<
 
 
 c
 
 A VOLUME OF THE 
 BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 BY HEFES B. YASLIAH 
 
 EDITED FROM AN ARABIC MS. IN THE LIBRARY OF THE DROPSIE 
 
 COLLEGE, TRANSLATED INTO HEBREW, AND PROVIDED 
 
 WITH CRITICAL NOTES AND AN INTRODUCTION 
 
 BY B. HALPER, M.A., PH.D. 
 
 A THESIS SUBMITTED MARCH 12, 1913 
 
 IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE 
 
 DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN THE DROPSIE 
 
 COLLEGE FOR HEBREW AND COGNATE LEARNING 
 
 PHILADELPHIA 
 1915
 
 PRINTED IN ENGLAND 
 AT THE OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 PAGE 
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 CHAPTER I. The Enumeration of Precepts . . i 
 
 CHAPTER II. Hefes b. Yasliah .... 9 
 
 CHAPTER III. The Book of Precepts ... 49 
 CHAPTER IV. The Preserved Fragment compared 
 
 with Maimonides -59 
 
 CHAPTER V. The Style of the Book of Precepts . 88 
 
 CHAPTER VI. The Manuscript .... 94 
 
 CHAPTER VII. References to Hefes and his Book . 100 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. Conclusion 117 
 
 ARABIC TEXT 
 
 Book 3, Section 3, Precept 8 . . . . .121 
 
 9 I22 
 
 4a i 127 
 
 2 ...... 130 
 
 > > )} 3 *35 
 
 > 4 *37 
 
 5 J 3 8 
 
 j> > 6 140 
 
 a 7 I 4 I 
 
 8 ..... 142 
 
 9 !43 
 
 4 b i and 2 . . . .143 
 
 Book 4, Section i a, Precept i 145 
 
 j> ,, 2 ..... 147 
 
 3 J47 
 
 4 !49 
 
 > 5 J 49 
 
 ,,6 149 
 
 2092299
 
 IV 
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 Book 4, Section \ a, Precept 7 
 
 PAGE 
 
 za 
 
 z a 
 
 3Aa 
 
 Book 5, Precept i . 
 
 , ti 2 
 
 3 
 
 HEBREW TRANSLATION 
 CORRECTIONS 
 ADDITIONAL NOTE . 
 
 I . 
 
 153 
 
 2 . 
 
 i54 
 
 3 and 4 . 
 
 155 
 
 5 and 6 . 
 
 . 156 
 
 
 157 
 
 8 .... 
 
 . 158 
 
 2 . 
 
 160 
 
 3 
 
 . 161 
 
 4 
 
 . 162 
 
 5 .... 
 
 . 162 
 
 
 164 
 
 
 164 
 
 
 165 
 
 2 . 
 
 . 167 
 
 3 . 
 
 . 168 
 
 4 ... 
 
 169 
 
 5 . . . . 
 
 . 171 
 
 
 173 
 
 2 . . . . 
 
 . I 7 6 
 
 3 
 
 . 178 
 
 i . 
 
 . 180 
 
 2 . 
 
 . 180 
 
 3 
 
 . 184 
 
 . 
 
 195 
 
 . 
 
 . 198 
 
 . 
 
 2OI 
 
 . . 
 
 . 219 
 
 . 
 
 . 278 
 
 .... 
 
 . 2 7 8
 
 A VOLUME OF THE BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 BY HEFES B. YASLIAH 
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 I 
 THE ENUMERATION OF PRECEPTS 
 
 ALTHOUGH the Mosaic laws must have been exhaustively 
 summed up during the early tannaitic period, no exact 
 number of precepts contained in the Pentateuch is found 
 in the Mishnah or Tosefta. The first indisputably explicit 
 statement that the Lord gave Moses 613 precepts at 
 Mount Sinai is that of R. Simlai, 1 a preacher of the 
 third Christian century. 2 At first sight one is inclined 
 to assume that R. Simlai is responsible for this far- 
 
 1 This is the traditional pronunciation of this name. In Ezra a. 46 we 
 have the Ketib Jyti& and Kere gjjfe?. Comp. Gen. 36. 36. Accordingly 
 we ought to pronounce it Satnlat. 
 
 2 DWI niKo ubv rwcb -6 now nixo rnn *vhv& -an em 
 i-nn'K 1333 r\vy H:D^I D'jww DTINOI nonn ni?3* pica \^ porn 
 
 DTN PU*. R. Simlai preached : six hundred and thirteen precepts were revealed 
 unto Moses, three hundred and sixty-five negative precepts, like the number of 
 the days oj the solar year, and two hundred and forty-eight positive precepts, 
 corresponding to the number of the limbs of the human body (Makkot 23 b). 
 
 I B
 
 2 HEFES B. YASLIAH S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 reaching statement. Moi'se Bloch who adopts this view 
 gives an elaborate explanation of this talmudic passage. 3 
 It is well known that many religious disputations took 
 place between Jews and Christians during the third and 
 fourth centuries. To some extent there was a danger 
 that the line of demarcation between Jews and Christians 
 would be removed, especially on account of the Jewish 
 Christians. R. Simlai, a contemporary of Origen with 
 whom he probably had some discussions, foresaw this 
 danger, and in order to guard against the possible 
 abrogation of certain ordinances, declared that just as the 
 organization of the human body and the course of the sun 
 are immutable, so are the Mosaic laws. Accordingly, the 
 number 613 is not to be taken mathematically but sym- 
 bolically. R. Simlai never meant to convey that all the 
 Mosaic precepts amount to 613, but wished to emphasize 
 their immutability by comparing them with two immutable 
 phenomena of nature whose sum is 613. 
 
 However fascinating this theory may appear, there are 
 serious objections which tend to invalidate it. To begin 
 with, this number is found in the Midrashim, and is spoken 
 of by subsequent Amoraim, as a fixed dogma. 4 Had 
 R. Simlai been the originator of this number, this statement 
 would have been ascribed to him in at least one passage. 
 One would expect to find such an assertion introduced by 
 some such words as ^DK' n "irDNHD, as is customary 
 throughout the Talmud. It is almost inconceivable that 
 
 REJ., I, P . 208. 
 
 4 See Tatthunta, Ki Tese, ed. Buber, 2 ; Exod. Rabba 32. i ; Num. 
 Rabba 13. 16 ; 18. 21; Shabbat 873; Yebamot 47 b ; Nedarim 253; 
 Shebu'ot 293. In all these places the statement that there are 613 precepts 
 is indirectly referred to, and is obviously taken as a well-known fact.
 
 INTRODUCTION : ENUMERATION OF PRECEPTS 3 
 
 a statement for which an individual preacher is responsible 
 should be quoted as a self-evident truth which requires no 
 support. Nobody in the Talmud or in the Midrash 
 entertains any doubt as to the accuracy of the number. 
 Such a fact would be all the stranger if R. Simlai intended 
 that number to be symbolical. For it is obvious from the 
 midrashic and talmudic passages that this number was 
 taken in its mathematical sense. 
 
 Moreover, there are two passages in which Tannaim of 
 the second century are credited with the knowledge of this 
 number. In the Mekilta 5 R. Simon b. Eleazar is reported to 
 have said : tb 13^3 nivo y3e ( 3 ro '33 noi noirn ^P onsn N^ni 
 nmi nc3 nnN by rnc'y t?tai mso wtn Dm IIEJ by. If the 
 children of Noah could not fulfil seven precepts \ how much 
 less will they be able to fulfil six hundred and thirteen! 
 It should be observed that this passage offers no conclusive 
 evidence, since at the beginning the number is not men- 
 tioned, and Bloch may be right in considering it a later 
 interpolation. Weiss, 6 whom Bloch does not quote, arrives 
 at the same conclusion, because in Yalkut Shimoni the 
 number is missing. This point, therefore, need not be 
 pressed. The other passage, however, is of greater weight. 
 It occurs in Sifre, 7 and is as follows : wy J3 pyB> >3n "1EN 
 1T3 jwn'3 Divert ^33 pxi rrnra ntryn &6 pern D'K^I HIKD 'a nm 
 ^3 nscr vby 3insn nnmn UDD i>p nivcn ^33 px^ on no nub 
 l^xy nivion. R. Simon b. *Azzai says: There are three 
 hundred and sixty-five negative precepts in the Torah, and 
 no such statement is made about any of them ; this indicates 
 that, if Scripture warned thee against blood which is the 
 
 6 Yitro, Bahodesh 5 (ed. Weiss, p. 74 a). 
 
 6 In a note to that passage. 
 
 7 Deut., 76 (ed. Friedmann, p. 90 b). 
 
 B 2
 
 4 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 liglitcst of all precepts, Jicnv much more art thou warned with 
 regard to other precepts ! Here we even have the exact 
 number of the negative precepts. There is no possibility 
 of interpolation, unless the whole passage is corrupt, or the 
 name of the Tanna is to be replaced by that of an Amora. 
 But as there is no independent reason for doubting the 
 authenticity of this passage, it must be allowed to stand 
 as it is. 
 
 A weighty objection to Bloch's view is also furnished 
 by the very passage in which R. Simlai's statement is 
 recorded. The explanation which that Amora offers is too 
 flimsy to have suggested the number. Had he been at 
 liberty to choose any number he pleased, he would have 
 adopted one which would have made the thought of 
 immutability more evident. For few people would associate 
 the days of the year (not the course of the sun) and the 
 members of the human body with the idea of immutability. 
 Moreover, he might have at least chosen the lunar system 
 rather than the solar. The impression one gains from that 
 passage, therefore, is that R. Simlai offered a homiletic 
 explanation for a well-known tradition. The novelty of his 
 exposition does not lie in the number, but in the reason 
 which he assigns to it. 
 
 There is accordingly nothing against the view of regard- 
 ing this number as a tannaitic tradition. The scribes who 
 counted every letter of the law 8 could not have neglected 
 to investigate the number of precepts. Bloch objects to 
 this hypothesis, because by fixing the number of precepts 
 the scribes would have been barred from finding a basis 
 in the Pentateuch for their innovations ; and a distinction 
 would have been drawn between Mosaic and later ordinances. 9 
 
 8 Kiddushin 30 a. R&J-, I, P. 200.
 
 INTRODUCTION : ENUMERATION OF PRECEPTS 5 
 
 This is, however, no weighty objection, as such a distinction 
 would be noticed even if the precepts were not counted. 
 The Rabbis in any case differentiated between Mosaic laws 
 (min nan) and Rabbinic institutions (nv:an nan). Nowhere 
 is there a tendency to consider the two as one category. 
 
 But beyond a mere statement, no indication is found in 
 talmudic or midrashic literature as to the actual enumeration. 
 Nor is there any reference to a method by which the 
 number 613 is to be obtained. The earliest attempt known 
 to us to give the individual precepts is that found at the 
 beginning of the Halakot Gedolot. The authorship of this 
 halakic work is variously attributed to R. Jehudai Gaon 
 and to R. Simon Kayyara. Hardly anything is known of 
 the life of either of these men, but it is certain that they 
 flourished in the eighth century. Two different recensions 
 have been transmitted, and there can be no doubt that the 
 text, which is sometimes inconsistent, has been tampered 
 with. 10 
 
 A number of Halakists must have followed the method 
 of the author of the Halakot Gedolot whom they recognized 
 as the foremost authority. For Maimonides, who severely 
 criticizes this method, remarks : n yvia IN Nrnya My JO ^a }d> 
 vb) nih-u rvcbn anxv nnb iyan np p sin p <t? B nsro 
 napi Spy^N ?N3 NTD Nannn N^N srmy *a "niK-UK jy pann* 
 ^j-ita Kin hp "uy. For all who occupied themselves with 
 enumerating them (the precepts) or with composing a bock 
 on this subject followed the autlior of the Halakot Gedolot^ 
 and they only slightly deviated from his opinions, as if the 
 
 10 See L. Ginzberg's thorough and ingenious discussion of this subject 
 in his Geom'ca, vol. I, pp. 99-117. 
 
 11 Sefer ha-Miswot, ed. Bloch, pp. 4 ff. 
 
 12 \,a\f-\ denotes here opinions, views. See Dozy, 5. v.
 
 6 HEFES B. YASLIAH S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 intellects stopped still at tJie decision of this man. These 
 works, however, are not preserved. Instead, we have 
 a number of Azharot which enumerate the precepts in 
 poetic form. The oldest extant is that which begins 
 nirun nr.x. The author of this composition is unknown, 
 but it is surmised that he flourished in the eighth century, 
 and was influenced by the Halakot Gedolot. Judging by 
 the number of Azharot that have been transmitted, it 
 seems that almost every liturgic poet took the precepts 
 as his theme. Sa'adya Gaon, with his amazing versatility, 
 composed two such poems. Some writers even tried their 
 skill in employing the Arabic language to enumerate the 
 precepts in metrical and rhyming lines. Fragments of two 
 such attempts, obviously by different authors, are found at 
 the Dropsie College. Although the Azharot seldom had 
 any halakic value, they exercised some influence as liturgic 
 compositions. They reached their culminating point in 
 Ibn Gabirol whose Azharot are still recited in some 
 congregations. 
 
 While practically all these writers followed the author 
 of the Halakot Gedolot blindly, Hefes b. Yasliah seems to 
 have questioned the validity of that method. Here again 
 we have the testimony of Maimonides who observes : 13 
 cm jo To 11 u ^y n5:n nn'Ni iint^N JTNI^N asm 
 
 rttr&M 2HNV. The aiithor of the famous Book of Precepts 
 (or the famous author of the Book of Precepts] took notice of 
 the errors of the aiithor of the Halakot Gedolot, and considered 
 it strange that visiting the sick and consoling the mourners 
 should be counted, as did the author of the Halakot. It is 
 the merit of Rapoport to have been the first to suggest that 
 13 op. at., p. 5 .
 
 INTRODUCTION : ENUMERATION OF PRECEPTS 7 
 
 by ' the author of the famous Book of Precepts ' Hefcs 
 b. Yasliah is meant. 14 This conjecture finds striking 
 confirmation in Judah ibn Bal'am's commentary on 
 Deuteronomy. For in that passage it is explicitly stated 
 that Hefes had objected to the method of a writer who had 
 included the visiting of sick and the consoling of mourners 
 among the precepts. 15 Maimonides, who was in this respect 
 anticipated by Ibn Bal'am, 16 found the method of Hefes 
 inconsistent. 17 He therefore laid down fourteen principles 
 (^1VN), in order to guard against all possible fallacies. 
 Although Maimonides is not quite free from inconsisten- 
 cies, as was shown by Nahmanides in his Refutations or 
 Objections (rmtrn), it must be granted that for logical 
 enumeration he deserves the palm. Subsequent writers, 
 like Moses of Coucy and Isaac of Corbeil, follow him with 
 but few deviations. 
 
 It may thus be said that there are three main systems 
 in enumerating the precepts : (i) that of the Halakot 
 Gedolot ; (2) that of Hefes b. Yasliah ; and (3) that of 
 Maimonides. 
 
 Against the literal interpretation of the idea that there 
 are 613 precepts in the Pentateuch, protests were now and 
 again heard. Judah ibn Bal'am was, as far as is known, 
 the first who sounded this protest. 18 He blames all those 
 who enumerated the precepts, and points out that there are 
 two kinds of precepts : those that were enjoined for ever 
 
 14 See Kebusat Hakantim, p. 58. 
 
 15 T.pa rtnsj^N rta a ^ins JD by TMK [pan m] ]yo ipi 
 
 D v2N Qlirjl Dvin (Commentary on Deut. 30. 2, ed. Fuchs). 
 
 16 Loc. cit. 17 Loc. cit. 
 
 18 Blocb, who wrote before Ibn Bal'am's commentary on Deuteronomy 
 was published, stated that Ibn Ezra was the first (REJ., I, p. 210).
 
 8 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 and those that were given only for one occasion. Now if 
 the former alone are counted, they would not amount to 
 the required number, while if we also include the latter, 
 they would exceed that number. 19 Ibn Ezra 20 deals at 
 length with this question, and employs logical arguments 
 against all systems. His criticism is chiefly levelled at the 
 liturgic writers. He likens them to a man who counts the 
 number of herbs that are mentioned in a book on medicine, 
 without knowing their use. 21 
 
 It is noteworthy that the objection came from writers 
 who were not specialists in Halakah. For although 
 Ibn Bal'am cultivated the study of Halakah in his old age, 
 he can hardly be regarded as a specialist in that branch. 
 Moses ibn Ezra in his Kitdb al-Muhadarah wal-Mudakarah^ 
 while speaking of the Jewish scholars in Spain, says of 
 Ibn Bal'Sin : my n5x 'a npanE/N, who sttidied Halakah 
 during the latter part of his life?* but does not style him 
 a Halakist. The only Halakist who was undecided on this 
 matter is Nahmanides that complex soul combining 
 rationalism and mysticism who expressed his doubts 
 whether the Talmud meant this number to be taken 
 seriously. 23 But even he, in spite of the difficulties he 
 points out, is inclined to follow the majority. All other 
 authorities have allowed this number to remain as a sort of 
 dogma. 
 
 19 See passage in extenso, loc. cit. 
 
 20 Yesod Mora, chapter II. 
 
 21 nutpyn naoo noa -IDID^ mvh Dcn nnrnxn ^ja mm 
 nn nnN S>33 ni>jnn HE -vai t^> xim rnxiEn iDon omnan (towards 
 
 the end of chapter II). 
 
 22 I take this quotation from Derenbourg, Closes d'Abou Zakariya Ya/tia 
 ben Eilam sur Isai'e, p. 7. 
 
 a See his niJUTI to Maimonides's Sefer ha-Miswot, at the beginning.
 
 INTRODUCTION : HEFES B. YASLIAH 9 
 
 II 
 
 HEFES B. YASLIAH 
 
 It is the fate of a good many Jewish writers that little 
 or nothing of their lives and activities is known. Jews 
 have always allowed books to supersede their authors. 
 Even in the Bible, where every letter was scanned, many of 
 the writers are not known by name, and it is only when an 
 author accidentally revealed his personality that we know 
 anything about him. This is perhaps to be accounted 
 for by the nation's conception of inspiration. For only 
 canonical books were preserved, and in such books the 
 author is merely the vehicle of the word of God. 
 Wellhausen somewhere accuses the Jews of ingratitude, 
 because they failed to perpetuate the memory of the 
 Maccabaean heroes, and excluded from the Canon the 
 books that relate their triumphs. But this again is in 
 harmony with the Jewish conception. The Maccabees 
 were the tools of the Almighty, and as such they deserved 
 no credit, since God merely chose them to carry out His 
 will, just as in former years He had chosen Assyria to 
 punish His people. 
 
 It is, therefore, not to be marvelled at that Hefes 
 b. Yasliah, whose books were for centuries lost sight of, 
 is nothing more than a mere name. Early Jewish historical 
 works, like Abraham ibn Daud's Seder ha-KabbalaJi and 
 Abraham Zakuta's Yuhasin, pass him over in silence. 
 The honour of having drawn the attention of scholars to 
 the existence of this wonderful personality is due to Zunz. 
 As early as 1832 he mentioned the name of Hefes among 
 the rational interpreters of the Bible in his GottesdienstlicJie
 
 io HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 Vortrcige, p. 397. Ten years later he gave a brief sketch of 
 this scholar in a note to Haarbriicker's Specimen of TanJuim 
 Yerushalmis Commentary on Judges. For in his note on 
 Judges 20. 28, Tanhum quotes the Book of Precepts of 
 Hefes. Haarbrlicker did not know the existence of such 
 a writer, and he applied to Zunz for information. 24 
 
 When Rapoport wrote the biography of R. Hanan'el in 
 1 830, he discussed in note 36 the authorship of the halakic 
 work Sefer Hefes, which was up till that time ascribed 
 by most writers to that famous scholar of Kairuwan. 
 Rapoport, however, found a number of difficulties, for some 
 decisions quoted from the Sefer Hefes are opposed to those 
 that occur in the authenticated works of R. Hanan'el. 
 Furthermore, in some passages both R. Hanan'el and the 
 Sefer Hefes are quoted, which makes it improbable to 
 consider that scholar as its author. To overcome these 
 difficulties, Rapoport made a sort of compromise : R. Hanan'el 
 was the author of that book, but his disciples added some 
 decibions and altered others. 
 
 In consequence of the suggestions thrown out by Zunz, 
 scholars occasionally wrote about Hefes. Furst was, 
 I believe, the first to connect Hefes b. Yasliah with the 
 Sefer Hefes. In his Literatnrblatt des Orients he gave 
 two brief notices of Hefes. 25 Using the sources indicated 
 by Zunz, he added two important observations, and one of 
 them is the identification of the Sefer Hefes with the Book 
 of Precepts. The other observation related to the place of 
 residence of that author. For Zunz assumed that Hefes 
 had lived in Kairuwan, whereas Furst suggested Babylon 
 as Hefes's place of residence. Neither Zunz nor Flirst had 
 any valid reasons for their assumptions which they expressed 
 
 24 See pp. x, xi afid 53, 54. 25 Vol. X, pp. no and 247.
 
 INTRODUCTION: HEFES B. YASLIAH II 
 
 with hesitation ; but, as we shall see later on, a recent 
 discovery proved the latter to be right. Two years later 
 Reifmann published a short note in the same periodical, 
 and without referring to any writer, identified the Sefer 
 Hefes with the Book of Precepts. 26 
 
 About 1860 Rapoport wrote three articles on Hefes 
 b. Yasliah which he sent to Stern. One of these articles, 
 evidently the most complete, was published in Kebusat 
 Hakamim? 1 There the view is expressed that Hefes lived 
 in Palestine, or rather in J erusalem. No reference whatsoever 
 is made to Zunz. The Sefer Hefes is with great ingenuity 
 and thoroughness ascribed to Hefes. One of the other 
 articles subsequently came into the hands of Halberstam 
 who published it in Kobak's Yeshurun?* In that article 
 Rapoport refutes the view of Zunz about Hefes's place of 
 residence, and adduces proofs that Palestine was the home 
 of that Halakist. Other scholars who wrote a more or 
 less complete biography of Hefes are Steinschneider, 29 
 Ginzberg, 30 and Poznanski. 31 
 
 All that could be gathered with certainty at that time 
 was that Hefes was blind, 32 and was styled by various 
 writers Gaon, 33 Resh Kalla, 34 Alluf, 35 and Rosh Yeshibah. 36 
 
 26 Vol. XII (1851), p. 617. Steinschneider, in a note in Benjacob's 
 D^DDH "UfiN, p. 197, seems to doubt Furst's priority. See Furst's remark 
 on Reifmann's note. 
 
 27 pp. 52-60. 28 Vol. VIII, pp. 57-65 (Hebrew part). 
 29 Arabische Literatur der Jucten, 62. See bibliography cited there. 
 50 Jewish Encyclopedia, s. v. 
 
 81 }80Tp HWK, pp. 24-8; hwW TON, s.v.; D'J'.B> DTjy, p. 55- 
 
 82 Solomon Parhon. in his Mahberet he-'Amk, s. v. "lEtf and yxp, refers 
 to Hefes as m^K* K>N"I Tin: VD. 
 
 33 R. Moses of Coucy, Sefer Miswot Gadol, positive precept 48, p. 127 b ; 
 R. Abraham ha-Yarhi in Ha-Manhig, p. 673. 
 
 84 R. Jonah ibn Janah, Luma', p. 15. M Alfasi, Respotisa, 109. 
 
 38 Solomon Parhon, loc. cit.
 
 12 HEFES B. YASLIAH S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 A great deal of ingenuity was spent in attempting to 
 determine the country in which he resided. In the absence 
 of positive facts, imagination was allowed to roam unbridled. 
 To the various opinions mentioned above should be added 
 that of Poznariski who suggested that Hefes might have 
 been a native of Spain, since the earliest writers who quote 
 him belong to that country. 37 Fortunately, however, among 
 the Genizah fragments at the Jewish Theological Seminary 
 of America there is a letter which settles this question. 
 The writer of that letter remarks : VTOpP D^mnr Dniryn fniN "3 
 D<nnpi> uco nitron n^v p I^K pan mi> mvcn ana Dm. 38 
 We thus know that Hefes lived in Mosul, which Jewish 
 writers called Titt>K. There certainly can be no reason for 
 doubting the accuracy of this remark, as the writer of this 
 letter seems to be well informed, and is very careful in 
 placing the title Alluf immediately after pan in order to 
 avoid the possibility of taking Yasliah to be the bearer of 
 that title. 
 
 As to the time when Hefes flourished, we are less 
 fortunately situated, and some uncertainty still exists. 
 It is usually assumed that he lived towards the end of the 
 tenth century. But despite the consensus of opinion on this 
 point, there is no basis for this conjecture, for it rests on 
 assumptions which proved to be incorrect. No positive 
 evidence was adduced for this view. Zunz hesitatingly 
 suggests that Hefes is identical with the Alluf to whom 
 reference is made by R. Hai Gaon in a Responsum. 39 
 In that Responsum it is stated that R. Hai had some 
 
 37 fNITp HMK, p. 25. 
 
 38 See JQR., New Series, I, p 439. Professor A. Marx, to whom I am 
 indebted for this sentence, assures me that nothing more can be gathered 
 from that letter in connexion with Hefes. 
 
 39 Haarbruckcr's Specimen of Tanhum Ytnuahalmi. p. 54.
 
 INTRODUCTION : HEFES B. YASLIAH jo 
 
 *-* 
 
 correspondence with an Alluf in the year 997 or 998. 40 
 Relying on this identification Steinschneider states that 
 Hefes corresponded with R. Hai. 41 But there was not the 
 slightest justification for that identification, and it is more 
 likely that the Alluf referred to is Jacob b. Nissim. 42 
 
 Scholars also attempted to fix the terminus a quo by 
 the circumstance that Ibn Janah is the earliest writer who 
 quotes Hefes. 43 This is indeed a ' broken reed ', for there 
 probably was no occasion to quote him. If such an 
 argument should be regarded as valid, we could place 
 many an early writer at a late period. To mention only 
 one glaring example. Nisi al-Nahrwanl an older con- 
 temporary of Sa'adya who must have been a prolific 
 hymn-writer 44 and scholar of high attainments, is only 
 known from Nathan ha-Babli's report. When we consider 
 the fact that many a scholar of past generations would 
 have been doomed to oblivion, had it not been for some 
 casual mention, it is impossible to lay stress on such an 
 argument. Moreover, few books dating from the ninth and 
 tenth centuries have been preserved, and, on the whole, 
 writers of that period were not accustomed to quote their 
 predecessors to a great extent. The talmudic and midrashic 
 literatures alone were binding to them, whereas post- 
 talmudic scholars had not yet acquired indisputable 
 authority. 
 
 From the references to Hefes nothing positive can be 
 gleaned. He is grouped together with other writers in 
 
 40 DTI D^on, 119. 
 
 41 Arabische Literatur der Juden, 62. See also Ginzberg, Geonica, I, p. 178. 
 
 42 Comp. Poznanski, JNTVp ^2'JN, pp. 15, 25, 32. 
 Op. eft., p. 25. 
 
 44 There are a number of hymns by Nisi in the Genizah fragments at the 
 Dropsie College. Some of the acrostics spell out rV2"D p ^D^.
 
 14 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 various ways. Thus Ibn Janah mentions some of the 
 reliable interpreters of the Bible in the following order: 
 Sa'adya, Sherira, Hai, Samuel b. Hofni, Hefes. 4 ' That no 
 stress can be laid on this order as regards chronology is 
 evident from the fact that Hai is mentioned before Samuel 
 b. Hofni. Then on the other hand Isaac ibn Gayyat 
 places Hefes before Sa'adya. 46 Also in a Genizah fragment, 
 which is now at the Jewish Theological Seminary of 
 America, Hefes is casually mentioned before Sa'adya and 
 Samuel b. Hofni. It is a remarkable fragment, written in 
 fluent rhymed prose, and seems to be a description of 
 a trial before a judge. The writer was probably a copyist 
 or bookseller by profession. The passage referring to the 
 Geonim runs as follows : 47 [p]an '"^na pan ^ [p] a rwito 
 pxi ,i>WBB> psji naD3 tab n pro nnyo irm nma rr[n] N^I 
 y nwo nto N^I D?]Dinn rvvaM DK ^ two ^ 
 That Hefes b. Yasliah is here meant 
 cannot be reasonably doubted. For there is only one other 
 writer bearing that name whose identity has not yet been 
 established. He was a philosopher and is quoted by 
 Ibn Gabirol. 48 His full name was Hefes b. al-Birr al-Futi 
 or al-Kuti, and it was suggested that al-Birr is an Arabic 
 translation of the Hebrew llvJP or vice versa. However 
 this may be, the writer of the fragment obviously speaks of 
 Halakists, and it is interesting to note that Hefes is classed 
 among the most prolific writers of that period. At all 
 events, owing to the conflicting arrangements, this point 
 
 45 Litma', p. 15. 46 Sa'are Sitnhah, ed. Furth, p. 63. 
 
 47 1 am under obligation to Professor Israel Davidson, who intends to 
 publish the entire fragment, for drawing my attention to this passage, and 
 for copying it for me. 
 
 48 See Steinschneider, Hebraische Uberseizungen, p. 382. 
 
 49 See Po^nanski, fNlTp HWK, p. 25.
 
 INTRODUCTION : HEFES B. YASLIAH 
 
 must be abandoned as a basis for determining the time 
 when Hefes flourished. 
 
 Hitherto we have only examined the external evidence. 
 Unfortunately there hardly exists any internal evidence, as 
 no post-talmudic writers are cited in the Book of Precepts. 
 Discussions of a polemical nature, with the exception of 
 one passage which will be explained later on, 50 are entirely 
 absent. Yet there is one point which deserves a full 
 discussion. Hefes gives in every precept a rdsumd in 
 Arabic of the pentateuchal law, and then quotes the verses 
 in Hebrew. The Arabic words he employs are, with rare 
 exceptions, identical with those of Sa'adya's translation. 
 Even the constructions resemble those of Sa'adya, and the 
 deviations are such as one may expect to occur in a 
 rtsumd as distinct from a literal translation. In order to 
 illustrate this point I shall place in parallel columns 
 Sa'adya's translation and the rhumd given by Hefes of the 
 first four precepts that are preserved. 
 
 INI 
 
 SA'ADYA 
 maia 1N3 nra 
 N^oao IN Nona 
 
 N 'a NO "VND IN 
 
 ..fa aa* NO 
 (Exod. 2,2. 5.) 
 
 IN 
 
 JD bar 
 
 I mn naa JNI 
 n^K oii^a 
 n mhi'N 311 
 
 (z'^W., 21. 28.) 
 
 HEFES 
 
 nanai IN: DIXN p 
 
 <7niD IN NDia npin 
 a NOO n^a IN nnajo 
 
 (Text, fol. i a.) 
 va iin jN3 xnN njin 
 
 N 
 
 JN 
 
 ,n3D 
 
 50 Chapter III. See note 157. 
 
 (fol. 3 a.)
 
 16 
 
 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 fo xnNOJ NTin JSD jxi 
 ntbarr 1 D^I narm* ipua r6ap NCI 
 -nn^>N Dih^B rix-io ix N^h ^npi 
 nn DT^N* INI ^np' nar-NV NSW 
 
 .nor!" NO ynrj nosa Nna oy^a 
 (*&#., 21. 29. 30.) 
 
 5>'N-iDN y'oa ID y^a NDix ;ND 
 
 boya PIJ^N jvy jo 
 ^K f NIB 
 nany nh :ionxa 
 ^N anp^s NHINDDN 
 
 non jo 
 
 pa nxio yao TOD nvri 
 ar n:oi : spo^K fi^Nap 
 ^N H a nartdht 
 
 as % a 'a nN frrwM nano DKDN 
 cn^ yoai tns 
 
 N riiai nina oy xoa na 
 DTOV naanD'i na 
 
 K pins* Noa 
 
 :pij^K riian in 
 (Lev. 4. 13-21.) 
 
 jo HNOJ N-\in ni? o 'b aain 
 
 noan*^ 1^1:1 ^>ap 
 
 p NOT 
 
 ;NB N'DNnnaN NDIO in pnno'-i 
 nn DT^N 
 
 n^y nan 
 (fol. 3 b.) 
 
 "i^ nyxoj noax 'no a:m 
 boya pia^N jvy fy ION a 
 lonsa nm^N p 
 
 on noNn y on*nN 
 
 p niDoo^s DNON^N 
 
 y:n nxno f eiao^N n^Nap HOT 
 
 a:n maa^N nano jxaix ^y TOO 
 
 mvb* nano DSDN n 
 
 nano^N "^y inp 11 j 
 
 maa ;rwn 
 
 nxa nin^N jroa aia^i on 
 moo ^N -inso yifio ^ 
 
 (fol. 5 b.)
 
 INTRODUCTION : HEFES B. YASLIAH 17 
 
 It will be observed that the differences in the passages 
 from Exodus are more numerous than in the one from 
 Leviticus. This is to be accounted for by the fact that the 
 former are less technical. Moreover, some differences are 
 only apparent. Thus Sa'adya renders bjn indifferently by 
 m and 3nxv. In the passage quoted above Hefes has only 
 the latter ; but on the same page he also employs the 
 former. There is no need to quote any further passages, 
 but it may be stated that the Leviticus passage represents 
 the relation between the two renderings more correctly. 
 Now the differences in the Leviticus passage are so 
 insignificant that they may be expected to occur almost in 
 two different manuscripts of one and the same book. The 
 two manuscripts of Sa'adya's translation of and commentary 
 on Job, for instance, differ from each other to a very great 
 extent. 51 The same is the case with Bahya b. Pakuda's 
 al-Hiddya ild Faraid al-Kulub?* In some places the Book 
 of Precepts may help us to correct Sa'adya's text. Thus 
 3X3 (Lev. 4. 13) is hardly an accurate rendering of D7JJJ, and 
 it seems quite probable that it is a scribal error for ^i, as 
 Hefes has it. The rendering of ns by m is very interesting. 
 Although Hefes in the above passage has Tin, in other 
 places he agrees with Sa'adya in using n~i. 53 Now the 
 ordinary word in Arabic for steer is^*, or^*^> ^*, whereas 
 >j is an extremely rare word, and in Mohammedan works 
 its usual signification is hog. There can be no doubt that 
 in the dialect spoken by Sa'adya and Hefes >I>J meant 
 nothing more than bullock or steer. For it is inconceivable 
 
 61 See Bacher's introduction to his edition, p. ix. 
 
 62 See Yahuda's edition, Introduction, pp. 7 ff. 
 68 See text, fol. lob, 1. 12.
 
 i8 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 that they employed such an ambiguous word which denotes 
 hog in a passage dealing with sacrifices. 
 
 The resemblance of these two versions will appear still 
 more striking when we compare them with the independent 
 translation of the Bible printed in Beyrout. The Leviticus 
 passage alone will suffice for our purpose. It is as follows: 
 
 sM (J ^\ ^^ (ji-U Jol^J icU. 
 
 ^C J 
 
 y (**r 
 
 
 yy *- 
 
 JJJI ^JJil 
 
 ^s? 1 ' _ ju> i- ^ &*-ai .. 
 
 Jc 
 
 In this version almost every technical expression is ren- 
 dered differently from the other two, and this would lead 
 one to assume an interdependence of the latter As Sa'adya 
 is by far the better known of the two as a translator and 
 commentator of the Bible, it seems at first sight reasonable 
 to conclude that Hefes borrowed from him. This, accord- 
 ingly, would fix the terminus a quo, and would indeed place 
 Hefes in the second half of the tenth century, for we must 
 allow some time for Sa'adya's translation to become 
 universally spread. 
 
 On reflection, however, this can hardly be considered 
 conclusive evidence. To begin with, the fact that Sa'adya 
 is the most renowned and admired Jewish writer of the
 
 INTRODUCTION : HEFES B. YASLIAH 19 
 
 tenth century does not preclude the possibility of an earlier, 
 though less satisfactory, attempt at translating the Bible, 
 at least the Pentateuch, into Arabic. Hefes displays 
 a thorough mastery of Hebrew, Arabic, and Aramaic. 
 He shows great skill and a sense of appropriateness in 
 choosing Arabic equivalents for the most obscure talmudic 
 terms. Even in cases where his explanations lack philo- 
 logical soundness, the Arabic words he uses admirably 
 convey the meaning he intended. And in this branch he 
 has no predecessors known to us. Is it at all likely that 
 a man of the calibre of Hefes would need to borrow from 
 the translation of another writer without due acknowledge- 
 ment? It, therefore, seems natural to reject the theory 
 that the translation of Hefes is influenced by that of 
 Sa'adya. The striking resemblance of the two translations 
 may be accounted for in a simpler manner. Although we 
 have no data for determining exactly the time when Jews 
 in Babylon adopted Arabic as their vernacular, 54 there can 
 be no doubt that this event took place centuries before 
 Sa'adya. The Jews, accordingly, while studying the Bible, 
 especially the Pentateuch, must have translated it into that 
 language. Some sort of terminology must have gradually 
 developed, and remained fixed to a considerable extent, 
 especially in the case of technical terms. This terminology 
 inevitably had some Hebrew colouring, otherwise such 
 words as 5J~* for burnt-offering, which is a literal translation 
 of nhy, 56 and i*^L, for peace-offer ing t Hebrew tFDxP, could 
 not have arisen. Accordingly, if Sa'adya really was the 
 first translator of the Pentateuch, he merely committed to 
 writing that which had been known orally, and it is only 
 
 84 Comp. Steinschneider, Arabische Literatur der Juden, p. xvii. 
 65 See Frey tag's Lexicon, s. v. Ax<. 
 
 C 2
 
 20 HEFES B. YASLIAH S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 for the literary touches that he deserves credit, not for the 
 actual translation. Subsequent writers, who had Sa'adya's 
 translation before them, were no longer aware of the oral 
 terminology that had previously existed, and unduly praised 
 him for his work. For it must be borne in mind that 
 a translation of the Bible made by Jews in their vernagular 
 differs radically from that made by non-Jews. The former 
 are enjoined to 'meditate therein day and night', and as 
 soon as they adopt a new mother-tongue, are bound to find 
 equivalents for Hebrew words. Thus the adoption of the 
 new mother-tongue practically coincides with the translation 
 which may be regarded as raw material for subsequent 
 literary attempts. The first non-Jew, however, who wished 
 to translate the Bible, had to begin with a clean slate, and 
 was obliged to coin new terms. 
 
 These considerations, to my mind, completely destroy 
 the evidence to be adduced from the expressions Hefes 
 employs in translating pentateuchal verses. 
 
 In this connexion it is convenient to discuss two 
 passages in which Hefes is supposed to quote Sa'adya 
 explicitly, and which would thus conclusively prove that 
 Hefes flourished after that famous Gaon. In JQR., VI, 
 p. 705, Neubauer published an Arabic fragment which he 
 hesitatingly suggested to be part of the Book of Precepts 
 by Hefes b. Yasliah. That fragment begins with a slightly 
 abridged quotation from Menahot, Mishnah, 3, 6. y. 56 
 Then comes the following passage: naTiD^N DNT N.IODp npl 
 NiTonj fra DDP ro Trrvwb rb rr\un >a nrm n^s nij 'BI^K 
 ob rpra tnpn pp^a NHIDT NDJN in IKS jxi mjx rub iNvmNi 
 NH3Q "vro N:^ vino npi Kniya -en NB:XI nwfo jroa piv. This 
 is followed by an enumeration of twenty sections. After 
 
 66 This was not noticed by Neubauer.
 
 INTRODUCTION : HEFES B. YASLIAH 21 
 
 the mention of the twenty-first section there is a gap, and 
 the subject is interrupted. The passage that follows deals 
 with an important principle for enumerating precepts. 
 The gap must have been considerable, for we have to allow 
 room for at least four or five sections. 57 
 
 Another fragment which enumerated the first eight 
 sections of Sa'adya's Reslmt was published by Prof. 
 Schechter. 58 That fragment is headed H^N DIBnta "roan Nin 
 69 ib rm*i>N JVD oop i>i WB!>K nnyo mo ranoi>K DNI nboy 
 &f ':an p pw i>NiBE> mo rrvoana yy DOp. The remaining 
 lines are, with the exception of a few insignificant variants, 
 identical with those of Neubauer's fragment, and hence 
 Prof. Alexander Marx was led to consider Samuel b. Hofni 
 the author of the latter. 60 There is, however, no ground 
 for this identification. That the two fragments do not 
 belong to one and the same book is self-evident. In 
 Saadyana we have the beginning of Samuel b. Hofni's 
 commentary, whereas in Neubauer's fragment we have 
 a direct quotation from Sa'adya's Re shut before it was 
 translated into Arabic. Since the headings alone are 
 quoted, there is no room for divergency in style, and there 
 is nothing to connect the two writers. One feels inclined 
 to agree with Neubauer that 'it is certainly not by Samuel 
 ben Hofni '. 61 
 
 On the other hand, I am now in a position to demonstrate 
 
 67 There are a few misprints in that passage, and Neubauer, JQK., VII, 
 p. 172, corrected them in the name of Bacher, who had seen the manuscript. 
 One important word, however, was left uncorrected. ?DN, p. 707, 1. 14, 
 ought obviously to be p?DK or PCIX. 
 
 68 JQR.-, XIV, p. 211 ; Saadyana, p. 53. 
 
 69 It seems to me that HD is the more correct reading, as a slightly 
 obliterated H might easily be mistaken for *1. 
 
 6J Ginzberg's Geonica, I, p. 179, note. 61 JQR-, VII, p. 172.
 
 22 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 with certainty that Hcfes was not the author of that 
 fragment, and the evidence is furnished by the preserved 
 portion of his Book of Precepts. There is, to begin with, 
 a difference in style. Hefes consistently uses Arabic 
 equivalents for Hebrew technical terms. Thus, he always 
 says nynp, yiOB>, "U3N1N, nxu, while Neubauer's fragment 
 has rrso, nivo, ntj>y, ntpyn sb. Matters of style are always 
 subject to doubt, and those who are loath to rely on them 
 will find convincing proof for my contention in the following 
 consideration. The author of Neubauer's fragment refutes 
 the system of a certain . . . Bar Furkan. 62 In order to 
 make this point clear I shall quote and explain the words 
 attributed to that Bar Furkan, especially as they are of 
 importance for the various systems of enumerating precepts. 
 a D"unnra nt^yn h nts>y sitrn rtap yj 
 
 in mm tn niosm me nnnn Ditrpnna nrnc3 DPDJ oil 1 
 
 IN3 1/1 ^P IWOBM ^ naxna s n:y 
 
 pnscn D^I inr N^ Ny NI^N in -inaci?N \wrbt* bm 
 NyiK' 64 . . . Bar Furkan may his soul be in paradise 
 
 says : Count positive and negative precepts when they are 
 combined (as in the case of the hoofs of animals) as one ; one 
 of them is sufficient to indicate them both ; the opposite is 
 superfluous, since they are joined. Tiirn to the permitted 
 thing , and cast away the forbidden. And this is \the 
 principle^ concerning which he said in his book of precepts. 
 He said : If it is permitted to eat an animal zvhich chews 
 its cud, this in itself is a prohibition against the eating of an 
 animal which does not chew its cud and is not cloven-footed ; 
 
 it is to be counted as one precept. 
 
 62 The name is obliterated, and Neubauer supplied I't^liT, while Bacher 
 read it as JTplX. 
 
 63 Read pi?BK or i?flN ; see above, note 57. JQR., VI, p. 707.
 
 INTRODUCTION : HEFES B. YASLIAH 23 
 
 . *J 
 
 The Hebrew quotation is no doubt part of Azharot or 
 Rcshnt. We have four lines rhyming with D1. The style 
 is paitanic, and I think that the last word 01 stands for n ~>, 
 just as ?3 is the apocopated form of n?3. The Arabic is 
 slightly clumsy, but my interpretation is the only one 
 possible, for it would not do to take NTHN1 Njnti> as the 
 complement of JN3, since there would then be no apodosis. 
 Moreover, the finite verb after |N3 (for there is no ground to 
 read PN^DX) precludes such an alternative. Accordingly 
 Bar Furkan lays it down as a principle that opposites are 
 only to be counted as one precept. The writer of that 
 fragment refutes this principle from a logical standpoint. 
 Maimonides, too, agrees with the latter, for he consistently 
 counts such cases as two precepts. 65 The permission to eat 
 clean animals is positive precept I49, 06 and the prohibition 
 against unclean animals is negative precept I72. 67 Now 
 Hefes b. Yasliah, as will be explained later on at the end of 
 Chapter IV, is not at all aware of this subtle distinction. 
 He usually reckons such cases as one precept, but sometimes 
 as two. Thus, that a Nazarite must grow his hair is given 
 as a positive precept, but the fact that he must not cut his 
 hair is not given separately. On the other hand, he counts 
 separately the commandment to bring all sacrifices to the 
 special place (Deut. ia. 6) and the prohibition against eating 
 any sacrifice outside that place (ibid., 12. 17). The reason 
 why he counts them separately is because they occur in 
 different passages of the Pentateuch. 
 
 The other passage in which Hefes apparently quotes 
 Sa'adya is the glossary to JWiupn DlD'O published by 
 Horowitz. 68 The passage is headed DlB'SD DKE&t&K 
 
 65 Scfcr ha-Miswot, principle 6, ed. Bloch, p. ao. 66 Op. cit., p. 127. 
 
 67 op. at., p. 250. 68 niabnn rvu3 rva, n, PP. 63 ff.
 
 24 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 Pi J'sn 3rb miupn, and is without any doubt excerpted from 
 the Book of Precepts, as will be pointed out at the end of 
 this chapter. The note on RE&fl runs as follows : rm^n 
 npno rpfi hp 11 HHJJD :ni nycfcx. It is, however, easy to prove 
 that the explanation attributed to Sa'adya does not form 
 part of Hefes's glossary. For it is impossible that Hefes 
 should quote an opinion different from his own without 
 refuting or accepting it. Moreover, if he wanted to give ex- 
 planations by Sa'adya differing from his own, he had occasion 
 to do so in the next word. Hefes translates njnfp by "Djy, 
 while Sa'adya, according to Solomon Parhon, 69 renders it 
 by UDp. Then in this very passage Hefes quotes a talmudic 
 statement on nx which is against his own explanation. 
 This statement is placed at the end of the passage, after all 
 the difficult words have been explained. It is thus evident 
 that Hefes did not interrupt himself in the middle, 
 otherwise he would have placed the talmudic statement 
 immediately after his translation of >- iV, especially as this 
 word occurs before n33^n. It is also to be observed that 
 Sa'adya does not translate fU3/n by 3^ TO. The text of his 
 translation of Exod. 30. 34 has KXP, while Derenbourg 
 gives a variant fiyo. We thus see that this note in the 
 glossary to miupn DIO'S is spurious. The copyist did not 
 have the Book of Precepts before him, but excerpted the 
 passage from Ibn Bal'am's Kitdb at-Tarjt/i. 10 To any one 
 who studies Ibn Bal'am's works it is inconceivable that he 
 should have incorporated the entire passage from Hefes 
 
 69 Ma/jberethe-Aruk, s. v. S?i*p. 
 
 70 At the end of the passage it is said : }O "lliNO DS*3S7N ""in miTI 
 
 n;y n&K sn Dyb p mirv ^6 SI^KH rv;hni>N 2NH3. The editor 
 
 misread the text. These corrections are by Steinschneider, Monatschrift, 
 1885, p. 288.
 
 INTRODUCTION : HEFES B. YASLIAH 25 
 
 verbatim without commenting on it. He usually quotes 
 various opinions side by side. What really happened was 
 this : Ibn Balaam gave various opinions among which those 
 of Hefes were prominent, and the copyist subsequently 
 collected all of Hefes's explanations under the heading 
 yzn 317 , . . Tcan. He was, however, unable, in some cases, to 
 differentiate between the words of Hefes and the comments 
 of Ibn Bal'am. It is also possible that that spurious 
 explanation of Sa'adya was added by the ' redactor ' himself, 
 who obviously was not well informed. 
 
 The result of all these discussions appears convincing 
 enough to enable us to state that for determining the time 
 when Hefes flourished we only have a terminus ad quem 
 he was dead in the first half of the eleventh century, since 
 Ibn Janah, when quoting him, adds the formula n^N nom 
 but the terminus a quo must be left open, until further 
 evidence is brought to light. Vague and unfounded 
 assumptions are of no avail. 
 
 Out of the four titles, Resh Kalla, Alluf, Rosh Yeshibah, 
 and Gaon, that are bestowed upon Hefes by writers who refer 
 to him, the first is the one that was actually borne by him. 
 This conjecture of Rapoport's 71 is strikingly confirmed by 
 our fragment in which he styles himself twice as W?N OKI. 72 
 That Hefes was no Gaon in the technical sense needs no 
 demonstration. In Sherira's Epistle, where a practically 
 complete list of the Geonim of Pumbedita and Sura is 
 given, no mention of this scholar is made. Writers 
 subsequent to the gaonic period gave this term a wider 
 denotation, and applied it almost to any great Talmudist. 
 Thus Nissim b. Jacob of Kairuwan is also dignified with 
 
 71 Kobak's Yeshurun, VIII, p. 58. See text, fols. 8b, 253.
 
 26 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 that title. Indeed Sherira himself does not always keep to 
 the technical sense, and some of the Amoraim are styled 
 by him as Geonim. 73 
 
 Nothing definite, however, is known of the functions of 
 the Resh Kalla. It. is usually considered synonymous with 
 the title Alluf, 74 which is also obscure. The prevalent 
 view among Jewish scholars is that he was third in rank 
 to the Gaon. This is based upon the report of Nathan 
 ha-Babli, 75 and there can be no doubt that within the 
 constitution of the Babylonian Academies this was actually 
 the case. But there is sufficient evidence for the assumption 
 that the term Resh Kalla was used in two different senses. 
 Here again Rapoport's ingenious conjectures help to clear 
 up many difficulties. 76 He drew attention to the prayer 
 |p"il3 mp^ in which the Reshe Kalla are mentioned before 
 the exilarchs and the heads of the academies. For it is 
 hard to get reconciled to the idea that the titles are 
 enumerated at random. He accordingly concludes that 
 this prayer was composed in Palestine where the Resh Kalla 
 was the highest dignitary. The words rbl W~b refer to 
 the preceding words JunpH KJHK3 n, while ^nh Knfa wb 
 ton "T ynh KMTID refer to ^233 m. Ginzberg, too, in his 
 Geonica' 1 ' 1 has pointed out that ' besides the seven m/3 ^'NT, 
 the title of the seven most prominent members of the 
 Academy, there must have been also the tiki B*"i who took 
 an active part in the instruction given at the Academy'. 
 The same scholar gave plausible reasons for his hypothesis 
 
 73 See Neubauer, Mediaeval Jewish Chronicles, I, pp. 31, 32. 
 
 74 Rapoport, loc. cit., is undecided on this matter, but Poznanski is of 
 the opinion that the terms are identical. See D'OW D^MV, p 48. The 
 proofs he advances are, however, not convincing. 
 
 75 See Neubauer, op. cit., II, pp. 78 If. '* See op. cit., pp. 63, 64. 
 77 I, p. 8, note i.
 
 INTRODUCTION I HEFES B. YASLIAH 27 
 
 that originally the head of the Academy at Pumbedita was 
 styled Resh Kalla, not Gaon. 78 
 
 Then there is a talmudic passage which tends to prove 
 that the Resh Kalla was higher in rank than the Rosh 
 Yeshibah during the amoraic period. It is stated in 
 Berakot 57a that if one enters a shrubbery in his dream it 
 is a sign that he will become a Rosh Yeshibah, while if he 
 enters a forest he will become ' head of the sons of the 
 Kalla '. Now as a forest is larger than a shrubbery, one is 
 inclined to think that a Resh Kalla was more important 
 than a Rosh Yeshibah. 73 
 
 At all events it seems safe to assume that some Reshe 
 Kalla were heads of independent academies, and owed no 
 allegiance to the Gaon. This accounts for the fact that 
 some scholars outi-ide the gaonic academies bore the title 
 Resh Kalla. There would then be no need to assume, in 
 some cases at least, that this title was conferred by the 
 Gaon upon foreign scholars as a mark of respect. That 
 Hefes belonged to this class of Reshe Kalla seems to be 
 clear from the fact that he is styled Rosh Yeshibah by 
 Solomon Parhon. 80 Moreover, the Resh Kalla in the 
 gaonic academy would hardly have ventured to write 
 a comprehensive work on Halakah. We know that they 
 were not even allowed to answer Responsa. 81 
 
 78 Op. cit., pp. 46-50. 
 
 79 Rashi, who evidently knew that the Resh Kalla was inferior in rank 
 to the Rosh Yeshibah, explains the passage in the following manner : 
 a shrubbery which consists of big and small trees, and is dense, is a sign 
 for a Rosh Yeshibah, for young and old gather together to listen to his 
 lectures ; while a forest which consists of big trees not close to one another 
 is a sign for the head of the pupils, that is to say, the Resh Kalla who 
 explains to the pupils the subject expounded by the teacher. This com- 
 parison is, however, too forced. 
 
 80 See above, note 32. 81 See Ginzberg, Geonica, I, p 8.
 
 28 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 It should be noted that the meaning N^D has not been 
 satisfactorily explained. It is usual to vocalize it N??, and 
 in deference to custom I transliterate it accordingly. But 
 it seems doubtful whether it yields a suitable meaning. 
 To take it to denote crown seems unlikely for various 
 reasons. To begin with, a crozvn in Aramaic is usually 
 l6v3, not N^3. Then even if we connect it with the crown 
 of the law, the sense is still obscure. Rapoport takes it to 
 signify a lecture?* but does not explain the etymology. 
 The most plausible suggestion appears to me to vocalize it 
 N?3, and assign to it the signification of assembly > gathering. 
 A striking parallel is found in Arabic s^Tand A*l, both of 
 which denote academy \ ttniversity. 
 
 As a writer Hefes is only known by his Book of 
 Precepts. All quotations hitherto found can be traced to 
 that book which was a storehouse of Halakah, philology, 
 and philosophy as it was understood in those days. First 
 and foremost he was a Halakist, and it is chiefly in this 
 branch of Jewish learning that his interests were centred. 
 Philology and philosophy claimed his attention only so far 
 as they had any bearing upon Halakah. His book was the 
 standard work on Halakah in Bahya b. Pakuda's days. 
 For in enumerating the various authoritative books in all 
 branches, Bahya names the Book of Precepts by Hefes b. 
 Yasliah which gave a brief account of all laws as compared 
 with the Halakot Gedolot which contained only those that 
 are obligatory at this time. 83 It is always quoted with the 
 
 82 Jeshurun, VIII, p. 63. 
 
 83 j'an i 
 
 rna/m nipiDa mata Ji ^UjJi IJA j l^ lu^b u Ulj n^v p 
 
 rivrU (Duties of the Heart, ed. Yahuda, p. 7. It is also quoted by Kaufmann, 
 Die Theulogie des Bahja ibn Pakuda, p. 5).
 
 INTRODUCTION I HEFES B. YASLIAH 29 
 
 highest respect, and the author's decisions are usually 
 accepted. There can be no doubt that had the author 
 written this book in Hebrew, the references to it would 
 have been more numerous. As it is, the author was lost 
 sight of with the disappearance of the knowledge of 
 Halakah in Arabic-speaking countries. The few references 
 to R. Hefes that occur in books by writers who did not 
 know Arabic are borrowed from other sources. 84 
 
 Not being satisfied with a mere enumeration of the 
 precepts, as was done by the author of the Halakot Gedolot, 
 and, centuries later, by Maimonides, he gives a lengthy 
 discussion of each detail. In the ethical precepts he had 
 occasion to expound his philosophical speculations which 
 show him to be a clear thinker, well versed in the philo- 
 sophical doctrines of his times. Whenever he quoted an 
 obscure passage from the Bible or rabbinic literature he 
 appended to it a commentary which is remarkable for its 
 precision. There is sufficient testimony that he was dis- 
 tinguished in all these branches. As a rational commentator 
 of the Bible he is quoted by grammarians, lexicographers, 
 and commentators like Ibn Janah, Ibn Bal'Sin, Solomon 
 Parhon, and Tanhum Yerushalmi. Here, too, as in the 
 case of Halakah, his opinions command the greatest respect, 
 and are usually adopted. 85 Even the ill-tempered Ibn Balaam 
 who had no regard for authorities 8G is glad to find in Hefes 
 
 M Thus Piske Recanate, 38 b, is a direct quotation from Alfasi's Responsa, 
 109. 
 
 85 Solomon Parhon in his Mahberet he-'Aruk, s. v. JJlfp, adopts the 
 interpretation of Hefes against Sa'adya's. 
 
 86 See Moses ibn Ezra, al-Muhddarah wal-Mudakarah, quoted by 
 Derenbourg, Closes d'Abou Zakariya Yahia ben Bilam sur Isaie, p. 7, and 
 Fuchs, Studien, p. 23. n3")E> fO 1PIX D^D" 1 D?, Nobody escaped his attacks 
 (lit. his net}.
 
 30 HEFES B. YASLIAH S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 support for his view. 87 Naturally Hefes did not entirely 
 escape the severe criticism of Ibn Bal'am who in his com- 
 mentary on Deut. 30. 2 blames him for having counted that 
 verse as a precept and for interpreting R. Simlai's statement 
 literally. And if writers on the Bible are greatly indebted 
 to Hefes, there can be no doubt that he laid under still 
 greater obligation early lexicographers and interpreters of 
 the Mishnah and Gemara. His influence upon Maimonides 
 is evident from the remarks of the latter in Pe'er ha-Dor, 
 140, 142, that his errors in certain matters are due to his 
 having followed R. Hefes. 
 
 Some of the philosophic doctrines of Hefes have 
 fortunately been preserved for us by Judah b. Barzillai, 
 a writer of the twelfth century. In his commentary on the 
 Book of Creation, whose value lies more in the lengthy 
 quotations from books no longer extant than in the author's 
 own views, he gives at length the first two precepts of 
 Hefes's Book. This passage is an important contribution to 
 mediaeval Jewish philosophy. In order to appraise Hefes 
 as a philosopher it may not be out of place to reprint the 
 entire passage here, and translate it into English. This is 
 also rendered necessary by the fact that the printed edition 
 is not free from errors. Halberstam who edited the text 
 did not see the manuscript. According to the evidence of 
 the transcriber, the unique copy upon which the edition is 
 based teems with errors. 88 Add to these disadvantages 
 
 87 nvp IN ^ip TK< NO ptnefoc asna <a pan ^ n^n ip 
 
 KI:& D'Dap nnn N;TD ]xb ^Np nna^N ;NDT f tonp nypi t?a^a 
 
 PITS ill. / saw ' the Book of Precepts by R. Hefes something which strengthens 
 my assertion that the narrative of the concubine took place closely upon the 
 titne of the conquest. He said : because at that time the tribes were allowed to 
 intermarry (Ibn Bal'am's Commentary on Judges 20. 28, ed. Poznanski). 
 
 88 See Halberstam's preface, p. ix, note.
 
 INTRODUCTION : HEFES B. YASLIAH 31 
 
 the circumstance that Judah b. Barzillai did not see the 
 Book of Precepts, but quoted the passage second hand, and 
 the corruptions will be accounted for. Owing to these 
 cogent reasons, I hope to be pardoned for this digression. 89 
 bw incN3 irmajrnoi unjn nrrb VJH-IN mxo !"lWK*)n mx&PI 
 Die> ^ai PSD -nmn pxa ban jn NIHP 1:33^3 UN-na N^er6 nan 
 ^>N nni3t?m DIM njm 9 3'nrD DCN Ninsr nyi^ mrix 
 
 D"na nnwp iiya noiba DVH njm '-a .i 1 
 
 ^ ^sn s K^ DIN 
 
 p 
 
 mio Nin JIB^ a ncN3 Kxcjn Nin DVJ^WI Nin 'n a 
 
 Nin a mo 1 - Nin D'HN r 'Di /iscn nan 
 
 DIN mar,? nn N^N 'n o^a Nip: N/I 
 
 n jv ^ nxin Nn ,a pnxi an Nin*^ eniao 'n 
 ^ ny N^N pix rn npn nh D^ycn ^a ^y pnN 
 .piN ib iTn % t? iy o^pn 11 N^ na'yon Dai i^ JHN wnt? n 
 
 cN .npyoi IIH^NI onp DW ^3 TDVID at? DM{JK pa^ 
 
 'n nwy D^a "a^nai no ^y N^O D^iy ^y N^D DB> iatn 
 
 89 Commentary on the Sefer Yesirafi, ed. Halberstam, pp. 55, 56. The 
 quotation is introduced by the following remark : D H "O"incn |D TflN 3J"D1 
 
 I^NI ni3"n nbnra niscn 'nt? I^N^ ^"r PI^N pan nano 
 'n ^Nir yet? 7 :i 133^ i>N nuwi ovn nyn^i vn 
 'n. 
 
 90 Deut. 4. 39. 
 
 91 Eccles. 1. 13. The reading there is HN TlWl. Comp., however, r. 17. 
 99 Isa. 44. 19. 8S Gen. i. i. 
 
 94 Bereshit Rabba 13. 3. The reading there is TCfD. See Theodor's 
 edition, p. 115. 
 
 95 Gen. 2. 4. From Hefes's statement it seems that the mjdrashic remark
 
 32 HEFES B. YASLIAH S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 <3 D'3xta tPXTQ DnDBOB* TO ^3 by m^ QDC*3 ''21 .C'S'JI 
 
 nvi "a^nana nrman bsai nro bsa ncsa WDN^ innay* 
 HDT 'nb iny prrca 97 o *a DBTIP bnp3 irwcN ej 'n IK^D 
 'bya ps3B no by mv nnno psn bjn .-ncron bai D^K 'aa nb 
 x Nin -a na3 nan batr on rnn ia B^B' 'D ^21 
 
 nicB' "^nror B*J?W nana UCK*I 123 ni> pa6 ' 
 100 [noi] .onaa ^OB' bna iwao ny crcir nn:D *a 
 .njwn ma cnaxt? ica ncxa n^n* Niny mv my 101 p 
 "a B^K ab by nby^ nvsi ncbnnb DIN I-B> b*T wman new 
 
 no jn^ mm iM nipB* nn I02 pm niy pw TH Kin 
 
 was made upon this verse. In the Midrash, however, it is on verse 5. It is 
 naturally more appropriate on the foimer, where D^rvN 'H is mentioned 
 for the first time. 
 
 w Ps. 89. 6, 7. 
 
 87 The manuscript has flD, and it is corrected by Halberstam. 
 
 98 The edition reads D^i'S 3131! VrPiDt? ub nflSt?, which gives no 
 sense at all. Halberstam emends it to 12,)'n3nK > , which does not suit the 
 context. My emendation is quite obvious: D was misread as 3, and the 
 word was therefore divided into two. 01311 may perhaps be read as 
 C13T1, but 1H3"11 is more suitable, and the conuption may be accounted for 
 by the fact that 1^ written in a cursive hand may be easily misread as Q. 
 What Hefes wrote in Arabic was no doubt H^KlpNl 
 
 The idea expressed is that all rational beings know that He is the 
 true God, they only differ as to His names and sayings. This is a thought 
 often met with in mediaeval Jewish philosophy, and its origin is in Menahot 
 no a, where this very verse is cited. 
 99 Malachi i. n. 
 
 100 This word is missing in the text. As it is the method of Hefes in this 
 passage, as well as in the fragment of the original, to explain each word and 
 phrase, there can be no doubt that he elucidates the phrase Y,y pX of the 
 Deut. verse, and that it has no connexion with the preceding. Hence 
 it is necessary to supply some such word as HOI. Hefes wrote H?1p 
 and had one of the Ibn Tibbons translated it he would have put i~lJ2N1. 
 But our translator lived before that period in which it was considered 
 fashionable to imitate the Arabic idioms and constructions, and he therefore 
 rendered that word by "ICWt? I"l1, or perhaps by "ICXE* PID1. 
 
 101 The printed edition has pJO, which is obviously an error. 
 "> 2 Pirke Abot. 2. 14.
 
 INTRODUCTION : HEFES B. YAsLIAH 
 
 
 
 na prnnn*> JVKI mpen nn 
 
 x D^DI ncnx jrn? onan nyaiKD 71331 net: onn ^ya 
 jna iiD^m ni3ia3 rVK"n yiT mi ,nn3i 3^ sin ptai TDU 
 
 DTO B^ ^2 DDVyO HD13 K 
 
 ns ^3*OB> rmm trsn nx nnaD^ tron p:a 
 
 pi .pt6 D^n^i D^DS3B> n^jn .nsnb ^nx b pi 
 ins i>3B> *D^ oovyo 11013 N^i] 103 mo* ins ^ DW 
 
 1x^33 vbi [ono^ 104 inx ^D D^nv 13N nroi nii33i 
 
 b t^ a 1333^ n3>3o uy~>^ 
 3 'Nnm nN3 JHIM ins 
 niTcn N^3i PSD N^3 bn 
 105 
 
 Dinv 13N PNI Nv3 Dttrv w^nu^noa nnan^i unyn 
 nion Nini D^ 'n n3iDm 107 s^nana noa nnir ^ni>ir jvoni 
 .nri? m non 13^^ a"yN p3yi> n^aa^ anp NIHB' 108 ni nun nmr 
 
 xe* 133 n^a^ oaaa WKB> ora 
 
 311 
 
 103 The sentences enclosed in brackets were omitted by the copyist 
 through homoioteleuton, and were afterwards supplied at Halberstanvs 
 request by two gentlemen who had the manuscript before them. See 
 Halberstam's preface, p. x, and notes on p. ago. 
 
 104 The printed edition has TPIN, which gives no sense. 
 
 105 Isa. 40. 18. m Deut. 4. 12. " Num. 12. 8. 
 
 108 The printed text has 1HD1. 
 
 109 These words are added in the same way as is explained in note 103. 
 Instead of liyj^ the printed text has "1^13,?, which gives no sense. I am 
 not confident about this emendation. no See note 103. 
 
 D
 
 34 HEFES B. YASLIAH S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 .c/'rv bn "W nun 3nw i^n ~\u\rr\ $>p mastao wea DIN p 
 
 unjna -nannh uaai>a lu |snnij ir 
 
 nnix inipya irm own wn 1^3 na^on nvryo ncriy n 
 anpD hs>Bii nr *a i:cy 'iro I^B* <i ai? neny nx nynn najn S] l12 
 nivp Nnu 'n ohy ^nbs r\ycv vh DN nyi 11 x!?n 113 a^n^n^ [i^i? nynn 
 mso JVJBTl niV^n .in^nn^ npn px w N^I |jr 
 m!?2 ncN3 nnx Kin *a PE>D 
 PIW DIB' niDTi nsno ^ ai^m N .inr nnx Tiy psi w 
 'n -m 115 'n ^^y" 4 psa tnpn '3ns & n^arty a"yxi ohy3 
 {ron!? N^N 13 iTarn xi? 3 nm njnai v^n onn 
 UN D<am .iny ynm w^e^a 'n ya^ 117 my 3 H na-i3 onx -33 
 
 iyD N^31 ^131 N^3 1TI333 1 ) 1OVy3 1HX N 
 
 p^nn^i oyon^i n3nn i> inhr inx iai yuy^i ^:B> ^3-1 nwa 
 ,pn:i HDSJI wen nbni nbnn ib ^1 Tienoi n3nni 
 'n ^i^ 11 yoB' 118 a*nana n^so nnx U3*B N!> nar 
 pna {^an 11 119 npyn ^y inhr inx px^ pnan6 mnnrn .*mK 'n i^n 
 nnx nns oan "IBDCHB' iJ^ man* niaoni laooni Dmi nns pjy 
 nns niyi '11 '31 D^ITB' IHNIDI .owsn nine' ioa Nin 
 120 a man* pi .pao ^a naoon W pB'Ni nnsnB' yn^a inxn 
 onaio u nnsn nnNB' srb onpio nnxm nnsn 121 ^y i>b o-3-in 
 
 IHN "nnN N^N myi '31 'a D'ncix pw 122 nnxn naocn 
 
 nar n!?yn 
 
 111 Kaufmann, p. 335, emends it to pCNnnp. But there is no need 
 to alter the text. The Hithpa'el is here used as the biblical Niph'al. 
 Com p. Isa. 22. 33. 
 
 312 See note 103. m Isa. 40. 28. 
 
 114 Zach. 4. 10, and many other places. 
 
 116 Exod. 9. 3, and many other places. 
 
 118 Isa. 66. i, where it is ^31, not I^T. 
 
 7 Ibid., 62. 8. " Deut. 6. 4. 
 
 119 Arabic J^l lc. 12 The printed text has pi . 
 121 Arabic \ c J^,. 122 The printed text
 
 INTRODUCTION : HEFES B. YASLIAH 
 
 . . . 
 
 onoiKn DT'tantp norn ? ps-i inn jw pjnv UK 
 maniB> 'sta .nnx Kins? nD"ta nyna pwi> tav N!> 
 nvn5> prp K^ ^an KTOI .w -6 pxtj> mam JI^NI bab 
 
 nnx Kin "a irtar lan b^ ^^ unarn^ o^an i>ao [i^] 12 * 
 non li? ^^ nm bi 3*y^ ucnpn nt^Ka inhr nnx pxi 
 i^si fjiDi n^nn ib ET uyDn" 1 ! niin 11 yuyji pjiai 
 unhi *a np^yai noxa UVT i^Nn wxin i?a inKisi . 
 
 DK ^N noy o\ni?K psi Kin -OK UK s a nny IKT 
 DK nyT N^n "'a^na niyi 3"vo no pKi KQ^K UKI 
 PK yv h sjy K^> pxn mvp KID 'n ohy vita 
 
 c The first precept enjoins us to unite our mind and 
 thoughts on the truth of the matter ; to make our Creator 
 exist in our heart, and to consider Him Lord of all things, 
 without a shadow of doubt, and without any other thought; 
 to know that He is truth ; as it is written : Know therefore 
 this day, and lay it to thy heart, &c. The words know 
 therefore this day imply : while thou art yet alive ; for 
 after a man's death his knowledge will not avail him, and 
 he will not be able to repair the error which he committed 
 during his life. And the words, and lay it to thy heart, 
 imply that thou shouldst lay this matter to thy mind 
 and the vision of thy heart, as it is written : And I applied 
 my heart to seek and to search otit by wisdom. The proof 
 that laying a thing to one's heart makes one understand 
 it is to be found in the words of the prophet, who says 
 concerning a man who does not set his heart to differentiate 
 between the essential and the unessential : He calleth not 
 to mind, neither is there knowledge or understanding to say, 
 
 125 See note 103. 1M Deut. 32. 39. i:5 Isa. 40. aa 
 
 D 2
 
 36 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 / have burned half of it in the fire. And the meaning of the 
 words, that the Lord (mrp) He is God, is that He is existent 
 in truth, for the word ton denotes something that exists. 
 And the name D^n^N signifies something fundamental, for 
 He is fundamental, and He is everything ; as it is written : 
 In the beginning Elohim created. He was only named 
 mif after man and the universe were created. The word 
 nirp explicitly states that He is Master and Lord of all. 
 Seest thou not that the word mrv explicitly states that 
 He is Master of all created things ? Nor can any one be 
 proclaimed Lord until the thing over which he is Lord 
 becomes a fact ; similarly no being can be established 
 unless it has a master. But the name Elohim is funda- 
 mental, and does not imply priority, or posteriority, or 
 the existence of a created thing. The ancients say con- 
 cerning the verse in the day when DVPK nw made earth 
 and heaven: He 'mentioned a complete name concerning a 
 complete world. The words in heaven indicate all that is 
 in heaven, stars and angels; for all worship Him, and 
 believe in truth with all their power and understanding, 
 as it is written : And the heavens shall praise Thy wonders, 
 also Thy belief in the assembly of the holy ones. For who 
 in the skies can be compared unto the Lord? Who among 
 the sons of the mighty is like unto the Lord? &c. And 
 the words, and upon the earth, signify that which is on 
 earth, rational beings and animals ; for it is evident from 
 all things that He is the God of truth. All rational beings 
 acknowledge this, and believe in that thing, although His 
 names and words vary among them. For it is written : 
 For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down 
 of the same, My name is great among the Gentiles. And 
 the words there is none else indicate that He is the only
 
 INTRODUCTION : HEFES B. YASLIAH 37 
 
 one in truth, as I shall explain in this section. Our teachers 
 of blessed memory said that a man should learn all proofs 
 that might possibly occur to him that He is one, and there 
 is no other, as it is said: Be diligent to learn the Law, 
 so that tkott mayest know what to answer a heretic. , I 
 am obliged to explain here this proof in order that 
 one may be strengthened in the truth that He is one, 
 and is the Creator of all things. Know that all things 
 that exist and are known, vegetables and animals, are 
 composed of four elements, which are earth, water, fire, 
 and air : it is from them that they are created, and it is 
 to them that they will return, and become effaced. This 
 is known by true demonstration. The element in them 
 is visible, and can be tested. Now since the element is 
 visible and can be tested, for they are established and blended 
 together, we know from our understanding that another 
 creator moulded them, and they were not created of their 
 own accord. For some of these elements may overpower 
 the others, annihilate and destroy them, as, for instance, 
 water extinguishes fire, and the wind dries up water ; and 
 similarly in other cases. Moreover, they decay and vanish. 
 Similarly it is known that the spheres and stars were 
 created by some one else, and were not created by them- 
 selves. Now since we know by the understanding of our 
 heart that everything has a creator and a founder, and 
 that nothing is created by itself, it is clear and evident 
 with truth and certainty that He who founded and created 
 the world, who rules and guides it, is Master of everything 
 without doubt or uncertainty. He is God alone to whom 
 no image or likeness can be compared, as it is written : 
 To whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness zvill ye 
 compare unto Him? And so did Moses our teacher say:
 
 38 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 And ye saw no form, only ye heard a voice. By these proofs 
 it is established in our minds, and becomes manifest in 
 our thoughts that God exists, and that we know of Him 
 no form or likeness except the splendour of His glory; 
 as it is written: And he beholds the form of 'the Lord. And 
 that is the form of the splendour of His glory, and that 
 which is approximately near His glory, though they do 
 not resemble one another. When we enter a house, 
 although the builder who built it is not present, we know 
 that undoubtedly a builder built it, as if we were present 
 at the time of its construction. But if we try to conjure 
 up in our mind the form and likeness of the builder, 
 his stature, the colour of his hair, and other details, we 
 would fail to accomplish it by mere belief. Now since 
 we are unable to grasp, from his work, the details about 
 a man who is like us, how much less can we conceive 
 the likeness of the Creator of all things, blessed be His 
 name ! I give this proof in order that it may be fixed 
 in our heart, and established in our mind with certainty, 
 that the fact that a thing is made is evidence that there 
 is a maker, as if we had seen him make it ; and the intellect 
 cannot deny the existence of the maker merely because 
 he is not present, for this parable makes this idea clear 
 to the mind. As it is written : Hast tJion not known ? hast 
 thou 110 1 heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, the 
 Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is 
 He weary, there is no searching of His understanding. 
 
 ' The second precept enjoins us to consider the Creator 
 as the only one, and to believe in our heart and thoughts 
 that He, in truth and without any doubt, is one, and that 
 there is no other besides Him. We must not attribute 
 to Him any likeness or semblance of any corporeal thing
 
 INTRODUCTION : HEFES B. YASLIAH 39 
 
 in the world, although such things occur in Scripture, as 
 for instance, the eyes of the Lord, the hand of the Lord, 
 the earth is My footstool, and many other similar cases. 
 These expressions are only used in order to liken Him 
 in accordance with human speech, as it is also written: 
 The Lord hath sworn by His right hand and by the arm 
 of His strength. It is also our duty to believe with truth 
 and certainty that He is one in His essence and glory, 
 without increase or decrease, without conjunction or division, 
 without change or motion. But everything else besides 
 Him increases and decreases ; is divisible ; becomes new 
 and old ; is joined and divided ; has a beginning and an 
 end ; is subject to change ; decays and is set firm. None 
 of these things, however, apply to our Creator, whose 
 memory is exalted, as it is written : Hear, O Israel, the 
 Lord is our God, the Lord is one. And he who desires 
 to prove that there is no other besides Him at all, should 
 investigate the law of singular and plural, of the number 
 and the numbered. It will become evident that the plural 
 is composed of units, as the ancients have taught. Now 
 since 2, 3, 4, &c. come after i, it is evident that i is without 
 any doubt prior to any other number. It is also established 
 that the plural contains i, and that i is prior to all the 
 others, for after i we count the other numbers, and we 
 only say 2, 3, &c. after we said i. Now since the truth 
 of the matter has been established that our Creator, whose 
 name is exalted, is prior to anything that is first, we know 
 that there is none like Him, that He has no second or 
 anything similar. For those misguided people who declare 
 that He has a second cannot be consistent with a perfect 
 mind and say that He is one. Since it has been established 
 that He is prior to anything that is first, it is manifest
 
 40 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 that He has no second. In consequence of all the reasons 
 we have mentioned, it is inconceivable that the Creator 
 of all things should have any of the qualities possessed 
 by all other beings. For He is one in truth, and there 
 is no other besides Him, as we have stated above. For 
 anything that possesses a similitude, adjunct, divisibility, 
 changeability, corporeality, and motion must necessarily be 
 subject to increase and decrease, and must have a beginning 
 and an end, and hence is not one at all. From all these 
 proofs we know in truth and principle that our God is one, 
 as it is written : See now that /, even /, am He, and there 
 is no God with Me ; I kill and make alive ; I wound and 
 heal; and there is none that can deliver oiit of My hand. 
 It is also written : Hast thou not known f hast thou not 
 heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of 
 the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is He weary, 
 there is no searching of His tinder standing! 
 
