93. The Khazar said: That good and fine. But what would you say when we say in the blessing that "Blessed be Though, Hashem, Ruler of the Universe who sanctified us with his commandments and commanded" - to read the Megilah, to complete the Hallel, to light Chanukah candles, and God did not command these things. Do not answer me with what the Sages said, "And where did He command us? In the verse 'Do not turn away from the matter that they command you' (Brachot 19b )", for this applies specifically to explanations of Biblical imperatives, such as that the "fruit of a beautiful tree" is a citron and not some other fruit. It does not mean that Sages should innovate a law and call it a commandment and compel us to say, "He commanded us" based on the prohibition of "Do not turn away".
94. The scholar said: Know my Master, the King that Sages did not enact to say "He commanded" on their own but by God's word and His command. Not only here but in every matter that they enacted or decreed, their concern was to model it after the structure of Torah commandments; this is what they said in many places, "Whatever the Rabbis enacted they enacted in the manner of a Biblical law (Pesachim 30b)".
95. The Khazar said: Bring a proof to these words and you'll be done.
96. The scholar said: A man praises and thanks God for the good that He had done with him in one of two ways - by bringing a sacrifice or through speech. Noah thanked God through an offering when he had come out of the Ark as it says, "And Noah built an altar for God and he took of every clean animal and every clean bird and brought up offerings upon the altar (Genesis 8, 20)". When God told Abraham, "to your offspring will I give this land" - "he built an altar there to God who appeared to him (Genesis 12, 7)". Regarding Jacob it writes, "And Jacob arrived whole… and he set up there an altar (Genesis 33, 18)". The Blessed Lord told Jacob explicitly: "Come go up to Bethel and dwell there and erect there an altar to God who appeared to you as you escaped from your brother Esau (Genesis 35,1)". Jacob said to his sons, "And let us arise and go up to Bethel and I will make there an altar for God who answered to me on the day of my trouble and was with me on the way that I walked (Genesis 35,3)". Here you have it explicitly that sacrifices are to give thanks and praise to the Blessed Lord.
We also find thanksgiving in words, as Malchizedek said, "Blessed is the High God who handed over your enemies into you hand (Genesis 14, 20)." When Isaac dug the third well he called it Rehoboth, "for now Lord has gave us space (rachav) and we will grow in the land (Genesis 26, 22)". Lea, when she gave birth to Judah said, "This time I will praise God (Genesis 29, 35). During the Exodus - "Then Moses and the children of Israel sang this song to the Lord (Exodus 15, 1)". Jethro said: "Blessed is the Lord who saved you from the hand of Egyptians and from the hand of Pharaoh (Exodus 18, 9)." David sated the Holy One Blessed Be He with songs and praises as is evident from the book of Psalms. David instructed is in Psalm 107 that four types of people must give praise: those who descend into the sea, those who travel in the deserts, a sick person who was healed and one who was imprisoned and then went free (Brachot 54b). There is really no difference if a man was in jail and went free or if he was saved from his enemies who sought to kill him. It matters not whether it is an individual or a community. In all cases, the Holy One Blessed Be He wants and commands that praise and thanks be given to Him for the good that He does as it says, " And you shall relate to your son on that day - because of this God has done for me when I went of out of Egypt ( Exodus 13, 8)". It also says, "And you shall eat and be satisfied and bless God, your Lord for the good land that He had given you (Deuteronomy 8,10)." And it writes, "In tabernacles you shall sit seven days for in tabernacles I made children of Israel dwell (Leviticus 23, 43)."
All these events, verses and commandments clearly demonstrate that the Blessed Lord desired and decreed that we should praise His Great Name for all the miracles, wonders, goodness, and kindnesses that He had done to us. Therefore, we have to extol and praise him on holy days and feasts. It would really behoove us to compose and use original wording; however, since we possess songs and praises of King David that he spoke out through Divine Inspiration, is it not better that we praise and thank the Lord with songs that have already proven to be sweet to Him, by the virtue of the songs themselves as well as by the merit of their author?
