חגי ב׳:י׳-י״ט

שְׁאַל נָא אֶת הַכֹּהֲנִים תּוֹרָה. שֶׁמָּא שָׁכְחוּ בַּגָּלוּת הִלְכוֹת קֹדֶשׁ וְטֻמְאָה וְטָהֳרָה.

Now ask the priests the Torah Perhaps in exile they forgot the laws of sanctified things, and of impurity and purity.

בְּשַׂר קֹדֶשׁ. בְּשַׂר טֻמְאַת נְבֵלָה אוֹ שֶׁרֶץ.

contaminated flesh flesh of contamination of a carcass as a creeping thing.

וְאֶל הַנָּזִיד. תַּבְשִׁיל.

and the pottage a cooked food

לֹא יִטְמָא. נֶחְלְקוּ בָּהּ רַב וּשְׁמוּאֵל. חַד אָמַר: אִישְׁתַּבֵּישׁ כָּהֲנֵי, דְּבָעֵי מִנַּיְיהוּ רְבִיעִי בְּקֹדֶשׁ, וְאָמְרוּ לוֹ טָהוֹר. וְחַד אָמַר: לָא אִישְׁתַּבֵּישׁ כָּהֲנֵי, חֲמִישִׁי בְּקֹדֶשׁ בְּעֵי מִינַּיְיהוּ.

“No.” It [the food] will [not] become contaminated. Rav and Shmuel disagree over this matter. One [Rav] says that the priests erred, for he [Haggai] asked them concerning a fourth degree contamination in reference to hallowed things, and they replied that it [the food] is ritually pure. One [Shmuel] says that the priests did not err, that he [Haggai] asked them concerning a fifth degree contamination in reference to hallowed things.

וְנָגַע בִּכְנָפוֹ. לֹא נָגַע בַּשֶּׁרֶץ עַצְמוֹ, אֶלָּא בַּבֶּגֶד שֶׁהוּא רִאשׁוֹן.

if it touches in his skirt It did not touch the creeping thing itself but the garment, which is the first degree of contamination.

הֲיִקְדָּשׁ. הֲיִסְתְּאַב.

will it become contaminated? Heb. הֲיִקְדָּשׁ

אִם יִגַּע טְמֵא נֶפֶשׁ. מֵת עַצְמוֹ.

If the contamination of a dead body The dead body itself.

יִטְמָא. שֶׁהַמֵּת אֲבִי אֲבוֹת הַטֻּמְאָה, וַחֲמִישִׁי לְטֻמְאַת שֶׁרֶץ, רְבִיעִי הוּא לְטֻמְאַת מֵת.

It will become contaminated For the dead body is the father of the father of contamination. The fifth degree of the contamination of the reptile or rodent is a fourth degree in the contamination of a dead body.

כֵּן הָעָם הַזֶּה. כְּמוֹ שֶׁאַתֶּם טוֹעִים בָּזוֹ, כֵּן אַתֶּם טוֹעִים בְּכַמָּה הֲלָכוֹת.

So is this people Just as you err in this, so do you err in many halachot.

וַאֲשֶׁר יַקְרִיבוּ שָׁם. אִם לֹא יִתְּנוּ לִבָּם לִלְמֹד.

and whatever they will sacrifice there if they do not put their hearts to learning.

וָמָעְלָה. שָׁנִים שֶׁעָבְרוּ.

and before The years that passed.

מִטֶּרֶם שׂוּם אֶבֶן אֶל אֶבֶן. מִטֶּרֶם חֲזַרְתֶּם לָשׁוּב וּלְהוֹסִיף עַל יְסוֹד שֶׁיִּסַּדְתֶּם בִּימֵי כֹּרֶשׁ וּבָטֵל. עַתָּה שִׂימוּ לְבַבְכֶם לַעֲסֹק בַּבִּנְיָן וּבְלִמּוּד צָרְכֵי כְּהֻנָּה.

before placing a stone upon a stone Before you return to resume the building and to add to the foundation that you laid in the days of Cyrus - when it [the building] was stopped - now put your hearts to engage in the building and in studying the necessities of the priesthood.

מִהְיוֹתָם בָּא אֶל עֲרֵמַת עֶשְׂרִים. מִהְיוֹת לָכֶם מְאֵרָה מְשֻׁלַּחַת בְּמַעֲשֵׂיכֶם כַּאֲשֶׁר עַד הֵנָּה, שֶׁהָיוּ מַעֲמִידִים כְּרִי הָרָאוּי לָמוֹד מִתּוֹכוֹ עֶשְׂרִים סְאִין, וְלֹא הָיָה מוֹצֵא אֶלָּא עֲשָׂרָה.

so that they should not come to a heap of twenty measures So that you should not have a curse sent into your works as [there has been] until now; for they would set up a heap from which twenty seahs should be measured, and would find only ten.

