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In today’s Chumash, we start to learn about what happened right after the Mabul.
Hashem told Noach that his family and all of the animals should go out of the Teivah now. On the Teivah, they weren’t allowed to have children, but now all of them will be allowed to again.
So Noach and his family, and all of the animals and birds left the Teivah. From now on, the animals would only marry the same kind.
Since Hashem asked Noach to bring 7 pairs of the kosher animals, Noach realized that Hashem wanted him to bring korbanos. Noach brought from each kind of kosher animal and bird as a Korban Olah — a korban that is all burned on the Mizbeiach.
When Hashem smelled these special korbanos, it brought Hashem a Nachas Ruach. Hashem now promised never to destroy the world again, “Ki Yetzer Leiv Ha’adam Ra MeiNe’urav” — because people are not perfect, they are born with a Yetzer Hara, and they deserve Rachmanus.
During the Mabul, aside for everything in the world being destroyed, the Mazalos in Shomayim stopped moving. The sun didn’t move, the moon didn’t move, the stars didn’t move. There was no day and night, and of course there could be no seasons!
Now Hashem said that from now on, the world will have seder. The Mazalos would start to move again, and continue forever! Every day would have a day and a night, and the seasons of the year would never stop — “Lo Yishbosu.”
Hashem tells Noach about SIX seasons! You probably only know four. The seasons Hashem says are (in order of how they happen, starting in the middle of Tishrei): Planting time (Zera), cold (Kor), winter (Choref), harvest (Kotzir), summer (Kayitz), and hot (Chom).
Hashem gave a bracha to Noach and his family, and told them, “Pru Urevu” — to have many children and fill up the earth again! They don’t need to worry that Hashem will destroy the world, because Hashem promised not to. They also don’t have to worry about the animals. During the time when people started acting in a not nice way before the Mabul, the animals stopped being afraid of people. But now they don’t have to worry about it being dangerous to live in the world, because the animals will be afraid of them again.
Before the Mabul, people weren’t allowed to eat meat. Now Hashem is allowing them to eat meat, but with certain rules:
- A person isn’t allowed to eat Eiver Min Hachai, a part of an animal or its blood before it is killed.
- A person is only allowed to kill animals, not people. A person isn’t even allowed to make himself bleed for no reason! So if an animal kills a person, it will get punished, and if a person kills another person, Hashem will make sure he is punished. A person is made Betzelem Elokim, to look like Hashem. If a person is killed, it takes away part of the Tzelem Elokim from the world, and the world looks less like Hashem. Someone who does this doesn’t deserve to live.
Hashem now gave Noach and his sons a mitzvah — “Pru Urevu!” Go have children!
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Today we are starting the Sefer Tehillim again from the very beginning!
If you look in Kapitel Ches, you will see that posuk Beis and the last posuk have the same words in them! Why? Let’s see what the Gemara says about this:
When Hashem wanted to give the Torah to Yidden, the Malachim said: “You want to give such a special hidden treasure to PEOPLE?!” They said posuk beis of this Kapitel: “Hashem Adoneinu, Mah Adir Shimcha Bechol Ha’aretz, Asher Tenah Hodcha Al Hashomayim!” “Hashem, You are so great, put your Torah in Shomayim!”
Hashem told Moshe to answer the Malochim. Moshe answered, “The Torah says not to steal. Do Malochim have a Yetzer Hara that they would want to steal from each other?” After Moshe told them this and some more reasons why only Yidden can keep the Torah, the Malochim agreed.
They said this posuk again, saying how great Hashem is — but not asking Him to keep the Torah in Shomayim. They just said, “Hashem Adoneinu, Mah Adir Shimcha Bechol Ha’aretz.”
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TANYA
Igeres Hakodesh Siman Chof-Hey
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This letter from the Alter Rebbe explains something we learn from the Baal Shem Tov: If a person is in the middle of davening, and someone tries to get him mixed up, he should think about how the Shechinah is in Golus inside of the one who is bothering him. Hashem is ready to go into Golus there for only one reason — so that he will need to use a lot of koach to have Kavana in his davening. The worse the Golus is (like if the Shechinah is inside of a Rasha), the more we should make sure to have kavanah, so Hashem won’t need His Shechinah to be there in Golus anymore!
