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CHUMASH
Parshas Vaeira - Shishi with Rashi
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Paraoh ignored the warning, and Hashem made the makah of Arov. Paraoh still didn’t let the Yidden go, and Hashem had to send two more makos — Dever and Shechin. Paraoh’s magicians realized it was a neis from Hashem, but Paraoh was still stubborn.
Makas Arov (wild animals) continued:
We started to learn yesterday about the fourth makah, Makas Arov.
Paraoh didn’t listen to Moshe’s warning, so Hashem had to send the wild animals, the makah of Arov. They went all over Mitzrayim and hurt people and broke things — but they didn’t go into Goshen, where the Yidden lived.
Paraoh was very scared and he was almost ready to let the Yidden go bring korbanos to Hashem in the Midbar like Moshe and Aharon told him to. But once Moshe davened for the wild animals to disappear, he changed his mind again and wouldn’t let the Yidden go.
5: Makas Dever (animal epidemic)
Hashem told Moshe to warn Paraoh that if he doesn’t free the Yidden, there would be another makah — that all the animals outside would get sick and die.
Paraoh ignored the warning, but some Mitzriyim knew by now that they should listen! So they brought their animals inside, so they would be safe from this makah. All of the other animals died — except any animals belonging to Yidden.
Paraoh asked if any of the Yidden’s animals died, and his servants told him that they didn’t. Paraoh STILL decided not to listen to Hashem and let the Yidden go!
6: Makas Shechin (boils)
Moshe and Aharon warned Paraoh that if he didn’t listen to Hashem, he would get another makah, but again Paraoh didn’t want to hear. So Hashem told Moshe and Aharon to each take two handfuls of ashes from an oven, and then have MOSHE hold all of the ashes in one fist. It was a neis that Moshe was able to hold four handfuls in just one fist!
Moshe threw it up to the sky while Paraoh was watching, and it was enough to turn into dust that would spread over the whole Mitzrayim. As it landed on whoever was outside (people or animals), it made a rash that hurt them a lot.
Even though it looked like it might be a magic trick to throw up ashes, what happened now was too big of a neis for it to be magic! Paraoh’s magicians had to admit that it was only Hashem who could do it.
But since Paraoh was still not letting the Yidden go, Hashem hardened Paraoh’s heart.
7: Makas Barad (hail)
Moshe and Aharon didn’t WARN Paraoh this time, they just TOLD him that the next makah was coming. They told Paraoh that Hashem could have killed him in one of the other makos, but he is staying alive so he will have to admit in the end that Hashem is in charge.
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Today’s kapitelach of Tehillim are Yud through Yud-Zayin.
In one of the pesukim in today’s Tehillim, Dovid Hamelech says, “Shivisi Hashem Lenegdi Somid” — “I always place Hashem before me.”
In the first se’if of Shulchan Aruch, the Ramo brings this posuk. He explains that this is a “Klal Gadol BaTorah,” a basic inyan in Torah. A Yid should always remember that Hashem is in front of him, which will help him have Yiras Shomayim and act the way Hashem wants him to!
The Shulchan Aruch is a sefer that was written to make it clear for a Yid to know the halachos of how to live. That’s why it is called “Shulchan Aruch,” meaning a set table. When the table is already set, you just need to come and sit down, because everything is ready! In the Shulchan Aruch, R’ Yosef Caro, also known as the Mechaber because he put this sefer together, set out all of the halachos in a clear way, so that Yidden would not be confused what they should do.
But the Mechaber was a Sefardi, and there are some differences in halacha for Ashkenazim. There are also many minhagim kept by Ashkenazi Yidden, and some of them became halacha.
R’ Moshe Isserlis, known as the Ramo, lived in Krakow, Poland. He saw that the Shulchan Aruch was not enough on its own for Ashkenazi Yidden. He wrote a pirush on the Shulchan Aruch, which was called “Mapas Hashulchan,” “the tablecloth.” This pirush showed Yidden what to do whenever there was a difference in halacha between Ashnekazim and Sefardim. It made it possible for every Yid to follow the Shulchan Aruch, together with their minhagim! It brought tremendous achdus among Yidden.
In the first se’if of Shulchan Aruch, we learn that “Shivisi Hashem Lenegdi Somid,” from today’s Tehillim, is a Klal Gadol BaTorah, an important basic inyan in Torah.
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TANYA
Likutei Amarim Perek Tes-Vov
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In today’s Tanya, we learn more about someone who serves Hashem (avado) and someone who “doesn’t serve Hashem” (lo avado).
The Gemara explains that the difference is that an “avado” does at least one tiny bit more than he is used to — he is working! So in the times of the Gemara, where everybody reviewed what they learned 100 times, an avado, someone who works to serve Hashem, would learn it 101 times! It’s only one extra time, but since he’s not used to it, he has to work hard to do it! He really needs to fight his Yetzer Hara.
The Gemara gives an example for someone who is an Oved Hashem, from a donkey rental. At a donkey rental in those days, people needed to pay the driver based on how far the donkey would need to go. A normal trip was 10 parsa long, and that cost one zuz. But to rent a donkey for a trip that was 11 parsa long cost double as much, TWO zuz! Since the trip was longer than usual, that one extra parsa was as hard as the whole first ten.
That’s what an Oved Hashem is — someone who does something more than what he is used to. Just like in the donkey rental, that extra little bit is worth just as much as the whole avodah that he was used to doing. To do more, you really have to want to do something for Hashem!
A beinoni should try to be someone who SERVES Hashem (Avado) — working hard to wake up his love for Hashem to do more than what he is used to!
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In today’s Hayom Yom, we learn about the maamar “Der Frumer Va’eira.”
