Chassidus Monday | Rabbi YY Jacobson

for them so this is basically what this was so he says as it's customary to say something that's connected to the T that we learned that week why since it's directives are Eternal expression it's not like the stories of are stories of the past and that's it you're reading old stories but essentially the word t doesn't mean law the word to means lessons says in Z from the word why because it's important when you're reading a to know the genre what this book is what's the genre of title what is it is it a history book well if it's a a history book there's a lot of missing gaps right is it a book of laws there's a lot of stories there so just tell me the laws right if it's a law it's a constitution shows us say the law so what is it the answer is it's a blueprint for life that's the answer so yeah there's history and there's laws right and there's a lot of stories and there's a lot of directors and there's interactions but everything is a lesson in life it's like uh ways the Divine ways you know GP as God's positioning system as you navigate the journeys of life it's a blueprint it's a road map a road map that's what it means a lesson and those lessons are not for that time it's Eternal it's Timeless if not it wouldn't have been recorded and the fact that every week we read a different par means that for the events of that week there are directives that come from this par how does a b work out so the truth is if it was a book written by a finite human being so you could write it for a certain period for a certain milu but if it comes from the author of creation so its relevance is timeless and also timely in that week when you read the P that's why it's customary to talk about to talk about uh that which we learned that week so this is his introduction to this group of uh of uh benefactors of donors of activists for the so he begins as the mention you know what is inish a tower the people who survived the after the Gen After the flood the new the new community that arose that emerged After the flood they built a city an ear and a migdal a tower a very tall tower some interesting in Babylonia some years ago I don't know if they found the very interesting archaeological observation they they they found the remnants ah Min yeah of a very tall tower interesting yeah so why they do this they were afraid they're going to be scattered over the entire Earth so they decided they're going to create a concentrated Community one City where everybody is going to live together with a tower and the PK says that Hashem did not like the idea and he he nullified he obliterated the idea and it never came to pass that's the story no one is the story of the Tower of of the certainly an interesting story but what the T puts it in that means there's a Timeless lesson here it's not just a story that happened a significant story there this is something about Humanity it's a story of life it's a story that continues the fact that the writes it and not just writes it elaborates with a lot of details it occupies a significant amount at the end of there are many that are only hinted to take shabas has so many details but it's all in one so you have that are relevant every day and every Li right many mitzvas and they're just hinted they're alluded to and here you have a whole and it's not even it's not like what we don't we don't build towers now we're not trying to build towers so you have to say that this story contains a profound lesson for generations for all generations for our parents and previous generations for us now and for our children and grandchildren in future Generations there's a lesson from this story for Our Generation specifically now I I told was Thursday I believe it was 1959 when you think about when this story happened and what situation the to clearly says this is a story after the flood very few people were saved from the flood so right away when we see this we already right away see the relevance to our generation it's not a question if it's a blueprint for Our Generation a few years ago we experienced a mble the Jewish people and the world experienced a flood referring to the Holocaust it's a flood a raging a raging Holocaust not by Nature by humans by the Nazis by the Germans that means destroyed decimated obliterated millions of Jews from this mble a small amount of Jews emerged were saved so this whole story was really a story for the for the generation that surv that emerged after the survivors of the flood so right away when you look at the timing of the story the application becomes evident that when we speak today about sh sh means those who remained the survivors who remained alive after the disaster so we all we need to read that story to learn about what happened after the flood and where they may have gotten wrong and therefore avoid the negative results base cook when you read the story of the the say this there's no clear intimation what was wrong by the mble others Cen murders heav okay we could understand a brother murdering a brother a human being killing another human being is antithetical to all of civilization clearly says the whole world was filled the world was filled withas in other words there was no moral boundaries anymore it was complete corruption and and May and and and moral chaos I get it when you look at the it looks like if you just read it the T doesn't say clearly anything wrong you it seems like a nice Endeavor what was the it says that everybody spoke one language they found a valley in a a land called Shar they said let us build a city and a tower which it the peak of the tower will reach heaven I obvously metaphorically and let's make a name for ourselves so we don't get scattered over the whole world and it says AEM came down to look at the city and the tower that they built and he said this is a terrible terrible idea why is it a terrible idea building cities is not a bad idea that's what Humanity has done since and we do it and we're proud of it it's important to create cities to create places for people to live to create communities to create societies that's what he says somehow there was something so remote from hashem's will that there was a special effort to ensure that this plan will not be materialized says they said to each other yeah to quote the let's build a tower let's build a let's build a city I'm sorry let's build a tower make for ourselves a name so we don't get scattered over the whole planet everybody will go their own way in a directionless process they'll be scattered you need to create a place where everybody could be together yeah and then when there when people are together it's much more