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Don't Divide The Baby! - Rav Avraham Yitzchak Kook’s Eretz Chefetz 12:5 by Rabbi Aaron Goldscheider
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www.ouisrael.org facebook.com/ouisrael Delivered 25 Sivan 5784 / July 1, 2024 Rabbi Goldscheiders's shiur for the 2023 Academic Year has been sponsored לעילוי נשמת מרים בת אברהם ע''ה ושם טוב בן שלמה ז''ל #OUisrael #torah #judaism #torahlectures #kook
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Transcript
Auto-generated transcript. Not time-synced to the video.
all right Booker to everyone good
morning good morning Booker to great to
see everyone nice
uh nice to be here together and we begin
with the
dedication
Beno okay
uh we have the uh the this morning to
continue our learning and a very very
special very special piece
from cook and a a topic that is in topic
that's very important for today and that
is the topic of unity ofus Andel and
this is essentially the the major theme
of the last chapter the last paric of
eret and uh what we're going to do today
is we're going to begin actually we
usually begin with the the mimer with
the piece from rev cook but in order to
understand this piece and to appreciate
it we need to begin with another section
and this is taken from tanak it's one of
the most famous I would say it's one of
the most famous sections of tanak and uh
the story of schomo H and it's about 10
versus 10im which we're going to see now
I noticed that they they stapled The
Source sheet uh yeah it's a little bit
off
so the you're looking it says M on the
top but that's not the first page the
first page number one you should see
there should be a number one at the top
I do have them numbered there's a number
one and it says MIM
perim at the very top of the page so
this is how we're beginning
today you only have two pages
okay so there there are copies in the on
the back table I'm sorry Cab's on the
back table okay so here we go so this is
a story that everybody in the room knows
that everybody has heard and um I'm not
sure if you've studied this story you're
seeing the psim in uh inside as we say
so we're going to see the psim we're
going to see the verses we're going to
run through it it's about 10 10
psim but we'll see this is going to be
our backdrop and um a very very
beautiful application of Ru cook so here
we go here is the story
and there were two women who were
prostitutes Z and they come to the King
this
is and they stand before the
king one of the women say the
following both of us live in one house
together and I gave birth in the house
and on the third day the other woman who
was living in the house with me also
gave birth to a
child the two of us are living in the
house
together there's nobody else who's there
in the
house just the two of
us and the child died of The Other Woman
and what did she do she got up in the
middle of the
night she took the child from
me I was
sleeping and she put the baby in her
chest in her
womb
and and the child who died she placed in
my and I woke up in the morning to nurse
my child
and the child was not
living and I look carefully in the
morning and that was not the child that
I gave birth
to that is not what
happened it's the living child that is
my
child low and the other woman
says I am the mother of the living child
and they continue to speak before the
king
before that one woman is saying that the
living child is
hers and the other is making the
argument stating that I am the mother of
the living child so here famously what
do do we all are familiar with
this bring to me a sword
and they brought the sword
before
says let's cut the live child in
half let's give half the child to each
mother we don't know which one is the
real
mother the one the mother who is the the
mother of the living child says to the
king because the mercy that she had for
her
child please my
master give
her give her the living
child do not kill this
child and what does The Other Woman
say G she shouldn't have it I shouldn't
have it cut the baby in
half thank you very much thank you and
this is the key
line and the King
answered give her the living
child do not kill the child
heo that is the mother of the living
child the one that was willing to give
away the child and the one God forbid
the one that said to cut the child in
half that certainly cannot be the uh the
mother of the
child the entire Jewish people heard of
this episode this
judgment and they were uh they had awe
of the
king they saw that he was a king who had
theim that he was a man of God the
wisdom of God within him to do
judgment and this is the beginning of
the reign of SCH so this is a I'm sure
we have heard this story I would say
it's one of the most famous incidents of
all of n of all of Na outside of Torah
and um a very very beautiful a beautiful
story I guess not not so beautiful in
certain ways but a beautiful beautiful
lesson about the love of a mother for a
child and ruk is now going to use this
story is going to uh illuminate the idea
of this story so let's look at the
following we turn now if you can find
this page two there should be a two on
