ye will not hearken you will be met with such, and all those things are in this world, for instance, plenty, famine, war, peace, government, oppression, permanency in the land, exile, success in undertakings, its failure, and other similar text in the Covenant? All those things were and will be true, and as long as we observe the precepts of the Torah all the good of this world will overtake us, and as long as we transgress them we will be met by those evil things described therein. Nevertheless, neither are those good things the end of the reward for observing the commandments nor are those evil things the end of the punishment to be inflicted upon one who violates the precepts. For so are all these matters balanced: The Holy One, blessed is He! bestowed upon us this Torah as a tree of life, and whosoever conducts himself after the prescribed order therein, and studies to know it with a complete and upright knowledge, he acquires therewith life in the World to Come. And, in the measure of his works and wisdom he obtains his acquisition. We were moreover, assured in the Torah that if we will observe it in joy and out of goodness of soul, and constantly meditate in its wisdom, He will detach from us all such things which prevent us from observing it, such as sickness, war, famine and the like. He will, in addition thereto, be bountiful unto us by giving us all good which sustain our hands to observe the Torah, as plenty, peace, and an increase in silver and gold, so that we be not occupied all of our days in the things that are of bodily need, but, instead, be at leisure to study wisdom and observe the precept in order to acquire life in the World to Come. Even so it is said in the Torah: "And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments, before the Lord our God, as He hath commanded us" (Deut. 6.24–25). He made likewise known to us, that if we will purposely abandon the Torah, and busy ourselves with the vanities of the times, as the subject is spoken of, saying: "But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked (Ibid. 32.15). The True Judge will detatch from the forsakers all the good of this world which had strengthened their hands so that they kicked, and bring upon them all the evil to prevent them from acquiring the World to Come, so that they be lost in their wickedness. This is as it is written in the Torah: "Because thou didst not serve the Lord thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, by reason of the abundance of all things; therefore shalt thou serve thine enemy who the Lord shall send against thee" (Ibid. 28. 46–47) Consequently, the interpretation of all those blessings and curses is this way: As if saying, if you have served the Lord with joyfulness and observed His way, he will bestow in abundance these blessings upon you and set at a distance the curses from you, so that you be at leisure to grow wise in the wisdom of the Torah, and to busy yourselves therein, and so that you will merit life in the World to Come, and to do you good in the world which is all good, and prolong your days in the world which is unending, and you will find yourselves acquiring two worlds, to good living in this world, which will bring to a life in the World to Come, for if one does not acquire wisdom and good works here he has nothing else to acquire it with, even as it said: "For there is no work, no device, no knowledge nor wisdom in the grave (Ecc. 9.10). But if you have forsaken the Lord, and did err in eating drinking and prostitution, and their like, he will bring upon you those curses and detach from you all blessings until you will end your days in confusion and dread, and your will have neither a heart of leisure nor a sound body to perform the precepts, so that you lose the life in the World to Come, as a consequence whereof you will have lost two worlds; for, as long as a man is occupied in this world with sickness, war and hunger he can not be engaged either in wisdom or in precepts, by which to acquire the World to Come.