powerful and build a tower why a tower build a city what do you need a tower the point of explain two things even from a far distance people will be able to recognize this is a city this is a place to go to to because the tallness of the tower Bays that's in the positive sense in other words it's a landmark it's an identifiable Landmark that will make it popular and appealing to everybody this is the place you can't you can't get lost and Bay in the negative sense protection this will consolidate the security to be able to have a tower so you'll have security guards sh sh means the protectors who will ensure that an enemy doesn't penetrate they can warn they can uh they can set off the alarm Etc at the surface the doesn't even say one word of describing a sinful Endeavor here so you look at the story and you is there a clue to find out what what was the issue here and the proof is the m struggle with this Rashi himself gives different interpretations what their what their intention was and the med there's many interpretations other and others have different interpretations because it's it's difficult in the to see in the says El like how we supposed to explain this the says it's three words we want to build a city we want to build a tower V three words let us make for ourselves a name no you want to make for yourselves a name something very very adal yeah it says in there's three crowns says there's three crowns crown of priesthood Crown Hood crown of to Crown of royalty and the crown of a good name is better than all of them says says a good name is better than the most fragrant oil Etc they said they have one objective the objective is to immortalize their name we're going to make a name for ourselves they're coming to build a city good thing build a tower very nice there's one purpose the purpose is to immortalize their name there was no higher purpose besides to make a name for themselves to immortalize f means to enshrine their name for eternity like people you know building a monument building a a concrete powerful edifice for my name is there's two things number one the FL the that which is missing in the that a person only thinks about themselves and their name without being Guided by a higher purpose and mission in life number one number two when this is the point when this is the objective then the means to reach the end are not so important in other words the main thing is I need a name here that becomes the objective so if that's the only objective a person doesn't distinguish and discriminate what are the methods the mlin means the methods through which to materialize my end goal because it's about making my name and therefore you can also use means which will turn out to be that antithesis of justice and righteousness this is true always especially it happens after a FL before that told the world why the mble is going to happen for thetion because of the behavior the complete moral breakdown of the people in the generation so after that what should have been their main focus to repair the spiritual and social erosion and Corruption that existed then by introducing a higher purpose a more Transcendent refined purpose in their life they weren't thinking about this instead those who were saved from the flood what were they searching for a way of how to uh immortalize and make sure their name is engraved for in history forever and this broke down the whole the whole experience this was their this was what was wrong and that's why Hashem was so not pleased with it the unvis what does this mean in a person's life what's the lesson in life when you save for yourself from a flood as they're saved from a flood the first thing they have to ask is what are things that may have caused the flood and make sure to ensure that that doesn't get repeated such doesn't happen again this you the precaution for this is not by saying we're going to build the best city we're going to build the greatest Tower but there's no other purpose only that my city and my tower should be bigger and taller so I should be able to immortalize my name in other words at the core of everything there was the unhealthy ego that contaminates the project but that's not what's going to enhance the situation if you want your city and Tower to really be able to endure then you need to have something that's that's authentic something that's Transcendent something that's really Eternal something that's purposeful outside of just my ego getting the validation it needs and then the city could be really successful and even those things that may be obstacles will ultimately be transformed what does what does this uh what does this mean in a person's life it's a subtle thing because you don't always see the difference on the outside what does V mean people are involved in projects constantly internal projects external projects right people build especially ambitious people and this was obviously a very ambitious Community they wanted to really make an impact you have to look is not what you write in the in the promotion it's inside what's deep deep inside what what is the motivation if at the core the motivation is I want a name obviously I'm not going to get a name by sitting around like a couch potato but I want a name they want to become celebrities they want to be immortalized that's ultimately what it's about so they're doing something that at the surface somebody else can be doing and it's an unbelievable thing and they're also doing amazing stuff but because inside at the core of it all is shame I'm looking for my ego to be satisfied so essentially the entire project is destined to fail why because it's based on something that doesn't really exist it's based on something that doesn't have any real staying power to put it differently like we you learn often why do I need a name why does somebody need a name why does somebody people work very very hard to make names for themselves I don't know if anybody here in this room has thear or has the or knows about this but there's people who work their whole life to make a name for themselves it's called in America celebrity well what what is it right huh I I understand status and his money and his influence and his power and his comfort and the richness there certain also concrete benefits what's what's the what do I gain from having a name by somebody else so the truth is the EMS is uh Fame so what does Fame do what does Fame do what does Fame do so so this person if you put their name into Google yeah yeah most people put their name into Google so maybe there'll be one mention you know I don't know DMV office or whatever right I once read or so somebody once said in the morning