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Hashem chose Moshe and Aharon to speak to Paraoh so he will let the Yidden out of Mitzrayim. But first, there are going to be Makos. The first makah came and went, and Paraoh refused to let the Yidden go. Today we learn what happened after the second makah finished.
In yesterday’s Chumash, we learned how Paraoh asked Moshe to take away the frogs. Moshe agreed to daven to Hashem that the frogs would go away from everyone’s houses, and only the frogs that are still in the Nilus would remain alive.
Moshe davened that the frogs should go away and all of the frogs died. The Mitzriyim made big piles of dead frogs all over and they smelled very bad!
But Paraoh decided not to listen to Hashem this time either!
So Hashem told Moshe to warn Paraoh about the third makah — lice.
Makas Kinim: Moshe and Aharon warned Paraoh that the makah would start if he didn’t do teshuvah. He didn’t listen, so Hashem had Aharon hit the dust of Mitzrayim. (Moshe couldn’t hit it, because the dirt helped bury the Mitzri he killed, and that wouldn’t be Hakoras Hatov.)
When Aharon hit the dust, it turned into lice all over Mitzrayim! Lice is a little bug that is very itchy, and this makah bothered all of the people and animals in Mitzrayim.
Paraoh’s magicians tried to make lice too, but they couldn’t — because tumah magic doesn’t work with anything smaller than a grain of barley. They had to admit that Hashem made this makah! Still, Paraoh wanted to think that Moshe and Aharon were just better magicians, so he ignored what Moshe and Aharon said and didn’t let the Yidden go.
Makas Arov: Hashem told Moshe to warn Paraoh about the next makah — wild animals. He should tell Paraoh that if he doesn’t let the Yidden go out of Mitzrayim, Hashem will send very mean wild animals to hurt people and ruin things!
All of the other makos were also in Goshen, where the Yidden lived (even though they weren’t bothered by them), but the wild animals won’t go into Goshen at all!
Paraoh will have to realize that Hashem is in charge of the whole world!
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Today’s Tehillim is very special! We are finishing the LONGEST kapitel in the whole Tehillim, kapitel Kuf-Yud-Tes! This kapitel is so long that we don’t even say the whole thing in one day — it is split up between Yom Chof-Hey and Yom Chof-Vov!
One of the pesukim in today’s half is, “Sas Anochi Al Imrosecha Kemotzei Shalal Rav” — “I am so happy with Your words (the Torah), like someone who finds a huge treasure!”
The Rebbe’s father, R’ Levi Yitzchak, explains this posuk: He shows us that the first letters of the words “Kemotzei Shalal Rav” (like finding a big treasure) are “Kosher!”
How is “kosher” a big treasure?
The Rebbe explained during a rally for children what it means that kosher is a big treasure. This is something very important for us to know when we’re fighting with our Yetzer Hara: A person might think that it shouldn’t matter if a teeny little candy isn’t kosher. But the truth is, if we don’t listen to our Yetzer Hara, and only eat kosher candies, it’s like a HUGE treasure for Hashem! Even just a “small” thing that we win over the Yetzer Hara is a VERY big deal!
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TANYA
Likutei Amarim Perek Yud-Daled
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In today’s Tanya we learn how EVERY Yid can be a beinoni!
Every person can become a beinoni. Because what is a beinoni? He is a person that isn’t ready to do any aveiros, and won’t let his Yetzer Hara be in charge!
Even when the Yetzer Hara comes up with foolish ideas of things it wants to think about or do, a Yid can remember that aveiros separate him Chas Veshalom from Hashem! He can say to himself, “I don’t want to be separated from Hashem for even one second! Instead, I want to serve Hashem, because I want to be connected to Hashem always!
“In fact, EVERYONE wants to be connected to Hashem always! Even a person who usually leaves his Yetzer Hara in charge will have MESIRAS NEFESH not to do something that he knows will separate him from Hashem! His Yetzer Hara convinces him that it’s only VERY BIG aveiros that separate him from Hashem — but that’s a Ruach Shtus (a foolish thought).
