Toras Avigdor

Part I.Hashem is HereHE’STAMEI, HE’STAMEI, HE’STAMEIכל ימי אשר הנגע בו יטמא, טמא הוא, בדד ישב מחוץ למחנה מושבו – “All the days that thetzara’asis upon the person he shall betamei,tameihe should be. He should dwell alone; outside the camp should be his place of residence.” (13:46) When reading thispossuk, we are immediately struck by the repetition of thetameistatus of themetzora, “He shall betamei,tameihe should be” and that requires an explanation.So we’ll say as follows: The root “tum” denotes something that is “closed off”. That’s what the wordtumahmeans, and that is the principle underlying all the laws oftumah. Wherever we findtumahwe must understand that itis a decree of Hashem to teach us what should be avoided and shunned.So we read thepossukas follows: “All the days that thetzara’asis upon the person he shall be ritually unclean” – the first word “tamei” speaks of the status oftumah. He is anav hatumah. It’s information we have to know. It’s a technicality the Torah is teaching us; the basic law that this man istameiand makestameianything that comes in contact with him. But the second expression oftumah, “Tameihe should be,” is giving us thereasonfor thetumahbeing imposed on him; as if to say: “He shall betamei, because Hashem desires that he should beclosed offfrom society.” “He istamei”, because “tamei, shunned and avoided, he should be.”THE LONELY SEDER NIGHTNow that’s something we have to study. Because we’re talking here about afrumJew. He’s a father, a husband, a loyal servant of Hashem who puts ontefillinanddavensthree times a day with aminyan. His home is a kosher home and his children are allfrumboys and girls. He’s one of us! And yet, one morning he wakes up withtzara’as;and now he must take leave of his family and friends and make his way beyond the walls of the city to live alone. This friend of ours, a fellow Jew, is nowtamei; he’s closed off from the rest of Mankind.Badad yeishev– “He shall stay in isolation,” meaning that even othertamei’imare to avoid his company (Rashi ibid.).So our fellow Jew is now sitting alone outside of the walls of his city; and there he will remain until thetzara’asheals. He’ll miss the Shabbosseudoswith his family. He might even be spending the Seder night all alone! And it’s no accident of fate here. The Rambam says thattzara’asis not a natural form of leprosy; it’sa miraculous phenomenon. “Tzara’asis one of the miracles that Hashem provides to His nation” (Moreh Nevuchim 3:47) and that’s why agoycan’t becometameiwithtzara’as(Negaim 3:1).Hashem miraculously sends upon a Jewtzara’as,and now he has to be shunned. And it’s not because of contagion, or merely because he can bemitameiothers – it’s because Hashem wants him to be “closed off” from people. Hashem wants that he should leave themachaneh;that he should separate from society and dwell alone outside of the city.LOOKS CAN BE DECEIVINGAnd that’s because actually this man is a dangerous man; he may appear to be veryfrum, but thegemara(Eirechin 15b) says: כל המספר לשון הרע נגעים באים עליו. “One who speaks wrong words, he uses his mouth in the wrong way, is stricken by leprosy.” And so we understand that this man misused the gift of company of people; when he was healthy he sat around with his friends and wagged his tongue – not only that he ridiculed and belittled other people, but even just to talkd’varim b’teilimis misusing the tongue.And so in the great days ofnevuah, thenegaoftzara’asspoke to this man the word of Hashem: “He shall betamei, and he should be closed off from people and avoided.” He will dwell alone where he won’t have anyone with whom to speak; and now he will begin the study of how a person is to use his tongue, and he will understand thatthe proper way to use a tongue is primarily by not using it.BRING MANUFACTURING JOBS BACK!The Rambam gives us an insight into this: לעולם ירבה אדם בשתיקה– “A person should always beproducinga great deal of silence” (Rambam Hilchos Dei’os 2:4). You hear that? You have to produce silence as much as you can. Imagine you’re producing goods for a certain purpose. Let’s say you’re making toothbrushes, or you’re a tailor and you’re sewing suits. Whatever it is, you’re producing. So you have to keepcheshbon, “How many goods did I produce today?” “Did I do better today than yesterday?” “What could I do different tomorrow in the factory to produce more toothbrushes?” And it’s the same with silence. A man should always beproducingsilence in this world. You have to think about that! “How much silence did I produce today?”And it’s considered a service of Hashem: לך דומיה תהילה – “To you Hashem, silence is praise” (Tehillim 65:2). That’s an interesting idea, because we always understood that theHallelukahsand thebrachosare praise.Ashrei,HoduandModim, that’s how we praise Hashem. And now we’re being told thatkeeping quietis the real way to praise Hashem; to produce silence is actually a career of praising Hashem. And that needs a good explanation.A LESSON FROM THE WISE MANAnd so, who better to turn to than thechochom m’kol adam.Shlomo Hamelech tells us in Koheles (5:1): אל תבהל על פיך – “Don’t be in a hurry to express yourself, ולבך אל ימהר להוציא דבר לפני השם – Your heart, your mind, shouldn’t be in a hurry to say something in the Presence of Hashem”. When you’re sitting at the table with your family, your friends, Hashem is present. So keep quiet! כי אלוקים בשמים ואתה על הארץ – “Hashem is in the heavens and you’re down below on the earth, על כן יהיו דבריך מעטים – Therefore your words should be few”. Oh, now something else comes into the picture;Elokimis now in the picture!Elokimis inshomayim, above you, looking at you. And you’re down on this earth. על כן יהיו דבריך מעטים – “That’s why your words must be few.”If a man opens up his mouth and words flow out without restraint, so it means he doesn’t feel like he’s inanybody’spresence! Let’s say you were standing in the presence of the mayor, or in front of the president of the United States – he’s not such an important person today – but still you wouldn’t talk too much in his presence. You definitely wouldn’t be shooting off your mouth.DO YOU HAVE EMUNAH IN THE PRESIDENT?Now להבדיל אלף הבדלות, if you are talking with thegadol hador,with let’s say Rav Shach, Rav Moshe Feinstein, whoever is thegadol hador, would you talk much? If you have any sense you wouldn’t say a word! Let’s say you meet the Sigheter Rav, you’re standing in front of the Satmerer Rav, and somebody comes over to you, “Hey, Chaim! What time is it?” Would you say, “It’s three o’clock”?! No you keep quiet, you keep your mouth shut; you’re standing in front of yourrebbeh! Lethimtalk; you keep quiet. חכם אינו מדבר בפני גדול ממנו – “Someone withchochmadoesn’t open his mouth when he’s standing in front of somebody bigger than him” (Avos 5:7).So the fact that you keep your mouth closed indicates that you realize that you’re standing in the Presence of Hashem. It’s a demonstration that you possess a sensory perception of the closeness of Hashem; it’s not merely words, theories. Just like you wouldn’t talk in the presence of somebody important, you don’t open your mouth in the presence ofElokim bashomayim.You keep quiet, at least as quiet as you would be in front of the President. At least that! If the President of the United States was standing here, you’d be careful with every word that comes out of your mouth! That means you believe in the President more than you believe in Hashem!THE PECULIAR MAN OF OURPARSHASo now we can understand why thisfrumman is shunned by Hashem, sent out to live in solitude. If he’s hasty with words, if he doesn’t think before he speaks, so he needs to be sent out where he will have time to think about this great principle ofElokimbashomayim. Themetzorahad to cover his mouth, did you know that? It’s an openpossuk:ועל שפם יעטה, it means that he had to wear his cloak in certain way so that it covered his mouth. What for? Because he was proclaiming to the world this lesson! Part of hiskapparahwas to walk around dressed in this peculiar way; and he had to make a lot of noise too: טמא טמא יקרא, wherever he went he had to proclaim to everyone that he’stamei.So here’s a man with his cloak covering half his face, all the way over his mouth, and in his muffled voice he’s crying out: “I’mtamei, I’mtamei!” It was a strange sight, and anyone who saw him took his condition to heart and learned that he’d better get busy covering up his mouth before thenegacomes tohim. And so we gained a lot by seeing ametzorawith his covered mouth.GAINING EMUNAH; A GUIDEWhat we’re learning is that no matter howfruma person is, he has to havehargasha,emunahchushis, that he’s standing in front of Hashem and that’s why he doesn’t talk. What does that mean? Suppose you’re an ordinary Jew who never worked on these concepts; you don’t actually feel the Presence of Hashem. But you’d like to do it; you aspire to become ama’amin. Now, certainly you won’t admit that you’re not ama’amin, but at least you’ll admit that you don’t feel the Presence of Hashem all the time. And so by training yourself not to talk just for this purpose; each time you wish to open your mouth you remind yourself: כי אלוקים בשמים ואתה על הארץ על כן יהיו דבריך מעטים – “Hashem is listening and therefore your words should be few.” And little by little you bring into yourneshamaan awareness of this tremendous principle, and you thereby achieveyiras Hashem.When someone approaches you and makes a remark, don’t be in a hurry to answer. You’d like to talk; you have a wisecrack or a rejoinder, you want to say something. “No. I won’t say it because I’m standing in front of Hashem.” Sometimes you don’t have to answer at all. If someone says something to you, do you have to say something back? Let’s say a cow says moo, do you have to moo back? A dog barks as you pass by, you have to bark back? So if someone speaks to you, unless it’s necessary, don’t say anything. Just listen. Who says you have to answer?And suppose you must answer; sometimes youmustsay something, so you should count your words. You know, some people are like a faucet; they start pouring out all they have. All the emptiness they have in their minds comes pouring out. That means that they’re beingmasiach da’asfrom Hashem. A person must always keep in mind that Hashem is listening. Keeping your mouth closed, and keeping your words few when you do have to speak shows that you haveemunahthat wherever you are Hashem is listening. If you open your mouth and you talk without restraint so it means you think you’re a free bird. It means that you have noemunah,becausebelief in Hashem requires that we should keep quiet. He’s standing right here after all, and He’s listening.Part II.Your New ProfessionEXTRACTING HONEY AND GEMSNow in order to appreciate more this career ofyiras shamayim, we have to see how thegemarain Chullin (89a)darshensapossuk. As a matter of fact, the followinggemarawas once used by the Alter of Slabodkazichronol’vrachaas an illustration of how to appreciate every word of ama’amar chazal.The Alter thought about every word that thechachomimsaid and he sucked as much honey as he could from thema’amar.Thegemaraquotes the followingpossuk: אמנם אלם צדק תדברון – “The truth is, silence is appropriate; only speak righteous words” (Tehillim 58:2). That’s theposhut pshat,butchazaldiscovered some hidden gems in thatpossuk.First I’ll say the words of thegemaraand then I’ll tell you how the Alter explained them: אמנם – מה אומנתו של אדם בעולם הזה – “What is a man’s profession in this world?” From the word אמנם, comesumnus, profession. And thegemaraasks a question: What’s your job here inOlam Hazeh? And thegemarasays that the next word in thepossuk, אלם, that’s the answer: יעשה עצמו כאלם – “Make yourself as if you were a mute, as if you couldn’t speak.” So we read thepossuklike this: אמנם, what’s yourumnus, your profession? אלם, to be a mute. That’s your business in this world.BARUCH HASHEM FOR ACCOUNTANTS!The first thing we see is that man has aprofessionin this world. A “profession” means it’s not justa hobby to keep silent, it’s not even just a good thing, an added perfection. No; silence isyourbusinessin this world; that’s what we came into this world for. Now at first glance that’s hard to understand; because how could everyone have the same profession? If everyone was a shoemaker so we’d all have comfortable shoes, but we’d have to tailor our own pants. Without good Jewish accountants we’d be paying a lot of extra money to Uncle Sam.So what we’re learning now is that whatever you’re doing in your life; that’s only your second job, a side business; you have to pay the bills after all. But your mainbusinessin this world is to bek’ileim, to keep your mouth closed.Now, the Alterzichrono l’vrachamade the point that anumnusis not something that you just pick yourself up and do; you have to train yourself for a profession. It’s necessary to undergo a course of training to learn the skill of silence, just like you would for any other serious profession. If you want to be a plumber, let’s say, so you’ll just put on a pair of blue overalls, grab a wrench and that’s all?!BECOMING A PLUMBER IS NOT EASYNobody ever became a plumber by saying “I decided I’m a plumber.” You’re going to have to roll up your sleeves and get under a sink. And you’ll have to lie there on your back and watch the master plumber for months and months learning all the tricks of the trade. You’ll have to carry his tools for him and you watch: When do you use this tool? When do you open that valve? When do you close it? It’s achochma, and there’s a lot to learn. And if silence is our career in life, that means we have a lot to study.To become a professional mute, you can’t just buy a padlock for fifty cents at the corner hardware store, lock your mouth firmly, and then walk around the street without worries. It’s not that easy. If that’s all it was, it wouldn’t be a profession; it would just be a fifty cent expense and finished. But no it’s a profession, it’s the “profession of a person in this world.”Now the Alter points out something else in thisgemarathat’s worth our attention: It says “What is the professionsheladamin this world?” The profession of anadam! It’sthisprofession, making yourself into anileim, a mute, that will cause you to earn the title ofadam. Anadamis expected not to open his mouth unless it’s justified. And only the one who has mastered this art can boast that he’s made it, that he’s graduated. Otherwise, you’re not anadam. Maybe you’re a croaking frog, or a blue jay; something you are, absolutely; you’re making noise after all. But you’re not yet anadamunless you’ve mastered this career of silence.GET BUSY BANGING YOUR HEAD!Now, what usually happens when I speak on this subject? I’ll tell you. There’s always one idealist who wants to get busy accomplishing. Why not? Rabbi Miller said so! He said it’s a profession foreveryone. A young man who comes here and he’s inspired by the words of theAlter; he’s ready now to make changes! So he goes home after the lecture, and as soon as he walks into the house he hears his mother talking on the phone. So he bangs on the table, “Uh, uh, uh. Nu, nu!” He wants to make sure his mother knows whathernew profession is!So theAltertells us that we have to know how to learn ama’amar chazal.Thegemarasaysya’aseh atzmo– “Makeyourselfinto a speechless person.” Yourself! Oh, that’s a different story already. What are you banging on the table for? Get busy banging onyour ownhead! Don’t bother others!That means when a man comes home to his wife, and he heard my lecture tonight, and now his wife wants to talk, she wants to tell him about what happened with the children today. And also she’s talking about what her sister said and probably some other things as well. So he should let her talk about whatever she wants. He shouldn’t say, “Keep quiet; in this house we work on producing silence.” He’s a dumbbell! He’s working onhersilence!Ya’aseh atzmo!He has to makehimselfanileim; that’s who he has to worry about.TALK TO PAPA!Now this profession, this career we’re speaking about tonight, wouldn’t be so difficult if all you had to do was to buy a padlock. Mazel tov, you’re anileim! But that’s not what Chazal are demanding of you; it doesn’t say you shouldbeanileim, it saysk’ileim, likea mute. You know that the extra letterkafseems like an unnecessary addition. It could have just as well said, “Make yourself into anileim.” What’sya’aseh atzmo k’ileim, make yourselflikea mute?What it means is that youcan’tpadlock your lips shut! You have to make yourselfk’ileim,likea mute,as ifyou can’t speak. You have to talk, and sometimes you have to talk and talk, but you have to talk like somebody who is anileim. If you have to walk through the street, you have to say good morning or good evening to the people you see. You can’t just walk around with a deadpan face ignoring people. Why should your neighbor suffer because you’re learning a new profession?! You come into the home, so you have to walk in and say, “How was your day Chanaleh?” At least that you have to say! You can’t come in and be anileim. A boy comes in from the yeshiva, he can’t walk in quietly and go to his room. He has to say “Vus machstu mammeh?” “How are you Papa?”Somethinghe has to say! He’sk’ileim, not anileim mamish.That’s why thegemarasays,Yachol la’kol –“You might think that once you adopt this practice so you shouldn’t open your mouth foranything.” תלמוד לומר צדק תדברון – “So thepossuksays, ‘Speak righteousness.’” When it comes to words of righteousnessyou have to talk.”DivreiTorahyou have to talk. Words of kindliness you have to talk. If someone is sad and dejected youmustgo over and put your arm around his shoulders and say a few kind words to him.Tzedek tidabeirun. Good things youmustsay!DON’T COMPLIMENT THE CHALLAH…To say words of encouragement to your fellow man, to comfort a fellow Jew, that’s what you have a mouth for, that’s part of your profession. You don’t have to babble though. Think of ways and means of making people happy, by saying a timely word. If it’s a child then sometimes a littlegletton the cheek and a word or two can be a lifesaver. Tell him something that buoys his self respect, something that gives him the ambition to continue improving.If you tell your wife that she cooks well – that’s very important by the way – that’stzedek. You make sure to compliment your wife when she serves you anything: “Chanaleh, this challah tastes excellent.” Now if she bought it at the bakery, make surenotto praise thechallah; find something else to bem’shabeiach. “This chicken soup ism’ein Olam Habah,Chanaleh. Yi’yasheir koi’ach”Now usually itdoestaste good; you can find many things to compliment. Don’t be bashful! It’s not the time to bek’ileim– now it’s time fortzedek tidabeirun.And even if it happens, an unusual incident, when supper is not such a success, if you’ll say it’s excellent, there’s no harm either. Only that most people have it all wrong; when they have what to complain about, then the words come gushing forth, pearls of “wisdom.” But when it’s time fortzedek tidabeirun,then suddenly this “tzadik” remembers his profession of beingk’ileim.PRACTICE MAKES PERFECTIt’s an art. Sometimes you have to talk and talk, but you have to talk like anileim. You’re always careful not to say what you’re not supposed to say. But what you have to say, you must say. So when you come home tonight and your wife says, “What did he say over there?” Don’t say “Ummmmmm.” Say something. Say it briefly but say something. Don’t just keep your mouth closed.K’ileim,likea mute! Oh, now that’s already anumnus. It’s harder than just lying on your back under a sink studying how to plumb!And therefore we should get busy practicing this profession ofshtikahbecause it means that we’re practicing the career ofyirasshamayim! You’re sitting at the table at the Shabbosseudah, and everyone is prattling away. Talking and talking and talking. So what do you do? You say to yourself, “I’m going to train myself now for my profession in this world. I’m going to sit for two minutes – two minutes on the clock – and listenand not open my mouth.”Let’s say you were forced to go somewhere; sometimes you have to go to visit your in-laws in Boro Park. You can’t say no this time. So they’re eatingmelave malkaand everybody is chatting. Or maybe you’re sitting at achasunaand all around you all the tongues are clacking. While their minds are being ground to pieces by the idle chatter, you can grab the opportunity for getting to work on your profession. So you’re paying attention; you’re trying to seem interested, smiling at the right times. But you’re telling yourself, “Chaim, keep the mouth closed. As much as you can keep quiet becauseElokimisbashomayimlistening.”Part III.The Best MedicineVALUABLE HEALTH ADVICENow, to make a career out of silence because ofElokim Bashomayim, that would be enough. That’s our primary obligation in this world – to prepare forOlam Hababy training ourselves to become more and more aware of Hashem. But it’s more than that; it’s also your happiness and success inOlam Hazeh!There’s amishnahinAvos(1:17) that says the following: שמעון בנו אומר, “Shimon, the son of Rabban Gamliel said, כל ימי גדלתי בין החכמים, all the days of my life I grew up among the wise men, ולא מצאתי לגוף טוב משתיקה, and I found nothing better for the body than silence.” Now, if someone on the street would offer you some health advice, I don’t know how valuable it would be; could be it’s worth something, but you never know for sure. But here you have a man who spent years and years sitting at the feet of the sages. “All my days, I grew up among the sages.” And he heard many important ideas, many important attitudes, and he studied them all. And after many years of investigating he came to the conclusion that of all the things that are good for a person, the best one isshesikah,silence.Now if Shimon bequeathed to us this gem, it pays for us to study his words. He said, “I’ve found nothing better for thebodythan silence.” He didn’t say it’s the best for yourneshama; it’s certainlyisgood for your soul too, but Shimon is telling us here that for yourphysical health, there is nothing as good as keeping your mouth closed. If you’re worried about your health, if you’re a person who wants to live a long healthy life, then the first thing to think about is the remedy of silence. סמא דכולה משתוקא – “The best medicine of all is silence” (Megillah 18a).THE CAUSE OF MOST ILLNESSESYou know that most illnesses, most of the disturbances that take place in our bodies, are caused by emotions that have aroused a raw reaction in our bodies. It’s remarkable what a great effect emotions have on a person’s physical nature. We are full of glands and hormones that stimulate the functions of the body; and if the body is overstimulated by emotions like anger, tension, and nerves, then instead of being beneficial, these hormones are harmful.It’s established already in medical science. All over the body there are results that come from wrong stimulation of the emotions. And how are the emotions stimulated most? Talking! Someone says something and you answer back, then you talk and argue, and that’s when the trouble begins. The metabolism is upset and very many people become ill as a result. A world of illnesses are caused by talking. Very many cases of cancer are due to friction in human relationships.YOUR MIGHTY MOUTHA man told me, “Do you know why I’m blind?” A blind man told me this. Because he was so aggravated – these are his words – he was so aggravated because of troubles in the family that he acquired diabetes and became blind. Blindness many times comes from aggravation, from excitation. When people go to an eye specialist one of the first questions they’ll ask you is, “Do you get angry or excited?” Dovid Hamelech said (Tehillim 6:8) עששה מכעס עיני – “My eye became worn out because ofka’as, עתקה מכל צוררי, it grew old because of those who aggravated me.” So if you talk to people and get into arguments, it’s bad for your eyesight. And if it’s bad for your eyes that means that it’s wreaking havoc in your body; it’s bad for everything.Heart failure too! You open your mouth when you could have kept it closed and the heart becomes subjected to too much stress; the valves cannot take it and there’s a breakdown somewhere, a weakness in a valve someplace. Just by talking too much, there’s quarreling, there’s tension, nervous excitement, and your heart is suffering from it. I’m not saying that it happens all of a sudden, but gradually your big mouth is weakening your heart, and then one day,chalilah, it breaks down.WHERE DO PEOPLE DIE?I know of a man who dropped dead in the middle of an argument with his wife. He was a fine man, by the way, a good man. But if he would have studied thismishnainPirkei Avos,he would have known “Don’t answer back!” And that would have saved him; he’d probably still be alive today. Who told you to answer back?! If you can be a diplomat and say something nice, do it. But if not, don’t say anything. He was afrumyoung man – he probably even knew thismishna– but he never studied it, and so he acted according to his nature and he answered back. He said his piece, and she answered back, and it went back and forth, back and forth until he dropped dead.It happens again and again. Don’t you read sometimes in the paper – a certain man, so and so, died of heart failure. Where did his heart attack happen? Did he die in his business because of his competitors? No, people don’t die because of their competitors. Did he die on the street because someone in the street insulted him? People don’t usually die because someone insulted them. He dies at home! People die because of their wives! Of course the newspaper will never say that. The obituary published in the newspapers will never say, “Mr. Anderson dropped dead Sunday night after an argument with his wife!” No, no, it won’t say that! It says, “Mr. Anderson died peacefully in his sleep at his home this past Sunday.” But if you know how to read the obituary pages, so you already know what that means.COMMUNICATION ISSUES?Why didn’t he die at his business? Why at his home? The answer is at home he has a wife, and most people die as a result of words. I’m not saying he’s right – who told him to react?! Who told him to bump his head against a stone wall? Arguing with a wife? Do you know what it’s like? It’s like he’s sticking a needle into her, a real needle. And she’s sticking needles into him. Is that fun? All of their lives they are “needling” each other. Only that his heart, his constitution was a bit weaker than his wife’s. You can’t win an argument! You think you’ll win an argument with your wife?! You’ll never win! The only real way to win an argument is to avoid it. So don’t get excited over nothing. Keep quiet and that’s all. Just keep quiet! And both of you will live longer as a result. And you’ll live happier lives as well.Women call me up; they say, “We have communication issues. My husband doesn’t ‘communicate’ with me.” The trouble isthere’s too much communication! If they wouldn’t communicate so much they’d be much better off; in most cases people will profit by not talking.IGNORE THE BUMIn Mesichta Sanhedrin (7a) it says: טוביה דשמע ואדיש – “Happy is the man who hears people saying things that insult him, that bother him, and he ignores it, חלפוה בישתיה מאה – A hundred evils will pass him by.” Memorize those words; say them to yourself again and again. Learn to ignore any words you don’t like; somebody said something sharp to you, so שמע, you heard it, but אדיש, it doesn’t bother you. Pay no attention; make believe you never even heard it, and you’ll be spared from many troubles. If your husband is mean to you, pay no attention. If your wife is mean to you, pay no attention. And one hundred evils will pass you by. You’ll live together happily for the rest of your life.Most of the time, a punch in the nose is a result of opening up a mouth instead of ignoring. Suppose you’re walking in the street and a bum says something insulting to you. Forget about it! Don’t feel that you have to stand up and defend your honor. Oh no! Don’t do that. I know a man who did that and he got beaten up. Don’t even look at him; it’s dangerous. As far as you’re concerned you didn’t hear it, you didn’t hear anything. Keep walking and in another minute, you’re out of danger.And thank Hashem that you’re able to keep on walking. If it’s a goy who insults you, so you can give him abrachathat he should drop dead. Don’t let him hear you though! Don’t even mutter; don’t say it with your mouth. The mouth always stays closed!CHINESE WISDOM FOR LIFEI was walking in the street once, and twoshkutzim, two young men came over to me and blocked the sidewalk; they didn’t let me go further. I couldn’t walk; I was stuck. So I got out off the sidewalk and I kept going. I didn’t say anything, I didn’t even take a peek over my shoulder. Suppose I looked back and said, “What do you think you’re doing? What right do you have to do that?” Ohhh, what would have happened to me! Don’t be achacham, a hero. I always quote to you the wise Chinese proverb. The Chinamen say “The greatest hero is the one who runs away.” If you ignore and run away you’re a hero. And the one who opens up his mouth is not a hero, he’s a loser.I always say this story; it’s a tragic story. A young man from YU was going onchamisha asar b’shvatoutingto Madison Square Garden. He was with a group of younger boys, achaburahof boys with yarmulkes on, and he was leading them. And two twenty year oldshkutzimwere ridiculing the boys’yarmulkas. Now this young man, he didn’t take the advice ofchazal. At least the Chinese he should have listened to!Instead he looked at the gentile boys with anger and said something. Now agoy bleibt a goy,so theshkutzimwent back to their car, they took out a hammer from the trunk, and they attacked him. They hit him over the head with the hammer and they killed him. He died there on the street,nebach. That’s why it says, “There’s nothing betterfor the bodythan keeping quiet.”HOW TO DEAL WITH HATELet’s say somebody calls you on the telephone and insults you. It happened to me a number of times. People have called the house and cursed me. You know what I did? I didn’t say a word! Not a word! And they hung up. It happened again a few months ago and I knew who it was; I knew. And after that he came into myshulone evening todavenand I didn’t say a word. And it was finished. But once you start up with these people, who knows what’s going to be? A word for a word and it turns into who knows what! There’s no knowing how it’s going to end up! So just grin and bear it.How many people have lost their jobs by talking back to their boss? Sometimes their boss is in a bad mood, so just swallow down what he said and it could be that an hour later he’ll be a good boss. He might even promote you. I had that experience once. In my first position inrabbanus, a man once came into a meeting of the board of directors and he made a grand announcement: He said, “Rabbi Miller, I greeted you last week and you didn’t answer me! You didn’t answer me ‘Good Shabbos.’” He brought it up to the board of directors at a meeting; a complaint against the new rabbi. So the president of the shul came over and asked me about it. Now, it wasn’t true, but I didn’t say anything. I could have opened my mouth, but I remembered thisma’amar chazaland I kept my mouth closed.RABBI MILLER GETS A RAISE!I met this man again and again, he was a shul member, and I was always friendly to him. One day he gets up by the meeting of the board of directors and he makes a motion to give me a raise.Thisman! No one thought of giving me a raise except this one man! Now, had I answered him back it would have never happened. And so I learned the lesson that it “pays” to keep your mouth closed.I’ve seen it all! I’ve watched as people put themselves in danger by opening a mouth. Just because they answered back, I’ve watched good people lose jobs, lose customers. They lost their wives or their husbands, siblings and friends. And sooner or later they lose themselves; they excite wrong reactions in their bodies and they end up sick. Many lose years from their life because of their mouths.THE KEY TO A GOOD LIFEAnd that’s what Dovid Hamelech tells us (Tehillim 34:13-14): מי האיש החפץ חיים – “Who is the man who wants life?” We think it means eternal life, and that’s true; but it’s not the whole truth. There’s more to it: Who wants to livein this world? אוהב ימים – “You’re anoheiv yomim?” You like days, don’t you? You want more and more of them. לראות טוב – “You want to see happiness and good times during those days?” You want to see yourself getting along well with others? You want a successful marriage? You want to see good health? That’s all included inlir’os tov.“Oh,” you say. “That’s me! I want to live long! I want to see good times!”But you don’t! You’re not really interested in trying to live long. You’ll say it, you’ll repeat it, you’ll even sing it, but you don’t think about it. You have to take steps to live long, and one of the most important steps is tokeep the mouth closed. נצור לשונך מרע – “Guard your tongue against evil”. What does “evil” mean? Not only you shouldn’t say derogatory things about people or quarrel with them. The reallashon harais opening your mouth to say stupid things, to chatter and babble and say nothing. The general rule is to keep your tongue on the inside of the mouth and keep the mouth closed; that’s the rule you should follow. If we live according to that, our physical happiness in this world will increase and we will attain a life oflir’os tov,of seeing good times.A MOMENT OF SILENCESo we go back to the great principle that the job of a person in this world is to learn the skill of being quiet, the profession of being like anileim. And before we conclude we’ll listen to the words of a great man, the Vilna Gaon (Igeres Hagra); these words deserve to be remembered by us. שעל כל רגע ורגע – “For every moment, for every minute, שאדם חוסם פיו – that a man muzzles his mouth, זוכה לאור הגנוז – He’ll be rewarded by that secret brilliance, שאין כל מלאך יכול לשער – that no creature, no angel, is capable of measuring its magnitude.”The splendor of reward is so great for one minute of silence! We’re not talking about a whole lifetime of silence; he says there that for everymomentthat you keep your mouth closed, you’ll be rewarded with a splendor, a brilliance that is so great that even an angel is not capable of measuring the magnitude, the extent of its greatness. I know that this is a very extreme statement but the Vina Gaon is a very responsible personality. So it’s not only a profession ofyiras shamayim, and not only is it the best advice for good health and long life, but it’s a career that will reward you beyond your highest dreams.LEARNING THE LESSONAnd so we have to get busy. How can you read about themetzoraevery year, and continue to ignore the lessons for your own life? Even if today we aren’t privileged to see the miraculous hand of Hashem bringingtzara’ason a person, but the lessons remain as applicable today as they were then. When Hashem separated a good man, a loyal frum Jew, from his family and friends, he was expected to learn this lesson of “Elokimisba’shomayimlistening to you … therefore your words should be few.” And we, no less than him, are expected to learn that lesson as well.And so we have to delve into thesepesukimand apply them to our own lives. This man had to cover his mouth; what about me? Am I anadamyet? Am I producing enough silence? Am I succeeding at my profession of making myselfk’ileim? And so when we study thisparsha, we can’t just let it pass by. As often as you can during the day, a minute here and a minute there, you remind yourself that it’s your job to be as silent as you can. Not complete silence –tzedektidabeirun! But as far as everything else we will try to be as careful as possible and remember that לך דומיה תהילה, to You Hashem silence is praise, and thereby we gain the great reward of Hashem, a reward unknown even to the angels. 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Part I. Purpose of SorrowTHE DAY OF TEN CROWNSויהי ביום השמיני – “And it was on the eighth day” (Shemini 9:1). In the beginning ofParshas Shemini, we come to that glorious day of thehakamas hamishkan, when the Sanctuary, the Home of Hashem, was finally erected in this world. And theAm Yisroelwould now claim the exclusive glory of having Hashem reside among them. They would be the ones privileged to approach the home of Hashem and worship Him.Now, it’s important to understand that theYom Hasheminiwas a most majestic and joyful day for theAm Yisroel.There were very few days – we could even say no day ever – in the history of the world when there was so much rejoicing. And theGemara(Shabbos 87b) tells us that נטל עשר עטרות, it was a day crowned with ten crowns of glory; an exalted day like no other in our history. TheShechina, the Presence of Hashem, was now coming down to rest among them – and they wentwildwith happiness. וירא כבוד השם אל כל העם ותצא אש מלפני השם… וירא כל העם וירונו ויפלו על פניהם – “And the Glory of Hashem appeared to all the people, and a fire came forth from before Hashem…and all the people saw, and they shouted in joy, and they fell down on their faces” (Shemini 9:23-24).Imagine that! A whole nation; millions of men, women and children shouting in great ecstasy at the sight of theShechina. All together they stood and witnessed this momentous event, and they were electrified by what they saw! It was the thing that they desired more than anything else – to see with their own eyes that Hashem had chosen to reside among them forever. And they were thrilled down to their marrow. It was a remarkable experience – a happiness and a thrill that was never to be repeated. That was the great day of ויהי ביום השמיני, one of the most joyous days in the history of our people.THE HAPPIEST WOMAN EVERNow, themedrash(Tanchuma, Shemini: 2) points out that there was one person who was reveling in happiness more than anyone else; there was nobody happier than her – ever! And that lucky person was Elisheva bas Aminadav, the wife of Aharon HaKohen. For her it was the most special of all days,mamish me’ein Olam Habo. She was privileged to be the wife of theKohen Gadol,and she saw success that no other woman ever saw, before or after. Her husband was the High Priest who put on the glorious gold vestments, garments studded with gems and jewels to serve Hashemlifneiu’lifnim. And not only that, but he was anavias well, a prophet of Hashem.And her sons? Ahh, whatnachasfrom her sons! She had four sons, Nadav, Avihu, Elazar and Isamar, and all of them were chosen to work in the Mishkan, assisting their father. A mother’s dream! And not only was she glorying in the greatness of her husband and her sons but it was only the beginning; because she knew thatherdescendents forever would enjoy this privilege. The family ofkohanimwould descend from her for eternity. And that was a success that no other woman was ever given the privilege to enjoy.HAPPINESS ON ALL SIDESThe truth is that Elisheva bas Aminadav had even more than that. In addition to the greatness of her husband, her brother-in-law was the king of the Jewish nation. That itself is an honor and a greatness. “My husband’s brother is Moshe Rabeinu, the leader of our nation. And he speaks to Hashem face to face.” Her brother-in-law was the greatest prophet that ever lived. And in addition to that was her illustrious brother, Nachshon ben Aminadav, the leader of the twelve princes of theAm Yisroel.And on thisYom Hashemini, all of this pride and joy was coming together before her eyes. It was being encapsulated on the day of thehashra’as hashechina; when the Presence of Hashem entered into the Mishkan; and her husband and sons would be the ones officiating in the place that Hashem has designated as His home. And it was all taking place under the direction of her brother-in-law, the King, as well as her brother Nachshon, the leader of thenesi’im. And so while theYom Hasheminiwas a day of great happiness for everyone, this most fortunate woman was reveling in joy more than all others.THE PARTY’S OVER!And yet it wasn’t to last. Her joy – not only her joy, but the joy of the whole nation – was about to be marred by the worst of misfortunes a mother could ever suffer through. Because on that day, ויהי ביום השמיני, when two of her sons went in to officiate in thekodesh, they were struck dead by a fire that came forth from Hashem and consumed them. ותצא אש מלפני השם ותאכל אותם וימתו לפני השם – “And a fire went forth from Hashem and devoured them and they perished there before Hashem” (Shemini 10:2).Ay yah yay! What a terrible sadness! A most unfortunate event that will forever spoil the memory of this great day.Now most of us, when we study this terrible event, we regard it as a debacle, an unfortunate mishap that came at a most inopportune moment. We shrug our shoulders and commiserate. “It’s hard for us to understand thedarchei Hashem; that such a beautiful day, a most glorious day, should be ruined by a tragedy like that.” That’s how we think. But we’re going to learn now that it wasn’t a chance mishap, that it wasn’t an accident at all.To this tragic day ofYom Hashemini, theMidrash Tanchuma(Shemini 9:2) applies the followingpossuk,and we should pay attention very well now because it’s Hashem talking to us,and He’s revealing to us one of the fundamental ways He deals with us in this world: אמרתי להוללים אל תהולו – “I said,” proclaims Hashem, “to those who are revelling, ‘Do not be too merry’” (Tehillim 75:5). Hakodosh Boruch Hu gives an order here, an order for how this world should run; He says, “I don’t want people to betoohappy.”And that means that anybody, even the most virtuous man or woman – Elisheva and Aharon were virtuous after all – Hakodosh Boruch Hu wants to make sure that a certain element enters into their life, an element that is essential to the success of their career. And that one ingredient that is necessary for success in this world, in addition to all the other components of life, is sadness. Yes, sadness! Sadness is essential in life. And therefore: “I say to the merry, ‘Don’t be too merry.’”A STIRAH TO WHAT WE LEARN HERE?Now for us that’s a big question, a very big question. Because you know, especially if you come here, you already know that in this place we try to live according to the true principle that Hakodosh Boruch Hu is עולם חסד יבנה (Tehillim 89:3), that Hashem made a world of kindliness. After all, we know that Hakodosh Boruch Hu is atov u’meitiv. That’s number one! It’s fundamental, and we are required to assimilate the idea into our bones that Hashem created everything for the purpose of kindliness.I say “number one” because it’s something we learned way back in Bereishis: וירא אלוקים את כל אשר עשה והנה טוב מאד – “And Hashem saw everything that He made, and behold it was very good” (Bereishis 1:31). Not onlytov!Tov me’od. And when Hashem saysme’od, it meansme’ooooooooooooooooooooood! It means an endless good! It’s extremely extremely extremely good. We know it’s a very good world because Hakodosh Boruch Hu doesn’t give His seal of approval “very good” unless it is very, very, very – and forever we won’t stop saying very – good. That’s how good it must be if Hashem says it’s “tov meod.”So on the one hand we’re saying that Hashem is all kindliness, that He’s good, that He’s very good, and very very good. And yet this great goodness is not always readily apparent to us. Because Elisheva the wife of Aharon did not see thetov me’odshe expected. And most of us don’t see it either because Hashem is always tempering our happiness with some sadness. Our successes in life are almost always sobered by the hand of Hashem one way or another. We don’t have all the wealth we’d like to have. We’re not having the fun in life we’d like to have. We feel that we’re being deprived. There’s always some unhappiness that creeps into our lives. We have grudges against people, we feel we’ve been wronged. People don’t appreciate us, we’re rejected and so on and so forth, all the things that make a person unhappy. And don’t think it’s only you, that it’s only certain people. No; everybody has unhappiness like that. And so, it’s a good question: What happened to thetov me’odof Hashem?OLAM HAZEH IS FAKE NEWSIn order to understand this subject we’ll read a selection from ourrebbi, the Mesillas Yesharim. The Mesillas Yesharim, in the first chapter, wishes to impress upon us the importance of directing our thoughts towards the World to Come. And he begins as follows: ותראה באמת שכבר לא יוכל שום בעל שכל להאמין שתכלית בריאת האדם הוא למצבו בעולם הזה – “Nobody who has anyseichelat all could believe that the creation of man was for his situation in this world.” The Mesillas Yesharim is warning us here: Take note, this world is not your purpose. You hear this? This world is so good that the Mesillas Yesharim has to warn you not to get too caught up in it! There is so much happiness in life, there is so much joy in life, there is so much zest and fun in life, that it’s enough to deceive anybody into thinking that this world is it! And so the Mesillas Yesharim makes sure that you know that it’s not real, that it’s illusory and fleeting.And he explains it like this: כי מה הם חיי האדם בעולם הזה, או מי הוא ששמח ושלו ממש בעולם הזה – “Because what is the life of a man in this world? And who is there who is actually completely happy and who really has tranquility and peace in this world? ימי שנותינו בהם שבעים שנה ואם בגבורות שמונים שנה ורהבם עמל ואון – Our days are only seventy years, andb’gvuros,if a man has strength and a healthy constitution, then he can live maybe eighty years. But a great part of these years is filled with difficulties and toil. בכמה מיני צער וחולאים ומכאובים וטרדות, ואחר כל זאת המות – A great part is sadness; various kinds of vicissitudes, pain, illness, troubles and worries. And after everything, comes death.”RAV MILLER KNOWS ALL ABOUT ITFind me someone whose life is not visited with disturbances! There is no such thing! The disappointments; the troubles and turbulence are constant. Every family, every individual, suffers in various ways in this world and I know all about it. I get the phone calls all the time. People are ringing my bell constantly. I know much more than you do. Trouble withparnassah,shalom bayis, shidduchim, sicknesses, fighting with neighbors and mothers-in-law, debts and everything you could imagine – and more. Life is full of difficulties for everyone – even the “fortunate” ones suffer in this world.And even if one would live a long life, peacefully, without any disturbances, the end is almost always filled withtzaros.Before death there is infirmity and sickness. Almost everybody eventually ends up in a home for the aged. Many of those who imagine and hope that they will forever make their way merrily through life, will most likely find themselves one day lying in a bed wearing diapers. Some of them will be laying for years in a bed unable to move and unable to perform their functions without the help of a nurse. You imagined yourself to be a happy success in this world and now you find yourself in a nursing home and an apathetic woman is changing your diapers five times a day. “Made in your pants again? So soon?! I just changed you two hours ago!” It’s no longer fun, I imagine, when you get up to there. Could that be thetovme’odthat you pursued all the days of your life?NO NEED TO SIGN UP!And after all of those “pleasures”, what is waiting for him? The cold clammy clay of the grave.Ay yah yay, the grave! The thought that we push away and hope to ignore forever. Because, of course, onlyotherpeople die. There’s a “chevrah shtarbers,” a club for people who die, and people imagine they’ll be able to say, “I never signed up for that!” That’s how we think.And the truth is that even if you would live a thousand years, and it would be a life of no disturbances at all, OK, so now you’re a thousand years old and it’s coming to an end. So what good is it all now? Those thousand years are not enough when the last day comes. A thousand years is not terribly long. It might be long when you’re starting it, but when you come to the end it doesn’t seem long at all. Now begins sadness. And to a certain extent this sadness pervades the entire life. No matter how jolly a group of revelers seem to be; they’re jumping around, blowing horns, and drinking. It looks like they’re living it up, but they’re not living it up, they’re covering it up. Because all of them have at the bottom of their heart – no matter how much they try to cover it up with good times – laying there is the awareness that eventually there will be death.WHAT HAPPENED TOTOV ME’OOOOOOOOD?!And so the Mesillas Yesharim tells us that this proves that Hakodosh Boruch Hu must have intended for a different existence where that promise oftov me’odwill be fully fulfilled. Because this world may betov, and it may betov me’od,and it may betovme’od me’od,and with another thousandme’ods –but that’s where it stops. It will always come to an end. And the ultimate promise oftovme’odwill only be fulfilled in the Next World. It’s only the happiness ofOlam Habothatwill never end, and that’s where yourneshamahwill finally be satisfied.Now we must know that the Mesillas Yesharim is not talking to people who have to be convinced aboutOlam Haba. His words are directed tobnei Torah,toma’aminimwho already believe in the Next World. He’s talking to people who are born into an environment – this was two hundred years ago or more – an environment where the entire world, even gentiles, all subscribed to the principle of the Afterlife, the Hereafter.But belief is not enough! You don’t just sign on the dotted line הריני מאמין באמונה שלימה בעולם הבא and finished. No! That’s only the first step. And