Tuesday is the third day of Week 18 and the twenty-fourth day of the cycle of Tiferet (Balance/Beauty), Tiferet shebeNetzach shebeTiferet, Balance/Beauty within Victory/Determination within Balance/Beauty.
Alef-Bet/Psalms:
Tuesday is also the thirteenth 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 thirteenth letter, the Mem:
Psalm 112:
7. He will not fear bad news;
ז. מִשְּׁמוּעָה רָעָה לֹא יִירָא
Psalm 119:
102. From Your judgments I did not turn away, for You guided me.
קב. מִמִּשְׁפָּטֶיךָ לֹא סָרְתִּי כִּי אַתָּה הוֹרֵתָנִי:
Daily Lessons:
(Ma'amar - Inyanah Shel Toras HaChassidus, Beginning:) What is the Chiddush (the novelty of) Toras HaChassidus, the Torah /teachings of Chassidism. The Rebbe offers a few opening ideas:
1) The Jewish world was in a state of "having fainted" and the Baal Shem Tov came and brought about an awakening.
2) A Chassid is someone that goes beyond that which is required by the letter of the law.
3) Chassidism means to take natural energies and make it into G-dly energy. The Alter Rebbe taught that change the nature of one's attributes. Not just to change our natural attributes, but to change their nature. (For example, to do even good behaviors, primarily for the sake of Hashem)
4) Even someone that does not have a high Neshama, or someone who has not worked on purifying it can connect to G-dliness. Chassidism explains the knowledge that is on the level of "Sod" with examples so that we can relate to it. We can relate to it not only on the level of the G-dly Neshamah, but even the intellectual soul, all the way to the animal soul.
Tehillim for day 29 (& 30), Psalms 140 - 148: Psalms describe the fight against evil doers, and asking Hashem for mercy and protection. It contrasts what gives pleasure to the enemies (material things) and what brings pleasure to G-d (words of faith).
Hayom Yom for the 29th of Teveth: Chassidim are "day workers," in that they illuminate. The light is in the area of the internal essence of the commandments. It is related to the revealed aspects of Torah, as well as that which is related to the service of the heart: prayer.
(Sicha - 19th of Kislev, 5728:) Education is effective when the words of the parents come from the heart, in order that they enter the heart. The notion that, "we live in a democratic society and therefore must let kids decide to do whatever they want," is false and incorrect. A Jew is in essence a "a part of Hashem from above (really), and a child must know that.
Chumash for Tuesday, 3rd Aliyah of Bo: Moments before the last plague. Pharaoh still trying to negotiate with Moshe, allowing the children to go but not the cattle. Moshe tells Pharaoh that even he will contribute cattle to the offerings that are to come. Hashem tells Moshe to have the people collect treasures from the Egyptians before they leave.
Rambam, Hilchot Avodas Kochavim - Chapter One: The Rambam lays out the history of how idol worship came about. In the beginning, the generation of Enosh thought it appropriate to serve G-d's servants along with Him. Only later, did things get so bad that people started serving only idols and (almost everyone) forgot about the Name of G-d entirely. Then came Abraham and started to spread the knowledge of G-d, calling out the Name of G-d and settling in the Land of Canaan. He taught his ways to Isaac, who also spread the knowledge of G-d and taught it to his son, Jacob. The notion of One G-d became implanted in the Jewish people, and Jacob set aside Levi to be the leader in this respect. The tribe of Levi never worshipped idolatry even in Egypt. The notion of One G-d was imperiled and would have disappeared again were it not for G-d's mercy. He made Moshe a prophet, crowned the Jewish people with the commandments and taught them how to behave towards the sin of idol worship.
Tanya, Beginning of Chapter 18: To understand more precisely how the Torah/ service of Hashem is "very near to you," one must understand that every Jew has a an innate love for G-d, because his/her soul is an inheritance from the forefathers who were like "chariots" in their service to G-d. They merited to give to each of their descendants a soul that contains 10 Sefirot from the worlds of Atzilus, Beriah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah. Even the lowest of the low among the descendants, who has a soul from Malchus of Asiyah, nevertheless contains also Chochmah of Asiyah, which contains Chochmah of Atzilut, which is illuminated by the Ohr Ein Sof.
(Kitzur Shulchan Aruch - Chapter 3:1:) One should walk modestly with your G-d. When one is putting on clothing or taking off clothing, one should be very careful not to expose any part of his body. Hashem can see a person always. "Darkness is like light before him." When a person behaves in a modest, bashful fashion, this brings a person to be willing to submit to Hashem.
Additional Torah Studies:
Kabbalah (Sefer Yetzirah 1:7): "The beginning is embedded in the end, and the end in the beggining." Keter and Malchut are interconnected, like a circle, which, if made infinitely large, becomes like a line where the end and the beginning still nonetheless meet. Like Keter and Malchut, the physical and the spiritual also have a relationship of Cause and Effect, and vice-versa. It is only the physical that can bring two spiritual forces together. Purely spiritual entities, like angel (and, to some extent, like thought) can only have one mission. An angel with two missions would be two angels. Man has the ability to bring such forces together. Angels are also stationary (Omdim) while man is called a Mehalech (walking).
Tanach: Daniel (Lesson 1, Rabbi Tzvi Aryeh Rosenfeld): Daniel did not wish to eat meat and milk, and yet still became the most healthy, along with his friends, Chanania, Mishael, and Azaryah. King Nebuchadnezzar was thinking about what was to become of his kindgom and of the whole world he now ruled. He had a dream, and his heart pounded because he forgot it. He asked the wiseman, magicians, etc., to tell him the dream and its interpretation. They could not. He stated that he would kill all of them (interesting to note that none of them thought to rebel). Daniel prayed, in Hitbodedut. Hashem revealed to him the dream and its interpretation: the king had seen a statue with a large head of gold, arms and chest of silver ... a small stone came and destroyed the statue. The stone became a mountain that covered the entire world.
Mishnah - Kelim, Chapter 17:10: Amos of 5 Tefachim. Machloket Rabbi Meir and Rabbi Yehudah. Rabbi Meir says that all Amos were the ones of 6 Tefachim except for: the Golden Mizbeach (5 Tefachim by 5 Tefachim); the Karnaim of the Copper/Stone Mizbeach (5 Tefachim by 5 Tefachim); Sovev and the Yesod of the Mizbeach
Talmud: Ketubot, Daf Yud. Learning about how a man would not falsely claim that a woman is not a betulah and deprive her of her Ketubah, given the effort and expense in putting together a wedding, a Seudah, etc. If that were the case, he'd likely just divorce her beforehand because it would be cheaper.
Tzaddikim Story/Biography: Story of how the Rebbe helped the first African-American Congresswoman make a huge impact on the foodstamp program and creat WIC, after she was angry and disappointed to have been appointed to the Agriculture Committee in Congress.
Chassidus/Musar: Likutei Halachos (Lesson 1 - Rabbi Nosson Maimon) - General introduction to Likutei Halachos.
General Interests:
Law/Policy: Problems regarding confusion with IRMAA, and consequences of not being enrolled in Medicare Part B.
Health/Medicine: Diabetes and many other conditions may require routine foot care, nail trimming and debridement done by medical professionals.
Business/Economics: Chinese economy growing only at 7.4%
Science/Technology: There are two main languages to program an app for the iPhone. Swift and Original C.
News:
World: State of the Union Address
Personal: Started Exercising More; New Shelves!
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