in the office he goes in and he types his name it to Google he wants to see if there's more mention instead of 14 million there 16 million instead of 16 25 million yeah so so the real thing is it's a substitute it's it's a fake substitute for love that's what it is it's a fake substitute for love a person a person needs attachment person needs to love and be loved if I don't get that and it's usually at age four or five or six the heart may already be broken into a thousand pieces consciously or unconsciously so I give up on that and I look for validation I look for attachment through validation validation means that you validate my existence that's V for some people it expresses itself as until everyone in the world doesn't know me who am I the moment you are wholesome inside you don't need even need one person to know you you need to know you I was at some interview somewhere and a meaningful one of these organizations they interviewed people it was in the five towns so the person asked me it was out of the blue he says if you could meet one person who lived in history who would you like it to be I said myself she just I said myself I want to meet myself said you know if you don't meet yourself you can meet everybody it doesn't help so you have a picture you'll put a you put a picture of yourself with with so you have another picture on the wall and if you meet yourself that's the person you have to meet the moment you meet yourself you don't need one person to know you need you to know for him right it was a punishment to become famous why gets called a Madre it's called he was a wholesome person B says told the students that he was told that because of something wrong he did he's going to be punished what's the punishment he has to be revealed what the whole world benefited from was a punishment for him I'm happy in the desert why why is he happy not because he doesn't have the K or because just a humble guy make believe I'm nothing for because he's everything because he's connected Eli he has a was to change the world that was a but shame could come from a very very very very authentic place and then it's not V shame then it's for me to be able to be a conduit for the only true reality of the moment I'm separate from truth my own truth now I need substitutes a person needs value that you can't live without value value person needs significance you need self value you need value what's the value so if I'm famous in some way or another maybe for a 100 people maybe for a thousand people if I'm ambitious for a million people if I'm very ambitious I need 7 billion people to know me and I will not rest till I get to that point and that drives me and drives me and drives me and if there's one person who doesn't accept me as that it's miserable why is it miserable because it's a bottomless pit cuz you're investing in a stock that it's not real you know it's like a cup that has a hole you could pour and pour and pour and pour a whole day garnished right if there's no hole 7 ounces you're filled if there's a hole how many ounces fill you infinity doesn't fill you you know why because there's a hole and that's why it never stops it never stops it's it's it's it's it's miserable at the core it's miserable at the core because I have no intimacy with myself when you have intimacy with yourself you need relationships as a relationship ship as an authentic connection as a real relationship then it's something meaningful it's something powerful when that's missing now what happened this is one of the symptoms of trauma because they went through such a flood and they were so destroyed not just destroyed physically but emotionally they were destroyed there's a flood on a physical level there's a flood on an emotional level so you need something to hold on to so what did they substitute the void with if I can get compliments if I can immortalize my name right to the point I'm finally going to feel good the truth is when Hashem says I'm misp pleased with it what does what does it mean Hashem is doesn't like it it means you don't like it it means it's not real when you say hem doesn't like doesn't mean there's a Big King in heaven I know maybe in that's how you understood there a Big King in heaven I don't like this project I'm going to it means you don't it means it's not going to do anything it's it's a fake building it's a fake Tower they used to say but the Titanic right the Titanic is such a ship even God can't sink it that was the slogan even God himself can't sink the Titanic huh such a ship such a ship [Music] right so's T that was built by an amateure that survived the mble unfortunately the Titanic had a different the point is when it says hm doesn't want the Mig means that it's not a tower it's not a city it's going to erode on its own it's going to destroy itself you know why because that which is fueling it is based on a she what's it based on it's based on two number one that my value comes from the fact that I have a name by you and number two which is based on number one is based on the fact I think I'm separate there's a separate ego ego is easing god out so and now I invest in the sense of separateness that I have to create because I'm not feeling the attachment with Oneness and I'm therefore I'm desperately trying to create V and it's true and everything is true in a marriage it's true in relationship with your children it's true relationship with yourself it's true in all of a person's work the ego needs a name the soul needs truth it's a different it's a different AV so it's not just a psychological or a spiritual thing it's also a practical thing the moment it's about the ego now methods don't matter anymore you're you're you're detached from truth I'll do whatever has to get done if I have to mow you down on the way I'll mow you down if I have to lie if I have to cheat I don't I'm not anchored anymore in anything authentic you know why because there's a outer ambition that takes over so now the methods also almost become irrelevant cuz even if I'm I'm trying to be a good guy but ultimately there's something so uh defected at the core that now this becomes my this is my oxygen and if this is my oxygen I will I will do everything to get there of course yeah and you have to justify the more you invest in your name the more you get corrupted if you invested 40 years 30 years now I have to justify it it's very hard to say that I put my stocks into something that's worthless so now I have to justify it and build it more and anyone who disagrees it's it's very painful it's very it's very it's very hard way they Achi what they you mean we're still talking about them very good he's saying if