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CHUMASH
Parshas Chukas-Balak - Chamishi with Rashi
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In today’s Chumash, Bilaam asks Hashem again if he can go to Balak. Hashem tells him he can go — but he will have to do what Hashem wants.
When Bilaam got up in the morning, he told Balak’s messengers that he wouldn’t come, because Hashem won’t let. But he added something not true — he said that Hashem wouldn’t let because the messengers weren’t important enough. He wanted them to think that he is very special to Hashem!
When Balak got the message, he sent more messengers, this time, very important people. He promised to pay Bilaam a lot of money too. Bilaam told the messengers that really Balak should give him ALL his money, because he would have had to use that money to pay his army. By hiring Bilaam he doesn’t have to fight at all so Balak really owes him all that money!
Still, now he had to tell the truth — he couldn’t curse the Yidden unless Hashem let. He told the messengers to stay over, and he would try to ask Hashem again.
Hashem told Bilaam that he could go if he wanted to, but he would have to do whatever Hashem tells him!
Bilaam tries to go curse the Yidden: Bilaam woke up early in the morning. He was so excited to go with the officers from Moav and curse the Yidden! He was also hoping that Hashem would think, “If Bilaam gets up early to do bad things, why don’t the Yidden get up early to do GOOD things?” and then get upset at the Yidden. But this didn’t work, because the Yidden have the zechus of the Avos. Avraham already got up early to do what Hashem wanted, by the Akeida, and that zechus is with the Yidden forever!
Bilaam’s donkey won’t go: Hashem was not happy that Bilaam was going even when he knew that Hashem didn’t want him to. Hashem sent a malach to block the road and try to stop Bilaam. If Bilaam would have stopped trying to go, it would have been good for him too, because then he wouldn’t get punished at the end!
Bilaam wasn’t able to see the malach, but his donkey was! She moved off the road to get out of the malach’s way. Bilaam hit the donkey to make her go back onto the road.
The malach stood in front of them again a little later, and the donkey squeezed up next to a wall so she wouldn’t bump into the malach, which squashed Bilaam’s foot. Bilaam hit her again to make her move back onto the road.
The next time the malach stood in front of them, there was nowhere to go, and the donkey had to bow down. Bilaam was angry and hit her AGAIN!
Hashem makes Bilaam’s donkey talk: Now Hashem made a big neis, and the donkey started to talk! She said, “Why did you hit me three times?” Bilaam said, “Because you embarrassed me!”
The officers from Moav were watching Bilaam argue with the donkey. They asked Bilaam why he didn’t take his horse instead of this donkey. Bilaam lied and said that he left his horse to eat in the field. The donkey spoke up, “Isn’t it true that I am your donkey and you don’t have a horse?” Bilaam said yes, but that he usually only uses the donkey for shlepping things. The donkey said, “You always ride on me!” Bilaam said, “Only this time!” The donkey again said, “Am I not the same donkey you ALWAYS ride on?” Now Bilaam didn’t have anything else to say! The donkey asked Bilaam, “Do I usually not listen to you?” Bilaam had to admit that the donkey usually did listen.
Bilaam talks to the malach: Now Hashem let Bilaam see what the donkey saw: A malach standing with a sword, blocking the way. Bilaam bowed down. The malach told Bilaam that the donkey saved his life! If the donkey hadn’t moved, the malach would have killed Bilam.
Bilaam admitted that he had done the wrong thing to hit the donkey, but he still didn’t feel bad about going to curse the Yidden. “Hashem told me I can go if I want to!” he said.
The malach let him go, but warned him again — he can only say what Hashem tells him to say.
Balak asks Bilaam why he didn’t come before: When Bilaam finally came, Balak came out to meet him. He said, “Why didn’t you come the first time I asked you to? Do you think I can’t give you enough kavod?” Balak didn’t realize, but he was actually saying a nevuah of what would happen at the end — he really wouldn’t give Bilaam any kavod! Bilaam would leave embarrassed at the end instead.
Bilaam said, “I am here now — but I can only say what Hashem tells me to.”
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Today’s shiur Tehillim is kapitelach Nun-Hey to Nun-Tes.
In the end of today’s first kapitel is the very special niggun Padah Veshalom, which we sing on the Geulah of the Rebbeim.
