|
|
CHUMASH
Parshas Va'eschanan - Shlishi with Rashi
|
|
Moshe Rabbeinu separates the cities for the Ir Miklat on the other side of the Yarden, so he could be part of the mitzvah!
Moshe decided to separate the cities for the Ir Miklat on the other side of the Yarden now, even though they won’t be used until the Yidden are living in Eretz Yisroel. Even though Moshe Rabbeinu wouldn’t be allowed to enter Eretz Yisroel, he wanted to be as much a part of it as he could.
One Ir Miklat was in Reuven’s part (Betzer), one in Gad’s (Ramos), and one in Menashe’s (Golan).
Then Moshe got ready to review some of the mitzvos!
|
|
|
|
Today’s shiur Tehillim is kapitelach Samach-Vov, Samach-Zayin, and Samach-Ches.
In today’s Tehillim, we have Kapitel Samach-Zayin, which is also called the Mizmor of the Menorah.
This kapitel, which starts with the words Lamnatzeiach Binginos, has seven pesukim and 49 words. These represent the seven branches of the menorah, and the 49 pieces (22 cups, 9 flowers, 11 buttons, and 7 oil cups) on the menorah.
We say it every day in davening, before Boruch She’amar, and it is counted as if we are lighting the menorah in the Beis Hamikdash!
Dovid Hamelech had this kapitel engraved on a golden plaque in the shape of a menorah. He would carry it with him when he went out to war, to help him have hatzlacha in battle!
In many shuls, you can find an image of the Menorah with this kapitel written on it!
|
|
|
TANYA
Igeres Hakodesh Siman Gimmel
|
|
In the letter we started learning yesterday, the Alter Rebbe is explaining to the Chassidim how special tzedakah is, so they will want to give it!
The Alter Rebbe shows us how a posuk from Yeshayahu teaches us the special things that happen when a Yid gives tzedakah. Tzedakah doesn’t just make the poor person happy, it brings chayus from Hashem into the world! Because of that, we also get a lot of brachos in Gashmius and Ruchnius.
Today, the Alter Rebbe finishes explaining how this works.
|
|
|
|
The Alter Rebbe said something that he heard from the Maggid, who heard it from the Baal Shem Tov!
Ahavas Yisroel is part of Ahavas Hashem — loving Hashem! Because every Yid has a piece of Hashem inside, the neshama. When we love another Yid, we are really loving Hashem, which is the pnimius of the Yid!
|
|
|
|
In Sefer Hamitzvos today, we learn a new mitzvah (Mitzvas Asei #217): Chalitza. We learned yesterday about the mitzvah of Yibum (if a man passes away without having any children, his brother should marry his wife). But if the brother doesn’t want to, the almanah needs to do the mitzvah of Chalitza.
We learn this mitzvah from a posuk in Parshas Ki Seitzei: וְחָלְצָה נַעֲלוֹ מֵעַל רַגְלוֹ
The details of this mitzvah are explained in Mesechta Yevamos.
|
|
|
RAMBAM
Hilchos Yibum V'Chalitzah
|
|
Today’s Rambam, Perakim Gimmel, Daled, and Hey, explains exactly how the mitzvah of Chalitzah is done.
If a woman’s husband passed away before they had any children, his brother has a mitzvah (yibum) to marry the woman so that they can have a baby to name after his brother. If the brother (the yavam) doesn’t want to marry her, she is not allowed to marry another person until they do the mitzvah of chalitzah.
The woman and her brother-in-law need to go to Beis Din. The yevama (the almanah) announces with certain words taken from the Torah that her husband’s brother doesn’t want her husband’s name to be remembered, because he doesn’t want to marry her.
The yavam needs to answer, “I don’t want to marry her.”
The yavam then puts on a special chalitzah shoe (which will fall apart once it is untied) on his right foot and stands. The yevama sits on the floor, unties the shoe, and throws it on the floor. Then she spits on the ground.
After this, the yevama says the words of the posuk, “Such shall be done to a man who doesn’t build his brother’s house! His family should be called the house of the one whose shoe was taken off (‘chalutz hanaal’)!”
Everyone who is there says, “Chalutz Hanaal! Chalutz Hanaal! Chalutz Hanaal! — the shoe was taken off.”
