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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Yesterday, we learned that the Yidden made the Choshen and the Efod. Today we learn that Betzalel and Oholiav made the rest of the kohanim’s clothes, the four pieces of clothing for the Kohen Hedyot (the regular kohanim), and the rest of the eight pieces for the Kohen Gadol: 1) The Me’il for the Kohen Gadol with the bells and pomegranates on the bottom In last week’s parsha, they had finished building the Mishkan, and today, once they finished the clothing, the entire Mishkan was complete! The Torah tells us that the Yidden did it exactly the way Hashem commanded Moshe. |
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Today we say the first half of Kapitel Kuf-Yud-Tes. It has 176 pesukim, 8 pesukim for every letter in the Alef-Beis! Most of the pesukim in this kapitel talk about how special Torah is and how much we love it! Here’s one of the first pesukim: “Az Lo Eivosh, Behabiti El Kol Mitzvosecha” — it means “I won’t be embarrassed because I look carefully at all of your mitzvos.” The Rambam uses this posuk at the very beginning of his sefer. What is the connection between the sefer of the Rambam and looking at mitzvos so we are not embarrassed? When we just learn Chumash, we see many mitzvos that Hashem gave the Yidden. But even though we know that they are mitzvos, we don’t really know the details of how they are kept. That might make us feel embarrassed that we don’t really know the mitzvos! That’s why the Rambam tells us this posuk at the beginning of his sefer. When we learn the halachos of the mitzvos, like we do in Rambam, we won’t be embarrassed when we look at the mitzvos, because we will know how to keep every single mitzvah with all of its details! See Yein Malchus (new print) siman beis |
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In the beginning of Tanya, we learned about the Milchemes Hanefashos, the war that is going on inside of a person between the Yetzer Tov and the Yetzer Hara. We learned how to win against the Yetzer Hara, through reminding ourselves of the hidden power of Mesiras Nefesh which is inside the neshama, and through having simcha. Now we are learning about the GOAL of all of our Avodah, and why doing mitzvos with Maaseh (when we do something with Gashmius) is so important. The Alter Rebbe tells us that the Shechinah is brought down specifically when we do mitzvos with Maaseh! Now we are learning how this all accomplishes the purpose and brings the Geulah! In today’s Tanya we learn that the goal of bringing Geulah is one that all of the Yidden do TOGETHER! To bring the Geulah, we need the avodah of all of the Yidden together. The Chachomim say that the world was created for Yidden to keep the Torah and mitzvos. The Yidden have 600,000 general neshamos, that the rest of the neshamos come from. So the world is also split up into 600,000 sections, which are divided into smaller parts. Each neshama has “Chelko Ba’olam,” a part of the world that it needs to make into kedusha. We all have things that we need to use for our Avodas Hashem. The Gashmius things we use to spread Yiddishkeit, what we use for parnasa, or the things that give us simcha or chayus, are all part of our “Chelek Ba’olam,” the part of the world that we need to make into kedusha. Some Yidden might send Divrei Torah on WhatsApp, some might build Mikvaos, some might work in hospitals, and others make sure their homes are beautiful and welcoming. When all Yidden take care of their part of the world, the whole world will be used for kedusha, and will be ready for the Geulah! |
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The Hayom Yom was written for the year Tof-Shin-Gimmel and Tof-Shin-Daled. That year was a Shana Me’uberes (a leap year) and there were two Adars. This year there is only one Adar, so we learn the Hayom Yoms from BOTH Adars! Chof-Hey Adar Alef We learn about the Chabad nusach we say in davening. In our siddurim it is already printed this way. After we say the Shir Shel Yom (“Hayom Yom ___ BaShabbos, Shebo Hayu HaLeviim Omrim...”) we say a short paragraph that starts “Hoshienu.” We say this paragraph EVERY day — even on Shabbos, Yom Tov, Rosh Hashana, and Yom Kippur! In this paragraph we ask Hashem to save us and take us out of Golus, and bring us to Geulah. This is another place where we see that asking Hashem for Moshiach is something we need to do every day, including Shabbos and Yom