Audio Summaries of the daily Chumash portions In loving memory of Ousher Zelig ben Myer HaLevi Z”L

To sponsor an episode please visit: https://itistaught.com/support-this-project/To get the daily chumash summaries in your email click here https://substack.com/profile/182692001-sarede-rachel-switzer?utm_source=profile-page.Subscribe on SpotifySubscribe on Apple PodcastsPlease consider leaving a review on the platform of your choice! For comments and inquiries, email [email protected]

The Menorah and the Mishkan's Two Coverings

The Menorah

G-d now details how the Menorah should be constructed.

G-d says that the Menorah in all of its parts should be formed out of a single slab of gold - i.e. rather than having the pieces made separately and then assembled in such a way that they could be taken apart, and not even made separately and then melded together.

This slab should weigh a kikar*

*Side note: For secular purposes, a kikar was considered 60 manah. For holy purposes - 120 manah. 1 manah = 1 litra (how they would weigh silver in Koln, Germany) = 25 selas. 1 sela = 4 gold pieces. So 1 maneh = 25x4 = 100 gold pieces.

Moshe had a hard time understanding how it was meant to be constructed, so G-d showed him an image made out of fire of what the Menorah was meant to look like. When Moshe still didn't understand, G-d told Moshe to instruct Betzalel to throw the slab of gold into the fire and upon doing so, the golden Menorah formed on its own.

The Menorah was 18 tefachim high. The breakdown of its height was as follows (more details on each of these sections below) - from top down:

* 3 tefachim - top of each branch for the 3 top goblets, 1 knob and 1 flower.

* 2 tefachim - empty space

* 1 tefach - knob with 2 inner branches extending outwards

* 1 tefach - emtpy space

* 1 tefach - knob with 2 middle branches extending outwards

* 1 tefach - empty space

* 1 tefach - knob with 2 outer branches extending outwards

* 2 tefachim - empty space

* 1 tefach - 1 goblet, 1 knob and 1 flower of middle branch

* 2 tefachim - empty space

* 3 tefachim - Base and its legs (+ 1 flower)

A base: This was a box like structure at the bottom of the Menorah held up by three legs (of undefined dimension).

Branches: There were seven branches in total. A middle branch* that extended up out from the base and three branches extending out diagonally from either side of the middle branch, all reaching the same height (so the outermost branches were longest and the innermost branches shortest).

*Side note: When referring to the Menorah, the text sometimes means the entire Menorah and at other times, means the middle branch of the Menorah.

At the head of each branch was a bowl shaped lamp to pour oil and place a wick into.

Decorative goblets (i.e. they did not hold any liquid, serving purely to beautify the Menorah): Each of the six branch had three goblets and the middle branch had one extra (4 total).

Decorative Knobs: Shaped like apples, similar to knobs found on noblemen's candelabras*. There was one knob on each of the six branches. The middle branch had four extra (5 total).

*Side note: The old french word for these candelabra knobs is "pomel", related to the word "pomme", meaning "apple" in french. From here, the word pommel (meaning the knob at the top of a horses saddle) is derived.

Flowers: There was one flower on each branch of the six branches and then the middle branch had two extra (3 total).

There are different opinions regarding how the goblets, knobs and flowers were situated on the branches. According to all three opinions, the goblets, knob and flower either surrounded or were attached to the upper three tefachim of all of the branches (mentioned above in the measurements breakdown).

* The goblets were wedged into one another and the knob and flower were wedged into the top goblet, taking up three tefachim in total. The branch went all the way through all of these and protruded at the top.

* The branch went through the bottom two goblets which were placed one on top the other, each one taking up one tefach. The third (uppermost) tefach of the branch protruded out from there, to which were attached in different diretions: the top goblet, knob and flower.

* The three goblets surrounded the lowest of the three top tefachim upon which rested the knob and then the flower on top of that. The branch went through the knob and flower.

As mentioned, in addition to these top goblets, knobs and flowers, the middle branch of the Menorah had four additional knobs. Three of these were from which the six branches extended (two per knob, extending to either side) and then a fourth underneath the branch. This fourth knob was surrounded by an additional goblet and flower. And then there was one more flower right on top of the base on the middle branch (this extra flower is not mentioned in this section of the chumash but rather is written about later in Bamidbar 8:4).

* Total # of goblets: 3 per each of the six branches = 18 + 4 for middle branch = 22 total.

* Total # of knobs: 1 per each of the six branches = 6 + 5 for middle branch = 11 total.

* Total # of flowers: 1 per each of the six branches = 6 + 3 for middle branch = 9 total.

The bowl shaped lamps which were placed on top of each of the branches of the menorah were faced towards the center branch, so that when kindled, the light would shine towards the center.

Tongs used to move around the wicks and to take them out or put in to the lamps should be made out of pure gold.

So too should the scoopers used to scoop out the ash when cleaning the lamps be made from pure gold.

The Mishkan Cover

Some preliminary measurements of the Mishkan to understand how it was covered:

The Mishkan was made up of 40 beams in length on either side - 20 on the south side and 20 on the north. Each beam was 1.5 amos wide. So the entire Mishkan was 20x1.5 = 30 amos in total length.

It's width was made up of 8 beams on either side - 6 for each of the walls (east and west) and 2 for the corners. This made it 8x1.5= 12 amos wide. One amah of each of the two corner beams overlapped with the north and south walls. Thus the width of the inside of the Mishkan was 10 amos.

The eastern wall of the Mishkan is considered its front and the western wall its back.

---

The cover of the Mishkan should be made up of 10 panels. These panels should be woven out of twisted flax, turquoise wool, purple wool and scarlet wool.

Six strands of each of these materials were twisted together to form threads. Then each of these threads got twisted together to make a mixed thread consisting of all of these materials. So this final thread was made up of 6x4= 24 strands.

Woven into these panels were images of "Cherubim". This may or may not be the four animal images on G-d's supernal Chariot: Man, Lion, Ox and Eagle. These images were woven in such a way that one image appeared on one side and another on the other.

Each panel measured 28 amos in length and 4 amos in width.

These panels were attached in two sets of five, so each set was 4x5= 20 amos wide.

They were to make 50 loops made out of turquoise wool at the edge of each group of five panels. The loops should be equidistant from one another and face the loops of the other panel.

They should make 50 golden clasps and attach the two groups of panels together. When looped together, their total width was 20x2=40 amos.

As stated above, the total width of the Mishkan was 10 amos. These woven panels were to hung lengthwise over this width of the Mishkan (i.e. over its northern and southern walls). Being 28 amos long, the middle 10 amos covered the top of the Mishkan, then 1 extra amah on either side to cover the tops of the beams (which were 1 amah wide). This left 16 amos which draped down on either side (8 on each side). Each beam was 10 amos tall, so this draping covered most of their height, leaving the bottom 2 amos of the beams exposed.

