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CHUMASH
Parshas Bamidbar - Sheini with Rashi
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Today we see how many Yidden Moshe Rabbeinu and Aharon counted:
Reuven: 46,500
Shimon: 59,300
Gad: 45,650
Yehudah: 74,600
Yissachar: 54,400
Zevulun: 57,400
Efrayim: 40,500
Menasheh: 32,200
Benyamin: 35,400
Dan: 62,700
Asher: 41,500
Naftali: 53,400
Altogether: 603,550
But there is one Shevet missing! Can you figure out who it is?
It’s Shevet Levi! Hashem told Moshe not to count the Leviim together with the rest of the Yidden. The Leviim are special, and should be counted separately.
Hashem said that the Leviim have a job to take care of the Mishkan and all of the things in it. They will carry it in the Midbar. They will work in the Mishkan. They will camp around the Mishkan. They will take apart the Mishkan before the Yidden go, and put it together when they stop. No one from any other Shevet is allowed to do this work!
The Yidden were told to camp in the order Hashem says later in this parsha, and they all listened to everything Hashem said.
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In today’s Tehillim, we say the kapitelach of Hallel!
In the second Kapitel, we talk about how the Yidden went out of Mitzrayim and crossed the Yam Suf. The posuk says “Hoysa Yehudah LeKodsho, Yisroel Mamshelosav. HaYam Ra’ah Vayanos.” The translation is, “Yehuda (the Yidden) became Hashem’s holy nation, Yisroel (another name for the Yidden) became His kingdom. The sea saw and ran away!”
The Gemara in Sotah (which we’re learning during Sefiras Haomer) explains this posuk:
When the Yidden were standing by the Yam Suf, they didn’t know what to do. The Mitzriyim were running after them, and they couldn’t go anywhere because they were stuck by the water! Moshe Rabbeinu was davening to Hashem. Nachshon ben Aminadav, from Shevet Yehudah, decided to just keep doing what Hashem told them before, and keep going. He jumped into the water and kept going! Hashem made the neis of Kriyas Yam Suf and the sea split.
Hashem gave Nachshon a reward for what he did, that the Yiddishe kings will later come from Shevet Yehudah.
So the Gemara explains the posuk: “Hashem made the Shevet of Yehudah holy, that he will rule Yisroel (the Yidden). Why? Because ‘Hayam Ra’ah Vayanos’ — ‘the sea (Yam Suf) saw that he was making a Kiddush Hashem’ and ran away (split).”
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TANYA
Likutei Amarim Perek Nun-Alef
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In today’s Tanya we learn part of a mashal that will help us understand how although Hashem is everywhere, the Shechinah is revealed in certain places.
Hashem gave every one of us a Neshama, which is what gives us chayus and makes us alive.
But there are TWO kinds of chayus that we get from the neshama — one kind of chayus that is the same for every part of us, that just makes us alive, and a second kind of chayus that gives each part of us exactly the kochos it needs (like the koach to see for our eyes, or to hear for our ears).
The main place where this second kind of chayus is the head. All of the kochos are there, hiding. They spread out to the right parts of the body so it will work the way Hashem made it. Even the heart, which is so important, gets its chayus from the head! (This is what we learned before in Tanya, that the mind has a koach to rule even over the heart.)
We will soon see that the Beis Hamikdash is like the “head” of the world!
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On Chof-Daled Iyar we count thirty-nine days of the Omer!
We go through some minhagim for Shabbos Mevorchim:
1) Shabbos Mevorchim is a day of Farbrengen, and we should say Tehillim in the morning.
2) When we lein the Tochacha in Parshas Bechukosai, nobody gets the Aliyah — instead, the person who is reading the Torah says the brachos on his own without being called up to the Torah.
3) Usually on Shabbos Mevorchim we don’t say the paragraph of Av Harachamim before Musaf. In Av Harachamim, we speak about the many Yidden who gave up their lives Al Kiddush Hashem. We ask Hashem to punish those who killed Yidden. Usually, on Shabbos Mevorchim, we don’t want to speak about something so sad. But davka during this time of the year, many communities of Yidden were wiped out Al Kiddush Hashem. To remember them, the Chachomim asked that we say Av Harachamim on Shabbos Mevorchim Sivan.
