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CHUMASH
Parshas Eikev - Chamishi with Rashi
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Moshe is still farbrenging with the Yidden, teaching them how to act, so that they will be successful in Eretz Yisroel.
“Yidden! What does Hashem want from you? To have Yiras Shomayim, so you will do all the mitzvos!
“Think about all of the special things Hashem did for you! The entire world belongs to Hashem. And still, Hashem chose YOU, from all of the nations of the world, to be His special nation!
“You were just 70 people when you went down to Mitzrayim, and now Hashem helped you grow so that you’re as many as the stars of the sky!
“Remember all of the ways Hashem helped you in the Midbar, all of the good things He gave you!
“Now also remember what happened to the Yidden who didn’t listen to Hashem. Make sure to do what Hashem wants, so you will be able to live in Eretz Yisroel for a long time!”
In the introduction to Shaar Hayichud Veha’emunah, the Alter Rebbe says that in this shiur of Chumash, Moshe Rabbeinu was helping the Yidden have the Ahavas Hashem we learn about in Shema! The words of these pesukim give us things to think about which will help us feel a love for Hashem. By thinking about how Hashem runs the entire world, but shows a special love just for the Yidden, we will love Hashem too!
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Today’s shiur Tehillim is kapitelach Ayin-Tes to Pey-Beis.
In Kapitel Pey-Alef (81), the posuk says “Tiku BaChodesh Shofar, Bakeseh LeYom Chageinu. Ki Chok LeYisroel Hu, Mishpat Leilokei Yaakov.” These pesukim are talking about blowing the shofar, which is the mitzvah of Rosh Hashana.
The Gemara says that it is also talking about the parnasa that every Yid will have for the coming year. There is an argument in the Gemara whether a person is judged on Rosh Hashana, or every day, or even every hour!
Chassidus explains that it’s really not an argument — they’re just talking about different things! In Ruchnius, on Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, it is decided what a person will have. But based on how they act every day and every moment, it is decided whether that Ruchnius koach he deserves will come into Gashmius and give him parnasa, or stay in Ruchnius for Gan Eden.
Some people think that since anyway Hashem decided on Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, it doesn’t matter if they daven with a minyan or go to a shiur in Torah or do other mitzvos. Either they will get it or they won’t get it!
But that’s not true! Even if in Shomayim it was decided that a person will get a lot, if he doesn’t earn Hashem’s bracha, he won’t get the bracha in Gashmius. And the opposite is also true — even if someone isn’t supposed to get a lot, with Hashem’s bracha that little can help him even more than a lot would!
See Kuntres Umaayan
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TANYA
Igeres Hakodesh Siman Hey
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We learned before that Hashem gives chayus to Olam Haba with the letter Yud, and to Olam Hazeh with the letter Hey.
A mashal for the letter Hey is like the letter Hey in a person — the sound that we make using our breath.
A mashal for the letter Yud is “Kadmus Hasechel” — a very deep part of the neshama which makes our mouth and throat and tongue make that sound into words.
We learned that the letter Yud is very close to Hashem, from the pnimius of Hashem’s chayus. This is like the way it is in the mashal, that the way we make words from our mouth is from a very deep place in our neshama.
In today’s Tanya, the Alter Rebbe tells us that really Olam Hazeh and Olam Haba both get chayus from ALL the letters of Hashem’s Name. The only difference is that in Olam Haba, we can FEEL the chayus from the Yud of Hashem’s name that is so close to Him! In our world, though, Olam Hazeh, we can only FEEL the chayus from the letter Hey of Hashem’s name, which is also called Sefiras Hamalchus, because the world is Gashmius and Hashem is hiding inside it.
Soon we will see how understanding this shows us what special thing happens when we give Tzedakah!
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Once the Baal Shem Tov stopped hiding that he was a big tzadik, he would travel around to many different cities and villages, for three reasons:
1) To raise money for Pidyon Shevuyim — getting Yidden out of jail. They were put in jail for reasons like not having enough money to pay their rent.
2) To inspire Yidden to learn more Torah and have more Yiras Shomayim.
3) To teach Chassidus.
The Mitteler Rebbe explained why it was so important to travel around for the third reason:
Many times in seforim, we call Torah “water.” Just like people don’t need to be forced to drink water, Yidden don’t need to be forced to learn Torah — they LIKE to learn Torah!
But Chassidus is very warm — it’s like fire! People can be scared of fire. They are not sure if they should learn Chassidus! So the Baal Shem Tov had to go to the people and say, “Don’t worry, the fire of Chassidus is the varemkeit (warmth) of Hashem! When you learn Chassidus, it will only make you a Yid with more chayus — there is nothing to be afraid of!”
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In Sefer Hamitzvos, we learn the mitzvah (Mitzvas Lo Saasei #306) of Shiluach HaKan. If we find a mother bird sitting on her nest, we can’t take the baby birds away while the mother bird is watching. We first have to send her away, and then we can take the chicks.
