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In today’s Chumash, we learn what happened with Avraham Avinu in Be’er Sheva.
Avimelech, the king of Gerar, saw the miracles that happened to Avraham Avinu. He came and asked Avraham to make a deal not to hurt him or his children or grandchildren. Avraham agreed.
Avraham asked why some of Avimelech’s servants took over his well. Avimelech said he didn’t know about it, so they decided that they would let Hashem decide who the well belonged to. They both went to get water from the well, and the water came up for Avraham, showing it belonged to him. Avraham gave Avimelech animals, and also seven sheep as a sign that the well belonged to Avraham.
They called the place “Be’er Sheva” — the well of the promise, because they made a promise there that they won’t hurt each other.
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Avraham opened a hotel in Be’er Sheva, and also planted fruit trees so he could give fruit to his guests. There he helped people realize who we need to daven to:
After eating, his guests would try to thank him, but Avraham would say, “Thank Hashem — not me — HE made the world!” If they didn’t want to, Avraham would tell them to pay him a lot of money. Then they would admit that Avraham was right about Hashem, and agree to thank Hashem.
Avraham lived there for 26 years.
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Today’s kapitelach are Pey-Gimmel to Pey-Zayin.
In today’s Tehillim, in Kapitel Pey-Daled, we have a very special posuk which we learned about in Tanya! “Ki Shemesh UMagen Hashem Elokim!” “Because the name of Hashem and Elokim is like a sun and a cover.”
A mashal for Hashem is the sun, which shines very strong. If the sun would shine on us with all of its might, it would make the word too hot! So Hashem put a cover on the sun, so that not ALL of its light shines on the world. Because of that, we are able to live in the world comfortably and enjoy the sun’s light.
The same is with Hashem: The chayus from the name Havaya is so strong that we wouldn’t be able to feel like people — we would all just be part of Hashem. But the name Elokim covers up the name Havaya so the world can keep on being a world, and appreciate the chayus of Hashem.
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TANYA
Igeres Hakodesh Siman Chof-Ches
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R’ Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev was a mechutan with Alter Rebbe — his grandson married the Alter Rebbe’s granddaughter. While R’ Levi Yitzchak was alive, his son, R’ Meir passed away. The Alter Rebbe sent this letter to him to make him feel better.
When the Torah tells us about how Miriam passed away, it says it in the Torah right near the part where we learn about the Parah Adumah. The Chachomim explain that just like a Parah Adumah can make someone tahor from even the greatest tumah, so too when a tzadik passes away, it brings a kapara for even the greatest aveiros Yidden have done.
The mitzvah of Parah Adumah has many many details! When we do the mitzvah with all of the details like it says in the Torah, it brings a very great chayus of Hashem into the world. That chayus of Hashem is able to bring tahara even to the strongest tumah!
Tomorrow IY”H we will learn what happens when a Tzadik passes away, and why these two things are similar.
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A person might think, “What’s the big deal if I miss learning Torah today or doing my shlichus — tomorrow is another day! IY”H, Hashem will let me live a long life, with many many years! There will always be more chances.”
This is not how a Yid should think! We need to be very careful not to waste time! We need to use every second for Torah and mitzvos.
Because every second has a special koach that is ONLY there in that second. We can grab that koach only if we use the second right!
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In today’s Sefer Hamitzvos, we learn one last mitzvah about Pesach, say the Rambam’s nusach of the Haggadah, and then learn one of the mitzvos of Rosh Hashana:
1) (Mitzvas Asei #157) We need to tell over the story of Yetziyas Mitzrayim (in this mitzvah, the Rambam puts the words of the Haggadah that we need to say to fulfill this mitzvah.)
2) (Mitzvas Asei #170) We need to hear the Shofar on Rosh Hashana.
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RAMBAM
Hilchos Chomeitz U'Matzah - Nusach HaHagadah - Hilchos Shofar V'Sukah V'Lulav
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In today’s Rambam, we learn how to run a Seder properly. We learn about all the steps of the Seder, and the Mah Nishtana, and the whole Haggadah!
