Sefer HaYirah 2

להורות לעם ה׳ את דרך ה׳. ואת המעשה אשר יעשון כל ימיהם. בשבתם ובקומם. בלכתם ובבואם. למען ייטב להם ולבניהם. בזה ובבא.

טוב לגבר כי ישא עול בנעוריו (איכה ג). כי טוב לאדם לשאת ולסבול עולו של הקב"ה ולתת מוסרות ומוטות על צוארו להכנס לעבודת בורא העולם. Sefer ha-Yirah, the Book of Awe, of our Pious Rabbi Yonah Gerondi of blessed memory. To show the people of God the way of God and the deeds which they may do all of their days, when they lie down and when they rise up, when they go and when they come, so that it may be good for them and their children, in this [world] and in [the world-to-] come. ¹Superscription in Me’ah She’arim edition. Vilna edition reads: “That was made by our completely pious Rabbi Yonah Gerondi, may his memory be for a blessing.” Moriah edition reads, “of the Genius, the pious Rabbenu Yonah of Gerondi, may his memory be for a blessing.”

I.²The Arabic-numeral line numbers follow the edition of מקור היראה, by R. Benjamin Moshe Zilber (Zilber ed.). The Roman-numeral section numbers follow the edition containing the gloss of R. Moshe Negrin (Negrin ed.). It is good that a man³גבר should take up the Yoke [of the commandments] in his youth. (Lam. 3:27) For it is good that a person⁴אדם should take up and to endure the Yoke of the Holy One Blessed Be He⁵I have chosen not to use gender-sensitive translation. The book is gender-specific and the translation will try to be true to its setting in time and place. and to set the reins and the staffs⁶Zilber ed. omits ומותות. upon his neck to enter into the service of the Creator of the World.

ובכל יום ויום יוסיף אומץ ויתחזק במצות בורא עולם. Each and every day he should strengthen and be encouraged in the commandments of the Creator of the World,

ויכניס אהבתו בלבו he should bring His love into his heart⁸There are several 3ms pronouns in a row here – the translation tries to keep which refer to God and which refer to man straight by use of capitalization.
Makor ha-Yirah: a long exigesis arguing on the basis of Rambam sefer mitzvoth gedolot that to bring love into one’s heart means to act like Abraham in his great love for his fellowmen. He also discusses the commentators on whether love of God and fear of God are one or two separate mitzvot. and

(ויחשוב). [אולי צ"ל וישווה וכמשה"כ (תהלים יז) שויתי ה' לנגדי תמיד] הבורא תמיד לנגד עיניו. ועל ידי כן יתן יראת הצור על פניו. he should think⁹Vilna places (ויחשוב) in round brackets. In square brackets it adds, “Perhaps it should read “set before,” as the verse says, (Ps. 16:8) ‘I have set the ETERNAL before me always.’” of his Creator [as] eternally before his [very] eyes. And thus he may set the fear¹⁰The first occurrence of the word “יִרְאָה” . There are several translation options available: fear, awe, or reverence. "Awe" and "reverence" would both be legitimate choices, and would sound more euphonious to a modern audience, especially one familiar with Abraham Joshua Heschel and his idea that radical amazement is the foundation of faith. But "fear" seems more in keeping with Rabbeinu Yonah's medieval sensibilities and closer to what he actually meant. of the Rock [of Israel] upon his face, and

ויכניע לבו. make his heart tremble,

וישפיל קומתו ואת רום עיניו. and lower his spirits and lower his stature and the height of his eyes,

וילך שחוח ויתהה על עונות נעוריו. let him go [along] bent [over], regretting the sins of his youth,

ויבכה עליהן תמיד. and always crying over them.¹¹Although pietist, this is not a chassidic spirituality. This halachah stands in sharp contrast to the teachings of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov, who would say, מצוה גדולה היא להיות בשמחה.

וישמור בכל כחו מחטוא עוד במסתרים. ולא יעשה במחשך מעשיו. ואז יהיה אהוב ונחמד בעיני הבורא. וכל רואיו יאשרוהו: So let him keep with all his strength from sinning more in secret, and let him not do it in dark deeds. And so he will be beloved and treasured in the eyes of the Creator and all who see him will rejoice in him.

אלה הדברים אשר יעשה אותם האדם וחי בהם חיי העולם. בכל בקר בהקיצו משנתו יזדעזע ויהיה נרתע ונחפר מאימת הבורא. בזכרו חסדו אשר עשה לו ואמונתו אשר שמר לו. כי החזיר לו נשמתו אשר הפקיד אצלו II. These are the things that a man may do and live life everlasting by them.¹²Boldface in Moriah edition. Every morning when he awakens from his sleep, let him tremble and be startled and seized by the fear of the Creator when he remembers the loving kindness¹³חסד. A notoriously difficult word to translate; it could mean "love," "grace," "kindness," or "charity." by which He did for him and the faith which He kept by him, for He returned his soul which He entrusted to him.

ואז יברך בלבו הבורא אשר הגדיל לעשות עמו כי חדש והחליף כחו. ובשומו הדברים האלה על לבו תבער אהבת הבורא בלבו. So then with [all] his heart let him bless the Creator who has done great things¹⁴הגדיל לעשות. See Ps. 126:2-3 for similar usage. with him, for He has renewed and restored his strength. And when he sets these words upon his heart¹⁵The language echoes the ואהבת prayer. the love of the Creator will burn in his heart.

ואז אל (ישב מטתו דרך עצל) [ישכב במטתו כדרך העצל] אך במהירות וזריזות יקום מיד. ואם יפגע בו מנוול ויוליכנו דרך עצלות. ישיב אמריו לו. וישים אל לבו. כי אם יקרא בעל חוב או אדם אחר אליו יקום מיד. או מפני כבוד אדם. או מפני ריוח (שיבא) [שיביא] לו חיי שעה. או מיראת הפסד ממון. כמו נפלה דליקה בעיר. יקום מיד במהרה. ולא יתרשל. או אם יצטרך ללכת לעבודת השר יקום ואל יתרשל. פן יעלילו עליו. או למצוא חן בעיני השר. על אחת כמה וכמה לעבודת מלך מלכי המלכים הקב"ה שיש לו להזהר לקום במהירות ובזריזות. ויירא פן יאחר לבא. So then (he should not roll over¹⁶Three editions spell with ס while one spells with ש. Meah She'arim points with ָkamatz; Moriah points with chirik; Vilna spells with ס. Thus the verb יָסוב / יִסוב would be parsed qal: jussive: 3ms: ס-ב-ב, do not turn about. The vocalization is a distinction without a difference. Zilber spells ישב: qal: jussive: 3ms: ש-ו-ב, do not return. Vilna: לא יסוב; others אל . upon his bed in the way of a sluggard),¹⁷Square brackets and alternative reading: he should not [lie down on his bed in the manner of the sluggard,] in Vilna edition. N.b. the definite article in this variation.
Makor ha-Yirah: : this is the version in the old editions. The מ"א wrote get up immediately not only so (דוקא) but rather stay (שהה) a little as is spelled out (?) in BT, Gittin 70. Therefore our rabbi wrote precisely (דוקא) that he should not sit in bed in a lazy manner but before he gets up from his bed it is good or well that he should tarry a little in his sleep. (אוהל יוסף) Now it seems to me that where our rabbi wrote to sit (יושב) its meaning is is like “to dwell in praise” (יושב תהילות) or “so you dwelt in Kadesh (many days)” (Deut. 1:46) which is the language of delay. but rather with speed and vigor let him rise immediately.¹⁸See e.g., Shulchan Aruch1:1. See n. 28. But if he be disfigured by plague and it should cause him to go about in a lazy way,¹⁹Hebrew unclear.
Makor ha-Yirah: BT Kiddushin 31a, Berachot 43b. SA (__) 2:6. “Our rabbi explains that as is said there the reason is as if the footsteps of the shekhinah were pressing, His glory fills the whole world. since the Shekhina is above his head, it is like as if he removes the fear from off of him, so writes our rabbi, as in # 105, and in another gloss Rabbenu Nissim [Gerondi(?)] on Kiddushin (31a) ‘in order that it appear that he has a lord over him and around him that sees and knows all his hiding places (מצפוניו).’ let him reply His words²⁰That is, God’s words. to him and pay attention²¹lit., “set his heart upon it.” to it, for if a creditor -- whether gentile or another man²²Vilna: בעל חוב כותי; Zilber ed.: בעל חוב גוי. Both mean "a gentile creditor;" כותי may be a nod to medieval Christian censors. Moriah and Meah She’arim read בעל חוב או אדם אחר, “a creditor or another man.” Negrin ed. גוי בעל חוב – shall call after him²³Negrin ed. deletes the word אליו, he should rise immediately, whether because of the honor due to the man, whether because of the momentary gain that it shall bring to him,²⁴Vilna: [שיביא] (שיבא), (shall come) [it shall bring to him]; Zilber ed: שיבא "shall come"; Moriah and Meah She’arim both have שיביא “that it shall bring” or from fear of financial loss, like falling on the fuel of the fire, let him get up immediately, speedily, and not be lax. Or, if he needs to go to the service of the prince²⁵Zilber ed., Moriah, Mea She’arim all have המלך, "the king"; i.e., the gentile authorities. let him get up and not be lax. Otherwise, they may heap abuse upon him.²⁶The verb עלל does not occur in the hiphil according to Jastrow, but in the kal it means “abuse.” Or [just] to find favor in the eyes of the prince.²⁷Again, Zilber ed., Moriah, Mea She’arim read המלך, the king. How much the more so in the service of the King of Kings of Kings, the Holy One Blessed be He, so he must take heed to rise with speed, vigorousness, and awe, else he may be late to come.²⁸Makor ha-Yirah: (at his n. 13) [He gives a list of halachic authorities for early rising:] M. Avot 4. (but quoting R. Yehuda b. Teimah, M. Avot 5:20); Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 1:1, Tur 1:1, 2:1, R. Moses Isserles (mappah, gloss on Shulchan Aruch 1:1). And the ב"ח draws an inference that despite that he agrees about rising early, he should get up before the light of the morning.
So it is in the older edition, and our rabbi writes here three which are really six reasons which by their hand a man should wake up to conquer his natural inclinations to get up immediately: (a) fear of a man and respect due the man, (b) financial gain and loss, (c) fear and respect of the king to find favor in his eyes. And not to connect solidifying (?) that to write of the most stubborn of them to learn, how much the more so to rise immediately because of the King of Kings, the Holy One Blessed be He. Since just as knowledge has no conclusion, feeling has no conclusion, and each one gets up according to his own marker and level just as one who is a prince and a head does not connect himself to the accounting of fear and honor of man … but this should be understood… thus as written in Duties of the Heart, 30 accountings but for each accounting a man has it in his ability to reverse the accounting from one extreme to the other and to bring himself close to the Blessed Creator. And on the other hand this one must explain always excite a man’s good impulse over his evil appetite, and there is no more room to continue here.
III²⁹Negrin ed. includes a whole section here labeled (ג) which does not appear in the other four eds. It is in square script, as part of the text, not the Negrin gloss. And how good and pleasant it is if he should rise before the light of the morning to supplicate himself before his Creator and to direct the hours of the different night-watches dividing the night into three equal parts³⁰Lit., “which are one-third of the night and at the end [of that one] the second third of the night and to the end of the night…”, since these are the times the Holy One³¹הב"ה = הברוך הוא is reminded of the destruction of the Temple and the exile of Israel among the nations and the prayer that a man may pray at that hour about the destruction and the exile is desired and his supplication falls before the Omnipresent One, whether he lengthens or shortens³²אחד המרבה ואחד הממעיט This phrase appears in the regular text at line 54 in the context of a discussion of prayer. [his prayers] so long as he directs his heart (BT Berachot 5b) with his supplications, for better to say little with intention than much without intention.³³AMEN (III). Negrin does not discuss the injunction to rise swiftly. However, he recommends that as soon as a man rises, he should learn the Torah portions of the Binding of Isaac (Gen. 22) and of the Manna (citing the Tur). Learning the Binding of Isaac, he explains will lessen God’s harsh judgment of us (in mystical thinking, by sympathetically linking us to the meritorious actions of our ancestors) and learning the portion of Manna will mystically invoke blessing and prosperity upon us, too. He mentions that it is not necessary to learn the Binding of Isaac on Shabbat because on that day God’s judgment is dormant and God feels only loving mercy (רחמים). Instead, one should learn the 10 commandments for the sake of mystically unifying the disparate aspects of God. For the same reasons, he recommends learning the portions of the Torah involving the daily sacrifices in the ancient Temple, as a way of symbolically offering them ourselves, and thereby mystically invoking God’s love.

וכל מעשיו יחשוב לעשות לשם שמים. ולפי כחו ילך בדרכי החכמים. ויהיה נכנע. Now, he should think to do all of his deeds for the sake of Heaven. And he should, as much as he is able, go by the way of the sages. But let him be humble.

אל יעמוד ערום ממטתו אף מיושב. כמו שהיה מתפאר ר' יוסי ז"ל מימי לא ראו קורות ביתי אמרי חלוקי. אך יקח חלוקו ויכניס בו ראשו וזרועיו ואז בקומו יהיה מכוסה. ואל יאמר הנני בחדרי חדרים בבית אפל מי רואני ומי (וידעני) [יודעני]. כי מלא כל הארץ כבודו. לפניו כחשכה כאורה. Let him not get out of bed naked but only sit up. As Rabbi Yossi explained, “In all my life the inside of my tunic did not see the beams of my house.³⁴Makor ha-Yirah: BT, Shabbat 118b. Shulchan Aruch 2, Be’ur ha’Gra (Vilna Gaon). That is, he would not pull his undershirt off over his head, thereby turning it inside out and exposing it to the rafters above. We see the value of modesty here, an important value underlying this entire work. See also Leviticus Rabbah 20:11! Instead, let him take his undershirt and put his head and arms in it, so that when he gets up he will be covered. And he should not say, “Why, here I am in the inner rooms of a dark house, who will see me and who will know it is me?”³⁵Vilna: [יודעני] (וידעני): (and will know me) [will know me]. Zilber ed.: (יועדני)[יודעני] [will know me] (will designate me) (?). Moriah: יוֹעִדֵנִי, will designate me? Meah She'arim: מעדני, will designate me.
Makor ha-Yirah: (with respect to the textual variance): In the Tur it is written, מי יועדני ומי רואני, “who will designate me and who will see me?” and it is written in the ב"ח (=בדפוס חדש?) new edition, but this language is to say, ‘who will know it is me, why, there is no man with me and even if there were a man with me, who would see me in the middle of the night?,’ as in the verse in Isaiah, “(…and their works are in the dark,) and they say ‘who sees us?’ and ‘who knows us?’” (Is. 29:15). Not like in sefer ha-Yirah,who will designate me, from language of witnessing. So far his words. And on the basis of this explanation it is possible to say what our Rabbi meant by [the apparent redundancy of] “inner rooms” and “dark house”: “will know me,” in the inner rooms and “wil see me” in the dark house. for the whole earth is full of His glory. Before Him, the darkness is like light.³⁶AMEN (ה): The reason for this is that the man’s limbs hint at things of the upper worlds, as Job wrote: (19:26) “…from my body, I would see God.” Even the [sign of] the holy covenant [i.e., the circumcision] and therefore it is not fitting to reveal them, for the honor of God is in the secret of his limbs.
Negrin further comments on the issue of modesty (his ו’): the inner spark (הפנימי) is pure, but the outer side (הצד החיצון) is susceptible to impurity. Therefore it is not fitting to make the inner outer and the outer inner.

וילבש בגדיו. ויהיה לו טלית קטן וילבשנו מתחת למדיו. כי עיקר מצות ציצית לזכרון ללבשו תמיד. כי לזכרון המצוה נתנה. ולמען לא יסור האדם אחרי שרירות לבו ואחרי מראה עיניו המחטיאים את הגוף. והדרך הזה לא ימצא כי אם בלכתו בדרך אשר דברי ערוה מצויים שם. Now he should put on his clothes. He should have a tallit katan³⁷That is, a four-cornered, fringed ritual undergarment meant for wearing all day. and let him put it on underneath his outer garments³⁸Negrin ed. תכף בקומו כדי שלא ילך ארבע אמות בלא ציצית, “when he gets up in so that he should not walk four cubits without ritual fringes...” for the crux of the commandment of wearing fringes is always remembering when getting dressed.³⁹Zilber ed. deletes the phrase כי עיקר מצוה and simply says כי לזכרון המצוה נתנה, “because the commandment was given for memory.” Because the commandment was given for remembering, and so that a man should not turn away after the stubbornness of his heart or after the gaze of his eyes which cause his body to sin. But this way will not be found unless he should go on the way in which the naked things ⁴⁰Lev. 18, Acharei Mot. One will not stray into sin unless he goes on a way where he will find temptations. are found.⁴¹AMEN (ח): Negrin quotes from Zohar, Shelach Lecha 83:331 -- apparently Tallit gadol and tallit katan are symbolic.

על כן ילבש אותו מיד בלא ברכה אם לא רחץ את ידיו. וטוב להיות זריז ליטול ידיו קודם ויברך עובר לעשייתו. Therefore let him dress himself immediately without a blessing if he has not washed his hands. But it is good to be strict to wash his hands first⁴²AMEN (ט): The explanation of “first” -- that he touch his clothes according to the custom of the first Chassidim [i.e., in Hasmonean times] (See note כ) who would prepare vessels of water by their bed in order to wash their hands and purify them and not handle their clothes with their impure hands, as mentioned in the Zohar, Bereisheet p. 36:146, and in such manner they would bless before doing it.
AMEN (כ) Negrin continues at his XX: “The rabbi ends here, but I need to explain: Know that it is forbidden for a man to walk 4 cubits with impure hands. The first chassidim would prepare a ladle of water by their beds so that when they stirred in the night they washed their hands while they were still in bed in order that they not contaminate their clothes with impure hands.” and to bless after he has done it.⁴³עובר לעשייתוֹ – high flown Hebrew in original.

וצריך להתעטף מעומד. Now it is necessary to wrap himself in a tallit⁴⁴i.e., the more familiar four-cornered ritual garment. in a standing position.

ואותו טלית קטן טוב שיהיה כעין סרבל כי אין בזה פקפוק. And it is good for that same tallit katan to be a kind of cloak⁴⁵כעין סרבל for there is no shaking with this.⁴⁶פִּיקפּוּק. Makor ha-Yirah: It should be as big as a kind of cloak so that it should be appropriate for [completely] wrapping oneself in, for any kind of shaking, as explained in the Beit Yosef (ב"י) § 8 and see in Shulchan Aruch (__?) 8:10.

וינעול מנעליו של ימין תחילה ואחר כך של שמאל. ויקשר של שמאל ואחר כך של ימין. כמו שאמרו רבותינו ירא השם יצא את כולם לקיים דברי המשנה ודברי רבי יוחנן כתפיליו כך מנעליו. מה תפילין בשמאל אף מנעליו בשמאל. Now let him put on his right shoe first and the left one afterwards but tie the left one [first] and afterwards the right, as our rabbis said, “Awe of heaven coming out of all of them,” to fulfill the words of the Mishnah and the words of R. Yochanan: just as his prayers, thus his shoes: just as his prayers on the left, so his shoes on the left.⁴⁷Makor ha-Yirah: BT Shabbat 61a; SA __ 2:4.

ומעת קומו להתהלך על הדרך. יכפוף קומתו וישוח ראשו. כי השכינה למעלה מראשו. And as soon as he gets up to walk on the road he should bend his height and he should cover his head for the shekhinah⁴⁸That is, the divine indwelling feminine presence of God on earth. is above his head.

ולכן נכון לכסות ראשו ואל יהיה בגלוי הראש. And therefore it is correct to cover his head and not to go bareheaded.

וילך ויבדוק עצמו בבית הכסא. Now, let a man go and and let him take care of his needs⁴⁹lit, “check himself.” in the bathroom.⁵⁰AMEN (XIV). Negrin sets forth a prayer that one entering the bathroom should recite, calling on the ministering angels who accompany each person to guard him and help him: “be clean, O honorable holy ministering angels of the most high, guard me, guard me, help me, help me, wait upon me as I enter until I leave, for such is the way of men.” (Tur, top of § 3). He then discusses the need to repeat “guard me,” and “help me.”

ושם יהיה צנוע. אל יגלה עצמו כי אם לפניו טפח. ומאחריו טפחיים. והאשה מלאחריה טפח. ולפניה ולא כלום. And there he should be modest.⁵¹Negrin ed., “Now let him be modest in the bathroom and not expose himself until he sits; afterwards he may expose in front of him two hands-breadths and behind him one hands-breadth; and a woman, behind her one handsbreadth and and in front of her, nothing.” (emphasis mine.) He should not expose himself but for a hands-breadth in front of him and two hands-breadths behind him. And for a woman, one hands-breadth behind her and in front of her, nothing.⁵²AMEN (XV). From here, one must be strict not to expose even his arm when he lays tefillin because all the limbs of a person hint at great and awesome things and there is not praise like modesty.
Once again, Negrin shows the kabbalistic idea that the limbs of a person reflect aspects of the divine being.
Negrin continues: When he sits, he should face south with his back to the north. The south is associated with [the sefirah of] Hesed, the characteristic of Abraham, as is said, “loyal love (חסד) to Abraham” (Micah 7:20 following Koren), and his back to the north, as is said, “out of the north the evil shall break forth,” (Jer. 1:14, Koren). And he should not sit between east to west, since the Shekhina is in the west and since everlasting memory לזכר בעלמא … is between east to west it is forbidden in whatever place may be. And by my opinion the secret [meaning] of east to west the crown of Tiferet, in order not to divide them, and it is enough to understand.
Makor ha-Yirah: But see, in the Shas (the Talmud) BT Berachot 62b, 23__ it is explained the opposite, (as we see in the Negrin ed.), in front of him two hands-breadths because of spouting urine. And behind him one hands-breadth, and so it turns out that there is no distinction between a man and a woman as to the matter of behind. But according to the edition of our rabbi goes the Bet-Yosef and the Tur, Orach Chaim, and the scrivener’s error has falllen into the books, in front instead of behind and behind instead of in front. Now the words of our rabbi do not mention but in the new printing (?) הב"ח writes that since even in Sefer ha-Yirah the version is so, it is difficult to dismiss as a scrivener’s error, one falling in all the books but rather it is certain that the versions in the shas ibid, and distinguish between a man and a woman, it appears that as to the woman the stricture is greater. But in the new printing (?) it explicates a different reason: to choose the stricter of the two versions. And see in the Mishnah Berurah in the name of the Latter [sages]. (אחרונים)

ולא ישתין מעומד פן יהיו ניצוצות ניתזות על רגליו ויראה ככרות שפכה. אלא יעמוד במקום גבוה או [ישתין] בעפר תיחוח. ואם ישתין מעומד יזהר פן יאחוז באמה אלא מעטרה ולמטה לצד הארץ ואף אם הוא נשוי. כי אחרי אשר העונש גדול כל כך שהוא מביא מבול לעולם מאד יש לו לאדם להתחזק ולקדש עצמו אף במותר לו. וכן רבינו הקדוש מימיו לא הכניס ידיו למטה מאבנטו. He should not urinate standing up in case there be sprinkles splashing upon his legs and he should appear like one whose urinary canal is mutilated. Rather, let him stand in a high place or urinate in dust. But if he does urinate standing up he should take care lest he take hold of the membrum virile – rather, [he should hold it] from the corona on down the lower side⁵³lit., “to the side of the earth.” even if he be married.⁵⁴Evidently, a man should never masturbate, nor even touch the top of his own penis.
Makor ha-Yirah: BT Niddah 13a; Shulchan Aruch __ 3:13,14. “Even if he be married…” see the Beit Yosef (ב"י) which brings our Rabbi’s words (as) the source for the Tur, which forbids (it (masturbation)) even for a married man, and where the Beit Yosef explains the characteristic of piety he means according to our Rabbi, and thus it is decided in the Shulchan Aruch. [He appears to disagree with the Taz (Turei Zahav?)] Rambam, ch. 21 of Laws of forbidden sexual entry: it is not permitted to a married man except to urinate; Be’ur ha’Gra (Vilna Gaon); Shabbat 41a (R. Abahu was married.) For the punishment for it⁵⁵That is, masturbation. is so great as to destroy the world.⁵⁶lit., “bring the flood to the world.” Presumably capital punishment, or he may refer to a divine punishment. He must strengthen himself and sanctify himself, even in what is permitted to him. And thus our holy Rabbi: in all his days he did not put his hand under his belt.⁵⁷BT, Shabbat 118b.

וכשישב לפנות ישב ויגלה ויכסה ויקום. When he sits to relieve himself he shall sit and uncover and cover and stand.

ואל יפצר עצמו לפנות בחזק פן ינתק שיני הכרכשתא ויסתכן. But he should not strain⁵⁸Vilna and Zilber ed.: יפצר. Moriah: יִפְצַּר and Mea She'arim: [יְצַעֵר] (יַפְצֵּר). All mean "strain." himself hard in case he should tear the glands of the rectum and be in danger.

ויקנח בשמאל אבל לא בימין, מפני שמראה בה טעמי התורה ואוכל בה. ויזהר מלהרהר בדבר מצוה והלכה. He should wipe off with the left (hand) but not with the right because he points out the tropes of the Torah and eats with it.

ויבדוק עצמו יפה יפה. כי אחרי אשר קרביו ובני מעיו צריכין לברך את הבורא תמיד שנאמר ברכי נפשי את ה' וכל קרבי את שם קדשו אין נאה להביא בטן מלא צואה לפני הקב"ה רבונו של עולם לברכו. He should inspect himself very well afterwards for his guts and his bowels need to bless the Creator always, as is said,⁵⁹Vilna, Moriah, Mea She'arim have this quotation from Psalms here; Zilber ed. omits it. “Bless the ETERNAL, O my soul, and all my innards His holy name,” (Ps. 103:1). It is not fitting to bring a belly full of excrement before the Holy One, Blessed be He, Master of the Universe, to bless Him.⁶⁰Vilna: לברכי, to bless me. Others לברכוֹ, to bless Him.

וישמור פן ילכלך בגדיו לא במי רגלים ולא ברעי. Let him take care lest he soil his clothes, whether with urine or with excrement.

אם יש לו יכולת יהיו לו שני מכנסיים אחת שלובש בשעת תפלה לבד למען יהיה נקי יותר בתפלתו. ואם אין לו יזהר שלא יטנף את שלו. If he can, he should have two pairs of pants: one that he wears at the time of prayer only for the sake of being the most clean when praying, but if he cannot, he should be careful not to soil his⁶¹Me’ah She'arim has: [שֶלּוֹבֵש](שֶלּוֹ), (his)[that he wears]. Others, שלוֹ.
If it could not be taken for granted that every man would own at least two pairs of pants, then צדקה would be an important value. [pants].

ויכבסם תמיד להסיר כתמי הצואה מעליהן. He should always wash them to take away the stains of filth from off of them.

וירחץ בנקיון כפיו במים אם יש לו. ירחצם יפה ויברך עליהן על נטילת ידים. XX.
He should wash his hands completely.⁶²Lit., "with cleanness." with water if he has it. He should wash them exceedingly well and recite the al netilat yadayim, “concerning the washing of the hands” blessing over them.⁶³AMEN: (A continuation of the note above) Now know that when a man sleeps at night the soul goes out from his body and immediately שורה the unclean spirit upon his hands, and the reason [for] the hands is that they are against two arms of teh world/eternal which seize powers of impurity and therefore the שורה upon the hands. Now the one who walks four cubits with impure hands is liable for death from Heaven since he brought to the Other in his hands and about him it is said, “The tents of robbers prosper, and they who provoke God are secure; they who bring their God in their hand.” (Job 12:6 following Koren). Who they who provoke God? They who bring their Other in their hand. etc.
In other words, the hands are vectors of dangerous ritual impurity, and again we see Negrin’s comparison of the human body to the cosmic map.

