|
|
CHUMASH
Parshas Haazinu - Chamishi with Rashi
|
|
To stop the Yidden from doing their aveiros anymore,
Hashem might let the goyim beat the Yidden in a war.
The goyim think that it’s because they’re smart, and so strong too
But if they were smarter, they’d know that can’t be true!
They tried to beat the Yidden so many times before
But even with their idols, they never won a war!
It has nothing to do with their fighting, or how powerful they’ve been
It’s only that Hashem is now letting them win.
~
Really, all of the aveiros are so bitter and upsetting
The punishment the Yidden deserve is worse than what they’re getting.
But Hashem won’t let the goyim DESTROY them, because then
The goyim would think that their idols are stronger than Hashem!
Never think that your aveiros can be hidden from Hashem!
Or that the Avos will keep you from getting punished for them!
Hashem knows every single thing that you do all along
And will punish so you’ll do teshuvah for what you did wrong.
~
When you are suffering from the aveiros, you’ll learn how to behave
You’ll see that when you need help, only Hashem can save!
The punishments will help you learn what you must know is true:
Hashem runs the world, and His mitzvos you must do.
|
|
|
|
Today’s Tehillim is kapitelach Kuf-Lamed-Hey through Kuf-Lamed-Tes. We also say the three kapitelach for Elul: Pey-Beis, Pey-Gimmel, and Pey-Daled.
Kapitel Kuf-Lamed-Tes 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. Adam HaRishon says: “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 learned in Tanya that you can have two opposite things together if they are for different reasons! Adam Harishon is last in one way, but first in another way:
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 madreigah, because he can do an aveira — going AGAINST what Hashem wants. Only a person can do an aveira — so he’s like the LAST, the lowest thing.
But he is FIRST because he has a neshama, and nothing else that Hashem made has a neshama like a person does! And even his Guf is very special, too.
So that’s how Adam Harishon can be FIRST AND LAST at the same time!
Every Yid, just like Adam Harishon, has the choice to be the first or last in Creation with the choices that he makes.
|
|
|
TANYA
Igeres Hakodesh Siman Yud-Ches
|
|
Doing mitzvos like giving tzedakah helps us to not fall for the Yetzer Hara’s tricks!
Every Yid has love for Hashem hiding inside. Because of it, he always wants to be close to Hashem and act the way Hashem wants.
Sometimes, a person can forget and think that it doesn’t really matter so much if he does an aveira. But really, it’s a trick of the Yetzer Hara that doesn’t want us to remember that we love Hashem!
The Avodah of a Yid is to take away all of the things that try to hide the love for Hashem so we will be able to serve Hashem properly in everything we do!
This is something we need to do ourselves, but we still also need Hashem’s help to have hatzlacha. By doing mitzvos like giving Tzedakah, we get a special bracha from Hashem to be successful in our mission!
|
|
|
|
In today’s Hayom Yom we learn that someone who gives from his time for tzedakah or strengthening Yiddishkeit will be paid well by Hashem! Even if it takes some time, Hashem will not remain in debt.
How does a person become rich?
Does he just have a good job and work hard?
No! That is just the keili that the person makes to receive the bracha from Hashem. What makes a person rich or have any other good things like to be healthy and have nachas from children, is all from the bracha of Hashem!
How do we get that bracha? Today we learn the secret: By learning Torah and doing mitzvos and acting the way Hashem wants!
When we give our time to do Shlichus — spreading Yiddishkeit and helping Yidden with what they need — that ESPECIALLY brings Hashem’s brachos! Hashem doesn’t owe people things for a long time — everything we do, Hashem pays us back with brachos and good things.
|
|
|
SEFER HAMITZVOS
Shiur #145 - Mitzvas Asei #140, #136, #137, Lo Saasei #224, #225, #226
|
|
Today we learn SIX mitzvos about Yovel! Yovel is the 50th year — after we had 7 Shemitah years!
1) (Mitzvas Asei #140) It is a mitzvah to count the years until Yovel — after every 7 Shemitah years, it is Yovel! This is a mitzvah for the Sanhedrin. Just like every Yid counts the days of Sefiras Ha’omer, the Sanhedrin counts 49 years, and the 50th year is Yovel.