בָּא אֶל הַיֶּקֶב. הוּא בּוֹר שֶׁלִּפְנֵי הַגַּת, וְהַיַּיִן יוֹרֵד לְתוֹכוֹ.

when one would come to the wine vat That is the pit before the wine press, into which the wine flows.

לַחְשֹׂף חֲמִשִּׁים פּוּרָה. לִשְׁאֹב מִמֶּנּוּ חֲמִשִּׁים מִדּוֹת שֶׁמּוֹדְדִין בָּהֶם יַיִן בַּגִּתּוֹת וּשְׁמָם פּוּרָה.

to draw off fifty press-measures To draw out from [the winevat] fifty measures with which they would measure wine from the winepresses, and the name [of those fifty measures] is purah.

לַחְשֹׂף. לְמַלְּאוֹת, כְּמוֹ ״לַחְשֹׂף מַיִם מִגֶּבֶא״ (ישעיהו ל:יד), וְכֵן ״חָשְׂפִי שֹׁבֶל״ (שם מז:ב).

to draw off to draw, as in (Isa. 30:14) “To scoop water from a cistern”; and so (ibid. 47:2) “Draw off the path.”

וְהָיְתָה עֶשְׂרִים. לֹא שֶׁנִּשְׁתַּלְּחָה בַּיַּיִן מְאֵרָה יוֹתֵר מִן הַדָּגָן, אֶלָּא שֶׁאָדָם טוֹעֶה בְּאֹמֶד מִדַּת הַיֶּקֶב, לְפִי שֶׁהוּא עָמֹק, אֲבָל הַכְּרִי עוֹמֵד לְפָנָיו. וּבְמִשְׁנַת אָבוֹת דְּרַבִּי נָתָן שָׁנִינוּ טַעַם, לָמָּה לֹא אָמַר בַּיַּיִן מִדָּה מוּעֶטֶת כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמַר בַּדָּגָן, כְּגוֹן ״לַחְשֹׂף עֶשְׂרִים וְחָמֵשׁ פּוּרָה וְהָיָה עֲשָׂרָה״. לִמֶּדְךָ שֶׁהַיַּיִן מִדָּה יְתֵרָה לָעוֹלָם, וּכְשֶׁהַיַּיִן לוֹקֶה, סִימָן רַע לָעוֹלָם. וּלְפִי שֶׁהַיַּיִן צָרִיךְ לִהְיוֹת הַרְבֵּה, מָנָה בּוֹ מִנְיָן יוֹתֵר.

and there would be twenty Not that more of a curse is sent into the wine than is sent into the grain, but a person [may] err in estimating the measure of the winevat because it is deep, while the heap [of grain] stands before him. In tractate Avoth d’Rabbi Nathan (4:4) we learned a reason why a small measure is not mentioned with regard to wine, while it is mentioned with regard to grain, e.g.. to draw off twenty-five press measures and it was ten. This teaches us that wine is an extra measure for the world, and when the wine suffers, it is a symptom of a curse for the world. Since the wine must be plentiful, [the prophet] counts a larger number concerning it.

אֲשֶׁר יֻסַּד הֵיכַל. שֶׁהִתְחִילוּ עַתָּה בַּשְּׁנִיָּה לְהוֹסִיף עַל יְסוֹד הָרִאשׁוֹן שֶׁבָּנוּ בִּימֵי כֹּרֶשׁ.

that the Temple of the Lord was founded That now for the second time they began to add to the first foundation that they had built in the days of Cyrus.

הַעוֹד הַזֶּרַע בַּמְּגוּרָה. עֲדַיִן לֹא זְרַעְתֶּם בְּשָׁנָה זוֹ, וְהָאִילָנוֹת עֲדַיִן לֹא חָנְטוּ פֵּירוֹתֵיהֶן. וּמֵעַתָּה תִּזְרְעוּ בִּזְמַן בְּרָכָה, כִּי בְּבִנְיַן הַבַּיִת יָבֹא בְּרָכָה בְּמַעֲשֵׂה יְדֵיכֶם.

The seed is still in the granary You have not yet sown this year, and the trees have not yet ripened their fruits. From now on you shall sow at a time of blessing, for the building of the Temple will bring blessing into the work of your hands.