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CHUMASH
Parshas Re'eh - Revi'i with Rashi
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Moshe is farbrenging more with the Yidden, reminding them how special they are so they will keep all the mitzvos!
Yidden, you are children! You are children of Hashem!
You are different than the Goyim, so do not act like them.
Don’t hurt yourself or cut off all your hair like Goyim may
To show how sad they are when someone passes away.
You have Kedusha from the Avos! And Hashem picked ONLY YOU!
You are such a special nation — so you should LOOK special too!
Don’t eat things Hashem tells us are not so nice to eat —
Like animals that don’t chew their cuds or do not have split feet.
(Moshe tells the Yidden now which animals ARE fine
And which ones to be careful of, since they have just ONE sign.)
Make sure fish are kosher, ones with fins and scales can stay.
And except for birds the Torah lists, all birds are okay.
Bugs are not kosher either, don’t eat them even if they’re small.
And an animal that wasn’t shechted isn’t good for us at all!
We are holy to Hashem, so only kosher things we eat.
Also, don’t forget that we can’t mix milk with meat!
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Today’s Tehillim is the 15 “Shir Hamaalos,” kapitelach Kuf-Chof to Kuf-Lamed-Daled. All of these kapitelach start with the words “Shir Hamaalos” or “Shir Lamaalos.”
Kapitel Kuf-Chof-Vav is the Shir Hamaalos we say before bentching on Shabbos and Yom Tov, or a day with no Tachanun. It talks about when Moshiach will come, and it says that Golus is like planting a field — a person puts seeds in the ground and cries that Hashem should make it rain. Then he is so happy when his plants grow!
Golus is like that too, we “plant” lots of mitzvos and cry to Hashem that they should “grow.” When Moshiach comes, we see all that our mitzvos did, and we are so happy!
That’s the posuk “Az Yemalei Sechok Pinu” — “then our mouths will be full of laughing” — because we will be so happy that Moshiach came!
The Rebbe tells us that we need to have lots of simcha now, to practice since Moshiach is almost here!
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TANYA
Igeres Hakodesh Siman Ches
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In many of the letters in Igeres Hakodesh, the Alter Rebbe gives Chassidim a chayus in giving tzedakah, by explaining all of the special things that happen when we give Tzedakah!
In this letter, the Alter Rebbe talks about something special that happens to a Yid when he davens — BECAUSE of his tzedakah!
The Gemara says that R’ Elazar would first give a coin to a poor person, and then he would go to daven. This was based on a posuk from Tehillim: “Ani Betzedek Echzeh Panecha,” “With tzedakah I will see Your face.” Before going to see Hashem’s face in davening, R’ Elazar would first give tzedakah.
What does it mean to “see Hashem’s face” in davening?
In the Ruchnius’dike worlds, like Atzilus and Gan Eden, it is easy to see the Emes, and Elokus is revealed. Down here in the Gashmius world, it is much harder to see.
But during davening, sometimes Hashem gives us a little peek into the way things really are! Hashem might give us a thought or a kavana that helps us see the Emes. This is why davening is called “seeing Hashem’s face,” because we might get a chance to clearly see the way things really are, the way malochim and neshamos can see them! This is a wonderful chesed from Hashem.
We need to give tzedakah to get this special experience!
Why?
Hashem doesn’t ALWAYS give a Yid special thoughts about Ruchnius during davening. Hashem wants us to DESERVE what we get!
How can we deserve for Hashem to give us Chesed? By us having Chesed for other people — by giving them Tzedakah!
That’s why the Gemara says that R’ Elazar used to give tzedakah before he started davening — it was so that Hashem would give him these special kinds of thoughts when he davens.
But how is that a fair trade? WE are giving tzedakah to people so they can have GASHMIUS and live in Olam Hazeh — but Hashem is giving US something that is even more than Olam Haba! Because being close to Hashem in the world is even better than Olam Haba!
Why does that happen?
The Alter Rebbe gives us a mashal to explain it:
How do we plant a big, beautiful tree?
We take a teeny tiny seed and put it into the ground. In the ground, it gets rotten and mushy and isn’t even a seed anymore! There is a special koach in the ground to make things grow, and we just need to do SOMETHING that will get that koach started! Our putting the seed into the ground makes that koach start to work. That’s how even our little seed can grow into such a humongous tree.
The same thing happens with our Tzedakah — the nickel we give is like planting a seed! The big beautiful “tree” that grows are the special things we think about in davening!
This is ESPECIALLY when we give tzedakah for people in Eretz Yisroel — it’s like planting in rich dirt that grows very quickly, so nothing gets in the way of having these special thoughts in our davening!
