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CHUMASH
Parshas Metzora - Rishon with Rashi
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Now we learn how a Metzora (a person with Tzoraas) becomes tahor:
After the kohen sees that the Tzoraas went away, the Metzora needs to do these things to become tahor:
Here are the things he needs:
- two birds
- a bowl of water (the kind of water that can be used for a Mikvah)
- a branch from a cedar tree
- a piece of red wool
- a kind of plant called an Eizov
- a korban of 3 lambs, flour, and oil
Here’s the first part of what he needs to do:
1) The kohen shechts one of the birds over the bowl of water.
2) The kohen sprinkles the Metzora with water using the branch, the wool, and the Eizov.
3) The second bird gets sent away.
4) The Metzora shaves off all of his hair.
5) He puts his clothes in the Mikvah.
6) He goes to the Mikvah.
7) The Metzora brings his korbanos to the Beis Hamikdash. (He can’t bring them INSIDE, though, since he is still tomei! He just brings them to the kohen, who will bring them inside and give them to Hashem.)
We will IY”H learn the rest of the steps tomorrow!
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In Kapitel Lamed-Vov (36) in today’s Tehillim, Dovid Hamelech says “Divrei Fiv Aven Umirmah, Chadal Lehaskil Leheitiv” “the words of his mouth are bad and tricky, he doesn’t find a reason to do better.” This is talking about the Yetzer Hara, who tries to stop us from doing the right thing.
The Maggid of Mezritch explains that the Yetzer Hara doesn’t tell a person not to learn Torah. It doesn’t mind if we learn complicated parts of Gemara — then everyone will be so impressed at how smart we are! The Yetzer Hara will try to stop a person from learning Chassidus or Halacha, parts of Torah that teach us how to BE better Yidden (“Lehaskil Leheitiv” — understanding in order to do better)!
The Yetzer Hara doesn’t want us to learn things that will help us act like better Yidden.
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TANYA
Likutei Amarim Perek Mem
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Today’s Tanya is the second hagaha (note) on Perek Mem. In the hagahos in Tanya, many times the Alter Rebbe adds things explained in Kabbalah that are connected to what we are learning in Tanya.
We just learned that when we have kavana when we do a mitzvah, the mitzvah is able to go up to a Ruchnius world, where it is easier to feel and see what the mitzvah does in Ruchnius!
What does a mitzvah do in Ruchnius? That is explained in this hagaha!
The Alter Rebbe explains that when we do a mitzvah, the midos of Hashem become united, and Chesed becomes stronger than Gevurah. This happens mainly in the highest Ruchnius world of Atzilus, but it also shines into the other worlds, in each world according to its level.
And when we do a mitzvah with kavana, what happens in Atzilus becomes more revealed in the mitzvah, so that the Gashmius of the mitzvah from this world does not hide it!
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While the Frierdiker Rebbe was in Latvia, he received a letter from an American Rav. This Rav wrote that he WANTS to do something for Yidden in America, but he feels like he can’t! He gave reasons why the Yidden can’t change, and wrote about how Rabbonim are giving up and saying it’s impossible to do anything for Yiddishkeit in America.
(In those days, it was very hard to keep Shabbos. Most stores were only closed on Sunday. Most of the Jews in America were from Russia or Poland, and wanted to act like modern Americans, and not like “old-fashioned” Europeans.)
The Frierdiker Rebbe wrote to this Rav:
To have hatzlacha, you need to stop thinking so much about the problem. Instead, you need to do your avodah with a proper plan and without compromises.
The Torah teaches us to do this in a pleasant way, that usually we need to be friendly and kind when we bring someone close to mitzvos. Still, it is sometimes the right thing to take someone aside and tell them what they need to fix.
When we will work in this way, we will for sure have hatzlacha, especially in helping Yidden keep the most important parts of Yiddishkeit, Shabbos, Kashrus, and Taharas Hamishpacha.
When there is a very big problem, sometimes we feel like giving up. Instead of trying to figure out reasons why it’s happening (“to make chakiros”), we should instead act the way Torah teaches, and we will for sure be successful.
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Today’s mitzvah (Mitzvas Asei #73) is the same as yesterday’s: If someone does an aveira, they need to do teshuvah, to decide not to do the aveira ever again and feel bad about what they did. They also need to SAY to Hashem what they did and ask Hashem to forgive him. This is called Vidui.
We learn this mitzvah from a posuk in Parshas Naso: וְהִתְוַדּוּ אֶת חַטָּאתָם אֲשֶׁר עָשׂוּ
The details are explained in the end of Mesechta Yoma.
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In Perek Zayin, the Rambam tells us many special things about teshuvah! Here are some of them:
- A person who does Teshuvah is in some ways GREATER than a tzadik!
בְּמָקוֹם שֶׁבַּעַלֵי תְּשׁוּבָה עוֹמְדִים אֵין צַדִיקִים גְמוּרִים יְכוֹלִים לַעֲמוֹד שָׁם
- When all the Yidden do teshuvah, Moshiach will come right away!
