The prayer Ana Bekoakh and God’s 42-letter-name TB Sanhedrin 101

 Out of respect for my father, I would never call him by his first name Bob. Similarly today’s daf TB Sanhedrin 101 teaches us never to use our Father in Heaven’s name disrespectfully. “The mishna teaches: Abba Shaul says: Also among those who have no share in the World-to-Come is one who pronounces the ineffable name of God as it is written, with its letters. It is taught in a baraita: This is referring to one who pronounces the name in the outlying areas outside the Temple, and in colloquial [aga] language, for no particular purpose.” (Sefaria.org translation)

But which of many of God’s names is Abba Shaul is referring to? According to Rashi he is referring to the Shem Hameforash, the 42-letter-name that was used only in the Temple.

This 42- letter-name is embedded in the prayer Ana Bekoakh which is recited right after Psalm 29 and right before Lekha Dodi in the Kabbalat Shabbat service.

“אָנָּא בְּכֹֽחַ גְּדֻלַּת יְמִינְ֒ךָ תַּתִּיר צְרוּרָה: קַבֵּל רִנַּת עַמְּ֒ךָ שַׂגְּ֒בֵֽנוּ טַהֲרֵֽנוּ נוֹרָא: נָא גִבּוֹר דּוֹרְ֒שֵׁי יִחוּדְ֒ךָ כְּבָבַת שָׁמְרֵם: בָּרְ֒כֵם טַהֲרֵם רַחֲמֵם צִדְקָתְ֒ךָ תָּמִיד גָּמְלֵם: חֲסִין קָדוֹשׁ בְּרֹב טוּבְ֒ךָ נַהֵל עֲדָתֶֽךָ: יָחִיד גֵּאֶה לְעַמְּ֒ךָ פְּנֵה, זוֹכְ֒רֵי קְדֻשָּׁתֶֽךָ: שַׁוְעָתֵֽנוּ קַבֵּל וּשְׁמַע צַעֲקָתֵֽנוּ יוֹדֵֽעַ תַּעֲלוּמוֹת: בָּרוּךְ שֵׁם כְּבוֹד מַלְכוּתוֹ לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד:

Please, by the force of Your great right hand, release the bound one. Accept the prayer of Your people; strengthen us, purify us, Awesome One! Please! Mighty One, those who seek Your Unity, preserve them like the pupil [of Your eye]. Bless them, purify them, have compassion on them; Your benevolent righteousness [may You] always bestow upon them. Mighty, Holy One, in Your abundant goodness, lead Your community. Unique One, Exalted, turn to Your people who are mindful of Your holiness. Accept our prayer and hear our cry, [You] Who knows hidden thoughts. Blessed [is His] Name, Whose glorious kingdom is forever and ever.” (Sefaria.org)

“The Ana Beko’ach prayer, formed by Rav Nehonia ben Ha Kana between the first and second century, is considered one of the most powerful prayers for connecting us to the power of creation.

“The kabbalists explain that each time we recite the Ana Beko’ach, we return to the time of creation, and each time we meditate on a particular sequence, we return to the original uncorrupted energy that built the world. By performing the Ana Beko’ach meditation, we enrich our lives with unadulterated spiritual Light and cosmic energy.

“The Ana Beko’ach prayer is considered one of the most powerful prayers for connecting us to the power of creation."

“The Ana Beko’ach is hidden within the first 42 letters of the book of Genesis, beginning with the word bereshit and ending with the word vavohoo. Referred to as the 42-letter name of God, the source of the efficacy of this prayer is indicated to us by where it is revealed in the Bible – at the very beginning, in the story of Creation itself.

“The Ana Beko’ach is constructed of 7 lines that are related to the seven days of Creation, the Seven Sefirot, and of course, the seven days of the week. Each line is comprised of two three-letter sequences – 6 letters per line. With the exception of the second line – which spells Kra Satan, meaning to “tear out Satan” – none of the sequences spell actual words. According to the Zohar, the Hebrew letters represent a source code of all of physical reality. The Ana Beko’ach, or the 42-letter name of God, is considered to be the code that was used to create the process by which Creation happens.” (For the rest of the article which is very interesting follow this link: https://www.kabbalah.com/en/articles/kabbalah-on-ana-bekoach/)

The fate of liars TB Sanhedrin 89

 Make of this as you will concerning our current President from today's daf TB Sanhedrin 89. "this is the punishment of the liar, that even if he speaks the truth, others do not listen to him. Therefore, I do not believe you and will fulfill that which I was commanded to perform.." (Sefaria,org translation)

Who is qualified to be a judge? TB Sanhedrin 88

Today’s daf TB Sanhedrin 88 discusses the court system in which determines whether the scholar is indeed a rebellious scholar. There is a hierarchy of courts. The closer the court of 23 is to Jerusalem, the greater the court is. The highest court is the Sanhedrin of 73 which is located in the Chamber of Hewn Stone.

