web analytics
May 25, 2013 /16 Sivan, 5773
At a Glance ▼
Judaism
Sponsored Post
The Tosfos Yomtov was convinced that the death of 300,000 –600,000 Jews during the Chmielnicki massacres of 1648-49 were because of improper Tefila. Communicated: Tefilla

Chillul Tefila Bifarhesia, as well as halachicly challenged verbiage and dress, are external manifestations of a critical lack of personal yiras shomayim which has lethal consequences.



Birthday Parties (Part II) (Keritut 2a, Shabbat 25a, Yevamot 2a and Pesachim 32b)

Published: April 18th, 2012
tell a friend

In addition to karet, there is another type of premature death at the hand of God known as “mita bedei shamayim.”

If both karet and mita bedei shamayim are a form of premature death at the hand of God, what is the difference between them?

According to the Talmud Yerushalmi, the difference is that whereas karet occurs between the ages of 40 and 50, mita bedei shamayim occurs between the ages of 50 and 60. The Yershalmi derives this from the story of the spies. The punishment God inflicted upon the generation of the spies who slandered the Land of Israel was that all males of the age of 20 years or older at the time of the Exodus would die in the wilderness and not merit entering the land of Israel. Their punishment then, was death in the wilderness not premature death at the hand of God.

Accordingly, in order it should be clear that these people were not punished with mita bedei shamayim, God had to make sure they would live until the age of 60. Thus God detained them in the wilderness for 40 years, so that even the youngest of them, who were only 20 at the time of the Exodus, would reach the age of 60.

According to the Talmud Bavli, the difference between karet and mita bedei shamayim is as follows: Whereas karet occurs between the ages of 50 and 60, mita bedei shamayim takes place after the age of 60.

According to Rashi the difference between karet and mita bedei shamayim is that whereas karet mita bedei shamayim cuts short the life of the offender alone, karet cuts short the life of the offender and his or her children so that the offender dies childless –“ariri.” The Riva disagrees with Rashi and maintains that unless the Torah explicitly provides to the contrary (as it does in the case of certain incestuous relations) – karet does not cut short the lives of the children of the offender but only that of the offender himself.

According to Rav Bartenurah, the difference between karet and mita bedei shamayim is that karet not only cuts short life prematurely but it also punishes the soul posthumously in the event the offender did not repent before his or her death. But mita bedei shamayim inflicts no punishment on the soul of the offender.

The Ramban takes up the effect of karet on the soul in greater detail. He points out that the language the Torah uses in connection with the punishment of karet is not uniform but varies with the violation concerned. According to the Ramban, there are three degrees of karet. Third-degree karet, which is the least severe form, is the punishment for a person who is generally law abiding but who, in a moment of weakness, succumbed to the temptation of a karet-bearing sin such as eating forbidden fat. Third-degree karet impacts on one’s physical life only and has no impact on one’s afterlife.

In referring to third-degree karet the Torah states, “venichretah ha’ish” – “the person shall be cut off” – thereby signaling the punishment is exclusively physical. Second-degree karet is the punishment for a person whose transgressions exceed his or her good deeds. The test to determine whether a person’s transgressions exceed his or her good deeds is not merely quantitative but also qualitative. That means certain transgressions, such as eating or working on Yom Kippur, particularly if done in a spirit of rebellion rather than succumbing to temptation, might tip the scales more heavily in the negative direction.

Second-degree karet, as opposed to third-degree karet, has no effect on one’s physical life but impacts exclusively on one’s after life in that such a person, unless he or she repented before death, will have a limited share in the world to come. In referring to second-degree karet the Torah states “venichretah hanefesh” – “the soul shall be cut off” – thereby signaling that the punishment exclusively pertains to the world to come.

Accordingly, a person guilty of second-degree karet can reach a ripe old age, even as his or her life in the world to come will be restricted. First-degree karet, which is the most severe form, is the punishment reserved for someone whose transgressions exceed his or her good deeds and who has participated in idol worship and blasphemy. First-degree karet cuts short a person’s life both on earth and in the world to come. Hence, in referring to first-degree karet, the Torah states “hikaret, tikaret hanefesh” – “the soul shall surely be cut off” – thereby signaling the dual nature of the punishment.

Raphael Grunfeld’s book, “Ner Eyal on Seder Moed” (distributed by Mesorah), is available at OU.org and your local Jewish bookstore. Comments to the writer are welcome at Rafegrun@aol.com.

tell a friend

About the Author: Raphael Grunfeld’s book, “Ner Eyal on Seder Moed” (distributed by Mesorah) is available at OU.org and your local Jewish bookstore. His new book, “Ner Eyal on Seder Nashim & Nezikin,” will be available shortly.


