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CHUMASH
Parshas Shemini - Chamishi with Rashi
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Even though Aharon and his sons were mourning because Nadav and Avihu passed away, Moshe told them that they need to eat the parts of the korbanos that are for the kohanim.
Elazar and Isamar and Aharon ate those parts of the special korban brought in honor of starting off the avodah in the Mishkan, even though they were in aveilus. But they didn’t think they should eat the meat from the Rosh Chodesh korban. The Rosh Chodesh korban is eaten EVERY Rosh Chodesh, so they didn’t think it should have the same rule as the korbanos of the Yemei Miluim, which were only brought as a one-time thing.
Instead, they followed the usual halacha that tells us what to do if we can’t finish a korban during the right time, and they burned the whole korban on the Mizbeiach.
When Moshe found out about this, he was very upset! The Rosh Chodesh korban asks Hashem to forgive the Yidden, and they shouldn’t do anything that might chas veshalom stop Hashem from forgiving all of the Yidden by not eating it!
Aharon explained the reason why they treated this korban differently. Even though Moshe had given instructions to eat the korbanos even after what happened, they understood that this was a special halacha for the Yemei Miluim, and it only had to do with the korbanos of the Yemei Miluim. Hashem only wanted them to eat from the special korbanos for that day, but not from the korban that is brought for every Rosh Chodesh! When Moshe heard this explanation, he agreed that Aharon was right, and he wasn’t embarrassed to say that he hadn’t realized that difference.
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In kapitel Kuf-Daled (104), there is a posuk “Moh Rabu Maasecha Hashem!” How great are the works of Hashem!
There are many maamorim in Chassidus that explain this posuk. There is a maamar from the Rebbe Rashab that starts with this posuk and explains it — and there is a story behind it!
Once the Rebbe Rashab was learning with the Poltaver Rav, R’ Yaakov Mordechai Bezpalov. The Friediker Rebbe was 3 or 4 years old, and his bed was in the room where they were learning.
R’ Yaakov Mordechai looked over at the sleeping boy, and said that his shining face showed the kedusha that he had!
When the Rebbe Rashab heard that comment, he felt that he wanted to kiss his son. But he stopped himself, and instead wrote a maamar called Moh Rabu Maasecha Hashem. When the Friediker Rebbe got older, the Rebbe Rashab gave him the maamar, and told him, “this is a Chassidishe kush!” Years later, he told him the story.
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TANYA
Likutei Amarim Perek Lamed-Ches
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The halacha is that the words of davening can be said even very quietly, but if someone just has kavana and doesn’t say the words at all, it is not counted as davening.
The Alter Rebbe explains why saying the words is so important:
The reason the neshama came into the world was not to make itself holy, but to make the body and the world holy, by using them for kedusha. Kavana is something which is more connected with the neshama.
To do most mitzvos, we are supposed to actually say words or do things which use Gashmius. That’s why even with the mitzvah of davening, where the main thing is kavana, it is very important to actually SAY the words using at least our lips.
This way we use the Gashmius of our guf and make it into kedusha, which is the reason why we are here!
Even though it can be easier to have kavana if we don’t say the words, Hashem wants us to use our guf for the mitzvah! So by saying the words, we are having more bittul and come closer to Hashem than we would with our kavana alone.
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In yesterday’s Hayom Yom, we learned what the Maggid told the Alter Rebbe: It’s not enough to just have the korban of giving of ourselves to Hashem, but it needs to be done with a constant chayus, like the fire on the Mizbeiach that never went out.
The Tzemach Tzedek told the story in yesterday’s Hayom Yom and concluded:
The Alter Rebbe is the “Moshe Rabbeinu” of Chassidus Chabad!
What did Moshe Rabbeinu do? Hashem gave the Torah to Moshe, but he shared it with all of the Yidden!
The Maggid gave the Alter Rebbe the “fire” of Chassidus — and the Alter Rebbe shared it with EVERYONE who learns Chassidus!
Anyone who teaches another Yid, and helps HIM have a “fire,” a chayus in Chassidus — Hashem will reward him with a zechus that will never go out.
This Hayom Yom comes from a letter written to R’ Mordechai Cheifetz, one of the mashpiim of the club for girls, Achos HaTmimim, which was meant to inspire the girls to grow in learning Chassidus and Darkei Hachassidus. In this letter, the Frierdiker Rebbe tells R’ Mordechai that the girls shouldn’t just be learning for Kabolas Ol, but with a chayus!
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Today’s mitzvah (Mitzvas Asei #112) is that if a person has Tzoraas, he needs to show people that he is Tomei, so they don’t become Tomei from him. He needs to rip his clothes, let his hair grow, and cover his face down to his mouth so people know to stay away from him.
This is only for a man who is a Metzora. A woman with Tzoraas, or people with a different kind of tumah also need to let people know that they are tomei, but they don’t have to use these same signs.
We learn this from a posuk in Parshas Tazria:
וְהַצָּרוּעַ אֲשֶׁר בּוֹ הַנֶּגַע בְּגָדָיו יִהְיוּ פְרֻמִים וְרֹאשׁוֹ יִהְיֶה פָרוּעַ וְעַל שָׂפָם יַעְטֶה וְטָמֵא טָמֵא יִקְרָא
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In today’s Rambam, we learn more about Tzoraas.
