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Today we learn about the mitzvah of Bikurim.
Let’s review: On Rosh Chodesh Shevat, only a few months before Zayin Adar (the end of Moshe Rabbeinu’s shlichus as a neshama in a guf), Moshe Rabbeinu gathered the Yidden together and made a long farbrengen with them. In it, he rebuked them for the not such good things they did in the Midbar, so they won’t do them again, reviewed the mitzvos they had already learned, and taught them new mitzvos they would get to keep in Eretz Yisroel. Moshe Rabbeinu was making sure the Yidden were ready for their shlichus in the next generation.
This week, we will learn many more mitzvos, and be inspired to do them, by hearing about all of the brachos we will have from doing mitzvos.
Bikurim: When you will come into Eretz Yisroel, you will send out all of the nations who live there now, and give out the different parts of land to each of the Shevatim. Then, once all of you have a part of Eretz Yisroel, you will be able to do a very special mitzvah — Bikurim!
You will do this mitzvah by bringing the first fruit from the Shiva Minim — the seven kinds of fruit that Eretz Yisroel was given a special bracha for: Wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives, and dates.
When you will see that one of these kinds of fruits is starting to get ripe, you should tie a string around it to remember which one it is. When it is ready to pick, you should put it into a special basket, and bring it to the Beis Hamikdash!
In the Beis Hamikdash, you will go to one of the Kohanim, and thank Hashem for giving you Eretz Yisroel. Then together with the Kohen, you should wave the basket of fruit (like a Lulav!) in front of the Mizbeiach.
If you are bringing the Bikurim before Sukkos is over, you should say a special paragraph (that we also say in the Haggadah!) to thank Hashem that you are in Eretz Yisroel, where you are safe — not like Yaakov in Lavan’s house, or like the Yidden in Mitzrayim! Then wave the basket of Bikurim again, this time by yourself, and bow to Hashem. Then the Kohanim will be able to take the fruits home to eat.
The inyan of this mitzvah is Hakoras Hatov, appreciating good things that are done for us. Hashem tells us not only to feel it, but to say thank you!
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Today’s kapitelach are Ayin-Zayin and Ayin-Ches. For Elul, we also say kapitelach Mem-Gimmel, Mem-Daled, and Mem-Hey.
Kapitel Ayin-Ches talks about all of the Nissim that Hashem did for the Yidden, from the time of Yetzias Mitzrayim until Dovid Hamelech became the king.
In the first posuk that talks about Dovid Hamelech, it says “Vayivchar BeDovid Avdo, Vayikacheihu Mimichle’os Tzon.” “Hashem chose Dovid, and He took him from the sheep pens.”
Rashi explains how Dovid Hamelech took such special care of the sheep:
When Dovid Hamelech was taking care of the sheep, he noticed that not all of the sheep were getting food to eat! The big strong sheep would run very fast into the field and eat as much as they wanted. Then the older sheep and the baby sheep would come into the field, but there was no more soft grass left! The hard grass was hard for them to eat, so they were hungry.
So Dovid Hamelech built fences to keep the sheep in. He put the strong sheep behind one fence, the baby sheep behind another fence, and the older sheep behind the last fence.
When they went to a new field, Dovid Hamelech first let out the baby sheep. They ran into the field and ate the very soft grass that was easy for their baby teeth to chew. Then Dovid Hamelech let the older sheep come in. There was plenty of softer grass left for them, and they ate until they were full. Finally, Dovid Hamelech let the strong sheep come into the field. Even though most of the grass that was left was very hard and chewy, they were happy to eat it all up.
Hashem saw that Dovid Hamelech is careful to take care of every single sheep in the way they need, and knew that someone who takes good care of even a little sheep will also take care of every single Yid! That’s why Hashem chose Dovid to be the king of the Yidden.
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TANYA
Igeres Hakodesh Siman Yud-Daled
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Many of the letters in Igeres Hakodesh were sent to the Chassidim to get them excited about giving Tzedakah!
There were other great Talmidim of the Maggid, big Tzadikim, who lived in Eretz Yisroel. It was very hard in those days to make money in Eretz Yisroel, and they needed the money that Chassidim sent from other countries. The Alter Rebbe started a special Tzedakah called Colel Chabad (which we still have today!) to collect money for Chassidim there.
When something new starts, everyone gets excited and wants to be a part of it! After a while, though, it isn’t so new and exciting anymore, and people get busy with other things. The same was with Colel Chabad — at first, everyone was giving Tzedakah with a chayus! But then, the donations started slowing down. In this letter, the Alter Rebbe is getting the Chassidim excited again about giving to this special tzedakah.
