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CHUMASH
Parshas Metzora - Sheini with Rashi
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In today’s Chumash, we learn the second part of what the Metzora needs to do to become tahor again.
Once the kohen sees that the tzoraas is gone, the first step of becoming tahor is what we learned yesterday, using two birds, water, and the eizov. Then the person needed to shave and go to the mikvah. On the seventh day, he needed to shave his hair again and go to the mikvah again!
Now he is tahor, but he is still Mechusar Kaparah, his kaparah is not complete. He still needs to bring his korbanos! We learned yesterday that on the eighth day, the person brings three korbanos — a Korban Chatas, Asham, and Olah, as well as a Korban Mincha and a log of oil.
In today’s Chumash, we learn how these korbanos are brought:
The Korban Asham is brought like every other Korban Asham, in the tzafon (north) side of the Chatzer. Then the kohen takes some of the blood of the korban, and puts it on the person’s right ear, thumb, and big toe.
Then the kohen takes some of the oil and pours it into his palm. Using his right finger, the kohen sprinkles oil towards the Kodesh Hakodoshim seven times. Then he puts oil onto the same places he put the blood: On the person’s right ear, thumb, and big toe. Whatever oil is left in the kohen’s palm should be put on the person’s head.
Then the kohen brings the Korban Chatas, and finally the Korban Olah, together with the Mincha that goes along with each korban. Then the kaparah is complete, and the person is fully tahor from his tzoraas.
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In Perek Mem (40) of today’s Tehillim, there’s a posuk that says “Ashrei Hagever Asher Sam Hashem Mivtacho!” “Happy is a person who has bitachon in Hashem!” The posuk says later that this person doesn’t turn to anything else for help!
The Medrash tells us that this posuk is talking about Yosef Hatzadik, who always trusted in Hashem. But once, his bitachon wasn’t perfect — he asked the Sar Hamashkim to remember him, instead of only trusting in Hashem.
The Rebbe explains to us that even though a Yid usually needs to “make a keili in Teva” (do something in Gashmius so that Hashem’s bracha has “where to go”), Hashem wanted Yosef to have even a stronger level of bitachon! Yosef had a very special neshama. Because of that, his connection to Hashem should have been SO strong that he shouldn’t even need to worry about having a keili in Teva!
Even though we aren’t expected to have a bitachon as strong as Yosef Hatzadik, we can learn from this how important it is to have the bitachon that IS expected from us!
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TANYA
Likutei Amarim Perek Mem
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In the Kabbalah sefer Tikunei Zohar, it says that mitzvos done without kavana are like little chicks that can’t fly. The kavana is like wings that help the mitzvos fly up to the Ruchnius worlds of Briyah and Yetzirah.
But if you’re under Bar or Bas Mitzvah, your mitzvos have an extra koach. In Kuntres Acharon, it explains this perek, and says that the Torah of children goes straight up to Hashem even if they didn’t have any kavana!
In a Purim farbrengen, the Rebbe explained that children are special from both their neshama and their guf! The neshama of a child didn’t come down too long ago from Shomayim, so it is closer to Hashem! And the guf of a child is more aidel, since kids don’t have the same kinds of taavos adults do. That’s why the Torah that they learn has such a special koach!
When children learn Torah, even if they are only learning so they don’t get in trouble, their Torah still goes straight up to Hashem!
Make sure to use this opportunity while it lasts! :-)
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Our nusach of “Vayehi Binso’a Ha’aron”, in the tefillah that is said when the Torah is being brought to the bimah on Shabbos and Yom Tov, we say the words “Vechirtzon Kol Amcha Beis Yisroel.”
The Rebbe tells us something today about the last names of the Rebbeim:
The Alter Rebbe’s last name was Baruchovitch. (His father’s name was Boruch!)
The Mitteler Rebbe chose a different last name — Shneuri. (After his father, the Alter Rebbe.)
The Tzemach Tzedek changed his last name too — but he didn’t choose the name of his father. The Tzemach Tzedek also chose a last name that has to do with the Alter Rebbe, Schneerson, and this became the last name of all of the Rebbeim until today!
