AI en Translation, Pages 126-150
Page 126
And he said further to seek the people a Masoretic hint
In the verse all the land is like a furnace, no
Because it has more to grow from what there is not
In others it is written defectively, for the inclination is close, a wandering king
An old and foolish king knocked on wisdom and you land
Great was not found etc. and is it not worthy to be great
And he said that Mordecai knew all that was done
But he did not know Haman and how he wrote and what he signed on it
Rather, he said that he knew the heavenly decree
Which was signed in blood to destroy the Jews
But how was the matter reversed so that the accusers were killed
By a verbal analogy: It is written here, And Mordecai rent his
clothes, and it is written there regarding Joseph, And he rent his clothes
Just as there the matter was reversed for good, so here it was reversed
Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh
Take counsel together, and it shall come to nought; speak the word, and it shall not stand: for God is with us
And he said further to seek why was it personified
The Holy One, Blessed be He, after the word In the beginning and called His name Elohim
<del>To say that at first it arose in thought to create the world</del>
<del>In the attribute of judgment, and He saw that the world would not endure, and He joined</del>
<del>With it the attribute of mercy, and that is In the day that the Lord God made earth and heaven</del>
And the word Bara is an acronym for First Beloved Son
Heaven [Shamayim] is fire [Esh] and water [Mayim], for the Holy One, Blessed be He, brought fire and water and mixed them together
These are the things ⟦...⟧
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Parashat Vayechi Yaakov ⟦...⟧
Year ⟦...⟧ according to the abbreviated era
And concerning the portion of Vayechi Yaakov our father, peace be upon him
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And it was on the day ⟦...⟧
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I, the undersigned, admit that I have received from the honorable Mr. Yosef, may his Rock and Redeemer protect him, a sum of
five hundred and seventy-six silver dinars and a quarter, with five ⟦...⟧
hundred and seventy-six silver dinars and a quarter as mentioned, which remains
with me as a business investment (Iska) for half the profit for a full year
from the date hereof until one full year
and I, the undersigned, admit how I received the mentioned sum from the hand of the honorable Mr. Yosef, may his Rock and Redeemer protect him
mentioned, and the profit shall be between us half in profit and half in loss
and the responsibility for the principal and the profit is upon myself and upon my properties
real estate and movables by way of real estate, not as a mere promise (Asmakhta)
and not as a form-letter of contracts but according to the stringency of all contracts
made in Israel according to the regulation of our Sages, of blessed memory, not to retract it
from this day and forever, and we have performed a formal acquisition from the hand of the undersigned for the merit of
the mentioned honorable Mr. Yosef, a complete and perfect acquisition with a vessel fit
to perform an acquisition with, from now, not as a mere promise and not
as a form-letter of contracts, with the cancellation of all notifications and notifications of notifications
and the disqualification of their witnesses according to the opinion of the Rashba, of blessed memory, and everything is valid
clear and established
Furthermore, I admit how I received the mentioned sum from the hand of the honorable Mr. Yosef, may his Rock and Redeemer protect him
mentioned, and the profit shall be between us half in profit and half in loss
and the responsibility for the principal and the profit is upon myself and upon my real estate properties
and movables by way of real estate, not as a mere promise and not as a form-letter
of contracts etc.
The youth Yosef Cohen ⟦...⟧
The youth David Cohen ⟦...⟧
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Remez
S. T.
– Introduction to 8
Remez 65: "And you shall make a door for it in its side; with lower, second, and third stories
you shall make it." The explanation is that they correspond to the three worlds: the lower world, which is
the world of angels, the world of spheres, and the lower world, which is
this world in which we dwell, which is a world of change and transformation.
And behold, in the Ark there were three levels: a level for refuse, a level for beast
and animal, and a level for man. And behold, the lower level which is for refuse
is corresponding to this lower world which is entirely filth and stench.
And the middle level which is for beast and animal is corresponding to the world
of the spheres, which have no knowledge or intellect like the beast and the animal.
And the upper level which is for man is corresponding to the world of angels,
who are intellectual like man, who has intellect and knowledge to recognize
his Creator. And this is what the verse said: "lower, second, and third stories
you shall make." Lower corresponds to the lower world, second corresponds to the world
of the spheres, and third corresponds to the world of angels. And know that
man is a microcosm, and in him are three worlds: the head corresponds to
the world of angels, in which is the brain which is the dwelling of the intellect
and the soul; and from the neck to the waist corresponds to the world of the spheres,
in which is the heart which is the source of life and movement, like the spheres
which possess movement; and from the waist down corresponds to the lower
world, where the reproductive organs, the stomach, the liver, and the rest of
the internal organs are, which cook the food and push the waste outward.
And this is what the verse said: "lower, second, and third stories you shall make."
Lower corresponds to from the waist down, second corresponds to from
the neck to the waist, and third corresponds to the head which is
superior over all, and in it is the dwelling of wisdom, understanding, and knowledge.
The matter of Balaam against his will is a wonder from the mountains of God ⟦...⟧
The verse says, From Aram Balak the king of Moab has brought me, from the mountains of the east,
Come, curse Jacob for me, and come, defy Israel, etc. See,
See and observe his wickedness and the greatness of his hatred that his feet ran,
And he left his land and went on a distant way ⟦...⟧
And he did not spare his honor as he went on the way alone
To do harm to Israel, and so intense was the hatred in his heart,
And even though he knew that the Holy One, Blessed be He, does not desire ⟦...⟧
In their curse, nevertheless he went with brazenness ⟦...⟧
A parable, to what is the matter comparable? To a lion that sought to prey
Upon the flock, and the shepherd was there guarding them from the lion.
What did the lion do? He began to wag his tail
And made his voice heard so that the sheep would be afraid and flee
From the shepherd, and then he would prey upon them; so Balaam the wicked
Sought to curse Israel and saw them, that He guards them,
The Holy One, Blessed be He, as it is said: Behold, He who guards Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps.
He began to curse himself and said, Let my soul die
The death of the righteous, and let my end be like his. But anyone
Who blesses is blessed, and he who curses is cursed, as it is said: And I will bless
Those who bless you, and him who curses you I will curse. And so Jethro when he came to convert
Said: Blessed be the Lord, who has delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians
And out of the hand of Pharaoh; and Jethro rejoiced for all the goodness which
The Lord had done to Israel, etc. Blessed are You, Lord our God,
King of the universe, Creator of the lights of the fire.
Page 130
pursues the commandment of excision and will pursue to separate another thing
And they said that he shall not be called according to his custom 'wicked', meaning
he shall act as David did, for the sons of the wicked killed him, and they said
this honored Name, for if you say by way of
the wicked, for what reason did he say, for what reason did the verse say 'Turn away from evil'
so that you shall pursue it, so that he shall be called nothing but 'good', and do not
say that he first performed commandments and afterwards 'turned away from evil'
for David preceded by saying: everyone who acts shall not do evil
and then he said after 'do good'; and David was a pursuer of peace
and he said 'seek good for yourself and do good', so that you do not say like a person who says
'I will do for myself all types of transgressions, and who shall say to me what shall you do'
'and I will do and perform many commandments, and all my deeds'
'are through commandments and good deeds, and all my evil deeds'
'that I have done shall be atoned for by the commandments I have done'; and this is
what the verse said: 'Turn away from evil' and afterwards 'do good'
And the sages said: 'do good', and 'good' is nothing but Torah, as it is said
'For I have given you a good portion, do not forsake my Torah'
Behold, if a person pursues Torah and commandments
then he shall not do any evil, as it is said: 'And God saw'
everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good', and our Sages of blessed memory expounded
in Genesis Rabbah: 'very good', this refers to the Evil Inclination; but is the Evil Inclination
good? Rather, it is to teach you that all ⟦illegible⟧
Midrash Peliah: It is written, "The wise shall inherit honor, but fools
carry away shame" etc.
The Holy One, Blessed be He, said: If you do not give honor to the Torah, I will turn
the world back into chaos and void, as it is said, "The wise shall inherit honor" ⟦...⟧
"and fools carry away shame" – do not read "merim" (carry away) but "marom" (exaltation), for anyone
who exalts himself, his end is to fall into Gehenna, which is called deep,
as it is said, "A deep pit is a harlot, and he who is abhorred by the Lord shall fall there," and "harlot" refers
to nothing but heresy, as it is said, "For she has cast down many wounded" etc.
