Monday, 21st of Teveth, 5775

Sefirot Combination:

Monday is the second day of Week 17 and the sixteenth day of the cycle of Tiferet (Balance/Beauty), Gevurah shebeTiferet shebeTiferet, Might/Discipline within Balance/Beauty within Balance/Beauty.

Alef-Bet/Psalms:

Monday is also the fifth day of the sixth 22-day cycle of the year, related to the letters Kaf and Lamed. The following excerpts from Chapters 112 and 119 of the Book of Psalms are connected to the firfh letter, the Heh:

Psalm 112:

3. Wealth and riches will be in his house,

ג. הוֹן וָעֹשֶׁר בְּבֵיתוֹ

Psalm 119:

38. Fulfill for Your servant Your word that is for Your fear.

לח. הָקֵם לְעַבְדְּךָ אִמְרָתֶךָ אֲשֶׁר לְיִרְאָתֶךָ:

Daily Lessons:

Psalms for day 21: 104 and 105. These Psalms truly describe Hashem's might and beauty. They describe the balance and intrecacy of His world, as well as His strong protection of His people.

Hayom Yom for the 21st of Teveth: The Friederker Rebbe states,"When encountering water one should say that the Baal Shem says that it is a sign of blessing." Blessing and wealth come from G-d, just like rain pours down from the sky. The blessings come to those that fear Hashem.

Chumash for Monday, 2nd Aliyah of Vaera: The Torah portion lists the descendants of Reuben, Shimon, and Levi. It also describes the lineage of Aharon and Moshe. Rashi states,

 יש מקומות שמקדים אהרן למשה ויש מקומות שמקדים משה לאהרן, לומר לך ששקולין כאחד:
"In some places, [Scripture] places Aaron before Moses, and in other places it places Moses before Aaron, to tell us that they they were equal." A better, literal translation appears to be that "to tell us that they are weighed as one." Moshe and Aharon were so connected to each other that they were counted as a single entity.

Rashi also notes that the Jewish exile of 400 years is counted from the birth of Isaac, not from the time the Jews actually went to Israel. Even while they were in Egypt (210 years), many of those years, durint the time that Jacob's sons were still alive, were actually good years, not years of enslavement. This shows the tremendous mercy of Hashem, even in times of oppression.

Rambam, Hilchot De'ot - Chapter Seven: Maimonides enumerates the laws of proper speech, as well as the prohibition against taking revenge and bearing a grudge. They take a great amount of discipline, and yet the reward is great (the punishment for Lashon Harah is also quite great). These are key teachings for a functioning society. The Rambam writes that not bearing a grudge, "permits a stable environment, trade, and commerce to be established among people."

Tanya, Chapter 14 (Beginning): Discussion of how the trait of a Beinoni can be reached by every person, because it involves a refinement of the mind, not necessarily of the heart. As long as a sinful feeling is not transformed into thought, speech and/or deed, a person can be on the high level of never sinning. A Beinoni does not want to separate him/herself from G-d even for a second. A person who has not attained such a level also does not want to separate him/herself from G-d, and is willing to sacrifice their very life not to deny their Judaism. It's just that such a person does not realize that small sins also create such a separation. The Beinoni says, "I don't want to be fooled like such a person." I will not separate myself from G-d even by committing a "small" infraction. This is not called being a Tzadik though, because a Tzadik has such tremendous love and delight in G-d that he actually abhors materialism. The level of a Tzadik is a gift, and only some souls are created with such a capacity.


News

World: still very much focused on the aftermath of the terrorist attacks in Paris. Funerals began taking place for slain officers and victims. It is in such difficult times that we cry out for Hashem's mercy.

Personal: Attended shiva for the mother of three young men, who had recently also lost their father.