Daf 275b (דַּף רע״ה ע״ב)
And the Vav shall not unite with the Zayin except in the burning of chametz, which is between the Vav and the Zayin (וְלָא יִתְיַיחֵד ו׳ עִם ז׳, אֶלָּא בִּשְׂרֵפַת חָמֵץ, דְּבֵין ו׳ לְז׳). And even though from the Torah it is until the end of the sixth hour (וְאַף עַל גַּב דְּמִדְּאוֹרַיְיתָא אִיהוּ עַד סוֹף שִׁית), the Rabbis decreed: eating is permitted during the first four hours (גָּזְרוּ רַבָּנָן, אוֹכְלִין כָּל אַרְבַּע), suspended in the fifth hour (וְתוֹלִין כָּל חָמֵשׁ), and burning in the beginning of the sixth (וְשׂוֹרְפִין בִּתְחִלַּת שֵׁשׁ). And the masters of the Mishnah derived testimony of the hours of chametz from the testimony of the witnesses (וְאוֹלְפִי מָארֵי מַתְנִיתִין מִסַהֲדוּתָא דְּשַׁעְתֵּי דְּחָמֵץ, לְסַהֲדוּתָא דִּבְדִיקוֹת דְּסָהֲדֵי), concerning him who murdered a soul (דְּהַהוּא דְּהָרַג אֶת הַנֶּפֶשׁ). And all this is explained in the Mishnah (וְכֹלָּא מְפֹרָשׁ בְּמַתְנִיתִין). And it shall be fulfilled in them: for with a word which the Egyptians considered to judge, etc. (וִיקֻיָים בְּהוֹן, אֲרֵי בְּפִתְגָּמָא דְּחָשִׁיבוּ מִצְרָאֵי לְמֵידָן וְכוּ׳). And this is: “And you shall do to him as he conspired” (Deuteronomy 19) (וְהַאי אִיהוּ וַעֲשִׂיתֶם לוֹ כַּאֲשֶׁר זָמַם).
The commandment after this is to accept the Great Beit Din [Court] upon oneself (פִּקּוּדָא בָּתַר דָּא, לְקַבֵּל בֵּית דִּין הַגָּדוֹל עָלַיְיהוּ). Binah [Understanding], from the side of Gedulah [Greatness], is called Elohim (בִּינָה, מִסִּטְרָא דִּגְדוּלָה אִקְרֵי אֱלֹהִים). The Great Beit Din [Court] is great in its judgments (בֵּית דִּין הַגָּדוֹל, רַב בְּדִינוֹי), and great in its merits (וְרַב בְּזַכְווֹי). As it is said: “You shall surely set a king over yourself” (Deuteronomy 17) (כְּגַוְונָא דְּאִתְּמַר, שׂוֹם תָּשִׂים עָלֶיךָ מֶלֶךְ). In this commandment, som [set] is above (בְּפִקּוּדָא, שׂוֹם לְעֵילָּא), and tasim [you shall set] is below (תָּשִׂים לְתַתָּא). Likewise, one must accept the great Beit Din [Court] upon himself (הָכִי לְקַבֵּל עָלֵיהּ בֵּית דִּין רַבְרְבָא), even though he has accepted the small Beit Din [Court] upon himself (אַף עַל גַּב דְּקַבִּיל עָלֵיהּ בֵּית דִּין זְעֵירָא). The small Beit Din [Court] is a court of three (בֵּית דִּין זְעֵירָא, בֵּית דִּין שֶׁל שְׁלֹשָׁה), from the side of the lower Shekhinta [Divine Presence] (מִסִּטְרָא דִּשְׁכִינְתָּא תַּתָּאָה). The great Beit Din [Court] is from the Great Sanhedrin (בֵּית דִּין רַבְרְבָא, מֵאִלֵּין סַנְהֶדְּרֵי גְּדוֹלָה).
