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Moshe Rabbeinu is getting the Yidden ready for when they come into Eretz Yisroel. Today we learn what the Yidden will do on Har Grizim and Har Eival when they cross the Yarden. (We learned about this in general in Parshas Re’eh, and now we will see exactly how it works!) When the Yidden cross over the Yarden, they will have to go straight to Har Grizim and Har Eival, two mountains in Eretz Yisroel. Half of the Shevatim will stand on Har Grizim, and the other half on Har Eival. The Leviim, with the Aron, will be in the middle. Then the Leviim will say certain things to tell the Yidden to do what Hashem wants. The Leviim will first look at Har Grizim and tell the Yidden that they will have brachos if they do things the way Hashem wants, and then look at Har Eival and tell the Yidden that not good things will happen if they DON’T listen to what Hashem wants. Even though they are only looking at some of the Shevatim at a time, really they are talking to every Yid. Every time they say something, all the Yidden should answer “Amen!” Most of the things that the Leviim will remind the Yidden about are aveiros that other people won’t always see, so nobody will tell the person to stop doing them. The first thing the Leviim will say is: Looking at Har Grizim: “Brachos will go to the person who doesn’t make an idol and doesn’t secretly set it up!” — and all of the Yidden will answer “Amen!” Looking at Har Eival: “Curses will go to the person who makes an idol and sets it up secretly.” — and all of the Yidden will answer “Amen.” Here are all the rest of the things the Leviim will warn the Yidden about: - Not treating parents with the opposite of kavod Then the Leviim will say, “Brachos will go to someone who keeps the Torah!” and “Curses will go to a person who doesn’t keep the Torah.” Again all the Yidden will answer Amen. Now Moshe Rabbeinu gives the Yidden his own brachos and curses. Today we see some of the brachos: If you listen to what Hashem wants, you will have lots of brachos! You will have brachos in Gashmius things, and also Ruchnius things — you will pass away without any aveiros, just like you were born without any aveiros. |
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Today’s Tehillim is kapitelach Tzadik to Tzadik-Vov. The kapitelach for Chodesh Elul are Nun-Hey, Nun-Vov, and Nun-Zayin. Many of the Kapitelach in today’s Tehillim are about when Moshiach comes! Kapitel Tzadik-Hey and Tzadik-Vov are about how we will tell each other to come sing to Hashem and give thanks for His nissim. |
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As we have seen, many of the letters in Igeres Hakodesh are about Tzedakah — and this one is too! This letter is written to a certain town where the Chassidim were having a harder time with parnasa, and so they weren’t giving as much Tzedakah. The Alter Rebbe is telling them that they are making a mistake! The Alter Rebbe tells this town that he knows how hard it is for them to get enough money for their families. He gives them a bracha that Hashem should help! Still, it’s not right that they stopped giving tzedakah to the poor people in Eretz Yisroel (Colel Chabad) because they have nobody else to help them! But don’t our Chachomim say “Chayecha Kodmin,” that your own life comes first? So if you don’t have enough money for what your OWN family needs, how can you give to a poor person in Eretz Yisroel? The Alter Rebbe explains that this is only talking about when both people need the same thing, like two people in a desert with only one bottle of water. There, the halacha is that you take care of yourself first. But if both people DON’T need the same thing, like if the poor person in Eretz Yisroel needs bread for his kids and wood to make a fire so his house won’t freeze, and the poor person here wants fancy clothes and family parties, then the poor person in Eretz Yisroel comes first! Because he needs these things to save his life, and the poor person here wants those things to be comfortable. So even if there’s not enough money to be comfortable, the Chassidim should still give the same amount of Tzedakah to the poor Chassidim in Eretz Yisroel who have no one else to rely on. |
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Today we learn a short “Torah” from the Alter Rebbe for Parshas Netzavim. When the Alter Rebbe was in Vitebsk, he once said a “Torah” (like a very short maamar) to explain the first two pesukim in the beginning of Parshas Netzavim according to Chassidus. These pesukim are speaking about how all of the Yidden are standing together to make a promise to keep the mitzvos. The Torah tells us how this includes the leaders, the older people, men, women, and children. At the end of the second posuk, it says “MeiChoteiv Eitzecha Ad Sho’eiv Meimecha” — “from the wood choppers to the water carriers.” The Alter Rebbe explains that these pesukim are also teaching us how to do our Avodas Hashem better! The word for woodchoppers, “Choteiv Eitzecha,” can also mean to “chop out our ideas,” if we translate the word “eitzecha” as an eitzah, an idea. Instead of just thinking of our OWN ideas of how to live, we need make sure to follow the ideas the Torah tells us! We also learn a lesson from water carriers: Water makes things grow, including all of the yummy things we like to eat! (Like sugar cane, where sugar comes from!) We need to be water carriers, and take the “water” out — not just to think about what’s yummy for us, but to think about doing our shlichus properly! |
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Today’s mitzvah (Mitzvas Asei #155) is to make Shabbos holy, by saying special things when Shabbos comes in and when Shabbos goes out. We speak about how great and special Shabbos is, and how it is different than the days before and after it. We learn this mitzvah from a posuk in Parshas Yisro (one of the Aseres Hadibros): זָכוֹר אֶת יוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת לְקַדְּשׁוֹ The posuk means, “Remember Shabbos to keep it holy.” Torah Shebaal Peh explains what this mitzvah is. The Mechilta, the Midrash of halacha, explains that this means to make a bracha. In Gemara, the Chachomim tell us to make this bracha over a cup of wine. The Gemara says we should make a bracha when Shabbos ends as well, to separate it from the rest of the days. That’s why we keep this mitzvah by making Kiddush and Havdalah! The halachos of how to keep this mitzvah are discussed in the end of Gemara Pesachim, and in parts of Mesechta Brachos and Mesechta Shabbos. The Rambam organizes these halachos in Perek Chof-Tes of Hilchos Shabbos, part of the Rambam tomorrow. |