Kitzur Shulchan Arukh
The curses contained in parshas Bechukosai,7Leviticus 26: 14–43. and in parshas Ki Savo8Deuteronomy 28: 15–68. should be read without interruption.9Maseches Megillah 31. Interrupting would make it appear as though we do not wish to accept Divine admonition. (Meleches Shelomoh—Midrash Rabbah.) [Also see Shoeil Umeishiv (5 Resp. 9) and Elef Lecha Shelomo Resp. 63—Sofrim (12).] Shulchan Aruch rules that not interrupting the curses contained in Ki Savo is a custom, but not interrupting in Bechukosai is a Halachah. The reading of these curses must be preceded by one verse of the preceding chapter.10See Kitzur Shulchan Aruch Chapter 23 for details. But in order not to begin the parshah with less than three verses, the reading must begin with the three verses preceding the curses. At the conclusion also, we must read at least one verse after the curses, but care should be taken not to end at less than three verses from the beginning of a parshah. In parshas Ki Sisa, we read for the Levi, the whole chapter of the golden calf until the words Umeshareso Yehoshua11Exodus 33: 11. [and his servant Yehoshua]. And the reason is because the Levites did not participate in making the golden calf.12Maseches Yoma 66a. It is customary to read in a low voice [the portion beginning with] Vayittein el Moshe kechaloso [and He gave Moses as He had finished]13Exodus 31: 18. until Vayechal Moshe [and Moses beseeched].14See Exodus 32: 11 Rashi (Maseches Megillah 31b). The verse beginning with Vayechal is read in a loud voice until Vayifen vayeired Moshe, [And Moses turned and descended]. And the verse beginning with Vayifen is read in a low voice until uMoshe yikach es ha'ohel, [And Moses took the tent].15Exodus 33: 7. The reading is then resumed in a loud voice until the end of the parshah. And also the curses in parshas Bechukosai and parshas Ki Savo should be read in a low voice. However, the verse, Vezacharti es brisi Yaakov [And I will remember the covenant with Jacob]16Leviticus 26: 42. is read in a loud voice. The following verse, Veha'aretz tei'azeiv [And the land will be forsaken] is read in a low voice. From the verse: Ve'af gam zos [and with all this]17Leviticus 26: 44. [the reading is resumed] in a loud voice until the end. And in parshas Ki Savo, [the verse] Leyira es Hashem hanichbad [to fear the honored Name]18Deuteronomy 28: 59. until the end of the verse should be read in a loud voice and thereafter in a low voice until Ve'ein koneh [and there is no one to buy].19Deuteronomy 28: 68. Also in parshas Beha'alosecha it is customary to read in a low voice from Vayehi ha'am kemisonenim [and the people were as murmurers]20Numbers 11: 1. until Vehaman kizra gad [and the manna was like the coriander seed]21Numbers 11: 7. and the reason is to show that they were regretful. Whatever is read in a low voice should be read at least [loud enough] for the congregation to hear the voice, otherwise they have not fulfilled their duty of reading [the Torah]. [In the reading of] the forty-two journeys in parshas Masei no interruption should be made,22Magein Avraham 428: 8—Tzeror Hamor. We also do not interrupt during the last eight verses in the Torah [Maseches Menachos 30, Shulchan Aruch 428: 7], nor in the Ten Commandments in Yisro and in Va’eschanon, nor during Az Yashir [Avudraham]. for they represent the [Divine] Name of forty-two [Letters].23One of the holy Names of Hashem.
Shulchan Arukh, Orach Chayim
If one urinates and handles it (his penis) with his hands or he goes to the bathroom and he wipes himself, he is permitted to wash since his hands are dirty. (Hagah: and he washes up to the ends of the joints of his fingers.) And if he wants to pray, even if he did not wipe himself, he is also permitted to wash (his fingers in water) up to the ends of the joints of his fingers.
Hagah: And so it is with a priest who goes up to recite the priestly benediction,100The priestly benediction, Birkhat Khohanim, ברכת כהנים, was also known as the Nesi'at Kapayim, נשיאת כפים, or the lifting of the hands. It was part of the daily service in the Temple every morning and evening before the thanks-offering the priests would raise their hands up and pronounce the three-fold priestly blessing from a special platform called a dukhan, דוכן. Therefore the ceremony has also been referred to as the dukhenen. The ceremony was transferred into the daily service in the synagogue. In Ashkenazi communities it is restricted to the Musaf, Additional Service (see footnote 166) of festivals but is omitted on Simḥat Torah because the Kohanim might be drunk and when the festival falls on the Sabbath. It is said during the Amidah (see footnote 43) of the Musaf Service during the fifth (of seven) benediction which calls for the restoration of the Temple Sacrifice Service where the priests served in performing the sacrifices for the people to God.
