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CHUMASH
Parshas Shemini - Sheini with Rashi
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We learn about the Avodah done in the Mishkan on the eighth day of the Miluim, to prepare it for Hashem’s Shechinah to rest there.
The Yidden were sad that even though Moshe Rabbeinu had brought korbanos for seven days, the Shivas Yemei Hamiluim, Hashem’s Shechinah wasn’t resting yet in the Mishkan.
Moshe brought the Korban Tomid of the morning, like Hashem told him to.
Then after Aharon brought the rest of the korbanos of the day, he gave a bracha to the Yidden. Using the words of Birkas Kohanim, he asked Hashem to forgive him and all of the Yidden for the Cheit Ha’egel, so that Hashem would be able to rest in the Mishkan.
Then Aharon Hakohen came down from the Mizbeiach — but Hashem still didn’t send a fire down from Shomayim onto the korbanos! Aharon felt that it was his fault, because of the Cheit Ha’egel. He told Moshe that he shouldn’t have had him bring the korbanos, because now he is embarrassed.
Moshe and Aharon went together into the Mishkan, so that Moshe could show Aharon how to bring the ketores, and also so they could daven together that Hashem should rest in the Mishkan.
Then they came out and bentched the Yidden, using the posuk from Tehillim (Kapitel Tzadik): “Vihi Noam Hashem Elokeinu Aleinu.” “Yehi Ratzon Shetishreh Shechinah Bemaasei Yedeichem” — Hashem’s Shechinah should rest in the Mishkan you built!
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In today’s Tehillim, we have a posuk that says “Boruch Hashem Yom Yom” — “blessed is Hashem, Who gives us so much chesed every day!”
In the Gemara, we see that Hillel Hazakein used to say that this posuk teaches us bitachon: If we find a fancy or special food, we don’t have to save it for Shabbos — we can use it today! Hashem will for sure give us new chesed, new brachos tomorrow, with something else special for Shabbos.
The Maggid of Mezritch explains what Hillel Hazakein says on this posuk, according to Chassidus:
Why does this posuk say “Yom” (day) twice?
Each time is for one of the ways we serve Hashem every day! The first “yom” is the kedusha things, like doing mitzvos and learning Torah. The second “yom” is the regular things we do, like eating and sleeping and playing. Those things can also be used for Hashem!
The Maggid tells us that a person might think that nice food can only be used on Shabbos, when eating is a mitzvah. But we learn from this posuk that “Boruch Hashem YOM YOM” — BOTH ways of serving Hashem are special! We can also use a nice food on a regular day in a way that will make Hashem happy.
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In yesterday’s audio shiur, we mentioned that on a birthday we say both the old kapitel and the new kapitel. This was actually a mistake. There is a hora’ah from the Rebbe (see link) that on a birthday we only say the new kapitel. Thank you to the one who pointed this out! As many have done in the past, if you see something that looks like a mistake, please let us know so we can correct it.
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TANYA
Likutei Amarim Perek Lamed-Tes
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Now the Alter Rebbe is telling us about kavana, how the things we are thinking about that bring us to learn Torah and do mitzvos make a difference in what we actually do.
Sometimes a person does a mitzvah for the wrong reason — like learning a lot of Torah so other people will think he is smart.
If someone does a mitzvah like this, the mitzvah is in Golus! But as soon as he does teshuvah, his mitzvah can go up to Hashem.
That’s why it’s good to do mitzvos even if we won’t be able to do them for the right reason, because every Yid will do teshuvah, and then the mitzvah can go up to Hashem.
But that’s only if someone did the mitzvah for the WRONG reason.
But if someone does a mitzvah for NO reason, without kavana, as soon as he does the same mitzvah for the RIGHT reason, with kavana for Hashem, then the mitzvah he did before ALSO goes up to Hashem!
Also if we daven without kavana, the next time we daven WITH kavana, ALL of our tefillos will go up to Hashem!
