Fish on Land - Vayechi (Rabbi Dovid Kaplan) (Weekly Parsha)

Yakov Vinou I don't even remember what's the last thing what's the last thing we said we barely we barely started uh par right I apologize for last couple they have been out with the flu that's why we haven't had sheer flu >> out the flu okay take a look at um page 268 so Yoseph we had spoken about last time Yseph is told that Yakovino is not is is sick. By the way, there is a there is a uh for for those who are interested, there is a uh what do you call it? A uh a question review sheet which is ideal for the shabas table questions on the para with answers from various commentaries not from Raji from various commentaries how they some of the things that you know like the different approaches. So, if anybody's interested, you could go to uh what do they say? Don't forget to visit our don't forget to visit our website at davidbaplan.com. Don't forget like forget you. What do you mean don't forget? I didn't forget. I don't want to. So, don't forget that. It's like like if you don't do it, you forgot. I didn't forget it. I forget it. I have no interest in doing it. But it is available. It's ideal for the Shabas table because it's got all sorts of ideas and it presented with questions and that get everybody interested at the Shabas table and if you visit the website so you'll see that the other stuff available too about 50 questions how to how to check out shidim and how to run a shabas table fathers learning with their sons and different stuff. Okay so Yakov is sick and he calls in Yoseph. Yoseph is summoned. Now, here is a life rule where >> captain, how you doing? >> Uh, how am I doing is a great question. >> Fine, you can give a good answer. >> Yeah. Yeah. I wish I had a good answer. I'm doing better. Now, somebody I think Niss Carellis used to say when they asked him how is he doing, he used to say half as good as I should be. Instead of saying bad, he'd just say half as good as I should be. Okay. Um, who's coming in? Renewalist. >> Okay. They just need >> they just need Is this every day they're going to be coming now? >> Depends on the Okay. You t me in two directions over here. Okay. So, here Yakov says to Yoseph, Yakov says to Yoseph like this. Um, he says, uh, I'm going to give you your two sons. That this is where we got to last time. Fourth line. Hi guys. Take all over the place. And we're on page 270. If Frymanasha, [Music] thank you. You could join us here. Make yourselves comfortable and chair us over here. Says the fry and manasha are going to be like ruin and shim. I mean over here at this point they're making a fry in manasha. He's making a fry in Manasha the same status as the tribes. And we said last time that so it's a way of honoring Raul that she's going to have three. She'll have Minyamin, Ephraim, and Manasha, which gives her one more tribe over each one of the maids are Bella and Zopa who each had two. One has uh uh Dun and Nafali. The other one has God and Usher. Page 270. So then Yakov does something over here which is a lesson for all parents and educators. Jacob says like this, seven, eight lines from the top. when I came back from died and I buried her over there. So first of all, you know, the Medish says when Yakov says died mel died on me. She died on me, right? The medish says of all Yakov's suffering, he had a lot of suffering. He had Asov. He had love on it. Yoseph disappeared. The Medra says of all his suffering that was his worst. Medus says the worst suffering was that Rael died. His beloved wife Rael died. Okay. And he says she now why is YaKob going into this right now? He's calling Yseph to bring your sons over to bury. Bring your sons in. I'm going to give them a I'm making them new. And all says, "Oh, and by the way, you know your mother Raul, she died, right? Why why why is he being bringing that up right now?" So I heard a phenomenal explanation of he says like this you know earlier Yakov had said to Yoseph he had asked Yoseph I want you to swear remember he tells Yseph swear that you won't bury me in Egypt. Jacob doesn't want because Egypt's going to turn into maggots during the plague of Kenim and he doesn't want turned into a deity by the Egyptians and he doesn't want he doesn't want uh uh they have to roll all the way to Israel when a person dies in then for me anybody born in anybody anybody buried in says what go there going to be tunnels I remember hearing this when I was in second grade I think they said there going to be tunnels and you roll through these tunnels the body rolls through these tunnels president arises in earth. I remember as a little kid being a little spooked by that, you know, by seeing bodies rolling through the tunnels. It's like, hey, mom, you know, the earth feel I feel something under under the house right now. You know, well, it's just a 4.2 on the RTOR. You know, it's just an earthquake. No, no, there's some bodies. So, how