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CHUMASH
Parshas Ki Sisa - Revi'i with Rashi
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In yesterday’s Chumash, Moshe Rabbeinu asked that Hashem should only dwell between the Yidden. Hashem told Moshe He would do that.
Now Moshe saw that it was an Eis Ratzon, a special time when Hashem is accepting his tefillos! So he asked Hashem for one more thing: He asked if he could see the kavod of Hashem.
Hashem accepted this request too! Hashem told Moshe that He would show him a special secret, the Yud-Gimmel Midos HoRachamim, so Moshe would know how to daven using them. Moshe will then be able to teach them to the Yidden. When the Yidden will daven and say the Yud-Gimmel Midos, Hashem will give them what they need even if they don’t completely deserve it!
Hashem told Moshe to stand near a certain rock on the mountain, and Hashem would pass in front of him and teach him how to say the Yud-Gimmel Midos. But Moshe will only be able to see the knot of Hashem’s Tefillin Shel Rosh, from the “back.” Moshe will not able to look directly at the “face” of Hashem.
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In today’s Tehillim, we have the kapitel that the Leviim would sing in the Beis Hamikdash on Shabbos — the Shir Shel Yom for Shabbos.
One of the pesukim in this kapitel speaks about how everybody thanks Hashem on Shabbos. Chassidus explains on the words “Tov Lehodos LaHashem” (it is good to praise Hashem) that it’s the goodness of Hashem that makes people praise him. Of course Hashem is always good, but on Shabbos we can FEEL it, so that’s why especially on Shabbos His goodness makes us want to thank and praise Hashem!
The Chachomim say that on the first day of Creation, Hashem was alone in the world. Even today, on the first day of every week, it is clearer to feel that there is nothing besides for Hashem. The kedusha of Shabbos, the closest day, helps us to feel this too.
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TANYA
Likutei Amarim Perek Lamed
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Because every Yid is not only made up of a neshama, but also a Guf and a Yetzer Hara, we need to regularly inspire ourselves to do what we are supposed to. On way we can do this (as we learned earlier in Tanya) is by thinking about the fact that deep down in our neshama, every Yid WANTS to do the Ratzon of Hashem. Every Yid would even be ready to have Mesiras Nefesh to be a Yid!
But if the heart is stuffed up, it may not be interested in thinking about this. We can open the heart back up by thinking thoughts of teshuvah that make us feel humble.
We might be very satisfied with our behavior, which makes us feel like we don’t need to fight so hard with our Yetzer Hara to do better. But think about a person who we are SURE is not behaving properly, and think about how hard he would have to fight with his Yetzer Hara to change the way he is acting. Are WE fighting as hard with OUR Yetzer Hara?
Even though HE needs to fight with his Yetzer Hara not to do an aveira, and we might need to fight with our Yetzer Hara to do mitzvos better, that’s not an excuse! They are BOTH mitzvos of Hashem, the way Hashem wants us to act. There’s no difference if it’s stopping ourselves from an aveira, or trying to do mitzvos properly! We expect this person to work so hard on doing what Hashem wants — are WE working that hard on OUR Avodas Hashem?
If a person has timtum, and is too comfortable with his Avodas Hashem, it is a good time to fulfill what the Chachomim teach us, to be humble from another person! This will stop the Yetzer Hara from clogging up his heart. Now he’ll realize that he needs to do more, and he’ll be ready to have zerizus and effort in his shlichus!
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In today’s Hayom Yom, the Frierdiker Rebbe is writing a letter to the hanhala of the Yeshiva Tomchei Tmimim, that he is upset that he sees that the bochurim don’t know Nach (among other things they need to know, like Lashon Kodesh, Kriyah with Trop, Divrei Yemei Yisroel, and proper writing skills). The Frierdiker Rebbe asks the Yeshiva to make a plan in their next meeting for how they can correct the problem.
The Frierdiker Rebbe describes how even the average Chassidim were boki in Nach:
All of the Chassidim used to know Tanach very well!
