וַֽיַּחֲלֹ֗ם וְהִנֵּ֤ה סֻלָּם֙ מֻצָּ֣ב אַ֔רְצָה וְרֹאשׁ֖וֹ מַגִּ֣יעַ הַשָּׁמָ֑יְמָה וְהִנֵּה֙ מַלְאֲכֵ֣י אֱלֹהִ֔ים עֹלִ֥ים וְיֹרְדִ֖ים בּֽוֹ׃
He had a dream; a stairway was set on the ground and its top reached to the sky, and messengers of God were going up and down on it.
"סלם". בעל הטורים: סולם, בגימטריא קול, שקול תפלת הצדיקים הוא סולם למלאכים לעלות בו (זהר ח"א רסו:)... לכך כל מי שמכוין בתפלתו הסולם שלם בשליבותיו ויכולים לעלות בו. ע"כ.
"Ladder" Ba'al HaTurim: "Ladder" in Gematria [is equivalent to] voice, and the voice of the prayers of the righteous are the ladder by which Malachim ascend by. (Zohar)..therefore, for all who have kavannah in their prayer, the ladder is complete and they can ascend it.
תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: מִצְוַת חֲנוּכָּה, נֵר אִישׁ וּבֵיתוֹ. וְהַמְהַדְּרִין, נֵר לְכׇל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד. וְהַמְהַדְּרִין מִן הַמְהַדְּרִין, בֵּית שַׁמַּאי אוֹמְרִים: יוֹם רִאשׁוֹן מַדְלִיק שְׁמֹנָה, מִכָּאן וְאֵילָךְ פּוֹחֵת וְהוֹלֵךְ. וּבֵית הִלֵּל אוֹמְרִים: יוֹם רִאשׁוֹן מַדְלִיק אַחַת, מִכָּאן וְאֵילָךְ מוֹסִיף וְהוֹלֵךְ.
The Sages taught in a baraita: The basic mitzva of Hanukkah is each day to have a light kindled by a person, the head of the household, for himself and his household. And the mehadrin, i.e., those who are meticulous in the performance of mitzvot, kindle a light for each and every one in the household. And the mehadrin min hamehadrin, who are even more meticulous, adjust the number of lights daily. Beit Shammai and Beit Hillel disagree as to the nature of that adjustment. Beit Shammai say: On the first day one kindles eight lights and, from there on, gradually decreases the number of lights until, on the last day of Hanukkah, he kindles one light. And Beit Hillel say: On the first day one kindles one light, and from there on, gradually increases the number of lights until, on the last day, he kindles eight lights.
...(התחלה תרגומי)
שני זקנים היו בצידן אחד עשה כדברי ב"ש ואחד עשה כדברי ב"ה זה נותן טעם לדבריו וזה נותן טעם לדבריו זה אומר כפרי החג וזה אומר מעלין בקודש ואין מורידין. מצות הדלקתה משתשקע החמה עד שתכלה רגל מן השוק ומצוה להניחה על פתח ביתו מבחוץ ואם היה דר בעליה מניחה בחלון הסמוכה לרה"ר ואם מתירא מן הלצים מניחה על פתח ביתו מבפנים ובשעת הסכנה מניחה על שלחנו ודיו:
...(begin my translation)
There were two elders in Sidon, one followed the interpretation of Beit Shammai, and the other followed the interpretation of Beit Hillel, and each one gave a reason for his reasoning. [The one who followed the words of Beit Shammai] said: "It is like the fruits of the harvest [in that they decrease over time]", and [The one who followed the words of Beit Hillel] said "people ought to ascend in holiness, not descend."
אחר שלבש טלית מצוייץ יניח תפלין שמעלין בקודש והמניחין כיס התפלין והטלית לתוך כיס אחת צריכין ליזהר שלא יניחו כיס התפלין למעלה כדי שלא יפגע בהם תחלה ויצטרך להניחם קודם הטלית כדי שלא יעבור על המצוה. הגה: מיהו אם תפילין מזומנים בידו ואין לו ציצית אין צריך להמתין על הציצית אלא מניח תפילין וכשמביאים טלית מעטפו (דברי עצמו):
The Laws of Tefillin in Detail. Containing 13 Se'ifim:After putting on one's tallit with tzitzit [on it], one should put on tefillin because [we do mitzvot] in ascending order of holiness. And those who put their tefillin and tallit bags [together] into one bag must take care not to place the tefillin bag on top so that they won't encounter them first and [subsequently] have to put them on before the tallit in order not to skip mitzvot. Rem"a: However, if one has the tefillin ready but does not have a tallit, he does not have to wait for a tallit, rather he puts on the tefillin. When they bring him a tallit, he puts it on [his (the Rem"a's) opinion].
וַיִּיקַ֣ץ יַעֲקֹב֮ מִשְּׁנָתוֹ֒ וַיֹּ֕אמֶר אָכֵן֙ יֵ֣שׁ יְהֹוָ֔ה בַּמָּק֖וֹם הַזֶּ֑ה וְאָנֹכִ֖י לֹ֥א יָדָֽעְתִּי׃
Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely יהוה is present in this place, and I did not know it!”
ואנכי לא ידעתי. שאלו ידעתי הייתי מכין עצמי לנבואה ולא כן עשיתי:
ואנכי לא ידעתי, if I had realised the special distinction of this site I would have prepared myself mentally for receiving these Divine insights.
1.) How do we set our kavvanah/kavannot (intention/intentions), before and during prayer?
2.) How could taking time to set kavvanot be beneficial or detrimental to our practice?
3.) What kavannah would you like to bring into the week?
4.) Your first opportunity to implement that kavannah is coming up in Maariv. Just before the Amidah, I want you to pause, take a moment to remind yourself of your kavannah/intention, and when you begin, to practice keeping your attention focused on that kavannah as you go through the Amidah.
Additional informations about our texts:
Commentary
Author:Asher Wassertheil
A contemporary commentary focused on the elucidation of Rashi's commentary on the Torah.
Composed: Jerusalem, Israel (c.1960 – c.2010 CE)
Second Temple
Megillat Ta'anit (“The Scroll of Fasting”) is a chronicle listing 35 days on which public fasting was prohibited in recognition of joyful events. The original Aramaic, from the first century CE, contains brief outlines and appears here in boldface. Hebrew explanatory comments, dated to the seventh century or later, are interspersed throughout in plain text. The work is discussed several times throughout the Talmud, which records that observance of the scroll’s holidays began to fade after the destruction of the Second Temple. Purim and Chanukkah are the only two holidays recorded in the work that are still observed today.
Composed: Talmudic Israel/Babylon (c.40 – c.70 CE)
Authors
Ovadiah ben Ya'akov Seforno was an Italian rabbi, biblical commentator, philosopher, halakhic authority, and physician, who wrote commentaries on a good portion of the Tanakh. After an early period of wandering, he settled in Bologna, where he founded a yeshiva. Seforno was held in high regard by his contemporaries, Maharam Padua and Maharik Kolon, and is also quoted in responsa of contemporary authorities who consulted him on issues of halakhah. Seforno was admired for the breadth of his knowledge by King Henry II of France to whom he sent a Latin translation he prepared of his philosophical work, Ohr Amim.