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CHUMASH
Parshas Haazinu - Sheini with Rashi
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Moshe Rabbeinu is continuing to speak to the heavens and the earth. He wants them to remind the Yidden in the future about how Hashem has always taken care of the Yidden, so they will realize how foolish it is to not behave properly.
Yidden, remember this, it’s important for you:
When people made Hashem angry, what did He do?
Those people were punished, I’m sure you know
Since they didn’t follow the path they should go.
(Of course, very soon, when Moshiach will be
He’ll reward us with so much GOOD — just wait and see!)
When the world was full of Resha’im, from far and wide
Hashem made a Mabul, and all of them died.
But when people worked together, all of them
To build a tall tower to fight with Hashem —
They were all Resha’im, they also deserved to die!
But Hashem didn’t do it — do you know why?
He let them live, because later WE came
All of the Yidden, from the family of Sheim.
Instead Hashem sent them to many destinations
Each with a new language, to be 70 nations!
(Like the 70 Yidden who later went down, you see
To Mitzrayim, until Hashem set us free.)
Just because Hashem loves us, he let them live
So later to us the Torah He’d give!
We come from Yaakov, from the Avos number three
Like a rope made of THREE strings, as strong as can be!
No other nations wanted the Torah, they were glad to forsake it
But even in a huge Midbar, we were happy to take it!
And there in the Midbar, we were safe indeed
Hashem took care of us and gave us all we need.
It was like a big eagle who flies through the sky
And keeps its family safe from everyone nearby.
It doesn’t scare its family, it warns them when it’s near
And carries them high on its back — they have nothing to fear.
Of course Hashem takes even BETTER care than them!
How lucky we are to be the nation of Hashem.
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Today’s shiur Tehillim is Lamed-Tes to Mem-Gimmel. We also say kapitelach Kuf-Vov, Kuf-Zayin, and Kuf-Ches as the three kapitelach we add until Yom Kippur.
In one of today’s Kapitelach Tehillim, there is a posuk that says “Ach Betzelem Yis’halech Ish.” It means that people don’t understand what to do in the world, it’s like a person walking in the dark, who can’t see where he is going.
The word “tzelem” (darkness) also means image (picture)! So we can translate the posuk as “Only with the picture can a person go.” What picture? A picture of the Rebbe! When we see a picture of the Rebbe, it reminds us how we’re supposed to be, and gives us the koach to do our shlichus with simcha!
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TANYA
Igeres Hakodesh Siman Chof
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If you learn the maamarim of the Alter Rebbe, you will see one question over and over: “Why did Hashem take a neshama that is so close to Hashem, and send it into a world where Hashem is so hidden?”
In every maamar, there is another answer, but you see the same question again in the next maamar! Why? Because this is something that should always bother us, and we always need to think about the reason why our neshamos are in the world.
In this Igeres Hakodesh, which was written just a few days before the Alter Rebbe finished his shlichus in this world and his neshama went back to Hashem, the Alter Rebbe answers this question. This time, it is explained in a NEW way!
The Alter Rebbe teaches us how Hashem created the world — about all the Ruchniyus’dike “worlds” with malachim. Still, there is nothing greater than how Hashem made Gashmius, and for a Yid to do a mitzvah with it!
When we learn this, we will feel how special it is for us to have a chance to do a mitzvah and help other Yidden do mitzvos. Knowing this will help us to do mitzvos besimcha, even when it is hard! By doing this, we will all be able SEE Hashem in the world very soon, with the coming of Moshiach Tzidkeinu!
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We are learning about the five steps to do teshuvah, which are hinted to in the five letters of the word Teshuvah!
So far, we learned about:
- Tof: Using our Koach of Tmimus — being serious about living the way Hashem wants us to
- Shin: Shivisi Hashem Lenegdi Somid — thinking about how Hashem is right here with us
- Vov: Ve’ahavta LeReiacha Kamocha — using the goodness inside of us to love another Yid, which makes us closer to Hashem
Today we will learn another tool, that is the Beis in the world teshuvah. There is a posuk, “Bechol Derachecha Do’eihu” — “in everything we do, we should know Hashem.”
All day, when we are doing things — like going to the store with our Mommy, or going to a friend’s house, or working outside — we see how things happen with Hashgacha Protis. On our way to the store, we might meet someone we were looking for, or at our friend’s house, we might be able to help with something that only we could do.