The Alter Rebbe explains this vort, by teaching us how Hashem Echad Ushmo Echad — Hashem is one. The same Hashem that is giving chayus to the Yid who is davening, is also giving chayus to the Goy who is trying to get him mixed up. Hashem just made the chayus easier to see in the Yid who is davening, and more hidden and in Golus in the Goy who is bothering him.
It’s like the chayus of Hashem is dressing up in a costume — it looks like something is RUINING our Kavana, but really Hashem is doing this to make our chayus in davening stronger! So we shouldn’t get angry at whatever is bothering us, we should realize that Hashem is making this happen to wake us up, and work harder to daven with Kavanah.
Yesterday we learned that the Shechinah is inside of the words of our davening.
Today the Alter Rebbe tells us that the Shechinah is also inside of the goy who is trying to bother us! But there, the Shechinah is in Golus.
Hashem wanted there to be two kinds of chayus in the world — one that helps us act the way Hashem wants, and one that is a challenge — that makes it hard for us to do it. The first kind of chayus is in our neshama, and it helps us do what we need to! But why do we need the second kind of chayus? It’s so Hashem can give us a special reward for our hard work!
Hashem is ready for that chayus to be in Golus, to make sure we will work hard with the strongest kochos of our neshama. That chayus is in the goy who bothers us in davening.
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Every Yid has a special Shlichus that Hashem wants him to do, to bring Hashem into the world. The first one to get a Shlichus was Avraham, when Hashem sent him on a Shlichus to go away from where he lived to another place.
How do we know where our Shlichus is? We don’t!
Certain big Tzadikim know where their shlichus is, and they go there themselves — otherwise only Hashem knows! But Hashem makes things happen Behashgacha Protis so we will end up in the right place to do our Shlichus.
There was once a Melamed in a town in Russia who came to the Rebbe Rashab in yechidus. The Rebbe Rashab asked him if there is a shiur Chassidus every day where he lives. He answered that the Balebatim have a shiur on Shabbos, but since they don’t really like to learn Chassidus they don’t have a shiur every day.
The Rebbe Rashab told him: Do you think you moved to your town just so that you can be a Melamed? Hashem could have given you students where you lived before, and you would have a job as a Melamed there!
Hashem sent you there for a reason. You need to remember that, and use every chance you have to give the local Yidden a chayus in learning Chassidus!
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Today’s mitzvah (Mitzvas Lo Saasei #320) is the same as yesterday’s. We are not allowed to do any of the kinds of work called melacha on Shabbos.
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In today’s Rambam, perakim Tes, Yud, and Yud-Alef, we learn many of the Lamed-Tes melachos that we started in the last perek of yesterday’s Rambam! We learn about not cooking, or even putting something near a warm place so it will cook too. We learn about not writing, or cutting nails, or tying knots, and many more of the melachos and their details!
We will finish learning the rest of the Lamed-Tes Melachos in the first perek of tomorrow’s Rambam.
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In this perek, we are learning more about the person that separates Terumah. If someone can’t do it himself, he can have someone else do it for him — this is called making a shliach. If someone doesn’t officially make a shliach, another person can’t separate the terumah for him. So his workers can’t just do it for him without him asking them to!
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We just finished a very exciting month with many special Yomim Tovim. We had a lot of fun going to Shul, to Tashlich and Kaparos. We sat in the sukkah in the rain, stayed up late for Simchas Beis Hashoeivah, and went on fun Chol Hamoed trips. We shook the Lulav and Esrog and danced with the Torah...
But now that it’s all over, what is there to look forward to? We are back at school and our regular schedule, and it can feel boring.
Well, that’s what Chodesh Mar-Cheshvan (which today is its Rosh Chodesh), is all about. Of course having mitzvos that are exciting and fun is important, and Hashem wants us to have them. But being a Yid isn’t just during the times that are exciting. Hashem wants us to show how a Yid acts the way he should even on a regular day when there isn’t anything exciting happening. We don’t get a chance to show that until the month of Cheshvan.
The Medrash says that Hashem said to the month of Cheshvan that since it is so lonely with no Yomim Tovim, when Moshiach comes it will get a special thing! What is it?