you guys doing down there? You know, they're rolling rolling. So the so the the boy the possibilities are endless here. So why does he go into this? Now I buried Raal here. The answer is that there's only one time in life you know I don't know how you guys were raised but there are different approaches with kids when a kid says to his father why kids say daddy why. So sometimes fathers say because I said so right probably everybody in this room has heard that at least once or twice a day. The you know because I said so. Now the truth of the matter is the truth of the matter is that certainly there has to be an understanding that the father is the authority figure and you got to do it because the father said so. However, I personally always was willing to explain to my kids, not necessarily on the spot, not necessarily on the spot, but my own approach was that they're entitled to an explanation. Daddy, why can't we go Bayaz Mountain with our friend? Daddy got my son comes over. Daddy, can I go with my friends Bay to the to the north to the to the to the Syrian border? We want to do some budgy jumping alligator wrestling. And the answer is no. Why? I'll tell you why. Because the Syrian border is dangerous, bungee jumping is dangerous, alligator wrestling is dangerous, and those friends are the most dangerous of all. Therefore, the answer is no. Now, the kid has to know two things. Number one, the fact that I'm giving you an explanation doesn't mean it's negotiable. I've made a decision. You want to know why? I'll tell you why. Sometimes it's not the right time. You know, I'll tell you. I'll explain to you why, but not right now. That often happened when I was up on a ladder trying to take the stuff down or fix something and I'd say to my son, "Uh, could you run over and get me some get me some masking tape?" Why? Not now. I'm balancing like a ballerina on a box on a ladder trying to fill, you know, that's not the time. I'll explain to you why later. There's only one. Now, there are different approaches. Some parents feel no. They're not in even entitled to an X-ray. They have to trust me. Now, there are different approaches in parenting. I'm not taking a position here. I just mentioned what what I used to do. Not everybody does that. There's one time where you must explain yourself to your child and that's where what you're telling him to do seems to him to be a contradiction to your own behavior. Say Yakob what did he ask you? He says I want you to do I want you to bury me and bury me all the way in Israel. Take it from me schle along all the way take the body to Israel. And his mother he buries her at the side of the road. He doesn't even take her into town. And Yakov then explains Rashi brings out Jacob explains Y said because I got a divine command Ro said to me don't take her in bury her at the side of the road. I want her there with the children in future go off to Golos. So she's Rahul's going to be there for them. But when do you have to explain to your kid? So a kid comes home from school and he smells mysteriously like cigarette smoke and you say, "Uh, schmully, were you smoking?" Yeah. How many kids? Six. You know, were you smoking or nine? If he's a late starter, were you were you smoking? Yeah. Where did he get the cigarettes from? I can't tell you. Why not? Because it's lush and hor. You know, in your house there's no lush and horror. We learn our halas and everything here. You have to kid. You have to tell me. But you have to explain to the kid at that point because now you're you're contradicting yourself. So, you've got to explain to your kid at that point what I'm telling you right now. What I'm asking you to tell me right now is not lush and horror because now it's for a beneficial purpose. The beneficial purpose is that I got to figure out how to get you to stop smok whatever you explain to the kid about how bad cigarette smoking is and so on and so forth depending on which brand. But the the at the end of the day at the end of the day you only have to explain it you have you must explain it where there is something contradicting. If if a kid sees his father with a with a smartphone where the father is saying no smartphone with a smartphone then the kef father has to explain to the kid there's a very big difference I'm using it only for work and that's it's got filters I'm using it for work and it's been approved by all the rub on him but then you better make sure the kid doesn't see a kid laying around on the smartphone because that has nothing to do with what the rub on him approved >> and so on and so forth now Yakov that's why he gives the explanation Then Yakov calls them in. I once heard a beautiful, beautiful shot here. Take a look. Four lines from the bottom. The Israelis. Yakov's eyes became heavy from old age. There the medish says that the turus of life caused him to to to just, you know, just even his eyesight went he couldn't