As stated above, the total length of the Mishkan was 30 amos. The 40 amos of the combined panels' width covered this length, leaving 10 more amos. One of these amos covered the top of the western beams and one covered the top of the eastern pillars (as on the eastern side there were 4 pillars instead of beams (in some additions this is written as 5 pillars). This left 8 remaining amos, which were draped over the west side (back) of the Mishkan, leaving the lower 2 amos of those western beams exposed. Alternatively, according to the gemara in maseches Shabbos (98b), the eastern pillars were not covered, so 9 amos draped over the west side. These two opinions pertain to where the Paroches (curtain covering the Aron) was situated. With this in mind, the gemara's interpretation makes more sense as it would allow for the Paroches to be hung directly under the hooks which divided the panels' two groupings of 20 amos each (otherwise according to the first interpretation, the Paroches would have to be hung 1 amah west of the hooks).

They are to make panels out of goat hair to serve as a cover for the Mishkan cover, to cover the exposed lower panels. They should make 11 such panels.

Each panel should be 30 amos long and 4 cubits wide. This way, the 30 amos of its width will cover the 12 amos width of the Mishkan with 9 amos left to hang on either side (north and south). This would cover one additional amah that the first cover left exposed. And then the bottom amah would be drilled into the holes of the sockets which were 1 amah high (to be detailed forthcoming in 26:19).

Of these 11 panels, they should be divided and attached into groupings of 5 and 6. There should be 50 loops made at the end of each grouping and 50 copper clasps to attach these two groups so it is one long covering. These panels should be draped over the length of the Mishkan. The total length of this covering was 30 amos. This was 2 amos longer than the lower covering which was 28 amos.

Half of the additional 6th panel was draped at the entrance (the east) to the Mishkan, likened to a bride covering her face with a veil out of modesty. This half panel was 2 amos long. This left two additional amos which hung out of the back (west side) of the Mishkan, allowing all of the beams (including the 2 lower beams which had been left exposed by the top covering) to be covered by this top cover.

Rashi explains that the reason for the top cover of the Mishkan was to protect the bottom, beautifully weaved one. He says that this is the Torah's way of teaching us to protect beautiful things.

Audio Summaries of the daily Chumash portions In loving memory of Ousher Zelig ben Myer HaLevi Z”L

To sponsor an episode please visit: https://itistaught.com/support-this-project/To get the daily chumash summaries in your email click here https://substack.com/profile/182692001-sarede-rachel-switzer?utm_source=profile-page.Subscribe on SpotifySubscribe on Apple PodcastsPlease consider leaving a review on the platform of your choice!For comments and inquiries, email [email protected]

The Cherubim and the Shulchan

G-d continues with giving instructions regarding the construction of the Mishkan and its vessels:

They are to make a lid for the ark with two "Churibim*" (i.e. images of children), one on either end of the lid.

*Side note: The word Cherub (i.e. כרוב) is related to the Aramaic word כרביא which means "like a chid".

These should both be made out of pure gold and from one slab (i.e the lid and the cherubim should not be made separately and then welded together). This should be done by taking a large enough gold slab for both of them and then beat it down in the middle so there are protrusions on either side to mold the cherubim out of.

The lid itself should be the same length and width as the ark (2.5x1.5 amos). This lid was made 1 tefach* thick.

*Side note: A tefach literally means a "handsbreath" and is variously measured to be between 3-4 inches. One Amah (usually translated as "cubit") is usually measured as 6 tefachim (though sometimes, 5).

The Cherubim should be made facing one another, with wings raised high and spread out, next to their heads, protecting their wings. The space between the wings and the lid was 10 tefachim*.

*Side note: How can we understand the reasoning behind these Churubim being 10 tefachim tall (when measured from their base on the lid to the top of their wings?) Although the Beis HaMikdash was significantly bigger than the Mishkan, the proportions were identical. We learn from Melachim 1 7:2 that the Beis HaMikdash was 30 amos tall and its Cherubim were 10 amos high off the ground, making them reach one third of the height of the building. By contrast, the Mishkan (see Shmos 26:16) was only 10 amos tall (i.e 60 tefachim). Thus we can conclude that the Cherubim of the Mishkan were at the height of 20 tefachim (1/3 the total height of the Mishkan). Seeing as the Aron was 1.5 amos tall (i.e. 9 tefachim) + the lid was another tefach, the actual Cherubim were 20-9-1= 10 tefachim tall.

The "Testimony" should be placed in the ark before closing the ark's lid. I.e. you should not close the lid and then re-open it to put in the Testimony.

G-d tells Moshe that He will communicate with Moshe regarding the Israelites from between the two Cherubim on top of the lid of the ark. G-d will call out to him from anywhere to arrange the meeting, and Moshe will go to the Tent of Meeting (Ohel Moed) to receive what is being communicated, however the communication itself will come from this space on top of the ark*.

*Side note: The Tent of Meeting was located in a part of the Mishkan that was on the outer side of the Paroches partition vs the Ark was on the inside of it.

G-d then instructs to make a table out of the shittim wood. The table should be two amos long, one amos wide and 1.5 amos high (this is referring to the total height of the table; from the bottom of the legs till the top of the table - not just the thickness of the tabletop as one might assume). It should be covered in gold.

A frame should be made to surround the table. Some commentators say that this frame was meant to be on top of the table, surrounding its edges. According to this view, the frame was attached to the tabletop. Some however understood it to be below it, connecting the table's legs to one another (so four parts in total). This seems to be Rashi's view based on his commentary about the attachment of the rings (below). According to this second view, the tabletop was not attached to the frame.

There should be a crown surrounding the table*, coming out from the frame**, symbolizing the regal wealth and greatness that the table was meant to express.

*Side note: Some commentaries thought that there were two crowns, one to surround the table and one to surround the frame. Rashi however understands that these were the same one crown.

**Side note: According to the opinion that the frame was below the tabletop, this crown protruded upwards high enough so that it came up around the tabletop as well.

G-d says that they should make four golden rings to be attached to legs of the table, at its four corners, at the height of the table's frame (assuming the frame was beneath the tabletop).

They should make four poles out of shittim wood, covered in gold. These four poles should be inserted into the rings that have been attached to the table, and it is with these four poles that the table will be carried.

There were four more things that needed to be made as accessories to the table:

1)Molding vessels for the showbread (there are different interpretations as to what the exact shape these molds and thus the bread actually were). Rashi says that they were shaped like a V shaped box of sorts, with two sides totally open. The other two sides could be bent upwards to form walls, which is why, according to Rashi, this bread was called "Showbread" or literally "bread of the face", because it had "walls that faced the sides of the temple in either direction. The bread was placed lengthwise across the width of the table.

Each loaf had two molds - one gold and one iron. It was baked in the iron one, and then on Friday, after taking it out of the oven, it would be placed in the gold one until Shabbos day.

These loaves were arranged into two stacks of six loaves each.