We learn this mitzvah from a posuk in Parshas Behar: וְסָפַרְתָּ לְךָ שֶׁבַע שַׁבְּתֹת שָׁנִים וְגוֹ׳
2) (Mitzvas Asei #136) We need to make the Yovel year holy, like Shemitah — not planting and working the land, and making the food that grows hefker.
We learn this mitzvah from a posuk in Parshas Behar: וְקִדַּשְׁתֶּם אֵת שְׁנַת הַחֲמִשִּׁים שָׁנָה
3) (Mitzvas Asei #137) We blow the Shofar on Yom Kippur of the Yovel year, to show that all Jewish slaves need to go free.
We learn this mitzvah from a posuk in Parshas Behar: וְהַעֲבַרְתָּ שׁוֹפַר תְּרוּעָה בַּחֹדֶשׁ הַשְּׁבִעִי בֶּעָשׂוֹר לַחֹדֶשׁ בְּיוֹם הַכִּפֻּרִים תַּעֲבִירוּ שׁוֹפָר בְּכָל אַרְצְכֶם ... וּקְרָאתֶם דְּרוֹר בָּאָרֶץ לְכָל ישְׁבֶיהָ
4) (Mitzvas Lo Saasei #224) We are not allowed to work in the fields during Yovel.
We learn this mitzvah from a posuk in Parshas Behar: לֹא תִזְרָעוּ
5) (Mitzvas Lo Saasei #225) We aren’t allowed to harvest food that grew by itself during Yovel.
We learn this mitzvah from a posuk in Parshas Behar: וְלֹא תִקְצְרוּ אֶת סְפִיחֶיהָ
6) (Mitzvas Lo Saasei #226) We are not allowed to harvest fruit that grew during Yovel.
We learn this mitzvah from a posuk in Parshas Behar: וְלֹא תִבְצְרוּ אֶת נְזִרֶיהָ
|
|
|
RAMBAM
Hilchos Shemitah VeYovel
|
|
In today’s Rambam, we learn many halachos about Kedushas Shevi’is, the kedusha of food that grew during Shemitah.
Perek Vov: Food that grows during Shemitah is holy! We are not allowed to sell it like we sell regular fruits and vegetables. We can only sell a little bit of it at a time (like enough to eat for one day), and the money we get for selling it becomes holy too! We can only use the money to buy food to eat. Once we buy the food, the money loses its kedusha, and the food we bought gets Kedushas Shevi’is.
Perek Zayin: We are allowed to gather food that grew by itself during Shemitah to eat during Shemitah. But once that kind of food stops growing, we aren’t allowed to have it in our house anymore! So once the grapes are all finished for the year, and there are no more grapes in the vineyards, we can’t have them at home either. We need to do “Biur” (like Biur Chometz!) of all of that food! On the day of biur, we can try to give out whatever Shemitah grapes or raisins we have left for people to eat that day, and whatever is left needs to be burned.
Perek Ches: We need to be careful not to help a person do an aveira by helping them do something asur during Shemitah. For example, a person is not allowed to sell a plow to someone that we know might use it during Shemitah.
|
|
|
|
Today we learn the other way of making an Eruv Techumin: Going to a place and staying there until Shabbos starts. That way, a person can make that their place for Shabbos and walk 2,000 amos in any direction from that spot.
The Rambam tells us that really this is the MAIN way of making an Eruv Techumin, and putting food there is something the Chachomim set up to make it easier.
|
|
|
|
This year, Rosh Hashana falls out on Shabbos.
Whenever this happened, the Rebbe would tell us that we need to make this year a Shabbos’dike year!
How do we make a year Shabbos’dik?
The Rebbe explained this many times in different ways. Here is one way to make a year Shabbos’dik:
Shabbos is a day of rest. We rest from doing melacha, and are able to spend more time learning and davening and thinking about our connection to Hashem!
On all of the other days of the week, we have a lot of things to do. We need to do all kinds of melacha to take care of all of the Gashmius that we need.
