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CHUMASH
Parshas Ki Sisa - Chamishi with Rashi
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We learned before about the Cheit Ha’eigel, the aveira that the Yidden did with the Eigel Hazahav, and how when Moshe Rabbeinu saw what happened, he broke the Luchos that Hashem had given him. Then, Moshe asked Hashem to forgive the Yidden. He also asked that Hashem’s Shechinah should rest only among the Yidden. Hashem agreed to what Moshe asked, and said that He would tell Moshe the Yud-Gimmel Midos HoRachamim.
In today’s Chumash, we learn how Hashem told Moshe to make a new set of Luchos, and Hashem actually teaches him the Yud-Gimmel Midos.
Hashem told Moshe that he did the right thing by breaking the Luchos, but now Moshe needs to make NEW luchos himself. In the ground under Moshe’s tent was sapphire — a very special shiny kind of stone. He should use that stone to make the Luchos. Moshe should also make a box to hold the Luchos until the Aron in the Mishkan will be ready!
The next morning, Moshe should come up on Har Sinai again (for the third time!), but this time, not like by Matan Torah, nobody should be at Har Sinai — some things are better to be done quietly.
Moshe did what Hashem asked, and went up onto Har Sinai on Alef Elul, bringing the Luchos that he made along with him. Hashem appeared to Moshe like a person wearing a Tallis and Tefillin, and told Moshe the Yud-Gimmel Midos HaRachamim.
Moshe bowed down when he saw that Hashem revealed Himself to him.
Then Moshe davened to Hashem using the Yud-Gimmel Midos he just learned, asking Hashem to forgive the Yidden. He asked Hashem for all of the things he asked before: That Hashem should come with the Yidden to Eretz Yisroel (and not just a malach), “Vesolachta La’avoneinu Ulechatoseinu Unechaltanu” — to forgive the aveiros done on purpose or by mistake, that the Yidden should be special to Hashem, and Hashem should only dwell among the Yidden.
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One of the niggunim made in honor of the Rebbe’s Yom Huledes is in Kapitel Ayin-Tes, “Vaanachnu Amcha Vetzon Marisecha.” These words were put into a niggun made by the Chassidim of Nikolayev, in honor of the Rebbe’s Yom Huledes, Yud-Alef Nisan Tof-Shin-Mem.
With these words, we thank Hashem for the special zechus to be His nation!
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TANYA
Likutei Amarim Perek Lamed
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Sometimes Hashem lets a person’s Yetzer Hara start to feel big and proud. It gets so big that it covers the light of the neshama, and makes it hard for a person to do what he is supposed to do with an open heart! This is called Timtum Halev.
By following the advice in the Tanya, a person can make himself feel humble. This will take away the Yetzer Hara’s koach and let him serve Hashem with an open heart.
Usually we need to think encouraging things, and about the incredible kochos we have inside of our neshama. But sometimes, when there is a need, it is appropriate to think thoughts that make us feel humble.
We learned to think about how we are not tzadikim, and how there are aveiros we once did, and narishkeit we are involved in. In this perek, the Alter Rebbe adds another thought process based on the words of the Chachomim, “Vehevei Shfal Ruach Bifnei Kol Ha’adam” — “You should (truly) feel humble in front of every person.”
The Chachomim say, “KOL Ha’adam” — EVERY person! That means even the lowest kind of person who does terrible things!
How can we truly feel that way? If we are Yidden who keep Torah and mitzvos the best we can, how can we be humble in front of a person who is always following his Yetzer Hara?
The answer is that Hashem doesn’t judge a person just by what they DO, but how hard it is and how much effort they put into what they’re doing.
The chachomim say that we can’t judge someone until we come to his place. They mean that the Gashmius place where a person lives and works and the friends he has, and his Ruchnius place, how strong his Yetzer Hara is, are what make him do the aveiros.
So we can’t compare ourselves to the other person — we don’t live or work in the place that they do, and even if we do, our Yetzer Hara might not be as strong! Thinking about this will make us feel humble.
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There were many beautiful things in the Mishkan. There were things made of gold and silver that glowed, but nothing shone like the Kiyor, which was made of the mirrors brought by the women. (The women donated the mirrors that they used in Mitzrayim to help them have more children.)