יִשְׂרָאֵל עוֹשִׂין תְּשׁוּבָה וּמִיַד הֵם נִגְאָלִין
In Perek Ches, the Rambam teaches us about Olam Haba, the reward for a person after he passes away. We know what our bodies like — we enjoy yummy treats, fun trips, and special presents. But our neshama loves to feel Hashem! In Olam Haba, as a reward for our avodah, our neshama will be able to enjoy feeling Hashem in a very strong way.
Perek Tes: If the real reward is feeling Hashem, why does the Torah promise us Gashmius rewards too? The Rambam explains that it is because the Gashmius helps us to do even MORE mitzvos! For example, if we have money, we can spend more time learning Torah, and can give more tzedakah.
The Rambam tells us that this is why we should want Moshiach — so we can learn Torah and do mitzvos without anything stopping us!
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We aren’t allowed to plant different kinds of plants together.
Does that mean we can’t plant purple carrots next to orange carrots? No! That’s okay because they are both carrots. In this perek, we learn what “different kinds” means.
We also learn how close to each other they need to be in order to be called growing “together.” If it’s easy to see that they aren’t being planted together, like if there is a mechitzah, or they are in different fields, that’s not called kilayim.
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A Rebbe is a Neshama Klolis. That means that the Rebbe’s neshama has inside of it all of the neshamos of the other Yidden! So the birthday of a Rebbe is also in some way a birthday of every Yid.
What’s special about your birthday? Is it that you are older now?
If that was the main point, we should call it something that shows that you’re becoming older, like an “older-day” or “end-of-year-day.” Instead, we call it Yom Huledes — BIRTHday, meaning that it has something to do with how special it is that we were born!
It says in Nach, in the Sefer Iyov, that people are born to work hard (“Adam L’Amal Yulad”). What kind of work? The Gemara says that there are three kinds of hard work — working hard to do a job (Amal Melacha), working hard to talk (Amal Sicha), or working hard to learn Torah (Amal Torah).
A job (Amal Melacha) means what we do to make money or to take care of our homes, which can be very hard. Talking (Amal Sicha) means davening which we do every day in the right way — that’s not easy! Torah (Amal Torah) is the koach we use to learn and understand the Chochma of Hashem.
Even though the Gemara says that the main thing is the work of Torah, we really need all of them! We need to serve Hashem through a job — including the mitzvos we do with the money we earned or the home we took care of — through davening, and by learning Torah.
That’s why it’s called a “birth” day. On our birthdays, we think about the reason of our birth. We decide that this year, we will do even better in all of these types of work which Hashem brought our neshama in the world to do!
See farbrengen Yud-Alef Nissan, 5743
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As part of Biur Tefillah, we are also learning some of the parts of the Haggadah, as a preparation for Pesach.
The Medrash explains the posuk “Magid Devarav LeYaakov, Chukav Umishpatav LeYisroel.” (“Hashem tells HIS words to Yaakov, HIS chukim and mishpatim to Yisroel.”) That means that whatever mitzvos Hashem tells us to do, He does too!
So when we are all sitting down at our Pesach seder, Hashem is saying the Haggadah with us!
Hashem also says, “Hey Lachma Anya” — “this is the bread of tzaros.” It is Hashem’s tzaros too, because as long as we are in Golus, Hashem’s Shechinah is in Golus too, and Hashem feels our pain.
But, Hashem says, “Kol Dichfin Yeisei VeYeichol!” “Everyone who is hungry, come and eat!” If we really want to be connected to Hashem, even in Golus, Hashem promises we will be able to.
By next year, though, as we finish the Haggadah, “Leshana Haba BiYerushalayim!” We will be in Yerushalayim, when the tzaar of Golus will be over, Hashem will bring us Moshiach and build the third Beis Hamikdash!
See Likutei Sichos chelek Ches, Pesach
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On Pesach, many people keep extra hiddurim because of how serious the issur of chometz is on Pesach. We are learning some of the hiddurim which are often kept in Chabad.
Of course, if someone takes on a new hiddur, they should do it Bli Neder.
It is written in Sefer Hatishbi that some people are careful not to even speak about chometz on Pesach! Once, on Pesach, someone told the Rebbe that a certain room had chometz in it. The Rebbe said that it is better not to talk about that on Pesach!
Some are careful not to use food that fell on the floor during Pesach, and some will use it only after it is peeled.
Many people don’t use keilim that fall on the floor during Pesach. They set them aside until the next year.
See Halachos Uminhagei Chabad p. 183–185
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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 Navi Micha asked Hashem to take care of the Yidden who live at the time before the Geulah, Hashem gave him a beautiful promise: “Kimei Tzeischa Me’Eretz Mitzrayim Arenu Niflaos,” “I will show you wonders like the days when you came out of Mitzrayim!”
One of the things that is special about the nissim of Yetziyas Mitzrayim is that they weren’t just nissim for that time. Some of the nissim lasted FOREVER! Once the Yidden left Mitzrayim and became servants of Hashem instead of servants of Paraoh, it stayed this way FOREVER! Yidden were never again able to become slaves to another nation!
When Hashem takes us out of this Golus, we will also be getting a Geulah FOREVER! It will be a permanent Geulah which will never have Golus afterwards — “Geulah Nitzchis, She’ain Achareha Golus.”
See Likutei Sichos chelek Hey p. 177, ha’ara 32
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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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