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CHUMASH
Parshas Vezos Habracha - Sheini with Rashi
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Moshe is giving brachos to the Shevatim on the day he will pass away:
Levi: Aharon, who was the most famous Levi, was such a Tzadik! The Kohanim, who come from Aharon, will teach the Yidden Torah, and bring Ketores and Korbanos in the Beis Hamikdash.
If anyone tries to fight because they want to be Kohanim, Hashem should help the Kohanim win.
And if the Kohanim need to fight for Yiddishkeit, Hashem should help them! (This happened in the story of Chanukah — the family of Matisyahu Kohen Gadol won over the Greeks who wanted to stop the Yidden from doing mitzvos.)
Since Moshe talked about the Beis Hamikdash, now he gives the brachos to Benyamin who had the Beis Hamikdash in his part of Eretz Yisroel, and in tomorrow’s Chumash to Yosef, who had the Mishkan in his part of Eretz Yisrael.
(Even though Yosef should really be next, because he is older, Moshe gives the bracha to Benyamin first since the Beis Hamikdash — which is more important than the Mishkan — is in HIS part of Eretz Yisroel.)
Benyamin: The Shechinah will be in his part of Eretz Yisroel, as soon as the Beis Hamikdash is built! Once it is built, the Shechinah will never leave there.
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In Kapitel Ayin-Gimmel, Dovid Hamelech says “Beheimos Hayisi Imach” — “I am like an animal with You,” and in the next posuk “Va’ani Tomid Imach” — “I am always with You.”
The Alter Rebbe explains in Perek Mem-Vov of Tanya that Dovid Hamelech put this in Tehillim with Ruach Hakodesh on behalf of the Yidden in Golus.
Tzadikim are able to feel and appreciate the Ruchnius that comes down when they do a mitzvah. But compared to them, we are like animals who have no idea what is happening!
Still, just because we don’t appreciate it doesn’t mean it isn’t there! Hashem really IS with us when we do a mitzvah! Even if we don’t understand or see the Ruchnius things that are happening, they still are there.
This is especially true now, as we go into the Yom Tov of Sukkos. We are told that every day of Sukkos we have special guests, both the regular Ushpizin and the Chassidishe Ushpizin. Even though we may not feel that they are coming to visit, it doesn’t take away from the fact that these tzadikim are really here and celebrating Sukkos together with us.
See Igeres Hakodesh of the Frierdiker Rebbe, letter #3246
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TANYA
Igeres Hakodesh Siman Chof-Alef
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The Alter Rebbe is writing this letter to Chassidim who have been giving Tzedakah to the Tzadikim and Chassidim who lived in Eretz Yisroel.
Every city had a Gabbai who would collect the tzedakah from the Chassidim. Once a year, a messenger would come and collect this money from all of the cities, and bring it himself to Eretz Yisroel.
Many Chassidim would give whatever amount they were planning to give only at the end of the year.
The Alter Rebbe is telling the Chassidim that this is not a good idea! Instead, they should give smaller amounts as soon as they have them — every week, or at least every month.
The Alter Rebbe gives two reasons:
1) First of all, as we learned yesterday, it is important to have Zerizus in every mitzvah! We shouldn’t push off doing mitzvos, we should be doing them right away! We learn from Avraham Avinu how important this is — his reward from the Akeidah came mainly from doing the mitzvah with Zerizus!
This is especially true for the mitzvah of tzedakah, which saves a person from harm.
2) Second of all, doing a mitzvah many times makes a bigger difference than just doing it once!
The Rambam teaches, based on the Mishnah, that when a person gives tzedakah many times, he becomes more aidel! For example, if a person gives $300 or $400 one time a year to Tzedakah, he gave a lot of Tzedakah. But if he gives $1 every day, he also gets used to giving! This makes him a more aidel person and a better Yid.
According to Chassidus, it is also better to give tzedakah more often. Giving tzedakah brings the Shechinah out of Golus! Every time we do the mitzvah of tzedakah, we are taking the Shechinah a little more out of Golus!
So to become more aidel ourselves, and to bring the Shechinah out of Golus faster, we need to be giving tzedakah much more often!
That’s why Chassidim should give every week or month to the Gabbai Tzedakah, instead of only once a year, to be given to the Chassidim in Eretz Yisroel!
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in today’s Hayom Yom, we learn some of the Minhagei Chabad of how to prepare the Lulav and Esrog:
Our Minhagim: We only use 2 Aravos, but we can use many extra Hadassim! (There were many years when Rebbe used 36!)
Here’s how we tie the Lulav and Esrog: We use five rings — two just on the Lulav, hiding a little bit from the Hadassim and Aravos, and 3 close together (within one tefach — about 3 inches) around the 3 minim.
It is a hiddur mitzvah to put the Lulav together on Erev Yom Tov, and in the sukkah!
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SEFER HAMITZVOS
Shiur #99 - Mitzvas Lo Saasei #187, #186, #189, #190, #191, #192
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Today we learn more mitzvos about what we are not allowed to eat:
1) (Mitzvas Lo Saasei #187) We are not allowed to eat milk and meat together (basar b’chalav).
We learn this mitzvah from a posuk in Ki Sisa: לֹא תְבַשֵּׁל גְּדִי בַּחֲלֵב אִמּוֹ
The details are explained in Mesechta Chulin perek Ches.
2) (Mitzvas Lo Saasei #186) We are not allowed to cook milk and meat together (even if we aren’t going to eat it).
We learn this mitzvah from a posuk in Parshas Mishpatim: לֹא תְבַשֵּׁל גְּדִי בַּחֲלֵב אִמּוֹ
3) (Mitzvas Lo Saasei #189) We are not allowed to eat bread (Lechem) from new grain of that year, until the day that the Korban Omer is brought on 16 Nissan. The new grain is called “Chodosh.”
