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CHUMASH
Parshas Va'eschanan - Sheini with Rashi
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Moshe Rabbeinu is continuing to talk to the Yidden and prepare them to go into Eretz Yisroel.
Moshe Rabbeinu is begging the Yidden to serve Hashem, and not Avodah Zarah. He reminds the Yidden about Matan Torah, and how close they felt to Hashem. He reminds them about Yetzias Mitzrayim — about how there is NOTHING aside for Hashem!
There are some very well-known pesukim in today’s Chumash:
- Rak Hishomer Lecha... we say this in the Sheish Zechiros, the six things we need to remember every day! This posuk reminds us about Matan Torah.
- Ata Hareisa LaDaas... the posuk we say before Kriyas HaTorah on Shabbos, and by Hakafos on Simchas Torah!
- VeYadaata HaYom... We say this posuk in Aleinu, and Shaar HaYichud VeHaEmunah is based on this posuk!
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Today’s kapitelach are Lamed-Hey, Lamed-Vov, Lamed-Zayin, and Lamed-Ches.
In Kapitel Lamed-Zayin, Dovid Hamelech says, “MeiHashem Mitzadei Gever Konanu” — “Hashem decides where each person goes,” “Vedarko Yechpatz” — “and He wants His way.”
Chassidus teaches that these two things are connected: Because Hashem wants His way, THAT’S why He decides where each person goes. Hashem puts us into each place to do His special shlichus there.
So when we end up somewhere with Hashgacha Protis, we need to remember that we’re there because Hashem has a job for us to do there, and make sure to look out for it and do it right!
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TANYA
Igeres Hakodesh Siman Beis
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The Alter Rebbe had a very special Shlichus from Hashem: To bring Chassidus Chabad to the world!
There were some Yidden who were against this, and tried to make it very hard for the Alter Rebbe to do this mission. They made lots of problems for the Chassidim as well. Because of this, the Alter Rebbe was put in prison, and it was a big sakana for Chassidim and Chassidus.
After he came out of prison, the Alter Rebbe wrote this letter. He told the Chassidim that what happened was a tremendous chesed from Hashem! When Hashem does a chesed for a person, it makes him closer to Hashem! And the closer a person is to Hashem, the more humble he should feel.
Because of that, it isn’t right to say not nice things to the people who were against Chassidus, even though their plan didn’t work and the Alter Rebbe was freed from prison.
Now that Hashem did this big neis, Chassidim should be humble and not talk in that kind of way. They should have truly good midos and show Ahavas Yisroel to those who were against the Alter Rebbe — and then maybe they will be nice back, and there will be shalom and Achdus!
One of the things we can learn from today’s Tanya, is that it is important to have Ahavas Yisroel no matter what anybody does to us!
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After the Alter Rebbe came out of prison on Yud-Tes Kislev, he said a very short maamar for the Mitteler Rebbe — but even though it is so short, there is a lot we can learn from it!
The posuk says “Se’u Yedeichem Kodesh, Uvorachu Es Hashem. Yevorechecha Hashem MiTzion Osei Shomayim Va’aretz.” “Pick up your hands in Kedusha, and bentch Hashem. Hashem should bentch you from Tzion — Hashem, Who made the heaven and the earth!”
The Alter Rebbe explained this posuk according to Chassidus:
Yedeichem (your hands) can also mean midos, since our arms are close to our heart, the place of our midos.
Uvorachu (and you should bentch) and Yevarechcha (He should bentch you) also mean to bring down into the world.
Tzion (which usually is talking about Yerushalayim) can mean the deepest part of a Yid’s neshama, which is also called Tzion.
Here’s how the Alter Rebbe explained the posuk:
“Se’u Yedeichem Kodesh” — Lift up your midos in holiness! Make sure that the midos are behaving according to what the sechel knows is right, and that what the sechel knows shines into the midos. “Uvorachu Es Hashem” — this will bring down the name of Hashem into the world!
When that happens, “Yevorechecha Hashem MiTzion” — the deepest part of the neshama will also be able to shine in the world, “Osei Shomayim Va’aretz” — and will make it the world able to exist.
When we learn Chassidus and act like a Chossid, it brings chayus not just to ourselves, but to the entire world!
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Today’s mitzvah (Mitzvas Asei #73) is the same as yesterday’s: If someone does an aveira, they need to do teshuvah, to decide not to do the aveira ever again and feel bad about what they did. They also need to SAY to Hashem what they did and ask Hashem to forgive him. This is called Vidui.
We learn this mitzvah from a posuk in Parshas Naso: וְהִתְוַדּוּ אֶת חַטָּאתָם אֲשֶׁר עָשׂוּ
The details are explained in the end of Mesechta Yoma.
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Perek Daled: The Rambam tells us about 24 things that make it harder for a person to do teshuvah.
There are some aveiros that are very serious. If a person does them, Hashem won’t help him do teshuvah! For example, if someone makes other people do the wrong thing, Hashem won’t help him do teshuvah.
There are also some aveiros that a person thinks aren’t such a big deal, and they won’t even TRY to do teshuvah for them. For example, a person might look at non-tznius pictures, and thinks that since he isn’t DOING anything, it isn’t a problem. But really, a person needs to do teshuvah for it, because it is the cause for very serious aveiros!
