| |
|
CHUMASH
Parshas Mikeitz - Revi'i with Rashi
|
|
In today’s Chumash, the years of hunger start. The Shevatim come down to Mitzrayim to get food. Yosef acts mean to them to get them to do Teshuvah, and tells them to bring back Benyamin.
The seven years of hunger: Just like Yosef had said, there were 7 years with a lot of food growing. Then the seven years of hunger started. No food grew. Even though many people had saved food, their food got rotten. Only the food that Yosef stored stayed good.
When people got hungry, they came to Yosef and asked him for grain. Yosef agreed, but he made them have a Bris Milah first! (Avraham Avinu had a mitzvah to give a bris to all of his servants, and now everyone in Mitzrayim was like Yosef’s servant.)
The Mitzriyim came to Paraoh to complain that they didn’t want a bris! Paraoh asked them why they didn’t have their own food, and they told him it was all rotten. “If all of your food got rotten, it must be because of Yosef! All of HIS food stayed good. If he can do that, who knows what he can do to you! You’d better just do whatever he tells you to.” So they all did.
When the hunger got so bad that even the rich people had no food, Yosef opened all of the storehouses and sold it to the Mitzriyim. People from all over came to buy food, because there was no food anywhere! There was also no food in Canaan, Eretz Yisroel. But by a neis, Yaakov’s family still had some food to eat!
Yaakov sends the Shevatim down to Mitzrayim: Yaakov told his children: “Don’t pretend that we have enough food for the whole time — we only have a little. Don’t act differently than everyone else by not trying to do anything about it. There is no promise that Hashem will keep making nisim. Don’t take the chance that you will be hungry! Go to Mitzrayim and buy food. (In Lashon Kodesh, he said “Redu Shama” — go down there. The letters of Redu (רד״ו) add up to 210, which hints that the Yidden would be in Mitzrayim for 210 years.) He told them to each go into Mitzrayim a different way so nobody would see them all together and give them an Ayin Hara.
Yaakov didn’t send Benyamin along for the trip, because he was nervous — after all, Rochel passed away when they were going somewhere, and Yosef also disappeared when going somewhere. He didn’t want Benyamin to go somewhere because it might be dangerous.
Yosef’s dream starts to come true: So the rest of the Shevatim all went down to Mitzrayim. They bowed in front of Yosef, who was selling the food. Yosef knew it was his brothers, but he didn’t tell them who he was. (He wanted to first make sure they did teshuvah for selling him.) Yosef pretended he didn’t know them, and mostly talked in a strict way.
Yosef pretended he didn’t understand Lashon Kodesh, so he had his 7-year old son Menasheh translate what they were saying. He asked them, “Where are you from?”
They answered, “From Canaan, to buy food.”
The Shevatim didn’t recognize Yosef, because he looked so different, now that he was older and had a beard. Even though he could have done very mean things to them, because they sold him, Yosef treated them like brothers and had rachmonus on them. Yosef remembered his dream, where the wheat bowed down to him, and saw how now his brothers are bowing to him when they’re buying wheat! He realized that his dreams were coming true, and now he needed Benyamin to come to Mitzrayim too so the dream could finish coming true. So he decided to make them bring Benyamin.
Yosef makes sure that the Shevatim did teshuvah: “You are spies!” Yosef told the brothers.
“No, we’re just coming to buy food! We’re all brothers, and we aren’t spies!”
“But if you’re brothers, why did you all come to Mitzrayim in different ways? You must be liars!”
They answered, “No, we are 12 brothers. The youngest is at home, and one of the brothers is missing, and we all went a different way so we could look for him in different places.”
Yosef asked, “Would you pay a lot of money if you found your brother and they didn’t want to let him go?”
“Of course!” said the Shevatim.
“And what if they don’t want to let him go, even if you give them a lot of money?”
“Then we’ll have to make a war with them so we can bring our brother home.”
Yosef tries to get them to bring Binyamin: Yosef said: “See! I told you that you are spies! You want to make a war with people! I see from my magic cup what you did to the people of Shechem, and you want to do the same thing to Mitzrayim too!
“I will give you a chance to prove you’re telling the truth: One of you should go get your youngest brother, and the rest of you will stay here in jail. If you don’t bring him, I’ll know you’re liars and I swear by Paraoh’s life that you are spies!” (Whenever he had to swear something that wasn’t 100% true, he promised on Paraoh’s name.)
Yosef put them all in jail for three days to give them a chance to decide.
On the third day, he said “I decided to make it easier for you. Do what I tell you and you can live. You can trust me, I am a person who believes in Hashem.”
|
| |
|
|
Today’s kapitelach of Tehillim are Alef through Tes.
Today, we are starting Sefer Tehillim again from the very beginning! IY”H we will finish the whole thing before Rosh Chodesh Shevat!
Kapitel Alef talks about how a person should behave in order to have hatzlacha from Hashem. By making sure that we are involved in Torah and not narishkeit, we get lots of brachos!
