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In last week’s parsha we started learning about how Hashem gave Moshe Rabbeinu instructions how to build the Mishkan. Today we learn about lighting the Menorah, and we start to learn about the clothing of the Kohanim. Hashem tells Moshe about how to make the kind of olive oil we need to use for the menorah: We should only use the oil that comes out when the olive skin is first broken by getting squeezed, before the olives get squashed by something heavy or are ground up. This is how the Menorah should be lit: The kohen needs to hold the flame close to the wick for enough time to make sure the wick is burning on its own. The kohanim should put in enough oil in the menorah so it will burn all night. Now Hashem tells Moshe about the clothes the Kohanim should wear — 8 special pieces of clothing for the Kohen Gadol, and 4 for the other Kohanim. Today Hashem tells Moshe about the Efod: The Efod should be made out of colorful threads like the curtains of the Mishkan will be made out of. It is like an apron that is worn backwards — so it doesn’t cover the Kohen Gadol in the front. The Efod is made with a belt as part of it, and shoulder straps attached to it. The Yidden should also take two precious stones, and engrave the names of the Shevatim on them — half of the Shevatim on each stone. This way, whenever the Kohen Gadol will go into the Mishkan, Hashem will remember how special the Yidden are! |
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In today’s Tehillim we have a posuk that says “Hashem Oz Le’amo Yitein, Hashem Yevarech Es Amo Bashalom.” “Hashem gives strength to His nation, Hashem bentches His nation with shalom.” What exactly is Hashem giving to us? In Torah Shebaal Peh we learn that this posuk is talking about Torah! The Chachomim explain that Oz (strength) means Torah — Hashem gives us the Torah, which gives us strength. How does Torah give us strength? When we learn Torah and we know that the words of Torah that we are saying are the words that were said by Moshe Rabbeinu on Har Sinai, and were revealed to us by the tzadikim and Chachomim throughout the generations, we will know we are saying THEIR words! These holy words give strength to our neshama and makes our Yetzer Hara weaker, so we are able to be successful in our shlichus. See Torah Ohr parshas Yisro |
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A Yid shouldn’t get upset that he always has to make sure he doesn’t think about the bad thoughts that come into his mind. Every time he pushes away a bad thought and thinks about something else instead, especially something about kedusha, it brings a great nachas to Hashem! Hashem has two different kinds of nachas: Nachas from tzadikim, and nachas from Yidden who are trying to be a beinoni. A tzadik takes the Yetzer Hara and makes it into kedusha, making it into something sweet! That brings Hashem one kind of nachas. But a beinoni still has the thoughts from the Yetzer Hara inside — he still has something bitter. But because he is staying in control of himself, he is using the bitterness of the Yetzer Hara for something good, by pushing it away and doing what Hashem wants! This brings a different kind of nachas to Hashem. We can understand this from thinking about different kinds of nosh. There’s sweet kinds of nosh, like candy or lollipops, and there’s also yummy spicy potato chips or Bissli. They have two very different tastes, but they are both delicious! The tzadik’s avodah is like sweet nachas for Hashem, and our avodah brings Hashem the other kind of nachas, like from spicy things! We can be very happy that our iskafya (pushing away the bad thoughts) gives Hashem a special kind of nachas — one that Hashem can’t even get from a tzadik! |
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Every Yid is a shliach of Hashem. With Hashgacha Protis, Hashem puts each person where they are in order to clean and purify the world with the words of Torah and Tefillah. This is important for ALL of us to do. In many places in the Rebbe’s Igros Kodesh, the Rebbe tells people to have a perek of Tanya and a few perakim of Mishnayos that they know by heart, so that in their free time and wherever they are, they will have words of Torah that they can think about and review. |
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Today we finally learn a new mitzvah! Today’s mitzvah, (Mitzvas Asei #109) is about how we can become tahor from the kinds of tumah we were just learning about. Do you know how? By going into (or putting our keilim into) a mikvah! |