2)"Spoons" should be made to hold frankincense.

According to Rabbi Yehuda and Rashi, the loaves took up the entire table, these spoons were placed a top each stack of bread. According to Rabbi Meir there was a space of two tefachim between each stack and that is where the spoons were places. Either way, there were two spoons.

3)Tubes - These were like hollow half reeds split lengthwise, made from gold. Three tubes would be placed on top of each loaf of bread to allow for some air to pass between the loaves and preserve them from getting moldy.

4)Supports - These were tall golden rods that stood on the ground and rose to the height of the stacks of bread. Each branch had five notches (some editions of Rashi say they had six) into which the above mentioned tubes would be wedged into for support, thus there were six of these support rods in total (as each loaf had three tubes on top of it and there were two stacks of loaves). This was to ensure that the loaves did not weigh heavily one on top of the other.

Audio Summaries of the daily Chumash portions In loving memory of Ousher Zelig ben Myer HaLevi Z”L

To sponsor an episode please visit: https://itistaught.com/support-this-project/To get the daily chumash summaries in your email click here https://substack.com/profile/182692001-sarede-rachel-switzer?utm_source=profile-page.Subscribe on SpotifySubscribe on Apple PodcastsPlease consider leaving a review on the platform of your choice!For comments and inquiries, email [email protected]

Make a Sanctuary for G-d With Your Contributions.

G-d tells Moshe to tell the Israelites to set aside a portion of their money to contribute as an appeasement to G-d.

The word "portion" is written three times (in verses 2 and 3) in relation to three different contributions which were made:

* The contribution which was made towards the making of the sockets of the beams and pillars of the Mishkan. One beka per person was to be donated for this. A beka is a half a shekel.

* The contribution which went towards the building of the Mizbeach. This was also a beka per head. This contribution was placed into three boxes which were kept in a chamber in the temple. Communal sacrifices were bought using these funds.

* The contribution which went towards the Mishkan. This contribution consisted of 15 different items (although Rashi counts it as 13 as he counts the three types of wool as one item since they were made from the same material). Unlike the first two contributions, there was no fixed amount for it and everyone gave as much as they wanted, except for the silver, of which everyone had to give the same amount - a half a shekel worth of silver each. These 15 items were:

* Gold

* Silver - this silver got through the 1/2 shekel donations sufficed for the entire construction of the Mishkan. Any additional voluntary donations of silver were used to construct vessels for service in the mishkan, for example to carry the coals or the blood from the sacrifices.

* Copper

* Turquoise (sometimes translated as blue) wool. It derives its color from being dyed in the blood of a sea creature called a chilazon. It is unclear now what this creature was/is.

* Deep purple wool - Dyed with something called argaman.

* Scarlet wool.

* Linen

* Goats' hair.

* Rams' skins which were dyed red after being tanned.

* The skins of a Tachash - a mysterious, proud, muticolored animal which only existed in the desert while the Israelites traveled through it. Since it did not exist at any other time or place, there is no word for it in any other language.

* Shittah wood. This was one of the 10 different varieties of wood which are called by the term "Cedar". Yaakov brought these types of tree with him when he came to Egypt and planted them there. He instructed his sons to take them with when they would leave. That's how they had this wood in an unlikely place like the desert.

* Pure olive oil which was necessary to light the Menorah. Special skills were needed to prepare this oil.

* Spices to make anointing oil. This oil was used to anoint the Mishkan and its vessels. It was also used to have the incense which was burned each evening and morning and produced rising smoke.

* Shoham stones - these were for the Ephod (a garment worn by the Cohen Gadol). Shoham stones were also used to fill the Choshen (see next item), however the ones mentioned here were for the Ephod.

* Filling stones - These were used to fill in the golden indentations on the Choshen (breastplate) of the Cohen Gadol. Both the Ephod and the Choshen will be further detailed later on in Parshas Tetzaveh (Shmos 28:6-30)

G-d commands that the Israelites build a sanctuary in honor of His name.

This sanctuary and its vessels should be constructed exactly in accordance with how G-d shows Moshe. This commandment is eternal, such that if ever any of the vessels get lost, or in the future when the more permanent Beis HaMikdash is constructed (as opposed to the Mishkan/Tabernacle which was merely a temporary sanctuary), they should be reconstructed in accordance with these guidelines.

G-d says that they should make an Aron out of the shittim wood. This should be a kind of chest of drawers who's bottom rests straight on the ground (i.e. it does not have legs or on top of a pedestal). This Aron should be 2.5 amos long, 1.5 amos wide, and 1.5 amos high.

In addition to the wooden ark, Betzalel (the main person in charge of the construction of the Mishkan) made two additional arks, which were golden. All of these arks were open on top. One was slightly larger than the wooden one, and one slightly smaller. These arks were placed one inside of the other, with the smaller gold ark inside of the wooden ark, which was in turn inside of the bigger golden ark. This made it so that the wooden ark was "coated" by gold on the inside (by the outer part of the smaller gold ark) and the outside (by the inner part of the bigger gold ark).

The upper rim of the wooden ark was coated in gold so it was truly covered from all sides. A gold type of crown was made to go all around the top of the ark. This was symbolic of the crown of Torah, or more specifically of Torah scholars.

They are to make four rings out of gold to be molded into the four upper corners of the ark. Two poles were to be put through these rings so that four people could carry the ark on their shoulders (two on either side, holding the ark lengthwise so there is 2.5 amos between them). These poles should be constructed out of shittim wood as well and then coated in gold. These poles should never be removed from the rings, even while the ark is not being carried.

G-d says that "the testimony which I shall give to you" should be kept inside of the ark. There is a dispute as to whether this means the tablets or the Torah scroll which Moshe wrote. The obvious understanding is that it was the tablets since the Torah was not given in its entirety until the Israelites' 40th year in the desert. However this is why G-d says that it is the testimony which "He will give", alluding to this future time. According to the opinion that only the tablets were kept in there, the Torah scroll was kept on a shelf which came out from the ark.

Audio Summaries of the daily Chumash portions In loving memory of Ousher Zelig ben Myer HaLevi Z”L

To sponsor an episode please visit: https://itistaught.com/support-this-project/To get the daily chumash summaries in your email click here https://substack.com/profile/182692001-sarede-rachel-switzer?utm_source=profile-page.Subscribe on SpotifySubscribe on Apple PodcastsPlease consider leaving a review on the platform of your choice!For comments and inquiries, email [email protected]

Obey G-d. Moshe and Others Pre and Post the Giving of the Torah

If you carry out the will of G-d:

* No woman will miscarry nor lose a child who was born healthy and you will have a long life.

* Everyone who you encounter will be so scared of you that they run away from you.

