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CHUMASH

Parshas Chayei Sarah - Rishon with Rashi

In today’s Chumash, we learn how Avraham Avinu bought Me’aras Hamachpeila to bury Sarah.

Sarah heard about the Akeidah, how Avraham had been about to bring her only son as a korban, and that he was saved at the last minute. It was too much shock for her, and it caused her to pass away. She was 127 years old.

Rashi shows us how the way the Torah tells us Sarah’s age tells us about the greatness of Sarah. Sarah’s whole life was good in every way — she had the good parts about being young even when she was old. Hashem had made her look young and beautiful again before she had Yitzchak, and she stayed that way for the rest of her life! Sarah was a tzadeikes, and passed away without any aveiros.

As we learned in the end of last week’s parsha, after the Akeidah, Avraham went to Be’er Sheva. When he heard that Sarah passed away, he came to Chevron, where Sarah passed away, to mourn for her. He wanted to bury her in Me’aras Hamachpeilah, a cave which belonged to one of the people of Cheis. He asked the Bnei-Cheis if he could buy part of their land to bury Sarah.

The Bnei-Cheis at first offered Avraham to bury Sarah in one of their cemeteries, but Avraham wanted just Me’aras Hamachpeilah! He told them to ask Efron, who had bought the field where Me’aras Hamachpeilah was, if he could buy it. He told them that he was ready to pay the full price.

Efron at first said that he was ready to GIVE it to Avraham — and the whole field, not just the cave!

Avraham said that he wanted to PAY for the field! So Efron pretended to be very nice and said, “Oh, you don’t have to pay me the 400 silver shekels that this field would cost! You can have it for free to bury your wife.”

Avraham could tell from the way Efron was speaking that Efron really wanted a HUGE amount of money! He paid Efron all 400 silver shekels, and now nobody could ever argue that Me’aras Hamachpeila didn’t belong to Avraham.

 
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TEHILLIM

90 - 96

Today’s Tehillim is kapitelach Tzadik through Tzadik-Vov.

In today’s Tehillim, in Kapitel Tzadik-Daled, there is a posukAshrei Hagever Asher Teyasrenu Kah, UmiToras’cha Selamdenu.” “Fortunate is the man who Hashem makes him suffer, and You teach him from Your Torah.”

Why is he fortunate?

Sometimes feeling uncomfortable can be good for us!

If a baby never got uncomfortable about just being able to crawl, would he ever learn how to walk or run? Really we are very fortunate when we start being uncomfortable about being how we are — this helps us to try to find ways to grow and become better!

But what should we do if we can’t figure out what to fix, but we STILL feel like something is wrong? The answer to this is in the end of the posuk: “UmiTorascha Selamdenu” — We should learn Torah! The Torah is the chochmah of Hashem, and just like Hashem has no limits (Ein Sof), the Torah has no limits! When we learn it, we will find also that there is no limit to growing in Yiddishkeit! We can always find another part of our life that we can make better than before. Then we will feel very happy that Hashem gave us this chance to grow!

 
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TANYA

Igeres Hakodesh Siman Chof-Tes

In order for the neshama to feel the pleasure of Elokus in Gan Eden, it needs to prepare in this world. We do that by doing what Hashem wants — the mitzvos.

The Chachomim say that a person who learns halachos of the Torah in this world is promised Olam Haba. That’s because the halachos explain the mitzvos of the Torah, which get the Neshama ready so it can feel Hashem in Olam Haba.

In today’s Tanya, the Alter Rebbe starts to explain why the mitzvos and halachos of the Torah are the “clothes” to make it possible for the neshama to be able to enjoy Elokus in Gan Eden.

 
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HAYOM YOM

Yud-Tes Mar-Cheshvan

Today is 30 days before the Yom Tov of Yud-Tes Kislev, the Rosh Hashana of Chassidus! Thirty days before a Yom Tov, we start learning about the Yom Tov. In today’s Hayom Yom, we learn something the Alter Rebbe told someone in Yechidus, about what Chassidus is.

Chassidus accomplished something very special. It used to be that if a Yid wanted to learn about the greatness of Hashem, he would have to learn Kabbalah. But by learning Kabbalah, a person can feel it with their neshama, but can’t really understand it! Chassidus helped us take these very Ruchniyus’dike things and really understand them, by giving us examples from things we know about.

And that’s what the Alter Rebbe told a Chossid in Yechidus — that “Chassidus is Shema Yisroel.” This idea is hinted to in the words “Shema Yisroel!”

The word “Shema” is the Roshei Teivos of a posuk — “Se’u Marom Eineichem, Ure’u Mi Bara Eileh.” “Lift up your eyes very high, and see Who created all of these things (the whole world).”

This is what Chassidus does! It helps us lift up our eyes to Marom (which is much higher than Shomayim, much higher than a person can understand), and still be able to understand it! Chassidus gives us mashalim through things we already understand, so we have a way to learn about Ruchnius’dike things that our Gashmius minds usually would not be able to understand. This way we can “see” that the Aibershter is the Creator of the whole world!

 
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SEFER HAMITZVOS

Shiur #104 - Mitzvas Asei #148

Today we learn the Mitzvas ASEI (what to do) of the Mitzvas Lo Saasei we learned yesterday (Mitzvas Asei #148). Yesterday we learned that we are not allowed to take the baby birds while the mother is there. Today we learn that we SHOULD send away the mother bird before we take her babies or eggs from her nest.

Many times Hashem gives us a mitzvah in two ways, so that we will get a bigger reward when we do the mitzvah, the reward for a Mitzvas Asei AND a Mitzvas Lo Saasei!