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(In the year the Hayom Yom was written, today was Shabbos Hagadol.) The Rebbe tells us that the Haftora is the regular Haftora for the parsha, and that we only do a special haftora for Shabbos Hagadol if it falls out on Erev Pesach. We say part of the Haggadah at Mincha time on Shabbos Hagadol.
After coming out of Mitzrayim, the Yidden started to be called Tzivos Hashem, “the Army of Hashem.” But in other places, the Yidden are called “servants.”
What’s the difference?
Servants AND soldiers work very hard! Sometimes they do things that are very complicated. But only SOLDIERS have Mesiras Nefesh. They do even dangerous things because they are ready to listen to WHATEVER the general says.
The Yidden in Mitzrayim were not treated nicely by the Mitzriyim. Still, they had Mesiras Nefesh to keep their Yiddishe names, and their Yiddishe language, and their Yiddishe clothes. They KNEW that Hashem promised to take them out.
Whoever acts like them in a way of Mesiras Nefesh is a soldier in Hashem’s army, and Hashem will do nisim for them too!
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Today we learn three more mitzvos about judges:
1) (Mitzvas Lo Saasei #315) We are not allowed to curse a judge.
We learn this mitzvah from a posuk in Parshas Mishpatim: אֱלֹקִים לֹא תְקַלֵּל
2) (Mitzvas Lo Saasei #281) A judge shouldn’t believe non-true things. We tell a judge that he is not allowed to start hearing about a court case until BOTH sides are there. Otherwise he might believe something that isn’t true!
This mitzvah also includes something for everybody: not to say Lashon Hara, not to listen to Lashon Hara, and not to say not true eidus.
We also learn this mitzvah from a posuk in Parshas Mishpatim: לֹא תִשָּׂא שֵׁמַע שָׁוְא
3) (Mitzvas Lo Saasei #316) It is asur to curse a Nasi — a leader of the Yidden. This includes both a king and the leader of the Sanhedrin.
We also learn this mitzvah from a posuk in Parshas Mishpatim: וְנָשִׂיא בְעַמְּךָ לֹא תָאֹר
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In Perek Chof-Beis, we learn how things are done in Beis Din. We learn that if someone knows a reason why the psak should be a certain way, he should say so, even if he is worried about what others will think — because the Torah says Midvar Sheker Tirchak! We need to stay away from letting something not true be said.
We learn that the best thing for a Beis Din to do is to try to get both sides to agree to compromise! This is the way of shalom.
In Perek Chof-Gimmel, we learn more about yesterday’s mitzvah not to take a bribe. Bribes aren’t just money — if someone is a friend of a judge, or did him a favor, it will be hard for the judge to listen to the other side, since he already likes one person.
Perek Chof-Daled teaches us what a judge should do if he is sure that someone is lying, but he can’t prove it. He is not allowed to pasken if he doesn’t feel that the psak is correct, so he should keep asking the witnesses questions until he feels sure, or else he should ask another judge to pasken.
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This perek has more halachos about aveilus, mourning for someone who passed away. Some of the halachos are about a Kohen Gadol or a king who are in aveilus.
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In the Haggadah, where it talks about the four sons, first it says the Chochom, then the Rasha, then the Tam, and then the She’eino Yodeia Lishol.
Why do we say the Rasha right next to the Chochom? The Rasha is the lowest level — he should be at the end! Why is he right next to the Chochom?
The answer is that it is specifically the Chochom that is able to help the Rasha, because you need to have someone who is at the highest level to be able to bring out the pintele Yid even in the lowest level, someone who is a Rasha.
The Rebbe says that this is why the Frierdiker Rebbe chose the closest Chassidim who had the most hiskashrus, and were obviously the ones who were at the highest level of Torah and Avodah, and sent them out on shlichus. Instead of having them stay close to the Rebbe and work on their own Torah and Avodah and reach the highest level themselves, they were sent to help simple Yidden to learn Alef-Beis, keep mitzvos, and do teshuvah!
This is because is specifically the Chochom, the highest level, who is able to reach every single Yid, even a Yid at the lowest level.
See Likutei Sichos chelek Alef, p. 250
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We have been learning about the way the Haggadah is set up.
