Similarly it is written; “When ye be come into the land of Canaan… and I put a plague of leprosy in a house of the land of your possession”, etc. (Lev. 14, 34).
God loved Israel and brought them into the Holy Land to place His divine presence among them and to make His abode with them, so that Israel should be holy above all other peoples.
Now, when the women brought articles for the Tabernacle they used to specify what part each was for; “this is for the holy place, this for the curtain”, and so forth, and each thing went to its place in holiness.
Similarly, whenever anyone makes a thing for idolatrous worship, or the “other side”, as soon as he mentions its name in connection with that thing, an unclean spirit rests upon it. Now the Canaanites were idolaters, and whenever they erected a building they used to utter certain idolatrous formulae, and a spirit of uncleanness rested on the building.
But when the Israelites entered the land, God desired to purify them and sanctify the land and prepare a place for His divine presence, and so through that plague of leprosy they used to pull down buildings which had been erected in uncleanness.
כְּגַוְונָא דָּא כְּתִיב, כִּי תָבֹאוּ אֶל אֶרֶץ כְּנַעַן וְגוֹ', וְנָתַתִּי נֶגַע צָרַעַת בְּבֵית אֶרֶץ אֲחוּזַּתְכֶם. וְכִי אֲגָר טַב הוּא, דְּיִשְׁתְּכַח בְּאִינּוּן דְּזַכָּאן לְמֵיעָל בְּאַרְעָא. אֶלָּא הָא אוּקְמוּהָ לְאַשְׁכְּחָא מַטְמוֹנִין דְּאַטְמְרָן בְּבֵיתַיְיהוּ, וּלְאַהֲנָאָה לוֹן לְיִשְׂרָאֵל.
Similarly it is written; “When ye be come into the land of Canaan… and I put a plague of leprosy in a house of the land of your possession”, etc. (Lev. 14, 34).
אֲבָל תָּא חֲזֵי, זַכָּאִין אִינּוּן יִשְׂרָאֵל, דְּאִינּוּן מִתְדַּבְּקָן בֵּיהּ בְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, וְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא רָחִים לְהוּ, דִּכְתִּיב, (מלאכי א׳:ב׳) אָהַבְתִּי אֶתְכֶם אָמַר יְיָ'. וּמִגּוֹ רְחִימוּתָא דִּילֵיהּ, אָעִיל לְהוּ לְאַרְעָא קַדִּישָׁא, לְאַשְׁרָאָה שְׁכִינְתֵּיהּ בֵּינַיְיהוּ, וּלְמֶהֱוִי דִּיּוּרֵיהּ עִמְּהוֹן, וְיִשְׂרָאֵל דְּיִשְׁתַּכְּחוּן קַדִּישִׁין עַל כָּל בְּנֵי עָלְמָא.
God loved Israel and brought them into the Holy Land to place His divine presence among them and to make His abode with them, so that Israel should be holy above all other peoples.
תָּא חֲזֵי, כְּתִיב (שמות ל״ה:כ״ו) וְכָל הַנָּשִׁים אֲשֶׁר נָשָׂא לִבָּן וְגוֹ'. בְּשַׁעֲתָא דַּהֲווֹ עַבְדִּין עֲבִידְתָּא, הֲווֹ אַמְרֵי, דָּא לְמַקְדְּשָׁא. דָּא לְמַשְׁכְּנָא. דָּא לְפָרוֹכְתָּא. וְכֵן כָּל אִינּוּן אוּמְנִין בְּגִין דְּיִשְׁרֵי קְדוּשָּׁה עַל יְדַיְיהוּ, וְאִתְקַדַּשׁ הַהוּא עֲבִידְתָּא. וְכַד סָלִיק לְאַתְרֵיהּ, בִּקְדוּשָּׁה סָלִיק.
Now, when the women brought articles for the Tabernacle they used to specify what part each was for; “this is for the holy place, this for the curtain”, and so forth, and each thing went to its place in holiness.
כְּגַוְונָא דָּא מַאן דְּעָבִיד עֲבִידְתָּא לְעֲבוֹדָה זָרָה, אוֹ לְסִטְרָא אָחֳרָא, דְּלָא קַדִּישָׁא. כֵּיוָן דְּאִדְכַּר לֵיהּ עַל הַהוּא עֲבִידְתָּא, הָא רוּחַ מִסְאֲבָא שַׁרְיָא עֲלוֹי, וְכַד סָלִיק עֲבִידְתָּא, בִּמְסָאֲבָא סָלִיק. כְּנַעֲנִיִם פַּלְחֵי לְעֲבוֹדָה זָרָה אִינְהוּ, וּמִתְדַּבְּקָן כֻּלְּהוּ כַּחֲדָא בְּרוּחַ מִסְאֲבָא בְּעֲבוֹדָה זָרָה, וַהֲווּ בִּנְיָין בָּנִין לְפַרְצוּפַיְיהוּ (ס"א לטנופייהו) וּלְגִעוּלַיְיהוּ לִסְטַר מִסְאֲבָא לְעֲבוֹדָה זָרָה, וְכַד שָׁרָאן לְמִבְנֵי, הֲווֹ אַמְרֵי מִלָּה, וְכֵיוָן דְּאִתְדְּכָר בְּפוּמַיְיהוּ, סָלִיק עָלֵיהּ רוּחַ מִסְאֲבָא. כַּד אִסְתָּלִיק עֲבִידְתָּא, בְּרוּחַ מִסְאֲבָא אִסְתָּלִיק.
Similarly, whenever anyone makes a thing for idolatrous worship, or the “other side”, as soon as he mentions its name in connection with that thing, an unclean spirit rests upon it. Now the Canaanites were idolaters, and whenever they erected a building they used to utter certain idolatrous formulae, and a spirit of uncleanness rested on the building.
כֵּיוָן דְּעָאלוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל לְאַרְעָא, בָּעָא קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא לְדַכְּאָה לוֹן, וּלְקַדְּשָׁא לוֹן אַרְעָא, וּלְאַפְנָאָה אֲתַר לִשְׁכִינְתָּא דְּלָא תִּשְׁרֵי שְׁכִינְתָּא גּוֹ מִסְאֲבָא. וְעַל דָּא בְּהַהוּא נֶגַע צָרַעַת, הֲווֹ סָתְרִין בִּנְיָינִין דְּאָעִין וַאֲבָנִין דְּאִתְעָבֵידוּ בִּמְסָאֲבוּ.
But when the Israelites entered the land, God desired to purify them and sanctify the land and prepare a place for His divine presence, and so through that plague of leprosy they used to pull down buildings which had been erected in uncleanness.