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CHUMASH
Parshas Naso - Shlishi with Rashi
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Now the Torah tells us about the day when the Mishkan was first put up — on Rosh Chodesh Nissan. On this day, the different sections of the camp of the Yidden were set up, with different levels of kedusha. These were the Machaneh Yisroel, Machaneh Leviah, and Machaneh Shechinah.
Hashem told Moshe that the Yidden who are tomei with a strong source of Tumah (Tzoraas, Zav/Zava, and Tumas Meis) need to go outside of where the Yidden are camping in the Midbar, so that the camp will be tahor.
Now Hashem tells Moshe about what happens if a Yid steals and lies to Beis Din that he did not do it. (This doesn’t only mean taking money — it could be saying that he didn’t borrow money when he really did, not paying someone who is working for him, or finding something someone else lost and not telling the truth about it.)
If someone steals from another person, and promises in Beis Din that he didn’t do it, later he might want to do Teshuvah. What does he do? He has to pay back what he stole, AND another 1/5. (That’s like giving maaser from that money two times.)
What happens if the person he stole from passed away? He should pay back the money to his closest relative.
But what if the person was a Ger Tzedek, and he doesn’t have any relatives (since when someone becomes a Ger, it’s like he’s a new baby, and not related to anyone)? Then to do teshuvah, the one who stole has to pay the money to a kohen. He also needs to bring a Korban to say sorry to Hashem, like we learned earlier in Chumash.
Hashem also tells Moshe that the Bikurim that the Yidden bring to the Beis Hamikdash need to go to the kohanim. Even though it’s hard to give away our very first fruits to the kohanim, we will get brachos from Hashem to be rich. Hashem warns us that if we DON’T give the kohanim what we’re supposed to, then Hashem will only give us as much as we were supposed to have given to the kohanim!
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In today’s Tehillim, Kapitel Mem-Vov talks about how when Moshiach comes, Hashem will make that there will be no more wars. The world will be quiet and peaceful. “Lechu Chazu Mifalos Hashem Asher Sam Shamos BaAretz” — “Go look at what Hashem did — He made the world empty (of war).”
The Alter Rebbe explains in Torah Ohr that this isn’t just talking about wars with soldiers and guns, it’s talking about fighting with our Yetzer Hara too! Nowadays we always need to fight with our Yetzer Hara to do the right thing, because Hashem wants us to work hard and become better Yidden. Then Hashem will be able to reward us for our hard work.
But when Moshiach comes, we will rest from our fighting with the Yetzer Hara, just like we rest on Shabbos from our hard work all week! Instead, we will put our energy into becoming better in kedusha itself.
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TANYA
Shaar Hayichud Veha'emunah Perek Beis
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The Alter Rebbe tells us about people, who even though they believe that Hashem made the world, they make a big mistake. They don’t think that there is such a thing as Hashgacha Protis or that Hashem does nisim.
How do they make this mistake? They think that Hashem makes the world the way a person makes a clay bowl. He can make the bowl and then walk away, and the bowl just stays there.
But Hashem makes the world from NOTHING! The world always needs the chayus from Hashem in it so it can exist.
Even though those people don’t believe in the miracles of the Torah, the Alter Rebbe tells us — so that we should know — we can see this from Kriyas Yam Suf! With Kriyas Yam Suf, the water stood up like a wall — but only when Hashem kept the wind blowing against it. Even though this was a neis with something that was already there, and Hashem just made it work in a different way, it STILL needed a constant koach of Hashem.
If that’s the way it is with something that is already there, of course the world, which is created from nothing, needs a constant koach of Hashem so it can exist!
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In Shir Hashirim, there are two pesukim that tell us about the world. From one posuk we learn that the world is called “Genuni” (we know about this from Bosi Legani!), and the other posuk calls it “Ginas Egoz.”
“Genuni” is a meeting place — where Hashem meets people. This is the way the world was at the beginning.
After Adam Harishon did the Cheit Eitz HaDaas, the world got another name: Ginas Egoz — a nut garden. Nuts (“egoz”) is the Gematria of “Cheit” — an Aveira. (That’s why we don’t eat nuts on Rosh Hashana!) The world is full of chances to do Aveiros, like nuts growing on trees.
Hashem gives us the choice to live in the world in a way of “Genunia Shel Hakadosh Baruch Hu” — a place where we spend time with Hashem, or chas veshalom to choose to live in a way of Ginas Egoz — a world of aveiros. It is our choice.
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Some mitzvos are not too complicated. They can be explained in a few Mishnas or a few pages of Gemara or less. The Rambam gathers them and puts them in a few halachos or a few perakim.
