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CHUMASH
Parshas Vayeilech - Shlishi with Rashi
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Now Moshe tells the same thing to Yehoshua, before he leads the Yidden into Eretz Yisroel:
“Be strong and brave, Yehoshua! You will take the Yidden into Eretz Yisroel and give each Yid their part.
“Hashem is going with you, don’t be afraid! He won’t leave you!”
Then Moshe wrote down the whole Torah, and gave it to the kohanim and to the Yidden.
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Today we start the Tehillim again from the beginning! We say kapitelach Alef to Tes. The three kapitelach we say are Pey-Ches, Pey-Tes, and Tzadik.
Many times when Yidden were in trouble, the Rebbe would speak about a posuk from one of today’s kapitelach: “Mipi Olelim Veyonkim Yisadeta Oz” — “from the mouths of children and babies You get koach to destroy the enemies.” The Rebbe explained that the koach of the Torah and mitzvos of children is what gives us koach to destroy all of our enemies!
From this posuk we learn that when even a very small child or a baby says words of Torah or does a mitzvah, it is able to protect Yidden everywhere!
This is why chinuch of small children is so important, because it helps keep all Yidden safe!
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TANYA
Igeres Hakodesh Siman Yud-Tes
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We learned a very big question in yesterday’s Tanya — how can Chassidus explain things to us, even more than Moshe Rabbeinu was able to see with nevuah? Today we learn the answer.
We can understand with a mashal — the difference between seeing and hearing:
When you see something, you see that it is real. You know EXACTLY what it is.
But if you hear about something, you might understand about it, but you don’t really know what it is.
You can try this right now — think of something you saw, and try to explain to someone else what it is, just with your words. Who knows what it is better?
Only if you SAW something do you really know what it is.
Moshe Rabbeinu was a Navi. The way he understood Hashem was through nevuah, almost like the way a person sees. It is not possible for a person even as holy as Moshe Rabbeinu to see any more than the “back” of Hashem.
But understanding and learning is more like hearing — so there can be Tzadikim that UNDERSTAND even more than the things that Moshe Rabbeinu SAW.
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Our Minhagim for Rosh Hashana:
- When we bentch licht, we say “Lehadlik Ner Shel Yom Hazikaron,” and Shehecheyanu.
There are some minhagim that the Rebbe writes in today’s Hayom Yom that we already have in our Siddur.
- At Tashlich, boys should shake out the corners of their Tzitzis.
- When we eat the apple dipped in honey, we do it in this order:
1) Make a bracha on the apple
2) Say the Yehi Ratzon
3) Eat the apple!
- Even though it’s our Minhag to eat the head of a lamb (or a fish!) as a siman for a Shana Tova, we don’t say a special Yehi Ratzon for it — just for the apple.
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Today we learn two mitzvos about a Sotah.
1) (Mitzvas Asei #223) If a woman who is already married is suspected of acting that she is married to someone else, after her husband told her to stay away from that other man, she is called a Sotah. We need to follow the halachos of how she drinks the water to show if she did the aveira or not, how to bring her korban, and all of the other details brought in the Gemara.
We learn this mitzvah from a posuk in Parshas Naso: אִישׁ אִישׁ כִּי תִשְׂטֶה אִשְׁתּוֹ
The details are explained in Mesechta Sotah.
2) (Mitzvas Lo Saasei #104) The Sotah needs to bring a Korban Mincha, which is a korban of flour. Usually we mix oil with this kind of korban, but we are NOT allowed to mix oil with the Korban Mincha of a sotah!
We learn this mitzvah from a posuk in Parshas Naso: וְהֵבִיא אֶת קָרְבָּנָהּ עָלֶיהָ וְגוֹ׳ לֹא יִצֹק עָלָיו שֶׁמֶן
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In today’s Rambam, Perakim Alef, Beis, and Gimmel, we learn when a woman doesn’t have to drink the sotah water, even if she was acting like a sotah. For example, her husband has to be able to hear and speak, otherwise she doesn’t have to drink it. The Rambam shows us how we learn this from certain pesukim.
The Rambam teaches us exactly how the sotah is tested to find out if she did an aveira or not. She is brought into the Beis Hamikdash and her clothes are ripped so she won’t look beautiful. Dust and bitter wood are put into a bowl of water, and a piece of parchment that has certain words (including Hashem’s name) written on it is dipped into the water and the letters are rubbed off into the water.
The woman has to drink this bitter water, and if she did the aveira, she will die. If she didn’t do the aveira, Hashem rewards her for how embarrassing the mitzvah of sotah is, and she gets brachos for health and children.
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We give the kohen part of the wool of a sheep the first time we cut its hair, called Reishis HaGeiz. This mitzvah makes sure that the kohanim will have wool to make clothes!
