| |
|
CHUMASH
Parshas Bo - Revi'i with Rashi
|
|
Moshe warns Paraoh about Makas Bechoros. Hashem gives the Yidden the mitzvah of Korban Pesach.
Moshe and Aharaon were still standing near Paraoh. Moshe told Paraoh that Hashem was going to do the next makah Himself — not through a malach! At about midnight, Hashem would make all of the oldest boys, and even the oldest animals, die. (Moshe told Paraoh that it would happen “at about midnight” so that Paraoh couldn’t say that Moshe was lying if his stargazers didn’t tell him the right time!) There would be loud crying all over Mitzrayim, so loud that it would scare all of the dogs! But no dogs would bark in a scary way at the Yidden, which will show that the Yidden are different.
“Your officers will come and tell me that all of the Yidden should leave Mitzrayim — and we will go.” (Moshe meant also Paraoh himself, but he said “officers” out of respect for Paraoh as a king.)
Then Moshe left Paraoh’s palace, showing that he was upset that Paraoh had so much chutzpah to say (like we learned in yesterday’s Chumash) that Moshe, the messenger of Hashem, should never come back again!
Korban Pesach
The Yidden need to DESERVE Yetziyas Mitzrayim, which will happen very soon! So Hashem gave the Yidden two mitzvos to do: The Korban Pesach and the Bris Milah.
On Rosh Chodesh Nisan, Hashem showed Moshe and Aharon the new moon. Hashem told them that this would be the first month of the Jewish year.
They should tell the Yidden today that on the 10th day of this month, each family from the Yidden needs to choose a young lamb or goat for a Korban. They should make sure the animal is big enough so everyone can have a kezayis but small enough that there won’t be any leftovers.
Hashem tells Moshe Rabbeinu the details of this mitzvah, for example if there are any leftovers, they will need to burn them. They can make groups to share one korban if a family is too small to eat the whole thing themselves. The animal shouldn’t have anything wrong with it — no mum, nothing missing or broken.
On the 14th day of Nissan, in the afternoon, the Yidden should shecht their animals, and put some of the blood on the top of the doorpost and on the sides around the doors of their houses. They should cook the animal over a fire, and eat the meat with matzah and maror. They should be wearing their shoes and all ready to go!
Hashem will kill all of the firstborns, but He will skip over the houses with blood, and not kill any of the Yidden in these houses.
The day the Yidden will come out of Mitzrayim, the 15th of Nissan, will become Pesach, and the Yidden will keep it as a Yom Tov forever. For seven days they will eat matzah. They may not eat chometz or even have any chometz in their houses.
|
| |
|
|
For today’s Shiur Tehillim, we say kapitelach Yud-Ches through Chof-Beis.
In Kapitel Yud-Tes, there is a posuk that talks about Torah: “Toras Hashem Temimah, Meshivas Nafesh.” “The Torah of Hashem is complete, it makes the neshama feel good.”
The Alter Rebbe uses this posuk to show why he was so happy to hear that the Chassidim learned the whole Shas (Mishnayos and Gemara) in many places during the year. When the Torah is temimah, complete (when the whole Torah is completely learned) it makes the neshama happy!
|
| |
|
TANYA
Likutei Amarim Perek Yud-Tes
|
|
In today’s Tanya, we learn that the level of Chochma in the neshama of a Yid won’t let a Yid do an aveira. The only way a person can do an aveira is if he has a Ruach Shtus which puts the Chochma to sleep and in a Golus inside of him.
We learned yesterday in Tanya that a neshama is like a candle, whose flame is always trying to go up. The neshama also always wants to be together with Hashem. It doesn’t make sense for the neshama to want this, because the closer it becomes to Hashem, the less important it becomes! Still, the neshama wants it anyway. This comes from the “Chochma” part of the neshama.
In the Chochma of the neshama, Hashem isn’t hiding at all. Since Hashem can be felt there, it makes the neshama have bittul. Bittul is when we don’t want anything for ourselves. Instead, we are ready to follow whatever Hashem wants from us!
This is a general difference between kedusha, holiness, and the opposite, kelipah: Kedusha has bittul to Hashem, and kelipah is always interested in getting something for itself.
When the Chochma of the neshama is working, it makes a difference in the whole body, so the person can use it to do what Hashem wants.
