Today is: EREV YOM KIPPUR, Tishrei 9, 5772 • 10 7, 2011
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Topics in the news
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Tomas Tranströmer becomes the 108th winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature.
.
Apple Inc. co-founder Steve Jobs dies at the age of 56.
.
Dan Shechtman wins the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his discovery of quasicrystals.
.
Russia restores the full satellite constellation of global satellite navigation system GLONASS.
.
Saul Perlmutter, Adam Riess, and Brian Schmidt share the Nobel Prize in Physics for discovering that the universe's expansion is accelerating.
.
More than 130 people are killed by a suicide bombing in Mogadishu, Somalia, the region's deadliest attack since 2007.
.
Current events of 7 October 2011 (2011-10-07)
.
Armed conflicts and attacks
.
The War in Afghanistan marks its ten year anniversary. (AFP via Sydney Morning Herald)
.
International relations
.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee announce the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo with the prize being shared between the President of Liberia Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Liberian activist Leymah Gbowee and Yemeni women's rights activist Tawakkul Karman. (AFP via Google News) (News Limited)
.
Sports
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The Detroit Tigers defeat the New York Yankees in Game 5 of the ALDS. They move on to play the Texas Rangers in the 2011 ALCS. (New York Times)
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Erev Yom Kippur
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Today's Laws & Customs
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• Kaparot
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In the early morning hours of the day preceding Yom Kippur, the Kaparot ("Atonement") ceremony is performed. We take a live chicken (a rooster for a male and a hen for a female) and, circling it three times above our heads, we declare: "This is my replacement, this is my exchange, this is my atonement; this fowl shall go to its death, and I shall go to a long, good and peaceful life." The fowl is then slaughtered in accordance with halachic procedure, at which time we contemplate that this is a fate we ourselves would deserve, G-d forbid, for our failings and iniquities. The value of the fowl is given to the poor, and its meat eaten in the Yom Kippur meal; some give the fowl itself to the poor. (A alternate custom is to perform the rite only with money, reciting the prescribed verses and giving the money to charity. Kaparot can also be performed in the preceding days, during the "Ten Days of Repentance").
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• Festive Meals
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The day before Yom Kippur is a Yom Tov, a festive day; for although we stand prepared to be judged in the supernal courtroom for our deeds of the passed year, we are confident that G-d is a merciful judge, and will decree a year of life, health and prosperity for us. Two festive meals are eaten -- one at midday and the other before the fast, which begins at sunset. The Talmud states that "Whoever eats and drinks on the 9th [of Tishrei], it is regarded as if he had fasted on both the 9th and the 10th."
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In many communities it is customary to eat kreplach on the day before Yom Kippur. Kreplach are small squares of rolled pasta dough filled with ground meat and folded into triangles. They can be boiled and served in soup or fried and served as a side dish. The meat symbolizes severity, the dough is an allusion to kindness. In preparation for the Day of Judgment we "cover" the severity with kindness. (Click here for a recipe.)
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• Mikveh
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Both men and women immerse in a mikveh (ritual pool) to attain an extra measure of sanctity before the holy day.
.
• Lekach (honey cake)
.
It is customary to ask for and receive lekach (sweet cake -- signifying a sweet year) from someone (usually one's mentor or parent) on this day. One of the reasons given for this custom is that if it had been decreed, G-d forbid, that during the year we should need to resort to a handout from others, the decree should be satisfied with this asking for food. The Lubavitcher Rebbe adds a deeper insight: "asking for lekach" on the eve of Yom Kippur instills in us the recognition that all the sustenance we receive throughout the year, including that which we supposedly "earn" by our own powers and endeavors, is in truth a gift from Above, granted in response to our daily requests from "He who nourishes the entire world with in His goodness, with grace, with benevolence and with compassion."
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• Additional customs
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Additional eve of Yom Kippur customs include receiving symbolic malkut ("lashings") as atonment for one's transgressions, reciting the "Al Chet" confession of sins after minchah and at sunset, and lighting a 26-hour candle that would burn for the duration of Yom Kippur.