* G-d will send a flying insect called a Tzirah to lethally attack the Israelites' enemies by injecting venom into these enemies' eyes from across the Jordan river. The specific enemies being referred to here are the Chittites and the Caanites who lived in the lad of Sichon and Og as well as the Chivites who lived westward, on the other side of the Jordan

* He will not get rid of these other nations all at once, rather slowly, they will be driven out, whilst the Israelites become more populous. This is because if G-d were to get rid of the other nations too quickly, there would be too few people in the land and animals would outnumber people.

* The Israelites' will conquer the land of Israel and drive their enemies out. The border of the Israelites' land will be from the Sea of Reeds until the Sea of the Philistines. From the desert until the Euphrates.

The Israelites are not to make a covenant with these other nations nor with their deities. These other nations should not reside in this land so as not to cause the Israelites to harm themselves by worshiping their deities.

--

On the 4th of Sivan (2 days before the giving of the Torah), G-d tells Moshe that he, Aaron, Nadav, Avihu and the seventy elders should ascend to G-d and bow to Him, but only Moshe should approach the fog. The others should prostrate themselves from afar.

Moshe tells all of the Israelites that the men and women need to separate from one another and set up a boundary between themselves and the mountain. He also instructs them in the seven laws of Noah, the laws of Shabbos, honoring one's parents, the laws concerning the red heifer and the civil laws that were given to them at Marah (Shmos 15:25). The Israelites say that they will obey everything that G-d has told them to do.

Moshe wakes up early on the 5th of Sivan and writes down the entire text of the Chumash from Breishis until the giving of the Torah and builds an altar at the base of the mountain and sets up 12 stones paralleling the 12 tribes.

Before Aaron and his progeny were delegated as Cohanim after the sin of the Golden Calf which occurred on the 17th of Tammuz, the firstborn sons held this special status. So Moshe sends these firstborn sons to sacrifice Olah and peace offerings (bulls) to G-d. Moshe divides the blood from the sacrifices in half and takes two basins and puts half of the Olah offering in one basin and half of the peace offering in the other. He then takes the second half of both of these offerings and puts them on the altar.

Moshe reads to the people everything he had written down (i.e. Breishis until the giving of the Torah + the laws which were given at Marah) and the Israelites say that they will do everything that G-d had commanded them to.

After the people had first immersed in a mikvah*, Moshe sprinkles the blood from the basins onto the people**.

*Side note: One cannot have blood sprinkled upon them until after they have first immersed in a mikvah.

**Side note: The covenant between G-d and the Israelites consisted of: Circumcision (performed in Egypt), Immersion in a Mivkah and having blood sprinkled on them.

Moshe, Aaron, Nadav, Avihu and the 70 elders ascend to G-d. They meditated upon G-dly ideas which were beyond their scope, thus making them liable for death, however G-d did not want to infringe upon the joy of the giving of the Torah so He delayed this sentence until the inauguration of the Mishkan when Nadav and Avihu did die. They perceived G-d having a sapphire brick, in commemoration of the enslavement of the Israelites in Egypt. The image was clear and clean, indicating that once the Israelites were redeemed, He experienced light and joy. The way that the elders and Nadav and Avihu were was with inappropriate familiarity.

--

After the giving of the Torah, G-d tells Moshe to ascend to Him and stay there for 40 days and G-d will give him the tablets with the 10 commandments. The 10 commandments implicitly include all of the 613 commandments. G-d Himself only wrote down the 10 commandments. The Torah was written down by Moshe.

Yehoshua, Moshe's disciple, escorts Moshe to the foot of the mountain, and then camps out there, away from the rest of the people, for the full 40 days waiting for Moshe to descend.

Moshe tells the elders to not escort him as such but rather stay with the rest of the people to serve as judges for them. These judges included Aaron and his nephew Chur (Miriam and Calev's son).

Moshe ascends the mountain which was covered by a cloud. This cloud covered the mountain for six days* and on the seventh day, G-d called out to Moshe from within it.

*Side note: These six days were either from the first of Sivan until the giving of the Torah, or else they were six days after the giving of the 10 commandments. This section instructs us that prior to entering a sanctified area, one must seclude oneself for six days. For example, the Cohen Gadol had to seclude himself for six days before entering the Kodesh Kedoshim on Yom Kippur.

The Israelites perceived G-d's glory as a consuming fire on top of the mountain. G-d made a path for Moshe to travel upwards within the smoke like cloud on the mountain and there he remained for forty days and forty nights.

Audio Summaries of the daily Chumash portions In loving memory of Ousher Zelig ben Myer HaLevi Z”L

To sponsor an episode please visit: https://itistaught.com/support-this-project/To get the daily chumash summaries in your email click here https://substack.com/profile/182692001-sarede-rachel-switzer?utm_source=profile-page.Subscribe on SpotifySubscribe on Apple PodcastsPlease consider leaving a review on the platform of your choice!For comments and inquiries, email [email protected]

G-d Will Send a Protective Angel

G-d says that He will send an angel* before them to protect them as they are fated to sin in constructing the golden calf.

*The angel G-d sent was the angel Metatron, who’s numerical value is the same as G-d’s name Sha-dai (314).

He continues and says that He will bring them to the place which He has prepared, alluding to the Land of Israel, or alternatively, according to the midrash, to the Temple. Saying that it is a place which G-d has already prepared is alluding to the earthly Temple mirroring the heavenly Temple.

G-d warns the Israelites to beware of the angel and not disobey him. Angels, being direct emissaries from G-d don’t have free will and thus no evil inclination (yetzer hara). They are thus not able to empathize with people who do sin, so this angel will not be forgiving.

G-d says that if they listen to the angel and do what he says, the angel will go before them and G-d will bring the Israelites to their enemies, namely the Amorites, the Chitites, the Perizites, the Cannanites, the Chivites and the Jesubites, and he will distress and ultimately eradicate them.

G-d warns the Israelites not to worship their idols but rather to destroy these.

Rather they should worship G-d and He will bless their food and water and take away sickness from them.

Audio Summaries of the daily Chumash portions In loving memory of Ousher Zelig ben Myer HaLevi Z”L

To sponsor an episode please visit: https://itistaught.com/support-this-project/To get the daily chumash summaries in your email click here https://substack.com/profile/182692001-sarede-rachel-switzer?utm_source=profile-page.Subscribe on SpotifySubscribe on Apple PodcastsPlease consider leaving a review on the platform of your choice!For comments and inquiries, email [email protected]

How to Judge, The Sabbatical Year, Idolatry, Holidays and Kosher Laws.

Do not skew the judgement of someone in court on account of them being poor.

If a person is sentenced to death and upon leaving court someone says that they can prove their innocence, the court is to be resumed and the verdict reevaluated.

If however, such a person is acquitted and upon leaving court someone says that they can prove the person's guilt, we do not revisit the case and let the person go free. The final verdict was in G-d's hands so obviously G-d meant for the person to be seen as "righteous" by the court. And if the person was indeed guilty and worthy of being killed, G-d has other ways of killing them.

