Hei Av

On a visit to her friend Risa’s home, Shoshana admired Risa’s pretty outfit.

“I have another one very similar to this one.  Why don’t you try it on?  If you like it, you can keep it,” Risa told her.

Shoshana widened her eyes in surprise.  “Are you sure your mother won’t mind?”

“Not at all!” replied Risa.  “My mother loves to buy me nice clothes, but she always tells me, ‘nice things are meant to be shared.’  Lots of times when we find something on sale, my mother buys two – one for me, and one to give to a friend.”

“Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and run after it.”

The Baal Shem Tov commented:  Every physical thing that we are permitted to use has both good and bad in it.  When we use something only because we want to get pleasure out of it, this is evil.  But each thing is created by Hashem, and has a “Life-force” of Hashem inside that keeps it in existence.  If Hashem did not want the object to be, it would simply stop existing. 

This life-force of Hashem in each thing is good.  Any time we use something in the world, we need to “turn away from evil.”  That means that we should not use it only for our own selfish pleasures.  We must also “do good” – to want to be helped by the Life-force of Hashem that is in that thing.   Before using something, we need to stop first and think, “How would Hashem want me to be using this?” 

This is what “seek peace and run after it” means.   A person who turns away from evil and does good must search and run after a way to make peace between the physical and the life-force of Hashem that makes it exist.

Daled Av

Mr. Klein owns a large chain of supermarkets.  He spends all of his time running his business and thinking about how he can earn more money.  His stores are open on Shabbos, because he is worried about how much money he will lose by closing them.  He is always afraid that someone will open a bigger, better store and put him out of business.  As wealthy as he is, he never really feels relaxed or secure.

Mr. Lichtman owns a large factory.  Although he is also very busy, he always has time to spend with his children and review Chumash or Gemara with them.  His business is closed for Shabbos, and he has a minyan for mincha right in his factory.  He runs his business carefully, but does not worry about temporary setbacks.  “The same way that Hashem helped me up until now, he will continue to help me be successful.”

No matter how much effort a person puts in, no one can earn even a cent more than what Hashem decided that this person should earn.  Each person needs to do what is necessary, but must remember that all his work is only secondary. The important thing is the blessing of Hashem, and this blessing is earned by being a sincere Jew:  Davening with a minyan, keeping Shabbos in a beautiful way, keeping Kosher very carefully, educating children by sincere, frum teachers.

Gimmel Av

“Whew, I’m glad that’s over,” Bluma said to her friend Shoshi.  They had just spent an intense week studying for finals.  Now the tests were all behind them, and summer vacation was about to begin.

“You know, this is going to sound weird,” said Shoshi, “but in a way, I’m going to miss finals week.”

Bluma looked at her friend in astonishment.  “Are you serious?  What is there to miss about staying up late night after night studying like crazy?  Do you really mean that you want to go back to all that?”

“No, not exactly,” replied Shoshi.  “I’m also glad that summer vacation is here.  But at the same time, doing all that learning felt very satisfying.  Now, the pressure is off, but I’m still going to miss that feeling of accomplishment.”

The Rebbe Rashab said in a sicha that when Moshiach will come (speedily in our time, Amen), we will really miss the days of galus.  Can you imagine this?  What can there be to miss about galus?  The Rebbe explains that we will miss the accomplishments that we could have had through our hard work in galus.  We will feel disappointment at not having worked as hard as we could have.  We will feel the deep pain caused by our lack of avoda.  These days of galus are days of avoda, to prepare ourselves for the coming of Moshiach, speedily in our days, amen.

Beis Av

This is an instruction for everyone:  A boy starts putting on Tefillin two months before his Bar Mitzva; at first without a brachah, then a few weeks later with a brachah.

Rosh Chodesh Av

The special quality of Moshiach is that he will be humble. Even though he will be very great, and he will teach Torah to the Avos and to Moshe Rabbeinu (alav Hashalom), he will still be the ultimate in humility and bittul, because he will also teach simple people.

Hayom Yom 1 Tammuz

1 Tamuz

A talmid chochom needs mesirus nefesh to learn Torah.  There is a possuk that says “If a person dies in a tent…”  Literally, this possuk means that if a person dies in a tent, any person or thing inside at the time becomes impure.   According to Chassidus, the possuk also has a deeper meaning.  The "tents" refer to tents of Torah.  If a person wants to really give himself over to learning Torah, he needs to “put to death,” or remove, all pleasure in worldly things.  All worldly pleasures, even small ones, hold back a person from being completely devoted to the “tent” of Torah.