Then the almanah is allowed to get married to someone else.
|
|
|
|
The Rambam tells us that while we’re waiting to give something back, we need to take care of it so it doesn’t get ruined. For example, if we find something made of wood, we should make sure to use it so it doesn’t get rotten.
|
|
|
|
Today, Yud-Beis Menachem Av, is the day of the Alter Rebbe’s chasuna to Rebbetzin Sterna!
The Alter Rebbe’s chasunah took place only a few months after the Baal Shem Tov’s histalkus on Shavuos.
We know that the Alter Rebbe’s chassidus was based on the teachings of the Baal Shem Tov. One of the things the Baal Shem Tov taught is that we should ENJOY helping another Yid!
The Alter Rebbe showed a beautiful example of this at the time of his chasunah:
The Alter Rebbe’s kallah, Rebbetzin Sterna, was the daughter of a very rich and respected man. The minhag in those days was that the family of the kallah would give an amount of money, called a nadden (dowry), to the chosson.
Since Rebbetzin Sterna was coming from a very rich family, the nadden was a lot of money! The Alter Rebbe made a condition that he should be able to use this money for whatever he wants.
As soon as he received the money, the Alter Rebbe set up a program to help Yidden move to farms to make a parnasa. In those days, most Yidden lived in towns and cities, and it was hard for many of them to earn enough money. The Alter Rebbe wanted to encourage them to move to farms, where it would be easier to make a proper parnasa.
It was with this beautiful Ahavas Yisroel that the Alter Rebbe started off his married life!
|
|
|
▼ Jump to Coloring Books & Downloads ▼
|
|
|
|
The Navi Yechezkel was a Navi after the Churban of the first Beis Hamikdash. In his nevuos, he spoke about the way the third Beis Hamikdash should look! Hashem told Yechezkel that he should tell the Yidden to learn the measurements of the Beis Hamikdash, and then Hashem will consider it like they were actually building it! This way, even though they were in Golus, they could still have the mitzvah of building Hashem’s house.
The Medrash says that the same thing is true with the korbanos. When we say the words of the korbanos the way we are taught to bring them in Torah, and the halachos about them, it is like we are actually bringing those korbanos!
Since davening is in place of the korbanos, we first do our best to have a part of bringing the korbanos. At the beginning of davening, we say many paragraphs describing the korbanos and the daily Avodah in the Beis Hamikdash. This way, Hashem will count our tefillos as if we were actually bringing these korbanos at the proper time.
|
|
|
|
At this time of the year, close to Chamisha-Asar B’Av, we need to increase in our Torah learning!
In the introduction to the Alter Rebbe’s Shulchan Aruch, the Mitteler Rebbe writes that the main part of learning needs to be in order to know how Hashem wants us to act. It’s especially important to learn the section of Shulchan Aruch called Orach Chayim, which is about things we do all the time. We can’t always run to the Rav to ask a question, so we need to know the regular halachos well!
Based on this, the Rebbe says that everyone needs to make a set time every day to learn the practical halachos that we need to know, for example the halachos about Hefsek B’Tefillah or brachos. The main thing is that we should learn every single day, even for just a few minutes, because this will help us remember the halachos. Since all halachos are connected, the halacha you learn today will help you remember the halacha you learned yesterday!
See Toras Menachem vol. 7 p. 117, Shulchan Menachem vol. 4, p. 239
|
|
לעילוי נשמת הרה״ח ר׳ דניאל יצחק ע״ה בן ר׳ אפרים שי׳ מאסקאוויץ
שליח כ"ק אדמו"ר נשיא דורנו למדינת אילינוי
|
|
|
|
The Rambam says that not only do we need to believe in Moshiach, but we also need to be excited and wait for him every day!
It’s easy to understand that we need to believe in Moshiach, but to be hoping that Moshiach will come today — what’s the point of that? Won’t it just make us sad if Moshiach doesn’t come today? Why don’t we just believe that he will come when he will come?
One of the reasons why is because this will help Moshiach come much sooner! If we are expecting Moshiach to come TODAY, we will daven for him to come now, and do more mitzvos to bring him, and then Moshiach WILL come right away!
|
|
|
|
|
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
|
|
|