Do not take a bribe, even if the bribe is to coerce you to judge in a way that is truthful. For a bribe can confused even a Torah scholar from seeing correctly.

Do not treat a convert badly. Converts have a natural inclination to go back to their old ways, and if someone treats them badly, it makes it harder for them not to go in that direction.

Sow your land and gather in your crop for six years. And on the seventh, refrain from working the land (plowing and planting) and let it rest (do not fertilize or hoe it).

During the seventh year:

* Any species which is no longer available to animals in the seventh year and has been stored should be taken out from storage.

* The laws of tithing are put on hold

* Poor people can eat freely of any produce as it is considered ownerless.

* This agricultural sabbatical applies to vineyards, olive groves and fields of grains, legumes and vegetables, so called "fields of white" as they are not covered in trees like an orchard,

You shall work for six days and rest on the seventh. This is true even during the sabbatical year of "rest". Allow your animals (ox and donkey) to be at ease and eat freely from the ground*.

*Side note: Although we are forbidden from having our animals work on the Sabbath, they are allowed to pluck grass from the ground in order to eat it, something which a person is forbidden from doing, as this will make the day more comfortable for them.

Resting as such on the seventh day will allow your uncircumcised slave as well as the "Resident Alien", AKA Ger Toshav (a non jew who has committed to keeping the seven laws of Noah) to become refreshed.

"Take note of all I have said to you and be watchful" - i.e. for every positive commandment there is a corresponding negative commandment.

Do not use an idol as a demarcation point of where to meet or use an idolatrous holiday as a timeline around which you plan things.

Refraining from the prohibition against idolatry is on par with keeping all of the mitzvos combined.

Do not become a parter with an idolator as the idolator will swear in their deity's name and thus their idol will be mentioned on your account.

You shall celebrate three annual festivals for G-d. Every year, even during the Sabbatical year, all Israelite men should make a pilgrimage to G-d.

The three festivals are:

1)Passover:

* To be celebrated for seven days during which you shall eat matzah.

* To be celebrated during the month of the first ripened produce*.*Side note, the text writes that this festival should take place in the month of the אביב. אב can mean both "moisture", alluding to the fruits being the most moist at the start of their ripening and "father", alluding to these being the "firstborn" fruits.

* To commemorate leaving Egypt during this time.

* You shall bring an Olah offering for sacrifice.

* Do not slaughter the Pascal offering on the 14th of Nissan until after you have gotten rid of all your chametz

2)Shavuot:

* To be celebrated during the season of the first harvest.

* You must bring a meal offering in the form of two loaves of bread made from this first gathered crop.

3)Sukkot:

* This is the festival of "gathering"; so called because once the summer ends, we gather our crops inside in anticipation of the rain which is to come. This is why we recite the prayer for rain during the last days of Sukkot. In Israel, the rainy season begins fifteen days after Sukkot.

Any fat from a sacrifice* that is left off the alter overnight will be disqualified. If it is put on the alter even for part of the night, towards the end of the night, it will not be disqualified.

*Side note: The text is talking about festival sacrifices, however this applies to all sacrifices.

There are seven biblical species which are enumerated in the Torah: Wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives and dates. When these species begin to ripen, the owner must go to his land and tie a string around the first fruits that he notices* and these should be brought to G-d.

*Side note: The law of first fruits (Bikkurim) is not about the objectively first firsts but rather the first that he notices.

Any baby animal (some commentaries say this only refers to a young goat, i.e. a kid, but Rashi holds that it is any baby animal) shall not be cooked in its mother's milk*.

*Side note: Scripture includes this verse in three different locations in Torah (Shmos 23:19 (i.e here), Shmos 34:26 and Dvarim 14:21). This is to teach three different prohibitions related to law related to mixing milk with meat:

1)To not eat milk with meat.

2)To not benefit from such a mixture (by selling it for example).

3)To not cook milk and meat together.

Audio Summaries of the daily Chumash portions In loving memory of Ousher Zelig ben Myer HaLevi Z”L

To sponsor an episode please visit: https://itistaught.com/support-this-project/To get the daily chumash summaries in your email click here https://substack.com/profile/182692001-sarede-rachel-switzer?utm_source=profile-page.Subscribe on SpotifySubscribe on Apple PodcastsPlease consider leaving a review on the platform of your choice!For comments and inquiries, email [email protected]

Some Laws Related to Agriculture, Courts of Law and Helping Travelers

You shall not blaspheme G-d's name nor curse a judge.

You shall not change the order of the mitzvos related to the separation of your crops. The proper order is: Bikurim, Terumah, Maaser Rishon and Maaser Sheni. Here is a brief definition of each of these:

1 - Bikurim: The offering of the first fruits

2 - Terumah: The part of one's produce (grain, wine or olive oil - as distinguished from Bikkurim which is just fruit, Terumah includes liquids) that is to be given to a Cohen.

3 - Maaser Rishon: After Terumah has been taken, a tithe is separated from one's crop and given to a Levite on each of the six years of the seven year agricultural cycle.

4a. Maaser Sheni: A second tithe which is taken and then eaten by the owner and their guests in Jerusalem during the first, second and fifth years of the seven year cycle.

4b. Maaser Ani: A title that is taken and then given to the poor during the third and sixth years of the seven year cycle.

You must redeem your firstborn son from a Cohen for five Selaim after thirty days. Similarly, you must take care of your smaller cattle (i.e goats and sheep) for thirty days before giving them to a Cohen. This is in contrast to larger cattle like oxen or cows which must be taken care of for fifty days before giving them to a Cohen.

A Cohen may take the cattle before this thirty day period is over, however the earliest he can take it from the owner is when it is eight days old.

You shall not eat an animal who has died as a result of having suffered an injury which resulted in their death (even if they were ritually slaughtered before dying). If you follow this, you will be G-d's, but if you transgress this, you will not be G-d's. While such injuries are most common out in the wild, this stipulation applies to any such injury suffered anywhere and by any means.

However, you are allowed to derive benefit from such an animal by giving it to a dog* or to a non jew (idolator).

*Side note: A dog is mentioned before the idolator to teach that a dog is on a higher level than an idolator as merely by existing they have fulfilled their potential, while an idolator has not. And having thus fulfilled their potential, they are deserving of their reward, which you can grant to them in the form of this wounded animal.

You shall not believe slander told by one person without giving the other person the chance to tell their side of the story. You shall not agree to testify on account of this slander.

Capital cases are judged by a court of twenty three judges. To find someone innocent, it is enough to have a majority of one (i.e twelve who vote innocent and eleven who vote guilty). However to deem someone guilty, you must have a majority of at least two. So if the verdict comes out 12:11 guilty, two more judges are added to the panel to see if a majority of two will then result. If these two new judges are divided, two more judges are added and so forth until an acceptable verdict is reached. If 24 pairs of judges have been added (making for a total of 71 judges) and there is still no conclusion, the judge must think through their decisions until someone changes his mind, thus rendering an acceptable majority in either direction (innocent or guilty).

