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Moshe Rabbeinu reminds the Yidden that because of what was done, only the children of those who left Mitzrayim will be able to go to Eretz Yisroel.
Having to stay in the Midbar: Hashem told the Yidden, “You complained that the children would get hurt if you tried to go to Eretz Yisroel, and now THEY will be the only ones to go live there!” The Yidden had to take a LONG detour, and stay in the Midbar for 40 years, until this generation of adults all passed away.
Some Yidden decided to go to Eretz Yisroel without permission. Hashem told Moshe to warn them, but they didn’t want to listen. They went, and Hashem didn’t help them — the Emori came and attacked them.
Even though the Yidden begged Hashem to let them go to Eretz Yisroel after all, Hashem didn’t let. The Yidden had to go back and travel into the desert, farther away from Eretz Yisroel, for 38 years.
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Today’s kapitelach are Lamed-Hey, Lamed-Vov, Lamed-Zayin, and Lamed-Ches.
In Kapitel Lamed-Zayin, Dovid Hamelech says, “MeiHashem Mitzadei Gever Konanu” — “Hashem decides where each person goes,” “Vedarko Yechpatz” — “and He wants His way.”
Chassidus teaches that these two things are connected: Because Hashem wants His way, THAT’S why He decides where each person goes. Hashem puts us into each place to do His special shlichus there.
So when we end up somewhere with Hashgacha Protis, we need to remember that we’re there because Hashem has a job for us to do there, and make sure to look out for it and do it right!
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TANYA
Igeres Hakodesh Siman Beis
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The Alter Rebbe had a very special Shlichus from Hashem: To bring Chassidus Chabad to the world!
There were some Yidden who were against this, and tried to make it very hard for the Alter Rebbe to do this mission. They made lots of problems for the Chassidim as well. Because of this, the Alter Rebbe was put in prison, and it was a big sakana for Chassidim and Chassidus.
After he came out of prison, the Alter Rebbe wrote this letter. He told the Chassidim that what happened was a tremendous chesed from Hashem! When Hashem does a chesed for a person, it makes him closer to Hashem! And the closer a person is to Hashem, the more humble he should feel.
Because of that, it isn’t right to say not nice things to the people who were against Chassidus, even though their plan didn’t work and the Alter Rebbe was freed from prison.
Now that Hashem did this big neis, Chassidim should be humble and not talk in that kind of way. They should have truly good midos and show Ahavas Yisroel to those who were against the Alter Rebbe — and then maybe they will be nice back, and there will be shalom and Achdus!
One of the things we can learn from today’s Tanya, is that it is important to have Ahavas Yisroel no matter what anybody does to us!
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After the Alter Rebbe came out of prison on Yud-Tes Kislev, he said a very short maamar for the Mitteler Rebbe — but even though it is so short, there is a lot we can learn from it!
The posuk says “Se’u Yedeichem Kodesh, Uvorachu Es Hashem. Yevorechecha Hashem MiTzion Osei Shomayim Va’aretz.” “Pick up your hands in Kedusha, and bentch Hashem. Hashem should bentch you from Tzion — Hashem, Who made the heaven and the earth!”
The Alter Rebbe explained this posuk according to Chassidus:
Yedeichem (your hands) can also mean midos, since our arms are close to our heart, the place of our midos.
Uvorachu (and you should bentch) and Yevarechcha (He should bentch you) also mean to bring down into the world.
Tzion (which usually is talking about Yerushalayim) can mean the deepest part of a Yid’s neshama, which is also called Tzion.
Here’s how the Alter Rebbe explained the posuk:
“Se’u Yedeichem Kodesh” — Lift up your midos in holiness! Make sure that the midos are behaving according to what the sechel knows is right, and that what the sechel knows shines into the midos. “Uvorachu Es Hashem” — this will bring down the name of Hashem into the world!
When that happens, “Yevorechecha Hashem MiTzion” — the deepest part of the neshama will also be able to shine in the world, “Osei Shomayim Va’aretz” — and will make it the world able to exist.
When we learn Chassidus and act like a Chossid, it brings chayus not just to ourselves, but to the entire world!
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In today’s Rambam, we are starting a new set of halachos: The halachos about borrowing or lending money. There are many mitzvos about this, and today we are learning two of them:
1) (Mitzvas Asei #197) To lend money to poor people, to make their life a little bit easier. The Rambam says that this is even more important than tzedakah! That’s because people don’t want to become poor and need to ask for money — it will be very embarrassing for them! When you give them a loan, you save them from needing to ask for tzedakah!
We learn this mitzvah from a posuk in Parshas Mishpatim: אִם כֶּסֶף תַּלְוֶה אֶת עַמִּי אֶת הֶעָנִי עִמָּךְ
The details are explained in many places in Mesechta Kesubos and Mesechta Bava Basra.
2) (Mitzvas Lo Saasei #234) Not to ask a person to pay back your loan if you know he can’t.
We learn this mitzvah from the same posuk in Parshas Mishpatim: לֹא תִהְיֶה לוֹ כְּנשֶׁה
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In Perek Alef, we learn that it’s a special mitzvah to give a loan to a poor person, or anyone who needs it. Lending money is a mitzvah — not a choice!
But borrowing money is a very serious thing — if a person borrows money when he doesn’t need to, and then can’t pay back the loan, he is called a rasha.