Tov, Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur! Chof-Hey Adar Sheini The Chossid R’ Mordechai Horodoker told us what was the first thing the Chassidim learned when they came to the Alter Rebbe in Liozna: “Vos men tor nit, tor men nit — un vos men meg, darf men nit!” What we aren’t allowed to do — we aren’t allowed to do! And what we ARE allowed to do — we don’t necessarily need it. There are things that are asur — like non-kosher food, or hitting our friends. We can’t do them! There are also things that we ARE allowed to do — like eat nosh, or play computer games. But we need to think before each time: Do we need to do them for our Avodas Hashem? Will they help us learn or daven better, or be happier on Shabbos? Or do we not need them? If we don’t need them, we shouldn’t do them! The Chassidim spent 3 to 4 years making sure that they were careful to keep this hora’ah — to only use Gashmius if it would help serve Hashem. Only then did they allow themselves to go into Yechidus with the Alter Rebbe to hear what was their special way of Avodas Hashem! One of the things we can learn from this Hayom Yom is that even though each one of us has a special shlichus in the world, one thing that is a part of ALL of our Shlichus is this hora’ah! Of course we need to stay away from things that are asur, but we also need to make sure to use the things we ARE allowed to use only if they help us in our Avodas Hashem. |
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In Sefer Hamitzvos, we learn the same mitzvah again, since we’re busy learning SO MANY halachos about it in Rambam! The mitzvah is Mitzvas Asei #5, that we serve Hashem by davening to Him. We learn this mitzvah from a posuk in Parshas Mishpatim: וַעֲבַדְתֶּם אֵת ה׳ אֱלֹקֵיכֶם |
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Perek Yud-Alef: In this perek, we learn about a shul! In a place where there are 10 Yidden, we need to make sure there is a shul. A shul has to be treated with kavod, and we have to keep it clean — sweeping and mopping the floors! Perek Yud-Beis: Now we learn halachos about Kriyas HaTorah! Moshe Rabbeinu taught us to lein from the Torah on Mondays, Thursdays, and Shabbos, so that there are never 3 days in a row without hearing the holy words of the Torah. Perek Yud-Gimmel: In this perek, the Rambam teaches us the halachos about leining the parshios each week, so we finish the whole Torah every year. Did you know that some people had a minhag to read shorter parts of the Torah, and only finish it every three years? The Rambam writes that finishing the Chumash in three years isn’t the minhag haposhut. Based on this Rambam, the Rebbe taught two ways to learn the daily Shiur of Rambam: To finish it in one year, or to finish it in three years. The Rebbe said that just like we finish Torah Shebichsav (the Chumash) in one year, the minhag haposhut should be also to finish Torah Shebaal Peh (the halachos of Rambam) in one year. |
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In this perek we learn that a clay keili is only tomei if it is a Klei Kibul — it has a place to hold things inside. |
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Today is a very special day! It’s Chof-Hey Adar, the birthday of the Rebbetzin! The first birthday of the Rebbetzin after her histalkus in Tof-Shin-Mem-Ches, the Rebbe said that he will make something special in her honor — to start a campaign that everyone should start celebrating their birthdays! What does it mean to celebrate a birthday? It means that we should all keep certain minhagim that will make our birthday a special day for us. These minhagim will remind us that we were born to accomplish a special Shlichus which Hashem needs us to do. When we use our special day in the right way it will help us do our Shlichus even better, and do our part in bringing the Geulah! After the Rebbe started the campaign for Yom Huledes, a list was put together with all of the horaos that the Rebbe gave over the years to people for their birthdays. This list was printed in Sefer Hasichos. Many of these minhagim are also important for children! When the Rebbe gave out dollars for tzedakah, many people would tell the Rebbe that it was their birthday. At the time when Mivtza Yom Huledes started, the Rebbe would remind them about certain birthday minhagim! Here are two of them that the Rebbe would tell people to do on their birthday — also to kids! - Make a farbrengen on your birthday - Give tzedakah on the day of your birthday See the full list of minhagim as translated in Sichos in English |