וברכת אשר יצר ימתין עד התפלה. אם ברך אשר יצר יאמר (עד) [עמה] אלהי נשמה כי היא הסמוכה לה. ולפיכך אינה פותחת בברוך. ואז בעת התפלה יתחיל אשר נתן לשכוי בינה. He should wait until prayer to recite the asher yatzar blessing, but if he does say asher yatzar he should also say the blessing that begins elohai neshamah with it⁶⁴Vilna: [עמה] (עד) either ("further") or ("until") but probably "further,"[with it]. Zilber ed., עוד אלוקי נשמה כי. Other editions spell אלוהי correctly; the use of 'ק instead of 'ה is a pietism to avoid spelling out a divine name. Moriah and Mea She'arim both have עִמָּהּ, "with it." for it is dependent upon it⁶⁵הסמוכה לה and therefore it does not begin with baruch (“blessed be”) so at the time of praying he should begin, “…who has given the rooster knowledge…”

או יחזור ויברך אשר יצר. Or then he should⁶⁶Zilber ed. אז [לא], "then he should [not]..." Other editions, ואז. go back and repeat asher yatzar.⁶⁷Me’ah she'arim: [לפני אלוהי נשמה] in small font.

ועל נטילת ידים יברך בשעת ניגוב ידיו ולא בנטילתן. He should recite the ...al netilat yadayim blessing when he dries his hands, not when he washes them.

ומיד יברך על מצות ציצית בטלית אשר לבש אם לא ברך בהתעטפו. XXIII. Then he should immediately⁶⁸Boldface in Moriah, Me’ah She’arim. recite the “...about the mitzvah of fringes” blessing on the Tallit which he put on if he did not bless when he wrapped himself.

וכל פעם שהוא מתעטף צריך לברך. But every time that he wraps himself he needs to recite the blessing.

ואחרי כן יניח (של תפילין) [תפלה] של יד בזרוע שמאל למעלה מן הפרק שקורין קובד"י בלע"ז ממש כנגד הלב ויברך להניח תפילין. ואח"כ ישים של ראש כנגד המוח ויברך על מצות תפילין. XXIV
Then afterwards he should lay the arm-tefillin⁶⁹Vilna: [תפלה](של תפליו). Zilber ed. תפילין של יד. Moriah, Me’ah She’arim: תְּפִלָּה שֶל יָד. on the left arm above the part that they call the elbow in the common tongue,⁷⁰Vilna: שקורין קובד"י בלעז. Zilber ed. שקורין קובד"י בלע Makor ha-Yirah ז. Moriah: שֶקּוֹרִין קובר"י בְּלַעַז in small font. Me’ah She'arim: שקורין קובדו בלע"ז in small font.
Unclear what language he refers to here. As far as I know there is no word kovdi, kovri, or kovdo in Spanish or French, and there seems to be much confusion among the editions. It could be something like "cubit," which is a measure from elbow to fingertip. "Elbow" is my emendation. adjusted slightly toward the heart and recite the blessing, “…to lay tefillin.” After that he should put on the head-tefillin next to the brain⁷¹כנגד המוח and recite the “…about the commandment of tefillin” blessing.

ואל ידבר בין תפלה של יד לתפלה של ראש. שח בין תפלה לתפלה חוזר ומברך על של ראש שתים. להניח ועל מצות. He should not speak between the arm-tefillin and the head-tefillin; if one chats between the tefillin he should go back and bless over the head-piece twice, “…to lay…” and “…about the mitzvah of…” ⁷²Pointed eds. set off the names of the blessings in quotation marks.

ותמיד ימשמש בתפיליו. בשל יד ואח"כ בשל ראש. למען יזהר להיות בנקיות. כי תפילין צריכין גוף נקי שלא יפיח בהן. ושלא יישן בהן. He should always handle the arm-tefillin first and the head-tefillin afterwards so that he shall be careful to be clean⁷³בנקיות. Meaning unclear. for tefillin require a clean body that shall not fart in them and shall not sleep in them.⁷⁴Yet it has become fashionable among some charedim in Jerusalem today to wear tefillin all day.

וצריך לברך כשימשמש זמן גדול אחר הנחתן. דקיימא לן כרבנן דבי רב אשרי דכל אימת דממשמשי מברכי. And he needs to bless when he handles them for a long time after putting them on, as it is established⁷⁵Vilna, Zilber ed., דקיימא לן, Moriah, Me’ah She’arim דְּקַיְמָא לָן. according to the Rabbis in the name of R. Ashi: “every time I handled (them) I blessed (them).”⁷⁶BT, Sukkah, 46a.

ומפי מורי הרב ר' שמואל בר' שניאור שמעתי דאין צריך לברך משום משמוש אלא כשהן נעקרין ממקומן והוא מחזירן למקומן. But according to⁷⁷Lit., “but from the mouth of” my teacher R. Shmuel bar Shneur⁷⁸ “who lived and directed a school in Evreux (N. France)” -- Rabbi Dr. A. T. Shrock, Rabbi Jonah ben Abraham of Gerona: His Life and Ethical Works. (London: Goldston, 1948), 25. All eds. give the title Rabbi twice: unpointed eds., הרב ר', pointed eds הָרַב רַבִּי . I heard that one does not need to bless on account of handling except when they are taken out from their place and he returns them to their place.

ולענין שינה יש ג' חלוקים בדבר (א) כשהן בראשו. יישן בהן שינת עראי. אבל לא קבע. Now, with regard to the matter of sleep there are three parts to the matter: When they are on his head he may nap but not sleep.⁷⁹ Lit., occasional sleep but not fixed.

(ב) וכשהוא אוחזן בידו. לא עראי ולא קבע פן יפלו מידו. But when they are held in his hand he may not sleep or nap in case they fall from his hand.

(ג) ואם הניחן אצל מראשותיו יפרש סודר עליהם ויישן אצלם בין עראי בין קבע. Now if he puts them on where he lies down let him spread a blanket over them and sleep. And in them he may sleep [something] between a nap and a full sleep.⁸⁰Makor ha-Yirah: 44-46: BT Sukkah 26; Berachot 20. SA __ 44. Also the opinion of the Rosh is so.

וכשנכנס לבית הכסא חולצן חוץ לארבע אמות. או כורכן ומניחן בכלי תוך כלי בחיקו כנגד לבו. When he goes to the bathroom he takes them off outside the four cubits [of the bathroom] or winds them up and sets them down in a vessel inside a vessel in his pocket next to his heart.

וילך לבית הכנסת. ובבואו סמוך לבית הכנסת ימהר פעמיו כמ"ש (תהלים נה) בבית אלהים נהלך ברגש. Then he should go to the synagogue. And when he comes close to the synagogue he should quicken his steps, as is written, “In the house of God let us walk in excitement." (Ps. 55:15)⁸¹Translation mine.

ויבדוק מנעליו פן יהיו מטונפים. וכן אמר שלמה בחכמתו (קהלת ד) שמור רגליך כאשר תלך אל בית האלהים. But he should check his shoes in case they are filthy or soiled as [King] Solomon said in his Wisdom: “Guard your foot when you go to the house of God.” (Ecc., 4:17)

ויבא לבית הכנסת. ואומר בכניסתו ואני ברוב חסדך אבא ביתך אשתחוה אל היכל קדשך ביראתך. וישב במקומו. He should come to the synagogue and say when he enters, “As for me, in your great love I shall come to your house, I shall bow down to your holy temple in fear of You,” and he should sit in his seat. (Ps. 5:8) ⁸²In other words, he should recite מה טובו as is reflected in the prayerbook.

ואם יש לו עוד טלית יתכסה בו. ויברך להתעטף בציצית. If he has another tallis he should cover himself in it and recite the blessing, “…to wrap oneself in tzitzit.”⁸³Again, evidence that the wealth of the community may have been quite modest. Tallitot are not that expensive, and can be made by hand if need be.

וישב ולא יפתח פיו עד שישהה מעט. וישיב אל לבו לפני מי הוא עומד. ומי השומע דבריו. ואז ילבש חרדה ואימה וזיע ורתת. Then he should sit and not open his mouth until he pauses a little and answers in his heart: Before Whom he stands and Who is the One hearing his words. And thus he will be seized by⁸⁴ועז ילבש. Lit., he will wear trembling... The pointed eds. put this in the qal, but in the rabbinic binyan afeyl אַלְבֵּיש is to seize. I would therefore point this as יַלְבֵּש . trembling, fear, sweating, and feeling awestruck.

ויפתח תפלתו על הסדר אחד המרבה ואחד הממעיט. ובלבד שיכוין לבו לשמים. Now let him begin his prayer in the [proper] order, [it does not matter whether] one that lengthens or one that shortens,⁸⁵Referring to two styles of praying: speaking slowly versus speaking rapidly, but the same keva. only that [so long as] he directs his heart to heaven.⁸⁶BT, Berachot 5b; Menachot 110a. Only Mea She'arim gives the second citation.

ויתקן מלבושיו שנאמר (עמוס ד) הכון לקראת אלהיך ישראל. He should prepare his clothes, as is said, (Amos 4:12) “Prepare to meet your God, Israel.”

וכשהוא מתפלל אל יגביה קולו בתפלתו. And when he prays⁸⁷Boldface in Moriah only. he should not raise his voice in his prayer.

אך ישמיע לאזניו מה שיוציא מפיו. But he should speak only loud enough so that his own ears hear what comes out of his mouth.

ויחתוך בשפתיו כל תיבה ותיבה. ואל יבלעם. גם סוף התיבות יחתוך להפרידם מתיבה הסמוכה לה פן יכשל בספרו בגוים את כבודו. שבחי ירושלים את. וכן כל את ואותו ואותה הסמוכים למ"ם צריך להפרידם זה מזה. וכן אלהיכם אמת. וכיוצא באלה. XXX.
He should clearly enunciate⁸⁸Lit., "cut with his lips." each and every letter. He should not swallow them.⁸⁹Vilna and Mea She'arim: ואל יבלען . Zilber ed. and Moriah: ואל יבלעם (XXI) Also he should enunciate the end of the words to separate them from the word next to it in case he stumbles over (Ps. 96:3) “tell of His glory among the gentiles…”⁹⁰Moriah helpfully inserts a makkef: ב-סַפְרוּ בַגוּיִם . Ps. 96:3. (Ps. 147:12) “… praises of Jersualem…”⁹¹Ps. 147:12. And so it is with each and every “ et, ve'otoh, ve’otah.”⁹²untranslatable Hebrew direct object markers, ּאֶת, וְאוֹתוֹ, וְאוֹתָהּ that is next to a [letter] mem:⁹³AMEN (XXX): Negrin comments at great length on the importance of proper pronunciation. First, he says that the words and letters must be carefully separated because each and every word and letter in the Torah is a hint of the sefirot and the upper worlds. One should sing “Baruch she’amar” beautifully because it contains 87 (פ"ז) letters, which equals “his head is most fine gold” ( ראשו כתם פז) (Song of Songs, 5:11). Such is Ashkenazi practice, established by the men of the Great Assembly (c.f. M. Avot 1:1) But it is important not to add to the 87 letters because it would detract from the kavvanah. They also say it while standing in all lands of Ashkenaz and Tzarfat. “Baruch she’amar” contains 10 “baruch…” statements, according to the 10 statements by which the world was created (i.e., “And God said, ‘let there be light,’ and there was light...”) He continues through the early parts of the morning prayer service, mentioning “kol ha’neshamah t’hallel yah” and “yishtabach” mentioning the Talmudic requirement to recite praise with song and melody before praying (the Amidah) [BT Berachot 32a]. He adds that the air is full of evil spirits and that prayer will protect against them. Later in this lengthy comment he says that when reciting פותֵחַ את ידיך in the Ashrei, one should pronounce ידיך as יוּדיך (“your yuds”) as the secret meaning of the two letterֿs yud (perhaps in the abbreviation of the divine name יְיָ) that draw down the great light and the holy flow into the world. This is also the meaning of the 3 letters yud in the [beginning of each phrase of the] priestly blessing. And from Ashrei through “l’olam va’ed” there are 613 letters, so that by reciting them correctly it is as if one had fulfilled all 613 mitzvot. The ten psalms that begin and end with “halleluyah” are compared to praise of a king. But if one cannot recite them all, he should say at least: ברוך שאמר, תהילה לדוד, הללו אל בקדשו which accompish something of the same purpose. Reciting shirat ha-yam will merit seeing the messiah, as when Israel first recited it they were crowned with the same crown that God will in the future crown the messiah. It has 18 verses corresponding to the 18 vertebrae in the spine [a concept seen elsewhere in Sefer ha-Yirah] adn the placement of “then Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the shore of the sea” next to “so Moses sang” hinting at the death of the nations but the life of Israel. He discusses the need to pronounce the letter Kaf in מי כָּמוֹךָ to avoid language of blasphemy or else it would sound like “Michah is like you, O God” asserting that the Biblical prophet Micah secreted away the pronunciation of the divine Name. Negrin segues into how responding forcefully enough to the prayers such as “amen” or “y’hei shmei raba” or “baruch hashem hamevorach” causes unfavorable heavenly judgments to be ripped up. He goes so far as to say that the letters of the prayers should be said with as much exactitude as the letters of the Torah. Eventually, he concludes by saying each and every letter is like a candle corresponding to one of the 248 positive mitzvot (the metaphor comes from “the commandment is a lamp and Torah is light.” Prov. 6:23) [one] needs to separate them, this one from that one, and so with “ [adonai] elocheichem emet” and [such] as come out with these.⁹⁴There are siddurim that actually place stars over such letters to make clear the need to enunciate where the letters would run into one another.

ואל יהיה מאריך בתפלתו יותר מדאי בצבור פן יחשבוהו (לכבוד) [ליהיר] ולץ: He should not be one who lengthens his prayer too much in public in case they should think him a a show-off or a scoffer.⁹⁵Vilna: [ליהיר] (לכבד). Zilber ed. לכבד ולץ. Moriah: לְכָבֵד וְלֵץ. Mea She'arim: לְיָהִיר ולֵץ. Translation follows Mea She'arim here.

ובקריאת שמע יהיה נזהר שיוציא בשפתיו וישמיע לאזניו רמ"ח תיבות שבו. When he recites⁹⁶Boldface in Vilna and Moriah. the Sh'ma he should be very careful to utter with his lips and hear with his ears all 248 letters that are in it.

ויתן ריוח בין הדבקים כדברי רבותינו ע"ה בכל לבבך ועל לבבך וכיוצא בהן. But he must allow an interval between words that may easily run into one another (BT, Berachot 15b). According to the words of our Rabbis, peace be upon them, “with all of your heart” and “upon your heart” and [such] as come out with them.

ובכל אחד ואחד משלשה שמות האמורים בפסוק הראשון יאריך עד שיחשוב היה הוה ויהיה. ולא יאריך באלף דאחד. And with each and every one of the three [divine] names that are in the first line⁹⁷The first line of the Sh'ma has three occurrences of the divine name: יי ,אלוקינו and יי the second time. he should lengthen them until he thinks [of] past, present, and future but he should not lengthen the aleph ("one").

ולא ימהר בחית לקרותה בחטף. And he should not hurry the [letter] chet [in the word echad] as if to read it with a chataf.⁹⁸That is, one should not shorten the ח' in the word אחד to read אֶחָד as if it were אֶחֳד.

ויאריך בדלת עד שיחשוב בלבבו שבורא עולם הוא מלך למעלה ולמטה בשמים ובארץ וארבע רוחות העולם ממזרח וממערב צפון ודרום ותהום רבה ורמ"ח איברים שבו. And he should lengthen the [letter] dalet [in the word echad] until he considers in his heart that the Creator of the world is king above and below, in heaven and on earth, and the four winds of the world, from east and the west, north and south, and the great depth, and the 248 limbs that are in him.

ואם לא יוכל לכוין כל כך יכוין ה' שהוא עתה אלהינו עתיד להיות אחד. But if he just cannot direct his heart so much (have so much kavvanah) let him direct himself to Hashem, who is now our God, in the future to be one.⁹⁹C.f. Aleynu lishabeach, “on that day the age-old dream shall be fulfilled: He shall be one and His name shall be one.” This is a very interesting law, for Rabbenu Yonah, who seems so dour and so exacting, to be so understanding of and lenient here toward human nature. Also very interesting temporal theology.

וכל פעם בהזכירו שם המיוחד יחשוב בו פירוש קריאתו שהוא אדון כל. And each time he mentions the Specific Name¹⁰⁰That is, the four-letter name of God. let him think on it the meaning of its reading: that He is Lord of all.

בכל לבבך. בשני יצריך. יצר טוב ויצר רע. ובכל נפשך. אפי' נוטל נשמתך. ובכל מאדך. בכל מדה ומדה שהוא מודד לך. [When he recites] “With all your heart,” he will need [to meditate] on two [things]:¹⁰¹בשני יצרך the good appetite and the evil appetite. “And with all your soul,” [is] even taking your soul.¹⁰²i.e., even martyrdom for the sanctification of the Divine Name. Such practice was a very real possibility in medieval Christian Europe. “And with all your might,” [means] Whatever measure that He measured out for you (M. Berachot, 9:5. BT, Berachot 54a).¹⁰³Translation following Prof. M. Jastrow.

אשר אנכי מצוך היום. יפסיק עד יחשוב היום נצטוו לי. [At] “Which I command you today,” let him pause and consider, “ today they were commanded to me."

על לבבך. עד כאן כונת הלב ועיקר קבלת עול מלכות שמים. ואפילו מהלך בדרך נכון לעמוד עד שיגיע לעל לבבך. “Upon your heart,” thus far, the intention of the heart and the crux of the acceptance of the Yoke of the kingdom of heaven, and even when walking on the road, being directed until he arrives at “upon your heart.”

אך מפסוק ראשון יצא ידי חובה. But even from the first verse, he has fulfilled his obligation.¹⁰⁴Another surprisingly lenient rule.

מכאן ואילך יקרא כדרכו בכוונה לפי כחו. From here on he should read according to his usual way with as much intention as he can.

כשיגיע לוקשרתם לאות על ידך ימשמש בתפילין של יד. והיו לטוטפות בין עיניך ימשמש בשל ראש. And for when he arrives at “bind them for a sign upon your hand” he should touch the arm-tefillin and “for totafot between your eyes,” he should touch that of the head.

וכשיגיע לוראיתם אותו יעיין בציציתיו. And when he comes to “and look at it” he should look at his tzitzit .

ויחתוך זיין דתזכרו. Plus, he should enunciate [the letter] zayin in [the word] Tizkaru ("you shall remember");¹⁰⁵לְמַעַן תִּזְכְּרוּ וַעֲשִׂיתֶם | אֶת-כָּל-מִצְוֹתָי, at the conclusion of the recitation of the Sh'ma.

ואל ירמוז בעיניו. ויקרוץ בשפתיו. וימלול ברגליו ויורה באצבעותיו. כי תועבת ה' כל עושה אלה. and he should not¹⁰⁶Boldface in Moriah, Mea She'arim. wink¹⁰⁷See BT Shabbat 62b for use of רמז to mean "wink." nor gesticulate with his lips¹⁰⁸Translation following Prof. M. Jastrow. See BT Yoma 19b. or one who rubs his legs¹⁰⁹וימלול or one who points with his fingers. For anyone who does these is an abomination of the LORD.¹¹⁰See e.g. Prov. 6:12.

ובתפלתו מיושב אל יסמוך לאחריו. ולא יהא מוטה לצדדין דרך גאוה. אלא ישב וראשו כפוף. שלא יראה פני היושב נגדו חוץ לארבע אמותיו. ושני אציליו על עצם הירך מקום חיבורו לגוף מכאן ומכאן. Now, one who sits in prayer should not lean on [something] behind him, nor shall he lean to his sides in the manner of a proud person. Rather, he should sit with his head bowed so that he should not see the face of the person sitting in front of him beyond his four cubits. And his arms aligned with the body, with hands crossed over the waist.

ושני ידיו תחת לבושו. הימנית על השמאלית כנגד טבורו. ואל יפשוט רגליו. אך יהיו שוקיו על עמדם. למען יהיה יותר ברעדה ויראה. And his two hands [should be] under his clothes, the right over the left in front of his navel and he should not stretch his legs but rather sit upright upon his "sit” bones in order that he should be more trembling and fearful.

וינענע כל גופו לקיים כל עצמותי תאמרנה ה' (תהלים לה). Then he should shake his body [like a lulav]¹¹¹translation following Prof. M. Jastrow. to fulfill the verse, “all my bones shall say, LORD...” (Ps. 35:10).¹¹²Perhaps the origin of shuckeling, the custom of swaying the body while praying.

ובקומו להתפלל יכוין רגליו זו אצל זו. When he stands up to pray he should stand with his legs next to one another.

וישוח ראשו. He should bow his head.

וידחוק אציליו לגופו עד חגורתו. וישים ידיו תחת לבושו. הימנית על השמאלית. Let him press his elbows into his body until his belt and let him place his hands below his clothing, the right over the left.

ועושה שבע כריעות. ישוח בברכת אבות תחלה וסוף. He makes seven bows. He shall bend at the beginning and end of the Avot [section of the Amidah].

ישחה בברוך אתה במהירות ויזקוף בשם בנחת. וישחה במודים תחלה וסוף. ולא יותר בברכות. He should bow quickly at “you are blessed” and he should straighten up slowly at the divine] Name;¹¹³ויזקוף בשם בנחת he should bow at the beginning and the end of the modim (thanksgiving section of the Amidah) and no more in the eighteen [benedictions of the Amidah].

אבל כשהוא פוסע ג' פסיעות. נותן שלום בשמאל בתחלה וכורע. לימין וכורע. לפניו וכורע. But¹¹⁴אבל. A stronger "but" than the usual prefixed ו. when he takes three steps he gives peace beginning with the left, to the right and bows, before him and bows.¹¹⁵i.e., when finishing the Amidah after saying יהיו לרצון אמרי פי...

ותהיה הכריעה כמו שאמרו חכמים עד שיתפקקו כל החליות שבשדרה. ועד שיראה איסר כנגד לבו. וזהו בשר ברוחב איסר בין פרק חליות השדרה כנגד הלב. וכשאדם זקוף מובלע ואינו נראה. וכשהוא שוחה אז יתפרדו החוליות ונראה אותו בשר. The bow should be as the sages said, until all the vertebrae in the spine¹¹⁶חוליות שבסדרה shall protrude¹¹⁷Zilber ed. יתפרקו, which could also mean "be loose," "be moved," "be bent," or "be flexed." Others יתפקקו. "are loosened." Translation follows explanation given in Schottenstein edition of the Talmud. until he is able to see an isar¹¹⁸A roman coin. of flesh opposite his heart -- now this is flesh the width of an isar between the part of the spine opposite the heart. And when the person straightens, [it] disappears and is not seen.¹¹⁹BT, Berachot, 28b. And when he bows, the vertebrae of the spine separate themselves and the same flesh reappears.

ואל יחזור מיד למקומו פן יחשב ככלב שב על קיאו. He should not immediately return to his place lest he be thought like a dog returning to its vomit.¹²⁰קיאו.

ולא ירוק בתפלתו. ואם נזדמן לו רוק מבליעו בכסותו. He should not spit during his prayer.¹²¹As opposed to the chassidic practice of spitting during the Alenu, in the traditional line which has been edited out of most North American siddurim, even traditional one, but which appears in the ArtScroll siddur and in most Israeli siddurim: (שֶׁהֵם מִשְׁתַּחֲוִים לְהֶבֶל וָרִיק וּמִתְפַּלְלִים אֶל אֵל לֹא יוֹשִׁיעַ). I have seen a Lubavitch edition of the siddur which actually gives the stage direction to spit. Apparently, this custom is older than the Chassidic movement. See BT, Sanh. 101a; JT Ber. III, 6d. But if he is spat upon, he hides the spittle in his cloak.¹²²See BT, Ber. 24b; JT Sabb. VII, 10b. Translation following Jastrow.

ואף לא יגהק (בלע"ז אינטרילי"ר) ולא יפהק (בלע"ז בדליי"ר). ואם פיהק מניח ידו על סנטרו או על פיו. He should not even belch¹²³Vilna, Zilber ed: ואף לא יגהק (בלעז אינטרילי"ר); Moriah, Me'ah She'arim: ואף לא יגהק (בלע"ז אינטרילי"ד). It is unclear what foreign language is referred to. or yawn,¹²⁴all eds. ולא יפהק (בלע"ז בדליי"ר). (unpointed eds. בלעז without abbreviation indicators). Which foreign language unclear. but if he does yawn he puts his hand upon his chin or over his mouth.¹²⁵See BT, Ber. 24a.

ולא יאחוז מאומה בידו כי יירא פן יפול מידו ולא יתכוין. He should not hold anything at all in his hand, for he should be afraid lest it fall from his hand and he will not be deliberate [in his prayer].¹²⁶ולא יתכווין. The root does not appear in the hitpael acc. to Jastrow, but in modern Heb. "be deliberate."

ולא יתפלל לא כנגד רבו ולא לאחורי רבו. Neither in front of nor behind his master shall he pray.

ויסדר תפלתו. He should offer praise [in] his prayer.¹²⁷ויסדר תפילתו. Boldface in Moriah and Me'ah She'arim eds.

אך לא יעשנה קבע כאדם האומר חוק קבוע הוא עלי בכל יום כך וכך (תפלה) [תפלות] מוטלות חובה עלי. אלא יעשנה תחנונים לפני המקום. But he should not make it fixed like the person who says, "it is a fixed law upon me every day, the obligation to say such and such prayers¹²⁸Vilna, Zilber ed. [תפילות] (תפלה). (prayer)[prayers] lies upon me," but rather let him make [them] supplications before the Omnipresent One.¹²⁹See M. Avot, 2:13.

ואל יעיין בתפלתו לאמר כמה התפללתי בכוונה ראויה היא להתקבל. כי הוא משלשה דברים המזכירים עונותיו של אדם. כי מקטרגים עליו ואומרים וכי ראוי הוא לכך שתתקבל תפלתו והלא עשה כך וכך. אך יחשוב בלבבו כי מאד היה לו לעמוד בתפלה יותר. אולי יכפר אחד מעונותיו הקטנים. ויזכור כי בשר הוא רוח הולך ולא ישוב. Let him not contemplate his prayer, saying, "I have prayed so much with intentionality, it is worthy to be accepted, for it is one of three things mentioned [in connection with] the sins of a person¹³⁰The others being repentance and charity (ותפילה, וצדקה, ותשובה מעבירין את רוע הגזרה). See High Holy Day liturgy. for they¹³¹That is, accusers on high, prosecuting angels. accuse him about them¹³²Vilna, Zilber ed. עליהם "about them," Moriah, Me'ah She'arim עליו, "about it.", saying, "Is it worthy that such a prayer should be accepted, and has he not done such and such?" But let him think in his heart that he really should have stood much longer in prayer, perhaps one of his small[er] sins would be forgiven, and let him remember that is he is [but] flesh [and blood] breath leaving and not returning.

