Ki Teitzei
Encyclopedia
Ki Teitzei, Ki Tetzei, Ki Tetse, Ki Thetze, Ki Tese, Ki Tetzey, or Ki Seitzei (כִּי־תֵצֵא — Hebrew
for “when you go,” the first words
in the parshah) is the 49th weekly Torah portion (parshah) in the annual Jewish
cycle of Torah reading
and the sixth in the book of Deuteronomy. It constitutes Jews in the Diaspora
generally read it in late August or early September.
Jews also read the part of the parshah about Amalek
, as the maftir
reading on Shabbat Zachor, the special Sabbath
immediately before Purim
, which commemorates the story of Esther
and the Jewish people’s victory over Haman’s
plan to kill the Jews, told in the book of Esther
. identifies Haman as an Agagite, and thus a descendant of Amalek. Numbers
identifies the Agagites with the Amalekites. A midrash
tells that between King Agag’s capture by Saul and his killing by Samuel, Agag fathered a child, from whom Haman in turn descended. (Seder Eliyahu Rabbah
ch. 20; Targum Sheni to Esther 4:13.)
The parshah sets out a series of miscellaneous law
s, mostly governing civil and domestic life, including ordinances regarding a beautiful captive of war, inheritance
among the sons of two wives, a wayward son, the corpse of an executed person, found property, coming upon another in distress, rooftop safety, prohibited mixtures, sexual offenses, membership in the congregation, camp hygiene, runaway slaves, prostitution, usury
, vows, gleaning
, kidnapping
, repossession
, prompt payment of wages, vicarious liability
, flogging, treatment of domestic animals, levirate marriage
, weights and measures, and remembrance of the Amalekites.
directed the Israelite
s that when God
delivered enemies into their power
, the Israelites took captives, an Israelite saw among the captives a beautiful
woman, he desired
her, and wanted to marry
her, the Israelite was to bring her into his house and have her trim her hair, pare her nails
, discard her captive’s garb
, and spend a month lament
ing her father and mother. Thereafter, the Israelite could take her as his wife. But if he should find that he no longer wanted her, he had to release
her outright, and not sell
her for money as a slave
.
his property
to his sons, he could not treat the son of the loved wife as firstborn in disregard of the older son of the unloved wife; rather, he was required to accept the firstborn, the son of the unloved one, and allot to him his birthright of a double portion of all that he possessed.
them even after they disciplined
him, then they were to bring him to the elders
of his town and publicly declare their son to be disloyal, defiant, heedless, a glutton
, and a drunkard
. The men of his town were then to stone him to death
.
a man for a capital offense and impaled
him on a stake, they were not to let his corpse
remain on the stake overnight, but were to bury
him the same day, for an impaled body affronted God.
, sheep
, ass
, garment
, or any other lost thing, then the finder could not ignore it, but was required to take it back to its owner
. If the owner did not live near the finder or the finder did not know the identity of the owner, then the finder was to bring the thing home and keep it until the owner claimed it.
If one came upon another’s ass or ox fallen on the road, then one could not ignore it, but was required to help the owner to raise it.
If one came upon a bird’s nest
with the mother bird sitting over fledglings or eggs
, then one could not take the mother together with her young, but was required to let the mother go and take only the young.
When one built
a new house, one had to make a parapet
for the roof
, so that no one should fall from it.
One was not to sow
a vineyard
with a second kind of seed
, nor use the yield of such vineyard. One was not to plow
with an ox and an ass together. One was not to wear cloth
combining wool
and linen
.
One was to make tassels (tzitzit)
on the four corner
s of the garment with which one covered oneself.
at the time of the marriage, then the woman’s parents were to produce the cloth with evidence of the woman’s virginity before the town elders at the town gate
. The elders were then to have the man flogged
and fine him 100 shekel
s of silver
to be paid to the woman’s father. The woman was to remain the man’s wife, and he was never to have the right
to divorce her. But if the elders found that woman had not been a virgin, then the woman was to be brought to the entrance of her father’s house and stoned to death by the men of her town.
If a man was found lying with another man’s wife, both the man and the woman with whom he lay were to die.
If in a city, a man lay with a virgin who was engaged to a man, then the authorities were to take the two of them to the town gate and stone them to death — the girl because she did not cry for help, and the man because he violated another man’s wife. But if the man lay with the girl by force
in the open country, only the man was to die, for there was no one to save her.
If a man seized a virgin who was not engaged and lay with her, then the man was to pay the girl’s father 50 shekels of silver, she was to become the man’s wife, and he was never to have the right to divorce her.
No man could marry his father’s former wife.
anyone whose testes
were crushed, anyone whose member was cut off, anyone misbegotten, anyone descended within ten generation
s from one misbegotten, any Ammon
ite or Moab
ite, or anyone descended within ten generations from an Ammonite or Moabite. As long as they lived, Israelites were not to concern themselves with the welfare or benefit of Ammonites or Moabites, because they did not meet the Israelites with food
and water after the Israelites left Egypt
, and because they hired Balaam
to curse
the Israelites — but God refused to heed Balaam, turning his curse into a blessing
.
The Israelites were not to abhor the Edom
ites, for they were kinsman, nor Egyptians, for the Israelites were strangers in Egypt. Great grandchildren of Edomites or Egyptians could be admitted into the congregation.
had to leave the Israelites military
camp, bathe
in water toward evening, and reenter the camp at sundown
. The Israelites were to designate an area outside the camp where they might relieve themselves, and to carry a spike to dig a hole and cover up their excrement
. As God moved about in their camp to protect them and to deliver their enemies, the Israelites were to keep their camp holy
.
, but were to let the former slave live in any place the former slave might choose among the Israelites’ settlements and not ill-treat the former slave.
Israelites were forbidden to act as harlots, sodomites
, or cult prostitutes
, and from bringing the wage
s of prostitution into the house of God
in fulfillment of any vow
.
Israelites were forbidden to charge interest
on loan
s to their countrymen, but they could charge interest on loans to foreigners
.
Israelites were required promptly to fulfill vows to God, whereas they incurred no guilt if they refrained from vowing.
A visiting Israelite was allowed to enter another’s vineyard and eat grape
s until full, but the visitor was forbidden to put any in a vessel. Similarly, a visiting Israelite was allowed to enter another’s field
of standing grain
and pluck ears
by hand, but the visitor was forbidden to cut the neighbor’s grain with a sickle
.
A divorced woman who remarried and then lost her second husband to divorce or death was not allowed to remarry her first husband.
A newlywed man was exempt from army
duty for one year so as to give happiness
to his wife.
Israelites were forbidden to take a handmill or an upper millstone
in pawn
, for that would be equivalent to taking someone’s livelihood in pawn.
One found to have kidnapped a fellow Israelite was to die.
In cases of a skin affection
, Israelites were to do exactly as the priests
instructed, remembering that God afflicted and then healed Miriam’s skin after the Israelites left Egypt.
An Israelite who lent to a fellow Israelite was forbidden to enter the borrower’s house to seize a pledge, but was required to remain outside while the borrower brought the pledge out to the lender. If the borrower was needy, the lender was forbidden to sleep
in the pledge, but had to return the pledge to the borrower at sundown, so that the borrower might sleep in the cloth and bless the lender before God.
Israelites were forbidden to abuse a needy and destitute laborer, whether an Israelite or a stranger, and were required to pay the laborer’s wages on the same day, before the sun
set, as the laborer would urgently depend on the wages.
Parents were not to be put to death for children, nor were children to be put to death for parents: a person was to be put to death only for the person’s own crime.
Israelites were forbidden to subvert the rights of the stranger or the fatherless, and were forbidden to take a widow
’s garment in pawn, remembering that they were slaves in Egypt and that God redeemed them. When Israelites reaped the harvest
in their fields and overlooked a sheaf, they were not to turn back to get it, but were to leave it to the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow. Similarly, when Israelites beat down the fruit of their olive
trees or gathered the grapes of their vineyards, they were not to go over them again, but were leave what remained for the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, remembering that they were slaves in Egypt.
When one was to be flogged, the magistrate was to have the guilty one lie down and be whipped in the magistrate’s presence as warranted, but not more than 40 lashes, so that the guilty one would not be degraded.
Israelites were forbidden to muzzle
an ox while it was threshing
.
When brothers
dwelt together and one of them died leaving no son, the surviving brother was to marry the wife of the deceased and perform the levir’s duty
, and the first son that she bore was to be accounted to the dead brother, that his name
might survive. But if the surviving brother did not want to marry his brother’s widow, then the widow was to appear before the elders at the town gate and declare that the brother refused to perform the levir’s duty, the elders were to talk to him, and if he insisted, the widow was to go up to him before the elders, pull the sandal
off his foot
, spit in his face, and declare: “Thus shall be done to the man who will not build up his brother’s house!” They shall then call him “the family of the unsandaled one.”
If two men fought with each other, and to save her husband the wife of one seized the other man’s genitals
, then her hand was to be cut off.
Israelites were forbidden to have alternate weights or measures, larger and smaller, but were required to have completely honest weights and measures.
Israelites were required to remember what the Amalekites did to them on their journey, after they left Egypt, surprising them and cutting down all the stragglers at their rear. The Israelites were enjoined never to forget
to blot out the memory
of Amalek from under heaven.
reports skin disease (tzara’at, צָּרַעַת) and a person affected by skin disease (metzora, מְּצֹרָע) at several places, often (and sometimes incorrectly) translated as “leprosy” and “a leper.” In Exodus to help Moses to convince others that God had sent him, God instructed Moses to put his hand into his bosom, and when he took it out, his hand was “leprous (m’tzora’at, מְצֹרַעַת), as white as snow.” In Leviticus the Torah sets out regulations for skin disease (tzara’at, צָרַעַת) and a person affected by skin disease (metzora, מְּצֹרָע). In after Miriam spoke against Moses, God’s cloud removed from the Tent of Meeting
and “Miriam was leprous (m’tzora’at, מְצֹרַעַת), as white as snow.” In Moses warned the Israelites in the case of skin disease (tzara’at, צָּרַעַת) diligently to observe all that the priests would teach them, remembering what God did to Miriam. In 2 Kings
part of the haftarah
for parshah Tazria
, the prophet Elisha
cures Naaman
, the commander of the army of the king of Aram
, who was a “leper” (metzora, מְּצֹרָע). In part of the haftarah for parshah Metzora
, the story is told of four “leprous men” (m’tzora’im, מְצֹרָעִים) at the gate during the Arameans’
siege of Samaria
. And in 2 Chronicles
after King Uzziah
tried to burn incense in the Temple in Jerusalem
, “leprosy (tzara’at, צָּרַעַת) broke forth on his forehead.”
taught that provided the law of taking a beautiful captive only as an allowance for human passions. The Rabbis taught in a Baraita
that taking a beautiful captive according to the strictures of was better than taking beautiful captives without restriction, just as it was better for Jews to eat the meat of a ritually slaughtered ill animal than to eat the meat of an ill animal that had died on its own. The Rabbis interpreted the words “and you see among the captives” in to mean that the provisions applied only if the soldier set his eye upon the woman when taking her captive, not later. They interpreted the words “a woman” in to mean that the provisions applied even to a woman who was married before having been taken captive. They interpreted the words “and you have a desire” in to mean that the provisions applied even if the woman was not beautiful. They interpreted the word “her” in to mean that the provisions allowed him to take her alone, not her and her companion. They interpreted the words “and you shall take” in to mean that the soldier could have marital rights over her. They interpreted the words “to you to wife” in to mean that the soldier could not take two women, one for himself and another for his father, or one for himself and another for his son. And they interpreted the words “then you shall bring her home” in to mean that the soldier could not molest her on the battlefield. Rab
said that permitted a priest to take a beautiful captive, while Samuel
maintained that it was forbidden. (Babylonian Talmud
Kiddushin 21b–22a.)
The Gemara taught that the procedure of applied only when the captive did not accept the commandments, for if she accepted the commandments, then she could be immersed in a ritual bath (mikvah
), and she and the soldier could marry immediately. (Babylonian Talmud Yevamot 47b.) Rabbi Eliezer
interpreted the words “and she shall shave her head and do her nails” in to mean that she was to cut her nails, but Rabbi Akiba interpreted the words to mean that she was to let them grow. Rabbi Eliezer reasoned that specified an act with respect to the head and an act with respect to the nails, and as the former meant removal, so should the latter. Rabbi Akiba reasoned that specified disfigurement for the head, so it must mean disfigurement for the nails, as well. (Babylonian Talmud Yevamot 48a.)
Rabbi Eliezer interpreted the words “bewail her father and her mother” in to mean her actual father and mother. But Rabbi Akiba interpreted the words to mean idolatry, citing Jeremiah
A Baraita taught that “a full month” meant 30 days. But Rabbi Simeon ben Eleazar interpreted to call for 90 days — 30 days for “month,” 30 days for “full,” and 30 days for “and after that.” thirty days. Rabina
said that one could say that “month” meant 30 days, “full” meant 30 days, and “and after that” meant an equal number (30 plus 30) again, for a total of 120 days. (Babylonian Talmud Yevamot 48b.)
and the Talmud interpreted the laws of the firstborn’s inheritance in in Mishnah Bava Batra 8:4–5, Babylonian Talmud Bava Batra 122b–34a, Mishnah Bekhorot 8:9, and Babylonian Talmud Bekhorot 51b–52b. The Mishnah interpreted to teach that a son and a daughter have equal inheritance rights, except that a firstborn son takes a double portion in his father’s estate but does not take a double portion in his mother’s estate. (Mishnah Bava Batra 8:4; Babylonian Talmud Bava Batra 122b.) The Mishnah taught that they disregarded a father who said, “My firstborn son shall not inherit a double portion,” or “My son shall not inherit with his brothers,” because the father’s stipulation would be contrary to But a father could distribute his property as gifts during his lifetime so that one son received more than another, or so that the firstborn received merely an equal share, so long as the father did not try to make these conveyances as an inheritance upon his death. (Mishnah Bava Batra 8:5; Babylonian Talmud Bava Batra 126b.)
The Gemara recounted a discussion regarding the right of the firstborn in Once Rabbi Jannai
was walking, leaning on the shoulder of Rabbi Simlai
his attendant, and Rabbi Judah the Prince
came to meet them. Rabbi Judah the Prince asked Rabbi Jannai what the Scriptural basis was for the proposition that a son takes precedence over a daughter in the inheritance of a mother's estate. Rabbi Jannai replied that the plural use of the term “tribes” in the discussion of the inheritance of the daughters of Zelophehad in indicates that the mother's tribe is to be compared to the father's tribe, and as in the case of the father's tribe, a son takes precedence over a daughter, so in the case of the mother's tribe, a son should take precedence over a daughter. Rabbi Judah the Prince challenged Rabbi Jannai, saying that if it this were so, one could say that as in the case of the father's tribe, a firstborn takes a double portion, so in the case of the mother's tribe would a firstborn take a double portion. Rabbi Jannai dismissed the remark of Rabbi Judah the Prince. The Gemara then inquired why it is true that a firstborn son takes a double share in his father's estate but not his mother's. Abaye
replied that says, “of all that he [the father] has,” implying all that “he” (the father) has and not all that “she” (the mother) has. The Gemara asked whether the proposition that a firstborn son takes a double portion only in the estate of his father might apply only in the case where a bachelor married a widow (who had children from her first marriage, and thus the father's firstborn son was not that of the mother). And thus where a bachelor married a virgin (so that the firstborn son of the father would also be the firstborn son of the mother) might the firstborn son also take a double portion in his mother’s estate? Rav Nahman bar Isaac
replied that says, “for he [the firstborn son] is the first-fruits of his [the father’s] strength,” from which we can infer that the law applies to the first fruits of the father’s strength and not the first-fruits of the mother’s strength. The Gemara replied that teaches that though a son was born after a miscarriage (and thus did not “open the womb” and is not regarded as a firstborn son for purposes of “sanctification to the Lord” and “redemption from the priest” in ) he is nonetheless regarded as the firstborn son for purposes of inheritance. thus implies that only the son for whom the father's heart grieves is included in the law, but a miscarriage, for which the father's heart does not grieve, is excluded. (And thus, since is necessary for this deduction, it could not have been meant for the proposition that the law applies to the first fruits of the father’s strength and not of the mother’s strength.) But then the Gemara reasoned that if is necessary for excluding miscarriages, then should have read, “for he is the first-fruits of strength,” but in fact says, “his strength.” Thus one may deduce two laws from But the Gemara objected further that still that the words of “the first-fruits of his [the father’s] strength,” not her strength, might apply only to the case of a widower (who had children from his first wife) who married a virgin (since the first son from the second marriage would be only the wife's firstborn, not the husband’s). But where a bachelor married a virgin (and thus the son would be the firstborn of both the father and the mother), the firstborn son might take a double portion also in his mother’s estate. But Raba
concluded that states, “the right of the firstborn is his [the father’s],” and this indicates that the right of the firstborn applies to a man’s estate and not to a woman’s. (Babylonian Talmud Bava Batra 111a–b.)
in the Mishnah and Babylonian Talmud interpreted the laws of the wayward and rebellious son (ben sorer umoreh) in (Mishnah Sanhedrin 8:1–7; Babylonian Talmud Sanhedrin 68b–75a.) A Baraita taught that there never was a “stubborn and rebellious son” and never would be, and that was written merely that we might study it and receive reward for the studying. But Rabbi Jonathan
said that he saw a stubborn and rebellious son and sat on his grave. (Babylonian Talmud Sanhedrin 71a.)
