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CHUMASH
Parshas Reeh - Chamishi with Rashi
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Moshe Rabbeinu reminds the Yidden about some of the mitzvos they will do in Eretz Yisroel!
When plants grow in your field, you need to give Maaser! There are a few kinds of Maaser — Maaser Rishon (to the Leviim), Maaser Sheini (to eat in Yerushalayim), and Maaser Oni (that needs to be given to the poor).
In today’s Chumash, Moshe Rabbeinu teaches the Yidden how to make sure that all of these Maasros are given properly.
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Today’s shiur Tehillim is kapitelach Kuf-Ches to Kuf-Yud-Beis.
In Kapitel Kuf-Yud-Alef, the pesukim have every letter of the Alef-Beis! The first half of the posuk has one letter, and the second half has the next letter. (The last two pesukim have 3 parts, with 3 letters.)
Dovid Hamelech says: “Koach Maasav Higid Le’Amo, Lases Lahem Nachalas Goyim.” (Do you see how the first part of the posuk starts with Chof, and the second half starts with Lamed?) “Hashem told Yidden the great things He did, so He could give them a land that the Goyim lived in.”
What does this mean?
The first Rashi in Chumash tells us that Hashem made the Torah start with — not mitzvos — but the story of how Hashem made the world. This way, if the Goyim get mad that we took Eretz Yisroel, we will tell them that HASHEM made Eretz Yisroel, and Hashem let the Goyim live there, but then He wanted the Yidden to have it, and so He gave it to us!
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TANYA
Igeres Hakodesh Siman Zayin
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In today’s Tanya we learn what it means when we say “Ashreinu Mah Tov Chelkeinu!”
We learned that the chayus of Hashem comes into the world through each of the many mitzvos and halachos of the Torah. We also learned that the neshamos of Yidden are split up into as many parts as there are halachos! The chayus of Hashem comes through the Torah to each neshama.
Yesterday we said that Adam Harishon included all of the neshamos. Today we see that Yaakov Avinu fixed up the Cheit Eitz Hadaas of Adam Harishon. So he also became like Adam Harishon, and the neshamos of all of the Yidden afterwards come from Yaakov Avinu! (Yidden are called Bnei Yisrael, the children of Yaakov!)
Just like Yaakov Avinu includes ALL of the neshamos, he also includes the whole Torah in his neshama!
Each of our own neshamos are a little piece (a chelek) of the neshama of Yaakov Avinu, and there is a little chelek of Torah that gives chayus to our neshama.
When can we feel OUR chayus of Hashem through our chelek of Torah?
During davening!
That’s what it means when we say “Ashreinu, Mah Tov Chelkeinu!” “We are so fortunate, our chelek is so good!” We are talking about our chelek of Torah and mitzvos which connects us to Hashem, that we can feel during davening!
IY”H tomorrow we will learn about the next part, “Umah No’im Goraleinu.”
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Today we are going to learn something about how special our neshama is!
The Alter Rebbe teaches us in Tanya that our neshama is a “Chelek Eloka Mimaal Mamosh!” — “A part of Hashem from above — Mamosh!”
What does “mamosh” mean?
It means FOR REAL! Like you can touch it!
But that seems like two opposites! We said it’s from Hashem above, so it’s very Ruchnius’dik, and we’re also saying that it’s Mamosh — it’s like Gashmius!
When the Rebbe Rashab learned this with the Frierdiker Rebbe (when he was 11), he explained that the reason why he says both of these things is because that this is the whole point of the neshama! Even though it’s SO Ruchnius’dik, it’s still able to do its Shlichus and make the Gashmius holy!
Some people think that being a Yid is using the neshama just for learning and davening. But Chassidus teaches us how the neshama of a Yid needs to and is able to serve Hashem with EVERYTHING we do — even eating and drinking and playing!
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Today’s mitzvah is to give Maaser from our animals! This is called Maaser Beheimah.
The tenth one from our animals is special — it is a present for Hashem! We are supposed to take it to Yerushalayim, and bring it for a Korban. Then we eat the meat of the Korban in Yerushalayim.
Really, we should keep this mitzvah nowadays, even without a Beis Hamikdash. We can still set aside our tenth animal and not eat it unless it gets a mum, like we learned before with a bechor. But the Chachomim were afraid that people wouldn’t wait until it got a mum, and would shecht and eat the animal even without a mum, while it still should be a korban. It is a very serious aveira (chiyuv Kareis), to shecht a korban outside the Beis Hamikdash (Shechitas Kodshim Bachutz). So the Chachomim said that we should not keep the mitzvah of maaser at all nowadays. We will have to wait to keep this mitzvah until the Beis Hamikdash is rebuilt.
We learn this mitzvah from a posuk in Parshas Bechukosai: וְכָל מַעְשַׂר בָּקָר וָצֹאן כֹּל אֲשֶׁר יַעֲבֹר תַּחַת הַשָּׁבֶט הָעֲשִׂירִי יִהְיֶה קֹּדֶשׁ לַה׳
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In today’s Rambam, we learn more about the Bechor, and about giving Maaser from our animals!