Perek Beis teaches us how the Chachomim helped make it easier for us to lend money: After the time of the Gemara, there were a lot of sneaky people who said they couldn’t pay back their loans — even though they really could. The Chachomim decided to force people to make a shevuah (a very strong Torah promise in Hashem’s name) in front of the Beis Din if they didn’t have money. That stopped people from lying, and kept everyone from being afraid to lend money!
We also learn the halacha that when you give a loan, you should have witnesses, a mashkon, or a contract, to show that it is a serious thing and make sure all of the details of the loan are clear (like the exact amount you lent).
In Perek Gimmel the Rambam teaches us about a mashkon: A mashkon (a security) is when you take an object from someone you lend money to, and give it back when he pays you back. We learn the details of mitzvos we will be learning later, like not taking a mashkon from an almanah (widow), or using keilim that are used to make food for a mashkon.
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In today’s Rambam, we learn about when a person is chayav to be punished by the Beis Din for eating asur food. Just like at the Seder we eat a certain amount of matzah in a certain amount of time, a person only gets punished if he eats a certain amount of food (a “shiur”) in a certain amount of time.
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Erev Pesach (5719), a Lubavitcher boy was standing near the Rebbe’s room. Suddenly the Rebbe came out! When he saw the boy, he asked “Why aren’t you learning?”
The boy answered that it was vacation, and he had no school.
“But why aren’t you learning?” the Rebbe asked again.
The boy was confused, and again said that he had no cheder.
The Rebbe took out a sefer, opened up to the last page, and said: “Do you see how many pages there are in this sefer? Do you see how many seforim there are in the bookshelves? I’m sure you know that there are even MORE seforim that aren’t in the bookshelves! When are you going to get to know all of these seforim if you don’t learn?”
We need to be always learning — not just when it’s school!
From “Haketzarim” — short stories about the Rebbe. With permission.
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As a general introduction to davening, we remind ourselves WHO we are about to daven to!
Adon Olam is a beautiful song written by the Chachomim who lived after the times of the Gemara, Rabbeinu Yehuda Hachassid, Rabbeinu Hai Gaon, and Rabbeinu Sherira Gaon.
It is brought in the Shaloh and other sefarim that saying this tefillah before davening is a segulah that a person’s tefillah should be answered.
Adon Olam speaks about the greatness of Hashem. When we pay attention to what these words mean, we will feel how special it is to daven!
See Shaar Hakolel, perek Gimmel, se’if Daled
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On the fast of Tisha B’av, we do certain things to remind ourselves that we are sad about the Churban.
Here are some of them:
- On Erev Tisha B’Av, starting at Chatzos, we only learn the parts of Torah that we are allowed to learn on Tisha B’Av itself. If someone is running late, the daily shiurim of Chitas and Rambam can be finished until Shkiyah. (This year, Erev Tisha B’Av is on Shabbos.)
- We don’t eat or drink. Kids under Bar or Bas Mitzvah are allowed to eat, but they shouldn’t have nosh or sweet foods, because they are also sad about the Churban.
- We don’t wear leather shoes. Leather shoes are more comfortable and mentchlich. On Tisha B’av we don’t feel comfortable and complete, since we are thinking about the Beis Hamikdash being destroyed. If we don’t have non-leather shoes, we can buy them — even during the Nine Days.
- We don’t put on creams or oils. A person puts on lotion, perfume, or oil to make themselves feel good. On Tisha B’Av, we don’t want to feel so comfortable until the Beis Hamikdash is built again! (We are allowed to put on deodorant if we get sweaty.)
- We don’t wash ourselves. Most people enjoy the way water feels, and like to feel clean and comfortable. On Tisha B’Av, we are careful not to wash ourselves, unless we really need to — like if our hands get muddy, or if we need to wash Negel Vasser. Even then, we only wash the parts that we have to wash!
For detailed halachos of Tisha B’Av, see the Halacha Newsletter prepared by Rabbi Shmuel Lesches, Melbourne
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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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There are two opinions in Torah about the third Beis Hamikdash. Rashi and Tosfos bring from the Zohar and the Medrash, saying that the Beis Hamikdash will come down from Shomayim! The Rambam paskens the halacha based on the Gemara Yerushalmi and a different Medrash, saying that Moshiach will build the third Beis Hamikdash.
Which is it?
The Rebbe tells us that both are true!
Here is one explanation the Rebbe gives:
The Rambam is a sefer of halacha. That means that the Rambam only talks about the things that Yidden need to do. The Rambam tells us that it is our job to work to build the Beis Hamikdash!
But we won’t be building the WHOLE Beis Hamikdash. There is also a Beis Hamikdash of Hashem in Shomayim, that will come down and become part of our Gashmius’dike Beis Hamikdash! That will make it HASHEM’s building, and because of it, this Beis Hamikdash will be different than the other two. It will last forever!
We see an example for this in the Beis Hamikdash itself! Hashem sends down a fire from Shomayim to burn up the korbanos, but it is still a mitzvah for a kohen to light a fire on the Mizbeiach. Once we light a fire down here, Hashem sends down His fire onto the Mizbeiach.
(The Rambam doesn’t tell us that part, because it isn’t halacha, it isn’t something WE need to do! We learn about it from other places in Torah! The Zohar and the Medrash tell us about the part of the Beis Hamikdash which will be GIVEN to us from Hashem, and will make it a Beis Hamikdash that will last forever!)
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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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