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CHUMASH
Parshas Chukas - Sheini with Rashi
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Today we learn the ashes of the Parah Adumah were used, and what happened when Miram passed away.
After the ashes of the Parah Adumah were mixed with water (like we learned yesterday), a person who is tahor takes a branch called an Eizov, and dips it into the water mixed with the ashes. He sprinkles this water on the people who are tomei — and also on anything else that became tomei from a person who passed away.
Like we learned before, we sprinkle on the 3rd day and 7th day from when they start trying to become tahor. Then the person who is tomei goes to the Mikvah, and he becomes tahor at night!
But if anyone who is NOT tomei touches this water, he BECOMES tomei — but only for that day, until he goes to the mikvah and waits until nighttime. If he carries enough of this water to sprinkle on someone else, his clothes ALSO become tomei until they are dipped in the mikvah and he waits until night!
This is part of why the mitzvah of Parah Adumah is a chok, a type of mitzvah that we can’t understand: It can make people tahor from the strongest type of tumah, Tumas Meis, but it makes a person tomei when they help with it!
We also learn that if someone touches someone else who has Tumas Meis, he becomes tomei too — but not Tumas Meis. He doesn’t need the ashes of the Parah Adumah sprinkled on him — he only needs to go to the mikvah and wait until nighttime.
Rashi explains that the Parah Adumah helps the Yidden also do Teshuvah for the Cheit HaEgel. He explains how different details of this mitzvah are related to the aveira of the Egel and are a kaparah for what happened.
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Now the Torah tells us that Miriam passed away, on Yud Nissan, the year before the Yidden went into Eretz Yisroel.
Once Miriam passed away, the well that used to stay with the Yidden in her zechus went away too, and the Yidden complained. Moshe and Aharon davened to Hashem to give the Yidden water.
We see from here how Moshe Rabbeinu took care of everything the Yidden needed. As long as the water was there in the zechus of Miriam, Moshe didn’t need to do anything about it. But once it went away, Moshe Rabbeinu made sure that it came back for the Yidden. We will see later in the Chumash that the same thing happened with the clouds that were in the zechus of Aharon — after Aharon was nistalek, the clouds went away. But Moshe Rabbeinu brought them back to make sure that the Yidden were taken care of.
The same is true of the Moshe Rabbeinu and the Rebbe of every dor: The Rebbe makes sure that everything that the Yidden need is taken care of.
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Today’s shiur Tehillim is kapitelach Chof-Tes to Lamed-Daled.
The Frierdiker Rebbe told this story:
Once when the Mitteler Rebbe was 7 or 8, he davened for a longer time than usual — he davened “ba’arichus.” After he finished davening, someone asked him what took him so long! The Mitteler Rebbe answered that he stopped to think about something that is says in davening, and that made it take a long time.
Which part? It was a posuk from today’s Tehillim — Kapitel Lamed (30:3)! (We say this kapitel every day before Boruch She’amar.) “Hashem Elokai, Shivati Eilecha Vatirpa’eini” — “I cried out to You, Hashem and You made me feel better!”
The Mitteler Rebbe was thinking about the word “Vatirpa’eini” (“and You healed me”). He was thinking how that word is like the word “rifyon” — making something weaker. He thought that the posuk could mean “I cried out to You, Hashem, and You made my Yetzer Hara not as strong!” He was thinking about how Hashem helps us win over our Yetzer Hara!
Very soon, when Moshiach comes, Hashem will take away our Yetzer Hara completely! We will have won the fight with the Yetzer Hara!
Until then, Hashem helps us make it weaker so we will act the way Hashem wants us to.
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TANYA
Shaar Hayichud Veha'emunah Perek Yud
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Today the Alter Rebbe continues explaining what we started to learn yesterday.
We can’t understand how Hashem is One if there are many different midos (Sefiros)! Our minds are not able to understand how something which seems to be many is really one.
Still, Hashem gave permission to Mekubalim (the Chachomim who taught Kabbalah) to explain the sefiros and give a mashal for them. But the mashal is not from our own neshama, because we don’t have this idea inside of ourselves, but from something ELSE Hashem made: Light.
The Mekubalim called the Sefiros “Oros” (lights) — giving a mashal from the light of the sun. The sun has rays which shine from it, but we only call them rays when they shine in the world. When they are inside the sun, they are only a part of the sun, not something separate with a different name!
This helps us understand the oneness of Hashem with the sefiros a little bit.
The Sefiros are like sun rays from Hashem. When they shine on us, we call them different names, but the truth is that they are one with Hashem, like the rays of the sun are part of the sun!
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Today in Hayom Yom, we learn the best way to have parnasa! When we do our job, Hashem will do His job!
A very close chossid of the Alter Rebbe once had Yechidus. He complained that he was having a very hard time with parnasa.
The Alter Rebbe answered him: “Hashem needs YOU to bring the light of Torah and Yiddishkeit to everyone around you. You need Hashem to give you parnasa. You do your job, and Hashem will do His!”
