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CHUMASH
Parshas Shoftim - Revi'i with Rashi
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Moshe Rabbeinu is still talking to the Yidden about how to act in Eretz Yisroel. First he tells them about the kohanim’s job, and then tells the Yidden not to try to figure out what will happen in the future!
Each of the kohanim have turns to go serve in the Beis Hamikdash. It’s not fair for them to go work in the Beis Hamikdash when it’s not their turn!
But there are two times a kohen CAN work in the Beis Hamikdash even if it’s a different kohanim’s family’s turn:
1) If they are bringing their OWN korban, they are allowed to bring it themselves
2) On Yom Tov, EVERYONE is allowed to help!
The kohanim who are working in the Beis Hamikdash share the parts of the korbanos that belong to them.
Now we learn that Yidden are not supposed to try to figure out what will happen in the future:
Learn from the Goyim how NOT to act!
None of the Yidden should do the strange Avodah Zarah that the Goyim do. They also shouldn’t try to figure out what will happen later — like by asking questions to people who use kochos of Tumah.
To Hashem, these kinds of things are very not nice, and He is sending the Goyim out of Eretz Yisroel because they act this way!
Yidden — “Tomim Tihiyeh Im Hashem Elokecha” — Act in an honest way with Hashem, don’t try to figure out what is going to happen, just have bitachon and Hashem will take care of you!
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Today’s shiur Tehillim is kapitelach Kuf-Mem to Kuf-Mem-Daled.
In today’s Tehillim, there is a posuk, “Tikon Tefilasi Ketores Lefanecha” — “I bring my davening before Hashem like Ketores!”
What is the connection between Ketores and davening?
When the kohen brings the Ketores, nobody else is allowed to be there — it’s just the kohen bringing the Ketores to Hashem. The same thing is when we daven — it’s private, between us and Hashem!
Also, the word Ketores is like the word “Kesher” (in Aramaic — Ketar) — a connection. Davening is one of the ways we make a special connection with Hashem.
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TANYA
Igeres Hakodesh Siman Tes
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This letter is another letter where the Alter Rebbe encourages Chassidim to give tzedakah!
When suppertime comes, we say, “Mommy, can I please have food?”
When everyone is playing ball, we ask “Can I please have a turn?”
Why do we ask for things for ourselves? We want to make sure we are taken care of and we have what we need.
Today the Alter Rebbe tells us that it’s the right thing... but sometimes it could be not for the right reason!
Yidden are called a Goy Echad Ba’aretz, which means that we are a special nation in the world. The Alter Rebbe tells us that this also means that we are a nation who remembers Echod, that we remember Hashem even Ba’aaretz, in the Gashmius things we do.
Since we have a neshama inside of ourselves, we need to take care of our bodies and use the Gashmius of the world the way Hashem wants — to be able to daven, learn Torah and do mitzvos in the best possible way!
But if we’re doing it for Hashem — the part of Hashem inside of our neshama — why should we worry only about our OWN neshama? Doesn’t EVERY Yid have a Neshama?
The answer is that the Torah says that first we take care of our own neshama, and only then should we take care of someone else. But since we remember that the main thing is the neshama, we will make sure to take care of as many neshamos as we can, and not JUST ourselves!
That will help us look at the mitzvah of Tzedakah in the right way and make sure to give as much as we can.
In tzedakah also, the Torah teaches us who to give to first. Even though we should really give to EVERYONE, first we need to give to our own family, and then we take care of other poor people. The Alter Rebbe says that taking care of the Tzadikim of the generation comes even BEFORE taking care of our own family! That’s why this letter was sent, explaining to Chassidim why it is a priority to give tzedakah to the tzadikim, R’ Menachem Mendel of Horodok and his talmidim, who lived in Eretz Yisroel.
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In today’s Hayom Yom, the Rebbe teaches us how precious it is to Hashem when we put in our own effort.
Did you ever start writing a letter to your Bubby or Zaidy and think, “This is taking too long! I’m not sure what to write! Mommy, can you please write it for me?”