On Yud Shevat 5711, the Rebbe officially accepted the Nesius of the Dor Hashvi’i. In that farbrengen, the Rebbe told us that we are the seventh generation from the Alter Rebbe. Even though seven is special, it is only special because it is the seventh from #1, starting from the Alter Rebbe! The Rebbe explained then the avodah of being a chossid in the seventh generation: We need to live with the Mesirus Nefesh which we were taught by the Alter Rebbe, the first generation — to do what Hashem tells us even when it is hard, and to dedicate ourselves to spread Yiddishkeit and Chassidus wherever we can!
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In today’s Rambam, we finish Hilchos Teshuvah and the whole Sefer Mada! We start a new sefer, Sefer Ahava, which starts with the halachos of Kriyas Shema. So we have two mitzvos, one about teshuvah and the other about Kriyas Shema.
We learn the same mitzvah (Mitzvas Asei #73) one last time: If someone does an aveira (Chas Veshalom!) he needs to SAY to Hashem what he did and ask Hashem to forgive him.
We learn this mitzvah from a posuk in Parshas Vayikra: וְהִתְוַדָּה אֲשֶׁר חָטָא
The details are explained in the end of Mesechta Yoma.
We learn the mitzvah (Mitzvas Asei #10) to say Kriyas Shema two times every day — one time in the morning (by a certain time) and once at night.
We learn this mitzvah from a posuk in Parshas Vaeschanan: וְדִבַּרְתָּ בָּם בְּשִׁבְתְּךָ בְּבֵיתֶךָ
The details are explained in Mesechta Brachos.
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RAMBAM
Hilchos Teshuvah - Hilchos Kriyas Shema
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Perek Yud: In this perek, the Rambam tells us that the best way to serve Hashem is lishma, since a person knows it’s the right thing to do. But that doesn’t happen on its own, it takes time and work! In the meantime, a person first serves Hashem for rewards and prizes, until he learns how to serve Hashem lishma.
The Rambam also says “Al Pi HaDeiah Tihiyeh HoAhava” — the more we learn about Yiddishkeit and Hashem, the more we will appreciate it, and our love for Hashem and Avodas Hashem will be greater!
Now we have finished Sefer Mada, and we start Sefer Ahava!
In Perek Alef of Hilchos Kriyas Shema, we learn about the mitzvah of saying Shema in the morning and at night. The Rambam tells us that Yaakov Avinu asked his sons, before he passed away, if all of them believed in Hashem. They all answered, “Shema Yisroel,” “listen, our father Yisroel,” “Hashem Elokeinu, Hashem Echod!” “We all believe in Hashem!” When Yaakov Avinu heard this, he said, “Boruch Sheim Kevod Malchuso Le’olam Va’ed!” to thank Hashem.
In Perek Beis, the Rambam tells us HOW to say Shema. We need to make sure we have kavana when we say the first line of Shema, otherwise we need to say it again! If a person is working and realizes that he will soon miss saying Shema on time, he needs to stop working so he can say Shema properly.
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What do we need to do if we want to plant two kinds together in the same field? Sometimes they need to be far enough apart that they can’t join into one plant, and sometimes they need to LOOK like they are separate.
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On a birthday, the Rebbe tells us, it’s important to think about the reason why a person is born. In many of the Yud-Alef Nissan farbrengens, and also on Yud-Beis Tammuz, the Frierdiker Rebbe’s birthday, the Rebbe would explain about the reason why Hashem made people, based on the posuk from Iyov, “Adam La’amal Yulad” — a person was born to work hard. Hashem made it this way so that we should have the zechus to help Hashem make the world a better place.
There are four main kinds of hardships that people go through during their lives. They are hinted to in the four categories of people who need to bring a Korban Todah when they are saved from a danger:
1) A sick person who got better — We need to have a healthy Yiddishe head and heart. If we are sick, chas veshalom, we won’t be able to serve Hashem properly.
2) A person who gets out of jail — When the Yetzer Hara doesn’t let the neshama do what it wants, it is a kind of Ruchnius “jail.” Sometimes a Yetzer Hara can become so strong in the person’s mind or heart that it feels like he can’t control himself! This is another big challenge.
3) Going on a trip over the sea — Many years ago, people didn’t travel very much — usually they would only travel if they needed to for parnasa. A person might feel like they are drowning, because they are so worried about having enough money for things they need. Being worried about parnasa can make it very hard for a Yid to serve Hashem.
