|
|
CHUMASH
Parshas Haazinu - Shlishi with Rashi
|
|
In today’s Chumash, we are continuing to learn Shiras Haazinu. Moshe Rabbeinu is teaching the Yidden this song to encourage them to keep the Torah and mitzvos properly in Eretz Yisroel. He tells the Yidden what will happen when they come there:
To Eretz Yisroel, Hashem let you go
The best place in the world, where the best fruits grow.
The land is good for the fields, and the animals too
The best food and drink are right there for you.
They could have done so many more mitzvos when their bodies were properly fed —
But they ate so much that their neshamos were covered up instead.
What they did made Hashem so angry at them —
Because they served Avodah Zarah and forgot about Hashem.
|
|
|
|
Today’s shiur Tehillim is kapitelach Mem-Tes through Nun-Daled. We also say kapitelach Kuf-Yud-Beis, Kuf-Yud-Gimmel, and Kuf-Yud-Daled. The rest of the kapitelach until the end of Sefer Tehillim are finished starting right before Kol Nidrei until after Ne’ilah, as is printed in the Machzor.
Starting today, until after the second day of Rosh Chodesh Cheshvan, we do not say Tachanun. Based on the Frierdiker Rebbe’s takana, on a day we don’t say Tachanun, we say Kapitel Chof before we say the daily shiur of Tehillim.
In a maamar, which starts with the words “Kevod Malchus’cha Yomeiru U’gvuras’cha Yedabeiru,” the Alter Rebbe teaches us something very special about teshuvah, the Avodah we are working on now, and Kapitel Chof!
Usually we bring kedusha down into the world by learning Torah and doing mitzvos. But the chayus of Hashem that we bring down when we do teshuvah is much higher! It is the kind of Elokus that was in the Beis Hamikdash, in the Kodesh Hakodoshim! This kind of Elokus isn’t hidden in the world like most of Hashem’s chayus is.
How does Teshuvah bring down such a high level of Hashem?
The Alter Rebbe tells us that we can see the answer in the last words of Kapitel Chof: “Yaaneinu Beyom Koreinu” — Hashem should answer us on the day that we call.
When someone calls out to us or asks something, we usually answer them back the same way. If someone asks in a joking way, we answer them in a joking way. If they ask a deep question, we try to give them a deep answer.
The same way, Hashem also answers us the way we call out to Him. When we call out to Hashem in a way of Teshuvah, which comes from a very deep place inside of a Yid’s neshama, we bring down a very deep level of Elokus — this very high level like in the Beis Hamikdash!
|
|
|
TANYA
Igeres Hakodesh Siman Chof
|
|
We are learning about Na’utz Techilasan Besofan, how the highest koach of Hashem is in the lowest part of what Hashem creates.
Dirt has a very special koach! If you put a seed inside the ground, it will make a beautiful plant or tree from it! It is almost like making something from nothing, because the seed has to get rotten before anything can even grow! The koach that makes this happen is always in the ground. Sometimes it even makes things grow WITHOUT seeds, like some kinds of mushrooms!
This will later help us appreciate how special it is to do mitzvos with Gashmius’dike things!
|
|
|
|
Minhagim:
At Kaparos, we say the paragraph “Bnei Adam” 3 times, and each time we circle the chicken 3 times around our head, so it goes around 9 times.
Until the end of Tishrei, we don’t say Tachanun.
Malkos: (We give “Malkos” on Erev Yom Kippur, in case we deserve it! The person giving the Malkos doesn’t do it hard, though!) The one who gives the Malkos says “Vehu Rachum” together with the person he is giving Malkos to.
On Erev Yom Kippur, our job is to feel bad for things that happened before, and on Yom Kippur, we decide that we are going to do better in the future.
|
|
|
|
Today we are going to finish learning the halachos about Maaser Sheini, and start a new section of halachos in the Rambam, about Bikurim!
1) (Mitzvas Asei #131) On Erev Pesach, on the 4th and 7th years since Shemitah, there is a mitzvah called “Vidui Maaser.” A person needs to say to Hashem that he separated and gave all of the Terumah and Maaser that he was supposed to over the past three years.
Just like there is a mitzvah to actually separate the terumah and maaser and do what we are supposed to with them, there is a mitzvah to SAY on Erev Pesach of these years that we did our responsibility the way we were supposed to.
The first perek of today’s Rambam tells us how this is done.
We learn this mitzvah from a posuk in Parshas Ki Savo:
וְאָמַרְתָּ לִפְנֵי ה׳ אֱלֹקֶיךָ בִּעַרְתִּי הַקֹּדֶשׁ מִן הַבַּיִת וְגַם נְתַתִּיו לַלֵּוִי וְלַגֵּר לַיָּתוֹם וְלָאַלְמָנָה וְגוֹ׳
The details are explained in the last perek of Mesechta Maaser Sheini.