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Today’s mitzvah (Mitzvas Asei #155) is the same mitzvah again, to make Shabbos holy, by saying special things when Shabbos comes in and when Shabbos goes out. We speak about how great and special Shabbos is, and how it is different than the days before and after it.
We learn this mitzvah from a posuk in Parshas Yisro (one of the Aseres Hadibros): זָכוֹר אֶת יוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת לְקַדְּשׁוֹ
The posuk means, “Remember Shabbos to keep it holy.”
Torah Shebaal Peh explains what this mitzvah is. The Mechilta, the Midrash of halacha, explains that this means to make a bracha. In Gemara, the Chachomim tell us that to make this bracha over a cup of wine. The Gemara says we should make a bracha when Shabbos ends as well, to separate it from the rest of the days.
That’s why we keep this mitzvah by making Kiddush and Havdalah!
The halachos of how to keep this mitzvah are discussed in the end of Gemara Pesachim, and in many places in Mesechta Brachos and Mesechta Shabbos.
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RAMBAM
Hilchos Shabbos - Eiruvin
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Perek Lamed: In this perek, we learn about how to show kavod to Shabbos, and how to have Oneg Shabbos. One thing we do is that EVERYONE helps for Shabbos! The big tzadikim in the times of the Gemara used to help with the cooking, the cleaning, or the shopping, to show kavod to Shabbos.
We also start learning the halachos of an Eruv.
Perek Alef: This perek talks about a kind of eruv called Eiruvei Chatzeiros. If many families use the same piece of property, like the hallway of a building or a courtyard, the Chachomim made a takana that it should not be called a Reshus Hayochid, and it is asur to carry there on Shabbos. But with an Eruv Chatzeiros, they can make the property into a shared Reshus Hayochid, so that everyone can carry there.
Perek Beis: We learn what kinds of things can ruin this eruv, like if one person doesn’t participate by giving some food to show that they are living together in this space.
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In this first perek of Hilchos Nizkei Mamon, we learn some general rules about what happens when an animal breaks something. The amount that the owner has to pay depends on whether he should have known his animal could do something like that (Mu’ad) or it was something it doesn’t ever do (Tam). It also depends how the animal broke it — by fighting, eating, or walking; and where it happened (in public property, or in someone’s private property).
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Once a Shliach went to teach a Yid about Yiddishkeit. He made an appointment to visit the man’s office. This man was a professor, who was very smart and not easy to speak to!
The Shliach started talking to him about Yiddishkeit, and the professor argued with him. The professor went to get a book to try to show the Shliach that he is right, and when he came back he saw that the Shliach is standing near the wall and shaking back and forth!
After he finished, the Shliach told the professor that he was davening Mincha before it got too late.
The professor was so impressed that even though this was an important appointment, when the Shliach had to talk to Hashem, he stopped right away to daven!
This professor became a Baal Teshuva and helped many other Yidden come closer to Yiddishkeit too!
The Rebbe told us that we should learn from here that even though manners are important, when we tell a Yid right away that we want Moshiach now, this will get his neshama excited! He sees that a regular person comes to him, and he’s thinking about Moshiach!
See sicha Parshas Tzav 5745
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One of the main reasons we say Kriyas Shema She’al Hamitah is for protection from the kochos of kelipah that are stronger at night.
After saying Shema and the pesukim that teach us to say it (Yaalzu), we say two pesukim that are about protection from bad dreams.
The posuk “Hinei Mitaso SheliShlomo” comes from Shir Hashirim. It speaks about the bed of Shlomo Hamelech, which had sixty strong men standing around it. Each of these men held a sword and was ready for war, in case of anything scary at night.
The Medrash says that these strong men are actually a mashal. Shlomo Hamelech had the words of Birchas Kohanim written on his bed. These 60 letters were like strong soldiers which protected him from bad dreams. Then we actually say the words of Birchas Kohanim.
(Birchas Kohanim is a powerful protection against not good dreams. We also say a special tefillah about dreams when we hear Birchas Kohanim in shul on Yom Tov!)
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There are a few different nuscha’os of how much of Shema we should say in Kriyas Shema She’al Hamitah. We follow the minhag that the Alter Rebbe brings in the siddur, of saying all three paragraphs of Shema — Shema, Vehaya, and Vayomer.
If you add up the words from all of these paragraphs, you will see that there are exactly 245 words. We add an extra 3 words to make a total of 248 words. This way, we can have in mind that each word of Shema should bring a refuah to one of the 248 parts of a person’s body.
We add the three words by repeating the last words of Shema, “Ani Hashem Elokeichem, Ani Hashem Elokeichem,” “I am Hashem Your Aibershter.” We then finish off with the word “Emes,” true.
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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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During Golus, we don’t look at our guf as something so special B’Ruchnius. We see that the guf makes all kinds of problems in our Avodas Hashem! It has taavos, it gets too tired to do mitzvos, and it distracts us in the middle of davening and learning.
But when Moshiach comes, those things won’t bother us anymore.
Then, we’ll be able to see and appreciate how special and precious a Yiddishe guf is!
See Sefer Hasichos Tof-Reish-Tzadik-Tes p. 335
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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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