שבת Date: 17 Iyar, 5774 (5/17/14) – RoshHashana#9 {Eliezer}

BOUNDARIES

[9a bottom] Chiya bar Rav from Difti: The pasuk says, “On the ninth day you should afflict yourself.” But we fast on Yom Kippur, which is the tenth!? Rather, the verse teaches that whoever eats and drinks on the ninth, the Torah treats him as if he fasted on the ninth and the tenth. The more one eats and drinks on the ninth, the better.

E’s Lesson: Many explain that eating on the ninth DEFINES fasting on the tenth. If one did not eat on the day before a fast day, there might not be a noticeable difference. We must always make clearly differentiating boundaries to protect what we hold sacred. We should not let assimilated ideals seep into our holy practices. Keep Kadosh and Serve Strong!