This is only the law with regards to capital cases. In cases that are not punishable by death, it is enough to convict someone with a majority of one.

One should not disagree with a more prominent judge out of respect. Thus the younger judges should issue their judgements first. You should not give your opinion just to be in line with the majority but rather you should judge truthfully.

You should not judge a poverty stricken person extra favorably to compensate for him being impoverished.

If you find your enemy's donkey or ox wandering, you shall return it to him.

If you see your enemy's donkey underneath its burden - will you abandon him? No you will surely help him unload. An elder, to whom unloading such a donkey would be beneath their dignity need not do so. Rashi brings down the opinion that if a non Jew is carrying his load or the load of a Jew, one need not help, however this is not the actual halacha which states that you must help in such a scenario regardless of whether the owner is a jew or a non jew.

Audio Summaries of the daily Chumash portions In loving memory of Ousher Zelig ben Myer HaLevi Z”L

To sponsor an episode please visit: https://itistaught.com/support-this-project/To get the daily chumash summaries in your email click here https://substack.com/profile/182692001-sarede-rachel-switzer?utm_source=profile-page.Subscribe on SpotifySubscribe on Apple PodcastsPlease consider leaving a review on the platform of your choice!For comments and inquiries, email [email protected]

Laws Concerning Damages Incurred to Others' Property and Possessions

If a person lets their cattle loose and as a result the cattle damages another's property via trampling on it or grazing from it, the owner of this cattle must pay the owner of the field for the damages. If they pay in land, the owner of the cattle must take from the best of his land.

If a person starts a fire in their field but it then spreads to another person's field and burns the thorns there to cause a bigger fire, this person must pay for the damages incurred.

If a person lends something to someone else and then the trustee claims that someone stole the goods from him, if the thief is caught - the thief must pay back both the owner of the goods and the trustee. If the thief is not caught, the trustee must go to court to testify that he did not steal the goods. If witnesses testify that the trustee was actually the one who stole the goods and the judges condemn him on this basis, he must pay double the value of the goods to the owner. However if these witnesses are found to be false, these witnesses must pay double the value of the goods to the trustee. The trustee is only forced to testify however if he admits to stealing part of (but not all of) the goods.

When a person gives someone an animal to guard and the trustee says that the animal had died or was injured or captured and there were no witnesses to the death, the trustee must testify to this, as well as to the fact that he did not put this animal to his personal use, in which case he would have breeched the contract he had regarding the loan. Once he testifies as such, he is not responsible to pay anything to the owner and the owner must let it go. However if the animal was stolen from him, he must pay the owner for it. If this animal was torn apart by wild beasts, the trustee should bring the torn animal to court as evidence. Wild beasts include such things like a wolf, lion, bear or serpent. If however the animal was torn by a milder animal such as a cat, fox or marten, the trustee is liable and must pay, as he could have protected the animal from these but didn't.

If a person borrows an animal from another and then the animal dies or is injured, the borrower must pay compensation to the owner. However if the owner of the animal had been working for the borrower at the time of this loan, even if it was a type of work that was unrelated to the work the animal was doing, and even if the owner was not present at the time of the animal's death, the borrower is exempt from paying. If the animal was hired and not borrowed, it is unclear as to whether the hirer would have to pay compensation and how much, and there are different opinions about it. Rabbi Meir says he would have to pay as if he were a Shomer Chinam, and Rabbi Yehudah says he would have to pay as a Shomer Sachar.

If a man coerces a virgin girl to sleep with him, he must pay for her appropriately (i.e. write a ketuba for her) and marry her. If her father does not want this man to marry his daughter, the man must pay the father in 50 shekels of silver.

A witch (male or female, though in those times it was more common for women to be witches) should be put to death by the court.

Anyone who is intimate with an animal must be put to death by stoning.

Anyone who performs any kind of act that could be considered a sacrifice to an idol (or is the same as the type of sacrificial acts that the Jews would perform in the Temple) shall be put to death. Acts that merely display good feelings towards an idol but aren't actually forms of worship (sweeping the floor in front of an idol, sprinkling water in front of it, or hugging or kissing it) are not liable for death.

Do not heckle or steal from a convert, for you were strangers* in Egypt. And you should never rebuke someone for a fault that you have.

*Side note: The word גר which translates as "convert" or "stranger" refers to anyone who was born in a different land than they live in.

Do not mistreat a widow or orphan. There is a difference of opinion as to whether this law of mistreating people applies to everyone or specifically to widows and orphans. Rashi is of the opinion that it applies to everyone but that widows and orphans are particularly mentioned as it is more common to mistreat people who are weaker in power (having no one to defend them) such as these. If you do mistreat them, G-d will punish you so that you die and your own wives shall be "widows" and your children will be "orphans*".

*Side note: This doesn't mean literal widows and orphans but rather "widows" in the sense that the man in question's body shall not be found so the wives will not be allowed to remarry which will lead to the children being considered "orphans" in so far that the courts will not let them take their father's property as it has not been determined if he is dead or just being held captive somewhere.

If you lend money to your fellow Jews, do not charge them interest*. If you have a choice to lend money to a Jew vs a non Jew (assuming you can only lend to one), lend to the Jew. A poor man vs a rich man, lend to the poor man first. Your poor relatives vs the poor of your city, your relatives come first. The poor of your city vs the poor of another city, your city comes first. If you do lend someone money, do not treat them dishonorably as a result.

*Side note: The word for "interest" given here is נשך which means to bite. Interest is likened to a snake bite which goes unnoticed at first but ends up having the whole body swell up as a result. So does interest go unnoticed at first but then builds up and ends up becoming a great loss to the borrower.

If you request to be paid back a loan from someone at the appointed time and they don't pay you back, and you take their clothing as collateral, you can do this, but only take it from them at night when they won't be wearing it and restore it to them during the day (and then you can take it from them again the following night and so forth). If you take his bed linen as collateral, if he calls out to G-d to have something to lie down in, G-d will listen to him.

Audio Summaries of the daily Chumash portions In loving memory of Ousher Zelig ben Myer HaLevi Z”L

To sponsor an episode please visit: https://itistaught.com/support-this-project/To get the daily chumash summaries in your email click here https://substack.com/profile/182692001-sarede-rachel-switzer?utm_source=profile-page.Subscribe on SpotifySubscribe on Apple PodcastsPlease consider leaving a review on the platform of your choice!For comments and inquiries, email [email protected]

Damages Relating to People and Animals

If a person hits their Canaanite slave or maidservant with an object* (like a rod or a stone) that can cause death when striking a certain part of a person’s body, and the slave or maidservant dies as a result, the master shall be put to death.