The Mishnah interpreted the words “a son” in to teach that provision applied to “a son,” but not a daughter, and to “a son,” but not a full-grown man. The Mishnah exempted a minor, because minors did not come within the scope of the commandments. And the Mishnah deduced that a boy became liable to being considered “a stubborn and rebellious son” from the time that he grew two genital pubic hairs until his pubic hair grew around his genitalia. (Mishnah Sanhedrin 8:1; Babylonian Talmud Sanhedrin 68b.) Rav Judah taught in Rav’s
name that implied that the son had to be nearly a man. (Babylonian Talmud Sanhedrin 68b.)
The Mishnah interpreted the words of to exclude from designation as a “stubborn and rebellious son” a boy who had a parent with any of a number of physical characteristics. The Mishnah interpreted the words “then his father and his mother shall lay hold on him” to exclude a boy if one of his parents had a hand or fingers cut off. The Mishnah interpreted the words “and bring him out” to exclude a boy who had a lame parent. The Mishnah interpreted the words “and they shall say” to exclude a boy who had a parent who could not speak. The Mishnah interpreted the words “this our son” to exclude a boy who had a blind parent. The Mishnah interpreted the words “he will not obey our voice” to exclude a boy who had a deaf parent. (Mishnah Sanhedrin 8:4; Babylonian Talmud Sanhedrin 45b, 71a.)
in the Mishnah, Tosefta
, and Babylonian Talmud interpreted the laws of lost property in (Mishnah Bava Metzia 1:1–2:11; Tosefta Bava Metzia 1:1–2:33; Babylonian Talmud Bava Metzia 2a–33b.) The Mishnah read the reference to “your brother’s ox or his sheep” in to apply to any domestic animal. (Mishnah Bava Kamma 5:7; Babylonian Talmud Bava Kamma 54b.) The Mishnah read the emphatic words of “you shall surely return them,” repeating the verb “return” in the Hebrew, to teach that required a person to return a neighbor’s animal again and again, even if the animal kept running away four or five times. (Mishnah Bava Metzia 2:9; Babylonian Talmud Bava Metzia 30b–31a.) And Raba
taught that required a person to return the animal even a hundred times. (Babylonian Talmud Bava Metzia 31a.) If one found an identifiable item and the identity of the owner was unknown, the Mishnah taught that the finder was required to announce it. Rabbi Meir
taught that the finder was obliged to announce it until his neighbors could know of it. Rabbi Judah
maintained that the finder had to announce it until three festivals
had passed plus an additional seven days after the last festival, allowing three days for going home, three days for returning, and one day for announcing. (Mishnah Bava Metzia 2:6; Babylonian Talmud Bava Metzia 28a.)
The Gemara read the emphatic words of “you shall surely help . . . to lift,” repeating the verb in the Hebrew, to teach that required a person to lift a neighbor’s animal alone, even if the animal’s owner was too sick or too old to help. (Babylonian Talmud Bava Metzia 31a.) Similarly, the Sifre
read the emphatic words of to teach that required a person to help lift a neighbor’s animal even if they lifted it, it fell again, and again, even five times. (Sifre to Deuteronomy 225:2:2.)
Chapter 12 of tractate Chullin in the Mishnah and Babylonian Talmud interpreted the laws of sending the mother bird away from the nest (shiluach hakein
) in (Mishnah Chullin 12:1–5; Babylonian Talmud Chullin 138b–42a.) The Mishnah read to require a person to let the mother bird go again and again, even if the mother bird kept coming back to the nest four or five times. (Mishnah Chullin 12:3; Babylonian Talmud Chullin 141a.) And the Gemara taught that required a person to let the mother bird go even a hundred times. (Babylonian Talmud Bava Metzia 31a.)
Tractate Kilayim
in the Mishnah, Tosefta, and Jerusalem Talmud
interpreted the laws of separating diverse species in (Mishnah Kilayim 1:1–9:10; Tosefta Kilayim 1:1–5:27; Jerusalem Talmud Kilayim 1a–.)
The Mishnah employed the prohibitions of and to imagine how one could with one action violate up to nine separate commandments. One could (1) plow with an ox and a donkey yoked together (in violation of ) (2 and 3) that are two animals dedicated to the sanctuary, (4) plowing mixed seeds sown in a vineyard (in violation of ), (5) during a Sabbatical year (in violation of ), (6) on a Festival-day (in violation of, for example), (7) when the plower is a priest (in violation of ) and (8) a Nazirite (in violation of ) plowing in a contaminated place. Chananya ben Chachinai
said that the plower also may have been wearing a garment of wool and linen (in violation of and ). They said to him that this would not be in the same category as the other violations. He replied that neither is the Nazirite in the same category as the other violations. (Mishnah Makkot 3:9; Babylonian Talmud Makkot 21b.)
Rabbi Joshua of Siknin taught in the name of Rabbi Levi that the Evil Inclination criticizes four laws as without logical basis, and Scripture uses the expression “statute” (chuk) in connection with each: the laws of (1) a brother’s wife
(in ), (2) mingled kinds (in and ), (3) the scapegoat
(in ), and (4) the red cow
(in ). (Numbers Rabbah
19:5.)
calls on the Israelites to obey God’s “statutes” (hukim) and “ordinances” (mishpatim). The Rabbis in a Baraita taught that the “ordinances” (mishpatim) were commandments that logic would have dictated that we follow even had Scripture not commanded them, like the laws concerning idolatry, adultery, bloodshed, robbery, and blasphemy. And “statutes” (hukim) were commandments that the Adversary challenges us to violate as beyond reason, like those relating to shaatnez (in and ), halizah
(in ), purification of the person with tzaraat
(in ), and the scapegoat
(in ). So that people do not think these “ordinances” (mishpatim) to be empty acts, in God says, “I am the Lord,” indicating that the Lord made these statutes, and we have no right to question them. (Babylonian Talmud Yoma 67b.)
Chapter 3 of tractate Ketubot
in the Mishnah, Tosefta, and Babylonian Talmud interpreted the laws of seducers and rapists in (Mishnah Ketubot 3:1–4:1; Tosefta Ketubot 3:5–7; Babylonian Talmud Ketubot 29a–41b.)
noted that the law of rewarded the Egyptians for their hospitality notwithstanding that Genesis indicated that the Egyptians befriended the Israelites only for their own benefit. Rabbi Jose concluded that if Providence thus rewarded one with mixed motives, Providence will reward even more one who selflessly shows hospitality to a scholar. (Babylonian Talmud Berakhot 63b.)
The Mishnah taugh that a red cow born by a caesarean section
, the hire of a harlot, or the price of a dog was invalid for the purposes of Rabbi Eliezer ruled it valid, as states, “You shall not bring the hire of a harlot or the price of a dog into the house of the Lord your God,” and the red cow was not brought into the house. (Mishnah Parah 2:3.)
In part by reference to the Gemara interpreted the words in “This is the law of the burnt-offering: It is that which goes up on its firewood upon the altar all night into the morning.” From the passage, “which goes up on its firewood upon the altar all night,” the Rabbis deduced that once a thing had been placed upon the altar, it could not be taken down all night. Rabbi Judah taught that the words “This . . . goes up on . . . the altar all night” exclude three things. According to Rabbi Judah, they exclude (1) an animal slaughtered at night, (2) an animal whose blood was spilled, and (3) an animal whose blood was carried out beyond the curtains. Rabbi Judah taught that if any of these things had been placed on the altar, it was brought down. Rabbi Simeon noted that says “burnt-offering.” From this, Rabbi Simeon taught that one can only know that a fit burnt-offering remained on the altar. But Rabbi Simeon taught that the phrase “the law of the burnt-offering” intimates one law for all burnt-offerings, namely, that if they were placed on the altar, they were not removed. Rabbi Simeon taught that this law applied to animals that were slaughtered at night, or whose blood was spilt, or whose blood passed out of the curtains, or whose flesh spent the night away from the altar, or whose flesh went out, or were unclean, or were slaughtered with the intention of burning its flesh after time or out of bounds, or whose blood was received and sprinkled by unfit priests, or whose blood was applied below the scarlet line when it should have been applied above, or whose blood was applied above when it should have been applied below, or whose blood was applied outside when it should have been applied within, or whose blood was applied within when it should have been applied outside, or a Passover-offering or a sin-offering that one slaughtered for a different purpose. Rabbi Simeon suggested that one might think that law would also include an animal used for bestiality, set aside for an idolatrous sacrifice or worshipped, a harlot's hire or the price of a dog (as referred to in ), or a mixed breed, or a trefah (a torn or otherwise disqualified animal), or an animal calved through the cesarean section. But Rabbi Simeon taught that the word “This” serves to exclude these. Rabbi Simeon explained that he included the former in the general rule because their disqualification arose in the sanctuary, while he excluded the latter because their disqualification did not arise in the sanctuary. (Babylonian Talmud Zevachim 27b.)
Tractates Nedarim and Shevuot
in the Mishnah, Tosefta, Jerusalem Talmud, and Babylonian Talmud interpreted the laws of vows in and 19:12, and (Mishnah Nedarim 1:1–11:11; Tosefta Nedarim 1:1–7:8; Jerusalem Talmud Nedarim 1a–; Babylonian Talmud Nedarim 2a–91b; Mishnah Shevuot 1:1–8:6; Tosefta Shevuot 1:1–6:7; Jerusalem Talmud Shevuot 1a–; Babylonian Talmud Shevuot 2a–49b.)
A midrash interpreted the words of “there was no water in it,” to teach that there was no recognition of Torah in the pit into which Joseph’s brothers cast him, as Torah is likened to water, as Isaiah
says, “everyone that thirsts, come for water.” For the Torah (in ) says, “If a man be found stealing any of his brethren of the children of Israel . . . and sell him, then that thief shall die,” and yet Joseph’s brothers sold their brother. (Genesis Rabba
h 84:16.)
The Gemara read the emphatic words of “you shall surely restore . . . the pledge,” repeating the verb in the Hebrew, to teach that required a lender to restore the pledge whether or not the lender took the pledge with the court’s permission. And the Gemara taught that the Torah provided similar injunctions in and to teach that a lender had to return a garment worn during the day before sunrise, and return a garment worn during the night before sunset. (Babylonian Talmud Bava Metzia 31b.)
The Mishnah interpreted and to teach that a worker engaged by the day could collect the worker’s wages all of the following night. If engaged by the night, the worker could collect the wages all of the following day. If engaged by the hour, the worker could collect the wages all that day and night. If engaged by the week, month, year, or 7-year period, if the worker’s time expired during the day, the worker could collect the wages all that day. If the worker’s time expired during the night, the worker could collect the wages all that night and the following day. (Mishnah Bava Metzia 9:11; Babylonian Talmud Bava Metzia 110b.)
The Mishnah taught that the hire of persons, animals, or utensils were all subject to the law of that “in the same day you shall give him his hire” and the law of that “the wages of a hired servant shall not abide with you all night until the morning.” The employer became liable only when the worker or vendor demanded payment from the employer. Otherwise, the employer did not infringe the law. If the employer gave the worker or vendor a draft on a shopkeeper or a money changer, the employer complied with the law. A worker who claimed the wages within the set time could collect payment if the worker merely swore that the employer had not yet paid. But if the set time had passed, the worker’s oath was insufficient to collect payment. Yet if the worker had witnesses that the worker had demanded payment (within the set time), the worker could still swear and receive payment. (Mishnah Bava Metzia 9:12; Babylonian Talmud Bava Metzia 111a.)
The Mishnah taught that the employer of a resident alien was subject to the law of that “in the same day you shall give him his hire” (as refers to the stranger), but not to the law of that “the wages of a hired servant shall not abide with you all night until the morning.” (Mishnah Bava Metzia 9:12; Babylonian Talmud Bava Metzia 111a.)
The Gemara reconciled apparently discordant verses touching on vicarious responsibility. The Gemara noted that states: “The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers; every man shall be put to death for his own sin,” but (20:5 in NJPS) says: “visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children.” The Gemara cited a Baraita that interpreted the words “the iniquities of their fathers shall they pine away with them” in to teach that God punishes children only when they follow their parents’ sins. The Gemara then questioned whether the words “they shall stumble one upon another” in do not teach that one will stumble through the sin of the other, that all are held responsible for one another. The Gemara answered that the vicarious responsibility of which speaks is limited to those who have the power to restrain their fellow from evil but do not do so. (Babylonian Talmud Sanhedrin 27b.)
Tractate Peah
in the Mishnah, Tosefta, and Jerusalem Talmud interpreted the laws of the harvest of the corner of the field and gleanings to be given to the poor in and and (Mishnah Peah 1:1–8:9; Tosefta Peah 1:1–4:21; Jerusalem Talmud Peah 1a–73b.)
The Mishnah taught that the Torah defines no minimum or maximum for the donation of the corners of one’s field to the poor. (Mishnah Peah 1:1; Tosefta Peah 1:1; Jerusalem Talmud Peah 1a.) But the Mishnah also taught that one should not make the amount left to the poor less than one-sixtieth of the entire crop. And even though no definite amount is given, the amount given should accord with the size of the field, the number of poor people, and the extent of the yield. (Mishnah Peah 1:2; Jerusalem Talmud Peah 10b.)
Rabbi Eliezer taught that one who cultivates land in which one can plant a quarter kav of seed is obligated to give a corner to the poor. Rabbi Joshua
said land that yields two seah
of grain. Rabbi Tarfon
said land of at least six handbreadths by six handbreadths. Rabbi Judah ben Betera said land that requires two strokes of a sickle to harvest, and the law is as he spoke. Rabbi Akiba said that one who cultivates land of any size is obligated to give a corner to the poor and the first fruits
. (Mishnah Peah 3:6; Jerusalem Talmud Peah 31a.)
The Mishnah taught that the poor could enter a field to collect three times a day — in the morning, at midday, and in the afternoon. Rabban Gamliel taught that they said this only so that landowners should not reduce the number of times that the poor could enter. Rabbi Akiba taught that they said this only so that landowners should not increase the number of times that the poor had to enter. The landowners of Beit Namer used to harvest along a rope and allowed the poor to collect a corner from every row. (Mishnah Peah 4:5; Jerusalem Talmud Peah 36b.)
The Mishnah taught that if a wife foreswore all benefit from other people, her husband could not annul his wife’s vow, but she could still benefit from the gleanings, forgotten sheaves, and the corner of the field that and and commanded farmers to leave for the poor. (Mishnah Nedarim 11:3.)
Chapter 3 in tractate Makkot
in the Mishnah and Babylonian Talmud interpreted the laws of punishment by lashes in (Mishnah Makkot 3:1–16; Babylonian Talmud Makkot 13a–24b.)
The Gemara interpreted the apparent superfluity in to teach that both one's wealth and one's necessities depend on one's honesty. (Babylonian Talmud Bava Batra 89a.)
Rabbi Judah said that three commandments were given to the Israelites when they entered the land: (1) the commandment of to appoint a king, (2) the commandment of to blot out Amalek, and (3) the commandment of to build the Temple in Jerusalem
. Rabbi Nehorai, on the other hand, said that did not command the Israelites to choose a king, but was spoken only in anticipation of the Israelites’ future complaints, as says, “And (you) shall say, ‘I will set a king over me.’” (Babylonian Talmud Sanhedrin 20b.)
, there are 27 positive and 47 negative commandments
in the parshah.
(Sefer HaHinnuch: The Book of [Mitzvah] Education. Translated by Charles Wengrov, 5:155–413. Jerusalem: Feldheim Pub., 1988. ISBN 0-87306-497-6.)
for the parshah is The haftarah is the fifth in the cycle of seven haftarot of consolation after Tisha B'Av
, leading up to Rosh Hashanah
.
prayer service
, the leader recites the Barchu, “Praise Adonai, the Exalted One.” The Sifre to Deuteronomy 306 connects this practice to where Moses says, “I will proclaim the name of the Lord; ascribe greatness to our God.” (Reuven Hammer
. Or Hadash: A Commentary on Siddur Sim Shalom
for Shabbat and Festivals, 28. New York: The Rabbinical Assembly
, 2003. ISBN 0-916219-20-8.)
, Sephardi Jews
each week base the songs of the services on the content of that week's parshah. For parshah Ki Teitzei, Sephardi Jews apply Maqam Saba. Saba, in Hebrew, literally means "army.” It is appropriate here, because the parshah commences with the discussion of what to do in certain cases of war with the army.
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
for “when you go,” the first words
Incipit
Incipit is a Latin word meaning "it begins". The incipit of a text, such as a poem, song, or book, is the first few words of its opening line. In music, it can also refer to the opening notes of a composition. Before the development of titles, texts were often referred to by their incipits...
in the parshah) is the 49th weekly Torah portion (parshah) in the annual Jewish
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
cycle of Torah reading
Torah reading
Torah reading is a Jewish religious ritual that involves the public reading of a set of passages from a Torah scroll. The term often refers to the entire ceremony of removing the Torah scroll from the ark, chanting the appropriate excerpt with special cantillation, and returning the scroll to...
and the sixth in the book of Deuteronomy. It constitutes Jews in the Diaspora
Jewish diaspora
The Jewish diaspora is the English term used to describe the Galut גלות , or 'exile', of the Jews from the region of the Kingdom of Judah and Roman Iudaea and later emigration from wider Eretz Israel....
generally read it in late August or early September.
