Mga Cross-Reference at Kaugnay na Bahagi ng Exodo 21:13

Rav Chisda was very keen in the interpretation of law and he was also very clever in reading new meanings into things by skillful analogies. We shall cite two examples of his way of thinking: In explaining the reason why a man is allowed to go two thousand ells away from his place on the Sabbath even though the Bible says, “Let no man leave his place on the seventh day” (Exodus, 17, 29) Rav Chisda said that in as much as the expression “place” was also used in the verse “and I shall set up a place for you” (Exodus, 21, 13) in the case of an accidental homicide the two passages were parallel and the word “place” (מקום) should be understood to mean a city. Later the word “he will flee” is used concerning an accidental homicide, so that we must understand the word “place” used concerning the Sabbath to refer also to flight. The problem arises how far one may flee. There is another verse “the boundary of his city of refuge that he flees” (Numbers, 38, 26) so that we must interpret the verse “let no man leave his place” as if it used the word “boundary”. The meaning of the word boundary must be inferred from its meaning in its use in the verse which uses the expression outside “and their measures are two thousand ells outside the city” (Numbers, 35, 5). We find therefore that the measure of a “Sabbath pale” from which a man is allowed to flee is the boundary of “two thousand ells”.²²⁾ערובין נ״א א׳.

Elul It is written in the end of Shaar HaPesukim from our teacher ARI, may the memory of the righteous be for a blessing: The initial letters of, He brought it to his hand and I have placed for you [enah liyado vesamti lecha] (Exodus 21:13) are Elul. This is to hint that the month of Elul is designed for repentance and everyone needs to repent then, even someone who sinned unintentionally [as in the verse just cited]. To here are [his words]. And those who interpret verses also said that the initial letters of the verse, I am my beloved and my beloved is mine [Ani leDodi veDodi li] (Song of Songs 6:3) also hint to Elul. And they also found a hint in the verse, And the Lord will circumcise your heart and the heart of your seed (Deuteronomy 30:6), since the initial letters of your heart and the heart [et levavcha vet levav] are Elul.
And it is possible to hint that repentance requires 40 days, which is the month of Elul and the 10 days of repentance [from Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur]. And according to its simple understanding, it can be said like that which is said in the Tanchuma, Parashat Bemidbar, about the reason for 40 lashes: Since a person is formed on the fortieth day [after conception] and transgressed the Torah which was given in 40 days, he should be struck with 40 lashes so that he fulfill his punishment. To here are [its words]. And with this approach, it is good to repent for 40 days, corresponding to the the Torah that was given in 40 days and corresponding to the 40 lashes. But according to the approach of [esoteric] truth, it corresponds to the four yods in the 72 [part] name [of God] which is in Wisdom [Chochmah], as everything is clarified in thought [machshavah]. And such is like what is written, He thought thoughts so that the exiled one remain not an outcast (II Samuel 14:14). And [these letters] are hinted in the verse, I am my beloved and my beloved is mine [Ani leDodi veDodi li], the final letters [of these four words all being] yod. Likewise in the verse, He brought it to his hand and I have placed for you, [in which] the initial letters are Elul, [does it hint to this since yod appears four times in that verse as well]. And afterwards it hints to 40 with [the letter], mem [the numerical value of which is 40] of makom [place]. And also in the verse, And the Lord will circumcise your heart and the heart of your seed (Deuteronomy 30:6) — and afterwards there is [the letter], zayin of zareacha [your seed], which [correspond to] the seven days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
And the hint of [having] the three verses mentioned is to correspond to body, being, and spirit [guf, nefesh, ruach], since the soul withdraws and does not sin [and hence does not require repentance]. It also hints that repentance requires thought, speech, and action.
And there is more to hint in the verse, He brought it to his hand and I have placed for you, the initial letters of which are Elul: And we shall preface it with the parable that they said in the holy Zohar about thieves that were in the place where the king's prisoners are imprisoned and they dug a tunnel in the jail. So they all escaped except for one man, who remained. And when the special one of the nation, and that is the king, came and saw the tunnel, he then became angry with this man. So he said to him, "What have you done, is there not a tunnel before you? Why did you not escape? Hence, pull out his eyes; and afterwards, hang him on a tree!" To here are its [words]. And the analogy is that [He] has more mercy than the mercy of the king. As those thieves escaped on their own, but here the King of the kings of kings, the Holy One, blessed be He, says to them to escape and repent. This is [the meaning of] that which is written, Good and upright is the Lord: therefore does he instruct sinners in the way (Psalms 25:8) — the way of repentance. And in the parable the thieves are escaping from the king, but in the analogy they are going to the King and His hand is stretched out to receive them. And we shall also preface with what is written in the sermons that our rabbi, ARI, may the memory of the righteous be for a blessing, wrote that one who repents on the ten days of repentance repents each day for all that he sinned on that day [of the week] all the days of his life. And [commentators] analyzed this [to understand it, for] the repentance of this year is not effective for past years. However, in my poverty, I said about that which Ramak [R. Moshe Kordevero], may his memory be blessed, said — that the ten days of repentance illuminate the ten sefirot of Understanding [Binah] — if so, he atones for previous years with this force. And we have written at length [about this] there, with the assistance of the Heavens, in our poverty. And it is possible to hint to all of this in the verse, He brought it to his hand and I have placed for you: As He Himself, as it were, instructs sinners and digs a tunnel to accept their repentance. And this goodly trait of His is more than [the king in] the parable of the Zohar. And it hints that Understanding is revealed. And that is how his repentance atones for past years. And that is [the meaning of] place that [makom asher]." For it is known that asher hints to Understanding. And that is [the meaning of] that which is written, and I have placed for you a place asher, that bounty will flow from Understanding, so repentance will be effective for all the days of your life.
And it is also possible to hint that the numerical value of But if he did not lie in wait, etc. and that is [equivalent to] Kippur [Atone], with the inclusion [of an extra unit for the word], minus [the equivalent of] reish, which hints to Rosh Hoshanah. He did not lie in wait is the numerical equivalent of humility anavah with the inclusion. For the main elements of repentance are humility, charity, and Torah [study]. That is the proffered counsel to cling to God, may He be blessed and to repent. So humility is hinted to to in the number for he did not lie in wait And the final letters of And God brought it to his hand are mem, hey, vav [mahu, what is he? As one should think, “What is man, what is his power, and what is his strength?" As it is nothing. And the numerical equivalent of and I have placed for you is [equivalent to] righteousness [tzedek], Torah. Above all, one should increase charity [tzedekah] and study Torah.