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Moshe Rabbeinu is continuing to talk to the Yidden and prepare them to go into Eretz Yisroel.
Moshe Rabbeinu is begging the Yidden to serve Hashem, and not Avodah Zarah. He reminds the Yidden about Matan Torah, and how close they felt to Hashem. He reminds them about Yetzias Mitzrayim — about how there is NOTHING aside for Hashem!
There are some very well-known pesukim in today’s Chumash:
- Rak Hishomer Lecha... we say this in the Sheish Zechiros, the six things we need to remember every day! This posuk reminds us about Matan Torah.
- Ata Hareisa LaDaas... the posuk we say before Kriyas HaTorah on Shabbos, and by Hakafos on Simchas Torah!
- VeYadaata HaYom... We say this posuk in Aleinu, and Shaar HaYichud VeHaEmunah is based on this posuk!
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Today’s kapitelach are Samach until Samach-Hey.
In today’s Tehillim there is a posuk, “Nosata LeReiacha Neis Lehisnoses Mipnei Koshet Sela” — “You give those who have Yiras Shomayim a sign to hold up for the sake of truth.”
The word Neis can mean a few different things:
Neis — a sign
Neis — a miracle
Nisayon — a test
Do you know what a Nisayon is? Chassidus explains that Hashem sometimes makes a person THINK that there is something in the way, that doesn’t let him do what Hashem wants. But it could be that what is stopping us isn’t even real!
For example, a person could think that if they do a mitzvah, someone will get angry at them — but it’s not even true! Hashem makes them FEEL that way to test them, to see if the mitzvah is so important to them that they will do it even though they are afraid.
Since a person needs to use a very strong part of his Neshama to be able to do this Mitzvah and not to be afraid, he becomes a stronger and better Yid.
In fact that is the very reason why Hashem gives a Yid a nisayon — to bring out the deeper kochos that are hiding inside his neshama and make him a stronger Yid!
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TANYA
Igeres Hakodesh Siman Daled
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We learned before that there are two kinds of ways a person can feel something: Chitzonius Halev (when we need to think about something and feel like we want it), or Pnimius Halev (when it’s something we want or need so much we don’t even have to think about it at all)!
Of course, it is much easier to do our avodah and to daven to Hashem if our Pnimius Halev is only wanting things that are good for us. But the Pnimius Halev of a Yid can sometimes be stuck in Golus, making us feel like we NEED to have Gashmius things that we like.
So how do we get it out?
The truth is that we need to have the help of Hashem. But there is still something we need to DO in order to GET Hashem’s help! What is that?
We have to use our Pnimius Halev for a mitzvah, instead of for the Gashmius things that we want!
Which mitzvah do we use our Pnimius HaLev in? The mitzvah of Tzedakah!
When we work hard to earn money we are using not only using our Chitzonius Halev, we are using our Pnimius Halev. We are using ALL of our kochos to get that money. When we give some of that money later to Tzedakah, we are taking our Pnimius Halev and using it for a mitzvah!
That is what we are able to do in order to take our Pnimius Halev out of Golus. Then Hashem helps us with the part we cannot do ourselves, and Hashem helps us to completely redeem our Pnimius Halev, our neshama, from Golus. Then we will have a Geulah Protis, a private Geulah in our Avodas Hashem, and then together with other Yidden that will bring the Geulah Klolis, the Geulah for all the Yidden!
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Today we learn a short story about the Alter Rebbe that is connected to the Shabbos after Tisha B’Av.
In Tof-Kuf-Chof-Daled, when the Alter Rebbe was 19 years old, he went to Mezritch, together with his brother R’ Yehudah Leib, to learn Torah from the Maggid.
But R’ Yehudah Leib didn’t ask for permission from his wife first, so he went back home. The Alter Rebbe had asked permission, so he was able to stay. At first the Alter Rebbe wasn’t sure he should stay, but after two weeks he decided to become a Chossid!
The first maamar he heard from the Maggid was Nachamu, Nachamu. (We’re not sure if that is the first maamar he HEARD, or the first maamar he heard after he decided to become a Chossid.)
