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CHUMASH
Parshas Metzora - Shlishi with Rashi
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Today’s entire Chumash teaches the way a metzora becomes tahor if he can’t afford the regular korbanos.
We learned about the korbanos that a metzora needs to bring to the Beis Hamikdash in order to become tahor.
What happens if someone is poor and can’t buy THREE sheep for the korbanos? The Torah says that he can bring one sheep and two birds instead. He also needs to bring the flour and the oil for the Mincha, as well as the log of oil that we learned about yesterday.
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In today’s Tehillim, Kapitel Mem-Vov talks about how when Moshiach comes, Hashem will make no more wars. The world will be quiet and peaceful. “Lechu Chazu Mifalos Hashem Asher Sam Shamos BaAretz” — “Go look at what Hashem did — Hashem made the world empty (of war).”
The Alter Rebbe explains in Torah Ohr that this isn’t just talking about wars with soldiers and guns, it’s talking about fighting with our Yetzer Hara too! Nowadays we always need to fight with our Yetzer Hara to do Mitzvos and act the way the Torah teaches us, because Hashem wants us to work hard to become better Yidden.
But when Moshiach comes, we will rest from our fighting with the Yetzer Hara, just like we rest on Shabbos from our hard work all week!
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TANYA
Likutei Amarim Perek Mem
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We learned that the kavana we have in learning, davening, and doing mitzvos is like the wings of a bird that help it fly.
In another part of Torah, when we learn about kosher, we learn an interesting halacha about wings: If a bird’s wings were broken or removed, it is still kosher.
When something in Torah is a mashal for something else, it means they really are connected. Since kavana is compared to wings of a bird, we can learn something about it from the halachos in Torah about wings.
With a bird, the main part is the body, not the wings. The same is true with mitzvos! The main part is doing the mitzvah itself. Even if you don’t have the wings of kavana, the “bird” is still kosher — the mitzvah is still good.
Still, it is only complete when we have the mitzvah WITH its wings — with kavana!
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Every neshama is sent down to the world with a special shlichus that it needs to do. We aren’t born just to do things that are easy for us — we need to find the things in ourselves that are NOT the way they should be, and our neshama should fix them.
How do we know which things need to be fixed? There’s a posuk from Tehillim that says, “MeiOivai Techakmeini Mitzvosecha, Ki Le’Olam Hi Li.” One of the ways to explain this posuk is, “From my enemies I become wise about Your mitzvos, because they (the mitzvos) are always with me.”
How do we become wise to figure out which mitzvos are our job to work on? By thinking about the not-good midos that we have, our “enemies.” When we see what is not good in our behavior and hard for us, we will know that those things are what our neshamos need to work hard to fix most!
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Today we learn two mitzvos. We learn one mitzvah from the last perakim of Hilchos Kriyas Shema, and one from the new set of halachos we are starting today, Hilchos Tefillah.
1) (Mitzvas Asei #10) Shema: We need to say Shema every day, in the morning and at night.
We learn this mitzvah from a posuk in Parshas Vaeschanan: וְדִבַּרְתָּ בָּם בְּשִׁבְתְּךָ בְּבֵיתֶךָ
The details are explained in Mesechta Brachos.
2) (Mitzvas Asei #5) Tefillah: We need to daven to Hashem. In the Torah, this is called Avodah.
We learn this mitzvah from a posuk in Parshas Mishpatim: וַעֲבַדְתֶּם אֵת ה׳ אֱלֹקֵיכֶם
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RAMBAM
Hilchos Kriyas Shema - Tefillah
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In Perek Gimmel, we learn many halachos about where we are allowed to say Shema. For example, a person can’t say Shema (or any other words of kedusha) in a smelly place or in a bathroom.
Perek Daled: Some people don’t have the mitzvah to say Kriyas Shema every day. For example, women have a different kind of Avodas Hashem, so they don’t have to do certain mitzvos that have a specific time, like saying Kriyas Shema.
Now we finish this set of halachos, and start learning Hilchos Tefillah!
Perek Alef: The Rambam tells us about how davening used to be — people used to daven in their own words. From the time of Moshe Rabbenu until Ezra Hasofer, there was no nusach for davening — everyone davened in Lashon Kodesh the way they felt and when they needed something.
When Yidden didn’t know how to speak in Lashon Kodesh very well anymore, they couldn’t express themselves properly in davening. So the Anshei Knesses Hagedolah made Shemoneh Esrei for everyone to say.
The first three brachos say how special Hashem is, and the last three brachos say “thank You” to Hashem. In the middle there are many brachos that ask Hashem for things that Yidden need.
The Chachomim also made set times for davening the different tefillos each day, that match up to the times when korbanos were brought.
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In this perek and the next four perakim, we will learn about Kilei HaKerem. The Torah is very strict about not planting other things together with grapes! Even outside of Eretz Yisroel we need to be careful with this mitzvah. We learn about how long the plant needs to be there, and how much it needs to grow, for it to be asur.
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This Shabbos is Shabbos Hagadol! Shabbos Hagadol is a day connected with special nisim for the Yidden.