This Tuesday is Yud-Beis Tammuz, the Chag HaGeulah of the Frierdiker Rebbe.
In times of trouble, the Rebbeim would not only say the Tehillim the way it is divided up for the month (the Tehillim of Chitas), but they would also say the Tehillim the way it is divided up for the days of the week. The way it is divided up for the week, Kapitel Nun-Hey is in the Tehillim for Yom Shlishi, Tuesday.
Because Yud-Beis Tammuz of that year was Tuesday, the Frierdiker Rebbe said this kapitel about Geulah on the day of his Geulah!
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TANYA
Igeres Hateshuvah Perek Gimmel
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Today we learn how many times a person would have to fast if he did an aveira many times, and then did teshuvah.
We learned that if a person does an aveira, he needs to give Hashem a present. Since we don’t have a Beis Hamikdash, a way to give Hashem a present is to fast.
What if a person does an aveira more than one time? Does he need to fast for EACH time he did the aveira, or just one time for all of them together?
There is a machlokes! One opinion is that if a person did an aveira a bunch of times, he should fast for each time he did it like it was in the Beis Hamikdash with a kind of korban called a Chatas!
Another opinion is that he only needs to bring it once like it was with the korban called Olah.
The halacha is — a compromise! Even if a person did an aveira a hundred times, he only needs to fast for THREE times he did the aveira.
The Zohar explains why: When a person does an aveira, it makes the neshama a little dirty. The second time the dirty spot gets bigger, and after three times, the whole neshama is dirty.
Imagine a shirt. First someone splashes grape juice on it — now it’s a little bit dirty. Then more grape juice spills all over the sleeve — now the dirty part is bigger. Then the whole becher falls over and the WHOLE shirt gets dirty! Once the whole shirt gets dirty, splashing more juice doesn’t make so much difference.
That’s why the first three times of an aveira are the most important to fix. So a person also should fast for the first three times they do an aveira.
Tomorrow IY”H we will see that nowadays we give tzedakah in place of fasting.
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Today we learn about the shlichus each of us have wherever we are!
Not too long after the Alter Rebbe became Rebbe, he said a Torah:
It says in Tehillim, “MeiHashem Mitzadei Gever Konanu,” “Hashem sets up a person’s feet (puts them in the right place).” The Alter Rebbe explains that it means that wherever a Yid goes, he is a shliach of Hashem — Hashem sent him there!
What is this shlichus? To do a mitzvah!
A mitzvah like saying a bracha, or davening (mitzvos we do just for Hashem), or a mitzvah like having Ahavas Yisroel, or teaching another Yid (mitzvos Hashem wants us to do with other people)!
Malachim also have a shlichus, like we learned in Chumash Bereishis (with Avraham and Sedom and Amorah) — but the shlichus of a Yid is MORE special, because our shlichus is according to what the Torah teaches us!
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SEFER HAMITZVOS
Shiur #68 - Mitzvas Asei #59, Hilchos Megillah V'Chanukah Perek Alef - Beis
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In today’s Sefer Hamitzvos, we learn the same mitzvah again (Mitzvas Asei #59): That we blow trumpets at certain times. We blow them when we bring the special korbanos of Yom Tov, a happy time. We also blow them in a sad time — when we are davening to Hashem because hard things are happening. They can remind us that it’s from Hashem, and we have to do teshuvah.
We learn this mitzvah from a posuk in Parshas Behaalosecha: וּבְיוֹם שִׂמְחַתְכֶם וּבְמוֹעֲדֵיכֶם וּבְרָאשֵׁי חָדְשֵׁיכֶם וּתְקַעְתֶּם בַּחֲצֹצְרֹת
The details are explained in Sifri, Mesechta Rosh Hashana, and Mesechta Taanis.
Since there is no mitzvah for the next set of halachos (Megillah V’Chanukah), we learn these perakim of Rambam inside.
Today we learn the first two perakim of Hilchos Megillah V’Chanukah inside, as part of Sefer Hamitzvos, along with those who learn three perakim of Rambam every day.
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RAMBAM
Hilchos Taaniyos - Megillah V'Chanukah
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In today’s Rambam, we are finishing the halachos about fasts.