In this kapitel, we say a very interesting posuk: “Ki Im BeSoras Hashem Cheftzo, UveSoraso Yehege Yomam VaLayla.” “HASHEM’S Torah is all he wants, and he is busy with HIS Torah all day and night.”
How come it first says HASHEM’S Torah, and then it says HIS Torah (that it belongs to the person learning it)?
We are learning now in Tanya that when we are learning a part of Torah for the first time, it feels like it’s something that’s not part of us. But when we learn it again and again, we start to understand it better. When we finally “get it,” the Torah becomes part of us, like food that we eat, which becomes a part of us and gives us chayus.
So at first it feels like we’re learning Hashem’s Torah (Besoras Hashem Cheftzo), but once we understand it, it feels like OUR Torah (Uvesoraso Yehege)!
|
| |
|
TANYA
Likutei Amarim Perek Hey
|
|
We learned in yesterday’s Tanya that when we learn Torah, we become one with Hashem in a way of Yichud Nifla, an incredible connection!
In order to have this Yichud Nifla, we need to learn Torah in a certain way: We need to understand it so well that it becomes the way we think! Then, the Torah becomes completely one with us.
A mashal for this is the way food works: When we eat something, the koach from the food becomes a part of us and gives us energy and life!
The same thing is with Torah! When we learn it well in a way that we really understand it, it becomes food for the neshama and gives it life from the Ohr Ein Sof, the light of Hashem which is in the Torah!
Not only is Torah with us in Olam Hazeh, it comes with us in Olam Haba also! The Torah that we learn here becomes the “food” for the neshama in Gan Eden. The mitzvos, though, become the “clothing” for the neshama in Gan Eden.
The Alter Rebbe explains that Torah has BOTH maalos — the maalah of Torah AND the maalah of mitzvos! That’s why we say, at the end of Eilu Devarim, “Vesalmud Torah Keneged Kulam.” “Learning Torah is equal to all of the mitzvos!” Torah learned in this way is “food” AND “clothing” for the neshama in Gan Eden!
|
| |
|
|
In today’s Hayom Yom, the first Rosh Chodesh in the sefer Hayom Yom, Rebbe tells us a few hanhagos we do in davening on Rosh Chodesh.
1) When we daven in Shul, on a day when we don’t say the whole Hallel, only the chazan says the bracha. (A day like this is Rosh Chodesh, which is today — except that today we DO say the whole Hallel because it’s also Chanukah!)
It is our minhag that if we daven without a minyan, we DO say the brachos at the beginning and the end of Hallel, even if we aren’t saying the whole Hallel.
(In a farbrengen, the Rebbe told us that the minhag of chassidim is that even with a minyan, we all make a bracha, whether we are saying the whole Hallel or not! See Sichos Kodesh 5741, vol. 4, p. 322)
2) We also don’t say the word “Al” in the last paragraph that starts Yehalelucha. (If you look in your siddur, you’ll see it’s in parentheses.)
3) We don’t wear Tefillin during Musaf. So we put them on and take them off before Davening Musaf (both Rashi and Rabbeinu Tam). In a different HaYom Yom, the Rebbe tells us that there are certain things we are supposed to learn while wearing Tefillin. Even though we take off the Tefillin on Rosh Chodesh before Musaf, we still learn those things AFTER davening, even without wearing the Tefillin.
(The reason why we don’t wear Tefillin during Musaf is because in Musaf, we say “Keser Yitnu Lecha Malochim,” that the malochim give Hashem a crown. It is not appropriate for us to be wearing OUR crown of Tefillin when we say this.)
|
| |
|
|
Today we learn 3 more mitzvos about Korbanos:
1) (Mitzvas Lo Saasei #139) A Kohen is usually able to eat from a Korban Chatas. But a kohen can NOT eat from any Korban Chatas that has its blood sprinkled inside of the Kodesh or the Kodesh Hakodoshim (on the Mizbeiach Haketores, the Paroches, or the Aron.
We learn this mitzvah from a posuk in Parshas Tzav: וְכָל חַטָּאת אֲשֶׁר יוּבָא מִדָּמָהּ אֶל אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד לְכַפֵּר בַּקֹּדֶשׁ לֹא תֵאָכֵל בָּאֵשׁ תִּשָּׂרֵף
2) (Mitzvas Lo Saasei #112) A bird that is brought for a Korban doesn’t get shechted with a knife, it gets shechted with a very sharp fingernail! This is called Melikah. It is a mitzvah for the Kohen to make sure not to cut off the whole head when he is shechting it.
This mitzvah is learned from a posuk in Parshas Vayikra: וּמָלַק אֶת רֹאשׁוֹ מִמּוּל עָרְפּוֹ וְלֹא יַבְדִּיל
3) (Mitzvas Asei #65) We need to follow all of the halachos about how to bring a Korban Asham.
We learn this mitzvah from the posuk in Parshas Tzav: זֹאת תּוֹרַת הָאָשָׁם
|
| |
|
RAMBAM
Hilchos Maaseh HaKorbanos
|
|
In today’s Rambam, we learn more about bringing Korbanos.