the top of the page and this is now Ru
cook we're in the last chapter of
eret and which is per andet this is ha
this is the fifth piece that's found in
the chapter and here we have Riv cook
and uh we'll see also the the beautiful
uh the beautiful WR and the Beautiful
idea of
R so there is a there are different
opinions difference of
opinion how do we go about dealing with
the CLA with the community of Israel
now now we do find that in our
time that there are many that are there
are many that are not following not
observing to the Torah
that they lift up the the deel the
banner of hefu which means that they are
they're very uh very proud to say that
they're not observant of Judaism that
they're not living a Jewish life and
there are those that are very even proud
of that badad they lifted very
high there are those who say that for
this reason we should make a separation
a distinction within the nation of
Israel and those that are the kosher
Community those that are the observant
of community that are lifting up the
deem they there are those who make the
argument let's not have anything to do
any relationship with those that are
rejecting Judaism so there are those
that are looking at the Jewish community
and having this discussion what do we do
with the fact that there are so many
people that are not observant and we
have observant people maybe we should
just kind of have own communities kind
of our own gated
communities with religious people and
let's really not have much to do or
anything at all to do with those
Community let's kind of create a a
separation between the two that's really
the healthiest thing that we can do
yes
uhuh right okay no no I think you no you
make a very good point you make a good
point and that is that those on the
other side would say those that are
proud of it and those that are really
rejecting and rebelling their you know
their allegiance to Judaism we should
really make a we should make a we should
make a a cut we should make a separation
from them so there are those that are
making that argument or the other side
is the middle of line Fort we continue
oh or
possibly the importance of having Shalom
of having
peace that that really is the overriding
factor and again interesting kind of
putting out this you know this
discussion or these two sides I think
these sides are being debated today to
some degree in the religious in the
observant in the non-observant community
right how do we how do we deal with one
another so is there room to say that we
really should kind of create a
separation we have a religious community
let them kind of do their own thing or
do we try to create more of a cohesive
Nation so here are now the words of rev
cook and this is very important rev
Cook's response so those are the two
possibilities he
says he says the very essence of this
argument of these two
sides it's only because there's
loneliness a spiritual loneliness within
the nation of
Israel that we have not yet ascended to
a
purity which is really the character of
the nation of Israel
that we're really we're not we're not
getting at the the essence of the nees
of who we are as a
nation but we're we're on our way we're
we're we're moving in that direction
ruuk says the following in this line he
says if we're even having this
discussion it's only because we are
lowly and spiritually lowly we should
not even be having a discussion that
that presents the possibility that there
should be divis Division and viess
within the nation of Israel even to have
that discussion reflects badly on the
Jewish people and it's not the essence
of the Jewish people it's not who we are
and it's only because there's what he
what he calls a
shlut there's only there's a loneliness
a spiritual a spiritual jth within the
nation now here he writes the following
and here now we're going to get to the
his uh his illumination or elucidation
of the story that we open with from
tanak to these two camps these two
camps Z this story is really the story
that's reflected in the two prostitutes
or the two harlots that are coming
before schl
Sho that statement that was
made bring me a sword right the idea
bring me a sword and let me cut the the
baby let me cut the body in half
that's really just a test that's just a
trial in other words to put it out there
that there's a possibility that we're
going to cut the baby in half cut the
body in half that was just testing what
was going to be the response to that so
to here if we're going to um suggest
let's cut the nation in half let's
separate the the two parts of the nation
from one another that is that that's
that's purely a test in other words
that's not something that we that we
take
seriously is
that's part of the what it means the the
Kingdom of
Israel that must be pushed aside and
there's that idea that we're going to
kind of split the nation fracture the
nation that
something the one that says let's cut
the baby in
half what is that those are murmurings
the same word in English murmurings
those are the murmurings that
are bate that come out that become
apparent which is the truth of the
enmity