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• Yom Kippur fast begins at sunset
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Yom Kippur ("Day of Atonement"), the holiest day of the year, begins this evening at sunset. Its most basic observance is the fast that begins at sunset and ends tomorrow evening at nightfall (a total of approximately 26 hours), during which we abstain from food and drink in fulfillment of the biblical command (Leviticus 16:29; see also "Festive Meals" above).
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• Kol Nidrei
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The first of the five Yom Kippur prayer services, which begins with the solemn Kol Nidrei prayer, is recited in the synogogue tonight at sunset, at the onset of the holy day.
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For more on the Yom Kippur observances see Laws & Customs for tomorrow, Tishrei 10.
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• Ten Days of Repentance
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The 10-day period beginning on Rosh Hashahnah and ending on Yom Kippur is known as the "Ten Days of Repentance"; this is the period, say the sages, of which the prophet speaks when he proclaims (Isaiah 55:6) "Seek G-d when He is to be found; call on Him when He is near." Psalm 130, Avinu Malkeinu and other special inserts and additions are included in our daily prayers during these days.
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The Baal Shem Tov instituted the custom of reciting three additional chapters of Psalms each day, from the 1st of Elul until Yom Kippur (on Yom Kippur the remaining 36 chapters are recited, thereby completing the entire book of Psalms). Click below for today's three Psalms.
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Today is: Shabbat, Tishrei 10, 5772 • 10 8, 2011
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Yom Kippur
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Today's Laws & Customs
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• Yom Kippur Observances
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Yom Kippur is the holiest day of the year -- the day on which we are closest to G-d and to the quintessential core of our own souls. It is the "Day of Atonement" -- "For on this day He will forgive you, to purify you, that you be cleansed from all your sins before G-d" (Leviticus 16:30).
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For twenty-six hours, from several minutes before sunset on Tishrei 9 to after nightfall on Tishrei 10, we "afflict our souls": we abstain from food and drink, do not wash or anoint our bodies, do not wear leather shoes, and abstain from marital relations.
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When the Holy Temple stood in Jerusalem, the Yom Kippur service included the High Priest's entry into the "Holy of Holies" to offer the ketoret -- the only time that anyone entered the Temple's innermost chamber -- and the "casting of lots" over two goats, one to be offered to G-d and the other to carry off the sins of Israel to the wilderness. Today, we spend the day in the synagogue garbed in a white garment called a kittel to resemble the sin-free angels and to waken thoughts of repentance by reminding us of the day of our death. In the course of the day we hold five prayer services: Maariv, with its solemn Kol Nidrei service, on the eve of Yom Kippur; Shacharit; Musaf, which includes a detailed account of the Temple service; Minchah, which includes the reading of the Book of Jonah; and Ne'illah, the "closing of the gates" service at sunset. We say the Al Chet confession of sins ten times, and recite Psalms every available moment.
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The day is the most solemn of the year, yet an undertone of joy suffuses it: a joy that revels in the spirituality of the day and expresses the confidence that G-d will accept our repentance, forgive our sins, and seal our verdict for a year of life, health and happiness. When the closing Ne'illah service climaxes in the resounding cries of "Hear O Israel... G-d is one" and a single blast of the shofar, the joy erupts in song and dance (a Chabad custom is to sing the lively niggun known as "Napoleon's March"), followed by the festive after-fast meal, making the evening following Yom Kippur a Yom Tov (festival) in its own right.
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A Yom Kippur anthology
About Yom Kippur (from JewishNewYear.com)
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• Ten Days of Repentance
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The 10-day period beginning on Rosh Hashahnah and ending on Yom Kippur is known as the "Ten Days of Repentance"; this is the period, say the sages, of which the prophet speaks when he proclaims (Isaiah 55:6) "Seek G-d when He is to be found; call on Him when He is near." Psalm 130, Avinu Malkeinu and other special inserts and additions are included in our daily prayers during these days.
.
