PARACHAT LEH LEHA (3) - HITAT DU JOUR 08 HESHVAN 5787 - 19 Octobre 2026

Hello everyone, Baruch Hashem, and welcome to our daily appointment for the study of the Chumash of the day. Today is Yom Sheni, the second day of the week, in Parashat Lech Lecha. We are on the 8th of Cheshvan 5785, and I am infinitely happy to be with you to share this moment. The name of this Parashah is Lech Lecha.

Lech Lecha means "go." And we see how Avraham moves forward and fulfills what Hashem asks of him, drawing closer in the material realm to the place where Hashem wanted him to go, but also in the spiritual realm to Hakadosh Baruch Hu, wherever he goes. He fulfills his mission, which consists of teaching the existence of God to everyone. Certain passages of the Parashah do not give the impression that Avraham is progressing at first glance. As soon as he arrives in Israel, a famine breaks out and he is forced to go down to Egypt.

There, Sarah, his wife, is captured and taken to Pharaoh's palace. Does this look like an elevation in holiness, in Kedusha, or rather like a descent, a fall? In reality, all of this is part of the process of "Lech Lecha," of moving forward. Moving forward means losing one's balance.

Indeed, when we walk, we lose our balance. We lift one foot after the other. These events were part of the trials of Avraham Avinu; as he overcame them, he became even closer to Hashem. It is precisely thanks to this descent into Egypt that he became rich and famous, which allowed him to fulfill his Shlichus, his mission, in a much better way.

Thus, these moments of descent and falling are all part of Avraham's movement of elevation. The same applies to exile, Galut, and redemption, Geulah. We strive to move toward the Geulah, but many events that occur during Galut seem to take us further away from it. May God protect us from that.

Instead of witnessing an improvement, one sometimes has the impression that the situation seems to be worsening. But just like in Parashat Lech Lecha, these periods of descent are part of a higher elevation, a journey that brings us closer to the revelation of Mashiach. The truth is that Galut, exile, is what brings about the Geulah. Ruach.

But before Ruach, remember to send us your dedications via WhatsApp at +33 6 21 37 24 52. In today's Chumash, we learn what happened when Avraham and Sarai were in Egypt. He arrives in Egypt and Sarai is hidden in a chest. We saw that yesterday.

The officers at the Egyptian border told him to open the chest so they could see what was inside. When they saw Sarai, they judged her to be of such beauty that she should marry Pharaoh. So they took her to the palace. Sarah declared that she was Avraham’s sister, just as he had asked her to do.

The Egyptians showered Abraham with many gifts to convince him to agree to let his sister become Pharaoh’s wife. Sarai did not want to be married to a non-Jewish king. Hashem struck all the inhabitants of the palace with a very severe and extremely painful skin rash so that Pharaoh could not touch her. Pharaoh tried, but Hashem assigned an angel, a malach, to Sarai, whom she could command to strike Pharaoh whenever he tried to get too close to her.

He understood that Sarai must be Abraham’s wife in light of all these events. He then asked Abraham, "Why didn't you tell me that you were married to her? Why did you say she was your sister? Now you have put me in a critical situation with Hashem.

Leave Egypt, because the people here are not virtuous. They will seek to steal Sarai because of her great beauty." He sent guards to escort Abraham as he departed from Egypt. He also sent his own daughter, Hagar, to serve as a maidservant to Sarai, knowing it was better for her to be a servant in the home of a tzadeket, a righteous woman loved by God, than to be a princess. Abraham resumed his journey toward Eretz Yisrael, taking the same path he had taken on the way there.

It is considered a sign of good manners to stay in the same places as before and to repay anyone to whom he might have owed money. He returned to Beit El, where he had offered a first korban, a sacrifice to Hashem, and prayed there again to ask HaKadosh Baruch Hu to help him on his journey. Tehillim: today we read from 44 to 48, from Psalm 44 to 48 . And in chapter 46, David HaMelech explains that when Mashiach comes, Hashem will put an end to all wars.

