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CHUMASH
Parshas Bamidbar - Chamishi with Rashi
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Now Hashem tells Moshe to count Shevet Levi. But they get counted differently! Instead of only the men that are at least 20 being counted, every boy that is even just one month old is counted!
Rashi says that this is not the first time that Shevet Levi is counted at this young age — when the Yidden came into Mitzrayim, Yocheved, from Shevet Levi, was just born. Still, she was counted as number 70!
At first Moshe asked how he could do this, because it might not be tznius to go into the tents of each family to see how many children they had. Still, Hashem told him that he should do his part, and Hashem would do the rest. When he reached the door of each tent, a Bas Kol came out and announced how many children were in that tent! So Moshe counted the Leviim, just like Hashem said.
He counted each of the families in Shevet Levi. Here are the names of Levi’s sons and their families:
Gershon
Two families of Leviim came from Gershon: Livni and Shimi
Where they camp: behind the Mishkan — on the west
Their Nasi: Eliasaf ben La’el
What they’re in charge of: the curtains of the Mishkan and the chatzer
How many Moshe counted: 7,500
Kehos
Four families of Leviim came from Kehos: Amram, Yitzhar, Chevron, and Uziel
Where they camp: on the south side of the Mishkan (near Shevet Reuven)*
*Korach is from the family of Kehos, and because Shevet Reuven was near him, a lot of that shevet made the mistake of listening to Korach. “Oy l’rasha, oy lishcheino!” It’s bad for a rasha, and bad for his neighbor...
Their Nasi: Elitzafan ben Uziel
What they’re in charge of: the Aron, Shulchan, Menorah, Mizbeiachs, and their tools; and the Paroches
How many Moshe counted: 8,600
Merari
Two families of Leviim came from Merari: Machli and Mushi
Where they camp: on the north side of the Mishkan
Their Nasi: Tzuriel ben Avichayil
What they’re in charge of: the walls of the Mishkan and the poles for the Chatzer
How many Moshe counted: 6,200
So who camped at the FRONT of the Mishkan, on the east? Moshe, Aharon, and his children, the Kohanim. They were near the Shevatim of Yehudah, Yissachar and Zevulun. Because they were so close to Moshe, they started learning lots of Torah too! “Tov letzadik, tov lishcheino!” It’s good for a tzadik, and good for his neighbor!
All together (except for Aharon), Moshe counted 22,000 Leviim.
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One of the kapitelach in today’s Tehillim is Kapitel Yud-Tes (19). It tells us that a person can see the greatness of Hashem by looking at the great creations of Hashem, like the Shomayim, and by learning the Torah that Hashem gave us!
In Posuk Tes, it says “Pikudei Hashem Yesharim, Mesamchei Lev, Mitzvas Hashem Bara Me’iras Einayim,” “What Hashem tells us to do shows us the right way to live, and they make us happy; Hashem’s mitzvos are clear and make us see things clearly!”
On Motzei Shabbos, there is a minhag to dip our pinkies into the Havdalah wine on the plate. The Rebbe’s minhag was to put some of this wine over his eyes, and he said this posuk, how Hashem’s mitzvos make us see things clearly!
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TANYA
Likutei Amarim Perek Nun-Gimmel
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We are starting to learn the last Perek of Likutei Amarim today!
We asked earlier, “What does it mean that Hashem’s Shechinah was in the Beis Hamikdash? Isn’t Hashem everywhere?” We explained that of course Hashem is everywhere, but He is hidden. In the Beis Hamikdash, we can FEEL Hashem!
The Alter Rebbe started to explain to us how the Shechinah can be felt in the Beis Hamikdash. The Shechinah needs a “cover” so we can feel it in the world (otherwise it is too strong), and that cover is the Torah, the Chochmah of Hashem.
There are many steps that Hashem’s Shechinah goes through. In each world, the Chochmah (ChaBaD) of Hashem in that world is the cover for the Shechinah. Now, finally, the Alter Rebbe will tell us how the Shechinah comes into the Beis Hamikdash in this world!
What part of Torah “covers” the Shechinah in this world?
In the times of the First Beis Hamikdash, it was the Aseres Hadibros, engraved in the Luchos! With that “cover,” we could feel Hashem in the Beis Hamikdash!
In the times of the First Beis Hamikdash, when we had the Luchos, we were able to feel the Shechinah in a very strong way. The Shechinah didn’t need to go through so many steps to reach the Luchos, so we could feel the Shechinah from the Ruchnius world of Briyah, even though most Gashmius is in a lower world of Asiyah!
This is because the Luchos weren’t regular Gashmius, they were made by Hashem Himself! Hashem made the Luchos, “Maaseh Elokim Chayim” — using the chayus of the name of Hashem called “Elokim Chayim.” The level of Elokim Chayim is the way Hashem is felt in the olam of Briyah. That’s why we were able to feel the Shechinah on the level of Briyah when we had the Luchos in the Beis Hamikdash!
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Today is forty-seven days of the Omer!
Today starts the Shloshes Yemei Hagbalah, the three days of preparation for Matan Torah. Even though there is a source in halacha for cutting hair starting today, the Rebbe Rashab didn’t like when people did it before Erev Shavuos.
One of the most famous meforshim on Gemara is called Tosfos. In one place in Gemara where it talks about Shavuos, we learn something very important from what Tosfos says!
Shavuos is a very special time. During the time of blowing Shofar on Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, Hashem confuses the Satan so he can’t say not nice things about the Yidden! On Shavuos also, Hashem confuses the Satan so he can’t make problems for the Yidden!