they would have built a tower would have been another Tower from the old world right so you see and in such a funny way right everybody contributes to the ultimate purpose everybody the question is what you learn from them without without them not be able we wouldn't even be able to to right still huh still exist them I mean they're pretty old at this point but uh of course the yeah that's the whole point the concept the concept doesn't just exist the concept is is yeah and it happens after a flaunt because there's so much there's so much pain like think in a person's own life you know whenever there's so much pain pain I need to fill I need to fill it with something so this is a fast fake way of filling the pain Celebrity Status immortalizing your name the more people are really in touch with themselves with their soul yeah of course it's nice to have validation but it's a it's nice it's nice only because it's a parameter that you're doing you're you're productive you're meaningful feedback is a good thing but why is feedback a good thing if a compliment creates your value then criticism destroys your value that's the fact and that's why you'll see the greatest of the great for them being in a position of publicity of Fame was was a punishment why was it a punishment because it was literally a distraction of their intimacy with themselves with the people they were very close to and with Hashem it was it was it was a merious neish for the myish of leadership wasn't that his was compromised okay that too but that wasn't the the real mysterious was that his was compromised hisas was compromised now he has to start dealing with k with a bunch of d and a with all these personalities this is not who he is Ken he would have been happy to come into the world and leave the world and then and and nobody would even know the B yeah say he told his he said he was punished they said there was they say that the once uh once asked the B who was he before so so one one one tradition isone and uh so there's a story that the told them that there was a Jew inas a very simple Jew and um one day he gets a knock on one night he gets a knock on the door and somebody's standing at the door and this person introduces himself as a leoi and he says that he came to to teach him he wants to teach him T the person says I think you got the wrong address and how do I know you're not a charlatan so he says on the day of the your Mitzvah you did something that was unbelievably powerful to the point that In Heaven There was such a commotion and I am so curious to know what you did I'll teach you T and you see that I know that you did something in the day of your Mitzvah but the condition is that you have to tell me what you did she says why is it negated to you he says I saw what it did for Hashem and I'm I'm just I need to know so the Jew tells him whatever I did was for me and for God none of your business none of your business and he he was he was said that was his previous gilgal what what what's the B taught the world what means what's means that there's a even doesn't have to know if there's real even does doesn't have to know that's obviously a very I need you in a real state of authenticity we you're part of infinity the very fact that I need a name means I'm already in such a separate desperate Place tell me I exist tell me I exist and every person who could tell me they exist it adds a little more value that goes straight out through the hole because at the court there's a hole there's nothing there so that erodes the whole we create infrastructures of Life cities Towers whatever that means physical psychological emotional Financial spiritual you have to say what's inside of it all if inside of all is a desperate attempt to make for myself a name so first of all nothing is going to last everything is going to be destroyed it's because there's nothing there number two it's not even going to be satisfying to the person because it's not really what you're looking for it's just you think you're looking for it because you desperately need something and number three it's going to get the person entangled in behaviors that are always alien to them because it's a desperate attempt to find value with there's no and then you just build you know like somebody once said Lincoln said if you're lying you need to have a good memory because you have to remember what you said last night and then you have to remember what you said the night before if you say truth you never have to have a good memory and I become entangled more and more and more and more and at some point The Picture of Dorian Gray you I don't know who I am anymore because I can't face myself because I had to camouflage myself and become become a different type of person I'll tell you a personal vulnerable story that I experienced once I went one to to visit rabinin you heard of is quite many years ago I don't know like maybe 20 or 25 years ago so I called up his office or I called him up and asked him if I can have a time to meet with him so he said come shabas afternoon for sh this time after come to his house huh not that was morning but in his house he lived in the German Colony in in the morning he would in the old city was a long walk for him so I came to his house and he had back of his house he has a garden and there's a there's like a little Kaze like a little Hut and a stem of a tree so I don't know he or I sat down on the stem of a tree somebody one of us sat on a rock or whatever he had their little bench and we smoed as the son of Y was setting over shabas so I I told them I said you know uh as a human as a person who's traveled the world and has visited I don't know probably hundreds of communities and has published so many books and uh didn't had a you know he wrote maybe 70 books you know he's the first one to translate the gar old ideas of transla gar you know he was the first to really do the steinel's translation everything else came after that even though he doesn't always get the credit for that but that's a separate Su uh so I said you know I I'm traveling I'm speaking to audiences I want to get advice I want to get advice from you your experience your your you know your experience of the Jewish World your experience of talking to audiences of communication of teaching Etc so he was a very sharp person a very smart person so he looks at me he had like this little twinkle short guy skinny guy twinkle in his eye he looks at me and he says they say that you're good I say what mean they say said my wife says my wife went it you're good if you're good now you're going to become better because you're going to you're going to fine-tune your skills