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In today’s Rambam, first we finish learning the halachos about which kinds of keilim can become tomei. Perek Chof-Zayin reviews the rules about tumah, by giving us three examples of many types of keilim, and telling us what the halacha is for each of them. Here’s one example: There are three kinds of sheets: Perek Chof-Ches explains what happens if tumah touches the outside of a keili — does the inside become tomei? What about if the tumah touched the inside — is the outside tomei? (It depends what the keili is made of.) Then we start learning the next set of halachos — about the Mikvah, to make all of these things tahor! Perek Alef explains the general rules about a mikvah — like that a person doesn’t become tahor until nighttime, even if they went to the Mikvah during the day, and that a person can’t have anything between them and the mikvah water (for example, a band-aid) — this is called a chatzitzah. |
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We can’t switch an animal set aside for a korban for another animal. A person who did this gets malkos, and both animals are now holy! We learn who this applies to, and for which korbanos. |
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If you read the Frierdiker Rebbe’s Memoirs, Sefer Hazichronos, which has stories that happened to or were told to the Alter Rebbe’s father, you will see how poshute Yidden acted in those days. One thing that you will see many times is how they would say Tehillim with tears and a broken heart. But in our generation, the Rebbe tells us that we need lots of encouragement. So when we say Tehillim, it should be with simcha and bitachon and a positive attitude. There is a famous story with the Tzemach Tzedek: One chossid had a son who was very sick. He came to the Tzemach Tzedek and asked what to do? The Tzemach Tzedek told him, “Tracht Gut Vet Zain Gut” — he should have simcha and bitachon that his son would get better, even though the doctors were telling him that the situation was very dangerous. That’s the kind of avodah we need to do nowadays. And not just for health of the body — even more so for health of the neshama! When we say Tehillim it should be with simcha and bitachon. See maamar Margela Bepumei DeRava 5746 |
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In the Gemara, the first bracha of Shemoneh Esrei is also called “Avos.” That’s because in this bracha, we mention each of the Avos. Why do we speak about the Avos here in Shemoneh Esrei? One of the reasons is because the whole reason we are able to stand here now, speaking privately to Hashem, about to ask Hashem for all of our needs, is because of the Avos! Our special connection to Hashem, as Hashem’s special nation, is a yerusha from the Avos. We ask Hashem that, in the zechus of the Avos, our tefillos should be accepted. |
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During Shemoneh Esrei, when we stand before Hashem, we keep our feet together. One reason is so that we will stand like malochim, who have only one foot. Another reason is taught by the Beis Yosef, which he learned from his teacher, the Mahari Abuhav: We stand with our feet together during Shemoneh Esrei to show that we are not going anywhere! We have no plans to take care of anything else, and we aren’t interested in doing anything except for speaking to Hashem! |
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לעילוי נשמת הרה״ח ר׳ דניאל יצחק ע״ה בן ר׳ אפרים שי׳ מאסקאוויץ
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On Hoshaana Rabbah, the Rebbe would give out lekach in the sukkah to all of the Chassidim who would come and stand on line. Once, in Tof-Shin-Mem-Ches, a small boy came with his father to get lekach. When it was his turn, he said to the Rebbe, “We want Moshiach now!” The Rebbe loudly answered him, “Amen!” The boy then asked the Rebbe a question: “Why didn’t Moshiach come yet?” The Rebbe answered the boy: “Because you’re the only one who is asking! Your father is here to ask for a bracha for parnasa. And everyone else on line is here to ask for lekach, and are thinking about important brachos like health, nachas, and parnasa. You’re the only one who thinks to ask for a bracha that Moshiach should come! If you would get everyone to ask for Moshiach, just like you are doing, Moshiach would come now!” Translated from the Kfar Chabad Magazine, published on Shmais.com |
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לע"נ התינוק זאב ארי' ע"ה בן יבלט"א הרה"ח ר' שניאור זלמן שי' גליק
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