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CHUMASH
Parshas Haazinu - Rishon with Rashi
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Today we start to learn the song Haazinu, that Moshe Rabbeinu taught the Yidden before he passed away.
The sky and the earth should hear what I say
Because they’ll be there forever, like they’re here today!
So no Yid will ever be able to say
“I didn’t hear about the mitzvos, no way!”
The sky and the earth are able to give
Rain to fall and plants to grow, so the Yidden can live.
So they can reward the Yidden if they do
The things Hashem is asking them to!
The Torah is like rain, that everything needs
(People and animals, and even seeds!)
Torah makes everyone happy, and also
Learning Torah makes us grow!
When in the Beis Hamikdash you hear Hashem’s name
Say good things about Hashem — say Baruch Sheim!
Everything Hashem does is fair, you bet!
He will give everyone what they deserve to get.
If not good things keep happening, life feels like no fun
You should know that it’s because of things YOU have done!
Hashem loves you and chose you, but what did you do?
You weren’t smart, and didn’t do what Hashem told you to!
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Today’s shiur Tehillim is Lamed-Tes to Mem-Gimmel. We also say kapitelach Kuf-Vov, Kuf-Zayin, and Kuf-Ches as the three kapitelach we add until Yom Kippur.
In one of today’s Kapitelach Tehillim, there is a posuk that says “Ach Betzelem Yis’halech Ish.” It means that people don’t understand what to do in the world, it’s like a person walking in the dark, who can’t see where he is going.
The word “tzelem” (darkness) also means image (picture)! So we can translate the posuk as “Only with the picture can a person go.” What picture? A picture of the Rebbe! When we see a picture of the Rebbe, it reminds us how we’re supposed to be, and gives us the koach to do our shlichus with simcha!
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TANYA
Igeres Hakodesh Siman Chof
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The Igeres Hakodesh we are learning now, written just a few days before the Alter Rebbe’s histalkus, is a very deep explanation of inyonim in Kabbalah and Chassidus.
The Alter Rebbe is explaining what it says in Kabbalah that “Ihu Vegarmohi Chad” — that the Ohr Ein Sof and the keilim of Atzilus are one.
Hashem had to use the very strong koach of Ein Sof to create the world, because the world has to be created Yeish Me’Ayin, “something from nothing.”
But the koach of Ein Sof by itself is too strong to make a world with so many details!
So Hashem also used the keilim of Atzilus, and the osios of the Asara Maamaros, to create the world. Since they have a more limited koach, they are able to create a Gashmius’dike world like this one!
That is what it means that the Ohr Ein Sof and the Keilim of Atzilus are one, “Ihu Vegarmohi Chad!”
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We are learning about the five steps to do teshuvah, which are hinted to in the five letters of the word Teshuvah!
So far, we learned about:
- Tof: Using our Koach of Tmimus — being serious about living the way Hashem wants us to
- Shin: Shivisi Hashem Lenegdi Somid — thinking about how Hashem is right here with us
- Vov: Ve’ahavta LeReiacha Kamocha — using the goodness inside of us to love another Yid, which makes us closer to Hashem
Today we will learn another tool, that is the Beis in the world teshuvah. There is a posuk, “Bechol Derachecha Do’eihu” — “in everything we do, we should know Hashem.”
All day, when we are doing things — like going to the store with our Mommy, or going to a friend’s house, or working outside — we see how things happen with Hashgacha Protis. On our way to the store, we might meet someone we were looking for, or at our friend’s house, we might be able to help with something that only we could do.
We see how Hashem made everything happen exactly the way He did for a reason. Business people, who spend a lot of their time dealing with the world, are especially able to see this! When we see Hashem in everything we do, we think about Hashem and it helps us decide to live the way He wants. Thinking about this is a part of teshuva.
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Today we learn three mitzvos, about the three kinds of Maaser Sheini we are not allowed to eat outside of Yerushalayim. There is a separate mitzvah for each kind of food.
1) (Mitzvas Lo Saasei #141) We are not allowed to eat grain of Maaser Sheini outside of Yerushalayim.
We learn this mitzvah from a posuk in Parshas Re’eh: לֹא תוּכַל לֶאֱכֹל בִּשְׁעָרֶיךָ מַעְשַׂר דְּגָנְךָ
2) (Mitzvas Lo Saasei #142) We are not allowed to drink wine of Maaser Sheini outside of Yerushalayim.
We learn this mitzvah from a posuk in Parshas Re’eh: לֹא תוּכַל לֶאֱכֹל בִּשְׁעָרֶיךָ מַעְשַׂר דְּגָנְךָ וְתִירשְׁךָ
3) (Mitzvas Lo Saasei #143) We are not allowed to consume olive oil of Maaser Sheini outside of Yerushalayim.
We learn this mitzvah from a posuk in Parshas Re’eh: לֹא תוּכַל לֶאֱכֹל בִּשְׁעָרֶיךָ מַעְשַׂר דְּגָנְךָ וְתִירשְׁךָ וְיִצְהָרֶךָ
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RAMBAM
Hilchos Maaser Sheini VeNeta Reva'i
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In today’s Rambam, we learn the next three perakim of Hilchos Maaser Sheini.
Perek Hey: We learn about being podeh Maaser Sheini, changing it for money. Usually when we are podeh the Maaser Sheini we need to pay an extra fifth. One of the things we learn in this perek is when we need to add that extra fifth AND when we don’t.
Perek Vov: We learn what happens when Maaser Sheini, or money from being podeh Maaser Sheini, gets mixed up with other food or money, and other sfeikos about Maaser Sheini.
