For the safety and security of the Yidden in Eretz Yisrael
and the success of the soldiers fighting for its protection
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There are no Rashis in today’s Chumash, because we are reviewing what we already learned in Parshas Terumah, and Rashi explained it there. In today’s Chumash, we see how Betzalel and Oholiav made the Menorah, the Mizbeiach Haketores, the Shemen Hamish’cha (oil for getting things ready to be used for a special kedusha job), and the Ketores — just like Hashem told them to! |
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In today’s first Kapitel, Dovid Hamelech tells us about the wonders of Hashem in the creation of the world! The second posuk says, “Oteh Or KaSalma” — “Hashem puts on light, like clothes.” When someone is wearing clothes, we can only see the clothes, but we know who is wearing them! And when we see light, like the sun, we can remember that it’s like Hashem’s clothes! Even though we can’t see Hashem, Hashem is there! This will help us have Yiras Shomayim. |
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In the last perek, the Alter Rebbe told us that only when we do a mitzvah with maaseh, then the Shechinah can rest even on our guf. In this perek, the Alter Rebbe will explain to us why maaseh, doing the mitzvah with our guf and Gashmius, is so important. The Chachomim tell us that “Hashem wants a place to live in the lowest place that He created” (Dira Betachtonim). The Alter Rebbe tells us that it means that Hashem wants a place to live right here in this Gashmius world! Why is this called “Tachtonim” (the lowest)? Because here is where Hashem is hidden the MOST. Hashem wants to have a Dira here, which is the darkest and lowest part of the creation, because the greatest light comes only after there is darkness. That’s why the greatest light of Hashem can only be revealed in this world. When will Hashem’s Dira be ready? When Moshiach comes! Then Hashem will be revealed, even here in the Tachtonim — this world! In the next perek the Alter Rebbe will explain how this Dira is completed — when we do mitzvos, especially mitzvos with maaseh, during the time of Golus. |
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The Hayom Yom was written for a year where there were TWO Adars (a Shana Me’uberes). This year there is only ONE Adar (a Shanah Peshutah), so we learn BOTH Hayom Yoms every day! Chof-Alef Adar Alef In the Mishnah and in the Gemara, we see the title “chossid” used a lot. For example, it is used about Adam Harishon, who is called a chossid because he recognized what happened as a result of the Cheit Eitz Hadaas, and fasted and did teshuvah for 130 years. When the Chachomim talk about a chossid, they are talking about someone who is very wise, has very good midos, or both. But when we use the name “Chossid” in Chassidus, we mean something else. We mean someone who: 1) Someone who knows who he is (Makir Mehuso)! (In Tanya we learn about who we are as individuals, that we have a constant battle with our Yetzer Hara, and the kochos Hashem gives us to win over it.) 2) He knows which parts of Torah he knows already. 3) He knows how he is using his time and kochos in learning Torah now. 4) He knows how he is doing in keeping the mitzvos and following Shulchan Aruch. 5) He is doing his best to fix up things he knows he is missing, and where he could be doing better. 6) He has a lot of Kabolas Ol to do what he knows he has to do! Chof-Alef Adar Sheini In yesterday’s Hayom Yom, we learned what the Maggid told the Alter Rebbe: It’s not enough to just have the korban of giving of ourselves to Hashem, but it needs to be done with a constant chayus, like the fire on the Mizbeiach that never went out. The Tzemach Tzedek told over the story in yesterday’s Hayom Yom and concluded: My grandfather, the Alter Rebbe, is the “Moshe Rabbeinu” of Chassidus Chabad! What did Moshe Rabbeinu do? Hashem gave the Torah to Moshe, but he shared it with all of the Yidden! The same way, the Maggid gave the Alter Rebbe the “fire” of Chassidus, but the Alter Rebbe shared it with EVERYONE who learns and teaches Chassidus! The Tzemach Tzedek continued: I am sure that anyone who teaches another Yid, and helps HIM have a “fire,” a chayus in Chassidus — Hashem will reward him with a zechus that will never go out. This Hayom Yom comes from a letter written to R’ Mordechai Cheifetz, one of the mashpiim of the club for girls, Achos HaTmimim, which the Frierdiker Rebbe started to inspire the girls to grow in learning Chassidus and behaving like a chossid — Darkei Hachassidus. In this letter, the Frierdiker Rebbe tells R’ Mordechai this story, to show that the girls should not just be learning for Kabolas Ol, but they should have a fire, a chayus in it too! In a sicha, the Rebbe brings two lessons we should all learn from this: See Likutei Sichos chelek Alef, parshas Tzav |
