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The Book of Times

About the Book

The Book of Times is the third book in the “Mishne Torah” and it deals with the Jewish holidays: Shabbos, Kippur, the holidays from the torah and Rosh Hodesh, fasts and finally the holidays from takanot Hahamim.

The books starts with the most frequent and holy: The laws of shabbos as a break in time, and with it are the laws of eruvin as a break in space.

Later on the laws of “Shabat Shabaton”, which is Yom Kippur, which Maimonides calls ‘Hilchot Shevitat Asor’.

Later on Maimonides describes the holidays: the general laws of shevitat yom tov, and specifically: Pessach with the laws of chometz u’matzah, Rosh Hashanah and Sukkot – laws of the shofar, sukkah and lulav.

The laws of Shekalim describe the mitzvah of Machatzit Hashekel, which occurs once a year.

Later on the laws of Kiddush HaChodes describe the setting of the new month by sight, fixing the Hebrew calander. Also included is “Sod HaIbur” – the amazing calculations of when the first moon will be seen, where it will be discovered and what size it will be.

At the end we get to fasts in Hilchot Ta’aniyot, and to the holidays set by takanot hahamim: Purim and Chanukah with the laws of the Megillah and Chanukah.

Structure of the Book:

The Laws of Shabbos:
Occurs weekly and is the most severe.
The Laws of Eruvin:
The break in space during Shabbos that accompanies the break in time.
The Laws of Shevitat Asor:
The Yom Kippur fast, occurs on the tenth of Teshri, also called “Shabbat Shabbaton”, directly beside the laws of Shabbos and less severe than Shabbos.
The Laws of Shevitat Yom Tov:
These are the ‘Yamim Tovim’ that you must break from work on, the general laws from the torah, in a decreasingly severe order. After that, the special details of the holidays.
The Laws of Chometz U’Matzah:
The first holiday is Passover, or more accurately Chag HaMatzot.
The Laws of Shofar, Sukkah vLulav:
Rosh Hashanah, Yom Zichron Teruah, and beside it laws of Sukkot,the sukkah and arba’ah minim.

 

The Laws of Shekalim:
At the end of the Hebrew year, in the month of Adar, every person of Israel must give Machatzit Hashekel to the Temple. This commadment is only when the Temple was standing.
The Laws of Kiddush HaChodesh:
The mitzvah the Beit Din has to set Rosh Chodesh from which all the other date of the holidays are derived, alongside a detailed astronomical guide of “Sod HaIbur”.
The Laws of Ta’aniyot:
At the end of the laws from the torah comes the mitzvah of fasting in times of trouble.
The Laws of Megillah vChanukah:
Purim and Chanukah, which were set by our sages, come last.


Example Pages From the Book

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