Definition of Apikores, Other Causes for Losing Olam Habb

So we had begun this section of Mila sapikorus. Mila sapikorus is mila aramis.

עניינה זלזול וביזוי בתורה או בנושאי התורה. ולפיכך אומרים דרך כלל שם זה על מי שאינו מאמין ביסודות התורה או מי שמבזה את החכמים או איזה תלמיד חכם שיהיה

o chavero. So the Rambam's initial definition of apikorus, that עניינה זלזול וביזוי בתורה או בנושאי התורה derives from the Gemara here in צדי ט' עמוד ב'. Apikorus,

רב ורב חנינא אמרי תרווייהו, רב ורב חנינא אמרי תרווייהו: זה המבזה תלמיד חכם.

Subsequently the Gemara says, Apikorus kegon man? Amar Rav Yosef:

כגון הני דאמרי מאי אהנו לן רבנן לדידהו קרו לדידהו תנו.

But then the Rambam says, and therefore by extension,

ולפיכך אומרים דרך כלל שם זה על מי שאינו מאמין ביסודות התורה.

So l'chora here the Rambam anticipates a very very big question. The Rambam is about to enumerate the Yud Gimmel Ikkarim. And l'chora when you learn the mishna here in Perek Chelek,

ואלו שאין להם חלק לעולם הבא האומר אין תחיית המתים ואין תורה מן השמים

so the mishna doesn't list the Rambam's Yud Gimmel Ikkarim. Okay, so maybe tana v'shiyer, but, and again there certainly are cases of tana v'shiyer, but still, how do you integrate the impression you get from the mishna with the Rambam's list of the Yud Gimmel Ikkarim? So it's clear that the Rambam anticipates that question and answers it for us when he says,

ולפיכך אומרים דרך כלל שם זה על מי שאינו מאמין ביסודות התורה.

Since an apikorus means even someone who's mevazeh a talmid chacham, even someone who's mevazeh Torah, then על אחת כמה וכמה there's no bigger bizayon than rejecting the yesodos of Torah. And the Rambam says no, they're all included in the term apikorus. But then the obvious question is, so why are these two examples of techiyas hameisim and torah min hashamayim, why are they mentioned in particular? If by saying apikorus that includes all those who deny yesodos hatorah, so why are these two singled out? So ha-p'shat is like this. Let's initially focus on האומר אין תחיית המתים. Ein techiyas hameisim. And then bli neder we'll circle back to אין תורה מן השמים. For each of the Yud Gimmel Ikkarim, right, the Rambam concludes his presentation of that ikar with a posuk in Chumash which expresses that ikar.

וזה היסוד הראשון הוא שהורה עליו הדיבור אנכי ה׳. וזה היסוד השני הוא שהורה עליו ואמר שמע ישראל ה׳ אלקינו ה׳ אחד.

Hayisod hashlishi כי לא ראיתם כל תמונה etcetera. Well what's the posuk in terms of pshuto shel mikra, not derech remez and derech and derech drash, which Chazal at the beginning Perek Chelek have several such psukim. But what's the posuk where the pshuto shel mikra is Techeiyas HaMeisim? So the posuk where the pshuto shel mikra talks about Techeiyas HaMeisim is in Sefer Daniel. It's not mefurash. Rambam quotes it in Igeres Techeiyas HaMeisim. ורבים מישני אדמת עפר יקיצו. Oh, so it's gevaldig. Apikorus includes all those who are אינו מאמין ביסודות התורה, but the Mishna uses that to refer to those who are not maamin biyisodos hatorah which are mefurash in the Torah. But that's why the Mishna mentions specifically Techeiyas HaMeisim, because Techeiyas HaMeisim is one of the yisodos hatorah, but there's no posuk in Torah Shebiksav about it. So it's klar, that's what the pshat is. But what about Torah Min Hashamayim? Torah Min Hashamayim now does have a posuk for it. So what are you going to do with that kasha? Hayisod Hashmini is Torah Min Hashamayim.

והמראה המורה על היסוד השמיני הזה הוא אומרו בזאת תדעון כי ה׳ שלחני כי לא מלבי.

And if you recall when we learned the yisod hashmini, so we saw that when the Rambam speaks of Torah Min Hashamayim, he's not just referring to a historical fact, a historical occurrence, that Hakadosh Baruch Hu gave us the Torah, but rather it's clear from the way the Rambam explains that original phrase

והוא שנאמין שכל התורה הזאת המצויה בידינו היום היא התורה שניתנה למשה.

