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CHUMASH
Parshas Tzav - Shvi'i with Rashi
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Moshe Rabbeinu sprinkled some of the Shemen Hamish’cha (“anointing oil”) on Aharon and the kohanim, along with some of the blood from the korban. This made them holy enough to work in the Mishkan!
Moshe told them to eat the meat of the korban inside of the courtyard of the Mishkan, because it is very holy and can’t be eaten outside.
The kohanim are not allowed to leave the Mishkan, because this needs to be done again every day for the whole seven days (Shivas Yemei Hamiluim, the inauguration of the Mishkan).
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In Kapitel Ayin-Gimmel (73), Dovid Hamelech says “Beheimos Hayisi Imach” — “I am like an animal with You,” and in the next posuk, “Va’ani Tomid Imach” — “I am always with You.”
The Alter Rebbe explains in Tanya that even though we need to use our sechel to understand Achdus Hashem and how to connect to Hashem through Torah and mitzvos, still our connection to Hashem needs to be MORE than what we can understand. There has to be emunah for the things we are not able to understand. In that way, we are compared to an animal (beheimah) who can’t understand the way a person can.
Now on Pesach we make our Emunah stronger. When we eat matzah it gives us Emunah. This will help us to always be with Hashem — “Tomid Imach” — to be close to Hashem always, for the whole rest of the year.
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TANYA
Likutei Amarim Perek Mem
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How come we talk so much about needing to have kavanah? Aren’t the words of davening and Torah holy BY THEMSELVES? How come the words only go up to Hashem when we have kavana?
It is true that they are holy and Hashem doesn’t hide in the words of davening and Torah the way He does in the rest of the Gashmius’dike world. But since we say these words using our gashmius mouth, Hashem’s light isn’t able to shine very strong because the gashmius does not allow it to.
When we have kavanah (which is ruchnius) the words can go up to a ruchnius place, where the light of Hashem can shine in a much stronger way!
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The minhag of the Rebbeim is that instead of having a Rav sell our chometz FOR us, we sell our chometz to the Rav. Later the Rav sells it to a goy (since a goy is allowed to have chometz on Pesach!).
On Erev Pesach, the Rebbe Rashab would go to the matzah bakery and watch them bake the matzos. He would say Hallel while he was watching, and used to stop in the middle to tell them instructions about the baking.
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SEFER HAMITZVOS
Shiur #261 - Mitzvas Asei #181, Lo Saasei #309, #298, Asei #184
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1) (Mitzvas Asei #181) Today’s first mitzvah is called “Eglah Arufah.” If someone finds the body of a person who was killed, and nobody knows who did it, the Beis Din needs to make an Eglah Arufah.
The details of this mitzvah are in the last perek of Gemara Sotah, and the Rambam organizes them in Perek Tes and Yud of today’s Rambam.
We learn this mitzvah from a posuk in Parshas Shoftim: כִּי יִמָּצֵא חָלָל בַּאֲדָמָה
2) (Mitzvas Lo Saasei #309) We are not allowed to work in the land around the stream where the mitzvah of Eglah Arufah was done.
We learn this mitzvah from another posuk in Parshas Shoftim: אֲשֶׁר לֹא יֵעָבֵד בּוֹ וְלֹא יִזָּרֵעַ
We also learn the details of this mitzvah in the last perek of Mesechta Sotah.
3) (Mitzvas Lo Saasei #298) We are not allowed to leave dangerous things around our city or property.
This mitzvah is in the Torah in Parshas Ki Seitzei: וְלֹא תָשִׂים דָּמִים בְּבֵיתֶךָ
The halachos are explained at the beginning of Mesechta Shekalim, and in many places in Seder Nezikin.
4) (Mitzvas Asei #184) We need to take away anything dangerous from our property. For example, we put a rail (Maakeh) around our roof if it is flat, so nobody will fall off, and a wall around a pit so nobody will fall in. We fix up anything dangerous so nobody will get hurt!
In the Torah, this mitzvah is in Parshas Ki Seitzei: וְעָשִׂיתָ מַעֲקֶה לְגַגֶּךָ
The details of this mitzvah are explained in Mesechta Bava Kama.
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RAMBAM
Hilchos Rotzeiach U'Shmiras HaNefesh
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In today’s Rambam, we learn about the mitzvah of setting aside Arei Miklat, and the halachos of Eglah Arufah.
Perek Ches we learn about the cities that need to be set aside. There are six main Arei Miklat. When Moshiach comes, we will add another three! There are also the 42 cities of the Leviim that can be used as an Ir Miklat. The cities need to be ready for a person to run there, and the Beis Din needs to check the roads every year to make sure that a person will be easily able to get to the Ir Miklat quickly!
