a diamond a day - kislev

8/10/2019 A Diamond A Day - Kislev

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Kislev


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12 KISLEV

KISLEV

From a letter of my father [the Rebbe Rashab]:

On Yud es Kislev, when the Alter Rebbe was redeemed from

prison, the light and life of our souls was given to us. Tis day is the

Rosh Hashanah of Chassidus, the orah which was handed down to

us by our Rebbeimthe orah of the Baal Shem ov.

Tis day is the beginning of Your works. Tis is the day when

the true purpose of the creation of man begins to be fulfilledwhich

is to draw down the light of the innermost part of orah. On Yudes Kislev, a general light is drawn down for the entire year. On this

day we must awaken the desire, from the depths of our heart, that

Hashem should light up our souls with the light of His inner orah.

oday we pray to Hashem from the depths of our hearts, to draw

down the deepest and innermost light of His orah and mitzvos into

our innermost soul. We pray that our total existence should be devoted

to Hashem alone, to chase away all bad middos. Instead, all our actions

and concerns, both in avodas Hashem and in worldly matters, should

be with sincere kavanah, for the sake of Hashem alone.

May Hashem, our merciful Father, have compassion on us and

lead us along the good and righteous path, and may we see His facewith dignity.


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13A DIAMOND A DAY

KISLEV

Yud Tes Kislev___________________________________________________

Te chazan does not wear a tallis for Minchah or Maariv, not

on Shabbos and not on Rosh Hashanah.

Te Mezritcher Maggid passed away on Yud-es Kislev,

uesday, Parshas Vayeishev 5533 [1771]. He is buried in Anipoli.

Te Alter Rebbe was released from his first imprisonment on

Yud es Kislev, uesday, Parshas Vayeishev 5559 [1797], towards

evening.

Te Alter Rebbe was sitting in prison, reading ehillim. It

was uesday, a day that Hashem said It was good twice in the

orah. It was the 19th of Kislev, the yahrtzeit of his teacher, the

Mezritcher Maggid. He was reading Kapitel 55 in ehillim, and

came to the verse Pada bshalom nafshi - He redeemed my soulin peace. At that moment, the guards came to inform the Alter

Rebbe of his release from prison, and he came out in peace, by

the act of the G-d of peace (from a letter by the Alter Rebbe).

Yud es Kislev is a day of farbrengens and good resolutions

towards setting times to study the revealed orah and Chassidus

in public, and strengthening the ways of chassidim with true

friendship.

It is customary to divide the study of the shas, according to

the procedure set out in Igeres Hakodesh Hocheiach ochiach.

In Lubavitch, since the year 5663 [late 1902], this division was

made on Chof Daled eves, as there was not enough time onYud es Kislev.


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KISLEV

Chof Kislev___________________________________________________

Te first printing of the Sefer Shel Benonim - anya - was

completed on uesday, Chof Kislev, 5557, in Slavita. It includedpart I - Sefer Shel Benonim, Part II - Chinuch Katanand Shaar

Hayichud Vehaemuna.

Igeres Hatshuvah, first edition, was printed in Zalkvi 5559

[1799]; second edition, first printing, was in Shklov 5566 [1806].

Igeres Hakodesh, first printing was in Shklov 5574 [1818].

Te corrected edition of all four parts was printed in Vilna

(Rom edition) in 5660 [1900] and has been reprinted many

times since.

Chof Alef Kislev___________________________________________________

Yossi, what are you mumbling to yourself? asked Yossis younger

brother Yanki, as they walked down the street together.

I am reviewing the Mishnayos that I learned by heart, replied

Yossi. Learning and reviewing Mishnayos by heart is one way we

can merit to welcome Moshiach!

Everyone should learn some Mishnah by heart, according to

their ability, and review it when walking down the street. In this

way, they will merit to greet Moshiach.

Chassidim must study Chassidus; all chassidim on Mondays,

Tursdays, and Shabbos. emimim, those who learned in

Yeshivas omchei emimim, should learn an hour every day.


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15A DIAMOND A DAY

KISLEV

Chof Beis Kislev___________________________________________________

Te Frierdiker Rebbe instituted the practice of saying a

portion of ehillim every morning, including Shabbos, Yom ov,Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur after davening, as it is divided

for the days of the month. When ehillim is completed with a

minyan, mourners Kaddish is said. In a month of 29 days, the

last two portions are said on the 29th.

Chof Gimmel Kislev

___________________________________________

In the busy Berman household, Shabbos preparations begin early.

On Wednesday, the shopping is done, the challah dough is prepared,

and the vegetables are peeled for Shabbos.