We learn this mitzvah from a posuk in Parshas Emor: וְלֶחֶם וְקָלִי וְכַרְמֶל לֹא תֹאכְלוּ
The details are explained in Mesechta Menachos perek Zayin, and many places in Mesechta Shviis, Mesechta Maasros, and Mesechta Challah.
4) (Mitzvas Lo Saasei #190) There is a separate mitzvah not to eat roasted grain (Koli) from chodosh.
We learn this mitzvah from a posuk in Parshas Emor: וְלֶחֶם וְקָלִי וְכַרְמֶל לֹא תֹאכְלוּ
The details are explained in Mesechta Menachos perek Zayin, and many places in Mesechta Shviis, Mesechta Maasros, and Mesechta Challah.
5) (Mitzvas Lo Saasei #191) There is a separate mitzvah not to eat fresh grain (Karmel) from chodosh.
We learn this mitzvah from a posuk in Parshas Emor: וְלֶחֶם וְקָלִי וְכַרְמֶל לֹא תֹאכְלוּ עַד עֶצֶם הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה
The details are explained in Mesechta Menachos perek Zayin, and many places in Mesechta Shviis, Mesechta Maasros, and Mesechta Challah.
6) (Mitzvas Lo Saasei #192) We are not allowed to eat fruit from a tree for the first three years it grows (Orlah).
We learn this mitzvah from a posuk in Parshas Kedoshim: שָׁלשׁ שָׁנִים יִהְיֶה לָכֶם עֲרֵלִים לֹא יֵאָכֵל
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RAMBAM
Hilchos Maachalos Asuros
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In today’s Rambam, perakim Yud-Daled, Tes-Vov, and Tes-Zayin, we learn about when a person is chayav to be punished by the Beis Din for eating asur food. Just like at the Seder we eat a certain amount of matzah in a certain amount of time, a person only gets punished if he eats a certain amount of food in a certain amount of time.
We also learn about when a food is botul and is considered as if it’s not there. Let’s say you have a big pot of chicken soup cooking on the stove, when your baby brother comes into the kitchen. He takes his bottle of milk and throws it on the floor. It opens, and the milk splashes all over the kitchen! Is it still okay to eat the chicken soup, since some milk splashed inside? The answer is yes, because it is botul. There is SO MUCH chicken soup, and SO LITTLE milk that it doesn’t make the food non-kosher.
There are many halachos about bittul. Some kinds of food can NEVER become botul, and sometimes you need as much as 200 times more of the kosher food than the non-kosher food!
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In this perek, we learn about fields in Eretz Yisroel: Even when we sell them, they go back to the person who sold them during Yovel. This is called Sedei Achuzah.
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Once in the city of Rostov, they couldn’t get very many Esrogim for Sukkos. They only had one or two Esrogim for the whole town!
One person who was lucky enough to have an Esrog, shared it with everyone so that everyone could do the mitzvah. Of course, when a lot of people touch an Esrog, especially if they have wet hands (like if they went to the Mikvah before!) it makes the Esrog turn brown!
Someone came over to that Yid, and asked him why he was letting everyone use his Esrog. “Don’t you know that the mitzvah is to have a beautiful Esrog? Why are you letting everyone use it and turn it brown?”
The Yid answered, “The most beautiful Esrog is one that is used by so many Yidden!”
Many people spend a lot of money on Esrogim, to buy one that is very beautiful. That is very nice and is certainly a hiddur mitzvah, but the REAL beauty of an Esrog is when we bring it on mivtzoyim and help so many Yidden who don’t even know they need a Lulav and Esrog, so that they could do the mitzvah! THAT is when we have a real beautiful Esrog!
Are you ready for your mivtzoyim this Sukkos? How many Yidden are you planning on helping this year to do this special mitzvah?
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On the Shalosh Regalim, including Sukkos, we don’t say the regular Shemoneh Esrei. There is a special Amidah for the Shalosh Regalim.
The way it is set up is similar to Shabbos. There are three brachos at the beginning mentioning the praises of Hashem and the zechus of the Avos, three brachos at the end thanking and praising Hashem, and one bracha in the middle about the inyan of the Yom Tov.
We start the middle bracha with Ata Vechartanu. Before speaking about the special Yom Tov, we first speak about how Hashem chose US to give it to! We say that Hashem picked us to be His nation. Hashem loves us and wanted us specifically. Hashem raised us up above the other nations, made us holy with His mitzvos, and gave us the zechus to carry Hashem’s name — to be HASHEM’s nation.
We will IY”H see the rest of the middle bracha over the next two shiurim.
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On Erev Sukkos, there is an inyan to give a lot of tzedakah.
The Mitteler Rebbe writes in a maamar, “Tzorich Lefazer Maos L’aniyim B’Erev Sukkos” — “You should generously give money to the poor on Erev Sukkos.”
There were many years when the Rebbe encouraged us to keep this special minhag of adding in giving extra tzedakah on Erev Sukkos, and also on Chol Hamoed.
See Shevach Hamoadim, Kitzur Hilchos Sukkos
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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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When Moshe Rabbeinu was born, Yidden were very happy. Among each other, they spoke about the fact that Amram, the Jewish leader of the time, had a baby boy Moshe!
When Moshe was taken to Paraoh’s palace, the Yidden were very worried. Their holy leader Amram’s son was taken away!
When Moshe ran away from Mitzrayim, Yidden didn’t forget about him. They always remembered him and spoke about him, until Hashem had Rachmonus and listened to what the Yidden were davening for. Then the Geulah came through Moshe Rabbeinu.
The same is true with this last Golus. We need to constantly talk about and think about Moshiach, and he will come!
See Sefer Hasichos Tof-Reish-Tzadik-Tes p. 330
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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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