VEZOS HABRACHA - REVI'I

Moshe is giving the last brachos to the Yidden before he passes away. Today we learn the brachos for the Shevatim of Yissachar, Zevulun, and Gad:

Yissachar and Zevulun work together — Zevulun will earn money so that Yissachar can learn Torah. Because Yissachar will not be able to learn Torah without Zevulun, Moshe gives Zevulun the bracha first!

Shevet Zevulun should be happy when they go out to work, and Shevet Yissachar should be happy when they sit and learn Torah. The Talmidei Chachomim from Shevet Yissachar will learn all about the moon, and they will be able to calculate when it’s Rosh Chodesh, so all of the korbanos will be at the right times!

Zevulun will earn money by sailing big ships on the ocean and doing business with people from other lands. They will be the ones to get the Chilazon from the sea to dye the Techeiles (blue) strings of the Tzitzis! They will also make a big Kiddush Hashem with the people they do business with, and many of them will come to the Beis Hamikdash and become Yidden.

Shevet Gad already lives on the other side of the Yarden, with non-Jews living right near them. Hashem should help them to be able to have even more land, and to be able to guard the border of Eretz Yisroel so that nobody can come in to fight with the Yidden. Moshe Rabbeinu will be buried in the section of Shevet Gad. Even though nobody will know exactly where the kever is, it will be a zechus for the entire Shevet.

Of course, the men of Shevet Gad will do what they promised and fight in front of the other Yidden to get Eretz Yisroel, and only then will they come back to their section on the other side of the Yarden.

VEZOS HABRACHA - CHAMISHI

Moshe is giving brachos to the Shevatim before he passes away:

First Moshe gives a bracha to Shevet Dan: They live in a place near the border, and they get a bracha to be very strong to keep the Yidden safe!

To Shevet Naftali: They are happy with the part of Eretz Yisroel Hashem gave them! They will be able to catch a lot of fish in the Kinneres, which is in their part.

Asher should have many sons. They will make the rest of the Yidden happy because they will trade oil and fruit for grain. Asher’s daughters will be beautiful, and the rest of the Yidden will want to marry them.

Shevet Asher will have so much olive oil!

The mountains in Asher’s part of Eretz Yisroel have metal inside, and they protect the Yidden from anyone coming to attack the Yidden from the top (north) of Eretz Yisroel.

Now Moshe gives a bracha to ALL of the Yidden:

Your soldiers are strong, and keep the borders of Eretz Yisroel safe, as if they were locked tightly with metal locks that can’t be broken!

All of your life will be wonderful, and you will have plenty of parnasa — as much as you serve Hashem every day.

There is no one like Hashem! Hashem helps you, and keeps you safe.

VEZOS HABRACHA - SHISHI

In today’s Chumash, Moshe Rabbeinu finishes giving brachos to the Yidden before he passes away. Moshe Rabbeinu said many beautiful things to the Yidden! Here are some of them:

Because Hashem takes care of the Yidden, they will all feel safe to live in Eretz Yisroel, everyone in their own part. They won’t need to all squeeze together into the same place because they are scared of the Goyim!

Moshe didn’t need to say more details of the brachos — the Yidden have brachos in EVERYTHING!

Now Moshe finished writing the Sifrei Torah, because he will soon go onto Har Nevo and pass away.

VEZOS HABRACHA - SHVI'I

This is the very last part of the Torah!

Moshe went up onto Har Nevo, like Hashem told him to. Hashem showed him Eretz Yisroel, and everything that would happen to the Yidden there.

“This is the land I promised to the Avos,” Hashem told Moshe. “I am letting you look at it, but you can’t go in. You will tell the Avos that I did what I promised and gave it to the Yidden!”

Then Hashem took Moshe’s neshama with a “kiss,” like He did with Aharon Hakohen. Hashem buried Moshe Himself on Har Nevo. Hashem didn’t let anyone see exactly where Moshe was buried.

Moshe was 120 years old when he passed away. Because he was a tzadik, even after he passed away, his holy body didn’t change.

