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CHUMASH
Parshas Bereishis - Shvi'i with Rashi
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The Torah is telling us the generations from Adam to Noach, and today we will finish them:
9) Lemech (a different Lemech)
10) Noach: Lemech had a Nevuah and gave him this name, since he would comfort the world (Yenachameinu) from the curse of Adam on the ground. He invented a plow, so now it wasn’t as hard to grow food.
Noach didn’t have children until he was 500 years old! This was so that his children could be saved from the Mabul — there wouldn’t be so many of them (to need an extra Teiva) and they wouldn’t be old enough to be punished.
Noach’s 3 sons were Sheim, Cham, and Yafes.
Now the Torah tells us about how the world turned into such Resha’im:
The princes were the ones who started — they decided to get married to whoever they wanted, even if they were already married! They didn’t treat marriage as something of Kedusha, and soon EVERYONE was just acting however they felt like.
Hashem was thinking of destroying all the people, and two Malachim told Hashem to do it — they hadn’t wanted Hashem to make people in the first place! Hashem told these two malachim, Shamchazai and Azael, to go see if they would be any better. They became giants in the world, and acted just as bad as the princes.
Soon they also stopped treating other people in a mentchlich way, and stole things and lied all the time. Hashem gave them 120 years to do Teshuvah, but they didn’t change.
The job of all of the people in the world was “Losheves Yetzara” — to make a world that runs in a nice way (civilization). Since they weren’t doing their job, there was no reason for there to be a world!
Hashem was glad that at least Malochim that were in Shomayim wouldn’t act in a way against Hashem!
Hashem decided to start acting in a way of Gevurah — being strict with the people. But instead of destroying EVERYONE, Hashem decided to only punish the ones who were Resha’im — almost everyone! He also decided to kill the animals, since they also acted in a not nice way, and because animals are only there to help people — if there are no people, we don’t need animals either!
Hashem decided to “start over” — but this time, to make the world in a way that it is much easier to do Teshuvah. Hashem would bring a Mabul to purify the world, and later Noach’s family — the only ones left — would have children and fill the world with people.
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Today we say the 15 Shir Hamaalos, which Dovid Hamelech made to be said on the 15 steps that lead from the Ezras Noshim into the Azara in the Beis Hamikdash!
Kapitel Kuf-Chof-Beis talks about when Yidden go up to Yerushalayim. Dovid Hamelech calls Yerushalayim an “Ir Shechubra La Yachdav” — “a city that is connected together.”
What is this talking about? Together with WHAT?
In the Gemara it says that there are TWO Yerushalayims! There is a Yerushalayim Shel Maalah, a ruchnius’dike city in Shomayim, and Yerushalayim Shel Matah — the city of Yerushalayim that we see. They are both connected!
The Gemara says that Hashem doesn’t go into the Gashmius Yerushalayim until He goes into Yerushalayim Shel Maalah, the ruchnius’dike Yerushalayim.
What makes Hashem go into these two Yerushalayims? It’s because of things WE do!
The Tzemach Tzedek explains that there are two things that bring Hashem into the two Yerushalayims — Teshuvah Tata’ah and Teshuvah Ila’ah.
When we do Teshuvah, it brings Geulah, bringing Hashem’s Shechinah back into Yerushalayim!
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TANYA
Igeres Hakodesh Siman Chof-Hey
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We are learning about the Emunah we have, that everything that happens is from Hashem, and what it says about this in Kabbalah.
Yesterday we said that Hashem makes the world again from nothing every second!
The chayus that Hashem gives to the world has many names:
- In Tanach, it is called Dvar Hashem — Hashem’s word.
- In the Gemara it is called the Shechinah.
- In the Zohar it is called Ima Tata’ah and Matrunisa — which means a mother and a queen, that give chayus to their children and subjects.
- In Kabbalah it is called Malchus.
In Kabbalah, when it speaks about the chayus of Hashem called Malchus, it says that there are levels of Malchus that give chayus in different ways:
- There is the Malchus from the world of Atzilus that gives chayus for big neshamos like Adam Harishon, Moshe Rabbeinu and the Neviim.
- There is a level of Malchus from a lower Ruchniyus world called Beriyah that gives chayus to neshamos that aren’t as big, and another level from the world of Yetzirah.
- And there is the level of Malchus of Asiyah, which gives chayus to our Gashmiyus world and everything that is in it.
IY”H in tomorrow’s Tanya, we will see how Hashem gives chayus in a way of Golus to even kelipah. Then we will be able to understand what the Baal Shem Tov said to do if there is someone who gets their chayus from kelipah that is bothering you during davening. We should think that it is from the chayus of Hashem, which is in Golus, and Hashem is making it happen to bring us to put more effort into our Avodas Hashem!
