INTERNATIONAL GRASSROOTS GAZETTE YISRA'EL (IGGY)
Today is: Yom Ha´shee´shee , Sixth day, Erev Shabbat,
Adar II 26, 5771 · 4 1, 2011
Yom Ha´shee´shee ....Sixth Day
כד וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים, תּוֹצֵא הָאָרֶץ נֶפֶשׁ חַיָּה לְמִינָהּ, בְּהֵמָה וָרֶמֶשׂ וְחַיְתוֹ-אֶרֶץ, לְמִינָהּ; וַיְהִי-כֵן. 24
And God said: 'Let the earth bring forth the living creature after its kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after its kind.' And it was so.
כה וַיַּעַשׂ אֱלֹהִים אֶת-חַיַּת הָאָרֶץ לְמִינָהּ, וְאֶת-הַבְּהֵמָה לְמִינָהּ, וְאֵת כָּל-רֶמֶשׂ הָאֲדָמָה, לְמִינֵהוּ; וַיַּרְא אֱלֹהִים, כִּי-טוֹב. 25
And God made the beast of the earth after its kind, and the cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the ground after its kind; and God saw that it was good.
כו וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים, נַעֲשֶׂה אָדָם בְּצַלְמֵנוּ כִּדְמוּתֵנוּ; וְיִרְדּוּ בִדְגַת הַיָּם וּבְעוֹף הַשָּׁמַיִם, וּבַבְּהֵמָה וּבְכָל-הָאָרֶץ, וּבְכָל-הָרֶמֶשׂ, הָרֹמֵשׂ עַל-הָאָרֶץ. 26
And God said: 'Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.'
כז וַיִּבְרָא אֱלֹהִים אֶת-הָאָדָם בְּצַלְמוֹ, בְּצֶלֶם אֱלֹהִים בָּרָא אֹתוֹ: זָכָר וּנְקֵבָה, בָּרָא אֹתָם. 27 And God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them.
כח וַיְבָרֶךְ אֹתָם, אֱלֹהִים, וַיֹּאמֶר לָהֶם אֱלֹהִים פְּרוּ וּרְבוּ וּמִלְאוּ אֶת-הָאָרֶץ, וְכִבְשֻׁהָ; וּרְדוּ בִּדְגַת הַיָּם, וּבְעוֹף הַשָּׁמַיִם, וּבְכָל-חַיָּה, הָרֹמֶשֶׂת עַל-הָאָרֶץ. 28
And God blessed them; and God said unto them: 'Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that creepeth upon the earth.'
כט וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים, הִנֵּה נָתַתִּי לָכֶם אֶת-כָּל-עֵשֶׂב זֹרֵעַ זֶרַע אֲשֶׁר עַל-פְּנֵי כָל-הָאָרֶץ, וְאֶת-כָּל-הָעֵץ אֲשֶׁר-בּוֹ פְרִי-עֵץ, זֹרֵעַ זָרַע: לָכֶם יִהְיֶה, לְאָכְלָה. 29
And God said: 'Behold, I have given you every herb yielding seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed--to you it shall be for food;
ל וּלְכָל-חַיַּת הָאָרֶץ וּלְכָל-עוֹף הַשָּׁמַיִם וּלְכֹל רוֹמֵשׂ עַל-הָאָרֶץ, אֲשֶׁר-בּוֹ נֶפֶשׁ חַיָּה, אֶת-כָּל-יֶרֶק עֵשֶׂב, לְאָכְלָה; וַיְהִי-כֵן. 30
and to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is a living soul, [I have given] every green herb for food.' And it was so.
לא וַיַּרְא אֱלֹהִים אֶת-כָּל-אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה, וְהִנֵּה-טוֹב מְאֹד; וַיְהִי-עֶרֶב וַיְהִי-בֹקֶר, יוֹם הַשִּׁשִּׁי. {פ} 31 And God saw every thing that He had made, and, behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
INTERNATIONAL GRASSROOTS GAZETTE YISRA'EL (IGGY)
Today is: Yom Ha´shee´shee , Sixth day, Erev Shabbat, Adar II 26, 5771 • 4 1, 2011
*A GHOST STORY
The Cock Lane ghost attracted mass public attention in 18th-century England. In 1762 an apartment in Cock Lane, a short road adjacent to London's Smithfield market and a few minutes' walk from St Paul's Cathedral, was the site of a reported haunting centred around three people: William Kent, a usurer from Norfolk, Richard Parsons, a parish clerk, and Parsons' daughter Elizabeth.
