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.

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 Ten Commandments

G-d bends the upper and lower heavens and spread them across Mount Sinai. In this way, in "descending" to the mountain to speak with Moshe, He was able to remain in heaven whilst simultaneously being on the mountain.

Moshe ascends the mountain towards G-d.

G-d tells Moshe to descend back to the people and warn them not to disassemble and go up the mountain in their yearning to see G-d's revelation. Each person was so precious to G-d that if even one of them "fell" in this way, it would be to G-d as if many did.

He tells Moshe to specifically warn the Cohanim that they should not rely on their status of coming close to G-d by bringing sacrifices to think that this gives them the permission to go up the mountain. They should stay where they are or else G-d will kill some of them.

Moshe reassures G-d that the Israelites do not need to be warned of this as they are within a three day period which they have been warned as such already.

G-d reiterates that Moshe should nevertheless descend and warn the people a second time. It is wise to warn someone of something in anticipation of a certain action and then to remind them again just before the anticipated action would have taken place.

G-d tells Moshe to bring Aaron and the Cohanim back up the mountain with him. Only Moshe however is to ascend to the highest point on the mountain. Aaron will be a bit lower but nearby Moshe, and the other Cohanim lower down than him.

So Moshe goes down the mountain and speaks to the people.

G-d* speaks the 10 commandments first all in one utterance and then reiterates them in more detail. Every time G-d said a positive commandment, the Israelites would answer "Yes" in response, affirming that they would do it. Every time G-d said a negative commandment (i.e. prohibition), the Israelites would answer "No" in response, affirming that they would refrain from transgressing these.

*Side note: The name of G-d which is used here is Elokim, connoting "judgement". This is to teach us that it is important to proactively fulfill all 10 of the commandments. This is unlike certain other commandments which come up in Torah which while one is rewarded for performing them, one is not punished for neglect to do so.

The 10 commandments:

1. I am the Lord your G-d who took you out of Egypt*.

*G-d emphasizes the fact that He took them out of Egypt rather than the fact that He created the world so the Israelites know that the Exodus alone is enough of a reason for them to serve Him. ** While splitting the sea, G-d manifested as a strong warrior. Now that they were redeemed, He manifested as a merciful old man, holding the form of a sapphire brick beneath His feet in commemoration that He was with them during their sufferings with bricks in Egypt. G-d is instructing them here in this verse that they should not mistakenly think that these are two separate forces. Rather they are Him and One. Also, there were many sounds coming from all four directions at this time of the giving of the Torah. These too, they should know, are all manifestations of One G-d.

2. You shall have no other gods before Me. Do not make for yourselves a sculpted idol or image of anything which is in the heaven or on earth or in the waters beneath the earth. Do not bow before them or worship them. Because I am the Lord your G-d, a zealous G-d who inflicts punishments for one's sins upon their children for thee and four generations, such is what I do to those who hate Me. Yet for those who do kindness and keep My commandments, I will reward for 2000 generations.

*The second verse in this commandment warns them not to make any idols. The first verse warns that they are not allowed to posses any idols even if they were made by someone else. **These "other gods" are only termed "gods" as such people have deemed them, yet they are not actually divine. They are "other" since they are separate from their worshippers even, in so far as those who worship them pray to them but are not replied to. ***This commandment is pertinent "before Me", i.e. so long that G-d is present, i,e eternally (not just during that that they were at the mountain). ***G-d takes idolatry very seriously and does not hold back His judgement for this. When a person sins, He takes into account their forefather's sins and whether they are continuing in their forefathers' ways. When a person does an act of kindness however, G-d rewards them for 2,000 generations. This shows that G-d rewards kindness in a much greater manner than He punishes sin. 500x more.

3. Do not take G-d's name in vain, for G-d will not forgive anyone who takes His name in vain.*

*This is referring to lying in G-d's name out of foolishness, for example if someone swears that a pillar is made of gold when it is really made of stone.

