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Today’s Chumash is very long! We learn about the Sotah, the Nazir, and Birchas Kohanim.
SOTAH:
A husband might tell his wife not to spend time with a certain man, because he is worried that she wants to get married to him instead. If people saw her go into a room privately with him anyway, she is called a Sotah. We need to do what it says in the Torah to prove if she did an aveira or not.
The Sotah has to bring a korban, but only using barley flour, like we use to feed animals. We don’t put any oil or spices on it, because that would make the korban look beautiful and remind us of light (from the oil) and the Imahos (from the spices), and the way she acted isn’t beautiful!
Part of getting the Sotah ready to be tested is embarrassing her. We hope that she will tell the truth if she did something wrong.
The Kohen also makes her promise that she is telling the truth, and that she knows that if she isn’t, the bitter water she drinks will make her die.
The Kohen writes the promise, with Hashem’s name, on a piece of parchment and erases it in the bitter water. When the Sotah drinks it, if she wasn’t telling the truth, she will get very sick and die very quickly. But if she really didn’t do an aveira, then Hashem forgives her for acting in a way that didn’t look right, and she gets brachos for children.
NAZIR:
Now the Torah tells us about a Nazir. A Nazir is a person (a man or a woman) who promises Hashem not to drink any wine so he will have more Kedusha. He can’t eat any grapes or drink any kind of wine or grape juice. He is also not allowed to cut his hair. He can promise to be a Nazir for however long he wants, but at least 30 days.
The whole time a person is a Nazir, he isn’t allowed to become Tamei from a person who passes away — even someone from his family. He can’t go to a cemetery or a Levayah.
What happens if he becomes Tamei by mistake? He needs to become tahor from the Parah Adumah, and then he needs to cut off all the hair from his head, bring a korban of two birds, and then start counting the days of being a Nazir again from the beginning.
At the end of his time being a Nazir, he has to bring a Korban — a boy lamb, a girl lamb, and a ram, 10 matzos mixed with oil and 10 matzos brushed with oil, and the flour and wine like we always bring with the animals.
After the korbanos are brought, the Nazir has to shave off his hair inside the Beis Hamikdash, and burn it in the fire where the Korban is being cooked.
After all of the Korbanos are brought properly, the Nazir is allowed to drink wine again.
BIRKAS KOHANIM:
Now we go back to what was happening on the first day that the Mishkan was put up:
Hashem wanted to give the Yidden more brachos. He said that these brachos will come through the Kohanim — Birchas Kohanim. The way this bracha is said is the way we speak to one person, not to a group, because the brachos are meant for each Yid that is there.
Yevarechecha Hashem Veyishmerecha — Hashem should give the Yidden brachos with parnasa, and that the parnasa should go to good things.
Ya’er Hashem Panav Eilecha Vichuneka — Hashem should like the Yidden and have other people like us too.
Yisa Hashem Panav Eilecha Veyaseim Lecha Shalom — Hashem should not pay attention to our mistakes and give us shalom.
When the Kohanim give this bracha, they should say Hashem’s name — Yud-Kay-Vov-Kay! Hashem will give the brachos to the Yidden, and also to the Kohanim who give them the bracha.
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In the last posuk of Kapitel Nun, Dovid Hamelech says: “Zoveiach Todah Yechabdaneni” — “a person who brings a Korban to give thanks to Hashem is bringing Hashem kavod.”
The word “Zoveiach” (“bring a korban”) means to shecht. The Gemara says that a person who shechts his Yetzer Hara brings kavod to Hashem!
How do we shecht our Yetzer Hara? The Rebbe explains that when we shecht an animal, that animal doesn’t have chayus anymore. The same thing is when we shecht our Yetzer Hara. The Yetzer Hara loses its chayus in getting excited about Gashmius things that we like or want. Instead, we should get excited about Kedusha things, like davening or doing mitzvos!
By getting excited about things for Hashem, we stop being excited about things for the Yetzer Hara. This takes away the chayus from our Yetzer Hara, and brings kavod to Hashem!