Following the death during childbirth of Kent's wife, Elizabeth Lynes, he became romantically involved with her sister, Fanny. Canon law prevented the couple from marrying, but they nevertheless moved to London and lodged at the property in Cock Lane, then owned by Parsons. Several accounts of strange knocking sounds and ghostly apparitions were reported, although for the most part they stopped after the couple moved out, but following Fanny's death from smallpox, and Kent's successful legal action against Parsons over an outstanding debt, they began again. Parsons claimed that Fanny's ghost haunted his property, and later his daughter. Regular séances were held to determine "Scratching Fanny's" motives, and Cock Lane was often made impassable by the throngs of interested bystanders.
The ghost appeared to claim that Fanny had been poisoned with arsenic and Kent was publicly suspected of being her murderer, but a commission whose members included Samuel Johnson concluded that the supposed haunting was a fraud. Further investigations proved the scam was perpetrated by Elizabeth Parsons, under duress from her father. Those responsible were prosecuted and found guilty; Richard Parsons was pilloried and sentenced to two years in prison.
The Cock Lane ghost became a focus of controversy between the Methodist and Anglican churches and is referenced frequently in contemporary literature. Charles Dickens is one of several Victorian authors whose work alluded to the story and the pictorial satirist William Hogarth referenced the ghost in two of his prints. DON’T BELIEVE EVRYTHING YOU HEAR!
TRUE BUT WEIRD
Ohio man dies after sitting in chair for two years.
A morbidly obese Ohio man died Wednesday after being found unconscious in his home several days earlier. The man had been sitting in a chair for two years and was physically fused to it when he was discovered by two roommates, one of which was his girlfriend.
Authorities who arrived at the house in Bellaire reported seeing the man sitting amidst his own urine and feces, which were infested with maggots. The man's skin had become attached to the recliner's cloth, said law enforcement officers, one of whom had to dispose of his uniform after responding to the home. In order to transport the man to the hospital, officers had to carve out a portion of the wall.
Identified as 43-year-old Richard Hughes, the man died after being taken to Wheeling Hospital in West Virginia. The residence's landlord said Hughes, weighing 348 pounds (157 kilograms), began sitting in the chair after his knees started to hurt, and refused to get up. Hughes' girlfriend told police that she fed him because he was unable to move around.
Jim Chase, a city official, called the room where the man stayed "very filthy, very deplorable" and said it was "unbelievable that somebody live[d] in conditions like that.
*Daily Mitzvah (Maimonides) Dedicate an email
• Today's Mitzvah
A daily digest of Maimonides' classic work "Sefer Hamitzvot"
• Principle 4
1) We do not include "encompassing" directives in the count. E.g. "And keep My covenant" (Exodus 12:5), or "Concerning all that I have said to you, you shall beware..." (ibid. 22:30), or "And you shall be a holy people to Me" (ibid. 23:23).
2) Verses that don't instruct us regarding a specific action, but regarding the imperative to observe all of the Torah's commandments, are not included in the 613.
•
• Principle 5
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1) The reason for a mitzvah is not counted on its own.
2) At times, the Torah tells us the reason for a command in language that could be understood as an independent precept-when in fact it is simply the rationale behind the words that precede it.
3) For example, "He shall not leave the Sanctuary, and he shall not desecrate the holy things of his G‑d" (Leviticus 21:12). Not desecrating the holy is not a commandment on its own, rather it is the reason why the Kohen may not leave the sanctuary. Or, "Her first husband, who had sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife...and you shall not bring sin to the land" (Deuteronomy 24:4). Here, too, "bringing sin to the land" is not an independent prohibition, but the reason why one may not remarry his divorced wife if she has remarried in the interim.
• Principle 6
1) A mitzvah that has both negative and positive components is counted as two-one Positive Commandment and one Negative Commandment.
2) E.g. we are commanded to rest on Shabbat and desist from work on the Shabbat. We are commanded to "afflict" ourselves on Yom Kippur and we are commanded not to eat on this holy day. Though a transgression of one is also a transgression of the other - if you eat on Yom Kippur you have not afflicted yourself; if you work on Shabbat you have not rested - nevertheless these are considered two independent mitzvot.