We see how Hashem made everything happen exactly the way He did for a reason. Business people, who spend a lot of their time dealing with the world, are especially able to see this! When we see Hashem in everything we do, we think about Hashem and it helps us decide to live the way He wants. Thinking about this is a part of teshuva.
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SEFER HAMITZVOS
Shiur #92 - Mitzvas Lo Saasei #52, #32, #55, #54, #354, #360, #361
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A Jewish marriage needs to be holy, the way Hashem wants! Today we learn more mitzvos about this:
1) (Mitzvas Lo Saasei #52) It is asur for a Jew to get married to a non-Jew.
We learn this mitzvah from a posuk in Parshas Vaeschanan: וְלֹא תִתְחַתֵּן בָּם
The details are explained in Mesechta Avodah Zarah and Mesechta Sanhedrin.
2) (Mitzvas Lo Saasei #32) It is asur for a Jewish woman to marry a man from Amon or Moav, even if he becomes a Ger.
We learn this mitzvah from a posuk in Parshas Ki Seitzei: לֹא יָבֹא עַמּוֹנִי וּמוֹאָבִי בִּקְהַל ה׳
The details are explained in Mesechta Yevamos perek Ches and the end of Mesechta Kiddushin.
3) (Mitzvas Lo Saasei #55) We are not allowed to push away a Ger from Mitzrayim forever. A Yid can marry the grandchild of a Ger from Mitzrayim.
We learn this mitzvah from a posuk in Parshas Ki Seitzei: לֹא תְתַעֵב מִצְרִי
The details are explained in Mesechta Yevamos perek Ches and the end of Mesechta Kiddushin.
4) (Mitzvas Lo Saasei #54) The same thing is for a Ger from Edom: A Yid can marry the grandchild of a Ger from Edom.
We learn this mitzvah from a posuk in Parshas Ki Seitzei: לֹא תְתַעֵב אֲדֹמִי כִּי אָחִיךָ הוּא
These above three mitzvos cannot be fulfilled nowadays, because Nevuchadnetzar mixed up all the nations, and we don’t know who really belongs to each one of these nations.
5) (Mitzvas Lo Saasei #354) A mamzer can’t get married to a Yid. (Someone who is born from two people who aren’t allowed to get married to each other)
We learn this mitzvah from a posuk in Parshas Ki Seitzei: לֹא יָבֹא מַמְזֵר בִּקְהַל ה׳
The details are explained in Mesechta Yevamos perek Ches and the end of Mesechta Kiddushin.
6) (Mitzvas Lo Saasei #360) A man who got hurt and now can’t have children is not allowed to get married to a Jewish woman.
We learn this mitzvah from a posuk in Parshas Ki Seitzei: לֹא יָבֹא פְצוּעַ דַּכָּא וּכְרוּת שָׁפְכָה בִּקְהַל ה׳
The details are explained in Mesechta Yevamos perek Tes.
7) (Mitzvas Lo Saasei #361) We are not allowed to hurt a man or an animal so that he can’t have children.
We learn this mitzvah from a posuk in Parshas Emor: וּבְאַרְצְכֶם לֹא תַעֲשׂוּ
The details are explained in many places in Mesechta Shabbos and Mesechta Yevamos.
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In today’s Rambam, we learn about what kinds of people are called a mamzer.
We also learn about women that a kohen is not allowed to get married to.
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We are not allowed to take sefichin (vegetables and grain that grow without planting them) during Shemitah, even though they grew on their own. This way people won’t try to plant things secretly. We are only allowed to take FRUIT that grows by itself, since everyone knows that a fruit tree had to be planted long before Shemitah for it to grow now!
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The Navi Yeshaya told the Yidden in one of his nevuos, “Dirshu Hashem Behimatzo,” you should look for Hashem when He can be found. “Kra’uhu Bihiyoso Karov,” you should call Him when He is close.
The Gemara asks, “When is the time that Hashem is found and is close? These are the days between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur” — the Aseres Yemei Teshuvah.
In a sicha, the Rebbe explains that the time of the Aseres Yemei Teshuvah is like finding a treasure. When you find something, you are getting more than what you worked for!
During the Aseres Yemei Teshuvah, Hashem is “found” (behimatzo), like finding a treasure. Hashem gives us more than what we deserve, by filling up anything that we were missing, and in a way of “karov,” closeness.
