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CHUMASH
Parshas Tazria - Shishi with Rashi
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Today we are learning more about Tzoraas.
We learned that spots of tzoraas on a person’s head are called “Nesek.” But if a person is bald on the back of his head (Karachas) or on the front of his head (Gabachas), we follow the rules of the regular tzoraas spots (Nega) to see if the person is tomei.
Now we learn what a person does if the Kohen says that he is Tomei from Tzoraas:
The Metzora has to tear his clothes and not cut his hair, like an avel. He has to cover his face down to his mustache or top lip. He calls out “Tomei, tomei” to let everyone know to stay away from him, and not become tomei from him.
He has to go away from everyone else, outside of where the rest of the Yidden live.
Now we learn about Tzoraas on clothes:
If a person sees bright red or bright green spots on a piece of clothing, he needs to show them to the kohen. The kohen tells him to put the clothing away for a week, and then looks at it again. If the spot got bigger, it is Tzoraas and it needs to be burned!
If it didn’t get bigger, the person washes it and waits another week before the kohen checks again.
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In today’s Tehillim, there are two pesukim (Kapitel Chof-Hey, pesukim ches and tes) that talk about how Hashem shows us the right way to live. The last words of these pesukim are “VeYelamed Anavim Darko” — “Hashem teaches humble people His path.”
The Rambam says that this is talking about two things that Hashem gives to Yidden to help them do teshuvah and do the right things! Here they are:
1) He sends them Neviim who teach them the ways of Hashem and how to do teshuvah.
2) Hashem makes a person to WANT to do the right thing when they learn about it.
These two things together make it much easier for us to do JUST what Hashem wants!
We say this kapitel after Shemoneh Esrei, in Nefilas Apayim, on a day when we say Tachanun.
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TANYA
Likutei Amarim Perek Lamed-Tes
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Now the Alter Rebbe is telling us about kavana, how the things we are thinking about that bring us to learn Torah and do mitzvos make a difference in what we actually do.
Sometimes a person does a mitzvah for the wrong reason — like learning a lot of Torah so other people will respect him as a Talmid Chochom.
If someone does a mitzvah like this, the mitzvah is in Golus! But as soon as he does teshuvah, his mitzvah can go up to Hashem.
That’s why the Chachomim tell us, “L’olam Yaasok Adam BaTorah Afilu Lo Lishma, Shemitoch Shelo Lishma, Ba Lishma.” It is good to do mitzvos even if we do them for the wrong reason, because every Yid will do teshuvah in the end, and then what was done with the wrong kavana will go up to Hashem along with his teshuvah.
But that’s only if someone did the mitzvah for the WRONG reason.
But if someone does a mitzvah for NO specific reason, meaning without kavana, then even though the mitzvah does not go up to Hashem, the person does not need to do teshuvah to fix that. Instead, as soon as he does the same mitzvah for the RIGHT reason, with kavana for Hashem, then the mitzvah he did before ALSO goes up to Hashem! Also if we daven without kavana, the next time we daven WITH kavana, ALL of our tefillos will go up to Hashem!
That is why it’s a good idea, like we learned in Kuntres Acharon, to daven at least one piece of the davening each day with extra kavana. Because even if we just had kavana one time, it brings up all of the times we said that piece without kavana!
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The Hayom Yom has lessons for all different kinds of Yidden. A few days ago, we learned things that are important for a Rav to know. We also learned lessons for women. Later we will see lessons for a yeshiva bochur. Now we will see a lesson for a business person!
People who are in business might think that their job is to make money to support themselves and their family, and to give tzedakah. But that’s not all! It is true that those things happen because of the work they do. But in the work itself, they have a very special avodah, with two parts!
The first part is to keep their own connection to Hashem strong. They need to have some seforim in their business and use their free time to learn. They also need to have some Torah that they know by heart so that when they are walking outside they can think words of Torah.
Today there are so many things that make it easier for us to do this, like in a car or with a computer or phone!
Another part of this avodah is to help connect other Yidden to Hashem. When they are speaking to other Yidden for business reasons, they should try to find a way to talk about something from Torah or to encourage them to go to a shiur.
The Rebbe also tells us in sichos that if a business person meets goyim at work, they should use that opportunity to speak about doing their mission in the world by keeping the Sheva Mitzvos Bnei Noach. This will help save Yidden from any not good gezeiros (Chas Vesholom) and bring Moshiach much closer. People might think that they are dealing with the goyim just for their own good, to make money, but the truth is that the main reason is to help the goyim do the Sheva Mitzvos Bnei Noach and bring the Geula closer!
The Rebbe gave an example of someone who influenced the goyim that were working for him to become closer to Hashem and keep the Sheva Mitzvos Bnei Noach! See Chabad.org/2516760 (English translation of a sicha where the Rebbe told the story of Mr. David Chase and the yacht).
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Today’s mitzvah (Mitzvas Asei #73) is that if someone does an aveira (Chas Veshalom!) 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.
There are some mitzvos where we bring a korban to be forgiven, but even for these mitzvos, we still need to say vidui when we bring the korban.
We should use our words the best way we can, to tell Hashem what we did wrong.
The Rambam shows us how this is for EVERY kind of mitzvah, and in all places and times.
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 Hilchos Teshuvah, the Rambam explains the halachos of teshuvah, and certain basic ideas in Yiddishkeit that we need to know in order to do the mitzvah of teshuvah right.
