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CHUMASH
Parshas Beshalach - Revi'i with Rashi
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The Yidden finally left Mitzrayim, after Makas Bechoros! Hashem hardened Paraoh’s heart again, and he chased after the Yidden, to bring them back to Mitzrayim. Hashem told Moshe Rabbeinu that the Yidden should not be afraid, because Hashem will save them. Hashem told Moshe to lift his hand over the water, and the water split! The Yidden walked through on dry land. The Mitzriyim didn’t stop chasing the Yidden, and followed them in. Hashem made the ground muddy and hot and the Mitzriyim saw that Hashem was fighting against them.
Hashem said to Moshe: “Pick up your hand over the sea, so the water will stop standing like a wall, and it will drown the Mitzriyim.”
Moshe did, and the water went back to being a regular sea. The Mitzriyim were so confused, they ran INTO the water instead of away from it! Hashem made the water throw the Mitzriyim around, so they would be punished for longer, and then they all drowned.
The Yidden couldn’t see what happened to the Mitzriyim, and they were scared that maybe the Mitzriyim came out of the water also and would start chasing them again! So Hashem made the Yam Suf spit out the bodies of the Mitzriyim, and then they disappeared into the ground.
When the Yidden saw this, they really believed in Hashem and Moshe, His servant! They sang a special song to Hashem, called Az Yashir (we say it every day in davening!) This song thanks Hashem for the nissim of Kriyas Yam Suf.
The women also wanted to sing to thank Hashem. Miriam took her tambourine and all of the women danced with their tambourines, singing to Hashem.
After singing and thanking Hashem, the Yidden collected the gold and silver decorations from Paraoh’s chariots. There was so much, it was even more than all they got before leaving Mitzrayim! The Yidden were so busy taking the gold, Moshe had to force them to leave when it was time to travel.
Then the Yidden began to travel in the Midbar.
For three days, the Yidden walked in the desert without finding any water. Finally, they found a stream called Marah, but the water was very bitter! Instead of asking Moshe to daven for them, the Yidden complained, “What should we drink?”
Moshe davened to Hashem, and Hashem showed him a tree. Moshe threw a branch of the tree into the water, and it became sweet!
Near Marah, Hashem gave the Yidden some Torah to learn, including about the Parah Adumah. Hashem said that if the Yidden do the mitzvos, even the ones they don’t understand, Hashem won’t bring any of the sicknesses like He gave the Mitzriyim during the makos. If they ever do get sick, “Ani Hashem Rofecha” — “I am Hashem Who heals you” — if you do the mitzvos, Hashem will make you feel better.
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Today’s shiur Tehillim is kapitelach Nun-Hey through Nun-Tes.
In the end of today’s first kapitel is the very special niggun Padah Veshalom, which we sing on the Geulah of the Rebbeim. In this kapitel, Dovid Hamelech is talking about his OWN Geulah, because there were people who fought against him.
Dovid Hamelech says at the end, the last three words, “Va’ani Evtach Bach” — “and I trust in You.” Dovid Hamelech didn’t think about the people who were trying to hurt him, and only trusted in Hashem, that Hashem will help him. And of course, Hashem did!
We should feel this way too with all of the things we need: If we do what we are supposed to and trust in Hashem, Hashem will surely help us!
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TANYA
Likutei Amarim Perek Chof-Beis
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We’re learning in short about the inyan of Achdus Hashem. Every Yid believes with emunah that there is nothing that exists aside for Hashem. Still, a person’s mind might understand differently than what he believes, and keep him from acting the way he should! That’s why it’s important to make sure we also understand Achdus Hashem with our sechel, so that our sechel will guide us to act the way Hashem wants us to.
The Mitteler Rebbe writes in the introduction to his sefer Imrei Bina, that the purpose of all of the maamorim that the Alter Rebbe said every Shabbos in public and in private were all with this goal — so that Chassidim, each one at his own level, will be able to understand and appreciate the inyan of Achdus Hashem. This will make a difference in everything they do!
When a person looks around at the world, it might seem (to his sechel) that there are things that are separate from Hashem.
