torah.kids · Chitas and the Parsha for Kids, Ages 3 to 13

Monday, October 26 · 15 Cheshvan 5787 · Chitas

ChumashBereishis 18:24

Avraham Asks Hashem to Save Sedom

Hashem told Avraham that the people of Sedom were very bad. Avraham asked Hashem to save their city if good people lived there.

Try it Say a little prayer for someone who needs help.

Quiz

Who did Avraham pray for?

Hashem told Avraham that the city of Sedom was very wicked and would be destroyed. Avraham asked: What if there are fifty good people there? Then he asked for forty-five, forty, thirty, twenty, and ten. Each time, Hashem said He would save the city for them.

Ask Avraham prayed for people who were not his friends. Who can you ask Hashem to help today?

Quiz 1 of 2

What was the first number of good people Avraham asked about?

Before Sedom was destroyed, Hashem told Avraham. Rashi explains why: Hashem had given that land to Avraham, and had named him Avraham, the father of many nations. It would not be right to destroy the children without telling the father, who is His friend. Avraham answered by praying for the city, step by step, from fifty good people down to ten. He called himself “I who am but dust and ashes,” and he kept asking.

Think about it Avraham prayed for people who were wicked. Why would he care about them so much?

Quiz 1 of 3

Why, says Rashi, did Hashem tell Avraham before destroying Sedom?

TehillimTehillim 78:6

Tell Your Children

Today’s Tehillim says: tell your children about the wonders Hashem did, so they can tell their children too.

Try it Tell someone in your family a story from the Torah.

Quiz

Who should we tell about Hashem’s wonders?

Asaf wrote that we must never keep Hashem’s wonders a secret. Parents tell their children, and those children grow up and tell their own children. That is how the story of the sea that split, the manna from heaven and the water from the rock reached you.

Ask Which Torah story would you tell a younger child?

Quiz 1 of 2

What did Hashem do to the sea, in today’s Tehillim?

Psalm 78 opens by saying why its story is told: “that a future generation might know—children yet to be born—and in turn tell their children.” Then it tells the whole history. The sea split, a cloud led the people by day and fire by night, water flowed from a rock, and manna fell from heaven. It also tells of the times the people forgot, and how Hashem, being merciful, forgave them.

Think about it Who told you the first Torah story you remember? Who will you tell it to?

Quiz 1 of 3

Why does Psalm 78 tell its story?

TanyaTanya, Iggeres HaKodesh 27

The Air Around You Remembers

The Alter Rebbe writes that air from Gan Eden is all around you. Every good word you say in Torah is written in it.

Try it Say one bracha today slowly and nicely.

Quiz

What is all around you, says the Alter Rebbe?

In today’s Tanya the Alter Rebbe brings a teaching from a sefer called Asarah Maamaros. The air of Gan Eden spreads around every person. Every good thought and every good word of Torah and of serving Hashem is written into that air.

Ask What good words will you say today that will be written there?

Quiz 1 of 2

What is written into the air of Gan Eden?

This letter was written after a tzaddik passed away, to comfort his chassidim. While he lived, the Alter Rebbe explains, his faith, his love and his fear of Hashem were held inside his body, and his students received only the light that shone out through his holy words and thoughts. After his passing, each of them can receive part of that faith, love and fear itself. To show how close Gan Eden is, he brings the Asarah Maamaros: the air of Gan Eden spreads around every person, and every good thought and word is recorded in it.

Think about it The Alter Rebbe says this reaches a student through great love for his teacher. How can you show love for someone who teaches you Torah?

Quiz 1 of 3

While the tzaddik lived, what did his students receive?

Tuesday, October 27 · 16 Cheshvan 5787 · Chitas

ChumashBereishis 19:1

Lot Brings Guests Home

Two angels came to the city of Sedom. Lot saw them and invited them to his house for a meal.

Try it Help set the table for a guest, or for your family.

Quiz

Who came to Lot’s house?