Even though the time is special by itself, if we USE the time by searching out Hashem (dirshu) and calling out to Hashem (kra’uhu), we can get even more!
The Rebbe’s secretary, Rabbi Groner A”H, once came into the Rebbe’s yechidus room to help with something. The Rebbe told him, “Now is an Eis Ratzon Milmaalah, a special time in Shomayim. Hashem is giving without limits! You just have to put out a container so the hashpa’ah doesn’t get wasted.” (Sipurim MeCheder HaRebbe p. 77)
The Aseres Yemei Teshuvah is also one of these times! We need to use the time to call out to Hashem and use this special time in the best possible way.
See Hisvaaduyos Tof-Shin-Mem-Zayin vol. 1, p. 59
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In the Aseres Yemei Teshuvah, we add many pieces in Shemoneh Esrei. We also add a kapitel of Tehillim after Pesukei DeZimra, before starting the Birchos Kriyas Shema. This kapitel starts with the words “Shir Hamaalos, Mimaamakim Kerasicha Hashem.” “A song of going higher, from the deep places I called out to You, Hashem.”
Why do we say this kapitel?
In Likutei Torah, the Alter Rebbe explains that before a neshama comes into a body, it feels very close to Hashem. But when it comes into a body, that feeling gets hidden. For most of the year, we aren’t thinking about that strong love for Hashem.
In the Aseres Yemei Teshuvah, Hashem comes very close to Yidden. This kapitel gives us the words to tell Hashem how we feel. A Yid calls out from the deepest part of the neshama, “Hashem, listen to my voice! Hear the strong love for You that is hiding inside of me, and bring me close to You.”
With this deep and strong feeling, we can decide that we are going to behave the way Hashem wants from us the whole year!
Not only that, but because this feeling comes from such a deep place in our neshama, it brings us a chayus from Hashem that is ALSO very deep! This chayus is so strong that it can fill in and fix up the mistakes and the wrong things we did during the year, so that the chayus and brachos of Hashem that need to come into the year are complete.
See Likutei Torah, dibur hamas’chil Shir Hamaalos
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We need to work harder to do teshuvah for “maybe” aveiros, things we weren’t sure were wrong.
During the Aseres Yemei Teshuvah, Hashem is very close to us, and He WANTS to forgive us for everything we did wrong during the year. Hashem WANTS us to do teshuvah so He can seal the judgment for a good year!
So during these days, we think about the things we did wrong during the year. We tell Hashem we are sorry, and we decide that we will act differently from now on.
Some things we KNOW we did wrong. We know that playing video games instead of davening is wrong! We know that getting into a fight with our brother is wrong! When we think about those things, we will really feel bad, and make a hachlata to change.
But then there are things that we aren’t sure were wrong. If we ate the candy without checking for a hechsher first, it MIGHT have been kosher, right? And speaking that way to our parents — was it REALLY chutzpadik, or maybe it wasn’t so bad? And it might not be so terrible that we took her crayons without asking — she wouldn’t mind, right?
For those kind of things, we need to work HARDER to do teshuvah! Since we aren’t sure they were wrong at all, we don’t feel so bad about them. But until we realize that they were wrong, we can’t do a proper teshuvah!
We need to think about how it is wrong to be careless about these mitzvos, since an aveira is such a serious thing. We decide that we will be much more careful in the future!
In the times of the Beis Hamikdash, we brought korbanos as part of doing teshuvah. Because it is harder to do teshuvah for a “maybe” aveira, the korban for this kind of aveira (an Asham Talui) was more expensive than the korban for an aveira that we were sure about (a Korban Chatas)!
From here we see that the teshuvah for a “maybe” aveira needs to be STRONGER than the teshuvah for an aveira we are sure we did wrong.
See the Alter Rebbe’s Shulchan Aruch, siman Tof-Reish-Gimmel
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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 Chabad House in S Paolo, Brazil, would print a monthly newspaper. When they were preparing the 100th issue, after almost 8 years of printing it every month, they wrote to the Rebbe.
The Rebbe was very happy to hear about this, and gave them a bracha to reach 200 issues!
But a person might wonder — another 100 issues will take so many years. Won’t Moshiach be here by then?
The Rebbe explained that even when Moshiach comes, we will need to be teaching Yidden Torah!
The best way to prepare for Moshiach is by doing things like this, that help Yidden understand Torah and do actual mitzvos!
See Likutei Sichos chelek Chof-Gimmel, p. 486-487
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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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