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CHUMASH
Parshas Shemini - Chamishi with Rashi
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Even though Aharon and his sons were mourning because Nadav and Avihu passed away, Moshe told them that they need to eat the parts of the korbanos that are for the kohanim.
Elazar and Isamar and Aharon ate those parts of the special korban brought in honor of starting off the avodah in the Mishkan, even though they were in aveilus. But they didn’t think they should eat the meat from the Rosh Chodesh korban. The Rosh Chodesh korban is eaten EVERY Rosh Chodesh, so they didn’t think it should have the same rule as the korbanos of the Yemei Miluim, which were only brought as a one-time thing.
Instead, they followed the usual halacha that tells us what to do if we can’t finish a korban during the right time, and they burned the whole korban on the Mizbeiach.
When Moshe found out about this, he was very upset! The Rosh Chodesh korban asks Hashem to forgive the Yidden, and they shouldn’t do anything that might chas veshalom stop Hashem from forgiving all of the Yidden by not eating it!
Aharon explained the reason why they treated this korban differently. Even though Moshe had given instructions to eat the korbanos even after what happened, they understood that this was a special halacha for the Yemei Miluim, and it only had to do with the korbanos of the Yemei Miluim. Hashem only wanted them to eat from the special korbanos for that day, but not from the korban that is brought for every Rosh Chodesh! When Moshe heard this explanation, he agreed that Aharon was right, and he wasn’t embarrassed to say that he hadn’t realized that difference.
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In today’s Tehillim, we start kapitel Kuf-Yud-Tes. It is the longest kapitel, and we only say half of it today — it takes us two days to finish it in Chitas! This kapitel goes according to the Alef-Beis, and every letter has eight pesukim that start with it.
In the letter Beis, there is a posuk that says “Bameh Yezakeh Naar Es Orcho Lishmor Kidvorecha.” The posuk means, “How does a person make the way he acts pure? By listening to what Hashem says.” By doing mitzvos and acting the way Hashem tells us in the Torah, we will be pure and holy.
But there is another meaning to this posuk too!
The Alter Rebbe once went to his Rebbe, the Maggid, and asked for a bracha to have a baby. The Maggid said: “Bameh Yezakeh Naar? How does a person have the zechus to have a baby? ‘Es Orcho’ — by having Hachnosas Orchim.” When we have Ahavas Yisroel and help other Yidden, that helps us deserve to have Hashem’s brachos!
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TANYA
Likutei Amarim Perek Lamed-Ches
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Even though a mitzvah with kavana has much more chayus, we shouldn’t think that a neshama is closer to Hashem when it does a mitzvah with kavana, than when it does a mitzvah without kavana! A mitzvah is the Ratzon of Hashem, it’s what Hashem wants, which is one with Hashem. When we do mitzvos, we are united with Hashem — whether or not we had kavana.
What changes when a person has kavana is how much we FEEL Hashem, and how much of Hashem’s light will shine on us.
And it is also part of Hashem’s Ratzon that we should have the higher level of feeling closer to Hashem, that comes from having kavana!
The Alter Rebbe tells us that we have four kinds of chayus in mitzvos, and we will use a mashal from the four kinds of things in the world:
1) Domem: Think of the chayus in a diamond. It is beautiful, and it is part of Hashem’s creation! That’s like doing Hashem’s mitzvah, without any kavana.
2) Tzomeiach: Think of the chayus in an apple tree in bloom. You can see that it’s growing! You can see that Hashem’s chayus is inside! That’s like when we daven or say words of Torah, and we know what the words mean, but we don’t have any kavana yet.
3) Chai: Now think about the chayus in a majestic deer, swiftly running through a field, like we run to do a mitzvah! There is lots of chayus there.
4) Medaber: Now look in the mirror. See how you can smile, and even understand and think!
A person can learn about things that an animal can never think. You can have Emunah! You can learn about the greatness of Hashem! You have MUCH more chayus than an animal.
Animals and people are mashalim for two kinds of kavana, one greater than the other. We will IY”H start learning about these in tomorrow’s Tanya!