Two angels came to Sedom in the evening. Lot was sitting at the city gate. When he saw them, he got up, bowed, and asked them to come to his house. Rashi says Lot learned this in Avraham’s house: to go out and look for guests.

Ask Lot learned to welcome guests from his uncle Avraham. What good thing have you learned from someone in your family?

Quiz 1 of 2

Where was Lot sitting when the angels came?

The angels reached Sedom only in the evening. Rashi asks why it took them so long to come from Chevron. He answers that they were angels of mercy, waiting in case Avraham could still find something good to say for the city. Lot was sitting at the gate, and Rashi says he learned in Avraham’s house to go out looking for guests. The angels said they would sleep in the square, “But he urged them strongly, so they turned his way and entered his house.” In the end the angels took Lot, his wife and his daughters by the hand and led them out of the city.

Think about it Lot lived in Sedom and still invited guests. What does it take to keep a good habit when the people around you don’t have it?

Quiz 1 of 3

Why did the angels reach Sedom only in the evening, says Rashi?

TehillimTehillim 81:11

Open Your Mouth Wide

In today’s Tehillim, Hashem says, “open your mouth wide and I will fill it.” You can ask Hashem for anything, big or small.

Try it Ask Hashem for something you need, in your own words.

Quiz

Hashem says: open your mouth wide and I will…

In today’s Tehillim, Hashem reminds us that He took us out of Egypt. Then He says, “open your mouth wide and I will fill it.” Hashem tells us to ask Him for a lot.

Ask If you could ask Hashem for one big thing, what would it be?

Quiz 1 of 2

In Psalm 81, what does Hashem say He did for us?

In Psalm 81 Hashem speaks. He lifted the burden off Yosef’s shoulder, He answered when the people called out in trouble, and He brought them out of Egypt. Then He says, “open your mouth wide and I will fill it.” The next verse is sad: “But My people would not listen to Me.” And then Hashem says, “If only My people would listen to Me.”

Think about it Hashem promises to fill whatever we ask for. What does He ask of us in return?

Quiz 1 of 3

What does Hashem say right after “open your mouth wide”?

TanyaTanya, Iggeres HaKodesh 27

The Sun That Shines at Night

At night the sun is hidden under the earth, and still it shines on the stars. The Alter Rebbe says Moshe Rabbeinu shines on every Jew like that, in every generation.

Try it Look at the stars tonight and think about Moshe Rabbeinu.

Quiz

What does the sun shine on at night, from under the earth?

After a tzaddik passes away, his light still reaches his students from above. It brings them thoughts of teshuvah and good deeds. The Alter Rebbe compares it to the sun at night: it is under the earth and hidden, and still it lights up the stars. That is how Moshe Rabbeinu’s light reaches the Jewish souls in every generation.

Ask When did you suddenly feel like doing something good? Where do you think that feeling came from?

Quiz 1 of 2

Whose light reaches the Jewish souls in every generation?

The Alter Rebbe describes a second light a tzaddik gives his students after his passing. It does not enter their minds. It shines on them from above, and it brings thoughts of teshuvah and good deeds into their hearts. He compares it to a field: the tzaddik’s Torah and service were planted above, and the good deeds that grow from them are called gidulei gidulin, growths of growths. This light is deeply hidden, like the sun shining on the stars from under the earth, and that is how Moshe Rabbeinu’s light spreads to the souls of every generation.

Think about it The tzaddik’s light is hidden like the sun at night. How can something you cannot see still make good things grow?

Quiz 1 of 3

What are the good deeds that grow from this light called?

Wednesday, October 28 · 17 Cheshvan 5787 · Chitas

ChumashBereishis 21:1

Yitzchak Is Born

Avraham prayed for King Avimelech to get better, and Hashem healed him. Right after that, Hashem gave Avraham and Sarah a baby boy: Yitzchak!

Try it Pray for a friend who needs something.

Quiz

What baby did Hashem give Avraham and Sarah?

