BSD

Shkolim -14a (2)

Elul 21, 5784. 09/24/2024

Some short notes:

1- The stories of בית גרמו who baked the לחם הפנים and בית אבטינס who ground and mixed the קטורת.

Both families refused to divulge the secret process of their crafts. The משנה in יומא states that they will be mentioned in a negative way.

וְאֵלּוּ לִגְנַאי שֶׁל בֵּית גַּרְמוּ לֹא רָצוּ לְלַמֵּד עַל מַעֲשֵׂה לֶחֶם הַפָּנִים שֶׁל בֵּית אַבְטִינָס לֹא רָצוּ לְלַמֵּד עַל מַעֲשֵׂה הַקְּטוֹרֶת.

MISHNA: Apropos the mention in the mishna of people who took action in the Temple and were mentioned favorably, the mishna lists those who took action in the Temple and were mentioned unfavorably. The craftsmen of the House of Garmu did not want to teach the secret of the preparation of the לחם הפנים  and sought to keep the secret within their family. The craftsmen of the House of Avtinas did not want to teach the secret of the preparation of the קטורת.

Our גמרא relates the attempts by the חכמים to use the ‘experts of Alexandria’ in Egypt to either bake the לחם הפנים or to prepare the קטורת.

Both experiments failed – the bread didn’t stay fresh and the smoke of their קטורת did not rise in a ‘solid stack’.

2- Why Alexandria? No other location anywhere in the world had professional bakers or ‘herb mixers’? Was it a coincidence that Alexandria had at that time, both artisan bakers and expert chemists?

A suggestion – looking for a source to base this on.

The tragic story of בית חוניו as per the גמרא מנחות קט, ב.

See here. Here. See below.

At the time of his death, שמעון הצדיק said to the Sages: חוניו , my son, will serve as High Priest in my stead. Shimi, חוניו’s brother, became jealous of him, as Shimi was two and a half years older than חוניו .

Shimi said to חוניו treacherously: Come and I will teach you the order of the service of the High Priest. Shimi dressed חוניו in a tunic [be’unkeli] and girded him with a ribbon [betziltzul] as a belt, i.e., not in the vestments of the High Priest, and stood him next to the altar.

Shimi then said to his fellow priests: Look what this man vowed and fulfilled for his beloved, that he had said to her: On the day that I serve in the High Priesthood I will wear your tunic and gird your ribbon.

The fellow priests of חוניו wanted to kill him because he had disgraced the Temple service with his garments. חוניו ran away from them and they ran after him. He went to Alexandria in Egypt and built an altar there, and sacrificed offerings upon it for the sake of idol worship. בית עבודה זרה

This is the statement of Rabbi Meir. According to Rabbi Meir, the temple of חוניו was built for idol worship.

 According to Reb Yehuda חוניו went to Alexandria in Egypt and built an altar there, and sacrificed offerings upon it for the sake of Heaven. לשם שמים.

 Can it be that the חכמים , who were looking for alternative bakers and mixers of קטורת , figured that since a ‘parallel’  בית המקדש exists in Alexandria, the local craftsmen (who who baked and mixed the incense for that  בית המקדש ) would be able to duplicate it for the בית המקדש in ירושלים?

As above, it’s only a suggestion.

Comments and sources are welcome.

3- We mentioned the Tosfos in Yuma as to why experts were needed to bake bread that would not go bad after 7 days when this was one of the 10 ניסים of the בית המקדש.

(ה) עֲשָׂרָה נִסִּים נַעֲשׂוּ לַאֲבוֹתֵינוּ בְּבֵית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ: לֹא הִפִּילָה אִשָּׁה מֵרֵיחַ בְּשַׂר הַקֹּדֶשׁ, וְלֹא הִסְרִיחַ בְּשַׂר הַקֹּדֶשׁ מֵעוֹלָם, וְלֹא נִרְאָה זְבוּב בְּבֵית הַמִּטְבָּחַיִם, וְלֹא אֵרַע קֶרִי לְכֹהֵן גָּדוֹל בְּיוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים, וְלֹא כִבּוּ גְשָׁמִים אֵשׁ שֶׁל עֲצֵי הַמַּעֲרָכָה, וְלֹא נִצְּחָה הָרוּחַ אֶת עַמּוּד הֶעָשָׁן, וְלֹא נִמְצָא פְסוּל בָּעֹמֶר וּבִשְׁתֵּי הַלֶּחֶם וּבְלֶחֶם הַפָּנִים, עוֹמְדִים צְפוּפִים וּמִשְׁתַּחֲוִים רְוָחִים, וְלֹא הִזִּיק נָחָשׁ וְעַקְרָב בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם מֵעוֹלָם, וְלֹא אָמַר אָדָם לַחֲבֵרוֹ צַר לִי הַמָּקוֹם שֶׁאָלִין בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם.

4- So the secret of the herb מעלה עשן was closely held by the אבטינס family.

בֵּית אַבְטִינָס הָיוּ בְקִיאִין בְפִיטּוּם הַקְּטוֹרֶת וּבְמַעֲלֶה עָשָׁן וְלֹא רָצוּ לְלַמֵּד. שָׁלְחוּ וְהֵבִיאוּ אוּמָנִים מֵאַלֶכְּסַנְדְרִיאָה וְהָיוּ בְקִיאִין בְפִיטּוּם הַקְּטוֹרֶת. וּבְמַעֲלֶה עָשָׁן לֹא הָיוּ בְקִיאִין. שֶׁלְבֵּית אַבְטִינָס הָיְתָה מְתַמֶּרֶת וְעוֹלָה וּפּוֹסָה וְיוֹרֶדֶת. וְשֶׁלְאֵילוּ הָיְתָה פוֹסָה מִיַּד.

The family אבטינס were experts in preparing the incense and the smoke-creating herb, but they did not want to teach. They sent and brought craftsmen from Alexandria who were experts in preparing the incense but were not experts in the smoke-creating herb. The family Eutinos’s was going straight up, and spread, and descended. But theirs was immediately spreading.

We mentioned the או”ח קלג  בית יוסף who derives from the above story that the rule of אם חסר אחד מכל סממניה חייב מיתה applies only to the 11 main ingredients of the קטורת. Not on the addition herbs such as מעלה עשן and בורית כרשינה.

For if the חכמים knew at the outset that the Alexandrian craftsmen didn’t know how to produce a proper מעלה עשן how would they even invite them to try it out?

However, see here from the  משנה למלך who disagrees.

5- In passing we mentioned the next piece of the בית יוסף where he writes due to the above, one should say קטורת only from a Siddur so not to unintentionally skip one of the קטורת.

See here from the רמ”א.