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R’ Shlomo Chaim Kesselman was a mashpia in Tomchei Temimim. He once said something (that we think he heard from the Frierdiker Rebbe):
When we blow the Shofar, the Baal Tokeia stops between each set of Tekiyos. In the Machzor, it says that he should be “Misvadeh Belachash” (say Vidui quietly). R’ Shlomo Chaim Kesselman said that this means that we should picture the Rebbe’s face (Tziyur Pnei HoRav).
There is also a letter that the Baal Shem Tov sent to his talmid, the Maggid, that says something like this! In the letter, it says that before Tekiyas Shofar, the Maggid should think about the Baal Shem Tov, and his teacher, Achiyah Hashiloni, and then he will have hatzlacha and the Shofar blowing will bring lots of brachos for the Yidden!
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Since Rosh Hashana is the head of the year, every minute is extra special! That’s why it’s our minhag to spend every minute we can in saying Tehillim!
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▼ Jump to Coloring Books & Downloads ▼
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When Rosh Hashana begins, something amazing happens. All of the good things that Yidden did all year go up together to Hashem!
Then, through our Tefillos, especially during the blowing of the Shofar, a new chayus comes into the world for the new year. This new chayus comes from the Atzmus (the deepest part) of Hashem — and it is a chayus that never was in the world before!
Bringing down a NEW chayus like this is not something a Yid can ever do on his own. But Hashem gave us the avodah of Rosh Hashana, especially of Tekiyas Shofar, as a keili for Him to bring down this special koach.
How does the shofar blowing do this?
A shofar is the horn of an animal. An animal has much more bittul to Hashem than a person. We try to use davka the horn of a sheep, a very obedient animal. We blow a simple sound, no fancy music or notes. We show that we are crying out to Hashem, turning to Hashem and returning to Hashem, from our pintele Yid. We call to Hashem from the part of our neshama that doesn’t have its own ideas, that just wants to serve Hashem. And what are we calling? We call to Hashem, asking Him to please rule over us as King!
Through this simple call of the shofar, we are crowning Hashem as King and bringing down this new chayus into the world. This chayus brings along with it all of the brachos for all of the Gashmius and Ruchnius things we need in order to serve Hashem on a new level during this coming year.
See Likutei Torah, maamarim for Rosh Hashana
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Before we blow the shofar, we prepare ourselves for the powerful moment of Tekiyas Shofar. This is really preparing not only for the Shofar, but for the Avodas Hashem of the whole year!
Then we say the kapitel “Lamenatzeiach” seven times, and pesukim that start with the letters “Kra Satan.” Then we say one more posuk about the koach of the shofar, “Ala Elokim.”
The person blowing the shofar says a special Yehi Ratzon, asking that our shofar blowing should be good. Then he says the brachos aloud, having in mind that everyone should be yotzei the mitzvah of shofar. When we listen to the brachos and answer “Amen,” we should have in mind also that through this we are fulfilling the mitzvah of Shofar.
The main sound of the shofar is the sound that sounds like someone crying. This is either the sound of Shevarim, or Teruah, or Shevarim and Teruah together. We are supposed to blow this sound three times, each time with a Tekiyah before and after it. That’s why we blow so many sounds, to make sure that we are blowing the right sound three times.
In between Tekiyos, in our siddur it tells us to be “Misvadeh Belachash.” This means to do Vidui quietly. We don’t say anything during this time, and we don’t think about our aveiros. We think about how much we want to be close and connected to Hashem.
At the end of Tekiyos, everyone (not just the Chazan) says “Uvechein Yehi Ratzon,” asking Hashem that our Tekiyos should be accepted.
After this main shofar blowing, we also blow another 40 sounds in Musaf and in Kaddish afterwards. Until after these Tekiyos are over, we shouldn’t make any interruption, because these are also part of the mitzvah that we made the bracha for.
(After davening, we blow another 30 sounds to confuse the Satan, for 100 sounds all together.)
See Halachos U’Minhagei Chabad, p. 19
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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 Tashlich, we say a posuk from Micha, which is a nevuah about the Geulah: “Mi Keil Kamocha, Nosei Avon Ve’over Al Pesha, Le’She’eris Nachalaso; Lo Hechezik Lo’ad Apo, Ki Chofeitz Chesed Hu.” “Who is like You Hashem? He forgives the aveiros and overlooks the sins of those left of His nation. He doesn’t stay angry forever, because He wants chesed.”
(In our Machzor, we see that this posuk hints to the Yud-Gimmel Midos HoRachamim!)
The Meforshim also teach us that this is something important we need to know about the Geulah:
When the Yidden go through the terrible, painful times of Chevlei Moshiach, the hard times close to Moshiach, not everyone will survive. (Many tzadikim say that this already happened, during the second World War.)
The Yidden who live after this time might not be perfect. They may even have many aveiros. So how will Hashem ever bring the Geulah?
We say the answer in this posuk! Hashem will forgive the aveiros, and overlook the sins of those Yidden that are left! Hashem wants Chesed, and this chesed will bring Moshiach even if it doesn’t seem like we deserve it!
See Sichas Parshas Vayechi Tof-Shin-Nun-Alef
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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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