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Week 81 - Sunday - 10 June 2001

SOTAH: CHAPTER 7: MISHNAH 1

These may be recited in any language: the sotah text, the avowal of the tithe, the recitation of the Shema, the Prayer, the Grace after meals, the oath of testimony, and the oath of deposit.

Kehati

From this chapter onward until the end of the Tractate, the mishnayot deal with matters that require a spoken formula which may be said in any language while others must be rendered in the Holy Tongue. This subject appears here in the wake of the sotah text with which the mishnah opens, in order to teach that this may be recited in any language.

These - matters specified below - may be recited in any language - which a person understands, and not necessarily in Hebrew: the sotah text - whereby the priest addresses her, which forms the substance of the oath (Num. 5:19-22), as outlined in connection with the writing of the scroll (see above, mishnah 2:3). The Gemara derives this from the phrase (ibid., 5:21), "and the priest shall say to the woman," i.e., in whatever language he employs. However, Rashi reads the Gemara thus: "it is written (ibid., 5:19) 'and he shall say to the woman', i.e., in whatever language she understands; 'to the woman' implies that which is accessible to her mind, i.e., a familiar language";

the avowal of the tithe - in the third and sixth years of the Sabbatical cycle a man must eliminate all the tithes from his house and may not store them any longer. He presents his tithes to those eligible, e.g., the first tithe to the Levites and the poor man's tithe to the needy. He must take the second tithe kept at home to Jerusalem; if he failed to do so before removal time, i.e., by Pesach of the fourth or seventh years of the Sabbatical cycle, he must remove it and destroy it (see Ma'aser Sheni 5:6). The removal of the tithes is followed by an avowal in the Temple at minhah time on the final day of the Pesach festival (see ibid. 5:10), as it is said (Deut. 26:12-19): "When you have concluded tithing all the tithes of your produce in the third year…and you must give it to the Levite, to the stranger, to the fatherless, and to the widow…then you shall say before the Lord your God: 'I have removed the hallowed things from my house, and also have given them to the Levite, and to the stranger, to the fatherless, and to the widow...I have done according to all that You have commanded me. Look forth from Your holy habitation, from heaven, and bless Your people Israel' etc." This may be recited in any language: The Gemara explains: Since it is written concerning the tithe, "then you shall say before the Lord your God," and 'saying' likewise appears in the sotah passage, we infer that as in the sotah passage, so in the tithes avowal, the reciter must understand his declaration (Torah Temimah);

the recitation of the Shema - thus (Deut. 6:4): "Hear O Israel," in any language that you hear, i.e., comprehend; thus the person reciting must understand his utterance;

the - Silent Prayer - which signifies a request for mercy, and thus may be recited in any language which can stimulate the mind of the worshipper. According to the Gemara, whereas a congregation prays in any language, the individual worshipper must pray in Hebrew. Hameiri explains that "this does not denote a specific restriction; it seemed evident that the congregation would prefer the idiom with which it is intimately familiar. Moreover, concentration during communal prayer comes naturally. Not so for the individual who, if allowed any language, will choose the dialect of daily conversation which is ill-suited to devotional concentration" (see also Tiferet Yisrael);

the Grace after meals - thus (Deut. 8:10): "and you shall eat and be satisfied, and bless the Lord your God"; the Sages expounded: "and bless" - in whatever language you can bless. Tosafot: "Since the blessing and praise are directed to God ("and bless the 'Lord your God"), you may bless in whatever language you wish, and naturally in a familiar tongue, so as to render wholehearted praise to the Lord for your blessings";

the oath of testimony - if a man adjures witnesses to testify for him, and they falsely deny knowledge of the evidence, they must bring a sacrifice (Lev. 5:1; 5-13) whatever the language used to adjure the witnesses, thus (ibid 5:1): "And if anyone sin, and shall hear the voice of adjuration" implies in whatever language he hears and comprehends it;

and the oath of deposit - if someone demands the return of a deposited object, and the holder first denies on oath holding it and later recants, he must bring a sacrifice on account of his oath (Lev. 5:21-25), regardless of the language used in the oath. This is inferred from the identical terminology "if anyone sin" used both in connection with the oath of testimony and the oath of deposit.

SOTAH: CHAPTER 7: MISHNAH 2

These must be recited in the Holy Tongue; the First Fruits, halitzah, the Blessings and the Curses, the Priestly Blessing, and the Blessing of the High Priest, the Portion of the King, the Passage of the eglah arufah, and the Anointed for Battle when he addresses the people.

Kehati

In continuation of the previous mishnah, this mishnah lists the texts that must be recited in Hebrew.

These matters detailed below - must be recited in the Holy Tongue - to the exclusion of any other language: Recitation concerning the First Fruits - one who brings the First Fruits recites as from "My father was a wandering Aramean" until the end of the passage (Deut. 26:5-11); and this must be in Hebrew, as explained in the following mishnah;

halitzah - if one declines to marry his childless brother's widow, it is said (Deut. 25: 7-9): "Then his brother's widow shall go up to the Court unto the elders, and say: 'My husband's brother refuses to perpetuate his brother's name in Israel, and he will not perform the duty of a husband's brother unto me.' Then the elders of his city shall summon him, and speak unto him; and if he insisted and said: 'I do not want to take her', then his brother's wife shall approach him in the presence of the elders, and take off his shoe…and she shall speak up and say: 'So shall it be done unto the man who does not build up his brother's house."' These words uttered by the brother's wife and her husband's brother while removing the shoe, must be recited in Hebrew (see below mishnah 4);

the Blessings and the Curses - recited by the Levites on Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal (Deut. 27:12-26), were delivered in Hebrew (see below mishnah 5);

the Priestly Blessing - thus (Num. 6:23-26): "Speak unto Aaron and unto his sons, saying: Thus you shall bless the children of Israel; you shall say unto them: The Lord bless you and preserve you," etc; this must be recited in Hebrew (see below mishnah 6);

and the Blessing of the High Priest - at the conclusion of the Yom Kippur service in the Temple (see below mishnah 7);

the Portion of the King - the hak'hel passage (see below mishnah 8);

the Passage of the eglah arufah - the heifer whose neck was to be broken, where it is written (Deut. 21:7-8): "and they shall speak up and say: 'our hands have not shed this blood, neither have our eyes witnessed it. Forgive O Lord, Your people Israel, whom You have redeemed, and do not allow innocent blood to remain in the midst of Your people Israel"' (see below mishnah 9:1);

and the Anointed for Battle when he addresses the people - thus (Deut. 20: 2-4): "And it shall be, when you draw near unto the battle that the priest shall step forward and speak unto the people, and shall say unto them, 'Hear, O Israel you are drawing near this day to join battle against your enemies; do not be faint hearted"' etc; he uttered this in Hebrew (see below mishnah 8:1).

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