so the Mesillas Yesharim wasn’t writing this to convince us about theexistenceofOlam Habaper se, but to emphasize thatOlam Habais thesole purposeof our stay in this world. Because even ama’aminwho believes implicitly inOlam Habacould think that maybe this world isalsoan end in itself.THE SECRET TO ALL DISSATISFACTIONAnd that’s one of the most important explanations for all the disappointment and unhappiness we see in this world; because this world is not the final goal and we have to be reminded of that. We need to be reminded that there’s another place where the enjoyment will continue forever. And there, the enjoyment will take place in such a manner that we will never tire from it; we’ll always be happy with that pleasure and it will continue forever.And so what happened on thatYom Hasheminiwas part of the eternal plan of Hashem in this world, to interject sadness into the midst of great joy. And the purpose of that was to teach them, during their great joy, that you must always remain focused on the principle that true unadulterated joy will only come inthe Afterlife. Whatever sin the two sons of Aharon may have committed, the severity of their fate and the sadness it brought upon the people was decreed beforehand, to teach theAm Yisroelforever and ever the lesson of supreme importance, the great fundamental lesson ofOlam Haba.It was no accident; it wasn’t something that justhappenedto have taken place during a moment of great happiness. It was the plan of Hashem that especially on this great day of joy, theAm Yisroelshould be reminded of the true joy that they live for, their true purpose in life. And it isdavkasadness that comes about during moments of great joy that accentuates most effectively this great teaching ofOlam Haba.Hakodosh Boruch Hu is talking to thehollilim –that’s us – He’s talking to us all the time, and He’s saying אל תהולו – “Do not lose yourself in the addictive happiness of this world. Remember that you are here only to prepare for the World to Come.”TOO MUCH GOOD IS NO GOODAnd that’s what ourMedrash Tanchumameans when it describes the happy day that turned tragic with these four important words: שאין שמחה ממתנת לאדם – “Happiness does not last in permanence for anybody.” Joy in this world will not continue forever and the one who rejoices today is not necessarily rejoicing tomorrow. Like thepossukin Koheles says (2:2): לשחוק אמרתי מהולל – “About laughter I said ‘It is wild, it is too much’”. מהולל means gaiety, happiness. And Hashem says, “If someone is reveling in this world, if he’s making his way merrily throughOlam Hazeh, getting entangled and absorbed in the success of this world, then I say to him: ‘That’s too much, it’s not good for you. I can’t let a person get lost in his happiness, in his desire to achieve satisfaction in this world, because that’s how a person squanders his life away.’”You’re here for seventy, eighty years after all; it seems so permanent, and you begin to feel that it’s an end in itself, and that’s how a person misses out on the opportunity of life. And so Hakodosh Boruch Hu sends reminders. He gives His order of אל תהולו and He introduces into your life an element of sadness.And so when we study ourparshaand read about the great tragedy that took place on this happy day we understand that it was Hashem’s plan to inject sadness into the happiest day in the history of the world. Hakodosh Boruch Hualwaysbrings into people’s lives experiences that are meant to sober them. And He has in mind this general principle of tempering the happiness and success of life so that a person will be encouraged to keep his focus on the Next World.Part II. The Great ConsolationWHAT’S WRONG WITH A LUXURIOUS HOTEL?If life was merely one thing after another, one joy following the next one, people would get lost in this world. Like a man we once had in our congregation. A true story! In our shul! He and his wife lived in a beautiful home on a tree-lined street with gardens. It was a beautiful street and an expensive home. But they had to go for vacation to the country. I don’t know if the country was any better than their home, but they went to an expensive hotel in the country for the summer.The truth is that I didn’t understand the necessity at all. She didn’t overwork herself here in the city, and they didn’t lack anything in their spacious and luxurious home. But they went to the country to spend the summer in an expensive hotel. A luxurious hotel where they could find “happiness”. Butthen, they left the hotel for a vacation to Switzerland for two weeks. Imagine people who lived that way constantly. They thought that maybe in Switzerland they’d find the satisfaction they were yearning for. But the truth is that they would never find true happiness in this world. Because they were looking in all the wrong places –because they were looking in this world.So what happened eventually? Unfortunately she suddenly contracted cancer. She was quite young and after a long and painful illness she finally had to leave this world. And she didn’t leave as a satisfied and happy woman. Now we understand that Hakodosh Boruch Hu has many purposes; and I’m not the one to interpret any purpose. I’m just saying an illustration. Because even if people have everything in this world, they will keep on looking for other things. And Hakodosh Boruch Hu wants to remind them: “Kinderlach!” He says. “Children! Don’t get lost in this world. Because your appetite forOlam Habais going to be dulled. And I want you to prepare a big lusty appetite for things of the spirit.”HASHEM TAKES AWAY YOUR LOLLIPOPYou know, one of the surprises that little children get is when they discover how “mean” their mothers are. Here’s a little boy who was given, let’s say, a quarter. A whole quarter! He’s on top of the world now! So he goes to the store and buys two lollipops. He comes home so happy, and as soon as he comes home, his mother snatches them out of his hand. And he can’t understand why his mother who is always so considerate and so kind is now so mean to him. His mother can’t explain to him that it’s just before mealtime and she doesn’t want him to spoil his appetite for nourishing food, and therefore she deprived him of hisnosherai.And so too, Hakodosh Boruch Hu sometimes takes away happiness from people in order that they should not lose their appetite for what’s coming later; to keep them focused on the great happiness they should always be anticipating, and that’s the World to Come.THE BOOK RAV MILLER NEVER WROTEToo much success is unhealthy. It’s like too much sweets in your diet. You can’t live on sugar; you need proteins and other nutrients and vitamins too. And you need a little bit of bitterness in life too. And that’s what themedrashis teaching us – it’s an illustration of the lesson that nobody should expect that this life will be nothing but pleasure and good times.You know, many times I was thinking about writing a book. I wanted to write a book called The Pursuit of Happiness. I have a lot of material on the subject and I knew that it would be a successful book because this world is a very happy place. But I didn’t write it because I didn’t want to mislead people. Because this world isnotfor the pursuit of happiness. Although this world is full of happiness, but people would read that title and think that happiness is a purpose in itself. No, it’s the pursuit of achievement, the pursuit of perfection, that’s what we’re here for in this world.THERE’S A LOT OF FUN IN THIS WORLD BUT…And therefore,Hashem has in store a lot of these treatments for everybody; it can’t be helped. Because the treatment oftzarosis the biggesttovahpossible when it causes a person to think ofOlam Habah.When people see that there is no complete happiness in this world, and they understand why that is so, that’s already a perfection of character. And therefore it’s important that Hashem remind people that this world is not for enjoyment and pleasure; although there’s a lot of fun in this world, but there’s a special world that was made for enjoyment. The Next World is especially set up for pleasure – it’s a world of happiness. And this world is not the place for that; this world is set up especially for achievement. And that’s the great consolation of this world –that this world is not it!Like Dovid Hamelech said when he saw that difficulties were coming upon him: אם אמרתי מטה רגלי – “When I thought that my foot was slipping,” חסדך השם יסעדני – Hashem, it was Your kindliness that supported me” (Tehillim 94:18-19). That means that I cried out to You that Your kindliness should help me. And many times it did. And then Dovid continues: ברוב שרעפי בקרבי – “In the multitude of my thoughts in my midst.” Dovid had thoughts, worries, of what was going to happen. He was confronted with peril at every footstep. Shaul was seeking Dovid with armed men; he was ambushing him and Dovid was hiding like an animal in caves and thickets. He was constantly beset with worries. And what did he say? ברוב שרעפי בקרבי – “Because of the many worries within me, תנחומיך ישעשעו נפשי – Your consolations were the delight of my soul.” Which consolations? What consolations?THE ONLY TRUENECHAMADovid was thinking aboutOlam Haba! Because he knew how to utilize his troubles in this world. He knew that one of the most important functions of sadness is to loosen your grasp on this world a little bit. So he made use of his troubles to create for himself a mind that was anOlam Haba’dikehmind. And it’s only the man with anOlam Haba’dikehmind who can weather the storms of this world.Somebody called me up now; he lost his son. A couple lost a son and they wanted to talk to me. Now, if they want to come sit with me, I could speak to them various words of consolation, I could do that. But the only true consolation is the words that we’re speaking here tonight. This world is a place where everybody loses something. But your world shouldn’t collapse for you because of what happened. When you concentrate your life onthisworld, even if you believe superficially inOlam Haba, but you live here with a feeling of permanence, that’s when the world turns out to be not what you wanted. Everything turns dark and it all collapses into nothing.THE BEREAVED FATHERHere’s another man who lost his son; this man was amispallelhere in our shul. And his son was atachshit; a sweet and brilliant man. He was married with a big family and he was eminently successful; successful in the Torah world and in the scholastic world as well. I still remember how the parents were having from this son a tremendousnachas. He really was an example of success and everything was the best that could be. And then suddenly in the midst ofYomtivrejoicing he died. An unexpected tragedy!And the father took it to heart; it broke him and he never really recovered. He didn’t live long after that. He was a healthy man but he left this world soon after that. And that’s because this father made a fundamental error. He was a good father, afrumman, but he made a mistake. The father had concentrated too much of his hopes on this world. And when this world collapsed, he collapsed with it.WEATHERING THE STORMS OF LIFEBut Aharon Hakohen and Elisheva, when their two beloved sons perished on theYom Hashmini, they didn’t collapse. And that’s because they understood the nature of this world; they understood that it’s a world of disappointments. And they concentrated on the thought that they would see their sons again. They would continue making their way successfully through the hallway of this world – what is it after all except for a hallway of seventy, eighty years – and then they would meet their sons again in the world of eternity.And that’s what everyone has to know. You can’t expect to be able to weather the difficulties of life, the small disappointments or the tragedieschas v’shalom, if you’renot prepared beforehand with the proper Torah attitudes. It’s the person who lives withOlam Habaon his mind who is able to make his way successfully through everything that life brings his way. Because he knows that he will see his family again and rejoice with them in the Next World. And he knows that he will receive his just and everlasting reward there, no matter what type oftzaros –big or small – he undergoes here.THE SNEAK ATTACKAnd that’s why the Chovos Halevavos tells us that of all the principles theyetzer haratries to weaken in a man, it is this one, the belief in the next world, that he attacks first and foremost. Because he knows thatOlam Habais theyesodof our lives. It’s our purpose here. So all the other things theyetzer haracan ignore – believe in Hashem, good; believe inMattanTorah, good; believe inYetziasMitzrayim, good; believe inTorah she’bal peh,good; believe in the wholegemara, believe in everything! You can even believe in arebbeh,atzadik! But be weak in just one thing; just be weak when it comes toOlam Haba.“Be weak in that,” says theyetzer hara. “Don’t talk about it; soft-peddle it. Be embarrassed to mention it.” BecauseOlam Habais everything! If theyetzer haracan weaken your awareness ofOlam Habathen everything else falls away. If yourOlamHabais weak, then your Torah is weak, yourmitzvosare weak. Everything else is weakened ifOlam Habais not constantly at the forefront of your thoughts.THE THOUSAND YEAR PHONE CONVERSATIONAnd let me tell you something – theyetzer harais doing a good job on us. There are plenty of frum people who are very weak in this principle. Now you may argue with me but I’m telling you that very many of us have succumbed almost entirely to theyetzer hara.And I can prove it to you immediately by a simple experiment. Let’s listen in to the conversations in an Orthodox home.All they talk about is this world. And they talk about it a lot! With details; all theolamhazehdikehdetails. The little girl listens to her mother on the telephone. What does she hear already?! Sheitels! This kind ofsheitel, that kind ofsheitel. And dresses! The mother is complaining about how hard it was to buy a dress. “I couldn’t get a dress anywhere. I went all over town to find a dress.” Finally she found it in a “special” place – around the corner. This is an Orthodox mother?! And that’s all the child hears. Sometimes recipes, and maybe makeup. All things fromthisworld. She can sit next to her mother fora thousand yearswhile her mother talks on the telephone, and she won’t hearOlam Habamentioned even once.And I’m afraid next to the father is no better. I’m not talking now about the father who is a connoisseur of wines, of bourbons. He has a cabinet filled with all different types of wineand he knows their names! That man I’m not speaking about now. He’s already sold out toOlam Hazehcompletely. He’s already sinking in quicksand; he’s in grave danger and he has to take emergency precautions to save himself.WHERE IS ZEIDY?I’m talking now to thefrummeh, the best. Here’s a father, and his children, all with black hats, sitting around the table talkingdivrei Torah.Maybe the father will say overpilpulimif he’s atalmid chochom; if not he’ll say over someguttaverter, some comments on thesedrah. ButOlam Habah? It’s a rare bird. You can sit sometimes for twenty years at a table and not hear even onceOlam Habahmentioned! Little children growing up don’t even know there’s such a thing. Unless someone dies and so they tell the child that “Zeidehis inOlam Habahnow.” But even then, the child is thinking, “What? Where?” Because nobody is talking about it. And there’s a good reason for that. Because theyetzer harahis most interested that it shouldn’t be mentioned.And so we have to do whatever we can that we shouldn’t fall into the trap of theyetzer hara! We should make it a point to speak aboutOlam Habaat the table. You have to plan ahead, with wisdom, with cunning. “How am I going to sneak in the subject ofOlam Habatoday?” And when you succeed, so you start making plans for the next meal. And even more than that – how long will we have to wait to hear them talk aboutgehenimat the Jewish table? Now that would be a Jewish table! The father and his family discussGan Edenandgehenim. And the father is always pointing out that למחר לקבל שכרם, in the Next World, that’s where we’ll be rewarded for our life’s work. “Chaim’ll, in the Next World Hashem is going to give you everything! Only Hashem can make you truly happy. And you should know, Chaim’ll, it’s notstama reward. A person won’t be able to handle thesimcha! Hashem is going to have to revive you again and again in order to continue bestowing His goodness upon you.” Now that’s table-talk for the Jewish home!YOUNG ISRAEL OF SLABODKAThe truth is that even in the shuls there’s nobody talking about it! How long will we have to sit in the shul and listen to the rabbi’s speeches before we hear a dissertation on the great subject ofOlam Haba? I remember when the Slobodka Rosh Yeshiva once came to America and they invited him to a Young Israel convention – it used to be held here in a hotel in New York City. He didn’t know what Young Israel means; he didn’t know, otherwise he would have surely not gone. So he went and they asked him to speak. Speak?! What is the Slabodka Rosh Yeshiva going to say to them already? Which subject should he speak about? He thought, “I should speak about what the Jews of America need to hear most.” And so he spoke on the subject ofgehenim.But you won’t always have the Slobodka Rosh Yeshiva to tell you those things. And there aren’t too many rabbis who are willing to tell you the truth. First of all, many of them are themselves weak in theemunahofOlam Habah. And even if not, he can’t tell you the truth. You’ll run to the other shul down the block, and your rabbi will lose all of his congregants. I told you once that in my shul we make a “membership drive” once in a while. I tell the shul members the truth, and I drive them out to all the other shuls in the neighborhood. That’s why the otherrabbonimin my neighborhood love me.IT’S NOT JUST THE OLD PEOPLENow I know that many people don’t like to hear about this subject and I don’t blame them. You might think, “That’s all Rabbi Miller is going to tell me?! That this world is not a happy place?!” I know some people don’t want to hear about the Next World; it makes them sad when I talk about it. They want to imagine that they’ll live forever and ever.But what can I do, my friends? It’s so important to internalize that this world is not forever; that everybody will die sooner or later. So a man comes back to the house after thelevayah; the mother of the house is now gone and he’s going to her home now to sitshivah. He sees a nice quiet home; it’s very neat because last week she was still cleaning up. And now she’s gone. What a pity! What a pity! Thealtermotheror thealterfather is gone. They always said such good words to us; it’s such a pity they’re gone now. But he has to know however that someday he’ll be gone too. Everybody mustknowthat he won’t live forever. And therefore we’re in this world only for the purpose of preparing.And the truth is that it shouldn’t make you sad; because when you know you’re living for a purpose, so every moment in this world becomes more precious to you. You enjoy this world even more because of the opportunities it provides for achieving the eternaltov me’od. And so the wise man, thechochomwho isro’eh es ha’nolad,doesn’t invest his hopes in this world. Because he knows that if he puts his hopes intoOlam Hazehso he’s going to be terribly disappointed. And that’s why you find a lot of old people are very soured onOlam Hazeh; because that’s all they were concerned about and now they see that it turned into nothing.THE HAPPY OLD MANI once visited a home for the aged and I was looking around at the old people. It was filled with American style old Jews,burim,amei ha’aretz, and it was a pity to see them. They were sitting around, staring. Life had turned out to be a disappointment. “This hurts me,” “I have none of my own teeth left,” “I can’t go here, I can’t do this or that.” It was nothing but disappointment. Only complaints, that’s all you could hear.And in the corner I saw an old man with a white beard, sitting at a table with agemaraopen. And he was busy getting ready for the next world. He was reviewing everything he had learned in his lifetime. And he was the happiest man in the place! He was busy, he was accomplishing, because he knew that he had a purpose. You know why he was happy. Because none of the disappointments in life had disappointed him! Everything was turning out exactly as expected and now he was getting ready now to cash in. He was busy counting all of his bonds before going to the bank, making sure he wouldn’t leave anything over. He was a happy man!WE DON’T LIKE TRAGEDIESAnd it wasn’t because he searched for happiness his whole life – it was because he recognized all the bumps of life for what Hashem intended them, as reminders from Hashem to remain focused on the true goal. Because he understood the important lessonal taholu,he knew not to get lost in the happiness of this world,and he therefore was the happiest man in this world.How can you be preparing forOlam Habaif you never even think about it, no less mention it? Isn’t that a tragedy? So we’re not going to let that happen to us because we don’t like tragedies. And so, we’re going to have to muster our resources, all of our energy, to fight this battle: Like the Rambam (Teshuva 8:7) says, “A person should always yearn forOlam Haba; he should always think aboutOlam Haba. Like Dovid Hamelech did. כמה כמה דוד לעולם הבא, How greatly did Dovid yearn for Olam Habah, כאיל תערוג על אפיקי מים, like a deer thirsting for drink.” (Tehillim 42:2)THE OLAM HABA PROGRAM – ONLY THIRTY SECONDS A DAYSoinstead of just talking about becoming great, we’ll actually do something about it. Instead of being like the people who just talk about doing things, we’re going to get busy immediately thinking about the World to Come. Together we’ll start anOlam Habaprogram. We’re going to spend at least thirty seconds every day thinking aboutOlam Haba,reminding ourselves that we’re in this world only as a preparation for the World to Come. For one half a minute, remind yourself that this world is just a vestibule, a place to put your things in order, before the World to Come.Every day at least thirty seconds on the clock, we’re going to think aboutOlamHaba. Whether you’re hanging on a strap on the subway, or driving to work; maybe you’re waiting to see the doctor, or even if you’re standing on the corner waiting for the light to change – whatever it is – look at your watch and let it tick off thirty seconds while you are now in the World to Come, thinking about the purpose of life.THE SWEETEST SHALOM ALEICHEM YOU’LL EVER HEARAnd then, when we come into the Next World so they’ll ask you, “What do you want here?” And you’ll say, “I prepared; I thought aboutOlam Habahin the world where I’m coming from. I worked on it!” “Oh!” they’ll say, “Shalom Aleichem! Welcome!” Because you’re superior to everybody else. You’re adagul mei’rivavah,you’re one in ten thousand. You’re a head taller than everybody else because you understood the lessons of what happened onYom Hashminiand you’re thinking every day about the World to Come. Now, whether they’ll give you a front seat, or a middle seat or a back seat, that will depend on how much effort you put into the things we speak about here. But they are going to welcome you; that’s guaranteed.And so, if anyone asks you what you are doing in the world – whether you can tell him or not – you at least have to know for yourself that we’re here to prepare for the great career of everlasting happiness in the Next World. That is the foundation upon which we build everything in this world. It’s theyesod hachasidusv’shoresh ha’avodah,and if you have this before your eyes then you can build. But if not, or even if you do but it’s weak, then you’re building without a foundation. The whole foundation of being a Jew is the clear conviction that our purpose isOlam Habah,the Afterlife. Not that the Afterlife is an annex, something that isalsogoing to be given to us. No –the Afterlife is it!It’s onlyOlam Habahthat counts! That’s your great joy! And do you know what’s going to happen when you train yourself to think this way? It’s going to illuminate your life. It will put asimcha, a deep and profound happiness, into your life. Because no matter what happens, from the smallest bumps of daily life, tochas v’shalomthe most terrible of tragedies, you know that you are being reminded by Hashem of your purpose in this world, and you know that you’re headed for success. And once you assimilate this idea ofOlam Habahinto your bones, then you’ll be capable of weathering all of the turbulence that life brings. And you’ll grow even greater from the constant lessons of אל תהולו that Hashem brings upon you as He prepares you for the great day when you will finally leave thisprozdor, the hallway that this world is, and you’ll enter into the טרקלין, the great palace of the World to Come. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. This podcast has been graciously sponsored by JewishPodcasts.fm. There is much overhead to maintain this service so please help us continue our goal of helping Jewish lecturers become podcasters and support us with a donation: https://thechesedfund.com/jewishpodcasts/donate

Part I.Torah of KohanimEVERYONE IS JEALOUS OF RABBI MILLERInParshas Tzavwe continue our encounter with theavodahof thekohanim, the ones privileged to stand in the service of Hashem in the Beis Hamikdash. And we find ourselves inundated with the especial attention given tokohanim. Laws upon laws for the descendants of Aharon that place them on a pedestal; rules meant to regulate the behavior of the aristocracy. Now, I don’t want to make you uncomfortable or jealous of me [The Rav was a kohen], but week after week, inVayikra, Tzav, Shmini, and actually in most ofSefer Vayikra,we become more and more impressed with the great honor and privilege accorded to thekohanim.I know that most of us here have already accepted the maxim of democracy, equality for everyone, so you don’t want to think too much about it, but the truth is when theBnei Leviwere chosen to be theKohanei Hashem, it was a great pride for them. Thekohenwalked with a swagger; he was on top of the world! It wasn’t just a matter of being called to officiate at apidyon habenor to benefit from theterumosand othermatnos kehunah.It was a great prerogative, a great privilege, to be the servant of Hashem in His house. And I have no doubt that the rest of theAm Yisroelwere disappointed and jealous. Thebechorim,who had lost this privilege, surely were jealous, but I’m sure thateveryonelooked at thekohanimwith envy.TRESPASSING ON HOLY GROUNDSTo be akohenwas an eternal privilege of closeness to Hashem. והיו לי הלויים – “And the Levites shall be Mine” (Bamidbar 3:12); and when Hashem says “Mine”, you have to know, He means “Mineforever.” Themedrashsays that. “Wherever it says לי, ‘Mine’, it’s for all time; in this world and in the World to Come” (Vayikra Rabbah 2:2). And therefore, to be chosen askohanimby Hashem “To be Mine” was the greatest of honors; an honor for eternity, that most of the Am Yisroel could only pine for.And therefore, as we make our way throughSefer Vayikra,we understand that we are treading on holy ground. We are being taken on a tour of sorts through the Beis Hamikdash and theavodashakorbanos, and we feel as if we don’t belong. We have stepped over the boundary into a world ofkehunah, a world ofkedushah, and we tiptoe throughparshiyosVayikra,TzavandSheminias if trespassing on forbidden grounds.And then, as we tiptoe through the Mikdash feeling out of place and alienated from all of these priestly laws, suddenly we bump our heads against something we weren’t expecting. And it’s a curious thing. Right in the middle of the laws ofkohanimand theirkorbanos, we chance upon apossukthat veers from the topic, words that are directed at all of theAm Yisroel.כל חלב שור וכשב ועז לא תאכלו – “Any fat of oxen, sheep, or goats, you shall not eat”(Tzav 7:23). It’s apossukthat’s telling us aboutchullin, ordinary meat, eaten in our own homes.MISPLACEDPESSUKIM?The Torah here, in aparshadedicated to thekohanim, is talking toLevi’imandYisraelimas well; men, women and children; anyone of theAm Yisroel. And we are told that we are forbidden to eat thecheilev, a certain type of fat, from these animals. And that’s a question; what’schullin, ordinary meat, doing here inVayikra, theToras Kohanim? Why are we discussing our home kitchens inParshas Tzav?Now actually if we study the end of thepossuk, we find that the Torah provides us with a clue: כי כל אכל חלב מן הבהמה אשר יקריב ממנה אשה להשם ונכרתה הנפש האוכלת מעמיה – “For anyone who eats the fat of an animal speciesfrom which one may bring a fire-offering to Hashem, the soul of the one that eats shall be cut off from its people” (Ibid. 7:23-25). So we see that the Torah adds a few words here: אשר יקריב ממנה, only the fats of animals that could be used as offerings are forbidden. A lamb, a calf, itcouldbe brought on themizbeiach, so itscheilevisossur. But it’s forbidden even if it’snotakorban!Now, at first glance, this reasoning is a bit difficult to understand. Just because thekohenworking in the Mikdash was once required to remove the fats from a calf and place them on themizbeiachin service of Hashem, what does that have to do with how I prepare the steak in my kitchen today? It’s not akorbanafter all! You know that to remove thecheileventails a laborious process calledtreibering. You can’t do it on your own. Someone has to be hired, someone who knows what he’s doing, and we pay good money for that. And for what? We’re not talking here about akorban, where thecheilevis offered up on themizbeiach. We’re speaking of ordinary meat here, ofchullin. Why can’t we eat thecheilevof ordinary meat? I don’t know if it bothers you, but I think it’s a good question.WHAT’S WRONG WITH EATING BLOOD?And in the nextpossukwe find a similar idea: וכל דם לא תאכלו בכל מושבותיכם לעוף ולבהמה כל נפש אשר תאכל כל דם ונכרתה הנפש ההיא מעמיה – “And all blood shall not be consumed by you,in any of your dwelling places,whether from fowl or from animals. Any person who consumes any blood, his soul shall be cut off from its people” (ibid. 26-27).In any of your dwelling places!Even outside of theMikdash, wherever the Jew, a non-Kohen, eats his ordinary meat, he must make sure to remove the blood from the animal.So the blood of an ordinarybeheimahisossurfor us. That costs us too! We’re spending a lot of money on kosher meat today and some of it is because of themelichah, the salting, because we can’t have blood in our meat. Why now, when being taught about thekorbanos, are we being told that we can’t havedaminourmeat?WHY ARE WE PLAYING “BEIS HAMIKDASH”?And the answer is not a secret. The Torah tells us; it states openly that the reason is becausedambelongs on themizbei’ach: כי נפש הבשר בדם היא ואני נתתיו לכם על המזבח לכפר על נפשותיכם כי הדם הוא בנפש יכפר – “For the life of a person is in the blood, and I have assigned it for you to be put on themizbeiachto atone for your lives, for it is the blood that atones for one’s life” (ibid. 17:11). That’s why in the Beis Hamikdash the blood can’t be eaten, it’s sacred. It has to be thrown on the sides of themizbeiach. That’s how the one who brings the korban gets hiskapparah.Now, by akorban, I understand. Its blood can’t be eaten, it’s sacred. But we’re not eatingkorbanos! It’s our ordinary food, ourchullin, and the blood is notli’chapeir! We’re not pouring thedamonto themizbeiachto be akapparah. And yet, it’s forbidden. And so instead of pouring it on themizbeiach, we’re commanded על הארץ תשפכנו כמים – “Pour it onto the ground” (Devarim 12:16). And that’s becausehadthis animal been akorban, its bloodwould have beenpoured onto themizbeiach. So we see again that we approach ourchullinfood the same way thekohanimapproached theirkodshimin the Beis Hamikdash. חקת עולם לדורותיכם בכל מושבותיכם כל חלב וכל דם לא תאכלו – “It’s an eternal decree for your generationsin all your dwelling places; you may not consume any fat or any blood” (Vayikra 3:17). And that’s a question. Why am I playing “Beis Hamikdash” in my kitchen?A KOHEN HAS TO LOOK GOODAnd what’s even more remarkable is that it’s not only regarding laws of thekorbanosthat we find this crossing of the boundaries. It permeates our daily lives as well. The Kohanim are commanded: אמר אל הכהנים…לא יקרחו קרחה בראשם ופאת זקנם לא יגלחו ובבשרם לא ישרטו שרטת – “They shouldn’t make a bald spot on their heads, and they shouldn’t shave the edges of their beard, and in their flesh they shall not cut a gash” (Vayikra 21:5). Akohenhas to look like an aristocrat; like a prince. And Hashem tells us why: כי את אשי השם לחם אלוקיהם הם מקריבים והיו קודש- “Because the fire-offerings of Hashem, the food of their G-d, they offer, and so they must remain holy” (ibid. 21:6). They are servants of Hashem, and so they must look the part; their exterior appearance must be befitting of those who stand before Hashem in His service. The holykohanimmust always appear to others as men of distinction.And yet, these priestly laws are repeated again, this time as a command for the whole nation. Thepossuksays: לא תקיפו פאת ראשכם ולא תשחית את פאת זקניך ושרט לנפש לא תתנו בבשרכם – “You shall not round off the edges of your scalp, and you shall not destroy the edge of your beard. And you shall not make a cut in your flesh for the dead” (ibid. 19:27-28).בנים אתם להשם אלוקיכם לא תתגודדו ולא תשימו קרחה בין עיניכם למת – “You are children to Hashem your G-d, do not make gashes and do not make bald spots on your heads” (Devarim 14:1).Here the Torah is repeating to the Am Yisroel the same commandment that was told to thekohanim. And the reason given is: כי עם קדוש אתה להשם אלוקיך ובך בחר השם להיות לו לעם סגולה מכל העמים אשר על פני האדמה – “For you are a holy people to Hashem, and Hashem has chosen you to be His treasured people from all of the peoples on the face of the earth” (ibid 14:2). So what was said first to thekohanim, as an admonition because of והיו קודש, so that “they should be holy,” that same thing is subsequently told to the Klal Yisroelwith the identical reason, כי עם קדוש אתה להשם אלוקיך, because you are a holy nation set aside for the service of Hashem.SOME SECRETS ARE EASILY REVEALEDNow, I’m not capable of revealing the secrets of the Torah, but certain things are apparent even to our minds. Because it’s remarkable! The same commandments given to thekohenbecause of his prestigious status are duplicated almost word for word, for the Yisroel, for the most “simple” Jew. Each commandment!Korcha, baldness of the head.Sritah, cutting yourself.P’aszekanam lo yigaleichu,not to cut the corners of the beard. The Am Yisroel walks lock step with thekohanei Hashem!Now of course there are reasons why things are repeated – we learn details from the repetition, newhalachos. But right now we’re talking about thepshuto shel mikra.And thepshuto shel mikrais telling us something here. The intention of Hashem is evident in thesepesukim, and that is of an entire nation patterning their lives after the laws of thekohanim. And if we pay attention to the words of the Torah, we’ll see that this intention of Hashem began already atMattan Torah.HASHEM’S TREASURE CHESTBefore the Torah was given, Hakodosh Boruch Hu made a declaration to the Am Yisroel. Now, even the people who know thispossuk, usually understand it as a poetic expression; something beautiful and noble, but that’s about it. However it’s not merely poetic and so we should listen well to His words: “I’m going to do something now,” said Hashem, “that’s going to change the nature of the entire people. The wholeKlal Yisroelwill become different now. If you will stand at Har Sinai and you say, ‘Na’aseh v’nishma; Yes, Hashem, we accept You forever and ever,’ then I’m going to make you into an exceptional type of people.” והייתם לי סגולה מכל העמים – “You’ll be for Me a special treasure from all the nations; the whole nation will be forever chosen as My prized possession” (Shemos 19:5).Now,Am Segulah, doesn’t merely mean “I’m going to give yousemichah; I’m going to give you a rabbinical certificate to hang on the wall and you’ll be honored just by the title.” No; it’s much more than that.Segulahmeans that your nature is going to change. Your character will be entirely metamorphosed and you’ll become an entirely different type of people. At Har Sinai not only did we adopt certain attitudes and promise to remain faithful to them, but we became an entirely different people then we were before.THE JEWS ARE NOT A NATIONWhat that means is that our status in this world, our place in the history of the world was now changed. That’s what Hashem was letting us know. “From now on it’s going to be different. I’m going to raise you up and make out of you an entirely new type of people – anAmSegulah.” Not merely that we are a good nation; not merely that we are the best nation.We are no longer one of the nations of the world! We were chosen and elevated to a status that is far above the status of Mankind. That’s a tremendous concept! A Jew is more than human – no matter what you’re going to say in objection. That’s what the Torah is telling us.And what is our function as Hashem’s treasured nation? Here come the following words which I wish to speak abouttonight, because they are really the answer to the questions we asked earlier: ואתם תהיו לי ממלכת כהנים – “You’re going to be to Me a Nation of Kohanim, וגוי קדוש – And a Holy People.” אלה הדברים אשר תדבר אל בני ישראל – Take these words and tell it to the Bnei Yisroel”(Shemos 19:6). “Make sure the people understand what I’m saying now very well,” Hashem said to Moshe Rabeinu.What we’re hearing now is that these words, that we were to become now aMamlechesKohanim,are of the utmost importance. Everything is important in the Torah, but these words are especially outstanding. Now, I don’t imagine myself capable of explaining them properly, but one aspect of these words we’ll talk about now.THE MOST REMARKABLE PROFESSIONFirst we’ll have to understand the wordkohen. Like we said earlier, akohenis one who is privileged to have been chosen for the most remarkable profession possible. And that profession is the service of Hashem. That’s who he is, akohen. He might be let’s say a plumber as well, or maybe a shoemaker. But that’s alltafel, it’s tangential to his primary function in this world which is the service of Hashem. Akohenknows that his life is dedicated to Hashem. He was born akohen, he lives his life akohen, and he will take his last breath as akohen. All the days of his life are a lifelong career standing ready to serve Hakodosh Boruch Hu.And therefore when Hashem declared that He had chosen us to be HisMamleches Kohanim, His “Kingdom of Priests,” He was charging us with the responsibility ofkohanim. What it means is “a kingdomconsistingof priests” – a nation in which every individual, man woman and child, is akohenliving a life of holiness in the service of Hashem.And so, while we imagined that all of these laws for the Am Yisroel don’t belong here inVayikra, what we’re learning now is that theydobelong! Thekohanimwere given these laws because of their special status – and then, to emphasize our status asKohanei Hashem,Hakodosh Boruch Hu said to all of us as well, “You too, all of you, are myMamleches Kohanim, and are to act in the same manner as mykohanim.”DON’T WAIT FOR BAMIDBARAnd so we come back toSefer Vayikra,and we see the laws of thekohanimin a different light altogether. Because we understand that whatever is said aboutkohanimis a hint for what Hakodosh Boruch Hu wantsusto be. Now maybe you never heard this before, but you should take it seriously – it’s not just talk. ואתם תהיו לי ממלכת כהנים means that whatever you’re going to hear about thekohaniminSefer Vayikra– the wholeVayikrais calledToras Kohanimbecause it deal with the laws ofkohanim– don’t think that it’s only forkohanim. Don’t sit back duringkriyas hatorahand wait forBamidbarandDevarim, for the parts that you think are more suited to you. No, no;Vayikrais for you! It’s there to be utilized as a lesson, as model for every person in theAm Yisroel.When Hashem said, “You’ll be amamleches kohanim,” it means, “I’m telling you howkohanimhave to behave, what duties they have and what privileges they have,and you should know that I intend that you should study them and emulate these principles.Now, I want that to sink in because these words are not amashal, not mere words. You’re hearing here a fundamental truth of the Torah and if you didn’t know it before, now is the time. And that is the great lesson ofMamlechesKohanim– that we are theKohaneiHashemof this world. The rest of theworld, all the nations of the world, make their way through the days of life, fulfilling their purpose of being the משפחות האדמה, nations whose purpose isthisworld. And we appreciate that; we don’t hold it against them. We need the Italians and the Irishmen. We need the construction workers and garbage men; wewantthem to be busy with theadamah.Yet, while theumos haolam areengaged in living in this world, solely for this world, we theKohanei Hashem, spend our days living in this world – we have plumbers and truck drivers too – but we do it all while standing in the service of Hakodosh Boruch Hu as if we werekohanimstanding in the Beis Hamikdash.IT’S NOT POETRYAnd in order that it should be clear that the expression “a kingdom of priests” is not merely a poetic declaration but an actual status, Hakodosh Boruch Hu commanded the Am Yisroel in the same priestly laws as thekohanim. Just like thekohanimare commanded to zealously guard their dignity, so too are we commanded not to abuse our bodies with gashes; we are forbidden from making bald spots on our heads and from cutting the corners of our beards. And all this because we are acting out in our own lives, in our own homes, the same function that thekohanimact out in the Beis Hamikdash. Thekohanimhave one function and that is to serve Hashem. And we theMamlechesKohanimhave that same exact function.And because we arekohanimtoo, Hakodosh Boruch Hu tells us: “If this animal would have been offered up to Hashem, thecheilevwould have to be removed and brought up on the fire, and thedamsprinkled on the sides of themizbeiach,before partaking of the meat. And so, even when it’schullin, ordinary meat that you’re eating you must also remove thecheilevand thedam.”Even though your own personalshechitahis not anavodahof akorban– you’re merely standing in the kitchen preparing supper for your family – Hashem tells you that you are to treat it like anavodah, because theMamleches Kohanimis always standing before Hashem in His service.And therefore, just like thekohenwho was working alongside themizbeiach, we can’t eat thecheilevof ourbeheimos. And the blood that would have been sprinkled on themizbeiachhad this animal been akorban, we spill it out to the ground. The preparation of our food, reminds us that we don’t have the same function as themishpachos ha’adamah! Ourshechitais not merelyshechitas chullin– it’s an echo of theshechitas kodshimthat took place in the Beis Hamikdash.NO ROMPING ON TABLESAnd that’s why the Am Yisroel always understood that when you sit around the Jewish table it’s like sitting around themizbeiach. זה השולחן אשר לפני השם. The Jewish table is called amizbeiach(Chagigah 27a). It sounds like a queer thing to say, but it’s not just words. In the Jewish home if the children were playing in the house, romping around, and a boy sat on the table for a moment, the mother would shoo him away; “Off the table! You can’t sit on amizbeiach!” That’s how it used to be. A man told me that; he said his mother used to drive him off the table. “A Jewish table is holy,” she told him.The table in a frum home is holy, it’s amizbeiach. Not only because you eatkosherfood, and feedaniyimat your table. It’s not only because you say somedivrei Torahat theseudah.Ofcourse we do that too, all that is important; but understanding that your table in the kitchen is amizbeiachis much more than that. It’s a reminder that as much as possible, all of what you do in the home is to be done in the service of Hashem. So when you sit at the table, you’re thinking of ways, opportunities to speak about Hashem; to praise Hashem, to praise frum Jews, to praise the Torah, to praise the Torah communities. Not just that you make a token donation to the cause by sayingBoruch atah Hashem.That too is good but a nation ofkohanimdoes much more than that. As much as possible you’re thinking about Hashem while you’re eating, and you’re serving Hashem like akohenthinking about Hashem while serving at themizbeiach.Part II.Every Jew a KohenTHEKIYORAT THE SIDE OF YOUR BEDAnd so the person who recognizes his place in this world understands that he is really living his entire live in emulation of thekohanim. As much as possible, from morning till night, you keep in mind that you’re akohenmaking your way through life as a servant of Hashem. And that’s why in the morning as soon as you get up you pour water over your hands. What’s the point, what’s so important aboutneggel vasser? Listen to this carefully. The Rashba (Teshuvos HaRashba 1:191) says thatnegel vasseris for the purpose of showing that we areKohanei Hashem.That’s why when you wash your hands in the morning, you use akli,a vessel, just like thekohanimused in the Mikdash when they prepared themselves for theavodah. ככהן המקדש ידיו מן הכיור קודם עבודתו – “You are like akohenwho purifies his hands from thekiyorbefore his service.” Those are the words of the Rashba.By thekohanimit says, ורחצו ידיהם ורגליהם בגשתם לשרת. Thekohanimhave to wash their hands as a preparation for tremendous opportunity to work in the Mikdash. But what does that have to do with us? Because we are emulating thekohanim.We are serving Hashem; that’s our business in life. You get up in the morning and what do you do? You’re akohenwashing your hands getting ready foravodas Hashem. And so the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning, before anything else, you prepare for the day with the most important information that you need. You remind yourself that you’re akohen, that you’re a member of theMamleches Kohanim.When you wake up in the morning, what are you getting up for? To go to work? To go to school? To be an accountant? No, you’re getting up in order to serve Hashem all day long.And therefore, as you wash your hands, don’t just pour the water without thinking. What a waste! Think, better yet say, “I am doing this now because I am akohen. Hashem has appointed me to be part of His ממלכת כהנים וגוי קדוש.” Our entire lives are dedicated to serving Hashem. Whether you’re in your office working, in the kitchen cooking, or cleaning diapers in the laundry room, you’re serving Hashem. Besides for yourdaveningand learning, you should know that whatever else you do is all part of serving Hakodosh Boruch Hu. You’re aneved ne’emanand you’re akohen, and therefore the washing of the hands – the preparation for a day of serving Hashem is a very important symbol. And it should be utilized by you to make yourself aware of your status. It’s a shame to waste that glorious opportunity that you have every morning. And most people are missing it altogether. That first act of the day, if done with thought, sets the tone for the rest of the day – that everything you will do, you’ll be doing as a servant of Hashem.THE HILL ON YOUR HEADAnd therefore we can carry the comparison still further. We read a few weeks ago about thebigdei kehuna. And the one garment that is especially described as being worn “for honor and for beauty” was themigba’as, the headgear, of the Kohen. ומגבעות תעשה להם לכבוד ולתפארת – “And the headgear you shall make for them, for honor and for beauty” (Shemos 28:40). You know that the wordmigba’as,headgear, is related to the wordgiv’ah, a hill, an elevation. And that’s because the Kohen appears taller because of hismigba’as. It added to his height, to denote his superiority as a servant of Hashem. He wore this crown of “honor and beauty” to demonstrate to everyone the importance of his service and his pride in being able to serve Hakodosh Boruch Hu.You know, once upon a time the whole Klal Yisroel didn’t wear hats. But everyone knew that thekohenwore amitznefes. They knew that, and it meant something to them; there was a tinge of kosher jealousy there. And so the Am Yisroel said, “If thekohanimwear amitznefeswhy shouldn’t we?!” And so little by little themamlecheskohanim, the whole Am Yisroel, began to cover up their headsbecause they understood that as much as we can we emulate the kohanim.THE REAL PSHAT IN “SHIVISI”And so when you cover your head today; when you put on your hat, youryarmulke, what you’re doing is walking in the footsteps of the Jews of ancient times who knew that they werekohanimtoo. And if you wear asheitel or tichelyou can add that thought as well. As often as you can you should be reminding yourself – if nobody is listening say it with your mouth – that you’re identifying with theMamlechesKohanim.Even though you are not akohenserving Hashem at themizbeiach, but you are serving Hashemno lessin your home, in your kitchen, at your place of work, or on the street outside. You are a part of theMamleches Kohanim, and that means that wherever you are, and whatever you’re doing, you’re standing in front of Hashem in His service. That’s the realpshatin שויתי השם לנגדי תמיד. Don’t tell me that you’re picturing the letters of Hashem’s name all the time. You don’t need the letters – you areactuallystanding before Him.When we study the fact thatkohanimwear special garments, we understand thatevery Jewis expected to look different in his garments. Now I’m not saying right now what you have to wear. If you’re from a certain neighborhood or from a certain group that wears let’s say long cloaks or you wear black hats very