|
|
CHUMASH
Parshas Emor - Sheini with Rashi
|
|
Today, Hashem tells Moshe more mitzvos that are just for Kohanim:
Any kohen who has a mum is not allowed to act as a kohen and bring korbanos in the Beis Hamikdash. What is a mum? Someone who has something wrong with his body, like someone who can’t see or can’t walk.
If he gets better from his problem, he can work in the Beis Hamikdash again.
This means that when Moshiach comes, ALL of the kohanim will be able to work in the Beis Hamikdash, because Hashem will give EVERYONE a Refuah Sheleima!
There are certain parts of korbanos that only a Kohen is allowed to eat. These pieces of korbanos can even be eaten from a kohen who has a mum.
If a kohen is tomei, he needs to be very careful not to touch any korbanos until he becomes tahor again.
What if a kohen has people working for him? Can they eat from the kohen’s food? No, they can’t. Only a kohen, a Kohen’s children, and a slave that he buys, are allowed to eat from these korbanos.
If a kohen has a daughter, and she marries someone who isn’t a kohen, she can’t eat from the holy food. (If she isn’t married anymore, and comes back to live with her parents, she can eat it again.)
What happens if someone eats from the holy food by mistake? He needs to pay back the kohen, plus a chomesh (1/5) extra.
|
|
|
|
In Kapitel Ayin-Gimmel, there is a posuk “Mi Li Bashamayim Ve’imcha Lo Chofatzti Ba’aretz.” “Who do I have in Shomayim? And I don’t want what’s with You in the world.” The next posuk continues, “Kalah She’eiri U’levavi,” my heart and my flesh yearn for You, Hashem.
The Alter Rebbe says that this posuk is the cry of a Baal Teshuvah!
A tzadik is very happy with his Avodas Hashem! He is able to connect to Hashem and collect sparks of kedushah from everything in the world. This is what we say in Shema, to love Hashem “Bechol Nafshecha” — with all of the kochos of a person’s neshama.
But a Baal Teshuvah is NOT happy with his Avodah. He wants to connect to Hashem, but he feels like he is in a very dark place and wants to get out! He tells Hashem, “I don’t want what I have here! I want to be close to Hashem!”
This is loving Hashem “Bechol Me’odecha,” with all of your might. This is the love the Baal Teshuvah has for Hashem.
See maamar Ki Kaasher Tof-Kuf-Samach-Daled
|
|
|
TANYA
Likutei Amarim Perek Mem-Ches
|
|
When we think about how Hashem loves each one of us, it makes us want to love Hashem!
How do we show our love back to Hashem? The Alter Rebbe will teach us how, over the next two perakim. Just like Hashem put everything aside to make a world where we can do a mitzvah, we should put everything aside to serve Hashem!
In this perek, we will learn about how Hashem created the world through tzimtzum, and then about the ways Hashem gives chayus to the world (Memalei Kol Almin and Sovev Kol Almin). These things will help us understand how Hashem put everything aside to make a world where a Yid can have a special shlichus by being a partner with Hashem in making the world the way it is supposed to be!
In today’s Tanya, the Alter Rebbe starts to explain the idea of tzimtzum.
Hashem’s light is so strong, it needs to be hidden to make a world that we can see!
Like the light of the sun which shines SO strong that nobody can look at it, it would be too much for us to live in a world where Hashem’s light shines fully. Only through tzimtzum, with Hashem hiding part of this light, are we able to have a world.
Even in Olam Haba, and in Gan Eden, the neshamos and malochim can only appreciate the light of Hashem if it comes through a tzimtzum.
When we understand that Hashem even hides His own light to make a world where we can do Torah and mitzvos, we will also want to hide what we want for ourselves so we can do what Hashem wants.
|
|
|
|
Today is twenty-nine days of the Omer!
What is Pesach Sheini all about? It teaches us that it’s NEVER TOO LATE! There is always a second chance to fix things up.
In the Midbar, when the Yidden were bringing the Korban Pesach, there were some Yidden who were tomei with Tumas Meis. Because they were tomei, they couldn’t bring the korban, and they felt very disappointed.
They went to Moshe Rabbeinu and asked “Lama Nigara?” “Why should we be left out?”