you'll H your skills you'll become better so let me show you how it works you're going to reach a point that you'll already be very very you know you'll be you'll be good at what you do to the point that you won't even have to prepare when somebody will invite you to give a lecture you won't even ask them what topic cuz you'll already have filing cabinets in your brain you'll walk up to the pulpit on the pulpit there'll be a flyer with the event and right then you'll see the topic and you'll open up the filing cabinet you'll take out you know your jokes your stories your message boom you'll give an hour lecture and you might even get a standing ovation that's how good it'll be you'll get your check they're happy you're happy you go home and this will continue he said said for 20 years maybe 25 years maybe 30 years and it'll be excellent everybody will be happy and then he said one day one day you'll wake up you'll get out of bed you're going to look in the mirror and you won't see anything the only thing you'll see is a mouthpiece that's all you'll see in the mirror says and that day you will know that you that you died that you died you'll become a mouthpiece that's my message for you that was that was his that was his message for life you understand huh you don't [Music] understand you just become like a robotic machine that knows what it's doing and that has a a certain skill it's not authentic huh only skill it's a skill it's a mouthpiece and it's automatic huh BG compl you do it that's not what he meant a mouthpiece that's divorced from anything else it's a mouthpiece this person could speak this person could sing this person could make Jes F this person can [Music] entertain so I asked him so what's the solution the solution is that you have to challenge yourself in other words you always have to remain anchored in authenticity that what's being taught is coming from within you're not anymore selling a message that I sold last year CU it sells it's always rediscovering yourself in the process so it's not a mouth piece it's coming from an authentic place so you're always grow if you're not growing if you're not challenging yourself if you're not metamorphosizing yourself constantly so then ultimately it's just perpetuating a fake thing and then neosa said you have to surround yourself with people who give you real [Laughter] feedback they don't care about anything else so you get married you have to surround yourself it's not people who will just you know feed the V we will give you challenge you in a very very deep place in every person's life it was very powerful advice because we live in a world where V could be a very easy substitute for authenticity very easy it's a faster rout especially if God blessed you with certain talents whether it's to make money whether it's to achieve this it's a very fast way of substituting what your soul really needs right with what your ego needs only because it's so fragile and so weak I once told you there was a there's a there was a his name was Schon Solomon myON it's an interesting personality he grew up in in in in L Lithuania he was a boy boy he grew up and he became very very suspicious of Judaism and he went on a search and he left yish kite now this is in in the seven early 17 in the mid 1700s and uh he became a big philosopher he went to Germany became friends with mosa Mendelson schl M was his name he wrote an autobiography of himself later he got he became an I believe an alcoholic and he died very very young he wrote an autobiography about himself he hated the background where he came from and even more he hated him and that's why you could believe his story because he's completely not biased so he came for a shabas to the maged of Mich this is the 1760s or 70s maged passed away 1772 it's probably the only record I ever saw from somebody outside that records an experience with the magot you know there's so little they mag himself didn't write the talmidim wrote or gave over but this is somebody who who despised it from outside and you could see he said that he was very very Blown Away by the mag of mazich and then he went on he moved to Germany it's is in his own autobiography so uh you know he laughs so the whole religious jury and MIT whatever he didn't so he brings there three titas from the mag of Mich three titas fascinating and he was blown away one I told you once he canag you remember when the managin becomes the nigan yeah that's the opposite of one over the another he brings from the over said the coved of your friend should be as precious as your own coved literally it means the honor I give you should be as important to me as the honor I would like for myself I want you to honor me I should honor other the same way right like your own honor it shouldn't be less it shouldn't be cheaper the mag says what's the that you give so much honor to yourself that that that's the Paradigm so he Tes homolytically perhaps it means the exact opposite the covered that you're your friend gives you should be as valuable as the covet you give yourself it has the same value give a practical example let's say I finish a speech or a she right and there's no applause Abel is not here so nobody uh nobody gives an Applause certainly no standing ovation yeah so I'm feeling empty there was no feedback there was no applause nobody told me I changed their life nobody said it's the best speech I ever heard since the day I was born so I'm feeling empty so I go home and what do I do I give this speech again and when I finish I jump up and I give myself a standing ovation for 7 minutes which nobody gets a standing OV that you guys 10 seconds 20 seconds how good am I going to feel after that standing ovation huh buus worse right worse I did the speech I got a standing with for seven minutes the answer is G I am F zero why because the standing ovation you give yourself is worthless so the mag says that's exactly the same like the standing ovation that you're getting from somebody else precious like the cover stand up for yourself jump up because you came into the room jump up get on the table it's a joke doesn't doesn't fill the covered uh the covered uh neuron the neuron that's looking for cover doesn't get filled by me giving myself an Applause why not because the whole point is that you say that I'm great not that I say that I'm great in fact the reason so the Mind say the reason you need somebody else to say you're great is because you don't know that how to tell yourself you're great and even if you're telling it to yourself you're just telling it to yourself you don't believe it so the the is not because we don't want people to be immortalized cuz