ומה יתרון לו להתגאות במעשיו הלא לכך נוצר. ואם על כרחו יגאה לבו. ישים אל לבו גאוני עולם שגועו ועברו מן העולם. אשר עשו טובה אלף ידות יותר ממנו. And what gain is there for him to boast about his deeds? Should he not be on guard for such [as this]? But if his heart must grow proud, let him think about¹³³lit., "set in his heart." great people of the world that fell away and passed away from the world but which did a thousand times more good than he.

ובעודו בבית הכנסת אל (יהיה לו) [ידבר] דבר חול עם אדם ואף (לא) [כי] בשעת קריאת התורה. Now, while he is still in the synagogue, let him not speak a profane word¹³⁴Vilna, [ידבר] (יהיה לו) אל , "(let there [not] be to him)" "[let him [not] speak]" Zilber ed. אל יהיה לו. "let there not be to him." Moriah, Me'ah She'arim: יְדַבֵּר with a person, especially not¹³⁵Vilna: [כי] (לא) ואף. Zilber ed. ואף לא. Moriah: וְאַף לֹא. Me'ah She'arim: וְאַף כִּי. The distinction is subtle. during the reading of the Torah.

ואם ישבו אצלו בני אדם המדברים (ברצון) יניע שפתיו וידמה עצמו כמתפלל. ואל יתפאר לומר איני מדבר. כי כל המתפאר כמעט הוא נוטל את שכרו. But if some people sat by him talking intentionally¹³⁶Vilna: בני אדם המדברים (ברצון). "people talking (intentionally)." Zilber ed. בני אדם המדברים ברצון. let him shake his lips in disdain¹³⁷Perhaps, "shake his head in disdain." But all four eds. have שפתיו, "his lips." and make himself quiet as when he prays. But he let him not lord over [them], saying, "it is not I who is talking," for every time one is haughty he takes away a little bit of his reward.¹³⁸כי כול המתפאר כמעט הוא נוטל

ויענה אמן על כל ברכה. כי גדול העונה אמן יותר מן המברך. ופותחין לו שערי גן עדן. Now let him respond "amen" to each and every blessing¹³⁹Vilna and Zilber ed. על כל ברכה וברכה, "to each and every blessing,"; Moriah and Me'ah She'arim: עַל כָּל בְּּרָכָה, "to every blessing." "Blessing" is here used to mean a brachah, that is, phrase beginning (and possibly ending) with יה-וה ... וברוך אתה . For the one who responds "amen" is greater than the one who says the blessing and the gates of paradise open for him.

ויהא שמיה רבא יענה בכל כחו בפיו ובכל כוונתו. [At] "may His great name be blessed..."¹⁴⁰A quotation from the Kaddish. let him respond with all his ability with his mouth and with all his concentration.¹⁴¹That is, he should recite this part of the Kaddish together with the leader of the prayer both out loud and concentrating on his words.

ולא יצא מבית הכנסת בשעת קריאת התורה אם לא בין גברא לגברא. And he should not leave the synagogue during the reading of the Torah if not between a man and his fellow.¹⁴²אם לא בין גברא לגברא. See BT Berachot 8a

לעולם בין בשעת תפלה בין בשעת ברכה המזון כל שעה שאדם עסוק לדבר בשכינה לא יגע בבשרו. As long as¹⁴³Boldface in Moriah, Me'ah She'arim. a man is busy speaking of the Shekhinah¹⁴⁴The indwelling feminine presence of God that goes into Exile with the People of Israel. between the time of prayer and the time of the grace after meals, he shall not be plagued.¹⁴⁵יגע בבשרו. lit., "struck in his flesh." could also be read as hurt or injured. alt. trans: [a man shall never be hurt so long as he speaks of the Shekhinah from the time of prayer to the time of the grace after meals]

כי אם בידים עד פרק העליון. וצוארו עד חלוקו. אבל לא ברגליו. ובכל שאר בשרו ובמנעליו ואם נגע יטול ידיו או ישפשפם בעפר או בקיסם. Except in his hands¹⁴⁶Moriah: כִּי אִם בְּיָּדָיו; others: כי אם בידים up to the forearm,¹⁴⁷Zilber ed., Me'ah She'arim: הפרק העליון; Vilna, Moriah: פרק העליון. or in his neck as far as the shirt, but not in his legs, and not in all the rest of his flesh or his feet. But if he is plagued let him wash his hands or rub them¹⁴⁸Moriah, יְשַפְשְפֵם ; others, יְשַפְשְפֵן with dust [or with pebbles]¹⁴⁹Moriah, Me'ah She'arim, [או בצרור], ["or with pebbles"] or with [wood] chips.¹⁵⁰Zilber: BT Nazir 59a

ואם יצטרך לחכך. יחכך מעל לחלוקו. ואל יגע לא בכנה ולא בשער בית השחי ובית הערוה. ואם [נגע] יטול ידיו או ישפשפם בעפר או בצרור או בקיסם. But if he needs to scratch, let him scratch over his undershirt; and he must not touch neither a cavity nor the hair of the arm-pit nor the area of the genitals.¹⁵¹ובית הערוה But if he does touch [them] he should wash his hands or rub them with dust, pebbles, or wood-chips.¹⁵²Interesting that this is the same treatment for the plague in the first place.

ובשעת תפלה טפח מגולה אפילו באשתו ערוה. ואסור לקרות שמע ולהתפלל ולהסתכל בה. Now if at the time of prayer, a hands-breadth is exposed -- even to his wife¹⁵³אפילו באשתו Translation of this halachah follows the interesting word order of the original. -- of genital area, then it is forbidden to recite shema or to pray or look upon it.¹⁵⁴or "upon her."

ויצא מבית הכנסת בנחת בדרך כריעה ויאמר ה' נחני בצדקתך וגו' (תהלים ה) וילך. Then he goes¹⁵⁵Boldface in Moriah, Me'ah She'arim. out from the synagogue humbly and in a bowing manner;¹⁵⁶בנחת ובדרך כריעה he says, "Lead me, O LORD, in thy righteousness..." (Ps. 5:9), then he goes.¹⁵⁷Ps. 5 does not appear to be a fixed part of the standard liturgy of today.

ובלכתו בדרך אל ישוח יותר מדאי. ואל ישפיל סודרו על עיניו פן יחשב ללעג. But when he goes on his way,¹⁵⁸ובלכתו בדרך -- note the beautiful echo of ובלכתך בדרך from the ואהבת prayer. he should not bend too much.¹⁵⁹But see halachah #8, a man should always go about bent over. And he should not lower his scarf over his eyes lest he be thought a mockery.

ואל ילך בקומה זקופה. כי ההלוך בקומה זקופה דומה כמסלק המורא מעליו. אלא ילך במדה בינונית לא זקוף ולא כפוף יותר מדאי. אלא שלא יראה הבא כנגדו בפניו. Nor should he walk with proud carriage¹⁶⁰בקומה זקופה; at his fully erect stature. for one who walks at his full stature is like one who suspends the fear [of heaven] from upon him. But rather he should walk in an average manner, not erect but not too bent. Rather¹⁶¹Moriah, Me'ah She'arim: [עַד] (אֶלָּא). "(rather) [until]" so that he should not look one who comes in front of him in the face.

וישפיל עיניו שלא יראה חבירו כנגדו כמלא עיניו. Let him lower his eyes so that he should not look his fellow right in the eye.

ואם פגע דבר ערוה כגון אשה בין יהודית בין נכרית בין נשואה בין פנויה. בין גדולה בין קטנה. יעצים עיניו. או יסובב לצד אחר שלא יראנה וכן אמר החכם אין לך דבר חוצץ בפני התאוה כעצימת העין. And if he should come in contact with a thing of nakedness such as a woman, whether Jewish or gentile¹⁶²ארמית lit., "Aramean." R. Yonah could not directly say "Christian" due to censorship., whether married or single, whether big or small, he should close his eyes or turn his face¹⁶³פניו, "his face," appears in Vilna, Zilber ed.; Moriah and Me'ah She'arim omit it. aside so that he shall not see her. And so said the sage, "You have no such barrier¹⁶⁴אין לך דבר חוצץ בפני התאוה. More literally, "you have no way of separation in the face of desire..." faced with of sexual desire as the closing of the eye."

וכן אם פגע חזיר וחזירה או כל בהמה נזקקין זה לזה אל יסתכל בהן. And the same if he should come in contact with and boar and a sow or a dog and a bitch¹⁶⁵Moriah, Me'ah She'arim omit או כלב ובלבתא or any animal in intercourse¹⁶⁶Vilna, Zilber ed.: נזקקין (Rabbinic plural); Moriah, Me'ah She'arim: נִזְקָקִים (Biblical plural). with each other¹⁶⁷Vilna, Zilber ed.: זה לזה; Moriah: זֶה לָזֶה (masc.) ; Me'ah She'arim: זוֹ לָזוֹ (fem.) -- he must not look upon them.

ויהיה מקדים בשלום כל אדם אפי' אינו יהודי כדי שיהיה אהוב ונחמד לבריות And he should be the first to greet every man,¹⁶⁸אדם, which this work has generally rendered, "person," but in this case "man" seems more appropriate given the following halachah. even a gentile¹⁶⁹Vilna, Zilber ed.: כותי, lit. a "Cuthite," a Samaritan, but in eds. published under censorial influence, כותי frequently is a euphemism for גוי. Me'ah She'arim: אֵינוֹ-יִשרָאֵל, a non-Jew. Moriah: גוי, a gentile. so that he should be beloved and precious to [God's] creatures.

אך לא בשלום אשה. ויבא לביתו בשלום. But he should not greet a woman, so that he may return to his home and family in peace.¹⁷⁰לביתו, in all eds., could also mean "to his wife."

ויסיר תפיליו ויתנם בכיס. ש"י על ש"ר. Then he should take off his tefillin, and put them in the bag, the hand-piece on top of the head-piece.

ויסיר ש"ר תחלה ואח"כ של יד. ויסיר מכנסיו וילבש אחרים. He should take off the head-piece first, and the hand-piece second, then he should take off his pants and put on other ones.¹⁷¹See halachot 31-32. If a man is able to have more than one pair of pants, he should keep a good pair for shul -- his "Sunday best," as it were.

וטוב שילמוד מיד משום דכתיב (שם פ"ד) ילכו מחיל אל חיל. ומיד טרם ילך לעסקיו. And it would be good for him to learn [some Torah] immediately, since it is written, "they go from strength to strength," (Ps. 84:8),¹⁷²i.e., going from the strengthening activity of prayer to the strengthening activity of Torah study. immediately, before he goes out to his business.

ואם הוא אדם חלוש ורגיל בפת שחרית יאכל מיד. But if¹⁷³Boldface in Moriah, Me'ah She'arim. he be a weak man and accustomed to breakfast, let him eat immediately.

ויטול ידיו תחלה בהרבה מים. ולכל הפחות יטול (ממי) [מים] רביעית הלוג. But he should wash his hands¹⁷⁴That is, a ritual handwashing. first with a lot of water. At the very least he should wash with a quarter-log¹⁷⁵A Talmudic unit of liquid measurement roughly equal to one large glass. See BT Pesachim 99a. of water.¹⁷⁶Vilna: [מים] (ממי) "(of water) [water]." Zilber ed. ממי. Moriah, Me'ah She'arim: מַיִם.

ויתן שלש פעמים מים על ידיו. Let him pour water over his hands three times.¹⁷⁷Zilber cites sources explaining the purpose of each pouring.

וישפשפם היטב שלא יהא דבר חוצץ. כי כל חוצץ בטבילה חוצץ בנטילת ידים. And let him rub them¹⁷⁸Moriah: וִישַפְשְפֵם , others: וישפשפן. Is he talking about ritual handwashing or handwashing for cleanliness? I'm not aware that one scrubs one's hands in any ritual handwashing? well, so that there should be no barrier¹⁷⁹again, דבר חוצץ. Such as a ring that would prevent the water from coming into contact with the skin. for any barrier to immersion [in a mikveh] is a barrier to [ritual] handwashing.

ויגביהם בנטילה שלא יחזרו מים הראשונים ויטמאו את הידים. He should raise them in the washing so that the first waters do not drip down¹⁸⁰יחזרו and ritually impurify his hands.

וינגבם היטב Then let him dry them very well.

ויברך על הלחם המוציא. ויתן ריוח בין תיבה לתיבה. Now he blesses hamotzi over the bread, but he must leave an interval between each and every letter.¹⁸¹Lest he run the two letters mem in לחם מין into one another.

וכל מה שיהנה בו מן העולם הזה בין בפירות בין בריח בין באכילה בין בכל דבר שיהנה אסור להנות בלא ברכה. ויברך בכל דבר לפניו ולאחריו הברכה האמורה בה על פי רבותינו ע"ה. And everything from this world that he may enjoy, whether in fruits¹⁸²פירות or in scent or in eating or any other thing that he may enjoy, it is forbidden to enjoy without a blessing. And let him bless every thing with the blessing that was said by our Rabbis before it and after it, may peace be upon them.

ואם אינו בקי ילך אצל בקי ללמוד ואל ישים עצמו כבהמה. ואם לא מצא בקי ילך ויניח הנאתו. ולא יהנה מן הדבר עד שידע לברך עליו את בוראו כדת ומשפט. Now, if he has no expert [in blessings] let him go to an expert to learn and not make himself like a [dumb] animal.¹⁸³In case he does not know the proper blessing. A beheimah eats and smells without saying a blessing. See below. But if he does not find an expert he goes and leaves his enjoyment of it. And he shall not enjoy any thing until he knows how to bless its Creator over it according to the law.¹⁸⁴כדת וכמשפט.

וכשיברך יכוין לבו לברך את הבורא. ולא כדבר הרגיל בפה אדם לצאת שלא בכוונה. וכן בברכת המצוה וכל מעשה האדם אשר יעשה [יעשה] דברים לשם פעלם. ולא מצות אנשים מלומדה מנהג אבות. Now when he blesses let him direct his heart to bless the Creator and not as a thing that is a habit in the mouth of a man to come out without [proper] intention. And so too with the blessing over a mitzvah.¹⁸⁵e.g., anything that one would say אשר קידשנו במצוותיו. And any deed that a person may do, let him do¹⁸⁶Vilna, Moriah: [יעשה] יעשה things for the sake of doing them¹⁸⁷לְשֵם פֹּעֲלָם and not as a commandment trained by people and an ancestral custom.¹⁸⁸A frequent trap of ritual observance is doing things by rote and by memory, without giving them proper kavvanah. R. Yonah returns to this theme again and again.

ומאד יהיה צנוע באכילתו He should have excellent manners when he eats.

[ואחר] גמר סעודתו יברך ברכת המזון. And after he finishes¹⁸⁹Vilna, גמר [ואחר] "[and after] he finishes"; Moriah: בַּאֲכִילָתוֹ, גָמַר ("his eating...he finishes..."). his meal he should recite the blessing of the food.¹⁹⁰The grace after meals, Birkat ha-Mazon.

ואחר כך ישתה מים או יין להשלים מאה ברכות ביום. Afterwards, let him drink water or wine to complete one hundred blessings in a day.¹⁹¹It is a worthy goal to recite one hundred blessings in a day, so he should drink a little water or wine just for the sake of achieving the goal.

והכל לשם שמים: And all [of these blessings] for the sake of heaven.¹⁹²See the earlier discussions in this work about proper kavvanah. It is not enough just to recite 100 blessings; one should actually mean them.

וטרם ילך לעסקיו ילמוד פסוק או הלכה לקיים מצות והגית בו (יהושע א). Now, before¹⁹³Boldface in Vilna as well as Moriah, Me'ah She'arim. he goes to his work, let him learn one verse [of Torah] or one law to fulfill the mitzvah of "you shall meditate on it day and night." (Josh. 1:8).

ואותה שעה ילמוד בהגיון הלב. ולהיות אזניו ועיניו פקוחות אל אשר מוציא בשפתיו. At the same time let him learn with musing of the heart. And let his ears and his eyes be open to what his lips bring forth.

ואל יפסיק משנתו לדברים בטלים. כי אף לומר מה נאה אילן זה מה נאה ניר זה אשר יש בו דבר שבח שמברכין עליהן ברוך שככה לו בעולמו הרי זה מתחייב בנפשו. ק"ו לשיחת חולין אשר כל דברי עבירה תלויין בה. Let him not break off from his study for idle things. For even saying, "How beautiful is this tree," or "How beautiful is that field," in which there is a excellent thing¹⁹⁴דבר שבח such that one would recite, "Blessed is the One who has such in His world," over it, why, this one is liable for the death-penalty.¹⁹⁵חייב בנפשו. Olitzky's Avot translation renders, "sins against his soul," but this is an interpretive translation. (Avot, 3:7)¹⁹⁶Moriah and Me'ah She'arim cite to Avot 3:9, but this appears to be a variant ed. Chanoch Albeck numbers the mishnah 3:7. How much the more so for profane chatter, upon which all words of sin hang.

והשח בהן עובר בלאו ועשה. עשה. ודברת בם (דברים ו) לא בדברים אחרים ולאו הבא מכלל עשה עשה. ולאו. כל הדברים יגעים לא יוכל איש לדבר (קהלת א). וכל שכן להפסיק מדברי תורה (החייבין) [אשר הוא חייב] לעסוק בהן. ועל המפסיקין נאמר (איוב ל) הקוטפים מלוח עלי שיח ושורש רתמים לחמם [ואמרו רבותינו ז"ל כל הפוסקים מדברי תורה ועוסקים בדברי שיחה] מאכילים אותם גחלי רתמים בגיהנם. And one who chatters on them transgresses both a negative and a positive commandment.¹⁹⁷BT, Yoma, 19b. The positive commandment to "speak upon them,"¹⁹⁸That is, words of Torah. This is a quotation from the Torah portion that contains ve'ahavta prayer, "...teach them faithfully to your children, and speak of them when you lie down and when you rise up..." (Deut. 6:7) not of other things. And the negative [commandment] comes from the positive [commandment]: what it says to do, do [and what it says not to do, do not do].¹⁹⁹ ולאו הבא מכלל עשה עשה And the negative, "all such things are wearisome; no man can ever state them" (Ecclesiastes, 1:8).²⁰⁰Translation following JPS. Moreover, everyone who does break off from words of Torah are obligated²⁰¹Vilna: [אשר הוא חייב] (החייבין). Zilber ed.: החייבין. Moriah, Me'ah She'arim: שֶהוּא חַיָּב, "since he is obligated." to engage in them. And about those who break off [from Torah] it is said, "They cut up mallows by the bushes, and roots of broom for warmth" (Job, 30:4).²⁰²Translation following Koren. JPS: "They pluck saltwort and wormwood; the roots of broom are their food." The prooftext works by the connection of the word שיח in its Biblical sense of a plant with שיח in its Rabbinic sense of idle chatter. The difference is in how they translate לחמם. Koren renders "ל-חם-ם," "for their warmth"; JPS renders "לחם-ם," "their food." And our sages of blessed memory said, all those who break off from words of Torah to engage in idle chatter,²⁰³Vilna places [ואמרו רבותינו ז"ל...שיח] in square brackets; Zilber ed. omits the clause. Moriah and Me'ah She'arim include it without brackets. They feed them fiery coals in Geihinnom.²⁰⁴Hell. BT, Chagigah, 12b.

אחרי כן ילך לעסקיו כי יפה דרך ארץ ולא יוכל אדם לעבוד הבורא אם לא יטרח לבקש מזונותיו. וכן אמר דוד (תהלים קכח) אשרי כל ירא ה' ההולך בדרכיו יגיע כפיך כי תאכל אשריך וטוב לך. After²⁰⁵Boldface in Moriah, Me'ah She'arim. this, he should go to his business, for it is good to earn a living:²⁰⁶דרך ארץ no one can serve the Creator if he is busy begging for his meals.²⁰⁷There is an unusual negative particle in this phrase. And thus said [King] David: "Happy is everyone who fears the LORD; who walks in his ways. For you shall eat the labor of your hands." (Ps. 128:1-2).²⁰⁸Translation following Koren. Psalms are traditionally ascribed to King David.

ויהיו עסקיו באמונה. Now his business shall be conducted faithfully,

וירחק מדבר שקר. and he should keep away from lying words

ומחברת אנשים רעים or from bad company²⁰⁹Lit., "from the company of bad men." Vilna omits the 'וּ. A fortuitous translation given that this section is about Jewish business ethics.

וממושב לצים. ואם יצטרך לשבת עמהם פן ילעיגו ויתלוצצו עליו ויראה כעושה עצמו חשוב. אל יכנס לתוך דבריהם ואל (ישוב) [ישיב] להם כי אם בקוצר רוחו ויקום מיד שיוכל. or an assembly of scoffers.²¹⁰See M. Avot "an assembly of scoffers." But if he must sit with them: in case they mock and make light of him²¹¹See BT, Eruvin 21b. and he should appear as one who puffs himself up²¹²ויראה כעשה עצמו חשוב. Lit., “and he appears as one who makes himself important.” let him not interrupt their words or reply²¹³Vilna: ואל (ישוב) [ישיב]. "Do not (return) [reply]." All others have the hiphil, יָשִיב, "reply." to them except with shortness of breath²¹⁴Vilna, Zilber ed., קוצר רוחו, "shortness of his breath." Moriah, Me'ah Shearim omit the pronominal suffix 'ו. Or "despondency of his spirit," following Exod. 6:9. and let him get up as immediately as he is able.

(ויזהיר) [ויזהר] בלי להונות חברו לא בדברים קל וחומר בממון. Let him take care²¹⁵Vilna, (ויזהיר)[ויזהר]. "(Let him caution or forewarn) [Let him take care.]" Moriah, Me'ah She'arim, וַיִזָּהֵר not to treat his fellow overbearingly²¹⁶בלי להונות neither with words, all the more so with money.

ואף עסקו עם גוי יהיה באמונה פן יתחלל שם שמים ותורת ישראל תתבזה על ידו. Even his business with the gentile²¹⁷Vilna, Zilber ed.: הכותי. Moriah: הַגּוֹי. Me'ah She'arim: הַנָּכְרִי. See note קס"ג: Vilna, Zilber ed. and Moriah all are consistent in their terminology for the non-Jew. Me'ah She'arim uses both the terms אינו-ישראל and נכרי. should be with faith, lest he desecrate the name of Heaven and the Torah of Israel be despised by his hand.²¹⁸תתבזה. And see Ruth Rabbah 1:1.

ואם ישמע מוציאי דבה על איש אל יאמין להם כי שמא הם שונאיו. אלא יעשה עצמו כמאמין ואל יאמין. But if he should hear evil reports²¹⁹מוציאי דבּה. Vilna actually places the dagesh in the בּ. about a man,²²⁰איש he should not believe them, for it may be that they are of his enemies; rather act like he believes without actually believing.

ואם יקללהו אדם או יחרפהו אל ישיב מאומה. ויהיה נעלב ולא עולב. Now, if a person should curse him or revile him, he should not reply anything at all, but let him submit to humiliation and not humiliate.

ואל יצא לריב מהר. Neither let him be quick to go out to quarrel.

ואל יבא אצל בני אדם כשהם מתלחשים יחד. He should not stay with people whispering²²¹or, "inciting," or "informing." R. Yonah seems to be talking about gossip here. together.

ואל יוציא דבה על שום אדם ואפילו הוא שונאו. Nor should he give evil reports about anyone, even his enemy.

אל ישנא בלבבו כי אם אשר המקום שונא. And let him not hate in his heart,²²²See Lev. 19:17. except what the Omnipresent One hates.²²³Vilna: כי אם אשר המקום שנא, "except which the Omnipresent One hates." Zilber ed.: כי אם את המקום שנא, "except what the Omnipresent One hates." Moriah, Me'ah She'arim: כִּי אִם אֶת אֲשֶׁר הַמָּקוֹם שׂנֵא. "except that which the Omnipresent One hates."

(ובכל) [וכל] עניינו ועסקו יהיה לשם שמים. Every²²⁴Vilna: [וכל] (ובכל) "(and in all) [and all]"; Zilber ed., ובכל. Moriah, Me'ah She'arim: וְכָל business dealing of his²²⁵עניינו ועסקו. should be²²⁶Vilna, Zilber ed., יהיה; Moriah, Me'ah She'arim: יְהֵא for the sake of Heaven.

ובשובו מעסקיו אל ישב בטל. כי מה לאדם להיות יושב בטל הלא הבטלה מביאה לידי שעמום ולידי הרהורים רעים. אף כי תלמוד תורה אין לו שיעור: When he returns from his business, he should not sit idly, for what [does it do] for a man to be sitting idly? does not laziness bring him into the hands of stupefaction and impure fancies? whereas there is no end [to the reward] of learning Torah.²²⁷See M. Pe'ah, 1:1; BT Shabbat 127.

ואם יבאו אורחים לביתו יכניסם לביתו בסבר פנים יפות. Now, if²²⁸Boldface in Vilna, Moriah, Me'ah She'arim. guests should come to his house, he should welcome them with a cheerful countenance.²²⁹See, e.g. M. Avot 1:16.

ומיד בבואם ישים [לפניהם] לחם לאכול. כי פעמים בא העני ולא אכל והוא בוש לשאול. And as soon as they come he should set bread before them to eat²³⁰Vilna: ישים [לפניהם] לחם, "he should put bread before them"; Zilber ed.: ישים להם לאכול "he should set for them to eat"; Moriah, יָשִׂים לִפְנֵיהֶם לֶאֱכוֹל ; "let him set before them to eat"; Me'ah She'arim: יָשִׂים לִפְנֵיהֶם לֶחֶם לֶאֱכוֹל , "let him set before them bread to eat." for sometimes a poor person may come who has not eaten but is ashamed to ask.²³¹Reflecting a sensitivity to the poor and the hungry that motivated the writing of the book .

ויתן להם לחמו ומימיו את אשר יאכל בפנים מאירות. ואף אם יהיה לבבו עצב ודאגה ישחנה מלבו בפניהם. Now let him give them his bread and his water and what he might eat to brighten their faces.²³²בפנים מאירות But even if there should be sorrow and worry in his heart²³³Vilna, Zilber ed.: ואף אם יהיה לבבו עצב; "even if his heart should be sorry..."; Moriah, Me'ah She'arim: בִּלְבָבוֹ, "in his heart" let him warm his heart in front of them,²³⁴Following Vilna, ישחנה, Moriah, Me'ah She'arim: יַשְׁחֶנָּה, "let him warm his heart." But Zilber ed., ישתנה, "let him change his heart."

וינחמם בדבריו (ויתן) [ויהי] להם למשיב נפש. and put them at rest with his words, and be for them²³⁵Vilna: [ויהי] (ויתן) "(and let him gave) [and let him be]"; Zilber ed. ויתן, Moriah, Me'ah She'arim: וִיהִי a restorer of the soul.