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Today we learn two mitzvos. We learn one mitzvah from the last perakim of Hilchos Kriyas Shema, and one from the new set of halachos we are starting today, Hilchos Tefillah. 1) (Mitzvas Asei #10) Shema: We need to say Shema every day, in the morning and at night. We learn this mitzvah from a posuk in Parshas Vaeschanan: וְדִבַּרְתָּ בָּם בְּשִׁבְתְּךָ בְּבֵיתֶךָ The details are explained in Mesechta Brachos. 2) (Mitzvas Asei #5) Tefillah: We need to daven to Hashem. In the Torah, this is called Avodah. We learn this mitzvah from a posuk in Parshas Mishpatim: וַעֲבַדְתֶּם אֵת ה׳ אֱלֹקֵיכֶם |
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In Perek Gimmel, we learn many halachos about where we are allowed to say Shema. For example, a person can’t say Shema (or any other words of kedusha) in a smelly place or in a bathroom. Perek Daled: Some people don’t have the mitzvah to say Kriyas Shema every day. For example, women have a different kind of Avodas Hashem, so they don’t have to do certain mitzvos that have a specific time, like saying Kriyas Shema. Now we finish this set of halachos, and start learning Hilchos Tefillah! Perek Alef: The Rambam tells us about how davening used to be — people used to daven in their own words. From the time of Moshe Rabbenu until Ezra Hasofer, there was no nusach for davening — everyone davened in Lashon Kodesh the way they felt and when they needed something. When Yidden didn’t know how to speak in Lashon Kodesh very well anymore, they couldn’t express themselves properly in davening. So the Anshei Knesses Hagedolah made Shemoneh Esrei for everyone to say. The first three brachos say how special Hashem is, and the last three brachos say “thank You” to Hashem. In the middle there are many brachos that ask Hashem for things that Yidden need. The Chachomim also made set times for davening the different tefillos each day, that match up to the times when korbanos were brought. |
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This perek explains how something can keep tumah from being passed on. If you fill a pot with food and then seal it closed, and put it into a tomei oven, the pot and the food stays tahor. But if you put something that GIVES tumah inside of a pot and seal it closed, it can still make the whole oven tomei. |
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Giving Shmurah matzah to Yidden who wouldn’t otherwise have it is one of the Rebbe’s mivtzoyim — Mivtza Matzah! Here are some things to keep in mind, from the Rebbe’s letters about this mivtza: The Rebbe tells us to make sure and ask Hashem to help us have hatzlacha in doing this mivtza. We always ask Hashem to have hatzlacha in the things we do for ourselves. We should ask Hashem even more since we’re trying to help other people — we need EXTRA hatzlacha! ~ In a letter, the Rebbe writes that giving Shmurah Matzah is like giving tzedakah: The Medrash says, “Yoser Mimah Shebaal Habayis Oseh Im Ho’oni, Ho’oni Oseh Im Baal Habayis” — when someone gives tzedakah, what the poor person gives him is worth even more than what he gave to the poor person! It’s the same thing with giving Shmurah Matzah! Matzah brings special brachos to a Yid, like Emunah and health. When we help other Yidden with the mitzvah of matzah, we get even MORE of those brachos for ourselves! Since everyone needs those brachos from matzah, we should make sure to give out A LOT of matzah this year! See Mafteichos to Sichos Kodesh, Mivtza Matzah |
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“Shema Yisroel…” When we say these words, we are saying that we understand that there is nothing aside for Hashem — Hashem is One! So we are ready to do whatever Hashem wants, and not let anything stop us! But it’s not just enough to say the words. We need to really mean it! The Chachomim helped us by giving us two brachos before Shema. They help us get ready to say Shema properly and mean what we say! First, we say the bracha of Yotzer Ohr, about how Hashem created the world and about the malochim. Then, we say the bracha of Ahavas Olam, about how Hashem loves the Yidden, and we ask Hashem to help us learn Torah and do mitzvos. How do those brachos help us have Kabolas Ol? We will see IY”H tomorrow! |