Another matter: "The wise shall inherit honor" – this refers to Moses and Aaron,
who shared honor with one another. At the time the Holy One, Blessed be He, said to Moses,
"And now go, and I will send you to Pharaoh, and bring My people the children of Israel
out of Egypt," Moses said before the Holy One, Blessed be He: Master of the Universe, I have a brother older
than I, and he has been prophesying to them in Egypt for eighty years, and until
now he has not taken any greatness, and now I should enter his domain?
Immediately Moses' anger flared, as it is said, "And the anger of the Lord burned against Moses,
and He said: Is there not Aaron your brother the Levite? I know that he can speak well,
and also, behold, he comes out to meet you, and when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart."
Rabbi Simeon bar Yochai said: The heart that rejoiced in the greatness of
his brother shall wear the Urim and Thummim, as it is said, "And you shall put in the breastplate
of judgment the Urim and the Thummim, and they shall be upon Aaron's heart."
Another matter: "The wise shall inherit honor" – this refers to Joshua bin Nun,
who showed honor to Moses his teacher with all his heart, as it is said, "And his servant
Joshua bin Nun, a youth, did not depart from the tent." Was he truly a
youth? Was he not fifty-six years old? Rather, he made himself like a youth
to serve Moses his teacher, and therefore he merited to inherit the honor of
Moses, as it is said, "And Joshua bin Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid
his hands upon him" etc. "But fools carry away shame" – this refers to
Jeroboam bin Nebat, who [did not] show honor to the kingdom of the House of David
and reigned over Israel; and what caused him to be banished from the world?
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254
⟦line⟧
Found in the eighth essay on the verse "And he said to him, let it be in your eyes
as one of the youths, ask something of me and I will do it for you"
Rashi of blessed memory explained that he asked of him that Reuben his son should live
so that he would not die in his lifetime <del>and he saw</del> and these are his words: so that he would not die in his lifetime
so that he would not die in his lifetime in the manner that Judah died, and Er and Onan died.
If so, it is difficult: why did he need to say to him "let it be in your eyes
as one of the youths"? Has he not already said to him
"ask something of me and I will do it for you"? If so, whatever he asks
he will do for him, even that he should live forever. If so, what is "as one
of the youths" that he said to him? And the Rabbi, author of Zera Berach,
of blessed memory, answered: for it is written in the verse "And Elijah said to him, ask what
I shall do for you before I am taken from you, and Elisha said,
please let a double portion of your spirit be upon me. And he said, you have asked a hard
thing; if you see me taken from you, it shall be so
for you; but if not, it shall not be so." And it is difficult: what is "you have asked a hard
thing"? Is there anything difficult for the Prophet to do,
even the resurrection of the dead, and certainly this thing? Rather,
the matter is this: behold there are two levels: the first is a completely righteous person,
and the second is a penitent. Behold, a completely righteous person can
decree a thing and it shall be established for him, which is not the case for a penitent,
except through prayer and crying out specifically. And this is what Elijah said
to Elisha: "you have asked a hard thing," for you want the matter to be
immediately here
Ravid HaZahav is established as a reflection and explanation of the Torah
by way of PaRDeS and ethics, and the manner of writing the book
is according to the order of the portions of the Five Books of
the Torah in general and in detail, and many sermons on
the matter of the Torah, and it says to him, 'From heaven He made you hear
His voice' etc. and regarding Moses, 'He spoke with him' etc.
However, your explanation is myrrh and cinnamon spices
rejoicing the heart and healing for the soul, and also explains
the Talmud in general and says that so it is
a study for him upon it, and also explains in another
way through hidden things and revealed to you the secret of the mysteries of the matter
and explained the verses of the book of Proverbs of Solomon
and speaks of the fair of the path of good intellect and knowledge
and of the path which you shall walk in, in the way of modesty
and so 'And have dominion over the fish of the sea and the birds of the heavens' and on
the Work of Creation and the Work of the Chariot and speaks on the deeds
of Adam and on the Tree of Knowledge and on
the Tree of Life and on the Garden of Eden and on Gehenna
and the fear of Heaven
⟦...⟧
The book Ravid HaZahav is completed, praise to God Creator of the World
who has kept us alive and sustained us and brought us to this time
for on this day the composition of the great book was completed
Page 132
⟦With the help of Heaven⟧
And this is the story that happened in the days of King Darius, the first Persian king,
who ruled over Persia and Media and Babylon and all his kingdom.
<del>He was</del> a great and mighty king, he lived in peace and tranquility,
and in all his days there was no war. And in the second year of his reign,
<del>there was</del> he lived in peace and tranquility, and in all his days there was no
war. And in the second year of his reign, he dreamed a dream and was
in great terror, and he rose from his bed and called all his wise men
and said to them, "I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit is troubled to know
<del>the dream</del> the dream." And his wise men said to him, "O King,
<del>live forever</del> live forever! Let the king tell his servants
the dream, and we will declare its interpretation." And the king said to his wise men,
"<del>The dream</del> The dream is forgotten by me, and if you do not tell me
the dream and its interpretation, you shall be cut in pieces and your houses shall be made
<del>a dunghill</del> a dunghill." And his wise men answered and said to the king, "There is no man
on earth who can tell the king's matter, except
God, whose dwelling is not with flesh." And the king
became very angry and very furious, and he commanded to destroy
all the wise men of Babylon. And the decree went forth, and the wise men were to be slain;
and they sought Daniel and his companions to be slain. Then Daniel
<del>said</del> said to Arioch, the captain of the king's guard: "Why
is the decree so harsh from before the king?" Then Arioch made the matter known
to Daniel. And Daniel went in and desired of the king that time
would be given to him, and that he would show the king the interpretation. Then Daniel
went to his house and made the matter known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions,
that they might seek mercies from before the God of heaven."
And the Maggid Mishneh, of blessed memory, wrote in Chapter 5 of the Laws of Acquisition and Gifts,
Halacha 1, as follows: I heard people asking why they did not institute
that it is not comfortable for him, so that it should take effect, for with this intent he did not
grant it to him, etc. ⟦...⟧ And the Rabbi, author of
⟦...⟧ of blessed memory, ⟦...⟧ Kessef Mishneh Siman 242,
and he wrote about it as follows: And in my humble opinion it seems that this is what the Maggid Mishneh intended
in the second answer he wrote there, as follows: And furthermore, the Sages only
instituted Meshikha (physical pulling) for movables because of the concern that
they might be burned; but in a small gift there is no concern for this,
and the Sages did not apply their rule, but rather let it stand according to Torah law,
whereby acquisition is made through money or a deed, etc. And according to his words, of blessed memory, it is difficult, for
above this, the Maggid Mishneh, of blessed memory, wrote that regarding a small
gift, the reasoning that the recipient's mind is not settled does not apply,
since it is a small gift. And since this is so,
even without Meshikha, he should also acquire it by Torah law through money
or a deed. And he answered that even though regarding a small gift
this reasoning that his mind is not settled does not apply,
nevertheless, since they instituted Meshikha in buying and selling because of
the concern that they might be burned, the Sages did not differentiate and instituted it
in every case, even in a small gift where there is no
such concern. And because of this, the Maggid Mishneh
needed the second reason, to say that in a small gift
they let it stand according to Torah law, where acquisition is through money and a deed,
and they did not require Meshikha for it, for the
reason of 'perhaps they were burned' does not apply. Thus far are his words, see there.
And I, in my poverty, have not merited to understand his words, of blessed memory, in this,
for according to his words, of blessed memory, it is difficult: since in a small gift
they let it stand according to Torah law, if so, why did the Maggid Mishneh
need the first reason, to say that in a small gift
the reason that his mind is not settled does not apply? For
even if this reason did apply, since they let it stand
according to Torah law, that is sufficient. And it requires further study for now.
Page 133
With God's help, Wednesday 23rd of the month of Adar II, the year 5662 of the creation, in Baghdad, may the Lord protect it, blessed be His name.