The Hebrew text of the blessing Numbers 6:24, consists of three short verses of three, five, and seven words respectively. It mounts in gradual stages from the petition for material blessing and protection, to that of a divine favor as a spiritual blessing, and it climaxes in a petition for God's most consummate gift of peace, which encompasses the welfare of all material and spiritual wellbeing. These fifteen words have a rhythmic beauty to them. They are introduced by a reminder of the Temple Sacrifice Service and a prayer for its reestablishment. The blessing was only spoken by Aaron but it was a blessing of God.
The words that the descendents of the priests chanted in front of the congregation from the ark covered by their prayer shawls with their fingers separated in the middle are as follows:
The Lord bless thee and keep thee:
The Lord make his face to shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:
The Lord turn his face unto thee, and give thee peace.
And the congregation responds "Amen" to each blessing.
Hertz, op. cit., pp. 834-37. he washes his hands even though they are clean because the majority of (the instances of) washing which are not intended for pleasure are permitted, (הגהות מיימוני פ״ב מהל׳ י״כ ומהרי״ל).101Hagahot Maimuniyyot, chapter two from the Laws of Yom Kippur and Maharil, הגהות מיימוני פ״ב מהל׳ י״כ ומהרי״ל.
For Hagahot Maimuniyyot, הגהות מיימוני; see footnote 27.
For Maharil, מהרי״ל; see footnote 8. Therefore even if one comes from the street and his feet are dirty, it is permissible to wash them, (ב״י בשם הגהות מיימוני וסמ״ג וטור הלכות ט״ב).102Beit Yosef in the name of Hagahot Maimuniyyot and Sefer Mitzvot Gadol and Tur on the Laws of Tishah be-Av, ב"י בשם הגהות מיימוני דסס"ג וטור הלכות ט"ב.
For the Beit Yosef, ב״י; see footnote 20.
For Hagahot Maimuniyyot, הגהות מיימוני; see footnote 27.
Sefer Mitzvot Gadol, סמ״ג, is also known by its acronym SeMaG for Sefer Mitzvot Gadol. It was written by Moses ben Jacob of Coucy, a thirteenth century French scholar and tosafist. Moses of Coucy was the first French Jew to serve as an itinerant preacher, who wandered from town to town and from country to country trying to inspire Jews to renew their faith in God. He began his work in Spain in 1236 apparently after he received some mystical revelation. He excited people to renew their following of the commandments of tefillin (prayer phylacteries), mezuzah (Shema prayers placed on the doorpost), and ẓiẓit (garment fringes) which they had been lax in observing. He also spoke against a practice that had become common among Jews of Spain, having sexual relations with Gentile women. He stressed the value of the study of Torah and all positive commandments which had declined in Spain along with the allegorization of the Bible as a result of the philisophic writings of Maimonides which had become popular in the thirteenth century. Because of his vast sermonizing he received the name of Moses ha-Darshan, Moses the Sermonizer.
The SeMaG, Sefer Mitzvot Gadol, is Moses of Coucy's most extensive and important work, and it was first published before 1480 probably in Rome and again in Italy in 1547. The work is unique among the rabbinic writings of the period because of its style and arrangement. It contains the essence of the Oral Law, and it is arranged in order of the precepts divided into two parts, the positive and the negative precepts. Coucy based his work on the Mishneh Torah of Maimonides (see footnote 59) and he quoted from it directly on almost every page. He basically added to the words of Maimonides using as his source the Babylonian and Jerusalem Talmuds as well as many midrashim, halakhic and aggadic commentaries on the Bible. He also employed the works of French and German rishonim, early scholars (see footnote 16). Coucy changed the language of the midrashim to fit in with the style of Maimonides. The order to the SeMaG is different than that of the Mishneh Torah and even different than Maimonides' Sefer ha-Mitzvot (see footnote 59) which also lists the 613 commandments in positive and negative precepts because Coucy was not familiar with this work by Maimonides. At the end of his book Coucy included rabbinic precepts so as to instruct the people in the way of the Lord, which had been his original aim. To reach this aim, Coucy also separated those precepts which had practical value from those which were no longer applicable. The work of Moses of Coucy, because of his travels in Spain and his discovery of the works of Maimonides, helped bring Maimonides to the awareness of the French Jewish community. It is ironic that the allegorization of the Bible that Moses of Coucy fought so hard against was the result of the philosophy of Maimonides whom, as a halakhist, Moses of Coucy respected so much.