Avraham prayed for King Avimelech and his family, and Hashem healed them. The very next verse says Hashem remembered Sarah, and she had a baby, Yitzchak. Rashi says the Torah puts these two side by side to teach us: when you pray for someone else who needs the same thing you need, you are answered first.

Ask Who can you pray for today, even before you pray for yourself?

Quiz 1 of 2

Whom did Avraham pray for just before Yitzchak was born?

Avraham prayed for Avimelech, and Hashem healed Avimelech’s household so that they could have children. The next verse says Hashem remembered Sarah, just as He had promised. Rashi explains why the Torah puts them together: whoever asks for mercy for a friend, while he himself needs the same thing, is answered first. Rashi adds that Sarah had already been remembered before Avimelech was healed. When Yitzchak was eight days old, Avraham gave him a bris, “as God had commanded him.”

Think about it Avraham and Sarah had waited many years for a child, and Avraham still prayed for someone else. What would make that hard to do?

Quiz 1 of 3

What does Rashi learn from the Torah placing Avraham’s prayer next to Sarah being remembered?

TehillimTehillim 84:4

A Nest Near the Altar

In today’s Tehillim, a little bird makes her nest right near the altar in the Beis HaMikdash, Hashem’s house.

Try it Look for a bird on your way today and say hello to it.

Quiz

Which little bird made a home near the altar?

The sons of Korach wrote how much they longed to be in Hashem’s house. “Even the sparrow has found a home,” they sang, and the swallow a nest for her babies near the altar. “Happy are those who dwell in Your house.”

Ask Where is your favorite place to daven?

Quiz 1 of 2

Who wrote Psalm 84?

Psalm 84 is a song of longing for the Beis HaMikdash. The singers say their body and soul shout for joy to Hashem. They notice that “Even the sparrow has found a home,” and the swallow has a nest near the altar for her young. Then they say: “Better one day in Your courts than a thousand.” They would rather stand at the doorway of Hashem’s house than live in the tents of the wicked.

Think about it Why would one day near Hashem be worth more than a thousand days anywhere else?

Quiz 1 of 3

One day in Hashem’s courts is better than how many anywhere else?

TanyaTanya, Iggeres HaKodesh 28

A Letter to Comfort a Friend

The Alter Rebbe wrote a letter to the great tzaddik Reb Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev, whose son had passed away. He wrote it to comfort him.

Try it If someone you know is sad, make them a card or say something kind.

Quiz

Why did the Alter Rebbe write this letter?

This letter in Tanya was sent to the great tzaddik Reb Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev, a relative of the Alter Rebbe by marriage, when his son Reb Meir passed away. To comfort him, the Alter Rebbe wrote him Torah. He asked a question: why does the Torah tell about Miriam’s passing right after the mitzvah of the red heifer?

Ask When a friend is sad, what can you say or do to help?

Quiz 1 of 2

Who received this letter?

The Alter Rebbe wrote this letter to Reb Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev when his son Reb Meir passed away. Our Sages ask why Miriam’s passing is written right after the red heifer, and they answer: just as the red heifer brings atonement, so does the passing of tzaddikim. The Alter Rebbe asks a further question. The red heifer was burned outside the camp. Why compare a tzaddik’s passing to it, and not to a sin offering brought on the altar itself, which brings real atonement? The answer comes in tomorrow’s Tanya.

Think about it The Alter Rebbe comforted his friend with a question in Torah. Why might learning together help someone who is sad?

Quiz 1 of 3

What do our Sages learn from Miriam’s passing being next to the red heifer?

Thursday, October 29 · 18 Cheshvan 5787 · Chitas

ChumashBereishis 21:17

Hashem Hears the Boy Where He Is

Yishmael was very thirsty in the desert, and he cried. Hashem heard him, and showed his mother Hagar a well full of water.

Try it Give someone a cup of water today.

Quiz

Who cried in the desert because he was thirsty?

Yishmael was thirsty in the desert, and he cried. Hashem heard him right where he was, and Hagar saw a well of water. Rashi says the angels argued that Yishmael’s children would one day hurt the Jewish people. Hashem asked them: What is he now, good or bad? They said good. So Hashem judged him by what he was doing now.