The Kiyor was very special because (like we learn in this week’s parsha) it was the last thing made for the Mishkan, but it was always used first — the Kohanim needed to wash their hands and feet before they could do their avodah!
That’s because “Na’utz Techilasan BeSofan” — the beginning and end are very connected.
Today’s Hayom Yom are words from the Alter Rebbe, first said to the Chosssid R’ Gavriel Nossai Chein. Read the story behind today’s Hayom Yom in short in today’s Darkei HaChassidus!
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Today we learn the last two mitzvos about not stealing.
The first mitzvah (Mitzvas Lo Saasei #246) we learn today is a mitzvah for Eretz Yisroel: That we’re not allowed to move a fence so that people will think that part of another person’s field belongs to us. But wait a second! Does that mean that I CAN do that outside of Eretz Yisroel?! No, of course not! We are not allowed to steal anywhere! But it gets its own special mitzvah only in Eretz Yisroel.
This mitzvah comes from a posuk in Parshas Shoftim: לֹא תַסִּיג גְּבוּל רֵעֲךָ
The second mitzvah (Mitzvas Lo Saasei #243) is one of the Aseres Hadibros — don’t kidnap. The words in the Torah sound just like regular stealing, but the Chachomim tell us that here it means that we can’t steal a PERSON, by kidnaping him and selling him.
This mitzvah comes from a posuk in Parshas Yisro: לֹא תִגְנֹב
The details of the mitzvah are explained in Perek Yud-Alef of Mesechta Sanhedrin.
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In today’s Rambam, we learn about having kosher scales. We also learn about kidnaping, today’s second mitzvah. Now we finish Hilchos Geneivah!
Perek Zayin teaches us about making sure that the weights we use to measure things to sell should be exactly right.
Years ago, they used a kind of scale that is called a balance scale. On one side of the scale, they would put a weight marked, for example, one maneh. On the other side of the scale, they would put enough figs to make the scale balance exactly, which is one maneh of figs.
If the weights are even just a drop too small, the person who sells the food will be stealing from the person who paid him for the full amount!
We also learn the halacha of today’s first mitzvah.
Perek Ches explains the halachos of how a scale should be made, and how often it should be cleaned.
Perek Tes teaches us when someone who kidnaps is punished by the Beis Din.
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Now we start to learn halachos about a kever and a Beis Hachaim (cemetery).
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Background: In Vitebsk lived a man named R’ Gavriel, a true Talmid Chochom with aidelkeit and good midos. He was the grandson of the old R’ Gavriel, who was respected in the whole city of Vitebsk — even by the governor!
When he was old enough to get married, the young R’ Gavriel married the daughter of a rich man who also lived in Vitebsk. His father-in-law gave him money so he could sit and learn Torah all the time.
When he had questions in his learning, he would often ask another young man living in Vitebsk, named Shneur Zalman. (He would later become the Alter Rebbe!)
After nine years, though, R’ Gavriel’s father-in-law passed away. Now R’ Gavriel had to work, so he took over a store that his father-in-law used to own. Still, he made time to learn, and to listen to R’ Shneur Zalman explain things in Torah.
Then R’ Shneur Zalman went to the Maggid of Mezritch. The people in Vitebsk were sure that Chassidus was against Torah, and they were all furious! They told R’ Yehuda Leib Segal (the Alter Rebbe’s father-in-law) to send him away from his house and not let his daughter stay married to him!
The Alter Rebbe made a public debate, explaining how Chassidus IS Torah. Many people (but not everyone) now understood and agreed that Chassidus was good. R’ Gavriel was one of these people, but his family didn’t like it at all! They started being mean to him because he wanted to learn more Chassidus from R’ Shneur Zalman.
R’ Gavriel’s father was so upset, he even tried to get the governor to kick the Alter Rebbe out of Vitebsk! But because the Alter Rebbe had figured out two mysteries for the governor (one of them you may know, the story of the sundial), the governor didn’t want to do anything to him.
R’ Gavriel had a very hard life. He didn’t have any children (even though he was married for 25 years already), and he didn’t have money either, since his family made so much trouble for him he couldn’t earn anything. But he never complained to the Alter Rebbe, and in fact gave a lot of tzedakah to the Alter Rebbe’s tzedakah funds.