Tanach are all of the seforim of the Torah, Neviim, and Kesuvim. Neviim includes all of the stories of what happened with the Yidden starting from the time of Yehoshua, when the Yidden went into Eretz Yisroel, until the beginning of the second Beis Hamikdash. Kesuvim are seforim written by the leaders of the Yidden of those times, like Tehillim which was written by Dovid Hamelech and Mishlei which was written by Shlomo Hamelech. There are 24 seforim in Tanach. How many of their names do you know?
Here’s the seder they used to have in reviewing Nach: After davening Shacharis, they would learn some Mishnayos, and then when they put away their Tallis and Tefillin, they would say parts of Tanach, so that they finished the whole Tanach every three months! (That means they finished a whole sefer about every 3 or 4 days!)
Even if you can’t learn as much Tanach as the Chassidim used to, can YOU start learning stories from Navi? There are lots of books to make it easier for you! (Here are some ideas: The Family Midrash Says - Navi, Know Navi)
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Today we learn the same mitzvah (Mitzvas Asei #248) one last time for this year — to follow the halachos in Torah about a yerusha, an inheritance. Part of this mitzvah is that the bechor gets a double portion.
In the Rambam’s order of the mitzvos, this is the last mitzvah of the Mitzvas Asei! After this mitzvah, the Rambam adds some general points which are important for all of the mitzvos. The Rambam also says that there are 60 mitzvos for a man and 47 mitzvos for a woman which regular people keep even when there is no Beis Hamikdash. The Rambam finishes off with a tefillah asking Hashem to help us keep the mitzvos!
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Perek Tes: One halacha is that if the oldest brother buys fancy clothes, and now everyone is nicer to their family, it doesn’t come out of his money, because it helps all of them.
In Perek Yud, we learn that if we originally divided up the yerusha wrong, we need to divide it again! For example, if the person who passed away said to give a certain tree as a present to his friend, and they forgot when they split up the yerusha, they need to give the person the tree and then divide the yerusha again.
In Perek Yud-Alef, we learn that if someone passes away R”L when his children are too young to get a yerusha, the Beis Din needs to put someone in charge of watching over his things until the children are older.
Even though the person in charge doesn’t need to write down everything he does, he should be very careful, because Hashem Himself is the Tatty or Mommy of these children, like the posuk says, “Avi Yesomim Vedayan Almanos, Elokim B’Meon Kadsho.”
Mazel Tov! Now we’ve finished learning the 13th book of the Rambam, Sefer Mishpatim! Tomorrow we will IY”H start the last sefer of Rambam, Sefer Shoftim!
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We learn the halachos of “Kisui HaDam,” covering the blood of an animal after we shecht it.
The Rambam finishes the halachos of Shechitah, and the end of the whole Sefer Kedusha, by teaching us a lesson: We should cover the blood with dirt using our HANDS, not our feet, to show that Hashem’s mitzvah is special to us! By treating the mitzvos with respect, we are giving respect to the One Who commanded the mitzvos — to Hashem!
Mazel Tov! We have now finished Sefer Kedusha!
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We learned in Hayom Yom about the importance of learning Nach.
The Frierdiker Rebbe learned Nach by heart when he was a child. In fact, the Rebbe Rashab got him a special tutor to learn Nach with him!
Here is one story in Nach, from Sefer Melachim Alef (it is the haftora for this week, Parshas Ki Sisa):
At the times of King Achav and his wicked non-Jewish wife Izevel, many of the Yidden worshiped an Avodah Zarah called Bal. Eliyahu Hanavi warned the king that if he didn’t stop encouraging them to worship Avodah Zarah, then rain won’t fall and there will be a hunger. Achav was chutzpa’dik, and said that Moshe Rabbeinu already said that but there was no hunger! Eliyahu Hanavi was very upset, and from that day on, no rain fell.
After three years of the hunger, Hashem told Eliyahu to go back to Achav and tell him that now is the time to show the Yidden who is the true Aibershter. All of the Yidden, together with 850 fake “Neviim” of the Avodah Zarah all gathered at Har HaCarmel.
