|
|
CHUMASH
Parshas Balak - Shishi with Rashi
|
|
In today’s Chumash, Bilaam gives brachos to the Yidden a third time!
Bilaam tries to curse the Yidden again: It didn’t work the last time Bilaam tried to curse the Yidden, so Balak had another idea. Maybe going to ANOTHER place would help? They went to the mountain of Pe’or, where Bilaam knew with his nevuah that something not good would happen to the Yidden. He thought that maybe it would be because of his curse! (Really, the Yidden were later punished there for Avodah Zarah.)
Again Balak built 7 Mizbeiachs and brought a bull and a ram as a korban on each.
Bilaam knew that Hashem only wanted to give the Yidden brachos. So he decided not to ask Hashem this time, but instead to talk about the aveiros the Yidden did, so Hashem would be upset at the Yidden and let them be cursed!
Bilaam looked out at the place where the Yidden did the Cheit Ha’egel. Then he looked at where the Yidden were camping, so he could feel jealous of how rich they are. He wanted to give them an Ayin Hara. But instead, he was impressed! He saw how the Yidden’s tents were all facing the same way, so people couldn’t look into each other’s tents. He saw how the Yidden lived in a very tznius’dike way.
Bilaam started to talk again. He said, “I am Bilaam, who is a Navi. Hashem only talks to me at night, but I can still see what He says.
“I wanted to curse the Yidden, but I can’t! Mah Tovu Ohalecha Yaakov! Yidden, your tents are so good! The way you camp is a tznius’dike way! This is a big zechus for you. And even if it’s not enough of a zechus, Mishkenosecha Yisroel — you bring korbanos in the Mishkan and that makes Hashem forgive any of your aveiros.
“I bentch you that you should last forever, and grow like the garden of Hashem, with Yiddishe kings who rule you.
“Hashem should help you come into Eretz Yisroel, where you will live like a lion, that people are scared of. Those who give you brachos should get brachos, and those who curse you should be cursed.”
Balak was SO ANGRY! “I told you to come CURSE the Yidden, and instead you gave them brachos THREE TIMES! Now go away! You won’t get any kavod from me!”
Bilaam said, “What can I do? I told you I can only say what Hashem tells me!”
|
|
|
|
Today’s kapitelach are Ayin-Tes to Pey-Beis.
In Kapitel Pey-Alef (81), the posuk says “Tiku BaChodesh Shofar, Bakeseh LeYom Chageinu. Ki Chok LeYisroel Hu, Mishpat Leilokei Yaakov.” These pesukim are talking about blowing the shofar, which is the mitzvah of Rosh Hashana.
The Gemara says that it is also talking about the parnasa that every Yid will have for the coming year. There is an argument in the Gemara whether a person is judged on Rosh Hashana, or every day, or even every hour!
Chassidus explains that it’s really not an argument — they’re just talking about different things! In Ruchnius, on Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, it is decided what a person will have. But based on how they act every day and every moment, it is decided whether that Ruchnius koach he deserves will come into Gashmius and give him parnasa, or stay in Ruchnius for Gan Eden.
Some people think that since anyway Hashem decided on Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, it doesn’t matter if they daven with a minyan or go to a shiur in Torah or do other mitzvos. Either they will get it or they won’t get it!
But that’s not true! Even if in Shomayim it was decided that a person will get a lot, if he doesn’t earn Hashem’s bracha, he won’t get the bracha in Gashmius. And the opposite is also true — even if someone isn’t supposed to get a lot, with Hashem’s bracha that little can help him even more than a lot would!
|
|
|
TANYA
Igeres Hateshuvah Perek Gimmel
|
|
We learned yesterday that nowadays we don’t fast, because we are not strong enough to fast without it hurting our body and our Avodas Hashem.
Still, the Alter Rebbe says, if we really care about our neshamos, we should try to fast at least once in our lifetime for any big aveiros we did, after we do teshuvah.
How can we do it without hurting ourselves?
The Alter Rebbe gives some ideas: A person can spread out the fasts, not doing them all in a row. He can fast during the winter, when the days are shorter and it’s not as hard — a person can still eat supper on time! If someone fasts ten times during the winter, over about nine years he will finish the number of fasts.
Also, for some fasts a person can fast 2 half-day fasts instead of one full day.
|
|
|
|
We can learn about Ahavas Yisroel from the Baal Shem Tov. His Ahavas Yisroel was even more than we can imagine!