Ask If you did something wrong yesterday, can you start fresh today? How?

Quiz 1 of 2

How old was Avraham when Yitzchak was born?

Hagar sat a bowshot away and cried, and the Torah says Hashem heard the cry of the boy. Rashi learns from this that a sick person’s own prayer is better than other people’s prayers for him, and is answered first. The angel said Hashem had heard the boy “where he is,” and Rashi explains: he is judged by what he does now. The angels argued that his children would one day let the Jewish people die of thirst. Hashem asked what he was now, and they had to say he was good. “Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water.”

Think about it Why would Hashem judge a person by what he is doing right now, and not by what he will do later?

Quiz 1 of 3

Rashi on “where he is”: by what is a person judged?

TehillimTehillim 89:10

Hashem Calms the Waves

When big waves crash in the sea, Hashem makes them calm. Today’s Tehillim says so.

Try it When you feel upset, take three slow breaths and ask Hashem to help you calm down.

Quiz

When big waves crash, Hashem makes them…

Psalm 89 sings about Hashem’s power over the sea: “when its waves surge, You still them.” The heavens are Hashem’s and the earth too. He made north and south, and the mountains sing His name.

Ask When you feel like a stormy sea inside, what helps you calm down?

Quiz 1 of 2

In Psalm 89, what does Hashem do when the waves surge?

Psalm 89 begins with a promise: Hashem swore to David that his family would rule forever. It praises Hashem, who rules the sea: “when its waves surge, You still them.” Then the song turns. The singer sees David’s throne thrown to the ground and asks where Hashem’s love of old has gone. And still he ends, “Amen and Amen.”

Think about it How can someone say “Amen” to Hashem even when things look bad?

Quiz 1 of 3

To whom did Hashem swear that his family would rule forever?

TanyaTanya, Iggeres HaKodesh 28

Shema, Every Night and Morning

Every night and every morning we say Shema. The Alter Rebbe writes that great tzaddikim gave their whole selves to Hashem when they said it.

Try it Say Shema tonight with your hand over your eyes.

Quiz

When do we say Shema?

The Alter Rebbe writes about tzaddikim who served Hashem with love. Every evening and every morning, when they said Shema, they gave their whole lives over to Hashem. All the hard work they did, hidden away their whole lives, shines out openly when they pass away.

Ask What good thing do you do that nobody sees?

Quiz 1 of 2

How did the tzaddikim in today’s Tanya serve Hashem?

The Alter Rebbe explains the answer to yesterday’s question. Tzaddikim who served Hashem with love gave their souls over to Him every evening and morning in Shema, and the same is true, he adds, of learning Torah. All the work a person’s soul did during his life is hidden away above. At his passing it is revealed and shines down below. That revealed light brings atonement for the whole generation, even for sins that the offerings on the altar could not atone for. That is why Miriam’s passing is placed next to the red heifer.

Think about it The tzaddikim’s work was hidden their whole lives. Why do you think so much good work is done where nobody can see it?

Quiz 1 of 3

What does the revealed light at the passing of tzaddikim bring the generation?

Friday, October 30 · 19 Cheshvan 5787 · Chitas

ChumashBereishis 21:33

Avraham’s Eshel

Avraham planted an eshel in Be’er Sheva, a place full of fruit for guests. After the guests ate, he told them: Thank Hashem, it is His food!

Try it Say a bracha before you eat, nice and loud.

Quiz

What did Avraham plant in Be’er Sheva?

Avraham planted an eshel in Be’er Sheva. Rashi brings two opinions: it was an orchard, to bring fruit for his guests’ meals, or it was an inn for guests, full of every kind of fruit. When the guests finished eating, Avraham told them to bless the One whose food they had eaten. They thought it was Avraham’s food. He told them it belonged to the One who spoke and the world came to be.

Ask Who could you invite to your Shabbos table?