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In the beginning of Parshas Bechukosai, Hashem says “Im Bechukosai Teileichu” — “if you will go in the path of My mitzvos,” then Hashem will be able to give Yidden many brachos!
The Chachomim explain that the word “Im” doesn’t only mean “if”, it means “halevai” — “if only!” Hashem loves Yidden so much that he is asking us to please keep the Torah so that we can get all of the brachos the Torah promises.
Knowing that Hashem is asking us gives us the koach to choose to do the right thing!
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There are a few places in Hayom Yom with more than one part per day — all on Shabbos! Maybe the Rebbe is teaching us that on Shabbos, we should make time to learn even more! Here is the second part of today’s Hayom Yom:
When Moshiach comes, we will see how special the poshute Yidden are. These are the simple people who serve Hashem and say Tehillim with temimus, only because they want to serve Hashem with their whole heart.
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Today we learn more mitzvos about eating Kosher:
1) (Mitzvas Lo Saasei #181) We are not allowed to eat meat from an animal that was hurt badly by another animal before it was shechted (treifa). (The Rambam tells us that this mitzvah also includes some other times when meat becomes asur to eat.)
We learn this mitzvah from a posuk in Parshas Mishpatim: וּבָשָׂר בַּשָּׂדֶה טְרֵפָה לֹא תֹאכֵלוּ
2) (Mitzvas Lo Saasei #182) We are not allowed to eat “Eiver Min Hachai” — a body part (limb) of an animal that was taken off when the animal was still alive.
We learn this mitzvah from a posuk in Parshas Re’eh: וְלֹא תֹאכַל הַנֶּפֶשׁ עִם הַבָּשָׂר
3) (Mitzvas Lo Saasei #184) We are not allowed to eat blood (dam) of an animal or a bird.
We learn this mitzvah from a posuk in Parshas Tzav: וְכָל דָּם לֹא תֹאכְלוּ
The details are explained in Mesechta Kerisus perek Hey.
4) (Mitzvas Lo Saasei #185) We are not allowed to eat Cheilev — certain fat from animals (Cheilev is the fat of the korbanos that would usually be burned on the Mizbeiach)
We learn this mitzvah from a posuk in Parshas Tzav: כָּל חֵלֶב שׁוֹר וְכֶשֶׂב וָעֵז לֹא תֹאכֵלוּ
The details are explained in Mesechta Chulin perek Zayin.
5) (Mitzvas Lo Saasei #183) We are not allowed to eat the Gid Hanasheh, a vein in the back thigh of the animal.
We learn this mitzvah from a posuk in Parshas Vayishlach: עַל כֵּן לֹא יֹאכְלוּ בְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת גִּיד הַנָּשֶׁה
The details are explained in Mesechta Chulin perek Zayin.
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RAMBAM
Hilchos Maachalos Asuros
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In today’s Rambam (perakim Yud-Alef, Yud-Beis, and Yud-Gimmel), we learn all about Yayin Nesech, wine that a goy touched. We are not allowed to drink it, in case the goy used it for Avodah Zarah. If there was Yayin Nesech in a bottle, the bottle of wine can become not kosher.
Wine that is boiled is not used for Avodah Zarah. That’s why we use mevushal wine — boiled wine — so that we don’t have to be worried that it might be used for Avodah Zarah, and we can drink it even if a goy does touch it.
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We learn about the brachos on food, aside for Mezonos and Hamotzi, which we already learned earlier.
Many of the Geonim before the Rambam said that sugar cane is either Ha’eitz or Ho’adamah. The Rambam says that it is not a fruit, and we need to make a Shehakol.
If you put food into your mouth without making a bracha, what do you do? Do you know?
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This week in Sefiras Haomer we are working on the midah of Yesod.
We learned that yesod is hiskashrus, and we use it when we connect to Hashem. That is Bein Adam Lamakom, the way we use this midah with Hashem.