“I know the truth. I know that EVERY aveira separates a Yid from Hashem, and I won’t listen to that Ruach Shtus! I ALWAYS want to stay connected to Hashem.”
Not everyone can love Hashem strongly enough to become a tzadik, that is a special gift from Hashem... but every one of us can become a beinoni!
By telling ourselves that we don’t want to and can’t be separated from Hashem, it will help us do the right thing all the time!
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In today’s Hayom Yom, we learn the reason for a minhag in Tefillah.
We learned in Tanya that there are two kinds of kelipah — one kind that is called “Shalosh Kelipos Hatmeios” (the three kelipos that are all tomei and can’t become kedusha), and “Kelipas Noga” (the kind of kelipa that we can change to kedusha if we use it right).
In today’s Hayom Yom, the Rebbe tells us how to say a certain bracha in Shmoneh Esrei which hints to these two kinds of Kelipah. In the bracha “Velamalshinim”, there are four words in a row: “se’aker, u’se’shaber, use’mager, ve’sachnia” (“pull out, break, crush, and push down”). We are asking Hashem to destroy these kelipos.
When we say these words, we stop for a second between saying the word “use’mager” and “ve’sachnia” because of the Ruchnius’dike meaning of these words of davening. The first three words (se’aker u’seshaber usemager) are talking about the Shalosh Kelipos Hatemeios, the kelipos which need to be completely destroyed.
The fourth word, “vesachnia” is talking about Kelipas Noga. Kelipas Noga is something we need to be “machnia” — to push it down, but we don’t have to completely break it, because it can be used for kedusha.
That’s why we make a separation, because we are asking Hashem to help us deal with the last kind of kelipah, Kelipas Noga, in a very different way. We ask Hashem that the not-good parts should be pushed away, and that we should be able to use what is good inside of it for kedusha!
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Today in Sefer Hamitzvos, we have three mitzvos about Tzedakah!
1) (Mitzvas Asei #130) On the 3rd and 6th years from Shemitah, we give Maaser Ani — maaser to poor people, instead of Maaser Sheini, which is brought during the other years and eaten in Yerushalayim.
We learn this from a posuk in Parshas Re’eh: מִקְצֵה שָׁלשׁ שָׁנִים תּוֹצִיא אֶת כָּל מַעְשַׂר תְּבוּאָתְךָ וגו׳
2) (Mitzvas Asei #195) It is a mitzvah to give tzedakah to poor people. It is our job to take care of them and make sure they have what they need. Even a poor person has a mitzvah to give at least a little bit of tzedakah to others!
We learn this mitzvah from many pesukim in the Torah. One of them is also in Parshas Re’eh: פָתֹחַ תִּפְתַּח אֶת יָדְךָ
3) (Mitzvas Lo Saasei #232) We are not allowed to ignore poor people and not help them when we really can.
We also learn this mitzvah in Parshas Re’eh: לֹא תְאַמֵּץ אֶת לְבָבְךָ וְלֹא תִקְפֹּץ אֶת יָדְךָ מֵאָחִיךָ הָאֶבְיוֹן
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In today’s Rambam, we learn the last three Perakim of Matnos Aniyim. Now we are learning about Tzedakah!
Perek Ches: We learn that saying that we will give Tzedakah is like making a neder, and we need to keep it. We also learn about a Goy giving Tzedakah, and finally about the great mitzvah of Pidyon Shevuyim, helping a Yid come out of jail. The Rambam says that there is no bigger mitzvah than this one!
Perek Tes: We learn that every city should have a Gabbai who is in charge of giving out Tzedakah to people who need. Everyone in the city should give money to this Gabbai for him to give out to the poor.
Perek Yud: This is a very important perek to know the details of! It is a good idea to learn it inside and pay attention to the details.
