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When Moshe finished writing down the WHOLE Torah, he told the Leviim who carry the Aron to take the Sefer Torah he wrote, and put it inside the Aron (or, as Rashi says, maybe on a shelf attached to the Aron and not really inside).
The Yidden lots of times stop listening to Hashem, even with Moshe Rabbeinu there. Of course they will make that mistake after Moshe Rabbeinu passes away, and this Torah will remind them that they should know better!
Moshe blew two trumpets he made himself, to call all the Zekeinim to come hear Haazinu. In Haazinu, Moshe says that the sky and the ground will remind the Yidden that they know about Hashem’s mitzvos!
Even though the Yidden wouldn’t stop listening to Hashem until after Yehoshua passes away, Moshe said that this would happen after HE passes away — as long as Moshe’s dear talmid, Yeshoshua, was still alive, to Moshe it was like he was also alive.
Then Moshe told the Yidden the words of the song Haazinu, which we will learn this coming week!
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Today’s shiur Tehillim is kapitelach Lamed-Gimmel to Lamed-Ches. Until Yom Kippur, we continue adding three extra kapitelach. Today we say kapitelach Kuf-Gimmel, Kuf-Daled, and Kuf-Hey.
In the first Maamar the Rebbe said, Bosi Legani, he explains a posuk from today’s Tehillim: “Tzadikim Yirshu Aretz Veyishkenu La’ad Aleha.” “Tzadikim get ‘aretz’ (Gan Eden), because they make Hashem rest (Veyishkenu) in the world.”
In the maamar, the Rebbe tells us that this is OUR special shlichus too — to bring Hashem’s Shechinah into the world, which will bring Moshiach Tzidkeinu!
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TANYA
Igeres Hakodesh Siman Chof
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To make the world, Hashem made many Ruchnius “worlds” also. There are four that we know about, called Atzilus, Beriyah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah.
Why did Hashem make these “worlds”? Because the chayus of Hashem is too strong for the world to be there. So in each “world”, Hashem hides more and more, until He is hiding enough for there to be Gashmius.
In today’s Tanya, the Alter Rebbe explains what happens in Ruchnius for this to happen. We learn a lot of things from Kabbalah to help us understand it!
At the end, we will find out that even though Hashem has to hide SO much for there to be Gashmius, it can only be from the greatest koach of Hashem to make something from nothing, “Yeish MeAyin.” Only the Koach of Hashem Himself that didn’t go through all of these Ruchnius “worlds” can make Gashmius Yeish Me’ayin.”
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R’ Zushe of Anipoli said that Teshuvah has five parts, one for each letter of the word “Teshuvah!” Today we learn that the Vov teaches us to have a lot of Ahavas Yisroel.
A Yid needs to have a good heart and be kind to others. When people are happy with the way we act, Hashem is too! The Alter Rebbe said that a way to love Hashem is by loving another yid.
That is the Vov of the word Teshuvah, and it stands for “Ve’ohavta Le’reiacha Kamocha.”
This is the Teshuvah that comes from a Lev Tov, a good heart.
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SEFER HAMITZVOS
Mitzvas Lo Saasei #11, #12, #14, Asei #185, Lo Saasei #25, #22, #48, #50, #51, #30, #33, #31, #32
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Today we learn even MORE mitzvos about only serving Hashem!
1) (Mitzvas Lo Saasei #11) We are not allowed to build a monument for people to come and daven around — even to daven to Hashem — because this kind of thing is usually used for Avodah Zarah.
2) (Mitzvas Lo Saasei #12) People used to choose certain stones to lean on when they bowed to Avodah Zararh. We are not allowed to choose a stone to bow on, even to use to bow to Hashem!
3) (Mitzvas Lo Saasei #13) We are not allowed to plant a tree near the Mizbeiach, or anywhere near the Beis Hamikdash, because that was what was done in places of Avodah Zarah.
4) (Mitzvas Asei #185) We need to destroy everything in Eretz Yisroel that has to do with Avodah Zarah! That means all of the idols, mizbeiachs, and temples.
5) (Mitzvas Lo Saasei #25) We are not allowed to use any part of an idol for something that helps us, like burning a tree used for Avodah Zarah so that our house will be warm.
6) (Mitzvas Lo Saasei #22) We are not allowed to use the gold or silver that was put on an idol to make it look nice.
7) (Mitzvas Lo Saasei #48) We are not allowed to let goyim live in Eretz Yisroel unless they stop worshiping Avodah Zarah.
8) (Mitzvas Lo Saasei #50) We are not allowed to be nice to someone who worships idols.
9) (Mitzvas Lo Saasei #51) We are not allowed to let anyone who serves Avodah Zarah to live or stay in Eretz Yisroel, because people might learn from them.
10) (Mitzvas Lo Saasei #30) We are not allowed to copy things that people who worship Avodah Zarah do, even if those things have nothing to with Avodah Zarah.
11) (Mitzvas Lo Saasei #33) We aren’t allowed to decide things based on “good signs” or “bad signs” — like to decide that something that happened was a “bad sign” and now you shouldn’t go on the trip.
12) (Mitzvas Lo Saasei #31) We are not allowed to do things to predict the future.
13) (Mitzvas Lo Saasei #32) We are not allowed to decide which days are good for things based on astrology (deciding things based on the stars). We also are not allowed to make magic tricks in a way that people think we’re using real magic.