good, very good. Black hats by the way is a very good thing; if you’re able to emulate that practice in order to identify with the Torah community, it’s a greatness. But that’s not my subject right now. Because whatever it is, the point is that a decent Jew must be distinctive in the way he dresses; he has to be dignified in his dress. AYisroelcannot wear jeans for instance. Like it says by thebigdei kehuna,l’chavod u’li’siferes, he has to dress conventionally, in an honorable way. If he’ll wear jeans let’s say, or patched or torn clothing for the purpose of looking like a bum so he’s ignoring the model of themamleches kohanim.A PROFESSOR ACCOSTS RAV MILLERSo you’ll say what’s the sin? And I’ll tell you – it’s the lack of understanding of our status in this world! I met an Orthodox Jew in the street one day. I was walking in the street and a man accosted me – I was frightened. He looked like a bum! He was wearing a cap, a queer kind of cap, and queer clothing. And then I recognized him as an Orthodox college professor. I can’t blame him really; he’s among bums all day long so he has to camouflage himself so they should think he’s one of them. But that’s not how Hashem wants us to be! He wants us to look different because we are themamleches kohanimv’goy kadosh– we’re a holy people like thekohanim.Kohanimyou know are called a holy group of people. וקדשתו – “And you should make himkadosh” (Vayikra 21:8). It’s a commandment that we have to give a certain deference to akohen. We recognize that he is holy because he is a servant of Hashem and we therefore accord him a special respect. So you’re sitting at aseudah, and there’s a waiter there. So he’s can’t just serve one, two, three, whatever the seating order is. No, he knows thedinthat כהן נוטל חלק בראש – “Thekohenis served first.” That’s adinin thegemara, thekohencomes first. Thekohengets the first aliyah atkriyas hatorah, that you know already. But not only when it comes to analiyah; even when it comes to eating, he’s also first.In every matter, we give respect to the one who has been chosen as aneved Hashem.V’kidashto, we treat him with respect because he’s holy to Hashem. Because of his status, his function in this world as the servant of Hashem we accord him privileges and distinctions of honor. כי את לחם אלוקיך הוא מקריב – He’s serving Hashem, and that’s whyv’kidashto, that’s why you honor him above all others.YOUR HOLY SPOUSEAnd now, when we think about these words we hear an echo of the words קדושים תהיו – “And you, theAm Yisroel, should bekadosh” (ibid. 19:2). Not only is akohenakadosh, but every frum Jew iskadosh. What does the wordkadoshmean? It means set aside, set apart for Hashem, something that’s connected to Hashem.Every Jew iskadosh; it says that openly in the Torah that we’re amamleches kohanim v’goy kadosh.And so, when you deal with your fellow Jew, you have to watch out what you say. Of course, when you deal with agoyyou have to watch what you say as well, but it’s not the same at all. Your wife iskadosh, your husband iskadosh. You cannot just hurl words against each other recklessly. Be careful what you say! You have to know who you’re talking to. Would you talk like that to akohenin the Beis Hamikdash?! You have to respect akohen, and you have to respect theAm Kadosh. And just like akohenis treated with an especial dignity because he is holy to Hashem, that same respect and honor should be given to our fellow Jews.ENCOUNTER WITH GREATNESSSo you have to practice up on these truths. You see a fellow Jew, and you say under your breath, “There goes a holy person, one of thegoy kadosh.” That’s how to think when you pass a Jew in the street. It’s an encounter with greatness, withkedusha, and it’s important to get that into your head. And it will only happen if you train yourself to think these thoughts; “That man is holy; he’s from theMamleches Kohanim.”But not only do we have to consider our fellow Jew akadosh, but we have to consider ourselves askedoshim. Just like akohenhas to be careful with hiskedusha,you’re always reminding yourself, “I’m part of thegoy kadoshof Hashem; I’m set aside foravodas Hashem.”And so, since you’re always standing in front of Hashem, you must begin to train yourself to do as much as you canl’sheimshamayim. Little by little you train yourself to think about Hashem in whatever you are doing. And so, when you serve supper to your husband, to your family, why not? You’re a good frum wife, a loyal woman; you’ll say, “Certainly I serve my husband supper. What else should I do? He’s my husband. Any loyal wife would do this.” But now we’re seeing that that is not enough. Your job in this world is to be more than a wife who is loyal to her husband, and to her family. Because while you are doing all of these “mundane” activities, you are doing them with the intention that you are from themamleches kohanimand that you are serving Hashem.FLIPPING THE PANCAKESAnd that’s what Hakodosh Boruch Hu wants from you. That you should become more and morekadosh; more and more set aside for Himin your thoughts.And that means that as much as you can you try to do thingslisheimshamayim, which means that you’re aware that you’re serving Hashem. So you stand at your stove just like akohenstands at themizbeiach, putting onto the fire things to burn up to Hashem. And he’s מהפך בצינורא, he’s turning over the fats and pieces of thekorbanfor Hashem. And you’re standing there atyourmizbeiach, your stove, turning over the pancakes, and you’re serving Hashem no less than akohen. You’re thinking these thoughts; that you’re serving Hashem right now in your kitchen like thekohenserves Hashem in the Mikdash and the status of your home is elevated to a place of the service of Hashem.Now people will say, “Certainly I’m anoivedHashem, certainly. But that’s only part of my life; I have to do other things too. I have a job, I have a family.” And the answer is, no. ואתם תהיו לי ממלכת כהנים tells you that whatever you are doing in life, you’re still akohen Hashem.Look, akohencan also get a job; he also has a family. But he’s still akohen! So you have to go to your office, to your store, whatever it is, to make a living. But you’re still akohen Hashem. You have to take care of your children, feed them, bathe them. But that doesn’t in any way affect your status. You’re part of theMamleches Kohanimand you must keep that in mind always. Hashem took you out of Mitzrayim to be His servant and nothing can change that fundamental truth of your purpose in this world. AYisroelcan never change his function in life.BANGING NAILS L’SHEIM SHAMAYIMAnd so, even if you’re a plumber or a carpenter, and you’re busy all day long, you should know how important it is for you to keep this in mind. Every time you bang in a nail – of course you have to concentrate on doing a good job too; you might bang in a nail incorrectly and then you’re being paid for nothing, you’re aganav– but in addition to doing your best on the job, you have to add the thought, “I’m doing this because it’s the will of Hakodosh Boruch Hu. I have to work, I have to make a living, I have to get married, I have to support a wife, I have to support my children.” Of course if you have a rich father-in-law who’s willing to support you, then you could sit in akollelall your life; and even the kollel man has to be reminded to keep Hashem in his thoughts always. That’s exactly how we have to think and that is the motivation that is chiefly prized by Hashem.And so it doesn’t matter what you do, who you are. You could be a dentist, a shoemaker or an errand boy – whatever it is, that’s all incidental to what you really are. Because your chief profession is that of being part of theMamleches Kohanim. Now don’t think it’s just amashaland a piousdrasha. No, Hakodosh Boruch Hu expects us to take all the hints inVayikra, theTorasKohanim, and expand on it with your own mind in many other directions.That’s your business in life. And therefore as much as possible, in everything you do, you should keep in mind that you are serving Hashem. And everything you do, at home, at work, on the, street should be motivated by this awareness. Now it doesn’t mean that everything must be done that way or else you don’t do it. We are human beings and we try our best. We aspire to bekohanimas much as possible and therefore if we could add an additional intent to the things we do, and even say something to that effect, we train ourselves to be more and morekadoshand we fulfill our function in life as akohen, akadoshwho is set aside for Hashem.When you allow this thought to enter your mind and you gradually continue to practice it, so it begins to take a part in all of your actions, as a share in your thoughts. And after a while you’ll find that part of your intentions in whatever you do islisheim shamayim.You start by thinking and speaking aboutlisheim shamayimand about being from themamleches kohanim v’goy kadoshand it’s all not real, you’re a hypocrite. But that’s the best hypocrite in the world because after a while it begins to penetrate and it becomes a genuine intention that participates in all of your motivations.THE DELICIOUS FRUIT OF PARSHAS TZAVThe great ideal, the important attitude that we are theMamleches Kohanim, and that our lives, our behavior, and our thoughts, are to be patterned after thekohanimin the Mikdash, must be for us a seed that is planted in our minds, a seed that you must water and nurture all the days of your life. And the more thought that you put into thisavodah, the more this seed ofMamleches Kohanimwill grow in your mind into beautiful and delicious fruit. The more you water this ideal, by thinking about what we’re speaking about tonight, the more you will understand that everything that you do in your life, Hashem looks at it as if it is theavodas hakohanimserving in the Beis Hamikdash.And as the years pass by, the ideal of being from themamleches kohanimgrows upon you and it becomes a stronger and stronger part of your personality until finally, before you realize it, it occupies a very big part in all of your motivations, and you actually begin to live life as one of themamleches kohanim. And just like when thekohanimwere chosen by Hashem it is written: והיו לי הלויים – “To be Mine,” it meant to be especially Mine forever, so too the nation as a whole was chosen to be theMamleches Kohanimwith that same word. ואתם תהיו לי ממלכת כהנים – “And you shall be forMea Kingdom of Priests,” is the mark of eternal honor. “Wherever it says לי, “For Me,” it shall never cease in this world and in the World to Come” (Vayikra Rabbah 2:2). It’s a mark of distinction that we must live up to, to be always aware that all of our actions must be for the purpose of serving Hashem. And if we keep that in mind always, then we become thegoy kadosh, the nation set aside for Hashem in eternity. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. This podcast has been graciously sponsored by JewishPodcasts.fm. There is much overhead to maintain this service so please help us continue our goal of helping Jewish lecturers become podcasters and support us with a donation: https://thechesedfund.com/jewishpodcasts/donate

Part I.Understanding SacrificeGETTING HASHEM TO LIKE MEAs we read through this week’sparsha, and actually, the wholeSeder Vayikra,there’s a theme that’s constantly reiterated, and that’s the subject of finding favor in Hashem’s eyes. Now, if you would ask someone on the street how to get Hashem to like you, he might have some ideas. Maybe you should say the whole Tehillim a few times; or fast on Mondays and Thursdays. But ourparshadoesn’t leave the way to achieve Hashem’s favor up to our imagination. And surprisingly we’re told again and again that we can find the especial favor of Hashem by means of animal sacrifice. יקריב אותו לרצונו – “He shall bring it for his favor before Hashem” (Vayikra 1:3). לרצונכם תזבחוהו “For your favor you shall slaughter it.” לרצונך “For your favor” (see 19:5, 22:19, 22:29, 23:11).Now you should pay good attention to these words because it’s a very big thing to find favor in the eyes of Hashem; it’s actually the major achievement of life. I want to quote to you from the Chovos Halevavos (Shaar Avodas Elokim, Perek 3). He tells us that צריך שיתברר, “It must become clear to a person, שהתמורה עודפת עליו – that the effort he puts into making himself better in this world will be rewarded with a very great exchange.” He’ll get back much more than he puts in. If you improve yourself in this world, says the Chovos Halevavos, you’ll get much more back in return.What will you get? What’s the great thing you’ll get in exchange? Listen to the words of the Chovos Halevavos: והוא רצות הא-ל אותו – “That Hashem will like you; He’ll think well of you.” Now we know that אהבתי אתכם נאום השם, “I love all of you,” says Hashem, but we’re learning now that it’s possible to findespecialfavor in the eyes of Hashem, above and beyond the intense love that Hashem has for all of the Am Yisroel.והוא רצות הא-ל, and that is that Hashem should favor you; it’s the approval, the regard of your Creator. Now, we’renottalking about reward here; we’renottalking about Gan Eden. What is the great success of a man? Hashem is going to like you! There’s nothing as important as that!FORGET ABOUT THE REWARD!I would like you to listen to a quote from the Sefer Hayashar, from Rabeinu Tam: הנני מפרש לך, “I want to make clear to you, he says, כי אין תועלת גדולה כאהבת הבורא לאדם, that there is no greater benefit for a man than that Hashem should love him.” That Hashem should love you; that’s the pinnacle of success! That you should find favor in the eyes of Hashem; there’s nothing better than that. Of course, included in Hashem’s love for you will be greatest of rewardsas well,but the reward isnotthe great success. And therefore says Rabeinu Tam, אין לנו לחקור איך יהיה הגמול הטוב, we don’t have to be concerned about what and how the reward will be. Because the wise man understands that what really matters for a person is that he should find favor in the eyes of Hashem.And so, once we understand that theavodas hakorbanoscan elevate a man and bestow upon him such excellence that he deserves to find favor in the eyes of Hashem, we learn how important ourparshais. And therefore, if you have a desire that Hakodosh Boruch Hu should look down at you and say, “My child, I am happy with you; it’syouwho has found favor in My eyes,” then don’t go home yet because the subject of the night,korbanos, is for you.WHAT’S IT ALL FOR?!When we hear aboutkorbanostoday, so to many people it is really a quandary, it’s a big puzzle. Some people think that in the olden days it was justified; everybody broughtkorbanos, all the pagan nations of antiquity placed a great emphasis on such things, so we did as well. But nowadays, who needskorbanos?! Slaughtering the neck of an animal?! “It’s arachmanus,” we think. It’stza’ar ba’alei chayim! What it’s all for?! For the one untrained in Torah attitudes theBeis Hamikdashseems to be a butcher shop; blood all over the place! And they’re burning the body parts and thecheilev!Gevalt!And so if we’re going to properly studyParshas Vayikra,theparshathat introduces us tokorbanos, then we’ll be acquiring new minds; new attitudes that will give us at least some insight into whykorbanosare the path towards finding the favor of Hashem. And so we’ll go step by step and understand this as best as we can.THE ANIMAL; YOUR SHALIACHOne of the first requirements of the one who brings akorbanissmichah. When a person approached themizbei’achto offer akorbanit says: וסמך את ידו על ראש העולה – “And he shall lean his hand on the head of theolah” (ibid. 1:4). He leans his weight on it. Now, why does the one offering thekorbanhave to lean on it? And the answer is that when you put your hands on the animal you’re making thebeheimahyour agent, your representative. The leaning of your hands on thekorbansignifies the appointment of the offering as ashaliach, a substitute, for the owner of the animal. Like when Moshe Rabeinu put his hands on the head of Yehoshua, ויסמוך את ידיו עליו (Bamidbar 27:23), so from then on Yehoshua took over; he was theshaliachof Moshe Rabeinu, his agent to take over as the leader of the nation. And in the same sense, the man that lays his hands upon the head of his offering thereby makes it his agent, and it’s as if he himself is being offered up to Hashem.And that’s why thehalachahis that סמיכה בכל כחו – “When you press down on the head of the animal you have to useall of your strength” (Chagigah 16b). You can’t just give a little bit of a lean, something superficial, and that’s all. No, there’s nothing superficial about this! You press down with all of your strength; you put “yourneshamah”into thatsmichah. And that was like a stick of dynamite exploding in your mind; it was sinking in now that this animal was representingyou! And so you realized that yourolahis not merely a lamb that is beingshechtedand brought up on the fire –it’s you!THE SECRET OF A KORBANAnd that brings us to the secret ofkorbanos.Because what do we do? We bring a little lamb to themizbei’ach. Now the poor little lamb is a live creature, and his heart is pumping blood throughout his body. And he wants to live. But what do you do? You cut its neck and the blood comes gushing out, and you put thedamon themizbei’ach. And while you do that, you think, “That should be me! But for the mercy of Hashem, that would bemyblood being sprinkled on themizbei’ach. Really that’s what I owe You Hashem for giving me life, for giving me all the delights of being alive.”We like being alive! I say “like” – we love it! I’ll prove it to you. Here’s a man lying in his hospital bed; he’s anxious, distraught. Why? The doctors came into his room yesterday and showed him the test results. And now his days in this sweet world are numbered. Oh yes,nowhe realizes how delicious life is. “Ohhh!” he says. “If I could just get out in the street again. If I could just live, and walk around again! What a happiness it would be!” He looks down from the hospital window and he sees the heads of the people walking on the street; going to work, the regular grind of life, with all of its ups and downs. And he’s jealous. He’s so jealous of that. They’re walking carefree, outside of the hospital. They’re living, they’re alive, and for him it will soon be all over. And we my friends are the people he sees walking the streets, the people this man envies. And so, how are we going to express our gratitude to Hashem? What could we do already?So we bring akorban, a lamb, instead of ourselves. And we lean in on the lamb with all our strength, concentrating on the fact that this lamb is aboutto take our place.DON’T RUN AWAY!And that’s why the Torah requires that תיכף לסמיכה שחיטה – “Theshechitahmust be done immediately after the leaning” (Brachos 42a). You symbolically transferred yourself onto that animal, and right away you cut the neck. And that leaves no time for the owner of thebeheimahto escape the scene. Even if he’s not going to do theshechitah– often he would do theshechitahhimself too;shechitah k’sheirah b’zar (Brachos 31b) – but even if he wouldn’t do it, hesawit. The owner of the offering was always present to witness how “he”is vicariously being slaughtered as an offering to Hashem. He can’t avoid witnessing the Kohenshechttheolah.He’s watching as the neck is cut – the neck of hisbeheimah –and thedamgushes out. It’sdamcoming fromhiscut neck! And he looks at it and is overwhelmed. “That’s me!” he thinks; it’s a very powerful scene to watch.IT LOOKS VERY MUCH LIKE HUMAN SACRIFICE!And it didn’t stop there. You know, when they brought akorban olah,a burnt offering, there was amitzvahofhefshet, to skin it, to take the skin off the animal. Now why do you need this? It’s anolahafter all; you’re burning the whole animal on themizbei’ach. So why can’t you just burn it in its entirety, together with the skin? “No,” Hashem says, “First thing, I want you to remove the hide.”And that’s because after theshechitah, when the animal is carried up to themizbei’ach, if the hide would still be there, so it would look like abeheimah. The hide is a giveaway! It’s a lamb, a sheep! But Hashem wants it to look like a human, not like a lamb. So the hide is peeled off and now it looks very much like a human being. If you ever saw an animal being skinned you would know that in some ways your body shares a resemblance to a skinned carcass; and that’s what Hashem wants here, that it should look likeyou. That’s the reason for thehefshet; it should look like a human being is being offered up to Hashem.THE SECRET OFNITU’ACHAnd after thehefshet, the next step in theavodas hakorbanosis themitzvahofnitu’ach: ונתח אותה לנתחיה –“And he should cut it into its pieces” (ibid. 1:6). The animal is not brought to themizbei’achas one whole unit, but it is divided into parts according to its limbs. You have to cut it up into its separate limbs; the legs separate, the hands separate, every part separate. And oneeiverat a time is placed onto themizbei’ach.So we learn that gratitude to Hakodosh Boruch Hu, is not sufficiently fulfilled by expressing thanks for the entire body at once. Just to say, “Thank You Hashem for life, for my body,” and to feel absolved of your obligation is a failing. What’s life? You could live and be a plant. You could live like a mushroom. That’s also life. Saying that you’re grateful for “everything” is really saying nothing! We’re going to lump it together andpaturourselves? Being indebted to Hashem begins by considering each limb separately, and by understanding that each detail of the body is a gift that stands on its own; each one is a gift from Hakodosh Boruch Hu that doesn’t belong to us, and that He can take back at any moment.THE KORBAN PARADE!And it was all done with fanfare, with great pomp. Thekohanimlined up in a procession, like a parade: כולן עומדין בשורה והאברים בידם – “All of thekohanimwere standing in a row with the limbs in their hands” (Tamid 4:3). Onekohenwas holding a head, and anotherkohenbehind him holding two legs; and behind him a line ofkohanimcarrying limbs and organs. It was a scene to behold; and it was done withmachshavah, with introspection.And therefore, as the Kohen walked slowly up the ramp, the owner of thekorbanwould watch as each separate limb was offered up. You know, once it’s skinned and cut into its limbs, it doesn’t look like a lamb’s thigh or leg anymore.It looks like your leg!Andthe head of the lamb, skinned and separated, bears resemblance to your head. Thechazeh, that’s the chest, it looks likeyourchest. And so on. That’s how it is; the skinned limbs, dissected, begin to resemble more readily the limbs of man. Suppose you saw partof your bodybeing offered up on the fire; you’d be tremendously excited! You’d faint from excitement! Anolahgoing up to Hashem meansweare going up to Hashem in gratitude. And therefore the man who wants to find favor in the eyes of Hashem would be thinking thoughts of gratitude to Hashem for that specific limb. “I’m thanking you for this limb Hashem. And that limb. And that one, and this one as well.” Separately, one by one, a man recognized the gifts from Hashem,the gifts that Hashem was letting him keep!YOUR HEAD IS “A CABINET FULL OF INSTRUMENTS”They bring, let’s say, the head of theolah.“I should be giving my head back to Hashem in gratitude. I’ve used it already for so many years. Fifty years already I’m using this gift that Hashem gave me and I’ve enjoyed it to no end. A head is very important – you realize you couldn’t live without a head. Ahh! How good is my head! I say “head,” like it’s one thing – a head is a cabinet full of instruments. It’s gifts upon gifts upon gifts that you have sitting there on your shoulders. A head is a precious thing, and it works so well, so perfectly. And so when the head of the lamb is placed onto the fire, you’re a changed man forever. Because you would leave theBeis Hamikdashnot only with your head, but with an appreciation of the gift that Hashem is continuing to give you, acknowledging that you don’t have any intrinsic right to it.And now he’s carrying up the heart. The heart! We’re amazed at the creation of a pump that pumps without stop day and night, day and night. So many tens of years! You have a healthy heart? You’re a lucky man! Look how many people are in great trouble. They’re thinking, “Sooner or later I have to make a bypass operation,chalilah.” They’re putting it off. They’re scared and they’re uncomfortable, they’re taking pills in the meantime. They don’t know what’s going to be. And so when you see the heart being carried up ramp to themizbei’achyou’re thinking, “That’smyheart being put onto the fires of themizbei’ach, only that Hashem will let me leave here with a new ‘loaner’ heart, it’s not mine at all.”It was a very great excitement to bring akorban.After experiencing such an event, you weren’t the same person anymore. Actually, allmitzvos, all service of Hashem, are a result of the attitudes gained by animal sacrifice. Someone who brought an offering put on histefillinvery differently the next morning. He had a new head! Can you imagine that? Yesterday I didn’t have a head, I offered it up on themizbei’ach! But Hashem gave me back a new head! I am overwhelmed with gratitude! So when you put ontefillinit flowed directly from the attitudes you gained in theBeis Hamikdash. Everything you did in life was because of מה אשיב להשם כל תגמולוהי עלי – How can I repay You for all that you have bestowed upon me?!”CAN YOU DO A FAVOR FOR HASHEM?Thus our forefathers served Hashem with the deep realization that they were actually not doing anything for Hashem at all. You know today if someone puts ontefillinhe thinks he’s a good Jew already, and if he prayedb’tzibbur, he thinks he deserves a medal, he did atoivahto Hakadosh Baruch Hu! But in the days of old when we hadkorbanos, we had the marvelous opportunity to stop and recognize all the good that Hashem does for us. We saw and felt that actually we are so indebted to Him and we can never do enough to repay Him!Thekorbanostaught the old-time Jews that their bodies, their very lives, were not theirs at all. Suppose your friend loaned you a car, and you’re riding around enjoying yourself for a couple of days, and then he says, “My friend, can you please give me back my car tomorrow, just for tomorrow?” So you’ll say, “What do you mean, ‘Give back the car?!’ I’m enjoying it to no end. I don’t want to give it back.” You wouldn’t say that! Only for one day? That’s a bargain! You’d give it back even for two weeks! And so someone who witnessed that great spectacle in theBeis Hamikdash, when thekorbanosdemonstrated that his very life belongs to Hashem, willingly submitted himself toevery service of Hashem.Korbanosare calledAvodahbecause all service of Hashem flowed from it. When a Jew left theBeis Hamikdashhis heart was on fire, he was ablaze in gratitude to Hashem.NO NEED TO BENTCHIt’s like the boy who asked his father: “Pa, do I have tobentchevery day? So his father said, “No; only when you eat.” For looking at bread you don’t make anybrachah. So just look and don’t eat!Why do you have to put ontefillinon your head? Because you have a head! You don’t want to put ontefillin, so give back the head. Everyday I’m giving you a head; and it’s a very valuable gift. So when you put ontefillinyou’re doing it because of מה אשיב להשם כל תגמולוהי עלי – How can I repay You for all that you have bestowed on me?!”At that moment of bringing an offering a person realized that he was living in anoilamsh’eino shelo,a world that doesn’t belong to him – that actually nothing at all is his! And it’s only when one actually feels indebted to Hakodosh Boruch Hu for the gift of life in all of its details, that He can begin to serve Hashem.Part II.The Source of EverythingPLEASE GIVE THE PILLAR BACK!And that’s why theavodas hakorbanosis one of the pillars that supports the world:על שלשה דברים העולם עומד – “On three things the world stands” (Avos 1:2), and one of them is theavodah. You know, some people say thatavodahmeanskorbanosalso; yes, of course, that too. They won’t deny that. But the trueavodah, they’ll tell you, istefillah. But that is wrong. Theavodahthat is meant here, the pillar of the world – iskorbanos, animal sacrifice; only that today, because we have no choice, sotefillahstands in place ofkorbanos(Berachos 26b).And that’s why we’re not satisfied today with what we have, because we wanttherealthing. We say ברוך אתה השם שומע תפלה – “Yes, Hashem, You listen to ourtefillos; I know that you’re listening when I speak to You.” And thatavodah she’bileivis so important. And yet, what’s the next thing we say right away? רצה השם אלוקינו בעמך ישראל והשב את העבודה – “Please return to us theavodahofkorbanos.” We’re not satisfied withtefillah, with theavodahof the heart. We want the real thing; we’re asking for theavodashakorbanos,for the opportunity to bring up animals onto the fire of themizbei’ach. And therefore when you finishshemonah esrei,you feel like a person who ate a meal without anything solid, you’re not full yet. And so you say יהי רצון מלפניך השם אלוקינו שיבנה בית המקדש – Hashem, give us back theavodahonce more. Then we’ll be serving You for real!LEAVING MITZRAYIM TO SHECHT ANIMALSYou remember when Moshe Rabeinu came to Pharaoh to negotiate for the release of the Bnei Yisroel from Mitzrayim, so he said in the name of Hashem, שלח את עמי ויעבדוני – “Send out My people and they shouldserveMe” (Shemos 7:26). So people think that “Serve Me” means that they should maybe come together for a minyan, they should domitzvos, or learn Torah. But that’s not it; it’s included, yes, all that and much more is included inv’ya’avduni,but what it means primarily is that they should serve Meby bringing korbanos.Animal sacrifice, that’s theavodah! שלח את עמי – “Send out My people!” And for what? ויעבדוני – “So that they should sacrifice animals to Me.”Now for modern minds it may seem queer.It’s incongruous.When we think about service of Hashem we want to talk about righteousness,tzedek umishpat, ideals, halachos, chesed, learning Torah, mitzvos.There’s so much we want to talk about! And all that is true, absolutely. But what is the foundation of all of thisavodah? שלח את עמי, I’m going to take My people out of Mitzrayim, ויעבדוני, so that they can fulfillParshasVayikra, theparshaofkorbanos. Because it was theavodas hakorbanosthat most sharply and undeniably defined for a person his place in this world, how indebted he is to Hashem.LEAVING THE MIKDASH WITH A NEW CAREERAnd so the man who walked out of theBeis Hamikdashwith all his limbs and all of his organs still intact, that man had a new career ahead of him. Because it was by means of thekorbanin the Beis Hamikdash, that he acknowledged that it’s all a gift from Hakodosh Boruch Hu. Life itself, and all its dissected details, his legs, his head, his heart – everything! – is on loan to him from Hashem. And now his career could begin; because using these gifts as intended by the Giver, that’s his new course in life.Here’s something we say always but I think we would all benefit from studying it a little more: כל עצמותי תאמרנה השם מי כמוך– “All my bones – not only bones, but all my limbs and all my organs, say “Hashem who is like You” (Tehillim 35:10). We say it every Shabbos. What does it mean “All my parts say”? So some people say that it means you must exert your body to participate in the act ofhoda’ah, that you have toshake your bodywhen you daven. And there was at one time some people who used to leap up and down and work their arms and legs; they didn’t want any part of their body to be left out of this work ofhodaah! But that’s not thepshat. It’s not a bad idea to move your body when you daven; you can do it if you wish, but it’s not the wholepshathowever. Because whatever you’ll do – you could flail your arms and kick your legs, you could even do somersaults; but there are parts of the body that just cannot participate. Your kidneys can’t participate, your liver can’t participate in that way. But they must!Kolatzmosai! “Allmy parts must sing out and say, ‘Who is like You, Hashem?!’” So howdoall our body parts sing? And we’ll explain as follows.YOUR STOMACH IS SINGING; SING ALONG!Each body part has a message for you; each limb sings its own song of praise and gratitude to Hashem.Your head is talking, your shoulders are talking, your stomach is talking, your feet are talking. Every part of your body, every limb, every organ, is filled with so much wisdom and so muchchesed, that it’s calling out to you, singing out to you, and asking you to join in the chorus of gratitude and indebtedness to Hashem.And how do you join the chorus? And the answer isby means of the mind! When you put your mind to thinking about what it means to have feet, what it means to have a heart, a liver, kidneys, eyes, fingers– like your ancestor did so many years ago when he brought akorban– so you would begin to sing along. You sing with your head; you sing with your eyes; you sing with your heart; with your lungs, with your stomach, with your feet, your liver, kidneys. They’re all singing. You know if you look in the books, it’s remarkable.There’s never any end to the discoveries that are being made. It’s so complicated and all of it is so purposeful, so full of חכמה עמוקה שאין לו קץ; bottomless wisdom. The more they learn, the more they realize they don’t know. And the truth is that only by studying the details for many years can you begin to appreciate thechochmaandchesedin your body.THE MISER SPENDS A FEW DOLLARSYou have to count your gifts. Like a miser who hides in his home – he pulls down his window shades when his wife goes out shopping – and he takes out his shopping bags of money that he’s been saving all the years. And he starts counting them. His twenties and his hundreds. And as he counts them, his eyes glisten and his heart rejoices. That’s the joy of his life. All day long he waits for that moment. He even gives his wife a few dollars to go shopping to get her out of the house so that he can have a few moments alone to enjoy the great happiness of counting his thousands.But that’s only amashalfor the real happiness of life. Because all of that money is not worth his being alive. If it was his last day and he could give it all away to keep living, to live as a poor man on welfare, he would do it. And not only for life itself; for lungs! He would give it all away to keep his lungs. And so there’s another kind of miser, the miser who knows what it means to count the real money of life. And that’s the person who counts the wealth that he gained by bringing akorban.THE CHOFETZ CHAIM KNEW HOW TO “COUNT MONEY”Like the Chofetz Chaim used to do. When no one was around he would say, “Ribono Shel Olam, I am grateful to you for keeping me alive for so many years. I lived through last year and now I’m living this year again. And the year before last, it was a blessing. And the year before that.” The Chofetz Chaim was counting his “money.” “My lungs are still functioning, and my knees.” And this limb and that limb. And so the Chofetz Chaim hauled out his blessings and gloated over them. And as he counted his “money” his eyes glistened and his heart rejoiced.And that’s what Dovid Hamelech said, במעשי ידיך ארנן, I sing at the deeds of your hands (Tehillim 92:5). You have to beso happy, that you sing. Singing means that you’ve studied the details of the gifts and that you’re actually grateful and indebted to Hakodosh Boruch Hu. But when a person does it as a duty, he praises, he thanks as a duty – of course it’s a good thing and we wish all the Jews would do that, but that man is not really anoived Hashem. He’s serving Hashem without any motivation; he doesn’t feel that there’s really anything to be thankful for; he doesn’t understand how happy life really is and so for him, all of his service of Hashem is “him bestowing benefits on Hashem” instead of the other way around.LEARN TO BE A MISER!But if you want to be a success in this world, if you want your life to bel’ratzon, a life filled with finding favor in the eyes of Hashem, then you’re going to have to practice being a “Chofetz Chaim miser” as well; you have to get busy counting your wealth. Now, you won’t be able to do it all at once – and you shouldn’t. One limb, one organ, at a time, the way it was cut in theBeis Hamikdash. But you have to start. Don’t wait until it’s too late and you’re beset with pangs of regret about missed opportunities.You know what it would mean to have to give back your kidneys?! Here’s a man who can’t even urinate. So he has to go to the hospital to be hooked up to a machine, let’s say, three times a week, for three hours at a time, a kidney machine to clean his body instead of his kidneys that aren’t working. If he could get his kidneys back, he would sing! So you’re thanking Hashem, “You let me keep my kidneys!”You know how much fun it is to have kidneys? If they weren’t functioning you’d pay good money for new kidneys; piles and piles of money! And you don’t have to – you have two perfect ones. You don’t even notice they’re there because they’re functioning so smoothly. Now, you don’t take them out for themizbei’ach– let them stay right where they are. But in your mind, take them out and gloat over them. Spend one day counting the blessings of a kidney.MISSION ACCOMPLISHEDYou know what asimchait is to come out of thebeis ha’kissei! You accomplished “your mission” successfully. Boruch Hashem! רופא כל בשר ומפליא לעשות. It’s a miracle! You know themeforshimtry to explain exactly what is this miracle.Maflee la’asosmeans that it’s a miracle. But the truth is that you don’t have to search for the miracle, you don’t have to look for a reason. It’s a miracle, as clear as day. Your kidneys are able to take a small amount of blood and continually cleanse it. That same blood courses through your body again and again. And your kidneys are constantly cleaning out your blood. You should think about that when you sayAsher Yatzar.At least that you can do. To say thank you with a sincere feeling of gratitude before the One who is giving you a healthy kidney and is not asking for it back.If you’d study the liver you would appreciate what it means to have a great chemical laboratory that’s functioning within you, and you would ‘sing along’ with your liver in gratitude to Hashem כל עצמותי תאמרנה השם מי כמוך. You never heard of liver disease? Someone who had an operation on his liver or takes pills or treatment for his liver? You don’t even know that you have a liver; it’s only “emunah” on your part; you were told you have a liver somewhere in there so you believe in it, you’re ama’amin. You don’t feel it in there but you “accept” what they tell you.You’re lucky that you don’t feel it. It’s quiet, it’s efficient, it’s doing its work without bothering you. Day and night it’s doing perfectly what it was created to do. And so when you hear that someone else is suffering from his liver, you have to start singing, you have to begin appreciating what it means to have a healthy liver. Because this other fellow is actually being “makriv” his liver on themizbei’ach, while Hashem is allowingyouto keep yours!TIME FOR HOMEWORK!And you’ll have opportunities for expressing gratitude all day long. Now a little homework, I’ll give you. When you come to theBeis Haknessesand you hearkaddishbeing said, so instead of sayingYehei shmei rabbahjust as a donation, “Let His great name be blessed;” and you’re thinking “Why not?” What do you care? It doesn’t cost you any money to say it: “Let other people bless His name,” that’s what it means.L’olam ul’olmai olmaya, forever and ever, sometime in the far off future, forever and ever, other people should get busy blessing His name.No,you’rethe one who should be blessing His name. And don’t wait for the future; it should be happening right now. Think of one specific thing when you sayYehei Shmei Rabbah;it’s a good idea to prepare.As soon as thechazzanstarts sayingYisgadal, think, “What part of my body am I going to thank for this time.” Think fast! It would be better if you thought beforehand; thiskaddishwill be for my fingers, and this one for my elbows. My ears, my teeth, and then my nerves. Preparing beforehand is best, but even at the last second you can think of one thing to thank Hashem for.TAKINGPESUKEI D’ZIMRAWITH YOUAnd you have many other opportunities for this as well. As you’re sayingHodu, Ashrei,or theHallelukahs,you’re saying the words anyway, so think, “Today I’m singing about my lungs.” If you pay attention to the words you’re saying you’ll see that it’s all songs and praises; but if you’re not thinking then you’re wasting the precious opportunity to thank Hashem for your lungs. And that day, all day long whenever you’re walking down the street you’re singing to Hashem, “I’m counting my breath and thanking Hashem for my lungs.”That’s how to do it. It’s a good idea to say, “Today is the ear day.” “Tomorrow is nose day.” “The next day is heart day.” Ooh, ahh, that’s a big day! And then comes lung day. And brain day. And every day you dedicate to thinking about another body part. So when you get to ‘leg day,’ so that day all yourpesukei d’zimraare all about your legs. “Ah, what a pleasure it is to have the ability to walk!” You’re not a prisoner, stuck in a bed. Boruch Hashem you have two Rolls Royces underneath you;better than any other wheels. It’s the biggest happiness that you can walk. And it’s allnissei nissim. You know what the muscles are doing when you walk? Every muscle has a reflex, one is pulling and one is shoving. And it’s pulling and shoving back and forth every second, in perfect coordination. How those muscles work is one of the most wonderful arrangements that you’ll find in the world.THANK HASHEM FOR JELLYAnd your thighs aren’t just moving; they’re moving in a socket. The thigh moves all day in this socket, moving and twisting and pressing. So why don’t you feel any friction there? There’s a kind of jelly there in between, the synovial fluid, and it’s lubricating the joints. And the jelly is always being replenished by additional materials. So as you walk down the street, don’t waste the opportunity. As your thigh swings forward in effortless motion, consider the miracle of the smoothly functioning joints; your joints bend this way and that way, and you feel no pain! You hear any moving, any scraping? No, it’s beautifully quiet. And therefore we say ברוך אתה השם המכין מצעדי גבר, I thank You Hashem for establishing the footsteps of man. How wonderful it is to walk!And your eyes! You’re able to see? Ah, ah, ah! Oh, is this a pleasure. It says סומא חשוב כמת, a blind man is in a way a dead man. You lose so much of life when you cannot see. Close your eyes for a moment and imagine you have to tap your way on Kings Highway. You come to an intersection and you’re at a loss what to do. You want to find the right store to enter; you don’t want to bump into people. You can’t see the blue sky; you can’t see the foliage of the trees; you can’t see people; you can’t see motion; you can’t see life. People who can’t see, if they could have working eyes, they would go delirious with ecstasy that their eyesight was restored. They wouldn’t be able to stop singing.RAV MILLER’S BEAUTIFUL EYESYou have to rejoice in the great gift of two beautiful orbs. Once I went to an eye doctor and he looked into my eyes. Now I don’t have especially beautiful eyes, but he said, “You have two beautiful orbs!” In the darkness the human eye is shining with a beautiful light. “You have two beautiful orbs,” he said. You have to thank Hakodosh Boruch Hu for your eyesight; He’s giving you a gift!Seeing is one of the great delights of life. It’s a pleasure to be able to open your eyes and see what’s going on around you. Take a peek into the eye doctor’s office and you’ll see people waiting there with bandages covering their eyes. All kinds of eye ailments. This one needs this operation, and the other fellow a different operation. And you don’t need any operation on your eyes! Boruch Hashem! כל עמצותי תאמרנה, Sing along with your eyes!KORBANOSON OCEAN PARKWAYSo you’re thinking and thanking and singing all day long. You’re fulfilling theavodas hakorbanos, right here on Ocean Parkway. Because theavodas hakorbanosis teaching us that it’s not enough for us to merely say ‘thank you’ to Hashem for life in general. A genuine attitude of gratitude will only develop from thanking Hashem for all the individual kindnesses. If you want to fulfill theavodahof thekorbanostoday, even when theBeis Hamikdashis not standing, then you must study each detail of thechesed Hashem, and sing a song of gratitude for that detail in particular.And that’s why Hashem took you out ofMitzrayim. שלח את עמי ויעבדוני. I’m taking you out ofMitzrayimso that you should offerkorbanosto Me, and sing to Me all your life along with youratzamos. Because although thekorbanoshave many purposes, the first of all the intentions is the expression of gratitude, for taking us out ofMitzrayimto be His people, and for all the thousands and tens of thousands of kindnesses that He bestows upon us always, without taking them back. The list of gifts is endless. Boruch Hashem, you areloaded downwith blessings. You’re a lucky fellow! You’re not putting your eyes on themizbei’ach. You’re not carrying your own leg up the ramp. Hashem says, “Keep everything. Enjoy My gifts. But remember Me. At least that. Remember Me.”KEEP YOUR HEAD TO YOURSELFAnd so thekorbanosare an expression of the highest form of gratitude to Hashem. Boruch Hashem, He gives me my life every day, and all my organs are functioning perfectly more or less.And so I express my gratitude by giving him back “my” head, “my” leg, “my” kidneys, “my”cheilev– my everything! We get to keep our legs and our hearts. We get to keep ourcheilevin ourselves. We keep ourk’layosto ourselves. Our kidneys, our head; everything we get to keep and we use them everyday. And instead we burn all the parts of theolahto Hashem, and by means of that we understand our place in this world, a world where we’re being given gifts and gifts without end. And it’s for those gifts that we are forever indebted to the Giver, and we serve Him and sing to Him all the days of our lives. And by means of our overflowing gratitude to Hashem we find favor in His eyes, because we are achieving our purpose in this world.Singing to Hashem is the purpose of life, and one who joins the choir will be rewarded with even more years to sing: “Themizbei’achwas made in order to lengthen a man’s life” (Middos 3:4). The secret of thekorbanosis recognition of thechesed Hashemthat pervades one’s life, and Hashem bestows more life upon those that who utilize their time here to recognize Him. And they thereby achieve the chief purpose of life: יראת השם לחיים – “Awareness of Hashem causes life” (Mishlei 19:23). And therefore, even today, when we can’t yet bringkorbanos, we can continue to sing always to Hashem we thereby achieve the greatness of the days of theBeis Hamikdashand find favor in the eyes of Hashem in this world and the next. HAVE A WONDERFUL SHABBOSGo Back See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. This podcast has been graciously sponsored by JewishPodcasts.fm. There is much overhead to maintain this service so please help us continue our goal of helping Jewish lecturers become podcasters and support us with a donation: https://thechesedfund.com/jewishpodcasts/donate