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In today’s Rambam, we learn about other things we don’t do on Shabbos, even if they aren’t similar to a melacha and won’t lead to a melacha. These things we don’t do because they aren’t Shabbosdik things to do, even though they have nothing to do with a melacha. The Chachomim learned from a posuk (“Mimtzo Cheftzecha VeDaber Davar”) that we shouldn’t act like we do during the week. We also start learning about muktza — things that aren’t meant to be used on Shabbos. Perek Chof-Daled: We learn not to speak about business like you do during the week. We are allowed to talk about money for the sake of a mitzvah though, like to raise money for tzedakah. Perek Chof-Hey: Another way that Shabbos is different than the rest of the days of the week is that we don’t move things that are muktza, which means separated from use. Some things are muktza because they are not allowed to be used on Shabbos, and other things are muktza because they are very expensive and you are always careful about touching them. There are also things that are muktza because they are disgusting, and you are always careful not to touch them! Perek Chof-Vov: The Rambam gives examples of keilim and what kind of muktza they are. We learn when it is asur to move them, and when we are allowed to use them for something which is allowed on Shabbos. |
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In Perek Yud the Rambam teaches us about times when we’re not sure about something. What if we’re not sure that there was enough water in the mikvah? What if we’re not sure that the water that fell in the Mikvah was enough to make it posul? |
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From Chai Elul, there are 12 days until Rosh Hashana. The Rebbeim tell us that each of these 12 days match up to one of the 12 months of the year! So Chai Elul was Tishrei, and today is for Chodesh Cheshvan. On each one of these days, we think back to what happened during that month of the year. That way we can do teshuvah for anything that happened during that month and make good hachlatos that this month in the coming year will be better. We should think about the hachlatos we made during that month, and see if we are keeping up with what we decided to do. Cheshvan is the month of “VeYaakov Halach Ledarko,” when we start getting into our regular year-round routine. We take the kochos of the special month of Tishrei and start using them. Can you think of something you did during Cheshvan last year to start the year off right? Is there something you can do in this coming year so that those things will be even better? |
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At the end of Shemoneh Esrei, we ask Hashem to make shalom in Shomayim and for all of the Yidden. We say, “Oseh Shalom Bimromav,” “He makes shalom in the high places!” In the Aseres Yemei Teshuvah, we change these words a little bit. We say Oseh HAshalom instead of Oseh Shalom. Saying Hashalom (THE peace) instead of Shalom (peace) doesn’t seem to change the meaning of what we are saying. So why do we change it? This is a hint to ask for a good and sweet year! There is a special malach in the Beis Din Shel Maalah, whose job it is to write down the names of Yidden in the Sefer HaChayim, the Book of Life. The Gematria of this malach’s name is the same as the Gematria of the word “Hashalom!” By changing the word to Hashalom, we are asking that this malach should write down our name too. In Kaddish in Shul, we also change to Hashalom. But not in bentching. The Rebbe once asked the Frierdiker Rebbe about it, and was told that we don’t say Hashalom in bentching. See Otzar Minhagei Chabad Rosh Hashana, os Kuf-Vov and Kuf-Samach |
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The Gemara says that if somebody sleeps on Rosh Hashana, his mazel will sleep. Because of this, we try not to sleep during the day on Rosh Hashana. The minhag is not to take a nap during the day, and to wake up as early as possible in the morning, to be up during the daytime. Wasting time is also considered like sleeping, so we try to spend all of our free time saying Tehillim! The Arizal says that after Chatzos during the day, after the Tefillos and Tekiyas Shofar, it is not as serious. So if someone is very tired and needs a nap, it is best to do it after Chatzos. See the Alter Rebbe’s Shulchan Aruch, siman Tof-Kuf-Pey-Gimmel se’if ches |
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לעילוי נשמת הרה״ח ר׳ דניאל יצחק ע״ה בן ר׳ אפרים שי׳ מאסקאוויץ |
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The Navi Zechariah tells the Yidden to be happy, because Moshiach is going to come! Even though many kings of the Yidden were not people to respect, Moshiach will be different. He will be a tzadik, and will have won wars. But still, Moshiach will be very humble! He won’t come to Yerushalayim in a fancy chariot, he will come like a simple Yid. גִּילִי מְאֹד בַּת צִיּוֹן הָרִיעִי בַּת יְרוּשָׁלִַם הִנֵּה מַלְכֵּךְ יָבוֹא לָךְ צַדִּיק וְנוֹשָׁע הוּא עָנִי וְרֹכֵב עַל חֲמוֹר וְעַל עַיִר בֶּן אֲתֹנוֹת Gili Me’od Bas Tzion, Hari’i Bas Yerushalayim — Be very happy, daughter of Tzion (Yerushalayim)! Hinei Malkeich Yavo Lach — Here, your king (Moshiach) is coming to you! Tzadik Venosha Hu — He is a tzadik and successful in war, Ani Verocheiv Al Chamor, Ve’al Ayir Ben Asonos— He is a humble person, like someone who rides on a donkey In the Hayom Yom of Rosh Chodesh Menachem Av, we also learned that Moshiach will be very humble. He will learn Torah with the Avos and Moshe Rabbeinu, but at the same time he will learn with even a simple Yid! See Zechariah perek Tes posuk Tes |
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לע"נ התינוק זאב ארי' ע"ה בן יבלט"א הרה"ח ר' שניאור זלמן שי' גליק |
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