• Principle 7
1) The different applications of a mitzvah are not individually counted.
2) E.g. one who inadvertently defiles the Temple or holy foods is required to bring a sin offering (Leviticus 5). If his financial situation allows, he is to bring a sheep or she-goat; otherwise he brings two birds; and if he is completely impoverished, he brings a flour offering. All this, however, is counted as one mitzvah-the mitzvah of bringing a sin offering when this particular offense is committed-although the execution of the mitzvah varies depending on the situation.
•
• Principle 8
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1) Do not count a negative statement amongst the prohibitions.
2) The Hebrew word "lo" can mean both "do not" and "shall not"; and only the "do not"s are counted as prohibitions. The only way to discern between the two is by studying the context of the word.
3) Examples: "She shall not go free as the slaves go free" (Exodus 21:7). This verse should not be construes as a prohibition, it is simply telling us that the circumstances that mandate the emancipation of a Canaanite slave do not apply to a Hebrew maidservant. Certainly, however, if the owner wishes to free her, he may do so.
4) Or, "So he shall not to be like Korach and his company" (Numbers 17:5). This is not a prohibition, rather a warning that anyone who dares contest the priesthood of Aaron's descendents will meet the same fate as Korach and his cohorts.
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• Principle 9
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1) Do not count the number of times a commandment is mentioned in the Torah, only the act which is prohibited or commanded.
2) Certain commandments are repeated in the Torah numerous times. For example, the commandment to rest on Shabbat is mentioned twelve times and the prohibition against consuming blood is repeated no less than seven times. Nevertheless, when counting the 613 mitzvot, we only count a prohibited or prescribed act once.
3) (The exception to this rule is those instances where the Sages have deduced that the repetition of a particular commandment is intended to prohibit or instruct us regarding a different act. In such a case, the [seemingly] repetitive verse is counted as a separate mitzvah-for it is in fact instructing us regarding something different than the first verse.)
4) It should be noted that though we count the prohibited acts, and not the amount of times mentioned, we only count prohibited acts individually specified in the Torah. At times, the Torah will issue a prohibition employing general terminology, for this prohibition includes multiple acts. For example, "You shall not eat over the blood" (Leviticus 19:26). This prohibition teaches us not to eat sacrificial flesh before the blood is sprinkled on the altar, not to eat from any animal before its soul (contained in its blood) has fully departed, that the members of a court may not eat on the day that they implement a capital verdict, and more. Though all these are biblically forbidden, none are counted as part of the 613-as none of them are mentioned specifically in the Torah.
•
• Today in Judaism
•
• Daily Quote
Wealth and poverty is a wheel that turns round and round in the world
- Talmud, Shabbat 151a
• Daily Study
1) Chitas and Rambam for today:
2) Chumash: Tazria, 6th Portion Leviticus 13:40-13:54 with Rashi
3) Tehillim: Chapter 119, Verses 97-176
4) Tanya: Likutei Amarim, end of Chapter 38
• Rambam:
a) Sefer Hamitzvos:
b) 1 Chapter: Tum'at Okhalin Chap. 12
c) 3 Chapters: Negative Commandments Part 1, Negative Commandments Part 2, Negative Commandments Part 3
Hayom Yom:
EREV SHABBAT: NEWS
• Armed conflicts and attacks
1) 2010–2011 Middle East and North Africa protests:
2) 2011 Libyan uprising:
3) An envoy of Muammar Gaddafi is reported to have been seen gossiping with officials on a visit to the English city of London. (BBC)
4) More people leave the inner circle of Gaddafi, including his choice for the United Nations ambassador. (Al Jazeera)
5) 2011 Bahraini protests:
6) Authorities release a prominent blogger but detain several others in a series of arrests. (Alert Net)
7) 2010–2011 Ivorian crisis:
8) Heavy fighting continues in Abidjan, the largest city in the Ivory Coast between forces loyal to current President of the Ivory Coast Laurent Gbagbo and internationally-recognised claimant Alassane Ouattara. (BBC)
•
• Arts and culture