Quiz 1 of 2

What did Avraham tell his guests after they ate?

Avraham had dug a well, and Avimelech’s servants took it. When Avraham and Avimelech made a pact, Avraham set aside seven ewes and said, “You are to accept these seven ewes from me as proof that I dug this well.” The place was called Be’er Sheva. There Avraham planted an eshel, which Rashi says was an orchard for guests or an inn. Through it, Rashi says, Hashem’s name was called God of the whole world: after the guests ate and drank, Avraham told them to bless the One whose food they had eaten.

Think about it Avraham could have just fed his guests and said goodbye. Why did he want them to make a bracha?

Quiz 1 of 3

How many ewes did Avraham set apart for Avimelech?

TehillimTehillim 92:1

The Song for Shabbos

Today’s Tehillim has the song for Shabbos. Tonight is Friday night, and we sing it in shul!

Try it Help get ready for Shabbos. Set out the candlesticks.

Quiz

Today’s Tehillim has a song for which day?

Psalm 92 is called “A song; for the sabbath day.” It says it is good to thank Hashem, and to tell of His kindness in the morning and His faithfulness at night. It says a tzaddik grows tall like a palm tree and a cedar.

Ask What is your favorite part of Friday night?

Quiz 1 of 2

What is a tzaddik compared to in Psalm 92?

Psalm 92 is “A song; for the sabbath day.” It says the wicked may sprout like grass, only to be destroyed forever. “The righteous bloom like a date-palm,” and grow like a cedar of Lebanon, planted in Hashem’s house. “In old age they still produce fruit.”

Think about it What do you think a person’s “fruit” is, even when he is old?

Quiz 1 of 3

What do the righteous still do in old age?

TanyaTanya, Iggeres HaKodesh 29

A Window to See the Light

Nobody can look straight at the sun. The Alter Rebbe says the soul needs a special garment to see Hashem’s light, the way you can look at the sun through a clear glass.

Try it Do one mitzvah today and think: this is clothing for my soul.

Quiz

How can you look at the sun, in the Alter Rebbe’s example?

Our Sages say that whoever learns halachos every day is promised a place in the World to Come. The Alter Rebbe asks: why halachos? He begins to explain. A soul cannot take in Hashem’s light all by itself, just as a person cannot look straight at the sun. It needs a garment, the way you could look at the sun through a clear, shining glass. Moshe Rabbeinu went into the cloud on Har Sinai and saw through it.

Ask Which halachah did you learn this week?

Quiz 1 of 2

Whoever learns what every day is promised the World to Come?

The Alter Rebbe asks why halachos are called the crown of the Torah, and why one who learns them every day is promised the World to Come. He brings the Arizal: every Jew must come back to this world in many lifetimes, until he has kept all 613 mitzvos in thought, speech and action. Each mitzvah completes a garment for his soul, so that no part is missing. A soul cannot take in the light of Hashem without such a garment. It would be like a candle next to a great torch. With it, the soul can see the light, like looking at the sun through clear glass, or Moshe Rabbeinu, who went into the cloud and saw through it.

Think about it Why would a soul need all 613 mitzvos, and not just a few?

Quiz 1 of 3

According to the Arizal, why does a soul come to this world in many lifetimes?

Saturday, October 31 · 20 Cheshvan 5787 · Chitas

ChumashBereishis 22:1

Here I Am

Hashem called Avraham, and Avraham answered, “Here I am.” Rashi says that is how chassidim answer: humble and ready.

Try it When your mother or father calls you today, answer “I’m coming!” right away.

Quiz

What did Avraham answer when Hashem called him?

Hashem gave Avraham his hardest test: to bring his son Yitzchak up as an offering. When Hashem called him, Avraham answered, “Here I am.” Rashi says that is the answer of chassidim, humble and ready. Avraham got up early in the morning to go. At the last moment an angel called out to stop him, and Avraham brought a ram instead.

Ask What does it mean to do a mitzvah with your whole heart?

Quiz 1 of 2

What did Avraham bring as an offering instead of Yitzchak?