the that she feels within in other words
the woman that could say yes let's cut
the baby in half there's something
there's something very wrong about that
that's coming from a very very bad place
and uh if somebody is saying that about
the nation of Israel that let's take one
community let's put them here let's take
the other community let's kind of
separate from one another that is that
that's the idea of gizor that's the idea
of cutting the body in
half that's part of to to say something
like that is to to say something like
that woman said like that that
prostitute said cut the B baby in half
nobody should have you know either you
know should have the baby let's just
both take half of the baby and on the
other side
but the mother who is the merciful
mother the mother who is the true mother
she
says give my child away give my child to
The Other
Woman to do not do not cause a death to
the
baby
so Andes the uh the spirit of of
Holiness meaning the the the word of God
calls out
to give her the baby that is the mother
so first of all the gamar asked the
question how was schl certain that this
was the mother maybe she outsmarted schl
would she knew if she were to say don't
cut the child that she would get the
child maybe she was smarter than schom
and she kind of strategized to do that
the gamar says the following and this is
what the uh what r ends with in this
piece that
it'ses
in says that in that Court there
is was able to have a kind of and if you
look at this second
column in that ofo it
says how did know
it ARA maybe she was engaging in
trickery maybe she was strategizing
maybe she was smarter than schl so says
the that wasn't just schl who was smart
enough who was wise enough to to kind of
read what was going on it was the word
of God it was the word of God the word
of God said do not cut the child give
this child to the mother who says that
the that the body that the the baby
should not be cut in half
so for rev cook rev cook sees this story
is not just a story of mothers and not
just squabbling over over the baby of
prostitutes that are arguing with one
another but this really represents and
with a NV with scho and with the word of
God it represents Amel as a whole and I
think that's how we can understand by
the way at the very end of the uh at the
very end of the story there's a
beautiful PK that we read as the Jewish
people saw what happened and they called
outo
the Jewish people saw the greatness
ofel that he was the king of Israel I'll
take a question or two but I just want
to point out one other thing this if you
look on the page the page before this
section
from from the navi this story this
well-known story of schl when is it read
as a ha it's actually chosen as one of
the aoras we only have a handful of
aoras when is which with what what paraa
what story in the Torah do we read this
Mikes and by the way it's rare actually
that we read this of Torah you might be
asking yourself I don't remember reading
this a Tor we rarely read it why because
kanaka falls out amik 90% of the time on
shabas so we're always reading the
special aor for khaka but this is the
aor for Mikes and what's the story of
mikat it's the end it's reash it's where
the brothers and Yosef where we have the
potential of the split within the family
and it's only the next para as Yehuda
comes before so what is this par all
about why did choose this to be the a
for mikat because it's not just a story
of two women of two harlots and schl
it's the story of Amel and it's rues
it's the word of God that says that
calls out to the Jewish people do not
split the body do not split the baby do
not split my child the Jewish people are
to remain one it's more important than
anything okay any yeah there was a
question to
right okay so every so every yes so so
every um so every situation needs to be
addressed and addressed properly but as
a as a principle as a principle as a
foundational principle our approaches
and the priority that am isra that we
want to be together we want to find a
way to be together there's nothing more
important than that that's the message
of schlomo and the brothers yes to say
this whole concept
yeah yeah yeah there's a famous story
that he right that he dresses that he
asked to go change clothing with them
and he puts on the clothing of the of
the khim and they put on his uh his
beasha and his hat and they're dancing
together and he says you see we're
really one just on the outside we look
different but we're really the same
we're the same so yes this is one of
especially for all of us that been
studying R cook together this is one of
one of his guiding principles one of one
of his most important teachings and we
see this what a beautiful idea to take
that story and to take that episode with
schl and to apply it in this way in
terms of how the way how we see amus the
importance of remaining together so I
want to highlight two two um two other
sources with you in terms of the uh what
it means to be together and to be one in
the ofel and two other re personalities
who lived in the same time of Rook R
mayor Sim Vince the M was considered to
be one of the G Torah of the previous