the contrary cuz we want you to know your real value your real significance ific your real significance is you're capable ofas of intimacy and when you have intimacy with yourself with god with another then the shame is as Hollow as it gets it's like it's like the standing ovation you're giving to yourself so you say what do you mean but there 10,000 people who gave me a standing ovation the ego likes it I'm not going to deny it right I've been in that position the ego likes it but you know how much benefit it gives your life you know how much benefit it gives your life zero and even the ego how long does it last 20 minutes the moment you get a call with criticism everything is gone why because there was nothing there it's like it's like a ponai scheme you know a ponai scheme you invest money money money money looks like like like his ponai scheme he already in the already in another world madeos panai scheme you right $200 billion what does it really have it has zero money you want to take out your money there's nothing there there's nothing why is there nothing there cuz there was nothing ever there it looked like you was it looked like that's the and after a mobble it's scary because we need we want I want to survive we're talking here about a spiritual mobble also a psychological M the the passion is I want to make myself a name I need to give myself existence but what am I giving myself existence with something superficial empty vanity something I don't really need and something that doesn't really exist now this is not such a popular idea because what do you mean if I'm world famous right everybody want but it's it's huh but this this this is the truth M became world famous but the reason he became world famous is because he didn't need it just like the moment you need it there's nothing to there's nothing to write home about then you need me more than I need you you understand if somebody would have told the somebody would have told you know what you could retire go into anonymity he would celebrate it I can go back to that space it wasn't a obviously you have to know what your mission is when you know what your mission is then it's not V then it's that's a whole different that's not that's to be able to be a conduit for authenticity and then paradoxic you have a name because you're connected to the real name when you're connected when your name what do we say in daving before after if you remember our name you called with your name okay m a few moments here you have a city and a tower in it says there's something called it's actually today's means the city of H meaning a city that's saturated with godliness with and has a holy theme and the city needs a tower like saying that the building of the of the should be taller than all the other buildings that's the MD 753 next page oh I'm sorry I skipped the main point gim I I skipped the the main the main lesson oh no no I did that I did that sorry sorry sorry I did I'm sorry so there's building a city and a town power that the entire objective is how am I going to immortalize my name how are you going to know about me that ultimately doesn't have staying power you build that's what you invest in in other words you're building a city that's a conduit for eternity and you build a tower the ETC then he says two things first of all you fulfilled aem's will in other words it's real it has staying power it's authentic you did the right thing you know you did the right thing and this tremendous it stays besides that there's in the positive wa what's means your life becomes Eternal Eternal why because your life became part of something that is when your life becomes part of something that's it gives real meaning not fake meaning when I'm trying to conquer death by creating a substitute for eternity in my imagination ultimately the person feels that emptiness and that's why they always need more and more and more when you can really attach yourself to true nitus he says then your name becomes immortalized in the of in the history of justice of righteousness you become an indispensable part because it becomes immortalized that this person became part of this eternal edifice that's indestructible that's where you get the meaning of Eternity the real V hey last SI he's talking to the Builders of the to build places where children will learn and they also be able to spread TI in the whole world so you need to expand the efforts and then two things happen as he said number one you fulfilled and then you also have this which is tough and that is your personal life is much more you become immortalized in the g means in the in the in the history in the story of yish which is an eternal story in other words you become Tak Eternal because you come you become part of something that is Immortal you become something you become part of something that is really Eternal not something that may now seem very grandiose But ultimately it's going to crumble one day it's not Eternal you become part of something that is truly nit and for that I Surrender the ego's need that I should be Eternal because that doesn't really happen nor does it really exist even nor does the need even exist really and my the very eye becomes a Channel of true true eternity h this building more and more that next time we meet in other words next year it shouldn't be about covering the deficit but rather about expanding the tower more this and also in your all all all the matters of your personal Liv you see everybody have a wonderful day especially for our brothers and sisters in tomorrow morning there's a sheer for women 9:30 right here tell your wives or daughters and bem Thursday morning we'll also meet 7:45 everybody have a lot of thank you for coming what the most amazing oh the most amazing speech yeah the earlier years it was mainly yish later they madees that was the language in which the spokes did it work out what happened I saw you it worked and it worked oh how do you know where it's coming from that's a good question how do you know where it's coming from you have to ask your wife how do you know who's coming from I live I live in a new place there's nothing there's nothing there so they need shs they need schools they need Yas and everything so it's came out like whoever moves there first feels the need where you know where's it com listen when somebody's doing something good and important it's also important to emphasize that like they say a story that there was one say who came to the balat and he said that it's he gives a lot of but it's all for ego it's not true there's nothing authentic so he said he said in he went like toas and he said maybe but the bread that the