The Chanukas Beis Hamikdash Hashlishi will be in the month of Cheshvan!
And when we show how a Yid acts even when nothing exciting happens, we make that VERY exciting thing happen much sooner!
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TEFILLAH
Building Bitachon Through Davening
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We know we need to always trust in Hashem, but sometimes it is hard to feel it!
Like we see in Tanya, a good way to make ourselves feel something is to understand it and think about it — then we will start to feel that way too.
To feel our bitachon in Hashem, we can think about how much it makes sense to trust in Hashem, and how it doesn’t make sense to trust in a person!
The Sefer Chovos Halevavos, in the section Shaar HaBitachon, explains the reasons why a person would trust in someone else. The Chovos Halevavos shows us how these reasons are only really true with Hashem!
One reason we might trust someone is because he cares about us and wants to help us. We trust our parents, our teachers, and our friends. We know that they are looking to make sure things are good for us.
But there is one problem: Sometimes a person is trying to help, but he doesn’t know what we really need!
Let’s say my uncle sees me having a hard time with my report. He tells me, “I see that this report is really too hard for you. I will speak to your teacher about it, and in the meantime, you don’t have to finish the report.” Of course, I trust my uncle! He cares about me and wants me to do well in school. I don’t work on the report anymore, I work on something else instead.
But my uncle is just a person! He might not know what is REALLY good for me. Maybe it would be better for me to get used to doing things even when they are hard. Maybe there is another reason why I should continue working on the report. Maybe I will get in trouble for not finishing the report, even if my uncle does speak to the teacher.
I can trust that my uncle wants to help... but I can’t trust that his help will always be what I need!
Hashem is different. Not only does Hashem care about us and want good things for us, Hashem knows exactly what every one of us needs!
When we think about this, it makes a lot of sense to have bitachon in Hashem. Hashem loves us very much. We can trust that Hashem knows what is REALLY good for us, and will give us exactly what we need.
During davening is a very good time to work on our bitachon! The Rebbe told many people that if they make their bitachon in Hashem stronger, it will help bring more of Hashem’s brachos into their lives.
The words of Pesukei Dezimra can help us think about why we should trust Hashem.
One of the pesukim in Pesukei Dezimra that help us think about how Hashem knows just what we need is, “Einei Chol Eilecha Yesabeiru, Ve’ata Nosein Lahem Es Achlam Be’ito.” “Everyone’s eyes turn to You, Hashem, and You give them their food at the right time.” Hashem knows just what each of us needs, and gives it to us just at the right time.
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On Rosh Chodesh, we add Yaaleh Veyavo in Shemoneh Esrei. We ask Hashem for the special brachos of the day!
If we accidentally leave it out in the Shemoneh Esrei of Shacharis or Mincha, we might have to say Shemoneh Esrei again! It depends when we realize we missed it:
1) Vesechezenah: If we were in the middle of Vesechezenah, before saying the bracha, we go back to Yaaleh Veyavo and say Vesechezenah again afterwards.
2) After Vesechezenah: If we already said Hashem’s name in the bracha at the end of Vesechezenah (Hamachzir Shechinaso Letzion), we say Yaaleh Veyavo right there, and then go straight onto Modim.
3) Modim: If we already started Modim, we go back to Retzei (the paragraph BEFORE Yaaleh Veyavo), and then say those paragraphs again.
4) End of Shemoneh Esrei: If we already said the second Yihiyu Leratzon (the one after we say our name posuk, right before Oseh Shalom), we need to go back to the beginning of Shemoneh Esrei.
See Derech Hachaim, printed in the siddur
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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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After the Mabul, Hashem gives Noach and his children brachos. Hashem also gives them permission to eat animals and fish. (Adam Harishon was not allowed to eat animals.)
In the posuk that speaks about this, there is a special remez, a hint! The posuk says, “Vechol Degei Hayam, Beyedcham Nitanu.” “You also are given permission to eat any fish.”
The Gematria of “Nitanu” (are given) is the same as “Livyasan” — the special fish that tzadikim will be given to eat when Moshiach comes!
See Shach Al HaTorah, Gimatriaos Noach; Yalkut Moshiach Ugeulah Al HaTorah, Parshas Noach
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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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