Torah Min Hashamayim means that Hakadosh Baruch Hu gave us an eternal Torah. He gave us a Torah Nitzchis. A Torah Nitzchis means an eternal Torah that doesn't get lost. So Torah Min Hashamayim means not only that Torah was given min hashamayim, but that we have it. But that we have it, because what the Rambam means by the phrase of Torah Min Hashamayim, again, is a nitzchius'dikke Torah, an eternal Torah. Torah is not eternal if it's lost in some geniza somewhere forever. Torah is eternal because היא מצויה בידינו היום. Now the posuk in Parshas Korach בזאת תדעון כי ה׳ שלחני כי לא מלבי doesn't attest to that part of the ikar. That part of the ikar is a Torah Sheba'al Peh. So kumt ois that the two ikarim which are not mefurashim in Torah Shebiksav is one aspect of Torah Min Hashamayim plus Techeiyas HaMeisim. So that's how the Rambam... that's what the Rambam said, that's the pshat in our Mishna. That's why our Mishna singles out that

ואלו שאין להם חלק לעולם הבא האומר אין תחיית המתים ואין תורה מן השמים

and Apikorus. Apikorus is kolel as the Rambam says,

אומרים בדרך כלל שם זה על מי שאינו מאמין ביסודות התורה,

because again, why does it mean that by extension? Because the primary definition of Apikorus is עניינו זלזול וביזוי בתורה. So it means inyana zilzul u'vizui with what's mefurash batorah. So Apikorus is kolel all of the Yud Gimmel Ikkarim which are mefurashim batorah, and that's why the tanna mentions Techeiyas HaMeisim and Torah Min Hashamayim, because those two are the only two where the posuk doesn't either at all or doesn't fully state the ikar. So that's lichora the pshat in the Mishna according to the Rambam. Nifla me'od. Seforim hachitzonim, Rambam continues on Sifrei Minim וכן ספרי בן סירא. What is Sifrei Ben Sira? והיה איש שחיבר ספרים דמיונים מענייני אלפי רזא, which the note says היינו הכרת תכונתו של אדם לפי סימנים חיצוניים בגופו. If you look at, I don't know, different bodily features or whatever and based on that you you claim to know what his character's like, what what what his qualities are.

שאין בהם חכמה ולא תועלת אלא איבוד הזמן לריק כגון אלה הספרים הנמצאים אצל הערבים מספרי דברי הימים והנהגת המלכים ויחוסי הערבים וספרי השירים וכיוצא בהן מן הספרים שאין בהם חכמה ולא תועלת גשמית אלא איבוד הזמן בלבד.

Okay, I mean the Rambam doesn't quote this in in, again this is Rabbi Akiva in the mishna. The Rambam doesn't quote it, doesn't quote it in פרק ג הלכות תשובה. I don't think he quotes it elsewhere either. But but אף על פי כן, what does it mean that what Rabbi Akiva says that because a person wastes time he's אין לו חלק לעולם הבא? I mean what in the world does that mean, you know, leshavkes chayei levaraya? And if that's what he really meant, so why did he have to say hakorei beseforim chitzonim? Why not stam that one shouldn't waste time? You know, you don't have to go up go to the library and take out the wrong take the wrong book off the shelf to waste time. As as we all know, there's lots of ways to waste time. So so why is Rabbi Akiva singling out this? So lichora it's klar. Again the Rambam doesn't quote it, so it's not we're not saying pshat in anything which the Rambam quotes lehalacha, but just in terms of what this de'ah is which which we don't pasken like, but what is this de'ah of Rabbi Akiva? If Rabbi Akiva really meant that the punishment for ibud zman is אין לו חלק לעולם הבא, first of all it's unimaginable. And second of all, so say that. Korei beseforim chitzonim is just I don't know, say someone who's he spends all his time playing cards. Why davka why davka korei beseforim chitzonim? So lichora it must be that what Rabbi Akiva means is that no, this is his intellectual pursuit, meaning he put this in the place of chochma. When a person stam wastes time, as we know unfortunately, so it's not that he's displacing pursuit of of he's it's not that that he's saying well this occupies the the exalted place of Torah and chochma in in in my in my life. No, stam. This is the source of chochma, this is the source of Torah. And that's what's different l'chora about kore b'sfarim chitzonim from other forms of ibud zman. And that's why the Rambam is saying שאין בהם חכמה ולא תועלת גשמית. It's not a manual on how to fix your car. But the fact that this is the person's in quotation marks intellectual pursuit, so that means that he elevates this. This is chochma. That already it's easier to understand how that has implications and consequences which go far beyond just wasting precious, precious, precious time.

הלוחש על המכה ובלבד ברקיקה לפי שיש בה ביזוי השם.

Lo'chesh al hamaka, the Gemara in ק"א ע"א. Rabbi Yochanan וברוקק בה לפי שאין מזכירין שם שמים על הרקיקה. So he spits and the person has a maka. So to heal the maka, the person is lochesh, he says a pasuk in Chumash and also spits. That's what he thinks is going to heal the maka. So why is that so chamur that Rabbi Akiva says—and is this also Rabbi Akiva? I don't know. Why is that so chamur that the mishna says that it's אין לו חלק לעולם הבא? So the Rambam says שיש בה ביזוי השם. And then in the Yad, הלוחש על המכה וקורא פסוק מן התורה. So he says some incantation and then reads a pasuk from Chumash.