Then there are other mitzvos that have many, many details! We need to know how to keep the mitzvah in all kinds of situations, and every situation has its own halachos. There can be a whole mesechta of the Gemara or more explaining this mitzvah, and many sets of halachos in Rambam to show us just how to do it!
Today’s mitzvah (Mitzvas Asei #245), is one of those kinds of mitzvos. If you are going to do any kind of business, you need to follow the Torah’s rules about how to do it. We are learning these sets of halachos right now in Rambam. That’s why we keep reviewing this mitzvah over and over!
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RAMBAM
Hilchos Shluchim VeShutfim
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In today’s Rambam, we learn more about partners (“shutfim”) and the halachos for them:
Perek Ches teaches us about partners who share an animal or a field, and only one of them does all of the work. How should they split up the money?
In Perek Tes, the Rambam tells us about a special shevuah — promise — which is for partners. They both work hard in the business so they think that there is nothing wrong if they take something from it without asking the other partner. So there is this promise they need to make in Beis Din in certain cases and it makes them remember that even though they are partners they need to act honestly in their business.
Finally, in Perek Yud, the last Perek, the Rambam tells us many halachos about what the Beis Din should do when partners take each other to Beis Din.
All of these halachos help us keep the mitzvah of doing business the way the Torah teaches, which has been the mitzvah for so many days!
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This perek teaches us the halachos about the siman of tumah called “Michya,” which is healthy skin inside the area of Tzoraas. Usually this makes a person Tomei, unless it is at one of the tips of the body — like the tips of the fingers.
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Today is the first day of the seven Yemei Tashlumin of Shavuos. In the times of the Beis Hamikdash, Yidden could use these days to bring Korbanos that they didn’t have a chance to bring on Shavuos.
Now we also have a chance to make up for things we didn’t have a chance to do on Shavuos, like making hachlatos to learn more Torah.
The Rebbe points out that Tashlumin also comes from the word “Shleimus,” complete. Even if we did everything RIGHT on Shavuos, we should still use these days to do even MORE, so that our avodah is complete!
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It’s easy to understand that we should to ask Hashem to help us overcome our Yetzer Hara, and to bring Moshiach. But it is okay to daven for a new bicycle, that the stain on our shirt should come out in the washing machine, or to have spaghetti and meatballs for supper? What about davening that the scrape should feel better, or that the headache should go away?
Someone once asked the Rebbe if it is appropriate to spend a lot of time in davening, asking for all of the Gashmiyus’dike things he needs, and davening for health.
The Rebbe answered, “Obviously! Being healthy is actually a mitzvah! We are taught that we need to be careful to watch our health. The Rambam says in Hilchos Deios that a person needs to make sure his body is healthy and complete. Like the Alter Rebbe brings in Shulchan Aruch, you don’t have permission to hurt your body!
“In fact, according to many Rishonim, if a person needs something, it is a Mitzvas Asei Min HaTorah — a mitzvah from the Torah — to daven to Hashem for it!
“Obviously, it is not only appropriate to daven for health and other things, but it is a MITZVAH to ask Hashem to help us in everything.”
See Igros Kodesh chelek Yud-Tes, page 122
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The day after Yom Tov is called Isru Chag. The word “isru” means tied, connected. It is a day that connects the regular weekdays with the Yom Tov that just ended.
On Isru Chag, we bring some of the joy of Yom Tov into a regular day. We eat a little bit more than usual to show that it is special, and we don’t fast.
The Gemara says that someone who eats and drinks more on the day after Yom Tov, connecting it to the Yom Tov, it is like he built a Mizbeiach and brought a korban!
(We hint to this in Hallel: “Isru Chag Ba’avosim Ad Karnos Hamizbeiach.” If you eat “avosim” (fatty food) on Isru Chag, it is like you brought a korban to the corners of the Mizbeiach.)
See the Alter Rebbe’s Shulchan Aruch, siman Tof-Chof-Tes se’if yud-zayin
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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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In his nevuos about Moshiach, the Navi Yeshaya said “Velo Yikanef Od Morecha,” “And your Teacher, Hashem, won’t hide from you anymore.”
Like we are starting to learn now in Shaar Hayichud Veha’emunah, Hashem gives a chayus to the world the whole time so that it can exist. But this chayus is hidden.
The Alter Rebbe explains that this posuk also means that when Moshiach comes, Hashem won’t hide from us anymore! We will be able to clearly see Hashem’s chayus in the world.
See Tanya Perek Lamed-Vov
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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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