Perek Hey: What happens when we’re not sure which animal is really the bechor? The Rambam tells us what the halacha is in different kinds of cases!
Perek Vov: In this perek, we learn about giving Maaser from our animals.
Perek Zayin: Here’s how we figure out which animal is really maaser: We need to put all the baby sheep into one place, and put the mother sheep outside. We let them go out to their mother, one animal at a time, and count the tenth one. Every tenth one we mark with paint, and that one will be the present for Hashem.
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We learn about deciding when the first day of Rosh Hashana will be, which is different in each kind of year. There are certain days of the week that can NEVER be the first day of Rosh Hashana. We remember these days with an expression: “Lo Ad”u Rosh” — the first day of Rosh Hashana can not be on any of the days with the Roshei Teivos “Adu”, meaning Sunday (Yom Alef), Wednesday (Yom Daled), or Friday (Yom Vov).
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In Likutei Diburim, the Frierdiker Rebbe once spoke about how the city of Lubavitch would be different in Chodesh Elul.
In many of the Rebbe’s farbrengens before Chodesh Elul, the Rebbe would speak about this famous sicha.
The Frierdiker Rebbe said that starting after Shabbos Nachamu, they would already start learning extra after davening Maariv. By the time Shabbos Mevorchim Elul came, you could already “smell” Elul, and feel the wind of teshuvah blowing in the air. Everyone was waiting to start saying L’Dovid Hashem Ori and to hear the shofar blown.
The first sound of the shofar was like an announcement that the gates of Rachmonus were open, since Elul is Chodesh HoRachamim!
In Elul everyone felt that they needed to change, to become better. Lying in bed in Lubavitch, early in the morning, you could already hear the shofar being blown at the early minyan. People would feel bad that they were still sleeping, when there was so much to be done! They would think about how special these days are — the days when Moshe Rabbeinu stood on Har Sinai begging Hashem to forgive the Yidden. Nobody wanted to waste these special days of Yemei Ratzon!
They would jump out of bed and run quickly to shul, which was already full of Yidden saying Tehillim, learning, and davening.
Once in a farbrengen of Shabbos Nachamu, the Rebbe spoke about this sicha of the Frierdiker Rebbe. The Rebbe explained that this was not just a story about another city! The city of Lubavitch was like a light for the world, showing and teaching the way things should be. The Frierdiker Rebbe was showing us how we should prepare for Chodesh Elul, in every time and in every place.
See Likkutei Dibburim vol. 1, p. 230 (English), and Farbrengen Parshas Va’eschanan 5745
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Aleinu is the last part of davening, in Shacharis, Mincha, and Maariv. We use this tefillah to help us go from davening into the avodah we do afterwards!
The first paragraph of Aleinu has two main messages:
1) It reminds us that we are different
2) It gives us a feeling of bittul to Hashem
We remind ourselves that even when we go out into the world after davening, we are different than all of the other nations. A Yid is connected to Hashem and it can be seen in everything he does during the day!
Aleinu also speaks about how Hashem is the Aibershter, the King of the entire world, and nothing exists aside for Him. Thinking about this will give us the bittul we need to do our avodah properly.
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One of the ways we show our kavod for the Sefer Torah is to be melaveh, to escort the Sefer Torah.
If the Torah passes by a person (like if he is sitting on the end seat) on its way to the Aron Kodesh, he should join in and go along with it until it reaches the Aron Kodesh. If it didn’t pass by him, a person should still follow it with his eyes, by looking at the Sefer Torah until it reaches where it belongs.
In a very big shul (like 770), a person shouldn’t push to join the line of people going with Sefer Torah. There are so many people there, you will probably end up squashing someone or pushing them. That wouldn’t be kavod for the Sefer Torah at all!
But if someone is in a smaller shul and the Torah passes by him, he should join along with the Torah and bring it to the place it belongs.
See Shulchan Aruch siman 149, and Piskei Teshuvos vol. 2, p. 208
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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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The next sefer of Trei Asar is Yoel.
There are two main inyonim in the sefer of Yoel: That there will be a plague of locusts if the Yidden don’t do teshuvah, and a nevuah about Moshiach.
One of the things the Navi Yoel says about the times of the Geulah is that all of the Yidden will be Neviim! Hashem tells the Navi:
וְהָיָה אַחֲרֵי כֵן אֶשְׁפּוֹךְ אֶת רוּחִי עַל כָּל בָּשָׂר וְנִבְּאוּ בְּנֵיכֶם וּבְנֹתֵיכֶם זִקְנֵיכֶם חֲלֹמוֹת יַחֲלֹמוּן בַּחוּרֵיכֶם חֶזְיֹנוֹת יִרְאוּ
Vehaya Acharei Chein — This will happen afterwards, in the time of the Geulah
Eshpoch Es Ruchi Al Kol Basar — I will pour My chochmah and understanding of Hashem onto every person.
Venib’u Bneichem Uvnoseichem — Your sons and daughters will say nevuos,
Zikneichem Chalomos Yachalomun — Your old people will dream nevuos,
Bachureichem Chezyonos Yir’u — Your young men will see visions of nevuos!
See Yoel perek Gimmel posuk 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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