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Even someone who grows up in a frum, Chassidishe home will need to make their own decision that they want to live a life of Yiddishkeit and Chassidus. In today’s Hayom Yom, the Rebbe reminds us that this choice is a very good one, because the Torah gives us the highest quality of life possible.
Some people think that living like it says in the Torah is only important for a person’s neshama. But that’s not true!
The Torah teaches a Yid how to live their whole life — from when they are born until they pass away. The Torah gives a person a healthy way of thinking, tools to make their midos into the best type of midos, and the right way to have a good relationship with Hashem and with other people.
A person who lives a life according to Torah and the way the Chachomim teach us lives the BEST kind of life, in Ruchnius AND in Gashmius!
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SEFER HAMITZVOS
Shiur #157 - Mitzvas Lo Saasei #94, #95, #96, #97, Asei #86
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Today we learn five mitzvos that have to do with a mum on animals, which we are not allowed to bring as a korban on the Mizbeiach.
1) (Mitzvas Lo Saasei #94) We are not allowed to burn parts of an animal with a mum on the Mizbeiach. (Yesterday we learned separate mitzvos for not setting it aside as a korban, not shechting it, and not sprinkling the blood of an animal with a mum. Today we learn a fourth mitzvah.)
We learn this mitzvah from a posuk in Parshas Emor: וְאִשֶּׁה לֹא תִתְּנוּ מֵהֶם
The halachos about an animal with a mum are explained in Perek Vov of Mesechta Bechoros. The details about not bringing these animals on the mizbeiach are in different parts of Mesechta Zevachim and Temurah.
2) (Mitzvas Lo Saasei #95) Even if an animal has a mum that will go away (called “Mum Oveir”), we can’t bring it as a Korban until it is all better.
This mitzvah is in a posuk in Parshas Shoftim: לֹא תִזְבַּח לַה׳ אֱלֹקֶיךָ שׁוֹר וָשֶׂה אֲשֶׁר יִהְיֶה בוֹ מוּם
3) (Mitzvas Lo Saasei #96) If a goy wants to be closer to Hashem, he can bring a korban. If the animal he brings has a mum, though, we are not allowed to accept it as a korban. We shouldn’t say that since he is not Jewish we can bring it even with a mum.
We learn this mitzvah from another posuk in Parshas Emor: וּמִיַּד בֶּן נֵכָר לֹא תַקְרִיבוּ אֶת לֶחֶם אֱלֹקֵיכֶם מִכָּל אֵלֶּה
4) (Mitzvas Lo Saasei #97) If we have an animal that we decided will be a korban, we need to be very careful not to make a mum on it, because then we can’t bring it as a korban.
This mitzvah is also learned from a posuk in Parshas Emor: כָּל מוּם לֹא יִהְיֶה בּוֹ
The halachos about these last three mitzvos are also explained in Perek Vov of Mesechta Bechoros.
5) (Mitzvas Asei #86) If an animal that was supposed to be a korban DOES get a mum, what do we do? It is holy, so we can’t use it for just anything, but we can’t bring it as a korban anymore! So we can switch it for a different animal without a mum, and then the kedusha can switch from the first animal to the second animal. Then we can shecht the first animal if we want. This is the mitzvah of Pidyon Kodshim.
This mitzvah is learned from a posuk in Parshas Reeh: רַק בְּכָל אַוַּת נַפְשְׁךָ תִּזְבַּח וְאָכַלְתָּ בָשָׂר כְּבִרְכַּת ה׳ אֱלֹקֶיךָ
The halachos about this mitzvah are explained in Mesechta Bechoros and Temurah, and also in some places in Mesechta Chullin, Erchin, and Me’ilah.
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RAMBAM
Hilchos Isurei Mizbeiach
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In today's Rambam, we explain more of the mitzvos we are learning now:
Perek Beis: We learn more about different kinds of mumim in an animal. We also learn about some kinds of mumim that could go away, and the animal would be kosher for a korban afterwards!
Perek Gimmel: We learn from the pesukim in Torah about which animals are good for korbanos. Here are two examples: It has to be at least eight days old, and it can’t be an animal that is half of one kind and half of the other (kilayim)! (Like a half sheep, half goat)
Perek Daled: There are some kinds of animals that even if they have no mum, we shouldn’t bring as a korban. For example, an animal that was used for Avodah Zarah is asur to bring for a korban.
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Today we learn about a person’s right to have a window. We can’t tell another person to block off his window so he won’t look at us, if he had his window there first. We also can’t block his window by building a wall of our house too close.