Jews also read the part of the parshah about Amalek
Amalek
The Amalekites are a people mentioned a number of times in the Hebrew Bible. They are considered to be descended from an ancestor Amalek....
, as the maftir
Maftir
Maftir properly refers to the last person called to the Torah on Shabbat and holiday mornings: this person also reads the haftarah portion from a related section of the Nevi'im ....
reading on Shabbat Zachor, the special Sabbath
Special Sabbaths
Special Shabbatot are fixed Jewish Shabbat days, which precede or coincide with certain Jewish holidays during the year. Each one has a special name.-Shabbat Shuvah:...
immediately before Purim
Purim
Purim is a Jewish holiday that commemorates the deliverance of the Jewish people in the ancient Persian Empire from destruction in the wake of a plot by Haman, a story recorded in the Biblical Book of Esther .Purim is celebrated annually according to the Hebrew calendar on the 14th...
, which commemorates the story of Esther
Esther
Esther , born Hadassah, is the eponymous heroine of the Biblical Book of Esther.According to the Bible, she was a Jewish queen of the Persian king Ahasuerus...
and the Jewish people’s victory over Haman’s
Haman (Bible)
Haman is the main antagonist in the Book of Esther, who, according to Old Testament tradition, was a 5th Century BC noble and vizier of the Persian empire under King Ahasuerus, traditionally identified as Artaxerxes II...
plan to kill the Jews, told in the book of Esther
Book of Esther
The Book of Esther is a book in the Ketuvim , the third section of the Jewish Tanakh and is part of the Christian Old Testament. The Book of Esther or the Megillah is the basis for the Jewish celebration of Purim...
. identifies Haman as an Agagite, and thus a descendant of Amalek. Numbers
Book of Numbers
The Book of Numbers is the fourth book of the Hebrew Bible, and the fourth of five books of the Jewish Torah/Pentateuch....
identifies the Agagites with the Amalekites. A midrash
Midrash
The Hebrew term Midrash is a homiletic method of biblical exegesis. The term also refers to the whole compilation of homiletic teachings on the Bible....
tells that between King Agag’s capture by Saul and his killing by Samuel, Agag fathered a child, from whom Haman in turn descended. (Seder Eliyahu Rabbah
Tanna Devei Eliyahu
Tanna Devei Eliyahu is the composite name of a midrash, consisting of two parts, whose final redaction took place at the end of the 10th century CE. The first part is called "Seder Eliyahu Rabbah" ; the second, "Seder Eliyahu Zuṭa"...
ch. 20; Targum Sheni to Esther 4:13.)
The parshah sets out a series of miscellaneous law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
s, mostly governing civil and domestic life, including ordinances regarding a beautiful captive of war, inheritance
Inheritance
Inheritance is the practice of passing on property, titles, debts, rights and obligations upon the death of an individual. It has long played an important role in human societies...
among the sons of two wives, a wayward son, the corpse of an executed person, found property, coming upon another in distress, rooftop safety, prohibited mixtures, sexual offenses, membership in the congregation, camp hygiene, runaway slaves, prostitution, usury
Loans and interest in Judaism
The combination of loans and interest, in Judaism, is a complicated and detailed subject. The biblical Hebrew terms for interest are neshekh , literally meaning a bite, and marbit/tarbit , which specifically refers to the gain by the creditor; neshekh referred to interest that was charged by...
, vows, gleaning
Gleaning
Gleaning is the act of collecting leftover crops from farmers' fields after they have been commercially harvested or on fields where it is not economically profitable to harvest...
, kidnapping
Kidnapping
In criminal law, kidnapping is the taking away or transportation of a person against that person's will, usually to hold the person in false imprisonment, a confinement without legal authority...
, repossession
Repossession
Repossession is generally used to refer to a financial institution taking back an object that was either used as collateral or rented or leased in a transaction. Repossession is a "self-help" type of action in which the party having right of ownership of the property in question takes the property...
, prompt payment of wages, vicarious liability
Vicarious liability (criminal)
The legal principle of vicarious liability applies to hold one person liable for the actions of another when engaged in some form of joint or collective activity.-History:...
, flogging, treatment of domestic animals, levirate marriage
Levirate marriage
Levirate marriage is a type of marriage in which the brother of a deceased man is obligated to marry his brother's widow, and the widow is obligated to marry her deceased husband's brother....
, weights and measures, and remembrance of the Amalekites.
The beautiful captive
MosesMoses
Moses was, according to the Hebrew Bible and Qur'an, a religious leader, lawgiver and prophet, to whom the authorship of the Torah is traditionally attributed...
directed the Israelite
Israelite
According to the Bible the Israelites were a Hebrew-speaking people of the Ancient Near East who inhabited the Land of Canaan during the monarchic period .The word "Israelite" derives from the Biblical Hebrew ישראל...
s that when God
Names of God in Judaism
In Judaism, the name of God is more than a distinguishing title; it represents the Jewish conception of the divine nature, and of the relationship of God to the Jewish people and to the world. To demonstrate the sacredness of the names of God, and as a means of showing respect and reverence for...
delivered enemies into their power
Power (sociology)
Power is a measurement of an entity's ability to control its environment, including the behavior of other entities. The term authority is often used for power perceived as legitimate by the social structure. Power can be seen as evil or unjust, but the exercise of power is accepted as endemic to...
, the Israelites took captives, an Israelite saw among the captives a beautiful
Beauty
Beauty is a characteristic of a person, animal, place, object, or idea that provides a perceptual experience of pleasure, meaning, or satisfaction. Beauty is studied as part of aesthetics, sociology, social psychology, and culture...
woman, he desired
Interpersonal attraction
Interpersonal attraction is the attraction between people which leads to friendships and romantic relationships. Interpersonal attraction, the process, is distinct from perceptions of physical attractiveness which involves views of what is and is not considered beautiful or attractive.The study of...
her, and wanted to marry
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
her, the Israelite was to bring her into his house and have her trim her hair, pare her nails
Nail (anatomy)
A nail is a horn-like envelope covering the dorsal aspect of the terminal phalanges of fingers and toes in humans, most non-human primates, and a few other mammals. Nails are similar to claws, which are found on numerous other animals....
, discard her captive’s garb
Clothing
Clothing refers to any covering for the human body that is worn. The wearing of clothing is exclusively a human characteristic and is a feature of nearly all human societies...
, and spend a month lament
Lament
A lament or lamentation is a song, poem, or piece of music expressing grief, regret, or mourning.-History:Many of the oldest and most lasting poems in human history have been laments. Laments are present in both the Iliad and the Odyssey, and laments continued to be sung in elegiacs accompanied by...
ing her father and mother. Thereafter, the Israelite could take her as his wife. But if he should find that he no longer wanted her, he had to release
Manumission
Manumission is the act of a slave owner freeing his or her slaves. In the United States before the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which abolished most slavery, this often happened upon the death of the owner, under conditions in his will.-Motivations:The...
her outright, and not sell
Sales
A sale is the act of selling a product or service in return for money or other compensation. It is an act of completion of a commercial activity....
her for money as a slave
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
.
Inheritance among the sons of two wives
If a man had two wives, one loved and one unloved, both bore him sons, but the unloved one bore him his firstborn son, then when he willedWill (law)
A will or testament is a legal declaration by which a person, the testator, names one or more persons to manage his/her estate and provides for the transfer of his/her property at death...
his property
Property
Property is any physical or intangible entity that is owned by a person or jointly by a group of people or a legal entity like a corporation...
to his sons, he could not treat the son of the loved wife as firstborn in disregard of the older son of the unloved wife; rather, he was required to accept the firstborn, the son of the unloved one, and allot to him his birthright of a double portion of all that he possessed.
The wayward son
If a couple had a wayward and defiant son, who did not heed his father or mother and did not obeyObedience (human behavior)
In human behavior, obedience is the quality of being obedient, which describes the act of carrying-out commands or being actuated. Obedience differs from compliance, which is behavior influenced by peers, and from conformity, which is behavior intended to match that of the majority. Obedience can...
them even after they disciplined
Child discipline
Child discipline is the set of rules, rewards and punishments administered to teach self control, increase desirable behaviors and decrease undesirable behaviors in children. In its most general sense, discipline refers to systematic instruction given to a disciple. To discipline thus means to...
him, then they were to bring him to the elders
Elder (administrative title)
The term Elder is used in several different countries and organizations to indicate a position of authority...
of his town and publicly declare their son to be disloyal, defiant, heedless, a glutton
Gluttony
Gluttony, derived from the Latin gluttire meaning to gulp down or swallow, means over-indulgence and over-consumption of food, drink, intoxicants or wealth items to the point of extravagance or waste...
, and a drunkard
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
. The men of his town were then to stone him to death
Stoning
Stoning, or lapidation, is a form of capital punishment whereby a group throws stones at a person until the person dies. No individual among the group can be identified as the one who kills the subject, yet everyone involved plainly bears some degree of moral culpability. This is in contrast to the...
.
The corpse of an executed man
If the community executedCapital punishment
Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...
a man for a capital offense and impaled
Impalement
Impalement is the traumatic penetration of an organism by an elongated foreign object such as a stake, pole, or spear, and this usually implies complete perforation of the central mass of the impaled body...
him on a stake, they were not to let his corpse
Body
With regard to living things, a body is the physical body of an individual. "Body" often is used in connection with appearance, health issues and death...
remain on the stake overnight, but were to bury
Burial
Burial is the act of placing a person or object into the ground. This is accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing an object in it, and covering it over.-History:...
him the same day, for an impaled body affronted God.
Found property
If one found another’s lost oxCattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
, sheep
Domestic sheep
Sheep are quadrupedal, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Like all ruminants, sheep are members of the order Artiodactyla, the even-toed ungulates. Although the name "sheep" applies to many species in the genus Ovis, in everyday usage it almost always refers to Ovis aries...
, ass
Donkey
The donkey or ass, Equus africanus asinus, is a domesticated member of the Equidae or horse family. The wild ancestor of the donkey is the African Wild Ass, E...
, garment
Clothing
Clothing refers to any covering for the human body that is worn. The wearing of clothing is exclusively a human characteristic and is a feature of nearly all human societies...
, or any other lost thing, then the finder could not ignore it, but was required to take it back to its owner
Ownership
Ownership is the state or fact of exclusive rights and control over property, which may be an object, land/real estate or intellectual property. Ownership involves multiple rights, collectively referred to as title, which may be separated and held by different parties. The concept of ownership has...
. If the owner did not live near the finder or the finder did not know the identity of the owner, then the finder was to bring the thing home and keep it until the owner claimed it.
If one came upon another’s ass or ox fallen on the road, then one could not ignore it, but was required to help the owner to raise it.
Ordinances
A woman was not to put on man’s apparel, nor a man wear woman’s clothing.If one came upon a bird’s nest
Nest
A nest is a place of refuge to hold an animal's eggs or provide a place to live or raise offspring. They are usually made of some organic material such as twigs, grass, and leaves; or may simply be a depression in the ground, or a hole in a tree, rock or building...
with the mother bird sitting over fledglings or eggs
Egg (biology)
An egg is an organic vessel in which an embryo first begins to develop. In most birds, reptiles, insects, molluscs, fish, and monotremes, an egg is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum, which is expelled from the body and permitted to develop outside the body until the developing...
, then one could not take the mother together with her young, but was required to let the mother go and take only the young.
When one built
Building
In architecture, construction, engineering, real estate development and technology the word building may refer to one of the following:...
a new house, one had to make a parapet
Parapet
A parapet is a wall-like barrier at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony or other structure. Where extending above a roof, it may simply be the portion of an exterior wall that continues above the line of the roof surface, or may be a continuation of a vertical feature beneath the roof such as a...
for the roof
Roof
A roof is the covering on the uppermost part of a building. A roof protects the building and its contents from the effects of weather. Structures that require roofs range from a letter box to a cathedral or stadium, dwellings being the most numerous....
, so that no one should fall from it.
Sowing
Sowing is the process of planting seeds.-Plants which are usually sown:Among the major field crops, oats, wheat, and rye are sowed, grasses and legumes are seeded, and maize and soybeans are planted...
a vineyard
Vineyard
A vineyard is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice...
with a second kind of seed
Seed
A seed is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant...
, nor use the yield of such vineyard. One was not to plow
Plough
The plough or plow is a tool used in farming for initial cultivation of soil in preparation for sowing seed or planting. It has been a basic instrument for most of recorded history, and represents one of the major advances in agriculture...
with an ox and an ass together. One was not to wear cloth
Textile
A textile or cloth is a flexible woven material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by spinning raw fibres of wool, flax, cotton, or other material to produce long strands...
combining wool
Wool
Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and certain other animals, including cashmere from goats, mohair from goats, qiviut from muskoxen, vicuña, alpaca, camel from animals in the camel family, and angora from rabbits....
and linen
Linen
Linen is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant, Linum usitatissimum. Linen is labor-intensive to manufacture, but when it is made into garments, it is valued for its exceptional coolness and freshness in hot weather....
.
One was to make tassels (tzitzit)
Tzitzit
The Hebrew noun tzitzit is the name for specially knotted ritual fringes worn by observant Jews. Tzitzit are attached to the four corners of the tallit and tallit katan.-Etymology:The word may derive from the semitic root N-TZ-H...
on the four corner
Corner
A corner is the place where two lines meet at an angle, and a concave corner of intersecting walls is generally thought to be the least beneficial position to be in a life-or-death situation. From this notion was born the verb to corner, which is used to mean "to back into a corner" and usually...
s of the garment with which one covered oneself.
Sexual offenses
If a man married a woman, cohabited with her, took an aversion to her, and falsely charged her with not having been a virginVirginity
Virginity refers to the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. There are cultural and religious traditions which place special value and significance on this state, especially in the case of unmarried females, associated with notions of personal purity, honor and worth...
at the time of the marriage, then the woman’s parents were to produce the cloth with evidence of the woman’s virginity before the town elders at the town gate
City gate
A city gate is a gate which is, or was, set within a city wall. Other terms include port.-Uses:City gates were traditionally built to provide a point of controlled access to and departure from a walled city for people, vehicles, goods and animals...
. The elders were then to have the man flogged
Flagellation
Flagellation or flogging is the act of methodically beating or whipping the human body. Specialised implements for it include rods, switches, the cat o' nine tails and the sjambok...
and fine him 100 shekel
Shekel
Shekel , is any of several ancient units of weight or of currency. The first usage is from Mesopotamia around 3000 BC. Initially, it may have referred to a weight of barley...
s of silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
to be paid to the woman’s father. The woman was to remain the man’s wife, and he was never to have the right
Right
Rights are legal, social, or ethical principles of freedom or entitlement; that is, rights are the fundamental normative rules about what is allowed of people or owed to people, according to some legal system, social convention, or ethical theory...
to divorce her. But if the elders found that woman had not been a virgin, then the woman was to be brought to the entrance of her father’s house and stoned to death by the men of her town.
If a man was found lying with another man’s wife, both the man and the woman with whom he lay were to die.
If in a city, a man lay with a virgin who was engaged to a man, then the authorities were to take the two of them to the town gate and stone them to death — the girl because she did not cry for help, and the man because he violated another man’s wife. But if the man lay with the girl by force
Force (law)
In the field of law, the word force has two main meanings: unlawful violence and lawful compulsion. "Forced entry" is an expression falling under the category of unlawful violence; "in force" or "forced sale" would be examples of expressions in the category of lawful compulsion.When something is...
in the open country, only the man was to die, for there was no one to save her.
If a man seized a virgin who was not engaged and lay with her, then the man was to pay the girl’s father 50 shekels of silver, she was to become the man’s wife, and he was never to have the right to divorce her.
No man could marry his father’s former wife.
Membership in the congregation
God’s congregation could not admit into membershipGroup (sociology)
In the social sciences a social group can be defined as two or more humans who interact with one another, share similar characteristics and collectively have a sense of unity...
anyone whose testes
Testicle
The testicle is the male gonad in animals. Like the ovaries to which they are homologous, testes are components of both the reproductive system and the endocrine system...
were crushed, anyone whose member was cut off, anyone misbegotten, anyone descended within ten generation
Generation
Generation , also known as procreation in biological sciences, is the act of producing offspring....
s from one misbegotten, any Ammon
Ammon
Ammon , also referred to as the Ammonites and children of Ammon, was an ancient nation located east of the Jordan River, Gilead, and the Dead Sea, in present-day Jordan. The chief city of the country was Rabbah or Rabbath Ammon, site of the modern city of Amman, Jordan's capital...
ite or Moab
Moab
Moab is the historical name for a mountainous strip of land in Jordan. The land lies alongside much of the eastern shore of the Dead Sea. The existence of the Kingdom of Moab is attested to by numerous archeological findings, most notably the Mesha Stele, which describes the Moabite victory over...
ite, or anyone descended within ten generations from an Ammonite or Moabite. As long as they lived, Israelites were not to concern themselves with the welfare or benefit of Ammonites or Moabites, because they did not meet the Israelites with food
Food
Food is any substance consumed to provide nutritional support for the body. It is usually of plant or animal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals...
and water after the Israelites left Egypt
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...
, and because they hired Balaam
Balaam
Balaam is a diviner in the Torah, his story occurring towards the end of the Book of Numbers. The etymology of his name is uncertain, and discussed below. Every ancient reference to Balaam considers him a non-Israelite, a prophet, and the son of Beor, though Beor is not so clearly identified...
to curse
Curse
A curse is any expressed wish that some form of adversity or misfortune will befall or attach to some other entity—one or more persons, a place, or an object...
the Israelites — but God refused to heed Balaam, turning his curse into a blessing
Blessing
A blessing, is the infusion of something with holiness, spiritual redemption, divine will, or one's hope or approval.- Etymology and Germanic paganism :...
