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CHUMASH
Parshas Shemini - Revi'i with Rashi
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We are learning what happened on Rosh Chodesh Nisan, when the Mishkan was finally set up and ready to be used. We learned how Aharon and his sons started to do the Avodah, and how the fire of Hashem came down onto the Mizbeiach. This made the Yidden very excited, because they saw that Hashem had forgiven them for the Cheit Ha’eigel and was now resting with them!
We also learned how at that special moment, Aharon’s sons Nadav and Avihu wanted to come close to Hashem, and they brought the ketores, even though it wasn’t their Avodah. This made their neshamos leave their bodies. Today we learn about how the Avodah in the Mishkan needs to continue, even after this happened.
Aharon’s sons Nadav and Avihu passed away because they wanted to come so close to Hashem by bringing the ketores without asking. Once their bodies were taken out of the Mishkan, Aharon brought the rest of the korbanos for Rosh Chodesh.
Even when a close relative of a Kohen Gadol passes away, he is not allowed to change the way he does the avodah in the Mishkan. He still needs to bring all of the korbanos, and eat the parts that are for him.
This time, though, Moshe told Elazar and Isamar, Aharon’s other sons, that they need to act like a Kohen Gadol too. Even though their brothers passed away, they will still need to eat the parts of the korbanos that kohanim are supposed to eat.
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Today’s Tehillim is Kapitel Kuf-Yud-Tes, the LONGEST kapitel in the whole Tehillim! It is so long that we don’t even say the whole Kapitel today, just the first half.
In this kapitel, Dovid Hamelech asks Hashem on behalf of all the Yidden that we should be able to understand the Torah and follow the path of Yiddishkeit, and be connected to Hashem.
One of the pesukim, which is also explained in many places in Chassidus, speaks about how Dovid Hamelech praised the Torah. Dovid Hamelech said that the Torah was his comfort in his time of suffering! Even though this is not the TRUE greatness of Torah, which is Hashem’s treasure, Dovid Hamelech saw this maalah in Torah too. When he was being chased by his enemies, and had to hide for a long time all alone, afraid for his life, learning Torah brought him comfort.
Dovid Hamelech said about that time, “Zemiros Hayu Li Chukecha Beveis Megurai.” Hashem, Your Torah was like songs to me (brought me comfort) in the place where I was afraid.”
Chassidus explains that Dovid Hamelech wasn’t just saying that learning Torah made him feel good. He was saying that because of what Torah is, it is able to bring a person comfort in a scary time!
The Torah is the source of everything that happens in the world. By connecting to the Torah, the source of even those scary things happening to him, he was able to feel higher than them in a certain way, and didn’t need to feel afraid!
See Tehillim Ohel Yosef Yitzchok Hashalem (Kehos), Kapitel Kuf-Yud-Tes and footnotes to maamarim cited in hosafos in the back
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TANYA
Likutei Amarim Perek Mem-Beis
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In this perek, the Alter Rebbe is teaching us how to have Yiras Shomayim. In yesterday’s shiur, the Alter Rebbe told us that we get the koach of Yiras Shomayim from the neshama of Moshe Rabbeinu and the Moshe Rabbeinu (the “Rebbe”) of each generation.
In today’s Tanya, the Alter Rebbe tells us that even though the koach of Yiras Shomayim is already there, hidden inside our neshama, if we want it to do its job and make us behave the way Hashem wants, we need to work to wake it up.
Why?
Because our neshama is inside of a body, which can cover up and hide this Yiras Shomayim.
There are two things we need to do to wake up this Yiras Shomayim:
1) The first thing is to take away the distraction of the guf. (The Alter Rebbe calls this Yegiyas Basar.) How do we do this? By having thoughts of teshuvah which make us feel humble. These are the kinds of thoughts the Alter Rebbe taught us to think about in Perek Chof-Tes and Lamed.
2) The second one is to train our mind to be able to spend time thinking about how Hashem is with us and watching everything we are doing. (The Alter Rebbe calls this Yegiyas Nefesh.)
Even though this might be hard, especially if a person has done certain aveiros, with the koach of teshuvah and learning and thinking about how Hashem is watching us, the Yiras Shomayim WILL wake up in the end.
If we try hard, we will succeed, like the Chachomim say — Yogati Umotzosi Taamin!
We can understand this with a mashal: If a person knows that a treasure is buried in a certain spot, he will dig and dig, not stopping, until he finds it! Even if it takes time, and is hard work, he knows it is there and worth all of his work. The same is true with our Yiras Shomayim: We know there is a treasure of Yiras Shomayim, buried inside of our neshama! If we keep “digging” by thinking about how Hashem is always with us and watching us, we will find this treasure! Our Yiras Shomayim will become active, and will make sure we are doing what Hashem wants us to do.
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Today is the tenth day of the Omer!
Imagine that you met a person who knows how to cut and polish diamonds, to be used in fancy jewelry. People from all over admire his beautiful diamonds and gems. Students come to watch him cutting stones, so they can learn how to do it as well as he does.
Then you hear that this person decided to stop working with diamonds, and went to work in the local bakery. You would think that that’s a real waste!
Of course, working in a bakery is a very important job. There would be no bread if there were no bakers! But if you have the special skills to be a diamond cutter, it’s not the right job for you.
Just like this is in Gashmius, the same is true in Ruchnius, with our shlichus in serving Hashem. In today’s Hayom Yom, the Rebbe tells us about this:
Every person has a special Avodah, a special way they need to serve Hashem. Hashem wants us each to use all of our talents, our knowledge, and our koach to do our shlichus in the best possible way.
If a person who could polish diamonds is instead baking bread, he is NOT doing the right thing! Of course, baking bread is very important, but it is a job that many people can learn how to do. If he can be doing a very special job, that most people CAN’T do, that’s what he needs to do.
