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CHUMASH
Parshas Netzavim - Chamishi with Rashi
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Moshe Rabbeinu continues telling the Yidden what will happen when they do teshuvah.
When the Yidden do Teshuvah and keep all of the mitzvos, Hashem will take away all of the klalos (curses) from the Tochacha, and use them to punish the Goyim who try to hurt the Yidden.
Hashem will give lots of brachos to the Yidden, because Hashem will be so happy with what we are doing!
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Today’s Tehillim is the second half of the longest kapitel in the whole Tehillim! In Aramaic, this kapitel is called Tamnya Anpi — the eight faces, because there are 8 pesukim that start with each letter of the Alef-Beis! Today we are saying the pesukim starting with Mem, all the way until Sof. We also say three kapitelach for Chodesh Elul: Ayin-Vov, Ayin-Zayin, and Ayin-Ches.
There is a minhag to say a posuk starting with the first letter of your name, and ending with the last letter of your name, before the end of Shmoneh Esrei. Many good pesukim for this are in Kapitel Kuf-Yud-Tes!
One example is the first posuk of today’s Tehillim, “Ma Ahavti Sorasecha, Kol Hayom Hi Sichasi” — “I love Your Torah so much, I talk about it all day!” (This posuk is good for someone whose name is Mordechai.)
Do you know which pesukim are for YOUR name?
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TANYA
Igeres Hakodesh Siman Yud-Tes
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We learned a very big question in yesterday’s Tanya — how can Chassidus explain things to us, even more than Moshe Rabbeinu was able to see with nevuah? Today we learn the answer.
We can understand with a mashal — the difference between seeing and hearing:
When you see something, you see that it is real. You know EXACTLY what it is.
But if you hear about something, you might understand about it, but you don’t really know what it is.
You can try this right now — think of something you saw, and try to explain to someone else what it is, just with your words. Who knows what it is better?
Only if you SAW something do you really know what it is.
Moshe Rabbeinu was a Navi. The way he understood Hashem was through nevuah, almost like the way a person sees. It is not possible for a person even as holy as Moshe Rabbeinu to see any more than the “back” of Hashem.
But understanding and learning is more like hearing — so there can be Tzadikim that UNDERSTAND even more than the things that Moshe Rabbeinu SAW. In fact, even Moshe Rabbeinu himself certainly understood with chochmah much more than he saw in a way of nevuah!
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In Chassidus, we very often compare our body (the nefesh habehamis) to an animal. We learn many things in Avodah about how to deal with our body from how we deal with an actual animal.
In today’s Hayom Yom, we learn something in our Avodas Hashem from a beheima:
Even a Kosher animal has non-kosher blood inside that needs to be taken out before it can be eaten and used for Kedusha. We remove the blood through Melicha, salting.
The same is with our Nefesh Habehamis — even though it is Kosher (it is in a Jewish body), it has non-kosher “blood” — chayus in things it shouldn’t be excited about.
Just like taking out the blood has three steps in halacha, taking out the “blood” (not-kosher chayus) from our Nefesh Habehamis also has three steps — in Avodah:
1) Soaking — “soaking” our Nefesh Habehamis in Chassidus, learning a lot of Chassidus, enough that it makes a person really want to have…
2) Salting — Yechidus. Like we learned in a different Hayom Yom, that’s where a Chossid finds out just how he is supposed to connect to Hashem. Then he does…
3) Rinsing — Niggun — he sings a niggun. This is the last step that makes the Nefesh Habehamis and the guf (the beheimah inside of a person) a place where the neshama can shine!
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Today’s mitzvah is that we are not allowed to bring the Terumos and Maasros in the wrong ORDER! Here’s the right order:
1) Bikurim
2) Separate Terumah for the Kohen
3) Separate Maaser Rishon for the Levi
4) Separate Maaser Sheini to eat in Yerushalayim, or Maaser Ani on the third and sixth year of Shemitah
For example, let’s say that my wheat field ripened, and I set aside my bikurim. I harvest the field and separate the wheat kernels, piling them up carefully. Now my wheat is Tevel, and I need to bring the presents the Torah tells me to!
First I set aside 1/50th of the wheat for Terumah Gedolah. Then I take 1/10th of what is left, and put that aside for Maaser Rishon. I take 1/10th of what is left from that and set it aside for Maaser Sheini or Maaser Ani. I give the Terumah to a kohen, the Maaser Rishon to a Levi, and eat the Maaser Sheini in Yerushalayim, or give the Maaser Ani to the poor.
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Perek Daled: We are learning more about the person that separates Terumah. If someone can’t do it himself, he can have someone else do it for him — this is called making a shliach. If someone doesn’t officially make a shliach, another person can’t separate the terumah for him. So his workers can’t just do it for him without him asking them to!
Perek Hey: Now we learn about what part of the food to use for Terumah. We are supposed to take from the BEST of our fields for Terumah! But if there are no kohanim around, it is better to take food that won’t get rotten before we can bring it to the kohen — like raisins, even if the grapes are better.