The Alter Rebbe tells us that, of course nothing is separate from Hashem! Hashem created the world for us to have free choice, so He created something that will be the “opposite” of kedusha so we will have what to choose between. Hashem gives chayus to these things “from behind his back,” because He only wants them to exist for the purpose of kedusha. Even this chayus that they get is in Golus inside of them. They don’t have bittul to Hashem, and they deny that Hashem is one!
That’s why kelipah and Sitra Achara are called “Elokim Acheirim,” other G-ds — because they are just like Avodah Zarah. Just like people who serve Avodah Zarah don’t believe in Hashem or deny that Hashem is one, kelipah and Sitra Achara don’t agree that Hashem is the only thing that exists!
It isn’t only tomei things and kelipah that deny Achdus Hashem and are like Avodah Zarah. The Chachomim teach us that any time a person has gaavah, that’s like Avodah Zarah too!
People who serve Avodah Zarah think that there is something that exists aside for Hashem. A Yid who has gaavah thinks about how he is very special and important. He doesn’t think about how he is really botul to Hashem. He acts as if he is something separate!
When a Yid understands Achdus Hashem in his sechel, he won’t let his sechel be involved in anything else! He won’t be willing to have gaavah or let himself go running after things that are fun or exciting without thinking about what Hashem wants.
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In today’s Hayom Yom, the Rebbe first makes a correction to Torah Ohr, which is also a reminder to chassidim that every chossid needs to learn these seforim of the Alter Rebbe. In fact, at the last Kinus Hashluchim with the Rebbe, the Rebbe said that Chassidim should make a hachlata to learn the whole Torah Ohr and Likutei Torah — from beginning to end!
Yud Shevat is also the yartzeit of Rebbetzin Rivkah, the Frierdiker Rebbe’s grandmother, and the Rebbe Rashab’s mother. In today’s Hayom Yom we learn a story about her.
Once when Rebbetzin Rivkah was 18, she was sick, and the doctor told her to eat right away in the morning. She didn’t want to eat before davening, so she got up earlier so she could first daven and then eat! When the Tzemach Tzedek (her father-in-law) heard about this, he said “A Yid needs to be strong! Mitzvos need to be done with chayus, and you need to be strong and happy to do them!” The Tzemach Tzedek told her, “Better to eat so you can daven, than to daven so you can eat.” Then the Tzemach Tzedek bentched her to have a long life.
When the Rebbe Rashab told this story to someone at yechidus, he added “and you should do this with simcha!”
The Rebbe teaches that really, eating is an example for all of the gashmiyus’dike things that we do, and davening is an example for all of the ruchniyus’dike things we do. The lesson from this story is that the MAIN thing in our lives needs to be the ruchniyus’dike things — all of our “eating” and the Gashmius needs for ourselves should be for the purpose of “davening” and serving Hashem.
Once at a Yud Shevat farbrengen the Rebbe said that the Frierdiker Rebbe saw all of the Hayom Yoms and approved of all of them, which means that this Hayom Yom is the Torah and the hora’ah for Yud Shevat.
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Today we learn three mitzvos about a Rotzeiach, someone who kills another person:
1) (Mitzvas Asei #225) The first mitzvah is that if someone kills another person by mistake, the Beis Din needs to send him to the Ir Miklat, and he has to stay there until the Kohen Gadol passes away.
This mitzvah, along with the rest of today’s mitzvos, are from Parshas Masei: וְיָשַׁב בָּהּ עַד מוֹת הַכֹּהֵן הַגָּדֹל
The dinim of this mitzvah are explained in Mesechta Makos.
2) (Mitzvas Lo Saasei #295) As we learned, if someone killed another person by mistake, he needs to run to an Ir Miklat. This mitzvah is that the Beis Din is not allowed to take money from him instead of making him go to an Ir Miklat.
We learn this from the posuk: וְלֹא תִקְחוּ כֹפֶר לָנוּס אֶל עִיר מִקְלָטוֹ
The details of this mitzvah are also explained in Mesechta Makos.
3) (Mitzvas Lo Saasei #292) The Beis Din cannot punish a Rotzeiach unless they follow all of the rules of having a trial with witnesses like we learn in Torah.