The Maggid said, “If only we could kiss a Sefer Torah with as much love as the Baal Shem Tov had when he kissed the children he brought to Cheder, when he was the bahelfer!” (Before the Baal Shem Tov became known as the Baal Shem Tov, he spent some time as a helper — a bahelfer — for a melamed. He brought the kinderlach to and from school, and helped them say brachos and Amen in shul.)
|
|
|
|
In today’s Sefer Hamitzvos, we learn the mitzvah (Mitzvas Asei #169) of taking a Lulav and Esrog to shake on Sukkos!
We learn this mitzvah from a posuk in Parshas Emor: וּלְקַחְתֶּם לָכֶם בַּיּוֹם הָרִאשׁוֹן פְּרִי עֵץ הָדָר כַּפֹּת תְּמָרִים וַעֲנַף עֵץ עָבֹת וְעַרְבֵי נָחַל וּשְׂמַחְתֶּם לִפְנֵי ה׳ אֱלֹקֵיכֶם שִׁבְעַת יָמִים
The mitzvah from the Torah is that everywhere in the world we should shake the Lulav and Esrog on the first day of Sukkos, and only in the Beis Hamikdash (“Lifnei Hashem”) for all seven days of Sukkos (“Shivas Yamim”).
Only after the Churban of the Beis Hamikdash, because of the takana of R’ Yochanan ben Zakai, do we shake the Lulav and Esrog on all seven days of Sukkos, “Zecher L’Mikdash.” When Moshiach comes it will go back to the way it was before this takana.
The details of this mitzvah are explained in Gemara, Mesechta Sukkah.
|
|
|
RAMBAM
Hilchos Shofar V'Sukah V'Lulav
|
|
In today’s Rambam, we are finishing Hilchos Shofar V’Sukah V’Lulav.
Perek Vov: After learning about the walls of the sukkah and the sechach, in this perek, we learn the halachos of actually sitting in the sukkah. For example, we learn that you are allowed to eat certain snacks outside of the sukkah, but someone who is careful not to even drink water outside of the sukkah — Harei Zeh Meshubach, he is doing something very good and should be praised.
Perek Zayin: We learn about the Daled Minim, the Lulav, Esrog, Hadassim, and Aravos. We learn how to tie them together, how to hold them, and how to shake them. The Rambam says that a child who knows how to shake the lulav has a Mitzvah DeRabbanan to shake the Lulav, because of Chinuch.
Perek Ches: We learn about what makes the Daled Minim posul, and the special simcha we have on Sukkos — including the Simchas Beis Hashoeivah!
The Rambam finishes this set of halachos with a halacha the Rebbe would quote often, about how important it is to have simcha in Avodas Hashem! We can learn from Dovid Hamelech, who didn’t think about his own kavod and danced in front of Hashem at the time that the Aron was coming back to where it belonged. We should also never feel embarrassed to show our simcha in Avodas Hashem!
|
|
|
|
Before, we learned about damage that comes from an animal eating from someone else’s field, and the kind of damage from an animal hurting people or animals or breaking things. In today’s Rambam, we learn about damage that comes from somebody’s hole in the ground, or a fire they started.
The Rambam teaches us that if someone dug a hole, and an animal fell in, they need to pay back the animal’s owner.
|
|
|
|
One of the ways we show Ahavas Yisroel is by noticing when a Yid is missing something, and then doing our best to help. Here is a story from the Rebbe about this:
The Rebbe was sitting in his office in 770, and heard sounds of a chuppah from outside. The chosson broke the glass, everyone shouted Mazel Tov, and then the chosson’s friends started to sing Siman Tov U’mazal Tov!
The Rebbe noticed that even though the bochurim were singing very happily and clapping their hands, there was no music being played.
The Rebbe sent out Rabbi Groner, one of the Rebbe’s secretaries, to quietly find out why. Rabbi Groner came back and told the Rebbe that this couple did not have a lot of money for their chasunah, so they couldn’t afford to pay for a musician.
The Rebbe told Rabbi Groner to go right away and quietly arrange for musicians to come play for the Chasunah, to be paid for by the Rebbe.
One of the lessons we can learn from this story that if we notice that someone needs something and we are able to help, we should do our best to help them right away!
|
|
|
▼ Jump to Coloring Books & Downloads ▼
|
|
|
|
The Alter Rebbe says in Tanya that when we daven and learn Torah, it’s really a kind of Mesiras Nefesh.
Why? It doesn’t put us in danger!