The Alter Rebbe used to say a certain maamar every three years, on Parshas Va’eira. Each time, it was said almost exactly the same. The Chassidim would call it “Der Frumer Va’eira” — because it made them want to do teshuvah and become more frum.
The Tzemach Tzedek (who heard these maamarim from the Alter Rebbe) said that every time it was something new!
The Rebbe Maharash explained that even though the words were the same, since the Alter Rebbe was teaching it, every time he said the maamar it was something new.
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Today’s mitzvah (Mitzvas Lo Saasei #250) is that we aren’t allowed to cheat people when we sell them things. For example, we are not allowed to sell something for much more money than it’s really worth!
We learn this mitzvah from a posuk in Parshas Behar: וְכִי תִמְכְּרוּ מִמְכָּר לַעֲמִיתֶךָ אוֹ קָנֹה מִיַּד עֲמִיתֶךָ אַל תּוֹנוּ אִישׁ אֶת אָחִיו
The details are explained in Perek Daled of Mesechta Bava Metziah.
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In today’s Rambam, we learn more about buying according to Torah and especially what happens if a person changes his mind in the middle.
In Perek Zayin we learn that if a person pays for something but didn’t finish buying it with the details that the Torah says, he doesn’t need to take it in the end, but its not a Yiddishe way of acting. Beis Din says about him that Hashem who punished goyim that acted not nice should also punish him for acting like a goy. (This is called getting a “Mi Shepara.”)
In Perek Ches we learn a lot of halachos of when a person can or can’t change his mind after buying something.
And in Perek Tes, the Rambam teaches us that the halacha is different if something was bought for the Beis Hamikdash or to take care of yesomim (orphans).
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This perek teaches us more halachos about Taharas Hamishpacha.
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In today’s Hayom Yom, we learned about the maamar of the Alter Rebbe called the “Frumer Va’eira.”
The Rebbe spoke about the Frumer Va’eira in a sicha of Parshas Va’eira Tof-Shin-Yud-Beis. The Rebbe said that since the maamar was only printed once, and it had some mistakes, he would chazer it for the chassidim. The Rebbe said the maamar, and cried a lot while saying it.
One of the main points of the “Frumer Va’eira” is that our neshama needs to use EVERY SINGLE opportunity it has to connect to Hashem through Torah and mitzvos. When we realize how important this is, it will lead us to dedicate ourselves to every opportunity Hashem gives us. It will also help us do a proper teshuvah so that Hashem will “fill in” any chance we may have missed. (This maamar is also available online in English.)
A month later the Rebbe spoke more about this inyan in a very famous maamar, called “Lo Sihiyeh Meshakeilah.” In the middle of saying this maamar, the Rebbe put his head down on the table and cried for a long time. The Rebbe spoke about how busy we need to be with our shlichus, and treasure every moment.
(Here is a link to the maamar Lo Sihiyeh Meshakeilah online, in Hebrew and English.)
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In Korbanos in the morning, we say the pesukim that talk about the Korban Tomid and the Ketores, and the halachos about how the Ketores is made. When we do this, Hashem counts it as if we are actually bringing the Korban Tomid and the Ketores!
After finishing (and saying the pesukim that Kabbalah teaches we should say after the Ketores), we say a posuk from Malachi: “Ve’arva LaHashem Minchas Yehuda Viyerushalayim, Kimei Olam Ucheshanim Kadmoniyos.” “The korbanos of the Yidden should be sweet to Hashem, like days of old and previous times.”
This posuk is part of a Nevuah about the Geulah! The Navi says that Hashem will give us the Beis Hamikdash and accept our korbanos with all of the nisim we had during the first Beis Hamikdash.
We are asking Hashem that not only should it be counted as we are bringing the Tomid and the Ketores, but that we should actually be able to bring them for Hashem in the Beis Hamikdash Hashlishi!
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We are learning the halachos of borer on Shabbos, separating something from a mixture, which is one of the Lamed-Tes Melachos.
For something to be considered borer, we need to be choosing from things that are mixed together, AND there needs to be more than one kind in the mixture.
If if it is not considered a mixture, or it is all one kind, then it is not borer.
IY”H later we will learn what is considered a mixture. Now we will learn how to know that there are different kinds of things.
Here are two of the ways that can show if something is more than one kind:
1) If the things have a different taste (like red grapes mixed with green grapes)
Since red grapes don’t taste the same as green grapes, if there is a bowl full of red and green grapes mixed together, we need to be careful to follow the rules of how we can choose them on Shabbos.
2) If the things are used differently (like whole almonds mixed with ground almonds)
Since ground almonds are used just for baking and cooking, and regular almonds are also used for plain eating, they are counted as different types. If we have a bag filled with ground almonds and whole almonds, we can only separate them if we are careful not to do it in a way of melacha.
See Shabbos Kehalacha perek Yud-Beis
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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 Navi Micha says: Kimei Tzeischa Me’Eretz Mitzrayim, Arenu Niflaos! At the time of the Geulah, Hashem promises to show us nisim like He did in the times of Yetziyas Mitzrayim!
This teaches us that Yetziyas Mitzrayim is very connected to the Geulah — it is like a mashal that helps us understand how the Geulah will be!
For example, one of the things the Yidden did that helped them deserve the Geulah was the Korban Pesach. The Yidden took the Avodah Zarah of Mitzrayim, and went to do what Hashem asked them to. They ignored whatever the Mitzriyim said, and did the mitzvah proudly.
This is also how we can deserve the Geulah: By being strong and proud with our Yiddishkeit, not worrying what other people say, Hashem will see that we are ready to do whatever He asks us to! Then we will be ready to have Moshiach now!
See Likutei Sichos chelek Alef parshas Bo
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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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