DEUT1431 Do not muzzle an animal during its labors. Key concept: To instill in ourselves noble character traits, such as kindness and sympathy. This mitzvah is meant to incline one's heart towards the good, so that we pursue it and never swerve from it. By accustoming ourselves to human treatment of beings that were created only to serve us, we will custom ourselves to benevolent behavior towards our fellows in every way possible. Such is fitting for the Chosen People.

SHOW FULL EXCERPT

DEUT1441 If a man dies without children, his brother performs yibum (marries the widow). A woman, when she marries, becomes like a limb of her husband. If he dies childless, her connection to his family does not dissolve. So that he gains a foothold in the physical world and will not be forgotten from it, his brother must marry her, and if a child is born to them it will be considered the offspring of the deceased, because the mother still is considered one of his limbs. The child will cause people to remember the deceased, who will have left someone behind him in this world to carry forth his name and serve Hashem. Another reason is that the man who died leaves nothing behind in this world except for his wife, who is like his own flesh. Therefore, Hashem desires that a child be born to him by means of a union between his widow and one of his brothers, for a brother, too, is like part of one's own flesh. The child of such parents is truly like a continuation of the deceased himself. The child will serve Hashem in this world as if the deceased is still here serving Him. Thereby, the man who died childless will, in fact, have offspring in this world. The mitzvos of “heir” and “replacement” shall bring him merit in the World to Come, for the good deeds of a son bring merit to his father.

SHOW FULL EXCERPT

DEUT1442 If a man dies without children and none of his brothers want to perform yibum, one of them must perform chalitzah. The widow was ready to become the wife of a brother of her deceased husband, as explained in [See Deuteronomy 25:5 yibum CHINUCH 380]. She was prepared to serve her new husband, just as she had served the deceased. If, however, none of the brothers wants to perform the mitzvah of yibum, the Torah commands that the widow come before a beis din and perform an act of servitude and subservience. Before the court, she removes the shoe of her husband's brother, as a sign to everyone that she had been obligated to serve this person as a servant serves his master, and that it would have been fitting that this man performed yibum and take her as his wife. Since no brother is willing to fulfill his responsibility to the deceased and assure that he, in effect, remains in this world through the existence of offspring that will carry forth his name, the widow must become free of this family. She no longer can be considered subservient to any of them, and as a sign of this fact, she spits on the ground in front of the family member who refused to perform the mitzvah of yibum. Her act demonstrates that she is completely free of him and has no duty to serve him or afford him honor in any way. Everyone sees that he is like a complete stranger to her, for she is even ready to spit on the ground in front of him. Having performed this act, she is permitted to become the wife of anyone she wants.

SHOW FULL EXCERPT

DEUT1449 Rescue the pursued. If a Jew is chasing his fellow with intent to kill him, we are commanded to rescue the pursued from his assailant’s hand. If no other recourse exists, we must even kill the assailant. Key concept: The Creator wants His world to be settled and civilized. Social order requires that the weak be rescued from the hands of those who would harm them. Another reason for this commandment is that when someone is pursued and his life is threatened, his eyes turned to Hashem for salvation. Therefore, Hashem commands us to intervene and do everything at our disposal to rescue him.

SHOW FULL EXCERPT

DEUT1452 Do not keep faulty weights or measures. See [[LEV804]] Leviticus 19:35 judgment CHINUCH 163-4 and [[LEV819]] Leviticus 19:36 weights CHINUCH 164-5.

SHOW FULL EXCERPT

DEUT1472 Remember what Amalek did when our forefathers left Egypt. Realize that Hashem hates all enemies of the Jewish People--all nations and individuals who seek to cause pain and suffering. The greater the evil that such a foe perpetrates against us, the worst will be his fall and his suffering. We see that towards Amalek, whose evil against Israel was exceedingly great, Hashem's hatred is particularly vengeful, for He commands us to eliminate any trace of the nation of Amalek. We are commanded to not forget what Amalek did, and we must remind ourselves of our hatred for him, and seek him out wherever he is in order to destroy him.