וכן הקורא על התינוק שלא יבעת המניח ספר תורה או תפילין על הקטן בשביל שישן. לא די להן שהן בכלל חוברים

chover chover חוברים ומנחשים אלא שהן בכלל הכופרים בתורה. What does that mean? Why, how are they kofirim baTorah?

שהן עושין דברי תורה רפואת גוף ואינן אלא רפואת נפשות.

Gevaldig pshat the Rambam says. It's not only kfira baTorah if a person says Torah is not min hashamayim. A person says no, the Ribbono Shel Olam didn't give us the Torah she'b'al peh. A person says no, the Ribbono Shel Olam didn't give us the Torah she'bi'chsav. That's kfira min haTorah. Let's say a person says Ribbono Shel Olam gave it to us, but he distorts what Torah is beyond recognition. He says no, avada there's a Torah min hashamayim. Torah min hashamayim is a cookbook. That's what the Torah min hashamayim is. Hakadosh Baruch Hu revealed himself on Har Sinai and gave us a cookbook. And really... If you look pshat correctly in Bereishis bara Elokeim, you'll see how everything is a recipe. So that's also true. What is it that the fact that the person says it's min Hashamayim, but it's not Torah? He has the min Hashamayim part right, but it's not Torah. If the person has such a distorted conception of what Torah is, even if he associates that conception with the words of the Chumash, so that's also kfira because that's not Torah anymore. If it goes from being Torah to being a cookbook, even though he thinks that the cookbook, the recipes are expressed in the words of בראשית ברא אלהים את השמים ואת הארץ, so that's also Torah, that's also kfirus says the Rambam.

לא די להם שהם בכלל חוברים ומנחשים אלא שהם בכלל הכופרים בתורה שהן עושין דברי תורה רפואת גוף ואינן אלא רפואת נפשות.

Minhag pashut, Perek, where is it? Perek Hey of הלכות תפילין ומזוזה וספר תורה, Perek Hey, Halacha Dalet.

מנהג פשוט שכותבין על המזוזה מבחוץ כנגד הריוח שבין פרשה ופרשה שדי.

Right? You write the same Sh-dai on the other side of the klaf.

ואין בזה הפסד לפי שהוא מבחוץ אבל אלו שכותבין בה מבפנים שמות מלאכים.

They write on the inside of the klaf where the parshiyos of the mezuza are written

או שמות קדושים או פסוק או חותמות הרי הן בכלל מי שאין להם חלק לעולם הבא. שאלו הטפשים לא די להם שביטלו המצווה אלא שעושים מצווה גדולה שהיא ייחוד שמו של הקדוש ברוך הוא ואהבתו ועבודתו כאילו היא קמיע להניית עצמם כמו שעלה על לבם הסכל שזה דבר המהנה בהבלי העולם.

