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CHUMASH
Parshas Korach - Shishi with Rashi
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In today’s Chumash we learn about the avodah of Shevet Levi and the presents the Yidden need to give to them.
Hashem told Moshe to put Aharon’s stick (with the almonds) back in front of the Aron, to remind everyone that Hashem wants Aharon to be the Kohen Gadol.
The Yidden realized now that Hashem didn’t want ALL of the Yidden to be Kohanim, but they were scared that they would go into the Mishkan by mistake and they would be punished for it!
So Hashem had Moshe remind the Leviim of their job, to make sure nobody goes into the Mishkan by mistake.
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Now Hashem tells the Yidden the presents they need to give to the Kohanim.
Here are some of the presents:
- parts of certain Korbanos
- Terumah (part of every Yid’s olive oil, wine, and grain)
- Bikurim (the first fruits)
- Hekdesh (something a Yid wants to give to Hashem)
- Pidyon HaBen money
- firstborn cow, sheep or goat
- Peter Chamor — the sheep used for a Pidyon when a firstborn donkey is born
Hashem gave these presents to the Kohanim so they don’t need to work to earn money, they can spend their time doing their job serving Hashem. They won’t get a part of Eretz Yisroel, and they also won’t get to keep things from the wars the Yidden fight.
Hashem tells Aharon, “Ani Chelkecha Venachalas’cha” — “I am your part of Eretz Yisroel, and I am your yerusha.”
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Today’s kapitelach are Chof-Gimmel until Chof-Ches.
In today’s Tehillim, we have a kapitel that is the Shir Shel Yom of every Sunday, Yom Rishon! This kapitel (Kapitel Chof-Daled) was sung in the Beis Hamikdash on the first day of the week.
Some of the pesukim in this Kapitel talk about the time when Shlomo Hamelech went to bring the Aron into the Kodesh Hakodoshim in the Beis Hamikdash. He asked the gates to open up, “Se’u She’arim Rosheichem!”
The Gemara (in Mesechta Shabbos) tells us the story behind this:
After Shlomo Hamelech finished building the Beis Hamikdash, he wanted to finally bring the Aron into its proper home! But when he came to the Kodesh Hakodoshim, the gates stayed tightly closed and he wasn’t able to bring it inside!
Shlomo Hamelech said 24 praises to Hashem, but the gates didn’t move.
So Shlomo Hamelech started to say the words of this kapitel, asking that the gates should open: “Se’u She’arim Rosheichem Vehinas’u Pischei Olam, Veyavo Melech Hakavod!” “Gates, open up, so the King of glory can come in!”
When he said these words, the gates of the Kodesh Hakodoshim got very angry, and they wanted to swallow him up! They thought that Shlomo Hamelech was talking about himself, saying that the gates should open so HE could come in!
But first, they asked him: “Who is the Melech Hakavod, the King of glory?” Shlomo Hamelech answered with the next words, “Hashem Izuz Vegibor,” “Hashem Who is strong and mighty.”
Again, Shlomo Hamelech asked the gates to open, so that the Melech Hakavod, Hashem, could come inside. But the gates still stayed tightly shut.
Finally, Shlomo Hamelech asked the gates to open in the zechus of Dovid Hamelech, saying a posuk from Divrei Hayomim: “Hashem Elokim, Al Tosheiv Pnei Meshichecha” — Hashem, do not turn away the face of the one You annointed, “Zachra Lechasdei Dovid Avdecha” — Remember the kindness of Dovid your servant.
When he said that, the doors immediately opened up and he was able to bring the Aron into the Kodesh Hakodoshim.
The Gemara says that this is what Shlomo Hamelech was talking about in his Sefer Koheles, when he said, “Meshabeiach Ani Es Hameisim Shekvar Meisu.” “I praise those who have passed away — even more than those who are still alive.” (We say this posuk in the Maaneh Lashon.) Tzadikim, even after they pass away, have a greater zechus than people who are still alive! As we saw in this story, the Beis Hamikdash was only able to be used in the zechus of Dovid Hamelech, even though he had already passed away.
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TANYA
Shaar Hayichud Veha'emunah Perek Yud-Alef
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The creation of the world is through the letters in the Asara Maamaros, and these letters are one with Hashem.
Hashem gives us the holiest language, Lashon Hakodesh. Hashem gave us 22 letters to say all the words in this holy language. Each of them have a special way they sound when we say them, and a way they look when we write them. They help us say what we think or feel in our sechel and midos.
Hashem also uses these special letters to show His sechel and midos, and to make the world! The different ways the letters look and sound shows us how each thing Hashem made is in a different way.
Even though the letters of Hashem are lower than the rest of the Sefiros, they are still higher than anything that was created, because everything is created FROM them. They are even higher than the sechel of Adam Harishon, whose neshama had the neshamos of all of the tzadikim in it — which are even higher than all of the malochim!
Even something so high was created through these letters of Hashem, so we understand that they must be higher than them, a very high level which is meyuchad and one with Hashem.
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In today’s Hayom Yom we learn about the amazing kochos we are given in our shlichus!
If a Chossid puts all of his kochos into doing his shlichus, Hashem gives him amazing hatzlacha!
Even if it’s a very big city, which needs extra-special kochos, Hashem helps him in the zechus of the holy Avos, so even one Shliach can change a whole city!
