prohibited and, therefore, practically speaking, there is no
difference whether the animal is a Jew's or a gentile's---you must
help unload the animal in either case.
399 Mechilta.
400 1.
The prohibition against murder was already stated in the Ten
Commandments, above, 20, 13. 2. If this is intended as prohibiting
murder, then why only the innocent and the righteous? 3. From the
context here, it apparently is speaking of judges. (B.Y.)
401 So
that the court may hear the new evidence.
402 Mechilta; Sanhedrin 33b.
403 Even if in truth he may
be guilty.
404 For there is no way that accepting a bribe will
not affect the judge's impartiality. (Kesubos 105a)
405 Devarim
16, 19.
406 Kesubos 105a.
407 Rashi understands this in the
literal and the figurative sense.
408 Mechilta; Kesubos
105a.
409 Rashi, however, understands {Hebrew Ref} here
as defining {Hebrew Ref} , i.e., "words that are
just," because the plain meaning: "words of the just"
obviously cannot apply to someone who accepted a bribe. (Bertenoro)
410 This seems a repetition of {Hebrew Ref} ---"You must not abuse or oppress a stranger!" (22, 20)
411 1. {Hebrew Ref} is understood as {Hebrew Ref} or {Hebrew Ref} (lit. his yeast) because the {Hebrew Ref} ---the evil inclination---is compared to yeast;
they both sour their hosts. Hence do not provoke or antagonize the {Hebrew Ref} for he will easily be pushed into evil ways (G.A.). 2.
{Hebrew Ref} has the same root as {Hebrew Ref} ---
"the roots of the vineyard" (Yirmiyahu 2, 21). Do not antagonize the
{Hebrew Ref} because he will go back to his bad roots. (Moshav
Z'keinim)
412 Bava Metzia 59b.
413 Devarim 22, 2.
414
Once there was no food left in the fields for the cattle from the
seventh-year (shmittah) crops, all the shmittah crops
stored in the house had to be left out in the field so as to be
available to both man and animal. See Rashi Vayikra 25, 7.
415 Mo'ed
Kattan 3a.
416 Mechilta.
417 Is the vineyard not included in {Hebrew Ref} ---"You shall let it rest and abandon it"?!
418 {Hebrew Ref} , lit. a "white field", so called
because the grain turns bright (or white) as it ripens. Also, because
it is entirely covered by sunlight, having no shady areas, since there
are no trees. An orchard or any field of trees is called a {Hebrew Ref} .
419 Above, v. 10. Therefore the prohibition at the
beginning of the verse only included things that are sown, i.e., grains
and vegetables. Now fruits, too, are added to the prohibition.
420
What is the connection between the prohibition against working on
Shabbos and shemittah?
421 You might mistakenly think that
since both, the weekly Shabbos and the Shabbos-year of shemittah
represent G-d's creating of the world, observing the weekly Shabbos is
superfluous. Therefore the Torah makes it clear that this is not so.
(Malbim)
422 Mechilta.
423 {Hebrew Ref} ---
"rest," here should not be construed as not allowing the animal to do
{Hebrew Ref} ---"labors prohibited to man on Shabbos."
424 Ibid.
425 That a circumcised gentile slave must
rest was already stated above (20, 10).
426 A {Hebrew Ref}
is a gentile who renounces idolatry, as well as accepting the seven
Noachide mitzvos. He may do for the Jews on Shabbos only what a
Jew may do on Yom Tov---work done in the preparation of food; or,
according to another opinion, work permitted to a Jew on {Hebrew Ref} ---the intermediate days of Pesach and Succos
(Mechilta). On his own, the {Hebrew Ref} may do any
melachah. (Mishnah Brurah 104, 1)
427 Mechilta.
428 Though
in neither instance does he mention the particular idol for the purpose
of showing it respect.
429 Ibid.; Sanhedrin 63b.
430 Of the
juxtaposition of the two sections of this verse.
431 According to
this latter explanation {Hebrew Ref} actually
refers to all the mitzvos---not just to the {Hebrew Ref} , as according to Rashi's first explanation.
432 Ibid.
433 Bamidbar 22, 28.
434 Chagigah 7a.
435 It is the season of the wheat-harvest in Eretz Yisrael.
436
{Hebrew Ref} = the first fruits of the season which are
brought to the Beis Hamikdosh and given to the kohein, which
cannot be brought before the holiday of Shavuos.
437 When you shall bring the new meal-offering to G-d on your
Holiday of Shavuos" (Bamidbar 28, 26). Hence bikkurim are
brought after Shavuos, and since {Hebrew Ref} is the time
for {Hebrew Ref} , it follows that {Hebrew Ref}
refers to Shavuos.