Perek Hey: The Rambam reminds us that we always have a choice to do the right thing, what Hashem wants — or chas veshalom NOT the right thing.
It’s also our choice that if we see we didn’t do what Hashem wants, we can right away do teshuvah and start doing the RIGHT thing again.
In Perek Vov, the Rambam shows us how many pesukim and stories of Torah don’t contradict what we learned, that a person has free choice to act in the right way.
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The Rambam talks about the kedusha in Hashem’s name when it is written — that’s why we put papers with Torah or Hashem’s name into shaimos and bury them!
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In today’s Chumash, Sheini of Parshas Vaeschanan, we have the posuk, “Veyadaata Hayom Vehasheivosa El Levecha Ki Hashem Hu Ha’Elokim Bashomayim Mimaal Ve’al Ha’aretz Mitachas Ein Od!” “You should know today and keep in your heart that Hashem is our Hashem, in the heavens above and on the earth below there is nothing else!”
Chassidus explains that in this posuk, Moshe Rabbeinu is telling the Yidden that they should always know that Havaya is Elokim!
During different times, Hashem expresses Himself in different ways:
Sometimes there are moments where we see Hashem in a way of Havaya, the name of Hashem where His goodness and koach are clear to see. Yidden have had many powerful Havaya moments, like the time of Matan Torah, the time of the first Beis Hamikdash, and the neis of Chanukah. We also have Havaya moments in our own lives, when small (or big) nisim show us that Hashem is taking care of us. It could be when you passed a test that was very hard for you, or when you got something you had wanted very much.
There are also moments where Hashem expresses Himself in a way of Elokim. This is where Hashem’s goodness is hidden, and these moments can be very hard. We had many of these moments during the Churban and during all of these years of Golus. When everything seems to be going wrong, or something scary or painful happens to us, we are having a moment where Hashem’s chayus is coming in a way of Elokim.
But Moshe Rabbeinu is reminding us that either way, it’s still the same Aibershter! Hashem is our Hashem whether He is reaching to us in a way of Havaya, or in a way of Elokim. Hashem and His love for the Yidden is always there, even when it is hidden.
When Hashem gives a person an “Elokim moment,” He is testing him, to see if he will reach deeper inside of his neshama to KNOW (Veyadaata) that Hashem is right there with him. When he passes the test and still acts the way Hashem wants him to, then there is no reason for Hashem to be hidden anymore, and Hashem will show him His kindness!
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As a general introduction to davening, we remind ourselves WHO we are about to daven to!
Adon Olam is a beautiful song written by the Chachomim who lived after the times of the Gemara, Rabbeinu Yehuda Hachassid, Rabbeinu Hai Gaon, and Rabbeinu Sherira Gaon.
It is brought in the Shaloh and other sefarim that saying this tefillah before davening is a segulah that a person’s tefillah should be answered.
Adon Olam speaks about the greatness of Hashem. When we pay attention to what these words mean, we will feel how special it is to daven!
See Shaar Hakolel, perek Gimmel, se’if Daled
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When you ask a Yid how he is feeling, what does he answer? Boruch Hashem!
Yidden are always thinking about Hashem, and are used to mentioning Hashem’s name often.
It is a minhag by Yidden that when we write something, we first mention Hashem. We write Boruch Hashem (B”H), Besiyata Dishmaya (BS”D), or something else like this.
We even do this on papers that have nothing to do with Torah. That’s because, really, the WHOLE world is full of the kavod of Hashem! There is nothing that doesn’t have to do with Hashem and His Torah. By writing B”H or BS”D on a letter, we are reminding ourselves how EVERYTHING is connected to Hashem!
See Likutei Sichos vol. 6, p. 190, Shulchan Menachem vol. 5, p. 218
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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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There are two opinions in Torah about the third Beis Hamikdash. Rashi and Tosfos bring from the Zohar and the Medrash, saying that the Beis Hamikdash will come down from Shomayim! The Rambam paskens the halacha based on the Gemara Yerushalmi and a different Medrash, saying that Moshiach will build the third Beis Hamikdash.
Which is it?
The Rebbe tells us that both are true!
Here is one explanation the Rebbe gives:
The Rambam is a sefer of halacha. That means that the Rambam only talks about the things that Yidden need to do. The Rambam tells us that it is our job to work to build the Beis Hamikdash!
But we won’t be building the WHOLE Beis Hamikdash. There is also a Beis Hamikdash of Hashem in Shomayim, that will come down and become part of our Gashmius’dike Beis Hamikdash! That will make it HASHEM’s building, and because of it, this Beis Hamikdash will be different than the other two. It will last forever!
We see an example for this in the Beis Hamikdash itself! Hashem sends down a fire from Shomayim to burn up the korbanos, but it is still a mitzvah for a kohen to light a fire on the Mizbeiach. Once we light a fire down here, Hashem sends down His fire onto the Mizbeiach.
(The Rambam doesn’t tell us that part, because it isn’t halacha, it isn’t something WE need to do! We learn about it from other places in Torah! The Zohar and the Medrash tell us about the part of the Beis Hamikdash which will be GIVEN to us from Hashem, and will make it a Beis Hamikdash that will last forever!)
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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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