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CHUMASH
Parshas Vayechi - Revi'i with Rashi
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In today’s Chumash, we start to learn the words Yaakov says to the Shevatim before he passes away.
Yaakov called his sons together to tell them when the final Geulah will come. But Hashem didn’t want the Yidden to know, so Hashem took away his Ruach Hakodesh about this. But Yaakov still had his Ruach Hakodesh in other things, and he decided to say something else to each one of the Shevatim:
“Reuven, even though you are the firstborn, some of the things that are supposed to be given to the oldest will not be given to you, because of a certain thing you did with anger. Yosef will become the shevet which will be counted as two shevatim, the Kehunah will go to Shevet Levi, and the Yiddishe kings will come from Shevet Yehuda.
“Shimon and Levi, you worked together for not good things — like killing the people of Shechem, and selling Yosef. Fighting is for Esav, not for children of Yaakov! So you will be separated and spread out: Levi will not be counted together with the other Shevatim, and he won’t get a piece of Eretz Yisroel. Shevet Shimon will be spread out in different places, being beggars, sofrim and teachers in many different parts of the land. The Kohanim and Leviim will have to live in different places around the country, and go to collect the presents given to them by Yidden all over.”
Yehuda was afraid Yaakov would also say what he did wrong, but Yaakov said, “Yehuda, your brothers will all talk about how special you are! The Yiddishe kings (like Dovid Hamelech and Shlomo Hamelech) will come from your family, and later the people who lead the Yidden in Golus, like the Sanhedrin, and even Moshiach!
“This is because you had a lot of Ahavas Yisroel, saving Yosef and Tamar from being killed!
“Zevulun will live near the water, and their ships will buy and sell things. Part of the money they get will pay for the Talmidei Chachomim of Shevet Yissachar to be able to learn Torah!
“Yissachar will be strong and able to learn a lot of Torah! They will work hard in their learning and it will help all of the Yidden.
“Dan will take revenge on the enemies of the Yidden!” Yaakov was speaking with Ruach Hakodesh about Shimshon who in the future will knock down a building and kill many Pelishtim who were making trouble for the Yidden. Yaakov knew that Shimshon would need Hashem’s help, so he asked for it now! “Lishuas’cha Kivisi Hashem” — “Hashem, I am waiting for your yeshuah!”
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Today’s shiur Tehillim is kapitelach Ayin-Zayin and Ayin-Ches.
In Kapitel Ayin-Ches, which is in today’s Tehillim, there is a posuk that says “Vayakem Eidus BeYaakov, VeSora Sam BeYisroel” — “Hashem set up the Torah and mitzvos for Yaakov and Yisroel.” The kapitel continues that this was in order to pass it on to the next generations.
Chassidus teaches that each one of the Avos has something different and special about them, which they passed on to every single Yid. (For example, Avraham Avinu passed on his koach of chesed and Hachnosas Orchim, being kind to others and teaching them about Hashem.) In this posuk, which speaks about Torah, we mention the name of Yaakov and Yisroel, the third of the Avos.
Yaakov Avinu’s special koach was in learning Torah day and night. Yaakov is called a “Yoshev Ohalim,” someone who sits in the tent of Torah! The Torah tells us how Yaakov Avinu spent many years working very hard for his parnasa and to raise a family. Still, he made sure to use his time whenever he could to say Shir Hamaalos and to learn Torah! When things were easier too, like his last seventeen years in Mitzrayim, Yaakov Avinu also used that time in the best way, learning Torah with his children and grandchildren. He passed on this koach of being dedicated to learning Torah to each and every one of us.
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TANYA
Likutei Amarim Perek Yud
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In the first twelve Perakim of Tanya, the Alter Rebbe will explain what a beinoni is, so we’ll understand how a beinoni needs to act! First we need to understand what is a tzaddik and a rasha, and then we’ll understand what is a beinoni.
In this perek we are going to learn about a tzadik.
A tzadik is someone who is born with two nefashos, like everyone, but Hashem gives him a special koach to work very hard making his Nefesh Elokis strong. It becomes SO strong that the Nefesh Habehamis has no koach to be active in the guf!
Because he loves Hashem so much, the tzadik is only interested in things that help with Hashem’s shlichus. Just enjoying gashmius with no purpose makes him disgusted.
Because the tzadik loves Hashem so much, he hates anything that goes against what Hashem wants, like the Yetzer Hara! The more he loves Hashem, the more he hates the Yetzer Hara.
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The Rebbe points out a correction in a maamar from Torah Ohr for Parshas Vayechi.
The Frierdiker Rebbe said: “Yidden, listen carefully! Now is the time for Moshiach to come! All of the sad things happening in the world are because Moshiach is so close. Remember that only Hashem will save us — and it is only because we will do teshuva! Let us do teshuva and prepare ourselves and our families to be Mekabel Pnei Moshiach Tzidkeinu, who will come bekarov mamosh!”
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Today we learn the last two mitzvos about not stealing.