Eretz Yisroel is a very special place. It gets its chayus DIRECTLY from Hashem! (The rest of the world gets chayus through the chayus that goes into Eretz Yisroel.)
But this chayus isn’t always the same. Every year, a NEW chayus comes into Eretz Yisroel, that was never there before!
Every year on Erev Rosh Hashana, all of the mitzvos we did all year go up to Hashem, and when we daven and blow the Shofar, the new chayus comes into Eretz Yisroel, and from there, to the rest of the world!
Since there is a new chayus in Eretz Yisroel every year, there should also be a new chayus every year in giving tzedakah to Eretz Yisroel!
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Today is a very special day!
The Lubavitcher Yeshiva, Tomchei Tmimim was started by the Rebbe Rashab, just two days after the Frierdiker Rebbe’s chasuna! It was Sunday, Tes-Vov Elul.
The bochurim started learning Niglah and Chassidus on Wednesday, Chai Elul, only a few days later.
At first, the Yeshiva didn’t have any name. A year later, on Simchas Torah after hakafos, the Rebbe Rashab announced:
The Yeshiva which was made is called Tomchei Temimim, and the Talmidim who learn in the Yeshiva and act the way they are supposed to are called temimim!
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Today’s mitzvah (Mitzvas Lo Saasei #166) is that a kohen is not allowed to become tomei, except for certain people in his family.
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In today’s Rambam, perakim Tes, Yud, and Yud-Alef, we learn that there are certain things we do after a person passes away, like saying Mishnayos or lighting a yartzeit licht.
Usually, only someone in the family does these things, but for a Nosi or a Rebbe, EVERYONE should do these things, because the Rebbe is like the Tatty for all Yidden.
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In this perek we learn all kinds of halachos about a promise that has to do with time — like if someone makes a promise not to eat fruit for a day, or if he says he will save his bananas until it rains.
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During the Sheva Brachos of the Friediker Rebbe’s chasuna, the Rebbe Rashab accepted the suggestion of his son, the Frierdiker Rebbe, to make a new yeshiva! There, the bochurim would have a Seder to learn Chassidus, like the Seder of learning Gemara, and they would put time and effort into davening, which would add chayus in their learning and Avodas Hashem.
Later, the Rebbe Rashab named this Yeshivah “Tomchei Temimim” (Tomim means “complete” — that he has everything), and gave the bochurim the name “Temimim”!
This Yeshiva, which was run by the Frierdiker Rebbe, was very hard.
Why? Because until then, you went to Yeshiva, learned Gemara, and put all of your kochos into it. Here, though, there was SO MUCH for the bochurim to do! They had to learn Nigleh AND Chassidus AND daven with Avodah AND be mekarev other Yidden. Each bochur had to follow the Seder and do exactly what the hanhala of the Yeshiva told him. How could a bochur do all of that?
It's because he became a Tamim!
What is a Tamim?
The Rebbe Rashab explained that a Tomim is Hanachas Atzmuso. This means that he is someone who doesn’t have his own plans and goals. He doesn’t want to be famous, or become a Rosh Yeshiva. He doesn’t even want to become a Boki BeShas — to learn the whole Gemara.
So what DOES a Tamim want? Just to act the way the Rebbeim, who set up the Yeshiva, want him to! That makes it possible for him to have chayus in EVERY part of the Yeshiva, and then everything he does will have great hatzlacha!
By being very strict about keeping the seder (schedule) that the Rebbeim set up, a Tomim has the TIME to do everything. Because he doesn’t have his own idea of what he wants to become, and is ready to do whatever the Rebbe wants, he can have the CHAYUS to do every kind of avodah that the Yeshiva expects him to!
Each of us are a chossid and shliach of the Rebbe. The Rebbe expects us to be successful at so many things — even things that sometimes seem to be opposites! We need to be good Yidden, to learn plenty of Torah and have Yiras Shomayim. We need to take good care of our families, making sure they have everything they need. We need to work hard to help other Yidden come closer to Yiddishkeit. We need to make a Kiddush Hashem for all people. Can we really do it all?
When we realize that the most important thing is to fulfill the Rebbe’s mission of getting ready for the Geulah, we really can do it all! By following the Rebbe’s instructions and keeping seder, we will have time and chayus for everything, and have hatzlacha in our mission!