Eliyahu Hanavi spoke to the Yidden. He asked, “How long are you going to keep changing your minds? You worship Avodah Zarah, but you cry to Hashem when you need help. If you know that Hashem is in charge, why don’t you listen to Hashem’s mitzvos? And if you believe in Bal, let the Bal help you!”
Eliyahu Hanavi did something to show the Yidden the truth once and for all. Eliyahu Hanavi and the false Neviim of Bal each took an animal that was exactly the same to bring as a korban.
First the “Neviim” of Bal tried to bring their korban. They tried all day to do their Avodah Zarah, but no fire came down to burn up their korban!
At Mincha time, Eliyahu Hanavi built his Mizbeiach. He poured water all over his korban, and davened to Hashem to show everyone that there is only one true Aibershter. Right away, a flame of fire came down from Shomayim and burned up the korban, the Mizbeiach, and even the water! All of the Yidden called out together, “Hashem Hu Ha’Elokim! Hashem Hu Ha’Elokim! Hashem is the Aibershter!” They chased the false Neviim of Bal and killed them.
After this, Eliyahu Hanavi davened for rain, and the hunger finally ended.
In a sicha, the Rebbe explains why Eliyahu Hanavi’s main complaint to the Yidden was that they kept changing their minds — Ad Mosai Atem Poschim Al Shtei Hase’ifim? The Rebbe explains why it’s such a problem, and that’s it’s still a problem today! We need to be careful to be Yidden ALL the time, and not change our minds sometimes and do things against the Torah just to get more money or kavod. We need to know that Hashem Hu Ha’Elokim, that Gashmius is also from Hashem, and that we need to be connected to Torah and mitzvos ALL the time!
See Likutei Sichos chelek Alef, Parshas Ki Sisa
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The last part of Pesukei Dezimra before Yishtabach is Az Yashir.
The Zohar says many special things about how important it is to say Az Yashir in davening. One thing it says is that if we say Az Yashir during Golus, we will be zoche to say it when Moshiach comes!
The last line of Az Yashir is the posuk “Hashem Yimloch Le’olam Va’ed.”
After saying “Hashem Yimloch Le’olam Va’ed” twice, we say it one more time — but this time, we say it in Targum (translation), in Aramaic! This is something the Arizal taught us to do.
We also say then the posuk “Ki Va Sus Paraoh,” which comes right after the Shirah in Parshas Beshalach. This is also based on the teachings of the Arizal.
The Arizal teaches that this posuk, which is also connected to the Shirah, should also be said every day in davening.
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In the first perek of Hilchos Talmud Torah, the Alter Rebbe describes the chiyuv a father has in teaching Torah to his son. Even though the mitzvah of Chinuch for mitzvos is Miderabanan, teaching Torah is Mide’oraisa.
The beginning of Chinuch starts with teaching a child pesukim, even before he is able to read. (We do this by teaching children the Yud-Beis pesukim as soon as they are able to talk!) Then, as soon as a child is able to, we make sure he learns the letters and the nekudos, and practices reading the words of Torah inside.
Then, when a child is old enough, usually at about 6 or 7, if the father can’t learn with his son himself, he needs to hire a melamed that will learn with him the entire Tanach and review it with him many times.
This is the beginning of the chiyuv of a father to teach Torah to his son.
See Hilchos Talmud Torah from the Alter Rebbe, with explanations from Horav Ashkenazi A”H
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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 the Rambam is teaching us about Moshiach, he brings pesukim from the Chumash to prove that Moshiach has to come. But the Rambam doesn’t bring any proofs from Nach! Why? Because “Kol Hasefarim Melei’im Bedavar Zeh!” The seforim are all FULL of talking about Moshiach!
For example, the Navi Ovadiah (one of the Trei Asar), who said nevuah about the end of Golus Edom, finishes off his nevuah with the posuk we say every day in davening: “Ve’alu Moshiim Behar Tzion Lishpot Es Har Eisav, Vehaysa LaHashem Hamelucha!” Moshiach and many other tzadikim, the ones who save the Yidden, will go up onto the mountain of Eisav to judge them for everything that they did to the Yidden. At that time, all of the nations will accept the leadership of Moshiach, and Hashem will be recognized as the King of the world!
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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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