[18a - 48 lines; 18b - 52 lines]

1)[line 19]ימללYEMALEL- will utter, proclaim

2)[line 23]סמא דכולה משתוקאSAMA D'CHOLA, MISHTOKA- the choicest medicine is silence

3)[line 23]מלה בסלע משתוקא בתריןMILAH B'SELA, MISHTOKA BI'TREIN- a word is worth a Sela, silence is worth two

4)[line 25]"ויאמר ה' אל משה כתב זאת זכרון בספר ושים באזני יהושע; כי מחה אמחה את זכר עמלק מתחת השמים""VA'YOMER HASH-M EL MOSHE, 'KESOV ZOS ZIKARON BA'SEFER V'SIM B'OZNEI YEHOSHUA; KI MACHOH EMCHEH ES ZEICHER AMALEK MI'TACHAS HA'SHAMAYIM" - "And HaSh-m said to Moshe, 'Write this down as a remembrance in the scroll, and place it in the ears of Yehoshua; that I will erase the memory of Amalek from under the heavens'" (Shemos 17:14) (THE ORAL TRADITION)

(a)Why the double expression, asks the GR"A? Having issued the command to write the blotting out of Amalek in the Torah, what was the point of the additional command to place it in the ears of Yehoshua?

(b)He answers with the dialogue between David and Yo'av, his captain, after the latter returned from the battle with Amalek having killed all the males. David asked him why he did so, in light of our Pasuk, which clearly orders the destruction of the memory of Amalek, men, women and children. Yo'av replied that his Rebbe had taught him the Pasuk with different pronunciation. He had read the words as 'Timcheh es Z'char Amalek' - Erase the males of Amalek (Devarim 25:19), which is precisely what he had done (Bava Basra 21b).

(c)That is the precisely the oral tradition to which the Torah is referring here. "Transcribe the Mitzvah," to be sure. That is not enough; "Place in the ears of Yehoshua" (the correct way to read it, so that the very error of which Yo'av was guilty, should not occur).

5a)[line 33]גיפטיתGIFTIS- Egyptian, Coptic

b)[line 34]עילמיתEILAMIS- the language of Elam (Media)

6)[line 41]סירוגיןSEIRUGIN- in intervals, with interruption

7)[line 42]רבנןRABANAN- students

8)[line 42]פסקי פסקיPISKEI PISKEI- in groups; not all at once

9)[line 43]חלוגלוגותCHALOGLOGOS- the purslane plant; a common plant that has small, yellow flowers and small, thick leaves. It is an herb and is sometimes used in salads or for flavoring. (See next entry.)

10)[line 43]דהוה קא מבדר פרפחיניD'HAVAH KA MEVADER PARPECHINEI- who was scattering his purslane plants (the Old French translation for this is "polpier"; in most of the manuscripts and printings it is translated here as the Italian "procacle" [O.F. porcelaine], alteration of the Latin "porcilaca," which means "porcelain.")

11)[line 44]"סַלְסְלֶהָ וּתְרוֹמְמֶךָּ; תְּכַבֵּדְךָ כִּי תְחַבְּקֶנָּה""SALSELEHAH U'SEROMEMEKA, TECHABEDCHA KI SECHABEKENAH"- "Caress it (delve into and unearth the Torah's hidden treasures; Rashi to Rosh Hashanah 26b) and it will uplift you; it will bring you honor when you embrace it" (Mishlei 4:8).

12)[line 45]דהוה מהפך במזייהD'HAVAH MEHAPECH B'MAZYEI- who was styling (or curling) his hair

13)[line 46]"השלך על ה' יהבך [והוא יכלכלך]""HASHLECH AL HASH-M YEHAVECHA, [V'HU YECHALKELECHA]"- "Cast your burden upon HaSh-m and He shall sustain you" (Tehilim 55:23).