.
The Israelites were not to abhor the Edom
Edom
Edom or Idumea was a historical region of the Southern Levant located south of Judea and the Dead Sea. It is mentioned in biblical records as a 1st millennium BC Iron Age kingdom of Edom, and in classical antiquity the cognate name Idumea was used to refer to a smaller area in the same region...
ites, for they were kinsman, nor Egyptians, for the Israelites were strangers in Egypt. Great grandchildren of Edomites or Egyptians could be admitted into the congregation.
Camp hygiene
Any Israelite rendered unclean by a nocturnal emissionNocturnal emission
A nocturnal emission involves either ejaculation during sleep for a male, or lubrication of the vagina for a female. It is also called a wet dream, and is sometimes considered a type of spontaneous orgasm....
had to leave the Israelites military
Military
A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...
camp, bathe
Bathing
Bathing is the washing or cleansing of the body in a fluid, usually water or an aqueous solution. It may be practised for personal hygiene, religious ritual or therapeutic purposes or as a recreational activity....
in water toward evening, and reenter the camp at sundown
Sunset
Sunset or sundown is the daily disappearance of the Sun below the horizon in the west as a result of Earth's rotation.The time of sunset is defined in astronomy as the moment the trailing edge of the Sun's disk disappears below the horizon in the west...
. The Israelites were to designate an area outside the camp where they might relieve themselves, and to carry a spike to dig a hole and cover up their excrement
Feces
Feces, faeces, or fæces is a waste product from an animal's digestive tract expelled through the anus or cloaca during defecation.-Etymology:...
. As God moved about in their camp to protect them and to deliver their enemies, the Israelites were to keep their camp holy
Sacred
Holiness, or sanctity, is in general the state of being holy or sacred...
.
More ordinances
If a slave sought refuge with the Israelites, they were not to turn the slave over to the slave’s masterSlavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
, but were to let the former slave live in any place the former slave might choose among the Israelites’ settlements and not ill-treat the former slave.
Israelites were forbidden to act as harlots, sodomites
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
, or cult prostitutes
Prostitution
Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...
, and from bringing the wage
Wage
A wage is a compensation, usually financial, received by workers in exchange for their labor.Compensation in terms of wages is given to workers and compensation in terms of salary is given to employees...
s of prostitution into the house of God
Temple in Jerusalem
The Temple in Jerusalem or Holy Temple , refers to one of a series of structures which were historically located on the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem, the current site of the Dome of the Rock. Historically, these successive temples stood at this location and functioned as the centre of...
in fulfillment of any vow
Vow
A vow is a promise or oath.-Marriage vows:Marriage vows are binding promises each partner in a couple makes to the other during a wedding ceremony. Marriage customs have developed over history and keep changing as human society develops...
.
Israelites were forbidden to charge interest
Interest
Interest is a fee paid by a borrower of assets to the owner as a form of compensation for the use of the assets. It is most commonly the price paid for the use of borrowed money, or money earned by deposited funds....
on loan
Loan
A loan is a type of debt. Like all debt instruments, a loan entails the redistribution of financial assets over time, between the lender and the borrower....
s to their countrymen, but they could charge interest on loans to foreigners
Alien (law)
In law, an alien is a person in a country who is not a citizen of that country.-Categorization:Types of "alien" persons are:*An alien who is legally permitted to remain in a country which is foreign to him or her. On specified terms, this kind of alien may be called a legal alien of that country...
.
Israelites were required promptly to fulfill vows to God, whereas they incurred no guilt if they refrained from vowing.
A visiting Israelite was allowed to enter another’s vineyard and eat grape
Grape
A grape is a non-climacteric fruit, specifically a berry, that grows on the perennial and deciduous woody vines of the genus Vitis. Grapes can be eaten raw or they can be used for making jam, juice, jelly, vinegar, wine, grape seed extracts, raisins, molasses and grape seed oil. Grapes are also...
s until full, but the visitor was forbidden to put any in a vessel. Similarly, a visiting Israelite was allowed to enter another’s field
Field (agriculture)
In agriculture, the word field refers generally to an area of land enclosed or otherwise and used for agricultural purposes such as:* Cultivating crops* Usage as a paddock or, generally, an enclosure of livestock...
of standing grain
Cereal
Cereals are grasses cultivated for the edible components of their grain , composed of the endosperm, germ, and bran...
and pluck ears
Ear (botany)
An ear is the grain-bearing tip part of the stem of a cereal plant, such as wheat or maize. It can also refer to "a prominent lobe in some leaves".The ear is a spike, consisting of a central stem on which grows tightly packed rows of flowers...
by hand, but the visitor was forbidden to cut the neighbor’s grain with a sickle
Sickle
A sickle is a hand-held agricultural tool with a variously curved blade typically used for harvesting grain crops or cutting succulent forage chiefly for feeding livestock . Sickles have also been used as weapons, either in their original form or in various derivations.The diversity of sickles that...
.
A divorced woman who remarried and then lost her second husband to divorce or death was not allowed to remarry her first husband.
A newlywed man was exempt from army
Army
An army An army An army (from Latin arma "arms, weapons" via Old French armée, "armed" (feminine), in the broadest sense, is the land-based military of a nation or state. It may also include other branches of the military such as the air force via means of aviation corps...
duty for one year so as to give happiness
Happiness
Happiness is a mental state of well-being characterized by positive emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy. A variety of biological, psychological, religious, and philosophical approaches have striven to define happiness and identify its sources....
to his wife.
Israelites were forbidden to take a handmill or an upper millstone
Millstone
Millstones or mill stones are used in windmills and watermills, including tide mills, for grinding wheat or other grains.The type of stone most suitable for making millstones is a siliceous rock called burrstone , an open-textured, porous but tough, fine-grained sandstone, or a silicified,...
in pawn
Pledge (law)
A pledge is a bailment or deposit of personal property to a creditor to secure repayment for some debt or engagement, The term is also used to denote the property which constitutes the security....
, for that would be equivalent to taking someone’s livelihood in pawn.
One found to have kidnapped a fellow Israelite was to die.
In cases of a skin affection
Tzaraath
The Hebrew noun tzaraath describes a disfigurative condition mainly referred to in chapters 13-14 of Leviticus, as well as conditions equivalent to be "mildew" on clothes and houses.Tzaraath affects both animate...
, Israelites were to do exactly as the priests
Kohen
A Kohen is the Hebrew word for priest. Jewish Kohens are traditionally believed and halachically required to be of direct patrilineal descent from the Biblical Aaron....
instructed, remembering that God afflicted and then healed Miriam’s skin after the Israelites left Egypt.
An Israelite who lent to a fellow Israelite was forbidden to enter the borrower’s house to seize a pledge, but was required to remain outside while the borrower brought the pledge out to the lender. If the borrower was needy, the lender was forbidden to sleep
Sleep
Sleep is a naturally recurring state characterized by reduced or absent consciousness, relatively suspended sensory activity, and inactivity of nearly all voluntary muscles. It is distinguished from quiet wakefulness by a decreased ability to react to stimuli, and is more easily reversible than...
in the pledge, but had to return the pledge to the borrower at sundown, so that the borrower might sleep in the cloth and bless the lender before God.
Israelites were forbidden to abuse a needy and destitute laborer, whether an Israelite or a stranger, and were required to pay the laborer’s wages on the same day, before the sun
Sun
The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is almost perfectly spherical and consists of hot plasma interwoven with magnetic fields...
set, as the laborer would urgently depend on the wages.
Parents were not to be put to death for children, nor were children to be put to death for parents: a person was to be put to death only for the person’s own crime.
Israelites were forbidden to subvert the rights of the stranger or the fatherless, and were forbidden to take a widow
Widow
A widow is a woman whose spouse has died, while a widower is a man whose spouse has died. The state of having lost one's spouse to death is termed widowhood or occasionally viduity. The adjective form is widowed...
’s garment in pawn, remembering that they were slaves in Egypt and that God redeemed them. When Israelites reaped the harvest
Harvest
Harvest is the process of gathering mature crops from the fields. Reaping is the cutting of grain or pulse for harvest, typically using a scythe, sickle, or reaper...
in their fields and overlooked a sheaf, they were not to turn back to get it, but were to leave it to the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow. Similarly, when Israelites beat down the fruit of their olive
Olive
The olive , Olea europaea), is a species of a small tree in the family Oleaceae, native to the coastal areas of the eastern Mediterranean Basin as well as northern Iran at the south end of the Caspian Sea.Its fruit, also called the olive, is of major agricultural importance in the...
trees or gathered the grapes of their vineyards, they were not to go over them again, but were leave what remained for the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, remembering that they were slaves in Egypt.
When one was to be flogged, the magistrate was to have the guilty one lie down and be whipped in the magistrate’s presence as warranted, but not more than 40 lashes, so that the guilty one would not be degraded.
Israelites were forbidden to muzzle
Muzzle (device)
A muzzle is a device that is placed over the snout of an animal to keep it from biting or otherwise opening its mouth.An Elizabethan collar is a cone-shaped device placed around an animal's neck to prevent biting and sometimes referred to as a muzzle, though its function is more usually to prevent...
an ox while it was threshing
Threshing
Threshing is the process of loosening the edible part of cereal grain from the scaly, inedible chaff that surrounds it. It is the step in grain preparation after harvesting and before winnowing, which separates the loosened chaff from the grain...
.
When brothers
Sibling
Siblings are people who share at least one parent. A male sibling is called a brother; and a female sibling is called a sister. In most societies throughout the world, siblings usually grow up together and spend a good deal of their childhood socializing with one another...
dwelt together and one of them died leaving no son, the surviving brother was to marry the wife of the deceased and perform the levir’s duty
Levirate marriage
Levirate marriage is a type of marriage in which the brother of a deceased man is obligated to marry his brother's widow, and the widow is obligated to marry her deceased husband's brother....
, and the first son that she bore was to be accounted to the dead brother, that his name
Name
A name is a word or term used for identification. Names can identify a class or category of things, or a single thing, either uniquely, or within a given context. A personal name identifies a specific unique and identifiable individual person, and may or may not include a middle name...
might survive. But if the surviving brother did not want to marry his brother’s widow, then the widow was to appear before the elders at the town gate and declare that the brother refused to perform the levir’s duty, the elders were to talk to him, and if he insisted, the widow was to go up to him before the elders, pull the sandal
Sandal (footwear)
Sandals are an open type of outdoor footwear, consisting of a sole held to the wearer's foot by straps passing over the instep and, sometimes, around the ankle...
off his foot
Foot
The foot is an anatomical structure found in many vertebrates. It is the terminal portion of a limb which bears weight and allows locomotion. In many animals with feet, the foot is a separate organ at the terminal part of the leg made up of one or more segments or bones, generally including claws...
, spit in his face, and declare: “Thus shall be done to the man who will not build up his brother’s house!” They shall then call him “the family of the unsandaled one.”
If two men fought with each other, and to save her husband the wife of one seized the other man’s genitals
Sex organ
A sex organ, or primary sexual characteristic, as narrowly defined, is any of the anatomical parts of the body which are involved in sexual reproduction and constitute the reproductive system in a complex organism; flowers are the reproductive organs of flowering plants, cones are the reproductive...
, then her hand was to be cut off.
Israelites were forbidden to have alternate weights or measures, larger and smaller, but were required to have completely honest weights and measures.
Israelites were required to remember what the Amalekites did to them on their journey, after they left Egypt, surprising them and cutting down all the stragglers at their rear. The Israelites were enjoined never to forget
Forgetting
Forgetting refers to apparent loss of information already encoded and stored in an individual's long term memory. It is a spontaneous or gradual process in which old memories are unable to be recalled from memory storage. It is subject to delicately balanced optimization that ensures that...
to blot out the memory
Memory
In psychology, memory is an organism's ability to store, retain, and recall information and experiences. Traditional studies of memory began in the fields of philosophy, including techniques of artificially enhancing memory....
of Amalek from under heaven.
Deuteronomy chapter 24
The Hebrew BibleTanakh
The Tanakh is a name used in Judaism for the canon of the Hebrew Bible. The Tanakh is also known as the Masoretic Text or the Miqra. The name is an acronym formed from the initial Hebrew letters of the Masoretic Text's three traditional subdivisions: The Torah , Nevi'im and Ketuvim —hence...
reports skin disease (tzara’at, צָּרַעַת) and a person affected by skin disease (metzora, מְּצֹרָע) at several places, often (and sometimes incorrectly) translated as “leprosy” and “a leper.” In Exodus to help Moses to convince others that God had sent him, God instructed Moses to put his hand into his bosom, and when he took it out, his hand was “leprous (m’tzora’at, מְצֹרַעַת), as white as snow.” In Leviticus the Torah sets out regulations for skin disease (tzara’at, צָרַעַת) and a person affected by skin disease (metzora, מְּצֹרָע). In after Miriam spoke against Moses, God’s cloud removed from the Tent of Meeting
Tabernacle
The Tabernacle , according to the Hebrew Torah/Old Testament, was the portable dwelling place for the divine presence from the time of the Exodus from Egypt through the conquering of the land of Canaan. Built to specifications revealed by God to Moses at Mount Sinai, it accompanied the Israelites...
and “Miriam was leprous (m’tzora’at, מְצֹרַעַת), as white as snow.” In Moses warned the Israelites in the case of skin disease (tzara’at, צָּרַעַת) diligently to observe all that the priests would teach them, remembering what God did to Miriam. In 2 Kings
Books of Kings
The Book of Kings presents a narrative history of ancient Israel and Judah from the death of David to the release of his successor Jehoiachin from imprisonment in Babylon, a period of some 400 years...
part of the haftarah
Haftarah
The haftarah or haftoroh is a series of selections from the books of Nevi'im of the Hebrew Bible that is publicly read in synagogue as part of Jewish religious practice...
for parshah Tazria
Tazria
Tazria, Thazria, Thazri’a, Sazria, or Ki Tazria’ is the 27th weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading and the fourth in the book of Leviticus...
, the prophet Elisha
Elisha
Elisha is a prophet mentioned in the Hebrew Bible and the Qur'an. His name is commonly transliterated into English as Elisha via Hebrew, Eliseus via Greek and Latin, or Alyasa via Arabic.-Biblical biography:...
cures Naaman
Naaman
Naaman was a commander of the armies of Ben-Hadad II in the time of Joram, king of Israel. He is mentioned in of the Tanakh. According to the narrative, he was afflicted with tzaraath...
, the commander of the army of the king of Aram
Aram (Biblical region)
Aram is the name of a region mentioned in the Bible located in central Syria, including where the city of Aleppo now stands.-Etymology:The etymology is uncertain. One standard explanation is an original meaning of "highlands"...
, who was a “leper” (metzora, מְּצֹרָע). In part of the haftarah for parshah Metzora
Metzora (parsha)
Metzora, Metzorah, M’tzora, Mezora, Metsora, or M’tsora is the 28th weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading and the fifth in the book of Leviticus...
, the story is told of four “leprous men” (m’tzora’im, מְצֹרָעִים) at the gate during the Arameans’
Aramaeans
The Aramaeans, also Arameans , were a Northwest Semitic semi-nomadic and pastoralist people who originated in what is now modern Syria during the Late Bronze Age and the Iron Age...
siege of Samaria
Samaria
Samaria, or the Shomron is a term used for a mountainous region roughly corresponding to the northern part of the West Bank.- Etymology :...
. And in 2 Chronicles
Books of Chronicles
The Books of Chronicles are part of the Hebrew Bible. In the Masoretic Text, it appears as the first or last book of the Ketuvim . Chronicles largely parallels the Davidic narratives in the Books of Samuel and the Books of Kings...
after King Uzziah
Uzziah
Uzziah , also known as Azariah , was the king of the ancient Kingdom of Judah, and one of Amaziah's sons, whom the people appointed to replace his father...
tried to burn incense in the Temple in Jerusalem
Temple in Jerusalem
The Temple in Jerusalem or Holy Temple , refers to one of a series of structures which were historically located on the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem, the current site of the Dome of the Rock. Historically, these successive temples stood at this location and functioned as the centre of...
, “leprosy (tzara’at, צָּרַעַת) broke forth on his forehead.”