Moses of Coucy employed the following style in Sefer Mitzvot Gadol: he began with a scriptural verse touching on the subject, he then sighted interpretations of the verse found in the Talmuds and the halakhic midrashim. He then gave explanations based on commentators and halakhic scholars, and finally he summarized the halakhah. He weaved into the discussions aggadic and homiletic aspects, many of which were his own creation that displayed a love of God and his fellow man. The SeMaG became quite a popular and well known work among Jewish scholars for many generations. Isaac of Corbeil who had the title of "Head of the Yeshivot of France" compiled a book that was completely dependent on the SeMaG and he called it Sefer Mitzvot Katan, SeMaK, (see footnote 27), and he made it compulsory daily learning for every Jew. The SeMaG was the most accepted halakhic code among Ashkenazi and Sephardi Jewry until its position was taken over by the Shulḥan Arukh. (For an explanation of the SeMaG and how it fits into the entire picture of codification literature, see the introduction to this thesis).
Israel Moses Ta-Shma, E. J., v. 12, pp. 418-20.
The Tur, on the laws concerning the Ninth Day of the month of Av, טור הלכות ט״ב.
Tishah Be-Av is a fast day which commemorates the destruction of both the first Temple (586 B. C. E.) by the Babylonians and the second Temple (70 C. E.) by the Romans in Jerusalem which traditionally occurred on this date, (M. Ta'anit 4:6). (Actually records show that the major destruction of both Temples was on the tenth of Av but the Talmud proclaimed the Ninth Day of Av as the official day of mourning). It is a national day of mourning for the Jewish people. The rules regarding washing one's feet only if they are dirty (for cleansing purposes) are the same on Tisha Be-Av as they are on Yom Kippur.
The Mishna, loc. cit., also points out other calamities that befell the Jewish people on the Ninth Day of Av. It was on that day that the children of Israel were told they could not enter the Promised Land following their exodus from Egypt. On the Ninth of Av Bethar, the last stronghold of the leaders of the Bar Kokhba revolt was captured in 135 C.E. and exactly one year later the Roman Emperor, Hadrian, established a heathen temple on the site of the Temple in Jerusalem and made the city a pagan city which the Jews were not permitted to enter. The Jews later were expelled from Spain in 1492 on Tishah be-Av. This day then became a symbol for the persecutions and misfortunes of the Jews throughout history.
Fasting on the Ninth Day of Av as a day of mourning might have even been in practice during the second Temple period, and it was certainly part of the Jewish life in mishnaic times. It is a fast like Yom Kippur, from sunset to sunset.
In some places it is customary to eat a boiled egg during the last meal before Tishah be-Av sprinkled with ashes to symbolize mourning. No meat or wine is to be included prior to the fast. It is a day of national fasting and mourning. The laws of fasting are very similar to those of Yom Kippur and the laws of mourning parallel those that apply to one who has just lost a close relative after the burial. Lamentations are read as part of the Evening Service. While studying is prohibited, the Book of Job, curses in Leviticus (26:14-42) Jeremiah 39, and stories in the Talmud on the destruction of Jerusalem (Git. 55b-58a) may be read.
Supposedly Tishah be-Av will eventually again become a day of joy as the Messiah is to be born on this day.
Meir Ydit, E. J., v. 3, pp. 936-40.
For thr Tur, טור; see footnote 23.
Hagah: And so it is with a priest who goes up to recite the priestly benediction,100The priestly benediction, Birkhat Khohanim, ברכת כהנים, was also known as the Nesi'at Kapayim, נשיאת כפים, or the lifting of the hands. It was part of the daily service in the Temple every morning and evening before the thanks-offering the priests would raise their hands up and pronounce the three-fold priestly blessing from a special platform called a dukhan, דוכן. Therefore the ceremony has also been referred to as the dukhenen. The ceremony was transferred into the daily service in the synagogue. In Ashkenazi communities it is restricted to the Musaf, Additional Service (see footnote 166) of festivals but is omitted on Simḥat Torah because the Kohanim might be drunk and when the festival falls on the Sabbath. It is said during the Amidah (see footnote 43) of the Musaf Service during the fifth (of seven) benediction which calls for the restoration of the Temple Sacrifice Service where the priests served in performing the sacrifices for the people to God.