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1) The film debut of Brokeback Mountain star Jake Gyllenhaal circulates online. (Hollywood Reporter)
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• Business and economics
•
2) Ireland's government agrees to bank bailout number five, valued at €24 billion, and does not force senior bondholders into burden-sharing. (The Irish Times)
3) It is revealed that chief executive of nationalised Anglo Irish Bank Mike Aynsley received €1 million, including a "housing allowance" for his second home in Australia, while the bank admits billions were squandered last year in the biggest corporate loss in the country's history. (Irish Independent)
4) Microsoft complains to the European Union, claiming it is the first time it has done such a thing. (The Wall Street Journal)
•
• Disasters
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1) Australia to lose $2 billion due to Japanese disasters
2) Japan Self-Defense Forces and the members of the United States Armed Forces search for people still missing after the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. (Kyodo)
3) Radioactivity levels surge in Japan. (Los Angeles Times)
4) Efforts to refloat a stranded German-Danish consortium-owned steel vessel which flies the flag of Antigua and Barbuda get underway off the coast of Connemara in the west of Ireland. (Irish Independent)
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• International relations
•
1) The South African Development Community demands an end to the political violence in Zimbabwe, amid tensions in the unity government. (IOL)
•
• Law and crime
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• The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that the number of traffic deaths has fallen to 32,788 in 2010, the lowest level since 1949. (New York Times)
• Former chief executive of nationalised Anglo Irish Bank David Drumm is questioned about the bank's debts and his declaration of bankruptcy in Massachusetts. Drumm bans the press from attending. (The Irish Times)
•
• Politics and elections
•
2) The British media reports on plans for a fresh air tax to be implemented by the country's government. (The Australian)
3) Senator Steve Fielding launches his campaign to outlaw lies on April 1 in his battle against who engage in the "ever-growing annual tradition of playing practical jokes on less intelligent Australians". (The Sydney Morning Herald)
4) Mohammad-Ali Najafi is elected leader of Iranian Executives of Construction Party to replace with Gholamhossein Karbaschi. (Kalame)
5) Government of Kuwait led by Nasser Al-Sabah has resigned due to a stand-off with parliament, potentially allowing for early elections. (Al Jazeera)
•
• Science
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1) Scientists use a giant potato model to illustrate the force of gravity on Earth from data from the Goce satellite. (BBC)
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• Sport
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2) Soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo is transferred from Portugal to Spain for €160 million in a bid to alleviate the country's burgeoning debt crisis. (The Independent)
Today is: Yom Ha´shee´shee , Sixth day, Erev Shabbat,
Adar II 26, 5771 · 4 1, 2011
Yom Ha´shee´shee ....Sixth Day
כד וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים, תּוֹצֵא הָאָרֶץ נֶפֶשׁ חַיָּה לְמִינָהּ, בְּהֵמָה וָרֶמֶשׂ וְחַיְתוֹ-אֶרֶץ, לְמִינָהּ; וַיְהִי-כֵן. 24
And God said: 'Let the earth bring forth the living creature after its kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after its kind.' And it was so.
כה וַיַּעַשׂ אֱלֹהִים אֶת-חַיַּת הָאָרֶץ לְמִינָהּ, וְאֶת-הַבְּהֵמָה לְמִינָהּ, וְאֵת כָּל-רֶמֶשׂ הָאֲדָמָה, לְמִינֵהוּ; וַיַּרְא אֱלֹהִים, כִּי-טוֹב. 25
And God made the beast of the earth after its kind, and the cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the ground after its kind; and God saw that it was good.
כו וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים, נַעֲשֶׂה אָדָם בְּצַלְמֵנוּ כִּדְמוּתֵנוּ; וְיִרְדּוּ בִדְגַת הַיָּם וּבְעוֹף הַשָּׁמַיִם, וּבַבְּהֵמָה וּבְכָל-הָאָרֶץ, וּבְכָל-הָרֶמֶשׂ, הָרֹמֵשׂ עַל-הָאָרֶץ. 26
And God said: 'Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.'
כז וַיִּבְרָא אֱלֹהִים אֶת-הָאָדָם בְּצַלְמוֹ, בְּצֶלֶם אֱלֹהִים בָּרָא אֹתוֹ: זָכָר וּנְקֵבָה, בָּרָא אֹתָם. 27 And God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them.