21:10–14 — the beautiful captive
The GemaraGemara
The Gemara is the component of the Talmud comprising rabbinical analysis of and commentary on the Mishnah. After the Mishnah was published by Rabbi Judah the Prince The Gemara (also transliterated Gemora or, less commonly, Gemorra; from Aramaic גמרא gamar; literally, "[to] study" or "learning by...
taught that provided the law of taking a beautiful captive only as an allowance for human passions. The Rabbis taught in a Baraita
Baraita
Baraita designates a tradition in the Jewish oral law not incorporated in the Mishnah. "Baraita" thus refers to teachings "outside" of the six orders of the Mishnah...
that taking a beautiful captive according to the strictures of was better than taking beautiful captives without restriction, just as it was better for Jews to eat the meat of a ritually slaughtered ill animal than to eat the meat of an ill animal that had died on its own. The Rabbis interpreted the words “and you see among the captives” in to mean that the provisions applied only if the soldier set his eye upon the woman when taking her captive, not later. They interpreted the words “a woman” in to mean that the provisions applied even to a woman who was married before having been taken captive. They interpreted the words “and you have a desire” in to mean that the provisions applied even if the woman was not beautiful. They interpreted the word “her” in to mean that the provisions allowed him to take her alone, not her and her companion. They interpreted the words “and you shall take” in to mean that the soldier could have marital rights over her. They interpreted the words “to you to wife” in to mean that the soldier could not take two women, one for himself and another for his father, or one for himself and another for his son. And they interpreted the words “then you shall bring her home” in to mean that the soldier could not molest her on the battlefield. Rab
Abba Arika
Abba Arika was a Jewish Talmudist who lived in Babylonia, known as an amora of the 3rd century who established at Sura the systematic study of the rabbinic traditions, which, using the Mishnah as text, led to the compilation of the Talmud...
said that permitted a priest to take a beautiful captive, while Samuel
Samuel of Nehardea
Samuel of Nehardea or Samuel bar Abba was a Jewish Talmudist who lived in Babylonia, known as an Amora of the first generation; son of Abba bar Abba and head of the Yeshiva at Nehardea. He was a teacher of halakha, judge, physician, and astronomer. He was born about 165 at Nehardea, in Babylonia...
maintained that it was forbidden. (Babylonian Talmud
Talmud
The Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....
Kiddushin 21b–22a.)
The Gemara taught that the procedure of applied only when the captive did not accept the commandments, for if she accepted the commandments, then she could be immersed in a ritual bath (mikvah
Mikvah
Mikveh is a bath used for the purpose of ritual immersion in Judaism...
), and she and the soldier could marry immediately. (Babylonian Talmud Yevamot 47b.) Rabbi Eliezer
Eliezer ben Hurcanus
Eliezer ben Hurcanus or Eliezer ben Hyrcanus , a Kohen, was one of the most prominent tannaim of the 1st and 2nd centuries, disciple of R. Johanan ben Zakkai and colleague of Gamaliel II, whose sister he married , and of Joshua ben Hananiah...
interpreted the words “and she shall shave her head and do her nails” in to mean that she was to cut her nails, but Rabbi Akiba interpreted the words to mean that she was to let them grow. Rabbi Eliezer reasoned that specified an act with respect to the head and an act with respect to the nails, and as the former meant removal, so should the latter. Rabbi Akiba reasoned that specified disfigurement for the head, so it must mean disfigurement for the nails, as well. (Babylonian Talmud Yevamot 48a.)
Rabbi Eliezer interpreted the words “bewail her father and her mother” in to mean her actual father and mother. But Rabbi Akiba interpreted the words to mean idolatry, citing Jeremiah
Book of Jeremiah
The Book of Jeremiah is the second of the Latter Prophets in the Hebrew Bible, following the book of Isaiah and preceding Ezekiel and the Book of the Twelve....
A Baraita taught that “a full month” meant 30 days. But Rabbi Simeon ben Eleazar interpreted to call for 90 days — 30 days for “month,” 30 days for “full,” and 30 days for “and after that.” thirty days. Rabina
Ravina I
Ravina I was a Jewish Talmudist, and rabbi, accounted as an Amora sage of the 5th and 6th generation of the Amora era. He began the process of compiling the Talmud with Rav Ashi. He died in 421. The Talmud was ultimately completed by his nephew Ravina II....
said that one could say that “month” meant 30 days, “full” meant 30 days, and “and after that” meant an equal number (30 plus 30) again, for a total of 120 days. (Babylonian Talmud Yevamot 48b.)
21:15–17 — inheritance among the sons of two wives
The MishnahMishnah
The Mishnah or Mishna is the first major written redaction of the Jewish oral traditions called the "Oral Torah". It is also the first major work of Rabbinic Judaism. It was redacted c...
and the Talmud interpreted the laws of the firstborn’s inheritance in in Mishnah Bava Batra 8:4–5, Babylonian Talmud Bava Batra 122b–34a, Mishnah Bekhorot 8:9, and Babylonian Talmud Bekhorot 51b–52b. The Mishnah interpreted to teach that a son and a daughter have equal inheritance rights, except that a firstborn son takes a double portion in his father’s estate but does not take a double portion in his mother’s estate. (Mishnah Bava Batra 8:4; Babylonian Talmud Bava Batra 122b.) The Mishnah taught that they disregarded a father who said, “My firstborn son shall not inherit a double portion,” or “My son shall not inherit with his brothers,” because the father’s stipulation would be contrary to But a father could distribute his property as gifts during his lifetime so that one son received more than another, or so that the firstborn received merely an equal share, so long as the father did not try to make these conveyances as an inheritance upon his death. (Mishnah Bava Batra 8:5; Babylonian Talmud Bava Batra 126b.)
The Gemara recounted a discussion regarding the right of the firstborn in Once Rabbi Jannai
Rabbi Yannai
R. Yannai was a Jewish sage, living during the first half of the 3d Century, and of the first generation of the Amora sages of the Land of Israel. He was a disciple of R. Judah haNasi - the sealer of the Mishnah. R...
was walking, leaning on the shoulder of Rabbi Simlai
Simlai
Rabbi Simlai was a talmudic sage from Palestine in the early 3rd century. The calculation of 613 Mitzvot is attributed to him. He was a student of Rabbi Judah I, the grandson of the author of the Mishnah. A famous Haggadist, Simlai endeavored to induce Judah II to abrogate the prohibition against...
his attendant, and Rabbi Judah the Prince
Judah haNasi
Judah the Prince, or Judah I, also known as Rebbi or Rabbeinu HaKadosh , was a 2nd-century CE rabbi and chief redactor and editor of the Mishnah. He was a key leader of the Jewish community during the Roman occupation of Judea . He was of the Davidic line, the royal line of King David, hence the...
came to meet them. Rabbi Judah the Prince asked Rabbi Jannai what the Scriptural basis was for the proposition that a son takes precedence over a daughter in the inheritance of a mother's estate. Rabbi Jannai replied that the plural use of the term “tribes” in the discussion of the inheritance of the daughters of Zelophehad in indicates that the mother's tribe is to be compared to the father's tribe, and as in the case of the father's tribe, a son takes precedence over a daughter, so in the case of the mother's tribe, a son should take precedence over a daughter. Rabbi Judah the Prince challenged Rabbi Jannai, saying that if it this were so, one could say that as in the case of the father's tribe, a firstborn takes a double portion, so in the case of the mother's tribe would a firstborn take a double portion. Rabbi Jannai dismissed the remark of Rabbi Judah the Prince. The Gemara then inquired why it is true that a firstborn son takes a double share in his father's estate but not his mother's. Abaye
Abaye
Abaye was a rabbi of the Jewish Talmud who lived in Babylonia [בבל], known as an amora [אמורא] born about the close of the third century; died 339 . His father, Kaylil, was the brother of Rabbah bar Nachmani, a teacher at the Academy of Pumbedita. Abaye's real name was Nachmani, after his...
replied that says, “of all that he [the father] has,” implying all that “he” (the father) has and not all that “she” (the mother) has. The Gemara asked whether the proposition that a firstborn son takes a double portion only in the estate of his father might apply only in the case where a bachelor married a widow (who had children from her first marriage, and thus the father's firstborn son was not that of the mother). And thus where a bachelor married a virgin (so that the firstborn son of the father would also be the firstborn son of the mother) might the firstborn son also take a double portion in his mother’s estate? Rav Nahman bar Isaac
Rav Nachman bar Yitzchak
Rav Nachman bar Yitzchak or Rabh Naħman bar Yişħaq in actual Talmudic and Classical Hebrew was an amora who lived in Babylonia. He was a disciple of Abaye and Rava and the dean of the yeshiva at Pumbedita....
replied that says, “for he [the firstborn son] is the first-fruits of his [the father’s] strength,” from which we can infer that the law applies to the first fruits of the father’s strength and not the first-fruits of the mother’s strength. The Gemara replied that teaches that though a son was born after a miscarriage (and thus did not “open the womb” and is not regarded as a firstborn son for purposes of “sanctification to the Lord” and “redemption from the priest” in ) he is nonetheless regarded as the firstborn son for purposes of inheritance. thus implies that only the son for whom the father's heart grieves is included in the law, but a miscarriage, for which the father's heart does not grieve, is excluded. (And thus, since is necessary for this deduction, it could not have been meant for the proposition that the law applies to the first fruits of the father’s strength and not of the mother’s strength.) But then the Gemara reasoned that if is necessary for excluding miscarriages, then should have read, “for he is the first-fruits of strength,” but in fact says, “his strength.” Thus one may deduce two laws from But the Gemara objected further that still that the words of “the first-fruits of his [the father’s] strength,” not her strength, might apply only to the case of a widower (who had children from his first wife) who married a virgin (since the first son from the second marriage would be only the wife's firstborn, not the husband’s). But where a bachelor married a virgin (and thus the son would be the firstborn of both the father and the mother), the firstborn son might take a double portion also in his mother’s estate. But Raba
Rava (amora)
For the third generation Amora sage of Babylon, with a similar name, see: Joseph b. Hama .Abba ben Joseph bar Ḥama, who is exclusively referred to in the Talmud by the name Rava , was a Jewish Talmudist who lived in Babylonia, known as an amora, born in 270. He is one of the most often-cited Rabbis...
concluded that states, “the right of the firstborn is his [the father’s],” and this indicates that the right of the firstborn applies to a man’s estate and not to a woman’s. (Babylonian Talmud Bava Batra 111a–b.)
21:18–21 — the wayward son
Chapter 8 of tractate SanhedrinSanhedrin (Talmud)
Sanhedrin is one of ten tractates of Seder Nezikin . It originally formed one tractate with Makkot, which also deals with criminal law...
in the Mishnah and Babylonian Talmud interpreted the laws of the wayward and rebellious son (ben sorer umoreh) in (Mishnah Sanhedrin 8:1–7; Babylonian Talmud Sanhedrin 68b–75a.) A Baraita taught that there never was a “stubborn and rebellious son” and never would be, and that was written merely that we might study it and receive reward for the studying. But Rabbi Jonathan
Rabbi Jonathan
Rabbi Jonathan was a Palestinian tanna of the 2nd century and schoolfellow of R. Josiah, apart from whom he is rarely quoted. Jonathan is generally so cited without further designation; but there is ample reason for identifying him with the less frequently occurring Jonathan b. Joseph Rabbi...
said that he saw a stubborn and rebellious son and sat on his grave. (Babylonian Talmud Sanhedrin 71a.)
The Mishnah interpreted the words “a son” in to teach that provision applied to “a son,” but not a daughter, and to “a son,” but not a full-grown man. The Mishnah exempted a minor, because minors did not come within the scope of the commandments. And the Mishnah deduced that a boy became liable to being considered “a stubborn and rebellious son” from the time that he grew two genital pubic hairs until his pubic hair grew around his genitalia. (Mishnah Sanhedrin 8:1; Babylonian Talmud Sanhedrin 68b.) Rav Judah taught in Rav’s
Abba Arika
Abba Arika was a Jewish Talmudist who lived in Babylonia, known as an amora of the 3rd century who established at Sura the systematic study of the rabbinic traditions, which, using the Mishnah as text, led to the compilation of the Talmud...
name that implied that the son had to be nearly a man. (Babylonian Talmud Sanhedrin 68b.)
The Mishnah interpreted the words of to exclude from designation as a “stubborn and rebellious son” a boy who had a parent with any of a number of physical characteristics. The Mishnah interpreted the words “then his father and his mother shall lay hold on him” to exclude a boy if one of his parents had a hand or fingers cut off. The Mishnah interpreted the words “and bring him out” to exclude a boy who had a lame parent. The Mishnah interpreted the words “and they shall say” to exclude a boy who had a parent who could not speak. The Mishnah interpreted the words “this our son” to exclude a boy who had a blind parent. The Mishnah interpreted the words “he will not obey our voice” to exclude a boy who had a deaf parent. (Mishnah Sanhedrin 8:4; Babylonian Talmud Sanhedrin 45b, 71a.)
Deuteronomy chapter 22
The first two chapters of tractate Bava MetziaBava Metzia
Bava Metzia is the second of the first three Talmudic tractates in the order of Nezikin , the other two being Bava Kamma and Bava Batra. Originally all three formed a single tractate called Nezikin , each Bava being a Part or subdivision...
in the Mishnah, Tosefta
Tosefta
The Tosefta is a compilation of the Jewish oral law from the period of the Mishnah.-Overview:...
, and Babylonian Talmud interpreted the laws of lost property in (Mishnah Bava Metzia 1:1–2:11; Tosefta Bava Metzia 1:1–2:33; Babylonian Talmud Bava Metzia 2a–33b.) The Mishnah read the reference to “your brother’s ox or his sheep” in to apply to any domestic animal. (Mishnah Bava Kamma 5:7; Babylonian Talmud Bava Kamma 54b.) The Mishnah read the emphatic words of “you shall surely return them,” repeating the verb “return” in the Hebrew, to teach that required a person to return a neighbor’s animal again and again, even if the animal kept running away four or five times. (Mishnah Bava Metzia 2:9; Babylonian Talmud Bava Metzia 30b–31a.) And Raba
Rava (amora)
For the third generation Amora sage of Babylon, with a similar name, see: Joseph b. Hama .Abba ben Joseph bar Ḥama, who is exclusively referred to in the Talmud by the name Rava , was a Jewish Talmudist who lived in Babylonia, known as an amora, born in 270. He is one of the most often-cited Rabbis...
taught that required a person to return the animal even a hundred times. (Babylonian Talmud Bava Metzia 31a.) If one found an identifiable item and the identity of the owner was unknown, the Mishnah taught that the finder was required to announce it. Rabbi Meir
Rabbi Meir
Rabbi Meir or Rabbi Meir Baal Hanes was a Jewish sage who lived in the time of the Mishna. He was considered one of the greatest of the Tannaim of the fourth generation . According to legend , his father was a descendant of the Roman Emperor Nero who had converted to Judaism. His wife Bruriah is...
taught that the finder was obliged to announce it until his neighbors could know of it. Rabbi Judah
Judah ben Ilai
Judah bar Ilai, also known as Judah ben Ilai, Rabbi Judah or Judah the Palestinian , was a tanna of the 2nd Century and son of Rabbi Ilai I. Of the many Judahs in the Talmud, he is the one referred to simply as "Rabbi Judah" and is the most frequently mentioned sage in the Mishnah.Judah bar Ilai...
maintained that the finder had to announce it until three festivals
Jewish holiday
Jewish holidays are days observed by Jews as holy or secular commemorations of important events in Jewish history. In Hebrew, Jewish holidays and festivals, depending on their nature, may be called yom tov or chag or ta'anit...
had passed plus an additional seven days after the last festival, allowing three days for going home, three days for returning, and one day for announcing. (Mishnah Bava Metzia 2:6; Babylonian Talmud Bava Metzia 28a.)
The Gemara read the emphatic words of “you shall surely help . . . to lift,” repeating the verb in the Hebrew, to teach that required a person to lift a neighbor’s animal alone, even if the animal’s owner was too sick or too old to help. (Babylonian Talmud Bava Metzia 31a.) Similarly, the Sifre
Sifre
Sifre refers to either of two works of Midrash halakhah, or classical Jewish legal Biblical exegesis, based on the biblical books of Bamidbar and Devarim .- The Talmudic-Era Sifre :The title "Sifre debe Rab" is used by R. Hananeel on Sheb. 37b, Alfasi on Pes...
read the emphatic words of to teach that required a person to help lift a neighbor’s animal even if they lifted it, it fell again, and again, even five times. (Sifre to Deuteronomy 225:2:2.)
Chapter 12 of tractate Chullin in the Mishnah and Babylonian Talmud interpreted the laws of sending the mother bird away from the nest (shiluach hakein
Shiluach haken
Shiluach haken is the Jewish law derived from the Torah that enjoins one to send away the mother bird before taking her young or her eggs. This only applies to Kosher birds. The Torah promises longevity to someone who performs this commandment.-Theodicy:...
) in (Mishnah Chullin 12:1–5; Babylonian Talmud Chullin 138b–42a.) The Mishnah read to require a person to let the mother bird go again and again, even if the mother bird kept coming back to the nest four or five times. (Mishnah Chullin 12:3; Babylonian Talmud Chullin 141a.) And the Gemara taught that required a person to let the mother bird go even a hundred times. (Babylonian Talmud Bava Metzia 31a.)
Tractate Kilayim
Kil'ayim
Kil'ayim is the fourth tractate of Seder Zeraim of the Mishnah and of the Talmud. It deals with the laws of various forbidden production and uses of mixtures, as provided in Leviticus 19:19 and Deuteronomy 22:9-11...
in the Mishnah, Tosefta, and Jerusalem Talmud
Jerusalem Talmud
The Jerusalem Talmud, talmud meaning "instruction", "learning", , is a collection of Rabbinic notes on the 2nd-century Mishnah which was compiled in the Land of Israel during the 4th-5th century. The voluminous text is also known as the Palestinian Talmud or Talmud de-Eretz Yisrael...
interpreted the laws of separating diverse species in (Mishnah Kilayim 1:1–9:10; Tosefta Kilayim 1:1–5:27; Jerusalem Talmud Kilayim 1a–.)