“If the matter was unclear and it was necessary to ask and clarify it, those uncertain of the halakha would ask the court that is in their city. If the members of the court heard a clear halakhic ruling with regard to that matter, they said it to them, and if not, they would come to a court that is adjacent to their city. If the members of the court heard a clear halakhic ruling with regard to that matter, they said it to them, and if not, they would come to the court at the entrance to the Temple Mount. If the members of the court heard a clear halakhic ruling with regard to that matter, they said it to them, and if not, they would come to the court at the entrance to the Temple courtyard.

“And the elder whose ruling deviated from the ruling of his colleagues says: This is what I interpreted and that is what my colleagues interpreted; this is what I taught and that is what my colleagues taught. If the members of the court heard a clear halakhic ruling with regard to that matter, they said it to them, and if not, these judges and those judges would come to the Chamber of Hewn Stone, where the Sanhedrin would be convened from the time that the daily morning offering is sacrificed until the time that the daily afternoon offering is sacrificed.

"And on Shabbatot and Festivals, when court is not in session, the members of the court would sit at the rampart. When a question was asked before them, if the members of the court heard a clear halakhic ruling with regard to that matter, they would say it to them, and if not they would stand for a vote on the matter. If the judges who deemed the item in question ritually impure outnumbered those who deemed it pure, the court would deem the item impure. If the judges who deemed the item in question ritually pure outnumbered those who deemed it impure, the court would deem the item pure.” (Sefaria.org translation)

The Gemara then defines the qualities a judge should process. “The baraita continues its discussion of the workings of the Sanhedrin: From there, the Sanhedrin writes and dispatches the following statement to all places: Anyone who is wise and humble and the minds of people are at ease with him shall be a judge in his city. If he is successful in his city, from there, they promote him to the court at the entrance to the Temple Mount if there is a vacant seat on the court, and from there they promote him to the court at the entrance to the Temple courtyard, and from there to the court in the Chamber of Hewn Stone.” (Sefaria.org translation)

With a low opinion the majority of Americans have of the Supreme Court justices, I doubt whether the many can truly be described as wise and humble and the minds of people are at ease with him. And that is a shame.

Let me add that these are qualities all public servants as well as all people should strive to have.

Purim is a very busy day TB Sanhedrin 87

Today’s daf TB Sanhedrin 87 deals with the topic of a rebellious scholar who disobeys the Sanhedrin’s decision and teaches others to observe contrary to that decision. The Mishnah lists a range of cases where the rebellious scholar will be liable for the death of MC of strangulation if he disobeys his Sanhedrin’s decision.

“The Sages taught in a baraita: A rebellious elder is liable only for instructing another to perform an action involving a matter for whose intentional violation one is liable to receive karet, and for whose unwitting violation one is liable to bring a sin-offering; this is the statement of Rabbi Meir…” (Sefaria.org translation) Because the penalty karet in many of the cases in the Mishna is not intuitive, “Rav Huna bar Ḥinnana said to Rava: Interpret for me that baraita, in which the liability of the rebellious elder for rulings in different areas of halakha is derived from the verses, in accordance with the opinion of Rabbi Meir, who says that the rebellious elder is liable only for a matter for whose intentional violation one is liable to receive karet, and for whose unwitting violation one is liable to bring a sin-offering. How is such a prohibition found in each of the categories enumerated in the baraita? Rava said to Rav Pappa his student: Go and interpret it for him.” (Sefaria.org translation) The rest of today’s explains the how the Mishna subscribes to the viewpoint of Rabbi Meir.