438 Bikkurim 1, 3.
439 What is the
connection between the Three Festivals and shemittah---is
it not dealt with later (34, 18-26)?!
440 Mechilta.
441 Ibid.
442 I.e., any korbon whose blood was
sprinkled during the day must have its fats and intestines placed on
the altar for burning before the following morning. Otherwise they
become {Hebrew Ref} ---"unfit, due to having
remained overnight.
443 And by morning had not yet been comsumed.
Vayikra 6,2, i.e., the {Hebrew Ref} ---burnt-offering
---may be placed on the fire of the altar all night. Obviously, if
it were placed there close to morning it will not have been consumed by
morning. Yet it is a perfectly valid korbon.
444 Ibid.
445 Zevachim 87a.
446 The seven species with which Eretz Yisrael is praised.
(Devarim 8, 8)
447 Bikkurim 1, 3.
448 Bereishis 38, 17.
449 Ibid. v. 20.
450 Ibid. 27, 9.
451 Hence {Hebrew Ref} alone refers to any young animal whereas {Hebrew Ref}
refers specifically to a goat.
452 Chullin 113b; 115b.
453 By
worshipping the golden calf.
454 Below, 33, 2-3. {Hebrew Ref} ---
"I will send an angel before you . . . for I will not go up
among you." See Ramban.
455 But then it should have said: "that I have prepared for
you" (S.C.). Moreover, the promise that the angel will bring the B'nei
Yisroel to Eretz Yisroel is explicitely related below in v. 23.
(L.S.R.)
456 Yehoshua 1, 18.
457 Tanchuma 18.
458 This
is obviously not a reason for the preceding words: {Hebrew Ref} ---"for he cannot bear your transgression," for
why would G-d's Name make him unable to bear sin?!
459 Sanhedrin
38b. {Hebrew Ref} = the Almighty.
460 I.e., the root of {Hebrew Ref} is {Hebrew Ref}
with the letter {Hebrew Ref} appearing twice.
461 I.e., the
first-person singular in the past tense.
462 Yesihayahu 28, 28.
{Hebrew Ref} has the letter {Hebrew Ref} repeated in the
root. In the {Hebrew Ref} form one {Hebrew Ref} is
dropped while the remaining {Hebrew Ref} receives a cholom and
a dagesh. Hence, {Hebrew Ref} .
463 Koheles 2, 20.
464 I Shmuel 7, 16.
465 Tehillim 116, 6.
466 Yeshaiyah
19, 6.
467 Ibid. 49, 16.
468 Shoftim 5, 15.
469 I
Shmuel 12, 3.
470 Iyov 20, 19.
471 {Hebrew Ref} from
{Hebrew Ref} ---"death."
472 With a patach
under the {Hebrew Ref} and no dagesh.
473 Bamidbar
14, 15.
474 For it should have said {Hebrew Ref} .
475 Yehoshua 10, 12.
476 Koheles 3, 13.
477 Literally:
the back of the neck.
478 Which were on the east bank of the
Jordan.
479 Who occupied Eretz Yisrael at that time.
480 And
could therefore not be struck by the hornets, since the hornets did not
cross the Jordan!
481 36a.
482 Though {Hebrew Ref} is in the present-tense form,
nevertheless, the prefix letter {Hebrew Ref} changes to the
future tense.
483 Bereishis 1, 28.
484 See Rashi above, v.
27.
485 See Bereishis 15, 18.
486 {Hebrew Ref} has four meanings: "if, perhaps, but,
because." Which is the meaning of the word {Hebrew Ref} , here
mentioned twice?
487 I.e., {Hebrew Ref} ---"when."
488 However, the problem that confronts us is that {Hebrew Ref} is not among the four meanings of {Hebrew Ref} !
489
{Hebrew Ref} in Aramaic usually means if but sometimes has the
meaning: {Hebrew Ref} .
490 Vayikra 2, 14.
491 And
therefore {Hebrew Ref} could not mean "if" and must take the
meaning {Hebrew Ref} ---"when." Hence the use of {Hebrew Ref} to mean {Hebrew Ref} is not a fifth meaning of {Hebrew Ref} , but, rather a variant of {Hebrew Ref} , which can mean
"when." And {Hebrew Ref} is one of the four meanings of
{Hebrew Ref} .
Chapter 24 - Text Notes
492 I.e., verses 1-11. This
is based on {Hebrew Ref} ---"the
sections of the Torah are not necessarily in chronological order."
493 Rashi sees a number of things that indicate that this
parsha is not in its right chronological sequence. Two examples: 1.