The Mishnah employed the prohibitions of and to imagine how one could with one action violate up to nine separate commandments. One could (1) plow with an ox and a donkey yoked together (in violation of ) (2 and 3) that are two animals dedicated to the sanctuary, (4) plowing mixed seeds sown in a vineyard (in violation of ), (5) during a Sabbatical year (in violation of ), (6) on a Festival-day (in violation of, for example), (7) when the plower is a priest (in violation of ) and (8) a Nazirite (in violation of ) plowing in a contaminated place. Chananya ben Chachinai
Hanina ben Hakinai
Hanina ben Hakinai or Hanania ben Hakinai was a Tanna of the 2nd century; contemporary of Ben 'Azzai and Simon the Temanite . Sometimes he is cited without his prænomen .- Life :Who his early teachers were is not certainly known...
said that the plower also may have been wearing a garment of wool and linen (in violation of and ). They said to him that this would not be in the same category as the other violations. He replied that neither is the Nazirite in the same category as the other violations. (Mishnah Makkot 3:9; Babylonian Talmud Makkot 21b.)
Rabbi Joshua of Siknin taught in the name of Rabbi Levi that the Evil Inclination criticizes four laws as without logical basis, and Scripture uses the expression “statute” (chuk) in connection with each: the laws of (1) a brother’s wife
Levirate marriage
Levirate marriage is a type of marriage in which the brother of a deceased man is obligated to marry his brother's widow, and the widow is obligated to marry her deceased husband's brother....
(in ), (2) mingled kinds (in and ), (3) the scapegoat
Scapegoat
Scapegoating is the practice of singling out any party for unmerited negative treatment or blame. Scapegoating may be conducted by individuals against individuals , individuals against groups , groups against individuals , and groups against groups Scapegoating is the practice of singling out any...
(in ), and (4) the red cow
Red heifer
The red heifer or red cow was a sacrifice in the Hebrew Bible the ashes of which are used for the ritual purification of an ancient Israelite who had come into contact with a corpse.- Hebrew Bible :...
(in ). (Numbers Rabbah
Numbers Rabbah
Numbers Rabbah is a religious text holy to classical Judaism. It is a midrash comprising a collection of ancient rabbinical homiletic interpretations of the book of Numbers ....
19:5.)
calls on the Israelites to obey God’s “statutes” (hukim) and “ordinances” (mishpatim). The Rabbis in a Baraita taught that the “ordinances” (mishpatim) were commandments that logic would have dictated that we follow even had Scripture not commanded them, like the laws concerning idolatry, adultery, bloodshed, robbery, and blasphemy. And “statutes” (hukim) were commandments that the Adversary challenges us to violate as beyond reason, like those relating to shaatnez (in and ), halizah
Halizah
Under the Biblical system of levirate marriage known as Yibbum, Halizah is the ceremony by which a widow and her husband's brother could avoid the duty to marry after the husband's death....
(in ), purification of the person with tzaraat
Tzaraath
The Hebrew noun tzaraath describes a disfigurative condition mainly referred to in chapters 13-14 of Leviticus, as well as conditions equivalent to be "mildew" on clothes and houses.Tzaraath affects both animate...
(in ), and the scapegoat
Scapegoat
Scapegoating is the practice of singling out any party for unmerited negative treatment or blame. Scapegoating may be conducted by individuals against individuals , individuals against groups , groups against individuals , and groups against groups Scapegoating is the practice of singling out any...
(in ). So that people do not think these “ordinances” (mishpatim) to be empty acts, in God says, “I am the Lord,” indicating that the Lord made these statutes, and we have no right to question them. (Babylonian Talmud Yoma 67b.)
Chapter 3 of tractate Ketubot
Nashim
Nashim is the third order of the Mishnah , containing the laws related to women and family life...
in the Mishnah, Tosefta, and Babylonian Talmud interpreted the laws of seducers and rapists in (Mishnah Ketubot 3:1–4:1; Tosefta Ketubot 3:5–7; Babylonian Talmud Ketubot 29a–41b.)
Deuteronomy chapter 23
Rabbi JoseJose ben Halafta
Rabbi Jose ben Halafta or Yose ben Halafta was a Tanna of the fourth generation . Jose was a student of Rabbi Akiba and was regarded as one of the foremost scholars of halakha and aggadah of his day...
noted that the law of rewarded the Egyptians for their hospitality notwithstanding that Genesis indicated that the Egyptians befriended the Israelites only for their own benefit. Rabbi Jose concluded that if Providence thus rewarded one with mixed motives, Providence will reward even more one who selflessly shows hospitality to a scholar. (Babylonian Talmud Berakhot 63b.)
The Mishnah taugh that a red cow born by a caesarean section
Caesarean section
A Caesarean section, is a surgical procedure in which one or more incisions are made through a mother's abdomen and uterus to deliver one or more babies, or, rarely, to remove a dead fetus...
, the hire of a harlot, or the price of a dog was invalid for the purposes of Rabbi Eliezer ruled it valid, as states, “You shall not bring the hire of a harlot or the price of a dog into the house of the Lord your God,” and the red cow was not brought into the house. (Mishnah Parah 2:3.)
In part by reference to the Gemara interpreted the words in “This is the law of the burnt-offering: It is that which goes up on its firewood upon the altar all night into the morning.” From the passage, “which goes up on its firewood upon the altar all night,” the Rabbis deduced that once a thing had been placed upon the altar, it could not be taken down all night. Rabbi Judah taught that the words “This . . . goes up on . . . the altar all night” exclude three things. According to Rabbi Judah, they exclude (1) an animal slaughtered at night, (2) an animal whose blood was spilled, and (3) an animal whose blood was carried out beyond the curtains. Rabbi Judah taught that if any of these things had been placed on the altar, it was brought down. Rabbi Simeon noted that says “burnt-offering.” From this, Rabbi Simeon taught that one can only know that a fit burnt-offering remained on the altar. But Rabbi Simeon taught that the phrase “the law of the burnt-offering” intimates one law for all burnt-offerings, namely, that if they were placed on the altar, they were not removed. Rabbi Simeon taught that this law applied to animals that were slaughtered at night, or whose blood was spilt, or whose blood passed out of the curtains, or whose flesh spent the night away from the altar, or whose flesh went out, or were unclean, or were slaughtered with the intention of burning its flesh after time or out of bounds, or whose blood was received and sprinkled by unfit priests, or whose blood was applied below the scarlet line when it should have been applied above, or whose blood was applied above when it should have been applied below, or whose blood was applied outside when it should have been applied within, or whose blood was applied within when it should have been applied outside, or a Passover-offering or a sin-offering that one slaughtered for a different purpose. Rabbi Simeon suggested that one might think that law would also include an animal used for bestiality, set aside for an idolatrous sacrifice or worshipped, a harlot's hire or the price of a dog (as referred to in ), or a mixed breed, or a trefah (a torn or otherwise disqualified animal), or an animal calved through the cesarean section. But Rabbi Simeon taught that the word “This” serves to exclude these. Rabbi Simeon explained that he included the former in the general rule because their disqualification arose in the sanctuary, while he excluded the latter because their disqualification did not arise in the sanctuary. (Babylonian Talmud Zevachim 27b.)
Tractates Nedarim and Shevuot
Shevu'ot
Shevu'ot or Shevuot is a book of the Mishnah and Talmud. It is the sixth volume of the book of Nezikin. Shevu'ot deals primarily with the laws of oaths in halakha ....
in the Mishnah, Tosefta, Jerusalem Talmud, and Babylonian Talmud interpreted the laws of vows in and 19:12, and (Mishnah Nedarim 1:1–11:11; Tosefta Nedarim 1:1–7:8; Jerusalem Talmud Nedarim 1a–; Babylonian Talmud Nedarim 2a–91b; Mishnah Shevuot 1:1–8:6; Tosefta Shevuot 1:1–6:7; Jerusalem Talmud Shevuot 1a–; Babylonian Talmud Shevuot 2a–49b.)
Deuteronomy chapter 24
Tractate Gittin in the Mishnah, Tosefta, Jerusalem Talmud, and Babylonian Talmud interpreted the laws of divorce in (Mishnah Gittin 1:1–9:10; Tosefta Gittin 1:1–7:13; Jerusalem Talmud Gittin 1a–; Babylonian Talmud Gittin 2a–90b.)A midrash interpreted the words of “there was no water in it,” to teach that there was no recognition of Torah in the pit into which Joseph’s brothers cast him, as Torah is likened to water, as Isaiah
Book of Isaiah
The Book of Isaiah is the first of the Latter Prophets in the Hebrew Bible, preceding the books of Ezekiel, Jeremiah and the Book of the Twelve...
says, “everyone that thirsts, come for water.” For the Torah (in ) says, “If a man be found stealing any of his brethren of the children of Israel . . . and sell him, then that thief shall die,” and yet Joseph’s brothers sold their brother. (Genesis Rabba
Genesis Rabba
Genesis Rabba is a religious text from Judaism's classical period. It is a midrash comprising a collection of ancient rabbinical homiletical interpretations of the Book of Genesis ....
h 84:16.)
The Gemara read the emphatic words of “you shall surely restore . . . the pledge,” repeating the verb in the Hebrew, to teach that required a lender to restore the pledge whether or not the lender took the pledge with the court’s permission. And the Gemara taught that the Torah provided similar injunctions in and to teach that a lender had to return a garment worn during the day before sunrise, and return a garment worn during the night before sunset. (Babylonian Talmud Bava Metzia 31b.)
The Mishnah interpreted and to teach that a worker engaged by the day could collect the worker’s wages all of the following night. If engaged by the night, the worker could collect the wages all of the following day. If engaged by the hour, the worker could collect the wages all that day and night. If engaged by the week, month, year, or 7-year period, if the worker’s time expired during the day, the worker could collect the wages all that day. If the worker’s time expired during the night, the worker could collect the wages all that night and the following day. (Mishnah Bava Metzia 9:11; Babylonian Talmud Bava Metzia 110b.)
The Mishnah taught that the hire of persons, animals, or utensils were all subject to the law of that “in the same day you shall give him his hire” and the law of that “the wages of a hired servant shall not abide with you all night until the morning.” The employer became liable only when the worker or vendor demanded payment from the employer. Otherwise, the employer did not infringe the law. If the employer gave the worker or vendor a draft on a shopkeeper or a money changer, the employer complied with the law. A worker who claimed the wages within the set time could collect payment if the worker merely swore that the employer had not yet paid. But if the set time had passed, the worker’s oath was insufficient to collect payment. Yet if the worker had witnesses that the worker had demanded payment (within the set time), the worker could still swear and receive payment. (Mishnah Bava Metzia 9:12; Babylonian Talmud Bava Metzia 111a.)
The Mishnah taught that the employer of a resident alien was subject to the law of that “in the same day you shall give him his hire” (as refers to the stranger), but not to the law of that “the wages of a hired servant shall not abide with you all night until the morning.” (Mishnah Bava Metzia 9:12; Babylonian Talmud Bava Metzia 111a.)
The Gemara reconciled apparently discordant verses touching on vicarious responsibility. The Gemara noted that states: “The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers; every man shall be put to death for his own sin,” but (20:5 in NJPS) says: “visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children.” The Gemara cited a Baraita that interpreted the words “the iniquities of their fathers shall they pine away with them” in to teach that God punishes children only when they follow their parents’ sins. The Gemara then questioned whether the words “they shall stumble one upon another” in do not teach that one will stumble through the sin of the other, that all are held responsible for one another. The Gemara answered that the vicarious responsibility of which speaks is limited to those who have the power to restrain their fellow from evil but do not do so. (Babylonian Talmud Sanhedrin 27b.)
Tractate Peah
Pe'ah
Pe'ah is the second tractate of Seder Zeraim of the Mishnah and of the Talmud. The tractate is a fitting continuation of Seder Zeraim. Following the initial subject of blessings and benedictions, instilling an attitude of reverence and gratitude, this tractate begins the discussion of the main...
in the Mishnah, Tosefta, and Jerusalem Talmud interpreted the laws of the harvest of the corner of the field and gleanings to be given to the poor in and and (Mishnah Peah 1:1–8:9; Tosefta Peah 1:1–4:21; Jerusalem Talmud Peah 1a–73b.)
The Mishnah taught that the Torah defines no minimum or maximum for the donation of the corners of one’s field to the poor. (Mishnah Peah 1:1; Tosefta Peah 1:1; Jerusalem Talmud Peah 1a.) But the Mishnah also taught that one should not make the amount left to the poor less than one-sixtieth of the entire crop. And even though no definite amount is given, the amount given should accord with the size of the field, the number of poor people, and the extent of the yield. (Mishnah Peah 1:2; Jerusalem Talmud Peah 10b.)
Rabbi Eliezer taught that one who cultivates land in which one can plant a quarter kav of seed is obligated to give a corner to the poor. Rabbi Joshua
Joshua ben Hananiah
Joshua ben Hananiah was a leading tanna of the first half-century following the destruction of the Temple. He was of Levitical descent , and served in the sanctuary as a member of the class of singers . His mother intended him for a life of study, and, as an older contemporary, Dosa b. Harkinas,...
said land that yields two seah
Seah (volume)
The se'ah is a unit of dry measure of ancient origin used in Halakha , which equals one third of an ephah, or bath. Since the bath unit has been established to be 22 liters, 1 se'ah would equal 7.33 liters or 7.33dm3....
of grain. Rabbi Tarfon
Tarfon
Rabbi Tarfon or Tarphon, , a Kohen, a member of the third generation of the Mishnah sages, who lived in the period between the destruction of the Second Temple and the fall of Bethar .-Origins and character:...
said land of at least six handbreadths by six handbreadths. Rabbi Judah ben Betera said land that requires two strokes of a sickle to harvest, and the law is as he spoke. Rabbi Akiba said that one who cultivates land of any size is obligated to give a corner to the poor and the first fruits
First Fruits
First Fruits are a religious offering of the first agricultural produce of the harvest. In classical Greek, Roman, Hebrew and Christian religions, the first fruits were offered to the temple or church. First Fruits were often a primary source of income to maintain the religious leaders and the...
. (Mishnah Peah 3:6; Jerusalem Talmud Peah 31a.)
The Mishnah taught that the poor could enter a field to collect three times a day — in the morning, at midday, and in the afternoon. Rabban Gamliel taught that they said this only so that landowners should not reduce the number of times that the poor could enter. Rabbi Akiba taught that they said this only so that landowners should not increase the number of times that the poor had to enter. The landowners of Beit Namer used to harvest along a rope and allowed the poor to collect a corner from every row. (Mishnah Peah 4:5; Jerusalem Talmud Peah 36b.)
The Mishnah taught that if a wife foreswore all benefit from other people, her husband could not annul his wife’s vow, but she could still benefit from the gleanings, forgotten sheaves, and the corner of the field that and and commanded farmers to leave for the poor. (Mishnah Nedarim 11:3.)
Deuteronomy chapter 25
Tractate Yevamot in the Mishnah, Tosefta, Jerusalem Talmud, and Babylonian Talmud interpreted the laws of levirate marriage in (Mishnah Yevamot 1:1–16:7; Tosefta Yevamot 1:1–14:10; Jerusalem Talmud Yevamot 1a–; Babylonian Talmud Yevamot 2a–122b.)Chapter 3 in tractate Makkot
Makkot
Makkot is a book of the Mishnah and Talmud. It is the fifth volume of the book of Nezikin. Makkot deals primarily with laws of Jewish courts and the punishments which they may administer, and may be regarded as a continuation of tractate Sanhedrin, of which it originally formed part.Included in...
in the Mishnah and Babylonian Talmud interpreted the laws of punishment by lashes in (Mishnah Makkot 3:1–16; Babylonian Talmud Makkot 13a–24b.)
The Gemara interpreted the apparent superfluity in to teach that both one's wealth and one's necessities depend on one's honesty. (Babylonian Talmud Bava Batra 89a.)
Rabbi Judah said that three commandments were given to the Israelites when they entered the land: (1) the commandment of to appoint a king, (2) the commandment of to blot out Amalek, and (3) the commandment of to build the Temple in Jerusalem
Temple in Jerusalem
The Temple in Jerusalem or Holy Temple , refers to one of a series of structures which were historically located on the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem, the current site of the Dome of the Rock. Historically, these successive temples stood at this location and functioned as the centre of...
. Rabbi Nehorai, on the other hand, said that did not command the Israelites to choose a king, but was spoken only in anticipation of the Israelites’ future complaints, as says, “And (you) shall say, ‘I will set a king over me.’” (Babylonian Talmud Sanhedrin 20b.)
Commandments
According to Sefer ha-ChinuchSefer ha-Chinuch
The Sefer ha-Chinuch , often simply "the Chinuch" is a work which systematically discusses the 613 commandments of the Torah. It was published anonymously in 13th century Spain...
, there are 27 positive and 47 negative commandments
Mitzvah
The primary meaning of the Hebrew word refers to precepts and commandments as commanded by God...
in the parshah.
- To keep the lawLawLaw is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
s of the captive woman - Not to sell the captive woman into slavery
- Not to retain the captive woman for servitude after having relations with her
- The courtCourtA court is a form of tribunal, often a governmental institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in accordance with the rule of law...
s must hangHangingHanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature. The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death by suspension by the neck", though it formerly also referred to crucifixion and death by impalement in which the body would remain...
those stoned for blasphemyBlasphemyBlasphemy is irreverence towards religious or holy persons or things. Some countries have laws to punish blasphemy, while others have laws to give recourse to those who are offended by blasphemy...
or idolatryIdolatryIdolatry is a pejorative term for the worship of an idol, a physical object such as a cult image, as a god, or practices believed to verge on worship, such as giving undue honour and regard to created forms other than God. In all the Abrahamic religions idolatry is strongly forbidden, although...