see. Joseph may love. He draws them near. These are Yoseph's children in front of him. He kisses them and he hugs them. So I once heard a beautiful explanation there's something. Do you ever hear an expression? Maybe we open show if I can open open the door so you just get a little air. There's a Did you ever hear the explanation of generation gap? You ever hear the generation gap? You know what that refers to? Sometimes, you know, parents and children, you know, like, you know, I listen to some of the music my kids listen to, you know, which is uh, you know, which is mislabeled. It's actually mislabeled because they actually call it music. Uh, and you know, some of the stuff you listen to, some people actually listen to rap, uh, uh, which, you know, I don't know what category of madness to put that in, but whatever the case is. Um, right. Snoop Dogg. The uh the uh whatever the I once saw a t-shirt. What's it called? Um who is it? Two pack. Who? Two pack dropped. Biggie and Biggie dropped. Top two pack. Who? Who? Who? What do you call it? I just remember the guy's name was Tupac Shakur because if you drink two packs, you become Shikur. You become drunk. So that's why I remember his name. Twopack. I was intrigued by his name. >> Tupac. Oh, Tupac. Sorry. Tupac. Yeah, the Tupac. You know, great philosopher all of them. So the uh good beats too. So the uh so you you know there there's there's you know there's a generation gap and now there's a generation gap between the parents and children. Imagine your grandparents and grandchildren. You know what goes on in my life. My grandparents are going on in my life. You're so far you don't know what what's going on the miss your gas that they were in generations. There were different concerns. My grandparents were concerned with putting food on the table. In my generation, I'm concerned with the Cubs winning the World Series in life. You didn't get they're from Europe and they're from there's only one thing that you never compromise on. The ana is cos Yako's eyes are spirit symbolically he can't see the next the grandchildren their generation. He can't see the Mishagas they're up to and all the things they do and the technology and they have no idea. don't even know how to turn on a computer and and it but there's one thing you just hug them and kiss them just draw them there and that's a lesson for parents too. You just keep them there. You hug them and you kiss them. You don't understand them but you hug them and you kiss them. If an a guys can just ask you to to make noise somewhere else the uh the a come to me zoken means a yakovino and it's a lesson obviously it doesn't literally apply to yakovino yakov and a friend but it's a Torah the Torah is communicating over here with with your children with your grandchildren the one thing you never compromise is that they should feel the warmth and the affection from the parents and grandparents then Yakov says uh okay bring me over I want to give them I want to give them a a braha. Now watch this. Here comes a strange interplay. Page 272. Page 272. Two lines from the top. If you just joined us, you're you can get the uh answer. You can get the question sheet for Shabas. If you go to our our uh what do you call it? What's it called? website Davidbcaplan.com where you have the review sheets for the Shabas table. Uh questions for the Shabas table. Israel Yoseph takes Ephraim in his right hand to the left of Jacovino. He takes Manasha in his left hand. Mim Israel to the right of Yakov love. Now Yoseph's plan over here is to bring the boys over so that Ephra that mana ends up under Yakov's right hand and Ephraim is the younger one is under the left hand. And in whatever brahas, whatever the potency of brahas are, part of the potency has to do with which hand you're under. These are concepts beyond us. But that's they understood this. Jacob stretches out his right hand. He puts on Ephraim's head. He's the younger one. Al manasha. He puts his left hand on the head of Manasha. Now the word seek is usually translated he crossed his hands. How's the art school translated? >> He does he translate he he maneuvered his hands. Better word because the word seek comes from seel. That means he was this was done with forethought. It's always trust is translate as crossed his hands but it's really he I like that word maneuvered his hands. He thought it out is the older one. Now, does anybody have a problem with that statement? >> What's that? says he crossed his hands. He he he changed over his hands. See a problem with that gentleman? >> Yeah. One give the give the blessing to >> he wants to give the he wants to give it to Ephran because Yeshua is going to come from Ephrine. >> What's the question? >> I'm asking you that no problem with that gentleman. Hold cross. Nobody got a problem. Nobody got an issue with that. >> It's the body cross. >> He c Why should he have done? >> Move