generation and uh and a line from the NV
as well who was a rebi of of the uh of
Rook so we turn now to page three which
I think in your in your little packet
it's the first page uh but it's it's
page three so look at this page it
should have a number three on top it
says
mayin so now we this is a this's a
classic teaching of the m one of a very
very beautiful idea and it brings us
back to the giving of the Torah we often
we we highlight the
idea the Jewish people being one and
then the Jewish people say the following
the P
says now before they
say they first say in they say we will
do all of The Commandments and actually
the M raises the question which is an
interesting one how is it that a Jew can
do all of the commands ments because a
Jew cannot possibly do all the
Commandments there we all talk about 613
Commandments we're all obligated 613 T
mitzvot but the truth is we don't do tag
mitzvot and it's not possible for any
Jew to do tag mitzvot so he writes the
following there are those MIT tah that
are for
the there are Mitzvah that are only Ley
Mitzvah anybody here
leyas Ley okay so you have special
Mitzvah being AAS any Coen in the room
oras okay AAS Coen yeah there areas
foras there are things that you can do
that I that I will never be able to do
and then there are
those and relate to a
kingin
foran they're those people that own
property anybody own property I don't
own any property here I'm renting so
there are people that own property ubas
anybody own a house here one person
right we're all renting okay so there
areos if you own a house there areos if
you own property but there are a lot of
people that don't and never
will only the entire Jewish people as a
whole only the with the entire Jewish
people can the Torah be fulfilled be
observed
is as we all know beautifully the gar sh
that we are all arus that we're all
intertwined with one another AR like the
word like you put up an a what does an a
do an a brings everyone together in one
in one place in one
one and when everybody does what they
need to do the Bas Coen and the BOS Ley
and the Coen God and those that own
property and own and own uh Fields when
everybody does their mitzvot now we have
have everybody keeping tag Mitzvah but
we need everyone in order to do that
it's just an interesting way to think
about t Mitzvah I think we usually think
we have all the Mitzvah and we're all
obligated but in a sense the Torah was
given in such a way that a single
individual is not able to keep the
entire Torah that means we're all
interconnected with one
another and he quotes
a that you are sheep of my flock says
God you you are interesting phrase you
are a single person you are one you're
one entity all of is is
one and a way to look at it says
the there are those people who are like
the heart of the
nation are like the heart of the Jewish
people they're those they're like the
head we find these terms in the Torah so
what part of the body are you are you
the hand of the nation the foot of the
nation the ear of the nation the nose by
the way we need all of it we want all of
it we want the brains we want the heart
we need eyes we need hands we need ears
so we're all we're all playing our part
says the uh
the and just to read this last
line four lines
down that you every single Jew has their
part to play your Mitzvah yourz Your
Role And when everybody does it together
who SH now we are a single nation so
that's a way of looking at and how do
you break the nation as R cook says we
cannot possibly cut the body we can't
break the nation in half we we need one
another there's no way to be MIM the 613
mitzvot without everyone together the
rebi of Rook was
the the Berlin ofan he's studying vin
with the NV and the NV is famous for his
Parish on the Torah and he has an
introduction to the book of bra in that
introduction he calls the book or he
says the book is called
saer and this is a famous introduction
of the uh of the
NV why is it called Saar that's one of
the the names one of the the the nicknam
special names that's given to the first
book of the Torah and he claims because
the AOS were that they were unique not
Sim they were yes so he talks about what
was unique about the AOS and there's one
sentence that I want to highlight from
his
introduction and he talks about in this
introduction the um the unfortunate
circumstance of what happened in the
time of the B mdash destruction of the B
mdash where there
wasam the temple was destroyed because
we didn't love one another there was
enmity hatred between Jews and he writes
the following to try to analyze exactly
what happened there so from the word up
rashnu do you see that I think I put a
little bracket next to the word p rashu
it's halfway down in the where it
says did I put a little bracket there I
think I did okay good so he say we
explain we have
explained that in that generation in the
time of the bash you had people that
were righteous and people that were
saintly andal Torah people were learning
Torah so how is is it that the was
destroyed but they were
not what does that mean he's going to
explain in a moment but it means the way