We learn this mitzvah from a posuk in Parshas Ki Seitzei: לֹא תִקַּח הָאֵם עַל הַבָּנִים
The details are explained in the end of Mesechta Chulin.
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In today’s Rambam, Perakim Tes, Yud, and Yud-Alef, we review the 70 things that can make an animal treif. Since birds don’t have all of the same body parts as an animal, they don’t have the same 70 ways to become treif. Still, there are two ways a bird can become treif, that are not possible by an animal.
The Rambam explains when we should check for these 70 problems — if it looks like the animal might have gotten hurt.
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We are allowed to make a Bris Milah on Shabbos, but we need to prepare everything before Shabbos. If we forgot, we need to do the bris the next day.
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How did Chassidus start?
We learned in today’s Hayom Yom that the Baal Shem Tov would travel all over, teaching people Chassidus.
The Rebbe says that now, before Moshiach, we need to do the same thing! All of us need to go out and find Yidden to teach them about Chassidus.
When the Mishna speaks about teaching Torah to other people, it uses an expression, “Osek BeTorah” — working in Torah, like a business person. We can learn from this expression that we need to teach Torah like a businessman does his work: He doesn’t just sit in his store and wait for people, he works to find ways to make people want to come in to his store! We also need to go out and help people to WANT to come learn Chassidus and behave the way it teaches!
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The Rebbe gave us 12 pesukim to know by heart and understand well. They have important lessons for us to keep in mind, and can give us chayus in doing what we should. When we are worried or feeling frustrated or upset, the Yud-Beis Pesukim can help us too!
For example, the posuk Yogaati can be very helpful for us when we are feeling frustrated or hopeless.
Lots of times we try to stop doing an aveira — and it doesn’t work! We mess up again and again. Maybe we should just give up, since we can tell that we’re going to keep doing the wrong thing.
Or there is something we know we are supposed to be doing, but we just can’t seem to make it happen!
When we start thinking that way, we need to remember the posuk Yogaati!
This posuk is from Torah Shebaal Peh, from the Gemara:
Yogaati Velo Motzosi, Al Taamin — If someone says, I tried hard and it didn’t work, don’t believe them!
Lo Yogaati Umotzosi, Al Taamin — If someone says, I didn’t try hard at all, and I was able to do it right away, don’t believe them either.
Yogaati Umotzosi, Taamin — If someone says, I tried hard and it worked, then believe them!
Let’s say that I have a hard time remembering to bring Negel Vasser. I make a hachlata to bring it right after supper, but I STILL keep forgetting! I might want to give up and just stop trying — maybe this is just not for me. But the Torah tells us that if we keep trying hard, then it WILL work!
Or imagine that I am trying not to bite my nails on Shabbos. But every Shabbos, I forget the halacha again! I might feel like it’s just too hard to keep this mitzvah. But this posuk reminds us that we CAN do it! Just keep trying, and we will see that we will have hatzlacha in the end.
Even adults sometimes feel this way! Let’s say I started to learn more Chassidus in honor of Yud-Tes Kislev, but I don’t feel different! I don’t feel like a better chossid! Should I just stop? The posuk Yogaati reminds us to keep trying, because in the end we will see that when we work hard, we WILL have hatzlacha — Yogaati Umotzosi!
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At this time of year, the nights start getting longer. The Chachomim tell us that nights are for learning, so at this time of year, we need to add in learning Torah! They promise that when we spend more time learning, Hashem will give us more time to live!
Learning Torah is very important for everyone. One thing that happens when we learn Torah is that we are trying to understand Hashem’s Chochma. When our mind is used to thinking with Hashem’s Chochma, it will help us use that chochma every time we have to make a decision! This will help us always choose to do what Hashem wants.
So now is the time to make a hachlata to join a shiur in person, over the phone or online, start a shiur, or make a chavrusa.
See Farbrengen Parshas Va’eschanan Tof-Shin-Nun
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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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The three Neviim of Yeshaya, Yirmiya, and Yechezkel said many nevuos about the time of the Geulah. (We learned some of them over the last few months.)
After these neviim, there is a sefer in Nach called Trei Asar. “Trei Asar” means “twelve” in Aramaic, and this sefer has the nevuos of twelve Neviim. Only some of their nevuos were written down for later generations, so each of these neviim is short. That’s why they were all put together as one sefer.
The nevuos in Trei Asar start from Hoshea, a Navi at the time of the first Beis Hamikdash, and go all the way to the time of the second Beis Hamikdash, when all nevuah stopped. Malachi, the last Navi in Trei Asar, was also the last of the Neviim.
In this sefer, there are also many nevuos about the Geulah. IY”H we will soon start by learning a nevuah from the first Navi in Trei Asar, Hoshea.
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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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