Moshe asked Hashem, and Hashem said that if they didn’t get a chance to do it the first time, they can do it one month later! This is Pesach Sheini, when someone who was tomei before has another chance to bring the Korban Pesach.
By the Korban Pesach Sheini, the posuk (in Parshas Behaalosecha) says that a person who is tomei, or was far away, or even if it was “Lachem” — their fault — brings the korban on Pesach Sheini. This is the lesson to every one of us: If it ever seems like we missed an opportunity or even if we did something wrong and it was our fault, Hashem always gives us a chance to make up for whatever was missing.
|
|
|
|
Today in Sefer Hamitzvos, we learn another two mitzvos about eating while you’re working:
1) (Mitzvas Lo Saasei #267) A worker can’t stop working to nosh on what he’s picking. Only after he finishes filling a basket and brings it to where it belongs can he take some grapes to eat on his way back to the field. This way he is not wasting time from work, and he’s only eating after his part of the work is done.
Even though we said yesterday that a worker can eat while he is working, he needs to make sure that he is eating only with these conditions!
This mitzvah comes from a posuk in Parshas Ki Seitzei: וְחֶרְמֵשׁ לֹא תָנִיף עַל קָמַת רֵעֶךָ
The halachos are explained in Perek Zayin of Mesechta Bava Metziah.
2) (Mitzvas Lo Saasei #268) A worker can eat as much as he wants, but he can’t put any away for later. The food is just meant for him while he is working.
This mitzvah also comes from a posuk in Parshas Ki Seitzei: וְאָכַלְתָּ עֲנָבִים כְּנַפְשְׁךָ שָׂבְעֶךָ וְאֶל כֶּלְיְךָ לֹא תִתֵּן
|
|
|
|
In today’s Rambam we learn more halachos about hiring workers.
In Perek Yud of today’s Rambam, we learn about when a worker is called a shomer, guarding something! If you pay a carpenter to fix your bookshelf, he is a shomer sachar, a paid guard. If it gets broken, he has to pay for it. But if he calls you and tells you to come pick it up because it is done, he is like a shomer chinam (an unpaid guard), and doesn’t have to pay for it unless he did something not responsible.
In Perek Yud-Alef, we learn about paying workers on time. We only need to pay once the work was done and we received it. So if someone ordered a piece of furniture, it is not counted as paying late until after he picked it up.
Perek Yud-Beis is about the mitzvos we learned in Sefer Hamitzvos today! One halacha is that these mitzvos are only with things that grow. So a person working in an ice cream store doesn’t have a mitzvah to be able to eat ice cream. (The ice cream store owner could let him eat anyway, though!)
|
|
|
|
All of the non-kosher foods we learned about before are with animals. In this perek we learn about things that grow that are not kosher. Here are some of those things that the Rambam speaks about in this perek:
- Chadash: We are not allowed to eat new grain until we bring the Korban Omer.
- Kilai Hakerem: We are not allowed to grow different plants together or too close to each other.
- Tevel: We are not al- lowed to eat food before we bring the Terumah and Maaser from it.
- Orlah: We are not al- lowed to eat from a fruit tree before it grows for at least three years.
|
|
|
|
In one Pesach Sheini farbrengen, the Rebbe told us one of the ways to use the special koach of Pesach Sheini!
We all have things in our avodah that can be done better. We know we could have done better ourselves, in how we acted with our families, or to help our students more. Pesach Sheini is a great time to make a Cheshbon Hanefesh and think about all of these things, because of the special koach of the day!
Pesach Sheini teaches us that “Es Iz Nishto Kein Farfalen” — it’s never too late to fix something up! With this koach, we don’t get sad when we think about what we didn’t do right before. We are excited that now we have another chance to fix them all up!
See farbrengen of Parshas Behar Tof-Shin-Mem-Tes
|
|
|
▼ Jump to Coloring Books & Downloads ▼
|
|
|
|
IY”H tomorrow we will start to learn the meaning of Vehinei, the sixth posuk of the Yud-Beis Pesukim. Today, we will hear a story about how this posuk can help us in our war against the Yetzer Hara!