them. >> Huh? Move the kids over. Excellent. Number one. >> Why do you cross hands? Why not just move them around? Number one. Very good. What's your name? >> Where you from? >> Oh, I feel like for sure Chicago the uh the uh the what do you call the see? He's asking a good question. Number one, what easiest thing the guys can change places. Number one. Number two. hands crossed. >> He reached over. >> Why? >> Because he wanted to get to Ephraim with his right hand. Because Ephraim is the more prominent one because Yeshua is going to come from him. So why did he cross his hands? He crossed his hands to get to Ephraim or to avoid Manasha. >> To get to Ephraim. So why does the Torah say he crossed his hands because Manasha is the firstborn? It shouldn't say he crossed his hands so that he could get to Ephraim. The way the Torah says it, it almost sounds like he crossed his hands to avoid minasha. But that wasn't why he did it. He wasn't trying to avoid man. He's trying to get that fraim, right? The answer is go see what what said. Why didn't he just shift them around? Because man is the Torah is answering that question. Why didn't just shift them around? He he he crossed his hands because man is the bor. It would be embarrassing to leave that door open. Okay, leave it open. Leave it open. Leave it open. He he crossed his hands in order to get to Ephraim. But why didn't he have them shift places the B? That would be embarrassing. Hey fellas, do you mind switching place? That would be very embarrassing. Number one. Number two, he wants to leave Manasha on the right side. You don't get the right hand, but you get some right side energy. And therefore, he crossed his hands in order to the Torah is very accurate because mana is the it's answering that question. Obviously, he wants to get there not to avoid. And look at Yoseph's reaction goes to over here and he says like this. the is that they should be like fish. They should be like fish on the earth. Now problem number one is fish are not on the earth. Where are the fish? >> In the water. >> In the water. They should be careful. I would have said they should be like fish. Be care of hayam. I wouldn't have said be careful. Fish on earth. Fish on land don't do well. You ever see fish on land? Fish on land. Fish on land don't do well at all. So why does it why does it say there's no word in English by the way? Because if you notice the area means they should proliferate abundantly like fish. And two words in Hebrew takes a whole sentence in English. If we had a word in English, they should fishify, right? They should fishify. What other word? We haven't got a word for it. They should proliferate like fish. They should fishify. Okay. Why is he compared? They give them a br. They should be like fish. Okay. Fish are the most abundant. The fish are all over the place. You ever sees fish, the fish are abundant, obviously, but I saw Rev Hersh says over here something magnificent. Absolutely magnificent. Uh time for public confessions, guys. Have any of you ever imagined I mean, you could tell like we're among friends. Have you ever imagined what it's like to be a bird? >> Honestly. Honestly, have you ever droid? Have you ever even tried flapping and just maybe this would be your lucky day? Have you ever tried doing that? I have. I see. I can I I'll man up. I I'll tell you the truth. I You know, you know, not happening today. You once in a while take two cardboard boxes, you know, two cardboard flavors and see if see if maybe this will do it for me. And you try. Okay. And once a when you're stuck in traffic, you know, right? The other day I was out watching pigeons. There were pigeons outside. I have a home as a pigeon. I was watching them and also like another one joins them. They're all looking for food. They're pecking around on the ground. Another one joins them. They can pick yo bro. Anything around here, you know, I get I wonder wish and then they get up. They start flying away. When you're stuck in traffic, you always think about that. I wish I had wings. Never had that. Okay. Have you ever imagined what it's like to be a fish? >> I have. I have. You know, sometimes you're watching in in an aquarium, you watch fish, you go watch the fish swimming back and forth. I first call I say, you know, like what do you guys do all day? They just kind of swim back and forth. Don't any of you work? You know, they just they they're they're all they're just swimming back and forth if they're Jewish fish, Jewish goldfish. Jewish goldfish have a very very short life expectancy. Jewish goldfish always die because Jews tend to overfeed them because we overfeed everybody. So we overfeed them. You know, you pour, you're supposed to pour it in like a little pitch. Our goldfish always goldfish never made it more. Not even a week. They were always floating on their floating on their side by the end of a couple of days. They were just they're just