BS”D

Brochos 2a.

 

Sivan 28, 5785. 06/24/2025

1- Beginning of מסכת ברכות- BE”H

מֵאֵימָתַי קוֹרִין אֶת שְׁמַע בְּעַרְבִית

רבינו הקדוש  does not write explicitly that one is required to say קריאת שמע. He begins ש”ס with stating when the earliest time to say קריאת שמע in the evening.

We mentioned (from a Shiur in the past) the words of the Rambam that מצוות that are constantly observed רבי saw no need to state them. מנחות פ”ד, א

 

ודיני הציצית והתפילין והמזוזה וענין מלאכתן והברכות שחייבין לברך עליהן וכל העניינים התלויין בכל זה מן הדינין ומה שנאמר עליהן בשאלות ותשובות, אין ראוי כפי קבלת חבורינו לדבר בהן, לפי שאינו אלא מפרש.

והמשנה לא דברה על אלה המצות דבר מיוחד לכלול דיניהן עד שיהא חייב לפרש אותו. וסבת זה בעיני לפי שהיו הדברים האלו מפורסמים בזמן חבור המשנה והיו ענינים ידועים ונהוגים ביד כל העם פרט וכלל ואין ענין מהן נפלא משום אדם.

וע״כ לא ראה לדבר בהן’ כמו שלא הסדיר התפלה’ ר״ל נוסחה ואיך יתנהג שליח ציבור. לפי שהיה מפורסם ולא חברו בזה סדור. אבל חברו ספר גמ׳ וביאורו:

No need to state the obvious

Also discussed what others suggest is the reason for רבי’s approach. Due to the harsh times of מלכות רומי and others (preceding רבי) where the performance of מצוות was dangerous, the study of תורה was only in an abstract form. Meaning that it intentionally lacked an explicit mandate and instruction for specific performance. Such as “one needs to put on תפילין”. Rather it was just a discussion about the particulars. ‘When can one start saying שמע in the evening’.

2 –

מֵאֵימָתַי

So we start with the word מאימתי. From when.

Mentioned the famous story of Reb Zusha who told Reb Shmelke that perhaps the translation of מאימתי means ‘out of fear and awe of Hashem one needs to recite the שמע’!

3 – Spoke about Ren Yechiel Halperin and his magnum opus the סדר הדורות. His mastery and instant recall of כל התורה כולה is legendary and is considered the expert of Jewish history and chronology.  See here. Here. Here.

He quotes from others that מאימתי is a Gematria of “I Yehuda the Holy One’.  However Reb Yechiel does not accept it, as it it contrary to the humility that רבינו הקדוש is known for Sotah 49a, Mishna.

[See end of Shiur Shkolim -11a]

He brings from the AriZal that מאימתי is ‘from the fear of the מזיקים we recite the שמע  for protection’.

4 –

מִשָּׁעָה שֶׁהַכֹּהֲנִים נִכְנָסִים לֶאֱכֹל בִּתְרוּמָתָן

For a כהן that was טמא and goes to the Mikvah, eating of תרומה needs to be after צאת הכוכבים, which is when ‘night’ begins.

We touched upon the famous מחלוקת between Rashi and his grandchildren on this topic.

Rashi states clearly that before צאת הכוכבים one cannot say קריאת שמע and fulfill this מצות עשה of שמע.

מעריב is different as we will discuss in the future.

So when Davening before צאת הכוכבים (for whatever reason) one must repeat קריאת שמע again. ‘And that is why we say שמע before going to sleep’.

[We will discuss the dissenting opinion of רבינו תם and the ר”י next shiur IYH].

And indeed that is the הלכה as it is brought in the שולחן ערוך.

 

5 – What if there is only one Minyan in town and they Daven before צאת הכוכבים?

Now we have a choice: Daven with the  Minyan (with שמע) and after צאת say שמע again. Or, wait until צאת, then Daven ביחידות.

What does one do?