The Sages tell us that the B'nei Yisrael prepared themselves to
enter the Covenant of Judaism as if they had been {Hebrew Ref} ---
proselytes. This procedure requires {Hebrew Ref} ---
circumcision, {Hebrew Ref} ---immersion in water, {Hebrew Ref} ---sprinkling of the blood of a sacrifice. In
v. 8, Moshe performs the {Hebrew Ref} on the nation. Hence,
it must have been before the giving of the Ten Commandments. (M., B.Y.)
2. The usual opening in the Torah for G-d speaking to Moshe is: {Hebrew Ref} ---"And G-d spoke to Moshe, saying."
Here the opening is {Hebrew Ref} ---"And to Moshe
He said." This has the connotation of something that had already been
said before, viz., the instructions that G-d gave Moshe before the
Giving of the Torah, above, Chapt. 19. (Bartenoro) The Ramban strongly
disputes Rashi and gives a number of proofs to support his own opinion.
494 Mechilta; Shabbos 88a.
495 See Rashi above, 10, 18.
496 I.e., the fourth of Sivan.
497 This cannot literally mean
the entire Torah for this occurred before Sinai.
498 See above
19, 12.
499 I.e., the entire gentile world.
500 Before
Sinai. See Rashi above, 15, 25.
501 Mechilta; Sanhedrin 56b.
502 Mechilta; Shabbos 88a.
503 Before the Mishkon the
sacrifice service was performed by the first-born (S.C.). See Ramban as
to why they are referred as {Hebrew Ref} ---"young men"
here.
504 Bam. Rab. 4, 8.
505 1. Something extraordinary
must have taken place here, for as the korbonos were bleeding.
How could Moshe have known at which point half the blood had come out
into the basins?! And there is no indication that Moshe waited for all
the blood to come out so as to divide it. (N.Y.)
506 Vayik. Rab.
6, 5.
507 Yevamos 46b; Krisos 9a.
508 Mechilta.
509 Literally {Hebrew Ref} means
"he threw" (or "poured"). Here this is not so.
510 Onkelos'
translation differs from Rashi's explanation on two counts: 1. {Hebrew Ref} does not mean: "he sprinkled," but: "he
poured." 2. {Hebrew Ref} , according to Rashi means
literally: "on the people," but according to Onkelos it means: "for
the sake of the people."
511 And therefore did not punish them
right then and there.
512 At which time: {Hebrew Ref} ---"A fire went out from before G-d and
consumed them and they died." (Vayikra 10, 2).
513 Lit. "at the edge."
514 Bamidbar 11, 1.
515
I.e., the elders.
516 Tanchuma Beha'alos'cha 16.
517 Vayik.
Rab. 23, 8.
518 See Rashi Bamidbar 11, 16.
519 Tanchuma Beha'alos'cha 16.
520 Onkelos interprets
everything in the verse in praise of Nadav, Avihu and the elders. They
rejoiced in the fact that their sacrifices were accepted---so much
so that they felt as if they had been eating and drinking.
521
Yeshayahu 41, 9.
522 Bamidbar 11, 25.
523 Yechezkel 41, 8.
524 See Rashi v. 1. However, the reference here to the stone
tablets could not be before the Giving of the Torah, for they were
first hewn afterwards. See below, 31, 18. (M.)
525 See below, v.
18.
526 But G-d Himself wrote only the Ten Commandments upon the
Tablets---the Torah itself, however, was dictated by G-d to be
written by Moshe. Then what is the explanation of G-d's statement here:
{Hebrew Ref} ---"the Torah and the
commandments which I have written?!" (M.)
527 Hence, by writing
the Ten Commandments, G-d, in effect, wrote down all the mitzvos
of the Torah.
528 A liturgical poem called {Hebrew Ref} that
is recited on the holiday of Shavuos.
529 After all, only Moshe
went up to the mountain of G-d!
530 Though Rashi has indicated that the narrative of this
section (from v. 12) took place after the Torah was given, when,
according to some, the Shechinah departed from Mt. Sinai, nevertheless,
Rashi elsewhere (Beitzah 56) gives his opinion that the Shechinah
remained on Mt. Sinai until the Mishkon was established.
531 Below,
32, 17.
532 And heard their voices from afar---from where he
had pitched his tent.
533 See Rashi above, 17, 10.
534 I
Divrei Hayomim 2, 19.
535 11b.
536 Yoma 4a.
537 In this case the {Hebrew Ref}
was the mountain. Ultimately it became the {Hebrew Ref} ---
"the Holy of Holies" in the Mishkon and in the Temple.
538 Ibid.
3b. However, a {Hebrew Ref} before Yom Kippur requires
seclusion for seven days for a special reason. See Yoma 6a. (S.C.)
539 This seems to contradict what is written later on: {Hebrew Ref} ---"Moshe could
not enter the Ohel Mo'ed because the cloud hovered over it."
(below, 40, 35). (Yoma 4b)
540 Ibid.
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