How the pleasant and delightful young man, Mr. Ezekiel, may his Rock protect him, son of Mr. Abdallah Joseph, may his Rock protect him, came
And said to us: be valid and faithful witnesses for me, and perform a complete and finished acquisition from me starting now,
And write and sign for me in any language of merit and power of attorney, and give it into the hand
Of the honorable and pleasant dignitary, Mr. Saul, may his Rock protect him, son of Mr. Meir, may his Rock protect him,
To be in his hand as a merit and evidence; and we performed an acquisition from him with a complete and finished acquisition
With a vessel fit to perform acquisition with, from now, not as a mere promise and not as a template of documents,
But rather as the rigor of all legal merit documents customary in Israel, made according to the regulation of our Sages of blessed memory,
As is customary in our community, may the Lord protect it. That I, the aforementioned Ezekiel, have sold in a complete sale,
Absolute, firm, and established, to the aforementioned dignitary Mr. Saul, all the portion and the right
That I have in the body of the courtyard known as mine and my brother's, Mr. Reuben, may his Rock protect him,
Located in the Al-Dahana neighborhood, Al-Jadid alley, which is known by the name Dar
Al-Kabir, which is currently held by our father, the aforementioned Mr. Abdallah, and borders:
East: the house of the family of Mr. Joseph son of Mr. Ezra Simeon; and West: the house of the family
of Master Abraham HaLevi; and North: the house of the family of Mr. Isaac son of Mr. Aaron, may his Rock protect him; and South:
The public road. And the sum of the money for this sale is a sum of one hundred and fifty Ottoman Liras
Gold, which are fifteen thousand Sagh Piastres. I have collected and received
From the hand and the purse of the buyer, the aforementioned Mr. Saul, the sum of the aforementioned hundred and fifty Liras
In full cash, and they have passed into my hand and my possession, and I have nothing remaining with him,
No claim, demand, appeal, hesitation, or legal dispute at all and fundamentally, neither regarding
The body of the aforementioned portion nor its value; and they have forgiven one another with complete forgiveness
And finished from now, performed according to the regulation of our Sages of blessed memory, by canceling all notifications and notifications
of notifications until the end of all notifications that I, the aforementioned Ezekiel, issued,
Or that the aforementioned buyer issued, and their conditions; I have canceled them like a broken potsherd and like a thing
That has no substance, and I have disqualified their witnesses according to the opinion of the Rashba, of blessed memory; and I have raised
My hand and removed myself from the body of the aforementioned portion from now, and behold it is acquired
And delivered into the hand of the buyer, the aforementioned Mr. Saul, to do with it as he wishes and desires
As a person does within his own property, without anyone in the world protesting or appealing
At all and fundamentally. And I have returned to him the aforementioned bill of sale as evidence in his hand
As a merit and evidence, and everything is firm, clear, true, stable, correct,
And established, what is written and specified above from me, Ezekiel son of the aforementioned Abdallah
Joseph, and we performed an acquisition from him regarding all that is written and specified above.
21 Rav Chisda said: A person should never cast excessive fear within his house,
for regarding the concubine in Gibeah, her husband cast excessive fear upon her,
and it caused the fall of many tens of thousands of Israel. Rav Yehuda said in the name of Rav:
Anyone who casts excessive fear within his house will eventually come to
three transgressions:
forbidden sexual relations, bloodshed, and desecration of the Sabbath.
Rav Yehuda said in the name of Rav: Anyone who casts excessive fear within his house,
eventually they will feed him something that is not properly prepared. And it happened with a certain man
who invited guests and set before them a roasted chicken,
and his wife sat and ate it all, and due to the fear of her husband, she broke the bones
and arranged them before the guests. And when her husband came and found bones
without meat, he said to her: Where is the meat? She said to him: The guests ate it.
That man went after the guests and stoned them with stones and killed them.
Thus he came to bloodshed because of excessive fear.
The Sages taught: It happened with a certain man who invited three guests during a time of famine, and he had
nothing to set before them but three eggs. The son of the homeowner came
and took one of them and put it into his mouth; his father strangled him and he died. His mother
saw this and went up to the roof and fell and died; he too went up to the roof and fell and died.
We find that Abraham our father, peace be upon him, who would cast excessive fear within his house,
as it is said: And Abraham hastened into the tent to Sarah and said: Hurry, three seahs
of fine flour, knead it and make cakes. And Abraham ran to the cattle and took a
tender and good calf and gave it to the youth, and he hurried to prepare it. And he stood
over them under the tree and they ate. And they said to him: Where is Sarah your wife? And he said:
Behold, in the tent. Rav Yehuda said in the name of Rav: The ministering angels knew
that Sarah our mother was in the tent, so what is [the meaning of] "Where is Sarah your wife"? In order
to make her beloved to her husband. Rabbi Yose bar Chanina said: In order to send her the cup
of blessing. It was taught in the name of Rabbi Yose: Why are there dots over the [letters] A-Y-V in "to him" [alav]?
The Torah taught proper conduct, that a person should inquire about his hostess. But didn't
Shmuel say: One should not inquire about the welfare of a woman at all? Through her husband it is different.
Page 134
May it be acceptable before You at the hour that you pray this prayer, may it be the will before
our God and the God of our fathers that this hour shall be a time of favor
before You, and You shall answer our petition and hear our prayer and accept
our supplication in Your many mercies, and do with us righteousness and kindness
for the sake of Your great name, and be gracious to us and have pity on us and merit us
and help us and save us and redeem us from every trouble and distress
and from every illness and from every pain and from all kinds of calamities
that occur and come to the world, and deliver us from all decrees
harsh and evil, and nullify from us all evil thoughts
and all evil counsels that all our enemies may think against us
and our haters and all those who seek our harm, and frustrate their counsel
and spoil their thoughts, and cast into the depths of the sea all
our sins and our iniquities and our transgressions, and erase our transgressions
like a thick cloud and like a mist, and be with us wherever we turn
and make our way successful, and put in our hearts Your love and Your fear
and open our hearts to Your Torah, and enlighten our eyes with Your commandments
and make our hearts cling to Your commandments, and unify our hearts to love
and to fear Your name, and merit us to do Your will
as Your will with a whole heart, and give our portion in Your Torah
and merit us to see the face of Your Messiah speedily in our days
Amen Selah, and may it be the will before You, O Lord our God and God of
our fathers, that this hour shall be a time of favor before You
and You shall answer our petition and hear our prayer and accept
our supplication in Your many mercies, and do with us righteousness
and kindness for the sake of Your great name, and be gracious to us and have pity
on us and merit us and help us and save us and redeem us
from every trouble and distress and from every illness and from every pain
On the eve of the Sabbath, specifically for the sermon
David King of Israel and his seed are Your servants
They rejoice in Your name and trust in Your word; the Messiah shall flourish
In their days, and they hoped for Your salvation, and a near redemption
You shall make sprout for them, and return their captivity and have mercy on them
According to Your many mercies, and then Your name shall be called upon them, and their eyes
Shall see Your kingdom as it is said: For eye to eye they shall see
When the Lord returns to Zion; and it is said: And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see
Together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken; and it is said: To make known that the Lord is upright,
My rock, and there is no injustice in Him; and it says: You will make known to me the path of life,
Fullness of joys in Your presence, pleasures at Your right hand forever.
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable before You, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.
Blessed be the Lord forever, Amen and Amen.
The speech of David:
I will thank God and praise Him to whom belongs greatness and power,
And this is my God and I will glorify Him, the God of my father and I will exalt Him, for He alone
Is a God awesome and terrible, and to Him belongs the crown and the kingdom, to whom belongs the dominion.
To the blessed God they shall give sweetness, and to the King, the living and existing God, they shall sing songs,
And sound praises, for He alone is exalted and holy, Worker of mighty deeds,
Maker of new things, Master of wars, Sower of righteousness, Causing salvations to sprout,
Creator of healings, Awesome in praises, Lord of wonders, Who renews
In His goodness every day continually the work of creation, as it is said: To Him who makes
Great lights, for His mercy endures forever.