You might also be interested in:


no comments

You must log in to post a comment.

SocialTwist Tell-a-Friend

Current Top Story
David Arenberg lost many things during his nearly 12 years in prison, but he found a connection to Judaism.
A Jew Grows in Prison
Latest Judaism Stories
Leff-052413
Judaism → Parsha

Do you say Shema before you go to sleep? I’m sure you do.

But perhaps you, like many, feel too tired at night to say the entire tefillah of Kri’as Shema as it appears in the siddur. If you do say the entire tefillah, you will recognize a pasuk in this week’s Haftorah. And if you don’t say the whole Kri’as Shema al Hamitah, perhaps after this column, you’ll re-consider and find yourself connecting with the following very comforting pasuk.

Niehaus-052413
Judaism → Parsha

The sand is rapidly running through the hourglass, as the centrifuges in the secret Iranian nuclear plants spin furiously. It is quite clear that the Iranians are on the brink of attaining nuclear capability, and we are well aware of the danger that would face Klal Yisroel in that event, chas v’sholom. All the sanctions, threats, and computer worm attacks do not seem to be stopping them, and it is terrifying. And when we see how vulnerable we are to terrorist attacks anywhere in the world, we become even more terrified.

The-Shmuz
Judaism → Parsha

Miriam spoke disparagingly about Moshe Rabbeinu. Because of this, she contracted tzaras, and for seven days she was sent outside the camp of Israel.

Business-Halacha-logo
Judaism → Halacha & Hashkafa

Samuel Scherr was a very successful businessman. He also was generous and would share of his wealth with others. In this way, he became the uncle of favor to his nieces and nephews, whom he would frequently shower with gifts.

Judaism → Halacha & Hashkafa

Detached Or Unrelated
‘He Made An Asheirah Tree Into a Ladder…’
(Eruvin 78b)

Judaism → Parsha

In this week’s parshah we read about the individuals who were tamei and thus could not bring the korban Pesach. They approached Moshe Rabbeinu and asked him whether there was anything they could do to bring the korban. Ultimately, Hashem told Moshe that they should bring a korban a month after Pesach, on the 14th of Iyar.

Judaism → Ask the Rabbi

Question: As Shavuot is fast approaching – a holiday on which we dwell on the story of Ruth and the origins of the royal house of David – I was wondering if you could help me resolve something. Some people say that Rabbi Yehudah HaNassi, the redactor of the six orders of the Mishnah and a scion of King David, purposely kept any mention of Chanukah and the Hasmonean kings out of the Mishnah because the Hasmoneans improperly crowned themselves and ignored the rule that all Jewish kings are supposed to come from the tribe of Yehudah. Is this true?

Menachem
(Via E-Mail)

Judaism → Halacha & Hashkafa

One of the thirty-nine prohibited melachot on Shabbat is carrying an object from a private domain, reshut hayachid, to a public domain, reshut harabim, or carrying an object a distance of four amot, six to eight feet, in a reshut harabim. The Torah does permit, however, carrying within the reshut hayachid itself. The definition of a reshut hayachid and a reshut harabim is crucial, therefore, to the laws of carrying on Shabbat.

Judaism → Halacha & Hashkafa

Question: The Midrash notes that the song the Jews sang after they crossed the Red Sea (“Az Yashir”) was unique; its likes had never been heard before in the world. Our Sages even refer to it as a shirah chadashah, a “new song.” What made “Az Yashir” so unique and in what sense was it a “new song”?

Judaism → Columns → Lessons In Emunah

The rav was not a wealthy man, but earned enough to live comfortably. He earned his money by serving as the rav of a religious community in Yerushalayim. He also received some royalties from sefarim he had written over the years. He was well known, and many people approached him for a berachah, advice and help. They were not turned away.

Judaism → Columns → Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks

Tanach, the Hebrew Bible, is remarkable for the extreme realism with which it portrays human character. Its heroes are not superhuman. Its non-heroes are not archetypal villains. The best have failings; the worst often have saving virtues. I know of no other religious literature quite like it.

Judaism → Rebbetzin's Viewpoint

Last week I shared a letter from a newly observant Jewish woman. She and her husband reside in a small suburban community outside of Los Angeles. Last year they came to consult with me on a personal religious issue. While they were both ba’alei teshuvah, there was one fine difference between them. He had become a ba’al teshuvah earlier than she and was therefore somewhat more settled in an observant lifestyle.

