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CHUMASH
Parshas Shoftim - Shlishi with Rashi
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Moshe Rabbeinu tells the Yidden about the presents that they need to give to the kohanim.
Shevet Levi doesn’t get a part of Eretz Yisroel like the rest of the Yidden.
Instead, they get to keep the presents that the Yidden bring to Hashem — parts of the Korbanos, the Terumah, and the first part of the wool when we cut the hair of our sheep, called Reishis Hageiz.
Why? Because the Kohanim and Leviim work for Hashem in the Beis Hamikdash.
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Today’s kapitelach Tehillim are Yud through Yud-Zayin. (Don’t forget to also say Daled, Hey, and Vov for Chodesh Elul!)
Kapitel Yud-Alef in Tehillim talks about how Hashem brings tzaros to a Tzadik, but really it’s all for his good.
The last posuk says, “Tzadik Hashem Tzedakos Ahev” — Hashem loves giving tzedakah.
When Hashem gave us the Torah, we were able to feel Hashem in the world and help the whole world to know Hashem. That’s the best kind of tzedakah there could be!
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TANYA
Igeres Hakodesh Siman Yud
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With all Gashmius things, we need to have the right amount! Too much food is no good, and too little food isn’t good either!
Since mitzvos are in Gashmius, they need to be done just right so we can get chayus from them. That’s why the Shofar has to be made a certain way, and a Lulav has to be a certain size. A Sukkah can’t be too small, and it can’t be too tall!
Tzedakah is also a mitzvah that has a “size!” Tzedakah is a very important mitzvah that brings Chayus to the whole world — it’s one of the mitzvos that the whole world exists because of! (“Al Shlosha Devarim Ha’olam Omeid”) We give a “chomeish” (1/5th of our money) to Tzedakah if we want to do the mitzvah in the best way, or maaser (1/10th of our money) for the basic mitzvah. That is the “size” of the mitzvah of Tzedakah.
Doing the mitzvah with the proper size brings the right amount of chayus of Hashem into the world!
IY”H tomorrow we will see ANOTHER kind of tzedakah that brings a different and stronger chayus of Hashem into the world!
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Every Yid has a treasure of good midos hiding inside. Our job is to inspire ourselves and others to want these kochos to shine!
Imagine that someone you respect tells you that there is a treasure buried in your backyard. He is SURE that it is there, he’s just not sure how deep it is buried. Maybe it is right near the top, or maybe it is very deep down.
Would you go out and start digging?
Every Yid is called an Eretz Cheifetz, a land with treasures buried inside! The treasures in each Yid are the Yiras Shomayim, Ahavas Hashem, and good midos. In some Yidden, they are right there! In other Yidden, they might be harder to find — but they are there FOR SURE.
In the mashal of a buried treasure, we see that some people will go and dig for a few minutes, and then give up and go back inside, while another person will keep on digging until he finds the treasure!
Why? Because that person has patience and is willing to keep trying!
This is true also with the nimshal of a Yid:
If we have patience and keep trying, we will find the first treasure inside of ourselves and other Yidden — the Ratzon that we WANT to be a better Yid. Once we have that first treasure, all of the other treasures will come too, because NOTHING stands in the way of Ratzon! Once someone WANTS to become better, NOTHING can stand in his way!
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In today’s Sefer Hamitzvos, we learn the mitzvah (Mitzvas Asei #169) of taking a Lulav and Esrog to shake on Sukkos!
We learn this mitzvah from a posuk in Parshas Emor: וּלְקַחְתֶּם לָכֶם בַּיּוֹם הָרִאשׁוֹן פְּרִי עֵץ הָדָר כַּפֹּת תְּמָרִים וַעֲנַף עֵץ עָבֹת וְעַרְבֵי נָחַל וּשְׂמַחְתֶּם לִפְנֵי ה׳ אֱלֹקֵיכֶם שִׁבְעַת יָמִים
The mitzvah from the Torah is that everywhere in the world we should shake the Lulav and Esrog on the first day of Sukkos, and only in the Beis Hamikdash (“Lifnei Hashem”) for all seven days of Sukkos (“Shivas Yamim”).
Only after the Churban of the Beis Hamikdash, because of the takana of R’ Yochanan ben Zakai, do we shake the Lulav and Esrog on all seven days of Sukkos, “Zecher L’Mikdash.” When Moshiach comes it will go back to the way it was before this takana.
The details of this mitzvah are explained in Gemara, Mesechta Sukkah.