So how do we make a whole year Shabbos’dik? We can’t not do melacha for a whole year! We need to cook food, to work, to write, and to travel!
First of all, we can make sure to make EXTRA time to learn and daven! And, we can make sure that when we do our weekday kinds of things, we are thinking about how they will help us stay connected to Hashem!
For example, when we are working, we can think about how the money we will earn will help us be able to learn Torah with a clear head, to do the mitzvah of giving tzedakah, and to pay for the Chinuch of our children.
That way, even when we’re doing weekday things, we’re doing them in a way of Shabbos — a time of feeling extra connected to Hashem.
See many Michtavim Klalim and Farbrengens of years when Rosh Hashana falls out on Shabbos
|
|
|
▼ Jump to Coloring Books & Downloads ▼
|
|
|
|
On Rosh Hashana, we say the bracha of Shehecheyanu on BOTH days of Rosh Hashana, all over the world.
We don’t say Shehecheyanu at a Bris Milah, because even though the baby got such a special mitzvah, it can still hurt! Because the baby has tzaar, we don’t say the bracha of Shehecheyanu.
But we DO say Shehecheyanu on Rosh Hashana. The fact that we say this bracha on Rosh Hashana teaches us that there is no place for tzaar on Rosh Hashana.
The Rebbe tells us that this is because we have bitachon — we are SURE that Hashem will bentch us with a good year, a Kesiva Vachasima Tova, a Shana Tova Umesuka! That’s why we say Shehecheyanu, which is only said when we have a feeling of simcha!
See Farbrengen Erev Rosh Hashana Tof-Shin-Lamed-Zayin and Tof-Shin-Lamed-Tes
|
|
|
|
Rosh Hashana is not like every other day of the year. It is like the head of the year!
Your body is made of lots of different parts. Your stomach, toes, fingers, nose, and more! But one of those parts is different. It has the chayus of the whole body, and sends it to the rest of the body. This is the head, of course!
The days, hours and minutes of Rosh Hashana are the head of the year. They hold the chayus for every other day!
So we are extra-careful with how we behave on Rosh Hashana. We know that this time will make a difference for our whole year!
We have extra chayus in our Kabolas Ol, so that the whole year will have more Kabolas Ol. How do we have more Kabolas Ol? By saying a lot of Tehillim, which we say even if we don’t understand it.
We also make sure not to waste any time, by using every free moment not to talk about narishkeit, but to say more Tehillim!
This way, our Rosh Hashana will be a good and healthy head that will help our whole year be a time of Kabolas Ol and Simcha!
Igros Kodesh vol. 3, p. 468, and see Otzar Minhagei Chabad Elul-Tishrei p. 68 for additional reasons
|
|
לעילוי נשמת הרה״ח ר׳ דניאל יצחק ע״ה בן ר׳ אפרים שי׳ מאסקאוויץ
שליח כ"ק אדמו"ר נשיא דורנו למדינת אילינוי
|
|
|
|
We learned, based what the Rambam says in Igeres Teiman, that nevuah will return to the Yidden before Moshiach comes!
We learned when this first happened, and which great tzadikim lived then.
Later, in the times of the Nesiim of Chassidus, the Baal Shem Tov, the Alter Rebbe, and the later Rebbeim, again we saw great nissim that they did, and nevuos they said about what would happen in the future! They had the signs the Rambam gives to know if someone is a true Navi.
In our time, the Frierdiker Rebbe (and later the Rebbe too) told us that “Hinei Zeh Moshiach Ba” — Moshiach is about to come!
By following the horaos that they gave us, we will speed up the time when we will see this nevuah come true!
See Sefer Hasichos Tof-Shin-Nun-Alef p. 790 ff
|
|
|
|
|
לע"נ התינוק זאב ארי' ע"ה בן יבלט"א הרה"ח ר' שניאור זלמן שי' גליק
נפטר ב' מנחם אב ה'תשע"ג
|
|
Give children around the world the gift of Kids Chitas!
KidsChitas.org/sponsor
|
|
|