It is following this sentiment that we read the Hallel on God's festivals and say, "which Thou commanded", for, although he did not literally command us to pronounce specifically these words, he did command us to praise and glorify His Holy and Great Name in general. The sages and leaders of Israel chose the songs of David for reasons that we already explained. Since it is a commandment of the Blessed Lord that we should thank and praise his name, it is fine to say in the blessing of Hallel "that You commanded us", even if we classify Hallel as a rabbinic commandment. We can likewise say "You commanded us" in regard to reading the Scroll of Esther and not worry, for since reading this story it is a form of thanksgiving[1], a commemoration of the miracle that He performed for us to save us form Haman. Though it may be that he did not command us to read specifically this scroll, He did command the general idea, as I proved from the passage of the four who must praise. We can also say "commanded" in the case of Chanuka candle since it is remembrance of the jug of pure oil that contained only enough oil to burn for one day but it burned for eight. Similarly, Sabbath and festival lights - for it writes of Sabbath "and you shall call Sabbath a pleasure (Isaiah 58, 13) " and it is no pleasure to sit in darkness of Sabbath, like poor souls who had never seen light. Of festivals it says, "you shall rejoice in your festival (Deuteronomy 16, 11)" - and there is no joy without light. Turns out, that although we weren't specifically commanded to light Sabbath and festival candles, since we were commanded to have pleasure on Sabbath and joy on festivals, we of ourselves became commanded to ensure that we have whatever leads to pleasure and joy, and there is no pleasure or joy without light[2].
The four fasts do not present a problem to begin with, for "Aneinu" is naught but a request and a prayer and we do not use "commanded" in it. Besides, the Holy One Blessed Be He agreed to the enactment of these fasts as it says, "So speaks the Lord of Hosts. The fast of the fourth month and the fast of the fifth month and the fast of the seventh month and the fast of the tenth month shall be for the House of Judah a joy and elation and holidays (Zechariah 8, 19)". The seven days of mourning have no words "commanded"; so also the marriage canopy has only a blessing "who commanded us regarding forbidden relationships". The same is true of the marriage contract. Other blessings are blessings of praise and thanksgiving.
97. The Khazar said: It states in Eurubin 21b that Solomon enacted erubin and hand-washing before bread. Granted, I can accept washing hands, whether before eating or before prayer or after evacuating. Every reasoning person would agree to the Sages in what they said, "And you shall make yourself holy and you will be holy - this refers to washing hands (Chulin 106)", for it is necessary that bodies of the children of Israel be clean so that they can pronounce the great, holy and blessed Name. It is find to say "commanded" for this reason. Erub, however, whether it the one set up is for carrying from one Sabbath domain to another, or to cook on a festival for the needs of a subsequent Sabbath, is something about which deniers raise cry and tumult. They claim that Sages claimed the authority of Solomon so as to silence critics. Despite all your efforts they still dispute the phrasing "who commanded us" for an erub for and God has not commanded us to it[3]
98. The scholar said: Let's allow for a moment that they are right and that the erub was enacted a long time after Solomon. I now set out an argument that we can still say "commanded" and be right. Behold it says, "A person who makes a vow or swears and oath to prohibit a matter to himself, he shall do according to all that came out of his mouth (Numbers 30, 3). Consider well that a Jewish man can vow to give a certain sum to charity or to fast on a particular day, or something like that. Such a man can say, "he commanded me" about fulfilling his vow. If someone asks you how he can do that and based on what, you can tell him that it is based on the verse "he shall not profane his word (ibid)". Behold, all Jews, beginning from the time of King Solomon or whatever later High Court after him that has enacted erub, have accepted on themselves not to go more than 2000 cubits out of city limits in all directions. If a man, for some reason, needs to go four thousand cubits in one direction, he must travel up to two thousand cubits out before Sabbath and leave food there that suffices for two meals (and this is an erub). This is as if he says: "I set up my erub at a distance of two thousand cubits and that makes it as if my dwelling place is at that spot and from that point forward I am permitted to travel a distance of two thousand cubits in all directions. This is called erub, for in a manner of speaking it joins two thousand cubits that I had toward the east with the two thousand cubits that I had toward the west[4]. Since we accepted on ourselves to honor the Sabbath and not to go beyond two thousand cubits in one direction unless through using an erub, it turns out to be an obligation in a manner of a vow, just as if it was an actual commandment. When we set up an erub we fulfill the commandment of "do not profane your word"; therefore it is fine to say "who has commanded us"[5]. If you counter, why doesn’t every individual make a blessing with phrasing "he commanded us" whenever he fulfills any vow, it is possible to respond that we have a principle that a blessing is not formulated for an activity which is completely optional - for it is possible that a man will never make a vow. (Erub, however, is an activity that is common and most people engage in it).
