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CHUMASH
Parshas Bo - Shlishi with Rashi
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As part of their shlichus to take the Yidden out of Mitzrayim, Moshe and Aharon have already brought many of the makos.
Now Paraoh called for Moshe Rabbeinu and said, “Okay, you can go serve Hashem, and even bring your children. Just leave your animals here to prove you’re coming back.”
Moshe said, “We need all of our animals for korbanos. We’ll even need some of YOUR animals! Since we won’t know what Hashem will want us to bring for korbanos, maybe our own won’t be enough.”
Hashem made it hard for Paraoh to do teshuvah again, and Paraoh said, “No way! Go away from here! I don’t want to see you ever again!”
Moshe answered, “Yes indeed — I will not again come to see your face.”
10: Makas Bechoros (death of the firstborn)
While they were still in front of Paraoh, Hashem told Moshe a nevuah about the last makah which would be sent: Every firstborn would be killed. Then Paraoh will finally send the Yidden out of Mitzrayim!
The Yidden should ask the Mitzriyim to give them gold and silver, so they will go out rich, like Hashem promised Avraham.
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Today’s kapitelach of Tehillim are Yud through Yud-Zayin.
In one of the pesukim in today’s Tehillim, Dovid Hamelech says, “Shivisi Hashem Lenegdi Somid” — “I always place Hashem before me.”
In the first se’if of Shulchan Aruch, the Ramo brings this posuk. He explains that this is a “Klal Gadol BaTorah,” a basic inyan in Torah. A Yid should always remember that Hashem is in front of him, which will help him have Yiras Shomayim and act the way Hashem wants him to!
The Shulchan Aruch is a sefer that was written to make it clear for a Yid to know the halachos of how to live. That’s why it is called “Shulchan Aruch,” meaning a set table. When the table is already set, you just need to come and sit down, because everything is ready! In the Shulchan Aruch, R’ Yosef Caro, also known as the Mechaber because he put this sefer together, set out all of the halachos in a clear way, so that Yidden would not be confused what they should do.
But the Mechaber was a Sefardi, and there are some differences in halacha for Ashkenazim. There are also many minhagim kept by Ashkenazi Yidden, and some of them became halacha.
R’ Moshe Isserlis, known as the Ramo, lived in Krakow, Poland. He saw that the Shulchan Aruch was not enough on its own for Ashkenazi Yidden. He wrote a pirush on the Shulchan Aruch, which was called “Mapas Hashulchan,” “the tablecloth.” This pirush showed Yidden what to do whenever there was a difference in halacha between Ashnekazim and Sefardim. It made it possible for every Yid to follow the Shulchan Aruch, together with their minhagim! It brought tremendous achdus among Yidden.
In the first se’if of Shulchan Aruch, we learn that “Shivisi Hashem Lenegdi Somid,” from today’s Tehillim, is a Klal Gadol BaTorah, an important basic inyan in Torah.
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TANYA
Likutei Amarim Perek Tes-Vov
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In today’s Tanya, we learn more about someone who serves Hashem (avado) and someone who “doesn’t serve Hashem” (lo avado).
The Gemara explains that the difference is that an “avado” does at least one tiny bit more than he is used to — he is working! So in the times of the Gemara, where everybody reviewed what they learned 100 times, an avado, someone who works to serve Hashem, would learn it 101 times! It’s only one extra time, but since he’s not used to it, he has to work hard to do it! He really needs to fight his Yetzer Hara.
The Gemara gives an example for someone who is an Oved Hashem, from a donkey rental. At a donkey rental in those days, people needed to pay the driver based on how far the donkey would need to go. A normal trip was 10 parsa long, and that cost one zuz. But to rent a donkey for a trip that was 11 parsa long cost double as much, TWO zuz! Since the trip was longer than usual, that one extra parsa was as hard as the whole first ten.
That’s what an Oved Hashem is — someone who does something more than what he is used to. Just like in the donkey rental, that extra little bit is worth just as much as the whole avodah that he was used to doing. To do more, you really have to want to do something for Hashem!
A beinoni should try to be someone who SERVES Hashem (Avado) — working hard to wake up his love for Hashem to do more than what he is used to!
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In today’s Hayom Yom, we learn about the maamar “Der Frumer Va’eira.”
The Alter Rebbe used to say a certain maamar every three years, on Parshas Va’eira. Each time, it was said almost exactly the same. The Chassidim would call it “Der Frumer Va’eira” — because it made them want to do teshuvah and become more frum.
The Tzemach Tzedek (who heard these maamarim from the Alter Rebbe) said that every time it was something new!
The Rebbe Maharash explained that even though the words were the same, since the Alter Rebbe was teaching it, every time he said the maamar it was something new.
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Today's mitzvah (Mitzvas Asei #108) is about Mei Nidah — the water that is mixed with the ashes of the Parah Adumah. There are some kinds of things that it makes tamei, and other things that it makes tahor! (For example, it makes someone who gets sprinkled with it, tahor; but someone who touches it when they are not sprinkling it on someone becomes tomei!) The mitzvah is to follow all of these halachos.