Hashem called, and Avraham answered, “Here I am.” Rashi calls this the answer of chassidim, a word of humility and of readiness. On the way to the mountain Yitzchak asked his father, “but where is the sheep for the burnt offering?” Avraham answered that Hashem would see to the sheep. Rashi says that Yitzchak understood he was the offering, and still “the two of them walked on together,” with the same heart. An angel stopped Avraham, and he offered a ram caught by its horns in the bushes.

Think about it Rashi says father and son walked with the same heart. What could help you do something hard together with someone?

Quiz 1 of 3

What did Yitzchak ask on the way?

TehillimTehillim 103:13

Like a Father to His Children

Hashem loves you the way a father loves his children. Today’s Tehillim says so.

Try it Give your father or mother a hug and say thank you.

Quiz

Hashem loves you like a father loves…

King David writes: “As a father has compassion for his children,” that is how Hashem has compassion for those who fear Him. And as far as east is from west, that is how far Hashem takes our sins away from us.

Ask How does your father or mother show you they care?

Quiz 1 of 2

How far does Hashem take our sins away from us?

Psalm 103 is a song of blessing that lists Hashem’s kindnesses. “As a father has compassion for his children,” so Hashem has compassion for those who fear Him, because He knows we are made of dust. A person’s days are like grass and like a flower of the field: a wind passes and it is gone. Hashem’s kindness lasts forever, and “God’s beneficence is for the children’s children.”

Think about it Why would Hashem remember a grandparent’s good deeds for the grandchildren?

Quiz 1 of 3

To what does Psalm 103 compare a person’s days?

TanyaTanya, Iggeres HaKodesh 29

The Joy of a New Idea

When you understand something new, you feel happy inside. The Alter Rebbe says tzaddikim in Gan Eden feel that joy when they understand the Torah.

Try it Learn one new thing in Torah today and notice how good it feels.

Quiz

How do you feel when you understand something new?

The Alter Rebbe points to something everyone has felt. When you understand a new and wonderful idea, at that very moment a wonderful delight is born in your mind. The delight is even higher than the idea; it comes dressed inside it. In Gan Eden, tzaddikim understand the inner part of the Torah and feel that delight.

Ask What is the last thing you learned that made you say “Wow”?

Quiz 1 of 2

What is born in your mind when you understand a new, wonderful idea?

The Alter Rebbe compares Hashem’s will to a person’s will. A person wants what he wants because it brings him pleasure, and not pain. So will is the outside of pleasure. The Torah speaks in people’s language, he says, so that we can understand: when a person grasps a new and wonderful idea, a wonderful delight is born in his mind at that moment, higher than the idea and dressed inside it. That is why the Zohar calls understanding the World to Come. Tzaddikim in Gan Eden understand the inner Torah, which comes from Hashem’s wisdom, and the Torah and Hashem are all one.

Think about it Why do you think understanding something yourself feels better than just being told the answer?

Quiz 1 of 3

What does the Alter Rebbe say is the outside of pleasure?

Sunday, November 1 · 21 Cheshvan 5787 · Chitas

ChumashBereishis 23:1

All of Sarah’s Years Were Good

Sarah lived one hundred and twenty-seven years. Rashi says every one of her years was good.

Try it Do something good today, to make it a good day.

Quiz

How many years did Sarah live?

Sarah lived one hundred and twenty-seven years. Rashi says that at one hundred she was as free of sin as a girl of twenty, and at twenty she was as beautiful as a girl of seven. All her years were equally good. Then Avraham bought the Cave of Machpelah in Chevron, so that he could bury her there.

Ask What would make this year a good year for you?

Quiz 1 of 2

At one hundred, Sarah was as free of sin as a girl of…

The Torah counts Sarah’s life as one hundred years, twenty years and seven years, and Rashi says each number teaches something. At one hundred she was like a girl of twenty, who is not yet punished for sin, and so she was without sin. At twenty she was as beautiful as a girl of seven. All her years, he says, were equally good. Then Avraham asked to buy the Cave of Machpelah. Ephron offered it as a gift, and Avraham insisted on paying “four hundred shekels of silver at the going merchants’ rate.”