The Hebrew text of the blessing Numbers 6:24, consists of three short verses of three, five, and seven words respectively. It mounts in gradual stages from the petition for material blessing and protection, to that of a divine favor as a spiritual blessing, and it climaxes in a petition for God's most consummate gift of peace, which encompasses the welfare of all material and spiritual wellbeing. These fifteen words have a rhythmic beauty to them. They are introduced by a reminder of the Temple Sacrifice Service and a prayer for its reestablishment. The blessing was only spoken by Aaron but it was a blessing of God.
The words that the descendents of the priests chanted in front of the congregation from the ark covered by their prayer shawls with their fingers separated in the middle are as follows:
The Lord bless thee and keep thee:
The Lord make his face to shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:
The Lord turn his face unto thee, and give thee peace.
And the congregation responds "Amen" to each blessing.
Hertz, op. cit., pp. 834-37. he washes his hands even though they are clean because the majority of (the instances of) washing which are not intended for pleasure are permitted, (הגהות מיימוני פ״ב מהל׳ י״כ ומהרי״ל).101Hagahot Maimuniyyot, chapter two from the Laws of Yom Kippur and Maharil, הגהות מיימוני פ״ב מהל׳ י״כ ומהרי״ל.
For Hagahot Maimuniyyot, הגהות מיימוני; see footnote 27.
For Maharil, מהרי״ל; see footnote 8. Therefore even if one comes from the street and his feet are dirty, it is permissible to wash them, (ב״י בשם הגהות מיימוני וסמ״ג וטור הלכות ט״ב).102Beit Yosef in the name of Hagahot Maimuniyyot and Sefer Mitzvot Gadol and Tur on the Laws of Tishah be-Av, ב"י בשם הגהות מיימוני דסס"ג וטור הלכות ט"ב.
For the Beit Yosef, ב״י; see footnote 20.
For Hagahot Maimuniyyot, הגהות מיימוני; see footnote 27.
Sefer Mitzvot Gadol, סמ״ג, is also known by its acronym SeMaG for Sefer Mitzvot Gadol. It was written by Moses ben Jacob of Coucy, a thirteenth century French scholar and tosafist. Moses of Coucy was the first French Jew to serve as an itinerant preacher, who wandered from town to town and from country to country trying to inspire Jews to renew their faith in God. He began his work in Spain in 1236 apparently after he received some mystical revelation. He excited people to renew their following of the commandments of tefillin (prayer phylacteries), mezuzah (Shema prayers placed on the doorpost), and ẓiẓit (garment fringes) which they had been lax in observing. He also spoke against a practice that had become common among Jews of Spain, having sexual relations with Gentile women. He stressed the value of the study of Torah and all positive commandments which had declined in Spain along with the allegorization of the Bible as a result of the philisophic writings of Maimonides which had become popular in the thirteenth century. Because of his vast sermonizing he received the name of Moses ha-Darshan, Moses the Sermonizer.
The SeMaG, Sefer Mitzvot Gadol, is Moses of Coucy's most extensive and important work, and it was first published before 1480 probably in Rome and again in Italy in 1547. The work is unique among the rabbinic writings of the period because of its style and arrangement. It contains the essence of the Oral Law, and it is arranged in order of the precepts divided into two parts, the positive and the negative precepts. Coucy based his work on the Mishneh Torah of Maimonides (see footnote 59) and he quoted from it directly on almost every page. He basically added to the words of Maimonides using as his source the Babylonian and Jerusalem Talmuds as well as many midrashim, halakhic and aggadic commentaries on the Bible. He also employed the works of French and German rishonim, early scholars (see footnote 16). Coucy changed the language of the midrashim to fit in with the style of Maimonides. The order to the SeMaG is different than that of the Mishneh Torah and even different than Maimonides' Sefer ha-Mitzvot (see footnote 59) which also lists the 613 commandments in positive and negative precepts because Coucy was not familiar with this work by Maimonides. At the end of his book Coucy included rabbinic precepts so as to instruct the people in the way of the Lord, which had been his original aim. To reach this aim, Coucy also separated those precepts which had practical value from those which were no longer applicable. The work of Moses of Coucy, because of his travels in Spain and his discovery of the works of Maimonides, helped bring Maimonides to the awareness of the French Jewish community. It is ironic that the allegorization of the Bible that Moses of Coucy fought so hard against was the result of the philosophy of Maimonides whom, as a halakhist, Moses of Coucy respected so much.
