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CHUMASH
Parshas Vezos Habracha - Sheini with Rashi
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Moshe is giving brachos to the Shevatim on the day he will pass away:
Levi: Aharon, who was the most famous Levi, was such a Tzadik! The Kohanim, who come from Aharon, will teach the Yidden Torah, and bring Ketores and Korbanos in the Beis Hamikdash.
If anyone tries to fight because they want to be Kohanim, Hashem should help the Kohanim win.
And if the Kohanim need to fight for Yiddishkeit, Hashem should help them! (This happened in the story of Chanukah — the family of Matisyahu Kohen Gadol won over the Greeks who wanted to stop the Yidden from doing mitzvos.)
Since Moshe talked about the Beis Hamikdash, now he gives the brachos to Benyamin who had the Beis Hamikdash in his part of Eretz Yisroel, and in tomorrow’s Chumash to Yosef, who had the Mishkan in his part of Eretz Yisrael.
(Even though Yosef should really be next, because he is older, Moshe gives the bracha to Benyamin first since the Beis Hamikdash — which is more important than the Mishkan — is in HIS part of Eretz Yisroel.)
Benyamin: The Shechinah will be in his part of Eretz Yisroel, as soon as the Beis Hamikdash is built! Once it is built, the Shechinah will never leave there.
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In Kapitel Ayin-Ches, which is in today’s Tehillim, there is a posuk that says “Vayakem Eidus BeYaakov” — “Hashem set up the Torah in Yaakov.”
Chassidus explains that there is a special koach for learning Torah that comes from Yaakov Avinu. (He learned the Torah even before Matan Torah!) Yaakov had this koach even more than all of the other Avos!
We get OUR chayus in Torah from Yaakov Avinu!
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TANYA
Igeres Hakodesh Siman Chof-Beis
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In this letter, the Alter Rebbe is telling Chassidim that they should come to Yechidus only for RUCHNIUS things, like learning how to daven with kavana, how to learn Torah, and how to serve Hashem with chayus. For Gashmius things, a person shouldn’t run to get a bracha.
If something happens to him that hurts or is uncomfortable, he should remember that everything is from Hashem! Hashem loves him, and He is making this happen. He shouldn’t complain to the Rebbe and tell him to make it stop.
But if it is bothering him, is there something he SHOULD he do? He can’t just leave it alone!
Today the Alter Rebbe tells us that Hashem also told us what to do:
(We know that the Chachomim who taught us Torah had Ruach Hakodesh. They only said things that Hashem put in their minds to say. So Hashem, who made these things happen, also is giving us an eitza of what to do.)
In the Gemara, the Chachomim tell us, “If a person sees that there are things he doesn’t like that are happening to him, he should think about his behavior, and see if there is something he needs to do better the way Hashem wants.”
That’s the answer! We need to think about WHY this is happening to me. Hashem cares that we act the right way, and when we start acting the way He wants, Hashem (who ALWAYS loves us!) will SHOW us how much He loves us, and we won’t feel uncomfortable anymore!
Still, we know that the Rebbeim DID give Chassidim brachos for Gashmius things too. In Tof-Shin-Mem-Ches, the Rebbe asked Chassidim (like the Alter Rebbe writes here) not to bring this kind of question to the Rebbe, and told us some other ways to get help.
Later, some Chassidim STILL sent questions and asked for brachos! The Rebbe asked the secretary, “Didn’t I ask them to stop sending these kinds of letters? Why are they still sending?”
The secretary answered that maybe it is like with the Alter Rebbe, where even though he said not to, Chassidim still kept asking…
The Rebbe heard this answer, and kept answering the letters asking for brachos even in these kinds of things.
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Remember: If you let someone else use your Lulav and Esrog on Sukkos, especially on the first day, you should tell them that it’s a “Matana Al Menas Lehachazir” — that it’s a present that they will have to give back afterwards. This is important because you need to make a bracha on YOUR Lulav and Esrog.
The Rebbe Rashab said that we should say the bracha Shehecheyanu when we’re holding the Lulav and Esrog separately, and hold them together at the end of the bracha.
In Hoshanos, there are certain pesukim we don’t say — only on Hoshana Rabah.