Of course it will be much faster, and maybe look nicer too, if Mommy writes it. But what will make Bubby and Zaidy happier? They will love it so much more if WE write it — even if it isn’t as nice.
Our Avodas Hashem is like that too! Sometimes we think that we just want someone else to do it for us, or at least show us EXACTLY what to do! But Hashem loves it so much more when WE tried our best, even if it isn’t as perfect. That’s called “Avodah BeKoach Atzmo” — when we do the Avodah OURSELVES.
Today is Erev Rosh Chodesh Elul, and this is what Chodesh Elul is all about — putting in our own effort to become close to Hashem (Ani Ledodi)! Then, Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur are like Hashem taking us by the hand and bringing us closer to Him (Vedodi Li).
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We learn one last mitzvah about a Nazir:
1) (Mitzvas Asei #93) When a person finishes his time of being a Nazir, he has to shave off his hair and bring korbanos.
The Rambam learns this mitzvah from a posuk in Parshas Naso: בְּיוֹם מְלֹאת יְמֵי נִזְרוֹ
We also learn one mitzvah from the next set of halachos:
2) (Mitzvas Asei #114) If a person promises to give Hashem as much money as a certain person is worth, he needs to follow what it says in the Torah about how much money to give.
We learn this mitzvah from a posuk in Parshas Bechukosai: אִישׁ כִּי יַפְלִא נֶדֶר בְּעֶרְכְּךָ נְפָשֹׁת וגו׳
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RAMBAM
Hilchos Nezirus - Erchin V'Charamin
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In Rambam, we finish learning about the Nazir:
Perek Tes: At the end of a person’s Nezirus, he has to bring certain korbanos. The money that is set aside to pay for them, and the animals that he brings, get a special kedusha! So if he set aside too much money for his korbanos, the money has kedusha and can’t be used for other things.
Perek Yud: This is the last perek about the halachos of a Nazir.
There are three times a Nazir might need to shave his hair:
1) At the end of his Nezirus — Tiglachas Tahara
2) If he became tomei in the middle, he shaves all of his hair when he becomes tahor — Tiglachas Tumah
3) If he becomes tamei from Tzoraas during the time he is a Nazir
The Rambam tells us what happens if he has all three, or if there is a sofek that he might have them — how and when he needs to shave his hair and bring his korbanos.
At the end of this perek, the Rambam tells us that a person who becomes a Nazir for the right reason is very special to Hashem!
We now start a new set of Halachos — Hilchos Erchin VaCharamin — when a person promises to make a donation to Hashem (to help pay for keeping the Beis Hamikdash running). We learn how to find out how much a person is worth, or a field, or other kinds of things. This is also a kind of Neder (promise) — which is what this Sefer of Rambam (Hafla’ah) is all about! This is a kind of promise called Nidrei Hekdesh.
Perek Alef: The Rambam discusses the din of Erkei Adam, the worth of a person. The Rambam tells us from the Chumash how much money to give for each person based on if they are a man or a woman, and how old they are. There is also another kind of neder where we figure out how much someone is worth depending on how much people would pay for them if they were sold as a slave.
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In this perek, we learn the first 10 melachos, from plowing the earth to kneading the dough. The Rambam tells us the halachos of each of these melachos.
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The month of Elul is a very special time!
It is a time when we make a Cheshbon Hanefesh and see what things need to be fixed in our Avodas Hashem.
It is a chance to fix up anything that we missed in the past year, so that we will deserve to have only good in the coming year.
It is a time when we are protected from our Yetzer Hara, like an Ir Miklat we can run away to, so we will be able to do teshuvah without the Yetzer Hara messing everything up.
It is a time of Melech Basodeh, the king in the field, where Hashem is with us and helping us become better!
Elul is a very special time — but we need to use it!
We already start using this special time starting from Shabbos Nachamu and Shabbos Mevorchim Elul.
Erev Rosh Chodesh is ALWAYS a special time (an Eis Ratzon), and especially Erev Rosh Chodesh Elul! The Rebbe tells us that today we should make sure to add in Torah (our learning), Tefillah (davening and saying Tehillim), and Tzedakah (giving tzedakah and doing mitzvos), and helping other Yidden to do the same. This way we will be able to use the special koach of Elul to its fullest, and we will be sure that Hashem will bentch us all with a Shana Tova Umesukah!