Page 135
Help is from my God, maker of heaven and earth ⟦...⟧
On the day ⟦...⟧ of the Sabbath ⟦...⟧ of the month ⟦...⟧
The year ⟦...⟧ from the creation ⟦...⟧
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<del>⟦...⟧</del>
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⟦...⟧
⟦...⟧
⟦...⟧
In the name of the Lord, we shall do and succeed, and in everything we turn
we shall be wise and succeed, Amen Sela, so may it be His will. I shall write a brief sermon
regarding the matter of Passover coming upon us for good and for blessing
and this I begin with the help of God, may His name be blessed
It is stated in Midrash Rabbah, Parshat Bo El Pharaoh
The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: 'Go, I am sending you to Pharaoh'
And one must examine this statement, for did Moses not know
that he was the messenger of the Omnipresent, blessed be He, that it was necessary to tell him
'Go, I am sending you'? And furthermore, it is difficult what ends the portion:
'And the Lord said to Moses: Come to Pharaoh, for I have hardened
his heart and the hearts of his servants, so that I may set these signs of Mine
in his midst, and so that you may tell in the ears of your son and your grandson
how I have toyed with Egypt and My signs which
I placed among them, and you shall know that I am the Lord.' And it is difficult, for it should have said
'so that you (singular) shall know that I am the Lord', and why did it say 'you (plural) shall know'?
And furthermore, it is difficult as it is written: 'And Moses said: With our young and with our old
we will go, with our sons and with our daughters we will go, for it is a festival of the Lord for us.' And he said
to them: 'May the Lord be so with you as I will let you go
and your little ones; look, for evil is before your faces. Not so;
go now, you men, and serve the Lord, for that is what you
request.' And he drove them out from before Pharaoh.
And one must understand what Pharaoh saw to say 'go now, the men'
specifically? And what is the 'evil' which is 'before your faces'?
And furthermore, what is this that he said: 'for that is what you request'?
Behold, they requested 'with our young and with our old we will go'.
And it seems it can be explained according to what the Rabbi Kli Yakar wrote,
of blessed memory, on the verse 'And the Lord said to Moses: Come to Pharaoh,
for I have hardened his heart etc.' and he wrote there, of blessed memory:
Page 136
On Sunday, we entered the new house which we bought
from Yosef Hayim Cohen Dallal in the name of the deceased
<del>Moshe Shimon and we registered the deed in the Tabu in our names</del>
<del>Me and my brother Yosef and we registered the deed in the Tabu in our names</del>
<del>In equal shares and they gave the sum of three thousand four</del>
<del>hundred and fifty rupees and the house is within</del>
<del>the Darbouna in which there is the house of Meir Sassoon and Reuven Sassoon</del>
<del>of Yehezkel ben Rahamim Shimon Shamash and Reuven Sassoon</del>
<del>which is now the house of Meir Avraham Ovadia Shamash</del>
<del>and opposite the entrance of our house is the entrance of the house of Yitzhak Barukh</del>
<del>And now we sold the aforementioned house to the honorable Rafael Hayim</del>
<del>for the sum of three thousand seven hundred and fifty</del>
<del>rupees and we received the money from his hand and we registered</del>
<del>the house in the Tabu in his name and it was on the day of</del>
<del>24th of Elul in the year 5693 and peace</del>
Wednesday, the 22nd of Adar I, the year 5692
A male son was born to us and we called his name Yair
and we circumcised him on Wednesday, the 29th of the aforementioned Adar I
and the Sandak was my father Yitzhak, may his lamp shine, and the Mohel was
Hacham Saleh Hacham Shimon and the blessing Rabbi was Hacham
Shimon Hacham Eliyahu and may God merit us to raise him to Torah, the wedding canopy, and good deeds
Amen.
Blessed be God who created in His great mercy and circumcised
the hearts of the uncircumcised, for on the Holy Sabbath day, 19th of Shevat
the year 5694 a male son was born to us
and we circumcised him on Sunday, the 27th of the aforementioned Shevat
and we called his name Meir and may God merit us to raise him to Torah
to the wedding canopy and to good deeds, Amen, may it be His will
⟦illegible⟧ the wise Shem Tov and all his household in peace Amen
What I wrote down: that on the Holy Sabbath day, the 23rd of the month of
Adar in the year 5630, she went to her eternal rest
the daughter of Mrs. Haviva, wife of the honored Moshe Yitzchak ⟦illegible⟧
And on the said Holy Sabbath day at night, 8 pages and sign ⟦illegible⟧
in peace. And on Sunday, 8 pages and sign; for on Sunday
the 24th of the said month of Adar, 8 pages and sign ⟦illegible⟧
And on Monday, the 25th of the said month ⟦illegible⟧ 8 pages and sign ⟦illegible⟧
And on Tuesday, the 26th of the said month ⟦illegible⟧ 8 pages and sign ⟦illegible⟧
And on Wednesday, the 27th of the said month ⟦illegible⟧ 8 pages and sign ⟦illegible⟧
And on Thursday, the 28th of the said month ⟦illegible⟧ 8 pages and sign ⟦illegible⟧
And on the Eve of the Holy Sabbath, the 29th of the said month ⟦illegible⟧ 8 pages and sign ⟦illegible⟧
And on the Holy Sabbath day, the 1st of the month of Nisan in the year 5630
⟦illegible⟧ 8 pages and sign ⟦illegible⟧ and on Sunday, the 2nd of the month of Nisan
said, 8 pages and sign ⟦illegible⟧ and on Monday, the 3rd of the month of Nisan
said, 8 pages and sign ⟦illegible⟧ and on Tuesday, the 4th of the month of Nisan
said, 8 pages and sign ⟦illegible⟧ and on Wednesday, the 5th of the month of Nisan
said, 8 pages and sign ⟦illegible⟧ and on Thursday, the 6th of the month of Nisan
⟦illegible⟧
And these are the days that stayed with me from the honored Avraham, may his light shine, and all his household
in peace. What I gave him, what I wrote down: on the Holy Sabbath day
the 23rd of the month of Adar in the year 5630, and on Sunday the 24th of the said month
and on Monday the 25th of the said month, and on Tuesday the 26th of the said month
and on Wednesday the 27th of the said month, and on Thursday the 28th of the said month
and on the Eve of the Holy Sabbath the 29th of the said month, and on the Holy Sabbath day
the 1st of the month of Nisan in the year 5630, and on Sunday the 2nd of the month of Nisan
and on Monday the 3rd of the month of Nisan, and on Tuesday the 4th of the month of Nisan
and on Wednesday the 5th of the month of Nisan, and on Thursday the 6th of the month of Nisan
and on the Eve of the Holy Sabbath, the 7th of the month of Nisan in the year 5630
Page 137
Ma'arav Rava - from the interpretation of the Torah for the youth in the Torah of the Priests -
Rabbi Akiva said: How much is written here, 'Speak' and 'thou shalt say'
unto them? Since He said to them, Israel are my beloved children,
and He did not want to say to them 'Command', but said to them, My beloved children
are they, as it is said: 'Ye are children'
Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai said: Come and see how beloved
Israel are before the Omnipresent, for in every place they were exiled, the Divine Presence was with them.
They were exiled to Egypt, the Divine Presence was with them, as it is said: 'Did I surely
reveal myself unto the house of thy father, when they were in Egypt?' And so in Babylon.
They were exiled to Elam, the Divine Presence was with them, as it is said: 'And I will set My throne
in Elam' etc. And even when they are redeemed, the Divine Presence is with them, as it is said:
'Then the Lord thy God will turn (V'shav) thy captivity.' It does not say 'and He will bring back' (Veheshiv) but
'and He will return' (V'shav), which teaches that the Holy One, Blessed be He, returns with them from among the exiles.
Another matter: 'Speak and thou shalt say'—to warn the adults regarding the minors.
And from where do we know that the minors are not warned regarding the adults? The text teaches:
'Speak and thou shalt say'—Speak to the minors that they should be careful regarding the adults.
Or perhaps it is only 'Speak to the adults that they should be careful regarding the minors'?
When it says 'and thou shalt say', behold the minors are spoken of. So
how do I fulfill 'Speak'? To warn the adults regarding the minors.
Rabbi says: So that they do not become defiled for the minors. From where do we know that
the minors are not warned regarding the adults? The text teaches: 'Speak
and thou shalt say'. I might think they shall not defile themselves for them, but they may defile themselves for a neglected
corpse (Met Mitzvah)? The text teaches: 'He shall not defile himself among his people'—this excludes a neglected corpse
who has no 'people'. I might think they shall not defile themselves for a neglected corpse,
but they may defile themselves for someone who has 'people'? The text teaches: 'For her he may defile himself'.
