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CHUMASH
Parshas Vayeishev - Shvi'i with Rashi
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Paraoh’s butler and baker have dreams while they are in jail, and Yosef explains them.
Yosef was still sitting in jail. He helped take care of the other prisoners. Hashem didn’t want everyone to talk in a not-nice way about Yosef and what they thought he tried to do to Potifar’s wife, so He gave them something else to talk about.
Paraoh’s butler (who brings the king drinks) and his baker did something to make Paraoh upset: Paraoh found a fly in his wine, and a rock in his bread! Paraoh was very angry and threw them both in jail — the same jail where Yosef was. They stayed in jail for a year, and Yosef was in charge of them.
One night, the butler and the baker had dreams. The butler had a strange dream he didn’t understand, and ALSO dreamed the baker’s dream and what it meant. The baker had a strange dream HE didn’t understand, and also dreamed the butler’s dream and what it meant.
When Yosef came in the morning to check on them, he saw that they were upset about something. So he asked them why. They said that they had strange dreams, but there was no one to tell them what the dream means!
Yosef said, “Hashem knows what dreams mean! Tell me what you dreamed.”
The butler told his dream: “I dreamed that there was a vine with 3 branches growing on it. When the grapes grew, I squeezed them into Paraoh’s cup that I was holding, and then I gave the cup to Paraoh.”
Yosef explained, “In three days, Paraoh will take you out of jail and have you come back and be his butler. When this happens, please tell Paraoh about me so I can come out of jail! I was kidnapped and sold, and I didn’t deserve to go to jail.” (For a tzadik like Yosef, asking the butler to save him was not showing enough bitachon.)
Since the baker had dreamed the butler’s dream AND what it meant, he knew that Yosef was giving the right explanation. He decided to ask Yosef to explain his own dream. So he said: “In my dream, there were three baskets on my head. In the top basket there was bread for Paraoh, and birds were eating it.”
Yosef explained what it meant: “In three days Paraoh will kill you and not bury you, but hang up your body for the birds to eat.”
On the third day, Paraoh’s birthday, Paraoh made a big party. He thought about who could serve him, and remembered the butler and the baker. He took the butler back to work, and killed the baker like Yosef said.
Hashem made Yosef stay in jail for two more years after Paraoh’s party. This time would help him do teshuva properly for not having enough bitachon in Hashem.
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Today’s shiur Tehillim is kapitelach Kuf-Ches through Kuf-Yud-Beis.
In Kapitel Kuf-Tes, Dovid Hamelech says “Ki Oni Ve’evyon Anochi, VeLibi Cholal BeKirbi.” “I am like a poor person, and my heart is empty inside of me.”
What does Dovid Hamelech mean? What is an empty heart?
The Gemara explains that Dovid Hamelech was saying that half of his heart is empty — the part where the Yetzer Hara usually is!
Dovid Hamelech had no Yetzer Hara — he “killed” it by fasting! (Hashem made Dovid Hamelech with a Yetzer Hara that COULD be killed, but not everybody’s can be.)
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TANYA
Likutei Amarim Hakdamas Hamelaket
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Today’s Tanya is the end of the introduction that the Alter Rebbe wrote.
The Alter Rebbe tells us that the Tanya was first distributed as kuntreisim (booklets) that had many mistakes in them. Some mistakes were even made on purpose by people who didn’t want the Tanya to be known! Now it needs to be published as a book, and this way everything will be carefully corrected.
The people who are printing it worked very hard, and it is their parnasa. If others print copies of the Tanya, it will hurt the parnasa of those who printed it first! The Alter Rebbe writes in very strong language, with the koach of halacha, that it should not be reprinted by anyone else until after a certain date.
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The Rebbe Maharash said, “Three days before Shabbos we already start getting ready for Shabbos.
“The Zohar says that Shabbos gives brachos to all the days of the week — the three days before (Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday), and the three days afterwards (Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday).