6 –

הוּגְדַּס בֶּן לֵוִי עַל הַשִּׁיר. אָמַר רִבִּי אָחָא. נְעִימָה יְתֵירָה הָיָה יוֹדֵעַ. וְאָמְרוּ עָלָיו עַל הוּגְדַּס בֶּן לֵוִי שֶׁהָיָה מַנְעִים אֶת קוֹלוֹ בַזֶּמֶר. וּכְשֶׁהָיָה נוֹעֵץ גּוֹדְלוֹ לְתוֹךְ פִּיו הָיָה מוֹצִיא כַמָּה מִינֵי זֶמֶר והָיוּ אֶחָיו הַכֹּהֲנִים נִזְקָרִין לוֹ בַת רֹאשׁ.

“Hugdas ben Levi for the song.” (Choirmaster?) Rebbi Acḥa said, he knew a special melody. When he put his thumb in his mouth he produced all kinds of sounds and the heads of his fellow Levites were taken aback.

Story of the Gemach of various ‘Rebbishe Items’ for חתנים . Now this חתן took this all the way. He was wearing the dentures of the Rebbe of ……..

7- We finished with a question:

Reb Akiva realized that the בית אבטינס were genuine in their reasoning for not divulging the secret in the preparation of the קטורת and concludes that henceforth they should not be mentioned in a negative way.

אָמַר רִבִּי יוֹחָנָן בֶּן נוּרִי. פָּגַע בִּי זָקֵן [אֶחָד] מִשֶּׁלְבֵּית אַבְטִינָס [וּמְגִילַּת סַמָּנִים בְיָדוֹ.] אָמַר לִי. רִבִּי. לְשֶׁעָבַר הָיוּ בֵית אַבָּא צְנוּעִין וְהָיוּ מוֹסְרִין אֶת הַמְגִילָּה הַזֹּאת אֵילּוּ לָאֵילּוּ. וְעַכְשָׁיו שֶׁאֵינָן נֶאֱמָנִין הֵילָךְ אֶת הַמְגִילָּה והִיזָּהֵר בָּהּ. וּכְשֶׁבָּאתִי וְהִרְצֵאתִי אֶת הַדְּבָרִים לִפְנֵי רִבִּי עֲקִיבָה זָלְגוּ דְמָעָיו וְאָמַר. מֵעַתָּה אֵין אָנוּ צְרִיכִין לְהַזְכִּירָן לִגְנַאי

Rebbi Joḥanan ben Nuri said, I met an old man from the family Eutinos [who held a scroll about chemicals.]. He said to me, ‘Rabbi. In the past my family were humble, and transmitting this scroll one to the other. But now they are not trustworthy; here the scroll is yours and take care of it.’ When I came and repeated these words before Rebbi Akiva, his tears flowed and he said, from now on we do not have to mention them for shame.

So the question is why did Rebbi, when he wrote the משנה generations after the above story, mentioned this family not לשבח?

see Shiur on Sukkah 19b where this was discussed

 ———————————

 Google translation from Wikipedia to English.

Archaeology

Leontopolis, Heliopolis

Over the years, various archaeologists have tried to identify and discover the place of Beit Hanio. At the end of the 19th century, Edward Neville (n.), a Swiss Egyptologist and biblical scholar, identified Jewish graves in his excavations at a place called Tel al-Yehudiah, located about 35 kilometers north of Cairo.

The graves that Neville found were built in a manner similar to burial caves known from the Land of Israel. The inscriptions found in these tombs were engraved, in Greek, on simple tablets, without any decoration.

The identification of the graves as Jewish was based on the multitude of biblical names in these inscriptions and also on the name of the site – Tel HaJewids. Among the inscriptions, one inscription was found that specifically mentions ‘Aretz Khunio’.

  At the beginning of the 20th century, archaeological excavations were conducted in the mound near the cemetery under the direction of the Egyptologist and father of biblical archeology William Flinders-Petrie.

He thought he had discovered the Leontopolis of his charioteers and it contained a city, a citadel and a temple. In Petri’s excavation, an ostracon was found written in Demotic (Late Egyptian) in which a man (probably Jewish) named Abram, perhaps one of the builders who built the site, is mentioned. From the time of Petri’s discovery until the last few years, this claim, or the identification of the site with ‘Eretz Hanio’, has not been doubted

BSD

Shkolim -14a

Elul 14, 5784. 09/18/2024

Some of the topics touched upon.

1- Not all people are judged the same. The holier one is, the more exact the One Above scrutinizes him.

“נחוניה  the digger of ditches.” He was digging ditches and caves and knew which rock cools the water and which rock was dry and how far its dryness extended. Rebbi Aḥa said, but his son died of thirst.

Rebbi Ḥanina said, anybody who says that the All-Merciful is indulgent (ignores small infractions) , his intestines shall dissolve themselves; for He is forbearing (he collects all the data) and then collects His due.

Rebbi Aḥa said, it is written, His surroundings are very ‘hairy’. Meaning that He is exact with them like a hair’s width. Rebbi Yose said, not because of this reason, but because what is written, He is awesome on His surroundings, His fear on those near Him is greater than those far away.

2- We mentioned the story told by the Arizal about a צדיק that passed away generations ago.

When this person was about to be ‘elevated’ to a higher level in Gan Eden, they redid an ‘audit’ of his life. At this stage, this new ‘audit’ picked up on minute issues that were not brought up before.

What they focused on was ‘some sand that totally unintentionally entered his shoe on Shabbos and he carried it ד’ אמות ברשות הרבים  !!!

שער הכוונות, שחרית שבת,  ק, ב.

3- Spoke about the אגרת הקודש סימן יא where the Alter Rebbe addresses the issue of pain and suffering.

Here is an overall synopsis from Chabad.org

https://www.chabad.org/dailystudy/tanya.asp?tdate=9/7/2024.

In this letter, the Alter Rebbe demands spiritual service of a caliber so seemingly formidable as to be attainable only by a chosen few. For in it he calls upon the reader not to desire physical things, even those things that are essential for his well-being and utilized in his service of G-d.

Even such essentials, states the Alter Rebbe, should not be desired for their physicality but for their spirituality, for the spark of G-dliness found within them. So much so that even if a person finds that he is lacking (G-d forbid) life’s essentials, he should not be pained by their absence; rather, he should rejoice in his belief that this is indeed for his good, as shall soon be explained. Such a lofty response to deprivation would seem to be within the reach of only a very restricted elite.

The Alter Rebbe therefore begins this letter in the singular, indicating that every single individual can attain this level of divine service. For it requires only an absolute faith in G-d, and this lies hidden within every Jew; let him but unveil this faith, and he will be able to live by it.

We discussed a phrase at the end of this letter where the Alter Rebbe concludes that everything that occurs to humans is from Above and definitely for the good. One needs to believe that is by Divine Intention all that occurs to him. He quotes a פסוק-.

מֵה’ מִצְעֲדֵי גֶבֶר כּוֹנָנוּ.

The Rebbe explains the choice of this פסוק alluding to the גמרא  in Chulin 7b, that even a small wound ח”ו on the toe of of a person is מהשם.