4. Remember the Sabbath day and sanctify it.* You Should work for six days and do all of your work.** And the seventh day will be a Sabbath for the Lord your G-d, you should not perform any work on it, not you, nor your son, your daughter, your slave, your maidservant, your animal and your convert who is within your gate.*** Because G-d made the heavens and the earth in six days and everything in them, and then rested on the seventh day. This is why G-d blessed the seventh day and sanctified it.****

*While this verse just mentions "remembering" the Sabbath which alludes to keeping the positive aspects of the Sabbath, G-d simultaneously said that they should "Guard" the Sabbath, alluding to the prohibitions of the Sabbath. **This doesn't mean that you must complete all of your work by the Sabbath, but rather when the Sabbath arrives, one should feel as if they had completed everything so as not to be bothered by thoughts of work on the Sabbath. ***G-d is telling the adults that they are responsible for making sure that the minors do not perform work on the Sabbath. ****G-d does not tire from the work that He does. Yet He still rested on the seventh day. All the more so should man, who does tire from his work, rest on the Sabbath. G-d blessed and sanctified the Sabbath with the double portion of manna which He sent down on Friday for them to have for the Sabbath.

5. Respect your father and mother for your days which G-d gave you on earth will be lengthened.*

*This implies that if a person does not respect their parents then their days will be shortened. This is the general style of Torah to say things in a more abbreviated form from which one can imply the flip side of what is being said.

6. Do not kill.

7. Do not commit adultery.*

*Adultery is defined as specifically being as when a man is with a married woman. Both of the parties are culpable and liable for the death penalty.

8. Do not steal.*

*This is specifically referring to stealing people, i.e. kidnapping. We can deduce this from the fact that the previous two commandments of killing and adultery are capital sins, thus so is this one (whereas stealing money is not).

9. Do not serve as a false witness against your fellow.

10. Do not covet your fellow's house, his wife, his servant, his maidservant, his donkey, his ox nor anything that belongs 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]

The Mount Sinai Experience Continues

The Talmud Yerushalmi teaches that one should not gaze at the Cohanim while they give the priestly blessing lest they be blinded by the revelation. The revelation at Mount Sinai was far more intense, yet no one was blinded by it and everyone saw it all.

Nor was anyone mute, as seen from earlier when the text stated that "all the people answered (Shmot 19:8)". Nor was anyone deaf, as seen from the upcoming text stating "We will do and we will listen. (Shmot 24:7)".

At Mount Sinai, the Israelites see what is usually only heard; they saw the sounds that came out of G-d, the flames, the sound of the shofar and the mountain smoking.

They stand back 12 mils which was the length of their camp so the angels can assist them from there, and they tremble from afar.

They tell Moshe to speak to them. They feared that if they heard G-d speak to them directly, they would be unable to handle it and would die.

Moshe tells them not to fear death, since G-d intends for them to feel fearful so that this fear of G-d will be instilled in them for eternity and so they will gain a reputation for being a G-d fearing nation.

The mountain burns with fire till the heavens creating a partition of darkness, cloud and fog. Moshe approaches the fog which was the thickest partition and the nation stands back.

G-d tells Moshe to speak to the Israelites in the holy language and tell them that they have seen for themselves (and seeing for oneself is much more powerful than just having someone else tell you what they saw) G-d's glory rebuking them from the heavens and G-d's fire on earth. Another way of understanding this is that G-d lowered the upper and lower heavens and spread them out over the earth.

G-d warns them to not make images of heavenly bodies, nor to make the Cherubim in the holy temple out of silver rather than the requisite gold, nor to make any more gold cherubim other than the two prescribed, nor shall they make gold cherubim for any other location other than the holy temple.

G-d instructs them to make an alter for which the intention is for His sake from the get go. This alter should be connected to the earth; i.e it should not have a base underneath it. Another reading of this is that the hollow copper alter was to be filled with earth while the Israelites camped in the desert.

G-d instructs them to bring Olah and Peace offerings on this alter. The sacrificial animals for these offerings should be slaughtered next to but not right on top of the alter. The flesh and blood should be then placed on the alter only after that.

G-d says that it is only in this holy temple in which His ineffable name is to be uttered explicitly by the Cohanim in the priestly blessing. Some Cohanim would utter the correct pronunciation of G-d's 4 letter name (the Tetragrammaton). Some would utter G-d's 12 letter name, and some would utter G-d's 42 letter name.

