Chof-Gimmel Adar - Shabbos Parah - Shabbos Mevorchim Nissan (17:58)
Chof-Alef Adar (14:42)
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Chitas for Thursday,
Parshas Vayakhel-Pekudei
Chof-Alef Adar, 5778
CHUMASH :: Chamishi with Rashi
Today Betzalel and Oholiav make the Efod and the Choshen Mishpat — exactly the way Hashem told Moshe to!
We learned how these things are made in Parshas Tetzaveh, when Hashem gave the instructions to Moshe Rabbeinu. In today’s Chumash we learn how the Yidden actually make them. In today’s Darkei HaChassidus section we will learn a sicha of the Rebbe explaining why the Torah tells us all of the details again, instead of just saying in short that the Yidden did what Hashem said to Moshe!
TEHILLIM :: 104 - 105
In today’s first Kapitel, Dovid Hamelech tells us about how amazing the world is, and how Hashem made everything just perfect!
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! That will help us have Yiras Shomayim.
TANYA :: Likutei Amarim Perek Lamed-Vov
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'dike world! Why is this called “Tachtonim” (the lowest)? Because here is where Hashem is hiding the MOST.
Hashem wants to have a Dira here, a place where He feels comfortable in the “tachtonim,” so that we will see Hashem best of all in this lowest Gashmius’dike world!
Do you know when that will happen? When Moshiach comes! We will ALL be able to see Hashem when Moshiach comes!
We will soon see that this is accomplished through the mitzvos we do with maaseh in this Gashmius’dike world!
HAYOM YOM :: Chof-Alef Adar
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
Calling a person “chossid” is not a new thing that started when the Alter Rebbe started to teach Chassidus. It is really a very old name!
The title “chossid” can be found in the words of the Chachomim (Chazal) in the Mishna, Gemara, and Medash. But in those places, it is talking about someone who is very special, either because of his learning, his behavior, or both.
In Chassidus Chabad, the name chossid has a different meaning: It means someone who is working on himself to become better!
A chossid the way Chassidus explains it is a person who realizes what he knows in Yiddishkeit, and how much he is learning and doing what he knows. He also knows what he is missing, and tries his best to fill in whatever else he needs to know and do in Yiddishkeit. He does this with Kabolas Ol even when he may not be in the mood!
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 the story in yesterday’s Hayom Yom and concluded:
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 Maggid gave the Alter Rebbe the “fire” of Chassidus — and the Alter Rebbe shared it with EVERYONE who learns Chassidus!
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 was meant to inspire the girls to grow in learning Chassidus and Darkei Hachassidus. In this letter, the Frierdiker Rebbe tells R’ Mordechai that the girls shouldn’t just be learning for Kabolas Ol, but with a chayus!
SEFER HAMITZVOS :: Mitzvas Lo Saasei #124, Asei #88, #83, Lo Saasei #155
Today we learn 4 mitzvos about korbanos:
1) (Mitzvas Lo Saasei #124) Part of the Korban Mincha is usually eaten by the kohen. He is not allowed to prepare it in a way that will make it into Chometz.
2) (Mitzvas Asei #88) The Kohanim need to eat the rest of the Mincha (flour and oil) — the part that isn’t burned on the Mizbeiach.
3) (Mitzvas Asei #83) When we promise to bring a korban or a present to Hashem, we need to give it at the next big Yom Tov (Pesach, Shavuos, or Sukkos).
4) (Mitzvas Lo Saasei #155) We are not allowed to push off bringing a korban that we promised. If three Regalim (the three main Yomim Tovim) pass by and a person still didn’t bring a korban he promised, he is punished for not keeping this mitzvah.
RAMBAM :: Hilchos Maaseh HaKorbanos
In today’s Rambam, we learn more halachos about bringing the Korbanos:
Perek Yud-Gimmel: We learn about the different kinds of Korban Mincha and how we bring them.
Perek Yud-Daled: This perek teaches us some general rules about when someone promises to bring a korban as a neder or a nedava.
