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CHUMASH
Parshas Noach - Sheini with Rashi
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Hashem tells Noach to take the animals and his family into the Teivah.
On Yud Mar-Cheshvan, 1,656 years after Hashem made the world, Hashem told Noach to come into the Teivah, together with his family, since he was the only one left who was a Tzadik.
Even though there had been a tzadik, Mesushelach, Hashem made him pass away before the mabul would start. In fact, Hashem waited an extra seven days after the Mabul was supposed to start for his kavod, so that the seven days of mourning for him would be finished before the Mabul began.
Hashem told Noach to take the animals onto the Teivah too. He should take seven pairs (one boy and one girl) of each kind of tahor animal and bird, and only one pair of each non-tahor animal and bird. He would need more of the tahor kinds, because they would be used for korbanos after the Mabul.
Noach understood which animals Hashem meant. This shows us that Noach learned Torah — that’s how he knew which animals were tahor (kosher) or not.
All of the animals came to Noach by themselves, and went into the Teivah right away. Noach put the food inside, but he didn’t go in himself yet — he didn’t have such strong emunah, and wasn’t sure Hashem would REALLY send such a dangerous Mabul. He only went in when it started to rain.
Noach was 600 years old when the Mabul started...
The Mabul started on Yud-Zayin Mar-Cheshvan. The sun, moon, and stars stopped shining, and didn’t shine again until the whole Mabul was over.
At first it just rained, to give people a last chance to do Teshuvah. But they didn’t — so Hashem made all of the water come up from underground. He also opened up the place that holds water in Shomayim, and all of the water from Shomayim poured out for forty days and nights.
Noach had gone into the Teivah during the day, with lions keeping him safe from the people who wanted to hurt him! His whole family came too — his wife Naama, his sons (Sheim, Cham, and Yafes), and his three daughters-in-law. All of the animals had come too, one boy and one girl of each (and seven pairs of Kosher animals). The animals all were nice to each other on the Teivah, and none of them hurt each other — just like they will act when Moshiach comes!
Once Noach was in the Teivah, Hashem sealed the door behind him.
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In today’s Tehillim, there is a posuk, “Tikon Tefilasi Ketores Lefanecha” — “I bring my davening before Hashem like Ketores!” (The Rambam chooses this posuk to put at the beginning of his sefer about Korbanos.)
The Rebbe teaches us that when the kohen brings the Ketores, nobody else is allowed to be there — it’s just the kohen bringing the Ketores to Hashem. The same thing is when we daven — it’s private, between us and Hashem!
Also, the word Ketores is like the word “Kesher” (in Aramaic — Ketar) — a connection. Davening is one of the ways we make a special connection with Hashem.
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TANYA
Igeres Hakodesh Siman Chof-Hey
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The Alter Rebbe is continuing to explain a certain vort from the Baal Shem Tov:
The vort from the Baal Shem Tov is that if a Goy comes to you in the middle of davening, and tries to bother you, you should realize that it’s Hashgacha Protis, and try to daven harder and with more kavanah. You should think about how Hashem is giving chayus to that Goy right now and letting him do it, and understand that Hashem is giving you a message to have MORE kavanah.
People said that it can’t be that Hashem is giving chayus to a Goy who is trying to make you mixed up in the middle of davening! How can you say that Hashem’s chayus is in a Goy like that? The Alter Rebbe explains that the chayus of Hashem IS there, but it’s in Golus.
Wherever the chayus of Hashem goes, it stays the same. But in different Olamos, Hashem is more hidden or more seen in that Olam. In some worlds the chayus of Hashem is hidden as if it was put behind a thin curtain, but in lower levels, the light of Hashem is hidden as if it was put behind a very thick curtain that blocks the light of Hashem from shining through!
Of course, the chayus of Hashem stays the same, no matter what curtains it is hiding behind!
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One time in the Baal Shem Tov’s shul in Mezibuzh, a very scary story happened:
Two people, who weren’t such good friends, were arguing with each other. One of them got so mad, he yelled at the other one, “I will rip you up like a fish!”
When the Baal Shem Tov heard this, he called his Talmidim to come. He told them to hold hands with each other, and the Baal Shem Tov himself finished their circle. Then he asked them all to close their eyes.
All of a sudden, they saw something that made them all terrified! They saw this man tearing up the other one like a fish, just like he had said!