G-d says that this alter should be made of stones however these cannot be "cut stones" which are cut with iron. This is because the temple was made to lengthen man's life, and iron, which is used to make swords was made to shorten man's life. So that who's purpose is to shorten man's life should not be "waved" over that who's purpose is to lengthen man's life. Also, the temple makes peace between Israel and G-d, while iron cuts and injures. We learn a lesson from this that when we are so protective over the peace of stones which don't even feel anything, all the more so will one be protected from punishment for making peace with men who do feel.

G-d says that there should not be steps leading up to the alter but rather a ramp. As it would be immodest to have the Cohaim take wide strides up the steps and thus open their legs over the steps beneath them (even though they were wearing linen pants). Here too we learn a lesson that if we are to be so careful to protect the dignity of mere stones, all the more so should we act respectfully towards our fellow man.

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]

Instructions on How to Prepare for the Giving of the Torah

Moshe gathers all of the Elders and relates to them everything that G-d commanded.

The people reply in unison that they will do everything that had been commanded. Although their reply was known to G-d, out of respect, on the following day, early in the morning on the third day of the month (of Sivan), Moshe ascends back up the mountain to relates it to Him.

G-d says that he will appear to the people through a thick cloud so they will be able to hear him and will forever believe in Moshe. The Israelites reply that they want to hear from G-d directly, not through a messenger. On the 4th day of the month, Moshe ascends to G-d to relay what they said.

G-d tells Moshe that if indeed this is what they want, to hear directly from G-d Himself, they must prepare* themselves that day (the 4th day) as well as the following day (the 5th day) accordingly by washing their garments.

*Side note: The word used here is וקידשתם which usually means "you shall sanctify", but in this instance means to prepare.

G-d continues and says that on the third day from then (which will be the 6th of the month), G-d will descend for all to see* on Mount Sinai**. He alludes to the fact that the men and women should separate, something which he says more explicitly a few verses later.

*Side note: This illustrates to us that there were no blind people there. Anyone who had been blind before was then healed.

**Side note: The details of what Moshe did on the 5th day, namely, his building of the alter and the 12 monuments at the foot of mountain are related in the subsequent parsha of Mishpatim. This is an example of how not everything is written chronologically in the Torah.

G-d tells Moshe to set up boundaries around the mountain so that the Israelites don't touch any part, even the edge of it.

They are forbidden from touching it and G-d warns that anyone who does so will be stoned* to death. When a ram's horn** is blown, it will be a sign that the Divine Presence has departed and they may they then ascend the mountain.

*Side note: The method of stoning someone to death was to first throw them down from a certain place reserved for such a stoning that was as high as the heights of two men combined. Sometimes, this fall itself would kill them, in which case they wouldn't have to go through the stoning process, although even with just this type of fall this death sentence was considered death by stoning.

**Side note: This ram's horn was taken from the ram that was sacrificed in lieu of Yitzchak in the story of the Binding of Yitzchak.

So Moshe descends and goes directly to the people (without attending to his personal needs first) and prepares them and they wash their garments.

Moshe tells them that for three days* the men should not be intimate with women.

*Side note: There is a difference of opinion regarding whether or not Moshe added on to what G-d said and added in an extra day. According to Rabbi Yossi, Moshe did, and meant this as that they should refrain from intimacy for three days and then on the fourth day (the 7th of Sivan) they would receive the Torah, which is when some speculate that they did. Others understand that Moshe did not add a day and he meant that they should refrain from intimacy up until the 3rd day (6th of Sivan) at which time they would receive the Torah.

The reason for this restriction regarding intimacy is because when a woman is intimate with a man, his semen has the potential to fertilize within her at any point during three days and she could be rendered impure if she were to discharge this semen. After three days, it would decay and no longer be capable of fertilization. So by staying separate for three days, the women could immerse in the mikvah and be sure that they were in a state of purity without potential for discharge of semen.

Whereas with humans, it is the norm to have students wait for their teacher to arrive and not vice versa, G-d, not being a human, waited for them at the mountain. This manifest itself when on the morning of the third day (i.e. on the 6th of Sivan, or the 7th according to R' Yossi's opinion) there was thunder and lightning and a thick cloud on the mountain. A great shofar sound was heard and all of the Israelites trembled.

Moshe brings the people to the foot* of the mountain and the Divine Presence approached them like a groom approaching his bride.