that they interacted with one another
and kind of a lack of respect that
people have for one
another now that's an important line so
what's the according to
the in their hearts they questioned or
they were that they did not think highly
of people of others around
them if somebody acted in a way which
was not like their way not like their do
right they wore a different kipa they
they had a different Min hog they acted
a little bit differently so they they
began to judge there was Judgment of
those people and they judged
them vorus that they were ready to use
those terms or aporus that they were
writing them off they were quick to
write them off as
an and um and that was the
problem which led to a real kind of hatd
where there was actually murder
so the key line here for me the way that
I understand this or what I wanted to
share is the Judgment of others to be
quick to judge others to label others
that's what was happening according to n
that was the that they were guilty of
and what that led to so that's something
that we need to be very very careful of
when we talk about the Aus of the nation
the Oneness of the nation we have to be
very very sensitive very U very careful
about any judgment and any labels
because he's talking about that as well
that they were quick to call that person
at Sidi and aias that they did that and
that that that led to Terrible Things
yes there was a question or two speaking
to
the right
right okay it needs to be done very
sensitively we touched on that last week
as well and it's part of our learning
this morning again if if the ideal is is
Shalom if the ideal is piece you're
asking the question if the other side is
acting in a way that that you find
inappropriate how do you responds again
it's it's you know every case is needs
to be addressed as you know
individually but um but I think the the
goal is sensitivity the goal is respect
the goal is uh is trying to find trying
to find a a peaceful place yes did
you that's right if I knew the right if
I knew the answers um but I think the
the but the lesson is an important one
the lesson the lesson is uh the lesson
of trying to find peace of being very
very careful in terms of language in
terms of Judgment of others that's the
that that that's the starting point and
a very very important you know very
important very important lesson okay and
that the ideal again as we started with
which we'll look at right now the ideal
that that we have to find every way to
keep our nation together to create a
Unity that there's Brotherhood to do
everything that we can and to see that
as as the highest priority so we we turn
out to page four page four we'll skip
that last s for now we'll come back to
that another time so R cook has a
beautiful uh I would say it's one of his
most famous
poems he wrote poetry as well one of the
unique aspects of R Cook's life is that
he was also a poet he enjoyed writing
poetry we have a lot of poems of Riv
cook and um this is I would say one of
his most famous poems not going to see
the entire poem but what is called the
four part song and in that he describes
the soul of every person and we've
looked at this in the past that there
are those that are a soul that wants to
en Noble their own soul that uh that one
is thinking about their own life
individually and how to have an
attachment and closeness with Hashem and
then there are souls that are attached
to the nation there are souls that are
attached to all of the nations of all of
humanity and then there are souls Souls
that are attached to all of creation and
and and He suggests that it's really
that a Jew is is is one who combines all
of all of those factors right all of
those special features um that I want to
just just to to highlight what he speaks
about when he speaks about the
attachment to the nation of Israel what
it means for a Jew to be attached to the
nation and to feel that close connection
to am Israel and I think that's I think
it's somewhat unique to to living in
Israel and and for everybody in the room
is as well as we'll see in a moment so
he writes the following this is the
second
line you see that and here we'll see the
beautiful poetry and writing of ruk
there are those people V and there are
those
Shar there are individual there are
those amongst the Jewish people that
sing the song of the nation that they
feel that close attachment to all of
am he leaves the circle the
his individual soul that's not enough
for him right just to just to DAV and to
keep shabas and to keep kosher to kind
of care about to be concerned with my
own spiritual life that's not large
enough for for that
soul that he doesn't see that wide
enough just to be concerned with his own
life maybe with his own family with his
own children right he has a he has this
desire to connect with and to be
concerned with the entire the the the
entire
nation Al that's not the ideal he
doesn't see that as the ideal to be
concerned with his own spiritual
growth he desires the O he wants
something much higher the strength of a
of something that's that's beyond just
himself
who and he is D there's an attachment a