See Likutei Sichos vol. 14, hosafos Tes Vov – Chai Elul
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On Shacharis of Rosh Hashana, we start with the regular Shabbos and Yom Tov davening. Then, in Pesukei Dezimra, we say something different.
Right before Yishtabach, there is a line that says, “Hamelech Hayosheiv Al Kisei Ram Venisa.” We are praising “the King Who sits on the high and uplifted throne” on the holy day of Shabbos and Yom Tov.
But on Rosh Hashana, we aren’t just talking about something that Hashem sometimes does. We say, “Hamelech YOSHEIV,” “the King IS sitting” on His throne!
During the year, we talk about how Hashem is the kind of King Who sits on a high throne in Shomayim. That is very special. But on Rosh Hashana, Hashem’s Malchus (the koach of Hashem as King) is very strong and easy to see. So on Rosh Hashana we say that Hashem IS sitting on His throne! It is happening RIGHT NOW, just look!
In our Machzor, there is a story about one of the Maggid’s great talmidim, R’ Aharon of Karlin. One Rosh Hashana, when he started to say the word “Hamelech,” he fainted.
After they woke him up, the Chassidim around him asked what happened. R’ Aharon answered that he had been thinking about a story in the Gemara:
Before the time of the Churban, R’ Yochanan ben Zakai managed to sneak out of Yerushalayim to ask the enemy to let the Yidden survive. R’ Yochanan knew that Hashem would only let the emperor himself destroy Yerushalayim, not a regular general. He realized that the general now leading the siege against Yerushalayim would need to become the emperor. So when he spoke to the general, he called him, “the Emperor.”
The general was very angry at R’ Yochanan! He said, “You just called me the emperor, when I am not the real emperor! You deserve to die for not respecting the emperor!
“And if I really am the emperor, you also deserve to be killed! Why didn’t you come earlier to speak with me?” (A few minutes later, the emperor got a message that indeed, the king had died, and he was the new emperor.)
R’ Aharon of Karlin explained that he was thinking about what the general had told R’ Yochanan ben Zakai. “If I am the emperor, why didn’t you come earlier?” If Hashem is the King, why didn’t I come to Him earlier?
R’ Aharon of Karlin was asking — we are preparing ourselves and coming before Hashem on Rosh Hashana, but where were we the rest of the year? Are we ALWAYS acting in a way that shows that we know Hashem is our King?
In our Machzor, this finishes off by saying: If R’ Aharon of Karlin, such a great tzadik, felt this way, how should the rest of us feel?
We need to make sure that coming close to Hashem on Rosh Hashana should make a difference for our whole year!
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Not only do WE need to make a bracha before we enjoy part of Hashem’s world, the FOOD needs a bracha to be made on it! Because of this, it’s not just enough for us to be thinking about the food, the food needs to BE there when we’re making a bracha!
When we make a bracha, we should hold the food in our right hand. We don’t have to hold the food directly in our hand, it is also counted as holding it if we hold it with a keili, like in a cup, or with a fork, spoon, or napkin.
If the food was in front of us, but we didn’t hold it during the bracha, the bracha is still counted, bedieved. (That means that this is NOT the way we should do the mitzvah, but if it already happened, it is still okay.)
But we are not allowed to make a bracha on a food that is not in front of us yet! Even if we KNOW that the food is about to be brought to the table, we are not allowed to make a bracha on it until we actually have it. If we make a bracha on the food before it comes out, we will have to make another bracha.
See Seder Birchas Hanehenin perek Tes, se’if Daled
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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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In the posuk before, the Navi Zechariah is told that when Moshiach comes, Yerushalayim will become a city without walls! It will grow and spread out as more Yidden come to live there!
But the Yidden might think that the wall around Yerushalayim is what keeps it safe, or that it shows that Yerushalayim is a special city.
The Yidden don’t need to worry that Yerushalayim won’t be safe, or that it won’t be a special place to live anymore:
אֲנִי אֶהְיֶה לָּהּ נְאֻם ה׳ חוֹמַת אֵשׁ סָבִיב וּלְכָבוֹד אֶהְיֶה בְתוֹכָהּ
Ani Eheyeh Lah — I will be for Yerushalayim
Ne’um Hashem — says Hashem
Chomas Eish Saviv — like a wall of fire around it! (This will keep it safe.)
Ulechavod Eheyeh Vesocha — And My Shechinah will rest inside of it! (This will be a kavod for Yerushalayim and show that it is always special.)
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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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