For the safety and security of the Yidden in Eretz Yisrael
and the success of the soldiers fighting for its protection
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In today’s Chumash, we learn about three dinim: The Aishes Yefas Toar, the Bechor Ben Hasnuah, and the Ben Sorer Umoreh. Aishes Yefas Toar: When the Yidden went to fight against the Goyim, the Goyim would sometimes try to stop the Yidden from fighting, by getting them to think about what their Yetzer Hara wanted instead of about the job they needed to do! One of the tricks they would use is to have beautiful women nearby, so the Yidden would want to get married instead of fighting. Moshe Rabbeinu tells the Yidden what to do if this happens — and it is a trick that can work when our Yetzer Haras try to trick us too! Instead of doing anything right away, the soldier needs to bring the woman home, and not give her anything to make her look beautiful — he needs to do things to make her look ugly! If he still wants to marry her after a month, he is allowed to. And if he changes his mind later, he can’t keep her as a maidservant — he needs to send her away to wherever she wants to go. That’s a good trick for us too: We can have ISKAFYA — telling our Yetzer Hara to just wait a little bit! Sometimes that’s enough for us to realize that we don’t want that thing SO much. We can also remind ourselves that the things the Yetzer Hara wants aren’t really so special or beautiful! Bechor Ben Hasnuah: When a person passes away, the din is that the oldest son (the bechor) gets double the amount of his father’s property. Even if the father had two wives, he can’t choose the one he likes better to be the bechor. Rashi says that this should be a warning to a soldier: If he takes an Aishes Yefas To’ar home with him, he will start to hate her. His oldest child — even if he is the son of the Yefas Toar — will be his bechor according to Torah. He will need to give the bechor more money after he passes away, even if he doesn’t want to. Ben Sorer Umoreh: Then we learn about the Ben Sorer Umoreh, a boy who does certain things like a Rasha. He steals money from his parents, and eats a lot of food in a grubbe (crass) way. His parents need to bring him to the Beis Din and the Beis Din will need to kill him, since if he acts this way now, he will be a big Rasha when he grows up. It is possible that there never WAS a Ben Sorer Umoreh — since there are so many details for a person to become a Ben Sorer Umoreh. But this is still a part of Torah! First of all, it is to warn the soldiers that if they marry a Yefas To’ar, they might end up having a child that is like the Ben Sorer Umoreh, since they didn’t marry her for the right reasons. It is also a part of Torah that is very special — we don’t learn Torah only because we need to USE what we learn, but also just because it is Hashem’s holy Torah. |
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Today’s shiur Tehillim is kapitelach Chof-Tes to Lamed-Daled. We also say kapitelach Yud-Gimmel, Yud-Daled, and Tes-Vov for Chodesh Elul. Kapitel Lamed-Gimmel, in today’s Tehillim, talks about how special Hashem is! Dovid Hamelech says: “Bidvar Hashem, Shomayim Naasu” — “with the WORDS of Hashem, the heavens were made.” Hashem made the whole world through saying ten things — the Asara Maamaros. (Like “Yehi Ohr!” — “There should be light!”) Chassidus teaches us that the neshama of a Yid is a part of Hashem, and that by looking into our neshama, we can see and understand Hashem. So to understand more about Hashem’s speaking, we can think about how WE speak! We only say something after we think about or feel something, to share it with someone else. But what we say is not EVERYTHING we think or feel, just that part that we wanted to share! From this mashal, we can also understand that when Hashem created the world, through speaking, it’s only a small part of Hashem that is being shared with us. But Hashem is really MUCH greater than the world we see! |