Perek Hey: In this perek, we learn about Tzoraas on a place where a person was hurt: From a burn, which is called a Michvah, and from other things, which is called Shechin. We also learn about Tzoraas in a bald spot, which is called Karachas or Gabachas, depending on where on the head it is.
Perek Vov: This perek teaches us about when a sign of Tzoraas might not be considered Tzoraas, for example, the bottom of a person’s foot.
Perek Zayin: In this perek, the Rambam teaches us about a person who has Tzoraas that spread all over his entire body, which can make him tahor.
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In today’s Rambam, we finish learning about the special Korbanos of Yom Tov!
We learn about the mitzvah of Hakhel! The Rambam tells us exactly what happened in the Beis Hamikdash in a Hakhel year, and how the king would inspire all of the Yidden to strengthen their Yiddishkeit!
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In today’s Chumash, (Chamishi of Parshas Shemini), Moshe got upset to teach the kohanim how serious it is to not eat a korban that Hashem told them to. The Chachomim teach us that this is the only time a person should show anger — if there is someone they need to teach, and the best way to do it is show that they are upset.
But in all other times, we should be very careful NOT to get upset!
In Igeres Hakodesh, the Alter Rebbe teaches us something we should think about that will help us not to get angry:
Sometimes people get very angry! Maybe someone did something they didn’t like, or something happened that they didn’t want to happen. Maybe someone pushed them over, or all of the good cereal is gone! Maybe they forgot their homework, or their favorite crayon got lost.
The Alter Rebbe tells us that we don’t need to get angry. Just remember that EVERYTHING is Hashgacha Protis! If we remember that EVERYTHING that happens is because Hashem wants it that way, we won’t be upset that it didn’t work the way we want — we’re glad that it happened the way Hashem wants, and now we’ll do whatever new avodah Hashem set up for us!
Maybe Hashem wants us to eat a different cereal, or maybe Hashem wants us to remember not to push anyone else over. It doesn’t matter even if we NEVER figure out the reason! We can be calm and happy because we know that everything is still from Hashem, and that Gam Zu L’Tovah, it is good.
See Tanya, Igeres Hakodesh Siman Chof-Hey
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The paragraph of Al Tira is three pesukim from Nach. These pesukim are chosen because of what happened times of Purim, when Mordechai asked three young Cheder boys what they were learning, and each of them answered with one of these pesukim.
In a Purim Farbrengen in Tof-Shin-Chof-Vov, the Rebbe spoke about Al Tira in a sicha! The Rebbe explained the deeper meaning of each of these three pesukim, and what we can learn from the order they are in. They teach us about three levels of bitachon in Hashem!
This sicha was later edited (muga) by the Rebbe, and it was printed in Likutei Sichos.
IY”H over the next few days, we will take a closer look at each of these pesukim and see what they teach us about having bitachon in Hashem throughout the day.
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Before the search for chometz, we first clean our house. We sweep up and straighten up the house to make it easier to look everywhere for chometz. We have to be extra careful to clean any parts of the house that might come in contact with our Pesach food, to make sure that not even a tiny drop of chometz gets mixed with it.
One of the places we will need to search is under and behind heavy appliances, like the stove and refrigerator. Pieces of chometz end up under there very often! Because it can be hard to move them, we can do this before the actual night of Bedikas Chometz. We can move the refrigerator to clean behind it, and then search there with a candle (but without saying a bracha). Then we won’t need to move it again during Bedikas Chometz, if there was no chance chometz got pushed under there again since we checked.
See “Notes for Pesach,” by Dayan Raskin
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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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This week’s parsha begins with the words, “Vayehi Bayom Hashmini,” that this happened on the eighth day. Rashi says that it was Yom Hashmini Lamiluim, the eighth day of setting up the Mishkan so it is ready to be used.
The Kli Yakar, a meforash on Chumash, asks why this is called Shemini, the eighth day. It doesn’t seem like it is connected to the Shivas Yemei Hamiluim at all! Before we learned about the seven days of getting the Mishkan ready, but now we are learning about something separate — the first day that the Mishkan is used!
The Kli Yakar answers that we call this day the eighth day because the number eight is very special, and shows that there is a high level of Kedushah! For example, a Bris Milah, which is done on the eighth day of a baby’s life, shows a high level of Kedushah, and the harp of Moshiach, which he will be able to play during the Geulah, has eight strings!
That’s why this is called the 8th day, to show that this day was also connected to a very high level of Kedushah.
The Rebbe teaches us that calling it the eighth day teaches us something more:
It’s not true that the Shivas Yemei Hamiluim were not connected to the Yom Hashmini that we are learning about in Chumash. It is true that they are separate things, and that the first day of using the Mishkan is a day full of a very high level of Kedusha, but it needed the Shivas Yemei Hamiluim as a preparation for it! Because of the Avodah in getting the Mishkan ready, Hashem gave the eighth day a very high level of Kedushah.
Like we learn in Tanya, our Avodah in Golus is what brings the Geulah! Even though they seem like two separate things, we need the preparation we do in Golus in order to get the Geulah. The Geulah is a very high level, also connected to Shemini, the number eight. Hashem gives it to us only after the Avodah we do in Golus, which looks completely separate but is really a preparation for the Geulah!
See Likutei Sichos chelek Gimmel, Parshas Shemini
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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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