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CHUMASH
Parshas Vayigash - Shlishi with Rashi
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In today’s Chumash, Yosef prepares his brothers to go home and bring their father and entire family back with them to Mitzrayim! Yaakov’s Ruach Hakodesh comes back when he finds out that Yosef is alive!
Yosef just told his brothers who he really is! He told his brothers not to be embarrassed, because this happened for a reason — so that everyone should be taken care of during the hunger.
Yosef said, “So now you understand that it was HASHEM Who sent me here! He made me into the highest officer in Mitzrayim.
“Go home quickly and tell my father that I said, ‘Hashem made me in charge of the whole Mitzrayim! Come down to Mitzrayim. You can live in Goshen with all of your children and grandchildren and all of your animals and all of your things, so you will be near me. I will take care of you for the whole time the hunger lasts.’”
Yosef continued speaking to his brothers: “You can see that I am your brother, and you can hear that I am talking in Lashon Kodesh. Just like I wouldn’t be upset at Benyamin — he wasn’t even there when you sold me — I’m not angry at you either!
“You also see that I get a lot of kavod here, so you know that I really can take care of all of you.
“Tell my father about all of this, and so he knows it’s really me, remind him that we were learning the part of Torah about the Eglah Arufah when I was sold. Please go quickly and bring him here!”
Yosef cried on Benyamin’s shoulder, because he saw through Ruach Hakodesh that the first and second Beis Hamikdash (which are in Benyamin’s part of Eretz Yisrael) would be destroyed. Benyamin cried on Yosef’s shoulder because he saw through Ruach Hakodesh that the Mishkan in Shilo, which was in Yosef’s part of Eretz Yisrael, would be destroyed.
Yosef then kissed all of his brothers and cried on their shoulders, and after they saw that he forgave them, they weren’t so embarrassed anymore and talked to him.
Paraoh heard that Yosef’s brothers were in Mitzrayim! Paraoh and the officers were very happy, and Paraoh told them to load up their animals with food. He said that they should bring their families, and Goshen, the best and “richest” part of Mitzrayim, would be theirs. (He was actually saying a nevuah without realizing it, that the Yidden would take all of the riches of Mitzrayim when they left!) He sent wagons for the families, and told them not to worry about their things — they can get the nicest things in Mitzrayim.
Yosef gave each of his brothers new clothes, and he gave Benyamin FIVE sets of clothes and also 300 silver pieces!
Yosef sent a special present to his father, ten boy donkeys with fancy food (old wine and split beans), and ten girl donkeys with grain. He also sent bread and things to eat with it for the trip back to Mitzrayim.
Yosef told his brothers to go, and be careful not to learn hard parts of Torah on the way, because then they might not pay attention to the road and they could get lost! And even though they should go quickly, they should be careful. He also told them not to argue about whose fault it was for selling him.
The Shevatim went up to Canaan, and told Yaakov that Yosef was alive. At first Yaakov didn’t believe them, but after they told him everything that Yosef said, and also when he saw the wagons (since Agalah, wagon is like Eglah, calf — the Eglah Arufah that they last learned about) he believed them — and Yaakov’s Ruach Hakodesh came back!
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Today’s kapitelach are Yud-Ches through Chof-Beis.
Dovid Hamelech wrote the Sefer Tehillim with Ruach Hakodesh, for all of the Yidden. He gives us words to praise Hashem, to ask Him to help us when we need Him, and words to ask for forgiveness when we want to do teshuvah. Each kapitel has a message!
In the Tehillim called Ohel Yosef Yitzchok, before most kapitelach there are a few sentences explaining the message of that kapitel.
In the first kapitel of today’s Tehillim, we are given words to say when a neis happens to us! We praise Hashem, and remember the many nissim that Hashem did from the time He created the world. We ask that the One who did all of the nissim should continue to make nissim for Yidden!
Dovid Hamelech said this kapitel towards the end of his life, thanking Hashem for being saved from so many different troubles. He was saved from many enemies, and from Shaul who was chasing him.
The message of the next kapitel, Kapitel Yud-Tes, is how to see the greatness of Hashem. When we look at the Shomayim, and when we look at the Torah, we are looking at the wonders of Hashem. Like one of the pesukim says, “Hashomayim Mesaprim Kevod Keil.” (“The sky tells about Hashem’s kavod.”) Seeing the incredible things Hashem created helps us to speak about Hashem’s glory and honor.
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TANYA
Likutei Amarim Perek Vov
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We are learning about the two nefashos which control our mind and heart and the way we behave. We learned about the Nefesh Elokis. Now we are learning about the Nefesh Habehamis.
The Alter Rebbe says that the Nefesh Habehamis isn’t only used for Aveiros, but ANYTHING that’s not specifically kedusha is automatically coming from the Nefesh Habehamis.
The Alter Rebbe explains why: Kedusha is something which is especially for Hashem. If it’s something we’re doing for ourselves, even if it’s not an aveira, it’s not kedusha. Anything that’s not kedusha is called kelipah, and is done using the Nefesh Habehamis.