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Now we are starting a new letter from the Alter Rebbe. This letter will tell us about two kinds of Tzedakah: Tzedakah that we LIKE to give, and Tzedakah that is HARD for us. We will see how any tzedakah is special, but that the tzedakah that is harder is even more amazing! First, let’s look at what we say in davening and in bentching: “Oseh Shalom Bimromav” — that Hashem makes Shalom in Shomayim. What does THAT mean? Why should Hashem need to make Shalom in Shomayim? Who is fighting in Shomayim?!? The answer is that Shalom is not only for when people are fighting, but also when there are two things that are different, and you need them to be together. In Shomayim, there are two different kinds of Malochim. There is Malach Michoel, who is the nice and giving malach, and Malach Gavriel, who is the strict malach. They are both doing what Hashem wants, but they are doing two opposite things! |
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Today we learn the Chabad minhag for putting on a Tallis: 1) Leave the Tallis folded, and put it on your right shoulder. 2) Check the Tzitzis while saying a few pesukim from “Borchi Nafshi.” 3) Take the Tallis off your shoulder and unfold it. 4) Kiss the top of the Tallis (the part that will go by your head) 5) Twirl the Tallis so that it is behind you. 6) Start saying the bracha “Lehisatef Betzitzis” (wrapping yourself in the Tzitzis) and wrap the Tallis around you so that both corners are over the left shoulder when you finish the bracha. To do the mitzvah right, we need to leave the Tallis wrapped like that for at least a certain amount of time, so we say some Pesukim from Tehillim to make sure we stay wrapped up for long enough. When the Frierdiker Rebbe came to America, there wasn’t enough room in 770 where the Frierdiker Rebbe had the seudos, so the bochurim were not allowed in. The bochurim tried to come in anyway (of course!). How could someone figure out who was a bochur and who was already married and WAS allowed in? The Rebbetzin had an idea! She asked them to say these pesukim baal peh — if they didn’t know them, they must be bochurim! (If you are married you need to know them by heart — you say these pesukim while your whole face is covered by a Tallis, and you can’t look inside!) |
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Today we learn SIX mitzvos about the Avodah in the Beis Hamikdash! 1) (Mitzvas Asei #28) The kohanim need to bring the Ketores to Hashem two times every day! We learn this mitzvah from a posuk Parshas Tetzaveh: וְהִקְטִיר עָלָיו אַהֲרֹן קְטֹרֶת סַמִּים בַּבֹּקֶר בַּבֹּקֶר The halachos of the ketores are explained in the beginning of Mesechta Kerisus, and in a few places in Mesechta Tamid. 2) (Mitzvas Asei #25) The kohanim have to light the Menorah every day in the Beis Hamikdash. This mitzvah also comes from a posuk in Parshas Tetzaveh: בְּאֹהֶל מוֹעֵד מִחוּץ לַפָּרֹכֶת אֲשֶׁר עַל הָעֵדֻת יַעֲרֹךְ אֹתוֹ אַהֲרֹן וּבָנָיו The details of this mitzvah are explained in Perek Ches of Mesechta Menachos, in the first Perek of Mesechta Yoma, and in a few places in Mesechta Tamid. 3) (Mitzvas Asei #40) The Kohen Gadol brings a special Korban Mincha (flour korban) to Hashem, two times every day, called the “Chavitei Kohen Gadol.” We learn this mitzvah from a posuk in Parshas Tzav: זֶה קָרְבַּן אַהֲרֹן וּבָנָיו אֲשֶׁר יַקְרִיבוּ לַה׳ The halachos are explained in perakim Vov and Tes of Mesechta Menachos, and in many places in Mesechta Yoma and Mesechta Tamid. 4) (Mitzvas Asei #41) On Shabbos, we bring an EXTRA korban (“Musaf”) of two lambs! This mitzvah comes from a posuk in Parshas Pinchas. We say this posuk at the end of davening on Shabbos! וּבְיוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת שְׁנֵי כְבָשִׂים The way this mitzvah is done is explained in Perek Beis of Mesechta Yoma and Mesechta Tamid. 5) (Mitzvas Asei #27) We put Lechem Hapanim on the Shulchan every Shabbos, together with Levonah (a spice). Then the Kohanim can eat last week’s Lechem Hapanim! We learn this mitzvah from a posuk in Parshas Terumah: וְנָתַתָּ עַל הַשֻּׁלְחָן לֶחֶם פָּנִים לְפָנַי תָּמִיד The details of this mitzvah are explained in Perek Yud-Alef of Mesechta Menachos. 6) (Mitzvas Asei #42) On Rosh Chodesh, we need to bring a special korban too! This mitzvah comes from a posuk in Parshas Pinchas: וּבְרָאשֵׁי חָדְשֵׁיכֶם וְגוֹ׳ |