 In this passage the kernel of mediaeval Jewish phi- 
 losophy is contained, for it is practically on these lines 
 that later Jewish philosophers proved the existence and 
 unity of God. Kaufmann was certainly right in pointing 
 out that Bahya followed Hefes in proving the existence 
 of God from the composition of the four elements. 126 Here 
 again Hefes meets with Sa'adya who treats of the same 
 topic in the second chapter of al-Amdndt wal-Ttikadat. 
 They both explain the anthropomorphic expressions that 
 occur in the Bible. 127 The difference in temperament 
 between these two writers is clearly marked. Sa'adya was 
 always in a polemical vein, and consequently treated the 
 
 128 See Judah b. Barzillai, Commentary on the Sefer Yesirah, p. 335. 
 i Comp. especially ^VU.* JLi-l 4)1 
 
 JiaUl 9 lijJiC (ed. Landauer, p. 89).
 
 INTRODUCTION ! HEFES B. YASLIAH 41 
 
 subject from all possible points of view, refuting actual 
 and imaginary doctrines. He is never content to expound 
 his own beliefs, but is always at pains to prove the un- 
 tenability of any other opinion. Hefes, on the other hand, 
 is calm and impassive. Nothing exists for him but his 
 own convictions. His thoughts and ideas are simple and 
 naive. He does not enter into intricate discussion, but 
 gives illustrations from familiar objects. As his own con- 
 victions are to him self-evident, there is no need to refute 
 the doctrines of others. Grant his premisses, and his 
 conclusions will follow quite naturally. 
 
 Whether Hefes wrote any special treatise on philosophy 
 is unknown. As such a book is nowhere mentioned, the 
 assertion may be hazarded that he incorporated all his 
 philosophical speculations in the Book of Precepts. 
 
 Another book by Hefes is alluded to by himself in the 
 Book of Precepts. 128 This was a treatise on Quantities 
 or Measures (j>*\**, i.e. D^W). But only the intention 
 of composing a book devoted to this subject is recorded 
 there, and it is not known whether he carried out his 
 resolution. It should be observed that the passage in 
 question is slightly corrupt. It is as follows: mn nr\W\ 
 yy -nxpcta me> tDD3 $y winy np ixi>i mxnaaa !WB mgc&M 
 rb *nw JN UNro *s DHUHG&M. The explanations of these 
 subjects are long ; we abridge them, because we have in mind 
 to treat at full length of all the quantities in a book which 
 we shall devote to this subject. The verb ?iy is ambiguous, 
 as it usually denotes he relied tipon. Accordingly it would 
 be reasonable to assume that the book had already been 
 written. Dozy, however, gives also the meaning of prendre 
 resolution, and this suits most admirably the continuation 
 
 128 Fol. 193, 1. i. See note to that passage.
 
 42 HEFES B. YASLIAH S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 TID3. It is the latter word, which is imperfect, that forces 
 the conclusion upon us that when Hefes wrote that remark 
 the book on Quantities was not yet committed to writing. 
 Whether it was ever written cannot be stated with certainty. 
 It is nowhere else quoted, and in absence of any corrobora- 
 tive evidence about the existence of such a work, this 
 question must be left undecided. 
 
 As to the glossary to the words of mupn DIDD ("roan 
 mvjpn mD'BB cua^x) 129 it can be stated with certainty 
 that it never formed a separate work. It is a very brief 
 commentary, and extends over half a page. It was the 
 system of Hefes to give an explanation of the difficult 
 words that occurred in the biblical or rabbinic passages 
 that he quoted. Such ' commentaries ' are found in our 
 fragment. 130 It is to the credit of Steinschneider that he 
 recognized this commentary as an extract from the Book 
 of Precepts. 131 This conjecture is now indisputably verified. 
 
 It is unlikely that Hefes is the author of the glossary 
 to the Halakot Gedolot (j'anb fbtt }*KE&K) which is mentioned 
 in a Genizah fragment containing lists of Hebrew and 
 Arabic books. 132 We know that Hefes was no admirer 
 of the author of that work. We have the testimony of 
 Ibn Bal c am and Maimonides that Hefes severely criticized 
 the method of the author of the Halakot Gedolot, and he 
 would have had little reason to help to popularize that 
 work, unless we assume that he wrote the glossary in the 
 early part of his life, while he was still under the influence 
 of that great codifier. 
 
 129 It has been printed in its entirety by Horowitz in nisSin fil33 JV3 } 
 II, pp. 63 ff. 
 
 130 See fols. 27 b and 293. 
 
 131 Arabische Literatur der Juden, 62. 
 
 132 See Poznanski, fXITp 'BUN, p. 27, note 2.
 
 INTRODUCTION : HEFES B. YASLIAH 43 
 
 Two anonymous works on Halakah have been ascribed 
 to Hefes without any justification. Part of a halakic 
 Midrash was published by Dr. J. M. Freimann under 
 the tide Tnim, Hefes Alluf being given as the author. 133 
 This assumption rests on faulty, though ingenious, com- 
 binations. The identity of the book itself cannot be 
 established with certainty, and there is not a particle of 
 evidence to justify any connexion with Hefes. There is 
 accordingly no need to compare that book with the Book 
 of Precepts in order to show the difference of method 
 adopted in this work. Indeed, Freimann himself saw the 
 weakness of his position, and in his preface to the second 
 volume admits that his assumption is full of serious diffi- 
 culties. 134 Nevertheless he allowed the name of Hefes to 
 appear as the author. The statement of Freimann that 
 Hefes lived after the author of the Midrash Hashkem l35 
 rests on a misunderstanding of the passage from Samuel 
 b. Jam"s nD'nfc? JTD^n. Freimann had this passage in a 
 Hebrew translation which was very vague. Samuel b. 
 Jam"s words do not in the least connect Hefes with the 
 author of that book. He merely gives a certain opinion 
 about no-un, and then remarks pan n Kru^D (!) n^K flpnohl *m 
 ^t *fuK t This is the way which Hefes Alluf entered, that is 
 to say, Hefes expressed the same opinion. 136 
 
 The other book is that which is known under the 
 title of nurepen ISO. Rapoport at first ascribed it to R. 
 Hanan'el. 137 But having been confronted with a number 
 
 133 His reasons for this identification are given in his preface, I, 3. 
 
 134 Chapter V, towards the end. 
 las Preface, vol. I, 4, end. 
 
 136 See Steinschneider in Geiger's Zeitschrift, II, p. 77 ; ibid., XI, p. 94 ; 
 Hebr'dische Bibliographic, 1869, p. 133 ; ibid., 1873, p. 4. 
 
 137 See his biography of R. Hanan'el, note 36.
 
 44 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 of difficulties, he was obliged to give up that view, and 
 subsequently transferred the authorship to Hefes. 138 He 
 even goes to the extent of suggesting that the niy^PDH IDD 
 was part of the Book of Precepts, and dealt with civil law. 
 The name niyvpD is accordingly an allusion to the talmudic 
 passage in which it is stated that he who wishes to be 
 wise should occupy himself with civil law, for there is no 
 branch of the law greater than that. 139 There is apparently 
 some support for this view in the fact that one of the 
 quotations from the niyvpcn "IDD actually occurs in the 
 fragment of the Book of Precepts which has been preserved. 
 Thus it is said in Piske Recanate, 464 : V\ n"-n |*n lana 
 aina pi Y'y:^ o^sm ny rri> pnao ^aaa Dip pau pxi a"yNi 
 niyvpon "isoa. The same opinion is expressed by Hefes 
 who gives a more detailed description of the procedure : 
 X-IM Dnsnta DrWfi pyop ^y plan Nnynox } KCKB 
 mm ^N->B^ ps *a nao "mnoi^te nnno n^aa i?i % B xini'Ni 
 pDva^K Ti^n non fN3oi>N ^nx nxpn ooin ^KT^ p "ra 
 tnn&fi I^T i>up |y pyoty xasn JNS niNn!?N IKDT^N. //" 
 Reuben complained against Simeon^ the Judge must compel 
 Reuben to satisfy Simeon. The amount wherewith he is to 
 satisfy him is not fixed as it is in Palestine ; but it might be 
 determined by some of the respectable people of the town in 
 accordance with the circumstances of the two litigants. If 
 Simeon refuses to comply witJi the decision, he is to be 
 excommunicated^ This concurrence of opinion, however, 
 must be regarded as accidental, for a number of authori- 
 ties are cited who rendered the same decision. In Piske 
 
 138 Kebusat ffakamint, p. 55. 
 
 139 Baba batra 175 b. See Rapoport, op. ct't., p. 58. 
 
 140 Fol. zb, 11. 12 ff. The case treated of is as follows: Simeon owes 
 Reuben some money which is in the category of fate, and hence cannot be 
 collected in Babylon.
 
 INTRODUCTION : HEFES B. YASLIAH 4* 
 
 tJ 
 
 Recanate, Alfasi, R. Hanan'el and rnyvpon nan are quoted, 
 while R. Meir of Rothenburg ascribes this opinion to the 
 Geonim, Alfasi, Natronai, and Hefes. 141 Rapoport, accord- 
 ingly, might have ascribed the niyvpcn "IDD to Natronai. 142 
 
 On the other hand the Sefer Hefes which is frequently 
 quoted by French and German Halakists should be allowed 
 to have Hefes as its author. Although none of the quota- 
 tions from the Sefer Hefes happens to be preserved in our 
 fragment, and there is thus no evidence of a positive nature 
 for this identification, there is no sufficient ground for 
 rejecting this obvious connexion of Hefes with that book. 
 This Sefer Hefes was in all probability the Book of Precepts 
 which' the Halakists who were not familiar with Arabic 
 quoted second hand, and hence the name of the author was 
 unknown to some of them. 143 There is hardly any likeli- 
 hood of that book having been translated in its entirety 
 into Hebrew. For in that case its disappearance would 
 have been strange indeed. 
 
 Two objections have been raised against the identification 
 of this book with the Book of Precepts, but on careful 
 examination they will be found to have no weight. It 
 has been remarked that the quotations from the Book of 
 
 141 Responsa, ed. Prague, 250. See Rapoport, op. cit., p. 56. 
 
 142 I cannot resist the temptation of putting down a suggestion which 
 occurred to me, and might occur to some one else, though I am perfectly 
 convinced it is utterly unfounded, and that is to consider the niyifpCD "IQD 
 as a translation of the "VIKpEptf 3NH3. The root yifp is sometimes 
 synonymous with 3Vp, which would be a good equivalent for j^3 in some 
 of its significations. But, as in Hebrew, the technical term is "YIJJ^, this 
 suggestion cannot be seriously considered. 
 
 143 Abraham of Lunel, who quotes Hefes in JTlJDn, pp. 61 a and 67 a, 
 took the passage from Isaac ibn Gay3*at. Similarly, in Piske Recanate, 386, 
 it is explicitly stated that the quotation is borrowed from Alfasi. Comp. 
 especially Judah b. Barzillai's quotation discussed above.
 
 46 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 Precepts are of a different nature from those of the Sefer 
 Hefes^ This is, however, not borne out by the data 
 at our disposal. It can be safely asserted that all quotations 
 from the Sefer Hefes, with the exception of one or two 
 which will be presently dealt with, may have easily formed 
 part of the Book of Precepts. See especially the passage 
 in Or Zarua, III, Piske Baba Kamma> 370, where the 
 exact meaning of nsn is determined by biblical usage of 
 that verb. This is the method of Hefes throughout his 
 Book of Precepts. 
 
 The other objection is based upon the fact that Hefes 
 is supposed to be quoted in the Sefer Hefes. R. Moses 
 of Coucy, in his Sefer Miwvot Gadol^ says : pan "IDD21 
 Tnnnp nmna 'ji aw ps^D^ psa pan no jrro rvn ps> mro 
 jra:? 'ninsrj pnw. If Hefes was the author of the Sefer 
 Hefes, it is asked, how is it possible that he should mention 
 his name in this manner ? Rapoport, who anticipated this 
 objection, suggests an ingenious, though hardly convincing, 
 solution. Hefes, he says, was blind, and was therefore 
 unable to write. His pupils, accordingly, wrote down what- 
 ever he dictated to them, and subsequently added all the 
 customs their teacher observed. As a mark of respect 
 they called the book after their teacher, and dignified him 
 with the title Gaon. 146 The explanation, however, has 
 failed to carry conviction, and scholars are still undecided. 
 But a careful examination of the passage in Sefer Miswot 
 Gadol will not only do away with the objection, but will 
 enable us to use it as proof that Hefes was the author 
 of the Sefer Hefes. That R. Moses of Coucy does not 
 quote the passage verbatim is evident from the fact that 
 
 " See Poznanski, JKWp ''IWN, p. 28. 
 
 145 Positive precept 48, p. 127 b. 146 Kebusat Hakamitn, p. 56.
 
 INTRODUCTION : HEFES B. YASLIAH 47 
 
 he does not state under what circumstances the marriage 
 documents are to be brought. He only gives the mode 
 of procedure, but does not say when this is to be done. 
 Of course the circumstances are fully explained in the 
 Sefer Miswot Gadol, and hence the reader sees to what 
 it refers. Accordingly the quotation from the Sefer Hefes 
 is not in oratio recta, but in oratio obliqiia> and the original 
 words were Jruon pi. R. Moses of Coucy, wishing to avoid 
 ambiguity, stated whose custom it was. For if he said 
 jiTJEn pi it might have been taken to mean that he himself 
 was accustomed to do so. This hypothesis is not without 
 foundation. For this practice in the case of a widow or 
 divorced woman who lost her marriage document is given 
 at full length by R. Meir of Rothenburg in the name of the 
 Sefer Hefes, and is as follows: rn2NK> ntw pann ^J?3 HDD 
 '3 IK 'a 'wnc-i naoin /s as raw rreniiu IN mr^Nrm nra'ro 
 3njDn pi njraBai jno nninaa r 'ynui rrnunp *?& nmro. 147 
 Here we have the same passage from the same book in 
 oratio recta, but instead of the words pK3 pan no 3nu iTn ^, 
 we simply have 3H3n pi. That the last two words were 
 not added by R. Meir of Rothenburg U8 is evident from the 
 omission of the sentence pN3 pan no 3HU rvn "p. It thus 
 becomes quite clear that R. Moses of Coucy, who seems 
 to have been well informed, knew that Hefes was the author 
 of the Sefer Hefes^ otherwise he could not have amplified 
 the words 3H3n pi in the manner he did. 
 
 Further support, though less conclusive, for this view 
 is to be derived from the curious fact that a number of 
 
 147 Responsa, ed. Prague, 852. 
 
 148 Indeed, Mordekai on Ketubot IX, 234 (ed. Wilna), who quotes this 
 very passage, omits these two words. But it is obvious that he borrowed 
 the quotation from R. Meir of Rothenburg, and did not know where it ended.
 
 48 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 Halakists of the thirteenth century ascribed this book to 
 R. Hanan'el. 149 Rapoport conclusively demonstrated that 
 a number of decisions quoted from the Sefer Hefes are 
 opposed to those found in R. Hanan'el's authenticated 
 works. It was this consideration that led Rapoport to 
 accept the suggestion of Reifmann, anticipated by Fiirst, 
 that Hefes was the author of that book. 150 Now this 
 confusion of authors can only be accounted for if the real 
 author of that book had the initials n*i, which were intended 
 to stand for pan m. But to some Halakists who were not 
 familiar with Arabic this name was unknown, and they 
 therefore took these letters to stand for Ttdjfl n. Had not 
 these letters been the initials of the real author, the con- 
 fusion could hardly have arisen. 
 
 We thus have three arguments in favour of the author- 
 ship of Hefes: (i) The obvious connexion of the names; 
 (2) the quotation in Sefer Miswot Gadol and Responsa 
 of R. Meir of Rothenburg; (3) the wrong ascription to 
 R. Hanan'el. On the other hand, no evidence whatsoever 
 has been hitherto adduced against his authorship. 
 
 There are, however, some quotations from the Sefer 
 Hefes which, to my mind, could scarcely have formed part 
 of the Book of Precepts. Thus from the Or Zarua it 
 seems that the Sefer Hefes contained Responsa of Natronai 
 and decisions of Paltoi and the Academies. 151 Now I have 
 often had the occasion to remark that Hefes never quotes 
 post-talmudic authorities. Moreover, in some cases this 
 work is called fan "1DD, and in others pann "ISD. The latter 
 occurs in the passage where Paltoi is quoted. I therefore 
 
 149 See Rapoport, R. Hanan'el 's Biography, note 36. 
 160 Kebusat Hakamim, pp. 55 ff. 
 151 III, Baba kamma 281, 284.
 
 INTRODUCTION t THE BOOK OF PRECEPTS 49 
 
 venture to suggest that there were two books, one called 
 pan nao, and the other pann nan. The former was the 
 Book of Precepts, and meant the Book by Hefes, while the 
 latter was a collection of gaonic responsa and decisions, 
 and was probably vocalized pann lao, the allusion being to 
 Ps. 34. 13. Later writers confounded these two books, and 
 the distinction was lost sight of. We consequently find 
 extracts from the Book of Precepts headed pann 
 while a Responsum is ascribed to the pan 1DD. 153 
 
 Ill 
 THE BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 It is fairly certain that Hefes b. Yasliah's Book of 
 Precepts was the first attempt to codify the talmudic laws 
 in Arabic. Indeed it may claim priority in giving an 
 exhaustive, though brief, account of all ordinances in a 
 logical order in any language. He went beyond his pre- 
 decessors by collecting all the precepts, and arranging them 
 into groups. 154 Instead of arranging positive precepts in 
 one group and negative ones in another, as is done by 
 practically all writers, including Maimonides, he incor- 
 porates all precepts, positive and negative, belonging to one 
 category, in one book (/VB). He then divides them into 
 two or more sections according to their subject-matter. 
 
 152 Or Zarua', Baba kamma 370. 18S Ibid., 281. 
 
 154 Rapoport (Kebusat Hakamim, p. 58) states that Hefes arranged the 
 precepts without any order or logical division, but divided them into chapters 
 in accordance with the punishments. That this is incorrect is easily seen 
 from the preserved fragment as well as from the two precepts quoted by 
 Judah b. Barzillai. The passage in Maimonides's Sefer ha-Miswot, p. 55, upon 
 which Rapoport bases his assertion, does not in the least warrant such 
 a conclusion, as will be seen below. 
 
 E
 
 50 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 These sections are in their turn subdivided into positive 
 and negative precepts. Where necessary, he assigns dif- 
 ferent classes to precepts that are obligatory throughout 
 all ages and countries, and to those that are only incumbent 
 during the existence of the Temple, or only in Palestine. 
 It was a monumental work, a code in the real sense of 
 the word, and contained a good deal of material which 
 from the strict point of view of the codifier might have 
 been considered irrelevant. But as a theologian Hefes had 
 to assign reasons for every precept. What other writers 
 did in various treatises, he attempted to incorporate in one 
 book. Our fragment, which consists of sixty-three closely 
 written pages, comprises fifty complete precepts and parts 
 of two others, that is to say, about fifty-one precepts. 
 Although they greatly vary in extent, it will be readily 
 granted that we have here a fair sample of the average 
 length of a precept. We are thus justified in assuming 
 that these sixty-three pages represent a little less than a 
 twelfth part of the book, minus the introduction, so that 
 the enumeration and discussion of the precepts occupied 
 approximately eight hundred pages. Add to this the 
 introduction, which must have been rather lengthy, 155 and 
 it is evident that the entire book contained something like 
 a thousand pages. 
 
 As we do not possess Hefes's introduction (J^-^) to this 
 book we cannot state with certainty the reasons that 
 induced him to compose the Book of Precepts. It is, how- 
 ever, easy to see that his purpose was mainly halakic. 
 Not being satisfied with the treatment of the subject in 
 the Halakot Gedolot, which is incomplete, he determined 
 to codify the ordinances in a more convenient manner. 
 
 i See below.
 
 INTRODUCTION : THE BOOK OF PRECEPTS 51 
 
 Furthermore, Arabic at that time practically supplanted 
 Aramaic as the vernacular among the bulk of the Jews, 
 and this book supplied a much-felt need. It could be 
 used by the layman who did not care to enter into the 
 minute discussions of the Talmud, which was written in 
 a dialect that few understood in those days ; while even 
 the profound talmudic scholar might profit by it, as it 
 contained all the sources upon which the decisions were 
 based. Zunz hesitatingly suggests that it may have been 
 directed against Karaitic works of the same title that were 
 written at that time. 156 But the absence of any polemical 
 allusion militates against this view. There is only one place 
 where Hefes refutes the opinion of another scholar. This 
 is in connexion with the age when a girl attains her 
 majority. 157 But as the dispute turns on the interpretation 
 of the statement of Samuel D'cnn r\w vbx nnaa^ nnj pa pN 
 *n^2, it is obvious that the scholar whose view Hefes 
 refuted was a Rabbanite. 
 
 As to the structure of the Book of Precepts we know 
 that it had a lengthy introduction (J^J^>) which, apart from 
 defining the author's system and method, gave a survey of 
 the principles underlying the biblical and talmudic ordi- 
 nances. Hefes states 158 that in the introduction he explained 
 and discussed all cases where option was allowed. It was 
 in that part of the work that his strictures on the author 
 of the Halakot Gedolot were expressed. Although neither 
 Ibn Bal'am 169 nor Maimonides, 160 from whom we know 
 that Hefes criticized the method of the Halakot Gedolot, 
 
 166 Haarbriicker's Specimen of Tanhum Yerushalmi, p. 54. 
 
 167 Text, fol. 22b. 1M Fol. 17 a, II. 17 ff! 
 
 159 Commentary on Deut. 30. 2 (ed. Fuchs). 
 
 160 Sefer ha-Miswot, p. 5 (ed. Bloch). 
 
 E 2
 
 52 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 states in what part it occurred, it is legitimate to assume 
 that it found place in the introduction. For it is in the 
 introduction to his Sefer ha-Mis-wot that Maimonides 
 criticizes his predecessors. 
 
 It is impossible to say exactly how many parts the book 
 consisted of; but there were at least thirty-six of them, 
 for the thirty-sixth part is quoted by Hefes himself. 161 
 In his treatment of individual precepts he is quite methodical, 
 though monotonous. He practically uses the same formula 
 in every case. Positive precepts are introduced by 3Jin 
 or "IDKJI, while negative ones invariably begin with vun, 
 all of which verbs are either used impersonally or have ny*nt? 
 as their subject. In a comparatively few words a rhumt 
 of the biblical law is given. He then goes on to state the 
 ramifications and amplifications added by the Rabbis. He 
 always quotes the passage upon which his decisions are 
 based, first giving the pentateuchal verses and then the 
 rabbinic passages. In this respect he radically differs from 
 Maimonides who does not reveal his sources. 
 
 The entire range of tannaitic and amoraic literature is 
 at the command of Hefes, and he makes ample use of both 
 Talmudim and of all halakic Midrashim. He refers to the 
 Tosefta, Sifra, Sifre, Sifre Zuta, and to both Mekiltas, all of 
 which seem to be of equal authority to him. A curious 
 instance may be given here. The Mishnah in Kelim 1G2 
 records a controversy between the schools of Hillel and 
 Shammai concerning the defilement of bands used for 
 wrapping up scrolls. Shammai's school maintain that such 
 bands are subject to ritual defilement, no matter whether 
 they are embroidered or not, whereas Hillel's school are 
 of opinion that only those that are not embroidered are 
 141 See text, fol. xa a, I. 15. "* 28. 4.
 
 INTRODUCTION : THE BOOK OF PRECEPTS 53 
 
 susceptible to uncleanness. Rabban Gamaliel adds his 
 opinion that in both cases the bands cannot be defiled. 
 The Mishnah gives no decision on this matter, but the 
 Tosefta explicitly states that the matter is to be decided 
 in accordance with the opinion of Rabban Gamaliel. 163 
 Maimonides in his commentary on the Mishnah, 164 and in 
 his Code, 165 disregarding or overlooking the Tosefta, rejects 
 Rabban Gamaliel's view, and adopts that of Hillel's school, 
 as is usually the case when the Hillelites and Shammaites 
 disagree on a point of law. Hefes, however, decides in 
 accordance with the opinion of Rabban Gamaliel, and 
 quotes the passage from the Tosefta (without indicating the 
 source, as is his custom) as his authority. 
 
 With the scanty material at our disposal it is impossible 
 to attempt a reconstruction of this work. Nevertheless 
 from the quotation found in the works of other writers, 
 and from the numerous allusions in the preserved frag- 
 ment, we are able to glean a few details which give us some 
 idea of the nature and contents of the other parts. The 
 introduction has already been referred to above. The first 
 book contained ethical precepts, as may be seen from 
 the first two precepts quoted by Judah b. Barzillai. The 
 numerous references to this book show that it was of 
 considerable length. In it Hefes had the opportunity of 
 giving utterance to his philosophical and theological specula- 
 tions. This book also dealt with the relation of God to 
 man, and hence some of the ordinances appertaining to first- 
 fruits and heave-offerings were described there. 166 For the 
 same reason the ethical side of vows was discussed in that 
 book, and a principle was laid down whereby to know 
 
 163 Tosefta Kelim, Baba batra 6, 4. 1M Ed. Derenbourg, p 217. 
 
 1 * Hilkot Kelim, 22.6. 1M See text, fol. 138, 1. aa.
 
 54 HEFES B. YASLIAH S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 what kind of vows may be made nowadays, and which are 
 forbidden. 167 It also pointed out that the judges are 
 obliged to urge a man to fulfil his vows, 168 and that the 
 vow is to be carried out during the time set for it ; if no 
 time was set, he must carry it out at the earliest oppor- 
 tunity. 169 Maimonides, too, preserved a short sentence 
 which is supposed to belong to the first book. It is as 
 follows : Nr6ys ^irv yni in rosa KnaiK jyo prtaii pant* uruoi 
 poio Nnyca jna tin. Out of them are thirty-two cases con- 
 cerning which He informed ns that He who is blessed and 
 exalted will supervise their committal, not we ; all of them 
 are explicitly stated. Maimonides who explains this pas- 
 sage says that the thirty-two cases are twenty- three persons 
 who are punished with being cut off (ma), and nine who 
 are put to death by God. We thus know that this book 
 treated of certain transgressions and their punishments. 
 It should, however, be observed that Maimonides does not 
 mention Hefes by name in this passage. It is the plausible 
 
 187 unbya TOP &6 NOT JNBT^N Nin a Kn^ya ran Tibx -m^w 
 ^isbs b6 B xnavy won npa (&&., 1. 19). 
 
 168 See text, fol. 20 b, 1. 4. 189 Ibid., fol. 21 b, 1. 20. 
 
 170 Sefer ha-Miswot, ed. Bloch, p. 55. My translation of the last word is 
 against the Hebrew rendering of Ibn Tibbon, who translates pCXO by 
 D^3~iy3, guaranteed. Although that word happens to have that signification, 
 it is more than doubtful whether it suits the context. Moreover, Maimonides 
 explains the words J1OXO NnyO3 in the following manner : H3N pi yn H3N 
 Jit n^D^I HT n l| "13''. that He uiho is exalted explicitly stated that He would cut 
 off one and put the other to death. Here again Ibn Tibbon has 2~\y for JOS . 
 But where is the guarantee expressed ? or what need is there for a guarantee ? 
 What Hefes said is that some punishments are to be administered by God 
 Himself, and this would naturally be in cases where the Bible states TllDril 
 or some other word. Now ^^o means be placed, deposited, and hence also 
 contained (in the fifth conjugation, which has a passive meaning). The 
 signification he stated is a simple development of he made it contain (as the 
 contents of a book).
 
 INTRODUCTION : THE BOOK OF PRECEPTS 55 
 
 conjecture of Rapoport ; 171 but it has no independent 
 corroboration, except that in the preserved fragment Hefes 
 enumerates twenty actions for which, according to tradition, 
 God, not man, administers punishment. 172 Then even if 
 we grant that Hefes is meant by jr&ot^K asna ariNV, it is 
 not certain whether the above quotation is from the first 
 book. Maimonides uses the expression ^V3 i>lN a which is 
 not elegant Arabic for the first book, and ought to be 
 71N7N ?Q?N. It is only in colloquial Arabic that one says 
 awwal nauba = ' the first time ', instead of annauba al-ula, 
 or better still, al-marra al-ula. Is it not possible that 
 Maimonides merely meant at the beginning of a book, as 
 if he would have said bxB TTC '3 ? 173 It is true that Ibn 
 Tibbon who rendered it by p^jon nyc?a took the phrase 
 in its colloquial sense; but then it is quite possible that 
 the translator misunderstood the author. 
 
 To the second book we have one allusion by Hefes 
 himself. From it we learn that that book dealt with 
 the acquisition of slaves and all the laws appertaining 
 thereto. 174 
 
 The third book, part of which is preserved, dealt with 
 the laws of damages, and contained four sections. Our 
 fragment begins with the middle of precept 8, section 3 
 
 171 Kebusat Hakamim, p. 58. 
 
 172 Kn&pMG axpy nyne^K xmann tb N^ya a |N2 $>pjbtc pint 
 pan n^K ^>a wi>K no^ (foi. 4 a, i.ai). 
 
 173 The same usage is found in Hefes (fol. 8 a, 1. 16), a^X ^Vsbx ^1K ^3, 
 at the beginning of the second book. 
 
 174 rupn 'a mrrw >ta a N^axe' Nnitr nynt^N mn wmtr np 
 twnn HJD ^ nan jy ^no: a^N ^SS^N ^IK ^a ay nay. / have already 
 
 explained this precept (concerninga man sold into slavery for theft,Exod. 22. z) 
 satisfactorily in the midst of my explaining the law about the acquisition of 
 a Hebrew slave, at the beginning of the second book ; I have thus no need to 
 mention anything here (loc. '/.).
 
 56 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 of this book. Further on a detailed discussion of the 
 precepts that are preserved in this fragment will be given. 
 For the present I only wish to remark that it seems to me 
 that precepts 3-8 and 10, n of section 4 of this book do 
 not belong here. All the other precepts deal with damages, 
 while those just mentioned treat of sacrifices. Considering 
 the numerous errors that crept into our copy such a sup- 
 position is not precluded. 175 Of course the reverse may 
 just as well be the case, that is to say, it is possible that 
 the precepts dealing with damages are misplaced here, 
 while those treating of sacrifices are in their place. This 
 alternative suggestion would find support in the fact that 
 the immediately following book also deals with sacrifices. 
 
 The fourth book treats of free-will offerings, vows, 
 consecrations, and a few other priestly laws. It contains 
 thirty-six precepts, which are divided into three sections 
 according to their subjects. 
 
 The fifth book is devoted to special kinds of ritual 
 defilement resulting from coming into contact with dead 
 bodies or creeping things. As the ramifications of these 
 precepts are extremely vast, while only a few verses are 
 devoted to them in the Pentateuch, each precept extends 
 over considerable length. Fourteen pages are taken up by 
 the first two precepts and a portion of the third. 
 
 There are two references by Hefes to the sixth book, 
 and from them we learn that it dealt with the tithes of 
 corn, &c., 176 and the various kinds of blood. 177 It is very 
 
 176 See, especially, text, fol. 8 a, 1. u. 
 
 176 iSs bxa^K 'a smruD rrnpyoSi (foi. 133,1. 18). 
 
 177 ^J[>K B ta^n vb m hy\ nynt? 'a KOT^K "sp TTWDI 
 
 n^K NB> JN i>5fabN VTirb ^N^N. We shall enumerate the various kinds 
 of blood in the precept 'ye shall eat no blood ' in the book which follows this one,
 
 INTRODUCTION : THE BOOK OF PRECEPTS 57 
 
 likely that its main subject was things that are permitted 
 to be eaten and those that are prohibited. Tithes and blood 
 would naturally be included under these headings. 
 
 The tenth book dealt with various kinds of blemishes 
 found in animals, according to an allusion to it by Hefes. 178 
 
 The fourteenth book is once referred to, and we learn 
 that its theme was the firstlings of animals. 179 
 
 From the reference to the second precept of the nine- 
 teenth book it seems likely that that book dealt with 
 various kinds of defilement. Hefes quotes a passage from 
 tractate Nazir dealing with certain causes of defilement, 
 and he then remarks : / shall explain this passage in the 
 second precept of the nineteenth book. 
 
 The thirty-sixth book was similar to the tenth, and 
 treated of blemishes that are found in human beings. 
 According to the allusion to it this book was specially 
 devoted to the elucidation of all the terms used for the 
 various kinds of blemishes. 181 
 
 It will thus be seen that Hefes arranged the precepts 
 in a logical order, but tried to follow the Bible as closely 
 as possible. The ethical precepts take precedence of all 
 others, for they are the mainstay of religion. These 
 ordinances disposed of, the author at once takes up the 
 laws in Exodus, which are followed by those of Leviticus. 
 Keeping the logical arrangement in mind, he is obliged 
 
 please God (fol. 26 b, 1. 7). As this remark occurs in the fifth book it 
 obviously refers to the sixth. 
 
 178 nc?Kj^K bsai>K 'a nraam&^n me? 'BIDDJDI. i shaii complete 
 
 the explanation of this subject (of blemishes) and similar onts in the tenth book 
 (fol. 12 a, L ai). 
 
 179 n^N bxoi'K B smruoa N^N nnoabtn (foi. 133,1.19). 
 
 180 D^ hffi&N }D ii>K njns^>N '> hpta Kin me>3Dl (fol.aoa, 1. 16). 
 
 181 See text, fol. 12 a, 1. 14.
 
 58 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 to deviate now and again from the biblical order. This 
 is naturally unavoidable, as precepts of the same character 
 are found scattered in two or more books of the Pentateuch. 
 Thus the cardinal precepts of the fourth book of Hefes's 
 work occur in Leviticus, for it is in that book that free-will 
 offerings are first mentioned ; but there are a few kinds 
 of these offerings that are to be found in Numbers. 
 Similarly in the case of vows. The laws appertaining to 
 a Nazarite are to be included in this category, but they 
 occur in the sixth chapter of Numbers, while other 
 ordinances about vows occur in the thirtieth chapter of 
 that book, and some are in Leviticus.
 
 IV 
 
 THE PRESERVED FRAGMENT COMPARED WITH 
 MAIMONIDES 
 
 While giving a rhume of the precepts that are preserved 
 in this manuscript, I find it instructive to compare them 
 with those enumerated by Maimonides in his Sefer ha- 
 Miswot. In his younger days Maimonides regarded Hefes 
 as a reliable authority, and followed him in various explana- 
 tions of the Mishnah, though he seldom mentions his name. 
 It is only in two places that Maimonides declares his 
 indebtedness to Hefes, and in both cases he throws the 
 responsibility of his errors upon the latter. When asked 
 by his pupils about certain statements that occur in his 
 Yad ha-Hazakah and do not harmonize with his commen- 
 tary, he replies that the explanations found in his Code are 
 the correct ones, whereas the others are due to the influence 
 of Hefes. 182 This, at all events, is sufficient ground for the 
 assumption that Maimonides readily borrowed explanations 
 from the latter. 
 
 Book 3, section ^precept 8. Only the end of this precept 
 is preserved. We are in the midst of a lengthy quotation 
 
 182 pg> er ha-Dor, 140, 142. The Hebrew translation by Tama is very 
 vague and sometimes misleading. See Geiger, D'3SH N/D, p. 55. The 
 Arabic original of the first reference is given by Munk in his Notice sur 
 About Walid, p. 198. 
 
 59
 
 60 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 from Tosefta Shebu'ot i , 8, dealing with the case of a man 
 who entered the Sanctuary while ritually unclean, without 
 being aware of it. As the following precepts show, this 
 precept must have dealt with civil matters, and it is hard 
 to see for what purpose such a quotation was introduced. 
 It is, however, possible that this discussion was a mere 
 digression. But I suspect that this section is disarranged, 
 since in any case we have ordinances appertaining to 
 damages and sacrifices in one and the same section. 183 
 
 Ibidem, precept 9. He who kindled a fire which went 
 forth and consumed his neighbour's crop or anything lying 
 in the field should pay full damages. If the conflagration 
 was caused by the wind, he who kindled the fire is free. 
 It matters not whether he kindled the fire intentionally or 
 not. If the fire crossed a river or pond which is eight 
 cubits wide, or a public road which is sixteen cubits wide, 
 he is not obliged to pay damages. If a man kindled a fire 
 in his own yard and the flame or sparks flew over and 
 consumed something in his neighbour's yard, it is necessary 
 to investigate and see whether the fire as intended by him 
 who kindled it was sufficiently strong to go over to the 
 neighbour's yard or not. In the former case he is to pay 
 for the damages, but not in the latter. As to the distance 
 a fire is apt to cross while the wind blows, Tosefta Baba 
 kamma 6, 22 is quoted. If while consuming a barn the 
 fire also destroyed something which is customarily placed 
 there, he who kindled it is obliged to pay for it. 
 
 This corresponds to Maimonides, positive precept 241, 
 where three lines are devoted to it, reference being made 
 to Baba kamma. 
 
 Ibidem, section 4*1, precept i. If an ox which is not in 
 
 183 See above, chapter III.
 
 INTRODUCTION : HEFES AND MAIMONIDES 6l 
 
 the habit of goring gores a man to death, the ox shall be 
 stoned, and its flesh shall not be eaten ; but the owner of 
 the ox shall be free. Thrusting, biting, crushing, and 
 kicking are included in the category of goring. Beasts 
 of prey, or otherwise, and birds are to be treated like an ox. 
 If the owner of the ox sold or consecrated it, before it was 
 put on trial, the action is valid ; after that, the action is not 
 valid. It is unfit for a sacrifice ; it must therefore be sold, 
 and the price thereof is to be used for repairing the Temple. 
 If the ox was trained to gore, it is not to be killed, and 
 is fit for a sacrifice. It is prohibited to derive any benefit 
 from the body of an ox that was stoned. 
 
 Maimonides divides this precept into two : positive 
 precept 237, merely stating that we are commanded to 
 adjudicate the case of a goring ox, and negative precept 188, 
 dealing with the prohibition of eating the flesh of a stoned 
 ox. Hefes regards these two as one precept, because they 
 are the consequences of one deed. 
 
 Ibidem, precept 2. If the ox was in the habit of goring, 
 the owner having been warned to guard it, and it killed 
 a man, the ox is to be stoned, and the owner is worthy of 
 death at the hands of God. The owner should also pay 
 ransom, which should be fixed by arbitration. An ox put 
 in this category is one which gored on three consecutive 
 days. The owner must be warned in the presence of the 
 judges. In case the ox is unmanageable, it must be 
 slaughtered. The court is to compel the owner of the ox 
 to satisfy his litigant. Tradition tells us that there are 
 twenty crimes whose punishment, which is not mentioned 
 in Scripture, is to be meted out by God. The different 
 laws, depending upon the ownership of the place where the 
 accident of goring took place, are minutely described in the
 
 62 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 name of R. Simeon (Tosefta Baba kamma i , 6). The proof 
 that these two precepts do not apply to our times is to be 
 found in Sanhedrin 2 a, Shabbat 153, and Berakot 58 a. 
 
 Maimonides does not count this precept separately. He 
 obviously includes it in the preceding, not differentiating 
 between tarn and mifad. He no doubt rejects this as 
 a separate precept in accordance with principle 7 which he 
 laid down in his introduction to his Sefer ha-Miswot? M 
 The key-note of that principle is that the developments and 
 ramifications of a precept must not be counted separately. 185 
 He goes on to explain at length that the various cases 
 under one heading must not be mistaken for precepts, even 
 if the Pentateuch enumerates them separately. 
 
 Ibidem, precept 3. If the congregation of Israel erred 
 unwittingly, and the thing was hidden from the eyes of the 
 assembly ; when their sin becomes known unto them, they 
 are to offer a young bullock for a sin-offering and bring it 
 before the tent of meeting. The rites are to be carried out 
 in accordance with Lev. 4. 13-21. By the words the 
 congregation of Israel the judges of the first rank are meant. 
 The words and the thing was hidden imply that part of 
 a law, not the entire law, was broken. The transgression 
 must be such that, if committed wittingly, the transgressor 
 would be cut off from his people, that is to say, his 
 punishment would be ma. 
 
 This corresponds to Maimonides, positive precept 68, 
 where reference is made to Horayot and Zebahim. 
 
 Ibidem, precept 4. If a king sinned, and did unwittingly 
 a forbidden thing ; when his sin becomes known unto him, 
 he shall bring a goat, a male without blemish. The rites 
 
 184 Ed. Bloch, pp. 21-6. 
 
 186 fijnnr&W nps %' IN ^aa" vh (P. 21).
 
 INTRODUCTION I HEFES AND MAIMONIDES 63 
 
 are to be carried out in accordance with Lev. 4. 22-6. 
 It is necessary that he himself should become aware of his 
 sin. This sacrifice is specially prescribed for a king. If he 
 transgressed while being king, and was deposed in the 
 meantime, before he brought the sacrifice, he is to bring it 
 afterwards, as though he were still king. 
 
 Maimonides does not count this precept separately, and 
 he obviously includes it in the following. Here again, as 
 in the case of precept 3, 4 a, 2, principle 7 would bar this 
 precept from being reckoned separately. 
 
 Ibidem, precept 5. If a layman transgresses unwittingly, 
 and subsequently becomes aware of his transgression, he 
 should bring for his oblation a goat, a female without 
 blemish. The rites are to be performed in accordance with 
 Lev. 4. 27-35. This ordinance applies also to a member' 
 of the court of justice who acted on his own decision. If, 
 however, he acted on the decision of the court, he is not 
 obliged to bring the sacrifice. The transgressor is to bring 
 the sacrifice only in the case when he committed the deed 
 alone ; but if the deed was committed by more than one 
 person, there is no need to bring an offering. 
 
 This corresponds to Maimonides, positive precept 69, 
 where reference is made to Horayot, Keritot, Shabbat, 
 Shebu'ot, and Zebahim. 
 
 Ibidem, precept 6. A man who commits a sin without 
 knowing it, must bring a ram without blemish for a trespass- 
 offering. The rites are to be performed in accordance 
 with Lev. 5. 17-19. Tradition tells us that this sacri- 
 fice applies to a man in whose presence were two kinds of 
 food, one of which was forbidden : he ate one kind and 
 knows not which it was ; or to a man in a similar case of 
 doubt. If he subsequently realized that he had trans-
 
 64 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 gressed, he should bring a trespass-offering ; but if he is 
 still in doubt, he brings a suspended trespass-offering. If, 
 however, after bringing a suspended trespass-offering (before 
 it was slaughtered) he realized that he transgressed, or 
 became sure that he did not transgress, it is necessary to 
 delay the slaughtering of the animal. It must be allowed 
 to graze until it contracts a blemish, so that it might be 
 sold, and for the price thereof another animal be bought 
 and sacrificed as a free-will offering. 
 
 This corresponds to Maimonides, positive precept 70, 
 where the case is explained as by Hefes and reference is 
 made to Keritot. 
 
 Ibidem, precept 7. If the congregation of Israel erred 
 by worshipping idols, they should bring a young bullock 
 for a burnt-offering and a he-goat for a sin-offering. The 
 rites are to be performed in accordance with Num. 15. 
 22-6. This precept, like precept 3 of this section, applies 
 to the judges. The proof that this transgression is in 
 connexion with idolatry is to be found in Sifre, p. 31 b, 
 (ed. Friedmann). 
 
 Maimonides does not count this precept separately, 
 according to principle 7, 186 and he obviously includes it in 68. 
 
 Ibidem, precept 8. One person who sins unwittingly by 
 worshipping idols should bring a she-goat, a year old, for 
 a sin-offering. The rites are to be performed in accordance 
 with Num. 15. 27-8. The proof that this transgression 
 is in connexion with idolatry is to be found in Sifre, p. 32 b. 
 
 This precept, too, is not counted separately by Maimo- 
 nides, according to principle /, 187 and he includes it in 69. 
 
 Ibidem, precept 9. A man who stole something, and is 
 
 188 See the preceding two notes, and the page to which they refer. 
 187 See above, notes 184, 185, and the page to which they refer.
 
 INTRODUCTION : HEFES AND MAIMONIDES 65 
 
 unable to restore the stolen property and its double, or the 
 value thereof, to its owner, shall be sold for his theft. 
 
 Maimonides does not count this precept separately, 
 according to principle 7, 188 and he obviously includes it in 
 positive precept 239, which deals with theft. 
 
 Book 3. section 4 b, precepts i and 2. He who is com- 
 manded to bring a tenth of an ephah of fine flour in con- 
 nexion with certain sacrifices is forbidden to pour oil or 
 put frankincense upon it. The prohibition against pouring 
 oil is one precept, and the prohibition against putting 
 frankincense is another. Tradition tells us that this prohi- 
 bition is only against that part which is to be offered up, 
 but the priest may pour oil or put frankincense upon the 
 remainder. If he put frankincense on the part that is to be 
 offered up, he may remove it. This naturally does not 
 apply to oil, which cannot be removed. 
 
 Maimonides, too, counts these two precepts separately. 
 They correspond to negative precepts 102, 103, where 
 Menahot 59 b is quoted in order to prove that these two 
 precepts are to be reckoned separately. The reason why 
 Hefes treats of these two precepts in one paragraph is 
 because they are derived from one verse. 
 
 Book 4 deals with sacrifices which are offered freely ; it 
 is explained that it is forbidden for a man who is not of the 
 seed of Aaron to offer up sacrifices upon the altar ; it 
 further treats of vows, consecration of property, estimation 
 of lives, and similar subjects. It contains thirty-six pre- 
 cepts, which are divided into three sections. The first 
 section treats of animal sacrifices, and does not apply to 
 our times. This section is subdivided into two subsections : 
 one containing ten positive precepts, and the other com- 
 
 188 See above, notes 184, 185, and the page to which they refer. 
 
 F
 
 66 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 prising eight negative precepts. The second section 
 contains seven precepts dealing with meal-offerings, and is 
 also inapplicable to our times. It is subdivided into two 
 subsections : one containing five positive precepts, and the 
 other comprising two negative precepts. The third section 
 consists of eleven precepts concerning the consecration of 
 property and the estimation of lives, and is subdivided into 
 two subsections : one containing eight precepts, five positive 
 and two negative, which do not apply to our times, and 
 the other comprising three positive precepts which are 
 obligatory throughout all ages. 
 
 Book 4, section i a, precept i. He who freely offers a 
 burnt-offering of the herd is commanded to bring a male 
 without blemish. The rites are to be performed in accord- 
 ance with Lev. i. 3-9. He has to be present while the 
 animal is offered up. The slaughtering may be performed 
 by anybody, including women and slaves, provided they 
 are ritually clean. The offering up, however, must be done 
 by priests. Details of the procedure are given in accordance 
 with tractate Tamid. 
 
 This corresponds to Maimonides, positive precept 63, 
 where the whole subject is disposed of in a few lines. 
 
 Ibidem^ precept 2. He who freely offers a burnt-offering 
 of the flock is commanded to bring a male without blemish. 
 The rites are to be performed in accordance with Lev. i. 
 10-13. 
 
 Maimonides, according to principle 7, 180 does not count 
 this and the following precepts separately, but includes 
 them in the preceding precept. 
 
 Ibidem, precept 3. He who freely offers a burnt-offering 
 of birds is commanded to bring turtle-doves or young 
 
 189 See above, notes 184, 185, and the page to which they refer.
 
 INTRODUCTION : HEFES AND MAIMONIDES 67 
 
 pigeons. The rites are to be performed in accordance 
 with Lev. i. 14-17. Turtle-doves are fit for this oblation 
 only when they become yellow, while young pigeons cease 
 to be fit as soon as they become yellow. The priest must 
 sever the head from the body in the manner described in 
 Tosefta Korbanot 7. 4. 
 
 Ibidem, precept 4. We are commanded to bring our 
 burnt-offerings, sacrifices, tithes, heave-offerings, vows, free- 
 will-offerings, and the firstlings of our herd and flock unto 
 the special place. 
 
 Maimonides counts this section of the Bible as three 
 positive precepts (83, 84, 85) and one negative (89). 
 Positive precept 83 of Maimonides is slightly different, but, 
 as he derives it from the same verse, this precept of Hefes 
 may be regarded as covering it entirely. 
 
 Ibidem, precept 5. He who brings a peace-offering must 
 bring the fat with the breast upon his hand that it may be 
 waved before the Lord. The rites are to be performed in 
 accordance with Lev. 7. 30, 31. The waving must be done 
 towards all directions. 
 
 Maimonides does not count this separately, according to 
 principle I2, 190 and he obviously includes it in positive 
 precept 66. 
 
 Ibidem^ precept 6. It is commanded that the various 
 kinds of fat of a peace-offering of the flock should be offered 
 upon the altar. The rites are to be performed in accordance 
 with Lev. 3. 9-11. If one who brought a peace-offering 
 thought that it was a firstling or tithe, this thought dis- 
 qualifies the sacrifice. But if while slaughtering a firstling 
 
 190 This principle says that the parts of a ceremony in connexion with 
 a precept must not be counted separately : NO riyjOX NT JN fyn JN 
 
 y M b na IIDND (ed. Bioch, PP . 47-50). 
 
 F 2
 
 68 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 or tithe he intended it to be a peace-offering, the sacrifice 
 is not thereby disqualified. 
 
 This precept, too, is included by Maimonides in positive 
 precept 66. It is not counted separately, in accordance 
 with principle I2. 191 
 
 Ibidem, precept 7. It is commanded that we bring fine 
 flour, wine, and oil when we offer lambs, rams, or young 
 bullocks as burnt-offerings, or sacrifices to accomplish a vow, 
 or free-will offerings. The libation is not necessary for all 
 sacrifices, but only for some of them. 
 
 This precept is also omitted by Maimonides, in accord- 
 ance with principle I2. 192 
 
 Ibidem, precept 8. If the animal brought as an oblation 
 has a blemish, it can only be brought as a gift, but must 
 not be offered for a vow. The various terms mentioned in 
 Lev. 22. 23 are explained in accordance with Bekorot 40 a. 
 Such an animal must be sold, and the price thereof used 
 for repairing the Temple. 
 
 Maimonides does not count this as a precept, because 
 that verse in Leviticus really prohibits the offering of 
 animals with blemishes. The permission to use it for a 
 free-will offering cannot be regarded as a separate precept 
 according to principle 7. 103 
 
 Ibidem, precept 9. A free-will offering and an oblation 
 brought in fulfilment of a vow must be eaten on the day 
 when it was sacrificed and on the morrow. 
 
 Maimonides does not count this separately, according to 
 principle y. 193 
 
 Ibidem, precept 10. He who brings a thank-offering is 
 
 191 See preceding note. 
 
 192 See note 190. 
 
 193 See above, notes 184, 185, and the page to which they refer.
 
 INTRODUCTION : HEFES AND MAIMONIDES 69 
 
 commanded to bring unleavened cakes mingled with oil, 
 and unleavened wafers anointed with oil, and cakes mingled 
 with oil of fine flour soaked, and cakes of leavened bread. 
 He must bring ten pieces of each kind, all of which amount 
 to forty. The quantity of oil is half a log. 
 
 Maimonides omits this precept according to principle 
 
 I2. 19 * 
 
 Book 4, section i b, precept I. He who sacrifices a 
 thank-offering must not leave the flesh thereof until the 
 morning of the third day, but he must eat on the day when 
 it was sacrificed and on the night of the second day. 
 Tradition tells us that he must not eat of this sacrifice after 
 midnight of the second day in order to avoid a transgression. 
 
 This corresponds to Maimonides, negative precept 131, 
 which is of a much wider scope. 
 
 Ibidem, precept 2. It is prohibited to sacrifice an animal 
 that is blind or has any other blemish mentioned in 
 Lev. 22. 22. The various blemishes are described and 
 explained in accordance with Bekorot 41 a, 43 a, 44 a. 
 
 Maimonides has three negative precepts about sacrificing 
 an animal with a blemish : 92 forbids the slaughtering ; 
 93 forbids the sprinkling of the blood ; 94 forbids the 
 burning of the limbs. He derives these precepts from 
 Lev. 22. 22-24 as explained in Sifra. 
 
 Ibidem, precepts 3 and 4. It is forbidden to offer up an 
 animal that is castrated or has any other blemish mentioned 
 in Lev. 22. 24. These blemishes are explained in accord- 
 ance with Bekorot 39 b, Tosefta Yebamot 10. 5, and Sifra. 
 It is forbidden to castrate a human being or an animal. 
 Tosefta Makkot 4. 6 is quoted to explain all cases. 
 
 194 See above, note 190.
 
 70 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 Maimonides omits precept 3 according to principle y, 195 
 and obviously includes it in the preceding. Precept 4 
 corresponds to Maimonides, negative precept 361. 
 
 The reason why Hefes groups these two precepts 
 together in one paragraph is because they are both derived 
 from one verse. 
 
 Ibidem , precept 5 and 6. It is forbidden to bring for an 
 oblation the hire of a harlot and the wages of a dog. The 
 explanation of hire and wages is given in accordance with 
 Temurah 29 a. If two partners had a certain number of 
 cattle and one dog, and they divided them into two parts 
 equal in the number of the heads, the part without the dog 
 is forbidden, for one of them corresponds to the dog in the 
 other part, and is hence the exchange of a dog. But the 
 share containing the dog is not forbidden. The offspring of 
 the hire of a harlot or the wages of a dog is qualified for 
 a sacrifice. 
 
 Maimonides, quite inconsistently, reckons these two 
 cases as one precept (negative precept 100). 
 
 These two precepts are again grouped by Hefes in one 
 paragraph, because they are derived from one verse. 
 
 Ibidem, precept 7. It is forbidden to exchange an 
 animal which has been prepared for a sacrifice for another. 
 If such a thing took place, both animals are holy unto the 
 Lord. If the offspring or exchange was exchanged, the 
 other animal does not become holy thereby. Under no 
 circumstances must the animal be exchanged, even if the 
 first animal had a blemish, while the second was sound. 
 He must not exchange one animal for a hundred animals 
 and vice versa. Even if the exchange was done uninten- 
 tionally, the other animal becomes holy. 
 
 195 See above, notes 184, 185, and the page to which they refer.
 
 INTRODUCTION : HEFES AND MAIMONIDES 71 
 
 This corresponds to Maimonides, negative precept 106 
 where reference is made to Temurah. 
 
 Ibidem, precept 8. It is forbidden that we should eat 
 outside the special place the tithes of grain, of new wine, 
 or of oil, or the firstlings of the flock or the herd, or vows, 
 or free-will offerings, or heave-offerings. Tithes will be 
 explained in the sixth book, firstlings in the fourteenth book ; 
 vows of all description were dealt with in the first book, 
 and will be further treated of in this book. 
 
 Maimonides counts this as eight separate negative 
 precepts (141, 142, 143, 144, 145, 146, 147, 149), thus 
 reckoning each case separately. It is quite impossible to 
 assume that Hefes enumerated these cases separately in 
 the other books to which he refers, for no trace of them is 
 found in the present book where vows are dealt with. 
 
 Book 4, section 2 a, precept i . He who brings an oblation 
 of a meal-offering of fine flour is commanded to pour oil 
 upon it and put frankincense thereon. The rites are to be 
 performed in accordance with Lev. 2. i, 2. The flour must 
 not weigh less than seven hundred and twenty drachmae, 
 and the oil not less than one hundred drachmae. There 
 are ten kinds of meal-offerings from which a handful is to 
 be taken, and all of them are enumerated in Menahot 72 b. 
 The measure of a handful (kemisaJi) is the width of three 
 fingers, that is to say, the hand without the thumb and 
 pointer. 
 
 This corresponds to Maimonides, positive precept 67, 
 which is of a more general character. Reference is there 
 made to Menahot. 
 
 Ibidem, precept 2. He who brings an oblation of a 
 meal-offering baked in the oven is commanded to bring 
 unleavened cakes of fine flour mingled with oil, or un-
 
 72 HEFES B. YASLIAH S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 leavened wafers anointed with oil. He has the choice of 
 bringing either cakes or wafers. The oil is to be smeared 
 in the shape of a semi-circle. 
 
 Maimonides does not count this and the following two 
 precepts separately, according to principle 7- 196 He includes 
 them in the preceding precept. 
 
 Ibidem, precept 3. He who brings an oblation of a meal- 
 offering of the baking-pan is commanded to bring it of fine 
 flour, unleavened, mingled with oil ; he should part it in 
 pieces, and pour oil thereon. The word mn is explained 
 in accordance with Menahot 63 a and Sifra. Each piece 
 must be of the size of an olive. 
 
 Ibidem, precept 4. He who brings an oblation of a meal- 
 offering of the frying-pan is commanded to make it of fine 
 flour and oil. The word n'^mo is explained in accordance 
 with Menahot 63 a. 
 
 Ibidem, precept 5. It is obligatory to salt sacrifices. 
 Only the part which is actually offered up should be salted, 
 not the entire sacrifice. Thick salt is to be used, so that it 
 should not dissolve quickly. 
 
 Maimonides makes two precepts out of this one : posi- 
 tive precept 62, which corresponds to this, and negative 
 precept 99, which is a prohibition against offering up 
 a sacrifice without salt. He refers to Menahot and 
 Zebahim. 
 
 Book 4, section 2 b, precept i. It is forbidden to burn 
 leaven or honey as an offering. By honey is meant dates. 
 If the slightest quantity of honey or leaven was mingled 
 with anything that is to be offered up, that part becomes 
 disqualified, according to Sifra. 
 
 This corresponds to Maimonides, negative precept 98, 
 
 196 See above, notes 184, 185, and the page to which they refer.
 
 INTRODUCTION : HEFES AND MAIMONIDES 73 
 
 where a reason is given why honey and leaven are not 
 counted separately. 
 
 Ibidem, precept 2. It is prohibited that one who is not 
 of the seed of Aaron should associate with priests in matters 
 wherein they are considered superior to all other men. 
 
 This corresponds to Maimonides, negative precept 74. 
 
 Book 4, section $ A a, precept I. A man who vows his 
 person unto the Lord should give as his value in accordance 
 with Lev. 27. 2-7. If he is poor, he should pay as much 
 as he can afford. There is a difference between making 
 a vow and promising a value. Thus if a man says : ' I vow 
 the price of my hand ', the judge should estimate the excess 
 in value of a slave who has a hand over one who lacks 
 a hand. But if he says : ' I promise to give the value of 
 my hand', he need not give anything. If he vowed one 
 of his vital members, as, for instance, his heart or head, he 
 must pay for his entire body. If he vowed the price of 
 a child a month old, but did not pay until more than five 
 years elapsed, he need only pay the value of the child at 
 the time when the vow was made. If he says : ' I vow half 
 of my value ', he is to pay half of his value ; if, however, 
 he says : ' I vow the value of half of my body ', he is to 
 pay all his value. A poor man must not pay less than 
 a sela'. If after having paid a sela' he became rich, he need 
 not pay any more. But if he possessed less than a sela', 
 and subsequently became rich, he is to pay the value of 
 a rich man. 
 
 This corresponds to Maimonides, positive precept 114, 
 where a few lines are devoted to the entire subject, reference 
 being made to tractate 'Arakin. 
 
 Ibidem, precept 2. A man who consecrates his house 
 unto the Lord is commanded to have it estimated by the
 
 74 HEFES B. YASLIAH S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 priest, and in case he wants to redeem it, must pay its value 
 with the addition of the fifth part of the estimation. This 
 ordinance refers to a dwelling-house according to Sifra. 
 
 This corresponds to Maimonides, positive precept 116. 
 
 Ibidem, precept 3. A man who vowed an unclean beast, 
 which may not be offered as a sacrifice, unto the Lord, 
 should have it placed before the priest, who should estimate 
 its value ; in case the former owner wishes to redeem it, he 
 should pay its value with the fifth part of the estimation. 
 By an unclean animal is meant one which is disqualified on 
 account of a blemish, and does not refer to unclean species 
 of animals. Our teachers declare that it is forbidden to 
 sanctify, vow, or consecrate anything nowadays. 
 
 This corresponds to Maimonides, positive precept 115. 
 
 Contrary to his custom, Hefes disregarded here the 
 biblical order, and placed the consecration of a house before 
 the vowing of an unclean animal. It is, however, not un- 
 likely that the transposition is due to a scribal error. 
 Maimonides follows in this case the biblical arrangement. 
 
 Ibidem, precept 4. A Nazarite who unwittingly became 
 defiled by a dead body is commanded to shave his head 
 on the seventh day, and to bring two turtle-doves, or two 
 young pigeons, to the priest, to the door of the tent of 
 meeting. If the seventh day happens to be Sabbath or a 
 Festival, he must postpone his shaving. He has the option 
 of bringing turtle-doves or pigeons. He has to bring the 
 sacrifice, because he did not sufficiently guard himself against 
 defilement. He is to commence counting again the days 
 of his separation from the day when he shaved his head. 
 
 Maimonides counts this precept and the following one 
 as one precept, positive precept 93. He explicitly states 
 that these two shavings must not be counted separately,
 
 INTRODUCTION : HEFES AND MAIMONIDES 75 
 
 since the shaving after defilement is a legal development of 
 the ordinances appertaining to a Nazarite, and hence is to 
 be excluded by principle 7. 197 
 
 Ibidem, precept 5. When the days of a Nazarite's 
 separation are fulfilled, he is commanded to bring as his 
 oblation a he-lamb a year old without blemish for a burnt- 
 offering, a ewe-lamb a year old without blemish for a sin- 
 offering, and a ram without blemish for a peace-offering, and 
 a basket of unleavened bread, cakes and wafers, mingled 
 with oil ; and the meal-offerings and libations appertaining 
 to them. These ordinances apply to a man who vows to 
 be a Nazarite for a definite period, not to a perpetual 
 Nazarite. As for the cakes and wafers, he must bring ten 
 of each. It is stated that he must put some of the meat 
 upon his hair, and throw them together into the fire. He 
 must wave the offering towards the six directions. 
 
 This corresponds to Maimonides, positive precept 93. 
 
 Book 4, section $Ab t precept i. It is prohibited for 
 a Nazarite to eat grapes, fresh or dried, to drink anything 
 made thereof, or to eat the husk or kernel. Even unripe 
 grapes are forbidden. There is a difference between the 
 word jsa and D"O, the former specifies only various kinds 
 of vines, while the latter embraces also olive-trees. The 
 leaves of a vine are not forbidden to a Nazarite. If a 
 Nazarite drank twenty-five drachmae of wine, he must be 
 flogged. He is to be flogged for wine separately and for 
 grapes separately. 
 
 Maimonides counts this section of the Pentateuch as five 
 negative precepts : 202, a Nazarite must not drink wine ; 
 203, he must not eat grapes ; 204, he must not eat dried 
 grapes ; 205, he must not eat the kernels of grapes ; 206, he 
 
 197 See above, notes 184, 185, and the page to which they refer.
 
 76 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 must not eat the husk of grapes. He explains the reason 
 why he counts them as five separate precepts, because the 
 transgressor is flogged separately for each transgression. 
 
 Ibidem, precept 2. It is prohibited for a Nazarite to 
 shave his head. Our teachers say that the shortest period 
 of separation is thirty days. If a man says: 'I shall be 
 a Nazarite for as many days as the hair of my head, or 
 grains of sand, or dust ', he is to remain a Nazarite for the 
 rest of his life. If he says : ' I shall be a Nazarite like the 
 number of the days of the year', he is to be a Nazarite 
 thirty days for each day of the year. He must not cut his 
 hair with a razor or any other instrument. If some of 
 his hair fell out because he rubbed or scratched that place, 
 there is no sin upon him. If a plague of leprosy appears 
 on his head, he must shave his hair when he gets purified, 
 even before the days of his separation are fulfilled. Thirty 
 days are to be discounted from the days which he observed 
 as a Nazarite. These ordinances apply to a man who vowed 
 to be a Nazarite for a definite period, but not to a perpe- 
 tual Nazarite. The commandment that a Nazarite should 
 grow his hair naturally refers to one who has hair ; if he is 
 bald-headed, he must observe the other ordinances apper- 
 taining to a Nazarite. Even if the words which he uttered 
 only hint at separation, and do not explicitly express it, he 
 must become a Nazarite. If. however, they merely hint at 
 a hint of separation, he need not become a Nazarite. 
 
 Maimonides counts this precept as two : negative precept 
 209, where the entire subject is referred to tractate Nazir, 
 and positive precept 92, which asserts that the Nazarite 
 must let his hair grow. He quotes a passage from Mekilta 
 which explicitly states that there is a negative and positive 
 precept in this connexion. Thus, if a Nazarite destroyed
 
 INTRODUCTION : HEFES AND MAIMONIDES 77 
 
 his hair with a powder, the negative precept would not be 
 transgressed by him, since he used no instrument; he, 
 however, transgressed the positive precept, which enjoins 
 him to grow his hair. 
 
 Ibidem, precept 3. It is forbidden for a Nazarite to enter 
 into the presence of a dead body. He may, however, 
 attend to the burying of a dead body that was found on 
 the road where no other man is present. He must not 
 come in contact with the blood of a dead body, if the blood 
 weighs fifty drachmae, or with a part of a dead body of the 
 size of an olive. The laws of a Nazarite are not applicable 
 to our times. 
 
 This corresponds to two negative precepts of Maimo- 
 nides : 207 and 208. He reckons the defilement through 
 coming in contact with a dead body as one precept, and 
 the entrance into the house where a dead body is lying as 
 another. He quotes tractate Nazir 42 b, which shows that 
 two prohibitions are involved. 
 
 Book 4, section $B, precept I. He who makes a vow 
 must fulfil it. The judges are to urge him to fulfil his vow. 
 
 This corresponds to Maimonides, positive precept 94, 
 which is rather of a more general character. 
 
 Ibidem, precept 2. A man who makes a vow or swears 
 an oath to bind himself with a bond is commanded not to 
 profane his word, but must do all that proceeded out of 
 his mouth. A boy of average intelligence must fulfil his 
 vow, though he is only twelve years and one day old. But 
 if his intelligence is below the average, the fulfilment of the 
 vow is not incumbent on him. Under that age he need 
 not fulfil his vow in any case. If an intelligent boy of 
 thirteen years and one day old made a vow, and afterwards 
 claimed that he had no conception of the meaning of a vow,
 
 78 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 he is obliged to fulfil it. It matters not whether the oath 
 is explicitly expressed or merely hinted at. An oath is 
 only valid when it makes a man abstain from doing a 
 permitted thing, but it cannot render permissible anything 
 that is forbidden. His oath can have no effect upon 
 restraining others. If he made an oath to perform an 
 impossible task, he is to be flogged. If he vowed not to 
 eat a certain food, because it is harmful, and it is found to 
 be beneficial to him, his vow is not valid. One who vows 
 not to dwell in a house, even the garret is forbidden unto 
 him. One who vows not to eat meat, the liver, spleen, and 
 entrails are thereby forbidden. He must fulfil his vow at 
 the earliest opportunity, and if he specified a certain time, 
 he must observe it before that time expires. The expres- 
 sion, he shall not profane his word, implies that he may 
 have his vow annulled by some one else, but he himself, 
 though he is a sage, must not annul his vow. 
 
 The gist of this precept is included by Maimonides in the 
 preceding (positive precept 94). He, however, has a separate 
 precept which permits the absolution of vows. This is 
 positive precept 95, which is based on Num. 30. 3. Apart 
 from this positive precept he has negative precept 157, 
 which is a prohibition against the breaking of one's word. 
 Nahmanides 198 agrees with Hefes in counting Deut. 23. 24 
 and Num. 30. 3 separately. 
 
 Ibidem, precept 3. This precept deals with the vows of 
 women whether they attained the age of puberty or not. 
 They are divided into five classes : 
 
 (i) If a girl in her father's house, who has not attained 
 the age of puberty and is not married, uttered a vow and 
 her father heard it and did not protest, her vow is valid. If, 
 
 198 See his rmS'H to Maimonides's Jm'EH 12D
 
 INTRODUCTION : HEFES AND MAIMONIDES 79 
 
 however, he protested on the day when he heard it, her vow 
 is annulled. As soon as a girl is twelve years and one day 
 old, her vows are valid, and there is no need to examine her 
 intelligence, unless her mind is known to be defective. A 
 girl who is eleven years old, or less than that, can make no 
 vows. During her twelfth year it is necessary to examine 
 her intelligence : if it is sound, her vow is valid, and her 
 father has the privilege of annulling it ; if her intelligence 
 is defective, her vow is not valid. A girl, twelve years and 
 one day old, of average intelligence, who claims that she 
 did not know the purpose of the vow, and is therefore 
 unwilling to fulfil it, is obliged to carry out all that pro- 
 ceeded from her mouth. On the other hand, a girl eleven 
 years old who claims that she understands all about a vow, 
 need not fulfil it. If her father thought at first that the 
 vow was made by some one else, and subsequently realized 
 that it was his daughter, he may annul the vow as soon as 
 he learns this fact. 
 
 (2) If a betrothed girl makes a vow, her fiance may 
 annul it on the day he hears of it. If he did not protest, 
 her vow must be fulfilled. That the verses Num. 30. 7-9 
 refer to a betrothed girl, not to a married woman, is ex- 
 plicitly stated in Sifre. If a man married a woman who 
 had a long-standing vow which causes him pain, he may 
 divorce her without giving her any money promised in her 
 marriage document. A man may say to a woman at the 
 time of marrying her : ' I annul all thy vows.' The vows 
 of a betrothed girl who has not attained the age of puberty 
 must be annulled by her father and fiance^ As soon as 
 she attains the age of puberty, her father has no right to 
 annul her vows. 
 
 (3) As for a married woman, the laws appertaining to
 
 8o HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 her vows are identical with those of a betrothed girl. The 
 vows a husband may annul are such which cause him 
 mental or bodily pain. If a father or husband did not 
 know that God permitted him to annul the vows of his 
 daughter or wife, and subsequently learned this fact, he 
 may annul a long-standing vow on that day. If she vowed 
 not to eat a certain thing for a month, and he permitted 
 her to eat thereof for a week, her vow becomes automati- 
 cally void. If she vowed not to eat of two kinds of food, 
 and he permitted her to eat of one kind, she may also eat 
 of the other kind ; similarly, if he confirmed her vow with 
 regard to one kind, it is confirmed also with reference to the 
 other kind ; provided the two kinds were included in one 
 vow. If a man wanted to annul the vow of his daughter, 
 and it happened that it was his wife who made that vow, 
 but he mistook her for his daughter, the vow does not 
 thereby become void. He may, however, annul it after- 
 wards, if he so desires. The same applies to the case when 
 his daughter made a vow, and he mistook her for his wife. 
 If he heard of the vow on the Sabbath day, he must use 
 different words in annulling it. He should say to her : ' Eat 
 this which you vowed not to eat.' While saying these 
 words, he must mentally annul her vow. The expression 
 used by a husband in annulling the vows of his wife are 
 different from those employed by a sage. 
 
 (4) A widow and (5) a divorced woman have to fulfil all 
 their vows. This refers only to women whose marriage 
 was consummated. If a widow or a divorced woman made 
 a vow which should take effect after thirty days, and mean- 
 while she married, her husband cannot annul it. On the 
 other hand, if while married she made a vow which should 
 take effect after thirty days, and her husband annulled it,
 
 INTRODUCTION : HEFES AND MAIMONIDES 8l 
 
 she need not fulfil it, even in case she was divorced or 
 became a widow during that time. If a widow has a 
 brother-in-law, 199 he may annul her vows, but not if she 
 has two brothers-in-law. 
 
 Maimonides does not count this as a separate precept, 
 in accordance with principle 7, 200 and he includes it in the 
 preceding precept. 
 
 Book 5, precept i. One who came in contact with the 
 carcasses of unclean animals and beasts is obliged to be 
 unclean until sunset. If he carried a carcass, he and his 
 garments become unclean. After having a bath and after 
 being washed, he and his garments are to remain unclean 
 until sunset. It matters not whether he touched the entire 
 carcass or only part thereof. Even if he carried the 
 carcass by means of another object, his garments become 
 unclean. If the carcass was upon a vessel, under which lay 
 some food or drink, the latter do not become denied. The 
 law imposed upon him to remain unclean until sunset is 
 only to prevent him from coming in contact with sacred 
 things. Aquatic animals, with the exception of the sea-dog, 
 do not defile. 
 
 This corresponds to Maimonides, positive precept 96. 
 He explains that in calling this a precept he does not mean 
 that it is necessary to become defiled ; nor is it forbidden 
 to become defiled, otherwise this would be a negative pre- 
 cept. It merely tells us the ordinances to be observed 
 when a man becomes defiled. 
 
 It is to be observed that Maimonides, like Hefes, places 
 the laws of uncleanness immediately after those appertain- 
 ing to vows. 
 
 199 In the Levirate law. 
 
 200 See above, notes 184, 185, and the page to which they refer. 
 
 G
 
 82 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 Ibidem, precept a. One who comes in contact with the 
 carcasses of the eight creeping things must be unclean until 
 sunset. A part of the flesh of these animals defiles, as well 
 as the entire body, provided it is not smaller than the size 
 of a lentil. Anything smaller than that size having flesh 
 and bone combined is also defiling. In this case it makes 
 no difference whether the part was severed while the animal 
 was alive or dead. If a rat which is created from the earth 
 had already flesh and skin on one part, while the remainder 
 was joined by the skin, and it was able to move about, 
 it defiles one who comes in contact with it. Aquatic 
 animals belonging to this species do not defile. The 
 garments of him who came in contact with these animals 
 are not unclean. 
 
 This corresponds to Maimonides, positive precept 97, 
 which is disposed of in a few lines. 
 
 Ibidem, precept 3. Any vessel or instrument upon 
 which one of the eight creeping things fell while dead is to 
 be unclean ; it must be dipped in water, and remain unclean 
 until sunset. These vessels are such as are fit for the work 
 for which they were intended. The difficult words occur- 
 ring in the tannaitic passages quoted in this connexion are 
 briefly explained. Vessels are divided into two classes: 
 (i) those which have a receptacle containing air ; (2) those 
 which are of a flat surface and contain no air. In both 
 classes are vessels which are subject to defilement and those 
 which are not. Vessels not subject to defilement, though 
 they have receptacles, are sacred vessels, and those that 
 cannot be moved when filled with the things for which they 
 were made. Children's toys are not subject to defilement, 
 though they can be carried when filled. If, however, these 
 toys are durable, they are subject to defilement. A num-
 
 INTRODUCTION : HEFES AND MAIMONIDES 83 
 
 ber of other cases are mentioned and passages quoted. 
 The difficult words occurring in these passages are briefly 
 explained. All other vessels which have receptacles, not 
 mentioned in the foregoing, are subject to defilement. The 
 minimum measure of a garment subject to defilement is 
 given for various cases in accordance with Kelim 27. 5 and 
 other tannaitic passages. If a garment smaller than the 
 minimum measure was completed, and a piece of material 
 subject to defilement was added to it. the entire garment 
 may be defiled only in the case when the attached piece is 
 of material subject to a stricter defilement than the other. 
 If an unclean vessel decreased in size, and another vessel 
 was made of the material, it remains unclean only in the 
 case when it can be used for the work for which it was 
 originally made. Vessels of a flat surface, not containing 
 air, which are not subject to defilement are wooden vessels 
 which are only used directly, and are not a means of using 
 other vessels. If their usage is indirect, they are subject to 
 defilement. A number of instances belonging to this class 
 are mentioned. 
 
 Maimonides does not count this precept separately. 
 He evidently includes it in the preceding precept, accord- 
 ing to principle 7. 201 The only surprising thing is that he 
 counts the laws appertaining to the defilement of food and 
 drinks as a separate precept (98). 
 
 The following tabular recapitulation of the above dis- 
 cussion will show at a glance the relation of the two 
 systems in enumerating precepts. 202 
 
 201 See above, notes 184, 185, and the page to which they refer. 
 
 202 The first number refers to the book (7JfB), second to the section 
 (DDp), the letters to the subsections, and the third number to the precept. 
 The abbreviation p.p. = positive precept, and n.p. = negative precept. Where 
 only two numbers occur there are no subsections. 
 