Te Zohar says that all days are blessed from Shabbos. All

days refers to the six days of creation, which Hashem blessedwith a general blessing Hashem will bless you in all you do.


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Shabbos blesses the days that come before it and the days that

follow it. Te preparations for Shabbos begin on Wednesday, and

it is announced by the short lechu neranenaof three verses. [Te

first three verses of lechu neranenaare added to the shir shel yom

of Wednesday. Lechu neranenais the opening prayer of Kabbalas

Shabbos, said on Friday night to welcome Shabbos.]

Chof Daled Kislev, Erev Chanukah___________________________________________________

Mommy, what will we have for Shabbos? little Devorah

Berman asked her mother one Wednesday.

Lets see, Devorah. We will have wine, challah, fish, soup, chicken

and some side dishes.

Mrs. Berman paused for a moment. Ten she asked her daughter

with a smile, Devorahle, now let me ask you a question. What will

we do for Shabbos? How will we make sure that we are ready for

Shabbos, and that we feel differently on Shabbos than we do during

the week?

Tis is an explanation of Lechu Neranena, which is simple

enough to be understood by everyone. On Wednesday, we begin

to think about what we will make for Shabbos. But we also beginto think about how we will make ourselves ready for Shabbos in

a spiritual way. Tis can cause us to feel a bit sad. Te solution

is Lechu Neranena, come let us sing. Have faith, and trust in

Hashem. When Tursday comes and we are still not ready, it isnt

so easy anymore to be happy and sing. We realize that we need

to actually do something to make ourselves feel Shabbosdik. Soon Tursday night, we learn a little bit of Chassidus, so that by

Friday, we can begin to feel that Hashem is a great G-d and a

great King. With this feeling, we can go in to Shabbos.


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17A DIAMOND A DAY

KISLEV

During Minchah, achanun is not said.

Chof Hey Kislev, 1stday of Chanukah___________________________________________________

My father [the Rebbe Rashab] would light the Chanukah

lights between Minchah and Maariv. He was not particular

if the doorway faced south-north or east-west. He would say

haneiros halaluafter lighting all the lights. He would sit near the

lights for a half-hour, except for erev Shabbos when he did not

stay that long. He made sure that the candles stayed lit for at

least 50 minutes.

Te order we follow on erev Shabbos Chanukah is: Minchah,

Chanukah lights, then Shabbos candles.

Chof Vov Kislev, 2ndday of Chanukah___________________________________________________

On Shabbos mevorchim, when the new month is blessed,

chassidim gather in shul early in the morning to recite the whole

ehillim. Afterwards, for about an hour, they are to study a

maamar of Chassidus that everyone can understand, and then

daven. Te time to farbreng is set according to the conditions of

each place where they live. Te farbrengen of Shabbos mevorchim

brings material and spiritual success.

After finishing the whole ehillim, Kaddish yasomis said. If

there is a yahrtzeit or mourner Kaddish is said after each of the

first five books of ehillim.

Chof Zayin Kislev, 3rdday of Chanukah___________________________________________________

During the Alter Rebbes second arrest, in 5561 [1800], he

was not imprisoned as harshly as the first time. But the charges


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against him were more serious, because they were aimed against

the teachings of Chassidus, and the opposition was very strong.

He was held in the aini Soviet prison and released on the 3rd

Light of Chanukah.

Chof Ches Kislev, 4thday of Chanukah___________________________________________________

It was customary for the zemach zedek to have a sort of

farbrengen on one of the nights of Chanukah with his family,

including his daughters-in-law. Tis was called latkes evening.

Tis custom was held also by the Alter Rebbe and the Mitteler

Rebbe. Some of the stories the Rabbeim told at this meal were

the same ones that were discussed every Chanukah, even though

they had been talked about the previous year.

My father [the Rebbe Rashab] would give Chanukah gelt on

the fourth or fifth night of Chanukah.


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Chof Tes Kislev, 5thday of Chanukah___________________________________________________

Te sins of the Jewish people in the times of the Greeks

were: Being too friendly with the Greeks, studying their culture,not keeping Shabbos and Yom ov, eating treif food, and not

being careful with Jewish taharah. Te punishment-suffering

was the spiritual destruction of the Beis Hamikdash, death,

and slavery in galus. (Even though the Beis Hamikdash was

not destroyed by the Greeks, they entered it and defiled it by

putting idols inside and making the oil impure. After themiracle of Chanukah, the Jews cleaned up the Beis Hamikdash

and purified it as it was before.) Trough teshuvah and mesirus

nefesh, the great, miraculous G-dly salvation the miracle of

Chanukah came about.

a diamond a day - kislev

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