ואפילו אם יהיו לו אלף עבדים יטרח הוא בעצמו. ויעמוד עליהם. מי לנו גדול כאברהם ששמש למלאכים והיו לו כמה עבדים ושפחות שנאמר (ובני ביתו) [אולי צ"ל ואת כל ילידי ביתו וגו' (בראשית יז)] אף על פי שנראו כערביים כדברי רבותינו ז"ל. ובכל מה שעשה על ידי עצמו שלם לו הקב"ה לישראל בכבודו ובעצמו. And even if he may have a thousand servants, he should serve them himself. Who do we have as great as Abraham who served the messengers [of the Lord]²³⁶See Gen. 18:1-15, parshat va-yera. but had many manservants and maidservants, as it is said, "and all his homeborn slaves, and all those he had bought" (Gen. 17:23).²³⁷Vilna: [בראשית יז כג אולי צ"ל =צריך לאמר ואת כול ילידי ביתו](ובני ביתו) ("and the children of his house") Zilber ed. ואנשי ביתו. Moriah, Me'ah She'arim: וְאֵת כָּל-יְלִדֵי בֵיתוֹ (בראשית יז כג) . Context: after Sarai's name change to Sarah, Abraham circumcises his entire household, both those born in his household and all its members. Translation follows JPS. And despite that they appeared like Arabs²³⁸ואע"פ שנראו כערביים. I.e., they looked like ordinary people. according to our Rabbis of blessed memory:²³⁹BT, Bava Metzia 86b and with everything that Abraham did by himself, the Holy One Blessed Be He repaid on his behalf to Israel in His dignity and Himself.²⁴⁰ובכל מה שעשה על ידי עצמו שלם לו הקב"ה לישראל בכבודו ובעצמו.

ואל יספר לפניהם כך וכך אירע לי קצה תלאותיו. כי דברים אלו שוברים את רוחם. כמדומה להם כי בשבילם אמר כן. וכמעט אין לו שכר בעמלו. He should not recount before them, "such and such happened²⁴¹Moriah: אִירע ; Me'ah She'arim: אֵירע to me," from some of his troubles,²⁴²Vilna: תלאותיו; Zilber ed.: תלואותיו; Moriah, Me'ah She'arim: תְּלָאוֹתָיו for these²⁴³Vilna, Zilber ed.: אלה; Moriah, Me'ah She'arim: אֵלּוּ words shatter their spirits, appearing to them that for their sake he says so and that he hardly has any money in his purse.²⁴⁴וכמעט שאין לו שכר כעמלו. Lit., "that he barely has reward in the fruits of his labor."

ויכבדם כאדונים לו וכן מצינו באברהם (שם יח ג) שקראם אדונים. וגדול הכנסתם יותר מקבלת פני שכינה. But let him honor them as his lords. And so we find with Abraham, who called them "my lords," (Gen. 18:3). And greater was welcoming them than receiving the face of the Shekhinah.²⁴⁵Welcoming guests is one of the duties whose reward is beyond measure. M. Pe'ah 1:1, BT Shabbat 127.

ובשעת האוכל יראה את עצמו כמצטער שאינו יכול להיטיב להם יותר. וכן הוא אומר (ישעיה נח) ותפק לרעב נפשך. תצא נפשי שאין לי מה ליתן לך. And at meal-time, he should show himself as one who grieves ²⁴⁶יַראֶה את עצמו כמצטערthat he is not able to prepare more for them:²⁴⁷להֵטיב להם יותר And so it says,²⁴⁸וכן הוא אומר, not the more traditional שנאמר or ככתוב. "if you draw out your soul to the hungry," (Isa. 58:10).²⁴⁹Translation following Koren and Holladay, A Concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament, "if you grant your desire to the hungry." Therefore say to him²⁵⁰Moriah, Me'ah She'arim: וְיֹאמַר לוֹ. Vilna, Zilber ed. omit; the shift to first person indicates the quotation. "I am dying that I have no more to give you."²⁵¹A play on the words of the Isaiah quotation: ותפק לרעב נפשך. The literal meaning of the Hebrew תצא נפשי, "my soul goes out."

ואם ילינו אצלו ישכיבם במיטב מטותיו. כי גדולה מנוחת העיף בהיותו שוכב בטוב. ויותר עושה לו נחת רוח המשכיבו היטב יותר מן המאכילו ומשקהו וגלגל הוא החוזר בעולם. So if they should stay with him, he should lay them down in the best of his beds, for it is greater to rest the weary than to be well-rested.²⁵²שוכב בטובו, more lit., "than to lie down in goodness." And giving [his guest] rest makes more rest²⁵³נחת רוח. or satisfaction, gratification, pleasure. for him than to feed him or slake his thirst.²⁵⁴המאכילו ומשקהו. Lit, "who feeds him or waters him." And it comes back to him in the next world.²⁵⁵BT Shabbat 191a. I.e., what goes around comes around, or good karma.

ובצאתם ילוום ויתן להם פת צידה לדרך. And when they leave he should accompany them.

כי על פת לחם יפשע גבר. כי על אשר לא נתן יהונתן לדוד פת לחם בהפרדו מאתו נתגלגל הדבר ונהרגו כהני נוב שמונים וחמשה נושאי איפוד בד. והעניק תעניק להם מסת נדבת ידך. He should give them a bit of provision for the road²⁵⁶לדרך Exactly as we say, "for the road"!, for "a man will transgress for a piece of bread," (Prov. 28:21).²⁵⁷Translation following Koren. For since Jonathan did not give David a piece of bread when he parted from him the thing caused the priests of Nov to be killed²⁵⁸.נתגלגֵל הדבר ונהרגו כהני נוב Perhaps, "the matter spiraled out of control and the Priests of Nov were killed." BT, Sanhedrin. 104a. The statement refers to the episode of David and Jonathan. See 1 Sam. 20:1-22:19., eighty-five men who wore the linen Ephod.²⁵⁹1 Sam. 22:18. Translation follows JPS. And you shall surely press [gifts] upon them according to the donation of your hand.²⁶⁰והעניק תעניק להם מסת נדבת ידך.

ואם בא מצוה לידך (שמש) [תמהר] בה ואל תתרשל בה. כי זהירות מביא לידי זריזות נקיות פרישות טהרה קדושה יראת חטא חסידות וענוה. Now, if²⁶¹Boldface in Moriah, Me'ah She'arim. you have the opportunity to do a mitzvah²⁶²ואם באה מצוה לידך., Lit., "if a mitzvah comes into your hand." Note the shift to second person. make haste²⁶³Vilna: [תמהר] (שמש) "(serve)[hurry]." Zilber ed.: שמש. Moriah, Me'ah She'arim: תְּמַהֵר. to do it and do not be relaxed about it.²⁶⁴Makor ha-Yirah that R. Yonah is putting two halachot together: 1) to do the mitzvah by oneself not by an appointee, and 2) being rapid about it. For caution brings one into zeal, cleanliness, separation, purity, holiness, fear of sin, piety, and humility.²⁶⁵BT Avodah Zarah 20b.

ויהא זהיר בכבוד חכמים. בא חכם אצלך תקבל פניו בכבוד וכבדהו. Be²⁶⁶Boldface in Moriah. cautious with the honor of the sages. If a sage should come to your home, welcome him with honor and honor him.

יש חתן בעיר לך ועסוק בו ושמחהו. כי המשמחו זוכה לראות בשמחת ירושלים. If there is a groom in the city, go outfit him²⁶⁷I.e., make sure he has enough money to put on a proper wedding. and rejoice with him, for one who rejoices with him merits seeing the redemption of Jerusalem.²⁶⁸BT, Ketubot 17a.

יש מת בעיר טרח בו וספדהו. אך במדה בינונית. כי אין כבודו לומר מה שלא היה בו. ושתיקה יפה. אך המדות אשר ידעת אשר היו בו טובות תספר ותלוהו. If there is a death in the city, attend to the dead²⁶⁹I.e., perform שמירה וטהרה, the rituals of washing the dead body and standing guard over it for the entire period before burial. and mourn him. Even in a middling aspect²⁷⁰I.e., Engage in the preparation and eulogize, but do not aggrandize the dead. for it does not honor him²⁷¹Vilna reads און, sin, but it appears to be an error. to tell beyond what he had, and silence is beautiful. Only those good characteristics which you know that he had you shall tell and you shall escort him.²⁷²Referring to the actual funeral service and burial.

אם יש ברית מילה בעיר טרח ועסוק והיה כמסייע במצוה. כי גדול שכר מסייע כעושה מצוה. If there is a circumcision [to be done]²⁷³i.e., not only the circumcision itself, but the feast that should take place afterwards. in the city, attend to him²⁷⁴טרח ועֲסוק בו and be as one who assists in the mitzvah,²⁷⁵Zilber: See BT Pesachim 13b on one who does not return מיסב the mitzvah of his friend for the reward of the one who assists is as great as of the one who does the mitzvah.²⁷⁶Zilber: BT. Makkot 5b.

ואם חבריך בצרה היה צר בצרתם. If your fellows are in distress be distressed in their distress.²⁷⁷Zilber: BT Berachot 12b: all that it is possible for him to request mercy upon his fellow...

ואל תשמח בעת כשלונם. והיה שמח בטובתם. Do not rejoice in their downfall, but be happy at their good fortune.²⁷⁸In a German word, schadenfreude. Zilber, BT Ta'anit 20b. M. Avot, 4:12 (let the honor of your fellow be as the honor of your teacher).

שמעת צרת ישראל הרחוקים האנח והתפלל עליהם וכ"ש על הקרובים. Moreover, if you have heard of the distress of Jews²⁷⁹ישראל far away, groan and pray²⁸⁰הֵאָנַח ותתפלל. Vilna: האָנח. for them,²⁸¹Zilber: 166. BT Berachot 12b, Ta'anit 21b, Yevamot 52b; Rambam ch. 1 of the laws of fasting הל"א = halacha 1 or halacha 31. and just as much for those near by.²⁸²Zilber: "just as much for those near by" BT Yevamot 52b.

ברך הצור על כל הבא על הטוב ועל הרע. תשמח ביסורין וחשוב הכל לטובה בכל מדה ומדה שהוא מודד לך וזהו (דברים ו) בכל מאודך. ואל תבעט ביסורין. וחשוב הכל לטובה. ואמור כל דעביד רחמנא לטב. Bless the Rock²⁸³That is, "the Rock of Israel," an appellation for God, as in the popular Chanukah hymn, מאוז צור. Especially as in צדוק הדין, the acceptance of judgment recited upon a death which repeatedly refers to God as הצור, “the Rock.” Vilna, Zilber ed.: ברך הצור. Moriah, Me'ah She'arim: בָּרֵךְ אֶת הַצּוּר [of Israel] over everything that comes, over the good and over the bad, rejoice in suffering²⁸⁴Vilna, Moriah: ביסורין (Rabbinic plural). Zilber ed., Me'ah She'arim: ביסורים (Biblical plural). and consider everything for good, with each and every measure that He measures out for you. And this is²⁸⁵Vilna, Zilber ed., Moriah, וזהו בכל-מאדך. Me'ah She'arim: וְזֶהוּ שֶׁכָּתוּב (דברים ו ה) וּבְכָל-מְאֹדֶךָ "and with all your might." (Deut. 6:5).²⁸⁶As in the ve'ahavta, "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might." And do not be contumacious in suffering,²⁸⁷Zilber ed. omits this phrase from ואל תבעט through לטובה. Moriah: וְאַל תְּבַעֵט בְּיִסּוּרִין. pointing the verb in the binyan piel, "do not be contumacious" (that is rebellious, challenging instead of accepting). Me'ah She'arim: ואֵל תִּבְעַט בְּיִסּוּרִים. pointing the verb in the qal, "do not resist, or reject." but consider²⁸⁸Me'ah She'arim: וְתַחְשׁוֹב qal imperfect; others וַחֲשוב, qal imperative. it all for the good, and say, "Whatever the Merciful One does is for good."²⁸⁹Aramaic. See BT Berachot 60b. Translation following Jastrow. Zilber: BT Ta'anit 21a. Vilna, Zilber ed.: כל דעביד רחמנא לטב. Moriah: כָּל דְּעָבֵד רַחֲמָנָא -- לְטוֹב. Me'ah She'arim: כֹּל דְּעָבִיד רַחֲמָנָא לְטַב עָבִיד.
Makor ha-Yirah: Berachot 54a, 60b. "Rejoice in suffering," BT Shabbat 85b. "And do not rebel..." TY, Shekalim, 8:4 (פ"ח ה"ד). "Consider it all for the good..." BT Berachot 60b. Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayyim § 222. "Whatever the Merciful One does..." BT Ta'anit 21a.

והתרחק מן הנדרים. כי בעון הנדרים בנים מתים ואשתו של אדם מתה. Keep away²⁹⁰Boldface in Moriah, Me'ah She'arim. from vows, for on account of broken vows children die and a man's wife dies.²⁹¹Back to third person. Makor ha-Yirah: BT Shabbat 32b, Nedarim 20a. Rabbinic Judaism has long been skeptical of taking vows.

ומן השבועות And from oaths.²⁹²As in, "May God damn me if..." which contemporary English has shortened to (God) damn! Makor ha-Yirah: TY, Shevuot, 2:5, Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayyim,156:71.

ומן הכעס. כי כל הכועס מבלבל דעתו ורוחו ולא יתיצב באהבת הבורא. וכן אמרו רבותינו. לא תרתח ולא תחטא. ובכמה מקומות דבר שלמה בחכמתו. והסר כעס מלבך (קהלת יא). כי כעס בחיק כסילים ינוח (שם ז). רגזן לא עלה בידו אלא רגזנותו. וגם משה רבינו היה אב לחכמים ולנביאים כל מקום שבא לכלל כעס בא לכלל טעות. And from anger, for anyone that becomes angry mixes up his reason with his spirit, and will not place himself in the love of the Creator. And so our Rabbis said, "do not get hot and you will not sin" (BT, Berachot 29b). And in several places [King] Solomon said in his wisdom, "remove anger from your heart," (Eccl. 11:10), "for anger rests in the bosom of fools" (Eccl. 7:9). Nothing will come to the hand of a quarrelsome person but his irritability. And even with Moses our Teacher, who was the greatest of the sages and the prophets, whenever he was under the influence of anger he came under the influence of mistaken judgment.²⁹³Makor ha-Yirah: "Our sages said..." BT Berachot 29b. "Nothing will come to the hand of a quarrelsome person..." Kiddushin 41a, and see ch. 2 halachot de'ot halacha 3. (rambam?) And what is written there. And so Moshe our teacher…., Pesachim 66b. And see also Sifré Num. 157, "because he was under the influence of anger he was under the influence of mistaken judgment." Translation following Jastrow.

ואפילו אם עשה לך אדם שלא כהוגן אל תקפיד ולמוד מהלל ענותן ז"ל. Even if someone treats you inappropriately, do not lose your temper. But learn from Hillel the modest one,²⁹⁴ולמד מהלל ענותן. BT, Shabbat 31a. The reference is to a famous aggadic story of the sage, when a man made a bet that he could cause the patient Hillel to lose his temper and went to see him on a Friday afternoon before Shabbat, asking pointless questions to try to cause him to lose his patience. of blessed memory.²⁹⁵Vilna, Zilber ed., ז"ל. May = זכרונו לברכה, "may his memory be for a blessing." Moriah: זָכוּר לַטוֹב , "may he be remembered for good." Me'ah She'arim: זִכְרוֹנוֹ לִבְרָכָה.
Makor ha-Yirah: BT, Shabbat 31a.

ואך להטיל אימה בתוך ביתו. מצוה להראות עצמו כעסן ודעתו מיושבת ורוחו נחה. ואל יטיל אימה יתירה. The same goes for fear inside his home: it is a mitzvah to show himself like one who can get angry but whose mind is settled.²⁹⁶Vilna, Moriah, Me'ah She'arim: נחה, "at rest"; Zilber ed.: נאה, "suited/becoming/handsome."
Zilber comments: BT, Shabbat 105b, Rambam, ibid. But he should not develop additional fear, but only a moderate amount.²⁹⁷It is permissible to have authority, but not too much.

ואל ישבר כלי בחמתו. אף לא ישחית כל מאומה. He should not smash dishes²⁹⁸Vilna: places asterisk after כליו and footnotes בגדיו, "his clothes." in his anger. He should not destroy anything at all.²⁹⁹Makor ha-Yirah: BT, Shabbat Id. (105b).

ויכוף את יצרו מכל אשר יתאוה אף משיחה בטילה. כי מה יתרון בדברים שלא לצורך אין זה כי אם הרבות פשע. Let him bend his inclination from anything which he may enjoy, even from idle chatter, for what gain is there in needless words? This is nothing but increasing liability for negligence.³⁰⁰See M. Avot 4:1. (But the text is slightly different: הכובש את יצרו, not ויכוף את יצרו). and M. Avot 1:5.
Makor ha-Yirah: Bava Metzia 32b. To bend his inclination: Pesachim 113b and in הגההת of the Vilna Gaon. Even from idle chatter: Chagigah 5b, Yoma 77a. Rambam ch.2 halachot de'ot halacha 14. "This is nothing but increase of sin..." Prov. 10:19 "where there is much talking, there is no lack of transgressing." JPS. "In many words..." Avot d'Rabbi Natan end of ch. 22.

והוי רצוי לאחיך ולחביריך. Be beloved to your brothers and to your fellows.³⁰¹Boldface in Moriah, Me'ah She'arim. Back to second person.
Makor ha-Yirah: Berachot 17a, Shabbat 118b. What they said: in all my days I have not transgressed against my friend by my speech. (?)

ואל תשכב בלילה וקטטה לך עם אדם. אך לך ותרצה אותו עד שיתפייס. ואף אם חטא לך בקש ממנו פיוס. ואל תאמר הן חטא לי. עליו לבא לפייסני. כוף את יצרך ולך אליו. למען לא יגביה לבבך. ותהיה מתועב על פני הבורא שנאמר (משלי טז) תועבת ה' כל גבה לב. You shall not even lie down at night if you have a quarrel with a person. But go and appease him until you both reconcile. But even if he has sinned against you, seek reconciliation from him. Do not say, "see,³⁰²Zilber ed.: הוא חטא לי, "he has sinned against me,"; others, הן חטא לי, "see, (he) has sinned against me." he has sinned against me, it is up to him to reconcile with me," bend your inclination and go to him, so that your heart shall not grow proud and you shall be abominable in the eyes of³⁰³Vilna, על פני הבורא, "in the face of the Creator"; Zilber ed.: בעיני הבורא, "in the eyes of the Creator"; Moriah, Me'ah She'arim: לִפְנֵי הַב, "before the Creator." the Creator. As it is said, "Every proud heart is an abomination to the LORD," (Prov. 16:5).³⁰⁴Translation mine.
Makor ha-Yirah: BT, Megillah 28a. "But even if he has sinned against you…" Yoma 87a, see there.

ומאד הזהר שלא לשקר אפילו בדבר הבאי. כי חלול השם יש בדבר ואף לא להשתכר בשקר כי יצא שכרו בהפסדו. כי הוא מארבע כתות שאינן מקבלות פני שכינה. כת שקרנים. כת חנפים. כת לצים. כת מספרי לשון הרע. וכן ענשו של בדאי שאפילו אומר אמת אין שומעין לו. וכל המשנה בדבורו כאילו עובד ע"ז כתיב הכא (בראשית כז) והייתי בעיניו כמתעתע. וכתיב התם (ירמיה י) הבל המה מעשה תעתועים. Be especially³⁰⁵Boldface in Moriah, Me'ah She'arim. careful not to lie, even in a words of a rhetorical phrase, for there is desecration of the [divine] Name in speech. And also not to be rewarded in a lie, for the gain will be offset by the loss, since the four classes of those who will not receive the face of the Shekhinah: the class of liars, the class of hypocrites,³⁰⁶Or, flatterers, faithless, arbitrary, fickle. the class of scoffers and the class of slanderers. And such is the punishment of the liar, that even if he speaks the truth, no one believes him (BT, Sanhedrin, 89b). And anyone who repeats his speech is as if he were an idol-worshipper (Ibid., 92a). As is written in this case: "I shall seem to him a deceiver," (Gen. 27:12).³⁰⁷Translation following Koren. Context: Jacob is reluctant to fool Isaac into giving him the blessing. [Regarding] anyone who changes his words [is written]: "They are vanity, the work of delusion," (Jer. 10:15).

והזהר מן הליצנות. כי היא שניה לעבירות. והיא מעברת את המורא. ומרגלת האדם לעבור. וכל המתלוצץ נופל בגיהנם. Now take care to avoid scoffing, for it is the second of the transgressions. For it transgresses³⁰⁸Vilna, Zilber ed.: והיא מעברת את המורא. Moriah, Me'ah She'arim: מַעֲבִירָה אֶת הַמּוֹרָא. against the fear [of Heaven]. And it accustoms a person to transgress. Every one who speaks frivolously falls into the Valley of Death.³⁰⁹Makor ha-Yirah: BT, Avodah Zarah 18b and what is written there. "For it is the second of the transgressions…" Pirkei d'Rabbi Eliezer Zuta. "And it transgresses…" Avot 3:17 שחוק וקלות ראש כו' ומש"כ. "And everyone who speaks frivolously…" Avodah Zarah 18b.

ושלא להחניף כי לא לפניו חנף יבא. And that he not be hypocritical.³¹⁰or "flatter," or "deceive." "For a hypocrite shall not come before Him." (Job 13:16)³¹¹Makor ha-Yirah: BT, Sotah 42a.

ושלא לספר לשון הרע כי לכל יש רפואה חוץ מלשון הרע. And that he not tell slander,³¹²לשון הרע, "the evil speech,": malicious gossip. for everything has a cure but slander.³¹³Makor ha-Yirah: BT, Arachin (?) 17b.

ושלא לקבלו שנאמר (שמות כג) לא תשא שמע שוא. And that he not listen to it, as is said, "you must not carry false rumors." (Exod. 23:1).³¹⁴Translation following JPS.
Makor ha-Yirah: BT, Pesachim 118b.

והתרחק מן הכבוד. וכבד כל אדם. And one should keep away from honor, but honor every person. ³¹⁵Makor ha-Yirah: M. Avot 6 from the 48 things [by which the Torah is acquired], i.e., 6:6. And see BT Bava Metzia 23b . [R. Yisrael] Salanter says flee from honor but honor your friend.

ותעבור על מדותיך. You shall turn away from your [own] characteristics.³¹⁶Vilna, Zilber ed., Me'ah she'arim: ותעביר (hiphil imperfect); Moriah: וְהַעֲבֵר (hiphil imperative). "Turn away from" as in Ps. 119:37. Note another switch from 3d person to 2d person. Makor ha-Yirah: BT, Rosh Hashanah 17a.

והוי דן את כל אדם לכף זכות. למען יעבירו מן השמים על פשעיך וידונו אותך לכף זכות: Judge everyone in the scale of merit, for the sake that in Heaven they shall overlook your sins and judge you in the scale of merit.³¹⁷i.e., give everyone the benefit of the doubt, so that God will give you the benefit of the doubt. Makor ha-Yirah: M. Avot 1:6, BT Shabbat 127b. Magen Avraham (?) § 156.

אם אתה אצל בני אדם שאתה חייב כבודם. כגון אביך ואמך כבדם ותירא מהם. If³¹⁸Boldface in Vilna. Moriah, Me'ah She'arim: וְאִם אַתָּה , "but if..." or "now if..." or "and if..." you are with people that you are obligated to honor such as your father and your mother honor them and be fearful of them.³¹⁹כבדם ותירא מהם. The structure is not exactly parallel.
Makor ha-Yirah: BT Kiddushin 31b; Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh De'ah § 240.

ולא תשב במקומם. And you shall not sit in their place.³²⁰Mainly speaking in a literal sense.
Makor ha-Yirah: Id. Yoreh De'ah Ibid. And see, in the gemara also (איתא נמי) do not stand in their place (emph. mine)

ולא תסתור את דבריהם. אם אמרו דבר אפילו ידעת כי אינו כן אל תאמר לא כן היה. And you shall not contradict³²¹Following Moriah, Me'ah She'arim: וְלֹא תִסְתּוֹר אֶת דִבְרֵיהֶם (qal: impf) "do not contradict"; Vilna, Zilber ed.: ולא תסתיר (hiphil: impf) "do not hide" their words, if they say something, even if you know that it is not³²²Vilna, Zilber ed.: כי אינו כן. Moriah, Me'ah She'arim: כִּי אֵינֶנּוּ כֵן. so. Do not say, "it was not so."³²³Makor ha-Yirah: Ibid. and Ibid. 32b. And Shulchan Aruch ibid. se'if 11.

ואם יש להם דבר עם אדם אל תכריע ביניהם. And if they have a word with a person, do not compromise between them.³²⁴Following Sifra introd.: שני כתובים המכחישים...ויכריע ביניהם. Because this has ויכריע ביניהם. I.e., while generally peacemaking is commendable and commanded, when your own parents or someone else that you are obligated to honor is one of the parties to the dispute, you may not mediate because you should be showing favor to your parents (or whoever it is).
Makor ha-Yirah: BT Kiddushin 31b; Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh De’ah § 240. From the the language of our rabbi it appears that he agrees with the opinion of (R. Menahem ha-Meiri) which is brought in the Tur (ibid.) that even to say something like the words of the father is forbidden. And see in the Beit Yosef where it is also explained this way. Also according to Rashi. What the halakhic decisors and Rashi adopted for the matter it is a negative law just so: if there is a division in his own words, it is also forbidden to harmonize them, according to the meaning of our rabbi.

ואל תכנס לתוך דבריהם. כי אף תוך דברי חבירו אם נכנס בהם נקרא גולם. Do not interrupt them, for even one who interrupts his fellow is called a fool.³²⁵Makor ha-Yirah: The words are appropriate/fitting for the one who says them. And what is written, "for even…" M. Avot 5:7.

כללו של דבר כל מה שיוכל לתלות הכבוד בהם [יתלה] ולא בו. The rule of the matter: everything that might be attached to their honor should be attached³²⁶Vilna, Zilber ed.: כל מה שיוכל לתלות הכבוד בהם [יתלה] ולא בו. The pointed eds. omit the square brackets. and not to his.³²⁷Makor ha-Yirah: Ibid., Shulchan Aruch ibid. סע"ז.

ומאד יש להזהר בכבודם. כי הוקש כבודם לכבוד המקום. והמכבדם כאלו כבד המקום. והמצערם כאלו צער עצמו. One must be very careful with their honor, for their honor is compared to the honor of the One Who Is Everywhere, and one who honors them is as if he honors the One Who Is Everywhere, but one who causes them pain is as if he pains himself.³²⁸Vilna, Zilber ed., כאילו צער עצמו "as if he troubles himself"; Moriah, Me'ah She'arim: כְּאִלּוּ צִעֵר (עַצְמוֹ) [הַמָּקוֹם]. "as if he troubled (himself) [the One Who Is Everywhere]." Although it would seem that the "right" choice is the one in square brackets, i.e., he troubles God, the idea that one who troubles his parents really makes trouble for himself feels very wise and true. R. Yonah would say, “how could someone cause damage to the One?”

וחייב להאכילם ולהשקותם ולהלבישם ולהכניסם ולהוציאם. Further, he is obligated to feed them, give them drink, dress them, bring them in and take them out.

ואם אין לו יסבב על הפתחים ויתן להם. But if he does not have [anything for them] let him go knock on the doorways of people’s homes and beg³²⁹Vilna, Zilber ed.: יסבב, Moriah: יְסַבֵּב (piel, impf) "let him beg"; Me'ah she'arim: יָסוֹב (qal: impf) "let him go around." and give [the alms] to them.

ומה שיעשה להם דרך כבוד יעשה. כי יש מאכיל אביו פיסיוני (מין עוף יקר) וטורדו מן העולם. ומטחינו ברחים ומביאו לחיי העולם הבא. And whatever he may do for them, let it be by way of honoring them. For one [person] may feed his father pheasant³³⁰Vilna, פיסיוני, others, פַסיוני . According to Jastrow this is a variant spelling. and drive him out of the world³³¹I.e., makes him desperate. translation following Jastrow. but someone else may make his father grind in the mill and bring him into everlasting life in the world-to-come (BT, Kiddushin 31a).³³²Zilber comment: Ibid 31a, Shulchan Aruch 74.

