Summer Sabbath Themes at the Allied Jewish Chapel June 29August 31 2013

1. 2.

Ex. 20:12 Thou shalt not murder.

Gen 9:6

. - , : , 6 Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God made He man.
3.

Ex. 22:1-2

. , - -- : , - . , -- , - 1 If a thief be found breaking in, and be smitten so that he dieth, there shall be no bloodguiltiness for him. 2 If the sun be risen upon him, there shall be bloodguiltiness for him--he shall make restitution; if he have nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft.
4.

Lev. 19:16

. , : - , - 16 Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people; neither shalt thou stand idly by the blood of thy neighbour: I am the LORD.
5.

1Kings 21

- , ; -- - , . , - , - , - , , ; - , , , . . - - , 17 And the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying: 18 'Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who dwelleth in Samaria; behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, whither he is gone down to take possession of it. 19 And thou shalt speak unto him, saying: Thus saith the LORD: Hast thou killed, and also taken possessions? and thou shalt speak unto him, saying: Thus saith the LORD: In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine.' Sanhedrin 4:5 In capital cases, the blood of the accused and of all his descendants is dependent upon the witness until the end of time, as we find with Cain, of whom it is said the voice of the bloods (dmei-) of your brother cry out (Gen. 4:10). It does not say blood but bloodshis blood and the blood of his descendants Therefore, humans were created singly, to teach you that whoever destroys a single soul, Scripture accounts it as if he or she had destroyed a full world; and whoever saves one soul, Scripture accounts it as if he or she had saved a full world. And for the sake of peace among people, that one should not say to his or her fellow, "My parent is greater than yours;" and that heretics should not say, "There are many powers in Heaven." Again, to declare the greatness of the Holy Blessed One, for as a human being might stamp out many coins with one die, and they are all alike, but the King, the King of kings, the Holy Blessed One, stamped each person with the seal of Adam, and not one of them is like his or her fellow. Therefore each and every one is obliged to say, "For my sake the world was created."
6.

Mishnah Sanhedrin 8:6-7 . , ; , -- , . , , , , . , , -- , . --

7.

8. Babylonian Talmud Sanhedrin 72a MISHNAH. [THE THIEF] WHO BURROWS HIS WAY IN IS JUDGED ON ACCOUNT OF ITS PROBABLE OUTCOME. IF HE BROKE THROUGH AND BROKE A JUG, SHOULD THERE BE 'BLOOD-GUILTINESS FOR HIM, HE MUST PAY [FOR THE JUG], BUT IF THERE IS NO 'BLOOD-GUILTINESS FOR HIM, HE IS NOT LIABLE. GEMARA. Raba said: what is the reason for the law of breaking in? Because it is certain that no man is inactive where his property is concerned; therefore this one [the thief] must have reasoned, 'If I go there, he [the owner] will oppose me and prevent me; but if he does I will kill him.' Hence the Torah decreed, 'If he come to slay thee, forestall by slaying him'.

Sanhedrin 73a MISHNAH. THE FOLLOWING MUST BE SAVED [FROM SINNING] EVEN AT THE COST OF THEIR LIVES: HE WHO PURSUES AFTER HIS NEIGHBOUR TO SLAY HIM, [OR] AFTER A MALE [OR] AFTER A BETROTHED MAIDEN [TO DISHONOUR HER]. BUT HE WHO PURSUES AFTER AN ANIMAL [TO ABUSE IT]. OR WOULD DESECRATE THE SABBATH, OR COMMIT IDOLATRY, MUST NOT BE SAVED [FROM SINNING] AT THE COST OF HIS LIFE. GEMARA. Our Rabbis taught: whence do we know that he who pursues after his neighbour to slay him must be saved [from sin] at the cost of his own life? From the verse, Thou shalt not stand by the blood of thy neighbour. But does it come to teach this? Is it not employed for the following [Baraitha] that has been taught: Whence do we know that if a man sees his fellow drowning, mauled by beasts, or attacked by robbers, he is bound to save him? From the verse, Thou shalt not stand by the blood of thy neighbor! That in truth is so. Then whence do we know that [the pursuer] must be saved at the cost of his own life? It is inferred by a kal vehomer reasoning from a betrothed maiden. If a betrothed maiden, whom he wishes merely to dishonour, yet the Torah decreed that she may be saved by the life of her ravisher, how much more so does this hold good for one who pursues his neighbour to slay him.
9. 10. Sanhedrin 74a R. Johanan said in the name of R. Simeon b. Jehozadak: By a majority vote, it was resolved in the upper chambers of the house of Nithza in Lydda that in every [other] law of the Torah, if a man is commanded: 'Transgress and suffer not death' he may transgress and not suffer death, excepting idolatry, incest, [which includes adultery] and murder Even as one who came before Raba and said to him, The governor of my town has ordered me, "Go and kill so and so; if not, I will slay thee". He answered him, Let him rather slay you than that you should commit murder; who knows that your blood is redder? Perhaps his blood is redder. 11. Bialik Al Ha-Shehita

Mercy O Heavens, beg mercy for me! If a god be in you, with a way in you, A way that I never knew Pray unto him for me! My own heart is dead, prayer drained from my tongue. The hands lie limp, and hope undone. How long? Until when? How long? Executioner! Here is a neck to hew With your mighty axe. Put me down like a dog. All the world's my chopping block. And we're just Jews, just a few. My blood is fair game. From the skull you sever Bursts the blood of old men, the blood of children. Murder's blood be on you forever.

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Next Week: Family!