One interesting halacha is about a son whose father passed away, and he is not sure where the Maaser Sheini of his father is. If he has a dream that it is in a certain place, then even if he finds the food there like he heard in the dream, it’s not considered maaser. Words in dreams don’t count in halacha.
Perek Zayin: We learn halachos for the things that are bought with the money of Maaser Sheini.
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Now we learn about types of 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.
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The Navi Yeshaya told the Yidden in one of his nevuos, “Dirshu Hashem Behimatzo,” you should look for Hashem when He can be found. “Kra’uhu Bihiyoso Karov,” you should call Him when He is close.
The Gemara asks, “When is the time that Hashem is found and is close? These are the days between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur” — the Aseres Yemei Teshuvah.
In a sicha, the Rebbe explains that the time of the Aseres Yemei Teshuvah is like finding a treasure. When you find something, you are getting more than what you worked for!
During the Aseres Yemei Teshuvah, Hashem is “found” (behimatzo), like finding a treasure. Hashem gives us more than what we deserve, by filling up anything that we were missing, and in a way of “karov,” closeness.
Even though the time is special by itself, if we USE the time by searching out Hashem (dirshu) and calling out to Hashem (kra’uhu), we can get even more!
The Rebbe’s secretary, Rabbi Groner A”H, once came into the Rebbe’s yechidus room to help with something. The Rebbe told him, “Now is an Eis Ratzon Milmaalah, a special time in Shomayim. Hashem is giving without limits! You just have to put out a container so the hashpa’ah doesn’t get wasted.” (Sipurim MeCheder HaRebbe p. 77)
The Aseres Yemei Teshuvah is also one of these times! We need to use the time to call out to Hashem and use this special time in the best possible way.
See Hisvaaduyos Tof-Shin-Mem-Zayin vol. 1, p. 59
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In the Aseres Yemei Teshuvah, we add many pieces in Shemoneh Esrei. We also add a kapitel of Tehillim after Pesukei DeZimra, before starting the Birchos Kriyas Shema. This kapitel starts with the words “Shir Hamaalos, Mimaamakim Kerasicha Hashem.” “A song of going higher, from the deep places I called out to You, Hashem.”
Why do we say this kapitel?
In Likutei Torah, the Alter Rebbe explains that before a neshama comes into a body, it feels very close to Hashem. But when it comes into a body, that feeling gets hidden. For most of the year, we aren’t thinking about that strong love for Hashem.
In the Aseres Yemei Teshuvah, Hashem comes very close to Yidden. This kapitel gives us the words to tell Hashem how we feel. A Yid calls out from the deepest part of the neshama, “Hashem, listen to my voice! Hear the strong love for You that is hiding inside of me, and bring me close to You.”
With this deep and strong feeling, we can decide that we are going to behave the way Hashem wants from us the whole year!
Not only that, but because this feeling comes from such a deep place in our neshama, it brings us a chayus from Hashem that is ALSO very deep! This chayus is so strong that it can fill in and fix up the mistakes and the wrong things we did during the year, so that the chayus and brachos of Hashem that need to come into the year are complete.
See Likutei Torah, dibur hamas’chil Shir Hamaalos
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We need to work harder to do teshuvah for “maybe” aveiros, things we weren’t sure were wrong.
During the Aseres Yemei Teshuvah, Hashem is very close to us, and He WANTS to forgive us for everything we did wrong during the year. Hashem WANTS us to do teshuvah so He can seal the judgment for a good year!
So during these days, we think about the things we did wrong during the year. We tell Hashem we are sorry, and we decide that we will act differently from now on.
Some things we KNOW we did wrong. We know that playing video games instead of davening is wrong! We know that getting into a fight with our brother is wrong! When we think about those things, we will really feel bad, and make a hachlata to change.
But then there are things that we aren’t sure were wrong. If we ate the candy without checking for a hechsher first, it MIGHT have been kosher, right? And speaking that way to our parents — was it REALLY chutzpadik, or maybe it wasn’t so bad? And it might not be so terrible that we took her crayons without asking — she wouldn’t mind, right?
For those kind of things, we need to work HARDER to do teshuvah! Since we aren’t sure they were wrong at all, we don’t feel so bad about them. But until we realize that they were wrong, we can’t do a proper teshuvah!
We need to think about how it is wrong to be careless about these mitzvos, since an aveira is such a serious thing. We decide that we will be much more careful in the future!
In the times of the Beis Hamikdash, we brought korbanos as part of doing teshuvah. Because it is harder to do teshuvah for a “maybe” aveira, the korban for this kind of aveira (an Asham Talui) was more expensive than the korban for an aveira that we were sure about (a Korban Chatas)!
From here we see that the teshuvah for a “maybe” aveira needs to be STRONGER than the teshuvah for an aveira we are sure we did wrong.
See the Alter Rebbe’s Shulchan Aruch, siman Tof-Reish-Gimmel
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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 Chabad House in S Paolo, Brazil, would print a monthly newspaper. When they were preparing the 100th issue, after almost 8 years of printing it every month, they wrote to the Rebbe.
The Rebbe was very happy to hear about this, and gave them a bracha to reach 200 issues!
But a person might wonder — another 100 issues will take so many years. Won’t Moshiach be here by then?
The Rebbe explained that even when Moshiach comes, we will need to be teaching Yidden Torah!
The best way to prepare for Moshiach is by doing things like this, that help Yidden understand Torah and do actual mitzvos!
See Likutei Sichos chelek Chof-Gimmel, p. 486-487
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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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