We also learn about the mitzvah of blowing the shofar. The Rambam tells us that we don’t blow the Shofar on Shabbos, so that nobody will carry it outside on Shabbos by mistake.
Chassidus tells us that the REAL reason why we don’t blow the Shofar on Shabbos is that when Rosh Hashana is on Shabbos, the koach of Shabbos is so strong that we don’t NEED to hear the Shofar to get the koach we usually get from hearing the Shofar. The day of Shabbos itself does what the shofar usually does!
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Yesterday we learned that we are allowed to eat fruit while it’s still in the field, without taking maaser from it. But when food is sold, the halacha is a little bit different. If a person buys apples that are still on the tree, he doesn’t have to take maaser before eating any of them. But if the apples are already in a bucket, even if they are still in the field, he needs to take maaser before he can eat them!
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In today’s Chumash, Shishi of Parshas Vayeira, we learned how Avraham Avinu set up a free hotel and restaurant in the middle of the desert! He used it like a Chabad House, to teach people about Hashem.
First he would give them free food, and told them that they shouldn’t pay him — they should thank Hashem, Who CREATED the food. But if they didn’t agree that Hashem created the food, Avraham became strict. He told them that then they should pay what it’s really worth — a lot of money! In the end, they realized that Avraham was right, and they started to believe in Hashem.
Chassidus explains that we learn an important lesson from Avraham in how we should act. Even if we want to be nice, we have to make sure that our being nice is for a good reason, not just because it makes us feel good! We see that Avraham was strict with his guests when he needed to be, even if that didn’t make him feel good.
Avraham wasn’t nice to all of his guests just because it made him feel happy to be nice. Avraham Avinu wanted to be nice so that more people would believe in Hashem.
When we walk down the street and smile and wave at people, it shouldn’t just be because it makes us feel good to make other people happy. We need to remember that it has a reason — to make a Kiddush Hashem.
See Kuntres Umaayan, maamar alef
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The words of davening are supposed to help us feel a certain way. They help us to stand before Hashem properly and ask Him to give us all we need. They help make us want to do Hashem’s Ratzon all the time!
What if we are davening every day and it isn’t changing how we feel?
By having hisbonenus, thinking about the words we are saying, we will start to feel it too!
Thinking about the words of davening can take time. Not everyone is able to spend so much time davening. An eitzah for someone who doesn’t have extra time is to think about only one part of davening each day. The next day, you can think about the next part.
This was known to be the avodah of a group of Chassidim. Every day they would have hisbonenus on one part of davening, and mark that place in their siddurim. The next day they would start to have hisbonenus at the place that was marked, and then mark a new place.
See Igros chelek Yud-Tes p. 195
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The main mitzvah of Neiros Shabbos is for the mother of the house to light candles at the table where the family will eat the Shabbos meal. This brings Shalom Bayis and Oneg Shabbos!
But that’s not the WHOLE mitzvah!
The Chachomim taught that there should be light in the whole house, wherever people go on Shabbos!
Even though we don’t bentch licht in every room, we should make sure that there is a light on in every part of our homes. This keeps people from tripping and falling on things on Shabbos!
Even a bedroom that we like to keep dark should have a way to be lit up on Shabbos, for example with a light in a closet or hallway. This way there will be light if we need to see something.
See Kitzur Dinei Uminhagei Neiros Shabbos Kodesh, p. 13
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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 Tikunei Zohar, it says that keeping the halachos of Shabbos is connected to bringing the Geulah faster. This is especially with the halachos of carrying on Shabbos.
Why?
Carrying has two parts to it: Picking something up (“Akira”) from our house, and putting it down outside (“Hanacha”).
One of the problems of Golus is that we are being picked up (“Akira”) from our home, and being put down (“Hanacha”) in Golus! So keeping Shabbos, and being careful about not carrying, will take away that Akira and Hanacha, so we can go back to Eretz Yisroel where we belong!
Sefer Hasichos Tof-Shin-Mem-Tes, vol. 1, p. 143; Migolah LiGeulah p. 174
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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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