Once R’ Gavriel came home in a sad mood. He told his wife, Chana Rivkah, that the Alter Rebbe had asked Chassidim to give money for Pidyon Shevuyim, but he didn’t have that much money to give. Chana Rivkah said, “Didn’t you tell me that the Rebbe teaches us to have bitachon? Don’t worry, we’ll be able to give the right amount!”
Chana Rivkah sold her jewelry, and brought the money to her husband in a closed bag. “Go bring it right away to the Rebbe,” she told him.
R’ Gavriel said that usually Chassidim wait until the Rebbe’s messenger comes, and send it with the messenger. But soon R’ Gavriel’s brothers made up a story about him to the government, and he lost a lot of money. R’ Gavriel was afraid he would use the money himself if he kept it for too long, so he went himself to bring it to the Alter Rebbe in Liozna.
When he put the bag of money down in front of the Alter Rebbe, the Rebbe told him to open the bag and count it. He was amazed to see that the coins shone like they were brand new!
The Alter Rebbe said the words of today’s Hayom Yom — that the shiniest part of the Mishkan was the Kiyor. Even though it was made last, it was used first!
The Alter Rebbe asked where he had gotten such shiny coins. R’ Gavriel explained how his wife had gotten the money, and how he was afraid he would spend the money, so he brought it now.
The Alter Rebbe told him, “Your wife has destroyed the gezeirah against you! Hashem will give you children, a long life, and wealth! Close your store, and start selling jewelry and diamonds instead.”`
When R’ Gavriel came home and told this to Chana Rivkah, she told him how she had shined the coins with sand, so Hashem could help their mazal shine.
Within three years, R’ Gavriel became very rich, and they were bentched with children. Everyone liked R’ Gavriel — so much that he got a nickname, “R’ Gavriel Nossai Chein!” (“who finds favor”)
You can read the whole story at http://chabad.org/85441
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The first three brachos of Shemoneh Esrei are praise to Hashem before we ask for the things we need in the middle brachos.
In the first bracha of Shemoneh Esrei, we praise Hashem Who helps us in the zechus of the Avos. In the second bracha, Ata Gibor, we praise Hashem Who has the koach over everything in the world, and controls everything that happens. Now, in the third bracha, we finish our praise to Hashem, by praising Hashem Who is higher than anything we can understand!
We say that Hashem is holy, Ata Kadosh. Hashem’s kedusha is so great that even the malochim and the neshamos in Shomayim, who understand Hashem much better than people ever can, praise Hashem all day and speak about the kedusha of Hashem — “Kedoshim Bechol Yom Yehalelucha Sela!”
This is the highest kind of praise, when we say that we realize that Hashem is so great, we are never able to understand Hashem.
Based on the Rashba, cited in Mesechta Shel Tefillah
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The halacha we will learn today is about what to say when someone sneezes, but it also teaches us how special it is to bentch another Yid!
When we hear someone else sneeze, we should say “Asusa” (which means “Tzu Gezunt,” or “Labriyut”). This is a bracha that the person should be healthy.
The person who sneezed answers, “Boruch Tihiyeh,” you should be bentched.
He then says, “Lishuas’cha Kivisi Hashem,” I hope for Your yeshuah, Hashem. Since he just davened to Hashem by bentching his friend with Boruch Tihiyeh, he asks Hashem that he should be answered first. Like the Chachomim teach us, when someone davens for another person, he is answered first.
See Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 61:5
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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 this week’s parsha we learn how Moshe Rabbeinu broke the Luchos. In the end of Parshas Vezos Habracha, Rashi tells us that Hashem thanked Moshe Rabbeinu for breaking the Luchos — “Yasher Kochacha Sheshibarta.”
Why does that thank you only come at the end of the Chumash?
Right before the histalkus of Moshe Rabbeinu, when Moshe Rabbeinu went up to Har Nevo, Hashem showed him everything that would happen until Moshiach comes. Moshe Rabbeinu was only then also able to see how the aveira of the Eigel Hazahav and the teshuvah that the Yidden did was all part of Hashem’s plan and will be perfected when Moshiach comes. Now that he understood, Hashem was able to thank him for even that hard part of the Golus when he had to break the Luchos.
See Sefer Hasichos 5752, p. 430 ha’ara 81
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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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