 G 2
 
 8 4 
 
 HEFES B. YASLIAH S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 Hefes Maimonides 
 
 4, ib, 7 = n. p. 106 
 
 4, ib,8 = n.p. 141, 142, 
 
 143. J 44, 145, 
 146, 147, 149 
 
 4,2a,i = p.p. 67 
 4,2a,2 
 
 4, 2a,5 = p. p. 62, n.p. 99 
 
 4, 2b, i = n. p. 98 
 
 4,2b,2 = n. p. 74 
 4,3Aa,i = p.p. 114 
 4,3Aa, 2 = p.p. 116 
 4,3Aa,3 = p.p. 115 
 
 Hefes Maimonides 
 
 3> 3. 9 = P- P- 24i 
 
 3>4a, i = p.p. 237,n.p.i88 
 
 3>4a,2 
 
 3>4a,3 = p. p. 68 
 
 3,4a,4 
 
 34a,5 = p.p. 69 
 
 3,43,6 = p.p. 70 
 
 3>4a, 8 
 
 3>4a,9 
 
 3,4b, i = n.p. 102 
 
 3,4b,2 = n.p. 103 
 
 4, i a, i = p. p. 63 
 
 4, i a, 2 
 
 4, i a, 3 
 
 4, i a, 4 = p. p. 83, 84, 85, 
 
 n. p. 89 
 4, i a, 5 . 
 4, i a, 6 
 
 4, i a, 7 
 
 4, i a, 8 
 
 4, i a, 9 
 
 4, i a, 10 
 
 4, ib, i = n.p. 131 
 
 4, ib,2 = n. p. 92,93, 94 
 
 4, ib, 3 
 
 4,ib,4 = n.p. 361 
 
 4,ib,5) 
 
 , J= n.p. 100 
 4, ib,6j 
 
 We thus see that out of the fifty-one precepts (the first 
 of our fragment is not considered, because it is impossible 
 
 4,3 Aa ,5 = P-P-93 
 4,3Ab, i =n.p. 202, 203, 
 204, 205, 206 
 
 4, 3Ab, 2 = n.p. 209 : p.p.92 
 4,3Ab,3 = n.p. 207,208 
 
 4,3 s . 1 = P-P-94 
 4,36,2 = p.p. 95 
 157 
 
 4,3 B 3 
 
 5, i = p. p. 96 
 
 5,2 = p.p. 97 
 5>3 
 
 n.p.
 
 INTRODUCTION : HEFES AND MAIMONIDES 85 
 
 to ascertain what it dealt with) Hefes and Maimonides agree 
 on thirty. Out of the twenty-one precepts counted sepa- 
 rately by Hefes, but omitted by Maimonides, twenty can be 
 accounted for by two of the principles laid down by the 
 latter. Sixteen are excluded by principle 7, 203 while four 
 (4, i a, 5 ; 4, i a, 6 ; 4, i a, 7 ; 4, i a, 10) are omitted by prin- 
 ciple i2. 2(H The remaining precept which Maimonides 
 counts as one (n. p. 100), whereas Hefes reckons it as two 
 (4, i b, 5 ; 4, i b, 6), is the prohibition against offering the 
 hire of a harlot or the wages of a dog upon the altar. This 
 case must be put down, I think, to the inconsistency of 
 Maimonides. 
 
 To make up for these twenty-one precepts, Maimonides 
 has twenty-one other precepts which are not counted 
 separately by Hefes. It is true that we cannot be certain 
 about a few of them, for they may have been placed in 
 another part of the book. This is, however, unlikely, for 
 Hefes, according to his method of presentation, would not 
 have neglected to inform us of that fact. Moreover, prac- 
 tically in every case we were able to see the reason of the 
 discrepancy. 
 
 As a result of this examination it may be stated that 
 there are three fundamental differences between the systems 
 employed by Hefes and Maimonides, respectively. 
 
 (i) The various ramifications and hypothetical cases of 
 a certain group of laws, provided they are explicitly men- 
 tioned in the Pentateuch, are counted separately by Hefes, 
 whereas Maimonides regards them all as one precept. The 
 latter emphatically differentiates between a law (BStJ'E) and 
 
 103 See above, notes 184, 185, and the page to which they refer. 
 204 See above, note 190.
 
 86 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 precept (nWD). 205 Principle 7, in which this point is clearly 
 brought out, seems to have been chiefly directed against 
 Hefes. 200 This principle was sometimes broken also by 
 Maimonides himself. He felt the inconsistency, and when 
 he counts certain precepts which should have been excluded, 
 he defends himself by saying that in the Talmud or in 
 a halakic Midrash it is explicitly regarded as a separate 
 precept. But then this proves that according to the Talmud 
 this principle is not valid. 
 
 (2) Hefes does not count contraries twice. He either 
 reckons it as a negative or positive precept. Thus since 
 a Nazarite is prohibited to shave his head, there is no need 
 to reckon as a positive precept that he is commanded to 
 let his hair grow. If a sacrifice must be salted, there is no 
 need to count as a negative precept that it is forbidden to 
 offer up a sacrifice without salt. Maimonides, on the other 
 hand, counts them separately. It is chiefly for this reason 
 that in the part which we have discussed in detail Maimo- 
 nides has more negative precepts than Hefes. In counting 
 such a case as a positive or negative precept the latter is 
 mainly guided by the context of the Pentateuch, but he 
 probably was also influenced by circumstances, and put the 
 precept in the category he required. It should be stated 
 
 205 Sefer ha-Miswot, ed. Bloch, p. 25. 
 
 206 While reading Pe'erha-Dor, 140, where Maimonides designates Hefes 
 as pyin 3JT)3, I was led to believe that there was an intentional slur in 
 that title, as one would say, that Halakist is a good codifier, ' a writer of 
 laws ', but is not sufficiently logical to enumerate the precepts. Fortunately, 
 however, Munk (Notice sur Aboit'l Walid, p. 198) quotes the Arabic original 
 from a manuscript which is now, I believe, in the hands of D. Simonsen of 
 Copenhagen. There Maimonides calls Hefes ' the author of the Book 
 of Precepts' (jt-jjjJl ujLii ^^Lo). It is only in Tama's inaccurate 
 
 Hebrew translation that the words pJHil 3JTI3 were supposed to cover 
 that expression.
 
 INTRODUCTION : HEFES AND MAIMONIDES 87 
 
 that Hefes is not quite consistent in this respect. Thus he 
 counts as a positive precept that we are commanded to 
 bring our burnt-offerings, sacrifices, vows, free-will offerings, 
 and the firstlings of our herd and flock unto the special 
 place. 207 But practically the same thing is reckoned as 
 a negative precept : it is forbidden to eat outside the special 
 place the tithes of grain, or of new wine, or of oil, or the 
 firstlings of the flock or the herd, or vows, or free-will 
 offerings, or heave-offerings. 208 This inconsistency is, 
 however, due to the circumstance that the Pentateuch stated 
 both cases, the positive and the negative, explicitly. 209 
 Maimonides, on the other hand, is not guided by the 
 Pentateuch in this matter. 
 
 (3) Hefes never makes use of a verse or set of verses 
 more than once. It is only in extremely rare cases that he 
 derives two precepts from one verse, and then there are 
 usually two clauses in that verse. 210 In such cases he 
 groups the precepts together in one paragraph. Maimo- 
 nides, however, derives sometimes as many as eight precepts 
 from one and the same verse. 211 
 
 In general it may be stated that Hefes follows the 
 Pentateuch division very closely. If a certain law is repeated 
 twice, it must be counted separately, especially as tradition 
 
 207 Book 4, section i a, precept 4 (text, fol. zoa, 1. n). 
 
 208 Book 4, section i b, precept 8 (text, fol. 133, 1. 15). 
 
 209 Deut. 12. 5, 6 and 12. 17. 
 
 210 See, for instance, book 3, section 4 b, precepts i and 2 (text, fol. 8 a, 
 . 17), where two negative precepts are derived from the two clauses in 
 
 Lev. 5. ii. Similarly, book 4, section i b, precepts 3 and 4 (text, fol. 123, 
 1. 16) are derived from Lev. 22. 24. An exception to this rule is book 4, 
 section i b, precepts 5 and 6 (text, fol. 12 b, 1. 7), where two precepts are 
 derived from one clause. 
 
 211 Thus negative precepts 141, 142, 143, 144, 145, 146, 147, 149 are 
 derived from Deut. 12. 17.
 
 88 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 usually makes the various paragraphs apply to different 
 cases. Maimonides, on the other hand, while taking the 
 Pentateuch as his basis, is guided by logical principles in 
 the system of enumerating the precepts. Indeed, one may 
 even go as far as to reduce the above three differences to 
 this one only. 
 
 From the purely logical point of view the charge of 
 inconsistency might with justice be brought against both 
 Halakists. Maimonides, as was remarked above, pointed 
 out that Hefes had committed the same errors for which 
 he had censured the author of the Halakot Gedolot. 212 The 
 former in his turn did not escape the stricture of subsequent 
 Halakists like Nahmanides and Isaac of Corbeil, the author 
 of P"CD, neither of whom can be accused of being hostile 
 to him on general principles. The inconsistencies are quite 
 natural in a subject which has no basis in reality. For, 
 although the Tannaim and Amoraim, as was pointed out 
 above, 213 believed that six hundred and thirteen precepts 
 had been revealed to Moses, the writers or redactors of the 
 Pentateuch had certainly no inkling of this number. 
 
 THE STYLE OF THE BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 The language of the Book of Precepts is in the usual 
 style of Jewish- Arabic, and shares most of its characteristics. 
 In dealing with manuscripts which are not autographs, but 
 copies of the third or fourth hand, one is at a loss to deter- 
 mine which mistakes emanated from the author, and which 
 are to be ascribed to the ignorance of the copyist. The 
 latter, however, cannot always be made the scapegoat, and 
 
 212 Sefer ha-Mt'swot, p. 5, ed. Bloch. 21S Chapter I.
 
 INTRODUCTION : THE STYLE 89 
 
 it is a striking fact that almost all texts contain the same 
 kind of mistakes. Even the oldest manuscripts show the 
 usual characteristics. Great caution must be taken in 
 studying the grammatical and lexical peculiarities of 
 Jewish-Arabic. One should not rely too much on the 
 printed texts, for it has been the custom of most editors to 
 consider it legitimate to correct mistakes. It is quite natural 
 to credit an author with a knowledge of grammar of the 
 language in which he writes. But it must be borne in 
 mind that the Hebrew and Aramaic quotations occurring 
 in such texts are sometimes misread, but seldom, or never, 
 tampered with, and this would tend to prove that the 
 copyists tried to be as faithful to the original as possible. 
 Now when due allowance is made for errors for which the 
 copyists can reasonably be held responsible, there still 
 remains a vast number of mistakes which would convince 
 one that those authors were not masters of Arabic diction. 
 This is no doubt to be ascribed to the circumstance that 
 the Jews devoted most of their time to the study of other 
 literatures besides Arabic. Being bilingual they fell between 
 two stools. They seldom wrote a natural Hebrew, and 
 their Arabic never attained the elegance of even a mediocre 
 native writer. Their Hebrew is abounding in Arabic 
 idioms, while their Arabic is interspersed with Hebrew 
 words and phrases which make it unintelligible to the Arab. 
 When we speak of Jewish- Arabic we mean the dialect 
 spoken and written by Jews who did not assimilate, and 
 were therefore devoting their time and energy to the study 
 of the Bible and the Talmud. Nobody denies the possi- 
 bility of a Jew being able to acquire elegance of style in 
 Arabic. Indeed, some of the Jews who practically assimi- 
 lated with the Bedouins wrote elegant verses. It is not
 
 90 HEFES B. YASLIAH S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 a question of race, it is merely a question of pursuit and 
 surroundings. This is a sufficient reply to those who ask 
 why should not men like Maimonides write as good an 
 Arabic as Heine wrote German. 214 There is no justification 
 in comparing Maimonides with Heine, for the latter had 
 a thorough German training. We ought rather to compare 
 Maimonides with R. 'Akiba Eger. One would certainly 
 not expect the latter to write an elegant German. To my 
 mind the difference between an Arabic classic and the 
 average Jewish- Arabic book is about the same as between 
 Goethe and the memoirs of Gluckel von Hameln published 
 by D. Kaufmann. 
 
 On the whole the majority of post-biblical writers were 
 slovenly in their syntactical constructions. To them the 
 matter was the dominant factor, and the style played no 
 important role. This tendency produced that careless 
 halakic style, a mixture of Hebrew and Aramaic, of which 
 R. Sherira's Epistle is a conspicuous specimen. Of course 
 their Arabic was superior to their Hebrew, for after all the 
 former was their mother-tongue. 
 
 The greater bulk of mistakes committed by these writers 
 are such as do not apply to the spoken language. There 
 can be no doubt that at the period from which the earliest 
 Jewish-Arabic production dates, the nunation was no longer 
 pronounced, and hence there were no case-endings. In 
 practically all manuscripts we find the cases wrongly used, 
 the accusative being employed where syntax demands the 
 nominative, or even the genitive, and vice versa. They 
 almost invariably used the accusative in the predicate when 
 ^ or its ' sisters ' is absent. This is against the rules of 
 
 214 See I. Friedlaender, Der Sprachgebrauch des Maimonides, p. xi.
 
 INTRODUCTION : THE STYLE 91 
 
 elementary grammar, for the predicate Is under such circum- 
 stances in the nominative, even when the subject is in the 
 accusative. Numerous examples of such mistakes occur in 
 the text of Hefes, and a few of them will suffice as an 
 illustration. 
 
 Accusative for nominative : NSnv rh 1D33N ;n (fol. 4 b, 
 1. 20); 5>jni> ^n niD town NV^N jNJns^N mw (fol. isb, 
 1. u); nnm^K $K tnnpo ^ni (fol. 15 a, 1. 14); nxb p 
 WNCT (fol. 17 b, 1. 22); pyw D^NI (fol. 27 b, 1. 23). 
 
 Accusative for genitive: NINJ im (fol. 4b, 1. 13); 
 n? ^y vf?n ;K& (fol. ai a, 1. 23) ; Knaxn -M -pn 
 (fol. 22 a, 1. u). 
 
 Nominative for accusative : tfh }m N^ JNnip^N xnn ^y nv* 
 |N3^ (fol. 8 a, 1. 20); DXJJK NODHpN pnK> N1 (fol. I2b,l. 15); 
 
 ^K ariKV JKS JNS (fol. 31 a, 1. 22). 
 
 Nominative and accusative used promiscuously : rf? jo 
 n (fol. 3 b, 1. 25) ; w ^CVN in tvn jsaip^ ^n 11 
 
 K11D3D (fol. II b, 1. 23) ; 1HN1 NOVl (fol. 22 a, 1. 2l). 
 
 As in the verbs the mood-endings were dropped in the 
 spoken language, there is great confusion in this respect in 
 Jewish-Arabic works. We find such constructions p" 1 |K 
 (fol. 1 6 b, 1. 23) ; pn IK (fol. 22 b, 1. 10) ; pbxn K!?N rrna np 
 (fol. 24 b, 1. 18) ; mD NDJJ> ni>K ^N (fol. 30 b, 1. 21). Cases 
 like m 11 D^ (fol. 7 a, 1. 24, and many other places) and 
 "D3 11 D^> (fol. 7 b, 1. 12) may belong to this class, but it is 
 also possible to consider them as that kind of exceptional 
 orthography which Arabs call pt-i-1, that is to say, the 
 unnecessary lengthening of a vowel. 
 
 As an indication of these writers' lack of appreciation 
 for the finesses of the language, it may be mentioned that 
 they employ the particle >-3 without any force whatsoever. 
 Hefes practically uses it instead of j . The monotonous
 
 92 HEFES B. YASLIAH S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 repetition of the construction a , . . NEND is exceedingly 
 irksome. The copyist cannot be held responsible for such 
 inaccuracies, unless we assume that he deliberately changed 
 the letter, or that the original was written in Arabic script 
 without diacritical points, so that ^ could be confounded 
 with i5 in many cases, especially when the writing was 
 cursive. Both suppositions are, however, highly improbable. 
 Copyists seldom change such matters, and had the original 
 been written in Arabic script without diacritical points, 
 there would have inevitably occurred some other mistakes 
 of a similar nature. In the absence of such traces, we must 
 hold the author responsible for these confusions. On the 
 other hand the particle J, which is employed with graphic 
 effect by the Arabs to introduce the apodosis, is almost 
 entirely absent in Jewish-Arabic works. 
 
 It is to be observed that most of the above-named 
 grammatical peculiarities have been found in the texts of 
 Mohammedan writers. Ibn Abl Useibi'a's History of 
 Physicians is often referred to in this connexion. It is true 
 that that book contains a number of mistakes. But whereas 
 with Mohammedan writers it is a rare exception, with 
 Jewish writers these mistakes are practically the rule. 
 Moreover, the evidence adduced from the mistakes is not 
 to prove Jewish-Arabic is a separate jargon, but to indicate 
 the fact that those writers paid no attention to the study of 
 Arabic grammar. For such forms like pi>3sn N^N were 
 certainly never used in the spoken language, and were due 
 to want of knowledge. If a few Mohammedan writers also 
 committed such mistakes, they, too, lacked accurate know- 
 ledge of their language. 
 
 Taking all the lexical characteristics of Jewish- Arabic 
 into consideration, we would not be far wrong if we stated
 
 INTRODUCTION : THE STYLE 93 
 
 that it is a kind of a jargon. 215 This is a natural consequence 
 of Jewish exclusiveness. A group of people speaking a 
 language of an alien race, and forming a separate circle, 
 would easily develop a dialect of their own, which, though 
 essentially resembling the parent-tongue, would have 
 a number of words peculiar to itself. Thus when Jews 
 conversed with their co-religionists they naturally employed 
 a number of Hebrew words appertaining to religion, and 
 these terms gradually became part of their Arabic. 
 Furthermore, Jews had a vast literature of their own which 
 they never abandoned, and as some words, especially 
 technical terms, are not readily found to exist in another 
 language, they were compelled either to retain the Hebrew 
 words or to coin new expressions. It was hard to find an 
 equivalent for r6lV; but since n?y = Arabic A*^, they coined 
 a form iijwato. I even suspect the existence of a form myxs 
 
 in Jewish-Arabic. For the broken plural of forms like 
 > 
 
 sjujx-* is usually JJti-'s ; but Jewish writers employ nyNlV , 216 
 which is usually the broken plural of the active participle 
 feminine. This would accordingly be a literal imitation of 
 fyto. In some cases they introduced new words where 
 genuine Arabic terms were at hand. For "iniE, permitted, 
 they could easily have used J&**, but they preferred a 
 literal translation of this word, and used p^BD. 
 
 Even nowadays, when public schools tend to do away 
 with dialects, the Arabic spoken by the Jews of Tunis and 
 Algiers differs considerably from that of the natives. A 
 
 216 I use this term in no disrespectful sense. I would define a jargon 
 as a dialect which had no natural development. Thus if a nation, while 
 adopting a foreign tongue, still uses words and expressions of its former 
 language, it may be said to speak a jargon, since it would not be readily 
 understood by natives. 
 
 16 See text, fol. 10 a, 1. 12; Sa'adya's translation, Deut. 12. 6.
 
 94 HEFES B. YASLIAH S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 careful study of Marcel Cohen's book on the Arabic dialect 
 of the Jews of Algiers 217 proves this point. It is true that 
 M. Cohen repudiates the idea that it is a jargon, but this 
 merely depends on the point of view. The natives, who are 
 after all the best judges, regard it as such. 
 
 It must, however, be admitted by all that want of 
 stylistic elegance is to some extent compensated for by the 
 marvellous vocabulary these writers have at their command. 
 It is astounding the way Hefes finds Arabic equivalents 
 for the most obscure mishnic words and phrases. It is 
 quite immaterial for our purpose whether these terms were 
 first employed by Hefes, or were in common use among 
 Arabic-speaking Halakists. The fact that they were 
 employed by Jewish writers is sufficient to indicate the 
 extent of their vocabulary. I have no doubt that Jewish- 
 Arabic texts have preserved some genuine Arabic words 
 which long ago became obsolete and are not found in 
 any of the lexica, 218 just as Jewish-German and Jewish- 
 Spanish have retained some obsolete words of German and 
 Spanish, respectively. 
 
 VI 
 THE MANUSCRIPT 
 
 9 
 
 The manuscript herewith edited was recently discovered 
 by me among the Genizah fragments of the Adler Collec- 
 tion at V.the Dropsie College. 219 These fragments were 
 acquired by Dr. Cyrus Adler while in Cairo in i89r. The 
 entire codex consists of thirty-six and a half leaves which 
 
 217 Le Parler arabe des Juifs d'Alger, Paris, 1912. 
 
 218 A good instance is A-x^l, (text^fol. i b, 11. 9, n\ which obviously 
 denotes a pond. 
 
 219 See JQR., New Series, III, 317 ff.
 
 INTRODUCTION : THE MANUSCRIPT 95 
 
 are held together by a string. The first four leaves do not 
 belong to the Book of Precepts. Though the writing of 
 those leaves closely resembles that of the remainder, it is 
 safe to say that they were not originally bound together. 
 They have 18, and sometimes 19, lines to a page, while the 
 number of lines on the other pages ranges from 23 to 27. 
 These leaves are of a lighter hue than the rest. They 
 contain gaonic Responsa dealing with widely different 
 subjects. As the writer of these Responsa is addressed 
 as Gaon, they could not have proceeded from the pen of 
 Hefes, who never bore that title officially. 
 
 The thirty-two leaves of the Book of Precepts are made 
 up into four fascicles. Although the fascicles appear now 
 to be unequal in the number of their leaves, I have suffi- 
 cient proof that originally each fascicle consisted of ten 
 leaves. The last page of every fascicle bears at the bottom 
 the word with which the following fascicle begins. Each 
 fascicle is marked by a letter of the alphabet. Guided by 
 these signs, we can state with certainty that eight leaves of 
 fascicle I are preserved, the first two leaves (not the outer 
 sheet) being lost, while the last two are pasted to the 
 following fascicle. The second and third fascicles are pre- 
 served in their entirety,4iaving ten leaves ea h. The last 
 fascicle has only three and a half leaves of wViting, the rest 
 being blank (except the last strip, concerning which see 
 below), and practically torn off. The second, third, and 
 fourth fascicles are marked 5,j',i respectively, on tne upper 
 right-hand corner. We thus may safely assume that this 
 volume never contained more than four fascicles, and that, 
 with the exception of the first two leaves, we possess it in 
 
 . 
 
 its entirety. For, although the last leaf breaks off in the 
 middle of a sentence, the outward appearance makes it
 
 96 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 quite evident that no writing is missing at the end, especially 
 as the verso of the thirty-second leaf is blank. 
 
 That this was not the first volume of the Book of 
 Precepts is self-evident, for it is inconceivable that the 
 copyist managed to crowd the introduction and nearly 
 three books in the narrow compass of two leaves, especially 
 when we consider the magnitude of the first book. It was, 
 no doubt, customary in olden times to copy separate volumes 
 of a large work, just as pamphlets are issued nowadays. In 
 Genizah lists of books we often come across the expression 
 . . . 3Nro JO 13. Among the Genizah fragments of the 
 Jewish Theological Seminary of America I saw a number 
 of lists with such phrases. 220 Indeed, Harkavy announced 221 
 that such a list registered }'cn 3WD } T3. These words, 
 however, were afterwards obliterated, for they are missing 
 in Bacher's edition of this list. 222 Our fragment probably 
 was such a pamphlet, and hence I am justified in supplying 
 the title, ' A Volume of the Book of Precepts ' (3Xri3 J 13 
 
 The last leaf is a narrow strip which was originally 
 blank. One of the owners wrote on the recto the following 
 words in bold square characters : 
 
 13 ni3r6 n>rr 133^ 
 
 Verso was used as an account book by another owner, 
 for it has the following inscription in a different handt which 
 is a sort of Oriental cursive : 
 
 **o See also REJ., XXXIX, pp. 199 ff. 
 
 221 Judisches Literafarblatt, 1878, p. 43. 
 
 222 Rj. t XXXII, p. 127. Comp. Poznanski, fWVp V J'3K, p. 28.
 
 INTRODUCTION : THE MANUSCRIPT 97 
 
 N:H n NN UN ijy 
 i nata UN i3y 
 .p-n f D^VD^N njj; pm * ejoi* n:y 
 
 The leaves measure 7^x 5^ in. (= 17-6 x 13-5 cm.), and 
 the number of lines in a page ranges from 23 to 27. The 
 writing, which is in Oriental square with a distinct ten- 
 dency to cursiveness, is very close, no space being allowed 
 between separate words. It is the context alone that can 
 help us to decide how the words are to be divided. On the 
 whole it is written in a fairly legible hand. The only letters 
 that are not clearly differentiated are D and D, while T and ~i 
 are quite distinct, though not always correct. The copyist, 
 however, frequently misread his original, and a vast number 
 of mistakes crept in, apart from the usual errors due to 
 homoioteleuton and dittography. In the original, which was 
 before the copyist, n, n, and n seem to have been subject to 
 confusion. He accordingly wrote fT^KTinD instead of rr^NnriD 
 (fol. 4a, 1. 4), ^nic&N instead of ^niD^N (fol. 7b, 1. 12). Simi- 
 larly T and 1, 3 and 3 were sometimes indistinguishable. 
 
 The orthography employed in this manuscript is that 
 which may be termed classical, in contradistinction to the 
 phonetic or vulgar spelling which is now and again met 
 with in Jewish-Arabic fragments. It is, however, not quite 
 consistent throughout the book, especially in the case of a 
 at the end of the word. Short vowels are, as a rule, with- 
 out any signs whatsoever ; but in a few exceptional cases ^ 
 is followed by ", as fNVD (fol. i;b, 1. 6) = ^y^\ & by 1, as 
 
 bmoijKi (fol. 263, 1. u) = jjJ"5 ' & bv N ' as Kjnp x (fol. i9b, 
 
 1. 15) = cT^l. 223 It is hard to decide whether forms like nb 
 ^ are to be taken as orthographic peculiarities or syntac- 
 
 223 This, however, may be a mistake in form : the author or copyist 
 considered this word as a triptoton. 
 
 H
 
 98 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 tical errors. As I have pointed out above 224 there are cases 
 which indisputably show that the author or copyist con- 
 founded the moods. 
 
 In classical Arabic, a at the end of the word is in some 
 cases indicated by 1 and in others by <j, and there are 
 practically fixed rules when to write the one and when the 
 other. Thus it would be regarded as an orthographic error 
 to spell UMJ or ^:>. Dictionaries are careful to give the 
 accurate forms, and where tradition wavers the fact is 
 recorded. In this manuscript, as in all other Jewish- 
 Arabic manuscripts, there is no fixed rule in this matter, 
 and even one and the same word is found sometimes with N* 
 and sometimes with \ Thus l*o was in the direction, was 
 similar (verb of j3) is spelt NH3 (fol. 2a, 1. 22) and TO (28 a, 
 1. 7) indifferently. Even a followed by a hamza is some- 
 times represented by \ as J3^M (fol. 2 a, 1. 22) = ^GJl ; "HN 
 (fol. 3b, 1. u) = *tfl ; ynnoN^K (fol. aob, 1. 33) = Hisj**!. It 
 should be observed that such orthographic inconsistencies 
 occur also in early Mohammedan manuscripts. 225 
 
 A hamza is seldom represented even in the middle of a 
 word. Thus we have DIK^K (fol. lab, 1. 16) = u-i[pl. It is 
 naturally awkward to represent a hamza at the end of the 
 word by a letter, as it is usually preceded by tf. When 
 hamza, however, at the end of the word follows a consonant, 
 1 is sometimes the bearer thereof, as iT:6xi 22G (fol. 25 b, 1. i) 
 = q^&J^j. This 1 then becomes part of the word, and hence 
 remains even in the accusative singular, as N1TJD (fol. 
 5b,l.i2). 
 
 The system of transcribing Arabic words in Hebrew 
 
 2 Chapter V. i 
 
 228 See NOldeke, Gescliichte des Qordns, pp. 248-60. 
 
 223 Other manuscripts have T3 .
 
 INTRODUCTION : THE MANUSCRIPT 99 
 
 characters employed in this manuscript is that customary 
 in Jewish-Arabic. Diacritical points are only placed over 
 B and X to represent & and (_^, respectively, while a, l t 
 3, and n retain their double nature without any distinguish- 
 ing mark. Thus the context alone will decide whether a 
 stands for or c, &c. The consistency with which this is 
 carried out proves that this is due to phonetic influences, 
 although this would not account for the omission of the 
 point over 3 when it represented ^, and this is one of 
 the reasons why I did not feel justified in supplying any 
 points. Another phonetic trace is to be found in the con- 
 fusion of 6 with if. Thus we Wave xsni (fol. 4 b, 1. 2o) = U^>. 
 In colloquial Arabic these letters are often confused. ^-l&>, 
 midday, is pronounced duhr ; ijJa.'> , spectacles, glasses, is pro- 
 nounced nadddra. On the other hand ia>&, an officer \ is 
 pronounced zdbit. 
 
 The Hebrew quotations, too, offer some interesting pecu- 
 liarities. Biblical words are in the majority of cases repro- 
 duced with masoretic accuracy. But post-biblical words 
 deviate considerably from the system of orthography to 
 which we are accustomed. In these words there is no 
 uniformity, and one and the same word is spelt differently 
 in one passage, as N3NT (fol. ab, 1. 9) and xai (ibid., 1. 10). 
 The most striking mode of spelling is the frequent use of X 
 to represent d in the middle of the word, as NDXJp (ibid.,\. 7). 
 In this respect our manuscript resembles the bulk of Genizah 
 fragments. It is quite legitimate to assume that this is due 
 to Arabic influence where such a mode of spelling is the 
 rule. 
 
 H 2
 
 100 HEFES B. YASLIAH S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 VII 
 
 REFERENCES TO HEFES AND HIS BOOK 
 
 As this is the first time that anything by Hefes is pub- 
 lished, it will not be amiss to give the passages where he or 
 his book is quoted or merely mentioned. Whether Hefes 
 is the author of the Sefer Hefes or not, it will be useful for 
 easy reference to have also those passages included here. 
 But owing to the fact that there is no unanimity of opinion 
 on this matter, I place the passages from the Sefer Hefes 
 and Sefer he-Hafes separately. Rapoport collected a great 
 many passages that were found in books published up till 
 1861. The literature that appeared subsequently was 
 thoroughly searched by bibliographers, chiefly by Poz- 
 nariski. A few further references from manuscripts and 
 printed books were supplied to me in friendly communica- 
 tions by Professors Davidson, Ginsberg, and Marx, of the 
 Jewish Theological Seminary of America, to whom I give 
 credit in the respective places. One may feel certain that 
 no passage occurring in books printed in modern times was 
 overlooked ; but I entertain some doubts whether the 
 halakic literature was exhausted. It is only by mere 
 chance that I was able to add one passage from Mordekai, 
 Ketubot, IX, 234 (Wilna edition). 
 
 I have arranged the passages according to the subject- 
 matter : halakah, philology and philosophy. Authors 
 within the same class are placed, as far as possible, in 
 chronological order. When one passage is quoted by various 
 authors, whether in identical form or not, I thought it 
 advisable to give cross-references.
 
 INTRODUCTION : QUOTATIONS AND REFERENCES IOI 
 
 A. HALAKAH 
 
 (i) Isaac Alfasi, Responsa, 109. 
 by nitron polo na KVDI nxn rupp yd? pnn jo e* DK ,nW 
 ^ai niypnp^ njoiN p noxa> ^"r wnm nyo i emfo Dion 
 i>y rupp no bix lovya onx naps? noa nr 
 T-nincy ypni> rib no^oi? ^an 
 T-an xi> DN nxnn DID NVB> n pn jo 
 
 ^ inn ,nn* 
 
 (2) Isaac b. Judah Ibn Gayyat, Shaare Simhah. 
 
 a. Day of Atonement Laws, p. 63 (ed. Fiirth, 1861). 
 
 n nan n^s^ 'nxDni ''nytj'a 'n^iy o^n NJN nnino n\n 
 nw pi pana poa nu!?na . . . ^ny^a 'n-iy TIKBH DHDIN 
 
 * M ."IKD na [i]poa nnyo an 101 ^an am .wt^a an poa 
 ^. Laws of ' Lttlab, p. 103. 
 
 pan an ION oni . . . pnb pby 5 na ia in^n^i i^y an 
 
 ^.nt^a p^y a 
 
 (3) Samuel b. Jacob b. Jam', Ordinances concerning 
 slaughtering 
 
 DW IK Kt^nn NO^n 'i^y DTHP Npn paa N>on wn nonan 
 nr D^ rininoo^N bpj oatrn B>nno anxvi . , . noobi yaia IBB>D 
 np*no^ \ni B'npn p^^ n'-ons ji^o nnax NO ^ID ppr D^I 
 
 M I^M pan no N.na^o (I) 1 ^** 
 
 (4) Isaac b. Abba Mari, Ha-Ittur t ?whn D3 niN, p. 32 c. 
 'nanai 'n pn n^a xnain N*nna an'-oi? ^anx nbn i?ya ana pi 
 
 .px3 pan an no iox ''oa pi win Nn^n amoa lanai? 
 
 227 See Pii* Recanati, 386. 
 
 228 See Abraham of Lunel, Ha-Manhig, p. 61 a. 
 
 229 Ibid., p. 673. 
 
 230 See Steinschneider in Geiger's Zeitschrift, II, p. 77.
 
 102 HEFES B. YASLIAH S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 (5) Moses of Coucy, Sefer Miswot Gadol, positive pre- 
 cept 48, p. 1270. 
 
 '31 DT)E> p^aotr }1NJ pan ID ania nvi "per aina pan naoai 
 
 231 ,jnat? 'ninaa paniai mnianpo numa 
 
 (6) Samuel b. Solomon in Responsa of R. Meir of 
 Rothenburg) 250 (ed. Prague). 
 
 ay DS^ iy nioap "on i?y pnao ^si^ ^ jnao pi 
 no b 7 'Kno pw pan noi w 
 
 (7) Abraham of Lunel, Ha-Manhig. 
 a. p. 6ia. 
 
 nnyo 'ani pan m IN /it^a m poa pi pana ipoa 
 
 b. p. 67 a. 
 S .i^3 prfc pbj? 'a nnx baa ia n^nw DN pa pan an ana pi 
 
 (8) R. Menahem of Recanati, Piske Recanati, 386. 
 
 pan DB'a oa/K an a 
 iovya Nin njpK> noa -"b-o *an 
 
 ns:iN p ICNT Nn b^r SI^K pan DB'a oa/K an ana 
 
 (9) Mas'iad Hai b. Aaron, Mdase Rokeah, quotes in his 
 preface the following note from an old commentary on 
 Maimonides (p. 6) : 
 
 nan .in^nsj'i nayn pa^pi pixa nain nc pan ail 
 
 231 See Meir of Rothenburg, Responsa, 852. 
 
 232 See Isaac b. Judah Ibn Gayyat, Sha'are Simhah, p. 63. 
 
 233 Ibid., p. 103. 
 
 234 See Isaac Alfasi, Responsa, 109. 
 
 235 The text is slightly corrupt, and I corrected the grammatical errors.
 
 INTRODUCTION : QUOTATIONS AND REFERENCES 103 
 
 B. PHILOLOGY 
 (i) Ibn Janah. 
 
 a. Kitdb al-Usul (ed. Neubauer), s. v. ntJ>K, p. 73, 
 1. 31 ff. 
 
 V>k*2 'ifsr* nnt^NJl Ulj .pan.) 
 .nuan ta D'nnBDm n^npno 
 nn HIT mapfe n^nn yo3B> J^K jn nu^N B^P l^i j 
 '3B> ip^nrw no [hsw] sj^nn B>a paipn DnnK'Ni 'j^ TIDN nr 
 ip^oi mr mny vnnn i^oyn vbx ej^nn N^ |iyn:n DH^H^N ^oai 
 
 .Dt3C> nx nm2Ki "j^ iniD m nn 
 ^. j-. v. noD, p. 338, 1. 3 ff. 
 
 ona PN nmoani nnan ^s Ji, j JJ 
 .y r r }*snJ juj^aJl vl^T ^ cyl^l nnaJl Cij 
 
 c. s.v. -113, p. 331,1. 5ff- 
 ona p ronoani nnan 
 >l^ j jan luj^lj 
 
 , p. 337, 1. 1 8 ff. 
 
 i nnrton aa-p Clj x^Jl M bf j pan JU; 
 nanoJl ^ Jb 
 
 Dipioi ppi? pp pa aana Nin nr 'K pm un 
 Qipo ND^N UDn nn pp^ pp pa D*3r 
 iin nn pn^- na }nj an IDS vxn ny noo^o taa-ia nnn a^nam 
 
 npTn6 N^T o^na^ nm 'Nui? nn 
 e. s.v. nny, p. 535,1. 14 ff. 
 
 ^As?- 5 ii noynn N^ ^j AD! ^ pan JlSj 
 na noynn ^
 
 104 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 iy a^n WK 
 loynni 'as? 13 t 
 
 ^ao && aaian 1*1 JJlpl Jyj jj 
 a^t? iy IOIN mini i irnen^ 
 
 236 .1iaOl 13 
 /. j. z;. y*p, p. 642, 1. 34 ff. 
 
 mo 
 
 oanai 
 
 110 
 
 237 .l^c ny^p j 
 -. j. v. nsi, p. 656, 1. 19 ff. 
 
 ^U-l *yi> HNTj JljJb ,-INl ^1 Jjljill (^3 JU J^ 
 
 Nn^nan Nan NJK' II NOI nxn Na^nan Nan wt? ^NO Ijlls . 
 jEsn JJc J/J1 IJA ^ KM nnx nKii nKn n^o yocr 
 
 . jjyJl (j w.lS' ^ Jb 4il A**, N^a 
 
 h. Kitdb al-Luma (ed. J. Derenbourg), p. 15, 1. 17. 
 
 jo npfWD^H T: NODN^X n^oan ^y) m^Den naianoK 
 311 n-nyD aia onbpJa pihio^K KDT&K1 NO^y^N ana |o 
 n^a B>KI j'sni m^ra^M OKI ^an p ^Nioty ail KH an 
 .pyoaK Qnjy n^K ''ii ENW^KI l*DMan^ axnvs* jo 
 
 (a) Judah Ibn Bal'Sin. 
 
 . Commentary on Num. 4. 7 (ed. Fuchs). 
 
 .yjnoa iBion nopi Tp }o HNI^N nwp fN yi pan ai 
 
 <5. Commentary on Deut. 30. a. 
 ny h'^oj *B HM^K 'n ny na^i ^an ip yi j^an an 
 yi ^sn NJ^ NO:NI . . . naxna p ^va hs a 
 iai ni'N ny^N n^ ^oa 11 NO *a^ jnme^R ri^oa B rrin 
 
 ss6 See Solomon Parhon, Mahberet he-'Aruk, s.v. "1Oy. 
 237 See '6rf., s. v. JJXp.
 
 INTRODUCTION : QUOTATIONS AND REFERENCES 105 
 
 ^NT^ yiuxj nivo m&?y vhw\ niNO ww ^OP i ann anhp 
 in B IDN^N yp> D^> NO rva ^T jo rrwi pan an K& -jin^ 
 npyo ^>rio ni>ya N"5y Bpo KOI rtao N-ipoi rajn 
 }N3 npi n*aS>K S33 |n DHOKpo ^n nw nnin ^no JKS 
 ^ina D^IN mmai D^in ipn y^n^kx n^oa *a ^Snx jo 
 ^.njn myiK xin ^K KSK nhp jo :bn D^S ^n nyai 
 
 ^r. Commentary to Judges 20. 28 (ed. Poznanski). 
 JK ^ip n^N 11 NO swnr^M 3NHD 'a y5 psn nn^ n H Ni np b 
 n^3B> nmn Kn^a JK^ ^NP rins^N JNDT ;o NTIP nypi e^ 
 DK^TDK^Ka KIN^ joij rimi'N nni? H^N HJK 'jyon nra nr 
 JK3 jx i& sh nnsW nin *a nyin JKS NO n"j ^y DKIDK 
 2S9 .niia nia 11 JN KIKCT "'no wnnoN 
 
 df. Sefer Ha- Tagnis, s. v. Din . 2 * 
 
 e. In hisA!'//^ al-Tarjlh^ Judah Ibn Bal c am is supposed 
 to have had the following passage, which was afterwards 
 excerpted by an unknown writer who mistook some of 
 Ibn Balaam's remarks for those of Hefes. 241 
 
 t nxn b"i Y*n ^rh nniupn DID'-DO DND^N^N n^Dsn 
 wiyo am .ny"oi?N njn^n .fhab^N pavn .m^N aov im 
 
 238 See Maimonides, Sf/f^ ha-Miswot, ed. Bloch, p. 5. 
 
 239 See Tanhum Yerushalmi on the same verse. 
 
 240 This is mentioned by Dukes, Liter aturblatt des Orients, VIII, p. 680 ; 
 but the passage is not quoted. 
 
 241 Horowitz, ma^nn niD3 JVa, II, p. 63 ff. As the editor did not 
 understand Arabic, the mistakes are exceedingly numerous. I corrected 
 them as far as was possible, but did not consider it worth while to call 
 attention to every correction, as this would require too many notes. The 
 reader interested in the corrections may compare the original publication 
 with this reprint. 
 
 242 This is an interpolation, as I pointed out above, notes 68-70, and the 
 pages to which they refer.
 
 106 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 nma .~ny^N po:p ,noK3D3^N nai^p 
 
 B> ponap p 
 
 ,iri>y DN-N eppina . . . ND'pnoo nvyt Nrva 
 nnN nya nha p pyoB> -i ^ no wa^py I^N MDV naoo ^B ai 
 naas? vn^Ni n^a^y tap^ m6 . . . ^ Dn^a yao nnsi 'js 
 no 'Jiaoi l| ma niaa ^ ncx nn^a TO ^BD ^ nnoK 
 aaa jt}>y ni>yD ^ ION JVN-I TOI ub nnnn^ rfapn 
 ,Dn ^a^ mix PXID PNB' iana wn njnap ^ TON 'b 
 msa b"r pW^N n^y NO -P: ^y IHB psno^x nmos H^N 
 now iry^x p pyot? n N^n rp nac ^a "^i nn^ Noai iND^ai'x 
 KD^ mvj sjnia innB> lino Nan TON 'cyta NO n pp^TD PN 
 in n^Ki /iai pj^y Nint? DI^D TO NO^I 3N n-i? TON 13DD pano' 
 N^> rropi njy n^Nonn noy rum )NB iND^a^N ina SBV^N nnn ^y 
 n^ani'N |N3i ND ^yNa nvn B n*Nn NO (? paN) NnaN nim nan* 
 .nniBan nra wan N^D ^D nmi rrwo nv i>a ^a n:o 
 
 (3) Solomon Parhon, Ma/ideret he-Aruk (ed. Stern). 
 a. .$. 2/. TOy, p. 49 d. 
 
 (N"a 'nan) TOynn N^ (i*a 'nan) ia noynni 
 Tiaa na iron^n N^ TON ^"r na^tr t^NT "PU yo pan 
 ny an I^N B'aj aaun pma n^Ni^n ^neraa 
 X NJK> ia iwnt^i inic'i!' 120:2^ ny TOIN mw 
 243 .ia ^ontrni ia noynni a vtray 
 . j. z;. y^p, p. 60 c. 
 pnaai sny^'pi mpi 'ain (n*o o^nn) niysp ni^nNi no 
 
 N pan i^am [DOCD y^ ctrpi njnvp nitspn 
 
 243 See Ibn Janah, s. v. 
 
 244 Ibid., s. v. ysp. See also Kimhi, 5. v.
 
 INTRODUCTION : QUOTATIONS AND REFERENCES 107 
 
 (4) Tanhum Yerushalmi, Commentary on Jud. 20. 28 
 (ed. HaarbrUcker), p. 17. 
 
 ^ L^s o^ njn:a wfrsi i^ u l jwl^Jl ^U:T j psn m JlSj 
 
 245 .nrn nr Mn$> D'oat? nnin l^* U 5> Jls j^aJl u Uj 
 
 C. PHILOSOPHY AND GENERAL REFERENCES 
 
 (i) Bahya Ibn Pakuda, Parotid al-Kulub (ed. Yahuda), 
 p. 7. 
 
 p pan 'n i_.L^ Ji. UlS' Li ajj^l ^.jj.c ^a* jldi 
 nw5>n Ji- u yi il* j I 4 ju L^L 
 ji, l^jl^l 
 
 .. 
 
 (2) Judah b. Barzillai, Commentary on Sefer Yesirah 
 (ed. Halberstam), pp. 55, 56. This long passage, which 
 gives a Hebrew translation of the first two precepts of the 
 Book of Precepts, was quoted, translated, and annotated 
 above, Chapter II. 
 
 (3) Maimonides. 
 
 #. Sefer ha-Miswot (ed. Bloch), p. 5, 1. 3 ff. 
 
 nm JD vo 1 ' ra by n5:n nn*n IWVD&M ^tne^N 
 
 ny Nos D^an Din^i ohn nipa ly IN may D6yi 
 nj o6yNa 'nx nb^ D^Dy ina ncoynoN ni'Ni 
 
 246 ,Nnn xaoN^a a i6j jc6 PTD NM y^N in MM N^N nyani 
 
 ^., p. 55, 1- 13 ff - 
 
 va ^M a f>Mj ^"ia rnv JWITB^M 3Mna anxv 
 Mnaoi" :^NP nv: Min NCN!?D bxB^M i^n n^y i'on^'' MO 
 
 245 See Ibn Bal'am on this verse. 
 
 246 See Rapoport, Kebusat Hakamim, p. 58, and Ibn BaFam's Commentary 
 on Deut. 30. 2.
 
 io8 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 fna t Nnya in 11 'yni 'an nSsa wnaa 'ayo 
 n n^y ^onK ni>K ^i>K jo 'ay Knaoi nhp NK ".poio 
 nna Dnorb* ni>K pat? p*W nriK^n on ayo pnx^hi pint&n 
 peso Knjnoa r6ip <i ayi ny woa D H K> nu nn^o ^^no nyoni UPD 
 1^ N^ ,nr noi nr nna 11 n5 yoi 'yn n3 *ay 
 NH^ nixo m^y B^w niso Bt? npny JN may 
 f"ai i>p NCO 7 yn n^ DTN^ NHJDI N^ Dm^> nao 
 1 ' xb fn tDx!?niN nay nfe n&K o^y Kim ;n: N!? 
 .n^DD^N ria^a b^KpM K7&6 naia 
 c. Pe'er ha-Dor (ed. Amsterdam), 140, p. 25 d. 
 PK -U?K noKn Kin [Sannan nana] niana lianas NO .nait^n 
 
 nas^on nsri nae^n B>naa U-DT p wai pao DW u 
 nnnan Diip ian> nnn nKy I^N nauwnn Known K*n 
 3*T pan an pann ania ana^ na WKT^ no aa 
 
 Munk, Notice sur Abou'l- Walid, p. 198, quotes part of 
 the original of this passage. 
 
 ^.AJ 5>*T pan n jJj^iJI vLiT^^U /i L J^sJI dL)5 j bJj 
 
 . A*Sva3 jjj.} 8JtJ ^ li-x> |j\>j &J- Jolt 
 
 e/. 7^V/., 142, p. 26 d. 
 
 'aa cb nn rr^po wnt^ nvenpm bbo Kim? D^iabn 1^1 
 yiyon can ^ jnv n^m omoipoa n"ya oapnN 'JN ^3K naeisn 
 am onno n^am y\ n^oa la^an ioa owiKan nan nnK 3B>en nna 
 .onar^ oniaa ^y oinx^ noo onhn nisen naoa y"a pan 
 (4) A Genizah fragment containing rhymed prose. 247 
 nnyo ia^an nana m[n]o vb\ [p]an nana pan ^ [P]K ^a nxnsi 
 |>]t:inn nn>aa DK ^a two ^ pi .^NIO^ pw naoa ^ n ptn 
 .nia nin^n niw n^Kna 'nnan^ ny mao 
 
 247 This fragment is now at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. 
 I am indebted to Professor Davidson for drawing my attention to this passage, 
 and for copying it for me.
 
 INTRODUCTION : QUOTATIONS AND REFERENCES 109 
 
 (5) A Genizah letter at the Jewish Theological Seminary 
 of America. 248 
 
 p pan a-)K nivcn anr> nna 
 
 (6) Abraham b. David of Portaleone, in his preface to 
 Shilte ha-Gibbdrim, acknowledges his indebtedness to 
 Hefes. 
 
 THE Sefer Hefes 
 
 (i) R. Eliezer b. Nathan. 
 
 a. }"axn nao nryn px, 30. 
 
 1NVC31 ipon DHy v^y icnn^ 112^ yan isoa nNo 3"m 
 ony taw tnm NK'a nnyn n^pnn ^DB IN oanp D3twi a 
 
 ., p. 1150. 
 
 in i^ ns"i njnat? n*an! n^n nn pan laon xxoj pi 
 
 ny ia 
 
 (a) R. Eliezer b. Joel ha-Levi (n^axn). This writer 
 quotes this book, according to Gross. 250 The n^atO is now 
 being edited by Dr. Aptowitzer, but the first volume that 
 has hitherto appeared contains no reference to the Sefer 
 Hefes. 
 
 (3) R. Isaac of Vienna. 
 
 Or Zarua. 
 a. I, 615. 
 
 nan t^an oa fan iaoai 
 
 ana N^I 
 
 248 See JQR., New Series, I, p. 439. I am indebted to Professor Marx 
 for copying this sentence for me. 
 
 249 See Sefer Morctekat, Makkot, I. 
 280 Monatschrift, 1885, p. 561.
 
 no HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 b. Ibid.) Ill, Baba kamma, 281. 
 pw "wnw in *?w ni^Kt? niai^na unto aina pan naoa 
 nny pro po ipyyoi WDBDI wan n owoi D'Taop mrrp 
 wo t6 onaom nowrw? an?ni .npy TO pwyn inixa 
 
 . . . D3K 
 
 c. Ibid., 284. 
 
 nnyi? i>ioa ">ID IN na^ ^NI WD^B ai .pann naoa 
 
 pan no ai Nin y^i nnan p n> WVDDI N3 
 'omaa ^ya Npn an ^ax pnty n D p^nen n^ ytn o"n p ^ 
 Nna>nD ^nnna H^DB^ "oni nny^ ^IDBI pno NP 
 
 /. 7^Vj?., 370. 
 
 pmay p^KB' nniya opjaa -v^a inan .pann naoa 
 nyv *?& nao KnB> ^:a N^ nr mtco yaix ^ jni3 map 
 ^a ns n'-an a 3yBnn 'n nip 10x3^ y jvn nan 
 ia 
 
 V/., 380. 
 
 i ^y !?mo o 
 
 .Kan nan N?S x^an N> pan naoa pi 
 /. Ibid., 381. 
 
 ii?B> p^nvn urv ^>ainn nw n'-ana bainn ,p^3 pan naoa 
 pa n3yo DP sw pa ^an3n [^] p^nvi? i:n^ ^an^.n no 
 
 151 See R. Meir of Rothenburg, Responsa, 252 (ed. Cremona) ; 307 (ed. 
 Prague) ; R. Samson b. Zadok, 569 ; R. Meir ha-Kohen, Haggahot Maitnu- 
 niyyot, Hilkot'Edut, n. 3.
 
 INTRODUCTION : QUOTATIONS AND REFERENCES III 
 
 T\w jw Dipsa -jv^ mn .ui yasw nr nn nayo DB> pssr 
 
 Kim 'a n^an -IDIK nr pr nn^ .njna? N^>a tau nr nn icuy nK 
 
 .nuyon JD nnxa nr nn 
 
 g. Ibid,, Baba mesi'a, 38. 
 
 maoi IWDB^O mty *?n PINT ^em* no^n pppjn 
 ^1^2 ^rx N^ min' .nanoi pyos? n min^ nanoa n:nj nh 
 |nn 'j^yn ^M nan* rano wb ^*K jaixia ^TN K^> 
 n loan fnub fi"iD s D^ ^a N^ nano ^yn i>aK 13*0 
 .nvinxa N^ o^ni n 
 
 . 73zW., Baba batra, 76. 
 
 n^nn jawn no DKI 3na pan ISD snpan 
 vn ^nan^ V3K nipoa nciy p ib B 
 mm nan ma nx nenv ne>M pyo^ na mm* n DIBTO prn 
 ns B'ni 11 axn nao no axn noo^ oxn noo B^po nino Nip 
 .1^ op /1( 3nDa N^N sn^i .naa nx n^ni* nt^N on noo JK wa 
 
 ?'. /^/^., 78. 
 
 pa ^Tin-" nroi WH PDD ana pan nao . ipan o^aina 
 niai aa paan nw na niaa a^a^ natap nai ^a rvfy iin 
 .jinnxn ma P^n pun nna ^a pyan pi pnu^ pin 
 na pnux a'aen a'yw miaa P^n nnan >ja j^pen wn an 
 pp^DO |Nya NI n-ax ^oaia N^K oaa nis^y ni? JK ~naa nai 
 
 .y'r pan ^ay Naoj nsna n^ya^> paiTi mra 
 
 j. Ibid., 99. 
 
 .nm niyny ji KD^PI pan naoa poai 
 
 ^. 7^'</., no. 
 
 'na hon niNn ^DIJ pan "iaoai 
 .KM
 
 ii2 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 /. Ibid., 112. 
 
 by ->ON DN -icix xpna p pnv "i "Tn aina pann 
 man p isnvb 'INI WKP *o by pep man isrvr 
 nuan pa nan p byi ooan pa pn na by IDK DN 
 Kb nwan pa nn byi o^an pa na by ION 
 
 (4) R. Moses of Coucy, 5^r Miswot Gadol. 
 
 a. Negative precept in, p. 36 d. 
 
 m ora npna xh naba y^oe' DI H I p^tn DV npna DN 
 am nry^x mn Kn^Ki jnrw pisa w:n 'am ai ipbm nra 
 JS1D3 npna J&P ^a by ejn nyatr bB> jnb^nna .npnaB' 
 mbn -iian: xbi b^in . . . jaioa npna xbi bwn now 
 ""ani an PDIS psn nsoai , . . won 'ai nana nonnb 
 
 .ana nabn 
 
 b. Positive precept 107. 
 
 wan pan 'aoai p-nnjon p^sa V^a w ^0121 
 Dan Na'bn worn ina *nv p pjs? I^N nwioo yn ibua ^nv p 
 by vjsb nc jnb wsb D^JN ye' isa xnsbn na -DV 
 
 pi oanN pib ynv TN nnb IDN niin pn waving 
 
 (5) R. Meir of Rothenburg, Responsa. 
 
 a. (Ed. Cremona), 127. 
 
 p PDB r\"~\ .op cn nprna --DajT -nanac? nnionc' nisi 
 a^yn njcbs pne ^oab p^oon DWD pan iaoai 
 
 ,DP ^on^ npma 
 
 b. Ibid., 252. 
 
 Tiea ipoa pi nyia^bi nnyb bioa -IDO pan naoa ana 
 
 ".WB^ jNa ny 
 
 252 I am indebted to Professor Louis Ginzberg for this reference. That 
 Hefes in his Book of Precepts discussed such matters is evident from text, 
 fol. 5 a, II. 13 ff. 
 
 i63 See above, note 251.
 
 INTRODUCTION : QUOTATIONS AND REFERENCES 113 
 
 c. (Ed. Prague), 175. 
 
 none T DN vy yini D'aierann p nnv *|Da jna win n' 
 .fan naoa sroa pi '*tna 1 
 
 . /#/., 307. 
 
 TIDD nTa* rxn pxa ^ID^S an ICN *am fan nsoa 
 'JDT BTK 'QK S^N DDIIBDI nioj moo 'yao 
 ^ pan noKi m y^n ^*m ib SJTDDI w^w wan 
 
 254 .ma^c 'aa PDBJ pi nny^ 
 53. 
 
 naia nenana is nao^crui nnaina nnaNtr ne'K fann ^ya ana 
 nninaa rb '^nui n^nianp be> mama 'a is '2 'waoi naoin /<( BN 
 
 ^.snaon pi nyia^ai jno 
 
 (6) R. Ephraim b. Jacob, Responsa of R. Meir of Rothen- 
 burg (ed. Lemberg), 318. 
 
 Kinn KaK nn nipios nir&na Nxoa ia^ aina KXDJ fan nsoai 
 n^Dpfj xnx ''nyavsa 'nao Q^iay ns [''tna] b^pnwn xn^an 
 
 .nKana nnio nnn^i Nrnaoi nwna niox ^y^i wnao noxi am 
 
 (7) R. Isaac of Corbeil, Sefer Miswot Katan, 82, headed 
 
 piaaoino I S N w^ano poipi?, p. 22 b. 
 i p33 JOBW ons ^BKB* ntyyK' fan nsoa poa ^N3an iran 
 
 256 ,nivo na-6 nnnn i^ t^^ fan 
 
 (8) Tosafot Baba mesi'a, 4 a, headed nw am. 
 
 M7 .an -j^m yow fan naoa IK 
 
 264 See above, note 251. 
 
 285 See R. Moses of Coucy, Sefer Miswot Gadol, positive precept 48, 
 p. 127 b ; Sefer Mordekai, Ketubot, IX, 234 (ed.Wilna). 
 *' See R. Samson b. Zadok, 412. 
 257 See Haggahot Maimuniyyot, Hilkot To' en we-Nit'an, 4. i. 
 
 I
 
 ii4 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 (9) R. Samson b. Zadok, f"3B>n. 
 
 a. 412. 
 
 nnrp 3"nxi na^ir in^s nN t?i:6 DIN ma 
 n3'tj3 nma raoo r\tb N^ 0^31 D^ 133 n3ya> 
 131^ nw pan laon poc n"n DJIDN* ,om:i 
 
 2n8 .n-inn 
 
 b. 569. 
 
 bios pno nw w/n ^Q m ^ONP an ^an iaD3 
 nnan!> ^m ^J^N i^ax N^N DD-IISOI na pno 
 N^ pm TIDNT NHI y&n in i^ wpnoi MJ^TK any 
 
 nB>a poaa pi nyi3c6 pin Kim nny^ hoa n^ pnD spn 
 
 (10) R. Mordecai b. Hillel, Sefer MordekaL 
 a. Yebamot, II, 6 (ed. Wilna). 
 
 pi fan nao pi ^3jn 13*31 a"Di na!>n pi nas xypa K^ Npir 
 
 .D31K3i1 IKS' 
 
 ^., II, 7 (ed. Wilna). 
 
 N^ IN poan on^ ^ O 
 
 . Ketubot, IX, 234 (ed. Wilna). 
 3 IN nso^KW nnaina ni3NB 
 paniai rvnnnpD '3 IN nnina '3 pK3Di naoin 
 
 d. X, 243 (ed. Wilna). 
 
 w DN Nnmm Nnai^a NS^NI 
 nnii inn hi3 Nin^ o N^N 
 
 8 See R. Isaac of Corbeil, Sefer Miswot Katan, 82. 
 869 See above, note 251. 
 260 See above, note 255.
 
 INTRODUCTION: QUOTATIONS AND REFERENCES 115 
 
 3-1 XE&X wn ix^ nci w^ X3xi xin n 
 
 pnay 
 .o*nn naiai i"3D eninn n^sin vby n^ano 
 
 .^DH 1BD3 
 . XII, 265 (ed. Wilna). 
 
 nana] ^sn nan DW arnan pia ^yi nana pi 
 
 / Kiddushin, I, 488 (ed. Wilna). 
 
 IX pon^x nDtri] 'm N*3"iB> 3-121 saa 3-13 
 
 ,yanai N3-i3 poa pan naoa ^ax [nnjno 
 
 . Ibid., 489 (ed. Wilna). 
 aV an 'inin py3i ^Nitr3 snai>n rvin ipoa pan naosi 
 
 ^. Sanhedrin, III, 696 (ed. Wilna). 
 
 P"ia pnKia pnb pbiDB ww IN amsn yotw pan -13031 
 
 . Makkot, I, 728 (ed. Wilna). 
 any Ka*Ki Kan N^X pn^3o x^n NVOJ pan -13031 
 
 j. Glosses to Mordekai, Yebamot, X. 
 
 nans *BD K^ &TBB noxpn xn p*n pan naD2i 
 
 .D 1 !^ 3H3 
 
 (n) R. Meir ha-Kohen, Haggahot Maitmtniyyot. 
 a. Akabah, end of Seder Tefillot, 4. 
 
 xn^x pi n /x i ^ narni> pxt^ pan naoa 303 n"-n 
 
 xnp: inenjn nann p moan pan naoa DDI 
 
 281 See }"3X1 13D, 30.
 
 n6 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 b. Hilkot Shekenim, 3, 5. 
 
 mm rmaa DK ban nx vby pbabaot?] pan "> DD3 n"" 1 a " 31 
 
 ,[ina-nn b 
 
 c. Hilkot Ishshut, 14, 30. 
 
 b bya nb 'n'bi 'a xbi nynorpKi mtw pa'b 'ya 
 N Kni jms paiai ^n baa pi rmiioT srn nb 
 nanai n"nDm a'na ana p^ bya ni? ni^ Nts^a ^opo 
 
 .yen naoai 
 
 t/. Hilkot To en we-Nifan, 4, i. 
 
 e. Hilkot l Edut t 11,3. 
 
 -HD3 UDO N^yno N^n ^ID^S an IOIN 12^ j'an nsoa ana 
 a1D niDONi nbx -6 noxi inun ny ani DDIIS ms 
 pi ^jnas'b pin Kim nnyb biosi ytj>i a^m KDma3 wa 
 ^.a^y n^o nu^ *nt?a "noon pi 
 
 (ia) A commentary to a Mahzor. 264 
 
 a. Fol. 37 a. 
 
 jna s^ai nnyp paa a ^aa ma {^K'NT oa^Nn PDB pi 
 
 iy iniaa inb intwi *aE> baa pnnn jn^y ne> 
 
 naoa <3 PDB pi 
 
 M2 See Tosafot, Baba mesi'a 4 a, headed IVPW 3*11 . 
 
 283 See above, note 251. 
 
 264 I am indebted to Professor A. Marx for his kindness in copying these 
 two passages for me. He also drew my attention to Marco Mortara, 
 Catalogo dfi Manoscritti Ebraici della Biblioteca della comunita Israelitica di 
 Mantova, Livorno, 1878, p. 36, where the following note occurs in & descrip- 
 tion of Response* mostly by R. Meir of Rothenburg : ' Molte opere ed autori 
 vi sono citati come il fBn 'D (no. 385, 389, 526) di IT'I .'
 
 INTRODUCTION : CONCLUSION 117 
 
 b. Fol. 38 a. 
 
 mva pa pan lEmnp i: i?p la^ai r"y iina ^DD^MH PDD pi 
 POD pi inio cusij DVD fnu NOP*I inio ruop mva pa r6vw 
 .MOV na mnpa i^sx vvnn o^ron *>ai pan laoa i?N3jn wan 
 
 (13) R. Abraham (brother of R. Meir of Rothenburg) 
 in WO 13D. 
 
 VIII 
 
 CONCLUSION 
 
 In copying this manuscript I have endeavoured to give 
 a faithful reproduction of the original. Even in cases where 
 there was an obvious scribal error I preferred to let it stand 
 in the text and correct it in a note, rather than give the 
 emendation in the text and call attention in a note to the 
 error in the manuscript. I felt justified in doing so, because 
 this is a unique manuscript, and I wanted to give the reader 
 the opportunity of seeing at a glance what is actually there. 
 The best emendation, unless it is independently corrobo- 
 rated, necessarily contains an element of subjectivity, and it 
 is hard to draw a line of demarcation between the certain 
 and the probable, for what may appear obvious to one 
 writer may be considered far-fetched by another. By 
 giving only ' correct ' readings the editor unduly influences 
 the reader. In one minor point, however, I have perhaps 
 deviated from the original. I have joined the definite 
 article ?N to the following word in accordance with Arabic 
 usage. Now the words in the manuscript are not sufficiently 
 separated from one another, and it is hard to tell what was 
 the copyist's intention in this matter. There are one or two 
 cases, however, where ^N is at the end of the line, and belongs
 
 n8 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 to the word with which the next line begins. 265 This would 
 seem to indicate that the copyist considered this particle as 
 a separate word. Owing, however, to the rarity of such 
 cases, I did not deem it advisable to disfigure the text. 
 
 My omitting to supply diacritical points over the letters 
 was based on very careful considerations. At first sight it 
 seems strange that there should be a consistency in placing 
 dots over D and V, while the other letters are systematically 
 neglected. This characteristic is shared by practically all 
 old Genizah fragments that I examined. That the Jews 
 who employed the Hebrew alphabet for Arabic words 
 adopted a phonetic scheme is evident from the circumstance 
 that is represented by 3 and p by j, and not by n and y, 
 respectively. They attempted as far as possible to write 
 down the words as they were pronounced. Now we have 
 no means of determining exactly at what period the dis- 
 tinction between some letters differentiated by dots was 
 dropped in pronunciation, but it is safe to assume that 
 this process took place before the Jewish- Arabic period. 
 In colloquial Arabic there is no difference between :> and i, 
 ki> and o. This at once explains why no diacritical mark 
 was put over 1 and n. Then c. approximates so closely 
 the pronunciation of the hard g that Arabs (even in Egypt 
 where ^ has the hard pronunciation) in the majority of 
 cases transliterate the hard g by . European Arabists are 
 sometimes puzzled by such a word as o^lc, which simply 
 represents gazetted This would accordingly dispense with 
 the necessity of placing a mark over :. The pronunciation 
 
 285 See e. g. text, fol. 4 a, 1. i. 
 
 266 Karaite writers who transcribed Hebrew words in Arabic characters 
 employed c. for 3. Thus J^^A = yJUn (G. Margoliouth, 'Abu'l-Faraj 
 Furkan ', JQR., XI, p. 207, 1. 8).
 
 INTRODUCTION: CONCLUSION 119 
 
 of n without a dagesh coincides with that of Arabic ^ , and 
 there was no need to indicate that no dagesh was in that 
 letter, just as in unvocalized Hebrew texts that mark is 
 omitted. 267 . Had they intended to place a diacritical mark 
 over 3, they might have more judiciously chosen letter Pi 
 with a mark to represent + , It is only to represent \j> and 
 Jo, which have no equivalents in the Hebrew alphabet, that 
 they were compelled to resort to diacritical marks. Accord- 
 ingly we have no right to tamper with these texts. It is 
 easy to supply the diacritical points, and to make the lan- 
 guage appear more classical. But what benefit would we 
 derive ? Our loss is evident ; for by altering the text we 
 destroy the only material we possess for the reconstruction 
 of Jewish-Arabic. I wish to lay especial emphasis on this 
 point, for I confess that I attach more value to the linguistic 
 aspect of such texts than to the philosophic or halakic. 
 The reader who is not sure of the values of some ambiguous 
 letters will find sufficient guidance in the translation and 
 notes. 
 
 The Hebrew translation follows the original as closely 
 as is compatible with the Hebrew idiom. I did not feel 
 bound to follow the style of the Tibbonites in vocabulary or 
 construction. The Tibbonites have no doubt enriched the 
 Hebrew language, but their conception of the duty of a 
 translator is, to say the least, out of date. Why should one 
 be compelled to write "Wn nn merely because the Tibbon- 
 ites wrote so in conformity with the Arabic construction? 
 The Hebrew idiom is to say T"imD, where in Arabic dJjii5" 
 would be used. Why, then, should we say "pDK3, which 
 
 267 It may be of interest to mention that some old manuscripts place 
 diacritical marks, dots or lines, over 13, 3, and 2? , thus avoiding all possible 
 cases of ambiguity.
 
 120 HEFES B. YASLIAH*S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 is an infinitive, and would convey a different idea ? More- 
 over, Hefes mostly had biblical or talmudic expressions in 
 mind, and I thought it advisable to reproduce these expres- 
 sions as far as possible. This naturally makes the style 
 slightly uneven, for biblical and talmudic constructions 
 occur side by side. To obviate too great a contrast, I re- 
 frained from employing the waw consecutive. Hefes 
 invariably introduces biblical and talmudic passages by 
 pa and \h, respectively. The b of p? does not mean 
 because. It is, to my mind, employed as a technical dis- 
 tinction between biblical and post-biblical passages. Con- 
 sidering the various terms by which this distinction may be 
 expressed in Hebrew, I decided to render p3 by nirot? ICQ 
 and P^ by now? IDD. The expression noKty ^ would 
 certainly not have done justice to the latter. The Tibbon- 
 ites would, I suppose, have rendered these expressions by 
 11DK3 and not6 or DiDN^. 
 
 I herewith take the opportunity of expressing my 
 gratitude to Dr. Cyrus Adler, President of the Dropsie 
 College, for his kindness in placing the manuscript at my 
 disposal and for encouraging me in my work. I am also 
 indebted to Prof. Henry Malter for reading the proof-sheets 
 and for some valuable suggestions, to Prof. Louis Ginzberg 
 for locating a few passages for me, and to Prof. Alexander 
 Marx for his promptness in forwarding me books, which 
 I needed in connexion with this publication, from the library 
 of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America.
 
 ARABIC TEXT 
 
 i a 
 
 Ha nnpj? IN ninnevn nn nr UDD icbyj nNDiDn nN na? 
 ]a nn2>i mryn naoinb Daajp IK nNinn&vi Ha nan ny -mat? IN 
 'DIN 'yDK 'n nns? 'yoB n nan nnNi nnN ba by an n 
 D nbyn byi HNDD obyn by a^nb noya JB> WD 
 naba nxota ci?y\n i?y M^M arn WK 'DIN xa'-py '11 
 ib 'obn trrpD UCD obyj ^ia IN HNDD CD ncbyj woo 
 yn by a w n PNI a^n Nin nNDta nbyn by NDU wm WDD 
 n nbyn by UDD obyai jn^n 'DIN -irybs* 'i Na-py 'n nai 
 'DD tbyy\ WOD oby^i 'DIN 'OB* 'n trnpD nbyn by an J^N a^n Nin 
 nbyn bin HNDD obyn by anb 
 
 Fol. i a, 1. i. This is the end of the eighth precept of the third section of 
 the third book. As this section evidently dealt with civil matters, chiefly with 
 the laws of damages, the discussion about the punishment for remaining in 
 the sanctuary while unclean, must be regarded as a digression. Owing to 
 the author's scheme of treating every detail from all possible points of view, 
 such digressions are frequently indulged in. See especially fols. 4 a, 11. 21 ff., 
 and i8b, 11. 8 ff. On the other hand it would serve no useful purpose to 
 speculate as to what this precept actually was. The passage occurs in 
 Tosefta Shebu'ot i. 8, where it is corrupt, as several words obviously fell 
 out through homoioteleuton. In order to describe all possibilities the text 
 must be UDD Dby: EHpOH flN 13T1 HNDD 13DD Hoby31 miya NDDJ 
 '1J1 1Dby3 nNDUn nN "DTI BHPD. This emendation is suggested by our 
 text as well as by Babli Shebu'ot 14 b. 
 
 1. 2. 1313B'] The printed text has pa"l31 which is certainly inferior, if 
 not impossible. Z[uckermandel] has iaiDK>. 
 
 1. 6. '131 Dby31] Sifra Wayyikra, chapter 12. 7 (ed. Weiss, p. 23 b). 
 See also Shebu'ot 14 b, Keritot 19 a, Niddah 28 b. 
 
 1. 10. Shebu'ot 4 a. 
 
 H. 121 K
 
 122 HEFES B. YASLIAHS BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 tw .y K^K a w 
 [rnnjrwn K^K MB> K^> nan 'ox maota ms> *a TObi^K ^xpi cbyn vb obn 
 
 DTD D^rni eD3 nyri i-6nna nyn na 
 
 mnnirn m :*nv KI 33 y ?]K D'as> a3 ninntrn as pn 
 [n]tonnB>n KM irsi rvnt? na PNB' nxinn^n 
 [D"]bni on* D!B*a nni? na E^B' njrna nnB> na PXB' nw na tw 15 
 
 n MCI n^D-yn nrn *ru na pnr n na <a^a n^na^ IIJTB' noai 
 
 [j]era na pnv 'n MCI n^c-jn nm na p pyoc' 7 n nb ncNi "TS p pyos? 
 
 pi can n;aa 'CN nrn ^KI nynats 'CN in ^cna na pyet? /- i 
 
 a5 ^ni 'ai 'n mna 
 
 j&oiD jc nanas nwa D-iis jc aain *n:o x wnec 20 
 
 [njnaac ^a NCXP N^aao IN xoia npnnsi N2iB> mxva 
 'ai 'soi c*x Nsn *a 'pa i^n nop nv IN yx'i^x a sec 
 
 1. ii. The J of Q^naa is suspended in the manuscript. 
 
 1. la. Ti&jW., 16 b. N3"l, not H3T, is the authority there. Although the 
 passage is corrupt in this quotation, as an essential sentence is omitted 
 after CNp ^3n, the phraseology would suggest that Hefes had a slightly 
 different text. In the Talmud two versions of Raba's statement are 
 recorded, and Hefes quotes the second. 
 
 1. 19. 33] This is not accurate : the verse in 2 Chron. 7. 3 contains 
 twenty-three words, and there is no possible way of reducing it to twenty-two, 
 for if we omit monosyllabic unaccented words there would be less than that 
 number. 
 
 1. 20. n3O] The pronominal suffix of naD refers to DDp. 331JY] This 
 verb may be active, having ny^lSvN as its subject, or passive, being used 
 impersonally. The Hebrew translator of the first two precepts quoted by 
 Judah b. Barzillai in his commentary on the Book of Creation construed it in 
 the former way. But the dots and space after naD seem to indicate that the 
 copyist took it to be passive. For the sake of clarity I followed the latter in 
 my Hebrew translation. 
 
 1. 21. "pN N?aaD] Literally : ears of corn standing in the plantation. 
 These four words represent Hebrew flOp. Sa'adya translates it by 
 
 1. 22. Exod. 22. 5
 
 ARABIC TEXT 123 
 
 N3 JN NN3 *n HN 'D fNID 
 
 ssn ^i 'ipb Nna Nr6 a^so^KB "pa b m nun 
 
 ib 
 
 aina nna 'an n "Viaon tbw cbw noxyo sxn a 'ai 'vi 
 v^ enn T3 rnyan ns n^n Kivi law v^a D^DI uic 
 an npan npa no n^ D^OB' yna a^m DTK ^no TIED 
 an nisn HK x^aon nwn nx N s aD nnxi o^syn nx N^ao 
 
 "icxy^xi : pnitaa D^a nnn inab a sl| n ra^on nai?i ins 5 
 pa D^y^ nyi DIN 'ipb n^p^ ^^^ *a IN^D "to^y I 
 o^an nx nat^i nan py HN noo f^" 1 pai ny pa TTD pai 
 
 ;N Nnsa :pianca pianc pxtr niB'y!? NV^NI D^B> P 
 py is jniK n Ncnao nnsi b py nyixn IN Nnnj INJ^N may 
 
 T^ a np-inNa ^i pis Nca Nj?tm v mxa 10 
 
 p NiNipn !?PN msaNi ny'sN IN nnN JN3 |NQ N 
 
 1. 23. Nna/N21] I rendered this word by N^aO = u-*Jl- one who brings, 
 or transfers from one place to another. Does it, perhaps, represent n3/Cn ? 
 But I have never met i_Jla- or ^_Ji in that sense. 
 
 1. 24. Baba kamma 22 b, 60 b. In these texts another passage is 
 inserted before DPK' ; but Hefes only quotes the interpretation bearing on 
 Exod. 22. 5. 
 
 Fol. r b, 1. i. 31713] Scribal error for 3inan. 
 
 1. 2. Baba kamma 59 b. 
 
 1. <t. N^aO] The printed text has N'OH in both places. 
 
 1. 6. JNVD] The orthography is exceptional, as usually short vowels 
 have no symbols in this manuscript. '\2\ DTN] Baba kamma 26 a. 
 
 1. 8. Mekilta d' R. Simeon b. Yohai, p. 141 (ed. Hoffmann). 
 
 1. 9- nyiiNI] This word obviously represents JIvvB' a pond, but is not 
 recorded in any lexicon in that sense. As x^. denotes he sucked, i*f\j 
 may be a place where water gathers. 
 
 1. 10. mNa] = Il- which is an excellent equivalent for D^3in "jTl . 
 