out of it. Why? Because we, you know, a little bit of feed is good, more feed is better. So you're feeding them, then you throw in some extra some, you know, leftover ch or whatever it is. You know, they are they're just finished. their life I'm telling you their life expectancy is very very brief. So they're just not made for that. Okay. So in the p I have tried to imagine what it's like breathing water. Have you ever tried to do that? I've imagined what it's like breathing water. It could get embarrassing because sometimes I'm sitting on the bus with nothing to do thinking about what it's like to be a fish and I just start going like like that and then you're looking around like who know that was and and it's all be why is that the answer is what Yakov is saying to Fry and Manasha he's saying you're going to be like fish meaning when you look at fish more than any other creature you can look at lions you can look at birds you can look at dogs you can look at thing. There's a way a little bit. We have something in common. We all breathe. We all eat. We have teeth. We We have something in common. We got nothing in common with fish. They live in a completely different environment. They're living. We see them. They look like like we we can and they're in a completely different environment. We're clueless what's going on in their life. Says reverse. >> The nations of the world look at us. We look just like them. We look like we're living life like they're clueless about what's going on in the Torah life. You walk into a Jewish home on a little Shabas and they see a Shabas table and it looks to them like, yeah, you know, it's a bunch of people sitting around dressed up eating food and they can't How are you going to explain to them what a Shabas environment is? They can't possibly fathom it. They tried to explain to George Bush. George uh George Bush the uh gentleman sh They tried to explain to George Bush the son the second one. The second when they had the big No, don't close that door. They had the uh don't close that door. They leave it open. The uh they had a uh uh when when they had the big celebration of the da Thank you for the effort the uh for the thought. They had the dafomi celebration the f one of the first ones there were 100,000 people and one of the rabbon George Bush what the second son is he w is that w so he was asking what this was all about and somebody was trying to explain to him what a sumas is about now could you imagine explaining to a you'd have to explain you have to you'd have to go back to the creation of the world and explain the the entire idea of tourship Talmud what that possibly means and a sees a bunch of people celebrating finishing a book a series. Can you imagine a big gathering a 100,000 who have just completed encyclopedia bratannica and with dancing and singing and mamisha celebration or they finished Harry Potter and dancing and singing m celebration they can't fathom what the what's going on over there by you they can't imagine a world where people lush and har is user because everything in the world is gossip you really think you really work on that they're like fish in that they're among everybody. That's why it's fisherit. We live among the nations. >> We live among we're not into water. We wish we were in the water. We're not in the water. We live among the nations. But the nations look at us. They know as much about us as they as as as about fish. >> I was once in uh I was once in uh Columbus, Ohio. Not my fault. My wife's from there. And the uh the uh what do you call it? The uh Columbus they brought a community collo to Columbus. The com Columbus community colo. It was the first colo in Columbus. And they had it was like on a storefront and it said Columbus community colo. So one day I went into the pharmacy right at caddy quarter. It was a pharmacy. So I'm talking to the pharmacist. He was a Korean guy. And I said to him, uh I figured he's probably intelligent. He's a pharmacist. I said to him, "I got to get something." I said to him, "You ever see that that sign across the street, Columbus Community College? You ever wonder what that is?" He goes, "Yeah." I said, "What do you think it is?" He says, "Well, I just see people sitting across tables really really talking intensely to each other. I just figured it's some sort of Jewish immigrant absorption center." So, I think to myself, yeah, you know what? You're not you're not far from the truth. You know the base medish is our is our immigrant absorption center. Yeah, you're absolutely right. I figured look it he was he was a foreigner in America. So probably immigrant absorption was some it was a big word. He was second generation. It's probably a big word in his house was immigrant absorption when he was growing up. So he probably had that in his head. And I'm thinking to myself, yeah, yeah, that that is what it that that's exactly our immigrant absorption