But if a Yid lets the Yetzer Hara take control of his body, then the Chochma of his neshama falls asleep and is in Golus inside of him. Even though it is still there, it isn’t doing what it is able to.
That’s why this kind of love that comes from the Chochma is called Ahava Mesuteres, a hidden love. Even though it’s always there, it can be hidden in a Yid. The Yetzer Hara has permission from Hashem to try and trick the person into thinking that an aveira won’t make a difference. This is called a Ruach Shtus, and it is what causes the Chochma of the neshama to be in Golus which allows the person to do an aveira.
(We will learn tomorrow how the Ahava Mesuteres can be woken up so that the person will be able to do what Hashem wants.)
|
| |
|
|
In today’s Hayom Yom, we learn about how the Torah Ohr and Likutei Torah were printed.
In a letter written by the Tzemach Tzedek on Gimmel Shevat (5597), the Tzemach Tzedek writes about the printing of Torah Ohr. This was the first time the maamorim of the Alter Rebbe were printed in a sefer!
The Tzemach Tzedek writes that Torah Ohr has the maamorim on Chumash Bereishis and Shemos and some of the Yomim Tovim. The second chelek of the Sefer, which he says will IY”H will be printed later, will have the maamorim on the other Chumashim, Shir Hashirim, and the other Yomim Tovim.
Unfortunately, it took 11 years (!) until the second chelek was printed!
Why did it take so long?!
The maskilim, Jews who were fighting Yiddishkeit, convinced the Russian government to make rules against Torah and mitzvos, and especially Chassidus. One of the things they got the government to do was to close down many Jewish print houses where seforim were printed, including the one in Kopust, where the sefer Torah Ohr was printed, so they couldn’t print any new books of Torah.
The second chelek was finally printed in 5608, in a different city — Zhitomir. Instead of calling it “Torah Ohr Chelek Beis” it got its own name, Likutei Torah.
In the Tzemach Tzedek’s letter, he also connects the name of the Alter Rebbe to the Chassidus he teaches: The Alter Rebbe’s name is Shneur, which is the words “Shnei Ohr,” two times light. The Gematria of the word “ohr” (light) two times, is 414, which is also the Gematria of the word Ve’ahavta. In the Alter Rebbe’s Chassidus, he teaches us how to love Hashem, “Ve’ahavta!”
|
| |
|
|
Today's mitzvah is that we can’t work with an animal that is supposed to be a korban. So if someone decides that his cow will be a korban, he is not allowed to use it to plow his field while he is waiting to bring it to the Beis Hamikdash!
We learn this mitzvah from a posuk in Parshas Reeh: לֹא תַעֲבֹד בִּבְכֹר שׁוֹרֶךָ
Even though this posuk is talking about a bechor, the Chachomim learn that the same is true with any other kind of korban.
|
| |
|
|
In today's Rambam, we are learning more about the halachos of me’ilah. Me’ilah means enjoying for ourselves something that belongs to Hashem. If a person does me’ilah, he needs to pay the worth of what he benefited from plus an extra fifth, and bring a korban.
Perek Beis: In this perek we learn at what point the isur of me’ilah starts for different kinds of korbanos.
Perek Gimmel: This perek teaches us about me’ilah from korbanos that either die or become posul — which is only Miderabanan.
Perek Daled: This perek talks about me’ilah from money that was set aside or something that was promised to be used for a korban.
|
| |
|
|
Perek Gimmel has the halachos about the wife and children of a slave. If the slave is married, his master needs to take care of them too. If he isn’t, his master can give him another servant to get married to. If that happens, the slave might not want to leave! We learn the halachos about how a slave can stay a slave if he wants. (One of the things we do is pierce his ear by the door.)
|
| |
|
|
Exactly a week before Yud Shevat in the year Tof-Shin-Nun-Beis, the Rebbe said a sicha. The Rebbe spoke about the preparations for Yud Shevat, the yartzeit of the Frierdiker Rebbe.
Then the Rebbe said something unusual, that surprised the Chassidim who were there.
The Rebbe told over a question of the doctor of the Frierdiker Rebbe, who cared for the Frierdiker Rebbe when he was sick. The doctor asked, “How can it be that the Frierdiker Rebbe, whose whole life is for teaching and spreading Chassidus, was given a type of illness that makes it hard for him to speak properly?”