See farbrengen Erev Rosh Chodesh Elul Tof-Shin-Lamed-Vov, Halachos Uminhagei Chabad
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The Rebbe taught the Yud-Beis Pesukim as part of Mivtza Chinuch. The Rebbe wanted us to know and understand them well, because they have lessons that are very important for our own Chinuch and to share with others! Every Yid, even young children, needs to know these messages. We should learn the pesukim by heart and understand what they mean so we can think about them wherever we are and whenever we can.
The pesukim come from the three main parts of Torah — Torah Shebichsav, Torah Shebaal Peh, and Chassidus. Today we are going to start reviewing the pesukim from the first part of Torah, Torah Shebichsav.
Very young children already knew the first two pesukim since the times of the Gemara! The Chachomim taught us that as soon as a child begins to speak, we teach them Torah Tziva and Shema.
Let’s review some of the lessons they teach us:
Torah Tziva — The message of Torah Tziva is how precious and special Torah is! Every Yid, no matter who, inherits the entire Torah! We need to know that every part of Torah belongs to us, and we just need to take this special treasure and use it.
Shema — The posuk of Shema teaches us that Hashem is in charge of the world. Even though the world looks gigantic, and sometimes even scary, it is all botul to Hashem. Hashem created the world, and takes care of every detail of the world with Hashgacha Protis.
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There are three main types of foods, with three general brachos: Ha’eitz, Ho’adamah, and Shehakol.
But there are some foods that the Chachomim taught us are IMPORTANT foods. These foods get their own specific bracha! Even though wine is a kind of drink, which should be Shehakol, it is a very important drink. For wine or grape juice, we say the bracha Hagafen.
Cooked grain, like wheat and barley, is also an important kind of food. Really, it grows from the ground, so it should be Ha’adama. But when grain is cooked, it gets a bracha of Mezonos, thanking Hashem for making satisfying food. If we make the grain into bread, it becomes Hamotzi, thanking Hashem for making bread!
Knowing that these are important foods will help us when we learn more halachos about saying brachos!
See Birchos Hanehenin, perek Alef se’if Beis
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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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We have a hora’ah from the Rebbe to learn Inyonei Geulah U’Moshiach, beginning from Torah Shebichsav, and also in all of the other parts of Torah. Here we are learning the pesukim of Torah Shebichsav that tell us about the time of the Geulah. We are up to the sefer Trei Asar, by the Navi Amos.
Amos was a Navi who lived in the times of the king Uziah (from Malchei Yehudah) and Yeravam the second (from Malchei Yisrael). At that time, things were very good for the Yidden in Gashmius. Their enemies were not fighting them, and they were very rich.
But the Yidden did not treat each other well. They cheated each other, and bribed the judges to say that they were right.
Amos warned the Yidden to do teshuvah, or else Hashem would punish them. At the end of his sefer, he said a few nevuos about the Geulah. The Navi told the Yidden that Hashem promises that a king from Dovid Hamelech will again rule over ALL of the Yidden!
בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא אָקִים אֶת סֻכַּת דָּוִיד הַנֹּפֶלֶת וְגָדַרְתִּי אֶת פִּרְצֵיהֶן וַהֲרִסֹתָיו אָקִים וּבְנִיתִיהָ כִּימֵי עוֹלָם
Bayom Hahu — On that day of Geulah,
Akim Es Sukas Dovid Hanofeles — I will pick up the Sukkah of Dovid which fell (meaning the melucha of the family of Dovid Hamelech)
Vegadarti Es Pirtzeihen — And I will close up any holes in the walls (meaning that there won’t be any other kings)
Vaharisosav Akim — And I will pick up its broken pieces
Uvnisiha Kimei Olam — And build it again as it used to be.
Even though the Yidden split into groups for a period of time, when Moshiach comes we will all be united with one king over all the Yidden!
See Amos perek Tes posuk 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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