clinging with great love and uh with ad
with ad in a how do you
translate in a very nice in a gentle way
in such a beautiful
way with all of Kess Isel it's not
enough for him his concern for himself
and again I would add maybe for his
family and for sort of his inner circle
he has a great desire to be a part of
the nation and the love that he has for
the nation that is is drawn to the
nation is concerned for the nation and
you know reading this and I think about
people that have made Aliah I think
that's part of what has brought people
on Aliyah where a person feels I I want
more I want to be I I want to be
connected to the nation and and part of
part of what's happening with all of am
is and building AR Israel and building
the nation he says there are souls he
says
yes the opening which we skipped over
there are people that are kind of
satisfied with just their their own
spiritual growth it kind of goes through
life like that that's a beautiful thing
also right to I'm concerned my daving
and my kasus and my family and my
community but he says there are those
that there are souls that go beyond that
there are souls that feel the nation and
want to and want to feel the pulse of
the nation and be a part of that and
what does that person do V the third
line down V Iman with a nation who
sha he sings the song she sings the song
of the nation m
that person feels the pain the pain of
the nation right very much what we're
going through today and I think what it
means to live in Israel today that we're
feeling right the pain of the nation and
to see the
losses rahmanan every every day every
other day to see soldiers and and to
read that and to feel that is is what it
means to live here what it means to live
in Earth Isel and again I mentioned this
in the past when I was back home for
pesak and I was reading about what was
happening in Israel I felt a little bit
of a disconnect it felt like far away I
was reading it but I wasn't I wasn't
feeling it in the same way and R cook
said that's part of and what's so
special about being in Israel and and
being a Jew that's connected with the
nation as a whole that we're singing sha
we should do a lot of that right the
celebrations of our nation and there are
souls that that sing that song and
then the way those that feel the the
pain
and those that feel a great sh a great
happiness in the hopes of Israel that
they connect with the hopes of of the
nation of Israel again not just with
your community with the hopes of your sh
and and you know what's happening on on
your blocks which is important also but
again a soul that's connected in a much
larger
way the person thinks great thoughts or
elevated
thoughts such a person is very much
connected with what has the history of
the Jewish people what has happened in
the past
o and the future of the Jewish people
right such a soul is connected with the
future and again I think I think for
many of us we've come to Israel we've
made alah because we feel that there's
there's a great future we want to be a
part of that future the sense of
redemption of moving towards a better
day and to be a part of that to play our
part in that in in in in every way and
every day that we're here in the last
line and I'll just to translation here
and tries to understand its inner
spiritual nature with love and a wise
heart so this Riv cook says is a what
how he describes poetically right a soul
a person a Jew who's connected to the
nation that love that the person has for
the nation living living with the with
the heart and soul of the nation and I
think that's very very beautiful and
again getting back to sort of the
opening where we
started that we can't possibly see says
R cook the idea of Act of fracturing the
nation in any way of making any division
within the nation there's one nation
that we're part of this nation and we
want everyone to be a part of this
nation okay one last uh one last source
and I want to share I think two uh two
stories with you to
conclude so Riv cook uses this uh I
would say as as a par Paradigm the story
of
SCH as a uh as a paradigm for Oneness
not to not to split the baby not to to
break the the body in half God forbid
the need for Oneness there's another
story that comes much earlier in the
Torah that we're all familiar with which
I think also highlights the importance
of togetherness and really this prayer
for for Oneness and that is Yakov as
he's about to end his life really we're
the last words of yakob to his children
so yakob said say he asked all his
children to come together and he says I
want to let you know what's going to
happen at the end of days and he's on
his deathbed and these are the last the
last message of Yakov to his children
the PK says and this is Source two right
the middle of page
four come
together let me let you know what will
happen the end of days come
together they came together and they
listen the mid asked the question what
are these
terms there are two words that are used
here for
Gathering and hiu like the word kibuts
that we know so there are many op many
different opinions in the midash what it
means I'm going to bring one opinion