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There is a vort from the Rebbbeim that “Vi M’shtelt Zich Avek Shabbos Bereishis, Azoi Geit A Gantz Yohr.” The way we use the kochos from Shabbos Bereishis helps set things up for the whole year in a good way.
EVERY parsha and Yom Tov have certain things we need to learn from them, and live with those lessons the whole year. So why are the kochos we get from Shabbos Bereishis SO important, that we say that it sets things up for the whole year, more than any other parsha and Yom Tov?
The answer is that Shabbos Bereishis teaches us Emunah! We learn about how Hashem created the world, and so we understand that everything that happens in the world is all from Hashem. (As we are learning now in Tanya, the chayus of Hashem is constantly creating the world!) Emunah in Hashem is the most important thing that we need to have, and it makes a difference in EVERYTHING in our lives all year.
When we know that Hashem is making everything in the world happen, we will know that there can’t be anything in the world that can stop us from doing what Hashem wants. Since Hashem created everything in the world, and Hashem tells us to do the mitzvos, it isn’t possible that there can be anything in Hashem’s world that can keep us from doing what Hashem wants!
Our Emunah is also important for our Gashmius! When we know that everything comes from Hashem, we won’t worry so much about all of the gashmiyus things that we need, like parnasa and health and things we need for our family. We will know that everything that happens to us is from Hashem and know that it must be good. Even more, when we remember this, Hashem will give us good things in a way that we can tell is good too!
See Likutei Sichos chelek Alef, Parshas Bereishis
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We are learning the meaning of the Twelve Pesukim, which the Rebbe wants every Jewish child to know.
The very first posuk of the Twelve Pesukim starts with the words “Torah Tziva.” As we learned, the Chachomim tell us that this posuk should be the first thing we teach a child as soon as they can talk!
Why is this posuk so important for even little kids?
In today’s Hayom Yom, we learned something about Torah. We learned that the Torah is “Toras Chayim,” a Torah of life! The Torah shows us how to have the BEST kind of life.
Torah is also called “Toras Emes,” a Torah that shows us emes! It shows us the emes, the truth of the way things really are in the world — it shows us that everything is here to help our neshama to do a special shlichus in the world!
The Yetzer Hara can come to little kids and try to make a child think, “What does Torah have to do with ME? It’s very nice that Torah can give us the best kind of life, or show us how to use everything to do our shlichus. But I’m just a kid! When I get older, when I’m an adult, that’s when I’ll see what the Torah says!”
The posuk Torah Tziva shows us that what the Yetzer Hara is saying is NOT TRUE!
The Torah is “Morasha,” an inheritance, that belongs to EVERY Jewish person. Something that we get in a way of yerusha belongs to us even if we are just a baby! So the Torah belongs to ALL of us, even if we are still little!
And even while we are young, the Torah is already for us! We can already have the best kind of life, a Torah life, by learning Torah and keeping its mitzvos. We can already treasure the Torah which “Tziva Lanu Moshe,” that Moshe Rabbeinu gave to all of the Yidden as a yerusha, “Morasha Kehilas Yaakov.”
From a children’s rally, Tes-Zayin Menachem Av 5744
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We started dipping our challah into salt again, instead of honey.
Why do we dip challah into salt?
One reason is that the Chachomim teach us that our table is like a Mizbeiach! When we eat a meal, it is in a way like we are eating a korban. And the Torah teaches us to always put salt on our korbanos!
See the Alter Rebbe’s Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim, siman Kuf-Samach-Zayin se’if Ches
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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 Rebbe shows us that the time we are living in now is very close to the Geulah, and the things we do now are a preparation for Geulah. One of the things we will have in the times of Geulah is a Beis Hamikdash. As part of getting ready, we make sure that we have a Beis Hamikdash, a home for Hashem, in ourselves and in our rooms and homes.
In this discussion between two of the Rebbeim, we learn how to make the Beis Hamikdash in ourselves shine!
The Rebbe Rashab would sometimes take a walk with his son, the Frierdiker Rebbe. Once, on one of these walks, the Rebbe Rashab explained how the small Beis Hamikdash inside of each of us works.
The Rebbe Rashab said that when Hashem told the Yidden, “Veshochanti Besocham,” “I will live among you,” a small Beis Hamikdash came into the heart of every Yid — from then until Moshiach comes. When a Yid would come to the Beis Hamikdash, it would make the Shechinah in his small Beis Hamikdash shine, just like in the big Beis Hamikdash!
The Rebbe Rashab explained (at length) how this happens in a similar way when a chossid goes to the Rebbe for Yechidus. By going to the Rebbe, it makes the Shechinah shine inside of the little Beis Hamikdash of the chossid!
Sefer Hasichos 5699, p. 297
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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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