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In Sefer Hamitzvos, we again learn the mitzvah (Mitzvas Asei #153) that the Beis Din needs to decide the right time for each month to start and calculate when there should be a leap year, a Shana Me’uberes.
We learn this mitzvah from a posuk in Parshas Bo: הַחֹדֶשׁ הַזֶּה לָכֶם רֹאשׁ חֳדָשִׁים
The details are explained in Mesechta Sanhedrin perek Alef, Mesechta Rosh Hashana and Brachos.
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RAMBAM
Hilchos Kiddush Hachodesh
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The Rebbe would very often speak about Lebn Mit Di Tzeit, learning horaos (lessons) from the type of year we are in and the parsha of the week. These both depend on the kevius — the type of year it is. Today’s Rambam teaches us about how our calendar is set up, which is how each year has its kevius!
Perek Vov: In this perek, the Rambam teaches us how we can figure out when the molad will be in any month of any year! The molad is when the new moon can be seen in Yerushalayim, which shows us when Rosh Chodesh should be.
We also learn about the Machzor of years, a cycle of nineteen years when the solar year (a year based on the sun) and the lunar year (a year based on the moon) catch up to each other again. In the Machzor, there is a pattern of which years are Peshutah (regular years) and which years are Me’uberes (leap years, with a second Adar added). Here are the years that are Me’uberes in each Machzor: Years #3, #6, #8, #11, #14, #17, and #19.
Perek Zayin: We learn about deciding when the first day of Rosh Hashana will be, which is different in each kind of year. There are certain days of the week that can NEVER be the first day of Rosh Hashana. We remember these days with an expression: “Lo Ad”u Rosh” — the first day of Rosh Hashana can not be on any of the days with the Roshei Teivos “Adu”, meaning Sunday (Yom Alef), Wednesday (Yom Daled), or Friday (Yom Vov).
Perek Ches: In this perek, we learn about the types of months. Some months are malei (full), with 30 days, and other months are chaseir (missing) with only 29 days. During the year the months go in a pattern, one month malei, and then one month chaseir.
But there are two months that don’t always follow the pattern — Cheshvan and Kislev. Sometimes both are malei, sometimes both are chaseir, and sometimes they follow the regular pattern, with Cheshvan being chaseir and Kislev being malei. This kind of year is called “Kesidran,” “in order,” because then all of the months follow the pattern!
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Some people don’t have the mitzvah to say Kriyas Shema every day. For example, women have a different kind of Avodas Hashem, so they don’t have to do certain mitzvos that have a specific time, like saying Kriyas Shema.
Now we finish this set of halachos, and start learning Hilchos Tefillah!
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We will tell over a story that is well known, but it is one that has a very important hora’ah for us today!
A shliach once wanted to make a big peulah, to make a Kiddush Hashem for many people where he lived. He decided to make a concert one Sunday in a hall that could hold hundreds and hundreds of people!
On the Friday before the concert, there were only 87 people that said they were coming. On Shabbos, the shliach cried, and in his mind, asked the Rebbe to help him.
On Sunday, more than 1,000 people came to the peulah!
The shliach’s bubby was there, and she was so proud! She went into Yechidus the next day, and the Rebbe asked about the concert. She told the Rebbe how wonderful it was, and how many people were there. The Rebbe said, “and yesterday your grandson (the shliach) was so worried!”
The Rebbe hears everything we ask from him, even if we can’t see it! He answers us, helping us to do our shlichus and bring Moshiach closer.
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Usually, people translate the word Tefillah as “prayer.” Prayer means to ask for something that we need or want. Even though it is true that we do ask for things in davening, and we are doing a mitzvah by asking Hashem for the things we need, that’s not all that Tefillah means!
In Chumash and Mishnayos, we see that one meaning of the shoresh of the word Tefillah is to connect or join together. (For example, Rochel named Bilhah’s son Naftoli, to show that she was now joining Leah in having children.)
Even if we don’t have something that we need, we still need to daven to Hashem so that we will stay connected!
The neshama of a Yid always is connected to Hashem. But it can’t always feel it, since it is inside of a guf that is busy with Gashmius things like eating and drinking, working and playing.
So the Torah gives us special times during the day so that we can refresh our connection with Hashem! Those times are the tefillos we daven a few times throughout the day.
And that’s the main point of davening — to keep our hiskashrus with Hashem strong!
See Likutei Sichos Chelek Beis, p. 410
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The Arizal says that we should not say Tehillim at night.
Many poskim write that there are times that we are allowed to. For example, we can say Tehillim for a sick person at night, for a dangerous situation, or if we are afraid.
In a letter, the Rebbe writes that we still do not say the Tehillim of Chitas at night! We should say the shiur of Tehillim either before Tzeis Hakochavim or after Chatzos in the middle of the night.
The only times during the year when there is no problem with Tehillim at night are on Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur.
See Piskei Teshuvos siman 238, and Shulchan Menachem siman 143
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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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Water is a sign of bracha — but you need a container to hold it in!
The light of Geulah also needs a container to hold it in. That keili is Chassidus! When we spread Chassidus all over the world, we are making keilim to hold the light of the Geulah!
And as soon as the keilim are ready, Hashem will fill them up!
See Igros Kodesh chelek Alef, p. 216
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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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