 H. L
 
 124 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 moN nacp pann \n& ftbhv IN in: may 'ipb nov^N nor^a 
 
 in: IK D'znn TIT IN niON yanN maa Nin^ nro may KXW nisa 
 
 mt?y sw ONI NTI nry^N n Nan ON wn JNO D'ann -JTI i^Npi mua 
 
 IN vi nyaniNa na^o a NINJ oii pi o^ann T-H new 15 
 
 NtpE }N3 jx 103*^ nTj "j^E npnnxs nns6 IK 
 V DT^S nnpnnM NO ^K nao nyn ^no KHDINX nvp 
 
 nNl NH10D3 Hip '3 D^ }N3 fN NEND * ^n no^p 
 
 npnnxa "j^n TJ w NHTH^ nips np$> Nnn n^n aao ^a nnpins* ND 
 x "i np^nn nayn noa i^ Tina p^non 'ipf> Nna n^^ Knonsia 20 
 OIK iry^N "i ii3 rva yvoNa N\T i^K3 nniK pNn OIN nnry p 
 ^ DIN pyot? i noN D'E^on 61 N na^py n ouin mi HON 
 ON HUN na nan ON jom ai ON npinn ^a^ bn ,iN 'aon 
 
 2 a 
 
 na5>n ^NIOB' ON min* an ON cjor an ON npi'i ^ nnaia ^ai? b.n an 
 [n]oni?N nN nN^N nnwnn NO n^oa ^a namn^N n!?Npi ' pyotr 'na 
 n nphn nayn noa i^ iina p^non npnnxa sjwy 
 D^K> mnn ny^a o-ann -jm noN nn^y ^B> OIN 
 OIN na^py ^ HON n^on ninn nyE'a .ION wvhv OIN mvT n HON 5 
 
 . i a. Baba kamma 61 a. 
 
 . 13. Ibid. The first "inj is no doubt a scribal error for "H3, as these 
 wo ds are graphically similar. 
 
 . 14. Ibid. Instead of ENT the printed text has pm. 
 
 . 17. V1O] Read NO, as in the next line. 
 
 . 18. D v }N3] A vulgar combination. 
 
 . 20. Ibid., 6 1 b. 
 
 1. 23. '131 JOH3 an ON] Ibid. The word N^NI or ^Npl probably fell out. 
 
 Fol. a a, 1. 3. Tosefta Baba kamma 6, 22. 33. There are only a few in- 
 significant variants, as 315^ before the second nt^yo is omitted in the 
 printed text. Z. has TyaTI instead of
 
 ARABIC TEXT 125 
 
 pap:i> a-iya npyo HOK HIND BS? nnn nyea HOK 
 prvn nK npSnn mays' nt^yo aw pnm TOM nwo B^E>D in 11 
 naosDo nnvi DM bx reap;? jcra ^OK onan noa nrp nivw 
 nnj may a^n m nn ^o *iy I^BM r6 D^IVO D'yy vn&? IK na^im 
 ND13 np-inN ;MB :nioa nioK TODS? parn jn^ n^iht^ i ma IK 10 
 IM namao jx/on IM xna IK ynr^x ni>M ^n pa KDB 
 MB ''I^T jroa nop MnoiMi DT^S n:n nyvi msyi?M 
 DT!> fra iwn nyii mMyiK *a D^ KD n^n ^K^a ^a 
 
 nB npnnnM so y>a no^p DT^^B NO N^TJO npnnN }NI 
 6am lainaB' no ^a c^o OIK rnvT n o^a ia vm t^nan HN p^ion 15 
 ^ maa na rwi onyc' ^ Bna IN D*on ^ t^ia N^K &^o PM OIM 
 oan DHIDI moa icy epBW ^ T'OD nai i^ niaa nay an ioy pB>ai 
 DIN ya TIT PB> nainaa' no i?a D^BIM? rrvan HN p^noa min n^ 
 pani ^PIJN ^H i^axi omaty no b D^ 11 nao mvT n i^Npi :D'naa 
 -jpa ^ai pnio inaM MOI N^ ni? p'wn PKB' PN nij pnn D^a nao 20 
 avpi at^a p Spn^N *& yiv is noon ;o Nca mvn IN ^Tp NONB 
 
 1. 15. Baba kamma 61 b. Differs from the printed text in omitting 
 after D^3, and in inserting B>H3 before DHiy^ 5v. Comp. Tosefta 
 6,24. 
 
 1. 17. TOD] Read "pOD. 
 
 1. 19. Ibid. The phraseology, which is different from that of the printed 
 text, seems to indicate that Hefes had another reading. 
 
 1. 21. ... 1N ... NOB] This sentence offers some difficulty. The 
 most obvious solution is to emend IK to fK , and to take DD1 in the sense of 
 custom, manner, for which Hefes usually employs the word iTlKy (see above, 
 11. 12, 13). The translation would then be miBO VMrt^ 1311^ 13"! i>3. 
 If, however, the text is to be left unemended, we have to consider the words 
 1S HDD") fO as a gloss or parenthetical phrase. DDT would then have the 
 meaning of he wrote. According to this explanation Hefes wishes to convey 
 that the inclusion of wood and reeds is to be derived from the word IN. 
 As this explanation does not involve any change in the manuscript, I adopted 
 it in my Hebrew translation, in spite of the fact that it is slightly awkward. 
 Plots of land not for sowing. 
 
 L 1
 
 i26 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 P ta mo pi 'ipb DIK&M orb* i^n nopa i^n xm KOI ":a^ mxani 
 nopn ix N:B> TD^ pvnw nnnx S>en D<:3X ^ -pano pi nnip ^en 
 
 mm IKI JD nsKnsnoK DDXH^K 
 
 2 b 
 N r6x mm : -isyn nx nan^ I^BK meri IN yovn i^xn IK 
 
 ^X "2 d> B pK BB KiTB mi^D ttT^K^K f'3p 3131 
 D1K 1^1 p3 ^:m V1K P313 JK 11^3 D1N1 D1X2 DIK 
 ^ pK 1*3 ^S 131X1 J30n ]K KONQ 11^3 print? D1K1 
 
 pK ^a n^y n^ 33Kii>K J^-IN^N pyoy jo ppa 5 
 IKI J 
 
 ncn i?3xi X3 
 
 PBD x^ trsn IKI 333 p33D xi Kin JTO 
 ex K3Kin mop^ xnx xpun XT o^xn K133 Kinn 
 inx pot^ ^3 DKI xin X3n xm an K3"j pan 3n Ki3ya nb 10 
 tran pr3 nnpxi xan ^NK' x^xi ^03 an px ^333 inx p3i3 PK 
 
 I. 22. Mekilta d' R. Ishmael, p. \*y> (ed. Weiss). HID should be changed 
 into 11D, as in that edition. See also Ohalot 3, 7. 
 
 1. 23. Both *p31D and "]31D are recorded. But *]in3 (Ezra 6. 4) would 
 support the second reading. 
 
 Fol.ab,Li. lKniK] A corruption of fKn SjX. On the other hand yCBa 
 may be retained as a variant instead of the usual yO{W3. PlPX] This may 
 be a scribal error for 67K It is also possible that one of the nine was not 
 included in this category. 
 
 1. 2. tJ^nx^N] Plural of ^^1 , used here in the sense of fine. 
 
 1. 3. 'Ill DnX] Baba kamma 84 a. The printed text has twice *pf3 
 before mK. JK] Read pK. 
 
 1. 7. Ibid., 15 b. "HOn and v!3in are obviously scribal errors for *1OK 
 and v331D, respectively. On the other hand it appears that in the printed 
 text the sentence Kin n'miK "HCm ^3X ^31313 foi ijni, which interrupts 
 the logical sequence, is a later insertion, due, perhaps, to the Saboraim. 
 
 1. 9. Ibid., 843. X"133 is a corruption from XIID. The other variants 
 seem to be genuine and are mostly superior to the readings of the printed 
 text.
 
 ARABIC TEXT 127 
 
 trhbto piNn NV-IN pyt? oaNnbN orb^a pyos? 'by NnynoN JN NOND 
 pN TJ 'a mm 'B pN 'a mo TnnDbso nnn TJQ ibi 'a 
 }Na ivNnbN }NrbN 'a pmafoc TibNn aon (IOB^M bnN nNpn uoin 
 p obi pynp bap }x NCNB -jbib D-in s bs nbn bnp ;y pyDt? xasn 15 
 IN ^N pyoc' ysa^x piNi DDH^N INI pyoefc n 
 
 ^Ni 'ipb onn^a ^n iv PJJK> S 3sn JS % D n^n nba 
 jrno 
 
 . 
 Nb INI n"? piaoio 'w ^IN? N wnna on? .TJBTK 
 
 j n K^m jna nno iTp^rn ^pibob n^b p'noc'o *p pai 13 pai n^ 
 Tina y-iyn D^D Toy>i in s a -pro yn aba DHN bnr sbtt* PJO DIN 20 
 N:mt> on '"'in^aa oon o^n xbi oib 6bn in^a 
 
 n ^a nbya orb 11 o s b nync^ N^ 'in 1 ' n 
 
 3 a 
 
 pnynen NICN jpsn^ 6 NHJD NHTJ ^a Nbi r n^ pN a- 
 [n]ND:bNa Fiiny?^ T: nin |Na NHN a^-in A njD >biN^N ny 
 r,onb p bav Nbi iinbN tun* ;M ibnb jND^NbN nNa NJND:N 
 
 jsa jr:i:na bpjbxi '21 t^-N HN nw ru> *ai x pa -]bn jo naa 
 
 1. 12. The word pINl evidently fell out after NIVODN by mistake. 
 
 1. 14. EDin] This word is best taken as fifth conjugation, either 
 imperfect third person singular feminine, .1, * 'v . or infinitive Ja^Ij = 
 arbitration. The second conjugation is syntactically possible, and perhaps 
 preferable, but is unknown in the sense required here. J"lNpn] Plural of 
 iiJ (from ^J.) a faithful man. For the ending comp. ijjii. 
 
 1. 15. D"1l"!v3] The signification he excommunicated \s recorded only by 
 Dozy. It would thus not be unlikely that its occurrence here is due to 
 Hebrew influence. 
 
 1. 16. pNDK'N] Infinitive fourth conjugation = to cause to come, or to 
 appear. See Dozy. 
 
 1. 17. Baba kamma 15 b. The superfluous N after &Oi"ia ought to be \ 
 Instead of pUCMD read p^JDTD. The rest are genuine variants. 
 
 Fol. 3 a, I. 4. '1:1 -"ail Exod. 21.28. fjfblO] After the J? the paper is
 
 128 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 "axi TUP Diaa 'ipi> nn s aa^x can IB n^xcnn paTpxi fa-i^xi 5 
 TXE n pnn niBa pnn ITOPI ^pit? oiaa TIBB pnn a^n pnn 
 ^y ci'B' PTJ D^D bann bxn j^n ^y ois 3m D^ pra D^B^ 
 nm D^ pT3 cb&D nyio nuiys ^yi nvm ^xn nai^a ^yi na^aa 
 IBD/X D' i xn3^x p nnxi ^a ^y 33^a xi^x bnp^xi pra ^*n 
 'ya ^no jxDix^x ""a ^ya "no TfcwH yxiax piai oinao 10 
 jxi : nVkT3 xwa fjiyi n^ni nons "ixcy tv&ih '*$h n^np "p*^ aa" HTM 
 [xjoxa rxa ^na n^y nno^xno ^ap nonpx ix nanxv mn^x xnn yx 
 [ijanpni lisa nso pn3 noy x^ty ny n'onu' on TIB' 'if9 x^a ny3 
 inwMani main ^ya ionp T^y new no nanoa lamai 
 
 noytwi *iw n^yB' no an K$>B> iy P"in pai pnn i6r ny an pa 15 
 
 , , 10 
 
 pa nsry N7 n^noa wnwi iunB> t^npfl- UK i^npn mao WN nao 
 
 an K^ ny P n rn pai pnn K^ ny an pa imrn:m main ^ya 
 ^ ^a na K^ a-ip^ ^Dt?a IDWD N^N D^nan: paw? --a^ ni^a ncy 
 
 KKn nx 'ipi 'enftt Dna^i ^on 11 ix nubs nono H a men 
 ^-X x^x ^ px 'ip^ 1 xirx ^XDDX^XI >i n:D^xi nioroD^x bsm n^sn 20 
 
 torn off. As this word represents na'tJ'J, there can be no doubt that }' 
 is to be supplied. 
 
 1. 5. |*B"VX1] A dialectic variant for the ordinary i^LST. See Dozy. 
 'IDI D133] Tosefta Baba kamma 5, 8. The reading of Z., confusing a^n 
 and TlDD can scarcely be defended. See also Babli Baba kamma 48 b. The 
 variants are insignificant. 
 
 1. ii. Mekilta d* R. Simeon b. Yo/iai, p. 135 (ed. HoffmannX See also 
 p. 131. The former passage which practically agrees verbatim with this 
 one applies to a different case. It is the latter which Hefes had in mind. 
 
 I. 13. Baba kamma 33 b. See Tosefta 5, i. There are numerous 
 variants in arrangement of the sentences as well as in individual words. 
 
 1. 19. nDlD] >= i"J* which is an excellent equivalent for pH3. 
 In this manuscript n and n are quite different from each other, and 
 
 L L '' 
 
 the copyist no doubt wrote ?CrP. But the sense demands 70IT = .Ufl ? 
 
 should be left alone. It seems that in the first manuscript of which the 
 present one is a transcription n, n, and n resembled one another. 
 
 I. 20. niDttDx] -.~^ usually denotes castrated, but it no doubt
 
 ARABIC TEXT 
 
 129 
 
 pao 
 
 nx 61^ 6i>n maTMNi DIDDIBI rwepi }up 
 wia *]i>n ba^ iiyi row* JN chy np -nr6n *nn }a fxi 
 
 nrv a^n vi-x piavxn nw 'ip^ n^np aa* a ^nps HBJD 
 nano *aj^ n^ iuvsn niiy yi '''imn^^ h ra 
 
 nx ix 
 
 onnn 
 
 nx 
 
 n^ip nip 
 
 cir^i 
 
 A nDiyc2 
 nn 
 
 b nri^s "i CN ' 
 nwn mo^ nnsi 
 ^ rbm ninan 
 
 ny 
 
 -VND D naa 
 
 sjnyo 
 
 jxa IK 
 
 nba N 
 nio^x ins I^N^ !> 
 
 12 ninan 
 N tram maoa 
 
 ai nhoS> sman nsnaa nawvarn 
 31 by naaw 
 
 xnjrca DT^ 
 
 nooa nyic^x ninbs an TOIK^JO 
 pi nk)K3 nn na n xruoi ^^^a n^y nin 
 
 and 
 
 represents here DEED- TO3PK1] = ^& which stands for 
 '131 ^ pK] Mekilta <T R. Simeon b. Yo/iai, p. 131. The H in 
 ilK'Nn is to be deleted. 
 
 1. 23. p^DNpD?K] |T,_UL = gamblers. But as this word represents 
 here pltSXKi"!, I translated it accordingly. The Hebrew equivalents would 
 be DnnnO, D^iynD, or typn^D. X 01 lir] Baba kamma 39 a. 
 
 1. 24. /Wtf., 41 a. The words 1 nn'D 2"ft IJ^N are omitted here. 
 
 Fol. 3 b, 1. 3. Nn|)3 N^] This is a further strengthening of )>y3 of the 
 preceding line : the prohibition of deriving any benefit applies only to some 
 cases, not toall. To read it as one word Ki"l?3fcO would yield no suitable sense. 
 '"Dl "Ity^X T JOS] Baba kamma 41 a, &c. One ytcrCQ is to be deleted as 
 dittography. The variants are insignificant. 
 
 1. n. ^N ^N] The paying of ransom and the killing of the ox are 
 regarded as one point. See the passage from Mekilta quoted below.
 
 130 
 
 HEFES B. YASLIAH S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 jn HN Nnji 
 *pnyo T:^N nini>N an 
 
 IN3 "JIDDC^N 
 
 p IN ai>Ki 
 nw pa onan 
 
 w a xivxp i5ni> p 11 INI 
 
 py HCNPN twuDi M^ttpno i> 
 
 NCNB jyxux n jnoata n 
 
 nbya 
 
 nv 
 
 ID 
 
 HN 
 
 15 
 
 ND JD N nnsn }on p n 
 
 TIN DBTD njno ony Tnx ps Dm nny 71^ ny^o nyir^ nn 
 cm y^o vvhv tb&o nyio nan ns D^D WK oni nan 
 
 iyio pt3 ^n D^O Dm D^ prj D^O nyio y^o tsvhf 20 
 K^ nnnsn p IIDSI naaa n^n ^ KVKI ia\ao D^En3 Dm rv^yn 
 nt ivja trn ntai nn a^nt? ^ naan p niuai nn-m a^nty 
 moi HID iina njwa N^ on nni nra a^n n:a njno mm 
 nrvoa an mi3a on nn^cn p mnsi naaa a^n mua N^ nyio 
 snin n5> p ^y aain *n:o a^s rgmvhc '"isan p moui 25 
 
 tun* JN NJND:N 
 
 o^a noan^ ntriai ^ap NOI 
 
 p 
 
 nn DT^N INS 
 
 in pnno'i mn 
 
 1. 12. p s INI] The word D? was omitted between these two words by 
 the copyist. 
 
 1. 14. fJK] Read J*NJ. JU (^u is the ordinary expression in Arabic 
 
 s 
 
 for cash. There can therefore be no doubt that the author meant this word. 
 See below, 1. 17. 
 
 I. 15. r 2?3] All other abbreviations in this manuscript are either biblical 
 words or frequently recurring terms like p? or y\. That C]3 is abbreviated 
 seems rather curious. Is it through the influence of colloquial Arabic 
 where nus = ._ e.~ .' ? 
 
 1. 17. PN3] Read |*N3. See above, 1. 14. 131 rCTCn] Mekilta, p. 93 
 (ed. Weiss). The variants are insignificant. 
 
 1. ar. Baba kamma 44 b. Comp. Tosefta 4, 6. The four cases that are 
 enumerated are not in the same order as in the printed text. 
 
 Fol. 43, 1. 2. N 1| ONin2N] = Lo] / ^>.l, the literal translation of which is 
 It is used here in a more general sense, and is the equivalent of 
 'T3.
 
 ARABIC TEXT 131 
 
 1313 ON 'ai Dia^t? hono ton roa lit? DNI 'pa riNir^K rvby nan 
 ipi> mhcnno DN^N nn^n -13 TT DIBB> hono '31 '3* p IN ':i 'y 
 B>DNI ni 11 Niw nr inN nr D^ n^t^ 13 vrynt? iyio DIN mm* 5 
 PN ohyn 'ipi? N^N D3Nn^>N jo linm vi>jm iyini :WB^en 
 
 ^an irnT'yn pi n^a ^321 D^ynn ^333 imTy^ iy iyiD IIK> 
 
 . . . n^a 
 
 iy iyio ma' ntj'yj p o^yan yaa K?I pi S J33 pi n*a 3aa N. i 
 
 pK'Ni or 0*3^ 3B3 imi^n pi n3 "33ai D^yn 3B3 imijj^ iy 
 nny jm nviy '3 I^N nn ^BTI DV D^B' ^sni ^trn DV D 11 ^ 10 
 nry^N i ^\b nnnma nusn 11 D^ IN i^yn \niyy* h NDNI nnx 
 K> 'ip^ K^os'inax Nnioa nov vf'yn D3i "pao N^N HIIDB' i^ PN 
 nn I3i3n ID 1103 oni laun nx rbwa iyi noi DIN.I nx 
 
 tr nu 6iN nns "]i>i nity *B I^NPI : rm IN pn pi nn^o pn'-n nn 
 Nn '31 nxn ^3^ 1313 inpn N^ CIN Ni.irsi DIN H 11 ! N^N WK IN 15 
 D'DB> n-3 pncn:^ JVIB p3ni3 i?3N DIN HU pnoio5> JVIB p:ni3 PN 
 
 iy Nin n^n nann nv mo n^pm ui N3 l| n pi iTprn ON NiP 
 "133 DN NEN3 * me' nn^'i b i3iin nnN PNI 1:11.1 nnN 
 
 jni3 Nn-" n 'b IDN DN *?\y '& novs "'ii' 1 fx pi n> 
 
 h 112X31 V^y TVSW p 1DN3 P3D iIND fni3 Kil* H30 HN CN DN1 
 
 : pi n'33 p nioNn ^N pi n'33 ;Sib IICNH rby n^v no 
 
 1. 3. Exod. 21. 29-31. 
 
 1. 4. nVNnnD] Read iYvNnnE = JL!^*J as the meaning demanded 
 is consecutive. X 131 mirP i] Tosefta Baba kamma a, a. See also 
 Babli 23 b. 
 
 1. 5. Mekilla, p. 93 (ed. Weiss). 
 
 1. 6. Tosefta Baba kamma 2, 2. See also Babli 24 a. Instead of 
 read 
 
 1. n. IN] Read JN. '131 ITyN H] Baba kamma 45 b. 
 1. 12. Ibid., 41 a. 1. 14. Mekilta, p. 3" (ed. Weiss). 
 
 1. 17. Sanhedrin 15 b. 
 
 1. 19. Mekilta d" R. Simeon b. Yohai, pp. 132 f. (ed. Hoffmann). The 
 variants are insignificant. 
 
 1. 21. T\W (first)] Read H'B".
 
 132 
 
 HEFES B. YASLIAH S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 a awta no^ xr6ysa aspy nyngfat xmain D^> x^ya 5 }xa 
 nK nya^n 'ipb r6py ihi> ^rn xoa nanxx B>mo KTOD -pan n^N 
 nans* nvia na3 Nruoi D^ot^ IIDD um mx TID -Da nan 
 
 moo wn on yno nioa nan nona n^yaon 'p^ ^n^ n^ns 25 
 mo is Nixn NDS'ya nanss no^na pyb* ^a p^y ;D 
 
 4 b 
 
 DDI "jsmn n^n no 
 ina> n^K NHJDI jo 11 ^ moo 
 
 fya mr^ ix yN^^s fya pab NHJO 
 nxon D jnwm nxr2n isxa^ n 
 pi rpa n^ NWDI D^^ IIDD uni ms 
 pi n>a n 11 ^. r ipb xa^ 
 
 ix xinp 
 nvja pbrtfin n 
 KI nonx ms 
 
 nioa nan nna vsf? 5 
 nip^o nba 
 
 1. 23. Tosefta Baba kamma 6, 16. See Babli 56 a. 
 1. 25. Ibid. 
 
 Fol. 4 b, 1. i. H^TilD] This word may be either lji* (fourth conjugation 
 of ^il he molested, harmed), or I3.jy (fourth conjugation of (jl>y he destroyed). 
 It is, however, more likely that the former is intended here, as the latter is 
 specifically connected with destroying as a result of vengeance. See Lane 
 s.v. Moreover, no adjective or noun ** is otherwise known, whereas 
 Dozy quotes if-o veniitteux, mordant. It seems that it is used here as 
 a noun, and that fcONnp specifies it. I have translated it accordingly. 
 r 131 il^yS"!] Tosefta Baba kamma 6, 17. 
 
 I. 2. .V13 1 ] Either J jjo he substitutes or JA!O he gives would suit the 
 context. 
 
 1. 3- a^tt>] This may be either the finite verb tL>Zw he gave to drink, 
 or infinitive t_>.J^. In the latter case it would be parallel to p^?. 
 
 1. 4. Ibid. The printed text is corrupt, and an entire sentence fell out 
 through homoioteleuton. It should be emended in accordance with this 
 quotation. See also Babli Baba kamma 563 and Gittin 533. 
 
 1. 6. Ibid.
 
 ARABIC TEXT 
 
 133 
 
 pirn pn rva nrena Kant? pix wan ' 
 -ix 
 xaaa 
 
 DIN 'JH T.DD 
 
 h *a jnwa pi iva pixa 
 fya anxv Knaoi DW 'am am mx 
 
 nicn x^ rwoD xcsnx p xn' xa'aa jrnpna 10 
 
 pi ira 
 mo nnoni? 
 im n^ 
 vtmui nn^i? 
 
 nyaiK ib p 
 ma pian |n 
 
 n 
 0*0^ 
 
 naiyn nx 
 D^KH xmni 0*0^ "IIDO I:HI mx 
 p my IN nanNX ynr ^"OD unaoi 
 -i3NnD NH:OI *np-inn IN noa'-na 
 aa NCQ 
 
 n!?D3 a 
 
 : nansx 
 
 15 
 
 antD 
 
 np/nn 
 
 nan 
 
 DDK ntryn onai 
 sjaiam nan ncna 
 nao wxi nanb nny yni^ni 
 i^n^ moaxa JD^X Tax IN 
 am Dnx yno "ntja ppi 20 
 
 nan^ npt? ny 
 ix nvx H* 
 
 nms? B'ln Ta m^yan nx 
 xanv rh IDDJN p naoi : 
 
 1. 8. /& 
 
 1. 9. DX3nbx fya 3nNV] This is an awkward phrase. Iti is usually 
 
 * /'" ^ 
 
 the plural of Jj^ which denotes judge or master. This does not suit the 
 context, as the phrase can scarcely represent pT JTQ nv6?, for fyU would 
 then be quite unnecessary, and it would be against the Arabic idiom. 
 In colloquial Arabic LX&. is the ordinary word for physician, and it is 
 possible that ^Sl is used in that sense in some dialects (comp. I,il. and 
 ft\S^ <* servant}. In that case, however, it would be required to delete 
 
 X. Moreover, it is likely that ^5l. in that sense is a modern creation 
 based on European doctor. The best solution appears to me to take the 
 X of DS3P1 to represent a short a. The phrase would then be i-ajo i_*l 
 ,^ssJ I = masttr of one of the sciences. Hefes advisedly uses this expression, 
 as special skill is required for this kind of operation. 
 
 1. ii. Ibid. 
 
 1. 13. in3] The text is rather obliterated ; but there can be no doubt 
 that ina is correct. 
 
 1. 15. Baba kamma 55 b. The variants are insignificant. 
 
 1. 19. Ibid., 59 b. 
 
 I. 20. Naii* = i >k> <* vessel.
 
 134 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 na mnjM 'ipb m nNnbN ibn p yac'a froi* oba DNabN iboc "a 
 nb jNVn b'B* jy baNan p Nnaci 'ai onx no "nua npbo Nbi 
 nao 'ai DIN TIO moa rrrcyn Nbi ibca nbaa 'ipb nb'B* oba 
 N'an r ip^ n^n^ r6npa nna DS: ^np 
 
 bix 'NOB' 11D3 im^i a^n Nin C ( DM nx nni NV mfoth 
 
 
 ^n n^n im "NO 'ai iy ^2 ninn nnn mxi 'JB> an inw N'-nan 
 "21 HD^SO r^n "a INVH^N noax NIN DT^ NO"a pyoB' T i>Npi D^DB> 
 TJI pnobsi P'TO^N antrc pa ND^a TUWoSt r^n -ai na^wo I": T^n 
 nicn t^B' Dip ^3 ppr:a 6i nry^N p pyoB> n n'n nnn nyaix 
 n nvn ywa nr^i n?^ ian p iioa prai> N^I pnob ^aa a"n pnob N^ 5 
 ^yi mran ijn na^a ^yi na-aj i?yi nrraa i?y iiua bnni \vn ^y nypam 
 
 N^> niBl pKB' DIpD ^31 pT3 "VH D^D DH1 D^ pTJ D^O lyiD HQ^ya 
 
 yi oi'B' pra cWts ^nn ^yi j^n i?y Biros? ^ nJ'NB> nvn paa nrb xh nji? 
 D^B* pra D^B'D nyi nta^ya ^yi n^ai ^yi na^a ^yi na^aa ^yi nrvaa 
 pra o^tro ban by 6is panta n DIN pyoB> ni niybx n pra >vn cbvn cm 10 
 
 byi na^aa byi nn^aa byi nb^ pra nbB>?:> bain byi jB'n by DIN cam obB* 
 
 ^b^b'l pra "xn obB^ Dm obB* pra ob^o nyio nu^ya byi nvai byi na^^a 
 
 "a Nab norb "va pnvnabN pnn JN "by bT NCDI r m xman nxnnn 
 
 1. 21. TWrf., 28 b. 
 1. 23. Ibid. 
 
 1.24. ICNbN] =j-*$\. '131 N"3n] Kiddushin 433. Our text is 
 corrupt and should be emended in accordance with printed edition. 
 
 Fol. 53, 1. i. *]Cy] Read flCy. 
 
 1. 4. Tosefta Baba kamma i, 9. See Babli 14 a. 
 
 1. 13. J"l&nnnn] The first "I is above the line in the manuscript. 
 ,j ,so is second conjugation of ^. he wrote accurately. See Lane and 
 Dozy 5. v. It seems that the author had the word D'pVT in mind. The 
 reading t^LjAs^ warnings which is textually possible docs not suit the 
 context.
 
 ARABIC TEXT 
 
 135 
 
 ya-oni yann nen on^ya nv^sa ^n 'ip I 
 nip mnn nonan nxi 'INI 'an ns*i t^Nn nx nnni 'at? n 
 nrvo p n^yan Divca niDi 11 v^ya Dm ^PD' -iiB>n '35? n^en n 
 fK*iy } npan njo 6 ia ^*r yoaa DNJ^N Dan yt:pjs npi 
 ni? men mao n^? nnb n^an jann DTIP n:e> D'-ya-iN 'ipi? 
 ^n in N^ ^onas na pnv "i DN xna^n 
 na bx ^TN n*ia ^21 snaj Ninn^ mw N 
 aD sac nn wipj N^ a xn PNT xpi "Nnina in 
 nsnn ^yan Niaa xnb n^nnys ''XDN n^ nox N^ 
 wnwn i^ n^ B'npon n^a ann ao inb 6 
 
 *o ai'K nynt^x 
 ptt^K |vy jy ncx uji inoa ^"i^ njwoa noax *no aam 25 
 
 xaa x piiN aip* IN xna 
 nan^ on noxn ^y onnK 
 ^y n3 yir'i INTO f tpcbit n 
 i rrpyxfo nan?o DNDN 
 
 IDHND 
 IVB> 
 non JD 
 
 o mnsi 
 
 an 
 
 naiD 
 
 1. 14. Sanhedrin 2 a. 
 
 1. 18. Shabbat 15 a, Sanhedrin 41 a, 'Abodah zarah 8 b. The sentence 
 about niDJp, which does not concern us here, has been omitted by the 
 author. The other variants are insignificant. 
 
 1. 20. Berakot 58 a. Our text is much shorter than that of the printed 
 edition, and the variants are interesting. 
 
 1. 21. "Nlina] Read "NTliTa. N3D in] Read N30in. n'tflK] Read 
 
 1. 25. l| 331] "<-*c tvas hidden^ concealed. In Sa'adya's translation of the 
 Pentateuch aNIfi was absent is used here. There can be no doubt that 
 " A is the accurate rendering of Hebrew DPyj, and I therefore suspect 
 that 3X31 is a corruption of > 3J'I. 
 
 Fol. 5 b, 1. i. IS] Read }N.
 
 136 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 yea 2TT1 cnb isa^ onay naano'i maa m^n nxbai nn^ 5 
 OKI 'pa n,Nan p-irra INDIAN HIDE ^K inso yino 'bx naoybs' anso 
 'ai jnan N'am 'ai myn "jpr iaooi 'ai nxonn ny-nai 'ai 'yai 'e bNna* rny ba 
 'ji nan nx NWI 'ai nab nt^yi 'ai ia5>n ^a nw 'ai mn jci 'ai pan bam 
 } n^Ny^N npasD^s myn apn bnpn 'a^yi i'xnB' 11 my 'IP im 
 na^vn nbna pmao IT irsi ht"W*a mnvon myn bxn^ my 10 
 p SIN ;n nn iir:Nn bnp no bnp fbnb "ICNJI bnp ia iuv is N^NI man 
 sh nai oby:i 'ipb N^cNa Nina xb Nnaa nai oby:i NCNI jn na 
 ma PN nN cjian HN npyb pi n^a mn ibxp^ nba nio ofafftP 
 nrn pnitaa I^K nn niina mr nnay PN mina natr PN mina 
 mina ^ nN nvrxa pa^n I^N nn jnvpo buah ;nvp o^pb 15 
 n bax nnina n3tt' jy IIDB nv naaa ov nici^ by Nan bax 
 n baN mina mr may w IIQD D'ain nit^nb 
 boab nin ejn ba xbi nan nan obyai f w pa^n ib^N nn 
 Nb^N pa^n pN baN mma on B> nvrNa pa^n ib^N nn nvpo opbi 
 anpn abn by Nb'N pan PN baN mina abn ^ o^o^b anpn onn by 20 
 
 1. 6. Lev. 4. 13-21. 
 
 1. 10. 5//Va IVayyikra, section 4, a (p. 19 a, ed. Weiss). 
 
 1. ii. '131 ID] 76'rf., section 4, 15. The word "1Q belongs to the 
 preceding sentence in the printed edition. 12] Read p. "llfONn] Insert 
 pi"lb after this word. 
 
 1. 12. Ibid., section 4, 7 ; Horayot 4 a. 
 
 1. 13. Horayot 3 b. 
 
 1. 14. VITn] A scribal error for 1"Vin. 
 
 1. 15. K"] Insert n"13 after this word. 
 
 1. 18. 1"Yin] The word N^N must have fallen out here, for there is no 
 place in which this forms a continuous passage. From IHn onwards is 
 found in Tosefta Horayot i, 7. In Z. the sentence about apn is omitted 
 through homoioteleuton. 
 
 1. 20. D^CtJ'b] Z. has &&?&. But this seems to be a genuine variant, 
 and the reading of our manuscript is perhaps preferable : the eating of fat 
 and blood is forbidden in all cases, but the court erred and decided that this 
 prohibition is to be restricted to sacrificial blood and fat. The confusion in 
 Z. may have arisen through D^DpI? in connexion with
 
 ARABIC TEXT 
 
 i pa-'n I^N nn o'Dhpat? S>iaa ^y 
 n nrco N/I " mvo 'ip!> nivo 
 ^ xnvp nbya TIE 
 pi^n px 'ipi? ma 
 nva rejute nt^yn 
 
 pan p 
 K "jbi ^va^s 
 jo nat?yn N I^N 'ipi : pi n 
 
 137 
 
 mina Jnaa 
 
 nyop NH^KB 
 o nson 
 
 vbsyn rbbx 
 i nna 
 
 HIVD 
 nivra 
 221 
 
 nosn pen 
 
 o NHNID ^D N^ N^N mr may nw pip 'si PIP^K Knn *a aana 
 by Nun nao pin na^co jna p "n^v nuanp i>ai 'ipb nwx nwanp 
 
 mr miay n^yen 
 
 130D1 iTiyae' nnnvon my 'ipb my^N -nx ;o a n^y 1^1 ^ys ar 
 nasn pa* JN aai nt^ nn hps? n n * 3 P^ Q^ty nn 
 
 anyo a^a vaai nnia *oy nn ^na jna ' 
 
 pava * 
 
 nna N nnrran 
 
 nna s nan* 
 pn 'ipb nmaNoy y^oa anto *i?np*s nanc^ pino 10 
 
 *nao 
 
 on "{rh cnxs monaD^M pya Nino ^yas 
 
 nosn 
 
 ' *y aam 
 IN nxuaa 
 
 nan jhho 
 
 nyavsa non J 
 
 1. 22. Sifra, section 4, n. 
 
 1. 24. Tosefta Horayot i, 8. See Babli 8 a. 
 
 Fol. 6 a, 1. 3. Menahot 92 a, Tosefta 10, 9. 
 
 4. /'<, 62 b, 88 a, 92 b. 
 
 . 5. Ibid., 93 a. The reading is slightly different. 
 
 . 6. Sanhedrin 13 b, Sifra Wayyikra, chapter 6, i. 2 (ed. Weiss, p. 19 b). 
 The passage is abridged, and R. Simeon's view is given anonymously. 
 . 8. Yoma 35 b. See also Tamid 30 b. The variant is insignificant. 
 . 9. Sifra IVayyikra, chapter 6, 4 (p. 19 b). 
 . 10. Ibid., 6, 8 (p. i9c).
 
 138 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 nnp< JNI HDNDS nay na^a mpxai rrrjn6 nano jKaiK ^y 15 
 HKD3 jy DNDN^K ruy -laanoM HON^D^X nan on^a ncntj> yea 
 nxi 'ai pan nph IT IDDI 'ai N jnin IN '31 'on* tppj IPX 'pa r6 iaaa 
 >n* nr K^tw wn npx 'ipb Nate rmp'a Knpa 'IP NDN ';i i^n ^a 
 iob lyc^ DIN Kin ^ ji>nh vnfo " mvo ^ao nnx n^jn 'w n^on 
 vn^K 1|< '' 1 K^K va: ^y PKB> Kt?3 f?rf? TIDNH vn^K no vn^K HN nsT^ 20 
 viK ynn IN N^NS vn^x A K^K vaa ^y rKB> N^J p nicsn vn^K JK 
 B' tfh V^K jnin r< ip^ nxoaa in nnaiyo ^npsi inxon 
 K^ V^K yrin b^ 6^n D^^ ib HDK ^"DN pJ onn 
 ^ i?3p N^J xai'D n:ia <a n^y aa> ND:ND jxanp^x Nnni 
 n n^y a:i TI NCNQ "uvin Nini Kon^a N^I K^J Kim Kunt^a 35 
 
 6b 
 
 p nanp^a naip ja* obi rote p y^a on Kate njia *a 
 
 pi ininwo nay na IHKI NDHB> rvvo jna 'ipb n^i nya 
 
 K^JI ta N'ao n^t^ ininao nay na inNi 
 ^y aa^a nay nate bsr npi man onpo^K Koafo Kt:ax }N 
 ^^ nnKi minjw:D nay^ n^o jna 'ipb n^Ky^K p nnxia jxanp 5 
 is xn nwo jna son ^^ nnKi in^nao nay^ K^:n pi 
 y aain *nao A^K nyn^K : umna 
 
 1. 17. '1J1 Tki'N] I-ev. 4. 22-6. IT] Insert 31 after this word. 
 
 1. 18. The first part is in Horayot loa, and the second in na. See 
 also Sifra Wayyikra, section 5, i (p. 19 c). Perhaps N^N! fell out before pn?. 
 
 1. 22. Sifra IVayyikra, chapter 7, i (p. 20 a). See also Keritot 1 1 b. 
 The part of the Sifra not necessary for our subject is omitted here. 
 Otherwise the variants are insignificant. 
 
 1. 24. Horayot 10 a. See Sifra, section 5, 2 (p. 19 d). The variants are 
 phraseological. 
 
 Fol. 6b, 1. 2. Horayot pb. 
 
 1. 5. /fo'rf. The word jna is omitted before !TB>D in the printed text. 
 But see Mishnah 3, 2.
 
 ARABIC TEXT 139 
 
 , , BNW 
 
 nxua *py on xmy nxTncbx pya ?ysa xino xaax xix ncKybK 
 
 y rpT uo^a ITDT^ jxi^N ix Tyta f TUX naxanp Tix 11 IN 
 by nyavxa XHDI jo DXOX^>N jrn nTy:6x jrSno a nain nn 10 
 yra KM Nnonsy ywm HDXDX i:y pK3$>N a^i nTy^x naiD 
 va DXOX^X r6 isanD 11 ! n^y nnp^a HDK^D^K pnxnp nn^ 
 v^x ynin IN 'ai pn nyo naa^a xonn nnx e^aa DXI 'pa n^ 
 'ai n nx ICDI 'ai B'na DX^ 'ai nabn b nxi 'ai none inan nph 'ai n nx 
 
 n^pa by w pnpi'x in 'ai ni?n b nxi ai 6nn on jnan np^i 15 
 p n^n x^naa taxyta xoxa n^n B pn ira x'-nai x^ n^naa ^cy 
 n r ipij my DPXD ixmpi'x aiai xn^pa x^ ix JXD xrvps i?i ^ XID 
 nnx yn pi n'-a nn n^r^xa nioa pn n"aa nhn a^n 
 
 ja pyiDB'ai 'xry ja pyoca nxnin nxn T'on ix 
 in nnwya 6^ 6^n an xn 1 " ha 11 jn^a ^y n^yi nnn ^m sen 20 
 $>y niayb pi n^a inin xifxi IIDB pi naa rfov\ yn icvya 
 on^a ^y aatr ntryi n^nfl ^^^l mina nmoxn nivo ^30 nnx 
 new ivy x^ pal nnnnx n^yi ivyv pai onoy new iK'yB' pa 
 
 ny xxa pi n^aa n?n^ ijao TIDB nr 
 JD Normal xunn nnx traa nxi xn^a hpoi'x traa^x p 
 
 1. 8. HEXypX] Neither of these words is crossed out, and it seems that 
 the copyist did not make up his mind which was the right reading. 
 
 1. 9. TyE?X] Sa'adya has fyXE. But JJU, which is a collective noun, 
 is a more correct rendering of D^Ty. 
 
 1. 12. Ont^] In the text there is some space after this word. There 
 are traces of an erasure. But no word is missing. 
 
 1. 13. Lev. 4. 27-35. 
 
 1. 17. Sifra Wayyikra, section 7, 8 (p. 21 d). See Horayot 2 b. The 
 reading of our text a^n X!"P ?13 H may be a scribal error for TIES, or may 
 be a genuine variant involving a different interpretation of this Halakah. 
 The other variants are certainly genuine. 
 
 1. 21. Horayot 2 a. 
 
 H. M
 
 140 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 trip's nnN nmt^ya NKND w&& trie pxn DJ; 'ip$> ornx^ 
 laiNyn JN NExa i>ya!?N ira N^> jN:np^N n^y ar ni beta 
 aa 11 D^a fKanp^K n^ys-a by aa nta fj?sb n^a Nino ibraa nysoa 5 
 
 'ipi> NV-N onnywoa ^y bi nbn^ JNIIP DHJJO into b 
 ON OIK miiT i ano TWO i 0*3^ inwn n^n omn 
 
 i jnioa IN!? OKI | 1| a' |lp n D^S? inwxini iK"vin^ nnx h 
 
 a xn nnxpo nt^ya xh n^a nK'ya nns nn^ya pan urn 10 
 ^nni njpa paniai Dtthfa ptaaw^ naiaa praih r:^a prniK 
 
 m n^an ^ ^aya nnt^ya D^ b^n pa^n in-' i?ia oann 
 
 BIK min i Dain nwi^ inwxim H^JKW xnipa c^ann 
 
 W pyoty i pmoa wb DW pan 
 
 plica D^^ inix^ini W>n nnx la 11 tp *B SJM 15 
 Kin *a 'ipi pnios wjw Day 3n n^yty n^n< nnt^ya 
 
 jnin IN " mv x ip^ ajs^s *a p^iKonoa vi>K ynin 
 
 ^s fya ^yaa xoaN JD ^y ajin : nao ib 
 caa^N jo n^nv t^aaa int? IN DHN np naxa o^y oh nh'B jy NHJD 20 
 DNI 'pa n^ nara mno jy nay naano 11 ! DNDN^N b* DHN^N jNanp!? 
 JN bpa^N }vn 'ai Nin D^N 'n 6 D*n ^N N^am 'n *vy\ NDHH ^a 
 DNyni>N } pyia nnnvna ja NO INDJN p n3 np ino^N 
 niN jo m> th\ NomnN jo 5>aKB nNao nax^Ni nicno 
 
 Fol. 7 a, 1. 3. Ibid., it a. Sifra Wayyikra, section 7, 6 (p. 21 d). 
 
 1. 5. n^3] = S^AS totality, entirety. 
 
 I. 6. Shabbat 92 b. The variants prove that our author had a different 
 text. 
 
 1. ii. "13133] The readings 13"13 and 13"l3 are recorded in the 
 dictionaries, and now a third variant is added. 1313, however, appears to 
 be the most likely. 
 
 1. 13. tO1p3] Read iTVlpa. The following word was crossed out by 
 the copyist. 
 
 1. 21. Lev. 5. 17-19. 1. 24. KOmK] Read
 
 ARABIC TEXT 141 
 
 7 b 
 
 bay is TIN irrN IT nbi pmnN TINI m:y nmxi nnair n:Na IN brix 
 |Nr j IN ja biabN JNDT B brcybN ibi bn TP oh ND INDT D Nboy 
 ininNi iriB>N baN po nPN jm* PNI po IHN HN baN nab }on abn 'ipb 
 bin DVI nnty a:^ jno nr^sa yn 11 PNI p nnxa s:^ n^a icy 
 NDNQ 'ibn DK'N N^no n^y po nrs'n ynv PNI po nnsn n^Nbo 5 
 H nbya ppnn *no n>by na^a nna xnoxy nbaw ^y aa mno vny bs* 
 imr by pane> nm 'ipb ibn DtrN p-ip nbi *a nas? 'byvnNtan pip 
 nxon Kao abn baiNn DIN Na^py n ibn D^N ipao nNDn inj:^ byi 
 abn bs? nann D^ybo ya>a *ibn DPN N^D b^N Nb pao baN pao yboa 
 [njsun N s ao bas* \rto VN jn'. wi fno nnN HN baN nnia n^a btr nanni 10 
 nby IN ND3N np jNa HJN jNanpbNa n IN nya ppnn JNB pibn 
 ^a ninnyb fanpbb bnicbN JNVH^N nn"an Tasn ara oa ob H 
 anp^b Niax NJNVH n3na Nin^i nbnb yNa^b Na^y myn J 
 ib yni3 IN Nnntr ib yii3 la inNi *ibn D^N N^aon 'ipb na*u pip 
 nyi^ DIN Dam TND i an nya nyi'i NV ib na>y HD NDH Nb^ 15 
 IJD fbN nyiB'bN : naub VDT iba^i 
 
 Fol. 7 b, 1. 1. pmnN] This is very likely a colloquial form. In classical 
 Arabic we would prefer ^lj^a.1 . 1PPN] Read JiTN. 
 
 1. 3. Keritot 17 b. See Stfra Wayyikra, section 12, 3 (p. 26 c). 
 
 1. 7. Three separate passages are quoted here. It is possible that the 
 word NifNl fell out before Na'py 1 and before ilDHn. The first two 
 passages occur in Stfra Wayyikra, sections 12, 6 and 12, 8 (p. 26 d), respec- 
 tively, while the third is in Tosefta Keritot 3, 8. Z. has abn bt? naTin 
 
 'i3i abn be> naTim snip biaa. 
 
 . f t*f>0 
 
 1. 12. 7H1D/N] This may represent JjfcJI that is worthy or fit, a. mean- 
 ing which is not quite suitable. As i"l, !"!, and fl are not infrequently 
 confounded in this manuscript, I should like to suggest the reading 
 
 . , tm*'o~ .* 
 
 pniD/N = J-H^' prepared, arranged. Comp. Freytag JJI sanctificavit opes 
 suas data Deo ex lege portione debita. 
 
 1. 14. Keritot 23 b. The few additional words in our text are 
 explanatory. 
 
 M 3
 
 142 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 "N inN 11 IK mr may p *e> 'a nno nysca y aain 
 
 ryo^N p ninyi ar Nca rumm nnnni .rryv^ nina 
 rwn 'ai ' nw HN 'ai ?yn N^I vu?n "21 'pa or& iwa cnb isano^ 
 m&> a xnai np 'ai my ^& H^DJI 'ai }nan naai 'ai x nyn -"j^yo CN 20 
 
 mn *a n-iN^N^Ni pnnjo ^N na IK^D nbn IN 'ai '^ my ^a DNT 
 ^a f?rb miCNn my no my |W> wi my ;a noNJ ^pi> NX-N DH^MB 
 [Kjini mnv6 rwn D^a V.TK' ny p H-IIDNH my ejs nrarb 
 [a]inan mr maya DIK nn 'h? i^ Wn mr may ;o tr S DD 
 
 8a 
 
 DK nm oib 6^n minaa' nivon bo nnxa K^K ir IN nano 
 it irni novy ^aa mom n mso ainan in" ';i x ya myn ^yo 
 aain nao ri^N npnt^M *mr may 
 anp 11 IN mr may ;o ^ -a NIHD KDa[N] 
 'ai naatra NBnn nnx &'S3 DNI 'pa rb isa^i DNON^JN nay nDano[ i| i] 5 
 na nD^ p inota Nnn IN ^y ^^n^Ni Vn ( aan iy jn^n naa[i] 
 ^a ^aa nnM mr may Va xunn nnx trsa OKI 'ip mr may 
 n^ai n^o TW N 11 ^ m^y^ IN natra rrby N^ao n>rrn^ nison 
 nyapa ;nh n^y "i^onr6 n^ao nN^no ainan nn na pN"ao p[n] 
 nNDni? nnat5> na ry n^y pN^ao rvvm N^J Tirn Nn 
 
 1. 19. Num. 15. 22-6. The words "IK'N ?a (ver. 23) are omitted 
 through oversight. 
 
 1. 21. jmao] Read pT!3D. 
 
 1. 22. Horayot 4 b. 
 
 1. 24. Stfre Numbers, section in (p. 31 b, ed. Friedmann). The variants 
 are phraseological. 
 
 Fol. 8 a, 1. 5. Num. 15. 27, 28. 
 
 1. 7. Sifre Numbers, section 112 (p. 32 b). 
 
 i. 9. n^ao] Read D^ao. 
 
 1. to. KiTBf] Read inn?.
 
 ARABIC TEXT 143 
 
 bx nbca p ICK n nb pme&M 6bx nnt? nn :n^[iB] 
 bbx nynspbn jNman b^sbs* &nn B sman mrobK nyn[B>] 
 nayii narore 'by -jbn TV IK nj3D> oh pno ban ^ icKn 
 
 'pa ibn nan pnoobtf 'b nrb y^a 11 jx T.bn no<p i[x] 
 mpn ^ wniB' "D *B N^BXB' NniB> nyne^K mn KSHI^ np 'ai 15 
 nan n? nan jy *aanoa a^M ^S^N bi *B 'ay nn[y] 
 s^na pnynt? jcxnoi'N nao 
 
 paN pin nan? ny jn^ [] 20 
 IN TWB nanpn bap fsab sh jm xb jxinp^N Ni[n] 
 js bap p wxnb Nn'-by yii INI nanpn aa> NO anp 1 ' jx nya J[D] 
 'ipb naiabbt* I:DK nya xnao nanpn aa^ NO aip 1 * jx rwa xnanp 
 "oso naiab n^ao no ^aso n HNDH *a Dib bn bos naiab jna DN 
 
 1. it. ntJHD] Insert IT after this word. The sentence from OEn to the 
 second Nn"13T is misplaced. It should obviously be put after K3i*in (1. 16), 
 at the end of the ninth precept. 
 
 1. 12. Nn~OT] The second Nmai is redundant, and should be deleted. 
 It seems too awkward to consider the whole phrase Nm31 PSSPN N1H ''D 
 as an explanatory gloss. 
 
 1. 14. Exod. 22. 2. This precept is given here, perhaps, on account of 
 Lev. 5. 20-26. He does not quote the latter verses here, as they were 
 probably fully discussed in the second book. 
 
 1. 15. S H BJW] The text is not quite legible here. *B are joined together 
 in a manner which is rather unusual in this manuscript. At first sight one 
 is inclined to read NTDSt?. But I have no hesitation in reading N^DNt?, as 
 the former gives no sense. For the expression comp. Khazraji's Pearl- 
 strings, 297, 2; 442,8. Ordinarily .& means he cured; but the secondary 
 signification he satisfied is given by Dozy. See also P]N5J> DN?3 (Abu'l- 
 Barakat Hibat Allah's Commentary on Ecclesiastes, specimen, ed. Poznanski, 
 ZfHB., XVI, p. 33, 1. 4, text). The St. Petersburg MS. has 5JN3. But 
 there is no doubt that f)N5J', being the rarer word, is the correct reading. 
 
 1. 19. Lev. 5. n. 
 
 1. 23. Sifra Wayyikra, chapter 19, 5 (p. 25 a). See Menahot 59 b. 
 The clauses unnecessary in this connexion are omitted.
 
 144 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 8b 
 
 px n^y xiw JCB^K a ifopi }Bpi ha' pxt? fE&ra taei DDP^ ha* 
 ta QDpta tonne? Dn nTB> i>y xin jrm jnw 
 A xman TWB^M njr 
 
 ny p pen >K cxn ep 
 [a] nn^N ai jinn nh p D^ f nniD^N >^y n^t anpn yj 
 oopjn nynp Sb in* nh 
 
 jon* NOHJD xN peep nopn fKDr* nn a 
 a ysnc' f ^in 11 a^K DDP^N NW y^xn^ ii jDi'n 11 a^K 
 pcop ncpjn INDT^N* nn "a Nn^ya oih xb iH T:I ni^N p *ni? 10 
 
 **n3 pnyniy jniTP a^x "NICK yjtnB' n loin 11 NCWO ^N^K 
 nopjn nT-ii DIQ^K opi ^XION^N 'a npnt!' x* icin 11 i^x DDP^X 
 n iroxn 11 XIDHJO hx^x INOT^X xnn -a xn!?ya orh x^ poop 
 nth noxix y^xntr 5 jEiJT ^xn^x x^ra nn^ni NICK xruo n 
 DDpi'x n"iB> *nynB> ^ yc^x "jwaci jxcr ^3 "a xn^ya 15 
 
 Fol. 8b, I. i. DUp] Read HDp'. i2p] Read IDpj. '1J1 Hy] 
 Si/ra Wayyikra, chapter 19, 5 (p. 25 a). The reading is slightly different. 
 
 1. 4. npiyatD/X] This leaf which is the last of the fascicle is pasted to 
 the following fascicle, and the words at the end of the lines are therefore 
 obliterated, a and p are fairly visible. 
 
 s *-- 
 
 1. 5- XyiDH] = IcJaS doing something which is not obligatory. The 
 preceding part dealt with sacrifices which one was obliged to bring in order 
 to expiate his sins ; but in the present book the author treats of free-will 
 offerings. 
 
 1. 7- }1DW] As a rule V which = ^ has a diacritical point. This 
 word, however, forms an exception. 
 
 1. 8. plDDp] DDp here means a sub-section. 
 
 1. 10. ~Q;>X] The curved line over the a evidently stands for a damma, 
 which differentiates this word from Jj and "J". 
 
 1. 13. The clause fXE^X DT^ i6 should be transposed after XTU in 
 the following line. See below, fol. 15 b, 11. 4 f.
 
 ARABIC TEXT 145 
 
 y xb Kirnv NISI m TIN" JK ipabx jo nTjn? anpra 
 tni nm en *nb laj^b norai 'by .TT iao on ivnobx K3a *bn na 
 L'Jiyi i?Qi on linobN xaa axn nay nb nanobx 'by NTIJIDO non 
 DN r pa xnfco^w mo FJ-I^X ^oa nyn nno^M ^y iwi>3 pnn^ on 
 '31 wnai ':i o^ani 'ai onw 'ai 'T 1 nx poi 'ai 'pan p wanp rby 
 
 anpn misn *b n^ 'ai nna ^N nhp *'ai 
 ^ D^n inna i?y /ia inx pawt? noi'o in anp 'i 
 
 9 a 
 
 'an K'ao ^y IT *poi 'ipi '3K rwn ION^ iy in pata 
 
 rwiai 'ipi ptamB' paciDB' QiP^a 'ip^ 1^3 Nb pV3oi?K yvi 
 nmpy asna^K N3^ -DT> D^ n^K ntry nivo by nwnta 1x1233 
 
 p 'ns n^yn x nw 
 
 31 3 ny rfo n^nin h 'ai ^twi nta '31 o^aan ^y DNH npn 
 by nosn ns ib n^n: mpn no by ib nxn: nipont^ nbo ibi a ' 
 OK> T3 nn^o pi n^ 
 
 1. 19. *i*y^] The last > is faintly visible. The word is a. denominative of 
 Jic member, limb. The indicative is meant here, unless we assume that 
 
 Mf 
 
 the final * is a mere mater lectionis, Sa'adya has J^y 1 " which is the jussive. 
 
 1. 20. Lev. i. 3-9. 
 
 1. 22. rUHpn] The il makes the construction very cumbersome, and 
 should be deleted. NB>] The W is faintly visible, while the K is entirely 
 torn off. But thei e can be no doubt that *li is right. 
 
 1. 23. Sifra Wayyikra, section 3, 15 (p. 5 c), Kiddushin 50 a, &c. 
 
 Fol. 9 a, 1. 2. Menahot 93 a, Sifra Wayyikra, section 4, i (p. 6 a). 
 1. 4. '131 ITB>Xn] Deut. 22. 8. "Dl IB'yi] Num. 15. 38. 
 1. 6. "131 Hpn fc<b] Deut. 22. 6, 7. '131 WHin bl] Exod. 12. 10. 
 1. 7. Sifra Wayyikra, chapter 4, 8 (p. 5 d). The use of HiHJ and HJflD, 
 especially the former, of our text is better than rUTH of the printed edition.
 
 146 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 mno Dipon no by nicx ftwy nn moBW nixon D'yaix mpbo 
 nrva fsnaabNi *r\vy Dip cna tw nt?yn xb nivo byi ntry nwo by 10 
 
 "pID nXPN3 N-iTX HD-DD^N "D1 ^T D 'ipb ysbpsbx DH INnpX^X y 
 
 n3T be> rnp *nB* pa vn^ nB men niycn VJST peva nciy rar SH 
 pnn nan iTn xh v ^y IT VT rwo n>n N^I nrnn -33 ^y vn nao n\n xh 
 by nson py nxon by rrvay py vby mviw nmpb DH* pa 
 n nm -ni onb PKB* nx'-ai nratn Dpb py nbiy by net's py 15 
 
 }nn B**B* onan nnsan nbiy no by napy n ib DIN ^ban 
 byi n^y nivo by n-is^o nbiy no by mien jrtw n^yn xb 
 jnab TNJN borro N'bp uncn nbipni *nBy Dip nn BB nt^yn xb 
 onayai onrai 0^33 mt^a b^3 nn-n^ 'ipb nai IN N^N nT:i 
 
 pyaw D"Nt2n V,T xbt^ nabai D^tnp Bnp3 ib'ssi D"NCD3i o 
 xb no'-Nbxn nsisaca nx oynsn pns ya ianpm NOND 'iB' 
 7 ipi 'onx baa mt^a nc^nsj' bas n:ns mv ibni nbapo x ipb 
 
 aiibb rrmoobH nancbw .TINT "by oibx K>T "irnp" 3*30 
 jnB* n:no *na* 'ipb pn^bxi bso^bb rrwoobn pmttrbn "by 
 
 p"osn nxpa xn ipnji nib rbbn 
 aabtn prhn DNibx mi mmoD xiryNa vnnab mix nn:i r ipi 
 
 1. ii. yNpN?X] Removal (infinitive fourth conjugation of xl.s). It 
 evidently refers to the removal of the hands from the sacrifice. X 121 liTtO] 
 Tosefta Menahot 10. 12 see also Babli Yoma 363. A comparison of these 
 two passages with our text will prove the superiority of the latter, where, 
 however, we have to insert the clause 3"iyca 1"JQ1 aiyO3 *p1D1 which has 
 been omitted through homoioteleuton. 
 
 1. 19. Zebahim 31 b, Sifra Wayyikra, section 4, 2 (p. 6 a). Slight variants 
 in phraseology. 
 
 1.22. Sifra, ibid., Zebahim 323. Slight difference in phraseology. 
 
 1. 24. Zebahim 53 b, Sifra Wayyikra, section 4, 9 (p. 6c). 
 
 Fol. 9 b, 1. i. Sifra. ibid. See Zebahim, ibid. Our text differs at the
 
 ARABIC TEXT 147 
 
 nx irnn n a 'ip 
 
 b"6 nby DHVI nx inin 'ai D s yon nx in*n ia 
 xa 'ai ivaoM jan^ nby 'ai n;nn nx ^3 'ai crcnpn nx $>D3 'ai .-enin 5 
 
 o^vyn b 'ip^ D-OI jin s r nt^3 NID KO JM NH^N B'xn ^ 
 
 3N }aa ^i n^r ^ pn 
 
 K naT on n^s n^y N Nn"nx xnan na 'nx 11 IN DK j?o 10 
 ^ 
 
 pin y 
 
 nn3i r ai LJH^I 'ai 7 np fsxn ID cxi 'pa yx-irN^Ni nao CIW^K i>ca *iya pirn en 
 na Dipn NO aon nyisao xiyNQ nroi 'ai D^ynani aipni 'ji inx 
 \i NQ ^y xmsyvN on nyn^N mn ^ap 'n^N nynt^N a saniB' 
 
 *Dn <t nnab D^nn: px vnnab 'ipb nanc^x ^y n^y 15 
 mys anpna ^wnoh* ncxn "n: a'^x nyn^x 
 
 nano^N ^x DXKX^X noip ixi nxcn ixia ix p3sa^ i?i pa* ix TXD^X p 
 yra* en 4^ nanc^x ta^xn ^y non \wi naio^x ^y nnnp^ noxn rn 11 on 
 
 end from the printed edition ; but the Yalkut proves that the original reading 
 is here preserved. 
 
 1. 3. Tamid 31 a. 
 
 1. 5. Instead of HTHH J1X bvi the printed edition has a'l apj. 
 
 1. 7. Ibid., zg a., Sifra Wayyikra, chapter 6, 4 (p. 7 b). 
 
 1.8. ni13lO3] Printed editions have n^aica. 
 
 1. 12. yNirX^XI] Fol. 8 b, 1. 20, Hefes uses ynX^X^X which is the 
 
 more regular plural of c l^i. '121 DX1] Lev. i. 10-13. 
 1. 15. Sifra Wayyikra, chapter 7, 3 (p. 8 a). 
 
 1. 18. 1G> V )] The root La* in the second conjugation is given in Mul.1t 
 al-Muhlt and by Dozy in the sense of draining to the last drop. As the 1 is 
 clear in our text, we may suppose that the first conjugation also existed, 
 though it is quite possible that the author wrote <l . In Sa'adya's translation 
 there is VsTC 11 which is obviously a mistake for 'XC' 1 . Derenbourg's note 
 there is erroneous. 
 
 I f *- O** 
 
 1.19. n/1H, X] iLsja. = gizzard. Mishnic ppl'p. That is how Sa'adya
 
 148 
 
 HEFES B. YASLIAHS BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 spyn ID DNI PD roTo y xmnp'i Kfins* t* nTix:: iva' en 20 
 p p NJIDN 'ai 'aa in yDE>i 6 ns Tom ':i pan nnpni ':i 'p 
 nwvi paobc^H 1x23 JN px ruvn ja ID IN omnn JD 
 
 nnan 
 
 }D 
 
 10 a 
 
 ^N ia\nrt!'D piK'a pnin - 
 ixaD rn *sn?a V^N-I nx 
 
 a^ JN^ niaua i?^ yca nobw 
 nnx an is nns nno^nsw DB'ai bnao 
 
 ^lD Kin ^ 5J1JJH HNDH3 p^lCB> DtWI 
 
 mn nniysh f ^H3io nn ejiyn 
 
 niatsn 
 
 3i<Tsn 
 
 ip^n^x on 
 w piavn p 
 
 311 IN 1HN 
 
 /ioa 
 
 mayo in I 
 
 translates nN"1lD. ilDJKpPKI] This is the equivalent of !"lif3 . Sa'adya also 
 gives the same translation. But this word is more correctly spelt iLijls. 
 p^P] = JPJ a s 'd e > border. See Dozy. pT in Sa'adya's translation is 
 incorrect. 
 
 1. 20. *]i'a'] Read ^JfB\ 131 DN1] Lev. i. 14-17. 
 
 1. 3i. yDlJ'l] Insert jl before this word. 
 
 1. 25. Hullin 22 b, Sifra Wayyikra, chapter 8, 5 (p. 8 c). 
 
 Fol. 10 a, 1. 1. 13\-|X s tr] The printed editions have laVirBIO here and 
 ITHX^'D in the second place. It is, however, evident that our text has 
 preserved the original reading. The Baraita gives one limit for both : when 
 they become yellow. The Q and 3 admirably indicate the termini a quo 
 and ad quern, respectively. 
 
 i. 2. nnsta bsBo] = ^^3T jJu. 
 
 1. 3. nD/N1] ^ or q^ = the gullet. 
 
 \. 4. Resume of Tosefta Zebahim 7, 4. 8. Perhaps the word jl fell out 
 in a few places. 
 
 1. 7. 131 1T1] Zebahim 64 b, &c. '131 nXT^NS] Tosefta Zebahim 7. 4. 
 Insignificant variants.
 
 ARABIC TEXT 149 
 
 vniyavN TIP pa n^n nB> vniyara *3B> pa maa *w jnu spyn 
 irNi nany hco piava P^IE rrm vniyavK *aa ^y msw nnio rrm 
 ID IHN an IN inN nnuwt? n^ai nation iv ^y ni mm ^"ia 10 
 
 nao i/N nyn^K :nnN an IN nnn 
 wynani wnnai wjTKani Nm^yi N3n\xam xjiysw ^ero IN 
 nxai itnin wa^ 'pa pxai'N yi'icta "^N NJC:JI xnpa 
 
 ^Ni D"Nna^M p "I^N inp^ na^nn^yo r ip ':i 'y 
 
 nnxi ncna ic'yD nnx nano ainan nn'yo ^tra 'ipl> 15 
 
 nNV bcm JN nosn A njD ii^N nyn^x *;n 
 on H^N n pa nann^ N^K IIT^N yo NHJD DTO^N nn* 
 'ji jn^n TDpm 'ai VN nx njx^an vi^ 'pa nan^N ^y 
 
 N npi a jKanp^K anxx n^ nnn nn yi s fxa innN IN i 
 nsna ^NS Tinn^N NCND *o^yan v nnn n n N 3D jna f ^h 20 
 i^Npi nnioi rbyn Nao 7^0 'ipi* Nnnan a 
 1^ ninnnty ^ N^BI 7/10 jam* n ION NaN na nn 
 
 N an an Nanyroa i pNm o^K'ncy 'c 
 ninn nivyb na K^aoi n^io wan na DV "i ON Napy na Ncn 
 
 10 b 
 
 *-nao ^N nyn^N : D^yn Mo nvy^ na N^aci rhyo niyn 
 TNDI naini nn^ noN^o a-ipc^N IN^N Daab p nav IN nosn 
 
 1. 13. Deut. 12. 5, 6. 
 
 1. 15. Sifre Deuteronomy, section 68 (p. 88 b), Bekorot 533. 
 1. 18. Lev. 7. 30, 31. 
 
 I. 20. Menahot 61 b. See Sifra Saw, section 1 1, 3 (p. 390). In the latter 
 the word IT fell out. 
 
 1. 21. Menahot 61 a. 1. 22. /fc<, 62 a. 
 
 Fol. 10 b, 1. 2. }NivN] This word car hardly be in apposition to DwN- 
 We should perhaps prefix 1 or insert 1N . aipDPN] This is passive participle 
 qualifying JNV^N DJ3^N. nnv] = its fat. Dictionaries do not give such
 
 150 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 rrro^ai ^:^N ^ 
 
 'ji ohwi rais mpm 'pa nmo^x ^y -jin -inp'D naata JD mx^M 
 natn npnys IN* ':i 'ron pan wcpm 'H nvban "nv DNI 5 
 
 *ipa ntpyoi man ^n o^cta N^> mx 
 ^> D*O^ n^T } n^yoi niaa nnnm ^sn ID 
 
 bw twb \Qnw ityyoni niaan 'i 
 ^y nn TWDM jy nanxs N^N ej^an ;M nv^ 
 
 SJK Dnshm 7 ipi? mDD s N^S 10 
 anp^ }K IDNH *njo i^N ngnt^M 
 m 11 :! nm:i omai ni^iy n "n^N nsni 
 oop ym "ina^N ;oi nn-n 5{rh pa* pntyy 
 Nina oop n^ni noo jn^y t^aa^i noai>N 
 'pa turn noabx ^noi Nioa DDp sjvai TDD nv^y a m^i 15 
 
 a noun in this sense ; but as there is an adjective ^>Ju/a/, we should have 
 no hesitation in considering v*J as & genuine noun. rQini] il>y is an 
 excellent equivalent for the phrase 3~lpn HN HDaDil D^HH. Sa'adya 
 translates every word separately. 
 
 I *"3*, S^O*/- 
 
 1. 3. iT'Oval] Hefes uses ijJS for the more usual iJo. 
 1. 4. Lev. 3. 9-n. 1. 5. IS] Read JN. 
 
 1. 8. Zebahim n b. The end of the quotation is omitted by mistake. 
 1. 9. jy] The text is not quite plain, but there can be no doubt that fy 
 is correct. 
 
 1. 10. Sifra Wayyikra, section 14, i (p. 13 d). 
 
 Si ^ a ' t 
 
 1. 12. nxm] <^j } plural J^J, usually denotes hog. In the sense of 
 bullock or steer it is found only among Jewish writers. See Dozy. It is 
 remarkable that such an ambiguous word should be employed in connexion 
 with sacrifices. It is therefore best to assume that in the dialect spoken by 
 
 s 
 
 these Jewish writers i^>. signified only bullock or steer. In Sa'adya's 
 translation of Lev. 4. 3 and other passages this word is written rn , as if C->.. 
 But the latter root denotes was lean, meagre. The correct reading is thus 
 obviously m. The plural i^U. is nowhere else recorded. 
 
 1. 13. p~15?y] This is the Hebrew term. In the other cases Ipy is 
 
 , . *o > 
 
 Arabic ^n. 
 
 1. 15. Num. 15. 3-10. In the last verse a'npD is omitted by mistake
 
 ARABIC TEXT 151 
 
 IN ':i ii irsran noab p^ 'ai -ip anpon anpm 'ai nar IN nby ^ n 
 i '31 'an }3 by anpm 'ai 'y 'pa p nK>yn *ai 'ai ^ ioa!> p^i 'ai D nK>yn 
 rnai ^Npi nipa^ i?a nwian NO -VNob aan N^ D^D^N '31 pnn ^n 
 n^y N^K ^ p n^y 6',b 6^n D^DJ jyo 11 D^'N!? aipn ba 3K 
 n N^OI ib-N nx N*ao yioK^i nar ib tbbn D^D^H nx nmb pao 20 
 
 nanaa IN ma N^sb 6^ 6/n DB^NI 
 
 nNan nain r6iy HN NDI I^N HN nnn yoti'o nanaai maa 
 
 nNan nain nbiy HN N^anb nanyioa IN DIN Kinu'a 
 nain nNun HN N^aoi Q^ana nsan nain nbiy nN N^ao 
 5i>33 n>n npa ja nar ix nby ipa ja nyyn *ai roib 6i>n D^ana 25 
 
 ii a 
 
 pyoi nanaai maa N3 Nin^ npan pa no ^an by no^i bban ID 
 D^Nt^ nu'Ni nxun INV D3D3 pyo na-m maa Nan ba na 
 *nao n^N nyn^N :o*3Da w N^ nan:i maa 
 IN naan^N 'a-inoD D::!?N IN npa^N ID na bajnD^N jxa NIN 
 nbip 'ai 'pi ynt? ntri niKn 'pa N-na N^ Nyn^n 
 mbp NDNQ ncNip pya ibi baN JD na^a naan^N 
 binirn 'ipb nD-'Xip f*ya nbi ^JN JD N^ya navy obpn np 
 
 after p'1. By a remarkable coincidence LXX also omits that word. This 
 
 is perhaps due to the tendency to harmonize that verse with verses 5 and 7. 
 
 1. 19. Si/re Numbers, section 107 (p. 29 a). See Menahot 90 b. Read 
 
 throughout nain nSy instead of nain nbiy. 
 
 1. 21. D'BHp] Insert N^JN before this word. 
 
 Fol. 1 1 a, I. i. pa] Read|3. 
 
 1. 5. mDnyD] C^> i n tne eighth conjugation denotes be hastened, 
 a signification which does not suit heie. But as ,^*U. means contracted, 
 drawn together, s..zi-o may signify an animal whose limbs are contracted. 
 '131 11171] Lev. 22. 23. 
 
 1. 6. na'D] Read Ti>3 -Js^J. 
 
 1. 7. D^pn] The more usual spelling is jjjuu'. ?in^n] Bekorot 40 a.
 
 152 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 n"> is nrnaa vmano nnNB> ioa DT noDiB> in:? sin nr 
 vban r.iona oibpi IDT- nuDK>:it? yn&> 'ipb nNDnbN IN onsbN bana 
 mmbp ibn nnt? a 6bnbN bspi T,onb men vban rnona oiob men 10 
 aa by IN pb*Jjfi p-a Nb'N pno Nbi jb'jyn 6>n sb NDS m ON 
 'ipb n^n pnai? Nnaon SJKIVI xny^a "irnp^a N vyr\ nma x ip^ 
 nn psi n*an pnnb nma nt^y nn inx ins n-^yn nma 
 n s an pinb o-o^cn cnpon DON ja^o n*an pnnb n*"on 
 
 }sa SIN noxn *mo 6bx rqp*w6tc :n^ya 15 
 
 ONI 'pa ma jci na anp DV a bav f M"na IN xynan jKanp^N 
 ny bp^ nh 601 bax' mat HN ianpn ova bsp Nob 'ai nan: IN -HJ 
 hs^N DI^N jNnr ^a HJD baN^N iw min^N >a *]bi nbpa ipa 
 ha > 'ipb ma ibn 11 ni?N ^bb INT ^a N^ mai ma nb 
 ye6 icw D^nar IHN nvb now n-'nar Nin pi vW> nnsb 
 3 I^N baw Nin nv ny DV ly cib obn vnn ib'b N.T 
 js-anp anpo nosn *nao ^N njrw^n : 
 NpNpni jma nninb NTOB Npnsna .T^N ej^ IN r6b 
 ma nmnta noo jo naan pnsn:i jma Nnooo 
 
 1 9. S//m Etnor, chapter 7, 6 (p. 98 d). See also Bekorot 40 a which 
 contains important variants. 
 . 10. Ibid. 
 
 . 13. Sifra Ewor, chapter 7, 7. 8 (p. 99 a), Temurah 7 b. 
 . 16. Lev. 7. 1 6. 
 . 18. /hi/., 7. 15. 
 
 . 19. -Si/ra -Saw, chapter 12, 13 (p. 35 d), Zebahim 56 b. Our text is 
 corrupt. 
 
 1. 20. nnN 1 ?] Read Tisb. 1CW] Read pbaW (twice). 
 1. 21. D-O 11 ] Insert after this word: 1HN Dvb f6aWn D'-naT HD 
 D^O* ^B'b pbaWil D^nat SJ mnX n^b. This sentence obviously fell 
 out through homoioteleuton. 
 
 1 24. riDDn] > with the signification swelled, was raised (of dough) 
 is found in Mufiit al-MuhW. Sa'adya, too, translates ]"l3antO by ^2n. 
 
 "^JO* 
 
 Ibn Janah, however, is more accurate, and renders it by l5*J- which 
 means mixed and is etymologically identical with Hebrew "]3~>.
 
 ARABIC TEXT 153 
 
 II b 
 
 P 1 pon Dr ^ n ^n b 'ai ip mm b DX 'pa Toa na 
 ni!?n vi vita ytflafctta 'psai wityy n-i^y lonaota 
 n^n b 'ipi> wipy m^y '31 namo nbi '31 mso vpii 
 y nrco *|N nun^y me'y pn no ro 
 m^y sn3 insi i>a JOB PNP^NI pnx-i:bx NOND 
 NOD N& n3N^> 'ai pnp bo nnx woo nnpm iH b^n 6 
 njibx^ v^i niB'y fo wra n:s TO nonn ^h p 
 6i nonn }3 now p ann nca jnv ^'N '5> no-nn x ip^ 
 
 IT ejM mti'y ;o inx n^yon nonn no nt^yon nonna nonn 
 nar by Tipni 61^ o^n nnx pip N^K ob IIT N^> I^NPI m^yo 10 
 nvo3 '!> nonn pip bo nns 1200 anpm DINI minn 
 ai> NJ^ pai jmai yai t TO bu ni^n o^yanx min ^ 
 ^vn jm^N rroai D^nai> ba nN ( m rrn* ^ D^o^^n m nx 
 B> DV N>I T 1 !:^ J M n^jrani rrnnb jo^ a^ ntn 'ipb nnm 3 pa 
 yKnt? ^N Ninnc' on *^DD rn^o^ na^n ma^ ma 15 
 *N\na M m^N ysn^N n^N NONS *Kman 
 snair w3ip nnxi Nnan *nao 
 nanpn m ta nn^ax na ^K onbx jo N^ 
 a^ 1^0^ min mr n^ai 'pa ma rbh nanpn nv -a 
 join bpa^K pb ^^N wax nax inp npa "ty laoo n 
 
 Fol. lib, 1. i. Lev. 7. 12, 13. 
 
 1. 3. Sf/ra Saw, chapter n. 9 (p. 35 a). See also Menahot 77 b. 
 
 1. 6. Lev. 7. 14. 
 
 1. 8. Sifra Saw, section 7, i (p. 353), Menahot 77 b. 
 
 1. 10. Sifra, ibid., 7. 9 (p. 35 c). A part unnecessary for our purpose is 
 omitted here. On the other hand the Sifra text should be emended and read 
 31 jna 1 ? nON32>. See also Menahot 77 b. 
 
 1. 13. D'anab] Read eW>. 
 
 1. 14. 5/>-a 5ao>, chapter n, 6 (p. 353). 
 1. 19. Lev. 7. 15.
 