There are five fasts each year because of sad things that happened to the Yidden:
1) Tzom Gedaliah (Gimmel Tishrei) — when Gedaliah was killed. He was the governor of the Yidden, and they hoped he would help them live in Eretz Yisroel. When he was killed, the Yidden realized they were REALLY in Golus.
2) Asara B’Teves — When Nevuchadnetzar blocked anyone from going out or coming into Yerushalayim.
3) Shiva-Asar B’Tammuz — 5 sad things happened: The luchos were broken, the Yidden couldn’t bring korbanos anymore (in the first Beis Hamikdash), the walls of Yerushalayim were broken (in the time of the Second Beis Hamikdash), Apostomos the rasha burned a Torah, and he also put an idol in the (second) Beis Hamikdash.
4) Tisha B’Av — 5 sad things happened: The Yidden in the Midbar were told they wouldn’t get to go into Eretz Yisroel, the Beis Hamikdash was destroyed (both), a city called Beitar was captured and everyone was killed (including Bar Kochva, who many Chachomim said could be Moshiach), and the rasha Turnus Rufus plowed the ground of the Beis Hamikdash (this is something the Navi said would happen).
The Yidden also took the minhag of fasting one more fast:
5) Taanis Esther (Yud-Gimmel Adar) — we fast Erev Purim to remember how all of the Yidden fasted in the time of the gezeira of Haman.
We don’t blow the trumpets on any of these fasts.
What happens if these fast days are on Shabbos? We fast after Shabbos instead — except for Taanis Esther, because if we fasted after Shabbos, we would be fasting on Purim! Instead, we fast on the Thursday before (because it’s not kavodik for Shabbos for us to fast on Friday). If the other fasts are on Friday, though, we fast on Friday. (This hardly ever happens because of how our calendar is set up.)
The Rambam tells us the halachos of Av and Tisha B’Av, which is the only one of these fasts that we fast also at night. We also learn about “Zecher LeChurban,” things we do to remember that the Beis Hamikdash was destroyed.
But don’t worry, at the end of Rambam we learn something very happy! The same Navi that hints to all of these fasts also reminds us that they will all be very happy days when Moshiach comes!
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We also start learning the halachos about Purim today, in a new set of halachos!
Even though there are mitzvos for Purim and Chanukah, they are mitzvos from the Chachomim, and not mitzvos that are said in the Torah.
The mitzvah of Purim is to hear the Megillah. The Rambam tells us how to make sure to do the mitzvah right. One thing the Rambam says is that we should make sure kids get used to hearing the Megillah too!
We also learn the other mitzvos of Purim: the Seudah, Shalach Manos, and Matanos L’Evyonim.
The Rambam says that when Moshiach comes we won’t need to learn the Neviim and Kesuvim anymore. (In another place, it explains that this is because we’ll be able to see it all from the Chumash.) Still, we will always need to learn Megillas Esther!
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The Rambam teaches us to make sure we don’t miss davening at the right time, by not starting other things at the time of davening (like eating a meal or getting a haircut).
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The special Yom Tov of Yud-Beis Tammuz is coming up. On this day, the Frierdiker Rebbe was freed from jail.
Chassidus teaches us that after a time when Hashem’s kindness is hiding and a person doesn’t see it, Hashem’s kindness will be MUCH more clear afterwards.
When the Frierdiker Rebbe was in jail, it was like Hashem’s kindness was hiding. And when the Frierdiker Rebbe was freed from jail, Hashem’s kindness was MUCH more clear to see!
In fact, every year this becomes stronger! Every year, on Yud-Beis Tammuz, a new light of Hashem shines in the world!
But why do we say that? Hashem doesn’t hide from a Rebbe! And if the Rebbe doesn’t have the hiding of Hashem, why do we say that there will be more bracha afterwards?
A Rebbe is like the Moshe Rabbeinu of his time. The main thing Moshe Rabbeinu cared about was taking care of the Yidden and bringing them close to Hashem. For the Rebbeim also, the main thing is how the Yidden feel.
Even if for the Frierdiker Rebbe himself Hashem wasn’t hiding in jail, for the Chassidim it did feel that way. Since that was the way the Yidden felt, that was what was most important to the Frierdiker Rebbe. And after he came out of jail, it was a much brighter light of Hashem that was shining, for the Frierdiker Rebbe also!