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TANYA
Shaar Hayichud Veha'emunah Perek Beis
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The world is created in a way of Yeish Me’Ayin, so it needs a constant chayus of Hashem in it to make it exist. This chayus is the letters of the Asara Maamaros, which the world was created with.
The Alter Rebbe tells us about people, who even though they believe that Hashem made the world, they make a big mistake. They don’t think that there is such a thing as Hashgacha Protis or that Hashem does nisim.
How do they make this mistake? They think that Hashem makes the world the way a person makes something, for example a clay bowl. He can make the bowl and then walk away, and the bowl just stays there. That’s because he is making one thing from another thing.
But Hashem makes the world from NOTHING, Yeish Me’Ayin! Since it is created Yeish Me’Ayin, it always needs the chayus from Hashem in it so it can exist.
Even though those people don’t believe in the miracles of the Torah, the Alter Rebbe tells us — so that we should know — an example from Kriyas Yam Suf! With Kriyas Yam Suf, the water stood up like a wall — but only when Hashem kept the wind blowing against it. Even though this was a neis with something that was already there, and Hashem just made it work in a different way, it STILL needed a constant koach of Hashem.
If that’s the way it is with something that is already there, of course the world, which is created from nothing, needs a constant koach of Hashem so it can exist!
What is this chayus that Hashem gives the world? It is the letters of the Alef-Beis that spell the ten things Hashem said to create the world, the Asara Maamaros! These letters of the Alef-Beis come into every part of the world and make them exist.
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A year before the Hayom Yom was written, on Isru Chag Shavuos there was a meeting in honor of splitting up Mishnayos to learn Baal Peh. The Friediker Rebbe said a sicha, and yesterday and today’s Hayom Yoms are the main points of that sicha. Today’s Hayom Yom talks about the Mishnayos Baal Peh.
When the air of the world isn’t tahor, we can’t feel our connection to Hashem very well.
The world needs to have more tahor air!
How do we make the air tahor? The only way to do it is with words of Torah! Reviewing Mishnayos Baal Peh makes our connection to Hashem shine and makes the air tahor for us, and everyone around us!
Mishnayos shows that our neshama is connected to Hashem, because the word “Mishnah” is the same letters as the word “Neshama”!
Mishnayos that we learn Baal Peh is a very good way to make the air tahor wherever we go, even when we don’t have a sefer with us. This is what the posuk says, “Uvelechtecha Baderech,” that we should speak words of Torah even when we are going on our way!
The Friediker Rebbe says that it’s hard to find words to say how much reviewing Mishnayos all the time helps us, and protects every Yid! And there are no words to explain the nachas it brings Hashem!
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Today’s mitzvah, (Mitzvas Asei #109) is the same as yesterday’s: That a person or thing can become tahor by following the halachos about going into a Mikvah. This includes the halachos of having a kosher mikvah, the halachos of chatzitzah (that nothing should block the mikvah water from touching every part of the person or keili), and Tvul Yom (that a person who went to the mikvah only becomes tahor when it becomes night).
The mitzvah isn’t that you have to go to the mikvah if you are tomei, but that if you want to become tahor (for example to be able to go into the Beis Hamikdash) then you need to follow this mitzvah to do it properly.
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In today’s Rambam, we learn more halachos about the Mikvah.
Perek Beis tells us what is counted as a chatzitzah for a person who needs to go to the mikvah. A chatzitzah is something that blocks the water of the Mikvah from touching the whole thing, so it doesn’t become tahor. Something that a person doesn’t mind being stuck to him usually isn’t a chatzitzah, it’s just counted like part of him. A loose necklace isn’t called a chatzitzah, since the water of the Mikvah can still get under it.
Perek Gimmel tells us what things are chatzitzos for things that we put in the mikvah, like keilim and clothes. Blood stains on clothes ARE a chatzitzah — unless they are on the clothes of a butcher, who is used to having blood on his clothes!
Perek Daled explains that a Mikvah can’t be water that a person put there, it has to be water that Hashem put there, like rainwater or water from a spring. As long as there are 40 se’ah of water from rain, though, we can mix in water that a person brought from another place — like from a barrel.
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In this perek we learn about what happens if someone gives a get with conditions.