But not all Kelipah is the same! There is some kelipah that can NEVER be a part of Kedusha. It can never be used by the Nefesh Elokis. There are actually 3 of these (we learn their names from the Navi Yechezkel), and they’re called the Shalosh Kelipos Hatemeios.
In the end of today’s Tanya, the Alter Rebbe talks about what kinds of things get their chayus from these kelipos. There are things that Hashem CREATED that get chayus through these kelipos. They are goyim who don’t keep the Sheva Mitzvos Bnei Noach, non-kosher animals, and non-kosher food. Then there are kinds of things that weren’t CREATED with chayus from these kelipos, but if it is used for an aveira, it gets its chayus from these kinds of kelipah.
In tomorrow’s Tanya, we’re going to learn about the OTHER kind of Kelipah, that even though it’s kelipah, it can be used for and become a part of Kedusha.
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In today’s Hayom Yom, the Rebbe brings two corrections which the Rebbe Rashab noted in the Torah Ohr of Parshas Mikeitz, where most of the maamarim of Chanukah are printed.
One of the corrections is an extra word that was printed by mistake. It was in the part talking about how happy the neshama is in Gan Eden, and that it’s worth it to even have hard things so we’ll get it.
Another mistake was where it says that the lights of Chanukah are connected to Moshiach:
The Moshiach’dik light of the Menorah shines out to the whole world, which is why we are supposed to make sure that the Chanukah lighting is public. The Alter Rebbe brings a posuk that talks about the greatness of Moshiach, and explains the Ruchnius level where Moshiach comes from. There is also a correction there in a letter that was printed, where an Alef was put in instead of a Samach.
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Today’s mitzvah (Mitzvas Asei #105) is the same as yesterday’s — that Zera, a kind of liquid, makes things tomei. We need to follow the halachos about how it makes people tomei, and how it makes other things tomei.
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RAMBAM
Hilchos Shaar Avos HaTumos
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In today’s Rambam, we learn more about how we decide if someone is tomei or tahor when there is a sofek — when we’re not sure if they became tomei.
The halachos are different if someone is in a Reshus Hayochid, a Reshus HoRabim, or a Karmelis. These are also the different kinds of places that we learn about in the halachos of carrying on Shabbos!
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One of the things we learn in today’s Rambam is that when the Beis Din needs to take away someone’s field to pay back a loan, they shouldn’t take the best field, and they shouldn’t take the worst field — they should take the middle kind, the “beinonis.” (Really, Torah says that the nicest way to do it is to take the worst field away, but the Chachomim were afraid nobody would want to make any more loans if they did that. That’s why they made the halacha that we should take from the beinonis.)
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This week’s parsha is called Vayigash. At the beginning of the parsha, Yehudah approaches (Vayigash) Yosef, and speaks to him for a long time, in a very strong way, telling him not to take Binyomin away from his father Yaakov. The Medrash says that Yehudah was ready to do whatever it would take — even to fight.
In the first year after Yud Shevat, in a farbrengen with Chassidim, the Rebbe said that parents need to take a lesson from how Yehudah acted. They need to learn from Yehudah to feel the responsibility for every single child, and make sure that no matter how hard it is, they make sure that each child will be happy to go in the Derech HaTorah.
The Rebbe said this to parents, but kids can also learn from this! It is so important that EACH person is happy to go in the way of Torah. We can be part of making sure that we, our siblings, and our friends are happy to keep the mitzvos. We should show them how happy we are by acting in the way of Torah, and that will make them want to do the same!
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We say Modeh Ani first thing in the morning to thank Hashem for giving us back our neshama.
The Alter Rebbe teaches that by being careful to say Modeh Ani first thing in the morning, we make sure that the first thing we think about is Hashem! We remember that Hashem is with us, and that helps us get up with zerizus to serve Hashem all day!
So even though in Modeh Ani we thank Hashem for our neshama, it also helps make sure that we can do avodah of the whole day with zerizus and chayus.
See Kuntres Inyana Shel Toras Hachassidus, os Tes
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At what age does a little girl have to start wearing Tznius’dike clothes and acting in a Tznius’dike way?
The Rebbe tells us that based on the Shulchan Aruch, a girl needs to dress and act in a tznius’dike way starting at age 3.
But it should be in a nice way, we don’t have to be mean about it!
See Likutei Sichos vol. 18 p. 448, translated in Beautiful Within
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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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In today’s Tanya, we learned that non-kosher things get their chayus from the Shalosh Kelipos Hatmeios, the lowest level of kelipah.
When Moshiach comes, and Hashem will take away the tumah from the world, will these things all disappear?
The answer is no! Kelipah itself can’t give chayus. Hidden inside of kelipah there is a spark of kedusha, and that is what gives chayus!
So when the tumah leaves the world, these things won’t get their chayus through kelipah anymore — their chayus will come straight from the kedusha!
See Igros Kodesh vol. 3 p. 152, Tanya Hashalem Perek Vov
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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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