this is the rabbis all together what
what does it mean
ver what did he mean BYU and he he
wasn't just saying come meet me in my
house 10:00 Sunday morning let's all get
together for brunch and I'll and I'll
let you know what's going to happen at
the end of days those words have much
more profound meaning what does it mean
he was giving a command what does it
mean he was telling them be together do
not
have do not fight with one another and
that is going to be the key
for that's how we're going to come to
the days of mashiach and if you read on
in the just highlighted one other did I
put that in a little box yeah okay good
so the very good so the midash goes on
to say the following this is we could we
can highlight these
words so the midrash based on this
teaching that yakob said come together
and that will be the end of days in
other words if you don't have mlus if
you find a way to live in Brotherhood
and peace and loving one another that's
that's what's going to bring the end of
days says the midash
when the Jewish people become an when
you become one nation attached to one
another prepare yourself for the g once
that happens if you are together if
there's Oneness in the Jewish people
that is a Telltale sign that
is prepare yourself the Gula is here
that's going to be the key for the Gula
and I think it's true for us today in
Israel as well with everything that's
going on all the difficulties the war we
need to be that's the message of this
midash and the message of ruk we need to
be unified we need to for there to be
Brotherhood we need never to to name
call and and it's that togetherness that
Unity that's going to give us strength
to overcome to be Victorious and and for
the Gula for the ultimate Redemption
okay I want to end with two uh with two
stories one is a story from um from R
Cook's father we don't know that much
about uh about R Cook's
father his name was schlomo zman cook he
was also a great Rabbi not as famous as
his son Ren cook and the story takes
place on this shabas what will be the
shabus of korak so he was invited to be
in a community for chabas and he was a
guest speaker on chabas and commun this
is the father of R cook of schlomo zman
cook and uh as they as they uh as they
escorted him in welcomed him somebody
whispered to him that there's a m a
major makus that's going on in the
community right now and we like you in
your Dr or sometime over shabas if you
could kind of address that on the shabas
again it was Paras korak so ruuk got up
shabas morning and he said the following
he said that in our par we have the
story of korak of course this happens to
be here we're talking about this morning
of of mes and splintering the Jewish
people that's the message that's of
that's the whole theme around Paras
korak this coming chabas so he said if
you look at the paraa you'll see what
happened where there was argument and uh
you have korak and the the Earth opens
up and swallows korak and his followers
but it seems that afterwards that the
the argument or sort of that
divisiveness or questioning mtion Aon
has still not been quelled in other
words there's still questions about that
and at that point God says that you are
to collect all the mat you are to
collect all of the all the staffs from
all the tribes and you're going to bring
them in together with the staff of Aon
and on the staff of Aon that there will
be a blossoming of flowers and almonds
on the on his staff and with that that
will be a sign that Aon has been chosen
by God and enough and enough mlus so
interesting that you know whatever
you'll look at the paraa and we'll all
study the paraa this week that that was
also necessary that you had the first
part of the paraa with korak we're all
familiar with that but another there was
another step that was necessary as well
so R cook said the following there's a
mishna that that speaks about almonds
that deals with almonds and that's again
that was on the staff and again why
almonds of all things that to see that
the staff of Aon that it that it
flowered and it that it grew almonds
like that sounds very very strange so he
said there's a mission that talks about
almonds and it says there are two kinds
of almonds I have an almond tree in my
in my yard so there's they're almonds
that start off being sweet and then they
become bitter as you leave them on the
tree and then there are almonds that are
bitter and they become sweet that's what
the mishna says two types of almonds and
and and maybe different hos for for each
of the different kinds of almonds so RAB
cook said that's true of a mlus as well
when it comes to mlus in a community or
M is with others so sometimes it starts
off sweet in other words we're com of
somebody we believe he deserves to be
ostracized from the community whatever
may be there's a little bit of sweetness
in that in that mlus everyone kind of
gets on board and this person is pushed
aside there's a little bit unfortunately
a little taste of Sweetness in
mes but then ultimately what happens
over time it's not so sweet and where
there is mes there's uh there's
bitterness in the end even if you felt
that it was kind of like the right thing