 154 HEFES B. YASLIAH S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 Nin iN 'ip> N ID n>N 'w "D nya n>an a nyn IN ar N> 
 ID DiNn DN prnni> na nivn ny can now no^ p DN n^n i>a 
 
 i>aarp JN Ni-un *nao ata nyn^N 
 IN hhtti NT ix Nmnao IN Nnioao is -rays' in jNVn j 
 
 12 a 
 
 na^ IN ana IN nba IN pnn ix nnty IN miy 'pa TNTH IN ma 
 nB>3 moion pa 'ip^ N^N IIVNI *DVK DJT niiy 'bw '"*? N x pn 
 Ni bjn&a *I^N 103 ^^a matr NONS vyy nnsa noion pai 
 
 N^N **? PN i>n naa' IN T nn^ ICNJ^ u& c^n ns mas' 'ipb 
 n< 
 
 pnn NONS iiaty IN 6-ib rb^n ajin naty nnn^ pao i^n IN n 1 5 
 jp py ^ pin p-in 'ip^ pip^Ni ninno^Ni aipno^N aaNn/Na 
 p^n a ttn^no ^n^N pnatrap NT n^a 11 'ipi jpno^ IN 0:22^ IN 
 onnn n? ana 'ipi> aun aia inp*a ana NCNI n^a^n ^ya nr 'ipS> na 
 nnrn IT na^ 'ipb oaN 1 a-ia pa IN nap 1 "! TNina na!> NOSB 
 ^N n'Nna/N 'a niny TIDD ;ND;N^N avy pya in W>am pni 10 
 
 1. 21. "]?D] This is best taken as infinitive -L. elapsing, passing. 
 
 See above, note to fol. 3 b, 1. 15. '131 ^31N] Sifra Saw, chapter 
 I2 > 5 (P- 35 c )- See Berakot 2 a. 
 
 Fol. 12 a, 1. i. Lev. 22. 22. 
 
 ^o* -o S 
 
 I. 2. .cl = 6/'rf in general ; .^\ = blind on one eye. 'l^l p3] 5/ra 
 Emor, section 7, 1 1 (p. 98 c), Bekorot 44 a. mDIDH] Read ntDIDH, or better 
 still NOIDn. 
 
 1. 4. Sifra, ibid. 
 
 1. 6. 7foW., 7, 12. See Bekorot 38 a. Both readings pin and DH are 
 recorded. 
 
 1. 7. pnatJ'BB'] This word is very clearly written ; but it is impossible 
 to say whether it is sv^i& or di^jLl , as neither word occurs in the 
 Arabic dictionaries in the sense required here. There can be no doubt that 
 it is synonymous with iJ JU a wart. 
 
 i. s. iai bya nt] IM., i, 13. 'iai ana] ibid., Bekorot 4 i a. 
 
 1. 9 . Ibid.
 
 ARABIC TEXT 155 
 
 pi 01x2 sana *6n rta^ Nn 'ipi> iW> moans fxmp^ 
 nonaa n^a* now K!> DINS sam nino *a^ sjb'o noroa N3T13 
 m!> nra nioxn nxi m5> nra TIOKH HN ]nb po Wam pn -ixa 
 na onpn NO jroa rriham nw mva^ na^ na^ ru ITJ ro^n 
 
 *^K jwic' hfa ID nyin a mai nyn^i'N mn a 15 
 WNvn anp^ JN snan *KXK I^NI ruo 2^ rqne^N 
 pa NJi^a *a i^n p ^ ^yaa INI xyiupoi K^DI iwiinDi KDVIDO 
 *n3D fa/w an^i npia nn^a n35> ixvn niyo nhp 'ai 'ai nviai 
 nnr.an IN fwrinna NH Nn^y by: IN pmo^M onoo ^Snpa nviai 
 
 j*ya mo jnopoitw nnai n^N p a^h< jnopo^a pinai ao 
 IN *DV n mim n nan o^aa fa nnai pin^i mnai Tiyoi 
 
 nnsatwi 'fa mt? ainojoi :Taa nnai pin^i onoa ninai 
 ^ PN 'ip^ Dnnai N^N DNJ^N a onn^a ^n i?yai .n^Nyf' 
 
 ^Npa nsoin^Ni *DanNa ub lobn pao s;ijn rrm nona 
 
 12 b 
 
 D^aop pai o^na pa niaiyn ni rrnn HNI nonan n 
 s an onarn HN onoon DIN min n nr nn niapa pai onar pa 
 
 'ai b jvaNi ay TSB' ptryn NJ ai Tiyty a ;nn nntaicri 
 
 1. ii. Bekorot43a. The variants are slight. 
 
 1. 17. Lev. 22. 24. 
 
 1. 3i. Stfra Emor, chapter 7, 9 (p. 99 a). See Tosefta Yebamot 10, 5, 
 and Babli Bekorot 39 b. The opinion of R. Jose is adopted by Hefes while 
 that of R. Eliezer b. Jacob is omitted. 
 
 1. 23. Stfra, ibid., 7. n. 
 
 1. 24. rPITl] Delete the 1. '131 D1DDH] Tosefta Makkot 5, 6. 
 
 Fol. 12 b, 1. 2. nt] Insert a^il after this word. The other variants are 
 insignificant. 
 
 1. 4- "131 D^BP] Deut. 16. 18. '131 N!?] /M/., 24. 14. 
 
 1. 5. Stfra Emor } chapter 7, n (p. 99 a). 
 
 H. N
 
 156 IIEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 xb bib bbn pao pxb pn pxa xb^ >b PK 'ipb Nnnxa:iM 5 
 
 '"wo ja n3i D33i bib bbn mxa *JK P^o nns^ cipra ba 
 "nK3 JK KH3n *K:FK ibsi nj nbx nyn^bx 
 ji ba rid n:ir pnK s^an xb 'pa aba pyi rwKt ma jo i^axipa 
 nr 'nn mat^a nr ^ sn iTanb noi^n pnx Nin nr^K 'an bs'pi 
 'n ba pnx n:nr pnx xb^N 'b px ibxpi DHIDK nba nxo ib"DNi 10 
 NifN pnKbK mm : cipo bs njir pnK N^an xb bib bbn pjo 
 nao nbapa m:y Nnnno max nnxa nb banb ban nobo^ sasvn 
 bis *3n nay bvx inns^ pbni nr nb^ nb Nn nanb noixn 'ipb 
 sbaa piy np JKVHB aba TTO NCNS *pnK bix bam pn 
 my ^D P-INDHD peop abai Nnb QNaax NDDHPN 
 ipb ababs Nnnbca a bsrp ob 'nbx nsnbK D-inna 
 
 1. 6. "WO] Read H Wan. Comp., however, Shabbat nob where such 
 a statement is recorded in the name of WJH 'QT. 
 
 1. 8. "\1J] This noun with such a signification is not recorded in the 
 Arabic dictionaries. Nor does the manuscript help us to decide whether 
 the letters meant are ~I~13 or "H3 , or any other combination of the last two 
 letters. Moreover J may stand for _ or d. But as JjJj*. signifies worthy, 
 fit, there can be no doubt that j.. is here intended. I have some time ago 
 suggested that Hebrew pflS is not to be derived from pn, which is 
 a by-form to 'J"0 , but from an independent root pj"l whose meaning is was like, 
 worthy. See AJSL., XXIV (1908), pp. 366 ff. Accordingly this rendering 
 of Hefes would be peculiarly appropriate. Sa'adya translates this word by 
 PNyJK. Ibn Janah, too, has Jjta.. In the Taylor-Schechter Collection 
 there is a fragment in which this word is translated by N"13 = *l5. 
 H-On K^] Deut. 23. 19. 
 
 l.g. '131 nPK] Temurah 293, Sif re Deuteronomy, section 261 (p. 121 a). 
 A few slight variants. VV3r6] Read njltb. 
 
 1. 10. Sifre, ibid. 
 
 1. 13. Temurah 29 a, Si/re, ibid. Our text agrees with the latter in 
 ascribing this opinion to ^31) not to "VNQ "I. 
 
 1. 16. DnsK] This stands for u-C,! (plural of ^J.). As Hamzah is 
 usually omitted in this manuscript j is not inserted. '131 HPK] Temurah 
 30 a. See Sifre, ibid.
 
 ARABIC TEXT 157 
 
 panw pi m ab nnn nr n^o xn nar6 noisn ab TPID 
 
 -IIDN ai>3 "m3B> 3^31 nytjn taia inNi nn^y ^uw ins 
 yne^K mn Day ^ya JWK 'N NEND pirno aia 
 pan un 'ipb P^LJD ^i?^^ mw THOI 3^3 pnx insn 
 ns^isi ny3"is xh 0^5^ 'yy pimo Drrae' nan THDI 
 
 pnnio jnnnh 'ipi> 
 
 a b^ n ^ ^> rvn 
 
 p^n a^ n^noi pnx ps fn3 ^DIS Dion^ pempon roi pn3 25 
 
 13 a 
 
 pn WK 
 
 *e|iyn nx ^an^ ma W 6ii> 
 INS *wn IN nss no\naa anpn IN nnyx nona ^na 11 IN twun 
 ^i Has IN 'ai 'nx '^D 11 xh ua^rT N^ X p3 n^ rt^ "i^a 
 unp nbna nv nonn ni?i3s IN h enp INI!? n^na nv N^J 
 aio : mien iW nnion N^I t&w nSn N^I mion ne>iy 
 
 PDIO ^ya po^on 'ipi? iTa a^y N^ Na a^y NT }N3 INI yna 
 
 L 19. }D3N] Unusual spelling of ^LLi^ . 
 
 1. 20. Temurah 30 a, Yebamot 59 b, Sotah 26 b. The reading }J3T UD 
 is found nowhere. It is indeed a Mishnah in the first-named place. 
 
 1. 22. Temurah 30 a. 
 
 1.23. '131 JV3] Sifre Deuteronomy, section 261 (p. 121 a). See Temurah 
 30 b. Some sentences are omitted here. N^D?] This is obviously a mistake 
 for N^in?. The printed texts are unanimous in reading DHQ. There are a 
 few more variants. 
 
 Fol. 13 a, \. 4. Lev. 27. 10. 
 
 1.5. norm] Read mien. 
 
 1.6. Sifra Behukkotai, chapter 9, 5 (p. 113 a). See also Temurah 123. 
 
 The variants are slight. 
 1. 7. Sifra, Ibid., 9, 6. 
 
 N a
 
 158 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 n 
 
 nxrxi nxiD?x "pi *?x tfr? NTDD no 11 -inn DXI PD*DJ 
 
 tnvn nx nianb no 11 non DXI ntrxn nx nmi> ID* ncn DXI 'ipb 
 Dxi3 DXI 'p ix DXI 'pa xnnxi noxn ^ia^ x^a nenaa nana XDXB 10 
 
 "CD 11 jxiayi'x nx nnxa HNDI nxca nnx 'ipi? S" 3 ^ inax ix nnxi 
 cix pyocj' n 'i$b ncna xn: nnxibxi nona -vna^x <i i| na^x jxvn^x 
 nona nxnp nnx ncna ii> nox nicnaa ncna x^ nonas ncm 
 niai^N ^ya c^ip n*n NDXB nn3 mxnp nm mnn3i 
 
 iTtoa aar^y niB>yi> np rrn* 'ip^ xinoi xivp 15 
 mcyy pxa^x yiiE^x n^a a bx: jx xn^n 
 bm x^ 'pa yxanl'xi ynan^xi nn^xi fd^n DJJ!' 
 ^'x nniaai?xi ii?x ^vs^x a xnianjo nrvyy&H r ai 
 
 r^x mn a xn^ya n^ 'ni'x nn:i?xi n^x hflD&M 'a xmsnaoa 
 [xln 
 [iJanjD x?3 KID pm hx^x htt?M *B xnjvy x:nan npa xnirya TO* x^ 20 
 
 onan i^x 'man i>xpa TT ncnni xnxa : 
 ixni'x hx!?x DDP^X xannB' on hxks ^'2^ 
 
 poop DDp:n fxor^x xnn *a xn^ya 
 
 13 b 
 
 DDp!?x m "x\na pnynt? jcvn 1 a^x xncx 
 }xa-ipa i'ainn ncxn *nao ^ix^ 
 
 1. 8. KTn] Read X113D = I repealed. There can hardly be any 
 doubt that this particular law is derived from the fact that the infinitive 
 absolute is employed, that is to say, from the repetition of the verb. 
 
 . 9. Sifra, ibid. (p. 113 b). See Temurah z a, f. 
 
 . 10. nOX"l] ReadXDXI. 
 
 .II. Sifra, ibid. 
 
 . 12. Ibid. 
 
 . 15. Ibid., 9, 16. See Temurah 173. 
 
 . 17. Dent. 12. 17. 
 
 . at. '131 v^X] Sifre Deuteronomy, section 72 (p. 89 b), Pesahim 36 b and 
 many other places. Ipl] Insert XJIVC' after this word.
 
 ARABIC TEXT 159 
 
 Nna 'rwi NJN3^> Nn^y ^>yri Nam Nn^y av> }N IOD p n-nn 
 yoa yo Nnarrn Kmoo p nrwap ita nao fapM DNEN^N 
 pip anpn a cra:i 'pa n^ rhc- hapo |N3ip naicta ^y lin inpn 5 
 
 Nnn 'a nmu^M ^PN 'ai Daran pn *aa ^K nx^ni ':i nruo 
 jna i 'ipb onn p pi n^i ^PN jm^Mi Komi S^iT nan pa 11 }ii^y 
 jn^yo nina^ N^ nnao mancn W IN pan 
 ni n^on nrao *m ysiax m^y snao pp 11 }x na 11 
 nnaoi iciyn nnani o^a nnaoi D>ia nnani o^pini ni^nni 10 
 nropa n^ana ^ N^in nra?o DIN pynt? i nixap 
 'a Lson xmna nvcp^w pxyi> pmp 
 
 rbx 'ipb n^y n^xr b ninp ^ nnn p xnn 
 IT fwcp it nir IT n^Tmx ^Ka^K *sopi3 pxaip IXPND 15 
 13 NIDIT 3i 6x n-axy *3M mvr6 K^K ^Tia IT yn^N IT 
 oa ^y niy3VN ^^ nain 3i ro 
 b^n jmo ivcp Nita ^3 wop 
 nain IXT^NJ NH ivcp N^D 6^ 6^>n vmy3^N ^Nia 
 
 pmo nc-rncni nsnoa n oa 20 
 
 Fol. 13 b, 1. 5. Lev. 2. 12. 
 
 . 7. Sifre Numbers, section 107 (p. 29 b). 
 
 . 8. pan] The printed edition has na3 HT. 
 
 . 9. See Menahot 72 b. 
 
 . 12. pxjn] ReadlGtfy3. 
 
 . 14. Menahot n a. 
 
 1. 15. ''tfCp'tS] The printed edition has flh ION before this word. 
 
 1. 16. nilK'n,'] After this word there is the following Hebrew gloss in 
 the Talmud : y3^N3 pniO 3 r/ nNl 1DH NH' *hv na 1V1 N^D ^O1p 1C1^3 
 ntDD^D natip . There can be no doubt that this is a very late addition. 
 
 1..I7- .niy3i'N] The printed edition inserts JTaDB' iy after this word. 
 
 1. 19. '131 nain] The talmudic text is more elaborate and explicit. 
 
 it is as follows -. nB>nio3i n3nD3 poipi IT Da ^y rmy3X t?^ nain 
 naDp lyn^NDi n^yopD ibniaa pruo.
 
 160 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 IDHI po iso^ptj' iTy Nin npM ho3 "vonm Tmn jmpn N-i 
 
 TOD a!?N nyn^N vniyaw ^Mia ivcpa' 
 MI^DB pnsia na H HM* }N in raa JD rnin jsanpa !?D3nn n?osn 
 anpn ai 'pa jnna nmooo xn^a pxpn IN |nna nnin^o IDD \D 
 
 14 a 
 
 In 
 
 n rfbhz ni^n ni^n 7 ip ':i 'n nBMO nnao pip 
 in noiM^ I^D nnm* n DM 'i$> pNpn IN pnNn: nNnaN JN ^y 
 pip DI^ ^n DV'pi nvnci ni!?n nsno Na N^K' naNO nrao 
 DN n^vni H&n N^an PNI M H ao Nin nnN pip 
 
 p iDM3i nnN pip NM iN3 N> M>m D"ys ^K> pip pip 5 
 pn rwnoi ni^n nso M3' np"pn N^a 11 mbn N^ani? nvn Dppii 
 n^y M^ pep DNI nn^^n poipi bha poip wnc'ai M3< 
 vp3 nira I^N N^N i^Npi pn on^syo nnx M^M 
 NSB an DM i^xpi ':i n^nioni nanom rbon nn: D^na^ 
 ni^n n^nn KT pyntr inn N^ j^ ^p ^MDI pn n^y pm 10 
 N na 
 
 1. ai. /6frf., 6 a. Instead of the verbs TDI"ini T'Oin the Mishnic text has 
 the adjectives IDnm "Wn. It is possible that adjectives are intended also 
 in our text, and we simply have to change Tfiin into "ITIM. 
 
 1. 24. Lev. 2. 4. 
 
 Fol. 14 a, 1. 2. S/ra Wayyifcra, section 10, i. 2 (p. 10 c). See also Menahot 
 63 a. The variants are insignificant. 
 
 .5. p] Read 13. 
 
 . 6. nSD] Read HtfTO. 
 
 .8. pi] ReadVT. "Dl I^M] Menahot 72 b. 
 
 . 9. 76/rf. 
 
 . 10. NP] Although there is no abbreviation mark in this word, there 
 can be no doubt that it stands for ^p'lSN;', otherwise the preposition E of the 
 following word would be impossible. If, however, we wish to regard JO 
 as a complete word, we ought to read '13 N/1. This expression, though 
 quite suitable, is weaker than the other.
 
 ARABIC TEXT l6l 
 
 prreno "wxa 'ipi> mw epaa xmo mron fcj 
 IKBH a pea D^pin ^a ^a nuno 6i pyop "i 
 N'QQ pp'pn nvni ni^n nvno nxi nn\n^ nrao 
 pp*P"in ns neno 6w njE> n pp'p"& nvnni nii'ni' nvno jn-13 15 
 nn^o *p*pn JDIN pyop -i n"n pi rn^n^ |n POT nxen a poa 
 rn nov^ n-a :!? ^n pepS> }na oi'iB' n^ na owjaa jnrina 
 JOIN pyctj> n pp^pi^ nvnw niin^ nvno jnw mini* p^ :i> 
 jp "i nn pi oyna^ ^as: POT INBH *a pea ppvin nx 
 
 nvnoi ni^n nsno N^D nas nn: i>y nn DINH ao 
 an 6s ^a pea ^NO N^ nan i>y poo jn^ QNI yvesn p ^12121 
 *D &x nyn^s yv ^a poa 
 
 NTDQ NIOD pan JK paxD "6y n^in NJNanpa ^ajno IDNH 
 nanon ^y nroo OKI r pa wm nn^y asri Nmnn* nn |ma Nnini^D 
 
 14 b 
 
 nano i^nm hp pa^D nano JN ^y *yv KCOI '31 nniK nina 'ai 'np 
 nn: 'ipb PJV^N nsnpoaa 7 na nn mna owp n^yoi nav 
 D^na nn:o ^nani nyais^ D^B^I D:B6 inx 
 jna nmo 
 
 1. 12. Tosefta Menahot 8, 8-12. The few variants are obviously genuine. 
 See also Babli 74 b. 
 
 1. 17. nt31t?b] More accurate than the usual spelling ilOID. 
 
 1. 21. 'Dl 'NO] Menahot 75 a. Some such word as ^Npl or tf^N must 
 have fallen out before this word, as the following is no continuation, but an 
 explanation of the preceding. 
 
 1. 23. JOfcQ~lpa] A double mistake in orthography : it ought to be 
 genitive and without the nunation. Read }N3~lp3. 
 
 1. 24. Lev. 2. 5, 6. 
 
 Fol. 14 b, 1. i. Menahot 63 a, Sifra IVayyikra, chapter 12, 7 (p. n a). 
 1. 2. Menahot 75 b, Sifra, ibid., 12, 4. The Mishnah uses P3p, whereas 
 Sifra has ^33. Our text uses both indiscriminately.
 
 162 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 nrvna |na PK rrera ;na nn:oi B'ana nnao OIK pyep n nbaro 5 
 
 jnn'na a>ai rwop na p mvna na PKB> n nsnsp pa PKB> *-a 
 
 urinp na DIN aW'n'a ninao 3-ipo^ now rrn iron fo*pi awiaa 
 
 jnnTia )!>ai pm yiKn ID on^ N^IDH DIK j^aK^ J^D3 'ji wpi 
 
 B^an nnh an^n "nc' *ID KO ninn ninjD^N yxi3N jroai awraa 
 
 B^aan anh nn^n Tit? S]K ha 11 n"na^ ninron i>3 nian^ nnao '^ 10 
 
 an$>n "nt? Mnnn^ ninaon b ns man^ n^sib no nns 6ii> o^n 
 
 ano c'^ pnnro I^K no oyo ainan nant^ nns a^aan anh 
 
 'a'-K'N ano PKB> B:an ani a 
 |K3ipa beano noxn A nao n^N 
 
 'ai T.331P n^nno nnao BKI 7 pa frm noa p xnyay JN "i"aaD "a 15 
 n^nnoi? rvwo pa no n^p n^aao ntrnno JN ^y ^hbx 
 p naan n ^^an II BI <I n nan ^lo^a nb PK nanoi MBa nb t^ 
 :B*B>P n^yoi nav nnno a^nn n^^jjoi npioy nKnno DIK 
 pip 5>ai 'pa patnp^K nwi nosn *nao fb nyn^ 
 
 20 
 
 n^on ay i^n 'ip D^ 'n on nboa innao 
 0-6 obn nbo nawo r6a nn:o xnn ha^ 'ip^ Ta N^ naiobs* ^y xnao 
 Na "nbo naiyo nnaon i?a pwi n!:o pyo poipn pip 
 
 1.6. 'ni pKiy bai] Read nn-na na PK mrcp na PK bai. The 
 
 nouns have changed positions in our text. 
 
 1. 7. Berakot 376, Menahot 75 b. 
 
 1. 10. Si/ra, ibid., 12, 5. See Menahot 753. The variants are phraseo- 
 logical. 
 
 1. 15. Lev. 2. 7. 
 
 1. 16. Menahot 633, Stfra, ibid., 12, 7. 
 
 1. 19. Lev. 2. 13. 
 
 1. 21. S/nz, iWrf., 14, 2 (p. 12 a). See also Menahot 20 a. Insignificant 
 phraseological variants. 
 
 1. 23. (jrooncW] Although SjLfT iJtft&JI is a defensible con- 
 struction in Arabic (see Wright, Arabic Grammar, vol. II, p. 222 A, and 
 Noldeke, ZDMG., 32 (1878), p. 402), it is more elegant to say ... i__fljl5sl. 
 Its literal meaning is thick as to its parts.
 
 ARABIC TEXT 163 
 
 nmorfc rktbt* jo NWN^N tjnKar.e^K rfrnp'B '31 n^o 23 
 
 row n?D x'an?D n3B7i x? rpacri X7i 'ip? nynoa ?ro K?B 
 
 15 a 
 
 rv3pnnDK x^ JVOTID xro N^ nx PJDI *nnDnio IT irw nnaic' 
 T^DD *inpa 6 n n^anp fjy nan nta 
 nas6a nan^a n^nn nioipo ne^ea an 
 niniy pnho DB'a' n^cn nae'ba nara ^ ijr&nai t^aan ^ i>yi 
 ?t? itrxnai onaxn nx pn^io nBt? ^aan ^33 ^yi o^np 5 
 
 ian 'ipb ivyi'x *nn3 n^ioa m^DD^s n^o n^a^ai fjiyn n^yi D^aoa 
 nnrn nbo r^y jnui naxn nx x^ao nany xin *rcrx:i pan 
 n^x xinna' on : ^vi? pi 'ax bx vbyon n^D v^y jni3i 
 
 1. 24. priJ 11 ] J*^ (seventh conjugation of J.) is melted, dissolved. 
 Stfra, ibid., 14, 4. See also Menahot 21 a. Important variants. 
 The reading of Sifra K*an/ is inferior, on account of its ambiguity. 
 The Talmud has Nan which is imperative. The omission of the second 
 JVatJTI X? in the printed editions is scarcely defensible. It seems likely 
 that our manuscript has preserved the original reading. Perhaps the reading 
 of Sifra arose through taking K*3n&O as N s 3n^> 6 = tP3r6 H^O, and the 
 second JVT.?n K? was omitted through homoioteleuton. According to 
 Hefes finaVJ' na^N'J' n?D ought to be translated salt which melts not (lit. which 
 ceases not}. This is preferable to the explanation of Rashi (Babli, adlocC) 
 who takes it in its literal sense : which is found in all seasons. For according 
 to this interpretation the second clause is slightly illogical. 
 
 Fol. 15 a, 1. i. JVmiD] ReadrPBHD. WpinDK] Sifra has Dmaipfo, 
 while Babli agrees with our manuscript. 
 
 1. 2. Menahot 21 b. See also Tosefta 6, 2. 3. 
 
 1. 7. Menahot 21 a. There is no p2~l ian there. See Tosefta 6, 4. 
 
 1. 9- vif?] The printed edition has mHpp. Our manuscript, however, 
 offers a genuine variant. See Maimonides's Code, Issure Mizbeah, 5, n, and 
 Kesef Mishneh, ad loc. But Tosafot, Hullin 14 a under heading p3DJl 
 remarks: ^ pi p>D"U V&\ TTnfa pi nan nDN pD13. Comp. also 
 ii2a, under heading D 7/ n. In Pesahim 743, under heading ^Ni"l, the reading
 
 164 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 'NTIJ NEH pnta pnynt^N NONQ ^man 
 f>a 'a 'pa ^>oy IN TDa anp' IN urun *ru hsi>K ny-i^N 
 nr trai NIH np 'ipi tj>m nonta Dn t&Tf&Mi 'ai pan bi 
 n^wn pip 'ip r6oy N^> -ion iin IN ^y Sn NEEI D'nen 
 uniaa nip^ fs bKrmou NO^I on^n^N ^K NTB>D li'ni i? N 
 K^N ppw3 onian fwao i s N '\f? rboy xb ion iin IN NJo^y ^oy 15 
 jo Nxvn N^N nnrnn aa ^y pnnpo pi D^jyn JDI owrn }D xsvn 
 nr N^ nNanpD^N JD >^3 pnn p ^ t^nax INI o3jyn JOT owrn 
 PNI nNB> b 6^ 6^n pjo uyioon nanon N^N b pN 'ip^ nanpn 
 vb pan INB' ^3 a 6^ 6^n p:o pany invy Nin N^N ^ 
 Nin N^N ^ PN e^an 6^ i?n pin ojnoon nanon N^N ^ pN 20 
 
 *HJD i^N nyn^N :^m f?ai oib c^n po pany 
 'pa onT 1 : jn nb ^ni ND^S p-in^N rfejmo fnr&M jo oxwhc Nmn 
 c^ na^N anp* N^ in 'man ^Npi oa^N anp^ N^> -in 
 
 15 b 
 
 ^ mnr ijyn^ twiy nov anpn nrni 6iN Nint? 
 f 'by "INH^N MN^N DDP^N yor\*vy nn : oa^N anp^ N!? nn 
 
 vX/ is mentioned, and is refuted, as most copies have rWTp,'. In the latter 
 passage ^aN, not rOT, is the authority for this decision. 
 
 1. ii. Lev 2. n. 
 
 1. 12. Sif re Deuteronomy, section 297 (p. 1275). The words N1H HVN are 
 missing in the printed edition. 
 
 1. 13. Lev. 2. 12. 
 
 1. 15. Terumot n, 3. That part of the Mishnah which is irrelevant to 
 our subject is omitted here. 
 
 1. 18. Sifra Wayyikra, section 12, 4 (p. 11 d). The unnecessary part is 
 not quoted. See also Menaliot 583. 
 
 1. 19. pany] Printed edition has 131iy. 
 
 1. 20. '31] Sifra has '3T ?ai . Our reading appears to be superior, 
 
 as Pal is required for the following derivation. 
 
 , > 
 
 1. 22. vm] = U"*) are considered. 
 
 1.23. 'Witt] Num. 18. 4. 'lai-ltt] Sifre Numbers, section 116 (p. 36 b). 
 Some phraseological variants.
 
 ARABIC TEXT 165 
 
 D'pi XTOIM ^ njmp N' w oopK *nian 
 ton 'a Nay apxn Nr6ya y'K"is? ri pvrv ^ii?K poop nopan i^n -vai 
 NIOK yjo^ a pSiv Msn^ Vm ai K-IOK xnao n jKBtta 5 
 
 NT TI^K JFmEfot n$>K m5J> A fNani JKDT ^a 'Si NH^Jja DT^' 
 
 pn JK n^ HDSJ ma ^n K nosn mo ^isi'x nyn % ^x "Nir:N 
 N } fc6pnt3 a nao pno ^N nao 5 mcy jo vhr iao 
 3 JNS ai in ^^^y n\m ai ma K^B a B^M pa onp^N 
 pr&n nao 6 ^NI nao a xnioy p 'iD' 1 ^ao tenners 10 
 a HD'-pPND xnpiD NCI nao 6 p TRttht in^ jMa JNB ai n napa 
 DBW po DSI pa ^pxna ' JD^N nn naas nxnD^Ni 
 n pao ii ^NI sin^ may p 'Sty na inao nD"pi ii n^ 
 p nyi vnn po DNI pa b*pww as 'naN naxa INB pni^N p 
 *^y nao a ^NI pan n moy p ifa nao nnao r,"pi ai nat? ncn 15 
 tron po OKI pa ^psno n^ys 'nax nasa ;NS Npm K^:pno 
 N p *3y* wnB mw^x ;xa }xa ai tb nnzry p nyi 
 ai na-iyo Kin ^o DNI pa m> ^xan KD aon i^n p 
 nna ^"isri o^h o^ana pmai pmiai panyai panyo ^an 
 
 Fol. 15 b, 1. 8. 3] Read 3. pll^N] J\t /^a/, />/>^r, coin. The author 
 found it necessary to specify ?NpDD with this word in order to exclude the 
 idea of weight. 
 
 I. 9. Lev. 27. 2, 3. 1. 10. 76/rf., 27. 4. 
 
 1. 12. /Aid?., 27. 7. 1. 14. 76W., 27. 6. 
 
 1. 16. /Mrf., 27. 5. 
 
 1. 17. *3y^] This word may be .^.xJ it signifies, used in the sense of 
 namely or that is to say. It is also possible that Hefes meant it to be ,2*5 
 is lowly, is in distress = Hebrew "Oy^. In this case it would have to be regarded 
 as being in apposition to WHO. In my translation I adopted the former 
 alternative, as the unnecessary repetition is somewhat cumbersome ; but for 
 the sake of lucidity I thought it advisable to add "JO without intending it to 
 be a double rendering. 
 
 1. 18. Ibid., 27. 8. 
 
 1. 19. ''lai ^an] 'Arakin i, i. D^"13] The printed editions omit this 
 word.
 
 166 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 paiy3 N> 53N panyoi pii3i pnw 
 pnu ppi now enn n'Nii n3p:i *NII iar 
 po niria run fna PNS? yao panyo win pnu N^ i>3N paiy3i 
 
 'Nil 13T N^N liyj WW Dnhp 32D *Tiy3 N^ ^3 113 CHH 
 
 31 *n nap: otn 31 Tarn naiy nm an n^K 'ipi n\sm nap:i 
 
 16 a 
 
 -pan n^ 'ipb iny: xi? bs n3 inn po nins N^N 'ip 
 
 Np JX KH3D p11S HD-p^NI 113^ pai '31 CHH pO DN1 
 
 i^ i> n^no nay ^y i^ r6 lay pn mn oaKn^K no^a ^y 
 pya ^Np INS wv n^y a: 11 N^S ^y n* ncp ^Np IN 
 
 nc^a maa IN HDNI IN na^>p -jyN nxiyN JD 
 nca nnx pcir ^y n *DI /c ip^ nntn CNIP mn ;D ini i?aa 
 IICN i> by ^31 iijn ^i^ iiy i 11 N^a m^ Nin noai lu 
 n^n nDtww iai ^an nr ib niy |nw ^y naa ii 
 
 *1V D^S KD1T3 IN p3D DM pN IN irw pN 113 JNQ lb "Jiy jni3 13 
 
 po mna lanyn "ip^ iu JN npi IVUC&N JD aon N^N nor^ N^S ^!?^ 10 
 *?y in* ntj'yji nnev po nina t^cn p ^y in* n^yii cnn 
 
 1. 20. DlDC1t21] Delete the waw conjundivum, as a new sentence 
 begins here. 
 
 1. 21. P"J113] Read p1*3. 
 1. 24. Lev. 27. 3, 4. 
 
 Fol. i6a. 1. 2. Lev. 27. 6. 
 
 *** * ^ e 
 
 1. 5. HD^NI^N] Read nD"Nl7N = ~^>j\\ chief, vital; d-~ojjl *Uc^l 
 denotes the capital, or vital members of a living being. 
 
 1. 6. 'Arakin 19 b. Some phraseological variants. 
 
 1. 7. '121 ~]iy] #"", 20 a. Perhaps Ni u N1 fell out before this word. 
 It is also possible that Hefes quotes the Mishnah (5, 2), omitting the 
 unnecessary part. 
 
 1. 10. |N npi] This is a colloquial expression. In good prose }N would 
 be omitted. '131 IZjnyn] Ibid., 18 a. 
 
 1. n. Bnn Read
 
 ARABIC TEXT 167 
 
 *n jma vy 'any ^n 'ip? -pi nra *no'p '*a vy >Kp IMB iiyn jora jma 
 
 a: 11 i^y <acn 'xa tap }NI nb nip n^y aa 11 ^y ^ava nc^p tap JKS iany 
 
 xn iny 'ip^ nacn HN n^y aa^a 5>y ^ava jon tap jNa naon 'xa n^y 
 
 nr i^a ""m ;rna ^y ^xn 'on VJD*T ^n fma ^y *o*i 'xn bs iny ;ma ^y 15 
 
 b *vpsta Dip 11 JN aa v ND ^psi ii>a ^on fnia u iTi^n nn^any nm ^on 
 
 Dn ybo ID ^px ornta ;KB 'lax ^ nor!? 11 *b --aanDN }xa y^o jo ^px 
 
 o^cnc nn 11 sh y^oo nina panya ps 'ip^ 1010 n'p nor^a 
 
 jma T-^ym y^oo nina mi>3 jnw px n^yni yi>o fna 
 O3m nnx N^N jnia p r5ix TND n D^D .i VT>3 vn 
 
 JN3 nns*m nmw 3ona Dxnxta nip^a nbi? nn^a 
 pa onata ms^n Dxcs'ta ncp ND ji^a naxaa nonpc 
 
 INI 'ai "IP in^a nx 
 
 1. 12. 'Jfa] Perhaps colloquial wf. See above, fol. 3 b, 1. 15. 
 "131 W] 'Arakin 20 a. 1. 14. 76't/. 
 
 1. 17. DTfvN] A^ owned, possessed. The ordinary signification of this 
 word is he was responsible, obliged, and in modern Arabic it has acquired the 
 idea of ownership, since one is responsible for a thing one owns. This latter 
 meaning is quite frequent in the Egyptian dialect. See S. Spiro's Arabic- 
 English Vocabulary where the meaning to have a monopoly is given. An 
 Egyptian Sheikh who presented me with a copy of an Oriental edition of 
 the Divvan of Muslim b. al-Walid wrote down &*pl* y> jyjji a gift front 
 
 <* * * o __ o 
 
 the owner. See also Dozy who quotes such an expression as A.UJ o^liJl 
 ..v*i}. He also records the signification he took a farm which approaches 
 the meaning he possessed. The context of our passage clearly proves that 
 this meaning is very old, and is no modern innovation, since he was 
 responsible does not suit here. 
 
 - ,0* 
 
 \. 18. 1D1X] Better 1D^N= .^ol, since this verb is a priwtae Ya. 
 pmjQ p] Ibid., 7 b. 
 
 1. 22. flOlpvB] Either a short clause fell out before this word, or we 
 have to read [N instead of ,)Q. It is also possible that it is merely a slovenly 
 construction, the author having 13^"iym in mind and forgetting that he 
 started with IDXfl. Sa'adya has the same construction. 
 
 1. 23. Lev. 27. 14, 15. 
 
 1. 24. Sift a BeJntkkotai, section 4, 8 (p. 113 d).
 
 i68 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 16 b 
 
 ns i>N3* impon OKI DIX Kinpa nano ainan mn rraa ha* 
 nmb ijvn nx ^xa* tynpon nxi i>xpi IICK n-yn n*a nn m*a 
 run ata nyna6n *envn nx nmi? ^x: s ^xa OKI nrxn nx 
 N2N31P xmD aip* x^> noaa nD*na n& ma IND:N N ncxn 
 jsa NnnsTii nnnu aonn Nnoip^a DNDt6 ^n^ pn ?ipin JN n^ 
 OKI 'PS nD"p!?N ^y D^a^N nrba NHDX^B snoipn 
 'ip D^ 'y\ ruknw ^w DW 'jn N pan nnyni 'ai 
 ha 1 'ip^ 1 sn^no :np< ;K ra xb ary nun i?a trurdhi JD 
 nn '31 ya mai HNCD ncnaa DNI DIN Ninc'a nano ainan 
 
 iDsa fc6'N nano W*N n micsn nxou ncna 10 
 
 pip naDD unp 1 N nc'N D Dn naiy DID y na* 
 : nnon nx niani> nx?:D : nnt:^ nt?a Nint^ naiy D^D 
 
 pnyo }*NI pB'npD pN s*: 
 
 nna npyn rrana onnn i^yn Bnpn nrn pra ponno p 
 Nin nrx r^on D s b T'h* mans "bi niyD li 
 
 Fol. i6b, 1. i. ha*] To be omitted as dittography. 
 
 1. a. Ibid., chapter 10. 2 and n. In Sifra the inclusion of the wife and 
 the heir is given twice : on verses 15 and 19. Our text, however, derives 
 the wife from verse 15 and the heir from verse 19. But as these two verses 
 treat of different kinds of consecrations this combination is hardly justifiable. 
 On the other hand the Sifra text excites suspicion, as it is not in accordance 
 with rabbinic logic to derive two things from one word. 
 
 1. 6. Lev. 21. 11-13. 
 
 1. 8. T3\l Read T13*. ha*] Sifra, ibid., section 4, i. 2. See also 
 Temurah 32 b. Some phraseological variants. 
 
 1. 10. iTViCNn] The first n is to be deleted as dittography. 
 
 1. 13- D 9^K*,] = *-**Jlj plural of i^J. *3N1V^X1] This is how 
 Sa'adya renders din in Lev. 27. 28 and Num. 18. 14. See Dozy who quotes 
 passages in which the meaning confiscation is assigned to this word. The 
 singular thereof is d^slo. See also Kur'an, XXXII, 37. The signification 
 of the latter is, however, dubious. '121 N'Jfi] 'Abodah zarah 13 a, 
 Bckorot 53 a.
 
 ARABIC TEXT 169 
 
 A nao ni'N njme^N *rrbso nnoi man n!>n bjna nip'y 
 i^N yop npa n/aa is nnaa n^o nyo nxo npxa ^x noxn 
 nnoxaab fbx DV^N 'ai mno nv -jini 6x DV^K *a nnxi p^ira naoa 
 ^oy nvno^x xaa axa -^x DKON^N cxon 'ana IN pj'aat? 'ns 1 - 
 n^o bs* JD ND3S* SOD nay najno'i m*j laN^tfl man KomnK 20 
 
 naoa ^K niy^ on DV^S* 1^1 a nosn onp^ 
 ma n'x fNDTN j Dpo^a nnosaa ^>ap naoa p 'iro NCI nn:o px 
 ai a i^y no niD^ ^ai 'pa naoa yapax ND^J Naoxa n^a fa 11 } 
 i 6 11 nx '"^ inm 'ai |nan new 'ai 
 
 17 a 
 
 nay rma ix rra nixn im nnaa nxoa pno na yiiD 'a ina 
 
 nao ana^x jy nyao yaso IN nna^x jxa XTIXD nxaa nxca n^nv 
 
 nun!? DNna ynaa non i?yi v^y n-an ^aat^ nnni> nia^ *ai 'ipi> 
 
 nx x"ani7 oxna oiaxn nN N-an^ ynaa KSNI 'pnaiaa icy not? 
 
 DUN nr DNna aait? nr ynaa CIN fnai 1 ' n n^N^ n nan aav^n 5 
 nia 1 - }x aa> nn rvo p nnoxaa^ yaxo^x a innnn oi-a itrxn 
 r va n XDnn> xvn 'ipa nna -iax p NY S N T^N ^ai n^Nn^N ^a 
 rtaci 'yaB'ai 'B'^tra nr n\n nvrNa HNCD n^an 'man 
 an ova ia vniaanp x s a lia nb DNI iia vniaanp x^ac 
 nn^n innnn nrc' ^ ON ynnasb nr pa no pano n ^ ON Na^py n 10 
 
 1. 21. }Na~\pP$] The two dots indicate that the first ,3 is to be deleted. 
 
 1. 23. Num. 6. 9-12. 
 
 1. 24. T!1] Read niin infinitive of tZi was present. 
 
 Fol. 17 a, 1. 3. Si/re Znta, ad loc. (ed. Horovitz). See Yalkut. 
 
 1. 4. Si/re Numbers, section 28 (p. 9 b). The part irrelevant to our subject 
 is omitted here. See also Keritot 9 a and Bemidbar rabba 10, 13. 
 
 1. 7. Num. 19. 12. This verse does not refer particularly to a Nazarite 
 but to any one who comes in contact with a dead body. 
 
 1.8. Nazir 44 b. Readnn^H. 
 
 I. 10. nM^n] The following clause fell out after this word by homoio- 
 
 : rp^n irnno yniifoi ma.
 
 170 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 'IBW aiy nvi p ox N^N vnmnp nx Nao WK virfana 
 imnu ova 'ipb ma ^M ^n -nv Ty w HDD nyaxD DV pans IND 
 pao n^y 'ynwi ^aw jpatja N^X ^ PN 'jpasa insrn ova 
 ^ S X >b p uniw oib 6!?n pjo n^ba ova N^N ^ p urta ii? cbn 
 nni?:n ncK jao lin^ 1 - bib obn p:o mnu nn^an nxcu nnbn 15 
 NX> sb nbw na nnsi an DKI x^ao na nnxi nbo nxpsa n 
 
 i n n 
 
 ^ rr6y au^M 'inp 1 ' Mam nNnsbx jnn ^K banD^x -a 
 
 s^^ ny jnsan a-m an Nin^ IIDO 7 ip nosaa "]i 
 nn^xaa snpa e'ean i?y NDH ntyso :nyiD bnx nns bs 20 
 IN napn nry^N n 'ipb n^cn nDxaabs f noxnnnN nbpa 
 maa TIV pn p wsy iyiv^ maa inxe' nr NDH c'aa 
 'at? "i3io 'nan NOD "vraa DIN i>Kpt3 -i nan b JD ic'aa nyxD^ 
 nx enp^ D'-noi' NOD^D^ 'an by NDPI nt^ND vby la 
 
 17 b 
 
 IN pa }N 3jv n *o ns 'b "inni wnn ova 
 nvo maob brmor onob WKSCI 'ipb yasobx DV^K *ay pbn 
 
 1. is. Stfre, ibid. Insignificant variants. 
 
 1. 15. rnnc] Read mno. 
 
 1. 17. m^ana] This may be infinitive fifth conjugation of \->.. But the 
 construction is rather awkward. It would be more natural to read i"l"V3JV3 
 imperfect: fie shall choose, or select it. Na^ifpH] This is fifth conjugation of 
 L>3 which has the same signification as tenth. 
 
 1. 18. |NTIN] Infinitive first conjugation of J I. 
 
 1. 19. Stfre Numbers, section 29 (p. loa). See Bemidbar rabba 10, 14. 
 
 l.ai. Sifre, ibid., section 30. See Nazir 19 a. Some phraseological 
 variants. 
 
 1. 22. JIT] Stfre has m which cannot be correct. "lyiSft?] Read ny^XB'. 
 j M H] The following clause fell out after this word by homoioteleuton : 
 
 pn |o IB>BJ ijwon DX noi vp onan K^m. 
 
 Fol. i7b, 1. 2. 5//, i/</. Read
 
 ARABIC TEXT 171 
 
 D 
 
 wm 'ipb naoa DN^X p X^N <pan np INS jx re* nwpt 
 naoa nx's p NDNN 'pan IP jta IN iba 11 
 nD "vra ann nx DNK> pao ban nx iniD DannN ib tw 
 ib rbbn ban ns nnio nns non nx DVI 
 
 o niK nyn^N *ej3no* 
 ^ Nnbsoa DV a TIN* fx naoa 
 
 xn-nx nnao JIN N^on snao n^bx ID D-IX a nonobM xaa ro 
 nboi not6ob nanb sn^nv N^aai nrsr^ nrvnx Knnao nanx 
 nnnni jma NHIDDD Nirx TBB PKFHI jma nninbo noa pisna 
 nm^jnn nnian ya^i nbbN n pa nxnsbx onoipa an 
 
 yav* on n^abx nbo VD n& nn^D^ nan nyas* 
 nosn nyu> nirniDbN xaa axa nay iDNa^N p^n^i snyo 15 
 p TIIDO ysmbx DNDN^N 1:^1 noNbobx nan nnn 
 npbn nya n.DNabN aa ^y n.bn yn^i T-eai'M p npttpm npniai 
 yo DKDnbb Nonp p^i rkbx n pa tonnn onaim 
 
 1.3. 7W</., section 31. See also Nazir 19 b. Some phraseological 
 variants. 
 
 I. 4- }N] This sentence as far as '31 IPS' 1 (1. 5) should be omitted as 
 dittography. 
 
 1. 8. n^a 1 *] The slanting line over * evidently represents a dantma. 
 
 1. 10. ItbnJD^X] = fZs* . 6 is now and again confused with ^ in 
 Jewish Arabic, and sometimes even in manuscripts written by Mohammedans. 
 This is no doubt due to the pronunciation of these letters. In colloquial 
 Arabic *$> midday is pronounced duhr, as if it were *^o. Similarly, jj AJL} 
 glasses, spectacles, is pronounced naddara as if it were ji.Lij. On the other 
 hand Jajli a police officer is pronounced zdbit, as if it were Jo>.lfe. 
 
 1. ii. nbail] This is correct, as it is !,. Sa'adya's n^m (Num. 
 6. 14) is an error that crept into a copy written in Arabic characters. 
 
 1. 17. yTI] A by-form to JJV|. This confusion is not infrequent in 
 
 Arabic, and is certainly due to the pronunciation. Thus in modern Arabic 
 
 -<> 
 some words are spelt indifferently with o or ^>, as, for instance, j'j.l 
 
 a chamber is sometimes written I*}.). 
 
 H. O
 
 172 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 cva Tun mm DKT 'pa Nioa IDN^N ait?* ibi lyai nysibx pxm 
 i '" MBb jnan anpm 'ai nivo boi 'ji '"b imp nx anpm 'Ji nsbo 20 
 
 }.ian onx spam 'ii fnan npbi 'ii nna i-un nbai ' rw b^n nw 
 "]DVQ N^ Kinno NiNor nao:^ |o m nn* nn *o nsta ova hp 'ai ^ 
 w mno pnpb D^iy in pip nnm D^D* nna pip nnx 7 ip 
 
 18 a 
 
 6 na ITI ? nw 'o^ nxbo ova 6 c^n IINDD pip 
 pip inw D ? D ? ir3 pip nnx 'ipb ini^s ^DW 
 JN a:^ vbx n-'p^pi^Ni n^nissi vtmh p-oa b wv n:a K^K 
 ie>y iB'y nisa jnt? mnam min ni^n 'ipi> niB>y n 
 
 nvp na josra n^mK^n nna ^ 'B>D 'so ^p"pn 'ipb HTXI =1^33 5 
 poa IT by nnxi IT by nns fni:i lyavsa baio nny ran isa ictr 
 
 n by jwi nw B>XI uw nx 
 amm nx jnu na inw N^n 'ipb ix:bx ^by jrabN vb^ onbbx pio jo 
 inn nnn rbv DW n^cbe' be> inn nnn nbt^oi n wi ijw by jnw 
 nnn HM> naio D^obtrn naT nnn IBW NIP DN }b 'JD aan Ni" 1 nun b^ 10 
 
 1. 19. Num. 6. 13-20. 1 fell out before HNT. 
 
 1. 23. Si/r, j'Wrf., section 32 (p. lob). Omit pip in both places. The 
 printed edition has a few biblical words after Dbiy. 
 
 Fol. i8a, 1. i. 1T1" 1 ] The scribe noticed that, owing to the confusion of 
 HT3, he had copied twice the sentence beginning with this word. He 
 accordingly deleted all these words by marking them with circles. 
 
 1. 4. Menahot 76 a. 
 
 I. S- 7 131 "p'pll] Sifre Zw/a (Yalkut) ad loc. See also Bemidbar rabba 
 10, 19. D^niB'D"] It may be an active fa'ul form, or we have to read 
 
 1. 8. '131 K^n] Nazir 45 b. Instead of tOJn the printed edition has 
 
 1. 10. nNC2n] The printed text has DWl after this word. N^] A short 
 irrelevant discussion is omitted after this word. at311] The printed text 
 has the more general question v^D ^!13D, and the answer is given in the 
 name of Raba.
 
 ARABIC TEXT 173 
 
 p mron 5>a ina b anpn ih 'inp'a ' aa!> naian jnsn DDK 
 OK ^Npi mm new spin -IU>N 'at? TIIOI r6s twoi 7^0 'ip^> 
 r6yoi B> rnnnnsr oi> trsoi 1^10 janv i ON NIK 13 
 ON nnpiy 12 son i ON an *ano N3-iyo3 Nin ii>{j> 
 
 nna *a ' aa> jo^yn D 
 
 *ainan ona^ ny niroa wn nn /1(<i *aal> 'NJC^ tnpo 
 x NDXS iNman n*n^ IPMIIB^M n^x Nam^ on 
 
 jvns w jrpai 13001 103 >3i ISDEI 103 JD nao 
 
 I. n. KTIpn] Read preferably N2Hnn, the copyist having mistaken 
 n for p and 3 for 3. 
 
 1.12. 'laiT^D] Menahot6ia. 'l31 ON] 76ti/. 62 a, Sukkah 37 b. 
 
 1. 14. 1^] Insert pNHI before this word. 
 
 I. 16. Sifre Numbers, section 37 (p. n a). A phraseological variant. 
 
 1. so. pHD] Although this word is not found in the Arabic lexica, it is 
 attested by its occurrence several times in the Syriac-Arabic glossaries of 
 Bar Bahlul (ed. Duval : 482, bottom; 904, 21; 1421, i; 1635, J 9)> and 
 Bar Ali (ed. Hoffmann, p. 184, 1. 21). In all these places its meaning is 
 unmistakably kernel, or stone of a grape, or raisin. It is the equivalent of 
 J^;,^^, )JQA.W->, )>.Q_^., and Jfco.iS. Some of these words, it is 
 true, have more than one meaning ; but ..yos is given throughout to denote 
 kernel, and where ambiguity may arise, they take care to avoid it, by saying 
 v_^o;ll .^sPjAj ^J^ (.86904, 1635; BA 184). It is thus synonymous 
 with *>& and may be a dialectic variant thereof, like **>& Hefes, however, 
 uses it in the sense of skin of a grape, as he explicitly states that y\ is the 
 kernel, and quotes a talmudic passage which says that Jinn is the external 
 part (see below, fol. 19 a, 1. 8). We must therefore assume that in the 
 dialect spoken by Hefes ..j-ef signified a skin of a grape. Sa'adya also 
 renders D'JSin by JSiflD.'N, but it is not certain what he meant by it. 
 Derenbourg's note to that word is inadequate. Ibn Janah translates 
 3T by j^.9 and uses, without acknowledgement, the explanation and talmudic 
 passage which Hefes gave. From Bar Ali (p. 184, 1. 21) it seems that the 
 
 ' t * ' 
 
 correct vocalization is ^jJ. TaJTl] =^sso that which is expressed front 
 grapes, &c., including the dregs. As may be seen from the preceding note, 
 this word is taken here to mean grape- kernel. 
 
 o a
 
 174 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 '31 Tl ti& '3 ntTN IK tJK rK 'OW ^ 33 >X 13T p3 
 
 'ip ^K |Kia) 'ai 3 n^ b 'ai IT "Den p'o 
 nx K*3r6 D<r6 'ipi> QTS^K p 
 
 i8b 
 
 s* jaa js^ 
 'ipi> N^N pn^K nap VNUK DV^D DISI m>3 vb 
 
 K^ NDHD DID npK M D13 NS3 3T OK 'nm ^Npl t 3 jh TOP 
 
 nbn pnw ma b n3 nwxso nons^x jxi? pn JBJO 'ipa KIP'K 
 P-II ^3 *y3i ynai n^ny^s *B Nir"N Knitbno K^I nna^K ^y iiuno 5 
 pinio moooi D^eao psh^m o^yn '^ rrmb* 
 rb jn nna^K IT^ *noi msw3 pniDNi T3i 
 nvyan n^y ITJ^K n ox 'ipi> m^a 33^ npia 
 Wi i*ta \Ta KD NnxpciD tron KHKIVH syom NHNPOID K^DH 
 rmrp 3T CNT noan iKny TT p n*y3n nca DTIIOI oaaai mn noan 10 
 ns jns WB> psnx Mn niDD nysiK ^NIOB' CK 
 n*y*an nnE? 0:2:1 ^ip3 mv 
 
 1. ai. Num. 6. 2-4. 
 
 1. 23. Resume of S/rtf Numbers, section 23 (p. 8 a). 
 
 Fol. 18 b, 1. a. Ip?] Judges 15. 5. This is the only case where this 
 word introduces a biblical verse. As this verse merely explains the usage 
 of a term and does not form part of the precept, the directness of r p3 is not 
 necessary. It is also possible that the words 'JTQT PNpl of the following line 
 are to be omitted, and that the entire passage is a talmudic quotation. 
 
 1. 3. Berakot 35 a, Baba mesi'a 87 b. 1. 6. 'Orlah i, 7. 
 
 1. 8. '^ DN] Nazir 38 a. With the exception of one or two 
 phraseological variants, all the deviations are scribal errors. See following 
 notes, t^pa] Insert |H before this word and 3T after it. mn3] The 
 printed text has rVTQ. 
 
 1. 9. '131 ~na] The mnemonic sign of the Talmud is more skilful. It is 
 
 inoi cnpon runs' noa nenjn *vta. 
 
 1. 10. 1C3] Readnna. 
 
 1. ii. rinE>] Insert nn^ after this word. 
 
 1. 12. Enp2] This is the mnemonic word of the talmudic text, and if
 
 ARABIC TEXT 
 
 175 
 
 no 
 
 jot? n^yan nna r6r6 JOB* n^ya-i ni>n nn^a I^DBJB* yiwoi 15 
 n^yana ppB>on ^3 nKBn pm I^DDJK' yiixofj jot? n^ 
 
 pm 
 mi n3{y nwnn^ 
 
 n i3 
 naoo 
 
 n-yma 
 
 n^o 
 
 fia n^yn OIK min ni nvan p D*D 
 OIK ^KST n Kins' ^3 n3in^> p:nw D*O no3 K3"Kni 
 jp3"i n^oan Nnno na mpo wxm n^o Kp N^ 
 rmen 
 
 19 a a 
 
 ^y Kahy np ixh Kn-isnsaa ^lo^a 3tyo^K mn nntn 
 
 our mnemonic sign is genuine this word should be deleted. Otherwise 
 D3331 should be struck out. As it stands we have a fusion of two different 
 readings. 
 
 1. 13. K'Om] Insert D^nDI or inDI before this word. It fell out by 
 a sort of homoioteleuton. 
 
 1. 16. IXB'1] Delete to the end of the line. This clause crept in 
 through confusion with pm after TDKO. 
 
 1. 18. n3ty nKSfin?] These two words which appear to be essential are 
 missing in the printed text. 
 
 1. 20. 131 -6lD] Read D"IH ^ ^B. 
 
 1.23. 
 
 Fol. 19 a, ]. i. KJxiy] Jc usually denotes he relied upon. But Dozy 
 gives also the meaning prendre la resolution de, which suits here admirably, 
 (hough one is not precluded from translating this sentence by Q*3O1D1 
 131 13K. Whether Hefes actually wrote this book or not is unknown. 
 No reference is made to it in any other place. 
 
 1. a. JK] This is a very loose and awkward construction. To relieve 
 this sentence from its awkwardness we merely have to delete JK. Perhaps
 
 176 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 c^aayn y\ vsw 'asa jn >y an nx p nipN YKTTI *ai "]n 'a 
 *jzwy vjsa parn ^jn jovy *aaa Bannn i>jn ioxy 'aaa 
 an pTi jaa rw IB>N b DIK>DI pnn Dit? nw npii? pnn 5 
 ^as BIBTDI at BWBI pnn m^o B'^ npi^ an jsin 
 ny a^n la^s IN nnry p nry^x n NSW :pn |sao 
 ipi? aay^x baxn I^N an^x in axiw |V*wi> in j^nn^s fan pavnn 
 N parni pasnnn fa payinn parn }n I^NI pavnnn jn i^\s 
 air jnrnn nona ^ ana nyon N^ na OIK DV n min n nai 10 
 ma> DKK> npya oyo jn^ mro aay^x ypa a ^pi haay 29 
 
 *nao a^N nyne^K *IIDN p Dyu fna B' 
 ma i^ i?a 'pa n-a-p i?a xaDxa im nosi ~\yw pbn 
 
 nnna DHD 'ip^ IDX^N JNDT S>PK jxa lawman ^Np r :i nra 
 
 this word was intended by the cop3'ist to be the ending of aNfD, the 
 nunation being written out, as is sometimes the case in manuscripts of this 
 kind. See Jefeth b. Ali's Arabic Commentary on Nahum (ed. Hirschfeld, 
 p. 16, note 7), where JS fNDT = lA*j. In that place, however, JK may merely 
 be & case of dittography. Accordingly JX 3N03 = Ljl^T, the accusative being 
 erroneously used instead of the genitive, as N"lXa (fol. 4 b, 1. 14). It is also 
 possible that some such word as 13"ia / hope fell out before 'N. 
 
 1. 3. Nazir 34 b. 
 
 1. 4. IDVy] Read fxy. '131 DN] Ibid., 38 b. We should perhaps 
 insert IID/O/N PKpl before this word. This passage seems to be corrupt 
 in the printed editions, where it is shorter. This decision is given in the 
 name of Abayya, not Raba. The same passage is quoted in Pesahim 41 b, 
 where Raba is credited with this decision. See Tosafot, ibid., under heading 
 
 1. 7. Nazir 34 b. 
 
 1. 8. pn] Does the pronominal suffix refer to pajfin, or should we 
 delete the J and read at! in accordance with the talmudic text? fSHB^N] 
 See above, note to fol. 18 a, 1. 20. Ji^NI] Read J^W, 
 
 i. 9 . ibid, paxnnn iW] Read pairnn ib'N. 
 
 1. it. Nazir 37 a. 
 
 1. 12. "VlDX] The printed text has a^Tl. 1. 13. Num. 6. 5. 
 
 1. 14. IDNJ^N] Insert NDV |ir6n after this word. r l31 DDD] Nazir 
 Mishnah i, 3. Slight variants.
 
 ARABIC TEXT 177 
 
 rutap nnx TM ann nhia nnx TM ynn nN DV 15 
 
 spo njn 
 
 TU *T"in D'nt? TO ynn rrenoi nnK TW ynn nnx 
 tap INS mysy fnnj ;w ov nnxi DB^e> T nnx 
 my IN <I DNI ^w v\ys ^DJ DJOK my n^ya np 
 
 TT3 ^nn 'ipi? moy \o Npan ND yoa nao: 03 S Q ns 
 ^ 
 
 Ww nboi D^iy Tt3 nr nn DM hna ^ns % n nsyai 
 
 NH30 DV ^i? DT^B HJD^N DS^N mya ^Np }KB ' Dl D" 
 
 nn"w mio nr^n niD 1 jy^oa TH Tnn 'ipb nv 
 no 
 
 19 b 
 
 ;KB '"iyx Nna urn M^N nx^N^ TND itrxn /y nay N!> nyn 
 
 n^n ronb my^ j^ya opo 
 i>a ejDBDB' w nyna pai Jin pa n^tr pa TW 'ipi> r^j 
 N^ JOIN tapDB* "i pnio N^ ^ax PIDSDOI ejain nna nn 
 ^x IDW jsa }N*a ny^n nx nn^a NMK> yao noisa 5 
 'ipb nanp 11 pnp yo nNnxa n^y ^>pn VID my^ pjaan 
 a intb noi A nion3 tr^ Kaoi nyna i>po nyB> nuan 
 jpb: P^n ma nmtrnhi uy 3j*a noja nna nox^K 
 nivo c>^a n^n IDNJ 'ipi> naoj DN*K ^an nb INI 
 rfa^ mxo ono n^n^a inim Dnoi> KDLJ^DDI n^j^Di p 10 
 
 1. 16. nn DV] Read . . . DW. 
 
 1. 17. nyj?] Read ni'l^l. Instead of second 'jnn read HI 'in. 
 
 1. 20. Ibid., i, 4- 
 
 1. 23. 76y., i, 7. n3KTI] The printed edition has ncnn in both places. 
 
 Fol. 19 b, I. 3. Ibid., 6, 3. Both readings PJD3D and D3D3 are recorded j 
 the former, however, is to be preferred. 
 1. 6. Nazir 4 a. 
 
 1. 9. S/^ Zw/a, as quoted in Midrash ha-Gadol (ed. Horovitz, p. 34). 
 l.io.
 
 178 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 |NDT |D 'ifD NED DpD^ iTlVD HD by NDB'bl H1VD nrfan 
 
 pw ai D'c^p N^N mniD m-N rmkanm 'ipb NDV pn^n row 
 WNDT rutwrb INS IN DDvi nNta nv SONS pip rrby 
 
 fKfi W NT }N3 JN WK1 Ij^ VIS ^TJ 'ipl * D^V TH N!? 
 
 ^NI by vn^N nra a 'ip^> HITT^N can 7N3 noi^B NV">PN JNS 15 
 aa INI n^y HDJ^N 31:13 *ov H^NI :"iy5y "6 PNB' p3i lytj' i^ wv p3 
 IN ny3 ID&X not^fi Kn^Nyob npnjnDtD^N bm6i6n jy 
 ws nnw 1|1| i^3 ^3 'ipi> N3DJ ^irnpn ITS ID NHP^DN 'n^N 
 n nr nn n^rsi nn: pn: TU HNJ NH-'N nna nr nn T NH^N 
 nr in jna n^i> ^y nn ^3^30 ^nn ^D^DO vnn nra wi 20 
 INQ TW UK DIN csm nna DIN TND -i nna-xs ^y nn 
 33Ni n^ii> norb> N^D mxtrN^N mn 
 
 DIN b^n n"31 DniDN p*ir3 *"W3 DIN 
 
 20 a. 
 
 in' }N w ':i 'y /n nnn nr >a 'ps n^D mxn N an* IN 
 
 L 13. Nazir 44 a. 
 
 1. 15. Sifre Numbers, section 25 (p. 8b). 
 
 1. 18. Nazir 2 a. A few slight variants. 
 
 1. 21. DHB^a] The mishnic text has D*nB5f without 3. From the 
 amoraic discussion on 33 it would appear that our manuscript has preserved 
 the better reading. 
 
 1. 23. Tosefta Nazir i, i ; Nedarim 10 b. 
 
 1. 24. *C&n S 3^n] Nedarim 10 b. This does not form a continuation of 
 the preceding. It is hardly possible that Hefes had an entirely different 
 text, and it is therefore best to assume that some such word as vNpl fell out. 
 WptJD] The printed edition has NJpinD. But our reading is preferable. 
 See Nedarim loa. 
 
 Fol. 20 a, 1. i. NJNTD'D] Read 
 1. a. Num. 6. 6.
 
 ARABIC TEXT 1 79 
 
 }na ij naan r nr foo rrvj p c> sns nivo no fa 
 
 mao no iN*oi ima pai>no vn firman?!? PWDO^O p'K "vrai 
 'M NOB* DIN cam Tra NDB> i>Ni hna ;na NOB* DIN nry^N -i 5 
 N'ao iaw i>na jna NDI^ -inr^K n in^> ON hi: ;na NOD- ^NI 
 
 J31P K'3D NlHtJ' TM NOD" 1 ^Nl inNOQ ^V pip 
 
 jna xoD 11 ^w nytj> n^np incmpE' TW NOU* 
 pinw KIIP onap ^ pKt8> b mxo no Nin nw ^NPI :ohy 
 mn n-'oa man nnnn ^N ejNW^ :mso no sin nr WK paw 10- 
 
 n^o fo TO jo twK ojri npis NOB sonm pooa jn |to IN noia 
 nran niNOD I^N ^y nTa 'Qi n^T "a 'ip^ Nnpa NOB nawin iNipo 
 
 nnn NI^O ^jn f>va n'-ra bjn non ;o nna bjn non ^y n^:o 
 ' nn fo i3N byi non ;o ITN ^jn nfatai ^yi nm^n bjn 
 
 yi }yao i>jn m ai? xn i>jn movy ap ^vn ^yi wia ntra 15 
 ^N ;o ai?N nyn^N "a ^N Kin nn^JD^ *n"iiy^a o^y ^jn I^-IN 
 api ib B^ no Nin HPN pan ian ap-ii>N nna> ^a i^Npi U*!?N ^va 
 no Nin nr D s :aN ^ na^-n --aa i?y tr^ !>& jnNa ony napati' no 
 B^ ^B> inNa iniosa napa apn b pB no Nin nrNi apn ii? B^e 
 N^N apn pN N^iy ON apn b ;w no Nin nn Q'aaN ^ nsxi ^y 20 
 pn NODO noaa> ^3 ian i^Npi niovyn joi onyn joi nt^an jo Nan 
 
 I. 3. Nazir 47 a. Some interesting variants. See Sifre Numbers, 
 section 26 (p. 9 a). 
 
 1. 9. 'Erubin 17 b, Yebamot 89 b, Nazir 43 b ; see also Semahot 4, 29. 
 
 1. 10. nt] Insert pN before this word. It probably fell out, because in 
 the manuscript it resembled inN 
 
 1. ii. IN] Read fN. 
 
 1. 12. Nazir 49 b. 
 
 1. 15. IN^O] Read fNS?O. 
 
 1. 16. li?nN] Readf^HN. 
 
 1. 17. Nazir 51 a. There are some variants, and our manuscript offers 
 superior readings. 
 
 Lao. nn] Delete the 1. 
 
 1. 21. Ibid. The printed text has Dnn J3n instead of tan, and NOB 
 instead of NODO. Niddah 55 a has NODO, while Ohalot 3, 3 has NOD.
 
 180 IIEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 njp-iBn :NCD S>an pan nytrai piaxm ^y^n pi o-wn 
 ny Tta b 'ian hp iin Wn JNC^N Nin a nrb *vaa 
 rpa a-intro Tia enpon rva annsyo -ina enpon nu ann 
 
 H JPK-IB&K &N wmt? nn :TW irs j^npon 25 
 
 ao b 
 
 JTNIB' a |Dno< DDPN NDND 
 'pa "n^Ka NS^N m^N nown *nao ^K^ 
 
 .13 ma ND i?yD ^y nnn 'inp* nt?jn n^>ip 'ai Vjn 
 bs ia }N na nncy yo ^n ^ya ^y nnn JH nn DNI^N 
 
 *a ^s?i H v ^^ P ivab nnnw if nn n^yi 'ipi> waoo nh 5 
 enpm poirn paiy ^N T n ^ /w ^ i" 13 nr ^i" 13 " |{J ' N3 1^ n n" 1 ^ 
 n Tea n^an pirn tjnpn nr nma n^sa nana w nma 
 
 noaa ^y snpy ipy^ wio-" c)^n IN rbb N-na m: i?n nroxn 
 
 n"a jy ana ND yv:a ^y^ b ni>ip b^y 10 
 
 NJDVI mo a ? p jsa INI nmaa ND*N n^y aa^ ^PNI^N 'ai 
 
 *n-na Dpo ^pNy N!?I -na xoa D^Ny N^ ,Na JNB ^n -na npi 
 a 1 " N^S N^pNy |Na JNS NnnNi NDVI nao a^ p ^PN naNor |N3 
 nao a' jaN mNa ini JNS INS rbya by N"ns % p ja jNa nma 
 PN D^ ^Npa na ma ND !?ya naam t6pH91 Nnpia NDB Nnnw 15 
 
 1. 23. Nazir 32 b. The Mishnah has "lta5> ?3. 
 
 1. 24. The last three words of this line and the first of the following are 
 to be deleted as dittography. 
 
 Fol. 20 b, 1. 2. TlNl^N] ReadTlNabN. '131 Ni'lD] Deut. 23. 24. 
 
 1. 5. Si/re Deuteronomy, section 265 (p. 121 b\ 1. 6. Ibid. 
 
 \. 7. nma 1^N3] Read n~QT "lt?N. The confusion arose through 
 this clause in the preceding line. 1. 10. Num. 30. 3. 
 
 1. 15. NPVnD] J-a=- = he discriminated, differentiated. I translated this 
 participle by a noun to suit the Hebrew idiom, as pn3J3 VVn NP would not 
 bring out the exact force of the original.
 
 ARABIC TEXT l8l 
 
 3 p ip .ma nxs'N o:a n3 nanss? NI n3 D"p m nma n 
 nat? 5' p ppi33 viia IHN DW KM y p ppi33 vii3 ins nvi mt? 
 a i>y FIN njn JDTH mip nitry BB> $o ppim pep vma nnx on 
 pw pna ;nnia px p^ipn ^n nc'h pn: >D D^ ps pynv piciNty 
 B6 pjni* PN px pnewt!' a i?y PIK nrn JDM "IHN^ enpn p^P n 2 
 n-n "a 'ipi Knpn i^npni om: J.TTU p^ipn o 01^1 jm: o 
 12m NENVD n^N n^K DON p* JKI n:Nai mj^s nn^ inp 'i> m: 
 
 JNS NJ3CB nmj H^K "jyC/K |N3 IN 3nnDK3 mjiN |N3 fN 3nnDK^>N 
 
 I^D^K' nma ma ns iistm? nx 'ipb Nt:pso II^NB pco N^ ja 
 
 21 a 
 
 asi : ma I^N w5> DNI ma nr nn i^ 
 
 pin jaipb Dwa I^N nn Diip nap nap ntswn 'ipi> ma^x a KID 
 *wa I^N nn rr.si nna p^ia nini' p^o I^K nn sjin Tin 
 
 mn 
 
 ^a n:"3 DIK 'NCJ^ n"3 'ipi> mj^N 5 
 31 yn ona3 > <| 13 <| 3 nswn H 3M pnnio pia3 
 V 3i yn mm 
 
 1. 16. D^p] (JiolS = A^ compared, measured. No adjective j^Jls is 
 elsewhere recorded. '131 3* p] Niddah 45 b. 
 
 1. 17. Delete the last four words of this line and the first three of I. 18. 
 
 1. 19. pK] The Aramaic form of the first person plural is quite clear in 
 our manuscript for all these cases. 
 
 1. 22. "1311] This infinitive is still governed by ^Tlp 11 . The clause 
 
 NSNi'JO . , . DDK p* JN1 is inelegantly thrust in between the two infinitives. 
 
 ~- 
 1. 23. 'annDJCN] *LLi:^J = exception, or condition. IN] This word is 
 
 scarcely correct, as the following clause does not form a parallel to the 
 preceding. We should perhaps read JS ^,511. 
 1. 24. Sifre Numbers, section 153 (p. 56 a). 
 
 Fol. 21 a, 1. 2. Nedarim 10 a. 
 
 1. 5. Ibid., 10 b. Some of the words nre corrupt. 
 
 1. 6. i^n] Insert Dni31 before this word. 
 
 1. 7. WapO] Read Wn3p, or N3n'3pD in accordance with the other
 
 182 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 msna p font? Wtpr tatt* f*W* nrm 10 
 
 ta DN N^ Nfia'P ^N)BB> CK tVP90 
 
 rma NpiB> nn"2B> 'ip coM D KID n 
 
 w3 I^K nn 
 
 va KiTB> ny p ww xna oaK f)P^^ *no *|Vicnbin 15 
 i?ya ]y iK3p3xi DB3^ nvn 'vnp 11 po waa ^y "IDS IDN!? 
 wn nrs 'ip^ n^y noinn N^N n!?i3 ^n> JN xb n^ya na 
 y nn yi^a n n nos? DVI enpcn n*3 u mna> DV3 
 
 vao Nwn ^33 v^y y 
 
 nx non^ N^ inicn nx IIDN!? 
 
 words. SK'ED S|D1> 31 W] The Wilna edition has HK^BD ^H. But 
 according to Rashi it is obvious that the first word ought to be 'JJ"! . That 
 commentator takes the second word as the name of a scholar. But our 
 manuscript would seem to indicate that 5)01* 21 fell out in the printed text. 
 It appears that both readings are corrupt. N^p^^] Read S^plfl or D^plPI. 
 
 1. 8. tODnn] Read fcOmn or D3"in. NBin] Read N^BIH or D'Sin. 
 PIDV] Read after this word : N3PITBD NJniJD N3pt3D. See above, notes on 
 fol. 19 b, 1. 24, and fol. 20 a, I. i . 
 
 1.9. Ibid. 
 
 I. 10. PKD*3E'] The printed text has PNVl'Q^, which is more correct, 
 as may be seen from the following line. 
 
 1. ii. CK] Insert ^Nplpt? before this word. 
 
 1. ra. 73] This word ought to be deleted as dittography. 
 
 1. 13. niV3C?] Ibid., 10 a. Read nrn3B>. 
 
 1. 14. nniD2] The printed edition has TM33. 
 
 1. 15. Yerushalmi Nedarim i. 
 
 I. 17. Tosefta Nedarim i, 4. The phraseology is entirely different here. 
 See Yerushalmi Nedarim i, i. 
 
 1. 19. Si/re Numbers, section 153 (p. 56 a). Insignificant variants. 
 
 1. 21. -)Dr6] Read THH^.
 
 ARABIC TEXT 183 
 
 1D1X NIH WB3 'lp> HDSJ V HOWS 
 
 ra nyanoo t? 'b n f 
 
 21 b 
 
 nyi3B> y3t?j pnv n DM r vf? poo 
 M N^N m: jsa nn^N^ jBn"i mx 
 nr i?x3 n:^p 'ip^ noaiD n!?n^ mnaa nyw ^3 nnv 
 naian in^n 3^ ns naia Ni>m i!? IIDM 3^ yn 
 n baa TMD n iTnm nn HB^D oten ^23 Mb'M nmn 5 
 u^M mM3D n^y onn'-a n^ys n*3 po N^N ma jxa 
 D3m I-ND n n3T nby3 inio rrsn p mian '^ n^y ^n^x 
 N^K TTJ jNa n^33 inio n^yn p -nian nun ^33 rshy DIM 
 
 n33i?N ny Dirra Dni?^ 5>3M 
 T3331 nap3i 0^:131 ^^13 mow iw yo ^33 -JIDN n^n JD 10 
 ma JNB :D3am D 1| jn3 inioi niaiys IIDNI D"3ip jns? 
 N n^y onn-'a NIK' $>3 nna npyn D^ ttw 
 IB>D b n^y nnrva MIB MD 
 
 1. 22. DU" 1 ] The omission of |N after tlJ* is hardly defensible, and is 
 unusual with Hefes. '131 1B>B3 by] Ibid. 
 
 Fol. 21 b, 1. i. Nedarim 153, Shebu'ot 253. 
 1. 2. J^Vl] Read ftyil. 
 
 1. 3. '131 D31p] Nedarim 66 a. 'JK'] This is an interesting contraction 
 of 'JK5?. Comp. *rb for 'nsb (i Sam. 25. 6). 
 
 1. 6. I13N3D] For the infinitive ,jlxL see Dozy, 5. v. The usual 
 
 infinitive of .jXl is (jX-. 
 
 1. 7. Nedarim 56 a. Hefes naturally decides according to the opinion of 
 the sages. 
 
 1. 9. Ibid., 54 b. 
 
 1. 10. 13331] After this word the printed text has 3^31. 
 
 1. ii. 11DN1 DUIp fruy "OBO] These words are missing in the printed 
 edition which continues with JYlBiyi. 0^13] That text has 
 
 1. 12. N^N Insert ^N" 1 after this word.
 