Think about it Ephron offered the cave for free. Why would Avraham insist on paying the full price?

Quiz 1 of 3

How much did Avraham pay Ephron?

TehillimTehillim 104:24

How Many Things Hashem Made

Today’s Tehillim tells about birds singing in the trees, lions roaring at night, and ships sailing on the sea. Hashem made them all!

Try it Name five things Hashem made that you can see right now.

Quiz

Who made the birds, the lions and the sea?

Psalm 104 walks through Hashem’s world: springs between the hills where wild animals drink, birds singing in the branches, the moon for the seasons and the sun that knows when to set. “How many are the things You have made.” Hashem made them all with wisdom.

Ask What is your favorite creature that Hashem made? Why?

Quiz 1 of 2

What knows when to set, in Psalm 104?

Psalm 104 describes the whole world. The lions roar at night for food from Hashem, and when the sun rises they go back to their dens and people go out to work. The sea is full of creatures, small and great. “All of them look to You” to give them their food on time. When Hashem opens His hand they are satisfied, and when He sends His breath they are created again, and He renews the face of the earth.

Think about it The psalm says every creature looks to Hashem for its food. How does Hashem give you yours?

Quiz 1 of 3

When do the lions roar for their food?

TanyaTanya, Iggeres HaKodesh 29

Mitzvos Are Pillars of Light

The Alter Rebbe says every mitzvah is like a tall pillar that goes from the ground all the way up to Hashem. When you do a mitzvah, your soul climbs up!

Try it Do a mitzvah today and picture yourself climbing up a pillar of light.

Quiz

What is every mitzvah like, says the Alter Rebbe?

In a big stone house, pillars stand on the floor and reach up to the ceiling. The Alter Rebbe says Hashem’s will has 620 pillars of light like that: the 613 mitzvos of the Torah and the seven mitzvos of our Sages. Each mitzvah reaches from Hashem all the way down to our world. The pillars are hollow, and when you do a mitzvah it wraps around your soul, and your soul rises up through it.

Ask Which mitzvah will be your pillar today?

Quiz 1 of 2

How many pillars of light does Hashem’s will have?

Hashem’s will is called Kesser, a crown, because it sits above wisdom and surrounds it. The Alter Rebbe says it has 620 pillars of light, like the pillars of a great stone house that stand on the ground with their tops joined to the ceiling. Hashem’s will is dressed in the 613 mitzvos of the Torah and the seven of our Sages, and almost all of them are actions. Even a mitzvah of speech counts as an action, because moving the lips is an action. The mitzvos are hollow pillars: they surround the soul when a person does them, and through them the soul rises all the way up.

Think about it Why do you think most mitzvos are things we do with our bodies, and not only things we think?

Quiz 1 of 3

Why is Hashem’s will called Kesser, a crown?

This week · Parshas Chayei Sarah

Water for Ten Camels

Avraham sent his servant Eliezer to find a wife for Yitzchak. Eliezer came to a well with ten camels.

He asked Hashem: let the girl who gives me water, and gives water to my camels too, be the one.

Right away Rivkah came. She gave him a drink, and then she ran back and forth to the well until all the camels had enough!

At the Shabbos table Rivkah helped before anyone asked her to. Who can you help this Shabbos without being asked?

Avraham sent his servant Eliezer to find a wife for Yitzchak. Eliezer took ten of Avraham’s camels and came to a well outside the city of Nachor.

He prayed: the girl who says, Drink, and I will water your camels too, let her be the one. Rashi explains: a girl who does kindness like that is fit to come into Avraham’s house.

Rivkah came out to the well. Rashi says Eliezer ran toward her because he saw the water rise up to meet her. She gave him a drink, and then she ran back and forth to the well until every camel had drunk its fill.

