AI English Translation, Pages 201-225
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?
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
⟦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.
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.
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.
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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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:
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
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⟧
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)
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
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.
⟦illegible⟧ ... dalal. That ... service ...
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Because two days are completed ... ... ...
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<del>⟦illegible⟧</del> ... ... ... ... ... ...
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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 ⟦...⟧
⟦...⟧
⟦...⟧
⟦...⟧
⟦...⟧
⟦...⟧
⟦...⟧
⟦...⟧
⟦...⟧
⟦...⟧
⟦...⟧
⟦...⟧
⟦...⟧
⟦...⟧
⟦...⟧
⟦...⟧
⟦...⟧
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.