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RAMBAM
Hilchos Avodas Kochavim
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Perek Zayin: We need to destroy Avodah Zarah things. The Rambam teaches us what kinds of things are counted as Avodah Zarah. For example, if a cow was used for a korban to Avodah Zarah, we can’t even use its skin for anything else.
In Perek Ches, we learn about when things change to become Avodah Zarah. If someone davened to a mountain, the mountain isn’t counted as Avodah Zarah, but if he took a rock from that mountain it could be.
In Perek Tes, we learn about doing business and about our dealings with goyim when they are celebrating their Avodah Zarah days.
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In this perek we learn many halachos about pediyah — redeeming, meaning buying back something that was donated to the Beis Hamikdash.
One interesting thing that we see in these halachos is that the Beis Hamikdash always gets the best of any deal! This way, any donation to the Beis Hamikdash is used as much as it can be.
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Today is the yartzeit of Rebbetzin Chana, the Rebbe’s mother. She passed away on Shabbos at Mincha time, in Tof-Shin-Chof-Hey.
Rebbetzin Chana’s life was full of Mesiras Nefesh for Yiddishkeit and Chassidus. She always helped her husband, R’ Levi Yitzchak, through all the hard times and even in Golus. She knew how important it was for him to write his Chiddushei Torah, and went and made ink herself, using plants, so he would be able to.
In the past few years, we had the zechus that her memoirs (chabad.org/1638270) were found and printed! We can see the Mesiras Nefesh she had, how proud she was that her son became the Rebbe and how much she appreciated his visits and the Kibud Eim that he showed her.
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On Erev Yom Kippur, there is a minhag to put out plates on the tables in shul, to collect tzedakah for the people and mosdos who need. At Mincha time, people can put money onto these plates to give tzedakah.
(You can see this in videos of the Rebbe from Erev Yom Kippur. There are many plates set up on the tables, and when the Rebbe comes into shul for Mincha, he puts money into all of these plates. The Rebbe would also give to poor people who put out their hands, and to children, so that they will have coins to give tzedakah too.)
In the Luach Colel Chabad, it says that the Baal Shem Tov said, “From the sound that these coins make when you throw them onto the plates, the kelipos become separated.”
What does this mean?
There is a story behind it!
The Yidden of Mezhibuzh were having a meeting. They were talking about different problems in the city and what should be done about them. Someone complained that on Erev Yom Kippur, having the tzedakah plates on all the tables made the shul very noisy and not calm! It wasn’t the right way to go into Yom Kippur.
They decided that they wanted to stop this minhag. Collecting tzedakah is very important, but not if it makes it hard for everyone to have proper kavana in davening!
When the Baal Shem Tov heard about their decision, he refused to let them stop the minhag! He told them a story to understand why this minhag is so important!
One year, before Yom Kippur, all of the kelipos decided to gang up against the Yidden. They would all work together to stop the tefillos of the Yidden from going up to Shomayim! Without these tefillos, Hashem wouldn’t be able to forgive the Yidden, chas veshalom.
The kelipos were standing at the gates of Shomayim, when suddenly, a loud noise started! It was the jingling of all the coins being thrown into the plates in shul. The sound made the kelipos all scatter! They weren’t able to join together again in time to stop the Yidden’s tefillos from reaching Hashem, and their plot was foiled.
This is what it means that the sound of the coins falling onto the plates separates the kelipos. It stops them from joining together, and our tefillos of Yom Kippur will be able to reach straight to Hashem!
See Otzar Minhagei Chabad p. 188
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Every month, we bentch the new moon with a special bracha of Kiddush Levana.
We wait until after the seventh of the month, when the moon is getting bigger. Our minhag is to say Kiddush Levana the first Motzei Shabbos after this date, so that we can wear our Shabbos clothes to do this special mitzvah!
But in Tishrei, we don’t say Kiddush Levana right away, instead we wait until Motzaei Yom Kippur.
That’s because it’s best to say Kiddush Levana when we are happy! During the Aseres Yemei Teshuvah, we are worried about doing a proper teshuvah and deserving a good judgment on the Yom Hadin.
But after Yom Kippur, a Bas Kol comes from Shomayim and tells us to go eat and drink with joy, because Hashem is happy with the Yidden! When we know that Hashem is happy with us, we are VERY happy, and that’s a perfect mood to be in to say Kiddush Levana!
But if someone is worried that it will probably be too cloudy to say Kiddush Levana on Motzaei Yom Kippur, or he won’t be able to say it for a different reason, he can do it before. In fact, there are some poskim who say you should do Kiddush Levana davka during the Aseres Yemei Teshuvah, so that Hashem will count this mitzvah too when He is judging us!
See Shevach Hamoadim, Aseres Yemei Teshuvah
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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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When we can feel something and see something, we say that it is real.
But what is REALLY real?
The truth is that the entire universe isn’t actually anything of its own — it is part of the existence of Hashem and the fact that Hashem wants Torah and mitzvos. But it doesn’t look that way yet!
When Moshiach comes, everything and everyone in the world will know that this is real. Everything will behave in a way that shows what it really is all about.
That’s why the Medrash says that in the times of the Geulah, if a person will try to pick a fig on Shabbos, the fig will scream, “It’s Shabbos!”
See Likutei Sichos Chelek Yud-Alef, p. 69
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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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