2) (Mitzvas Asei #125) We also learn the mitzvah of Bikurim — we bring the first fruit of the Shiva Minim that grow in our fields to the Beis Hamikdash, for the kohanim. (This mitzvah is only in Eretz Yisroel, when we have the Beis Hamikdash.)
We learn this mitzvah from a posuk in Parshas Mishpatim: רֵאשִׁית בִּכּוּרֵי אַדְמָתְךָ תָּבִיא בֵּית ה׳ אֱלֹקֶיךָ
The details are explained in Mesechta Bikurim.
|
|
|
RAMBAM
Hilchos Maaser Sheini VeNeta Reva'i - Bikurim
|
|
Perek Yud-Alef: The year after we give Maaser Ani for the poor (the 4th and 7th year), we need to do Vidui Maaser. Vidui Maaser is telling Hashem formally that we gave all of the presents and maaser we needed to give. We can’t do this until we actually gave them to the poor, the kohanim, or the Beis Hamikdash — it’s not enough to just set them aside.
Now we start learning Hilchos Bikurim:
Perek Alef: There are 24 presents that belong to the kohanim. Eight of these presents can only be eaten by the kohanim in the Beis Hamikdash, and five others can only be eaten inside Yerushalayim! In these perakim, we will learn halachos about these presents that we didn’t learn about already in other parts of the Rambam.
Perek Beis: Now we start learning about the present of Bikurim! We bring bikurim from the seven special fruits of Eretz Yisroel: Wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives, and dates. We take bikurim from the nicest fruits that grew in our fields. We have to bring the actual fruit — we can’t bring pomegranate juice instead of whole pomegranates. If we live too far away from Yerushalayim we are allowed to bring dried figs and raisins, since the fresh ones will get bad on the way.
|
|
|
|
In today’s Rambam, we start to learn a new set of halachos, about getting things that are “hefker,” and about giving or getting presents.
This first perek teaches us about when something is called hefker, that it has no owner. Fruit that grows in a forest is one example of hefker things. Whoever picks it up first — it belongs to him!
|
|
|
|
Before the fathers go to Shul for Kol Nidrei, they give a bracha to their children. Our Minhag is for the father to bentch his children with the words of Birkas Kohanim.
After Mincha, the Rebbe would give a bracha to all of the Yidden, and then before Kol Nidrei, the Rebbe would give a special bracha, Birchas Habonim to the bochurim in Yeshiva. The Rebbe said that since they are learning in the Rebbe’s yeshiva, they are the Rebbe’s children!
|
|
|
▼ Jump to Coloring Books & Downloads ▼
|
|
|
|
Usually, after Boruch She’amar, we say the paragraph of Mizmor Lesodah. But today, Erev Yom Kippur, we skip this paragraph. Mizmor Lesodah speaks about the Korban Todah, and this korban would not be brought on Erev Yom Kippur in the Beis Hamikdash.
We also don’t say Tachanun or Avinu Malkeinu in davening.
We daven Mincha longer than usual, and with extra kavana to do teshuvah! Use a Yom Kippur Machzor for Mincha of Erev Yom Kippur, because we say Al Cheit at the end of Shemoneh Esrei. (If you forgot to say it during Shemoneh Esrei, you can say it after davening.)
See Shevach Hamoadim, Hilchos Yomim Nora’im
|
|
|
|
We learned some Minhagim in Hayom Yom, but we have some more Minhagim for Erev Yom Kippur:
We “bet lekach” — asking for a piece of Lekach (honey cake). Some people say that we do this because Torah is called “Lekach” (“Ki Lekach Tov Nosati Lochem”) but the simple reason is so that Hashem should give us a sweet year!
It is also a minhag to eat Kreplach — there is even a maamar of the Alter Rebbe that explains Kreplach and why we eat them three times during the year!
There are many more halachos for Yom Kippur. See the Halacha Newsletters from Badatz of Crown Heights, and Rabbi Shmuel Lesches of Melbourne to review them all!
|
|
לעילוי נשמת הרה״ח ר׳ דניאל יצחק ע״ה בן ר׳ אפרים שי׳ מאסקאוויץ
שליח כ"ק אדמו"ר נשיא דורנו למדינת אילינוי
|
|
|
|
During the Three Weeks, we learned all about how the Beis Hamikdash looked. That makes it easier for us to understand what is going on when we hear about how the korbanos were brought.
In the Musaf of Yom Kippur, we go through all of the details of the Avodah of Yom Kippur. By paying attention when we say these words (look inside the English if you don’t understand), you will be able to picture the way the Avodah of Yom Kippur was done in the Beis Hamikdash, and the way it will be done in the Beis Hamikdash Hashlishi very soon!
|
|
|
|
|
לע"נ התינוק זאב ארי' ע"ה בן יבלט"א הרה"ח ר' שניאור זלמן שי' גליק
נפטר ב' מנחם אב ה'תשע"ג
|
|
Give children around the world the gift of Kids Chitas!
KidsChitas.org/sponsor
|
|
|