כח וַיְבָרֶךְ אֹתָם, אֱלֹהִים, וַיֹּאמֶר לָהֶם אֱלֹהִים פְּרוּ וּרְבוּ וּמִלְאוּ אֶת-הָאָרֶץ, וְכִבְשֻׁהָ; וּרְדוּ בִּדְגַת הַיָּם, וּבְעוֹף הַשָּׁמַיִם, וּבְכָל-חַיָּה, הָרֹמֶשֶׂת עַל-הָאָרֶץ. 28
And God blessed them; and God said unto them: 'Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that creepeth upon the earth.'
כט וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים, הִנֵּה נָתַתִּי לָכֶם אֶת-כָּל-עֵשֶׂב זֹרֵעַ זֶרַע אֲשֶׁר עַל-פְּנֵי כָל-הָאָרֶץ, וְאֶת-כָּל-הָעֵץ אֲשֶׁר-בּוֹ פְרִי-עֵץ, זֹרֵעַ זָרַע: לָכֶם יִהְיֶה, לְאָכְלָה. 29
And God said: 'Behold, I have given you every herb yielding seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed--to you it shall be for food;
ל וּלְכָל-חַיַּת הָאָרֶץ וּלְכָל-עוֹף הַשָּׁמַיִם וּלְכֹל רוֹמֵשׂ עַל-הָאָרֶץ, אֲשֶׁר-בּוֹ נֶפֶשׁ חַיָּה, אֶת-כָּל-יֶרֶק עֵשֶׂב, לְאָכְלָה; וַיְהִי-כֵן. 30
and to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is a living soul, [I have given] every green herb for food.' And it was so.
לא וַיַּרְא אֱלֹהִים אֶת-כָּל-אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה, וְהִנֵּה-טוֹב מְאֹד; וַיְהִי-עֶרֶב וַיְהִי-בֹקֶר, יוֹם הַשִּׁשִּׁי. {פ} 31 And God saw every thing that He had made, and, behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
INTERNATIONAL GRASSROOTS GAZETTE YISRA'EL (IGGY)
Today is: Yom Ha´shee´shee , Sixth day, Erev Shabbat, Adar II 26, 5771 • 4 1, 2011
*A GHOST STORY
The Cock Lane ghost attracted mass public attention in 18th-century England. In 1762 an apartment in Cock Lane, a short road adjacent to London's Smithfield market and a few minutes' walk from St Paul's Cathedral, was the site of a reported haunting centred around three people: William Kent, a usurer from Norfolk, Richard Parsons, a parish clerk, and Parsons' daughter Elizabeth.
Following the death during childbirth of Kent's wife, Elizabeth Lynes, he became romantically involved with her sister, Fanny. Canon law prevented the couple from marrying, but they nevertheless moved to London and lodged at the property in Cock Lane, then owned by Parsons. Several accounts of strange knocking sounds and ghostly apparitions were reported, although for the most part they stopped after the couple moved out, but following Fanny's death from smallpox, and Kent's successful legal action against Parsons over an outstanding debt, they began again. Parsons claimed that Fanny's ghost haunted his property, and later his daughter. Regular séances were held to determine "Scratching Fanny's" motives, and Cock Lane was often made impassable by the throngs of interested bystanders.
The ghost appeared to claim that Fanny had been poisoned with arsenic and Kent was publicly suspected of being her murderer, but a commission whose members included Samuel Johnson concluded that the supposed haunting was a fraud. Further investigations proved the scam was perpetrated by Elizabeth Parsons, under duress from her father. Those responsible were prosecuted and found guilty; Richard Parsons was pilloried and sentenced to two years in prison.
The Cock Lane ghost became a focus of controversy between the Methodist and Anglican churches and is referenced frequently in contemporary literature. Charles Dickens is one of several Victorian authors whose work alluded to the story and the pictorial satirist William Hogarth referenced the ghost in two of his prints. DON’T BELIEVE EVRYTHING YOU HEAR!
TRUE BUT WEIRD
Ohio man dies after sitting in chair for two years.
A morbidly obese Ohio man died Wednesday after being found unconscious in his home several days earlier. The man had been sitting in a chair for two years and was physically fused to it when he was discovered by two roommates, one of which was his girlfriend.
Authorities who arrived at the house in Bellaire reported seeing the man sitting amidst his own urine and feces, which were infested with maggots. The man's skin had become attached to the recliner's cloth, said law enforcement officers, one of whom had to dispose of his uniform after responding to the home. In order to transport the man to the hospital, officers had to carve out a portion of the wall.
