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CHUMASH
Parshas Behar-Bechukosai - Shishi with Rashi
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In today’s Chumash, we learn about Erkin. What does this mean?
A person might decide that he wants to give Hashem a present — worth as much as himself, or someone in his family! How much money does he have to give?
The Torah gives us amounts of money based on ages:
- For an adult man (from 20-60 years old) he needs to pay 50 silver shekel
- For an adult woman (from 20-60) he needs to pay 30 silver shekel
- For a young man (from 5-20) he needs to pay 20 silver shekel
- For a young woman (from 5-20) he needs to pay 10 silver shekel
- For a baby boy (one month old until 5 years old) he needs to pay 5 silver shekel (this is how much we give for the Pidyon Haben!)
- For a baby girl (one month — 5 years old) he needs to pay 3 silver shekel
- For an old man (over 60) he needs to pay 15 shekel
- For an old woman (over 60) he needs to pay 10 shekel
If someone sees he can’t afford it, the kohen figures out how much he should pay.
If a person promises to give an animal, even though it is easy to know how much an animal is worth, he can’t just pay that amount. If the animal is kosher for a korban, the animal itself becomes kodesh, holy for Hashem! He also can’t trade it for another one — if he does that, BOTH animals become holy.
Only if the animal is not kosher for a korban, the kohen will decide how much to sell it for. If the OWNER wants to buy back that animal from the kohen, he has to pay an extra 1/5th of the amount.
The same thing is for a house: If a person promises his house to Hashem, the kohen sells it for the amount he thinks it is worth. But if the person who gave it wants to buy the house from the kohen, he has to pay an extra 1/5th.
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Today we say the first half of the longest kapitel of the whole Tehillim, Kapitel Kuf-Yud-Tes (119)!
One of the pesukim in this kapitel says, “Chatzos Laila Akum Lehodos Lach” — Dovid Hamelech says, “at midnight I get up to praise You, Hashem!”
The Gemara tells us that Dovid Hamelech used to leave the window open in his room, and hung a harp near his bed. At midnight, the north wind would blow, and the harp strings would make noise! Dovid Hamelech would wake up right away when he heard the noise, and learn Torah until the morning.
It happened in the morning that the Chachomim came to him and said, “The Yidden need parnasa! What should we do?”
Dovid Hamelech told them to collect tzedakah for the poor people.
“But it’s not enough!” the Chachomim said. “We can’t collect enough tzedakah to take care of all of the poor people.”
Dovid Hamelech answered, “So go and fight against our enemies who want to attack us, and you can take their money to help the poor people.”
Right away, the Yidden asked the Sanhedrin and the Kohen Gadol if they were allowed to fight.
The Rebbe Rashab once farbrenged all night about this Gemara! He said that Dovid Hamelech was such a big Talmid Chochom, he could have written many important seforim. But he didn’t! He only wrote a Tehillim’l, which makes our hearts warm and helps us feel close to Hashem.
Dovid Hamelech was the leader of the Yidden. He understood what the Yidden needed! Even though he could have written seforim, he knew that the Yidden would need a sefer that would help them in hard times, like when they are fighting with their enemies.
And even today, we use the Tehillim to help us when we have challenges.
We see the same thing with our Rebbe! Of course the Rebbe could have written an amazing pirush on the entire Gemara, but the Rebbe chose to farbreng with us, to teach us how to be close to Hashem and do our shlichus in the world.
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TANYA
Likutei Amarim Perek Nun-Alef
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There are two kinds of chayus that a person has from his neshama: One is a kind of Chayus that is the same for the whole person, to keep him alive, and there is a second kind of Chayus that is specific for each part of the person. Each part gets exactly the kochos it needs from the neshama to do its job, like the eye to see, the ear to hear, and the feet to walk.
The world is the same way! Hashem gives the whole world one kind of chayus so it can exist. This chayus is the same in the highest Ruchnius world, and in the lowest part of the Gashmius world.
Then Hashem gives ANOTHER kind of chayus which is specific to each part of the world, so it has the exact koach it needs.
Kabbalah calls this chayus “Ohr”, “light”, because light can be in many places, but with curtains or windows you can see it more or less. There are some places where this chayus shines more, and we can feel it more! There are other places where it doesn’t shine as much, and it is felt less.
The higher Ruchnius’dike worlds are able to handle the chayus of Hashem much better. So the light of Hashem shines in a stronger way.
But this Gashmius’dike world can’t handle such a strong chayus in a revealed way. That’s why Hashem’s light is very hidden here.
We will see later that this works just like it does in a person! In a person, this second kind of chayus is mainly in the head, and from there it spreads to the rest of the body. The same thing is with the second kind of chayus in the world: This chayus, which is from the Shechinah, mainly rests in the Beis Hamikdash when it is standing, and in Torah and mitzvos nowadays. From there, it spreads out to the rest of the world.
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Today is forty days of the Omer!
The Alter Rebbe said the following maamar in Liozna, in 5555:
The Chachomim teach us that “the reward for a mitzvah is a mitzvah.” What does this mean? The best reward for the mitzvah is that it connects us with the etzem of Hashem. We will be able to SEE this reward when Moshiach comes! That is the main part of the mitzvah.
Still, we also get a reward here in this world. Hashem helps us in a way that is similar to the mitzvah that we did: For example, if we give tzedakah and help someone else with their needs, Hashem will help US with OUR needs!
This is what we say in the morning brachos, in “Eilu Devarim” — there are parts of the mitzvah “She’adam Ochel Peiroseihem Ba’olam Hazeh” — that we get the “fruit” (reward) in this world, “Vehakeren Kayemes Le’olam Haba” — but the main part of the reward we will get in Olam Haba.