What is a neglected corpse? Anyone who has no one to bury him—I call
him a neglected corpse. And what is one who has those to bury him? Anyone who is not
called a neglected corpse. 'He shall not defile himself among his people'—among his people
he does not defile himself, but he does defile himself for a neglected corpse.
'For her he may defile himself' is a permission; 'He shall not defile himself' is an obligation. These are the words of Rabbi Ishmael.
Rabbi Akiva says: It is not necessary, for behold it says 'unto
the priests the sons of Aaron'. And whose sons are priests? Rather,
that they should behave like the sons of Aaron. Just as Aaron pursues peace,
loves peace, so his sons should love peace and pursue peace.
Just as Aaron loves the creatures and brings them close to the Torah,
so his sons love the creatures and bring them close to the Torah.
'For a soul (nefesh) he shall not be defiled among his people'—'soul' means nothing other than a corpse, as it is said:
'And every dead soul (nefesh met) he shall not place among them.'
Say that he is in peace and my father David says peace be upon you
and your family and in the house and all the loved ones peace be upon you all and they
greet you with many greetings and all the loved ones greet you
with many greetings
<del>And also I inform you my dear son</del>
I inform you my dear son that the papers arrived
which were sent by the hands of the travelers and we read them
and understood what is in them and we rejoiced in your joy which you wrote
that you arrived in peace to the Abode of Peace ⟦line⟧
May God make your arrival a goodness and a blessing upon you
And at that time we delivered the paper that was in your hands
to Sami whom you mentioned and he gave us the whole amount
and what we received was from these papers and it is seven
sixty-one on the date of the year
My brother Rashid wrote me a letter and says so
⟦line⟧ so and so and he reached them from Syria and they have ⟦line⟧
arrived at the mouth of the sea and the Hajj took
from a letter that you arrived in peace
And I wrote him a letter and said to him o my brother
you know that the traveler has nothing
but bad talk and in peace and in the state
⟦line⟧ my dear son and write to us always
of your joyful news and peace be upon you
⟦illegible⟧
Page 138
It seems to me to resolve this according to what the author, the Rabbi,
of blessed memory, wrote: for behold, we find the twelve tribes of G-d divided
in their opinions, for Simeon and Levi were one group, etc.
and the rest of the tribes were another group.
And behold, it is known that every single tribe had its own banner,
and every single banner had its own color, for
Reuben's stone was a ruby and its appearance was red and his banner was red
and depicted on it were mandrakes; and Simeon's was topaz and its appearance was green
and depicted on it was Shechem; and so all of them. And this indicates that
each and every one had his own distinct aspect
and his own way to serve Hashem, may He be blessed. And this is
the matter of the twelve gates in the firmament corresponding to the twelve tribes,
and every single tribe entered through the gate designated for it.
And behold, it is known that the Torah is comprised of all
the souls of Israel, and every person of Israel has
a portion in the Torah. And behold, just as every person of Israel
has his own way to serve Hashem, may He be blessed,
so in the Torah there are seventy faces to the Torah, and every person
of Israel understands the Torah according to the root of his soul
and according to his aspect. And behold, it is known that the dispute that was
between the tribes was not, G-d forbid, a dispute of
spite, G-d forbid, but rather a dispute for the sake of Heaven,
for this one says thus and that one says thus, and each one
intends for the sake of Heaven. And this is what the verse says:
And he shall rise in the morning before sunrise and wash his hands and recite the blessing
on the washing of hands and on the commandment of Tzitzit and put on Tefillin
and recite the Shema and pray the Eighteen [Amidah] and afterwards
he shall study one chapter of Mishnah
And after he finishes his prayer and his study he shall go to his business and deal
faithfully and be careful <del>⟦illegible⟧</del> not to come to an oath
God forbid even regarding the truth and be careful not to come to anger
nor to pride nor to hatred nor to envy
for these bad traits damage the soul of man
greatly and it is necessary to distance oneself from them to the ultimate distance and he should be
humble and lowly of spirit before every person and even before the smallest
of the small and his speech should be gentle with people and he should be
a lover of peace and a pursuer of peace and a lover of people
and bring them closer to the Torah and be happy with his lot and even if he lacks
his food he shall trust in God, blessed be He, for He feeds and sustains
all living things and he shall be careful in every positive commandment and commandment
not to do and he shall be careful with the blessings of enjoyment and the blessing
of food and in every single blessing that he recites he should intend in it
the meaning of the words and he shall be careful in every single word
that comes out of his mouth that there be in it no hint of a transgression
God forbid such as evil speech and gossip and mockery and lies
and flattery and idle words and he shall be careful at all times
and at every hour that it happens to him to do some commandment he shall run
to it with great joy and he shall be careful every single day
(Sign 13 Section 1)
Page 139
And you shall love your neighbor as yourself, Rabbi Akiva said: This is a great principle in the Torah.
The speech of the young Isaac
In Midrash Rabbah, Parashah 24: And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel and say to them: You shall be holy,
for I, the Lord your God, am holy. Let our teacher instruct us:
How many things are forbidden on Shabbat? Thus taught Rabbi Hiyya:
Four things are forbidden on Shabbat, and these are they:
The one who sows, the one who plows, the one who reaps, and the one who gathers. He asked,
our teacher, what is the rule for putting wool into a pillow on Shabbat? He said to them,
it is forbidden because it is like filling. And one who fills is liable on account of
building. The Holy One, Blessed be He, said to Israel: Keep the Sabbath,
for it is holy to you. What is meant by "for it is holy to you"?
Rabbi Isaac said: Just as the Holy One, Blessed be He, is called Holy, so the Sabbath
is called holy, as it is said: And you shall call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord
honored. And just as the Holy One, Blessed be He, is called Holy, so Israel are called
holy, as it is said: And you shall sanctify yourselves and be holy. And just as
the Holy One, Blessed be He, is called Holy, so the Torah is called holy, as it is said:
For the day is holy to our Lord. The Holy One, Blessed be He, said: Let Israel come,
who are called holy, and keep the Sabbath which is called holy,
and engage in the Torah which is called holy, and praise the Holy One, Blessed be He,
who is called Holy. Therefore it is said: You shall be holy. Another interpretation: You shall be holy.
This is what is written: O send out Your light and Your truth, let them lead me;
let them bring me to Your holy mountain and to Your dwelling places. Rabbi Isaac said:
Flesh and blood lights a lamp from a lamp; can he perhaps light
light from the darkness? But the Holy One, Blessed be He, shines light from within
the darkness, as it is said: And darkness was over the face of the deep; and what is written
after it? And God said: Let there be light, and there was light. And so He
says: He reveals deep things out of darkness, and brings out to light the shadow of death.
Another interpretation: You shall be holy; one might think like Me, therefore it says: For I am holy—
My holiness is above your holiness. The Holy One, Blessed be He, said to Israel:
In this world you are entangled in iniquities, but in the world to come
Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who has sanctified us
with His commandments and commanded us regarding the reading of the Megillah. Blessed are You, Lord
our God, King of the universe, who performed miracles for our ancestors
in those days, at this time.
And it came to pass in the days of Ahasuerus, he is the Ahasuerus who reigned from Hodu
unto Cush, over seven and twenty and a hundred provinces. In those days,
when King Ahasuerus sat on the throne of his kingdom, which
was in Shushan the capital, in the third year of his reign, he made a feast
unto all his princes and his servants; the army of Persia and Media, the nobles
and the princes of the provinces being before him; when he showed the riches of his glorious
kingdom and the honor of his excellent majesty many days,
even a hundred and fourscore days. And when these days were fulfilled, the
king made for all the people that were present in Shushan the capital,
both great and small, a feast of seven days, in the court
of the garden of the king's palace; white, fine cotton, and blue, fastened with cords of
fine linen and purple on silver rings and columns of marble; the couches
were of gold and silver, upon a pavement of alabaster, and marble, and pearl, and precious stone.
And they gave them drink in vessels of gold, the vessels being diverse one from another, and royal wine
in abundance, according to the bounty of the king. And the drinking was according to the law; none did compel; for so the king
had appointed to all the officers of his house, that they should do according to every man's pleasure.