99. The Khazar said: Your words are pleasant and logically agreeable. It seems to me that the reason why we say "he commanded", whether for erub of distances, whether for erub of domains, is because the whole goal of the Sages was solely to increase the honor of the Sabbath and to preserve individuals from violating Sabbath, lest they may die by violating it. What would you say, however, regarding the erub that allows cooking on festival for Sabbath[6], of which there is not a hint in the Torah?
100. The scholar said: No my Master for some say that it is of Biblical origin from the verse (regarding the manna), " on the sixth day you shall prepare of what you have brought (Exodus 16,5)"[7]. However, even if you say that is Rabbinic, it is possible to say "He commanded". The reason is that there is a verse that says, "But that alone which will be eaten by somebody, that alone will be prepared by you (Exodus 12, 16)". Clearly, this is a permission to cook for what is needed on the festival itself but not for any need outside of a festival. No one disagrees that it is prohibited to cook on a holiday for the day after.. This is because a regular weekday can be preparation for a Sabbath and a regular weekday can be a preparation for a festival; also one can prepares for the Sabbath on a festival[8]. However the Sages prohibited to do so without setting up an erub, for perhaps people would cook dishes on a festival to be eaten on a subsequent weekday. Now with the enactment of erub, people will realize that there is a priori argument and say, "Just like on festival we cannot cook for the Sabbath (without an erub), so much more so from a festival for a weekday. The erub is to indicate, "I have already started to cook on a regular weekday for the Sabbath with the foods that constitute this erub". After that, even if he cooks on a festival that is Sabbath Eve for the Sabbath, it is as if he merely completes the dish that he already started from the eve of the festival. This was enacted tp preserve the honor of the holy festivals, so that people do not take its sanctity lightly. All of Israel accepted the prohibition not to cook without an erub as a vow. It turns out that one who transgresses this enactment has also transgressed "do not profane your word". With this correlation to vows, it makes sense to say, "He commanded us".
101. The Khazar said: If so we do not require the source of "You shall not turn away from what they command you…(Deuteronomy 17, 11)".[9]
102. The scholar said: The verse "Do not turn away" is general; I, however, explained the specifics because I recognize that the deniers especially criticize Rabbinic commandments when there is an associated blessing containing" Which He commanded".
[1] Megila 14a
[2] The justification for saying 'commanded' on the second day of festivals that are kept outside of the Land of Israel are taken up in Fifth Dialogue.
[3] Even is we accept the assignment of erub enactments to Solomon himself, how can we say "commanded" when this enactments were made by a human being and not commanded by God?
[4] The word erub can be understood as mixing or joining two things together.
[5] Once the Sages enact a ritual and it becomes widely accepted, it attains the status of a personal vow. Since to fulfill a vow is fulfillment of commandment of not profaning one's word, it is legally perfectly right to refer to this ritual as having been commanded.
[6] There is generally a prohibition to cook on Festival for the purposes of the following day, even if that day is a Sabbath. The erub tavshilin allows one to begin preparing a meal by preparation on the eve of the festival of token articles of food as if for the festival itself. The remainder of the food preparation can then be carried out even if it is not necessarily consumed on that festival day itself.
[7] See beginning of tractate Beitsa.
[8] It is permitted to utilize a day as preparation for a day of greater sanctity - weekday of a festival or Sabbath and festival for the Holy Sabbath.
[9] If every enactment of the Sages can be subsumed under some God commanded rubric, why does one need a specific prohibition to not turn away from what they command?
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