SHOW FULL EXCERPT

DEUT1481 Read the required Torah verses when bringing first fruits to the Beit HaMikdash. Through verbalizing one’s true and correct thoughts, their truth and correctness will become absolutely clear, for not only will the mind grasp them; the heart will grasp them too. This principle lies at the basis of the mitzvah reading the aforementioned versus when bringing the bikkurim to the Beis HaMikdash. When Hashem and His great kindness sends His blessings upon us in our fields in the Holy Land, and the land yields the first fruits of the season, each landowner is commanded to bring these fruits to the Beis HaMikdash. There, when he hands over these foods to the Kohen, he is commanded to verbalize true thoughts--verses of the Torah--so that they penetrate to his heart. Particularly at this time, it is fitting to remind oneself that everything that one has comes from Hashem. To this end, one reads verses that recall but a few of the great kindnesses that Hashem has bestowed upon us and the nation as a whole. The person bringing his bikkurim begins by reading aloud verses about how Hashem saved Yaakov Avinu from the hands of Lavan. Then he reads that Hashem saved our entire nation from terrible subjugation in Egypt. Standing in the presence of the Kohen praising Hashem, he then asks that Hashem's blessing rest upon him always. His heart fills with gratitude and praise for Hashem, and thereby he, in fact, is fitting to be blessed, which is pleasing to Hashem, Who wants to bestow good and shower kindness upon His people. The Chinuch adds that when we stand before Hashem in prayer and make requests of Him, we must say every word very carefully. In addition, when we express ourselves in our words, we must choose our words with great care and express them sincerely. Remember and guard this principle, and apply it when you pray.

SHOW FULL EXCERPT

DEUT1488 Declare having properly separated and given the required tithes. Man is the most sublime creation on earth, and the feature that most clearly sets him apart from animals is his power of speech. By virtue of this God given power, it is obvious that compared to animals, mankind lives on an entirely different plane of existence. Owing to the sublime nature of the power of speech, we find many people who take great pains regarding every word that they say, while they are not so concerned about their sinful actions. Compared to their concern over what they do, they are more concerned about what they say, lest they blemish this holy faculty. Separating tithes is a very important matter in its own right, but its importance is magnified because Levites and Kohanim, Hashem’s servants in the Beis HaMikdash, depend upon tithes for their livelihood. Accordingly, Hashem wants the Jewish nation to take special care to separate tithes properly. He wants us to take no personal benefit from them and give them as required. For these reasons He commands us to come to the Beis HaMikdash and verbally declared before Him that we have allocated the tithes properly and that no produce intended for the Levites or Kohanim was mishandled or remains in our possession. Requiring this verbal declaration ensures that we do everything that we must regarding the tithes, for who is not afraid of uttering a lie in the Beis Hamikdash?

SHOW FULL EXCERPT

DEUT1489 Do not eat of the second tithe or of any other hallowed food when a close relative has died and is not yet buried. When a Jew eats of the second tithe, which has to be consumed in Jerusalem, or when he eats of any other hallowed meat or food, it is as if he partakes of food from the table of Hashem. At a time when a person is stricken with grief over the death of a loved one, it is inappropriate for him to approach the table of the King. In addition, the eating of the meat of an offering contributes to the atonement of the person who brought the offering. Without question, those who brought offerings would eat meat with this thought in mind, with reverence and devotion, hoping that by so doing, they would draw closer to Hashem. When someone is shrouded in grief, or is worried, unsettled and fearful, his mind is not capable of such thoughts of holiness. At such a time, therefore, it is not fitting for him to eat from the meat of an offering.

SHOW FULL EXCERPT

DEUT1649 Gather the entire nation together in Jerusalem on Sukkos. Torah is the soul and essence of the Jewish People. Through the Torah we earn eternal life in the Next World, where the pleasures are far superior to any pleasure in this world. Since the Torah is our soul and essence, it is fitting that the entire nation gather together at the designated time to hear words of Torah. People will ask, “What is the purpose of this huge gathering?” The answer will be, “We have gathered to listen to words of the Torah, for the Torah is our life and crowning glory.” The Jews will praise the Torah and speak of his priceless nature. Thereby, greater desire to learn Torah will be instilled in their hearts, and the entire nation will come to acquire greater knowledge of Hashem. The Jewish People will become more worthy of His blessings and He will rejoice in His works.

SHOW FULL EXCERPT