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Today’s mitzvah (Mitzvas Lo Saasei #235) is not to lend a Yid anything with interest. “Interest” means that he has to pay back more than what you lent him. For example, you can’t give your brother a cookie and tell him he needs to give you back TWO cookies at the next Shabbos party.
The Torah tells us this mitzvah many times, showing how important it is! One of those pesukim is in Parshas Behar: אֶת כַּסְפְּךָ לֹא תִתֵּן לוֹ בְּנֶשֶׁךְ וּבְמַרְבִּית לֹא תִתֵּן אָכְלֶךָ
The mitzvah is explained in Perek Hey of Mesechta Bava Metziyah.
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In today’s Rambam, we learn more halachos about paying back loans.
Perek Tes-Zayin: When you pay back a loan, it is important to know that until the person GETS the money, it’s YOUR job to make sure nothing happens to it. For example, if Reuven borrows a pencil from Shimon, and then puts it back on Shimon’s desk when he’s done, it’s Reuven’s job to watch over the pencil until Shimon gets back to his desk. If it rolls off the desk and disappears, Reuven needs to pay him back for the pencil.
BUT, if Shimon said “Just put it on my desk when you’re finished,” then even if it disappears, it’s not Reuven’s fault.
Perek Yud-Zayin teaches us halachos about what happens if someone passes away, and his children find a note saying that someone owed him money. If the other person says he paid already, he has to take a shevuah (a very serious Torah promise) that he is telling the truth.
One interesting halacha is that if someone has a shtar written in Australia, and he brings the shtar to get paid back in America, he needs to pay back Australian dollars and not American dollars. But if it doesn’t say where it is written, and the person says it is for Australian dollars, he needs to make a shevuah that the shtar was really written there.
Perek Yud-Ches teaches us about when a person can’t pay back the loan, and there was no mashkon: We can take away his property to pay back the loan, even property that he sold already.
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This perek teaches us the general rules of making a Shechitah kosher.
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In today’s Chumash, we have the posuk, “Veyadaata Hayom Vehasheivosa El Levecha Ki Hashem Hu Ha’Elokim Bashomayim Mimaal Ve’al Ha’aretz Mitachas Ein Od!” “You should know today and keep in your heart that Hashem is our Hashem, in the heavens above and on the earth below there is nothing else!”
Chassidus explains that in this posuk, Moshe Rabbeinu is telling the Yidden that they should always know that Havaya is Elokim!
During different times, Hashem expresses Himself in different ways:
Sometimes there are moments where we see Hashem in a way of Havaya, the name of Hashem where His goodness and koach are clear to see. Yidden have had many powerful Havaya moments, like the time of Matan Torah, the time of the first Beis Hamikdash, and the neis of Chanukah. We also have Havaya moments in our own lives, when small (or big) nisim show us that Hashem is taking care of us. It could be when you passed a test that was very hard for you, or when you got something you had wanted very much.
There are also moments where Hashem expresses Himself in a way of Elokim. This is where Hashem’s goodness is hidden, and these moments can be very hard. We had many of these moments during the Churban and during all of these years of Golus. When everything seems to be going wrong, or something scary or painful happens to us, we are having a moment where Hashem’s chayus is coming in a way of Elokim.
But Moshe Rabbeinu is reminding us that either way, it’s still the same Aibishter! Hashem is our Hashem whether He is reaching to us in a way of Havaya, or in a way of Elokim. Hashem and His love for the Yidden is always there, even when it is hidden.
When Hashem gives a person an “Elokim moment,” He is testing him, to see if he will reach deeper inside of his neshama to KNOW (Veyadaata) that Hashem is right there with him. When he passes the test and still acts the way Hashem wants him to, then there is no reason for Hashem to be hidden anymore, and Hashem will show him His kindness!
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We learned that the section “Le’olam Yehei Adam” and the first Shema were made a part of davening close to the end of the time of the Amora’im. At that time, there was a gezeira from the king that the Yidden could not say Shema. Since it was dangerous to say Shema together in shul, the Chachomim told the Yidden to say Shema secretly in their homes before coming to daven.
But even though it only became part of davening then, the words of Le’olam Yehei Adam were written over 100 years earlier.
Where did they come from?
Eliyahu Hanavi used to come often to learn with a certain Amora, called R’ Anan.