The Baal Shem Tov instituted the custom of reciting three additional chapters of Psalms each day, from the 1st of Elul until Yom Kippur.
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On Yom Kippur the remaining 36 chapters are recited, thereby completing the entire book of Psalms.
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Before Kol Nidrei chapters 115-123 Before retiring for the night chapters 124-132 After the Musaf prayer chapters 133-141 After the Neilah final prayer chapters 142-150
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• Sanctification of the Moon
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Once a month, as the moon waxes in the sky, we recite a special blessing called Kiddush Levanah, "the sanctification of the moon," praising the Creator for His wondrous work we call astronomy.
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Kiddush Levanah is recited after nightfall, usually on Saturday night. The blessing is concluded with songs and dancing, because our nation is likened to the moon—as it waxes and wanes, so have we throughout history. When we bless the moon, we renew our trust that very soon, the light of G‑d's presence will fill all the earth and our people will be redeemed from exile.
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Though Kiddush Levanah can be recited as early as three days after the moon's rebirth, the kabbalah tells us it is best to wait a full week, till the seventh of the month. When sanctifying the moon of the month of Tishrei, it is customary to wait till the night after Yom Kippur.
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Once 15 days have passed, the moon begins to wane once more and the season for saying the blessing has passed.
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Today in Jewish History
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• Rebecca Born (1677 BCE)
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Birth of Rebecca (1677-1556 BCE), wife of Isaac, mother of Jacob and Esau, and one of the Four Matriarchs of Israel.
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• 2nd Tablets; Day of Forgiveness (1313 BCE)
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On the 10th of Tishrei of the year 2449 from creation, 82 days after the people of Israel betrayed their newly entered covenant with G-d by worshipping a Golden Calf and after Moses twice spent 40 days atop Mount Sinai pleading on their behalf, "G-d restored His goodwill with the Jewish people gladly and wholeheartedly, saying to Moses 'I have forgiven, as you ask', and gave him the Second Tablets" -- thereby establishing the day as a time for atonement, forgiveness and teshuvah for all generations.
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Daily Study
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Chitas and Rambam for today:
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Chumash: Vezot Hab'rachah, 7th Portion Deuteronomy 34:1-34:12 with Rashi
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Tehillim: Chapters 55 - 59
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Tanya: Iggeret HaKodesh, end of Epistle 20
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Rambam:
• Sefer Hamitzvos:
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• 1 Chapter: Sechirut Chapter 10
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• 3 Chapters: Temurah Chap. 1, 2, 3
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Hayom Yom: "Today's Day"
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Yom Kippur eve begin Hashem malach tageil etc. The verse Or zarua is said once, aloud. (p. 296) Al daat hakahal...is said three times, softly. Ki hinei kachomer is not repeated. Bedtime sh'ma as every Shabbat and Festival. Avinu malkeinu z'chor rachamecha etc. is said in every tefilla. On Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy (p. 183) are recited when the Scrolls are removed from the Ark, even on Shabbat. The daily Tehillim is said after Musaf.
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Haftora at Mincha: Va'yhi d'var until uv'heima raba, then Mi Keil kamocha etc. L'David ori said at Mincha too. Open the Ark for Ne'ila service at Ashrei, and it remains open until after the entire Ne'ila Service. Kaddish in Ne'ila - l'eila ul'eila. Ein k'Elokeinu, Aleinu, no blessing by the kohanim.
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Hayom yifneh is said even after dark. She'assa li kol tzorki (p. 8) is not said until tomorrow.
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On Yom Kippur it works out that we actually fast 26 hours.1
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FOOTNOTES
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1. Corresponding to the Divine Name Havayeh, numerically equivalent to 26. See Sefer Hasichot 5705 p. 21. See Likutei Sichot 16, p. 522.
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Today's Mitzvah
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A daily digest of Maimonides’ classic work "Sefer Hamitzvot"
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Negative Commandment 106
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Exchanging an Animal Designated for Sacrifice for Another
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"He shall not exchange it or transfer it"—Leviticus 27:10.