The Holy Luminary said (אָמַר בּוּצִינָא קַדִּישָׁא), seventy were the Great Sanhedrin (שִׁבְעִים סַנְהֶדְּרֵי גְּדוֹלָה הֲווֹ), and you are greater over all of them (וְאַנְתְּ רַבְרְבָא עַל כֻּלְּהוּ). “And it shall be that every great matter they shall bring to you, and every small matter they shall judge themselves” (Exodus 18) (וְהָיָה כָּל הַדָּבָר הַגָּדוֹל יָבִיאוּ אֵלֶיךָ וְכָל הַדָּבָר הַקָּטֹן יִשְׁפְּטוּ הֵם). These— [they are the Great Sanhedrin, and the Small Sanhedrin] (אֵלּוּ. [הם סנהדרי גדולה, סנהדרי קטנה]). The Great Sanhedrin is from the side of the supernal Shekhinta (סַנְהֶדְּרֵי גְּדוֹלָה מִסִּטְרָא דִּשְׁכִינְתָּא עִלָּאָה). The Small Sanhedrin is from the side of the lower Shekhinta (סַנְהֶדְּרֵי קְטַנָּה מִסִּטְרָא דִּשְׁכִינְתָּא תַּתָּאָה).
Moshe is the escort of the King (מֹשֶׁה שׁוּשְׁבִינָא דְּמַלְכָּא). Aharon is the escort of the Matronita (אַהֲרֹן שׁוּשְׁבִינָא דְּמַטְרוֹנִיתָא). And with them are seventy-two Sanhedrin, the number of Chesed (וְעִמְּהוֹן שִׁבְעִין וּתְרֵין סַנְהֶדְרִין, כְּמִנְיַן חֶסֶד). And from here is the Great Sanhedrin (וּמֵהָכָא סַנְהֶדְּרֵי גְּדוֹלָה). The Small Sanhedrin is from the side of the left (סַנְהֶדְּרֵי קְטַנָּה, מִסִּטְרָא דִּשְׂמָאלָא): “And the lesser light to rule the night” (Bereshit 1) (אֶת הַמָּאוֹר הַקָּטֹן לְמֶמְשֶׁלֶת הַלַּיְלָה). And for this reason, Tiferet is “the greater light to rule the day,” of which it is said: “By day Hashem commands His kindness” (Psalms 42) (וּבְגִין דָּא, תִּפְאֶרֶת אֶת הַמָּאוֹר הַגָּדוֹל לְמֶמְשֶׁלֶת הַיּוֹם, דְּאִתְּמַר בֵּיהּ יוֹמָם יְצַוֶּה יְיָ חַסְדּוֹ). “And the lesser light to rule the night” - “and in the night His song is with me” (Psalms 42) (אֶת הַמָּאוֹר הַקָּטֹן לְמֶמְשֶׁלֶת הַלַּיְלָה, וּבַלַּיְלָה שִׁירֹה עִמִּי). The song of the Levi’im, and this is Yesod (שִׁיר דִּלְוִיִּים, וְדָא יְסוֹד). “The son of Yishai lives upon the earth” (1 Samuel 20) (בֶּן יִשַׁי חַי עַל הָאֲדָמָה). Who arranged the ten kinds of Tehillim in song (דְּתָקִּין עֶשֶׂר מִינֵי תְּהִלִּים, בְּשִׁירָה). And he is the Tzaddik on the left, “the lesser light,” and this is the Shekhinta, who is taken from the left (וְאִיהוּ צַדִּיק לִשְׂמָאלָא, אֶת הַמָּאוֹר הַקָּטֹן, וְדָא שְׁכִינְתָּא, דְּאַתְנְטִילַת מִשְּׂמָאלָא).