Also Vashti the queen made a feast for the women in the royal house
which belonged to King Ahasuerus. On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry
with wine, he commanded Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, and Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcas,
the seven chamberlains that ministered in the presence of King Ahasuerus, to bring
Page 140
With the help of God
May it be Your will, Lord our God and God of our fathers
that You lead us in peace, and direct our steps in peace, and guide us in peace
and bring us to our destination for life, joy, and peace
and save us from the hand of every enemy and ambusher on the way and from all kinds of
calamities that occur in the world, and send a blessing upon the work of
our hands, and grant us grace, kindness, and mercy in Your eyes and in the eyes of all
who see us, and hear the voice of our supplications, for You are a God who hears prayer and supplication
<del>Blessed are You, Lord, who hears prayer</del>
And Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him. And Jacob said
when he saw them, "This is God's camp"; and he called the name of that place Mahanaim
For Your salvation I hope, O Lord; I hope, O Lord, for Your salvation; O Lord, for Your salvation I hope
Behold, I send an angel before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to
the place which I have prepared. And the angel of God, who went before
the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud moved from before them
and stood behind them. May the Lord bless you and keep you; may the Lord make His face shine upon you
and be gracious to you; may the Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace. And they shall put My name
upon the children of Israel, and I will bless them. God of Abraham, God of Isaac
and God of Jacob, guard and save Your servant ⟦...⟧
from all evil, and from all fear, and from all sorrow, and from all harm, and from every bad
occurrence, and lead him on a straight path, and bring him to his destination for life
and for joy and for peace; for He will command His angels for you, to guard you in all your ways
The Lord shall guard your going out and your coming in from now and forevermore. And in the scripture
it says, "And David was successful in all his ways, and the Lord was with him"; so may it be
with you, and may He guard you from all evil, Amen, Victory, Selah, and forever
May it be Your will, O Lord my God and God of my fathers,
that You save me today and every day from the insolent and from insolence,
from a bad person, from an evil inclination, from a bad companion, and from a bad neighbor,
from an evil mishap, from the evil eye, from the evil tongue, and from a harsh
judgment, and from a harsh adversary, whether he is a son of the covenant
or whether he is not a son of the covenant, for You hear
the prayer of every mouth. Blessed are You, O Lord, who hears prayer.
And I, through Your great kindness, shall enter Your house; I shall prostrate myself toward Your holy Temple in awe of You.
O Lord, lead me in Your righteousness because of my watchful foes; make Your way straight before me.
For there is no sincerity in their mouth; their inward part is destruction; their throat is an open grave;
they flatter with their tongue. Condemn them, O God; let them fall
by their own counsels; cast them out in the multitude of their transgressions, for they have rebelled against You.
But let all those who put their trust in You rejoice; let them ever shout for joy, and You shall defend them;
let those who love Your name be joyful in You. For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous;
You will encompass him with favor as with a shield.
Blessed is our God who created us for His glory, and separated us from those who err,
and gave us the Torah of truth, and implanted eternal life within us.
May He open our heart through His Torah, and place in our heart His love
and His fear, and to do His will and to serve Him with a perfect heart.
May we not labor in vain, nor bring forth for terror. May it be Your will,
O Lord our God and God of our fathers, that we may keep Your statutes in this world,
and merit and live and see and inherit goodness and blessing for the life of the World to Come.
Page 141
To the dear and honorable brother, the complete wise man, may his Rock and Redeemer preserve him
I greet his honor properly and ask of his good welfare
Everything is good with us by the grace of G-d, may He be blessed
And we lack nothing except for seeing his good face
Today I received his dear letter from the day of ⟦...⟧ and I rejoiced
greatly in his complete health, may the Name be blessed lengthen
his days and years in goodness and pleasantness, Amen
May it be so
⟦...⟧
Regarding the matter of the partnership ⟦...⟧
⟦...⟧
⟦...⟧
⟦...⟧
⟦...⟧
⟦...⟧
⟦...⟧
⟦...⟧
⟦...⟧
⟦...⟧
⟦...⟧
⟦...⟧
⟦...⟧
⟦...⟧
⟦...⟧
⟦...⟧
⟦...⟧
Page 142
And he said as one who does not vow from these lands what they are
In gold from a mine, say, God, a dirham in
So it is worth eight fifths, eight of them was a loan with him
Other than this from a mine, this is in the mint, so it is worth
In gold one dirham and he has already delivered one dirham
Of them and he has already paid him one dirham in the mint
⟦illegible⟧
⟦illegible⟧
⟦illegible⟧
And if he asks them, and so-and-so Habib bin Murad has delivered to him
One dirham in the mint and he has already delivered
In gold one, and he has delivered one dirham in
Gold, and he has delivered one dirham in the mint
And if he asks, and so-and-so Habib bin Murad has delivered to him
And he has already delivered one dirham in the mint and he has delivered
In gold one, and he has delivered one dirham in gold
And he has delivered one dirham in the mint and he has delivered
In gold one, and he has delivered one dirham in gold
And he has delivered one dirham in the mint and he has delivered
In gold one, and he has delivered one dirham in gold
And he has delivered one dirham in the mint and he has delivered
⟦illegible⟧
⟦illegible⟧
⟦illegible⟧
⟦illegible⟧
Whoever... for behold and this is one of the attributes
And it is possible for this and it is possible because it is possible for him
For the Name, blessed be He, in attributes measure for measure
But that he already said from His holy mouth to me and there is
To say as it is written measure for measure
That if it were visible to the eye it would be
By way of miracles and by way of a miracle within a miracle
And he is not satisfied with this but even in a matter
Slight he would supervise them with individual providence
And he would fulfill upon them everything that is written
In the Torah and even if they were to transgress the
Commandments of Hashem they would be punished immediately
And they would not have any waiting at all
But immediately they would be punished on the spot
And because they sinned with the calf he did so to them
And there is to say another reason for this which is written
As I heard from the mouth of my teacher and rabbi of blessed memory
As it is brought in the Zohar in the introduction page 25 and behold
On one he asked why did King David merit
That he is called living and not dead and this is his language
There he said to him by your life and by your life that King David peace be upon him
Did not die but in this world and in the world to come
He is alive and exists forever and for all eternity
And this is the secret of I shall not die but I shall live etc.
Page 143
The first man, when he sinned, was expelled from the Garden of Eden, etc.
And King David, peace be upon him, said "they have surely driven me out," and this means David
requested mercy for himself, and consequently Adam
the first was also included. And this is "Blessed is the man who trusts
in the Lord, and the Lord shall be his trust" (Jeremiah 17), meaning that trust
is a vessel that holds the blessing, and this is "and the Lord shall be his trust,"
meaning that he should have strong trust in Him, may He be blessed, and this is "and the Lord
shall be his trust," for the trust itself is the vessel that holds
the blessing, and this is what King David, peace be upon him, said: "He who trusts
in the Lord, mercy shall surround him," meaning even if he is not worthy on
his own to have trust in the Lord, mercy shall surround him.
⟦line⟧
And this is what the scripture said: "Blessed is the man who trusts
in the Lord, and the Lord shall be his trust," meaning that he should have strong
trust in Him, may He be blessed, and this is "and the Lord shall be his trust," for the trust
itself is the vessel that holds the blessing, and this is
what King David, peace be upon him, said: "He who trusts in the Lord, mercy
shall surround him," meaning even if he is not worthy on his own
based on his actions, since he trusted in the Lord, mercy shall surround him.
And this is what the scripture said: "Blessed is the man who trusts
in the Lord, and the Lord shall be his trust," meaning that he should have strong
trust in Him, may He be blessed, and this is "and the Lord shall be his trust," for the trust
itself is the vessel that holds the blessing, and this is
what King David, peace be upon him, said: "He who trusts in the Lord, mercy
shall surround him," meaning even if he is not worthy on his own
based on his actions, since he trusted in the Lord, mercy shall surround him.
And this is what the scripture said: "Blessed is the man who trusts
in the Lord, and the Lord shall be his trust," meaning that he should have strong
trust in Him, may He be blessed, and this is "and the Lord shall be his trust," for the trust
itself is the vessel that holds the blessing, and this is
For in the place where penitents stand, perfectly righteous people
cannot stand, as it is said, "Peace, peace, to him that is far off and to him that is near."
