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CHUMASH
Parshas Yisro - Shvi'i with Rashi
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In today’s Chumash, we continue to learn what happened during Matan Torah and afterwards!
When Hashem said the Aseres Hadibros, the Yidden could hear and SEE Hashem’s words! It was so powerful, they shook and backed up far away from Har Sinai! Malochim came and calmed the Yidden down and brought them back.
After the Yidden heard the Aseres Hadibros they asked that now Moshe should talk to them, because even though they can hear from Hashem, they need a neis to hear. Now they want to hear Hashem’s words in a way that their guf can hear them.
Moshe told the Yidden that they really don’t need to worry, since it’s good for them to be scared — it will bring Yiras Shomayim! Still, Hashem told Moshe to talk to the Yidden himself, so Moshe went high up on Har Sinai, into the cloud, and the rest of the Yidden stood back.
Later, when Moshe went up on Har Sinai for 40 days, Hashem told Moshe to remind the Yidden that they heard Hashem! They should be very careful not to do any kind of Avodah Zarah, to think that Hashem needs any “help.”
Later the Yidden will build a Mizbeiach to serve Hashem in the way Hashem wants!
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Today’s kapitelach are Tzadik-Zayin through Kuf-Gimmel.
Here are the first and last pesukim of today’s first kapitel:
ה׳ מָלָךְ תָּגֵל הָאָרֶץ יִשְׂמְחוּ אִיִּים רַבִּים
Hashem Malach Tageil Ha’aretz — When Hashem will show His malchus, the world will be happy
Yismechu Iyim Rabim — The many islands will be joyful!
And the last posuk:
שִׂמְחוּ צַדִּיקִים בַּה׳ וְהוֹדוּ לְזֵכֶר קָדְשׁוֹ
Simchu Tzadikim BaHashem — Be happy with Hashem, tzadikim
Vehodu Lezeicher Kadsho — And praise Hashem’s holy Name!
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TANYA
Likutei Amarim Perek Chof-Gimmel
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What happens when someone drives a car? Does the car decide where it wants to go, or how fast it should go? Of course not! The car goes only wherever the driver wants it to go!
When we do a mitzvah, our body is like the “car” for Hashem’s ratzon, what Hashem wants! We can feel like Hashem is “driving” us!
The Avos are called the Merkavah (wagon) in the Medrash. Every moment of their lives, they felt what Hashem wanted, and only did those things. Hashem was “driving” them!
That’s what happens when every Yid does a mitzvah — he becomes united with Achdus Hashem.
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Today’s Hayom Yom teaches us about our minhag in Netilas Yodayim before eating bread.
The Rebbe Rashab writes in one of his letters that our minhag is to wash our hands three times on each hand for Netilas Yodayim. (Some people do only two times, but it is a special hidur to pour water THREE times.)
The Rebbe Maharash would also do it this way, and would leave a little bit of water in his hand after pouring for the third time, to rub his hands together (shifshuf) after the bracha.
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Today’s mitzvah (Mitzvas Asei #105) is the same as yesterday’s — that Zera, a kind of liquid, makes things tomei. We need to follow the halachos about how it makes people tomei, and how it makes other things tomei.
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RAMBAM
Hilchos Shaar Avos HaTumos
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In today’s Rambam, we learn more about how we decide if someone is tomei or tahor when there is a sofek — when we’re not sure if they became tomei.
The halachos are different if someone is in a Reshus Hayochid, a Reshus HoRabim, or a Karmelis. These are also the different kinds of places that we learn about in the halachos of carrying on Shabbos!
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If a person forgot that something he did is an aveira and did it a bunch of times, are they considered separate aveiros or not? It depends!
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One night, when the Rebbe was in Vienna, he went into a shul to daven. While he was there, he put some money into a tzedakah pushka.
A knowledgable young man came over to him, and said, “How can you do such a thing? It says in Kisvei HoArizal not to give tzedakah at night!”
Later the Rebbe told the Frierdiker Rebbe what had happened. The Frierdiker Rebbe said, “That person probably doesn’t give tzedakah during the day either…”
The lesson the Rebbe learns from this is that sometimes when we want to do something good, people can say that we shouldn’t do it since we’re not doing it 100% right. But probably that’s because they aren’t doing enough themselves, not because of the excuses they are giving! So we should never let that stop us, and keep doing more good things, even if people tell us it’s not perfect!
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TEFILLAH
Birchas Hamazon - Hazan Es Ha'olam
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The first bracha of Birchas Hamazon starts with the words, “Baruch Ata Hashem… Hazan Es Ha’olam.”
In this bracha, we thank Hashem that He is the one Who is “Zan,” that Hashem gives food to us and to the whole world!
We say that Hashem gives food “Bechein, Bechesed, Uverachamim.” The Maharal explains that these three words tell us about the kinds of people Hashem gives to — whether or not they deserve it!
We praise Hashem for giving EVERYONE and EVERYTHING in the world food, and whatever they need. Like it says in the posuk, “Poseiach Es Yadecha Umasbia Lechol Chai Ratzon!” Hashem opens His hand and makes every person and animal satisfied with what they need or want.
We end off with the bracha, “Hazan Es Hakol,” that Hashem feeds EVERYONE.
Since this bracha actually thanks Hashem for the food we just ate, it is the main bracha in bentching! That is why kids who can’t say the whole bentching start off by just saying this paragraph, and why some people have the minhag to say this bracha in a louder voice.
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The Chachomim teach us that Kiddush needs to be in connection with a meal, called “Kiddush Bemakom Seudah.” The Chachomim learn this from the posuk “Vekarasa LeShabbos Oneg.”
When we make Kiddush, we should have in mind that we will be eating right afterwards. If someone wasn’t planning on eating right afterwards, he has only a very short time (Kedei Achilas Pras, like the amount of time we have to eat the shiur of matzah in) to start eating, or else he wasn’t yotzei the mitzvah of Kiddush!
Bedieved, if we were planning on eating our seudah, but weren’t able to right away, or had to interrupt because of something we needed for the seudah, we are still yotzei Kiddush.
We should be careful, though, not to leave the house, and try not to even go to a different part of the house before we start our seudah.
See Alter Rebbe’s Shulchan Aruch siman Reish-Ayin-Gimmel se’if Hey; Kitzur Halachos p. 178 fn. 10, from the Badei Hashulchan; and audio shiurim of Rabbi Farkash, halachos of Kiddush, tape 3
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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 seforim of Mussar, there is a very interesting mashal that will help us understand how it is possible that we can bring the Geulah:
Who can see farther, a tall person or a short person? Of course, a tall person can see much farther. But if the short person stands on top of the tall person, then the short person can see even farther than the tall one!
This mashal helps us understand how our generation, which is not as special as the generations before, is able to bring Moshiach. We are like a midget, a very short person. But we are standing on top of a giant, on top of the work of the giants in the generations before us!
So even though we might not be as strong or as special, we have the koach of the Torah and mitzvos and Mesiras Nefesh of all of the Yidden of past generations. That is how even one little mitzvah of a Yid in our times can bring Moshiach now!
See Toras Menachem Hisvaaduyos 5742, chelek Gimmel p. 1290
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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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