center. So so the yidgulitz means that we live among them but they're absolutely clueless. what a total life is. There goes what a yarmuka is. What sits are what you and I walk through the airports with my sites. You're diving. That's always fun. Diving with the talis and fill in. I used to be self-conscious about it. I was self-conscious about diving in airport. You know, you kind of, you know, going to the corner and you're diving. And then when I think it was in New Jersey, I think at the in the Newark airport and I was thinking I was with my wife and I had to go do diving. I'm looking around where am I going to do over here and all of a sudden I hear like a little rumbling sound. getting louder. It's about these hairy Krishna. They're wearing these orange robes. Their hair, their head is shaven. They got like something like a unicorn sticking up once thing is sticking out of their head and they're walking right down the middle of the airport like they own the place. Like these guys don't care. Why should I care? So now I don't I try to be as inconspicuous as you can. I don't go standing in the middle of the airport and go into the side as inconspicuous as you could be with a white and black striped cape, you know, and uh and and and wrapping yourself up with, you know, with with who knows what and just strapping it on and but I'm not, you know, and then people try to walk past and they're kind of looking, you know, like Batman over there in the corner, you know, but but at the end of the day, they're clueless. They're absolutely clueless. I remember a guy, I was on a plane, kosher kosher food. They don't know what we're where. I said to the guy, "Have you got my kosher meal?" He goes, "No, I'm sorry." So, he starts handing me the other meal. He thought like like it's just a pre like like it's a preference. He thought it's a preference. I had to run really good. A guy gave me a look. I was in uh I was in in in business class. So, they give you a in business they give you the meal and in the business class in the meal the the kosher meal. So they also have uh uh silverware, metal silver metal metal uh dishwear. And uh he gave me I he said you want the whole thing. He brought me the thing and then he brought me uh wrapped in a napkin. He brought me a set of silverware. So I said to the guy, "Is this the silverware that came with the original meal?" Cuz they casure it the the the bad. They cash it with before it's all packed under supervision. I said, "Is this the silverware that came with the original meal?" So he goes, "No." So I said, "Oh, I I I prefer that." So he just kind of looked at me just like, "Oh, okay. Okay." You know, like like what difference could it make? It's all the same stuff. What difference? I didn't go into all the laws of of Caleb with him and everything else. But this is they're they're clueless. Rabbi Emanuel Feldman was a RV in in Atlanta and a guy came up to him by he was talking to non-Jewish guy said to him is it true that when somebody dies by Jews when somebody dies Jews sit in a cold room he says no why do you think so because I my my mother always said when somebody dies by the Jews they sit and shiver for seven days you know what you're zero that's fish. Now look what Yoseph's reaction is. Alchem saw his father Zion. Eight lines on the bottom. Yoseph saw his father put his right hand. Sorry. Yseph saw that his father put his right hand on Ephraim's head. He was not good. Yseph was not happy about that. Ephraim. He took his father's hand to move it from Ephraim's head onto Manasha's head. The medra says to Yakov said to Yoseph, "You're trying to move my hand. This is a hand that wrestled down a malik, an angel. You can't move my hand." And the med says Yakov's arm was the size of pillars holding up a bu building. Yoseph's trying to move his hand and Yaka says no. I beat I beat down an A. I beat an angel. He can't move my hand. Why was Yseph upset Verov? Was Yoseph's not happy with this? >> Why was Yoseph happy about this? >> He didn't want to throw him in the ditch. >> Well put. In other words, Yoseph has learned for Yoseph knows firsthand what happens when you take a younger brother and promote him over the older brothers. Like Alicia said so so uh uh elegantly get thrown into a ditch, right? Ysef understands what happened to dad. Why why were we separated for so long? Because ex this very thing I don't want to go through this again and I don't want my sons to go through it again. No, he's the first born. Father refuses. He says like this. Pay attention carefully. I know my son. I know. Why twice? >> There's two people there. >> Why twice? >> Why twice? I know what I was doing and I know something else. >> Why twice? >> Because it happened twice. >> Happened to Yakov and Asov and it happened to Ysef and his brothers. I know both cases. I know. I know. He'll be great, but his younger brother is going to be more prominent. So