*Side note: This is the case for Hebrew slaves, that the death blow must have been with this type of object for the master to be culpable. So all the more so must this be the case with a Canaanite slave/maidservant for whom we tend to be more lenient towards the master, since the Canaanite slave is considered to be his master’s property forever, vs. the Hebrew slave must be set free after 6 years.

In the case of a Canaanite slave or maidservant, if they survive the blow for 24 hours, then the master is exempt from penalty of death (this is not the case with a Hebrew slave). If someone else other than the master hit this slave however, this person shall be held culpable even if 24 hours have passed before the slave dies.

If two men are fighting and one of them unintentionally hits a pregnant woman who is nearby, killing her unborn fetus, the court is to determine the value of the unborn fetus by calculating the value of the woman while she was pregnant (were she to be sold into slavery) minus what she would have been worth before she were pregnant. The man who struck her is then responsible to pay this amount in damages to the husband of the aborted woman.

If in this case not only the fetus is killed but the woman herself is, the culprit must pay with his life. Some people say that this is literal, meaning he shall be put to death. Others however say that it is monetary, and that he should pay the amount that he would be worth were he to be sold into slavery.

In the case of an eye, a tooth or any limb, if it is damaged, the one who did the damage is responsible to pay the victim the amount which compensates for the amount that has been lost to the person’s value (were they to be sold in the marketplace as a slave) due to their injury.

If a person is injured in such a way that it does not diminish their value in the marketplace but rather causes them significant pain such as a burn a wound or a bruise, the culprit must pay the victim an amount that would appease the victim enough to forgive the culprit. For a rich person who is more spoiled, this amount will most likely be higher.

In the case of a flesh wound which not only will decrease their value in the marketplace but also cause significant pain, the culprit is responsible to pay not only the amount that the person is worth, but for his medical expenses and anything to cover loss of incapacitation from work as a result of the wound.

If a person hits his Canaanite slave or slave woman and their eye or tooth gets knocked out, they are to be set free. This is true not only for eyes and teeth but for the loss of any of the 24 limbs (10 fingers, 10 toes, 2 ears, the nose and the tip of the male organ). The reason why the eye and tooth are both mentioned (instead of just mentioning one of them and having the other limbs insinuated including the other one), is because if only the eye were mentioned, we might assume it only meant those limbs which were present at birth, whereas teeth were not. And if it were to only mention teeth, we might assume it could apply to baby teeth which grow back after the come out, which it does not.

If a person's animal (the text says an "ox" as this was the most common animal at the time for this kind of thing to occur, however it is the same law for any animal) kills a person, that animal is to be put to death. People cannot receive any benefit from such an animal by eating it or otherwise benefitting from it before it is killed. If this animal is what is considered a tam (literally an "innocent"), meaning that it is not a wild animal and has not habitually harmed people, the owner is not liable to be put to death through stoning.

If however such an animal has habitually caused bloodshed to people (habitually is defined as having been done three consecutive days prior) and the owner was warned by the court to keep their animal locked up and then this animal kills someone (in any way, not specifically through goring), the animal shall be put to death, and the owner will be killed by G-d (not by man though). As far as the court, they calculate the sum that the owner of the animal must pay to redeem himself. According to Rabbi Yishmael, this value is calculated according to what the victim would have been worth had they been sold as a slave. According to Rabbi Akiva, the value calculated is that of the owner of the animal.

This law is the same whether the victim was an adult or a minor (one might have thought that the owner wouldn't be held responsible in the case of a minor since animals are not scared of children the way they are of adults, so the fact that an animal attacked a child does not prove that it is an inherently violent animal the way we might assume had they attacked an adult.

If a person's animal kills a Canaanite slave or slave woman, the owner of the animal must pay the slave's owner in silver in the amount of 30 shekels, regardless of the actual value of the slave and the animal is to be killed by stoning.

If any cattle or beast falls into a pit which a person exposed or dug deeper into an already exposed pit (this is because a pit 9 tephachs deep is not deadly whereas 10 tephachs is) and the animal dies, then the person who exposed or dug the pit must pay compensation to the owner of the animal in money or something equally valuable, equal to the amount that the animal was worth plus any further damages that occurred as a result.

If a person's animal hits another person's animal and that animal dies, assuming both animals are of equal value, the value of the living animal is divided in half and the carcass of the dead animal is divided in half, and each owner takes one half so they both suffer equally as a result of what happened. This is assuming that the animal which attacked was a tam, i.e. did not habitually attack. The reason the values are divided up as such only in the case of animals of equal value, is because if the animals were of different value, the owner of the animal which attacked might at times benefit from the attack which doesn't make sense (i.e. if the value of the dead animal was considerably higher than the value of the animal which attacked) and at times, the owner of the animal which attacked might get overcompensated over and above what he is due (i.e. if the value of the animal which attacked was considerably higher than his dead animal).

However if the attacking animal was a Nagach, i.e it habitually attacked (it is considered in this category if it attacks for three consecutive days), then the owner of the animal which attacked must pay full compensation of all damages incurred to the owner of the dead animal and the owner of dead animal keeps the carcass as well.

If a person steals an ox or a sheep or a goat and then slaughters or sells it, they must pay 5 cattle to replace the ox and 4 for the sheep. Two reasons for this difference in amount are as follows:

Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakai said that while an ox cannot be held on one's shoulders, a sheep can. So the humiliation of carrying the sheep on their shoulders in coming to their trial is part of their punishment and thus they don't need to pay as much for a sheep.

Rabbi Meir says that it's because an ox works harder than a sheep, thus stealing an ox is a bigger deal as it is preventing more work from being done than a sheep.

Unlike with the previous discussions about an "ox" which really meant any animal, in this case, the text is specifically referring to an ox and a sheep.

If you catch a thief tunneling underground and kill him in the process, this is not considered murder, as it is permissible to kill someone before they kill you as they are already considered like a dead person.

However if it is clear that the thief has no intention of killing, for example if is a father who is coming to steal from his son (and a father naturally has mercy on his son), you are not allowed to kill them, rather the thief will be liable to pay back whatever he stole. Alternatively, if a person is made aware that someone is coming in to steal from him by witnesses who saw the thief (and the thief is aware that people see him) and the owner of the house kills the thief, the owner of the house is liable for the death penalty. This is because once the thief was seen by people, we can assume that he would not kill anyone as he has been seen.

If a thief is caught with an animal that has the law of double payment associated with it (eg. an ox or a donkey) which he stole, if the animal is alive, he must return the animal. If it is dead or he sold it, he must compensate the rightful owner doubly with money or with an equivalent animal.

Audio Summaries of the daily Chumash portions In loving memory of Ousher Zelig ben Myer HaLevi Z”L

To sponsor an episode please visit: https://itistaught.com/support-this-project/To get the daily chumash summaries in your email click here https://substack.com/profile/182692001-sarede-rachel-switzer?utm_source=profile-page.Subscribe on SpotifySubscribe on Apple PodcastsPlease consider leaving a review on the platform of your choice!For comments and inquiries, email [email protected]

Laws Concerning Slavery, Murder, Parents, Kidnapping and Damages for Injuries

The Chumash now outlines a series of more specific laws. This Parsha directly follows the previous Parsha to educate us that just as the Ten Commandments were given directly from G-d at Mount Sinai, so were these laws.