All of the men cried for Moshe for a month, because they missed learning his Torah. (When Aharon passed away, the women cried just as much, because Aharon made shalom between them and their husbands.)

Yehoshua became the leader over the Yidden, and they listened to him. Still, there was never another Navi like Moshe — Hashem talked to him “face to face,” he was able to be very brave and able to go to Paraoh, he was very strong to carry the Luchos, he did so many Nissim, and most of all he loved the Yidden so much, that he was ready to save them even when he had to break the Luchos!

CHAZAK CHAZAK VENISCHAZEK!

BEREISHIS - RISHON

YOM ECHAD: Bereishis — at the very beginning of Hashem’s creating the world, Hashem just made an empty world that wasn’t organized. He hovered over it, because He wanted to make it the place He would live. So Hashem said, “Let there be light!”

This light wasn’t regular light — it was a special “good” kind of light that made it easy to see the Ruchnius inside everything! But if that light would shine, we wouldn’t be able to CHOOSE to do what Hashem wants, we would KNOW to do it all the time. So Hashem put that part of the light away for when Moshiach comes.

The rest of the light was good too — but it needed to be with “seder” — only shining during the daytime. So Hashem separated the light and the dark — one for day, and one for night.

YOM SHEINI: The whole world was covered with water, and Hashem made that part of the world with “seder” too. Hashem made a sky, and put the part of the water that was like steam over the sky, and the rest of the water He put underneath. (When the water on the bottom complained that it wanted to be closer to Hashem, Hashem told it that the salt from the water would be used on Korbanos!) Hashem called the sky “Shomayim” — meaning that there is water there.

(Hashem also made the Malachim on this day, and Gehennom.)

YOM SHLISHI: Then Hashem made the water to have a Seder — instead of covering the whole world, part of it should go into a place and be the ocean, and the rest of the world should be dry land. This is also when the earth stopped being perfectly round like a ball, and became mountains and valleys and deserts! All the parts of the world were different, so different kinds of people would live there and serve Hashem in different ways.

Hashem saw that it was good, and now He told the earth to grow plants and trees!

Hashem told the trees that they should have seeds to grow more, and the plants also grew with seeds, even though Hashem didn’t tell them to — they did even more than Hashem asked! But Hashem told the trees to make bark that tastes like their fruit, and the trees didn’t listen.

Still, Hashem saw that it was good.

Hashem also made Gan Eden on this day!

YOM REVI’I: Hashem made the sun and moon (and stars and planets!) on the first day, but only today Hashem put them into the sky. They help us know when it is day or night, when time passes, and when it’s Shabbos and Yom Tov!

At first the sun and moon were the same sizes, but the moon complained. So Hashem made it smaller, and gave it stars to shine with it. The moon was still upset, so Hashem promised that the Yidden would bring a Korban every Rosh Chodesh to say sorry for making the moon smaller. When Moshiach comes, the moon will be bigger again!

YOM CHAMISHI: Hashem made the waters fill up with fish, and birds to fly in the sky. Hashem made two big fish called Leviasan, but they were SO big Hashem couldn’t let them have babies — they would take up the whole world! So Hashem killed the girl Leviasan, and saved the fish for a big Seudah when Moshiach comes.

Hashem told the birds and fish to have lots of babies, since some of them will have to be food for each other, and some will have to be Korbanos.

YOM SHISHI: Hashem made all kinds of animals and bugs and creeping kinds of animals on the world. Hashem didn’t give them a bracha to have lots of babies yet, since Hashem didn’t want the snake (who would make trouble) to get the bracha too.

Hashem asked the Malachim in a humble way, “Let US make a person.” (Hashem was also saying that a person will have ALL of the 10 Sefiros, just like Hashem — and animals are made with only one or two Sefiros.) At first some Malachim didn’t want to, but Hashem said that it is only fair — Malachim in Shomayim look like Hashem, so there has to be people on earth that are like Hashem!