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The Chossid R’ Mordechai Horodoker told us what was the first thing the Chassidim learned when they came to the Alter Rebbe in Liozna:
“Vos men tor nit, tor men nit — un vos men meg, darf men nit!” What we aren’t allowed to do — we aren’t allowed to do! And what we ARE allowed to do — we don’t need it.
There are things that are asur — like non-kosher food, or hitting our friends. We can’t do them!
There are also things that we ARE allowed to do — like eat nosh, or play computer games. But we need to think before each time: Do we need to do them for our Avodas Hashem? Will they help us learn or daven better, or be happier on Shabbos? Or do we not need them? If we don’t need them, we shouldn’t do them!
The Chassidim spent 3 to 4 years making sure that they were careful all the time to do the right thing. Only then did they allow themselves to go into Yechidus with the Alter Rebbe to hear what was their special way of Avodas Hashem!
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SEFER HAMITZVOS
Shiur #9 - Mitzvas Asei #207, Lo Saasei #302, Asei #205, Lo Saasei #303
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In today’s Sefer Hamitzvos, we learn 4 mitzvos about Ahavas Yisroel:
1) (Mitzvas Asei #207) We have an extra mitzvah to love a Ger Tzedek, someone who became a Yid.
We learn this mitzvah from a posuk in Parshas Eikev: וַאֲהַבְתֶּם אֶת הַגֵּר
These next three mitzvos all come from the same posuk — that we shouldn’t hate someone, instead we should tell them that they did something wrong, but we can’t embarrass them when we do it!
2) (Mitzvas Lo Saasei #302) We are not allowed to hate someone. If someone did something that makes us upset, we can’t be angry at them inside, instead we need to talk to them about it so we can become friends again.
We learn this mitzvah from a posuk in Parshas Kedoshim: לֹא תִשְׂנָא אֶת אָחִיךָ בִּלְבָבֶךָ
3) (Mitzvas Asei #205) We need to say something if we see that someone did or wants to do an aveira.
We shouldn’t say, “I will mind my own business. I’m not doing an aveira; if he is doing an aveira it is between him and Hashem!” This is against the Torah.
We need to make sure we don’t do aveiros ourselves, and we are ALSO responsible to help make sure others don’t do aveiros either, as much as possible.
Included in this mitzvah is also if someone did something to hurt us, we shouldn’t just be angry inside, we should let them know that we were hurt.
There are many details and conditions of how to do this mitzvah; like to make sure that we do it in a way that doesn’t embarrass the other person.
We learn this mitzvah from the same posuk in Parshas Kedoshim: הוֹכֵחַ תּוֹכִיחַ אֶת עֲמִיתֶךָ
4) (Mitzvas Lo Saasei #303) It is an aveira to embarrass another Yid.
We learn this mitzvah from the same posuk in Parshas Kedoshim: וְלֹא תִשָּׂא עָלָיו חֵטְא
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Perek Gimmel: In this perek, we learn that a person should make sure that the things they do are so they can do what Hashem wants. Instead of playing outside just because it’s fun, or eating healthy food because we don’t like going to the doctor, or sleeping because we like to — we should do these things because when we take care of ourselves, our neshama has a strong body to use to do lots of mitzvos!
In Perek Daled, the Rambam teaches which foods to eat to stay healthy. The Rambam also says that it is very important to exercise to be healthy. So go run around outside!
In Perek Hey, we learn how a Talmud Chochom should act, in a mentchlich, tznius’dike way, different from most of the world. For example, he should always have clean clothes, and not scream when he’s talking!
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In this new set of halachos we learn about when a person promises to make a donation to Hashem (to help pay for keeping the Beis Hamikdash running). This is a kind of promise called Nidrei Hekdesh.
The Rambam discusses the kinds of people who can make a neder to give a donation to Hashem, to be used in the Beis Hamikdash. Goyim are allowed to give certain donations.
There is also another kind of neder where we figure out how much someone is worth depending on how much people would pay for him as a slave.
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Today is a very special day! It’s Chof-Hey Adar, the birthday of the Rebbetzin!