During the day, we say the bracha Leishev Basukkah during Kiddush, and we don’t wait until saying Hamotzi. (We say a Leishev Basukah over wine, not just over Hamotzi and Mezonos.)
How do we know how we act during Birchas Kohanim? Because the Tzemach Tzedek used to go under the Alter Rebbe’s Tallis and saw how he did it. (We learned exactly how on the second day of Shavuos!)
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SEFER HAMITZVOS
Shiur #145 - Mitzvas Asei #140, #136, #137, Lo Saasei #224, #225, #226
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Today we learn SIX mitzvos about Yovel! Yovel is the 50th year — after we had 7 Shemitah years!
1) (Mitzvas Asei #140) It is a mitzvah to count the years until Yovel — after every 7 Shemitah years, it is Yovel! This is a mitzvah for the Sanhedrin. Just like every Yid counts the days of Sefiras Ha’omer, the Sanhedrin counts 49 years, and the 50th year is Yovel.
We learn this mitzvah from a posuk in Parshas Behar: וְסָפַרְתָּ לְךָ שֶׁבַע שַׁבְּתֹת שָׁנִים וְגוֹ׳
2) (Mitzvas Asei #136) We need to make the Yovel year holy, like Shemitah — not planting and working the land, and making the food that grows hefker.
We learn this mitzvah from a posuk in Parshas Behar: וְקִדַּשְׁתֶּם אֵת שְׁנַת הַחֲמִשִּׁים שָׁנָה
3) (Mitzvas Asei #137) We blow the Shofar on Yom Kippur of the Yovel year, to show that all Jewish slaves need to go free.
We learn this mitzvah from a posuk in Parshas Behar: וְהַעֲבַרְתָּ שׁוֹפַר תְּרוּעָה בַּחֹדֶשׁ הַשְּׁבִעִי בֶּעָשׂוֹר לַחֹדֶשׁ בְּיוֹם הַכִּפֻּרִים תַּעֲבִירוּ שׁוֹפָר בְּכָל אַרְצְכֶם ... וּקְרָאתֶם דְּרוֹר בָּאָרֶץ לְכָל ישְׁבֶיהָ
4) (Mitzvas Lo Saasei #224) We are not allowed to work in the fields during Yovel.
We learn this mitzvah from a posuk in Parshas Behar: לֹא תִזְרָעוּ
5) (Mitzvas Lo Saasei #225) We aren’t allowed to harvest food that grew by itself during Yovel.
We learn this mitzvah from a posuk in Parshas Behar: וְלֹא תִקְצְרוּ אֶת סְפִיחֶיהָ
6) (Mitzvas Lo Saasei #226) We are not allowed to harvest fruit that grew during Yovel.
We learn this mitzvah from a posuk in Parshas Behar: וְלֹא תִבְצְרוּ אֶת נְזִרֶיהָ
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RAMBAM
Hilchos Shemitah VeYovel
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In today’s Rambam, we learn many halachos about Kedushas Shevi’is, the kedusha of food that grew during Shemitah.
Perek Vov: Food that grows during Shemitah is holy! We are not allowed to sell it like we sell regular fruits and vegetables. We can only sell a little bit of it at a time (like enough to eat for one day), and the money we get for selling it becomes holy too! We can only use the money to buy food to eat. Once we buy the food, the money loses its kedusha, and the food we bought gets Kedushas Shevi’is.
Perek Zayin: We are allowed to gather food that grew by itself during Shemitah to eat during Shemitah. But once that kind of food stops growing, we aren’t allowed to have it in our house anymore! So once the grapes are all finished for the year, and there are no more grapes in the vineyards, we can’t have them at home either. We need to do “Biur” (like Biur Chometz!) of all of that food! On the day of biur, we can try to give out whatever Shemitah grapes or raisins we have left for people to eat that day, and whatever is left needs to be burned.
Perek Ches: We need to be careful not to help a person do an aveira by helping them do something asur during Shemitah. For example, a person is not allowed to sell a plow to someone that we know might use it during Shemitah.
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In today’s Rambam, we learn halachos about Shushvinus: In the olden days, when a person wanted to get married, his friends would all give him money. Then, he would have to give THEM money when they were ready to get married. Since this was like a loan, not like a real present, in some cases they would be able to demand the money back through the Beis Din.