I don’t believe in coincidences. Today is Purim and one of the explanations deals with Purim. “‘For you’ (in the verse in Deuteronomy 17:8-12 which discusses the rebellious scholar-gg); this is referring to an adviser, who knows how to intercalate years and establish months. How is there liability in this matter for karet or a sin-offering? It is as we learned in a mishna (Eduyyot 7:7): Rabbi Yehoshua and Rabbi Pappeyas testified that the judges may intercalate the year throughout the entire month of Adar, as the other Sages would say that the judges may do so only until the day of Purim.

“A ruling contrary to the ruling of the Sanhedrin could result in a matter for which one is liable to receive karet, as, if his disagreement is to this side, e.g., the court intercalated the year and the rebellious elder ruled that the year is not intercalated, his ruling permits consumption of leavened bread on Passover according to the calendar established by the Sanhedrin. And if his disagreement is to that side, e.g., the court did not intercalate the year and the rebellious elder ruled that the year is intercalated, his ruling permits consumption of leavened bread on Passover according to the calendar established by the Sanhedrin. One who intentionally eats leavened bread on Passover is liable to receive karet, and one who does so unwittingly is liable to bring a sin-offering.” (Sefaria.org translation)

We need to know whether the year is a leap year and we add a month to the calendar, i.e. Adar II in which we celebrate the holiday Purim, or not. Passover is exactly 30 days after Purim. We need to prepare appropriately. We certainly don’t want to eat chametz on Passover which is a prohibition whose punishment is karet.

Purim day is a very busy day. We have to observe the four special mitzvot of Purim, listening to the Megillah, sending mishloakh manot (a gift of at least two foodstuffs to one person), giving tzedakkah to two poor people, and having a Purim feast. On top of all that we’ve learned in massekhet Pesakhim that 30 days before Passover one begins to review the laws of Passover because there’s so many of them. Consequently, it is very important to know whether the year is a leap year or not in order when to begin our Passover preparations appropriately.

Hate within will eventually destroy the hater #Purim#devarTorah

George Washington Carver (1864–1943) overcame terrible racial prejudice to establish himself as a renowned American educator. Spurning the temptation to give in to bitterness for the way he was treated, Carver wisely wrote, “Hate within will eventually destroy the hater.”

In the book of Esther, we see how self-destructive hatred can be. Mordecai, a Jew, refused to bow down before Haman—a self-important dignitary in the Persian court. This angered Haman, who manipulated information to make Mordecai and his people appear as threats to the empire (3:8-9). When his scheming was complete, Haman called on the Persian king to kill all the Jews. The king proclaimed an edict to that effect, but before it could be carried out, Esther intervened and Haman’s devious plot was revealed (7:1-6). Enraged, the king had Haman executed on gallows the schemer had built for Mordecai (7:7-10).

Carver’s words and Haman’s actions remind us that hatred is self-destructive. In synagogues all over the world every Shabbat Jews recite Psalm 34 which instills in us how should live our lives.  Sometimes we even sing out loud these words in the original Hebrew! “Who is the person who is eager for life, who desires years of good fortune? Guard your tongue from evil, your lips from deceitful speech. Shun evil and do good, seek peace and pursue it.” (vvs. 13-15)

More than ever in today’s political climate we need to watch what we say, do what is right and good, and pursue peace to heal our divided nation.

 

Shabbat Shalom and Happy Purim

 

What exactly is the eighth commandment prohibiting? TB Sanhedrin 85-86

The Mishnah on daf TB Sanhedrin 85b teaches that kidnapping is a capital offense whose punishment is strangulation. “One who abducts a Jewish person is not liable to be executed unless he brings the abductee into his domain. Rabbi Yehuda says: He is not liable unless he brings him into his domain and exploits him, as it is stated: “If a man shall be found abducting a person of his brethren from the children of Israel, and he exploited him and sold him, then that abductor shall die” (Deuteronomy 24:7). The phrase “exploited him” indicates using him for labor.” (Sefaria.org translation) Obviously kidnapping is wrong; however, the Gemara elucidates to be liable for the death penalty the kidnapper has to bring the victim into his domain, exploit him (use the victim even as a pillow to lean upon or as a shield against the wind), and sell him. If he failed to do all three above actions, he would just be subjected lashes.

We have learned previously to be liable for the death penalty, the Torah not only has to attach a death penalty to the crime, but the Torah must also warn the person against committing the crime. The Gemara on today’s daf TB Sanhedrin 86 wants to know where does the Torah warn against committing the crime of kidnapping. Through its analysis we shall learn that the eighth commandment in the Ten Commandments is mistranslated and misunderstood.