Moses of Coucy employed the following style in Sefer Mitzvot Gadol: he began with a scriptural verse touching on the subject, he then sighted interpretations of the verse found in the Talmuds and the halakhic midrashim. He then gave explanations based on commentators and halakhic scholars, and finally he summarized the halakhah. He weaved into the discussions aggadic and homiletic aspects, many of which were his own creation that displayed a love of God and his fellow man. The SeMaG became quite a popular and well known work among Jewish scholars for many generations. Isaac of Corbeil who had the title of "Head of the Yeshivot of France" compiled a book that was completely dependent on the SeMaG and he called it Sefer Mitzvot Katan, SeMaK, (see footnote 27), and he made it compulsory daily learning for every Jew. The SeMaG was the most accepted halakhic code among Ashkenazi and Sephardi Jewry until its position was taken over by the Shulḥan Arukh. (For an explanation of the SeMaG and how it fits into the entire picture of codification literature, see the introduction to this thesis).
Israel Moses Ta-Shma, E. J., v. 12, pp. 418-20.
The Tur, on the laws concerning the Ninth Day of the month of Av, טור הלכות ט״ב.
Tishah Be-Av is a fast day which commemorates the destruction of both the first Temple (586 B. C. E.) by the Babylonians and the second Temple (70 C. E.) by the Romans in Jerusalem which traditionally occurred on this date, (M. Ta'anit 4:6). (Actually records show that the major destruction of both Temples was on the tenth of Av but the Talmud proclaimed the Ninth Day of Av as the official day of mourning). It is a national day of mourning for the Jewish people. The rules regarding washing one's feet only if they are dirty (for cleansing purposes) are the same on Tisha Be-Av as they are on Yom Kippur.
The Mishna, loc. cit., also points out other calamities that befell the Jewish people on the Ninth Day of Av. It was on that day that the children of Israel were told they could not enter the Promised Land following their exodus from Egypt. On the Ninth of Av Bethar, the last stronghold of the leaders of the Bar Kokhba revolt was captured in 135 C.E. and exactly one year later the Roman Emperor, Hadrian, established a heathen temple on the site of the Temple in Jerusalem and made the city a pagan city which the Jews were not permitted to enter. The Jews later were expelled from Spain in 1492 on Tishah be-Av. This day then became a symbol for the persecutions and misfortunes of the Jews throughout history.
Fasting on the Ninth Day of Av as a day of mourning might have even been in practice during the second Temple period, and it was certainly part of the Jewish life in mishnaic times. It is a fast like Yom Kippur, from sunset to sunset.
In some places it is customary to eat a boiled egg during the last meal before Tishah be-Av sprinkled with ashes to symbolize mourning. No meat or wine is to be included prior to the fast. It is a day of national fasting and mourning. The laws of fasting are very similar to those of Yom Kippur and the laws of mourning parallel those that apply to one who has just lost a close relative after the burial. Lamentations are read as part of the Evening Service. While studying is prohibited, the Book of Job, curses in Leviticus (26:14-42) Jeremiah 39, and stories in the Talmud on the destruction of Jerusalem (Git. 55b-58a) may be read.
Supposedly Tishah be-Av will eventually again become a day of joy as the Messiah is to be born on this day.
Meir Ydit, E. J., v. 3, pp. 936-40.
For thr Tur, טור; see footnote 23.