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CHUMASH
Parshas Acharei - Chamishi with Rashi
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Yesterday we learned that the Yidden are not allowed to shecht a korban outside of the Mishkan or Beis Hamikdash. Today, the posuk adds that burning the korban outside of the Mishkan or Beis Hamikdash is another aveira.
We also learn about the punishment for eating blood. We are not allowed to eat blood, because the chayus of a living thing is in its blood. This is also why we need to cover the blood of animal when we shecht it (“Kisui Hadam”).
If someone eats a kosher bird that wasn’t shechted properly, he becomes tomei and his clothes become tomei, too. He is not allowed to eat from korbanos or go into the Beis Hamikdash until he goes himself into the mikvah, and dips his clothing into the mikvah too.
Now Hashem tells the Yidden to remember about Hashem, and not to act like the Mitzriyim, who didn’t know that getting married is a very holy thing! The Torah will give us rules about who we can marry.
We also learn from these pesukim that Yidden need to behave differently than the other nations (“Uvechukoseihem Lo Seileichu”). We need to be dedicated to learning Hashem’s Torah and doing His mitzvos.
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In today’s Tehillim, Kapitel Kuf-Chof-Ches, it says “Yegia Kapecha Ki Sochel, Ashrecha VeTov Lach” — “when you work hard for your food, it is good for you.” We learn from this posuk that it is important to work for what we need, and not just to take money from Tzedakah!
Even though it is very important to work because Hashem wants us to make a keili in Teva, Chassidus teaches us that the posuk uses very specific words. It says “Yegia KAPECHA” — “the work of your HANDS.” This teaches us that the work should be done with our hands to do it properly, but our HEAD should be busy with Torah as much as possible! When our mind is always connected to Hashem, then our work will always be done the way Hashem wants.
See Maamar Dibur Hamaschil Mayim Rabim 5738, se’if beis
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TANYA
Likutei Amarim Perek Mem-Gimmel
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In yesterday’s Tanya we learned that before a person has the highest level of Ahavas Hashem, they need to first learn Torah and do mitzvos properly with Yiras Shomayim. What about for the lower level? Do you need to be doing all of your mitzvos properly then too?
Today the Alter Rebbe says that SOMETIMES a person can have Ahavas Olam, where they love Hashem and not anything else, even if he DIDN’T have Yiras Shomayim first. Hashem will sometimes help a person to have Ahava first, if he needs to do teshuvah right away. But that is something that happens with special Hashgacha Protis from Hashem only in specific cases — its’s not the regular way things work.
We have to try to do Avodas Hashem in order — first we should work on our Yiras Shomayim, to learn Torah and mitzvos properly, and THEN we will be able to have Ahavas Hashem.
This is hinted to us in Shema! The word “Ve’ahavta” (and you should love Hashem) is the same Gematria as the word “Ohr” (light) two times! First we have Yiras Shomayim so our neshama has the light of Torah and mitzvos, and then we can have the light of loving Hashem.
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Today is twelve days of the Omer!
There are a lot of things that are not asur to do, like eating nosh! But it makes a difference why we are doing them. If someone eats the nosh JUST because he likes nosh, with no other purpose — that makes what he’s doing NOT good at all!
We need to make sure that all of the Gashmius things we use are there for a purpose — to help us in our Torah and Mitzvos, Yiras Shomayim and Midos Tovos.
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Today’s mitzvah (Mitzvas Asei #238) is that if someone has a hole in the ground and another animal falls inside, the owner of the pit is responsible, and he needs to pay.
This mitzvah comes from a posuk in Parshas Mishpatim: וְכִי יִפְתַּח אִישׁ בּוֹר
The details of this mitzvah are explained in perek Gimmel and perek Hey of Mesechta Bava Kama.
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In today’s Rambam, we learn more about when the owner of an animal is responsible to pay for things it breaks.
Perek Vov explains what kind of animal is called mu’ad — that we can expect it to hurt another animal. If an animal hurts other animals on 3 different days, it is called mu’ad. If it only hurts animals on Thursdays, it is only mu’ad for Thursday!
When a mu’ad animal is sold to someone else, it changes back to a tam, an animal we don’t expect to hurt someone else.