The Rebbe teaches that there are important lessons we need to learn from Shabbos Hagadol, about how we need to change the world!
When the Yidden were in Mitzrayim, they could see that Paraoh wasn’t doing his special mitzvah, of listening to Hashem and letting the Yidden go.
But how could they get Paraoh to change his mind? They couldn’t go to him in his palace and tell him that he was making a big mistake!
But they DID have a way to get Paraoh to change his mind — and that’s what happened on Shabbos Hagadol!
The Yidden proudly did the mitzvah Hashem gave them. They tied the sheep to their bed for the Korban Pesach, and didn’t hide it from the Mitzriyim. Even though they knew the Mitzriyim would be upset, they were not afraid and did what Hashem told them to!
When the goyim saw this, they got scared! They started fighting with each other, and tried to force Paraoh to change his mind and keep the mitzvah he was supposed to do!
That is an important lesson for us today too:
We have an achrayus not only to teach Yidden about the Torah, but to make sure that the whole world, even the goyim, are acting the way Hashem wants. Sometimes, we are able to teach the goyim about their mitzvos, the Sheva Mitzvos Bnei Noach. But other times, we have no way to help the goyim do the right thing.
Except that we DO! When we proudly act the way Hashem tells us to, and are strong in our Yiddishkeit, that will have an influence on the goyim too! It will effect the world around us to behave the way Hashem wants them to.
And just like that is what brought the Geulah from Mitzrayim, when we stand proud in our Yiddishkeit, it will bring the Geulah from this Golus too!
See farbrengen Shabbos Hagadol Tof-Shin-Lamed-Beis
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In the Haggadah, we say the Mishnah “Bechol Dor Vador,” meaning that in every generation we are supposed to see ourselves as if we ourselves came out of Mitzrayim.
The Alter Rebbe says in Tanya that not only every generation, but “Bechol Yom Vayom” — every single day! Every day, we should see ourselves as having come out of Mitzrayim, because in a certain way, we do! Our guf can be like a Mitzrayim, stopping us from doing what Hashem wants. When we decide to connect ourselves to Hashem through Torah and mitzvos when we say Shema every day, we are coming out of Mitzrayim!
If this is something that happens every day, what’s so special about Pesach?
There are many times in Yiddishkeit where we see that a certain day gives us extra chayus in something!
For example, having Kabolas Ol is something we need to do every day. But on Rosh Hashana, that is a very special time for Kabolas Ol Malchus Shomayim, and Rosh Hashana gives us koach for the rest of the year!
Another example is thanking Hashem for the Torah. Every day we say a bracha “Nosein HaTorah,” thanking Hashem for giving the Torah to the Yidden. But on Shavuos is an extra-special time to thank Hashem for this precious gift, and Shavuos gives us koach and chayus to receive the Torah anew every day!
The same thing is with Pesach. Every single day we thank Hashem for taking us out of Mitzrayim — the Mitzrayim that the Yidden suffered in, and the little Mitzrayim inside of us. But Pesach is a very special night for thanking Hashem for the neis of Geulah, and Pesach gives us koach to appreciate Yetziyas Mitzrayim properly every single day of the year!
See dibur hamaschil “Bechol Dor Vador” in the Rebbe’s Haggadah, and farbrengen Yud-Alef Nissan Tof-Shin-Lamed-Ches
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Don’t forget to say the Nasi!
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On the night of Pesach, before starting the seder, it is a minhag to give children nuts and treats. We want them to see that tonight is different, and ask us why we’re giving them treats even before the meal!
Even though we don’t answer that question directly, it helps the children realize that tonight is very different, and get them to wonder why and start asking questions, like about the matzah and maror and leaning while we eat! Then we’ll be able to answer them with Avadim Hayinu and the story of Yetziyas Mitzrayim.
See Alter Rebbe’s Shulchan Aruch siman Tof-Ayin-Beis se’if Lamed-Alef
As we are getting closer to Pesach, it is a good idea to review the halachos of Pesach again! Here are some halacha newsletters that you can use:
- Halacha Day by Day by Rabbi Yosef Braun
- Halacha Newsletter by Rabbi Shmuel Lesches
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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 Sefer Micha, the Navi tells us a promise Hashem made about the Geulah: “Kimei Tzeischa Me’Eretz Mitzrayim Arenu Niflaos!” “I will show you wonders like in the days of Yetziyas Mitzrayim!”
According to the Zohar, really, the nissim of the Geulah will be much GREATER than the nissim of Yetziyas Mitzrayim!
So why does Hashem say that the nissim will be like then?
Before Yetziyas Mitzrayim, there was no such thing as Geulah. It was something impossible! But when Hashem took the Yidden out of Mitzrayim, Geulah wasn’t impossible anymore. At the right time, the Geulah could just happen!
So the Geulah we’re about to have is connected to the Geulah from Mitzrayim. It is only because of the first Geulah from Mitzrayim that it is possible for us to have the incredible nissim of the Geulah with Moshiach!
See the Maamar Kimei Tzeischa, Yud-Alef Nisan 5742 (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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