בס”ד
I Is the Torah only a book of laws?
1 Rashi on Genesis 1:1
Rabbi Yitzchak said, “the Torah would only have needed to begin from החודש הזה לכם, (this month shall be for you, etc.), as it is the first mitzvah that the Children of Israel were commanded. What is the reason why the Torah begins with bereshit? Because of the idea mentioned in the verse, ‘He has told of the power of His Works to His people, in order to give them the inheritance of nations’ (Psalms 111:6). For if the nations of the world say to Israel, ‘you are gangsters because you have taken the lands of the seven Canaanite nations by force!’, they [Israel] will say to them, ‘the whole world belongs to the Holy One, Blessed in He. He created it, and gives it to whom He deems upright. It was His Will to give it to you, and it was His Will to take it from you and to give it to us’”. | בראשית. אָמַר רַבִּי יִצְחָק לֹא הָיָה צָרִיךְ לְהַתְחִיל אֶת הַתּוֹרָה אֶלָּא מֵהַחֹדֶשׁ הַזֶּה לָכֶם, שֶׁהִיא מִצְוָה רִאשׁוֹנָה שֶׁנִּצְטַוּוּ בָּהּ יִשׂרָאֵל, וּמַה טַּעַם פָּתַח בִּבְרֵאשִׁית? מִשׁוּם כֹּחַ מַעֲשָׂיו הִגִּיד לְעַמּוֹ לָתֵת לָהֶם נַחֲלַת גּוֹיִם) תהילים קי”א (שֶׁאִם יֹאמְרוּ אֻמּוֹת הָעוֹלָם לְיִשְׁרָאֵל לִסְטִים אַתֶּם, שֶׁכְּבַשְׁתֶּם אַרְצוֹת שִׁבְעָה גוֹיִם, הֵם אוֹמְרִים לָהֶם כָּל הָאָרֶץ שֶׁל הַקָּבָּ”ה הִיא, הוּא בְרָאָהּ וּנְתָנָהּ לַאֲשֶׁר יָשַׁר בְּעֵינָיו, בִּרְצוֹנוֹ נְתָנָהּ לָהֶם, וּבִרְצוֹנוֹ נְטָלָהּ מֵהֶם וּנְתָנָהּ לָנוּ: |
II Personlity Traits? Morality
1. Rabbi Chaim Vital, Sha’arei Kedusha 1:2
| The personality traits are imprinted within a person on a level of his soul that is called yesodit (foundational). It is comprised of four levels: inanimate, floral, faunal, and verbal; each of these levels is an admixture of good and evil. The good and evil traits are connected to this level of the soul, and they are like a chair, a basis and a root for the higher level of the soul to which the 613 commandments are connected. Therefore, the personality traits are not included in the 613 commandments. However, they are the main context for the 613 commandments, their fulfillment and their transgressing, for the nefesh hasichlit does not have the power to fulfill the commandments through the 613 spiritual organs of the body, but must rely on the nefesh hayesodit which is connected to the body itself. This is the secret of the verse, “for with regard to the lifeforce (soul) of all flesh, the blood and the soul are one”. Therefore, the problem of negative personality traits is much, much worse than transgressions themselves. | וְהִנֵּה עִנְיַן הַמִּדּוֹת הֵן מֻטְבָּעוֹת בְּאָדָם בְּנֶפֶשׁ הַשְׁפָּלָה הַנִּקְרֵאת יְסוֹדִית הַכְּלוּלָה מֵאַרְבַּע בְּחִינוֹת, הַדּוֹמֵם וְהַצּוֹמַחַת וְהַבַּהֲמִית וְהַמְּדַבֶּרֶת. כִּי גַּם הֵן מֻרְכָּבוֹת מִטּוֹב וְרַע, וְהִנֵּה בַּנֶּפֶשׁ הַזֶּה תְּלוּיוֹת הַמִּדּוֹת הַטּוֹבוֹת וְהָרֵעוּת וְהֵן כִּסֵּא וִיסוֹד וְשֹׁרֶשׁ אֶל הַנֶּפֶשׁ הָעֶלְיוֹנָה הַשִּׂכְלִית אֲשֶׁר בָּהּ תְּלוּיִין תרי”ג מִצְוַת הַתּוֹרָה כַּנִּזְכָּר לְעֵיל בְּשַׁעַר רִאשׁוֹן. וּלְפִיכָךְ אֵין הַמִּדּוֹת מִכְּלַל הַתַּרְיָ”ג מַצּוֹת, וְאָמְנָם הֵן הֲכָנוֹת עִקָּרִיּוֹת אֶל תרי”ג הַמַּצּוֹת בְּקִיּוּמָן אוֹ בְּבִטּוּלָם, יַעַן כִּי אֵין כֹּחַ בַּנֶּפֶשׁ הַשִּׂכְלִית לְקַיֵּם הַמַּצּוֹת עַל יְדֵי תרי”ג אֵיבְרֵי הַגּוּף אֶלָּא בְּאֶמְצָעוּת נֶפֶשׁ הַיְּסוֹדִית הַמְּחֻבֶּרֶת אֶל הַגּוּף עַצְמוֹ בְּסוֹד (וַיִּקְרָא י”ז י”ד) כִּי נֶפֶשׁ כָּל בָּשָׂר דמ”ו בְּנַפְשׁוֹ הוּא, וּלְפִיכָךְ עִנְיַן הַמִּדּוֹת הָרָעוֹת קָשִׁים מִן הַעֲבָרוֹת עַצְמָן מְאֹד מְאֹד: |