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It is forbidden to exchange an animal designated for sacrifice for another animal; i.e., to attempt to transfer the holiness from one animal to another.
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Positive Commandment 87
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The Sanctity of an "Exchanged" Animal
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"Both it and its substitute shall be holy"—Leviticus 27:10.
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In the event that someone exchanges an animal designated for sacrifice with another animal – i.e., he attempts to transfer the holiness from one animal to another – the animal upon which holiness was transferred becomes holy, [also] designated for sacrifice.
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THE SACREDNESS OF EACH DAY IN TORAH
Genesis Chapter 1
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בְּרֵאשִׁית
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Yom Ha´shee´shee ....Sixth day
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כד וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים, תּוֹצֵא הָאָרֶץ נֶפֶשׁ חַיָּה לְמִינָהּ, בְּהֵמָה וָרֶמֶשׂ וְחַיְתוֹ-אֶרֶץ, לְמִינָהּ; וַיְהִי-כֵן. 24
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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.
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כה וַיַּעַשׂ אֱלֹהִים אֶת-חַיַּת הָאָרֶץ לְמִינָהּ, וְאֶת-הַבְּהֵמָה לְמִינָהּ, וְאֵת כָּל-רֶמֶשׂ הָאֲדָמָה, לְמִינֵהוּ; וַיַּרְא אֱלֹהִים, כִּי-טוֹב. 25
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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.
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כו וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים, נַעֲשֶׂה אָדָם בְּצַלְמֵנוּ כִּדְמוּתֵנוּ; וְיִרְדּוּ בִדְגַת הַיָּם וּבְעוֹף הַשָּׁמַיִם, וּבַבְּהֵמָה וּבְכָל-הָאָרֶץ, וּבְכָל-הָרֶמֶשׂ, הָרֹמֵשׂ עַל-הָאָרֶץ. 26
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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.'
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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.
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כח וַיְבָרֶךְ אֹתָם, אֱלֹהִים, וַיֹּאמֶר לָהֶם אֱלֹהִים פְּרוּ וּרְבוּ וּמִלְאוּ אֶת-הָאָרֶץ, וְכִבְשֻׁהָ; וּרְדוּ בִּדְגַת הַיָּם, וּבְעוֹף הַשָּׁמַיִם, וּבְכָל-חַיָּה, הָרֹמֶשֶׂת עַל-הָאָרֶץ. 28
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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.'
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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
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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;
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ל וּלְכָל-חַיַּת הָאָרֶץ וּלְכָל-עוֹף הַשָּׁמַיִם וּלְכֹל רוֹמֵשׂ עַל-הָאָרֶץ, אֲשֶׁר-בּוֹ נֶפֶשׁ חַיָּה, אֶת-כָּל-יֶרֶק עֵשֶׂב, לְאָכְלָה; וַיְהִי-כֵן. 30
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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.
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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. .
THE SACREDNESS OF EACH DAY IN TORAH
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Genesis Chapter 1
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בְּרֵאשִׁית
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Yom Shabbat Rest.......7th Day
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Genesis Chapter 2 בְּרֵאשִׁית
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א וַיְכֻלּוּ הַשָּׁמַיִם וְהָאָרֶץ, וְכָל-צְבָאָם. 1
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And the heaven and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.
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ב וַיְכַל אֱלֹהִים בַּיּוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי, מְלַאכְתּוֹ אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה; וַיִּשְׁבֹּת בַּיּוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי, מִכָּל-מְלַאכְתּוֹ אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה. 2 And on the seventh day God finished His work which He had made; and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had made.
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ג וַיְבָרֶךְ אֱלֹהִים אֶת-יוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי, וַיְקַדֵּשׁ אֹתוֹ: כִּי בוֹ שָׁבַת מִכָּל-מְלַאכְתּוֹ, אֲשֶׁר-בָּרָא אֱלֹהִים לַעֲשׂוֹת. {פ} 3 And God blessed the seventh day, and hallowed it; because that in it He rested from all His work which God in creating had made.
