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CHUMASH
Parshas Vezos Habracha - Shishi with Rashi
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In today’s Chumash, Moshe Rabbeinu finishes giving brachos to the Yidden before he passes away. Moshe Rabbeinu said many beautiful things to the Yidden! Here are some of them:
Because Hashem takes care of the Yidden, they will all feel safe to live in Eretz Yisroel, everyone in their own part. They won’t need to all squeeze together into the same place because they are scared of the Goyim!
Moshe didn’t need to say more details of the brachos — the Yidden have brachos in EVERYTHING!
Now Moshe finished writing the Sifrei Torah, because he will soon go onto Har Nevo and pass away.
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In Kapitel Ayin-Gimmel, Dovid Hamelech says “Beheimos Hayisi Imach” — “I am like an animal with You,” and in the next posuk “Va’ani Tomid Imach” — “I am always with You.”
The Alter Rebbe explains in Perek Mem-Vov of Tanya that Dovid Hamelech put this in Tehillim with Ruach Hakodesh on behalf of the Yidden in Golus.
Tzadikim are able to feel and appreciate the Ruchnius that comes down when they do a mitzvah. But compared to them, we are like animals who have no idea what is happening!
Still, just because we don’t appreciate it doesn’t mean it isn’t there! Hashem really IS with us when we do a mitzvah! Even if we don’t understand or see the Ruchnius things that are happening, they still are there.
This is especially true now, as we go into the Yom Tov of Sukkos. We are told that every day of Sukkos we have special guests, both the regular Ushpizin and the Chassidishe Ushpizin. Even though we may not feel that they are coming to visit, it doesn’t take away from the fact that these tzadikim are really here and celebrating Sukkos together with us.
See Igeres Hakodesh of the Frierdiker Rebbe, letter #3246
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TANYA
Igeres Hakodesh Siman Chof-Alef
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The Alter Rebbe is writing this letter to Chassidim who have been giving Tzedakah to the Tzadikim and Chassidim who lived in Eretz Yisroel.
Every city had a Gabbai who would collect the tzedakah from the Chassidim. Once a year, a messenger would come and collect this money from all of the cities, and bring it himself to Eretz Yisroel.
Many Chassidim would give whatever amount they were planning to give only at the end of the year.
The Alter Rebbe is telling the Chassidim that this is not a good idea! Instead, they should give smaller amounts as soon as they have them — every week, or at least every month.
The Alter Rebbe gives two reasons:
1) First of all, as we learned yesterday, it is important to have Zerizus in every mitzvah! We shouldn’t push off doing mitzvos, we should be doing them right away! We learn from Avraham Avinu how important this is — his reward from the Akeidah came mainly from doing the mitzvah with Zerizus!
This is especially true for the mitzvah of tzedakah, which saves a person from harm.
2) Second of all, doing a mitzvah many times makes a bigger difference than just doing it once!
The Rambam teaches, based on the Mishnah, that when a person gives tzedakah many times, he becomes more aidel! For example, if a person gives $300 or $400 one time a year to Tzedakah, he gave a lot of Tzedakah. But if he gives $1 every day, he also gets used to giving! This makes him a more aidel person and a better Yid.
According to Chassidus, it is also better to give tzedakah more often. Giving tzedakah brings the Shechinah out of Golus! Every time we do the mitzvah of tzedakah, we are taking the Shechinah a little more out of Golus!
So to become more aidel ourselves, and to bring the Shechinah out of Golus faster, we need to be giving tzedakah much more often!
That’s why Chassidim should give every week or month to the Gabbai Tzedakah, instead of only once a year, to be given to the Chassidim in Eretz Yisroel!
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in today’s Hayom Yom, we learn some of the Minhagei Chabad of how to prepare the Lulav and Esrog:
Our Minhagim: We only use 2 Aravos, but we can use many extra Hadassim! (There were many years when Rebbe used 36!)
Here’s how we tie the Lulav and Esrog: We use five rings — two just on the Lulav, hiding a little bit from the Hadassim and Aravos, and 3 close together (within one tefach — about 3 inches) around the 3 minim.
It is a hiddur mitzvah to put the Lulav together on Erev Yom Tov, and in the sukkah!
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Today we learn 3 more mitzvos about Korbanos:
1) (Mitzvas Lo Saasei #139) A Kohen is usually able to eat from a Korban Chatas. But a kohen can NOT eat from any Korban Chatas that has its blood sprinkled inside of the Kodesh or the Kodesh Hakodoshim (on the Mizbeiach Haketores, the Paroches, or the Aron).
