Commenting on the Mishnah:
HE WHO KNOWS THAT IT IS THE SABBATH
AND PERFORMS MANY LABORS ON MANY SABBATHS, IS LIABLE FOR EVERY SEPARATE LABOR.
We are reminded of the 39 categories of labor (first seen on
page 6a). Again, the question of how did we get to 39? R. Nathan derives it
from this verse:
And Moses assembled all the
congregation of the children of Israel, and said unto them, These are the
words which the Lord hath commanded . . . Six days shall work be done (but
on the seventh day there shall be to you a holy day, a sabbath of rest to the
Lord. . .) (Ex. 35:1-2)
“These are the words” - ohÜ!r7c08v v3¦2t (eleh
ha-d’varim)
D'varim
– ‘Words’ – is plural, thereby indicating 2
Ha-D'varim
– ‘The Words’ – marks an extension of the 2, making: 3
Eleh
– ‘These’ – is made up of the letters, Alef, Lamed, Hey – which have the
numeric equivalents of 1 + 30 + 5 respectively; making the numerical equivalent
the word: 36
Eleh
HaD'varim therefore adds up
to 36 + 3 = 39
That is 39 categories of labor which
cannot be done on the Sabbath.
Hurray for Gematria!
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