Identified as 43-year-old Richard Hughes, the man died after being taken to Wheeling Hospital in West Virginia. The residence's landlord said Hughes, weighing 348 pounds (157 kilograms), began sitting in the chair after his knees started to hurt, and refused to get up. Hughes' girlfriend told police that she fed him because he was unable to move around.
Jim Chase, a city official, called the room where the man stayed "very filthy, very deplorable" and said it was "unbelievable that somebody live[d] in conditions like that.
*Daily Mitzvah (Maimonides) Dedicate an email
• Today's Mitzvah
A daily digest of Maimonides' classic work "Sefer Hamitzvot"
• Principle 4
1) We do not include "encompassing" directives in the count. E.g. "And keep My covenant" (Exodus 12:5), or "Concerning all that I have said to you, you shall beware..." (ibid. 22:30), or "And you shall be a holy people to Me" (ibid. 23:23).
2) Verses that don't instruct us regarding a specific action, but regarding the imperative to observe all of the Torah's commandments, are not included in the 613.
•
• Principle 5
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1) The reason for a mitzvah is not counted on its own.
2) At times, the Torah tells us the reason for a command in language that could be understood as an independent precept-when in fact it is simply the rationale behind the words that precede it.
3) For example, "He shall not leave the Sanctuary, and he shall not desecrate the holy things of his G‑d" (Leviticus 21:12). Not desecrating the holy is not a commandment on its own, rather it is the reason why the Kohen may not leave the sanctuary. Or, "Her first husband, who had sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife...and you shall not bring sin to the land" (Deuteronomy 24:4). Here, too, "bringing sin to the land" is not an independent prohibition, but the reason why one may not remarry his divorced wife if she has remarried in the interim.
• Principle 6
1) A mitzvah that has both negative and positive components is counted as two-one Positive Commandment and one Negative Commandment.
2) E.g. we are commanded to rest on Shabbat and desist from work on the Shabbat. We are commanded to "afflict" ourselves on Yom Kippur and we are commanded not to eat on this holy day. Though a transgression of one is also a transgression of the other - if you eat on Yom Kippur you have not afflicted yourself; if you work on Shabbat you have not rested - nevertheless these are considered two independent mitzvot.
• Principle 7
1) The different applications of a mitzvah are not individually counted.
2) E.g. one who inadvertently defiles the Temple or holy foods is required to bring a sin offering (Leviticus 5). If his financial situation allows, he is to bring a sheep or she-goat; otherwise he brings two birds; and if he is completely impoverished, he brings a flour offering. All this, however, is counted as one mitzvah-the mitzvah of bringing a sin offering when this particular offense is committed-although the execution of the mitzvah varies depending on the situation.
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• Principle 8
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1) Do not count a negative statement amongst the prohibitions.
2) The Hebrew word "lo" can mean both "do not" and "shall not"; and only the "do not"s are counted as prohibitions. The only way to discern between the two is by studying the context of the word.
3) Examples: "She shall not go free as the slaves go free" (Exodus 21:7). This verse should not be construes as a prohibition, it is simply telling us that the circumstances that mandate the emancipation of a Canaanite slave do not apply to a Hebrew maidservant. Certainly, however, if the owner wishes to free her, he may do so.
4) Or, "So he shall not to be like Korach and his company" (Numbers 17:5). This is not a prohibition, rather a warning that anyone who dares contest the priesthood of Aaron's descendents will meet the same fate as Korach and his cohorts.
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• Principle 9
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1) Do not count the number of times a commandment is mentioned in the Torah, only the act which is prohibited or commanded.
2) Certain commandments are repeated in the Torah numerous times. For example, the commandment to rest on Shabbat is mentioned twelve times and the prohibition against consuming blood is repeated no less than seven times. Nevertheless, when counting the 613 mitzvot, we only count a prohibited or prescribed act once.
3) (The exception to this rule is those instances where the Sages have deduced that the repetition of a particular commandment is intended to prohibit or instruct us regarding a different act. In such a case, the [seemingly] repetitive verse is counted as a separate mitzvah-for it is in fact instructing us regarding something different than the first verse.)