Parashat Ki Tetze
Ra‘aya Meheimna
nd they shall fine him a hundred shekels of silver, etc.” (Deuteronomy 22) (וְעָנְשׁוּ אוֹתוֹ מֵאָה כֶסֶף וְגוֹ׳). This commandment is to judge the case of one who brings forth a bad name (פִּקּוּדָא דָּא, לָדוּן בְּדִין מוֹצִיא שֵׁם רָע). This is what is written: “And they shall fine him a hundred shekels of silver, and give them to the father of the damsel, because he has brought forth a bad name upon a virgin of Yisrael” (Deuteronomy 22) (הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב, וְעָנְשׁוּ אוֹתוֹ מֵאָה כֶסֶף וְנָתְנוּ לַאֲבִי הַנַּעֲרָה כִּי הוֹצִיא שֵׁם רָע עַל בְּתוּלַת יִשְׂרָאֵל).
The Rabbis said: and this is after marriage, when he said: “I did not find for your daughter virginity” (רַבָּנָן, וְהַאי אִיהוּ בָּתַר נִשּׂוּאִין, דְּאָמַר לָא מָצָאתִי לְבִתְּךָ בְּתוּלִים). And not every evil name is equal (וְלָאו כָּל שֵׁם רָע שָׁקוּל), for the spies who brought out an evil report upon the land were punished for it and died and did not merit it (דִּמְרַגְלִים דְּאַפִּיקוּ שׁוּם בִּישׁ עַל אַרְעָא, אִתְעֲנָשׁוּ בְּגִינָהּ, וּמִיתוּ וְלָא זָכוּ לָהּ). And the woman is like the ground in the land, as the Rabbis established: Esther was the ground of the world (וְאִתְּתָא קַרְקַע אִיהִי בְּאַרְעָא, כְּמָה דְּאוּקְמוּהָ, אֶסְתֵּר קַרְקַע עוֹלָם הָיְתָה). And if you say an evil name went upon her, that she was defiled by Achashverosh, she merited to be clothed with the spirit of holiness (וְאִי תֵּימְרוּן שׁוּם בִּישׁ עָלָהּ, דְּאִסְתְּאָבַת בַּאֲחַשְׁוֵרוֹשׁ, וְזָכְתָה לְאִתְלַבְּשָׁא בָּהּ רוּחָא דְּקֻדְשָׁא). This is what is written: “And Esther clothed herself in royalty” (Esther 5) (הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב, וַתִּלְבַּשׁ אֶסְתֵּר מַלְכוּת).
Behold, Kudsha Berikh Hu said: “I am Hashem, that is My Name, and My glory I will not give to another, nor My praise to idols” (Isaiah 42) (הָא אָמַר קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, אֲנִי יְיָ הוּא שְׁמִי וּכְבוֹדִי לְאַחֵר לֹא אֶתֵּן וּתְהִלָּתִי לַפְּסִילִים). And the spirit of holiness was the Shekhinta, which is the Name that clothed itself in Esther (וְרוּחָא דְּקֻדְשָׁא שְׁכִינְתָּא הֲוַת, דְּאִיהִי שֵׁם דְּאִתְלַבְּשַׁת בְּאֶסְתֵּר). But the Rabbis said: woe to those who eat the straw - the husk of the Orayta (אֲבָל רַבָּנָן, וַוי לְאִינּוּן דְּאַכְלִין תֶּבֶן תְּבֵל דְּאוֹרַיְיתָא), donkey of Orayta, who is considered a great sage and master, but does not know the secrets of Orayta (חֲמוֹר דְּאוֹרַיְיתָא דְּאִתְחֲשִׁיב חָכָם מוּפְלָא וְרַב רַבָּנָן, וְלָא יָדַע בְּסִתְרֵי דְּאוֹרַיְיתָא). But only the lenient and the strict of Orayta - the leniencies are the straw of Orayta, the strictness is the wheat (אֶלָּא קַלִּין וַחֲמוּרִין דְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, קָלִין תֶּבֶן דְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, חוּמְרָא דְּאוֹרַיְיתָא חִטָּה). Wheat - Chet Heh - the Tree of Good and Evil (חֵט ה׳, אִילָנָא דְּטוֹב וְרָע).