children are eating is authentic so you have to remember that too you know what I mean huh let there something there now need a child has bread it's authentic I I have to work on myself it's not a the world they say a story about and the V I think I heard it from bar wine wanted to build this luthan Yesa you know the mother of all yeshivas which he did and you know the luthia that was like the mother of all the yeshivas and he came to the vagon who was his Reb and he told them no it's not a good idea that's what they say 10 years later he came back and he said yeah so the story is he asked him what happened so he says 10 years ago it was about yourself and now it's not about you anymore it's about the students it's about the Yeshiva so now you now you should build it what's the difference I got answer huh I wasn't the way over here in other words words it's going to undermine your your Shiva it's not just what so it's fine you'll make a name for you what of cons huh it's a state of consciousness it it affects the Yeshiva because ultimately anyone who's coming to the Yeshiva you're coming here for me you're me you're here to serve me I'm not going to say it I want my 300 boys but you're really serving me you're serving me and even not a bad me a good me but you're here to serve me ultimately I can't be here for you you understand there's an agenda here that I think that's what he meant it erodes the very the vision changes the Dynamics even if it's subtle nobody comes in they don't see it but deep down it's the energy what do the students get out of it the other way it's the other way you're serving them you're a leader but you're serving them so then it's a whole different Yeshiva then you then then you're attached to Eternity you're creating something Eternal you're part of Eternity in the first case I'm using eternity to create me to build my stock because I want to turn the me into something that doesn't really exist so it's it's it's a human need it's an ego need here it's the other way now you you become a servant of Eternity of but it takes it takes a paradigm shift and usually a lot of work to get from one place to another place usually people get from one place to another place when their ego is shattered in other words when the ego is intact it's nice you know the the stock is working when the ego gets Shattered by life that's when many people they see the worthlessness of it everything they invested in is garnished that's not where they're getting their satisfaction from and they start rebuilding their soul from the from the bottom you know and it's only with authenticity with truth with real relationships with real connection with real daus and then they could start building things that last forever that's the message huh is it not attainable without that is it attainable without someone going through something to actually that's a good question is it attainable without a person's ego being shattered I believe person not no you have to have you can going to push you basically the is there to to to build yourself without you know breaking relationship hell and you're not basic only way to but he's not saying break about breaking the shattering the ego doesn't mean you have to shatter all the relationships no doesn't make difference money relationship what how people get broken relationship to actually do something to so so it's could be one or two one I I would say it happens usually in two ways one is a person who who who who senses authenticity what what's triggering it what's triggering triggering is they then they were born this way right so it's not you're right so it's not that they ever had they usually born or or they or they had some special people in their lives who who showed them that that's that's one path and the other path is through that's what it is sadik that the concept ofal is not you know Chu in time it's it's it's it's it's a paradigm it's the person who finds truth through failure Groundhog Day I don't know apparently that says a certain sense that because of course of course of course because they appreciate the absence much uh they see the darkness much clearer so they run away from it with much more ality and passion those three words destroy the Yesa say this the students yeah but it's a different Foundation if I can give if I can give I can only give people what I have if all the tal are here to serve my name and make me feel like an important person in the Jewish World so all I can give them is that they should try to work on their name I can give you what I have I can't give you what I don't have right if it's true with money I can't give you money I don't have I can't give you energy I don't have I can't give inspiration I have so if my whole is sh that's what I can give my students I can give my students the insecurity to try to build their ego for the rest of their lives why would that be any different than a higher level so it's not necessarily shame but it's the the rewarding part of it the obviously exists on so many levels from the most brute level to most crash Lev is itain to theate without reward listen we we we vacillate but the question is what we identify with more we vacillate we have an ego and we have a soul we vacillate between the two m d m d the question is what do I identify with where do I invest my time my energy my money my relationships you understand that's the V of course we all vacillate very few people uh you know what sadic remains anchored in that space it's garnish huh an interesting thing uh you wait in my house M youha you wait in my house you remember there's a picture of the Rab in my house you know that picture hanging a small Picture People come it's a strange picture it's like a profile from the side he's sitting on a box it's Tish glasses he's saying kin was to taken by an artist name was vinski FR vinski he was a he's already in he was a real artist photographer how did that picture come to me uh my brother asked him once he was eating at my parents home a secular Drew from Russia and he came here he came to Kit he became a tremendous photographer he was a photographer already in Russia then vinski beautiful beautiful photos of the Reb so my brother asked him you took thousands of pictures of the Reb which one is your favorite so he said this one why like you see from the side he's reading kinis so he said look at him would you ever be able to guess that at that moment 5,000 people were looking at him he said you would never be able to guess that's why it's my favorite picture he said he was sitting Tish saying would you ever guess I took the picture that there's 5,000 people looking at him at that moment he