היה אביו עובר על דברי תורה. אל יאמר לו אבא עברת על דברי תורה. אלא אומר לו מקרא כתוב בתורה כך הוא. והוא יבין מעצמו ואל תביישו. If his father transgressed the words of the Torah, he must not say to him, "Father, you have transgressed the words of the Torah," but rather he says to him, "the verse is written in the Torah like so." And he shall understand on his own and he shall not be disgraced.³³³Vilna:[יתבייש](תביישו) ואל, ("you shall disgrace him") ["he shall not be disgraced"]. Zilber ed.: תביישו. Moriah: יִתְּבַּיֵּשׁ Me'ah She'arim: תְּבַיְּשׁוֹ.

ולא ידבר על מעשיהם בשום ענין. אפילו זרק ארנקי לים או לאור בפניו לא יכלימנו. And he should not³³⁴Zilber ed., ושלו ידבר "and that he not speak,"; others, ולא ידבר, "and he should not speak." speak of their deeds in any matter, even if he throws his money-bag into the sea or into the fire in front of him, do not rebuke him.³³⁵Jastrow, BT, Kiddushin 31a.

ואם שמע אדם מדבר עליהן שלא כהוגן. יקהה שיניו ויאמר לו שקר אתה דובר. אך אין להכות חברו על כך. ואף שתיקה יפה במקום שאין כבודם. כמו שהוא יודע שאם ימחה אז יוסיף האחר לומר עליהם דברי גנאי אחרים. But if he hears a person speaking about them improperly, blunt his teeth³³⁶i.e., refute his arguments. (Jastrow). and say to him, "you are telling a lie." But there is no striking his fellow over such. But even silence is appropriate in a place where the parents are not dishonored. As in the case where he knows if he shall protest, then [the other] shall add; the dignity of the parents would not be served by a reply.

ורצונם הוא כבודם. And their³³⁷Whose? The parents? will is their honor.³³⁸Zilber cites Yerushalmi.

והם שמחלו על כבודם כבודם מחול. And they that wipe out their honor³³⁹Zilber ed. appears to have כבידם, probably a typo or a technical issue of copying. -- their honor is wiped out.³⁴⁰Makor ha-Yirah: BT, Kiddushin 32a.

והוי ירא מן החכמים כמו שדרש רבי עקיבא את ה' אלהיך תירא (דברים ו) לרבות תלמידי חכמים. And be³⁴¹Boldface in Moriah, Me'ah She'arim. Although we appear to be in a new section, this really is also about the honor due to parents, now just extended to teachers. Grammatically, this paragraph speaks in the imperative voice, not the jussive. in awe of the sages, as Rabbi Akiva expounded (BT Pesachim 22a) on the verse "you shall fear the lord your God," (Deut. 6:13) including the disciples of the sages.

והדבק בהם ובדרכיהם הטובים Cleave unto them and their ways of the good.³⁴²Makor ha-Yirah: Pesachim 49a, Ketubot 111b; Rambam ch. 6 halachot de'ot

ועמוד מפניהם. ואף מפני הזקנים שאינם חכמים. ובטל רצונך מפני רצונם. And stand up before them, even before elders that are not sages³⁴³as in the Biblical precept, מפני סיבה תקום (Lev. 19:32) Found today on Israeli buses meaning "please give this seat to the elderly."
Makor ha-Yirah: Kiddushin 32b, SA Yoreh De'ah 244:71. And "even before elders who are not sages…" Kiddushin 33a, SA ibid. The comment discusses chiddur mitzvah. and nullify your will before their will.³⁴⁴A paraphrase of M. Avot 2:4, "…nullify your will before His will…"

וכבד אחיך הגדול. ואחי אביך. ואחי אמך. ואיש אמך. ואשת אביך. כי כלם דרשו חכמים ז"ל מן המקרא דכבד את אביך ואת אמך (שמות כ ודברים ה). And honor your elder brother. And the brother of your father. And the brother of your mother. And the husband of your mother. And the wife of your father.³⁴⁵See, e.g., Lev. 18. For on all of them the sages of blessed memory³⁴⁶Vilna, Zilber ed. include חכמים ז"ל (=זכרונם לברכה) "may their memory be for a blessing"; pointed eds. omit. expounded: (BT, Ketubot 103a) from the verse, "Honor your father and your mother," (Exod. 20:12).³⁴⁷In the Decalogue. Vilna and Zilber ed. also cite Deut. 5:16, the restatement of the decalogue. Ketubot 103a: The extension of the duty to respect.

אל תרדוף אחר ישיבת עמי הארץ ולצים. כי מהם לא תלמוד חכמה כי אם דברי רקים ולצון. Do not seek out³⁴⁸more literally, "pursue after" a gathering of ignoramuses or scoffers because from them you shall not learn wisdom but only empty words and scoffing.³⁴⁹Makor ha-Yirah: M. Avot 3:14, "Rabbi Dosa b. Hircanus says…" Scoffers: see BT Pesachim 113a.

אך רדוף אחר החכמים כי מהם תלמוד חכמה. But seek out the sages because from them you shall learn wisdom. ³⁵⁰Zilber comment: M. Avot 6:9, ארי=אמר רבי יוסי בן קיסמא.

ואל תהי בז לדברי אחיך. ואל תלעג לשום אדם. And do not be contemptuous of the words of your brother, and do not mock any³⁵¹"a single person" would have resonance today when so many people have trouble finding their "soul-mate." Do not mock a single person, i.e. a person who is single. person.³⁵²Makor ha-Yirah: M. Avot 4:3.

אל תמנע טוב מבעליו. אם שאלך אדם על טובה שבעולם או דבר מצוה אל תמנענו מלעשותה. אך אם אין דעתך על הדבר אמור לו עשה כחכמתך. Do not³⁵³Boldface in Moriah, Me'ah She'arim. withhold good from one who deserves it (Prov. 3:27).³⁵⁴Makor ha-Yirah: the verse is in Prov. 3. [However, none of the other editions have the citation.] And see BT Bava Metzia 77a. If a person asks you for a favor or for a mitzvah, do not refuse to do it. But if you have no knowledge about the matter, say to him "do according to your wisdom."

והיה רגיל בצדקה כפי כחך. ולכל הפחות שעבד עצמך לבורא לתת כופר נפשך חק קבוע בכל שבוע פרוטה או מחצה. כי אפילו עני המתפרנס מן הצדקה יש לו לעשות צדקה. Be accustomed to giving as much tzedakah as you can at the very least³⁵⁵Zilber says something about הפחות שבמטבעות, "the smallest coins," so perhaps R. Yonah is saying that giving even the smallest coins to tzedakah causes oneself to prosper! Zilber "even giving the smallest coins on 2d and 5th (Monday and Thursday) fulfills his obligation. discipline yourself to ransom your soul.³⁵⁶לבורא לתת כופר נפשך. One might need to rely on tzedakah for one’s own salvation. A fixed law: every week a pruta or a half.³⁵⁷Rhymed mnemonic in original. For even³⁵⁸Vilna abbreviates אפי'=אפילו. a poor person who is supported from tzedakah must give tzedakah.³⁵⁹לעשות צדקה, perhaps, "do justly."
Makor ha-Yirah: even a poor person… BT Gittin 7b, SA,YD 248:1

וכשתתן לעני תן לו בסתר כי מתן בסתר יכפה אף. Now, when you give to the poor, give in secret, for "a gift in secret averts anger," (Prov. 21:14).³⁶⁰Citation in pointed eds. only.
Makor ha-Yirah: BT Bava Batra 9(a?); SA [YD 249:6].

וענייך קודמין. And your poor people take precedence.³⁶¹וענייך קודמין.

ואל תקפוץ ידך מהלוות לעני בשעת דחקו. כי גדול המלוה יותר מן העושה צדקה. וצדקתו עומדת לעד. כי איננו חסר בדבר. ויחשוב כי לכמה הוא מלוה בלא רבית. And do not close your hand³⁶²As opposed to פותח את ידך ומסביע לכל חי רצון from Ashrei. from lending to³⁶³The verb לוה in the hifil can also mean to escort (the dead), but context here indicates it means to lend money at interest. Zilber ed.: מלהלוות; others מהלוות. Zilber ed. may be a misprint or typo. the poor at their most urgent time. For greater is the one who lends³⁶⁴Vilna: כי גדול המלוה[לעני]יותר מן העושה, "for greater is the one who lends [to the poor] than one who gives…" This halachah is reminiscent of the Chinese proverb, "Give a man a fish and he'll eat for a day; teach him how to fish and he'll eat forever." than the one who gives tzedakah, and his righteousness endures forever. For he does not lose the principal, and he should consider for how many gentiles³⁶⁵Vilna, Zilber ed. גוים; Moriah, Me'ah She'arim: נָכְרִים. See above. he lends without interest.³⁶⁶Referring to lending in the ordinary course of business: advancing the cost in order to keep a customer. This is not necessarily referring to moneylending.
Makor ha-Yirah: BT, Yevamot 63a. "For the one who lends is greater…" Shabbat 63a, Sukkah 49b; SA 249:6.
And know that lending is a positive mitzvah greater than any in the 613 by any counting of the mitzvot. Even for a rich person when he does not have … it fulfills a positive mitzvah as explained in Sukkah 49 and SA ibid. But the poor person takes precedence. And see the words of our rabbi in peirush to avot…

ואם יקשה בעיניו להלוותו בלא משכון ילוונו במשכון. ויקבע לו זמן להלואתו. ובתוך ימי ההלואה לא יקראהו לעשות מלאכתו או כל דבר. אם לא יתן לו שכרו משלם. שנראה כרבית. But if it should be difficult in his eyes to lend without collateral, let him lend with collateral and set for him a time to pay it back.³⁶⁷Vilna: להלואתו; Zilber ed.: להלוואתו; Moriah, Me'ah She'arim: לְהַלְוַאַתוֹ.
Makor ha-Yirah: …that he is not obligated to lend to him for an unlimited time… But during the term of the loan he is not to call upon him to do his labor or any thing if he will not pay him his complete salary, since it would be seen as interest.³⁶⁸Makor ha-Yirah: "…he shall not call upon him…" BT, Bava Metzia 64b; SA YD 166.

ובמעשרות אל תרפה ידיך מליטלה כראוי. כיצד מכל דבר שמשתכר. הן ללמד. הן לכתוב. הן לעשות מלאכה. או אף אם מצא מציאה או נתנו לו במתנה. או כל ענין (שיבא) [שיהיה] הן כסף הן [שוה] זהב מן הכל יפריש מעשר. כי דבר זה אין לו ערך. כי את אשר אסר הבורא בכל דבר לנסותו התיר במעשר. And in tithes,³⁶⁹Boldface in Moriah. This indicates that observant Jews of the day were tithing their income. another reason R. Yonah would have been concerned about falling levels of observance. do not let your hand be lax from removing what is appropriate. How? From everything that he profits, whether to teach,³⁷⁰Zilber ed.: ללמוד (qal: to learn); others לְלַמֵּד (pi'el: to teach). Although one certainly profits by learning, it is easier to see how one would tithe one's profits from teaching than from learning. whether to write, whether to do labor, or even if he should find a finding, or if they gave it to him as a gift, or anything that may come to be³⁷¹Vilna: [שיהיה] (שיבא) "(that will come) [that may be]." Zilber ed.: שיבא. Moriah, Me'ah She'arim: שֶׁיִּהְיֶה. Translation attempts to capture the flavor of both variants. whether money, or money’s value,³⁷²Vilna: הן כסף הן [שוה] זהב, "whether silver, whether [equal of] gold." Zilber ed.: הן כסף הן זהב, "whether silver, whether gold." Moriah: [כֶּסֶף] (הֵן כֶּסֶף הֵן שְׁוֵה (זָהָבֶ "whether silver whether like unto (gold) [silver]. Me'ah She'arim: הֵן כֶּסֶף הֵן שָׁוֶה זָהָב, "whether silver, whether equal to gold." Translation follows Zilber ed. for simplicity and euphony. from everything let him set aside the tithe, for this thing has no value, since everything which the Creator forbids to try him in any case, He permits in tithing.³⁷³כי את אשר אסר הבורא בכל דבר לנסותו התּיר במעשר. I.e., one may not eat forbidden foods or benefit from forbidden things but one must still tithe from them. לנסותו would generally mean to test a person as Abraham was tested. (BT, Ta'anit 9a).

אל תגנוב דעת הבריות ואל תסרב בחברך יותר מדאי. ואל תאמר לו דבר זה עשיתי בשבילך ולא עשית בשבילו. אך אם יטעה וידמה כי בשבילו עשית אין צריך לומר לו לא עשיתי בעבורך כי הוא מטעה עצמו ואין זה גניבת דעת. כללו של דבר כל גניבת דעת אסור. Do not deceive [God's] creations, even gentiles.³⁷⁴Vilna: ואפילו דעת כותי; Zilber ed. ואפ' דעת כותי; Moriah, Me'ah She'arim: וַאֲפִילוּ דַעְתּוֹ שֶׁל גוֹי. See above regarding the distinction between גוי and כותי. Pointed eds. include the Rabbinic redundant possessive, where unpointed eds. used Biblical construct. Again, one might not expect to have to see such sentiments in supposedly tolerant and pluralistic medieval Spain. Do not hustle³⁷⁵תסרהב, to press, hurry. As the previous line is about trickery, this might also suggest to "hustle" somebody as in to be dishonest! your fellow too much.³⁷⁶Vilna, Zilber ed., מדאי; Moriah, Me'ah She'arim: מִדַּי . And do not say to him, "I have done this thing for you," if you did not do it for him. But if he should err and it should seem that for him you have done it, there is no need to tell him, "I did not do it for your sake," for he has erred on his own and this is not deception. The rule of the matter is: all forms³⁷⁷כל צד גניבת דעת אסור, lit., every side of deception is forbidden. of deception are forbidden.³⁷⁸Vilna, Zilber ed.: אסור; Moriah, Me'ah She'arim: אסורה.

ואל תזכור שם שמים לבטלה. כי המזכיר שם שמים לבטלה ראוי לנדותו. ואף לא לצורך במקום מטונף. Do not mention the name of Heaven in vain, for anyone who takes the name of Heaven in vain should be excommunicated.³⁷⁹ראוי לנדותו pi'el of נדה = banish, excommunicate. Such a person is appropriate for being banned or shunned. (BT, Nedarim 7b) And not even of necessity [should one mention the Divine Name] in a filthy place.³⁸⁰Vilna: ואף (לא) לצורך [לא] במקום מטונף. Zilber ed.: ואף לא לצורך במקום מטונף. "And not even for need in a defiled place." Moriah, ואף שלא לצורך בְמָקוֹם מְטֻנָּף, "and not even of necessity in a defiled place." (Note that it is pointed as "in a place" and not בִּמְקוֹם, "instead of.") Me'ah She'arim: ואף שלא לצורך [ולא] בְמָקוֹם מְטֻנָּף, "and not even of necessity, nor in a defiled place."
Makor ha-Yirah: And to the matter of a defiled place, see BT Shabbat 12(b?)
Makor ha-Yirah: BT, Chullin 94a.

ולא תשבע כלל. ואף לא בכנויים. ואף לא במדותיו ובמעשיו. כגון שמשיו ומשרתיו מלאכי מעלה. And do not swear at all, not even by the colloquial names [of God],³⁸¹Such as רחום וחנון. See Tractate Soferim. Makor ha-Yirah gives more detail on such colloquial names. nor even by His attributes or His deeds such as "His servants and His Ministers serving above."³⁸²שמשיו ומשרתיו מלאכי מעלה. Referring to God indirectly, rather than by name.

וכן לא ישבע בתורה ולא באמת כי השם נקרא אמת וה' אלהים אמת (ירמיה י). And thus he should not swear on the Torah nor on truth, for God is called Truth: "But the lord is a true God," (Jer. 10:10).³⁸³Translation following Koren. See also the final paragraph of the recitation of the Sh'ma in the siddur: ה' אלוהיכם אמת, "the Lord your God is true."
Makor ha-Yirah: BT, Nedarim 14b. "and not on truth…" Shabbat 55a, Sanhedrin 65a. And see in Ba'al ha-Turim on Num.11:16.

ולא יקלל חברו בשם. אף לא עצמו [באמרו] כה יעזרני השם. And he should not curse his fellow by the Name, nor even himself³⁸⁴Vilna, Zilber ed.: אף לו עצמו [באמרו] כה יעזרני השם. "nor even himself [by his statement] 'so help me God.'" Moriah, Me'ah She'arim: אף לו עצמו כה יעזרני השם by saying, "so help me God."³⁸⁵An oath which is certainly popular in our time and place.
Makor ha-Yirah: BT, Shevuot 35a.

ואל ישמע (שום) [שם] טומאה על שפתיך כמו שמות הקדשים יעקרו ויהרסו. וכשתזכירם לצורך בפני הגויים אמור בשפה רפה ובכובד ראש. And let no impure name³⁸⁶Vilna: טומאה [שום] (שם) ואל ישמע "and let no impure (name) [no impure thing] be heard…" Zilber ed.: ואל ישמע שום טומאה. "and let no impure thing…" Moriah, Me'ah She'arim: ואל יִשָׁמַע שֵׁם טֻמְאָה, "and let no impure name be heard…" be heard upon your lips like the names of the Sodomites,³⁸⁷Vilna, Zilber ed.: כגון שמות עכו"ם = עובדי כוכבים ומזלות "such as the names of worshippers of stars and constellations… (i.e., idol worshippers)." Moriah, Me'ah She'arim, שׁמוֹת הַקְּדֵשִׁים. "The names of the Sodomites…"
From the root ק-ד-ש, to be consecrated, set apart. In Biblical Hebrew, a קָדֵשׁ is a consecrated person, i.e., a cultic prostitute. In Rabbinic Hebrew, it has come to be associated with the sinners of Sodom. It would seem that from קָדוֹשׁ, holy, to קָדֵשׁ, a cultic whore, is not such a far distance. R. Yonah is making reference to the dregs of society, outcasts such as whores who are not to be mentioned in polite conversation. may they be uprooted and destroyed!³⁸⁸Makor ha-Yirah: BT Sanhedrin 63b; SA YD § 147:1. But when you must mention them in front of the gentiles³⁸⁹Vilna, Zilber ed.: הכותי; Moriah, Me'ah She'arim: הגוים. See above. speak in an undertone and with solemnity.³⁹⁰Translation following Jastrow, after BT, Mo'ed Katon 21b

וכל דבר נבול וצד דבר ערוה לא ישמע על פיך. כגון להזכיר זונה. או כל דבר נבלה. כי שוחה עמוקה פי זרות (משלי כב). מעמיקים לו גיהנם והופכים לו גזר דין של שבעים שנה לרעה. ואף השומעים ושותקים ונהנים בשמיעה ואינם הולכים משם. נכשלים בדבר. And any lascivious talk³⁹¹וכל דבר נבול וצד דבר ערוה לא ישמע על פיך. Following Jastrow, ניבול פה = lascivious talk. or kind of sexually immoral speech shall not be heard upon your mouth, such as mentioning a prostitute or any obscene thing.³⁹²Makor ha-Yirah: BT, Shabbat 32a. See above. For "the mouth of a forbidden woman is a deep pit," (Prov. 22:14).³⁹³Translation following JPS. Lit., "…a strange woman…" These deepen gehinnom for him and it is appropriate that he should be liable for³⁹⁴והופכים לו גזר דין. a [divine] decree of seventy years for punishment³⁹⁵לרעה. Vilna, Zilber ed. include the abbreviation רח"ל (=רואה חוב לעצמו?) ("he sees an obligation for himself,"?) (BT Shabbat 33a). And even those who hear and are silent but enjoy hearing and do not leave from there come to grief on the matter.³⁹⁶Makor ha-Yirah: BT, Shabbat 32a. (but 33a cited in pointed eds.)

ואל תחשוד חבירך כי שמא כשר הוא בדבר. וחושד בכשרים לוקה בגופו. Do not³⁹⁷Boldface in Moriah, Me'ah She'arim. suspect your fellow, since he may be worthy³⁹⁸Lit., "kosher." in the thing, and one who suspects the worthy is smitten with disease.³⁹⁹Translation following BT Yoma 19b: החושד...לוקה בגופו. (Jastrow). It might also be, "one who suspects the innocent will be punished with lashes," but as this is not one who accuses the innocent, there would be no objective way to tell if a person harbored suspicions, so it seems more likely R. Yonah is talking about divine punishment for suspecting the innocent.

ואל תביא עצמך לידי חשד להיות נקי מה' ומישראל. פן יכשלו בני אדם על ידך שיחשדוך הבריות. מחול לכל החושדים לך. And do not bring yourself into suspicion, being clean from God⁴⁰⁰Vilna, Zilber ed. abbreviate ה'; Moriah, Me'ah She'arim resolve הַשֵׁם "the Name," i.e., God. and from Israel, lest people should come to grief by your hand, since [God's] creations suspected you.⁴⁰¹This is something like an early statement of fiduciary duty: the equitable need to act with clean hands and to avoid even the appearance of impropriety.
Makor ha-Yirah: BT Shekalim 83(b?) ,פ"ג ה"בYebamot 24b. "Lest they come to grief…" BT Shabbat 149b. Anyone whose fellow is punished on his account… and for this reason our Rabbi (mesik?) pardon all who suspect you, and see above #59 (which has to do with not lengthening public prayers for fear of being suspected as a scoffer). Pardon all who suspect you.⁴⁰²Vilna, Zilber ed.: מחול לכל החושדים לך. Moriah, Me'ah She'arim: מְחוֹל לכל החוֹשׁדים בְּךָ. (binyan qal: imperative.)

ואל תעשה שום דבר מאוס בפני חבירך. Do not⁴⁰³Boldface in Moriah, Me'ah She'arim. kill a louse or do a single loathsome thing in front of your fellow.⁴⁰⁴Minor textual variances in the spelling of "your fellow." Makor ha-Yirah: BT Chagigah 5a.

ואם עשו אחרים לפניך ונמאסת מחול להם ואל יכשלו על ידך. But if others do so in front of you and you were filled with loathing⁴⁰⁵Jastrow translates נמאס as "be repulsive, be loathsome," but in context it makes more sense to say that if you were disgusted by your fellow's behavior in front of you, forgive him. See BT Yevamot 24. pardon them that they should not come to grief by your hand.⁴⁰⁶Makor ha-Yirah: It seems to me (כנ"ל) #222, and see BT Megillah 28a.

ואם מצאת רוק מוטל הרם וסלקהו או כסהו ומחול לאשר עשה אותו פן יבא אחר ויכשילנו שלא ימחול. If you have found spittle lying on the ground, pick it up and take it away or cover it, and forgive whoever did it, in case another should come and [it] cause him to come to grief since he shall not forgive?

והזהר שלא ימצא טינוף על בגדיך או שומן או כל דבר מאוס. כי המתלכלך ואינו נזהר בנקיות משניא אוהביו של מקום לבריות. שנאמר (משלי ח) כל משנאי אהבו מות אל תקרי משנאי אלא משניאי. ויראי השם שאינם משמרים עצמם בנקיות אומרים רואיהם כמה לומדי תורה מאוסים נמצא שם שמים מתחלל על ידיהם. And take care that filth shall not be found upon your clothes or fat,⁴⁰⁷שומן, שֻׁמָּן. or any loathsome thing. For one who soils himself⁴⁰⁸Negrin ed.: כל ת"ח=תלמיד חכם. Any Torah scholar who soils himself and is not careful with cleanliness... and is not careful with cleanliness causes the lovers of God, the [divine] creations to hate and is worthy of the death penalty.⁴⁰⁹Vilna: ( חיי"מ (=חייב מיתה Others חייב מיתה. As is said, "All they who hate me love death," (Prov. 8:36). Do not read m'sanai, "they who hate," but rather mas'ni'ai, "they who cause hate."⁴¹⁰This is an especially difficult post-rabbinic idiom to translate, first because the wordplay is lost in English, but also because the verb שׂנא does not occur in the hiphil binyan according to Jastrow, Holladay, and Brown-Driver-Briggs. And people who see God-fearers who do not keep themselves in cleanliness say,⁴¹¹אומרים רואיהם. Hebrew unclear. Makor ha-Yirah: BT Shabbat 114a, and see BT Ta'anit 28a. “How many learners of Torah are filthy!” and the result is -- the Name of Heaven is desecrated by them?⁴¹²An unusual and fascinating halachah, in that R. Yonah seems to be turning the lash on his own. Religious people of all stripes can seem self-righteous and off-putting, but here R. Yonah admits that those who learn Torah can go around filthy and causing disgust, therefore defiling God's image (God's brand name, as it were). I think of the ugly stereotype of the foul-smelling charedi Jew.

אל תשקץ נפשך בהשהות נקביך. והמשהה נקביו בגדולים ובקטנים עובר שתים (ויקרא יא) אל תשקצו (דברים כג). ולא יראה בך ערות דבר. Do not⁴¹³Boldface in Moriah only. make your soul detestable by delaying⁴¹⁴בהשהות. i.e., go to the bathroom when you feel the urge. big: little :: anus: urethra. your openings. The one who delays his openings in the large and in the small transgresses two⁴¹⁵Vilna, Zilber ed.: שתים; Moriah, Me'ah She'arim: בִּשְׁתַּיִם. [negative commandments]: "you shall not make yourselves abominable," (Lev. 11:43) and "that He see no unclean thing in you," (Deut. 23:15).⁴¹⁶Makor ha-Yirah: BT Makkot 16b, SA Orach Chayyim 3:16. [he discusses why it transgresses two -- there's something about whether it's an issur d'rabbanan or d'oraita.]

לא תאמר שום נחוש כי לא נחש ביעקב ולא קסם בישראל. (במדבר כג). ובכמה מקומות הזהירה תורה (דברים יח) לא ימצא (מנחש) [וגו' ומנחש] (ויקרא יט) לא תנחשו. ואין לנו שום סימן אלא מה שאמרו חכמינו ז"ל. ואם יש לו לאדם לעשות מצוה כגון (להחזר) [לחזור על] מסכתא או להשיב בנו אל הספר לא יאמר אמתין עד ראש חודש או עד הפסח. כי כל יום וכל עת טוב להתחיל ולעשות במצות. ומי שאינו מקפיד לעולם לא יקפידו עמו. אך המקפידים השטן עומד על ימינם לשטנם. להחזיקם בטעותם. You shall not say a word of soothsaying, for "Lo, there is no augury in Jacob, no divining in Israel," (Num. 23:23).⁴¹⁷Translation following JPS. In how many places does our Torah⁴¹⁸Vilna, Zilber ed.: תורה "Torah," Moriah, Me'ah She'arim: תוֹרָתֵנוּ, "our Torah." warn "there shall not be found among you…or a soothsayer," (Deut. 18:10).⁴¹⁹Vilna: [לא ימצא (מנחש)[וגו' ומנחש "there shall not be found (a soothsayer")["…or a soothsayer."] Zilber ed.: לא ימצא מנחש. Moriah, Me'ah She'arim: לא יִמָצֵא בְךָ וגו' מנחש. "There shall not be found among you...or a soothsayer." "You shall not practice divination or soothsaying," (Lev. 19:26).⁴²⁰Translation following JPS. And we are not to make any sign but only what our sages of blessed memory have said.⁴²¹Vilna, Zilber ed.: ואין לנו לשום שום סימן אלא מה שאמרו חכמינו ז"ל. Moriah: ואין לנו לָשׂוּם שׁוּם סימן אלא...חֲכָמֵנוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה. Me'ah She'arim: ואין לנו לָשִׂים שׁוּם סימן אלא...חֲכָמֵנוּ זכרונם לברכה. And if a person has to do a mitzvah such as to return to the tractate [of the Talmud] or to make his son return to the book, he should not say "I shall wait until the new moon⁴²²Vilna, Zilber ed.: ר"ח...במצות; Moriah, Me'ah She'arim: ראש-חודש...מִצְוֹת. or until Pesach," for every day and at every time it is good to begin to do mitzvot. And, one who does not lose his temper: they should never lose their tempers with him. But the ones who lose their tempers: the Accuser⁴²³השׂטן, the accusing angel of the Book of Job, which has come to be called Satan in our culture. stands upon their right and their left, strengthening them in their error.⁴²⁴Makor ha-Yirah: BT Sanhedrin 66a. "But only what our sages have said…" BT Chullin 95b. "But if a person has to do a mitzvah…" see SA YD 179:72. "But the ones who lose their temper:…" BT Pesachim 110b

אל תתכבד בקלון חבירך. Do not⁴²⁵Boldface in Moriah, Me'ah She'arim. elevate yourself at the expense of the degradation of your fellow.⁴²⁶Translation following Gen. Rabbah s. 1 (Jastrow).
Makor ha-Yirah: BT Megillah 28a; Rambam ch. 6 halachot de'ot, halachah 3 and in ch. 4 (ובפ"ד) from halachot teshuva 4...

