Part IV; Iggeret HaKodesh, Chapter 26
The whole chapterיא וְעוֹד יֵשׁ לְהַפְלִיא, הַפְלֵא וָפֶלֶא – אֵיךְ אֶפְשָׁר שֶׁלִּימוֹת הַמָּשִׁיחַ לֹא יִצְטָרְכוּ לֵידַע הִלְכוֹת אִיסּוּר וְהֶיתֵּר וְטוּמְאָה וְטָהֳרָה, כִּי אֵיךְ יִשְׁחֲטוּ הַקָּרְבָּנוֹת וְגַם חוּלִּין, אִם לֹא יֵדְעוּ הִלְכוֹת דְּרָסָה וַחֲלָדָה וּשְׁהִיָּה הַפּוֹסְלִים הַשְּׁחִיטָה, וּפְגִימַת הַסַּכִּין, וְכִי יִוָּלֵד אִישׁ בְּטִבְעוֹ שֶׁיְּהֵא שׁוֹחֵט בְּלִי שְׁהִיָּה וּדְרָסָה? וְגַם הַסַּכִּין תִּהְיֶה בְּרִיאָה וְעוֹמֶדֶת בְּלִי פְּגִימָה לְעוֹלָם?
11There is yet further cause to be exceedingly amazed. How is it possible that in the days of the Messiah they will no longer need to know the laws of ritual prohibition and permission, and of impurity and purity? How will they slaughter the sacrifices, and also (the animals) for common use, when they will not know the laws of drassah,44 chaladah,45 and shehiyah46 [which render the slaughtering unfit],47 and of a defective knife?48 Will there then be born a man who by his very nature will slaughter without shehiyah and drassah? Will the knife also be the way it should be, and remain forever without a defect?
יבוְעוֹד הַרְבֵּה הִלְכוֹת חֵלֶב וְדָם וּשְׁאָר אִיסּוּרִין, וְגַם טוּמְאַת הַמֵּת יִהְיוּ צְרִיכִין לֵידַע, כְּדִכְתִיב: ״הַנַּעַר בֶּן מֵאָה שָׁנָה יָמוּת״, וְגַם טוּמְאַת יוֹלֶדֶת צָרִיךְ לֵידַע, כְּדִכְתִיב: ״הָרָה וְיוֹלֶדֶת יַחְדָּיו״. אִם תֵּלֵד אִשָּׁה בְּכָל יוֹם מִבִּיאָה אַחַת, אַף־עַל־פִּי־כֵן – דִּין אִיסּוּר טוּמְאָתָהּ לֹא יִשְׁתַּנֶּה.
12(There are) also many more laws (relating to) fat, and blood, and other prohibitions. They will also need to know about the impurity of a corpse, as it is written: “The youth of a hundred years old will die.”49 It will be further necessary to know about the impurity of a woman who has given birth, as it is written: “A pregnant woman and one who gives birth together.”50 If a woman will bear children every day, from one marital union,51 nevertheless, the law with respect to the prohibition of her impurity does not change.
יגוְאֵין לְהַאֲרִיךְ בְּדָבָר הַפָּשׁוּט וּמְפוּרְסָם הֶפְכּוֹ בְּכָל הַשַּׁ״ס וּמִדְרָשִׁים, דְּפָרִיךְ ״הִלְכְתָא לִמְשִׁיחָא?״, וְאֵלִיָּהוּ בָּא לִפְשׁוֹט כָּל הַסְּפֵקוֹת, וּ״פָרָשָׁה זוֹ עָתִיד אֵלִיָּהוּ לְדוֹרְשָׁהּ״ כוּ׳:
13There is no need to dwell on something so obvious. The reverse52 is well known from throughout the Talmud and the Midrashim: [that] “An objection was raised that the law is the same for the time of the Messiah,”53 and Elijah comes to clarify all doubts;54 and “This section, Elijah will expound in the future….”55
ידוְעוֹד אֵינוֹ מוּבָן, מַה שֶּׁכָּתוּב: ״דְּלָא יִתְפַּרְנְסוּן תַּלְמִידֵי חֲכָמִים מֵעַמֵּי הָאָרֶץ כוּ׳ וְלָא מֵ״עֵרֶב רַב״ דְּאָכְלִין פָּסוּל טָמֵא וְאָסוּר״ חַס וְשָׁלוֹם, דְהָא גַם בִּזְמַן בַּיִת שֵׁנִי לֹא הָיוּ מִתְפַּרְנְסִין מֵעַמֵּי הָאָרֶץ דְּאָכְלִין פָּסוּל אָסוּר חַס וְשָׁלוֹם, שֶׁהֲרֵי תַּלְמִידֵי חֲכָמִים הָיוּ לָהֶם שָׂדוֹת וּכְרָמִים כְּעַמֵּי הָאָרֶץ, וַאֲפִילוּ הָכֵי – הָיוּ עוֹסְקִין בְּלִימּוּד אִיסּוּר וְהֶיתֵּר וְטוּמְאָה וְטָהֳרָה כָּל הַזּוּגוֹת שֶׁהָיוּ בִּימֵי בַּיִת שֵׁנִי, וְהֶעֱמִידוּ תַּלְמִידִים לַאֲלָפִים וּרְבָבוֹת, וְלִימּוּד הַנִּסְתָּר בְּהֶסְתֵּר כוּ׳:
14The statement that “the scholars of Torah will no longer be sustained by the illiterate (amey haaretz)…nor by the mixed multitude (erev rav), who consume what is unfit, impure, and prohibited,” Heaven forfend, is also not understandable. Even56 during the time of the second Temple they were not sustained by the “illiterate persons who consume what is unfit and prohibited,” Heaven forfend. For the scholars of Torah had fields and vineyards just like the illiterate persons, but nevertheless busied themselves with the study of [the laws of] ritual prohibition and permission, and of impurity and purity [all the pairs57 that lived at the time of the second Temple], and they raised disciples in the thousands and myriads, but the study of the esoteric was in secret….
Kehot Publication Society · CC BY-NC · sefaria.org
Kehot Publication Society · CC BY-NC · sefaria.org