In Maggid we ask the questions about why we are having a seder tonight, and then we give the answer, in a way that starts with the shameful part and ends with praise to Hashem (“Maschil Begnus Umesayeim Beshevach”).
Then we go through the pesukim that are said when a person brings Bikurim, where we thank Hashem for Yetziyas Mitzrayim, together with the explanations from the medrash in Sifri.
We then mention the three important things at the seder: Pesach, Matzah, and Maror.
We say the words of Mishnah saying that in every generation we need to relive Yetziyas Mitzrayim!
Just like the Yidden showed their thanks then by saying Hallel, we also show our thanks now when we relive Yetziyas Mitzrayim by saying Hallel.
We finish off this section of the Haggadah with a bracha.
When we say Hallel in Maggid, we only say the first two paragraphs, and then stop! We don’t finish the rest until after Shulchan Orech, near the end of the whole seder!
Why do we only say two paragraphs of Hallel, and then stop in the middle?
The Gemara says that the first two parts of Hallel are speaking about Yetziyas Mitzrayim, Kriyas Yam Suf, and Matan Torah — things that happened then.
The later parts of Hallel speak about Le’asid Lavo, the Geulah when Moshiach comes! Since that is a separate thing, we speak more about it later.
First we finish thanking Hashem for the Geulah from Mitzrayim, and eat the matzah and maror which are connected to Yetziyas Mitzrayim.
After the seudah, we start talking about the future — the final Geulah! We say the rest of Hallel which is speaking about the Geulah, which we hope to celebrate very soon, Bimheira Veyameinu Mamosh!
See the Rebbe’s Haggadah, Dibur Hamas’chil “Halelukah Halelu – Lemaano Mayim”
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Don’t forget to say the Nasi! Today’s nasi is the last Shevet, Shevet Naftali. (Tomorrow we will say a summary of all of the presents brought, which is for Shevet Levi.)
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On Erev Pesach, we are very busy! We need to burn the chometz on time, and finish all of our preparations for Yom Tov.
In Shulchan Aruch it says that we should be ready for the seder before Yom Tov even starts! We prepare all of the things we need for the kaarah and set the table, so that we’ll be able to start the seder right away. (We don’t actually set up the kaarah until right before we start the seder.) We want to make sure that the kids will be able to stay up and be part of the seder!
On the night of Pesach it is good to make our table as beautiful as possible! This will help us celebrate Pesach in a way of cheirus, really feeling free!
See Shulchan Aruch siman Tof-Ayin-Beis, Halacha Newsletter by Rabbi Yosef Braun
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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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An explanation from the Rebbe on Mah Nishtanah:
Golus is like night. During the day, the sun shines, everything is clear, and we can see what’s happening. At night, it is dark. We can’t see everything, and it can be very confusing.
A Jewish child asks, “Mah Nishtanah Halaila Hazeh?” “Why is the Geulah from this Golus different than the Geulah from every other Golus?”
Each question shows how the Geulah will be so much greater than any other Geulah:
- Dipping: To become tahor, we dip in the mikvah. By this Geulah, Hashem will make us completely tahor, for the guf and the neshama! - Chometz: Our aveiros come from gaavah, which is puffed up like chometz! When Moshiach comes, everyone will have complete bittul, and we will not want to do anything that separates us from Hashem. - Maror: Even though they are healthy and make our food yummier, a person can live without vegetables. When Moshiach comes, we will see how all of the gashmius things are extra, and they will feel like maror to us — something bitter! - Leaning: When Moshiach comes, we will be completely relaxed! We know we won’t ever have to go back into Golus again. We will be able to really recline, because we will be free!
But how can we have such a great Geulah, if this Golus is so hard?
The answer is that “Avadim Hayinu LeParaoh BeMitzrayim!” When the Yidden were in Mitzrayim, they also had a very hard Golus, but Hashem saved them anyway! Hashem will do that again — even if it seems like it’s impossible.
(Later in Hayom Yom we will learn another explanation of Mah Nishtana!)
See sicha of Pesach 5732
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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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