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CHUMASH

Parshas Shemini - Shlishi with Rashi

At the beginning of today’s Chumash, we learn something very happy! Hashem was happy with the korbanos that Aharon brought, and Hashem made a fire come down onto the Mizbeiach to burn the korbanos, and show the Yidden that Hashem WAS “resting” in the Mishkan!

The Yidden were so happy! They sang praises and bowed to Hashem.

Then, we learn a very sad story.

Two of Aharon’s sons wanted to be very close to Hashem. They knew that one of the most special parts of the avodah in the Mishkan is to burn the ketores. So they took pans of ketores, and went into the Mishkan. They knew that they weren’t supposed to do this without asking, but they wanted so much to be close to Hashem that they did it anyway. Their neshamos got so close to Hashem that they couldn’t stay inside of their bodies anymore, and both of them — Nadav and Avihu — passed away.

In Chassidus this is called “Ratzo without Shuv.” When a person wants to come very close to Hashem (Ratzo), he needs to remember that Hashem wants Yidden to do mitzvos here in this world (Shuv). Even when we want to be very close to Hashem, we need to remember that Hashem wants us to learn Torah and do mitzvos in the world and make it a Dira BeTachtonim.

Moshe told Aharon that Nadav and Avihu were tzadikim. Aharon was quiet and did not complain to Hashem about the very sad thing that had happened.

Aharon and the kohanim weren’t allowed to become tomei, so Moshe sent other relatives, Mishael and Eltzafan, to bury Nadav and Avihu. Moshe also told the kohanim that they couldn’t sit shivah for Nadav and Avihu, because their job of being a kohen couldn’t be stopped.

After this, Hashem told Aharon that the kohanim need to remember not to drink wine before they work in the Mishkan.

Even though usually Hashem spoke to Moshe, or Moshe and Aharon together, Hashem now spoke ONLY to Aharon! This was a reward for accepting what happened to his children without complaining.

 
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TEHILLIM

69 - 71

The first kapitel of today’s Tehillim is kapitel Samach-Tes. If you look through the kapitel, the beginning looks very sad. Dovid Hamelech is asking Hashem to please save him from everyone who wants to hurt him.

At the end, though, Dovid Hamelech is sure Hashem will help! He says that he will sing and praise Hashem, because He always listens to people who need His help! The skies and the seas will sing to Hashem when he rescues the Yidden — “Ki Elokim Yoshia Tzion” — “because Hashem will redeem Yerushalayim.”

In Tof-Shin-Lamed (5730), the Rebbe was saying this posuk in a sicha at every Farbrengen! So on Shavuos, some of the bochurim had an idea — to sing these words to the same tune we use for Dayeinu. The Rebbe was very happy with this “new” niggun, and there are many recordings and videos where you can see and hear the Rebbe singing it!

 
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TANYA

Likutei Amarim Perek Mem

In this perek, the Alter Rebbe continues to tell us about why it’s so important to learn Torah or do a mitzvah lishmah, to connect our neshama with Hashem.

Today we learn where the Torah goes if we learn for the wrong reason, or for no specific reason — just because we’re used to learning.

If we learn for NO specific reason, then our Torah only goes to the “Heichalos and Madorin” where the malachim are, but not where Hashem’s Sefiros shine.

But if we learn for the WRONG reason, like if someone learns Torah because he wants to be called a Talmid Chochom, the Torah doesn’t even go up there! It just stays right down here in the world.

Why?

A person’s reasons for learning Torah get attached to the Torah that he learns. Since this person’s reason for learning was his gaavah, which comes from kelipah, it keeps the Torah stuck in Golus in the kelipah of the world! It’s not even able to go up to the place of the malochim.

Only when the Torah is learned lishmah, in order to connect our neshama to Hashem, can it go all the way up to where Hashem’s Sefiros shine.

 
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HAYOM YOM

Yud-Gimmel Nisan

Today is the Yartzeit-Hilula of the Tzemach Tzedek, on Yud-Gimmel Nisan Tof-Reish-Chof-Vov (5626). The Tzemach Tzedek’s Ohel is in Lubavitch.

The Rebbe Maharash told the Rebbe Rashab that when the Tzemach Tzedek was only 12 years old, he already started writing Niglah and Chassidus!