Judaism → Torah

I watch my children use blocks to build a large structure, observing the trepidation with which they add each block. As the structure becomes larger there is a greater risk of it collapsing, thus bringing an end to an hour of playful labor. I anticipate what will happen when one child adds a block to the top floor, compromising the integrity of the building and resulting in the collapse of the entire structure. The argument that ensues is predictable, as each child blames the other for “ruining” the fun. As an adult, I wonder about the need to attribute blame. Will assigning blame be instrumental in rebuilding the structure?

Judaism → Parsha

In this week’s parshah the Torah discusses the halachos of when one steals from another and when confronted in beis din, the thief swears falsely with his denial that he stole. This parshah was already taught in parshas Vayikra; however, there are two halachos that the Torah adds in this parshah to this topic.

Judaism → Halacha & Hashkafa

In order to carry from one’s home into the street (even when the area is enclosed by a properly constructed eruv), the eruvin ceremony must be performed. This ceremony involves the placing of food in one designated home on behalf of all Sabbath observers in the enclosed area. In order for the eruvin ceremony to be valid, however, it must be performed on behalf of all owners of streets and homes in the enclosed area.

More Articles from Raphael Grunfeld
Judaism → Halacha & Hashkafa

One of the thirty-nine prohibited melachot on Shabbat is carrying an object from a private domain, reshut hayachid, to a public domain, reshut harabim, or carrying an object a distance of four amot, six to eight feet, in a reshut harabim. The Torah does permit, however, carrying within the reshut hayachid itself. The definition of a reshut hayachid and a reshut harabim is crucial, therefore, to the laws of carrying on Shabbat.

Judaism → Halacha & Hashkafa

In order to carry from one’s home into the street (even when the area is enclosed by a properly constructed eruv), the eruvin ceremony must be performed. This ceremony involves the placing of food in one designated home on behalf of all Sabbath observers in the enclosed area. In order for the eruvin ceremony to be valid, however, it must be performed on behalf of all owners of streets and homes in the enclosed area.

Judaism → Halacha & Hashkafa

The purpose of the eruv is to enclose on all sides the area in which one wants to carry, so that it becomes a private domain, a reshut hayachid. If the area in question is a karmelit, a space that qualifies neither as a public domain nor as a private domain, gaps in the eruv structure may be bridged by means of a constructive or symbolic doorway called tzurat hapetach. A tzurat hapetach is made up of two posts, each called a lechi, and a crossbeam or overhead wire called a korah.

Judaism → Halacha & Hashkafa

“On Shabbat, every person must remain in his residence,” said Moshe to the people, forbidding them to walk more than a certain distance beyond their desert encampment. This distance, which measures two thousand amot – about two thirds of a mile – is known as techum Shabbat. It is the same distance that stretched from the perimeters of the Levite cities to their outlying suburbs.

Judaism → Halacha & Hashkafa

In the movie “The Paper Chase,” a Harvard student rips out a page of the law report so that his fellow student will be unable to read it and will come to the lecture unprepared. About 2,000 years earlier a student lay feverishly ill in the academy of Rabbi Akiva in Bnei Brak. So caught up were the other students in the competitiveness of their learning that they found no time to visit him or take care of him. As the student lay dying, Rabbi Akiva himself entered the sick room, fed him, made him comfortable and swept the dust from the floor. The sick student survived. His peers did not.

Judaism → Halacha & Hashkafa

Football’s 49ers rarely drop the ball. But how many of us make it through 49 nights from the second night of Pesach all the way to Shavuot without losing count? Sometimes we never even make it to the first yard line. We are so busy preparing for second night Seder that we miss evening prayers in shul and forget to count Day One.

Judaism → Halacha & Hashkafa

What is chametz? What are the various categories of chametz? Does the prohibition of chametz on Pesach apply also to non‑food products? Can medication containing chametz be taken on Pesach? Can vitamins produced with no Pesach supervision be used? What about liquid medicine such as cough mixture? Can non- supervised body soap or liquid detergent be used? What about toothpaste? May one use rubbing alcohol? May one eat egg matzah?

Judaism → Halacha & Hashkafa

Taste is everything – ta’am ke’ikar. The taste of forbidden food is treated in halacha as the forbidden food itself and is equally forbidden. If the taste of forbidden food has been absorbed into a cooking vessel, such a vessel may not be used on Pesach unless it undergoes a process known as hechsher or hagalat keilim – popularly referred to as kashering.

    Latest Poll

    If you could only choose one of the following scenarios regarding Chareidi IDF service, which would you choose?





    View Results

    Loading ... Loading ...

Printed from: http://www.jewishpress.com/judaism/halacha-hashkafa/birthday-parties-part-ii-keritut-2a-shabbat-25a-yevamot-2a-and-pesachim-32b/2012/04/18/

Scan this QR code to visit this page online:

Related posts:

  1. Muktzah On Shabbat
Close