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It is written in the Zohar that there are holy tzadikim that come as guests to be with us on the Yom Tov of Sukkos, like the Avos and Moshe Rabbeinu. The Frierdiker Rebbe revealed to us that there are also “Chassidishe Ushpizin,” that the Rebbeim also come as guests to be with us on Sukkos.
There is a minhag to speak about our special guests, the Ushpizin.
All of the holy Tzadikim who are our guests are with us for the entire Sukkos. But each day, there is a guest of honor, who brings with him a special koach. The Rebbe explains to us what this special koach is for the guests of honor each day.
Today’s Ushpizin are Avraham Avinu and the Baal Shem Tov. From their special avodah, we get the koach to bring the Geulah:
Avraham Avinu was the first person to recognize that Hashem is in charge of the world. During his time, nobody else knew! It was hidden, but Avraham Avinu figured it out.
We have the same problem in Golus! It is hard to recognize that Hashem is in charge of the world. But with the koach of Avraham, we can bring the Geulah, where EVERYONE will know and understand that Hashem is in charge!
To take a world like we have it today, and make everyone realize that the Aibershter is in charge of the world, will take a neis. We get the koach to make that neis from the Baal Shem Tov! We know from many stories about the Baal Shem Tov that things were done with a “Baal Shemsker Hanhaga,” in a way of nissim, not in a way of teva. So with the koach of the Baal Shem Tov, we will make the nissim we need to bring the Geulah!
See sicha of first day of Sukkos, 5752
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TEFILLAH
Amidah for Shalosh Regalim, Part 2
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The Shemoneh Esrei for the Shalosh Regalim is different than the rest of the year. The middle bracha has special paragraphs just for these Yomim Tovim.
In the beginning of the bracha, we say Ata Vechartanu, that Hashem chose us specifically, and then we speak about how Hashem gave us the special present of the Yomim Tovim. We thank Hashem for the Yom Tov we are in — now, the Yom Tov of Sukkos! We add what is special about that Yom Tov. For Sukkos, it is Zman Simchaseinu, the time that we rejoice with Hashem, and like all Yomim Tovim, it reminds us of Yetziyas Mitzrayim.
Just like Hashem remembered us in the time of Yetziyas Mitzrayim, we ask Hashem to remember us again, in the paragraph of Yaaleh Veyavo. We ask Hashem to remember all of the Yidden, to remember Yerushalayim, and bring us the Geulah!
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In order to do the mitzvah of taking the Daled Minim together, they have to be YOURS. The Chachomim tell us that this is hinted to in the posuk about this mitzvah, which says “Ulekachtem LACHEM” — “and you should take FOR YOURSELF.” This is especially important on the first day of Sukkos.
Of course, not everybody has their own set of Daled Minim! So how can everyone do the mitzvah with their own set?
The halacha is that when we give our Lulav and Esrog to someone else to use, we give it as a “Matana Al Menas Lehach’zir,” a present that needs to be returned. That means that it belongs to the other person completely while he is using it, but then he needs to give it back to you.
With a child, though, we have a problem! According to halacha, a child is able to TAKE something, so that it belongs to him, but is not able to GIVE something fully. So if you give your Lulav and Esrog to a child, it might not belong to you completely afterwards!
So either the adults can all bentch Lulav and Esrog first, or that the person who owns the Lulav and Esrog should hold it together with the child while they are doing the mitzvah, so that you aren’t giving it TO the child.
This way, all of the adults are able to do the mitzvah with a set of Daled Minim that belong to them!
(This is the reason why many people try to make sure that children have their own set of Lulav and Esrog, so we don’t have this halachic problem to begin with.)
See also Shevach Hamoadim, Hilchos Daled Minim
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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 special guest of the Chassidishe Ushpizin for the first day of Sukkos is the Baal Shem Tov.
It is written in Seforim that in the 5500 from the Creation of the world, 500 years before the year 6000, the lights of Geulah will start to shine in the world.
Very close to that year, on Chai Elul 5494 (about 5 years from 5500) is when the Baal Shem Tov was first revealed, and his teachings started to shine throughout the world. The teachings of the Baal Shem Tov are a spark of the light of Moshiach!
Migdal Oz p. 492; Otzar Pisgomei Chabad vol. 2, p. 422
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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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