A bochur once had his turn to go into Yechidus with the Rebbe. Usually, Chassidim would write down their questions, and the Rebbe would answer them during the Yechidus.
When this bochur was preparing what to write, he thought of a certain problem he was having in Avodas Hashem. He was uncomfortable writing it, and wasn’t sure what he should do. Finally, he decided that if he would remember during the Yechidus, he would ask the Rebbe. He knew that during a Yechidus, Chassidim would often forget everything else! If he remembered anyway, that would be a sign that he should ask.
When the bochur came into Yechidus, the Rebbe quickly read through what he wrote, and answered his questions. The bochur realized that the Yechidus was almost over, and remembered the problem he was having. Like he had decided, he asked the Rebbe what to do.
The Rebbe answered that he should learn the beginning of Perek Mem-Alef of Tanya Baal Peh, until after the section of Vehinei.
Then the Rebbe raised his voice and said:
“And when the Yetzer Hara will come to you, you should remind yourself.” The Rebbe said the words slowly and clearly and in a loud voice: “That Vehinei Hashem Nitzav Alav, U’mlo Chol Ha’aret Kevodo! Umabit Alav Uvochein Klayos Valeiv, Im Ovdo Kara’ui! And when you remind yourself of this, the Yetzer Hara will RUN AWAY from you!”
As we will learn, these words mean that Hashem is watching us the whole time to see if we will act the way we should! Like we see in this story, these words are very powerful! Thinking about what they mean can help us have hatzlacha in our fight against the Yetzer Hara.
As heard from Rabbi Yekusiel Farkash, audio shiur #6 of Seder Yomo Shel Yehudi, approximately 6 minutes in
|
|
|
|
Today (Monday) is the last fast of Taanis BaHaB. “BaHaB” stands for Monday (beis), Thursday (hey), Monday (beis). There is a minhag brought in Shulchan Aruch to fast on Monday, Thursday and Monday in the month after Pesach and Sukkos, in case something not appropriate was done with the simcha of Yom Tov. (We first wait for the Shabbos after Rosh Chodesh before counting for BaHaB.)
In Tof-Shin-Mem-Ches, the Rebbe said a sicha on each day of BaHaB, and explained why the minhag is that even Chassidim, who are very careful with mitzvos, don’t usually fast. The Rebbe said that the day should still be used to add in inyonim of Torah and mitzvos, because every fast day is an Eis Ratzon!
Many bochurim, out of love for the Rebbe, would try to copy things that the Rebbe would do. Some of the bochurim who knew that the Rebbe fasted BaHaB, would also copy the Rebbe and fast this taanis.
One of these bochurim was there as the Rebbe said this sicha, and heard that the Rebbe said Chassidim should not actually fast on these days. He was sadly thinking, “Now I will have to stop keeping BaHaB like the Rebbe does.”
As he was thinking this, the Rebbe said, “But those who already started keeping this fast should continue, and it will bring them brachos for health and good things.”
To this day, this bochur still fasts BaHaB like the Rebbe said to!
For the rest of us, we have a hora’ah from the Rebbe not to fast. But we still need to make sure to use the Eis Ratzon of this day, to add in giving tzedakah, and other inyonim of Yiddishkeit, more than usual!
See sichos of BaHaB, Toras Menachem Tof-Shin-Mem-Ches vol. 3, p. 257
|
|
לעילוי נשמת הרה״ח ר׳ דניאל יצחק ע״ה בן ר׳ אפרים שי׳ מאסקאוויץ
שליח כ"ק אדמו"ר נשיא דורנו למדינת אילינוי
|
|
|
|
Some people think that Hashem put us in Golus, and He knows the right time to end it. What is the point of ASKING for Moshiach?
We learn from Pesach Sheini that asking can be very important! We only got this Yom Tov because we ASKED for it, saying that we didn’t want to be left out of the mitzvah of the Korban Pesach.
That teaches us how important it is to ask Hashem to bring us Moshiach NOW, because Hashem wants us to ASK for the Geulah. When we do, we will get our biggest Yom Tov, just like the Yidden got it then!
See farbrengen of Pesach Sheini, Tof-Shin-Mem-Daled
|
|
|
|
|
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
|
|
|
