4 14 2011


THE SACREDNESS OF EACH DAY IN TORAH







Genesis Chapter 1



בְּרֵאשִׁית









Thursday............Yom Khah´mee´shee.. Fifth day







כ וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים--יִשְׁרְצוּ הַמַּיִם, שֶׁרֶץ נֶפֶשׁ חַיָּה; וְעוֹף יְעוֹפֵף עַל-הָאָרֶץ, עַל-פְּנֵי רְקִיעַ הַשָּׁמָיִם. 20



And God said: 'Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let fowl fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.'







כא וַיִּבְרָא אֱלֹהִים, אֶת-הַתַּנִּינִם הַגְּדֹלִים; וְאֵת כָּל-נֶפֶשׁ הַחַיָּה הָרֹמֶשֶׂת אֲשֶׁר שָׁרְצוּ הַמַּיִם לְמִינֵהֶם, וְאֵת כָּל-עוֹף כָּנָף לְמִינֵהוּ, וַיַּרְא אֱלֹהִים, כִּי-טוֹב. 21



And God created the great sea-monsters, and every living creature that creepeth, wherewith the waters swarmed, after its kind, and every winged fowl after its kind; and God saw that it was good.







כב וַיְבָרֶךְ אֹתָם אֱלֹהִים, לֵאמֹר: פְּרוּ וּרְבוּ, וּמִלְאוּ אֶת-הַמַּיִם בַּיַּמִּים, וְהָעוֹף, יִרֶב בָּאָרֶץ. 22 And God blessed them, saying: 'Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.'







כג וַיְהִי-עֶרֶב וַיְהִי-בֹקֶר, יוֹם חֲמִישִׁי. {פ} 23 And there was evening and there was morning, a fifth day. {P}







· Today in Judaism

· Today is: 5, Nissan 10, 5771 · 4 14, 2011









· Today's Laws & Customs





· Today's 'Nasi': Dan





· In today's "Nasi" reading (see "Nasi of the Day" in Nissan 1), we read of the gift bought by the nasi of the tribe of Dan, Achiezer ben Amishadai, for the inauguration of the Mishkan.





· Today in Jewish History





· Miriam's Passing (1274 BCE)





· Miriam, the sister of Moses, passed away at the age of 126 on the 10th of Nissan of the year 2487 from creation (1274 BCE) -- 39 years after the Exodus and exactly one year before the Children of Israel entered the Holy Land. It is in deference to her passing that the "Great Shabbat" is commemorated on the Shabbat before Passover rather than the calendar date of the miracle's occurence, Nissan 10.





· Israelites Cross Jordan (1273 BCE)





· Three days after the two spies dispatched by Joshua scouted the city of Jericho (see entry for "Nissan 7" above), the children of Israel were ready to enter the land promised by G-d to their ancestors as their eternal heritage. As they approached the Jordan with the Holy Ark carried by the Kohanim (priests) in their lead, the river parted for them, as the waters of the Red Sea had split when their fathers and mothers marched out of Egypt 40 years earlier. (Joshua 4)





· Daily Quote





· Alien or evil thoughts are caused by "emptiness of the head." For when the mind is occupied, the thought has something to serve, and there is no room for stupid and vain thoughts devoid of substance...





· Hayom Yom, Cheshvan 16





· Daily Study





· Chitas and Rambam for today:





· Chumash: Acharei, 5th Portion Leviticus 17:8-18:5 with Rashi

· English / Hebrew Linear Translation





· Tehillim: Chapters 55 - 59













· Tanya: Likutei Amarim, beginning of Chapter 41





· Rambam:

· Sefer Hamitzvos:





· 1 Chapter: Kelim Chap. 9





· 3 Chapters: Avodah Kochavim Chapter Ten, Avodah Kochavim Chapter Eleven, Avodah Kochavim Chapter Twelve









· Hayom Yom:





· Daily Mitzvah (Maimonides)

· Nissan 10, 5771 · 4 14, 2011

· Today's Mitzvah

· A daily digest of Maimonides' classic work "Sefer Hamitzvot"





· Negative Commandment 35





· Incantations





· "There shall not be found among you... a charmer"-Deuteronomy 18:10-11.





· It is forbidden to chant a magical incantation in the belief that it can offer relief. For example, in times ago people would whisper a certain incantation over a snake or scorpion bite, in the belief that it would alleviate the pain.