Perek Tes has the halachos of today’s mitzvah, about the Eglah Arufah. If someone finds the body of a person that was killed, and we don’t know for sure who did it, Beis Din needs to measure to see which city is the closest. The Beis Din of the closest city does the mitzvah of Eglah Arufah, to show Hashem that they were not responsible for the murder.
First they bury the person who was killed. The Beis Din uses the city tax money to buy a young calf, and bring it to a strong stream of water. They cut off the head of the calf, and then the Beis Din and all of the Zekeinim wash their hands in the stream. They announce in Lashon Hakodesh that it wasn’t their fault that this person died, and they didn’t let him leave their city without food or someone to go with him. The kohanim ask that Hashem should forgive the Yidden, and Hashem does.
Perek Yud has more halachos about the Eglah Arufah. We learn about how the place of the Eglah Arufah can’t be used later, like for growing things. Also, if Beis Din didn’t do it for whatever reason, they need to make it up, even if many years already passed!
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The Torah tells us that we are not allowed to marry many of our close relatives — but it is permitted, and even considered a mitzvah for a man to marry his niece!
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Today, Erev Pesach, is the birthday of the Rambam. From all of the tzadikim in the time of the Rambam or before, we usually don’t know what time of the day they were born.
We DO know that the Rambam was born in the afternoon (after chatzos), close to Pesach.
The Rambam has a very special connection to Pesach, going out of Mitzrayim. It’s even hiding in his name! “Rambam” stands for “Revos Mofsai Be’eretz Mitzrayim.” — Hashem says He will make many nisim (like the makos) in Mitzrayim so the Yidden can go out and get the Torah. The Rambam was a doctor and was forced to live in Mitzrayim for many years.
Today is a good day to inspire another Yid to start learning Rambam! There are many good tools to help make this easier, like the one you are using now! Other good tools are Dvar Malchus, Chayenu, or Chabad.org!
It is also your last chance to give Maos Chitim! Some options are Colel Chabad, The Shluchim Fund, CSSY, Adopt A Family, and your own local Maos Chitim — for your community and family.
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▼ Jump to Coloring Books & Downloads ▼
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There is a very special part of the siddur that we say only one day of the year: today!
In many places in davening we speak about the korbanos brought in the Beis Hamikdash. Because davening is instead of bringing korbanos, the Chachomim teach us to learn about the korbanos at the time they are brought. That’s why we read about the Korban Tomid in the morning and in the afternoon before davening.
In the time of the Beis Hamikdash, the Korban Pesach was brought only once a year — today, Erev Pesach, at Mincha time! Because of this, after Mincha, we read all about how the Korban Pesach would be brought in the Beis Hamikdash.
The Alter Rebbe writes in his siddur that we should be careful to read this section before Shekiyah, during the actual time when the korban could be brought. When we read it, we should think about how we want Hashem to rebuild the Beis Hamikdash, so we can actually bring the Korban Pesach the way Hashem wants us to!
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On Erev Pesach it is our minhag not to eat from the ingredients used for the Charoses or the Maror. We save the taste of these things especially for the seder!
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The Shabbos before Pesach is called Shabbos HaGadol, the Great Shabbos.
The main reason why we call it Shabbos HaGadol is because a Neis Gadol, a great miracle happened on the Shabbos before the Yidden left Mitzrayim!
The Yidden tied their sheep to their bedposts, to use for the Korban Pesach. The Mitzriyim saw this, and asked them what they were doing. The Yidden told them that they were preparing the sheep as a korban. They would shecht them and put the blood on their doorposts before Makas Bechoros.
When the firstborns of the Mitzriyim heard this, they were very scared! They ran to Paraoh and told him to let the Yidden go free. When Paraoh and others said that they wouldn’t, the firstborns made a war in Mitzrayim! Many of the enemies of the Yidden were killed, by the Mitzriyim themselves!
On Shabbos HaGadol, there is a minhag to read through part of the Haggadah, from “Avadim Hayinu” until “Lechaper Al Kol Avonoseichem.” We do this because the nissim of Yetziyas Mitzrayim actually started on Shabbos Hagadol!
This year, after Mincha we also read the section about the Korban Pesach! The Rebbeim of Chabad would actually learn it well.
See the Alter Rebbe’s Shulchan Aruch, siman Tof-Lamed
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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 Rambam says in Hilchos Teshuvah that when Yidden do teshuvah, the Geulah comes right away! “Yisroel Osin Teshuvah U’miyad Hein Nigalin!”
The Rebbe once said at a farbrengen that the words the Rambam uses to connect Teshuvah and Geulah can really be explained in a way that everyone will understand how it works. This is something we could explain so everyone understands why teshuvah brings Geulah.
Still, it is even better if we don’t understand why! It is better to use our emunah and just follow what the Rambam says, because emunah comes from a higher part of the neshama! Our teshuvah will be a better and stronger teshuvah if we do it with emunah, and we will have the Geulah even faster!
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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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