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Topics in the news
.
Tomas Tranströmer becomes the 108th winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature.
.
Apple Inc. co-founder Steve Jobs dies at the age of 56.
.
Dan Shechtman wins the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his discovery of quasicrystals.
.
Russia restores the full satellite constellation of global satellite navigation system GLONASS.
.
Saul Perlmutter, Adam Riess, and Brian Schmidt share the Nobel Prize in Physics for discovering that the universe's expansion is accelerating.
.
More than 130 people are killed by a suicide bombing in Mogadishu, Somalia, the region's deadliest attack since 2007.
.
Current events of 7 October 2011 (2011-10-07)
.
Armed conflicts and attacks
.
The War in Afghanistan marks its ten year anniversary. (AFP via Sydney Morning Herald)
.
International relations
.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee announce the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo with the prize being shared between the President of Liberia Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Liberian activist Leymah Gbowee and Yemeni women's rights activist Tawakkul Karman. (AFP via Google News) (News Limited)
.
Sports
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The Detroit Tigers defeat the New York Yankees in Game 5 of the ALDS. They move on to play the Texas Rangers in the 2011 ALCS. (New York Times)
.
Erev Yom Kippur
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Today's Laws & Customs
.
• Kaparot
.
In the early morning hours of the day preceding Yom Kippur, the Kaparot ("Atonement") ceremony is performed. We take a live chicken (a rooster for a male and a hen for a female) and, circling it three times above our heads, we declare: "This is my replacement, this is my exchange, this is my atonement; this fowl shall go to its death, and I shall go to a long, good and peaceful life." The fowl is then slaughtered in accordance with halachic procedure, at which time we contemplate that this is a fate we ourselves would deserve, G-d forbid, for our failings and iniquities. The value of the fowl is given to the poor, and its meat eaten in the Yom Kippur meal; some give the fowl itself to the poor. (A alternate custom is to perform the rite only with money, reciting the prescribed verses and giving the money to charity. Kaparot can also be performed in the preceding days, during the "Ten Days of Repentance").
.
• Festive Meals
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The day before Yom Kippur is a Yom Tov, a festive day; for although we stand prepared to be judged in the supernal courtroom for our deeds of the passed year, we are confident that G-d is a merciful judge, and will decree a year of life, health and prosperity for us. Two festive meals are eaten -- one at midday and the other before the fast, which begins at sunset. The Talmud states that "Whoever eats and drinks on the 9th [of Tishrei], it is regarded as if he had fasted on both the 9th and the 10th."
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In many communities it is customary to eat kreplach on the day before Yom Kippur. Kreplach are small squares of rolled pasta dough filled with ground meat and folded into triangles. They can be boiled and served in soup or fried and served as a side dish. The meat symbolizes severity, the dough is an allusion to kindness. In preparation for the Day of Judgment we "cover" the severity with kindness. (Click here for a recipe.)
.
• Mikveh
.
Both men and women immerse in a mikveh (ritual pool) to attain an extra measure of sanctity before the holy day.
.
• Lekach (honey cake)
.
It is customary to ask for and receive lekach (sweet cake -- signifying a sweet year) from someone (usually one's mentor or parent) on this day. One of the reasons given for this custom is that if it had been decreed, G-d forbid, that during the year we should need to resort to a handout from others, the decree should be satisfied with this asking for food. The Lubavitcher Rebbe adds a deeper insight: "asking for lekach" on the eve of Yom Kippur instills in us the recognition that all the sustenance we receive throughout the year, including that which we supposedly "earn" by our own powers and endeavors, is in truth a gift from Above, granted in response to our daily requests from "He who nourishes the entire world with in His goodness, with grace, with benevolence and with compassion."
.
• Additional customs
.
Additional eve of Yom Kippur customs include receiving symbolic malkut ("lashings") as atonment for one's transgressions, reciting the "Al Chet" confession of sins after minchah and at sunset, and lighting a 26-hour candle that would burn for the duration of Yom Kippur.