4) Going over the midbar — A desert is a place where nobody lives. The world can feel like a desert, because we can’t see Hashem in the world. Our job is to make sure that we CAN see Hashem, a Dira Betachtonim. But it can be a hard job to make our families, communities, and the world look the way Hashem wants.
These are struggles that every Yid has to deal with, but we can have bitachon that Hashem will help us! We need to work hard and do our very best, and feel sure that with Hashem’s help we will succeed. Then we will thank Hashem for the nissim that he has done for us to help us to be successful in our Shlichus — to bring Moshiach now!
From Maamar Hagomel Yud-Beis Tammuz 5743
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In Biur Tefillah, we are learning about the Haggadah. In this shiur and the next, we will IY”H go through the general structure of the part of the Haggadah where we tell over the story of Yetziyas Mitzrayim, which is Maggid. We say much of this on Shabbos Hagadol after Mincha, which is when the nisim started!
On the night of Pesach, it is a mitzvah to tell over the story of Yetziyas Mitzrayim.
Even though the exact nusach of the Haggadah comes from the time of the Geonim, the main setup of the seder and what we tell over on the night of Pesach is written in the Mishnah and Gemara.
The Mishnah says that after Mah Nishtana, the father should explain Yetziyas Mitzrayim to his son, based on what his son is able to understand.
He should tell the story in a way of “Maschil Begnus Umesayem Beshvach,” starting with the shameful part and finishing with praise. (There is more than one opinion what this is talking about. One opinion says it means starting with the fact that Yidden were slaves to Paraoh, and ending off that Hashem took us out with great nisim! Another opinion says we start the story even before that, with Avraham Avinu, who came from a family who served Avodah Zarah, and that Hashem kept His promise to Avraham and took the Yidden out of Mitzrayim with great wealth! The halacha is like the first opinion so we start with the Yidden being slaves in Mitzrayim; but afterwards we also tell the story from the beginning, about Avraham Avinu, like the second opinion!)
Then, the Mishnah tells us that we explain a certain paragraph from the Torah, posuk by posuk. This paragraph starts with the words “Arami Oved Avi.” When a person brought Bikurim to the Beis Hamikdash, he would praise Hashem that he had a chelek of Eretz Yisroel and could bring Hashem these fruits! In this paragraph, he would thank Hashem for taking us out of Mitzrayim, so we could later come to Eretz Yisroel.
During our seder, we explain each posuk of this paragraph according to a Medrash, the Sifri.
This is the main part of the Haggadah, which we also say on Shabbos Hagadol, and IY”H we will see the rest of Maggid in the next shiur
See footnotes in the Rebbe’s Haggadah, Maggid
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Don’t forget the Nasi!
~
Part of the mitzvah of the seder is to feel like we ourselves are going out of Mitzrayim! Because of this, we celebrate the seder in a way of cheirus, freedom!
We show that we are acting in a way of freedom by leaning on our side as kings do when they eat. We lean on our left side (even a lefty!) when we drink the cups of wine or eat the matzah at the seder.
Our minhag is that women don’t do haseibah. Women rely on the opinion that says that since nobody leans during the year anymore, it isn’t a sign of freedom.
See Alter Rebbe’s Shulchan Aruch siman Tof-Ayin-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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Hashem promised the Navi Micha that things would be good for the Yidden at the time of the Geulah — “Kimei Tzeischa Me’Eretz Mitzrayim Arenu Niflaos!” “Like the days you went out of Mitzrayim, I will show you wonders!”
We usually explain this posuk to mean that the Geulah Ha’asida (the final Geulah) will have nissim that are like the ones we had at the time of Yetziyas Mitzrayim!
That is true, and something wonderful, but Chassidus explains that it ALSO means something more!
Based on what is written in the Zohar, Chassidus explains that the nissim of the time of Geulah will be more special than we can imagine! Even compared to the tremendous nissim of Yetziyas Mitzrayim, these nissim will still seem incredible! That means that however you imagine the nissim of the Geulah, they are still going to be much better than that!
In many maamarim, the Rebbe explains the deeper meaning of both of these peirushim, and how they will both happen.
See the maamarim of Kimei Tzeischa in Sefer Hamaamarim Melukat
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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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