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CHUMASH
Parshas Ki Seitzei - Revi'i with Rashi
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Moshe Rabbeinu is talking to the Yidden about the mitzvos they will do in Eretz Yisroel!
- The nations of Amon and Moav caused the Yidden to do an aveira (the story of Bal Pe’or), so a goyishe man from those nations who becomes a Ger, and all of his children, cannot marry a Jewish woman. The nations of Mitzrayim and Edom (from Eisav), tried to hurt the Yidden’s bodies, so if a man or lady from one of these nations becomes a Yid, the third generation is allowed to marry someone who is not a Ger.
- A Jewish army camp has to be very holy! If someone is tomei, he needs to go out until he can become tahor again. We need to make sure that there is a special place for a bathroom. If a soldier is too far away from the bathroom, he has to have a shovel so he can cover up the place he used, so nobody will see and it will be a comfortable place for Hashem to be, together with the soldiers!
- If a Jewish slave runs away from the non-Jew who owns him, we can’t send him back. And if a NON-Jewish slave runs away to Eretz Yisroel, we also can’t send him back. If his owner was Jewish, the slave needs to become a Ger, and will have to pay back his owner however much he cost.
- A Jewish woman is not allowed to be a Zonah — someone who makes other people act like they are married to her. A man can’t do that either! If someone DOES chas veshalom, and they get paid for it, that money is not nice money, and we can’t use it to buy a korban for Hashem. We also can’t use a sheep that was traded for a dog as a korban.
- A Yid can’t pay interest (ribbis or neshech) when he borrows money from another Yid (he can pay a Goy interest). This way Hashem will bentch you in everything you do in the land of Eretz Yisrael, which you are going to inherit.
- If you promise to bring a korban, you have to bring it before 3 Yomim Tovim pass! You aren’t doing an aveira if you don’t make a promise, but if you don’t keep a promise, it is an aveira. So be careful to only make a promise if you are SURE you can keep it.
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Today’s Shiur Tehillim is kapitelach Nun-Hey to Nun-Tes. For Chodesh Elul, we also say kapitelach Chof-Ches, Chof-Tes, and Lamed.
In today’s Tehillim, we say Kapitel Nun-Hey, which Dovid Hamelech said to thank Hashem for saving him from people who wanted to hurt him. Dovid Hamelech talks about how we need to have bitachon in Hashem!
He says, “Hashlech Al Hashem Yehovcha, Vehu Yechalkelecha” — “Give Hashem your problems, and He will take care of you.”
Chassidus explains that sometimes, we know where to go for help. We know which doctor is the best expert, which teacher has good advice, or how to earn the money we need. We have bitachon that Hashem will help that what we do will be successful, and things will be good.
But sometimes, we have NO IDEA what to do. We don’t know who to ask or where to turn to for help. Even then, we also need to have bitachon that Hashem will help us to come up with the right idea of what keli to make!
All of the things we do — like asking a doctor — are like taking out a cup (a keli) to catch the bracha of Hashem. But even if we don’t know what keili to use, because we have no idea what to do, “Hu Yechalkelecha” — HASHEM will make a keili for us! We should of course try our best, but we need to have bitachon that Hashem will help us even when it looks like there is nothing we can do.
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TANYA
Igeres Hakodesh Siman Yud-Beis
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We are continuing to learn a letter, where the Alter Rebbe encourages Chassidim to give tzedakah, especially when it’s hard!
When someone comes to us and asks us for a favor, we get excited! We know that we are helping another person, and it’s good for us too, and it brings Moshiach closer! Usually we LIKE to do nice things for other people.
But what if it’s someone who is annoying, or you’re busy or tired now, and you don’t want to do the favor? Of course we should still try to do the favor — we’ll still be helping another person and bringing Moshiach closer!
The Alter Rebbe tells us that when you DON’T want to help, that is one of the most special opportunities that there could be!
In the posuk the Alter Rebbe used at the beginning of this letter, there are two ways the posuk describes the mitzvah of Tzedakah:
1) Maaseh HaTzedakah (DOING the tzedakah)
2) Avodas HaTzedakah (tzedakah with AVODAH)
Maaseh Hatzedakah means you give because Yidden like to give! Avodas Hatzedakah is that even when you DON’T want to give, you will — because that’s what Hashem wants. That takes Avodah, doing things that aren’t comfortable or easy for us.
We will see in tomorrow’s Tanya, IY”H about the special opportunity we have with Avodas Hatzedakah!
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Today we’ll learn what happens when a Chossid goes into Yechidus!
The older Chassidim of the Alter Rebbe showed us that the word Yechidus has three meanings in Torah — and all of those meanings are things that happen to a chossid when he goes into Yechidus by the Rebbe!
1) The word Yechidus can mean CLEAR: We see the word Yechidus used this way in the Mishnah. It says that people knew something “Beyichud” — it was so clear, they knew it for SURE!