See Kuntres Yud-Beis Yud-Gimmel Tammuz 5751
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In the bracha before Shema, we speak about Hashem’s great love for the Yidden. Hashem had many choices who he should give the special shlichus of making the world a Dira Betachtonim. So many malochim stand before Hashem with tremendous bittul and praise Him: Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh!
Still, “Uvonu Vocharta” — Hashem chose Yidden!
The Alter Rebbe tells us that Hashem wasn’t choosing our neshamos. That’s not a choice, it’s obvious! You don’t “choose” between plastic and gold. The neshama of a Yid is extra-special! So what DID Hashem choose? Hashem chose even the parts of us that look like everyone else! There are ways that a Yid and a Goy look exactly the same, but Hashem chose davka us!
When we realize how much Hashem loves us, that makes us love Hashem back!
So we say “Ve’ahavta Es Hashem,” we love Hashem and want to do what He wants us to! “Bechol Levavecha,” we are ready to do our job with our whole heart, with our Yetzer Tov AND our Yetzer Hara, with all of our talents and abilities. “Uvechol Nafshecha,” we are ready to do our shlichus even if we have to give up the things we want to do, or even to have actual Mesiras Nefesh. “Uvechol Me’odecha,” we are ready to serve Hashem with every mida, every measure that Hashem gives us — every koach or challenge or situation we find ourselves in, with every Gashmius’dike object or money that we are given!
Hashem’s love for us makes us love Him too, and want to serve Hashem with whatever we have.
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Let’s say someone is doing a project in their room. We are very curious to know what they are doing! Are we allowed to peek in through the door or the window? We aren’t going to touch it or take it!
This is part of the halachos of Nizkei Mamon, damages.
Even though we are just looking, it is still counted like damaging their things. If someone wants to keep what they are doing private, we are ruining their privacy just by looking!
The Torah counts someone’s privacy as important, and we are not allowed to ruin it.
See Shulchan Aruch, Dinei Gezeilah Ugeneivah, se’if 11
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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 this week’s parsha, Parshas Balak, we have the famous nevuos of Bilaam about Moshiach!
The Rambam uses pesukim from these nevuos to show that the Torah speaks about Melech Hamoshiach. The Rambam explains that Bilaam would first say something about the first king of the Yidden, Dovid Hamelech, and then speak about our final king, Moshiach!
Here is the part of Bilaam’s nevuah that the Rambam explains:
אֶרְאֶנּוּ וְלֹא עַתָּה אֲשׁוּרֶנּוּ וְלֹא קָרוֹב דָּרַךְ כּוֹכָב מִיַּעֲקֹב וְקָם שֵׁבֶט מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל וּמָחַץ פַּאֲתֵי מוֹאָב וְקַרְקַר כָּל בְּנֵי שֵׁת: וְהָיָה אֱדוֹם יְרֵשָׁה וְהָיָה יְרֵשָׁה שֵׂעִיר אֹיְבָיו
Arenu Velo Ata — (I see it, but not now) — this is talking about Dovid Hamelech
Ashurenu Velo Karov — (I see it, but not very soon) — this is talking about Melech Hamoshiach.
Darach Kochav MiYaakov — (A star will go out from Yaakov) — this is talking about Dovid Hamelech
Vekam Shevet MiYisrael — (And a stick will get up in Yisrael) — this is talking about Melech Hamoshiach.
Umachatz Paasei Moav — (He will crush all of the princes of Moav) — this is talking about Dovid Hamelech, who fought against Moav and won
Vekarkar Kol Benei Sheis — (He will get rid of the family of Sheis) — this is talking about Melech Hamoshiach, who will rule the entire world.
Vehaya Edom Yereisha — (Edom will be destroyed) — this is talking about Dovid Hamelech, who made Edom into his servants
Vehaya Yereisha Se’ir Oivav — (and Seir will be destroyed) — this is talking about Melech Hamoshiach, who will judge Eisav (who is also called Seir).
May we see the fulfillment of this nevuah, and all of the other nevuos of the Geulah, bekarov mamosh, Amen!
See Parshas Balak, perek Chof-Daled, pesukim Yud-Zayin and Yud-Ches, and Rambam Hilchos Melachim perek Yud-Alef
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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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