Hashem made a person, that was like Hashem — that could understand things. The first person was like a boy AND a girl together! It asked Hashem to make it rain so everything could start to grow. Hashem made it rain, and soon the earth was covered with plants.

Then Hashem separated the person into a boy and a girl (we will learn more about that later!) and gave them a bracha to be in charge of the world. They should make it into a place where we can see Hashem!

Still, only Hashem is REALLY in charge, and they weren’t allowed to kill animals for food. They could eat plants, and animals that passed away by themselves.

Now that there were people, who would be able to make the world into a place for Hashem to live, Hashem saw that the world was VERY good!

SHABBOS: Now that Hashem finished MAKING things, it was time for Shabbos — to make this special resting day that is what Hashem made the world for!

Hashem gave Shabbos a bracha and made it extra-holy. Hashem also rested on Shabbos!

BEREISHIS - SHEINI

Now the Torah goes back and tells us more about how Hashem made people:

Hashem took dirt from all parts of the world for the body. He also used part of the dirt from the place of the Beis Hamikdash, where we bring Korbanos to do Teshuvah — so that a person is MADE to be able to do Teshuvah.

We learned that on the third day of the creation of the world, the plants started to grow. Still, they only started growing IN the ground. They didn’t grow up out of the ground, since there was no rain. Hashem made the ground wet, but it wouldn’t rain until a person would ask for it.

Hashem used this wetness together with the dirt to make like a “dough”, and shaped a person. Hashem blew a Neshama inside, as part of Hashem! He called it “Adam,” a person, from the word “Adamah” — earth, since that’s what it was made of!

Hashem filled Gan Eden with beautiful trees and plants (mostly apple trees) and put the person there.

The Torah now tells us more about Gan Eden: Hashem made two trees in the middle of Gan Eden — a tree of life (Eitz Hachayim) and a tree of knowledge (Eitz Hadaas). Rivers came out of Gan Eden and made the places they flowed to very good!

At first the person didn’t want to go into Gan Eden, because it was afraid of the mitzvos Hashem would give it there — having such a big job to be in charge of the world. Still, Hashem convinced it to go there!

Hashem told it not to eat from the Eitz Hadaas, or else it would die.

Now the Torah starts to tell us more about how Chava was created:

Hashem didn’t want the person to look like it didn’t need any help, or it would look like a Hashem! So He decided to split the person into two parts — a man and a woman, who would help him do the right thing.

Hashem wanted the person to WANT to have two parts, so first Hashem asked it to name all of the animals. Once it would see that ALL animals are married, it would want to be married too! The person figured out how to name all of the animals, based on their special kochos!

BEREISHIS - SHLISHI

The Torah is continuing to tell us about the creation of Chava:

Even though Adam looked at all the animals, he couldn’t find any for him to marry! (Remember, Adam was made as a man and woman together!)

Hashem made Adam fall asleep, so it wouldn’t see, and took off the part that would be used to make Chava. Hashem brought her to Adam, who called her an “Isha” (woman) since she came from part of a man (“ish”).

Hashem gave them a mitzvah to get married, and they did!

Now the Torah tells us about something that happens later, about Cheit Eitz HaDaas, because it only happened after the snake saw Adam and Chava get married:

The snake was jealous of Adam. IT wanted to get married to Chava! It decided to trick Chava into giving fruit from the Eitz Hadaas to Adam.

The snake asked Chava if she was allowed to eat from all the trees. She said, “Yes — except for the Eitz Hadaas, which Hashem said we shouldn’t eat or touch, because it will make us die.” Of course, Adam didn’t tell her that touching the tree was dangerous, but she thought that was part of what Hashem said.

The snake pushed Chava against the tree so that she did touch it! “See,” the snake said, “You didn’t die from touching the tree! You wont die if you eat from it either!”

The snake told her, “Hashem doesn’t want you to eat from that tree because then you will be like Hashem!” The snake kept on talking to Chava until it convinced her that it would be good to eat from the tree. It hoped that she would give Adam the fruit first, and then he would die, so that it could marry Chava instead!