To the far off first and then to the near, and Rashi of blessed memory explained: to the far off
who was far and became near, and this is the penitent;
and to the near who was near and was never distanced, and this is the perfectly
righteous person; and even so, He preceded peace to the far off, which is to the
penitent. And Maimonides of blessed memory wrote: Let a penitent not imagine
that he is distanced from the level of the righteous because of the iniquities
and sins he committed; the matter is not so, but rather he is beloved and pleasant
before the Creator as if he had never sinned; and not only that,
but his reward is very great, for he has tasted the taste of sin
and separated from it and conquered his inclination. The Sages said: The place where
penitents stand, perfectly righteous people cannot stand in it;
meaning their level is greater than the level of those who never sinned,
because they conquer their inclination more than they do, until here are his words. And
the author of the Akeidah wrote in Parashat Vayigash, and these are his words: And the
Sages of blessed memory have already agreed that the level of the penitent is greater than the level of
the perfectly righteous person, and this is what they said: In the place where penitents
stand, perfectly righteous people cannot stand. And the reason
for this is that the perfectly righteous person serves out of love and has
no barrier that prevents him from His service, may He be blessed; but
the penitent has a great barrier, which is his inclination that
already overpowered him, and he must fight with it and conquer
it, and therefore his reward is doubled and redoubled, until here are his words. And he wrote
further there, and these are his words: And it is proper that you should know that there is no difference between
one who returns out of fear and one who returns out of love regarding
the acceptance of the repentance, for both are equally good, rather
Page 145
(Tractate Sukkah Page 25a The Sages Taught: The Sick)
and those attending to them
are exempt from the Sukkah, and one is not considered sick unless in danger
even if he feels a pain in his head or a pain in his eye. Said Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel:
There were times when we were reclining with Rabban Gamliel in the Sukkah
and they would bring us a bucket of water and pour it over
the crushed beans because the crushed beans emit steam, and Rabban Gamliel
did not say anything to them. Go and see how much he cherished them,
Rabban Gamliel cherished the commandment, for even though he was exempt
from the Sukkah, he did not want to be idle from it. Until here.
⟦line⟧
Section. Those traveling by day are exempt from the Sukkah by day
and obligated at night; those traveling by night are exempt at night
and obligated by day; those traveling by day and night are exempt
from the Sukkah both by day and by night. Rashi of blessed memory explained:
Those traveling by day are exempt from the Sukkah by day
for he does not have to leave his path and sit in a Sukkah, as it is written 'In Sukkos
you shall dwell' like the way you live. Just as a dwelling is a man and his household, so too
a Sukkah is a man and his household. And when it is his way to go out for business,
he goes out and does not sit in his house; so too here, he goes on his way
and does not sit in a Sukkah. Until here. And the Tosafists of blessed memory questioned:
If so, even in his house as well, by day and night
let him be exempt, for it is written 'In Sukkos you shall dwell' like the way you live,
and it is the way of a man to go out from his house for days and years.
Know that everything I have written and been precise in and explained to you
is all in truth, not a lie, and if you do as written without any
change, it will not miss the mark and you will see great wonders
as mentioned above; know also that all these holy names
mentioned above are holy names, and anyone who performs them
without charity will not succeed with them, and one must give charity for
the act; but he who cannot give charity for
the act shall say eighteen times "charity saves from death" and shall give the charity
after money comes into his hand, and if he does not do so he will not succeed
and if he does what I have written he will see great wonders
for whatever he desires; know that all these names are holy
names and anyone who uses them without holiness
and purity will not succeed with them, for this act is
a great thing and one must be very careful
Finished
And now I will begin to write remedies and healings and amulets
and every good and beneficial thing with the help of the Name, may He be blessed
The Holy One, blessed be He, shall make me succeed in my deeds, Amen, so be His will
Amen Selah
A remedy for one who wishes to go on a journey by day and by night and shall not fear
any man or evil beasts or thieves or bandits
He shall say these verses seven times before he goes out
on the way, and shall say: Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe,
Who guards His people Israel forever, Amen Selah, and these are the verses:
Our God is in heaven and on earth, He does all that He pleases
The Lord shall guard you from all evil, He shall guard your soul; the Lord shall guard
your going out and your coming in from now and forever, Amen Selah
Page 146
It has already been explained in the first treatise of this work
and as a general rule that man is a microcosm and everything
found in the macrocosm is found in the microcosm
and I must now explain the details of the matters how
it is in general and in particular and behold just as this world in its entirety
is divided into three parts and they are the world of angels
and the world of spheres and the lower world so man
is divided into three parts and they are the head and the chest and the belly
and the head corresponds to the world of angels and the chest corresponds to
the world of spheres and the belly corresponds to the lower world and this
is clear to the senses for the head is the dwelling of the soul and the intellect
and wisdom and understanding and knowledge and they are spiritual and have no
composition and they correspond to the angels who are intellectual and have no
composition and the chest is the place of the heart which is the place of vitality
and movement and natural heat and it corresponds to the spheres which
possess movement and from them comes the heat for the whole world and the belly
is the place of generation and corruption and it corresponds to the world
below which is the place of generation and corruption and this is clear
for the head is the king and it is the ruler over the whole body
and it gives strength and movement to all the organs and the heart is
like a viceroy to the king and it receives strength from the brain and gives to the whole
body and the belly is like a servant who receives a reward from them all
and serves them all and this is what King Solomon, peace be upon him, said
in Ecclesiastes And I praised the dead who have already died
more than the living who are still alive and better than both of them
is he who has not yet been who has not seen the evil
deed that is done under the sun and this will be understood according to
what we have written that man is a microcosm and in him
are found all the worlds upper and lower
At first transgression restrained me, and because of my sins I could not speak
Now with a shamed face and great disgrace I have come before You
To seek pardon and forgiveness for what I have sinned against you and also against
The glory of Heaven
And now all my sins and transgressions are revealed before You and nothing is hidden from
Your eyes, Living and Enduring, blessed is He who decrees and fulfills, and gives life to the dead
Great at saving and Healer of the sick
Also great is the iniquity which I have committed against Your good and upright will
I have done what is evil in Your eyes and I have increased in transgression and rebellion against You
And to Your holy words I did not listen, and in all Your commandments I did not walk
And Your Torah I cast behind my back, and Your words I did not keep
Woe is me for I have sinned, woe is me for I have transgressed, woe is me for I have rebelled
Woe is me for all the evil deeds which I have done before You
You know all the hidden things and all the revealed things
Everything is revealed and known before You, and nothing is hidden from Your eyes
Please, O Lord my God and God of my fathers, let my prayer come before You
And do not ignore my supplication, for I am not so brazen-faced and stiff-necked
To say before You, O Lord my God and God of my fathers, I am righteous and have not
Sinned; but I have sinned, I have committed iniquity, and I have transgressed, I and my household
And now with a shamed face and great disgrace I have come before You
To seek pardon and forgiveness and atonement for all my sins and iniquities
And transgressions that I have sinned, and that I have committed iniquity, and that I have transgressed before You from the day I was
Upon the earth until this day
Page 147
Even the light, for let it be for light as if dimmed elsewhere –
the moon dimmed and the sun shone at noon and the moon did not shine
and the stars gathered their brightness and all the stars of heaven did not illuminate
Every luminary dimmed compared to the light of the King's face in judgment
and all the host of heaven shall not give him rest and all the people
shall come weeping on this bitter and hasty day, on the day
bad news reached our ears because the crown jewel
has been exiled from our heads; the turban has fallen, tossed like a ball
to a wide land, to the valley of weeping, there they set his judgment
there he wept and suffered bitterness
Woe to us for we have sinned, woe to us for we are broken
The crown of our head has fallen, woe to us for our fracture
our wound is sickly, woe to us for our glory has departed
our brilliance has departed, our splendor has departed, the joy of our heart turned to mourning
our dance, woe to us for the Holy Ark was captured, the Western
lamp, the lamp of God, before it could be extinguished, the Western lamp went out
and the Ark of God was taken and all the house of Israel shall weep
for the fire which the Lord has kindled, and a burning shall burn in our hearts
like a burning fire that shall burn in it and not be extinguished
For our fracture is as great as the sea, who shall heal us? Who will make my head
water and my eyes a fountain of tears, and I shall weep day and night for
the slain of the daughter of my people? Who would give me a lodging place for wayfarers in the desert
that I might leave my people and go from them! For they are all adulterers,
an assembly of treacherous men, and they bend their tongues like their bow for lies
and they are not valiant for the truth in the land; for they proceed from evil to evil
After writing this, the book HaMagid came into my hand
In the first part, page 203, and I saw there that he wrote
In the name of the Gaon Rabbi I. Mintz, of blessed memory, in Responsa sign
11, who wrote as follows: And regarding what you wrote that they are accustomed
In the Upper Galilee to eat meat after cheese
And wiping and rinsing the mouth is permitted
And he brought proof from that of Chullin 105
Poultry and cheese are eaten with abandon etc.