We mentioned the opinion of the גר”א that one should better Daven ביחידות after צאת הכוכבים, so as to say שמע in its proper time.

 

BSD

Shkolim 22a

Sivan 21, 5785, 06/17/2025

Brief notes

1- We finished הלכה ג of the 8th פרק and moved on to the final  הלכה  which concludes מסכת שקלים.

We left a few lines unfinished until the middle of the summer when a proper סיום will IY”H be celebrated.

It was decided to begin מסכת ברכות next week.

2- In relation to הלכות טומאה וטהרה, we mentioned a most amazing (but surprisingly, not very well known) story in תנ”ך  with חגי הנביא – the last נביא!  See here. Hebrew. Here.

Briefly, it was חגי who urged the people in  ירושלים to resume the building of the second בית המקדש.

3 – חגי was instructed to go and test the knowledge of the כהנים in the laws of הלכות טומאה וטהרה.

Not not unlike the סמיכה tests we have nowadays…..

So חגי הנביא enters the בית המקדש and asks the כהנים 2 questions.

Here are the words: Chagi 2, 11-14

יא) כֹּ֥ה אָמַ֖ר יְהֹוָ֣ה צְבָא֑וֹת שְׁאַל־נָ֧א אֶת־הַכֹּהֲנִ֛ים תּוֹרָ֖ה לֵאמֹֽר׃

Thus says Hashem : “Ask now the priests concerning the law, saying:

יב) הֵ֣ן׀ יִשָּׂא־אִ֨ישׁ בְּשַׂר־קֹ֜דֶשׁ בִּכְנַ֣ף בִּגְד֗וֹ וְנָגַ֣ע בִּ֠כְנָפ֠וֹ אֶל־הַלֶּ֨חֶם וְאֶל־הַנָּזִ֜יד וְאֶל־הַיַּ֧יִן וְאֶל־שֶׁ֛מֶן וְאֶל־כׇּל־מַאֲכָ֖ל הֲיִקְדָּ֑שׁ וַיַּעֲנ֧וּ הַכֹּהֲנִ֛ים וַיֹּאמְר֖וּ לֹֽא׃

“…ווי איז דער דין”

‘If someone carries meat (of a נבילה or שרץ) in the fold of his garment, and with his fold touches bread, stew, wine, oil, or any food, will it become holy?'” The priests answered, “No.”

יג) וַיֹּ֣אמֶר חַגַּ֔י אִם־יִגַּ֧ע טְמֵא־נֶ֛פֶשׁ בְּכׇל־אֵ֖לֶּה הֲיִטְמָ֑א וַיַּעֲנ֧וּ הַכֹּהֲנִ֛ים וַיֹּאמְר֖וּ יִטְמָֽא׃

Then Chaggai said, “If one who is unclean by reason of a dead body touch any of these, will it be unclean?” The priests answered, “It will be unclean.”

Original photo by LY Freidin

4 – So we have 2 questions and answers. Yet the פסוקים seem ambiguous and do not say explicitly if they answered correctly or not. (although the next פסוק seems to imply that the  כהנים erred.)

That caused later generations to discuss this at length.

5 – We scratched the surface of the מחלוקת between רב ושמואל if they answered correctly or not. שאלת הנביא בהלכות טו“ט בביהמ“ק. פסחים יז, א.

גּוּפָא רַב אָמַר אִישְׁתַּבֻּשׁ כָּהֲנֵי וּשְׁמוּאֵל אָמַר לָא אִישְׁתַּבֻּשׁ כָּהֲנֵי.

Rav said: The priests erred, as they should have said the oil is rendered impure. And Shmuel said: The priests did not err.

6 – The final הלכה discusses the procedure of bringing up to the מזבח the portions of the daily קרבן התמיד.