 184 
 
 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 !>a rt^y cnrra nta XD ^3 bxp ,xa IDD^ r6xo x^x rv^y mrr 
 ih ^xcynox mna ptr^x <by Dirp xrfax^ TK r6y^xi mboo 15 
 x^x -IIDX px "bvn p Tmn 'ipi> mo -n^xa y:nx x"a 
 rvtan p p&tn ba -non nyia <JB> 
 
 xb '^pi prnfen ba nyiu >:K> n^D n 
 
 ip jN3 IN |Nri?x <a ftoiM^tc yo ^n 
 
 yuxp rbya jy ynp N^^ n^ya nnp^a 
 
 <i vnp ii a K N nan ^n^ vb 'jyci WN bva^N B i^n x:nn^ npi 
 
 nTa 3 HDB3 'B D'3PI }N3 }N1 mn3 p* 1 }N inw^ 33* X^l 
 
 na 11 nan r,\n^ H m phn vnnn ntyy N^ nan frr N^ 'ipi> ni 
 
 22 a 
 IB* N 
 onn 
 
 rrnrr n n 
 n^on p 
 ^KIVIDM 23 s s nan ^m 
 
 jsa ;Ka ISDT ni> in 20 
 B ^n 
 
 VBtD x^vn 
 
 ?mo 
 'van ^ 
 
 xin N 
 ^>ax ^ 
 
 pnm wsj 
 
 I nan ^n> 
 
 i^x vian 
 
 n^no in: 11 ;x nr nn:!?x jxa ;x nn^x ^ya 
 
 oca 
 
 1. 15- vV] The suspended H is perhaps a remnant of XnH, as it is quite 
 impossible to read flvy. 
 
 1. 16. Nedarim 51 b. The word VHSn is missing in the printed edition, 
 as this paragraph is a continuation of the preceding. 
 
 1. 17. ^y] Read ^. 
 
 1. 18. i?23] Insert 11DX before this word. 
 
 1. 22. nDB3 ^B] This seems to be a Hebraism representing ICi'ya, 
 since this law applies also to an actual sage, and not merely to one who 
 considers himself as such. 
 
 1. 23. '131 bl"P N?] Sifre Numbers, section 153 (p. 56 a). See Nedarim 
 81 b. "13*] Insert X7 before this word. 
 
 Fol. 22 a, 1. 2. Hagigah 10 a, Berakot 32 a. The confusion of 7PID with 
 ^ITlE, due to the plene spelling ?n*D, is also in Hagigah. brVD is the only 
 correct reading. 
 
 1. 3. Nedarim 16 b. Read 7ITD in both places. 
 
 1- 5. 37a?X] This is obviously intended as a broken plural of JLJIT. 
 Such a form is, however, nowhere else recorded.
 
 ARABIC TEXT 185 
 
 nnw jrwei nairn N^I ataa N^ NITON rra "a nnw jn:n 
 
 nnpy IN n NTU rma HNIDN IVN newi jruo *t 
 IDONI NITON Nnynoa NiTNnv ^xn a NTON n^i a 
 nnsn Nnoaj 5>y nmpyi nnma H^N Nmipjji xmna jrcaa 10 
 
 ai i? *na mn o n^Ni 'pa 
 
 x n naa 
 
 IN mK3> na* n^a nN JNDT^NI 'ai 'nix iT3 N^n DNI ';i nij 
 HJD y naaxa sni?py Nipno^ |N -i": p n^ya na 11 K"na -njn 
 SDNB ^1 ^b Nrpj py IN N^N DTI^M npia sea Nnnw 15 
 sns'a Km*u ny N^a Nnan NOB mo N^ s*n 
 ^N nbca 'a xn^py "IK~P jy nna^a rmaa mo 
 IN smna NHUN fa-a ND^ND Nrvmr N^py J 
 
 ;KB 11 
 
 N^ Nmua ^ao py run HJNS fsa wnma nan xnay 20 
 
 1. 6. naiTO] This word is rather illegible in the manuscript, but the 
 
 * 
 conjecture Aajt^e is self-evident. riDIpE] This is a Hebraism representing 
 
 ncnpo. 
 
 i. 7. nataiD] Read naiato. 
 
 1.8. n^N] Vulgar spelling of n"N. 
 
 1. 9. "]DJ2N1] Sa'adya adds the word NH3y after this one. Indeed the 
 Arabic idiom requires it, and it corresponds in this case to Hebrew fv. 
 This word probably fell out by oversight, as Hefes uses it below, 1. 20, and 
 
 on fol. 23 b, 1. 4. 
 
 1^ 
 1. u. "pn] Vulgar spelling of isJLJ, due to pronunciation. In a number 
 
 of Genizah fragments I found this system of transliteration. Thus .3 till 
 
 becomes -OTlN. Nn^Nn] Read nn3NH. 
 
 1. 12. Num. 30. 4-6. 
 
 1.14. N^pnD^] Tenth conjugation of LS he investigated. nJ3N] Incorrect 
 spelling of OCJ by wrong analogy of ^SL It may also be a vulgar spelling 
 
 of ijLjI. 
 
 LL *""^ *"" 
 
 1. 15. PPD] This may represent JJli dullness, or Ali. deficiency. The 
 
 latter is naturally preferable by the side of
 
 i86 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 sea inw xvi mo a* xr ;na 
 na 'an N^ Nnaw JKB^K Kin 'B rma n:N3 xsa K 
 NDB N ? Nnh n^xpbxi ixnaKSDK 'a *]in i?ya fto fx rma 
 
 22 b 
 
 'ip!> rcrna xnnr^ s^a nnina ^a no^Ny KfiJKa xnan 
 I n3B> msw nv\v nn ppnaa nm: nnx DVI HJB> m^y K ? m 
 nj nnx DVI n:^ a< p mcry D^HB' 5>a ppnm pv n 
 
 DTI? m^y B> ?3 ppniai p'P vma nnx DM na^ r p p 
 p i^ipn -D osrh pma ^o DB p pjnv noKB' ^a ^y n^ wn 5 
 
 ps px none' ^a y ^x nrn prn nns enpn jenpn pw oma nnma 
 *enpn j^npni oma jnmj penpn s owh PTU *D DI^ pjnv 
 V nma nnx nvi nay a ; na 'm ^ip pa^K n-nv^x jo jxa 
 nnyj pa ps *?WDV hp aai n^a no N!J n^y Nbiy s^ip r 
 
 na TBX noi>K mn^N mn pn jx 1:63 Dann ne^ N^X nn:a^ 10 
 }y rbx HJD JNOJ "a npna^N JNI 3 ; ^N njoi?N p 
 -na^K p^ rma Ny KnnJ^OD wnao 
 n p IN-HN^X nsiNCN jyi xnn jy pnaj wnao axn 
 saaoo n^i ns pnny^ ^n ^ps Kna nayi>K "a "TIDN nyc? 
 ba na^n nnyt? TIP n^antr npia^n 'ip^ 'sai nao N' jnao 15 
 
 1. 21. ^yin] Eighth conjugation of Icj Af claimed. 
 
 Fol. 22 b, 1. i. NOB] To be omitted as dittography. 
 
 1. 2. Niddah 45 b. The form of the first person plural is Aramaic. See 
 above, note on fol. 20 b, 1. 19. 
 
 1. 6. DiTma] To be deleted as dittography. 
 
 1. 8. Loc. at. 
 
 1. 9. Niddah 65 a, Ketubot 39 a. 
 
 1. ir. '2?3,>X] Perhaps vulgar HUS. See above fol. 3 b, 1. 15, and 
 fol. 16 a, 1. 12. 
 
 1. 15. Niddah 52 a. The part unnecessary for our purpose is omitted in 
 the quotation.
 
 ARABIC TEXT 187 
 
 nvun NO Nn^>y ar pnw nnaj ip |N3 INB m-inn nniosn 
 
 PNJ 1^1 Nn^> J13J' D^> }N3 JN3 1^ NH13N ni3 JN1 PlbyS TO NOO 
 
 ^sro 'nm ^>NPI a'ta rao^N INOT a Nnnru pa wn^tn^ 
 na I^N ^ma npirn miy naa tan bma ma ntwa rban 
 nn* "B'yDni nns^voa 'NST rvox mi irai cniy:n 20 
 niB>i na n^aN^ PN iTuat? jora 
 
 naaa nao M^N asn i^pi mn NDDD nns tw na npirn 
 
 23 a 
 
 nyn n ^NI^ Nman n^N nn^N^x nno^N }N ^N nip am 
 men nsron NO nnx ^y n^aa ^IP^N ;o onpn ND'-ai mo 
 Nnnoipn vh^ *ai nyn^N mn a IDN^NI TU^N 
 
 1DN pN 1DN mDNl 'nUI ^Npl N0n33 Sji>3 N^> JN1D 
 
 y IDN moN IN OIN NIH p nyia^ 5 
 
 N03 nna3K nua ney yo 
 p^ na nob npi ^a i?*i noa n^a nruaN KTOKS rw on nru3 
 
 *wn nr nn ""ntrN Nina> w^n mao "IONI ina mu 
 nyND Nn:y HDON INI rb piano Nn^ ny nb t^nnni 'yy 
 
 1. 18. Ibid., 47 a. A few phraseological variants. 
 
 1. 19. 7i"fl3] The printed text has bni3. As in Arabic aLLaG denotes 
 an unmarried woman, it is quite possible that the original reading is 
 preserved here. 
 
 1. 31. N'N3X^N1] Ijllo is plural of i^~o a girl. 
 
 \. 23. "Dl npl^n] Ibid., 43 b. 131 3Nn] Nedarim 70 a. 
 
 Fol. 23 a, 1. 4. S//-r Numbers, section 153 (p. 56 b). 
 1. 5. p] Read pi in accordance with customary usage. 
 1. 6. Loc. cit. 
 
 1. 9. Loc. cit. See Nedarim 86 b, Tosefla 7, 4. A few phraseological 
 variants. 
 
 H. P
 
 i88 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 nma i>a icpi 'ipi> "jin r& m* N^Q H-NI p .-6 Nna on xrb TNJN 
 no isitD N.T VIN yois? ism mm Dpi m-w DNB> ';i IDS 
 D^PD ^N no na*B> PJN IN ID' N^P *iy rr-nj 
 
 T; nip 11 6*6 6^n o^pB^io PJN IN D^P h? i 
 TN3N jNs :~isr6 wn WM HHN ;w o^p DNC> m: ^r^ nrnsn 15 
 D*p nan pa 'ip!? i?i rk* ^Nii'N 3^py n^ na on nnan IN 
 nr nnN nn IJ'NLJ' ba Nan NT yoa' Nn Nin no nnN naa *yb 
 TI^NS nyND |Nr i?i NH^J p5>DN JNS a^n WN nnN naa 
 
 Snp^a 'ai lyctr ova nniN n<a N^n DSI D^iyb a^ np nb 
 H^D f?ap nyoo IN Nmu na^a JKQ i^n nj^a IN na Kni'KDD DV a 
 
 1. ii. rf? NH3] Something obviously fell out after these words which 
 can only mean it appeared to him, it seemed fit to him. We may supply after 
 rh some such word as JAC, and take |D in the sense of }y. It is also 
 possible to insert after iTN~l the phrase tJJi Jjo or (]iJj _^c> and consider 
 JD as the casual point of departure, the origin and source of a thing (see Wright, 
 Arabic Grammar, vol. II, p. 131 B). A third possibility is to emend JlO into 
 apy, and thus reduce the sentence to the form in which it occurs below, 1. 16. 
 Although the last suggestion appears to be the simplest, it is graphically the 
 unlikeliest. For it is more reasonable to assume that some words were 
 overlooked, rather than that the copyist misread apy for }D. '131 ICpl] Si/re 
 Numbers, section 153 (p. 57 b). Slight variants. 
 
 1. 16. a^py] An infinitive _ > w t 5c is nowhere else recorded. It is, 
 however, impossible to assume that <_$1.J! ^_^e represents nnN n33, or 
 TOT H3 "Jin, as the sentence would then be corrupt, apart from the 
 difficulty involved in the usage of (j\. . 'lai <ya] Nedarim 69 b. 
 
 1. 18. a^n] This word is missing in the printed text The taimudic 
 passage obviously means : a law which is inapplicable to things done one after 
 another, does not apply to them even when they are done simultaneously. 
 Rashi is accordingly right in interpreting Rabba's decision to imply that the 
 father is not allowed to absolve the vow under these circumstances. Hefes, 
 however, quotes this passage in support of his view that the father has 
 a right to absolve the vow, as may be clearly seen from "pT n^S (I. 16). 
 The addition of the word a^fl which he had in his text led him to this 
 interpretation. 
 
 1. 19. Ibid., 70 a. A r/sww/of a long discussion is given here.
 
 ARABIC TEXT 189 
 
 D*TW man 'ip^> sn^y nan^a nax^x nya 
 
 "jBnne> ny nae>m nap ^a nao nas? "hi>a nvu ixrxa nvn !?a 
 
 nan!? ha* px nan xh na^n DNS? it?nn *6e> *iy nao nat?n oy rrv 
 
 23 b 
 
 L L "" 3 
 
 ny? nyo DW psw "i na -iryT'x -n nm.T n na or n nvn ba man wan 
 wnpnb^M Ncsa jirn inwa na^n PN ^ p n DN na p pyov n OK 
 Ta Kmpjn Nmnaa nj^a IN n^n yoo nv H a snonpo xmnn:K Ni^a 
 yen 'ai r ji wtb iTnn vn DNI 'pa xn^y nan npa Nnjy ^Dlox JNB nnaxn 
 mn }s ^y h^i^s soxa 'ai ''x yiDK' ova OKI 'a 
 ii snar jsa rrem ir nrw!> n'nn vn nxi 'ip naiaro 
 naoa n^ m 11 N^ NO ^ni npBT3 nh j n^ 
 n*i?y Nn^ ana XD xb Nn^o p^xa xn^x yan^a i^n b ID 
 
 n^y nrnji nainaa N^ xxn omj n^y INVJDJI cno non 'ip^ 
 ^I icpin vbv om3 n^y nmji 'ipb nann nh loan o^ ^n^s nn^xa 10 
 nini^x jroa naoa np ^K n^x Bjm npi nnair^ hp' [x ^ya^i? ru 11 ! nain 
 cix inwnb oaan vbv ny i?yan pi 'ipb naoa rat *ni>x n^ii nn: 
 pna-io }n nn *n^n^ ^ojan x^sr ny n-rw Dm: 
 
 1. 22. Ibid., 76 b. A short clause is omitted. Is that clause an 
 interpolation ? 
 
 Fol. 23 b, 1. 2. 'm pyjDJ? n 1DX] In the Talmud there is a long 
 discussion between nyp and this sentence. Is the omission accidental, or is 
 that passage an interpolation by the Saboraim ? 
 
 1. 4. Num. 30. 7-9. 
 
 1. 6. Sifre Numbers, section 153 (p. 57 a). 
 
 1. 7. npCTD] --*-- = affliction, inconvenience. 
 
 1. 8. TvXa] (j^-J^- = pure. Here apparently it denotes without 
 increase or addition. 
 
 \. 9. Kiddushin 50 a. 
 
 1. 12. "131 pi] Nedarim 72 b. Read pi. 
 
 1. 13. <l D33 H nK'a,>] Delete the last . It would be more idiomatic to 
 read D3ani?O with printed text. 
 
 P 2
 
 190 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 rma fxa nan> a* px 
 
 ian x^>i 3xn nan nma PTBD n^ym n'3x ntmxon mya 'ip!> 15 
 nroax "in: IDS 3x^i> n: 11 xh naic wx 3xn nan xh ^ynn nan 
 3xn pxi -1:03 nao by^n^ 2Nn n^o ^ynn na na 11 'ipb 3^N3 n;xa 
 '31 yoen 'IP p oipn ND^ <I IKDO '31 N ycc' ova '31 rra yom 1333 
 iy3 p YU^K sn^ya JN133 ^np"a nl> n^o s '^ Ncnnna' n^na^ '31 N 
 
 p3O iTrro nntrjn na^m n^oai rmav nn 'ipb N^IDBO H3X3 20 
 
 yccn '31 n-nj HE^N n^3 OKI 7 pa pao rcnpofa 
 ^y3^N f-a ^inp^a '31 nox njn35? iai ma b 'ipi 'ai *ia^ nan 
 na ^D :&to N'c-a nbn 3i3T 3Drn naiarn xi? na5>x3 nonpo 
 ix oa3^x 'by ben xrva "{?] p --n^x ^x n-t^a '31 IDX nyn^ bz"\ 35 
 x 3 s an xh prnn h DXDH^X bann *b "]bi p son^a ix nxn 
 
 24 a 
 Knann 'a XDE mn ra XDI nonan xh nnaxai nn^ ^asn xh 
 
 ^B3 *Uy }H3 B^B> DYW 1BD X1HB> Dm3 1^X1 'ip^ DD3^X IX D33^X 
 
 x^x b px li'xpi uu'pnx *b nxi u^pnx ox pnnx x^ DX pnnx DX 
 D'pnn n^x cni? D^n p3D nrsb 13^3^ DH3T traa ^i3^y jn3 
 
 I. 15. /W</., 66 b. 
 
 1. 17. 74w/., 70 a. 
 
 1. 20. 'lai nn] Si/re, ibid. r6&31] Read either 1^031 (pronominal 
 suffix referring to "113 understood), or nb PC31, as in printed text. 
 
 1. 23. Num. 30. 11-13. 
 
 1. 26. X^>] This is rather too elliptical. Read perhaps X^X = Si. 
 The assimilated fX would refer to all the following negatives. 
 
 Fol. 24 a, 1. 2. Nedarim 793. Instead of the second D^TU the printed 
 text has Qn3T . 
 
 1. 3. Sif re Numbers, section 155 (p. 583). Some phraseological variants. 
 Instead of *fy pX the printed text has THEX X^>.
 
 ARABIC TEXT 191 
 
 13 vw >a xpa naoirxi :in s^x pa rn?D nx ' m* 5 
 ia3 raa wy n pxt? -an TO D'-inx pab ira pai na^ u-a pa 
 T3x ah nsx ""ab ncny OP cap 
 
 BD IB* TIED 
 
 T nx i? yvx N^ n^n nx ? nnx K DDH nx ? aira B> 10 
 N!J ':B> DIBTD na 11 CIN ta^iDj pi nnna ^y na^i isni? T'nx ps noon 
 nnsn xn-rua wi^> I^N nnon jo bxn N^ Nnjsn n*na jxa ran 
 PD TK i^a ny3 DNytD p i?3sn N^K "jinai HTJ ion ^N NH^ IN 
 DB na*B jrs^K INT ijy N^X uv b ywiK INT }N3 ;KB nTi p rkno 
 nna na* nr nn ^y tbiyn nna D3ip mcs e>a;j *uy m: jn I^N 'ip^ 15 
 irx ^y nr yn nna ninx runco ni? sbx >^y IT 
 ^N nmj jxa A -ia> nr nn woo x^x inona nnM 
 nx Nn-n: n^ann a:*a Ni^pa ftoi xnbxo xn^ya 
 ps nina^ nana aB> DJIP 'ip^ Nnpa^i? nwuoo^n pya bx N.-6 
 ax IK ^ya asi *ntoa3i nna^ai opb manb NNT nbia^ nan^ ^ia^ 20 
 ^n D^y on n:3N^xi n:i^N ma fa nb pi?DN inan n^x jxa ^na 
 
 I. 5. Tosefta Nedarim 7, i. Some phraseological variants. With the 
 exception of the few scribal errors (see the following notes) our manuscript 
 has preserved some good readings, as compared with those of Zuckermandel. 
 
 1.9. ^rDN] ReadhrOK. 
 
 i. it. nanb] Read-iani>. na H ai] Readnaiai. 
 
 1. 14. jra^N] Read STK3^K = ^UZJI . 
 
 1. 15 Nedarim 79 b. Some phraseological variants. The name of 
 R. Jose is omitted here. 
 1. 16. {>] Read N*3\ 
 
 . ^ p ,j> r 
 
 I. 18. Xn?3ND] This = 1^15^. There are many other instances 
 where Jewish writers use N in cases where the rules of Arabic orthography 
 would require } with a hamza. Comp. "VN^ = J^*-> (Ibn Bal'am's 
 Commentary on Judges, 20, 28, ed. Poznaiiski). 
 
 1. 19. Nedarim 83 b. 
 
 1. 20. bya 3X1] Read . . , JX1 .
 
 192 HEFES B. YASLIAH S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 thy x^i NruD "f?i yD pta rh thy or a raoa* JK rhs> JKCT 
 'ip^> m ni^y DI B HDDS r6a JNDT nya ^n D^y on arru JND 
 
 "OK i>3K Dni3 tW 3K JHV 
 
 n^Ko n -na nre ynv VK bx 
 JKDT K 
 
 24 b 
 ;MB nnvp xh DHN na^ nan DN^ 'ip5> Nnma n^in fa npa 
 
 }D pyu }D 
 
 fto }N nax^N yiJ^N B KSTK rorva Komns ^a urma nan pta 
 nan D'-ajyn jioi D'jxnn JD nma r ip^ WD 
 ^I D3n^ nb DP laio ta D':Nni> h 5 
 iijn ncyiD ^t^ njxn HIDN DN ^2^ nnx m: NinK* IET 
 ni? -IDN* &sxrb N^I D"33y^ 0*3356 N^I D^Nni? n!? nnm 
 
 nan 
 
 L 22. H? D?y Dl" 1 ''B] On the day when he has knowledge is rather too 
 vague. We should perhaps read !"Q instead of J"v, as in the next line. 
 
 1. 24. '131 FTP] Nedarim 87 b. D'TBD (first)] Insert la 1 " after this 
 word in accordance with the printed text. Should our manuscript present 
 a genuine variant, the controversy of R. Meir and the sages would refer to 
 both cases. 
 
 Fol. 24 b, 1. i. I was unable to locate this passage. It may have formed 
 part of one of the halakic Midrashim. 
 
 1. 4. Si/re Numbers, section 155 (p. 58 b). If the few scribal errors are 
 disregarded, our text offers superior readings to those of Friedmann's 
 edition. Comp. Friedmann's notes to this passage. 
 
 1.5- 1^M3] Read I^D. 
 
 1. 6. nDID] Read HD^D, dialectic for WND. The printed text has 
 more correctly VWN. 
 
 1. 9. D^pl] elete the 1 .
 
 ARABIC TEXT 193 
 
 n w nmn invpo ininty ma NPN iNpi iroipoa isnm 10 
 naxn m^xs naoai nruax NPUK jtbi nnio nvm nroas TIJ ioa 
 p^x "j^nai i^n nxnaN IN nrno ma IDB 5 JT IN aj i>a 
 na TUP niao int?N nrw 'ipi> miN^x nnaax n:3i nnno 113 -JOB 
 p"ip3 rr\~a& nno "DO Twa rma incrs* nm:B> nno ina nm: ira 
 113D o*3jyn p ID WKnn jo nma T-m nma^ TQDS pnpn m*u 15 
 np NTOK3 nan DI *a VCD ;ND : naM mrn^ nr nn n^xnn 
 
 /N n-nj np n^ trtn JD 
 
 :N 'ip nspo nip" 1 n!?i jxa noa: 'a nm3 noa 11 JK Dna'a ^!3^^ mo 
 nat^a in^xb DIN ICN^ N^ nat^a D'TW pn^ao 'ip^ imj naaa np 20 
 
 pnv n ON PND oai Da ma nr nn TIK> 
 nnno IN^N JIT^N "joa^ Nna ni>K bxabspx pa s^a Npna 'nm 
 can pnv n 6x ^xpa Dan^N naoa^ sna n^K BKB^K pai 
 s a s ^ naio OIK ^ya nib xh nan pe&i IDKK> ^yai ^ya p^i?a noNB> 25 
 
 1. 10. Mishnah Nedarim 9, 6. Babli 66 a has 1^3)0 instead 
 But our reading is quoted 25 b. 
 
 1. 13. '131 rmj] Nedarim 86 b. n3 TH3>] Read tmW. 
 
 1. 14. 13D] This word is to be deleted. 
 
 1. 15. D^ajyn] Insert D'Qjyn JD n~nj which fell out after this word 
 through homoioteleuton. 
 
 1. 18. p^a^n] Indicative after }M ! 
 
 1. 20. Ibid., 77 b. The first three words are quoted on p. 77 a, and 
 should have been repeated here, for it is on them that the following 
 decision turns. See marginal note in Wilna edition. There are some other 
 slight variants. 
 
 1. 22. p^ND] Read P^MD. pba] Read U?a. 
 
 1. 24. Loc. eft. We have here an essentially different reading, and 
 judging from the trend of the discussion, it appears that our manuscript has 
 preserved the more genuine reading. The last sentence is found in Si/re 
 Numbers, section 153 (p. 55 b). 
 
 1. 25. Dan] Insert -DN b after this word.
 
 i94 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 13D D3n PHI 13D >ya N> naa'N 3N nB> DIN 
 
 *Tno i>ya PNI 
 
 25 a 
 
 wa INa '31 nBTUi nao^K mai 'pa Nn^y nnxns Nncaa ^y nmpy 
 
 Komna jnoaa KB^K^M xon^y 33a jna ^an np hya 
 nma JNS *pKnnKn p K^I pwtyan ID nsrnii nao^N 1131 'ipb 
 panxa Noi 11 i? naNDT nan Nina pswan JD np^co IN 
 n:^N -nai 'ip^ rma HDQ ink 1 ? D^B ^n bp snaKsn 5 
 mna an 
 
 n*na np Nni?yn^ n/Np INS :nan^ bw ia nv 
 
 nnsn IDB^KB npi?t3 IN nbo-iNn nn xrbyi nirsa Nin waov p KDV i? nya 
 ^y BJK DV D^B> IHN^ mra ann miDNi ni? nam ^ynn n^nn NMI nma 'p!> 
 
 ova n nina IBID nr nn DV D^^ Tina ntnana^ IN ninrwrw ^a 10 
 WN nnN ny^ nosy niB'nb nN^tr b b^an nr nanb ha 11 WN ova n 
 JND N^N N^> Nmipyi mna noa^ IN ra IHNI oa nboiN^ JN3 I 
 na 11 OIN nry^N n pen 11 <| 3K' pai nnN oa pa na 11 nnoi^ 7 ip^ jnsa* 
 na^ffl Q*atj6 N^I nnNi? N^ DIN Navy n D^B^ N^I nnN^ DIN 
 
 ^N N^N ^y 'iNn^N 5/N DDP^N MamtJ> nn *yenrp na i^n 15 
 
 ja pan b^N DNI ybwn ronsao nsowa a y-NT^N ID n^N fobk 
 
 I.a6. Mm] Read Dam. 
 
 Fol. 25 a, 1. i. Num. 30. 10. 
 
 1 3. Sifre Numbers, section 154 (p. 57 b). The second half of the 
 sentence is a r/sumJ 
 
 1. 5. Nedarim 88 b. 
 
 1. 7. D] The dot may indicate that the letter is to be deleted, or that it 
 is an abbreviation of p. The latter is rather unusual. 
 
 1. 9. Ibid., 89 a. Some phraseological variants. 
 
 1. 13. Ibid., 743. 
 
 1. 14. naSl^NI] See Maimonides's Code, Hilkot Nedarim, i, 23.
 
 ARABIC TEXT 195 
 
 6 -"in 11 *]$n Tai nvi3D nwNvn nnaa un^xi tenta a KHJO rr 
 
 ana/K fNor ^K noaata ennfou D'Nna^N nnaa x:n p ^y asm 20 
 t^N nya NonnoKaa bxn ^y saw JNI naxmi oaa-a xntan INS 
 bi 'ai yawn ^a isr:t2n n^h r pa "laaN^K ana^K INJOT 
 'ai ^aa nx K^iam 7 ai vaa b -jhn bi 'ai nnan bb 'a 
 NH3 wtn^N DD^N nDNaa n3 nvp* 1 IN nin6 ^ya 'ai yaian b 'bip 
 p iraa 3N^w *Dnaa ND yaian p 'iph am p n^y KD 25 
 
 25 b 
 
 ^IN^N NH;N a ^j?a nna^x mn p irabw HDN^^N <a NID nynsaai 
 rniao n^N3 *no Nnasa sm^i SIX^DN^NI jnphfl pnyhi DN^y^ 
 NO S^N n^a^x nhai n^aa Dana Daa 11 xi? snao ^sn^ND xn^y nn^ xi' 
 nbi 5)^6 nhi pi by otn nbi tea p pn DNJD nbi nnaa nb snao 
 N^S naan JND Kffi^a oaan Nn:xa mht^ nnn n^ai paa n^ai HNID 5 
 atanm niyn nonaa 'ip^ amoi DJO naa }ND:N^X nh NENB oaan 
 
 1. 20. nD33,5N] As this word is undoubtedly an adjective qualifying 
 l Dttna^tt, it cannot be the object of 3:iH. We accordingly miss 
 some such words as DJJ" 1 JK which should be supplied. "T2DNPX aVwN] 
 Literally : the larger sunset. This adjective is to emphasize the fact that 
 he is not to become clean until it gets utterly dark. Owing to the dual 
 form of D l| 3"iy, mediaeval Jewish writers divided the sunset into two parts. 
 See Rashi and Ibn Ezra on Exod. 12. 6. 
 
 1. 21. N313 1 * JSO] This is governed by 33171. 
 
 1. 22. Lev. ir. 24-8. 
 
 1. 24. IN] This word is superfluous and should be deleted. 
 
 1. 25. Sifra Shemini, section 4, 7 (p. 51 b). 
 
 Fol. 25 b, 1. 6. DN3] As this word stands it does not suit the context, 
 whether we take it as ^U*. or ^-0. We ought therefore to read DN3, and 
 regard it as an adjective of .^{j he was hairy. It would thus be the 
 
 * 9 0~ 
 
 opposite of C.OJ^>- In order to make the sentence complete we would 
 have to insert some such word as D33 S before DS3. It is also possible that
 
 196 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 . n ,, 
 
 nxD xD7 pa-iavo D'abum n^ipi on^ni mcttyni b^xni na^pni 
 
 myi mxn my pa>33 i.Tnmyc' ibxi xifxi ntaa nxcu x^ bax p^3ix 
 my Tin ^ca ^ nnxan my "in ^ inn my n x ^ N ^^ ^ 3>lt:><1 -^ Tim 
 n^nt^ ix payc' 31 n^xn nnntj> my ij^^n myi n^nn n^ myi nioian 10 
 ^i?x on^x i!?x inbx A mxn my p pin nninn may H3 jnn 
 p n^T3 'ipb n^x ^xn^x DJV naxa xnpia xa n^nny njinn 
 
 oa np xnpia xoa n:in*r p ^px ms'ipo iiy 'a?K itai'x 
 
 v^n innas i2x "ip^ n^x 'ixn^x DW naxa ^no xpnyi xEtbyi 
 
 ninai non p nnao nina i^ax my^ nn^> px nnnxn x^\yi niovyi 15 
 
 ^x ycai ,nxDDa PXODD pn^n p ntny3 ninei n^a^n p nna 
 :x-6x Dijn x^>a noajD^x xnxiryx p nnxi ^31 xnaD ira^ 
 ix po* ix xnnniD"! ^xn ^y nax3 'no ^2 onx 11 xnyca 5x3 
 
 DX3 is merely a corruption of DJ3, and the 1 of the following word has the 
 force of even. In my translation I adopted the first interpretation. 
 '131 nn23] Teharot i, 4. 
 
 1. 8. Hullin 122 a. 
 
 1. 9. ""DV "i] The talmudic text in this place has miiT T- But in other 
 places where this Mishnah is quoted, this opinion is ascribed to ''DV i. 
 pn] After this word the printed text has "pil ^V ^ t^Xin "liyi. 
 That our manuscript offers no genuine variant is evident from the Arabic 
 rtsumt, where this point is mentioned. These words simply fell out through 
 homoioteleuton. 
 
 1. 10. ilvXn] A number of words follow here in the printed text. 
 But they probably were omitted by the author intentionally, as they deal 
 with creeping things, a subject to which Hefes devoted a special precept. 
 See below, note on fol. 26 b, 1. 12. 
 
 I. 12. ivlnyD] Eighth conjugation of J.X-C = of middling size. 
 "131 rVT3] Teharot 3, 4 5 5, i. 
 
 1. 13. XnplB XEQ] A rather awkward addition. But perhaps the 
 awkwardness was not felt on account of the frequent use of this phrase. 
 
 1. 14. Sifra Shemini, section 4, 6 (p. 51 b). Tin p is omitted here 
 after 13X. 
 
 1. 15. Ohalot i, 7. 
 
 1. 16. JVT3] Read rPT3O. 
 
 1. 18. pD' JX] Read ... IK.
 
 ARABIC TEXT 197 
 
 mjn m 'ipi? nyND i5 JNCT <a !>IN!?N tanta ^N yanna nnNB 
 pB>m pnm *yum 3irn i>3N D^T PKDUDI n^r6 PNOBD non 
 I Dn?3 PNOBO psi pr6 PNCBB y-ir rassn n$>3ani 
 noai D^a PNDDDI rr^ pxctso vnti' m3^ nnnh 
 DIM ^N^ca p pycB' pn Ni-Ni ny^ nya o 
 rinp> 'ji '^330 x^i:n bi 'ipi *nyi nyo 
 HDDNI Dpim IN tsrbDrb NI^NDD jsa NID 3in p nx^y NDI nmta 25 
 
 KCDO N^WHK' I^D K^N 'm /Ni 
 
 26 a 
 
 sruo mnNDN nxcsy pyn N.TS f3 ;si n 
 'ipi 'ai ncron W asnabx 'ipb now^M D^n < 
 
 mp^K NHJO NH33K "^y nND^ND^N HNiW^M *ln VB3 
 
 hn b ejipn nr vaa ^y i^n bz 'ipi> KD^N nbi PN^K psjyi D-iy psi 
 
 *a m^ "Q-'on nbi mtpn ^nw pwon mim nsipn ns 3n^ 5 
 
 'ip3 1^1 tan TIN 3n^ nnn 5>33 'ipi> N^N ^ai>K nr.n ba nhp 'D 
 
 Not: 11 nn3 yawn b 'ipb naw n^Ni DN:bx >^x ND^ nn3 yaian ^31 
 
 mn nnni iTJs IN n^ ^y ^ica^M mn n3N3 ^nm *D^3 r^ m p3 
 
 l^n^ Djj 11 i^a 3nB>oi taso IN n^x IN -ON ^N^N H^N^NI OXIN^N 
 
 N^5 pKODO p^N pNDtDD Dil Dn|j 'ipb n^3^N p ^JN^N N^N NHJD 10 
 
 1. 19. Niddah 54 b. 
 
 1 22. ITiB'] This is a superior reading to jntJ> of the printed text. 
 
 1.23. Ibid., 563. The first DnX^a is omitted in the printed text. 
 
 1. 25. SOE^NilD] Direct, nothing intervening. 
 
 \. 26. '121 iota] Si/m, Wrf., 4, 8 (p. 51 c). 
 domestic. 
 
 Fol. 26 a, I. 2. Leviticus u. 26. 
 
 1. 4. S/hj Shetnini, chap. 6, 5 (p. 51 d). 
 
 1. 5. D^Cn] The printed edition has D\~l. See, however, Kelim 17, 13. 
 
 1. 6. Sffra, ibid. 
 
 ]. 10. /Aj'rf., 6, 10 (p. 523). Read D3P instead of DH?.
 
 198 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 it 
 
 toonp "fyj? Kmjrih TI^N ^ni^xi ntpa n^3 N^I D S P^D N^I 
 
 pa UT N^ *]bn nmi> anyn ny KCDI 'ipi : snhob Nmxnpaa 
 nyao phni> nino ima NH 'ip$> n>cNV^N ITON^K p Nfvra N^ DNnpN^N p 
 
 NH3D JKTTJ^ HOJ N^N DIM ND nDJ3N MI 15 
 
 M jo mia Kinty yao D*on 3^30 pn mno 
 
 'ai 03!? D'NDon nJjM 'ai mam npjxm 'ai 't^n NDDH D3^ nn 'pa 
 ^nbs KytnaK snjo -ona nsy o:a 3i3 
 oaa^a K^VDJO }3 "n fMat^M mn 
 
 NEQ nony 
 
 p bvaJN ih ^a wo nnai> y^o:3 oaa^a n6yi pnyi nn^ p 25 
 
 , , * > > ~ 
 
 I. n. ?niD?N1] J^i-> plural of JLi.*, example, description. The 
 orthography is rather exceptional. Comp. }NVD, fol. i b, 1. 6. 
 1. 13. /&, 8, 9 (p. 53 c). See Yebamot 74 b. 
 1. 16. '131 ^3] Kelim 17, 13. EnSTl p miB] The printed edition has 
 
 rwyh mn. 
 
 1. 17. pOK>N] Read I'NnB'K. This is the broken plural of the Hebrew 
 word p"1B> which does not occur in general Arabic. But as f'K3E?K can 
 only mean bodies, persons, the reading J^NIB'N is the only one possible here. 
 This is how D^lty is rendered in Sa'adya's translation. The singular ,*oi 
 occurs in Abu'l-Fath's Samaritan Annals (p. 82, 1. 6). See also Dozy. 
 
 1. 19. DD?N1] Read DXDPK1 as in Sa'adya's translation. See also 
 below, fol. 26 b, 1. ii. 
 
 1. 20. "133N^N] See above, note on fol. 25 a, 1. 20. '131 nil] Lev. 
 ii. 29-31. 
 
 1. 23. tb] To be deleted. 
 
 1. 24. Hagigah ii a.
 
 ARABIC TEXT 199 
 
 26 b 
 
 no tftffyn rb jw nn p 13N PJK D'ai^n Dr6 PNB> PIIVD no curoa 
 mown B'Ta itsa imaa Tin p lax SJK mexjn cnvi ica ppn 
 nins non p rvrao nina I^SN my^ Dr6 PNB> Dna if'xpi 
 
 PKDDD p^n p n^nyao ninsi n^ajn p nnao 5 
 NODB> Noon D3^ nn nme> ^a i^Npa nD 
 a Nn N!J on ^ nynsy *a MD^M spax 
 
 miJO/N KH3D DNDy^N NCNS ' fl^N N5^ N 
 
 p niovyn p > Dnn:^ ip> ojj 11 x 
 
 ^ni^N p ni'ai'Ni A in^ lyt^n p N^ o^iaxn p t6i o^twi w 
 namo n^a naxa *no oaana j^-iax DND^NI xmn^xi nK6yiw 
 pnnw I^NI njB^^x hpi' Nnnna o:jn xa namo 
 m^na rwo^n DW mm 11 n ooinni nNo!?m nani npasn 
 ma p pnv i rnxn -nyD pn jmnD mia*y na jna ^int^ IN 
 
 o^Koon pan wn ^Npa "no^Ki *nmy ]rb w D^IB> nao 15 
 na 'nha iy n^ 'na ai n^N oii obn ota ina pe>aa 
 an pmr n na ^xiDty n CN nej^ann ^n"ai payn p'oan 
 
 Fol. 26 b, 1. i. S/ra Shemini, section 6, 3 (p. 52 d). The names of 
 the Tannaim, as well as the opinion of R. 'Akiba, are omitted here. See 
 Hullin 128 b. 
 
 1. 4. Ohalot i, 7. 
 
 1. 6. Ibid., 5, 2 (p. 52 a). The wording there is more explicit : 
 
 rwpaa KDO^ ion n. 
 
 1. 9. 76!/., chap. 10, 2 (p. 55 b). There it is Dnb3a3 which is erroneous, 
 as it refers to Lev. n. 35. 
 
 1. 12. Hullin 122 a. The part relating to animals is omitted here. See 
 above, note on fol. 25 b, 1. 10. 
 
 1. 15. Ibid., 122 b. 
 
 1. 16. T\2 ^31] These two words are corrupt. Read Kill. 
 
 1. 17. ^an^l] The printed text has 3V.JTPS. 31] After this word the 
 printed text has 1 Kin N3n.
 
 200 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 nypi -no NCXD oaan xba pxrjE'NbN mn nna ID noawfein 
 ibn b'bn ibnb Djjna Nnrcnon bxn *bn msya nyxo na -insa NO <a 
 nvn mona nb33 ib tunan *D <a mn bap Tibx nynpbN a nwian nps 20 
 JK ibnai oa* D^ ijjai nTaa n^svnx yo NITKTJN f'ya on 1 - js % 2 
 oh oa 11 ni> n^NS pnnn^ tb pyaSti NH^MK fi- <;i 
 p pycB' n ON 'ipi> nicai l^n p p-innto D3> 
 pn p* NHI NCD nop r6e 
 
 P nycB' n rbs xrxi inxpoa xn fboa xn N^P N^ xnir n CN D^a 25 
 
 NDD n" 
 
 27 a 
 
 tb vrm n CN tnn nyt^a msoDn ?aB> mino nmnon 
 ip axnn^ p ^y-j^N nss^x i^a jxi jmpca xn ji?33 NH 
 nn^N i^a ^vn KB'J ni^r n:o ''pxa^Ni nbi nn^ nvya 
 naay 7 ip^ na nrr jo o:y H^ND n"a nnaJN IP na-in^x 
 ^ p jranrr n CN uno nonsai NCD nc^aa yayn noiK vsrn "iB>3 5 
 yaian SJN rbix miT n naiox nb ^non WK i^a ja by 
 iba aa by pn^ne* Kim 6 p ysnn* n ON^ NCD n^an 
 tcnao ;n^N sb psbx ^by n^sabs rNJNvnbx na TI pwn by 'i 
 
 ynxn by 6ib tbbn naay IDSW D^B* laay N'ON UN 7 ipb 
 D>a naaa Nia nt^a^a napn Nia^ ba pan ian ib^pi D-at? ns 
 
 I. 18. ptfatJ'NN] Read ^tCUrtM. See above, note on fol. 26 a, 1. 17. 
 
 i. 21. nbximK] Read nbxvnN. xyai] Read j-yab^i or xnvyai. 
 
 ^ Db] Read D3" nb. 
 
 1. 23. Niddah 56 a. 
 
 1. 25. jbD3] Read }bl33. The copyist mistook 13 for D. 
 
 n OK] /Arf. 
 
 Fol. 27 a, 1. 5. Hullin 126 b. 
 
 1. 9. Si/ra Shemini, section 5, 4 (p. 52 b). See also Hullin 126 b. 
 1. 10. Hullin 127 a. See also Tosefta Kil'ayim 5, 10. The wording is 
 slightly different.
 
 ARABIC TEXT 2OI 
 
 jo aita c|Kawa inrob asm 'pi mbnn pn 
 pi Tny jiaa as i?B> pao nia-ib vunsb asn 'pb ^UDD/MI 
 
 HNICN vn Nna MNT^N ^y aai tb* ana yawn b 'pi NTUCDI 
 NOBD pETi px NTN 'm ^Npi am jo nx^y NO 
 y ypi n^Ni mx K noxn *njo J^N nyneta 
 
 own |Ki ^nb D:3n JN snnio nya n^s pxac'^N mn 
 -inDn nn naas^K aiia^x jxor ^N NnnoN^ ^xn ^y xpam 
 NO nya 'ai py ^a bo NOD 11 nnoa one vb [>a ntyx bi 
 noya mxy pan -nyi naai py ^a nynB'^N mn 
 nna na6o rwy "WK ^a b n^xp 
 inn nxn noxn o^a ^snp 11 nna nax^o n^y> 
 
 no^yi noon nsoio pbpo 'no^NO py 
 
 aiD^o noon OIK miiT n D^XDO PII N noa ann niya 
 by n x nncn ben aipM oion^o py bt^ pbon DTD rvtkv na 
 mon^o nbaba popo jaty NOB n^aao arp 
 
 1. ii. pn] Insert }O after this word. "IpJpD/N] For the exact 
 meaning of .yLi_5.-> see Ibn Batutah's Travels, vol. Ill, p. 103, 1. 8. Comp. 
 also Der Islam, IV, p. 436. 
 
 1. 12. '131 aim] Sifra Shemini, section 5, 7 (p. 52 b). See also Hullin 
 1273. paO] Read pJ^O. iny paa] The Sifra has laian while the Talmud 
 agrees with our manuscript as regards the name of the creeping thing. 
 
 1. 13. NTiaODI] The usual texts have NT73ObD which is in accordance 
 with Greek <raAa/tai Spa. But as the same word is in Arabic J>- -r or 
 Jod, the spelling of our manuscript need not necessarily be regarded as 
 a copyist's error. 
 
 1. 14. Ibid., 5, 2. See Kelim i, i. The wording is slightly different. 
 
 1. 16. pNat^N^N] Read pOB^N. See note on fol. 263, 1. 17. 
 
 1. 17. "laaXPN] See above, note on fol. 25 a, 1. 20. 
 
 1 18. Lev. ii. 32. 
 
 1. 23. Kelim 16, 1-4. 
 
 1. 24. mm 11 i] The Mishnah has TNO T. 
 
 1.25. ap>i] Readaapi.
 
 202 HEFES B. YASLIAH S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 27 b 
 
 D':a3 ayp vb& *Q by *ix nioian rvai prai>n jva rp&nn nx 
 aapi DiDrvB> rnnbprn D'ata? o^wpn ptpo pas? xota 
 D 11 jrta? amb D*m w WB>D o^nan prom D^nan D'aupn 
 naipn pta ami> inx nn ntyy-B^ D^TNO ^ pjai maai HDJ 
 n^tss u n^y^o pnym rbv annb nn^av n n^ytm 5 
 ^M aapi DIDH^^D hnnn HNOID p^apo 1| nt: < 'No my ^a 
 ^nipo wr nN n^y^'n OIN mw ni vmrrp 
 n^niyaa ns n^ycTo tiN min ni nniyx nx ropjn 
 ' noam nan nmn*p nx nBTTtro DIN min^ ni aapi DDH^^D 
 nina n T^I man i| 'D OIN min ni ajpi nion^o niy ^cr 10 
 n nxct3 ^apo 1| no' i x py b x^x i^xpi D"naa 
 ny oana^ n^ny DXI DIOKH by air^o ^acm 
 K^ao*pi fiDaD 11 ^ ny x^npox ODI^B' ny 
 new IV lino niao ^ nvj'yb T'ny xinry nonyn my 
 xparv xo yop^i n^naa' by ^ano 11 nao aapM DIDH^O T-oan 15 
 nx^Dn eji>a pjw^i n^a na^a nbab mo rmtt^M jxavpbx \o 
 
 Fol. 27 b, 1. 2. D^t3p] Read 
 
 1.3. nnn] Readonn. 
 
 1. 4. 1H] Read in. 
 
 1. 8. X^aOlp] Read 
 
 1. 10. ->1Dn l| t5T3] Read DIDn^O. n , . . WlBn^D] The mishnic 
 text has plural suffixes which are more correct. 
 
 1. ir. '131 py ^3] Tosefta Kelim baba mesi'a 6, i. 2. Read my 'ba. 
 There are a few insignificant variants. 
 
 1. is. Daia?] Some texts have 33"ia? to make a rim. The reading of 
 our manuscript is superior, and is satisfactorily explained by Hefes in the 
 following glossary. 
 
 1. 15. *VDaJ"l] Maimonides in his commentary on this Mishnah (ed. 
 Derenbourg) mostly amplifies the brief explanations of Hefes. 
 
 1. 16. iia^ja] This word is not recorded in the lexica. It doubtless 
 denotes a kind of a basket. JLj = hyoscyamus, or herbane ; isr^ = vinasse. 
 See Dozy.
 
 ARABIC TEXT 
 
 203 
 
 Ni3N 
 
 Dvy 
 
 TKBX p3ND Pin 1X33 PjNSp p3Dm PN3DN 
 
 ny vnirvp jKaptrn n*3B> tainn '^33 piyn pin 
 
 win 
 
 noj 
 nuo NT 
 
 p^ N^ KO 
 
 HDN33 
 
 iy nsoo -p^po PN py 
 vn jn3x!? nnaniy 
 j5j>333 uaix^o DNOD 
 Nin -jn w ni? KomnK pyu 
 
 TODS 13 n^ 35 
 .li? 13 
 
 28 a 
 
 fN3 
 
 N^ rf? myN np NO 
 
 1. 17. pin] Read pin. PSND] -_U. = //' /oc/&, or 
 ^-j-9, plural^iU- , = a lock, or tress. 
 
 1. 18. pin] Read pin. Although pill and nWDX are to some 
 extent synonymous, it is quite unusual for Hefes to give a Hebrew equivalent. 
 Furthermore, pin in the preceding line seems to have two Arabic 
 equivalents, and this again is out of harmony with the author's method. 
 It therefore seems best to delete pill in this line and to arrange the words 
 as follows: I^XQV HITDV pBND pill. My translation is in accordance 
 with this arrangement. fN3p2>3] ^jtlju* is a kind of sack for carrying grain. 
 See Dozy. ^iy] (^ * , singular iij^c , = handles, or loopholes. 
 
 1. 21. Hefes explicitly says that the following passage occurs in one 
 place ; but I was unable to find it. It may have formed part of a halakic 
 Midrash which is no longer extant. The three component parts of this 
 passage, however, are found in three different places : Tosefta Kelim baba 
 mesi'a 2, 18 ; 6, 3 ; Mishnah Kelim 4, 4. 
 
 Fol. 28 a, 1. 2. }JQ] Read [N3. 
 II.
 
 204 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 NO -jhi Nta im n^on po NO Nruoi <T:C^N xnn '-u< NEI NO ;VB 5 
 NOI ynpiw nnxi'Ni ns^N -ie>p NHJO na iay^ INO^N nnyN 
 
 DJrSJ ^l!3 JNOT 'B fONTl NT ^1 TIJ NCO JN3 NO NCNB * 
 
 mnoani o-nan jua nmi oninx nnb sr^ o 
 ^2 onb jw ^^n1 oninx nn^> ps Bnpn ^a ' 
 nj^BD 1131 D^PH nniai rpn mxini i>n:oi nani 
 HKD DW ppnno \rvy D^W oni? ^B> ^B by CJN 
 ai p^apD pa o^an ^a "isen nnino I^N nn trau on 
 nnm O^N min 11 n TKD n nm ncD p^npo p^apo J 
 ^B i>y 5|N PINI naop WBD nm payn nanin 
 Dban ^3 iN^n jnac' nea N^N hs^D^ D^ic'y p'N^ D^scta 15 
 
 min-" -S nmb TNO n nm px pmnt: p^apo p^n PNOD 
 noyo !>K> 6 wne' lano o^a nsryn i^xpi n^an ba ^ nany 
 mppnty nra^ nyi?ni jnnsi nsbn lino noyo ^ 
 ponn nmnu n s :tNio ppi DupnnB> IN neyn nx cna 
 IN nayn nN jna nio!? mpirn 
 
 pxao baeo ja^o nnn NO myNp NH:OI D^NOD D^TNO 
 
 n nnnE' mon 'ip^ pbn^N yini> nynoo in NOD 'ona IN 
 omno p^apoi nippntr B ^y SIN o^nn 
 
 I. 8. Kelim 25, i. 
 
 i. 9. ^npn ^3] /*'rf., 25, 9 . 
 
 1. 10. 76/rf., 15. i. There are some variants besides one or two scribal 
 errors. 
 
 1. 16. p~l1i"IB . . . D^NOD] These two words have changed positions by 
 mistake. The trend of the argument proves that the reading of the Mishnah 
 is the only one possible, and that our manuscript offers no genuine variant. 
 pN] Insert pa after this word. 
 
 1. 17. "131 rifyn] Tosefta Kelim baba mesi'a 7. 7. 6] This letter is to 
 be deleted. 
 
 LSI. ^3E>3] Read ^3^3. 1. 22. Ibid., 8. 3. 
 
 1. 23. D^3"in] After this word the printed edition has : pD1B3 D^litD 
 tv3"in finriE'. These words probably were omitted in this manuscript 
 through homoioteleuton.
 
 ARABIC TEXT 205 
 
 -yp-ip3 xin '-in ypipi? naincn ^a i^>xpi $>iap DI^O |na 
 n^x spy }x xi>x nn^x xc6x a pxa fxvn *ta jo ^DJT XD 25 
 
 28 b 
 
 IX rO3 IX PX3 XCX HDXJ: 3pH VlX }O 
 
 jxi oar nans xc&x n^a DDD ;xvn n^j JD nm^D^H xxs 
 Dcn n^3D pn nino 0*3^ ^3 'ipi> m*a n^x spy 
 D'3 ^nan p D^D rrenyn X3 s py n <-m cna^a mis 
 PDB' n3n nntw I^SXT Din i^sxi psa ^an ;o 5 
 
 nun 
 
 XEI |xn:xi nyxip xn^o mx:n ; nxnimoi np3 ns p 
 jH3n nx pB^noo man nane6 mip Q^o^ ny3B> 'ip^ mn 
 nmiD miss man "Js ^ytj> na^ wao man nx 
 }3x nn nae nnty xnpa nch nxnpj nnn px n*a 10 
 
 ^n *3 nxou p^apo x^n nenx ^31 n^ax ^31 &* 
 myn nayp XDJI naxn nb aya p pao xmoi *na 
 7 ip^ nx3iaD^x JD ^n n^i Tiro oxroi nia^ am jo 
 nano ^tr ao ^oa x^xi mino )'y 5>aa Taii r6 B>^ n^aun 15 
 
 1. 24. Baba batra 65 b. 
 
 Fol. 28 b, 1. 3. Kelim 17, 13. Some variants. See above, note on 
 fol. 26 a, 1. 16. 
 
 1. 6. 131 13,531] This clause is not found in the mishnic text. See, 
 however, Sifra Shemini, section 6, 10 (p. 53 a). 
 
 1. 7- T13] Jji-* = rfMMg'- 
 
 1.8. 7 131 nyat?] Yoma2a. See Parah 3, i. fH3H] Read |Han. 
 
 1. 13. nxnva/b] iiljlj things that remain overnight, and become stale. 
 The V of this word look like T. But there can be no doubt about the 
 reading. 
 
 1. 15. rv3En] As Hefes treats of the class of vessels which have 
 a receptacle and are not subject to defilement, the reading of our manuscript
 
 206 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 pnnoo cam KOBE iwfoa pn n-na ^ya 
 i>ap KO Nrrta epix JSB TKD^K DNoy p tt 
 omnu niaiyn niosyo n^a n^yn 'ipi? 
 nnnw i^ax mn I^BN pxa inan p or6 I3n N* 
 
 npi a pn *n^ xnaoi NOD nwoQ ^ip wnty 20 
 
 nan soa ^^^ p oaans Nn! npnKao N^ na m^ myo 
 DDtnni npa ^ Di^pon 'ip^ Nnnxa^Ni ^nxao v\-\<n napi 
 
 noap Moa nmno IN nn naaont onian sinoni i 25 
 nnnt? xoai trin ^ ta^Dm s aD ^oa nan noa -nnt3 
 
 29 a 
 
 nnron n^ai hyaon nui -iaan n'-ai nao ^ paa^Km n^ pnepm nann 
 py*a*n nor ^ aanon^ niaavo hw ^ Diosm ni[-nr]a pni D^aa p^ni 
 
 is the only one which would suit the context. And yet the view it 
 expresses is diametrically opposed to the decision of the Mishnah, not to 
 speak of the fact that this passage is nowhere to be found. Kelim 27, i reads 
 nNCB py ^a raib r6 pK> r6aD. The only possible solution is that 
 Hefes had in mind the following passage : nN H^y DTlEC? nai^yn n^QU 
 niHD tari' n^ B> v ^ 'a ^y fjS niyDn (.Tosefta Kelim baba mesi'a 10, 4). 
 He omitted the qualifying clause. '131 "'IDa] Kelim 12, 3. n3fTO] 
 
 Read nanc. 
 
 1. 18. Tosefta, ibid., 7, 5. 
 1. 19. Loc. cit. 
 
 1. 21. py?X] This can scarcely be right. Below, fol. 29 a, 1. u, we have 
 py/V- Read, perhaps, py = ^j dung. Maimonides explains D1p?O as 
 
 follows: nopi?x iDB* 1 *b a npa^x nn xn^a t2pni ni?a p ri^ax 
 
 wss^/ in which the dung of the oxen is collected in order not to spoil the wheat. 
 This obviously supports my emendation. 
 
 1. 24. fp!i'1] Instead of Cp6l. See above, note on fol. 17 b, 1. 10. 
 Kelim 16, 7. 8. Read CIp^DH. DIDTHni] Read DIDTliTI.
 
 ARABIC TEXT 207 
 
 noon maicDi a[yn m]aauai n 
 i>t? ptro^o tjTD^n fcj *DY n ON S&an nr omno 'N nn 
 
 nyt?a N^K law bi NED .-ON/D nyt?a xtai & naw^o nycra 5 
 pnanro anan pni ^nian n-'m ijinao pin mno nas^o 
 
 N-31DDD p"n D^NDD is nn nit^insn n^ni n-vnn n^ni 
 
 *^n PTI iinn HVDI sna n^yoina iania Nine' fn 
 ^y ! nioian nai pwSn nn ni?sn ^eni nvo wnw Kirw aDD 
 nnn Dityoi ^an N^N W^NB' iinta ni^n i?y ne'on 12 KK> jw* 10 
 npa ^ Dip^on ^i JD ^ ND TDBH * 
 
 Nntaop na^yox nanN noap 
 inw ^ n^xp^ DTOKH sjN^a paa^xn nap picp nrn 
 
 ^nsa p"nnn nca pn n^ naawai mo ^xan 15 
 nvcnnan ^JO^NI ^KTO^ a^K n^x D 
 
 Fol. 293, 1.3. D^B131] Read 01301. "niJ] The printed text has 
 *?ni3 means weavers, as Hefes explains it later on. Comp. Arabic 
 Jj^ and Hebrew D^Tf. 
 
 1 4. niNDO] A number of variants are recorded : D13N^D, niDID, niniD t 
 and niD. But niXDIO is quoted nowhere. We ought, perhaps, to read 
 ni3DD woof. 
 
 1.6. pin] ReadpTl. Many words are omitted here. tPtatjPpMY] The 
 printed text has rklQ p^n. But as N^llpD and tt^atPp are usually 
 mentioned together, the reading of our manuscript is to be preferred. 
 
 1. 7. manaian] The mishnic text has mriJBn. Derenbourg has 
 
 niTiaan . 
 
 1. 9. n^] From this word to the end of the quotation is not found in 
 the Mishnah which enumerates other kinds of vessels. 
 
 1. it. piV?] Read, perhaps, py?S- See above, note on fol. 28 b. 1 21. 
 
 1. 13. na^yO^X] This can scarcely be right. Read, perhaps, PO ' 
 as e = he kept, retained. 
 
 1 14. paaisKn] Read 
 
 1. 15. ^K'D] Read "15^D = "JL* a cloth from which a tent is wade. 
 1. 16. 'OXTO??] This may, perhaps, mean recitations. It seems to be 
 a plural of i
 
 208 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 CD om ntan mao JTOT.PD yos kta&p 3H3D 
 
 nta NONB >JN:P^>N prj^n rvn p" 
 CI nxnan KDB ptro WHO nnNi D^ TI^N 
 BHBI pop n^n JD nowa i>3p> sh 13 *6 N?:D i^T jo ysnrv 20 
 n n:i n^oci ruNm pn3 nyspi mpi ranpi nrvcDi 
 ^2Np^N ax^n^N jo BXDC!>N nni *n3K*yx nan ^t: 
 3 onx^N nxnNj nnx & NCO nnnsDO ^ps jw NO 
 DIN nry^N n jcp ^ pi^n 'ipb Nnpia NOS 
 
 29 b 
 
 DN p^n ncnyn ^Npi Sso nnc:i nuwa N.T^ ny CIN cam 
 
 , L L L 
 
 nino IN? OKI NCD n^bt' by nv& n r 
 
 y 
 
 NHJD mw pa^N N*yN ncTSp mtetapDTM riNn^N TND '2 Q 
 
 c 
 
 p!?i23 pnno3 1^'Ni 'ip^ |N".D3i ^iNno mi oi^pi fNm am: 
 
 I. 17. D13n] t/^.J = a *M<*ce, <* pin- Sa'adya translates n s nt^ (Job 
 41. 18) by D13n. That is the reason why I used that word in my Hebrew 
 translation. 
 
 1. 18. pN3] (j\j = a kind of flute. See Dozy. 
 
 1. 20. "6] Read r6. 
 
 Lai. nN3Ol] Is it, perhaps, .^x* a turban? Or should we read nN3O, 
 corresponding to mi3O ? 
 
 1. 23. HN.nW] Read HNHJ. 
 
 1. 24. NHplQ NCE] An unnecessary addition. See above, note on 
 fol. s~, b, 1. 13. 131 P^H] Kelim 27, 5. 
 
 Fol. 29 b, 1. i. ^31 nsnyn] Tosefta Kelim baba batra 5, 3. p^H] The 
 printed edition has nabn JO after this word. 
 
 1. 2. nCN3J,?N1] This word was smudged, and the copyist wrote it 
 above the line. But not being satisfied, he wrote it once more on the 
 margin. 
 
 1. 4. JNnl] Read fNni = ^\J a kind of legging, or boot. fNnCUl] 
 jli^. = a veil. No plural ^ is elsewhere recorded. '131 IP'JO] 
 Kelim 27, 6.
 
 ARABIC TEXT 209 
 
 DS nw by rwbvv n^oci s-ma i>t? D^I yaiai 0*03301 s<:i?ai 5 
 13 sb "r6s sosa :ni>ia3 rmo3 r6ia3 OKI ntav^a rmoa HDICTD 
 rnynoota prs^s pisss NTOO HDSH rtaspi sr6 
 nsn-iao xb nvata H a SHJD nsnyr^s SDKS 
 nawto pn IK N^N DH^N HDNS^N ^npn fi?a 
 B> poinpa ^ ?in 'ip^ NonnNas'Ni fNiayr is ISJJTI npiro IN 10 
 poinro bty nnnx Ni"Ni D^NDOO oani nnoo nry^N n 
 
 nnnvo jnB> 3Do HINCD powina mans no 
 fsvni'N n^3 sn:oi ^3^ entire ny nmnu D^na 
 niy i^sx i'ls' 1 'ip^ ba TOD Insr l ^y bw nm TID SD^N a 15 
 my w nna nas^io n^y^ n^s oib rb^n yo-^oa nainn nijn w 
 ND nvron niy x ip ^yoi n3s!?D jna nc>yj xh? nainn mjn nxon 
 nainn iiyi n3JOiin< nyK ^s i>3n K^I n/D^ ni? nibi'N p fsa 
 nniy nrh? nSyn SDiw 'ON 13 nn n DS 'ip!> cspa ni^DD^Na 
 nain pay ^ n^op sS n^o S^T nro snnani nain nxo p 20 
 D n-nn i?y3 ^ nniy i^xpi pay s^i n*Dp h n^on 
 a sn^no ^a nxiap i snnnsoD npia NTOOI 'fnNDBD 
 is sn^y pjpi^ nyn is rroi TDD p snsm snpia 
 
 , , 
 
 1. 7. plS2S] jj)*?' or u\>=" a 'W'i or fc"^ has ijy.l and ^j**. for 
 its usual plurals. But ^j^-1 is not precluded. 
 
 .10. i3i ep] ibi(t.,'i$, a. poinp3] Readpomna. 
 . n. 131 nnrw] /*'rf. 
 
 . 12. 131 ^J3D] Tosefta Kelim baba mesi'a 5, 4. 
 
 . 15. Sjfra Tazria', chapter 13, 10 (p. 68 c). A few slight variants. 
 
 . 16. '131 IK'S] The printed text quotes liy rON^O (Lev. 13. 48). 
 
 19. Shabbat 79 a, Gittin 22 a. A few explanatory clauses which 
 interrupt R. Hiyya's statement are omitted here. There are one or two 
 other insignificant variants. 
 
 1. 21. '131 Hilly] Kelim 26, 8.
 
 210 HEFES B. YASLIAH S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 30 a 
 
 my NnbnE ^ nrcwp a jn IN INOX IN omo 
 
 nypn is ibn bno byab HPD tbsnn* mnsao nona 
 
 IN napNon IN rvo JD mn wv Nnpis NCS Nnbnro '3 
 ix Nnpia NEB NnbnD ^s rwsap n nnnxDD IN xna ypn^ r 
 IN Nnpis NDD Nnbno a nNinp n nnnNDD 
 IN n^y ob" 1 IN 1^1 w Nnpis NDS Nn^n a 
 
 ;o "jh ^Ji nj?^ win IN IVB f]pNDn IN NH^D^ jo 
 nsap sman mpo^N JN^N^N mn \o nax noi noaao 
 
 INI nn ma D^ niap fn IN n^y rf>a^ nyNi Nnpa 
 
 r\uhw ^y HK-*^ DV^O NODD naan ^\\b HDNaa 
 myn nyans ^y nyniN pm non nD^ tr^ ^y B^I^ 
 ntD xeoh omob pi^ nK-'cr by ntw JBD nt^cn by n 
 by n^^ mns PN aaB'cb nan ntryi D^ao y^ip 
 tNinc' ba noyobi N^NI Nin{y ba nrrnNbi nso a 
 yspon jam PBIDVD VDcni niyn myni ptt'n ptyni naan 15 
 n DN nn 'Nob nsu by HSD NCD nso by risa jbao 
 n 33 by n"bt:nb ixii b^Nin 'N:* -i 
 
 Fol. 30 a, I i. nNOV] Read nNCtt = SU- a bandage. 
 
 1. 3. yaNVN] This word was intended by the copyist to be deleted. 
 
 1. 4. nnnNDft] There can be no doubt that some such word as *lc 
 ci'sack is to be supplied before this word. See the following quotation from 
 the Mishnah. 
 
 1. 10. Kelim 27, 2. 
 
 1. 13. Me'ilah 18 a. Our manuscript is more explicit than the mishnic 
 text. 
 
 1. 14. nnHNbl] Read nmNbl. "iai nDy^bl] I was unable to trace 
 this sentence in this connexion. 
 
 1. 15. Sukkah 17 b. Some sentences are omitted here, and it seems that 
 Hefes had a less complicated reading. 
 
 1. 17. r iai pN] Tosefta Kelim baba mesi'a a, 5.
 
 ARABIC TEXT 211 
 
 T->-r6 IKBW -iiy NXW -pxn nN c^u^n N!>\X 
 "pna nwttMB* t?ta hy vhv NifNi NED tnnB> i>3 ^--QN 
 nniD3 ninn nns nw yawcn jo rvan i?3B> HNCD n>3n 20 
 npipa nirnp IN rn minn uno IN rra inx pnjD IN 
 jrj^ty ly N^N HNDG rwN D^iyh mino nspn IN 
 ns i^NK' n^DD3 intao nnsro "i rrn N3N -i CN 
 
 30 b 
 
 can mn ^Npi n^cna na na^ni nn^-y^ xh o3yb N!? xnn 
 n^i^aDxij HNBW nB^B* ^y n^!?^ Ni>Ni iTcr 
 ^s ^y ^x DyruB> HB^B* ^y na^B* i*w HNCD 
 r6ve mna N^n KJTKI :nwt:en ^an NCU omon p 
 n nx n n:ph nmpn ns u iy^i ymcn nx n p"D^ jTpnriB* 5 
 
 1. 18. 131 liy] /Wrf., baba batra 4, 9. 
 
 1. 19. '131 B'/B'] Ibid., 6, 6. A few phraseological variants, besides 
 the scribal errors. 
 
 1. 20. nniD3] This is certainly corrupt. Some editions read nD1D32 IN, 
 while Z. has nmD3 IN. It is the latter which our manuscript presupposes. 
 
 1. 21. |"Vn3'B] Z. has pH31S3. The construction of our manuscript is 
 decidedly superior, as the 3 is almost impossible. JV3] Read !13. 
 
 1. 22. nyWB'] The printed text has n3y^3^B' ! There can be no 
 doubt that our manuscript has preserved the correct reading, since the 
 Tosefta speaks of y31?1D. 
 
 1. 23. Niddah 60 b. In the printed text 3N, not N3N "i (is it N3NT?), 
 is the authority. There are a few more insignificant variants. 
 
 Fol. 30 b, I. I. n2,TVl] The printed text gives the name of the authority 
 responsible for this decision. It is possible that Hefes did not intend the 
 last three words to be part of the quotation. But when he himself decides 
 he usually says H3^n^N1 . Comp. below, fol. 32 a, 1. 18. '131 Din J Ibid. 
 
 1. 2. '131 nB^>>] Tosefta Kelim baba batra 6, 9. 
 
 1. 3. '131 nB^B>] Kelim 27, 8. 
 
 1. 4. '131 J03J1] Shabbat 29 a. There are a number of variants besides 
 the scribal errors. Read f3D, as it occurs in Kelim a8. a,
 
 212 HEFES B. YASLIAH S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 pai pio pa bix jKTiiT- n -nrbK n nan NCD pio pxt? pai pio pa 
 xbiy ox nino pio iyxt? xou pio cix xa'py n iinu pic pxt? 
 ban nan noaipa nrwn xoby bian pnv n ON nan na na nan ON 
 N^X ip$>ru K^ nboa ^102 ban nm ns^xh npn m^y 
 ipir N^no nao nry^N ^i n^n n*.nN in^n IN naaa 
 iabbKi :-iry^N -in na:b xa^py n n*a mn ^Npi n^iN^y 
 nsa oib obn onabn nN nmb p^oi '-pb ain^N nana 
 -~ixnpj:a y xn-'D py no aaxno yibpi ~i\snD xir-x 
 
 nxou xoab ^ixnn ba 'ipb nspxon ix n^o JD wnn ix nxirpxa 
 ybp p:a o^ja xcuo o-no nxou XCDO WKI? 'a by IK no 15 
 jxa fxa Dba::i onso nnaooi naa:? h? o^an pb^ii PUBD bt? 
 jo nbvia mn Dons KVPNJ HTJ ix ainbx may ow ^nbx "ixnpobx 
 
 HDN33 JO HDX3J bpHN "IHW fO nb^lbx HJXa JXD IDrbs DiJ 11 "1H13 
 
 IK xonb niny xnx na brciobxi bvibx ibnb oars na bmsbn 
 jo NDai* jbs noxaibx fj^aa inia jo naxa ;NI jnoxaa xomnxb 20 
 'ipb noxa: bpnx ma }o bsibK ;xa *no n:o xoaa 11 nbx ^bx 
 nyaix niyn jo inxi psrn p nc'bK' p^n p nnxi laan p OTB^ 
 niyn jo nnxi paon p nt^yn "wio peon jo nnxi niyn p 
 naan H p nnxi pswi p nB'btr pt^n p nnxi myn p nyaix 
 
 1.9. np-n] Readnpnt. nBB'x] Delete the 1. 
 
 1. 10. ^333] The printed text has "moa. 
 
 1. ii. '131 Tin] Ibid., 29 b. The reading there is Xa'pV '1 .T3 Tin 
 7 T1 .Taab. See also ibid., 40 a. 
 
 1. 12. S/ra Shemini, section 6, 8 (p. 53 a), where IX is inserted before 
 iaa. That seems to be the correct reading, as IX is the basis for the 
 derivation. 
 
 1. 14. Nega'im n, n. A few phraseological variants. 
 
 1. 16. D'baaai] The printed text has 
 
 I. 21. Kelim 27, 3. 
 
 i. 23. ntryn] Read nrcn.
 
 ARABIC TEXT 213 
 
 31 a 
 
 :ninu uoo pn p xoua laoo -nann p i nant? o an nr xu 
 
 m rh nrta nob rtan nsx 0^3 xnao tayi nipai no:: JXB 
 nanp -jin !>xnD ^n xnnoxaa ^xn ^y Ni"N MB ^IN^K is s 2^N ^Nn ^y 
 
 Nnao wv IK NOXS nrreo KHJD iyB 
 
 13 ncn WB^B' tanm ^onn nxjj'yK' ncn nino nan 
 nnsuDi nns^D nNtyy^ non 13 ix^y^ pnoi pno 
 nnx n^b NOD iDtrb in^tyB' ^3 ^3n nr xn nD3 
 D^an ^3 ivp^xi rawjtata nxcD^x awi "a 'nun i'Npi mn 
 
 TO phy pi nas^noa fnxno H^ pnnv 10 
 natrno n^ni n^yo n^o boao n^yDm ntryo 
 mn u'-oa j 
 
 jx in rar& 
 
 n^y M xoy xm^ana x^x ^x"^3 jn xon noxa^x osn 
 D3n DpD' ^naN nxin ^x xn^y n *n^ wn&M p x^pji 15 
 NO "^x xn^pja nony^xi x^x xnn rwnj^o nx\-i^x ^n 
 xh D^3 M Ncno noxa^x xn:y Dpo* 1 xi? ^aa D^ 
 ^ PTV D'ban ^3 nh "jyo 'unnonpn 
 
 fx nsivao o^a nnxv cry ^no in 
 xnniiv p xnw cb jxi nax *#&ta xn^pr ix 0^3 20 
 
 Fol. 31 a. 1. i. XCDJ] The mishnic text has XCD. 
 
 .2. mpai] ReadnVpJl. 
 
 . 3- JX'a^X] Read fX^^X = ^( state, condition. 
 
 4- nvpa] Readnvpj. 
 
 .5- yttJa] Readyoa3. ncn] Readn^n. Kelim28, 5. 
 
 . 7. noil Read HD3. 
 
 . 9. '131 ?3] /A/'rf., 25, 9. Slight variants. 
 
 1. 15. nxin] Read nxvi. 
 
 1. 20. ^yD^X] Delete the X as dittography.
 
 214 HEFES B. YASLIAH S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 ND NfUO N3T "HO 1 D33D3 rvy *n 
 
 -irnn n^a Nnjra$> xny:r y:xv a^afo anxv jxa INS 
 nmy 'ipb lin }o nya ^y Dixy in XD^Q 
 
 31 b 
 
 px pay btn inxoBo naenD nnn bya b& 
 natrno 3:3 ^ IHNCUO nae^no 
 
 ':QD tnscDO nac'no ps }^T3 tai 
 my rpt3^ i^y acriB' iiy omo nixcn nmy i^ 
 Nann ">iy jn^n niy nonn ny mon my tc^aop a^ my 
 
 my DTTO noan myi nan my jup ^ a^n my no-iyn my 
 i^xpi no sen OIN cam DTJD DIN inr^M n pmon myi 
 nona Nvn N^ no CK ^a 'i'N ta p nMnao^M | ^pnr NO'S 
 xh mwsac' onina xh nniDuat? 3ira xS mxiva^ 3iT3 xi> 
 ncnan 3in nxciD |^9ptt px rm nn nnioaat? onina 10 
 ^i ^ mno n^T ^cn NCD ncna 5>ef an x':nm nsoo 
 nam n!?ia ijnpe' "a by *IN nbnb iND'jn ncna ^ NBU ncnab 
 
 1. 23. Kelim 26, 8. 
 
 Fol. 31 b. The beginning of the first three lines in the manuscript has 
 traces of some writing which was obliterated ; but the continuity of the text 
 is not disturbed thereby. 
 
 1. 3. ^3DO] The opinion of Rabbi Simeon fell out through homoio- 
 teleuton. 
 
 1. 4. Kelim 26, 5. 
 
 1. 5. ICnn mj?] These two words are missing in the printed edition, 
 where they fell out through a. sort of homoioteleuton. Maimonides com- 
 ments upon mcnn my and IDrin my separately. But in the mishnic text 
 printed above the commentary the latter words are missing. The discrepancy 
 escaped Derenbourg. fP3n] Insert t]H3n my after this word. 
 
 1.6. pIDn] Readpnon. 
 
 1. 7. pmon] After this word, too, there are traces of obliterated 
 writing. 
 
 1.8. Shabbat 583. The first sentence is differently arranged in the 
 printed text. There are also a few phraseological variants.
 
 ARABIC TEXT 215 
 
 pxi rnpron inxoD n^ p-nv n^an ^DB> NCO 
 
 riD&wj apn h xrb la K^> Tita Kcxa jSa^jj rri> ivin 15 
 NIDNB rrrya nonai ran? non^ man ^y i>3 
 
 mana nanps SONB toara nT-ya nona ma 11 ND 
 mn ns Nmji nNDNnoi TWO NWD D^a^ JD KHTJ mans rmn^tn 
 
 jo nNyjuvD^N ^ax^ nwcnanoD^ o^a^o JNDJX^K nmxa 20 
 nasi>N mna fxa xoa Nmai anxaoi nNDWi n H Niai yxxpa 
 paa mn n JWB'b ''isryn 'ip$> Knoaa NO xn^ py >no 
 w mxn nx roe^ ne'un piina nmruMi muoi 
 
 32 a 
 
 H ha* yy ^a NSK I^NPI D^NOD -paWim rhaon \rbvn 
 ha* IN yy ^a ^a nh py ^a bo 61^ D^n muom nmmm 
 
 1. 14. n] Read NH. 
 
 1- 19. J~INDN?DD!] Only il^ in the sense required here, not JLtl^,, 
 is recorded by Belot. But the latter is probably a nomen unitalis. 
 
 \. 20. nna^bN] This is jjAcl, plural of *lj>c, not s;ji1, plural of *ISc, 
 as the latter is restricted to food eaten in the morning, that is to say, breakfast. 
 
 1. 21. yNVpa] Read ySVpa. nSOWl] Only *U. is recorded in the 
 
 lexica. But there may be a nomen unitatis JLeU.. aHNaDl] The plural of 
 
 *'^t . 
 