The exact same yesod as he has by Lachash al Hamaka, right? That if you take Torah, so even though a person is not sort of challenging what the words of Chumash are and he's not challenging the authorship of these words of Chumash, but he distorts them into something totally different, he takes Torah and makes it into an amulet, so the Rambam says, so that's not Torah anymore. So that's not Torah anymore. So the vakta is הרי הן בכלל מי שאין להם חלק לעולם הבא because he's a kofer baTorah. How about something like the Goral HaGra? Where like you use, you want to find something out for pikuach nefesh or something, you use a Torah to figure something out? So presumably the pshat in that is that if it's for all those who are on the madreiga of the Gra. So presumably the pshat in that is that Torah is Hakadosh Baruch Hu's is the way Hakadosh Baruch Hu communicated to the world. He communicated Retzon Hashem, Devar Hashem through Torah. I guess the pshat in that is that if a person is on a madreiga or maybe maybe it's also a combination of that he's on a certain exalted madreiga and the decision that's pending or the information that's needed is something which is really really vital and of the highest level of importance. So then he can receive communication through Torah. And in that sense, so even though obviously one doesn't imagine that the Rambam ever did or ever would do the Goral HaGra, but it's not the same phenomenon as that which the Rambam is critiquing. But again, one can't imagine that the Rambam would do it but I don't think it's not the same as the lo lachash that the Rambam says Torah was not given to have magical medicinal qualities. So when you use it as such, so then that's distorting Torah into something it's not. So that's what the Rambam says. So that's clear because you're making Torah into a cookbook. So what do I care that the person thinks that the words of the cookbook are Bereishis Bara Elokim but if this is a cookbook, so then he's a kofer baTorah. So Torah is not a first aid kit. It's not something which heals physical maladies and when a person distorts it into such, Torah is communication. Right? It is Devar Hashem communicated to the world. So mistama for that reason, I think those who use the Goral HaGra will tell you no, that's got no shaychus to what the Rambam is critiquing and describing. But that's got nothing to do with us. Nothing to do with us. Would the Rambam say the same idea for kame'os in general, what Chazal speak like kame'a mumcha or whatever? Is that the same? So what's pshat in the Mishnayos in Shabbos talking about the kame'a mumcha? So what's pshat? So I don't know, I don't know but one thing is clear. One thing is clear that if a person ascribes—and this is not what Chazal are talking about—but if a person sort of ascribes magical powers to a kame'a, so that is what the Rambam is talking about and it's not what Chazal are talking about. If a person ascribes magical powers. person who is not sick and thinks that if only he'll have a certain kameia that that will bring him a refuah and it's got nothing to do with his doing teshuva and it's nothing to do with giving tzedaka and because it just has this sort of inherent magical power so then yeah I think that is what the Rambam is talking about. If a person thinks that for reasons we don't understand there's a certain zechus to having a kameia and because of that that zechus can then contribute to a yeshuah so then that's a different story. When a person checks his mezuzos he also has to make sure that he does it with the right mindset and it's not the mezuza is also not magic. A person checking his mezuza he's checking his mezuza to make sure he's not being mevatel mitzvas mezuza. It's not he's not fixing the magic on his doorpost. He's okay. Do mitzvos have zechuyos? Yeah mitzvos provide zechuyos. But a person is checking to make sure he's not being mevatel a mitzva. Which is why it's not a correct impulse necessarily that that should ever be the first thing to do. I think probably well I won't project onto anyone else but I certainly would have many other things to check before. Okay mezuzos can also be on the list but a lot of things where I don't need a sofer I just need a mirror to check before going to the sofer. וההוגה את השם באותיותיו. So there are different pshatim what that means. The Rambam says היינו שהוגה יוד הא וו הא שהוא שם המפורש. Our minhag that again to say it as we just did יוד קא ואו קא to not pronounce the Heh when listing the four osiyos which constitute the Shem Hamiforesh is because some learn pshat that הוגה את השם באותיותיו means even that. It doesn't necessarily mean that the person is I mean we don't know how the Shem Hamiforesh is pronounced but it doesn't necessarily mean that the person is pronouncing the Shem Hamiforesh but even that a person shouldn't even mention sequentially the four letters which comprise the Shem Hamiforesh. That's why our minhag is again that we speak of יוד קא ואו קא that way.

וכבר הזכירו דברים זולת אלה שהעושה אותם אין לו חלק. אמרו המלבין פני חברו ברבים אין לו חלק לעולם הבא.

veha-kore lachavero bekinuyo. Again a nickname which not that the person goes by but a nickname that's demeaning v'hamiskabed b'klon chaveiro so how do these things result how can Chazal say that אין לו חלק לעולם הבא so the Rambam says no it's not that this is a goreim but it's more of a siman though

לפי שלא יארע מעשה מן המעשים הללו אף על פי שהם קלים כפי שמדמה המדמה אלא מנפש גרועה שאין בה שלמות ואינה ראויה לחיי העולם הבא.

In Hilchos Teshuva when the Rambam mentions this

כל אחד ואחד מעשרים וארבעה אנשים אלו שמנינו אף על פי שהן ישראל אין להם חלק לעולם הבא ויש עבירות קלות מאלו ואף על פי כן אמרו חכמים שהרגיל בהן אין לו חלק לעולם הבא

and then he mentions hamachaneh chaveiro v'hakorei lachaveiro b'kinuyo והמלבין פני חברו ברבים. What it means is that a person is a habitual offender that if it's compounded by the fact that the person is ragil bahen so that itself chamur that the onesh is rachmana litzlan אין לו חלק לעולם הבא. And that's not inconsistent with what he says here again he doesn't say that here it's not inconsistent with what he says here meaning a person does these things once okay so he slipped up I mean it's obviously we should be very careful you know if doing something habitually is אין לו חלק לעולם הבא so it shows that even obviously one time instances is chamur so it's not that we should rachmana litzlan be complacent about that but if a person does it once so then the way you integrate what the Rambam says in the Yad with what he says here that doesn't necessarily give you take the pulse as to whether or not he's such a

נפש גרועה שאין בה שלמות ואינה ראויה לחיי העולם הבא

but if it's something which is which is habitual a lot of what masquerades as humor in contemporary society is albanos panim and you can understand what the Rambam is talking about

שלא יארע אלא מנפש גרועה שאין בה שלמות ואינה ראויה לחיי העולם הבא.

Okay, stop here.