“The Gemara asks: From where is a prohibition against abducting a person derived? Rabbi Yoshiya says that it is derived from the verse: “You shall not steal” (Exodus 20:13). Rabbi Yoḥanan says that it is derived from the verse: “They shall not be sold as slaves” (Leviticus 25:42). The Gemara comments: And they do not disagree, as each requires both verses to derive the prohibition. One Sage, Rabbi Yoshiya, enumerates the prohibition against abduction, and one Sage, Rabbi Yoḥanan, enumerates the prohibition against selling the abductee into slavery.

“The Sages taught in a baraita: “You shall not steal” (Exodus 20:13), and it is with regard to one who abducts people that the verse is speaking. Do you say that the verse is speaking with regard to one who abducts people, or perhaps the verse is speaking only with regard to one who steals property? You say: Go out and learn from one of the thirteen hermeneutical principles: A matter derived from its context. With regard to what context are the adjacent prohibitions “You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery” in the verse speaking? They are speaking with regard to capital cases. So too here, the prohibition is speaking with regard to a capital case of abduction. “It is taught in another baraita: “You shall not steal” (Leviticus 19:11), and it is with regard to one who steals property that the verse is speaking. Do you say that the verse is speaking with regard to one who steals property, or perhaps the verse is speaking only with regard to one who abducts people? You say: Go out and learn from one of the thirteen hermeneutical principles: A matter derived from its context. With regard to what context is the subsequent verse: “You shall neither exploit your neighbor nor rob him” (Leviticus 19:13), speaking? It is speaking with regard to property. So too here, the verse is speaking with regard to property.” (Sefaria.org translation)

I am willing to bet that most Bibles mistranslate the eighth commandment לֹא תִגְנֹב lo tignov as “You shall not steal.” Today’s daf conclusively proves that the surrounding context of this commandment deal with capital offenses, lo tignov must also be a capital offense. We know from our study of the Babas, stealing an object is not a capital offense. You have return the object and pay a fine. Consequently, a better translation of lo tignov should be “You shall not kidnap.”

Since tonight we celebrate the holiday of Purim, I want to end this blog with a little bit of laughter. Enjoy Woody Allen telling about his experience being kidnapped. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4sdnb0sYTc

Children and parents shouldn’t hit each other TB Sanhedrin 84b

Today with daf TB Sanhedrin 84b we begin the 10^th chapter of our massekhet. Previously we learned about the death penalties of stoning, burning, and beheading. This chapter deals with the death penalty of strangulation. The Mishnah begins “These are the transgressors who are strangled in the implementation of the court-imposed death penalty: One who strikes his father or his mother” (Sefaria.org translation) The Gemara qualifies to be liable for the death penalty when striking your parents, the blow must cause a bloody wound. “One who strikes his father and his mother is not liable unless he wounds them? The Gemara answers that the verse states: “And one who strikes an animal shall pay for it; and one who strikes a person shall be put to death” (Leviticus 24:21), juxtaposing one who strikes an individual with one who strikes an animal. An earlier verse states: “One who strikes the soul of an animal shall pay for it” (Leviticus 24:18). Based on this it is derived: Just as one who strikes an animal is not liable unless he wounds it and draws blood, as “soul” is written concerning it, and it can be derived from the verse: “For the blood is the soul” (Deuteronomy 12:23), that the term “soul” is a reference to blood, so too, one who strikes a person is not liable unless he causes a wound and draws blood.” (Sefaria.org translation)

Obviously one who strikes his parents is not observing the commandment of “Honoring your father and mother” (Exodus 20:12) Nevertheless, the sages teach that a parent should not provoke an adult child so that the child would lash out and strike him. “What is the story mentioned by Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥmani involving the maidservant in the house of Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi? It was related that the maidservant in Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi’s house saw a certain man who was striking his adult son. She said: Let that man be excommunicated, due to the fact that he has transgressed the injunction: “You shall not place a stumbling block before the blind” (Leviticus 19:14), as it is taught in a baraita that the verse states: “You shall not place a stumbling block before the blind,” and the verse speaks here of one who strikes his adult son, as the son is likely to become angry and strike his father back, thereby transgressing the severe prohibition against hitting one’s parent.” (Sefaria.org translation)