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Davening is called “Avodah Shebelev,” work of the heart (feelings). Of course we need to use our mouth to say the words of davening, and our eyes to look at the words in the siddur. But it’s called specifically Avodah Shebelev. Chassidus teaches that we need to think about certain things in our mind which will help us feel the right things in our heart when we daven. For example, let’s look at Shema: Before we say Shema, we talk about how Hashem has so many malochim who all sing praise to Hashem and have complete bittul to Him! Even though He could have chosen any of these powerful and perfect malochim, Hashem chose specifically a Yid — ME! — to be His shliach in the world. He chose ME to learn Torah, do mitzvos, and bring Elokus into the world. We close our eyes and cover them, and say the words of Shema. We think about how Hashem is One, and how the whole world is Hashem. Then we open our eyes... and the world DOESN’T look like Hashem! Still, we know that what we said in Shema is true, and that Hashem wants us to act in a certain way. We decide that we are going to love Hashem and do what He wants. We say “Ve’ahavta,” we feel a love for Hashem and want to do all of His mitzvos. Then we stand before Hashem privately in Shmoneh Esrei. We ask Him to give us all of our needs so we can do our shlichus properly. This way, our work will bring Hashem nachas and make a Dira Betachtonim in the world. |
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In the time of the Beis Hamikdash, the Chachomim made a takana that every chochom who gives drashos and teaches Torah should start speaking about the halachos of the Yom Tov from 30 days before. So, for example, starting on Purim he should start teaching the halachos of Pesach. This takana did not stop after the Churban, and every teacher has the responsibility to make sure that his students know the halachos of what to do. These days, everything is written in seforim, so we don’t need to hear a drasha from a chochom. Still it’s a mitzvah for every person to learn the halachos before the Yom Tov so they know them well and they know what to do. Now we even have halacha newsletters, which tell us in short the halachos of what to do in most situations, written in a clear and simple way! We should make sure to take the time to look at them so we know what to do and how to do it. See Alter Rebbe’s Shulchan Aruch, siman Tof-Chof-Tes; Halacha newsletter from Rabbi Lesches of Melbourne or Halacha Day to Day from Rabbi Braun from Crown Heights |
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לעילוי נשמת הרה״ח ר׳ דניאל יצחק בן ר׳ אפרים ע״ה מאסקאוויץ
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One time there was a Shliach who went to teach a Yid about Yiddishkeit. He made an appointment to visit the man’s office. This man was a professor, who was very smart and not easy to speak to! The Shliach started talking to him about Yiddishkeit, and the professor argued with him. The professor went to get a book to try to show the Shliach that he is right, and when he came back he saw that the Shliach is standing near the wall and shaking back and forth! After he finished, the Shliach told the professor that he was davening Mincha before it got too late. The professor was so impressed that even though this appointment was very important, when the Shliach had to talk to Hashem, he stopped right away to daven! This professor became a Baal Teshuva and helped many other Yidden come closer to Yiddishkeit too! The Rebbe told this story at a farbrengen. The Rebbe was speaking about how we need to want Moshiach to come now, and help other Yidden to have emunah in Moshiach too! The Rebbe used this story as an example: We should learn from here that even though manners are important, when we tell a Yid first thing about Moshiach, and that we want Moshiach now, this will get his neshama excited! He sees that a regular person comes to him, and what is he thinking about? He’s thinking about Moshiach and that we want Moshiach to come now! See Parshas Tzav 5745 |
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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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| Credits: Chumash based on Kehos Chumash | thanks Chabad.org/dailystudy | most images chinuch.org |
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