. - To bury the executed on the day that they die
- Not to delay burial overnight
- To return a lost object to its owner
- Not to turn a blindBlindnessBlindness is the condition of lacking visual perception due to physiological or neurological factors.Various scales have been developed to describe the extent of vision loss and define blindness...
eye to a lost object - Not to leave another’s beast lying under its burden
- To lift up a load for a Jew
- Women must not wear men's clothing.
- Men must not wear women's clothing.
- Not to take the mother bird from her children
- To release the mother bird if she was taken from the nest
- To build a parapet
- Not to leave a stumbling block about
- Not to plant grains or greens in a vineyard
- Not to eat diverse seeds planted in a vineyard
- Not to do workManual labourManual labour , manual or manual work is physical work done by people, most especially in contrast to that done by machines, and also to that done by working animals...
with two kinds of animals together - Not to wear cloth of wool and linen
- To marry a wife by means of ketubahKetubahA ketubah is a special type of Jewish prenuptial agreement. It is considered an integral part of a traditional Jewish marriage, and outlines the rights and responsibilities of the groom, in relation to the bride.-History:...
and kiddushin - The slandererSlander and libelDefamation—also called calumny, vilification, traducement, slander , and libel —is the communication of a statement that makes a claim, expressly stated or implied to be factual, that may give an individual, business, product, group, government, or nation a negative image...
must remain married to his wife. - The slanderer must not divorce his wife.
- The court must have anyone who merits stoning stoned to death.
- Not to punishPunishmentPunishment is the authoritative imposition of something negative or unpleasant on a person or animal in response to behavior deemed wrong by an individual or group....
anyone compelled to commit a transgression - The rapistRapeRape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
must marry his victim if she chooses. - The rapist is not allowed to divorce his victim.
- Not to let a eunuchEunuchA eunuch is a person born male most commonly castrated, typically early enough in his life for this change to have major hormonal consequences...
marry into the Jewish people - Not to let the child of an adulterousAdulteryAdultery is sexual infidelity to one's spouse, and is a form of extramarital sex. It originally referred only to sex between a woman who was married and a person other than her spouse. Even in cases of separation from one's spouse, an extramarital affair is still considered adultery.Adultery is...
or incestIncestIncest is sexual intercourse between close relatives that is usually illegal in the jurisdiction where it takes place and/or is conventionally considered a taboo. The term may apply to sexual activities between: individuals of close "blood relationship"; members of the same household; step...
uous union (a mamzer) marry into the Jewish people - Not to let Moabite and Ammonite men marry into the Jewish people
- Not to ever offer peace to Moab or Ammon
- Not to exclude a third generation Edomite convertConversion to JudaismConversion to Judaism is a formal act undertaken by a non-Jewish person who wishes to be recognised as a full member of the Jewish community. A Jewish conversion is both a religious act and an expression of association with the Jewish people...
from marrying into the Jewish people - To exclude Egyptian converts from marrying into the Jewish people only for the first two generations
- A ritually unclean person should not enter the camp of the Levites.
- To prepare a place of easement in a camp
- To prepare a boringBoring (earth)Boring is drilling a hole, tunnel, or well in the earth.-Earth boring:Boring is used for a wide variety of applications in geology, agriculture, hydrology, civil engineering, and oil and natural gas industries...
-stick or spadeSpadeA spade is a tool designed primarily for the purpose of digging or removing earth. Early spades were made of riven wood. After the art of metalworking was discovered, spades were made with sharper tips of metal. Before the advent of metal spades manual labor was less efficient at moving earth,...
for easement in a camp - Not to return a slave who fled into Israel from his master abroad
- Not to oppress a slave who fled into Israel from his master abroad
- Not to have relations with women not married by means of ketubah and kiddushin
- Not to bring the wage of a harlot or the exchange pricePrice-Definition:In ordinary usage, price is the quantity of payment or compensation given by one party to another in return for goods or services.In modern economies, prices are generally expressed in units of some form of currency...
of a dog as a holy offeringKorbanThe term offering as found in the Hebrew Bible in relation to the worship of Ancient Israel is mainly represented by the Hebrew noun korban whether for an animal or other offering...
- Not to borrow at interest from a Jew
- To lend at interest to a non-Jew if the non-Jew needs a loan, but not to a Jew
- Not to be tardy with vowed and voluntary offerings
- To fulfill whatever goes out from one’s mouthMouthThe mouth is the first portion of the alimentary canal that receives food andsaliva. The oral mucosa is the mucous membrane epithelium lining the inside of the mouth....
- To allow a hired worker to eat certain foods while under hire
- That a hired hand should not raise a sickle to another’s standing grain
- That a hired hand is forbidden to eat from the employer’s crops during work
- To issue a divorce by means of a getGet (divorce document)A is a divorce document, which according to Jewish Law, must be presented by a husband to his wife to effect their divorce. The essential text of the is quite short: "You are hereby permitted to all men," i.e., the wife is no longer a married woman, and the laws of adultery no longer apply...
documentDocumentThe term document has multiple meanings in ordinary language and in scholarship. WordNet 3.1. lists four meanings :* document, written document, papers...
- A man must not remarry his ex-wife after she has married someone else.
- Not to demand from the bridegroom any involvement, communal or military during the first year
- To give him who has taken a wife, built a new home, or planted a vineyard a year to rejoice therewith
- Not to demand as collateralCollateral (finance)In lending agreements, collateral is a borrower's pledge of specific property to a lender, to secure repayment of a loan.The collateral serves as protection for a lender against a borrower's default - that is, any borrower failing to pay the principal and interest under the terms of a loan obligation...
utensilsCutleryCutlery refers to any hand implement used in preparing, serving, and especially eating food in the Western world. It is more usually known as silverware or flatware in the United States, where cutlery can have the more specific meaning of knives and other cutting instruments. This is probably the...
needed for preparing food - The metzoraMetzoraMetzora may mean:* Metzora , the 28th weekly parshah or portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading* A person affected by skin disease, or tzaraath...
must not remove his signs of impurity. - The creditor must not forcibly take collateral.
- Not to delay return of collateral when needed
- To return the collateral to the debtor when needed
- To pay wages on the day that they were earned
- Relatives of the litigants must not testifyTestimonyIn law and in religion, testimony is a solemn attestation as to the truth of a matter. All testimonies should be well thought out and truthful. It was the custom in Ancient Rome for the men to place their right hand on a Bible when taking an oath...
. - A judge must not pervert a case involving a convert or orphanOrphanAn orphan is a child permanently bereaved of or abandoned by his or her parents. In common usage, only a child who has lost both parents is called an orphan...
. - Not to demand collateral from a widow
- To leave the forgotten sheaves in the field
- Not to retrieve the forgotten sheaves
- The precept of whiplashes for the wicked
- The court must not exceed the prescribed number of lashes.
- Not to muzzle an ox while plowing
- The widow must not remarry until the ties with her brother-in-law are removed.
- To marry a childless brother's widow (to do yibum)
- To free a widow from yibum (to do chalitzahHalizahUnder the Biblical system of levirate marriage known as Yibbum, Halizah is the ceremony by which a widow and her husband's brother could avoid the duty to marry after the husband's death....
) - To save someone being pursued by a killer, even by taking the life of the pursuer
- To have no mercyMercyMercy is broad term that refers to benevolence, forgiveness and kindness in a variety of ethical, religious, social and legal contexts.The concept of a "Merciful God" appears in various religions from Christianity to...
on a pursuer with intent to kill - Not to possess inaccurate scalesWeighing scaleA weighing scale is a measuring instrument for determining the weight or mass of an object. A spring scale measures weight by the distance a spring deflects under its load...
and weights even if they are not for use - To remember what Amalek did to the Jewish people
- To wipe out the descendants of Amalek
- Not to forget Amalek’s atrocities and ambush on the Israelites’ journey from Egypt in the desertDesertA desert is a landscape or region that receives an extremely low amount of precipitation, less than enough to support growth of most plants. Most deserts have an average annual precipitation of less than...
(Sefer HaHinnuch: The Book of [Mitzvah] Education. Translated by Charles Wengrov, 5:155–413. Jerusalem: Feldheim Pub., 1988. ISBN 0-87306-497-6.)
Haftarah
The haftarahHaftarah
The haftarah or haftoroh is a series of selections from the books of Nevi'im of the Hebrew Bible that is publicly read in synagogue as part of Jewish religious practice...
for the parshah is The haftarah is the fifth in the cycle of seven haftarot of consolation after Tisha B'Av
Tisha B'Av
|Av]],") is an annual fast day in Judaism, named for the ninth day of the month of Av in the Hebrew calendar. The fast commemorates the destruction of both the First Temple and Second Temple in Jerusalem, which occurred about 655 years apart, but on the same Hebrew calendar date...
, leading up to Rosh Hashanah
Rosh Hashanah
Rosh Hashanah , , is the Jewish New Year. It is the first of the High Holy Days or Yamim Nora'im which occur in the autumn...
.
In the liturgy
At the formal beginning of the K’riat Sh’maShema Yisrael
Shema Yisrael are the first two words of a section of the Torah that is a centerpiece of the morning and evening Jewish prayer services...
prayer service
Jewish services
Jewish prayer are the prayer recitations that form part of the observance of Judaism. These prayers, often with instructions and commentary, are found in the siddur, the traditional Jewish prayer book....
, the leader recites the Barchu, “Praise Adonai, the Exalted One.” The Sifre to Deuteronomy 306 connects this practice to where Moses says, “I will proclaim the name of the Lord; ascribe greatness to our God.” (Reuven Hammer
Reuven Hammer
Reuven Hammer is a Conservative Jewish rabbi, scholar of Jewish liturgy, author and lecturer. He is a founder of the Masorti movement in Israel and a past president of the International Rabbinical Assembly. He served many years as head of the Masorti Beth Din in Israel...
. Or Hadash: A Commentary on Siddur Sim Shalom
Siddur Sim Shalom
Siddur Sim Shalom may refer to any siddur in a family of siddurim, Jewish prayerbooks, and related commentaries on these siddurim, published by the Rabbinical Assembly and the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism....
for Shabbat and Festivals, 28. New York: The Rabbinical Assembly
Rabbinical Assembly
The Rabbinical Assembly is the international association of Conservative rabbis. The RA was founded in 1901 to shape the ideology, programs, and practices of the Conservative movement. It publishes prayerbooks and books of Jewish interest, and oversees the work of the Committee on Jewish Law and...
, 2003. ISBN 0-916219-20-8.)
The Weekly Maqam
In the Weekly MaqamThe Weekly Maqam
In Mizrahi and Sephardic Middle Eastern Jewish prayer services, each Shabbat the congregation conducts services using a different maqam. A maqam , which in Arabic literally means 'place', is a standard melody type and set of related tunes. The melodies used in a given maqam aims effectively to...
, Sephardi Jews
Sephardi Jews
Sephardi Jews is a general term referring to the descendants of the Jews who lived in the Iberian Peninsula before their expulsion in the Spanish Inquisition. It can also refer to those who use a Sephardic style of liturgy or would otherwise define themselves in terms of the Jewish customs and...
each week base the songs of the services on the content of that week's parshah. For parshah Ki Teitzei, Sephardi Jews apply Maqam Saba. Saba, in Hebrew, literally means "army.” It is appropriate here, because the parshah commences with the discussion of what to do in certain cases of war with the army.
Biblical
(Amalekites); (two wives, one loved and one unloved); (Amalek); (Amalek); (levirate marriage). (Amalek); (punishing children for fathers’ sin), (vows); (restoring a pledged garment); (the priests’ linen vestments); (punishing children for fathers’ sin); (making the priests’ linen vestments). (vows); (priest wearing linen); (high priest wearing linen); (vows); (paying what is due by sundown); (just balances, weights, and measures). (punishing children for fathers’ sin); (vows). (5:9 in NJPS) (punishing children for fathers’ sin); (no capital punishment of children for fathers’ sin).- 1 SamuelBooks of SamuelThe Books of Samuel in the Jewish bible are part of the Former Prophets, , a theological history of the Israelites affirming and explaining the Torah under the guidance of the prophets.Samuel begins by telling how the prophet Samuel is chosen by...
(priest wearing linen); (priests wearing linen). (DavidDavidDavid was the second king of the united Kingdom of Israel according to the Hebrew Bible and, according to the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, an ancestor of Jesus Christ through both Saint Joseph and Mary...
wearing linen in worship). (favoring the son of the favored wife over the firstborn in inheritance). (labor without compensation); (31:29–30 in NJPS) (not punishing children for fathers’ sin). - EzekielBook of EzekielThe Book of Ezekiel is the third of the Latter Prophets in the Hebrew Bible, following the books of Isaiah and Jeremiah and preceding the Book of the Twelve....
(holy man clad in linen); (not punishing children for fathers’ sin); (the just restore pledges); (priests wearing linen). - RuthBook of RuthThe Book of Ruth is one of the books of the Hebrew Bible, Tanakh, or Old Testament. In the Jewish canon the Book of Ruth is included in the third division, or the Writings . In the Christian canon the Book of Ruth is placed between Judges and 1 Samuel...
(levirate marriage). (Agagite read as Amalekite via ). - DanielBook of DanielThe Book of Daniel is a book in the Hebrew Bible. The book tells of how Daniel, and his Judean companions, were inducted into Babylon during Jewish exile, and how their positions elevated in the court of Nebuchadnezzar. The court tales span events that occur during the reigns of Nebuchadnezzar,...
(holy man clad in linen); (holy man clad in linen). - PsalmsPsalmsThe Book of Psalms , commonly referred to simply as Psalms, is a book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Bible...
(lending without interest); (the wicked do not fear God); (daughter, forget your father's house); (performing vows); (performing vows); (counted for righteousness); (God’s mercies over all God’s works). (David and Levites wearing linen in worship). (Levites wearing linen in worship).
Ancient
- Law Code of GortynGortynGortyn, Gortys or Gortyna is a municipality and an archaeological site on the Mediterranean island of Crete, 45 km away from the modern capital Heraklion. The seat of the municipality is the village Agioi Deka...
. Columns 7–8. CreteCreteCrete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
, circa 480–450 BCE. Reprinted in, e.g., Adonis S. Vasilakis. The Great Inscription of the Law Code of Gortyn. Heraklion, Greece: Mystis O.E. (marriage of an heiress).
Early nonrabbinic
- JosephusJosephusTitus Flavius Josephus , also called Joseph ben Matityahu , was a 1st-century Romano-Jewish historian and hagiographer of priestly and royal ancestry who recorded Jewish history, with special emphasis on the 1st century AD and the First Jewish–Roman War, which resulted in the Destruction of...
, Antiquities of the JewsAntiquities of the JewsAntiquities of the Jews is a twenty volume historiographical work composed by the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus in the thirteenth year of the reign of Roman emperor Flavius Domitian which was around 93 or 94 AD. Antiquities of the Jews contains an account of history of the Jewish people,...
4:8:9, 11, 20–21, 23–27, 29, 38–44. Circa 93–94. Reprinted in, e.g., The Works of Josephus: Complete and Unabridged, New Updated Edition. Translated by William WhistonWilliam WhistonWilliam Whiston was an English theologian, historian, and mathematician. He is probably best known for his translation of the Antiquities of the Jews and other works by Josephus, his A New Theory of the Earth, and his Arianism...
, 116–24. Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson Pub., 1987. ISBN 0-913573-86-8. - Gaius Julius HyginusGaius Julius HyginusGaius Julius Hyginus was a Latin author, a pupil of the famous Cornelius Alexander Polyhistor, and a freedman of Caesar Augustus. He was by Augustus elected superintendent of the Palatine library according to Suetonius' De Grammaticis, 20...
. Fabulae 95. 1st–2nd century CE. (reporting the myth of how OdysseusOdysseusOdysseus or Ulysses was a legendary Greek king of Ithaca and the hero of Homer's epic poem the Odyssey. Odysseus also plays a key role in Homer's Iliad and other works in the Epic Cycle....
(Ulysses) plowed with ox and horse together to show himself insane).
Classical rabbinic
- MishnahMishnahThe Mishnah or Mishna is the first major written redaction of the Jewish oral traditions called the "Oral Torah". It is also the first major work of Rabbinic Judaism. It was redacted c...
: Peah 1:1–8:9; Kilayim 1:1–9:10; Sheviit 10:2; Terumot 8:1; 9:3; Shekalim 1:1; Megillah 3:4; Yevamot 1:1–16:7; Ketubot 3:1–4:1, 3; Nedarim 1:1–11:11; Sotah 6:3; 7:2, 4; 8:4; Gittin 1:1–9:10; Bava Kamma 5:7; 8:1; Bava Metzia 1:1–2:11; 9:11–13; Sanhedrin 1:1–3; 2:1; 6:4; 7:9; 8:1–7; 11:1; Makkot 3:1–16; Shevuot 1:1–8:6; Chullin 12:1–5; Bekhorot 8:7; Arakhin 3:1, 4–5; Temurah 6:3–4; Yadayim 4:4. Land of Israel, circa 200 CE. Reprinted in, e.g., The Mishnah: A New Translation. Translated by Jacob NeusnerJacob NeusnerJacob Neusner is an American academic scholar of Judaism who lives in Rhinebeck, New York.-Biography:Born in Hartford, Connecticut, Neusner was educated at Harvard University, the Jewish Theological Seminary of America , the University of Oxford, and Columbia University.Neusner is often celebrated...