The Rambam tells us how special it is to give, and that even when we can’t give, we should try to make the poor person feel good. Also, helping other people to give Tzedakah is even BETTER than giving yourself!
The Rambam also teaches us about:
- 8 levels of Tzedakah
- giving Tzedakah before davening
- not taking Tzedakah unless someone really needs to.
We need to trust in Hashem Who will make sure we have everything we need!
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We start learning the halachos about a kohen who has a mum.
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The Rebbe gave each and every one of us a shlichus, to spread Yiddishkeit and Chassidus to ourselves, to our families, and to all the Yidden around us — wherever we can reach.
The Rebbe tells us in a sicha that the word “Shliach” is the same Gematria as “Sameiach” (each letter in the Alef-Beis is also a number — and the numbers in these words both add up to 348).
This teaches us that when we do our shlichus, we shouldn’t feel frustrated, or overwhelmed, or like it’s too hard. Doing our shlichus should make us happy! We need to be so happy that we have this special zechus to be partners with the Rebbe to bring Moshiach now!
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The first thing we said in the morning was Modeh Ani, thanking Hashem for returning our neshama. But since we said Modeh Ani before washing Negel Vasser, we weren’t able to say this as a bracha, with Hashem’s name.
Now that we made our body clean (by washing out our mouth and using the bathroom) and washed our hands as a preparation for davening, we are able to say Hashem’s holy name. We said the bracha of Al Netilas Yodayim, and thanked Hashem for our healthy body in Asher Yatzar. Now we are able to properly thank Hashem for giving us a healthy neshama, with the bracha of Elokai Neshama!
In Elokai Neshama, we use different expressions about how our neshama was given to us. Chassidus explains that these correspond to the different olamos (Ruchnius’dike levels, called “worlds”) that the neshama goes through before coming into the Gashmius’dike world.
In this bracha, the Chachomim also remind us about Techiyas Hameisim! We hinted to it in Modeh Ani, with the words “Raba Emunasecha,” saying that Hashem is faithful and will give back our neshama at Techiyas Hameisim. Here, we say it clearly, that Hashem will take away our neshama, but return it again when Moshiach comes. This keeps our emunah in Techiyas Hameisim strong!
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Jewish boys and men need to have their heads covered with a yarmulka all the time. A yarmulka is needed so that we are tznius’dik, and it helps us have Yiras Shomayim.
Unless you glue your yarmulka to your head, it might fall off sometimes! If that happens, the halacha is that we cover our head with our hand as a heker (reminder) until we reach our yarmulka and can put it back on.
But that only helps for SOME of the reasons we wear a yarmulka.
Another reason we wear a yarmulka is to make sure our head is covered whenever we say Hashem’s name. We can’t cover ourselves with another part of ourselves — that’s not called covering! (“Ein Etzem Mastir Al Etzem.”) We need to cover our head with something separate in order to say Hashem’s name.
So if someone needs to say Hashem’s name when he can’t reach his yarmulka right away, he should cover his head with his sleeve, or with someone else’s hand.
See the Alter Rebbe’s Shulchan Aruch, siman beis
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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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Believing in Moshiach is a very basic part of Yiddishkeit, and is something that every Yid needs to believe.
But if so, why isn’t it one of the 613 mitzvos?
At the beginning of Sefer Hamitzvos, we learned the Rambam’s rules about what makes something counted as one of the 613 mitzvos. One of the rules is that if there is something very general in the Torah, like “be careful to do the mitzvos,” it is not counted as its own mitzvah.
That is why believing in Moshiach isn’t its own mitzvah. Believing and hoping for the Geulah means to believe that there will soon be a time when we will be able to do the WHOLE Torah and mitzvos in the best way.
So believing in Moshiach is very general — it is believing that we can do all the mitzvos properly. Since it is general, it is not counted as one of the 613 mitzvos, even though it is a very important part of every Yid’s life!
See Likutei Sichos chelek Yud-Ches, p. 280, ha’ara 63
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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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