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CHUMASH
Parshas Devarim - Sheini with Rashi
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Moshe Rabbeinu is reviewing the mitzvos and reminding the Yidden about what happened in the Midbar to prepare them to enter Eretz Yisroel, and make sure that they don’t make the same mistakes again. Today Moshe reminds the Yidden about how he set up the judges to help the Yidden act in the right way and about the nations who did not let them pass through their lands.
Moshe Rabbeinu tells the Yidden that they did something wrong by being excited about having judges.
When Moshe Rabbeinu told the Yidden about the idea of having more judges, they should have said “No! Only Moshe Rabbeinu should lead us!” They should have been upset about losing the zechus to learn directly from Moshe. But they weren’t upset about the idea at all. The Yidden were excited about the judges — for the wrong reasons. They hoped that some of the judges would be ready to take bribes to make them win even if they are wrong!
Still, Moshe set up the judges for the Yidden. He tried to make sure that the judges will have Yiras Shomayim and judge them the way Hashem wants. He taught them how to be fair to everyone.
Then Moshe tells the Yidden how they traveled more — they got so close to Eretz Yisroel, but the nations wouldn’t let them pass through their countries.
Still, Moshe told the Yidden not to be worried. When it would be the right time to go into Eretz Yisroel, Hashem would fight for them and they will able to go right in!
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Today’s kapitelach are Kuf-Lamed-Hey until Kuf-Lamed-Tes.
Kapitel Kuf-Lamed-Tes (139) is a very special kapitel. It teaches a person how to serve Hashem — there is no other kapitel that does this in such a special way!
One of the things that Dovid Hamelech says is about how Hashem created Adam HaRishon — “Achor VaKedem Tzartani” — “You created me last and first.”
What does that mean? How can Adam be created last AND first at the same time?!
We learn today in Tanya that you can have two opposite things together if they are for different reasons!
The Alter Rebbe explains in Likutei Torah that “Achor” (last) means that he is created on the LAST day of Creation, and he is the lowest madreiga, because he can do an aveira — going AGAINST what Hashem wants. Only a person can do an aveira!
But he is FIRST because he has a neshama, which no other creation has! And even his Guf is also very close and precious to Hashem.
See Likutei Torah Parshas Matos, dibur hamas’chil Vayedaber Moshe El Roshei Hamatos
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TANYA
Igeres Hateshuvah Perek Yud-Alef
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We said that a person should do Teshuvah Tata’ah and Teshuvah Ila’ah at different times, because they make us have different feelings. Teshuvah Tata’ah makes a person feel serious, and Teshuvah Ila’ah makes us feel besimcha! So we usually do Teshuvah Tata’ah at night, and Teshuvah Ila’ah in davening in the morning.
Today the Alter Rebbe tells us that really we can feel both kinds of Teshuvah AT THE SAME TIME in davening, even though they are different feelings! Since they come for two different reasons, we won’t be confused.
Teshuvah Tata’ah comes because we have rachmanus for what our aveiros did, and Teshuvah Ila’ah is because we are so happy that we can still become so close to Hashem!
Here is a story that shows us how we can feel both ways at the same time:
One time Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai was learning with his son R’ Elazar. They were learning secrets of the Torah about the Churban of the Beis Hamikdash. When R’ Elazar heard these secrets, he felt happy and sad! He was sad because the Beis Hamikdash was destroyed, but he was happy to hear these secrets from Hashem’s holy Torah.
The same way, we can also feel Teshuvah Tata’ah and Teshuvah Ila’ah at the same time!
Another thing that makes it possible to feel BOTH is that when we are sure that Hashem forgives us for what we did wrong, we aren’t so sad, even with Teshuvah Tata’ah! We are happy that even though aveiros can bring Golus, Hashem forgives us anyway, and promises us that by doing teshuvah we will bring the Geulah. This way BOTH kinds of teshuvah make us happy, and we can feel them both in davening at the same time!
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A while back in Hayom Yom, we learned how important it is to live in a place with healthy air. If someone is R”L sick, many times they will try to go to a place with better air, so they will become healthier.
