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CHUMASH
Parshas Ki Savo - Shishi with Rashi
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Today’s Chumash is the Tochacha.
This Aliyah is the Tochacha, the things that Moshe Rabbeinu tells the Yidden will happen if they don’t keep the Torah. Our Minhag is not to call anyone up to the Torah for this Aliyah — the person who is reading the Torah takes it himself. You will see that it is a very long Aliyah!
One of the reasons Moshe gives for the things that are written in the Tochacha is “Tachas Asher Lo Avadeta Es Hashem Elokecha Besimcha Uvetuv Levav Merov Kol” — because the Yidden didn’t serve Hashem happily when they have all they need.
The Arizal explains that the posuk means that the reason for the Tochacha is because the Yidden don’t serve Hashem with simcha!
The Alter Rebbe explains in Likutei Torah why a person should get a punishment just because they don’t have simcha. He explains that really, nobody is perfect. For the things they do wrong, they could deserve to get punished. But if a person is happy, it brings simcha in Shomayim too — and simcha takes away the not-good things and punishments!
But if a person is not besimcha, then he is treated the way he deserves, which might include punishments for the things he does wrong. From this we see how important it is to serve Hashem with simcha!
See Likutei Torah parshas Tazria, dibur hamaschil Sos Tasis
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Today’s Tehillim is kapitelach Tzadik-Zayin to Kuf-Gimmel. For Chodesh Elul, we say three more kapitelach: Nun-Ches, Nun-Tes, and Samach.
At the end of today’s first Kapitel (which we also say in Kabolas Shabbos, and in the Machzor before Kol Nidrei), the posuk says “Ohr Zarua LaTzadik” — “Light is planted for the Tzadik.”
The Medrash teaches that when Hashem made the world, there was a very strong light, but it was too hard for the world to live in it! So Hashem hid it for the Tzadikim when Moshiach comes.
But even now there is a place where we can find that special light — in the Torah!
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TANYA
Igeres Hakodesh Siman Tes-Zayin
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The Alter Rebbe is writing a letter to Chassidim in a certain city that used to give a certain amount of money to Colel Chabad every year. Then parnasa got very hard for them, and they started to give less. The Alter Rebbe is explaining reasons why they shouldn’t do that:
Yesterday, we learned the first reason: The poor Yidden in Eretz Yisroel had no way of getting money on their own. Helping them with the things they NEED comes before getting the things the Yidden in this town liked to have for themselves.
Today, the Alter Rebbe gives us more reasons:
2) The Gemara says that someone who ONLY gives exactly the amount of money that halacha says to give, and no more, will Chas Veshalom need to take tzedakah himself in the end. So we should give MORE than what the halacha says to protect ourselves from this.
3) We always need Hashem’s rachmonus, and if we have rachmonus on other people even when it’s hard for us, Hashem will have rachmonus on us too in everything that we need.
4) All of us have done aveiros, and one way for Hashem to forgive us for them is by giving Tzedakah (like we learned in Igeres HaTeshuvah).
5) We believe that giving Tzedakah isn’t giving what WE have, it’s like lending money to Hashem, and Hashem will pay us back double!
6) The Gemara says that if your friends are doing a mitzvah and you don’t do it with them, it could bring not good things chas veshalom. Since all of the Anash communities were giving to this fund they shouldn’t be different.
The Alter Rebbe tells the Chassidim that if they will give the same amount of Tzedakah that they gave before, they will get lots of brachos from Hashem!
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Someone who is selfish doesn’t realize it.
Did you ever get into a fight with someone? When your mother or father ask you about it, you say “Well, I didn’t do anything wrong!” Your parents might try explain to you that you aren’t perfect, and that you also weren’t acting the way you should.
Why don’t we think of that ourselves? Because we are so busy thinking about how WE were right that there is no time to think about what was bothering the other person. So we aren’t able to find out what WE did wrong and how we could become better.
Our neshamos are all stuck in a Guf that thinks only about itself. When we daven and learn and make a real Cheshbon Hanefesh in Chodesh Elul, we will see that we need to become much better!
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In today’s Sefer Hamitzvos, we learn two mitzvos about not mixing ANIMALS together:
1) (Mitzvas Lo Saasei #217) We aren’t allowed to make two different kinds of animals get married to each other, like a cow with a sheep.
We learn this mitzvah from a posuk in Parshas Kedoshim: בְּהֶמְתְּךָ לֹא תַרְבִּיעַ כִּלְאַיִם
The details are explained in Mesechta Kilayim perek Ches
2) (Mitzvas Lo Saasei #218) We are not allowed to make two different kinds of animals shlep a plow or a wagon together.
We learn this mitzvah from a posuk in Parshas Ki Seitzei: לֹא תַחֲרשׁ בְּשׁוֹר וּבַחֲמֹר יַחְדָּו
The details are explained in Mesechta Kilayim perek Ches
We learn the halachos of these two mitzvos in tomorrow’s Rambam.
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In Rambam, we finish learning about Kilai HaKerem, not growing any other kind of plant together with grapes.
Perek Vov: We learn how much of the grapes become asur if they are planted close to vegetables. We also learn about mavrich, when a person makes the grapevine go underground and come up in a different place. Can we plant something else in that in-between space?
Perek Zayin: We learn what is considered a Kerem (vineyard) according to halacha, and what is considered just a single vine, which is less strict than a full Kerem.
Perek Ches: There are two ways to grow grapes: Letting the vines grow on the ground, or draping the vines over a wall, a fence, or an arch. Letting them grow on the ground is the regular way we grow grapes. When the vines are hanging over something else, called Aris, there are different halachos.
We also learn that the halachos are a little different outside of Eretz Yisroel.