The posuk where we learn this mitzvah from is: וְלֹא יָמוּת הָרֹצֵחַ עַד עָמְדוֹ לִפְנֵי הָעֵדָה לַמִּשְׁפָּט
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RAMBAM
Hilchos Rotzeiach U'Shmiras HaNefesh
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In today’s Rambam, we learn when the Beis Din punishes a Rotzeiach.
Perek Beis teaches us the difference if the Rotzeiach did it himself or got someone else to do it. Of course, even if the Beis Din is not able to punish someone, Hashem will punish him if he deserves it!
Perek Gimmel explains how we make sure that the person really was trying to kill. The Beis Din figures out if the kind of thing they did, or what they used, is usually enough to kill a person.
Perek Daled: There are some times where if the Beis Din knows that the person meant to kill, even if they don’t have the right kinds of proofs, they can punish the person in another way to keep these things from happening.
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We are now starting the last sefer of Rambam, Sefer Shoftim!
The Rambam teaches about the BIG Sanhedrin with 71 judges, the SMALL Sanhedrin (which should be in most cities) with 23 judges, and in a small city there should be 3 judges. There are halachos about how the Sanhedrin should sit, and about who writes down what happens. When Moshiach comes, we will have a big Sanhedrin again, in the Beis Hamikdash!
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Today is the very special day of Yud Shevat. The Rebbe once said in a farbrengen that every day is an opportunity to make good things happen and to bring the Geulah closer. But there are some days that have extra-special kochos hidden in them! Yud Shevat is one of those days.
The first maamar that the Rebbe said is the maamar Bosi Legani, said on Yud Shevat in the year Tof-Shin-Yud-Alef. In this maamar, the Rebbe tells us a story about each of the Rebbeim, about how they had Mesiras Nefesh for Ahavas Yisroel. They put aside their own Gashmiyus and even Ruchniyus needs, in order to do a favor and help another Yid.
Of course there are so many stories about the Ahavas Yisroel of our Rebbe! Some of these stories are from before Gimmel Tammuz, and many are from afterwards also. As the Rebbe would often say, in the words of the Zohar, a Tzadik is even more present after Histalkus than he was during his lifetime.
We all have heard at least some of these stories, and may even have stories from our own families and ourselves. Still we will review an amazing story of Ahavas Yisroel that happened with the Rebbe the night before saying the first maamar:
The night before that Yud Shevat, Tof-Shin-Yud-Alef (5711/1951), Rabbi Moshe Groner was the only one in the secretaries’ offices in 770. It was already later at night, when he heard the phone ringing. Since he wasn’t really one of the secretaries, he didn’t answer the phone at first, but when it kept ringing, he finally picked it up.
He was very surprised to hear the Rebbe on the phone! The Rebbe asked Rabbi Groner if he could come over to his house! Rabbi Groner of course ran over right away. The Rebbe wanted him to find the name of the doctor who was in charge of a certain patient, and then get him on the phone.
Rabbi Groner managed to do it, and told the Rebbe that the doctor was on the phone. He went into the Rebbe’s study so he wouldn’t hear the private conversation. Rabbi Groner was amazed by what he saw! There was a copy of the Frierdiker Rebbe’s maamar Bosi L’gani Tof-Shin-Yud open on the desk, and seforim of all of the Rebbeim!
Then the Rebbe came into the room, and told Rabbi Groner that he was going to the hospital. The Rebbe wanted the doctor to go see the patient in the middle of the night, but the doctor didn’t agree. But when the Rebbe said he would go too, the doctor said he would go…
So the night before, as the Rebbe prepared to accept the role of being the Rebbe of all Yidden, the Rebbe put everything aside and went out in the middle of the night to help a Yid in need to make sure that he was seen by the right doctor so he could be healthy and well!
Read this story with more details, plus much more about Bosi Legani, in the Chassidishe Derher!
https://derher.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/shevat5773.pdf
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Since today is the yartzeit of the Frierdiker Rebbe, we are going to learn a story about davening from the Frierdiker Rebbe.
At a farbrengen on Yud-Beis Tammuz Tof-Shin-Zayin (printed in Likutei Diburim), the Frierdiker Rebbe spoke about how he learned the Pirush Hamilos of tefillah, the meaning of the words of davening:
“My father (the Rebbe Rashab) learned Pirush Hamilos with me twice. I learned the meaning of the weekday davening, Shabbos and Yom Tov, the Haggadah Shel Pesach, and some of the tefillos of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur.