But there is also another kind of yesod, the yesod that is Bein Adam Lachaveiro, the way we use this midah with other people.
This kind of yesod is also hiskashrus, connecting with the other person to think about how he will feel.
How do we use our yesod?
Ari notices that his friend Moishy is not very organized. Moishy doesn’t always do his homework, forgets to bring his Chumash, and eats all of his snack by morning recess. Ari wants to help Moishy so that he will be more organized and happier in school. He decides that Moishy needs to learn how to write things down so he doesn’t keep forgetting. Ari thinks that maybe he should buy Moishy a notebook just for remembering things. But first he stops, and uses his midah of yesod. How will Moishy feel if he gives him a notebook and teaches him how to use it? He realizes that Moishy will probably be embarrassed to hear about it from a friend. Ari decides that Moishy will probably be happier to hear about writing things down if his teacher tells him about it instead. Ari gives the notebook to the teacher privately, and asks him to show Moishy how to use it.
Here’s another example of using our yesod:
Mommy sees that the kids are going to sleep too late, and then they are kvetchy the whole day! She knows that they need to start getting ready for bed earlier. Her friend shares a chart that they use in their house, to get all the kids to sleep on time. But before Mommy hangs up the chart, she uses her yesod. Will her family like the chart and start going to sleep because of it? How will it make them feel? Mommy thinks about how her kids don’t like using charts so much. She realizes that for her family, it is better to read a bedtime story at 7:00 for everyone who is in bed in time.
When we do something for another person, we first connect to them and think about how it will make them feel. This way we can make sure that what we are doing will only make good things happen for the other person!
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In the time of the Alter Rebbe, many Yidden made their parnasa by running mashke factories. One year, the Russian government took over all of the mashke factories and the Yidden who were running them lost everything.
The Alter Rebbe asked all of the Yidden to gather in shul to hear a very important announcement. When everyone was in the shul, the Alter Rebbe stood up on the bimah where everyone could see him.
The Alter Rebbe said: “In Shemoneh Esrei, we praise Hashem that He is Mechalkel Chayim Bechesed, that Hashem provides what we need to live with His kindness. We say that Hashem gives us what we need with CHESED, not with mashke factories! The mashke factories may have closed, but Hashem’s kindness will not stop.”
In fact, that year, the Yidden enjoyed more parnasa than they ever had before!
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There are mitzvos that we do by giving,
and mitzvos we do by smelling.
There are mitzvos we do by walking,
and mitzvos that we do by telling.
There are also six mitzvos that we do by thinking — and they are mitzvos to do ALL THE TIME!
These mitzvos are called the Mitzvos Temidiyos, the “all-the-time” mitzvos. They have to do with the way we think and feel and how we look at the world.
Usually, the best place to learn how to do mitzvos right is in Shulchan Aruch. But to do these mitzvos right, we need to learn Chassidus!
The six mitzvos are:
1) To believe in Hashem
2) Not to believe in anything aside for Hashem
3) To know about the oneness of Hashem
4) To love Hashem
5) To have Yiras Shomayim
6) Not to follow taavos and thoughts that separate us from Hashem.
Over the next few days, as a preparation for Matan Torah, we will IY”H go over these mitzvos.
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לעילוי נשמת הרה״ח ר׳ דניאל יצחק בן ר׳ אפרים ע״ה מאסקאוויץ
שליח כ"ק אדמו"ר נשיא דורנו למדינת אילינוי
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There are some parts of Torah that speak directly about the times of Moshiach, like the Gemara in Sanhedrin, many Midrashim, and parts of Chassidus.
Other parts of Torah don’t speak openly about the times of Moshiach, but there is a connection to Moshiach which is obvious. Yet other times, there seems to be no connection at all!
When we remember that the reason why Hashem made the world is for the Geulah, we will realize that everything must be connected to the Geulah! When we pay attention, we will be able to find the connection to the Geulah hiding inside of each inyan, waiting for us to learn it!
See Sicha Parshas Acharei-Kedoshim Tof-Shin-Nun-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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