ואל תרים זרועך על שום אדם להכותו. כי הסוטר לועו של חבירו כאלו סוטר לועו של שכינה שנאמר (איוב לח) וזרוע רמה תשבר. וראוי הוא להקבר חי שנאמר (שם כב) ואיש זרוע לו הארץ. ואפילו בהרמת יד נקרא רשע שנאמר (שמות ב) ויאמר לרשע למה תכה רעך. על כן יש לו לאדם להזהר מאוד מלהכות. אם לא בנו הקטן או תלמידו שהוא מוכיחו. And you shall not raise your arm against any man to strike him, for the one who slaps a Jew’s face is as if he slaps the face of the Shekhinah,⁴²⁷Lit., who slap's a Jew's jaw is as if he slapped the jaw of the Shekhinah (Jastrow, BT Sanhedrin 58b). [as is said, "it is a snare for a man to rashly declare, 'it is holy,'" (Prov. 20:25)⁴²⁸Meaning of the proof-text is unclear, but it seems to be a play on לועו, "his jaw" and ילע, "declare." and his hand be cut off.⁴²⁹It is not appropriate to rush to judgment as to what he believes is holy and to strike someone over it. One that does so should be severely punished.] As is said, "the upraised arm is broken," (Job 38:15).⁴³⁰Brackets in Moriah, Me'ah She'arim; Vilna, Zilber ed. omit the proof-text and following phrase. And he is fitting to be buried alive, as is said, "the mighty man, who has the earth," (Job 22:8).⁴³¹Translation following Koren. The proof-text puns on זרוע, meaning both "arm" and "mighty," in the original context, it speaks of a powerful man having dominion over the earth, but in the rabbinic context he has the earth in a more literal sense, being buried in it. And even when he raises his hand he is called wicked, as in "he said to the wicked one, why do you smite your fellow?" (Exod. 2:13). Therefore a person must take much care to avoid striking, if it is not his minor child or his student who he is rebuking.⁴³²Makor ha-Yirah: BT Sanhedrin 58b. "And it is fitting for him to be buried…" see, so explains our rabbi there in the gemara in what they say (במאי דאמרינן) there is no fixing (תקנה) for him but burial, however Rashi does not explain it so. "If not his child…" BT Makkot 8a. "minor" Mo'ed Katan 17a. "Or his student…" Makkot ibid., Bava Batra 21a, SA YD 245:10.

אם תוכיח את חבירך אל תוכיחנו ויתבייש. אבל תוכיחנו בסתר ואפי' מאה פעמים. If you shall rebuke your fellow do not rebuke him and put him to shame (BT Erachin 16b), but rebuke him in secret. Even a hundred times.

אל תלבין פני חבירך ברבים. כי המלבין פני חבירו דם יחשב לו דם שפך. תדע דאזיל סומקא ואתי חיורא. ואין לו חלק לעולם הבא. ונוח לו לאדם שיפיל עצמו לתוך כבשן האש ואל ילבין פני חבירו ברבים. You shall not whiten the face of your fellow in public, for one who whitens his fellow's face, it is considered blood, spilled blood, (as) you know: the red color (of the face) disappears and the white takes its place⁴³³Targ. Gen. 30:35, BT Bava Metzia 58b (translation and citation following Jastrow). Vilna, Zilber ed.: תדע דעזיל סומקא ואתי חיורא; Moriah: סֻמְקָא. Me'ah She'arim: סֻמָּקָא. and he has no share in the world-to-come. And it would be better for that man that he should throw himself down into a fiery furnace than to whiten his fellow's face in public. (BT Berachot 43b)⁴³⁴Makor ha-Yirah: Bava Metzia 58b; Rambam hilchot de'ot:8. "Better for him…" BT Bava Metzia 59a; "he has no share…"ibid., M. Avot 3:13. (But 3:11 in some eds.).

אך אם הוכח הוכחת אדם בסתר כמה פעמים לא קבל. מותר לביישו ולהלבין פניו עד שיקבל. וכל שיש בידו להוכיח [האדם העובר עבירה] ואינו מוכיח (אדם עובר) העבירה בראשו. ואם הוכיח אז נפשו הציל. But if you have strongly rebuked a person in private a few times but he does not accept [it], it is permitted to put him to shame and whiten his face and hate him and pursue him until he does accept [it]. And anyone who is in a position to rebuke the one who commits a transgression but does not rebuke the transgressor, the transgression is on his head.⁴³⁵Vilna: וכל מי שיש בידו להוכיח [האדם העובר עבירה] ואינו מוכיח (אדם עובר) העבירה בראשו. Translation following Vilna for best understanding. Zilber ed., Moriah, Me'ah She'arim: וכל מי שיש בידו להוכיח ואינו מוכיח אדם עובר, העבירה בראשו. "and whoever is in a position to rebuke and does not rebuke a man who transgresses, the transgression is on his head." But if he does rebuke, then it saves his life.⁴³⁶Zilber's comment here discusses sins בין אדם להברו and בין אדם למקום.

אל תתיחד עם שום אשה אפילו בתך או אחותך אפילו פנויה חוץ מאשתך ואפילו היא נדה ואמך. Do not be alone with any woman, even your daughter or your sister, and even⁴³⁷Perhaps "especially." an unmarried woman, other than your wife, even if she is ritually impure [due to menstruation] and your mother.⁴³⁸Makor ha-Yirah: BT Kiddushin 81b. "Even a niddah…" BT Sanhedrin 37a SA אח"ע 23. And as our rabbi wrote: even your daughter.

ואי זה הוא יחוד. סגור במפתח או במנעול זהו יחוד האמור בתורה (דברים יג) כי יסיתך אחיך בן אמך וגו' [בסתר]. Now what [does it mean to be] alone?⁴³⁹Occasionally R. Yonah breaks into a Talmudic "voice," from giving aspirational laws to discussing the meanings of his rules. This is one of these places. Vilna, Zilber ed.: ואיזה הוא יחוד. Moriah, Me'ah She'arim: וְאֵיזֶהוּ (more proper Rabbinic diction). To be (in a room) locked with a key or with a padlock,⁴⁴⁰סגור במפתח או במנעול. this is [being] alone as said in the Torah, "if your brother, the son of your mother, or your son, or your daughter, or the wife of your bosom entices you in secret…" (Deut. 13:7).⁴⁴¹ Vilna: כי יסיתךאחיך בן אמך וגו' [בסתר]. Others end at וגו'; Zilber ed. spells out וגומר.

ואפילו עם שתי נשים. And even with two women.⁴⁴²Makor ha-Yirah: according to Rashi, two are forbidden but more are permitted.

וטוב ליזהר אפילו בפתח פתוח לרשות הרבים משבת עם אשה אחת. And it is good to be on guard against even sitting with one woman in an open doorway in public.

אל תשמיע לאזנך במתכון קול אשה משוררת כי קול באשה ערוה. שערה וכל האמור בשיר השירים ערוה. קול. שער. שינים. צואר. כל האמור בפרשה לשבח. Do not let your ears hear the voice of a woman singing,⁴⁴³Translation following Jastrow on Ber. 1. c. for the voice of a woman is nakedness, her hair is nakedness, and everything that is mentioned in Song of Songs -- voice, hair, teeth, neck -- [is] nakedness.⁴⁴⁴Vilna, Zilber ed.: וכל האמור בשיר השירים לשבח, היינו -- קול, שער ,שינים, צואר --ערוה. "and everything that is mentioned in the Song of Songs for praise, this is -- voice, hair, teeth, neck -- nakedness." Moriah, Me'ah She'arim: וכל האמור בשיר-השירים, ערוה. קול, שֵׂער, שִׁנַּיִם, צואר, כל האמור בפרשה לשבח. "And everything that is mentioned in the Song of Songs is nakedness. Voice, hair, teeth, neck, everything that is mentioned in the chapter for praise." I.e., Song of Songs 6.
Makor ha-Yirah: BT, Berachot 24a.

ואסור לו להסתכל אפילו באצבע קטנה של אשה לזון עיניו מן הערוה. וכל המרצה מעות לאשה מידו לידה כדי להסתכל בה אפילו קבל תורה כמשה רבינו מידו של הקב"ה לידו לא ינקה מדינה של גיהנם. And it is forbidden for him⁴⁴⁵Vilna, Zilber ed.: ואסור לו להסתכל; Moriah, Me'ah She'arim: ואסור (לו) להסתכל. even to gaze at the little finger of a woman to derive pleasure from the sight. And anyone who pays money to a woman by counting coins from his hand to her hand in order to gaze at her,⁴⁴⁶Translation following Jastrow, BT Berachot 61a, Eruvin 18b. even [though] he [might] have received the Torah at Sinai like our Teacher Moses from the hand of the Holy One Blessed be He, will not be cleared from the sentence of Gehinnom.⁴⁴⁷Zilber ed.: מדינו של גיהנם; others מִדִינָהּ של גיהנם

תמיד הרגל על שפתיך דברי יראת שמים כגון הוי עז כנמר. סוף דבר הכל נשמע (קהלת יב). ועתה ישראל מה ה' אלהיך שואל מעמך כי אם ליראה וגו' (דברים י). מאד מאד הוי שפל רוח. וכיוצא באלה הרגל על לשונך ואז לא תכשל. Always⁴⁴⁸Boldface in Moriah, Me'ah She'arim. accustom⁴⁴⁹Me'ah She'arim: הרגל תמיד; others תמיד הרגל. your lips (to) words of the fear of Heaven such as, "Be strong as a leopard, [" (M. Avot 5:24);⁴⁵⁰Vilna gives the cite as M. Avot 5:23; Zilber ed. gives it as 23:23 (probably a misprint). "The end of the matter, when all is said and done: [Fear God and keep His commandments]," (Eccl. 12:13); "And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you but to fear [the Lord your God]," (Deut. 10:12); "Be very, very humble," (M. Avot 4:4). And such as come out like these, accustom your language, and you shall not come to grief.

אל תהדוק ראשך על הספר. Do not⁴⁵¹Boldface in Moriah, Me'ah She'arim. be attached to a book.⁴⁵²אל תַּהֲדוֹק. But be engaged in the study for the sake of improving your heart.
Makor ha-Yirah: According to the Vilna Gaon and others, all study should be for the deed and for making some fence. He should not budge from the book until the learning has made some listing in his heart to add to the fear of the Lord. I have seen the marvelous teaching... so in the middle of the learning permission is granted to a person to break off for a short time “before” his heart is covered with the fear of the Lord since he accepts it upon himself before the start of learning. And in his words is hidden the entire secret of the acceptance of the Torah.

ואל תהרוג כנה על השולחן כי הוא נקרא מזבח. ואל תדבר בשעת ברכת המזון: Nor kill a louse on the table, for it is called an altar.⁴⁵³Makor ha-Yirah: (At this point the formatting of Makor ha-Yirah looks different. It may just be a publishing error, but it may be something more substantive.) BT Berachot 55a. At the time the Temple was standing the altar atoned for Israel, but now a man's table atones for him. [Jastrow: ref. to Ez. 41:22] And do not speak during the Grace after Meals.

גדל בניך לתלמוד תורה ולמעשים טובים גם לעת זקנה לא יסורו. ולמד (לבניך) [ולבנותיך] הלכות נדה וחלה איסור והיתר דברים הנוהגים (בהם) [בהן] פן יאכילוך דבר אסור או לבני (ביתם) [ביתן]. Bring up⁴⁵⁴Boldface in Vilna. your sons⁴⁵⁵Modern Jews would read “children,” but R. Yonah probably meant "sons." for learning Torah and good deeds, even in their old age they will not depart from them. And teach your daughters⁴⁵⁶Vilna: [לבנותיך] (לבניך)("your children")["your daughters"]. In this case בניך almost has to mean "children," because these are laws that pertain to women. Zilber ed., לבניך; Moriah, Me'ah She'arim: לִבְנוֹתֶיךָ It might be more egalitarian to translate "your children" here. the laws of nidah and [separating] challah, prohibitions and permissions, teachings that apply to them⁴⁵⁷דברים הנוהגים בהם. Vilna: הנוהגים (בהם) [בהן]. (masculine ending) [feminine ending]. Zilber ed., בהם. Moriah, Me'ah She'arim: בהו lest they feed you a forbidden thing or to the members of their families.⁴⁵⁸Vilna: פן יאכילוך דבר אסור או לבני (ביתם) [ביתן]. (masculine ending) [feminine ending]. Zilber ed., Moriah: ביתם. Me'ah She'arim: ביתן.

הוי זהיר בברכת הלבנה בכל חדש בזמנה. משיאותו לאורה ועד רובו של חדש. כי אלמלא לא זכו ישראל אלא להקביל פני אביהם שבשמים בכל חדש וחדש דיים. Take⁴⁵⁹Boldface in Moriah only.care in [reciting] the blessing of the new moon each month at its [proper] time from when they enjoy its light until the fullness of the moon, for if Israel were to merit nothing but to greet their Father in heaven only once a month, it would be enough for them⁴⁶⁰Makor ha-Yirah: BT, Sanhedrin 41b. Alfasi, end of the chapter of morning prayer. SA OC § 426: (seems long but comprehensible. is it me or is there a substantive change to the makor ha-yirah here?) (BT Sanhedrin 42a).

הוי זהיר בכבוד אשתך כדברי רבותינו אוהב אשתו כגופו ומכבדה יותר מגופו [וכו'] כי דייך שהיא מגדלת בניך ומצלת עצמך מן החטא. והוי זהיר באונאתה כי דמעתה מצויה לפיכך אונאתה מצויה וקרובה כי שערי דמעה לא ננעלו. Take care with the honor due your wife, according to our sages, "he loves his wife as himself, and honors her more than himself," (BT Yebamot 62b) for it is enough for you that she raises your children and saves you from sin. And be careful not to hurt her feelings, for her tears are frequent. Therefore her pain is immanent, for the gates of tears are not locked (BT Bava Metzia 59a).

הסתר סודך וכל שכן סוד אחרים. משוכבת חיקך שמור פתחי פיך. Keep your secret and all the more so with another’s secret. "Keep the gates of your mouth shut from her that lies in your bosom," (Micah 7:5).⁴⁶¹הסתר סודך וכל-שכן סוד אחרים. The final line does not seem to comport with the rest of the "aishet chayil" kind of feeling of the halachah.

התנאה במצוה כפי כחך. והדור מצוה עד שליש במצוה. כגון מצא אתרוג בי"ב פרוטות ומצא אחר הדור ממנו יוסיף עד י"ח פרוטות ליקח ההדור. Enjoy⁴⁶²Boldface in Moriah, Me'ah She'arim. the mitzvot⁴⁶³Vilna, Zilber ed.: במצוה, "the commandment." Moriah, Me'ah She'arim: בַמִּצְוֹת; "the commandments." to the most of your ability. And adorn the mitzvah up to one-third of the [value of the] mitzvah. For example, if he found⁴⁶⁴Zilber ed.: מצאו, "if they found"; Others מצא, "if he found." an etrog for 12 prutas⁴⁶⁵Vilna, Zilber ed.: אתרוג בי"ב מנה, "…etrog for 12 coins…" (number abbreviated 10+2); אתרוג בשתים-עשרה פרוטות " …etrog for 12 prutas." (number written out in full). and he found another one more beautiful than it, he should add up to 18 prutas⁴⁶⁶Vilna, Zilber ed.: י"ח מנה , 18 coins. Moriah, Me'ah She'arim: שמונה-עשרה פרוטות, eighteen prutas. to get the more beautiful one.⁴⁶⁷Makor ha-Yirah: BT Shabbat 133b. And what is written, "adorn the mitzvah…" BT Bava Kamma 9b, SA OC § 656:1 (71?) (he goes on at some length, citing the Gaon of Vilna).

מצוה שאין לה דורש תדרשנה. ואל תהי קלה בעיניך לא מצוה ולא עבירה. A mitzvah that has no interpretation: interpret it. And let it not be a light thing in your eyes, neither the mitzvah, nor the transgression.⁴⁶⁸Makor ha-Yirah: BT Berachot 63a 'at the time they bring in the dispersed (? -- פזר)…' "Let it not be a light thing…" M. Avot 2:1, 4:2.

ואל תברח מעשות מצוה לא בשביל יראת הפסד ולא מפני פחד עונש הגוף. כי כדאי היא המצוה לשמרך מכל היזק. ואם ח"ו יארע לך היזק. נאמן הוא בעל מלאכתך שימלא חסרונך שחסרת בעבורו. You shall not flee from doing a mitzvah neither for fear of monetary⁴⁶⁹Vilna, Zilber ed.: לא בשביל יראת הפסד ממון ולא, "neither for fear of monetary loss nor…"; Moriah, Me'ah She'arim: לֹא בִשְׁבִיל יִרְאַת הֶפְסֵד ולא, "neither for fear of loss nor…" Translation follows Vilna, Zilber ed. for clarity. loss nor because of fear of physical pain.⁴⁷⁰ פחד עונש הגוף. lit., "fear of punishment of the body." This is not just respect but outright fear. Not literal punishment, but the discomfort and risk associated with it. For the mitzvah is worth it⁴⁷¹Vilna, Zilber ed.: כי כדאי היא המצוה. "for the mitzvah is worth it..."; Moriah, Me'ah She'arim: כִּי כְדָאִית הִיא הַמִּצְוָה  to protect you from all danger. And if, God forbid,⁴⁷²Moriah: חס ושלום; Me'ah She'arim: חס וחלילה. Both roughly mean "God forbid," and the discrepancy is probably due to guessing what the mss. meant when it gave rashei teivot (initials) ח"ו, as in Vilna, Zilber ed. some damages should befall you, the master of your labor⁴⁷³בעל מלאכתך, the master of your labor, i.e. God -- The One who commanded you to do the thing that resulted in loss will repay your loss. is faithful to repay the loss that you incurred on its behalf.

בצאתך לדרך צא בכי טוב. והזהר בתפלת הדרך וזו היא. יה"ר מלפניך ה' או"א שתוליכנו לשלום ותצעידנו לשלום וסמכנו (לשלום) ותצילנו מכף אויב ואורב בדרך ותנחנו אל מחוז חפצנו בשלום ותחזירנו לביתנו לשלום כי אתה שומע תפלה בא"י שומע תפלה. וצריך לאמרה אפילו אם אינו רוצה ללכת כ"א פרסה. ובתוך מהלך פרסה. וכן אם שכח לאמרה ונזכר לאחר שהלך פרסה אומר בלי חתימת ברכה. When you go on your⁴⁷⁴Boldface in Moriah, Me'ah She'arim. way, go without any harm being done.⁴⁷⁵צא בכי-טוב. Leave well. And take care with [reciting] the Wayfarer's Prayer, and this is it: "May it be your will⁴⁷⁶Vilna, Zilber ed. abbreviate: יה"ר (=יהי רצון), our god and god of our fathers,⁴⁷⁷Vilna, Zilber ed. abbreivate: ה' או"א (=יי אלוהינו ואלוהי אבותינו). that you lead us in safety and direct us in safety, and support us in peace.⁴⁷⁸Vilna: ותסמכנו [לשלום], "and support us [in peace]." And that you save us from the hand of all foes and those lying in wait on the road. And may you bring us to rest to the safe harbor of our desire in peace, and may you return us to our homes in peace, for you are the One who hears prayer. Blessed are You, the eternal, who hears prayer."⁴⁷⁹This is not the current form of the Wayfarer's Prayer. Although it is similar it is shorter and not as complicated. Evidently the prayer continued to evolve and grow after R. Yonah's day. And he must say it even if he does not want to go, except⁴⁸⁰Vilna, וצריך לאמרה אפילו אם אינו רוצה ללכת כ"א פרסה, Zilber ed.: וצריך לאמרה אפילו אם אינו רוצה ללכת כי אם פרסה. Moriah, Me'ah She'arim: וצריך לאמרָהּ אפילו אם אינו רוצה ללכת אֶלָּא . פַרְסָה Despite the variance, they say substantively the same thing. Translation following Vilna, Zilber ed. if he is only going a parasang.⁴⁸¹Or, a "Persian mile" (Jastrow). [And he must say it] within walking a parasang.⁴⁸²Zilber ed. omits ובתוך מהלך פרסה. And the same if he forgot to say it and remembered after walking more than a parasang, [but] he says it without the seal of the blessing.⁴⁸³That is, the final "baruch atah..." clause.
Makor ha-Yirah: BT, Bava Kamma 60b. "And take care to say the Wayfarer's..." BT Berachot 29b. SA OC § 110:4.

פגעת נכרים אל תשנה דבורך כאלו אינך יהודי. גם אם יאמרו לך נכרי אתה אמור יהודי אני. If gentiles confront you⁴⁸⁴Vilna, Zilber ed.: פגעת כותים. Moriah, Me'ah She'arim: גוֹיִם do not change your manner of speaking as if you were not a Jew.⁴⁸⁵יהודי. Interesting word choice; he often uses ישראל to mean "a Jew." Even if they say to you, "you are a gentile," say to them "I am a Jew."

ולא תעבור על המכסים. אל תעמוד במקום סכנה ותסמוך על נס. אך תירא תמיד פן יגרום החטא וזכור ליעקב אבינו ויירא.. ויצר לו. And do not cross the toll-collectors⁴⁸⁶Vilna, Zilber ed.: המכסים. (this could be read as מֹכֵּסִים, tax collectors). Moriah, Me'ah She'arim: הַמֻּכְסָנִין. Heb. unc. According to Jastrow, revenue farmers, publicans, custom-collectors are considered robbers by Jewish law. and get arrested⁴⁸⁷Vilna: ותתּפש ותשת. Zilber ed.: ותשת , Hebrew unclear. Moriah, Me'ah She'arim, וְתִתָּפֵשׂ וְתָשִׂים , "and get arrested and put..."and put your dignity and your life at risk.⁴⁸⁸יראתך ונפשך על קרן הצבי. Lit, "your fear and your soul upon the horn of the deer." I.e., following Jastrow, put them where they cannot be reclaimed. (See M. Kethubot 13:2). Apparently tax farmers were feared above all other brigands. It is related to יראה as well. You shall not stand in a place of danger and rely upon a miracle, but always fear lest it cause you to sin. But remember our father Jacob, "Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed…" (Gen. 32:8). Do not annoy [even] a gentile child for the gentiles⁴⁸⁹All four eds.: גוי קטן...הגוים. None uses a euphemism here. bear grudges.⁴⁹⁰Makor ha-Yirah: BT Pesachim 114. "Do not stand…" BT Shabbat 32a. "Do not harass…" BT Pesachim 113a.

אל תהי צדיק הרבה. ראית אשה טובעת בנהר אל תאמר אנוס ולא אראנה. וכיוצא בזה. שמעת איש אומר להכות חברו אל תאמר לא אגלה לו ואהיה רכיל. לא תעמוד על דם רעך ואמור לו כפי יכולתך שלא בלשון רכילות. ואז את נפשך הצלת. Do not⁴⁹¹Boldface in Moriah, Me'ah She'arim. be too righteous.⁴⁹²אל תהי צדיק הרבה. Perhaps, overly righteous? Senderos de Vida: No seas justo mucho demasiado, “Do not be too much of a just one.” This appears to be one of those places R. Yonah recognizes people's limitations. If you see a naked woman⁴⁹³Vilna, Zilber ed.: אשה ערומה טובעת בנהר, "a naked woman drowning in a river,"; Moriah, Me'ah She'rim omit the word ערומה, "naked," perhaps not wanting to include the phrase “naked woman” in a religious text. What an amazing dictum from this paragon of stern morality! This is akin to R. Bachyah Ibn Pakuda, the eleventh-century Babylonian philosopher saying that this is more than just fulfilling the nuts and bolts, but also that there are greater duties afoot. drowning in a river, do not say, "I shall flee and I shall not look at her," or things like this.⁴⁹⁴וכיוצא בזה If you hear a man saying [he will] kill⁴⁹⁵lit., “saying to strike…” his fellow, do not say, "I shall not reveal him and be a talebearer." Do not stand by the blood of your neighbor,⁴⁹⁶"Do not go as a talebearer among your people; neither shall you stand by the blood of your neighbor" (Lev. 19:16) I.e., you will avoid the punishment for talebearing because you were fulfilling the mitzvah not to stand by the blood of your neighbor.
Makor ha-Yirah: BT, Sotah 21b, “Who is pious? One who שוטה…” “If you hear of a man…” in the gemara ibid but see Rambam ch.1 laws of the murderer 14. but say to the best of your ability that it is not the language of talebearing, and then your life shall be saved.

אל תשבח אשה ביפיה בפני חבירך פן על ידך יחמדנה וכתיב. לא תחמוד קרי ביה לא תחמיד וכן קרי ביה לא תחמד. אל תקשט נפשך ותלך בין הנשים כדי שיתאוו לך. ואל תרבה שיחה עמהן אפילו עם אשתך. Do not praise a woman for her beauty in front of your fellow, lest you should make him desire her; when the verse, “you shall not covet,” (Exod. 20:16)⁴⁹⁷Exod. 20:14 in JPS and Koren. It cannot be an error because both pointed eds. have this cite. can be read “you shall not covet” and also be read ⁴⁹⁸ קרי ביה...וכן קרי ביה One might expect אל תקרא...אלא here, so it might have something to do with קֶרִי, having an emission of semen, which might be the eventual result of praising a woman’s beauty to another man, and which Judaism, especially mystical Judaism, frowns on, but this rendering seems the most likely. “you shall not cause coveting.”⁴⁹⁹Vilna: .וכתיב לא תחמוד. קרי ביה לא תחמיד וכן קרי ביה לא תחמד (This gives the form of the verb, in the qal in the original Biblical commandment, in the hiphil and in the piel. Jastrow lists the piel as synonymous with the qal, and lists no meaning in the hiphil). Zilber ed.: וכתוב לא תחמוד קרי ביה לא תחמוד וכן קרי ביה לא תחמד. “And the verse ‘you shall not covet’ can be read ‘you shall not covet,’ and can also be read you shall not make covet.’” (giving the verb in the qal form twice and the piel form once). Translation generally follows Zilber ed. for ease of understanding. Moriah: וּכְתִיב (שמות כ טז) לֹא תַחְמוֹד, קְרִי בֵהּ לֹא תַחְמִיד, וְכֵן קְרִי בֵהּ לֹא תְחַמֵד. Puts קְרִי in the imperative: “read it:...”. Me’ah She’arim: identical to Moriah but points קְרֵי. Do not flirt with the women⁵⁰⁰Vilna, Zilber ed.: אל תקשט נפשך ותלך בין הנשים. Moriah, Me’ah She’arim: אַל תְקַשֵׁט עַצְמְךָ in order to seize them with desire for you.⁵⁰¹Vilna, Zilber ed.: כדי שתתאוינה לך; Moriah, Me’ah She’arim: כְּדֵי שֶׁיִּתְאַוּוּ לָךְ And do not increase conversation with them,⁵⁰²M. Avot 1:5. Zilber ed.: ואל תרבה שיחה עמה, “and do not increase chatter with her...”; Others, עמהן, “with them.” even with your wife.