We learn this mitzvah from a posuk in Parshas Ki Seitzei: שַׁלֵּחַ תְּשַׁלַּח אֶת הָאֵם וְאֶת הַבָּנִים תִּקַּח לָךְ

The halachos of how to keep this mitzvah are all explained in the last perek of Mesechta Chullin.

 
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RAMBAM

Hilchos Shechitah

Perek Yud-Beis: In today’s Rambam, we learn the halachos about a mitzvah we learned before: Not to shecht a mother animal and her baby on the same day. This mitzvah is called “Oso Ve’es Bno.”

Perek Yud-Gimmel: In this perek, we learn the halachos about the mitzvah of Shiluach HaKan, sending away the mother bird before taking her babies or eggs from her nest.

Perek Yud-Daled: We learn the halachos of “Kisui HaDam,” covering the blood of an animal after we shecht it.

The Rambam finishes the halachos of Shechitah, and the end of the whole Sefer Kedusha, with a lesson: We should cover the blood with dirt using our HANDS, not our feet, to show that Hashem’s mitzvah is special to us! By treating the mitzvos with respect, we are giving respect to the One Who commanded the mitzvos — to Hashem!

Now we finished learning the halachos about Shechitah!

Mazel Tov, we have just finished the whole Sefer Kedushah! Tomorrow we are IY”H going to start a new sefer, Sefer Hafla’ah!

 
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RAMBAM PEREK ECHOD

Hilchos Rotzeiach U'Shmiras HaNefesh - Perek Tes

This perek has the halachos of the mitzvah of Eglah Arufah. If someone finds the body of a person that was killed, and we don’t know for sure who did it, Beis Din needs to measure to see which city is the closest. The Beis Din of the closest city does the mitzvah of Eglah Arufah, to show Hashem that they were not responsible for the murder.

First they bury the person who was killed. The Beis Din uses the city tax money to buy a young calf, and bring it to a strong stream of water. They cut off the head of the calf, and then the Beis Din and all of the Zekeinim wash their hands in the stream. They announce in Lashon Hakodesh that it wasn’t their fault that this person died, and they didn’t let him leave their city without food or someone to go with him. The kohanim ask that Hashem should forgive the Yidden, and Hashem does.

 
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INYANA D'YOMA

Simcha

In many sichos and letters, the Rebbe speaks about how a Yid needs to have simcha. When we are happy, we do things with more zerizus and in a better, more beautiful way! It is also a keili to bring down bracha from Hashem. The Rebbe also pointed out that people naturally like to be around happy people. So having simcha helps us have more hatzlacha in our shlichus! Here is a story which shows this:

The Shluchim in Lyon, in France, are the Gurevitches. Before they went on Shlichus, they had a Yechidus with the Rebbe! At the very end of the Yechidus, the Rebbe said something unexpected: “You should know that in general, the French people don’t like sad faces.”

Five years later, they finally understood why the Rebbe said that:

The Gurevitches were working hard to build a school for the Jewish children in Lyon. The local government gave them a building to use — and not just ANY building, but a beautiful building! Everyone was very surprised, since the government usually only helped public schools!

The mayor of Lyon gave a speech about the new school. He said that when he saw that Chabad was asking about building a school, he tried to find out what “Chabad” is. People told him that they are a Jewish group that does their work happily! “That’s why I decided to give them a big and beautiful building,” the mayor said, “because I just can’t stand sad faces!”

 

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TEFILLAH

Davening With Moshiach

In Pesukei Dezimra, one of the pesukim that we say is “Yismach Yisroel Be’osav,” “The Yidden are happy with Hashem Who made them.”

If we look at the words carefully, there is also a deeper meaning hinted inside!

Yismach Yisroel — This means “Yisroel WILL be happy.” In the future, Yidden will have this simcha!

What is this simcha?

Be’osav — This word means with the ONES who created them, not the ONE who created them. It is talking about the Gashmius’dike world where everything thinks it is separate and has its own creator. When Moshiach comes, Yidden will celebrate because of the simcha Hashem has that this world was changed from a world of kelipah, which feels itself separate, into a world of Kedushah, where everything recognizes that there is one Hashem Who created it all!

We say it during davening nowadays, to show that even in the time of Golus we can also feel this simcha! We don’t have to wait until Moshiach comes, we can already live with the Geulah when we daven!

 
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HALACHOS HATZRICHOS

Kids and Tzedakah

Part of Chinuch for children is giving tzedakah.

We usually teach kids to give tzedakah by giving them nickels or pennies to put in the pushka or hand to a poor person. But that shouldn’t be all!

We should make sure to give kids money to spend themselves, too. That way, we can teach them to give tzedakah from their own money!

See Sefer Hasichos 5752 vol. 2, p. 391

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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GEULAH U'MOSHIACH

Daven With Moshiach

R’ Avraham Yitzchak Kahan ztz”l was known as the Toldos Aharon, a Chassidic Rebbe. He once came to the Rebbe for Yechidus, and spoke for a long time. One of the main things they spoke about was about a Chassidishe davening, and how important it is to learn Chassidus before davening.

One of the things the Rebbe told the Toldos Aharon was that during davening, a person can put himself in a different place! He can put his mind and heart into a place of Geulah and the time of Moshiach, even right now while we are in Golus!

By davening with the “Moshiach” inside of the davening, we can live Moshiach when we daven!

Then the Rebbe gave an example, which we learned today in Biur Tefillah!

See Kovetz “Lifnei Mi Ata Omed”

 
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