 AayXu is nowhere else given. 
 
 1. 22. '131 T-i'yn] Tosefta Kelim baba mesi'a 6, 7. D^Dn] The 
 printed text has Dv3n DX after this word. This seems to be the correct 
 reading as three classes are spoken of. 
 
 Fol. 32 a, 1. i. '131 v3] Stfra Shetnini, section 6, 4 (p. 52 d). The 
 passage there is corrupt, and a comparison with the preceding citation from 
 the Tosefta will leave no doubt that, with the exception of one scribal error, 
 the original reading is here preserved. See alsoTosafot Menahot 96 b under 
 heading '~Q"v1, where this Baraita is quoted, and substantially agrees with 
 our text. 
 
 1. 2. Jy ^3 ^>3B] Sifra has J>y ^3O, which does not occur in the 
 Pentateuch.
 
 216 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 nan }>y b b c^ ^n 'pahnn nxi rtaun nxi jnten nx Nnno 
 6$>n Djro ainan nans? "inx i^x nx x^nnh i^x nx niaii> n^xn no 
 [^Jctyo nxi onxn nx c>ee>o Hint? nnvo py "b no py ^a ^a cii> 5 
 nx PBTDPO p*^ pai>ni n^aun nxi jn^n nx nanx ^x SJK onxn 
 nx K^tw xin^ ntan nx N^CI onxn "B'OB'O nxi onxn 
 jntr mwoni nmmm a^pm onxn ^oiro nx ww irxi 
 [xnjnnxon npna xn:oi *mxn nx p^oiw jrxi DIX *vnw nx 
 
 j Nnaci xnrac>x xoi n^ro ^s xna *on xn^no D nxiap a 10 
 ne^ i>y n^y 'ipb nmo ix nxcir ^y njxa ^no xn^no ^D 
 -nnninni nrnnoo nna^^n n^yb HXDQ nTinn mino naa'x^ 
 n^Dii no:ii?o n^^sox^ HXEW E'^ i?y B'^ xvxi nnxotao 
 ix x^x nn^x ncip-io ix nanxo n:xa KID nxn'na XH:DI mino 
 pa nnaon ninsuo "p^ napxon ix n' jo i:nn ix yw XiTa 15 
 
 bix ^n n'ai ^XCE* n'a nan nixes pn^ixo pttv pai 
 nmno i^xi i^x oix b^ca fan nixco niTixo pXBn nmnu 
 ^oa ;an nan pxn: 6ix pyc^ -ii *DV n 'ip!> ^ca jana nabni>i 
 niaoi P^JI Dino yx-ttD naoi :oni ux vnanai onsc 
 
 1. 3. X'i'lO] Sifra has rOlD which gives no sense. 
 
 1- 5- KV ^ 3 ^3] Read pt^ in both cases with Sifra. 
 
 
 1. 8. '131 3/'pni] This sentence is missing in Sifra, and only the last 
 
 four words are inserted in brackets. It is obvious that the error there is 
 due to homoioteleuton. 
 
 1. 10. von] Readnn. 
 
 1. ii. IKCi] Read nXOV. See above, note on fol. 30 a, 1. i. 
 '131 HE^P] Kelim 27, 12. The reading there is %fy& *?]} vkv. That we 
 have no scribal error here, but a genuine variant, is evident from the 
 preceding line where nsifap J = DTiS!3 HEvE* is explicitly mentioned. 
 Maimonides had the same reading as that of printed edition, for he says : 
 
 r&arcs ^y 'cn jxa ih niyavx tfo *?y vbv xn:o canav 
 
 1. 13. '131 E^E*] Tosefta Kelim baba batra 6, 9. 
 
 1. 14. nxn"D3] Read nX1D3 or HX'D3. 
 
 1. 15. Kelim 28, 4. Slight variants. 1. 18. Tosefta, ibid. 
 
 I. 19. '131 VOnai] This is also the reading of the printed text. But
 
 ARABIC TEXT 217 
 
 NIK 3J?nl lim 3pyKl 3K3K 3py 
 
 jo pn sou mvy ysa DB i^ t^e> n^no ^3 [>3 'ipi 
 
 i^y:t? nuvni mipm Tvm Tn nnne' nniam 
 jxa ncB mai jopi ejw jo hoyo man Dipn ND TNDI 
 
 Elijah of Wilna suggests reading OHIO 13N Vn3*T31 which is preferable as 
 far as the Hebrew is concerned, as the other expression is rather too 
 strong. 
 
 1. ao. *ljm,5Kl] jJr3 a bolt of a door. It is a Persian word. See 
 Dozy. H331D] This word is slightly obliterated, but the restoration, 
 
 4 '?*' 
 H331D = i-pp inserted, fixed into, is quite obvious. 
 
 1. 21. Kelim ir, a. Slight variants. 
 1. 22. i;jm]
 
 HEBREW TRANSLATION 
 
 i a 
 
 n na nnw IN mnnern mi m lobyj nNDiBn DN nar 
 Ha nrow nnryn naoinb war,? IN nsinrwn ^a nan ny nans? I 
 nbyji DIN jw n n^nty yot2 n "nan nnN) nnN ba by a'Ti WN n 
 
 i HNDD oi?yM ^y a 1 " 1 ^ QDJ w woo 
 ".nab HNOD ^y N^N a"n WN DIN Na'-py -ii nry^N n 5 
 
 BHpD 13DD D^yj btt* IN HNDt2 WDD HD^yJ WOO 
 
 fjy an W^NI an NIH HNOO nbn ^y NOB Nim woo 
 chyn ^y woo D^yji p^n DIN iry^N n Na^py n nan 
 60 n^y:i woo D^yJi DIN OB> n B>npo tbyn by a^n pN a^n Nin 
 p:o Nwn" :noNi ".cnpo tbyn *?yi HNOO Q^yn by a^nb D^oya y 10 
 nbyni t|iD3 njTTi nbnna njrT u i^ty by N^N a^n WNP 
 nan ON" inxinn^nn niNaa IOIN *nobnm ",nby:i oib obn 
 NHI ixrvy Nbn a: by SJN DWQ ^sba mnvtm baN pn ^aba 
 NNT IT^NI TMB' na PNB* nNinn^n NM ir DNP an wnNp 
 n^bm D^T oi^a nntr na ^tr nyna n^n^ na pNt^ n\n^ na B*SJ> 15 
 
 n WOT n^yn nm ^cna na pns i na ^ba nn^ myB' noai 
 worn na pnv n "ooi rro^jn nm va }a pyoB> n nb noNi *ra p pyoe> 
 pioan na ON im nb'Ni nynao DN nn ^oro na pyoty n nb now 
 .D'bo a^a nrn pioaai ",ii xn mna n^Nn bNne^ bai iba 
 
 H 219 R
 
 220 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 my an HN p'hon 
 
 nop IN B*na rtw Dnnp 
 ",ai VDI C>N Nvn 'a" :aina&' 103 ,pran ^on cbvb yn nntja Nvoan nnN nan IN 
 
 nao DN ^>3N .pran 'Ditana DW nantri nniN N'aoni nny3n riN 
 B>N N^n 'a" jnoNt? toa /lisa N^aon y nnN nan N^ ,nnn na^a nmn 
 
 i b 
 
 ainan nne yan JIN n^yaon cbw D^ novyo NVH ^a ai vip 
 noiB' tnn Ta nnyan HN n^n" :niyi ",iaia 'pras D^DI laioo 
 
 3^ npan npa Ta n^K D'Dtr 'ana a^m onN ano nioa \i 
 N3 an niNn nN saon niN.n HN nao nnNi D^'yn HN N-'ao 
 P^nn^ pianom ".pnioa o^a mnn ina^ a^n ns^on nah nns % 5 
 p3 ohy^ nyio onN" tnoNB* loa / o*oi^B>na DMB piano ia*Nc>i 
 D^an HN n3B>i nan py DN NDD \w pai ny p3 nvo p3i aaw 
 DNI ".pianoa piano pB niB'yb" :niyi ".ota pra D^mo 
 ann n\n^ IN /IIDN nao^ D.no nnN ^a ann^ nbbv IN nna B>NPI nnay 
 pran 'on D^ 3^n irN X n3n nrN ni?aNi n^yoi noN nn^y B^ D^nn mn 10 
 nm niyc'n ;o DTnna D^ann mni n'bbvn IN nnan iTn DN i?3N .inbir IN 
 p3nn jntr nV^V IN nna nn3y" :noNE ) ioa y pran 'on D^c6 3"n 
 IN D^ann "jm IN HIDN yanN niaa Hint? nna nnay" :niyi "/ 
 ' DNn N\n nry^x n Nan DN Nan JND o^ann mn" :noNi ".' 
 IN N H n noonnai miens nnya p^nnt^ oi ".D^ann mn not? 
 n\n DN niNn^ oanx x nan *?& im^n nantn nprnna IN 
 
 a naia naa .Tn * DN ?aN ;pn 
 /inx ian IN /aor nn nn^n Pne6 nonian naoni ^ 
 n nphn nayn noa i^ T,na P"Hn " : new? ica ^IBB P^non 20 
 w DIN nry^N n ma iva yv^Na NM i^Na nniN pun DIN nnry p 
 D!?^ DIN pyctr "i nDN D^Dn DIN na^py "i D^ain mT nDN mtry 
 ON maw ia nan DN fDna an ON" ".np^in ^ i?an n N aon
 
 HEBREW TRANSLATION 
 
 221 
 
 2 a 
 
 OK min an 6s ejov an ON npin *?& nnaia ^ tan an 
 pfrm nnyan iniN nayne> niypn nana nniN Nnaoinni ".jiyop na 
 n nphn nayn na ita Tina pSnon " : nan nrx n^Ni /QBUD nnn nnvreo 
 BBB> nnn nyt?a D'ann inn HDK nn^y t^ DIK nry^K 
 DIK na^py -i HDK n^Dn nnn nyt^a HOK D 11 ^^ DIN rrnn* n noK 5 
 anya nt^yo noK nixo vfo& nnn ny^a HIOK D^tJ^sn 
 nphn n-iaya> n^yo yiv pv.Ti nN niKO ^sw "in 11 
 naoaoo nn"n DN ^ax nxsps? fon oniOK onm noa nt^p 
 nj may a^n m nn ^D ny I^SN ni? Q^IXO D^vy vn^ IK 
 
 nbx OKI ".niL2a niBK nao^ pan", jnty n^i^ IK ma IN 10 
 nai IN .D^msa n^aa IN n sl| nj IN nynr ^ D^n^a 
 . oi?3 -"DT o^i> p^nnn a-'n / DB> irtsrb 
 WK y nty in^n^ iam PKB> nan nw 
 no ^a 'on DJ D^ a^n nnn n-a ni>aN DN\ 
 OIK nnin^ n o^a ia vm i^nan nN pinon" 15 
 tr t^n: IN D^n *?& s^na N^N D^D pN DIN 
 ? T D s ^i b niaa nay an iy v\*wy\ 
 naina^ no b D^D^ nn^an nN p^nna nnin^ ni> 
 ina^ no ^>a Q^B nan nnw* n" :nNi ".D'-naa 
 .npa $21 pan^ inrN noi K^ rb p'iKn put? i^N ni? p^iNnn a^a nao 20 
 nan b (IN anai? DitwD) nn^n IN vnan pjjn 
 T D W a>n p^nem ; oni> nonm paan 
 nnns ^i Q^aN ^ i^ano pi nnip 
 
 ON 
 
 ina /aina 
 rbani lainaty n !?a 
 i!? niaa >n: n\n 
 
 nnN 
 
 paa nntra 
 
 nio pi " : noKB> 
 nopn IN KJB> 
 
 2b 
 
 n nwon naD^i ".nayn nN nan^ i^aN mjpn IN yot^a 
 pNa pni ; jna ncnaD wo^mh nN niaai? nainn y 
 
 R
 
 222 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 ,i?aaa iniN pau pM mea DINI onto DIN " : Nan IBNP i3 /foaa N^> 
 pro pun 'Ta nn^>y DNI .irea print? DINI D1N3 print? DIN 
 nr ^>y pyot? piNnni Jxrw* pN3 Dan tntthmn pyot?D B>sni 5 
 
 .n 11 :^ p'pao xV t^sn INI ^233 
 
 & ON M3NTT .Tp^ NnN NpUH NT 1 
 
 mix poptp b tbxi sin xan NHI *an Nan p*n aM Niaya n^ 10 
 ".tran pry mpNn Nan JNB> N^N^ >C3 -on pn ^aaa iniN paw PN 
 HN niv^^ pyct? HN oav^n nna y pyoB> iy [PINI] pwnn DNI 
 a pnN^ pna my^i ^rw piNa aivp Nint^ ia aivp WN nra 
 DNI .Ninn }ora pin ^ya H* natrn 's^ y Dipnn ^jNatr oyoNjn nnya 
 PINTI vi>y ^ap pyot!' ON ^aN .iniN DHJD pin nN p^y ^ap!? pyn^ JN 15 
 pyDB> nN jran^ jaiNn trpa DNI .pyoB> naita^ n^Tyo /ipann^ nsn UK 
 icy na^i? pyc^ JND DNI . oyDW DB icy taa^ 
 N^ INI n^ pyonD IB> piN^ nna wi^ nyctN DM 
 jna i M^ni jn: ni n^nn n^fe^ n^ p^noro na pai na pai rri> 
 
 yiyn D^D Toy^i ina iina yn ai?a DIN ina* N^tr pjo rbix 20 
 
 nrn }ra jni^yi' rain PMB> nivo mts'y nnN 5>i>ia Tain 
 
 3 a 
 
 N!> niVD ntn iB'y ni^o yen jno .n|? nsina N^ 
 ma m^ ynu N^ nw DN .^Dtt HWNT1 
 
 nN i>aN^> IIDMI mt^n nN !?PD^ D'-a^n 7 Ninn t^Nn noi ^N 
 nw ra ai" jainair ia ^D p^ 
 S /inM mma mw na'yai nsaii 5
 
 HEBREW TRANSLATION 223 
 
 OIK TKD n pnn niea pnn noen "pie> oua niaa pnn a"n pnn 
 n nrpaa by D^ pra nb^o bin byi fpn by DIK 6am nb^ p nbcj> 
 cbvn nni obt? pra nbB> njno noiya byi rreian byi naiao bin na^aa 
 NB> pai epab pTw pa mcnano nns ba ns bpoi? Dan ",p xn 
 niB>n n^ya on3 i^y^a .maiyn yoa pnn pi , 
 iy^ n^m nona n^ nwyb" moNB> ma 7 nr 
 pnn rmyy mip /niu'Hpn w nrn iwn nx oan nao 
 nao pnn noy N!?^ ny rviont? nn m^ " : noNt? ioa ^IDN p nn bas 
 nnin ^yn innp w naw no njnoa unai IDH^ enpiD i^npni 
 pna noya'ci w nc'yty no an N^ ny pin pai pnn N^ ny an pa 15 
 Diba nyy sb mnoa nji mn^ ^npio UK is^npn niao w nao 
 an N^B> ny p^tn pai pnn N^ ny an pa imvnjm main ^ya 
 lao 11 bax /a^npnb niosi ".iauo K^N o^n^ I^NJT ab Diba n&y 
 IK K^N.n ns vnam .enpb B^DB^I i^a^b ary> IN ^'an pnab von 
 N^N *b PN" :noKB> ioa p^opi owm^Ki DDDD p na ibba 11 
 
 p'Nn nt< bib bn ouamaw Ditaoim naupi jop nianb pao n 
 -n paa 7 nra nwyb bann-i y naab nrn nwn nx vrab OKI ".ntwn nx IN* 
 rs povKn nw" :noKB> ica /nnsnb Danx PK .n^oni mil 
 naro ^aab ntra pnosKn nw" :niyi ".i 
 
 n DJ e|DW "nea DN bax* Kbi" man pfnbi ".noiyoa 
 
 noNJB' D"DKn onann nvpoa na pnn pi ,iaoo manb 
 
 nrybx n OK " : noKB> ioa ,obaa xb ".ibax^ xb " ".basn sb " '^bas 11 sb " ona 
 
 nsan IID^N nnNi nb^as mo\s nns ibas^ sb baxn xb bax 11 sb ae' Dipo ba 
 
 ub nbaaa aman n.b ona^ n.nna ainan n.b ona'p ny yo^oa 5 
 nra ia->nianbi ".nbaa ba ibaxn sb N^ann n^aoa 'labi n.ny^a 
 baio xin moa "pa -ntwi byai .nnians b^a^a nnvpa
 
 224 HEFES B. YASLIAH S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 IIP 13.1:? i^y Tjnne> ,101^ 3in /won "HOT $>jne> anaim . 
 
 ,Dn ioi!> *3i:n ,ri33 i3ns> yiu xta IIBM ^yn ptt ,Dn3 an ,ru3 
 sin -pis .ntron on ana 3 s n lyio.i HEM byiv onnnni .^33 rn 10 
 n33 DN iic>n ns n^ni? D'anjn D^ PT: D^e6 an .v^y n^jns' nny 
 ns D^ITD N^N y nn*D an ITK nb pna N^ CN i?nx ; 
 D^ T">^i .nrw3n nan Trnni? n^n .D^ptr onrh? nay!? 
 jnw K^t? mtrn bya^ onsnm .onsn nt^cn D^DI .1 
 nn^n nrt ^n D^e6 3*n :nno insn ,D^B> on nna i-n 15 
 tnn inv P3BTH ,nn"o 3n UK pnnn ns n:i!? piann N 
 nw pa onm n'^rcn" iroKtr IM ,12020 xi? ^lo 
 
 nK D^C>D nyio nny nns px Dm ony -pv nyio nyiob nn 
 ini3 irx cm y^o n^^cr D^ nyio i2ian ns Q^B-D WN oni i2i3n 
 p D^BTD ijno pr: ^n n^zo nni D^ pr: D^{W nyio ybo txvkv 20 
 vm nrpnn JD nit32i 1233 3n e* " : myi ".12130 oSpo oni iT^yn 
 nro niD2 v*i n?3i nr3 anK> tr naan p 11021 nn'03 n^n^ 
 moi nro 1102 n33 N^ nn nni nn 3-^n njiaa nyio nroi 
 nn^os 3*n njiaa on nn'on jo "11021 1233 3"n H3133 N^ nyio 
 n33 nw i^ tmy T> 0360 H^^H HWOn ".issn p 11021 25 
 
 4a 
 
 ns ^pof' D3*n ^N n^oni ^noe' K^I IJIC^B' 12 nnni tswhv hono 
 ^3 irp rajn 123 nni? inn-'n DNI .D^OC' nu nn^ ^isi Kin D:I ,11^1 
 DN 'ii DIB^I? biono sin ru3 utr DNI" :3in3B> u:3 7 nir23 i^y ncnntr no 
 i " : next? 103 jcfsifm n^o 1 - ne6t? DIB^P hono n3i3 ".31 v }3 IN 31 y v 123 
 DV" :iiyi ".m IHN nr ons* ne^B' 13 n-ynty ijno OIN mirp 5 
 Df>iyb" :IION^ 103 ,021^.1 ^323 03 vi>y33 lyini 
 n "323 iniT-yn pi rra ^3231 n^ysn ^23 inn^yB> iy nyio 
 iy nyio ~vy nxyy* p Q^ysn ^323 vb\ pi n^3 ^323 pi na ^323
 
 HEBREW TRANSLATION 
 
 225 
 
 '3331 p 
 
 nny jm niny a 
 K n " : IIONS? 103 /n 
 
 1V3 
 
 nn n?B>n DV D3B> 
 not? N^ DN i^ya 
 
 3B3 
 
 tpn DV D'ot? 10 
 
 DIN nryK n " : IIONS? 103 /nyrrca not? N DN iya mos^ N^I ".nnN 
 noNK> 103 ^ot? *Ta nrvo nov v^ya oai ".pao K^K HTO^ ^ p 
 nn i33n jo nios oni nssn nx D^D nyio noi Din ns TOJ^ 
 W nnx" :nrn nsnn ns nnsas iioN 1 ! ".m3 pi J33 }31 nnns paTi nn 
 DIN 
 
 i nvn 
 
 DIN 
 
 NN i3 IN nw 
 
 15 
 
 PN 
 
 > nss inpn 
 
 .D^DB' T3 pnoio^ jvns psnu ^3N DIN n3 pnoioi* pna 
 y Nin nsn nst:n nov HID n^prn an wn pi n^prn ON" 
 
 TVFP ^33 ON ".nw 
 N DN ^3> " : noNB> i3 /3H 
 ne'i' 1 p ICNJ n3o nxo jnu Nn^ n3o no DN DNI n:o b 
 ".p n*aa p -ncn SJK pn rvaa j^n^ IIDNH i^y n^i^ no 
 ,DJTN rronyn nN D s ^jyo UN PN / Dni*arn xb minn^ onan 
 nyaon " : IIONI? 103 /nin HN einone' -am nan HN nyaon .miN B>3jp 
 
 nan nona nyaon M ,on6 IIDO 13^1 onN WD nioa nan HN 
 
 nioo i3Hi DIN 3HD mas nan nona nyaen" :noN^ 103 ^non^i 25 
 
 no nan IN nnn i>3ND nan nona 
 
 lanin nnN PNI wnin nn mmn 
 
 N.T ruo 
 ji^ni? 
 
 pn 
 
 4b 
 nion DDI 3Bi*nn n^n rapg&n" :IIONB> 103 y nion DD IN nNV IN 
 
 13N31 
 
 oa 
 
 11DO 13H1 DIN 
 
 nnN na ni^ naoo D^Toty noi noiN ma 
 nenyn" mcNB' 103 /iNDn ^o nionan nnN HN 
 n 11 ^ ".D^O^ moo uni DIN 3HD niD3 nan nona vsb nNtan ^o jniini 5 
 p n^a n^t?" moNB' 103 x nBn3K nso nam D'-yanN nip^o niani? n 
 ION N3n ".D*oe6 ^IDO um DIN wo IIDB pnm pn n^a 
 pn n^a m^na NS-IB> IOIN N3ii" :noNB> 103 ^rm pn n^a mcna
 
 226 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 rooann nnsa nnoo ".DW 'ana a*m ms ano -noa pnm 
 
 nb pnm ibwa men K^P na n^s *yoo no iaiy innb 10 
 pnm p no nwo ntw ycn naiyn n innen" :rOKtp 102 ,tt 
 in Tin nayvw na ma plan ".owb 1100 I:HI DIN a*no 
 
 yaa nan bw mnx ns^an IN nop siaian .nan niona 
 
 .T'yni? DHV naie'n .nna"ic> IN nn^a 111 ! nn&crrt? np^T 
 
 *ii> ja 'enn* -i OK" : ncMB' ioa ;injn^ N^ni nan^ nan^n nny tnaon 15 
 
 ma plan }n I^NI D^OB> y^na am DIN ano IIDQ DHIN n^yn onan 
 
 nan^ "ip^ ny naitrm np^in yaa nan ^ inop sjattm nan nona 
 
 now tJ'in Ta myan nx nbwn ".i!> n-yo UNI nan^ nny jnvm T'yn^ 
 
 now ^nn T'a ni'-yan nx nh^n " : now? ioa ^pnm jop IN 
 
 vba la^cy o ".D*C^ *ana ani DIN ano ">IDS jopi 20 
 na ma^a " : ncsty ioa ,-i^a^a ivy DB> ihnni /DDK N^I nmn -pna 
 
 nbaat? wna noynb Pennon ",ai DIK yno II 
 
 ",ai DIN yno nioa m^yn h i^oa H^DJ" most!' ia /l 
 iiNn N^an" moKB' ioa /it n^ ^y naina^ n'-pa trsa 
 an DWD OIK S N^ nioa m5wi an Nin B'san HN aim NV vrbzh 25 
 
 nB> *KD ai poy 'aa anna nain WKI aV an inw Kaan 
 n^ya nwna nonan npnn^a / o*avnn nana pyot? i IDKI ",D <I C^ 
 : no wn*ai ^ran ^ya^i p^rn ^ya^ nanitwn nicnai n^ya ^ na^N^ 
 nun BB> Qipo ^a ppraa OIK iry^N p pyo? i HM onan nyaiK" 
 panwn nvn paa nrh n ban }D iioa pi^ab K^ pb baa an ptob K^I 5 
 byi rwan bsn nawa bjn na^aa bjn nn^aa by nioa bannt wn by nypam 
 xb mm PKB> oip bai pra n:n ob^o cni ota pra obtj^ mno nc^ya 
 byi obti> pra nb^o bann by^ \vn by Drra^ b naKB> nvn paa nib xbi nrb 
 ob^ pra ob^ nyio noya byi nvan byi nawa bjn ns^aa byi nn^aa
 
 HEBREW TRANSLATION 227 
 
 pra D^IO bsn hy JOIN psnu i DIK pyDt? ii "iry^N i pt3 n?n D^PD nni 10 
 i>yi navi3 ^jn nrvaa byi D^ P B^D hin ^>yi fpn ^>y JOIN bam D^B> 
 *I ".pra nm D^B>D om tbv pt3 obtPD njno ntrya by\ swan i>jn na*^ 
 nain p* ipi'n nivon "n^K' nnainm .wnini n^rn^ D^pvn nra 
 yai3m ynin rr^en one^a ni^a: i3n " : noKt^ no ton nrn jora 
 ~m? innn nnnan nsi r5isi an ni n^xn ns nnni w nvhsi 15 
 p o^yan nn-'oa nov v^ya DJI 5>pD nie'n at^ n^^ 
 ^yaisn DIN 'jaro npoas i^n onain 5>a pii> n^3Mi 
 nan fann Diip rot? D^yaiK" :noB' ioa .D^P rm ^t^n nan^ 
 iiyi ".ni^Bs an 13*1 N^ l| JD 1| nax na pny n ON xna^n !> mana na^i m3D. n^> 
 
 iT3 ^3N ^TN iT ^31 Nn23 NVini> HH33 K^ n" :nDK 20 
 
 yh *a PNI NpT <i Nnin' i a in snaa 
 n^nnys 'NCN n^ now N^^ n^ 
 nnn ao ini? DM Min N^DP na 
 
 in Dyai naa^s INDH NI^ my DN 25 
 
 i>nM ^N x'-anb ^npn a'n / wy IB>M nana ID^NI onioxn onnn 
 pam .Dnty p nn .WMI f>y onn* nN myn ypr i3Di . 
 
 nmp ^y WDD jnai ^oya yat? nansn 3B i>M IDTD m 
 naron ^>y n^pni .ni'iyn nar nio 11 !?N "jay nniani .niDpn 
 nan i>a HN Mnnm .on^ H^DJI oni naai .naa ^y nnnvni vnv^ai 5 
 i" :ainaK' ia ,DB> ejn^i /trnn iaB> i?N nine oipo i>M rono^ pno 
 ai jnan Mam ai yn ypr larooi ai nMonn njnui ai yai ^ i?Nn^ my 
 ",ai nan HN stnnm ai ia^ n^y ai la^n ^a ni ai Din JDI ai pan 
 
 v^yn nnan fe 1 "myn apr"i "myn ^y "i "h^W my" man 
 nawn nina PIJD ir irw ^Mit^a mnvcn myn i>MiB my" :noMB> 10
 
 228 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 p |K pn n-a r moNn >np no np n> -owi np p MB> "is" :niyi ". 
 121 D^yai " : noNt? 103 ,nb nwo xh nwon p p^n " nan D^yji " payi ". pn n*a 
 ma p noN span nx npy^ pn rva mn" :noi ".n^>a nrco D^ynn^ N^I 
 mn p-iiua i^x nn minn mr may PN mina naty px mma 
 mina ma ^ nox nsrxa pa^n I^N nn jnvpo ^oah |nvpo o w pb 15 
 x mina natj' ty nioa DV naaa DV niov^ ^y xan ^ax 
 ax mina mr may B nioa n^ann nitjni? 
 mn" ".span ^a N/I nan -iai D^yii y& pa^n I^N nn 
 pa-'-n PN bas mina on ^ nxr3 pa^n I^N nn nvpo 
 anpn a^n ^y vb^ pan px bax mina a^n ^ D^D^ aipn Din iy 20 
 ">ONI ".pa-'Ti I^N nn n'-D^a^ bias ^y N^N pa^n px ^>ax mina hae 
 n!?on niVD K^I nivo" :noB' ioa / nivo M*KB> non f^ian^ " 
 K^ x jnia it^yj DS'^ Dnai oa^ay "nauryn Nb nc'N" mani ",pn n^a nixo 
 ps" :inrDNB> 103 /ma noi^ aixn) nxo nnan^ a-n onix ncnyn nvi ^ 
 nva nax^o ntnyn paa Kin nn ".nNtsn ina:^ 5?yi nna wnw ">an i?y X^N pan 25 
 
 6a 
 
 na^ooni .ona wn*ai o K nyi noaa pn 
 
 niaanpa vb ^as y mr may n^y^ janpa oai nrn jaipa nvn^ nans 
 
 xan nao pn na^oo jna p^ iia^v niaanp i?ai" :noB' loa 7 onnK niav 
 
 ".niava nia^o ne> moa Maa*n ox" :niyi ".mr may n^yen nison 
 
 twin ^y n* na^oo " : i-ioNt? 103 /^oion n* 'nc'a nvni? nansi 5 
 nnnvon my" :no&* ioa ,r\w mwfo D'-ans myn 
 
 nairn yai ",rw^ nn hp^ n^a pxi Daa> nn ypr iaooi . 
 mroa noiy n\i hna pa " : noxtr loa ,niTO ai>3 nawn nyB>3 nnyio 
 ".pasa a^ w :noB> ioa ;:iasn naron <ai3 on^ 11 nani ".anyo 
 B pin" :nox^ loa ^n^niano ^ pino nanob pno n:iai 10
 
 HEBREW TRANSLATION 229 
 
 IN yun -p inw ,QBW oniDNn ona-in inx naaea new N^n 11 n DN 
 /etn by IH IODI .omn any -w imp nx tpan$> a*n /insan 
 lanai lyavxa IBID jnan nph .nhyn ns on^ IK>N* Dipa mnt?i 
 
 b$ ISJB^ wco nnwm ,n!?iyn nnr nuip ^y 15 
 jron v^y isai .D'D^n nnr n^na mi?n ^3 
 ai pan np^ ai n HDDI s\ vi>K jnin IN 5i 6ff K^a mrs " : aina^ ica /i> n^o^i 
 nr N'tw Kin nr^N " : nost? 102 ,1^0 n ^a nbon natti ".ai n^n ^ 
 ro^ poi> DIK xin j^i ,in*> niv bso nnx n^yi w ^cn 
 vnb K^ vna ^y pxe* ^a j?rb -JIDKH .vn^K no vn^x " nx nxi^ 20 
 rfjN jnin IK nai ".vn/K K^K vaa i>y ps^ ^a p TioN 
 
 vi>N ynn" MICKB' ma .inNona icxya xin yTcr 
 ns nev xh v^ yiin 6^ ?b^n D 1 ^ i^ new I^SN pao 
 N^a" moNB' ia x p^ D^P ^i ^o invnn v!>y nnm nrn pnpni 
 pip N^an^j a^n rrn OKI ".uvin Nini stanza N!?I N'ira Nini Non^a 25 
 
 6b 
 
 nip iniatan vmn % .n ia inxi / mvna nra 
 
 ",iw tfaio N^JI is joan nw ir6n;D lay "p insi 
 N^ani? a^n ^nia^o npos^ inx n^yo^ lann sonn nx Nun ON 
 
 ^ inNi inin^co iaysr n^io jna " : IICN^ ma pmna jaip 5 
 is N'-ao rvE'D jna NDH na inxi in^nan iayt^ x^:n jai 
 psn nyo nnx DN .1iDD n^/^nn ni&n ".oinna 
 
 /nxan I^N ynin -ja IHNI y DniDNn n^iain nns' nc>yi naat^a 
 by VT 1 ^OD1 ,riNDn^ D'-^aan jo IN nnyn jo napa iaaip HN x^an^ a*n 
 niaip by lyavsa rmno jnan jnai .nbiyn Dipa unc'n ^ in ,nc>Ni 10 
 ioin irxa na^n ion .nic 1 * ^x ns^ 11 mum ^n^iyn naro
 
 230 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 nboai jnan vby naai .vby TDpni pnbvn pip abn 
 vbN ynin IN 31 pn oy roasta Nnnn nnN paa DNI " : ainat? 102 ,ib 
 ai IT DN "poi ai c>aa DNI ai nabn ba nw ai none pan npbi ai in> nx HODI ji 
 nan T^n by D: nmn nrn pnpn ",5i in^n ^3 nw ai tbnn DID jnan np^i 15 
 
 ,p n^a nN"iini nenyn i?2N ;pi n^n nsnina xi? /oxy riN-n 
 niin " j nous? 102 /aoc np^noo pipn nam ^^ IN nan Toin rvn DN 5>nan 
 nnx y-n pn n^n nin nvr 1| N3 IIDS p naa nSn a^n 
 p pyoB'ai ny p pyopa nmir^ ^NT TD^n IN iyta 
 nhn nnwya oib obn a^n NTP ha on^a ^y ntryi -pn^n n^ni son 20 
 
 pn n*a mn" myi ".niM pn n^aa nbin an icvya 
 by aaic> ntryi T-HM ibm mina nniosn nivo ba nnN 
 pai onnnx rwjn HW i^ai ony n^yi wyc> pa 
 
 jnam ibon HN nrr pxn oyo vnanai ",pn rvaa rbnw ^ao maa nr nn 
 
 p DN^vini "^cnn nnN trsa OKI" na ncNa^ "^a:"a abba N^I 
 
 nvn "nnN nn^ya" viana ".N^ab Dna pn nyo" :noB iioa .nm pn 
 
 n^an n^aN nry DNI .invpD N^ ^anp .Tby n^n^ iba n^yon ba nib 
 
 ba PN y pnp a'n iniN ntjnynt? ntryon ba nN naa^a ^yi inynb BN 5 
 naa x^sion N^an" :nN^ ia y pnp N^anb o>a^n /in 11 oba N^ ^no nnx* 
 N^ DN D'.N min^ n a^no -VNO n n^a^ imKwn an n^ann ni^nb 
 DIN pyoa> n jmoa wb DNI pa^n DJB> inwsim iN^inb nnN ha 11 
 "^D 'an Nao pnioa D"a^ viinnm wnb nnN ha 11 N^ 'a by JK 
 nxpNa NH nnxpo nt^ya N^ nba n^ya nnN nnt^ya pan wm 10 
 niNnm napa paniai oiobipa poaicn naiaa praibi raba pmiN 
 nban b^ biaya nn^ya ib rbbn pa^n in* bia^ o^ann nitsnb 
 DN DIN rniiT n D'-ann niB'nb iniN^ini nmpa omn nimb 
 pyoty n pnioa iNb DNI pa^n DJB> im^ni iN^inb nnN bia^ Nb 
 n.ab pnitsa D^at^ miN^ni wjnnb nnN bia* Nb^ "a by *IN 15
 
 HEBREW TRANSLATION 231 
 
 nivo" nNM noa vi2m ".pnioa uw D^B? 3n rrow? w nrwjn 
 jmn IN " oai " nrco " vi3*6 nnnina cw " V$>K jrnn IK " DJI " 
 .nNtn JVBTonn nwob nioTipn mvon n&* 11x22 IIENJP 
 N!> IK>N 121 ntwn on& *o .tifcD M'^^n niXJbH 
 
 IKXH p D"n bK Kan^ n^n D^NU' yi 1 " K^I nvp 20 
 a DKI" ::nrDP ioa ^ H^DJI inaat!' ^y v^y nsai .jnan ^N n^x pipb 
 n^ ^33 n^apa ",ii wn DB^K ai 6 D^on ^K K3ni ai BW Nann 3 
 y ^3KD ^'D 'J^ vjsi? vnB B^N^ np naas^m nrn 
 nno nrxo sn 11 xh DHD nnsa ^NI ^nio y^m IIDK one 
 
 7 b 
 
 ;N2 |no IPK ^y yT 1 K^I }n nnx ^y K3i /^SK ininsi in^x vnt? IN ;^JN 
 y niDK JOTS IN inn jon nniN n^y DN yi 11 tb\ roNbo nvy 
 
 DVI n3B* ajB* jno 
 
 DK1 "/^n DB>N K^D HB'y JHD ntK3 JHT pNI }H nHN3 nSK^O 5 
 
 nnntjo ^sn^ TIX nna n^n jvra iniN ^KHB* nm naa3 i3K 
 unr b p3nt!> 131 " : noKB 102 /i^n D^N pip ipso i?yi nNun pip 
 K3o 2^>n i^-iNn DIN K3py ^ .^^n DPN ipso nNan inj^ i>yi 
 n^yi'D j^n i!>n D^N K*3o ^N N^ PSD bN pao y^on 
 jn irN jnv iaw jno nnN nN ^N inw 1^2 ^ n3nm 10 
 
 jntiB> IN NDHB' 1^ 112H pipn HN K*3i1B nPIK OKI ".*&! DBW 
 
 nr 2tr2 iani .nyin^ ny2 mo 
 yiu IN Ntanty yii: 12 IHNT ii DPN N*2r:n " : IIDN^ 103 /ana pip 
 
 nyi 6iN 63m IKD i n2i ny2 nyvi N^ nt^y* no NDn K^B 15 
 
 n^ von ^a>i 130^ 3Nno>^ ny 
 nit m2y2 natwi my DN
 
 232 HEFES B. YASLIAH S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 120:1 inrooi 
 
 nvn 31 nrc IPN a nN 31 
 
 -iiNaa worn naa ".31 my bab H^DJI 31 pan nsai 31 nyn ^^D DN 20 
 nsrn mxon Dii ^mmon nmo ainanc' "Ji ^ my b DNI" 
 my no my ^nb nowi my p nN3 " : noKt^ ioa ^na 
 ii ",nsmni> pin o^a vn*^ ny p mioxn my ^N nNiin^ p^xn 
 aman nir maya DIN nnx" jonnan SM nr ^y nnainn .N^n mr maya nsrn 
 
 8a 
 
 DN n s ni oil? 6i?n minas? nixon ^ao nnxa N^N WN IN nano 
 ir irxi noxy 'Jaa HIDNI n nivo ainan nm 11 ii yj myn yyo 
 tra: as .Ufta nya^n Hl^bn " mr may 
 
 .r>NDr6 nnaB> na ry anpn^ naTi nnr maya n::t^a 
 ai n33^a NDnn nnN B's: DNI" rainacr 102 ,nb n^o:i jnan n^y naai 5 
 
 n\i 33iB>n *?& nrn n3K > ?DnB' nnainm u .^n t^a:n ^y jnan -isai 
 
 !?a ^aa nn*n mr may ^a Nann nnN D ( D3 CNI " : Dnnan NM nnr maya 
 
 nai n^o Tyt^ N^J m*y^ IN nacra n^y N s ao n-n^nc' nwon 
 
 nyapa jnh n^y nnsnn^ n^ao nN^no ainan nn is psoao pi 
 
 mow iai? nsDni> nna^ na ry n^y pN^ao ITB>DI N^3 THM in"^ 10 
 
 .ny^nn nix^n ".it ncna 
 
 D 11 ^ IN ^aam naaan nN TB>nb n^'io n 11 PNI a33 ^N DN 
 PN DNI tbw D^B>" :aina:? 103 ,3333^ D^ 11 ^ na naoni? Nin njxo .n^ya!? 
 n3pn 'a" wniNa nma j^aoo iiNa nrn non nN wnNa naa ".ai b 
 yvm niNa 10^3 .}to nan T'arn^ yix 13^5 PNI /3^n naon n^Nia "ay nay 15 
 pi>nn ,nrn p^na nbyoi> nar3^ nivon m^y nnN JD n^y nivo pn 
 
 ,5i oen Nonn a c'33i" n^iaa ma?3^ /la^n JVTO
 
 HEBREW TRANSLATION 233 
 
 pp n^y DB* xb" :ain:jE> ia ,n:ii3i> n^y n^'h pp n^y npv^ now 
 
 npv^ \nzb ib most? a ^y P|NB> fe nbapa ".naa^ n^y jrv xh 
 
 v^y pp DB^ i!> into /nanpnt? DTIP naiah pe> nrn pnpn by 
 
 omp miab vby n^ OKI .unpni? inv^ no MCO anprw 
 
 ia ^imaijn HN tapi?^ nnx y nanpn inxn nx anpni> 
 
 ru 
 
 8b 
 
 " :p DJ ptya now ".i 
 
 n p^nn ^ wnwa D^J ",nnB> ^y wn fnw jnu 
 
 r p pn ri wx*\ nan^ nixan p j 
 pnx 
 
 nain psi monan JD D^aion nwaipn nana nivo nit^y n3i^ ia nno 
 nrco nry ^13 on pewin :&pbn vvh mpbrv |ni ;nrn jora 
 nwanpn nana mxo ya^ bbte y^n p^nn .n^yn t6 mso nact? ^ 
 cn-'pijn <ae6 nip^m jm ;nrn jora }JTJT^ nain PNI 7 nra Nvvai pnn p D^a^on 10 
 
 .n^yn N^ nivn *ns? bba 'Jtrni ntry nivo c'on bbv on ptwin 
 
 /ma wn*3i ^wean 'aiyi / D 1| D3:n -^ana ni^o m^y nnx ^ha V^OT pi'nn 
 
 e^cn nc'y nivo fno t?>on y mv naioB' ^ia DTO pe^nn : D^n wb mpi^na jm 
 
 naint? n^y mso ^B> bha 'atwn ;nrn pra |nwp^ nain pB> ,n^yn N^ nivo 
 
 in bnn TINi .m3 ^Bn o^^ frai .DIPOI JOT 5>aa init^yb 15 
 
 nixa pn^ nwan *iK>y p nii^Nin niv^n 
 
 mo ta pup n^on iar x^an^ njsrp npan p nhy anpni? aianon
 
 234 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 1011 one* p-nns ,i>by nasb wxn by VT IOD> 13 nn .ijno bnx btf 
 ,vnnjb nna'i DPB' 13 nns .iyio bns nna b*x -KPK naron by a s ao p-n 
 
 DX" :3W13B> 1O3 ,0^03 VB131 131p JIN WPP ^HK naton by C>N3 span 20 
 
 ji laiyi ai iin3i ai o^am ai i* 1 ns IDI ii pan p iaanp n^y 
 
 D^anpoB' nyn tyy nvn^ inv^ traiao " ai nna ^N " man ",5i vynai ianpi 
 
 inna by ^ia mix paiatr 10^0 iniK anp " j nowj' 103 ^NOB^ pai mnB> pa ijanp nx 
 
 9a 
 
 an tj>sn by IT IDDI " man p:jn ".y win IDN*^ iy ins paia 
 " man ruiai ".poniB> paoiDt? oipoa" moNB' ioa 7 inhr N^nn'-on 
 
 twy ain^n i3^> Tatn N^ r\vy nivo nnny ^y maa "ii> 
 ;|na Nvvai '^nw onb W>" ".npyo nnw" |iaa /i^y naiyn 
 
 pja .nipni fisprb I^SNE' npyn N^ niso may ^y maai 5 
 jna Nwai "p ny DO nmn K^I " " pi n^n n^ ai D*33n i?y DNH npn i> " 
 by iNn DN i^ mna oipon no ^y i^ mna oipon^ 10^0" :nra IIDKB' 103 
 Ta ni3 QDB> T3 nn^o pi n3 nn^o jrr^y pa^n^ onan 
 oipon no by IION }^3y nn niotwi HINDH D^yanx nip^o 
 n niB3m ".ryyy Dip nna t^"^ npyn M^ nixo byi n^y nivo ^y 10 
 
 " : na^oon nana oai nn noNB> 103 /T TDHI minn^ nns 
 ne> pa IT 'np moi anyoa vaai aiyoa IDIDI anyoa vaai paxa noiy nar 
 
 nar ^ 
 
 nan rvn xh IT ^y it IH H'-JO .Tn sh nrnn ^aa by in* nao HM h 
 ^y nxun py nxun ^y n^ay py i^y minoi manf6 D*T pa 
 n nan <i ni on^ pstr ns^ai nnaen op^ py nSy ^y noa's py 15 
 jy jna B^B> onsn maso nhy no by na^py i ib DIM ^^an 
 byi nK>y nivo by nnsso nbiy no by PHIDK jnbtr rwyn sb 
 jnsb nnn :nomo "onan" nboi ".n^y Dip jna tw n^yn sb 
 onayai nnni D^aa mcra baa no^nc'" :rDKB> 103 pr6 nrb D:I
 
 HEBREW TRANSLATION 235 
 
 pyaia DKDon vrv xbt? nabai D'enp njnpa ib'sxi n^xonai 20 
 mrpD nxm muynp nnaia "n x ovarian pnx aa unpm" man bax 
 baa mt?a PIBTRP bax /wna nrao -jb\xi nbapo " : noKj? ia ,onrb xb ,D*3n 
 anyoa n^x naron pp by Din nx nps? "Tao" nbon n:i 
 
 ppn 
 
 9 b 
 
 DHMI trsnn nm 7 Dnn^ D>iaN DJ^jy "^nnab mw nrm" inam 
 wnui K'Nnn nx inin " : noKt? wa ,D'aTm aipm aam nrnm obnm 
 rpM bnb nby QTH nx nmn ai u^jnan nx nmn ia nars^ ''ob 
 ib xa ai naon janb nby ai nrnn nx bo: ai nuipn ns btaj a^ namn 5 
 ",:i n^KDVn ban btsa ai ppiyb ib xa ai n^bxctrn isnb ib sa ai nnab 
 n^vyn ba" :nxB> ioa ,1231 m 'vyD pn /w^ D'vy ba t^xn by lanyi 
 ?y ben nax ben nasn bt^ nuaioa n^'an ibxa bax jsa btri nn btw pn 
 INVH p nbiy a>-ipnb aiannn .1^23 H^^H ni^Dn ".?w 
 
 naron IT by onsj" ia nnx .DIG ia px n^x D^DD nar x^anb nixo 10 
 
 ^ nnx .ano narnn by ion nx oynan pnx ^aa ipin . 'asb naiav 
 
 jxvn jo DXI" :aina^ wa y vynai unp nx ixmB' nnx ?in^ vnnab nna 11 
 
 ia y DHno nnax "nnai" payi ".ai D^ynam anpm ai inx nnai ai tanen ai np 
 
 ia nnix iby^ ia nnx .nxrn mson <i 33b^ mroa lanisaa nbyob lanoxcy 
 
 ".Dnmnab tfnna px i^nnab" :nXB> ica .naion by one' 15 
 eiwn p nbiy anpnb anann &&& ffttfaffft HlXfin 
 
 .naron by mix anp^ pani .navn 'aa ix omnn p x'-anb nixo 
 
 nnx naron n*p by IDT nvo>i naron by nopi IB'X-I nx pbo^ ia nnx 
 
 .jcnn nipo bx nonp narrsn bxx mix Tbe^i .nxiani nxnon n^one' 
 
 by 5]iyn p DXI" jainaa' ioa ,naron by in^p^i .jbna^ xbi vaaa yDB ia nnx ao 
 
 anpm" inano lanob u .ai aa mx yoan 31 o nx TDHI 31 {.nan lanpm ai p 
 
 noa^D p-ipb nvixn nmnac' nibnantr " p x navn aa p ix oninn jo 
 
 H S
 
 236 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 vb yrvtrb DJTKIO ^rw TWO rovn *aa S>3 ;3rnb I. 
 BIB ruvn '33 ^3 N^>I ruvn '33 jo onmn i>3 K!>I omnn JD" MIDKP 103 , 
 
 io a 
 
 pie>3 pun nD'j 
 
 ^wn p t?>Nin TIN nsn 7n ,mav3 m >3 .ccnm mpn DJT 
 p nnx 311 IN nns r\r\wn&& 0^3 1^130 WNI pav3 pbio " : nos^ 103 
 
 P^ID wn p 5|iyn nstans p^ioi? DWI nnx 3n IN nnN nnp^o 5 
 nwn PDwinDn ^ph "3n3 nn ejiyn nhjW K^K sjiyn nijiyn 
 
 " :niiN NnsDinm ".cnpose' ni^p nnnyo in" :ne 
 s? p3 n^n 'nty vniyssx JB> p3 nBj >3t?> }ni3 s]iyn nNtDn 
 nany hoc piavs P^ID nvn vniynvs ^33 ^y msw nnm HMI 
 nnx 311 IN iriN nnt: i| nirB' 0^21 nsrcn TP ^y nn nrni ^ino 10 
 
 nN3i isrnn 133^6 " : ainae' IDD ^n-cn Dipcn ^N 3N uips 
 ^ani non3 i^yts^ pan^ " oa^nntyyo " nbon ".31 y nc^ 
 itryo IHNI nai3 iwo "IHN 1310 3iron mixyyo y^3" MicNt? IDS 15 
 
 ttoten }3ip ^3 o^DD n^ftnn HIVDH ".jn 
 
 ^3 nnN ." ^ab oniN fi'3nb nrnn nsi 3^nn HN vnu ua^ 
 ".Si pan iDprn ai B>N HN nsjrsn VT" :3in35r 103 .mron ^y 3^nn 
 /launn nyB'n pipn ^y3 n^ nnn IT n s iD HM jnanc' ^33 n 
 D"nx 'ab nvnb ronv naunni 'Vtrhon n* nnn IT TOO JPD" :IIOKB' ioa 20 
 IIDNI ".nnio n^yo N'3 T^IO " : iioNt? 103 /reon ITSTHB.' D^oycn ^3^3 
 i^ ninnn^ "cb 3ci fbio j3nv i CN N3N 12 rpri i 
 
 CN 3n ^no K3iyD3 i^ puni D^c^ntr oi> inioi n 
 ninii nsyb *i3 N3ci The ru3n 13 DV i CN N3piy 13
 
 HEBREW TRANSLATION 237 
 
 10 b 
 
 JWfc?n niXlbn ".Djn D'bbu nivyb Ha Tirol nbyo niyn 
 
 noson abnn nxi ,oabn nx cnhv Q'anpn D^aan pi jxvn p nnpb ux invo 
 tfbaan byi pby "IPX abnni nvbam pnpn by IPX abnn -in>i pnpn nx 
 3"i o^n naTD anpm" :nin3B> i3 .natOT by onix TDpnh paan by mnvm 
 
 nah? pip tDnity nx ",ai ton pan n*opm ai nvbn "n^ nw 5 
 OKI ; pnpn n^ it in3{rn nboia ^B'yDi man N^N D 11 
 nx nboiB inau'no px .D 11 ^^ MHB> ^trytDi niaa IDHB' nya f 
 
 vby VT 1 nD xh nyy pipn bya DXI ",'ia^ 
 
 ".fn^y ID tbv IQ by 
 m o^aan oy anpnb us D*IXD 
 
 bab ; jotn pi nbo x Dna xvai .nrnai omai mbiy 
 
 > n? x pnn n^yan p^i .o^ioam a^n 
 ; p 1 - ia pen p 1 - pnn n^"b^i nbo n-jn^y y^ b^bi ; p s ica 
 " :aina^ IM y ia pen p* pnn 'vm nbo D^n^y n^bc' "ish 15 
 b'tfb IN ai n rvyai noab p^i ai np anpcn anpni ii nar IK nby ; "b n^s 
 pi 31 pan p by anpm ii y pa p nwyn *ai 21 ^ loab pi 31 6 n^yn 
 .Dmpb sbx unarnp no bab nain D^N n^oani <{ .ii pnn -"vn noab anpn 
 nbiy xb^N b px nbiy 6ib obn o^aoj jyt: 11 o^sb aipn ba 'JN DW" : Ionian 
 
 nx Kaoi ib^N nx N'ao yo^o nar oib obn o^b^n nx niaib p3 20 
 
 xbx <i niDN xb na*m is ma xbab oib bn D^NI nxtsn 
 nan nain nbiy nx x^aci ib^x nx trxio yotro nanaai *n:a 
 
 nxan nain nbiy nx x'-anb oanyma IN DIN 
 ntan nain n^Dn ns x^aoi D^bana nxan nain nbiy nx 
 x^ bbaa n>n npa p nar ix nby ipa p ntryn ai 6ib obn n^baia 25
 
 238 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 ii a 
 
 maa N2 Nins? ip2n p no i^an i?y n^i 
 
 N2n !>2 -p 
 
 vntJ> IN .nioio^ D^na ^ya vn anannt? issni npan ox 
 naiai "Ji jnntr nen iran" :2in3B> ia ^n^ N^ /nana^ tanpn^ NIH mso 5 
 
 Nin m^pi ,nr ^aea vi>no nnx nx mri /nmotj' lannsy 
 ni hn^n w tnoNty 102 /^aio nnx nr ^a^a nnaai vnn 
 
 .nmaa wian^o nnx^ ^102 lan 11 noot^jB' ijinc* inr 
 1 noo^B' jniB " : noNB* loa ^innn IN Dion ^na 
 " :m nxan DIN Tin^nni ",iion^ nran vfcn HIDIQ DID^ mon 10 
 
 23 ^y PJN p^jyn fV2 N^N }pno N^I j^jyi DTI N^J NQD 21 ON 
 i2 /i^n pi2^ rvcn KWI nanao^B* " N ntryn na*u " man 
 nnN pi nan pnai? naia ntry nnN IHN m n^yn 
 
 p-ipn rrn ON .Ufcfc n^^MH nttJbH ".ntwa 15 
 
 DNI" :awi3B' i2 ^vnnbh i2ipn nra iniN ^2N^ Nin mxo TW IN na*u 
 ny" IN N^I "601 i>3K inar HN nnpn ova" "INB> jia ",ai nan: IN ma 
 
 jiB'Nnn Din icrm iniN ^3N^ inio /min pnpa 
 loa .Ninn npsn nnB nb^a N^I /p nnNB> np32i ^ 
 
 nnar THN nvb ^3N3 D^nar Nin pn *vrbv IIN^ b^ ^3" :noNB 20 
 
 nb^ 1HN DT 1 !? pbaN3n DT.3T 
 
 Nin DV iy DV iy 6ii> 
 
 mm pip anpon .ijaa nn^yn mxan 
 
 Wii iDB'a nih^2 nivo n^n vby 
 ni!?ni
 
 HEBREW TRANSLATION 239 
 
 lib 
 
 J1 p> yon Dnf? nibn by ai ip mm by nx " : ainat? wa ,yon onb 
 nivo mbn nant? ^a'on in 11 ! nvmtry n-iK>y yonn nnb 
 nnb nibn by " : I-IOXK> 102 ,D<anpy mt?y ,31 naano nboi ai nwo VP"ii 
 mtry nwo SJN nianpy m^y yon no m N-an yon 12:2 yon 
 
 .nno nns bo nn^y m^y owm ni^nni " f nwny 5 
 i pip bo nriN i3oo nnpm" :IDWB> no n 
 
 wm ,niB>yo nnx p^n i:n^ man y noiin 
 nonn p noxj p ynn noa ynv "J^N ^> nonn" :noxt? 103 /ya 
 nnx -IT ]x nit^yo nnx n^yon nonn no nt^yon nonna nonn 
 nar by nnpm bib obn nns pip K^N oba in 11 xb" :noxi ",n-i^yo 10 
 
 nonb Kso3 ^ nonn pip bao nns woo anpm DINI minn 
 p-iirn jnab WB> pab jniii yans jno bow nibn D^yanx mm bt? 
 aib 'xn jot^n nno^ ".D^yab baxi ix^ni nw ib tvzb&n m nx 
 nb p riTani mini? jo^ :b vn" moKty loa p^ioam n^on wrw 
 nivon iB'y b^ linisa obw "/3DO ntwb nabn mjb mj pat? DV 15 
 
 mm pip nair 
 
 / ino*TO' w nnno b^ npan nnno ny nean jo Tninb Tian 1 *b 
 mm nar nt^ai " : yirav loa ^nnno b^ai mix ianpn ova i^ax 11 bax 
 nbapa bax ;nWn b{y njinnxn ftiwmn "ipa ly uoo ivy xb" ^ imti niiai ",ii 20 
 xin baix " : noxiy 103 ,nivn nnx m^axa a^anb 
 ;o mxn nx pnnnb na nivn ny oan nox nob p DX n 
 
 a-ub IIDX .uaa nisrn nixan " 
 
 ix nba 1 " nbya ix nvnn ix miaty ix nniy rurre> nona 
 
 12 a 
 
 xb ns^ ix ana ix ni>a< ix pin ix nia^ ix n-ny" jamat^ loa /JB^ ix ana 
 103 /ro-'yo nnxa nxoioi n^y mc'a nxoio ibbaa "nniy" nboa "."b x pn 
 
 pa" :
 
 240 HEFES B. YASLIAH S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 pan ni T -\iv n "nn^"m ".vryo nns2 NDion p2i va^ 
 
 N^"N ^ PN ^n "at? IN T n3B> nowty "a^ 6-6 6^n no -rat?" :noKt? IDS 
 "pin" naisi ".-OK> is 6i^> o^n MM -DP nunb pao ^n IN W 5 
 
 2pi^ py ^ pin " : nox^ 13 flnox DJQ3ty npa^ py on 
 
 nswaB' i^N3 ni^n 11 "n^ i^ wv o "ni>3" pajn ".pnoj^ \s* 0:33^ IN 
 
 IT ma" mow? 102 ^ sna "3-13" pajn ".n^3M ^yn nr" :nN^ 102 /na 
 
 nnn ir na^" niOKB' ia ^3* ana Ntn^ ntnai y nnn IT "na^"i ".oinn 
 
 mon33 wsoa nxi ^nsn nwo nvpo on bi^3ni pni ".nnvon 10 
 pi DiN3 N3na nH n^ sn" :noB' 102 y jnw on D^DIS 
 rhy IONJ N^ DiN2 warn mro a^ f|^ D nems Nn^n 
 nt3 niDNn JINI nr^ nt3 nicsn ns % pr^ pao ^ibs 
 ia-M3B' no b -nnai ",nw mra^ na^> na^ 313 3ia 61^ obn 
 
 new n^B'n naon y ioipr:3 onnt* n^^y niyi nwrn niv3 15 
 nons 2^pn^ nios Oitott JVJWPTI Wtfam HlVton 
 
 " :3inaB> 103 y ia!ni3 nra nan nvj^l ^nnai npmai nninai nsiyo 
 nn^3 ne^rw nayona^ nions "Tiy" pay ",ai ai niroi 
 i2yo:i DD }n^y IDW IN w>3 ipnine' ns "mro" naiai 
 nvpo msap "nro"i t vsnvQ na msa^ "pina"i 20 
 6w DV n mw n nsn 0^33 }^3 nnai pinai mnai ^yoi" :nD8? IDS 
 nrn payn niN3 nx D^ai ".Tan nnai pinai Ds*33 nmai "jiyo 
 IDS .onnx on te^i DiN'i 5 nrn 1212 niB>j6 nioxi .nwi nao3 i^ nonni 
 ii? o^n pao v\w n*n ncn2 N^N !> 
 
 onoon " 
 
 12 b 
 
 p3i D^na p3 maiyn nxi n^nn nxi nornn nxi DTKH n 
 nx 3^n onsM nx Dioen DIN n-nn n 2^ nr nn nnpa p2i Q^TST p3 
 i snio px oa n^3a "D2V-1N31" n^2i ".iioa nnpan 
 ai 6 JV2N1 'ay n>2K> p^yn N^>" "Ji Tiv^ ^22 ^ fnn 
 
 "
 
 HEBREW TRANSLATION 24! 
 
 Nb 6ib tbbn pan pNb nsina pNa Nb'N b PN" :noNB> 103 ,onb nonm 5 
 ".wan p nan oaai ib obn msn SIN pa DnNK> DIPD ba 
 
 N^anb iab niDN .ujba nwm jwann ni*&n 
 
 ",ai ba lioi nair pnN N'an Nb" :ain:ic> a pb THW naw pnno pnp 
 }anx nr nn TiaB'a nr 1^ KH nair^ noisn janx Nin HT^N " : unw nosi 
 mnyn ba jans nair jans N^N ^ ps" :now ".DniD ob no I^SKI 10 
 
 p oa xin fanxn JBIW ".mpo bao nair pn an N^ 06 6^n pao 
 niN ^ap-- Nim I^K p^nt? naB'a nnaa' ^ wv nan^ ms IDO <I B' nona 
 DIN m nay ^>VN "innDfc? p^ni nr nbo nb Nn narfc niNn " : HONK' ica 
 .ab nnn nijapnjB' nona maia aba n^noi ".n 6i bam anN 
 
 en 15 
 
 Nin nPN" :noNB' ioa ^baa aban rhy N^ naon IDNH 
 pi nr a^a nnn nr n^o ^b Nn nanb noiNn aba Tno 
 PIIDN aba naaat^ abai rwtm boia THNI mtw btaia nnN ipbnB' 
 N^ani y nsTn nwn nan nB'yK' DI ".pinio aba nyen 
 pan lan" :incN5? ioa y ib nni x nair Tncn aba pnN nnan* b 20 
 
 nnbii ".nyanN Nbi D^a^ as? pnnio on-'aB' nair Tnoi aba 
 pnnio in-'mnbi" :inN^ ia ,pnpb ninnio aba n^no ninbii pnN.n 
 ;nna bab T"^ * rpa niNaa now ".fiTninbi xbi orrw oa y& 
 rvrw epyn nN N^anb nna bab n^ab nNa na^NB' nNtan nna 
 jn>by pbn aba nnoi )anN PN jna boia mont?' pcnpion ni pna 35 
 
 13 a 
 
 obn pby pbn aba n^noi pnN N.T Nbt^ pn ia^N ia boia mon 
 
 .WaO IVy^n ni>C2:n ".^yn nN N^anb nna bab oib 
 nrn nann npya DNI ,nnnN nonan anpnb naaint? nona n^onbi ^bnnb niDN 
 nnan bsr nbin nN ^bnn DN ".ai nN Hs Nbi laa^bm Nb" jainatr ia /'b |.Tne> na^nn 
 ioa ^np nnnion mnn xb nnionn nN spbnn DN pi ; enp inmon .T.nn Nb 5
 
 242 HEFES B. YASLIAH S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 "yia aiu" ".niion ptny niion K^I n^in j& niion neny cnpn" 
 
 6yai poio ^yaa p^on" :IIONB> 102 ^ona 010 ^ya ^rvw ->a i>y *| 
 
 loa ,nwn ntj'Nn r,x DJ niai^ ainan n:tf "lo 11 ion DKI" ".po^ona poio 
 
 .t^ivn ns nmb no* ion DNI nt^xn ns nian^ no 11 ion DKI" t 
 mona PINO ix /.i.nn nxoa nns nona sfirp N^ "nonaa nona" pjjn 10 
 nxa nxoi nxoa nns % " : HDNB' 102 /mant? pai naint? pa nnx nonaa 
 r 102 ,nona p DJ nns^i 7 nona nann oona an ^yab Niip nayntr 
 
 nona nwip nnx nona b nox nionaa nona N!? nonaa nona OIK pyo^ i" 
 
 "enp nn" pjyi ".nona msnp man nionai 
 m2fibn "nwa aaw n^yi? ^np n*n* " : noN^ 102 paw pai nno pa 15 
 
 ^on oipob pro ^N^> wi> IIDN ,13ttb 
 i>3in i>" jairot? 102 .monnni nm:m D^nam npam jxvn nniaai 
 
 nniaan nxi ^w naoa nwa nn^yon DN "Ji 
 noi mn ;ora tirfxnfo paat^ omam .ntry nya-iNn naoa T 
 
 no nab ^wxnn nsoa nn^ns inarn naa jartwib paa 20 
 wnm noN "7T nonni" nanai .nr nnx waw noa 
 naot? i?^3n ptwin p^nn ^ lanwa D^a .ptwjn naoa nr 
 jann p D"Naion nmnpn nana nivo yat^ ^ia *JB7 
 
 jm ;mn }ora jni^yi? nain 
 
 13 b 
 
 .npyn N^ nivo "n^ ^ia ytwii n^ nivo 
 nnao pip *a,ii> ananon .ijaa nil^Nin niva 
 
 i>N nnis N^a^i ;nmai> n^y D^h JOB* n^y npxfc mxo 
 
 .nnaia^ ^a oy naoc'oi nn^oo ivop N^D moo popi jnan 
 anpn a ^a:i " : aina^ loa /!> nsii bapno pip ^aron ^y nnix i^opni 5 
 nrn pipa nninan mon ".ji o^anan finw *aa ^x n^ani ai nnao pip 
 ica ^aioan p jctyae' ninan bpnam ; o^ioan ic'ji
 
 HEBREW TRANSLATION 243 
 
 ni ".JOB* ai>i jnpyo nine* Ni?tt> nmo 3*unon ^ 3N paa OIN jna V 
 n^moni nanoni nbon nn3o " : jn B'3<o mpy /TO popi> a*anw 
 Nuinn nmoi noiyn nrooi a^tw nmoi ana nmoi a^pim mbnrn 10 
 
 ana h? Noin nrao 6is pyoB> n niwp nrooi 
 am nsrcp "nyssn ".josy^ pmp an^ni ivya anp 
 ;epa jp^rn* K^I tjan ta y*a itw ny ^avsni Hn } pn in^ ^an 
 
 i? ON" :noNB' ia /^y BJ^DV N^ ivtsp sta nnno pa 
 
 ir mrop v nir ir iTanw Ntma^N 'vopna psoip n*Na 15 
 
 13 N1t31T 31 X T3y N3V1 IW^n^ N^N hlJ IT V3VN IT nDN 
 
 ^n >oa N'an PDIPI n* DS ^y niynvN ^ty nsin an ON rraio 
 btt* ivopa IN ixop3 61^5 o^n j^ino ivop N^D fo ivop 
 HN nain WM xn ixop N^O oib o^n vmyasN "K'Nia 
 :nN niyi ".nooh nijyo^o vniyaxxa pmo riBTnoai nanna n* DS 20 
 -iom piao iDipB> nw Nin np hoa TDnni Tmn poipn" 
 
 niso n^n N^an^ mxo nun nssoo nruo ianp an3non 
 anpn 'ai " : ainac' loa /osw a^nicyo nivo ^""pi IN pea ni^iba 
 
 14 a 
 
 n ii? E>^ "31 B>3 mb^a mxo ni^n" vnan rma "J) n HSNO nnao pnp 
 pao min> i ON " : noNB> 103 ,B*ppn N^3o nn y nibn N^ao nvn /no-ib 
 janp 61!? 6^>n B'ppn nsroi ni^n nvno N^ N^ HSNO nnao ^y nn 
 now ai jiyoc' -i ON awn nt^n N^O pi N*ao Nin nnN pip 
 ia -lONai nnN pip N^N noN3 N^ vbm a^oys ^3^ pip pip 5 
 nvnoi mbn .-rano N^ o^pn N^ ni^n N'3ni> nsn a^pv'ii 
 n*a n^y N^I pop BNI on^BTD poipi i>ha poip Nintrai a 
 
 nraopa ninso I^N" :noN niyi ",vn an^{yo inN 
 ^n ba NSS an ON " : IIONI ",ai n^mom nanoni nfon nn3o aan
 
 244 HEFES B. YASLIAH S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 mi>n mtno ONI pyot? nno 'piax^ f? yot?o Np KDI jan npy jam 10 
 ,0'p'p-in nx 12 DTranop JOBTI -nyan ".sin yot?o xp K' 
 Ka " : noKt? ioa ,hay ^sna ono 
 JDOT nxen *a poa n^p^pin ^a ^a ncnio 6is 
 JDB> ab N^D pp'pi nxnoi n^n nvn nua nmie' nnao 
 pp'pnn ns nsjno DIK }iyDtr n pp^pn^ mrnoi ni^n^ mrno fni3 15 
 nnao ^p^pn rbix pja> n nn pi nbrb jnu pt^n nxcn ^a poa 
 noiB^ D H a^ 'vn j^rDpi' pa o^w sn^ na trnnaa, jnn^na 
 DIK pyot? T PP?i^ nvnoi n^n^ rwno jnia mini? JD*^ a^ 
 fai oanai> ^axa p^n iscn ^a }UDa pp"pnn HK 
 
 i?n nxno x*ao naKO nna ^y nn 6isn ao 
 an N ^a poa "ND" ".y nan ^y poo jna OKI yxoNn jo ^oiai 
 
 w^m ni^Dn K .W ^a poa 
 
 nso n^o Kani> mxo nanon ^y nnao janp manon 
 103 ,{BB> n^y p^i o^na nnw nbj na inx .p^a nhb 
 
 nanon i>y nnao 
 
 14 b 
 
 nano" nawan nan niyp N^n nanoB> nnainm "ji nniM nina ai np 
 nnao " : noKtr loa .ma miy^ "a nnx nina " ".ca^p rvtpyoi nav 
 ^aip o-'ana nnao i^naoi ngywb D^acn D^ nnx ^>aip 
 nM K!J n*tyo pa nmo ^nao ia*Ki rgD*t6 D-OBM o^a 
 nnna pa p n^t^o jna nnaoi D^ana nnao cis pyoB> i n^aao 5 
 
 D^ai nn^na pa ps rcrop pa pstr bai nvop pa PKS? aao 
 na cix D^anTa mnao anpoi noiy nn x^an " : now ".D'nnaa jnn^na 
 pn^na f?y\ jam psn ;o on^ on oix at6 j^oa ai lao^pi 
 ^aan onto nnSn --ntw pn nimon yo ba c^nniai ".D^n^raa 
 n^aan anh on^n H n^ PI bia 11 DTiai? ninaon i>a man!? nnao" mow? loa ro 
 nh ninaon ba nx man!? n<ao no nnx oii? o
 
 HEBREW TRANSLATION 245 
 
 onn &*v pnvo ix no BD ainan nana? nnx o^an 
 ".D^N^ DHD PNC* o^an or6i nn!>n TIP 
 pip a-unon .u&D JV^mn niMbn 
 
 nspnio nrao OKI" :ainat? ia jotsn ni>Do iniN nipyb mxo ns?moa, 15 
 
 pa no " : onnan p:o s b Nn n^moe' .TX-IH ". 
 p nyan -i ^:n ^DI^ n nan ^ID^D rb p nanoi ^o^a n^ ^> 
 ",DK9 n^yoi nsv nanro tpvnn n^yoi npioy ntrnijo OIK 
 .mmpn ns n^o^ UN D^XO ,13Dlb n^^nn HlXlbn 
 
 pip bi" 
 aipn p^nn N^N jirfab niraon ba D^aio n^M mm p ".31 6n n^a inruo 20 
 
 i?a nnao nn ha* " : noKB> ioa /nhr xb .naron b 
 " viani ".n^o miyo nmon i?a pw n^o pyo j*oipn pip 
 nann ^y IKW wnss' Di{r ^ay VTana^ ni?o tn^y "r^D 
 
 15 a 
 
 a 11 n^ono NXD N? ON paoi n^ono IT irxi nnait? 
 ^ " oft imp b by " pjy ".nan ni>o anpn 01^ b 
 njrro n^n n^oipo rwhra ^n" :nos^ ioa x 
 nmy pnho DW n^on na^a nara ^ i^xnai ^aan aa ^jn 
 naro ta wxiai nnasn ns pnho ns^ j^aan ^a3 bjn D^IP 5 
 nmi n^ jna nruoi D":na nmoi mia^m poipn pnho 
 103 pawn nx :B> ^y Kin n^oan nann nn^o jaw ".Piiyn n^yi 
 
 inm n^o vby \rv\y\ naxn nx K*ao neny Kin ivrxa pan un" 
 inwa D^J ".^ pi ^3K o ir6yel n^ vi?y \r\\s\ 
 
 xS nwo pn^ nw/bn 
 
 IN IINB> anpn^ IIDK 
 Kin ,-IPN " : noKB> ia an nonb o^Niip vn
 
 246 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 pip" vim wm s ^on IKS nainnB> mavB nei ".anon pai nr 
 
 npn^ piv N^ jvai ; oniaaa ISID nn ",!> K ianpn 
 joao px " : IIDNB> iDa ,Ban i6 ion nrtr iaiD^ ,Ban 15 
 ID NXIM N^N narDn ^aa i>y pa'npD PNI a^aayn JDI o^nnn JD svvn 
 pipn nana -6i?n onann ^J^D nyo anyn: OKI ",aaayn JDI o^nnn 
 ba Dii? bi>n PJD eyicon naion N^N ^ ps " : noB> iDa /anpni? 
 si 3 B'an *IN^ ba *a DI^ D^n p3D pany iosy Kin N^S ^ 
 Kin t6K ^ PK tran &b $n P:D oyiDDn naion ^ ^ ps 20 
 131b) H^^n niXftn u .^ai bi oib D^n pao pany 
 
 u li'ynj^ lana fins 'uaa aiynn^ jinx ^an irN^ irb IIDN 
 mow HD^ na^N aip^ N^ in " : wrnai now ".oa^N aip 1 - N^ in " : ainaB' ia 
 
 15 b 
 
 ^ mntK wyD^ ^Jiy nov aipn irm OIK 
 nivnn yat? ^ian y^n p^nn ^ 1:111x3 obw ".oa^K aip 1 ' N^ in 
 iaia mvD niB>y nns fe V^m 
 'Kin iD^^n tjt^ nipbm jni :nra 
 ni ;nj?yn si? nivo e^en nt^y niD po B^DH y nM jora frwyi? nain u^y 5 
 .DipDi IDT baa pvwk nsinc' nsw nixo 
 
 DVD ^,T, 
 
 ^pea 5]Da ^p^ o^syon ,nw tw& b TIN^D DV ny 
 ntrx nn\i nnwn OKI ",:i in ^iy mm Ji na $h& 'a ^N " : ainat? iDa 7 
 iDa ^PB> o^B' /UB' D*tw ni? nsi?D DV iy n3B> onsw n^ IN^>DB> DVD y naiy mm 10 
 mm iaiy x nbyDi r\w vwy ja mn ni:n tr^n DNI ".Ji KM napj DKI" j 
 PD DKI " : airat? ioa p^p^ mtw ^ae* D'tytr na n^sni ; ^p^ i&>y 
 
 na'Dn .D^sr B>DH iyi D^D 11 B>in i^ IK^DB* DVD man 
 p iyi B'ln PD DM " : ainaB' ica pbyv twhw napa nnM DNI .t
 
 HEBREW TRANSLATION 247 
 
 nyi D*JB> &>on ixoe> DVD /irun -pyi ",ji D'JB> B>on 15 
 po DXI " : ain3K> 102 ,D^P{? mtpy nap: nrvn OKI .spa ^pe> 
 nni> jnan wia 11 ,wnyo T.O /ioa /jy mun nm OKI "ji v onpy p nyi 
 : moix nifc^oni ".ii -p-iyo xin -jo DNI " : nina^ ia /T re>n nt^K aa 
 DHMI nn: ^n^i D^ o^na pm^i p-nwi panyai panyo i>an" 
 panya xi? ^a panyoi pmai |mw oumaNi DIDOID Qnajn 20 
 P-ITJ jDpi now t^nn *n^ni napji *vev\ nar N^N nnyj uw 
 po nins nyi jna pB> ^ao panyo N^ pvm K^ bx pany:i 
 
 y\ narn 
 
 16 a 
 
 IDN Tian 11 cr DWD m "inyj N^ ^as ITJ tnn po mna" 
 <i *on ins io DN .Tiy^ mj pa D^nan v\ "ji ann po DM" 
 
 nayn jn 1*3 iay^ K' 11 ^ nirvn ""sa oawn wany* 
 
 /au b *on nn^ a^n ,-naa IK /swn ix /a^ poib ^^NIH s 
 noa ins poty ^y n oi " : now? loa ^no nnx ^aa ^n law DVpB> DIB^D 
 -JEK xi? ^y ^n Tiyi 'T Tiy" u .n^ xba nw Kin noai n*a nitr xin 
 'jnB' nan b ^an nr iba Tiy jnu ^y naa i"iyi ^NI nny 
 ^na Nvvai 0^1^ B'on p IN vnn p ma DM ".ta ^^y fnw ia 
 po runs lanyn" inoKty toa ,TIM nya nnan niae' *a!> N!>N a^n irx 10 
 
 p ^y in 11 n^y:i oniw po mna B'on p ^y iiv na'yji tj^n 
 " moat? ioa x nra o^ ^y *any ^vn nos DKI ",Tiyn pra }nu 
 nox nw ,-ib nny n^ am ^y m iny not? DX ^ax "jiaiy vn jnu ^y 
 103 x ib *OT D^ yn ^y ^n *on nox DX bx ; i*on vn nni> am s !?y ^on 
 nr ib ^01 jnw ^y xn w von nrn jn ^y >on ^vn ib Tiy jnw ^y vn Tiy" 15 
 nine lanya jni3 irx yyn D:I ",ib *on jnw ia n^n notMnp nan
 