From here we see how careful we need to be with what we say, because whatever we say will do something. Sometimes it is in Ruchniyus only, and most people can’t see it, but it ALWAYS makes something happen.
We need to be so careful to only say nice things about other people!
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Today we learn one last mitzvah (Mitzvas Lo Saasei #357) about Yibum and Chalitza — nobody is allowed to get married to the yevama until she does Chalitza.
A yevama is a woman whose husband passed away before they had children, and her husband has a brother. He is supposed to get married to her so they will have a baby to name after her husband. Until she does chalitzah, she can’t get married to anyone else.
We learn this mitzvah from a posuk in Parshas Ki Seitzei: לֹא תִהְיֶה אֵשֶׁת הַמֵּת הַחוּצָה לְאִישׁ זָר
The details of this mitzvah are explained in Mesechta Yevamos.
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RAMBAM
Hilchos Yibum V'Chalitzah
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In today’s Rambam, we learn more halachos about chalitzah.
One halacha is that these mitzvos only need to be done if the yavam is ALLOWED TO get married to her. For example, if the almanah’s brother-in-law is already married to her sister, he doesn’t need to do chalitzah. That’s because he wouldn’t be able to marry her even if he wanted to, since the Torah doesn’t let us marry two sisters.
Today we finish the halachos about Yibum and Chalitzah, Perakim Vov, Zayin, and Ches, and tomorrow we will IY”H start a new set of halachos!
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Today’s perek teaches us about when we DON’T need to give something back — if the owner gave hope that he will ever find it again (yiush). For example, if someone loses something in the sea, or in the sand on the beach, they don’t really expect to ever find it again.
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Noach got saved from the Mabul, but it wasn’t easy for him on the Teiva! Rashi brings from a Medrash that tells us that after the Mabul, Noach was groaning in pain, and spitting blood.
The Medrash tells us two reasons why Noach was in such pain.
1) Because of all of the hard work to take care of all of the animals on the Teiva.
2) Because Noach was once late in feeding a lion, and it hit him. Even though he was working so hard to feed each of the animals, Noach needed to make sure that every animal was fed on time, every time.
We can learn from this how to do better in our shlichus to help other people!
1) We need to act like Noach. We should work VERY hard to help other Yidden, even if it is uncomfortable for us, like Noach who took care of all of the animals even though it was so difficult.
2) When a person is working hard, he might feel uncomfortable. He might think that it is fine for the people he is helping to be uncomfortable too! But we learn from Noach that everyone needs to get what they need on time! We need to help other Yidden in a way that they feel happy and comfortable, and take care of the things they need right away.
See Likutei Sichos chelek Hey, p. 35, Dvar Malchus Parshas Noach, from Likras Shabbos
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The Sefer Chovos Halevavos has many chapters, called “She’arim” (gates). In Shaar Habitachon, it explains what a person needs to know in order to truly trust Hashem.
The second condition to have total trust in Hashem is to know that Hashem is GOOD. Hashem’s kindness is very strong, and Hashem is good to us even if we don’t deserve it. All we need to do is be a keili to accept Hashem’s brachos, and He will help us because of His rachmanus for us. We become a keili by trying to connect to Hashem and do what He wants. But the bracha that Hashem gives us is in a way of chesed, much more than we deserve!
There are many pesukim in davening that help us feel Hashem’s goodness. For example, the posuk in Ashrei that starts with a Tes: “Tov Hashem Lakol, Verachamav Al Kol Maasav.” “Hashem is good to everyone, and His rachmonus (kindness even if we don’t deserve it) is on all of His creations.”
By thinking about this, our bitachon will be stronger!
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Today is Yom Kippur Katan, the day before Rosh Chodesh. It’s like a mini Yom Kippur for the month of Tishrei! We do a Cheshbon Hanefesh to see how we did for the past month, and decide that next month, Cheshvan, will be even better!
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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 are davening, we need to think about the basic meaning of what we are saying. In Shemoneh Esrei, we say, “Vesechezenah Eineinu Beshuvcha Letzion,” “Our eyes should see the return to Yerushalayim.” We also say, “Es Tzemach Dovid Avdecha Meheira Satzmiach,” “The plant of Dovid Hamelech (Moshiach, who comes from Dovid) should quickly grow.”
Then, we will ask ourselves a question: “What did I do TODAY to make this happen?”
See Likutei Sichos chelek Chof, p. 384, Chassidim Ein Mishpacha, gilyon Chof-Zayin
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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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