199 —ערך פדיון עבור תענית בתשובה לפי ההלכה

Shalom u'Vrachah! [Before the beginning of 5706?] The Alter Rebbe (Iggeres HaTeshuvah ch. 3) writes in the name of the poskim to give for each day of a teshuvah fast the value of eighteen groschen. Please respond: what is this amount in our times?

Answer. A. The source is Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 334:26, Rema's gloss: "If one transgressed and desecrated (Shabbos), he must fast forty days, etc., and give instead of a sin offering eighteen peshitim to charity; if he wishes to redeem the fast, he gives twelve peshitim per day to charity." The Magen Avraham quotes Levush that each peshit is like a 'gadol' and half a Polish coin. Thus, twelve peshitim are eighteen Polish 'gadolim,' as the Alter Rebbe writes in Iggeres HaTeshuvah. Their value in our coins is explained by the Alter Rebbe at the end of his Shulchan Aruch 334, that eighteen peshitim equal a Torah sela, so eighteen groschen are two-thirds of a Torah sela. The measure of a sela is known in every country by the sum used for pidyon haben there, which is five selas. For pidyon haben we are stringent since it is a positive Torah commandment, but not so here.

B. It still needs clarification whether these measures are equal at all times and places. From the Alter Rebbe's wording in his Shulchan Aruch and Iggeres HaTeshuvah, it seems clear that these amounts—whether for sin-offering or redeeming a fast—are fixed for all times; only a wealthy person should add according to his means. But this needs clarification since Magen Avraham (334:34), followed by Machatzis HaShekel and Chayei Adam, disagrees; so does Chasam Sofer (Yoreh Deah 155).

The Magen Avraham questions Rema's measure (from Maharai) that the amount instead of a sin-offering is eighteen peshitim—which according to Magen Avraham equals twenty-seven ma'os kesef—since one fulfills his obligation with even a sin-offering worth just one ma'ah (as in Zevachim 48a). He concludes that the amount given instead depends on the price of a lamb at that time; in Talmudic times it was worth one ma'ah, but by Maharai's time it had risen to twenty-seven ma'os. Therefore today one must give an amount equal to a lamb's price where he lives—so implies Magen Avraham—and not estimate by Eretz Yisrael prices. Even though during Temple times lambs came from Chevron (Menachos 87a), all lands were valid; Chevron's were just superior. Since twelve peshitim—the redemption for fasting—is grouped with this measure, it seems that according to Magen Avraham this too depends on time and place: one estimates what sum would cause him pain equivalent to fasting, as Magen Avraham says elsewhere (668:12). But if so, since there’s no upper limit and the wealthy must add according to their means, there’s also no lower limit—yet surely some poor people would find even small sums harder than fasting itself! Why did no posek say that twelve peshitim is an average sum from Maharai’s time and that poor people may give less?

Therefore it seems that even according to Magen Avraham, twelve peshitim is the minimum amount—not less.

The Alter Rebbe in his Shulchan Aruch (end of 334) gives the measure as eighteen or twelve peshitim without quoting Magen Avraham’s view that it varies with lamb prices. On the contrary, he ends by explaining how to calculate this with our coins—showing clearly he holds that even today this measure hasn’t changed. He answers Magen Avraham’s question—that his ruling depends on lamb prices—by adding "and this (eighteen peshitim) is a Torah sela." Thus there’s no difficulty why we require eighteen peshitim when one could bring a sin-offering worth only one ma’ah—for one ma’ah suffices only so as not to be called an offender; but an ordinary sin-offering requires specifically a sela (see Tosafos Kerisos 10b s.v. miklal). Rashi Menachos (107b) also supports this; see Lechem Mishneh Hilchos Me’ilah ch.16 halachah 4.

Since this foundation falls away, there’s no proof for Magen Avraham’s view that these amounts change—and moreover, if according to him they depend on lamb prices: A) Why did poskim write their rulings without specifying? B) If we say—as does Alter Rebbe—that this sum is fixed everywhere—it makes sense why poskim gave its value in their local currency yet ruled it applies everywhere: wherever you give eighteen peshitim you fulfill your obligation regardless of location. But according to Magen Avraham even in Rema’s time—the source for this measure—it applied only locally where lambs cost eighteen peshitim; surely prices varied from city to city and especially between countries! How could such a ruling be written for all? C) Rema’s source was Maharim MiRotenberg who wrote responsa at Ashkenaz's start of sixth millennium; Maharai wrote two hundred years later in Austria; Rema wrote over another hundred years later in Poland—how could lambs have cost exactly eighteen peshitim throughout such long periods and different lands?