We learn this mitzvah from a posuk in Parshas Tzav: וְכָל חַטָּאת אֲשֶׁר יוּבָא מִדָּמָהּ אֶל אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד לְכַפֵּר בַּקֹּדֶשׁ לֹא תֵאָכֵל בָּאֵשׁ תִּשָּׂרֵף
2) (Mitzvas Lo Saasei #112) A bird that is brought for a Korban doesn’t get shechted with a knife, it gets shechted with a very sharp fingernail! This is called Melikah. It is a mitzvah for the Kohen to make sure not to cut off the whole head when he is shechting it.
This mitzvah is learned from a posuk in Parshas Vayikra: וּמָלַק אֶת רֹאשׁוֹ מִמּוּל עָרְפּוֹ וְלֹא יַבְדִּיל
3) (Mitzvas Asei #65) We need to follow all of the halachos about how to bring a Korban Asham.
We learn this mitzvah from the posuk in Parshas Tzav: זֹאת תּוֹרַת הָאָשָׁם
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RAMBAM
Hilchos Maaseh HaKorbanos
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In today’s Rambam, we learn more about bringing Korbanos.
Perek Daled: We learn about WHEN Korbanos are allowed to be brought (during the day) and also what we need to think about when we bring the Korban — Kavana!
Perek Hey: This perek teaches us WHERE we bring Korbanos, and how we give the different parts of the Korban to Hashem.
Perek Vov: We learn EXACTLY how to bring a Korban Olah!
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In this perek, we finish learning about Bedikas Chometz. We also learn about Bittul Chometz, making our chometz counted as not worth anything, and about Biur Chometz — getting rid of the chometz.
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Once in the city of Rostov, they couldn’t get very many Esrogim for Sukkos. They only had one or two Esrogim for the whole town!
One person who was lucky enough to have an Esrog, shared it with everyone so that everyone could do the mitzvah. Of course, when a lot of people touch an Esrog, especially if they have wet hands (like if they went to the Mikvah before!) it makes the Esrog turn brown!
Someone came over to that Yid, and asked him why he was letting everyone use his Esrog. “Don’t you know that the mitzvah is to have a beautiful Esrog? Why are you letting everyone use it and turn it brown?”
The Yid answered, “The most beautiful Esrog is one that is used by so many Yidden!”
Many people spend a lot of money on Esrogim, to buy one that is very beautiful. That is very nice and is certainly a hiddur mitzvah, but the REAL beauty of an Esrog is when we bring it on mivtzoyim and help so many Yidden who don’t even know they need a Lulav and Esrog, so that they could do the mitzvah! THAT is when we have a real beautiful Esrog!
Are you ready for your mivtzoyim this Sukkos? How many Yidden are you planning on helping this year to do this special mitzvah?
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On the Shalosh Regalim, including Sukkos, we don’t say the regular Shemoneh Esrei. There is a special Amidah for the Shalosh Regalim.
The way it is set up is similar to Shabbos. There are three brachos at the beginning mentioning the praises of Hashem and the zechus of the Avos, three brachos at the end thanking and praising Hashem, and one bracha in the middle about the inyan of the Yom Tov.
We start the middle bracha with Ata Vechartanu. Before speaking about the special Yom Tov, we first speak about how Hashem chose US to give it to! We say that Hashem picked us to be His nation. Hashem loves us and wanted us specifically. Hashem raised us up above the other nations, made us holy with His mitzvos, and gave us the zechus to carry Hashem’s name — to be HASHEM’s nation.
We will IY”H see the rest of the middle bracha over the next two shiurim.
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On Erev Sukkos, there is an inyan to give a lot of tzedakah.
The Mitteler Rebbe writes in a maamar, “Tzorich Lefazer Maos L’aniyim B’Erev Sukkos” — “You should generously give money to the poor on Erev Sukkos.”
There were many years when the Rebbe encouraged us to keep this special minhag of adding in giving extra tzedakah on Erev Sukkos, and also on Chol Hamoed.
See Shevach Hamoadim, Kitzur Hilchos Sukkos
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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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When Moshe Rabbeinu was born, Yidden were very happy. Among each other, they spoke about the fact that Amram, the Jewish leader of the time, had a baby boy Moshe!
When Moshe was taken to Paraoh’s palace, the Yidden were very worried. Their holy leader Amram’s son was taken away!
When Moshe ran away from Mitzrayim, Yidden didn’t forget about him. They always remembered him and spoke about him, until Hashem had Rachmonus and listened to what the Yidden were davening for. Then the Geulah came through Moshe Rabbeinu.
The same is true with this last Golus. We need to constantly talk about and think about Moshiach, and he will come!
See Sefer Hasichos Tof-Reish-Tzadik-Tes p. 330
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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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