In Ruchnius, we also need to have clean air. The air becomes cleaner by us saying words of Torah wherever we go. This way we can feel that we live in a Ruchniusdike atmosphere.
Today the Rebbe tells us that each of the Rebbeim had certain maamorim that they would say over every two or three years just for this reason — to make the Ruchnius air better!
Here are one of these maamorim from each of the Rebbeim that were said for this reason:
Alter Rebbe: Heichaltzu (from last week’s parsha, Parshas Matos! It is printed in Likutei Torah, with notes from the Tzemach Tzedek)
Mitteler Rebbe: Yafa Sha’ah Achas (it’s in the Mitteler Rebbe’s sefer Derech Chayim, explained in the first 10 perakim)
Tzemach Tzedek: Mah Tovu (in Likutei Torah, which we learned in Parshas Balak — it’s about Teshuvah)
Rebbe Maharash: Mi Chamocha BaEilim
Rebbe Rashab: Veyadaata Hayom (it was said in “Moskove Nun-Zayin” — in Moscow. It talks about the koach a Yid has to overcome nisyonos!)
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Today we learn two mitzvos about a Sotah.
1) (Mitzvas Asei #223) If a woman who is already married is suspected of acting that she is married to someone else, after her husband told her to stay away from that other man, she is called a Sotah. We need to follow the halachos of how she drinks the water to show if she did the aveira or not, how to bring her korban, and all of the other details brought in the Gemara.
We learn this mitzvah from a posuk in Parshas Naso: אִישׁ אִישׁ כִּי תִשְׂטֶה אִשְׁתּוֹ
The details are explained in Mesechta Sotah.
2) (Mitzvas Lo Saasei #104) The Sotah needs to bring a Korban Mincha, which is a korban of flour. Usually we mix oil with this kind of korban, but we are NOT allowed to mix oil with the Korban Mincha of a sotah!
We learn this mitzvah from a posuk in Parshas Naso: וְהֵבִיא אֶת קָרְבָּנָהּ עָלֶיהָ וְגוֹ׳ לֹא יִצֹק עָלָיו שֶׁמֶן
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In today’s Rambam, Perakim Alef, Beis, and Gimmel, we learn when a woman doesn’t have to drink the sotah water, even if she was acting like a sotah. For example, her husband has to be able to hear and speak, otherwise she doesn’t have to drink it. The Rambam shows us how we learn this from certain pesukim.
The Rambam teaches us exactly how the sotah is tested to find out if she did an aveira or not. She is brought into the Beis Hamikdash and her clothes are ripped so she won’t look beautiful. Dust and bitter wood are put into a bowl of water, and a piece of parchment that has certain words (including Hashem’s name) written on it is dipped into the water and the letters are rubbed off into the water.
The woman has to drink this bitter water, and if she did the aveira, she will die. If she didn’t do the aveira, Hashem rewards her for how embarrassing the mitzvah of sotah is, and she gets brachos for health and children.
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We learn many more halachos about how the Torah is written, sewn, and attached to the Atzei Chayim (the poles).
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During the Three Weeks, we add in learning Torah (especially halacha) and in tzedakah and Gemilus Chassadim, to speed up the Geulah. We see this in the posuk “Tzion Bemishpat Tipadeh Veshaveha BeTzedaka” — that Yerushalayim will be redeemed through learning Torah (mishpat) and giving tzedakah! To do these right, we need to also work on our Tefillah, where we make our connection to Hashem stronger, which helps us to learn Torah and give tzedakah properly.
Here is a story about how we should think about giving tzedakah and helping others:
One time the Rebbe Rashab told his son, the Frierdiker Rebbe, to travel to a place and help a certain businessman there.
When the Frierdiker Rebbe came back, he told his father what had happened. “I did everything you told me to do. I did the favor for the businessman in the best possible way.”
The Rebbe Rashab answered, “You are making a mistake. You did the favor to yourself, not to that person! For that person, Hashem did him a favor, by sending a shliach to help him. But what you did helped yourself much more.