פרשת פקודיPart I.A Fire is KindledTHE KING’S SCROLL-ROOMויהי בחודש הראשון בשנה השנית באחד לחודש הוקם המשכן – The greatest day in the history of the world had finally arrived. On the first day of Nissan the dwelling place for Hashem was established and the Presence of Hashem would now rest among His chosen people. The Mishkan was now going to betheplace for the revelation of Hashem in this world, the fulfillment of Hashem’s promise: ושכנתי בתוכם – “And I will dwell among them” (Shemos 25:8)And what was the first thing that Moshe did after spreading the roof over the Mishkan? He set up thekodesh kodoshim,the holiest space on the face of this earth, the room where the Presence of Hashem would dwell most intensely. Although the Shechinah was now going to dwell among the Bnei Yisroel, it would dwell even more intensely in the Mishkan. And where was the holiest place in the Mishkan, the place where Hashem chose to rest his Presence with the most intensity? Thekodesh hakodoshim. Now, if you would have asked me what I would have set up in that room where Hashem would now reside, so with my little head I would say, a throne, a big beautiful golden throne, something resplendent and ornate, placed in the middle of thekodesh kodoshim; and that would symbolize thekisei hakavod, the place where Hashem rests His Presence in this world.“Nothing doing,” said Hakodosh Boruch Hu, “I have other plans for My room, for thekodeshkodoshim”:ויתן את העדות אל הארון…ויבא את הארון אל המשכן…ויסך על ארון העדות כאשר צוה השם את משה – Hashem commanded that into this holiest part of the Mishkan, the room that symbolized His place in this world, should be placed the two stone tablets engraved by the Hand of Hashem, and afterward the Torah itself was put alongside theluchos(Devarim 31:26).A MOUNTAIN IN THE LITTLE ROOMAnd that’s what Dovid Hamelech said in Tehillim (68:18): השם בם – “Hashem has settled among the Am Yisroel.” And how did He do that? סיני בקודש – “Because Har Sinai is now in the Mishkan.” That great day of the Giving of the Torah at Har Sinai is now found in thekodesh kodoshim.The Sanctuary was the heart of the nation, and itwas the word of Hashem, the stoneluchosand the Torah, that were at the heart of the Mishkan.What we’re learning here is that preparing a home for Hashem to live among us, really meant preparing a homefor the Torahto reside among us. And the Mishkan in its entirety was actually an altar of devotion tothe word of Hashem. And so instead of a throne for Hashem to rest His presence on, the revelation of Hashem in this world came by means of His Torah. And the Am Yisroel in themidbarlived according to that revelation.WHAT DID THEY DO ALL DAY?I’ll explain that. Because really we have to ask ourselves: What were the Am Yisroel doing in themidbarfor forty years after all? It was at least two million people in themidbar, and they were there for forty years. And it was forty years without worries ofparnasa. They ate what fell from the clouds; they didn’t have to go to the factory to get a paycheck.Did they plow their fields? No, there were no fields for them to plow. And not only were there no worries about parnasa, but no enemies could touch them either; they were more secure during those forty years than at any subsequent time in history. So you’ll say, maybe they travelled. No, they only travelled together; nobody went away to the country and nobody vacationed in Florida. They were home on Pesach and in the summer too. Never again did we have such an ideal existence, so much time for leisure, as we had during those forty years.Ahh, leisure! So what did they do all day? What were they busy with for forty years? Did they go to the theatre? Maybe they played with a stick and a ball and tried to hit homeruns? It’s hard to imagine; forty years of nothing to do, forty years of vacation.FORTY YEARS IN KOLLELAnd so we have to understand that for forty years they had nothing to do except to study Torah. The entire nation actually became a one bigyeshivah. And it was ayeshivahwhere they studied day and night. They didn’t have newspapers to read, or radio to listen to. And even if they would have been able to get their hands on something; let’s say aben Yisroelwould try to pick up a newspaper from a neighboring tribe, from Midian; you couldn’t get away with such a thing in themachaneh Yisroel. You were in a kollel, and every kollel has amashgiach. And this kollel in themidbarhad more supervision that any kollel since then. Every nine men had amashgiachwho watched them, thesar asarah, and so they had to behave. And every forty nine men had a supermashgiach, thesar chamishim. Every ninety nine men had a super supermashgiach, thesar mei’ah. And every nine hundred and ninety nine had a super super supermashgiach,that was thesarei alafim. You couldn’t sneak anything past this army ofmashgichim. And Moshe Rabeinu with his watchful eye was overseeing the whole thing, the whole Yeshivas Hamidbar.But themashgichimdidn’t have a very difficult job, because they were seriousyungerleitin theyeshivah. They knew what their purpose was because they knew what was in thekodesh kodoshim. Never, in any subsequent era, was the Torah so supreme and so studied as under the forty year rule of Moshe Rabeinu, the Torah teacher par excellence. “And you should speak in the words of Torah when you sit in your house, and when you walk on the road, and when you lie down and when you arise” (Devarim 6:7) wasn’t only apossuk, amitzvah,oreven an aspiration to yearn for – it was their way of life! The sole occupation for thedor hamidbarwas Torah study. The nation functioned like a hugeyeshivah– what themidbarwas for the Am Yisroel was actually a forty year Kollel, a Torah Academy.THE‘MAIN DISH’ OF OUR PEOPLEAnd it was thatkollelthat would define what the Am Yisroel would be forever. In themidbarwe were transformed into amamleches kohanim, a nation of Torah learners, and that experience remained engraved for all time on the hearts of our people. And that explains for us agemarathat has confounded many. Thegemarain Sanhedrin (92a) says: אין שריד אלא תלמיד חכם, that the wordsarid, “leftover” or “the one who remains” refers to atalmid chochom. Now that’s a puzzle, why is atalmid chochomcalled a “leftover”? He’s not the leftover; he’s the main dish after all! There are variouspshatim, but the simplepshatis that originally the whole Klal Yisroel werechachomim; the entire Dor Hamidbar was a big kollel oftalmidei chachomim.And therefore, anyone who studies the Torah today is a leftover from those days in themidbar. Because it was then that the Am Yisroelin its entiretyrecognized the truth that the goal of every Jew is to be atalmid chochom.And from then on, the study of Torah becamethenational vocation and pastime. Never did the Am Yisroel, in all its subsequent history, ever use their leisure time for anything else but Torah. There was no telling stories of adventure and war, and no playing sports. There were no theatres or stadiums and no amusement parks either. And that’s because we found everything we wanted and everything we needed in the study of Torah and in the raising of families to beohavei Torah.The word entertainment doesn’t exist in the lexicon of our people. Who needs the fleeting and empty joy of circuses, carnivals, sports, hunting, races or any other pastime, when we find all of our fulfillment by means of theluchosand the Torah?WHY ARE WE STILL HERE?And that’s what Rav Saadia Gaon meant when he said (Sefer Emunos V’dayos 3:7) אין אומתינו אומה אלא בתורה, that we are a nation only as a Torah nation. It means the following: We have no right to exist. We should have long ago disappeared. Where is Edom? They disappeared! Where is Amon? They disappeared! It’s all gone! Where is Ancient Mitzrayim? All gone! Ancient Greece is all gone, everything is underground. You’re going to need a lot of shovels and you’ll have to sweat a lot before you can see all the ancient nations of the world.So why are we still here? We’re also one of the ancient nations, so why didn’t we also disappear along with all the others? And the answer is that we are only here because of the Torah. ThefrumJews study the Torah in its most minute details, and that’s why there is still an Am Yisroel. And that’s אין אומתינו אומה אלא בתורה. We are a Torah-nation and that’s the cause of our existence. Mitzvos, wonderful, wonderful! But it’s the study of Torah that defines the Am Yisroel; it’s our life-breath, our way of life. We are a nation of Torah learners and that’s why we are forever. Hashem is forever, His Torah is forever, and we who study His Torah will be forever.THE PAGEANT IN THE MESIVTAAnd that explains something queer that we notice when we study our history. You know that in Bavel there were great Mesivtos, greatyeshivoswhere thechachomimgathered to study and to teach. There was a Mesivta in Sura where Rav was, and there was another Mesivta in Naharda’eh where Shmuel lived; two big Mesivtos that were the center of the Am Yisroel. And there were other Mesivtos too that functioned in Bavel.But the Mesivta wasn’t a place where you just learned Torah and heardshiurim. It was a very interesting experience, the Mesivta. Everything was done with a procedure. They used to march in to the Beis Medrash in the beginning of the session; thechachomimmarched in first, and then thetalmidimmarched in behind them, and everyone took his place; each one of thechachomimhad his particular place. And there were designated people who would make the announcement, “Thechachomimare coming in now; they’re entering into the Mesivta.” It wasmamishlike a pageant; that’s how they opened up the Mesivta.BABYLONIAN STATE OF THE UNIONAnd not only in the beginning of thezman; every day was like that. It was done with a certain panoply, like in a royal tribunal, with certain procedures, formalities and announcements. Like in the Congressl’havdilor in a king’s palace; it was done with the greatest kind of ceremony. And we should ask ourselves: What was this for? Why all the fanfare?! Why couldn’t they just get busy with learning already? Isn’t that what they came for? It wasn’t the State of the Union address after all; it was ayeshivah! And they didn’t do this once a year; it wasevery day!And the answer is that this pomp and the ceremony was vital for an understanding of the place of the Torah in the Am Yisroel. In themidbar, where they all saw the Mishkan, and they all knew that hidden inside, in the room that Hashem chose to reside in, was theluchosand the Torah, so the entire nation lived with a tangible understanding that it was the study of the Torah that was the core function of our people – everybody was learning inkollel, and there was no question in anyone’s mind thatlimud Torahwas the function of our people. But in order to keep that fire ofkavod hatorahaliveforeverand to understand the centrality of the Torah to our nation, the nation had to see with their own eyes the glory of Torah. And so the Mesivta functioned with the prominence it deserved and the Am Yisroel learned that the aristocracy of our people were the ones who were studying the Toras Hashem in the Beis Medrash.THE AM YISROEL GETS FARHERREDAnd in Bavel they also established the Yarchei Kallah together with the Mesivta. Twice a year there was ayarchei kallah, akiddush Hashemof remarkable proportions. You know they were almost all farmers in Bavel, so when the farming season was over, two months a year, tens of thousands of people came to the Mesivta. The town was overflowing with Jews. They slept on the streets, on the roofs, and in cellars, and they were learning all the time. The entire month they were learning Torah. And thechachmei hatorahwere there to test them, to see if they knew it! If they hadkashasthey asked thekashas. Everybody was learning the same thing – it was a scene to behold – they were all learning the samemesichtaand thechachomimfarherredthem.And it wasn’t little children we’re talking about; these were adults, men in their forties and fifties, older than that too, men with families. From where did this fire of dedication to Torah come? How could a nation of so many different personalities: workers, wise men, simple folk, intellectuals, rich and poor alike all humbly submit themselves before thechachmei hatorah?WE REMAIN AT SINAI FOREVERAnd the answer is that it wasn’t something that began in Bavel; it was already engraved on our souls from theDorHamidbar. The same way theDor Hamidbarsubmitted themselves before Moshe Rabeinu, the Am Yisroel continued that practice always. And therefore there was always a tremendous outpouring of Torah learning, a tremendous demonstration that Torah iseverythingfor the Am Yisroel.In the days of old the fire of Torah burned hot because they were emulating theDor Hamidbarwhen Hashem had taught the nation that in the center of themachaneh, the focal point of the people, was theLuchosand the Torah. And that fire continued to burn on forever in the Am Yisroel. We live with Sinai and Bavel from now on. Our life is Bavel;Nehrada’e,Masa Mechasya,Pumbedisa, all the towns of Bavel are our learning today. We’re at Har Sinai forever because we live with theluchosand with the Talmud Bavli forever and ever. All of theyeshivosin our history, in Eretz Yisroel, in Bavel, Spain, North Africa, Europe, and America are all merely echoes of the great Yeshivas Hamidbar. We are always a nation of Torah learners.Part II.The Fire Burns OnNOTHINGBUT TORAHOnce upon a time Jewish men didn’t stay home at night. And they weren’t at the movies either; they were in the study halls, in theshuls. Of course, the ladies were home – they were raising children who as soon as they could toddle, would make their way to the study halls because that’s what mattered. And when fathers and sons would return home at night from thebeis medrashthey would bring all their baggage of Torah with them. Mothers and sisters would hear nothing but Torah. And therefore the Jewish street used to be a street of Torah. Even an enemy of the Torah – I won’t honor him by saying his name here – but when describing Cracow in the times of the Rama he said that the children in the street “babbled Torah.” And the truth is that it wasn’t only Cracow. That’s how it was in every Jewish community; every town was ayeshivahtown.I remember when I was a little boy in Baltimore, when the new immigrants arrived, they used to laugh when they saw that theshulswere locked during the day. Locked?! “Would you lock the Mishkan?! Aren’t there people learning all day in theshuls?” And it wasn’t thetalmidei chachomimwho laughed; it was the peddler, the poor working man trying to eke out a living. It was something impossible to them! Because in Europe, even a hundred years ago, they were still emulating the Dor Hamidbar, and still learning the lessons of the Mishkan. Some were there all day, some would come in for an hour here and there, but to close theshul?!Even in Baltimore the fire still burned.There was a shul in Baltimore’s East side, the Lloyds Street Shul. When I was maybe fourteen years old, I used to sit and learn in that shul in the evenings. There were about ten tables there and around each one people gathered to learn according to their level. They were poor European Jews, most of them with long beards andkashketlach. They made their living on a very poor level, but they admired the Torah learners and they themselves made sure to be from the Torah learners. There were tables and tables and each one was full of Jews sitting and learning separate subjects according to their level. Each table had a rebbe. At one table, they were learning gemara with Tosfos. One table over they were studying gemara without Tosfos. There was a Shulchan Aruch table and a chumash with Alshich table. It was a scene out of Europe, and out of Bavel. And actually it was a scene out of the Yeshivas Hamidbar encamped around the Torah in thekodeshkodoshim.NO SEATS AVAILABLE INSHUL!When I was in Lithuania I once visited ashulin a small town and an oldmelamed, a remnant from the old generation, said to me, “Before World War I there was a time when if you came a little bit late to this shul on Thursday night you couldn’t find a seat. It was filled with people learning late into the night.Every nightthe shul was filled with people learning.” He showed me a copy of theteshuvosRabbi Akiva Eiger that belonged to the shul. The pages were very worn out from use; they were loose and all the margins were so thumbed that they were falling apart. I was a bit surprised; after all theteshuvosof Rabbi Akiva Eiger is not asiddurthat people use every day. So I asked the old teacher, “How could this happen? Who wore this out? It’s not asiddur.” So thismelamedtold me that the seferhad been used every night by a regular working boy.“Every night, a working boy who lived here came to the shul and this was his favoritesefer; he wore it out from learning.”In Slabodka, abachurwhom I learned withb’chavrusaonce told me that in Beers, his hometown in Lithuania, there used to be achevrah mishmarim.This was a group of people who were peddlers all week; it was their bitter lot in life to put a pack of merchandise on their backs and trudge through the gentile hamlets and villages to peddle merchandise among non-jews. Now in those days a Jew still looked like a Jew, so the gentiles would set their dogs on the Jews as they passed through the town. It was a hard life, a wearisome week of work, and they finally came home to their families for Shabbos on a Thursday or Friday. And where did they go when they got home? They gathered in theshulin Beers where would spendallThursday night learning to make up for the time they missed during the week. That was thechevra mishmarim!And as a young man in New York, even before I went to Slabodka, I saw echoes of those great days. I once tried spending the whole night learning in achasidisheshtiebelon the Lower East Side on Montgomery street. I tried staying awake, but I kept dozing over thegemara.But I couldn’t sleep anyhow because thePoilisheh chassidimstarted coming in while it was still dark. They put on theirgartels, took down theirgemaras, and started learning before the morning came. Early in the morning when it was still dark, theshtiebelwas packed with Jews sitting and learning. And in theGerrer shtiebelI used to watch aLitvisheJew standing and learningmishnayosby heart all night. Once in a while he would look into the openMishnato refresh his memory. That’s a remnant of the older generation; once upon a time the Jewish nation studied Torah.THE GREATEST MITZVAHThere are twopesukimin Mishlei: One says כל חפציך לא ישוו בה – “All of the things that you desire cannot equal to the Torah” (Mishlei 3:15).All the things that people love in this world; people love wealth, they love honor, they love food and all types of pleasure, it’s nothing compared to the Torah. Everybody desires things in this world, all good things; health and happiness,nachas, long years, and wealth. But nothing compares to one word of the Torah.But there’s anotherpossuk, כל חפצים לא ישוו בה (ibid. 8:11). Here it doesn’t saychafatzecha,yourdesires; it sayschafatzim, all desirable things,even the things that Hashem desires,לא ישוו בה, cannot compare to the Torah.What does that mean?It means that even all themitzvosof the Torah cannot compare to the mitzvah of studying Torah (Moed Kattan 9b).Of course if you have to do amitzvah, and there’s no one else who can do it, you have to stop learning and do themitzvah; but themitzvosof the Torah are not as great a privilege as the onemitzvahof studying Torah. כל חפציך, all the things thatyouconsider important, וכל חפצי שמים, and even all the things that Hashem considers important, all themitzvos, אינם שווים לדבר אחד מן התורה, they don’t equal one thing of the Torah.One line of Torah is more important than all themitzvosput together.How can that be?! It’s astonishing!All themitzvostogether, thetefillinandmezuzosandtzitzisandmatzahandkorban pesach, all the obligations of the Torah cannot compare to one thing of the Torah.You sit down, open agemaraand learn one line, it’s such a tremendous happiness, such a great achievement, that it eclipses, it far outdoes all the good things together. If you can open thegemarafor one line, you should know what you’re doing for yourself in this world. I’m not saying you’re atalmid chochomalready; that takes work after all. But you’re already joining the aristocracy of the Am Yisroel; you’re emulating the upper class, the elite of our nation. You’re becoming a Torah Jew; because that’s the function of a Jew in this world.THEKOSELIN YOUR LIVING ROOMYou know it has become the style today to travel. People are busy traveling, going, doing, visiting, and there’s no time left for the most important function of our lives. Even to Eretz Yisroel, people are traveling back and forth, back and forth. For what? Who needs you there? You have time to travel, but not to sit in thekollelon Sundays? At least on Sunday you can enter thekodesh kodoshim! You know, someone asked me recently, if it’s OK for him to give up on some of his Torah learning in the evening, in order to work a little extra so that he couldsave up money for a trip to Eretz Yisroel. “No! Absolutely not,” I told him. What is the purpose ofEretz Yisroel? It’s only for you to make something out of yourself. You’re going to give up learning, even one line ofgemara, for travel?!Kol chafeitzim lo yishvu bah!If you want to go to theKosel Ma’aravi,then you should know that theShas Bavliis yourKosel Ma’aravi.Make theseforimshrankwith theShas Bavliin it, yourKosel Ma’aravi.That’s your success! The success of life is the transferring the contents of theShasinto your mind. So stand in front of that bigShason the shelves and makethatyourKosel Ma’aravi.You want to give that up to travel thousands of miles to Eretz Yisroel? If you want to, you can putkvitlach, prayer notes, in between thegemaroson your shelf and pray to Hashem for success in becoming aShas yid.THE RIGHT WAY TO FEATHER YOUR NESTThe Shas is our everything! That’s why theluchoswere the centerpiece of the Mishkan, because that’s everything. Since thechurban Beis Hamikdash,when thekodesh kodoshimand theluchoswent lost, there’s nothing more important to Hakodosh Boruch Hu than thearba amos shel halachah(Brachos 8a).There’s nothing in the world morekadosh,more special to Hakodosh Boruch Hu than the study of His Torah.You must haveseforimin your home and they should be your pride. It’s very important! Even if you don’t have the competition of a television set, nevertheless if you live within four walls without those important companions that every Jew must have then you’re not going to utilize your life. Every young couple that begins to feather its nest after marriage should have an ambition to line the walls of their home with bookshelves ofseforim.BUILDING YOUR DREAM HOUSEThat should be your dream house! If your wife wants drapes, OK, nothing wrong with drapes; you can buy her drapes at the five and ten too. Explain to her – first you’ll have to explain it to yourself – the beauty of a home where the walls are covered with shelves ofseforim. And even if you’ll dip into theseferonly once in your lifetime – you bought aseferand it cost you sometimes twenty dollars and you used it only once? It was worth it; it was a bargain. Sometimes you get a lift, get some inspiration from one line, and there’s no price you could put on it. So in case your wife tells you, “LookChaim, you used thisseferonly once, or maybe you never even used it yet. So why did we spend so much money on theseforim?” So tell her, “Chanalleh, wait; if I’ll ever look into itonceit’s going to be wortheverythingthat we paid for it.And the truth is that even if you never looked inside, it was worth it. Because just to haveseforimlining the walls of your house, it’s a demonstration of where your heart is. It should be the showcase of pride in your home. I always say that even if you’re never going to open it, it’s worth all the money in the world to have a big Shas – buy the biggest one you could find and display it in your home. The Shas, theseforim, should be placed in the most prominent place in the home. When you walk into a Jewish home, it shouldn’t be the chandelier or the curtains that you see. It should be a big Shas, shelves and shelves ofseforimshould be showcased in your living room. Theseforim shrank, that’s the glory of our nation, that’s what makes your house into a Mishkan.DEMONSTRATIONS IN THE BEIS MEDRASH“Once, abochurwho was leaving Brooklyn to go learn in an out-of-townyeshivahcame to say goodbye to Rav Miller. He told thebochurthat he should view everything in his newyeshivahas literallykodesh kodoshim.He added, “That’s how I perceived things when I was in Slabodka. Every brick, every square inch of even the physical structure was, in my eyes, the holiest thing in the world.” That attitude, Rav Miller told histalmid, is necessary in order to get the most benefit out of theyeshivah.” Rav Avigdor Miller – His Life and His Revolution p. 81And if the loyal Jewish home, withseforimlined shelves is the Mishkan, then the Beis Medrash, theyeshivahis thekodesh kodoshim. The atmosphere in the Beis Medrash ismamishkodesh kodoshim.I can tell you – I’ve been in the atmosphere for so many years. It has an effect on you. No matter how good you are, you become improved by breathing that air.You have to realize that תהילתו בקהל חסידים – “The praise of Hashem is when there is a great number ofchassidimcoming together” (Tehillim 149:1). Just that alone – when thechassidimcome together as akahal– that itself is atehillas Hashem. What are they all gathered in the Beis Medrash for? They’re all there for the purpose of demonstrating that learning Torah is important. Every day the Beis Medrash is full of demonstrators. Some are demonstrating by learninggemara. Some are demonstrating by learningMishnayis. Some are demonstrating by just sitting there. But they are all demonstrating that learning Torah is the foundation of the Am Yisroel.Do you realize what that demonstration means?! Walk out on the street and what do you see? Even afrumstreet. Money is important. Food is important. Clothing is important. Who knows what else is important?! So the Beis Medrash ismamisha Noach’steivah– especially today. Boys get married when they’re young, twenty maybe, twenty-one, twenty-two. You can’t go out into the world yet. A boy of twenty-two is very raw material. He’s not capable of dealing with the world. He has to be in the Kollel for some time. For years and years. Even if he’s not so serious about learning, it’s the best place for him to be. It’s ayeshuafor our nation becauselimud hatorahis our salvation.SUPPORTING THE SANE ASYLUMSI was once walking on Eastern Parkway and a man with a big beard approaches me – “Rabbi Miller,” he calls out. “Who are you?” I asked, and he tells me his name. Whoooo! He was in theyeshivahwith me years before. He was a nobody,mamish ahlo klum. It seemed hopeless. And now he has a big beard – afrumJew.And his grandchildren are learning in Yerushalayim, he tells me. That’s a result of the BeisMedrash. I can tell you stories like that without end. Again and again.Therefore, we have to support – we have to feel a debt of gratitude – to the Yeshivos. They’re bringing forth every day – every day – the future Torah families of Am Yisroel. And only because the environment is so good. Torah Vada’as. Chaim Berlin. Mirrer yeshivah. Lakewood. Other places too. Hakodosh Boruch Hu should give all of themhatzlachahand a lot of money. And theyeshivahleitshould have long lives, and their wives and their families. It’s a tremendous thing that they’re doing. Theyeshivosare doing a tremendous thing! You don’t realize the sanity we are getting from theyeshivos. The outside world is ameshugenehhouse, it’s crazy outside. And it’s those who are in theyeshivos, the ones learning Torah, they are the sane ones.Part III.Bearing the TorchYOU’LL NEED YOUR WIFE’S COOPERATION ON THISNow of course, even once you leave theyeshivahand you become involved in business you can remain sane. But it will require a great deal of cooperation from your wife, as well as a certain amount of heroism and dedication on your part. I’ll give you an example. Now listen carefully because it means you. And it means me too.We have people who come here Friday night. They come here about seven, seven-thirty and they sit here learning till almost eleven thirty at night. They’re working people, professionals. They sit here in the shul for four hours on Friday night. Some a little less. That’s the program for dedicated men with dedicated wives. The women of course have to understand that, in order that it should work. But the better ones want it and they encourage their husbands. OnMotzoei Shabboswe have the same thing again. People come here until late, until after eleven o’clock, and learn here in groups and as individuals. It’s a great phenomenon here in Brooklyn.On Shabbos afternoon people come to study here, and in the longer days they study all day long Shabbos afternoon. And some people study all day Sunday. There are about fourshiurimon Sunday here and people attend all of them, and then they sit until late and they study Torah. Now that’s an example how a person can continue to be ayeshivah maneven after he leaves theyeshivah. And in ancient times that was the Jewish way of life.A DEDICATED LIFEAyeshivah manwho leaves the Kollel and he begins a life of productivity ingashmius, must make sure that he remains dedicated to Torah learning as well. Now, a man like this, he can’t afford the luxury of wasting all those odd hours. Ayeshivah man, whether he’s still in theyeshivahor not, has to get up Shabbos morning early to learn. He has to spend Shabbos studying. Shabbos night he can’t go out tomelave malkaswith the family. He can’t visit Uncle Yossi on Sundays; he can’t go to every wedding, and he can’t stay late at the ones he goes to.I recall once –it was at amelave malkain the old building and I said over from the Rambam (Hilchos Talmud Torah 3:13): הרוצה לזכות בכתרה של תורה – “Anybody who wants to earn the crown of Torah,אל יאבד אחת מלילותיו –he shouldn’t waste even one of his nights.”You have to work by day, what could you do already; but you shouldn’t waste even one of your nights. You hear that?! The Rambam says that you shouldn’t even waste one of your nights! And there was a man who was sitting there and he heard that. I saw that it went into his ears and he changed his way of life. He became great subsequently. He was a working man and he became great in Torah. I remember once his wife had to attend a wedding in the Riverside Plaza, uptown, but that night was a shiur. So he took his wife by car to Riverside Plaza and left her there and he came back here attend theshiur. Then he went all the way back to the hall to bring her home. That’s dedication!And so, if you won’t waste any of your nights, you’ll be able to remain ayeshivah manforever. Forget about going to weddings. Forget about family parties. Now you’re wedded to the Torah. Now of course some women will say: “What kind of a life is that? What kind of a life is a kollel life? My husband is a businessman, not a kollel man.” I’ll tell you – it’s a dedicated life; it’s a life dedicated to success! If you want to be a nothing, so you do what everybody else does and you’ll succeed in becoming what you want to become. Nothing! But if you have some idealism, if the fire still burns in you, then this is the career of success for you in this world.WHEN WIVES DRIVE THEIR HUSBANDS AWAYNow you’ll ask me about the women. How do women do that? Women encourage their husbands to learn Torah.They say, “Chaim, go to theshiur”. “Chaim, go to theyeshivah”. They encourage them to go, so they havefull partnership in all the Torahof their men and that’s going to be their great happiness. That’s what the Jewish nation once did. In Europe of long ago everyshulused to be a place where people sat and learned. Some men worked part of the day, but others were forced by their wives to go and learnall day long.Their wives ran little businesses, they managed the family, and their husbands were expected to do nothing but learn for their entire lives.In Europe, before World War l, there were a lot of Jews who moved into theshulin the morning, and they didn’t move out till late at night. There was a whole population like that all over Eastern Europe. It stopped with World War l, it began to disintegrate little by little. But way back, throughout our history, all theshulshad a big populace of learners. Many men were driven away to the shuls by their wives. These dedicated women, thenashim tzidkoniyos, said “Don’t work; you sit and learn and I’ll take care of theparnasah.” All over Eastern Europe it was a frequent thing. Even when I came to Europe in 1932, when it was already ruined, I saw it. The wife stood in the the store and her husband sat in the Beis Hamedrash.SHEPPING NACHASFROM YOUR HUSBANDThe Zichron Yaakov tells us that when Friday night came – this was before the people spoiled – so all the townspeople slept until aroundchatzos. Then they started getting up to study Torah. He even describes how there were a lot of Jews who weren’t capable of studying Torah so a paidrebbewould come to their homes late Friday night or early Shabbos morning. A man would learn with hisrebbewhile his wife was still in bed behind the curtain; and she wassheppingnachas from her husband’s learning. To take the little money they had and use it for learning was a great sacrifice that the wife made. But she was encouraging him and was happy with what he was doing.And therefore if the wife cooperates and she doesn’t demand the husband’s presence at home; if she understands it’s her success as well, that it’s her partnership, that woman is from thenashim tzidkoniyosthat always preserved our nation. And the fact that he is making progress, that he’s forging ahead in learning, that’s herzechus. She is a full partner in all of his Torah; not a fifty percent partner, a one hundred percent partner!THE WIFE FINISHES SHAS MANY TIMESAnd not only is she learning Shas along with him, but she’s raisingShasimat home. Every child that a mother raises is like finishing Shas many times! So she’s at home learning her Shas and she’s encouraging him to finish his Shas in the Beis Medrash. And with such a great partner in life he can forge ahead, as long as he’s not lazy and he’s willing to carry the brunt of a career of study. And that’s what the Jewish nation once did; and that’s an ideal which many people are beginning to realize today.Right now in Gan Eden all the men and women are enjoying the great splendor of eternal happiness because of their portion in Torah – in addition to all the good things that they do. You’re all invited to go to Olam Haba.All those who pass away, even apashute Yehudi, is basking in happiness in the world to come.But those people who spend some time learning Torah are far, far more privileged, beyond all the rest of them.START SELLING PEANUTSSo here’s a man who asks me: “How can someone even begin to learn when there’s so much to learn; it looks so impossible?” But you have to know that those are the words of theyetzer haratalking. When it comes to making money you don’t say, “Why should I bother to start making money when there’s so much money to make?” No, you don’t say that; you start selling peanuts on the street corner, you hustle, you try to get whatever you can. And little by little you accomplish.So you see the whole Talmud Bavli and you say, “Oh, I can’t do that. It’s too much!” So what about it?! That’s ateirutz?! It’s a very silly excuse. Start hustling; learn one line ofgemara. You mean to say you’re going to leave this world and you won’t be able to say that you learned one line ofgemara? You can’t learn one line?! Are you such a dumbhead?! Ask somebody to help you! Say it over inside, ten times, fifty times. You know when you go to the next world, they’ll say, אשרי מי שבא לכאן ותלמודו בידו – “How fortunate you are if you arrive to here and you have Talmud in your hand.” They’ll ask you: “You have anygemara?” “I have one line,” you’ll say.“One line? Fine! Let’s hear it.” But to not even have one line?! “You didn’t come here with some Torah in your hand?! What were you doing down there for seventy, eighty years?!”“Oh, I was sayingchumash, I was praying every day.” And Hashem will say, “I’m very sorry, so very sorry. You had no time to learn one line of MyTorah Hakedosha, MyTalmud Bavli?!”Now the truth is you could learn more than one line. If you would learn one line a week, you know that in ten years you’d know something! One line a week, and you’d review it constantly. One line a week; who couldn’t do that?! And so, there won’t be any excuse to give on that great day when the question will be asked, “Osaktabatorah? Did you engage in the study of My Torah?” Everybody must study thegemara. And it’s not hard. It’s difficult to learna lotofgemara, the whole Shas, but one line?! You can’t learn one line?!“WHO WAS RAV HUNA?”Inshomayimthey’ll ask you, “Who was Rav Huna?” “Rav Huna? I think he lived in our neighborhood.” There are people like that; they think that Rav Huna was maybe the rav of the other shul in their neighborhood. No; we have to recognize ourTana’imandAmora’im. Not just recognize them but tolovethe names in thegemara. You should love the sound ofAbbayeandRava. OfRav PapaandRav Huna brei di’Rav Yehoshua. All of our great men. Love their names! The taste of their names should be on our tongues sweeter than honey. Because thatisthe honey of the Am Yisroel.And therefore we are not impressed by the fact that there’s so much to learn. Certainly we are impressed but we aren’t overwhelmed. It says לא עליך המלאכה לגמור, it’s not your job to learn the wholeShas. If you can, learn it. But at least learn a piece of it. You mean to say that you’re going to leave here and you’ll forget about what you heard here, about the great ideals of Torah learning? You’re not going to learngemarabecause it’s so much, so vast of a wisdom?! No, you have to learn, at least one line. And make it your business to repeat that line again and again and again.IT’S TIME TO LEAVE THE STABLEYou have to learn – otherwise the language of the Torah is meaningless to you; all the ideals and all thehalachosare vague. You go through the motions of being a frum Jew but it’s all very weak, very superficial. You must learn. And you must learngemara! Not like one man said to me, “Don’t bother us; we’re notgemarabuffs.”Gemarabuffs?! What?! Like you don’t collect old coins or you don’t collect stamps you also don’t learngemara?!Gemarais not a hobby; it’s our life breath. We learngemarabecause that is the air we breathe. If you don’t learnGemarayou know what you are? You’re an ox! (Pesachim 49b) That’s what you are withoutgemara. And don’t tell me about other things you learn, moral teachings. If you don’t learngemarathen you and your family are calledbeheimos. And anyone who marries your daughter it says about him “Arur shocheiv im beheimah.” It’s important to know that! Jews always knew this! You must breathegemara. That’s our life!And if you don’t learn, so thetalmid chochomcan’t even speak to you. If you’re abeheimah,then you don’t talk the language of Torah.How can he talk to you if you’re still in the stable? You’re eating oats and you’re braying. Atalmid chochomwill knock on the stable door and say, “Listen to this.” So you bray, and he talks. Totally different languages. I have experience in this. I’ve spoken to people and they don’t even begin to understand what you’re talking about. It’s only when you become familiar with Torah ideas, at least in thegemara, that you’re able to communicate with the Torah world and appreciate and understand what they’re telling you.THE PERFUMED YESHIVAH MANNow once a person understands these ideas, so the way he looks at the Am Yisroel is transformed. Because now he understands whoreallyare the aristocrats of the Am Yisroel. And so when you see ayeshivahman, atalmid chochom, you know that he is the one who is closest to thekodesh kodoshim, he’s closer to Hakodosh Boruch Hu than anyone else. And you admire him, you’re impressed by him. And that’s what thegemarasays: עתידין בחורי ישראל שיתנו ריח טוב כלבנון – “The young men of Israel will in the future emit a fragrance like the forest of Levanon” (Brachos 43b). The time will come when the youngtalmidei chachomim,the yeshivah men who spend their days and nights learning, will issue a sweet fragrance like the cedar trees of the Levanon. It means that one day the world will recognize the truth; the whole world will learn to look through the eyes of Hakodosh Boruch Hu. And everyone will see that it is the Torah learners who smell pleasant, that they are the ones who give off the sweetest of fragrances in this world.Butweare expected to recognize that truth even today. When you see ayeshivahman, you should imagine that he smells like sweet smelling roses. Let’s say you see a group ofyeshivahboys walking in the street. Now, there is nothing especially attractive about them. They’re all wearing the same uniform, white shirts, and black pants; nothing special. So what about it? What’s so important?But if you understand this lesson ofParshas Pekudei, so you understand that theseyeshivahmen are the aristocrats of our nation. Because it was in themidbarthat the Am Yisroel learned that our nation is only a Torah nation. That’s the lifeblood of our people; it’s what we are. אין אומתינו אומה אלא בתורה– “Our nation is a nation only because of the Torah.” And it’s those who keep pumping the blood of Torah through the veins of our nation, who are keeping us alive. And thereforeit’s the Torah learnerswho are the aristocrats of our nation, the ones whom we admire and emulate. And the more a person ismichaberhimself to the Torah, the greater of an aristocrat he is. Once you understand this, you have gained a new perspective on the Am Yisroel, and you’ve learned to see our nation the way Hashem sees them.HAVE A WONDERFUL SHABBOSGo Back See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. 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Part I. Hashem Created the WorldTHE MISHKAN OR THE SHABBOS?ויקהל משה את כל עדת בני ישראל ויאמר אליהם – “And Moshe assembled the entire congregation of the Bnei Yisroel and he said to them…”ParshasVayakhelbegins with Moshe Rabeinu gathering together theAm Yisroelin order to instruct them in all the details of the making of the Mishkan; everything we read inTerumahandTetzavehwas said to Moshe on Har Sinai, and now Moshe is preparing to teach the nation what he received from Hashem. And yet we find something out of the ordinary here: Because we expect now to hear about the Mishkan, about thebigdei kehunah,and thekeilim. After all, that’s what they were gathered for. And yet, what do we find? Moshe Rabeinu veers off course and introduces the Mishkan with a different subject altogether. אלה הדברים אשר צוה השם לעשות אותם – “These are the matters that Hashem commanded you to do, ששת ימים תעשה מלאכה וביום השביעי יהיה לכם קודש שבת שבתון להשם – Six days work may be done, and on the seventh day shall be for you a holiness ofShabbos Shabbosonto Hashem” (Shemos 35:2). Before we hear about the Mishkan, about building the home for the presence of Hashem among us, Moshe Rabeinu instructs us about keeping the Shabbos day holy.Now, that’s a question, because what is Shabbos doing here? We gathered around Moshe Rabeinu to begin our preparations for building the Mishkan, not to hear about Shabbos. So we’ll say thatthis detour of Moshe Rabeinu was intended to demonstrate that despite the vast importance of building a Mishkan where Hashem’s Presence would reside, theAm Yisroelwas required to understand thatit is the Shabbos that is the first and most important “Sanctuary” to be built.Unlike the Sanctuary of the Mishkan, which was to be limited to a single location in the encampment, the Sanctuary of Shabbos was going to be erected in every Jewish home, wherever they would reside. בכל מושבותיכם, said Moshe Rabeinu, “In all your habitations,” (ibid. 35:3) you will celebrate Shabbos, forever. And it was the Sanctuary of Shabbos that would be our greatest opportunity for achievement, even more than the Mishkan itself.Now, there’s no doubt that our ceasing of all work on Shabbos comes to memorialize Hakodosh Boruch Hu’s resting from creation on the Shabbos. However, equally important, is theopportunityfor achievement that theshvisahof Shabbos provides. It’s the cessation from involvement in this world on the Shabbos that opens before us a wide panorama, the one day a week when we can dedicate our minds to Hakodosh Boruch Hu. Becauseamong the many benefits that we gain by stopping to work on Shabbos, the most important one is the opportunity to acquire a Torah mind; “Don’t busy yourself with the work of material creation on the Shabbos,” declares Hashem. “I have something that I want you to build that is more important even than the Mishkan; I want you to build a Torah mind.”HOW TO REALLY KEEP SHABBOSBecause “keeping Shabbos” doesn’t mean merely to refrain from doingmelacha. Shabbos is actual intended to be much more than that; it’s a goldmine of understanding that can transform your mind. But sadly the Shabbos is not utilized as it should be. Even those who are meticulous in the performance of thismitzvah, people who are careful to avoid any semblance of work, are in most cases unaware of the wealth that this day can bestow upon them with even just a little bit of thinking and effort.And therefore, when Shabbos is about to enter, and we turn around and say בואי כלה בואי כלה, “Come in O’ Shabbos,” welcoming this great day ofmachshava, ofda’as Hashem, we must do it with the understanding that Shabbos is going to change us – if only we would be willing to cooperate. Now comes the one time a week dedicated to putting into our thoughts the permanent attitudes which the Shabbos helps us gain. And by doing so, we are going to live all the days between theShabbososwith a different form of mental attitude. And that’s your preparation for happiness in the World to Come, because your portion in the next world will be in accordance with the degree of clarity of Torah attitudes that you achieve in this world.SWEEPING UP THE DIAMOND DUST ON SHABBOSAnd so our subject now will be how to make use of the Shabbos. And you should know, it’s a very big subject, with many facets that have to be studied. But right now we’re going to study one aspect of the creation of the Shabbos mind, and we should be sure to practice it. Even though you won’t be able to practice everything all at once, but if you utilize a minute here and a minute there, then little by little you tap into the goldmine that the Shabbos can be. You know, in a diamond shop the rich diamond merchant gets down on his hands and knees at the end of the day. And with a whiskbroom he brushes together the dust from under the tables. So a visitor once said, “What’s this? You, under the table sweeping up dust?!” So he said, “This dust is diamond dust. And therefore it’s worth my while to sit on my knees and collect dust that comes from diamonds.”And because the lessons of Shabbos are so important, even the dust of these principles is worth everything. Because when a principle is so valuable every grain of it is precious. Every achievement ofda’asis worth much more than diamonds, and even the tiniest particles ofda’asare valuable too. And therefore it’s worth our while, to study just one detail of how to utilize the Shabbos. And a lifetime of utilizing the Shabbos in that way will result in a benefit that will transform your life.THE ANGELS COME TO VISITAnd so we’ll begin withVayichulu. When we stand up inshemonah esreiandinkiddushand say, ויכולו השמים והארץ וכל צבאם – “The heavens and the earth and all their hosts were finished at the end of six days,” to our surprise it’s such an important declaration that thegemara(Shabbos 119b) says: בשעה שאומר ויכולו – “At that time when a person saysVayichulu, שני מלאכי השרת המלווין לו לאדם מניחין ידיהן על ראשו, so two angels come – , and they put their hands on this man’s head. ואומרים לו, and they say to him, וסר עווניך וחטאתך תכופר, “Your iniquity will depart and your sins will be forgiven.”So this coming Friday night make sure to be aware of what’s happening to you. You’re going to sayVayichulu,and then you’re going to be visited by twomalachim.Now you’ll be saying it more than once, and which of the times the angels will come, I don’t know. But absolutely it will happen, so be ready for it.KLAPPING AL CHEITBEFORE KIDDUSHThe angels will put their hands on your head and they’ll say: “Your sins will now depart, and your iniquity will be atoned.” Now, isn’t that a great opportunity?! You thought that you were going to have to wait another half a year for Yom Kippur to come, and meanwhile you can have a Yom Kippur every Friday night! That’s how great that moment ofVayichuluis – it’s like Yom Kippur. Of course it requires at least a thought of repentance. So you think of one incident over the past week, one wrong word you said, or one carelessness inshmiras hamitzvos,and use that opportunity; because it’s at this moment when you sayVayichuluthat the angels lay their hands on your head and tell you that all will be forgiven.Now, to us that seems to be a very queer statement. Because we thought that we were just sayingVayichulu,and now we’re being told that it’s something like a Yom Kippur! So we’ll have to study what it is that makes this occasion of sayingVayichuluso important. Because it doesn’t say that as soon as the sun sets and the Shabbos comes in, that themalachimput their hands on your head. No! It’s when you make that declaration ofVayichulu, or you listen to your husband making the declaration –that’swhen it happens. And that’s a question: What great change has been affected in you by the words ofVayichuluthat makes you deserving ofa specialkaparahwithmalachim?THE MOST SPECTACULAR MIRACLESo we’ll say that when you say the words ויכולו השמים והארץ וכל צבאם, you’re saying that the whole universe was completed at this moment in time, as the Shabbos came in. The first thirty-onepesukimin the Torah describe the most spectacular miracle ever performed by Hashem, the process ofbriyah yeish mei’ayin, creation out of nothing, andVayichuluwas the culmination of that great miracle.Now this is a startling idea that has no equal; here the Torah tells us a statement which is so revolutionary that it has no equal in all the statements and writings since the beginning of time. And never again will another statement be made that has the same impact. And that is that Hashem createdfrom nothing.SOMETHING FROM NOTHINGYou know that you can make skyscrapers out of dust; it’s possible. If you take dust and mix the right chemicals into it, you can amalgamate it until it becomes bricks and building blocks. But when you sayVayichulu, you’re declaring thatthere were no building blocks in the beginning, that the world was created out ofnothing. BeforeBereishis,nothingexisted. There was no Big Bang, and there was no Little Bang. There were no black holes and no explosions of stars. There was nothing to explode. There was zero.Nothing at all existed except for theruachElokim, the spirit of Hashem which pervaded all space – I don’t want to say space because there was no space yet – but Hashem pervaded All. There was only Hashem and nothing else.And then, from absolutely nothing, הוא אמר ויהי – “Hashem said, and it came into being” (Tehillim 33:9). Hashem created everything, He willed space into existence; and then He willed that the space should be filled with heavenly bodies; and that there should be one planet that should have an atmosphere, that should have hydrosphere, that means water; that it should have a lithosphere, soil; and that it should have all living things. He willed that everything should come into existence including Man. And never again will there be a creation of something from nothing. It’s a stunning idea, that something can come from nothing, and it’s something that we are expected to labor all of our lives in order to gain a little bit of its impact in our minds. That’s what Shabbos is, the זכר למעשה בראשית. Now this is a stretch of the imagination beyond what we are actually capable of picturing. But we have to say it week after week until finally it begins to penetrate, thatthe