And the גמרא uses this particular פסוק to prove this point.

וְאָמַר רַבִּי חֲנִינָא אֵין אָדָם נוֹקֵף אֶצְבָּעוֹ מִלְּמַטָּה אֶלָּא אִם כֵּן מַכְרִיזִין עָלָיו מִלְּמַעְלָה שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר {תהלים ל״ז:כ״ג} מֵה׳ מִצְעֲדֵי גֶבֶר כּוֹנָנוּ {משלי כ׳:כ״ד}

Rebbi Yose went up to Kufra and wanted to appoint leaders there, but they did not accept. He came and said before them: “Ben Bavai was ‘only’ an appointee on the wicks of the בית המקדש. Now if he, who was appointed over the wicks and merited to be counted with the ‘leaders’ of his generation, you who are being appointed over the lives of people, so much more.

We discussed both sides of the coin; should a person strive to assume leadership and responsibilities and use the position to help others, or perhaps stay ‘closeted’ and not involve himself with communal affairs?

We mentioned that the above was a discussion between Alexander the Great and the Jewish Scholars.

:מסכת תמיד לא

5- Also mentioned the fact that leaders are best when they have ‘a questionable history’. Lacking that, the power they assume can get to their heads and abuse others ח”ו.

https://shas.alhatorah.org/Full/Yoma/22b.18#e0n6

אָמַר רַב יְהוּדָה אָמַר שְׁמוּאֵל מִפְּנֵי מָה לֹא נִמְשְׁכָה מַלְכוּת בֵּית שָׁאוּל מִפְּנֵי שֶׁלֹּא הָיָה בּוֹ שׁוּם דּוֹפִי דְּאָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן מִשּׁוּם רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן יְהוֹצָדָק אֵין מַעֲמִידִין פַּרְנָס עַל הַצִּיבּוּר אֶלָּא אִם כֵּן קוּפָּה שֶׁל שְׁרָצִים תְּלוּיָה לוֹ מֵאֲחוֹרָיו שֶׁאִם תָּזוּחַ דַּעְתּוֹ עָלָיו אוֹמְרִין לוֹ חֲזוֹר לַאֲחוֹרֶיךָ.

Rabbi Yoḥanan said in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Yehotzadak: One appoints a leader over the community only if he has a box full of creeping animals hanging behind him, i.e., he has something inappropriate in his ancestry that preceded him. Why is that? It is so that if he exhibits a haughty attitude toward the community, one can say to him: Turn and look behind you and be reminded of your humble roots. This is why David’s kingdom lasted while Saul’s did not, as David descended from a family with problematic ancestry, namely Tamar (see Genesis, chapter 38) and Ruth the Moabite (see Ruth 4:18–22).

6- Mentioned the humorous קהילה down under that for the past fifty years has no name, no Rov or any leadership. Here.

From Zev Sero:

Katanga has an official name, Caulfield Beis Hamedrash, but nobody uses it.

https://www.facebook.com/katanga.caulfieldbethhamedrash/

Katanga Today:

On bar mitzvah invitations it says Caulfield Beis Hamedrash, and people have to ask where that is. The answer is, it means Katanga/ 

~~~

7- Berel brought a model of the מזבח made to scale. Spoke about Reb Levik’s explanation on a difficult passage in the  זהר concerning the יסוד. Will continue next week bl”n.

Thanks to YM:

When Dov Levnoni brought a model of the Beis Hamikdash to the Rebbe.

v

Watch here, and here

Amazingly, the Rebbe at a glance  noticed the ramp needed to be longer  – by three millimeters! model of the Mizbeach:

BSD

Shkolim -13b(2)

Menachem Av 30, 5784. 09/3/2024

1- Our גמרא  discusses מרדכי ,פתחיה and בלשון. All being the same person.

2- Story of the 2 mutes, during a famine or war, pointing to various objects indicating where  תבואה was available for the עומר and שתי הלחם.

גגות צריפין

In בבלי it relates this story occurring at the time of the civil war between הורקנוס and אריסטובולוס.

”כשצרו מלכי בית חשמונאי זה על זה היה הורקנוס מבחוץ ואריסטובלוס מבפנים. בכל יום היו משלשלין (אנשי אריסטובולוס) דינרים בקופה ומעלים (אנשי הורקנוס) להם תמידים (קורבנות). היה שם זקן אחד… אמר להם (לאנשי הורקנוס):”כל זמן שעוסקים בעבודה אינם נמסרים בידכם”. למחרת שלשלו להם דינרים בקופה – והעלו להם חזיר. כיוון שהגיע לחצי החומה נעץ ציפורניו בחומה ונזדעזעה ארץ ישראל ארבע מאות פרסה על ארבע מאות פרסה”

When the kings of the Hasmonean monarchy besieged each other in their civil war, Hyrcanus was outside of Jerusalem, besieging it, and Aristoblus was inside. On each and every day they would lower dinars in a box from inside the city, and those on the outside would send up animals for them to bring the daily offerings in the Temple.

DIscussed the מהרש”א who says that these mutes were actually spies sent by the אריסטובולוס loyalists that were far away from  ירושלים to make their way into the בית המקדש to advise the כהנים  where wheat is available.

Using mutes was a ploy to fool the הורקנוס  faction that laid siege to ירושלים.

מרדכי was the one that deciphered that the ‘hand signals’ gestured by the mutes were clues to the locations of the fields where תבואה was available.

3- מנחות סד, ב. Spoke about the תוספות asking as how could מרדכי have been alive at that time (era of  הורקנוס and אריסטובולוס) when he was present at the beginning of בית שני and this civil war occurred over 200 years later! (Rambam Megillah 3, 1).

Their answer is that after the original מרדכי , this particular position (ruling on the קינים) was called ‘מרדכי’, signifying and pointing to an intelligent person. So the actual name of this appointee may have been different but he was called the ‘מרדכי’.

So it wasn’t the original מרדכי that deciphered the mutes’ gestures, but an appointed person to the  מרדכי  position.

4- Story of the 3 women who spoke in code. The people of the בית המקדש understood them as inquiring as to ‘what type of bird Korban (קינין) does זבה or יולדות need to bring’

מרדכי deciphered their true story that it had nothing to do with any of the above. Rather, they each meant to say that they had experienced a נס and are inquiring about offering a  קרבן תודה.

מרדכי advised them that the bird is to be brought as a תודה קרבן.

Famous question: A קרבן תודה is brought from an animal not a bird and 40 loaves of bread. So why didn’t מרדכי advise them of their full obligation?

5- We spoke briefly about the two illustrious brothers: Reb Pinchos and Reb Shmelke Horowitz who were students of the Maggid of Mezritch.

The Alter Rebbe’s sons mention their names in the הקדמה to the Shulchan Aruch describing the times they all spent in Mezritch and the brothers’ urging the Alter Rebbe to complete his שלחן ערוך.  .

Reb Pinchos, who was a Rov in Frankfurt, authored many popular ספרים. The one on Chumash is the פנים יפות.

Discussed the observation by many in that Reb Pinchos does not mention his Rebbe, the מגיד ממזריץ  in all of his books.

Some great Chasidisher Rebbes strongly suggested that the printers were מתנגדים and simply deleted any mention of the מגיד!

It’s a big topic amongst historians.

See here:

https://www.hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=13109&st=&pgnum=138

6- In the above ספר פנים יפות Reb Pinchos writes a big chidush. ויקרא ז, יג

A קרבן תודה is not obligatory! It’s only optional for one who experienced a נס,  such as traveling across an ocean. The thanking to ה’  is a must, but to bring a קרבן is only a נדבה.

Some want to bring proof from our גמרא that although מרדכי heard their stories about the ניסים they experienced, he didn’t tell them to bring a proper  בהמה  – animal   תודה קרבן. It seems that the birds they brought sufficed. Unless, as the פנים יפות says, it’s optional and the חכמים did not enact this for women.

כלי חמדה ויקרא, קונטרס המילואים ויקרא ג.

7- We mentioned this last week in relation to כ”ף מנחם אב.

בַּיּוֹם הַשְּׁלִישִׁי וַיִּשָּׂא אַבְרָהָם אֶת עֵינָיו וַיַּרְא אֶת הַמָּקוֹם מֵרָחֹק.

וַיֹּאמֶר אַבְרָהָם אֶל נְעָרָיו שְׁבוּ לָכֶם פֹּה עִם הַחֲמוֹר וַאֲנִי וְהַנַּעַר נֵלְכָה עַד כֹּה וְנִשְׁתַּחֲוֶה וְנָשׁוּבָה אֲלֵיכֶם.

On day 3 אברהם אבינו tell his two ‘consultants’ wait ‘here’ and I with יצחק will go till ‘there’ we will do a השתחווה and return to you both.

These instructions beg for an explanation. What is he telling them exactly? We will go till ‘there’- where is there? How far is it? When is he coming back? It seems like very ambiguous information.

Says Reb Levik: Avrohom was actually very precise. He told them exactly how far they are going and when they will return.

How is that?

Based on a פסוק in משלי ד, יח:

וְאֹרַח צַדִּיקִים כְּאוֹר נֹגַהּ הוֹלֵךְ וָאוֹר עַד נְכוֹן הַיּוֹם.

שהולך ומאיר מעמוד השחר “עד נכון היום” – עד ,חצות היום שהוא בירורו של יום- רש”י

A צדיק will arrive a midday.

Reb Levik derives from the פסוק that the עקידה was to take place upon arrival, at חצות.

Now, a person can walk 10 פרסאות a day. (approximately 24 miles or 38 km). מהלך אדם בינוני ביום עשר פרסאות-

פסחים צד, א.

So, on day one and two they all covered 20 פרסאות.

On the morning of day three, אברהם אבינו tells them that he will walk alone with יצחק until midday. Meaning that in total he will have walked 25 פרסאות.

10+10+5=25.

Where is the number 25 in אברהם’s words?

וַאֲנִי וְהַנַּעַר נֵלְכָה עַד כֹּה  –

כֹּה equals 25!

He’s telling them: We’ll walk another 5 פרסאות, – for a total of 25 פרסאות,