At the end of this mitzvah, the Rambam tells us the source of all of the mitzvos of Tumah and Tahara in the Torah (Parshas Shemini, Tazria, Metzora, and Chukas) and where they are explained in Mishnayos (Seder Taharos), and which mesechtos explain which mitzvos.
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In today’s Rambam, we learn halachos of the Mei Nidah:
Perek Ches: We learn about BRINGING water to mix with ashes of the Parah Adumah. We are not allowed to make a hefsek, to do something else along the way, or while carrying the water. We ARE allowed to do things we need to do in order to bring the water, like making a path to walk on. If someone does something that was NOT needed for the water before he mixes the water with the ashes, the water is posul and can’t be used.
Perek Tes: In this perek we learn about MIXING the water with the ashes — we learn how to do it, and things that can make it posul.
Perek Yud: The Rambam teaches us about USING the water of the Parah Adumah (haza’ah) — how we sprinkle it, and who is allowed to sprinkle it.
We learn that one person can sprinkle even on hundreds of people, and as long as they each get at least a drop of water sprinkled on them, they are all tahor!
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In this perek, the Rambam teaches us the Halachos of how we eat the Korban Pesach in a group.
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In today’s Hayom Yom, we learned about the maamar of the Alter Rebbe called the “Frumer Va’eira.”
The Rebbe spoke about the Frumer Va’eira in a sicha of Parshas Va’eira Tof-Shin-Yud-Beis. The Rebbe said that since the maamar was only printed once, and it had some mistakes, he would chazer it for the chassidim. The Rebbe said the maamar, and cried a lot while saying it.
One of the main points of the “Frumer Va’eira” is that our neshama needs to use EVERY SINGLE opportunity it has to connect to Hashem through Torah and mitzvos. When we realize how important this is, it will lead us to dedicate ourselves to every opportunity Hashem gives us. It will also help us do a proper teshuvah so that Hashem will “fill in” any chance we may have missed. (This maamar was recently translated, and is also available online in English.)
A month later the Rebbe spoke more about this inyan in a very famous maamar, called “Lo Sihiyeh Meshakeilah.” In the middle of saying this maamar, the Rebbe put his head down on the table and cried for a long time. The Rebbe spoke about how busy we need to be with our shlichus, and treasure every moment.
(Here is a link to the maamar Lo Sihiyeh Meshakeilah online, in Hebrew and English.)
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The first thing we do when we wake up in the morning is to say Birchos Hashachar. We thank Hashem for the things we might take for granted, but are really a daily gift from Hashem!
Hashem gives us back our neshama, gives us new chayus, and gives us a healthy body. We are able to wake up and get out of bed, walk around, get dressed and put on shoes, and do so many special mitzvos! We ask Hashem to bring us hatzlacha so our day goes the way Hashem wants it to, and with only good things.
Then we say some very important brachos, the Birchos HaTorah. In these brachos, we show how happy and thankful we are that Hashem gave us the Torah!
The Chachomim say that Eretz Yisroel was destroyed because even though the Yidden learned a lot of Torah, they didn’t make a bracha on it first, to show that they knew Who gives us the Torah. They learned Torah because it is very interesting, but didn’t appreciate that it is Hashem’s Chochma, a very special gift from Hashem.
Because they weren’t careful with the kedusha of the Torah, the Torah didn’t protect them, and Eretz Yisroel was destroyed. But when we say a bracha first, reminding ourselves Who gave us the Torah, we will be zoche to the bracha we ask for in Birchos HaTorah, that the Torah will stay with us and our children forever!
See the Alter Rebbe’s Shulchan Aruch, siman 47
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We are not allowed to say any words of Torah before we say the Birchos HaTorah that are in Birchos Hashachar. We don’t say pesukim from Torah Shebichsav, and we are also not allowed to learn from Torah Shebaal Peh, or speak about ideas from Torah. (We are allowed to THINK words of Torah, though, before saying the Birchos HaTorah.)
Even though some parts of Birchos Hashachar come from the Gemara, we are allowed to say them before the Birchos HaTorah. That is because we are saying them as a tefillah, and not as words of Torah.
See the Alter Rebbe’s Shulchan Aruch, siman 47
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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 Navi Micha says: Kimei Tzeischa Me’Eretz Mitzrayim, Arenu Niflaos! At the time of the Geulah, Hashem promises to show us nisim like He did in the times of Yetziyas Mitzrayim!
This teaches us that Yetziyas Mitzrayim is very connected to the Geulah — it is like a mashal that helps us understand how the Geulah will be!
For example, one of the things the Yidden did that helped them deserve the Geulah was the Korban Pesach. The Yidden took the Avodah Zarah of Mitzrayim, and went to do what Hashem asked them to. They ignored whatever the Mitzriyim said, and did the mitzvah proudly.
This is also how we can deserve the Geulah: By being strong and proud with our Yiddishkeit, not worrying what other people say, Hashem will see that we are ready to do whatever He asks us to! Then we will be ready to have Moshiach now!
See Likutei Sichos chelek Alef parshas Bo
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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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