The first birthday of the Rebbetzin after she passed away the Rebbe said that he will make something special in her honor — to start a campaign that everyone should start celebrating their birthdays!
What does it mean to celebrate a birthday?
It means that we should all keep certain minhagim that will make our birthday a special day for us. These minhagim will remind us that we were born to accomplish a special Shlichus which Hashem needs us to do so that Moshiach can come. When we use our special day in the right way it will help us do our Shlichus even better!
Do you know all ten of the minhagim?
1) Get an Aliyah (if you are a boy over Bar Mitzvah)
2) Give more tzedakah (especially before davening)
3) Daven better (have more kavana to think about how you are davening to Hashem)
4) Learn your new kapitel (It’s the kapitel of the year you are starting, like if you turn five you say kapitel vov because you are starting the sixth year of your life)
5) Learn extra Torah
6) Learn a maamar baal peh (even just a part of it. Then say it over at your farbrengen)
7) Help another Yid learn Torah or do a Mitzvah (like one of the Mivtzoyim)
8) Do a Cheshbon Hanefesh (think about how you acted last year and decide that this year you will be better)
9) Make a hachlata (something new in your Shlichus Hashem gave you)
10) Make a farbrengen! (buy a new fruit to say Shehecheyanu if you can. Thank Hashem that he gave you another year to live in His special world and do your Shlichus to bring the Geulah)
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As we are getting closer to Pesach, we will learn a little bit about the Haggadah Shel Pesach.
What is the Haggadah?
Even in the times of the Beis Hamikdash, the Yidden had many things to do on the first night of Pesach. As we see in Chumash, aside for eating the Korban Pesach, they needed to eat matzah and maror, and tell the story of Yetziyas Mitzrayim.
The Chachomim later made a takana that we should drink four cups of wine, as brought in the Mishna. The Mishna and Gemara bring a seder, an organized way of making sure we do all of these special mitzvos and speak about the things we are supposed to during the night of Pesach.
A set nusach for the seder started in the times of the geonim, with exactly 15 steps and a specific lashon of what to say and when to say it. This became the Haggadah Shel Pesach. Among different groups of Yidden the nusach is a little bit different, and we follow the nusach that is printed in the Alter Rebbe’s siddur.
Even though it might seem like the seder is just a way to make sure we do all of the mitzvos properly on the night of Pesach, it is more than that! According to Niglah, and especially according to Kabbalah and Chassidus, each detail of the seder has a meaning and a reason for it. That’s why we are so careful to do all of the steps of the seder, exactly as we see them in our Haggadah.
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After Bedikas Chometz, we say a paragraph called Kol Chamira. It is written in Aramaic, and says that any chometz we didn’t find in our search is like nothing to us. If you don’t understand Aramaic, you should say it in English so that you understand it.
This is called Bittul Chometz, deciding that our chometz is not important to us and doesn’t even belong to us.
The main part of Bittul Chometz isn’t SAYING this paragraph, it’s MEANING it!
We need to think that even if we forgot about some really yummy chometz, like a bag of bissli or pretzels, a brownie bar, or a chocolate covered wafer, we don’t want it anymore! It’s not ours anymore! We don’t care about it! It means nothing to us.
(For many tefillos, it is best to say it in the original language. For this one, it is more important to know what we are saying, so that we are actually making the chometz botul!)
See the Alter Rebbe’s Shulchan Aruch, Siman Tof-Lamed-Daled
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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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The Tzemach Tzedek’s mother, Rebbetzin Devorah Leah, gave up her life for Chassidus.
Every year, on her yartzeit (Tzom Gedaliah), the Tzemach Tzedek would say Chassidus. In these maamarim he would explain about Sefiras Hamalchus, and that it will become revealed Le’asid Lavo.
Chassidus explains that everything in the world comes from a place in Ruchnius. The Ruchnius’dike source of a Yiddishe woman is Sefiras Hamalchus. Nowadays Malchus is hidden. But when Moshiach comes, the greatness of Sefiras Hamalchus will be revealed.
See Sefer HaMaamarim Tof-Shin-Tes p. 42
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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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