Perek Daled: We learn about WHEN Korbanos are allowed to be brought (during the day) and also what we need to think about when we bring the Korban — Kavana!
Perek Hey: This perek teaches us WHERE we bring Korbanos, and how we give the different parts of the Korban to Hashem.
Perek Vov: We learn EXACTLY how to bring a Korban Olah!
|
| |
|
|
In this perek, we finish learning about Bedikas Chometz. We also learn about Bittul Chometz, making our chometz counted as not worth anything, and about Biur Chometz — getting rid of the chometz.
|
| |
|
|
The Rebbe started something very special: “Kolel Zekeinim,” and “Chochmas Noshim,” where people could learn Torah and have shiurim at an older age. They would come to the Rebbe every so often and hear a sicha just for them!
The Rebbe started these special programs because people send their parents to nursing homes and only visit them once in a while. They don’t realize how special older people are, and how when they get older, they know so much more!
One Chanukah, the Rebbe gave a sicha to the older Yidden in Kolel Zekeinim and Chochmas Noshim. He spoke about when people meet each other. When they wish each other, “Good morning!” or “Have a good day!” they are making each other’s days into GOOD days!
That’s even more true about Chanukah, which is a already a Yom Tov, a good day! So when we get together, we need to make sure to say nice things to each other and make each day of Chanukah into a VERY good day!
|
| |
|
▼ Jump to Coloring Books & Downloads ▼
|
| |
|
|
The tenth posuk of the Yud-Beis Pesukim is the posuk Ve’ahavta.
The words mean:
Ve’ahavta Le’reiacha Kamocha — Love your friend like you love yourself.
Rabbi Akiva Omer — Rabbi Akiva says about this posuk
Zeh Klal Gadol BaTorah — That it is a very important Klal in the Torah!
What is a Klal?
A Klal means something general, a big idea that can have many parts. The opposite of Klal is Prat, a detail.
One of the things that Rabbi Akiva is telling us is that Ve’ahavta Le’reiacha Kamocha is a Klal — a general mitzvah. But it has many details also, which the Torah also teaches us!
In many places in the Torah, it tells us how to be nice to other people, to have Ahavas Yisroel. For example, in the same posuk that tells us this, we first learn about not taking revenge on other people. That is also one part of having Ahavas Yisroel!
Rabbi Akiva is telling us that the mitzvah of Ahavas Yisroel is a Klal, so we will know HOW to keep this mitzvah! We do it by keeping all of the details which are included in it, all of the mitzvos of the Torah that show us how to treat other people.
See sicha chelek Yud-Zayin parshas Kedoshim, explaining Rashi on this posuk
|
| |
|
|
Today is Rosh Chodesh!
There is an old minhag that on every Rosh Chodesh, we learn one posuk with Rashi (and other explanations) from your kapitel Tehillim. If your kapitel has less than 12 pesukim (or less than 13 in a leap year), you can learn the same pesukim over again. If your kapitel is long, learn a few pesukim every Rosh Chodesh.
Here is the order of davening on Rosh Chodesh during Chanukah:
1) In Shemoneh Esrei, don’t forget Yaaleh Veyavo and Ve’al Hanisim.
2) Right after Shemoneh Esrei, say WHOLE Hallel, with V’Avraham Zakein.
3) Go back and say Shir Shel Yom, Hoshieinu, and Borchi Nafshi.
4) When davening with a minyan, we take out TWO Sifrei Torah and lein for Rosh Chodesh, and then for Chanukah.
5) Say Ashrei and U’va LeTzion.
6) Daven Musaf for Rosh Chodesh, and don’t forget Ve’al Hanisim!
7) Go back and say Kavei, Ein Keilokeinu, Aleinu, etc.
|
|
לעילוי נשמת הרה״ח ר׳ דניאל יצחק ע״ה בן ר׳ אפרים שי׳ מאסקאוויץ
שליח כ"ק אדמו"ר נשיא דורנו למדינת אילינוי
|
| |
|
|
When we are excited about something, everything we see reminds us of what we are excited about.
Yidden are all excited about Moshiach. Especially now, at the very end of Golus, we are expecting Moshiach to come any minute! So it makes sense that whatever we look at, we think about how it is also connected to Moshiach!
How does Chanukah remind you about Moshiach? How does Parshas Mikeitz remind you about Moshiach?
The name of the parsha Mikeitz already reminds of the Geulah! Keitz means “the end.” Many times, when we talk about the Geulah, we say we are waiting for the Keitz, the end of Golus!
Chanukah reminds us of how the Chashmonaim lit the menorah again in the Beis Hamikdash after a long time when they couldn’t. Very soon we will IY”H be able to light the menorah again too, in the Beis Hamikdash Hashlishi!
See Sefer Hasichos 5751, vol. 1, p. 203
|
| |
|
|
|
לע"נ התינוק זאב ארי' ע"ה בן יבלט"א הרה"ח ר' שניאור זלמן שי' גליק
נפטר ב' מנחם אב ה'תשע"ג
|
| |
Give children around the world the gift of Kids Chitas!
KidsChitas.org/sponsor
|
| |
|
