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)