וזה רבוי שיחה. כאותו ששאל לברוריה באי זה דרך נלך ללוד. אמרה גלילי שוטה היה לך לומר באי זה ללוד. Now this⁵⁰³Vilna, Zilber ed.: וזהו; Moriah, Me’ah She’arim: וְזֶה is increase of conversation: like the one that asked of Beruriah [the wife of Rabbi Meir, a Talmudic sage]: “By which road do we go to Lod?” She said to him, “Stupid Galilean! You should have asked me, “which to Lod?!”⁵⁰⁴Beruriah was the wife of Rabbi Meir, a Talmudic sage of the Tannaitic era. While not herself a rabbi, she is sometimes called the only female Sage in Talmudic literature. In the mishna which R. Yonah quotes here, “the one” who was unfortunate enough to wind up on the wrong side of her quick mind and sharp tongue by asking her the question using more than the absolutely fewest words required was none other than R. Yosei the Galilean.

ולא יעיין בבגדי צבע שלהן ואפילו שטוחין על הכותל. כללו של דבר כל מה שיוכל להתרחק מהן ממשאן וממתנן ודבורן יתרחק. כי תמיד יצר הרע בוער כאש להחטיא האדם. לכן צריך האדם להיות כל שעה יועץ תחבולות לעשות מלחמה עמו. Nor should he look at their dyed clothes, even those stretched out on the wall [to dry]. The rule of the matter: whatever a man⁵⁰⁵While in general this text has rendered אדם”person,” R. Yonah clearly here means men specifically because he is talking about how they should behave around women. can do to distance himself from [women] and their business transactions⁵⁰⁶כל מה שיכול האדם להתרחק מהן וממשאן וממתנן that is, from their משא ומתן, their business dealings. and their speech, he should do to distance himself. For the evil inclination is forever burning like a fire to cause man to sin.⁵⁰⁷Vilna, Zilber ed.: להחטיא האדם; Moriah, Me’ah She’arim: לְהַחֲטִיא אֶת הָאָדָם. The pointed eds. correct the text to include the direct object marker. Therefore a man must always be a military advisor to make war with the evil inclination.⁵⁰⁸צריך האדם להיות כל שעה יועץ תחבולות לעשות מלחמה עם יצר הרע. Or, “a man must always be seeking the advice of councils to make war with the evil appetite.”
Makor ha-Yirah: … BT Kiddushin 30b; Yebamot 63b

אל תשבח אדם בפני שונאו שמתקנא בו ומתוך שבחו בא לידי גנותו. ואל תגנהו בפני אוהבו. Do not⁵⁰⁹Boldface in Moriah, Me’ah She’arim. praise anyone in front of his enemy, since it makes him incensed against him and in the praise cause him to speak of his shortcomings,⁵¹⁰Which would be evil speech or talebearing. Translation following Jastrow, BT Arakhin 16a.
Zilber comment gives the same cite, plus BT Bava Batra 164b. and do not put him to shame in front of his friend.⁵¹¹אוהבו. More literally, “his lover,” but seems to be used here as the opposite of “his enemy.”

אל תגנה מקח חברך בפניו. ואל תשבחהו. אלא שתוק למה תשיב ותחניף. Do not censure the bargain⁵¹²אל תגנה מקח, could also be read, “do not censure the bribe-taking…” but this reading seems more likely. of your fellow in front of him, and do not praise him but rather be silent; why would you respond⁵¹³Vilna: תשיב: hiphil: imperfect: 2ms: שוב: “reply, refute.” Zilber ed.: תשוב: qal: imperfect: 2ms: שוב: “return.” Moriah, Me’ah She’arim: תֵשֵׁב: qal: impf: 2ms: ישב “sit” and flatter?

אל תכנס לביתך פתאום וכ"ש לבית חבירך. Do not enter your home suddenly, and all the more so⁵¹⁴Vilna, Zilber ed.: וכ"ש (=וכול שכן); pointed eds. resolve the abbreviation. for your neighbor’s house.⁵¹⁵Makor ha-Yirah: BT Pesachim 112a.

אל תיעץ אדם לפי דרכך. אלא תן עצה טובה והוגנת לכל מי שיועץ אתך לכבוד הבורא. Do not advise⁵¹⁶Moriah: אַל תְּיַעֵץ; Me’ah She’arim: אַל תְּיָעֵץ. a person according to your way, but rather give advice that is good and befitting to whomever seeks counsel with you,⁵¹⁷Zilber ed.: שיעץ probably intending שיועץ as Vilna, Moriah, Me’ah She’arim. for the honor of the Creator.

כללו של דבר כל דבר המסור ללבך שאין אדם מבחין למה אתה מתכוין לטובה או לרעה נאמר בו ויראת מאלהיך המכיר מחשבתך. The rule of the matter: anything that is entrusted to your heart⁵¹⁸Translation following Jastrow. BT Kiddushin 32b, Bava Metzia 58b. that a person cannot distinguish for what you intend, [whether] for good or for evil, on this it is said: “You shall fear your God,” (Lev. 19:14) the One who knows your thoughts.

אל תקרא שום אדם בכנויו אפי' שלא בפניו. ואפי' לומר לאדם כדי שיוכל להכירו. אך דחק עצמך בענין אחר פב"פ עד שיכירהו. Do not⁵¹⁹Boldface in Moriah only, but it seems to be a logical place for a section break. call any man by his attribute⁵²⁰e.g., “the blond one,” “the lame one,” “the Black one”, etc..., even [if] he is not in front of you, or even⁵²¹Zilber ed.: אפילו...אפילו; others: אפילו...ואפילו. to say [it] to a[nother] person so that he may be able to recognize him. Rather push yourself after [what] that person [is really about] until he can recognize him.⁵²²Vilna, Zilber ed.: אך דחק עצמך בענין אחר פב"פ עד שיכירהו. Moriah: אחֵר פְּלוֹנִי בֶּן פְּלוֹנִי, “other, another.” Me’ah She’arim: אַחַר פְּלוֹנִי בֶּן פְּלוֹנִי. “after so-and-so” i.e., about this person. Translation following Me’ah She’arim.
Makor ha-Yirah: BT Bava Metzia 58b.

אל תקרא לשום אדם בשום דבר ניוול ואפי' לקטן אסור לקרותו מאוס דרך שחוק כי כולם נקיים וקדושים. Do not call any one⁵²³Vilna, Zilber ed., Moriah: אל תקרא משום אדם מישראל, “do not call any Jew...” Me’ah She’arim omits מישראל, making it more inclusive. Translation follows Me’ah She’arim. by the name of any disgraceful thing; it is forbidden to call even a child by any loathsome or repulsive⁵²⁴Vilna: מאוס: repulsive; Zilber ed.: מיאוס, loathsome. Moriah, Me’ah She’arim: מָאוּס. Translation preserves both options. name in a joking manner⁵²⁵Zilber ed. omits דרך שְׂחוק which is found in the other eds. for they are all clean and holy.

ואל תשבח שום גוי לא בחן ולא ביופיו ולא במעשיו. וכשתראה גוי עושה טובה או נאמנות או צדקה דאג. כי חסד לאמים חטאת לישראל. ואל תדינם לכף זכות אם לא בפניהם מפני דרכי שלום. And do not praise any gentile⁵²⁶Vilna: כותי; others גוי. See above. neither by grace, nor by beauty, but rather⁵²⁷Vilna: אלא במעשיו, “…but only by his deeds.” Zilber ed.: ולא במעשיו, “…nor by his deeds.” Moriah, Me’ah She’arim: [ולא] (אלא). (“but only...”) [“neither”] “by his deeds.” by his deeds. And when you see a gentile doing good, or righteousness, or dealing faithfully -- worry! for grace for the nations of the world is sin for Israel. And do not give them the benefit of the doubt⁵²⁸Lit., “and do not judge them in the scale of merit.” (except in front of them for the sake of peace).⁵²⁹Makor ha-Yirah: BT Avodah Zarah 20a...SA YD § 151:14. (etc.) “and when you see gentiles doing good…” BT Bava Batra 10b. “And do not judge them in the scale of merit…” (etc.) “except in front of them…” this is not a prohibition except d’Rabbanan.

ואל תתן דיו לסופרי אומות העולם הכותבים שמות הטומאה ופסיליהם כי אסור לסייע ידי עוברי עבירה. Now: do not give ink to gentile scribes⁵³⁰Vilna: סופר כותי; Zilber ed.: אומות העולם “of the nations of the world,” Moriah, Me’ah She’arim: אֻמוֹת-הָעוֹלָם who write the Names of impurity and its nullities⁵³¹Vilna, Zilber ed.: הכותבים שמות הטואמה ופסוליה “the ones who write the names of impurity and its nullities”; Moriah, Me’ah She’arim: …שׂמוֹת הַטֻמְאָה וּפְסִילֵיהֶם, “...the names of impurity and their nullities. I.e., what seems to be divine, but the nullities associated with it are idolatry. for it is forbidden to support the hands of transgressors.⁵³²עוברי עבירה, lit., “who transgress transgressions.”
Zilber’s comment mentions Rashi on BT Avodah Zarah 55a

השמר מלצער בע"ח הן בהמה הן עוף. וכ"ש שלא לצער אדם שהוא עשוי בצלם המקום. Be on guard against⁵³³Boldface in Moriah, Me’ah She’arim. causing pain to animals,⁵³⁴Vilna, Zilber ed. abbreviate בע"ח; Moriah, Me’ah She’arim resolve to בעלי-חיים whether beast or foul, and all the more so⁵³⁵likewise, Vilna, Zilber ed. abbreviate וכ"ש; Moriah, Me’ah She’arim resolve to וְכָל-שֶׁכֵן not to cause pain to a person, since he is made in the image of the Omnipresent One.⁵³⁶המקום, lit., “the place,” a Rabbinic name for God.
Makor ha-Yirah: BT Bava Metzia 32b, SA Choshen Mishpat § ער"ב (?)

אם אתה רוצה לשכור פועלים ומצאת עניים יהיו עניים בני ביתך. ואך אל תבזה אותם. אך דרך כבוד תצוה להם. ותשלם שכרם משלם. ואל תדחם בלך ושוב. כי הרבה לאוין יש בדבר. ואליו הוא נושא את נפשו. If you want to hire workers and you have found poor ones, let them be as members of your own family. And you shall surely not disdain them; you shall only command them in a manner of respect; and pay them their wages in full, neither shall you press them in saying, “go and come back”⁵³⁷ואל תדחם בלך ושוב. for there are many negative [commandments]⁵³⁸unpointed eds. give Rabbinic plural לאוין; pointed eds. give Biblical plural לאוים. about the matter⁵³⁹Such as not to oppress the poor. and to it He may take his life in payment.⁵⁴⁰Lit., “he lifts up his soul.” Vilna: ואליו הוא נושא את נפשו (שלומין). “…his soul ([in] payment).” Zilber ed.: ואליו הוא נושא את נפשו. Moriah: …אֶת נַפְשׁוֹ שִׁלּוּמִים. “his soul [in] payment.” Me’ah She’arim: אֶת נַפְשׁוֹ.
Makor ha-Yirah: M. Avot 1:5; BT Bava Metzia 60b. SA YD § 249, §251. “ואל תדחם בלך ושוב” Bava Metzia 110b

אל תשב בין העומדים ואל תעמוד בין היושבים. אל תישן בין הערים ואל תהי ער בין הישנים. ולא שמח בין העצבים ולא עצב בין השמחים. כללו של דבר אל ישנה אדם מן המנהג. אך הכל יהיה לטובה וביראת שמים. שאם רואה לצים אל יתלוצץ כמותם. Do not⁵⁴¹Boldface in Moriah, Me’ah She’arim. sit among the standing nor stand among the sitting; do not sleep among the waking nor be awake among the sleeping. Do not rejoice among the sorrowful nor be sorrowful among those who rejoice. The rule of the matter: a person should not differ from the custom; however, all will be for good and fear of heaven⁵⁴²Vilna, Zilber ed. abbreviate ובירש"ם; Moriah, Me’ah She’arim resolve וביראת-שמים. if one should see scoffers, he shall not join in their scoffery.⁵⁴³Makor ha-Yirah: Masekhet Kallah ch. 10 (?); BT Ketubot 17a

אל תתפאר משום דבר שעשית. Do not⁵⁴⁴Boldface in Moriah. be glorified by⁵⁴⁵Vilna, Zilber ed.: ואל תתפאר בשום דבר שעשית; Moriah, Me’ah She’arim: וְאַל תִּתְפָּאֵר מִשּׁוּם . any thing that you have done.

ואף אל תעמוד במקום שיש מעלה פן יגבה לבבך. Do not even stand in a place where there is superior rank⁵⁴⁶מעלה perhaps, “haughtiness”? lest your heart grow haughty.

ואם שמעת ששבחוך בני אדם דאג והצטער בדבר. Now if you hear that people have praised you, worry and apologize about the matter.⁵⁴⁷Makor ha-Yirah: M. Avot 6:2.

אל תפרוש מן הצבור כי לא תקבל שכר עמהם. ואם תפרוש ב' מלאכים המלוים לו לאדם מניחין ידיהם אל ראשו ואומרים פלוני שפירש מן הצבור אל יראה בנחמת צבור. אם מנוך צבור פרנס אל תתגאה עליהם. Do not separate yourself from the community, for you shall not receive a reward with them.⁵⁴⁸Zilber ed. המעם, probably a typographical error; Others, עמהם, “with them.” And if you separate, the two accompanying angels that every person has set their hands upon his head and say, “So-and-so, who separated from the community, shall not see the comfort of that community.”⁵⁴⁹Second person/third person confusion in original. “The comfort of that community,” i.e., its reward for its righteousness. The angels placing their hands upon the head of the transgressor is a strange, inverted version of s’michah, rabbinical ordination, setting that person apart in the realm above as he separated himself in the world below.
Makor ha-Yirah: BT Ta’anit 11a; Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim § 574:5. If the community has elected you leader, do not lord it over them.⁵⁵⁰Zilber ed. omits this clause, but the next halachah seems to depend on it.

אל תטיל עליהם אימה שלא לש"ש. וסבול טרחם. כגדול פרנס הדור. And do not put fear over them that is not for the sake of heaven. And bear their troubles, for the reward of a great leader of the generation.⁵⁵¹Translation following Moriah: וּסְבוֹל טָרְחָם, כִּי גָדוֹל [שְׂכַר] פַּרְנַס הַדּוֹר. Others: כי גדול פרנס הדור.
Makor ha-Yirah: BT Rosh Hashanah 17a.

ואם אתה סופר אל תחסר אות או תיבה או תיתר לחתום שמך בראש. Now, if you are a [Torah] scribe, do not omit a letter or a word or add⁵⁵²תְיַתֵּר: piel: impf: 2ms: יתר According to Jastrow this root does not occur in the piel. to sign your name at the top.⁵⁵³Makor ha-Yirah: BT Eruvin 13a. “to seal…”

אם אתה שכיר ללמד תורה הזהר בשעת מלאכתך מלעשות מלאכה אחרת אף לא שום דבר כי ברגע יטעו תלמידיך ולא תשמע ומלאכתך מלאכת רמיה. ורמיה בארור. ואף לא לענות ולדבר לשום אדם. ולמוד מאבא חלקיה ז"ל. And if you are hired to teach Torah take care when you are at your work not to do any other work, not even any other thing, for the moment your students shall err but you shall not hear, your work [is] a work of cheating, and cursed chearting.⁵⁵⁴ומלאכתך רְמִיָּה ורמיה בארור Not even to answer or speak to anyone, and learn from Abba Hilkiyah, of blessed memory (BT Ta’anit 23a).⁵⁵⁵Makor ha-Yirah: BT Bava Batra 8b. [He also mentions the Ta’anit 23a cite]. Abba Hilkiyah is a grandson of the famous Talmudic figure Choni the Circle-drawer, who like his grandfather saves teh community from drought by praying for rain to fall. In the aggadah cited in the Talmud, he displays exemplary humility and piety.

אל תשכן באהליך ספר חומש נביאים וכתובים שאינו מוגה אם ידעת להגיהו. There shall not dwell in your home⁵⁵⁶Boldface in Moriah, Me’ah She’arim; lit. “you shall not cause to dwell in your tent.” a book of Torah, Prophets, and Writings⁵⁵⁷I.e., a copy of the Tanakh (= Torah, Nevi’im, Ketuvim), the Hebrew Bible. that has not been corrected if you know how to correct it.⁵⁵⁸Books at the time were handwritten manuscripts susceptible to scribal errors.
Makor ha-Yirah: BT Ketubot 19b; “There shall not dwell in your house a book…” SA YD top of § 279. [about needing to place the book in a genizah].

ואל תניח ביתך בלא מעקה למדרגות. And do not allow your home [to be] without a railing for the steps.⁵⁵⁹ואל תַּנִּיחַ ביתך בלא מַעֲקֶה למדרגות.
Makor ha-Yirah: [“What our Rabbi innovates that the steps require a railing that is not mentioned in the decisors, is simple, is not different from a hole in the courtyard that is decided in Sifrei and decided in the Rambam and the SA, § 427, “that a fence is obligated.”]

ואל תגדל כלב רע או שום מזיק. כללו של דבר הסר מביתך כל היזק וכל מכשול. Nor shall you raise a dangerous dog⁵⁶⁰R. Yonah specifies כלב רע. The Shulchan Aruch will later ban all dogs. or anything else that causes damage in the midst of your home. The rule of the matter: remove from your home⁵⁶¹הָסֵר מביתך: hiphil: impv: 2ms: סור every danger and every stumbling-block.⁵⁶²Makor ha-Yirah: BT Baba Kamma 15b, SA (YD) § 409.

שאלת כלי מחבירך או כל דבר לעשות בו מלאכה. אל תעשה בו מלאכה אחרת. [If] you have borrowed a tool from your neighbor, or anything else with which to do work, do not do other work with it.

ואל תשאל שום דבר שלא ברשות כי השואל שלא מדעת גזלן הוא. You shall not borrow any thing without permission, for one who borrows without knowledge is a robber.⁵⁶³Makor ha-Yirah: BT Baba Batra 88a; SA (YD) § 359:5.

ואל תשאיל לאחרים בלא רשות מי ששאלת ממנו. And do not lend [it] to others without permission from whom you borrowed it.⁵⁶⁴Makor ha-Yirah: BT Baba Metzia 29a; SA (YD) § 342.

ואם נתן לך אדם דבר להשתמש בו אל תמכרנו שלא ברשותו. או אם נתן לך דמים ליקח טלית אל תקח בהם חלוק. כי המשנה מדעת בעה"ב גזלן הוא. Now if a person has given you something to use, do not sell it without his permission. Or if he has given you payment⁵⁶⁵דָּמִים to buy a tallit [katan] do not buy an undershirt with it, for the one who deviates from the consent of the master of the house⁵⁶⁶Vilna abbreviates בעה"ב (= בעל הבית); others spell the phrase out in full. is a robber.⁵⁶⁷Zilber commments: BT Baba Metzia 78b.

כלל גדול בתורה דעלך סני לחברך לא תעבד. The greatest rule in the Torah: That which is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor.⁵⁶⁸Quoted in Aramaic. Makor ha-Yirah: BT Shabbat 31a.

וכל עת וכל שעה חשוב איך תעשה מצות ואיך תשמור מעבירה. כדי שתשלים כל היום בטובה. Now at every⁵⁶⁹Boldface in Moriah, Me’ah She’arim. time and every hour it is important how you shall do the commandments and how you shall keep from transgression in order that you should finish the entire day with goodness.⁵⁷⁰A similiar sentiment to R. Bahya Ibn Pkuda, expressed in Duties of the Heart: it is not enough to fulfill commandments mechanistically; it matters how you do them. This is not a new thought in R. Yonah’s work; we have seen it before.

סוף דבר הכל נשמע הסר מלבך כל מחשבות און. אך הרהור תורה ויר"ש. The end of the matter when all is said and done:⁵⁷¹An echo of Ecc. 11:13. Translation following both JPS and Koren. remove from your heart⁵⁷²Zilber ed.: מלבבך; others, מִלִּבְּךָ all thoughts of iniquity;⁵⁷³אָוֶן. Or, falsehood, wrong. only meditation⁵⁷⁴Me’ah She’arim: הַרְהֵר, pilpel: impf: הרר “meditate”; others: הִרהוּר “meditation.” on Torah and fear of Heaven.

ובמקום מטונף בבית הכסא יחשוב חשבונות. וזה הדבר יסיר מלבו מחשבת טהרה במקום טנופות. ואחרי טהרתו ישוב למחשבתו הראשונה. אך יהיה זהיר בעבודת הבורא. וזה נקרא ערום ביראה. And instead⁵⁷⁵Zilber ed.: במקום; others וּבמקום. of being soiled in the bathroom let him⁵⁷⁶Another shift from second person to third person. think of punishment and reward⁵⁷⁷חשבונות; or, “accountability.” for this is the thing that will remove from his heart thoughts of pollution and replace them with thoughts of purity. And after his purity⁵⁷⁸i.e., after washing his hands and saying the אשר יצר blessing. let him return to his prior thoughts, how⁵⁷⁹Zilber ed.: היאך; others אֵיך. he should be strict in the service of the Creator,⁵⁸⁰Vilna, Zilber ed.: בעבודת הבורא ית’ (=יתבורך) (in the service of the the Creator, may He be blessed.) Moriah, Me’ah She’arim: הַבּוֹרֵא. this [one] is called deliberate in the fear [of Heaven].⁵⁸¹ערוּם ביראה; (Jastrow: considers in what manner he can best serve the Lord.)

לעת ערב לך ובדוק עצמך יפה יפה טרם שתלך לבית התפלה. At evening-time⁵⁸²Boldface in Moriah, Me’ah She’arim. go and examine yourself exceedingly well⁵⁸³i.e., in the bathroom; see #23, above. before you walk to the synagogue.⁵⁸⁴בית התפילה, lit., “the house of prayer,” not בית הכנסת which might be expected. Swith to second person in original.

ולבש מכנסיך ועשה כל הסדר כאשר אמרנו בתפלת שחרית. Put on your pants and do the entire order which we have said with [regard to] the morning prayers.

ואם תוכל לא תאכל לא בימות החמה ולא. בימות הגשמים עד לאחר תפלת הערב. כמו שדרשו חז"ל ואותי השלכת אחרי גוך כו' אם לא תאכל בעוד היום גדול שיעור ג' פרסאות. Now, if you are able, you shall not eat before the evening prayer, neither on days of heat nor on days of rain,⁵⁸⁵Perhaps referring to the hot and rainy seasons of the Spanish climate. (But that would be practically all the time: “nueve meses del invierno y tres meses del infierno,” “nine months of winter and three months of hell.”) as our sages, may their memory be for a blessing,⁵⁸⁶Vilna, Zilber ed.: רז"ל. Moriah: רַבּוֹתֵינוּ ז"ל (=זכרונם לברכה). Me’ah She’arim: רַבּוֹתֵינוּ. expounded [in BT Berachot 10b,⁵⁸⁷Vilna gives BT Berachot 6b, probably a typographical error (י and ו confusion). from the verse] “and me, you have cast behind your back,” (1 Kings 14:9) for after you become haughty shall you accept the Kingdom of Heaven?⁵⁸⁸Vilna, Zilber ed.: וכו’ לאחר שנתגאה זה קבל עליו מלכות שמים. (“after this one has become haughty he takes the Kingdom of Heaven upon himself”) (Vilna places a period after זה). Moriah, Me’ah She’arim: לְאַחַר שֶׁנִּּּּּּּּּתְגָּיתָ תְּקַבֵּל עֹל מַלְכוּת-שָׁמַיִם (“after you have become haughty shall you take the up the yoke of Kingdom of Heaven”). Translation follows Me’ah She’arim which places a question mark after the phrase indicating a rhetorical question. If you do not eat for the rest of the day the measure increases threefold.⁵⁸⁹גדול שיעור שלש פרסאות

בא מבית התפלה והגיע זמן השכיבה יקרא ק"ש כולו. שיש בו רמ"ח תיבות להרחיק כל מזיק מרמ"ח אברים שבו. ויאמר ויהי נועם והשכיבנו בלא חתימה ויפקיד רוחו ביד בוראו. ויתודה וימחול לכל המצערים אותו דארז"ל (מגילה כח) שרי ליה לכל מאן דצערן. If he⁵⁹⁰The switch to third person is in the original. has come from the house of prayer and the time for bed has come, let him recite all of the Sh’ma since there are two hundred forty-eight words in it⁵⁹¹Vilna, Zilber ed.: יקרא ק"ש כלו שיש בו רמ"ח תיבות ; Moriah, Me’ah She’arim: יקרא קריאת-שמע כֻּלָהּ שיש בָּהּ מאתים וארבעים ושמונה תֵבוֹת. (Resolving the abbreviations and putting the term in the feminine). to keep all danger away from the two hundred forty-eight limbs in him. And let him say the vihi no’am,⁵⁹²A quotation from Ps. 90 which is part of the traditional bedtime Sh’ma ritual. and the hashkivenu⁵⁹³A prayer asking for God’s protection while sleeping, also part of the traditional bedtime Sh’ma ritual. without a chatimah.⁵⁹⁴lit., a “seal,” that is, the final line of the blessing which begins, “...ברוך אתה יי”. And let him recite verses of Torah, one great and one small.⁵⁹⁵There are multiple verses of Torah in the traditional bedtime Sh’ma ritual; perhaps at this time it was customary to choose verses. At a later time the verses may have become standardized. Then let him commend his soul⁵⁹⁶ויפקיד רוחו ביד בוראו echoes בידו אפקיד רוחי, “into His hand I commend my soul,” from Adon Olam. to the hand of his Creator. Then let him confess and forgive all who hurt him, according to the sages of our sages (may their memory be for a blessing):⁵⁹⁷Vilna, Zilber ed.: כדארז"ל. Moriah, Me’ah She’arim resolve to: כְדְאָמְרֵי רבותינו, deleting ז"ל (=זכרונם לברכה) let him forgive for all the hurts they may do him. (BT, Megillah 28a).⁵⁹⁸ּשרי ליה לכל מאן דמצערן. Vilna: שרי ליה (ומחול) לכל מאן דצערן (ליה), perhaps inserting Hebrew translation into the Aramaic and adding an extra pronoun.