But instead of giving Adam first, she ate the fruit herself! Then she shared it with Adam, who ate it too!

The fruit of the Eitz Hadaas changed them. Before, they didn’t feel embarrassed that they were not wearing clothes, because they didn’t have a Yetzer Hara. Now they did, so they were embarrassed and wanted to cover themselves up.

Then they heard Hashem calling them!

Hashem said to Adam, “Ayeka? Where are you?” Hashem wanted Adam to tell the truth and do teshuvah, but at first Adam blamed Chava for making him eat from the fruit. Chava also didn’t do teshuvah right away — she blamed the snake.

Hashem didn’t make Adam and Chava die right away, since they DID feel bad. But instead of living forever, they would have to die later.

Then Hashem spoke to each one of them and told them what would happen because of the Cheit Eitz Hadaas:

The snake — Hashem made it not able to talk anymore, and took away its feet so it could only crawl on the ground. People would be able to kill it.

Chava — Hashem made it hard for her to have babies. It would be hard to take care of them, and hard to have babies. She would want to be with her husband, but he will be in charge.

Adam — It would be hard to grow plants for food, and he would have to work very hard.

Now the world wasn’t as holy as it was before — Yidden would need to fix that and make the world a Ruchnius place again!

Now we go back to what we were talking about before — how Hashem made Chava.

Adam named her Chava, since she would be the mother of all living (chai) people.

And back to what happened after Cheit Eitz Hadaas:

Hashem decided to help Adam and Chava become Tznius, and made them special, warm, and comfortable clothes that fit them perfectly. They could have made their own, but Hashem did it as a chesed for them.

BEREISHIS - REVI'I

In the beginning of the parsha we learned about the six days of Creation and Shabbos, and we also learned that on the sixth day of Creation, after Adam and Chava were created, they did the Cheit Eitz Hadaas. Today the Torah tells us what happened after that, especially about the second major aveira that happened after the world was created, the story of Kayin and Hevel.

Now that Adam and Chava ate from the Eitz Hadaas, they might decide to eat from the Eitz Hachayim, which would make them live forever. Since eating from the Eitz Hadaas gave them a Yetzer Hara, that would mean the Yetzer Hara would also live forever! So Hashem had to send them out of Gan Eden, and put a malach there to guard it so they can’t come back in.

Before this happened, Adam and Chava had 5 children — Kayin and a twin sister, and triplets — Hevel and two sisters. They married their sisters, which was allowed at that time.

Hevel decided to be a shepherd, since the ground was cursed because of the Cheit Eitz Hadaas. Kayin decided to be a farmer anyway.

Once they both decided to bring Korbanos to Hashem: Kayin brought one of his plants as a korban, but it was not the nicest one. Hevel decided to bring his best and nicest sheep. Hashem was happier with Hevel’s korban, and sent a fire down from Shomayim to burn it.

Kayin was jealous, but he didn’t want to think that he did something wrong, so he didn’t do Teshuvah. Hashem told him that if he really wants he can also bring a special korban. It is up to him to be a good person and overcome his Yetzer Hara. But, instead of listening to Hashem, he got angry at Hevel, and killed him.

Hashem told Kayin that he will be punished for what he did! He won’t be able to live in one place for his whole life, he will need to wander from place to place. Also, even though the ground already grew less because of the Cheit Eitz Hadaas, now it will grow even less than it did before.

Kayin cried and asked why Hashem could not forgive his aveira. If he has to wander around, other people or animals might kill him! Hashem made a sign on his head so that nobody will hurt him, but he will be punished after seven generations. But Kayin didn’t really do Teshuvah, and he decided to live in one place even though Hashem told him he has to wander.

Now the Torah tells us about Kayin’s son Chanoch. Kayin built a city, and named it in honor of his son Chanoch. Chanoch had a son Irad, who had a son named Mechuyoel, whose son was Mesusha’el, who had a son Lamech.

Knowing about these people will help us understand what happened to Kayin later in the parsha.