Printed in Kovetz Lubavitch vol. 8 page 35. The issue was dedicated for Lag BaOmer – 12 Tammuz 5705, but since letter Ketzav above also appears there it seems it was actually printed at end of Elul 5705 or early year 5706; thus this answer was written before start of year 5706.

B) Apparently "peshit" is just a coin name; further research needed if correct version is "poshut" with vav or "pshit" with yud—but more likely it's not an actual coin name but means "small coin," as Talmud often uses "pshitim." Their value varies by context and sages’ intent; see Musaf HaAruch s.v. "pshat ha-sheni" who explains "pshitim" are small coins not subdivided further.

Don’t ask from Kesubos (65b–67a) where "zuzim pshit" means zuz—even though smaller coins existed—for here "pshitim" describes zuz as especially small: like saying “the smallest zuz,” i.e., provincial zuz not Tyrian zuz.

Don’t ask from Chullin (54b) about “pshitim zutarti”—there “zutarti” clarifies he means specifically those among Pumbedisa’s small coins which were narrowest among all types.

C) Several coins called “gadol” appear in poskim but their values differ greatly; regarding comparative values among Talmudic/halachic coins see Shu”t Chut HaShani at end, Shu”t tzt”z Yoreh Deah 223 and sources cited there.

D) In Chesed L’Avraham (Ma’ayan IV Nahar 45), he writes you can redeem a full-day-and-night fast by giving one issar coin—which differs from above poskim and needs study.

While discussing this—a further novelty appears there: up till seven days four hours forty-eight minutes one can survive without food/drink—but I haven’t found anyone noting disagreement with Rambam Hilchos Shevuos ch.5 halachah 20 who says only less than seven days counts as fasting.

E) The reason for fixing twelve peshitim as redemption per teshuvah fast may be: total number of teshuvah fasts generally is forty days—as Chesed L’Avraham notes (see his reason); see also Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 568:4 with commentaries—and thus we find several times in Talmud forty-day fasts specifically (Moed Katan 25a; Beitzah 33a; ibid., Pesachim 85a—see Rashash notes). And based on Chesed L’Avraham/Shulchan Aruch above—that three consecutive days count as forty-day fast—it relates also to Ta’anis Esther.

Teshuvah overall—and particularly fasting as part—is an alternative for death penalty as sages say (Yerushalmi Makos ch.2 end halachah 6): they asked prophecy what happens to sinner—it answered “the soul that sins shall die”; they asked G‑d… He said “let him do teshuvah and be forgiven.” See also Berachos 17a; Ramban on Vayikra 1:9 etc.

When sages wanted to fix ransom-for-life equally for everyone—great or small—even slave or maidservant—they set an irreducible sum based on Torah precedent: thirty shekels fine equally applied when slave/maid killed (Shemos 21:32). Calculating thirty shekels over forty fasts yields three-quarters shekel per day = eighteen ma’os = twelve peshitim per Magen Avraham’s calculation.

(Based on tzt”z Sefer HaMitzvos mitzvas ye’ud/pidyon amah ivriyah—the connection between sin/ransom above and Canaanite slave fine becomes clearer.)

Another possible reason: fasting simply means suffering from lack of food/drink—even if allowed monetary substitution he must give at least meal-value per day—even if losing less money pains him more than fasting itself! Since leniency allows him not to fast they required him instead to donate meal-value per day—the minimum being three meals on Shabbos whose value has lower bound—a dinar each meal (Bava Basra146a); thus three meals = three dinar = twelve peshitim above.

This follows Magen Avraham who equates Polish gadol with ma’ah—but according to Alter Rebbe who holds gadol slightly less than ma’ah—the reason behind twelve-peshit measure needs clarification.

F) In sefer Nefesh Chayah on Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim (by Reb Reuven Margolies), siman 334 cites Shu”t Maharim MiRotenberg III #531 (not at hand), Teshuvos Katan Hilchos Shabbos #68—Teshuvos Katan says: One who desecrated Shabbos during Temple era had to bring sin-offering worth danka… but main mitzvah was sela… which equals five dinar—those should be given as charity! However Piskei Maharai (#60)—needs study per Alter Rebbe—for its language says: Give charity equal to sin-offering measure danka—and Moram’s measure was eighteen pshitin.

Summary

This letter explores how much money should be given instead of fasting during teshuvah according to halachic sources. The Rebbe explains why many authorities hold these amounts are fixed across generations and places, clarifying both practical calculation and deeper reasoning behind these laws.