.
• Yom Kippur fast begins at sunset
.
Yom Kippur ("Day of Atonement"), the holiest day of the year, begins this evening at sunset. Its most basic observance is the fast that begins at sunset and ends tomorrow evening at nightfall (a total of approximately 26 hours), during which we abstain from food and drink in fulfillment of the biblical command (Leviticus 16:29; see also "Festive Meals" above).
.
• Kol Nidrei
.
The first of the five Yom Kippur prayer services, which begins with the solemn Kol Nidrei prayer, is recited in the synogogue tonight at sunset, at the onset of the holy day.
.
For more on the Yom Kippur observances see Laws & Customs for tomorrow, Tishrei 10.
.
• Ten Days of Repentance
.
The 10-day period beginning on Rosh Hashahnah and ending on Yom Kippur is known as the "Ten Days of Repentance"; this is the period, say the sages, of which the prophet speaks when he proclaims (Isaiah 55:6) "Seek G-d when He is to be found; call on Him when He is near." Psalm 130, Avinu Malkeinu and other special inserts and additions are included in our daily prayers during these days.
.
The Baal Shem Tov instituted the custom of reciting three additional chapters of Psalms each day, from the 1st of Elul until Yom Kippur (on Yom Kippur the remaining 36 chapters are recited, thereby completing the entire book of Psalms). Click below for today's three Psalms.
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Today is: Shabbat, Tishrei 10, 5772 • 10 8, 2011
.
Yom Kippur
.
Today's Laws & Customs
.
• Yom Kippur Observances
.
Yom Kippur is the holiest day of the year -- the day on which we are closest to G-d and to the quintessential core of our own souls. It is the "Day of Atonement" -- "For on this day He will forgive you, to purify you, that you be cleansed from all your sins before G-d" (Leviticus 16:30).
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For twenty-six hours, from several minutes before sunset on Tishrei 9 to after nightfall on Tishrei 10, we "afflict our souls": we abstain from food and drink, do not wash or anoint our bodies, do not wear leather shoes, and abstain from marital relations.
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When the Holy Temple stood in Jerusalem, the Yom Kippur service included the High Priest's entry into the "Holy of Holies" to offer the ketoret -- the only time that anyone entered the Temple's innermost chamber -- and the "casting of lots" over two goats, one to be offered to G-d and the other to carry off the sins of Israel to the wilderness. Today, we spend the day in the synagogue garbed in a white garment called a kittel to resemble the sin-free angels and to waken thoughts of repentance by reminding us of the day of our death. In the course of the day we hold five prayer services: Maariv, with its solemn Kol Nidrei service, on the eve of Yom Kippur; Shacharit; Musaf, which includes a detailed account of the Temple service; Minchah, which includes the reading of the Book of Jonah; and Ne'illah, the "closing of the gates" service at sunset. We say the Al Chet confession of sins ten times, and recite Psalms every available moment.
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The day is the most solemn of the year, yet an undertone of joy suffuses it: a joy that revels in the spirituality of the day and expresses the confidence that G-d will accept our repentance, forgive our sins, and seal our verdict for a year of life, health and happiness. When the closing Ne'illah service climaxes in the resounding cries of "Hear O Israel... G-d is one" and a single blast of the shofar, the joy erupts in song and dance (a Chabad custom is to sing the lively niggun known as "Napoleon's March"), followed by the festive after-fast meal, making the evening following Yom Kippur a Yom Tov (festival) in its own right.
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A Yom Kippur anthology
About Yom Kippur (from JewishNewYear.com)
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• Ten Days of Repentance
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The 10-day period beginning on Rosh Hashahnah and ending on Yom Kippur is known as the "Ten Days of Repentance"; this is the period, say the sages, of which the prophet speaks when he proclaims (Isaiah 55:6) "Seek G-d when He is to be found; call on Him when He is near." Psalm 130, Avinu Malkeinu and other special inserts and additions are included in our daily prayers during these days.
