| 6If a Levite priest comes from one of your cities out of all Israel, where he sojourns, he may come whenever his soul desires to the place God will choose |
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ווְכִֽי־יָבֹ֨א הַלֵּוִ֜י מֵֽאַחַ֤ד שְׁעָרֶ֨יךָ֙ מִכָּל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל אֲשֶׁר־ה֖וּא גָּ֣ר שָׁ֑ם וּבָא֙ בְּכָל־אַוַּ֣ת נַפְשׁ֔וֹ אֶל־הַמָּק֖וֹם אֲשֶׁר־יִבְחַ֥ר יְהֹוָֽה: |
| וְכִֽי־יָבֹא הַלֵּוִי - If a Levite comes. I might think that Scripture is speaking of anyone who is definitely a member of the tribe of Levi, whether priest or Levite. Scripture therefore states: “and serve.” This excludes the Levites, who are not fit for priestly service. |
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וְכִֽי־יָבֹא הַלֵּוִי.
יָכוֹל בְּבֶן לֵוִי וַדַּאי הַכָּתוּב מְדַבֵּר, תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר ושרת, יָצְאוּ לְוִיִּים שֶׁאֵין רְאוּיִין לְשֵׁרוּת (ספרי):
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| וּבָא בְּכָל־אַוַּת נַפְשׁוֹ. ושרת - He may come whenever his soul desires…and serve. This teaches us that a priest may come and offer up his own voluntary or obligatory sacrifices even when it is not his weekly shift that is officiating. Another explanation: It also teaches us that the priests who come to the Temple for the pilgrim festival offer up the sacrifices with the officiating shift, performing the service of the sacrifices associated with that festival, such as the additional sacrifices, even though it is not their shift that is on duty. |
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| 7and serve in the name of God, his God, just like all his Levite priest-brothers who stand there before God. |
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זוְשֵׁרֵ֕ת בְּשֵׁ֖ם יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהָ֑יו כְּכָל־אֶחָיו֙ הַֽלְוִיִּ֔ם הָעֹֽמְדִ֥ים שָׁ֖ם לִפְנֵ֥י יְהֹוָֽה: |
| 8They must eat equal portions, except those portions that were ‘sold’ by the heads of each division to each other. |
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חחֵ֥לֶק כְּחֵ֖לֶק יֹאכֵ֑לוּ לְבַ֥ד מִמְכָּרָ֖יו עַל־הָֽאָבֽוֹת: |
| חֵלֶק כְּחֵלֶק יֹאכֵלוּ - They must eat equal portions. This teaches us that they all divide the hides of the festival ascent-offerings and the meat of the festival goat sin-offerings. I might think that this also applies to offerings that are not brought due to the festival, such as the daily offerings, the Sabbath additional sacrifices, and sacrificial vows and dedication offerings. Scripture therefore states: לְבַד מִמְכָּרָיו עַל הָאָבוֹת . |
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חֵלֶק כְּחֵלֶק יֹאכֵלוּ.
מְלַמֵּד שֶׁחוֹלְקִין בָּעוֹרוֹת וּבִּבְשַׂר שְׂעִירֵי חַטָּאוֹת, יָכוֹל אַף בִּדְּבָרִים הַבָּאִים שֶׁלֹּא מֵחֲמַת הָרֶגֶל, כְּגוֹן תְּמִידִין וּמוּסְפֵי שַׁבָּת וּנְדָרִים וּנְדָבוֹת, תַּלְמוּד לוֹמָר :
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| לְבַד מִמְכָּרָיו עַל־הָֽאָבֽוֹת - “except those portions that were ‘sold’ by the (lit.) fathers” - i.e., except for those that the fathers sold at the time of King David and Samuel, when the final number of shifts was instituted and they sold their portions to each other, saying, “You take the portions of your week of service and I will take the portions of my week.” |
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לְבַד מִמְכָּרָיו עַל־הָֽאָבֽוֹת.