The world will be peaceful and tranquil. " Lechu chazu mif'alot Hashem, shamot ba'aretz"—come and contemplate the works of God. He has devastated the earth by emptying it of all war. The Rebbe Rashab explains in the Torah that this does not only concern wars waged by soldiers with weapons, but also the battle we wage against our evil inclination, the Yetzer Hara.

Today, we must constantly fight against our Yetzer Hara to do what is right because Hashem wants us to work hard to become better Jews. But when Mashiach arrives, we will rest from our battle against the evil inclination just as we rest on Shabbat after our hard labor throughout the week. Tanya, Kodesh, Siman Vav. Yesterday, we learned how in the Zohar, the Torah is described as Ets HaDa'at, the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.

The Torah is nothing but goodness, yet it dons the garments of the world so it is easier for people to study it. Just like materiality, the physical reality of the world is intertwined with good and the opposite of good. This gives the impression that the Torah is like that, too. And today, the Rebbe Rashab teaches us that we should not be surprised that the Torah can wear this type of garment, meaning modes of expression, because the Shechinah also wears its own garments.

Materiality in the world is a mixture of good and evil , what is called Kelipat Nogah. This kelipah, this shell that contains good inside, but can sometimes have an appearance that is not. The good is found inside every thing, and that good is the Shechinah. The Shechinah is in exile, in galut, since it is found inside the covering of the kelipah.

When we study the Torah, which also wears the covering of Kelipat Nogah in this world, and we understand what is pure, what is impure, what is kosher, what is not, what is assur—forbidden —or what is not, what is permitted, mutar—that is to say what is free— assur, forbidden, locked in this exile. Well, we take that step which allows us to free the Shechinah, to free the light from exile. When we scrupulously respect all the laws of the Torah, we liberate this light of Hakadosh Baruch Hu that is found in the world. Let's imagine.

Imagine that we receive a message informing us that the Lubavitcher Rebbe wishes to see us for a yechidut. And when we enter, the Rebbe entrusts us with a mission, a specific shlichut. We would, of course, be extremely enthusiastic about the idea of accomplishing exactly what he asks of us. Well, that is what happens every time we perform a mitzvah.

Hashem asks us to do something for Him. It could be washing our hands, studying Torah, doing a mitzvah, even if we are ordinary people, we become very important because we are performing an act specifically requested by Hakadosh Baruch Hu. That is the meaning of the word mitzvah. In Aramaic, tzavta, which means to bind, to connect.

When we perform a mitzvah, we become connected to God like a great sage, a Chacham, who requests a particular service from a very simple person. The Sages say that the reward of a mitzvah is the mitzvah itself. Mitzvah, mitzvah, because the greatest reward is to be connected to Hakadosh Baruch Hu. Rambam .

Chapter 2. The Rambam here teaches us the difference depending on whether the rotzeach, the murderer, committed the act himself or tasked someone else to do it. Even if the Beit Din is not able to punish someone, Hashem will punish them if they deserve it. In chapter three here, the Rambam explains how we determine that the person truly had the intent to kill.

The Beit Din will evaluate if the type of act committed or the object used is usually sufficient to cause death. May He spare us from such things. And finally, in chapter 4 here, we are reminded that in certain cases, if the Beit Din knows the person had the intent to kill, even if they do not have the formal type of evidence required, they can punish the individual in another way to prevent such acts from occurring. Once again, this was the study of the day, as we leave with a word of Mashiach and Geulah; a Jew knows that if he has a need, he can rely on Hashem.

If he does not have enough money, he has the trust , the bitachon, that Hashem will provide it for him—true emunah. Having bitachon helps us merit that Hashem grants us what we need. But having bitachon is not only important for ourselves. A Jew must have bitachon for what we all need.

And what do we all need? Mashiach, the Geulah, the deliverance. And when we act this way, through the merit of our emunah, through the merit of our faith and our trust, our bitachon, Hashem will bring the Geulah for all of Am Yisrael immediately. This was the daily Chitat.

I invite you to share it with as many people as possible. I wish you good news, b'ezrat Hashem, in every area. We studied for the ilui neshama of Avraham Nissim ben Khalifa. See you very soon for the Chitat.