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The month of Elul is called Chodesh HaCheshbon, the month where we make a calculation, like businesses do at the end of the year. We figure out what things we did well in our Avodas Hashem, and where we will do better next year!
On every Shabbos Mevorchim, we say the whole Tehillim in the morning, and make a farbrengen.
Every Yiddishe Neshama that is born in the world was brought here to do a special Shlichus: Our job is like a business, where we buy things and sell them, so we can have money to buy what we need. Our neshama’s job is to “buy” Gashmius, and “sell it” to Hashem by using it for mitzvos! Then Hashem “pays us” by giving us brachos to have what we need, and brings Moshiach closer!
In a business, every day, the owner writes down what he bought and how much he sold. At the end of the year, he looks over his papers to see what he did right and what didn’t work, what he should keep doing and what he needs to do differently to make sure his business runs well.
We also need to do that with our “business” of being a Yid: Every day at the end of the day we may take a few minutes by Kriyas Shema She’al Hamitah at night and think about what we did that day (some people will even write down a few lines!). At the end of the whole year, we think about what happened during the whole year — which things were good and we should keep doing (and even make it better), and what wasn’t so good and need to be changed.
Figuring out how to do better is a perfect way to get ready for Rosh Hashana, and for Hashem to give us a Shana Tova Umesuka! This is done in the month of Elul.
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Today we learn more mitzvos about eating Kosher:
1) (Mitzvas Lo Saasei #181) We are not allowed to eat meat from an animal that was hurt badly by another animal before it was shechted (treifa). (The Rambam tells us that this mitzvah also includes some other times when meat becomes asur to eat.)
We learn this mitzvah from a posuk in Parshas Mishpatim: וּבָשָׂר בַּשָּׂדֶה טְרֵפָה לֹא תֹאכֵלוּ
2) (Mitzvas Lo Saasei #182) We are not allowed to eat “Eiver Min Hachai” — a body part (limb) of an animal that was taken off when the animal was alive.
We learn this mitzvah from a posuk in Parshas Re’eh: וְלֹא תֹאכַל הַנֶּפֶשׁ עִם הַבָּשָׂר
3) (Mitzvas Lo Saasei #184) We are not allowed to eat blood (dam) of an animal or a bird.
We learn this mitzvah from a posuk in Parshas Tzav: וְכָל דָּם לֹא תֹאכְלוּ
The details are explained in Mesechta Kerisus perek Hey.
4) (Mitzvas Lo Saasei #185) We are not allowed to eat Cheilev — certain fat from animals (Cheilev is the fat of the korbanos that would usually be burned on the Mizbeiach)
We learn this mitzvah from a posuk in Parshas Tzav: כָּל חֵלֶב שׁוֹר וְכֶשֶׂב וָעֵז לֹא תֹאכֵלוּ
The details are explained in Mesechta Chulin perek Zayin.
5) (Mitzvas Lo Saasei #183) We are not allowed to eat the Gid Hanasheh, a vein in the back thigh of the animal.
We learn this mitzvah from a posuk in Parshas Vayishlach: עַל כֵּן לֹא יֹאכְלוּ בְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת גִּיד הַנָּשֶׁה
The details are explained in Mesechta Chulin perek Zayin.
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RAMBAM
Hilchos Maachalos Asuros
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In today’s Rambam (perakim Yud-Alef, Yud-Beis, and Yud-Gimmel), we learn all about Yayin Nesech, wine that a goy touched. We are not allowed to drink it, in case the goy used it for Avodah Zarah. If there was Yayin Nesech in a bottle, the bottle of wine can become not kosher.
Wine that is boiled is not used for Avodah Zarah. That’s why we use mevushal wine — boiled wine — so that we don’t have to be worried that it might be used for Avodah Zarah, and we can drink it even if a goy does touch it.
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The Rambam 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.
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In today’s Hayom Yom, we learned that Elul is called the Chodesh Hacheshbon, the month where we make a Cheshbon Hanefesh. Why do we make this cheshbon specifically in Elul?
Imagine that your parents come over to you one day, and their faces are very serious. “Your room is a terrible mess!” they tell you. “We are having guests, and we expect you to clean it up by tonight!”
You get up and walk into your bedroom. Your heart sinks as you look around. Your parents are right — the room is a complete disaster! The garbage can is overflowing, there is dirty laundry all over the place, books and papers and toys are scattered around, and the drawers are so messy they can’t even close!
You are so overwhelmed you don’t know where to start! You start by picking up a sefer that fell on the floor, but you can’t even find room on the desk to put it away! You start to feel hopeless, that there is no way you can ever get this done. You just stand there, not sure what to do.