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In the first maamar of the Likutei Torah for this week, Parshas Naso, the Alter Rebbe explains how the travels of the Yidden in the Midbar were preparing the world for the Geulah.
What is a Midbar?
In a Midbar, there is no water. Nothing can grow there.
Kedusha is all about giving and growing. Kedusha is a source of life! A place where nothing can grow must be the opposite of kedusha — kelipah.
The Yidden traveled for 40 years in the Midbar, this place of kelipah. But don’t worry, they had the Aron and the Shechinah traveling in front of them! This great light of kedusha pushed away the kelipah that was there.
These years in the Midbar, then, were very important. They were already preparing the world for the coming of Moshiach! Because of the travels of the Yidden in the Midbar, the kelipah was pushed away. This will let the light of the Geulah shine!
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TEFILLAH
Don't Pick Up Your Phone Before Davening!
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The Rebbe once said at a farbrengen:
It can happen that a Yid will wake up in the morning, and the first thing he does is to run to the telephone to make an important call. He can’t wait until after Modeh Ani, after Hodu, or after learning a bit of Torah after davening. He needs to rush and make this phone call before the businessman leaves his house, so he won’t miss making the deal!
This kind of behavior comes from not having enough emunah, and not understanding that it is Hashem Who brings us hatzlacha in all we do.
If we had proper emunah, we would realize that it’s impossible that following what the Torah tells us in Shulchan Aruch should make us lose out in what Hashem wants to give us! It is impossible that davening in shul, and learning a shiur afterwards, should cause us to miss out in the parnasa that was decided for us.
So why does a Yid go to the phone before davening? He isn’t going to use the phone to remind his friend to come to the minyan — the real reason a phone was created...
He thinks that his hatzlacha is based on what HE does: If he gets the businessman in time, it will be good. But the truth is that when you first daven and learn something, and only afterwards go to the phone, that is
when you get Hashem’s bracha! See farbrengen Balak Mem-Daled
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There are six constant mitzvos, mitzvos that we keep all the time.
The fifth of these mitzvos is “Leyirah Oso,” to have Yiras Shomayim.
In the Tanya, the Alter Rebbe explains how to have Yiras Shomayim. The most basic way to feel yirah for Hashem is to think about how Hashem is always with us, and watching everything we do. This will keep us from doing things we know Hashem doesn’t want us to do, and make sure to use every chance we have to do what we are supposed to.
This is the meaning of the posuk “Vehinei Hashem Nitzav Alav,” that we are reminding ourselves how Hashem is carefully looking at whatever we do.
Thinking about this is fulfilling the mitzvah of Leyirah Oso.
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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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The Navi Yeshaya gives a mashal about Hashem’s goodness in the times of the Geulah.
Imagine that night, which can feel scary and dangerous, felt as good and safe as daytime! And that daytime, when we can see things clearly and feel safe, was WAY better!
This is a mashal for the way things will be when Moshiach comes. The “night” times, times of pain and suffering, will not exist. And the “day” times, the times during Golus that things are good, will be so much better during the Geulah!
וְהָיָה אוֹר הַלְּבָנָה כְּאוֹר הַחַמָּה וְאוֹר הַחַמָּה יִהְיֶה שִׁבְעָתַיִם כְּאוֹר שִׁבְעַת הַיָּמִים בְּיוֹם חֲבֹשׁ ה׳ אֶת שֶׁבֶר עַמּוֹ וּמַחַץ מַכָּתוֹ יִרְפָּא
Vehaya Or HaLevana Ke’Or HaChama — The light of the moon will be like the light of the sun,
Ve’Or HaChama Yihiyeh Shivasayim — And the light of the sun will be seven times seven as strong
Ke’Or Shivas HaYamim — As the light of all of the seven days of Creation together!
Rashi says that we see that things will be 343 times as good — seven times seven (Shivasayim) times seven (days of Creation)!
BeYom Chavosh Hashem Es Shever Amo — On the day that Hashem will bandage their injuries
U’Machatz Makaso Yirpa — And will completely heal their wounds.
May we be zoche to see Hashem’s goodness with the Geulah Sheleimah now!
See Yeshaya perek Lamed posuk Chof-Vov
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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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