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In today’s Rambam, we learn about many of the mitzvos in today’s Sefer Hamitzvos! Perek Gimmel: This perek teaches us about how we bring the Ketores, how we light the Menorah, and the Chavitin of the Kohen Gadol. Perek Daled: Now we learn about how the kohanim took turns to do the Avodah! They did a lottery called the Payis to decide who would get the zechus of doing the Avodah: The Kohanim would stand around in a circle, and hold out one or two fingers. The person in charge would decide a number, and which kohen to start from. Then he would count the fingers, and when he reached the number he decided, that kohen would get to do the Avodah! Perek Hey: In this perek, the Rambam teaches us all about the Lechem Hapanim. |
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The blood of a korban needs to be sprinkled on the Mizbeiach in a certain way. If it is done wrong, it can make the Korban posul. |
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A group of students once came to the Rebbe for Yechidus a few days before Rosh Hashana. The Rebbe told them that they should know that time is such a special present from Hashem! Before Rosh Hashana, we need to think about this present and make a hachlata to always use our time in the best way. “You are very young,” the Rebbe told them. “Hashem gives young people a koach to do lots of good things with lots of energy! But you only stay young for a certain amount of time. Remember to use this special koach as much as you can!” |
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A bochur once wrote the Rebbe a letter for his birthday, asking for a bracha. The Rebbe first gave him a bracha for his birthday that he should grow as a Yerei Shomayim, a chossid, and a lamdan, and that he should bring much nachas to his teachers and his parents!. Then the Rebbe added that the bochur should remember the words of the Chachomim, “Yogaati Umotzosi Taamin.” To become a chossid, yerei Shomayim, and lamdan, he will need to put in yegiyah — to work hard! Of course that doesn’t mean to skip eating and sleeping, it is important for him to take care of his health! But he does need to work on himself, to learn properly and with his full kochos, and that he should work on himself to act the way the Torah teaches. Then he can be sure that Hashem will help him — Umotzosi! See Igros Kodesh, letter #1816 |
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When we have many foods in front of us to eat, what do we make a bracha on first? Even if we know which brachos to say on each food, it is a Mitzvah Min Hamuvchar (a mitzvah done in the best way) to say the brachos in the right order. Here is the general order of brachos: 1) Mezonos (There is a siman in Hebrew to remember this order: Maga Aish, “touch fire” — Mezonos, Gafen, Eitz, Adamah, SHehakol.) For example, if we have foods that are Shehakol, Hagafen, and Ha’adamah, we will first say Hagafen, then Ha’adamah, and then Shehakol. Then, we will need to look at all of the foods with the same bracha, and figure out which of them we should say the bracha on, which will include the other foods with the same bracha. We will IY”H learn more about this tomorrow. See Seder Birchos Hanehenin perek Yud |
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לעילוי נשמת הרה״ח ר׳ דניאל יצחק בן ר׳ אפרים ע״ה מאסקאוויץ
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The Navi Micha said many nevuos about Moshiach. Hashem showed Micha some of the same things about Moshiach as He showed to the Navi Yeshaya! That’s why this nevuah is almost exactly the same as one from Yeshaya. וְהָיָה בְּאַחֲרִית הַיָּמִים יִהְיֶה הַר בֵּית ה׳ נָכוֹן בְּרֹאשׁ הֶהָרִים וְנִשָּׂא הוּא מִגְּבָעוֹת וְנָהֲרוּ עָלָיו עַמִּים Vehaya Ba’acharis Hayamim — This nevuah will happen in the end of the days of Golus: Yihiyeh Har Beis Hashem Nachon Berosh Heharim — The house of Hashem, the Beis Hamikdash, which was destroyed, will again be in place on the top of the most important mountain Venisa Hu Mig’vaos — Which will be higher than all of the hills, so everyone can see it! Venaharu Alav Amim — And the nations will be rushing towards it, to serve Hashem there too! See Micha perek Daled posuk Alef |
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לע"נ התינוק זאב ארי' ע"ה בן יבלט"א הרה"ח ר' שניאור זלמן שי' גליק
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