וְנִשְׁתַּחֲוֶה וְנָשׁוּבָה אֲלֵיכֶם.

כוח”ט

BS”D

Shkolim -13b

Menachem Av 23, 5784. 08/27/2024

We continued on Daf 13b.

1- As per the Mishna, מרדכי was also called פתחיה and also בלשן, meaning an elaborator, explainer or clarifier. We will encounter more of his wisdom and ability to solve puzzles next week IY”H.

2- Some offer a רמז in two of the names: מרדכי &  פתחיה.

The 5 letters of each name corresponds to double or half of the other letter, signifying an explanation or elaboration.

פ  = 80 – מ   = 40

ת = 400 – ר = 200

ח    = 8 –  ד     = 4

י    = 10 – כ   = 20

ה     = 5 – י   = 10

They add that the reason the last two letters of פתחיה  are only half of the last two letters of  מרדכי  is due to  מרדכי , in the latter part of his life, being occupied with עבודת הכלל,  lost his standing and friendship with some of his colleagues of the  סנהדרין.

כִּי מָרְדֳּכַי הַיְּהוּדִי מִשְׁנֶה לַמֶּלֶךְ אֲחַשְׁוֵרוֹשׁ וְגָדוֹל לַיְּהוּדִים וְרָצוּי לְרֹב אֶחָיו דֹּרֵשׁ טוֹב לְעַמּוֹ וְדֹבֵר שָׁלוֹם לְכָל זַרְעוֹ.

3- The גמרא discusses the greatness of the early תנאים that were       סופרים – also meaning ‘counters’ as they would count the letters of the תורה.

We related a story written by the חיד”א about Reb Saadia גאון who in jest asked a simple tailor how many stitches he sewed that day.

The tailor responded: honored Rabbi, how many letters are there in the תורה?

Reb Saadia גאון was hurt being that this was the first time that someone asked him a question for which he did not have answer.

He tried to count but was unsuccessful until a מלאך revealed to him the exact number. Having the correct number Reb Saadia גאון wrote a song enumerating the sum of every letter of the אלף בית in the תורה.

שם הגדולים – ר’ סעדי’ גאון.

4- We discussed the saying in our גמרא:

אנו כחמורים ולא כחמורו של רבי חנינא בן דוסא ושל רבי פנחס בן יאיר אלא כשאר חמורים

If the earlier generations were angels, we are men; if they were men, we are donkeys.

5-  The גמרא writes the famous story of Reb Pinchas ben Yair’s donkey חולין (ז.) when it refused to eat grains that were not free of מעשר.

The story of Reb Sender Menkin ע“ה.

Reb Sender Menkin ע“ה

6- We discussed the brilliant מנחת חינוך regarding בן הקמצר  who was able to write 4 letter at a time.

Concluded with the צמח צדק that writing 4 letters at a time is not considered exactly ‘at the same time.

יו”ד סי’ ריג

BSD

Shkolim -12b -13a

Menachem Av 16, 5784. 08/21/2024

Short notes.

1- As mentioned in the previous shiurim, Daf 12-13 deal with difficult קדשים concepts. We therefore broke up the topics and are discussing just a few lines every week.

We tackled another topic and skipped ahead for the second half of the Shiur (to Daf 13a) with the intention to go back BL”N  and complete what we skipped.

2- The topic this week: When a person is מקדיש an animal, it needs to be the ‘right’ type of animal.

Meaning that it needs to be, to start, the right gender for that particular קרבן that he is מקדיש. The animal also needs to be the right age. It cannot be a בעל מום.

Male and Female

Now an עולה and also a קרבן פסח and an אשם can be be (only) a זכר.

What if one is מקדיש a נקבה for and עולה, פסח or an אשם?

Does it become קודש at all, and if yes, what level of קדושה does it have?

If it becomes קדוש at the top level, קדושת הגוף, then it follows that it can also trigger a תמורה. (A replacement).

We discussed the four opinions and their reasons.

Here is the chart we followed.

3- We jumped ahead to הלכה ה that discusses the ‘upper hand’ of הקדש. Inflation and deflation always works in the favor of הקדש.

4- Began פרק ה.

The Mishna enumerates the 15 ‘managers’ of the various jobs associated with the day to day administration of the בית המקדש.

https://yerushalmi.alhatorah.org/Full/Shekalim/18.1#e0n6

(א) משנה: אֵילּוּ הֵן הַמְמוּנִּין שֶׁהָיוּ בַּמִּקְדָּשׁ. יוֹחָנָן בֶּן פִּינְחָס עַל הַחוֹתָמוֹת. אֲחִייָה עַל הַנְּסָכִים. מַתְיָה בֶּן שְׁמוּאֵל עַל הַפְּייָסוֹת. פְּתַחְיָה עַל הַקִּינִּים פְּתַחְיָה זֶה מָרְדְּכָי. וְלָמָּה נִקְרָא שְׁמוֹ פְּתַחְיָה שֶׁהָיָה פּוֹתֵחַ בִּדְבָרִים וְדוֹרְשָׁן וְיוֹדֵעַ בְּשִבְעִים לָשׁוֹן. בֶּן אֲחִייָה עַל חוֹלֵי מֵעַיִם. נְחוּנְייָה חוֹפֵר שִׁיחִין. גְּבִינֵי כָרוֹז. בֶּן גֶּבֶר עַל נְעִילַת שְׁעָרִים. בֶּן בֵּבָי מְמוּנֶּה עַל הַפָּקִיעַ. בֶּן אַרְזָה עַל הַצִּלְצָל. הוּגְדַּס בֶּן לֵוִי עַל הַשִּׁיר. בֵּית גַּרְמוּ עַל מַעֲשֵׂה לֶחֶם הַפָּנִים. בֵּית אַבְטִינָס עַל מַעֲשֵׂה הַקְּטֹרֶת. אֶלְעָזָר עַל הפָּרוֹכוֹת וּפִנְחָס הַמַּלְבִּישׁ.

MISHNAH: These are the appointees who were in the Sanctuary

1: Joḥanan ben Phineas of the seals

2, Aḥiyya of the libations,

3-Masyo ben Samuel of the lotteries

3, Petaḥiah of the nests

Petaḥiah is Mordecai. Why was he called Petaḥiah? For he had original ideas

and explained them, and he knew seventy languages

5-.Ben Aḥiyyah for indigestion;

6- Onias the digger of ditches,

7- Gabinius the announcer,

8- Ben Gever for locking the doors,

9 -Ben Bevai for the wicks.

10- Ben Arza for the cymbals,

11-Hugdas ben Levi for the songs.

12- The family Garmu for the Le’chem HaPonim,

13- The family Avtinos for producing the incense.

14- Eleazar for the Poro’ches,

15 -and Phineas the clothier.

5- Were all the above צדיקים?

Some say not necessarily. The גמרא in יומא לח, ב  says the reason we mention their names is to know what not to name our children!

There is much to discuss and BL”N will continue next week.

6- Speaking of names not to be used, we mentioned the famous ‘vort’ from Reb Yonason Eybeschutz on רבי ישמעאל אומר.

See here in Hebrew.

בס”ד

ט’ מנחם אב תשפ”ד

08/13/2024

Some short notes and links on the special Shiur. 

R’ Yechezkiel Landau, – נודע ביהודה

Attempting to understand the eulogy of the Noda BiYehuda, Reb Yechezkel Landau of Prague upon the passing of Maria Theresa who was a cruel anti-Semite. 

She was known for her hatred of Jews. In December 1744 anti-Jewish state policy reached its peak and she ordered the expulsion of Prague’s Jews.

Yet, a cursory reading of the eulogy seems to be describing a great צדקת!

‘A wonderful, kindhearted, generous, amazing woman’

It is indeed perplexing on the seeming unbound adoration about MT’s ‘kindness and generosity’. 

Comparing her to יעקב אבינו on whom it says יעקב אבינו לא מת !!! 

Here is the pamphlet in Hebrew that was published in German as well. 