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Today we will learn the same mitzvah again (Mitzvas Asei #236)! If a person hurts someone else, he has to make up for what he did by paying him for the five kinds of things he damaged: That now he is worth less money because he is handicapped, that it hurt him, for the doctor bills, for the time he couldn’t work, and that he was embarrassed. A Beis Din decides how much money needs to be paid for each of these things.
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In today’s Rambam, we learn about how to be a good neighbor according to Torah.
In Perek Zayin, we learn about a person’s right to have a window. We can’t tell another person to block off his window so he won’t look at us, if he had his window there first. We also can’t block his window by building a wall of our house too close.
Perek Ches teaches us about when a person can build something that reaches out over his neighbor’s yard, like a porch. If his neighbor knew about it and didn’t stop him, the neighbor can’t change his mind later. But building a sukkah doesn’t prove anything, unless it stays up for a whole month after Sukkos, because everyone knows that a sukkah isn’t meant to stay!
In Perek Tes, the Rambam tells us when we need to leave extra space to make sure we don’t ruin something belonging to our neighbor. For example, if we build a tub for laundry, we have to build a strong one, and at least 3 tefachim away from our neighbor’s wall, so that the water won’t leak out and ruin his wall.
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This perek teaches us about the extra rules of tumah and tahara we have with things used for the Mei Nidah.
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The days before Shavuos we get ready for Shavuos. The Rebbe teaches that in a certain way, GETTING READY for Shavuos has something that is even more special than Shavuos itself! Why?
We see something similar with davening. Shacharis is BEFORE we start our work for the day (learning in Cheder, or taking care of our family, or going to work or shlichus). We are getting ready for the day.
Maariv is AFTER we finished the work of the day. It is quiet and we can think about the past day.
But Mincha is in the middle — we have to stop whatever important things we are doing, and only think about Hashem. When we stop what we are doing and only think about Hashem, it brings Hashem a lot of nachas! That’s why when Eliyahu Hanavi needed a special bracha, he only got it during mincha time.
The same thing, the Rebbe says, is with Shavuos. ON Shavuos, our whole job is to think about Hashem and getting the Torah. But the days BEFORE Shavuos are regular workdays! We’re busy with our work! So when we stop and think about how to get ready for Shavuos, this makes Hashem SO happy — in some ways even more than on Shavuos when we think about Hashem the whole time!
This teaches us how special the time of preparation for Shavuos is, and how important it is to use it properly!
One of the ways the Rebbe told us that children should prepare for Shavuos is to be part of a Shavuos rally!
See Farbrengen Gimmel Sivan 5737
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In davening, we ask Hashem for all of the things we need.
Chassidus shows us that this is not the only reason for davening. When we reach out to Hashem, we are connecting to Hashem! During the time of davening, we are able to stop all of our busy work for a few minutes, and think about our connection to Hashem. We remind ourselves why we are here in this world at all — in order to serve Hashem!
The two oldest sons of the Rebbe Maharash were the Raza and the Rashab. One day, when they were playing outside, they had an argument about the difference between Yidden and Goyim.
The Raza said that Yidden are more special because of all of the Torah that they learn, and the kavana they have when they daven.
But the Rebbe Rashab said that couldn’t be. Because many Yidden COULDN’T learn Torah or have kavana, but they still had to be different than goyim!
When the Rebbe Maharash heard about their argument, he called them over. He told them to bring Ben-Tzion, a simple Yid who helped in their house. The Rebbe Maharash asked Ben-Tzion a few questions:
“Ben-Tzion, did you eat?”
“Yes,” Ben-Tzion answered.
“Did you eat well?”
Ben-Tzion shrugged. “Well? I ate enough, Boruch Hashem.”
The Rebbe Maharash asked further: “Why do you eat?”
“So I can live,” Ben-Tzion said.
“And why do you need to live?”
“To be a Jew and do what Hashem wants,” Ben-Tzion answered with a sigh.
Then the Rebbe Maharash asked that the coachman, Ivan, come. The Maharash asked Ivan the same questions:
“Ivan, did you eat?”
“Yes!” Ivan answered.
“Did you eat well?”
Ivan smiled. “Yes, I did!”
“And why do you eat?”
“I need to eat so I can live,” Ivan said.
“And why do you need to live?”
“To enjoy a good drink of mashke and something good to eat!” Ivan answered.
The Rebbe Maharash thanked Ivan.
Now his sons were able to see for themselves what is special about even a simple Yid.
The time of davening is a very good time for us to remind ourselves why we need to live, and to make sure we’re living that way!
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The third mitzvah of the “constant mitzvos,” the mitzvos we are able to keep ALL the time, is “Leyachdo.” That means to realize that Hashem is ONE — Hashem Elokeinu, Hashem Echod.
When we look around, it looks like there are many different creations, and kochos coming from the things we do. But when we learn more about Hashem and think deeply about Him, especially during davening, we realize that these are all really the same Hashem shining in different ways!
This is explained very clearly in Chassidus, starting with Shaar Hayichud VeHa’Emunah of the Alter Rebbe, and in the many maamarim of the Rebbeim.
When we learn about this Oneness of Hashem (Achdus Hashem), and make this understanding part of us, we are fulfilling the mitzvah of Leyachdo.
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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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When we are davening, we need to think about the basic meaning of what we are saying. In Shemoneh Esrei, we say, “Vesechezenah Eineinu Beshuvcha Letzion,” “Our eyes should see the return to Yerushalayim.” We say, “Es Tzemach Dovid Avdecha Meheira Satzmiach,” “The plant of Dovid Hamelech (Moshiach, who comes from Dovid) should quickly grow.”
Then, we will ask ourselves a question: “What did I do TODAY to make this happen?”
See Likutei Sichos chelek Chof, p. 384, Chassidim Ein Mishpacha, gilyon Chof-Zayin
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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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