v בס״ד In loving memory of MRS. SARAH ISSUE 320 (CHARLOTTE) ROHR ַּפ רְ ַׁש ת ׁשְ מִ י ִ נ י •כ’’ח ניסן ה’תשע״ח Parshas Shmini 28 Nissan 5778 ַּפ רְ ַׁש ת ׁשְ מִ י ִ נ י COMMANDER’S RESOURCES COMMANDER’S GUIDE • ENGLISH SICHA • YIDDISH SICHA • TRANSCRIPT • PARSHAFIER • WORKSHEET Commander’s Guide A COMMANDER’S GUIDE IN TRAINING TODAY’S CHAYOLIM “Yitzi, how was your day in school? You don’t look like you’re feeling too well,” his mother greeted him worriedly. Yitzi walked in dragging his feet and said, “I don’t feel so well. I have a headache, Ma.” In n troductio “Let me get you some pain medicine for your head and you go rest for a little bit,” his mother told him, and handed him a Tylenol. Yitzi swallowed the red capsule she handed him and went to lie down on the couch. Half an hour later, Yitzi got up from the couch excitedly, “Mommy! It’s amazing! The Tylenol really works! My headache is all gone!” Yitzi’s mother smiled and said, “Yitzi, I’m so happy that you feel better, but I want you to think about your last sentence and tell me what about it was not quite correct…” Yitzi thought hard and then opened his eyes wide. “Oy vey! The Yetzer Hora! I fell for him again! Listen to what we learned in the parsha today, Mommy,” he said excitedly, “it connects perfectly with what just happened.” פרשת שמיני פרק י''א פסוק י''ז וְאֶ ַת־הּכֹוס וְאֶ ַת־הּשָׁ לְָך וְאֶ ַת־ה ַנְ ּיׁשּֽוף” “And the Shalach (a type of bird...)” Torah רש''י: השלך: פירשו רבותינו זה השולה דגים מן הים. Rashi here writes: It is a bird that scoops out fish from the sea. In this week’s parsha we learn about the “shivas yimei hamiluim”, the seven days of preparation. Hashem tells Moshe many things to do as part of preparing the Mishkon for use. The Gemora teaches us that the shalach is ordered by Hashem to carry out His justice. When a fish deserves to die, Hashem sends the shalach Rebbe to prey on it and eat it. The Alter Rebbe connects this Gemora to the Baal Shem Tov’s approach to understanding the concept of Hashgocha Protis. Hashgocha Protis doesn’t only apply to every aspects of a 2 person’s life, rather it is relevant to every aspect of every single creation, be it a person, animal, object or idea. The Gemora shows us that every fish, among the millions of fish in the seas, is individually judged and when Hashem sees it fit, the shalach kills it. This idea, that Hashem governs everything that happens in this world, can be learnt from the word used nature, teva. Teva shares the same shoresh as the word “tuv’u bayam—and they were drowned in the sea.” An entire world exists under the sea, yet it is completely hidden from the eyes of man on the surface of the land. Animals, plants, millions of creatures, sunken ships, lost treasures, and so much more lies beneath the surface and we are, for the most part, unaware of it. Water conceals. Nature conceals. Hashem created the natural world with the purpose of hiding Elokus so that Yidden can uncover it. Hashem made cycles of nature, sunrises and sunsets, gravity, weather changes, fire and water. Not only did Hashem create all this, but Hashem continuously enlivens, governs and watches every aspect of nature. In every detail of the world, Hashem is there making everything happen. When the sun rises, Hashem is bringing it up. When we fall asleep and wake up, Hashem is taking our neshoma from us and then returning it. When we eat a snack, Hashem is making sure our body breaks the food down properly and gets the energy we needs from it. All of these very regular things seem like they have nothing to do with Hashem, but just as the ocean hides what’s beneath it, nature also hides what’s beneath it, Hashem. The lesson from the shalach emphasizes and makes clear that when things happen that seem very natural and not at all connected to Elokus, we must see the deeper truth. Nothing happens on its own. Even a bird getting hungry and plucking fish from the ocean Lesson isn’t random. Every fish has its time to live and it’s time to be eaten and Hashem sends a special messenger to bring a din and cheshbon upon every aspect of creation. Yitzi finished telling his mother the parsha lesson and smiled triumphantly. “See? I said that the Tylenol really B’chein helped my headache—I was giving the credit of healing me to the Tylenol. I was tricked by my Yetzer Hora and didn’t see that it is Hashem hidden in each part of nature, in this case, within my Tylenol. Really Hashem is the one who heals us all and who brought me a speedy refuah sheleima! We always must look a little deeper and find Hashem within every situation in our lives.” 