III Torah Law
1 The transmission of Torah
Mishna, Avot 1:1
| Moses received the Torah from Sinai, and gave it to Joshua, and Joshua to the Elders, and the Elders to the Prophets, and the Prophets gave it to the Men of the Great Assembly. They [the Men of the Great Assembly] said three things: be patient in judgement, raise up many students, and make a fence for the Torah. | משֶׁה קִבֵּל תּוֹרָה מִסִּינַי, וּמְסָרָהּ לִיהוֹשֻׁעַ, וִיהוֹשֻׁעַ לִזְקֵנִים, וּזְקֵנִים לִנְבִיאִים, וּנְבִיאִים מְסָרוּהָ לְאַנְשֵׁי כְנֶסֶת הַגְּדוֹלָה. הֵם אָמְרוּ שְׁלשָׁה דְבָרִים, הֱווּ מְתוּנִים בַּדִּין, וְהַעֲמִידוּ תַלְמִידִים הַרְבֵּה, וַעֲשׂוּ סְיָג לַתּוֹרָה: |
2 Implications for the Seven Noahide Laws
Rambam, Hilchot Melachim 8:11
| Anyone who accepts upon himself the Seven Mitzvot and is careful to fulfill them is considered to be one of the chasidei umot ha’olam (the pious among the Gentiles). And he has a share in the World to Come. But this is where he accepts the Seven Mitzvot upon himself and performs them because the Holy One, Blessed is He commanded them in the Torah and because we have been informed by Moses our teacher that B’nei Noach were previously commanded to observe them. | כָּל הַמְקַבֵּל שֶׁבַע מִצְוֹת וְנִזְהָר לַעֲשׂוֹתָן הֲרֵי זֶה מֵחֲסִידֵי אֻמּוֹת הָעוֹלָם. וְיֵשׁ לוֹ חֵלֶק לָעוֹלָם הַבָּא. וְהוּא שֶׁיְּקַבֵּל אוֹתָן וְיַעֲשֶׂה אוֹתָן מִפְּנֵי שֶׁצִּוָּה בָּהֶן הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא בַּתּוֹרָה וְהוֹדִיעָנוּ עַל יְדֵי משֶׁה רַבֵּנוּ שֶׁבְּנֵי נֹחַ מִקֹּדֶם נִצְטַוּוּ בָּהֶן. |
3 The Importance of Rabbis and Friends
| Yehoshua ben Perachya says, “make for yourself a teacher and acquire for yourself a friend, and judge all people favorably”. | יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן פְּרַחְיָה וְנִתַּאי הָאַרְבֵּלִי קִבְּלוּ מֵהֶם. יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן פְּרַחְיָה אוֹמֵר, עֲשֵׂה לְךָ רַב, וּקְנֵה לְךָ חָבֵר, וֶהֱוֵי דָן אֶת כָּל הָאָדָם לְכַף זְכוּת: |
4 The Oral Law
Deuteronomy 12:21
| When the place where Hashem chooses to place His Name becomes far from you, you will slaughter your cattle that Hashem has given you according to the way I have commanded you, and you shall eat within your gates to the satisfaction of your soul’s desire. | כִּֽי־יִרְחַ֨ק מִמְּךָ֜ הַמָּק֗וֹם אֲשֶׁ֨ר יִבְחַ֜ר יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶיךָ֮ לָשׂ֣וּם שְׁמ֣וֹ שָׁם֒ וְזָבַחְתָּ֞ מִבְּקָרְךָ֣ וּמִצֹּֽאנְךָ֗ אֲשֶׁ֨ר נָתַ֤ן יְהוָה֙ לְךָ֔ כַּאֲשֶׁ֖ר צִוִּיתִ֑ךָ וְאָֽכַלְתָּ֙ בִּשְׁעָרֶ֔יךָ בְּכֹ֖ל אַוַּ֥ת נַפְשֶֽׁךָ׃ |
BT Chullin 28a
| Rebbi (Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi) taught, “’and you shall slaughter it according to the way I have commanded you’—this teaches that Moses was commanded previously regarding the windpipe and the esophagus, the majority of one of these with regard to fowl, and the majority of two in the case of cattle. | תָּנִיא רַבִּי אוֹמֵר (דְּבָרִים יב, כא) וְזָבַחְתָּ כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוִּיתִיךְ מְלַמֵּד שֶׁנִּצְטַוָּה מֹשֶׁה עַל הַוֶּשֶׁט וְעַל הַקָּנֶה וְעַל רֹב אֶחָד בָּעוֹף וְעַל רֹב שְׁנַיִם בַּבְּהֵמָה |
By Rabbi Tani Burton
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