The Rebbe said that even though we can’t ask questions of how Hashem runs the world, and especially questions about a Rebbe, there must be a lesson we can learn from it.
We can learn from Moshe Rabbeinu, who had a very important shlichus to speak to Paraoh and free the Yidden from Mitzrayim. Even though this was his main shlichus, he was a “Kvad Peh U’kvad Lashon” — he was not able to speak properly at that time. So that he could do his shlichus, Hashem gave Aharon the shlichus of giving over the message of Moshe Rabbeinu.
In the same way, the Chassidim must use the koach of the Rebbe to fill in what is missing. They must be the ones to give over the Rebbe’s message, the Rebbe’s words of Torah and lessons how to live our lives in these times. They must learn it themselves and teach it to others.
This, the Rebbe said, will bring to the request Moshe Rabbeinu had from Hashem: “Shlach Na B’yad Tishlach” — Hashem should send Moshiach to take all of the Yidden out of Golus forever.
This is the shlichus and the kochos that the Rebbe gives us now: That every chossid has the responsibility to learn the Rebbe’s Torah ourselves and spread the Rebbe’s message to the world!
See Sefer Hasichos Tof-Shin-Nun-Beis, Gimmel Shevat and Parshas Bo
|
| |
|
▼ Jump to Coloring Books & Downloads ▼
|
| |
|
|
According to Kabbalah, the brachos that we say in Birchos HaTorah are considered three separate brachos.
1) Al Divrei Sorah — we bless Hashem for the mitzvah of learning Torah!
2) Vehaarev Na — we ask that our Torah learning should be enjoyable, that it should be lasting, that our children and Klal Yisrael also appreciate it, and that we learn for the right reasons!
3) Asher Bachar Banu — we thank Hashem for choosing US to give His special gift to, and that Hashem is Nosein HaTorah, constantly giving it to us!
Some say that the three brachos are because of the three parts of Torah: Mikra (Tanach), Mishna, and Medrash (sources and reasons for the halachos of Torah and the deeper meanings of pesukim).
|
| |
|
|
From the time we are allowed to make Kiddush, we are not supposed to eat or drink anything (even water!) until after we make Kiddush.
When is the time of Kiddush? The time of Kiddush is from when Shabbos starts, or if we take in Shabbos early, from the time we accepted Shabbos. For a girl, this is from when she bentches licht. From that time, we are not supposed to eat or drink anything until we make or hear Kiddush.
What about kids?
The halacha is that we are not allowed to make kids uncomfortable or unhappy by making them wait to eat. If they are hungry, we should give them food!
But wait, isn’t there a mitzvah of Chinuch? And isn’t it asur to give children food that they aren’t supposed to eat?
That is only for food that is asur to eat ALL the time, like treif food. But if it is kosher food, and it is just not the right TIME to eat, we are allowed to give it to children.
So if kids are hungry before Kiddush, we do give them something to eat, and we are not allowed to tell them that they have to wait until Kiddush!
See Alter Rebbe’s Shulchan Aruch siman Reish-Ayin-Alef, se’if Tes, and siman Reish-Samach-Tes, se’if Gimmel
|
|
לעילוי נשמת הרה״ח ר׳ דניאל יצחק ע״ה בן ר׳ אפרים שי׳ מאסקאוויץ
שליח כ"ק אדמו"ר נשיא דורנו למדינת אילינוי
|
| |
|
|
The Rambam brings proofs from the Torah about Moshiach, but not from Navi.
The Rambam explains that we don’t need to bring proofs from the Neviim, because the whole Navi is FULL of pesukim about Moshiach.
But there are also a lot of parts of Navi that talk about other things, and even talk about Golus! How can the Rambam say that the Navi is full of pesukim about the Geulah?
The Rebbe explains that if we think about what the Geulah really is, and we think deeper into the meaning of the stories in Nach, we will see that EVERYTHING in the Neviim really is about the Geulah!
|
| |
|
|
|
לע"נ התינוק זאב ארי' ע"ה בן יבלט"א הרה"ח ר' שניאור זלמן שי' גליק
נפטר ב' מנחם אב ה'תשע"ג
|
| |
Give children around the world the gift of Kids Chitas!
KidsChitas.org/sponsor
|
| |
|