The same way, if a person can do a very important and special job in Avodas Hashem, and instead he is doing something else — even though for someone else it might be important and good, for this person it is like he is doing an “aveira” because he could be doing something more!
The Rebbe took this Hayom Yom from a letter the Frierdiker Rebbe wrote to a Tomim who said that he teaches Chassidus on Shabbos in the place he lives, and has shiurim in Mishnayos and Gemara during the week. The Frierdiker Rebbe told this Tomim that even though he is happy to hear that, since he was one of the best students in Tomchei Temimim, he should be teaching MORE shiurim in Chassidus to the people around him and make more Chassidim!
We also were all zoche to learn from the Rebbe. We have an extra-special achrayus to make sure we are being a dugma chaya and sharing what we know with those around us!
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Today’s mitzvah (Mitzvas Lo Saasei #252) is the same as yesterday’s — to be extra careful not to say things that can make a Ger feel bad.
We learn this mitzvah from a posuk in Parshas Mishpatim: וְגֵר לֹא תוֹנֶה
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In today’s Rambam, we learn more about buying and selling the Torah way. Buying and selling need to be very exact so that we stay far away from cheating!
In Perek Chof-Ches, we learn about the size of a field when we are selling it. Do rocks in the field count for part of the measurement?
In Perek Chof-Tes, we learn about certain people who are not considered responsible enough to buy or sell. For example, a child is usually not allowed to buy or sell. But in some cases, a child over 6 years old is allowed to buy and sell if he needs the money, if the Beis Din first makes sure he understands what he is doing.
Perek Lamed teaches us about a shliach (messenger) buying something for someone else, and also about what happens if someone buys or sells on Shabbos: It is an aveira, and the Beis Din punishes them, but what they sold still stays sold.
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Today we learn more halachos about a ger, because we need to make sure that Yidden only marry Yidden! One halacha tells us how Yidden became Yidden when they left Mitzrayim — through bris milah, going to the mikvah, and bringing a korban. The same way, a goy has to do these three things before he can become a Ger Tzedek.
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On Chof-Hey Nissan, after the Gulf War in Eretz Yisroel (which finished on Purim), the Rebbe said a sicha to the guests who came for Pesach.
The Rebbe thanked Hashem, talking about all of the nissim that Hashem did during the war, and showed that these nisim are signs of the Geulah which is coming! The Rebbe said we shouldn’t be embarrassed to dance to show Hashem how much we want to thank Him!
One of the things we can learn from this is that when Hashem does a neis for us, and especially for many Yidden, we need to show Hashem that we are thankful!
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The Rebbe introduced 12 pesukim and Maamarei Chazal for children to know. They should both learn them by heart, and also know what they mean. This way we can think about the lessons the pesukim teach us even when we are between games, and be so excited about them that we will want to talk about them with our friends too!
Torah Tziva and Shema were chosen to be the first two pesukim. This is based on what the Gemara says, that as soon as a child starts to speak, his father should teach him to say pesukim. The pesukim the Chachomim tell us to first teach are Torah Tziva and Shema Yisroel!
So the very first posuk we start off the chinuch of a Jewish child with is Torah Tziva.
The words of the posuk mean that Moshe Rabbeinu taught us (“Tziva Lanu”) the Torah, and it is given over as a yerusha (“Morasha”) to all of the children of Yaakov (“Kehilas Yaakov”), all of the Yidden.
The lesson that this posuk teaches us is that Torah is OURS!
When we have a toy that is OURS, we put it away in a special place, we spend time playing with it and figuring out how it works.
The Torah is ours too! When we think about that, we will want to keep Torah close to us! We will want to spend time learning and understanding this special present that belongs to us.
See Der Rebbe Redt Tzu Kinder, vol. 5 p. 245
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There is a bracha that we say when we see a fruit tree starting to blossom. This is a special thing to see, and we thank Hashem that we are able to enjoy this part of His world.
There are different opinions on when we are able to say this bracha. Really, it should be made in Chodesh Nisan, but some opinions say that we can also make the bracha in Adar or Iyar, if that is when we see a blossoming tree. There are also opinions that say that it doesn’t have to be a fruit tree, but that it can be any tree with flowers.
The Rebbe writes that from what the Alter Rebbe says in Seder Birchos Hanehenin, it is clear what we should do. The Alter Rebbe’s opinion is that this bracha should only be made in Chodesh Nisan, and only on a fruit tree that is starting to blossom.
Based on this, there are only a few days left to say this bracha!
See Shulchan Menachem p. 53, and Igros Kodesh Chelek Chof-Gimmel letter #8965
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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 the haftora of Acharon Shel Pesach, there are many important nevuos about Moshiach! The first thing we learn is about what kind of person Moshiach is.
וְנָחָה עָלָיו רוּחַ ה׳ רוּחַ חָכְמָה וּבִינָה רוּחַ עֵצָה וּגְבוּרָה רוּחַ דַּעַת וְיִרְאַת ה׳
The posuk says:
Venacha Alav Ruach Hashem — The spirit of Hashem will rest on Moshiach
Ruach Chochma U’Vina — A spirit of wisdom and understanding
Ruach Eitza U’Gevurah — A spirit of good advice and strength
Ruach Daas V’Yiras Hashem — A spirit of knowledge and Yiras Shomayim.
When we take out the Sefer Torah on Yom Tov, there is a special tefillah we say. In it we ask Hashem that this posuk should be true about us!
Even though the posuk is talking about Moshiach, we want it to be true about ourselves too. In every Yid there is a spark of Moshiach, and if every Yid makes that spark stronger, it will help the neshama of Moshiach to do its shlichus, and bring the Geulah for all the Yidden!
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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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