look at him you would never guess he says that's right huh it's not 5,000 people are looking at you you're a different person right a little self-conscious no a little you have even even 20 people looking at you you know people come in late to a she and 20 people look at them right you know how you feel for the next half an hour should I sit sh not sit what do I do it's a normal thing because we want to protect that little ego right so I'm saying you have who in a place ofas complete deas H not that it not that they're not a weird that that's also maybe part of your yeah you have to influence PE part of your thing is to know who you are right you know what Hees didn't believe in himself he made himself or nothing so M if I'm if I'm if I'm going to be saved everybody will probably be saved he didn't think he could change anything also said he wasn't he knew why the moment you know that your is's that's going through you then you could know all your then you could say of course I could change the world you it's not a separate when you think it's your own I can't change because CU you're a good guy you're an un of you're actually humble you're actually right you can't the moment you know who you really are then you could believe in yourself because you know who you are then V shame is a whole different shame Alicia says he says the is or the managan became like the instrument of Nina a violin doesn't have an ego when I finish playing if you don't applaud the violin doesn't M the violin is a tool for the music there's no ego he can with the managin becomes like the violin you're a tool for the Nina there's no ego there's no separate self then but it's very hard because I'm the managan but if you really want to be the managan you can't be a managan you have to be like a violin like a like you have to become the Nan it's the same it's interesting he didn't realize it's all the same V this is what it is and this is what not but it's the same V so we always knew it from schl I actually saw it from Stein out he quotes it but I saw lately a few years ago a guy found one of the wrote down these titas I think I forgot what the third one is the third one is also one I forgot but he found in other sources which is a might cuz the only source was now you could believe him because it's you could hear the mag you can hear the and did not like them so if he's praising it you have to be open you have to be open he was there for a shabas the mag was white he said that the mag asked everybody for his name and then he spoke a and every person's name was part of it he said it was half a fell he got the he he you see he said there was something very impressive here but he was he had a lot of he had a lot of I think he had depression and anxiety and self-hate it was complicated he was also brilliant I think he died from depression and alcoholism it was he had a hard life but he was a genius there's no question he was a genius foras he writes and I think the I don't think he heard the V from the mag himself I think he heard it from a of the M that's I think that heard from somebody who said it from the maret he says he says I don't like them but these things I have to admit left an impression on me like he says I don't like them I don't like the I think they're you know he's very very negative this is M the first generation this is a few years after the it's not later but he had a he had something bothered him but this he says these Titus I have to say were like very they open them because he was a he heard Transcendence you know there's a canag the for a person to say the the whole world is invested in ego and here a person is trying to go away you know the ego are for some people is everything that's I'm going to become a God so I'll have a name Forever This is the the poor person you know you're building something that you don't even you're not even looking for you're looking for CU you don't have yourself and your metaphor would be you know like the wave decides to detach from the ocean and build for itself a name from the or the ray yeah the ray says I'm going to build a name for myself and it detaches from the sun it's a very good Marshall so what happens to the Ray and you put it in a frame and you laminate it and the Le yeah I'm going to I'm going to make a name for myself look how powerful I am and what happens to the r it's dead that the son you have a name stay with the sun and you'll be the wave gets up the wave says oh I'm I'm a big guy so the wave says you know what I'm going to go live G to go build myself a villa on the beach so what happens to the wave huh a pudle and then it dries up a puddle that dries up you know the the had a student name was he was the of B in Ukraine and later he became a of the balat he was a g was the of etinger was his name so uh there was a puddle in front of his house and it never dried up it's like a little puddle so they asked him once why what what's the secret of this puddle he says I'll tell you uh it says the says that show generations and every generation he showed the leaders of the generation the daram the speakers the the teachers the expounders so he says so Adam was was was was listening to old generations and delet then he came to our generation and they came to the city of B so Master who's going to be the of so they said other said [Music] he spit and he said and the spit didn't dry [Laughter] up understand such such a god you could [Laughter] trust first he had a good sense of humor but there was once a woman she came and she lost a or something so she started to curse she lost herself so she started to curse him so the Gab by the shamish you know he wanted to throw her out and said laws laws law was C so he said it's not he says he made garnish it's nothing what do you mean he says do you mean what she of course I mean what she says turns to her and says would you like me to give you a that your son should grow up like me she says [Music] [Laughter] no your grandfa went to Camp something right your grandfather they didn't let sleep they were touching by not letting people to sleep you have to remind me it's your oh yeah my grandfather this basically the B has two books these books I talk how autobiography he describes all this very well they just basically autobiography book so maybe since I you know the first person I'm buying it for just somebody who told me that his grandparents went through the same well he just describes very well it's interesting to read wow it's out of PR it's why I bought you wow [Music] okay he not he's not into shame the way here I came to see if your grandfather Wonder just details how he was taken how they talk to human names