14)[line 46]ההוא טייעאHA'HU TAI'A/ TAYA'A- that Arab merchant

15)[line 46]וקא דרינא טונאV'KA DARINA TUNA- I was carrying a burden

16)[line 47]שקול יהביךSHEKOL YAHAVICH- take your burden

17)[line 47]ושדי אגמלאיV'SHADI A'GAMLAI- and throw it on my camel

18)[line 47]"... וטאטאתיה במטאטא השמד...""V'TETESIHAH B'MAT'ATEI HASHMED..."- "... and I will sweep it with the broom of destruction..." (Yeshayah 14:23).

18b----------------------------------------18b

19)[line 7]נתת דבריך לשיעוריןNASATA DEVARECHA L'SHI'URIN- your rule would vary according to circumstances

20)[line 17]שומרת יבםSHOMERES YAVAM

(a)If a married man dies childless, his widow must undergo Yibum (the marriage of a dead man's brother with his wife) (Devarim 25:5-10). Chazal learn from the verses that there is a preference for the oldest brother to perform Yibum.

(b)If the brother chooses not to marry her, he must perform Chalitzah (a procedure in Beis Din that absolves her of the Mitzvah of Yibum - ibid.). He appears before a Beis Din of three and states, "I do not want to marry her," after which his sister-in-law approaches him before the elders, takes off his right sandal and spits in front of him. She then declares, "This is what shall be done to the man who will not build up a family for his brother," and she is then free to marry whomever she wants.

(c)The connection of the brother to the dead man's wife, which obligates one of these two Mitzvos, is called Zikah. It is comparable to the state of Eirusin (engagement) before a marriage. The Tana of the Mishnah from Yevamos rules that the Zikah "connects" the Yevamah with all of the brothers, not only the oldest. While the Yevamah is waiting for Yibum or Chalitzah, she is called a Shomeres Yavam.

21)[line 23]מטושטשותMETUSHTASHOS- smeared or faded, i.e. not easily readable

22)[line 32]מתנמנםMISNAMNEM- dozing

23a)[line 33]נים ולא ניםNIM V'LO NIM- dozing, but not dozing

b)[line 33]תיר ולא תירTIR V'LO TIR- awake, but not awake

24)[line 33]דקרו ליה ועניD'KARU LEI V'ANI- they call him and he answers

25)[line 34]ולא ידע לאהדורי סבראV'LO YADA L'AHADUREI SEVARA- and he is unable to answer a question that requires contemplative thought

26)[line 34]וכי מדכרו ליה מידכרV'CHI MADKERU LEI, MIDKAR- and when they remind him [about what he heard], he remembers

27)[line 41]דאתרמי ליה אתרמוייD'ISRAMEI LEI ISRAMUYEI- he happened to have a Megilah to copy from

28)[line 42]בעסיאASYA- (a) Tosfos (Yevamos 115a DH Amar) cites the Gemara in Bava Basra 56a that identifies Asya with Keini mentioned in the Torah (Bereishis 15:19). It seems that the Keini lived near Moav, to the west of the Dead Sea. They lived in Ir ha'Temarim (Palm City), which may be identified with Chatzatzon Tamar, to the west of the Dead Sea. The Targum translates Keni as Shaalmite, an Arabic tribe (RABBI ARYEH KAPLAN); (b) possibly Callirhoe and its surroundings, on the east side of the Jordan River, near the Dead Sea; (c) Asia Minor, or rather the Roman province embracing the Western part of the peninsula of Asia Minor, bequeathed by King Attalus to the Roman republic; (d) a town called Essa, east of Lake Kineres

29)[line 44]"...ועפעפיך יישירו נגדך""V'AF'APECHA YAISHIRU NEGDECHA"- "[Let your eyes look straight ahead,] and let your eyelids look in front of you" (Mishlei 4:25).

30)[line 44]"התעיף עיניך בו ואיננו...""HA'SA'IF EINECHA BO V'EINENU..."- "If you blink your eyes at it, it is gone, [for riches suddenly make themselves wings; they fly away like an eagle towards the sky]" (Mishlei 23:5).

31)[line 49]שרטוטSHIRTUT / SIRTUT- ruling, marking lines; etching lines into the parchment as a guide for writing straight

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