· Negative Commandment 38





· Communication with the Dead





· "There shall not be found among you... a necromancer"-Deuteronomy 18:11.





· It is forbidden to do any act that supposedly elicits information from the dead. The Talmud speaks of people who would abstain from food and go to sleep in a cemetery-in the hope that the dead would appear and communicate with them.





· Negative Commandment 36





· Consulting Ov





· "There shall not be found among you... one who inquires of Ov"-Deuteronomy 18:10-11.





· The Torah forbids us from consulting with an Ov practitioner, to ask him for advice or information based on his Ov experience.

· The Ov practice consisted of burning a certain incense and doing certain acts known to the Ov followers. At that point, it would seem to the person engaging in these acts that he hears a voice emanating from beneath his armpit, which would answer questions that he posed.





· Negative Commandment 37





· Consulting Yi'doni





· "There shall not be found among you... one who inquires of Yid'oni"-Deuteronomy 18:10-11.





· The Torah forbids us from consulting with a Yid'oni practitioner, to ask him for advice or information based on his Yid'oni experience.

· The Yid'oni practice consisted of inserting into one's mouth a bone from the yidoa fowl. After then burning incense, saying certain formulas and doing certain rites, the person would enter a trance-like state, and he would begin issuing predictions about the future.





· Negative Commandment 34





· Witchcraft





· "There shall not be found among you...one who practices witchcraft"-Deuteronomy 18:10.

· We are forbidden from engaging in any form of magic or witchcraft.





· Negative Commandment 43





· Sideburns





· "You shall not round the corners of your heads"-Leviticus 19:27.

· It is forbidden for a man to cut off his sideburns, leaving his hairline rounded at the sides, for such was the practice of ancient idol-worshippers. (This prohibition also applies if one cuts all his hair. Even if there is no hairline, the sideburns must never be cut off.)





· Negative Commandment 44





· Shaving





· "You shall not destroy the corners of your beard"-Leviticus 19:27.





· It is forbidden for a man to shave with a razor (or razor-like implement) the "corners" of his beard. The Sages identified five corners: the upper right cheek, the lower right cheek, the upper left cheek, the lower left cheek, and the chin. Shaving the beards with razors was the way of ancient pagan priests.





· Negative Commandment 40





· Men Cross-Dressing





· "A man shall not put on a woman's garment"-Deuteronomy 22:5.





· It is forbidden for a man to don clothing or ornaments that are considered women's garment or gear in that locale. There are two reasons why a man would wear women's clothing, both anathema to G-d: a) To facilitate lewd behavior, or b) in conformance with once-prevalent idolatrous ritual.





· Negative Commandment 39





· Women Cross-Dressing





· "A woman shall not wear that which pertains to a man"-Deuteronomy 22:5.

· It is forbidden for a woman to don clothing or ornaments that are considered men's garment or gear in that locale.





· Negative Commandment 41





· Tattoos





· "You shall not print any marks upon you"-Leviticus 19:28.





· We are forbidden from tattooing our bodies. Tattooing was common practice amongst the ancient idol-worshippers.





· Negative Commandment 45





· Scarring





· "You shall not cut yourselves"-Deuteronomy 14:1.





· It is forbidden to cut ourselves in the course of mourning a deceased-as this was a common practice amongst idol-worshippers. It is also forbidden to follow the ancient practice of self-mutilation as part of pagan ritual.





· Negative Commandment 171





· Tearing Out Hair





· "Do not make any baldness between your eyes for the dead"-Deuteronomy 14:1.





· When a loved one dies, we mustn't allow our anguish to cause us to rip out our hair leaving a bald spot.





· Topics in the news





· The Japan Atomic Energy Agency raises the severity of the Fukushima I nuclear accidents to level 7, the highest on the International Nuclear Event Scale.

· Former Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo (pictured) is arrested after a five-month standoff with Alassane Ouattara.

· At least 12 people are killed and over 200 injured in a bomb attack on the Metro in Minsk, Belarus.

· France implements a controversial ban on full-length face covering.

· Iceland rejects a plan to repay the British and Dutch governments over guarantee savings after Icesave's failure.

· In golf, South African Charl Schwartzel wins the Masters Tournament.

· American film director Sidney Lumet dies at the age of 86.



· Current events of 14 4 2011 (2011-04-14)





· International relations



· North Korea has confirmed that it has detained a United States citizen Jun Young Su and is preparing to charge him with "committing a crime" against the country. (BBC)