world was made out of nothing but the word of Hashem.THE BIG APPLEI’ll give you amashal. Let’s say you’re going to imagine in your head right now a big apple, a big beautiful apple. And it will be the size of this room. There’s a stem protruding from the top as thick as a cane. And the apple is striped red, with delicate tints of yellow. It has beauty spots all over it like a real apple. And underneath will be dimples; and it will be begging you to sink your teeth into it. Now, as you imagine this apple that I’m describing, you’re creating a picture in your mind. It’s entering into your consciousness and your thoughts are creating a picture of a big beautiful apple in your head.And while you think about this big beautiful apple, to some extent, the apple is really alive in your mind; your imagination is creating real images. Now, when you move onto some other thought and you’ll stop thinking about the apple, so you’ll say nothing remains of that apple. “It was only a dream in my head, my imagination, and it’s gone now.” But actually that’s untrue – it’ll remain forever. That daydream, that imagination that I caused in your head just now was a creation, the creation of a picture in your mind.And that picture is not just imagination. We call it ‘imagination’ – making an image, but actually it’s a fact. Suppose you young fellows, forty years from now, will be walking down the street and you’ll pass a fruit stand on the sidewalk displaying big beautiful red apples. And you’ll say, “I remember when I was a youth I attended a lecture and somebody was talking about an apple like these as big as a house.” And suddenly there springs forth before your mind’s eye the picture of the apple from this evening. Now where was it for forty years? It was lost and you recreated it? No, you’re not recreating it! It was there all the time, but it was filed away somewhere in a back office of your mind, in your memory. Once it entered, once you created that picture, it remainsforever. And that’s why forty years from now, when something will press the button, this picture will leap out of the file, and come before your eyes and there it is – it’s that apple that you created many years before.IMAGINATION IS REAL!What we’re saying now is that our imagination is a reality. Only that it’s a different kind of reality. You can’t touch it. You can’t make it alive, but it’s a creation, you can see it with your mind’s eye. Now, Hakodosh Boruch Hu also imagined things. But His imagination is much more powerful than ours. And He imagined a universe – and since He imagined a universe, here it is!And that’s what Shabbos comes to tell us. That the whole universe with all its diverse forms of matter and energy is basically nothing but a form of the will of the Creator. It’s a bomb! And only because הוא אמר ויהי, only because “He said,” because “He commanded,” something came into existence from nothing. And that’s one of the most important functions of Shabbos, to impress upon ourselves thisyesodha’yesodos, the most fundamental principle of all, that Hashem’s thoughts brought everything into existence. And so when you sayVayichulu, you’re declaring to yourself and to your family that greatest miracle in the history of the world,the creation of everything from nothing.Part II. Hashem isStillCreating the WorldTHE ANCIENT BENCHBut actuallyVayichuluis much more than that. The lesson ofbriyah yeish mei’ayinis much more important than everything we’ve said up until now. Because really that first and most remarkable miraclenever ended.When a carpenter makes a bench, and then he walks away, the bench is still there. The carpenter doesn’t think about the bench anymore. He could die, he could be dead many years already, and the bench is still being used. But that’s not theBereishis baraof Hakodosh Boruch Hu, that’s not the creation of Hashem. No! הוא צוה ויעמוד,The universe continues to existby the word of Hakodosh Boruch Hu. Every second, He’s creating it all over again.Like it says עושה שמים וארץ את הים ואת כל אשר בם – “He made the heavens and the earth; He made the sea and all that is therein.” And then right away it states השומר אמת לעולם – “He keeps His truth forever” (Tehillim 146:6).What’s the connection between these two statements? He made heaven and earth, and He keeps His truth forever? It’s anon sequitur. How does one follow the other?And the answer is that they’re both the same. He made heaven and earth; but not only did He will heaven and earth into existence with the energy of His imagination, butright now He continues to will everything into existence.Every second, He is keeping His word, He’s maintaining His word. השומר אמת – “He keeps His steadfastness.” He doesn’t take it back. So not only did He create the world out of nothing, הוא אמר ויהי, but, הוא צוה ויעמוד, He keeps the world and everything in existence only by His will. And He continues to imagine it right now. And because He’s imagining it now, here it is!PAINFUL IMAGININGSDo you know what that means? That means that we are nothing but imagination. Even if you take a pin and you pierce your skin, and you shout, “Ouch!” it’s all imagination. But it’s Hashem’s imagination. And that kind of imagination hurts. And if you’ll sink your teeth into an apple, it’s also imagination. But the pleasure of that bite, Hashem willed into existence by His superlative imagination.I always tell you that even a big truck driving down the street is only the imagination of Hashem. Only that Hashem’s imagination is much more real than ours, and because He established a law that two things cannot occupy one space at the same time, you’d better be sure not to get in the way of Hashem’s imagination when He’s imagining a truck!THE SCIENTIFIC LAWS OF CONSERVATIONAnd the truth is that today it was made so much easier to acquire such an attitude because if you study the sciences you see that’s it’s almost the same. I’ll explain that. Many years ago everybody thought that all matter was something that was indestructible; there was a law of the Conservation of Matter. And even if you could chop up material until it became so fine that it became atoms, but it still was something substantial, it was still matter, just smaller pieces. And if you could chop up atoms into even smaller pieces, it would be a still finer powder. But you couldn’t destroy matter. It was accepted science that matter was around forever. If it’s matter now, then it had to be matter always. That’s how they always learned “pshat.”Only fairly recently did the world learn that matter can be destroyed and revert to energy; even today people are not yet aware of the enormity of this discovery. It is the consensus today that matter can be transformedone hundred percentinto energy. Matter can explode so thatnothingis left. No powder, no dust, no atoms. Matter can turn into energy one hundred percent if you have the proper apparatus. And even more startling is the idea that energy can be transformed into matter. So now they say that there is a Law of Conservation of Energy-Matter. It’s one or the other; if you destroy matter it will become energy, and energy can be transformed into matter.E = mc2If you want a demonstration of matter being transformed into energy, when you’ll eat breakfast tomorrow, and then you’ll go out to work; so you’re going to work from nine to one, or maybe you’re going to loaf from nine till one. You know it takes a lot of energy to loaf. Because your heart is beating all the time, your metabolism is working; your body is consuming energy even though you’re sitting at a desk twirling a pencil. Where did that energy come from? It came from the food you ate at breakfast. Food is material, it’s matter, and breakfast turns into four or five hours of work. So it’s matter turning into energy!And I’ll give you an example of the reverse, of energy being transformed into matter. Tomorrow morning walk out on the street and look at any tree. Take a look at the sunlight shining down on the leaves. What is sunlight? Try to capture some sunlight in a bottle, and then try to weigh it. The bottle will weigh the same now as it weighed before the sunlight entered. You can’t weigh sunlight – it’s not matter, it has no mass. Sunlight is energy.But when the sunlight hits the leaf – the green leaf that has chlorophyll – so the sunlight begins to manufacture starch. Don’t think that the sunlight changes the materials in the leaf into starch. No, it’s the sunlight itself, the energy of the sunlight, that combines with the materials and it creates starch; it makes food. The sunlight becomes matter. So here we have an open example of energy being transformed into matter.WHERE DO APPLES COME FROM?!It’s a miracle. You know I explained this to you recently. They once planted an apple tree in a tub full of earth, a very large tub. And they weighed the tree and they weighed the earth. And every year the tree produced apples. Year after year the tree was producing apples and they weighed the apples every year and added it up. At the end of ten years they again weighed the tree and the earth, and they discovered that the earth had diminished by only a couple of ounces! The earth was only a couple of ounces in weight lighter than it had been ten years ago. So the question is where did the apples come from? For ten years many pounds of apples had come off this tree, and the tree had drawn its nourishment from the ground. And the answer is that the apples take very little from the earth. This little bit is important but by weight it’s only a tiny fraction of the fruit. The fruit is almost entirely water, airand sunlight. When you’re eating an apple, you’re eating sunlight!But how does sunlight, which is nothing but energy, become apples? It’s a marvel!Energy is ayeish,not anayin. It is something that was created, but for us it’s a goodmashal. Because it’s just as difficult to pictureenergybecoming matter, as it is to picturenothingbecoming energy. Imagine sunlight streaming through the atmosphere, and you see in the sunlight potatoes and apples! You see human beings! Is that what sunlight becomes? And the answer is yes. So if sunlight can become something material, then you begin to fathom the great truth that thedvar Hashembecame energy and also something material.EVERYTHING IS NOTHING!!!And the real secret of thebriyah yeish mei’ayinis that not only are matter and energy interchangeable but thatthey are one and the same thing.Because actually even what we consider matter is mostly energy. Today the scientists know that the atom, the building block of all matter, is mostly empty space. With the electron microscope you can see the atom, and it has been discovered that the nucleus, where the mass of the atom is concentrated, occupies less than one trillionth of the volume of an atom. And what that means is that the building blocks of everything around us actually contain nothing but empty space and energy.The common factor of all matter and energy istheir basic nothingness.The hidden force of all things is the commandYehi, “Let there be!”And it is only Hashem’s word that is the existenceof all the phenomena of this world. And so when you pick up yourbecherfilled with wine to sayVayichulu, you are actually holding thedvar Hashemin your hand – it’s a bundle of energy being sustained only by the word of Hashem, הוא צוה ויעמוד, only because He is giving the command, does that energy take the form of a silver cup full of wine.And the only difference between the wine, the challah, and your children is the form that Hashem commands the energy particles to take. All the varied forms of matter and energy in this world are but different manifestations of the Creator’s will. Everything is the imagination of Hashem. The tangible universe is real only to us, but to Hashem it is all His imagination – it was created by means of His imagination and it continues to exist only because of His imagination. And thus all phenomena is nothing other than the concretized will of Hashem. Matter and energy in all of their forms are merely forms of His will. Now once a person understands that everything he sees is a manifestation of הוא צוה ויעמוד, so his whole life becomes completely transformed.Part III. Let’s Make KiddushOPTOMETRY 101And it’s with this understanding of whatVayichulumeans that we can understand thema’amar chazal(Berachos 43b) that פסיעה גסה נוטלת אחד מחמש מאות ממאור עיניו של אדם – “A hasty step takes away one five hundredth of a man’s eyesight.” And when does it return? להדריה בקדושא דבי שמשי – “It returns when you makekiddushas the sun goes down.” Now, thegemarasays one five hundredth, but it’s not measured with a caliper; it means that it takes away a little bit of a man’s eyesight. If you walkwith anxiety, if you hurry, you take big stepsbecause you’re worried, you’re afraid you’ll be late, so you must know that it’s going to affect your eyesight.You didn’t know that? Eye specialists will tell you that – many times excitement will affect your eyes. It’s a fact; anxiety, hurrying, haste, tension, it affects the eyes. Like Dovid Hamelech said: עששה מכעס עיני – “My eye became worn out from the excitement of anger.” So be careful against anger; it can ruin your eyes. I once visited a man who was blind, and it was a result ofka’as. Yes; emotions like fright and anxiety can affect the function of the eye nerves.Now eyesight is very important; nobody wants to lose the ability to see; and yet people are always taking hasty steps; everyone is busily hurrying through life taking פסיעות גסות. So the hasty steps that you take all week – all week we’re full of anxiety, we’re worried about this and that and everything. So thegemaraasks: מאי תקנתיה – “How do you remedy that?” What can you do about your eyesight that is slowly going lost? And thegemarasays: להדריה בקדושא דבי שמשי – “It returns when you makekiddushas the sun goes down.” You can restore your eyesight atkiddushFriday night. That’s a very interesting statement, that when you stand forkiddushat the Shabbos table, that’s the time to regain your eyesight.THE WEEKDAYS WEAR US DOWNNow let’s understand this as simply as we can. Thegemarais revealing to us that life during the week has an effect on us. It has a physical effect; there’s wear and tear on the body. Little by little there is a wearing down of the body tissue and even the best metabolism does not completely restore all of that depletion.In addition, the weekday hurry, the weekday occupation, dims ourmentaleyesight, our ability to see things clearly. There’s no question about it, that when you’re busy all week with this world – you have to make a living after all –all week long you’re losing sight of the great principles of truth. That’s what involvement withgashmiyus,even if it’s glatt koshergashmiyus, does to you. It’s amechitzahbetween you and the truth, between you and Hakodosh Boruch Hu.And therefore a person begins to have hisspiritualeyesight diminished, it’s dimmed somewhat. You become more materialistic, you think everything depends on you. Making aparnasa, accomplishing this and that – you think thatyou’rethe one doing in this world,you’rethe one creating. And so you run and you do – you take a big step running here, and a hasty step running there. You’re anxious, under pressure and you worry. And all that is bad for your eyes – your physical eyes, as well as your eyes ofda’as –your ability to “see” Who isreallyin control, Whoreallyis themacherin your life.THE RX FOR ALL WORRIESAnd so when you don’t see as clearly as you did before, מאי תקנתיה, what’s the remedy? להדריה בקדושא דבי שמשי – “He can restore his eyesight atkiddushFriday night.” We have to listen to that. It means that when you makekiddush, orkiddushis being made, it’s an opportunity to restore the health of your body and the sharpness of your mental vision. And so now it’s Friday night; you finally made it – you didn’t think you were going to make it. You were so tired and so worried and now you’re dressed in yourbigdei Shabbos,you’re standing with the wine in your hand, and it’s all behind you. You’re standing and declaring that it was all a waste of worries, a waste of anxiety. ויכולו השמים והארץ.“Everything was done by Hashem until now and He’s still in charge. He’s still in charge conducting our affairs.”Shabbos is the great consolation for the one who thinks when he saysVayichulu. Your nerves relax on Shabbos under the calming influence of that great principle that everything is thedvar Hashem. It’s a whole new attitude that is now washing over your mind – Hashem is everything! He’s in charge! And so you can sit back at the Shabbos table and relax now. It was all a waste of worries, a waste of emotions and anxiety. Shabbos is the great consolation of life! Because when we sayVayichulu, Hashem says, “Don’t worry; I’ll take care of everything. You keep on doing what you’re supposed to be doing, and leave the worrying to Me. Everything in the world is only My imagination, so you can leave it up to Me; I can do the worrying for you.” That’s what Shabbos tells us, and that’s the way to achieve the calmness of truebitachonthat restores your dimmed mental eyesight, and makes you aware of the great principles of truth.And if you make use of the Shabbos to think about these concepts, so your entire life becomes a life of confidence in Hakodosh Boruch Hu and you do away with all anxiety. There is no need for anxiety; everything is under control. Hakodosh Boruch Hu is the cause of everything – every atom in the universe is being sustained by His word right now and therefore He is in full control.WHO NEEDS A PLUMBER?And so when sometimes things seem to be going awry, everything seems to be going wrong – here it iserev Shabbosand the toilet is running over and the lady of the house is trying to mop up the floor.The children are running around sliding on the slippery floor and she still has to put the kugel into the oven. She should be on the verge of losing her mind. And now the the husband walks in from work tired and excited, he’s full of worries. “What’s this?” he might say. “Why didn’t you call the plumber?!” It’s an opportunity for a flare up.But no, he doesn’t say that. And his wife is calm too. Why? Because they both learned the lessons ofVayichulufromkiddushlast Friday night. They’ve built the Mishkan of Shabbos in their minds that lasts from Shabbos to Shabbos. They keep quiet, they keep calm, because they know that everything is under control. In the end everything will be alright. Eventually the floor will be dry; Shabbos will be nice and happy eventually.Because Shabbos means that Hashem says: “Children, I’ll take care of everything! The toilet is overflowing? I’ll take care of that too. You do whatever you can, and it will be all good in the end.” And even if you didn’t learn that lesson, you opened your big mouth, and now she hit you in the face with that soiled mop, so what should be your reaction? At leastnowbe aVayichuluJew. Think, “Shabbos is coming; Hashem is in charge.” Don’t get excited! You can swallow down your indignation if you know that Hashem is in control. You can be aShabbosdikehperson always, even on Friday afternoon when the toilet is overflowing.READING TORAS AVIGDOR MAKES YOU A MILLIONAIREVayichulutells us that there is nothing in the universe except for thedvar Hashem.Wherever you look, wherever you see anything, you are being reminded of Hashem, it’s מלא כל הארץ כבודו – “The universe is full of His glory.” There’s nothing in this world except for Hakodosh Boruch Hu, the Creator, He is everywhere and there is nothing but His will, His imagination. If Hakodosh Boruch Hu would take His mind off us, off this universe, everything would disappear into nothing. Not into dust or into atoms. Intonothingat all! And that has to sink into our heads because that is the foundation of everything – not only of Shabbos.What you’re hearing now is the greatest wealth you could ever acquire, because Torah attitudes are the most valuable wealth in the world; it’s diamonds and gems, all types of precious stones. And now you’ll be going home a millionaire. You’re leaving here with the knowledge thatyou are only the word of Hashem. And even those of you who already knew this have to study it again and again because each additional time is another diamond. And once a person begins to think these ideas, he becomes a changed person. His whole way of looking at the world is transformed completely.And because this attitude is a gem, a diamond, for a person’s mind, so even if we have been saying it for years, it’s never enough. And so when you sayVayichuluone more time, you gain a tiny grain of more awareness. By repeating it, it becomes a little more clear to you. And so, even though you might have said it thousands of times, if you say it one more time it becomes more and more firmly embedded in his mind.IGNITING A HYDROGEN BOMB ONSHABBOSAnd the truth is that when a man makes this declaration of ויכולו השמים והארץwith thought,if he thinks about the things we said here, then he has put into his mind not just a bit of important information, not just a particle of diamond dust, but he has actually put a hydrogen bomb into his head. It’s an explosion ofda’asin his head because the results of this idea are incalculable. When a man declares that Hashem created this world from nothing, and that He continues to sustain everything by His word, so in effect he is saying that there is nothing in the world except for Hakodosh Boruch Hu, and he begins to live with Awareness of Hashem wherever he goes, whatever he does, whatever he sees.And now we come back to the “Yom Kippur” that falls out every Shabbos. We asked in the beginning of our talk, what is so important about sayingVayichuluthat it makes you worthy of a mini Yom Kippur, that your sins are being forgiven? And it’s a good question: After all, when a man stands up on Friday night and he makes this declaration, or when you stand around the Shabbos table and you listen to your husband or your father make the declaration, what really are you learning that you didn’t know before? There’s nothing new here! This is a Jew who has been sayingVayichuluevery Friday night for years; what new information has he gained tonight by standing up and saying it once more? What great change has been affected in him that he deserves a specialkaparahtonight withmalachim?THE REAL TESHUVAAnd the answer is that it is the biggest kind ofteshuvathere is! There is no bigger repentance than sayingVayichulu! If you would fast for twenty-five hours, and stand all day in the synagogue in prayer; even if you would take upon yourself not to do any more sins – and you meant it sincerely – it’s still nowhere near the purification that you get from sayingVayichulu.And that’s because the lesson ofVayichuluis a return to theyesodha’yesodos, the foundation upon which all foundations are built, that everything is Hakodosh Boruch Hu. And just sayingVayichuluis so important, because it affects a change in your mind. That declaration, and the impression that it makes on your mind is so great, that you have already changed your entire nature; the entire way you view the world has changed. There’s no such thing as nature anymore;mthere is nothing but thedvar Hashem.Everything is but the various manifestations of Hashem’s will. And that’s such a fundamental impression on the mind, that everything about him is now different, and it becomes for him a Yom Kippur. Yom Kippur!DON’T BE A FRUM COWRecognizing Hashem in this world is the real return to Hashem, and all other things that a Jew can do are only subdivisions of that.Yeish mei’ayinis so important to understand, that if you don’t understand it, then it is a waste of time doingteshuva. Look, I say waste of time – of course, it’s better doteshuva. It’s better to doteshuvafrom your sins and be a frum ignoramus, absolutely. It’s better to be a frum cow than to be a wicked cow! But to remain a cow by living without realteshuva, without returning to the true attitudes of the mind that you must achieve in this world is a tragedy. A person who doesn’t utilize his mind, if he doesn’t think, so he becomes similar to abeheima. And if you don’t want to spend your life being a frum cow, so you’d better get busy utilizing the Shabbos to impress into your mind that Hashem created the world out of nothing and He continues to keep it in existence only with His will. It’s His imagination and He continues to imagine it and that’s why it continues to be.And that’s such an important attitude, that just the thought of it, just the fact thatyou say the words one more time, so you deserve that messengers should come and make a declaration by putting hands on your head and saying: וסר עווניך וחטאתך יכופר. Why are your sins forgiven? Because you have brought the most important of allkarbonos– thekorbanof the mind. You thought about that great principle that the world isyeish mei’ayin, and by doing that you brought your mind as an offering to Hashem.THE #1 REQUIREMENT OF SHABBOSNow, when you hear that you think it’s just an exaggeration, but it’s not so. When a man thinks about this principle even for a little moment, it’s a change of attitude, and that’s the Yom Kippur of a Jew; to recognize what Hakodosh Boruch Hu really is in this world, to understand that His will is causing everything to existyeishmei’ayinat this very moment, that is the greatest form ofteshuva. Only that people don’t understand what is the meaning ofteshuva.Teshuvafor all the sins in the world, as important as it is, is nowhere as important as the fundamentalteshuvaof recognizing Hashem’s place in this world, the fundamental principle that the world was created out of nothing.Now isn’t it a pity that so many people who areshomer Shabbosdon’t ever think about that? It’s the number one requirement of Shabbos, but they go through Shabbos after Shabbos, week after week, and nothing! They keep everything, but they are missing out on the great opportunity that Shabbos provides.And therefore, let’s keep in mind, from now on, every Shabbos, as much as possible, that whatever you see in the world is nothing but the imagination of Hakodosh Boruch Hu concretized into physical form. And every moment, it continues in existence only because He continues to will it to exist. And therefore everything that you see wherever you go, while you walk to shul, while you walk back from shul, everything you see on your Shabbos table, thebecherholding the wine, your children sitting around the table, it’s all only the vapories, so to speak, from His mind. When you’re walking down the street , you’re walking on the energy of Hashem’s imagination. And when you look around, what you’re seeing is Hashem’s imagination. He created it all with His word and that’s why we see things – but actually it’s nothing but Hakodosh Boruch Hu in all the forms of matter that the universe contains.THE PATH TO TRUE AWARENESSAnd that’s why no principle in the Torah is given as much attention as the principle of Creation from Nothing. “In the beginning Hashem created the heavens and the earth,” are the most important words that were ever spoken and that ever will be spoken, and they are therefore placed in the position of greatest importance, at the very beginning of the Torah. And although we celebrate our Exodus from Mitzrayim with great fanfare on Pesach, and the Giving of the Torah is commemorated on Shavuos with remarkable excitement,the Creation of the World yeish mei’ayin, because of its importance, is celebrated not once a year, but every week.And so, when Moshe Rabeinu gathered the nation to instruct them in the building of the Mishkan, he made sure to first declare the importance of Shabbos. Because although the residence of Hashem among His people in a physical tabernacle would certainly ignite the tangible Awareness of Hashem among the nation, that Awarenesscan be even more readily achieved in the Shabbos home of every Jew.And therefore the nation was told that the building of theMishkanwas suspended on the day of Shabbos, and theAmYisroelthereby learned the eternal lesson that even the enthusiasm for building the house of Hashem must yield for the building of the Shabbos home.And on what foundation is the Shabbos home to be constructed? It is the tremendous declaration ofVayichulu; the internalizing of the Creation from nothing, that is the bedrock of the Jew, the foundation for all your thoughts. And it is of such vast importance that its repetition on Friday night causes the occasion to resemble Yom Kippur. Although no new knowledge is gained, the added awareness of Creation by a Creator brings blessings and atonement, because it is theyesod hayesodos. And when that declaration is absorbed by those who hear it, it becomes the paramount foundation in the creation of the Torah mind that prepares you for the World to Come.HAVE A WONDERFUL SHABBOS See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. This podcast has been graciously sponsored by JewishPodcasts.fm. There is much overhead to maintain this service so please help us continue our goal of helping Jewish lecturers become podcasters and support us with a donation: https://thechesedfund.com/jewishpodcasts/donate

Part I. Living bySeichelTHE MISUNDERSTOOD INCIDENTIn this week’sparshawe read about one of the most misunderstoodincidents in the history of our people; thecheit ha’eigel,the sin of the golden calf. The great embarrassment it brought upon theAm Yisroel,and the subsequent punishments were intended by Hashem as admonitions for eternity,lessons for how we should be living our lives.And yet the confusion about what took place at that time – confusion even among thelomdei Torah– prevents us from learning the lessons that Hashem intended from that infamous incident. And therefore, the story of the Golden Calf deserves our attention.And actually the whole thing is a big puzzle. Because we know that we are dealing here with a generation that was exceedingly great. The mere fact of living with Moshe Rabeinu, and seeing him, was enough to change a person forever; you can be sure that one look at Moshe would be enough to change us immensely and leave an impression that would endure throughout our lives. The people saw Aharon, Elazar and Isamar, Nadav and Avihu, Pinchos, Yehoshua, Caleiv, Nachshon ben Aminadav, Betzalel ben Uri and theshiv’im zekeinim. These great men, who lived among the people, certainly stamped the qualities of kindliness, humility, piety, and most importantly of Awareness of Hashem upon the people of their generation.MOST OF THE JEWS WERENEVI’IMAnd the women too were not in any way denied this greatness. Miriam was the leader among the women – one of the many women leaders – and her fire of inspiration did not fail to melt the hearts of thenashim tzidkoniyosand recast them in the mold of greatness. Men and women alike strove to come close to Hashem and to attain the state of prophecy even before the giving of the Torah, and very many succeeded. That’s a very bigchiddush, but it’s what the Kuzari tells us: “Allof them sought the state of prophecy, andmostof them attained it” (1:103).And therefore, atMattan Torah, they rose to heights heretofore unimaginable. That great event of hearing the Voice of Hashem was a culmination of the mighty events they had witnessed in Mitzrayim; the tenMakkoshad provided them with ten big volumes ofemunah, ofda’as Hashem, and the spectacle at the Yam Suf had caused the nation to soar to unexpected heights of greatness. And now, as they gathered together at the foot of Har Sinai, all of these influences combined to raise them to a state of prophecy that had never before occurred and has never occurred again: “Face to face Hashem spoke with you” (Devarim 5:4), a form of the highest prophecy. “Was there ever anything like this great event? Did a nation ever hear the Voice of Hashem speaking out of the fire as you heard?!” (Ibid. 4:32-33). No generation before or after was worthy of such a stupendous prophecy on a national scale – “The least of their women was like the prophet Yechezkel” (Rambam Shemonah Perakim 4). And it was this remarkable generation that was chosen to be the witnesses of the Giving of the Torah for all generations to come.THE MYSTERIOUS PUZZLEAnd yet, that is the great enigma, the puzzle, that has to be studied. How could it be that a nation ofovdei Hashem,a people who had heard the thunderous Voice of Hashem telling them: לא תעשה לך פסל וכל תמונה – “Do not make for yourselves any form or picture to worship” (Shemos 20:2-3), should now be dancing around a golden cow?! ויעלו עולות ויגישו שלמים… ויקומו לצחק – “And they brought upolosandshelamim…and they arose to make merry” (Ibid. 32:6). The same people who had seen Hashem face to face, were now making merry around a golden cow. And that needs an answer.Now, an answer for a conundrum like that surely needs a good introduction; so we’ll take it step by step. And we’ll first ask: What doeskabolas haTorahmean after all? You know, for us it seems to be a simple matter.Because we think, what was the bigkuntzof accepting the Torah? Especially when we understand that they were motivated by a great wave of gratitude; Hakodosh Boruch Hu had just freed them from Mitzrayim and He saved them at the Yam Suf! So there should be nothing much involved here.What’s so remarkable about a people that accepted the Torah under those circumstances? We would have surely done the same. That’s how we think. So listen now and hear how difficult it was.THE BNEI YISROEL HAD A SPECIAL PROBLEMAccepting the Torah means that we subject our minds to the mind of Hashem.We humble our own thoughts, our own attitudes, and we subject them to the attitudes that are taught by Hakadosh Baruch Hu in the Torah.Kabolas Hatorahdoesn’t mean that you sign on the dotted line, “OK, I accept,” and that’s all. Accepting the Torahdoesn’tmean that you accept something begrudgingly, without liking it. No, it’s much more than that; it means that the mind has to be in agreement with the Torah,your thoughts must be attuned to all the ideals of the Torah in its myriad of details.So maybe you’re thinking, “That’s not too difficult. If Hashem gives us the Torah, we accept it; why not?” But we have to understand what our forefathers were before the Torah was given, and why this was not easy at all.Not only was it not easy butit wasextremely difficult. Now, had the Torah been offered to the Egyptians, or maybe to the Slavs or to the Chinese or the Greeks, it would have been a minor matter.The fact is that when they were offered alternative religions, they accepted them. It didn’t take much to reel them into buying some of the most foolish ideas ever presented to the world. You know, whenYushka Pandra’smother had a son and they said it was “Hashem’s son”, so theAm Yisroellaughed at that. It was amamzerand that’s all. לא יבוא ממזר בקהל השם (Devarim 23:3) This was before Goren so what could you do already? It’s arachmanuson the child, but amamzeris amamzer. Even today, there’s one community that when they refer to this man, he’s always given that title; he’s always labeled with that appellation, “Themamzer.”But the foolish nations had no minds of their own – you could feed the most foolish garbage into their minds and they accepted it hook, line and sinker. And that’s what happened – we see that all around us. But theBneiYisroelhad a special problem that no other people had. And the problem was that this family was a unique kind of people with an unparalleled attitude towards the world, and it’s important for us to know what that mindset was. TheBnei Yisroelwere a people who had been trained for many generationsnotto obey what was told to them.They were trained touse their minds independently.It’s an important point I’m telling you now.They had a tradition of thinking on their own and not accepting what anybody told them.WHERE’S THE JUSTICE?And I’ll explain that.You heard this many times but it’s an important principle.Rabeinu Nissim Gaon, at the beginning of hispeirushtoMesichta Brachos,asks a question: How is it that we find that Hakadosh Baruch Hu punished people inSefer Bereishiseven though they had no Torah to follow?Look in thechumashand you’ll find a number of cases inBereishiswhere Hashem punished people for their sins.Kayin, Avimelech,the people ofSedom –we find that many people were punished for things they were never warned against, things that were not told.And sometimes He visited the strictest of punishments on them for transgressing! “How could that be?” asks Rabeinu Nissim. It’s a good question – Rabeinu Nissim doesn’t need myhaskamahbut it’s something that we should have asked on our own. How can youpunish a man if he doesn’t know that it’s wrong? After all, the death penalty by Hakadosh Baruch Hu is meted out only with justice! Where’s the justice of punishing someone who was never told that it’s wrong?That’s thekashaRabeinu Nissam Gaon asks.And he tells us the following answer, and it’s a fundamental principle so pay attention. כל המצוות שהן תלויין בסברא ובאובנתא דליבא,anything that can be deduced by logic and the wisdom inherent in a man’s mind, כבר הכל מתחייבים בהן מן היום אשר ברא אלוקים אדם על הארץ,a person is already expected to obey from the beginning of time. He’s saying here that anythingthat can be understood by the human mindto be wrong isobligatoryupon a person to stay far away from – even though he was never told anything; never warned that it’s forbidden. If your mind tells you that a certain thing is wrong, if your conscience tells you it’s wrong, then you’re obligated to keep it like a law that’s written down, even though you never heard any statement that it’s wrong.And not just amiddas chassidus,extra credit. The obligation is so imperative, so important, that if a man transgresses these obligations of his mind, then he deserves to be put to death by Hashem.AVRAHAM AVINU’S REBBENow this tradition of using the mind, not onlyusing, butrelying completelyon the mind to know one’s path in life was followed by our forefathers, and that’s why we find that theAvospracticed laws that they were not commanded to do.About Avraham Avinu it states וישמר משמרתי מצוותי חוקתי ותורתי – “Avraham keptmishmarti, My keeping,mitzvosai, My commandments,chukosai, My statutes,v’sorosai, and My Torahs.That’s all plural.He kept so many things.Now where did Avraham have so many things?He only had the sevenmitzvosof thebnei noachas far as we know,but here we’re learning that he had a whole list – not just a list ofmitzvos, but a list ofcategories of mitzvos, with sublists and details beneath the headings.And that means he had a host of commandments, more than we could imagine. But from where did he have them?And the answer is Avraham learned all thesemitzvosfrom his mind! Avraham was busy thinking and he was able to elicit from his mind all the great principles.The truth of a Creator was only the first step for Avraham; it was only the beginning of the ideals that Avraham Avinu drew forth from the well of his mind. Just like he cultivated from his mind the idea, the concept, that there’s a Creator, he also drew forth thousands of other principles. He developedfrom his minda complete system of how to perceive the world; how to live life, how to think, how to serve Hashem. From his own mind, he deducedallthe great truths of reality. He understood the greatness of mankind and that man does not live just for this little life alone.He understood that the great and noble aspirations in a man’s soul must be a preparation for something infinitely more important and more eternal than this life itself.But not only did Avraham Avinu discover these principles and many like them, but he discovered from his own mind the principles of proper behavior, of how to serve Hashem. The laws of the Torah, the attitudes that the Torah demands of us, Avraham Avinu was able to draw forth from the depths of his mind because the human mind has in it such wisdom.And that’s what Avraham taught his children, he taught them to think. And it was with this attitude, this ideal of using the mind to know how to serve Hashem, with whichthe Am Yisroelcame toHar Sinai.THE ONLY ANCIENT SOURCE OF TRUTHThat’s how it was with everything in ancient times. The criterion for them was,“Doesmy mindobligate me in this law?Doesmy consciencetell me that it’s forbidden or permitted? Is that action mandatory upon me to fulfill?”And so whenever any problem ever arose, any question of behavior, so what was the criterion by which they judged?It was – “Does myseicheltell me that it’s right or wrong?” And once they probed the depths of their minds and they came to a decision, it was to them the word of Hashem,and they were ready to give their lives for it.They could stake their lives on thepsak dinof theirseichel.Their mind was theirShulchan Aruch.That was the final arbiter; the final authority was theirseichel.And therefore they became the most independent of nations.It was a nation that lived by reason and by logic. They were one little family, in a world of great and powerful nations all who served idols and lived according to magic and superstition. The entire world was steeped in the conviction that magic ceremonies and the worship of images were the cause of prosperity, health and all good things. It required an enormous stubbornness in order to remain loyal to the traditions of Avraham their ancestor and to resist the prevailing influence of the world in which they lived. The family was trained to ridicule the claims of the idolaters that boasted of “miracles” wrought by their gods; even the children were reared with the attitude that such tales were false, and they laughed at the world.TheBnei Yisroelturned their backs on the world; they turned inwards to their own minds, and they relied on their clear and unadulterated thinking to make their way in this world. That’s how it was for the hundreds of years down toMattan Torah.Everything was judgednotby authority but on its own merits.Does my reason tell me it’s right? Or does my reason tell me it’s wrong?The mind of man, the unadulteratedseichel, that’s the only source of truth.Part II. TheCheit Ha’eigelSOCIALISM COMES TO AMERICAAnd then suddenly Moshe Rabeinu appears on the scene and he wants to turn everything upside down on its head. He says, “Are you ready to receive a Torah?” Now they understood what a Torah meant.A Torah meanthachna’ah,it meant humility.It means to subject your mind to what an authority is going to command you.Of course, it’s Hashem’s authority. Hakadosh Baruch Hu is the One who is giving the orders, “Do this,” “You can’t do this,”“You must think so and so.” But even so, it’s not theseichelanymore, it’s not my own clear mind directing my way in life. It’s Someone else telling me what to do and think. It’s Somebody with a capital S, but it’s stillnot my own mind. And don’t think that such a thing comes easy to the independent minds of the Bnei Yisroel,because immediately they have their own ideas.The mind rebels at being subjected and subjugated to the mind of another. And many of them thought, at least in the back of their minds, “If it was good up till now, if ourseichelwas sufficient, why can’t we continue as is?”It’s like telling a liberal today that private property is a sacred concept.Let’s say he’s been reading Karl Marx. He’s been considering the “problems” with capitalism; he’s studying other kinds of societies to understand socialism. Or today he can even study American society to study socialism.The government today is engaged in a great socialistic activity. It’s soaking the rich in order to give to the poor. That’s what’s happening now. It’s a slow form of socialism. It’s gradual, but there’s been a big revolution in the last fifty years (this was said in 1980). They’re taking from the rich and so all incentive is taken away from making big money.The incentive to build businesses and to propel the economy here in America is being whittled away by the liberals. Many people are retiring because what’s the purpose of earning money if it all goes to the government! And who’s going to get your hard earned money anyway? Vagrants, people who don’t want to work.Entire populations of loafers are being maintained in the big cities; shiftless people, some of them are criminals – a big percentage are criminals – and they don’t want to work. It doesn’t pay for them to work.Why should they bother going to work if they can sit home and government money supports them? And therefore there’s a great wave of socialism today. Everything is now based on this idea. Of course they wouldn’t admit it’s Karl Marx, because they know that his name reminds people of the false promises of the past, but there’s no question it’s a socialistic attitude.LAW ABIDING GANGSTERSOf course some people might smile when they hear this.But they’re naive, that’s all. They don’t realize that they’ve been hoodwinked gradually over a long period of time. The prevailing idea is to soak the rich in order to distribute it to the poor, and they’re so accustomed to it that if you tell them today there’s such a thing as private property, and that private property and a person’s hard earned money is sacred, that concept is alien to their minds today.The fact that a man has amassed fortune – he has a lot of land and he has a lot of money in the bank, and you’d like to have some of it, that doesn’t mean you have a right to take it. Even if you do it by means of the rule of law, it means it’s brigandage by law. If the law would give you the right to take a gun and make a holdup, that’s no excuse. And that’s what the law does today. It actually does that.But if you try to tell that to a college student today, he would laugh at you. Their minds have been made so crooked by their professors that they cringe when they hear you mention private property, or capitalism. Because their minds have already been sold on foolishness. It’s very difficult for him to subject his mind to the truth, once he’s been sold on socialism. And therefore when they hear you explain the wickedness of their ideals,they object and it’s difficult for them to accept what you’re saying.THE ICE CREAM OF THE COLLEGESBut that’s only today when people are weak-minded and shallow; and stupid people can be sold stupid ideas like socialism. Today’s youth are so crooked that a professor can feed them lies like socialism, evolution and atheism, and they think that they’ve found gold! It’s like a man who is eating manure and he tells you it’s ice-cream! And he believes it! What can you do with a person so crooked?!But our forefathers didn’t have crooked heads. They lived naturally; their minds were sold on the truth and they knew that their minds were to be relied upon. And because their minds were unsullied by reading the New York Times editorials, they knew that they were able to think clearly. Theywere sold on true ideals, on ideas that made sense. Of course that meant that they were considering what Hakadosh Baruch Hu wanted them to do. But it came from their own minds, their unsullied attitudes. They were sold on using pureseichelto do good in this world.ACCEPTING THE NEW SYSTEMAnd it was this independent minded people, a people who had always lived with what washatov vehayashar, good and straight in their own eyes, who were now encamped at Har Sinai. And suddenly these people were told to accept an entire system thatwasn’tfounded on their own reasoning.Chukim u’mishpatim.Thechukimthey surely didn’t understandwhythey were commanded to do.And that’s a great part of the Torah.You can’t eat this, you can’t do this, and you can’t wear this. You have to refrain from work at certain times.All kinds of prohibitionsand very many of them had no explanation at all.And even themishpatimthat seem to have an explanation are often arbitrary.The Torah doesn’t give you any leeway to adjust to circumstances because of whatyoumight think is good. We’re told that in general thismishpatis good and we understand the reason for it, but in a certain situation it doesn’t apply, so you want to adjust, make changes. No! It’s an ironclad rule, the Torah is putting us in a straight jacket.And yet, they didn’t balk at the offer.They accepted it, and they becamenichna.They wereanavim;theywere humbled because ofthegreat gratitude they felt – the experience of having lived through Yetzias Mitzrayim after such a long and bitter bondage, and the triumphant march through the Yam Suf.ואחרי כן יצאו ברכוש גדול, they saw Hashem’s revenge flood their enemies, while they were inundated with a flood of wealth. That caused a great happiness to them and they sang a song of gratitude that will never end;Az Yashir, we’re still singing that song of gratitude today. And so when the time came, they said, “We are humbling ourselves before Hashem, and we give up our own minds. From now on we’ll think only according to the guidelines of the Torah.”THERE ARE LIONS IN THE SYNAGOGUE!And now we come back to theeigel;with the above introductionwe can begin to unravel the puzzle of thecheiteigel.The Torah says לא תעשה לך פסל, that you shouldn’t make graven images.That’s something everyone here understands. You know I had a call recently from a fellow.He told me on the telephone that Hashem appeared to him and told him three things. One of them was he shouldn’t make graven images, and he was telling me that that’s why he can’t go to a synagogue. He said that there are graven images in the synagogue.He saw two lions holding up the tablets of theaseres hadibrosand therefore he won’t go into a place where there are graven images. So you see that even ameshugenehunderstands what Hashem said at Har Sinai; no graven images allowed.That’s what our forefathers were told by Hakadosh Baruch Hu. “You shouldn’t make an image of Me or anything that resembles Me,” which means you can’t make an image of the sun, or the moon or the stars.You can’t make an image of human beings or animals, and you cannot do any kind of service in connection with an image. And this was part of the Torah for which they said נעשה ונשמע; they accepted it.THE GREAT MAN IS LATE?!And now they’re standing aroundHar Sinai, they just accepted everything, and Moshe tells them he’s going up on the top of the mountain into the clouds, and he’s going to bring down the stone tablets that Hakadosh Baruch Hu is giving them.Moshe promised them that he’d return in forty days and then he disappeared into a cloud. Now the faithful people were waiting impatiently because he was their beloved leader, he’s the one who would lead them to the Promised Land. He was theirish elokim,the one who stood for them as their conduit, their go-between, to Hashem. And now he disappeared alone on top of a mountain.He didn’t take along any provisions with him, nothing to eat, and he walked into the midst of a fire. There was a fire burning on the top of the mountain and he disappeared into that fire.And so they were concerned about him.Even the first day there was a big worry, would he come out alive? They were hoping, but they weren’t sure.Youread it without any worries at all because you remember the end of the story from last year. But they didn’t have the Torah already like you do; they didn’t know what had happened to their leader. They were in a panic, כי זה משה האיש לא ידענו מה היה לו “for this man Moshe that brought us up from Egypt, we know not what happened to him” (Ki Sisa 32:1). And so now, at the end of forty days they were standing and counting the seconds.