“Like the Medrash says, ‘Yoser MiMah SheBaal HaBayis Oseh Im Ha’Oni, Ha’Oni Oseh Im Baal HaBayis.’ ‘More than the rich person does for the poor person (by giving him tzedakah), the poor person is doing for the rich person (by giving him the chance to do a mitzvah)’.”
See Igros Kodesh of the Frierdiker Rebbe, vol. 4 p. 46
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The Rebbe asked that all children should learn the Yud-Beis Pesukim and know them by heart. If we say them every day, we will know them very quickly! We should tell our friends and our parents that we are doing it, and this way we will be a good example so others will do it to.
The third posuk from the Twelve Pesukim starts with the word Bechol. It is a Maamar Chazal that comes from the Mishna. Here’s what it means:
Bechol Dor Vador — In every generation
Chayav Adam Liros Es Atzmo — A person needs to see himself
K’ilu Hu Yatza Mimitzrayim — As if he went out of Mitzrayim!
Why should we feel like we went out of Mitzrayim ourselves? The Haggadah explains why!
It tells us that if Hashem hadn’t taken the Yidden out of Mitzrayim so many years ago, we would still be slaves there. So we should feel the same thankfulness for Yetziyas Mitzrayim today!
Since we are NOT slaves, and we do NOT have to work for Paraoh, we are free to serve Hashem! When we think about this posuk, it should help us feel thankful for the chesed Hashem does for us, and help us feel excited to learn Torah and do mitzvos with chayus and simcha!
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Our body is special! We learn that we need to take care of it, and not hurt it or do anything to damage it. There are halachos about not doing dangerous things or hurting ourselves.
The Torah teaches us that we also need to be careful with the things that belong to us. We are not allowed to ruin them for no reason.
For example, we are not allowed to break dishes or rip up clothes even if we are upset or don’t like them.
We are also not allowed to take good food and make it disgusting, like mixing foods together so that nobody will be able to eat them.
This is called Bal Tashchis.
See Kitzur Shulchan Aruch, siman Kuf-Tzadik
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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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According to the Rebbe’s hora’ah of learning inyonim of Geulah and Moshiach, beginning with Torah Shebichsav, we are learning some of the pesukim in Torah Shebichsav which have in them the nevuos of the Geulah.
In Perek Lamed-Daled of Yechezkel, the Navi warns the leaders of the Yidden to change the way they are acting!
The Navi uses a mashal when he speaks to them. He tells them that the Yidden are like a flock of sheep, goats, and rams. The leaders of the Yidden are like the shepherds.
Yechezkel tells them, “You are supposed to be taking care of the Yidden, but you are only taking care of yourselves! You use your power to rule over the Yidden, but you do not care about them. Now the Yidden are like sheep without a shepherd. Some are lost, and some are running wild because nobody is teaching them how to act.
“Hashem says that He will not let you stay the leaders! Hashem will gather all of the lost Yidden and bring them back. Hashem will judge the leaders for the way they were treating the Yidden they were supposed to be taking care of.
“Hashem will instead give the Yidden a true shepherd, a leader who cares about each one and will show them how to behave — Moshiach, who comes from the shepherd of the Yidden, from Dovid Hamelech!”
וַהֲקִמֹתִי עֲלֵיהֶם רֹעֶה אֶחָד וְרָעָה אֶתְהֶן אֵת עַבְדִּי דָוִיד הוּא יִרְעֶה אוֹתָם וְהוּא יִהְיֶה לָהֶן לְרֹעֶה
Hashem says:
Vehakimosi Aleihem Ro’eh Echad — I will give the Yidden one leader
VeRa’ah Es’hen — And he will take care of them like a shepherd takes care of his sheep.
Es Avdi Dovid — This is Moshiach, who comes from My servant, Dovid Hamelech!
Hu Yir’eh Osam — He will be the one to take care of the Yidden
Vehu Yihiyeh Lahen LeRo’eh — And he will be the only one to be their leader.
See Yechezkel perek Lamed-Daled posuk Chof-Gimmel
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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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