“The first time was when I was a child, and the second time was starting from my Bar Mitzvah, on Yud-Beis Tammuz Tof-Reish-Nun-Gimmel.
“When my father started to learn Pirush Hamilos with me the first time, he said: ‘To daven and not know what you are davening is Nit Kein Zach — not right.’ He then started to teach me the basic meaning of davening.
“The second time my father learned with me, he taught me the Chassidishe meaning of davening…
“Starting from Modeh Ani, my father explained every posuk according to Chassidus, with a lesson that can be taken from it. Together with each inyan, he would tell a story, mostly they were “Torahs” that the Alter Rebbe heard from the Chassidus of the Baal Shem Tov and the Maggid. Sometimes it would also be an explanation of the Alter Rebbe himself or one of the later Rebbeim.”
Later in this farbrengen, the Frierdiker Rebbe explained the Sulam HaTefillah, the ladder of davening, with all of the levels of davening. He also shared how the Rebbe Rashab explains the paragraph of Lamnatzeiach Binginos, that we say before Boruch She’amar.
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There are two inyonim in Yud Shevat. What is closer to us is that today is the beginning of the Rebbe’s nesius, and we need to use out this Yom Segulah — special day — to make our hiskashrus stronger and keep the Rebbe’s horaos.
Yud Shevat is also the histalkus of the Frierdiker Rebbe, and the Rebbe tells us to keep minhagim connected to the yartzeit. In a farbrengen the Shabbos before Yud Shevat (5741) the Rebbe said that just like mitzvos are keilim to bring down the brachos of Hashem, the same is true of the minhagim for a yartzeit. They are keilim that not only hold bracha, but also bring down the brachos which are connected to this holy day.
Let’s review some of the minhagim that the Rebbe wants us to do today.
- As we said before Shabbos, we get an Aliyah the Shabbos before Yud Shevat (The Rebbe once said that anyone who was not able to get an actual Aliyah goes up to the Torah in their thoughts, and they get an Aliyah, going up and getting an extra chayus in learning and keeping the Torah!)
- We light a yartzeit licht (if it’s easy to get one, it’s best to use a beeswax candle)
- To learn through the maamar of Bosi Legani of the Frierdiker Rebbe, Tof-Shin-Yud (part after Maariv, part after Shacharis, and finish after Mincha)
- Learn a perek of Tanya before Shacharis and after Mincha
- Give extra tzedakah to one of the Rebbe’s mosdos before Shacharis and Mincha
- Write a Pa”N and when you read it, picture yourself as if you are standing before the Rebbe
- Learn Mishnayos with the letters of the Frierdiker Rebbe’s name
- Make a farbrengen
- Spend time with your family talking about the life and Mesiras Nefesh of the Rebbe to help every Yid and bring the Geulah
We can continue these inyonim and others in the days after Yud Shevat, and especially the Shabbos afterwards.
See letter of Rosh Chodesh Shevat 5711, and farbrengen Parshas Bo 5741 (first sicha)
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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 today’s Chumash, we learn Shiras Hayam, the song the Yidden sang at Kriyas Yam Suf. The Shirah starts with the words “Az Yashir Moshe,” saying that Moshe and the Yidden sang these words to Hashem.
Rashi explains that this is a hint to Techiyas Hameisim from the Torah!
Really, the Torah could have said “Az SHAR Moshe,” “then Moshe SANG.” Instead, it uses the words “Az YASHIR,” which can mean “then he WILL sing.”
When will Moshe sing? At the time of Techiyas Hameisim, when Moshe Rabbeinu will again sing shirah to Hashem, together with all of the Yidden!
The Zohar says that in Az Yashir, there are hints to all of the types of praise that are given to Hashem — the praise that everything in the world gives to Hashem, and the praise that is given to Hashem by the malochim and in Shomayim! By saying Az Yashir every day, we will also be zoche to give this special praise to Hashem when Moshiach comes!
See Rashi on Az Yashir, and Zohar Parshas Beshalach
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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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