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The Baal Shem Tov instituted the custom of reciting three additional chapters of Psalms each day, from the 1st of Elul until Yom Kippur.
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On Yom Kippur the remaining 36 chapters are recited, thereby completing the entire book of Psalms.
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Before Kol Nidrei chapters 115-123 Before retiring for the night chapters 124-132 After the Musaf prayer chapters 133-141 After the Neilah final prayer chapters 142-150
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• Sanctification of the Moon
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Once a month, as the moon waxes in the sky, we recite a special blessing called Kiddush Levanah, "the sanctification of the moon," praising the Creator for His wondrous work we call astronomy.
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Kiddush Levanah is recited after nightfall, usually on Saturday night. The blessing is concluded with songs and dancing, because our nation is likened to the moon—as it waxes and wanes, so have we throughout history. When we bless the moon, we renew our trust that very soon, the light of G‑d's presence will fill all the earth and our people will be redeemed from exile.
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Though Kiddush Levanah can be recited as early as three days after the moon's rebirth, the kabbalah tells us it is best to wait a full week, till the seventh of the month. When sanctifying the moon of the month of Tishrei, it is customary to wait till the night after Yom Kippur.
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Once 15 days have passed, the moon begins to wane once more and the season for saying the blessing has passed.
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Today in Jewish History
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• Rebecca Born (1677 BCE)
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Birth of Rebecca (1677-1556 BCE), wife of Isaac, mother of Jacob and Esau, and one of the Four Matriarchs of Israel.
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• 2nd Tablets; Day of Forgiveness (1313 BCE)
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On the 10th of Tishrei of the year 2449 from creation, 82 days after the people of Israel betrayed their newly entered covenant with G-d by worshipping a Golden Calf and after Moses twice spent 40 days atop Mount Sinai pleading on their behalf, "G-d restored His goodwill with the Jewish people gladly and wholeheartedly, saying to Moses 'I have forgiven, as you ask', and gave him the Second Tablets" -- thereby establishing the day as a time for atonement, forgiveness and teshuvah for all generations.
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Daily Study
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Chitas and Rambam for today:
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Chumash: Vezot Hab'rachah, 7th Portion Deuteronomy 34:1-34:12 with Rashi
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Tehillim: Chapters 55 - 59
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Tanya: Iggeret HaKodesh, end of Epistle 20
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Rambam:
• Sefer Hamitzvos:
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• 1 Chapter: Sechirut Chapter 10
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• 3 Chapters: Temurah Chap. 1, 2, 3
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Hayom Yom: "Today's Day"
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Yom Kippur eve begin Hashem malach tageil etc. The verse Or zarua is said once, aloud. (p. 296) Al daat hakahal...is said three times, softly. Ki hinei kachomer is not repeated. Bedtime sh'ma as every Shabbat and Festival. Avinu malkeinu z'chor rachamecha etc. is said in every tefilla. On Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy (p. 183) are recited when the Scrolls are removed from the Ark, even on Shabbat. The daily Tehillim is said after Musaf.
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Haftora at Mincha: Va'yhi d'var until uv'heima raba, then Mi Keil kamocha etc. L'David ori said at Mincha too. Open the Ark for Ne'ila service at Ashrei, and it remains open until after the entire Ne'ila Service. Kaddish in Ne'ila - l'eila ul'eila. Ein k'Elokeinu, Aleinu, no blessing by the kohanim.
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Hayom yifneh is said even after dark. She'assa li kol tzorki (p. 8) is not said until tomorrow.
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On Yom Kippur it works out that we actually fast 26 hours.1
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FOOTNOTES
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1. Corresponding to the Divine Name Havayeh, numerically equivalent to 26. See Sefer Hasichot 5705 p. 21. See Likutei Sichot 16, p. 522.
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Today's Mitzvah
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A daily digest of Maimonides’ classic work "Sefer Hamitzvot"
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Negative Commandment 106
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Exchanging an Animal Designated for Sacrifice for Another
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"He shall not exchange it or transfer it"—Leviticus 27:10.