Perek Vov: In this perek, we start learning about who is not allowed to eat Terumah. It has many mitzvos, that we will IY”H learn over the next few days in Sefer Hamitzvos!
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In today’s Rambam, we learn more about how to buy and sell things according to the Torah!
First we learn about selling something that might get ruined. We are also not allowed to sell someone a house that is being argued about in Beis Din, because then the person who bought it will have to go to Beis Din! Another halacha is that if we sell something with a warranty, by promising to pay for anything that happens to it, we still don't need to pay if there was an earthquake and it got ruined, because that's something that we wouldn't expect to happen!
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The whole Chodesh Elul is special, but there is something extra-special about the days of Selichos!
The days of Elul are so special! The Melech is in the field, Hashem is so close to us, helping us get ready for a Shana Tova.
Now it is also Yemei Haselichos, the days where we say Selichos to prepare for Rosh Hashana. What is special about these days?
The Baal Shem Tov teaches that during the year, Hashem gives us many brachos. Some of them are based on what we deserve, but others Hashem gives us as a loan — for us to “pay back” through our good behavior.
As we get closer to Rosh Hashana, we might look back at all the brachos Hashem gave us this past year and realize that we didn’t deserve them all! Oh no! How can we ever pay back that loan?
That’s what the Yemei Haselichos are for. During these days, Hashem gives us selicha, and is mochel our loan. Hashem tells us that it is okay, we can pay back whatever we can.
This way we will be able to go into Rosh Hashana happily, knowing that our debts to Hashem are taken care of!
See Shaarei Hamoadim, Chodesh Elul, p. 289, from Shabbos Selichos Tof-Shin-Lamed-Daled
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In Chazoras HaShatz of Musaf on Rosh Hashana, we say a very special tefillah called Unesaneh Tokef. (There is a famous story behind this tefillah, about R’ Amnon. You can read it at Chabad.org/418982)
In this tefillah, we speak about how powerful this day is. On Rosh Hashana, Hashem judges every creation and decides what will happen to them. We end off by saying, “U’Teshuvah, U’Tefillah, U’Tzedakah Maavirin Es Ro’a Hagezeira!” “Teshuva, Tefillah, and Tzedakah take away the not good part of the decree!”
In a famous sicha, the Rebbe explains that the words Teshuvah, Tefillah, and Tzedakah are not what they usually translated as.
Teshuvah: Most people translate this as “repentance.” Repentance means for someone to change from being not good, to being good. But that’s not what teshuvah means! The word Teshuvah comes from the word “shuv,” to return. Every Yid already IS good, because he has a neshama, even if it is sometimes covered up! Teshuvah means to return to the REAL us, to the neshama.
Tefillah: Most people translate this as “prayer.” Prayer means asking for something. But that’s not what Tefillah is all about! Tefillah comes from the word “tofel,” to connect. Through Tefillah, we connect to Hashem. Of course, as part of our connection to Hashem, we ask for our needs, but the main part of our davening is connecting to Hashem and awakening our neshama.
Tzedakah: Most people translate tzedakah as “charity.” Charity means to take something that is yours, and be nice by giving it to someone else. But that’s not what Tzedakah really means! Tzedakah comes from the word “tzedek,” which means righteous and correct. When Hashem gives us money to spend, He also gives us some extra money (maaser or a chomesh) that belongs to poor people. When we give tzedakah, we are just passing on the money to who it really belongs to.
Through returning to our real selves, our neshama; connecting to Hashem through tefillah; and doing the right thing with the money we have, we will take away the not good parts of the gezeira and be given a good and sweet year!
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On the second night of every Yom Tov, we make a Shehecheyanu for this new day of Yom Tov. But on Rosh Hashana, there is an opinion that we don’t say Shehecheyanu on the second night!
Most Yomim Tovim are one day long in Eretz Yisroel, and two days long in other parts of the world, because of a sofeik about the day of Yom Tov (“sfeika deyoma”).
Rosh Hashana is different! Even in Eretz Yisroel, we keep two days of Rosh Hashana. There is an opinion that Rosh Hashana is considered one long day (“yoma arichta”), not two separate days. If the whole Rosh Hashana is part of one day, how could we say the bracha Shehecheyanu twice for the same day?
The final halacha is that we do say Shehecheyanu on the second night of Rosh Hashana anyway. But to follow the other opinion also, we try to wear new clothes or eat a new fruit on the second night of Rosh Hashana. We have it out and keep it in mind when we bentch licht on the second night (for women) or when we make kiddush (for men). This way our Shehecheyanu follows ALL of the opinions.
See the Alter Rebbe’s Shulchan Aruch, siman Tof-Reish
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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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A poritz once asked a chossid: “You Jews believe that Moshiach is going to come and take you all out of Golus. But what happens if your Moshiach comes and I don’t believe in him?”
The chossid answered, “Don’t worry Mr. Poritz! If you don’t believe in him, I also won’t believe in him!”
When Moshiach will come, EVERYONE will know that it is Moshiach, and be ready to live a life of Geulah!
Otzar Pisgomei Chabad vol. 1 p. 422
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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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