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People/The Semak

I

The Semak

The Semak

?–1280 CE · RI

Works(1)

Sefer Mitzvot Katanספר מצוות קטן

1263

Read in Sefaria →

Ideas they shaped most

Shabbat (The Sabbath)

applied · passages

Shabbat is the weekly day of rest when Jewish tradition says creation pauses and the divine enters the world.

Melachah (Forbidden Creative Labor)

discussed · passages

The thirty-nine categories of creative work that stop when the Jewish Sabbath begins at sunset Friday.

Shechitah (Ritual Slaughter)

discussed · passages

A precise, mindful way of slaughtering animals for food that Jewish tradition treats as deeply sacred law.

Chametz (Leaven)

discussed · passages

Leavened bread is forbidden on Passover because it symbolizes spiritual inflation and the haste of liberation.

Tzedakah (Charity / Righteousness)

discussed · passages

Tzedakah is the sacred duty to share what you have with those who lack, rooted in justice rather than mere kindness.

Pesach (Festival of Passover, umbrella)

discussed · passages

A week-long spring festival remembering when the ancient Israelites escaped slavery in Egypt, marked by eating unleavened bread and avoiding fermented grains.

Open the interactive map →All teachers See The Semak on the Grand Tree

“עולם חסד יבנה”

A world of kindness shall be built · Psalms 89:3

A free resource from The Baal Shem Tov Center for Jewish Studies and Digital Humanities · Sources via Sefaria

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