Jacob, you know says to Yoseph, and by the way, Mike, you're right. There was a message that says Yakov was saying to Yoseph, you're telling me, I know, not only I know this, I know what happened in the past. I know what's going to happen in the future. Don't tell me I know exactly what I'm doing. So look at the he then gives him. This was Alicia brought this up earlier. Shem should make you like that's the we give the sons on Shabas. What did the god daughters get? >> So you see like it seemed like there's a lack of symmetry here. They get the imos and they would think logically to give children what should we give children like mo and something. So there are different explanations that morim give. First of the best the the most basic explanation because Jacob gave this braha but one of the ideas there are two ideas basic ideas behind it. One is that the one thing the biggest braha for parents is there should be no sibling rivalry. Kids should get along and we never find that manasha had any resentment to being put second to Ephraim and therefore we give a number one. Number two, they were the first two who were born in Egypt and they overcame they rose above any sort of negative influence. And what we do is we give a braha to our children that we want our children to if anybody's using technology please not in front of ash put put away the technology in front of not respectful to the uh we want the to our children that way they should be able to rise above all all negative influence you don't have to come to the but you can't use it say it's avish it's not proper the um the uh the brah to the children is number one there should be no sibling rivalry and Number two, that the children should be able to should be able to get along. Okay. Now, I want to show you one point over here because I want to make sure to uh to get to it today. Well, let's just skip down for a second. I'll tell you one one one shot over here. Says page 274, four lines from the bottom. Yakov calls his sons together, has gathered together, and I will tell you what's going to happen at the end of days. And he wants to reveal to them everything that's going to happen in the messianic year. He wants to reveal to them what's going to happen in Ganeda and what what goes on in the in paradise. He wants to reveal everything and it's hidden from him. But one of them says, "Hey, us who gather." That means the key to bringing about the end of days is when the Jewish people are gathered together. When we're united, when there's there's a certain amount of unity among the Jewish people that we're not fighting with each other. and he gathers them together and then he starts going through and starts giving the brahas. Now there's one braha here that I want to I want to show you on page 278 because there's a fascinating explanation and I think that this applies to all of us in in our day-to-day. So, three lines from the bottom at page 278 is a hardbone donkey roamish crouching between the borders. So, we all know who is >> no who is who is the tribe of what did they do? They studied Torah and they were supported by the tribe of Zulan. Zulen were merchants. That's why there's something called the Zulan relationship. Now, yuck is compared to a donkey. The people who study Torah, you're carrying the load. A donkey carries the load. People who are learning Torah are carrying the load of Torah. It's not an easy pursuit. There's nothing that needs as much takes as much stamina and persistence. I've done different things in life. Nothing is as difficult, as challenging, and as demanding as studying Torah full-time in cola, learning and learning and learning and learning and learning. It's a tremendous burden. And do you see what it's like learning a Gomorrah and then go over it and all the mfor and keeping it together and working it out? It's a tremendous burden. But is the is a it's a satisfying burden, but it's a it's it's heavy. It's hard. It's not easy. Takes a tremendous amount of stamina. So is that hardbone donkey. Now why is the Torah learner considered? What's the comparison to a donkey? So I heard an unbelievable explanation. I'm telling you that this talk is speaking to every one of us when there was somebody named Rav Laser Plchinski. Razer Plchinsky was a brother-in-law of Raval Yashiv Zatsal. Razer Plchinsky himself came from the Mirri Shiva. He was with the Mirisha in Shanghai. World class I mean he married he and Revelash were brother-in-laws. So it tells you was one of the golan. So he was once walking in old Jerusalem and he sees he passes this quarry. There's a quarry where they're quarrying out digging out Jerusalem stone heavy Jerusalem stone. and he looks into this quarry and he sees there's an Arab down in the quarry with a mule with a donkey. He loads up the donkey with with with these heavy stones and the donkey now has to climb uphill out of this quarry. So the donkey takes a step and