4) It should be noted that though we count the prohibited acts, and not the amount of times mentioned, we only count prohibited acts individually specified in the Torah. At times, the Torah will issue a prohibition employing general terminology, for this prohibition includes multiple acts. For example, "You shall not eat over the blood" (Leviticus 19:26). This prohibition teaches us not to eat sacrificial flesh before the blood is sprinkled on the altar, not to eat from any animal before its soul (contained in its blood) has fully departed, that the members of a court may not eat on the day that they implement a capital verdict, and more. Though all these are biblically forbidden, none are counted as part of the 613-as none of them are mentioned specifically in the Torah.
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• Today in Judaism
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• Daily Quote
Wealth and poverty is a wheel that turns round and round in the world
- Talmud, Shabbat 151a
• Daily Study
1) Chitas and Rambam for today:
2) Chumash: Tazria, 6th Portion Leviticus 13:40-13:54 with Rashi
3) Tehillim: Chapter 119, Verses 97-176
4) Tanya: Likutei Amarim, end of Chapter 38
• Rambam:
a) Sefer Hamitzvos:
b) 1 Chapter: Tum'at Okhalin Chap. 12
c) 3 Chapters: Negative Commandments Part 1, Negative Commandments Part 2, Negative Commandments Part 3
Hayom Yom:
EREV SHABBAT: NEWS
• Armed conflicts and attacks
1) 2010–2011 Middle East and North Africa protests:
2) 2011 Libyan uprising:
3) An envoy of Muammar Gaddafi is reported to have been seen gossiping with officials on a visit to the English city of London. (BBC)
4) More people leave the inner circle of Gaddafi, including his choice for the United Nations ambassador. (Al Jazeera)
5) 2011 Bahraini protests:
6) Authorities release a prominent blogger but detain several others in a series of arrests. (Alert Net)
7) 2010–2011 Ivorian crisis:
8) Heavy fighting continues in Abidjan, the largest city in the Ivory Coast between forces loyal to current President of the Ivory Coast Laurent Gbagbo and internationally-recognised claimant Alassane Ouattara. (BBC)
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• Arts and culture
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1) The film debut of Brokeback Mountain star Jake Gyllenhaal circulates online. (Hollywood Reporter)
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• Business and economics
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2) Ireland's government agrees to bank bailout number five, valued at €24 billion, and does not force senior bondholders into burden-sharing. (The Irish Times)
3) It is revealed that chief executive of nationalised Anglo Irish Bank Mike Aynsley received €1 million, including a "housing allowance" for his second home in Australia, while the bank admits billions were squandered last year in the biggest corporate loss in the country's history. (Irish Independent)
4) Microsoft complains to the European Union, claiming it is the first time it has done such a thing. (The Wall Street Journal)
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• Disasters
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1) Australia to lose $2 billion due to Japanese disasters
2) Japan Self-Defense Forces and the members of the United States Armed Forces search for people still missing after the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. (Kyodo)
3) Radioactivity levels surge in Japan. (Los Angeles Times)
4) Efforts to refloat a stranded German-Danish consortium-owned steel vessel which flies the flag of Antigua and Barbuda get underway off the coast of Connemara in the west of Ireland. (Irish Independent)
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• International relations
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1) The South African Development Community demands an end to the political violence in Zimbabwe, amid tensions in the unity government. (IOL)
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• Law and crime
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• The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that the number of traffic deaths has fallen to 32,788 in 2010, the lowest level since 1949. (New York Times)
• Former chief executive of nationalised Anglo Irish Bank David Drumm is questioned about the bank's debts and his declaration of bankruptcy in Massachusetts. Drumm bans the press from attending. (The Irish Times)
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• Politics and elections
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2) The British media reports on plans for a fresh air tax to be implemented by the country's government. (The Australian)
3) Senator Steve Fielding launches his campaign to outlaw lies on April 1 in his battle against who engage in the "ever-growing annual tradition of playing practical jokes on less intelligent Australians". (The Sydney Morning Herald)
4) Mohammad-Ali Najafi is elected leader of Iranian Executives of Construction Party to replace with Gholamhossein Karbaschi. (Kalame)
5) Government of Kuwait led by Nasser Al-Sabah has resigned due to a stand-off with parliament, potentially allowing for early elections. (Al Jazeera)
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• Science
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1) Scientists use a giant potato model to illustrate the force of gravity on Earth from data from the Goce satellite. (BBC)
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• Sport
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2) Soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo is transferred from Portugal to Spain for €160 million in a bid to alleviate the country's burgeoning debt crisis. (The Independent)
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