ויתן מטתו בין צפון לדרום. Now let him put his bed between north to south.⁵⁹⁹ויתן מטתו בין צפון לדרום. May have mystical signficance, “South” being associated with Hesed and Abraham (Micah 7:20); North being associated with evil (Jeremiah 1:14). So that when he sits up in bed he shall face south and not north. See AMEN (XIV) line 24.
Makor ha-Yirah: BT Berachot 5b, SA (OC) § 3:6. And the opinion of our master is like the opinion of the Rambam in ch. 7 from Laws of the House...[]...even if he does not have his wife with him he must be strict about this.

ויחלוץ של שמאל ואח"כ של ימין. Then let him take off his left [shoe] first and afterwards his right [shoe].⁶⁰⁰Moriah, Me’ah She’arim: ויחלוץ (מנעליו) של שמאל.
Makor ha-Yirah: See above, #20.

וישכב ויסיר חלוקו במיטתו. ולא יראוהו קורות ביתו מגולה. ואם יש שם כתבי קדש במקום אשר הוא שוכב שם יכסה. וחומש צריך להניח בתיבה ומכוסה. Then let him lie down and take off his undershirt in his bed⁶⁰¹See discussion about getting dressed in the morning. without the beams of his house seeing him naked.⁶⁰²i.e. under the covers; see above. And if he has holy writings there in the place where he sleeps let him cover them.⁶⁰³יכסה. Moriah: יְכַסֶּם “cover them.” And [as for] a chumash⁶⁰⁴A book of the Pentateuch. he must set it down in a chest and it must be covered.

ואל יישן פרקדן פן ישים ידו על הערוה. Now he must not sleep lying on his back in case he should placed his hand upon the nakedness.⁶⁰⁵used, like in its classical usage in Leviticus, as a euphemism for genitals.
Makor ha-Yirah: BT, Berachot 13b; Niddah 14a and there Rashi writes another reason. SA Even ha’Ezer § 23:3 and there the reason is not to come into the hands of difficulty (קשוי).

ואם יש לו אשה יהיה צנוע. ויזהר מדבר עמה נבלה. כי אף שיחה בטלה שבין איש לאשתו על הכל יבא למשפט. And if he has a wife, he should be modest and strict not to speak with her obscenely, for even idle chatter that is between a man and his wife, all of it is judged.⁶⁰⁶על הכול בא במשפט. Zilber: BT Chaggigah 5b

ובשעת בעילה אל יהרהר באשה אחרת כי כמעט עושה בניו ממזרים. And during intercourse he must not fantasize about another woman for it nearly makes his children bastards.⁶⁰⁷If Shmuely Boteach has not seen this halakhah, he should. Makor ha-Yirah: BT Nedarim 20b.

ואל יכוף אשתו לדבר מצוה אלא יפייסנה. He must not force⁶⁰⁸ואל יכוף his wife in the matter of a mitzvah;⁶⁰⁹By the context of this halahcha in the book, i.e., פרו ורבו. That is, he should not force his wife to have sex even for purposes of procreation. rather he should persuade her.⁶¹⁰Makor ha-Yirah: BT Eruvin 100b. SA OC § 240:9.

ואל ישמש עמה סמוך לוסתה עונה אחת ולא ביום. Nor should he couple with her half the day⁶¹¹עונה אחת before her regular date of menstruation and not on the day of it.⁶¹²Makor ha-Yirah: BT Shevuot 18b, SA YD § 184:2. “And not on the day [of it]…” BT, Niddah 17b. [There is something about using the light of the candle; perhaps play on לשמש]

ויזהר מאד מאד שלא יוציא שום ניבול ודבר ערוה מפיו אף דרך שחוק. He should be exceedingly careful⁶¹³Zilber ed.: יזהר מאד מאד שלא יוציא; others, .וְיִזָהֵר that no obscenity or word of immorality⁶¹⁴דבר ערוה, lit, “word of nakedness.” come out of his mouth, even by way of a joke.

ויתכוין בשעת מעשה לשם מצוה ושיהיו לו בנים שילכו בדרכי השם ולא יתכוין להנאתו. 300.⁶¹⁵Zilber ed. omits the line number 300. This appears to be line 300. Now, let him intend when doing the deed⁶¹⁶.ויתכון בשעת מעשה Again, according to the context of the passage, the “deed” referred to is sexual intercourse. [that it be] for the sake of a mitzvah: that he should have children who will walk in the ways of the Lord; let him not intend to enjoy it.⁶¹⁷Makor ha-Yirah: BT Niddah 13a. And to continue with the language of our Rabbi, it appears according to the opinion of the Kabbalists, when having sex (תשמיש) he should be careful to avoid a wanton emission of seed. It does not appear here that Zilber is talking about mainstream halakhah.

ויזהר כפי יכלתו שלא יוציא זרע לבטלה. And let him avoid wanton emission of seed to the best of his ability.⁶¹⁸Vilna: שלא יוציא זר"ל ח"ו (=זרע לבטלה, חס ושלום). “That he not emit seed for naught, God forbid.” Zilber ed.: שלא להוציא שז"ל ח"ס. (Similar but slight variation). Moriah, Me’ah She’arim: שֶׁלֹא יוֹצִיא זֶרַע לְבַטָּלָה. “That he not emit seed for naught,” omitting “God forbid.”

וקודם שישכב ילמוד לקיים מצות והגית וישכב ויישן וינוח: Before retiring, he should study [Torah] to fulfill the mitzvah of “You shall meditate [upon it day and night.]” [Josh. 1:8]. The he should lie down and sleep and rest.

הנה כל הסדר ינהג כל ימי הבלו. ועוד יוסיף כהנה וכהנה לעשות טובה ויראת שמים. Why,⁶¹⁹Boldface in Moriah, Me’ah She’arim. let a man be guided by this entire order as long as he breathes and let him add like this and like that⁶²⁰ועוד יוסיף כָּהֵנָּה וְכָּהֵנָּה. to do good and increase the fear of Heaven.⁶²¹This is the conclusion of the laws that apply every day -- R. Yonah will now briefly discuss laws of behavior on Shabbat and Yom Tov, and conclude the work.

וישלים פרשיותיו עם הצבור בכל שבוע שנים מקרא ואחד תרגום. ואם אין לו תרגום יקרא שנים מקרא ואחד לעז. וטוב יותר מלאמר ג"פ המקרא. כי התרגום היה להבין המקרא למי שאינו בקי כ"ש לעז פירוש שהוא לשון הלעזות. Let him complete his weekly Torah portions with the community,⁶²²הצבור. Lit., “the public.” twice in the original and once in [Aramaic] translation.⁶²³Traditional Bibles are published with Rabbinic commentaries and Targum Onkelos, a translation into Aramaic from the Geonic period in Babylonia. But if he does not have an Aramaic translation he may read twice in the original and once in the vernacular⁶²⁴לעז. which is even better than reading three times⁶²⁵Vilna, Zilber ed.: ג"פ Moriah, Me’ah She’arim resolve the abbreviation: שָׁלֹשׁ פְּעָמִים, “three times.” in the original for the Aramaic translation was for one who was not well-versed; how much the more so is the vernacular commentary for those who speak the vernacular.⁶²⁶Makor ha-Yirah: BT Berachot 8a; SA OC § 285. “And if he has no targum…” see :2, :42(?)

והמקרא יקרא בנגינותיו כי הקורא בלא זמרה התורה חוגרת שק. Now, let him chant the Torah with its tropes, for if one reads it without its melody, the Torah puts on sackcloth.⁶²⁷Makor ha-Yirah: BT Megillah 32a.

ובערב שבת יטרח לסעודת שבת. ואפילו יש לו כמה עבדים יטרח הוא בעצמו לכבוד שבת הנקרא כלה ומלכה. ושקולה כנגד כל המצות. וישתדל בתקוני שבת. כי הא דרבא מלח שבוטא. And on the eve⁶²⁸Boldface in Moriah, Me’ah She’arim. of the Sabbath,⁶²⁹Vilna, וב"ש; others: ובערב שבת. he should prepare for the Sabbath meal.⁶³⁰לִסְעוּדַת-שבת. And even if he has several servants, he should prepare it by himself⁶³¹The halakhah is about making one’s sabbath preparation on one’s own, as opposed to delegating the tasks. for the honor of the Sabbath, which is called “bride” and “queen” and its value is equal to all the other mitzvot on the scale. And let him strive [to complete] Sabbath preparations for this is the thing [Raba] salted a shibbuta himself (for the Sabbath). (BT Shabbat 119a).⁶³²Translation following Jastrow, and according to him a Shibbuta was probably a mullet. Citation appears in Moriah and in Zilber comment, but there, he has Shabbat 109, without a folio.

ולפי כחו יקנה מעדנים לעונג שבת. And as much as he can, let him buy sweets for the joy of the Sabbath.⁶³³עֹנֶג שָׁבַּת. As in, the Oneg Shabbat.

ולא יאכל בע"ש מן המנחה ולמעלה פן יפסיד סעודת שבת. וסמוך לערב יערוך שולחן וכסא ומנורה. ויכין הכל כוסות וקערות. Now, he should not eat on Sabbath eve⁶³⁴Vilna, Zilber ed.: בע"ש; Moriah, Me’ah She’arim: בְּעֶרֶב-שָׁבַּת. from Minchah onwards, in case he should spoil⁶³⁵פן יפסיד the Sabbath evening meal. And right before evening he should set the table, chair⁶³⁶Vilna, Zilber ed.: וכסא; Moriah, Me’ah She’arim: כִּסֵּא and candelabra and put all of the cups and dishes in their proper place.⁶³⁷Makor ha-Yirah: BT Gittin 38b; SA OC § 249:2 “And close to erev…” Gemara, Id.; SA OC § 262.

ויהיה זהיר ליין לקדוש היום. And let him be strict with the wine for the Sanctification of the Day.⁶³⁸קידוש היום. The special Sabbath evening Kiddush. Makor ha-Yirah: BT Pesachim 106b; SA OC § 271.

ויטול צפרניו בכל ע"ש וישחיז סכינו כמו שדרשו והיה ביום הששי והכינו את זה השחזת סכין. ועוד דרשו. וידעת כי שלום אהלך זה השחזת סכין כי אם קהה הברזל ולא יוכל לחתוך אין זה שלום בית. He should wash his fingernails⁶³⁹ויטול צפרניו i.e., a ritual handwashing. every Sabbath eve.⁶⁴⁰As above, Vilna, Zilber ed. abbreviate; Moriah, Me’ah She’arim resolve. And he should sharpen his knife, as our sages⁶⁴¹Vilna, Zilber ed.: כמו שדרשו, “as they expounded…” Moriah, Me’ah She’arim insert רַבּוֹתֵינוּ, “as our sages expounded…” expounded: “‘on the sixth day when they shall prepare…’⁶⁴²והיה ביום הששי והכינו את. Vilna, Zilber ed. place square brackets around the direct object marker thus: [את]. this [means] sharpening the knife.” (Sifrei to Exod. 16:5). They further expounded: “‘You shall know that your tent is at peace,’⁶⁴³Translation following Koren. this [means] the sharpening of the knife,” (Sifrei to Job 5:24) for if the knife is dull and will not cut this is not [fulfilling the commandment of] peace of the home.⁶⁴⁴Makor ha-Yirah basically mentions the Sifrei quote. This is about doing things regularly, so that they become second nature.

וירחץ פניו ידיו ורגליו בחמין לערב אחר שעשה כל צרכיו. Then he should wash his face, his hands, and his feet⁶⁴⁵Such as Abraham did in the Torah. with hot [water] for the evening after he has done all his needs.

וכל מה שיעשה יחשוב לעשות לכבוד שבת. Everything that he may do, let him think to do [it] for the honor of the Sabbath.

ויוסיף מחול על הקדש. Then let him add from the profane up to the holy.

ועם חשכה ימשמש בבגדיו. וידליק בעוד השמש בראש האילנות. With⁶⁴⁶Vilna, Zilber ed., ואם, “if”; Moriah, Me’ah She’arim, וְעִם , “with” (perhaps a textual emendation.) Translation follows pointed eds. [onset of] darkness let him examine⁶⁴⁷יְמַשְׁמֵשׁ , or, “feel,” “touch,” “handle,” “manipulate,” “search.” Perhaps to make sure they are not soiled or that there are no coins or anything in the pockets such that carrying them would violate the Sabbath. his clothes and let him light [candles] while the sun is still upon the top of the trees.⁶⁴⁸Technically, one lights Shabbat candles eighteen minutes prior to sundown. R. Yonah says a man should light the candles. He does not assume his audience consists of married men.
Makor ha-Yirah: BT Shabbat 35b.

קדש היום יתפלל של שבת וינוח ויתענג ויסיר מלבו כל אנחה וכל מחשבה. כאלו כל מלאכתו עשויה. He sanctifies⁶⁴⁹Boldface in Moriah. the day⁶⁵⁰i.e., he recites the Sabbath evening kiddush. Tense in original shifts to perfect: קדש היום. and he should pray [the order of prayers of] the Sabbath; then he should rest and enjoy himself. And he should banish from his heart all groaning and all thoughts, as if all his work were done.⁶⁵¹Zilber’s comment refers to the Mechilta.

ויכבד שבת בכסות נקיה [ושלחן ערוך] כפי מה שיוכל. Now let him honor the Sabbath with clean clothing and a set table⁶⁵²Vilna: ויכבד שבת בכסות נקיה [ושולחן ערוך] כפי מה שיוכל. Zilber ed. omits the bracketed phrase; Moriah and Me’ah She’arim include it without brackets. as best he can.

ויאכל שלש סעודות. And he should eat three meals.⁶⁵³Three meals during the course of the Sabbath: Friday evening dinner, Saturday afternoon lunch, and Se’udah Shlisheet (third meal) Saturday afternoon before sundown.

אל ידבר שום דבר בחפציו הצריכים לו. אך בחפצי שמים. Let him not speak a word of his desires that he needs,⁶⁵⁴אל ידבר שום דבר בחפציו הצריכים לו. Let him not mention his own petty personal needs. but only the desires of Heaven.

חשבונות שעברו מותר. Prior reckonings are permitted.⁶⁵⁵חשבונות שעברו מותר. I.e., to be spoken of during Shabbat, but not current accounting.
Makor ha-Yirah: SA __ § 307:6 and see there for what is called “prior reckonings.”

ואל ירבה שיחה אם לא בדברי תורה ויראת שמים כי אף דברי תורה התירו בקושי. Let him not increase conversation if it is not words of Torah and fear of Heaven, for even peaceful requests permit difficulty.⁶⁵⁶Vilna, Zilber ed.: כי אף (ד"ת) (=דברי תורה) [שאלת שלום] התירו בקושי. Moriah: כי אף דברי תורה (שאלת שלום) הִתִּירוּ בְקֹשִׁי. Me’ah She’arim: כי אף שאלת שלום התירו בקושי. Translation following Me’ah She’arim, Probable textual emendation.

ואל יפסיע פסיעה גסה אם לא ללכת לדבר מצוה. ולא שום טורח אל יעשה. Let him not march with hasty steps⁶⁵⁷Translation following Jastrow, BT Ta’anit 10b if not to go to do a mitzvah, and no manner of preparation let him not do.⁶⁵⁸Double negative in the original. Makor ha-Yirah: BT Berachot 6b.

ואל ידבר מאוהביו שמתו ומכל עגמת נפש. כללו של דבר נקרא יום עונג ומנוחה. Let him not speak of loved ones that died, or any manner of grief of the soul. The rule of the matter: the Sabbath is called a day of pleasure and rest.

ויוסיף מן החול על הקדש. ואל יוציא דמעה מעיניו. וישמרהו כהלכותיו ע"פ רבותינו ע"ה. במוצ"ש יבדיל בתפלה ועל הכוס. 323a.⁶⁵⁹Zilber ed. accidentally numbers #323 twice. Now let him add from the profane upon the holy.⁶⁶⁰Makor ha-Yirah: BT Berachot 33a; SA §§ 294, 296. and let no tear come forth from his eyes. But let him keep it according to the laws taught by our Sages, may peace be upon them.⁶⁶¹Vilna, Zilber ed.: וישמרהו כהלכותיו ע"פ רבותינו ע"ה. Moriah, Me’ah She’arim: …על פי רבותינו עליהם השלום.
b. On Saturday evening⁶⁶²Vilna, Zilber ed.: במוצ"ש; Moriah, Me’ah She’arim: .במוצָאֵי שבת Lit., “On the going-out of Shabbat,” i.e., Saturday after nightfall, already יום ראשון, the first day of the Jewish week. Boldface in Moriah. let him make a separation with prayer and over the cup.⁶⁶³I.e., make havdalah, the ritual separation of the sacred time of Shabbat from the profane time of the rest of the week, which includes a candle with multiple wicks, aromatic spices, and a cup of wine.
Makor ha-Yirah: BT Berachot 33a.

לא הבדיל בתפלה ובא לעשות צרכיו (מלאכה האסורה בשבת) קודם שיבדיל. יברך בא"י אמ"ה המבדיל כו' ויעשה צרכיו. If he did not separate with prayer and he must attend to his needs⁶⁶⁴.ובא לעשות צרכיו Perhaps, “it comes that he must take care of his needs…” prior to separating, let him bless [as follows]: “You are blessed, ETERNAL our God, ruler of the universe, who separates between sacred and profane,”⁶⁶⁵Vilna, Zilber ed. abbreviate the blessing: בא"י המבדיל וכו’ ויעשה. Moriah, Me’ah She’arim resolve it in full. then let him take care of his needs. ⁶⁶⁶Makor ha-Yirah: “The Tur in the name of Rosh (Asheri) that he needs to say it with the Name and Kingship” I.e., not just בא"י but also אמ"ה.

ויסדר שלחנו במוצ"ש אע"פ שאין צריך אלא לכזית. וילוה המלך בשירות ותשבחות. ובע"ש ויו"ט ינהג בעצמו כמו שאמרנו. כללו של דבר לכל זמן. בעת שמחה בפורים ירבה בשמחה ובמשתה. אך שיהיה לבו לשמים שלא יצא מפיו דבר ערוה וניבול פה. בעת עצב עצב. Then he should set his table on Saturday night, even though he only needs to eat as much as an olive.⁶⁶⁷A halachic standard for the smallest amount of bread one must eat in order to say the Birkat ha’Mazon. Then he should send out the King with song and praise.⁶⁶⁸Vilna, Zilber ed., Moriah: המלך. Me’ah She’arim: המלכה, “the queen,” probably a textual emendation, but this is the usual personification of Shabbat. To personify Shabbat as a King is more unusual.
Zilber: BT Shabbat 119b. And on festival eve,⁶⁶⁹Boldface in Moriah, Me’ah She’arim, but Zilber ed. does not even assign a new line number. Vilna, Zilber ed.: .ובע"ש וי"ט ינהג כמו שאמרנו “And on Sabbath eve and festival eve let him conduct himself as we have said.” Moriah, Me’ah She’arim: ובערב יום טוב יִנהַג כמוֹ שאמרנו בערב-שבת. “And on festival eve let him conduct himself as we said about Sabbath eve.” let him conduct himself as we have said on Sabbath eve. The rule of the matter: for every time at a season of rejoicing, rejoice. At Purim let him increase joy and drinking. But his heart should be [directed] to Heaven so that no word of immorality or obscenity comes out⁶⁷⁰Zilber ed.: יוציא. Others: יֵצֵא of his mouth. And in a season of sorrow, be sorrowful.

משנכנס אב ממעטין בשמחה. When [the Hebrew month of] Av enters, joy decreases.⁶⁷¹Due to the mournful nature of the fast of the 9th of Av. Vilna, Zilber ed.: ממעטין; Moriah, Me’ah She’arim: מְמַעֲטִים.
Makor ha-Yirah: M. Ta’anit 26:2. SA OC § 551.

משנכנס אלול עד מוצאי יוה"כ יהא חרד וירא מאימת הדין. When [the Hebrew month of] Elul enters, until the night after the Day of Atonement, be trembling and fearful from [being] scared of the Judgment.⁶⁷²יהא חרד וירא מאימת הדין.
Makor ha-Yirah: Pirkei d’Rabbi Eliezer; SA (OC?) § 581.

תמיד בכל חדש יום א' או יותר ישב בתענית. או לכל הפחות יאכל לחם ומים ואותו יום יהיה בבכי ובמספד. בכי. זה הבוכה בדמעות. ומספד. כאדם הסופד על מתו. מספר מעשיו ואמר אוי לי שעשיתי חטא פלוני. אוי לי כמה חייבתי נפשי למלכו של עולם. וזו היא התשובה המעולה שנאמר' ע"י יואל הנביא (קרעו לבבכם וכו') [וגם עתה כו']. In every month, one should always sit one or more days⁶⁷³Vilna, Zilber ed.: יום א; Moriah, Me’ah She’arim: יום אחד. in fasting or at least eating [only] bread and water. Now on that day⁶⁷⁴Moriah, Zilber ed.: ואותו-היו; Vilna, Me’ah She’arim: ואותו יום. he should sit in crying and lamentation. Crying: this is the one who cries with tears. Lamentation: like a man who mourns his death, recounting his deeds and saying “Woe to me! That I have done such-and-such sin!⁶⁷⁵אוי לי שעשיתי חטא פלוני. Me’ah She’arim puts the phrase שעשיתי חטא פלוני in smaller, unvocalized font. Woe to me, that I am liable for the death-penalty⁶⁷⁶Lit., “how I have obligated my soul...” unto the Eternal King!” But this is⁶⁷⁷Vilna, Zilber ed.: וזו היא; Moriah, Me’ah She’arim: וזוהי the exalted repentance said by⁶⁷⁸Vilna, Zilber ed.: ע"י; Moriah, Me’ah She’arim resolve to על ידי. Joel the prophet: “Now tear your hearts, not your clothes and turn back to the Lord,” (Joel 2:13)⁶⁷⁹Vilna [וגם עתה וגו’] (וקרעו לבבכם ואל בגדיכם וגו) . Vilna also puts a reference to Joel 2:12 in square brackets: “Even now, swears the ETERNAL, turn back to me with all your hearts…” Moriah continues the quotation from Joel 2:13 through “…and return to the Lord,” while others truncate at “...rend your clothes.” with fasting, with crying, and with lamenting.⁶⁸⁰“with fasting…with lamenting.” appears in Moriah only.

ויתהא על עוונות נעוריו שעשה ואל ישוב לעשות עוד. Let him gaze⁶⁸¹וְיִתְהֶה, but Moriah וְיִתְהֶא (qal: impf: 3ms: תהה or תהא) Or “regret” but על afterwards appears to be “upon.” upon the sins of his youth that he has done and never return to them any more.

ובכל יום יתוודה על עונותיו הגלוים לו בהויתן. ויהיה מודה ועוזב. ולא טובל ושרץ בידו. And every day he confesses⁶⁸²Vilna, Zilber ed.: מתודה; Moriah: יִתְוַדֶה; Me’ah She’arim lacks the phrase (see below). over his sins that are known⁶⁸³עונותיו הגלוים, more lit., “his sins that are revealed to him.” Me’ah She’arim omits the entire phrase: .על עונות נעוריו שעשה ואל ישוב לעשות עוד ובכול יום יתודה על... Apparently a scrivener’s error -- haplography -- caused by the appearance of the phrase על עונות twice in two lines. to him as they stand,⁶⁸⁴Vilna בהויתן; Zilber ed. כהויתן, Moriah, Me’ah She’arim: כַּהֲיָתָםוָ. Translation follows Zilber ed. and Jastrow, ref to JT, Ber. II 4d. so he should be gratefully acknowledging⁶⁸⁵מודה and letting go [of them] and not [like] one who enters a ritual bath with a lizard in his hand.⁶⁸⁶Just as one cannot become ritually pure while holding an impure object such as a lizard; so too one cannot fully repent for past deeds while still holding onto them.

ויתפלל בכל יום כפי צחות לשונו על כל חולי בנ"י שיתרפאו. ועל הבריאים שלא יחלו. ושינצלו מכל נזק. ושיציל הקב"ה את בנ"י מכל רו"ר. ומדקדוקי עניות. ומכל מיני פורעניות המתרגשות ובאות לעולם. ושיתיר כל אסירי עמו. ושיתיר כל חבלי היולדות. ועל חשוכי בנים שיתן להם זרע טוב וכשר. ועל אותם שיש להם בנים שיהיו ביראת ה'. ועל כולם שישמור הקב"ה שארית תורתו. וינקום את נקמתם במהרה בימינו. ועל עם הקדש שישובו בתשובה שלימה. ויקבלם ויחזירם בתשובה שלימה לפניו. So let him pray⁶⁸⁷Boldface in Moriah, Me’ah She’arim. every day as beautifully as he can⁶⁸⁸כפי צחוּת לשונו , lit. “according to the brightness of his language” for all of the ill of the holy nation that they may be healed, and for all the healthy ones that they may not fall ill⁶⁸⁹Vilna, Zilber ed. insert ח"ו (=חס ושלום) “God forbid.” and that they may be saved from all damage. And that the Holy One, Blessed be He,⁶⁹⁰Vilna, Zilber ed.: הקב"ה; Moriah, Me’ah She’arim resolve to הקדוש ברוך הוא may save his people Israel⁶⁹¹Translation follows Zilber ed., עמו ישראל; Vilna בנ"י, Moriah, Me’ah She’arim resolve to בני ישראל “children of Israel” or “Israelites.” from all enemies⁶⁹²Vilna, מכל אויב, others, מכל גוים, “from all of the nations,” or “all the gentile enemies.” and from evil spirits⁶⁹³Me’ah She’arim, מרוחות רעות, others מרוח רעה, “from an evil spirit.” and from the sufferings of poverty and from all kinds of divine punishments which rush to enter the world,⁶⁹⁴Translation following Jastrow and JT Ber. V 8d. and that He may free all the captives of His people and that He may untie the bonds of the women in the throes of birth⁶⁹⁵ושיתיר את כל חבלי היולדות. BT Shabbat 32a, M. Sotah I:5 and that He may bring back to the fear of Him all those forcibly seized by the Nations.⁶⁹⁶Vilna: בידי עמים; Zilber ed. בידי גוים, Moriah, Me’ah She’arim: ביד גוים. That is bring Jewish children taken from their parents and raised as Christians (such as the later case of Edgardo Mortara) and forced converts back to Judaism. And for all those lacking children⁶⁹⁷Translation following Jastrow and BT Ervuin 28a. that He may give them good and kosher seed. And for those that have them, that they may live in fear of the Lord. And for all of them, that the Holy One, Blessed be He,⁶⁹⁸As above, Vilna, zilber ed. abbreviate הקב"ה, Moriah, Me’ah She’arim resolve. may guard the remnant of His people.⁶⁹⁹Vilna, Zilber ed. שישמור שארית תורתו, “that He may guard the remnant of his Torah.” Moriah, Me’ah She’arim: שישמור שארית (תורתו) [עמו]. The emended version makes more sense. And that He may execute their judgment speedily and in our days. And for the holy people, let them return in complete repentance, that he may receive them and take them back in complete repentance before Him.

ויקרא בכל יום בפ' ועתה ישראל וגו' שכולה יראת שמים למען יזכור תמיד הבורא ולא יחטא: Every day one should read the Torah portion beginning “And now Israel, what does the Lord require of you?” (Deut. 10:12).⁷⁰⁰Me’ah She’arim truncates the quotation at ועתה ישראל, “and now, Israel…”; others quote through “…what does the Lord your God require of you?” (The next part of the verse is “…but to fear the Lord your God…” which explains how the prooftext works.) For all of it⁷⁰¹Zilber ed.: שכולו; others, שכולהּ. is fear of Heaven, so that he may always remember the Creator and that he may not sin.