When a Chossid goes into Yechidus, something becomes CLEAR to him! He is able to see clearly where he is holding in Avodas Hashem, and where he needs to do better.
2) The word Yechidus can mean DESIGNATED (chosen for a certain job): The word Yechidus is used this way in Gemara! The Gemara says that Moshe was “Meyuchad” — designated for a special shlichus that only HE could do!
When a Chossid goes into Yechidus, he realizes that he is designated to do a special shlichus. The Rebbe shows him what special avodah he needs to do!
3) The word Yechidus can mean UNITED: We see Yechidus used this way in the Medrash! The Medrash says that the Yidden are “Meyachadim” — that we show that Hashem is UNITED and one with the world.
When a Chossid goes into Yechidus, he becomes UNITED with Hashem! He will be ready to even have Mesiras Nefesh, giving up the things HE wants to do, so he can do his special shlichus in the world.
Even now, there is a way for these things to happen to us! When we learn the Rebbe’s Torah, go into the Rebbe’s Yechidus room, and go to the Ohel, we can also CLEARLY see where we are holding in our Avodas Hashem, realize that we are DESIGNATED for a special shlichus, and be UNITED with Hashem so we are ready to do that shlichus no matter what!
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Today in Sefer Hamitzvos, we learn the same mitzvah (Mitzvas Asei #153) for the last time: How the Beis Din needs to make a calendar and calculate the months and the years. This is the mitzvah of Kiddush Hachodesh.
We learn this mitzvah from a posuk in Parshas Bo: הַחֹדֶשׁ הַזֶּה לָכֶם רֹאשׁ חֳדָשִׁים
The details are explained in Mesechta Sanhedrin perek Alef, Mesechta Rosh Hashana and Brachos.
Today we also learn a new mitzvah, (Mitzvas Asei #59) to blow trumpets at certain times. We blow them when we bring the special korbanos of Yom Tov, a happy time. We also blow them in a sad time — when we are davening to Hashem because hard things are happening. They can remind us that it’s from Hashem, and we have to do teshuvah.
We learn this mitzvah from a posuk in Parshas Behaalosecha: וּבְיוֹם שִׂמְחַתְכֶם וּבְמוֹעֲדֵיכֶם וּבְרָאשֵׁי חָדְשֵׁיכֶם וּתְקַעְתֶּם בַּחֲצֹצְרֹת
The details are explained in Sifri, Mesechta Rosh Hashana, and Mesechta Taanis.
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RAMBAM
Hilchos Kiddush HaChodesh - Taaniyos
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In today’s Rambam, we are finishing the halachos of Kiddush Hachodesh! In perek Yud-Ches and Yud-Tes, we learn more about how the Beis Din knows if the witnesses are telling the truth that they saw the moon. They make calculations to figure out if it is possible to see the moon on a certain night.
But just because there IS a new moon doesn’t mean that anyone can see it! Sometimes the moon is very low in the sky and someone needs to be on top of a mountain to see it, or it might be hidden behind clouds.
The Rambam explains what the Beis Din does if nobody sees the moon for many months — they can’t just make every month be 30 days long, because that will mess up the calendar! The Beis Din follows a pattern, like we do nowadays: one long month, and then one short month. That way, even if there are no witnesses, the Yidden will all be keeping a proper calendar.
One of the questions the Beis Din asks people is, “Which way was the moon pointing when you saw it?” The Rambam explains how the Beis Din knows if their answer makes sense: It depends on where the sun is! The part that we can see of the moon is because the sun is shining on it and making it lit up. (You can try this yourself using a ball and a flashlight in a dark room!)
The sun’s “path” (orbit) around the earth and the moon’s orbit aren’t like two circles on a flat piece of paper. They are both tilted in different directions, so sometimes the sun is a little bit higher or lower in the sky than the moon is. Since it is shining down at the moon, or up at the moon, it makes the moon look like it’s pointing in a different direction! (You can try this with your flashlight too!)
The Rambam tells us how to calculate this ourselves, so we can know which way the moon should be pointing on Rosh Chodesh.
We also learn the first perek of a new set of halachos about fasts that the Chachomim make for the whole town. If something scary happens, we need to daven to Hashem of course, and also fast to ask for Hashem to help us. The Rambam talks about WHO needs to fast, and WHEN we’re not supposed to make this kind of fast.
The Rambam says that if a person says that something just happened by chance, it is cruel! Hashem wants us to do teshuvah, and by saying that it was just by nature, it will stop us from doing teshuvah properly, and we won’t be able to get all of Hashem’s special brachos.
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Maaser Sheini is only done in certain years. How do we calculate which year something was grown in? We count from the Rosh Hashana for plants (that’s the regular Rosh Hashana), and from Chamisha-Asar Bishvat if it’s a tree! We also learn what happens if food from one year gets mixed with food from another year.
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The month of Elul is a time for teshuvah and fixing up the past year, and also getting ready for the coming year.
