Only when going beyond intellect is one assured that one would remain loyal to HaShem
Mother & sister omitted from list of close relatives that are inciters, since the Torah speaks of what usually occurs, and a sister and mother have reduced influence once a man is married, and thus, unlikely to be able to incite him
כי יסיתך *יג, ז יתג
People should give a gift that is more than what is appropriate for the other to receive, in order for growth to occur
Rambam lists the precept of severance gifts to a freed slave among the laws of charity
Severance gift serve as a model to apply to employees today
העניק תעניק טו, יד יטד
The choosing of Shiloh was primarily for the sake of excluding other locations
The choosing of Yerushalayim displays an intrinsic desire
לא תעשון כן יב, ד כדא
Jews’ servitude is the avodah of the rectification of one’s middos; benefits of a gift of increased intellectual awareness of G-d
Mitzvah of הענקה consists of two parts:
Gift from the owner - recognition of service
Benefit to freed person – continued freedom
The large benefit to the Jews (spoils of Egypt and at the Sea) confirmed the complete redemption
כי עבד היית טו, טו כדב
To attain a higher spiritual level, one must "climb the steps" - elevate one’s spiritual service; but at the highest level, one must abandon all awareness of "self", to a place where no "higher" and "lower" exist, and become completely nullified before G-d
In the Bais HaMikdash varying higher levels of holiness are manifested in physically higher site-levels, which permeated the physical place of the Mikdash (as opposed to the Mishkan)
The exception to the above statement is the Holy of Holies which has no levels; since being beyond a system of scales, levels of higher and lower do not apply within the Holy of Holies
המקום אשר יבחר ה' יב, יא כטא
One needs to accept the yoke of Heaven prior to accepting yoke of Mitzvos
Lo Aseh to eat Maaser Sheni outside of Yerushalayim; excludes the possibility that if not able to do the Mitzvah in Yerushalayim, one should at least eat Maaser Sheni in one’s place
*לא תוכל יב, יז כטב
Due to the holiness of the Jews, a new standard was created that items which the Jew creates become off limit
From the negative we learn the positive that the Jews only eat the most spiritually refined food
This verse prohibits as an “abomination” to you, תועבה specifically the person that created the prohibition, but was not an abomination in itself
Rashi’s examples (one that mutilates the first-born to not have to bring it to Yerushalayim; and the one that cooks meat in milk) adds this further prohibition upon the person who did the act
*לא תאכל כל תועבה יד, ג כטג
G-d confers holiness on the second tithe; but when we effect the exchange, we fulfill G-d’s purpose that holiness is done via our efforts in this world
The exchange of the second tithe for money (to take to Yerushalayim and buy produce) is an independent precept in its own right; thus, the exchanged money (action of a person) is treated as more stringent (cannot be exchanged again) than the second tithe itself
נתתי בכסף יד, כה לדא
