(20a) Shev ve-al ta'aseh - Anshe Emet Synagogue

Rashi, Berachot 20a
France, 1040-1105
“Sit and Do Nothing” is Different
Babylonian Talmud, Berachot 19b-20a
t sung f ;s ,ufrc ,fxn h"ar
But he does become impure for a Mitzvah
Corpse. - And that is human dignity, and it
overrides a Biblical matter.
A case of “sit and do nothing” is different. -
Many things were permitted to override a
Biblical matter - because of a “fence” or because
of human dignity - where the thing was not
actively overridden, but he sat in his place and
the Torah matter was overridden on its own,
such as blowing the shofar and [waving] the
lulav on Shabbat, and a linen garment with
tzitzit, and many others like them in Yevamot
(90b). But to actively override - no; and one
who wears sha’atnez overrides with a definite
action, as he is wearing it.
But the physical impurity that they permitted
so the Kohen and the Nazir could become
impure for a Mitzvah Corpse, where they
actively override on account of human dignity
and it is not a case of “sit and do nothing,” this
is the reason we do not extrapolate from it -
because there [in the case of a Kohen] human
dignity is not pushing aside an active
prohibition, since from the outset when the
prohibition of impurity was stated, it was not
stated regarding a Mitzvah Corpse, just as it
was not stated regarding relatives.
But returning a lost object or [slaughtering] the
Pesach - these apply to all Israel, but when in
conflict with human dignity they can be pushed
aside; therefore you must admit that their
pushing aside is not active, but rather in
passivity the mitzvah is pushed aside. But in a
case of sha’atnez, where he actively pushes it
aside - we are warned to be cautious about it.
sucf tuvu - vumn ,nk tuv tnyn kct
/vru, rcs vjusu ',uhrcv
urh,v ohcr ohrcs - hbta vag, ktu ca
sucf hbpnu dhhx hbpn vru, rcs ruegk
'ohsh vagnc rcs reug ubhts tfhv ',uhrcv
'uhktn regb vru, rcsu 'unuenc cauh tkt
',hmhmc ihsxu ',cac ckuku rpua ,ghe, iudf
kct /(wc 'wm ;s) ,unchc tcuy uvhh,uufsu
ureug ohtkf acukvu 'tk - ohshc regn
/uacuk tuva 'ann vagnc
tnyhk rhzbku ivfk vr,uva vhpud ,tnuyu
sucf hbpn ohshc regn tes 'vumn ,nk
tngy ubhhv 'tuv vag, ktu ca utks ,uhrcv
,uhrcv sucf utk o,vs - vhbhn ibhrnd tks
c,fbaf trehgns 'vshs vag, tk hjss tuv
'c,fb vumn ,n kg tk - vtnuys vag, tk
/ohcurev kg c,fb tka oaf
'rntb ktrah kfk - jxpu vsct ,cav kct
ubhhv ljrf kg ',ujsk ub,b ,uhrcv sucf kmtu
vjs, u,chahc tkt ohshc vbht i,hhjss
- vjsh uhsh vagncs ohtkf kct /vumnv
/u,rvztc rhvzv
Rabbi Abe Friedman 4 afriedman@ansheemet.org
www.facebook.com/rabbiabe