 
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SEFER HAMITZVOS

Shiur #246 - Mitzvas Asei #241

Today we learn the same mitzvah as yesterday (Mitzvas Asei #241): If someone sets a fire, they are responsible for paying for what the fire burns. If it burns part of his neighbor’s field, he may have to pay back the neighbor.

We learn this mitzvah from a posuk in Parshas Mishpatim: כִּי תֵצֵא אֵשׁ וּמָצְאָה קֹצִים

This mitzvah is explained in Mesechta Bava Kama, perek Beis and Vov.

 
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RAMBAM

Hilchos Nizkei Mamon

Before, we learned about damage that comes from an animal eating from someone else’s field, and the kind of damage from an animal hurting people or animals or breaking things. In today’s Rambam, we learn about damage that comes from somebody’s hole in the ground, or a fire they started.

Perek Yud-Beis teaches us that if someone dug a hole, and an animal fell in, they need to pay back the animal’s owner.

Perek Yud-Gimmel explains the halachos if a THING fell into the hole and broke, like furniture or dishes.

Perek Yud-Daled teaches us about if someone starts a fire and it burns someone else’s field. If he started it in the other person’s field, or if he wasn’t careful when he started a fire in his own field, he needs to pay. If he was careful, and the fire spread anyway, he doesn’t need to pay — we say that it came from Hashem.

Now we are finished the halachos about damages! Tomorrow we will IY”H start a new set of halachos, about stealing.

 
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RAMBAM PEREK ECHOD

Hilchos Toein Venitan - Perek Tes-Vov

This perek teaches us what to do when witnesses come to Beis Din to say that the person has a chazaka on the property, but they don’t say exactly the same thing. If one person says he grew wheat for three years and the other witness says he grew barley, we accept the witnesses, because that is a small detail. But if one witness says he worked there during the odd years, and the other witness says he worked there during the even years, then we don’t have any witness to say he has a chazaka, and he has to give the property back!

 
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INYANA D'YOMA

Yud-Gimmel Nissan

Today is the day of the Tzemach Tzedek’s histalkus. The Tzemach Tzedek’s mother, Rebbetzin Devorah Leah, passed away when he was just three, and his Zaidy, the Alter Rebbe, took care of him.

The Tzemach Tzedek wrote a lot of Torah, like we see in today’s Hayom Yom, even when he was young!

The Rebbe tells us that on Yud-Gimmel Nissan we should learn some of the Torah that the Tzemach Tzedek wrote.

Here is something that the Tzemach Tzedek teaches us about Ahavas Yisroel: (There is a sefer from the Tzemach Tzedek that explains what many of the mitzvos mean in Ruchnius, called Derech Mitzvosecha. Here is something he explains about the mitzvah of Ahavas Yisroel.)

There are two important things that will help us with this mitzvah:

1) Remember that all of the neshamos of the Yidden together are one thing! Only because of the guf is each person separate. We are only complete when we connect ourselves to the rest of the Yidden. That is why we accept the mitzvah of Ahavas Yisroel before davening — so that our neshama is complete before we stand before Hashem in davening.

2) We should treat others the way we would like to be treated! When we make a mistake, we realize that we were trying, and next time we will try even harder and do better. We should treat other people the same way — we can accept and respect them even if they did something wrong. We understand that they also are trying, and next time they will try harder too.

We don’t start screaming at ourselves and say “I don’t want to sit next to me anymore! I’m never going to be friends with myself again! I don’t want to have anything to do with me ever again!” We say, “I did something wrong, but I’m still a good person.” We should also say that about other people. Even if they did something wrong, we can still be nice to them, sit next to them, and treat them with respect.

When all of the Yidden show respect and love for each other, Hashem will do the same to us, and give all Yidden brachos — including the main bracha that we all need, the Geulah!

 

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TEFILLAH

Haggadah Shel Pesach

In the Haggadah, we say the MishnahBechol Dor Vador,” meaning that in every generation we are supposed to see ourselves as if we ourselves came out of Mitzrayim.

The Alter Rebbe says in Tanya that not only every generation, but “Bechol Yom Vayom” — every single day! Every day, we should see ourselves as having come out of Mitzrayim, because in a certain way, we do! Our guf can be like a Mitzrayim, stopping us from doing what Hashem wants. When we decide to connect ourselves to Hashem through Torah and mitzvos when we say Shema every day, we are coming out of Mitzrayim!