“Where is Moshe our teacher?! Where is Moshe our leader?! Where is Moshe the one who is the intermediary between us and Hashem?!” And the minutes were passing by and there was no Moshe. They knew he was punctual. Punctuality is one of the virtues of great men, and he had promised. The hours were passing by and וירא העם כי בושש משה, “They saw that Moshe was already late.” And they knew that the only reason Moshe Rabeinu would be late is if he was dead.That’s what they said. “If he was alive, he wouldn’t be late.”And therefore a panic now took hold of the camp.Moshe is gone! What’s going to happen to us?! He took us out of Egypt but now we’re leaderless in the desert.We are embarked on the great course of history, the entrance of theAmHashemintoEretz Cana’an, the land of milk and honey, where we want tobuild a holy nation, and now it has all collapsed in a tragedy of unequalled proportions. It would be impossible to enter a land that’s populated by big and powerful peoples living in fortified cities, without theIsh Elokimto lead us.What will happen to us?We’ll perish in the wilderness.We mustimmediatelyset up a lifeline to connect us to Hakadosh Baruch Hu. There’s no other solution! Moshe Rabeinu was our lifeline and he’s gone! What else can we do?!AM YISROELSTUDIES THEMA’ASEH MERKAVAHShould we make an image of Moshe?This we wouldn’t do. An image of a human being we couldn’t do. But we need something, a symbol, a substitute for Moshe Rabeinu upon which the Presence of Hashem should rest. And we have to get busy now and start petitioning from Hashem; we have to start bringing offerings and praying to Hashem that He should redeem us from our plight. And so they reminded themselves that when theYam Sufwas split and Pharaoh’s army was being drowned, they saw a vision.In that vision they saw the heavenly chariot. It’s depicted in the book ofYechezkel Hanavi.The chariot had on it four figures, and one of the figures was the figure of an ox.There was a figure of a man, a figure of an eagle, and a figure of an ox, and there was a figure of akruv, a certain kind ofmalach.Now to make a figure of a man, that would be too bold. Even ak’ruvthey didn’t want, that would also be too much; it’s playing with fire. And therefore they decided they would make a figure of an ox, a golden ox, and it would be the place for the Presence of Hashem to rest. It was an endeavor to bring nearer to them theShechina, just like we find later on, when theShechinarested between the goldenk’ruvim. And could it be so wrong? After all, that’s what they saw of Hashem in that heavenly chariot, in the vision atKriyas Yam Suf.Now, the good ones said, “How could you do such a thing? Didn’t we just accept the Torah where Hashem told us that we shouldn’t make any images?” But there were other people there too who had other ideas, especially theeirev rav,who had recently converted.You know, a great number of noble Egyptians had gone out of Mitzrayim with them.And theeirev ravwas not the riffraff of Egypt.It was the elite, the nobility. The best people of Egypt went out with them, and these people said “Look, what do you do in the case of emergency?You must make some leeway. You must make some allowances. And therefore, although Hashem said that we shouldn’t make images but this is an emergency now. The people are panicking and they’ll start dispersing too.Some will return to Egypt if you don’t do something in a hurry. So let’s make an image of a golden ox, otherwise all is lost. We’re leaderless and we have to connect to Hashem.”THANKSGIVING: ECHOES OF THECHEIT HA’EIGELIn Egypt they had seen such a thing. In Egypt they worshipped Apis, a sacred bull as an intermediary between themselves and the more powerful gods. They had other gods too; the baboon, the crocodile, the snake – but one of the gods was the bull. And so theeirev ravresorted to methods which they had known before joining our people. Like new converts frequently think, they were confident that they could improve the Am Yisroel by applying ideas and methods which they brought from their former environment. They thought they could restore the people’s courage by making an image dedicated to Hashem, and by dancing and celebrating in its honor as did all the nations.So they said, “We had such a thing in Egypt, so we’ll do it here too. Only that we’ll do it in a kosher way.” Like some Jews say, “Let’s celebrate Thanksgiving, only we’ll do it in akosherway, with akoshercaterer, and we’ll do it withbirkas hamazonwith yarmulkes on our heads. And we can be the best Jews possible and still do like the gentiles do.” Kosher gentiles! And so that’s what they said there too. “Let’s celebrate the worship of Hashem with a golden ox like they do in Egypt, only thattheyworship the ox; butweworship only Hashem.The ox is only a symbol for us.”THE SIN OF NOT PROTESTINGNow the good ones said no, but the converts of Egypt insisted – desperate times call for desperate measures – and they went ahead and did it.And the people didn’t prevent them. The people could have prevented them. There were only three thousand that were dancing around theeigel– those are the three thousand who were subsequently executed when Moshe returned.The rest of the people didn’t dance around theeigel,only thatthey allowed it to take place.That was their sin, that they allowed it to take place.The question iswhydid they allow it to take place?It was because their minds were still functioning! They still followed logic! And they saw there was some logic to what these people were saying.It’s true that they had accepted the Torah but they still left a little space to manipulate with their own minds. “True, Hashem said לא תעשה לך פסל, we shouldn’t make any figures, but in a case like this, it’s for Hashem and we mean itlesheim shamayim. And we’re not doing it ourselves; we’re lettingthemdo it because they’re accustomed to such things from Egypt. And it’s needed anyhow.”And therefore they permitted it.WE ACCEPTED MORE THAN LAWS AT SINAI“Oh no!” Hakadosh Baruch Hu said, “Then you didn’t receive the Torah fully.” You neglected the most integral point ofMattan Torah! Because what was the defining aspect ofna’asehv’nishmathat didn’t exist beforeHar Sinai? After all, theAm Yisroel, long before Sinai, werema’aminim bnei ma’aminim.Avraham Avinu was therosh hama’aminimand he taught it to his children. כי ידעתיו – “I know him,” said Hashem, למען אשר יצוה את בניו ואת ביתו אחריו ושמרו דרך השם – And I know that he will teach his children to keep the way of Hashem” (Bereishis 18:19). And theBnei Yisroeldid that – they guarded the way of Hashem always.So whatnewservice did they accept when they came toHar Sinai? It wasn’t just more laws, more details. What changed was that they accepted to benichnato Hashem in all these details; they accepted the principle that they would stop using their minds, their minds that had until now guided their way in life, and that from now on they would think only what Hashem wants them to think. That was the crux ofkabolas hatorah,thedefining aspect ofKabolas Hatorahthat didn’t exist before Har Sinai.WHAT DOESANOCHIMEAN?And that commitment of theAm Yisroelto benichnawas encapsulated as a way of lifefor us, in the first of theAseres Hadibros.Because when we heard the first three words of theAseresHadibroswe were being taught are an entirely new attitude.Anochi Hashem Elokecha.What do those words demand of us? It’s a commandment after all, but we don’t see any command here. Pass by any synagogue, or even here, and ask them, “What is the command ofAnochi Hashem Elokecha?” and you might very well get a blank stare. Or maybe he’ll hem and haw, and tell you something vague.So we’ll say here that it’s a commandment to know that He is Hashem. Now, to know that He is Hashem seems to be a very inclusive command; if we wished we could include the entire Torah in it. So we won’t go so far; we’ll limit ourselves now to one of the most important meanings ofAnochiHashemElokecha. And that is “I am Hashemyour model.”Anochi Hashem Elokecha,“I am Hashem your model,” is the command of the Torah; not only that you shouldknowthat I am Hashem your G-d, butyou should know what I think, and think along with Me.That was whatKabolas Hatorahreally meant. We give up our own thoughts, our baby thoughts, and we rise to the thoughts of the Supreme Intelligence and think His thoughts. And those are the attitudes and ideals that we adopt as our own.“CERTAINLY YOU’RE A BLIND SHEEP!”Now, right away, modern people, the self proclaimed intelligentsia, bridle when I say this; they become impatient with me, and they come out with a protest, “You want us to accept everything blindly, to stop using our minds?!” Like once a modern Orthodox rabbi said to me; when I said that we have to follow thegedolei Yisroelso he said, “Are we blind sheep?” So I said, “Yes. You’re a blind sheep; certainly you’re a blind sheep.” No question about it; we’re all blind sheep.And it was at Har Sinai that we agreed that we were blind, and we made a covenant that we’re going to subject our minds to Hashem. Moshe Rabeinu came and said to the people, “I have an offer for you; from now on you have to put on this straight jacket and accept the Torahinall its details.You’ll have to bemachni’aand sacrifice your own minds to Hashem’s from here on in.” That’s what Moshe’s proposed to theAm Yisroel.Because what is the Torah after all, if not the thoughts of Hashem? And that’s what accepting the Torah meant. You have to be humble towards Hashem and say that your mind is nothing; from now on I’m going to think with the thought processes of the Torah, and nothing else.And that was extremely difficult.It was a very great sacrifice for them.You know, people can sacrifice their physical liberty sometimes. A person can sign himself away for six years, “I’ll be a bonded servant to you for this and this amount of time.”They can do that. It’s only a physical body after all. But to sacrifice your mind, to sign your thinking away to someone else, that’s already beyond the ability of a thinking people. And even if theydosign on the dotted line, they continue to rebel in the recesses of their mind.They rebel against that bondage of having to think a certain way.THE WORST FORM OF BONDAGEMental bondage is the worst kind of bondage, and that’s what Moshe Rabeinu was presenting to them atHar Sinai.He was offering the most independent minded people to ever walk this earth, the opportunity to give up their most precious possession, their freedom to think. Now if it had been the Egyptians, or maybe the Edomites or Greek nation – any one of the the nations of the world – they could have much more readily accepted that, because they didn’t live byseichelanyhow. They didn’t live by the strict ideas, the strict precepts of the mind. They lived with a hodgepodge of emotions and arbitrary ideas, different gods for different situations; there wasn’t muchseichelthere, and I’m being gracious when I say that. But theAm Yisroelobeyed theShulchan Aruchof the mind, the Torah of their conscience, and here suddenly they were told to give it up, to drop it all, and to accept a criterion that was not understandable and not based on their own judgment.And so when theAm Yisroelsaid “We will do and we will listen,” included in that – actually the most important component of that -was the commitment to think along with Hashem. And that’s why this commitment was set in stone, the stone of theAseres Hadibros, with the wordsAnochi Hashem Elokecha: “Think along with Me. Forever and ever, I am to be your model.”Part III. Living by HashemTHINK WHAT HASHEM THINKSNow how can anybody know what Hashem is thinking? Isn’t that ridiculous for abasar v’damto aspire to know? And the truth is that it’s none of our business. But what Hewants us to think that He’s thinking, that’s what He wrote in the Torah. He wants us to think according to what He wrote in the Torah. Our career in this world is to adopt the attitudes of Hakodosh Boruch Hu as our own. And Hashem was now going to provide us a model.Anochi!“I am the only model; follow me!” And once we understand that we have a model like Hakodosh Boruch Hu, and that we’re expected to think like Him, that already opens for us a career in life. Hashem’s perfect thoughts are infinite, and therefore we have to get busy thinking along with the Torah. To mold our minds into Torah minds, minds that work according to the guidelines of Hashem’s thoughts is a lifetime of work, and the sooner you get started, the better you can mold your thoughts.Now, the examples of how Hashem thinks are endless, but we’ll mention just a few of them so that we can understand more clearly what’s expected of us. You’ll forgive me if I step on somebody’s toes, but it’s a commandment,Anochi Hashem Elokecha,and we have to know what Hashem is thinking.DO YOU LOVE BIRDS?When it comes to eating, anybody who is a vegetarian on principle, on principle if he thinks it’s wrong to take the life of an animal just to eat meat, that person is in opposition to the principles of the Torah.The Torah teaches us that animals are given to man to use. Anybody who is a vegetarian on principle is using his own mind, and he’s proud and arrogant against the Torah. The Jewish nation is humble to the Torah, and we understand that that’s good for us.That’s what the Torah wants and therefore it’s right. Because the Torah says openly that it is permitted to eat meat. And so, if he thinks that it’s wrong to eat meat, so his thinking is not in coincidence with the principles of the Torah.Now, if a person feels that it’s better for his health to be a vegetarian, that’s something else. We have no quarrel with him. It doesn’t mean that he’s right, but still, we’re not interested in quarreling with him about that. But if he does it on principle, if he says it’s wrong to eat meat; he says that he loves birds and it’s morally wrong to eat poultry – then he’s anapikores, he’s not a Jew. He cannot be a Jew and have a principled stance against the Torah. The Torah teaches that the earth has been given by Hashem to human beings in general, and then to the Jewish people. Now, we also love birds! We love birds when they’re served, let’s say, as roasted chicken. We love those kind of birds. We want chickens to increase and multiply; why not? We want pigeons to increase. Pigeons are also delectable to eat. Did you ever eat a roasted pigeon? It tastes good too. It’s a kosher bird; why not? Anybody who goes overboard for animals shows that he doesn’t have Torah in his mind. He’s lacking a Torah mind. And therefore, anyone who questions the right of mankind to use the flesh of animals, is questioning the authority of the Torah; that person hasn’t yet fulfilled the mitzvah ofAnochi Hashem Elokecha.GO TO WORK!You know, today the work ethic has been forgotten in many places.It’s considered not necessary to work. To get by without work. The Torah teaches us work is a virtue.Everybody must work. Unless you’re studying Torah, but otherwise you must work. Torah is also work. But to be idle is a crime.Idleness is considered by the Torah the same as wickedness. For a child to be home and be supported by a parent, not to go to school, is a wickedness. The parent doesn’t report him to the truant officer either?!The child is a loafer and now what’s going to become of him?He’ll become a criminal eventually. So the parents who don’t know what Hashem says about work, so they make excuses. They’re persuaded by their children, persuaded by their neighbors that it’s possible for children not to work, and they become failures.But those who live by the Torah, by Hashem’s thoughts, they’re not going to change that principle. It doesn’t matter whatshekerthe New York Times floods the world with. The New York Times wants you to think that a loafer who says he’s a writer, he sits in his apartment all day thinking about how he’ll become a famous author one day, that’s a real hero. Or the man who wants to play music. He walks the streets with pride wearing his guitar on his back. He expects everyone to look at him with esteem; he’s a musician after all so he must be filled with noble thoughts.But we look at him with disdain because forever and ever we stand by the Torah principle that גדולה מלאכה, that everybody must be busy with something. גדולה מלאכה – “How great is work, שמכבדת את בעליה – it uplifts the person, it makes something out of him” (Nedarim 49b). There’s no such thing as not working.It’s good for yourneshamato work, it molds your character when you’re forced to do things against your will. Of course, you’d like to do nothing and pick the dollars off the trees. “Ahh, if only money grew on bushes,” you think. But we don’t care whatyouthink; we care only about what Hashem thinks. And we know that He told our first father, Adam Harishon ,בזיעת אפיך תאכל לחם – “You’ll have to drip with the sweat of your face in order to eat bread” (Bereishis 3:19). And we look at the world through the eyes of Hakodosh Boruch Hu.SCHOOL SHOOTINGSWe’ll take another concept.Spanking children. In Sweden they passed a law recently outlawing the spanking of children.A child can bring suit against his parent for spanking him. That’s “wonderful” progress in the history of mankind, and there are a lot of lunatics in America who agree to that.Of course spanking has long been outlawed in the public schools, and that’s why you have murderers. Teachers are murdered in school. Teachers are attacked and murdered in schools in America. A boy goes into a school today with a gun and he’s shooting people in the hallways. Shooting people in school.The Torah blames the parents for not spanking the children. When I was in school – I went to school once – it was permitted to spank. There was only a regulation how thick the ruler has to be, and spanking was administered only by the principal. Those were the rules. And so they took you out to the principal’s office and he delivered.He gave a spanking, and it was effective. They didn’t murder any teachers in those days.Now if you’ll listen to the principles of the Torah, the Torah tells us to spank.It’s in the Torah. It’s not in thechumash; actually if you look in thechumash, you’ll find it too, but it’s writtenopenlyonly in thepeirushon thechumash. That’s where Shlomo Hamelech says איוולת קשורה בלב נער – “Wickedness is innately tied into the mind of a child” (Mishlei 22:15). Wickedness, foolishness, is in a child’s mind.A child is full of foolishness. How can you separate the foolishness from the child? So he says how do you separate the chaff from the wheat? You thrash the wheat, don’t you? You thresh the wheat.שבט מוסר ירחיקנה ממנו– “The rod of instruction will separate the foolishness from the child” (ibid.) You must have spanking. Of course, if you don’t know how to use discretion, that’s not asheivet mussar;it’s just wildness,hefkeirus. But thesheivet mussarof Shlomo Hamelech, the spanking of the Torah, remains the truth forever and ever no matter what the blue ribbon committees tell you.This movement against corporal punishment is a terrible crime against the experience of mankind, and that’s why you have such a wicked generation today.They never felt a father’s strap on their backside, and so the results are the street today. Those children who were privileged to be spanked by their father are lucky because they learned great lessons by means of the piece of leather.WHAT HASHEM ADMIRESSomebody who thinks like Hashem understands the greatness of having children, of large families.Somebody who fulfillsAnochi Hashem Elokecha,his mind functions differently than the outside world, it functions properly, and he considers having children not only a duty, but a privilege.It’s a great happiness to have offspring, and we know that by doing this, we are living virtuously, not selfishly. With a houseful of children your life is devoted to others.You’re giving the gift and the opportunity of life to others, and your entire life is spent giving to others.And it’s not only the mother and the father who are obligated to think like Hashem. Anybody walking the street is obligated to think along with Hashem. So you see a woman pushing a baby carriage, and inside are two babies, and six more holding onto the sides, so you admire that –because Hashem admires that! Raising a future family ofovdei Hashem,ofbnei Torah,of mothers, of fathers, ofohaveiHashem! We admire that; we see this mother and we consider her a princess. Now she’s dressed very plainly. There’s nothing to admire in the way the gentiles would look at her. She’s busy and she’s worried. Her mind is occupied – raising a family means many responsibilities. Nevertheless we don’t look at the world through the eyes of the goyim. The false exterior means nothing to you if you think along with the thoughts of Hashem. You see what’s being done here, what’s being accomplished. Hakodosh Boruch Hu desires a nation that is multiplying itself. And therefore anyone who is succeeding in this tremendous endeavor should arouse admiration within you.WE ARE NOT THE JUDGESNow this is an entirely new field – I say “new” because it’s new to most people. But it’s a field of endeavor that we must learn to undertake because that is what Hakodosh Boruch Hu meant when He gave us the Torah.Many people have lost sight of the original concepts of thinking like Hashem thinks, but with Torah we don’t yield to what people write, to what the radio plays and to what the television displays. We don’t yield to suggestions from the street.We humble our mind before the Torah and therefore we maintain as much as we possibly can all the great concepts, the thoughts of Hashem, to this day.And that’s only the beginning. There are 10,000 other subjects that I could talk about because the thoughts of Hashem encompass everything in the world. And we’re not going to be arrogant enough to think on our own once Hashem has already revealed what He thinks. We’re not arbiters and judges of what’s right and wrong.Forever and ever our minds follow the dictates of the Torah in every detail. We study the Torah, the seforim, we listen to the Torah leaders, and we see what is the right way to think, and we mold our minds according to those guidelines. And that’s called humility. Humility means that your mind is nothing now.And that gives us a key to unlock the enigma of thecheitha’eigel. Because what happened then was that they hadn’t fully incorporated into their own attitudes the first of theAseres Hadibrosthat they had heard from the mouth of Hashem only days earlier.Anochi Hashem Elokecha!Those words were a direction to the Am Yisroel to adopt an entirely new attitude. To receive the Torah meant to be humble.You have to benichnawhich means you declare your mind to be in service of Hashem.That’s the true humility, that the mind should accept the Torah without any exceptions, without any explanations and excuses. לא תעשה לך פסל – “You shouldn’t make any images” means you shouldn’t make any imagesperiod.THEEIREV RAV: THE FIRST “LAMDANIM”And so Hashem said, “Now you’re reverting to your old ways of using your mind and saying במה דבריםאמורים – “It was only talking about a different type of situation.” Or חסורי מחסרא והכי קתני – “You have to read the words like this; it means something else.” All kinds of explanations and excuses to say it doesn’t apply here and this case is different. “Had Hakadosh Baruch Hu known that this is going to happen, He would have allowed us to do it,” they said. Oh no! No, there’s none of that business.No excuses! The Torah is given over to you without your prerogative to manipulate it. You can’t finagle on Torah. This is it. Once and for all you’re going to accept a new way of thinking, and that’s it; no ifs ands or buts. And that was their sin, that they hadn’t surrendered their minds to Hashem’s word, to Hashem’s thoughtscompletely.You can’t make any deviation this way or that way. Maybe you think something else would be better? Nothing doing! You must say, “Who cares what I think?!” That’s humility.Humility means our minds don’t function. Of course theydofunction, but they function only according to thoughts of Hashem.Torah is the best kind of thinking and it helps our minds to develop, but the foundation is subjugating our thoughts to His.Our minds must be humbled before the thoughts of the Torah and not operate on our own conscience; we think and act only within the guidelines of Hashem. And that’s called service of Hashem, to be humbled before Hakadosh Baruch Hu so greatly, so intensely, that your mind is willing to accept everything.TIMES HAVENOTCHANGEDOnce you accept the Torah, your mind is going to think only according to the teachings of the Torah.And even though it might seem to you that times have changed, maybe ideas should be changed now, but we are humbled before Hashem, and we made the commitment,na’aseh v’nishma,to be humble before Him forever and ever. That’s the nation ofanavim.That’s the hallmark of theAm Yisroel.We are bent over before the Torah, before the majesty of the Torah ideals, and we’re always listening to the Torah and trying to think according to the directives that the Torah gives us.And it was thecheit ha’eigel,and its punishment that reverberates through all the generations, that impresses upon us forever the importance of remaining loyal to the thoughts of Hashem in all of their details. And when Moshe Rabeinu finally came down from the mountain, he took the most extreme reaction possible: “And I broke theluchosbefore your eyes” (Devarim 9:17). “You’re not ready forAnochi Hashem Elokechayet. If you want to alter even a small detail of the Torah, if you want to rely in any way on your own way of thinking, then that’s already a destruction of the whole Torah, and there’s no need for theluchosat all.”CREATING A TORAH MINDAnd it was this most extreme reaction of Moshe Rabeinu that impressed upon the nation forever the urgency of complying precisely with the law. When the people witnessed the miraculousluchos, engraved by the finger of Hashem Himself, dashed on the rocks to pieces, they were taught forever the urgency of fearing every detail of the law, because every detail is the thought of Hashem, and even the slightest of deviations is a deviation from the only truth in this world.And when we read in the Torah about this incident of so many years ago, we impress upon our minds the same lesson that they learned when they saw the wordsAnochi Hashem Elokechashatter before their eyes; that we must forever consult the Mind of Hashem, the infinite Intelligence, and only by means of Hashem’s thoughts are our minds perfected. And by means of a lifetime of perfecting our minds, by constantly thinking the thoughts of Hashem and guarding our minds against any adulteration of His perfect thoughts, we prepare ourselves for the great day when we will stand before Hashem and present to Him the culmination of our life work, the creation of a Torah mind.Go Back See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. This podcast has been graciously sponsored by JewishPodcasts.fm. There is much overhead to maintain this service so please help us continue our goal of helping Jewish lecturers become podcasters and support us with a donation: https://thechesedfund.com/jewishpodcasts/donate

Robes of SplendorPart I.TheBigdei KehunaTHE KOHEN WHO ISNOTA KOHENAnyone who has learned even a little bit, knows that akohenis the only one who is qualified to do theavodahin theBeis Hamikdash;and if somebody else, azar, would attempt to do it, then no matter how well he would follow all the details of theavodah,it’s profaned, it’s renderedpossul. But in this week’sparshawe learn that even akohencan sometimes be considered azar, a stranger to thekehunah, and profane theavodahas well. Akohenmust wear fourbegadimwhen he does theavodahin theBeis Hamikdash.He needs akesones– a tunic;michnasaim– something like trousers, pants;amigba’as– something on his head like a hat, and anavneit– a belt. Those are the four garments.Now suppose akohenwas missing one of hisbegadim; he was missing his belt let’s say. So he put on his regular belt, his leather belt from his home, and went into theBeis Hamikdashto do theavodah. What could he do already? He was stuck! And it’s only a belt after all. Sochazaltell us that if he’s missingeven oneof the four garments, he’s called amechusar begadim,and the wholeavodahispossul; it’s completely worthless. So not only are thebigdei kehunahלכבוד ולתפארת,garments “for honor and for beauty” (Tetzaveh 28:2),but they were a requirement of the avodah that could not be dispensed with at all.CLOTHES MAKE A MANHow do we know this? Ourparshatells us: וחגרת אותם אבנט אהרן ובניו וחבשת להם מגבעות והיתה להם כהונה לחקת עולם – “And gird them with belts, wrap their heads with turbans, and it should be for them the priesthood forever” (Tetzaveh 29:9). What does that mean, that a kohen’s belt and turban should be for him hiskehunah? And thegemarasays (Zevachim 17b) as follows: בזמן שבגדיהם עליהם כהונתם עליהם, only when akohenputs on his garments, that’s when he’s akohen; but if he’s missing his belt, or any of the otherbigdei kehunah,then he’s not akohen;he’s azarnow.And the Torah makes this point again and again. In Parshas Vayikra (1:5) we’re going to read that the בני אהרן הכהנים, the sons of Aharon, thekohanim, should offer thekorbanos.So the question is: Why does Hashem write the superfluous word “hakohanim” in the Torah? The “sons of Aharon” would have described them sufficiently. We already know who Aharon was; that he was thekohen gadol, and that his sons are thekohanim. So what’s this extra word הכהנים doing here? And thegemara(Zevachim 18a) says that הכהנים means: בכהונם – the extra word “hakohanim”is teaching us that they have to be in theirkehuna,that they have to bedressedlikekohanim. He has to be wearing his official garments. If akohenperforms theavodahmissing even just one of his garments, then he’s not akohen. He’s azar. He’s like a stranger, a non-kohen, who is offering up offerings, and he profanes theavodah.Now that’s a remarkable thing to say. Because we know that heisakohen. He’s from the seed of Aharon HaKohen.He’s descended from Aharon HaKohen – so he’s akohen!And thekohenis serving Hashem. He knows what it means to bring akorban; he studied and prepared for a career ofkehuna. And there’s no doubt that he reviewed the details of theavodahbefore he came to theBeis Hamikdashfor his week of work in the service of Hashem. And yet if he lacks one of thebegadim, he’s not considered akohen. And theavodahis profaned because it was performed by a “non-kohen.” That’s what thechazalsay. He’snotakohen! בזמן שבגדיהם עליהם כהונתם עליהם. He has to wear the garments ofkehunahto be akohen.WEARING AGARTELOR LEARNING MUSSAR?It’s a difficult thing to understand. That thebegadimshould be so important?! Wearing the garments, after all, is a superficial thing. If you would say he has to learn for two hoursmussar, all right. If there would be a condition that before thekohencan do theavodah, he should learnMesillas Yesharimfor two hours, that would be easier to understand. Because his mind becomes elevated and he becomes impressed with the importance of themitzvahthat he is going to do. Two hours ofMesillas Yesharim, or another goodseferlikeChovos Halevavossurely will elevate thekohen’smind in preparation for the great act of serving Hashem in theBeis Hamikdash.All right; at leastthatwe can understand.But that’s not what we’re saying here. Here it’s only the putting on of the garments that makes a difference. Even though he’s not thinking at all! Suppose thekohenput on the garments and then he did theavodahwithout thinking at all . It’s a kosheravodah! So we see that it’s just the perfunctory and external act of wearing the garments that matters. And that’s a big question: Why is the superficial act of putting on a uniform so important? Why dothe garmentsmake him akohen?THE SECRET OF THE POLICE ACADEMYSo we’ll explain it like this. You know, when you see a policeman in a blue uniform, so to some extent you think that this man is standing on the right the side of the law. That’s what you believe instinctively. But really why should that be? We know that many times the policemen are recruited from the alleys of Bensonhurst; and if you would have known him back then, you would have seen that he was on the other side of the law. But today he puts on a blue vest, blue pants and a funny looking cap, and now this former troublemaker becomes an upholder of law and order. He even gets angry when someone is breaking the law!Now I’m not saying that he’s going to be able to withstand big temptations; if someone offers him big money, he could easily do anything. But ordinarily we feel some level of confidence that this former lawbreaker is now on the side of law and order. And there’s something behind that feeling; this man is something different than he once was.THE MONKEY COPHow could that be? I’ll tell you how it happens. There’s something to wearing clothing; there’s something profound in a uniform. Because Mankind; black, white, brown, yellow, any color, it doesn’t matter, all of Mankind is innately endowed with profound emotions. And very often, it’s clothing that will bring them out to the fore. The uniform changes them! Because any decent person is affected by a uniform. It makes them feel that it’s their responsibility; they stand for something important now.Now that’s a greatness of mankind; if you put a blue uniform on a baboon you wouldn’t accomplish much. But these “baboons,” you see them in front of a store wearing a badge and holding a stick, and now they’re on the side of law and order. Yesterday he used to walk out of the store without paying, his pockets bulging, and now he’s wearing his police uniform and you trust him to arrest theotherfellow with bulging pockets. That’s the efficacy of a uniform, the impression that clothing makes on the one who wears it.Part II.The Greatness of ExteriorityA POLICEMAN OR A RAVThat outward demonstration means something and we shouldn’t disdain it. And that’s the great principle that we spoke about here many times. TheMesillasYesharimexpresses this important idea with the following words: החיצוניות מעוררת את הפנימיות – “Your exteriority stimulates your interiority” (Perek 7). If you dress like afrumJew, like amentch– even though you’re not – then in the course of time, you’re going to change. You’re going to start becoming a decent person. Absolutely, it’s going to have an effect on you. Because by putting on the uniform you already assume in your mind a certain responsibility, certain attitudes. You identify with the uniform you wear, and your clothing elicits from deep in your soul the innate greatness; it evokes profound ideals and attitudes that are laying there dormant. It’s something that we have to know; it’s actually a fact that people are changed by their garments; clothes make the man.There’s no question that it’s true. Take a man, and you put on him anitztilahd’rabanan, you give him the garments of arav, and you make him sit up front in the shul, so he acquires a certain compassion for human beings. Otherwise he’ll just walk his selfish way in life; but because of what he wears, he instinctively tries to live up to what his garments are saying.L’havdil, arav, and a policeman, but it’s true of everybody.THEPNIMIYUSDIGEHBUM AND THE TWO-LEGGED HORSENow it’s important to take note of the fact that it works just as well the other way too. If you take a pair of ragged jeans and you put them on a human being, so he becomes a bum. I’m not saying only that he looks like a bum; inwardly hebecomesa bum. When people dress like bums, they are bums. It’s a principle that human beings are what their garments are. Anybody who walks, let’s say with cloth shoes; he doesn’t put on any real shoes, just cloth shoes, so that’s what he becomes. Or he wears a painted shirt or long hair, whatever it is; anything that ischitzoniyus, is reallypnimiyus. If he dresses like a tramp, he thereby becomes inwardly also a tramp.I’ll give you another example. A person who dresses with dignity, he’s identifying himself with the self-respecting element of society. He keeps his body covered because he identifies with the dignity oftzelem Elokim.Because a half-naked person is like a horse. You see all of his limbs, just like a horse trotting down the street. A horse is naked, and although you can see the difference between a human being and a horse, nevertheless the comparison is overwhelming. You see his muscles moving, his shoulders moving. Did you ever look at a policeman’s horse in the street as it’s walking? You see the muscles between the legs and the thighs working, pulsating. And when people walk in the street today, and they try to display as much of the body as they can, it should remind you of a horse. A donkey also has shoulders like that, and thighs that move like that.But not only is it that theylooklike horses to us; they’re actually identifying with horses, they becomebeheimos. That’s all it is! It’s horses walking down Kings Highway. To show off your body means that you’re the same as a good police horse walking down the street flexing its muscles, showing off its big legs, its big behind. It’s waving its tail. The horse is proud of herself. But what is it really? It’s a horse after all. It’s nothing but abeheimah.If you walk half naked down Ocean Parkway, what you are is a horse waving its tail; you’re identifying with the horses that used to trot down Ocean Parkway naked. Because it’s how you behave on the outside, how you dress, that becomes the foundation of what’s really important, yourpnimiyus.THE CRAZY YESHIVA BACHURThere’s no question that a person wears certain types of garments in order to identify with those people that he admires and wants to be a part of. We see it all the time. Here you have a young man – a Jewish boy – walking on the sidewalk. And what does he have on his head? A baseball cap! I’m not talking now about a cap to keep his head covered; it’s notstama hat. No, he’s wearing the cap ofhisbaseball team. Yanks, Mets! There’s a fashion nowadays in society to wear baseball caps in order to identify with certain teams. Ameshugas!It’s worse than ameshugas.Ayeshivabochurstopped me on the street last week to ask me if he could wear the baseball cap of his team into a shul, abeis medrash. I was thinking, “Meshugena!Intoshul?! Even on the street you shouldn’t wear such a thing. A cap of the Yankees means that you identify yourself with people who have no heads. Underneath such a cap is an empty mind. People who go to see a baseball game and they see a fellow with a stick and he slams the ball and everybody goes wild about thistzadik. A homerun! Those people aremeshuga’im!It’s a world of foolish things and you want to identify with that world?! And therefore, you should never wear a baseball cap like that. Because if you do, that’s who you identify with. You might become a Yankees-man, or a Mets-man. But you’re not going to be a man for Hashem.IDENTIFYING WITH YOUR CLOTHINGBut what we learn from thebigdei kehunahis that person can utilize his clothing in the opposite way. Using your clothing to identify yourself with the servants of Hashem, with theAm Yisroel,is one of the easiest ways to grow great in the eyes of Hashem. Because when akohenputs on thebegadim,he’s taking a very important step in the service of Hashem; he’s dressing the part and identifying with theovdei Hashem.And it’s so important that it changes the nature of hisavodah. He’s wearing thebegadimof a servant of Hashem, so he’s akohennow; anevedHashem.He’s not azar.So you might say, “Is that the sole incentive? You mean akohendoesn’t have anything to inspire him except some outward garments?! Thekohenhas to study for years, and he has to understand the importance of theavodah. So what could clothing add to that?!” And the answer is that itdoesadd something; it adds thechitzoniyus. And we’re going to see now that this exteriority, thechitzoniyusof wearing garments, is much more important than you could have ever imagined.THE SECRET TO JEWISH SURVIVALYou know that the Torah describes thebigdei kehunahasbigdei s’rad, which in its most simple understanding means “garments of officiating” (Vayikra 1:5). But the wordsbigdei s’radare not common in the Torah, and ourchachomim(Yoma 72a) took note of that: מאי דכתיב את בגדי השרד לשרת בקודש – “What does the Torah mean when it refers to thebigdei kehuna,the priestly garments, asbigdei ha’srad?”Why does the Torah choose the words’radas the description of thebegadimthat thekohanimwear when serving in theBeis Hamikdash?And the cryptic answer that is given reads as follows: אלמלא בגדי כהונה לא נשתייר מישראל שריד ופליט – “If it weren’t for the priestly garments, there wouldn’t be left even a small remnant, as’rad, from the Jewish people; nothing at all would remain.” That’s why they’re calledbigdei s’rad; because in another meaning the words’radmeans a remnant. And it’s because of thebigdei kehunathat the Jewish nation was able to survive! We’re around today because of the fourbegadimthat akohenwore in theBeis Hamikdash.Now that’s a very queer and puzzling statement. At that time when there was aBeis Hamikdashandkohanimwore their garments, they weren’t merely serving Hakodosh Boruch Hu according to the laws ofkehunahjust at that moment; they were building up a reserve ofyeshua, preservation and eternity for the Jewish nation forever and ever. אלמלא בגדי כהונה – “If not for thebigdeikehunah, לא נשתייר מישראל שריד ופליט – nothing would have remained of us.”LET THEM GNASH!TheAm Yisroelhas survived a longgolusin the midst of our enemies. And even in good times, when they’re not making trouble for us, not trying to kill us, but they’re always degrading our ideals, our attitudes, our way of life. And yet we’re still here. Not only are we here, but we’re growing,boruch Hashem. Thegoyimare gnashing their teeth, but they can’t help it. Let them gnash! There’s still asarid, a remnant, of theAm Yisroelleft. Andchazalare telling us here that it’s because of thebigdei s’rad,because there was a time whenkohanimworebigdeikehunain theBeis Hamikdash, at that time in our history they earned for our nation the right to existforever.Now, it was a habit for many of them I’m sure, what to wear, how to dress. And it could be that they were thinking about other things at the time, could be. But what we’re learning here is that the mere fact that thekohendressed like a servant of Hashem, was such a tremendous success for him, that he accomplished something that would last forever and ever for theAm Yisroel.FOLLOWING THE ROYAL PROTOCOLNow, once we understand this, that dressing like a servant Hashem, is actually an eternal preservation for theAm Yisroel, that should cause us to appreciate the importance of our dress much more than we ever did before. If the fact that we’re here today is due to the demonstration of thekohanimin those years when they served in theBeis Hamikdashwearing theirbigdei kehunah, so we begin to realize the importance of thebegadimthatwewear. אלמלא בגדי כהונה – “If not for thebigdeikehunah, לא נשתייר מישראל שריד ופליט –nothing would have remained of us.”Because when akohenput on hisbegadim,what was he demonstrating after all? He was saying “This is the house where Hashem dwells, and I am His servant!” The servant of a mortal king,l’havdil, dresses in a certain way. It’s an honor for the king when all of hismisharsim, all of his servants, follow a certain protocol in their dress. And the way the servant dresses, affects his behavior, and in the course of time, he becomes different. And therefore, when thekohenputs on thebigdeikehunah,when he dresses like akohen, he’s actually changing himself. It’s very important that he should know that he’s dressedl’kavod u’lisiferes.He has to be dressed in these glorious garments because they make him feel like he is a servant of Hashem. And therefore akohencan only rise to the heights required of him when he is dressed in thebigdei s’rad. By wearing thebigdei avodah, he becomes a servant of Hashem. An oldkohenis someone who has been transformed in character. He’s becoming someone different, no question about it.Part III.Modern Day Bigdei KehunaTAILORED ITALIAN SUITSAnd don’t think thatbigdei kehunaare only forkohanim. Because we’re learning here that even by a superficial exterior demonstration that you’re aneved Hashem,you have already achieved something for yourselfand for your nation forever and ever.אלמלא בגדי כהונה – “If not for thebigdeikehunah, לא נשתיירו מישראל שריד ופליט – nothing would have remained of us.” When we wear our clothing, it’s not merely a superficial act that means nothing; it’s the preservation of theAm Yisroel. You don’t wear clothing the same way that Mr. Giavano, your Italian neighbor, wears clothing. Oh no! The clothes that we wear mean more than you ever imagined. When we walk among the gentiles, and even among ourselves, wearing ouryarmulkehs, our hats, oursheitelech,our long sleeves, our long skirts, ourtzitzis, our long jackets or short jackets, our white shirts, ourkapotehs –whatever it is that you wear to show that you’re aneved Hashem– you’re a walkingkiddush Hashem! Because what are we saying with our clothes? We’re saying to the world, no matter how dark it gets, no matter how much foolishness andapikorsisfill the world, and no matter how much you try to entice us, we’re still standing proud and we’re here to stay. We’re a stubborn people – we’re the עם קשי עורף – and we’re not going anywhere.And therefore, we dress the part of the stubborn nation. We’re proudly showing that we belong to Hashem and that it will be that way forever and ever. We’re stubborn about it too! We’re proud of our dress; we’re demonstrating strength of character and loyalty, and that’s what preserves us forever. Of course, some might go lost. It’s a tragedy, but you’ll always have some weaklings in a great nation – stragglers, the נחשלים אחריך, who don’t stand strong for their ideals, who get cut off from our people. But on a national scale, we’re here forever. And we know that Hashem will keep us around forever, because we’re hereonly for Him. And that’s why we’re dressing for Him!THE MAN IN THE YELLOW HATWe’re learning here a tremendous lesson, the lesson ofchitzoniyus,howimportant the outwardliness that a person displays is. Let’s say we’re talking about what it means to put on a black hat. So you’ll say, “What difference does it make? I’m afrumJew and my head is full of Torah. Who cares what I put on my head?! A gray hat? A blue hat? No hat? Who cares about the hat? It’s just superficialities! I’m not that way; I’mreal!”