חוּץ מִמַּה שֶּׁמָּכְרוּ הָאָבוֹת בִּימֵי דָּוִד וּשְׁמוּאֵל שֶׁנִּקְבְעוּ הַמִּשְׁמָרוֹת וּמָכְרוּ זֶה לָזֶה, טֹל אַתָּה שַׁבַּתְּךָ וַאֲנִי אֶטֹּל שַׁבַּתִּי (שם):
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| 9When you enter the land that God, your God, is giving you, you must not study the abominations of those nations in order to act likewise. |
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טכִּ֤י אַתָּה֙ בָּ֣א אֶל־הָאָ֔רֶץ אֲשֶׁר־יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ נֹתֵ֣ן לָ֑ךְ לֹֽא־תִלְמַ֣ד לַֽעֲשׂ֔וֹת כְּתֽוֹעֲבֹ֖ת הַגּוֹיִ֥ם הָהֵֽם: |
| לֹֽא־תִלְמַד לַֽעֲשׂוֹת - You must not study…to do. but you may study in order to understand and to instruct, i.e., to understand how depraved their acts are and to instruct your children, “Do not do such a thing, since it is a gentile practice.” |
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לֹֽא־תִלְמַד לַֽעֲשׂוֹת.
אֲבָל אַתָּה לָמֵד לְהָבִין וּלְהוֹרוֹת, כְּלוֹמַר לְהָבִין מַעֲשֵׂיהֶם כַּמָּה הֵם מְקֻלְקָלִים, וּלְהוֹרוֹת לְבָנֶיךָ לֹא תַעֲשֶׂה כָךְ וְכָךְ, שֶׁזֶּה הוּא חֹק הַגּוֹיִם (ספרי; סנהדרין ס"ח):
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| 10There must not be among you anyone who passes his son or daughter through fire, a stick-diviner, a diviner of times, an illusionist, a diviner who interprets omens, a divining sorcerer, |
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ילֹֽא־יִמָּצֵ֣א בְךָ֔ מַֽעֲבִ֥יר בְּנֽוֹ־וּבִתּ֖וֹ בָּאֵ֑שׁ קֹסֵ֣ם קְסָמִ֔ים מְעוֹנֵ֥ן וּמְנַחֵ֖שׁ וּמְכַשֵּֽׁף: |
| מַֽעֲבִיר בְּנֽוֹ־וּבִתּוֹ בָּאֵשׁ - Anyone who passes his son or daughter through fire. This refers to Molech-worship, which involves making a fire on either side and passing the child between the two of them. |
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מַֽעֲבִיר בְּנֽוֹ־וּבִתּוֹ בָּאֵשׁ.
הִיא עֲבוֹדַת הַמֹּלֶךְ, עוֹשֶׂה מְדוּרוֹת אֵשׁ מִכָּאן וּמִכָּאן וּמַעֲבִירוֹ בֵין שְׁתֵּיהֶם (עי' סנהדרין ס"ד):
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| קֹסֵם קְסָמִים - What is a קוֹסֵם? He who holds his staff and asks it, “Should I go or should I not go?” and similarly it says: “My people consult with their wooden idol, and their staff tells them.” |
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קֹסֵם קְסָמִים.
אֵי זֶהוּ קוֹסֵם? הָאוֹחֵז אֶת מַקְלוֹ וְאוֹמֵר אִם אֵלֵךְ אִם לֹא אֵלֵךְ, וכֵן הוּא אוֹמֵר (הושע ד') עַמִּי בְּעֵצוֹ יִשְׁאָל וּמַקְלוֹ יַגִּיד לוֹ (ספרי):
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| מְעוֹנֵן - Rabbi Akiva says: These are those who assign periods (עוֹנוֹת), saying, “Such a time is beneficial for beginning some endeavor.” The sages say: These are those who deceive the eyes (i.e., create false impressions of magic in front) of their audiences. |
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מְעוֹנֵן.
רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא אוֹמֵר אֵלּוּ נוֹתְנֵי עוֹנוֹת – שֶׁאוֹמְרִים עוֹנָה פְּלוֹנִית יָפָה לְהַתְחִיל, וַחֲכָמִים אוֹמְרִים אֵלּוּ אוֹחֲזֵי הָעֵינַיִם:
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| מְנַחֵשׁ - A diviner who interprets omens - e.g., ascribing significance to the fact that his bread fell out of his mouth, a deer crossed his path, or his staff fell from his hand. |
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מְנַחֵשׁ.