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RAMBAM
Hilchos Shofar V'Sukah V'Lulav
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In today’s Rambam, we are finishing Hilchos Shofar V’Sukah V’Lulav.
Perek Vov: After learning about the walls of the sukkah and the sechach, in this perek, we learn the halachos of actually sitting in the sukkah. For example, we learn that you are allowed to eat certain snacks outside of the sukkah, but someone who is careful not to even drink water outside of the sukkah — Harei Zeh Meshubach, he is doing something very good and should be praised.
Perek Zayin: We learn about the Daled Minim, the Lulav, Esrog, Hadassim, and Aravos. We learn how to tie them together, how to hold them, and how to shake them. The Rambam says that a child who knows how to shake the lulav has a Mitzvah DeRabbanan to shake the Lulav, because of Chinuch.
Perek Ches: We learn about what makes the Daled Minim posul, and the special simcha we have on Sukkos — including the Simchas Beis Hashoeivah!
The Rambam finishes this set of halachos with a halacha the Rebbe would quote often, about how important it is to have simcha in Avodas Hashem! We can learn from Dovid Hamelech, who didn’t think about his own kavod and danced in front of Hashem at the time that the Aron was coming back to where it belonged. We should also never feel embarrassed to show our simcha in Avodas Hashem!
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One of the halachos we learn in this perek is that if we decide that certain fruits will be maaser, we aren’t allowed to switch it for different fruits.
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During the whole month of Elul, we blow the Shofar every day. Why? To wake us up and remind us that we need to act the way Hashem wants us to!
But we don’t just do it once — we do it EVERY day, so we will remember the whole month!
We see that hearing the Shofar more will help us remember more. So the Rebbe tells us it’s a good idea to blow it for other people too during Elul. Not only will it help other Yidden become inspired to do teshuvah, by hearing it again, it will help us also!
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Before we start Boruch She’amar, at the beginning of Pesukei Dezimra, we say the line “Lesheim Yichud.”
These words say that we are davening in order to bring Yichud, a close connection, to “Kudsha Brich Hu” and the Shechinah.
Kudsha Brich Hu is the level of Hashem that is the source of all of the Torah and mitzvos. The Shechinah is the source of the neshamos of all of the Yidden. By bringing a Yichud to Kudsha Brich Hu and the Shechinah, we are connecting not just ourselves with Hashem through our mitzvos, but all of the Yidden everywhere, through all of the mitzvos we are doing!
Some people say Lesheim Yichud before doing ANY mitzvah, but we say it just once here in davening, and have in mind that it is also for the Avodah of the entire day.
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If we have a Ha’eitz and a Ha’adamah food in front of us, it is usually better to make the bracha Ha’eitz first, since it is a more specific bracha. But if we LIKE the Ha’adamah food more, or we WANT it more (“Choviv”), we make the bracha on the Ha’adamah food before.
This is a detail in the halachos of “Kadimah Bebrachos,” which brachos are made first, which we will IY”H learn more about later.
See the Alter Rebbe’s Seder Birchos Hanehenin perek Yud
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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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The Navi Micha lived at the same time as the Neviim Hoshea, Amos, and Yeshaya. He warned the leaders of the Yidden that the way they were treating the poor was not making Hashem happy!
But Micha also said many nevuos about the Geulah, including some of the most famous ones! Here is one nevuah about Kibutz Galuyos:
אָסֹף אֶאֱסֹף יַעֲקֹב כֻּלָּךְ קַבֵּץ אֲקַבֵּץ שְׁאֵרִית יִשְׂרָאֵל יַחַד אֲשִׂימֶנּוּ כְּצֹאן בָּצְרָה כְּעֵדֶר בְּתוֹךְ הַדָּבְרוֹ תְּהִימֶנָה מֵאָדָם
Asof E’esof Yaakov Kulach — Hashem says to the Yidden, “I will surely gather together all of you!
Kabeitz Akabeitz She’eiris Yisrael — “I will surely gather the remaining Yidden.
Yachad Asimenu Ketzon Batzra — “I will make them like sheep surrounded by a fence.
K’eder Besoch Hadavro Tehimena Mei’adam — “The place I will bring them to (Eretz Yisrael) will be as noisy as a stall of sheep!”
Hashem tells Yidden through the Navi that even though we will have gone through a hard Golus, in the end Hashem will bring us all back to Eretz Yisrael, and we will be protected and happy!
See Micha perek Beis posuk Yud-Beis
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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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