“Oh no!”we tell you. A black hat makes a difference, all the difference in the world. It’s not the color black that matters, it’s who you are identifying with. If theroshei yeshivawore yellow hats, then we’d wear yellow hats. If they woresombreros, so that’s what we’d wear as well. When a Jew puts on a black hat, you have to know that it’snotjust aminhag. A black hat means something; you’re identifying with the Torah community; it’s anateres tiferes,a crown of glory. You’re identifying with theroshei yeshivos,with themekomosHaTorah, with all the people who areshlomeiemunaiYisroel. And that’s a tremendous demonstration.A BLACK HAT IS NOT EVERYTHING…And it’s not only the hat. Ayarmulkehis also something. Yourtzitzishanging out of your pants. Your white shirt, yourpeyos.Whatever it is, you’re identifying with the Am Hashem. It’s such an achievement, that the entire world should be jealous of you. And once a person demonstrates outwardly that he belongs to Hakodosh Boruch Hu, that man has succeeded in one of the biggest achievements in life. That man is wearingbigdeikehunahand he has come close to Hashem inchitzoniyus, in exteriority. And in this function he is succeeding as much as thekohanimdid in theBeis Hamikdash .Now it doesn’t mean you’re already exceptional. Other people also have black hats. But compared to the outside world, you’re an aristocrat, by wearing a black hat. I saw a little boy today wearing a black hat. He wanted to look like somebody important; and hewillbe important someday. But even right now, he is already important because of his hat. That’s our people! We are a nation that is proud of who we are. Because who are we? We are Hashem’s children.THE TZITZIS GO INTO HIDINGThat’s why it’s so good to live in afrumJewish neighborhood. Everybody takes histzitzisout in afrumJewish neighborhood. You know, when people start walking from afrumneighborhood to a not sofrumneighborhood, little by little thetzitzisstart going into the pants. After a while, twenty blocks later, you can’t see thetzitzisanymore. You pass a person, you have no idea that he’s a Jew. He’s dressed like all thegoyim. Only that if you’re tall enough, you can see a smallyarmulkahperched on top of his head. Now, even that is something. Even a smallyarmulkehis somethingmi’einthebigdei kehuna,and we’re not going to begrudge that small donation to the cause. He’s amoideh b’miktzas,and even that is an opportunity for greatness.But in afrumneighborhood everyone is wearing theirtzitzisout. Little boys with bigyarmulkahsandtzitzis. All the women are dressedbi’tzniyus.You don’t see any uncovered arms. Everybody is dedicated in theirchitzoniyusto Hashem. That’s why I say that the best place to live is Williamsburg. If you go to Boro Park that’s also good. You walk in the streets, everybody is wearingpeyos. Everyone is showing that he’s afrumJew, aneved Hashem.Everybody!THEBIGDEI KEHUNAHOF BAIS YAAKOV GIRLSYou don’t know what a tremendous achievement that is for them. It’s a greathatzlacha, even if they’re not thinking about anything except for business. Maybe they’re thinking aboutmachlokestoo – who cares what they’re thinking about! At least he’s looking like afrumJew and he wouldn’t change hischitzoniyusfor anything! You have to know what it means, how much of akiddush Hashemit is when the Jewish nation shows an allegiance to Hashem in theirchitzoniyus. And that’s why I say that the morefrumthe neighborhood is, the better are your chances in attaining this easy achievement ofhachitzoniyus m’oireres es hapnimiyus.There’s nothing more beautiful than a Jewishfrumneighborhood that’s crowded with theAm Hashem;crowded with people who are demonstrating through their dress that they are proud of who they are. I was in the street yesterday and I saw a pack of twenty, maybe thirty girls walking down the street – walking home from theBeis Yaakov.Thirty girls wearing long skirts. All wearingtzniyusdigehuniforms. But I didn’t seeBeis Yaakovuniforms – I sawbigdei kehuna! Because that was the greatness of the garments that akohenwore. He was proudly identifying himself with those who understand that their purpose in this world is to serve Hashem.“I AM FOR HASHEM!”Today I was walking on Kings Highway and it was very hot. And achossidis walking past me with a longkapoteh. He was trying to get business from the stores, that they should buy his merchandise. Now, he didn’t take off hiskapotehas he walked down the street. He was sweating, but he wouldn’t think of taking it off. That’s his uniform, that’s hisbigdei shareis.Andhe’s happy with it. He wears akapoteh, he wearspayos. He’s achassidesheman walking in Flatbush among naked people – people without hats, people who have nothing in their heads, they don’t think about Hashem at all. And here’s this one man walking down the street advertising, “I am for Hashem!”And maybe he’s not even thinking about that. He’s trying to get customers to buy his kosher chocolates and his kosher cookies. He’s walking into stores doing his own business, but as he walks in and out of the stores, and down the street, we see a man who is advertising that there is a Hakodosh Boruch Hu in the world. So you should know that this man is wearingbigdei kehunah. It’s such an achievement that the entire world should be jealous of him.And what I’m telling you now applies to every Jewish woman as well. She’s wearing asheitel, or atichelorsnood, it doesn’t matter what it is, because as she walks down the street she’s an aristocrat walking among among thebeheimos– those who identify with the horses. A woman who covers her hair, she covers her arms and her legs, it’s not merely a superficial act of following some “rules” of modesty. No; it’s much much more than that. She’s identifying with theAm Yisroel!She’s demonstrating that she’s aneved Hashem.HASHEM WANTS YOUR MIND!We’re talking now about the person who demonstrates that he belongs to Hashem, that’s the point. You show you belong to Hashem. And even though it’s superficial it’s a tremendous achievement. Externalities are also prized by Hashem. And it’s written down to your record that you are a servant of Hashem, that you have achieved the greatness of the nobility of exteriority.You’re not embarrassed; you’re proud to stand out, to be different, and you’re walking around all day proclaiming, “I am for Hashem.” And that makes all the difference in the world. Because when a person demonstrates outwardly that he belongs to Hakodosh Boruch Hu, that person has succeeded in one of the biggest achievements that life offers. He has come close to Hashem inchitzoniyus,in exteriority.Now, make no mistake. It’s notpnimiyus. You’re not gaining all the greatness of the qualities and attitudes that you earn only by years of study and thinking.And I’m not going to say that this is all you need to do; by no means. רחמנא ליבא בעי, Hashem wants yourpnimiyus, your mind; certainly that’s what He wants from you. Hashem puts a great emphasis on the mind, no question about it. How valuable it is to learn and to fill your mind with noble concepts! Learnseforim,agadata,yiras shamayim; there’s no end to the thoughts that are necessary for you to fill your mind with. LearnChovos Halevavos, Mesillas Yesharim, Kuzari also.All the greatseforim; Rabbeinu YonahonMishlei, Rabbeinu YonahonPirkei Avos, RambamonPirkei Avos, Rambam Hilchos Dei’os, Hilchos Teshuva.There’s so much to learn. And it’s all necessary! Don’t think that it’s just a luxury. It’s a lifetime of filling your mind with great ideals. And Hakodosh Boruch Hu wants that.But despite the great virtue of becoming a man of interiority, ofpnimiyus, we should not underestimate the value of the superficial demonstration of being afrumJew. It’s so precious! Even though you’re not thinking about anything, no philosophy, noamkus; you’re not thinking about theMesillas Yesharimor theChovos Halevavos.You’re just thinking, “I’m afrumJew; I’m proud, I’m happy that I can demonstrate my loyalty to Hashem by means of mybigdei kehunah.” The man who is happy that he is afrumJew, and he dresses like a frum Jew, that itself is a tremendous achievement for the servant of Hashem, and it’s a terrible mistake to begrudge that greatness. Because even by a superficial exterior demonstration that you’re anevedHashem, you should know that you have achieved something great for yourself.Part IV.Putting It Into PracticeWE’RE JUST AT THE BEGINNINGBut I must tell you that everything we spoke about tonight is actually only the beginning of theavodahof wearing thebegadimof a servant of Hashem. Because even in this superficialavodah,theavodahofchitzoniyus,there are higher and higher levels on the ladder of coming close to Hashem. And so we’ll take the little time we have left to try to step off the first rung, and to continue climbing higher. We’ll start by quoting words from theChovos Halevavos,words that I’ve said here many times before. המחשבה נמשכת אחר הדיבור – “Your thoughts, yourpnimiyus, will pattern themselves after the words that you say”. And that idea introduces us to another level of opportunity in growing great from thechitzoniyusofbegadim.Because when we consider these two aspects, thechitzoniyusand thepnimiyus; as much as possible let us combine them, and endeavor to use ourchitzoniyusas a building block forpnimiyus. The exteriority of dressing like afrumJew can be utilized to achieve even greater perfection when it is amalgamated with thinking and speaking.Now, I’ll give you a practical suggestion. Every morning when you put on your clothing, don’t go through the motions like you’ve been doing for so many years. Don’t spend the rest of your life putting on clothing without thinking anything at all. You know that many people, when they get dressed in the morning, they put in as much thought to their clothes as a horse would if he was getting dressed. Putting on clothing in the morning is a demonstration – a demonstration to others, and more importantly to yourself. And what you should be telling yourself as you put on your clothes ishow important you are. I know that this is a new idea to most people and that’s why I’m stressing it: When you put on your shirt, your skirt, your hat, whatever it is, it’s like saying, “I now declare that I am the choicest of all creation. Hashem has chosen me and therefore I am great! Garments declare who I am!” The main gift of garments is the honor they give you. A great man once said, מאני מכבדותא, “Garments are my honor” (Shabbos 113b).YOU BELONG TO SOMEONE VERY IMPORTANT!You should practice thinking, “Hashem has made me great. Not only has He clothed me with the garments of a human being, but He has clothed me with garments that signify the greatness of the Jewish people.” Let’s say you’re putting on achassideshelevush;you’re putting on certainbegadimthat you’re accustomed to wear in yourkehilla.Soyou should do it with a great sense of achievement. It’s an opportunity, azechusto demonstrateto yourself“I’m aneved Hashem.” That’s what you’re doing it for. Are you putting on thesebegadimbecause you want to show that you belong to a certainkehilah? No, that’s not what you’re demonstrating. You want to show that you belong to this and thisrebbeh? That’s not the purpose! You belong to Someone much more important than that; you belong to Hashem! And the more thought you add to yourkapoteh, to your round hat, and to whatever else you wear to demonstrate that you belong to Him, the greater you become.You shouldn’t let any opportunity go to waste. You have nicepeyos, and you want to hang them around the front of your face. All right, that’s beautiful. Of course, it makes you look good; there’s no question about it. But you should utilize them as a catalyst to think and to say with your mouth, “I’m doing this to show that I belong to Hashem.” Don’t be ashamed; as much as possible, when nobody’s listening say it. And each time you say it, you’re impressing into your mind more and more the perfection of character that you came into this world to achieve.THE KING OF ENGLAND’S DUNCE CAPNow there’s not much labor involved there. But it’s still a tremendous achievement just to think these thoughts. If during the day you take a nap or you took off your hat for some other reason, you’re wearing something else, ayarmulkeh, and later you put on your hat again, utilize that opportunity. “I am putting a crown on my head. Even if it would be a crown that is made of gold and diamonds, it would be nothing when compared to my sixty or eighty dollar black hat.” Your black hat is a crown that is more precious than the crown of the King of England. He keeps his crown in a special place, locked up in a safe, with guards around it. But it’s nothing! It’s a dunce cap compared to your hat. Your hat is anateres tiferes,a crown of glory for you.And suppose you don’t own a black hat. But you have ayarmulkeh;that also is a crown of glory. Ayarmulkehis worth more than all the crowns of all the emperors that ever reigned. Let’s say somebody walked in here tonight and sat down and on his head was a diadem, a crown made of gold with diamonds and rubies set into it. We wouldn’t take our eyes off of it. We’d stare at him. But it’s a waste of time. It’s a dunce cap. It’s a piece of paper, it’s nothing. Look at Jew with ayarmulkeh, or with a black hat, and you’ll see a person who is crownedwith what Hashem considers a crown!A crown oftiferes– of beauty and glory – the crown of someone who is proud to belong to theAm Yisroel,proud to belong to Hashem. That’s what a Jewish head covering is.THE GLORIOUSTICHELAnd it doesn’t have to be a hat. A woman who is going to put on asheitelortichel, or even a snood – it doesn’t matter; whatever she’s wearing that’s what she’s doing; she’s demonstrating that she’s aneved Hashem.The holy women who wear their hair covered at all times; their arms are covered, and they wear dresses that are proper lengths, you have to know that they’re doing a service to Hashem. Hakodosh Baruch Hu considers them likekohanimwearing thebigdeikehunah. And they should be thinking that. And if you want to be really great, then don’t just think the words. When nobody is listening you can say,“I’m so lucky that I have the good fortune to be part of theAm Yisroeland to wear this glory on my head, the glory of demonstrating that I am anevedHashem.”So how could we waste such an opportunity? Why shouldn’t we utilize that? When you cover your head, when you put on yourtzitzis, your belt, your jacket, your white shirt, you can combine these two great principles, theavodahof the mind, and theavodahofchitzoniyus, ofmalbushim. And if you do that every time, you should know that you’re living a rich and successful life. I say “every time;” even once in a while is a tremendous achievement! And if you do it always thenashreichem!CITY OF EMPERORSAnd once you understand whatbigdei kehunahmean, so it’s not onlyyourclothing that becomes an opportunity for greatness. When you see any Jewish man with a black hat, you understand that he is a prince wearing a crown. You should practice that on the street. “That man is crowned withateres tiferes –a crown of glory – a crown that is more important that the most expensive diadem.” Imagine you decide right now, you’re thinking, “From now on whenever I put on my black hat, or I see my children, my little boys putting on theirbar mitzvahblack hats, or if I’ll see people wearing black hats in the street, so I’ll teach myself to understand that they are crowns of gold and diamonds.” It’s glorious! It’s more than the ermine cloaks and the golden necklaces of the emperors. They are nothing – absolutely worthless – when compared to the garments of a plain frum man or woman who are dressed in the way that the Torah requires. And once you’ve learned this lesson, you can do the same when you see the Satmererchossidwearing his hat, your neighbor wearingtzitzis, or your wife wearing hersheitel. Now you’re already living a life of success! You’re combining the greatness ofchitzoniyuswith the perfection ofpnimiyus, and achieving the true greatness of thebigdei kehunaheven without theBeis Hamikdash.And therefore, we begin to understand what a great loss it is to live our lives without thought, מצות אנשים מלומדה, doing things only out of habit. Of course, it’s very good to be externally afrumJew. Of course it’s a merit – it’s a greatzechusto look like afrumJew. We learned that tonight: אלמלא בגדי כהונה, if not for thebigdei kehunah,לא נשתייר מישראל שריד ופליט,we wouldn’t be around anymore. And it’s true; we’re only around because of our dedication to Hashem inchitzoniyus. But when you live a life of understanding how to utilize thechitzoniyus, you’ll see that there’s no end of opportunities for greatness. And when people live that way, when they train themselves to react to the external stimuli, that’s a life of great success. Even for those who never filled their minds with any thoughts of copious Torah knowledge, even if you didn’t get thepnimiyusthat you can get fromseforim,you can utilize all of your externalities to stimulate your mind to live a rich and successful life.WE WALK THE SAME PATH AS THEKOHANIMAnd it’s an accomplishment that is so precious that it was considered an accomplishment that would last forever and ever for theAm Yisroel. אלמלא בגדי כהונה לא נשתיירו מישראל שריד ופליט. The merit of thebigdeikehunah, of wearing the uniform of the servant of Hashem, standsforeveras a merit to protect theAm Yisroel, because we’re doing the same today.The fact that we are here today, is in no small part due to those days when thekohanimstood in theBeis Hamikdash,wearing thebigdeikehunah, teaching us the important lesson of utilizing the exteriority to dedicate ourselves to Hashem.The more thefrumJews show theirfrumkeit, even externally, the more of azechuswe have to remain around forever.Frummen,frumwomen,frumboys and girls who by means of their dress, demonstrate that they belong to Hashem, are participating in the greatk’vod shamayimof teaching ourselves and proclaiming to the world as well, that there is one Hashem and that we are forever dedicated to Him. And He gives us, just for that alone, the merit of continuing to exist in this world forever and ever. אלמלא בגדי כהונה לא נשתייר מישראל שריר ופליט. It’s the great achievement of demonstrating our loyalty to Hashem with our clothing, our externalities, that has given theAm Yisroelthe merit to continue to exist. And therefore, the more we use our clothing and externalities to serve Hashem, and to become profoundly influenced by the lessons of thebigdei kehunah, the more we preserve the existence of theAm Yisroelforever and ever. HAVE A WONDERFUL SHABBOSGo Back See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. This podcast has been graciously sponsored by JewishPodcasts.fm. There is much overhead to maintain this service so please help us continue our goal of helping Jewish lecturers become podcasters and support us with a donation: https://thechesedfund.com/jewishpodcasts/donate

The Shechina Rests on YisroelPart I.TheShechinaFinds a HomeTHE MISHKAN IN A NUTSHELLWhen Hakodosh Boruch Hu gave the command to erect aMishkan, the firstBeis Hamikdash, so He stated, ועשו לי מקדש – “And they shall make for Me a place of holiness, an especial place for Me, ושכנתי בתוכם, and I will dwell in their midst” (Terumah 25:8) Now these words are of the utmost importance because we are learning in a nutshell what is meant by theMishkan, and later theBeis Hamikdash– that it’s the place of thehashra’ashashechinah– the place where the Presenceof Hashem comes down to reside. TheMishkanwasn’t a place of prayer and service; it was that too, but actually it was much more than that. It wasthe dwelling place of Hashem.This we must know, that there is such a concept, a fact, that although Hashem is everywhere, there is such a thing as Hashem concentrating HisShechinahin a certain place. ושכנתי בתוכם – “And I will reside among them,” He told us. Hashem chose that He should rest His Presence by theAm Yisroel. It’s an especial afflatus, that Hakodosh Boruch Hu comes to rest in theMishkan, among His people, in an especial way that is not found anywhere else.A NEW NEIGHBOR FOR THE JEWSNow among all the statements found in the Torah, none could be as breathtaking as that one: “I will dwell among My people!” The Creator of the Universe, the מלא כל הארץ כבודו, the One Whose Presence fills the remote distances of space, is coming down to live among us?! Yes, that’s exactly what the Torah states, “Make Me a home, and I shall dwell in their midst. I have chosen theAm Yisroelas that place where I will take up residence.” Hashem forsakes the high heavens and moves into the encampment of the Am Yisroel!It’s a new “neighbor” for the Jewish people!You know, we don’t really think too much when we read thechumash, so we gloss over these words without too much thought, but actually it was an enormouschiddushwhen the Creator of the Universe declared that His Presence would reside in an edifice erected by men. What could be more stunning, more astonishing, than the thought that the Creator of the Universe, whose glory fills the endless remoteness of space, should choose to live in a tabernacle of wood and cloth?! Because what was theMishkanafter all? It wasn’t even a royal palace; it was a portable house made of boards, bars and sockets. Could Hashem reside in such a place? Hashem is infinite and not physical, and His reality transcends any space measurement. He can’t live in a home; it defies all logic.STUNNING MOSHE RABBEINUAnd that’s exactly what Moshe Rabeinu said when he heard these words of Hakodosh Boruch Hu: התחיל מתמיה ואומר – “Moshe was stupefied and he said, כבודו של הקדוש ברוך הוא מלא עליונים ותחתונים והוא אומר עשה לי משכן – The glory of Hashem fills the upper and lower worlds, and yet He says, “Make for Me a place to live?!” It didn’t make any sense to Moshe Rabeinu. אמר הקדוש ברוך הוא לא כשם שאתה סובר אני סובר – So Hakodosh Boruch Hu said to Moshe, “Not as you think, do I think, אלא עשרים קרש בצפון ועשרים בדרום ושמונה במערב – “Just make for Me twenty planks on the north side, twenty on the south, eight on the west side, and that’s enough for Me” (Shemos Rabbah: 34)Now if these words so stunned Moshe Rabeinu that Hakodosh Boruch Hu had to tell him, “Moshe, My servant, You and I think differently,” so we would be well-served if we spent some time studying this stupendous concept that Hashem rested His Presence among theAm Yisroel.What’s so important about an especial building erected for theShechinah? Why is it so important that theShechinahshould come there more than anywhere else? Of course, like I said before, it’s such a vast concept that it can’t be explained in a couple of sentences, but whatever it was, it was an enormous demonstration that Hashem was making: “My Presence will dwell inMachaneh Yisroel,in the encampment of the Jewish Nation in a way that cannot be found anywhere else.” Such a stupendous idea, it pays for us to understand at least superficially.WILDERNESS TOURS LTD.Imagine we are standing on a hill, we’re visiting in themidbar. Let’s say we came from Moav or from Edom as visitors. And one of theBnei Yisroelis standing with us and he’s pointing out to us the sights. So you’re looking out into the distance at theMachaneh Yisroel, the camp of the people. Thousands of tents, all arranged in an orderly fashion. There were roads between the tents, and theshevatimwere all encamped surrounding themachaneh levi’im, the place where thelevi’imlived. And in the middle, in the center of the camp, was themachaneh shechinahwhere a large wooden hut was standing. That’s what you saw as you stood on this hill looking out at theAm Yisroel.So your Jewish tour guide says, “You see there, over there, that’sReuvenin that corner. All those thousands of tents, that’sShevet Reuven.And over there, on the other side, that’s therivevosEfraim. And look on that side, over there, you can see thealfeiMenasheh.” And then he says – he tells you to look through the binoculars, “You see that tent over there, that’s where Betzalel lives. And over there on the left, that’s where Aharon Hakohen resides. And that tent, that’s where Moshe Rabeinu is right now teaching Torah to thezekeinim.”THE EDOMITE LAMDANAnd then, the guide who is showing you the sights, points with his finger, and says, “And there, you see that tent in the middle, that’s where Hakodosh Boruch Hu, the Creator of the World, lives.” So you gasp; you weren’t expecting to hearthat! You’re only a visitor after all. So you look at your guide incredulously, “What do you mean Helivesthere?” So he tells you matter of factly, “Yes, that’s His address. That’s where the Creator of the world lives!”So let’s say you’re a bit of alamdan. Imagine such a thing, alamdanfromEdom. So you ask, “Doesn’t it say (Yeshaya 66:1): כה אמר השם השמים כסאי – “Hashem says, ‘The heavens is My throne,’ והארץ הדום רגלו – and the earth is just a resting stool for My feet.’” The heaven is nothing but a throne for Hashem, and the earth is where He rests His feet. איזה בית אשר תבנו לי – “What kind of house could you build for Me?” So you have akasha, it’s a very goodkashayou asked. But the guide stubbornly tells you, “Look, you can quote all thepesukimyou wish, but this is what Hashem told us. He forsook the high heavens; He has left all of space, the billions of space miles, and He has come down and He has chosenthis placeto dwell. He lives there, among the people.” Now if you were not from theBnei Yisroel,if you were a visitor from some other nation, so you might shrug your shoulders. It’s an interesting thought, but it doesn’t mean much for you. But you’d still be impressed by the conviction and sincerity of the Jewish people.THE MEN OF PERFECTIONBut let’s understand not what a tourist fromEdomor fromAramwould see. What wouldthe Bnei Yisroel themselvessee? When theBnei Yisroellooked at the various tents of the distinguished ones of theAm Yisroel,it wasn’t merely as a person seeing the sights; for them it was a great pride and encouragement. Because these were very great men who lived among us, men of great stature, men of perfection. And our nation was inordinately proud that these great men lived among them. It was such a happiness to pass by the tent of Betzalel and to know that we possess a Betzalel, the man of unmatched artistic abilities who built themishkan– that Betzalel was ours, was a great pride. We were so lucky to have such a rare personality among us.And they were even more proud when they could point to Aharon Hakohen. Aharon is unequaled in history.Aharon k’dosh Hashem, Aharon the holy man of Hashem. Aharon was cited as the apotheosis, the summit of kindliness. בשלום ובמישור הלך עמדי ורבים השיב מעוון. (Malachi 2:6) Aharon was anoheiv shalomand arodef shalom, a man who loved peace. But not in the sense we understand it. Everyone loves peace. But Aharon loved peace with every fiber of his being. He was a man who pursued peace, which means he did everything possible to cause peace, tranquility and happiness between human beings. His life was devoted to that. אוהב את הבריות, He loved people, ומקרבן לתורה, and he brought them close to Torah too. And therefore when they pointed to his tent and they said, “This is the residence ofAharonk’dosh Hashem,” they said it with an inspiration and a pride.SMELLY NEIGHBORSSuppose somebody would be able to point out, “In my neighborhood there lives, let’s say – now I’m sorry I have to use such a comparison; I want to wash my mouth when I get through, but let’s say someone would say, “You see down the block; Beethoven lives over there!” Beethoven! The rents would go up in all the apartments in the neighborhood; the price of real estate would skyrocket. Now really it should plummet! Everybody should move out as quickly as possible. Because wherever these big musical geniuses lived, if you had an especial ability to smell, you would have to hold your nose. Because musical ability and purity of character by no means have to go together. And often they don’t. Like somebody gave me a clipping this week; the great musician Leopold Stokowski, the conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra, acclaimed the world over as a musical genius. So he boasted, he himself boasted to his musician friends, that he utilized the wives of the members of his orchestra. You understand now, that’s the bravado, the boasting heroics from one musician to another. So I’m sorry that we have to sink to such depths in order to appreciate this subject. But it’s important for us to understand the subject at hand.Now if Stokowski lived on this block I’m afraid people would not hold their noses. I’m afraid they would vie with each other to try to move in. And they’d like to be somewhere on the block when pictures are being snapped of him. At least they could point someday and say, “You see that little dot way out in in the background? That’s me!” And it would be such a pride that they’d show it to their grandchildren. That’s because people today lost their sense of smell altogether.VISITING PARSHANDASA’S HOMEBoruch Hashem, we don’t have to take pride in Stokowskis. We can take pride in those who are truly great men. If we could visit the sanctuary where Rashi Hakodosh spent his years! It’s in a little town in Germany, in Worms, Vermeiseh. It’s kept as a museum today, but that means nothing to us. If we would walk into that place, we’d walk in on tip-toe; it’sadmas kodesh. You’re walking into a place that is the heart of the Jewish people, thekodesh kodoshimof our nation. The place where Rashi sat and studied the Torah, and the room where he wrote his commentaries on the entireTalmud Bavliand the entireTanach. Rashi is the teacher of the wholeAm Yisroel.Every word in Rashi is sweet as honey. If you’re an expert inlanguageyou could appreciate how Rashi made hard things soft, he made the difficult things unravel. Rashi was a master expert in explaining. He’s calledParshan Dasa,that’s the nickname he was given. It means “The one who explains the Torah.”And so if you walk into that holy of holies, to Rashi’s study in his Beis Hamedrash, it’s the greatest of privileges. You can feel thekedushahof these ancient walls permeating your personality, entering the marrow of your bones. You’re not the same person once you visited Rashi’sbeis hamedrash. Of course, I’m talking about someone who knows what it’s all about. Rashi is the beloved teacher of theAm Yisroel.You have to appreciate the great personality who once lived here and expressed his soul here, in his writings. Only that it’s pity that it’s there in Europe. Had that place been inEretz Yisroelit would have become a shrine. No question people would come there in the hundreds of thousands and pour out their hearts to Hakodosh Boruch Hu. And with thezechusof Rashi their prayers would go up to Hashem. Only that it’s in the accursed land of Germany, in the uncleangolus. And even there, it’skodesh kodoshim.TENT OF INTOXICATIONAnd so now we come back to theMachaneh Yisroelin theMidbar. We could point to the tent of Moshe Rabeinu, the place where Moshe Rabeinu resided. The tent of Moshe Rabeinu! The intense emotion of pride that such a thing caused is indescribable! “I’m living in the neighborhood of Moshe!” It was a great happiness, a great pride, to know that Moshe lived among us.But to be able to point out the tent of Moshe Rabeinu was nothing at all when compared to being able to point at the tent of Hakodosh Boruch Hu! No concept could be more astonishing than the thought that the Creator of the Universe, Whose glory fills the endless remoteness of space, would choose to dwell in a tabernacle. We can picture the intoxication of ecstatic excitement that seized upon Moshe and the people at this announcement. The knowledge, more than knowledge – the sight – of the residence of Hashem in the midst of the camp was a vivid reminder for the people that they were chosen by the Creator of the Universe forever. We shouldn’t overlook the effect of theMishkanupon the tent-homes of the Am Yisroel. TheMishkanwas of course a larger tent, but because it stood among the tents of the camp it had an unfailing effect on every tent in the camp. And the most outstanding effect was the demonstration that Hashem had chosen us from all the nations. We are the center of the Universe, for Hashem here declared ושכנתי בתוכם – “I will dwell in your midst.” Because even more than a demonstration of His presence, even more than the constant reminder that we were standing before Hashem, was the pride that theMishkangenerated in the people: “Hashem chose us; He chose to dwell among us!”Now there’s no question that the nation gained many blessings by having the Presence of theShechinahamong them. I’m not capable of telling you everything that was gained but there’s no doubt that every individual gained a great deal of perfection of soul; the mind of every man, woman and child was filled with an Awareness that would have been otherwise impossible to achieve. But of all the blessings, of all the achievements, most important was the knowledge that Hashem chose to live among us forever. The fact that there was a special abode, a house where the King of the Universe residedamong us,was so impressive that all of theBnei Yisroel,even those who never had the chance to come visit that house, were entirely transformed because of that. It made such a deep impression that it lasted with them all throughout their lives and it accompanied them into the world to come.THE SIMPLE FACTNow when theBnei Yisroelsaw the house of Hakodosh Boruch Hu – and they saw it every day – so they certainly became accustomed to it. There’s no question that seeing the same thing every day is going to make you hardened and you’re not going to be excited anymore. But that’s what Hakodosh Boruch Hu wanted, that they should become so accustomed to the thought that Hashem dwells in their midst that it should be beyond any doubt in their minds. It became a simple matter of fact that Hakodosh Boruch Hu resides among us.And for forty years theBnei Yisroelin themidbarwere able to point out to their children, “My son, over there, that’s the tent of Aharon Hakohen. And there’s the tent of Moshe Rabeinu. And over there, that’s the Mishkan, the tent of Hakodosh Boruch Hu. And it became a phlegmatic matter of fact, it became part of their world outlook that Hashem theBorei Kol Ha’olamos, the One who had created all the worlds, had forsaken the infinity of all the universes, all the remoteness of space, and He now dwellsb’soch Bnei Yisroel. It went into the marrow of their bones.Now this is what you should be thinking about always. The Torah is full ofpesukimdedicated to this idea, and it’s a shame to let it go to waste. And even though we have never seen theMishkan,but thepesukimwe have read hundreds of times, and it pays to think into it a bit. That the Creator of the Universe, the One who fills the whole universe with His presence, מלא כל הארץ כבודו, He created the stars in the remotest distances of space; He is the ruler of millions of star worlds, and nevertheless He has forsaken everything and He has chosen to reside on our people. Now no matter how difficult that concept is, that’s the fundamental teaching of the Torah. You can’t be a Jew unless you understand the teaching that Hashem is with us forever. Not just that He will help us forever, no, it’s much more than that.He dwells among us forever. The Presence of Hashem – His actual Presence – is upon our nation forever.PART II.Pride of YisroelCRASH COURSE IN BRACHOSAnd it’s something we thank Hashem for every day. Every day we say it, only we don’t realize what we’re thanking for. And that’s a tragedy, because it’s such an important attitude that we should be living with, that it pays to make use of every opportunity to impress it upon our minds. Every day inshemoneh esreiwe say thebrachaברוך אתה השם הא-ל הקדוש. Now all thebrachos, you know,are blessings of gratitude.Boruchmeans we’rethankingHim. InMagen Avraham, we thank Hashem; He’s the shield of Avraham, it means He’s the shield of our nation; He protects us because of Avraham.מחיה המתים, the secondbracha, we thank Hashem for giving us food, and for healing the sick and for giving us rain; all the good things enumerated there. And one day He’ll revive the dead, and we thank Him for that too. And then there’s ברוך אתה השם חונן הדעת – You, Hashem bestow sanity! You’re thanking Hashem that you’re not in an insane asylum, that you’re not depressed. You’re full of gratitude that you’re not crazy, that you’re not paranoid or psychotic. You don’t think about that, do you? So you’re notdaveningproperly. And when you look, you’ll see that everybrachais abrachaof gratitude.But there’s onebrachathat’s difficult to understand: ברוך אתה השם הא-ל הקדוש – We thank You Hashem that You are the holy G-d. We’re thanking Him because He’s holy?! What gratitude is required because He is Holy? I want you to hear the question. On everything inshemonah esreithere is a benefit for which we are thanking.Boruchmeans that we are grateful, and we bend our knees to You in gratitude. But when we come to thebrachaof הא-ל הקדוש we find that the entire bracha speaks of no kindliness at all – all we do is speak about the holiness, the perfection of Hashem. So what are we thanking Him for? What gratitude is it that we’re supposed to be feeling?ARE YOU PROUD OF YOUR BOSS?So listen now and you’ll learn what you’re thanking Hashem for when you say הא-ל הקדוש. Tonight when you davenmaariv, for the first time in your life you’ll be able to thank Hashem for being the א-ל הקדוש, the Perfect G-d. And if you forget to have it mind, there’sshacharistomorrow, andminchatoo. Don’t squander the opportunities. So we’ll explain it like this. Let’s say you have a boss over you.The boss himself is an underling, a nobody, but he’s your boss, what can you do. There’s no great pride there. You won’t pride yourself that you work for the colored man in the warehouse. Nothing wrong with working for a colored man, but it’s no great pride.But let’s say somebody is an assistant to the president, so he feels important already. And if he’s an assistant let’s say toDovid Melech Yisroel,lehavdil, sohe’s surely important.It’s like a man who was elevated by the king.The king chose a certain man, let’s call him Wilfred, and made him a duke. So instead of being a commoner, now he’s Duke of Worchester. Instead of being Wilfred, now he’s nobility; connected to the royal family. And he walks the streets of England with pride: “I was chosen by the king!”WE’RE ECSTATIC WITH OUR LOT!Now, if we’re assistants to Hakadosh Baruch Hu, if He choseusand He considersusHis beloved ones and His entire interest is only in us, as we’re going to seebli neder,so that’s our pride in this world; we’re happy – not happy, we’re ecstatic – that we have such a G-d.That’s what it says להודות לשם קדשיך להשתבח בתהלתך – ““We give thanks to Your holy name, and we commend ourselves, we praise ourselves, by Your praise” (Tehillim 106:47). According to the holiness, the perfection, of Hashem, so much greater is the honor, pride and security of the nation He chose to rest His Presence on.And that’s why we say thank you to Hashem for being so perfect. BecauseHisperfection isourglory. We boast in the praise of Hashem because that’s our honor and glory. The Holy One, the Perfect G-d, that’s our G-d.And we thank Him because of that, we say, “Thank You Hashem for being הא-ל הקדוש , for being so great. We take pride that we have such a G-d, שאין כמוהו, and it’s our happiness.He chose us; we are His people and that’s an unequaled pride. “Thank You Hashem for being so perfect that it’s a glory for me to be connected to You.”And so we begin to see what it means when people say it’s not easy to be a Jew.A person said once that:s’iz shver tzu zein a Yid, it’s difficult to be a Jew. But he didn’t understand what it meant. What it means is that there is a great responsibility in being part of the nation upon which Hashem actually rests His Presence. A Jew has to have in mind a great deal of meditation, a great deal of reflection, in order to appreciate his position in this world.He must constantly be aware of the greatness of his history.The reason that you find Jewish people who are ashamed of their Jewishness is because they’re ignorant of their past.If you learnChumashproperly, if you learnTanachproperly, you’ll begin to understand what a great privilege it is to belong to theAm Yisroel.אשריכם ישראל, how fortunate you are Yisrael, מי כמוך, who is like you?” Moshe Rabeinu said that. Who is like you?! Nobody! אשרי העם שככה לו, how fortunate is the nation that thus is his lot.And what is that lot that makes us so fortunate? אשרי העם שהשם אלקיו, because Hashem chose you.And therefore at all times we sing אשרינו מה טוב חלקנו, how fortunate we are.A Jew has to sing at all times! At least in his heart he should always be singing in happiness because of the great honor that he possesses.His heart should sing within him because Hakadosh Baruch Hu has elevated him. A proud Jew, a Jew who understands that Hashem resides among us always, walks the streets, whatever street it may be, he’s walking on air. He’s happy always!HASHEM SAYS SHEMA TOONow in ourtefillinit’s written,Shema Yisroel, Hashem Elokeinu –“Listen all of you, Hashem isourG-d.” He doesn’t belong to the Polish people, or to the Mexicans or the Israelis. He’s ours.Hashem Echad –He’s One. What does that mean, “He’s One”? It means a lot of things but we’ll say now one of the importantpeirushimthat you should think about always. And that is that He is The Only One in all of our thoughts and deeds. He is the one purpose of our lives, and we must love Him and serve Him with all of our strength – everything we do should be for Him. That’s not such an easy task, but that’s what you’re saying every day, so it’s a good idea to get busy thinking about how to do that.So that’s ourtefillin. But thegemara(Brachos 6a) says Hakadosh Baruch Hu puts ontefillintoo. That’s a remarkable statement: Hakodosh Boruch Hu wearstefillinon His head. And why shouldn’t He?Tefillinis a sign of royalty, so He surely deserves to weartefillin. Now what’s written in Histefillin, thegemaraasks? What’s written in Hisparshiyos?So thegemarasays in Histefillinis thepossuk,מי כעמך ישראל גוי אחד בארץ – “Who is like you My nation Yisroel; You are the one nation on earth.Goyechaaaaadddddd. The one and only nation in the world! That’s how Hashem says it.Only He says it longer than we do.We get tired but Hashem doesn’t get tired:Echaaaaaaaaadddddddd!He says it forever and ever, “They’re My One nation in the world. That’s all I care about.Echad– “They are Myoneconcern. Everything is done for you, My children.” Now when Hashem chooses us, it means much more than we could imagine, but what it surely means is that we are the center of His thoughts, and that everything He does – and He doeseverything– is for us.JEWS REALLY DO CONTROL THE WORLDThat’s what it says, הוא השם אלקנו, He is ours, בכל הארץ משפטיו – In all the world are His judgments (Tehillim 105:7) Whatever happens in the world, we shouldn’t make any mistake, it’smishpatav, it’sHisjudgements; Hashem is pulling the strings. But the preface to that is:Hu Hashem Elokeinu, He is Hashem our King, and therefore anything that happens in the world is donebecause of us.Everything that happensb’chol ha’aretz,in the whole world, are His judgements. And how does He do the judgments? In the role ofHashem Elokeinu, of beingourG-d!And so if you hear that there is a lack of rain in a certain state and people are suffering, Hashem is doing itbecause of us.Now how that works, that’s a question.It’s a good question.But it’s because of us. If gold was discovered in a certain state, it’s because of us.If there’s a hurricane, it’s because of us.There’s no question about that.Because it’s made by Hashem; and who is Hashem?הוא השם אלקנו, He is our G-d, and בכל הארץ משפטיו, His judgments throughout the world are all being done as “our G-d”.Now I know that most people don’t think this way.They think likegoyim; even thefrumJews think likegoyim. But you have to study what is written in thekisvei hakodeshand you have to attune your mind to this truth of the Torah.IT’S A RACHMANUS ON THEIR PRIDENow, if that’s the case so we begin to see what an obligation there is upon the Am Yisrael to be proud.Ga’avah! Now that doesn’t mean the Jewish pride you find outside in the street. For a Jew just to be proud that he’s a Jew, that doesn’t mean much. Because we’re not talking about the pride like the African-Americans say, “We’re proud that we’re black.” They’re not proud anyhow. They’re doing their bestnotto be black.You see they go to beauty parlors and they spend millions of dollars on lotions in order to lighten their complexion.Thousands and thousands of dollars on creams to cause their hair to straighten out. Some put on wigs that you shouldn’t see their kinky hair.They do everything to look like whites. They would give their souls if they could turn white.What could they donebach,so they say “We’re proud to be black.” And it’s the same with every nation. Every Puerto Rican says the same thing, “I’m proud to be a Puerto Rican.” He waves a little flag, he eats Puerto Rican food; that’s his pride. And the Israeli is proud to be Israeli. Every nation, they’re proud to be what they are.Alright, let them be proud.It’s arachmanuson them.But that’s not what we mean! When we say we’re proud, we have to understand that we’re saying it becauseHakadosh Baruch Hu said that to us. Hashem told us we’re great. And if He said it, we believe it. It’s not our fault, we didn’t do it ourselves. Hashem said it and we won’t argue with Him. בנים אתם, “You are My children of Mine !” Hashem said. If He says we’re His children, are we going to argue with Him?!And so we look up to what we possess, we look up to theShechinahthat isshorehby us, and we have to know that He is our greatness – our greatness in this world and our greatness in the World to Come. You have to study that; you have to take the time to ponder and understand what it means to believe implicitly that Hakodosh Boruch Hu chooses a certain place, a certain people, on whom He is concentrating the Presence of HisShechinah. And that it is a covenant that He has made forever and ever with our nation. “For the mountains may depart and the hills may be removed, but My kindness shall not depart from you, nor shall My covenant of peace be removed, says Hashem who loves you” (Yeshayah 54:10).DON’T BE A DEMOCRAT!When you get analiyahto the Torah you say אשר בחר בנו.What is it?Just a formula to knock off, just to beyotzei? No, it’s our duty to impress onto our minds that Hashem wasבחר בנו מכל העמים, that Hashem chose us from all the nations. You can’t just say the words – you have to live with that thought! As you walk in the street you must think you’re a prince. And thatga’avasan shel Yisroel,that pride of being a true Torah Jew, knowing that Hashem lives only among us, should make us look down on everything outside of our world. Because we know that there isabsolutely nothingto look for among the nations of the world.Ga’avasan shel Yisroel,the pride that we’re speaking about here, is anikar ha’emunah; it’s a fundamental attitude that a Jew must have. Without it you’re missing the fundamental of Judaism. You must hammer that into your head because to be proud that you’re aYisroelmeans that you believe in one of the most important cardinal principles of the Torah. And it’s so stupendous of a concept that when we say it today, even among Orthodox Jews, it’s not well received. With the spirit of democracy and western ideals it’s not easy to convince people about this great principle. I’m not talking now about asking themactually feel it, that I’m not even speaking about. But even to convince them that it’s a true principle is not easy. And that is the principle that the world was created for the Jewish people. Don’t say, “Everybody is the people of Hashem.”Don’t be a democrat! You have no right to give away what doesn’t belong to you.You have no right to hand out honors to the other nations of the world.JEWISH CHUTZPAHNow that’s not easy for us Orthodox Jews to accept. Do we have the nerve, do we have a boldness, to be so conceited and praise ourselves? And the answer is absolutely!And if we don’t, then we are backsliding, we’re being remiss in our duties as Jews. And let that sink in! It’s going to hurt. You’re going to rebel, you’re going to kick when you hear that. So take a deep breath, pay attention, and hold on tight.All of Mankind is considered nothing compared to theAm Yisroel! I’ll say it again to make sure you hear me: All the nations of the world are nothing in the eyes of Hashem when compared to us. So you’ll ask me, “Rabbi Miller, where do you get the audacity to make such a statement?” Look in thechumash! The Torah was given to us for the purpose of letting us know the great principles that otherwise we would not know. What is the Torah after all if not the thoughts of Hashem? And in the thoughts of Hashem you see that the histories of theumos haolamare ignored completely. Now if there was a lot of Torahs in the world, a Polish Torah that Hashem gave, all right.In the Polish Torah He would talk about the Polish.If there would be an African Torah, so He talks about Africa in the African Torah.But there’s only one Torah however, and even the Polish say that there’s only one Torah.They don’t say there are two Torahs.They agree that there was only one Torah. And the Africans agree with the Polish.All the Christians and Mohammedans says there’s only Torah. Only that Mohammed came along and wrote something later; but they agree that the Jews received the Torah.And what was written in the Jewish Torah?It’s written that Hakadosh Baruch Hu chose us – forever.HASHEM NEVER SPOKE TO PATRICKAnd so, anybody who feels he wants to be ananav, he wants to feel meek and humble and not be superior to anybody else, then that person is akofer b’chol hatorah kulah, fromBereishis barauntill’einei chol Yisroel, the last words in the Torah. What does the Torah talk about? There’s a Torah after all; what’s it all about? Isn’t that a queer question? Now pay attention. The entire Torah talks only about two subjects.The Torah is about two subjects and nothing more.One subject is Hashem, that’s the main subject of the Torah. But it talks about something more than just Hashem.It also talks about theAmYisroel. The whole Torah is nothing but the Jewish Nation. The whole Torah is וידבר השם אל משה לאמר. The whole thing! Look through every page and you won’t find even onceVa’yidabeir Hashem el Patrick leimor!The Torah is filled with nothing but the Jewish nation. Wherever you look, it’s only our people, our people. Nothing is said about Irishmen, about Polish people, nothing. Only Jews! From beginning to end, the entireTanachdeals only with our people.So what do we see?That’s the importance of theAm Yisroeliskol hatorah kulah.And therefore we have to say that the pride in being a Jew is just as fundamental as believing inkol hatorah kulah.And anyone who doesn’t understand this concept in its fullness, so he doesn’t really understand the Torah. Actually he’s akofer b’ikar; he’s rebelling against the wholeTanach. It’s as open as could be that this is the chief function of all the writings in theTanach, to tell us first that there is a Creator, and number two that He has a chosen nation.WE DON’T CARE WHAT THEY SAYNow, today this second principle is frequently overlooked. Pious Jews will say, “Yes, certainly; we’re chosen to do commandments. But you have to look at everyone else tolerantly. They’re like us. They also have ways of living, they also are nations and they also have cultures.” Now I know that some people here read newspapers, they watch television and they listen to goyim talking on the radio. So their minds are brainwashed- not brainwashed, dirt washed, bilge-water washed, and therefore it hurts them to hear the words I’m saying here. But what could I do? After all, it’s an elementary principle of the Torah that we are Hashem’s chosen people. And if you don’t believe that, then goodbye! You don’t belong. If you don’t believe we are His people, then you don’t belong to us.We don’t care what the world says. We believe implicitly in these two cardinal principles – we believe in Hashem and we believe we are His people. No matter what the world says. They wouldn’t like to hear that, but we don’t care, we still know thatweare His people. That’s the Torah! That’s the purpose of the Torah, to tell us who we are.SOME THINGS NEED TO STAY A SECRETNow, of course you shouldn’t despise anybody.You shouldn’t show contempt for anybody,The public disrespect that is evident among some of our fellow Jews is not prudent. Not at all. It’s silly and it’s not ak’vod shamayim. However, in your heart there’s no question what you should think. Because there is no question that when you know that you’re superior, then definitely you consider the other one inferior. It’s unavoidable!Now, that doesn’t mean that you’re going to go around shouting from the rooftops that someone else is inferior. It doesn’t mean that you’re going to have to upset the gentile nations. We’re not looking to start up with nations of the world today; they have their own religions and they’ll become angry at us. But amongst ourselves, when we speak to each other, of course we say the truth. Among ourselves we speak about the truthall the time.We must spread the good news among our families and among our friends, of course. Absolutely we must do that. No doubt about it! Only that one has to be wise enough and respectful enough to not let our gentile neighbors know what we are thinking.THE GREAT TEST OF OPPOSITIONNow the truth is that nobody is capable of appreciating what this means, but at least to a certain extent a Jew must understand that he is an aristocrat, the chosen of Hashem. However, there’s a great test, a very great test, because of the opposition of theumos haolam,the constant hammering away of the anti-Semites and also the Jewish anti-Semites today who are constantly belittling thefrumJews, all the time.And now we begin to understand what thenisayonof life is.We’re being tested all the time.Because if we were the majority, it would be easy for us to be superior.We would easily fulfill thisemunahthat we are the chosen people.We’re the bosses, we dominate the world, so what’s the question?! Only that if you’re a minority and you walk in the street and a WASP driving by in a car calls you “Kike” or a boy riding by on a bike says “Get out of my way, Jew,” there’s a tendency to feel a little bit inferior.If you see all around you people who look down on you; some of them are nice enough not to say it, but in their hearts you know what they’re thinking. They despise you.They hate you.There’s no question about it.And don’t tell me not; I know the gentiles much better than you. And the truth is that today we have so many Jews who hate us; we have a double test.Once upon a time onlygoyimhated us.Today Jews hate us and the majority of Jews hatefrumJews. It’s a constant barrage, a greatnisayon,and that’s why we’re in this world, to overcome theshekerof the world and to never lose sight of the great principle that Hakadosh Baruch Hu has taught us: that we are His people, His only people forever and ever.BANG ON THE TABLE!That’s what Moshe Rabeinu said when he came to Pharaoh. He hammered on the table and said: כה אמר השם בני בכורי ישראל, like it or not, this is what Hashem said: “TheAmYisroelis My firstborn, My favorite.” And that’s what we have to be telling ourselves always. We have to hear it though. We have to bang on the table and say it to ourselves again and again, and remind ourselves who we are at all times. We are the בני א-ל חי, we are the children of the living G-d. בנים אתם להשם אלוקיכם, we are children to Hashem. And we have to walk with our heads high, always cognizant of the great pride that Hakadosh Baruch Hu bestowed on us, no matter what the world says. Don’t believe in democracy; don’t believe in pluralism. He chose us, and that’s it!I always tell the same stories so you heard this already. But I’ll tell it again. Reb Moshe Montefiore was the Lord Mayor of England. And he was also a baron. He was knighted by the king. That’s why he was Sir Montefiore. When he heard that in Russia they were persecuting the Jews, he decided to go to Russia and intervene with the Czar on behalf of his fellow Jews. So he travelled all the way across Russia with his own chariots. His own horsemen and a fancy carriage. The horsemen sat in the front, driving. And he was in the back. And on the side of the carriage were like private guards who could protect him if needed. And he was riding through Poland. He was riding through the streets of Warsaw. In Warsaw, in Poland of old, they were all anti-Semites. They hated the Jews. And here they saw a Jew riding in a carriage. A Jew who’s a big k’nocker. So there was a goy who couldn’t contain himself. A boy, a shaygetz, came running after him and he shouted, “Zhid!” Zhid means Jew in Polish. It was a derogatory way of referring to a Jew. So Reb Moshe Montefiore stopped the carriage and told his footmen to go run and catch the goy. They caught the goy and he was trembling because he knew that this Jew was a powerful Jew. They brought him to Reb Moshe and his hands and feet were trembling. So Reb Moshe Montefiore said, “Look here. In London they call me the Lord Mayor of London. The Sheriff of this and this district. Baron and Sir and so on and so on. But the biggest, the most important title, is the one you called me.Zhid! There’s nothing greater than that in the world.” And Reb Moshe Montefiore gave the boy a quid – a half pound – and he sent him away. He thanked him and sent him away.THE CENTER OF THE UNIVERSEOh, how important it is for the Jew to recognize his greatness. A Jew must always remember how important he is, and never lose sight of our distinctiveness as the central feature of the universe. That’s why the universe exists, for the sake of theAm Yisroel,and you should be proud and arrogant, and therefore you know that you have to always strive for perfection and not be satisfied to remain mediocre. TheAm Yisroelmust always remind themselves that they are superior and that they should never lower themselves to the level of the nations.And what ourparshais teaching us is that one of the most important lessons of theMishkanwas this lesson of the pride of theAm Yisroel.It was the symbol of our glory.