The first mitzvah (Mitzvas Lo Saasei #246) we learn today is a mitzvah for Eretz Yisroel: That we’re not allowed to move a fence so that people will think that part of another person’s field belongs to us. But wait a second! Does that mean that I CAN do that outside of Eretz Yisroel?! No, of course not! We are not allowed to steal anywhere! But it gets its own special mitzvah only in Eretz Yisroel.
This mitzvah comes from a posuk in Parshas Shoftim: לֹא תַסִּיג גְּבוּל רֵעֲךָ
The second mitzvah (Mitzvas Lo Saasei #243) is one of the Aseres Hadibros — don’t kidnap. The words in the Torah sound just like regular stealing, but the Chachomim tell us that here it means that we can’t steal a PERSON, by kidnaping someone and selling them as a slave.
This mitzvah comes from a posuk in Parshas Yisro: לֹא תִגְנֹב
The details of the mitzvah are explained in Perek Yud-Alef of Mesechta Sanhedrin.
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In today’s Rambam, we learn about having kosher scales, which was yesterday’s mitzvos. We also learn about kidnaping, today’s second mitzvah. Now we finish Hilchos Geneivah!
Perek Zayin teaches us about making sure that the weights we use to measure things to sell should be exactly right.
Years ago, they used a kind of scale that is called a balance scale. On one side of the scale, they would put a weight marked, for example, one maneh. On the other side of the scale, they would put enough figs to make the scale balance exactly, which is one maneh of figs.
If the weights are even just a drop too small, the person who sells the food will be stealing from the person who paid him for the full amount!
We also learn the halacha of today’s first mitzvah.
Perek Ches explains the halachos of how a scale should be made, and how often it should be cleaned.
Perek Tes teaches us when someone who kidnaps is punished by the Beis Din.
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This perek teaches us more halachos about Yibum and Chalitzah. One halacha is that if one of the brothers tells the woman he will marry her, if he changes his mind he needs to give her a get. Still, he would need to do Chalitzah before she is allowed to get married to anyone else.
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After a week of celebration following Hey Teves in 5747, the Rebbe told us that we need to start getting ready for Yud Shevat, with the help of a mashpia — Asei Lecha Rav! But what’s a mashpia?
A mashpia is someone who has more Yiras Shomayim and more experience in life than we do. We can report to our mashpia how we are doing in Avodas Hashem so that we will know that someone knows what we are doing, which will help us feel a push to do more.
A mashpia can also help us if we’re not sure about something. Should I take on a hachlata to learn extra Tanya, or to give extra tzedakah? Is it okay to read a book about non-kosher animals? Should I be Maavir Sedra after I clean my room, or offer to help my mother set the table?
The Rebbe said that children should also have a mashpia — mashpios for girls, and mashpiim for boys.
See Likutei Sichos vol. 29 p. 247
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As a general introduction to davening, we remind ourselves WHO we are about to daven to!
Adon Olam is a beautiful song written by the Chachomim who lived after the times of the Gemara, Rabbeinu Yehuda Hachassid, Rabbeinu Hai Gaon, and Rabbeinu Sherira Gaon.
It is brought in the Shaloh and other sefarim that saying this tefillah before davening is a segulah that a person’s tefillah should be answered.
Adon Olam speaks about the greatness of Hashem. When we pay attention to what these words mean, we will feel how special it is to daven!
See Shaar Hakolel, perek Gimmel, se’if Daled
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When we wash Netilas Yodayim, we first pour water over our right hand. To do this, we need to hold the kvort with our left hand.
Based on Kabbalah, we are ALWAYS careful to start with our right. So even with HOLDING the kvort, we first pick it up with our right hand, before passing it to our left.
That’s why we hold the kvort with our right hand when we fill it up with water. We only pass it to our left hand when we are ready to start washing our right hand first!
See Seder Netilas Yodayim L’Seudah, se’if hey
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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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In today’s Chumash, we learn how Yaakov Avinu wanted to tell his children when Moshiach will come, but it was hidden from him.
Even though in the end Hashem didn’t let Yaakov tell, it is still written in the Torah, so it must be important for us to know about it even today. We also know that Yaakov Avinu was a tzadik and everything he did was according to Hashem’s ratzon, so it must be that wanting to tell was actually a good thing!
The Rebbe explains that telling people when Moshiach will come is something that not only Yaakov Avinu wanted to do. Throughout the generations, many tzadikim have told us about a keitz, a time for Moshiach to come. This isn’t something that regular people are able to do, but tzadikim do show us what times are extra-special times that Moshiach can come!
Why do they do this?
When a Yid hears that Moshiach will come very soon, it helps us serve Hashem with more chayus! We see clearly that when you tell a Yid that Moshiach is almost here, it makes them excited to do everything possible to bring Moshiach now!
The Gemara actually says that all of the set times for Moshiach to come have already passed, and all that is left is to do Teshuvah. The Rambam says that as soon as the Yidden do Teshuvah, right away Moshiach will come — all we will need to do is a drop of coming closer to Hashem, with one little mitzvah or one minute of thinking about Hashem, and right away Hashem will take us out of Golus!
See sicha Likutei Sichos chelek Chof, Vayechi sicha alef (Asara B’Teves 5741)
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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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