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Week 48 - Shabbat - 28 October 2000

MOED KATAN: CHAPTER 3: MISHNAH 9

On Rosh Hodesh on Hanukkah, and on Purim, they may bewail and they may beat; on this and on this they may not lament. The dead is buried, they may neither bewail nor beat. What is bewailing? That all bewail as one. Lamentation? That one speaks and all respond after her, as it is written, "And teach your daughters wailing, and every one her neighbor lamentation" (Jer. 9:19). But for the future it says, "He will swallow up death for ever; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces…" (Isa. 25:8).

Kehati

On Rosh Hodesh, on Hanukkah, and on Purim, they - the women who wail before the corpse, as was explained in the preceding mishnah, may bewail and they may beat; on this and on this whether on Hol Hamoed or on Rosh Hodesh, Hanukkah, or Purim (Rabbeinu Nissim), they may not lament as is explained below. One version reads: "they may respond and beat on this and on this, but they may not wail." The mishnah text in the Gemara, however, does not include the word "but" and R. Yitzhak Alfasi also omits this word. Rambam rules:

"The women may sing dirges but not beat on the Moed, and on Rosh Hodesh, on Hanukkah and Purim they may sing dirges and they may beat, but they may beat, but they may not wail, neither on this nor on this" (Hil. Evel 11:4).

The dead is buried, after they have buried the corpse they may neither bewail nor beat nor even on Rosh Hodesh, on Hanukkah, and on Purim, and certainly not during Hol Hamoed.

What is bewailing? That all the women, bewail as one. What is lamentation? That one speaks words of wailing, and all respond after her whatever she says, as it is written, "and teach your daughters wailing, and every one her neighbor lamentation" the woman teaches her fellow woman to repeat after her the words of wailing -

But for the future it says, the prophet Isaiah says "He will swallow up death for ever; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces…" This verse is added to the mishnah in order to conclude the Tractate on a happy note.

GLOSSARY
KEHATI MISHNAH TRACTATE HAGGIGAH . .

Am Ha'Aretz (pl. Amei Ha'aretz) - (lit. 'people of the land') - a person who through ignorance was careless in the observance of the laws of ritual cleanness, as opposed to haver
Asham guilt-offering.

Bekhor firstborn (man or animal).

Bet Hamikdash Temple of Jerusalem.

Derash hermeneutical exegisis.

Hatat 1) sin offering; 2) Mei Hatat - purifying water made by mixture with the ashes of the red heifer.

Haver 'fellow' or 'associate,' opposite to am ha'aretz (q.v.) - one scrupulous in the observance of the law, particularly in relation to ritual cleanness and the separation of the priestly and Levitical dues.

Heikhal the inner Sanctuary of the Temple of Jerusalem.

Hulin ordinary unhallowed food, unconsecrated animals.

Ma'ah the smallest current silver coin - a sixth of the silver dinar
Ma'aser tithe which had to be given to the Levite

Ma'aser behemah a tithe of one's cattle offered up on the altar and the meat eaten by the owner.

Ma'aser Sheni tithe which the owner had to take up to and eat in Jerusalem.

Me'ilah illegal or improper use of consecrated objects (v. Lev. 5:15ff).

Metzorah leper.

Minhah 1) meal-offering - pl. menahot; 2) daily afternoon prayer.

Nasi Prince, Patriarch; the chief of the Great Sanhedrin in Jerusalem; after its abolition, the head of Palestinian Jewry.

Notar portions of sacrifices left over after the prescribed time within which they must be eaten, when they must be burnt.

Olah (pl. olot) burnt-offering which was entirely burnt on the altar.

Olah Re'iyah the obligatory burnt-offering brought by the pilgrim on the Pilgrimage Festivals (Passover, Shavuot and Sukkot).

Pesah 1) the Passover sacrifice; 2) the pilgrimage Festival of Passover.

Re'iyah lit. 'seeing' - the obligation of appearing before the Lord in Jerusalem on the pilgrimage Festivals.

Shavuot the pilgrimage Festival of Weeks (Pentecost).

Shelamim peace-offering.

Shemini atzeret Festival of the Eighth Day - after the seven days of Sukkot.

Sukkot the pilgrimage Festival of Tabernacles.

Tame ritually unclean.

Tahor ritually clean.

Tahara ritual cleanness.

Terumah gift due to the kohen.

Terumat ma'aser the tithe which the Levite must give to the kohen from the tithe he receives from the Israelite.

Tum'ah ritual uncleanness.

Yom Tov a Holy Day.

Zav a person afflicted with seminal flux.

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