Perek Tes-Vov: This perek continues with more detailed halachos about a nedava, when someone promises to bring a specific animal to Hashem.
RAMBAM— PEREK ECHAD :: Hilchos Chomeitz U'Matzah - Perek Vov
Now we learn how to properly keep the mitzvah of eating matzah on the first night of Pesach. One halacha is that once a child is old enough to eat bread, we teach him to eat a kezayis of matzah for chinuch.
DARKEI HACHASSIDUS :: Leben Mit Der Tzeit
In Parshas Vayakhel and Pekudei, we learn about how the Yidden made the Mishkan, just the way Hashem wanted. But if you look at the pesukim, you might think, “Didn’t we learn this before?”
The Torah could have just said, “And the Yidden made the Mishkan just the way Hashem wanted.” Instead, there is practically two whole parshas repeating what we already learned! Why?
Chassidus explains that Moshe heard about the Mishkan while he was on Har Sinai. He was very close to Hashem and felt almost like a malach! When he learned about the Mishkan, he was thinking about all of the Ruchnius in the Mishkan, and about all of the kedusha there. That’s all of the pesukim in Parshas Terumah and Tetzaveh.
In Parshas Vayakhel-Pekudei, though, we learn about the GASHMIYUS Mishkan — about the way it was built with wood and gold and silver! We learn how the Yidden gave gold and copper to build the Mishkan, and about how Betzalel and Oholiav made sure that each part of the Mishkan was made properly.
And what’s the MAIN point of the Mishkan? The Gashmiyus!
Hashem wants a house HERE, in this world that is full of trees and rocks and animals and dirt. Hashem doesn’t need another house in Shomayim, He wants to live right here in this world!
That’s the Mishkan we’re learning about in Parshas Vayakhel-Pekudei. That’s why we need to say it all over again, because now we’re talking about Hashem’s house on earth, and that’s very different!
See Likutei Sichos chelek Alef, Parshas Pekudei
TEFILLAH :: Kabolas Shabbos
We are going through the Seder HaTefillah for the weekdays and Shabbos. Today we will learn about an additional tefillah that we say when Shabbos begins to welcome Shabbos.
In Maariv of Shabbos there are two parts: Kabolas Shabbos and Maariv.
In Kabolas Shabbos, we welcome Shabbos:
First, we say six kapitelach of Tehillim, matching up to the six days of the week that just passed.
Then we say the paragraph of Ana B’Koach, which brings us up to a higher level in Ruchnius. Afterwards, we say three pieces in honor of Shabbos:
1) Lecha Dodi
2) Two kapitelach of Tehillim that speak about Shabbos
3) A piece of the Zohar, which speaks about the Ruchnius’dike inyan of Shabbos, what happens in Shomayim on Shabbos and down here as well.
With these Tefillos we are Mekabel Shabbos.
HALACHOS HATZRICHOS :: Cleaning for Pesach
Before the search for chometz, we first clean our house. We sweep up and straighten up the house to make it easier to look everywhere for chometz. We have to be extra careful to clean any parts of the house that might come in contact with our Pesach food.
One of the places we will need to search is under and behind heavy appliances, like the stove and refrigerator. Pieces of chometz end up under there very often! Because it can be hard to move them, we can do this before the actual night of Bedikas Chometz. We can move the refrigerator to clean behind it, and then search there with a candle (but without saying a bracha). Then we won’t need to move it again during Bedikas Chometz, if there was no chance chometz got pushed under there again since we checked.
See “Notes for Pesach,” by Dayan Raskin
GEULAH U'MOSHIACH :: A Sign of Moshiach
It says in the Zohar that when we will come close to the days of Moshiach, we will see that even children will know about the hidden secrets of Torah.
This is one of the signs of Moshiach that we can see today! Even small kinderlach learn and understand Chassidus, the hidden secrets of the Torah!
See Zohar 118a
Chof Adar (16:04)