3 As chayolim, we need to realize when the Yetzer Hora plants the wrong ideas in our heads—like telling us that something isn’t directly from Hashem and it happened on its own. We sometimes think, “How could my baby brother spill milk all over the project I worked on for hours yesterday?!” or “why is there always bad weather when there is an adult who has time to take me on a trip?” or “it is so unfair that he did the same thing I did, but he’s not getting punished.” We must remember that when things seem to be caused by other people, nature or chance, it is indeed Hashem masked behind it all. No detail of anyone or any thing’s life gets overlooked. This week’s parsha teaches us the truth. When something good happens to you, remember Who made that happen and thank Hashem by doing something special. When something happens that makes you sad or upset, don’t blame the person or situation, know that this is part of Hashem’s exact plan and try to find meaning within the situation. Most importantly, though, on a regular day when you wake up, go to school, play with your friends, and eat a yummy supper, remember Who is guiding your entire day. Say thank you to our Commander in Chief and show the whole world Who is really in charge by fulfilling your missions with chayus and simcha. In this way, we will bring Moshiach, a time when the whole world will finally recognize that Hashem doesn’t even leave one of the millions of fish in the ocean unwatched. Everything is guided directly by the hand of Hashem. 4 English Sicha In this week’s parsha, we read about the sholoch, a bird which has a long beak that it uses to reach fish from the depths of the water. The Gemora tells us that when Rabbi Yochanon saw this bird, he would say “Hashem finds a way to punish even those deep in the ocean.” No act done by any creation is too remote or small for Hashem. Hashem’s judgement reaches every corner of the world. The Alter Rebbe connects this Gemora to the concept of Hashgacha Protis that the Baal Shem Tov began teaching Yidden. The Baal Shem Tov introduced the idea that Hashem pays personal attention to each and every creation and every detail and aspect of its existence. Until then, this idea wasn’t understood by everyone, including simple Yidden, and many people thought of Hashem as distant and removed from the world. In Az Yashir, the shira of praise that the Yidden sang after witnessing Hashem drown the Mitzriyim, the word in Loshon Hakodesh used for drowning is tubu. Tubu has the same shoresh as teva (nature). Something which is underwater, “drowned,” cannot be seen on the surface, but it does exist under the water. Nature shares the same characteristic because it hides and “drowns” Elokus. The reason we can’t see the hand of Hashem in every detail of our lives is because the natural world that Hashem himself created conceals it from us. The Gemora tells us “the chachomim tell us that the sholoch hunts fish from the ocean,” and it is through the chachomim that we are able to “fish” out the Elokus from the “waters” that conceal it. Without this lesson in the Gemora, we might chas veshalom think that the behavior and nature of fish is random. However, the chachomim teach us that everything is b’hashgocho protis. These fish and all other animals, objects and details of their existences are all constantly and carefully planned by Hashem. 5 Yiddish Sicha 6 7 Parshafier the קַהִתְ ׁשְ ר ּו ת I shared a sicha of the Rebbe Chany: Is this traffic really from some birds blocking the at my .highway? We won’t make it to school on time שיׁמ שַ ׁתַשּפ ַּ פ Shabbos table Rivky: It’s all your fault, Yitzy. Why’d you have to take so long ORDERS FROM brushing your teeth? OUR GENERAL My fault?! It was Sruly who wanted a third bowl of Likkutei Sichos, Vol. 7, pgs. 63-64 Yitzy: cereal. Sruly: Hey! Stop fighting. We might as well make use of our STARRING time. You think the Parshafier can take us on a trip while we're The Weiss Family anyway waiting? Who are our options? Chany: We should definitely pick Uri the Ornithologist—he’s a bird expert so he can probably explain what’s going on.