(א) משנה: אֵיבָרֵי הַתָּמִיד נִיתָּנִין מַחֲצִי כֶּבֶשׁ וּלְמַטָּה בַּמַּעֲרָב שֶׁל מוּסָפִין נִיתָּנִין מֵחֲצִי כֶּבֶשׁ וּלְמַטָּה בַּמִּזְבֵּחַ שֶׁל רָאשֵׁי חֳדָשִׁים נִיתָּנִין עַל כַּרְכּוֹב הַמִּזְבֵּחַ מִלְּמַעֲלָן.

The meat was first placed on the ramp and then brought up to be placed on the fire.

On ראש חודש, states the משנה, the meat was placed (not on the ramp, but) on the כרכוב.

What exactly is the כרכוב?

We discussed that generally it can mean the ornamental copper molding that wrapped around the מזבח. Here.

כרכוב at the top and lower כרכוב of copper latticework 

וְעָשִׂ֤יתָ לּוֹ֙ מִכְבָּ֔ר מַעֲשֵׂ֖ה רֶ֣שֶׁת נְחֹ֑שֶׁת וְעָשִׂ֣יתָ עַל־הָרֶ֗שֶׁת אַרְבַּע֙ טַבְּעֹ֣ת נְחֹ֔שֶׁת עַ֖ל אַרְבַּ֥ע קְצוֹתָֽיו׃

You shall make for it a grating, a copper network, and you shall make on the netting four copper rings on its four corners.

7 – However, in our משנה it means the area on top of the מזבח. The reason for placing it on top of the מזבח is to announce to all that today is ראש חודש.

View from the top

We mentioned that this is the reason we do ברכת החודש on שבת מברכים.

8 – Spoke about a little unknown fact about the flat top of the מזבח. The 2 Amos at the outer  perimeter were slight lower than the center of the מזבח. The purpose of this is that the ‘כהנים should not slip’.

 זבחים סב, א.

כרכוב at the top where the Kohanim would walk “so they shouldn’t slip”.

We were unsure if that means not to slip into the center where the fire was or not to slip off the מזבח.

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If the latter, it would mean that the wall of the מזבח reached the height of the center of the מזבח.

 

 

BSD

Shkollim 21b (2)

Sivan 14, 5785, 06/10/2025

1- As discussed last week,  the משנה mentions that 300 כהנים handled the פרוכת to the מקוה for טבילה.

As mentioned, the גמרא  says (Tomid 29a) that this number is an exaggeration.

It was this big!

2- In relation to that גמרא, we referred to the mystical words of the רמ”ע of Fano. The Rebbe would very often cite his explanation.

Briefly, the תורה, when describing what the מרגלים said about ארץ ישראל  says that it has ‘large cities with fortified walls reaching the heavens’. ערים גדולות ובצורות בשמים. דברים א, כח

[This expression is also repeated later דברים ט, א describing ארץ ישראל]

The גמרא comments on this and states that the תורה occasionally speaks using ‘exaggerated terms’.

דִּבְּרָה תּוֹרָה לְשׁוֹן הֲבַאי דִּכְתִיב {דברים א׳:כ״ח} עָרִים גדולות וּבְצוּרוֹת בַּשָּׁמָיִם בַּשָּׁמַיִם סָלְקָא דַּעְתָּךְ אֶלָּא גּוּזְמָא.

The Torah spoke employing exaggerated language, as it is written: “Hear, Israel: You are passing over the Jordan this day, to go in to dispossess nations greater and mightier than you, cities great and fortified up to heaven” (Deuteronomy 9:1). Does it enter your mind to say that the cities were literally fortified up to heaven? Rather, this is an exaggeration.

 The רמ”ע says that at a certain level it is no exaggeration at all. It means to say that the fortified walls of ארץ ישראל are so high that they do not allow the 70 שרים of the אומות into ארץ ישראל. Here.

3- We began the next Mishna that relates to the laws of טומאה וטהרה and will be continued IYH next week.

4 – We mentioned the book מפת הטהרה and the surprising omission by it’s author picked up by the Rebbe. (See the “5th level” in the map below)