Perek Alef: If a person does an aveira, they need to do teshuvah and they need to say to Hashem what they did. For some aveiros, Hashem will then forgive the person right away, and sometimes will forgive the person on Yom Kippur.
Perek Beis: The Rambam teaches us that a person knows he did true teshuvah if he is in the same situation as before, and still doesn’t do the aveira again.
We also learn that if someone asks us for forgiveness for something he did to us, we should forgive him!
The Rambam tells us that even though Hashem accepts our teshuvah ALL the time, in the Aseres Yemei Teshuvah, ending with Yom Kippur, Hashem accepts our teshuvah right away!
Perek Gimmel: In this perek, there is a very famous halacha that the Rebbe would repeat often! The Rambam says that Hashem judges every person and the whole world together based on the things that people do.
Since we don’t know exactly how we deserve to be judged, the Rambam tells us to always imagine that the world is on a scale that is equal, perfectly balanced. If a person does even one mitzvah, it will tip the scale to the side of good (or chas veshalom the opposite). We need to realize that every choice we make is so important, it can bring a Yeshuah V’hatzalah for ourselves and for the whole world!
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Today we start the next sefer in Rambam, Sefer Zeraim.
We learn about two kinds of Kilayim, things we are not allowed to mix. There are Kilai Zeraim, different kinds of seeds or plants which are not allowed to be planted together, and Kilai Ilanos, different kinds of trees that are not allowed to be forced to grow into one tree.
The mitzvah of Kilai Zeraim is only in Eretz Yisrael, but Kilai Ilanos, forcing two kinds of trees to grow into one tree, is asur everywhere. But even though we can’t GROW those kind of trees, we ARE allowed to eat fruit that grew from them!
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We are learning in Chumash about a person who has tzoraas.
We see in the Torah that the kohen is the one to say if the person has tzoraas or not. But why only a kohen? Shouldn’t any Talmid Chochom be able to look at the halachos and say if it looks like tzoraas?
Chassidus explains that it is because a kohen is called an “Ish Hachesed,” a person of kindness. The kohanim are the ones who bentch the Yidden with the Birchas Kohanim, with love. If a person gets a psak that he has tzoraas, he has to go away from other people and do teshuvah until the tzoraas goes away. This is a very serious thing! Only a kohen, with his chesed, will make sure that his psak is ONLY for the person’s good.
That’s why the Torah only lets a kohen decide if a person is a metzora or not.
See Likutei Sichos chelek Chof-Zayin, Tazria sicha beis
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Don’t forget to say the Nasi! Today’s Nasi is from Shevet Reuven.
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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.
In the beginning of the Alter Rebbe’s Haggadah Shel Pesach, we have the bracha before we start Bedikas Chometz and the paragraph Kol Chamira afterwards, saying that the chometz is botul (means nothing to us and doesn’t belong to us); and another paragraph Kol Chamira which we say when we are burning the chometz in the morning.
After Biur Chometz, we say a paragraph asking Hashem that just as we are destroying the chometz from our homes and our reshus, Hashem should destroy the tumah, the Yetzer Hara, and all negative things from the world, like Hashem did in Mitzrayim!
In some nus’chaos, this tefillah is written in Lashon Yachid (singular), “May it be Your will Hashem, MY Hashem and the Hashem of MY fathers.” But in the Alter Rebbe’s nusach, it is written in Lashon Rabim (plural) — “OUR Hashem, and the Hashem of OUR fathers.”
The Rebbe explains that our nusach is based on the Gemara in Brachos, where Abaye says that when you say Tefillas Haderech, even if you are traveling yourself, you should include yourself with everyone else, and say the tefillah in Lashon Rabim (plural). Because when you include yourself with others, the tefillah is accepted better.
That’s why in this tefillah also, we say it in Lashon Rabim, so it will be accepted more easily by Hashem.
See the Rebbe’s Haggadah, Dibur Hamas’chil Yehi Ratzon; Halacha Newsletter by Rabbi Lesches
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For our Pesach mivtzoyim, we give out Shmurah Matzah and invite Yidden to our Seder.
There is another important part of Mivtza Pesach: To help Yidden sell their chometz!
Even if we are worried that these Yidden might chas veshalom use something chometz’dik on Pesach, it is still worth it for them to sell their chometz. (The Rebbe explained the reason for this in halacha.) So we should make sure that EVERYONE is able to sell their chometz!
How do we do this? We make sure to have Mechiras Chometz forms or let people know where they can sell their chometz online, and encourage as many people as possible to sell their chometz for Pesach!
See Halachos Uminhagei Chabad p. 181
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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 the famous sicha of Chof-Ches Nissan, the Rebbe said that every Yid needs to do everything in his power to bring the Geulah. The Rebbe said that when Yidden are stubborn to do what they can and ask Hashem for the Geulah, it will work, and Hashem will give it to us!
We see a similar thing with the Navi Micha. Hashem gave the Navi a beautiful promise, “Kimei Tzeischa Me’Eretz Mitzrayim Arenu Niflaos.” Hashem promised that He would make wonders and miracles for the Yidden at the time of the Geulah, like the nisim of Yetziyas Mitzrayim!
But Hashem only told this to Micha after Micha asked Hashem to take care of the Yidden like at the time of Yetziyas Mitzrayim! We see from here that we need to ask Hashem for the Geulah, and that when we do, Hashem will answer us and make it happen!
See Sefer Hasichos 5751 chelek Beis p. 474 and ha’ara 54 (Hebrew)
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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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