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It is forbidden to exchange an animal designated for sacrifice for another animal; i.e., to attempt to transfer the holiness from one animal to another.
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Positive Commandment 87
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The Sanctity of an "Exchanged" Animal
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"Both it and its substitute shall be holy"—Leviticus 27:10.
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In the event that someone exchanges an animal designated for sacrifice with another animal – i.e., he attempts to transfer the holiness from one animal to another – the animal upon which holiness was transferred becomes holy, [also] designated for sacrifice.
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THE SACREDNESS OF EACH DAY IN TORAH
Genesis Chapter 1
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בְּרֵאשִׁית
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Yom Ha´shee´shee ....Sixth day
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כד וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים, תּוֹצֵא הָאָרֶץ נֶפֶשׁ חַיָּה לְמִינָהּ, בְּהֵמָה וָרֶמֶשׂ וְחַיְתוֹ-אֶרֶץ, לְמִינָהּ; וַיְהִי-כֵן. 24
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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.
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כה וַיַּעַשׂ אֱלֹהִים אֶת-חַיַּת הָאָרֶץ לְמִינָהּ, וְאֶת-הַבְּהֵמָה לְמִינָהּ, וְאֵת כָּל-רֶמֶשׂ הָאֲדָמָה, לְמִינֵהוּ; וַיַּרְא אֱלֹהִים, כִּי-טוֹב. 25
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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.
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כו וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים, נַעֲשֶׂה אָדָם בְּצַלְמֵנוּ כִּדְמוּתֵנוּ; וְיִרְדּוּ בִדְגַת הַיָּם וּבְעוֹף הַשָּׁמַיִם, וּבַבְּהֵמָה וּבְכָל-הָאָרֶץ, וּבְכָל-הָרֶמֶשׂ, הָרֹמֵשׂ עַל-הָאָרֶץ. 26
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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.'
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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.
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כח וַיְבָרֶךְ אֹתָם, אֱלֹהִים, וַיֹּאמֶר לָהֶם אֱלֹהִים פְּרוּ וּרְבוּ וּמִלְאוּ אֶת-הָאָרֶץ, וְכִבְשֻׁהָ; וּרְדוּ בִּדְגַת הַיָּם, וּבְעוֹף הַשָּׁמַיִם, וּבְכָל-חַיָּה, הָרֹמֶשֶׂת עַל-הָאָרֶץ. 28
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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.'
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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
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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;
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ל וּלְכָל-חַיַּת הָאָרֶץ וּלְכָל-עוֹף הַשָּׁמַיִם וּלְכֹל רוֹמֵשׂ עַל-הָאָרֶץ, אֲשֶׁר-בּוֹ נֶפֶשׁ חַיָּה, אֶת-כָּל-יֶרֶק עֵשֶׂב, לְאָכְלָה; וַיְהִי-כֵן. 30
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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.
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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. .
THE SACREDNESS OF EACH DAY IN TORAH
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Genesis Chapter 1
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בְּרֵאשִׁית
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Yom Shabbat Rest.......7th Day
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Genesis Chapter 2 בְּרֵאשִׁית
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א וַיְכֻלּוּ הַשָּׁמַיִם וְהָאָרֶץ, וְכָל-צְבָאָם. 1
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And the heaven and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.
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ב וַיְכַל אֱלֹהִים בַּיּוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי, מְלַאכְתּוֹ אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה; וַיִּשְׁבֹּת בַּיּוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי, מִכָּל-מְלַאכְתּוֹ אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה. 2 And on the seventh day God finished His work which He had made; and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had made.
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ג וַיְבָרֶךְ אֱלֹהִים אֶת-יוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי, וַיְקַדֵּשׁ אֹתוֹ: כִּי בוֹ שָׁבַת מִכָּל-מְלַאכְתּוֹ, אֲשֶׁר-בָּרָא אֱלֹהִים לַעֲשׂוֹת. {פ} 3 And God blessed the seventh day, and hallowed it; because that in it He rested from all His work which God in creating had made.
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