One of the meanings of “Mesiras Nefesh” is “to give up the neshama.” When a person does Mesiras Nefesh, he gives up the life of his guf and returns his neshama to Hashem. We do the same thing, in a different way, when we daven!
We give up the life of our guf by not paying the guf as much attention as usual. We eat before if we need to, so that it won’t bother us in the middle of davening. But then, we focus completely on the words of our tefillos and on our connection to Hashem. Our neshama is returned to the way it felt when it was in Gan Eden, when nothing Gashmius’dik distracted it!
That’s a kind of Mesiras Nefesh.
So when it comes time to stand before Hashem and daven, we need to do it in a way of Mesiras Nefesh. At least during Shema and Shemoneh Esrei (the most important parts of tefillah), we should forget about all of our Gashmius distractions. Only think about how the neshama stands before Hashem, pouring out its heart to Hashem, hoping to be connected to Him and do His Ratzon all day.
See Tanya end Perek Mem-Alef
|
|
|
|
It is very important to tell the truth. We don’t make up things that didn’t happen, and we don’t promise things that we aren’t going to keep.
But sometimes we ARE allowed to change the truth if it will bring shalom.
For example:
Ari is at a birthday party, and the boys are playing different games in the room. He hears a boy say that Yitzy is not fun to play with, because he gets so upset when he loses!
Yitzy notices that someone was talking about him, and asks Ari what the boy said.
Does Ari have to tell the truth, even though it will make Yitzy feel bad?
No. For shalom, he can change what happened, and say that the boy just said that he won the game with Yitzy.
But this is only about something that already happened. We are NOT allowed to make a promise that we don’t plan on keeping, or say something not true about something in the future, even if we think it will bring shalom!
See the Alter Rebbe’s Shulchan Aruch, siman Kuf-Nun-Vov, se’if Beis
|
|
לעילוי נשמת הרה״ח ר׳ דניאל יצחק ע״ה בן ר׳ אפרים שי׳ מאסקאוויץ
שליח כ"ק אדמו"ר נשיא דורנו למדינת אילינוי
|
|
|
|
The Navi Yirmiyah lived in a very hard time. The Yidden were not behaving the way they should have, and Hashem sent the Navi to warn the Yidden to do teshuvah. If they don’t, the Navi warned, there will be a terrible Churban and the goyim will come and capture Yerushalayim.
Most of the Yidden enjoyed the way they were acting. They didn’t want to hear what Yirmiyah had to say. Instead, they listened to the false neviim, who told them that Hashem would protect them no matter what, and everything would be fine. The king, Tzidkiyahu, was so upset at the way Yirmiyah was speaking, that he put Yirmiyah in prison!
While the Navi was in prison, he had many nevuos about the Churban and about what would happen afterwards, including about the Geulah!
One of these nevuos is one we know very well, from the Sheva Brachos we say for a chosson and kallah:
כֹּה אָמַר ה׳ עוֹד יִשָּׁמַע בַּמָּקוֹם הַזֶּה אֲשֶׁר אַתֶּם אֹמְרִים חָרֵב הוּא מֵאֵין אָדָם וּמֵאֵין בְּהֵמָה בְּעָרֵי יְהוּדָה וּבְחֻצוֹת יְרוּשָׁלִַם הַנְשַׁמּוֹת מֵאֵין אָדָם וּמֵאֵין יוֹשֵׁב וּמֵאֵין בְּהֵמָה
קוֹל שָׂשׂוֹן וְקוֹל שִׂמְחָה קוֹל חָתָן וְקוֹל כַּלָּה קוֹל אֹמְרִים הוֹדוּ אֶת ה׳ צְבָאוֹת כִּי טוֹב ה׳ כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ מְבִאִים תּוֹדָה בֵּית ה׳ כִּי אָשִׁיב אֶת שְׁבוּת הָאָרֶץ כְּבָרִאשֹׁנָה אָמַר ה׳
Ko Amar Hashem — Hashem says: You will still later hear, in this very place that Yidden are saying is destroyed and empty, in the cities of Yehuda and Yerushalayim, where now no person or animals can live;
Kol Sason — The sound of happiness and the sound of joy, the voice of a chosson and the voice of a kallah, the sound of people saying, “Praise Hashem because He is good, because Hashem’s chesed is forever,” bringing korbanos to thank Hashem! “Because I will bring the Yidden who were captured back home,” says Hashem.
See Yirmiya perek Lamed-Gimmel, pesukim Yud and Yud-Alef
|
|
|
|
|
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
|
|
|