The Rebbe teaches us that each day of the month of Elul can fix up that day of EVERY month of the past year, and prepares us for that day of each month in the coming year! (Since there are only 29 days in Elul, Chof-Tes Elul also includes Lamed of every month, the same way that in a month of 29 days, we say the shiur of Tehillim for Yom Lamed also on yom Chof-Tes.)
So on Yud Elul, we should think about all of the “Yuds” of the year.
Some of the “Yuds” that might be easier to remember are:
- Yud Tishrei — Yom Kippur
- Yud Kislev — the Chag Hageulah of the Mitteler Rebbe
- Yud Shevat — the day the Rebbe became Rebbe, and yartzeit of the Frierdiker Rebbe
- Yud Nissan — the day before Yud-Alef Nissan
- Yud Av — the day after Tisha B’Av
Those are some of the “Yuds” in the year that should be easier to remember!
We can try to think of anything we did very well that we should do next year too, or a hachlata we made that now we’re ready to start keeping. Or, we might be able to remember a mistake we made then so that we won’t do it again!
See Hisvaaduyos, Tof-Shin-Mem-Tes, chelek Daled, p. 236; Shaarei Hamoadim Chodesh Elul p. 66
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We learn from Moshe Rabbeinu that we need to say Pesukei Dezimra before asking for our needs. Before Moshe Rabbeinu davened to be able to go into Eretz Yisroel, he first praised Hashem for the miracles of Yetziyas Mitzrayim. We learn from this to also praise Hashem’s greatness before davening for the things we need in Shemoneh Esrei.
But there is another reason also:
Not only does Pesukei Dezimra help our davening be proper, by praising Hashem first, but Pesukei Dezimra helps US to daven in the right mood! In the Mishna, the Chachomim teach us that a person shouldn’t stand before Hashem in tefillah when he is depressed, lazy, silly, or busy. Instead, a person should daven with Simcha Shel Mitzvah, with the joy of davening to Hashem!
Saying the words of Torah in Pesukei Dezimra helps put us in a mood of simcha, when we think about Hashem’s greatness and how Hashem takes care of us. This way, we will be able to daven in the right way — with Simcha Shel Mitzvah!
See the Alter Rebbe’s Shulchan Aruch, siman Nun-Alef se’if Alef, Likutei Sichos volume 34, p. 70
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After Hamotzi on the first night of Rosh Hashana, we have a very special minhag of eating an apple dipped in honey.
Here’s how to do it:
1) Dip your apple into the honey (the Rebbe would dip three times!)
2) Make the bracha “Borei Peri Ha’eitz” (have kavana also for other fruits you will eat during the meal or for dessert)
3) Say “Yehi Ratzon Milfanecha Shetechadesh Aleinu Shana Tova Umesuka!” “May it be Your will that this new year should be a good and sweet year!” We say it right after the bracha, even before taking a bite. This way, the Yehi Ratzon has the koach of a bracha, so that Hashem will surely send us a sweet new year!
4) Eat and enjoy!
See Halachos Uminhagei Chabad p. 13
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It is also a minhag to have pomegranates on Rosh Hashana, asking that we should be packed full of mitzvos like a pomegranate is full of seeds. A pomegranate is an important fruit, because it is one of the Shiva Minim. We learned in the halachos of the order of brachos that we should make the bracha Ha’eitz on the most important fruit! So how can we make a bracha on the apple, instead of the pomegranate?
We also learned that if we WANT to eat a certain fruit first, if we like it more or are more excited about it, that fruit is called “choviv.” Since the “choviv” fruit is more important TO US, we can say the bracha on it, even if the Shiva Minim fruit is right there.
Since this minhag of apple and honey is so special, and we say the Yehi Ratzon specifically for it, the apple is VERY choviv to us! So we say the bracha on the apple, and not the pomegranate.
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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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At the end of his sefer, the Navi Tzefaniah says a very famous promise from Hashem that will happen in the time of the Geulah! You might know these words from davening.
בָּעֵת הַהִיא אָבִיא אֶתְכֶם וּבָעֵת קַבְּצִי אֶתְכֶם כִּי אֶתֵּן אֶתְכֶם לְשֵׁם וְלִתְהִלָּה בְּכֹל עַמֵּי הָאָרֶץ בְּשׁוּבִי אֶת שְׁבוּתֵיכֶם לְעֵינֵיכֶם אָמַר ה׳
Ba’eis Hahi Avi Es’chem — At the time of the Geulah I will bring you back
Uva’eis Kabtzi Es’chem — And at that time I will gather all of you.
Ki Etein Es’chem Lesheim VeliSehilah — Because I will make the Yidden known and praised
Bechol Amei Ha’aretz — By all of the nations of the world.
Beshuvi Es Shevuseichem — When I bring back the Yidden that were captured
Le’eineichem — In front of your eyes (this is a hint to Techiyas Hameisim, because the Navi is telling the Yidden of his time that Kibbutz Galuyos will happen in front of their eyes!)
Amar Hashem — So says Hashem.
See Tzefaniah perek Gimmel posuk Chof
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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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