If this is something that happens every day, what’s so special about Pesach?

There are many times in Yiddishkeit where we see that a certain day gives us extra chayus in something!

For example, having Kabolas Ol is something we need to do every day. But on Rosh Hashana, that is a very special time for Kabolas Ol Malchus Shomayim, and Rosh Hashana gives us koach for the rest of the year!

Another example is thanking Hashem for the Torah. Every day we say a brachaNosein HaTorah,” thanking Hashem for giving the Torah to the Yidden. But on Shavuos is an extra-special time to thank Hashem for this precious gift, and Shavuos gives us koach and chayus to receive the Torah anew every day!

The same thing is with Pesach. Every single day we thank Hashem for taking us out of Mitzrayim — the Mitzrayim that the Yidden suffered in, and the little Mitzrayim inside of us. But Pesach is a very special night for thanking Hashem for the neis of Geulah, and Pesach gives us koach to appreciate Yetziyas Mitzrayim properly every single day of the year!

See dibur hamaschil “Bechol Dor Vador” in the Rebbe’s Haggadah, and farbrengen Yud-Alef Nissan Tof-Shin-Lamed-Ches

 
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HALACHOS HATZRICHOS

Bedikas Chometz

Today is the last day we say an extra section in davening connected to the Nesiim. We say the paragraph that starts with the words “Zos Chanukas Hamizbeiach,” which is a summary of all of the korbanos that were brought by all of the Nesiim.

We also read the beginning of Parshas Behaalosecha, which speaks about how Aharon lit the Menorah, and so this section is connected to Shevet Levi.

~

Tonight is Bedikas Chometz! Here are some of the halachos:

It is good to wash Negel Vasser before starting to search, so we do the mitzvah with clean and pure hands.

We start Bedikas Chometz right after davening Maariv in shul. (If someone is usually not able to daven with a minyan, he should start right at Tzeis Hakochavim, when the stars come out at night, and daven Maariv after the Bedika.) We don’t start a meal or sit down to learn from a half hour before, so that we won’t get carried away and push off Bedikas Chometz!

We make a bracha before starting to search for chometz. We don’t interrupt after the bracha, so we start searching right away, in the room the bracha was made. Until after the entire house is searched, we don’t talk (unless we need to for the purpose of Bedikas Chometz).

We use a candle for Bedikas Chometz. The Gemara learns this from a posuk in Tzefania that speaks about Moshiach, “Achapeis Es Yerushalayim Baneiros” (Hashem says, “I will search Yerushalayim with candles”). We use a beeswax candle, which burns with the clearest light. (It is fine to use a flashlight to search in places where a candle would be dangerous, like under a bed.)

There are many more halachos and minhagim about Bedikas Chometz and things we need to know about preparing for Pesach. It is a good idea to read halacha newsletters put out by different Rabbonim. You may find some halachos you didn’t know before! Here are some ideas:
- Pesach Day-By-Day (Horav Yosef Yeshaya Braun)
- Halacha Newsletter (Horav Shmuel Lesches)

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

Achdus Brings Geulah

In a farbrengen in honor of the 100th yartzeit of the Tzemach Tzedek, the Rebbe told this story:

The Tzemach Tzedek had to go to Petersburg for meetings where they wanted Rabbonim to make changes in Chinuch and how someone can become a Rav. The Tzemach Tzedek spoke out very strongly not to make any changes, even though he was going against the government, which was very dangerous! Someone asked the Tzemach Tzedek how he was able to put his life in danger if there are so many Yidden that are relying on him to show them the right derech in serving Hashem.

The Tzemach Tzedek said he would give two answers (like we see a lot of times in Gemara, “Iba’is Eima”):

1) There are the children — if something chas veshalom happens, they (the Tzemach Tzedek’s children) can show Chassidim what to do.

2) Through the Achdus of Chassidim they will overcome all hardships, and will be able to bring the “Emes Hashem Leolam,” the true derech of Hashem, into the world so EVERYONE will know.

In that farbrengen, the Rebbe finished by saying that today, the second thing the Tzemach Tzedek said is important for all Chassidim to know, because together we have the responsibility to teach others the derech of Hashem the way the Rebbeim showed us.

See farbrengen of Yud-Gimmel Nissan, 5726

 
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