 248 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 p into ybon nina VT3 rrn OKI .ota spoio u\x I'^yn OKI 
 uw sh y^D rnna paiya-pK" mow? ioa /vpy "py nnb a^n 
 
 jnu iwn yi?DD nina m^a jnu px iym y^o jru ivrss 
 rbarn nnx N^N jni3 ps 6i TKO n D^D n VT3 vn y^o D' 
 
 mn ONI .inyii inaita ^s jnan 
 i3 ^n ^on pan isnyn "it^*N ns D^ inis 
 :nrn pjyn nwaancK wnmi ".:i ^w t^npon DW 21 
 
 i6b 
 
 nx i?Ny impon DNI DIM xinK>3 naTO ainan mn 
 HN ^w t^npcn DNI" :nNi ".-IIDN mn n^a nn irra 
 i^Jbn ".^nvn ns nnii? bsa^ ^w DW ntwn nx 
 rnso / pip HMD nnp* N^ IB HNDD ncna ^ ii3B> B^N ^3 
 
 OKI .nnjni nnaio ^ nnix "piym jnan "jai? nnis n-oyn^ 5 
 
 nona b DNI " : ains^ 1D3 /iaiy i?y t?cn j*w nnneb B>npon nvi 
 
 rwcB nona" inana "Ji w^w ^w DNI ii N jnan fiym ai nscu 
 
 103 /floa anpr6 niDNB' DID rbyzb N^N niDnaaB> nNoci? pano irs 
 
 ya mai nNBD nonaa OKI ois Nin^a iano avian HKDD nonaa bia" 
 
 o^enpion ^1033 N^N i3nc WK sn HTIDN nsoo nona 10 
 pip DD ianp N^ i^s 6ib D^n i3iy DIO i>y na- ^ia 
 ".nnai nx nmi? nsoo :inoi> 1^3 Nin^ i3iy me ^ya 
 panyn PNI p^npo }^x x^n " : Doim n^3ijn enpn 1313 wnai 
 nna ipyn nona D>inn -piyn i^npn mn pra ponno PNI 
 sin npN nbcn n^ 7^1* niano ^ai rnyo iapT o^ai moa 15 
 
 in niVttn ".n>^o nnoi n^aa nh ijn 
 /in n^nn npoaji ^nn b IN .Dxna no v^y nce> n> 
 ova N s 3nh mine DV Ninc> ^at^n ova ^NI nx nb
 
 HEBREW TRANSLATION 249 
 
 .lyio ^>nN nna ta jnan i>N mv "oa ^p IN nnin TIP 
 .nnn b-asa NDn IK^N v^y naai nhyb inNi nNtsni? nno nnN ao 
 viap p u'33 N'Q'i nrai? 3i{^> -ja nnN .Ninn ov3 IK^NI HN 
 map jorn } i^a 11 / ND3P mip nr3D nsyp D^o^ni 
 
 "ai" man ri3ia "Ji <i o <i HN <^ -prni 31 jnan npjn 31 
 
 17 a 
 
 IK joxr rfn sinp nyn nxna noi nhn DB> n\np Dipm -ron 
 D inyjD nrnty pai aaw TH JTHP pa y ynQ3 noi na 
 nsns ynsa nn ^yi vby n-an bs>w nniij mo ^1 " : nop 
 ns tranb DNHB DWKH nx an^ ynan " : niyi ". p-nsa iy 
 
 ".DUX nr DNna aaw nr ynsa DIN |JW n ntw n nan MWH 5 
 nnx .non JD NODJ^ nnN *jrapn ova "irnnD ova itrxn nbi" 
 ova ia Nanjv Nin " : aina^ ioa /nan iaN T3^3 wi B^W3 v^y nnnb 
 ni>3Di ^jrapai V^IQ nto iTn nvrso nsoo nnbn" :wnm now 
 
 31 DV3 13 Vnmip N^3D H3 ^3 DN1 113 VJimnp N^31 ^y^3P3 
 
 n^n innnta nrp ib D yiixfoi? nr p3 no jianta n ON sa^py n 10 
 a~>y nn p DN N^N vni33ip nN N^D U^N mn 
 
 DV3 IN n3B>3 nvni? ibp 'yatjvi nv 
 PN *y3Ba inxtn DV3 
 N^N ^ PN wn^a* oib ol>n pao n^b ova N^N ^ PN 
 
 note p*o uni>a 61^ o^n p3 nnno nn^an HKDD nni?3n 15 
 nbia na nnNi Nun DSI N'3D la IHNI 
 n-nan u 31 n 
 
 " .nrn 
 ;nan ^N ix^tr ny jnN3n ^12^3 3n Nin 
 
 nN nna ^N 20
 
 250 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 irxa 'ai BIX napn nrybx V :noB' 103 ,n nxoao 'ixna inn x 
 ie>33 nyxon as nci i"p onan xbm p\n p icxy njrxB* maa "pXB* n f ^^ n t 
 
 noim bp maa Tnx jn ID 
 3&> nan nan seta nnaa 61 x bxyw n nan ba JD itraj 
 
 nx enpi" ".D^nDi? sota^DB' in ^y NUH ntyso v^y nsai 
 
 17 b 
 
 ovo nvni? nans nn 'o^ n^nn "nra o ns b nnm sinn ova 
 nuo^ ^nnoB' nnob UKXO:" :noKB' ica /jrajyn ovn /iota 
 o^ni" :nesB' ica /nra ^D nx^j niy DN "b& a^i^sin D^m" 
 nwo nnJ ^nn IDK DXB' pj i?an nx nmo D^nnx b B^ ^o ai ^s s 
 
 D3iBnn Dom 61^ o^n ban nx nnio nnx ion nxD Di*a xot33 DV 5 
 /nwno naye* DOM itnD> xb jsan JD xvvn nan bax nxi "ji iba 1 
 ^^nn niX&n ,xia^ na nxa^ ia npb bax 
 nna bx DDM nxta ova x'-anb mo nn ^ ixboe' nT3 ba 
 ^on injtr ja B'aa ; jm y |NX B^B' iyio bnx 
 narb n^on bi nbiyb nocn nnae* na n^aai 10 
 mxo ppi 0:1 pBa mhba nixo 
 nxi .iniy nxi inxun nx nBxr^ ^ ^sh Dnix anp 11 pam . 
 13D3 nxi inmD nx neTT na "inx .nwon bo by b Q^B* nar 
 tybrm inpbi itrxn nya* nx nyio bnx nna bvx Tnn nbai .onx 
 
 p nbtj'a jnrn nx pan npbi .ma^Bfi nar nnn ncrx t^xn by 15 
 nba^ nnx inan ea by onix jnai ibc nvo VPII nv nbm b^xn 
 nawnn nrn oy jnab Bnp vni ^ nab naun nmx ejnm nyB nx 
 ova Tnn nnin nxr" :ainaB> ia ,; -vnn nne nnxi /nonnn 
 ai " ^ab anpni 31 nixo boi 31 *fy wanp nx anpni 31 
 nai3n jnan nnx ppam 31 }nan npbi 31 nna nnan nb3i ai nt^y b'xn nxi 20 
 pivp pr nnb ww ns noib nsn "nn o nxbo nva" maia ",31 b 
 ix mno pnpb obiy nna nnxi DD nna nnx" :nxt? ia ,nbiy nna xb
 
 HEBREW TRANSLATION 251 
 
 i8a 
 
 '<mon N^> nra ns nxta m>3 6 6^n SWOB pip 
 
 roworn ".n&>y nt?y nixa pp nnnani mm nin" :nostj> 1x3 /itpy -\vy }n 
 ovp H3 ppa D'nismn inns ha* B>D so ppm " : ncKB> 1102 ^y xra 
 
 PDS .n ^y nnxi n ^y nnx jnui lynvsn ^niD neny wn ismo JOB' 5 
 oyo nys^n ^N p^nDtr nos " BWI ^y jnai nn nyt^ nx np^i " "/a 
 aonn nx bou na insi an " : now 103 ^NH !>y 7^1 lean 
 nnn nnn n^ DNI D^D^ ^ inn nx n^troi nw B'XI w i>y 
 ".rnnn nw mro ons^n nar nnn n^x xnp 6s ji? 5o nmn N^ nson ^ 
 
 ia pvi nx ^3 *ai53 yayj^ in^is " ^eh nsi:n jron nnx n^m " 10 
 " MICK Tiyi ".Dim nt^Ni spin nt^x JB> TIII n^yo Nnoi 7^0" t 
 
 n3piy n 
 
 ns TTIOI ni>yo niyn ninn 
 
 15 
 
 ^ ny niroa wn nn ^ JE& Nas? oipo 
 .n^yo^ narr^ nwon t^sn ^ 1311^3 
 pai ni pa jsan ^aayo nan i>ai> nb b niox .pa 
 pn |xnn ^vh 0:1 ^ojn naen p ^ai ^en p paa ,nn nryan nan 
 ii nn^ N^a> a n^K IN B^N nta OKI ^Nn^ ^aa ^N nan " : ama^ ioa 
 no3.n ejow n^ni? n s aay vnanSi ". 5 ^o^ b ai TT naen ^ 
 noan nx N'ar6 onb " : noKB* i3 jsan p 
 
 i8b 
 
 jaan w hy *nn>3 ^aia JSJB' owo ,Dnai fsa n^? pa i?nan 
 
 njn B^nao nya^i" :3inaB> ^3 /JT sy na nnai . 
 i? Nno np^s nn nns NSQ an OK " j irnrn now ".f 5 yi nop 
 
 H T
 
 252 HEFES B. YASLIAH S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 D3N vbjn .vbfb xb job Tirva jvap me*o " pvi ?aa " 
 
 mpN py -^y ^ax pyan yaai r6nya nnios nrxi nnan 
 "yanai ninya pnmo YIDDDI D'aaao pa^m c^yn" :noKB> ioa y 
 r6yni o^ioam n5 i^fvo p 11 ITJH nne' csi ".mB'Ka piicsi 
 wna 21 D^p3 jn nvyan IBT? nry^N "i OK" : news' 102 / vnpiw6 
 B>jn nni in 1 -: ^K NHSPCID t?n Nnwivn t^om Nnspoi 
 an DNI nosn -"any i^ p n*p*3n TW D^noi cm nin noen 10 
 B> ninE> nT3n na jnn vn^ pan* i^n HIDID nynnx ^NIDB' ON 
 p^ n^ym nne' oai mv N^ p 
 DT n'-jrani' pao M^m n^noi nn-o 
 TJ n^n wnsnvn c>cn n^ N^ na nv^sj ^a ^yi 
 H!> PB> n^y3i TU n^ni? jrDB> nTa~ n^n nat^a I^DSJ^ y-nxoi 15 
 
 pm i^DSJE' yiixo^ JOB' n^yan 
 i?a -iNB'i pm natra n^yana nian ns ptaa pptren b 
 a^ mi nay nni> n^yana n^aia^n b ixen nTana 
 N^ DH^ woo pi>D>3 n^yan ns 
 
 nm nain^ panui onn ^ ba N^an nn wavni n*o sp N^ 20 
 no Np xb Nnsii^sa nT3n OIK mm* ni nran jo D^O 
 n^y^an 6is 'Nat n wne* ^a nami? panw D H O nca wsm 
 ".pan mtaan N^nnona mpo s*a^ni n*o 
 
 19 a 
 
 ,nr^ imat? naoa ^niyw noii? ain /iiavpn nisaa 
 
 n" :i^a^a nip^cn naoin nanai nrn p:ya 
 xan nos" ".}osy aa3 pain f>yi pvy jaa o^asnnn ^yi pvy aa3 
 ii> an pn }sao ny nt^x ^a DIBTSI j^nn DIB^I D^nK' npi^ jsnn 5 
 T B\VO~\ pnn Dv^o ^B> npi^ an
 
 HEBREW TRANSLATION 253 
 
 H? ny a^n WN DIN nmy p nry/N V :*nyi ".pvi jaao 
 oa payn iinat? py-ian Nin ami ,na<bpn Nin pnnn ".jan 
 DD'aan I^N parni paixTin I^N paxnnn parn jn I^NI pax-inn jn I^N" 
 JIT pvnn nona ^ aira nyun N^ HD BIN <I DV n min* n nan 10 
 
 " :D"3jy nn^o inn now ". 
 
 103 /nn: xin 7-1x1 innn: nyn IE>NI nyt^ nx n: 
 ono" :no*no3 7 DV D*BPD mns I:*K nwn |or^ IIOK w^mam u ,ai nt3 ma ns ^D" 
 
 nns 4 TTJ ^nn ni?na nnx -m ^nn ICN nv D 11 ^^ niTta 15 
 nna ann nnx on ina Tin nv o^^ nna D^iyn SJID nyi 
 -p *ann n^n^ ina m nn nxnoi nns* nna ann nnx nycn 
 N DSI ".niyc' pTia pstr DV nnxi D^B' Tta nns ny^i nv 
 "Tana nsDca IN l| ^sn nyc' -aoos vim:! ''D 11 naco ^no^ nn" :maa 
 nna ann" :nosB 103 /n I| D <I b nna nvnb "px "layni ^inn 20 
 
 nbot nhy iva nr nn DM hnai pisn nsyai 
 bzb T-ra nvni? 3"n natrn mo 11 nacos IDS OKI ",DV 
 nnna naio na^n mo 11 pao3 ina ynn" :noN^ 103 ,tn D^C' moo DI 
 ",no D^?WB' |V3i n\n ntryo nmn 1 ' n ON nat^n nio 11 pao3 
 
 19 b 
 
 y nny N^> nyn " pay i?N nsrcvi n ona Dn^oty n^bn in 11 
 .npinn ISDSDB' IN tonn mpon nx PISHK' DV^O /njw nvpo ^2a 
 
 SJDBD^ IN nyH3 p31 31T3 p3 H^;^ p3 TT3 " : nONB' 1O3 plb 
 
 fin 11 N^ DIN i'Nyoc'' 1 -i PTID N^ bas ^DDDOI pjain nna 3^"n 
 i^ nmo nhy nna rrn DNI ".iy^n HN JTWD N s ne> aao nonxa 5 
 " :noE> 103 pnp 11 ^ pip nea nnh v^y naane'3 nyt^ HN 
 nnaa nnxia DXI ".mom ^i?^ N^OI nyna ^po nyp naan 
 
 ova I^NI nyt?' 'nN naj nnv nNoo r,yiv 
 
 T 3
 
 254 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 ninpta niVD e^tra "man no3 " : noNt? 103 7 vmva <D IN^D N^> 
 
 nbab HIVD DHD D'nu'a inim DTID/ NDU/DI n/abDi p* 10 
 63' vwtt& nayB> ;Dtn JDI ".nivo no iy NDD^I n-iso 
 pw DV D^y N^N nnnio K nn^anm" :ncN % ^ ioa ^v 
 
 JDT 1306 .TnB'a " onsM HN!>D ny " payi ".p"ip n^y : 
 DNI ; Tyc' e*n nMc' anaia " V^NT nyc' yiD ha " vnani .ttny i^ia N!J 
 
 I^NT i>y rni>K ira ^a" rnoN'j' 103 /n-rran 'a^n nnu a^n nip n\n 15 
 
 :ne> IRND y Tia nvni? a^n /IDVID 
 
 p*3y vao 
 in: nr nn nnQ) n^ra pn: TM n3 N.TK TM nr nn nna N.TN 
 
 TJ nr nn yna rbv*? by ^nn febao *ann ^D^DD ynn nra 3nn J0 
 TOT OKI ".ina WN DIN earn -vw DIN TNO -i maxa by nn 
 pnan ^avna a^n UK nxrn nroi^ ronn na-6 nro-o 
 DIN ^n rvai omwe oMa wa DIN -ND:? n^a " : ncNB> ma 
 p-iao ejor ai rn nn^ran p^a^a ia^a -CNT an" ".pirns 
 
 20 a 
 
 i -IIDN 
 
 ".Si y ^ nnn D ^a " : ainai? ioa /ID DB> e*t? mpoa oaani? 
 jna" :nDNB> ioa x napb ^ -iniDe> IHN pNB'a HIVD no miapa poynni? nn:^ 
 nwo no 1XXD1 ima paSno vn (ntnonp^ PNOD-D p-x inai 
 ina NOD^ DIN Dam nna NDD^ i?Ni Sna jna NDD^ DIN nry^N n ? 
 N>ao ia*NE> bna }.na NDD* ITJT^N i vi^ DN hna jna NDC^ i?Ni 
 b nDN WCD ^y pip N<a NIHB> nna NDC^ ^NI WINCD ^y pip 
 nsrnp vicmpB' jna NDD> ^NI ny ncmp intmpt? nna NDD 
 pinNi Niip D>-Dip ii> pNtr ^a nwo no Nin nr" mow u .D^y 
 IIDNH na ejoin' noa nyai? TIDNH ^NI ".rnxo no Nin nr PN WN paiy 10
 
 HEBREW TRANSLATION 255 
 
 non p pirn n by Da KDB^I ; nbyoi D'aioa-n on?on i^>pt?oe> icm nyab 
 
 vran niNoo ibN by " : iniwi ntn paja noKt? 103 ,ni?yoi nna nwt? 
 
 3p-> inn tnbo bjn bw n^ra byi non p JVD byi non by nbao 
 
 txrby v*v nn ID ITN i>jn non jo ITN i>yi nb^n ^jn nm^n ^jn 
 
 hn JNB> i>jn jyao ^jn m :b wi 5jn movy np >sn i;jn *iTa nea 15 
 
 ID mvn rma 1x23 nrn IDKDH ni ".mijwa DVJ? ^yi nx 
 
 tre' no wn npK pm wn " : " apnn " iisaa now .IBT? nytpnn nson 
 
 no Kin nr DJ3K bv naxn ma ^y BWB' ^ pnsa any napac' no 
 
 E^B' ^ piKa inioaa nap: apn ^ PKB> no Kin nrw api ii> B^B> 
 
 K^K apn PK N^iy ON apn ib PKB> no Kin nr o^aK bv nasn ^y 20 
 
 pn NOIDO neat? bs ian " : IIDKI ".niosyn pi onan pi nt'an p Kan 
 
 mDi ".xoo ban pian ny5?ai piasm nyjyn pi n^K'n p 
 
 ny TM ^a" :i3nian nan KM n6 nnainn .nm pra nain raK Tr;n 
 
 n*a anniw TTJ tnpon n'a ain K^ 
 nrcon vbv bw niK3 o^tw ".n WK enpon 25 
 
 20 b 
 
 ,n^y nixa ^S^ SSi^n p^nn 
 
 " :ainatj> ica y m3 nK D^ mxo mwn .1300 
 ^38? no niB'yi' irnrb oanw na-jy "nnwn" nbon ".31 yi 
 
 n^aM n^a tr-B' ijn^a inana niB^ wb Dan p n'-ac' nra nsiam 
 niK33 now ".iwjTB' pn n3^ mnw IT nn n^yi " : ITDKB' ioa .oni^y^ 5 
 pany ib T"^K **^ i"" "T nma -it?K3 " : nrn p:yn 
 IT TM non pn3i cnpn IT n-QT ntrN nan: IT na-u 
 
 lXOn .ptwin naoa nr i3na 1331 
 b^ nivo 1^33 by -IDK -\D*tb nyni? y3^: IK *'b TU mat? BK 
 IK b ma IT -a BK " : 3in3tp 103 /BD KSIM bas ntry^ K^K 7 n3n bn 10 
 on nac> 3 ; K^K nM xbv *s> by PIK ma nK obek yn nyn 13 u .ai t?n
 
 256 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 nvi DXI ,vby bn Tun px nyi 12 uw TJ:B> no yT xb DXI .TUB-' ny2 
 3'n wx ,nyn 12 xinB> 'a ^y *]x y inx DVT n3E mtry DTitro mna vniJB> "ISDC 
 DVI n:^ mry B^B> p 1125? ny2 n*n DX i?2x .10^^ bw DX D: m^2 
 DIB' 'b px" rnoxi ,"11;^ no r\wyb re 1 bvb B W I y nyi 12 Tni ^^yoi inx 15 
 
 iriN DVI ri3B 3^ p ppnaa v-n3 tnx on n3B ^ 
 
 a ^y PJX nrn join D~np m^y vbv bz ppnm pop vm3 
 
 pxi pm3 ;nm3 px p^npn ^o DB^I J3*n3 'o DB'i> px pjnv jnoixr' 
 
 DiB^ py*n^ px px pnewt? a by ?ix nrn jorn -inxi? enpn jt^npn ao 
 Tin 's" vi2ni ".enpn i^npni om3 jnm: penpn 'o oitj^i pm: ^o 
 TIV^ nnviri ^2101 in2 iTn^ njne' DH313 "^i? Tt3 
 p3yn nMB'3 xpm , <i x3n by "n:n nn DX ^x^nn nx 
 1212 ITU nx ToonB' nx " : noxB> 103 ,vby bn njn px ^e'ax nsn xi> 
 
 21 a 
 
 ronm m: nx enEoni ".-112 i^x ix^> DXI TO nr nn 
 ^s nn o;i 
 
 nx ni 2*n u*x y nxrn nwin ?x IDT nrc-in 
 DIX ^n n^2i piiox p*a "ira 6w ^xct^ n"2 " : next? 102 5 
 
 n pnnio p 
 
 21 ^3-n nnnn tpira w ua x^ann x'3-in 
 
 D-tcn: Swap ^xpip^ bwnar 
 
 OX 
 
 I2n mtry ^2^ nyi2B>m ".0^3 ox x^ xoxanp 01^3 ox 
 : noss? 102 nyne' *:H2 nnc' nann
 
 HEBREW TRANSLATION 257 
 
 man by irbn niyiat? omam ".nyiatrb Dwa ib'N nn nmsa 
 ".nw ubi va N.T5? ny " : IION^ i&a /n:iab nwNno D'-bcn^a pi yn^ni 15 
 m nit?y y:nbi ^s^n nx -isyb rmancn ny-iasr "ipsa by IDN 
 nrN " : ncK> ica ,vby on'DNn onm nr 'T ^y nn^ N^I ^ni^ 
 N!?^ ^y nn ^i^a u no^ nva trnp^n n^n a-int? nva 
 
 &b 6^n ntry vao NVVH baa vby ^ 
 
 .niDNn nx Tnnb sbi nmo nnK IIDN^ ipaa by 
 13-Ni nois Nin WB3 by" moMB' ico x vby nnaB' ica onn by nub 
 by inipbnb Dans ^nic'yb n^ax \s^ nm by yaiw OKI ".Dnnx by 
 
 21 b 
 
 nyazr yaw pnv n CN " : nose' 103 ^niB'yb IT bxb PN^ nan by 
 xbi x ib pro Nine' DISW yiba nai b^N 11 sb^ ma DNI ".inb^b ^i inix ppbo D^ 
 bvanr nyiu y^ bsa D:IP" :ncwj' ioa .boa ma /b b"yio xbx /b pro rvn 
 naba naiaa bi naiaa nnin abb na naia xbni ib nos abb yn 
 ".D'bvan baa TKD n n^nni nn mryo D*bvan baa xb^N nnw 5 
 rvbya D:I ia inb ib IIDN ^ra? loa n H aa nvr xbc' m: oi 
 bam TND n nan iT'bya nmo rvan p mian" MIDKB' ia /'by n^s 
 xbc' ma OKI ".rraa nnio n^byn p mun rva bbaa n^by IN 
 mwn" :nDNt? ia .n^anpai binoai naaa D: niDN i^a bax* 
 naaai njpai abanai B'xna IIDNI n^a TO baa TIDK iB'an p 10 
 vbv ma DNI <t .D 1| 3:ni n-na nmoi mawa HIDNI n^anp \r\& 
 CN bas /ibv ncraa IIDK /bv bab ma^noa pa sbi ^bs 
 11DK UK .n^bon nana mnsNn nra s^ai .^ baa IIDN ".nbs?^ no" 
 
 -UDN "nbo^ no ba" ICN DN bax ,an be? rrboa xb^ 
 HM nrn B*KW DI^TD 7 nan baa mn Bn IDNJ ibuB'ac' nyom .n^bo baa 15 
 b*n p mwn " : nostr ioa .maa icvy by iDxb nsn ww wa nann
 
 258 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 n'bion p p'ibvn baa -IIDN oyia yp *bx nnin 11 n an ntw bt? 'bva N^N 
 Nb" inani ".pmbon baa IIDN ayiD ^a^ n^bo an b^ n^bcn p sb^x IIDN ps 
 DN nn'on pra -itraNC? noa ny niana nnyb T"m> nnaia "nan bm 
 nw lansy xb^ na im^ybi onpnb ^nx man nno DNI ; pr ib yap 20 
 p na bba^ " nan bn^ xb " payi .ptrx-in naoa m lanxa naai / 
 
 can rvrw nn }^in man nt^y N^tr nan ^n 1 * N^ " : HON^ 103 /ana* 
 
 22 a 
 
 K^ DI^ o^n invy^ ns^ i> DnnN^ nan DK jnia pnni icvy^ 
 my now "."6 p^n^o onnK J>3 ^no ^N wn" :nijn ".nan ^n^ 
 " vnani ",D' i 5j' ^an 5>n*D i?nx bn^ w* vnan" 
 wiD3 inab nnio DN /nna nitryb a^n^ onaia 
 ,nnaia PKBI nnaan o^an nna 1Jtoft n^^^H Hl^^n 5 
 mya .nNK'a N^I man N^ Tax n'-aa mya 
 
 .n^nai naoS* .n!?yab npase' n 
 oK IN nna mnat? n^x i?a .JHD 
 njx .ni? Bnnm yo^ n-asi /mya miya 
 ,iDip n^aa by nnosBn mnac? nnoNi nma 
 b mnoKi nma !?a ,nr iyB> nva nnix 
 ai b nna inn 3 n^Ni " : ainac' wa y nnw n^as Nan -0 y ni> 
 
 nna nnab nnyab nnioe' ptm ",ai nw n-ax N^an CNI ai nna rw 
 DVI nasy mK'y D^ncy sin ,nbat? pnaa xb DN na v\iv]k na^n NMB' 
 
 nw nai ,oaa IK nna nba^a PNB> nabai y nbyoi nnx 15 
 
 nb w6o QKI 'D^p nnna PN 
 
 own na^n baa nbaty nn nx pnab oanx ,mnai ^na^ mt^y 
 
 ;nra nxn DN ,nnna naK na^ Di?Kn Nna nbat? r 
 
 y nb t^nnn DNI ,nnyn Dipa nnintr nnytj' -nt? nN^antra
 
 HEBREW TRANSLATION 259 
 
 .DIP* xb riTw ,n^P run nbya nivn DXI .nma nip 11 20 
 nayui? ,nf>yoi inx DVI nat? mt?y DJW nb IX^OB> nyn nai 
 nainn /nix D'pn xb "p'sh ,xinn jota n-na no m&6 nyT 
 nooi na:? rr\vy vasty nai .rrv bxb B* ox /mat? no nwyi> 
 
 22 b 
 
 103 y nby nbn m: nnin p / 
 DVI ruty mEV D^nB' na ppru nma nns DVI n:t? ^ na 
 VTTJ nnx DVI njp a* p m^y D^nB> b ppnm JDP nma 
 jor5> nmp my ^ b pp"H3i po^p vma nnx DVI n:t? a* p 
 onnna p fae*npn o D^I pma *o cteb jaw pynv noNty 's ^y ^x nrn 5 
 
 jax ps now? a ^y SJK nm jorn nnx enpn jenpn pan oma 
 ".enpn je^ipm oma jnma p^npn s o DiB'h jam: ^o DIB^ pxnv 
 po^p nma inx DVI n:ty a* nn " wnm nanty PIDI nna^ jvai 
 n{M8> ^ naio 7 paD ona PNI Dn^y ^oDi5 ^t?> onm Dn "a* ^a ppnoi 
 oaiano " na^n D*enn ntw N^N nnaai> nnya pa px " inana ^NIDB' n^rnt?' o^nnn 10 
 my D^ne'n naswi iswa npnan ai .mt^y o^n^n nat^n \o ytwi ^snn ^K 
 wiai y man ^oh nma no DB^ nnix D^KIB* ptwnn 'xna : oaai *at? ^y 
 
 paa /inaan *:O^D nana nnw Denial nm nann ^y nnin 
 nrn nanne* fva ,nrw 'ntr ninsn ba^ .nnyn Dipoa nninc' 
 nnjw 'ne> nN^ant^ npi^n" rnoKB' ioa /stm mtj'y -nt^y jiTniaBt? nnyaa 15 
 
 no i>aa *n na^n nnyw ne nan DNI ".mma nmoxn nivo i>aa 
 W nx^an N^ pny DX ^ax .nra nvn xb n^axt^ *a by ejx jrwyk IC ( SN DX 
 btro" :wnm noxi .mt?y D^OT najwi ntioa nma nsnb Taxb nnio 
 ^o^ ib>x bnia npw^n miy naa bovi bnia naa ntwa an 
 nma nanai ITT ^yoai nnx^oa ^xar .Tax irai nai omyan ao 
 
 nixnpa nny:m ".man na n^axb px nnaaK* pra bov 
 :noxi? ica .rniyn Dipoa rvnyv *n^ warn? ny nha^ DVO nipia^n p Da 
 M ",naaa nso irx axn" mcx iiyi ".maa nxotao nnx DV na npia^n"
 
 260 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 23 a 
 
 own n:^n nnN nn bnop "Varna* Dnnnn nE-'tr 'a Dnaio 
 -iiN3i .lanarnt? lanyn nniaaty rvairfc p^soo nr "aa^ UIBMP nm 
 ,mtp nompn nivoa Dai riMtn nna noxni man 
 N^N noN pN "IDN mDNi " : laTim ncNi .{rwa i?n3n ps 
 mm ".nyn^n nt^aa ^y IDN mox ix 6w Nin pi nyinc* 5 
 " ".onnn nx x^n^" :nDKB> 103 ^nnn nx D*N*SID "n^s 
 nrvn nmwnc' 3{yn OKI .inn mnw man ns jn*^ *B ^y SJK 
 ynuy Jon iniK isn^ 1T3 nwnn ;ira ITB> i^ man 12 nnxi 
 nr nn n^K N w ^nn "ino icsi inn mn: nstr " : noK^ 
 
 n^ trnnn DNI ",r6 piano N.T^ TJ? n^ e^inm 5^ IDM 10 
 ipi " : IIDX^ ina ,p ni^y^? ib IIDN /nyno nirn^ ^ njna la nnxi /6 nt^nn IN 
 no ism ^n 11 *3N yow ism irni D"p^ rma DNB' ai nox i?ai nm: 
 no ia{?o SJK IN na 11 N^ ny nma b iopi n^po *JK 
 ip^ t5i^ o^n D^P^D SIN IN Dp N^ ny rrma nN nam 
 ni? ntnn DNI <; .nan^ --Ncn i3*N nnN nyt?> n^p DNB' m: ^yy ninan 15 
 a /a nivyb b inio y injn nN nwtjfc i^ HNIJ na IHNI 7 iniN a 11 ? IN rma 
 nn irNi? ^a MSI ONT yDt? Nn Nin no nnN nan "a^ naioi op nan ^ya " : 
 jn y nnN ny^ pr nij n^nn DNI ".a^n ITN nnN naa I^SN nr 
 
 na nyair "ai iyoy ova nniN Tax* N^n DNI" naiai ".Diy DP n> 20 
 mip nmr^ yo^ IN i^ nain DNI ; mrav *b "Mint? IN yoB'^ ova 
 man " : noMty ica ,n-na DIP^ y Dvn nayB' nnN ny t^nnm 7 Dvn 
 H^nntr ny na^m na^ ^^a nan natr "Wa mna nvma ovn ^a 
 n^> ha 11 PN nan N^I na^n DNB> n^nn N^ ny na nat^n oy nma
 
 HEBREW TRANSLATION 261 
 
 33 b 
 
 nyo O',N PJJDB> n na "iry^N ni mim 12 DV n nvn b oma man N'an 
 .aim iniNa na^n ps ni? n OK *ra p pyoe> i ON ny^> 
 nma ,ii? iain& IN yoK>&> ova onxn nniN N^an DN 
 yo ( i ai ai BK^ mnn vn OKI " : aina^ 102 ^y inip 11 ,rb B>nnn DNI 
 /JOHN *n nsrn newnty iTNim ",:i 'N yiotr ova DNI a'-i 
 man NM^a noaa DNI ".n^nx IT ^N^ nsnn vn ONI" :onnan / 
 
 nsni ^nanb i^ IIDS^ oman jo wm .nys 1:00 i^ tw -na 
 102 .nnnina nx N^> .nx^n^ ejoan n^ rh ]TV> ,nT ^atra nnix 
 nmai" vnat naiai ".nainaa N^ xvn D^nna n^y isvoai ODD noaa" i 
 s^sn lopin K^ nma n^y nmai" :nNB> 102 .opin K^JBH lain N^ ma "n^y 10 
 
 T*na ^3 'man naa -ax" :ii? N^an^ nyn in^ nci^ i>ya^ nnioi ".nsin 
 
 N^ ny ^yan pi " : ncNB' 102 x onan^ nnioir nmaa cmoN onanm " nmaty 
 
 pnaio ;n nn w^ --Daan N^ ny rmac> oma ^a ni> 6w vmni> oaan 
 
 asn / nrr3B' .maat^ onip ^HDHK N^n^a nma OKI ",iani> *?w pN imen^ Dian^ 
 
 nan sS asn nan nma pTao n^yai ( T3N nelson mya " : noNB> 103 ^mx na 11 ^yani 15 
 
 nnx ma ma nsni? a^ IIDNI ".naio ia^ % axn nan sh ban nan ban 
 nao axn pNi iaaa nao bantr axn nao ban ro na^ " : nost? ioa /niaa^ 
 ai yoen" ionp^ onanb 0^1^ i^n nnain "ai N yo^ ova 31 n*a yon" ".naaa 
 -nan nx nnt^y DN nl n^D-B' inaia " rb n^o 11 ^i " .m^ nmxa oai ".ai N N>ani 
 pao mno nn^yi na^ni n^ /oai nma^ nn " ; nostr ioa /iaie lan^ nyn^ 20 
 
 nam nina -^ana nxitran pni ",n^ ro^ ty 6i^> 6^>n nn^o 
 31 n'a yocyi 31 mna n^N nn DNI" :aina^ 103 /iDnsn pna 
 ma nao ban^ " ai IDN nyi3E> bi ma b " man naiai ".ai na 11 nan DM 
 ma b " viani .Dipt? noa lanarn^ 1021 / nB'3B DTIP maia nonw ^ nma na^ 
 
 ^lan lay IN t^aa wy ona B^B' nma ^N DTOIT "ai IDN nyiaty bi 35 
 nooa 1^5 yoB'n N^I asrpnn x^sri pnio^ oasn N^ paa y nnxa o.T3B IN
 
 262 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 24 a 
 
 <uy cnanya B*B onan ,nn twvai /nw nnsn t&n nnai nt? 
 Baj wy ;na B*B> Dn*w nao row onn: ibw :noxB> ioa 
 cnan N^K "b PN" :now ",BBpnK N^ DNI oe>pnK DN prriK 
 
 n-'pnn n^ DI!> rbi'n pao ru^ab u^ae* onan STSJ wy }na 
 ia u"^ ^3 " : mow Nnsoinni ".injj'K^ B*N pa ntw ns ^ nw 5 
 ra BS33 w u PNB* nan na^ onns pa!? nra pai na^a^ i^a pa 
 nax ^s^ DJJID y^ wip nvrxa na N^ onnw pa^ ira 12^ 
 nnnx pa^ n^a^ yao nan^ ha^ ps Tipa^ n^oo yB *nx ^2^1 
 ruab 13*3^ yao na s ^nao ^ IWB'N K^BH Dtrpnx N^I hnax 
 
 nx ni? y^N xbv n^n ns ni? nns xta on nx ni? JITDN NB 10 
 ^ N^ 5 mans ns^ OIK Jjnte pi nma ^y naiai nanb T^ P** nt3Dn 
 
 n3Ho nna ^axn N^B* mu DMI ",nan 
 N pi jmnx runo nna 
 
 DN1 .IHNO ni3p^ bin 
 
 nr nn ^y ohyn nna DJIP meN BW wy m: jn I^K" ; noNB* 102 /nsn^ nmo ^inn 15 
 WK ^y nr 3i3n nna nnnx nsnoo nna ni? 3 ^y IT wnon nna ia> 
 i>3xn N^ nm: DNI ",ia^ nr nn 1:00 N^N -inona nnvi xb DN 
 DIBTD /rvu opi oans /ay rrni ^nis b*3ND ni?yaB> no N^N nan 
 N nma^ n3ru 3B oaip" :noNB > loa /]^ onmon onan hub 
 as IN i?ya DNI ".nN^sai nn^B'ai up^a rmrb NVI n^a^i nan^ bia* so 
 ib ynw n,a nnsi /inai intrx nnj nani? ^ n"n-n -pan' B* yT N^ 
 yn^ N^ nnni3 nnix yoB DKI ;ii> yni3B nva nsnb ha 11 ,nrn nann 
 loa /^ ynjn ova nanV ha^ 7 nan.n h ynu n.a nnNi pn: HTB> 
 B yni> y i?as onna B^B* ^N ynv" 
 
 nnna DNI ",na^ ow oani ns* vb DIN TKD n nn: nr^ ynv y^N ^ax 25 
 Jwzb pw Bnn T.B^:a onan.no nan
 
 HEBREW TRANSLATION 263 
 
 24 b 
 
 nma OKI ".nnvpo x^>i nnix IB* nan nw " : nosp ioa ,nma nx nr *T ^>y nan 
 ,ni? inio "wn pen Da / ono nnx ^3vh n^> Trim ^>ax wo -op i>axn X^>B> 
 n^y nnix mox nx /ae>n pen na nip* nno inxa nma nx n*p nxi 
 ^nn n^ nan n^yn pi D'jxnn jo mnj" tnoxty ioa /intn 
 Qujyi? D'aayb K^I D^Nn^ n^ D*P "iQio ta D^xn!? N^I D*3ayi> 5 
 may Tiyi noyira * I :B' ruxn max ox ^nx nnx TTJ Nin^ pn ""nn^x DP 
 ni? "IDX D^xnb x^i D'aay^ Q*33yi xh D^xni? n^ n^nni oan^ ^xi^:i 
 o^ajyb xh o-'jxn^ n^ya nb nan o^xn^ x^i oaa^ n^aay^ s*h 
 DVpn Qysni> xh D^jy^ miyb xh DOXH^ ni> n^p oyni xh 
 B^KI 'Mb nnin invpo nmn^ ma" :nox niyi 'Moipon isnni 10 
 ,07 Tun y n^ -ism y im X\T ITJ? nnoi /nt^x mnai /na ma 
 nsn DX pin xim ;rwn DX y in^x ma nanh nim^ 
 nno in^x nma" :i-ioxtj' ia .nmian nrvn mm /ntrx ma 
 
 pnpn nmaty TQD TTa3 nma intrx nmaty 130 in3 nma inn 
 ouayn JD nma o^ayn }D ni3D Dann ID nma nnaa nma^ 11302 p-ip3 nma 15 
 n3trn ora yoc' nxi ",ia^ nnn nr nn D'axnn p nmai? 1130 
 ma taab jna B>on^B> n^xo mai^ pn^ n^3 nma nani? 
 W nmaty nrn i3in JD bx" :ni? nox 11 ^^ ;hnn 
 3a 'ax " : nox i^xa xin nn /inb nma nx na^ --xanai ".MOD 
 
 mx nox> x^> n3tya nma pn^BD" .IIDKB' ioa 'Vrrw 'man 20 
 ni? noix x^x ^in3 ni? nioixt? nma >a^ 5>ai3D 'a^ naio 
 janv n DK V^ND ^oai ^D3 ma nr m ^n 
 
 y3n na> jn3t? n^on p3 ^ran ID 
 nan jani" 1 i ox" nnoxi ,Dann na-- }n3B> n^on p3i nmai 
 IBID Dix ^ya Dii?a xh iox x^ nan p^a IOXB> ^yai ^ya p^a noxB' 25 
 nan pxi nao i?ya xi? naaK ^ax >a^ ns? 6ix nani ^ ^ciao 
 nao^xi ".THD $>ya pxi Tno nan
 
 264 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 25 a 
 
 vn DNI ".ii nirnji naofo mai" rainatp ico ,n^y Dip" npas !?y HIDN TJ\S 
 :riDKB> loa ,pnDKi jnma ba nN D'pi> }n nia<n /oaa naai y ^ya ntayn 
 rran-u IN naota DNI ".pt?n<Nn p N^I iwpan p npnai naofo m:i" 
 jorn liyt?' niipi X DV Q 11 ^^ nny^ nnxi? nu rrvu psi^n jo 
 : noxB' 103 /m* nan!? n^yai> p /IDIOI nxir3 5 
 DV D^ "ins^ m< ann HIDK nxrK3 nby 
 HT31 HD njWKB' 'niij n^yn^ mo OKI ".nani? ta irs DV D^B' 
 isnn ^tnam IN n^nnxn: p inN^ fhy* rb nani .nrn ovn j?o nv 
 unn mosi n^ isni ^yin niB'nn x^m mnj " : IIDNB> 102 y noiy 
 nai?o nr nn ci 1 " D^I? Tina n^-i:n:tj> IN r^onww 'a ^y ejs oi 11 D^^ 10 
 nns nytj> nosy nwib nsnrp ^3 ^an nr nan^ ha* M*M ova ia n^"unji cva 
 i> ^ax /VIDNI nmj "isni? ^av nns Da 1 - ruo^ n\i OKI u .iar,^ bw i:\s 
 N iTjr$>K "i poa ^B> pai nns oa* pa oa nnciB> " : noKB> 1103 .D-'ca 11 w 
 nra na^ni ".D^^ sh nnxi? N^> 61 s wpy n owb N^I *in^ DIN ycnn* 
 nivo mB>y 'ntry i'bian H6^hwi pbnn ^ iniNa D^J .yt^in 11 na 15 
 
 2?*a nnn^ nnn^a niNaza imi mron p ^ 
 
 p 
 
 pr ba manun n 
 ,aiyn ny NDD nvn^ TIV niNDon niTim nionan n^a:a yxw ^ 20 
 n^aan nn Dnxroaa vn* dTaen .vnaai Nin ^nt: 1 ' jn'. NEO DNI 
 un bi ai yaian ba iNoan n^N^i " : ain3{^ v:a .anyn ny oiaani 
 <f .ji ^>a3 nN KBnam ai VBS !?y nhn ^21 ai nonan ^3^ ai cn^aao 
 nain N/I y ona yaun spw Noa s ^ onais ^DDI^DD on "ai yawn b" vnan 
 p pi>na yawm ".onaa NI:DD yaun pN" :noK' loai ^naa paa /i^y 25
 
 HEBREW TRANSLATION 265 
 
 25 b 
 
 by Mn nibaun bv P^nni .nKOo mina ow iba IK nann 
 ,0'ony vn DK .nna twvai ,D'B$>om oanpm D-n^m rooxyn ono piwnn 
 
 myo pn /iniyn pi ,nbaa mina Njotj 11 K^> ona yawn 
 nyi nonan myi Tin bay B>NT ^ iiyi Tin $>DJ ^ ntrm 
 nay DNI ; Qi^an D-NOUO i^n niniym n^xn nnnt?' niyi b^^n myi nnyn 5 
 nenaa " : noNty ica ^ayty pai nay K^B> pa ND I ' onxn myi .DINCCD nrx 
 
 annni niyn 
 
 nNa ND^ pancxD D*B^BW n^ipni nn^ni miovyni b^Nni naipm 
 niyi nnxn my pe'aa tnTinw 1^1 " : niyi ".nb: HND xb bnx pbaix 
 niy n.nn ^ro: b^ nnstan my na ^ n^in my SJK OIK *DV n aw* ^ nnnn 
 n.^ntj> IK payw 21 n^xn nnntr my b^trn niyi ntran n^a myi nionan 10 
 
 WN myety ntya y^n pbnn ".onsn niy?o pn oninu nnay na f.na 
 jo rvt:) " : inDNtr 103 y ia yaun nx KC2 s nn .nbyoi ^wa n s n nma 
 nioxyi nt?a ia ^^ nbyoi nnao nina my^B' nax *vrbvn pbnn 
 innaa nax" :inoKB> ioa /a yawn ns NCD" nn .c^pno ww\ 
 ninai non jo nnao nina i^ax "nyty oni> p onaxn" jniyi ".niiovyi 15 
 
 n^aan bai ".jriKODa pooo pe>n p n^ny^o ninai nbaan p nnao 
 nna yawn nx DVSODO oa'K ^KODCH Dnasno nnx b IK naoo pbn IK 
 
 D*oa oa^nnb nt^as^a IK ^'nb on^a K!JK . 
 nn " : in^K^ ia j\\yv yaixi on^y pra mi^Kia vnt8> rnea^ 
 
 Pinni ^yiani aim ^ax o^a PKODOI n'-nb PNDOD non 1^31 man 20 
 11 DSI o^a* J^KODO PKI pnf PNOOD ynr naat^i n 
 K\n nroai D^a 11 PNDDDI pnb pxooo vnB> nioai? 
 vn^ panx pnc'ia OIK i^K^oa p pyoB' pi " : niyi ",nyb ny 
 i^n nibaan nK Kenans nnaia " ai aao Ktsnan bai " mam ",nyb nyo 
 pai nbsan pab *a p*in nan n\n K^ pa bnan PK fthyv onasm Kin KBD* 25 
 ".onaa NEBO Kt^wnty no^o " : ncK wnm DJI ,pxin nan 
 
 ^ pa
 
 266 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 26 a 
 
 jba ,nNEn wo ,na tw pai mno wo ?na B*B> nbN pai na bt? pai 
 by ibin bai" v->aii ",ai nonan bab" :ainan -INB> ia /INOD nmna 
 iiapni sppn p:a fn<sa by niabinn nionan ibba' "vaa 
 n nr vaa by nbm ba " : rmwtr 103 y n^n abai me'n 3ni pwon mbm 
 vim bbai ".tron abai mtwi riKi pwon mbm nispn ns Kanb ibin 5 
 
 .b^sn nx anb n*nn baa" :noK loa ^an 03 bbaj "nnn baa" 
 ona ysun ba " : next? ica ^bai DIN bx TOT " Kou 11 nna y:i:n ba " 
 n nnm n*a s ba w nasbo ^ba by vn ibbn nibasn OKI ".D'ba pai DIN pa 
 ^bx NDDJ K npen:i bas IN nnn nasb ba IN n^a ^ba vn ibbn 
 
 xb PKDDD pK PMDDO on nab " : neKP ica /nban yjun 10 
 mn nanb wsionp IDB^ oniNam ".XVDZ D^ba xbi D^PB'D bi 
 is D^anso "anyn ny NBBI" man .nnians b^a^a onvpj wruw / 
 sn " : VIDNB> ica .n^bban nnann p inbira xb .cnpa yr sbt? na ^^ nvnb 
 o^B'n n^nn --bya mba:i ".^nriB'D nnnbi m niyao pbinb iino 
 aba nN")p:n n^nn nba: pn /IINCDD p /OMDODn aie^m nancn nvn mba:b 15 
 " enavi JD mia wntr yao D'en abac pn nino n^at^ ba " : noNB> ica 
 ^n roba^a y33K> ^D .U&D n3B^n HlXfin 
 nsabm ram np3nm vvm avm naaym nbnn DHB> 7 Qnn ^bya r 
 
 pnyn ny NOD nvnb mso /icwnm oonm 
 
 ",31 oab o^Nccn nbN ii mam np3m 31 B>a Noon oab nn " : atnac' ioa 20 
 .31 nbnn p3a onnN tpyn Tarni a^ 3ion ba HN nbba <{ n^" nbons? nnN 
 no baa NDDO /nsj NinB'a ibbn ontntm bc> n^an pbno pbn bai 
 ^byoi nfcjnyo nmna n:'N imB> no ba nra niy^m ,iba NOD^ 
 ia BI nrn iiyt^n JD nina Nine* no bai ".pi^n ;o ncnya" :ncNB ioa 
 jo BHBP pa nra bnan PN ,nba nba:n baa NOOO nioxyi cn^i iea 35
 
 HEBREW TRANSLATION 267 
 
 26 b 
 
 K>bn NOB* Tin p cnian -ipan ina M M-IONP ioa ,no NW pat 
 
 no B'Bii>n rb pup nn p naN *JN a^n n^ PNB> nivo no amoa 
 innaa "nn p -an SIN movyi ona noa pi?n 
 rnna nn p noo nina I^BN my^ on!? p onaK " : now 
 PKDDD ppn p nmyao ninai n^i:n }D nnao 5 
 
 OOH oai? nn " : ITOK nnN23 ne Bin nanai 
 TBDH nnw? iBD3 i^asn ! on ^ai mvoa mn yo ns Tawi 
 jai ^t^a jn^y pp I^N /oosyn ian3i .n^n nvn^ ON nrn 
 p ^i niovyn p yb onbajo " : now ioa ^KDOD p y iy^ni anBvn 
 
 nani npjxn iiyi ",Dr60 lytrn p h B^naxn p N^ o^trn 10 
 
 friTinw INI " : naeflcn moKP ica aan NDt3nE> ma nayo 
 
 m^na nxe^n 6w mm* i BDinm nND^ni niani np^xn my 
 DIN nw fa pny n ansn niyo pn pine miay na |na nhnsy IN 
 
 ^NDDH pan 
 
 DN ha \n^a ni?N urn ni?N 01^ Jbi'n aha ha* p^aa jn 
 n an prw in 
 ni?B3 DN ^ 
 
 .nKooo 7 nTipn nmn^ mrm nw yaiNi an^y anwa Q^oa 
 .rrrn nona n^aa yanN inarn^ nya nwn mxrn ^r nivca wiarn laa nri? ac 
 BN pi ;i^a* N^ pjw nnnNa D'pano anty *a ^y ejN a^p^nn nvp 
 
 P pyc^ n DM " : ncKt^ wa /n^ajn p ejiwi tra^ pirin xb 
 
 PMDOO pw pr6 PDBD pn PN m NED no 
 p pyoB> ^ ON" :niyi ".jrrapoa NH fhaa NH N>5rp xb NIIT -i ON a^a* 25 
 pi BWT ^ b sjne' INXD anio NCO nop nben 
 
 H U
 
 268 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 27 a 
 
 N NTT n ON }nso nyj^a niNODn w mine nninon 
 naa nayn jo -wan naayn DNI ",fnvpo3 n }bi33 
 p^an niya panap ioa nby nspan byi /iiyi nea vxn n 
 133V " mew? iea ,12 yawn ns NCDO innn ^an 12 ^ 1331 
 6 p yt^in* n ox ninu nnxai NCD 1^33 y:un nonx vvm 1^3 5 
 yaian ^x DIN mini =, NS^S n^ ijnrDi N3^x 1^3 aa ^y pn^nt? Nini 
 1^3 aa ^y pneriB' Nini "^ p yBW n ONI NOD n^3n nj33B> noiN3 
 I^N N^I /INH ^y oa^B' Qi-nn ^ya noif' mm "psn by" vnanai 
 33y ICB>B> D S 3^ "i33y N^N PIN" :noNU> 103 ^^ea 
 a naaa N13 n^3 s 2 nipn NISB' ^3 pan lan" :noNi ".n^a^ riN N^nb 10 
 ^aan pi ipyn paa avn >3^o Daay "inan:b avn" mam ".mbnn jo pn 
 n pi nny }iaa av bu> pJ"o nianb ina^ob avn" mew? 103 ^maoboni 
 D"no on^3 on3 yawn by D^nvo "& cna yaian ba" mail ".NYIJODI 
 PN" :noN 13-nian oai .vby^ onaan HNOD Nb /aia 
 by baatJ' naxbo ^3 IN na 'bs .lilbft n^^^H nw^H 15 
 baoi ,NOD nvnb TIV inio inxb ibbn D^vn^n nao^o 
 
 :ain3B^ 103 ^nu 11 "]3 -IDNI ;aiyn ny NOD 
 nns* ".ai j*y "ba b3o NOD 11 ono3 cno vby be 11 I^N bsi" 
 oban b3 nnam mm " pan niyi naai py "ba " moNi riNrn nivon 
 paytr DIEW " y Dn3 n3Nbo D ntry* nc'N ^3 bs " mcNi x ona D"^ont^oB> 20 
 ,niyiap nno ^bys /ncaatr Q'bs inaia "ona naxbo n^y< -,K>N" VIST 
 ianb Dn n^iNni jBFQibQ niobt^i cswa nnon DJINB* 
 nonyni noon nsoia pbspo "HO^NO py ^ba" :noN^ 103 
 aio^o nuon OIN mm 11 -i D^NCD ^^b Nbty noa ain niya 
 by ]N mon b^i aap^i DiDn^^o py btr pbon n^na n&rbe> na 25 
 ion aap^i BIDPWD nbaba po-po ptj> NOD n^aaao aap
 
 HEBREW TRANSLATION 269 
 
 27 b 
 arp xta 13 !>y SJK moian ivai pi^n iva. n^nn nx 
 
 DI jni>K> arr6 onn ^B> rwyvn n^njn prom D^run 
 nsipn jnta 3rn^> nnx in newo D':ro ^ ejai maai ns: 
 nns m^v n n^jrsyo pnym n^jy nnn^ niT'av ""nty n^yc'o 5 
 nx nt^yi n:p^ DIDIWD ^onnn HNOID p^apo <myo -ny ^a 
 ajp 11 ! DIDH^O n^unipo VJJN nx n^y^o DIN mw ni vntn^p 
 mi>atrp nniyao ns ntw^o 6i miiT ni n^yx nx 
 noam nan n ii nin <i p nx n^y^o OIN mini 
 
 nina na i^i unan^o rbix mm 11 n a:p*i DIDITPD iiy /^ 10 
 
 HKDD bapo inD^D py ^a" :neK myi ".n^nau 
 ny nana^ Tny DNI nicsn ^y ai:^ byjni 
 wpi PIOBO^ ny N^-IPDN uuiB'' 1 ^ ny 
 a .iiaa i^ neTTB' ny niau i^ niB'yb n^ny tnr\v nonyn my 
 no ^1n^ l| l vnae' nas^o noi^ ny : a^i Dion^o ,8^1155 15 
 nioia ^ p^n : prai'n n*a ,i>D po :ni?aba .1200 Dnshan D*Dpn jo 
 .nipi ni^ns :pnn .rn^na maip rprom .nnyp ta^upn ,]rk nonrn 
 
 non : /onnn .nbsno : piyn .ni^na : 
 
 ,niy intr : NIDIIPD ,iiy yv 
 BDIB* .oana vby i^ty'B'a :cana^ .oisnn 20 
 inoixo nvy ^a inaN/o i^jnc> ny nNDD p^apo px py i^a " 
 piDiriD vn jnax^o ncane'o nco 
 I:P an n^ani ".|nax^n 1^:3 xini j^aaa usnvc'D nsiou p^apo 
 ,TIX pMno U*KB> nat^ i!> B^B> ^rni ^iis pnno im i^ B^B' nno nnx ^13*0 
 i^xi .nsota o^apo DJixtr on ^"i .nxoo ff^apcn ono B* ."jin oni? BB 25 
 
 ono ^ *in oni NB 
 
 u a
 
 270 HEFES B. YASLIAH S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 38 a 
 
 ,D*KOB caw Tin Dnb B*B ibxi ."pri Dnb PKB> pai -pri onb w pa n 
 
 pi .Dnb PMB> pai "pn Dn b ^^ P 3 bnan px ,oba enpn 'ba paa 
 ,0'KbD nnpa DDIN nxB>b -wax wi D^aB'a waint? onan nnix is^jr Q^a 
 ia Q^DB^ na^aon niai n^ron nnnni rfnvwv m^inan jiaa 
 nan paa ^^o Nin^a mix ni6 i^aN^ ^a onoi ,nna sxi^ai / D <I O 5 
 nonm ny^nm nnsni nsi?n na^p paa /a pna6 nipirnn infant? 
 loa .NOD* pi }r D*pnnb ha* i^n onann nns DNI .on!? 
 ni ninoam onan pja ^mi omns ar6 ^^ n^an b " 
 
 i psi Tim oninK oni> ps trpn ^a" ".ai 
 na^ao mai o^apn miai B^PH nixiai Haoi nan rrm" 
 ^a nxo DWIN ppnno jny D^ nni? B^B' a by f) 
 p3i pbspo pa n^an ba iNen Qmno ib nn tra-a nnia 
 nbay inn OIN mirr* i TND n inan HNDB pbapo pbapn 
 *a by SJK pnw naop wan niai payn na^nyi D'-abn n^oopi 
 
 n ba iKBn jms> na Nb*N b^bu^b D^i^y pw D*KDD 15 
 K min n nanb no n n3T pa ps D-XOD pbapo pen pnino 
 noyo b^ Nin^ naiD D^ba n^yn " : noi ",n3n bya b5r nany 
 
 Dippna* nt^a* nybii annsi nabn nine nyo bt^ WKB 
 ponn nnino D-JIND ^ab nirpnn^ IK nayn nx ona 
 
 mapnnB ix nayn nx ;na ninb mpian Dipprr^ DViasm pbxm 20 
 
 ^nn^o mwa pbo nnnsy naian QHOI ".D-NDD QaTKo ?pb 
 pbon nnn^ nicn" :noKc 103 jctbamn nx vby nanb jpnnc' boso IN 
 omno pbapoi oippnt? a by PIN D>bnn nnnK' pniaa pnino o^ann nnnt? pbcsoni 
 ".ypnps Nin nn ypipb nairasn ba " : now niyi ".btap DIB>D pa 
 IN my vb nana> mo pn ,0^3 ssoan *n bya myo ns^yan *ba 25
 
 HEBREW TRANSLATION 271 
 
 28 b 
 
 .nnx -O-G IN ,Bina IK pana riant? pa ,nBB bapan nnx nan 
 a6p by t| xot3 ' ^ on aba xnpin Tin bya -nyo npyjn ba bax 
 D'en abaa pn ninB D'at? ba" nnatw wa y nnK nan vb nan 
 onb naro D'a bn:n p D'ba ntnyn wpy n nai tna^a mis 
 nseu bapB> nan nn^tw ib^BNi Bin ib'axi pnxa bnan p 5 
 npyjn "ba ont:i ".nxBcb man n.nna ii"ian^ nabai 
 y cnb nainm o^mai nuiae p:a ^JSKB o^awin onanm npa -- 
 n pan nx p^nso nnan nsn^b Dnip any nyat^" :nBNB> ioa 
 a^bi nnni miax nn^an ^a byc> natrbb wao nnan nx 
 ba^ px n^a nat?b nctr xnpj nbi nsnp: rum px n"a 10 
 pan rnb irpn ii Nioya ^N nmx baai c^ax ^baai D^bbi baa 
 xbn pa>n ^a HNDD pbapo xbn nanx ^bai n^as ^bai o^bba -"ba 
 cn^b pine' ^a inai natr jnb BB> py ninyp nnai ",na 
 :VIBNB> ^a /iiancn p ona Nyi>ai brna^ nvrw sjoai anm 
 nano bu' * loa" :niyi ".minB py ^baa rarb nb wv nbatsn" 15 
 
 n^ba onBi ".pnnDD am NBBB bN^ba pn DTD ^bya bi^ 
 D-bapo .nNBB bapon nan onb nan DN bas ;niaiy.n mvy D^yjn 
 ".DHVID niaiyn niovyo n-ba niryn" :nBNB> 1B3 ^T ^ by on 
 nan nrroo ib^BN Bin ib^ax pnsa bnan fa nnb na^n " : nijn 
 bab encK' naxba nytra wn^ D'ba onai <C .NBB nNBB bapa NW ao 
 
 nx u D^oactr ban paa /onban nnoai^a cnB^ nvnba 
 n\n DN bax .nsBB n^bapB oyj? y onb nanni ^niann ^BB pan 
 nan noa paa 7 nsBB bap 11 x nbiyb ntB nr nna^ xbt? nnx ^bab PIB "ban 
 npa be> Bipbcn " : VIBKB> ioa pnb nBinni ^nao b p*m pnapi snBBpi 
 NBB noap noa onwo ibx nn naaam nnian btr jnBm ibt? monm 25 
 xoai cnn bc> ^aaani ^:B noa nan ^oa nina
 
 272 HEFES B. YASLIAHS BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 29 a 
 
 nmon rvai i>ijon rrai n^n n^ai nao ^ pantani nta jncpm nann 
 pya-ii nor ta aanem na:*D ^TU ta moNm nnua pw o^aj p-ni 
 ^Tia ^ DIKNI n^an ^ Dia^i nocn niaiEDi vyn 
 
 DIN !>B> pB>D^D BTDB'Dn ^3 DV n ON ^3H HT QnWD 
 
 N^N UNB> bi N?:t3 n3K^ rwn N^I naN^o nytrn 5 
 pn:nm 2na pw ^nn rvm hnao p*n 
 'D p*n D^NDO I^N nn iwunsn n^ai D^ 
 inoo min 11 -i o^i?n p^n nine moi NCU r6yoi unu WHB> jon 
 ^a ^y SIN niDDn n^ai p^^n nu n^Nn ^sm nxo i:mj Ninty 'isn 
 
 man nv^oi ian N^N IJ^NB' ninu nswn ^y nenon ia tw 10 
 HN noaon :npa ^ Dip^cn ,|KD ni^pn D >{ ?&n ^ns ".xot: o^a 
 .nnmn "jan pon fe :nnm ^ spon .JDI po :i^ monm 
 .onao jnx :NIDP .onaa na n <i n > aoB' nan :noap ,nnn po :na3ni 
 ion : ^i ^ .oian : DIONH ,P^n : pjj^n 3ay -loa : pnop ,Noa po 
 nor ^ aiancni .o^ioa JB> : p^nrin /loa : p"n 3nN nyn^ : naaw .Dnirn? n^an 15 
 .nnwo jmenaian ,i^y nnoioi nvntroB' pyo 'i^y ^a Nin aianon 
 *\vy \rbv jN^nipo .niy ^ yxo jN^aov . 
 
 : 8W1BOD 
 
 on!? wv n^am .D^piapa :p3^^n n-a ,-iua yo :p^n 
 n^ nonm marnt? noa ^33 nno nnN PNB> n^an nn 
 ia>DE>i onaiDi nuna paa ;nNco n^apo DJ^NI iin nn> ^E> 20 
 nna Nyi"ai nni men rani mypi rnnpi nom n^t^i yaiai 
 
 D^apcn omann onaan niytri ,Drwo nx T>arn^ 
 vsbn nxo nnx ^y n&^V no Nin mna nnvn niytrn /I 
 nty i>3 DIN ITJT^N n jop *B> Pi^n " : IIONB' ioa
 
 HEBREW TRANSLATION 273 
 
 29 b 
 
 DN pibrt rwn" :nKi ".biaa -nai twa NITB> ny DIK 6am 
 nbau nKoom ".iino isb nto NED ntr^ by ne>b? 13 tr 
 jua ,nna Kwai span nax tj>e>b IBWI upnnp Q'ban ba by 
 pbtea prroa ibw " : new? 103 ^"pjnn .a^n^ DHB> y o>D33Di byji ttb'BJN 
 DN na^n by nsboB' n^ooi NUID b^ o*ai yniai D'D^DI N^bsi xb^aJN 5 
 nin nnb pB> o^bam ".nbiaa mnw nbwsa OKI noie nmoa naitra 
 nasob uaw^ ownnan b{y Denn jiaa nn HNOD pbapoi 
 nasbob nn ^bi n^naa wawe' nbx bax .onbn 
 ins 'bab -nan p DN vbx nNoti o^bapo WN D'-cinnan 
 poinna bt^ ^i " : -nN^ raa .onb nonm .naia w nt^^a IBB^B> IN 10 
 poinm be> nn " : niyi ".D'-NDDD oan^ nnoo ity^N n bmaa 
 :nNi ",pKt30 joaia is fp-vD niiinu n'-na ^bya btn 
 'bya btj> ^bab nnnvo ]m& -aaD mxcu pcinru b> nunx no 
 D^n oa^NB' D"nn ^bya nniy onci "/bab Dvnrrt? ny nninta 
 nson my ib^aN bia 11 " tneKB' ioa /ba on niB'yb injna 1021 najw D'a 15 
 
 my iNX 11 nna nabo n&y> ntw otb bn yce^oa nainn myi 
 
 " nvon my " man pain ".naxbB pa ntrya xb^ nainn -iijn nvon 
 
 my "nainn myi" ;mayn naxbob inaan xbi mba xbv nniy 
 
 nimy ntrbtJ' tfbiyn NCB'O *ICN ia nn n DK" :ncKB> ia /naba nboaB> 
 
 nain pay xbi nop xh n^bo xbi mm sinam nain rwo }n ao 
 nau'no rvan bya bt^ nmy " : new ".pay xbi n^op sbi n^bm 
 o-ntr nbyoi n^naD nvkv by D^naa n^bc> nmoB> n^btso nnoi ".jnsotao 
 nms D^CB^ IN yirby aaK>b naapj? IN ,D-no nxoc nnis Nocacn nnx rrby 
 
 30 a 
 
 nb n:ainB> D^nao tvthv by D^nsta nrbro nnina IN /ioni Naibo by 
 nann IK /rb man mny b^at^a na non^oK' ^n^o 5noK> na
 
 274 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 IN ,vby nbron IN na nyaw nbyoi trnan npbp by n^naa r 
 ix /ibyoi D'naD nyanN by a-nau nya-ix vnot? PK> IN /inN nan na jpnb 
 
 imop pao IN nbyoi DTIBB nt2>?:n by DTIBU nu>Dn vncp yvo 5 
 .n nn^by aat? IN at^ 1 IN onn^ nbyo^ D^naD rvvv by n^nsa n 
 
 onnn p ma N^vai ,12 iy:3B> IN no by iSratw IN 
 113MB' ibbn onann ID nbyoi nan by nao npb DNI .D"Nttt2on 
 'a by PIN /a onponpo pNty nauis nine IN 7 vby nnt^b w*3ni ^-yb 
 n^btr byQn^bc' DIIWD NCDO njnn " : noKB IDS ^KOB bap 1 - 10 
 niyn nyais by nyaiN pKn nn nNDub {yb^ by {ybir DNPDI 
 :Tijn ".no Ncubi omob pw ne^ b; n^j^ }>ao ntron by 
 nrbty by wfeo nina PN aa^cb *ua n^yi nbao yxip 
 :niyi ".wn^ ba nyobi" :niyi a ,Nin{y ba nrnxbi nau 
 
 yvpcn pnn panoso yaem myn niym pen ppm naan" 15 
 PJB* i N nn 'Neb nao by net: NED HBD by net: jbao 
 PN " : njn ".-ttn ^aa by n^benb ^INI-I bwn ^Nr i DIB>D ^pb p 
 ^yty iiy" :niyi ",T*n HN ^^Dn N^N NDDO 
 niD3& trb{y by {yb^" :*mn ".MOB Nin^ ba ib^aN 
 nmoa -IN nbnn nr,N nso yreion jo nan ba^ nsoB n^an 20 
 boa npipa nnnK IN na nainn nno IN na nnx pnya IN 
 ".njab nywp ny N^N HNCD nj"N nbiybi PPWB neipa IN 
 by K>bt? na PKB> n^baca "IHDD ncm n n^n NaN n ON" :mjn 
 
 30 b 
 
 oan mn" :noNi .rrcna "ia nabni ".Dn^yb Nbi n^yb Nb Nm 
 
 ^JibaDNb n^w nB^B> by npbp" :niyi 
 'a by PJN oycn3B> n^btr by n^btr" :niyi ",. 
 by ntrb^o nina iwn" :niyi a .niNr:Dn baa NOD tmon jo 
 n nN u ropbi mnpn nN nyjbi jrnon nN ia p^ab i^pnnc' 5
 
 HEBREW TRANSLATION 275 
 
 pai pi pa EIN jrann* n nty^N n nan NOD pi psp pai pie pa 
 Ni?iy DN iinD pia WKB> NOD pi BIN K3'py n nino pio jw 
 tan nan noaipa nrvan NE$>y 'han pnr n 6s run na 12 nan ON 
 N^N ipbro N!J ntaa hoa bn nan ns^ npnr ni^y rrnyn 
 na^Nb ipnr x^nn nao nry^x ni n^n ninx in^n IN injaa iN^r,B> 10 
 h "styk* nn Taa^ Navy n na nnn" mew ",iTu6*p n-nyn 
 obn nna^n HN mani> p:oi " : ncxtr ma /ua nnina onnin 
 yaa nna Kvcat^a naBD j?^pi rnai^i DJ nnoi 
 a /^y i^nNnc' is noa ly::^ IN ^13 
 onno nNou NODO I:^NB> ^a i?y ]N no 15 
 rrn CNI ".o^aaan nnao nnsDoi naa^ ^ o^aen p/w nrao ^ 
 V^N nan^ ""n 11 by lakvm KCD&I niyi^n p mna ia s^i^i njan 
 mien nans? nann HNCD nn\n DN y niNn^ D H 3nv /nsoo bpo nan 
 IN DrwBa nxoo HNYDJ^ P.TJB* iNOD' /^N man^ nann 
 nann p KCD N^ n^p IHNCD nn\n DNI .ono nnNa 20 
 
 inNcae> nan b inan^a iniN Neoen 
 nyanN niyn p nnNi pB'n p n^s? pe>.n jo nriNi njan jo DW 
 niyn p nnNi paon p nt^n mints paon p nnxi niyn p 
 njan p nnsi p^n p nthv \>vn p nnNi niyn p nyanN 
 
 31 a 
 
 ".lino weo ^pn p NCD UDD nionn p ii? nanB> b bb.n nr 
 nnn KW no^ n^iNnn nnnN c^a race n^yi .noyonji nKooa DNI 
 nen paa /r nnNOD axoa nNcn .onipn nasoa nn^n^a nnsn 
 VNn ia*NB> nnN ^a naoo nc>y DN 5>3 .nt3B> naco rm nDyon;^ 
 nn " : in!2NB> ica .nninia fi ninni yro paa .onipo n^iNn nn^.n torn? nci> 5 
 na ncn ixc'y^ ^ionni ^isnn nsB'yB' ncn nino non Mtvyv n^een moB' 
 nnauci nnauD IKB^B' noa na iwyv pnoi pno
 
 276 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 -ins veb NOO \iyth injw 5>a ^an nr NOD noa 
 n^an b " : njiaai nati>noa nxoon D^DJ tana wvrcn now ". 
 11 wn N^N jnNoo TO p^iy PNI nat^noa jnNoo nS> 
 na^noni naamo 'TOI nK>yD n^o ^na n^yom 
 11N2 *?w mian ".nas'no n^ xh n^yo TO N^ n^ono n^K 
 nno ni?yi i> HNOD pT, ra^non D^NOOJ o^an ^a mn : n\n nxrn na^nn 
 wra> noo nnix mt^^a N^N ; Dniiva nn^ IOT ba 
 pn nno ^s s y nnnK mi^ onnw jo DHIK nnyi 15 
 nni^b nat8>nom .onn zwnv na^non DJI nnivn 
 for ^a ^NOBH nx nno p^o 11 N^ ^a WKW nni? 
 ^ PTW n^an ^a" pjy ,nb noipt? nnnx 
 nno niK>yi? nnn^o n^a iya D^nntj>a : Kin " na^noa 
 nnnivo nnis* n:^ N^ nx ,nnx nan^ nni^yh nnis nw^ ix n^a 20 
 
 ; nnis NOD^ nm nnn yjj^a nxoo i^ap^ 
 ina^no ps maoi? nnix ntyy^ JON n^n n^an ^yn nx bax 
 nniy" moNty ioa ;iaoi a^ni^ nnmn 
 
 31 b 
 
 PN pay ^i jnsooo nat^no iran byi 
 fnsoDo nac-'no aw ^ jnNODo na 
 ^ ^ao inxooo nat^no px J^TJ 
 iiy n^D^b v5>y acynB' niy omo nisoo nniy I^NI " : 
 xann "iiy inan iiy fnan my nonn my -non my tf^aop my 
 
 pnon my omo noan niyi nan my jcp ^ abn my nonyn my 
 
 noNi ".no NOO OIK 6am o~no OIN "rybs n pmon myi 
 
 nona sn i> "10 ON" :^a ^N ^ao nnaiyn nisoon nana 
 
 N!?I n-ixmt? nmna N^I nnioaa^ Jira N^I msiva^ ana N^ 
 
 !?apo N^J nonm Jin nxoio p^apo px nn nn nnioaaty nninn 10
 
 HEBREW TRANSLATION 277 
 
 rbi b^ ninu nin bw NEB nona ^ an N"jnm 
 nam nina iyap&' a ^y PJM r6"6 iwpjn nona ^ NC 
 pf>iy pto napnoa IHNCD n^ pn-w n^an bat? NCB oncooa 
 
 ono :nsot3 n^apo D^NI iin nn^ jw n^an nmai "3ua*y n^ n^n 15 
 
 ana o^onB'OB' iljs .pirn Knot^i anp E'lec' cna n^cn^c^ ^y ^a 
 nnwo 021 ^nrfo n^ioai nuhpi HID^D paa .HNIOD o^ap naK pnp 
 D^cntym Nin anpn ^ojyn ,D"Nr:D pinn enci? 
 cit^o y Dna twai jv\sty\ nnuo jiaa .onns o^a twe^B' 
 |tD ojpyan onann nx i>aKi> ona n-^on^r:^ n^an nxi onxn nx nis?t? 20 
 nrn aion ID writ? no bi ,jna trcvai ^matap nnypi niDDi y ni33si nnyp p:a 
 ohon paa cnxn nx roe^ ^j;n" :ncNB' ica /nix NCDIOH -iaT la 
 mn I| B^^ nxi DINH nx K^t^i? wyn piino nnimNi mwi 
 
 32 a 
 
 D^DH ha 11 py ^a" :nci ".D^NOO vs^ini n^aeni fn^n paa 
 bia^ IN YV ^ 3 ^ 3 N^ ^ ^ 3 ^ 3J:) ^^ ^ n mwcm nnimm 
 nan py ^a ba 6ii> ^n pabrw nw nbaon nxi jn^n nx N^-I 
 
 ainan nan^ nnx I^K nx x^'inh ikx ns nmi n^n no 
 
 DM Dixn nx IWB'O Kin Tnvo PB> no P % ^ 61^ 5 
 jn^ pa^m nbton nsi fn^n n^ nan "ON ^N onsn 
 ns JWBTO wntj' o^on nx N^VIOI onsn HW:B nw onxn 
 \nv mwom nninam a^ipni oixn 'BTDB'D HN t^csw ww 
 Ttb&Q onoi ".nnxn nx ptyDtro }rxi ms 'trcB^ ns 
 Dnoi .na Nwai /nm6 ma^mv D^naa n^tr ^y D-nau rw^? 10 
 by r\vhv " : nost? 103 ^0:^0 IN n s D-i ^y nn^nt^a niyavx B^B> ^y niyavx 
 
 nnnrnm nnnnoo nnatan tM? noo mnnn niinta 
 i nca^o n^^on6 nx^yc' p/p ^y B>^" rniyi ".
 
 278 HEFES B. YASLIAH'S BOOK OF PRECEPTS 
 
 p DN Ni5N /IITVD pi nWttD |JW p3 ^IHBDO DTO1 ".mine 
 
 pa onaon ninetae" :notp 103 ,v^y i^nxn IN nn iy:u is yj3 jna 15 
 
 nmro OIN ^n n>m *NDB> n^n nan niNota p^xo p^B' pai nn^so 
 
 ".nmna I^NI li'N DIN ^N^: pi mN&ta mn^o jren nnino 
 
 pn nan psn: 6w pyo^ ni DV n" ,M"DN^ 103 ^N^OJ pia na^m 
 
 nniani hyaom naam nbnn onoi ".onio WK vnanai onao nnsuon Wwa 
 
 n^ynp Dn^a nwvm nnipm nnrni n*n nnni? 20 
 ninn p pn NDB iDvy ^an DB> i^ vrw nwno ^3 b" 
 
 i^yj^ nwxni nnpm n^vni i^n nnnsr nmani 
 moo mn DNI ,n ivai ^nu'si noso n"^y:n rbwb narae' o^an 
 
 CORRECTIONS IN ARABIC TEXT OF HEFES 
 
 Fol. 7 a, 1. 3. Dans' should read 
 Fol. 28 a, 1. i. t3' should read \y 
 
 ADDITIONAL NOTE 
 
 In the Jewish Review, 1913, p. 212, there appeared an article by Mr. Jack 
 Mosseri describing some Genizah fragments in the library of the Cairo 
 Jewish Community, and mention was made of autograph fragments of Hefes 
 b. Yasliah's Book of Precepts. Thus far I have not been able to secure 
 a photograph or detailed description of those fragments.
 
 University of California 
 
 SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY 
 
 405 Hilgard Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90024-1388 
 
 Return this material to the library 
 
 from which it was borrowed. 
 
 OPT1 Slope 
 
 NOV 
 MAY 
 
 1*4 
 MAY 2 REC'D
 
 UC SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY 
 
 A 000109446 5
 
 BBS