he stops. So the Arab starts hitting him with a stick to get the donkey to go. Donkey won't budge. Hits him again, the donkey won't budge. Finally, the air walks off to the side. He picks up a towel. He drapes the towel over the donkey's head. The donkey looks down and starts walking and he gets walks eventually gets out of the quarry. So, Blazer Plchinski said, "Now I understand shot where it says you suck compared to a donkey." He said, "What excuse me, what happened to that donkey in the quarry? What happened to that donkey?" The donkey was loaded up. He took one look up. He said, "I got to get out there. Forget about it. Forget about it. I'm not going to move." He hits him. He doesn't move. So he puts the towel over his head and he looks down. Donkeys don't have good memories. Donkey looks down. He said, "Oh, I just got to get till here." He takes a step. I just got to get till here. Takes another step. I get till here. Takes another step. Next thing you know, he's out of the quarry. >> I think every one of us has a certain temptation. And every time you open a Gomorrah, you kind of do like this. Oh boy. Oh man, that's some little print in there. You know, when am I going to finish this? When are you going to finish this? I got news for you. You're not. And I'm not. And nobody ever does. We never finish. How much do you take a step? You're learning a piece of Gabbor now. You're learning a Mishna. You're learning a puk. focus downward on what you're doing now and keep going and take a step and next thing you know you're going to look back and say hey when did I create how did I accumulate all that knowledge how did I finish that maka how did I turn all those pages it's one step at a time there's no hurry there's no rush and you don't get anywhere by rushing you don't get anywhere by rushing there's a pik that says the heart of a wise man is to the Right. Valil is smaller. The heart of the fool is to the left. So they always say tongue and cheek. That refers to your safer. What does the wise man do? He looks to the right. Well, look at what I did. And he goes back and reviews it. What does the fool do? He looks to the left. He go, "Boy, I got an awful lot more to go. I got a lot more to go to." So, you have to know that it's it's it's a process. It's a process that that happens there. I'll just end with this. There's a there's a medish that says there's a medish that says a fool walks into a room and he sees a loaf of bread dangling from the ceiling. And the fool takes a look and he says, "My goodness, nobody could get that down." And he walks out. The wise man walks in. He sees a loaf of bread dinging from the ceiling. He says to himself, "Well, somebody put it up there. There's got to be a way to get it down." So he takes one stick and he puts another stick and he attaches it together and he fishes down with a piece of bread. In our day and age, it wouldn't be it would be like walking into into a high room. Walk into the lunchroom and all the way on top of the lunchroom, there's a $100 bill glued to the ceiling. You think you'd figure out how to get it down? I got all the faith in the world in you. One way or another, I don't know what you do. I you I don't care how you would figure it out. Why? Because somebody put it up there. It's got to be a way to get it down. And you'll think of that for a hundred bucks. you'll think of it even if it means paying for somebody else 50 bucks to do it for you. One way or another, you'll figure it out how to do it. Okay, so med says a guy walks into the base med the first time and he takes a look at this. Look at all those for him. My goodness, you know, shas Rambam Mishnasi. Now, who could possibly the that's the He walks out. The wise man walks in. He takes a look. He says, "Well, >> you know, I'll uh I'll learn two halas today, two halocas tomorrow, and eventually I'll learn the entire Torah." Now, gentlemen, do the math. Um, two a day can do for you. Hey, you listen, you'll know, but you're not going to know the whole Torah. So, what does it mean? It means you do two alas today, two alas today, two alas tomorrow, and then all a sudden you're going to realize, you know what? Yeah, I got to do more and I got to do more. But you got to start. That's why you sucker takes on the yoke of Torah. The yoke of Torah mean there's a lot. Sure, there's a lot. So what? So what? Just keeps us busy and out of trouble. All right. Continue tomorrow. So you Sunday. Oh, don't turn off. Well, uh just for those who uh are interested, you get review sheets with questions on the para ideal for the shabas table. uh questions with uh various approaches, explanations and ideas from the various men before. And uh if you're interested, you can get it at davidbcaplan.com or at my email David Bapan. It's $8 a piece. Uh and those who have bought it, uh I have yet to find some those who it should be should be very very helpful for you. All right.