in the beginning even if it had a little
bit of a of a positive taste
but he says when it comes to making
Shalom the opposite is true you know
when you're when you're not getting
along with somebody or you haven't
spoken to somebody or trying to make
peace with somebody else in the
beginning it's bitter right it's hard
hard to make that phone call hard to
reach out hard to sit down with that
person and to talk about and try to make
amends with somebody there's bitterness
in the beginning but when you get over
that right when you get through that
bitterness there's a lot of sweetness
afterwards so he says that's the message
MZ that's the message of Paras korak and
why almonds of all things just realize
that it's there may be a little bit of
sweetness when you start a mlus you're
happy to knock this person whatever it
may be but ultimately that's going to be
very very bitter in the end again but
when it comes to making peace maybe a
little bitterness in the beginning but a
lot of sweetness at the end okay so that
is uh that's one story The Second Story
and I'll end with this is a story and
I'm going to read this story to you this
is a story that is found and I credit
the story to a good friend RAB Judah
Michelle in a book called bad a
beautiful safer which is really about
chuva and he's one of the writers for
Tor tidbits he's the head of Hask those
that are familiar with the the program
Hask he's there now up in the Catskills
and uh he has a beautiful safer about
chuva and this is a story that I want to
uh I'll close with and I just want to
I'll read it to
you and here it is before his
distinguished 50-year career career as a
senior surgeon at adasa
Hospital Dr nakum Cook was beloved for
his righteousness and dedication to the
members of the Jewish underground in
pre-state Israel and served as the
unofficial doctor of the iron a man by
the name of Dr nakum Cook now during The
Six Day War Dr Cook was a supervisor at
the emergency military field clinic at
bolm hospital in Jerusalem and worked
day and night as a supervising physician
in the triage room in the midst of
frantic raging battle decisions in the
field Clinic were made at a diing pace
wounded soldiers were arriving on
stretchers in Desperate condition and
there was a constant need to make life
and death decisions and prioritize
treating those victims whose lives could
be saved a young Soldier this 1967 Six
Day War a young Soldier evacuated from
evacuated from the warfront arrived at
bolm unconscious and severely wounded
his leg barely attached to his body you
know where Bolam hospital is you
familiar where it is yeah it's still
there today on
Strauss the doctors tried everything but
soon realized that they had a terrible
choice to make if the young man was to
live he had to lose his leg Dr Cook
however adamantly insisted that the
attending doctors do more to save the
soldiers leg from amputation with a
steady flow of injured soldiers coming
in the medical to medical team team felt
that there was not time to Del
deliberate the matter again but Dr Cook
continued to insist that they not give
up on the limb in the face of Dr Cook's
persistence and despite their Collective
opposition the doctors reviewed the case
once again emerging from the operating
room a short while later their faces
beaming with joy The Soldier's leg had
been
saved the medical personnel at bolm were
astounded what had made this one doctor
so focused on saving a limb why had he
persisted so forcing the colleagues to
rethink their initial diagnosis the
answer Dr Cook gave is both powerful and
instructive this is Dr Cook now speaking
my great uncle was the great sadic and O
Isel yiten cook who shared a message I
carry with me each time I treat a
patient in surgery when I entered the
field of medicine my holy Uncle implored
me to always bear in mind that just as
CLA Israel is one nation and no
individual Jew can be cut off from their
people a surgeon must do everything
within his power to ensure that a person
is given a chance to stay whole my uncle
spent his life reaching and going Beyond
his limits to maintain the casare with
Jews who many consider to be far away
refusing to allow them to be cut off
from knesset Israel my uncle RI cook
spent his his precious time traveling to
the most shim across erit Israel to
connect with Jews of different walks of
life and subjected himself to intense
criticism opposition and shame for the
sake of ensuring that no Jew would ever
be amputated from his
people and the last sentence when faced
with the painful possibility of
conducting emergency surgery to remove a
person's limb I'm Guided by my uncle's
insistence on never giving up hope
neither spiritually nor
physically okay so that is the uh that
is the story beautiful story and yes
it's one of the beautiful lessons of of
R cook of remaining always remaining
together how important it is today we
should take this as a uh as auk as an
inspiration to love every Jew to love
one another that there should be a a
Oneness and with
that everyone have a wonderful day I'll
take a question please last week I
and the solders of the