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In today’s Sefer Hamitzvos, we learn ANOTHER mitzvah (Mitzvas Lo Saasei #237) about ribbis: It’s not only asur to LEND, or to BORROW with Ribbis, you can’t do ANYTHING to help a loan with ribbis! You can’t:
1) be an arev — guarantee the loan (say that you’ll pay it back if the other person doesn’t)
2) be an eid — witness the loan (watch them making the loan so it will be a real loan)
3) be a sofer — write down the loan (record it to show that it really happened).
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We are learning Sefer Mishpatim, which means arguments and judgments between people. One common reason for an argument in Beis Din is if someone borrowed money from another person, and did not pay it back. There are many perakim which explain the halachos of loans, which we are learning about now.
In Perek Chof-Beis of today’s Rambam, we learn about how the Beis Din collects money from someone who didn’t pay on time. We sometimes give the person more time to pay, but if he still doesn’t, the Beis Din writes an “adrachta.” With an adrachta, the person who lent the money is allowed to take away property from the person who borrowed the money, in order to pay back the loan.
Perek Chof-Gimmel has halachos about when we say that a shtar doesn’t count. If it is ripped or smudged, it is fine as long as we can still read it. We learn that the Beis Din tears a shtar in a certain way — ripping it into 4 pieces. If a shtar is ripped that way, the shtar doesn’t mean anything anymore!
In Perek Chof-Daled, we learn about the names on the shtar. It has to be clear who the people written on the shtar are, or else the Beis Din can’t take away the money from them.
So what happens if there are a few people with the same name in one city? How can they write a shtar that shows that they borrowed or lent money? How would we know which one the shtar is talking about?
The halacha is that they need to write their grandparents’ names, so we can tell them apart. And if their grandparents’ names are the same too, then they need to say their GREAT-grandparents’ names on the shtar!
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We learn about who is and isn’t allowed to shecht.
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The Rebbe told us that from Shabbos Mevorchim Sivan (this Shabbos), we should start getting ready for Shavuos! One of the things that the Rebbe told us we should do is that everybody should wish their friends (and kids should too!) a very special bracha for Shavuos:
What is this bracha? “Kabolas HaTorah beSimcha ubePnimius” — “you should get the Torah with simcha (happiness) and make it a part of you!”
The Rebbe said that we should use exactly these words, without adding or taking away any words. This is the way the Frierdiker Rebbe said it, so we should say it too.
When we bentch someone else to have Kabolas HaTorah beSimcha ubePnimius, that helps also that OUR Kabolas HaTorah should be with simcha and pnimius!
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The posuk Yogaati tells us that we need to try hard, and then we can be sure that we will have hatzlacha!
Yogaati Velo Motzosi, Al Taamin — If someone says, I tried hard and I didn’t find what I was looking for, and I didn’t have hatzlacha, don’t believe them!
Lo Yogaati Umotzosi, Al Taamin — If someone says, I didn’t try hard at all, and I was able to do it right away, don’t believe them either.
Yogaati Umotzosi, Taamin — If someone says, I tried hard and it worked, then believe them!
The Mishna says that with things in Torah and Yiddishkeit, if someone says that they tried hard and they didn’t have hatzlacha, we shouldn’t believe them!
In a sicha to the girls of Camp Emunah, the Rebbe says that another meaning of the word Taamin is that the Torah believes in you! The Torah is sure that YOU CAN DO IT! Every Yid is built to have hatzlacha, and if we try, we WILL be able to have that hatzlacha!
See Der Rebbe Redt Tzu Kinder p. 297, sicha Vov Elul Tof-Shin-Lamed-Tes
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When we eat a seudah on Shabbos, we need to start the meal by washing on Lechem Mishna — two loaves of bread or challah. These two loaves of bread remind us of the double portion of Mahn!
Here are two halachos about Lechem Mishnah that not everyone knows:
1) This halacha is not only for the regular seudos on Friday night or Shabbos day. EVERY time we wash for challah on Shabbos, we should make Hamotzi on Lechem Mishnah! So if you decide to have a sandwich in the afternoon, or a bagel for a snack, you also need to have Lechem Mishna!
2) Every person needs to have Lechem Mishna!
Still, just like one person is able to make kiddush and be motzi everyone else at the meal, one person is able to make Hamotzi on Lechem Mishna and be yotzei everyone else there.
Usually a man does this, but if there are no men or boys over Bar Mitzvah, a woman also needs to do it. So if a Mommy is having a Shalosh Seudos while Tatty takes a nap, she needs to make Lechem Mishna for the seudah, and if a teenager wants to have the seudah early, they need Lechem Mishna too.
See the Alter Rebbe’s Shulchan Aruch, Hilchos Shabbos, siman Reish-Tzadik-Alef, se’if Zayin and Ches
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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 one of the nevuos about the Geulah, the Navi Yeshaya says that people won’t pass away anymore, and Hashem will take away all of our sadness.
בִּלַּע הַמָּוֶת לָנֶצַח וּמָחָה ה׳ אֶלֹקִים דִּמְעָה מֵעַל כָּל פָּנִים וְחֶרְפַּת עַמּוֹ יָסִיר מֵעַל כָּל הָאָרֶץ כִּי ה׳ דִּבֵּר
Bila Hamaves Lanetzach — Hashem will destroy death forever
Umacha Hashem Elokim Dimah Me’al Kol Panim— And Hashem will wipe away the tear from every face.
Vecherpas Amo Yasir — And Hashem will take away the embarrassment of His nation
Me’al Kol Ha’aretz — Who are embarrassed in front of the rest of the world, since they are in Golus.
Ki Hashem Diber — Hashem has said so, and it will definitely happen!
See Yeshaya 25:8
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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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