Also, these more legalistic laws were placed adjacent to the laws concerning instructions involving the alter to teach the Israelites that the Sanhedrin should be next to the holy temple.

G-d instructs Moshe to really educate the Israelites in these laws not just so they can memorize them, but so that they really understand them so they are ready to keep.

G-d says that the Israelites should not bring legal matters to non jewish courts, but rather settle things in Jewish courts. Bringing legal matters to non jewish courts is a desecration of G-d's name in that it is giving higher importance to the testimony of non jewish deities.

The laws:

If a master buys a Hebrew slave, who has been sold into slavery by a court as a sentence for committing theft*, he shall work for the master for 6 years and on the 7th shall be set free.

*Side note: A Hebrew slave who sells himself into slavery due to his severe poverty is discussed later on in Vayikra 25:39.

If this Hebrew slave entered into servitude as a single man, so shall he leave; i.e. the master shall not give him a Canaanite maidservant from whom to father slaves. If he were married to a Hebrew woman upon entering servitude, his master shall be responsible to provide not only for him but for his wife and children as well up until the point that he is freed, at which time the master is no longer responsible for them anymore.

If the master does give this Hebrew slave a Canaanite maidservant from which to father slaves (which is only allowed if the man already had a Hebrew wife before becoming a slave), upon being freed, the Canaanite maidservant and her children are owned by the master. An Israelite maidservant would be set free together with the slave, or even earlier were she to show signs of puberty.

If the slave says that he loves his master and this Canaanite maidservant and the children that he bore from her and doesn't want to be set free, then the master shall bring the slave to court which sold him to the master to repay what he stole and they shall bring him to an upright door* and pierce his right ear to the door, and he shall be that master's slave "forever"**. The reason for this piercing of the ear is related to the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. In the case of a slave who was sold into slavery by the court for not being able to repay his theft, this piercing is a sign that the same ear which heard "Thou Shalt Not Steal" from Mount Sinai went ahead and stole. And in the case of a slave who sold themselves into slavery due to being severely impoverished, this is in relation to his ear being the same one that heard on Mount Sinai about how the Israelites were only to be G-d's slaves now and no longer the Egyptians, yet he nevertheless sold himself to a human master. Rabbi Shimon says that the significance of the piercing being connected to a door and a mezuzah is in commemoration of G-d passing over the doors that had mezuzah's on them in Egypt to signify that we were slaves of G-d and not slaves of slaves (i.e of the Egyptians).

*Side note: Upright like a mezuzah.

**Side note: This doesn't literally mean forever, but rather just till the end of the jubilee, as 50 years is considered "forever". One does not have to serve a full 50 years however, rather even if this servitude starts in the middle or towards the end of the jubilee, it ends at the end of it.

If a man sells his minor aged daughter to be a handmaiden, she shall work for either 6 years, the end of the jubilee, or until she shows sign of puberty - whichever of these three comes first. If her master caused damage to her eye or to her tooth, he is to pay appropriate compensation to her upon release.

A Canaanite slave is released if the master knocks out his tooth, blinds his eye or mutilates the tips of any of his 24 limbs. Not so is a Hebrew maidservant, nor a Hebrew slave.

If this maidservant which was purchased is not pleasing for the master to marry (the money he used to purchase her was meant to be his payment to marry her), he must set her free and the cost of her redemption should not be the original amount that he purchased her for but rather he should calculate as if she were a hired worker for him and deduct that from what he original paid to calculate her price. Due to his "betrayal" of her in not following through with the intended marriage, as well as her father's betrayal in selling her off instead of raising her properly, she is not allowed to be sold to anyone else.

The master may designate his son to marry this maidservant in his stead, in which case he must give her food, clothing and marital relations in accordance with the law. If he then acquires a second wife, he shall not thus diminish the food, clothing and martial relations he had been providing to his first wife, the maidservant.

If he does not provide these three things for her, namely designate her for a wife for himself, or for his son, or deduct from her redemption fee the amount she would be due were she a hired laborer, she is to be set free at the first signs of puberty (or after 6 years if that comes first).

An adult who hits a person to the point of death is to be put to death.

A person who kills someone unintentionally will be sent to a safe haven to escape in the Levite camp. One might wonder why G-d would set up such a scenario where a person who has no intention to do evil ends up killing someone. Unintentional killing, while not intentional is a sign of criminal negligence. And since G-d runs the world, justice always wins over in the end. Rashi brings an example for this, such that if there was one person who committed a murder unintentionally and another one who committed an intentional murder and neither got caught and thus neither got punished, G-d could set up a scenario whereby they are both at the same inn and the intentional murder sits near the bottom of a ladder and the unintentional murderer climbs the ladder and then falls, falling on top of the person below and killing him, the unintentional murderer will now be caught for unintentional murder and be sent into exile where he should have been sent to before, and the intentional murderer died, which was his deserving sentence.

If a Jew schemes to intentionally* kill another Jew, this is punishable by death. If this killer is a Cohen, if he has begun his service in the temple, he should complete what he is doing before being brought to trial. If he has not yet started the service, he should be brought to trial first.

*Side note: Rashi includes a whole list of scenarios whereby someone might unintentionally kill someone, some of which wouldn't necessarily make them liable to be exiled and thus we might think they are liable for the death penalty. I didn't feel it necessary to list all of them here but if you'd like to read them, see Rashi for Breishis 21:14. Rashi explains in this verse that this is not the case and a murder is only punishable by death if it were premeditated and the victim was a fellow Jew.

A person who hits their mother or father, even if the blow doesn't kill them but rather causes a bruise or wound that draws blood should be put to death by strangulation.

A person who kidnaps another person and there were witnesses who saw the person who was kidnapped in the possession of the kidnapper before the kidnapper sold the victim, the kidnapper should be put to death (by strangulation*).

*Side note: When Chumash just states "put to death", by default this means by strangulation.

Anyone (excluding a minor) who curses their mother or father* shall be put to death by stoning.

*Side note: Liability for cursing one's parents only applies in the case where one's parents are Torah abiding. There is a dispute over whether this is similarly the case for the law concerning striking one's parents. Those who argue that they are similar, support their argument by pointing to the closeness of these two laws to one another in Chumash. Those who say that the prerogative that the parents must be Torah abiding only applies to cursing but not striking the parents find support in the break between these two laws with the law concerning kidnapping.

When a person hits another person and they don't die but they become incapacitated to the point of being unable to perform their work, the striker is imprisoned until the victim heals and the striker must pay damages to the victim to compensate for any financial loss they suffered as a result of the injury as well as any related medical fees.