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Hashem is Ein Sof, without sizes or measurements or limits! But still, Hashem put Himself into mitzvos we can do that DO have a specific shiur, a specific size or measurement. Whenever the Chachomim made a takana, that ALSO has a certain shiur! All of the mitzvos we do on the night of Pesach have a specific shiur, and are done in a certain order. This is important to know, because if we want to keep the mitzvos, we need to do them in the way that halacha teaches! In halacha, for something to be counted as eating, we need to eat a certain amount and in a certain amount of time. If someone eats less, it might be like tasting something, not eating it! And if it takes us too long to eat it, it might also not be counted as eating — it’s like taking a bunch of tastes instead! So to be counted as eating the matzah and the maror, and drinking the Daled Kosos, we need to make sure to eat or drink the right amount in a short enough time. (There are different opinions in halacha about what amount a person needs to eat or drink, and how long they have to finish, lechat’chila and bedieved. You can see these opinions in the halacha newsletters, or ask your Rav which opinion you should follow.) Let’s look at one of these things, the kos of wine that we drink. The cup of wine needs to be big enough to hold a Revi’is. (It is better to have a smaller kos and drink the whole thing, than to have a bigger kos and only drink part, because drinking only part of the kos is bedieved.) But how much is a Revi’is? Chabad goes according to the opinion of R’ Avraham Chaim No’eh, who says that the shiurim are pretty small. R’ Avraham Chaim No’eh holds that a Revi’is is 86 ml (this is actually the same Gematria as the word kos, 86!), which is about 2.9 ounces. (Most standard bechers are 5 ounces or bigger.) See the Halacha Newsletter by Rabbi Lesches from Melbourne, or the Day by Day guide by the Crown Heights Beis Din |
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לעילוי נשמת הרה״ח ר׳ דניאל יצחק בן ר׳ אפרים ע״ה מאסקאוויץ
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Even though Parshas Vayakhel speaks about the Mishkan, the first few pesukim are about Shabbos. Moshe Rabbeinu tells the Yidden, “Sheishes Yamim Tei’aseh Melacha,” for six days your work should be done, “U’vayom HaShvi’i Yihiyeh Lachem Kodesh, Shabbos Shabbason LaHashem,” and on the seventh day it should be holy for you, a Shabbos Shabbason for Hashem. Why does Moshe tell the Yidden about Shabbos as if it is something new to them? The Yidden already know about Shabbos and it is one of the Aseres Hadibros! The Rebbe explains that Moshe Rabbeinu was teaching the Yidden about HOW to keep Shabbos. The posuk doesn’t say, “for six days you should do your work.” It says, “for six days your work SHOULD BE DONE.” There are two ways to look at the work we do: 1) When we work, we are earning money for ourselves and our families. We use this money in order to live. So the work is where our parnasa comes from. 2) Hashem gives us parnasa. But Hashem wants us to do something to get that parnasa, and that is to work. So the work is just a keili, but the parnasa is from Hashem. We might think that it makes no difference what we think! Either way, we are doing work, and we are getting parnasa. But it DOES make a difference! If we think that our money comes from the work we do, when we want or need more money we will need to work harder. We will need to spend a lot of time thinking about how to do our work better. Moshe Rabbeinu told the Yidden NOT to think this way! Not that “you should work” for six days, but that for six days “your work should be done!” You don’t need to spend all of our kochos and time on working, you just need to make sure your work gets done. Hashem will make sure that it brings us all the parnasa we need! Then, all of the rest of the time can be used for kedusha, for Torah and Tefillah and helping others. When we work in this way, our whole week will be full of kedusha! Then on Shabbos, when we can feel kedusha even more, it will be VERY Shabbos’dik — Shabbos Shabbason! The Torah tells us this right before teaching us about the Mishkan, to teach us something important: When we make our lives Shabbos’dik, it will bring us to have the Mishkan! Not just the Mishkan in the Midbar, but the continuation of the Mishkan, the Beis Hamikdash and the Beis Hamikdash Hashlishi, may it be built very soon! See Likutei Sichos chelek Alef, Parshas Vayakhel |
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לע"נ התינוק זאב ארי' ע"ה בן יבלט"א הרה"ח ר' שניאור זלמן שי' גליק
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