R’ Anan wrote down the things he learned from Eliyahu Hanavi. This later became a sefer, which we still have today, called Tana Devei Eliyahu (“We learned from Eliyahu”).
One of the things R’ Anan wrote down was how Eliyahu Hanavi explained a certain nevuah from the Navi Amos. The Navi says that there will come a time when Yidden will be hungry — but not for food or water, they will be hungry for words of Torah!
Eliyahu Hanavi said that this nevuah was also speaking about a time of Shmad, when goyim will try to keep Yidden from doing mitzvos. This will make the Yidden feel hungry for Torah and mitzvos, because they won’t be able to keep them in public!
R’ Anan wrote down what Eliyahu Hanavi said about this, beginning with the words “Le’olam Yehei Adam,” and ending, “Amar Hashem.” This whole section of davening is the words of Tana Devei Eliyahu.
It starts:
“Le’olam Yehei Adam Yerei Shomayim Baseser” — A person should always have Yiras Shomayim, even if he has to do it Baseser, in a hidden way.
One of the paragraphs ends, “Baruch Mekadesh Shemo Borabim” — the best way is to be able to make a Kiddush Hashem in public. But even when we can’t, we at least make a Kiddush Hashem in private, by doing the mitzvos secretly.
At the time when this was added to davening, this was very important! The Yidden needed to think about this when they said Shema secretly, remembering how important it is to do mitzvos even in such a time.
But nowadays we are NOT in a time of Shmad, Boruch Hashem! We ARE able to do mitzvos in public, and the goyim are not trying to stop us! So why was this kept as a part of davening for always?
One reason is because we ALWAYS need to remember the way the Yidden act in a time of Shmad!
Our Yiras Shomayim needs to also be in private. It is not enough to do mitzvos only when other people are looking. Deep inside, where only Hashem can see, we ALSO need to have Yiras Shomayim.
This Tefillah reminds us that our Avodas Hashem should be in a way of Pnimius and Emes, even when others can’t see.
See Beis Yosef siman Mem-Vov se’if Ches, Tana Devei Eliyahu perek Chof-Alef
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Just because now the Nine Days are over, it doesn’t mean that we are done with thinking about the Beis Hamikdash or adding in Kedushah to bring Moshiach! The Rebbe said that we shouldn’t STOP making siyumim now, we should keep making them until Chamisha-Asar B’Av — the big Yom Tov that comes after (and because of) Tisha B’Av!
We are now coming to the end of the summer, where the days are longer than the nights. Starting from Chamisha Asar B’Av, the nights start getting longer, and the Gemara tells us to learn more Torah at night.
The Rebbe tells us that we shouldn’t wait until Chamisha Asar B’Av, we should already start adding in our Torah learning now!
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לעילוי נשמת הרה״ח ר׳ דניאל יצחק ע״ה בן ר׳ אפרים שי׳ מאסקאוויץ
שליח כ"ק אדמו"ר נשיא דורנו למדינת אילינוי
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Did you ever hear an echo?
When sounds bounce off of walls or rocks, we can hear an echo. But if you scream into a pillow, you won’t hear an echo, because the pillow absorbs the sound and it doesn’t bounce away!
In Parshas Vaeschanan, we review the Aseres Hadibros. One of the things the Medrash tells us about the Aseres Hadibros is that when Hashem said these words, there was no echo.
That’s not how things usually work! Very loud sounds bounce off of mountains and rocks and make a loud echo. An echo isn’t a bad thing, it can sometimes make something sound more important and loud. So why did Hashem make a neis that there should be no echo from the Aseres Hadibros?
The Rebbe explains that this wasn’t actually a neis, it was the way the world is supposed to work! If a sound is absorbed into the mountain, it won’t bounce off and echo. At the time of Matan Torah, the world was able to absorb the words of Hashem completely, so they didn’t bounce off and echo!
Matan Torah was like a small taste of Moshiach. Just like by Matan Torah, when Moshiach comes, the world will be able to absorb kedusha completely!
See Likutei Sichos chelek Daled, Parshas Va’eschanan
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לע"נ התינוק זאב ארי' ע"ה בן יבלט"א הרה"ח ר' שניאור זלמן שי' גליק
נפטר ב' מנחם אב ה'תשע"ג
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