See here an auction of the original pamphlet of the eulogy. 

The antisemitism of Maria Theresa. 

” the most anti-Jewish monarch of her day. “

The expulsion of the Jews from Prague and Bohemia in 1744. 

Another expulsion of the Jews of Prague November, 1941

Jewish History of Prague

See here a great article about this tragic event, including a photo of the commemorative medal minted to memorialize the expulsion and retraction.

So what prompted Reb Yechezkel Landau to deliver such a passionate הספד? 

Did he have a choice in the matter? 

Was it for it to reach the ears of the new King? שתדלנות, Perhaps. 

From this  article:

Joseph II, Maria Theresa’s son and Successor

“He ordered the abolition of serfdom; by the Edict of Toleration he established religious equality before the law, and he granted freedom of the press. The emancipation of the Jews within a short time endowed cultural life with new vitality.”

We concluded with the amazing חתם סופר that giving respect to the government that we live in is as important as putting on Tefillin!

Chasam Sofer, R Moshe Schreiber

. 

BSD

Shkolim -12a (2)

Menachem Av  2, 5784. 08/06/2024

1- Our גמרא deals with the topic of:

המקדיש תמימים לבדק הבית עובר בעשה ולא תעשה.

תמורה ז,ב.

Meaning that a perfect and unblemished animal can be נתקדש only for it to be brought on the מזבח as a קרבן.

What happens if one does it anyway? He is עובר בעשה ולא תעשה but is the animal קדוש?

The simple answer is -yes. But it’s not so simple.

2-  In the Yeshiva world there is a very famous Sugya that is generally called “אי עביד לא מהני”.

To scratch the surface of this interesting, logical and intricate topic….

Say, for example, one gives מעשר before תרומה. Or a כהן גדול that is מקדש an אלמנה. He transgresses a לאו. OK.

But is his מעשר effective? Is he ‘married’ to this אלמה? Does she need גט?

Interestingly, Daf 4b– 6b in מסכת תמורה is the only place in Sha”s that this concept is discussed.

Must have done it out of order…

However it is a ‘global topic’ that touches upon many places in ש”ס.

Here are the opening lines:

אָמַר אַבָּיֵי כֹּל מִילְּתָא דְּאָמַר רַחֲמָנָא לָא תַּעֲבֵיד אִם עָבֵיד מַהֲנֵי. דְּאִי סָלְקָא דַּעְתָּךְ לָא מַהֲנֵי אַמַּאי לָקֵי? רָבָא אָמַר לָא מַהֲנֵי מִידֵּי, וְהַאי דְּלָקֵי מִשּׁוּם דַּעֲבַר אַמֵּימְרָא דְּרַחֲמָנָא הוּא

אביי said: With regard to any matter that the Torah states not to perform, if one performed it, his action is effective, but the violator receives Malkus.

Because if it was not effective, why would he be flogged for accomplishing nothing?

רבא said: If one transgresses and does it, it is not effective at all. Nothing happened! The reason that he receives Malkus is because he transgressed the will of the Torah.

3 – So in the 3 examples above, תמימים לבדק הבית, מעשר לפני תרומה and כהן גדול לאלמנה, it would seem that Abaya would say: The בהמה is קדוש, the wheat is מעשר  and the כהן גדול is married.

And Rava would say that nothing happened:  The בהמה remains חולין, the wheat remains חולין and the כהן גדול is not married to the אלמנה,

However, as the נמרא continues, in all 3 cases above (and most all other examples), we have an explicit פסוק  that the actions do or do not take effect.

The גמרא then continues on for 2 דפים attempting to find a case where it  אביי or רבא are arguing.

It concludes that…..in just one or two cases they actually disagree. In all other cases they agree.

4- One of the cases the גמרא presents is the one from our גמרא.

המקדיש תמימים לבדק הבית עובר בעשה ובלא תעשה

An unblemished animal that was  נתקדש for בדק הבית – it’s a לא תעשה but nevertheless is קדוש. That would seem to be like אביי.

However רבא says there is a special לימוד for this.

5- We quickly mentioned another interesting case – someone that performs a שחיטה on שבת. The שוחט transgressed a לא תעשה but the meat can be eaten.

According to רבא if nothing happened – then there was no שחיטה! So why is it permitted to eat?

We mentioned the מהרי”ט and the רבי עקיבא איגר.

There is a ton more on this – perhaps in the future IY”H.

6- We are in the 9 days so we spoke about the מנורה.

See notes below.

Briefly – the מנורה had 7 candles, 11 ‘buttons’, 9 flowers, was 17 טפחים high and had 22 goblets.

These numbers correspond to the first פסוק in each of the 5 חומשים.

The first verse of בראשית has 7 words corresponding to the  7 candles.

שמות  begins with 11 words, corresponding to the 11 buttons.

Etc.

Also spoke about

1- The מנורה  as per the גמרא was 18 טפחים!

2- The opinion that there are 7 חומשים.

3- The upside down נון.

————————–

Here is a link:

בס”ד

תהילים (קיט, קל) פֵּ֖תַח דְּבָרֶ֥יךָ יָאִ֗יר מֵבִ֥ין פְּתָיִֽים׃

The opening of Your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.

מנורה – 7 נרות. 11 כפתורים. 9 פרחים . 17 טפחים גובה. 22 גביעים

1- בְּרֵאשִׁ֖ית בָּרָ֣א אֱלֹהִ֑ים אֵ֥ת הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם וְאֵ֥ת הָאָֽרֶץ׃ 7

2- וְאֵ֗לֶּה שְׁמוֹת֙ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל הַבָּאִ֖ים מִצְרָ֑יְמָה אֵ֣ת יַעֲקֹ֔ב אִ֥ישׁ וּבֵית֖וֹ בָּֽאוּ׃ 11

3-  וַיִּקְרָ֖א אֶל⁠־מֹשֶׁ֑ה וַיְדַבֵּ֤ר יְהֹוָה֙ אֵלָ֔יו מֵאֹ֥הֶל מוֹעֵ֖ד לֵאמֹֽר׃ 9

4-  וַיְדַבֵּ֨ר יְהֹוָ֧ה אֶל⁠־מֹשֶׁ֛ה בְּמִדְבַּ֥ר סִינַ֖י בְּאֹ֣הֶל מוֹעֵ֑ד בְּאֶחָד֩ לַחֹ֨דֶשׁ הַשֵּׁנִ֜י בַּשָּׁנָ֣ה הַשֵּׁנִ֗ית לְצֵאתָ֛ם מֵאֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרַ֖יִם לֵאמֹֽר׃ 17

5 -אֵ֣לֶּה הַדְּבָרִ֗ים אֲשֶׁ֨ר דִּבֶּ֤ר מֹשֶׁה֙ אֶל⁠־כׇּל⁠־יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל בְּעֵ֖בֶר הַיַּרְדֵּ֑ן בַּמִּדְבָּ֡ר בָּֽעֲרָבָה֩ מ֨וֹל ס֜וּף בֵּֽין⁠־פָּארָ֧ן וּבֵֽין⁠־תֹּ֛פֶל וְלָבָ֥ן וַחֲצֵרֹ֖ת וְדִ֥י זָהָֽב׃ 22

׆ וַיְהִ֛י בִּנְסֹ֥עַ הָאָרֹ֖ן וַיֹּ֣אמֶר מֹשֶׁ֑ה קוּמָ֣ה׀ יְהֹוָ֗ה וְיָפֻ֙צוּ֙ אֹֽיְבֶ֔יךָ וְיָנֻ֥סוּ מְשַׂנְאֶ֖יךָ מִפָּנֶֽיךָ׃  וּבְנֻחֹ֖ה יֹאמַ֑ר שׁוּבָ֣ה יְהֹוָ֔ה רִֽבְב֖וֹת אַלְפֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ ׆ 19

וַיְהִ֤י הָעָם֙ כְּמִתְאֹ֣נְנִ֔ים רַ֖ע בְּאׇזְנֵ֣י יְהֹוָ֑ה וַיִּשְׁמַ֤ע יְהֹוָה֙ וַיִּ֣חַר אַפּ֔וֹ וַתִּבְעַר⁠־בָּם֙ אֵ֣שׁ יְהֹוָ֔ה וַתֹּ֖אכַל בִּקְצֵ֥ה הַֽמַּחֲנֶֽה׃ 17

תורת העולה להרמ”א א, טז.

אור התורה שמות ה, א’ תעט

תנו רבנן: “ויהי בנסע הארן ויאמר משה” פרשה זו עשה לה הקב”ה סימניות מלמעלה ולמטה (לפניה ואחריה) לומר שאין זה מקומה. רבי אומר: לא מן השם הוא זה (לא זה הוא הטעם), אלא מפני שספר חשוב הוא בפני עצמו”. (תלמוד בבלי שבת קטו, ב)