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This perek teaches us what happens if someone trades or sells something for more than it is really worth. That is called ona’ah.
If a person is honest, and says how much each thing is really worth, then it is never called ona’ah, since both people agreed to the deal KNOWING that it might not look fair.
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This week we celebrated a very special day — Chai Elul.
The Frierdiker Rebbe said that the name we call this day, “Chai Elul,” means that this day brings a chayus into Elul. Elul is the month of teshuvah, and Chai Elul brings a chayus into this avodah of teshuvah!
What is teshuvah?
Teshuvah means to think about the things we did wrong, and realize how bad we feel about it. We then make a strong hachlata to do the mitzvos properly from now on — no matter what! Even if we are not in the mood, or it is hard, we are ready to follow everything the Torah teaches.
Chai Elul brings a chayus into this avodah!
Chai Elul is the beginning of Chassidus, the birthday of the Baal Shem Tov and the Alter Rebbe. The chayus that Chai Elul brings is how Chassidus teaches us to do teshuvah with simcha!
Of course, EVERY mitzvah needs to be done with simcha, and teshuvah is a mitzvah too.
But part of teshuvah is feeling bad for the things we didn’t do right, and being upset that we let the Yetzer Hara trick us. We might even feel a little angry that the Yetzer Hara got us to do the wrong thing, and decide that we won’t ever fall for his tricks again!
Chassidus teaches that even THAT part of teshuvah needs to be done with simcha! Even though we are upset at the Yetzer Hara, we know that we also have a Yetzer Tov and a neshama! We know that the neshama is the MAIN thing, and that is something to be happy about! We also have bitachon that Hashem will help us, and that every Yid will be able to do a proper teshuvah in the end!
This helps us do every part of teshuvah with chayus and simcha!
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For the last 12 days of Elul, we count “Yom Lachodesh,” spending one day doing teshuvah for each month of the year. Today we look back at Chodesh Kislev, seeing what worked or didn’t, so that this coming Kislev will be even better!
Chodesh Kislev is a month full of Chassidishe Yomim Tovim, and the month of Chanukah. We can think about how we used the time to add in learning Chassidus and acting like a chossid, and how we did with our Chanukah mivtzoyim.
See Likutei Sichos chelek Beis, p. 388 ff
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During the month of Elul, and until Hoshaana Rabbah, we say the paragraph Ledovid Hashem Ori twice in davening — once in Shacharis, and once in Mincha.
There are many ways explain the connection of this kapitel to Chodesh Elul and Tishrei, and there are also many beautiful things we can learn from it. But even the simple meaning of the first posuk has a very important message for us, especially during Elul!
This mizmor begins, “Ledovid Hashem Ori Veyish’i, Mimi Ira” — Dovid Hamelech says, “Hashem is my Light and the One Who saves me, so I have nothing to be afraid of.”
The world can sometimes feel like a dark place, full of tumah and not-good things. It can be hard to realize that Hashem is here.
When we say Ledovid Hashem Ori, we remind ourselves that Hashem is Ori, my light — when we are connected to Hashem, the world doesn’t feel like a dark place anymore! We also remind ourselves that Hashem is the One Who saves us, and we trust only in Hashem, not in anyone or anything else. When we remember these things, then we have nothing to be afraid of!
And when we are connected to Hashem’s light, it will push away the darkness until the whole world is changed into light, in the time of the Geulah!
See Igros Kodesh chelek Yud-Zayin, p. 323
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On special days, like our birthday and on Chassidishe Yomim Tovim, we make a hachlata of how we will try to be better.
It is also our minhag to take a new hachlata before every Rosh Hashana, how we will be better Yidden this coming year.
In the Sefer Kaf Hachayim, we see a very special way of doing this minhag: During Elul, some people make a hachlata to be extra careful in a certain mitzvah. They write down what they decided, bli neder. Then the next year, before Rosh Hashana, they review what they wrote to see how well they kept their hachlata.
(If you need an email reminder, Chabad.org can help! http://www.chabad.org/1943153)
See Shevach Hamoadim, Kitzur Hilchos Elul, siman Gimmel
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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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Many of the things we know about Moshiach come from the words of the Neviim! Hashem showed them a little bit of what the world will be like when Moshiach comes, and the Neviim told it to us.
One of the things we know will happen when Moshiach comes is that there will be no more Yetzer Hara! Here are the words of the Navi Zechariah when he told the Yidden about this:
וְהָיָה בַיּוֹם הַהוּא נְאֻם ה׳ צְבָאוֹת אַכְרִית אֶת שְׁמוֹת הָעֲצַבִּים מִן הָאָרֶץ וְלֹא יִזָּכְרוּ עוֹד וְגַם אֶת הַנְּבִיאִים וְאֶת רוּחַ הַטֻּמְאָה אַעֲבִיר מִן הָאָרֶץ
Vehaya Vayom Hahu — This will happen on the day of the Geulah.
Ne’um Hashem Tzevaos — So says Hashem:
Achris Es Shemos Ha’atzabim Min Ha’aretz — I will cut off the names of the Avodah Zarah from the land
Velo Yizachru Od — And they won’t be talked about again.
Vegam Es Haneviim — And also the fake neviim
Ve’es Ruach Hatumah — And the Yetzer Hara
Avir Min Ha’aretz — I will take away from the land.
The Metzudos Dovid (a meforash on the Navi) explains that these things will happen automatically! Since when Moshiach comes the world will be full of the understanding of Hashem, no fake Navi will be able to say anything not true. And the same thing will happen with the Yetzer Hara — when we can see clearly what is true, there is no place for any tricks of the Yetzer Hara!
See Zechariah perek Yud-Gimmel posuk Beis
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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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