*Side note: There's a midrashic explanation that what this means is that the mountain was uprooted and hovered above their heads, having them accept G-d's Torah by force.

G-d descends upon the mountain and it smokes* and quakes violently.

*Side note: The smoking is described as being like a furnace. While it wasn't exactly like that, the text uses a relatable idea, since what actually occurred on the mountain is outside of the experiential understanding of anyone who wasn't actually there.

Usually when someone blows a horn, the sound diminishes the longer it goes on for. In this instance, the sound of the shofar strengthened as it went on. It started out weaker so as to accustom the Israelite's ears and not suddenly shock them.

The only words that they heard directly from G-d were the first two commandments. The rest were transmitted though Moshe. Moshe would speak to the Israelites and then G-d would respond to him in kind.

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's Message to the Israelites

On the first day of the third month* since the exodus from Egypt, the Israelites arrive in the Sinai desert from Rephidim. They were in a state of repentance.

*Side note: The text includes the phrase "on this day" when describing when they arrived. This is to teach us that we should feel each day as of we are receiving the Torah anew the way the Israelites did when they first received it there (to be detailed soon).

The Israelites set up camp facing the east side of the mountain in the Sinai desert, united as one*.

* Side note: This is why the text writes about the camping here in the singular, "he set up camp ( ויחן)" instead of the plural, "they set up camp (ויחנו)". This was not the case at other campsites where they were more argumentative with one another.

Moshe ascends up to G-d and G-d calls to Moshe from the mountain, telling him to relay certain information exactly as G-d tells him to, without embellishment. This is to make sure that the Israelites will not only accept the Torah out of love, but out of fear as well, which was more appropriate for this occasion.

G-d tells Moshe to speak to the women (termed "The House of Jacob") in a more gentle manner, and to the men (termed "The House of Israel") in a more explicit, harsher manner.

Moshe is to tell the people that they have seen what G-d did to the Egyptians on their behalf* and for "carrying**" them and leading them to worship Him.

*Side note: The Egyptians were worthy of punishment even aside from how they treated the Israelites, due to their involvement in idolatry, immorality and murder. G-d chose to only punish them however once the Israelites were involved.

**Side note: When the time of the exodus arrived, the Israelites were scattered all throughout Goshen. G-d caused them all to gather in Goshen. Rashi likens this to an Eagle who uniquely carries its fledglings on its wings. Other birds carry their fledgling between their feet to protect them from other birds flying above. Eagles fly higher than all other birds so they are not afraid of other birds, only man below. So they carry their young on their wings so as to act as a barrier to any man shooting an arrow from below. Rashi says this is like what G-d did in placing the angel of G-d between the Israelites and the Egyptians to intercept any stones and catapults the Egyptians would throw with the cloud of glory (see Breishis 14:19-20). Onkelus does not like this analogy as he feels it is degrading to G-d to liken Him to something so physical, and makes it sound like Israel is above G-d, if G-d were to carry them as such.

Moshe is to then tell the people that if they listen and keep this covenant they are about to enter into of Torah, going forward, everything will be good for them, and G-d will single them out from amongst all of his other nations* (for the entire world is under G-d's dominion) and guard them like a treasure.

*Side note: G-d specifically mentions the fact that the Israelites are not alone amongst G-d's nations, lest they trivialize the fact that they are His treasure,

Moshe is to then tell them that they are to be a kingdom of ministers*.

*Side note: The word that is used here usually translates to mean priests (כהנים) but can sometimes, like here, mean "ministers" another example of this is in Shmuel 2, 8:18 where the sons of David are called כהנים. Priests can only be from the tribe of Levi, however David was from the tribe of Yehudah, thus signifying that this could not be the meaning of the word here.

G-d reiterates that Moshe should say the words He told him to exactly, without adding or subtracting.

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]

Moshe Follows Yitro's Advice. Yitro Goes Home.

Moshe listens to Yitro's advice (see yesterday's post) and heeds it. He appoints judges as per the criteria Yitro laid out. They judge the more minor cases while Moshe judges the more major cases.

Moshe sends Yitro back home to convert his family. Indeed, we see later on (see Shoftim 1:16), Yitro's descendants did convert.