פִּתּוֹ נָפְלָה מִפִּיו, צְבִי הִפְסִיקוֹ בַדֶּרֶךְ, מַקְלוֹ נָפַל מִיָּדוֹ (ספרי; סנהדרין ס"ה):
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| 11a snake- or scorpion-diviner, a spirit-diviner, a yadu’a-diviner, or a diviner who communicates with the dead, |
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יאוְחֹבֵ֖ר חָ֑בֶר וְשֹׁאֵ֥ל אוֹב֙ וְיִדְּעֹנִ֔י וְדֹרֵ֖שׁ אֶל־הַמֵּתִֽים: |
| וְחֹבֵר חָבֶר - is one who gathers snakes, scorpions, or other creatures together in one location by means of sorcery. |
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וְחֹבֵר חָבֶר.
שֶׁמְּצָרֵף נְחָשִׁים אוֹ עַקְרַבִּים אוֹ שְׁאָר חַיּוֹת לְמָקוֹם אֶחָד:
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| וְשֹׁאֵל אוֹב - This is a type of sorcery called pitom, in which the practitioner speaks from his armpit by conjuring the spirit of the dead in his armpit. |
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וְשֹׁאֵל אוֹב.
זֶה מְכַשְּׁפוּת שֶׁשְּׁמוֹ פִּיתוֹם וּמְדַבֵּר מִשִּׁחְיוֹ וּמַעֲלֶה אֶת הַמֵּת בְּבֵית הַשֶּׁחִי שֶׁלּוֹ:
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| וְיִדְּעֹנִי - is one who places the bone of a creature named yadu’a in his mouth and the bone speaks on its own through sorcery. |
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וְיִדְּעֹנִי.
מַכְנִיס עֶצֶם חַיָּה שֶׁשְּׁמָהּ יַדּוּעַ לְתוֹךְ פִּיו וּמְדַבֵּר הָעֶצֶם עַל יְדֵי מְכַשְּׁפוּת (שם):
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| וְדֹרֵשׁ אֶל־הַמֵּתִֽים - Or who communicates with the dead - such as one who conjures the spirit of the dead onto his male organ or one who consults a skull. |
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וְדֹרֵשׁ אֶל־הַמֵּתִֽים.
כְּגוֹן הַמַּעֲלֶה בְזַכְרוּתוֹ וְהַנִּשְׁאָל בְּגֻלְגֹּלֶת (שם):
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| 12for whoever does these things becomes an abomination to God, and because of these abominations, God, your God, is driving them out from before you. |
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יבכִּי־תֽוֹעֲבַ֥ת יְהֹוָ֖ה כָּל־עֹ֣שֵׂה אֵ֑לֶּה וּבִגְלַל֙ הַתּֽוֹעֵבֹ֣ת הָאֵ֔לֶּה יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶי֔ךָ מוֹרִ֥ישׁ אוֹתָ֖ם מִפָּנֶֽיךָ: |
| כָּל־עֹשֵׂה אֵלֶּה - Whoever does these things. It does not say: עוֹשֵׂה כָל אֵלֶּה “who does all these things” but כָּל עֹשֵׂה אֵלֶּה “whoever does these things,” i.e., even one of them. |
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כָּל־עֹשֵׂה אֵלֶּה.
עֹשֶׂה כָּל אֵלֶּה לֹא נֶאֱמַר, אֶלָּא כָל עֹשֵׂה אֵלֶּה, אֲפִלּוּ אַחַת מֵהֶן (ספרי):
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| 13Be wholehearted with God, your God. |
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יגתָּמִ֣ים תִּֽהְיֶ֔ה עִ֖ם יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶֽיךָ: |
| תָּמִים תִּֽהְיֶה עִם ה' אֱלֹהֶֽיךָ - Be wholehearted with God, your God - i.e., follow Him with simple faith and put your hope in Him, rather than obsessively investigating the future; instead, whatever may happen to you accept with simple faith, and then you will be with Him and be called His portion. |
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תָּמִים תִּֽהְיֶה עִם ה' אֱלֹהֶֽיךָ.
הִתְהַלֵּךְ עִמּוֹ בִתְמִימוּת, וּתְצַפֶּה לוֹ, וְלֹא תַחֲקֹר אַחַר הָעֲתִידוֹת, אֶלָּא כָּל מַה שֶּׁיָּבֹא עָלֶיךָ קַבֵּל בִּתְמִימוּת וְאָז תִּהְיֶה עִמּוֹ וּלְחֶלְקוֹ:
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