אמר שמואל משמיה דסבא גובהה של מנורה שמונה עשר טפחים מנחות כח, ב.

BSD

Shkolim -12a

Tamuz 24, 5784 – 07/30/2024

A few short notes.

1- From the beginning of 12a to 13a we encounter pure קדשים topics with many basic principles addressed.

2- We discussed the two general types of קדושה in קדשים.

A – If someone is מקדיש an animal that can be brought on the מזבח it becomes קדוש קדושת הגוף .

Ditto for a cash הקדשה for the purpose of buying an animal that can be bought on the מזבח. The animal purchased achieves קדושת הגוף and will be indeed become a קרבן.

B – Anything other than the above is only קדוש קדושת דמים. That includes הקדש of say, gold, wood, real estate, non-kosher animals, kosher animals that have a מום. These assets go towards the בדק הבית.

3 – Our משנה deals with a case of an estate or a living gift that the donor was less than clear as to what exactly he had in mind. All he said was “all my assets are הקדש”.

When taking an inventory of the estate, the גזברים find items that are clearly fit only for בדק הבית. Like precious metals.

However, the estate also included animals that are non-blemished and rare. Do these animals go into the קדושת הגוף  category and end up on the מזבח?

4 – The first case of the משנה discusses if they find proper קטורת in the estate. How קטורת made it into the estate we will see IYH at the next shiur.

5 – A case where an animal that was a perfect fit for the מזבח, but the donor specifically said that it should go to בדק הבית. We discussed the גמרא in תמורה that one that does this is עובר בעשה ולא תעשה. However, it becomes קדוש, it goes towards בדק הבית, but it can never lose it’s attachment to the מזבח. So even after the גזברים must sell it to someone that needs to buy an animal for a קרבן and thus the animal eventually lands on the מזבח.

6 – Being that we are in בין המצרים, we spoke about the הלכה of walking around the בית המקדש and the מזבח where one would always turn to his right.

That would mean that upon entering the gates, even if, say, he needed to pick up an object that was just to the left of the gate, the person would need to start walking to his right and eventually make his way to the left.

Same applied to the מזבח- always walk to the right.

We made mention that by making one right turn…. causes him to make four left turns! That’s 4 vs 1.

Would not making just one left turn be beneficial?

Perhaps the idea is that once you’re on the ‘right’ path the future ‘left turns’ are mitigated.

In other words – making a right because that is the הלכה, all  the resulting ‘lefts’ are Hashem’s issue to deal with.

Maybe.

BK commented that perhaps when walking around the מזבח one would always, out of respect, face the center. So in essence he would always be walking to his right.

However, doing that would cause his backside to be towards the היכל.

Requires further study.

We mentioned the רבינו בחיי who writes says that  ,משה רבינו when he came down from הר סיני holding the לוחות, he walked backwards!

ויפן וירד משה מן ההר – כתב רבינו חננאל מלמד שהיה משה פניו כלפי הענן וירד בדרך עליה מה עליתו פניו אל הענן שעל ההר אף בירידתו כן,

Synopsis:

בס”ד

שקלים דף י”א –  י”ב.

מותר הקטורת – Left over Ketores

 מעות הקדש – בנין חולין – בנין קודש – מעות חולין – קטורת  על המעות – קטורת חולין – מעות הקדש – קטורת החולין לאומנין – מעות הקדש לאומנין – קטורת קודש וחדשה.

המקדיש נכסיו. Estate

משנה

1- קטורת

רבי עקיבא – הקדש מתחלל על המלאכה. נותנים לאומנין בשכרן -Direct payment

בן עזאי – אין הקדש מתחלל על המלאכה. כנ”ל. מעות הקדש – בנין חולין – בנין קודש – מעות חולין – קטורת  על המעות – קטורת חולין – מעות הקדש – קטורת החולין לאומנין – מעות הקדש לאומנין – קטורת קודש וחדשה.

רבי עקיבא – למה זה שונה ממותר הקטורת? א- מגונה. ב – נכסי יחיד.

2- בהמה הראויה – Animals suited for the Mizbeach

רבי אליעזר – סתם הקדשות לבדק הבית. זכרים – ימכרו לצרכי עולה. נקבות – ימכרו לצרכי שלמים.

לקרבן ציבור אי אפשר שהרי לא באו ממחצית השקל. ‘אין יוצא מידי מזבח לעולם’.

רבי יהושע – סתם דברים הראויים למזבח הקדיש למזבח. ואפילו הנקבות התכוון לעולה.

זכרים – יקרבו עולות. נקבות – ימכרו לצרכי שלמים.

רבי עקיבא – רןאה אני את דברי רבי אליעזר.

רבי פפייס – במקדיש סתם צודק רבי אליעזר. במקדיש מפורש צודק רבי יהושע.

3- דברים הראוים לגבי מזבח, יינות שמנים ועופות.  Wine, oil and birds

רבי אלעזר – ימכרו לצורכי אותו המין, והמעות לעולה.

BSD

Shkolim -11b (2)

Tamuz 17, 5784 – 07/23/2024

Some short notes:

1- We finished until the end of הלכה ג  which basically concludes the details of the מחצית השקל.

The rest of the מסכת deal with many aspects about the daily routine of the בית המקדש and the various appointed managers that ensured the עבודה would be run properly.

2- Discussed the 6 sheep that were always in a pen for the purposes of the קרבן תמיד. Every animal needed to be quarantined for 4 days prior to its שחיטה. During these 4 day they would be inspected to ensure they were not blemished – בעלי מום.

Each day, two sheep were used for the קרבן תמיד, and another 2 were added to this pen.

Inevitably, on the last day of the year (year meaning  from ניסן to אדר), on the 29th or 30th of Adar, there were 4 sheep in the pen that could not be used the next day – ראש חודש ניסן.

The reason is the the קרבן תמיד  of ראש חודש ניסן (and beyond) needed to be purchased from the new מחצית השקל. The ones currently in the pen were purchased with last year’s money. Thus making them unusable after ראש חודש ניסן.

So what do we do with these ‘sheep from last year’?

The גמרא  explains the opinions on the two methods of redeeming them.

3- The process of the פרה אדומה presented a stark contrast. On one side, numerous חומרות were put in place to ensure it was performed with the utmost טהרה. For instance, as mentioned a few pages earlier, a special ramp was constructed from the בית המקדש to the hill where the פרה אדומה was processed into the אפר הפרה, all to prevent any suspicion of טומאה.

Conversely, they would deliberately make the כהן who burned the פרה impure. This was done to demonstrate to the צדוקין that their interpretation of this הלכה in particular, and their entire view on תורה שבעל פה in general, was incorrect.

The צדוקין would say that the offering of the red heifer was acceptable only when those bringing it had waited until nightfall after immersion.