And the author wrote there about it as follows:
And in my humble opinion it seems that there is no proof from there, for there
It is poultry meat and it is permitted without wiping and rinsing
But animal meat which requires wiping and rinsing
Is not eaten with abandon, for behold wiping and rinsing
Require a blessing of their own etc. see there
And I, an ignorant man, did not merit to understand his words, for what
Is the matter of a blessing to wiping and rinsing, and is it not
Wiping and rinsing is only so that it should not
Be like one who eats cheese with meat
Literally, and since he wiped and rinsed the mouth
The taste of the cheese left his mouth and it is like one
Who did not eat cheese at all
Page 148
It seems to me that Maror requires the size of an olive etc. and everything that
has not eaten an olive-sized amount there, since it was not, it does not resemble an olive-size
except according to the one who holds that other vegetables do not require reclining
since it is not similar to Matzah which requires reclining, and Maror
which does not require reclining, and even according to the one who says it requires
reclining, this is the reason because it contains a memorial to freedom
and other vegetables do not have a memorial to freedom at all
And according to this, it seems that Maror in the first dipping
⟦illegible⟧
It was difficult for the Rabbi, of blessed memory, that we should require an olive-size because it contains a memorial to freedom
And if so, it is similar to Matzah, and what the Rabbi, of blessed memory, wrote that we require an olive-size
specifically for Maror because it contains a commandment from the Torah, and regarding Matzah
as the Rabbi, of blessed memory, wrote, and if so, regarding Maror in this time which is Rabbinic
it does not require an olive-size, and it is implied from the words of the Rabbi, of blessed memory, that even in this time
it requires an olive-size. The Rabbi, of blessed memory, answered that Maror contains a memorial
to the enslavement and Matzah a memorial to freedom, and they are two things that do not
resemble each other, but Maror and Matzah, since this one is a memorial
to the enslavement and this one a memorial to freedom, they do not resemble each other
And even so, Maror requires an olive-size, and not like the Rabbi, of blessed memory, who wrote
that Maror in this time does not require an olive-size because it is
Rabbinic, for even Matzah in this time which is from the Torah does not
require an olive-size except because it contains a memorial to freedom
and all the more so Maror which contains a memorial to the enslavement does not require an olive-size
(At the conclusion of this, it seems so to me and I have signed my name, the youth)
Page 149
This is the law: when a man dies in a tent, everyone who comes into the tent
and everything that is in the tent shall be unclean seven days. And every open vessel
which has no cover fastened on it, it is unclean. And whoever touches
in the open field one slain with a sword, or a corpse, or a bone
of a man, or a grave, shall be unclean seven days. And for the unclean person they shall take
some of the ashes of the burnt sin offering, and living water shall be put on them in a
vessel. And a clean person shall take hyssop, and dip it in the water, and sprinkle it
on the tent, and on all the vessels, and on the persons
who were there, and on him who touched the bone, or the slain,
or the dead, or the grave. And the clean person shall sprinkle on the unclean
on the third day, and on the seventh day; and on the
seventh day he shall purify him, and he shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be clean at evening.
But the man who is unclean and does not purify himself, that soul shall be cut off
from the midst of the assembly, because he has defiled the sanctuary of the Lord;
the water of impurity has not been sprinkled on him; he is unclean. And it shall be to them
a perpetual statute; and he who sprinkles the water of impurity shall wash his clothes,
and he who touches the water of impurity shall be unclean until evening. And whatever
the unclean person touches shall be unclean, and the person who touches it shall be unclean
until evening. And the Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying:
This is the statute of the law which the Lord has commanded, saying: Speak to
the children of Israel, that they bring to you a red heifer without blemish,
in which there is no defect, and on which no yoke has ever come.
And you shall give it to Eleazar the priest, and he shall bring it
outside the camp, and it shall be slaughtered before him. And Eleazar shall take
And if one of them were to be, then if after it was
remaining in the hand of another, then it is not possible for him to take anything from it
⟦illegible⟧
And if that property which is with him is from the
<del>in</del> which is with him belonging to someone else, then it is not permitted
for the creditor to take anything from it because that property
which is with him is not his, but rather it belongs to someone else, and for that reason
the ruling is that he should return that property to its owner.
And if <del>⟦illegible⟧</del> there was in the hand of the one who owes the debt
some of the property which belongs to the creditor, then it is not permitted for him
to take anything from it unless that property is
from the sum of what he owes him. And if he takes from him
something from someone else, then that is not permitted for him because that
property which is in his hand is not his, but rather it belongs
to the creditor. And if that property belongs to the creditor, then it is not
permitted for him to take anything from it except after it becomes
And if the property which is with him is from the debt which
is upon him, then it is not permitted for him to take anything from it except
after that property becomes his, so when it is
his, it is not permitted for him to take anything from it except
for what he owes. And if he takes from him
the property which belongs to him, then that is not permitted for him because that
⟦illegible⟧
Page 150
And after we mentioned in the sixth chapter what the evidence is
for the existence of the soul and that the soul is a substance and not an accident,
we begin here and say:
We say that the soul has many faculties and various actions.
The evidence for the multiplicity of its faculties is the contradiction of some of the soul's actions
against others; for the soul desires something and loathes it, and it gets angry
at something and loves it, and it performs the action of the intellect and opposes it, and it performs
the action of anger and opposes it. For if it were a single faculty, there would not be
contradiction in it, because a single thing does not perform different actions
at one time. And since the soul performs
different actions at one time, we know that it has
many different faculties. The sages have divided the faculties of the soul
into three faculties: the rational soul, the irascible soul,
and the appetitive soul. They placed the rational soul in the brain,
the irascible soul in the heart, and the appetitive soul in the liver.
This is because the brain is the source of sensation, and sensation is the source of thought,
and thought is the source of speech; therefore it is called rational. And the heart
is the source of life, and life is the source of anger; therefore it is called
irascible. And the liver is the source of nutrition, and nutrition is the source
of desire; therefore it is called appetitive.
Know, O my brother—may God grant you success—that these three faculties
are those which are called the vegetative soul, the animal soul,
and the rational soul. We have already mentioned that in the sixth chapter,
and in this chapter we explain the faculties of the rational soul
which is the source of thought, speech, understanding, and intellect.
Regarding the house of the served, the honorable David, may his Rock protect him, on behalf of the honorable Joseph
The aforementioned served was present below regarding that in the presence of
Friday, the 11th of Adar, the year 5634 of the small count
The day of the passing of the deceased, may he rest in mercy, Kaduri Mordechai Ezekiel, may his Rock protect him
This was recorded for information
The text of our teacher Joseph
The original document in our hands, our Sages of blessed memory ⟦...⟧ on the mentioned day
above, that the served, the honorable David, may his Rock protect him, paid the price of the share
of the honorable Joseph, may his Rock protect him, from the house in which they are living
And that is double and regarding the aforementioned amount above
due from the deceased, of blessed memory, on the 17th of Menachem, the year 5633 of the small count
On that Saturday, that was completed by the aforementioned served and he paid it
to our master, our teacher, of blessed memory, on the mentioned day he paid for the house
<del>⟦...⟧</del> there reached me from the hand of the honorable David, may his Rock protect him, the mentioned amount of dinars
from the price of the share mentioned above, and that served, David, may his Rock protect him, received
the mentioned amount from him, of blessed memory, and he paid him a receipt in hand
This was recorded clearly
And that on the day of the 11th of Adar, the year 5634 of the small count, he paid
the honorable David, may his Rock protect him, to our master, of blessed memory, the aforementioned amount above
from the price of the share belonging to him in the land of dinars, and that
the price of the whole share of our teacher Chaim, may his Rock protect him, and that was the business
of that day, and he made us witnesses against himself regarding that, and it was
from the price of the mentioned share, and it came into his hand and he paid