ושכנתי בתוכם. Hashem lives with us! Those two words are a stunning declaration of the principle that Hashem’s interest is not in the vast distances of space and in the millions of star-worlds, but in Man alone. And of all men, Hashem chose the Am Yisroel and made them the center of the universe by bringing His Presence to rest among them.GETTING DIZZY FROM THE MISHKAN“Behold, the Lord your God possesses the heavens, and the heavens above them, and the earth and all therein, but in your fathers alone did He delight to love them, and He chose their seed after them,you,above all the nation, even to this day” (Dvarim 10:14-15). This stupendous but abstract concept was now concretized in a visible form. “They shall make for Me a sanctuary and I will dwell among them” (Shemos 25:8). Thenceforth, the multitude of Israel, whenever they saw the Mishkan, pointed to it as the dwelling place of the Master of the Universe. And in this tangible form, this dizzyingly sublime idea was hammered constantly into the mind of theAm Yisroel.Now the nations of the world will never yield to that thesis. But the time will come however when יושב בשמים ישחק, the One who dwells in the heavens will laugh at them, השם ילעג למו, Hashem will mock them. And theAm Yisroelwill then open its mouth in happy laughter as well, as the glory of ours that we were always well aware of, now becomes visible to all. And when Hashem laughs at the nations of the world, we too will indulge in laughter to our hearts content. We will laugh and laugh in proud happiness about the glory that was always ours!אז ימלא שחוק פינו, then our mouths will be full of laughter. And we will laugh forever and ever rejoicing in the fact that in this world and in the next world theShechinarests only on theAm Hashem. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. This podcast has been graciously sponsored by JewishPodcasts.fm. 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Preface to ChassidusPart I.A Fitting SequelTHE MOST SPECTACULAR EVENT IN OUR HISTORYThe greatest event in the history of our nation, the most remarkable spectacle that theAm Yisroelwould ever witness, wasMatan Torah.We stood at Har Sinai and we saw what nobody before ever saw. הנהיה כדבר הגדול הזה או הנשמע כמוהו השמע עם קול אלוקים מדבר מתוך האש כאשר שמעת אתה ויחי – “Has there ever been any such thing like this great event or has anything like it been heard?! Has a people ever heard the Voice of Hashem speaking from the midst of the fire as you have heard, and survived?!” (D’varim 4:32). Even Avraham Avinu, the great thinker and philosopher, the man who discovered Hashem against all odds, wasn’tzochehto such a spectacular display of Hashem’s Presence. It was so remarkable, an experience so sensational, that נפשי יצאה בדברו – “Our souls left our bodies when we heard His word” (Shir Hashirim 5:6). And the Gemara says (Shabbos 88b) that they all fell down dead. And here we’ll understand that to mean that they all fell down in a faint. They fainted in fright and they had to be revived.When they heard that tremendous voice, the words אנכי השם אלוקיך, it was an experience of the greatest love and yearning for Hashem that our nation would ever experience. Thereafter, forever and ever, the memory of that great day is etched into our minds; and it will always be the focus of our nation’s yearning. ישקיני מנשיקות פיהו – “Kiss me with the kisses of Your mouth,” we say to Hashem (Shir Hashirim 1:2). The deepest desire of the Jewish nation is to experience a second encounter of that kind. והוא ישמיענו שנית – “He should let us hear His voice a second time.”­­ Our greatest desire is to experience again that great moment when when we heard the thundering voice of Hakodosh Boruch Hu: “I am Hashem your G-d.”WE WERE READY FOR EVERYTHINGNow, after this was all over, at the conclusion of this glorious experience, there’s no question that the people were on a very high level of enthusiasm. It’s certain that theAm Yisroelfelt the highest emotions of dedication to Hashem. Their minds were attuned and prepared now for the greatest of ideals, and they expected nowto hear who knows what kind of instruction in walking the path towards Hashem! The greatest ideals and attitudes, the deepest of Torah secrets and the mysteries of our purpose in life – perfection in all of its details. That’s what they were expecting. After all, Hakodosh Boruch Hu, the Master of the Universe, had just come down on Har Sinai to rendezvous with His chosen people and to prepare them for their historic future as the one nation that would serve Him until the end of all history. And theAm Yisroelwas on such a high that they were ready to accept it all. נעשה ונשמע – “We want to do everything! Just let us know what is the path that we should walk on in order to delight in Your Presence forever and ever, and we will run in haste down that road.”And so what happened then? What followedMatan Torah?! A remarkable thing!ואלה המשפטים אשר תשים לפניהם – “And these are the statutes that you, Moshe, should place before them” (Shemos 21:1). Laws of dealing with your fellow man; all forms of damages, and the monetary relationships with those around you. We sit down to learnMishpatimwithpeirushRashiand we’re readinga law book! The dry details of how to treat your fellow man’s property; his cows and his sheep, his shirt and his land. All the various payments for bodily injury, and the laws of torts and contractual agreements.Parshas Mishpatimis famous as the source ofdinei mamanosandnezikin.IS THIS ALL?!And that’s a big question. What’sMishpatimdoing over here? These aren’t the high ideals that we were waiting for! Is this what we accepted the Torah for?! We had just heard the Voice of Hashem! The booming thunder, the bolts of lightning and the smoking mountain! We saw the Presence of Hashem with our own eyes! And for this?! Just to hear these mundane monetary laws?! It’s a remarkable fact that this was the introduction to their relationship with Hakodosh Boruch Hu. The details, the minutiae, the petty claims and counterclaims of a man and his fellow were the first things that they heard from Hashem after the great event ofMatan Torah– just at that very moment when their hearts were open to everything, ready to hear the most sublime ideas. I don’t know about you, but I think it’s a big question.Let’s say aba’al teshuvacomes into yeshiva for the first time. And so, he’d like to hear about ideals; he’d like to be taught noble aspirations and life-changing attitudes. That’s why he came in, because he’s an idealist. And instead, what does he get? The first book they give him isBava Kama! He wanted ideals, and instead he’s being treated to a course in contracts and torts. He’s looking for Hashem, and instead he finds laws about what happens if one’s animal trespasses into his fellow man’s field and eats some of the grain. Or, if you leave your wine barrel in the public path, and someone’s camel falls over it. And it’s endless; it goes on and on. Sometimes there’s a little oasis of a few lines ofagadataby which he can refresh hisneshama.Aba’al teshuva,any idealist, loves that. And he’s waiting for it. Sometimes it seems to him that all the rest of it is unnecessary. “If only we could skip over all of this, and just spend our time on the noble ideals.” That’s what he’s thinking.A SEVENTH OF THE TALMUDBut you find in theGemarathatagadatais only one seventh of theGemara.The other six sevenths is taken up by practical questions and technicalities. And it takes up a lot of space. It boggles the mind how much time and space is devoted to details and sub details – minutiae of damages.Bava Kama, Bava Metziah, Bava Basra! Three bigmesichtas! And young people spend their lives studying them. Years go by. They could have learnedmiddos tovosin that time. They could have learnedMesillas YesharimorChovosHalevavosin that time. We lose out on so many great things because of the time spent in the threeBavas.I remember years ago I met a Jewish street cleaner. He was dressed in a white uniform, and he was pushing a barrel on wheels and holding a brush. He saw me on the street and he stopped to talk to me, to tell me that his grandchild had started in ayeshiva. But he was bothered: “I’m surprised,” he said. “My grandson is being trained to be a lawyer! They’re studying law!” “What kind of law?” I asked him. So he was telling me. He was explaining to me the beginning ofBava Kama, the firstmishnahabout if a man sets a small fire and a wind comes and the fire spreads to his neighbor’s field.Here’s this little boy, and his mind is being occupied, cluttered up, with ashorand aborand amav’ehand ahev’er;all theavosnezikin, andtoldos, and all the details of damages. And it’s not merely that oneyeshivahas this system. It’s the system of the Jewish people. And we do that because this was the system that Hakodosh Boruch Hu first showed us when He gave us the Torah. It wasMatan Torah,and right away,Mishpatim!THE FIRST RUNG ON THE LADDERNow, certainlyMatan Torahopened up for theAm Yisroela vista ofshleimus;a new horizon of lofty ideals and noble attitudes. Absolutely it did! The Torah is a ladder that is ראשו מגיע השמימה, all the way up to the heavens. Great ideals of the mind, perfection of character, andkirvas Hashem;it’s all included in what the Torah teaches us and obligates us. But what we’re learning here is thatParshasMishpatimis how to get there! The very first rung of the ladderadla’shamayim, is to learn aboutnezikin.And it’s going to be the attitudes that we mine fromParshas Mishpatimthat will guide us all of our lives as we come close to Hashem. What comes afterwards is certainly a good thing, butthe first rung isnezikin. Mishpatimis the necessary beginning, the foundation of all greatness.But the question we have to ask is,why is this so? Why is it that in order to begin a career of devotion to Hashem, you have make it your business to be very cautious aboutmili d’nezikin, careful with your fellow man’s safety, and the safety of his property? Why isParshas Mishpatimthe first rung on the ladder, and the foundation ofavodas Hashem?RECOGNIZING THE REAL BOSSAnd so we’ll explain as follows: The preface to living a life of awareness of Hashem is the knowledge that this world is nothefker; we have to realize that even to walk on the face of the earth, we need permission. להשם הארץ ומלואה – “The earth and everything in it all belongs to Hashem.” Only that, והארץ נתן לבני אדם – “He gave us permission to walk on it, and to use the things in it.” But we have to realize thatit is Hewho gives us permission. And He gives us permission only with certain conditions, most of which are included in themili d’nezikinofmishpatimanddinim. Certain places you can’t walk, and certain things you can’t use. You can walk only where He permitted you to go. You can use only what He allows, and only in the way He allows. Suppose that something belongs to somebody else, so you have no right to walk into his territory, or use his property, because Hashem didn’t give you permission. Wherever you walk, whatever you use, you must always be careful to follow His guidelines.Mishpatimteaches us that when a person uses what is not his, he’s actually taking what Hakodosh Boruch Hu owns. When he’s not careful with other people’s property or selves, then he’s making his way in this world without the permission of Hakodosh Boruch Hu. And therefore before any step that you make in this world, any dealings you have with somebody else, or somebody else’s property, you must be aware that you’re dealing with somebody much bigger than you imagined. If you eat what belongs to somebody else, you are robbing Hashem. If you walk on somebody’s property without permission, so it’s also Hashem who didn’t give you permission; you’re trespassing on Hashem’s property. He only permitted that man who made akinyan, the one who acquired ownership, to use His things; anybody else has to be very careful.WHEN MONEY IS SACREDWhat we’re saying now is that private property is a sacred foundation of the Torah because it includes the Awareness that everything belongs to Hashem. Private property is really Hashem’s property. As far as you are concerned, this man’s property is Hashem’s property. And even if you have permission to use something, or to go someplace, but if you use it in a way that the owner doesn’t want, so you’re sinning againstthe realOwner. And if you’re ashomer, if you’re guarding something that belongs to someone else, so you’re guarding Hashem’s property. And if you’re not careful and you cause damage to someone else’s property, you’re sinning against the property of Hashem.And therefore to be awareall the timeabout how you are treating this man and that man, and about how you are treating your neighbor’s property and your friend’s objects, means that you are keeping Hashem in mindall the time.Because it’s impossible to be as careful as the Torah expects, it’s impossible to fulfill the details that the Torah demands of you, unless you are aware that Hashem is always watching and that He is making these demands of you.Parshas Mishpatimis full of examples, full of warnings of how careful a person must be, and all of them are models for any form of damage that a person might cause someone else. And if you want to be a success in this world you will have to be on constant guard to never cause any harm. That’s step number one. And so,Mishpatimis the foundation of Awareness of Hashem in our lives at all times, and it is therefore the foundation of allavodas Hashem.PART II.Authentic ChassidusHOW TO BECOME ACHOSSIDThis is why thegemarain Bava Kama says: מאן דבעי למהוי חסידא ליקיים מילי דנזיקין – “If someone wants to be achossid,a pious man, let him fulfill the things ofnezikin,of being careful with other people’s money and body.” (Bava Kama 30a). Now let’s pay attention to these words, מאן דבעי, a personwishesto be achossid. It doesn’t mean that if a person is very careful not to harm anyone, that he’s considered achossidalready, no. Even though you were always on guard and you never caused anyone any harm whatsoever, you’re not achossidyet. You might need much more to become achossid. But מאן דבעי, if you want tobecomeachossid, this is the first step that you must fulfill.You must learn to be constantly aware of Hashem, aware enough that you are always on guard to protect your fellow man and his property against any injury that could happen.It’s a great principle that you’re hearing right now. If you want to reach the summit of perfection, if you want to be achossidin the eyes of Hashem, it starts with being careful with your fellow man’s property. For some of us, this may seem exaggerated. Suppose someone would ask you, “What’s a program for me to become a pious man?” With our little heads, with what we know, we would say, “Well, first on the list is fasting. A lot of fasting!” But it doesn’t say a word about that over here. Maybe achossidfasts as well, I cannot tell you, but not a word is mentioned in thisgemaraabout fasting. Who knows what kind of a program we would think up if we were asked to decide! It’s lucky that we didn’t have the chance to put anything into thechumashand into thegemara.Because מילי דנזיקין would be all the way on the bottom of the list.BREAKING IN TO STUDY TORAHThere was once a boy who wanted to enter my shul to study Torah. The door was locked, but he was a dedicated boy, full of enthusiasm, so he was trying to make his way in through the window. I happened to come just as he was breaking the window. He didn’t intend to break it; he was just trying to force it open, but it broke. Now a window costs money, but I didn’t say anything. He was a yeshiva boy, a sixteen year old boy, so I kept quiet. He should have paid, but I didn’t say anything.A few months later, I met him on Church Avenue on Shabbos. And he’s all dressed up in achassideshe kapoteh.With silk lapels; beautiful! It’s a beautiful thing to honor the Shabbos. Now, he wasn’t achossid;he didn’t come from such a family at all! He came from Canarsie. I don’t even know if his parents areshomrei Shabbos.But that was his idea of being achossid.He wanted to wear achassideshe kapoteh.Nothing wrong with that, but it costs a lot of money. Thesekapotehscan cost a small fortune. Silk lapels! And I was thinking to myself, “That’s his idea of being achossid?Because thegemarahas other, less fanciful, ideas. מאן דבעי למהוי חסידא – someone who wants to be achossid, the first thing is ליקיים מילי דנזיקין – he should fulfill all of the details of never doing any sort of damage. If you want to be achossid, you should be thinking all the time about what you’re doing. Achossidthinks before he pushes on somebody’s window so hard. And if he breaks it, he pays for it.”THE PSHETEL-SAYERThere was a man, atalmid chochom,who always met me on the street and he told me hisdivreitorah ba’arichus,longpshetelechhe would recite for me.I would see him from a distance, and try to hide from him. But often he caught hold of me and each time he did, he told me hispshatim. I never told him mypshatim! And one day I heard that a grandchild was visiting in his house and she fell out of the window.Ay yah yay, a terrible tragedy it was! But I saw that this man never began to learn the elementary principles of Torah. He was already involved insisrei Torah, in delving intopesukimand telling me secrets that thepossukismirameiz– the plainpshatwas no longer interesting, because he “knew” that, certainly. So he was going into secrets of the Torah. But here is the most open lesson of the Torah and he has overlooked it. He forgot that Hashem is watching him all time and making demands of him; he forgot that he has to always be on guard. How can anybody allow a little child into his house unless he first ran to inspect if the windows are locked shut – or that window guards are properly installed?! With all thepshetelechyou know, it didn’t occur to you that you’re ashomer?!Whatwe’re seeing now thatnezikin,not to damage others people’s things, is a great responsibility because it demands constant Awareness. It’s only possible to fulfill thesedinimif you keep Hashem in mind always. “Because if you were aware of Me always,” says Hashem; “If you would train yourself to always be aware that I’m watching you, you’d be careful. And if you’re not practicing being Aware of Me all the time, then it’s impossible for you to succeed in this world, it doesn’t matter how big of atalmid chochomyou are.”THE SINNINGTZADDIKIMImagine you’re a man who is going beforePesachto distribute packages, parcels to needy families. So you step into your car and you’re loaded down with various packages –matzohs, bottles of wine and other things. You’re a special fellow! You must be, because you’re taking from your own time, and your own money, to help others. And you’re in a hurry – you have a lot of good deeds to accomplish. So you’re speeding through the streets. “Ohhhh! You’re speeding now,” Hakodosh Boruch Hu says. “That’s worse than if you hadn’t delivered any packages at all.” You’re endangering people. There will be a much greater punishment for that, for endangering other people, than for not being agoimel chasodim tovim.The very first thing that’s expected of you is not to transgress anynezikin.What comes after that is certainly a good thing. Butnezikinis the most basic responsibility you have.And the father who ismechanechhis children in themitzvosofChanukah. Every child must have amenorah! He wants to be from themehadrin. And even the smallest child is standing in front of hismenorahbeing trained to say thatbrachosand light the candles. It’s beautiful! But then the father walks out the room. He’s arasha! He’s not achossid, and he’s not amehadrin. He’s arashagommur. A realrasha,not a half-baked one. And if you tell him that, you’ll earn a lifelong enemy. “You call me such a name?! We’re allovdeiHashemin this house. Look how much we’remehaderafter mitzvos. Even the little children are beingm’chunach, being trained to lightChanukahcandles.” And so we tell him, “No my friend, you’re looking at the top of the ladder, but you’re forgetting about the first rung.” Becausenezikin,beinadaml’chaveiro, being careful not to harm somebody’s body, his life, his property, and his feelings, is the very first consideration.HOW TO LIVE AND HOW TO DIEAnd our great people always lived that way. They climbed the ladder of perfection one rung at a time. And even when they stood on the highest rungs, they never let go of the first steps they took. When Reb Zelmeleh Volozhin, the brother of Rav Chaim Volozhin, was on his deathbed, people came to visit him. And they found him lying on his bed and learning Torah without stop. This is how it’s described inToras Ha’adam: Reb Zelmeleh was very weak – he was at the last moments of his life – so the people there said to him, “Our dear Rebbi, please take a rest. You’re so tired and weak.” So he said, “I can’t stop; it’s aGemara. זאת התורה אדם כי ימות באהל, אפילו בשעת מיתה תהא עוסק בתורה – “Even in one’s dying moments, he should be learning Torah” (Shabbos 83b). So Reb Zelmeleh kept on learning.“But I want to get up out of bed,” he said. “BecauseChazalsay that a person should spend one third of his time sitting, one third standing and one third walking (Kesubos 111a). So I want to get up and walk a little bit to fulfill thisgemara.” Now, Reb Zelmeleh was very weak; he was on his deathbed, and he couldn’t get up without a cane. But he didn’t have one. “Oh, there’s a cane; right here in the corner! Take this cane; here take it” they said to him. But Reb Zelmeleh said, “No, no, I can’t take the cane. It doesn’t belong to me.” השואל שלא מדעת גזלן הוא – “Someone who borrows his friend’s object without permission is a robber” (Bava Metziah 41a). So they ran out to find the owner to get permission. And only after they returned did Reb Zelmeleh get up and use the cane. He walked around for a few minutes, talking in learning, and then he laid down and took his last breath. That was a man who had his head in the clouds all the time; he lived on the highest rungs of perfection, but he always knew that מאן דבעי למהוי חסידא ליקיים מילי דנזיקין. Being careful with the possessions of others comes first.EATING SWINE MOTZOEI PESACHAnd not only their possessions – you have to worry about people themselves! Let’s say a man is putting away hisPesachthings – he’s carrying down thePesachdishes, and he sees one thing among the dishes that he wants to put with thechometzthings, to keep it for all year round. So as he’s carrying the box of dishes down the stairs, he puts this one thing on the stairs for the time being. Oh no! Stairs are areshus harabimwhere people are going up and down. An object on the stairs is like abor b’rshus harabim. It’s abor b’rshuso,but since people have the right to go up and down, your family has the right to use the steps, so you’re endangering their lives by putting something there. Nothing is allowed to be put on the stairs! If somebody would step on it, you know what could happenchalilah? That man lost sight of Hashem for a few moments!The sin of making aboris the same as eating swine. And to eat ham, to eat pork, you’re far away from that; it’s something you would never do. But leaving something on the steps? It happens all the time! And because not having wicked intentions is no excuse, Hashem leaves you almost no room for error.Shaleim yishaleim(Mishpatim 25:5), Hashem says. The double expression, “Pay, you must pay!” is coming to tell us something. It’s for emphasis! Even though you hadnointention to cause any harm – “I just put it down for a second,” still “Pay, you must pay!” says Hashem.WHAT’S “EXCUSE ME”?!When there are children’s toys on the floor – that’s your responsibility. Maybe you’re familiar with your floor. But if someone else coming into your home – and they always do – they don’t know that you leave things on the floor. So it’s your obligation to collect the toys; that person is not aware of pitfalls that you set for him on the floor. There was an elderly woman here who walked into a home and fell over a child’s toy. And she broke her hip. So the parents said, “Oh” and “Uh,” and they said, “We’re so sorry.” Sorry?! You’remazikim!You’re responsible! You have to learn what it means to have regard for others people’s welfare and their property. “Excuse me,” is not enough. It’s a sin on your part. And you’ll pay for it!The utmost caution is required when you are ashomer. If Hakodosh Boruch Hu gave you a child, so you were appointed as a watchman, and now it’s your duty to be on guard at all times. And even though you think it’s onerous and it’s burdensome, so you say, “How many times do such things take place? It never happens; it’s a rarity,” excuses won’t help. Hakodosh Boruch Hu is not absolving you because of your excuses. Mothers must always feel a great responsibility for the safety of their children.DON’T BLAME HASHEM!Now if something happenedchalilahand parents sit down and mourn, and they say, השם נתן והשם לקח, Hashem gave us a gift, and now he took His gift back, so people praise them for theiremunah, for their belief in Hashem. But we must know that sometimes this is a very great hypocrisy. Because if it had been possible for the parents to foresee and forestall what happened, so they are are considered as if they had done this act with their own hands. Instead of parading astzadikimwith their greatemunahthat Hashem did it, so Hashem says, “Don’t blame Me!”If you allow your son to go on a trip to a different city with a certain group, is that called responsibility? Do you know the person in charge of that group? Your son doesn’t know the streets in a strange city. In your own neighborhood you know where to be careful.Chalilahit happens sometimes. A boy was hit by a car; he was unaccustomed to the way the cars turn on that unfamiliar street and there was an accident. And the boy never came back home. The parents are held responsible for that. Just to give your son forhefker? Do you know who’s in charge of that group? Is it a responsible adult? For a boy in a strange city it better be someone extremely responsible. Would you give your money into that man’s hands? Let’s say you had ten thousand dollars; would you allow him to handle your ten thousand like that? And your son you allow him to handle?!PART III.The Result of StudyingTHE FIRST THING TO KNOW AS A SECULAR JEWWithout studying, without always thinking, every man thinks he’s honest. He knows that others are not, but he’s honest. Let me tell you a little story. There was a time when I used to take a taxi every day. I had to go from one school to another to talk. And I used the same driver every day; he was an old American Jew, an eighty year old man. To all the institutions that I had to speak, he always took me there. So he became like a close associate of mine. Now this man didn’t know how to learn a thing. He didn’t even knowsiddur; he knew nothing. But one thing hedidknow. He knew that the Orthodox Jews are no good. That, they all know; that’s the first thing a secular Jew knows.He was describing to me how his daughter was married. He had an old daughter who finally got married and he hired achazentahto put on a tallis and a yarmulke and she sang “Oh Promise Me,” –a big fatchazentahsinging her heart out. When I gave him a make-believe smile, so he said, “You Orthodox Jews don’t have any beauty in your ceremonies.”WE ATHEISTS DON’T STEAL!So while he’s driving, he’s telling me his criticism of Orthodox Jews, all of his complaints. This and that, and also how honest of a manhewas – unlike the Orthodox. Finally we crossed the parkway and we came into Flatbush – there was a long way to go yet – and he closed down his meter. I said, “Why are you closing the meter?” So he tells me “Because my boss earned enough today. The rest of the fare will go to me.” This was the man who prided himself on being honest!He didn’t even dream that anything was wrong, he didn’t dream that he was a crook. And that’s how it is – the unorthodox don’t even know that they’re crooks. All they know is that the Orthodox are crooks. By virtue of being Orthodox, you’re already a crook.I walked past a fruit store the other day, and I see a lady, not a poor woman. She’s wearing a fur coat; she’s dressed very proper. So she stops by the apricots in the bin outside, and she takes an apricot and begins to eat it. And then a second apricot. She’s aganav!I see it all the time – gentiles in the street, walking past the fruit store and picking off a few grapes. And then some peanuts and even a plum. “Oh,” they’ll say, “I’m just tasting to see if I want to make a purchase.” Just tasting?!Ah nechtige tug!I see it all the time and I tell them it’s stealing. “You can’t steal from the owner like that!” And the lady is surprised. “Me, steal?!” She would never steal!Without studying, you have no idea what is right and what is wrong. Without studyingBava KamaandBava Basra, you are a crook. Only that you have the best opinion of yourself. That’s the difference. If you studyBava KamaandBava Basra,you might continue to be dishonest, but at least you know that you’re dishonest. And that itself is a big achievement!THE OX IS A MODELAnd even if you do study, that’s only the beginning. You have to be aware always to apply it. All the rules are models for the small details of how to live every minute. You have to apply thepesukim, thehalachos, because what they are are models for the situations you face all day long.It’s not only an ox that man is responsible for. The one who studies Hashem’s words as intended, is not thinking only about an ox. He understands that Hashem is telling him that he is responsible, not only for his ox or dog, but for his rickety ladder as well. And for open windows when children are present, and for allowing a child to be alone in a room where candles are burning. For a banana peel on the ground and a dirty tissue on the table. For making too much noise and for how to sit on somebody else’s chair. For what he leaves on the steps, and for how he uses his shul. The principle ofBinyan Avteaches us that when the Torah gives an example, it must be applied to all other similar instances, unless some logical difference can be found. All harm caused to others by negligence is punishable by דיני שמים, by the laws of Heaven. And often, the guilt in the eyes of Hashem is extremely heavy.THE GEMARA ABOUT TOP HATSYou must always be aware that you’re walking in a world that doesn’t belong to you. And it’s your responsibility is to be thinking always about whatMishpatimis demanding of you. This story I told you once, but it’s a piece of Torah so I’ll say it again. Rav Yisroel,zichrono l’vracha,spent some of his years in Koenigsburg, a German city. In those days they wore top hats,l’kavod ShabbosI think it was; tall stovepipe hats, hard hats like stove pipes. So once, Rav Yisroel was out on the street and there were a number of people who were walking with him. So Rav Yisroel said to the people there, “ThegemarainBava Kamasays we have to hold on to our hats tightly because there’s a wind blowing.” So they said, “Where is there such agemaraabout stove pipe hats?” None of them could recall such agemaraabout holding onto one’s hat.So he said, “It’s אבנו סכינו ומשאו שהניחן בראש גגו ונפלו ברוח מצויה והזיקו – “If you put your object on top of your roof, and a wind blows and it falls off and it hits somebody, so you have to pay” (Bava Kama 6a). Now that’s a bigchiddush; your head is a roof, the hat is an object, and the wind is blowing, so it might fly off your head and hit somebody. Now,ourhats wouldn’t harm anybody but stove pipe hats are a missile. And if the wind would blow it off your head and it would hit someone in the eye, it would be a real injury. To us it’s a bigchiddush, but for someone who is always aware that Hashem is watching him, to see if he’s keeping all themishpatim,it’s not achiddushat all.THE THIEF LEARNS A LESSONOnce I was in theyeshivaacross the street and I was observing a young man studyingPerek Merubah.It’s the seventhperekofBava Kamaand it talks about the laws of a thief, the obligations of someone who steals. And he was learning with a real appetite. It was a pleasure to look at! He was learning out loud: מרובה מדת תשלומי כפל ממדת תשלומי ארבעה וחמישה – He was saying it with ageshmak!He was clarifying all the complicated details of payingkeifel. And I noticed that he was studying from agemarathat was from my synagogue! And it didn’t even occur to him that the thief that thegemarawas talking about was he! Stealing agemarais not called stealing? He’schayav keifel,he has to pay me twogemaras. Lucky for him, I happened to be around!Mishpatimmeans that you can’t just do how you please. You have workers? You have to pay wages? “I don’t have the money right now.” “I’ll pay you a little bit now and the rest next week, or next month.”Mili d’nezikinputs you on notice: לא תלין שכר שכיר – “Before the sun sets you have to pay the wages” (Vayikra 19:13). The sun is going down and the worker wants to go home! So you’d better pay him. The Chofetz Chaim once hired a man to drive him someplace in a wagon – and soon as he got off the wagon and he saw that the wagon driver didn’t have any change, he ran off to borrow money to pay the fare. He wasn’t going to wait till sundown! Because if you live by thedinimof the Torah so you’re always aware of your responsibilities to Hashem. It’s not that you’re worried about your workers going on strike; you’re not worried about unions and union bosses. You’re strict with yourself, because there’s a big boss. Hakodosh Boruch Hu is the worst union boss there is. He’s a very demanding boss!WHO IS TEACHING YOU PARSHAS MISHPATIM?!All day long how you behave is being regulated by Hashem. Here’s a man who gets on a bus, a man with a beard. Probably he’s not alamdan, but he has a beard, everyone sees he’s an old time Jew. So he gets on the bus and pays one fair. He doesn’t pay three fares! But he sits down and he puts his shopping bag on the seat next to him, and he takes his Yiddish newspaper and opens it wide – three seats this man is occupying! In the meantime the bus is getting crowded, and people are looking at these two seats. But they’re too bashful to say anything; they’re keeping quiet. Of course, in their hearts, you understand what they’re thinking. Finally a tough black man gets on the bus and says, “Mister, move over.” You needed a colored man to teach youParshas Mishpatim?!I’ll tell you something else. Rav Yisroel Salanter used to say that there are certain types ofgezeilah,certain things that you steal that you can never makehashavahon, you can never pay back what you stole. If you steal somebody’s sleep, people are sleeping and you wake them up for nothing, then you’re agazlanand you can never make restitution. So here is a man let’s say who comes early to learn, he comes to the shul early beforedavenen. He gets out of the car with hischavrusah,and they’re talking like it’s the afternoon. It’s before six o’clock and they’re talking at the top of their voices. People all around them want to sleep yet; they’re not going to anyshiurimright now. Where is your awareness of Hashem?!THE TZADDIK GOES TO THE MIKVEHI saw an oldravgoing to themikvehearly in the morning with his sons, and he’s talking with his big hoarse voice, sayingdivrei Torah. And the whole street on both sides is resounding with his voice as he’s walking. Thetzadikis going to themikvehbeforeSlichos,ooh wah! Really he’s a hold up man, robbing people on his way to themikveh. And he doesn’t even know that he’s doing such a terrible thing.I was thinking, “This is whyMishpatimcomes first! Because even the biggesttzadikhas to be always aware that Hashem is demanding his best behavior when it comes tomili d’nezikin.If you were a high school bum, who doesn’t care for anybody, so we understand that you’re a failure. But you? Didn’t you learn thatMishpatimcame the first thing afterMatan Torah?!” You’re agazlan, and there’s nohashavah. He can’t fulfill והשיב את הגזילה. He can’t give back a person’s health that was lost by being deprived of sleep.And it’s not only the big things, the situations that we are all aware of. A person must start out with the awareness that Hakodosh Boruch Hu owns the world and thereforeeverythingthat we do in this world is our responsibility to Him. When studying all the laws ofMishpatimit is essential to keep in mind that they are all intended by Hashem as models foreveryform of injustice which is done to others. But people who never learn, people who rely on their innate sense of right and wrong, are a thousand times worse than they could even imagine. It doesn’t even occur to them. This story, I have to repeat it although I told it about a hundred times already. Once a relative of mine, a woman, came to visit. So she tilted a chair against the glass door and the chair went through one of the glass panels. “Oh, excuse me,” she says. And that was the end of it. No! That’s not the end! It’s far from the end of it!SPITTING IN OLAM HABOHAnd actually what is expected of you is much more subtle than that, and many of us are faltering all day long, without even recognizing our faults. It’s frightening to contemplate the depths of the judgment that we will all face one day when we stand before Hashem. And as much as you ignore it now, the more surprised you will be on that day. Because the details, so small and so subtle, are all encompassing, and we are expected to be aware of them always.ThegemarainChagiga(5a) tells us that when a person is brought to judgment, he will be brought up on everything – he’ll be charged with things he never even imagined could be problematic. על כל נעלם… יביא במשפט says Shlomo Hamelech inKoheles(12:14). You will be brought to judgement on all the many things thatare hidden away from you. And the gemara explains, זה ההורג כינה בפני חבירו ונמאס – “This refers to someone who kills a louse, and someone standing nearby is disgusted by it.” Or, הרק בפני חבירו ונמאס – “If you spit out some spit or phlegm, and the person nearby is nauseated by it.” It wasn’t your fault; you had something stuck in your throat. And you covered your mouth. But still, even those minor acts of disregard for your fellow, and even if done unintentionally, will be brought up against you on that great day of Judgment.When you’re talking to a person and you have a cold, make sure to keep far away from him. You’ll cough in his face; you’re amazik! You don’t believe in germs? Who cares what you believe in! You’re amazikof the first degree! There are so many things to be careful about. And don’t say, “It’sminhashamayim, it’sbashert.”No, it’s blood on your head! You are to blame. In every instance it could very well be that you’re to blame, and the only solution is to be careful withmili d’nezikin.SPOUTING DIVREI TORAH AND HALITOSISOnce you understand that, you will have to aware of Hashem all day long! So you’re talking to somebody indivreiTorahand as you’re talking to him, you let loose a flow of polluted air from your mouth. Oh, is it difficult for him to bear your halitosis! Now, he’s too polite to run away from you. But you’re amazik. You’re annoying him.But the one who is always aware of Hashem lives differently. I knew atzaddikwhose head was in the heavens all the time; his mind was always occupied with great thoughts. And yet heneverspoke to anybody unless he perfumed his mouth first. I knew him very well. And for years he carried a little packet of listerine pellets in his pocket. He never came to speak to anybody unless first he perfumed his mouth. This was a man who lived with the ideals ofmussar. Number one is don’t injure, don’t bother people. That’s the first rung of the ladder that goes up to heaven.WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO ‘KNOW HASHEM’?And now we understand whyMishpatim, the judgements governing your behavior towards your fellow man and his property, are so important – so important that it was these laws that became the climax ofMa’amad Har Sinai. Because what doesAnochi Hashem Elokechamean anyway? We all know that it’s described as the command “to know that there is a G-d” (Hachinuch,mitzvah25). But what does that mean? After all, “I am Hashem Your G-d,” is merely a statement, a fact. But what are we supposed to do about it?And the answer to that is everything we spoke about here tonight. BecauseAnochi Hashem Elokechawas theklal gadolthey heard on that day, but the details of awareness of Hashem were given in ourparshah. And I’ll explain that. To theAm Yisroelwho stood atHar Sinaithis whole command “to know Hashem” seems superfluous. They had just witnessed the most open demonstrations of Hashem’s Presence by means of all the wonders that He had performedl’einei Bnei YisroelinMitzrayimand at theYam Suf,and now atHar Sinai.Who did they know if not Hakodosh Boruch Hu?! This generation knew Hashem and believed in Him more than any other subsequent generation! So what was this command,Anochi Hashem Elokecha, “Know that I am Hashem your God”?THE RESPONSE TONAASE V’NISHMAAnd the answer is this: For the loyal nation of Hashem it’s not enough to just know, to merely accept Hashem’s Presence as a fact, and then to get back to regular life. This first words that theAm Yisroelheard atHar Sinai, “Anochi Hashem Elokecha,”came to declare the necessity of continuingalwaysto gain more and more awareness of Hashem – to be thinking of Hashemalways! And so whileAnochi Hashem Elokechawas theklal gadolthey heard on that glorious day, all the details of of how to be always aware of Hashem were given inParshas Mishpatim.The awareness that you’re just passing through a world that doesn’t belong to you is the foundation for living a life of awareness of the true owner in this world.And so Hashem came down onHar Sinaiand said to His people, “Oh, you’re saying נעשה ונשמע? You’re ready to do?! So let me tell you what I want: ואלה המשפטים. That’s how I want you to get started.” Because this is most basic way, the most fundamental way of serving Hashem. It’s the foundation of the service of Hashem because it means that you are aware at all times that להשם הארץ ומלואה, and that He is watching,and that He’s demanding something of you always!Becausealthough theseMishpatimmight benefit the welfare of man, as well as the perfection of character for the one who trains himself to care about his fellow, yet the most important achievement is that it serves as constant reminders that Hashem is always looking always down at our deeds, even the most subtle of deeds, and that we are always obligated to behave as one behaves in the presence of a king. And therefore, even the most mundane activities of a Jewish man or woman are always saturated with awareness of Hashem. And that awareness is your perfection in this world, and your preparation for your eternal happiness when you finally come to bask in the true Presence of Hashem in the World to Come.Go Back See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. This podcast has been graciously sponsored by JewishPodcasts.fm. There is much overhead to maintain this service so please help us continue our goal of helping Jewish lecturers become podcasters and support us with a donation: https://thechesedfund.com/jewishpodcasts/donate