“So we start preparing for the next Shabbos on Wednesday! In the Shir Shel Yom for Wednesday, we say the first three pesukim of Lechu Neranena, the beginning of davening on Friday night!” This reminds us that Shabbos is coming.
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SEFER HAMITZVOS
Shiur #167 - Mitzvas Asei #43, #44, #45, #46, #47, #48, #50, #51
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Today we learn EIGHT mitzvos, about bringing eight special Yom Tov korbanos! We learn these mitzvos in Parshas Emor and Pinchas, where we learn about the Yomim Tovim.
1) (Mitzvas Asei #43) We bring an extra korban on each day of Pesach!
We learn this mitzvah, called the Musaf Chag Hamatzos, from a posuk in Parshas Emor: וְהִקְרַבְתֶּם אִשֶּׁה לַה׳ שִׁבְעַת יָמִים
2) (Mitzvas Asei #44) On the second day of Pesach, we bring the Korban Omer, which is made out of flour! This is also called “Minchas Bikurim.” We bring it together with a lamb as a Korban Olah.
We also learn this mitzvah from a posuk in Parshas Emor: וַהֲבֵאתֶם אֶת עֹמֶר רֵאשִׁית קְצִירְכֶם
The details of this mitzvah are explained in Perek Yud of Mesechta Menachos.
3) (Mitzvas Asei #45) 50 days after we bring the Korban Omer, we bring the Atzeres (Shavuos) Korban!
We learn this mitzvah from a posuk in Parshas Pinchas: וּבְיוֹם הַבִּכּוּרִים בְּהַקְרִיבְכֶם מִנְחָה חֲדָשָׁה לַה׳ וְגוֹ׳ וְהִקְרַבְתֶּם עוֹלָה לְרֵיחַ נִיחֹחַ
4) (Mitzvas Asei #46) On Shavuos, we bring two loaves of Chometz’dik bread, together with certain korbanos that are written in the Torah.
This mitzvah comes from a posuk in Parshas Emor: מִמּוֹשְׁבֹתֵיכֶם תָּבִיאוּ לֶחֶם תְּנוּפָה שְׁתַּיִם
The details of this mitzvah are explained in Perakim Daled, Hey, Ches, Yud, and Yud-Alef of Mesechta Menachos.
5) (Mitzvas Asei #47) On Rosh Hashana, we bring an extra korban, the Musaf Rosh Hashana!
We learn this mitzvah from a posuk in Parshas Pinchas: וּבַחֹדֶשׁ הַשְּׁבִיעִי בְּאֶחָד לַחֹדֶשׁ וְגוֹ׳ וַעֲשִׂיתֶם עֹלָה לְרֵיחַ נִיחֹחַ לַה׳
6) (Mitzvas Asei #48) We bring an extra korban on Yom Kippur!
This mitzvah also comes from Parshas Pinchas: וּבֶעָשׂוֹר לַחֹדֶשׁ הַשְּׁבִיעִי וְגוֹ׳ וְהִקְרַבְתֶּם עֹלָה לַה׳ רֵיחַ נִיחֹחַ
7) (Mitzvas Asei #50) We bring extra korbanos each day of Sukkos!
This mitzvah is also from Parshas Pinchas: וְהִקְרַבְתֶּם עֹלָה אִשֵּׁה רֵיחַ נִיחֹחַ לַה׳
8) (Mitzvas Asei #51) On Shemini Atzeres we bring an extra korban!
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RAMBAM
Hilchos Temidin U'Musafin
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In today’s Rambam, we learn more about how we bring these Korbanos.
Perek Vov: This perek of Rambam is like reading a story, about how the kohanim wake up in the morning and go do their Avodah!
Perek Zayin: We learn about bringing the special korban for Rosh Chodesh, and the Pesach korbanos and the Korban Omer. We hear how they would cut the barley for the Korban Omer: Erev Pesach, they would tie the barley into bundles while it was still growing, to make it easier to cut. After Yom Tov, everyone would come out to watch! They would ask each of these questions three times out loud to make sure everyone understood what was happening, and everyone would answer together:
- Did the sun set? — YES!