Perek Zayin teaches us how much we need to pay if our animal hurt another one or broke something. The owner of a mu’ad has to pay for the WHOLE thing his animal hurt, but the owner of a tam only has to pay half. How do we figure out how much money that is? We figure out how much the thing was worth before, and how much afterwards, and the owner of the animal has to pay the difference.
Perek Ches tells us when these halachos are different — like for example an animal that is from hefker which means that it doesn’t belong to anyone, or hekdesh which belongs to the Beis Hamikdash. We also learn the halachos of when a Beis Din forces someone to pay.
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A person can get Tumas Meis from some things only if he touches or carries it, and he can get tumah from other things just by being under the same roof!
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When Tzivos Hashem began, a special song was sung before the Rebbe, which we all know very well: “We want Moshiach now!” It became the theme song of Tzivos Hashem.
The Rebbe explained the Hashgacha Protis in the words that are used in this song:
If someone wants to have something, there are a few different ways to say it: “I wish I could have candy,” “I really would like to have cookies,” or “I could really use some donuts.”
But when we say “I WANT,” it means something more! In English, we sometimes say that something is “wanting.” That means that it is missing something that it needs.
That’s what we mean when we say that we WANT Moshiach now. We don’t mean that we wish we could have something that would be nice to have, like an extra present. Without Moshiach, we feel that we are “wanting!” We are missing something that is very important to us! We NEED Moshiach!
When it is something we need, we will do whatever it takes to make sure we get it! Since “We want Moshiach now,” we are ready to do many more mitzvos so we will actually HAVE Moshiach now!
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TEFILLAH
Standing Before Hashem in Shemoneh Esrei
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In Shemoneh Esrei we are speaking to Hashem. How should we daven Shemoneh Esrei?
Rava set an example for all of us. When he davened, he would follow the minhag of servants, and stand like a servant before his master.
The Shulchan Aruch tells us that we learn from here that when we daven Shemoneh Esrei, we should stand the way a person in our times will stand in front of a very important person.
See Gemara Shabbos 10a, and Alter Rebbe’s Shulchan Aruch 95:4
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The Chachomim, beginning in the times of Dovid and Shlomo Hamelech (or even before that), made a takana called Muktza, making sure we don’t move keilim that will make Shabbos less Shabbos’dik. In yesterday’s shiur, we learned three reasons for this takana.
But because of something that happened later, in the times of Nechemya ben Chachalya, who built the second Beis Hamikdash, a new issur was added in muktza.
After the neis of Purim, the Yidden were given permission from the king to continue building the second Beis Hamikdash. But the Yidden living in Yerushalayim then were not being careful with Shabbos. They were even squeezing fresh wine, loading up their donkeys, and carrying outside on Shabbos.
So the Chachomim of that time made a VERY strict gezeira. They didn’t let Yidden move ANYTHING on Shabbos except for very specific reasons, to keep the Yidden from doing melachos on Shabbos.
This gezeira worked! When Yidden had to think carefully about everything they touched on Shabbos, they stopped doing melacha without thinking. Over time, the Chachomim were able to make the gezeira less and less strict, since the Yidden were being so careful.
But one part of the gezeira still remains today: We are not allowed to move a keili on Shabbos for no reason at all.
There are two types of things that we can move even for no reason — seforim and food or drink, because they weren’t included in the gezeira in the times of Nechemya ben Chachalya.
See the Alter Rebbe’s Shulchan Aruch, 308:16-17
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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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After the Navi describes the kind of person Moshiach is and how the world will look in his time, the Navi says nevuos about Kibbutz Galuyos:
וְנָשָֹא נֵס לַגּוֹיִם וְאָסַף נִדְחֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וּנְפֻצוֹת יְהוּדָה יְקַבֵּץ מֵאַרְבַּע כַּנְפוֹת הָאָרֶץ
How will Moshiach find all of the Yidden?
Venasa Neis Lagoyim — Moshiach will let the goyim know to bring him Yidden, as a present
Ve’asaf Nidchei Yisrael — And he will gather the lost Yidden
Unefutzos Yehuda Yekabeitz — And he will gather the scattered Yidden
Me’Arba Kanfos Ha’aretz — From the four corners of the world.
Wherever the Yidden are, Moshiach will gather them together. Even the goyim will help to make sure that we have every single Yid to be part of the Geulah!
See Yeshayahu perek Yud-Alef, pesukim Yud-Alef and Yud-Beis, and Rashi there
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