, 14–36, 49–68, 91, 110, 113, 251, 321, 337–78, 381–85, 406–30, 457, 461, 466–87, 515, 520, 528–34, 555, 583, 585, 595, 599–602, 607, 616–39, 786–87, 806, 812–13, 834, 1129. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1988. ISBN 0-300-05022-4. - SifreSifreSifre refers to either of two works of Midrash halakhah, or classical Jewish legal Biblical exegesis, based on the biblical books of Bamidbar and Devarim .- The Talmudic-Era Sifre :The title "Sifre debe Rab" is used by R. Hananeel on Sheb. 37b, Alfasi on Pes...
to Deuteronomy 211:1–296:6. Land of Israel, circa 250–350 CE. Reprinted in, e.g., Sifre to Deuteronomy: An Analytical Translation. Translated by Jacob Neusner, 2:111–266. Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1987. ISBN 1-55540-145-7. - Jerusalem TalmudJerusalem TalmudThe Jerusalem Talmud, talmud meaning "instruction", "learning", , is a collection of Rabbinic notes on the 2nd-century Mishnah which was compiled in the Land of Israel during the 4th-5th century. The voluminous text is also known as the Palestinian Talmud or Talmud de-Eretz Yisrael...
: Berakhot 54b, 59b; Peah 1a–73b; Demai 14a; Kilayim 1a–84b; Terumot 2a, 8a, 12a, 32a, 62a–63b; Maasrot 19a–20a; Challah 8b, 16a; Orlah 20a; Bikkurim 6b; Pesachim 13b; Yoma 41b, 53b; Yevamot 1a–; Nedarim 1a–; Gittin 1a–; Shevuot 1a–. Land of Israel, circa 400 CE. Reprinted in, e.g., Talmud Yerushalmi. Edited by Chaim Malinowitz, Yisroel Simcha Schorr, and Mordechai Marcus, vols. 2–5, 7–9, 11–12, 18, 21. Brooklyn: Mesorah Publications, 2006–2011.
- Babylonian TalmudTalmudThe Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....
: Berakhot 7a, 19b, 21b–22a, 25a–b, 28a, 33b, 35a, 55b, 63b; Shabbat 15a, 23a, 25b, 27a, 29b, 32a, 50b, 54a, 56a, 66a, 132b–33a, 136a, 139a, 144b, 150a; Eruvin 13b, 15b; Pesachim 3a, 25a–b, 26b, 31b, 41b, 68a, 72b, 90a, 98a, 116b; Yoma 13b, 36a, 67b, 74b, 81a, 82a; Sukkah 9a, 24b, 29a; Beitzah 3b, 8b, 14b, 19b, 24b, 36b; Rosh Hashanah 4a, 5b–6b; Taanit 6b; Megillah 3b, 6b–7b, 8a, 18a, 25a, 29a; Moed Katan 2a–b, 4b, 8b, 9b, 14b, 18b, 21a, 25b; Chagigah 2b, 3b–4a, 15a, 16b; Yevamot 2a–122b; Ketubot 2b, 5a, 6b, 7b, 9a, 10a–11b, 22a, 29a–41b, 42b–43a, 44a–47a, 48b–49a, 51b, 53b–54a, 66a, 72a, 74a, 77a–b, 80a, 82a–b; Nedarim 2a–91b; Nazir 2a, 23b, 30b, 37a, 41b, 58a, 59a, 66a; Sotah 2b, 3b, 5b, 9a, 16a, 18b, 20b–21b, 23a–25a, 26b, 31b, 33a, 35b, 43a–45a; Gittin 2a–90b; Kiddushin 2a–b, 3b–5a, 6a, 7a, 8b, 9a–10a, 11b, 13b–14a, 21b, 23a, 24b, 29b, 33b–34a, 40a, 41a, 44a, 51a, 56b, 63a–64a, 65b, 67a–69a, 70a, 72b, 74a, 75a, 76a–77a, 78a–b; Bava Kamma 4b–5a, 8a, 15b, 25a, 27a, 28a–b, 38b, 42a, 43a, 46a, 51a, 54a–b, 57a, 65b, 70b, 80b, 81b–82a, 83b–84a, 86b–87a, 88a, 92b, 100a, 110b, 113b; Bava Metzia 2a–33b, 48a, 54a, 56b, 60b–61a, 66a, 70b, 75b, 82a, 87b, 88b–89a, 90a, 91a–92a, 102a, 110b–11b, 113a, 114a–15a; Bava Batra 2b, 11a, 12b, 16b, 19b, 21b, 36a, 45b, 55a, 72b, 74a, 82b, 88b–89a, 108b, 110b, 111b, 113b, 116b, 119b, 122b–23a, 124a–b, 126b–27b, 130a–b, 134a, 142b, 144b, 155b–56a, 168a, 175b; Sanhedrin 2a, 7b, 8b–9a, 10a, 18a–19a, 21a, 27b–28a, 31b, 33b, 34b, 35b, 36b, 41a, 44a, 45a–47b, 49a–50b, 51b, 53a, 54b, 56b–57a, 59b, 65b, 66b, 68b–75a, 82a, 85b–86a, 103b, 105b–06a, 107a; Makkot 2a–b, 4b–5b, 8b, 10b, 13a–24b; Shevuot 2a–49b; Avodah Zarah 17a, 20a, 26b, 37a, 46b, 54a, 62b; Horayot 10b, 12b; Zevachim 2a, 4b, 7b, 18b, 24b, 27b, 29a, 72a, 88a; Menachot 2a, 5b–6a, 10a, 15b, 32a–b, 39a–41a, 43a–44a, 50a, 58a–b, 69b, 90b, 101a, 103a; Chullin 2a, 11a, 26b, 48a, 62b, 68a, 74b, 78b, 83b, 87a, 109b, 115a–16a, 120a–b, 130b–31b, 136a–b, 138b–42a; Bekhorot 13a, 17a, 19b, 46a–b, 47b, 49b, 52a–b, 56a–57a; Arakhin 3b, 6a, 7a, 13b, 14b–15a, 19b, 25b; Temurah 4b–5a, 6a, 29b–30b, 33b; Keritot 2a, 3a, 14b–15a, 17b, 21a–b; Meilah 13a, 18a; Niddah 23b, 26a, 32a, 43a, 44a–b, 49b, 50b–51a, 52a, 55b, 61b, 69b–70a. Babylonia, 6th century. Reprinted in, e.g., Talmud Bavli. Edited by Yisroel Simcha Schorr, Chaim Malinowitz, and Mordechai Marcus, 72 vols. Brooklyn: Mesorah Pubs., 2006.
Medieval
- Deuteronomy RabbahDeuteronomy RabbahDeuteronomy Rabbah is an aggadic midrash or homiletic commentary on the Book of Deuteronomy. Unlike Bereshit Rabbah, the Midrash to Deuteronomy which has been included in the collection of the Midrash Rabbot in the ordinary editions does not contain running commentaries on the text of the Bible,...
6:1–14. Land of Israel, 9th century. Reprinted in, e.g., Midrash Rabbah: Leviticus. Translated by H. Freedman and Maurice Simon. London: Soncino Press, 1939. ISBN 0-900689-38-2. - RashiRashiShlomo Yitzhaki , or in Latin Salomon Isaacides, and today generally known by the acronym Rashi , was a medieval French rabbi famed as the author of a comprehensive commentary on the Talmud, as well as a comprehensive commentary on the Tanakh...
. Commentary. Deuteronomy 21–25. TroyesTroyesTroyes is a commune and the capital of the Aube department in north-central France. It is located on the Seine river about southeast of Paris. Many half-timbered houses survive in the old town...
, France, late 11th century. Reprinted in, e.g., Rashi. The Torah: With Rashi’s Commentary Translated, Annotated, and Elucidated. Translated and annotated by Yisrael Isser Zvi Herczeg, 5:221–65. Brooklyn: Mesorah Publications, 1997. ISBN 0-89906-030-7. - Judah HaleviYehuda HaleviJudah Halevi was a Spanish Jewish physician, poet and philosopher. He was born in Spain, either in Toledo or Tudela, in 1075 or 1086, and died shortly after arriving in Palestine in 1141...
. KuzariKuzariThe Kitab al Khazari, commonly called the Kuzari, is one of most famous works of the medieval Spanish Jewish philosopher and poet Rabbi Yehuda Halevi, completed around 1140. Its title is an Arabic phrase meaning Book of the Khazars...
. 2:58; 3:35. ToledoToledo, SpainToledo's Alcázar became renowned in the 19th and 20th centuries as a military academy. At the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in 1936 its garrison was famously besieged by Republican forces.-Economy:...
, Spain, 1130–1140. Reprinted in, e.g., Jehuda Halevi. Kuzari: An Argument for the Faith of Israel. Intro. by Henry Slonimsky, 119, 168. New York: Schocken, 1964. ISBN 0-8052-0075-4.
Modern
- Thomas HobbesThomas HobbesThomas Hobbes of Malmesbury , in some older texts Thomas Hobbs of Malmsbury, was an English philosopher, best known today for his work on political philosophy...
. LeviathanLeviathan (book)Leviathan or The Matter, Forme and Power of a Common Wealth Ecclesiasticall and Civil — commonly called simply Leviathan — is a book written by Thomas Hobbes and published in 1651. Its name derives from the biblical Leviathan...
, Review & Conclusion. England, 1651. Reprint edited by C. B. MacphersonC. B. MacphersonCrawford Brough Macpherson O.C. M.Sc. D. Sc. was an influential Canadian political scientist who taught political theory at the University of Toronto.-Life:...
, 724. Harmondsworth, England: Penguin Classics, 1982. ISBN 0140431950. - Moses MendelssohnMoses MendelssohnMoses Mendelssohn was a German Jewish philosopher to whose ideas the renaissance of European Jews, Haskalah is indebted...
. JerusalemJerusalem (Mendelssohn)Jerusalem or On Religious Power and Judaism is the title of a book written by Moses Mendelssohn, which was first published in 1783 – the same year, when the Prussian officer Christian Wilhelm von Dohm published the second part of his Mémoire Concerning the amelioration of the civil status of the...
, § 2. Berlin, 1783. Reprinted in Jerusalem: Or on Religious Power and Judaism. Translated by Allan Arkush; introduction and commentary by Alexander AltmannAlexander AltmannAlexander Altmann was an Orthodox Jewish scholar and rabbi born in Kassa, Austria-Hungary, today Košice, Slovakia. He emigrated to England in 1938 and later settled in the United States, working productively for a decade and a half as a professor within the Philosophy Department at Brandeis...
, 129. Hanover, N.H.: Brandeis Univ. Press, 1983. ISBN 0-87451-264-6. - Abraham Isaac KookAbraham Isaac KookAbraham Isaac Kook was the first Ashkenazi chief rabbi of the British Mandate for Palestine, the founder of the Religious Zionist Yeshiva Merkaz HaRav, Jewish thinker, Halachist, Kabbalist and a renowned Torah scholar...
. The Lights of Penitence, 14:33. 1925. Reprinted in Abraham Isaac Kook: the Lights of Penitence, the Moral Principles, Lights of Holiness, Essays, Letters, and Poems. Translated by Ben Zion BokserBen Zion Bokser-Biography:Bokser was born in Lubomi, Poland, and emigrated to the United States at the age of 13 in 1920. He attended City College of New York and Rabbi Isaac Elhanan Theological Seminary, followed by the Jewish Theological Seminary of America and Columbia University...
, 108. Mahwah, N.J.: Paulist Press 1978. ISBN 0-8091-2159-X. - Thomas MannThomas MannThomas Mann was a German novelist, short story writer, social critic, philanthropist, essayist, and 1929 Nobel Prize laureate, known for his series of highly symbolic and ironic epic novels and novellas, noted for their insight into the psychology of the artist and the intellectual...
. Joseph and His BrothersJoseph and His BrothersJoseph and His Brothers is a four-part novel by Thomas Mann, written over the course of 16 years. Mann retells the familiar stories of Genesis, from Jacob to Joseph , setting it in the historical context of the Amarna Period...
. Translated by John E. WoodsJohn E. WoodsJohn E. Woods is a translator who specializes in translating German literature, since about 1978. His work includes much of the fictional prose of Arno Schmidt and the works of contemporary authors such as Ingo Schulze and Christoph Ransmayr...
, 55–56, 269–71. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2005. ISBN 1-4000-4001-9. Originally published as Joseph und seine Brüder. Stockholm: Bermann-Fischer Verlag, 1943. - Morris Adler. The World of the Talmud, 26–27, 71. B’nai B’rith Hillel Foundations, 1958. Reprinted Kessinger Publishing, 2007. ISBN 0548080003.
- Martin BuberMartin BuberMartin Buber was an Austrian-born Jewish philosopher best known for his philosophy of dialogue, a form of religious existentialism centered on the distinction between the I-Thou relationship and the I-It relationship....
. On the Bible: Eighteen studies, 80–92. New York: Schocken Books, 1968. - Ben Zion Bergman. “A Question of Great Interest: May a Synagogue Issue Interest-Bearing Bonds?” New York: Rabbinical Assembly, 1988. YD 167:1.1988a. Reprinted in Responsa: 1980–1990: The Committee on Jewish Law and Standards of the Conservative Movement. Edited by David J. Fine, 319–23. New York: Rabbinical Assembly, 2005. ISBN 0-916219-27-5.
- Avram Israel Reisner. “Dissent: A Matter of Great Interest” New York: Rabbinical Assembly, 1988. YD 167:1.1988b. Reprinted in Responsa: 1980–1990: The Committee on Jewish Law and Standards of the Conservative Movement. Edited by David J. Fine, 324–28. New York: Rabbinical Assembly, 2005. ISBN 0-916219-27-5.
- Aaron WildavskyAaron WildavskyAaron Wildavsky was an American political scientist known for his pioneering work in public policy, government budgeting, and risk management....
. Assimilation versus Separation: Joseph the Administrator and the Politics of Religion in Biblical Israel, 3–4. New Brunswick, N.J.: Transaction Publishers, 1993. ISBN 1-56000-081-3. - Marc Gellman. God’s Mailbox: More Stories About Stories in the Bible, 90–98. New York: Morrow Junior Books, 1996. ISBN 0-688-13169-7.
- Joseph TelushkinJoseph TelushkinJoseph Telushkin is an American rabbi, lecturer, and author.-Biography:Telushkin attended the Yeshiva of Flatbush, was ordained at Yeshiva University, and studied Jewish history at Columbia University....
. The Book of Jewish Values: A Day-by-Day Guide to Ethical Living, 4–6. New York: Bell Tower, 2000. ISBN 0-609-60330-2. - Alan Lew. This Is Real and You Are Completely Unprepared: The Days of Awe as a Journey of Transformation, 65, 85–92. Boston: Little, Brown and Co., 2003. ISBN 0-316-73908-1.
- Joseph Telushkin. The Ten Commandments of Character: Essential Advice for Living an Honorable, Ethical, Honest Life, 94–97. New York: Bell Tower, 2003. ISBN 1-4000-4509-6.
- Judith Z. Abrams. “Misconceptions About Disabilities in the Hebrew Bible.” In Jewish Perspectives on Theology and the Human Experience of Disability. Edited by Judith Z. Abrams & William C. Gaventa, 81–82. Binghamton, N.Y.: Haworth Pastoral Press, 2006. ISBN 0-7890-3444-1.
- Suzanne A. Brody. “Tsitsit.” In Dancing in the White Spaces: The Yearly Torah Cycle and More Poems, 107. Shelbyville, Kentucky: Wasteland Press, 2007. ISBN 1-60047-112-9.
- Jerry Z. Muller. “The Long Shadow of Usury.” In Capitalism and the Jews, 15–71. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2010. ISBN 978-0-691-14478-8.
- U.S. Department of StateUnited States Department of StateThe United States Department of State , is the United States federal executive department responsible for international relations of the United States, equivalent to the foreign ministries of other countries...
. Trafficking in Persons Report: 10th Edition: June 2010. - Marjorie Ingall. “Shatnez Shock: Pondering One of the Torah’s Woolliest Rules.” Tablet MagazineTablet MagazineTablet Magazine is a two-time National Magazine Award-winning online publication of Jewish life, arts, and ideas. Sponsored by Nextbook, it was launched in June 2009. Its Editor in Chief is Alana Newhouse....
. (July 19, 2010).
Texts
Commentaries
- Academy for Jewish Religion, New York
- Aish.com
- American Jewish University
- Anshe Emes Synagogue, Los Angeles
- Bar-Ilan University
- Chabad.org
- eparsha.com
- G-dcast
- The Israel Koschitzky Virtual Beit Midrash
- Jewish Agency for Israel
- Jewish Theological Seminary
- MyJewishLearning.com
- Ohr Sameach
- Orthodox Union
- OzTorah, Torah from Australia
- Oz Ve Shalom — Netivot Shalom
- Pardes from Jerusalem
- Rabbi Shlomo Riskin
- Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld
- Tetzey Reconstructionist Judaism
- Sephardic Institute
- Shiur.com
- 613.org Jewish Torah Audio
- Tanach Study Center
- Teach613.org, Torah Education at Cherry Hill
- Torah from Dixie
- Torah.org
- TorahVort.com
- Union for Reform Judaism
- United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth
- United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism
- What’s Bothering Rashi?
- Yeshivat Chovevei Torah
- Yeshiva University