- Is this a sickle? (a special kind of knife to cut plants) — YES!
- Is this a basket? — YES!
- If it was Shabbos: “Is it Shabbos?” — YES!
- Should I cut the barley? — CUT!
They asked each question three times, and each time, everyone would answer out loud.
The Rambam explains why it was done with such a big deal: Because there were Tzedukim who explained the Torah differently, and the Chachomim wanted to make sure that evefryone understood the correct way to follow the words of the Torah.
The Rambam then tells us exactly how the korban was prepared!
Perek Ches: In this perek, the Rambam teaches us about the two Chometz’dike loaves of bread we bring on Shavuos.
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What happens if a korban that became posul was brought onto the Mizbeiach, or it was put into the keilim of the Beis Hamikdash? Sometimes, once it is already on the Mizbeiach or in the keilim, we need to bring up the korban even though it is posul.
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When Yosef Hatzaddik was in jail, he met the baker and the butler who were also in jail. The Torah tells us all about these people, and how upset they were about their dreams.
The Torah is so careful about every letter and every word! Why do we need to know about every detail of the baker and butler’s dreams?
This teaches us a very important hora’ah about how we should act with other people.
Being in jail is not a very happy thing. To be in jail in a faraway country, with nobody to visit him, for something he didn’t even do, must have been very painful for Yosef.
But even though he was suffering himself, he didn’t only think about what was bothering him. Instead, Yosef was always looking to help other people! He noticed when the butler and the baker were sadder than usual, and right away asked them what was bothering them. Then, in the end, this helped bring him out of jail too!
We can learn from here that even when we have our own problems, we shouldn’t just think about ourselves. We should still be looking to see how we can help another person! And just like with Yosef Hatzaddik, at the end we will see that we were helping ourselves too!
See sicha of Mikeitz 5734; Hamaor Shebetorah p. 522
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▼ Jump to Coloring Books & Downloads ▼
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Reuven, Shimon, Levi, and Yehuda are names of Shevatim. But just like every part of Torah has a deeper meaning, the names of the Shevatim are also the deeper meaning of parts of our davening.
After davening the parts that are connected to Reuven, Shimon, and Levi (Shema, Vehaya, and Emes V’Yatziv), we come to the main part of davening, which is connected to Yehuda.
Yehuda got his name from the words “Hapaam Odeh Es Hashem,” “this time I will thank (or admit to) Hashem.” This is the avodah of bittul.
When we stand before Hashem in Shemoneh Esrei, we stand like a servant in front of his master. We stand with true bittul to Hashem!
Maamar Yehuda Ata 5738, Likutei Sichos Chelek Chof p. 348
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Let’s say you go on a trip. If one of your friends has a salami sandwich for lunch, and you have a cream cheese sandwich, you need to put something called a “Heker” on the table. The heker will remind you not to sneak a taste of your friend’s food!
One heker that Shulchan Aruch teaches us is for one person to eat on a tablecloth, and the other person not to. Another heker can be putting something between you that you usually don’t put on the table, like maybe your Chitas!
See Kitzur Shulchan Aruch siman Mem-Vov
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לעילוי נשמת הרה״ח ר׳ דניאל יצחק ע״ה בן ר׳ אפרים שי׳ מאסקאוויץ
שליח כ"ק אדמו"ר נשיא דורנו למדינת אילינוי
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The Baal Shem Tov says, “Bemakom Shemachshavto Shel Adam, Sham Hu Nimtza.” “Where a person’s thoughts are, that’s where he is.
This helps us understand why it’s so important to learn about the Geulah! When we are thinking about the Geulah, then in a certain way, we are already there! This also gives us the koach to speed up bringing the Geulah for all the Yidden.
See Farbrengen Parshas Balak 5743
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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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Give children around the world the gift of Kids Chitas!
KidsChitas.org/sponsor
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