At the Shabbos table Ten thirsty camels drink a lot of water. Why do you think Rivkah offered to water all of them?

Avraham sent his servant to Aram Naharayim to find a wife for Yitzchak, and the servant took ten camels. Rashi says Avraham’s camels were easy to recognize: they went out muzzled, so that they would not graze in other people’s fields. Rashi also tells us the servant was Eliezer.

At the well Eliezer asked Hashem for a sign. The right girl would be the one who answered, “Drink, and I will also water your camels.” Rashi says such a girl, who does kindness, is fit to enter Avraham’s house.

Rivkah came, and Rashi says the water rose up toward her. She gave Eliezer a drink, and then she said, “I will also draw for your camels, until they finish drinking.” Rashi explains: until they have drunk all they need. She ran back to the well again and again, and drew for all of them.

At the Shabbos table Rivkah gave more than she was asked for. When did someone do more for you than you asked?

Bereishis 24:10–20, and Rashi there · Rashi on Bereishis 24:39

An old terebinth tree with wide, twisting branches on a rocky hillside — Photo: Félix Bonfils, public domain, Wikimedia Commons

This week · Parshas Vayeira

Why Not to Me?

A little boy, four or five years old, went in to his grandfather on his birthday to ask for a bracha. His grandfather was the Tzemach Tzedek. The boy started to cry.

He had learned that Hashem came to Avraham, and Hashem did not come to him!

His grandfather told him: Avraham was ninety-nine years old, a great tzaddik, and he still decided to do a new mitzvah, the bris. Someone like that is worthy that Hashem should come to him. The boy stopped crying. He grew up to be the Rebbe Rashab.

At the Shabbos table This Shabbos is the Rebbe Rashab’s birthday. What would you ask Hashem for on your birthday?

Every year on his birthday, the twentieth of Cheshvan, a little boy went in to his grandfather, the Tzemach Tzedek, to ask for a bracha. One year, when he was four or five, he came in and burst into tears.

His grandfather asked why he was crying. The boy said he had learned that Hashem appeared to Avraham Avinu, and he was crying because Hashem did not appear to him. It was the week of Parshas Vayeira.

His grandfather answered: when a tzaddik of ninety-nine decides that he must still do the mitzvah of bris, he is worthy that Hashem should appear to him. The boy stopped crying.

The boy was Sholom DovBer, who became the Rebbe Rashab. The Rebbe told this story on his birthday, and this Shabbos is Parshas Vayeira and the twentieth of Cheshvan again.

At the Shabbos table The Rebbe said any Jew may ask, even with tears, for Hashem to show Himself to him. If you could ask Hashem for one thing with all your heart, what would it be?

He was four or five years old, and it was his birthday, the twentieth of Cheshvan. Each year on that day he went in to his grandfather, the Tzemach Tzedek, for a blessing. That year he burst into tears. He had learned that Hashem appeared to Avraham Avinu, and he was crying because Hashem did not appear to him. The boy was Sholom DovBer, the future Rebbe Rashab.

The parsha opens with Hashem appearing to Avraham as he sat at the entrance of his tent in the heat of the day. Rashi explains that Hashem came “to visit the sick man”: it was the third day after Avraham’s bris, which he had done at ninety-nine.

The Tzemach Tzedek answered: when a tzaddik of ninety-nine decides that he must still have a bris, he is worthy that Hashem should appear to him.

The Rebbe drew two lessons. From the boy’s tears: any Jew may ask, crying, for Hashem to appear to him. He quoted the Rebbe Rayatz: “Jewish years are not counted by the passport.” Someone may be old on paper and, in the things that count, a small child, and he may still ask. From the grandfather’s answer: what makes a person worthy is knowing that he is not yet where he should be, and that he has to change.

At the Shabbos table The Tzemach Tzedek said even a tzaddik of ninety-nine still had something to fix. What is one thing about yourself you want to make better this week?

Bereishis 18:1, and Rashi there · Toras Menachem vol. 7, Shabbos Parshas Vayeira, 20 Cheshvan 5713