But then you hear the door open. Your mother walks in, and puts her hand on your shoulder. She gives you a warm smile and says, “Come, let’s do this together!” All of a sudden, you feel much better! You smile too, and start to work together with your mother to make your room clean and organized.
It is important to take some time to see how we are doing in our shlichus in the world, and figure out how to do it better. We can’t do this every day, because we are too busy actually DOING the shlichus! Instead, once a year, we stop and make a cheshbon of how we are doing.
But there can be problem with making a cheshbon. When we take a look at our behavior, we might see that it is very messy! There are so many things that we aren’t doing right, we might get overwhelmed and feel hopeless!
That’s why our Chachomim told us that the right time for this Cheshbon is in Chodesh Elul. In Elul, Hashem is right here with us, Melech Basodeh! When we know that Hashem is right here with us, helping us, we won’t feel hopeless anymore. We will be able to make our Cheshbon Hanefesh with simcha, and figure out how to do our shlichus in the world in the best way!
Then, Hashem will bentch us with a Shana Tova Umesukah!
See farbrengen of Shabbos Mevorchim Elul Tof-Shin-Yud-Alef
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After the Yidden came into Eretz Yisroel, the Mishkan was set up in Shilo. After many years, the Pelishtim detroyed Mishkan Shilo and took the Aron with them! Another Mishkan was set up in Nov, a different city, but without the Aron. The Pelishtim were punished for taking the Aron, and gave it back. But the Aron was brought to Kiryas Ye’arim, and the Yidden were afraid to move it. Even when the Mishkan was moved to Givon, the Aron was not brought there.
Dovid Hamelech very much wanted to build the Beis Hamikdash, but Hashem didn’t let him. Meanwhile, Dovid Hamelech brought the Aron to the holy city of Yerushalayim, where it stayed in a tent until the Beis Hamikdash was built.
While the Aron was in a tent in Yerushalayim, Dovid Hamelech asked that the pesukim from Hodu until “Vehalel LaHashem” (the first half of Hodu) that were said at the time of the Korban Tomid in the Mishkan should be said in front of the Aron each day.
The pesukim said at the time of the Korban Tomid of the morning are from the words “Hodu” until “Uvinviai Al Tareiu,” and then the pesukim from there until “Vehalel LaHashem” were said at the Korban Tomid of the afternoon. These pesukim are written down in Divrei HaYamim in Nach.
Where do we say Hodu in davening?
It is before the section of Pesukei Dezimra, but after Korbanos. The words of Hodu are praises to Hashem, so it belongs with Pesukei Dezimra, which are also praises to Hashem. But it was said in connection to the Korban Tomid, so we say it right after Korbanos, as a preparation for davening.
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Since the whole world belongs to Hashem, we say a bracha before we eat or drink, to ask Hashem’s permission before enjoying part of His world.
Chassidus teaches us a deeper meaning of a bracha:
The word “bracha” is connected to the word “mavrich,” which means to bring down. When we say a bracha, we are bringing down Elokus into the world. Through the words of the bracha, we bring down kedusha into the Gashmius thing we are about to enjoy!
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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 last two perakim of Yoel are about the Geulah!
In this posuk, the Navi Yoel tells us about some of the many brachos that the world will have when Moshiach comes. This posuk is also a very famous one in Chassidus — the maamar Kuntres Umaayan is based on it!
וְהָיָה בַיּוֹם הַהוּא יִטְּפוּ הֶהָרִים עָסִיס וְהַגְּבָעוֹת תֵּלַכְנָה חָלָב וְכָל אֲפִיקֵי יְהוּדָה יֵלְכוּ מָיִם וּמַעְיָן מִבֵּית ה׳ יֵצֵא וְהִשְׁקָה אֶת נַחַל הַשִּׁטִּים
Vehaya Vayom Hahu — This is something that will happen in the days of the Geulah:
Yitfu Heharim Asis — The mountains will be so full of ripe grapes, it will be as if they are dripping wine!
Vehag’vaos Teilachna Chalav — And the hills will grow so much rich grass (which helps animals make milk), it will be like the hills themselves are flowing with milk!
Vechol Afikei Yehuda Yeilchu Mayim — All of the springs of Yehudah (a part of Eretz Yisroel) will again flow with water!
Umaayan Mibeis Hashem Yeitzei — And a spring will flow from the Beis Hamikdash (the Navi Yechezkel speaks about it in his nevuah about the Beis Hamikdash Hashlishi!)
Vehishkeh Es Nachal Hashitim — And it will make the valley of Shitim into a river!
See Yoel perek Daled posuk Yud-Ches
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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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