Therefore in the Second Temple, the court would cause the priest who burned the red heifer to become ritually impure through contact with the carcass of a crawling animal or the like. He would immerse and then offer the red heifer to nullify the words of these brazen ones who issue rulings according to their whims without basis in the received tradition.

Similarly, all of the containers into which the ashes of the red heifer were placed were all immersed that day.

We discussed the reason as to why they חכמים chose this particular ,מצוה from the many that they fought against the צדוקין, to emphasize and pronounce their error.

For example, the צדוקין’s opinion that the   קרבן עומר was brought only on the Sunday after פסח.

We do not find that any action from the חכמים  to emphasize this erroneous interpretation of the  תורה.

Why do we eat ‘cholent’ on Shabbos?

Their opinion was simply ignored. The קרבן עומר  was brought on the second day of פסח, regardless on the day of the week it occurred.

Perhaps the answer is based on what the the פני יהושע  suggests that the case of the פרה אדומה was a מצוה in which the צדוקין were מחמיר more than the חכמים. Their opinion was that the כהן that burned the פרה needed to be 100% טהור, as opposed to the opinion of the חכמים that even one that was quasi – טהור , (he needed to wait until nightfall to become 100% טהור) was permitted to do so.

So the חכמים intentionally would be מטמא the כהן who would then go to the מקוה but still would be only semi-טהור.

So to counter this perceived notion that the צדוקים were more ‘frum’ than the חכמים, they did both:

A- They used a כהן that was a טבול יום, quasi-טהור, but at the same time

B- Enacted many seemingly unnecessary precautions to emphasize that the above action (A) was just for the purpose of showing the חכמים’s non acceptance of their opinion. It was not done because they we more lenient than the צדוקין. On the contrary, they were מחמיר to an extreme in all other aspects of the preparation of the פרה אדומה.

BSD

Shkolim -11b

Tamuz 10, 5784. 07/16/2024

1- Continued discussing the multi-step process required to ‘renew’ the קטורת left over from the previous year.

A – In general – new construction materials would not become הקדש even after its installation. Such as a fresh brick replacing an older one.

B – Firstly by taking  הקדש money from the לשכה and transferring its  קדושה unto the bricks. Bricks become הקדש,  money becomes חולין.

C – Taking the old קטורת and transferring its קדושה onto the money. קטורת becomes חולין, money becomes קודש.

D – Paying the craftsmen with the קטורת that is now חולין.

E – Purchasing back from the craftsmen the קטורת with הקדש funds from the מחצית השקל money. Purchased קטורת becomes new קטורת (from the current year), money received by the craftsmen becomes חולין!

The Rambam has it slightly different and shorter.

2- The גמרא  discusses the opinions if the מכתשת , used to grind the קטורת , spices was a כלי שרת or not.

We mentioned the Tosfos  שבועות יא, ב   that asks on the opinion that the מכתשת was a כלי שרת.

The rule is that any כלי שרת that becomes not functional, like turning rusty or due to a punctured hole, would not be repaired but was  melted down and a new כלי would be formed. The reason is that to repair a כלי.  is a sign of poverty and in the בית המקדש they followed the rule of אין עניות במקום עשירות.

זבחים פח, א

ואין מתיכין לתוכן אבר: – לסתום הנקב וכולהו משום דמיחזי כעניות ולאו אורח ארעא.

However we find a story ערכין י, ב about the מכתשת when it developed a hole it was sent to craftsmen in Alexandria to be repaired! This seems to be proof that the מכתשת was not considered a כלי שרת.

Tosfos offers 2 answers:

1 – This particular מכתשת was the one from משה רבינו that was unique in the grinding of the קטורת.

2 – The opinion above that ‘the מכתשת was a ׳כלי שרת  means (not that it was a כלי שרת , but) the קטורת  was sanctified בפה during the grinding process. [As opposed to the opinion that one would be מקדיש it later?]

3 – We spoke about the date of ט’ תמוז and the burning of the Talmud in Paris on that day in the year 4964/1240.

See here.  Here.  Here.

This tragedy is commemorated as a יום תענית, as mentioned by the מגן אברהם, is observed by some, but not particularly on ט’ תמוז! Fasting is observed on the Friday of פרשת חקת.

Here is the story and the reason.

Mentioned what is quoted in ספרים of the ראשונים that it was on that particular day only a 40 days earlier, on the exact spot in Paris, some extremist Jews burned the ספרים of the רמב”ם!

Some say these two incidents were a few years apart.

Today, this spot is known as the Place de la Grève is Hotel de Ville is the site of Paris City Hall

When the Jews, witnessing the burning of the ש״ס  , realized that it was a punishment for the רמב״ם’s Seforim, they did תשובה and asked for forgiveness.

חמדה גנוזה.  עדעלמאן ע‘ 19

4- Spoke about the era prior to the Rambam being accepted by all and the controversy concerning his writings, the מורה נבוכים in particular.

5 The letter of the Alter Rebbe  (אג”ק נב) to his Chassidim of Vilna when they felt oppressed by their opponents.

The AR writes to them that in the time of the Rambam there was also bitter feuds amongst the קהילות , where in some they burned his books and in others they held the Rambam in such esteem that they inserted his name when saying קדיש!

The reason for these מחלוקת is simply,  writes the AR, because his works were not fully understood and appreciated by some.

ואודות השריפה אשר שרפו ספר הידוע, לא לכם לריב את ריב הבעש”ט זצללה”ה ולעורר מדנים⁹² ח”ו, לא זו העיר ולא זו הדרך⁹³ אשר חפץ בה ה’⁹⁴. ובעיניכם זה דבר חדש, אך כבר היה לעולמים⁹⁵. זכרו ימות עולם⁹⁶, כי מי לנו גדול ממשה⁹⁷ בדורו, ה”ה הרמב”ם ז”ל, אשר בארצו בספרד גדל בשם טוב הלוך וגדל מאד, עד שבחייו היו אומרים בנוסח הקדיש בחייכון וביומיכון ובחיי מרנא ורבנא משה⁹⁸ ובחיי דכל בית ישראל וכו’, מפני שראו כבודו וקדושתו וחסידותו, אך בארצות הרחוקות אשר לא שמעו את שמעו ולא ראו את כבודו, החזיקוהו למין וכופר בתחיית המתים ושרפו ספריו, דהיינו ספר הראשון מס’ הי”ד, ברחובות קריה, על פי חכמים גדולים בעיניהם, שקראו מה שכתב הרמב”ם בהלכות תשובה, ולא עלתה על דעתם לתלות בקוצר ידיעתם והבנתם בדברי קדשו, כאשר נתבאר לבסוף על ידי הרמב”ן והרד”ק⁹⁹ ז”ל. אך כאשר חלפו ועברו¹⁰⁰ ימים רבים וכו’, וגם שנאתם¹⁰¹ וכו’, ותצמח אמת מארץ¹⁰², וידעו כל ישראל כי משה אמת ותורתו אמת¹⁰³ וכו’. וכה יהי’ לנו במהרה בימינו אמן.

כ”ד אוהב נפשם דורש שלומם¹⁰⁴ מלב ונפש חפצה¹⁰⁵

שניאור זלמן בלא”א מו”ה ברוך זללה”ה